A British citizen – who was working for Reuters – has been found dead after a Russian airstrike in eastern Ukraine, the news agency confirmed.
Ryan Evans, who was a safety advisor for Reuters, was found dead under the rubble of Hotel Sapfir in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Sunday.
In a statement, Reuters said: “We are devastated to learn that Reuters safety advisor Ryan Evans, who was with our reporting team in Ukraine, has been killed.
“Ryan was part of a Reuters crew staying at Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, when it was hit in a missile strike on Saturday, August 24, 2024.
“Two of our journalists are in hospital; one is being treated for serious injuries. Three other colleagues have been accounted for and are safe.
“We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families.
“We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan’s family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly.”
Image: Hotel Safir, which was destroyed by a Russian missile in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine. Pic: AP
Mr Evans, 38, was a former British soldier and had been working with Reuters since 2022. He advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics.
The head of the Kramatorsk city military administration, Oleksandr Honcharenko, said earlier: “Rescuers found the body of a deceased person under the rubble.”
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander missile, a ballistic missile that can strike at distances up to 500 km (310 miles).
“An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander,” he said in his evening address on Sunday, adding the strike was “absolutely purposeful, thought out … my condolences to family and friends”.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
These are the nights Ollie Watkins never imagined were possible.
Scoring in a tournament for England? That seemed so far out of reach when he was playing club football in the sixth tier – and still out of the Premier League just four years ago.
Now finally at 28, here he was – wearing the Three Lions shirt with tens of millions watching worldwide.
And handed his opportunity with nine minutes to go of the semi-final – replacing the team’s all-time top-scorer Harry Kane – and seizing it in spectacular fashion.
With the dread of extra time looming, the striker struck to see off the Netherlands.
Just the type of finish Aston Villa fans have been enjoying all season. Now doing it for his country on the grandest of stages.
“When you score, the emotions that come through your body,” he said after the 2-1 win. “But this is just a different feeling.
“It was slow motion when I was running over to the boys and celebrating, and … I don’t want to get off the pitch at the end because I just wanted to soak it all in because it doesn’t happen often, obviously.”
Image: Watkins fires home to break Dutch hearts Pic: AP
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:22
England fans mob sports correspondent Rob Harris
Never before have England’s men reached a final overseas.
Although this is the second consecutive Euros final for Gareth Southgate’s side, the Three Lions had not even reached a final since 1966 before then.
Now for Watkins, it’s onto one of the biggest games in world football – a European Championship final on Sunday against Spain in Berlin.
The former Weston-super-Mare, Exeter City and Brentford striker said: “I never thought I’d be playing in the Euros for England. Obviously you can dream, but …I’m a realist. I just take it day by day, one step at a time.”
It’s why at this point, inside the Dortmund stadium, he was reflecting on that struggle to even break back into the professional ranks a decade ago when Exeter sent the teenager out on loan to non-league.
“I put in a lot of hard work to get to this point,” he said. “It’s not just this season. It’s cumulative and I’ve worked hard to get to this point and I’m going to enjoy every moment.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:50
‘Spain doesn’t know what’s coming’
Image: Watkins had an outstanding season for Aston Villa Pic: AP
And Southgate had no doubts about bringing Watkins on to try to conjure a winner – confounding those who questioned his substitutions and timings of them.
The manager said: “Ollie Watkins has trained like that every day and he’s been ready for his moment, no matter how frustrated he might have been at not playing.
“He’s been ready and the whole group have been. And the way that they’ve formed, it’s a group with a lot of new players in it and half of them had never been to a tournament.
“But they’ve bonded so well and they’ve all got each other’s back.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:52
‘England’s performance was exceptional’
Watkins was patient – having only featured in 20 minutes of one of the previous five games here in Germany.
“To be honest, recently I’ve obviously got a little bit frustrated,” he said.
“I don’t like to be on the bench. I’ve had the best season of my career, and I’ve had a few messages from my friends just saying, ‘be patient, you’re going to get an opportunity’ and they feel like I’ve got a big part to play in the tournament.
“The amount of people that have messaged me today saying I’m going to score tonight when I come on, this is ridiculous. And obviously they’ve put it out into the universe.
“So hopefully they can do the same for the final or even give me the lottery numbers.”
Watkins will already feel like he’s won the Lottery – putting England in a final.
He’ll always have Dortmund. But he’ll be hoping Berlin brings more – silverware to end the Three Lions’ years of hurt since ’66.
A cancer patient has told Sky News it’s “terrifying” for her health that junior doctors are striking again from Thursday.
The NHS is expecting “major disruption” in the coming days as medics in England walk out over pay amid a yellow health alert heatwave and ongoing disruption to some services because of a ransomware cyber attack earlier this month.
Major hospitals Guys’ and St Thomas’ and King’s in London are still running at reduced capacity after the incident.
Image: Donia Youssef and her children
Cancer survivor Donia Youssef has annual colonoscopies but her last was cancelled because of previous industrial action by junior doctors.
Donia, from Grays in Essex, said: “It’s a worry as a mum with two young children and I was on the list. It got cancelled. First time because of the strikes. And after that I didn’t hear from them. So I kept pushing. Nothing. It was just more delays. I was just kept waiting.
“[They said]: ‘There’s a backlog. We’ll get back to you. There’s a backlog, they’re getting through. We’ll let you know if there’s any cancellations.'”
“It’s like months later. Nothing. So eventually, because the symptoms are getting worse, I decided to pay.”
Donia was so scared of her health worsening she paid for private treatment, a cost she could barely afford. And now, as a cancer survivor, every time there’s a fresh round of strikes she is filled with dread.
“I get scared. I can’t get [treatment] on the private and a lot of it’s really expensive. So, yeah, it’s terrifying. So you’re constantly aware,” she said.
Image: Donia Youssef
Donia added: “I try and not watch the news because it just scares me. But then when I do see it, I just get fearful, for myself and obviously others as well. It’s a scary time, and we shouldn’t be in this position. That’s what scares me.”
The British Medical Association (BMA), which has said that junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008, has said some senior junior doctors would be given permission to work at the hospitals during the walkouts to “prevent dangerous delays to cancer care“.
The industrial action, which begins at 7am on Thursday and ends at 7am on 2 July, is the 11th walkout by junior doctors in the bitter dispute over pay.
Government minister Kevin Hollinrake told Sky News he did not think the 35% pay increase junior doctors are asking for is affordable.
“Junior doctors have already received a 9% pay increase this year, and there were discussions about a further 3% increase on top of that, so I think those are fair figures,” he said.
“Junior doctors are asking for 35%, which taxpayers, of course, would have to fund – I don’t think that’s affordable.
“It’d be interesting to see what Labour would do in the same situation. I hear calls all the time in parliament, ‘oh yes, we would settle this dispute by now’, but to what level and what cost to the taxpayer?”
Image: Guy’s Hospital. File pic: AP
Asked about the impact of the cyber attack and the weather over the strike period, BMA chairman of council Professor Philip Banfield said more experienced doctors will cover for their colleagues.
Dr Banfield said: “When the junior doctors go on strike, it doesn’t empty the hospital out of doctors. You’ve got our specialty and specialist (SAS) colleagues, consultants, so it is a more senior workforce in place, those gaps are not quite what you would expect.”
NHS England said that it expects the strike to cause “widespread disruption to routine care and difficulties with discharging patients”, despite extensive preparations.
Junior doctors make up half of the medical workforce and their last walkout in February led to 91,048 appointments, procedures and operations being cancelled.
Image: Donia Youssef was so scared of her health worsening she paid for private treatment
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “This new round of strike action will again hit the NHS very hard, with almost all routine care likely to be affected, and services put under significant pressure.
“The warmer weather can lead to additional pressure on services at a time when demand for services is already high.
“As ever, we are working to ensure urgent and emergency care is prioritised for patients, but there is no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track following strikes, and the cumulative effect for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole is enormous.”
Read more: Hacked data ‘published online’ GP fears NHS data theft will harm patients
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “While we fully understand the genuine grievances junior doctors have over their pay, conditions and training, NHS leaders will still be frustrated that they will yet again be taking to the picket lines.
“Holding strikes in the middle of an election campaign when no political party is in a position to bring the dispute to a close is a bitter pill to swallow for staff who have to plug the gaps and patients who will have their appointments cancelled or delayed.”
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
About 1.5 million appointments have been postponed since the current wave of industrial action began in the NHS in England in December 2022, which has included walkouts by junior doctors, consultants, paramedics, physiotherapists and other staff groups.
It is estimated that strikes have cost the NHS an estimated £3bn.
Thunderstorms are set to strike across large parts of the UK this afternoon – with a warning that flooding in some places could cause “danger to life”.
The Met Office has issued a number of yellow weather alerts across the country, which look set to bring Britain’s warm spell to an end.
Not everyone within the warning areas will see a thunderstorm, but are still being advised to prepare for the adverse weather.
Western and central Northern Ireland is the first to be hit, with the anticipated heavy showers and thunderstorms from 12pm expected to lead to difficult driving conditions, power cuts and flooding.
From 1pm, thunderstorms will sweep in across parts of Wales and western and central England.
Check the weather forecast in your area
Image: The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for Sunday. Pic: Met Office
The Met Office has warned: “Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
“Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.”
From 2pm, the storms will hit Scotland. The yellow weather alert stretches from southern Scotland up to the Central Belt as well as the Highlands and Islands.
The Met Office has warned Scots: “There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.”
X
This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable X cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to X cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow X cookies for this session only.
Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once
The heavy showers and thunderstorms in Northern Ireland are expected to come to an end at around 7pm, and at 11pm in England and Wales.
The bad weather is expected to continue in Scotland until 3am on Monday.
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
The thunderstorms could bring the UK’s warm spell to a dramatic end – after Saturday was confirmed as the hottest day of the year.
Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: “A thundery breakdown is expected on Sunday afternoon, but many eastern parts of Britain will stay fine and dry.
“The Met Office has issued several thunderstorm warnings, which highlight the areas at risk of severe weather.
“It’s important to note that not everywhere within the warning area will catch a thunderstorm.
“Where they do occur, they could bring torrential rain, large hail up to 2cm, gusty winds and frequent lightning, with localised disruption possible.
“It’ll be another warm afternoon for most, with 27C or 28C possible somewhere in southeast England.
“That would be the UK’s highest temperature of the year so far, beating Saturday’s 25.9C at Herstmonceux.
“Next week looks cooler and more unsettled, but there’ll be some pleasant sunshine at times.”
Read more from Sky News: Global temperature streak continues with record hot April London must adapt to ‘new reality’ as number of days over 30C rises
Stay safe in thunder and lightning
Before the thunderstorm: • Lightning can cause power surges, so unplug any non-essential appliances if not already using a surge protector. • Seek shelter if possible. When you hear thunder you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur. Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm.
During the thunderstorm: • Telephone lines can conduct electricity so try to avoid using the landline, unless in an emergency. • If outside, avoid water and find a low-lying open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles or metal objects. • Be aware of metal objects that can conduct or attract lightning, including golf clubs, golf buggies, fishing rods, umbrellas, motorbikes, bicycles, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, pushchairs, wire fencing and rails. If you are in a tent, try to stay away from the metal poles. • If you find yourself in an exposed location, it may be advisable to squat close to the ground with your hands on your knees and your head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of the ground with your body as possible. Do not lie down on the ground. •If you feel your hair stand on end, drop to the above position immediately.
After the thunderstorm: • Avoid downed power lines or broken cables. •If someone is struck by lightning, they often suffer severe burns. The strike also affects the heart, so check if they have a pulse.
Driving in a thunderstorm: • If you are caught out in thunder and lightning, it is advised that you wind up the windows and stay inside your car. In the vast majority of cars with a metal roof and frame, the frame will act as a conductive Faraday cage, passing the current around the passengers inside and on to the ground. • Soft-top convertibles, with their fabric roofs, are the most at risk and could catch fire if struck by lightning. • Be aware that current can travel through other parts of many modern cars, including GPS and radio systems. Cars with metal interior handles, foot pedals and steering wheels can also carry current. • Cars can be damaged both internally and externally by lightning strikes. • Thunderstorms can also bring a risk of sudden gusty winds. Those most at risk would include cyclists, motorcyclists and high-sided vehicles. • Remember to give vulnerable road users including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians more room than usual. • Keep your speed down. Lowering your speed will lower the distance you travel when buffeted around by the wind. • Hailstorms can be extremely dangerous to drive in – reducing your ability to see and be seen, as well as causing damage to your vehicle. If hail is severe, stop and pull over to a safe place and remain inside the vehicle.
Senior doctors in England have voted to accept an improved government pay deal, bringing to an end the year-long dispute which had led to strike action.
The British Medical Association (BMA), a trade union which has been representing the consultants, put the offer on pay and conditions to its members, with 83% voting in favour.
The pay deal includes changes to a doctors’ pay review body and a 2.85% (£3,000) uplift for those who have been senior doctors for four to seven years, who under the original offer received no additional uplift, said the BMA.
The offer is in addition to the 6% awarded during the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) process last summer.
Strike action over the last two years has heaped more pressure on the NHS, where more than seven million patients remain on waiting lists for hospital treatment, leading to thousands of cancelled appointments and procedures.
It has also piled pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of an expected election later this year, as polls suggest the Tory party is trailing heavily behind Labour.
He hailed the deal as “excellent news” for patients after admitting in February that he had failed to cut NHS waiting lists, a key government pledge.
“The end of consultant strike action in the NHS is excellent news for patients. It will mean we can continue making progress towards our goal of cutting the waiting lists, which have now fallen for the fourth month in a row,” he said.
“Consultants perform a vital role at the heart of the NHS – I’m pleased they’ve accepted this deal, which is fair for them and fair for the taxpayer.”
While NHS nurses ended strike action last year following a pay deal, a long-running pay dispute with junior doctors, who staged a five-day strike in February, remains ongoing.
‘Without valuing doctors, we lose them’
Dr Vishal Sharma, who chairs the BMA consultants committee, said “at the heart of this dispute was our concern for patients and the future sustainability of the NHS”.
He described the consultants’ strike action as “unprecedented” following “years of repeated real-term pay cuts”.
Dr Sharma went on to say “it’s now imperative that the DDRB utilises its independence to restore doctors’ pay and prevent any further disputes from arising.
“We’ve reached this point not just through our tough negotiations with the Government, but thanks to the resolve of consultants, who took the difficult decision to strike, and did so safely and effectively, on multiple occasions, sending a clear message that they would not back down.
“At the heart of this dispute was our concern for patients and the future sustainability of the NHS. Without valuing doctors, we lose them. Without doctors, we have no NHS and patients suffer.”
Read more from Sky News: ‘Fantasy world’ flat secretly converted by tenant receives Grade II listed status UK weather: Warning of 70mph winds as Storm Kathleen moves in
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said the government’s offer was “fair and reasonable” and the deal eliminated the threat of further strikes.
She added: “Consultants will now be able to focus on providing the highest quality care for patients and we can consolidate our progress on waiting lists – which have fallen for the past four months.
“This deal directly addresses gender pay issues in the NHS and enhances consultants’ parental leave options – representing a fair deal for consultants, patients, and taxpayers.”
Patients face further major disruption as junior doctors in England begin a five-day strike in their ongoing pay row with the government.
Tens of thousands of hospital appointments are set to be cancelled or postponed as a result of the latest walkout which began at 7am on Saturday and will stretch until 11.59pm on Wednesday.
It is the 10th stoppage by junior doctors since last March and follows the longest strike in NHS history in January, which lasted six full days.
“The government could have stopped these strikes by simply making a credible pay offer for junior doctors in England to begin reversing the pay cuts they have inflicted upon us for more than a decade,” Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said.
“The same government could have even accepted our offer to delay this round of strike action to give more space for talks – all we asked for in return was a short extension of our mandate to strike.
“The fact that ministers have chosen strike action over what could have been the end of this year’s pay dispute is disappointing to say the least.”
The BMA also expects its strike mandate to be renewed raising the prospect of further industrial action.
What should I do if I’m ill during the strikes?
If your condition is not “serious or life-threatening”, the NHS is asking people to use pharmacists, GPs, or the NHS 111 service in the first instance.
NHS bosses have repeatedly stressed that you should still call 999 in life-threatening situations.
Non-striking medical staff will continue to provide urgent, emergency, and maternity care to people who need it, with those “with the most pressing health needs” prioritised.
People who attend A&E with less urgent needs “may experience longer waiting times than normal”.
Planned appointments and surgeries may have been cancelled, but if you have not been contacted about a rearrangement you should attend as normal, the NHS says.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines.
“In negotiations with the BMA junior doctors committee, we made it clear we were prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. They refused to put our offer to their members.
“More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began – five days of further action will compound this.
“The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and it is vital that people continue to come forward for treatment. But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS.
“So again, I urge the BMA junior doctors committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable, so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward.”
Read more on Sky News: Worst airlines for customer satisfaction revealed WW2 bomb that forced thousands to evacuate detonated at sea
Junior doctors have received a pay rise averaging nearly 9% this financial year.
The BMA has been seeking a 35% “pay restoration” as its starting position, but has said it is willing to negotiate.
Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS and have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
Spreaker
This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.
Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, described the latest round of strikes as having “a devastating impact on patients” but said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was refusing to negotiate.
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said it is “extremely concerning” that strike action and disruption “are becoming a new normal”.
“For the equivalent of more than one in every 10 days last year, the NHS has had to effectively stop carrying out most routine appointments to prioritise emergency care,” he added.
Deputy chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery said: “We can’t go on like this. Wave after wave of strikes saps the morale of staff and impacts patients.
“Trust leaders want to get on with the job of giving patients first-class care instead of having to spend too much time and energy planning for and coping with weeks of disruptive strikes.”
The longest strike in NHS history, during which junior doctors walked out for six days, led to more than 113,000 patient operations, appointments and procedures being postponed, new figures show.
The industrial action started last Wednesday and continued until yesterday, with 25,446 staff absent from work at the peak, which was the day the strike started, 3 January.
According to NHS data, 113,779 inpatient and outpatient appointments had to be rescheduled, taking the total number since the health service strikes started in December 2022 to 1,333,221.
It means patients are “bearing the brunt” of the action, according to Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England.
She said: “The cumulative effect of various strikes now hitting the NHS for more than a year also means people are experiencing multiple cancellations, affecting their confidence in health services, often leaving them in pain, feeling stressed and anxious.”
NHS leaders have warned the impact caused by the strike could last for “months”.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, said frontline staff were “very concerned” about the next few weeks as the “cold weather bites” and more people may need to be treated in hospital.
“This puts an incredible strain on staff who have been covering striking colleagues as we continue to navigate one of the most difficult times of year,” he said.
Image: Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England
Read more: Adam Boulton: NHS pessimism creeping up Hospitals plea for junior doctors to return to work Several NHS trusts declare critical incident on first day of strike
The number of cancellations could be double those reported as hospitals pre-emptively did not book in pre-planned operations during strikes, according to experts.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The national figure for the cancelled appointments over the last year of industrial action, in our view, significantly underestimates it because actually a lot of trusts pre-emptively didn’t make appointments in the first place.
“So you have to more or less double that figure in order to get the actual number of appointments and procedures that were cancelled.”
What do junior doctors want?
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents junior doctors, has called for a 35% pay rise for them but the government has stated the demand is “not affordable, even over several years”.
The union claims junior doctors in England were subjected to a 26.1% real terms pay cut between 2008 and 2022.
The government gave junior doctors an 8.8% pay rise last summer, with an extra 3% offered during the last round of negotiations towards the end of the year.
The BMA said it rejected the 3% offer because it does not make up for a real-term pay cut of nearly a quarter of their salary for junior doctors since 2008.
Spreaker
This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.
Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
NHS consultants took strike action in September and October and agreed to an extra 4.95% pay rise for senior doctors on top of the annual 6% increase already offered to them by the government.
This will be voted on by members of their union this month.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Despite the significant pressure, the healthcare system has coped well thanks to the hard work of consultants, nurses and other healthcare staff who worked during industrial action.
“The strikes may have ended but their repercussions will be felt for weeks and months to come.
“We want to put an end to damaging strikes once and for all, and if the BMA junior doctors’ committee can demonstrate they have reasonable expectations, we will still sit down with them.”
Travellers heading to Europe should soon be able to resume their journey after a deal was done to end a strike that halted cross-Channel trains.
Thousands were stranded on Thursday when French workers rejected an end-of-year bonus.
Services affected included Eurostar, which runs passenger services from London St Pancras, and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which runs vehicle-carrying trains from Folkestone.
The disruption started about midday and at least 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled, with many turning back to where they started.
Eurotunnel later said management and trade unions had reached a deal that meant services would “resume progressively this evening and Eurostar tomorrow morning [Friday]”.
Getlink, the company that manages Channel Tunnel infrastructure, said unions wanted three times the €1,000 (£866) bonus they were offered.
The problems came on a day when all services from London Euston were suspended for a time due to overhead line damage near Watford Junction.
Image: Passengers were stuck without trains at London Euston
Image: People were also prevented from going on to platforms at King’s Cross
King’s Cross also had severe delays due to a fallen tree in the Newark area.
Large crowds massed outside the stations and on concourses, staring at their phones and trying to work out alternative routes.
At 4.30pm, Euston said the problem had been fixed and “we are working closely with train operators to get you on the move”.
However some operators, such as London Northwestern, were still reporting disruption on Thursday evening.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:53
Plane struggles to land in Storm Pia
Storm Pia also disrupted air travel, with some planes diverting from northern airports and British Airways grounding two dozen flights.
Video showed a pilot fighting to land his plane at Birmingham in 50mph crosswinds.
The aircraft was less than 100ft from the tarmac when it was forced to pull up – but it made it down safely on the second try.
Image: A trampoline was blown on to lines between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh
Get the Sky News forecast for your area
Gusts of 115mph were recorded at Cairngorm Summit in the Highlands, while Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick in Northumberland, saw 81mph.
About 40,000 households were affected by electricity outages in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
But nearly all were reconnected by Thursday evening, said operator Northern Powergrid.
Elsewhere, a man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a tree hit his car in Clifton, Derbyshire. Police in the county said a number of trees had fallen on the road.
Storm Pia, named by Danish forecasters, is set to move towards mainland Europe where its effect is expected to be more severe, said the Met Office.
Junior doctors in England are to go on strike again later this month and early next year, after talks with the government broke down.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says it will call on members to walk out in December before Christmas and again in early January for several days at a time.
The first strike action will take place over three days from 7am on Wednesday 20 December to 7am on Saturday 23 December.
The second walkout will be held over six days from 7am on Wednesday 3 January until 7am on Tuesday 9 January.
The BMA told its members: “This means you should not attend any shifts starting after 6.59am on the first day of strike action. You can then attend any shifts starting from 7am on the final day.”
Ministers and BMA representatives have been locked in negotiations for over a month trying to find a resolution to the pay dispute.
BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said it was “forced to call strikes” as the “government was unable to present a credible offer on pay” after five weeks of intense talks.
“Instead, we were offered an additional 3%, unevenly spread across doctors’ grades, which would still amount to pay cuts for many doctors this year. It is clear the government is still not prepared to address the real-terms pay cut doctors have experienced since 2008,” they said.
“It is a great shame that even though the approach was more constructive, there was not enough on offer to shape a credible deal, which we hoped would end the dispute. Without enough progress by the deadline, we have no choice but to take action that demonstrates doctors are as determined as ever in reversing their pay cuts.”
In a direct appeal to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, they said the BMA was “ready and willing” to return to the negotiating table again should she make “a credible offer”.
They added: “A year after our dispute started, we are still too far from turning the tide on plummeting pay, morale, and retention of doctors.
“If a credible offer can be presented the day before, or even during any action, these strikes can be cancelled.”
Read more from Sky News: Schools in lockdown after stabbing in Wales House explodes as police surround armed suspect
Ms Atkins said the government would “immediately look to come back to the table” if the junior doctors’ strikes were called off.
“It is disappointing that despite significant progress the BMA junior doctors committee have walked away from negotiations and declared new strikes, which will result in more disruption for patients and extra pressure on NHS services and staff as we enter a busy winter period, risking patient safety,” she said in a statement.
“I have been clear that I respect the work of doctors in training and want to work with them to settle this dispute.
“We have agreed a fair and reasonable offer with the BMA’s consultants committee which is being put to members for a vote following constructive talks.
“If the junior doctors committee call off their strikes, we will immediately look to come back to the table to continue negotiations.”
Amazon workers in the UK are to go on strike today to coincide with Black Friday – one of the company’s busiest shopping days of the year.
More than 1,000 staff at the firm’s warehouse in Coventry are expected to take part in the walkout, the GMB union said, amid a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
The online retail giant has insisted customers will not be affected by the industrial action.
A protest will also be held outside Amazon UK’s head office in London, while coordinated strikes and demonstrations will be held in other European countries and the US as well.
Unions say it will be the biggest day of industrial action in Amazon’s history.
The company recently announced it would be increasing the minimum starting pay to up to £13 an hour for staff, depending on location, from next April.
But the GMB has called for a rate of at least £15 an hour, and better conditions, as staff struggle with the cost of living crisis.
GMB official Amanda Gearing, said: “Today will go down as a turning point in Amazon’s history. Working people who make Amazon’s business model possible stand up to demand their share of the company’s enormous wealth.
“Despite that, Amazon bosses are desperate to claim it will be business as usual for Amazon and their customers this Black Friday.”
Ms Gearing added: “The truth is that today will see the largest day of industrial disruption in Amazon’s history.
“With industrial action escalating and workers joining strike action in Europe and the USA, it’s clear this strike is inspiring Amazon workers worldwide to fight to force the company to change its ways.”
Read more from business: Average annual energy bill to rise from January QPR drafts in bankers to pitch to investors Nissan to deliver boost for Sunderland after EV talks
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:32
Sky’s report from January on Amazon workers staging their first UK strike
An Amazon spokesperson said: “There will be no disruption to customers.
“We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits.
“By April 2024, our minimum starting pay will have increased to £12.30 and £13 per hour depending on location, that’s a 20% increase over two years and 50% since 2018.”
They added: “We also work hard to provide great benefits, a positive work environment and excellent career opportunities.
“These are just some of the reasons people want to come and work at Amazon, whether it’s their first job, a seasonal role or an opportunity for them to advance their career.”
It marks the 28th day of strike action to hit Amazon in the UK since the start of the year.
