as inflation remains sticky at 4%. the uk is teetering on the brink of a recession and the chancellorjeremy hunt has said there's likely to be less scope for tax cuts in the coming budget than originally predicted. the government had intended to cut the main rate of national insurance from 12% to 10%. however, the times newspaper reported this week that there was likely to be less headroom for tax cuts in the upcoming budget. speaking to the bbc�*s nick robinson, mr hunt said that he wanted to "lighten the tax burden" but that it had to be done in a "responsible" way. we don't yet know the final numbers because there's this kind of iterative process that happens with the office for budget responsibility. but it doesn't look to me like we will have the same scope for cutting taxes in the spring budget that we had in the autumn statement, and so i need to set people's expectations about the scale of what i'm doing.

because people need to know that when a conservative government cuts taxes, we will do so in a responsible and sensible way. but we also want to be clear that the direction of travel we want to go in is to lighten the tax burden. and that's notjust about putting more money in people's pockets, although i do believe that we should put as much money as you can into people's pockets — that's a very conservative view. it's because in the end that's how we'll grow the economy, if we are... we know the right sort of tax cuts help boost our growth. live now to our chief political correspondent henry zeffman, who's at westminster for us. the chancellor basically saying don't expect any bumper tax giveaway. don't expect any bumper tax giveaway-— don't expect any bumper tax aiveawa . . v �* v don't expect any bumper tax aiveawa . . �*, ~ �*, ., giveaway. that's right. and it's a messa . e giveaway. that's right. and it's a message directed _ giveaway. that's right. and it's a message directed at _ giveaway. that's right. and it's a message directed at two - giveaway. that's right. and it's a i message directed at two audiences. of course it's directed at the british public, many of whom have seen taxes rise in recent years, are struggling with the cost of living because of the global inflation

crisis and so on. but the other audience is conservative mps. because in the run—up to the annual budget taking place on march the 6th you have i think what's fair to say a climberfrom you have i think what's fair to say a climber from conservative mps of all different factions within the party who wantjeremy hunt to cut this tax or that tax. and the reason for that, as well as wanting low tax in general is because there is going to be a general election this year and the conservative party is in trouble. conservatives differ on how to get themselves out of that trouble but almost all of them think that one necessary task in order to climb that electoral mountain is to cut taxes. so whatjeremy hunt i think is really saying here is, hold on, the economic circumstances are still quite difficult, i would like to cut taxes but i might not be able to cut taxes but i might not be able to cut taxes but i might not be able to cut them by as much as the conservative mps might hope. h0??? to cut them by as much as the conservative mps might hope. how do ou think conservative mps might hope. how do you think that — conservative mps might hope. how do you think that will _ conservative mps might hope. how do you think that will go _ conservative mps might hope. how do you think that will go down _ conservative mps might hope. how do you think that will go down with - you think that will go down with those mps? hat you think that will go down with those mps?—

those mps? not well, to put it briefl . those mps? not well, to put it briefly- we _ those mps? not well, to put it briefly. we had _ those mps? not well, to put it briefly. we had a _ those mps? not well, to put it briefly. we had a document. those mps? not well, to put it - briefly. we had a document released by a group on the right of the conservative party called the new conservatives. that was yesterday, calling for £24 billion worth of tax cuts, principally a cut in the basic rate of income tax. but we are told at the moment the analysis in the treasury of the moneyjeremy hunt has available for tax cuts, although there are plenty of contested views about what is and is not available and how you work it out, but on the treasury's side of looking at things, they think they only have 14 billion available, some way short of what the group wants to all go on tax cuts, and that's beforejeremy hunt considers whether some might gone tax cuts or some of it might go on public spending because there are demands there. it's all looking quite complex and that's always the case in the run—up to a budget, a chancellor and prime minister has to manage a lot of competing and economic interests but fundamentally what conservative mps sitting on the backbenches, well away from the balance sheet want, they want tax

cuts. ., ., ., cuts. you mentioned the general election expected _ cuts. you mentioned the general election expected to _ cuts. you mentioned the general election expected to happen - cuts. you mentioned the general election expected to happen this| election expected to happen this year and this is all part really of a general election campaign in a way. labouralso a general election campaign in a way. labour also out on the front foot about fiscal responsibility. that's right, the labour party is battling with the conservative party to be seen as the party of business. sir keir starmer, the labour party leader, is addressing a conference of more than 400 business leaders today where he will sayjust of more than 400 business leaders today where he will say just that, the labour party is the party of business. he will also say he wants business. he will also say he wants business to be an equal partner to government should labour win the general election. it's worth noting, with labour and the conservatives fighting on that terrain in the run—up to the 2024 general election, we don't know when it will take place but almost certainly in the second half of this year, it's worth reflecting how far things have changed since the 2019 general election. borisjohnson, then conservative prime minister, had a fairly difficult relationship with business, he had said some fairly fruity things about business during brexit disagreements, and the labour

party led byjeremy corbyn had a very different conception of the role of business in the british economy. things have changed a lot since then with both major parties competing to be seen as a friend of business and more generally as fiscally cautious, for the prudent and fiscally responsible. chief olitical and fiscally responsible. chief political correspondent - and fiscally responsible. chief political correspondent at - political correspondent at westminster, henry zeffman, thank you forjoining us. lots of police in the belgian capital of brussels, farmers are protesting about rising costs and european regulations. you can see the picture of the square in brussels, a lot of smoke and fires have been lit by farmers. indeed, hundreds have arrived on tractors in and around brussels, many heading to that square in front of the european parliament. police are cordoning off the police commission and council

buildings. farming regulations not officially on the agenda but it will probably be discussed. what european leaders are meeting in brussels for is to try to end a stand—off over financial aid for ukraine. that's after in december hungary vetoed a 50 billion euros package of military and financial aid arguing the conflict in ukraine was too unpredictable. that's what they are discussing inside the european parliament today, but as you can see, outside the protests by farmers continuing with a lot of smoke in the square. and a big police presence as those farmers come in on tractors into the belgian capital. as i mentioned, the actual meeting is about ukraine. intense fighting continues in ukraine along the sprawling frontline. for months russian forces have been trying to capture this strategic town, avdiivka, near donetsk in the east, a town that ukrainians see as a symbol of resistance. it's severly damaged,yet hundreds

of civilians remain there, living in desperate conditions under relentless russian bombardment. a special police unit is trying to help the last people out, many elderly women. from that town, our correspondent abdujalil abdurasulov has this report on the evaucation attempts. gunfire. evacuation from avdiivka is literally a matter of life and death. policemen are running out of time to save this wounded woman. and not only because she is bleeding heavily. explosion. she screams. bleep. a russian drone drops a grenade aiming fortheir car. it just misses. "hurry up — a drone is hovering above," an officer shouts. gennady and dmitri'sjob is to help civilians facing daily bombardments and air strikes.

they are the white angels, a special police unit in avdiivka, a front line town in eastern ukraine. they gave me their footage from the past month inside the town. it shows how people survive in desperate conditions. the town is being razed to the ground, and yet some residents are still willing to stay. gennady begs this old lady to leave the town. this is her answer. "let me die here," she says. in some cases, they use the help of a person's relatives, and sometimes it works. "we've come here and they're refusing to go," he says. "mum, please go," the voice

on the other end begs the woman. "what if dad dies after we leave? what will i do?" she asks. eventually, the woman's daughter manages to convince her to leave. opportunities to escape are slipping away. small russian groups have already entered the southern outskirts of the town and evacuation from there is no longer possible. ukrainian troops are desperately trying to stop russian attacks around avdiivka, but they are running out of supplies as military aid has decreased. as a result, there are huge shortages of ammunition, guns and spare parts. this is a german bergepanzer, and its main purpose is to evacuate damaged armoured vehicles from the front line. its track and road wheels are broken.

but because there are not enough spare parts, this group has to scavenge. they're taking the track from the other vehicle and putting it on this one. for now, the ukrainian forces are holding on in avdiivka, but those residents who refuse to leave the town may soon no longer have a choice. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, eastern ukraine. thousands of workers in south—east asia are being forced to work in conditions so hot that their lives are being put at risk, according to uk research. the study of brick kiln and garment workers in cambodia, the first of its kind in the world, highlights the risks climate change will pose to those already struggling in hot countries. our correspondent laura bicker gained rare access to the brick industry for this report — the names of the workers she spoke to have been changed to protect them.

workers in cambodia's brick factories are trapped in a never ending cycle of heat. production rarely stops. researchers secretly recorded workers' body temperature. in some cases, it was life—threateningly high. heat in here is intense, it is oppressive. the only way i can describe it is like being in an oven. the fire is just behind these bricks and they spend hours at a time. this isn'tjust about brick workers here in cambodia, there are hundreds of thousands of people who work in kilns right across central and southern asia, for whom a tiny degree of temperature change can mean the difference between life and death. translation: it is like working inside a burning prison, - and it is so hot it impacts our internal organs. i have asked the owner

to provide us with more fans, but they don't do it because they are afraid of spending on electricity. last year was the hottest on record and researchers fear climate change is placing the most vulnerable in an everyday state of emergency. the people who are most vulnerable socially, economically, will tend to be the people who are also most vulnerable to climate change. so what we need to do is to consider how climate change impacts people through the lens of labour and inequality, and recognise that labour exploitation is a major factor in the worst impacts of climate change. but in cambodia, heat is not the only problem. this father of two scoops up a mix of fabric, plastic and rubber to keep the kiln fires burning. some factory owners use piles of waste from the garment industry instead of wood to save money. but the fumes are toxic.

this is against protocols for major western brands. we found labels from the disney store, clarks and h&m, among others. all promised the bbc that they would investigate. no matter how toxic or hot the kilns become, she can never leave. the owner has paid off her debts, now she and her children are trapped. translation: we have a debt with them. - if we leave, we are afraid of being arrested and imprisoned. so we must struggle here. if they ask us to enter the fire, we will do it. the majority of brick workers were farmers, forced to migrate to the city after droughts devastated their crops, driving them into debt. they earn so little that the debt will never be repaid. the kilns of cambodia have fed the capital's construction boom.

but as phnom penh reaches towards the sky, it's left behind those who've helped build it. laura bicker, bbc news, cambodia. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. bbc news, bringing you different stories_ bbc news, bringing you different stories from _ bbc news, bringing you different stories from across _ bbc news, bringing you different stories from across the _ bbc news, bringing you different stories from across the uk. - bbc news, bringing you different stories from across the uk. the i stories from across the uk. the seafront and — stories from across the uk. seafront and beaches in bude stories from across the uk.- seafront and beaches in bude are stories from across the uk- seafront and beaches in bude are at the heart of the community but parts of it are under threat because of climate change. we of it are under threat because of climate change.— of it are under threat because of climate chance. ~ . ., ~ ., climate change. we are talking about our own home _ climate change. we are talking about our own home town, _ climate change. we are talking about our own home town, part _ climate change. we are talking about our own home town, part of - climate change. we are talking about our own home town, part of it - climate change. we are talking about our own home town, part of it being l our own home town, part of it being underwater. it's kind of a bit scary and actually makes it very real. this is a graphic of the beach, now on an average spring tide. but roll forward around 30 years to the 2050s and it could look like this if nothing is done. we and it could look like this if nothing is done.— and it could look like this if nothing is done. and it could look like this if nothin: is done. ~ ., ., ., .,~ nothing is done. we have got to take action now- — nothing is done. we have got to take action now- the _ nothing is done. we have got to take action now. the clock _ nothing is done. we have got to take action now. the clock is _ nothing is done. we have got to take

action now. the clock is ticking. - action now. the clock is ticking. the covenant has allocated £3 million to bude as part of a programme to help communities adapt. we can't solve climate change in bude but what i hope is we can lead by example in the way we respond to it. as, by example in the way we respond to it. ~ . ., y by example in the way we respond to it. a community tackling the climate challen . e it. a community tackling the climate challenge head _ it. a community tackling the climate challenge head on. _ it. a community tackling the climate challenge head on. for _ it. a community tackling the climate challenge head on. for more - it. a community tackling the climate challenge head on. for more storiesj challenge head on. for more stories from across — challenge head on. for more stories from across the _ challenge head on. for more stories from across the uk, _ challenge head on. for more stories from across the uk, head _ challenge head on. for more stories from across the uk, head to - challenge head on. for more stories from across the uk, head to the - challenge head on. for more stories| from across the uk, head to the bbc news _ from across the uk, head to the bbc news website — you're live with bbc news. barbie star margot robbie has broken her silence on her oscar snub for best actress, saying she was not sad. fans were dismayed that she was overlooked for her title tole overlooked for her title role in 2023's top grossing film. but margot, speaking in a discussion with co—stars, said: "there's no way to feel sad when you know you're this blessed." she added the mission of the movie was to "affect culture" and that is the "biggest reward" that has come out of the film's success. last week, lily gladstone made

history by becoming the first native american to get nominated for a best actress oscar and already her handlers have her crossing continents in a tightly orchestrated campaign to win support for her film, killers of the flower moon, and secure her chances of winning an oscars trophy. tom brook caught up with her when she was in london this week. hello, tom. very good to meet you and welcome _ hello, tom. very good to meet you and welcome to _ hello, tom. very good to meet you and welcome to london. _ hello, tom. very good to meet you and welcome to london. lily - and welcome to london. lily gladstone is on the campaign trail to win oscar votes will stop she made history last week by becoming the first native american ever to get nominated for a best actress academy award for her role in killers of the flower movie, directed by martin scorsese. please send hel , directed by martin scorsese. please send help, there _ directed by martin scorsese. please send help, there is _ directed by martin scorsese. please send help, there is murder- directed by martin scorsese. please send help, there is murder in - directed by martin scorsese. please | send help, there is murder in osage and the police do nothing. she plays molly burkhard, _ and the police do nothing. she plays molly burkhard, an _ and the police do nothing. she plays molly burkhard, an osage _ and the police do nothing. she plays molly burkhard, an osage woman i and the police do nothing. she plays l molly burkhard, an osage woman who finds herself in the midst of the nightmarish poisoning of indigenous people by greedy white men seeking to claim the oil—rich lands of the osage nation in 1920s oklahoma.

gladstone plays opposite leonardo dicaprio and robert de niro. her character is the emotional heart of the film. i character is the emotional heart of the film. , ., character is the emotional heart of the film-_ i - character is the emotional heart of the film._ i am - the film. i need you here. i am riaht the film. i need you here. i am right here- _ the film. i need you here. i am right here. your— the film. i need you here. i am right here. your nomination i the film. i need you here. i am i right here. your nomination alone has been historic. _ right here. your nomination alone has been historic. what _ right here. your nomination alone has been historic. what do - right here. your nomination alone has been historic. what do you i right here. your nomination alone i has been historic. what do you hope your legacy is from this awards season hoopla, for want of a better term, in terms of changing the representation of native americans? by representation of native americans? by bringing indigenous performers into a place where we are leading ladies, we are leading films that people are feeling, resonating with from all walks of life, is proving that we belong in these places and we have a lot to offer. the stories we have a lot to offer. the stories we have a lot to offer. the stories we have to tell are ones that everybody can benefit from, notjust us. everybody can benefit from, not 'ust us. �* , , y ., everybody can benefit from, not 'ust us. �* , , , ., everybody can benefit from, not 'ust us. it's interesting you say that, the importance _ us. it's interesting you say that, the importance of _ us. it's interesting you say that, the importance of telling - us. it's interesting you say that, the importance of telling your . us. it's interesting you say that, i the importance of telling your own stories. i wanted to ask you, martin scorsese, leonardo dicaprio, robert de niro, fine upstanding men, but they are all white men. did you have

any kind of apprehension about collaborating with white men on telling a story about a terrible wrong done to indigenous people in the united states?— wrong done to indigenous people in the united states? absolutely. there was apprehension _ the united states? absolutely. there was apprehension about _ the united states? absolutely. there was apprehension about all— the united states? absolutely. there was apprehension about all of- the united states? absolutely. there was apprehension about all of it, - was apprehension about all of it, all aspects of it. where a lot of comfort came before walking in and seeing what it actually was to work with these incredible, incredible humans, was the legacy of work that they all had. leo with his climate activism and the way i know his organisation centre is a grassroots indigenous people, i had a feeling that's what he would be like to work with on this project and he certainly was. but the film had built such a strong safety net of osage voices in every department around the whole production, so i never felt it would be wrong to speak up. that's how you are. i don't know what you said but it must have been_ don't know what you said but it must have been indian for handsome devil.

laughter_ laughter . molly has quite a commanding presence. she seems very self—assured to stop so do you, if i may say so, in real life. what was it like, though, when you went on the set for the first time with people like leonardo dicaprio or robert de niro? were you intimidated or starstruck at all?— or starstruck at all? graciously leo had invited — or starstruck at all? graciously leo had invited me _ or starstruck at all? graciously leo had invited me over _ or starstruck at all? graciously leo had invited me over for _ or starstruck at all? graciously leo had invited me over for dinner - had invited me overfor dinner beforehand to get over the starstruck ness of it all. he on struck me, and it was definitely a more intense shake working with bob further down the road. the shakes came back when i worked with him, the first few takes, but then you kind of embraced really quickly why these film—makers, these actors, these film—makers, these actors, these men, are decades long career is now, ijust such shapers of the entire film world that i grew up watching. you understand why they have such longevity in their work. unlike some academy campaigns that are designed to act as narcissism,

lily gladstone seems to be participating in something bigger than that. she comes across as a committed trailblazer in her efforts to get the us film industry to represent the native american people fairly and responsibly. and her authenticity, as much as her much praised acting, may well help her win an oscar. tom brook, bbc news, new york. studio: don't forget you can get all the oscars buzz online on the bbc news website or app. you are watching bbc news. ijust want i just want to bring you ijust want to bring you a line of breaking news we are getting on that attack that happened in south london overnight using a corrosive substance. the metropolitan police have just given us quite a lengthy update. they have confirmed that the corrosive substance that was used in the attack was an alkaline substance. they also said in their update they believe the man and

woman are known to each other. our investigation, they say, is in the early stages and we are working to establish why this awful incident has happened. a man hunt continues. you will remember nine people were hurt by that attack using a corrosive substance in clapham. witnesses described an horrific scene as her mum —— a mother and her two daughters were doused with a harmful substance in her car. police have given more details on the condition. the woman aged 31, and the two daughters aged eight and three, all remain in hospital. the police say while none of their conditions are life—threatening, the injuries to the woman and younger girl could be life changing and they say it may be some time before hospital staff are able to say how serious they might be. they also say that three women, two in their 30s and one in their 50s who were injured when they bravely came to the aid of the family, have all now

been discharged from hospital with minor burns and injuries. a man in his 50s who also helped, declined hospital treatment police say for the minor injuries he suffered. additionally, five police officers who were injured when they responded have all been treated and they have now left hospital. so the update, the main lines from that is that police are saying the corrosive substance used was an alkaline. they think the victim could have been known to her attacker, and the mum and daughter could have life changing injuries, although not life—threatening. there is a special live page up and running on the bbc news website and app that you can see there with all the latest developments on that incident in clapham. the new series of the apprentice starts on bbc one tonight, as another set of ambitious entrepreneurs battle to become lord sugar�*s chosen one. there'll be the usual challenges and boardroom ordeals but lord sugar has

already set a couple of non—negotiable rules — no influencers, and nobody who wants to work from home. charlotte gallagher has the story. i'm just trying to find out what you did. he's been interrogating... you lost control of that. firing. you're fired. and eventually hiring on our televisions. tim, you are hired. for almost 20 years and now lord sugar is back for an 18th series of the apprentice. nine men and nine women are battling it out to win a quarter of a million and business guidance from lord sugar. their first task, event organising in the scottish highlands with some reluctant abseiling. how are you feeling, buddy?

that's how i'm feeling, bro. laughter. good lad. how long, guys? literally falling out of your bedroom window, worst case. and another candidate taking the plunge. television is new to them. the whole process is new to them. people pointing cameras at them and all that stuff and i guess a lot of them want to put themselves forward to be seen to be doing more and to be seen to be doing less and that creates a situation where they contradict each other, step on each other and go against what is generally agreed. who was doing the massaging? despite their bravado and initial confidence, there's always high drama and bickering in the boardroom showdown. how does lord sugar deal

with candidates getting upset? if they crumble or get upset in front of me, then we will take a pause. and we willjust sit back and say, look, chill out. it's not the end of the world. calm down or whatever. and move on from there when they have composed themselves. when the apprentice first started in 2005 social media was in its infancy. of course, that has all changed and lord sugar says he worries about influencers trying to get on the show. the production company that's been making this thing for 18 years and my staff who go along to the auditions can smell them a mile off! and that's when they are eliminated,

in the first round. so no influencers on the apprentice and lord sugar also has strong feelings about another modern trend — working from home. i understand why it happened during the pandemic but i am totally against it, i think it is bad for morale, bad for learning, i know i learned from being with other people in an office. you do not learn sitting at home in your pyjamas in front of a mac. a definite you're fired to any candidate who suggests working from home. you're fired! hello, a powerful storm passed to the north of the uk on wednesday. storm ingunn, named by the norwegian weather service, across the faroe islands it brought wind gusts in excess of 120 mph. then it slammed into the west coast of norway with gusts of more than 100 mph. there is our storm system moving away as we head into thursday. across shetland we saw

wind gusts of 78 mph. even those winds have been easing a little, and through thursday it's a quieter day ahead. some hazy sunshine, dry for many. still quite windy up towards the north but not as windy as it has been. some wintry showers across the north—west of scotland and a touch of frost for some of us first thing. the majority will see spells of hazy sunshine with high cloud streaming across the sky. thicker cloud into northern england, northern ireland and scotland, with rain returning to the north—west of scotland later. temperatures across the board, eight, nine or ten degrees. during thursday evening and overnight, we will see this band of rain pushing across the north of scotland. behind that we see lots and lots of cloud filtering in from the west. it'll turn really misty and murky for coasts and hills, some spots of drizzle. but look at the temperatures by the end of the night, by the start of friday morning. some spots up in double digits. that's because we will be between these two weather fronts, between this warm front and this cold front, in what we call a warm

sector, a wedge of very warm or at least very mild air. but these south—westerly winds, not only mild but laden with moisture, so a lot of cloud on friday. some mist and murk for western coasts and hills where there will also be some bits and pieces of rain. the best chance of any sunshine to the east of high ground, although the winds here will be pretty gusty. but look at the afternoon temperatures, 13, 14, we may see highs of 15 degrees. now, during friday night we see a weak, cold front pushing its way southwards. that'll bring a lot of cloud, it'll bring some bits and pieces of showery rain, nothing much really on this weather front to look out for saturday. front to look at for saturday. to the south of it, we are still in that very mild but rather cloudy and damp regime. to the north of the weather front, something a little bit brighter but with some showers. still not particularly cold. temperatures north to south, 7—14 degrees. into sunday, mild air if anything pushes northwards again. a lot of cloud, some bits and pieces of rain. highs of 14.

live from london. this is bbc news. european leaders are meeting in brussels to try to persuade hungary to drop its opposition to a vital aid packge for ukraine. outside the meeting hundreds of farmers are protesting over rising costs and eu regulations. police say they are still searching for a man accused of attacking a family with a �*corrosive substance' in south london. the us military says it's destroyed ten attack drones and a ground control station, in its latest operation against the iranian—backed houthis.

hello, i'm nicky schiller. we start with a crunch summit meeting in brussels. european leaders will today try to persaude hungary to drop its opposition to an aid package to help ukraine in its war against russia. kyiv says financial support from its european allies is crucial for the war against russia. a four—year, 50 billion euro package of military and financial assistance has been proposed. but in december, the hungarian prime minister blocked the package. but poland's prime minister donald tusk has said he's determined ukraine will be supported one way or another. whilst the european leaders meet inside, this is the scene outside. several hundred farmers have converged on european parliament in tractors, and have started fires on the eu's doorstep. europe's farming crisis is not officially on the agenda of the summit, but it's likely to be discussed.

the commission has suggested plans to limit farm imports from ukraine