you this is bbc news. the headlines at seven: the first shipment of american military aid to ukraine arrives there amid warnings a russian invasion could be imminent. police will meet a conservative mp who's accused government whips of trying to "blackmail" politicians who've tried to oust borisjohnson. a man appears in court charged with the murder of an elderly woman and the attempted murder of her husband. the port of dover admits new customs checks have contributed to big queues on the roads. coming up later this hour, mark kermode joins jane hill to discuss the latest cinema releases and what's new on streaming in the film review.

good evening. are welcome to bbc news. a senior conservative mp says the uk must do more to support ukraine as russian troops mass along its border. tobias ellwood, who chairs the commons defence committee, says he thinks an invasion could now be "imminent" and that president putin is "taking full advantage of a weakened west". russia has denied it's planning an invasion. but the us has delivered 90 tonnes of what it calls �*lethal aid' to ukraine, the first shipment since a fresh promise of assistance from president biden. james waterhouse reports now from the ukrainian capital, kyiv. the friendship of nations arch, built by the soviets to celebrate the closeness

between russians and ukrainians. that crack was painted on by activists in a few on by activists a few years ago as relations between the two countries deteriorated. and as talks intensify about a possible invasion, the hope is things don't break down completely. tensions are still rising on the border. today russian jets made their way to joint military drills with neighbouring belarus. ukrainian ministers have welcomed the delivery of us military equipment, and now a call for the uk to step up its own support. the british government has delivered 2000 anti—tank missiles this week and says it is open to sending more weapons. what we have seen over the last few months with diplomatic talks failing, putin's ultimatum demanding nato push back, of course that was dismissed, but that has given him the pretext to actually say that there is an aggressor and that he must act. he has actually boxed himself into a corner because so much effort has been put into this. but he also recognised

that he will never again be as strong as this to take advantage of the west's weakness. i suspect an invasion is now imminent. so, does kyiv feel like a city preparing for an invasion? evelyn and lillian are too small to appreciate the power struggles surrounding their country, but their parents sergei and valeria obviously are not. it is definitely concerning. it definitely seems more tense than in past times that we were concerned about this. i would say it is definitely increasing, like, anxiety and stuff, for sure. of course i am afraid. i don't want ukraine to be just like donbas right now, just like donetsk. it will be very... it is a nightmare for me. if i see others do it, says ivan, i am ready to defend my country. i am not going to run away, but then again there might not be anywhere to run away to. moscow denies that it is planning an invasion, but it is easy

to forget ukraine's already endured eight years of russian aggression. it has brought fighting, cyber attacks, misinformation and constant uncertainty. next week, the us will continue to discuss russia's demands that nato will both scale back its military presence and rule out ever letting ukraine join. for the country at the heart of it, that uncertainty goes on. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. joining me now is russia and eastern europe editor for the economist, arkady 0strovsky. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. first off, just to gaze back to the words we heard from tobias ellwood, saying that an invasion is imminent, what is it about what is taking place along those borders are perhaps in those diplomatic talks you think would lead him to make that conclusion?— you think would lead him to make that conclusion? well, to be honest with ou, that conclusion? well, to be honest

with you. i— that conclusion? well, to be honest with you. i must — that conclusion? well, to be honest with you, i must say _ that conclusion? well, to be honest with you, i must say i _ that conclusion? well, to be honest with you, i must say i do _ that conclusion? well, to be honest with you, i must say i do not - that conclusion? well, to be honest with you, i must say i do not think. with you, i must say i do not think anybody really knows what vladimir putin is going to do when he is going to do it. there is a lot of military, a lot of armour, there is a lot of parading of russian diplomats, there is a lot of diplomacy and ultimatums, those ultimatums being rejected understandably. there's a lot of activity, but ultimately vladimir putin holds all the cards and he holds an extremely close to his chest. i don't think that even the russian foreign minister, by the sound of his statements, really knows what vladimir putin is going to decide what his calculations are. it is an extraordinary story where in 2022, the 2ist it is an extraordinary story where in 2022, the 21st century, the whole world is watching one man and trying to guess what he is going to do. there are obviously very alarming

signs of, as you have set in your report, cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, which have started again with a new force on russian state television, there are armour, soldiers, movements, drills which putin is preparing in neighbouring belarus. no one knows how long russian troops are going to stay there. there is enormous amount of chaotic movements which can be read as attack is imminent, which can be read as this is the game of nerves, and he is trying to unnerve the west took cajole us into some more concessions and talks. there is extraordinary story from bloomberg today, quoting a senior chinese diplomat i think, that putin was asked not to invade during the beijing olympics. it is obviously extremely alarming, but i think we

should be careful not to read putin's mind, which we can't. when ou sa putin's mind, which we can't. when you say he — putin's mind, which we can't. when you say he holds — putin's mind, which we can't. when you say he holds all— putin's mind, which we can't. when you say he holds all the _ putin's mind, which we can't. when you say he holds all the cards, - putin's mind, which we can't. when you say he holds all the cards, what do you mean? how strong is his hand? his hand is very strong. he is an autocrat, russia is basically a tyranny. there are no checks and balances. there are no seemingly sort of constraining factors on him to make decisions, he does not need to make decisions, he does not need to consult russian parliament or foreign ministry, or anybody else for that matter. that said, he is constrained probably no more than ever by the mood of discontent, building discontent and anger inside russia about falling living standards, people are tired of putin's foreign adventures. they think you should spend more time on economy etc. i think the risk of

provoking some sort of political process in russia where the war, if it becomes bloody and prolonged, actually backfires on him is probably the most important thing thatis probably the most important thing that is holding him back. but when i say he holds all the cards, it is nothing that ukraine has done or nato has done that brought this crisis. this crisis was completely engineered. inside putin's head. it engineered. inside putin's head. it sounds as if it is almost a distraction to what is going on at home, but there is something, isn't there, and president putin's psyche about geographical territory, the geopolitics, spheres of influence? if he were to invade, what would he gain in terms of geographical territory? gain in terms of geographical territo ? , , ., ., territory? very good question and ve hard territory? very good question and very hard to _ territory? very good question and very hard to answer. _ territory? very good question and very hard to answer. he _ territory? very good question and very hard to answer. he can - territory? very good question and l very hard to answer. he can invade, you can strike, holding onto territory of a country that does not

want russia's presence there is much harder. we have seen this in afghanistan, both during this soviet campaign in the 1980s and during more recent american campaigns. holding onto territory is very hard. 0ccupying kyiv i think is pretty impossible militarily. so what he gains is really not very clear, and also do not forget that for all these years since 2014, when russia annexed crimea bloodless lie, i must add, that was a very swift operation, definitely because of importance of crimea, it was a jewel in the russian empire, a black sea resort, that played very well with the russian public. this probably will not. but do not forget that for eight years putin has been telling the west and the russian people that russia is not the site in this

conflict, in the east of ukraine. that was basically a civil war between russian speakers, ethnic russians in the east, and the pro—western neofascists in the west of ukraine. but russia has nothing to do with it. i think if we were to see a military scenario, it is more likely to be those russian proxies, the separatists, leading it, leading the separatists, leading it, leading the charge, expanding their control, liberating, in their language, the rest of the donbas region, which currently russia only holds about 30% through separatists of the donbas territory. they could certainly go further. russia could then say, ok, since kyiv is not going to implement them in minsk agreements which it signed in 2015, russia will have to recognise the

independence of this territory. again, not very clear what it gets him in terms of really dismantling ukraine or preventing it from development. 0r ukraine or preventing it from development. or in terms of getting support from his own people. thank ou ve support from his own people. thank you very much _ support from his own people. thank you very much for — support from his own people. thank you very much for your— support from his own people. thank you very much for your time - support from his own people. thank you very much for your time this - you very much for your time this evening. thank you. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages gfx at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are geri scott and calum macdonald. we will see you later. william wragg, the conservative mp who accused government whips of trying to �*blackmail�* some mps trying to oust borisjohnson, says he's due to meet the police next week to discuss his claims. he's been backed by the labour mp chris bryant, who says any such

behaviour would be illegal. downing street says it's not seen any evidence to support the allegations, but would look closely if proof were presented. here's our political correspondent damian grammaticas. already under pressure, the coming days could prove decisive for boris johnson. now there is a new concern — the fact that one of the main rebel mps, who have already written letters of no confidence in him, is due to talk to the police possibly on monday. the mp william wragg this week alleged yet been told others had —— the mp william wragg this week alleged he'd been told others had faced threats they might lose funding for their constituencies if they did not back the prime minister. the intimidation of a member of parliament is a serious matter. moreover, the reports of which i am aware would seem to constitute blackmail. on wednesday, mrjohnson was there when another of the rebels, christian wakeford, defected to labour. he claims he was told some time ago funding for a school might not happen if he did not support

the government over free school meals. today a senior labour mp said he had heard more claims. i must have spoken to about a dozen tory mps in the last few days who have made similar allegations about whips either offering to withdraw, you know, financial support for their constituencies, either from the political parties, so for campaigning, or for their constituents. downing street says if evidence emerges, it will be looked at seriously, but it is not investigating as it is not aware of anything to back up the claims. and tory mps are waiting to see if there is more substance to them. i have voted against the government on occasions when i thought it right, and i have to say i have always had a very close relationship with the chief whip and indeed a very productive relationship with whips, so i am waiting to hear more about this because it is not something i have seen or been told about. the other person looking for evidence is sue gray, the civil servant investigating the downing street parties. her report should come this week.

the question for borisjohnson, who is at the official country retreat of chequers, can he survive it unscathed? he is thought to be busy plotting his strategy and calling his mps trying to secure their support. damian grammaticas, bbc news. a man has appeared in court charged with the murder of an 86—year—old woman and the attempted murder of her 88—year—old husband. freda walker was found dead at her home in langwithjunction, derbyshire, a week ago. ken walker was found severely injured and remains in hospital in a critical condition. 0ur reporter heidi booth has more. dressed in greyjoggers and a grey jumper, vasile culea appeared for a matter of minutes before magistrates today. he spoke in romanian only to confirm his name and address, and the charges were read to him via a romanian court translator. he is charged with the murder of 86—year—old freda walker and the attempted murder of 88—year—old kenneth walker.

freda was found dead at her home address a week ago today by a concerned neighbour. her husband ken was found with serious injuries and is still in hospital in critical condition. mr culea was arrested at his home address on grove road in church warsop on thursday. he has been remanded in custody and will next appear in court at derby crown court on tuesday next week, the 25th of january. derbyshire police have said they are still investigating this incident and would like to hear from anybody who has any information. they ask that you come forward as soon as possible. heidi booth, bbc news, nottingham. two women have been taken to hospital after a knife attack in north west london. it happened in station road, harrow. police say the injured women were slashed and a third woman was punched by the suspect. a woman has been detained and taken to hospital for mental health assessment. the headlines on bbc news:

the first shipment of american military aid to ukraine arrives there after talks over russia's troop build—up on the border. police will meet a conservative mp who's accused government whips of trying to "blackmail" politicians who've tried to oust borisjohnson. a man appears in court charged with the murder of an elderly woman and the attempted murder of her husband at their home in derbyshire. the un has condemned an air strike by the saudi—led coalition on a detention centre in yemen. the country's houthi rebels, who have been fighting the saudi—led coalition, say at least 82 people were killed and more than 260 others injured. it follows nights of bombing raids, after a rocket fired by houthi rebels killed three people in the united arab emirates earlier this week. jacob burns is the

communcations adviser for medecins sans frontieres. i have been speaking to colleagues inside the city this morning. they describe that in the early hours of friday morning, they were at home, they heard the sound ofjets flying over the city and then three explosions. we know that the air strike hit the city prison where there are reported to have been upwards of 1500 people detained at the time. the air strike has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries, the latest numbers that we have been given by the ministry of health in yemen is that there have been 82 people killed in this strike and 266 people wounded. one of my colleagues inside the city was in a hospital this morning and he said the hospital was facing a very difficult situation with so many wounded that some of the casualties were lying on the floor in the hospital because there were no

more beds for them. tonga's clean—up continues with the help of foreign aid one week after the volcanic eruption and tsunami devastated the pacific island. emergency supplies of water are being distributed in tonga a week after the undersea volcanic eruption. supplies have been arriving by sea and air from australia, new zealand and the uk. the united nations says tonga will depend on emergency food supplies for some time to come. 0ur correspondent phil mercer in sydney has the latest on the international humanitarian aid efforts and the work to reconnect an undersea communication cable. it is among a raft of catastrophic damage to property and infrastructure, and as you say, aid coming in from many, many countries led by australia and new zealand. water is a significant issue. many water supplies on the archipelago were contaminated by that blanket of ash that rained down on this pacific nation

of about 105,000 people and this will be an international aid effort like no other. authorities in tonga are introducing very strict disease control measures because tonga has just recorded only one known coronavirus case since the pandemic began, so clearly it doesn't want to recover from one disaster by inviting another in. so what they are doing is foreign aid workers, in order to go into the country, will have to adhere to three weeks of isolation. if you look in other parts of the pacific in recent days, kiribati, a population about the same of tonga, was covid free but now is going into lockdown as is samoa, so the authorities in tonga being very careful as that international aid continues to roll in. the port of dover has acknowleged that since the beginning of the year, new customs controls for goods

heading to the eu have been contributing to big queues on the road outside the town. special travel restrictions have been used ten times this year to ease heavy congestion on the a20 in kent — prompting anger among many drivers. here's our business correspondent, ramzan karmali. queues of lorries on the a20 trying to get into dover. a sight that many have got used to at the start of 2022. 0n social media, many drivers have claimed brexit. from january one, experts to the eu were subject to full customs controls. the boss of the port believes there are a number of factors causing the delays. since the beginning of the year, there has been increased transaction times at the border due to the carriers having to check customs paperwork at the check—in process. but equally normally for this time of year we have vessels that are out on refit, normal maintenance activities. we also are doing a bit of maintenance in the port, which means that our buffer zone

space has got slightly reduced capacity. the increase in freight traffic has meant the operation travel access protocol, a temporary traffic management system, has been called on ten times already this year. the port of dover insists this is not brexit related, but the port of dover is more concerned about new tricks which will come into force in september. what we're trying to do is make certain the government fully appreciates what the implications are if we do not get an agreement between the uk government and the french government for a set of protocols that will work. unless we get that agreement, it will be very difficult to see how it will not impact the travel through the port of dover. from september, airport style biometric checks are due to be implemented, which would mean drivers being stopped at the port for around ten minutes each. with around 10,000 trucks passing through the port each day, the warning is clear that he solution needs to be found. the government says it is working with its european counterparts

to ensure that border arrangements run as smoothly as possible. the royal college of gps is calling on the government to delay its policy of compulsory covid vaccines for frontline healthcare workers in england, over concerns it could worsen problems with staff shortages. hundreds of nhs workers took to the streets of london this afternoon in protest against the new rules. currently, staff have until the 3rd of february to receive their first dose to allow enough time to be fully vaccinated by the deadline of 1st of april. the department of health and social care said there were no plans to delay the policy. let's take a look at the latest government figures. there were over 76,800 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, but that figure does not include scotland. on average, just over 91,700 new cases were reported

per day in the last week. the latest figures show there were just under 18,000 people in hospital being treated for coronavirus on thursday. 297 deaths were reported in the latest 24 hour period — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, though there will be some amongst this number who won't have died from covid. on average in the past week, 270 deaths were announced every day. 0n vaccinations, over 36.8 million people have had a boosterjab, which means 64% of people aged 12 and over have now had three vaccine doses. the hollywood star arnold schwarzenegger has been involved in a multi—vehicle crash in los angeles. a woman has been taken to hospital. a spokesperson for the former

california governor said he was unharmed. nickjohnson reports. from the sky above the la suburbs, arnold schwarzenegger's black suv flanked by tow trucks some hours after it was involved in a multi—vehicle crash. photos taken on the us showbiz news site tmz showed a body—builder, actor and politician standing at the scene talking to a police officer. the black suv teetering on top of both a toyota ps and a porsche. police say the four vehicle collision happened on friday afternoon in the brentwood area of la. 0ne afternoon in the brentwood area of la. one woman was taken to hospital, but it is not to her injuries are life—threatening. a spokesperson for the actor confirmed the 74—year—old was behind the wheel of his car at the time but was unharmed. the los

angeles police department says no arrests have been made and either drugs or alcohol were involved. the investigation is continuing. nick johnson, bbc news. former olympic champion cyclist chris boardman will head up a new organisation to encourage cycling and walking in england. active travel england wants to improve infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. 0ur north of england correspondent fiona trott reports from york. angry shouting. it's meant to be healthy but cycling can be hazardous. that's because not all towns and cities have dedicated routes. 0ne aim of active travel england is to make sure cyclists and walkers are considered in future planning applications. you want places where your kids can walk or ride to school and you can

travel to work on a bike, and to do that, you won't do it unless you feel safe and you can look out a car window and go, "oh, that looks quite nice." that's what this agency will do. active travel england will be based in york, and campaigners here welcome it. i think it's brilliant, really, because we have got lots of good little bits but they are always let down by a busyjunction or some scary bit where traffic goes. secure cycle parking is another part of the strategy, to link up with rail services, and there will be subsidies for businesses to use bikes to carry cargo as well. but above all else it's just about making our towns and cities feel safer and less polluted so we want to walk or cycle, but will it work? york is so small as it is, so it's more connecting outside city centre to other places, like the university, getting those connections going, where people are actually cycling. you've got to start somewhere. you've got to invest in things. the more people you get cycling, and walking, the more people are likely to look at those people cycling and walking and start cycling themselves. the strategy is part of a £2 billion package already announced for walking and cycling schemes over a five year period. but some campaigners say its success will depend on drivers

changing their behaviour, too. fiona trott, bbc news, york. learner drivers in wales are having to travel hundreds of miles to take their driving tests, with some even booking tests in england. a covid backlog and a shortage of examiners has led to a recruitment campaign, as david grundy reports. in pwllheli, this 17—year—old is having a driving lesson with her instructor stephen. it is the usual stuff — using her mirrors, navigating roundabouts, and being generally safe on the roads. covid put a stop to driving lessons, and as a result there is now a backlog of people who want to take their tests. that means it will be the end of may before she is able to do hers. and she will have to do it almost two hours away in aberystwyth. my mum has had to book three days off work to take me there so i can

get familiar with the area and do my test when i feel comfortable. if there were tests available here, we would have avoided that hassle completely. from pwllheli, aberystwyth is almost a two hour drive. cardigan is over 100 miles and almost three hours away. carmarthen is even further. we have heard examples across wales of learner drivers booking their tests over the border in england. that is just those who have been able to book their tests. availability is really limited, with no free slots in some places untiljune. the dvsa says it is trying to tackle the backlog by recruiting an additional 300 examiners. it is also asking those who have retired recently to consider coming back temporarily. it is also offering tests on weekends and public holidays. in cardiff, damien has had a long day. he quit hisjob as an examiner in november after 18 years. he says he will make more money as an instructor. i left basically because we were being asked to do more and more work for the same pay.

it was a big decision, but ultimately it will lead to better finances for me. the pcs union says the plans to tackle the backlog of tests will take time. it says what is really needed is betterjob security and pay for examiners. back in pwllheli, this woman's clocking up a few more miles before she hopes she is able to ditch the l plates for good. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. saturday may have been a dry day for most of us but there was a lot of cloud to contend with. we will keep large amounts of cloud in the sky as we go through tonight. where there are some breaks in that cloud, they could fill in with some mist and fog patches down towards the south where the winds are light. this is also where we'll see the lowest temperatures. in the cities, plymouth, cardiff, birmingham down to freezing, some places in the countryside, if you have lengthy clear spells, could be down to —3 or —4. milder further north, particularly in northern scotland where we have the brisk south—westerly wind. that continues into tomorrow. 0dd spot of drizzle for high ground in north—west scotland.

a lot of cloud generally, lots of dry weather, some sunny spells, best of that for eastern scotland, maybe wales in the south—west. light winds in the south, brisk winds in the north. temperatures in a range between 5—9, maybe up to 10 in sheltered spots in northern scotland. as we look further ahead, we will see some rain through the coming week, but most of it across the north of the uk. many southern areas are likely to stay mostly dry. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... the first shipment of american military aid to ukraine arrives there — amid warnings a russian invasion could be imminent. police will meet a conservative mp who's accused government whips of trying to "blackmail" politicians who've tried to oust borisjohnson. a man appears in court charged with the murder of an elderly woman,

and the attempted murder of her husband.