this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. pressure continues to grow for the uk prime minister borisjohnson — as five of his aides resign within 2a hours we will now have a change at number ten downing street in terms of the operation and it's exactly what the prime minister announced on monday. injoint talks in beijing, russia and china strongly criticise what they describe as a �*negative us influence�* in both europe and asia cheering. the two leaders meet as excitements builds in the chinese capital — ahead of the winter olympics opening ceremony which is just hours away the biggest fall in living standards in 30 years — that's the warning from the bank of england as energy prices and interest rates are set to rise.

i get out of my cold shower, i stand shivering because i cannot or dare not put on the gas so i've got no heat. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. borisjohnson has been dealt another blow to his leadership following the resignation of five of his most senior advisers. the most damaging departure was the loss of borisjohnson�*s long—time ally munira mirza, who quit after what she called a "scurrilous" attack by the prime minister on the labour leader sir keir starmer. and this morning — the conservative home website is reporting that borisjohnson�*s special adviser on women and equalities has also quit. let's cross to westminster and speak

to our political correspondent, helen catt. what other reasons people are giving for the resignations? figs what other reasons people are giving for the resignations?— for the resignations? as you said there have _ for the resignations? as you said there have been _ for the resignations? as you said there have been five _ for the resignations? as you said| there have been five resignations for the resignations? as you said i there have been five resignations in there have been five resignations in the last couple of hours and we are looking at two different things. you've got the resignation of munira mirza that was the first one that came through and in a letter she wrote she said it was those comments that boris johnson wrote she said it was those comments that borisjohnson made wrote she said it was those comments that boris johnson made falsely linking, that borisjohnson made falsely linking, claiming that boris johnson made falsely linking, claiming that that borisjohnson made falsely linking, claiming that sir keir starmer had not prosecuted jimmy savile, borisjohnson later said he had not meant to imply that sir keir starmer had personally not done that but in her letter, munira mirza said she wanted the prime minister to apologise and the fact he had not done so, she could not live with that so that was specifically why she decided to resign. the other resignations, i think they were probably more expected at some point in the government have been sort of

suggesting that borisjohnson had said earlier in the wiki would make changes at number ten and those resignations are part of that, that is dan rosenfeld, martin reynolds and jack doyle who between them represent the top posts in number ten downing street so it is a big shake—up but here is what the energy minister said. they have resigned and _ the resignation has been accepted. borisjohnson has paid tribute to them for. their service but we i will now have a change at number ten downing street, i in terms of the operation, that is exactly what the prime minister announced on monday. - of course, this is further pressure on top of weeks if not months now of questions over the leadership of the prime minister with those parties that were held in downing street when restrictions said people should not be gathering socially because of covid? it not be gathering socially because of covid? , ., ~ not be gathering socially because of covid? , . ~ ., , covid? it is and i think that is the auestion covid? it is and i think that is the question a _ covid? it is and i think that is the question a lot — covid? it is and i think that is the question a lot of _ covid? it is and i think that is the question a lot of conservative - covid? it is and i think that is the l question a lot of conservative mps will be mulling over this weekend is how does this stop, if you like?

because it's been going on for so long now first with the accusations, then waiting for the sue gray update which became an update and not a report so there still wasn't the full detail a lot of conservative mps hoped for would come out and now we have a police investigation into those, no one knows how long that will take and then there is the promise there will be a further update from sue gray after that. that all sounds like a very long process and i think there is a thought among some conservative mps of how long can they let this go on, this thing being dragged out for quite so long. they feel it's a distraction from getting on with the policy and work of the government so i think that is something they will be mulling over this weekend. there are a lot of — be mulling over this weekend. there are a lot of things _ be mulling over this weekend. there are a lot of things the _ be mulling over this weekend. there are a lot of things the government needs to address, not least the cost of living crisis which we will report on in a few moments, interest rates going up for the second time in a very long time. the fact that people in the country need to see

the government is supporting them through tough times.— the government is supporting them through tough times. absolutely, and we've seen in — through tough times. absolutely, and we've seen in a _ through tough times. absolutely, and we've seen in a couple _ through tough times. absolutely, and we've seen in a couple of— through tough times. absolutely, and we've seen in a couple of big - we've seen in a couple of big announcements this week, earlier we had the government setting out its levelling up policy, the key aim of this government, the thing it went to the country on in 2019. ministers want to get on with those things and try and move that policy on and they need to know that is going to be able to happen in downing street is able to happen in downing street is able to happen in downing street is able to get a grip on these stories that keep dripping out of number ten and be able to focus on as you say, the really big things which are impacting people's lives. there also is the option — impacting people's lives. there also is the option of— impacting people's lives. there also is the option of conservative - impacting people's lives. there also is the option of conservative mps i is the option of conservative mps writing to this backbench committee, the 1922 committee. we don't know how many letters have gone in but it would be remarkable to imagine that some of the senior members of the conservative party aren't looking at whether they might be the next prime minister? , ~ ,

minister? yes, i think there is alwa s a minister? yes, i think there is always a bit— minister? yes, i think there is always a bit of _ minister? yes, i think there is always a bit of that _ minister? yes, i think there is always a bit of that but - minister? yes, i think there is always a bit of that but yes, . minister? yes, i think there is| always a bit of that but yes, of course, that is the case, there will be those thinking beyond boris johnson and i think really, that is what this whole episode has done, is to start making the conservative party think beyond borisjohnson to start making the conservative party think beyond boris johnson for party think beyond borisjohnson for us perhaps party think beyond boris johnson for us perhaps they party think beyond borisjohnson for us perhaps they might not party think beyond boris johnson for us perhaps they might not have been doing that before. so as you said, other seniorfigures doing that before. so as you said, other senior figures having a doing that before. so as you said, other seniorfigures having a think about whether they might be the right person to be the next one behind the door at number ten, other mps thinking about the future as well in terms of what happens with the next election, is this, she said, there is this process of writing letters to the chairman of the 1922 backbench committee, a secret process so nobody knows how many letters there are a from sir graham brady. but in a way, that 5a is not the reason for the number conservative mps need to think about because 5a is the number of letters needed to trigger a vote of no confidence among conservative mps and the prime minister but people who would like to oust him to win a

vote of no confidence, to oust a prime minister, they need to get half the conservative parliamentary party, half of conservative mps, to vote against him and to vote no confidence in him and that is quite a big difference between 5a and half the conservative mps. a big difference between 54 and half the conservative mps.— the conservative mps. helen, thank ou. i spoke to conservative mp huw merriman who said he isn't quite ready to hand in his letter which he said would be acting in haste my my constituents are upset, i feel we've lost public trust in him but i would rather see what the prime minister can do to turn it round before acting with haste. at a meeting between the russian president, vladimir putin, and his chinese counterpart, xijinping, both leaders said they support each other�*s security and foreign policy aims. the two countries have called for a halt to nato expansion. the leaders were meeting in beijing for the first time in two years, ahead of the opening ceremony

of the winter olympics. it comes as president putin builds up troops on russia's border with ukraine. 0ur china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, is outside the bird's nest stadium — the venue for the opening ceremony of the games in a few hours' time. president putin has arrived, how significant is it that he has chosen to turn up when other leaders have decided not to? first to turn up when other leaders have decided not to?— decided not to? first of all, i'm afraid you've — decided not to? first of all, i'm afraid you've been _ decided not to? first of all, i'm afraid you've been misled, i decided not to? first of all, i'm afraid you've been misled, we i decided not to? first of all, i'm i afraid you've been misled, we have moved from the bird's nest stadium and we have now come to a pub where people are gathering to watch the opening ceremony! all the area around the bird's nest stadium has been closed off and people cannot get near it so punters are coming into this pub to watch it on television, even though the opening does not start for two hours. the entertainment started about an hour and a half but they are coming in here already and getting excited.

president putin has chosen to be there, how important is it for xi jinping that he has turned up? titers; jinping that he has turned up? very imortant. jinping that he has turned up? very important- the _ jinping that he has turned up? - important. the difference between this 0lympics important. the difference between this olympics and the previous 0lympics this olympics and the previous olympics is that there aren't that many world leaders here so having vladimir putin here is quite something. imran khan is here from pakistan. but not too many known leaders beyond that, for your average viewer. you compare that to the 2008 summer games, lots of leaders came from western countries. and part of that is because of the official sword of government boycott by many countries, it's also because the winter olympics, i suppose, is not such a big deal when you compare it to the summer games. with; not such a big deal when you compare it to the summer games.— it to the summer games. why have they decided _ it to the summer games. why have they decided to _ it to the summer games. why have they decided to stay _ it to the summer games. why have they decided to stay away? - it to the summer games. why have | they decided to stay away? because of allegations _ they decided to stay away? because of allegations of _ they decided to stay away? because of allegations of human _ they decided to stay away? because of allegations of human rights i of allegations of human rights abuses, that's why, if you are one of the boycotting countries, that

is, you know, the treatment of people in tibet, in shenyang, but, there are also some leaders, i suppose, worried about the covid situation, not travelling the way they used to and that would also have to be a factor. for example, xi jinping has not even been anywhere overseas for the last two years and that gives you an indication of how worried he is about travelling. the leaders of china and russia have expressed support for each other. but i imagine xijinping will not want president putin to make any hasty decisions about ukraine while the games are under way? there hasty decisions about ukraine while the games are under way?- the games are under way? there is su osed the games are under way? there is sunposed to _ the games are under way? there is sunposed to be _ the games are under way? there is sunposed to be a — the games are under way? there is supposed to be a truce, _ the games are under way? there is supposed to be a truce, officially, i supposed to be a truce, officially, whenever the olympics is on. nobody fighting. and so, xijinping would no doubt be very unhappy if there was conflict between russia and ukraine at this time. you know, you

have to wonder if they spoke about that sort of thing. the official read from the meetings was more one of mutual support, vladimir putin saying there should not be politics in the olympic games. xi jinping will be happy to hear that because he also does not want athletes to be getting up on the medal podium with political t—shirts and the like and thatis political t—shirts and the like and that is why they have warned athletes not to do that. so you would have to think it would be quite something for russia to launch an attack on ukraine at this time. stephen, for the moment, thank you. millions of british households are bracing themselves for what the bank of england is calling the biggest squeeze on living standards for more than 30 years. it's after the largest ever increase to the energy price cap was approved by the regulator, 0fgem — meaning gas and electricity bills in england, scotland and wales will go up to nearly £2,000 a year. the government has announced measures to help cushion the blow but critics say they don't go far enough. theo leggett reports. for hussain and halima master, who have three kids, rising energy bills means life

is getting tougher. it's gone up again, hasn't it? yeah, to 250 — that's crazy, that. hussain has a full—time job, but they are struggling to make ends meet. we have looked into the local food bank. 0n the weekends, they have it open to the public where you pay a couple of pounds and fill your bags up. so we have had a look at that and we have started to kind of use that. it's...how can i say? it's not nice, that we had to kind of use that. but it's coming to a stage where we have to use it, we don't have any choice. for many families like the masters, worse is to come. energy prices for consumers are capped by the regulator 0fgem. but the cap is going up to reflect a big rise in the price suppliers have to pay for the energy they sell to us. from april, a typical household on a variable tariff will see their bill go up by £693 a year. those on pre—payment meters will see bills go up even further —

to more than £2000. 0fgem says some 22 million households will pay more, though customers on fixed rate deals won't be affected for the moment. i know people are worried about the cost of living, and in particular about rising energy bills, and that's why we're taking direct action with an energy bills rebate, which will provide the majority of families with £350 of financial support to help them adjust to those higher prices. the government will provide £200 towards each household's energy costs in october. but it will have to be paid back through their bills later. most households in england will also get a discount of £150 in april. it will be available for homes in council tax bands a to d and won't need to be repaid. but critics say the government hasn't done enough. they describe the oil and gas companies — one of the cabinet ministers — as struggling. i'm afraid hat shows how out

of touch they are with the real struggles that are taking place in our country, which is families... leave aside the politics of this, ijust think of the families today, with their heads in their hands, saying how are we going to cope? labour has called for a windfall tax on the profits of big energy companies to help bring down bills and address what it calls our broken energy system. theo leggett, bbc news. as people in the uk digest the news about increasing energy costs, with bills set to rise by hundreds of pounds, some people are being forced to choose between heating their homes or feeding their families. others say they're having to move house because of spiralling costs. jayne mccubbin reports. it is the biggest energy price rise in history. lose sleep at night, that worry of, what next, what next? angie is feeling it in birmingham. more than double. it used to be £80 a month, and now it's £250, and that's even

before the next increase that we've just incurred today. for peter in wellingborough, who is an agency worker, it means tough choices. i have to dress like this every day. i have to take cold showers. i get out of my cold shower, i stand shivering, because i cannot or dare not put on the gas so i've got no heat _ when it comes to getting some money and all my bills are getting paid, it's a toss—up between do i do heating or do i put food on the table? eat or heat? the catchphrase of this perfect storm of rising energy prices, food prices and interest rates. in sheffield, i meet brian who is on disability benefits. he tells me his children now help him and his wife with groceries. how does that feel to be in a situation where your kids are helping fill the cupboards? terrible. you are skint? yeah.

your energy bill is going to be more than your rent? yes, it's frightening. we can't afford to stop here. when the bills start to come, i don't know what we're going to do. you've lived here for how long? 30 years. you don't want to leave? no. this is where we brought us children up. happy memories. but because of the financial situation we are in, we have got no option but to go. it's been described as a cost of living catastrophe. and it's one which is impacting even middle—income earners like angie in sheffield. i've got my own business, i employ two people. my wife's been a teacher for 30 plus years. and the squeeze

is well and truly on. yeah, we're going to be worse off and we shouldn't be at our time of life. we shouldn't be. we should be reaching the point where we can start to kick back a bit. you know, maybe go down to part—time hours, think about retiring. i can't see that happening. i can't see that happening for a lot of people. we asked people to get in touch to tell us about how the cost of living is going up for them. malcolm said i havejust is going up for them. malcolm said i have just received my electricity bill and i am too frightened to open it. neville says he has a disability so he gets some help but i still don't want sky—high bills. i don't put the heating on, i were thermal underwear and only have electricity and have noticed prices going up

radically. another point of view, kevin asks whether we have to take the energy price reduction alone the uk government has said will be given to most people in the country of £200. i would to most people in the country of £200. iwould rather to most people in the country of £200. i would rather pay it now, who knows if it won't go up again next year and a knows if it won't go up again next yearand a year knows if it won't go up again next year and a year after? peter says i am already struggling paying for energy, i have an autistic son and dreading the april price rise. i have no idea how we are going to manage. thank you for sending us those comments, please keep them coming in. here in the uk, the conservatives have won the southend west by—election, trigged by the fatal stabbing of the tory mp sir david amess. anna firth got a majority of more than 12,000. the seat was not contested by labour, the liberal democrats or the green party. just 24% of the electorate voted, making it one of the worst turnouts for a by—election since the second world war. i pay tribute to sir david amess. he represented this seat for more than

2a years and was a passionate advocate for southend west. sir david was a truly exceptional mp. well, earlier i spoke to chris curtis, head of political polling at 0pinium. he explained why turnout was so low. i imagine there's lots of reasons. firstly, turnout is often lower in by—elections, we have seen that historically in this parliament, people are just less driven to turn out than they are in normal elections. secondly, because of the circumstances of this election, if you were a labour voter in that seat, you have not got anybody to vote for so you are probably better off staying at home, same if you are someone who votes for the liberal democrats or the greens. the other reason this one was so bad compared to previous by—elections

is because it is happening at a time when conservatives are really doing incredibly badly in the polls. about half of those who voted conservative are not confident that they would vote conservative again if there was an election tomorrow so if you have a by—election where, even if you are a conservative voter, you are not happy about voting conservative and you do not have an alternative, your best bet is probably better to stay at home. how easy is it draw wider conclusions from this one by—election given that it was uncontested by some of the parties? i am incredibly cynical about drawing wider conclusions from by—elections, even when they are normal by—elections because ultimately it is a slightly strange experience, not the kind of thing that gives us a good indication of what is going to happen at a general election butjsut thinking about the clues that this tells us, for example, that the low turnout point i was making, it mirrors the national picture we are seeing in polls which is a very difficult

situation for the conservatives. a big chunk of those people who voted conservative at the last election are now not sure that they would do so again, some of them moving over to other parties, in fact, a third of those voters who borisjohnson won in 2019, a third of those who switched to the conservatives in 2019 would still vote conservative, two thirds now say they would not and i think this is still driven by the latest allegations of parties and we also see as a consequence, borisjohnson's approval ratings dropping quite dramatically. most recent polls have his latest approval ratings much lower than theresa may when she was voted out of office or gordon brown when he was booted out of office so a really bad situation the impact of covid—19 goes far beyond the disease itself. the world health organisation has warned that the pandemic has led to cancer services being disrupted by up to 50%. let's take a look at some examples from some european countries. during the early stages of the pandemic, the diagnosis

of invasive tumours fell by 44% in belgium. in spain, the number of cancers diagnosed in 2020 was a third lower than expected. and in italy, colorectal screenings decreased by 46% between 2019 and 2020. and in the uk, there were nearly 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses in the during the pandemic. 0ur health correspondent, katharine da costa, has more. bryony thomas had suffered from severe fatigue and bloating for several years. then, in december 2019, she was rushed to hospital with jaundice. it was there she was given the devastating diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. the words that were used were "you might be operable". and when i realised what that meant was i was very likely to die and i was likely to die very soon, i sobbed my heart out. when i asked, if i don't get this surgery how long do you think i've got? i was told probably 12 weeks.

and 12 weeks is about what most pancreatic cancer patients get from diagnosis. the latest data for england shows huge variation in survival chances for people diagnosed with certain cancers. whilst skin cancer has a five year survival rate of 92%, lung cancer is 20%. and pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest five year survival rates atjust 8%. charities say more awareness of symptoms is vital. the huge challenge for the less survival cancers is that they are often diagnosed as an emergency presentation when they are quite advanced and symptoms are quite advanced and the disease is quite advanced. that means it can be much harder to treat the disease or there aren't any treatment options available and it means that survival rates come in very low. so it's critical, absolutely crucial, we find ways to diagnose these diseases earlier. detecting cancer early usually leads

to better outcomes for patients. at the start of the pandemic, just over half of cancer patients were diagnosed at stage one or two. charities say there is still a long way to go to meet the government's target of early diagnosis for three quarters of patients by 2028. and many in the health services are worried thousands of patients put off seeking help over the last two years. inevitably, there has been a drop in people coming forward - and therefore in the type of cancers j that unfortunately kill people quite | quickly we have seen a drop - in incidents of the cancers as well. so people have actually never been diagnosed and sadly may have died before they'd even been diagnosed. that is purely because they have not been seen in the secondary- care sector when they've had the diagnosis. - the government has already committed to new community diagnostic hubs in england, offering more scans.

there are plans to go further in stepping up and boosting the cancer workforce. the health secretary, sajid javid, is promising a ten year war on cancer. patients and staff are invited to share their views, with the final plan expected in the summer. in northern morocco, efforts are continuing to rescue a five—year—old boy who fell into a well. rayan has been stuck in a 32 metre deep water well since tuesday. aru na iyengar reports. bulldozers work flat—out in tamrout, in the northern tourist province of chefchaouen. they're racing to dig a hole alongside a shaft of a 32—metre well. waiting at the bottom is five—year—old rayan. he fell in on tuesday evening. he was playing whilst his father was repairing the well. translation: the closer we get, the hole gets more narrow, and hard to pass through, which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. this is why we had to come up with another technique,

which is digging. rescuers have been able to send oxygen and water to rayan through pipes. it's a tricky, painstaking manoeuvre. it is a long way down, and the diameter of the well is less than 45 centimetres. rayan's plight has touched the hearts of moroccans. there has been an outpouring of sympathy online, with the hashtag #staystrong going viral across north africa. crowds have gathered at the site, anxious to hear the latest on the rescue. translation: rayan is very much loved here in the village, notjust at home. i miss him, it's been three nights. but rescuers are working against the clock and conditions are difficult. they remain hopeful they can reach rayan and bring him to safety. aruna iyengar, bbc news. a classroom in a van and lessons at a boxing club, it's not something you'd usually expect from the school day. but the unique idea is aimed

at encouraging children who often truant or have been excluded from school to get back into learning, and it's proven to be popular so far, as phillip norton reports. we are on the road in grimsby. this is a school assistant principal with a former gang member. when students don't go to school, they take the school to the students. are you all right? all right? are you ready for today? yeah. come on, then. some of them struggled to regulate their behaviour in mainstream. are you looking forward to today? yes. attendance is also a problem for some of them. and some students admit mainstream is not for them. the students are among the most vulnerable young people in north east lincolnshire. lessons can be done outside the home, but today they will be outside a boxing session. t is one of their mentors.

he got excluded from school himself and fell into a life of crime. as a convicted gang member, he spent most of his 20s in prison. when i came out, i wanted to give a little something back, and try to be a positive role model for these kids, so they don't make the same mistakes as i do. activities and days out provide an incentive for learning. while t is giving kids a fighting chance in the ring. i think they just want to put one on me, really. the last thing we want is a complex kid with complex needs having to sit in the classroom for six, seven hours at a time, or on the bus. so we just try to incorporate a little bit of fun into learning. outside, the minibus classroom helps to give them a fighting chance in life away from the ring. you already know that is a u. so you can fill those in already. this is based on english. it helps them with their spelling.

what it is is an attendance sheet and dictionary sheet. what they do is they find the actual word, go into the dictionary and find the definition. it helps explain what the meanings are. and it highlights about attendance. i got kicked out of the secondary school and then came to here. it's better here, i think. my background was attendance. i always thought get a job, - get what you want and keep yourself to yourself and stay out of trouble. for some kids, it's a bit harder. they need more help. within the mainstream schools, the classes are too big, - so the teachers might not click on to kids' needs. _ there has already been huge success with this new way of learning. in the first year it ran, school attendance for those on the programme increased from 22% to 73%. and for the first time, the school saw every single one of its year 11s go on to college or apprenticeships. historically, the grimsby area has had some of the highest levels of school exclusions in the country.

this academy with home office support and business sponsorship hopes to change mindsets, keeping young people off the streets and getting them back into learning. seeing this today, and on the buses, and the passions of the people involved, they have got a real chance. they have got the best people involved in the project. and they can really help raise those aspirations. it has been such a success, a second minibus classroom has been secured for the school. and the idea has been taken to other parts of the country. you can see the progress that students are making now compared to when they firstjoin. it's unbelievable. what do you want to do one day? i want to be an electrician or a mechanic. ijust always want to do something above and beyond. philip norton, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... pressure continues to grow for the uk prime minister borisjohnson

as five of his aides resign within 2a hours. we now have a change at number ten downing in terms of the operation. that is what the prime minister announced on monday. injoint talks in beijing, russia and china strongly criticise what they describe as a "negative us influence" in both europe and asia. cheering. the two leaders met as excitements builds in the chinese capital ahead of the winter olympics opening ceremony which is just hours away. the biggest fall in living standards in the uk in 30 years, that's the warning from the bank of england as energy prices and interest rates are set to rise. i get out of my cold shower, i stand shivering because i cannot or dare not put on the gas so i've got no heat. the leaders of four northern ireland executive parties will meet later to discuss how to progress outstanding legislation

following paul givan's resignation as first minister. mr givan stepped down in protest at the northern ireland protocol, a post—brexit agreement which places a trade border between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. joining me now is katy hayward who is a professor of political sociology at queen's university belfast, and senior fellow at the think tank the uk in a changing europe. what is the resignation to do? first of all he wanted _ what is the resignation to do? first of all he wanted to _ what is the resignation to do? f “st of all he wanted to make the message very clear to the uk government that the dup wants to see substantial changes to the protocol. in that sense dup think they are strengthening the hand of the uk government in their ongoing talks with the eu. but we should bear in mind that the dup very much have the upcoming assembly election on their

minds as well. they are conscious that the majority of their supporters and those in more hardline parties want to see the protocol substantially changed, if not scrapped altogether. they were very concerned that the sinn fein party are going to become the largest party at the next assembly election and they want to corral the unionist vote. they were feeling under pressure, they have been threatening to step out of power since september. they were being goaded, especially from the hardliners for not doing good on that thread and this is what paul givan did yesterday. but that thread and this is what paul givan did yesterday.— that thread and this is what paul givan did yesterday. but we have the good friday agreement _ givan did yesterday. but we have the good friday agreement to _ givan did yesterday. but we have the good friday agreement to bear i givan did yesterday. but we have the good friday agreement to bear in i good friday agreement to bear in mind, there is a border between northern ireland and the rest of the uk is so there is not a border between the republic of ireland and northern ireland. how likely is it the eu will flex in any significant way? the eu will flex in any significant wa ? ~ . ,

the eu will flex in any significant wa ? ~ ., , , , way? well, the eu has suggested it will be more _ way? well, the eu has suggested it will be more flexible _ way? well, the eu has suggested it will be more flexible in _ way? well, the eu has suggested it will be more flexible in relation i way? well, the eu has suggested it will be more flexible in relation to l will be more flexible in relation to the protocol. we should bear in mind these are really technical discussions and fundamentally the uk and the eu are coming from different positions around all of this, different starting points. i think what is very clear from the whole situation in which we find ourselves is that actually made with respect this is a wholly new situation brexit and a remarkable agreement in the protocol. so there is a need for adjustment to the protocol, all the parties agree on that point. the question is to what extent will the eu would be willing to show flexibility? or particularly businesses and others have been calling for stability in northern ireland and they want predictability and certainty. this kind of action, the political moves which have huge

consequences for northern ireland and for day—to—day living here, important legislation, that does not bring the stability people have been hoping for. in fact, it only adds to the uncertainty.— the uncertainty. what are the implications _ the uncertainty. what are the implications for _ the uncertainty. what are the implications for how - the uncertainty. what are the implications for how the i implications for how the power—sharing assembly at stormont can function if the first minister has stepped down?— has stepped down? well, fundamentally, _ has stepped down? well, fundamentally, because i has stepped down? well, i fundamentally, because the has stepped down? well, - fundamentally, because the first minister has stepped down, the deputy first minister, michelle o'neill, had no choice to do so as well. it is a joint position. it means the executive cannot function and make new decisions. this is what the party leaders will talk about today, hopefully how they can possibly make decisions in the coming week because they are meant to nominate a new first minister and deputy first minister in a weak�*s

time and we will not expect those positions to be filled. we can have a situation in which the assembly can continue to pass legislation, even though the executive can't make decisions. but given sinn fein has called for the election to held earlier than may when it was scheduled for, it looks likely that may happen and we may be facing the prospect of an assembly election, which means all the legislation that was due to be passed by the assembly will not be passed, which ultimately points to the question of has the dup made the right move in this electorally speaking? well unionist supporters genuinely believe that the protocol is an existential threat to the union and the most important issue? or will they feel hard done by that the assembly mandate was not fulfilled. professor katie hayward. _ mandate was not fulfilled. professor katie hayward, thank _ mandate was not fulfilled. professor katie hayward, thank you _ mandate was not fulfilled. professor katie hayward, thank you very i mandate was not fulfilled. professor| katie hayward, thank you very much. as we've been hearing, borisjohnson has been rocked

by a wave of downing street resignations in another blow to his leadership. four of his most senior advisers quit on thrusday with another adviser, elena narozanski, leaving her role this morning. the pm is battling to save his premiership as conservative mps consider whether to oust him over lockdown parties in downing street. i asked huw merriman, conservative mp and chair of the trasnport select committee, how many more chances should boris johnson have? created that matters got brought up during his statement when he should have just focused on how he will correct the wrong. i want to give him that time and space to put back together again. . reference sir keir starmer? spring

answer, it would not be the words he would use not me. i am looking for an apology, reset, acknowledgement long—standing he tried to get him to apologise for the attack on keir starmer, disgusted he will not properly apologise, how likely is it that the new team will turn things around? indeed. she has been at his

political site for over a decade and is a very reasonable and sharp policy operator and it is a great loss, we need to have more people like her inside number ten, not fewer. i think this really does demonstrate that we have to reset, really focus on the things that matter, and put strong chief executives in place in number ten who are going to ensure that none of this nonsense occurs and the best advice comes through. ultimately the buck stops with the person right at the very top. yes, we have got to get the best people in place, but ultimately we need to turn matters around right from the very top and the prime minister is accountable to that. ~ . . the prime minister is accountable to that. ~ ., ., , ., the prime minister is accountable to that. ., ., , , that. what are your constituents tell ou? that. what are your constituents tell you? a _ that. what are your constituents tell you? a lot — that. what are your constituents tell you? a lot of _ that. what are your constituents tell you? a lot of mps _ that. what are your constituents tell you? a lot of mps say i that. what are your constituents tell you? a lot of mps say this . that. what are your constituents tell you? a lot of mps say this is really a preoccupation for a lot of the electorate. yes really a preoccupation for a lot of the electorate.— really a preoccupation for a lot of the electorate. yes and if you look at our the electorate. yes and if you look at your inbox _ the electorate. yes and if you look at your inbox it _ the electorate. yes and if you look at your inbox it does _ the electorate. yes and if you look at your inbox it does not _ at your inbox it does not necessarily tell you the full picture, so i knocked on all the doors of a street in my constituency to really test it, and they do tell

me the same thing. they are really upset, sad and disappointed. the question is can we regain the trust? i represent a part of the country which is very traditional in its views, it is a coastal area, a lot of retired people, and people expect better and they are quite right to expect better from us and that is what we have got to deliver. i feel sad, ifeel embarrassed what we have got to deliver. i feel sad, i feel embarrassed that we are in the situation and i feel like we have let them down and now we have got to turn it around. that is the most important thing for me. you don't have — most important thing for me. you don't have to _ most important thing for me. you don't have to be _ most important thing for me. you don't have to be sad or embarrassed, you could write a letter like everyone else and trigger a vote as to whether the prime minister should carry on. to whether the prime minister should car on. , , ., carry on. this is not writing letters to _ carry on. this is not writing letters to the _ carry on. this is not writing letters to the telegraph. i carry on. this is not writing i letters to the telegraph. the carry on. this is not writing - letters to the telegraph. the prime minister was elected in 2019 with a big mandate and in my constituency a much bigger majority. to interfere with the democratic process, which is what you are touching on, is not to be taken lightly. but is what you are touching on, is not to be taken lightly.— to be taken lightly. but this is the rocess b to be taken lightly. but this is the process by which _ to be taken lightly. but this is the process by which you _ to be taken lightly. but this is the

process by which you would i to be taken lightly. but this is the i process by which you would replace the prime minister by somebody else who others would argue is more fit for thejob. who others would argue is more fit forthejob. it who others would argue is more fit for the job-— for the job. it is not like replacing _ for the job. it is not like replacing a _ for the job. it is not like replacing a football- for the job. it is not like i replacing a football manager. for the job. it is not like - replacing a football manager. if for the job. it is not like _ replacing a football manager. if we are not careful, when times are tough, we willjust end up replacing our leader again and these things are not to be undertaken lightly and of course i think about it very seriously, but i would rather give someone the chance to recover, that is surely the best test and surely he has got the incentive and the motivation to do that. to me it is too soon to do anything in the way that you are describing. the conservative _ that you are describing. the conservative mp _ that you are describing. the conservative mp hugh merriman. record numbers of children and young people in england have been referred to specialist nhs mental health services according to new analysis by the royal college of psychiatrists for bbc news. headteachers and a children's mental health charity say many more children are still struggling with the return to learning. the creation of 400 mental health support teams for schools in england is ahead of schedule according to the government. catherine roche is ceo of the children's mental health charity �*place2be'and she told me what has caused

the increase in the need for help we had a problem and it was an under resourced area even before the pandemic and i think really these last two years have just exacerbated some of the problems and the challenges that were already there. so it is not a surprise that we are seeing these figures. we have been working on over 400 schools around the country and we have been doing this for over 25 years and we have seen over this time and increase in the problems and challenges because schools are really on the front lines. ~ . ., , ., . lines. which ages are most affected? we are seeing _ lines. which ages are most affected? we are seeing challenges _ lines. which ages are most affected? we are seeing challenges for- lines. which ages are most affected? j we are seeing challenges for younger children in primary schools as well as for older children in secondary schools. in the secondary schools, again directly from the front lines,

we are seeing increases in some of the more severe issues, such as self—harm, eating difficulties, but some of those we also do see coming earlier in the primary schools as well. it earlier in the primary schools as well. , , , ., ., ., well. it seems there is a lot of cho -|n~ well. it seems there is a lot of chopping and _ well. it seems there is a lot of chopping and changing - well. it seems there is a lot of chopping and changing during | well. it seems there is a lot of. chopping and changing during the pandemic. they were in school, out of school. there is much more going to school than just learning, isn't there? to school than 'ust learning, isn't there? ~ , �* to school than 'ust learning, isn't there? ~ , ~ ., there? absolutely. and for younger children it is _ there? absolutely. and for younger children it is where _ there? absolutely. and for younger children it is where they _ there? absolutely. and for younger children it is where they meet i there? absolutely. and for younger children it is where they meet their| children it is where they meet their friends, well, for any child, it is where they meet their friends, where you socialise. feeling positive, feeling that you can deal with the everyday issues and challenges is so important for a child to be able to come into school and to connect and engage with their friends. it is so much more thanjust engage with their friends. it is so much more than just a place for academic progress. it is where you really learn to socialise and to

develop as a child. really that is why it is so important that we support children to be in school and to be in a good place and to engage in learning and to really enjoy their school years and grow up resilient. , , , . ., , ., , resilient. these specialist teams that are going — resilient. these specialist teams that are going in _ resilient. these specialist teams that are going in our— resilient. these specialist teams that are going in our very - resilient. these specialist teams i that are going in our very welcome of course, but how much more support is needed and of what type? weill. of course, but how much more support is needed and of what type?— is needed and of what type? well, we reall need is needed and of what type? well, we really need support _ is needed and of what type? well, we really need support at _ is needed and of what type? well, we really need support at both _ is needed and of what type? well, we really need support at both ends i is needed and of what type? well, we really need support at both ends of i really need support at both ends of the spectrum. we need specialist mental health support. in the survey we did just a quarter, or a less than a quarter of school staff said they can access specialist support that they need. more is needed at that they need. more is needed at that end. but we must not forget about well—being and every child should grow up with positive mental health, so we really need to shift and get some emphasis on the early intervention, getting in early support and early help, which class

teachers and parents can all play a part in that. teachers and parents can all play a part in that-— part in that. very briefly, what are the sins part in that. very briefly, what are the signs that _ part in that. very briefly, what are the signs that parents _ part in that. very briefly, what are the signs that parents should i part in that. very briefly, what are the signs that parents should look| the signs that parents should look out for if they are worried that their child might be struggling? iii their child might be struggling? if your child starts to withdraw, if they are not making friends, if they can't engage with their friends, struggling with eating, any sort of eating difficulties. really it is aboutjust making time to talk with your child and to connect with them. there is a lot of information on our website, especially for children's mental health week, lots of resources that parents can use and also for schools to get involved. the headlines on bbc news... i'v e pressure continues to grow for the uk prime minister borisjohnson as five of his aides resign

within 2a hours. injoint talks in beijing, russia and china strongly criticise what they describe as a "negative us influence" in both europe and asia. cheering. the two leaders met as excitements builds in the chinese capital ahead of the winter olympics opening ceremony which is just hours away. in the uk, mps are warning that a new motoring tax is needed to plug the revenue gap as drivers switch to electric vehicles, which are currently not taxed. the transport select committee says the uk faces a £35 billion hole in its finances, and that money from existing tax sources could end by 2040. the committee suggests charging people based on how much driving they do. all of this has to be tackled with urgency because from 2030 we will be buying electric vehicles that currently do not have any tax levied on them. g’s currently do not have any tax levied on them. , ., ., ., ~ on them. 496 of the entire tax take for the chancellor _ on them. 496 of the entire tax take for the chancellor comes _ on them. 496 of the entire tax take for the chancellor comes from - for the chancellor comes from motoring taxes and if we do not find the replacement, we will not have

the replacement, we will not have the roads funded, but also schools and hospitals will be impacted as well. we have to do this now because otherwise we will lose a big chunk of our tax revenue. we can do it with technology and innovation and be a world leader here. winter and ice storm warnings remain in effect for a wide swathe of the united states east coast, stretching from texas, up through the mid west and into new england. in many states travel is treacherous, power lines are down and schools have been forced to close. cbs reporter bradley blackburn joins us from new york. they sound like treacherous can storm is inching across the us right now, bringing snow and ice into the major population centres in the north east. in new york city temperatures are expected to drop 30 fahrenheit in the next 24 hours. so is storm will bring those icy conditions we have seen over the

country. when a system that stretched from texas, all the way up to maine, this is mild. 0r stretched from texas, all the way up to maine, this is mild. or so many people across the country and temperatures are lingering so the ice cannot melt. how well—prepared our communities and the authorities that serve them?— that serve them? yes, authorities have declared _ that serve them? yes, authorities have declared states _ that serve them? yes, authorities have declared states of _ that serve them? yes, authorities l have declared states of emergency ahead of the storm in many cases. they were anticipating issues, trying to get ahead of them and for the most part it seems to have worked. roadways are a big problem across the country. the national guard in indiana had to deploy to help people that were stranded. there were also major pile—ups and hundreds of car crashes, a 16 car pile—up in memphis. authorities have been responding as best they can. one of the big concerns was another possible blackout in the state of

texas. last year after a freeze 4 million households were left without electricity. thankfully this time around. there were some packages for the most part the power grid has held up. the most part the power grid has held u -. ~ . the most part the power grid has held u. ~ . ., . . the most part the power grid has held u. . . ., . . , held up. what sort of advice is bein: held up. what sort of advice is being given. — held up. what sort of advice is being given, usually _ held up. what sort of advice is being given, usually to - held up. what sort of advice is being given, usually to stay i held up. what sort of advice is being given, usually to stay at| held up. what sort of advice is - being given, usually to stay at home if you can, but it is not always that easy. it if you can, but it is not always that easy-— if you can, but it is not always that easy. it is not always that eas . that easy. it is not always that easy- the _ that easy. it is not always that easy. the best _ that easy. it is not always that easy. the best advice - that easy. it is not always that easy. the best advice is - that easy. it is not always that easy. the best advice is to - that easy. it is not always that| easy. the best advice is to stay home and off the roads for the most part slow going. in texas and dallas and fort worth miles an hour in new york city has not been affected yet, so people are able to get out and about, but that could change later today as the freezing temperatures move in, complicating things for so many people. move in, complicating things for so many maple-— many people. what are the forecasters _ many people. what are the forecasters saying - many people. what are the forecasters saying about i many people. what are the i forecasters saying about when many people. what are the - forecasters saying about when it might shift? it forecasters saying about when it might shift?—

might shift? it is shifting as we seak. might shift? it is shifting as we speak- right — might shift? it is shifting as we speak. right now— might shift? it is shifting as we speak. right now we _ might shift? it is shifting as we speak. right now we are - might shift? it is shifting as we | speak. right now we are getting might shift? it is shifting as we - speak. right now we are getting some rain but that will turn into a wintry mix in a few hours in new york city and the storm is moving into boston as well and further up into boston as well and further up into new england. the temperatures will drop sharply and the concern is the water that is now on the roads could turn to ice and create a dangerous situation for people in the city and the millions of folks who live outside in the city and the metro area here. the storm, which has been affecting the country all week, is not done yet.— has been affecting the country all week, is not done yet. bradley, we a- reciate week, is not done yet. bradley, we appreciate you _ week, is not done yet. bradley, we appreciate you joining _ week, is not done yet. bradley, we appreciate you joining us _ week, is not done yet. bradley, we appreciate you joining us overtly i week, is not done yet. bradley, we appreciate you joining us overtly in| appreciate you joining us overtly in the morning. bradley paquin from cbs. -- the morning. bradley paquin from cbs. —— so early. —— so early. it's called the world's most—unreachable wreck. sir ernest shackleton�*s endurance sank more than a hundred years ago as the explorer led an expedition to cross antarctica. scientists hope the same icy conditions that befell the boat, may have preserved it and have deployed a team using the latest tech to try and find the wreck. our science editor rebecca morelle reports. caught on camera more

than 100 years ago. the final moments of the endurance. this footage restored and released by the bfi show sir ernest shackleton�*s famous ship as it was lost to the antarctic ice. this is endurance. this is exactly the way she was. the story has long fascinated maritime archaeologists. now a new expedition is attempting to locate the ship. but like shackleton, they will face gruelling conditions. endurance is the most unreachable wreck in the world. by extension this has to be the greatest wreck hunt ever. the big challenge is the ice. it is opening and clenching, unclenching. it is a really vicious, lethal environment that we are going into. shackleton�*s expedition set off from south georgia in december 1914

but by mid january the ship was frozen fast in the ice. after drifting for months with the crew on board an order was eventually given to abandon ship. the endurance sank on november 21, 1915. the location was recorded. the objects that were rescued from the sinking endurance give a sense of what life was like on board. this is the sextant, crucial for navigating and over here is a box of chocolates that was used as a payment between crew for doing chores like darning socks. and up here, unbelievably, is a piece of the mast. probably the only relic of the ship that is not at the bottom of the sea. an important document for people going out and looking today. shackleton�*s expedition diary was also saved with his emotional entry on the day the ship was lost. "she went today. "5pm she went down by the head. "the stem, the cause

of all the trouble, "was the last to go underwater. "i cannot write about it. "sunday always seems the day on which things happen to us." you can read about how it was creaking. they talk about her as a personality and the groaning and the sounds. there was a real sense of what it felt like, what it sounded like and how crushed they were when the ship was crushed. the gulbis 2 is the polar icebreaker that will hunt for the wreck, using the co—ordinates recorded by the crew. the endurance lies 3000 metres down so the team will use underwater robots kitted out with sonar and cameras. the hope is that the wreck will be well preserved by the icy water and lack of organisms eating away at the wood. if we get the time that we think we are going to have over the site i think there is a very good chance that those two underwater vehicles will find it. a very big chance.

but that chance could go to zero if the conditions collapsed and the ice floe behaves in a way we do not wish it to. if the ice floes move the goalposts. for shackleton's expedition, the loss of the endurance was not the end. the crew trekked across hundreds of miles of ice, rowed the weddell sea and then climbed a mountain range to reach safety. miraculously they all survived but the ship that had been their home still lies in the icy depths, silently waiting to be discovered. rebecca morelle, bbc news. police have arrested a drug dealer who sold adulterated cocaine to dozens of people causing the deaths of at least twenty drug users in argentina. police sayjoaquin aquino, known as paisa, controlled drug trafficking operations in a shanty town of buenos aires where the cocaine was sold. more than one hundred people were admitted to hospital after consuming the drug, which had been mixed with an opioid.

an international team of scientists has, for the first time, mapped emissions of the global warming gas methane using satellite technology. the research found huge plumes of the gas over russia, turkmenistan and the united states. some were more than three hundred kilometres long. emissions linked to fossil fuels make up about a quarter of man—made methane emissions and scientists believe stopping the leaks would be an important step towards slowing climate change. following the massive oil spill in peru last month, veterinarians are nursing a number of rare hambuldt penguins back to health. 12,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a marine biodiversity hotspot, after a refinery was hit by waves linked to a volcanic eruption on tonga. zoologists say many of the penguins arrived at lima zoo very stressed. the penguins have been bathed, watered and fed to aid their recovery. the government has called the oil

spill the country's worst ecological disaster. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. compared with may. we have got snow on the hills already. that was in wales earlier on. the mild air held on to the south—east earlier and that is out of the way as we head into the afternoon and with it the extensive rain and for the afternoon southern and eastern areas

drier and doors. a cult—like following. i'm with you is nice for a while away widespread ice following the showers. as we go into the start of the week there will be changes. when a system that stretches from storm us all the way across the atlantic towards us.

. stay dry with hazy sunshine. compared with today it is a milder day, even with the strength of the winds in the south. evening star snow to go with it as well. a cold and to the weekend.

a senior conservative mp warns the prime minister he must shape up or ship out as pressure mounts on his leadership. although many mps are still loyal, borisjohnson is told changes must be made. my constituents are upset, i feel like we've lost face and public trust with them, and we've got to gain that back. and the turmoil at number ten continues as a fifth downing street adviser resigns. we'll have all the latest from westminster. the energy regulator says it may start reviewing the price cap, which limits a typical household bill, every three months rather than the current six. the huge challenge of improving cancer care — the government promises a new ten year strategy for england. and the near impossible search for the greatest shipwreck — will ernest shackleton's endurance be found?