this is bbc news. the headlines... the search is on to find a new commissionerfor the uk's largest police force after dame cressida dick quits. campaigners have welcomed her resignation and say now is the time for change. what will be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7.5%. but warnings remain about rising inflation. britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an increasingly tense situation in ukraine. the pair have been holding talks in moscow. we're expecting a to hear from ben wallace at a news conference at the british embassy

in moscow in half an hour. we'll bring it to you live. spain relaxes covid restrictions for unvaccinated teenagers from the uk. ministers want more disabled people in work over the next five years. we'll hear about some of the barriers to employment. questions in beijing, as it's confirmed the 15—year—old russian figure skating sensation failed a drugs test before the winter olympics. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the search is under way to find a replacement for britain's top police officer, after dame cressida dick announced her resignation from the metropolitan police last night. dame cressida said she'd been left with "no choice" but to go, once the mayor of london sadiq khan

made it clear he had no confidence in her leadership. the home secretary has written in london's evening standard newspaper as the process to replace dame cressida gets started. in the piece, priti patel says as the first woman to lead the met, dame cressida dick "exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police, demonstrating all can aspire to hold leadership roles in policing in this country today". the home secretary says the challenges facing the new commissioner are stark, and "it is clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence" in our largest police force. and she says that whilst a new leader must tackle crime and protect citizens, policing culture and conduct have rightly come under scrutiny, adding, "be in no doubt that a new leader must tackle these institutional issues." daniel sandford reports. arriving for work at new scotland yard this morning, the most senior police officer in the uk, who has now been forced out of the job.

cressida dick made the decision to quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had been put in an impossible position by the london mayor, sadiq khan. some of the crises and controversies that led to her departure date back decades. a report into the murder of daniel morgan in 1987 was published last year and said the force had been institutionally corrupt. failures the force made while investigating the serial killer stephen port back in 2014 led to allegations last year of institutional homophobia. the inappropriate conduct of a group of officers at charing cross police station in 2018 led to whatsapp messages being published last week showing racist and homophobic attitudes, and officers joking about rape. but by far the most damaging was the murder of sarah everard by a serving met officer. and the handling of a protest afterwards which hugely undermined confidence in the force. cressida dick is regarded by many officers as the most talented of her generation,

but being the face of the force in such crisis meant she was personally criticised too, and she sometimes failed to communicate what she was doing to fix the problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has given a0 years of very distinguished police service to the public of london, and indeed to the public of the country. her departure will make — or will not make — the world a safer place, it will destabilise the met and frankly, she has been dealt with in a very unprofessional, rude fashion. what did for cressida dick in the end was concerns about the culture in some sections of the police, so her successor will have to have strong ideas for reform. what we'll be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power, somebody who is able to bring people to the table, somebody who can show that they have been at the forefront of these matters.

the successor will be chosen by the home secretary in consultation with the london mayor. doubtless the prime minister will also have a view. today, priti patel said that it's clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence. daniel sandford, bbc news. as daniel was saying, this is not just a policing matter, it is also a political one. we can get into that now. joining me now is labour mp diana johnson, who is chair of the home affairs committee. thank you for coming on the programme. first of all, do you think it is right that she has gone and gone in this manner? i think it is right that she has gone and gone in this manner?- and gone in this manner? i think once the mayor _ and gone in this manner? i think once the mayor of _ and gone in this manner? i think once the mayor of london - and gone in this manner? i think once the mayor of london didn't| and gone in this manner? i think- once the mayor of london didn't have confidence in the commissioner of the metropolitan police, it was inevitable she would resign. we saw this before when borisjohnson was the mayor of london, he lost confidence in sir ian blair, and he

then stepped down and resigned so it was inevitable. d0 then stepped down and resigned so it was inevitable.— was inevitable. do you think it was his intention, _ was inevitable. do you think it was his intention, sadiq _ was inevitable. do you think it was his intention, sadiq khan? - was inevitable. do you think it was his intention, sadiq khan? some l his intention, sadiq khan? some saying it was a political calculation to put pressure but wasn't expecting the consequences. i think you would need to ask the mayor of london about that. it is clear there have been mounting concerns over the last few years and months about what was going on in the met. in your package you set out very clearly that a whole host of problems, and just last week we had the iopc report into charing cross. the commissioner would have known about that for some time, known what was going on in that police station, and i also picked up on your package about the failure to communicate and challenge the culture that clearly is a problem in the met. but also there is a wider problem in policing that we need to focus on as well, and i think the home affairs select committee will want to explore that further in the months to come. but

clearly cressida dick has said she is going now. we need a new commissioner and they need to tackle this problem with what has gone on culturally in the met. 50 this problem with what has gone on culturally in the met.— culturally in the met. so what do ou want culturally in the met. so what do you want from — culturally in the met. so what do you want from the _ culturally in the met. so what do you want from the new - culturally in the met. so what do - you want from the new commissioner? i think they have to be very clear about setting the tone for what a professional modern police service can deliver for the people of london, and it is all about trust and confidence. i think you mentioned the sarah everard case. many other cases as well where women in particular have perhaps lost confidence in the police. that needs to be rebuilt. we saw in the exchange of text messages in the iopc report on the charing cross police station the misogyny that was in those messages, the homophobia, the racism. obviously there are many good and fine police officers in the met, but there is a culture that needs to be addressed and that is what the new commissioner is going to have to have at the heart when

they start in office when setting out their stall on how they will address it. out their stall on how they will address it— out their stall on how they will address it. ., , . ., ., , ., address it. that is clear what you ho -e to address it. that is clear what you hepe to happen _ address it. that is clear what you hope to happen now. _ address it. that is clear what you hope to happen now. there - address it. that is clear what you hope to happen now. there is - address it. that is clear what you | hope to happen now. there is one other thorny issue on the timing. at the moment, the government effectively will now appoint the person in charge of the police whilst the police are investigating the government. wherever you are, thatis the government. wherever you are, that is not a good look. ida. the government. wherever you are, that is not a good look.— that is not a good look. no, and clearly the _ that is not a good look. no, and clearly the home _ that is not a good look. no, and clearly the home secretary - that is not a good look. no, and clearly the home secretary is i that is not a good look. no, and l clearly the home secretary is the person who appoints the commissioner of the metropolitan police because the met have responsibilities particularly around counterterrorism. it is in conversation and consultation with the mayor of london, and so i have confidence that the professional standing of the police will remain whilst this process is under way around what happened in downing street. i'm very hopeful the prime minister will completely stand aside from any discussion about who the commissioner should be. mira; from any discussion about who the commissioner should be. why does any of this matter — commissioner should be. why does any of this matter to _ commissioner should be. why does any

of this matter to anyone _ commissioner should be. why does any of this matter to anyone outside - of this matter to anyone outside london? �* .., , , of this matter to anyone outside london? �* .. , , , of this matter to anyone outside london? �* , , , ., london? because this is about the culture within _ london? because this is about the culture within the _ london? because this is about the culture within the police _ london? because this is about the culture within the police forces, i culture within the police forces, the 43 police forces that we have. the met is the biggest force, it has a lot of attention because it covers the capital city and has millions of citizens that it covers, but we know there are issues in other big police forces. greater manchester in recent times has had problems. i think because policing is done in this country by consent, we consent to the police policing us, so we have to have trust and confidence that they are professional, they treat people fairly, they are antiracist, not misogynistic, not homophobic. this is what we want to expect in a police force that is fit for the year we are in now. i also think there might be an issue about having a royal commission to look at policing because it is 60 years since we had that deep look at what it should look like. fine since we had that deep look at what it should look like.—

it should look like. one final question. — it should look like. one final question. in _ it should look like. one final question, in your _ it should look like. one final question, in your capacity i it should look like. one finalj question, in your capacity as it should look like. one final. question, in your capacity as a labour mp away from policing, but one of your colleagues has been suspended from the party following alleged racist comments. what is your reaction to that? that alleged racist comments. what is your reaction to that?— your reaction to that? that is totally unacceptable. - your reaction to that? that is totally unacceptable. i i your reaction to that? that is totally unacceptable. i thinkl your reaction to that? that is i totally unacceptable. i think the whip has already been withdrawn from neil coyle, that is right and there should be an investigation but it is totally unacceptable. going back to policing, it is the zero tolerance of racism we must all have. thank ou for of racism we must all have. thank you forjoining _ of racism we must all have. thank you forjoining us _ of racism we must all have. thank you forjoining us on _ of racism we must all have. thank you forjoining us on the _ of racism we must all have. thank i you forjoining us on the programme. thank you. the uk economy continued to rebound from the pandemic last year, growing by 7.5% in total, despite a slight dip in december caused by the omicron variant. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has welcomed the latest figures, which follow a dramatic collapse in the economy of 9.4% in 2020 because of coronavirus. but economists are warning that inflation will continue to rise in the coming months, affecting people's spending power. here's our economics correspondent andy verity.

in sutton in ashfield in nottinghamshire, at this maker of precision components for the likes of rolls—royce and bentley, business has bounced back rapidly, just as it has in the wider economy — up by 7.5% last year, the fastest growth in more than 80 years. it's the opposite problem to the stillness of the first lockdown. plenty of work but a struggle getting the staff to do it, and the cost of raw materials threatens to wipe out profits. profit margins obviously were affected in terms of rises in supply and material costs etc, but driving efficiencies for us was really important in 2021 and will continue to be even more important as we move forward in 2022. although growth was faster than expected, the economy was still 0.4% smaller than two years before. as omicron struck in december, it shrunk by 0.2%. today's figures show that despite omicron, the economy was remarkably resilient. we were the fastest—growing economy

in the g7 last year and are forecast to continue being the fastest growing economy this year, so that shows our plans for the economy are working. the office for national statistics cast doubt on government claims we are the best performing economy in the g7 group of advanced industrialised countries, whose leaders met in cornwall in the summer. our bungee jump economy fell faster in 2020 than other countries and has therefore bounced back faster. but compared to before the pandemic, we're not top but middling, and consumers are going to have less spare cash to spend come april. people are facing a triple whammy of rising prices, and in particular energy prices, tory tax rises that are being imposed on the economy at the worst possible time, and declining real wages. and all of these things are coming together to enforce a squeeze on household incomes, the like of which we haven't seen for some decades. most economists are now forecasting the economy will grow only slowly this year as consumers cut back

on spending that's not essential. if surging demand for goods and services bumps up against the maximum work firms can take on, then inflation — now at a 30—year high — is likely to get even higher. andy verity, bbc news. our economics editor faisal islam explains why the figures are being given a cautious welcome. on any normal scale, this number 7.5% would be a boom time number, but can save your bunting for thejubilee because actually this is a rebound from 2020, where we were the poorest performing economy in that g7, and now we're the fastest growing one. so leave those arguments to the politicians about where that leaves us kind of in the middle net net. when we look to the future, the good news is is that the recovery is ongoing, that the omicron variant of covid had only a minor impact on the economy,

but there is this cloud of rising prices, rising taxes, rising mortgage costs too. and some big decisions for the government. we heard, didn't we, from the bank of england governor last week saying that people in the private sector workers might not ask for such big pay rises as implied by the high rates of inflation. well, the chancellor did not back those words. i asked him too about his decisions about public sector workers. would they get 7%? and he said, well, it's a balancing act and it's down to independent pay review bodies that have a very difficultjob now that inflation is so high in setting the wages of important public sector workers. the defence secretary ben wallace says he is hoping that by speaking with his russian counterpart in moscow that a number of issues over ukraine can be resolved through diplomacy. he's been holding talks with sergei lavrov this afternoon. it comes as the us presidentjoe biden has called on all american citizens to leave the country, and warned that he won't send troops to rescue them if russia invades.

moscow denies that it's planning an invasion, despite sending about 100,000 troops to the region. our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. a moment of ceremony before yet another round of negotiations. ben wallace, the first defence secretary to visit moscow in 21 years, paying respects at the tomb of the unknown soldier. britain among a host of countries warning that war over ukraine would come at a terrible cost. no sign of de—escalation yet. if anything, the reverse. satellite images from this week showing the extent of russia's build—up. in crimea, western russia and belarus. washington saying, again, that the danger is real and imminent. as we said before, we are in a window when an invasion could begin at any time. and to be clear, that includes during the olympics. across eastern europe, more gestures of support for anxious allies, 350 royal marines arriving in poland yesterday, not a permanent

deployment but part of an effort by nato to reassure its members. the prime minister in warsaw is still urging russia to end its coercive behaviour. poland and the uk won't accept a world in which a powerful neighbour can bully or attack their neighbours. russia says it has no plans or desire to attack. more ships arriving in the crimean port of sebastopol all part, it says, of naval drills. for ukraine, the spectacle of russian military might to the south, north and east feels anything but normal. kyiv still doesn't feel like a city in moscow's crosshairs but it is feeling the pressure. the president yesterday called it psychological, his foreign minister said the kremlin�*s demands feel like a loaded pistol placed on the table. president biden has told americans to leave ukraine,

warning, in his words, that things could get crazy. the government here says that doesn't mean anything has changed. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. and we'll hear from the defence secretary ben wallace shortly — he's due to hold a new conference in moscow following those talks with his russian counterpart. as soon as we get that, we will bring that to you. you are watching bbc news. i am lewis vaughanjones. the headlines... the search is on to find a new commissionerfor the uk's largest police force after dame cressida dick quits. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7%. but warnings remain about rising inflation. britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an �*increasingly tense' situation in ukraine — the pair have been holding talks in moscow.

as we've been hearing, the labour mp neil coyle has had the party whip suspended, following allegations that he made racist comments to a journalist on the parliamentary estate. mr coyle said he was �*very sorry�* for his �*insensitive comments�*, which politics reporter henry dyer said made him feel uncomfortable in his place of work. our political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. what do we know about what happened? basically henry dyer who works for the insider website and described himself as british chinese was in a bar in the house of commons where strangers often mixed with members of parliament. he and some of his colleagues were there, he got into a conversation with neil coyle, and during that conversation he said he made xenophobic remarks and stereotyping according to his ethnicity, and he felt very uncomfortable with what was said. in addition to that, apparently when he

left the bar, he accuses neil coyle of making a very rude gesture. the labour party was fairly swift in taking the whip away from neil coyle. what that means is that if a general election were held tomorrow he would be unable to be a candidate, he would have to sit as an independent while an investigation is carried out. i think the labour party knows the potential political toxicity of this given the stories during the previous labour leader�*s tenure in office of anti—semitism, that any suggestion of this is being dealt with pretty rapidly. the commons authority has also acted rapidly and banned neil coyle from all bars in the parliamentary estate for the next six months. in a brief statement which he sent me, he said

he is very sorry for his insensitive comments, he has apologised to everyone involved and said he will cooperate fully with the investigation. the labour chair of the home affairs committee said it was also important these allegations were investigated and it was correct to withdraw the whip while that was taking place. to withdraw the whip while that was taking place-— taking place. thanks for that, ian. iain watson _ taking place. thanks for that, ian. iain watson there. _ remaining covid laws in wales — including face coverings and self—isolation — could be scrapped by the end of march. the welsh government also says covid pass rules will be axed from february 18th. our wales correspondent hywel griffith has the full details. the welsh government is sticking to its ultra—cautious approach in terms of relaxing restrictions, certainly not in any rush regardless of what happens in other parts of the uk. so the covid pass scheme will stay in place for one more week which means people going to tomorrow�*s big rugby international will still need to show their covid pass. at the end of

february, the facemask rules will relax but it won�*t be until the end of march that you know longer need a face covering to go into a shop or on public transport. regardless of what boris johnson on public transport. regardless of what borisjohnson may or may not do in england, the welsh government says that for now is a rule that needs to remain in place so someone who tests positive in wales will keep having to self—isolate for at least five days. we have seen over the course of the last two years different nations moving at different nations moving at different paces but there is a political dynamic to this as well. vaughan gething was highly critical of what he called borisjohnson�*s surprise announcement this week, arguing there was no real scientific basis to it and the welsh government would look at the science first before deciding any change to self isolation. spain is dropping its entry requirement for children over 12 from non—eu countries to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus — from monday they�*ll be allowed to enter as long

as they have a negative pcr test. it comes as many families had cancelled half—term trips because their children weren�*t fully vaccinated. our business correspondent ramzan karmali explains the background to this change. from monday, if you are thinking of going and you are going with someone aged between 12 and i7, going and you are going with someone aged between 12 and 17, they won�*t have to be double jabbed but they will still have to show a negative pcr test within 72 hours of arriving in spain. on top of that, apart from the under 12 is, everyone else has to show proof of being fully vaccinated. within at least 14 days of arriving in spain. if you have had your second jabbed over 270 days ago, then you have to show proof of having your boosterjab on top of that. you also have to show your qr code to the authorities when you arrive by filling out the spanish held control form as well. so there are still a few hurdles to achieve but this makes things a lot easier. for some hoteliers we have spoken to on the spanish islands, this news

may have come too late. they say they have lost millions of pounds in trade from cancelled half term bookings. the industry body here say hundreds of thousands of people are still getting away for breaks this half term. the government wants to see one million more disabled people in work in the next five years, but the disability employment gap remains stubbornly wide. only about 50% of disabled people are in employment, compared to just over 80% of non—disabled people. employers and businesses say they want to attract, retain and promote more disabled people. our corresponedent nikki fox has been to meet two people trying to find work. my biggest fear is that i could go throughout my life never working, and that really, really frightens me. amrit is blind but has a degree and a postgraduate diploma in psychology and counselling. when her children started secondary school, she started looking for work.

it has been five years and she has still not got a job. she has even struggled to get voluntary work. i was told that the office was not suitable for me as a blind person, that they wouldn�*t be able to accommodate a desk for me and it wouldn�*t be safe. the difference between the number of disabled people in work compared to non—disabled people is what is known as the disability employment gap. although it has slightly narrowed in the last few years, experts say this is in most part down to the fact that more people already in work are identifying themselves as disabled. turn around, go on, katherine, turn around, look at that, look at that. katherine loves volunteering in her local charity shop. she worked for a major supermarket for 25 years but was made redundant. is this the kind of thing that you do, katherine? i do, putting things in the right sizes. how much do you love this particularjob here? i know you are volunteering. i like it. would you like this kind ofjob to be like your

full—time job, i suppose? yes, i would like to have it full—time. yes. so, there's your labels. for people with learning disabilities like katherine, the rate of employment in england is just over 5%, and that has gone down over the last decade. do you want me to come in with you or can you do it on your own? you can come in. katherine is being supported by a local organisation. they work with employers to try to overcome negative attitudes and some of the many barriers disabled people face. there�*s a job there for you, jeff. you know, you apply for a job and it's like, you have got to apply online and often people with learning disabilities, that's going to be a barrier to them. thank you so much. you do see that there can be a lack of support, a lack of empathy with some employers, and that is really sad because you just think, oh, if only they could just... help that little bit. katherine, what would be your dream? just get a good job and hopefully get a great good job. many felt the government�*s disability strategy was not the transformative plan it was promised to be and employment is just one part of it.

the government says reducing the disability employment gap is a huge priority, along with improving the access to work scheme and meeting their targets of getting i million more disabled people in work by 2027. good morning, sir. have you got a cv there for me? yes, i have. for katherine, her priority is getting that break so that she can go back to doing what she loves. yes. working. ok, thank you. nikki fox, bbc news. tom hardy, dolly parton and ryan reynolds have all given it a go. now the duchess of cambridge is the latest person to read the cbeebies bedtime story. she�*s the first royal to appear on cbeebies. but older viewers may remember her father—in—law prince charles reading his tale, the old man of lochnagar onjackanory nerly 40 years ago. our royal correspondent sarah campbell reports. so we're going to watch a video of the duchess of cambridge. it was one of the duchess�*s favourite books as a child, and she now reads it

to her three children. wow, what an encouraging tale. we can all feel scared sometimes, just like our little owl friend, plop. the story of plop, the little owl who was afraid of the dark, has been enchanting children for decades. ..and plop in the middle. i love... i love the owl because he�*s called plop. i like this page. i like the fireworks. "hello," said the cat, "i wasjust going to go exploring. won't you come with me?" "i would like to, i think," said plop, "but i'm afraid of the dark." it�*s all about overcoming fears and growing emotionally — very much the theme of children�*s mental health week, and a lesson the staff at this london nursery agree is vital for youngsters. we're always trying to empowerthem here, that if they do have a problem, they need to speak about it and they need to approach the staff that we have here, their parents — even their peers — speak about it and get help if they need it, which is what this book touches upon in a lot of detail.

so plop is a great role model. plop is a great role model, yes. as mrs barn owl said, "it�*s better to find out about the things that scare us before we make up our mind." and with the help of others, we can often face things that worry us. her bedtime story was filmed in the garden at kensington palace. a royal edition to mark the 20th anniversary of cbeebies and cbbc. the book�*s illustrator couldn�*t be more delighted the duchess chose to tell plop�*s story. i think it's good for people to talk and not bottle things up, so i think she hit the nail on the head by the choice of the book, and the fact that she loved that story as a child herself and now she reads it to her own three children — i mean, it's brilliant. now it�*s time for bed. night—night. so tuck the children in, and settle down with the duchess on sunday evening. bedtime story music plays. sarah campbell, bbc news. now it�*s time for a look

at the weather with stav. hello there, we�*re ending the working week on a dry, cold, sunny note, thanks to a ridge of high pressure which has settled things down briefly. the rest of today will remain dry. there will be cloud building up across western areas as our area of high pressure with its cold air slips eastwards. we�*ll then start to see the influence of this new area of low pressure, which will arrive just in time for the weekend. so overnight, the wet and windy weather starts to pile into western areas, spreading to all but much of central, southern and eastern england. here we�*ll see clearer spells, so another fairly chilly night to come here, but further north and west that low pressure arrives. it will be turning much milder than the previous night. saturday, then a very different feeling today. more cloud around outbreaks of rain, strong winds, gales across the northwest. some of the rain quite heavy across wales,

particularly south wales, and in towards northwestern england. some sunny spells across the southeast of england, despite it being windy here and staying dry until after dark but widespread gales in the north and the west, but feeling a little less cold. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the search is on to find a new commissionerfor the uk�*s largest police force after dame cressida dick quits. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. britain�*s defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an "increasingly tense" situation in ukraine —

the pair have been holding talks in moscow. spain relaxes covid restrictions for unvaccinated teenagers from the uk. ministers want more disabled people in work over the next five years — we�*ll hear about some of the barriers to employment. sport now, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here�*s gavin. good afternoon. an update from the winter olympics to come but we start with some news from cricket. the sport�*s governing body has lifted a ban on test matches being held at yorkshire�*s headingley ground. the county side was stripped of the right to host internationals in light of the controversy surrounding allegations of racism at the club made by former player azeem rafiq. the ecb today said it would now overturn the decision, subject to the club meeting the remaining key requirements to they way it�*s run by the end of march. headlingley is due to host a test match against new zealand injune.

west ham manager david moyes has said kurt zouma is available for sunday�*s premier league game at leicester. huge controversy has surrounded the defender after he was filmed kicking his cat. animal charity the rspca has removed zouma�*s two cats from the players possession as they investigate the incident. moyes was criticised for picking zouma against watford on tuesday after the video of the incident emerged. moyes admitted that there are different views as to whether zouma should be available, but said he stands by his decision. there�*s continued controversy at the winter olympics in beijing, surrounding the doping case involving the 15—year—old russian figure skater kamila valieva. the world anti—doping agency has confirmed it intends to lodge an appeal with the court of arbitration for sport, after it came to light that she tested positive for a banned substance back in december. the ioc has already appealed against the lifting of her suspension by the russian anti—doping agency, which allowed her to compete at the games. she helped her team win gold on monday, but the medals have not yet been awarded. she�*s due to skate in the individual

competition on tuesday. team gb freestyle skier izzy atkin has pulled out of the slopestyle competition, having already withdrawn from the big air. atkin won britain�*s first—ever olympic skiing medal when she took slopestyle bronze in pyeongchang in 2018. she broke her pelvis in an event in colorado in december but she had been hopeful of competing in beijing. atkin�*s younger sister, zoe, will make her olympic debut in the halfpipe next week. great britain�*s 20—year run of medals in skeleton is about to end, after a really disappointing day laura deas, bronze medallist four years ago, is in 21st place after the first two runs, with brogan crowley even further behind. britain�*s men are also way out of the medals. it�*s been suggested there may be a problem with the equipment deas said she couldn�*t work out what went wrong and she was clearly devastated. i didn�*t have the speed, i don�*t know why. i feel like i executed a really good game plan.

sometimes in this sport you just can�*t explain everything and i don�*t know where the speed went today. it has been a very tough two years for everybody and i think i should be very proud of the fact that i�*m here, i have made it to the start line, i am healthy, i have got a great team around me and my family and friends at home are so supportive so i couldn�*t be more thankful for that. joe marchant will start at outside centre for england against italy on sunday, in one of six changes to the starting 15 beaten by scotland. marchant is the latest player to be tried in that position by eddiejones, who�*s still seeking a solution to manu tuilagi�*s absense through injury. —— absence. he�*ll partner henry slade in the midfield, after his link—up with elliot daly failed to make an impact at murrayfield. bahrain will host a formula one grand prix until at least 2036. it�*s the longest deal the sport has with any circuit. bahrain was the first middle eastern state to host a race when it made its debut back in 2004. abu dhabi and saudi arabia have since followed. it will stage the season—opening

grand prix next month. just before we go, a bit more winter olympics news for you team gb�*s men�*s curlers have beaten norway 8—3, that leaves them all those stories on the bbc sport website. the united states has urged canada to use federal powers to ease the disruption caused by lorry drivers. the protesters who are angry about covid restrictions are blocking cross border trade at several crossing points. that�*s in addition to the ongoing demonstration in the capital, ottowa. the ambassador bridge between ontario and detroit is one of the busiest border crossings in north america and a supply route for car—makers. there is disuption too at coutts in the province of alberta and emerson, manitoba. the economic cost is likely to be considerable. samira hussain has the latest.

horns blare. for yet another day, lorry drivers furious at vaccine mandates and covid restrictions have blocked the busiest land border crossing in north america. itjust keeps going on and on. the economic impact could be serious. a quarter of all trade between canada and the united states happens here, or it did until angry truckers decided to intervene. we want freedom. there should be a choice in this country whether... they can�*t force something new. many people have lostjobs with these lockdowns and now with these mandates. the protests have forced two of the world�*s largest car makers to suspend operations, a financial burden that has caught the attention of the white house. i think it's important for everyone in canada and the united states to understand what the impact of this blockage is — potential impact on workers, on the supply chain, and that is where we are most focused. it�*s the focus for local businesses in ottawa, where the original trucker protest continues to obstruct daily life and commerce.

but for the police force, attention has turned to the impending confrontation. on wednesday, they started warning the truckers they would be arrested and forcibly removed if they don�*t leave on their own. the response to that threat could dramatically change the carnival atmosphere which has prevailed, all of which seems strange in a country and political system once renowned for its good manners. if canada�*s protesters can be removed from the roads, then businesses will likely bounce back. and as covid is starting to recede, so are some of those restrictions. but the anger that it has provoked may not be easily dispersed. samira hussain, bbc news, ottawa. meanwhile, france and belgium have promised tough action to prevent planned protests this weekend along the lines of those in canada. motorists intending to block roads into the french capital to show their anger about coronavirus restrictions have been threatened with fines and prison sentences.

australia has listed the koala as an endangered species in eastern parts of the country. climate change, land clearing and disease means the once—thriving animal has seen a dramatic fall in numbers. the species was only listed as vulnerable in 2012, with the wwf calling it a "shockingly fast decline for one of the world�*s most iconic animals". dr kellie lee, executive director of the nonprofit research body science for wildlife, has been explaining what is behind the koalas�* rapid decline in numbers. it's it�*s a pretty grim day to see the endangered listing today. it�*s been a combination of threats. habitat loss is the key driver we have seen, they certainly prefer a really good soil types but there is also disease that has been impacting the populations and the summer fires we saw two years ago had a devastating impact in the eastern states. in a lot of areas, the qualities do

prefer habitats on good soil types that people also prepare for development and agriculture so there has been a big net loss of habitat over the last couple of decades stop it has been accelerating pretty much every year. under the increased protections, the hope is that the decisions are much more in the favour of the koala is in the habitat loss is stemmed. we have also seen protected areas but under climate change that is no challenge as well. we climate change that is no challenge as well. ~ .., climate change that is no challenge aswell.~ . ., climate change that is no challenge aswell. ., as well. we can cross to moscow. the empty microphones — as well. we can cross to moscow. the empty microphones should _ as well. we can cross to moscow. the empty microphones should soon i empty microphones should soon present the british defence secretary. he has been having talks with his russian counterpart over the crisis in ukraine. of course, diplomatic efforts continuing and it will be very interesting to see what he has to say has been the result of

his talks. as soon as anyone appears, we will be crossing live to moscow. belgium�*s leading art museum has returned a painting that it�*s held for more than 70 years after it was looted by the nazis. the work belonged to a jewish couple who fled their home in frankfurt in 1936. throughout europe there are still many works of art that have yet to be returned to the descendants of their original owners. nobody really knows just how much art was looted by the nazis. thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of paintings and sculptures. the original owners dead or missing. but decades later, at least one work of art is going back to where it belongs. flowers by the german artist lovis corinth was the property

of gustav and emma meyer. it was left behind when the couple fled to belgium and then britain just before the war began. but returning it to their descendants was not an easy task. it�*s very difficult. the family doesn�*t have an image of the painting and the museum does not know that it comes from the meyer family. so both parties have to come together to make a connection. this entire exhibition is of works likely to have been stolen by the nazis and many museums and galleries have been criticised for not doing enough to return them. translation: these works all have different stories i but we have put them together because they are all linked to the war and they all pose a problem of provenance in some way and it was important to highlight this problem. this is not a simple exercise. no, but the family of gustav and emma meyer believe it is vital, nonetheless.

more than 500 families have signed an open letter demanding improved support for children with special needs in the west midlands. concerns about worcestershire�*s services for children with special education needs and disabilities have been raised during a recent ofsted review. the county council admitted it had "not been getting it right". audrey dias has spent the morning with one of the parents behind the letter. the family say they have lost all faith in the county council. i�*m in bromsgrove with tracy winchester. she helped set up the send national crisis worcestershire group. reminders of the situation with your family. i reminders of the situation with your famil . ., ., . ., ., family. i have two children, rowan and ma . family. i have two children, rowan and may- my _ family. i have two children, rowan and may- my son _ family. i have two children, rowan and may. my son has _ family. i have two children, rowan and may. my son has pathologicall and may. my son has pathological demand avoidance and they both have

severe anxiety. we�*ve been battling with the local authority for many years to get a suitable education for them and we�*ve made progress, but it has cost us thousands of pounds and unfortunately we are still at it. ., , ., , , , still at it. you help to set up this u-rou still at it. you help to set up this group send _ still at it. you help to set up this group send which _ still at it. you help to set up this group send which represent i still at it. you help to set up this group send which represent so l still at it. you help to set up this i group send which represent so many otherfamilies. why do group send which represent so many other families. why do you believe there are so many other families in a situation like yours? {iii there are so many other families in a situation like yours?— a situation like yours? of course, on a nationwide _ a situation like yours? of course, on a nationwide level— a situation like yours? of course, on a nationwide level it _ a situation like yours? of course, on a nationwide level it is - a situation like yours? of course, on a nationwide level it is a i on a nationwide level it is a chronic funding issue so we acknowledge that completely that it goes well beyond the borders of worcestershire. we�*ve addressed it to the mps and secretaries of state by the department for education really need to step in at this point to be that external scrutiny and intervention needed. we cannot trust that things will happen as they should do as it stands. what that things will happen as they should do as it stands. what are you hoinu to should do as it stands. what are you hoping to achieve _ should do as it stands. what are you hoping to achieve with _ should do as it stands. what are you hoping to achieve with this - should do as it stands. what are you hoping to achieve with this appeal? l hoping to achieve with this appeal? i suppose ideally we would like to call for an independent review so worcestershire children first could bring in independent consultants to give an external and unbiased view

as to what needs to happen and how they should go about it and also provide some sort of due diligence on how that is then put —— that is then put into place because i feel thatis then put into place because i feel that is what is lacking. this then put into place because i feel that is what is lacking.— that is what is lacking. as tracy said, that is what is lacking. as tracy said. she _ that is what is lacking. as tracy said, she and _ that is what is lacking. as tracy said, she and the _ that is what is lacking. as tracy said, she and the families i that is what is lacking. as tracy said, she and the families will. said, she and the families will continue to fight to get the children they care that they deserve. audrey dias reporting. the headlines on bbc news: the search is on to find a new commissionerfor the uk�*s largest police force after dame cressida dick quits. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. britain�*s defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an "increasingly tense" situation in ukraine — the pair have been holding talks in moscow. to the north east of england now, where police say assaults

are becoming far more frequent. gangs, deliberately starting fires — then, when the crews arrive, attacking them with fireworks, bricks and bottles. in the last two weeks, cleveland fire brigade says its crews have been attacked 20 times. most have happened in one area of middlesbrough. now residents are being urged to report those responsible for the violence. stuart whincup reports. over the years, cameras have captured the attacks by they are now becoming more serious and frequent. this crew had fireworks thrown at them. but the missiles come in many forms. no youngsters are regularly starting fires then hiding away and attacking the crews when they arrive. ~ �* , ., ., ., , arrive. we've seen an alarming rise in the last few _ arrive. we've seen an alarming rise in the last few weeks _ arrive. we've seen an alarming rise in the last few weeks of _ arrive. we've seen an alarming rise in the last few weeks of what i arrive. we've seen an alarming rise | in the last few weeks of what seems to be deliberate fires to lure as in —— us in and then people are

ambushing us. that�*s probably the best way of putting it. attacks with bricks, stones, fire is being lit with petrol etc which is very dangerous. with petrol etc which is very dangerous-— with petrol etc which is very dangerous. with petrol etc which is very dancerous. ., ., , ., dangerous. the vast ma'ority of these attacks i dangerous. the vast ma'ority of these attacks are i dangerous. the vast majority of these attacks are coming i dangerous. the vast majority of these attacks are coming from | dangerous. the vast majority of i these attacks are coming from just one attack in middle —— one estate in middlesbrough. 17 have happened here. fire crews have had bricks, bottles, stones thrown at them and the groups are made up of older teenagers but some of those throwing the missiles our children as young as nine or ten. the crews are convinced people living here know who is responsible and know the names of the youngsters carrying out the attacks. we names of the youngsters carrying out the attacks. ~ , , ., the attacks. we 'ust need help from the attacks. we 'ust need help from the community — the attacks. we just need help from the community to _ the attacks. we just need help from the community to identify _ the attacks. we just need help from the community to identify these i the community to identify these people so that we can bring them to justice, we can carry out a full investigation and potentially prosecute these people. we need to stop these attacks, we need to stop the attacks on the firefighters and on the fire engines themselves. this

mindless violence is putting firefighters�* lives at risk, the brigade says, and preventing crews from responding to real emergencies. four lions have been rehomed in south africa two years after being rescued from appalling conditions in a french circus. the charity which rescued them wasn�*t able to get them out of france because of the covid pandemic. but now their three—day final journey has been completed, as john maguire reports. free at last. after two years of delays caused by the pandemic, the females — angela, bellone and saida — along with the male louga, have been released into the shamwari big cat sanctuary in south africa. born into captivity, they had spent their lives performing in a french travelling circus. transported around the country in cramped trailers, this journey began when louga attacked the circus owner, who then decided they should go to an animal welfare group.

the wildlife charity the born free foundation stepped in and a plan was hatched to transport the lions to africa. early this week, the foundation told bbc breakfast what it would be like for the animals to make what could be considered a return home. just imagine, every cell in their body is going to feel at home because of the warmth of the sun, the sense and sounds surrounding them. but they will still have a function, because the born free foundation�*s big cat rescue centre is in shamwari in south africa and they have tens of thousands of schoolchildren visiting. the lions are not on display, they are not right up there. you maybe have to use binoculars to see them across an enclosure. but the kids will learn about the role of lions in their ecosystem. 25 years ago this weekend, a storm off the cornish coast swept dozens of containers from a cargo ship.

inside were five million pieces of lego — and even now, pieces are still washing up on the shore. our correspondent, andrew plant, has been to meet a woman who�*s been collecting them while piecing together a fuller understanding of discarded plastic in our oceans. when did you find your first piece? it was back in �*97, so we started noticing the lego coming in, and it was mainly sea—themed pieces, so flippers and scuba tanks and little life jackets, and the occasional octopus or a black dragon. tracey williams can spot a piece of lego where others just see seaweed and sand. the pieces that wash up here tell a story that has been unfolding in wave after wave for the past 25 years. one piece became thousands. flippers, boats, even sea rocks, that were then colonised before washing ashore. some are common. this is the rarest.

tracey has seen just two green dragons in 25 years. so there were over 33,000 dragons on the ship. and presumably, you have found most of the pieces along the shoreline yourself but you have never found one of these? i have neverfound a green dragon. tell me about the green dragon. so back in �*97, our next—door neighbourfound one of the green dragons. the next week, a beach cleaner here in north cornwall found one. and that�*s it. so the green dragon... 25 years ago, this ship lost 62 containers 20 miles off the coast. one was full of 5 million pieces of lego. where it washes up now has told scientists much about the ocean currents but also about how plastic in our oceans can last, notjust for decades but hundreds of years. so all of these bits here that are less than half a centimetre are considered a micro—plastic

and eventually, these will break up into smaller and smaller pieces and become nano—plastic. we have no way of measuring how much is out there in the oceans and how much is coming in on every single tide but if you ask anyone that looks at the beaches and looks at the micro—plastics, they will tell you just how many thousands of bits there are. there is now a worldwide community using social media to map new finds. tracey has even written a book of what has been washed up. finding that first lego brick, the start of her piecing together how plastic stays in our seas, and always hoping, in the seaweed somewhere, a green dragon will finally surface. andrew plant, bbc news, cornwall. during the lockdown we saw a lot of choirs doing their thing on zoom — and making a greatjob of it. however, you just can�*t beat singing together in the same room. thankfully, many groups are doing just that. aileen clarke went to watch scotland�*s oldest male voice choir in action.

# you were always on my mind.# they might not be standing shoulder to shoulder yet but the clydebank male voice choir are happy to open plenty of windows if it means they can open their song books. this choir lost a good friend to covid and he is much in their thoughts. we lost a very important part of our choir, one of our members, died very early on in the start of the pandemic and we miss him very much. we couldn't sing at the funeral of pat and we couldn't even go to his funeral. so that was...that was quite sad. this is a choir built on friendship as well as phrasing. gordon was widowed three years ago and his fellow singers were a huge source of support.

so how good is it to be back singing now? absolutely marvellous. amongst your pals? yeah, absolutely marvellous, ijust love the choir and i love being here on a tuesday. 100 miles south of clydebank in rural dumfries and galloway, another singing session is getting under way. here in castle douglas, the choir didn�*t meet up for around 18 months because of the pandemic, but now they�*re back up and running and they say their doors are open to anyone who loves to sing. # i am sailing, i am sailing.# it�*s a chance to just let go of everyday life, and we�*re getting as good as we can and we�*re enjoying singing. # i never thought i'd miss you # half as much as i do.# just being ourselves again, i getting a wee bit back of life. i know it's not properly back but we're getting there. i i�*m on my own, so it

was pretty tough. and i missed the company. the company is great and i enjoy the singing. you can see from the crowd here, they're all having fun, _ they're enjoying themselves. # hallelujah.# a sentiment very much echoed in clydebank. the fact that we can practice now makes a big difference. does it put a spring back in your step? it does. well, some of them don�*t have any spring left, but! you can cut that bit! let�*s cross to moscow where defence secretary ben wallace is holding a news conference following talks with his russian counterpart sergei shoigu. we are very interested in hearing what has come out of those talks,

what has come out of those talks, what has come out of those talks, what has been said and we are expecting to hear from them any time now which is, of course, in relation to the crisis in ukraine. 100,000 or so troops on russian side of the border. military drills are under way, blocking, ukraine says, its access to the sea at points and we have had a reaction earlier today from presidentjoe biden of the us and his quote, in stark language, saying "things can go crazy quickly." this in relation to his advice that us citizens should leave ukraine now, saying he won�*t be sending in us troops to rescue them so he is giving that warning to a us television network airlie are saying that us citizens should leave ukraine now —— giving that warning earlier. as soon as we get any movement in moscow we will cross to

that for the latest. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with stav. hello, there. we saw a widespread frost across the uk to start our friday morning — a little bit of mist and fog around, too — but essentially it�*s been dry and sunny for all areas, and it�*s going to continue so into the second part of the day, as well. just a bit more cloud building up across western areas as this new area of low pressure starts to move in. this will bring wet and windy weather into the start of the weekend, but this is the ridge of high pressure which brought us the cold, dry and sunny weather through friday. temperatures by the end of the day reaching five to nine degrees after that cold, frosty start — that�*s around the seasonal norm. so a fine end to the day for many central and eastern areas, but out west, the area of low pressure starts to move in, bringing wetter and windier weather — a bit of snow over the hills of scotland for a while as it bumps into the cold air — but temperatures will recover by the end of the night, it will turn milder here, but under clearer skies across the southeast — another chilly night to come here.

so saturday�*s a very different—feeling today compared to friday. it�*ll be windierfor all, more cloud, outbreaks of rain — particularly across northern and western areas. some heavy across parts of wales, particularly south wales, in towards northwest england. sunshine and showers for scotland and northern ireland — here we�*ll see gales — and some drier weather across the southeast of england. i think it�*ll stay dry here until after dark. temperatures coming up a little bit, as well — highs of nine or ten degrees, certainly across southern and western areas. it turns wetter and windier for southeast england through saturday night, and then into sunday we look to the southwest, a new area of low pressure which will bring another round of wind and rain, and this is going to affect large parts of england and wales — gales across the southwest through the channel and the channel islands, and heavy rain pushes its way northwards to all areas but the far north of scotland. temperatures again on the mild side, particularly across the south — highs here of nine to 11 degrees. now that area of low pressure pushes out into the north sea for monday, then we�*re in a run of cold north—northwesterly wind, so it�*s a slow, improving day, i think — once we lose the wind and the rain

across eastern areas, we should see quite a bit of sunshine around, but there will be some showers around, too, blowing in on this fairly brisk northwest wind. they will be wintry over northern scotland — where it will be chilly here — but, actually, a cooler day to come across the board. then after monday, the rest of the week, it remains unsettled, with areas of low pressure pushing off the atlantic to bring very windy weather at times with widespread gales and some heavy rain. it�*ll be very mild in the south.

this is bbc news. i�*m lewis vaughan jones. the headlines... the search is on for dame cressida dick�*s repacement dame cressida dick�*s replacement as the commissioner for the uk�*s largest police force. any would—be successor is warned by the home secretary they�*ll face immediate challenges to address the culture and behaviour of the met�*s officers. what will be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power. britain�*s defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an �*increasingly tense�* situation in ukraine — the pair have been holding talks in moscow. we�*re expecting a to hear from ben wallace at a news conference at the british embassy in moscow imminently. we�*ll bring it to you live. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_

but warnings remain about rising inflation. spain relaxes covid restrictions for unvaccinated teenagers from the uk. ministers want more disabled people in work over the next five years — we�*ll hear about some of the barriers to employment. in cricket, after it was sanctioned for its handling of the azeem rafiq racism scandal, yorkshire�*s right to host international matches is reinstated. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the search is under way to find a replacement for britain�*s top police officer, after dame cressida dick announced her resignation from the metropolitan police last night. dame cressida said she�*d been left with "no choice" but to go,

once the mayor of london sadiq khan made it clear he had no confidence in her leadership. the home secretary has written in london�*s evening standard in london�*s evening standard newspaper as the process to replace dame cressida gets started. in the piece, priti patel says as the first woman to lead the met, dame cressida dick "exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police, demonstrating all can aspire to hold leadership roles in policing in this country today". the home secretary says the challenges facing the new commissioner are stark, and "it is clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence" in our largest police force. and she says that whilst a new leader must tackle crime and protect citizens, policing culture and conduct have rightly come under scrutiny, adding, "be in no doubt that a new leader must tackle these institutional issues." daniel sandford reports. arriving for work at new scotland yard this morning, the most senior police officer in the uk, who has now been forced out of the job.

cressida dick made the decision to quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had been put in an impossible position by the london mayor, sadiq khan. some of the crises and controversies that led to her departure date back decades. a report into the murder of daniel morgan in 1987 was published last year and said the force had been institutionally corrupt. failures the force made while investigating the serial killer stephen port back in 2014 led to allegations last year of institutional homophobia. the inappropriate conduct of a group of officers at charing cross police station in 2018 led to whatsapp messages being published last week showing racist and homophobic attitudes, and officers joking about rape. but by far the most damaging was the murder of sarah everard by a serving met officer. and the handling of a protest afterwards which hugely undermined confidence in the force. cressida dick is regarded by many officers as the most talented of her generation,

but being the face of the force in such crisis meant she was personally criticised too, and she sometimes failed to communicate what she was doing to fix the problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has given 40 years of very distinguished police service to the public of london, and indeed to the public of the country. her departure will make — or will not make — the world a safer place, it will destabilise the met and frankly, she has been dealt with in a very unprofessional, rude fashion. what did for cressida dick in the end was concerns about the culture in some sections of the police, so her successor will have to have strong ideas for reform. what we�*ll be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power, somebody who is able to bring people to the table, somebody who can show that they have been at the forefront of these matters.

the successor will be chosen by the home secretary in consultation with the london mayor. doubtless the prime minister will also have a view. today, priti patel said that it�*s clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence. daniel sandford, bbc news. earlier i spoke to labour mp diana johnson, who is chair of the home affairs committee. once the mayor of london didn�*t have confidence in the commissioner of the metropolitan police, it was inevitable she would resign. we saw this before when boris johnson was the mayor of london, he lost confidence in sir ian blair, and he then stepped down and resigned, so it was inevitable. do you think it was his intention, sadiq khan? some saying it may have been a political calculation to put pressure but wasn�*t expecting the consequences.

i think you would need to ask the mayor of london about that. it was clear there have been mounting concerns over the last few years and particularly the last few months about what was going on in the met. in your package you set out very clearly that a whole host of problems, and just last week we had the iopc report into charing cross. the commissioner would have known about that for some time, known what was going on in that police station. and i also picked up in your package about the failure to communicate and to challenge the culture that clearly is a problem in the met. but also there is a wider problem i think in policing that we need to focus on as well, and i think the home affairs select committee will want to explore that further in the months to come. but clearly cressida dick has said she�*s going now. we need a new commissioner and they need to tackle this problem with what has gone on culturally in the met. so what do you want from the new commissioner? i think they have to be very clear about setting the tone

for what a professional modern police service can deliver for the people of london. standing by for us is andy marsh, chair of the professional body for police the college of policing and former chief constable of hampshire constabulary and avon and somerset police. we will be speaking to him later but we have trained our cameras and eyes to moscow, going back to this story in ukraine, the tensions and conflict around ukraine. we in ukraine, the tensions and conflict around ukraine. we will be heafina conflict around ukraine. we will be hearin: at conflict around ukraine. we will be hearing at those _ conflict around ukraine. we will be hearing at those microphones i conflict around ukraine. we will be hearing at those microphones are l hearing at those microphones are shortly from ben wallace, the uk�*s defence secretary there at the british embassy in moscow. he has been meeting his russian counterpart for discussions and we should be finding out more about what has resulted from those talks. we are expecting plenty of questions from journalists right around the world

to be fired in his direction as well. whilst we are waiting for him to appear, let�*s get some expert analysis and try to put this in context. let�*s talk to theresa fallon from the centre for russia europe asia studies, a brussels—based independent think—tank. thank you for coming on the programme. what would you like to hear from these talks? that programme. what would you like to hear from these talks?— programme. what would you like to hear from these talks? that peace is breakin: hear from these talks? that peace is breaking out — hear from these talks? that peace is breaking out everywhere! _ hear from these talks? that peace is breaking out everywhere! but i'm i breaking out everywhere! but i�*m afraid it might not be so positive. ben wallace is following in the footsteps of liz truss yesterday who really got a very frosty treatment, and i suspect this will be part of a long line of other diplomats getting diplomatic abuse from moscow, which really shows there is not maybe such sincerity with regards to dialogue we saw earlier after emmanuel macron�*s five hour dialogue with putin, putin described it as torture. so i�*m afraid it might not be such a rosy discussion. in

addition to that, it seems the kremlin�*s tactics are trying to emphasise that even though those individual european countries come to speak with them on a bilateral level, they always emphasise that the us and nato are the ones making the us and nato are the ones making the decisions, so i think that... i hope for the best but i�*m bracing for the worst. in addition to that... g , ., , that... just to “ump in there, bracin: that... just to “ump in there, bracing for— that. .. just to jump in there, bracing for the _ that. .. just to jump in there, bracing for the worst - that. .. just to jump in there, bracing for the worst is i that. .. just to jump in there, bracing for the worst is not l that. .. just to jump in there, bracing for the worst is not a j bracing for the worst is not a phrase i canjust let slide unfortunately! what potentially is a worst—case scenario here in your eyes, a realistic one? i�*m worst-case scenario here in your eyes, a realistic one?— worst-case scenario here in your eyes, a realistic one? i'm trying to be balanced _ eyes, a realistic one? i'm trying to be balanced and _ eyes, a realistic one? i'm trying to be balanced and looking _ eyes, a realistic one? i'm trying to be balanced and looking at - eyes, a realistic one? i'm trying to be balanced and looking at things| be balanced and looking at things very calmly but today we saw the exercises with russia in belarus and this means that ukraine is surrounded on all three sides. so you have the naval practically some have described it as a blockade, so this will hurt ukraine�*s economy.

psychologically they are not able to get goods in. you have military exercises in belarus. the kremlin has announced it wants to do nuclear exercises later this month. and you have about 103,000 troops surrounding ukraine. in addition to this president biden announced american troops should leave, the time to leave is now, and in addition to that secretary of state antony blinken said that, you know, we are making this announcement now because many analysts have thought that after the putin meeting in beijing that putin wouldn�*t do anything after the winter olympics in china. so now that... i�*m anything after the winter olympics in china. so now that...— in china. so now that... i'm 'ust auoin to in china. so now that... i'm 'ust going tojumpi in china. so now that... i'm 'ust going tojump in i in china. so now that... i'm 'ust going to jump in there, i in china. so now that... i'mjust going to jump in there, could i in china. so now that... i'mjust. going to jump in there, could you going tojump in there, could you just stand by? listen to this whilst i bring this, agency news copy from

reuters. saying that us president joe biden on friday will hold a call at 1600 hrs gmt with transatlantic leaders to discuss russia�*s ongoing military build—up around ukraine. this is from the white house. on the call will be the leaders of canada, the eu, france, germany, italy, poland, romania, britain and nato. that is coming from the white house. what do you make of that? i that is coming from the white house. what do you make of that?— what do you make of that? i think it is a very positive — what do you make of that? i think it is a very positive message. - what do you make of that? i think it is a very positive message. the i is a very positive message. the biden administration has been working closely or trying to give the impression they are working closely with allies, trying to keep channels of communication open. it�*s a big departure from the previous administration and they have made every effort to show solidarity with allies. the longer this is going on, putin is hoping there will be in a —— there will be a break in the

solidarity. i�*m already hearing things leak out that for example hungary and austria might not be toeing the line in regards to the sanctions, so it is a deeply divisive subject. no one wants to feel the pain of sanctions, obviously there will be some pain involved should any actions by russia take place in ukraine. everyone has said there will be sanctions and they will hurt but european members say some of them are more sceptical about having those implemented including hungary and austria. of course there is the nord stream to pipeline as well, which president biden said he would like to see that sanction, others in germany would not. so we are seeing some divisive cracks starting to form, and i think as long as putin can keep this position and crank up the tension, he is seeing what he can get and it is almost like how can get and it is almost like how can you win without fighting. he can just crank up as much pressure as possible and see where the cracks

drive wedges in them. because the biggest picture is to drive a wedge in the transatlantic alliance and also in nato. in the transatlantic alliance and also in nato— in the transatlantic alliance and also in nato. ., ,, i. . also in nato. thank you so much, that was a — also in nato. thank you so much, that was a really _ also in nato. thank you so much, that was a really clear _ also in nato. thank you so much, that was a really clear and - also in nato. thank you so much, that was a really clear and the i that was a really clear and the context was really crucial of the wider implications of this. i�*m going to ask you to stand by on this because we are not getting any movement right now at the press conference but i want to get your thoughts as soon as that does happen so we will come back to you but for the moment thank you very much. we are going to go back to our top story. as you�*ve been hearing, the search is on for dame cressida dick�*s repacement as the commissioner for the uk�*s largest police force. any would—be successor is warned by the home secretary they�*ll face immediate challenges to address the culture and behaviour of the met�*s officers. joining me now is andy marsh, chair of the professional body for police, for the college of policing and former chief constable of hampshire constabulary and avon and somerset police. thank you for coming on the

programme. mi; thank you for coming on the programme-— thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for coming on the oiroramme. g , ., ., programme. my pleasure, and for clari i programme. my pleasure, and for clarity i am _ programme. my pleasure, and for clarity i am the — programme. my pleasure, and for clarity i am the chief _ programme. my pleasure, and for clarity i am the chief executive i programme. my pleasure, and for clarity i am the chief executive of| clarity i am the chief executive of the college of policing.— clarity i am the chief executive of the college of policing. thank you for that. the college of policing. thank you for that- was _ the college of policing. thank you for that. was cressida _ the college of policing. thank you for that. was cressida dick - the college of policing. thank you for that. was cressida dick right l the college of policing. thank you | for that. was cressida dick right to go when she did? i for that. was cressida dick right to go when she did?— go when she did? i think it is important — go when she did? i think it is important that _ go when she did? i think it is important that i _ go when she did? i think it is important that i say - go when she did? i think it is important that i say for i go when she did? i think it is. important that i say for myself go when she did? i think it is i important that i say for myself and those involved in policing how appalled we are with this stream of stories of racism and misogyny and other appalling behaviour, on behalf of people involved in policing. it is clear this is a series of several events. i think it is fair to say it effects all of policing, it would be wrong to confine it simply to a metropolitan police problem. it is a problem we must address across england and wales. whilst it is sad to see such a well respected leader stand down, when an individual loses their confidence to lead, then i think cressida and the mayor of

london made the right decision. igigiha london made the right decision. who do ou london made the right decision. who do you think — london made the right decision. who do you think should replace her? there are going to be high quality candidates. the important thing is that if somebody steps forward and has the skills and the resilience to tackle these problems, and right at the top of that there is a problem with leadership and cultural change, it is quite clear things have got to change in orderfor the public to get the services they deserve and the police to get the leadership they need. we need to respond to the concerns about violence to women and girls, fairness and equality to women and race, and onboarding 20,000 new officers. that is a huge job, isn�*t it? bill! 20,000 new officers. that is a huge job. isn't it?— job, isn't it? all of those measures and challenges _ job, isn't it? all of those measures and challenges listed _ job, isn't it? all of those measures and challenges listed there - job, isn't it? all of those measures and challenges listed there is i job, isn't it? all of those measures and challenges listed there is a i and challenges listed there is a pretty intimidating in tray and i�*m glad you did point them out. one of

the challenges they will face is the investigation into alleged parties investigation into alleged parties in downing street. this has to be, without being too grand about it, this is a test for democracy. this is a moment where we have a government choosing the leader of the police that is investigating the government. i the police that is investigating the government-— government. i have talked about solvini government. i have talked about solving police — government. i have talked about solving police problems, - government. i have talked about solving police problems, i- government. i have talked about solving police problems, i have l solving police problems, i have talked about leadership problems but i haven�*t mentioned that a successor to cressida with the interpersonal and communication skills could deliver on that. in policing terms, thatis deliver on that. in policing terms, that is a pretty straight forward investigation and we have a saying investigation and we have a saying in policing, you deal with the unusual in the usual way. the investigation needs to play out, needs to be dealt with firmly, fairly and impartially.- needs to be dealt with firmly, fairly and impartially. what do you think of the _ fairly and impartially. what do you think of the timeline _ fairly and impartially. what do you think of the timeline here? - fairly and impartially. what do you think of the timeline here? when l fairly and impartially. what do you l think of the timeline here? when do you want to see someone in place? the college of policing makes an

offer to mayors and police and crime commissioners to support recruitment processes. we will make that offer to the mayor of london who advises the home office, the home secretary in this recruitment. i would expect them to be making a move pretty quickly in the next few weeks to start that. �* quickly in the next few weeks to start that. . , ., , quickly in the next few weeks to start that. . , .,, ., . quickly in the next few weeks to start that. . , ., , ., . ., start that. and people watching who are not in london, _ start that. and people watching who are not in london, who _ start that. and people watching who are not in london, whojust- start that. and people watching who are not in london, whojust think. are not in london, whojust think this is a matterfor one are not in london, whojust think this is a matter for one single police force, are they right? igigihozit police force, are they right? what i'm sa ini police force, are they right? what i'm saying is _ police force, are they right? what i'm saying is that _ police force, are they right? “fig"isgt i'm saying is that yesterday i i�*m saying is that yesterday i launched a fundamental review of my body, the college of policing, and we stand for delivering the development of leadership at every level. let�*s be clear, from the newest recruit that needs to call out for behaviour through to the most senior chief constable, we all need to deliver excellent leadership. we stand for the best professional practices, that need knowledge, skills and training. and we stand for consistency, and it would be wrong to say this is a policing problem confined to london. that would be wrong for the people

of london and for the communities we serve across the rest of the country. policing must respond to this collectively and deliver the consistency our public deserve. going back to this issue of who the next person is going to be, of course we can�*t really go through names particularly, but i am intrigued by the fact cressida dick�*s term was extended relatively recently and what are the implications that one could take from that is there wasn�*t an outstanding candidate raring and ready to go. does that put questions now over this process? emir; ready to go. does that put questions now over this process?— ready to go. does that put questions now over this process? only the home secretary and — now over this process? only the home secretary and the _ now over this process? only the home secretary and the mayor— now over this process? only the home secretary and the mayor of _ now over this process? only the home secretary and the mayor of london i secretary and the mayor of london will comment on the timing of any extension, and it would be wrong and inappropriate and ill informed of me to make a comment. i know from my work with chief constables across england and wales, and of course if the home secretary and mayor of london are so minded the process could be extended on the boundary of england and wales, that there are lots of talented people within

policing. it lots of talented people within oiolicin. .,, lots of talented people within oolicini. .,, , lots of talented people within ..olicin _ .,, , ., ,. ., lots of talented people within oiolicin. , ., ,. ., ., policing. it has been fascinating to iet our policing. it has been fascinating to get your insights, _ policing. it has been fascinating to get your insights, thank _ policing. it has been fascinating to get your insights, thank you i policing. it has been fascinating to get your insights, thank you for i get your insights, thank you for coming on the programme. the uk economy continued to rebound from the pandemic last year, growing by 7.5% in total, despite a slight dip in december caused by the omicron variant. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has welcomed the latest figures, which follow a dramatic collapse in the economy of 9.4% in 2020 because of coronavirus. but economists are warning that inflation will continue to rise in the coming months, affecting people�*s spending power. here�*s our economics correspondent andy verity. in sutton in ashfield in nottinghamshire, at this maker of precision components for the likes of rolls—royce and bentley, business has bounced back rapidly, just as it has in the wider economy — up by 7.5% last year, the fastest growth in more than 80 years. it�*s the opposite problem to the stillness of the first lockdown. plenty of work but a struggle getting the staff to do it, and the cost of raw materials threatens to wipe out profits.

profit margins obviously were affected in terms of rises in supply and material costs etc, but driving efficiencies for us was really important in 2021 and will continue to be even more important as we move forward in 2022. although growth was faster than expected, the economy was still 0.4% smaller than two years before. as omicron struck in december, it shrunk by 0.2%. today�*s figures show that despite omicron, the economy was remarkably resilient. we were the fastest—growing economy in the g7 last year and are forecast to continue being the fastest growing economy this year, so that shows our plans for the economy are working. the office for national statistics cast doubt on government claims we are the best performing economy in the g7 group of advanced industrialised countries, whose leaders met in cornwall in the summer. let�*s ta ke let�*s take you straight to moscow live. this is ben wallace after

discussions with his russian counterpart in moscow. let�*s listening. —— listen in. good afternoon. i�*m pleased to be speaking to you from the embassy here in moscow, from the british embassy, just to give you an update on my talks with minister sergei shoigu and the general at the russian ministry of defence. it was a frank discussion. i was grateful for sergei shoigu agreeing to meet with me to discuss a range of issues including the ongoing tensions around ukraine and the border. we discussed in detail obviously

russia�*s draft treaty it had offered up russia�*s draft treaty it had offered up to nato and addressed a number of the points. we also both agreed on the points. we also both agreed on the importance of the implementation of the minsk agreement as a way forward. i was clear about the tragic consequences any invasion of ukraine could have for all people, both ukrainian, russia and the security of europe. we listened to the assurances given by sergei shoigu and the general that they would not invade ukraine and urged dialogue as a way to address any concerns the russian government may have. i reasserted that our concerns in the western nato was as much about the right of the country to choose its future and its alliances as it was anything else, and that

right of choice is a choice that has been underpinned by numerous treaties and declarations signed by both russian government and indeed western governments over many years as far back as 1970s. i am very gratefulfor meeting as far back as 1970s. i am very grateful for meeting today. we discussed other subjects around terrorism and indeed proving our bilateral relationship as well as looking at confidence building measures to make sure we address perception is that both nato is more than defensive when in fact it is a defensive alliance and indeed other worries that both sides may have. thank you. inaudible question.

if so, what measures... secondly, secretary— if so, what measures... secondly, secretary antony _ if so, what measures... secondly, secretary antony blinken - if so, what measures... secondly, secretary antony blinken said i if so, what measures... secondly, secretary antony blinken said an i secretary antony blinken said an invasion— secretary antony blinken said an invasion could _ secretary antony blinken said an invasion could happen _ secretary antony blinken said an invasion could happen at - secretary antony blinken said an invasion could happen at any. secretary antony blinken said an i invasion could happen at any time... on the _ invasion could happen at any time... on the last— invasion could happen at any time... on the last question, _ invasion could happen at any time... on the last question, the _ on the last question, the disposition of the russian forces we see over 100,000 in both belarus and ukraine obviously gives that size of four is the ability to do a whole range of actions including invasion of the neighbouring country at any time. mainly because of the readiness it is now at, it is an active obviously exercise, certainly in belarus and that is an option those forces could have. we obviously made it very clear in nato that an invasion would have tragic consequences and we are here and i�*m here today for example to seek a way

of whatever we can to de—escalate that tension. i heard clearly from the russian government that they had no intention of invading ukraine, and i also heard some of their concerns. we feel, as nato�*s response to the russian treaty, that addressing those concerns can be done through a range of measures including confidence measures looking at better transparency, continuation of some of the existing treaties that have been in place, some of them going back through the cold war, and also making sure that we are clear about what it is nato believes is an inherent right of all parties, and i think it is important that people understand what i mean by that, and that is enshrined in numerous agreements the helsinki final act, the istanbul summit charterfrom 1999, final act, the istanbul summit charterfrom1999, the final act, the istanbul summit charter from 1999, the cars down a

summit in 2010 and the 1994 budapest summit in 2010 and the 1994 budapest summit declaration which says that each participating state has an equal right to security. we reaffirm this inherent right to be able to choose or change security arrangements including treaties and alliances. that statement is contained in all those declarations and has been signed by both western governments and the russian governments and the russian government is in the past, obviously most recently in 2010. the government is in the past, obviously most recently in 2010.— most recently in 2010. the sun newspaper- — most recently in 2010. the sun newspaper- we _ most recently in 2010. the sun newspaper. we heard - most recently in 2010. the sun newspaper. we heard generall most recently in 2010. the sun. newspaper. we heard general to saym _ newspaper. we heard general to sa " newspaper. we heard general to sa ~ ., , newspaper. we heard general to sa ., , ., ~ say... above zero is what i think i would say- _ say. .. above zero is what i think i would say- of— say... above zero is what i think i would say. of course _ say... above zero is what i think i would say. of course britain i say... above zero is what i think i would say. of course britain has. would say. of course britain has some ongoing issues with the russian

government, not least the poisoning and deployment of a nerve agent by and deployment of a nerve agent by an agent of the russian state in salisbury and the request we have obviously out for the people suspected in committing that crime, and that is ongoing and needs to be resolved. however, this is the first meeting of a uk defence minister with minister shoigu in nine years and i think the beginning of this process which is to understand each other�*s concerns, also to be able to have a line of communication is a lot better than 0%. and i look forward to having an ongoing relationship both with minister shoigu and my chief of defence staff having a relationship with general gerasimov. what is important at this time with over 100,000 troops at high readiness on the borders of another country is that we do not

get into position of miscalculation or escalation, and only through those type of relationships and the ability to talk to each other at times of concern can we pave the way for any de—escalate three measures. biden has ordered americans to pull and l'm _ biden has ordered americans to pull and i'm wondering _ biden has ordered americans to pull and i'm wondering if— biden has ordered americans to pull and i'm wondering if we _ biden has ordered americans to pull and i'm wondering if we should i biden has ordered americans to pull and i'm wondering if we should be . and i'm wondering if we should be doing _ and i'm wondering if we should be doing the — and i'm wondering if we should be doing the same _ and i'm wondering if we should be doing the same.— doing the same. there is existing travel advice _ doing the same. there is existing travel advice at _ doing the same. there is existing travel advice at the _ doing the same. there is existing travel advice at the moment i doing the same. there is existing | travel advice at the moment which does not yet say all british citizens should leave ukraine, it says only travel where necessary to ukraine. we think that is currently the right status to reflect where we are at in the tense situation. that is kept constantly under review by the foreign office, and should anything change, we will of course make sure you and the media are the first to know as well as the people

in ukraine. good evening, secretary of state. yesterday— good evening, secretary of state. yesterday we heard sergey lavrov describe _ yesterday we heard sergey lavrov describe his conversation with the foreign— describe his conversation with the foreign secretary is like talking to a deaf— foreign secretary is like talking to a deaf person. i wondered first what you made _ a deaf person. i wondered first what you made of that language, what terms _ you made of that language, what terms you — you made of that language, what terms you would use to describe your exchange _ terms you would use to describe your exchange and meeting today, and whether— exchange and meeting today, and whether your shared military background with minister shoigu helped _ background with minister shoigu helped at all. | background with minister shoigu helped at all-— helped at all. i think minister serie helped at all. i think minister sergey lavrov _ helped at all. i think minister sergey lavrov is _ helped at all. i think minister sergey lavrov is a _ helped at all. i think minister sergey lavrov is a master- helped at all. i think minister sergey lavrov is a master at| helped at all. i think minister- sergey lavrov is a master at these type of engagements and making those type of engagements and making those type of engagements and making those type of comment. i think what i would say is in our discussion there

was absolutely no deafness or blindness. as defence minister we bear the responsibility of consequences of conflict. myself and the chief of defence staff are responsible for the men and women of the and forces and if anything goes wrong they pay the ultimate price, no different from the russian military and minister shoigu sitting opposite me today. we deal in the facts and with the issues we have because it is in both our interests to resolve that. i think that is how we do our business, it is how you would expect defence to do it. we have had a constructive and frank discussion and i hope it has contributed to a better atmosphere but also to de—escalation. but there is still considerable way to go between the two of us and i shall leave sergey lavrov to sergey lavrov. i would make one pint that the treaty and declaration point i

read out, he was owed because at some stages either foreign minister when those statements were signed so you might like to address why he thought that was the case then and maybe doesn�*t now. given current negotiations regarding security, _ given current negotiations regarding security, with the —— with the united — security, with the —— with the united kingdom consider providing such supplies...? first united kingdom consider providing such supplies. . . ?_ such supplies. . . ? first of all, the wea oons such supplies. . . ? first of all, the weapons we _ such supplies. . . ? first of all, the weapons we provided _ such supplies. . . ? first of all, the weapons we provided to - such supplies. . . ? first of all, the weapons we provided to the i weapons we provided to the ukrainians are defensive tactical

weapons, not strategic, they are short range, designed really for the protection of infantry. they would not pose a threat to an external state as long as that state did not invade that country so they were specifically limited to that kind of capability in order to undermine our belief that people have the right to defend themselves in self defence, as does international law give people that write. but they were limited in number. i announced to parliament that we were making a deployment of them, we will send troops which we have done and when that training was done, those troops would and will return to the uk and that will be done too soon. they were there for that purpose only. of course, i'm happy to explore all those types of measures if it leads to a de—escalation as long as we see the respect of each other�*s states andindeed the respect of each other�*s states and indeed the ukrainian government so we can perhaps get back together

again to try to make sure that we implement the minsk agreement which we think is one of the major things we think is one of the major things we could use to get to a better position for all parties. reporter asks question on the allegation that borisjohnson sent 600 troops to ukraine, it comes from a story in the daily mirror

that was an accurate —— inaccurate, put down to defence sources. don't believe everything you read in the media to be honest, there has been no plan to send 600 special forces or any forces of that scale to the ukrainians as i said openly in parliament. we sent a small team to train for the defensive weapons we have sent but we are had orbital which was about 100 personnel which were sent there in 2015 and the drawdown and draw up depending on the training task. they have always been declared but there has been no plan to send 600 special forces into ukraine, norany plan to send 600 special forces into ukraine, nor any other types of trips as reported in the article of last year —— troops so it was an

inaccurate story. we have had exercises and training when we had infantry regiments training in small numbers and they do at some exercise when they go back and in the black sea we have regularly taken in part of patrols, lots of other countries have, the united states, the dutch, the french, it is a regular exercise, because we believe in upholding the freedom of navigation. we would pull that freedom wherever we can in the world is a trading nation, a seafaring nation under a un treaty that provides that freedom of navigation and has the more signatures to it so it is important that we not only demonstrated but we uphold it so we will always continue to patrol. there are periodic controls in the royal navy into the black sea, we declare it in line with the montrose declaration so it is fully transparent and most of the

other countries that do that as a requirement of the international community. we always make it declared and we will stick to the international law of the sea. i'm not going to enter into hypotheticals. is it necessary to provide a permanent military channel of communication between russia and ukraine? _ communication between russia and ukraine? ~ �* ., , communication between russia and ukraine? ~ �* ., i, communication between russia and ukraine? �* ., ., ., �* ukraine? we've always had one, we've alwa s had ukraine? we've always had one, we've always had a — ukraine? we've always had one, we've always had a channel— ukraine? we've always had one, we've always had a channel to _ ukraine? we've always had one, we've always had a channel to russia - ukraine? we've always had one, we've always had a channel to russia open i always had a channel to russia open on a line for many years and it is tested every day but this is about both the political channel and a

general staff level channel where we can communicate not only about upcoming issues are issues where there could potentially be areas of mutual agreement on mutual support but also where there are issues that we would fear could lead to all sorts of problems so it's building in the current existing capability we have to make sure we have both a political and military leadership channel open as well. did political and military leadership channel open as well.— political and military leadership channel open as well. did you feel that russia _ channel open as well. did you feel that russia would _ channel open as well. did you feel that russia would be _ channel open as well. did you feel that russia would be prepared - channel open as well. did you feel that russia would be prepared to l that russia would be prepared to compromise on secondary issues beyond _ compromise on secondary issues beyond where there is clearly going to be _ beyond where there is clearly going to be no _ beyond where there is clearly going to be no movement? and when they assure _ to be no movement? and when they assure you _ to be no movement? and when they assure you that they would not invade — assure you that they would not invade ukraine and you looked into sergei _ invade ukraine and you looked into sergei shoigu's eyes, did you believe — sergei shoigu's eyes, did you believe him? on sergei shoigu's eyes, did you believe him?— sergei shoigu's eyes, did you believe him? ., , ., believe him? on the latter question, it's all about — believe him? on the latter question, it's all about actions _ believe him? on the latter question, it's all about actions or— believe him? on the latter question, it's all about actions or stop - it's all about actions or stop currently there is over 100,000, 130,000 troops stationed,

exercising, plus war planes and ships into the black sea on the borders of ukraine and that is an action that is not normal, it's beyond normal exercise and therefore i think we willjudge that statement on the evidence. i think on the first part of your question, i think there are measures that we can all take. part of this is a fear that nato is an offensive organisation, not defensive. i reiterated that to its core, nato is defensive. it is in its article as an establishment and we are not interested in dividing and drilling russia which was the claim made by the president lastjuly in his article. no one is interested in doing that. we want strong relationships with the russian people. we would like strong relationships with the russian economy to deliver lots of opportunities for british and russian business to work together

more, but fundamentally nato is not going to give up that belief in self defence and being a defensive organisation and as an alliance, it is an alliance that doesn't choose people, people choose nato, i do think it's very important people understand that, nato doesn't go around the world trying to recruit new people, we let people approach us and then the other members make that decision. we made it clear it will always remain defensive and we are not seeking confrontation. you mentioned minsk. today the kremlin— you mentioned minsk. today the kremlin said that the failure of talks— kremlin said that the failure of talks yesterday on the normandy format _ talks yesterday on the normandy format is — talks yesterday on the normandy format is due to the fact that everybody who understands its

implementation differently. how do you understand the minsk implementation and does the difference of interpretation make it a viable diplomatic tool? the normandy — a viable diplomatic tool? the normandy format _ a viable diplomatic tool? tue: normandy format obviously a viable diplomatic tool? tt;e: normandy format obviously as a viable diplomatic tool? tt9: normandy format obviously as france, germany, uk so in that sense, what i understand of it is effectively what i read in black and white in the same way you do but what i would say about the challenges of implementing it, i am of the generation of the good friday agreement. of course you have the agreement first and then the trick in the work that you have to do as leaders is to make sure you get a sequence and an implementation acceptable to all parties. that's the hard work, that's where you roll up the hard work, that's where you roll up your sleeves and set about doing it. . i hope that time is given for

that hard work by russia, by ukraine, by the parties signatory to it. the uk will do all we can to help all parties in that space but that's the hard bit and that's what doesn'tjust begin and end with one meeting yesterday, it will take time but if we are all agreed that what we don't want is an invasion and we don't want the tragic consequences of such, then i hope all parties will get on and try and deliver it and i know president macron was keen and i know president macron was keen and nato is keen to see that. minsk was signed in 2016. 2015. so there _ minsk was signed in 2016. 2015. so there has— minsk was signed in 2016. 2015. so there has been a lot of time and we

are still— there has been a lot of time and we are still stuck on the interpretation with ukraine and russia — interpretation with ukraine and russia. so what can be done to move that? _ russia. so what can be done to move that? i_ russia. so what can be done to move that? 4' russia. so what can be done to move that? ~ , ., ., _ , ., russia. so what can be done to move that? ~ , ., that? i think diplomacy is what can be done and _ that? i think diplomacy is what can be done and we _ that? i think diplomacy is what can be done and we can _ that? i think diplomacy is what can be done and we can really - that? i think diplomacy is what can be done and we can really lean - that? i think diplomacy is what can | be done and we can really lean into it but you're going to have to ask predominantly the signatories to the minsk agreement to how much more they can demonstrate they can still do more. i think everyone can still do more. i think everyone can still do more. i think everyone can still do more but we are also playing a supporting role both as a friend and ally of ukraine but in the hope we have russia as well to get to a resolution. —— the hope we help russia as well. can you tell me whether you think a diplomatic— can you tell me whether you think a diplomatic solution, you seem optimistic there is still a chance

of that— optimistic there is still a chance of that happening. is this going to be a long—time process? how long before _ be a long—time process? how long before we — be a long—time process? how long before we see any development? so far it is _ before we see any development? so far it is very— before we see any development? so far it is very much a stalemate with no sign _ far it is very much a stalemate with no sign of— far it is very much a stalemate with no sign of improvement. stalemate or not, the alternative _ no sign of improvement. stalemate or not, the alternative is _ no sign of improvement. stalemate or not, the alternative is either— not, the alternative is either russia finishes its exercises and this is not what people in the west fear, it is in fact an exercise close to ukraine without hundred and 30,000 people at high readiness but it is nevertheless an exercise. oddities are prelude to an invasion and i think everyone in this room and i think everyone in this room and everyone watching would want an alternative to that. so how long? i think i would just say as long as it takes to find an alternative to what can be very tragic consequences. —— what could be very tragic

consequences. during negotiations, will there be any attempt to negotiate on the topic— any attempt to negotiate on the topic of— any attempt to negotiate on the topic of holding arms are red lines -- or red — topic of holding arms are red lines —— or red lines? we topic of holding arms are red lines -- or red lines?— -- or red lines? we did raise the issue of lethal— -- or red lines? we did raise the issue of lethal arms _ -- or red lines? we did raise the issue of lethal arms and - -- or red lines? we did raise the issue of lethal arms and aid - -- or red lines? we did raise the issue of lethal arms and aid to i issue of lethal arms and aid to ukraine. as i said in the answer earlier to the russian journalist's question that we had delivered a finite number of anti—tank weapons and we would finish the training of those troops during the training would go home and i think the other key thing to remember here is no

matter how much of the weapons that are reported, we have been open in parliament, they are dwarfed by the scale of the forces on the other side of the border. approximately 50% of russia's land side of the border. approximately 50% of russia's [and forces are concentrated around that border and it's important to recognise the weapon systems that have been gifted ljy weapon systems that have been gifted by the united kingdom are in fact self defence, short range and are designed that they would only become of use and interplay if someone was invading your country and you are trying to defend yourself. do you feel more confident that russia — do you feel more confident that russia will not go ahead...? did he

offer— russia will not go ahead...? did he offer any— russia will not go ahead...? did he offer any explanation as to why this is happening...?l offer any explanation as to why this is happening- - - ?— is happening...? i have to be careful here, _ is happening...? i have to be careful here, minister - is happening...? i have to be careful here, minister sergei | is happening...? i have to be - careful here, minister sergei shoigu is not at the conference and i don't want to put words into his mouth. he is a professional, a very experienced minister, as is general gerasimov and when they say they are not going to invade ukraine to me, we will take that seriously but as i also said, we will look at the actions that accompany it. but i also don't mind what was the other part of your question?— part of your question? were you civen a part of your question? were you given a timeline. . . ? _ part of your question? were you given a timeline. . . ? we - part of your question? were you given a timeline. . . ? we didn't l part of your question? were you l given a timeline. . . ? we didn't get into the details _ given a timeline. . . ? we didn't get into the details of— given a timeline. . . ? we didn't get into the details of how _ given a timeline. . . ? we didn't get into the details of how long - given a timeline. . . ? we didn't get into the details of how long these | into the details of how long these exercises should go. i know there

has been previous statements by the russian government that these are exercises that will finish after a certain period of time i don't think there was any dispute about that insofar as we did not interrogate it further, wejust insofar as we did not interrogate it further, we just wanted to see that we just wanted to see that reassurance about invasion. this we just wanted to see that reassurance about invasion. as you be . in reassurance about invasion. as you begin your — reassurance about invasion. as you begin your long _ reassurance about invasion. as you begin your long journey _ reassurance about invasion. as you begin your long journey home, - reassurance about invasion. as you begin your long journey home, is i begin your long journey home, is there _ begin your long journey home, is there positivity about today...? | there positivity about today...? i think there positivity about today...? think the there positivity about today...? i think the direction of travel has been against the direction of diplomatic travel and the last few weeks. there is a continued build—up of forces as we have seen a build—up of forces as we have seen a build—up of diplomacy and you would hope that actually one goes up, one goes down and i think that is why my optimism is not as optimistic as i used to be or can be and i am hoping that

beginning today is an effort to see if there is a way forward to make sure we do de—escalate. we will keep trying. i think the international community is trying very hard stop president macron's visit, prime ministerjohnson spoke to president putin as well and i think the new chancellor of germany is coming to visit next week. i think it is very important the russian government give them all a chance to provide the reassurance they are seeking about the intentions of nato but also to give us the airtime to hear from them, their assurances that they have no intention of invading ukraine as well. i think those are important and then we can work towards helping supporting the implementation of minsk. thank you, ladies and gentlemen, _ implementation of minsk. thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for _ implementation of minsk. thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your - ladies and gentlemen, for your questions _

studio: that press conference in moscow wrapping up. taking journalists' questions. what did we learn about his discussions with his russian counterpart? we can split it up russian counterpart? we can split it up into what he heard and what he said in those meetings. he said he had assurances that the russians would not invade ukraine. what he said was he expressed his concerns that the right of every country to choose their own alliances, i think we can presumably read that to mean that nato membership for any country is a matter for that country alone, are you ukraine. asked about the 100,000 russian forces on the border, he said that clearly means they have the ability at any time to invade. this is a direct quote, "invasion would have tragic consequences." he said he also discussed existing treaties going back to the cold war with his russian counterpart on nato. his

emphasis was that nato is a defensive organisation, not an offensive organisation. the biggest risk, he pointed to one of the biggest risks being miscalculation, that's what needs to be avoided and he was willing to continue the path of diplomacy to pave the way for de—escalation. one interesting little practical note for uk travellers, uk travellers are advised at the moment to only travel to ukraine if necessary. this is after the us presidentjoe biden said to all americans, effectively, get out of the country right away. let's cross theresa faron from the brussels—based think tank. what are your thoughts? ben brussels-based think tank. what are your thoughts?— your thoughts? ben wallace came across very _ your thoughts? ben wallace came across very well _ your thoughts? ben wallace came across very well even _ your thoughts? ben wallace came across very well even though - your thoughts? ben wallace came across very well even though his l across very well even though his closing remark is that he was less optimistic after these meetings. as he pointed out, we have seen an increase in diplomacy but also an

increase in diplomacy but also an increase in diplomacy but also an increase in escalation so this makes it difficult to negotiate. he didn't say this but many analysts have said it is hard to negotiate when you feel you have a gun pointed at your head and many of the questions from the journalists were about the uk trainers and he assured everyone they were about to leave shortly, they were about to leave shortly, they have done theirjob training, they have done theirjob training, the ukrainians with the special equipment to the uk has sent to ukraine and so he wanted to send an assuring message to his russian counterparts as well. i think he also emphasised the importance of keeping communication open, both diplomatically and also in the area of defence, like having the red phone so they can have clear communication. we know this is an era of disinformation and that is a very key channel of communication to keep open so there is no misunderstanding. and i think he highly emphasised the need to

de—escalate tensions. when you have so many soldiers, 130,000 soldiers, there is a chance that there could be a mistake made. this could lead to unintended consequences, even though the russians have reassured him that they are not going to invade ukraine when you have so many soldiers doing exercises, there is also a danger there could be some misunderstanding. and i think that his emphasis on the minsk agreement, some journalists pointed out his emphasis on the minsk agreement, somejournalists pointed out some his emphasis on the minsk agreement, some journalists pointed out some of the misinterpretations, this has been around for a while, and yesterday at the meetings in berlin with the normandy format didn't prove very successful stop of course, these things take time. this has been boiling on the back burner, but the current government did not sign this agreement, the current ukrainian government have kind of removed themselves from it. many of the people who signed it are no longer in power and so the russians are really eager to see this through

because it was kind of negotiated with a gun held to the ukrainians' head so i think it will be a lot of work ahead. the current government is not keen on the minsk agreement which is why the normandy format is moving too far forward but there seems to be the only straw that everyone is reaching for. theresa fallon, thank _ everyone is reaching for. theresa fallon, thank you _ everyone is reaching for. theresa fallon, thank you for _ everyone is reaching for. theresa fallon, thank you for digesting i everyone is reaching for. theresa l fallon, thank you for digesting that for us. we will have plenty more on ukraine later. but new research shows that less than a third of people in the uk recognise famous black historicalfigures — about half the level of those that recognise famous white figures. it's something nelson mandela's granddaughter tukwini wants to change, with the release of a new feature on the snapchat app. the release has been timed to coincide with the 32nd anniversary of the release

of nelson mandela from prison, after serving 27 years. joining me is tukwini mandela, nelson mandela's granddaughter. just this idea that that survey, people in britain haven't heard about black figures in the way that they have about white figures. what do you make of that? the they have about white figures. what do you make of that?— do you make of that? the fact they are prepared _ do you make of that? the fact they are prepared to _ do you make of that? the fact they are prepared to learn _ do you make of that? the fact they are prepared to learn about - do you make of that? the fact they are prepared to learn about them l do you make of that? the fact they i are prepared to learn about them and prepare to admit they don't know is a good sign sol prepare to admit they don't know is a good sign so i think the platform that has been created along with the black historical archives gives people a chance for people to learn more about black history. it said these are things you would not necessarily learn in a school curriculum but i'm 47 and it wasn't there when i was in high school sol don't necessarily think that's going to change too soon. but social media provides a platform where people can actually interact with this information and learn from each other and share this information

with their counterparts so i think thatis with their counterparts so i think that is what snapchat has created, a beautiful platform that provides an environment for people to be able to learn about those figures. mas environment for people to be able to learn about those figures.— learn about those figures. was the -e of learn about those figures. was the type of information _ learn about those figures. was the type of information that _ learn about those figures. was the type of information that people - learn about those figures. was the | type of information that people can learn about? —— what is the type of information? learn about? -- what is the type of information?— information? there is a permanent statue of my _ information? there is a permanent statue of my grandfather _ information? there is a permanent statue of my grandfather in - statue of my grandfather in trafalgar square. alongside that comes a speech about eradicating poverty. there is information about a boxer who fought for his freedom, and you get background information about these people and to the aware. i did my own research and found out about black romans and about black people in henry viii's court, black

tudors. we would have gone to a libra or tudors. we would have gone to a library or wikipedia _ tudors. we would have gone to a library or wikipedia but _ tudors. we would have gone to a library or wikipedia but it - tudors. we would have gone to a library or wikipedia but it seems | library or wikipedia but it seems you taking technology seriously and the advantages and the appeals of technology to get this message out. yes, snapchat has 300 million users, formal school education would never reach those amount of people so they would amplify a message in a powerful way and as i said, i learned about black tudors on a social media platforms for the social media platforms for the social media platforms allow people to learn and engage with each other and to start having these discussions. d0 and to start having these discussions.— and to start having these discussions. , :, ,, , discussions. do you think things like organisations, _ discussions. do you think things like organisations, movementsl discussions. do you think things i like organisations, movements like black lives matter has raised the profile of issues like this that has put people more in a perspective to listen and learn than perhaps just a couple of years ago? listen and learn than perhaps 'ust a couple of years ago?�* couple of years ago? undoubtedly, and also i think— couple of years ago? undoubtedly, and also i think that _ couple of years ago? undoubtedly, and also i think that black - couple of years ago? undoubtedly, and also i think that black lives - and also i think that black lives matter is notjust about like people protesting, it's about people from all walks of life protesting who

believe in socialjustice. fascinating to have your own, thank you for sparing the time to talk to us on bbc news.— now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. we are ending the week on a dry, cold, sunny note which has a settled things down briefly. there will be cloud building up across western areas as the high pressure and cold air slips eastwards and we will see the influence of this low pressure which arrives in time for the weekend. overnight, a wet and windy weather starts to pile into western areas, spreading to all but much of central, southern and eastern england and we will see clear spells are so another chilly night to come but further north and west, that low pressure arrives and it will be turning much milder than previous nights. saturday is a different feeling day, more cloud around, outbreaks of rain, strong winds, gales across the northwest, some of the rain heavy across wales,

particularly south wales towards north—western england. some sunny spells across the southeast of england despite it being windy here, staying dry until after dark and widespread gales in the north and west, but feeling a little less cold. we listened to the assurances given by minister shoigu and indeed general gerasimov that they would not invade ukraine, and we urged dialogue as a way through to address any concerns that russia, the russian government may have.

this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. the headlines... the search is on for dame cressida dick's repacement as the commissioner for the uk's largest police force. any would—be successor is warned by the home secretary they'll face immediate challenges to address the culture and behaviour of the met�*s officers. what will be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power. britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an 'increasingly tense' situation in ukraine. the pair have been holding talks in moscow. they've been discussing the best way forward. we listened to the assurances given by minister shoigu and indeed general gerasimov that they would not invade ukraine, and we urged dialogue as a way through to address any concerns that russia,

the russian government may have. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. spain relaxes covid restrictions for unvaccinated teenagers from the uk. ministers want more disabled people in work over the next five years — we'll hear about some of the barriers to employment. in cricket, after it was sanctioned for its handling of the azeem rafiq racism scandal, yorkshire's right to host international matches is reinstated. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the search is under way

to find a replacement for britain's top police officer, after dame cressida dick announced her resignation from the metropolitan police last night. dame cressida said she'd been left with "no choice" but to go, once the mayor of london sadiq khan made it clear he had no confidence in her leadership. the home secretary has written in london's evening standard newspaper as the process to replace dame cressida gets started. in the piece, priti patel says as the first woman to lead the met, dame cressida dick "exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police, demonstrating all can aspire to hold leadership roles in policing in this country today." the home secretary says the challenges facing the new commissioner are stark, and "it is clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence" in our largest police force. and she says that whilst a new leader must tackle crime and protect citizens, policing culture and conduct have rightly come under scrutiny, adding, "be in no doubt that a new leader must tackle these institutional issues." daniel sandford reports.

arriving for work at new scotland yard this morning, the most senior police officer in the uk, who has now been forced out of the job. cressida dick made the decision to quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had been put in an impossible position by the london mayor, sadiq khan. some of the crises and controversies that led to her departure date back decades. a report into the murder of daniel morgan in 1987 was published last year and said the force had been institutionally corrupt. failures the force made while investigating the serial killer stephen port back in 2014 led to allegations last year of institutional homophobia. the inappropriate conduct of a group of officers at charing cross police station in 2018 led to whatsapp messages being published last week showing racist and homophobic attitudes, and officers joking about rape. but by far the most damaging was the murder of sarah everard by a serving met officer.

and the handling of a protest afterwards which hugely undermined confidence in the force. cressida dick is regarded by many officers as the most talented of her generation, but being the face of the force in such crisis meant she was personally criticised too, and she sometimes failed to communicate what she was doing to fix the problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has given a0 years of very distinguished police service to the public of london, and indeed to the public of the country. her departure will make — or will not make — the world a safer place, it will destabilise the met and frankly, she has been dealt with in a very unprofessional, rude fashion. what did for cressida dick in the end was concerns about the culture in some sections of the police, so her successor will have to have strong ideas for reform. what we'll be looking for, those

of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power, somebody who is able to bring people to the table, somebody who can show that they have been at the forefront of these matters. the successor will be chosen by the home secretary in consultation with the london mayor. doubtless the prime minister will also have a view. today, priti patel said that it's clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence. daniel sandford, bbc news. joining me now is dr tim brain, former chief constable of gloucestershire police and now a writer and commentator on policing. thanks very much for coming on the programme. what do you make of this decision and the timing? was it right for her to announce her departure last night? it is never riaht for departure last night? it is never right for somebody _ departure last night? it is never right for somebody with - departure last night? it is never right for somebody with a - departure last night? it is never| right for somebody with a career departure last night? it is never . right for somebody with a career as long as the commission has had to

leave under the circumstances in their personal terms, but i think what we have seen in the last few weeks is an accumulation of problems for which there has been no easy or ready answer, and an inability for the metropolitan police to articulate what its position is and how it's going to take urgent action. we know there is a long—term review but there was no parallel process of clear and decisive and urgent action coming out. with the other factors that were swirling around the metropolitan police and the commissioner, for example the reaction to the sue gray report, her position became rapidly untenable. whether chief police officers like it or not, they have to retain the confidence of their political bosses, it is a simple fact of life in the modern police service. [30 bosses, it is a simple fact of life in the modern police service. do you think the in the modern police service. do you thinkthe next— in the modern police service. do you think the next person _ in the modern police service. do you think the next person coming - in the modern police service. do you think the next person coming in - in the modern police service. do you|

think the next person coming in then we'll have a realistic chance of demonstrating a plan for urgent action and the leadership required? i'm confident that is going to be the principal issue on the selection process, and i anticipate a very exhaustive selection process, probably at least two levels of interviews involving senior civil servants, the mayors office, the mayor representatives, and we will have ultimately a political decision that says someone is emerging from this who is on message with satisfying all of the competing interests out there. do satisfying all of the competing interests out there.— satisfying all of the competing interests out there. do you think it has to be someone _ interests out there. do you think it has to be someone from _ interests out there. do you think it has to be someone from outside i interests out there. do you think it i has to be someone from outside the met police are not? hat has to be someone from outside the met police are not? not necessarily, no. in fact met police are not? not necessarily, no- in fact the _ met police are not? not necessarily, no. in fact the metropolitan - met police are not? not necessarily, no. in fact the metropolitan police i no. in fact the metropolitan police have quite a strong tradition of recruiting from somebody who has been brought up in their system. there have been highly successful commissioners in the past who haven't been in that system, notably sir robert bach, so it can be

somebody from outside or it can be somebody from outside or it can be somebody from outside or it can be somebody from inside. what is required is somebody who is going to show presence and will put the management and leadership of the metropolitan police service first above all the other competing interests and demands on their time that commissioners have. tabla; that commissioners have. fairly recently dame _ that commissioners have. fairly recently dame cressida - that commissioners have. fairly recently dame cressida dick's i that commissioners have. fairly i recently dame cressida dick's term was extended. part of the implication was that there wasn't a brilliant obvious candidate ready to step in at that point. what has changed now?— step in at that point. what has changed now? step in at that point. what has chanted now? : ., ., , . ., , changed now? what has changed is that despite — changed now? what has changed is that despite that _ changed now? what has changed is that despite that finding _ changed now? what has changed is that despite that finding just - changed now? what has changed is that despite that finding just a - changed now? what has changed is that despite that finding just a few| that despite that finding just a few months ago, the commissioner's position has become untenable, that is what has changed, so they will have to find somebody else. i was surprised by that decision last year. i think there is a wealth of decisive talent in the modern police leadership who would fit the bill

and are more than capable of doing thejob, so i was and are more than capable of doing the job, so i was surprised that was the job, so i was surprised that was the conclusion, and now whether that was the right decision or not, they are going to have to find somebody from the pool. of course they can go outside the british isles, that is something within their ability now, but it would be a major change in political culture to do that, not just simply police culture but political culture to go outside the uk. , ., �* ., uk. interesting, i haven't heard that idea raised _ uk. interesting, i haven't heard that idea raised today. - uk. interesting, i haven't heard that idea raised today. thank i uk. interesting, i haven't heard i that idea raised today. thank you. i want to bring you some latest coronavirus figures we have been receiving, and the uk reports 193 deaths within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, that is the uk reports. 193 deaths within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, and

alongside those figures, the uk reports 58,899 new covid—19 cases. on thursday that number was 66,638. and staying on this subject. remaining covid laws in wales — including face coverings and self—isolation — could be scrapped by the end of march. the welsh government also says covid pass rules will be axed from february 18th. joining me now is alex osborne from disability wales. thanks very much for coming on the programme. what is your reaction to the welsh government's decisions and the welsh government's decisions and the changes that you have heard today? the changes that you have heard toda ? ,, : , the changes that you have heard toda ? ,, ., , : the changes that you have heard toda ? ,, :, , . ., the changes that you have heard toda ? ,, :, , . :, , today? quite anxiety inducing to be honest. a today? quite anxiety inducing to be honest- a lot _ today? quite anxiety inducing to be honest. a lot of _ today? quite anxiety inducing to be honest. a lot of disabled _ today? quite anxiety inducing to be honest. a lot of disabled people, i honest. a lot of disabled people, myself included, obviously spent the

last two years self isolating and being told it is for our own good and everything, and it seems like it is quickly that we have been forgotten to be honest as everything starts to reopen and the talk of all restrictions ending. it is like disabled people have been forgotten as this happens. teiiii disabled people have been forgotten as this happens-— as this happens. tell us if you don't mind. — as this happens. tell us if you don't mind, why _ as this happens. tell us if you don't mind, why have - as this happens. tell us if you don't mind, why have you - as this happens. tell us if you | don't mind, why have you been isolating? i don't mind, why have you been isolatin: ? : don't mind, why have you been isolating?— isolating? i have got multiple sclerosis and _ isolating? i have got multiple sclerosis and because - isolating? i have got multiple sclerosis and because of- isolating? i have got multiple sclerosis and because of that| isolating? i have got multiple| sclerosis and because of that i isolating? i have got multiple - sclerosis and because of that i have treatment every six months which means i am immunosuppressed. even though i have had the vaccines and boosters, i don't have any immunity and it is likely i would get very ill if i were to catch covid. myself and my partner have been isolating mainly for two years. it is an extraordinary toll that would have taken and you mention anxiety at the top of this. what will you be doing

now? it's meant that even though i was starting to go out, i'm starting to question whether i will be doing that. the idea of going places with a covid pass made me feel a bit better, the knowledge that anyone going to the same restaurant will have had a negative test before going make you feel a lot more secure. but the idea none of that will be there any more, really it is hard to think about going back out to busy places again or even slightly busy cases.- to busy places again or even slightly busy cases. what about the arc ument slightly busy cases. what about the argument from _ slightly busy cases. what about the argument from many _ slightly busy cases. what about the argument from many in _ slightly busy cases. what about the argument from many in the - slightly busy cases. what about the l argument from many in the business world, education, that actually we need to get back to normal as soon as possible? i need to get back to normal as soon as possible?— as possible? i would say i think we need a new — as possible? i would say i think we need a new normal. _ as possible? i would say i think we need a new normal. we _ as possible? i would say i think we need a new normal. we can't - as possible? i would say i think we need a new normal. we can't go i as possible? i would say i think we i need a new normal. we can't go back to how we were before. we just need to how we were before. we just need to take on a few things to make it a lot less anxiety inducing for

everyone. even if you don't want to be vaccinated, fine, but take a covid test if you are feeling like you have symptoms and try to avoid going out and about, because while you might be completely unaffected by covid, that is not the case for a lot of us. :, :, by covid, that is not the case for a lot of us. :, ., i. ,,., lot of us. you gave your message there to people — lot of us. you gave your message there to people watching. - lot of us. you gave your message there to people watching. what i lot of us. you gave your message - there to people watching. what about there to people watching. what about the welsh government, what is your message to them? lip the welsh government, what is your message to them?— message to them? up until now it's been pretty — message to them? up until now it's been pretty good. _ message to them? up until now it's been pretty good. i _ message to them? up until now it's been pretty good, i have _ message to them? up until now it's been pretty good, i have felt - been pretty good, i have felt looked after and informed, however i'm saying can we just not rush things? especially not follow england with people who test positive not having to isolate any more. that is particularly worrying for us the idea that when we go out and about we could come across people who are positive with covid—19 and get very ill without knowing they are positive and without being able to avoid them because they no longer need to isolate. meat. avoid them because they no longer need to isolate.— avoid them because they no longer need to isolate. alex osborne, thank ou for need to isolate. alex osborne, thank you for coming _ need to isolate. alex osborne, thank you for coming on — need to isolate. alex osborne, thank you for coming on the _ need to isolate. alex osborne, thank you for coming on the programme. i you for coming on the programme. thank you.

the defence secretary ben wallace has this afternoon warned russia that any invasion of ukraine will have "tragic consequences" for both countries. following talks in moscow with his russian counterpart, mr wallace said he made it clear that any invasion of ukraine would prove dire. he said the positioning of russian forces gives them the ability to invade a neighbouring country "at any time". those talks comes as the us warns its citizens to get out of the country as russia masses troops along the border. in the past few minutes, mr biden was due to begin a call about the crisis in ukraine, with a number of world leaders including borisjohnson, the nato secretary general, jens stoltenberg, and the leaders of france, germany and the president of the european commission. let's reflect for a moment on what the defence secretary ben wallace has been saying in moscow. he told reporters that british troops sent to ukraine for training purposes would return soon and that he hoped his talks had contributed to a de—escalation in the standoff over ukraine. he also said russia's government told him it had no intention

of invading ukraine. i was clear about the tragic consequences that any invasion of ukraine could have for all people, both ukrainian, russia and the security of europe. we listened to the assurances given by minister shoigu and indeed general gerasimov that they would not invade ukraine and we urged dialogue as a way through to address any concerns that russia, the russian government may have. :, :, russia, the russian government may have. : �* russia, the russian government may have. :, : :., have. that was ben wallace there, the uk defence _ have. that was ben wallace there, the uk defence secretary. - have. that was ben wallace there, the uk defence secretary. you - have. that was ben wallace there, the uk defence secretary. you are j the uk defence secretary. you are watching bbc news, i am lewis vaughanjones. the headlines...

the search is on for dame cressida dick's repacement as the commissioner for the uk's largest police force. any would—be successor is warned by the home secretary they'll face immediate challenges to address the culture and behaviour of the met�*s officers. britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an 'increasingly tense' situation in ukraine. the pair have been holding talks in moscow. they've been discussing the best way forward. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. the uk economy continued to rebound from the pandemic last year, growing by 7.5% in total, despite a slight dip in december caused by the omicron variant. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has welcomed the latest figures, which follow a dramatic collapse in the economy of 9.1t% in 2020 because of coronavirus. but economists are warning that inflation will continue to rise in the coming months, affecting people's spending power. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. in sutton in ashfield in nottinghamshire, at this maker of precision components for the likes of rolls—royce and bentley, business has bounced back rapidly, just as it has in the wider economy

— up by 7.5% last year, the fastest growth in more than 80 years. it's the opposite problem to the stillness of the first lockdown. plenty of work but a struggle getting the staff to do it, and the cost of raw materials threatens to wipe out profits. profit margins obviously were affected in terms of rises in supply and material costs etc, but driving efficiencies for us was really important in 2021 and will continue to be even more important as we move forward in 2022. although growth was faster than expected, the economy was still 0.4% smaller than two years before. as omicron struck in december, it shrunk by 0.2%. today's figures show that despite omicron, the economy was remarkably resilient. we were the fastest—growing economy in the g7 last year and are forecast to continue being the fastest growing economy this year, so that shows our plans for the economy are working. the office for national statistics cast doubt on government claims we are the best performing economy in the g7 group of advanced

industrialised countries, whose leaders met in cornwall in the summer. our bungee jump economy fell faster in 2020 than other countries and has therefore bounced back faster. but compared to before the pandemic, we're not top but middling, and consumers are going to have less spare cash to spend come april. people are facing a triple whammy of rising prices, and in particular energy prices, tory tax rises that are being imposed on the economy at the worst possible time, and declining real wages. and all of these things are coming together to enforce a squeeze on household incomes, the like of which we haven't seen for some decades. most economists are now forecasting the economy will grow only slowly this year as consumers cut back on spending that's not essential. if surging demand for goods and services bumps up against the maximum work firms can take on, then inflation — now at a 30—year high — is likely to get even higher.

andy verity, bbc news. our economics editor faisal islam explains why the figures are being given a cautious welcome. on any normal scale, this number 7.5% would be a boom time number, but can save your bunting for thejubilee because actually this is a rebound from 2020, where we were the poorest performing economy in that g7, and now we're the fastest growing one. so leave those arguments to the politicians about where that leaves us kind of in the middle net net. when we look to the future, the good news is is that the recovery is ongoing, that the omicron variant of covid had only a minor impact on the economy, but there is this cloud of rising prices, rising taxes, rising mortgage costs too. and some big decisions for the government. we heard, didn't we, from the bank of england governor last week saying that people in the private sector workers might not ask for such big pay rises as implied by the high rates of inflation.

well, the chancellor did not back those words. i asked him too about his decisions about public sector workers. would they get 7%? and he said, well, it's a balancing act and it's down to independent pay review bodies that have a very difficultjob now that inflation is so high in setting the wages of important public sector workers. the labour mp neil coyle has had the party whip suspended, following allegations that he made racist comments to a journalist on the parliamentary estate. mr coyle said he was 'very sorry�* for his 'insensitive comments�*, which politics reporter henry dyer said made him feel uncomfortable in his place of work. our political correspondent iain watson is in westminster with the background to this case. basically, henry dyer who works for the insider website and describes himself as british chinese, was in a bar in the house of commons

where strangers often mix with members of parliament. he and some of his colleagues were there, he got into a conversation with neil coyle, and during that conversation he said he made xenophobic remarks and he stereotyped him according to his ethnicity, and he felt very uncomfortable with what was said. in addition to that, apparently when he left the bar, he accuses mr coyle of making a very rude gesture. the labour party was fairly swift in taking the whip away from neil coyle. what that means in common language is that if a general election were held tomorrow, he would be unable to be a candidate, he would have to sit as an independent while an investigation is carried out. the labour party has very high standards of its mps, but i think

also the labour party knows the potential political toxicity of this given the stories during the previous labour leader's tenure in office of anti—semitism, that any suggestion of this is being dealt with pretty rapidly. the commons authority has also acted rapidly and have banned neil coyle from all bars in the parliamentary estate for the next six months. in a brief statement which he sent me, he said he is very sorry for his insensitive comments, he has apologised to everyone involved and says he will cooperate fully with the investigation. the labour chair of the home affairs committee said it was also important these allegations were investigated and it was correct to withdraw the whip while that was taking place. thanks to ian for that update. spain is dropping its entry requirement for children over 12 from non—eu countries to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus — from monday they'll be allowed to enter as long as they have a negative pcr test. it comes as many families had cancelled half term trips because their children weren't fully vaccinated. our business correspondent ramzan karmali explains

the background to this change. from monday, if you're thinking of going and you're going with someone aged between 12 and 17, they won't have to be double jabbed, but they will still have to show a negative pcr test within three days — 72 hours — of arriving in spain. and then on top of that, apart from the under—12s, everyone else has to show proof of being fully vaccinated and within at least11t days of arriving in spain. also, if you've had your second jab over 270 days ago, then you'll also have to show proof of having your boosterjab as well. on top of that, and it gets a little bit more complicated as well, you also have to show qr code to the authorities when you arrive by filling out a spanish health control form as well, so there's still a few hurdles to achieve before you're allowed into the country. but this does make things a lot easier. but for some hoteliers that we've spoken to on the spanish islands, this news may have come a bit too late. they said they've lost millions of pounds in trade just from these cancelled half term bookings. up to though, the industry body

here say that hundreds of thousands of people are still getting away for winter sun breaks and ski breaks this half term. the government wants to see one million more disabled people in work in the next five years, but the disability employment gap remains stubbornly wide. only about 50% of disabled people are in employment, compared to just over 80% of non—disabled people. employers and businesses say they want to attract, retain and promote more disabled people. our corresponedent nikki fox has been to meet two people trying to find work. my biggest fear is that i could go throughout my life never working, and that really, really frightens me. amrit is blind but has a degree and a postgraduate diploma in psychology and counselling. when her children started secondary school, she started looking for work. it has been five years and she has still not got a job. she has even struggled to get voluntary work. i was told that the office was not

suitable for me as a blind person, that they wouldn't be able to accommodate a desk for me and it wouldn't be safe. the difference between the number of disabled people in work compared to non—disabled people is what is known as the disability employment gap. although it has slightly narrowed in the last few years, experts say this is in most part down to the fact that more people already in work are identifying themselves as disabled. turn around, go on, katherine, turn around, look at that, look at that. katherine loves volunteering in her local charity shop. she worked for a major supermarket for 25 years but was made redundant. is this the kind of thing that you do, katherine? i do, putting things in the right sizes. how much do you love this particularjob here? i know you are volunteering. i like it. would you like this kind ofjob to be like your full—time job, i suppose? yes, i would like to have it full—time. yes. so, there's your labels. for people with learning disabilities like katherine,

the rate of employment in england is just over 5%, and that has gone down over the last decade. do you want me to come in with you or can you do it on your own? you can come in. katherine is being supported by a local organisation. they work with employers to try to overcome negative attitudes and some of the many barriers disabled people face. there's a job there for you, jeff. you know, you apply for a job and it's like, you have got to apply online and often people with learning disabilities, that's going to be a barrier to them. thank you so much. you do see that there can be a lack of support, a lack of empathy with some employers, and that is really sad because you just think, oh, if only they could just... help that little bit. katherine, what would be your dream? just get a good job and hopefully get a very good job. many felt the government's disability strategy was not the transformative plan it was promised to be and employment is just one part of it. the government says reducing the disability employment gap is a huge priority, along with improving

the access to work scheme and meeting their targets of getting one million more disabled people in work by 2027. good morning, sir. have you got a cv there for me? yes, i have. for katherine, her priority is getting that break so that she can go back to doing what she loves. yes. working. 0k, thank you. nikki fox, bbc news. now it is time for a look at the weather. good afternoon. it's been a lovely day across much of the country, temperatures have been average for the time of year but high pressure has been dominating the scene, but just for one day. tonight and into the weekend it turns wetter and windier. there is today's hi being replaced by this low. the rain will start piling into northern and western areas through the night, snow over the scottish hills. in

central and eastern england it will stay dry but temperatures could be quite chilly again and further west it is much milder than it was the previous night. saturday starts off with outbreaks of rain, sunshine and showers later in the day for scotland and northern ireland. south—east england will stay dry all day, the rain will arrive here afterwards, but it will be a blustery day wherever you are. temperatures creeping up to around eight or nine in the north, ten or 11 across the southwest. see you later.

hello, this is bbc news. i am lewis vaughanjones. the headlines... the search is on for

dame cressida dick's replacement as the commissioner for the uk's largest police force. any would—be successor is warned by the home secretary they'll face immediate challenges to address the culture and behaviour of the met�*s officers. what will be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power. britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an 'increasingly tense' situation in ukraine. the pair have been holding talks in moscow. they've been discussing the best way forward. we listened to the assurances given by minister shoigu and indeed general gerasimov that they would not invade ukraine, and we urged dialogue as a way through to address any concerns that russia, the russian government may have. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. spain relaxes covid restrictions for unvaccinated teenagers from the uk.

ministers want more disabled people in work over the next five years — we'll hear about some of the barriers to employment. in cricket — after it was sanctioned for its handling of the azeem rafiq racism scandal, yorkshire's right to host international matches is reinstated. sport and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's lizzie greenwood hughes. good afternoon. it's been a mixed day for team gb at the winter olympics. the men's curlers bounced back to beat norway in the round robin stages but there was disappointment in the sliding — as for the first time in the history of the games, there won't be a skeleton medal for great britain. our correspondent andy swiss rounds—up day seven in beijing. she's the olympic bronze medallist. can she find a little bit of magic here? : :, ._ : , can she find a little bit of magic here? : :, : , , here? another day when british hopes seems slide away. _ here? another day when british hopes seems slide away. laura _ here? another day when british hopes seems slide away. laura deas - here? another day when british hopes seems slide away. laura deas won - seems slide away. laura deas won bronze four years ago in the skillet in which britain has dominated in

recent years but not here. she is on 20 first place. for the first time this century, britain's skeleton athletes set to leave an winter olympics empty—handed. hopes and cross—country skiing also fails to materialise. andrew musgrove came 46th in the classic, an event won by finland. nojoy on 46th in the classic, an event won by finland. no joy on the cross—country. team gb were targeted between three and seven medals but at the moment, just one would be a start. britain's curlers would be a start. britain's curlers would be a start but they had mixed days. the men lost to the usa but thrashed norway. they have won two of the three matches so far. the women have lost two of their three. they were beaten by south korea. eve

muirhead's team with plenty to think about. but on another tough day for british hopes, others were rising high. none more so thanjapan's hirano, a breathtaking run to take gold in the half pipe. the day's most emotional moment was this, the final flourish most emotional moment was this, the finalflourish of a most emotional moment was this, the final flourish of a snowboarding legend, america's shaun white could only finish fourth in his last event before retirement after a career including three olympic golds and you could see just how much this meant. is you could see 'ust how much this meant. , :, :, ,:, you could see 'ust how much this meant. , :, ., :, you could see 'ust how much this meant. , ., ., ., �*, meant. is not about today, it's about a whole _ meant. is not about today, it's about a whole lifetime - meant. is not about today, it's about a whole lifetime of - meant. is not about today, it's about a whole lifetime of this. meant. is not about today, it's - about a whole lifetime of this sport and we've got to thank the competitors for embracing me this hallway, the kind words they... said to me at the bottom, you know, that i had inspired them and push them to get to this point. thank you, guys, thank you, snowboarding. it has been my life. it

thank you, snowboarding. it has been m life. : , , : my life. it has been a roller-coaster - my life. it has been a| roller-coaster through my life. it has been a - roller-coaster through the my life. it has been a _ roller-coaster through the years. roller—coaster through the years. the fondest of farewells to one of the game's most enduring stars. meanwhile, the contraversy surrounding the delayed team figure skating medals continues as the world anti—doping agency confirmed it will lodge an appeal with the court of arbitration for sport. the appeal comes after it emerged that russia's 15—year—old kamila valieva — who was part of the winning team in the figure skating in beijing — had tested positive for a banned substance back in december. russian athletes are only allowed to take part in the games if they can prove they weren't part of the state sponsored doping scandal in the last decade. valieva was cleared to compete by the russian olympic comittee. she's due to skate in the individual competition on tuesday. west ham's manager david moyes says kurt zouma is available for sunday's premier league game at leicester. there's been a lot of debate surrounding his inclusion in the team since video footage was released showing the defender drop—kicking and slapping his cats. the rspca has since removed the animals while they

investigate the incident. moyes has already been heavily criticised for playing zouma against watford on tuesday and faces more at the weekend but he says he stands by his decision. i don't think a club could have taken more action any quicker than what they have done at the moment. west ham have done a really good job, they have fined him a maximum wages and i'm not condoning him, his actions were terrible, we all accept they were diabolical and none of us liked it, but we've chosen to play him and we stand by that. cricket�*s governing body has lifted a ban on international matches being held at yorkshire's headingley ground. the county side was was stripped of the right to host england games after the allegations of racism at the club made by former player azeem rafiq. the ecb today said it would now overturn the decision subject to the club meeting the remaining key requirements by the end of march. headingley will host a test against new zealand and a one—day game against south africa this summer.

that's just about it for now, but there's plenty more on the website including news of a first victory of the year for british cyclist mark cavendish who's leading the tour of oman. i'll have more for you in an hour. more now on our lead story — that dame cressida dick has stepped down as commissioner after the mayor of london, sadiq khan, said he no longer had confidence in her. the home secretary, priti patel, says the next head of the metropolitan police must tackle the conduct of officers and the "culture" within the force. zoe billingham served as her majesty's inspector of constabulary and fire and rescue for 12 years. she's spoken to the bbc�*s callum may, who started by asking her that very question, what are the actual cultural changes that the metropolitan police needs?

the trouble with culture changes it takes a long time and also the trouble with culture is, as a word, it covers a whole range of things. it sounds like a really cosy word but actually at the met needs to be tackling racism, misogyny, abuse, discrimination and homophobia head on. it needs to do so in a really transparent way and it needs to be absolutely honest with the public about what it's doing, how quickly it's going to be able to see changes take effect and what it's going to do, importantly, when people transgress. is there a way of doing that in a way that will satisfy its political masters, the mayor of london and the home secretary? i think there is, i think there is an acceptance that the met under cressida's leadership was shining a light in corners that arguably it should have shone lights in previously. as it shines lights, it's going to find more instances of poor behaviour on the part of officers so the danger, i think, for the met is the situation is going to get worse before it gets better. but if the new met commissioner is upfront and honest with the public about that,

it's really clear on the package of measures they are taking to root out inappropriate officers and bring them to justice when they fail the public. i think that will go a long way to restoring trust. i think the public are really sensible, they know that this isn't going to be solved overnight but they want to see progress the sorts of measures that we see in other forces, which is having an absolute iron wall to be able to pull out those officers that are corrupt because you've got in place counter—corruption measures that are actually checking on people, making sure that those bad apples aren't given the space and the room to operate in. there are going to be more revelations of bad things happening. that's my prediction and it's based on experience. i led the inspectorate of constabulary�*s work three years ago, i've now left that role, on looking at officers who abuse

their position for sexual gain, effectively people that come in to prey on vulnerable people, particularly women and children, and what we found there was the forces that had the highest numbers of those cases were the best forces in actually rooting it out and it's common sense, isn't it? if you look, you will find, and i think we will find this in the met. i think they are shining that light into those dark corners now and we will find many more incidents of these transgressions. a 12—year—old boy who was driving his parents�* car has been killed after it collided with a lorry in county limerick. the boy was the only person in the car when it crashed. the lorry driver, a man in his forties, wasn't injured but is said to be in a state of shock. bbc northern ireland's dublin correspondent, shane harrison, has been giving us more details. the 12—year—old boy was driving alone in his parents�* car when it collided with a lorry, roughly around two o'clock this morning, that's when the emergency

services were called to the scene. the accident happened close to a roundabout on the m21 near adare in county limerick. that links limerick city with the big towns in kerry in the south of ireland like tralee and killarney. the lorry driver was not seriously injured. he did not require hospitalisation, but he is said to be in a state of shock. the boy's parents are polish and had settled and lived in the newcastle west area of county limerick for some time. that's roughly 25 kilometres away from where the accident happened. irish police have appealed to eyewitnesses to come forward and also to drivers who may have relevant dashcam footage to make it available to them. local people and local politicians have expressed their shock about what happened. a postmortem examination is being carried out on the dead boy.

his name has yet to be officially released, but people in the area are greatly shocked about what happened. the united states has urged canada to use federal powers to ease the disruption caused by lorry drivers. the protesters, who are angry about covid restrictions, are blocking cross—border trade at several crossing points. that's in addition to the ongoing demonstration in the capital, ottowa. the ambassador bridge between ontario and detroit is one of the busiest border crossings in north america and a supply route for carmakers. there is disuption too at coutts in the province of alberta and emerson, manitoba. the economic cost is likely to be considerable. meanwhile, france and belgium have promised tough action to prevent planned protests this weekend, along the lines of those in canada. motorists intending to block roads into the french capital to show their anger about coronavirus restrictions have been threatened with fines and prison sentences. to the north east of england now,

where police say assaults are becoming far more frequent. gangs deliberately starting fires then, when the crews arrive, attacking them with fireworks, bricks and bottles. in the last two weeks, cleveland fire brigade says its crews have been attacked over 20 times. most have happened in one area of middlesbrough. now residents are being urged to report those responsible for the violence. stuart whincup reports. over the years, our cameras have captured the attacks, but they're now becoming more serious and more frequent. this crew had fireworks thrown at them. but the missiles come in many forms. alpha three will come out. now youngsters are regularly starting fires, then hiding away and attacking the crews when they arrive. we've seen an alarming rise in the last few weeks of what seems to be deliberate fires to lure us

in and then people are ambushing us, really. that's probably the best way of putting it. attacks with bricks, stones, fires being [it with accelerant, petrol, etc, which is very dangerous. and the vast majority of these attacks are coming from just one estate in middlesbrough. of the 20 attacks over the last few weeks, 17 have happened here in hemlington. fire crews say they've had bricks, bottles, stones thrown at them and the groups are made up of older teenagers. but some of those throwing the missiles are children as young as nine or ten. the crews are convinced people living here know who is responsible and know the names of the youngsters carrying out the attacks. we just need your help. we need the help from the community to identify these people so that we can bring them to justice. we can carry out a full investigation and potentially prosecute these people. we need to stop these attacks. we need to stop the attacks on the firefighters and on the fire

engines themselves. this mindless violence, the brigade says, is putting firefighters lives at risk and preventing crews from responding to real emergencies. stuart whincup, bbc look north. the headlines on bbc news: the search is on for dame cressida dick's repacement as the commissioner for the uk's largest police force. britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an "increasingly tense" situation in ukraine. the pair have been holding talks in moscow. better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. australia has listed the koala as an endangered species in eastern parts of the country. climate change, [and clearing and disease means the once thriving animal has seen a dramatic fall in numbers.

the species was only listed as vulnerable in 2012, with the wwf calling it a "shockingly fast decline for one of the world's most iconic animals" dr kellie lee, executive director of the nonprofit research body science for wildlife, has been explaining what is behind the koalas' rapid decline in numbers. it's a pretty grim day to see the endangered listing today. it's been a combination of threats. habitat loss is definitely the key driver we have seen, they certainly prefer really good soil types but there is also chlamydial disease that has been impacting the populations and the black summer fires we saw two years ago had a devastating impact in eastern states. in a lot of areas, the koalas do prefer habitats on good soil types that people also prefer for development and agriculture so there has been a big net loss of habitat over the last couple

the last couple of decades. it has been accelerating pretty much every year. under the increased protections, the hope is that the decisions are much more in the favour of the koalas and that the habitat loss is stemmed. we have also seen protected areas but under climate change that is now an added challenge as well. 25 years ago this weekend, a storm off the cornish coast swept dozens of containers from a cargo ship. inside were five million pieces of [ego — and even now, pieces are still washing up on the shore. our correspondent andrew plant has been to meet a woman who's been collecting them, while piecing together a fuller understanding of discarded plastic in our oceans. when did you find your first piece? it was back in '97, so we started noticing the lego coming in, and it was mainly sea—themed pieces, so flippers and scuba tanks and little life jackets, and the occasional octopus or a black dragon. tracey williams can spot a piece of lego where others just

see seaweed and sand. the pieces that wash up here tell a story that has been unfolding in wave after wave for the past 25 years. one piece became thousands. flippers, boats, even sea rocks, that were then colonised before washing ashore. some are common. this is the rarest. tracey has seen just two green dragons in 25 years. so there were over 33,000 dragons on the ship. and presumably, you have found most of the pieces along the shoreline yourself but you have never found one of these? i have neverfound a green dragon. tell me about the green dragon. so back in '97, our next—door neighbourfound one of the green dragons. the next week, a beach cleaner here in north cornwall found one. and that's it. so the green dragon...

25 years ago, this ship lost 62 containers 20 miles off the coast. one was full of five million pieces of lego. where it washes up now has told scientists much about the ocean currents but also about how plastic in our oceans can last, notjust for decades but hundreds of years. so all of these bits here that are less than half a centimetre are considered a micro—plastic and eventually, these will break up into smaller and smaller pieces and become nano—plastic. we have no way of measuring how much is out there in the oceans and how much is coming in on every single tide but if you ask anyone that looks at the beaches and looks at the micro—plastics, they will tell you just how many thousands of bits there are. there is now a worldwide community using social media to map new finds. tracey has even written a book of what has been washed up. finding that first lego brick, the start of her piecing together how plastic stays in our seas, and always hoping, in the seaweed

somewhere, a green dragon will finally surface. andrew plant, bbc news, cornwall. four [ions have been rehomed in south africa two years after being rescued from appalling conditions in a french circus. the charity which rescued them wasn't able to get them out of france because of the covid pandemic. but now their three day final journey has been completed, as john maguire reports. free at last. after two years of delays caused by the pandemic, the females — angela, bellone and saida — along with the male, louga, have been released into the shamwari big cat sanctuary in south africa. born into captivity, they had spent their lives performing in a french travelling circus. transported around the country in cramped trailers, this journey began when louga attacked the circus owner,

who then decided they should go to an animal welfare group. the wildlife charity the born free foundation stepped in and a plan was hatched to transport the [ions to africa. early this week, the foundation told bbc breakfast what it would be like for the animals to make what could be considered a return home. just imagine, every cell in their body is going to feel at home because of the warmth of the sun, the sense and sounds surrounding them. but they will still have a function, because the born free foundation's big cat rescue centre is in shamwari in south africa and they have tens of thousands of schoolchildren visiting. the [ions are not on display, they are not right up there. you maybe have to use binoculars to see them across an enclosure. but the kids will learn about the role of [ions in their ecosystem. so they will be educating rather than entertaining. they have never lived in the wild,

so would be unlikely to survive if released totally. they're three—acre enclosure filled with natural features is believed to be the next best thing for these free lions who are, in many ways, coming home. john maguire, bbc news. belgium's leading art museum has returned a painting that it's held for more than 70 years after it was looted by the nazis. the work belonged to a jewish couple who fled their home in frankfurt in 1938. throughout europe there are still many works of art that have yet to be returned to the descendants of their original owners. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. archive: in a mountain i cave near berchtesgaden, goring's secret treasure trove - was located by american soldiers... nobody really knows just how much art was looted by the nazis — thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of paintings and sculptures. the original owners dead or missing. but decades later, at least one work

of art is going back to where it belongs. flowers, by the german artist lovis corinth, was the property of gustav and emma mayer. it was left behind when the couple fled to belgium and then britain, just before the war began. but returning it to their descendants was not an easy task. it's very difficult, the family doesn't have an image of the painting, and the museum does not know that it comes from the mayer family. so both parties have to come together to make a connection. this entire exhibition is of works likely to have been stolen by the nazis. many museums and galleries have been criticised for not doing enough to return them. translation: these works all have different stories, i but we've put them together because they're all linked to the war, and they all pose a problem of providence in some way.

“ provenance. it was important to highlight this problem. this is not a simple exercise. no. but the family of gustav and emma mayer believe it is vital nonetheless. during the lockdown, we saw a lot of choirs doing their thing on zoom — and making a greatjob of it. however, you just can't beat singing together in the same room. thankfully, many groups are doing just that. aileen clarke went to watch scotland's oldest male voice choir in action. # you were always on my mind.# they might not be standing shoulder to shoulder yet but the clydebank male voice choir are happy to open plenty of windows if it means they can open their song books. this choir lost a good friend to covid and he is much in their thoughts.

we lost a very important part of our choir, one of our members died very early on in the start of the pandemic and we miss him very much. we couldn't sing at the funeral of pat and we couldn't even go to his funeral. so that was...that was quite sad. this is a choir built on friendship as well as phrasing. gordon was widowed three years ago and his fellow singers were a huge source of support. so how good is it to be back singing now? absolutely marvellous. amongst your pals? yeah, absolutely marvellous, ijust love the choir and i love being here on a tuesday. 100 miles south of clydebank in rural dumfries and galloway, another singing session is getting under way. here in castle douglas, the choir didn't meet up for around 18 months because of the pandemic, but now they're back up and running and they say their doors are open to anyone who loves to sing. # i am sailing, i am sailing.# it's a chance to just let

go of everyday life, and we're getting as good as we can and we're enjoying singing. # i never thought i'd miss you # half as much as i do.# just being ourselves again, i getting a wee bit back of life. i know it's not properly back but we're getting there. - i'm on my own, so it was pretty tough. and i missed the company. the company is great and i enjoy the singing. you can see from the crowd here, they're all having fun, _ they're enjoying themselves. # hallelujah.# a sentiment very much echoed in clydebank. the fact that we can practise now makes a big difference. does it put a spring back in your step? it does. well, some of them don't have any spring left! you can cut that bit!

now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. good afternoon. it's been a lovely day, cold, frosty start but lots of sunshine. cloud has been building across western parts of the country and that is out shape of things to come through tonight on the weekend, low pressure will take over, it's going to turn wetter and windier for all of us. there is today's high pressure with the cold air moving eastwards and being replaced with milder air, eastwards and being replaced with milderair, more isobars eastwards and being replaced with milder air, more isobars and the weather fronts milder air, more isobars and the weatherfronts turning milder air, more isobars and the weather fronts turning wetter and windier as the evening progresses and overnight, the rain turning to snow over the scottish hills and it bumps into the cold air but will be turning back to cold air —— back to milder air. turning back to cold air —— back to milderair. many turning back to cold air —— back to milder air. many south—eastern parts will stay dry but chilly, much milderfurther north

will stay dry but chilly, much milder further north saturday is a different day, cloud, windier, outbreaks of rain, heavy rain across northern and western england into wales, sunshine and showers across scotland and northern ireland. it should stay dry across the southeast of england throughout the day but it is windy whenever you are, gusts of 50, may be 60 mph in the northwest of the country. temperatures coming up of the country. temperatures coming up a little bit, nine or 10 celsius in the south but it won't feel like that because of the wind and rain. into sunday, low pressure pushed from the southwest, bringing another bout of windy weather. initially into south england and wales then it expands but it could be wet across south wales during the day so be aware of localised flooding in places. gales across the channel and the southwest, it will be mildest, still quite cool across the far north and we will see sunshine for northern scotland. the low pressure starts to pull away into the north

sea. it's a slow improvement on monday. it will start monday with outbreaks of rain in the north and west. you will notice a bit more sunshine starting to appear across wales into northern ireland, southwest england, west of scotland, if you showers across the east and those will be wintry over the higher ground because it will be a cooler day across the odd. a short lived cooler, slightly calmer day because the jet stream will bring some deep areas of low pressure to our shores from tuesday onwards. severe gales in the north and west, heavy rain at times, mild in the south, always a little bit cooler across the odd but we could see my other spells even here. a very unsettled week coming up.

today at five — britain's defence secretary is told by his russian counterpart of an 'increasingly tense' situation in ukraine. been holding talks in moscow about the best way forward. we listened to the that they would not invade ukraine. and we urged dialogue as a way through to address any concerns that the russian government may have. that comes amidst reports _ government may have. that comes amidst reports tonight _ government may have. that comes amidst reports tonight at _ government may have. that comes amidst reports tonight at the - government may have. that comes amidst reports tonight at the biden administration is increasingly concerned that russia may invade in the coming days. also it's a nice

program 2 also it's a