welcome to bbc news. i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: the abandoned city. we have a special report from bakhmut in eastern ukraine, where fierce fighting has forced people to flee. pretty much every second you hear the sound of artillery fire. you can tell every minute that this is a city that is being intensely fought over. chaos, confusion, and yet another delay. the us house of representatives adjourns — despite failing to choose a new speaker. tech giant meta, the parent company of facebook and instagram, is fined for breaching eu data laws. and millions of catholics around the world prepare to say a final farewell at the funeral of pope benedict xvi.

a ukrainian military commander in the shattered eastern town of bakhmut has described to the bbc the fierceness of the fighting there. he said he hadn't seen russian forces fight anywhere else with similar determination, advancing under fire even when the ground was littered with their comrades�* bodies. a us official has said russian forces have made incremental advances around the town, with mercenaries from the russian paramilitary wagner group heavily involved in the assault. the battle has been described as a meat grinder — with high numbers of casualties on both sides. almost all of the city's 70,000 occupants have fled. russia is working hard to capture bakhmutin the hope it could lead to the fall of sloviansk and kramatorsk as well,

the two most important cities in the donbas still under ukrainian control. but ukrainian forces are holding firm. the bbc�*s yogita limaye reports from the city. munitons explode. this is what the merciless bombardment of a city looks like. munitions explode. and how it sounds. explosions echo. once a quiet place known for sparkling wine, bakhmut is now a byword for war, and ukraine's resistance. russia is using all its might to try and take this city. we drove past abandoned buildings. 90% of the people have fled. this is what you can see everywhere in bakhmut — destruction. 0n the other side of the road you, can see apartment blocks that are completely destroyed. we're walking all over shards of glass, pretty much every second you hear the sound of artillery fire.

you can tell every minute that this is a city that is being intensely fought over. and over the past few months of fierce battle, even though it's at an important road intersection, it is the symbolic importance of this fight that has become greater then its strategic location. bakhmut is the home anatoly has known all his life. we see him barely react when a shell lands a few hundred metres away. shell explodes. he's come to an aid centre, a lifeline for those still here. "why don't you leave?" we asked him. translation: l have - nowhere to go, i am alone. who would want to take an 86—year—old? here at least sometimes, when the soldiers throw away food orsoup, ifind it and eat it.

and i get free bread. in my whole life, i've never seen anything like this. tetiana scherbak used to be a midwife before the war. now she's a volunteer. translation: | stay - because i'm needed here. of course i'm scared. i've been caught in shelling three times. i suffered a concussion. but what use would i be hiding in a basement? people stay for different reasons. munitions explode. the explosions don't stop, but no—one flinches. it's as if they've become numb. running from bombs every day, repeated trauma, without an end. this person told us she and her daughter live like mice, running out quickly to get bread. walking to this centre for a bit of food is a risk

they take to survive. 0utside, we met 0leksiy reva, the mayor of bakhmut. we can't show his location. "it is myjob, my life, my fate, to stay here. "i won't leave the people, and i trust that ukraine's "military won't allow my city to fall," he said. we went to see ukrainian defence, taken to a location we can't disclose. underground, to one of their command centres in the city. the heart of the military operation. fewjournalists have been here. this is a live feed from drones beyond the eastern edge of bakhmut, where russian forces are stationed. the men here are trying to locate the target for an assault team that's just gone out. commander skala, as he wants to be called, told us this is the toughest

battle he's ever fought. translation: we haven't seen enemy troops like this before. their soldiers openly advance under fire, even if they're littering the ground with their bodies, even if only 20 are left of their 60 men. it is very difficult to hold against such an invasion. a few weeks ago, we had to withdraw from the eastern approaches to the city to save our soldiers. they showed us this video, the east of the city on new year's morning under russian attack. in the fields outside bakhmut, we see the daily grind to keep a hold on it. the winter makes it harder to camouflage guns and men. we watch them fire soviet—era weapons.

soldiers tell us they work well and do the job, but modern equipment would help push through the deadlock on the ground. 0n the other end isn'tjust the russian military, there are also thousands of mercenaries from the private wagner group. they expect incoming fire, so we retreat to a bunker. why does it feel like it's deadlocked on the ground? "it's stuck for many reasons. "the winter makes it harder to use equipment. "we also have a shortage of weapons and ammunition," 21—year—old 0leksandr replies. back to positions they go. each side trying to wear the other down in this battle of endurance. yogita limaye,

bbc news, bakhmut. the us house of representatives has adjourned for a second day without electing a speaker, extending the paralysis at the heart of american politics. president biden said having a congress that can't function is embarrassing for the country. republican kevin mccarthy has been stopped six times so far by a group of hardliners within his own party who refuse to back him. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes explained why, without a speaker, the chamber is unable to operate effectively. another rollercoaster day and the end result is the same, voting for the new speaker, in that there is no result, the impasse, the deadlock continues because kevin mccarthy didn't get the required number of votes, 280, to take on that role. there is a hard core of opponents, rebels, some people are calling them, about 20 who consistently vote against him. what happened after the three rounds of voting earlier, they adjourned and that allowed the republicans,

at least some of them from that group, and kevin mccarthy, to get together in a room behind the scenes. they brought in the pizza, they sat around the table in an attempt to thrash this out and that meeting broke up with kevin mccarthy suggesting that some progress was being made, but he also said he didn't see any point in having another round of voting this evening. clearly believing that he wasn't in a position to win. he thinks he says he is making progress, we really won't know until a few hours�* time and they reconvening it on thursday, day three, and potentially vote again. peter, what happens next? well, what happens next? this could happen over the next few hours, they could go very late into the night. the republicans are still talking, they are trying to thrash out a situation which will give them a candidate they can all rally around, and if that is to be kevin mccarthy, what

concessions is the offering those opponents in his own party? is he discussing with them potential positions on committees, things that he can offer them to sweep the situation to encourage them to vote for him. it seems isn't there yet but those are the kinds of discussions that are likely to be happening right now. we can now speak to rick wilson who's a political strategist and author and former member of the republican party. hejoins us now he joins us now from hejoins us now from florida. what does this make you feel about your former party was yellow well, you know, my first book was called everything trump touches dies. find book was called everything trump touches dies. and that is sort of what _ trump touches dies. and that is sort of what is _ trump touches dies. and that is sort of what is happening - trump touches dies. and that is sort of what is happening to - sort of what is happening to the republican party. they have a kerdrit people they have supported and elected who are now turning on them and

attempting to disrupt kevin mccarthy from becoming speaker —— category. by doing a pretty effective job of it right now. and it has caused a huge amount of dissension and chaos and it has put mccarthy any position where even he wins this now it is a pyrrhic kind of victory where he will be the weakest speaker in history, he will be controlled from the background by people like marjorie taylor greene and the concessions he has made has put essentially the lunatics in charge of the asylum. the lunatics in charge of the as lum. , , asylum. so disrupting kevin mccarthy — asylum. so disrupting kevin mccarthy is _ asylum. so disrupting kevin mccarthy is of— asylum. so disrupting kevin mccarthy is of course - mccarthy is of course disrupting american politics. what do the never kevins actually want?— what do the never kevins actually want? they are no less. let's _ actually want? they are no less. let's be _ actually want? they are no less. let's be very - actually want? they are no less. let's be very clear. . actually want? they are no i less. let's be very clear. they don't have a policy position they are pursuing, they are the pure fruit of trumpism. every —— almost every member of the republican congress denied the election ofjoe biden. these arejust the most election ofjoe biden. these are just the most vocal and most destructive. their

nihilism is to own the lips. they want to cause chaos for top they want to cause panic. and they doing a pretty good job of it right now. we have a debt ceiling crisis looming up in the next seven days in this country. we do not have a house of representatives constituted at this moment. so this shows that —— this show that kevin is putting on and the battle they are raging against him is a profoundly dangerous game of chicken that they are playing with the economy and the future of the country. and, frankly, if i could advise my former colleagues i would say get half a dozen folks and cross the aisle. have a consensus candidate with the democrats. figure out someone who is a neutral arbiter, a neutral player that everyone can agree to. toby is going to be happy but we will not have a situation where kevin mccarthy is there beholden to people like matt gaetz and lauren boebert and paul goes up and the rest of the loon caucus.

that is your advice. what do you think is the potential likely outcome here? sadly, namely cassandra _ likely outcome here? sadly, namely cassandra of- likely outcome here? sadly, namely cassandra of the - namely cassandra of the republican party. they can tell them what is going to happen and they will not believe it until they are actually on fire. so what is going to happen as they are going to drag this out for as long as they are going to get good press honour. in the 20 or so people in the anti— cavern, never kevin caucus, they will attract a few more votes tomorrow. but no matter what kevin gives away, this is the joke about people who are surprised that leopards eat their face when the leopards say we will eat your face. they will destroy him whether he wins or loses. they will not allow a vote of the debt ceiling, they will pursue a whole suite of ridiculous investigations that are meant only to cause a stir and cause trouble. so we're going to end “p trouble. so we're going to end up in a situation where either

way, unless a few republicans break away, we will be in gridlock and chaos, speaker mccarthy or because whoever it is. . ~ . ,., is. ok, rick wilson, we will continue — is. ok, rick wilson, we will continue to _ is. ok, rick wilson, we will continue to watch _ is. ok, rick wilson, we will continue to watch closely. i continue to watch closely. thank you so much for having me. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: tributes to fay weldon, the prolific british novelist, who's died at the age of 91. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. "good grief" — after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer, paul simon, starts his tour of south africa tomorrow _ in spite of protests and violence - from some _ black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa _ until majority rule

is established. . around the world people have been paying tribute to the iconic rock star, david bowie, who sold 140 million albums in a career that spanned half a century. his family announced overnight that he died of cancer at the age of 69. the world tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines — a battlefield commander in the eastern ukrainian town of bakhmut has told the bbc the fighting there is ferocious. many have fled the city. the us house of representatives has adjourned for the day, despite again failing to choose a new speaker.

the european union is recommending travel controls on visitors from china, where covid infections have exploded. the guidance includes passengers having a negative covid—i9 test before they depart from china, random tests on arrival, and wearing face masks on flights. they also want aircraft waste water tested for the virus. it comes as the world health organization accused officials in china of understating the true impact the recent surge in infections is having on the country's health system. its director—general reiterated those concerns in a media briefing on wednesday. we continue to ask china regular, reliable data on hospitalisations and deaths, as well as more comprehensive real—time virus sequencing. the who is concerned about the risk to life in china and has

reiterated the including booster dose to protect against hospitalisation, severe disease and death. tech giant meta, which is the parent company of facebook and instagram, has been handed a $400 million fine for breaching eu data laws. the irish data protection commission says the way meta asked permission to use people's data for ads was unlawful. meta says it is "disappointed" and intends to appeal. 0mer tene is a partner at goodwin and a senior fellow at the future of privacy forum — hejoins us now from boston. 0mer, just how was meta acting unlawfully here? omer, just how was meta acting unlawfully here?— unlawfully here? well, there are reports _ unlawfully here? well, there are reports that _ unlawfully here? well, there are reports that the - unlawfully here? well, there l are reports that the complaint was that individuals did not have the choice whether their data could be used for targeted advertising, and instead they had to agree to contract terms of use, which included provisions allowing meta to do

that. . . , provisions allowing meta to do that. . , .. , provisions allowing meta to do that. , that. privacy campaigners say that. privacy campaigners say that this is — that. privacy campaigners say that this is a _ that. privacy campaigners say that this is a major _ that. privacy campaigners say that this is a major victory. i that this is a major victory. they say that meta will now have to give users choice over how their data is used. do you see that happening now? i would sa not see that happening now? i would say not so _ see that happening now? i would say not so fast. _ see that happening now? i would say not so fast. first _ see that happening now? i would say not so fast. first of— see that happening now? i would say not so fast. first of all, - say not so fast. first of all, as you said in the introduction, this decision will no doubt be appealed. second, the decision actually reflects a deep chasm between european regulators on this matter. the irish data protection commissioner, the institution that reached the decision, actually would have allowed meta to continue to act, based on the contract, the terms of use, which users have agreed to. it was the descent

of other regulators that forced the decision that was made today. i think even if the decision is upheld, it is not clear how it would ultimately change the user experience, because meta could rely on other legal bases, such as its own legitimate interests to still deliver targeted ads. so i think the celebrations by some of the advocates might be premature. some of the advocates might be premature-— premature. privacy is honestly a hue premature. privacy is honestly a huge issue — premature. privacy is honestly a huge issue for— premature. privacy is honestly a huge issue for users - premature. privacy is honestly a huge issue for users of- a huge issue for users of social media, what advice would you give users on how to protect their data? i you give users on how to protect their data? i would say riva protect their data? i would say privacy is _ protect their data? i would say privacy is a _ protect their data? i would say privacy is a huge _ protect their data? i would say privacy is a huge issue - protect their data? i would say privacy is a huge issue not - privacy is a huge issue not just for users of social media, but for users of the internet, for consumers, for patients and employees. and i think the advice here again is not specific for matter or instagram users but more

generally it is to be informed and educated about the choices that people are making. the reigning model online as you know is free services, in return for data that is used for advertising. that's the reality that we face, with people like it or not, and i think people should be cognizant of what data they are sharing with their websites, platforms, and for which purposes of such data are used. 0mer, thank you, add a good reminder that we all have to be very careful with the use of our data. thank you very much. thank you for having me. the funeral of the former pope, benedict xvi, will take place on thursday. his successor, pope francis, will preside over the service. more than 60,000 people are expected to attend. the pope's body has been lying in state since monday, and huge crowds have been filing past to pay their respects. 0ur religion editor

aleem maqbool reports from the vatican. in one part of the vatican, pope francis was making an appearance in his weekly audience. he started by paying tribute to his predecessor. his funeral, he will lead tomorrow. a very short distance away, thousands were taking theirfinal opportunity to file past benedict xvi lying in state. after his burial, for the first time in nearly a decade, there will be only one pope in the vatican. so what has having the former pope around been like for the current incumbent? we asked one of those closest to him. it does have an effect. there's a presence there, which is undeniable. i don't think it has obstructed pope francis

in any way. he has done and said and decided what he wanted to do. but it is a powerful presence, i think most of us have been in the situations where there is a bit of a shadow from our predecessor, and maybe people make comparisons and say, well, we did it differently in the past. in the recent months, pope francis has struggled with mobility. there was speculation he was reluctant to consider resigning while pope benedict was around, and that he might now consider that option more freely. if we had three popes, that would be, we have to say, a little bit difficult to manage, i would think. but now that pope benedict has gone to the lord, i think that, yes, pope francis will stick to those principles that he has

established, that he will continue in this ministry as long as he believes and sees that he is capable. pope francis has always shown immense respect for his predecessor. in the morning, tens of thousands of people will pour into st peter's square tojoin him in laying benedict xvi to rest. ali mccall, —— aleem maqbool, bbc news, the vatican. the author fay weldon — whose best—known works included the life and loves of a she—devil — has died at the age of 91. the prolific writer published more than 30 novels during her career, as well as collections of short stories, films for television, and pieces ofjournalism. 0ur arts correspondent rebecca jones looks back at her life. fay weldon wrote playful, punchy tales, in which women were exploited by men, though they often got their own back. in praxis, the pregnant heroine receives an awful warning

from an older woman. it is only the fear of pregnancy which keeps girls on the straight and narrow. she was brought up in new zealand. a portrait of fay and her sister hangs in the country's national gallery. she came to britain at 15. she first made her name as an advertising copywriter. "go to work on an egg" was one of hers. she later claimed her advertising success was down to luck. but life wasn't easy. a single mother in her early 20s, she briefly married an older man who wouldn't sleep with her. after marrying again, she began writing tv plays and novels while she was pregnant. she wrote about class, the sexual revolution and the supernatural. you are clumsy. i am not clumsy, it did it itself. you had better keep that. but it is your wedding ring! her best—known novel, the life and loves of a she—devil, in which a woman takes revenge on her unfaithful husband, was adapted for television, cementing her reputation as one of britain's foremost feminist writers. puffball, one of her best

novels, later became a film, yet as she got older, her views of women's roles shifted. well, it wasn't just feminism that changed things, it was technology, it was birth control, it was all kinds of other factors. sometimes i think feminism was just a sort of cloak under which capitalism crept up on us all and turned us into a consumer society and made us all go out to work and exhausted us. later in life, she urged women to pick up their husbands' socks. some feminists accused her of betrayal. she felt herjob was done. "what drove me to feminism 50 years ago," she wrote, "was the myth that men were the breadwinners and women "kept house and looked pretty. "that myth finally exploded, and i helped to explode it." fay weldon, who's died at the age of 91. and finally, to a fox with just two legs. you can imagine the surprise, when a family in derbyshire spotted it in their back garden. this was filmed in ikleston — and they're used to seeing foxes there but not

like this one. it seemed happy playing and foraging for food but we have no idea what had happened to the animal. you are watching bbc news. thanks forjoining us. clear mccrow hello again. there wasn't that much in the way of rain around yesterday but despite that, there was actually still 2a flood warnings in force, most of them in southern england. i think that is a sign that the ground remains pretty saturated. in the atlantic, things are looking quite busy. we've got an area of cloud that's going to be bringing low pressure to the northwest of the british isles and some wet and windy weather on the way from that. then near canada, this area of cloud is going to be bringing another belt of heavy rain in friday night and into saturday, and they could bring some area of localised flooding, i think. for the time being, a mostly dry picture. the brisk winds we had

during the day on wednesday are lightening all the while, and those temperatures staying on the mild side for most, eight to ten degrees, even an 11 across england and wales, a few patches of frost possible in well—sheltered areas in north scotland. tomorrow, the best chance at seeing the sunshine will be in the morning across the north—eastern areas where it should be a fine start to the day. the cloud will thicken up pretty quickly and we'll see some rain moving in across northern ireland and particularly scotland where it will be quite windy as the day goes by. the wind still coming in from a south—westerly direction, hence the double—figure temperatures that many of us will have. highs again could hit 13 or even 1a degrees, that's around six or seven degrees above average for this stage of january. beyond that, thursday night, the low pressure winds up and we start to get a zone of strong winds affecting the northwest of the uk. gales, yes, but there probably will be some severe gales around the far north—west, a band of rain sweeps across the country with blustery showers continuing to feed in close to that low pressure centre then will be to the north of scotland. here on friday, it would be quite blustery with further showers and lengthy spells of rain in scotland but otherwise, friday is a decent day but for most of the country, it's bright with a bit more

the way of sunshine. turning a bit cloudy, northern ireland, through the course of the afternoon. still relatively mild, temperatures 11 and 12 across southern portions of the uk. this band of rain going through friday and into saturday could bring some areas of localised surface water flooding, the rain looks heavy, but then what follows is a mixture of plenty of heavy showers, quite blustery conditions, it is going to be windy through the weekend, and some of those showers could merge together to give some lengthier spells of rain. temperatures edging down just a degree or two, but it is still on the mild side but pretty wet at times too.

the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the us house of representatives has adjourned for a second day without electing a speaker — extending the paralysis at the heart of american politics. the republican majority leader kevin mccarthy has failed six times to get elected because a group of 20 fellow republicans refuse to back him. a ukrainian military commander in the shattered eastern town of bakhmut has described to the bbc the fierceness of the fighting there. he said he hadn't seen russian forces fight anywhere else with similar determination. a us official has said russian forces have made incremental advances around the town. the man known as the architect of the notorious us college admissions scandal has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. william "rick" singer was convicted of funnelling money from wealthy parents to university coaches to secure

a place for their children at various elite american