this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak with the latest headlines. latest figures suggests the uk economy grew slightly in november, boosted partly by the world cup. a man is charged with the murder of elle edwards — the 26—year—old who was shot dead in a merseyside pub on christmas eve. a woman is killed in a dog attack in surrey. a second woman taken to hospital and armed police seize seven dogs we'll have the latest from the scene lisa marie presley — the musician and only daughter of elvis presley — dies aged 5a after suffering cardiac arrest.

the prime minister and scotland's first minister meet for the first time in inverness. one of the things they discussed was a law passed in scotland last month to make it easier to change gender. what i'm concerned about is the impact of the bill across the united kingdom, and as is entirely standard, the uk government would take advice on that. millions more people in england will be prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs to cut their risk of heart attacks and strokes. good morning and welcome to bbc news. the latest gdp figures show the uk economy unexpectedly grew in november, helped by a boost from the world cup. the uk's gross domestic product rose by 0.1%.

gdp is a key measure of all the activity of companies, governments and individuals in an economy. it also helps government decide how much it can spend on public services and how much it needs to raise in taxes. the services sector was the biggest driver of growth in november as people went out to watch world cup games in pubs and restaurants. however, in the three months to november, the economy shrank by o.3%. our business reporter ben king has more. at this company in worcester, they can feel the economy slowing down. their cordless vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers sold well in the pandemic as people were stuck at home. but this year, rising prices for energy and food have left their customers with less money to spend. from our point of view, we can feel that, yeah, there's probably a recession coming on. people are finding things difficult. they're kind of worried

about their basic costs of heating and fuel and all the rest of it, and the worries of inflation. so we can very much tell that there's a little bit of tension in consumers, and we feel it ourselves. meanwhile, rising interest rates are pushing up mortgage payments, another reason people are tightening their belts alongside rising energy costs. we certainly have not had the heating on. i am very, very frugal with my heating and hot water, believe you me. we've not got the heating - at the moment and stuff like that just because we can't afford it. how do you keep warm? blankets, jumpers, scarves. yeah. it hasn't really affected me because obviously interest rates are going in the right direction for me, personally. but i just worry about everybody else who has got mortgages. a recession is defined as the economy shrinking for two three month periods, or quarters, in a row. the quarter from july to september saw the economy shrink by 0.3%.

things bounced back a little in october, but if november and december are bad, as many experts expect, then the quarter as a whole will see a fall. it will officially be a recession, which may last for months to come. there is a view that you could take that we're basically half way through, you know, a pretty tough two year time period. now we're at the beginning of 2023, so we've seen inflation starting to come down from from the peaks that we've seen in november. we do expect that to continue. so there are some kind of careful early signs that things are getting better. i think at the moment, also, the labour market is still a positive point for people looking for work, you know, the unemployment rate is quite low. now, if the economy is shrinking, that means companies on the whole make less profit, which means they have less money available to expand or give their workers a pay rise. and if people earn less and spend less, that means that the government

takes in less money in tax revenue, which makes all those tricky decisions about how to fund important public services like the nhs all the more difficult. the prime minister has pledged to get the economy growing again by the end of the year. today's gdp figure will give another indication of how difficult that promise could be to meet. ben king, bbc news, worcester. paul dales is chief uk economist at capital economics, an independent economic research think tank. good morning, thank you forjoining us on bbc news. looking at those figures, what is the direction of travel? ,, , . figures, what is the direction of travel? ,, ._ , . , figures, what is the direction of travel? ,, , . , ., , travel? sideways, which is actually uuite aood travel? sideways, which is actually quite good because _ travel? sideways, which is actually quite good because most - travel? sideways, which is actually i quite good because most economists expected the economy would contract at the end of last year, but gdp rose slightly in november so we are talking about an economy that is not declining at the momentjust moving

sideways, so it is not great news but not terrible news, either. let’s but not terrible news, either. let's ut this but not terrible news, either. let's put this into _ but not terrible news, either. let's put this into simple _ but not terrible news, either. let's put this into simple language for those above who do not get economics and only understand it when we get our bills or are at the checkout, what will it mean day to day, what does sideways mean? for what will it mean day to day, what does sideways mean?— does sideways mean? for the economy as a whole it — does sideways mean? for the economy as a whole it is — does sideways mean? for the economy as a whole it is neither— does sideways mean? for the economy as a whole it is neither really _ as a whole it is neither really growing or contracting, which i think it's good news, but i think there is more pain to come. the writers on inflation we have seen throughout this year and the rises in interest rates will really start to hurt... sorry, we saw those rises last year, they will start to hurt this year so people will increasingly be paying more for food and any borrowing like mortgage debt. so i think this year the economy will fall into recession as we feel the pinch.—

economy will fall into recession as we feel the pinch. there must be a break point. _ we feel the pinch. there must be a break point, our _ we feel the pinch. there must be a break point, our salaries _ we feel the pinch. there must be a break point, our salaries matching | break point, our salaries matching what will be happening to people? if the pinch is happening, what is happening with salaries? salaries are rising but _ happening with salaries? salaries are rising but unfortunately not i happening with salaries? salaries| are rising but unfortunately not as fast as prices in the shops. so real wages are declining, that is what is happening right now and i think that is what will happen for the next six months or so, so you can't really buy as much in terms of the volume of products or services as before because your money is not stretching so far. ~ . , because your money is not stretching sofar. ~ . , ., because your money is not stretching so far. ~ . , ., ., so far. what is the forecast for the move from — so far. what is the forecast for the move from sideways _ so far. what is the forecast for the move from sideways to _ so far. what is the forecast for the - move from sideways to improvement, a shift upwards? i move from sideways to improvement, a shift wards?— shift upwards? i think that will take time. _ shift upwards? i think that will take time. i — shift upwards? i think that will take time, i don't _ shift upwards? i think that will take time, i don't think - shift upwards? i think that will take time, i don't think the . shift upwards? i think that will- take time, i don't think the economy will be in a much better position until later this year or perhaps early next year. the main driver of this is inflation, now i think

inflation has peaked, it popped up before 11% towards the end of last year, i think it will ease this year and maybe four to around 4%, still higher than the 2% the bank of england would like but it is moving in the right direction, and that easing of inflation means households will not feel the pain as much when they go to the shops because their wages will be able to more adequately cover the items they are hoping to buy. i adequately cover the items they are heping to buy-— hoping to buy. i can imagine people at home saying _ hoping to buy. i can imagine people at home saying i — hoping to buy. i can imagine people at home saying i can't _ hoping to buy. i can imagine people at home saying i can't see - hoping to buy. i can imagine people at home saying i can't see how - hoping to buy. i can imagine people at home saying i can't see how i - at home saying i can't see how i will be able to afford the items the way things are going, deaths are building up at the moment. what is the plan and what needs to be included in a plan to turn things around? —— debts are building up at the moment. i around? -- debts are building up at the moment-— around? -- debts are building up at the moment. i think that government had started targeting _ the moment. i think that government had started targeting one _ the moment. i think that government had started targeting one of- the moment. i think that government had started targeting one of the - the moment. i think that government had started targeting one of the big l had started targeting one of the big issues, the number of people available to work in the uk is still

much lower than before the start of the pandemic in 2020. the government has noticed this is a problem and it is starting to think about ways to improve and get more people back into work. that could create quite a virtuous circle because if more people are working that the economy can grow at a faster rate, that eases the upward pressure on inflation and means at some point interest rates will be able to come down so it could unlock quite a bit of good fortune for the uk economy. unfortunately the change in a situation like that take some time so i do not think we will feel the benefits until 202a. we so i do not think we will feel the benefits until 2024.— so i do not think we will feel the benefits until 2024. we are expected to find out if— benefits until 2024. we are expected to find out if we _ benefits until 2024. we are expected to find out if we are _ benefits until 2024. we are expected to find out if we are heading - benefits until 2024. we are expected to find out if we are heading into - benefits until 2024. we are expected to find out if we are heading into a i to find out if we are heading into a recession next month, i think it is. as an economist, what are you keeping your beady eye on? i think the key thing _ keeping your beady eye on? i think

the key thing is _ keeping your beady eye on? i think the key thing is inflation, - keeping your beady eye on? i think the key thing is inflation, this - keeping your beady eye on? i think the key thing is inflation, this is . the key thing is inflation, this is what determines how weak the economy will be over the next six months also because it influences how high interest rates have to go, so if inflation comes down, as i expect, i think interest rates need to go higher and they might be able to come back down sometime in 2024, thatis come back down sometime in 2024, that is what i am watching. the worst case scenario is inflation does not for much and interest rates might need to go higher to above 4.5%, meaning you get a double whammy, households have to cope with higher inflation, faster rises in prices in shops entire interest rates. i hope that scenario does not become a reality but it is a risk right now, but i think inflation is key, if that falls that the economic

output looks better. pauli key, if that falls that the economic output looks better.— output looks better. paul dales, chief uk economist _ output looks better. paul dales, chief uk economist at _ output looks better. paul dales, chief uk economist at the - output looks better. paul dales, i chief uk economist at the research think tank capital economics, thank you very much indeed. a man has been charged with the murder of 26—year—old elle edwards, who was shot outside a pub in merseyside on christmas eve. connor chapman, who is 22, will appear before wirral adult remand court this morning. will batchelor reports. elle edwards was enjoying a night out at the lighthouse in wallasey, when she was shot ten minutes before midnight on christmas eve. the 26—year—old beautician had been standing outside the pub when shots were fired towards the doorway. detectives said at the time they did not believe she was intended target of the attack, which also injured four other people. 0vernight, merseyside police charged 22—year—old connor chapman, from nearby woodchurch, with elle's murder, and two counts of attempted murder, and three counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. he was also charged

with possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and handling a stolen mercedes. he will appear before wirral adult remand court this morning. a 23—year—old woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail pending further inquiries. and merseyside police is continuing to appeal for witnesses and information. will batchelor, bbc news. a woman has died after a dog attack in surrey. the woman, aged in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene in caterham while a second woman suffered dog bites and was taken to hospital with non—life threatening injuries. 0ur correspondent sean dilley has this update from caterham. people waking up in a rural community here, still shocked by the events of yesterday here in caterham. now, a mile up the road behind where this police vehicle is currently based at gravelly hill is where officers were called to yesterday at around 2:25.

the initial call to surrey police was made to reports of members of the public being attacked by dogs. now, surrey police deployed some considerable resources — intervention vehicles, 999 officers in cars like this behind me — but also they deployed authorised firearms officers to the scene. police said that the paramedics made their very best attempts, but unfortunately the woman in her 20s had died. they worked quickly to inform the next of kin. another woman, whose injuries were not life threatening was taken to hospital. all in all, police seized seven dogs who are currently in their custody at this time. officers do ask the community does not speculate as to what may or may not have happened. what's underway now is an investigation into those circumstances. police will want to know exactly what happened when, and whether anybody is responsible.

now, this is all fairly standard investigation practice. surrey police will want to speak to anybody with any information. a mile up the road here now, as we speak at the moment, we have vehicles kind of pulling to and from the area where residents are living. but this control point here based in caterham, simply because this is the first opportunity that vehicles can turn around. police say that they are working as quickly as they can to establish whatever facts they can. lisa marie presley — the musician and only child of elvis presley — has died after being taken to hospital in los angeles, suffering cardiac arrest. she was 54. her mother, priscilla, announcing her death, described her as the most passionate, strong and loving woman she'd known. from los angeles, peter bowes reports.

this was lisa marie presleyjust two days ago at the golden globe awards. her death was sudden. the 54—year—old was rushed to hospital after falling ill at her home in the los angeles suburb of cala basas. hours later, priscilla presley issued this statement. born in memphis, lisa marie inherited herfather�*s graceland estate at the age of nine following his sudden death. she followed him into the music industry, becoming a singer songwriter. she released three albums during a career that embraced the legacy of elvis. you know, it would have definitely been easier for me to take up nursing or planting or truck driving, even. but music has been important for me, and so has writing, my whole life, even before i think i was aware of my father.

so, you know, naturally that's just where my heart is, where my interest is. she led her entire life in the spotlight. there were family dramas and several high—profile marriages, including one to michaeljackson in 1994. then the hollywood actor nicolas cage, a union that lasted just over 100 days. there have been many tributes to lisa marie. herfans, and those of her father, are mourning the loss of another member of the presley family all too soon. lisa marie presley — who's died at the age of 54. and after 9.30 we'll speak to a film producer who met lisa marie several times. the headlines on bbc news... latest figures suggest the uk economy beat expectations and grew slightly in november, boosted partly by the world cup.

a man is charged with the murder of elle edwards — the 26—year—old who was shot dead in a merseyside pub on christmas eve. the prime minister and scotland's first minister meet for the first time in inverness. one of the things they discussed was a law passed in scotland last month to make it easier to change gender. rishi sunak says he has had constructive talks with scottish first minister nicola sturgeon, after they met last night in inverness. they're understood to have discussed the nhs and the economy ahead of a joint announcement about the creation of two green freeports in scotland. the two leaders also spoke about holyrood's gender recognition reform bill and this morning the prime minister told the bbc�*s good morning scotland radio show that the uk government is waiting for some final advice before deciding whether or not to block it.

0bviously obviously this is a very sensitive area and i know that were very robust debates and exchanges on it as the bill was passing in scotland, but what i'm concerned about is the impact of the bill across the uk, and as is entirely standard the uk government would take advice on that. the fact you are asking some of these questions demonstrates there might be impacts across the uk we need to be aware of and understand the impact of, and that is what we are doing and when the government has received final advice it will set out the next steps. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon canjoin us now. we heard rishi sunak talking about the gender recognition bill, are we heading towards conflict or consensus from what you have heard? interesting comments from the prime minister, he said he has concerns

about the potential impact of the bill. ithink about the potential impact of the bill. i think the areas the uk government will be looking at, in what he says it's completely standard practice to look at any bill passed by holyrood to see how it impacts the rest of the uk, but the areas will be the equalities act at the protection for women only spaces as well as the protection of the uk wide documents and some social security benefits. there is a deadline, a timescale by which they can block this bill, the middle of next week. they will use section 25 of the scotland act which will block royal assent and if they decide to do that it will be up to the scottish government to go to court to argue the case. he is not laying his cards definitively on the table but westminster has been signalling and in that interview the prime minister was signalling they have concerns and are thinking very carefully about whether they want to

block this bill going forward. 0n block this bill going forward. on this area at least i don't think there is consensus. find this area at least i don't think there is consensus. and commentary about a possible _ there is consensus. and commentary about a possible research _ there is consensus. and commentary about a possible research in - there is consensus. and commentary about a possible research in the - about a possible research in the relationship between london and scotland? it relationship between london and scotland? , , scotland? it is interesting, when prime ministers _ scotland? it is interesting, when prime ministers had _ scotland? it is interesting, when prime ministers had met - scotland? it is interesting, when prime ministers had met first. prime ministers had met first ministers in past, the particularly in more recent times, it has been slightly volatile and the temperature has been higher, famously liz truss said the best thing to do with nicola sturgeon would be to ignore her and the two never met at all during liz truss's 49 days in office. this is not the first time rishi sunak and nicola sturgeon have met but it is the first time they have met since he became prime minister and met here in scotland, it felt like there was a lowering of the temperature, there was no public moment, it was a private dinner lasting a little over one hour, photos were released showing the two shaking hands and smiling and both sides were keen to

say the talks were cordial, there was a lot of discussion about the nhs, it is a joint announcement later about the green freeports expected to be located in the cromarty firth area in the highlands and down the forth, but there are areas in which the two sides will never meet. 0ne areas in which the two sides will never meet. one of those is the empty strike legislation going through westminster to curb the right to strike in certain public sectors to make sure there are minimum standards and minimal staffing levels. nicola sturgeon says she is strongly opposed to this. we were told there are robust exchanges of views when it comes to the push for a second independence referendum which is not supported by the westminster government but holyrood would like to see happen and, of course, there is this gender recognition bill passed out holyrood just before christmas and that deadline of the middle of next week

for westminster government to implement a statute to block it, it is not certain they will, but they have a few days to take the action should they decide to.— should they decide to. thank you, lorna. millions more people in england could be prescribed daily cholesterol—lowering statin pills to cut their risk of a heart attack or stroke, under new advice for the nhs. the national institute for health and care excellence says the cheap price of the tablets, and the possible health gains, mean they should be considered more often. in england, high cholesterol leads to around 7% percent of all deaths. i'm nowjoined by dr aseem malhotra. he is a consultant cardiologist and specalises in statins. thank you forjoining us this morning. thank you for “oining us this morning.— thank you for “oining us this morning._ ml thank you for “oining us this - morning._ in terms of morning. good morning. in terms of what nice are _ morning. good morning. in terms of what nice are saying, _ morning. good morning. in terms of what nice are saying, your - morning. good morning. in terms of| what nice are saying, your thoughts? i have great respect for nice but with statins i think the guidance is

misguided and the reason i say that is something... i have managed thousands of heart patients in my career, prescribed statins particularly to high—risk people, people who have had a heart attack is where we see the greatest benefit of statins, but this guidance basically applies to people with less than 10% risk, if you have less than 20% risk of heart attack or stroke in the next ten years, when i prescribe statins i tell patients that was no mortality benefits, they will not live any longer over five years, and the absolute benefits for them is about i%, one in 100, years, and the absolute benefits for them is about 1%, one in 100, in preventing a nonfatal heart attack or stroke. so that needs to be part of the discussion with patients and help them decide themselves. in my own experience, when most patients are told this information they say, to be honest, i don't fancy those odds,is to be honest, i don't fancy those odds, is there anything else i can

do, and the big ongoing issue for years in this country is we have not been addressing unhealthy lifestyles or certainly being effective in curbing them. we have a big problem with the obesity epidemic. looking at heart disease, my own research has found this, the best way to prevent heart disease and even manage heart disease, whether or not people choose to take a statin, is through lifestyle changes. that means cutting edge ultra—processed food which is half of the british diet, food trimmer package with unhealthy oils, carbohydrates and sugar, for example, eating real food, basically, moderate exercise of at least 30 minutes brisk walk a day and stress reduction is the big elephant in the room. one of the reasons i think this is in the news just now is there has been a big concern recently around access deaths, the british heart foundation has said during all since the pandemic that has been 30,000 excess

deaths specifically to coronary artery disease, my area of expertise, and they are trying to figure out why. chris whitty said it could be because people were not subscribed statins or blood pressure pills, i have respect for chris whitty but i think it's mistaken, analysis from oxford suggests that statin prescription has not reduced since the pandemic so that is unlikely to be a cause, but if you will allow me to say this, what my own research has found, this is something that is probably a likely contributory factor, is that the covid vaccines carry a cardiovascular risk and i have called for the suspension of this pending an inquiry because there is a lot of uncertainty about what is causing the excess deaths, some will be ambulant delays, my father was reported on bbc news in late 2021, my own father suffered a cardiac

arrest at home in the ambulance took 30 minutes, when his postmortem came out he had severe coronary artery disease. i published thejournal which accepted my findings that the likely cause of death was two doses of the pfizer vaccine he had a couple of months earlier. i of the pfizer vaccine he had a couple of months earlier. i want to “um in couple of months earlier. i want to jump in on — couple of months earlier. i want to jump in on that. — couple of months earlier. i want to jump in on that, in _ couple of months earlier. i want to jump in on that, in terms - couple of months earlier. i want to jump in on that, in terms of - couple of months earlier. i want to jump in on that, in terms of the i jump in on that, in terms of the mrna linked to cardiovascular risk, you are saying that is a proven dutch market has been proven scientifically? —— that is proven... has been proven scientifically? in medicine it is hard to be conclusive so we go unlikely next, the highest quality data is randomised controlled trials, there was a reanalysis in nature not which found that the original trials of pfizer and moderna in mrna vaccines, and we do not want to scare people, but the absolute risk of serious adverse

effects was at least one in 800 and lots of those are cardiovascular, you were more likely in those trails to suffer a serious adverse effect than be hospitalised with covid. the vaccine has certainly helped high—risk people but now we should be reassured that 0micron which is circulating its no worse than the flu and this is time to pause the vaccine roll—out and really investigate. i vaccine roll-out and really investigate.— vaccine roll-out and really investigate. vaccine roll-out and really investiuate. ., ., . ., , ., investigate. i want to clarify one oint, is investigate. i want to clarify one point. is using — investigate. i want to clarify one point, is using statins _ investigate. i want to clarify one point, is using statins a - investigate. i want to clarify one | point, is using statins a cheaper, less resistant but short—sighted approach to lowering the risk? i think you have summed it up perfectly. it does not mean statins don't have a role but the absolute benefits are very marginal to low—risk people and therefore i would say to patients this is the benefit, but if you cut out ultra—processed foods, engage in regular activity, we need to help people do that. a lot of the issues driving the obesity epidemic are

related to the food environment, we have an oversupply of cheap ultra—processed foods that are very heavily marketed which drives a lot of behaviour and if we are really to combat obesity, and i advise matt hancock on this, i highlighted the link between covid and obesity, poor outcomes from them, one thing that i tell matt hancock which was reported as we need to increase controls like tobacco with ultra—processed foods like taxing them, banning the advertising of them and public health education campaigns saying if it comes out of a packet and has five or more ingredients, don't eat it. if you look at the cardiovascular risk, what is really interesting in my experience is very quickly even within weeks risk factors for heart disease for a process of helping reduce insulin resistance improve very quickly purely from dietary changes. this

does not take a long time to have this effect, it is very quick and it is cheap, you are advising people... that is what we need to think about and what the focus should be in terms of what will be the biggest impact of reducing heart disease. idr impact of reducing heart disease. dr malhotra, thank you very much, a very in—depth explanation of the arguments for and against. i have a little bit of information from nice, let me read to their reaction. the spokesman for nice has said what we are saying is that for people with a less than 10% risk over ten years of a first heart attack or stroke, the decision to take a statin should be left to individual patients after an informed discussion of benefits and risks. the evidence is clear that micro clear that for people with a width of 10% or less, statins are an appropriate choice to reduce the risk. we are not advocating that

statins are used alone. the draft guidelines continue to say it is only if lifestyle changes on their own are not sufficient and other risk factors like hypertension are also managed. we may well hearfrom nice later, but that is the view on that story on the use of statins, the recommendation. you are watching bbc news. it's exactly two years since italy began holding its biggest anti—mafia trial since the 1980s. hearings have been ongoing against more than 300 suspects from one organised crime group — with charges including murder, extortion and drug—trafficking. 0ur italy correspondent mark lowen travelled to calabria, in the south of the country, to meet some of those caught up in the mafia's crimes — and those leading the battle against them. it is perhaps italy's most dangerous commute by italy's most threatened target.

this man has spent his career fighting the country's most powerful mafia. as we speed through its bastion of calabria has five car escort follows his every move. translation: i often talk to death. you have to rationalise fear to move on. the most beautiful thing is freedom, to be able to move around alone or go to a bar for a coffee, i used to do these things as a boy but in my mind there is a lot of freedom. from the lush toe of italy the family clans have spread terror through killings and kidnappings, massacres elsewhere in europe traced back to their rivalry in calabria. today their currency is cocaine smuggled through italy's busiest container port. their annual income — an estimated $60 billion.

around one in ten of the containers that pass through this port are checked. this shipment seems to be clean but bananas from south america are a classic method they use to stash cocaine. their branches operate right around the world. the group is now estimated to control up to 80% of europe's cocaine trade. what is inside here? this is our last seizure. we were given a rare glimpse of a recent haul, seven tonnes of cocaine, its street value, 1.4 billion euros. more than 300 suspects are now facing italy's biggest anti—mafia trial since the 1980s in a special courtroom to cope with the size. it's crippled one of the group's ruthless families. their brutality has broken this

woman and her husband whose only child, matteo, was blown up after a dispute over land. translation: he was a joy of life, a polite, exceptional boy, - he never said a word against us. i am proud to have been matteo's mother and to have had him as a son. sometimes i ask god, where were you when my son was dying and his girlfriend tells me he was there taking matteo with him. there are few turncoats in a mafia forged in blood ties but we met one born into the group. he is now testifying at the trial.

translation: the words repeated were always - the same, kill, kill, kill. i was brought up as a child soldier intended at a very young age, it is a matter of time that they will regroup and they will be back stronger than ever. and so no rest, hero to many, enemy of some, italy's anti—mafia crusade goes on. translation: everything in life has a price, - to have had a normal life would have had to go slower, live like a coward, but living like a coward makes no sense to me. i don't think italy can be freed of the mafia. it can be reduced a lot by changing the rules of the game but it would take a revolution to combat it. the devotion and sacrifice for a battle italy may never stop fighting. mark lowen, bbc news, calabria. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. is this rain typical ofjanuary?

it is one of the wetter months but some parts of england and wales have now seen more than a month's worth of rainfall injust 12 now seen more than a month's worth of rainfall in just 12 days for top that's why we saw flooding in shropshire yesterday. still numerous flood warnings across the country to date with all the details on the bbc weather website. today is a respite before we see more rain tonight. still some showers around but across wales and northern ireland they become fewer in number. more in southend west scotland and northern england in the afternoon. some isolated showers elsewhere. many getting through the rest of the day reasonably dry, sunny spells, 7-11 c, reasonably dry, sunny spells, 7—11 c, two or three degrees above where we should be at this stage in january. but the bad news tonight, more rain to come, quite extensively from southern scotland southwards. over the hills of wales and south—west england where they will see the heaviest rain. it is mild but small compensation for a wet and windy start to saturday. that rain will spread eastwards through the morning. it will lead to some more flooding but saturday will be an

improving date with more sunshine develop and a scattering of showers, more especially in the north and west, turning colder, and cold are still on sunday. more details in half an hour. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... latest figures suggest the uk economy beat expectations and grew slightly in november, boosted partly by the world cup. a man is charged with the murder of elle edwards, the 26—year—old who was shot dead in a merseyside pub on christmas eve. a woman is killed in a dog attack in surrey. a second woman is taken to hospital and armed police seize seven dogs. we'll have the latest from the scene. lisa marie presley — the musician and only child of elvis presley — dies aged 54 after suffering cardiac arrest. the prime minister and scotland's first minister met

for the first time in inverness. one of the things they discussed was a law passed in scotland last month to make it easier to change gender. millions more people in england will be prescribed cholesterol—lowering drugs to cut their risk of heart attacks and strokes. sport now, and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. here's holly hamilton. he's only been in charge 127 days but the pressure is building on graham potter at chelsea. beaten by neighbours fulham this time, it means just two wins in ten games and a nightmare debut for new star loan signing, joao felix. andy swiss was watching the action. just four months in charge but already under the spotlight, chelsea manager graham potter with his team struggling, how he needed a win against fulham,

but instead it was the hosts that seized the initiative. deflected, and it's in! a former chelsea player no less. no celebrations from willian and certainly none from him. so could the visitors respond? well, lewis hall tried but bernd leno was up to the challenge as fulham led at the break. after it, though, chelsea hit back. whipped in by mount. hits the post and it's gone in! kalidou koulibaly bundling it over the line. not exactly the prettiest but it hardly mattered. but then it all went wrong again. barely 24 hours afterjoining chelsea, a terrible tackle from joao felix, and he was sent off. whatever next? well, this was the answer. carlos vinicius! a first premier league goal for vinicius and look what it meant. elation for fulham. they are up to sixth, but for chelsea, yet another defeat and for potter, yet more pressure.

anything that can go wrong is going wrong. i thoughtjoao was fantastic in the game before that. you can see his quality. we are in a bad moment, a bad run, so we came here with ambition to win, and we haven't done it, so we feel for the supporters. we're upset, so we have to deal with it and we have to recover. britain's cameron norrie goes into the australian open in good form, he is through to his 12th atp tour final at the asb classic in auckland. he beat americanjenson brooksby 6—3, 6—4 in the warm—up tournament ahead of the australian open. norrie will face richard gasquet in the final on saturday. the australian open begins on monday. not such good news forjack draper though. he has missed the opportunity to play in his first atp final after losing the deciding set of his adelaide international semifinal 6—3, to kwon soon—woo.

it's been hailed one of the best matches in masters snooker history. mark williams beating ronnie o'sullivan to claim his first win against the world number one in eight years. with the match tied at 5—5, it went to a deciding frame. a crucial red turned things in williams�* favour and he went on to complete a magnificent century break — his second of the match — to claim victory, knocking the seven—time champion out of the competition. and williams will face jack lisowski in the semifinals. he says it will be the biggest match in his career and is trying not to get too excited after beating iran's hossein vafaei 6—2 in the day's other quarterfinal. the men's hockey world cup gets underway this morning in india, when the part—time players of wales make their debut. the team train in their spare time, and have to partly fund

the programme themselves. they take on england, in just over an hour's time — a team that's been to the semifinals at the last three world cups. i've been catching up with the england vice captainjames albery, who's been chilling in his hotel room. we've come all way to india to play the guys who are closest to us. so yeah, i think it's going to be a really tough game. we played them in the summer at the commonwealths actually and it was a really tough game, physical game, and we are looking forward to seeing what they've got to offer. we know the atmosphere is going to be really, absolutely electric. the stadium itself looks absolutely fantastic and i think it's going to be a real experience. that's all the sport for now. lisa marie presley — the musician and only daughter of elvis presley — has died after being taken to hospital in los angeles suffering cardiac arrest. she was 54.

i'm joined now by sandro monetti, an entertainmentjournalist and film producer based in la. he saw lisa marie at the golden globes earlier this week. thank you forjoining us. what's your reaction to the sad news of her death? .., ,., ., ., ., your reaction to the sad news of her death? .., ., ., ., ., death? one consolation of those of us that love — death? one consolation of those of us that love the _ death? one consolation of those of us that love the presley _ death? one consolation of those of us that love the presley family - death? one consolation of those of us that love the presley family can | us that love the presley family can take is that in herfinal us that love the presley family can take is that in her final days she was surrounded by so much love and enthusiasm at the golden globes on tuesday. she was there supporting austin butler, who plays herfather in the award—winning movie elvis. just last sunday she was at graceland celebrating what would have been the birthday of elvis presley with an audience of adoring fans. so it seems almost unthinkable, so sudden and shocking,

thatjust days later lisa marie is taken from us at the tender age of 54. ~ taken from us at the tender age of 54. we heard from her mother, priscilla, who _ 54. we heard from her mother, priscilla, who announced - 54. we heard from her mother, priscilla, who announced her. 54. we heard from her mother, - priscilla, who announced her death, describing her daughter as strong, passionate. could you share some of those passions with us.— those passions with us. passionate for many things. — those passions with us. passionate for many things, music, _ those passions with us. passionate for many things, music, her - those passions with us. passionate| for many things, music, her father, for many things, music, herfather, talk about big shoes to fill. she followed in his footsteps releasing three albums. do yourself a favour today and go and listen to lights out which i think is her best record, she had such a sultry and powerful voice. record, she had such a sultry and powerfulvoice. her other record, she had such a sultry and powerful voice. her other passions were herfamily. a mother of four. but she lost a son, benjamin, to suicide in 2020, aged just 27. so lisa marie had so much heartbreak as

well as highlights in her epic life. she attended the golden globe awards, that biopic, elvis. did she speak a lot about her father in public? how did she deal with the grief? she was very young when he passed. she grief? she was very young when he assed. ,, . , , grief? she was very young when he assed. ,, ., , , , ., , grief? she was very young when he assed. ,, .,, , , ., , ., passed. she was 'ust nine years old when he died. _ passed. she wasjust nine years old when he died. she _ passed. she wasjust nine years old when he died. she inherited - when he died. she inherited graceland. she became the person in charge until 2005 of elvis presley enterprises. i think she, with priscilla at her side, did such a fantasticjob of keeping elvis�*s legacy alive. the reason he remains so iconic is largely thanks to the work that his daughter did there. just seeing the footage of her back at graceland on sunday surrounded by adoring fans, she knew how much she and he and the family were loved.

that was some comfort to all of us who are grieving today. did that was some comfort to all of us who are grieving today.— who are grieving today. did she adversely feel _ who are grieving today. did she adversely feel the _ who are grieving today. did she adversely feel the pressure - who are grieving today. did she adversely feel the pressure of l who are grieving today. did she - adversely feel the pressure of being elvis presley's daughter? how did she deal with that?— she deal with that? that's a great oint, she deal with that? that's a great point. and — she deal with that? that's a great point. and so _ she deal with that? that's a great point, and so many _ she deal with that? that's a great point, and so many people - she deal with that? that's a great point, and so many people who . she deal with that? that's a great i point, and so many people who have been born to fame, privilege and wealth, life hasn't turned out perfectly for them. she certainly had the struggles. but she never ran away from it. she embraced it, she was proud to carry that family name as well. and, yes, it can't have been easy, but she bore it really well. it was interesting hearing her speak at the golden globes. she said that austin butler's performance as elvis was so uncannily realistic it took her five days to get over the experience of watching that movie. it was almost as if her father was back with her in a way.—

it was almost as if her father was back with her in a way. sandro, very cuickl , back with her in a way. sandro, very quickly. you — back with her in a way. sandro, very quickly. you began _ back with her in a way. sandro, very quickly. you began by _ back with her in a way. sandro, very quickly, you began by saying - back with her in a way. sandro, very quickly, you began by saying that i back with her in a way. sandro, very quickly, you began by saying that in| quickly, you began by saying that in her final days she was in a very happy place, which is quite tragic and sad. what was she most proud of in life? , , ~ , in life? definitely her kids. absolutely. _ in life? definitely her kids. absolutely. she _ in life? definitely her kids. absolutely. she had i in life? definitely her kids. absolutely. she had many| in life? definitely her kids. i absolutely. she had many roles in life? definitely her kids. - absolutely. she had many roles in life but mother was her favourite. sandro, we will leave it there. thank you. sandro, we will leave it there. thank you-— a special investigator has been appointed to look into president biden's handling of classified documents while he was vice president after a second batch of papers was found at his home. mr biden acknowledged on thursday that sensitive material was found in the garage of his home in delaware. he has previously criticised his predecessor, donald trump, who removed papers from the white house when he left office. ukraine's defence minister says his country has become

a "de facto member" of the nato military alliance, as western nations continue to supply weapons for the war against russia. speaking to the bbc, oleksii reznikov said there had been a change among some allies once concerned that the military assistance could be seen as escalation by russia. our correspondent hugo bachega sat down with him. we have a lot of modern nato—standard weaponry. it means that ukraine, as a country, and the armed forces of ukraine, or our sector of security and defence, became a member of nato de facto. not de jure but de facto. because we have the weaponry, we have the understanding how to use it, and we have this interoperability level of communication with our partners. and i'm sure that in the next future we will become

a member of nato dejure. well, that's a controversial statement. you're saying there ukraine is a de facto nato member. why controversial? it's true. it's a fact. i'm aware, you know, i'm operating with the facts. but the perception has been that any kind of, let's say, tanks being sent to ukraine would be seen as an escalation by russia. are you not concerned about how russia could respond? i have a war in my country. what kind of escalation level should be more? they are striking, they are hitting my cities, my hospitals, my kindergartens, my schools. and they killed a lot of civilians, a lot of children. they are an army of rapists, murderers and looters. what is the next level of escalation? they are here in my country!

that was the ukraine defence minister speaking to hugo bachega. a russian mercernary group fighting in ukraine has claimed it's found the body of a british aid worker, though the claims haven't been verified by the bbc. it comes after chris parry and andrew bagshaw were reported missing over the weekend. johnny rutherford has been speaking to some of the people who were the last to hear from mr parry. what's yourjob here, basically? so, i'm an evacuation driver. i receive requests from family members who've asked us to go and collect their relatives. this recording, by a freelance belgian reporter, is believed to be the last interview with chris parry before he was reported missing. very inspiring person, because it was — to him, it was all about saving the civilians in the front line areas. that's all what cared for him. that was his duty and that's what he was doing day in, day out, every day, saving people. so, very inspiring personality, for sure.

28—year—old chris parry is from truro. he went out to ukraine last march. he fundraised to get a vehicle to help with the rescues. the organisation mission ukraine, which has been helping with aid, drove it out to him. a couple of weeks later, chris messaged us, saying, we've actually lost the truck that we've delivered. didn't last very long, because they'd been ambushed, and the car ended up in a ditch. they tried to recover it, but they couldn't get to it because there were russian snipers. and it was just safer to leave it there, so, yeah, they left the car there. the car stayed in the ditch. and that's kind of what happens over there. the cars don't last very long. bye, car, you're more of a target, but you can fly to a destination in two minutes, and then fly back out in two minutes. by car, you're more of a target, but you can fly to a destination in two minutes, and then fly back

out in two minutes. hopefully, just do it quick enough so the drones don't spot you, then you can just park it behind a building and hide. but yeah, a lot of volunteers won't go any more, but there are people there who want to get out, so i'm willing to go. chris has been missing since friday. i asked arnaud if he had any news of chris's whereabouts. wagner, the private militia company, they apparently posted some footage in telegram channels. the passports were found near one body that may be the body of one of the two volunteers, but again, there is no confirmation. so we need to be very careful with this information. the bbc has not been able to confirm this. the foreign office reiterated that the two men are still missing, and that they are currently supporting both families. johnny rutherford, bbc news. james waterhouse is in kyiv. the foreign office keeping in close contact with families. this must be a terrible time for them as they wait to hear. what more can you add in terms of the circumstances and

details we have?— in terms of the circumstances and details we have? these men were last seen on friday — details we have? these men were last seen on friday heading _ details we have? these men were last seen on friday heading into _ details we have? these men were last seen on friday heading into a - details we have? these men were last seen on friday heading into a town i seen on friday heading into a town called soledar which seems to be the focal point, we are talking about it a lot at the moment, of russian attacks. mercenary fighters from a network called the waggoner group, is carrying out a lot of russian fighting there. they are launching endless assaults on this town. these men were aware of the risks, yet they felt compelled to head into these areas to help locals escape. we are talking about places that are trapped on the front line. the fighting is intense. then we had the grim claim from the wagner group that they had found one of the bodies of one of the men. we don't know whose they allege to have found. they also posted online

documents which they allege belonged to the men. those claims we are still unable to verify because of where the men's disappearance took place. the foreign office is not confirming these reports. we have spoken to police sources who say there is an investigation, but it is hampered by the close proximity fighting between ukraine's military and wagner group mercenaries. we find ourselves in this information vacuum. it must be extremely concerning for the families. the bbc asked the kremlin in moscow whether they had information. they said they didn't yet. i think many will be hoping that soon changes. you have raised a couple _ hoping that soon changes. you have raised a couple of _ hoping that soon changes. you have raised a couple of elements - hoping that soon changes. you have raised a couple of elements that i hoping that soon changes. you have raised a couple of elements that are making things very murky at the moment. first off there are claims and counter claims between moscow and counter claims between moscow and the russian affiliated wagner mercenary group. is it significant that wagner made this announcement

was that they are notorious in a quiet but they seem to becoming more public now in speaking out and making their presence felt. how is that being regarded? it is interesting, _ that being regarded? it is interesting, isn't - that being regarded? it is interesting, isn't it? i that being regarded? it 3 interesting, isn't it? you have politics, which is directly influenced by the ongoing is of soledar. the head of wagner is a man called yevgeni prig option, who is a close ally of vladimir putin. his forces have almost done the quiet fighting for russia in the past, in conflicts on the african continent, in syria. essentially they have done russia's dirty work there, where the kremlin can deny any kind of responsibility. ukraine is different. with moscow's faltering campaign, wagner have very much started to take centre stage and yevgeny prigozhin has criticised the defence ministry for its stuttering performances. vladimir putin has now

appointed another commander of his forces in ukraine after three months. why? over the last few weeks we have seen russia concede further territory around the city of kherson and we are in a phase now where they are throwing everything at a very near term goalfor vladimir putin to have some kind of trophy for critics backin have some kind of trophy for critics back in russia. the human costs of trying to get this goal are great. and look at the language of volodymyr zelensky. and look at the language of volodymyrzelensky. he and look at the language of volodymyr zelensky. he has talked about having to make the right decision in the town of soledar. i wouldn't be surprised if we saw a tactical retreat whilst his forces look to inflict maximum casualties on russian forces. we have seen it before when the ukraine army has lost counter offences elsewhere. it's a fast—moving situation with the locals and two british men caught in the middle of it. james waterhouse. _ caught in the middle of it. james waterhouse, thank _ caught in the middle of it. james waterhouse, thank you. - a swedish mining company says it's

found europe's largest deposit of rare earth elements in northern lapland. it contains at least1 million tonnes of the minerals, which are needed in various high tech products. tim allman reports. close to the arctic circle in the far north of sweden lies the city of kiruna. they've been mining iron ore here for more than a century. but now they've found something else. this computer generated map shows the existing mine. buried nearby, and named after a famous swedish scientist, is the per geuer deposit. previously undiscovered, tonnes and tonnes of rare earth elements, or rees. what we can say today is by far the largest deposit of rees in europe. total vital for our transformation from combustion engines to electric engines. there are more than a dozen so—called rare earth elements,

which are proving to be incredibly useful to the modern world. amongst other things they've been vital to the development of wind turbines, smartphones, and electric cars. but the problem facing europe is until now the main source of rees has been china. this discovery could change all that. there is really a great potential for europe to now take the lead in the green transition. we can reduce carbon footprints and strengthen our competitiveness at the same time. none of this will be quick. it could take ten or 15 years to start producing minerals for industrial use. but the hope is this discovery will eventually transform the global economy and help protect the environment. tim allman, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor.

still over 100 flood warnings in force at the moment across the uk. they are starting to drop now in wales because we have a bit of a respite from the wet weather but it won't last long. this massive cloud out from the atlantic is creeping towards us, bringing more widespread and persistent rain through tonight and persistent rain through tonight and into tomorrow. we are in between systems. that was the system that brought the wet weather yesterday and some very windy conditions through the night. the breeze is still continuing to ease down a the east. in its wake there are still showers in the north and west continuing through this morning. a few showers into wales, south—west england and northern ireland and more showers in south—west scotland and northern england. either side of it, a lot of dry and bright weather, some staying dry throughout the day with some sunshine and temperatures of 7-11. with some sunshine and temperatures of 7—11. up to three degrees above where we should be at this stage in january. after the drying start to the night, here comes more rain. quite extensively particularly across parts of southern scotland,

england and wales, just clipping northern ireland. the heaviest rain over the hills in wales in the south—west to take us through the night and gusty winds. that will shift eastwards as we go through saturday reasonably quickly. still impacting rising river levels and flooding but by the end of the day we are into the flow of north—westerly wind so temperatures were gradually drop. southern scotland, england and wales turning brighter, sunshine, and a scattering of showers, heaviest and most frequent in the north and west, turning wintry of the scottish hills with temperatures dropping and much colder weather from sunday onwards.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. tributes are being paid to lisa marie presley, the only child of elvis, who's died at 54. the world cup helps to boost the uk economy, which grew slightly in november. a man is charged with the murder of elle edwards, the 26—year—old who was shot dead in north—west england on christmas eve. a woman is killed in a dog attack in southern england. a second woman is taken to hospital, and armed police seize seven dogs. we'll have the latest from the scene. with western weapons continuing to arrive in ukraine, the country's defence minister tells the bbc his country has become a de facto member of nato.