hello, i'm ros atkins. this is outside source. a major blow for britain's electric vehicle industry, as britishvolt — a maker of electric car batteries — collapses. this sector, the automotive sector, is going through the biggest transformation we've seen in decades and it needs support. and if it doesn't get that support, we won't have an automotive industry in the uk. over 200 staff are made redundant with immediate effect. we'll look at what went wrong. also in the programme: claim and counterclaim in ukraine — kyiv and moscow both say their troops control soledar, a town at the centre of the conflict. and belarus�*s exiled opposition leader calls her trial an act of vengeance for standing up to the regime.

the electric car battery maker britishvolt has gone into administration after hopes of a last—minute bid for the company faded. the collapse raises questions about uk hopes of building a home—grown battery industry. the company, which had plans to build a gigafactory to make the uk start—up had been expecting to build a new 5.8 billion — or $4.7 billion — factory in northumberland, as part of a long—term vision to boost uk manufacturing. well, this promotional video shows what the factory — with a capability to make 300,000 electric batteries a year — would have looked like. the plan was to create 3,000 jobs at the plant. now, administrators have taken over the business and most of britishvolt�*s 300 staff are being made redundant. here's our business editor simonjack.

so what went wrong? britishvolt was a start—up company with no track record. their battery technology was only at the prototype stage. although there are expressions of interest from lotus and aston martin, they had no real customers and therefore no revenue. and yet they were burning through their backers�* cash fast, nearly going bust last november and finally collapsing today. this is a setback for the uk car industry. currently, the uk only has one working battery plant, a chinese—owned one next to the nissan plant which is its only customer. but look at this. around europe, these are the plants that are either already working or under construction, with many more planned. and remember, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the uk and other european markets in just seven years�* time. where does this leave uk government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 as it

tries to slash emissions? colin walker is transport lead at the energy and climate intelligence unit. he says... well, evidently, that has taken a blow today. around a year ago, former prime minister borisjohnson talked of the britishvolt plant being part of the uk's "global green industrial revolution". and his government promised britishvolt £100 million in support. but when the company asked for a £30 million advance last year, ministers refused, as the company had not hit agreed construction milestones to access the funds. here's steve bush from the unite union. —— we have a government statement today, saying...

here's steve bush from the unite union. 100 million's a drop in the ocean. this sector, the automotive sector, is going through the biggest transformation we've seen in decades and it needs support. and if it doesn't get that support, we won't have an automotive industry in the uk. we believe we need five to six gigafactories to replace like—for—like, come 2030. a 2030 target was ambitious anyway. it was set by this government and brought forward by five years. fine, let's do that. let's have a strategy and support it, and a meaningful strategy, and that starts with gigafactories being built in the uk. and here's the labour shadow business secretary. there is a brilliant site in blyth, it hopefully. will become a gigafactory, - but unless the government has a real strategy to attract the investment required| to do that to the uk,| we risk losing what is three quarters of a millionjobs in the automotive sector- in the long term in the uk.

well, sales of electric vehicle are creeping up in the uk. in december, electric vehicles saw their biggest—ever monthly market share of almost 33%. for 2022 as a whole, they made up almost 17% of registrations, overtaking diesel for the first time to become the second most popular type of car after petrol. let's speak to ginny buckley, founder and ceo of electrifying.com. and online electric car marketplace which offers advice on buying electric. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. what is your reaction to this news? i forjoining us. what is your reaction to this news? i think it is really very. _ reaction to this news? i think it is really very. very _ reaction to this news? i think it is really very, very sad _ reaction to this news? i think it is really very, very sad news. - reaction to this news? i think it is really very, very sad news. let'sl reaction to this news? i think it is i really very, very sad news. let's be clear, this is a great loss to british industry. the car industry, out of £40 billion of added value to the british economy, and if it is to stay competitive on the global stage, we need a supply—chain in this that can supply, and gigafactories are key to that. but

what you've outlined, 3000 people lost theirjobs what you've outlined, 3000 people lost their jobs today, what you've outlined, 3000 people lost theirjobs today, and that is devastating. the lost theirjobs today, and that is devastating-— devastating. the government is makinu devastating. the government is making clear — devastating. the government is making clear this _ devastating. the government is making clear this kind - devastating. the government is making clear this kind of - devastating. the government is| making clear this kind of facility, to be competitive, it needs to pull in outward investment. why has it not been possible?— not been possible? let's be clear, when this was _ not been possible? let's be clear, when this was an _ not been possible? let's be clear, when this was an idea _ not been possible? let's be clear, when this was an idea on - not been possible? let's be clear, when this was an idea on the - not been possible? let's be clear, i when this was an idea on the drawing board, the conditions were very different. we have had a pandemic, we have had brexit, we are in a cost—of—living crisis. building gigafactories cost billions of pounds, and i think the big issue here is the government is really serious about having these industrial resolution it talks about, it needs a strategy, and it needs incentivising into it. these gigafactories need support. they are doing support in other parts of the road and any that here in the uk. what about demand for electric cars? how does that fit into the equation? december was the highest month yet in terms of share of sales, but it

is still around a third of all sales, it is not the dominant form of cars being sold. it is sales, it is not the dominant form of cars being sold.— of cars being sold. it is not the dominant. _ of cars being sold. it is not the dominant, but _ of cars being sold. it is not the dominant, but as _ of cars being sold. it is not the dominant, but as you've - of cars being sold. it is not the i dominant, but as you've outlined, electric cars out so diesel in 2022 the one in five new cars sold last year were electric. consumers are definitely taking a lead in this switch. the numbers back that up. and finally, a question about the pacific don't ask pacific su building batteries. with this facility going —— the specifics on goading batteries... the leading manufacturer? ida. goading batteries... the leading manufacturer?— manufacturer? no, the friday institute believes _ manufacturer? no, the friday institute believes we - manufacturer? no, the friday institute believes we need - manufacturer? no, the friday| institute believes we need 100 gigawatts hours of battery making capacity here in the uk by 2030 if we are to be providing the number we need. that facility was going to take up 38 gigawatt hours of that. so we need much more investment into this. it is such a crucial sector. it plays a

huge part of the uk economy. it needs more support from government. ginny, thank you very much for your time. we appreciate it. let's turn to the war in ukraine and the town of soledar, which has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the conflict. who's in control is disputed. russia claims to have taken it, but ukraine denies this. here's an army spokesperson. ukrainian forces stay in soledar and permanently hit russian troops and wagner criminals. thank you, british people and government, for our support. the fall of soledar would mark russia's first significant battlefield gain after months of military retreats and setbacks against ukrainian forces. it's located in ukraine's eastern donetsk province — near the towns of bakhmut and kramatorsk. russia has made multiple claims

of control in the past week, and in this video released by the russian army, defence minister sergei shoigu is seen awarding medals to troops fighting in the area. less than nine miles away from soledar, heavy fighting continues in bakhmut. the bbc�*s andrew harding has spent some time with a tank unit there and sent this report. lurking in a snowbound forest just behind the front lines, a cluster of ukrainian tanks. but these are ancient warhorses, half a century old. no match for russia's army. "they are just not suitable for this era," the company commander readily admits. "they work, but the technology has moved on." gunfire which is why there's great excitement here about the prospect of western machines.

if you could have any tank — challenger, leopard, abrams, any of these foreign tanks that are being offered — would it make a difference? i think abrams, leopard, challenger, it's very good for us. any tank? any tank, any tank. it is help for us, for victory. suddenly, there is incoming fire close by. a hurried exit for us and a reminder of the unpredictable nature of artillery warfare. we head closer to the front, towards two furiously contested towns, soledar and bakhmut. ukrainian footage of a recent tank battle here, firing on the move. on a frozen hillside near bakhmut, we watch more ukrainian tanks in action. they call this section of the front

line the meat grinder — a savage artillery war that has raged for months with precious little progress on either side. but the ukrainians here insist that's about to change — if, that is, they get western tanks here soon. if you're going to counterattack, if you're going to seize more territory, then you need tanks, you need mobile artillery? sure. it's very useful for counterattacking, because infantry covered by tanks, for sure, win. without that, these front lines are going to be stuck like they are? yeah. for now, it grinds on, the cold and lethal winter stalemate. andrew harding, bbc news, in ukraine's donbas. so as we heard from the soldiers

andrew was speaking to, there is a clear demand from ukraine for more tanks. let's look at how close the west is to supplying them. on monday, uk defence minister ben wallace confirmed that the uk would send 14 of these challenger 2 tanks to ukraine. the ukrainian president tweeted... the us and france have pledged to send armoured combat vehicles like this but have stopped short of supplying tanks. and poland's president says other european countries want to send their tanks. translation: we are gathering this coalition, _ this community of countries, that i hope will hand over leopard tanks to ukraine. here, we also count on our finnish partners, who also have these tanks. there are a number of european countries that have these tanks in their resources, and i hope that the allies will give away a few or a dozen of their tanks. but those countries can't send tanks to ukraine without the agreement of germany.

that's because these german—made leopard battle tanks, common in armies across europe, are widely seen as the only option available in sufficient numbers. they cannot be delivered without authorisation from berlin. the decision falls to germany's new defence minister boris pistorius, who replaces christine lambrecht. she quit on monday after criticism of her handling of the military. the uk's defence minister had this message for his german counterpart. all of this currently relies on the german government's decisions, not only whether the germans will supply their own leopards but whether or not they'll give permissions for others. i would urge my german colleagues to do that. these tanks are not offensive when they are used for defensive methods. for ukraine to tip the scales on the battlefield, analysts say the number of tanks supplied is important. here's the war studies professor mike martin.

if you're talking specifically about numbers of tanks, . i would say at least 100 or 120. but of course, it's not just tanks, because the way you arrange - land forces is you have tanks and armoured infantry- and artillery and air cover and all the rest of it. - so the tanks form the centrepiece, if you like, of the offensive force, i and then arranged around that is a wider package i of different capabilities. so as well as tanks, ukraine needs an array of other military equipment, and that's what the ukrainian delegation has been trying to get, appealing to leaders at the world economic forum meeting in davos. here's ukraine's deputy prime minister. everybody understands that ukraine will win this war, will gain the victory this year. but to do this, we still like to stress on the necessity of weapon supply to ukraine. with more on the military developments in ukraine, here's our correspondent

james waterhouse. there is a concern from ukraine's military that russia is going to throw everything at trying to take the donetsk region as a whole, and that would be a significant marker for vladimir putin because that falls under his official aim, apparently, in his invasion of ukraine. so i think that is the broader worry, as opposed to this salt mining town where the ukrainian forces, i expect, will make a tactical retreat of some kind. now to news from brussels — and belgian police have revealed that a key suspect in an eu corruption scandal has cut a deal with investigators. prosecutors say pier antonio panzeri, who was an italian mep for ten years until 2019, has promised to give details on the people and countries involved. let's cross live to brussels and

our correspondentjessica parker. tell me more, please. yeah, pretty siunificant tell me more, please. yeah, pretty significant update _ tell me more, please. yeah, pretty significant update from _ tell me more, please. yeah, pretty significant update from belgium - significant update from belgium prosecutors. you might remember back in december, the news broke that they were carrying out a series of raids across properties here in brussels. they seized around one million and half euros in cash. the suggestion was, cash and gifts were being used to influence proceedings at the european parliament. four people were charged, one of them pier antonio panzeri, as you say, a former member of the european parliament, and today what prosecutors are saying is they have struck an agreement with mr panzeri and that he is going to be giving them information on how this alleged criminal network operated, the people involved, the countries involved as well. they are even saying, we are including the identities of people he admits to having bribes, so a very significant

developing in this case that left the european permit reeling. you say the european permit reeling. you say the ma the european permit reeling. you say they may be — the european permit reeling. you say they may be countries _ the european permit reeling. you say they may be countries involved, - the european permit reeling. you say they may be countries involved, the i they may be countries involved, the plural? do we have any idea how long that list is? we plural? do we have any idea how long that list is? ~ ., �* ~ ., plural? do we have any idea how long that list is? ., �* ~ ., ., plural? do we have any idea how long that list is? ~ ., �* ~ ., ., ., that list is? we don't know how long that list is? we don't know how long that list is? we don't know how long that list is. of _ that list is? we don't know how long that list is. of course, _ that list is? we don't know how long that list is. of course, qatar- that list is? we don't know how long that list is. of course, qatar was - that list is. of course, qatar was the first country reported as potentially being involved. they then strongly quickly denied any involved in there. marco was there reportedly also implicated as well, morocco has had back at those allegations as well. one of the big questions hanging over this information that has been provided ljy information that has been provided by belgian prosecutors today is, what is mr panzeri saying in terms of the people that may be involved and the countries as well? but as i say, for the european parliament, they're desperately trying to win back public trust by, for example, tightening the rules around lobbying, access to the parliament tree premises as well. they have even gone so far as banning

unshipped groups, these unofficial groups connected to third countries within the european parliament, links to third countries outside of the eu. -- links to third countries outside of the eu. —— friendship groups. they are getting rid of those as well and we are told to expect more measures down the line as well. just. we are told to expect more measures down the line as well.— down the line as well. just, thank ou for down the line as well. just, thank you for that- _ down the line as well. just, thank you for that. jessica _ down the line as well. just, thank you for that. jessica parker. - one of belarus's main opposition leaders, sviatlana tsikhanouskaya, has denounced as a "farce" a trial against her and four other exiled allies that's taking place in her homeland. the five are being tried in absentia, accused of conspiracy to seize power and forming an extremist organisation. so how did we get here? since 1994, belarus has been dominated by this man alexander lukashenko — a strongman dubbed europe's last dictator. two years ago, he faced his biggest test, an election he lost but insisted he won by 85%.

—— most people insisted he lost, but he was reported to win. the woman the world widely believes won that election is sviatla na tsikhanouskaya. she stood in place of her husband, who was injail. once the result was announced, mass protest followed. that resulted in deadly violence from state security forces and thousands of arrests and detentions. following the election, tsikhanouskaya fled to lithuania and became the head of the opposition in exile. she says her trial is a form of punishment. the purpose of the trial is to show personal revenge from lukashenko on me and all those who uprise against the dictatorship. but we understand such trials don't have anything in common with justice. a day before the start of her trial, belarus brought new charges against tsikhanouskaya and her husband, siarhei tsikhanouski, who was arrested in 2020 as he

attempted to run for president. also on monday, minsk began the trial of andrzej poczobut, a journalist and activist who is also of belarus' ethnic polish minority. belarus also put rights activist and nobel peace prize winner ales bialiatski and two others on trial this month, with possible prison sentences of up to 12 years. katia glod is a russia—west policy fellow at the european leadership network. she explains why people in the justice system were not facing more sanctions. the number ofjudges and prosecutors involved in this unfairjustice system has tremendously increased, and the list has not really caught up with the new people. new people have not been put on this list because, obviously, the international community is very busy imposing sanctions on the russian officials and on russian businesses, and belarus is a bit outside of the limelight at the moment. so what is the situation in the country for people who question

or challenge the regime? according to the leading belarusian human rights group viasna, by the end of november, at least 1,443 people faced prosecution on politically motivated charges. six viasna activists remained behind bars, including the organisation's leader ales bialiatski. who i mentioned. from january to october, the belarusian association ofjournalists documented 93 cases of arbitrary detention, raids, fines and administrative arrests ofjournalists. 28 journalists and media workers were behind bars on bogus criminal charges ranging from "insulting the president" to "treason" and "conspiracy to seize state power." olga dryndova is editor of belarus analysis at the university of bremen in germany. thank you very much indeed for joining us on the bbc. how do you view this trial?— view this trial? thank you for invitin: view this trial? thank you for inviting me- _ view this trial? thank you for inviting me. unfortunately, l view this trial? thank you for| inviting me. unfortunately, it view this trial? thank you for - inviting me. unfortunately, it was not much of a surprise for me

because it has become a part of the pollution authoritarian normality, and not the first person being charged. what is special about this case is she is not only the leader of the pro—democratic forces in belarus but an international leader on it unprecedented level, it is unprecedented. we've not seen anything like that in the whole belarusian history, since the collapse of the soviet union, and she is the kind of a legitimate alternative to the regime of lukashenko abroad, and i think what they're trying to do, they're trying to deprive her of this legitimacy, political legitimacy, both inside the country and outside, which i don't think what could function, blood could function, she could be deprived of the belarusian citizenship. into a has been passed in belarus not that long ago that allows that. also, in the absence of

people at the court, which also happens to her political colleagues. a lot of pollutions work abroad, politically active, despising the government and could be deprived of their citizenship in the upcoming months, and i think the european countries with pollution exile should be ready for that. she countries with pollution exile should be ready for that. she is in exile from — should be ready for that. she is in exile from there, _ should be ready for that. she is in exile from there, but _ should be ready for that. she is in exile from there, but inside - exile from there, but inside belarus, is there any kind of organised opposition any more? you are riaht, organised opposition any more? want are right, most of the democrat he forces, while not all of them, are actually in exile. it is a new form of opposition in belarus of an exile position, and that is why the influence within the country is really very limited. of course there is communication between the cabinet of tsikhanouskaya and activists in belarus, and out of security reasons, i cannot name those can

indication channels, but this communication is limited, the influence of what happens in the country is very limited. i think what is still very important as they manage to stay united. the formation of the united cabinet of tsikhanouskaya, and it is not always happen over the history, and the significant function to internationally represent the pollution society, an alternative to lukashenko, so we have this differentiation between the regime of lukashenko and the belarusian society, especially against the background of ukraine, very important. background of ukraine, very important-— background of ukraine, very imortant. ., ., ~ ., important. olga, thank you for talkin: important. olga, thank you for talking us _ important. olga, thank you for talking us through _ important. olga, thank you for talking us through that. - important. olga, thank you for talking us through that. that i important. olga, thank you forj talking us through that. that is olga dryndova on outside source. a quicker miner of some football news that has come in and the last few minutes. the british billionaire sirjim radcliffe has confirmed his

interest in buying manchester united. the founder of the firm indios has been a fan of the club and tried to buy chelsea last year. that is a significant of a limit. we know there are a number of people, manchester united, the glaziers, the family who owned the club, who have indicated they want to buy the club. one of the most recent successful is this man in the uk says he wants to be involved, but one thing to bear in mind with premier league clubs, as we've seen with manchester city, as we've seen with manchester city, as we've seen with manchester city, as we've seen with newcastle as well, is sometimes individual businesses or businesspeople cannot be involved. sometimes whole states will choose to get involved, such as saudi arabia's connections with newcastle, so we will have to see

how that goes. further updates on the bbc sport website and i will be back with you in a couple of minutes' time. hello. well, frosty weather has gripped much of the uk. it is cold outside and snowy for many of us. this was the scene in derry/londonderry earlier today, that snow looking picturesque against the blue sky. over the next few days, it is going to be staying cold, frosty, icy for much of the country. wintry showers for many of us as well. we are in this arctic airflow at the moment, those cold northerly winds moving down, keeping things very cold across the country for the next few days. and until midnight across parts of northern scotland, we do have this amber weather warning in place for heavy snow, with up to 15 centimetres of snowfall possible within this area. it is going to be windy across north scotland as well —

gales, so blizzard—like conditions possible. but overnight for much of the country, snowy, wintry weather continuing for much of northern ireland, wales, into the midlands and south—west as well and possibly across the north sea coast. but there will be some dry, clear skies overnight as well. it's going to be cold, not quite as cold as last night. temperatures dipping down to between —1 and —4 celsius. tomorrow, frosty possible for all of us, then. these snowy showers continuing in scotland, and along the north sea coast, we do see gales with this little weather system moving down, with some wintry showers continuing, and across wales, northern ireland and the south—west as well, although these snow showers should remain on high ground, with sleet and rain possible to lower levels. again, cold tomorrow, 7 celsius maximum, although with that wind—chill, it will feel a lot colder. closer to freezing or even subzero in some parts of the country. moving into thursday, we do see this ridge of high pressure moving in, turning the weather a little bit more settled, less snowfall, although snow showers continuing for parts of scotland. it'll still be breezy up in this

area, although the winds will ease across the rest of the country with some dry and bright skies possible, although in the south—west, a little bit cloudy with some rain possible as well. staying cold, maximum temperature seven celsius. as we move into the weekend, into friday, then this air mass, this milder air mass, is moving across from north down to south, although in the south—east, it will stay colder for longer. into the weekend, then, we do see this split across the country. milder and unsettled towards the north and west, and across the south—east, it will be colder.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. a major blow for britain's electric vehicle industry as britishvolt a maker of electric car batteries collapses. this sector, the automotive sector, is going through the biggest transformation we've seen in decades and it needs support. and if it doesn't get that support, we won't have an automotive industry in the uk. over two hundred staff are made redundant with immediate effect —— we'll look at what went wrong. also in the programme. china's population falls for the first time in more than six decades — indicating that a long—term decline may have begun. and former commander with the russian paramilitary wagner group deserts and claims asylum in norway.

to scotland now where first minister, nicola sturgeon says the scottish government will take legal action against the uk government — after it used what's called a section 35 order to block a bill passed in scotland. the scottish legislation aimed to make it quicker and easierfor trans people to legally change gender. butjust what is section 35? it is the part of the scotland act that gives the uk government the power to block bills passed by the scottish parliament. under section 35, it can legally intervene to block any bill that it believes affect laws outside of the scottish parliament's remit. it must have "reasonable grounds" to believe that proposed legislation would have an "adverse effect on the operation of the law" in the rest of the uk. the power has not been used up to now. once deployed, a section 35 order cannot be overturned by the scottish

parliament. but scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, says her government is likely to mount a legal challenge. i could say categorically the scottish government will vigorously defend this legislation but in doing so we will be vigorously defending something else and that is the institution of the scottish parliament, the ability of mps to legislate areas in short the scottish democracy. there was heated debate in the house of commons in london this afternoon as the uk's scottish secretary alisterjack outlined the reasons for blocking the bill. i have not taken this decision lightly — i have not taken this decision lightly. the government has looked closely _ lightly. the government has looked closely at _ lightly. the government has looked closely at the potential impact of the bill— closely at the potential impact of the bill and i've considered all relevant — the bill and i've considered all relevant policy and applications together but the windsurfer women and equality is in a desire assessment that the bill would have assessment that the bill would have a serious _ assessment that the bill would have a serious adverse impact among other things— a serious adverse impact among other things on— a serious adverse impact among other things on the operation of the

equality— things on the operation of the equality act of 2010. those adverse effects _ equality act of 2010. those adverse effects include impacts on the operation of single—sex clubs, associations and schools and protections such as equal pay. the government shows the concerns of many _ government shows the concerns of many members of public and civic society— many members of public and civic society groups regarding the potential impacts of the group on women _ potential impacts of the group on women and girls. the bill also risks creating _ women and girls. the bill also risks creating significant complications of having — creating significant complications of having two different gender recognitions regimes in the uk and allowing _ recognitions regimes in the uk and allowing more fraudulent or bad—faith applications. those concerns have also been raised by some women's activists within scotland. we are really hoping that now will be a we are really hoping that now will he a chance — we are really hoping that now will he a chance to _ we are really hoping that now will be a chance to undo _ we are really hoping that now will be a chance to undo the damage i we are really hoping that now will. be a chance to undo the damage that has already— be a chance to undo the damage that has already been _ be a chance to undo the damage that has already been done _ be a chance to undo the damage that has already been done and go - be a chance to undo the damage thati has already been done and go forward in a much _ has already been done and go forward in a much more — has already been done and go forward in a much more positive _ has already been done and go forward in a much more positive way- has already been done and go forward in a much more positive way for- in a much more positive way for women's — in a much more positive way for women's rights _ labour's shadow scottish secretary ian murray also addressed the commons. he called the decision an "incredibly serious moment". pa rt part of the reason that after 25 years of demolition section 35 has never been exercise is the weight it has been set up and intended to

operate. governments of their own agendas working together to serve the scottish people. —— devolution. now we are saddled with initiation help bent on working it and ignoring it. indeed the sector state seems to spend more time stopping things happening by that make them work. and scottish government is spending hundreds of thousands on lawyers challenging unchallengeable laws. and in this case it is the public who are like that. trans people who suffer intense discrimination will not not see this legislation take effect anytime soon if at all. in women's rights group who will likely not see their concerns just were alleviated because this is turned into a constitutional conflict. nick mckerrell is a senior lecturer in law at glasgow caledonian university. what you make of the two positions being assumed? stephen tierney is professor

of constitutional theory at the university of edinburgh. dk position as this is a matter that the scottish parliament can lunch later on but this is radically changing the nature of recognition of how one can change their sex that this would apply to the equalities act which is a uk law therefore changing the way scottish people are treated under that equalities act and a cross mean that people could travel from elsewhere in the uk and could registerfor one travel from elsewhere in the uk and could register for one of these certificates under the legislation and then returned to other parts of the uk where they would be treated differently or be entitled to be treated differently under the equalities out. dk position is that the equalities act should be applied in the same way across dk and that is the nature not inevitable if you devolve power? there is honestly devolve power? there is honestly devolve power? there is honestly devolve power under the scotland night however there issues that do

arise where the power of both parliaments exist to legislate on an issue but there can be situations essential government notjust in the uk but in other default systems takes the view that there are certain matters where status must who might want to be food safety in respect to gmo food another could be the application of human rights. we have a human paean —— european human rights and also be seen standards of the user opinion convention of human rights. so what the uk is saying here is that the equality act is a fundamental human rights that you and therefore it should apply in the same way across the uk stop that is not going against them but a fact of reserved powers under the scotland act. this reserved powers under the scotland act. �* , , . reserved powers under the scotland act. a , . ., reserved powers under the scotland act. as such if nicola sturgeon were able to challenge _ act. as such if nicola sturgeon were

able to challenge the _ act. as such if nicola sturgeon were able to challenge the successfully . able to challenge the successfully what it fundamentally change the relationship between these two governments? the relationship between these two governments?— governments? the option now available to — governments? the option now available to the _ governments? the option now available to the scottish - governments? the option now - available to the scottish government is to challenge this, section 35 can only be used reasonably and that does allow nicola sturgeon and her government to take the kick government to take the kick government to take the kick government to court and to say this is unreasonable. this is not what section 35 was meant for. this bill is not a threat to the equalities act and do something that could play out in court. i think is likely where things will go for here. thank ou ve where things will go for here. thank you very much _ where things will go for here. thank you very much for — where things will go for here. thank you very much for your— where things will go for here. thank you very much for your time. - while this debate continues, the government says a new law to ban all forms of conversion therapy in england and wales will also protect transgender people. the proposals will outlaw any attempt to change someone's sexuality or gender identity. our lgbt & identity correspondent lauren moss explains. conversion therapy is practices which attempt to change or suppress

someone's sexual orientation or gender. someone's sexual orientation or render. �* . , someone's sexual orientation or render. �* , someone's sexual orientation or render. �* .,, , , ., gender. and it has been spoken about for several years _ gender. and it has been spoken about for several years now _ gender. and it has been spoken about for several years now that _ gender. and it has been spoken about for several years now that the - for several years now that the government planned to bring in a bill to ban all forms of conversion therapy going back for years, since then we have had for prime minister, last year when boris johnson then we have had for prime minister, last year when borisjohnson was prime minister it emerged that he would not go forward with the band and that it was quite a bit of a war among lgbt charities and now they have come forward with plans to ban them and nowjust not covering gender identity because set at the time that it was very competent and they want to make sure people are not penalised like parents, heaters, doctors for asking questions around someone's gender identity. and further work needed to be done. several months have since passed and now we have come in today an announcement, a written statement rather, confirming plans to bring forward a draught bill to ban conversion therapy that will apply

to sexual orientation and transgender people as well. not a lot of meat on the bones about what it will involve what has and said is there will be scrutiny on the legislation to make sure that all of the concerns around conversion therapy which existed last year as well when boris johnson therapy which existed last year as well when borisjohnson said, our address before any bill is officially tabled. so it is the start of what is likely to be a long process ahead of parliament. now let's return to the war in ukraine. a former commander with the russian paramilitary wagner group — which russia uses to carry out some of its fighting in ukraine, has deserted and claimed asylum in norway. this is 26—year—old andrey medvedev, who crossed the border into norway last friday, where he was detained by border guards. why he chose to defect through norway is unclear. this is one of the most heavily guarded border regions in the world. but mr medvedev says he was able to evade the watchtowers, searchlights and regular patrols from teams on both sides.

our news reporter stephanie prentice explains why he's claiming asylum. mr medvedev was a commander in that group and was quite high ranking. he alleges he saw human rights abuses as well as war crimes and even within the group people being executed if they try to leave it. he says that is what caused them to flee. now one of the groups commander has already spoken out which is unusual, they have denied this and said he did work for them but that what he's saying is not true and they have called him a very dangerous individual. andrey medvedev is currently being held in the oslo area, where he faces charges of illegal entry to norway. here's his lawyer. translation: we don't grant asylum to war criminals so it is clear that this is a very important assessment and everything must be analysed very carefully. who is he, where is he from, is his information correct, etc.

this is something that is assessed for everyone to seek asylum in norway, but obviously in this case it will be particularly thoroughly. here's bbc monitoring's vitaly shevchenko. it's the first known instance of a wagner fleeing to the west. he has been speaking to a rights defender, a russian rights defender who is in exile himself and andrey medvedev has claims that he has witnessed extrajudicial killings in ukraine by both fighters who were willing to go and fight and also captive ukrainian soldiers. unwilling to go and fight and also captive ukrainian soldiers. let's get some background on the wagner group. analysts believe the wagner group's first operation was helping russia annex crimea in 2014, wagner group mercenaries have since operated in syria, libya and the central african republic. in ukraine, the wagner group's fighters now make up about 10% of russia's forces, according to uk government officials. the group has been heavily involved in russian efforts to capture

the city of bakhmut, in eastern ukraine. catrina doxsee is associate director of the transnational threats project at the centre for strategic and international studies. thank you forjoining us. i assume you considered that a wagner a transnational threat? yes certainly. tell us more _ transnational threat? yes certainly. tell us more about _ transnational threat? yes certainly. tell us more about your— tell us more about your understanding about how it operates alongside the russian military? the warner alongside the russian military? tue: wagner group alongside the russian military? tts: wagner group has alongside the russian military? t"t2 wagner group has traditionally operated very much in the shadows. part of why russia has chosen to use them to further their geopolitical goals without the russian government being held accountable for what they may do, they can have a deniable presence in these different areas. but we have seen that mo really change throughout the war in ukraine. they have gone from serving

as a front line strike force in the shadows to now, operating more or less, as in informal unit as the russian military. despite not being an official arm of the russian government. an official arm of the russian government-— an official arm of the russian covernment. ., ., ., ., government. now we have a commander leavin: , government. now we have a commander leaving. going — government. now we have a commander leaving. going into _ government. now we have a commander leaving, going into norway. _ government. now we have a commander leaving, going into norway. how- leaving, going into norway. how significant is that? t leaving, going into norway. how significant is that?— significant is that? i think it is very significant. _ significant is that? i think it is very significant. we _ significant is that? i think it is very significant. we have - significant is that? i think it is very significant. we have one | very significant. we have one former russians shoulder who left several years ago —— soldier who wrote a memoirfrom his time in years ago —— soldier who wrote a memoir from his time in serious there is a bit of precedent from insight into the wagner operations but to have someone serving as a commander in notice notably serving in an ongoing conflict i think is going to be a huge boon to the west if we are able to verify his information is correct. and get insights on the evolution on wagner

activities particularly as their role has continued to evolve throughout the war in ukraine both in terms of how they are operating on the front lines as well as how internal operations have shifted as they moved from relying largely on either long—time members or recruits with military or intelligence backgrounds to now relying more on individuals who are recruited out of prisons or who are coming in with very little prior experience or training on the battlefield. haste training on the battlefield. have ou been training on the battlefield. have you been surprised _ training on the battlefield. have you been surprised at _ training on the battlefield. have you been surprised at the - training on the battlefield. have you been surprised at the speed at which the wagner has been able to expand and its origin in 2014 to be around 10% of russian forces? taste around 1096 of russian forces? we have seen around 10% of russian forces? 2 have seen more than a sevenfold increase even in the number of countries where russian private military companies like the wagner group are active grown going from 2014 until today. so going overall

we have seen that this is a tool that moscow is increasingly relying on and i think that as they continue to be a very prominent aspect of russian's were in ukraine and to glibly as their leader become more transparent about the nation of their operations including setting up their operations including setting up a official operations in st. petersburg we will contingency the prominence of the wagner group grow and the way that russia uses them continue to of all.— continue to of all. thank you very much, continue to of all. thank you very much. very _ stay with us on outside source — still to come.. protests continue —— against plans to block scottish reforms on gender recognition —— a warning that the uk government will be challenged in court. dozens of people were injured,

after a double—decker bus, carrying 70 workers to hinkley point c power station in somerset, overturned in freezing conditions. avon and somerset police declared a major incident after the crash near bridgwate. a spokesperson for the nhs confirmed a "small number" of passengers on the bus required surgery. phil mackie has the story. hammering. this was the immediate aftermath of the accident, and these are some of the 70 workers who were being taken to work on the double—decker bus. a nearby petrol station was used as a triage centre. 56 people needed hospital treatment. the incident was initially declared as a major incident due to the number of people involved and the resources required. emergency services have been on the scene since receiving the first 999 call, and we can confirm there have been no fatalities at this time.

it was easier to see in daylight. the double—decker bus on its side, and the motorcycle which was also involved in the accident standing a few metres away. conditions last night were appalling. temperatures had dropped well below freezing, and there had been so many road—related incidents between 6pm and 11pm last night that avon and somerset police warned drivers not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary. ice has been the issue here but there have been problems almost everywhere. heavy snow fell in the scottish highlands, with many schools having to close. locals made the most of the unexpected day off. snow also fell across the welsh countryside, including pembrokeshire, but roads remained clear. and there was a weather warning for the town of limavady in northern ireland, which saw heavy snow overnight. back here, the workers belongings have been collected and the bus has been recovered. there are still warnings in place with another very cold night ahead. phil mackie, bbc news, somerset.

this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story... a major blow for britain's electric vehicle industry, as britishvolt, a maker of electric car batteries, collapses. china's population has fallen for the first time in more than 60 years. that could indicate the start of a long—term decline. here's how some beijing residents have reacted to that. i think firstly the cost to raise a child now is too high. from when they are little to when they go to school and when they look for a job in the future and get married and have their own children. the cost is too high. we don't have any plans to have a second child.

i feel worried about the population decline especially in my generation who were born after 1990. most of us are the only child, if we are not married the girl will need to take care of her parents and their grandparents if they are still alive. so the burden on everyone is quite heavy. putting aside the financial burdens is quite a heavy commitment for people in our generation terms of time and energy. so — let's take a look at some of the numbers. china's population last year was over 1.4 billion people — according to official data. that's a decrease of 850,000 people from 2021. the national birth rate also hit a record low — 6.77 births per thousand people. compare that with the united states — 11.06 births per thousand people. here's one assessment of why this is happening. chinese populations, ethnic populations outside of the people's republican, in taiwan, singapore, hong kong. in malaysia. you find that in all of this places as populations have got work richer, urban, educated they have a culture which is also meant a lower and lower fertility rate. so without the one—child

policy this willjust be coming futher down the line and with the one—child policy with did not clearly people are not going back to the large families they had. you heard the one—child policy mentioned there. it was scrapped in 2016 — but its central to this story. it was introduced in 1979 to slow population growth. families that violated the rules were fined and, in some cases, even lostjobs. more now from the bbc�*s china media analyst — kerry allen. it is very much the case that the parents in the one—child policy, many of them are retiring nowadays in this means that the labour market is shrinking and this is a major concern for overseas analyst. it is very much, there is no question of what china does to back this up. there has been this trend over the last 5—10 years of more more young chinese people working excessive overtime. this means that there is simply no time to have children. but also due to economic growth in the country, a lot of young chinese

are now, urban chinese are going into further education or employment and they are very much choosing not to have a child because it is expense full. they have other priorities. and this all comes as china's economy shows signs of slowing down. for the full year, growth came in at 3 percent. that's far below china's official target of 5 and a half percent. excluding the year covid hit in 20—20, it's china's lowest growth in nearly 50 years. here's one economist�*s assessment of where china goes from here. we think that actually the set of data is not too bad because it is better than expected, particularly in the industrial side of things. the retail sales it is contracting but it is better—than—expected. so if we look forward, looking at more high—frequency data, actually for example subway traffic, footfalls and

shops, they have been proved erotically so i think congress actually looking forward to a better year in 2023 as china reopens and exits it's very strict covid strategies. let's speak to isabel hilton now — she's the editor of china dialogue. how closely would you equate the issue of the population slowing down and the economy slowing down? t and the economy slowing down? i think the immediate causes of the economy slowing down are that we have had a year in china of constant lockdowns from covid, the zero covid policy enormous costs associated with that in all of that has been a economy, supplies teens disrupted and so on. in the long—term there are systemic issues which will make it very difficult for the economy to grow at anything like the pace that she did. and populations a part of that. so you have a shrinking workforce but also you have got an ageing population. the most rapidly ageing population. the most rapidly ageing population. the most rapidly

ageing population in the world. so looking at the shape of the chinese demographic which is a direct result of the one—child policy you have a big collection of unfunded liabilities, particularly in pensions and in health care costs for that ageing population and fewer workers to support the production of those costs. so it will be a drag on the economy, no doubt about it. it the economy, no doubt about it. if it will be a drag, if we go back a number of years, china used rules and sometimes punishments to insist that people only had one child. presumably they could use a different set of rules and incentives to encourage people to have more children now. it became extremely coercive _ have more children now. it became extremely coercive and _ have more children now. it became extremely coercive and pretty - have more children now. it becamel extremely coercive and pretty brutal with the one—child policy i'm not sure that would work at the other way around. we are seeing a drift towards pronatalist policies that are making it harder to get a divorce for example. bringing down

the age of marriage from 2218 and there is a lot of propaganda about women who do not have children and women who do not have children and women who do not have children and women who don't marry by the time they're 30 being left over women so thatis they're 30 being left over women so that is quite a lot of social pressure building up particularly on china's younger women to become mothers. but as we have been hearing there are a lot of things working against it. one, the fact that the younger generations are only children themselves. they don't have cousins or brothers or sisters. their parents may not have so that don't have that big commitment to family that was a traditional part of chinese culture. if you are living in a small expensive flight in a city you don't have, you simply don't have the resources to contemplate a large family. so the government will deftly put pressure on but i think they are going to find it quite hard to reverse this.

in terms of the pressure or encouragement presumably the government sought to alleviate the financial commitments that come with having children essentially that would help. we having children essentially that would help-— having children essentially that would hel. ~ ., , having children essentially that would hel-. 2 ., , ., would help. we have seen some of that. we would help. we have seen some of that- we have _ would help. we have seen some of that. we have seen _ would help. we have seen some of that. we have seen a _ would help. we have seen some of that. we have seen a certain - would help. we have seen some of i that. we have seen a certain amount of lifting of economic pressures on young people, pressures on companies to get more generous maternity leave something that is not particularly generous in china, or parentally. but looking at the bigger sheep of the chinese economy the share of the national income that is kept by households is really quite small. the state takes a lot. so you have to reconfigure your economy, really, to reconfigure your economy, really, to give people confidence that they can embark on larger families with all of the costs of education,

accommodation, a nonworking parent. so that's really a lot.— so that's really a lot. thank you we are riaht so that's really a lot. thank you we are right up — so that's really a lot. thank you we are right up at _ so that's really a lot. thank you we are right up at the _ so that's really a lot. thank you we are right up at the end of— so that's really a lot. thank you we are right up at the end of the - are right up at the end of the programme and thank you for finishing up that last story of the programme and will see you tomorrow at the usual time. hello. well, frosty weather has gripped much of the uk. it is cold outside and snowy for many of us. this was the scene in derry/londonderry earlier today, that snow looking picturesque against the blue sky. over the next few days, it is going to be staying cold, frosty, icy for much of the country. wintry showers for many of us as well. we are in this arctic airflow at the moment, those cold northerly winds moving down, keeping things very cold across the country for the next few days. and until midnight across parts of northern scotland, we do have this amber weather warning in place for heavy snow, with up to 15 centimetres of snowfall possible within this area. it is going to be windy across north scotland as well — gales, so blizzard—like conditions possible. but overnight for much of the country, snowy, wintry weather continuing for much of northern ireland, wales,

into the midlands and south—west as well and possibly across the north sea coast. but there will be some dry, clear skies overnight as well. it's going to be cold, not quite as cold as last night. temperatures dipping down to between —1 and —4 celsius. tomorrow, frosty possible for all of us, then. these snowy showers continuing in scotland, and along the north sea coast, we do see gales with this little weather system moving down, with some wintry showers continuing, and across wales, northern ireland and the south—west as well, although these snow showers should remain on high ground, with sleet and rain possible to lower levels. again, cold tomorrow, 7 celsius maximum, although with that wind—chill, it will feel a lot colder. closer to freezing or even subzero in some parts of the country. moving into thursday, we do see this ridge of high pressure moving in, turning the weather a little bit more settled, less snowfall, although snow showers continuing for parts of scotland. it'll still be breezy up in this area, although the winds will ease

across the rest of the country with some dry and bright skies possible, although in the south—west, a little bit cloudy with some rain possible as well. staying cold, maximum temperature seven celsius. as we move into the weekend, into friday, then this air mass, this milder air mass, is moving across from north down to south, although in the south—east, it will stay colder for longer. into the weekend, then, we do see this split across the country. milder and unsettled towards the north and west, and across the south—east, it will be colder.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. a major blow for britain's electric vehicle industry , as britishvolt , a maker of electric car batteries , collapses. the sector, the automotive sector, has gone through the biggest transformation we have seen in decades. and it needs support. if it doesn't get that support we won't have an automotive industry in the uk. over 200 staff are made redundant with immediate effect. we'll look at what went wrong. also in the programme. claim and counterclaim in ukraine, kyiv and moscow both say their troops control soledar , a town at the centre of the conflict. and belarus's exiled opposition leader calls the her trial an act of vengeance for standing up to the regime.

the electric car battery maker, britishvolt, has gone into administration — after hopes of a last—minute bid for the company faded. the collapse raises questions about uk hopes of building a home—grown battery industry.the company, which had plans to build a gigafactory to make the batteries in northumberland, has appointed administrators at ey after failing to raise enough cash on monday there were no current viable takeover offers.the start—up has been developing a £3.8 billion gigafactory in blyth, northumberland, and received tens of millions of pounds of financial backing from metals giant glencore.but it fell into emergency the uk startup had been expecting

to build a new 3.8 billion pound — or 4.7 billion dollar — factory in northumberland, northern england, as part of a long—term vision to boost uk manufacturing. well this promotional video shows what the factory — with a capability to make 300,000 electric batteries a year — would have looked like. the plan was to create 3000 jobs at the plant. now administrators have taken over the business and most of britishvolt�*s 300 staff are being made redundant. here's our business editor simonjack: so what went wrong? britishvolt was a start—up company with no track record. their battery technology was only at the prototype stage. although there are expressions of interest from lotus and aston martin, they had no real customers and therefore no revenue. and yet they were burning through their backers�* cash fast, nearly going bust last november and finally collapsing today. this is a setback for the uk car industry. currently, the uk only has one working battery plant, a chinese—owned one next to the nissan plant which is its only customer. but look at this. around europe, these are the plants that are either already working or under construction, with many more planned. and remember, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the uk and other european markets in just seven years�* time. where does this leave uk government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 as it tries to slash emissions?

this is colin walker, transport lead at the energy and climate intelligence unit. "in its net zero strategy, the government said it wanted the uk�*s automotive sector to stay at the cutting edge and capture the jobs of the future." "building a domestic battery manufacturing sector is crucial if this ambition is to be realised." well around a year ago, former prime minister borisjohnson talked of the britishvolt plant being part of the uk�*s "global green industrial revolution". and his government promised britishvolt100 million pounds in support. but when the company asked for a thirty—million pound advance last year, ministers refused, as the company had not hit agreed construction milestones to access the funds. this is a government statement today: we offered significant support to britishvolt through the automotive transformation fund on the condition that key milestones, including private investment commitments were met. we remained hopeful that britishvolt would find a suitable investor and are disappointed to hear that this has not been possible. here�*s steve bush from the unite union: 100 million's a drop in the ocean. this sector, the automotive sector,

is going through the biggest transformation we've seen in decades, and it needs support. and if it doesn't get that support, we won't have an automotive industry in the uk. we believe we need five to six gigafactories to replace like—for—like, come 2030. a 2030 target was ambitious anyway. it was set by this government and brought forward by five years. fine, let's do that. let's have a strategy and support it, and a meaningful strategy, and that starts with gigafactories being built in the uk. and here�*s the labour shadow business secretary: there is a brilliant site in blyth, it hopefully. will become a gigafactory, _ but unless the government has a real strategy to attract the investment required to do that to the uk, - we risk losing what is three quarters of a million jobs . in the automotive sector in the long term in the uk _ well sales of electric vehicle are creeping up here in the uk. in december, electric vehicles saw their biggest—ever monthly market share,

of almost 33 percent. for 2022 as a whole they made up almost 17% of registrations, overtaking diesel for the first time to become the second most popular type of car after petrol. here�*s ginny buckley— she�*s the founder and ceo of electrifying.com, an online electric car marketplace which offers advice on buying electric. let�*s be clear, this is a great loss to british industry. the car industry, out of £40 billion of added value to the british economy, and if it is to stay competitive on the global stage, we need a supply—chain in this that can supply, and gigafactories are key to that. but what you�*ve outlined, 200 people lost theirjobs today, and that is devastating. the government is making clear this kind of facility,

to be competitive, it needs to pull in outward investment. why has it not been possible? let�*s be clear, when this was an idea on the drawing board, the conditions were very different. we have had a pandemic, we have had brexit, we are in a cost—of—living crisis. building gigafactories cost billions of pounds, and i think the big issue here is the government is really serious about having these industrial resolution it talks about, it needs a strategy, and it needs incentivising into it. these gigafactories need support. they are doing support in other parts of the road and any that here in the uk. what about demand for electric cars? how does that fit into the equation? december was the highest month yet in terms of share of sales, but it is still around a third of all sales, it is not the dominant form of cars being sold. it is not the dominant, but as you�*ve outlined, electric cars out sold diesel in 2022 the one in five new cars sold

last year were electric. consumers are definitely taking a lead in this switch. the numbers back that up. and finally, a question about specfics of building batteries. with this facility going the leading manufacturer? no, the friday institute believes we need 100 gigawatts hours of battery making capacity here in the uk by 2030 if we are to be providing the number we need. that facility was going to take up 38 gigawatt hours of that. so we need much more investment into this. it is such a crucial sector. it plays a huge part of the uk economy. it needs more support from government. let�*s turn to the war in ukraine, and the town of soledar which has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the conflict.

who�*s in control is disputed. russia claims to have taken it, but ukraine denies this. here�*s an army spokesperson. ukrainian forces stay in soledar and permanently hit russian troops and wagner criminals. thank you, british people and government, for our support. together to the victory. the fall of soledar would mark russia�*s first significant battlefield gain after months of military retreats and setbacks against ukrainian forces. it�*s located in ukraine�*s eastern donetsk province — near the towns of bakhmut and kramatorsk. russia has made multiple claims of control in the past week, and in this video released by the russian army, defence minister sergei shoigu is seen awarding medals to troops fighting in the area. less than nine miles away from soledar, heavy fighting continues in bakhmut. the bbc�*s andrew harding has spent

some time with a tank unit there, and sent this report. lurking in a snowbound forestjust behind the front lines, a cluster of ukrainian tanks. but these are ancient warhorses, half a century old. no match for russia�*s army. "they are just not suitable for this era," the company commander readily admits. "they work, but the technology has moved on." gunfire. which is why there�*s great excitement here about the prospect of western machines. if you could have any tank — challenger, leopard, abrams, any of these foreign tanks that are being offered — would it make a difference? i think abrams, leopard, challenger, it�*s very good for us. any tank? any tank, any tank. it is help for us, for victory.

suddenly, there is incoming fire close by. a hurried exit for us and a reminder of the unpredictable nature of artillery warfare. we head closer to the front, towards two furiously contested towns, soledar and bakhmut. ukrainian footage of a recent tank battle here, firing on the move. on a frozen hillside near bakhmut, we watch more ukrainian tanks in action. they call this section of the front line the meat grinder — a savage artillery war that has raged for months with precious little progress on either side. but the ukrainians here insist that�*s about to change — if, that is, they get western tanks here soon. if you�*re going to counterattack, if you�*re going to seize more territory, then you need tanks,

you need mobile artillery? sure. it�*s very useful for counterattacking, because infantry covered by tanks, for sure, win. without that, these front lines are going to be stuck like they are? yeah. for now, it grinds on, a cold and lethal winter stalemate. andrew harding, bbc news, in ukraine�*s donbas. so a clear demand for tanks in ukraine. let�*s look at how close the west is to supplying them. on monday uk defence minister ben wallace confirmed that the uk would send 14 of these challenger two tanks to ukraine. the ukrainian president tweeted "tanks, armoured personnel carriers and artillery are exactly what ukraine needs to restore its territorial integrity. thank you @rishisunak, thank you @bwallacemp." the us and france have pledged to send armoured

combat vehicles like this, but have stopped short of supplying tanks. and poland�*s president says other european countries want to send their tanks. translation: "we are gathering this coalition, this _ community of countries, that i hope will hand over leopard tanks to ukraine. here, we also count on our finnish partners, who also have these tanks. there is a number of european countries that have these tanks in their resources and i hope that the allies will give away a few or a dozen of their tanks. but those countries can�*t send tanks to ukraine without the agreement of germany. that�*s because these german—made leopard battle tanks, common in armies across europe, are widely seen as the only option available in sufficient numbers. they cannot be delivered without authorisation from berlin. the decision falls to germany�*s new defence minister boris pistorius, who replaces christine lambrecht. she quit on monday after criticism of her handling of the military.

the uk�*s defence minister had this message for his german counterpart. all of this currently relies on the german government�*s decisions not only whether the german�*s will supply their own leopards but whether or not they will give permissions for others. i would urge my german colleagues to do that. these tanks are not offensive, when they are used for defensive methods. for ukraine to tip the scales on the battlefield, analysts say the number of tanks supplied is important. here�*s war studies professor mike martin. if you're talking specifically about numbers of tanks, i would say at least 100 or 120. but of course, it's not just tanks, because the way you arrange land forces is you have tanks and armoured infantry and artillery and air cover and all the rest of it. so the tanks form the centrepiece, if you like, of the offensive force, and then arranged around that is a wider package of different capabilities.

with more on the military developments in ukraine here�*s our correspondent james waterhouse. there is a concern from ukraine�*s military that russia is going to throw everything at trying to take the donetsk region as a whole, and that would be a significant marker for vladimir putin because that falls under his official aim, apparently, in his invasion of ukraine. so i think that is the broader worry, as opposed to this salt mining town where the ukrainian forces, i expect, will make a tactical retreat of some kind. to afghanistan now where more international aid organisations have partially restored work in the country after receiving assurances from the taliban government that women can work in some sectors. the international rescue committee and care havejoined save the children in resuming a number of programmes, mostly in health and nutrition. there was global condemnation back in december, when the tailiban

ordered aid organisations not to let female staff work, until further notice, saying they had not adhered to their interpretation of islamic dress code. most aid agencies then stopped their aid efforts. and that, was devastating for afghanistan — with half the population now reliant on humanitarian aid and six million on the brink of famine. lets speak to save the children international�*s coo david wright. his life with us on the bbc. mr wright thank you for your time. why would you trust anything the taliban says? would you trust anything the taliban sa s? ~ , , ., , says? well, essentially, the osition says? well, essentially, the position of— says? well, essentially, the position of the _ says? well, essentially, the position of the taliban - says? well, essentially, the| position of the taliban hasn't position of the taliban hasn�*t changed. the band still remains in place. we have been able to start some activities, as you said, through local negotiations with certain ministries and provinces. notably the house and nutrition activities which are very important

because they are life—saving activities and absolutely essential. the important thing to remember here is that afghanistan is facing its biggest humanitarian crisis in its history. it�*s probably the worst humanitarian crisis in the world at the moment the sub worse than ukraine in the amount of people affected and the severity of people affected. if you really want the manager to community operates at full capacity to deal with the sheer amount of help needed in the country, and even everywhere we still wouldn�*t be able to deal with it all. at the moment we are severely hamstrung by the restrictions. even the local agreements which we have had, or have with the ministry of health, is just not enough for us to be able to reach everyone we need to reach. fin reach everyone we need to reach. on the specifics of how this is going to work. given that you safe, fundamentally, the situation hasn�*t

changed. can we clear up chris and mark will there be women working in your teams, and if there will be how can you be sure there be safe? for the last few _ can you be sure there be safe? fr?" the last few days we have had mixed teams. so, women and men going out and provided health and nutrition services to women and children. we are getting local guarantees under safety. sometimes they are writing and sometimes we�*re just giving a number they can use if they are stopped at a checkpoint. in addition, we have british and for staff to support them to operate from the offices. so we have for the mixed teams operate in on a limited level. the crucial gap is fully support the and livelihood. we have ensured $16 million and cash

transfers to some of the most vulnerable families and that is not shown restart in. theirfood crisis and over half the population of 38 million is going hungry and they need that cash and they are not able to get it at the moment.— need that cash and they are not able to get it at the moment. where their internal discussions _ to get it at the moment. where their internal discussions within _ to get it at the moment. where their internal discussions within safe - to get it at the moment. where their internal discussions within safe the i internal discussions within safe the children as whether this is the right thing to do if you�*re organisation would not be able to operate today level you expect? taste operate today level you expect? we were operate today level you expect? 2 were certain assert. we would continue work. the criteria was essentially that of our few colleagues to be up to go out there and support the work our offices. we are not restart and work where those conditions aren�*t met. essentially, that means that most of our activities are pause for the moment. and we are still negotiating with

local authorities to see to what extent we can restart other activities. i would say the minority of our activities are ongoing and respected in the last few days. but most of our activities have not restarted because the taliban has not changed their position on this. david wright from save the children international. thank you forjoining us. stay with us on outside source — still to come. we hearfrom belarus�*s exiled opposition leader — she�*s denounced the trial against her as a �*farce.�* donald trump is now the 45th president of the united states. he was sworn in before several hundred thousand people on the steps of capitol hill, in washington. it�*s going to be only america first. america first.

demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they called him the butcher of lyon. klaus altmann is being heldj on a fraud charge in bolivia. the west germans want i to extradite him for crimes committed in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief, klaus barbie. - millions came to bathe as close as possible to this spot — a tide of humanity that�*s believed by officials to have broken all records. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is

a major blow for britain�*s electric vehicle industry as britishvolt, a maker of electric car batteries, collapses. one of belarus�*s main opposition leaders, svetlana tikhanovskaya, has denounced as a "farce" a trial against her and four other exiled allies that�*s taking place in her homeland. the five are being tried in absentia, accused of conspiracy to seize power and forming an extremist organisation. so how did we get here? since 1994, belarus has been dominated by this man alexander lukashenko, a strongman dubbed europe�*s last dictator two years ago, he faced his biggest test, an election he lost , but insisted he won by 85 per cent. the woman the world widely believes won that election

is svetla na tikhanovskaya. she stood in place of her husband, who is injail. the mass protests that ensued resulted in deadly violence from state security forces and thousands of arrests and detentions. following the election, tikhanovskaya fled to the lithuanian capital vilnius and became the head of the opposition in exile. she says her trial is a form of punishment. the purpose of the trial is to show personal revenge from lukashenko on me and all those who uprise against the dictatorship. but we understand such trials don�*t have anything in common with justice. i�*m joined now by hanna liubakova, who is a non—resident fellow for the atlantic council covering belarus. thank you forjoining us. what do you make of this trial. how do you check private lesson mark i think

it�*s a farce. i check private lesson mark i think it's a farce-— check private lesson mark i think it's a farce. i think the problem in belarus is — it's a farce. i think the problem in belarus is we _ it's a farce. i think the problem in belarus is we would _ it's a farce. i think the problem in belarus is we would like to - it's a farce. i think the problem in belarus is we would like to call. it's a farce. i think the problem in belarus is we would like to call it | belarus is we would like to call it the theatre but with different actors. by saying that it is absurd. all the charges the defendants face don�*t have anything to do with reality. these are all made up charges that the regime wants to punish to scare dissidents. we have seen escalation in the past months that all of these trials and punishment will increase. that�*s basically something that has been happening in the past months in belarus. inside and outside the country regarding dissidents. you sa this is country regarding dissidents. you say this is designed both as a punishment and deterrent. tell us about the opposition within belarus. is there still an organised

opposition inside the country? obviously, it is now not possible to openly protest in belarus because any state activity is banned and people can be immediately detained. 0f people can be immediately detained. of course there is a lot of underground systems. we see because of these trials and arrests that happen basically every day, human rights defenders say that last year, every day 17 people were arrested. so, you can imagine the scale. we see that, for example, the sentences that were sent towards people who try to stop the movement of russian troops have been really harsh. ten to 15 years in prison. people can be punished by death, can be sentenced of death but is it because of that. because they did try to stop the movement of russian troops. so, again, that is what i�*m saying. we

see escalation and the regime not wanted to give up. does not want to have any sort of liberalisation or whatever. but, again, ithink this is to scare people inside belarus. this is also because the regime is scared because i think lukashenko is scared because i think lukashenko is scared of any process and resistance that might come from people because people are against the war on ukraine. and the potential deployment of pollution troops to ukraine. . . deployment of pollution troops to ukraine. ., ., ., .,~ , deployment of pollution troops to ukraine. ., ., ., , ., ukraine. hanna for taking us through that. she's the _ ukraine. hanna for taking us through that. she's the last _ ukraine. hanna for taking us through that. she's the last guest _ ukraine. hanna for taking us through that. she's the last guest on - ukraine. hanna for taking us through that. she's the last guest on this - that. she�*s the last guest on this edition of outside source. if you want more analysis from outside source a good place to find it is on twitter — i�*m @bbcrosatkins. follow me, you�*ll see all of our videos, they�*re usually quite short with lots packed in. we�*re posting new material all the time.

that material all the time. is the end for this edition of the that is the end for this edition of the programme. thanks for watching goodbye. hello. well, frosty weather has gripped much of the uk. it is cold outside and snowy for many of us. this was the scene in derry/londonderry earlier today, that snow looking picturesque against the blue sky. over the next few days, it is going to be staying cold, frosty, icy for much of the country. wintry showers for many of us as well. we are in this arctic airflow at the moment, those cold northerly winds moving down, keeping things very cold across the country for the next few days. and until midnight across parts of northern scotland, we do have this amber weather warning in place for heavy snow, with up to 15 centimetres of snowfall possible within this area. it is going to be windy across north scotland as well — gales, so blizzard—like conditions possible. but overnight for much of the country, snowy, wintry weather continuing for much of northern ireland, wales, into the midlands and south—west

as well and possibly across the north sea coast. but there will be some dry, clear skies overnight as well. it�*s going to be cold, not quite as cold as last night. temperatures dipping down to between —1 and —4 celsius. tomorrow, frosty possible for all of us, then. these snowy showers continuing in scotland, and along the north sea coast, we do see gales with this little weather system moving down, with some wintry showers continuing, and across wales, northern ireland and the south—west as well, although these snow showers should remain on high ground, with sleet and rain possible to lower levels. again, cold tomorrow, 7 celsius maximum, although with that wind—chill, it will feel a lot colder. closer to freezing or even subzero in some parts of the country. moving into thursday, we do see this ridge of high pressure moving in, turning the weather a little bit more settled, less snowfall, although snow showers continuing for parts of scotland. it�*ll still be breezy up in this area, although the winds will ease

across the rest of the country with some dry and bright skies possible, although in the south—west, a little bit cloudy with some rain possible as well. staying cold, maximum temperature seven celsius. as we move into the weekend, into friday, then this air mass, this milder air mass, is moving across from north down to south, although in the south—east, it will stay colder for longer. into the weekend, then, we do see this split across the country. milder and unsettled towards the north and west, and across the south—east, it will be colder.

i�*m ros atkins with you here on bbc news. we�*re going to turn to washington now. the uk foreign secretaryjames cleverly is visiting washington, hoping to bolster support for ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of the invasion by russia. any moment now, there�*s going to be a press conference to the foreign secretary. waiting to listen to what they say is the bbc�*s barbara plett usher. tell us what�*s on the agenda, please. tell us what's on the agenda, lease. , , ~ , please. this is mr cleverly's first visit to a united _ please. this is mr cleverly's first visit to a united states - please. this is mr cleverly's first visit to a united states as - visit to a united states as foreign secretary, sojust visit to a united states as foreign secretary, so just keeping an eye out there. he will