hello, i'm geeta guru—murthy. this is outside source. one of the ukrainian government's most senior ministers has died in a helicopter crash in kyiv that's killed at least 1a people. translation: we were l walking and heard a noise. it was such a noise. at that time, there was a terrible flame. a helicopter was circling. i froze. the interior minister is the highest profile ukrainian casualty since russia's war began. we will ask how his death could affect the conflict. also in the programme...

the rate at which uk prices are rising has slowed for a second month, but the cost of living is still close to a ao—year high. ambulance workers in the uk willjoin nurses in taking strike action next month, piling huge pressure on hospital bosses. let's start in ukraine, where a helicopter crash has killed the country's interior minister, denys monastyrsky. he's the highest—profile ukrainian casualty since the war began. the crash happened east of the capital kyiv — in the town of brovary. at least 1a people have died. first, let's hearfrom the ukrainian president. a tragedy happened near kyiv. a helicopter crash claimed the life of the minister of the internal affairs of ukraine, his colleagues and helicopter cruel or found near a can

or garden. 1a ukrainian families lost their loved ones today and many more families are losing daily because of the war —— near a kindergarten. so let's take you through what we know. nine people were on board the plane — three from the interior ministry and three emergency service personnel. all of them were killed. they were on their way to a war "hot spot", reportedly the eastern city of kharkiv. the aircraft came down near a nursery, where we know one child has died. these pictures show the aftermath of the crash. we've been hearing from those who witnessed it. translation: | asked . my friend what happened. he said something fell in the kindergarten and he started to help and pulled three children, age six and seven, out of there. translation: we were l walking and heard a noise. it was such a noise. at that time, there

was a terrible flame. a helicopter was circling. i froze. as we mentioned, a nearby nursery school was also heavily damaged by the crash. this is a un ambassador to ukraine on that. the shock for kids was unbearable, and basically the adults who were working at the kindergarten, the teachers, they were handing these kids across from the windows and fences so that other civilians and people living around could grab the kids and basically calm them down, put down their names and try to find their parents and give candies, anything so they would just calm down a little bit, and also treat the traumas. let's take a closer look at who denys monastyrsky was. he was a prominent figure in president volodmyr zelensky�*s government, taking office injuly 2021. and he was a familiar face to many, delivering regular updates to the public after russian missile strikes across the country.

tributes have been pouring in from his friends and colleagues. the ukrainian foreign minister called it "a huge loss for all of us." and this is a ukrainian mp who knew him speaking to the bbc. he was very close to president zelensky, being next to him from day one of his campaigning, and this is definitely a big human loss for our team, for the team of president zelensky and for every ukrainian, because he was a great person. very energetic, very patriotic, as i've said. i mean, i have no words. i'm trying to keep calm, but this is very hard. this is very hard because this is a tragedy for everyone. let's get the thoughts now of the mayor of kyiv, vitali klitschko. very patriotic guy. did a lot of things for ukraine, i made police reform in ukraine, and it's actually... ..a big tragedy for-

ukraine, for his family. plenty of reaction to bring you internationally as well. in the last hour, we have called from us president biden. he has called the helicopter crash a tragedy. the uk home secretary, suella braverman, called her ukrainian counterpart "a leading light in supporting the ukrainian people." and this is the french president emmanuel macron... our correspondent james waterhouse was at the scene with more. it was a scene of devastation, really, in what has been a bruising, particularly bruising week for ukraine, when you had the missile strike for 45 people were killed, and had the site of burning debris right across a central square in a residential area, and where this journey went tragically wrong was plain to see. you could see where the body of the helicopter had

collided with this children's nursery. essential part of the building was on fire, but then the main body the helicopter had gone through or over, it is not yet known, towards a residential block, where some of the rotors had come off as well. there were bodies in foil blankets and body bags in the playground. it was a picture of loss, to put it mildly. people saw the helicopter come out of the sky, and then we learned that he was denys monastyrsky, a prominent member of president zelensky�*s cabinet, the minister of interior. he mainly is responsible for the country's police force, which is instrumental, really, in the government's efforts to rebuild society that have been liberated. we know that one child was among the 14 dead, but the cause is not yet known. many suspect it to be down to

russian forces in these times of war, but this is a journey that politicians make regularly, by helicopter, at low altitude, to avoid being targeted, so there are a lot of questions and more information, i imagine, will come with time. , ., ., information, i imagine, will come withtime. , ., ., information, i imagine, will come with time-— information, i imagine, will come withtime. , ., ., , ., with time. yes, that a gas is going to be an obvious _ with time. yes, that a gas is going to be an obvious question, - with time. yes, that a gas is going to be an obvious question, was - with time. yes, that a gas is going i to be an obvious question, was there any outlay involved —— any foul play? is there a formal investigation? what do we know about that? , , investigation? what do we know about that? , ., ~ that? president zelensky talked about this being _ that? president zelensky talked about this being a _ that? president zelensky talked about this being a tragic- that? president zelensky talked about this being a tragic day, i that? president zelensky talked | about this being a tragic day, and he has lost someone who was a close ally of his. an investigation has started, and other ministers have said they wouldn't dare speculate as to what has happened. president zelensky spoke to other world leaders at the world economic forum in davos, and he talked about the loss and so many family's lost

during this war. we are talking about a part of ukraine that has not been the front line for sometime about ministers go on these trips all the time, we went on one last summer, and they'd really do fly a treat level flight over electricity pylons, and that comes with risks too. it was also a misty morning. until we learn of any official fines, we'lljust have to wait on that front —— official finds. notwithstanding this came down on a nursery, this is a symbolic loss for ukraine and cuts right at the heart of the kyiv administration. here in the uk, the pace at which prices are rising has slowed for a second month in a row, but the cost of living remains close to a ao—year high. well, let's look at the figures. inflation fell to 10.5% last month, down from 10.7% in november.

the drop was partly due to annual fuel prices dropping back sharply in december, along with the price of clothes and footwear. that is down from i7% last month. but that was offset by rocketing prices in hospitality, as restaurants and hotels were forced to pass on their own surging costs. inflation in the sector — at 11.3% — is the highest for three decades. households and businesses are also still facing eye—watering food price inflation, which hit another as—year high at 16.8% in december. inflation last month was still five times the bank of england's 2% target. while most economists now believe the peak in uk inflation has passed, the chancellorjeremy hunt says the government needs to stick to its plan to bring it down further. there is still a long way to go in the battle against inflation. any country anywhere in the world with inflation over 10% is seeing it at, frankly, dangerous levels for stability of an economy.

but for families up—and—down the country, they are seeing food price inflation of nearly i7%, and that's causing a massive hike in the cost of the weekly shop. and what that really shows is that for us and for other countries, the most important thing is to stick to a plan to bring down inflation. the prime minister has said that he wants to halve inflation in the coming year, and for families and businesses, it's absolutely essential that we stick to that plan. and let's hear from jeremy hunt's labour opposite number, rachel reeves. the bank of england target is clear, and that's for 2% inflation. that's the inflation that we had when i was at the bank of england, but today we see inflation five times or more higher than that, with the government's target now only to bring it to 5%. that is still an incredibly high level of inflation, and the question that people are going to be asking themselves is, "13 years into a conservative government, "are me and my family better off?" the answer to that question is no.

well, let's get the assessment of grant fitzner, chief economist at the office for national statistics, which compiled the inflation data. as the chancellor said, - it's good to see a second month | of falls in the headline inflationj rate, but it's still double digits, . it's still at a very high level. and overall prices are still rising strongly over the past year. but i think what's encouraging is, in recent months, - the story's been all upward. we're now getting muchl more of a mixed picture, with some inflation components heading downwards and othersl still going up — food prices, i as was mentioned just then. so we're getting a bit. of a mixed picture now. so with the bank of england's inflation target at 2%, it's been raising interest rates — or the cost of borrowing — steadily over the past year, to try to rein in inflation. uk interest rates are currently at 3.5%. despite december�*s slight dip in inflation, the bank expected to hike rates once again next month. here's danni hewson,

financial analyst at aj bell. the big party involved in trying to keep inflation down, trying to bring into that 2% target that it's got to uphold, is the bank of england. it is doing that by increasing interest rates. we have seen expectations of another half a percentage point increase at the next meeting in february jump up from about 75% to over 80% this morning, after we had these inflation figures in. so with inflation on a downward trend, how low could it go? here's our economics correspondent andy verity on what economists are predicting for later in the year. they're expecting inflation averaging overall 7.4% for the coming year, partly because those fuel prices came down by 8% in december alone. but we should remember that inflation is a year on year comparison, so after the big spike in fuel prices — which was last february — on the invasion of ukraine, there was a big striking difference between january then and january now.

as you move on past that spike a year ago, the difference is smaller, and that's why inflation's likely to come down. in a year or two, though, it could get right down to zero or even deflation. joining me is kitty ussher, chief economist at the bosses�* organisation, the institute of directors. kitty, thanks for joining kitty, thanks forjoining us. what is your reaction to the numbers that we have had out today? it is your reaction to the numbers that we have had out today?— we have had out today? it is good news and bad _ we have had out today? it is good news and bad news, _ we have had out today? it is good news and bad news, really. - we have had out today? it is good news and bad news, really. the . we have had out today? it is good i news and bad news, really. the good news obviously is that the headline rate has calmed down a little, so it now looks like it may have peaked in october and fell in november and december the but the less good news is the magically given inflation, and as we have just heard, particularly in food, and any hospitality sector, is not only running very high but rising —— domestically driven. that is what the bank of england will be particular concerned about, because attempting to control international

factors is not something that is really within their purview, but they do have far greater influence over domesticjury —— generated inflation, and that is not yet on a downward path. fiend -- generated inflation, and that is not yet on a downward path. and what does that mean, _ not yet on a downward path. and what does that mean, do _ not yet on a downward path. and what does that mean, do you _ not yet on a downward path. and what does that mean, do you think, - not yet on a downward path. and what does that mean, do you think, for- does that mean, do you think, for interest rates? if does that mean, do you think, for interest rates?— interest rates? if you asked me esterda interest rates? if you asked me yesterday that _ interest rates? if you asked me yesterday that i _ interest rates? if you asked me yesterday that i would - interest rates? if you asked me yesterday that i would probably would have cautioned against rising rates much further, because i do think there is a risk the bank of england may overshoot. we know that raising rates takes a wild to feedthrough, in terms of higher cost of borrowing, very difficult in terms of getting a cost of mortgage, so we do not want them to take too much action and then have to reverse, but actually now having looked at the latest inflation figures, as i say, great though they are coming down overall, i think there is still quite a lot to be concerned about in terms of domestically generated inflation, and we know from the surveys of our own members, business leaders, that they are not yet convinced that we

are past the peak of this, so possibly they know something that some of the macroeconomists don't know and we need to do a bit more to bring inflationary expectations back down to at least nearer the bank of england's target. fiend down to at least nearer the bank of england's target-— england's target. and what is your view on the _ england's target. and what is your view on the pay — england's target. and what is your view on the pay requests - england's target. and what is your view on the pay requests from - england's target. and what is your view on the pay requests from the j view on the pay requests from the public sector? we have seen private pay figures levels go further than the public sector, the government saying that will feed inflation. what is your take on that, all these people incredibly worried aboutjust balancing the books? there people incredibly worried about 'ust balancing the books?i people incredibly worried about 'ust balancing the books? there will be a concern of government, _ balancing the books? there will be a concern of government, but - balancing the books? there will be a concern of government, but as - balancing the books? there will be a concern of government, but as a - concern of government, but as a representative organisation for private sector companies, i don't think that is something we necessarily have a few on. it is up to individual organisations to work out what is best for them. as an economist, the greatest fear is that you might have what is called a wage price spiral, where prices rise but

wages rise more and then prices rise more as a result of that. it does not look like we're in that situation because the rate of stover means higher than the overall level of wage rises in the economy, but not much fun if you are in employee, but in terms of the prospect for the economy as a whole, an economist would say that is an encouraging sign. would say that is an encouraging sin. �* ., , ., sign. and how is the uk doing with other comparable _ sign. and how is the uk doing with other comparable nations? - sign. and how is the uk doing with other comparable nations? all- other comparable nations? fill comparable countries have seen this massive spike in inflation over the last year or so. in some countries, notably the us, it does look like it is on a pretty firm downward path. in european countries, some seem to have peaked, others not, so this is not a uk specific phenomenon, but obviously the uk central bank will

be concerned to make sure domestically generated inflation does come down as expected, and so thatis does come down as expected, and so that is what they were looking at when they meet in a couple of weeks' time. 0k, ok, thanks, kitty. stay there. i just want to bring you a little of a video ofjeremy hunt delivering an "explainer" on the treasury's twitter feed on what's behind the surge in the price of his morning coffee. let's have a listen. hi, can i get a flat white, please? while my coffee is being made, let me tell you what we are doing to halve inflation. i'm afraid coffee is getting more expensive. a year ago, it would have been around £2.50, but now it's gone up to nearly £3 a cup. and the price of the weekly shop, if you look at food prices, has gone up by about 16%. reaction to that has been interesting today. the liberal democrats treasury spokesperson

ceremony described this as a mr bean as the video, an every being pretty critical —— labour being pretty critical. what was your take? you worked in the treasury as a labour minister. it is difficult to explain finances and economics — was this a valiant attempt? i finances and economics - was this a valiant attempt?— valiant attempt? i think we can say it was well meant. _ valiant attempt? i think we can say it was well meant. and _ valiant attempt? i think we can say it was well meant. and i _ valiant attempt? i think we can say it was well meant. and i did - it was well meant. and i did actually enjoy particularly the second part of the clip, that the government wants to use this time to wean the uk off dependency on the international fossil fuel market in order to stop the risk of these inflationary pressures in future. in terms of the tone, it is hard to get right. i think we just heard your economics correspondent andrew verity do and explain her through the lens of the bbc, and sometimes i think maybe such explainers are best left to people as experienced as

andy! left to people as experienced as and ! , , , , left to people as experienced as and! ,~ ,.,. andy! kitty ussher, very diplomatic! thank ou andy! kitty ussher, very diplomatic! thank you very _ andy! kitty ussher, very diplomatic! thank you very much _ andy! kitty ussher, very diplomatic! thank you very much indeed. - staying here in the uk, the biggest day of strikes in the nhs so far is now set for monday 6 february after ambulance workers announced that they would walk out on the same day as nurses in england and wales. tens of thousands of nurses in england are already on strike again today in their dispute over pay, affecting a quarter of hospitals. thousands of nurses will also strike tomorrow across england and on the 6th and 7th february in wales as well as england. today, ambulance workers added to the nhs crisis as they announced four more dates in england and wales — the 6th and 20th of february and the 6th and 20th of march. the royal college of nursing says it's willing to compromise. the health secretary, steve barclay, says pay rises would take money away from patient care. the head of one of london's largest hospitals says the dispute is hugely disruptive and needs to be resolved swiftly. our health editor, hugh pym, reports

from university college hospital on the impact of the strikes. chanting outside the hospital, the noise from striking nurses and protesters. claps don't pay the bills! inside, the operating theatres are silent. no planned operations are going ahead. there is no—one in the recovery room. today we would have had two days' worth of operations planned in these theatres, our newest set of theatres, and we have nothing planned at all in terms of surgical activity today or tomorrow. and what normally happens here, what level of activity? normally we'd be busy with orthopaedic or ear, nose and throat surgery. it's one of our busiest surgical hubs in the whole of the uch campus. but not today. university college hospital london

gave us access to see how it's affecting them. over 2,000 patients will miss their operations and appointments. the boss has called on unions and the government to settle the dispute. disputes like this, industrial action of this scale, is hugely disruptive, so it's notjust the cancelling of the patients and reorganising their care, it is everything that goes behind that. it's also motivating our staff, retaining our staff, keeping the morale of our staff high. given where this dispute has got to, what's your message to the government? my message and that of many chief executives around the country is that this needs resolution. we cannot continue to go through periods of industrial action and the disruption it is causing to patients and our staff. back on the street, nurses defended their decision to strike. so i'm out here to protest. we need a pay rise. we haven't had a pay rise in ten years in line with inflation,

so we deserve better. every single day we are . completely over capacity. it's not a safe environment to be looking after the patients - and a strike is unfortunately the only thing we feel- like we've got left. what about patients affected today? they've missed out on their operation, their appointment which they might have waited forfor a long time. yep, so this is it, . but it feels like this is the last thing we had to do. as my colleagues have been saying today, it is with deep _ consideration that we stand here and do this today. - hopefully to do this is to get - what we want and for the future, stop this happening again. feelings are clearly running high on picket lines but the question is, where do things go from here? right now there seems to be a stand—off between the government and the health unions. the health secretary covering england gave his response to the strike action. i'm disappointed by the strikes, obviously. the losers are the patients who suffer the disruption.

of course the strikes are in a quarter of trusts, so three—quarters of trusts are not striking and i'm hugely grateful for the work that nurses and other staff are doing across the nhs. do a deal! as striking nurses in wigan called for a deal, a march from university college hospital involving nurses and other campaigners reached westminster and the biggest set of walk—outs by ambulance staff and nurses was announced for a single day in february. hugh pym, bbc news. ten chinese snooker players accused of match fixing have been charged in the uk today, as snooker�*s body investigates the scandal. the accusations include approaching players to cheat and fixing matches. our sports correspondence andy swiss has the story.

the champion, yan bingtao! he's the biggest star in what is snooker�*s biggest scandal. only last season, yan bingtao was a top ten player who reached the quarterfinals of the world championship. now, he's being charged with match fixing, one of ten chinese players accused of corruption. they also include zhao xintong, who won two titles last season... liang wenbo! ..and the experienced liang wenbo, who's alleged to have approached others to fix matches. to have so many players charged with cheating is a dark day for the sport. well, it's very damaging. we have to deliver pure live sport, competed to the highest level. and to do that, we must know the sport is clean. so the damage for me is short—term. we have to take the short—term pain now, we have to clear this issue up and we have to move on. snooker is no stranger to match fixing. in 2013, stephen lee was banned for 12 years, but one former world champion shaun murphy believes the sanctions need to be even stronger.

my overriding feeling is i feel complete betrayal. if these players are found guilty of fixing the outcomes of snooker matches, i don't think we should ever see them again on the tour. i think it's that straightforward. zhao xintong! the ten charged players are all suspended until they face a hearing, but the integrity of their sport is now under the sternest scrutiny. andy swiss, bbc news. just time to bring you news that the world's oldest person, a nun who lived in the south of france, has died at the age of 118. known as sister andre, she died in her sleep at a care home. she told reporters last year that she worked until she was 108 and said caring for others had kept her alive. if we could all work that hard. my father is working now, he is a doctor, he is 89, so a

few years to go! we are back added in a few minutes. hello. it's been a cold and blustery day for us all today, icy for some with further snow showers. but over the next few days, we will see a bit of a change in the weather — fewer wintry showers and it will gradually turn milder. but i do mean gradually. the next two days will remain cold. so over the past few hours, these blustery winds from the north have been blowing in some further wintry showers across parts of scotland, the west and the north sea coast. it's little surprise because we are in an arctic airflow at the moment, those winds coming straight down from the arctic, keeping things very cold across the whole of the uk. and so this evening and overnight, some wintry showers will continue for parts of the north and the west and it will be icy in these areas as well. elsewhere across the country, it will be dry and cold. so temperatures dipping down to below freezing overnight,

perhaps in some parts of scotland —8 celsius. so a frosty start for us all tomorrow, then. those winds, though, will ease off tomorrow, apart from scotland. staying blustery in this area with further wintry showers. some wintriness still remaining in parts of the west as well, although looking more like sleet and perhaps a bit of rain to lower levels. plenty of sunshine and dry weather across the rest of the uk. top temperatures between 2—7 celsius. thursday night into friday, then, we are between weather systems, with a ridge of high pressure turning the weather a little bit more settled. those winds will continue to ease and we will see more blue skies as well, more sunshine. perhaps a little bit cloudy into friday, then. will be misty in the west, but that will clear to leave plenty of dry weather, fewer wintry showers. those temperatures will start creeping up in the far southwest, but still remaining cold across much of the uk.

and then as we go into the weekend, we're seeing this milder air mass that's moving across from the atlantic, across northern ireland and into scotland to begin with. it will gradually move further south. but into saturday, where this milder air is lingering over the country, we will see more cloud and a bit of rain. the further southeast you are, it will be cold, a bit of early fog, perhaps. the temperatures in the westjust creeping up a little bit further, 9—10 celsius. and into sunday and monday, the pattern remains the same — double figures in northern ireland, but the further south—east you are, it will remain cold and drierfor longer.

hello, i'm geeta guru—murthy. this is outside source. one of the ukrainian government's most senior ministers has died in a helicopter crash in kyiv — that's killed at least 1a people. translation: we were l walking and heard a noise. it was such a noise. at that time, there was a terrible flame. the helicopter was circling. i froze. this all comes as the ukrainian president says he needs more weapons — and he needs them quickly. also in the programme. talking with the taliban — a top un delegation arrives in afghanistan — hoping to end strict restrictions on women's rights. and scandal rocks the world of snooker — the games governing

political sites in nj are secretly paying social media influencers to spread false information. —— political sites in nigeria. let's return to our top story — the war in ukraine and its repercussions. germany says it's no longer dependent on russian imports for its energy supply — potentially cutting off a major source of moscow's funding for the war. the country was previously importing around half of its gas from russia. but the german finance minister has told the bbc that it has completely diversified its energy infrastructure since putin turned off the gas taps to europe. at the world economic forum in davos, christian lindner pointed to the speed with which a new liquified natural gas terminal was built in germany — a record of around 8 months. and more are planned. well, we have completely diversified our energy infrastructure. yes, of course, germany is still dependent on energy imports,

but today, not from russian imports, but from the global markets. kristine berzina is managing director at the american public policy thinktank the german marshall fund north. thank you forjoining us. in terms of how this affects the russian economy car they simply selling their gas to other countries because? or has it been damaging? it is both damaging, but gas is also not the main picture. if you look at where the russian gas has gone, then china, india, otherworld markets are buyers here as well. it is not so hazy for russia to simply turn off the spec it's and send it in a different direction. it's not as though it's one cup at straws going in various directions. there are pipelines that go to particular destinations. but russia is doing is liquefying some of that european gas in the past and you do still have

some experts going across ukraine and through the turk stream pipelines. but when you look at germany in particular, it is not to markets, and much of germany is diversifying away. this isn't a major source of income for russia, oil is much bigger, but it is a very important one. so while gas prices right now have incredibly high anticipating this winter, when they come down to him as they are coming down right now, it means that russia will no longer be able to make as much money as it has been, because the high cost of the gas has in some way been compensated for the smaller amount it has been selling. so more pain to come for russia. we haven't seen the full picture yet. stoltenberg, nato's secretary—general, has done a interview says that fighting stops will not be by —— will not buy cheap russian gas again because it's dangerous to be independent and authoritarian regimes like russia for gas. but that raises questions

about the other nations of the world gets its supplies from.— gets its supplies from. right, there is a question _ gets its supplies from. right, there is a question about _ gets its supplies from. right, there is a question about how— gets its supplies from. right, there is a question about how you - gets its supplies from. right, there is a question about how you choosej is a question about how you choose to import your gas. if you look at where gas is coming into europe right now, qatar, the emirates, nigeria, —— algeria, there are many sources. and europeans will have hopefully now it learned to be much more discerning in their sources of gas. is this a country from which you want to buy? this is a big question in the future. on russian gas, we have a sense now that the tides have fully turned, but there is no particular guarantee. so it is important that as europe gets a note of this particular winter and shed the conflict of the were in ukraine come to an end, that there be a true reckoning. does europe ever want to buy russian gas again? there have been bands and price caps on other fuels, but not on gas. norton stream is not functioning, but that is not to say that there aren't other pipelines. nor is that to say that more pipelines can be built in the

future. —— nordstream is not functioning right now. has aeroplane from this conflict? —— has europe learned from this conflict? now stay with us kristine, because this all comes as the ukrainian president has called for more speed in providing military assistance. volodymyr zelensky told the world economic forum in davos that tanks and air defence systems — especially — must be supplied quickly. mobilisation of the war must outpace the next military mobilisation of ourjoint enemy. the supply to ukraine of air defence systems must outpace russia's next missile attacks. the supplies of western tanks must outpace another invasion of russian tanks. the restoration of security and peace in ukraine must outpace russia's attacks on security and peace in other countries. at the centre of the debate in davos are these — leopard 2 tanks. berlin is facing increasing pressure

to send them to kyiv — or at least approve their delivery from other countries. here's what the polish prime minister had to say on the issue. translation: we have clearly said l that we commit to transferring up| to 14 modern leopard tanks, under— the condition that these tanks will also be transferred by others. the german batch is very important in this regard. the largest country in europe, in the european union, the strongest economic country cannot evade support for ukraine. lithuania's foreign minister was more optimistic — he thought the tanks could be delivered to kyiv soon. tanks, yes, i'm confident, because this is what i'm hearing here as well, you know, talking with other leaders. there is a momentum. unfortunately, the momentum has formed after we have seen, again, horrendous civilian deaths. also on the sidelines of the world economic summit, nato's secretary—general called for a significant increase in weapons — at what he called a pivotal moment in the conflict.

i welcome that allies are stepping up. germany has delivered significant support to ukraine with artillery, with ammunition and also advanced assistance, and allies have also announced that they intend to deliver heavy battle tanks. so there is an ongoing conversation and consultation among allies. the german leader was also in davos. he said russia's aggression must fail. but he made no comment about suppling extra weapons. what he did say could hint at why germany has been hesitating to supply tanks. we will continue to do this as long as necessary, and whilst we are doing this and showing that the ukrainians can rely on our support for their courageous fight, it is also clear that we will avoid that this is becoming a war between russia and nato.

but the possibility of kyiv getting new military hardware does not seem to concern president putin. the russian leader says he's in no doubt that moscow will emerge victorious. or at least that's what he told factory workers in saint petersburg earlier. translation: all of this creates a foundation for our effective - development and for victory. it is guaranteed, i have no doubt about it. there are certain things that never went away and would form the foundation of our victory. this is the unity and solidarity of the russian people. his comments come as russia's top diplomat accused the west of a hybrid war against russia. that's interesting because the kremlin has insisted on calling the conflict in ukraine a special operation. he also spoke about that word — victory. have a listen. translation: you know, the word i "war" i'm not afraid to say it, i because what is going on is our answer. as the president has said, perhaps should have been given earlier,

but the answer is not too late. this is important against the hybrid unleashed against us. this war is a slogan under which the west promotes its own agenda and "victory" is a word that gives us hope. kristine berzina is still with me. ijust want i just want to bring ijust want to bring in a report from the reuters news agency who quote the wall streetjournal saying that germany won't allow allies to ship german—made tanks to ukraine to help its defence against russia or send its own systems unless the us agrees to send its own tanks. so thatis agrees to send its own tanks. so that is the wall streetjournal citing seniorjournal officials, and we are getting bad from the reuters news agency, said to bbc cannot confirm that lane, but, of course, it's a very interesting take, and, of course, we did see mr schultz saying to fears that this is, you know, this could escalate completely

into a neo— war. know, this could escalate completely into a neo- war.— into a neo- war. yes, well, we have heard now — into a neo- war. yes, well, we have heard now for a _ into a neo- war. yes, well, we have heard now for a week _ into a neo- war. yes, well, we have heard now for a week or _ into a neo- war. yes, well, we have heard now for a week or so - into a neo- war. yes, well, we have heard now for a week or so this - heard now for a week or so this tip for tat question on the tanks stopped as ben hoped that because the uk has sent its tanks, already announced that it would, that you would have also the germans say, yes, let's step up, let's do this. however, it appears that germany is in large part waiting on the united states. it doesn't feel confident that it wants to take any step before everybody else that matters to germany has taken that step. so there is this hesitation which has been incredibly frustrating to the rest of the international community that supports ukraine right now, which is why when we move towards later this week, their gram stain donors conference, lloyd austin has just gotten on a plane and is headed towards germany to berlin for conversations that hopefully the details can be worked out, can germany step up in the way that its

neighbours and allies really want it to? or must it be taken by the hand and must every decision be paired with a partner's equivalent position? is there such reluctance to do what is often seen as the right thing in germany?- to do what is often seen as the right thing in germany? well, i ruess right thing in germany? well, i guess the _ right thing in germany? well, i guess the question _ right thing in germany? well, i guess the question then - right thing in germany? well, i guess the question then is, - right thing in germany? well, i guess the question then is, is i right thing in germany? well, i. guess the question then is, is the us likely to donate any of its tanks orfor their military us likely to donate any of its tanks or for their military hardware? us likely to donate any of its tanks orfor their military hardware? and isn't germany correct to be about escalation here? i isn't germany correct to be about escalation here?— escalation here? i think it's very concerning _ escalation here? i think it's very concerning to — escalation here? i think it's very concerning to talk _ escalation here? i think it's very concerning to talk about - escalation here? i think it's very i concerning to talk about escalation when an issue is how do you practically take back territory? what needs to happen in 2023 on ukraine's site is to push the russian troops out of ukraine. they have been very good at stopping the offensive, but now it has to have the ability to fight backwards. now, is that escalation or is that defence? and i think the fact that this is simply pushing back as opposed to opening new fields

entirely, that is somewhat convoluted and confused in the discourse. so no, i don't believe this is escalatory. this is simply important for defence for gaining back what was lost at the very beginning of this conflict. now, there was a question also from you on the... fin there was a question also from you on the... ,, there was a question also from you onthe... ,_ there was a question also from you onthe... , on the... on the us supply, 'ust pay for, es. on the... on the us supply, 'ust pay for, yes- i — on the... on the us supply, 'ust pay for. yes. i dont i on the... on the us supply, 'ust pay for, yes. i don't have t on the... on the us supply, 'ust pay for, yes. i don't have any h on the... on the us supply, just pay for, yes. i don't have any insights i for, yes. i don't have any insights for, yes. i don't have any insights for this, clearly, _ for, yes. i don't have any insights for this, clearly, but _ for, yes. i don't have any insights for this, clearly, but when - for, yes. i don't have any insights for this, clearly, but when you . for, yes. i don't have any insights i for this, clearly, but when you look at the air systems. president zelensky called specifically for tanks and for air defence systems. the us announced the fact that it was going to get the patriot first, which was immediately then also taken up by other allies, germany, we have seen canadians give a system, so the us gave one thing and the others give more. this kind of pattern has worked well. i think it is possible we could see that, but again, no guarantees come in so many of those conversations will have to

happen this week.— stay with us on outside source — still to come... looking into social media influencers who were paid to spread false information. all police forces across england and wales are being asked to check their officers against national databases to help root out corrupt individuals who may have slipped through the vetting process. it comes after a serving officer was found to be a serial rapist. our home editor mark easton reports. chanting: no 'ustice! no peace! h no rapist police! the reverberations from the carrick scandal scandal continue with police chiefs and politicians expressing their determination to root out misogyny and predatory behaviour from the ranks. sexist police have got to go! every police officer and staff member in england and wales will be checked against national police databases for any convictions or intelligence that might identify those like carrick who have slipped through the net.

this afternoon, the prime minister told the commons he'd been shocked he met the commissioner at scotland yard in south london. what he met the commissioner at scotland yard in south london.— yard in south london. what we want to make sure — yard in south london. what we want to make sure as _ yard in south london. what we want to make sure as there _ yard in south london. what we want to make sure as there are _ yard in south london. what we want to make sure as there are not - to make sure as there are not serving police officers anywhere at any stage in their career or indeed staff and police forces who shouldn't be there. the national police database contains a variety of information about people against which those individuals can be rechecked. it's important that we do that immediately and police forces carried out to identify and root out anyone who is not fit to serve. no one doubts the damage the carry case and other policing scandals have already done to trust in policing, particularly among women. but there is an urgency in the political response because of concerns that without action, public confidence in law enforcement could be damaged still further. carrick was recruited despite being suspected of two offences against women and also passed two internal vetting checks. a home office review

will look at what went wrong. the mayor of london sadiq khan has said carrick should lose his £22,000 a year police pension, a call that has home office support, but it is the loss of trust in policing that will exercise politicians far more. mark easton, bbc news. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... the most senior un delegation since the taliban swept to power in 2021 has flown into kabul, tasked with speaking to senior leaders about reversing severe new restrictions on women's access to work and education. this is the un delegation holding talks with taliban officials earlier today. the un group is headed by deputy secretary general amina mohammad. this is her meeting with former

afghan president hamid karzai, also earlier today. in december the taliban banned women working for non—government organisations. it's just the latest restriction on women in afghanistan. shortly after the taliban seized power, they barred most girls from secondary school. women are also blocked from working in most sectors outside of health and education. all afghan women must wear face coverings in public, and are forbidden from travelling more than 70 km without a close male relative. and last month the taliban banned women from universities. aid agencies warn that the ban on women working for them threatens urgent life—saving humanitarian operations. here's a spokesperson from the international rescue committee. right now, in afghanistan, we have 28 million afghans who are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. our female staff at the irc, we have over 3000 female staff, are essential to all parts of our operation, that goes from field staff, those who do distributions, doctors, nurses, all the way up into admin, finance and management roles.

we — when the announcement was made on december 2a — we made the difficult decision to suspend our activities across the country because we felt that it was impossible for us to continue without female staff at all levels of our organisation. the restrictions on aid agencies come as temperatures plunge. authorities say a cold snap over the past week killed 70 people. these residents in kabul collect bags of coal to burn to stay warm. the price of firewood, coal and gas has skyrocketed. here's our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. and it's happening at a time when, of course, afghanistan is in the midst of the dead of winter, where temperatures plunge to —15 celsius and even lower. this last edict forbidding afghan women from working with international aid agencies is what has triggered the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, to dispatch this high level delegation. his deputy, the most senior women in the organisation, to come to kabul to speak to taliban leaders, to express solidarity with the aid

agencies here, and to send a signal to afghans in the world that this really matters and it's urgent. many ngos suspended their entire operation in response to the taliban's ban on employing women. but this week some have partially resumed work, after receiving assurances from the taliban that women will be able to work in the health sector. but others say the situation is still too difficult. here's jan egeland from the norwegian refugee council. it's very limited, and it's not necessarily in all of the country, even, and it's only some organisations, so the norwegian refugee council, we have 1500 staff. none of them have started to work because we do not have sufficient green light to restart work. save the children has resumed some of their work, allies will be on the un's delegation with a talk with the taliban, but some are concerned that patella may not stick to any agreements it reaches. we are severely hamstrung by the restrictions,

even these kind of local agreements that we had and have with the ministry of health, it'sjust not enough for us to be able to reach everybody we need to reach. kate clark joins kate clarkjoins me. thank you very much forjoining us. in terms of what is happening now, as you are a network operating in the country at the momentous, and can you believe or trust the taliban's read when they say women will be allowed back into the ngo sector? , ., �* , will be allowed back into the ngo sector? , ., �*, ., , ., , sector? sorry, that's a bit of news that i've mist. _ sector? sorry, that's a bit of news that i've mist. the _ sector? sorry, that's a bit of news that i've mist. the taliban - sector? sorry, that's a bit of news that i've mist. the taliban said . that i've mist. the taliban said that i've mist. the taliban said that women will be allowed back into the ngo sector? health workers are one thing... the ngo sector? health workers are one thing- - -— the ngo sector? health workers are one thing. . ._ ngos l one thing... health records. ngos want in writing _ one thing... health records. ngos want in writing that _ one thing... health records. ngos want in writing that that _ one thing... health records. ngos want in writing that that was - one thing... health records. ngos want in writing that that was the i want in writing that that was the case, but traditionally come even in the 1990s, when the taliban and where even more hardline female doctors and nurses carry on working.

of doctors and nurses carry on working. of course, taliban have got wives, daughters, mothers, they also want to female doctor or a female nurse to female doctor or a female nurse to treat them, so that is an obvious need that has been filed by the taliban personally. but outside that, we are still waiting, i mean, it is difficult to overestimate the impact that this is having. it's heavily dependent on humanitarian aid. it's not that last winter it saved lives because the economy crashed so badly after the taliban takeover that humanitarian aid has been a lifeline and the way it works because outside governments don't want to work with the taliban directly, they get the money to the un and most of the implementation of aid happens through ngos. 70% of the aid. so this is big. find aid happens through ngos. 7096 of the aid. so this is big.— aid. so this is big. and how, you know, efficient, _ aid. so this is big. and how, you know, efficient, how— aid. so this is big. and how, youj know, efficient, how trustworthy aid. so this is big. and how, you - know, efficient, how trustworthy are those networks of distributing aid, and how, you know, what portion of

people who need help are actually getting its? people who need help are actually caettin its? ~ . ., people who need help are actually caettin its? ~ ., ,, ., , getting its? well, talking to people across the country _ getting its? well, talking to people across the country last _ getting its? well, talking to people across the country last year, - getting its? well, talking to people across the country last year, and i getting its? well, talking to people across the country last year, and it| across the country last year, and it seemed that most people who needed aid were getting it. some concern that people close to the taliban and we are benefiting more. interviewed people that actually refused aid because they felt that other people were suffering more than them. they had a few resources to rely on. it did seem to be getting to the people who needed it last year anyway. find who needed it last year anyway. and 'ust who needed it last year anyway. and just briefly. — who needed it last year anyway. and just briefly. i — who needed it last year anyway. and just briefly, i mean, how great are you about the rest of winter, obviously, you know, extremely cold weather conditions. the obviously, you know, extremely cold weather conditions.— weather conditions. the problem is, ou have weather conditions. the problem is, you have ngo _ weather conditions. the problem is, you have ngo saying _ weather conditions. the problem is, you have ngo saying it _ weather conditions. the problem is, you have ngo saying it as _ weather conditions. the problem is, you have ngo saying it as a - weather conditions. the problem is, you have ngo saying it as a matterl you have ngo saying it as a matter of not only principle, but practical importance to have women working in there a distribution. you've got to tell a have been very, very intransigent as the months have gone on since they took power. and you

have a man in charge of the taliban and who it is even more isolated than the founder and the old leader of the taliban. he at least is to meet foreign men occasionally from the un among the diplomats, but that doesn't really meet anyone. so even the people in the un delegation meeting, they are likely to be a more pragmatic taliban and, not ultraconservative, but conservative can be used to dealing with foreigners, but not really holding any power. foreigners, but not really holding an ower. y foreigners, but not really holding any power-— any power. ok, sorry to cut in there, but — any power. ok, sorry to cut in there, but many _ any power. ok, sorry to cut in there, but many thanks - any power. ok, sorry to cut in there, but many thanks to - any power. ok, sorry to cut in| there, but many thanks to you any power. ok, sorry to cut in - there, but many thanks to you for your time. thank you. well, we are going to turn to nigeria where a bbc investigation has found that political parties are secretly paying social media influencers to spread false information about their opponents, ahead of the country's general elections in february. as millions of nigerians try to decide who to vote for in next month's elections, they're facing a flood of political misinformation on social media. fauziyya tukkur from the bbc�*s

global disinformation team reports. with an estimated 80 million nigerians online, social media plays a huge role in national debates about politics. the bbc has spoken to insiders from two political parties who claim that influencers are being paid to deliberately spread false political information on the platform. to protect their identities, we have changed their names and used actors to reconstruct the interviews. we recruit people directly on social media and create accounts with which we do this. when recruiting, we look at people in the space who have a voice. we have paid an influencer up to 20 million naira for delivering a certain resource. 20 million naira is equivalent to about 115,000 us dollars. under nigerian law, it isn't illegal for political parties to hire social media influencers. but it is illegal to spread

disinformation and it goes against twitter�*s policy. our insider says dirty tactics are part of the game. we use images that may not be relevant to the story we are trying to spin. we can take pictures from east africa in the '90s, in war zones, for example, and attach it to a tweet about how my ethnic group has been killed. there are hundreds of other confirmed cases of false political information going viral. even when there is no suggestion or evidence of money changing hands. injuly, influencers shared a photo claiming to show the son of presidential candidate peter obi standing on the nigerian flag at a protest for a banned separatist group. but the man in the photo is not peter obi's son. meanwhile, more false political claims went viral associating kashim shettima, a candidate for vice president with members

of the islamist militant group, boko haram. through reverse image search, we found that the picture which claims to show mr shettima having a meal with boko haram members was actually first used in a 2017 news report. it shows him meeting fulani parents as part of an education drive while he was governor of borno state. experts say the spread of misinformation is a threat to democracy. it is a form of electoral interference. because at the end of every elections, it is very difficult to sort fact from fiction. we reported some of the posts to twitter. twitter has taken down some of the accounts and said it has a responsibility to protect electoral conversations from interference and manipulation. but as nigerians go to the polls, they may be questioning how to trust the political information they are getting without knowing who is really behind it.

fauziyya tukkur, bbc news, abuja. backin back ina back in a moment. see you soon. hello. it's been a cold and blustery day for us all today, icy for some with further snow showers. but over the next few days, we will see a bit of a change in the weather — fewer wintry showers and it will gradually turn milder. but i do mean gradually. the next two days will remain cold. so over the past few hours, these blustery winds from the north have been blowing in some further wintry showers across parts of scotland, the west and the north sea coast. it's little surprise because we are in an arctic airflow at the moment, those winds coming straight down from the arctic, keeping things very cold across the whole of the uk. and so this evening and overnight, some wintry showers will continue for parts of the north and the west and it will be icy in these areas as well. elsewhere across the country, it will be dry and cold. so temperatures dipping down

to below freezing overnight, perhaps in some parts of scotland —8 celsius. so a frosty start for us all tomorrow, then. those winds, though, will ease off tomorrow, apart from scotland. staying blustery in this area with further wintry showers. some wintriness still remaining in parts of the west as well, although looking more like sleet and perhaps a bit of rain to lower levels. plenty of sunshine and dry weather across the rest of the uk. top temperatures between 2—7 celsius. thursday night into friday, then, we are between weather systems, with a ridge of high pressure turning the weather a little bit more settled. those winds will continue to ease and we will see more blue skies as well, more sunshine. perhaps a little bit cloudy into friday, then. will be misty in the west, but that will clear to leave plenty of dry weather, fewer wintry showers. those temperatures will start creeping up in the far southwest, but still remaining cold across much of the uk. and then as we go into the weekend, we're seeing this milder air mass that's moving across from the atlantic, across northern ireland

and into scotland to begin with. it will gradually move further south. but into saturday, where this milder air is lingering over the country, we will see more cloud and a bit of rain. the further southeast you are, it will be cold, a bit of early fog, perhaps. the temperatures in the westjust creeping up a little bit further, 9—10 celsius. and into sunday and monday, the pattern remains the same — double figures in northern ireland, but the further south—east you are, it will remain cold and drierfor longer.

hello, i'm geeta guru—murthy. this is outside source. one of the ukrainian government's most senior ministers has died in a helicopter crash in kyiv — that's killed at least 1a people translation: we were walking and heard a noise. it was such a noise. at that time, there was a terrible flame. a helicopter was circling. i froze. interior minister denys monastyrsky is the highest profile ukrainian casualty since russia's war began. we'll ask how his death could affect the conflict? also in the programme. the rate at which uk prices are rising has slowed for a second month — but the cost of living is still close to a a0 year high. ambulance workers in the uk

willjoin nurses in taking strike action next month, piling huge pressure on hospital bosses. let's start in ukraine — where a helicopter crash has killed the country's interior minister, denys monastyrsky. he's the highest profile ukrainian casualty since the war began. the crash happened east of the capital kyiv — in the town of brovary. at least 1a people have died. first — let's hear from the ukrainian president. the tragedy happened near kyiv. the helicopter crash claimed the lives of the minister of the internal affairs of ukraine. his colleagues and helicopter crew.

when it fell near the kindergarden. plenty of ukrainian families lost their loved ones today and many more are losing daily because of the war. so let's take you through what we know. nine people were on board the plane — three from the interior ministry and three emergency service personnel. all of them were killed. they were on their way to a war "hot spot" — reportedly the eastern city of kharkiv. the aircraft came down near a nursery — where we know one child has died. these pictures show the aftermath of the crash — we've been hearing from those who witnessed it. translation: | asked . my friend what happened. he said something fell in the kindergarten and he started to help and pulled three children, age six and seven, out of there. translation: we were l walking and heard a noise. it was such a noise.

at that time, there was a terrible flame. a helicopter was circling. i froze. as we mentioned, a nearby nursery school was also heavily damaged by the crash — this is a un ambassador to ukraine on that. the shock for kids was unbearable and basically the adults who were working at the kindergarten, the teachers, or handling, handing these kids across from the windows and fences so that other civilians, people living around could grab the kids and basically calm them down and asked their names and put them down and try to find the parents, give candice and he that they will come down a bit and also treat the traumas. let's take a closer look at who denys monastyrsky was. he was a prominent figure in president volodmyr zelensky�*s government — taking office injuly 2021. and he was a familiar face to many — delivering regular updates to the public after russian missile

strikes across the country. tributes have been pouring in from his friends and colleagues. the ukrainian foreign minister called it "a huge loss for all of us." and this is a ukrainian mp who knew him, speaking to the bbc. he was very close to president zelensky, being next to him from day one of his campaigning, and this is definitely a big human loss for our team, for the team of president zelensky and for every ukrainian, because he was a great person. very energetic, very patriotic, as i've said. i mean, i have no words. i'm trying to keep calm, but this is very hard. this is very hard because this is a tragedy for everyone. let's get the thoughts now of the mayor of kyiv — vitali klitschko. very patriotic guy. did a lot of things for ukraine, i made police reform in ukraine, and it's actually... ..a big tragedy for- ukraine, for his family.

plenty of reaction to bring you internationally as well. we've also heard from us president biden — he's called the crash "heartbreaking tragedy." the uk home secretary, suella braverman, called her ukrainian counterpart "a leading light in supporting the ukrainian people." and this is the french president emmanuel macron: "france offers its condolences to its ukrainian friends." our correspondent james waterhouse was at the scene earlier today — i spoke to him about what he saw. it was a scene of devastation, really, in what has been a bruising, particularly bruising week for ukraine, when you had the missile strike in dnipro 45 people were killed, and had the site of burning debris right across a central square in a residential area, and where this journey went tragically wrong was plain to see. you could see where the body of the helicopter had collided with this children's nursery. essential part of the building

was on fire, but then the main body the helicopter had gone through or over, it is not yet known, towards a residential block, where some of the rotors had come off as well. there were bodies under foil blankets and body bags in the playground. it was a picture of loss, to put it mildly. people saw the helicopter come out of the sky, and then we learned that he was denys monastyrsky, a prominent member of president zelensky�*s cabinet, the minister of interior. he mainly is responsible for the country's police force, which is instrumental, really, in the government's efforts to rebuild society that have been liberated. we know that one child was among the 1a dead, but the cause is not yet known. many suspect it to be down to russian forces in these times of war,

but this is a journey that politicians make regularly, by helicopter, at low altitude, to avoid being targeted, so there are a lot of questions and more information, i imagine, will come with time. yes, that is going to be an obvious question, was there any foul play involved? is there a formal investigation? what do we know about that? president zelensky talked about this being a tragic day, and he has lost someone who was a close ally of his. an investigation has started, and other ministers have said they wouldn't dare speculate as to what has happened. president zelensky spoke to other world leaders at the world economic forum in davos, and he talked about the loss and so many family's lost during this war. we are talking about a part

of ukraine that has not been the front line for sometime about ministers go on these trips all the time, we went on one last summer, and they'd really do fly a tree level flight over electricity pylons, and that comes with risks too. it was also a misty morning. until we learn of any official findings, we'lljust have to wait on that front. notwithstanding this came down on a nursery, this is a symbolic loss for ukraine and cuts right at the heart of the kyiv administration. here in the uk... well let's look at the figures.

inflation fell to 10.5 percent last month, down from 10 point 7 percent in november. the drop was partly due to annual fuel prices dropping back sharply in december, to 11.5 percent. that's down from more than 17 percent the previous month. but that was offset by rocketing prices in hospitality, as restaurants and hotels were forced to pass on their own surging costs. inflation in the sector — at 11.3% — is the highest for three decades. households and businesses are also still facing eye—watering food price inflation, which hit another as—year high, at 16.8% in december. inflation last month was still five times the bank of england's 2% target. while most economists now believe the peak in uk inflation has passed, the chancellorjeremy hunt says the government needs to stick to its plan to bring it down further. there is still a long way to go in the battle against inflation. any country anywhere in the world with inflation over 10% is seeing it at, frankly, dangerous levels for stability of an economy. but for families up—and—down

the country, they are seeing food price inflation of nearly 17%, and that's causing a massive hike in the cost of the weekly shop. and what that really shows is that for us and for other countries, the most important thing is to stick to a plan to bring down inflation. the prime minister has said that he wants to halve inflation in the coming year, and for families and businesses, it's absolutely essential that we stick to that plan. and let's hearfrom jeremy hunt's labour opposite number rachel reeves: the bank of england target is clear, and that's for 2% inflation. that's the inflation that we had when i was at the bank of england, but today we see inflation five times or more higher than that, with the government's target now only to bring it to 5%. that is still an incredibly high level of inflation, and the question that people are going to be asking themselves is, "13 years into a conservative government, "are me and my family better off?" the answer to that question is no. well let's get the assessment

of grant fitzner, chief economist at the office for national statistics, which compiled the inflation data: as the chancellor said, - it's good to see a second month | of falls in the headline inflationj rate, but it's still double digits, . it's still at a very high level. and overall prices are still rising strongly over the past year. but i think what's encouraging is, in recent months, - the story's been all upward. we're now getting muchl more of a mixed picture, with some inflation components heading downwards and othersl still going up — food prices, i as was mentioned just then. so we're getting a bit. of a mixed picture now. so with the bank of england's inflation target at 2 percent, it's been raising interest rates — or the cost of borrowing — steadily over the past year, to try to rein in inflation. uk interest rates are currently at 3—and—a—half percent. despite december�*s slight dip in inflation, the bank expected to hike rates once again next month. here's danni hewson, financial analyst at aj bell:

the big party involved in trying to keep inflation down, trying to bring it to that 2% target that it's got to uphold, is the bank of england. it is doing that by increasing interest rates. we have seen expectations of another half a percentage point increase at the next meeting in february jump up from about 75% to over 80% this morning, after we had these inflation figures in. so with inflation on a downward trend, how low could it go? here's our economics correspondent andy verity on what economists are predicting for later in the year: they're expecting inflation averaging overall 7.4% for the coming year, partly because those fuel prices came down by 8% in december alone. but we should remember that inflation is a year on year comparison, so after the big spike in fuel prices — which was last february — on the invasion of ukraine, there was a big striking difference between january then and january now. as you move on past

that spike a year ago, the difference is smaller, and that's why inflation's likely to come down. in a year or two, though, it could get right down to zero or even deflation. kitty ussher is chief economist at the bosses�* organisation, the institute of directors. well, it's good news and bad news, really. so, the good news, obviously, is that the headline rate has come down a little. so, now looks like it may have peaked in october, and then fell in november and december. the less good news is that domestically driven inflation, and as we've just heard, particularly in food and in the hospitality sector, is still running, not only very high, but rising. and i think that's what the bank of england will be particularly concerned about because, you know, attempting to control international factors is not something that's really within their purview, but they do have far greater influence over domestically generated inflation. and that's what's not yet

even on a downward path. and what does that mean, you think, for interest rates? well, if you'd asked me yesterday, i probably would have cautioned against rising rates much further, because i do think there's a risk that the bank of england may overshoot. we know that raising rates takes a while to feed through in terms of higher costs of borrowing, the very difficult, higher costs of getting a mortgage. and so we don't want them to take too much action upfront and then have to reverse. but actually, now, having looked at the latest inflation figures, as i say, great that they are coming down overall. but i think there's still quite a lot to be concerned about in terms of domestically generated inflation. and we know from the surveys of our own members of business leaders that they are not yet convinced that we're past the peak of this. so, possibly they know something that some of their macro economists don't know. and we need to do a bit more

to bring inflationary expectations back down to at least nearer the bank of england's target. and what is your view on the pay requests from the public sector? we've seen private pay figures levels go up further than the public sector. the government saying that will feed inflation. what's your take on that? obviously, people incredibly worried aboutjust balancing the books. well, that will be a concern of government. but as a representative organisation for largely private sector companies, i don't think that's something we necessarily have a view on. it's up to individual organisations to work out what's best for them. as an economist, the greatest fear is that you might have what's called a wage price spiral where prices rise, that makes wages rise more and then prices rise more as a result of that. it does look like we're not in that situation because the rate of inflation still remains higher than the overall level of wage

rises in the economy. that doesn't feel much fun if you're if you're an employee. but in terms of the prospects for the economy as a whole, an economist would say that's quite an encouraging sign. stay with us on outside source — still to come... ten chinese snooker players accused of involvement in match—fixing have all been charged here in the uk. 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... ukraine's president zelensky has said the pain is unspeakable, after a helicopter crashed

near a kindergarten on the outskirts of kyiv. staying here in the uk, the biggest day of strikes in the nhs so far is now set for monday 6th february after ambulance workers announced that they would walk out on the same day as nurses in england and wales. tens of thosuands of nurses in england are already on strike again today in their dispute over pay — affecting a quarter of hospitals. thousands of nurses will also strike tomorrow across england — and on the 6th and 7th february in wales as well as england. today ambulance workers added to the nhs crisis as they announced four more dates in england and wales— the 6th and 20th of february and the 6th and 20th of march. the royal college of nursing says it's willing to compromise, the health secretary, steve barclay, says pay rises would take money away from patient care. the head of one of london's largest hospitals says the dispute is hugely disruptive and needs to be resolved swiftly. our health editor, hugh pym, reports from university college hospital on the impact of the strikes.

chanting outside the hospital, the noise from striking nurses and protesters. claps don't pay the bills! inside, the operating theatres are silent. no planned operations are going ahead. there is no—one in the recovery room. today we would have had two days' worth of operations planned in these theatres, our newest set of theatres, and we have nothing planned at all in terms of surgical activity today or tomorrow. and what normally happens here, what level of activity? normally we'd be busy with orthopaedic or ear, nose and throat surgery. it's one of our busiest surgical hubs in the whole of the uch campus. but not today. university college hospital london gave us access to see how

it's affecting them. over 2000 patients will miss their operations and appointments. the boss has called on unions and the government to settle the dispute. disputes like this, industrial action of this scale, is hugely disruptive, so it's notjust the cancelling of the patients and reorganising their care, it is everything that goes behind that. it's also motivating our staff, retaining our staff, keeping the morale of our staff high. given where this dispute has got to, what's your message to the government? my message and that of many chief executives around the country is that this needs resolution. we cannot continue to go through periods of industrial action and the disruption it is causing to patients and our staff. back on the street, nurses defended their decision to strike. so i'm out here to protest. we need a pay rise. we haven't had a pay rise in ten years in line with inflation, so we deserve better. every single day we are . completely over capacity. it's not a safe environment to be looking after the patients - and a strike is unfortunately

the only thing we feel- like we've got left. what about patients affected today? they've missed out on their operation, their appointment which they might have waited forfor a long time. yep, so this is it, . but it feels like this is the last thing we had to do. as my colleagues have been saying today, it is with deep _ consideration that we stand here and do this today. - hopefully to do this is to get - what we want and for the future, stop this happening again. feelings are clearly running high on picket lines but the question is, where do things go from here? right now there seems to be a stand—off between the government and the health unions. the health secretary covering england gave his response to the strike action. i'm disappointed by the strikes, obviously. the losers are the patients who suffer the disruption. of course the strikes are in one quarter of trusts, so three—quarters of trusts are not striking and i'm grateful for the work that nurses and other staff are doing across the nhs.

do a deal! as striking nurses in wigan called for a deal, a march from university college hospital involving nurses and other campaigners reached westminster and the biggest set of walk—outs by ambulance staff and nurses was announced for a single day in february. hugh pym, bbc news. ten chinese snooker players accused of being involved in match—fixing have all been charged here in the uk today, as snooker�*s governing body investigates the sport's biggest corruption scandal. the allegations include manipulating games, approaching players to cheat, betting on snooker — and fixing matches. our sports correspondent, andy swiss, has the story. the champion, yan bingtao! he's the biggest star in what is snooker�*s biggest scandal. only last season, yan bingtao was a top ten player who reached the quarterfinals of the world championship.

now, he's being charged with match fixing, one of ten chinese players accused of corruption. they also include zhao xintong, who won two titles last season... liang wenbo! ..and the experienced liang wenbo, who's alleged to have approached others to fix matches. to have so many players charged with cheating is a dark day for the sport. well, it's very damaging. we have to deliver pure live sport, competed to the highest level. and to do that, we must know the sport is clean. so the damage for me is short—term. we have to take the short—term pain now, we have to clear this issue up and we have to move on. snooker is no stranger to match fixing. in 2013, stephen lee was banned for 12 years, but one former world champion shaun murphy believes the sanctions need to be even stronger. my overriding feeling is i feel complete betrayal. if these players are found guilty

of fixing the outcomes of snooker matches, i don't think we should ever see them again on the tour. i think it's that straightforward. zhao xintong! the ten charged players are all suspended until they face a hearing, but the integrity of their sport is now under the sternest scrutiny. andy swiss, bbc news. the bbc has apologised after its coverage of build up of a football much build—up was disrupted by sense of what appeared to be pornographic video. sounds from a pornographic video. this is the moment the sex noises started during the broadcast we've obviously removed the sound from this clip. a spokesperson said the bbc was investigating the incident. the source of the noises turned out to be a hidden mobile phone taped to the back of the set.

this photo was tweeted by gary lineker who was presenting at the time. he says he found the incident amusing. it was quite difficult to deal with and i thought it was from a pundits phone and i thought it was too loud and obviously it worked out. gary lineker after almost four years marvel movies are returned to the chinese box office prompting joy from fans stop black panther arrives on the 7th of february followed by antman and the wasp two weeks later. chinese officials have never explained why marvel movies were blocked from screaming in the country but the apparent band begin at a time when tensions between the us and china reached a high amid a trade war. i'm on twitter. love to

hear from trade war. i'm on twitter. love to hearfrom you. thank trade war. i'm on twitter. love to hear from you. thank you for being with us for me in the team bye—bye for now. hello. it's been a cold and blustery day for us all today, icy for some with further snow showers. but over the next few days, we will see a bit of a change in the weather — fewer wintry showers and it will gradually turn milder. but i do mean gradually. the next two days will remain cold. so over the past few hours, these blustery winds from the north have been blowing in some further wintry showers across parts of scotland, the west and the north sea coast. it's little surprise because we are in an arctic airflow at the moment, those winds coming straight down from the arctic, keeping things very cold across the whole of the uk. and so this evening and overnight, some wintry showers will continue for parts of the north and the west and it will be icy in these areas as well. elsewhere across the country, it will be dry and cold. so temperatures dipping down

to below freezing overnight, perhaps in some parts of scotland —8 celsius. so a frosty start for us all tomorrow, then. those winds, though, will ease off tomorrow, apart from scotland. staying blustery in this area with further wintry showers. some wintriness still remaining in parts of the west as well, although looking more like sleet and perhaps a bit of rain to lower levels. plenty of sunshine and dry weather across the rest of the uk. top temperatures between 2—7 celsius. thursday night into friday, then, we are between weather systems, with a ridge of high pressure turning the weather a little bit more settled. those winds will continue to ease and we will see more blue skies as well, more sunshine. perhaps a little bit cloudy into friday, then. will be misty in the west, but that will clear to leave plenty of dry weather, fewer wintry showers. those temperatures will start creeping up in the far southwest, but still remaining cold across much of the uk. and then as we go into the weekend, we're seeing this milder air mass that's moving across from the atlantic,

across northern ireland and into scotland to begin with. it will gradually move further south. but into saturday, where this milder air is lingering over the country, we will see more cloud and a bit of rain. the further southeast you are, it will be cold, a bit of early fog, perhaps. the temperatures in the westjust creeping up a little bit further, 9—10 celsius. and into sunday and monday, the pattern remains the same — double figures in northern ireland, but the further south—east you are, it will remain cold and drierfor longer.

this week on the travel show. mastering the tile with a style in morocco. you're doing a greatjob! am i doing a greatjob? well, i tried. 0k, down the hatch. nick tries out a 1,000—year—old delicacy in turkey. and we're talking tortoise on the coast of senegal. why is he called bill, can i ask? because he arrived the month where bill clinton was elected. so you are named after a president!