today at 6:00: more than 50 countries meet in germany to co—ordinate weapons supplies for ukraine. more money, missiles and ammunition have been promised but not the extra tanks that president zelensky is appealing for. this isn'tjust about ukraine's security. it's also about european security, and it's about global security. it's about the kind of world that we want to live in. but kyiv insists it needs more — we'll explain why and what it means for the war. also on the programme... christmas had a bit less sparkle — with a drop in the amount we spent in the shops and online in december.

we can't wake up in 20 years with 2 million andrew tates. teenage girls tell the bbc how they were contacted online by the influencer andew tate and his brother. and fright night—on—sea — how southend is becoming something of a global capital for amateur horror movies. 0n the bbc news channel, britain's number one is knocked out of the australian open, beaten in the third round by a rising star.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. more than 50 countries have been meeting today to discuss sending aid, and weapons, to ukraine. there have been pledges of missiles, armour and combat vehicles, but the allies weren't able to agree on sending heavy tanks, that ukraine's government says it needs to break the deadlock in the war. russia has warned that providing tanks would mark an "extremely dangerous" escalation. here's our europe correspondentjessica parker. this is what kyiv wants, but can't yet have. german—made leopard 2 tanks, as part of hopes for hundreds of western battle tanks to help defend their country and take back their land. britain broke the mould, pledging 1a challengers. but for ukraine, that alone isn't enough. hundreds of thank yous are not hundreds of tanks. hundreds hundreds of thank yous are not hundreds of tanks. i cannot put

words instead of guns that are needed against russian artillery. it was a direct appeal to this meeting of defence chiefs. but berlin gets to decide where tanks made in germany can go, even those bought by other countries. minister, why is berlin so hesitant on this issue? we minister, why is berlin so hesitant on this issue?— on this issue? we are not really hesitating. _ on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we _ on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we are _ on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we are just - on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we are just very - hesitating, we are just very careful, balancing the pros and cons. we are not talking just about delivering anything to anybody, this is a new kind of measure. domestic politics, germany's past and a fear of escalating the conflict may all play into berlin's caution. but this meeting was about more than tanks, with much wider pledges of military aid and an air of urgency. they have not made a decision on the provision of leopard tanks. we are really focused on making sure that ukraine has a capability that it

needs to be successful right now. the nato military alliance sees this as a pivotal moment. there is a need for support to ukraine, _ there is a need for support to ukraine, to enable them not only to survive _ ukraine, to enable them not only to survive but — ukraine, to enable them not only to survive but actually to retake territory _ survive but actually to retake territory to win this war. there is a lot of talk _ territory to win this war. there is a lot of talk about _ territory to win this war. there is a lot of talk about a _ territory to win this war. there is a lot of talk about a russian - a lot of talk about a russian spring offensive. do you think ukraine can take back territory this year? absolutely. that is the reason why nato allies and partners are providing significantly more support to ukraine. this front line ukrainian unit is using a soviet—era tank. they're worn and hungry for more modern equipment, anticipating bigger battles to come. jessica parker, bbc news, in ramstein. so, to what extent have western countries committed to backing ukraine in the war? 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale is here to explain. throughout the war, western powers have given ukraine different weapons at different times,

depending on what was needed. at the start, portable anti—tank weapons — like these nlaws — were crucial in helping ukraine resist the russian invasion. then rockets — like these himars — were given to ukraine so they could hold back russian advances in the south. then it was air defences — like these so—called nasams — that ukraine needed to protect itself from russian drones and missiles. and now it is hundreds of powerful battle tanks they say they need to break the deadlock on the battlefield. the reason that ukraine is asking for perhaps 300 tanks is that ukraine understands that number of high quality tanks really would make a major difference to the battle to take back ukraine. whether you are defending it, or attacking to take it back. �* . ., , defending it, or attacking to take itback. �* . , ., , it back. britain has promised ukraine's — it back. britain has promised ukraine's challenger - it back. britain has promised ukraine's challenger 2s. - it back. britain has promised ukraine's challenger 2s. it . it back. britain has promised ukraine's challenger 2s. it is sending a0. not enough to shift the

balance but enough, may be, they hope, to get the ball rolling. as yet, there is no agreement on sending the german—made lab at 2 tanks. they are easy to maintain. there are lots of them, almost 2000 across europe. there are fears in germany that sending them could escalate the conflict. the germany that sending them could escalate the conflict.— escalate the conflict. the great ma'ori escalate the conflict. the great majority of _ escalate the conflict. the great majority of the _ escalate the conflict. the great majority of the tanks _ escalate the conflict. the great majority of the tanks are - escalate the conflict. the great i majority of the tanks are actually outside germany. but you do need german spare parts and logistical support. so i hope that after this public discussion we will come together and do what is necessary. the west has already given ukraine a huge amount of military support. you can see from this chart that the united states has given most come in monetary terms. it also, germany has given a significant amount too. this debate about tanks can sound technical at times. but it matters because the decisions could shape the next phase of the war determine which side has the initiative, going into the spring.

james, thank you. the amount of goods we bought in shops and online saw the biggest fall on record for the month of december, as consumers cut spending to cope with the rising cost of living. according to the office for national statistics, sales volumes declined by nearly 6% compared with the prevous year. but the amount we actually spent was almost a% higher than in december 2021 as goods were more expensive. our business correspondent emma simpson reports from norwich. lifting the spirits amid the january blues. so what's the mood music here on the high street? christmas was a bit of a mixed bag, with these shoppers in norwich. i think i spent more, yeah. idid. 0n the grandchildren, of course. so, did you overdo it a wee bit, then? yeah, it didn't matter, though. big family, big bills. we didn't spend loads. we just bought each other a little something. - reining back completely, yes.

definitely. we did a big thing this year where we only bought one present for one person. here's the real christmas story today on retail sales. this line shows our spending over the last three years. but look at this line, showing how much we bought. there's a big gap now. 0n the whole, we are spending more but buying less. 2022 saw the biggest annual drop in volumes on record. some of the trading updates have obviously been really positive with some of the bigger retailers. but i think what these figures are telling us is that consumers are voting with how tight they are feeling that pound in the pocket is at the moment. so, i think they are actually really reluctant to spend it, as they feel the very real pressures of not only inflation rates that we've seen, but also the cost of living crisis that is pressing very hard on consumers at the moment. we did hit the shops. they had a bounce back over christmas, helped by postal strikes hitting online sales. the boss of this jewelry chain told me people are still spending, especially for celebrations. there's definitely resilience there.

i think the british consumer likes to shop around and get a bargain. people want value and quality, and they are prepared to maybe forgo other items to get that. so i think there probably is a little bit of polarisation. we've seen less customers, but those that we are seeing are definitely spending more. christmas hasn't been the wash—out that many had initially feared. but there's been little festive cheer for retailers either. the worry is that people will have even less money to spend in the first half of this year, with incomes coming under increasing pressure. emma simpson, bbc news, norwich. labour have called for conservative party chair nadhim zahawi to be sacked following reports in the guardian, unverified by the bbc, that he has paid a penalty to hmrc as part of a settlement related to his tax affairs. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo is in westminster. tell us the background to this.

well, there have been questions swirling around nadhim zahawi's tax affairs for some time. he was a successful businessman before he entered politics. he was one of the co—founders of the polling company yougov. the question centre on whether he tried to avoid paying tax ijy whether he tried to avoid paying tax by using an offshore company to hold shares in yougov. the sun on sunday reported he had agreed to make a seven figure sum payment to the tax authorities, hmrc, in orderto settle a tax dispute. today, the guardian have reported he agreed to pay a penalty as part of that, taking the total tax bill, according to the paper, to almost £5 million. we have not been able to verify those claims, but nadhim zahawi's spokesman has not denied that when asked. he's been asked about the latest claim of a penalty, but has not yet responded. he's previously said that the taxes were properly

declared and paid in the uk. remember, nadhim zahawi was chancellor briefly last year, responsible for setting the company —— country's taxes, he's a former education secretary and still attends cabinet in his current role. it puts him in an awkward situation. labour say that his story doesn't add up, and say that rishi sunak should sack. expect the opposition to up the pressure. the social media influencer andrew tate and his brother, tristan, are to stay in custody until the 27th february after a romanian court extended their police detention. the pair are being held while police investigate allegations of trafficking and rape. both deny the allegations. meanwhile, teenage girls have told the bbc how the brothers contacted them online, apparently using a standard formula. 0ur correspondent lucy williamson sent this report from bucharest. what have they told you? you don't normally need an american diplomat to tell you what andrew tate is thinking. and the consul general wasn't here to talk,

but to visit the us citizens being held by romanian police. any evidence prosecutors may have against andrew tate or his brother is still a well guarded secret. neither man has yet been charged. but their public image has been complicated by criticism over the things they say and the way they behave online. daria was 16 when she says she received a private message on instagram two years ago from andrew tate's account. it read, simply, "romanian girl," followed by a strawberry emoji. it was very obvious we were high school girls. we had our high school in our bio and everything. i feel like he was just trying to find girls that seemed as innocent or naive as possible. in my opinion. daria, who is now at university in the uk, says it's important she speak out because so many young men idolise andrew tate. this is a big problem, because we can't wake up in 20 years

with two million andrew tates. in a video, andrew tate outlined his method for approaching women online. sometimes, like i said, intrigue, i'll put a completely _ pointless emoji on the end. some cherries, or an orange, or a strawberry _ because it doesn't mean anything. he also recommends asking a woman why do i never see you, where are you hiding? 99% of them say, i'm not hiding, he explains. this woman had an exchange that seems to follow this script. she showed me messages apparently from andrew's brother, tristan, sent when she was 17 years old. "you're beautiful," he says. "i feel i've seen you around town before. where have you been hiding?" as andrew tate predicts, she replies, "i didn't hide." translation: knew he was writing i the same thing to a lot of girls, . including a friend of mine. he used the same approach,

always starting the conversation with exactly the same line — "you're beautiful." in publicity for his online courses in manipulating and exploiting women, andrew tate has said his job was to meet a girl, sleep with her, get her to fall in love with me to the point where she'd do anything i say and then get her working on webcam so we could become rich together. with the tates now starved of the spotlight themselves, police have until the end of february to sift their potential crimes from the public image. the time is 6:15. our top story this evening. more than 50 countries meet in germany to pledge more vehicles and weapons for ukraine, but not the extra tanks stuckey ever says it needs. and forget life on mars, could there be some onjupiter? the

scientists about to launch a spacecraft to find out. chris eubankjunior and liam smith away in ahead of their middleweight fight tomorrow. —— way in. rising prices are affecting us all, but research shows its more in the north than the south. the centre for cities think tank says the impact of the cost of living crisis is significantly higher in blackburn and burnley for example than in cambridge and london. it says the disparity was down to the higher proportion of poorly—insulated housing in the north and the fact that workers in the north tend to earn lower wages and so spend more of their income on essentials like food and heating. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth, has spent the week in blackburn meeting people in the community trying to help those in need. radio: at 6:00, with the latest for lancashire, there is a yellowi warning for ice and snow...

early morning in blackburn, and it's cold. but at the ivy street community centre, there is a sense of warmth. can you manage? christine has worked in this community for 37 years. we don't know how many children they've got. then we can start doing those meals and just freeze them. once a week, with her team of volunteers, she packs food parcels for those in need. is it worse now than you've seen it before? the 37 years you been working here? 0h, definitely. definitely. there we are. for people like ian, it's a lifeline. i come every week. like i say, it's ideal for me, because i live on my own. how are you finding things at the moment? difficult. what kind of people do you deliver to? we've got one gentleman, he is in sheltered accommodation. for those that can't collect their parcels, christine and her team deliver

to their doors. there you are, anthony. christine says the need here is great. see you later. what kind of things do you see, christine? poverty. a lot of poverty. i see worry. you know, when somebody�*s not got no gas or electric, and they're freezing, i give it out of my own pocket. blackburn had high levels of deprivation even before inflation started to bite. but the community has come together to support those struggling. at this extra care housing complex they have regular singing sessions, free and open to all. it's a chance for a cup of tea and companionship for people finding things tough, like valerie. what are things like for you at the moment? there is no money left. you can't go out. you know, you've got to sit on your own four walls,

and i don't like it. i've got ms, and it does hold me back. but i still want to live. the local age uk group, which runs the sessions, says demand will help has soared. our advice service, in six months, april to september last year, did another 80% on top of what it had done the previous year. 80% more demand on your advice service? and most of that was directly related to money. my name'sjames, i'm ringing up from blackburn with darwen council's household support team. the local council has set up helplines and allowed us in to see them at work. as well as support with energy bills, there is extra government funding for those most in need. your gas and electric is going to go off today, and you don't get paid until the end of the month? so you've got £i.a0 left on your gas, on the emergency. all right. you just stay by your phone, and somebody will be in contact with you today. and they tap into community support. they make and receive about 300 calls a week.

her daughter has an eating disorder, and she can't afford her food properly. so we're going to try to get her a bit of food. you can hear it in their voices, when they are speaking to you, that they are not used to reaching out for help. iqbal is another offering support. i'm just promoting this event we're having... handing out posters about a warm evening, free heating and food, and his community centre. we're welcoming anybody who wants to come and sit down, have a meal, have a natter about their problems. the following night, the effort pays off. dozens turn up, including sisters mehaq and kiran. it's nice for the community, especially for teenagers my age, who want to know about the cost of living crisis. it just feels like you're part of some big family. across this town, there are those working to try and bring a little late, even when things

and bring a little light, even when things feel a little bleak. alex forsyth, bbc news, blackburn. you can hear alex on any questions, from blackburn, on radio a tonight at eight o'clock. in the last hour the nhs has published details of the number of operations cancelled due to strikes by nurses in england earlier this week. 0ur health editor hugh pym join me now. hugh what does the figures show. they shoi over the two days of strike action, 27,800 appoints were cancelled. 0f strike action, 27,800 appoints were cancelled. of course emergency care went ahead. nurses carried on doing that sort of work, but the strikes affected planned work. what sort of proportion does that represent? we haven't got that figure. but we have done a ring around of hospitals, it is not a scientific exercise, but they tell us between 10 and 20% of this sort of activity was put on

hold and will have to be scheduled on other days when the work of reducing the backlog has to continue. reducing the backlog has to continue-— the united nations says it believes women in afghanistan may soon be allowed to resume working for aid agencies , after high level talks with the country's taliban rulers. they imposed the ban last month, along with a ban on women attending university. amina mohammed, the un deputy secretary general, has been visiting afghanistan, and she's been speaking to our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. a space to call their own. their own shops run by afghan women for afghan women. but a new taliban edict shut down a training programme here. this, their response. all of us crisis. whole life crisis.

these four women, all university—educated, lost their jobs, the life they knew and loved. our future is very dark. it's not bright. do you see any light? no. we are here because we really want to hear your voices. that's why the un's second in command is here, amina mohammed, its most senior woman, trying to change taliban government edicts barring women from work and education. that's why she headed to the southern province of kandahar to meet some of the most conservative taliban leaders. we are going to use this to push the door wider and not allow to it close. and not allow it to close, because it would close on the women of afghanistan and that is not an option we will even table. the council of islamic scholars explaining their strict interpretation of women in islam.

so strict it's been criticised by many islamic countries. miss mohammed, a muslim herself, made her case too. how did it go? tough. tough? tough. as in no meeting of minds? i think that there is a distance to be covered. we are a little closer to understanding why they took the decision. and there is some hope. but it's tough. hope, because in her visit, under tight security, she also met taliban who say they do want to engage on these issues. so she has ended her mission believing she has made some progress. but this is the beginning of a dialogue, not the end. major tim peake, the first briton to visit the international space station, is retiring from his role as an astronaut with the european space agency.

he spent six months on the space station in 2015 — where his work included a spacewalk to repair the power supply. tim peake is now taking on the role of ambassador for the space agency, encouraging young people to pursue careers in science. meanwhile scientists from the european space agency are putting the final touches to an ambitious mission tojupiter�*s icy moons, in the hope they may find primitive signs of life. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle reports. bleak yet beautiful, the giant moons ofjupiter, covered in a thick crust of ice, but hidden beneath hints of vast oceans where life could thrive. now a mission is getting ready to make an epic journey to study them. at airbus in toulouse in france, engineers are putting the finishing touches to the spacecraft. it is called thejupiter icy moons explorer, orjuice. this is a number of scientific instruments that we have onjuice. they range from a radar that will see beneath the ice to lasers

creating 3d models of the surface and high resolution cameras. these oceans could sustain the necessary conditions necessary to support the emergence of primitive forms of life in these these oceans could sustain the necessary conditions necessary to support the emergence of primitive forms of life in these oceans and it is this environment that we want to further investigate. juice will travel more than four billion miles before it arrives at its destination in eight years' time. the spacecraft will visit three ofjupiter�*s moons. it will fly around ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. its ocean could contain more water than all of the earth's oceans put together. it will also study callisto, whose ancient surface is covered in craters. this moon could harbour life, but that is not as likely as on europa, where the spacecraft will be trying to spot plumes of water vapour erupting from beneath its icy crust. i don't think we are expecting to go there and find schools of fish in the ocean,

but to be honest with you, we really don't know, and i think that is it. we are at the very beginning of our understanding and ourjourney towards understanding the habitability of these environments. the next step is to pack the spacecraft up ready for its launch in april. scientists hope we will finally discover what lies beneath the surface of these mysterious moons and whether it is possible for life to exist elsewhere in our solar system. rebecca morelle, bbc news, toulouse. some breaking news, the prime minister, rishi sunak, has received a fine for not wearing a seat belt. he was travelling in a car yesterday where he took off his seat belt while filming a video for social media. lancashire police say they haveissued media. lancashire police say they have issued a fine. rishi sunak apologised yesterday.

it began as a way of bringing some business in the middle of winter to the essex seaside. ten years on, horror on sea in southend now has more than 500 film—makers seeking to show their creations at the festival. home—made horror is booming and southend is the place to see it, as david sillito reports. welcome to southend injanuary. a place of horror! day after day its nonstop blood, gore and a few laughs. welcome to horror on sea. among the films being shown, eric. the story of a pomeranian. and power tool cheerleaders. all port of an explosion in independent horrorfilm making and this has been for many the first chance to terrify a packed cinema. . ., ., , .,, ., , cinema. technology has made these thins

cinema. technology has made these things possible _ cinema. technology has made these things possible and _ cinema. technology has made these things possible and you _ cinema. technology has made these things possible and you hear- cinema. technology has made these things possible and you hear eitherl things possible and you hear either the scream orjust the intake of breath across 200 people while they 90, breath across 200 people while they go, oh, and you can hear it. oh, man, no petterfeeling in the world! 20 years ago the uk was producing at most half a dozen horror movie's year. these days it is more than 100. i year. these days it is more than 100. ., ., ., . . 100. i want to introduce the crew. for this actress _ 100. i want to introduce the crew. for this actress it _ 100. i want to introduce the crew. for this actress it has _ 100. i want to introduce the crew. for this actress it has been - 100. i want to introduce the crew. for this actress it has been a - 100. i want to introduce the crew. for this actress it has been a busy year. for this actress it has been a busy ear. ~ ., ., for this actress it has been a busy ear, ~ ., ., , for this actress it has been a busy ear. ~ ., ., , , year. we have got six films screening. _ year. we have got six films screening, so _ year. we have got six films screening, so there - year. we have got six films screening, so there is - year. we have got six films screening, so there is a - year. we have got six films| screening, so there is a film year. we have got six films - screening, so there is a film called malicious — screening, so there is a film called malicious. demons at dawn, eating miss campbell. a malicious. demons at dawn, eating miss campbell-— miss campbell. a movie that will tomorrow have _ miss campbell. a movie that will tomorrow have its _ miss campbell. a movie that will tomorrow have its premiere - miss campbell. a movie that will tomorrow have its premiere here miss campbell. a movie that will. tomorrow have its premiere here at the cannes of microbudget horror. to have a film here and it is sold out, see the _ have a film here and it is sold out, see the audience _ have a film here and it is sold out, see the audience reaction - have a film here and it is sold out, see the audience reaction to - have a film here and it is sold out, see the audience reaction to our. see the audience reaction to our little _

see the audience reaction to our little film — see the audience reaction to our little film that — see the audience reaction to our little film that we _ see the audience reaction to our little film that we spent - see the audience reaction to our little film that we spent the - little film that we spent the weekend _ little film that we spent the weekend making, - little film that we spent the weekend making, it- little film that we spent the weekend making, it is- little film that we spent the i weekend making, it isjust... little film that we spent the - weekend making, it isjust... sort of did— weekend making, it isjust... sort of did move — weekend making, it isjust... sort of did move me _ weekend making, it isjust... sort of did move me to _ weekend making, it isjust... sort of did move me to tears. - weekend making, it isjust... sort of did move me to tears. conceived as wa of of did move me to tears. conceived as way of bringing _ of did move me to tears. conceived as way of bringing some _ of did move me to tears. conceived as way of bringing some cheer - of did move me to tears. conceived as way of bringing some cheer to i of did move me to tears. conceived l as way of bringing some cheer to the seaside, it has grown with some film maker who began with zero budget movies making feature films. but not all choose southend for their premieres. brute all choose southend for their premieres-— all choose southend for their premieres. all choose southend for their remieres. ~ . ., ., premieres. we have a feature film this weekend _ premieres. we have a feature film this weekend that _ premieres. we have a feature film this weekend that i _ premieres. we have a feature film this weekend that i have _ premieres. we have a feature film this weekend that i have been - this weekend that i have been showing the director's short films for a few years and he has already been to ten festivals. damn it! there it the is — britain's capital of home made horror. time for a look at the weather, here's tomasz. some ducks? how is it looking. i thought i would start with something magical—looking. such a wonderful picture. it is a frozen pond i think

thatis picture. it is a frozen pond i think that is in the midlands in walsall and it was taken in the last 2a hours. it is really nippy, in parts of scotland it is minus seven or eight. what will happen through the night is temperatures across north western parts will rise as we see milder air shifting in off the atlantic. these are temperatures around 6am, widely below freezing in england and wales. in western scotland and northern ireland temperatures lifting through the course of the night. that is because the winds are coming in from the south here. there is a weather front, cloud and some rain, some snow initially across the scottish highlands. but tomorrow afternoon, that contrast, western areas eight or nine or maybe 10 degrees. in the midlands around four degrees. we have high pressure extending from the azores across europe into

russia. but we are on the edge