tonight at ten... after a major meeting of more than 50 countries, there's still no agreement to send ukraine the heavy weapons it says it desperately needs. more money, missiles and munitions have been promised by the us, uk and europe — but not the extra tanks that kyiv 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. we'll explain what this means for the war, and get russia's reaction. also on the programme... and that's about investing in local areas... rishi sunak has been fined for not wearing a seat belt in a moving car,

while filming a social media video. a special report from afghanistan on women's rights — we travel with the united nations envoy meeting the taliban. we are going to use this to push the door wider_ we are going to use this to push the door wider and not allow it to close — door wider and not allow it to close. and not allow it to close, because — close. and not allow it to close, because it — close. and not allow it to close, because it would close on the women of afghanistan. teenage girls tell the bbc how they were contacted online by the influencer andrew tate and his brother, as they remain in custody in romania on rape and trafficking allegations. and fright—night—on—sea — how southend is becoming something of a global capital for amateur horror movies. and coming up on the bbc news channel: cameron norrie's out of the australian open. a five—set thriller saw him miss out on making it through to the final 16 in the tournament yet again.

good evening and welcome to the news at ten. a major meeting of ukraine's allies has ended without agreement on whether to send more tanks to kyiv. representatives of around 50 countries gathered at the us airbase in ramstein in germany to discuss coordinating military support. germany's new defence minister denied blocking the export of its leopard tanks, which kyiv has been pushing for, saying such a decision had to be carefully considered. ukraine says the tanks are needed to break the deadlock in the war. russia has warned that providing tanks would mark an "extremely dangerous" escalation. here's our europe correspondent, jessica parker. this is what kyiv wants, but can't yet have. german—made leopard tanks, to help defend and reclaim

its territory from russia. britain has gone first in sending western main battle tanks, but it is a fraction of what is being asked for. hundreds of thank yous are not hundreds of tanks. all of us can use thousands of words in discussions. but i cannot put words instead of guns that are needed against russian artillery. defence chiefs have pledged fresh support. but berlin is still resisting pressure to release its leopard 2s. it gets to decide where german—made tanks can go, even those bought by other countries. minister, why is berlin so hesitant on this issue? we are not really hesitating, we are just very carefully balancing the pros and cons. we are not talking just about delivering anything to anybody. this is a new kind of measure. these crowds in berlin want germany to do

more, but the government has its eye on broader public opinion. the country's world war ii history still casts a long shadow, while there are fears of escalation. they've not made a decision on the provision of leopard tanks. what we're really focused on is making sure that ukraine has the capability that it needs to be successful right now. the nato military alliance is pressing a sense of urgency. there is a need for support to ukraine, to enable them not only to survive but actually to retake territory to win this war. but there is a lot of talk about a russian spring offensive. do you think ukraine can take back territory this year? absolutely. that's the reason why nato allies and partners are providing significantly more support to ukraine.

a soviet era tank in a war of today. front line ukrainian units are hungry for more modern weapons to help unfreeze this conflict. jessica parker, bbc news, in ramstein. so to what extent have western countries committed to backing ukraine in the war? our 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 precision—guided rockets — like these himars — were given to ukraine to hold back russian advances in the south. then it was air defences, including some like these, that ukraine needed to protect itself from drones and missiles. and now it is hundreds of powerful tanks they say they need to break the deadlock on the battlefield.

the reason ukraine is asking for perhaps 300 main battle tanks is that ukraine understands that number of high—quality tanks really would a major difference to the battle to take back ukraine, whether you are defending or attacking to it back. britain has promised ukraine some challenger 2s — the british army's main battle tank. it's sending 1a — not enough to shift the balance, but enough, it's hoped, to get the ball rolling. but there is, as yet, no agreement on sending german—made leopard 2 tanks. they are easy to maintain and there are lots of them — almost 2000 in use across europe. but there are fears in germany that sending them could escalate the conflict. the great majority of the tanks are actually _ the great majority of the tanks are actually outside germany but you do need german spare parts and logistical— need german spare parts and logistical support, sol need german spare parts and logistical support, so i hope that

after— logistical support, so i hope that after this— logistical support, so i hope that after this public discussion we will come _ after this public discussion we will come together and do what's necessary. the west has already given ukraine a huge amount of military support. you can see from this chart, in monetary terms, the united states has given most. and despite the row over tanks, germany has nonetheless given a lot of other weapons and ammunition. this debate about tanks matters, because the decisions being taken could shape the next phase of the war and determine which side has the initiative going into the spring. james going into the spring. landale, our diplomatic correspondent, james landale, our diplomatic correspondent, thank you. so what's russia thinking about all this? let's speak to our russia editor steve rosenberg, who's in moscow. what does russia make of what's happened at this meeting of ukraine's allies?— happened at this meeting of ukraine's allies? ., ~ ., ukraine's allies? you know, when it comes to western _ ukraine's allies? you know, when it comes to western meetings, - ukraine's allies? you know, when it l comes to western meetings, western summits, there are three words guaranteed to put a smile on vladimir putin's face. no decision

taken. the fact that no decision was taken. the fact that no decision was taken to send german battle tanks to ukraine, oramerican tanks, that would have gone down very well in the kremlin because the slightest hint of division, disunity, disagreement in the western camp, the kremlin latches onto that. it laps it up. now, early at the official message from the kremlin was that in any case western tanks wouldn't really change the situation on the ground, it wouldn't stop russia from achieving its goals in ukraine which is defiant talk, but the problem for russia is there is no sign of it achieving its goals in ukraine, there is no sign of an imminent military victory for russia. the so—called special military operation which was supposed to lastjust a few days, a few weeks maximum, has dragged on now for almost a year of war with devastating consequences, of course, for ukraine, but also for russia's

future. ,, .,, , for ukraine, but also for russia's future. ,, , ., ~ , ., future. steve rosenberg, thank you, our russia added _ future. steve rosenberg, thank you, our russia added speaking _ future. steve rosenberg, thank you, our russia added speaking to - future. steve rosenberg, thank you, our russia added speaking to us - future. steve rosenberg, thank you, | our russia added speaking to us from moscow. howeveras our russia added speaking to us from moscow. however as a main story tonight. —— our other main story tonight. the prime minster has been fined by lancashire police for not wearing a seat belt. rushi sunak removed his belt to film a social media video while travelling in the back of a car, as our political correspondent leila nathoo reports. hi, one of my new year's promises to you was to grow the economy... a brief off—the—cuff video to promote a government announcement online. i'm out and about seeing levelling up in action all across the country... rishi sunak was filmed in the back of his ministerial car as he drove through lancashire yesterday — not wearing a seat belt. on a whistle—stop tour across the north of england, the prime minister was supposed to be talking about money for dozens of community projects, but the trip was soon overshadowed by questions about whether his enthusiastic social media message had taken him in the wrong direction. you were filmed earlier without a seat belt on, prime minister, in your car. would you address that for us? downing street said yesterday he had

made an error ofjudgement in not being strapped in, but now he's been fined by lancashire police. in a statement tonight, numberten said... this is the second time that rishi sunak has broken the law while in government. as chancellor, he was fined along with borisjohnson for breaking covid rules at a gathering in downing street injune 2020. tonight, labour's deputy leader described him as a total liability. do you want a receipt? it was meant to be a day to focus on government giveaways. instead, the prime minister has been left with something unexpected to chew over. and leila joins us from westminster, because tonight, labour have called for the 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.

leila, tell us the background to this. well, there have been questions swirling over nadhim zahawi's tax affairs for some time. he was a successful businessman before he went into politics. he was one of the co—founders of the polling company yougov and the questions centre on whether mr zahawi tried to avoid paying tax by using an offshore company to hold shares in yougov. now, the sun on sunday had reported he had agreed to make a seven figure sum payment to the tax authorities to settle a dispute and today, the guardian have reported that as part of that settlement he has agreed to pay a penalty, taking the total tax bill according to the paper to almost £5 million. we have not been able to verify those claims but a spokesman for mr zahawi did not deny the reports of a tax settlement when asked. he's been asked for a comment on the latest

claim of a penalty but has so far not responded, but he has previously said that mr zahawi's taxes are properly declared and paid in the uk. but remember that nadhim zahawi was formerly chancellor very briefly last year when he was in charge of setting the country's taxes. he was the education secretary, he still attends cabinet meetings today on his current role so this does put him under pressure. labour say his story doesn't add up and they are calling for him to be sacked. leila nathoo, thank _ calling for him to be sacked. leila nathoo, thank you. _ the deputy head of the united nations has told the bbc there is some hope that women in afghanistan will be allowed to resume working for aid agencies, after holding high level talks with the country's taliban rulers. the taliban promised to respect women's rights when they took power in 2021. but since then, there have been a series of restrictions on the lives of women and girls. they've closed secondary schools for girls, banned women from attending university, and last month announced a ban

on women working for aid agencies — even as the country suffers a humanitarian crisis. the un's deputy—secretary general amina mohammed has been on a four—day visit to the country. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet has been travelling with her and has sent this report. 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. all of us cried. this, their response. all night we cry. these four women, all university—educated, lost theirjobs, the life they knew and loved. our future is very dark. it's not bright. do you see any light? no. we're 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 most work places and education. that's why she headed to the southern province of kandahar to meet some of the most conservative taliban leaders. we're 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'sjust not an option we will leave on the table. the council of islamic scholars, explaining their strict interpretation of women's rights within islam. so strict it's been criticised by many islamic countries. ms mohammed, a muslim herself, made her case too, in a man's court.

amina mohammed, how did it go? tough. tough? tough. as in, no meeting of minds? i think that there is a distance to be covered. we've come little closer to understanding better why they took the decisions. and there is some hope, but it's tough. so when we sat down i asked — what gives you hope? i think there are many voices we heard which are progressive in the way that we would like to go, but there are others that really are not, and i think that it is a struggle within them to bring those that are not, forward too. there are many who believe, many afghan women, some even in the united nations, who believe that when the taliban say "until further notice" it means never. they say the taliban haven't and won't change. what do you say to that? well, i always have hope, because by agreeing to that i've just written off 23 million people

in this country. that's not acceptable to me and i will fight until we make sure they're included because if we give up on the women of afghanistan, how many other women are we going to give up on when it gets too hard? the taliban — still not recognised by any government, under sanctions — say they should be brought into the international community. the message from envoys like ms mohammed is — first demonstrate your commitment to international norms, including women's rights. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. the amount of goods we bought in shops online saw the biggest cuts on record in the month of december as people cut back to cope with the rising cost of living. figures from the office for national statistics show the volume of sales fell by nearly 6% compared with the previous year.

but the amount we actually spent was almost 4% higher than in december 2021, as goods were more expensive. thousands of operations and hospital appointments were cancelled due to nurses�* strikes in england earlier this week. the nhs says 27,800 bookings, including 5,000 appointments for operations and treatments, had to be postponed. hospital bosses warn the strikes are hampering efforts to reduce waiting lists. the high court has approved a settlement of £39 million for a young girl who had to have all her limbs amputated after a hospital in surrey failed to correctly diagnose she had meningitis. she was initially sent home from frimley park hospital with paracetamol and wasn't correctly diagnosed until her parents took her back, hours later. the girl, whose identity is being protected, later suffered multi—organ failure. her parents argued had she been given antibiotics immediately, her subsequent deterioration and the amputations could have been avoided.

the social media influencer andrew tate and his brother tristan are to stay in custody until the 27th of february after a romanian court extended their police detention. the pair are being held while police investigate allegations of trafficking and rape, which both deny. 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. andrew tate and his brother tristan still draw the spotlight, even behind the walls of a romanian detention centre. today, bucharest�*s main court extended their detention for another month, until the 27th of february. the tates' lawyers said prosecutors had not presented any new evidence. 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 schools 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's 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, like, two million andrew tates. in a video, andrew tate outlined his method for approaching women online. sometimes, cos like i said, l

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: i knew he was writing i the same thing to a lot of girls, i 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 their public image. lucy williamson, bbc news, bucharest. chris hipkins is set to replace jacinda ardern as new zealand's prime minister, who announced earlier this week she was stepping down. mr hipkins, who was the only candidate nominated by the labour party, is currently the country's minister for police and education. rising prices are affecting us all, but research shows its being felt 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 yellowj 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? in the 37 years you've been working here? oh, 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's in sheltered accommodation. for those who 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've given 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's no money left. you can't go out. you know, you've got to sit in 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 these sessions, says demand for 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? yes, 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's extra government funding for those most in need. your gas and electric�*s going to go off today, and you don't get paid until the end of the month? so you've got £1.40 left on your gas, in an 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, at 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 light, even when things feel a little bleak. alex forsyth, bbc news, blackburn. and you can hear alex on any questions, from blackburn, on bbc sounds, on bbc.co.uk/sounds or on the bbc sounds app. an international film festival might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of southend—on—sea — but... ..home—made horrorfilms are booming there at the horror on sea festival. it began ten years ago as a way of bringing some much—needed business to the essex seaside in the middle of winter.

david sillito has been to see it in action. welcome to southend injanuary. screaming. day after day... nonstop blood, gore and a few laughs. welcome to her on c. among the dozens of films being shown, eric... the story of a malevolent pomeranian. and powertool cheerleaders. all part of an explosion in independent horror film—making. and this has been, for many, the first chance to terrify a packed cinema. there's this massive explosion where technology has made these things possible and you hear either the scream orjust the intake of breath — the collective intake of breath across 200 people sitting in the dark — where they all go, "ah!" and you can hear it over the sound mix.

oh, man, no better feeling in the world! 20 years ago, the uk was producing at most half a dozen or so horror movies a year. these days, it's more than 100. i want to introduce you to the crew. for horror actress dani thompson, this has been a very busy year. this year i have six films screening. there is malicious demons at dawn, _ screening. there is malicious demons at dawn, video shop tales of terror. a movie that will have its premiere here tomorrow night at the cannes of micro—budget horror. to have a film here and to have it sold out, to see the audience - reaction to our little film - that we spent the weekends making, it is just... it literally did move me to tears.

conceived as way of bringing a bit of grisly cheer to the midwinter seaside, it has grown over the last ten years, with some film—makers who began showing zero budget movies going on to make feature films. but not all choose southend for their premieres. we have a feature film this weekend that... i have been showing the director's short films for a few years and i think it's already been to about ten festivals. damn it! so there it is — britain's capital of home—made horror. david sillito, bbc news, southend. time for a look at the weather. how is it looking? i can tell you we have been absolutely quackers about this photo, it is a stunning, magical picture of that frozen pond and the ducks, a few of them sunning themselves in the rays of sunshine. but for most of us, it is going to be a pretty cold weekend. not

everywhere. out towards the west, clouds streaming and off the atlantic and there is actually a tonne of milder air streaming in from the azores which has already reached ireland and parts of scotland, the north west of england, too. here, early in the morning, frost free in belfast and glasgow but for many other parts of the country, temperatures will be well below freezing. we have a weather front out towards the west and north—west. bits and pieces of rain certainly possible but the bulk of england and wales will be bright if not sunny and crisp as well. temperatures briefly touching around five or six, may be 7 degrees in one or two places, closer to nine in the western isles. on sunday, we still have a weather front towards the north—west and actually, the wind is coming in from the south which will also drag in cloud to south—western england, and wales. here, mild and cloudy and damp at times. whereas we have got the crisp weather out towards the east and the south—east

and there, temperatures will be closer to