this is bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. the headlines: ten people have been killed in a mass shooting east of los angeles. the suspect is still at large. labour calls for a parliamentary investigation into claims the chairman of the bbc helped borisjohnson secure a financial loan while he was serving as prime minister. senior government ministers defend the bbc chairman's appointment. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. at an emotional meeting in new zealand, jacinda ardern hands over the leadership of her party

and country to chris hipkins. ten people have been killed in a mass shooting on the outskirts of los angeles. the attack happened at a dance venue in monterey park around seven miles east of los angeles city centre. the area is home to a large asian community. at least 10 people have been injured and the suspect is still at large. david waddell reports. it was a day of festivities to usher in the chinese lunar new year. the shooting happened soon after 10pm in the evening, when official events had grown to a close. witnesses at a dance venue where the shooting happened say the gunman opened fire indiscriminately with a

semiautomatic weapon. local police responded to an urgent call to find a large number of casualties. officers from the monterey park police department responded to a local business in the 100 block of w. garvey ave in the city of monterey park regarding a shots fired call. when officers arrived on scene, they observed numerous individuals, patrons of the location, pouring out of the location screaming. the officers made entry to the location and located additional victims. as yet, no motive has been suggested by the police. monterey park is a small city of about 60,000 people in los angeles countyjust a few miles east of la city. a significant proportion of the population of asian heritage. the city's been dubbed the chinese beverly hills, hence why so many were out marking this key date in the chinese calendar. i had my headphones on at the time, but i did hear some sounds going off,

and i was like...is it fireworks? i was like sad, because i thought we are missing fireworks. and then i knew for a fact it was not fireworks when i heard the helicopter up above. because we never have helicopters around here. mass shootings have been a growing problem in the united states for many years. there were 167 such incidents last year alone, when four or more people were killed with firearms in public, not connected to "underlying criminal activity". the issue is extremely polarising many want to see greater restrictions on access to firearms whilst others are adamant that the second amendment right to bear arms means there should be no or very few restrictions to gun ownership. in california, the hunt for the killer goes on. no description has been offered and the suspect remains at large. david waddell, bbc news. investigators have seized more classified documents from presidentjoe biden�*s home in the us state of delaware. the files were found in a search of the property by officials from thejustice department. an investigator is already looking into the president's use

of government records, after similar documents were discovered earlier this month. the white house says it's continuing to co—operate. new zealand's outgoing prime minister, jacinda ardern, has handed over the leadership of the governing labour party to her successor, chris hipkins. at an emotional meeting in the capital, wellington, the party's mps unanimously endorsed mr hipkins, avoiding the need for a party leadership contest. mr hipkins faces a general election in october which polls indicate labour could struggle to win. despite that, he's in an upbeat mood. this is the biggest privilege of the biggest responsibility of my life. i am energised and excited by the challenge that lies ahead. new zealand is the greatest little country in the world, and i have dedicated my working life to the service of our people and to making it even better.

sweden's prime minister has condemned as "deeply disrespectful" the burning of a copy of the koran in stockholm. protestors have set the swedish flag alight in ankara and turkey has described the burning of the islamic holy book as a vile act. the anti—muslim demonstration in stockholm was organised by a far—right politician and took place in front of the turkish embassy. just time to say goodbye to our viewers on bbc world news. labour is calling for parliament's standards watchdog to investigate claims in the sunday times that the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp, helped borisjohnson secure a loan guarantee weeks before the then—prime minister recommended him for the job at the corporation. mr sharp has denied any conflict of interest. a spokesman for mrjohnson said he had never sought or received any financial advice from richard sharp. our political correspondent jonathan blake reports.

as chairman of the bbc, richard sharp is responsible for upholding and protecting the broadcaster's independence. he was appointed injanuary 2021 by then prime minister borisjohnson and the culture secretary at the time. the sunday times reports that before that, mr sharp had helped borisjohnson get access to a loan of up to £800,000 by putting a wealthy distant relative of the former prime minister, sam blythe, in touch with the most senior government official, cabinet secretary simon case. the report claims he did not declare this during his application to the bbc, but in a statement, mr sharp denied any conflict of interest, saying... this morning, the foreign secretary defended richard sharp's appointment. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly

successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i have not had the chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today. before he was appointed as bbc chair, richard sharp was quizzed by mps about his political links. do you think it is appropriate that you should end up, as a massive tory donor, getting a job from a tory cabinet minister when you are friends with two members of the cabinet? first of all, i think that's an entirely legitimate question to ask. oh, thank you. then the answer is, really, on my merits, am i an appropriate candidate? will i be able to do a good job? i think there is for you to judge, and that is for the panel tojudge. labour wanted investigation into whether borisjohnson broke parliamentary rules and say these revelations could

have an impact on the bbc. it's pretty extraordinary, if someone who is running to be the chairman ends up acting as a broker to help the prime minister of the day out of whatever financial difficulties he was in. at the very least, that should all have been declared and brought into the open. a spokesman for borisjohnson said all of his financial arrangements had been properly declared and registered. the bbc says it has no role in the recruitment of the chair, and any questions are a matter for the government. we can speak to sir alistair graham, former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, which advises the prime minister on ethical standards of conduct. cani can i get your reaction to what we have been hearing, these reports in the sunday times? in your opinion, has there been a conflict of interest? there is the potential for conflict of interest? there is the potentialfor a conflict of interest. it is

incredible that a serious candidate for the top job in the bbc was at the same time talking to the cabinet secretary and being involved in helping to broker a very large loan for the prime minister of the time. richard sharp has said there is no conflict when he simply connected at his request mr blyth with the cabinet secretary and had no further arrangement involvement whatsoever. he just made the connection. so is there a of interest? well, certainly there a of interest? well, certainly there is the potential conflict—of—interest of the prime minister, and ijust find it incredible that a tory donor, richard sharp, at the time he was a candidate for the bbcjob, was

contacting the cabinet secretary. i myself have applied for many public service jobs over the years. it would never have crossed my service jobs over the years. it would never have crossed my mind to contact the cabinet _ would never have crossed my mind to contact the cabinet secretary, - contact the cabinet secretary, particularly not that i would have any role in the prime minister's finances. but in such a sensitive matter. ifind it pretty finances. but in such a sensitive matter. i find it pretty bizarre. just to stress here that the bbc doesn't play a role in the recruitment of the chair of the bbc, and the bbc has said that any questions need to be raised with the government. it is a matter of the government. it is a matter of the government. earlier, james cleverly said that it is... richard sharp was appointed on merit, arguably the best person for thejob. best person for the job. well, that best person for thejob. well, that might be so. i'm not in a position to make a judgment about

it. but i am querying his behaviour in contacting the most senior civil servant, the cabinet secretary, about a matter relating to the finances of the prime minister at a time when he knows he is a candidate for a topjob. and public service appointments are a very sensitive matter. he should not be contacting the cabinet secretary. the suggestion, though, is that no financial advice was given. does that make you feel happier about what potentially the sunday times is reporting what happened? weill. what potentially the sunday times is reporting what happened?— reporting what happened? well, as alwa s, reporting what happened? well, as always. when _ reporting what happened? well, as always, when claims _ reporting what happened? well, as always, when claims are _ reporting what happened? well, as always, when claims are made - reporting what happened? well, as always, when claims are made of i reporting what happened? well, as l always, when claims are made of this nature in a major newspaper, you want to the hard evidence, who did

what when? that is absolutely crucial, which is why i think it's right that the parliamentary commissionerfor right that the parliamentary commissioner for standards, right that the parliamentary commissionerfor standards, and we commissioner for standards, and we have commissionerfor standards, and we have got a new one now, has been asked by the labour party to examine these claims to see if there had been a breach of the code of conduct for members of parliament. the newspaper is also reporting that in late december, the cabinet offices, propriety and ethics team wrote a letter to borisjohnson saying he should stop seeking sharp's advice, and just to clarify, borisjohnson has always said he did not take financial advice from richard sharp. butjust in terms of the situation that happens next, if in your position, what would you be wanting to see happen next? well, what i would hope to see, i

hope is going to happen. that is that the parliamentary commission is going to consider the request from the labour party and will decide whether there is a prima facie case for a full investigation, and if there is a full investigation, a report from the commissioner would go to the house of commons committee and standards, and they would decide whether there has been a breach of the code of conduct and would make recommendations to the house of commons as to whether any action is necessary against the mp concerned, which is borisjohnson. which is boris johnson. and which is borisjohnson. and can ijust get your opinion and another aspect of this that the sunday times is reporting oh, that the existence of the loan was never discovered there were disclosed in the public version of the register because this was thought that this was a family connection, a personal connection. should it have been?

i think it should have been declared, because what we are dealing with here is not only the facts of someone working out alone to deal with their personal finances, but the perception of whether in fact, the prime minister was beholden to somebody, or a perception of being beholden to somebody, because he is seeking such a very large loan. and that is what standards are about, notjust the actual facts, standards are about, notjust the actualfacts, but standards are about, notjust the actual facts, but the standards are about, notjust the actualfacts, but the perception standards are about, notjust the actual facts, but the perception of whether the behaviour could be seen to be against standards we expect from the most senior of politicians. sir alistair graham, former chairman of the committee of standards in public life, good to get your reaction. thank you very much.

i touched on borisjohnson's statement in response to this. i want to read it in full. richard sharp has never given any financial advice to borisjohnson, financial advice to boris johnson, nor financial advice to borisjohnson, nor has mrjohnson ever sought advice from him. there has never been any remuneration or compensation to mr sharp from mr johnson for this or any other service. mrjohnson did have dinner with mr sharp, who he has known for almost 20 years, and with his cousin. the statement goes on to say, so what? big deal? or mr johnson's financial arrangements have been properly registered on the advice of officials. that is the statement from boris johnson's spokesperson. staying with the former prime minister, the —— borisjohnson has made an unannounced visit to ukraine to show his ongoing support to the ukrainian government. he was in kyiv and the capital's suburb of borodianka, destroyed heavily by the russian shelling. mrjohnson said he had been invited by the ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky, saying it was a privilege to visit again.

pressure is mounting on the conservative party chairman, nadhim zahawi, to release more details of a settlement he made with hmrc after he admitted making an error in his tax affairs. the former conservative leader sir iain duncan smith says he believes mr zahawi is not deceitful, but that he should get all the information about his tax affairs out into the open. get it all out now, whatever you have to do, and tear it up. i genuinely don't believe this is a man who is deceitful in any shape or form, but this goes on and on and the media waits, so i think i would just clear it up. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's huw ferris. thank you very much indeed. three of the top four are playing in the premier league this afternoon, leaders arsenal taking on the only team that have beaten them so far in the league this season, manchester united. that's later. between them in the table at manchester city, five points adrift of arsenal, in second place ahead of their match against at wolves. it is one of two 2pm kick—offs in the premier league. and erling harland hat—trick gave

manchester city a 3—0 lead, one before the break and two just after, and they lead wolves by 3—0. at elland road, no goals to speak of. currently 0—0. one match in the scottish cup fourth round this afternoon, an edinburgh derby which also started at tpm. hearts scored after ten minutes at easter road. still 1—0 there, also into the second half. either arsenal or manchester united could be new leaders of the women's super league later after chelsea's match against liverpool was abandoned afterjust six minutes. the match kicked off at the scheduled time of 12:30pm this afternoon, but the pitch remain sufficiently frozen despite the inspection prior to the game for the referee to call it off in the early stages. chelsea hope to extend their three—point lead at the top of the table and neither manager was happy that the game started at all. you could see from the opening minutes, it's like an ice rink down

the side, and to be fair, it shouldn't... you know, matt is upset it ever got to that point, and he is right, because it is not for managers to decide that, it's for the faa, officials, to determine whether it is on. the australian open is the first grand slam in the open era to lose the top two seeds in both the men's and women's drawers before the quarterfinal stage, and women's drawers before the quarterfinalstage, it was melbourne's most shock day so far. women's number one and top seed egr is free young tech is out, beaten by the wimbledon champion 6—4, 6—4 to go through to the quarterfinals. that is after the latvian beating of the high—ranking seed, number seven, hitting 30 winners, breaking the serve three times as well. during the match reaching a major quarterfinalfor the match reaching a major quarterfinal for the first the match reaching a major quarterfinalfor the first time quarterfinal for the first time since quarterfinalfor the first time since wimbledon in 2018. she was the

2017 champion at the french open. gough is still only a teenager, but her weight for a grand slam continues. the highest ranked player left in the men's draw is the number three seed, who survived a comeback from the great player, two sets up, before it was forced to a decider. she eventually won 6—3 —— he eventually won 5003 and is through to the finals. mia proclaimed herfirst slope to the finals. mia proclaimed her first slope style podium in switzerland. in herfirst year at top level, she qualified for a top spot in the final and won silver after a second run scorer of 17.91. brooks was too young to compete in world competitions last season and also missed out on the beijing winter olympics because of her age. keep an eye on the football via our website, but that's the sport for now. thank you very much. whew with the sport there.

energy suppliers have been told to stop forcing households to switch to more expensive pre—payment meters. the business secretary, grant shapps, has written to companies saying they should instead prioritise help such as debt advice for those struggling to pay their gas and electricity bills. our business correspondent marc ashdown has more. the majority of people pay for gas and electricity on a direct debit, but some use a prepayment top—up meter. it's become commonplace for energy suppliers to switch those struggling with their bills onto these pay—as—you—go meters. but we're increasingly hearing how some feel it makes matters worse, leaving them in the cold and dark. they cut me off for being 33p just over. it's never going to end. there's not a light at the end of the tunnel for anybody. and it'sjust it isjust absolutely diabolical. now, the business secretary has written to suppliers accusing them ofjumping the gun in forcing often vulnerable customers onto meters. he wants transparency over the numbers and is threatening to name and shame those who don't offer more support instead. around 11.5 million people in the uk now have a pre—payment meter.

typically they pay about £60 more for their energy than those paying by direct debit. citizens advice estimate 600,000 people were moved onto a meter last year alone. i'm afraid our research and the number of people who are coming to citizen's advice really struggling to top up their pre—payment show that there are many scenarios where it is not the last resort and that energy firms should be doing far more to make sure that the person in that home can afford that energy before they have a pre—payment meter. britain's biggest supplier, british gas, has now announced it will stop forcibly moving customers onto pre—pay meters. labour wants to increase the windfall tax on suppliers to fund more support. and also put a moratorium on this thing that's happening at the moment of energy companies moving people from regular payments to pre—payment meters, which is effectively cutting some people off from heating. energy uk, which represents suppliers, told us firms only resort

to installing pre—pay meters after all other help has been exhausted. they say they'll work with ministers to find the fairest ways to help all customers through the cost of living crisis. marc ashdown, bbc news. ruth london is the co—founder of campiagn group fuel poverty action. campaign group fuel poverty action. help us to understand your concerns about these prepayment meters. well, they do charge more than other metres, but that's not the main thing. the main thing is that they just go off. everything clicks off when you can't top them up, and people are left in the dark, in the cold. they may need their medical equipment powered by electricity. they may need heat. they may be elderly, they may be ill, they may have just brought home a newborn baby, and everything, the machine says no and that's the end of it. it

is a scandal that this has been allowed. i must say that it is now very welcome that there are some response, but we are not there yet, i'm afraid, because they are saying that the company should do everything they can before moving people to a prepayment meter, and of course, that's what the companies say they are doing anyway. we need an outright ban, and we also need of the metres that have been put in where they are not safe, where they will lead to deaths and everybody knows they will lead to deaths, and they are in defiance of the licence conditions of the companies that say they should not be put in where they would be unsafe or impractical for the householder. the government talk about name and shame. it is not name and shame. they should take the license away if the companies break licence conditions. they should not be allowed to operate, and somebody needs to look into the magistrates as well, rubber—stamping this. ruth, we heard in that in that report that last year, 600,000 people were moved on to these

prepayment meters. yes. i wonder when you are talking to people who contact your group, what kind of circumstances are they in that they do get moved onto these prepayment meters. the? in that they do get moved onto these prepayment meters.— prepayment meters. they go into arrears on — prepayment meters. they go into arrears on their— prepayment meters. they go into arrears on their supply _ prepayment meters. they go into arrears on their supply stop - prepayment meters. they go into arrears on their supply stop loads of people are doing that because the prices are so high that can pay them, and that's why we're in fuel poverty action, we are saying, to really deal with this, we have to go to the source of the problem. it is not even the suppliers that have put prices up to this level, it is oil and gas companies charging such a high rate, using the excuse of the war in ukraine to put their prices up war in ukraine to put their prices up and make these incredible profits that are going back and being invested in the same toxic, polluting, climate changing, expensive fuels all over again, and that money that is going to that, that money that is going to that, thatis that money that is going to that, that is being taken from our children's mouths. you know, people can't feed their children because

they are paying the bills, and that is where it is going, and in fuel poverty action, we are saying that we should have what we call energy for all, which means that every household receives free enough energy to cover the basics. you know, have the security of knowing that you will have enough to heat a modest home to a modest level, but not freezing at night. you will be able to have the lights on. you will be able to run your wheelchair or stair or your respirator, keep the fridge cold so your insulin doesn't warm up, and so that you can eat, and that the food does not spoil. the basics, everyone is entitled to that free, and beyond that, people should pay a higher tariff for what they don't need, and the money should come back from windfall taxes and ending the millions of pounds spent on subsidising these fossil fuel companies every day of the week. that money should come back so

that people can keep warm and feed our kids. ruth london from the campaign group fuel poverty action, thank you very much. world—famous entertainers will perform at windsor castle as part of a weekend of celebrations for the coronation of king charles the third. the concert will be the day after the coronation and is expected to be a wide mix of music, dancing and a laser lightshow. "global music icons", orchestras and a "coronation choir". millions of people around the world are welcoming in the year of the rabbit as the lunar new year celebrations begin. the event kicks off a 15—day festival and it's the first time since the pandemic began that it's been held without any travel restrictions in china. part of the tradition to mark the event is giving red envelopes filled with money. but with many facing cost of living pressures, are people giving less? so you go around visiting

different relatives' houses, and then there will be loads of people there, you do your rounds as a kid, go around, wishing people specific chinese greetings that you can use. you give them oranges and then in return they offer you the red packet and you just stash them all away. if you show up at a gathering and then you've cut all of your red packages, the amount of your red packages, people are going to realise it and it probably will not reflect super well on you. for sure. 100%. unfortunately, our salaries do not rise accordingly with inflation, so i think it's about managing the dollars better. it's about giving the respect, giving the abundance, and if you do not have enough, it shows that you are lacking. so it's probably not how you would like to start your chinese new year.

we believe in the tradition of- giving, that's the most important. for me, i won't change the amount that i will be giving. i think it's a form of respect, at least, to whoever i'm giving to. previously, as a kid, growing up, let's say if it's a distant relative, i will receive about $2, but now the market rate seems to be like $6 and it's like, wow. am i really going to give $6 to somebody i barely know? it's inflation. yeah, it's inflation. this is like accumulate, i give back to them again, the way to make everybody happy. are you giving more, then? - yes, a bit more than - what i used to give to them. just to make everybody happy. it's all about giving, and everything year! if you are celebrating, a very happy new year to you. get in touch with me on social media. but now, let's cross

over and get all the weather news from darren. further south and east, the cloud a bit more tenuous. any mist and fog we have seen in eastern england will thicken up and be a bit dense, freezing, and where we see the cloud break, we will have a frost overnight. the far north and west of england should be frost free, and a mild night across scotland and northern ireland under that blanket of cloud. here, cloudy again tomorrow. the cloud may be thinner and drier, and there may be centring around the moray firth. macy's sunshine breaking out across more of england and where is tomorrow. that mist and fog in the morning only very slowly lifting, replaced by cloud in the afternoon across east anglia and the south—east. even if you see some sunshine, temperatures will struggle

up sunshine, temperatures will struggle up to 3—5, double figures again in scotland and northern ireland. this is bbc news, the headlines... ten people have been killed in a mass shooting east of los angeles. the suspect is still at large. labour calls for a parliamentary investigation into claims the chairman of the bbc helped boris johnson secure a financial loan while he was serving as prime minister. senior government ministers defend the bbc chairman's appointment.