ekeke this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. allies of the conservative party chairman, nadhim zahawi, say he won't resign, as it's revealed he paid a penalty to resolve a dispute over unpaid tax while he was chancellor. opposition parties say his position is untenable. there are calls for a parliamentary inquiry into claims the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp, helped borisjohnson to secure a loan worth up to £800,000 just weeks before he was appointed to the role. both men deny any conflict of interest, and the government insists there was a rigorous selection process. california police say the gunman suspected of killing ten people near los angeles was a 72—year—old man, who shot himself dead

as they tried to apprehend him. the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, is in south african for talks with his counterpart, naledi pandor. she's refused to criticise the invasion of ukraine, saying her administration wants to stay neutral. thousands of ambulance staff across england and wales are on strike again today. paramedics, control room staff and support workers from three unions are taking part. a bbc investigation into extreme dog breeding reveals links to organised crime, and a network of breeders putting money before the health of their dogs. i need to know that i have done one thing right with my life. and we'll hear from actor brendan fraser about his 0scar—tipped role as a morbidly obese man trying to reconnect with his family in new film, the whale. i'm going to need to be the voice

for those who live the way the character does, to pitch him with dignity and with respect. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the british prime minister is facing growing pressure this morning, over allegations about the tax affairs of the conservative party chairman nadhim zahawi, as well as a separate row about the appointment of the bbc�*s chairman. it's emerged that former british finance minister mr zahawi paid a penalty to hm revenue & customs of around £5 million, to settle a dispute over his tax affairs. he says the error that caused it was "careless and not deliberate".

the tax relates to a shareholding in the polling firm yougov, which he co—founded. pressure is now growing on mr zahawi to reveal more details of his tax affairs. his advisors are saying he doesn't intend to resign. but labour say he needs to "come clean" and have called his position "untenable". sorry craig 0liver sorry craig oliver is the former director of communications to former uk prime minister david cameron, and he believes nadhim zahawi because my position is uncertain. i think that he's in serious trouble. you cannot be conservative party chairman and not go out and face th emedia. so at some stage he is going to have to go out and have a very, very difficult interview. the problem, i think, for nadhim zahawi at the moment is, it doesn't all add up. why did you take the job of chancellor when you were clearly in dispute with the hmrc?

he has yet to come out with an answer that is satisfying, orfeels comfortable on that point. it's dealing with sums of money which are astronomical to the average voter, and it feels deeply uncomfortable. and i suspect that prime minister's questions this week will be very awkward for rishi sunak. also, the first time that nadhim zahawi has to face the media is going to be incredibly awkward too. i think at the moment he is hanging on by a thread. 0ur political correspondent helen catt has more. nadhim zahawi has held several top governmentjobs — and we're told he intends to keep his current one as the conservative party chair, despite coming under pressure over claims he tried to avoid tax. on saturday, he released a statement in which he confirmed he had paid money to settle a dispute with the tax office. he said it was to do with shares he'd given his dad for helping him to found the polling company yougov. he said that hmrc had "disagreed about the exact allocation" and that he had chosen to settle the matter and pay what they said was due. he said hmrc had concluded this was a careless and not deliberate error.

but he didn't confirm reports that he had also had to pay a penalty. it wasn't until sunday night that allies of mr za hawi acknowledged that. some conservative colleagues have urged him to put all of the information in the public domain. the more transparency, as early as possible, might have avoided all this speculation. if there's more to it, then he will absolutely have to stand up and take the consequences, and the prime minister, i'm sure, will take the appropriate action. but at the moment, we don't know the whole story. allies have also acknowledged that he paid the penalty last summer, when mr zahawi was the chancellor and in charge of the country's finances. labour has said his position is untenable, and have called on him to publish all of his correspondence with hmrc. i'd like to ask the hmrc how it works when you have your boss, who's actually in trouble and being investigated. because clearly, you know, as head of the hmrc, that can't work, can it?

it's still not known exactly how much mr zahawi paid to hmrc, although it's understood to be in the region of £5 million. mr zahawi may want to keep hisjob, but to do so he's likely to remain under pressure to give all of the details about his tax affairs. in the end, it may not be his call to make. helen catt, bbc news. there are calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the bbc chairman's role in a loan guarantee — worth up to £800,000 — for borisjohnson while he was prime minister. the british newspaper the sunday times reported that the loan was being finalised as richard sharp was being announced as the government's choice for the role at the corporation. mr sharp has said his only involvement was to connect people at the time. 0ur media editor katie razzall reports. richard. thank you very much. for two years, richard sharp has often been the public face of the bbc — the corporation's chairman, whose role is to uphold its independence. the bbc itself has to

be more competitive. he was appointed by the then—prime minister, borisjohnson, and the culture secretary. it's that relationship between borisjohnson and richard sharp which is now under scrutiny. the former goldman sachs banker is reported to have helped arrange an £800,000 loan to mrjohnson late in 2020. that loan was reportedly being guaranteed by the millionaire businessman sam blyth, who asked mr sharp for advice. mr sharp discussed this with the head of the civil service — this man, simon case — who was appointed by borisjohnson, and introduced him to sam blyth. just weeks later, mrjohnson had recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the £160,000—a—year role as bbc chairman. candidates for the role must declare any conflict of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one, as he'd just connected the two men. a cabinet office spokesperson said mr sharp had asked simon case for advice on it all. they agreed that he could not take part in discussions involving the then—prime minister, and this was accepted by mr sharp,

to avoid any conflict or appearance of any conflict of interest. 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've not had a chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today, but i have absolutely no doubt he was appointed on merit. this isn't the first time i've applied... as a long—time conservative donor, mr sharp's appointment was questioned at the time by mps. i'm asking if you think it's appropriate that you should end up, as a massive tory donor, getting a job from a tory cabinet minister when you're friends with two members of the cabinet. first of all, i think that's an entirely legitimate question to ask. well, thank you. and the answer — then the answer is really on my merits — am i an appropriate candidate? will i be able to do a good job? the bbc chairman is a political appointment, over which the bbc has no say. but at a time when the bbc is making efforts to put impartiality and transparency at the heart

of its attempts to earn people's trust, this could be damaging more widely — because whatever the truth of what happened, perceptions matter. labour is calling for an investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog. it's pretty extraordinary if someone who's 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. i'm too honoured... on a surprise visit to ukraine, borisjohnson greeted president zelensky like an old friend. closer to home, his friendship with richard sharp is being called into question. katie razzall, bbc news. earlier i spoke to our chief political correspondent nick eardley. i asked him if nadhim zahawi was likely to reveal more about his communications with hm revenue and customs. yeah, i think it probably will have to do if nadhim zahawi is going to keep hisjob. there has been this drip, drip, drip of information

about his tax affairs, about what was paid when over the last few days. what we can say for sure this morning is that mr zahawi paid a tax bill when he was chancellor. that tax bill included a penalty that was decided by hmrc. what we don't know at the moment is just how much that penalty was. now, allies of mr zahawi say this morning he is not going to resign, that he wants to stay in his job as tory chairman and make his case. but i think he still does face those questions about the various accounts that he has given, the various statements he has put out. for example, he said, we were told when he was appointed chancellor this was mentioned to the team, the propriety and ethics team in the cabinet office, but when he did interviews as chancellor he said he wasn't aware of any investigation by hmrc.

inevitably, there are more questions for mr zahawi to answer. ultimately, those questions come back to the man who lives in there, the prime minister, who appointed him as conservative party chairman. we are told this morning he talked to the propriety and ethics committee and nothing was said to stop mr zahawi's appointment going ahead. the prime minister is going to face those questions about when he found out about all of this and of the level of detail he knows. how much pressure is on rishi sunak? i do think it is a significant amount of pressure to talk about the details of this case. he will inevitably be asked in the next day or so about the situation with richard sharp, the bbc chairman, some of the accusations in the sunday times yesterday. yes, there are denials about a conflict of interest. but i think a lot of people want to know the level of scrutiny that that appointment had

within government, and how much he knew about the potential conflict—of—interest and those claims that richard sharp was involved in facilitating that loan arrangement for borisjohnson when he was prime minister. remember, by the way, that mr sharp was rishi sunak�*s boss when the two were bankers at goldman sachs. all sorts of relationships to untangle. when you bring the two together, the big problem for rishi sunak this morning is, when he stood here and became prime minister, he used the words professionalism, integrity and accountability. he said they would be bywords for his government. he will face questions this morning about whether the drip of mr zahawi's tax affairs, the questions over the appointment of richard sharp by the government as bbc chairman, whether those all meet up to the standards that rishi sunak set himself. nick eardley in downing street.

in the last few moments we have had a statement from the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp. he says, "we have many challenges at the bbc and i know distractions such as this are not welcome. 0ur i know distractions such as this are not welcome. our work at the bbc is rooted in trust, although the appointment of the bbc chairman is solely appointed for the government, i want to assure you that all the appropriate guidance was followed. the nominations committee of the bbc board has responsibility for regularly reviewing board members�* conflict of interest. " he has agreed with the senior independent director that the committee shall look at this when it next meets. and in the interests of transparency, publish the conclusions. that is a

statement from the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp. thousands of ambulance workers in england and wales are back on strike today, in a dispute over pay. paramedics, control room staff and support workers from three unions are taking part in the latest round of industrial action. our business correspondent, marc ashdown, reports. yet again, ambulance workers are taking to the picket line. several thousand members of three unions are walking out today, mainly in the midlands, north of england and wales. london and the south—west are also affected. for specialist paramedic tom, it�*s a frustrating time. he�*s been in thejob for six years and loves it, but says the past six months have been increasingly challenging. recently, certainly in the last couple of years, really exacerbated in the last six months, thisjob has become very, very difficult. we are all very, very tired. the pressure on services, nhs wide, but also on the ambulance service, has increased exponentially. and it�*s really hard to be in the position that we are at today

where you are sort of looking from the position, i don�*t know how this gets better, i really don�*t. 999 mode activated. this is the latest walk—out in this dispute about pay. a dozen strike days are planned by paramedics between now and the end of march, including what could be the biggest ever day of nhs industrial action on february 6th, when nurses are set to strike as well. workers are calling for a 10.5% pay rise. the governments in england and wales have given nhs staff an average of 4.75% as recommended by the independent nhs pay review body. that is currently half the rate of inflation. backdating next year�*s pay rise to january is thought to be one option being explored. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! not all union member ambulance staff, including paramedics, call handlers and support workers, will strike at once. under trade union law, emergency cover will still be provided. and staff can leave the picket lines to attend.

although a spokesperson for the department of health said constructive discussions with the unions are ongoing, they said it was disappointing that ambulance staff have decided to stage further strikes at such a difficult time for the nhs. marc ashdown, bbc news. the suspect in a shooting in los angeles — which killed ten people and left another ten wounded — has been found dead by police. he shot himself inside a white van that officers had surrounded. he�*s been identified as a 72—year—old man of asian descent. saturday�*s mass shooting took place at a dance venue in monterey park during lunar new year celebrations. david willis reports from los angeles. 0fficers called to a suburb in eastern la described a scene of carnage. a ballroom—dancing venue for elderly members of the local asian american community shot up on the eve of the lunar new year. five men and five women were pronounced dead at the scene, ten others were injured.

the suspect has been named as 72—year—old huu can tran. police believe he was planning a similar attack at a dance studio in the neighbouring city of alhambra before bystanders overpowered him and wrestled a firearm from his grasp. acting on reports of a white van that he was thought to be driving, officers, pulling up behind the vehicle, heard a single gunshot ring out. they found their suspect slumped across the steering wheel, dead from a self—inflicted gunshot wound. detectives also recovered a handgun and other evidence linking him to the massacre. los angeles is home to one of the largest asian american communities in this country. the banners and red lanterns that mark the start of the year of the rabbit all part of lunar new year celebrations that traditionally herald the hope of renewed good fortune and prosperity. gun violence needs to stop. there�*s too much of it.

we�*re all standing here tonight because an individual took a weapon and did the damage that we�*ve talked about, without repeating it. i think all of us...need to take some ownership there. i think we really need to go back and look at what we do. president biden called the attack senseless, and ordered a lowering of flags on federal buildings in memory of those who died. last year, in the wake of a school massacre in texas, he signed into law the first major gun—safety legislation this country has seen in nearly 30 years. but at the time, he said it wasn�*t enough. the massacre in monterey park is the fifth mass shooting in the united states this year. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. we can go live to monterey park in california and speak to cbs correspondent nichelle medina.

what more do we know about the suspect in this mass shooting and the latest on the police investigation? well, authorities are so far have not _ investigation? well, authorities are so far have not had _ investigation? well, authorities are so far have not had any _ investigation? well, authorities are so far have not had any media - so far have not had any media briefings this early in the morning, so a lot of the information we have right now is over the last 2a hours. it is a very quiet scene here at monterey park. authorities have left. it is a stark difference from 24—hour ze gao. again, authorities have identified the suspect as a 2k year —— is a 72—year—old man. in the weeks and months ahead they will be digging into his background, to find out exactly more about him. some of the relationships, why he showed up at this particular dance studio, and another one not too far from this location here in monterey park. any location here in monterey park. any more details on the sequence of events leading up to the suspect�*s

death? events leading up to the suspect's death? ~ . .., events leading up to the suspect's death? ~ . , ., events leading up to the suspect's death? ~ . , ., death? what i can tell you is that everything _ death? what i can tell you is that everything unfolded _ death? what i can tell you is that everything unfolded here - death? what i can tell you is thatl everything unfolded here saturday night at about 10:22pm. authorities first received the initial call of shots fired. police came to the scene within three minutes of that phone call. 0bviously, when they went inside it was a gruesome discovery. ten people dead. another ten people injured. as far as the victims, the deceased, five men, five females. authorities say it was just a chaotic scene. people who had gathered for the lunar new year. it was a time really of celebration. but instead that gunfire, it was just a horrific moment for many of those people inside that dance hall, as you can imagine.— those people inside that dance hall, as you can imagine. yes, and as you sa , the as you can imagine. yes, and as you say. the lunar— as you can imagine. yes, and as you say, the lunar new _ as you can imagine. yes, and as you say, the lunar new year _ as you can imagine. yes, and as you | say, the lunar new year celebrations turned to horror and tragedy. tell us more about the reaction from the

community?— us more about the reaction from the communi ? ~ ., ., community? well, so for the reaction is one ofjust — community? well, so for the reaction is one ofjust really _ community? well, so for the reaction is one ofjust really coming _ is one ofjust really coming together. this is a tight—knit community here in monterey park. 65% of it are asian—american. so, they were very close. again, this is meant to be a time to celebrate, to share their culture with other people. but i can�*t tell you last night, after this happened, and really throughout the evening, people, committee members were showing up. many businesses lined this particular street. people wanted to show their support and really come together and start the healing. really come together and start the healinu. . ~ really come together and start the healinu. ., ~ ,., really come together and start the healinu. ., ~ y., , really come together and start the healinu. . ~ ,. , . ., healing. thank you very much for that 0 -t healing. thank you very much for that opt out- _ healing. thank you very much for that opt out. css _ healing. thank you very much for that opt out. cbs correspondentl healing. thank you very much for. that opt out. cbs correspondent in monterey park. we�*ve been hearing reports of a separate shooting in the southern state of louisiana, where 12 people are reported to have been injured. the incident took place in a nightclub in baton rouge, the state�*s capital. the city is notorious for gun violence.

russia�*s foreign minister sergei lavrov has arrived for talks in south africa with his counterpart naledi pandor. the two nations are firm partners and pretoria has refused to condemn moscow�*s invasion of ukraine. let�*s cross to pretoria, where our correspondent pumza fihlani is following the story. big economic ties between russia and south africa. tell us more about those and how those ties are driving the response to the war in ukraine by the south african government? certainly. in terms of the balance sheet itself, south africa�*s economic ties with russia aren�*t that big. some people have suggested, actually, it is more historic ties that are driving this continued closeness and cosiness that south africa has with russia. this is because they both sat on an economic group which includes

russia, india and china, and it is through that grouping some people believe that south africa has had to play this neutral stance, so it doesn�*t upset its bigger brothers at the table. they also say they hope to use the group because part of the reason it was formed was to use it as a kind of economic engine for these countries and the region, so south africa is trying to play its cards carefully. but there has been some disappointment altered, especially on the part of ukraine, about how south africa has treated this war and its refusal to flat out condemn the russian invasion of their country. 50 condemn the russian invasion of their country-— condemn the russian invasion of theircount . ., , . their country. so what can we expect from this meeting? _ their country. so what can we expect from this meeting? and _ their country. so what can we expect from this meeting? and privately, i their country. so what can we expect from this meeting? and privately, at least, do you think the south african comment will be saying anything to sergei lavrov, the foreign minister, to encourage you to have a rethink? write to the south african government. well, it's very difficult —

south african government. well, it's very difficult to _ south african government. well, it's very difficult to say. _ south african government. well, it's very difficult to say. what _ south african government. well, it's very difficult to say. what they - south african government. well, it's very difficult to say. what they do i very difficult to say. what they do say publicly when they address this question is they believe in a diplomatic response to russia, to both russia and ukraine to table and finding a negotiated settlement. they have expressed previously they do not support economic sanctions against russia, which have been imposed by some parts of europe. they say they do not support that because they do not think it will help to bring peace between the two countries. earlier, in a brief opening address, the minister said that russia continues to be an important economic partnership for south africa, and an important partner in terms of medical transference of skills and educational opportunities for south africans. they have repeatedly said they are using that a close relationship with russia to try and persuade them. we do not have an ear in those very intimate and closed rooms they have, these very tough

conversations.— rooms they have, these very tough conversations. the german chancellor 0laf scholz is facing growing domestic and international pressure to allow german—built leopard 2 tanks to be sent to ukraine. the german foreign minister, annalena baerbock, has repeated her view that berlin should not stand in the way if poland decided to send its tanks. under german export laws, other countries who want to supply leopards, like poland and finland, are unable to do so until berlin gives the all—clear. speaking in paris, where he had been meeting president emmanuel macron, mr scholz said his government would act in coordination with its allies on the issue. we have heard from our warsaw correspondent that poland will ask for that permission from germany. dr stefanie babst is a long—time nato strategist and former nato deputy assistant secretary—general. thank you very much forjoining us today. and the news therefore coming

today. and the news therefore coming to us in the last hour or so that poland is going to request that permission from germany to send its leopard 2 tanks to ukraine. is that a formality, do you think, in terms of germany saying, yes, that is fine, export the tanks?- of germany saying, yes, that is fine, export the tanks? well, first of all, fine, export the tanks? well, first of all. good _ fine, export the tanks? well, first of all, good morning. _ fine, export the tanks? well, first of all, good morning. no, - fine, export the tanks? well, first of all, good morning. no, i- fine, export the tanks? well, first of all, good morning. no, i don'tl of all, good morning. no, i don�*t think it is a formality. it is my understanding that the polish government, as well as other european governance, have informally approached german authorities in past months, weeks, inquiring about green lighting the delivery of leopard 2 tanks. they have not received a positive response. so, there is a principal issue here with there is a principal issue here with the left government, particularly with the attitude of chancellor schultz. my view is they hadn�*t fully understood what it is at stake and what is required is really a

church like response. 50 and what is required is really a church like response.— church like response. so they haven't fully _ church like response. so they haven't fully understood - church like response. so theyj haven't fully understood what church like response. so they i haven't fully understood what is church like response. so they - haven't fully understood what is at haven�*t fully understood what is at stage, even though we have heard very clearly on a number of occasions, including at the ramstein conference last week, from president zelensky, that tanks, around 300 of them, what ukraine needs to defend itself against russia... why do you think there is a lack of understanding, if that is what it is? ., , ., is? you can see the line of the social democrats _ is? you can see the line of the social democrats starting - is? you can see the line of the social democrats starting on i is? you can see the line of the i social democrats starting on the 24th of february, when the war began. every single time there was a debate about meeting the request of ukrainians for a so—called heavy military equipment, the social democrats came up with all types of arguments as to why this was not feasible, not prudent enough, not considered enough. and so, the current debate about sending battle tanks like the leopard 2 is the

colour me —— culminating point in the process. the reason is the large pass of the social democrats, still seeking to bring russia back to the table, still pursuing a policy of appeasing russia, still trying to see that there may be an opportunity out there for bringing russia back to the more or less status quo. this is also being reflected in some of the most recently released policy papers that the social democratic party put on the market. [30 papers that the social democratic party put on the market.- party put on the market. do you think the chancellor _ party put on the market. do you think the chancellor would - party put on the market. do you think the chancellor would see i think the chancellor would see giving permission to other countries would be one of —— one in the same thing of germany sending those tanks directly, almost?— directly, almost? well, ithink because of— directly, almost? well, ithink because of european, - directly, almost? well, ithink because of european, or - directly, almost? well, ithink| because of european, or rather international pressure on the german government, they don�*t really have many other options than to green

light the permission, the delivery of leopard 2 tanks. that is my expectation. the principal line of thought behind all of schultz and his lines from the spd will not go away. —— 0laf scholz. it will remain an uphill struggle to get permission for the germans to bring the military aid needed. x�*t�*et for the germans to bring the military aid needed. yet talking to many commentators _ military aid needed. yet talking to many commentators on _ military aid needed. yet talking to many commentators on this - military aid needed. yet talking to | many commentators on this issue, they have always —— all said germany is waiting for others to move first. surely this is a perfect opportunity for the german comment to say, ok, other countries want to sent tanks, the uk sending challengers, we can now move as well, we are not going first. but that argument doesn�*t seem to be working, does it? this i seem to be working, does it? as i already alluded _ seem to be working, does it? " i already alluded to, i think it will

because of the international pressure, because of things like the... both in the context of the talent group command of the framework of thejoint group command of the framework of the joint expeditionary force, i think really, really important that a group of countries, including the uk, take lead here and not wait for germany to send ukrainians what they needin germany to send ukrainians what they need in order to save their country. in a line, how quickly do you think germany might decide to move? it could be a couple of days. before the government will say, we have now received formal requests, so we will be able to give permission. but i repeat my point. in terms of sending battle tanks itself, i don�*t think that the germans will be there in the next couple of weeks, even, or

longer. the next couple of weeks, even, or loner. , ., ., ., longer. they will wait. good to hear from ou. longer. they will wait. good to hear from you. former _ longer. they will wait. good to hear from you. former nato _ longer. they will wait. good to hear from you. former nato deputy - from you. former nato deputy assistant secretary general. some uk households will be able to get discounts on their energy bills if they cut their electricity use during peak times today. national grid is triggering the scheme for the first time between 5pm and 6pm local time, as the cold weather puts pressure on power supplies. the scheme applies to households with smart meters whose energy suppliers have already signed up. our business correspondent nina warhurst has the details. you might want to put the wash on the earlier, you might want to put the kids in the bath earlier, put dinner back until later in the evening, anything to reduce energy use between 5pm and 6pm. the national grid say that will be a pinch point tonight which will be particularly difficult for them as we are heading this cold snap.

they are worried about the buffer they have. they say, don�*t panic, just yet. this is just a precautionary measure. but they hope it will make us think a little bit more about using energy at those peak times. those signed up to the scheme stand to save a few quid, right up to £100 for the big energy suppliers. that is over the six months they are in the scheme. but there is a warning this morning from 0fgem, the energy suppliers, about a separate story. this is about prepayment meters. they are schemes where you pay as you go for your energy, if you like. what it means is if you don�*t top up, the lights literally go out on your home. suppliers can use these schemes if people fall behind with their energy bills and they are warned about being switched. but what we�*ve found, as prices have gone up, as the cost of living has increased, 160,000 people are expected to be switched this winter alone. that comes off the back of 600,000 households being switched last year,

in 2022, either remotely via their smart meter or by somebody entering their home and changing it. it can be anxiety inducing, particularly for households where people are vulnerable, they are failing to stay on top of their bills. there are quite strict guidelines in place for switching customers. so things like disabled and sick customers can�*t be forced to switch. extra credit should be offered to customers in advance of being switched to get them to payday, to get them to universal credit day. 0fgem, the regulator, are worried this is not happening. from this morning, a deep dive investigation will look at suppliers to ensure those guidelines are being followed. they say they have already had to fine the supplier utilita for not following the guidelines. more are expected to follow. campaign groups have long said of these prepayment deals, which are not as good as direct debit deals, punish those who are most vulnerable. today�*s announcement from 0fgem, they say, is a start, but more needs to be done. clearly the government and 0fgem have finally woken up to just how

serious the situation is, so any moves to bring more protections for people who are vulnerable and people who have been forced onto prepayment meters are clearly going to be welcomed. it is not the full ban that we have asked for and we do still believe that ultimately, that is what we are going to need to see in order to ensure that we protect those people from the problems associated with being forced onto prepayment meters. one of the options being discussed is a social tariff. how would that work? it is used on some broadband schemes. it would be something suppliers could be asked to use for certain households that are perhaps on lower incomes, or reliant on government support or benefits. it would mean there is an exclusive offer to those households. but nothing comes for free. it would have to be subsidised by other energy households, or by taxation. it all feeds into this bigger conversation that we are being forced to have this year

about energy, where it comes from, who is supplying it, whether they�*re supplying it fairly, and of course whether we can afford it. let�*s face it, everybody is feeling it at the moment. we are in an artificial position at the moment, being protected by the upper limit of how much we are paying until april, by the voucher scheme that comes in every month. that comes to an end in april. despite wholesale prices beginning to dip, things will get worse for a lot of households before they get better. former employees of the welsh rugby union have told the bbc about a toxic culture of sexism at the organisation. two women who have left the wru said alleged bullying and sexism made them feel suicidal, with one saying a male colleague said in front of other staff that he wanted to rape her. wyre davies reports. the six nations, the world�*s greatest rugby competition, is about to kick off. the men�*s game is well established,

but all home unions, wales included, have made big efforts to promote women�*s rugby. but is that progress being undermined by damaging allegations off the pitch? when charlotte wathen, an experienced sports administrator, joined the welsh rugby union in 2018 to take women�*s rugby to the next level, she was warned by other women to expect occasional sexist comments. but what she says happened to her after she�*d been there for about a year went much further. i had an experience of someone referring about me in an office environment in front of other staff, in front of other young female staff as well, that they wanted to rape me. and i remember ijust... ijust left the room and i burst into tears and i felt sick, and i thought, crikey, is this what it�*s come to? and there was a senior manager who witnessed that. any repercussions at all? no repercussions.

charlotte eventually reported the alleged comments as part of a wider grievance. the wru hired a lawyer to look into her allegations and charlotte gave them a list of potential witnesses to corroborate what she was saying. but we�*ve discovered that a number of them were not contacted. and the man she accused of saying he wanted to rape her in his hotel room wasn�*t interviewed as part of the grievance inquiry. he still works for the welsh rugby union. the wru said that charlotte�*s claims were unsubstantiated following a thorough, independent investigation. they say they can�*t comment further because they�*ve since reached a settlement with her. wow. yeah. that�*s something else. tonia antoniazzi is conflicted. proud of her welsh caps and international career, but the now labour mp says she�*s been contacted by several women with concerns about sexism and the culture inside the wru.

comparable, she says, to what�*s happened in other sports. this is on a level of gymnastics. this is on a level of what�*s happened in cricket. what is happening now, and i know that it�*s notjust in rugby, is that sporting governing bodies are not being held accountable. they mark their own homework. we�*ve spoken separately to two women who said they�*ve even contemplated suicide because of bullying and sexism they say they experienced at the wru. 0ne went as far as to write a manual for her husband on what to do in the event of her death. the welsh rugby union says it takes any allegations from staff seriously and it will act very swiftly as such behaviour has no place in the union or welsh rugby. charlotte, and others who say they�*ve suffered, hope their coming forward will be a wake—up call for the game.

wyre davies, bbc news. you can see more on that story in welsh rugby under the spotlight, on bbc iplayer from 5pm today, or bbc 0ne wales at 8pm. i�*m nowjoined by tonia antoniazzi, former rugby player and now labour mp for gower and shadow minister for northern ireland. thank you forjoining us. just picking up on what you said in that report, you are obviously very keen to talk about the fact that these accusations are the latest in a number of scandals in different areas of sport. what more do you think can be done to try to educate governing bodies, to make sure that anything like this is rooted out? governing bodies have a responsibility to get the facts, the truth, and to do it properly and with transparency. what we have seen in this case is not everybody was

spoken to, and there�*s a lot of marking your own homework, as i said. it is not being done properly, it is always to protect their reputation and it is really difficult to come and speak about this because i love rugby, everybody, women and girls across wales absolutely love and live and breathe the sport. it is so important that they get it right and getting it right means holding your hands up and apologising and doing something about it. i would like to see an independent review body put together, that can hold governing bodies to account, notjust in rugby. i bodies to account, not 'ust in ru:b . . , bodies to account, not 'ust in ru.b _ ., , , bodies to account, not 'ust in nj). , bodies to account, not 'ust in rub. ,., ., bodies to account, not 'ust in rub . , ., bodies to account, not 'ust in rugby. i was 'ust about to ask you about that. — rugby. i wasjust about to ask you about that. you _ rugby. i wasjust about to ask you about that. you talk _ rugby. i wasjust about to ask you about that. you talk about - about that. you talk about organisations marking their own homework so the obvious solution, most people would say, is to have somebody or some organisation that is independent of those groups. of course, the welsh rugby union has said the allegations remain

unsubstantiated following a thorough investigation and it takes any allegations from staff regarding behaviour, attitude and language seriously. but do you think when accusations like this are made, that there is enough support for the people making them?- there is enough support for the people making them? there is very little support _ people making them? there is very little support and _ people making them? there is very little support and also, _ people making them? there is very little support and also, being - people making them? there is very little support and also, being a - little support and also, being a woman in a male dominated area is very difficult to stand up because of the financial and, you know, issues that you may not be able to be in a situation where you can afford to take on a governing body. you have to worry about reputational damage, you have to look after your children. if you are thinking about the impact of standing up and speaking out has, and also the mental health impact it has had on so many women, and theyjust slide away into the background and don�*t stand up for themselves. i am hoping that seeing tonight�*s programme, and the news today, will help them to

come forward and speak. this the news today, will help them to come forward and speak.- the news today, will help them to come forward and speak. as you have mentioned. — come forward and speak. as you have mentioned, when _ come forward and speak. as you have mentioned, when you _ come forward and speak. as you have mentioned, when you think— come forward and speak. as you have mentioned, when you think of- come forward and speak. as you have mentioned, when you think of wales, j mentioned, when you think of wales, of course, one of the first things you think about is rugby as well. but a story like this, do you think it is going to put lots of women and girls of the sport or getting involved in the sport, potentially? i would say it should never stop anybody but there needs to be the systems in place where they can call this outcome and we need to call upon our work colleagues, the men that we work with, in order to call it out, to say, hang on a minute, mate, that�*s not ok, you can�*t say that. so better education, better communication, will help to ease the toxic culture that there is in rugby but also, what we need to see is more women at the table, more women represented on executive boards. knight thank you forjoining us. —— thank you forjoining us.

a bbc investigation into extreme dog breeding — where dogs are bred to have unique and exaggerated features — has revealed links to organised crime and a network of breeders putting wealth before the health of their dogs. a bbc panorama reporter, sam poling, spent eight months investigating and secretly filming the trade. be warned, there is distressing content in her report. hello, hi, i�*m sam from the bbc. i�*m here for vanessa. this rescue centre in wales is at the sharp end of the dog trade. it cares for abandoned or abused dogs. dogs like keanu. he�*s an american bully — a popular bulldog cross—breed. oh, my goodness. he�*s a victim of extreme breeding, where dogs are deliberately bred to create exaggerated features. it�*s as though his legs are on back to front. this is torture. now, you know what these dogs are going to look like, but you�*re still breeding them, trying to get more and more exaggerated features. i mean, it looks painful when he�*s bent over like that.

0h! we�*re seeing this every single week. this is day—to—day life for us here at the rescue now. this is karl and victoria shellard. they run the english bulldog breeding business posherbulls. they were convicted of multiple animal welfare offences last year, and were fined £19,000 each for their unlicensed operation. despite the prosecution, i suspect karl shellard is still profiting from bulldogs, so i pay him a visit. he says he�*s still in business. if you look at all my dogs, they all look slightly different. well, they do, but... they have different characteristics. but they�*re so distinctive, and that�*s because i think you said on the phone it�*s the overdone — is it overdone? yeah, they like the overdone look. i personally prefer them a little bit tighter in the body, and not as much loose skin. so why breed them this way? but this is what people like... really?

..and desire. the shellards didn�*t respond when contacted by the bbc. the trade in bulldogs with extreme features isn�*tjust dangerous for the dogs — last year was the deadliest for fatal dog attacks, with bulldog breeds responsible for seven of the ten deaths. this is beast. he�*s an american xl bully. although american bullies aren�*t banned, historically they�*ve been cross—bred with pit bulls — and they�*ve been banned in the uk since 1991. in november 2021, beast killed ten—year—old jack liss. the dog had only attacked one part of him, and it was here up. his face. 0k. and his neck. they kept saying they�*re working on him, they�*re working on him. and then...

..the paramedic walked away... ..and came back with a blanket. and i knew. i can�*t say out loud what else i saw, because i don�*t want other people to have to picture it, either. the dog�*s owner, brandon hayden, was jailed for four and a half years after admitting owning or being in charge of a dangerously out—of—control dog, and was banned from ever having a dog again. every time i shut my eyes... ..and i try and tell myself that�*s not the last image that i�*ve got of him. i try and tell myself it was when he shut the door with his skateboard in his hands. but..

..that�*s not true. sam poling, bbc news. and sam is with us now to tell us more. such a difficult interview to do there, for your report. you are talking mainly about bulldogs and bulldog —type breeds, and tell us more about what is meant by extreme breeding. more about what is meant by extreme breedina. . ., ., ~' more about what is meant by extreme breedina. . ., ., ~ ., breeding. yeah, we were looking at the bulldou breeding. yeah, we were looking at the bulldog breed _ breeding. yeah, we were looking at the bulldog breed specifically, - breeding. yeah, we were looking at the bulldog breed specifically, so i the bulldog breed specifically, so we are talking about french bulldogs which are the second most popular breed in the uk today, the traditional english bulldog that everybody knows, which is the fourth most popular, and the american bully, this modern cross breed and they have a massive following in recent years and it is these dogs which are being bred to extremes. what do we mean by extreme? if we use the english bulldog as an example, unscrupulous dealers are

breeding them with as many wrinkles as they can have, the deepest, biggest folds they can have. there�*s a big piece of skin, called a nose rope, the big flap of skin which goes over the nose of the english bulldog but this has been bred to be as big as possible. in fact, if you look on social media, it is deemed a marketable characteristic, it is sold as cute. it increases the value of the dog. but vets and animal welfare experts will tell you it is incredibly unhealthy and it impedes the dog�*s breathing. if you look at the dog�*s breathing. if you look at the american bully, we looked at them a lot, these dogs are being bred to be as muscular, wide and low to the ground as possible. the problem with that, as you saw in the report, is that their legs just simply can�*t take their weight. their legs start to turn inwards, as you saw with kiang knowing that report. the thing is, there is money in this. there is a public appetite. 0n social media, these dogs are being traded and sold for tens of thousands of pounds.—

thousands of pounds. except if somebody _ thousands of pounds. except if somebody buys _ thousands of pounds. except if somebody buys them, - thousands of pounds. except if somebody buys them, they i thousands of pounds. except if. somebody buys them, they may thousands of pounds. except if- somebody buys them, they may find themselves with big vets bills and worries about potentially a much loved pet. tell us more about how organised crime fits into all of this and what it was like infiltrating networks to do this investigation. i infiltrating networks to do this investigation.— infiltrating networks to do this investigation. infiltrating networks to do this investiuation. . , ., , investigation. i mean, i should be clear that the _ investigation. i mean, i should be clear that the organised _ investigation. i mean, i should be clear that the organised crime - investigation. i mean, i should be| clear that the organised crime side of it sits very firmly within the american bully network and this is a network that is massive. i have investigated the dog trade for panorama before, but the bbc before but even i was shocked by the size and scale of the network and it is really sophisticated in how it works. if you look at it, it is like a pyramid where at the bottom, you have the low level breeders and dealers but as you start to work your way up the network, as i did, your way up the network, as i did, you see the same names come up time and again and these were the people, the guys that i was trying to get close to. i had set up fake social media profiles, joint private facebook groups, basically became a friend to as many dealers and

breeders as i could so i could get closer and closer to the top of the network. and then over many weeks and months, slowly, iwas network. and then over many weeks and months, slowly, i was starting to be invited to dog deals, at one dealer�*s house, i managed to film some of the most extreme breeding practices, illegally cropped ears. i was offered deals of dogs worth in the tens of thousands. the criminality is there. why is it there? because there is money to be made. these gangs exist for one reason and one reason only and that is to make as much money as they can. it is about the risk and reward equation. they want very, very low risk but a massive reward, and it is easier to sell and shift dogs than it is with drugs. i was told that the way these networks, especially in the american bully world, the way they operate is very much along the same business model as running a drugs operation but it is dogs and dogs are the perfect criminal commodity because of the public appetite and because of the astronomical prices that they can be shifted for. it is hidden in plain

sight. shifted for. it is hidden in plain siaht., , shifted for. it is hidden in plain siuht. , , , ., , ., sight. just briefly, with regards to prosecution. _ sight. just briefly, with regards to prosecution, is _ sight. just briefly, with regards to prosecution, is this _ sight. just briefly, with regards to prosecution, is this difficult - sight. just briefly, with regards to prosecution, is this difficult for i prosecution, is this difficult for the police to gather evidence on? it is, and this is because of the sophistication of the network in criminal terms. what they do is they spread the dogs around amongst the networks and that means the authorities don�*t know who has the dogs and how many dogs they have, and the prices they are selling the dogs for. that way, they can�*t keep track on the criminal money. it also allows criminal money to be moved around within these networks, basically laundering the money. again, if you don�*t know where the product is, the dogs in this case, you don�*t know who has them and how many there are, it is really hard for the authority to track them. we are talking about dogs, it does not have the sale of the —— same appeal for law—enforcement as drugs but it is a perfect criminal commodity. thank you forjoining us. you can watch the full investigation, dogs,

dealers and organised crime, on bbc iplayer and at 8pm tonight on bbc one. the actor brendan fraser is being widely tipped for an oscar nomination in his new film the whale. it�*s about a morbidly obese man trying to connect with his estranged daughter. here�*s lizo mzimba. the point of this course is to learn how to write clearly and persuasively. think about the truth of your argument. charlie is a reclusive lecturer. he�*s severely obese and desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter. are you actually trying to parent me right now? who would want me to be a part of their lives? how much responsibility do you feel doing a part like this? a great deal. ifeel i�*m going to need to be the voice for those who live the way that charlie does, to depict him with dignity and with respect, in a way that we haven�*t seen that character played on screen before.

we live in a veryjudgmental society in many ways, particularly with social media. what kind of impact do you hope that this can have, beyond the emotion of the story? i think we can often lose sight that those are human beings, with thoughts and feelings and hearts and families and everything. and this is a story that�*s not often told in media, and it�*s a story that�*s played out behind closed doors in two—bedroom apartments all across the country, the continent, the world. i need to know that she�*s going to have a decent life where she cares about people. fraser�*s remarkable transformation, the result of heavy prosthetics. the lead character might be an unusual one for hollywood, but the director hopes the story will resonate with us all. i need to know that i have done one thing right with my life! i'm happy that it's out in the world and it has a positive message. it's about bringing...

it's about bringing families back together. and so much that's happened over the last few years has brought so many people apart that it's nice to feel that human connection again. she saved him. she wasn�*t trying to hurt him. 20 years ago, brendan fraser was one of hollywood�*s leading stars, thanks to films like the mummy series. but in more recent years, his work has made much less of an impact. the whale, though, has led the industry to once more recognise his talent. i think the response to this film has certainly opened people�*s eyes to new ideas and ways to reorient beliefs that they held formerly that are guaranteed changed by the story�*s end. did you really feel you were out in the wilderness for the past few years in film terms? you could say that i was, yes. since the film�*s world

premiere last september, fraser�*s performance has been talked about as one of the most powerful of the year. a bafta nomination, congratulations. a critics choice win, congratulations again. how does it feel for you to be getting this kind of recognition? it�*s exciting, it�*s rewarding. it�*s...it�*s new to me. and i�*m keen to see what happens next. what do you hope will happen next? i hope that we�*ll be having another conversation like this soon. people are amazing. and when the oscar nominations are unveiled tomorrow afternoon, it�*ll be a huge shock if brendan fraser�*s name isn�*t on the list for best actor. lizo mzimba, bbc news. breaking news just coming breaking newsjust coming into us. we are hearing that the uk prime minister rishi sunak has asked his independent ethics adviser to look

into the nadim zahawi case, saying there are clearly questions that need answering in this case. hello again. as we go through the next couple of days, the weather across the north and the west remains cloudy with some patchy rain but mild. whereas in parts of the south and east, rather like this morning, we will have some dense fog patches which will be slow to clear, frost, but some sunshine. now, you can see on our air mass chart that we hang on to the cooler blues across the south of the country on monday and tuesday and the milder conditions across the rest of the country. by the time we get to wednesday, though, the mild air pushes further south and then the cooler air follows on behind in the north. today, a lot of cloud across much of scotland and northern england and northern ireland with some patchy light rain and drizzle and some brighter breaks. we also have some sunshine developing across parts of england

and wales but that is after we lose the fog, and some of that will be slow to clear. a bit more cloud across the south—east. these are our temperatures, 3—11 degrees. but if you are stuck under fog all day, temperatures will struggle to break freezing. this evening and overnight, the temperature is going to be very similar to last night and we are also going to see the weather being very similar. in that the northern half of the country, there will be a lot of cloud, some mist and fog, but where you can see the blues, we are looking at a widespread frost and these are the areas prone to seeing some mist and fog patches. some of these, once again, will be freezing and dense. tuesday and wednesday, high pressure still firmly in charge. it is going to be breezy across the north of the country but the high pressure effectively keeping weather fronts at bay and when they do make inroads, it will be fairly weak. on tuesday, we start off with some cloud in the south—east, some clear skies in the central swathe of the country when we lose the mist and fog, and some of that will be slow to clear. but as we push further north,

there will be more cloud and patchy light rain and drizzle but still mild in the north. we could hit 1a around the moray firth, and temperatures in the south are lower. as we head into wednesday, you can see how the weather front sinks south, taking rain with it. more cloud across england and wales. behind it, some clear skies and sunshine but feeling cooler than it will today and tomorrow, with some showers in the west coming in on the breeze. as for the outlook, what you will notice is, if you are in the south of the country, temperatures will pick up from the low figures we have been looking at and come down in the north.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11... the prime minister says there are "questions that need answering" about nadhim zahawi�*s tax affairs. rishi sunak has asked his independent ethics adviser to look into the issue, after it was revealed mr zahawi paid a penalty to resolve a dispute over unpaid tax while he was chancellor. the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp, has insisted he was not involved in "making a loan, arranging a guarantee or financing" for boris johnson. it�*s after claims that he helped secure a loan facility worth up to £800,000 for the then prime minister, shortly before being appointed to the role. thousands of ambulance staff across england and wales are on strike again today. paramedics, control room staff and support workers from three unions are taking part.

up to a million households in england, scotland and wales could be paid to use less electricity this evening, as part of a scheme to avoid blackouts. california police say the gunman suspected of killing ten people near los angeles was a 72—year—old man, who shot himself dead as they tried to apprehend him. a bbc investigation into extreme dog breeding reveals links to organised crime, and a network of breeders putting money before the health of their dogs. the prime minister has ordered an investigation into the tax affairs of the conservative party chairman nadhim zahawi. rishi sunak has asked his independent ethics adviser to look

into what�*s happened — saying there are clearly "questions that need answering". separately, the pm is under pressure because of a row about the appointment of the bbc�*s chairman. both are seen as politically embarrassing for rishi sunak — who promised his government would have "integrity" and "accountability". it�*s emerged that former chancellor mr zahawi paid a penalty to hm revenue & customs of around £5 million to settle a dispute over his tax affairs. he says the error that caused it was "careless and not deliberate". the tax relates to a shareholding in the polling firm yougov — which he co—founded. pressure is now growing on mr zahawi to reveal more details of his tax affairs. his advisors are saying he doesn�*t intend to resign. but labour say he needs to "come clean" and have called his position "untenable". 0ur political correspondent helen catt reports. nadhim zahawi has held several top governmentjobs —

and we�*re told he intends to keep his current one as the conservative party chair, despite coming under pressure over claims he tried to avoid tax. on saturday, he released a statement in which he confirmed he had paid money to settle a dispute with the tax office. he said it was to do with shares he�*d given his dad for helping him to found the polling company yougov. he said that hmrc had "disagreed about the exact allocation" and that he had chosen to settle the matter and pay what they said was due. he said hmrc had concluded this was a careless and not deliberate error. but he didn�*t confirm reports that he had also had to pay a penalty. it wasn�*t until sunday night that allies of mr za hawi acknowledged that. some conservative colleagues have urged him to put all of the information in the public domain. the more transparency, as early as possible, might have avoided all this speculation. if there�*s more to it, then he will absolutely have to stand up and take the consequences, and the prime minister, i�*m sure,

will take the appropriate action. but at the moment, we don�*t know the whole story. allies have also acknowledged that he paid the penalty last summer, when mr zahawi was the chancellor and in charge of the country�*s finances. labour has said his position is untenable, and have called on him to publish all of his correspondence with hmrc. i'd like to ask the hmrc how it works when you have your boss, who's actually in trouble and being investigated. because clearly, you know, as head of the hmrc, that can't work, can it? it�*s still not known exactly how much mr zahawi paid to hmrc, although it�*s understood to be in the region of £5 million. mr zahawi may want to keep hisjob, but to do so he�*s likely to remain under pressure to give all of the details about his tax affairs. in the end, it may not be his call to make. helen catt, bbc news. let�*s talk to our chief political correspondent nick eardley.

slowly but surely the detail is emerging and now the prime minister has said there will be a proper look at this. what is the latest? goad at this. what is the latest? good morninu. at this. what is the latest? good morning- a _ at this. what is the latest? good morning. a drip, _ at this. what is the latest? good morning. a drip, drip, _ at this. what is the latest? good morning. a drip, drip, drip - at this. what is the latest? (ems. morning. a drip, drip, drip overthe last few days of details about nadim zahawi�*s tax affairs. he hasn�*t given any interviews. last night we were reporting a bit more detail off the fact he did pay a penalty, that it was when he was chancellor, in charge of the country�*s tax affairs. the prime minister has decided this needs to be looked at by his new ethics adviser. let me read you a bit of what rishi sunak has been saying this morning. he has said, harking back to those comments he made in downing street, that integrity and accountability is really important to me, including in this case, where he says there are questions that need answering. i

have asked our independent adviser to get to the bottom of everything, to get to the bottom of everything, to investigate the matter fully and establish all the facts and provide advice to me on nadim zahawi�*s compliance with the ministerial code. rishi sunak says mr zahawi has agreed to that approach and to fully cooperate with that investigation. i suppose in one sense it means there is an investigation that starts and i suspect some ministers may use that as cover over the next few days to say they cannot answer questions, because the independent ethics adviser is looking into those reports but there are real pressing questions being asked of nadim zahawi about how much that bill that he paid was, how much of it was a penalty, we have an idea about the total sum being in the ballpark of 5 million, but mr zahawi hasn�*t confirmed any of that publicly.

there is also the question about some of the public statements nadim zahawi made, when he said he didn�*t think there was any investigation into him, he said that while chancellor. we know that bill was settled when he was chancellor and before he became chancellor he told the cabinet office about the dispute. it feels like the number of questions are growing by the day and every time we get more detail, it branches off into another question for the tory chairman. we can speak now to caroline slocock, a former private secretary to margaret thatcher and john major, also director of the think tank civil exchange. welcome. thank you forjoining us. the matter then has now been passed on to the independent ethics adviser. what do you think about that and whether that, how that leaves things sitting for now? well. leaves things sitting for now? well, it is kickin: leaves things sitting for now? well, it is kicking it _ leaves things sitting for now? well, it is kicking it into _ leaves things sitting for now? well, it is kicking it into some _ leaves things sitting for now? -ii it is kicking it into some longer grass. the question is will that be

effective? if the answer still comes out that he did break the ministerial code, he will have to resign and it would have been better really given the quite clear facts here, to have been more decisive. the ministerial code requires ministers to declare conflicts of interest and being the chancellor of the exchequer, in charge of hmrc and having hmrc looking into your affairs is a clear breach of the ministerial code. i would affairs is a clear breach of the ministerial code. iwould it affairs is a clear breach of the ministerial code. i would it also requires you to be truthful and while he was chancellor of exchequer in july, while he was chancellor of exchequer injuly, he said these reports about these tax affairs were a smear and he threatened libel against various new pace bus. —— newspapers. that doesn�*t look like something he will have to defend now we know the

actual background facts. {lin have to defend now we know the actual background facts.- have to defend now we know the actual background facts. on the face of it, are actual background facts. on the face of it. are you. _ actual background facts. on the face of it. are you. in _ actual background facts. on the face of it, are you, in your _ actual background facts. on the face of it, are you, in your mind, - of it, are you, in your mind, thinking that there is a clear breach of the ministerial code? it looks like it and it might be better to be decisive rather than into a partygate situation where things are being investigated but more and more facts come out. the context here is that rishi sunak is trying to prove he is different to borisjohnson, hence his commitment to integrity and professionalism and accountability. but he is beginning to lose that battle and the difficult thing for him at this point is that when he was chancellor of the exchequer, his tax affairs came under question. you remember his wife�*s non—dom status, his us green card. maybe he feels he needs to defend what others would find difficult to defend, a chancellor

having apparently some offshore companies. perhaps he feels he needs to defend this line but i don�*t think it�*s a good look, i think people will already be making up their minds and it�*s corrosive i think for rishi sunak, the situation.— think for rishi sunak, the situation. ~ ., ., ., situation. do you think nadim zahawi could survive? _ situation. do you think nadim zahawi could survive? political— situation. do you think nadim zahawi could survive? political history - situation. do you think nadim zahawi could survive? political history is - could survive? political history is littered with situations where people have tried to cling on, mostly they simply don�*t but there are some instances where they manage it. if are some instances where they manage it. ., , ., ., ., . are some instances where they manage it. if he does manage to cling on, i think there — it. if he does manage to cling on, i think there will _ it. if he does manage to cling on, i think there will be _ it. if he does manage to cling on, i think there will be a _ it. if he does manage to cling on, i think there will be a political - think there will be a political price to be paid. he is chairman of the conservative party, he is out there on the airwaves and that will get ever more important as the government comes towards an election. this stuff will be thrown at him. it may be that the investment bank are appointed as the new ethics adviser, he knows that banking world and world of offshore

companies very well i imagine, will say that he has paid his bill and thatis say that he has paid his bill and that is fine but i think the general public will be very worried about this, and i think decisiveness might have been better at this point rather than going for the slow lane, the slow burning fuse.— rather than going for the slow lane, the slow burning fuse. thank you for “oininr us. the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp, has denied claims that shortly before being given the job, he helped the former pm borisjohnson, secure a loan guarantee agreement. in a statement this morning, richard sharp said... he went on to say...

mr sharp said he wanted to ensure "all the appropriate guidelines have been followed" since he�*sjoined the bbc and has asked the nominations committee of the bbc board to review any potential conflicts of interest. the role of chairman is a political appointment over which the bbc has no say. mr sharp was appointed by mrjohnson and the culture secretary at the time nadine dorries. it�*s that relationship between boris johnson and richard sharp which is now under scrutiny — the former goldman sachs banker is reported to have helped arrange an £800,000 loan to mrjohnson late in 2020. that loan was reportedly being guaranteed by the millionaire businessman sam blythe — a friend of mr sharp and a distant cousin of borisjohnson — who asked mr sharp for advice. mr sharp discussed this with the head of the civil service — simon case, who was

appointed by borisjohnson and introduced him to sam blythe. mr sharp said he then took no further part in the discussions. just weeks later mrjohnson had recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the £160,000 a year role of bbc chairman. i�*m joined now by katie razzall, our culture and media editor. as we could see their on the screen, it is this sort of trail of who spoke to when and what about, and richard sharp has now put out a statement. he richard sharp has now put out a statement-— richard sharp has now put out a statement. . , ., , statement. he has within the last hour, he statement. he has within the last hour. he has _ statement. he has within the last hour, he has put _ statement. he has within the last hour, he has put out _ statement. he has within the last hour, he has put out this - statement. he has within the last i hour, he has put out this statement internally to all bbc staff. it is quite a complicated story and you were trying very fabulously to explain it, but it is complicated but essentially it was this story that broke in the sunday times and the picture around it is a perception issue. was there a problem that somebody who later

became chairman of the bbc, was, it was reported, helping facilitate an £800,000 loan to borisjohnson and later decided this man was his preferred candidate for the bbc chairman and a bit after that he was appointed by a panel. richard sharp, he put out this internal statement making clear he was not involved in making clear he was not involved in making a loan or arranging a guarantee. but he is very aware he says that this is what he calls a distraction. you know is that as bbc chairman he has a responsibility to staff and audiences to make sure the bbc is held in high regard and says, i do not want this episode to distract from the important work you are doing. he has broke over the weekend that he says there was no conflict of interest. all he did, he claims, is facilitate this meeting,

sam blythe, this distant cousin, the millionaire friend of borisjohnson, an old friend of richard sharp says, he wants to help borisjohnson out. richard kay says, i can introduce you to the cabinet secretary but after that i cannot be involved because i am in this appointments procedure. what he says is he spoke to simon case and said, i need your advice because i am involved in this appointments procedure. he says simon case and the cabinet secretary were aware of this and they agreed that there could be a potential conflict so he should have nothing further to do with the matter. he says that clears it up, he had no idea what happened, whether a loan was facilitated and he says the cabinet office have a note of that meeting. crucially what people are asking and indeed the labour party wants an inquiry into this, is they are saying that is all very well but

why did he not tell the panel appointing him that there was this potential conflict of interest? he says there wasn�*t a conflict of interest so didn�*t need them. he doesn�*t mention for example that one of the reports in the sunday times was he was having a dinner at chequers with sam blythe and boris johnson, that is not addressed in the statement to the bbc staff. clearly there are more questions for him to answer but he is very much trying to draw a line under this and say, there was not a conflict of interest and i want this ought to be above board, we have a course asked for an interview with richard sharp so we will see what happens. boris johnson has _ so we will see what happens. boris johnson has spoken _ so we will see what happens. boris johnson has spoken about - so we will see what happens. boris johnson has spoken about it, he has been speaking to sky news and he said this is a load of nonsense, absolute nonsense. richard sharp is absolute nonsense. richard sharp is a good and wise man but he knows nothing about my personal finances, i can tell you that for 100% ding

dang sure. i can tell you that for 10096 ding dang sure-— i can tell you that for 10096 ding dan sure. ,, , ., ., , , i can tell you that for 10096 ding danu sure. ,, , ., ., , , ., dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he — dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he has _ dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he has been _ dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he has been using - dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he has been using over - dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he has been using over the weekend. borisjohnson was in ukraine yesterday but he has been saying this is rubbish and nonsense and clearly that is on the same page as what richard sharp is saying, this is a nonstory in their view. thank you. thousands of ambulance workers in england and wales are back on strike today in a dispute over pay. paramedics, control room staff and support workers from three unions are taking part in the latest round of industrial action. our business correspondent, marc ashdown, reports. yet again, ambulance workers are taking to the picket line. several thousand members of three unions are walking out today, mainly in the midlands, north of england and wales. london and the south—west are also affected. for specialist paramedic tom, it�*s a frustrating time. he�*s been in thejob for six years and loves it, but says the past six months have

been increasingly challenging. recently, certainly in the last couple of years, really exacerbated in the last six months, thisjob has become very, very difficult. we are all very, very tired. the pressure on services, nhs wide, but also on the ambulance service, has increased exponentially. and it�*s really hard to be in the position that we are at today where you are sort of looking from the position, i don�*t know how this gets better, i really don�*t. 999 mode activated. this is the latest walk—out in this dispute about pay. a dozen strike days are planned by paramedics between now and the end of march, including what could be the biggest ever day of nhs industrial action on february 6th, when nurses are set to strike as well. workers are calling for a 10.5% pay rise. the governments in england and wales have given nhs staff an average of 4.75% as recommended by the independent nhs pay review body. that is currently half the rate of inflation.

backdating next year�*s pay rise to january is thought to be one option being explored. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! not all union member ambulance staff, including paramedics, call handlers and support workers, will strike at once. under trade union law, emergency cover will still be provided. and staff can leave the picket lines to attend. although a spokesperson for the department of health said constructive discussions with the unions are ongoing, they said it was disappointing that ambulance staff have decided to stage further strikes at such a difficult time for the nhs. marc ashdown, bbc news. 0ur correspondent mark hutchings is in cardiff on a picket line. the flags and placards are out, we are about halfway through this 24—hour strike now by members of unite. a thousand of them in all

across wales are taking industrial action, about a quarter of the welsh ambulance service workforce. they say they will respond to the most serious calls but otherwise they are taking this strike action. among them i am joined by gemma taking this strike action. among them i amjoined by gemma finn, an ambulance worker. you started at seven last night but walked out at midnight. irate seven last night but walked out at midniuht. ~ ., , ~ ., midnight. we went on strike at midniaht midnight. we went on strike at midnight starting, _ midnight. we went on strike at midnight starting, so - midnight. we went on strike at midnight starting, so i - midnight. we went on strike at midnight starting, so i have i midnight. we went on strike at i midnight starting, so i have gone home: _ midnight starting, so i have gone home, come back tojoin the picket line with _ home, come back tojoin the picket line with my— home, come back tojoin the picket line with my colleagues. it is re line with my colleagues. it is pretty cold — line with my colleagues. it is pretty cold here, _ line with my colleagues. it is pretty cold here, it _ line with my colleagues. it is pretty cold here, it will- line with my colleagues. it s pretty cold here, it will be equally cold for patients in need of an ambulance urgently. what is your message to them? it is ambulance urgently. what is your message to them?— ambulance urgently. what is your message to them? it is with sadness that --eole message to them? it is with sadness that people are _ message to them? it is with sadness that people are being _ message to them? it is with sadness that people are being affected - message to them? it is with sadness that people are being affected but i i that people are being affected but i think we _ that people are being affected but i think we need to remember that people _ think we need to remember that people are already being affected without _ people are already being affected without the strike days. this is why we have _ without the strike days. this is why we have got— without the strike days. this is why we have got to this point because people _ we have got to this point because people are waiting hours upon hours for ambulances, people are waiting hours upon hours forambulances, so people are waiting hours upon hours for ambulances, so the effect is

because — for ambulances, so the effect is because of the government not stepping — because of the government not stepping forward and actually funding the social care but also that is— funding the social care but also that is the biggest part, it is not 'ust that is the biggest part, it is not just about — that is the biggest part, it is not just about our pay, it is about how patients— just about our pay, it is about how patients are — just about our pay, it is about how patients are affected. you just about our pay, it is about how patients are affected.— patients are affected. you are employed _ patients are affected. you are employed by _ patients are affected. you are employed by the _ patients are affected. you are employed by the wash - patients are affected. you are - employed by the wash government who are responsible for pay deals across wales and they are offering this with an extra one of payment. is that not enough? it with an extra one of payment. is that not enough?— with an extra one of payment. is that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the _ that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type _ that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of _ that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of skilled - that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of skilled job - that not enough? it isn't enough, | not for the type of skilled job that we actually do. i believe we should have more. — we actually do. i believe we should have more, we need more money to entice _ have more, we need more money to entice more — have more, we need more money to entice more people into this type of role. entice more people into this type of role we _ entice more people into this type of role. we need to be appreciated for the hard _ role. we need to be appreciated for the hard work this role involves. how— the hard work this role involves. how many— the hard work this role involves. how many more times are you prepared to stand on the picket lines? for how many more times are you prepared to stand on the picket lines?— to stand on the picket lines? for as lona as it to stand on the picket lines? for as long as it takes. _ to stand on the picket lines? for as long as it takes. the _ to stand on the picket lines? for as long as it takes. the government i long as it takes. the government need _ long as it takes. the government need to— long as it takes. the government need to stand up and take a look at themselves and see what they are doing. _ themselves and see what they are doing. and — themselves and see what they are doing, and start to get around the table. _ doing, and start to get around the table, start acting like professionals that they are supposed to be and _ professionals that they are supposed to be and stop making decisions on how they— to be and stop making decisions on how they will come to some sort of

agreement — how they will come to some sort of agreement. the unions, ourselves, we are all— agreement. the unions, ourselves, we are all open— agreement. the unions, ourselves, we are all open to discussions but for the government to put a stop to that, — the government to put a stop to that, they— the government to put a stop to that, they should hang their heads in shame — that, they should hang their heads in shame. to that, they should hang their heads in shame. ., , . ., . in shame. to be clear, which government _ in shame. to be clear, which government do _ in shame. to be clear, which government do you - in shame. to be clear, which government do you mean, i in shame. to be clear, which i government do you mean, the in shame. to be clear, which - government do you mean, the welsh government?— government do you mean, the welsh government? , ., . ., government? every government. we all -la a art government? every government. we all play a part in — government? every government. we all play a part in this- _ government? every government. we all play a part in this. this _ government? every government. we all play a part in this. this isn't _ government? every government. we all play a part in this. this isn'tjust - play a part in this. this isn'tjust one government, we all need to get around _ one government, we all need to get around the — one government, we all need to get around the table to get the answer to this _ around the table to get the answer to this. . ~' , ., around the table to get the answer to this. ., ,, y., ., around the table to get the answer to this. . ~' ,. ., ,. to this. thank you for your time. more action _ to this. thank you for your time. more action is _ to this. thank you for your time. more action is planned. - to this. thank you for your time. more action is planned. there i to this. thank you for your time. i more action is planned. there will have to be movement by unions and all the welsh government before we get any resolution to this dispute. thank you. some uk households will be able to get discounts on their energy bills if they cut their electricty use during peak times today. the national grid is triggering the scheme for the first time between five and six o�*clock this evening, as the cold weather puts pressure on power supplies. the scheme applies to households with smart meters whose energy suppliers have already signed up. joining me now to discuss this is our cost

of living correspondent, kevin peachey. how is this going to work? up 2 million households _ how is this going to work? up 2 million households who - how is this going to work? it? 2 million households who signed up to the scheme will be paid to move the use of their energy outside of those peak times. between five and six, for example, they shouldn�*t put on their washing machine or there are than. they will shift that too may later in the day. the idea is of course it reduces the use of energy at that point and ultimately avoid things like blackouts. the national grid saying there is no risk of that at the moment. they would have had to sign up already, potential savings or payments of between £2 and £20 for doing this and it is the first time it has been used in earnest. there have been trials of this scheme but this is the first time, because of the cold snap and because there is not much wind

energy being generated at the moment. it energy being generated at the moment. , ., , ., moment. it is not exactly a huge chance moment. it is not exactly a huge change to _ moment. it is not exactly a huge change to decide _ moment. it is not exactly a huge change to decide to _ moment. it is not exactly a huge change to decide to shift - moment. it is not exactly a huge change to decide to shift what i moment. it is not exactly a huge i change to decide to shift what you are using your electricity for an hour either side of that window, why does it make such a big difference in terms of supply? it�*s does it make such a big difference in terms of supply?— in terms of supply? it's all about smoothing _ in terms of supply? it's all about smoothing out _ in terms of supply? it's all about smoothing out that _ in terms of supply? it's all about smoothing out that energy - in terms of supply? it's all about smoothing out that energy use. | smoothing out that energy use. between five and six, obviously key time, people home from work on the kids home from school, they are go on, the televisions go on, so the idea is these households have agreed to limit use at that point and delay it to another time of day, and clearly that gives people the opportunity to use it later on and also means the whole system is smoothed out and we don�*t get those huge peaks and troughs which is difficult for the sector. just tends to make it easierfor everyone. the

to make it easier for everyone. the re . ulator to make it easier for everyone. the regulator is — to make it easier for everyone. the regulator is also warning it will be investigating suppliers over prepayment meters. tell us more. its, prepayment meters. tell us more. series of announcements today and this is a significant one from the regulator saying they will be looking in detail at suppliers and how they are forcibly switching people who are struggling to pay their bills onto prepayment meters, a more expensive way of paying for your energy. the regulator talking tough, saying they will look closely at this and we heard yesterday from the business secretary saying too much of this is going on. clearly many people being switched even without realising and the regulator saying it will crack down on that and also interesting, look at this idea of longer term, some social tariffs, so that is a discounted price for people on benefits and ultimately there will be questions about how that is paid for. will it

be through higher bills for everyone else will it be from funding from the government ultimately through taxation? . ~ the government ultimately through taxation? ., ~ , ., former employees of the welsh rugby union have told the bbc about a "toxic" culture of sexism at the organisation. off two women who have left the wru said alleged bullying and sexism made them feel suicidal — with one saying a male colleague said in front of other staff that he wanted to rape her. wyre davies reports. the six nations, the world�*s greatest rugby competition, is about to kick off. the men�*s game is well established, but all home unions, wales included, have made big efforts to promote women�*s rugby. but is that progress being undermined by damaging allegations off the pitch? when charlotte wathen, an experienced sports administrator, joined the welsh rugby union in 2018 to take women�*s rugby to the next level, she was warned by other women to expect occasional sexist comments.

but what she says happened to her after she�*d been there for about a year went much further. i had an experience of someone referring about me in an office environment in front of other staff, in front of other young female staff as well, that they wanted to rape me. and i remember ijust... ijust left the room and i burst into tears and i felt sick, and i thought, crikey, is this what it�*s come to? and there was a senior manager who witnessed that. any repercussions at all? no repercussions. charlotte eventually reported the alleged comments as part of a wider grievance. the wru hired a lawyer to look into her allegations and charlotte gave them a list of potential witnesses to corroborate what she was saying. but we�*ve discovered that a number of them were not contacted. and the man she accused of saying he wanted to rape her in his hotel room wasn�*t interviewed as part

of the grievance inquiry. he still works for the welsh rugby union. the wru said that charlotte�*s claims were unsubstantiated following a thorough, independent investigation. they say they can�*t comment further because they�*ve since reached a settlement with her. wow. yeah. that�*s something else. tonia antoniazzi is conflicted. proud of her welsh caps and international career, but the now labour mp says she�*s been contacted by several women with concerns about sexism and the culture inside the wru. comparable, she says, to what�*s happened in other sports. this is on a level of gymnastics. this is on a level of what�*s happened in cricket. what is happening now, and i know that it�*s notjust in rugby, is that sporting governing bodies are not being held accountable. they mark their own homework.

we�*ve spoken separately to two women who said they�*ve even contemplated suicide because of bullying and sexism they say they experienced at the wru. 0ne went as far as to write a manual for her husband on what to do in the event of her death. the welsh rugby union says it takes any allegations from staff seriously and it will act very swiftly as such behaviour has no place in the union or welsh rugby. charlotte, and others who say they�*ve suffered, hope their coming forward will be a wake—up call for the game. wyre davies, bbc news. you can see more on that story in welsh rugby under the spotlight, on bbc iplayer from 5pm today or bbc 0ne wales at 8pm. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. for the next few days, there is going to be a real split in the weather. in the north and west, it will be cloudier and milder with some patchy rain and drizzle

around and some low fog. in the south and east, colder with some sunshine but there is still some stubborn fog which, if it lingers where you are, temperatures will struggle to break freezing. push further north, we are looking at 10—11. in the very far south—east, hanging on to a weak cold front which is producing some cloud. that will be with us tonight. under clear skies, you will find the temperature will fall away with a widespread frost and again some freezing fog, perhaps in the midlands and gloucestershire as well as in the east. further north and west, still in mild air with all of that cloud and some patchy light rain and drizzle. spot the difference tomorrow. some brighter skies across north—east scotland, around the lothian area, for example, as well. when the fog lifts, we will see some sunshine across central parts of england and also wales but still the stubborn cloud in the south—east.

hello, this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: the prime minister�*s ethics adviser is to investigate nadhim zahawi�*s tax affairs, after it was revealed he paid a penalty to resolve a dispute over unpaid tax while he was chancellor. the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp, says any potential conflicts of interest will be reviewed. it�*s after claims he helped borisjohnson secure a loan worth up to £800,000, shortly before being appointed to the role. mr sharp says he was not involved in any loan, guarantee or financing. thousands of ambulance staff across england and wales are on strike again today in a row over pay and conditions. it has become fairly common place to be queueing at hospital. up to a million households in england, scotland and wales could be paid to use less electricity this evening, as part of a scheme to avoid blackouts. a bbc investigation into extreme

dog breeding reveals links to organised crime, and a network of breeders putting money before the health of their dogs. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here�*s gavin. good morning. we�*ve reached the last 16 stage of the australian open and novak djokovic looks like he�*s going to take some stopping in the men�*s draw. he blew away the australian home favourite alex de minaur in just over two hours on the rod laver arena. djokovic lost just five games in a comfortable straight sets victory. he�*ll go level with rafael nadal�*s overall record of 22 grand slams if he wins at melbourne park. it would also be his 10th aussie open title. djokovic will take on russia�*s andrey rublev who�*s seeded fifth. he was involved in something of an epic this morning with denmark�*s holger rune. it went to a fifth set tie break — before rublevjust edged through. there was a real story overnight with the women�*s fourth seed

caroline garcia beaten by poland�*s magda linette, a player ranked 45th in the world. it means linette reaches a grand slam quarterfinal for the first time in her career. i guess i need a little time, you know. it is a very fresh loss and it is always hurting and always tough to go through. i think in the slams you need a couple more days to get over it and to be more cautious about what has been happening and keep working for it. 0ne match in the premier league this evening. fulham could overtake tottenham, and move into fifth in the table with a win over antonio conte�*s side. we saw one of the matches of the season yesterday with arsenal maintaining their five—point advantage at the top with a thrilling 3—2 win over manchester united. victory came on the stroke of 90 minutes, at two all. eddie nkiteih won it. another classic between these two,

and it was one of those players sold by manchester city to arsenal, 0leksander zinchenko, who was instrumental in the win. i love this feeling, you know? the winning feeling in the last minute, the last second is something incredible. you cannot describe what you feel inside. 0bviously with this amazing atmosphere at emirates stadium today. while, actually i need to watch it again before i go to bed because this at the magic moments. chelsea manager emma hayes said the women�*s game needed to be taken more seriously, while the liverpool manager matt beard says players�* safety was risked yesterday. their match was abandoned after kick—off due to a frozen pitch. it wasn�*t looking good before the game got underway at kingsmeadow, before lots of players were struggling to keep their footing and was quite dangerous. all this happened within six minutes before the referee abandoned it, with the game being shown live on bbc2.

you could see from the opening minutes, it is like an ice rink down the sides. and to be fair, it shouldn�*t, you know, matt is upset that it even got to that point and he is right. it is not for the managers to decide that, it is for the fa, for officials to determine whether it is on. they did have the heat is on, whatever. i think this is where we have to start saying to ourselves we have to have undersoil heating. we have to take our game seriously. great britain�*s ellie downie has retired from gymnastics at the age of 23. she anounced it on social media saying that �*after really tough last few years i�*ve made the decision to prioritise my mental health and happiness�*. downie became the first british gymnast to win the all—around title at a major international competition — when she took gold at the european championships in 2017. and finally, the remarkable story of damar hamlin continues. he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field three weeks ago, and his recovery has been nothing

short of remarkable. last night, he returned to buffalo, to watch his bills team live in the nfl playoffs. he�*d have been glad to be inside though! the snow hammering down in the northeast of the united states. but a wonderful sight to see him there and the bills happened to be playing against the same team in which the incident occured — the cincinatti bengals. bangle is getting the better of the bills though in that match. that�*s all the sport for now. a bbc investigation into extreme dog breeding, where dogs are bred to have unique and exaggerated features, has revealed links to organised crime and a network of breeders putting wealth before the health of their dogs. american bullies are predominately linked to organised crime. sam poling, who�*s spent eight months investigating and secretly filming the trade, reports about the story. hello, hi, i�*m sam from the bbc. i�*m here for vanessa.

this rescue centre in wales is at the sharp end of the dog trade. it cares for abandoned or abused dogs. dogs like keanu. he�*s an american bully — a popular bulldog crossbreed. oh, my goodness. he�*s a victim of extreme breeding, where dogs are deliberately bred to create exaggerated features. it�*s as though his legs are on back to front. this is torture. now, you know what these dogs are going to look like, but you�*re still breeding them, trying to get more and more exaggerated features. i mean, it looks painful when he�*s bent over like that. 0h! we�*re seeing this every single week. this is day—to—day life for us here at the rescue now. this is karl and victoria shellard. they run the english bulldog breeding business posherbulls. they were convicted of multiple animal welfare offences last year, and were fined £19,000 each for their unlicensed operation.

despite the prosecution, i suspect karl shellard is still profiting from bulldogs, so i pay him a visit. he says he�*s still in business. if you look at all my dogs, they all look slightly different. well, they do, but... they have different characteristics. but they�*re so distinctive, and that�*s because i think you said on the phone it�*s the overdone — is it overdone? yeah, they like the overdone look. i personally prefer them a little bit tighter in the body, and not as much loose skin. so why breed them this way? but this is what people like... really? ..and desire. the shellards didn�*t respond when contacted by the bbc. the trade in bulldogs with extreme features isn�*tjust dangerous for the dogs — last year was the deadliest for fatal dog attacks, with bulldog breeds responsible for seven of the ten deaths. this is beast. he�*s an american xl bully. although american bullies aren�*t

banned, historically they�*ve been crossbred with pit bulls — and they�*ve been banned in the uk since 1991. in november 2021, beast killed ten—year—old jack liss. the dog had only attacked one part of him, and it was here up. his face. 0k. and his neck. they kept saying they�*re working on him, they�*re working on him. and then... ..the paramedic walked away... ..and came back with a blanket. and i knew. i can�*t say out loud what else i saw, because i don�*t want

other people to have to picture it, either. the dog�*s owner, brandon hayden, was jailed for four and a half years after admitting owning or being in charge of a dangerously out—of—control dog, and was banned from ever having a dog again. every time i shut my eyes... ..and i try and tell myself that�*s not the last image that i�*ve got of him. i try and tell myself it was when he shut the door with his skateboard in his hands. but.. ..that�*s not true. sam poling, bbc news. let�*s speak now to doctorjustine shotton, senior vice president at the british veterinary society. welcome, thank you very much for joining us. 0bviously, some very

upsetting testimony there from a mother. and also upsetting images of dogs who have been bred to extremes in that report. tell us more about what vets are seeing. so in that report. tell us more about what vets are seeing.— what vets are seeing. so vets are really concerned _ what vets are seeing. so vets are really concerned about _ what vets are seeing. so vets are really concerned about the - what vets are seeing. so vets are i really concerned about the impact, particularly on dog health and welfare of this extreme breeding. we are really concerned about the breed is putting profit and looks over the welfare of the dogs. and also the general public not understanding the risk to the dogs and choosing these dogs that are extremely bred, have very specific characteristics, just because they look special. we would absolutely be encouraging people to speak to their vet if they�*re thinking of getting a puppy and choose health always over the look of the dogs. choose health always over the look of the dogs-— of the dogs. what can be done to care for the _ of the dogs. what can be done to care for the dog _ of the dogs. what can be done to care for the dog that _ of the dogs. what can be done to care for the dog that we - of the dogs. what can be done to care for the dog that we are - of the dogs. what can be done to i care for the dog that we are looking at right now where his legs are so malformed. it must be quite distressing for a vet to have an animal like that come in and presumably suffering quite a lot as

a result of it?— a result of it? yes, it is very distressing _ a result of it? yes, it is very distressing for _ a result of it? yes, it is very distressing for vets, - a result of it? yes, it is very distressing for vets, vet - a result of it? yes, it is very i distressing for vets, vet teams a result of it? yes, it is very - distressing for vets, vet teams and the owners and often by the time that the owners get these dogs it is obviously too late to help them by better breeding. we would encourage not breeding from these dogs that have extreme features because it can make things worse for future puppies. huge emotional tolls on vet teams and owners as well as the financial impact so again, please, if you are thinking of getting a puppy if you are thinking of getting a puppy use resources like three puppy contract which helps guide you through some of the questions to ask and speak to your vet because they will be able to advise about the best breed for your family or getting rescue dogs or crossbreeds etc but there are many, many problems with these extreme breeds, including lots of health concerns, skin issues, breeding defects etc. anything that people aren�*t aware it is a problem because it has been so normalised and certain things are fashionable, like the cut is for

instance?— fashionable, like the cut is for instance? ~ , ., , instance? absolutely, and people don't even _ instance? absolutely, and people don't even realise _ instance? absolutely, and people don't even realise what _ instance? absolutely, and people don't even realise what has - instance? absolutely, and people - don't even realise what has happened don�*t even realise what has happened to the dogs. so these are physically chopped off when they are puppies often without pain relief. it is horrible, it is purely cosmetic and no health benefits. as well as it being really painful and unnecessary it is illegal and i think some people actually think that dogs look this way but it is really important to know this is not the case. and it is really important to flag if you do have concerns around ear cropping as well, we are campaigning to ban the import of dogs with cropped ear through the kept animals bill and we hope that goes to parliament shortly as well. ., ,., ., hope that goes to parliament shortly as well. ., ., . ., as well. you said that, certain thins as well. you said that, certain things are _ as well. you said that, certain things are illegal— as well. you said that, certain things are illegal but - as well. you said that, certain things are illegal but they - as well. you said that, certain things are illegal but they are | things are illegal but they are still happening.— things are illegal but they are still happening. things are illegal but they are stillhaueninu. ~ , ~ still happening. absolutely. at the british veterinary _ still happening. absolutely. at the british veterinary association - still happening. absolutely. at the british veterinary association we i british veterinary association we are lobbying hard for better regulation at places like canine clinics where some of this extreme breeding goes on, as well as practices such as illegal ear cropping and we are asking vets and

owners to flag these practices to the rspca when they see them as well. . ~ the rspca when they see them as well. . ,, , ., the rspca when they see them as well. . ~' , ., , the rspca when they see them as well. . ,, y., , . you can watch the full investigation "dogs, dealers and organised crime" on bbc iplayer and at 8pm tonight on bbc one. figures obtained exclusively by bbc newsbeat from housing charity shelter, show nearly one in seven black, asian or minority ethnic private renters in england have been unable to rent a home they wanted in the last five years because of their race. that�*s nearly eight times more than white private renters. i�*m nowjoined by polly neate, cheif executive of housing charity shelter. polly, what are you hearing about the experiences of ethnic minorities when it comes to renting? weill. the experiences of ethnic minorities when it comes to renting?— when it comes to renting? well, at shelter we — when it comes to renting? well, at shelter we have _ when it comes to renting? well, at

shelter we have discovered - when it comes to renting? well, at shelter we have discovered that i shelter we have discovered that black people are almost five times more likely to experience discrimination when looking for a safe, secure, affordable home than white people and that is three times more likely for asian people. so discrimination is actually hard—wired into private renting. and sometimes it is over, sometimes landlords will find other means, so they will impose conditions for example on people of colour that they are not imposing on white people in order to make it more difficult for them to find a safe home. and i mean we are in the middle of a housing emergency, as i think everybody knows by now, a cost of living crisis is making that housing emergency even worse. and then within that we now know for definite that black and asian people are experiencing that emergency more acutely. and that is simply wrong. you said that sometimes it is over. could you give us some examples of

what you are talking about there and also of the less, or sort of more hidden examples where you talk about special conditions being imposed? well, we have examples where people have been point—blank told that they are not going to be accepted as a tenant because they are not white. so i mean that is about as overt as you could possibly have. in terms of other things though, so what we have found is that landlords will impose, for example, they will say they�*re not going to let to somebody because they were on benefits, in order to kind of avoid renting their property to somebody who isn�*t white. and the government actually has legislation ready to go, which would really help to tackle this issue and particularly by outlawing discrimination on the basis that you receive benefits. and so we really need the government to get on with

its promise to reform private renting as quickly as possible. but it is already against the law for somebody to say to someone you can�*t rent this place because of your background. is there any recourse against these landlords? is any action being taken? what is happening?— action being taken? what is ha enin: ? ~ . ., action being taken? what is haueninu? . ., ., , , happening? well, at the moment, yes, of course that — happening? well, at the moment, yes, of course that kind _ happening? well, at the moment, yes, of course that kind of _ happening? well, at the moment, yes, of course that kind of overt _ of course that kind of overt discrimination is already against the law but some of the mark covert ways of discriminating can be done because there is so little scrutiny of private renting. and also because of private renting. and also because of things like no fault of evictions. so if you�*re in a property and we believe you have been discriminated against because of your race there is a big disincentive to say anything because the landlord can just evict you for no reason. they don�*t even have to give a reason. and again, the renters reform bill that is ready to 90, renters reform bill that is ready to go, that we need a date from for the government, that would mean that

no—fault evictions can no longer happen. and that again would be a significant safeguard in helping to address this issue. p0“? significant safeguard in helping to address this issue.— address this issue. polly neate, vice chief executive _ address this issue. polly neate, vice chief executive of _ address this issue. polly neate, vice chief executive of shelter, l vice chief executive of shelter, thank you. a crackdown against the lgbt+ community in russia has intensified after a tough new law was passed by the russian parliament. the bill, passed in december, places restrictions on almost any mention of lgbt people or culture. russian officials have said the war in ukraine is a battle against western culture, and especially against lgbt values, which president putin described as �*pure satanism.�* will vernon reports from moscow. when he leaves the house, dania can�*t wear make—up. but even then, he still feels afraid. translation: it's very frightening | living somewhere where it's illegalj to just be yourself. i don�*t want to live in fear. the 22—year—old does something that can be very dangerous in russia — he is an openly gay drag queen.

but now dania plans to leave the country and move to france. a new anti—lgbt law has been passed by the russian parliament. the main drag night dania performs at has cancelled its shows. translation: according to the law, it's forbidden to do what we do now. | i have to either leave the country or stay here and wait for things to get even worse. ten years ago, so—called gay propaganda was made illegal in relation to children, but the new measures go much further. many are worried that even the slightest reference to lgbt culture will now be banned. i�*ve just bought this book, recently published, and it�*s a gay love story, but if you look inside, you can see that parts of it have actually been redacted. and shops right across russia have been withdrawing other books from sale, books with gay references or characters in them,

in case they get prosecuted under the new law. it�*s almost as if lgbt people are being deleted from society. there are some here who want to do exactly that. vitali milonov is an openly homophobic russian mp who signed up to the law. we think it�*s our sovereign right to have a legislation that we like to have. russia is at war with ukraine, thousands of russians and ukrainians dying, there�*s emigration, sanctions, international isolation. do you think this is the time to be focusing on an anti—lgbt law? come on. russia is not being isolated. we have a conflict with the western world. this activist briefly set up a small lgbt museum. he closed it to the public after the law was passed. he also now plans to leave russia.

he says people like him are an easy target for the kremlin. translation: the war is lost, the economy is destroyed - and the authorities need to show people what they have risked their lives for, and the best idea they have is to find a new scapegoat — lgbt people. vladimir putin says the war in ukraine is also a fight against the west and lgbt values. repression is increasing in russia and if the war continues to go badly for the kremlin, many here are wondering who the next target will be. will vernon, bbc news, russia. police in california say a man suspected of killing ten people in a mass shooting has been found dead. the 72—year—old suspect was discovered in a white van with a self—inflicted gunshot wound. officers are still investigating the motive. our correspondent david willis reports from los angeles.

0fficers called to a suburb in eastern la described a scene of carnage. a ballroom—dancing venue for elderly members of the local asian american community shot up on the eve of the lunar new year. five men and five women were pronounced dead at the scene, ten others were injured. the suspect has been named as 72—year—old huu can tran. police believe he was planning a similar attack at a dance studio in the neighbouring city of alhambra before bystanders overpowered him and wrestled a firearm from his grasp. acting on reports of a white van that he was thought to be driving, officers, pulling up behind the vehicle, heard a single gunshot ring out. they found their suspect slumped across the steering wheel, dead from a self—inflicted gunshot wound. detectives also recovered a handgun and other evidence linking him to the massacre.

the banners and red lanterns that mark the start of the year of the all part of the lunar new year traditions that traditionally herald the hope for renewed good fortune. gun violence needs to stop. there�*s too much of it. we�*re all standing here tonight because an individual took a weapon and did the damage that we�*ve talked about, without repeating it. i think all of us...need to take some ownership there. i think we really need to go back and look at what we do. president biden called the attack senseless, and ordered a lowering of flags on federal buildings in memory of those who died. last year, in the wake of a school massacre in texas, he signed into law the first major gun—safety legislation this country has seen in nearly 30 years. but at the time, he said it wasn�*t enough.

the massacre in monterey park is the fifth mass shooting in the united states this year. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. it was almost two years ago when folajimi 0lubunmi adewole lost his life afterjumping into the river thames to save a drowning woman. known to his loved ones asjimi, he was hailed as a hero for his selfless act of bravery and now a plaque has been unveiled in his honour. luke hanrahan has this report. a place to forever honour the bravery of their son. 20—year—oldjimi 0lubunmi—adewole jumped into the thames here in april 2021 to rescue a complete stranger — a woman who�*d fallen into the river and was calling out for help. hearing the scream of a woman, he went down the stairs, undressed, knowing how dangerous the thames is. no training, no support, no back—up.

he knew he was risking his life to help another. and he paid the ultimate price. bernard kosia wasjimi�*s best friend, and was walking home from work with him that night when they heard the shouts for help. every time i'm here, ijust feel as if...like a part of me is gone. but i'm very much grateful because, at the same time, when i do come here, i feel at peace with myself, and i can connect with him. jimi was walking across london bridge with his friend bernard when he heard the 21—year—old woman�*s cries. he turned to his friend and simply said, "i have to save her," and jumped in. the river cold and dark — after midnight, the conditions were treacherous. sadly, jimi drowned — the woman he tried to save eventually rescued by the coastguard, along with another would—be rescuer. the action that he took that night,

it shows his character. so this itself is very honourable, forthe plaque being here, and it brings a whole life to us. it gives us a reason to be here, a reason for the community to be here, to connect with him. singing. a choral tribute from the borough welsh chapel choir, followed by a blessing by the bishop of southwark. family and friends forever proud ofjimi, who�*s since been posthumously recognised for his bravery and selflessness by the city of london police. it�*s a great feeling, it�*s a great feeling. we no longer feel sorry, we feel like we�*re celebrating life right now. that�*s it. celebrating his bravery. his bravery — yeah, exactly. a place now forever dedicated to the memory ofjimi. luke hanrahan, bbc news. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. as we go through the next couple of days of the weather across the north and west remains

cloudy with patchy rain but mild. parts of the south and east rather like this morning will have dense fog patches that will be slow to clear, widespread frost but some sunshine. you can see on our air mass chart that we hang on to the cooler blues across the south of the country on monday and tuesday and the milder conditions across the rest of the country. by the time we get to wednesday though the milder air pushes further south and then the cooler air follows on behind air pushes further south and then the cooler airfollows on behind in the cooler airfollows on behind in the north. today there is a lot of cloud across much of scotland, northern scotland and northern ireland. we also have some sunshine developing across parts of england and wales but that is after we lose the fog and some of that will be slow to clear. we have a bit more cloud across the south—east. these are our temperatures, re—to 11 degrees but if you are stuck under fog all day temperatures will struggle to break freezing. 0vernight temperatures will be very similar to last night and we also going to see the weather being very

similar in that the northern half of the country there will be a lot of cloud, mist and fog. where you can see the blues here we are looking at a widespread frost and these are the areas prone to seeing some mist and fog patches, some of which again will be freezing and dense. tuesday into wednesday high pressure still firmly in charge, breezy across the north of the country with high pressure effectively keeping weather fronts at bay. when they do make inroads they will be fairly weak. 0n inroads they will be fairly weak. on tuesday we start off with them cloud in the south—east, clear skies in the central swathe of the country when we lose the mist and fog and some of that will be slow to clear. as we push further north there will be cloud and patchy light rain and drizzle but still mild in the north, we could get 16 around the moray firth and temperatures in the south lower. as we head into wednesday you can see how the weather front sinks south, taking its rain with it. more cloud across england and wales. behind it some clear skies, sunshine but feeling cooler than it is going

to be today and tomorrow with showers in the west coming in on the breeze. as for the outlook, what you will notice is if you are in the south of the country temperatures will pick up from the low figures we have been looking at and come down in the north.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the prime minister�*s ethics adviser is to investigate nadhim zahawi�*s tax affairs, after it was revealed he paid a penalty to resolve a dispute over unpaid tax while he was chancellor. speak he cannot stay as tory party chair. the very idea he can be discussing and negotiating his own tax affairs with the body he should be running, everybody knows it is wrong. the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp, says any potential conflicts of interest will be reviewed. it�*s after claims he helped borisjohnson secure a loan

worth up to £800,000, shortly before being appointed to the role. mr sharp says he was not involved in any loan, guarantee or financing. thousands of ambulance staff across england and wales are on strike again today in a row over pay and conditions. it�*s become fairly common place to be queueing at hospital and when it�*s been at its worst, that means we could be queueing for our entire shift. up to a million households in england, scotland and wales could be paid to use less electricity this evening, as part of a scheme to avoid blackouts. california police say the gunman suspected of killing ten people near los angeles was a 72—year—old man, who shot himself dead as they tried to apprehend him. a bbc investigation into extreme dog breeding reveals links to organised crime, and a network of breeders putting money before the health of their dogs.

the prime minister has ordered an investigation into the tax affairs of the conservative party chairman, nadhim zahawi. rishi sunak has asked his independent ethics adviser to look into what�*s happened, saying there are clearly "questions that need answering". separately, the pm is under pressure because of a row about the appointment of the bbc�*s chairman. both are seen as politically embarrassing for rishi sunak, who promised his government would have "integrity" and "accountability". it�*s emerged that former chancellor mr zahawi paid a penalty to hm revenue & customs of around £5 million to settle a dispute over his tax affairs. he says the error that caused it was "careless and not deliberate" the tax relates to a shareholding in the polling firm yougov, which he co—founded. pressure is now growing on mr zahawi to reveal more details of his tax affairs. his advisors are saying he doesn�*t intend to resign, but labour say he needs to "come

clean" and have called his position "untenable". 0ur political correspondent helen catt reports. it is not enough. it is obvious it is not enou-h. it is obvious he it is not enough. it is obvious he cannot stay as tory party chair. the very idea he can be discussing and negotiating his own tax affairs with the body he is supposed to be running, everybody knows it is wrong. he clearly isn�*t going to resign so the prime minister needs to show leadership, this is a test of the prime minister. he promised equity, accountability. if those words mean anything, the should sack him and show leadership because if he doesn�*t come it will be further evidence ofjust how weak he doesn�*t come it will be further evidence of just how weak this he doesn�*t come it will be further evidence ofjust how weak this prime minister is. let�*s talk to our chief political correspondent

nick eardley. how long will this investigation take? in how long will this investigation take? . . how long will this investigation take? �* . , ., ., �* take? an excellent question. i don't know. take? an excellent question. i don't know- these — take? an excellent question. i don't know. these processes _ take? an excellent question. i don't know. these processes are - take? an excellent question. i don't know. these processes are done i know. these processes are done behind closed doors by the ethics adviser. what the prime minister has said this morning is that he thinks there are questions which need answering, that he still thinks integrity and accountability are extremely important and that is why he started this investigation. nadim zahawi has said he will cooperate fully, he welcomes the investigation but he is not going to say anything just now because he wants to let the independent process play out. i suppose that means this could be seen as a bit of a can kicking exercise, where ministers can now say, we need to let that process play out, let the ethics adviser get to the bottom of this and then we will see what his conclusions are. although remember, the ethics

adviser answers to the prime minister. we are in this position where we know there are big questions over nadim zahawi�*s tax affairs, we have managed to get answers to some of them but others are now in the gift of the independent adviser and i get the impression the government will say for the next few days or weeks that they need to wait for that investigation before they provide any answers of their own.- any answers of their own. nadim zahawi saying — any answers of their own. nadim zahawi saying he _ any answers of their own. nadim zahawi saying he welcomes - any answers of their own. nadim zahawi saying he welcomes this | zahawi saying he welcomes this investigation. it has taken time for the details to come out, hasn�*t it? it's the details to come out, hasn�*t it? it�*s been a slow but steady drip of information. it's been a slow but steady drip of information.— information. hasn't it 'ust. it feels a long i information. hasn't it 'ust. it feels a long way h information. hasn't it 'ust. it feels a long way from_ information. hasn't itjust. it feels a long way from prime | feels a long way from prime minister�*s questions when rishi sunak told an mp he thought the questions had been answered in full and there was nothing else to say. we have had a statement from mr zahawi as well saying, i welcome the

prime minister�*s referral of this matter to the adviser on ministerial standards. in order to ensure the independence of this process, you will understand it will be inappropriate to discuss this issue further. it has been made clear that he wants to stay in his job as conservative party chairman. he is intending to see this through, to tell out some of the situation at the moment, some of the criticism he is facing and to try and get through this with his ministerialjob intact. the view of the labour party, lib dems and snp is mr zahawi�*s position is completely untenable and the fact he had to pay a penalty over a tax bill is enough to mean that he cannot stay in his job. as i say, the sense i get is that ministers will try and use this as a bit of a blanket answer to say they need to wait for this process

to play out. that happens behind closed doors. brute to play out. that happens behind closed doors.— to play out. that happens behind closed doors. ~ ., ., ., closed doors. we don't know how long it will take. what — closed doors. we don't know how long it will take. what is _ closed doors. we don't know how long it will take. what is the _ closed doors. we don't know how long it will take. what is the sense - closed doors. we don't know how long it will take. what is the sense as - it will take. what is the sense as to whether or not nadim zahawi will be able to get through this? mr; to whether or not nadim zahawi will be able to get through this?- be able to get through this? my gut at the moment _ be able to get through this? my gut at the moment is _ be able to get through this? my gut at the moment is he _ be able to get through this? my gut at the moment is he probably - be able to get through this? my gut at the moment is he probably getsl at the moment is he probably gets through today because this process has played out, but there is always the possibility as has happened over the possibility as has happened over the last ten days or so with that drip, drip, drip of information over his tax affairs that there is more to come out. because we have not heard directly from mr zahawi, because a lot of what we are reporting is things we have found out, it is plausible there is more to come out that there are further pieces of information that could add pressure to mr zahawi and indeed to the prime minister, but as things stand, if that doesn�*t happen, my gut stick is that mr zahawi probably survives for now until we get the

outcome of this process that is now playing outcome of the investigation from the adviser on ethical standards. a big question i suspect many of my colleagues who are currently will be asking is when that investigation is completed, do we get the full details? do we get everything that has been found out? do we get a full account of mr zahawi�*s own interpretation of what happened and what information of how he came to pay that tax penalty? 0therwise he came to pay that tax penalty? otherwise that issue of accountability will continue to come up. the chairman of the bbc richard sharp has denied claims that shortly before being given thejob, he helped the former pm borisjohnson secure a loan guarantee agreement. in a statement this morning, richard sharp said, "i was not involved in making a loan, or arranging a guarantee, and i did notarrange any financing. what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blythe to the relevant official in

government." sam blythe there is a distant cousin of the former prime minister. he went on to say... let�*s talk through how this has unfolded. the role of chairman is a political appointment over which the bbc has no say. mr sharp was appointed by mrjohnson and the culture secretary at the time, nadine dorries. it�*s that relationship between boris johnson and richard sharp which is now under scrutiny — the former goldman sachs banker is reported to have helped arrange an £800,000 loan to mrjohnson late in 2020. that loan was reportedly being guaranteed by the millionaire businessman sam blythe, who mr sharp described as an old friend and a distant cousin of borisjohnson, who asked mr sharp for advice.

mr sharp discussed this with the head of the civil service, this man simon case, who was appointed by boris johnson and introduced him to sam blythe. mr sharp said he then took no further part in the discussions. just weeks later, mrjohnson had recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the £160,000 a year role of bbc chairman. i spoke to the bbc�*s culture and media editor katie razzall about richard sharp�*s recent statement. he has within the last hour, he has put out this statement internally to all bbc staff. it is quite a complicated story and you were trying very fabulously to explain it, but it is complicated but essentially it was this story that broke in the sunday times and the picture around it is a perception issue. was there a problem that somebody who later became chairman of the bbc, was, it was reported, helping facilitate an £800,000 loan to borisjohnson and later decided this man was his preferred candidate

for the bbc chairman and a bit after that he was appointed by a panel. richard sharp, he put out this internal statement making clear he was not involved in making a loan or arranging a guarantee. but he is very aware he says that this is what he calls a distraction. you knows that as bbc chairman he has a responsibility to staff and audiences to make sure the bbc is held in high regard and says, i do not want this episode to distract from the important work you are doing. he has said over the weekend that he says there was no conflict of interest. all he did, he claims, is facilitate this meeting, sam blythe, this distant cousin, the millionaire friend of borisjohnson, an old friend of richard sharp says

he wants to help borisjohnson out. richard case says, i can introduce you to the cabinet secretary but after that i cannot be involved because i am in this appointments procedure. what he says is he spoke to simon case and said, i need your advice because i am involved in this appointments procedure. he says simon case and the cabinet secretary were aware of this and they agreed that there could be a potential conflict so he should have nothing further to do with the matter. he says that clears it up, he had no idea what happened, whether a loan was facilitated and he says the cabinet office have a note of that meeting. crucially what people are asking and indeed the labour party wants an inquiry into this, is they are saying that is all very well but why did he not tell the panel appointing him that there was this potential conflict of interest?

he says there wasn�*t a conflict of interest so didn�*t need to tell them. he doesn�*t mention for example that one of the reports in the sunday times was he was having a dinner at chequers with sam blythe and borisjohnson, that is not addressed in the statement to the bbc staff. clearly there are more questions for him to answer but he is very much trying to draw a line under this and say there was not a conflict of interest and i want this ought to be above board, we have of course asked for an interview with richard sharp so we will see what happens. borisjohnson has spoken about it, he has been speaking to sky news and he said this is a load of nonsense, absolute nonsense. richard sharp is a good and wise man but he knows nothing about my personal finances, i can tell you that for 100% ding dang sure. rubbish and nonsense are the words he has been using over the weekend. borisjohnson was in ukraine yesterday but he has been saying

this is rubbish and nonsense and clearly that is on the same page as what richard sharp is saying, this is a nonstory in their view. there prime minister�*s ethics adviser is to investigate nadim zahawi�*s tax affairs after he paid a penalty over unpaid tax while chancellor. richard sharp says any potential conflicts of interest will be reviewed after claims he helped borisjohnson reviewed after claims he helped boris johnson secure reviewed after claims he helped borisjohnson secure a loan worth up to £800,000 shortly before an appointed chairman of the bbc. he says he was not involved in any loan, guarantee orfinancing. loan, guarantee or financing. thousands loan, guarantee orfinancing. thousands of ambulance staff are on strike again today.

sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, we�*ve reached the last 16 stage of the australian open and novak djokovic looks like he�*s going to take some stopping in the men�*s draw. he blew away the australian home favourite alex de minaur in just over two hours on the rod laver arena. djokovic lost just five games in a comfortable straight sets victory. he�*ll go level with rafael nadal�*s overall record of 22 grand slams if he wins at melbourne park. it would also be his 10th aussie open title. djokovic will take on russia�*s andrey rublev who�*s seeded fifth. he was involved in something of an epic this morning with denmark�*s holger rune. it went to a fifth set tie break — before rublevjust edged through. elsewhere, wins for americans ben shelton and tommy paul who will meet each other in the last eight. there was a real story overnight with the women�*s fourth seed caroline garcia beaten by poland�*s magda linette, a player ranked 45th in the world. it means linette reaches a grand slam quarterfinal for the first time in her career.

it's it�*s great. i don�*t know, ifeel quite calm actually. it feels really good but i don�*t know if i can still believe it or i�*m just really happy and still focused on the next round. great britain�*s ellie downie has retired from gymnastics at the age of 23. she announced it on social media saying that after really tough last few years i�*ve made the decision to prioritise my mental health and happiness. downie became the first british gymnast to win the all—around title at a major international competition, when she took gold at the european championships in 2017. and finally, the remarkable story of damar hamlin continues. he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field three weeks ago, and his recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. last night, he returned to buffalo, to watch his bills team live in the nfl playoffs. he�*d have been glad to be inside though! the snow hammering down in the northeast of the united states. but a wonderful sight to see him there and the bills happened to be

playing against the same team in which the incident occured — the cincinatti bengals. that�*s all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that�*s bbc.co.uk/sport let�*s get more now on the pressures facing the prime minister rishi sunak. rishi sunak has been speaking to our health editor.— health editor. integrity and accountability _ health editor. integrity and accountability is _ health editor. integrity and accountability is really - health editor. integrity and - accountability is really important. clearly there are questions that need answering and that is why i have asked our independent adviser to get to the bottom of everything, investigate the matter fully, establish all the facts and provide advice to me on nadim zahawi�*s

compliance with the ministerial code. nadim zahawi has agreed to fully cooperate with that investigation.— fully cooperate with that investiuation. ., . . . investigation. you can decide whether mr _ investigation. you can decide whether mr zahawi _ investigation. you can decide whether mr zahawi stays - investigation. you can decide whether mr zahawi stays or i investigation. you can decide - whether mr zahawi stays or goes. why don�*t you ask him to stand down? i don't you ask him to stand down? i think it is important we do these things professionally. integrity and accountability is really important but it is important we do these things properly that is why the independent adviser has been asked to investigate this matter and provide advice to me on nadim zahawi�*s compliance with the ministerial code. nadim zahawi has agreed to fully cooperate. shouldn't he stand aside _ agreed to fully cooperate. shouldn't he stand aside from _ agreed to fully cooperate. shouldn't he stand aside from his _ agreed to fully cooperate. shouldn't he stand aside from his party - he stand aside from his party chairman role while this investigation continues? iie chairman role while this investigation continues? he will continue to _ investigation continues? he will continue to play _ investigation continues? he will continue to play the _ investigation continues? he will continue to play the role - investigation continues? he will continue to play the role he - investigation continues? he will| continue to play the role he does but it is important we answer these questions, we get to the bottom of things, establish the facts. that is important to me. i want to do these

things professionally which is why i have asked the independent adviser to fully look at this matter. doesn�*t he owe the public an explanation? doesn't he owe the public an explanation?— doesn't he owe the public an explanation? doesn't he owe the public an exlanation? , , ., ., explanation? these things are dealt with b an explanation? these things are dealt with by an independent _ explanation? these things are dealt with by an independent adviser- explanation? these things are dealt with by an independent adviser who | with by an independent adviser who will fully investigate this matter and provide advice to me as prime minister on nadim zahawi�*s compliance with the ministerial code. that is the right approach, professional approach and that is how we will restore integrity and accountability into government, making sure we deal with these issues promptly and professionally. i�*m joined now in the studio by the director of policy at transparency uk and former liberal democrat mp duncan hames. welcome. we had their rishi sunak saying it needs to be dealt with promptly and professionally. do you think he is going down the right route to do that? this think he is going down the right route to do that?— think he is going down the right route to do that? this is a welcome development- _ route to do that? this is a welcome development. this _ route to do that? this is a welcome development. this would _ route to do that? this is a welcome development. this would be - route to do that? this is a welcome development. this would be more i development. this would be more welcome if this was reached last

week but perhaps the scope of this inquiry is too limited. nadim zahawi would be making declarations, financial decorations to parliament for some years before he became a minister in government. those declarations do not refer to this company involved in this which has resulted in him paying millions of pounds of tax. he really ought to be referring himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner but before anyone else does, so that they might be able to establish whether the decorations he has been making to parliament have been full and frank. just making to parliament have been full and frank. , , ., ., and frank. just explain then how that process _ and frank. just explain then how that process would _ and frank. just explain then how that process would work. - and frank. just explain then how that process would work. mps i and frank. just explain then how. that process would work. mps are bound by a _ that process would work. mps are bound by a code _ that process would work. mps are bound by a code of _ that process would work. mps are bound by a code of conduct. - that process would work. mps are bound by a code of conduct. they| bound by a code of conduct. they have a parliamentary standards commissioner, there is a new one in post already this year, and mps required to uphold the seven principles of public life which

include integrity and openness and accountability. they are required to declare and resolve any interests and relationships, and all mps declare their interests and there is a register publicly available on the internet, and these are updated when their financial situations change. and mr zahawi come in his every year, describes his shareholding in new gulf as below the registrable threshold, which is £70,000. it�*s hard to see how one can end up paying a multi—million pound tax bill in relation to interest that are below that threshold. so bill in relation to interest that are below that threshold. so when it comes to information _ are below that threshold. so when it comes to information that _ are below that threshold. so when it comes to information that should i are below that threshold. so when it comes to information that should be j comes to information that should be out there, obviously this is all apparent because ofjournalists apparent because of journalists digging, apparent because ofjournalists digging, people looking at it and there were attempts by lawyers to

say, you can�*t report on that. what is your view on that? this say, you can't report on that. what is your view on that?— is your view on that? this is the ower of is your view on that? this is the power of transparency. - is your view on that? this is the power of transparency. it - is your view on that? this is the power of transparency. it is - power of transparency. it is absolutely right that we should use transparency to ensure that we can have genuine accountability and it is a terrible thing when the law in this country and the practice, the tactics lawyers are willing to deploy are used to silence people trying to get to the truth. whether it is our bread and butter work on corruption and money—laundering or in relation to politicians being accountable to the electorate, we shouldn�*t have a situation where lawyers are welled up to intimidate and try and science people. [30 lawyers are welled up to intimidate and try and science people.- and try and science people. do you think, you — and try and science people. do you think. you said _ and try and science people. do you think, you said you _ and try and science people. do you think, you said you want _ and try and science people. do you think, you said you want the - think, you said you want the standards commissioner also to be involved now. firstly you said he should refer himself before someone else does. can someone else do that and will that be an inevitable part of this? also, key point, he could

either decide to go or obviously go down this route as he has chosen to or rishi sunak could step in and say, i think there is enough already and i want this to go down a particular route. what is your view on whether it is a right thing to go through this process and have that type of scrutiny?— through this process and have that type of scrutiny? ultimately that is a 'ud . ment type of scrutiny? ultimately that is a judgment for _ type of scrutiny? ultimately that is a judgment for nadim _ type of scrutiny? ultimately that is a judgment for nadim zahawi - type of scrutiny? ultimately that is a judgment for nadim zahawi and i type of scrutiny? ultimately that is i a judgment for nadim zahawi and the prime minister. i have not been involved in politics for seven years. our role is simply to defend the practices and the institutions that are there to uphold the standards in our public life. thank ou ve standards in our public life. thank you very much — standards in our public life. thank you very much indeed _ standards in our public life. thank you very much indeed for - standards in our public life. thank you very much indeed forjoining i standards in our public life. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. thousands of ambulance workers in england and wales are back on strike today in a dispute over pay. paramedics, control room staff and support workers from three unions are taking part in the latest round of industrial action. our business correspondent, marc ashdown, reports. yet again, ambulance workers are taking to the picket line.

several thousand members of three unions are walking out today, mainly in the midlands, north of england and wales. london and the south—west are also affected. for specialist paramedic tom, it�*s a frustrating time. he�*s been in thejob for six years and loves it, but says the past six months have been increasingly challenging. recently, certainly in the last couple of years, really exacerbated in the last six months, thisjob has become very, very difficult. we are all very, very tired. the pressure on services, nhs wide, but also on the ambulance service, has increased exponentially. and it�*s really hard to be in the position that we are at today where you are sort of looking from the position, i don�*t know how this gets better, i really don�*t. 999 mode activated. this is the latest walk—out in this dispute about pay. a dozen strike days are planned by paramedics between now and the end of march, including what could be the biggest ever day of nhs industrial action

on february 6th, when nurses are set to strike as well. workers are calling for a 10.5% pay rise. the governments in england and wales have given nhs staff an average of 4.75% as recommended by the independent nhs pay review body. that is currently half the rate of inflation. backdating next year�*s pay rise to january is thought to be one option being explored. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! not all union member ambulance staff, including paramedics, call handlers and support workers, will strike at once. under trade union law, emergency cover will still be provided. and staff can leave the picket lines to attend. although a spokesperson for the department of health said constructive discussions with the unions are ongoing, they said it was disappointing that ambulance staff have decided to stage further strikes at such a difficult time for the nhs. marc ashdown, bbc news. 0ur correspondent mark hutchings

is in cardiff on a picket line. the flags and placards are out, we are about halfway through this 24—hour strike now by members of unite. a thousand of them in all across wales are taking industrial action, about a quarter of the welsh ambulance service. they say they will respond to the most serious calls but otherwise they are taking this strike action. gemma, you started at seven last night but walked out at midnight. brute started at seven last night but walked out at midnight. we went on strike at midnight, _ walked out at midnight. we went on strike at midnight, so _ walked out at midnight. we went on strike at midnight, so i _ walked out at midnight. we went on strike at midnight, so i have - walked out at midnight. we went on strike at midnight, so i have gone i strike at midnight, so i have gone home and come back to join the picket line with my colleagues. it is pretty cold standing out here, it will equally be called for people who may need an ibanez urgently. what is your message to them? it is

with sadness — what is your message to them? it s with sadness that people are being affected but we need to remember that people are already being affected without the strike days. this is why we have got to this point because people are waiting hours upon hours for ambulances, so the effect is because of the government not stepping forward and actually funding the social care but also that is the biggest part, it is notjust also that is the biggest part, it is not just about pay, also that is the biggest part, it is notjust about pay, it is about how patients are affected. you notjust about pay, it is about how patients are affected.— patients are affected. you are employed _ patients are affected. you are employed by _ patients are affected. you are employed by the _ patients are affected. you are employed by the welsh - patients are affected. you are - employed by the welsh government patients are affected. you are _ employed by the welsh government who are responsible for pay deals across wales and they are offering this with an extra one off payment, is that not enough? it with an extra one off payment, is that not enough?— with an extra one off payment, is that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the _ that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type _ that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of _ that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of skilled - that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of skilled job - that not enough? it isn't enough, not for the type of skilled job we | not for the type of skilled job we actually do. i believe we should have more, we need more money to entice more people into this type of role. and we need to be appreciated for the hard work this role involves. for the hard work this role involves-— for the hard work this role involves. ., ., , ., , ., involves. how many more times are ou involves. how many more times are you prepared _ involves. how many more times are you prepared to _

involves. how many more times are you prepared to stand _ involves. how many more times are you prepared to stand on _ involves. how many more times are you prepared to stand on the - involves. how many more times are you prepared to stand on the picket| you prepared to stand on the picket line? ., . , you prepared to stand on the picket line? ., .,, ., .,, you prepared to stand on the picket line? ., ., .,~ , line? for as long as it takes. the government _ line? for as long as it takes. the government need _ line? for as long as it takes. the government need to _ line? for as long as it takes. the government need to stand - line? for as long as it takes. the government need to stand up i line? for as long as it takes. the | government need to stand up and line? for as long as it takes. the - government need to stand up and take a hard look at themselves and see what they are doing, and start to get around the table. start acting like professionals that they are supposed to be themselves and start making decisions on how they will come to some sort of agreement. the unions are all open to discussions but for the government to just put a stop to that, they should hang their heads in shame. to stop to that, they should hang their heads in shame.— heads in shame. to be clear which government _ heads in shame. to be clear which government you — heads in shame. to be clear which government you mean, _ heads in shame. to be clear which government you mean, you - heads in shame. to be clear which government you mean, you mean| heads in shame. to be clear which i government you mean, you mean the welsh government? the government you mean, you mean the welsh government?— welsh government? the welsh government. — welsh government? the welsh government, the _ welsh government? the welsh government, the main - welsh government? the welsh - government, the main government, every government. we all play a part so it will need to get around the table to get the answer to this. thank you for your time. i will let you get back. more action is planned. it will be movement from unions and welsh government before we get any resolution to this dispute. time for the weather. some dramatic

temperature contrasts. to the south we have arctic air. to the north—west we have very mild atlantic air coming in on a south—westerly wind. quite a lot of moisture to the north—west of the uk, could be a murky into the hills, patchy rain for the coasts and hills. furthersouth, patchy rain for the coasts and hills. further south, the winds are light, skies are clear, dense patches of wheezing for the first thing on tuesday. to the very south however it looks like there will be more cloud pulling in perhaps as we go into the small hours but that fog risk could be significant first thing tuesday. it should lift as the hours go by with the help of some sunshine. to the far south the cloud will stick around. another chilly day generally across england and wales. while this for scotland and northern ireland, temperatures again in double figures.

hello this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: the prime minister�*s ethics adviser is to investigate first�*s tax affairs. laboursay is to investigate first�*s tax affairs. labour say he should be immediately removed from his current role. . , , , ., role. clearly in this case there are ruestions role. clearly in this case there are questions that _ role. clearly in this case there are questions that need _ role. clearly in this case there are questions that need answering i role. clearly in this case there are | questions that need answering and thatis questions that need answering and that is why i have asked our independent adviser to get to the bottom of everything. to investigate the matter fully. bottom of everything. to investigate the matterfully. it is bottom of everything. to investigate the matter fully.— the matter fully. it is obvious that nadhim zahawi _ the matter fully. it is obvious that nadhim zahawi can't _ the matter fully. it is obvious that nadhim zahawi can't stay - the matter fully. it is obvious that nadhim zahawi can't stay as - the matter fully. it is obvious that nadhim zahawi can't stay as the l the matter fully. it is obvious that i nadhim zahawi can't stay as the tory party chair~ _ nadhim zahawi can't stay as the tory party chair. the very idea that he can be _ party chair. the very idea that he can be discussing and negotiating his own _ can be discussing and negotiating his own tax affairs with the body that he — his own tax affairs with the body that he is— his own tax affairs with the body that he is supposed to be running, everybody— that he is supposed to be running, everybody knows it is wrong. the chairman of— everybody knows it is wrong. tue: chairman of the bbc everybody knows it is wrong. tue chairman of the bbc richard everybody knows it is wrong. tue: chairman of the bbc richard sharpe says any potential conflicts of interest will be reviewed. it is after claims he helped borisjohnson to secure a loan worth up to

£800,000 shortly before being appointed as chair. richard sharpe says he was not involved in any financing. ambulance workers are on strike again today in a row over pay and conditions. up to a million households in england, scotland and wales could be paid to avoid using energy this evening to avoid blackouts. an investigation into extreme dog breeding exposes a network of crime and breeders putting finances ahead of the health of their dogs. national grid is triggering the scheme for the first time. between five and six o�*clock this evening. as the cold weather put pressure on power supplies. the scheme applies to homes with smart meters whose

homes have already signed up. up to a million households in england, scotland and wales who signed up to this game get to be paid to move the use of their energy if you like outside of those peak times. so between five and six. for example they shouldn�*t be putting on their washing machine or the oven. they�*re going to shift back to maybe later in the day. the idea is of course it reduces the use of energy at that point and ultimately avoid things like blackouts. national grid saying there is absolutely no risk of that at the moment. and they would have had to sign up already, potential savings or potential payments of between £2 and £20 for doing this. and it is the first time it has been used in earnest. there have been trials of this scheme but this is the first time because of the cold snap and because there is not much wind energy being generated at the

moment. it is not exactly a huge change to decide to shift an hour either side of that window. why does it make such a big difference in terms of supply? because potentially this amount of energy will be used just at different times. that this amount of energy will be used just at different times.— just at different times. that is true but of — just at different times. that is true but of course _ just at different times. that is true but of course it _ just at different times. that is true but of course it is - just at different times. that is true but of course it is about i true but of course it is about smoothing out the energy use. between five and six obviously key, peak—time stop people getting home from work, kids getting home from school. 0vens, televisions, kettles go on. the idea is that these households have agreed to say we will limit our use at that point and delay until another time of day. clearly that gives people the opportunity to use it later on and also means the whole system is smoothed out and we don�*t get those huge peaks and troughs, which is difficult for the sector. it tends to make it a little bit easierfor everyone. former employees of the welsh rugby union have told the bbc

about a toxic culture of sexism at the organisation. two women who have left the wru said alleged bullying and sexism made them feel suicidal — with one saying a male colleague said in front of other staff that he wanted to rape her. wyre davies reports. the six nations, the world�*s greatest rugby competition, is about to kick off. the men�*s game is well established, but all home unions, wales included, have made big efforts to promote women�*s rugby. but is that progress being undermined by damaging allegations off the pitch? when charlotte wathen, an experienced sports administrator, joined the welsh rugby union in 2018 to take women�*s rugby to the next level, she was warned by other women to expect occasional sexist comments. but what she says happened to her after she�*d been there for about a year went much further. i had an experience of someone

referring about me in an office environment in front of other staff, in front of other young female staff as well, that they wanted to rape me. and i remember ijust... ijust left the room and i burst into tears and i felt sick, and i thought, crikey, is this what it�*s come to? and there was a senior manager who witnessed that. any repercussions at all? no repercussions. charlotte eventually reported the alleged comments as part of a wider grievance. the wru hired a lawyer to look into her allegations and charlotte gave them a list of potential witnesses to corroborate what she was saying. but we�*ve discovered that a number of them were not contacted. and the man she accused of saying he wanted to rape her in his hotel room wasn�*t interviewed as part of the grievance inquiry. he still works for the welsh rugby union. the wru said that charlotte�*s claims were unsubstantiated following a thorough, independent investigation.

they say they can�*t comment further because they�*ve since reached a settlement with her. wow. yeah. that�*s something else. tonia antoniazzi is conflicted. proud of her welsh caps and international career, but the now labour mp says she�*s been contacted by several women with concerns about sexism and the culture inside the wru. comparable, she says, to what�*s happened in other sports. this is on a level of gymnastics. this is on a level of what�*s happened in cricket. what is happening now, and i know that it�*s notjust in rugby, is that sporting governing bodies are not being held accountable. they mark their own homework. we�*ve spoken separately to two women who said they�*ve even contemplated suicide because of bullying and sexism they say they experienced at the wru.

0ne went as far as to write a manual for her husband on what to do in the event of her death. the welsh rugby union says it takes any allegations from staff seriously and it will act very swiftly as such behaviour has no place in the union or welsh rugby. charlotte, and others who say they�*ve suffered, hope their coming forward will be a wake—up call for the game. wyre davies, bbc news. you can see more on that story in welsh rugby under the spotlight, on bbc iplayer from 5pm today or bbc 0ne wales at 8pm. a bbc investigation into extreme dog breeding, where dogs are bred to have unique and exaggerated features, has revealed links to organised crime and a network of breeders putting wealth before the health of their dogs. sam poling, who�*s spent eight months investigating and secretly filming the trade, reports about the story. there is distressing content in her

report. hello, hi, i�*m sam from the bbc. i�*m here for vanessa. this rescue centre in wales is at the sharp end of the dog trade. it cares for abandoned or abused dogs. dogs like keanu. he�*s an american bully — a popular bulldog crossbreed. oh, my goodness. he�*s a victim of extreme breeding, where dogs are deliberately bred to create exaggerated features. it�*s as though his legs are on back to front. this is torture. now, you know what these dogs are going to look like, but you�*re still breeding them, trying to get more and more exaggerated features. i mean, it looks painful when he�*s bent over like that. 0h! we�*re seeing this every single week. this is day—to—day life for us here at the rescue now. this is karl and victoria shellard. they run the english bulldog breeding business posherbulls. they were convicted of multiple animal welfare offences last year, and were fined £19,000 each

for their unlicensed operation. despite the prosecution, i suspect karl shellard is still profiting from bulldogs, so i pay him a visit. he says he�*s still in business. if you look at all my dogs, they all look slightly different. well, they do, but... they have different characteristics. but they�*re so distinctive, and that�*s because i think you said on the phone it�*s the overdone — is it overdone? yeah, they like the overdone look. i personally prefer them a little bit tighter in the body, and not as much loose skin. so why breed them this way? but this is what people like... really? ..and desire. the shellards didn�*t respond when contacted by the bbc. the trade in bulldogs with extreme features isn�*tjust dangerous for the dogs — last year was the deadliest for fatal dog attacks, with bulldog breeds responsible for seven of the ten deaths. this is beast. he�*s an american xl bully. although american bullies aren�*t banned, historically they�*ve been

crossbred with pit bulls — and they�*ve been banned in the uk since 1991. in november 2021, beast killed ten—year—old jack liss. the dog had only attacked one part of him, and it was here up. his face. 0k. and his neck. they kept saying they�*re working on him, they�*re working on him. and then... ..the paramedic walked away... ..and came back with a blanket. and i knew. i can�*t say out loud what else i saw, because i don�*t want

other people to have to picture it, either. the dog�*s owner, brandon hayden, was jailed for four and a half years after admitting owning or being in charge of a dangerously out—of—control dog, and was banned from ever having a dog again. every time i shut my eyes... ..and i try and tell myself that�*s not the last image that i�*ve got of him. i try and tell myself it was when he shut the door with his skateboard in his hands. but.. ..that�*s not true. sam poling, bbc news. earlier, drjustine shotton, from the british veterinary assocation told us more about it. so vets are really concerned about the impact, particularly on dog

health and welfare of this extreme breeding. we are really concerned about the breeders putting profit and looks over the welfare of the dogs. and also the general public not understanding the risk to the dogs and choosing these dogs that are extremely bred, i have very specific characteristics just because they look special. we would absolutely be encouraging people to speak to their vet if they are thinking of getting a puppy and choose health always over the looks of the dogs. choose health always over the looks of the dogs-— of the dogs. what can be done to care for a dog — of the dogs. what can be done to care for a dog like _ of the dogs. what can be done to care for a dog like the _ of the dogs. what can be done to care for a dog like the one - of the dogs. what can be done to care for a dog like the one we'rel care for a dog like the one we�*re looking at right now, where his legs are so malformed? it must be quite distressing for a vet to have an animal like that come in and presumably suffering quite a lot as a result of it.— a result of it. yes, it is very distressing _ a result of it. yes, it is very distressing for _ a result of it. yes, it is very distressing for vets, - a result of it. yes, it is very distressing for vets, vet - a result of it. yes, it is very i distressing for vets, vet teams a result of it. yes, it is very - distressing for vets, vet teams and the owners and often by the time that the owners get these dogs it is obviously too late to help them by better breeding. we would encourage not breeding from these dogs that have extreme confirmation because that can make things worse for

future puppies. there are huge emotional tolls on vets and vet teams as well as the financial impact on owners so again, if you�*re thinking of getting a puppy, use resources like free puppy contract, which helps you with some of the questions to ask and speak to your vets because they will be able to advise about the best breeds for your family or getting rescue dogs or crossbreeds etc but there are many, many problems with these extreme breeds, including lots of health concerns, skin issues, breathing defects etc. stand health concerns, skin issues, breathing defects etc. and you say that ou breathing defects etc. and you say that you think— breathing defects etc. and you say that you think that _ breathing defects etc. and you say that you think that people - breathing defects etc. and you say that you think that people aren't i that you think that people aren�*t actually aware that it is a problem because it has become so normalised and certain things are fashionable, like the cut is for instance with jell—o absolutely. and people don�*t even realise what has happened to the dogs. so those dogs�*s is a physically chopped off when they are puppies, often without any pain relief. it is horrible, it is purely cosmetic and there are no health benefits, as well as it being really

painful and not necessary it is illegal. and i think some people think that dogs look this way but it is really important to note this is not the case and it is really important to flag if you do have concerns around ear cropping as well. we are campaigning to ban the import of dogs with cropped ears through the kept animals bill and we hope that goes through parliament shortly as well. and you said though certain things are illegal but they are still happening.— certain things are illegal but they are still happening. absolutely. at the british veterinary _ are still happening. absolutely. at the british veterinary association | the british veterinary association we are lobbying hard for better regulation. and we are asking vets and owners to flag these practices to the rspca when they see them as well. :, , to the rspca when they see them as well. ., , :, to the rspca when they see them as well. :, , :_ , well. that is doctorjustine shotton- — you can watch the full investigation dogs, dealers and organised crime on bbc iplayer and at 8pm tonight on bbc one.

an update on our headlines on bbc news. he paid a penalty to roof resolve the dispute over tax while he was chancellor. the chairman of the bbc, second, says any conflict of interest will be reviewed after it was claimed he helped borisjohnson secure a loan worth up to £800,000 shortly before being appointed to the role. richarp sharp says he was not involved in any financing, loan. ambulance staff and support workers are on strike again today across england and wales. police in california say a man suspected of killing ten people in a mass shooting has been found dead. the 72—year—old suspect was discovered in a white van with a self—inflicted gunshot wound. officers are still investigating the motive. our correspondent david willis reports from los angeles.

0fficers called to a suburb in eastern la described a scene of carnage. a ballroom—dancing venue for elderly members of the local asian american community shot up on the eve of the lunar new year. five men and five women were pronounced dead at the scene, ten others were injured. the suspect has been named as 72—year—old huu can tran. police believe he was planning a similar attack at a dance studio in the neighbouring city of alhambra before bystanders overpowered him and wrestled a firearm from his grasp. acting on reports of a white van that he was thought to be driving, officers, pulling up behind the vehicle, heard a single gunshot ring out. they found their suspect slumped across the steering wheel, dead from a self—inflicted gunshot wound. detectives also recovered a handgun and other evidence linking him to the massacre. los angeles is home to one of the largest asian american communities in this country. the banners and red lanterns that mark the start of the year

of the rabbit all part of lunar new year celebrations that traditionally herald the hope of renewed good fortune and prosperity. gun violence needs to stop. there�*s too much of it. we�*re all standing here tonight because an individual took a weapon and did the damage that we�*ve talked about, without repeating it. i think all of us...need to take some ownership there. i think we really need to go back and look at what we do. president biden called the attack senseless, and ordered a lowering of flags on federal buildings in memory of those who died. last year, in the wake of a school massacre in texas, he signed into law the first major gun—safety legislation this country has seen in nearly 30 years. but at the time, he said it wasn�*t enough. the massacre in monterey park is the fifth mass shooting

in the united states this year. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. british airways has cancelled flights today due to adverse weather conditions including freezing fog and slippery runways. heathrow recorded its coldest night since december 2010 and coldest january night since 1987 as temperatures dropped to minus 8.4 degrees. a crackdown against the lgbt+ community in russia has intensified after a tough new law was passed by the russian parliament. the bill, passed in december, places restrictions on almost any mention of lgbt people or culture. russian officials have said the war in ukraine is a battle against western culture, and especially against lgbt values, which president putin described as pure satanism. will vernon reports from moscow. when he leaves the house, dania can�*t wear make—up. but even then,

he still feels afraid. translation: it's very frightening | living somewhere where it's illegalj to just be yourself. i don�*t want to live in fear. the 22—year—old does something that can be very dangerous in russia — he is an openly gay drag queen. but now dania plans to leave the country and move to france. a new anti—lgbt law has been passed by the russian parliament. the main drag night dania performs at has cancelled its shows. translation: according to the law, it's forbidden to do what we do now. | i have to either leave the country or stay here and wait for things to get even worse. ten years ago, so—called gay propaganda was made illegal in relation to children, but the new measures go much further. many are worried that even the slightest reference to lgbt culture will now be banned.

i�*ve just bought this book, recently published, and it�*s a gay love story, but if you look inside, you can see that part of it have actually been redacted. and shops right across russia have been withdrawing other books from sale, books with gay references or characters in them, in case they get prosecuted under the new law. it�*s almost as if lgbt people are being deleted from society. there are some here who want to do exactly that. vitali milonov is an openly homophobic russian mp who signed up to the law. we think it�*s our sovereign right to have a legislation that we like to have. russia is at war with ukraine, thousands of russians and ukrainians dying, there�*s emigration, sanctions, international isolation. do you think this is the time to be focusing on an anti—lgbt law? come on. russia is not being isolated.

we have a conflict with the western world. this activist briefly set up a small lgbt museum. he closed it to the public after the law was passed. he also now plans to leave russia. he says people like him are an easy target for the kremlin. translation: the war is lost, the economy is destroyed - and the authorities need to show people what they have risked their lives for, and the best idea they have is to find a new scapegoat — lgbt people. vladimir putin says the war in ukraine is also a fight against the west and lgbt values. repression is increasing in russia and if the war continues to go badly for the kremlin, many here are wondering who the next target will be. will vernon, bbc news, russia.

we�*re right at the beginning of awards season in the world of movies, and the actor brendan fraser is widely tipped to be one of the big winners. after years out of the spotlight he�*s wowed audiences as a morbidly obese man in his new film the whale. he�*s been speaking to our entertainment reporter lizo mzimba. the point of this course is to learn how to write clearly and persuasively. think about the truth of your argument. charlie is a reclusive lecturer. he�*s severely obese and desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter. are you actually trying to parent me right now? who would want me to be a part of their lives? how much responsibility do you feel doing a part like this? a great deal. ifeel i�*m going to need to be the voice for those who live the way that charlie does, to depict him with dignity and with respect, in a way that we haven�*t seen that character played on screen before.

we live in a veryjudgmental society in many ways, particularly with social media. what kind of impact do you hope that this can have beyond the emotion of the story? i think we can often lose sight that those are human beings, with thoughts and feelings and hearts and families and everything. and this is a story that�*s not often told in media, and it�*s a story that�*s played out behind closed doors in two—bedroom apartments all across the country, the continent, the world. i need to know that she�*s going to have a decent life where she cares about people. fraser�*s remarkable transformation the result of heavy prosthetics. the lead character might be an unusual one for hollywood, but the director hopes the story will resonate with us all. i need to know that i have done one thing right with my life! i'm happy that it's out in the world

and it has a positive message. it's about bringing... it's about bringing families back together. and so much that's happened over the last few years has brought so many people apart that it's nice to feel that human connection again. she saved him. she wasn�*t trying to hurt him. 20 years ago, brendan fraser was one of hollywood�*s leading stars, thanks to films like the mummy series. but in more recent years, his work has made much less of an impact. the whale, though, has led the industry to once more recognise his talent. i think the response to this film has certainly opened people�*s eyes to new ideas and ways to reorient beliefs that they held formerly that are guaranteed changed by the story�*s end. did you really feel you were out in the wilderness for the past few years in film terms? you could say that i was, yes.

since the film�*s world premiere last september, fraser�*s performance has been talked about as one of the most powerful of the year. a bafta nomination, congratulations. a critics choice win, congratulations again. how does it feel for you to be getting this kind of recognition? it�*s exciting, it�*s rewarding. it�*s...it�*s new to me. and i�*m keen to see what happens next. what do you hope will happen next? i hope that we�*ll be having another conversation like this soon. people are amazing. and when the oscar nominations are unveiled tomorrow afternoon, it�*ll be a huge shock if brendan fraser�*s name isn�*t on the list for best actor. lizo mzimba, bbc news. some quick comments bring about the appointment of richarp sharp as chairman of the bbc. he has declined

to say whether there is going to be a probe into any conflicts of interest over that appointment. rishi sunak put distance between himself and the decision to appoint richarp sharp as saying the decision was made by one of my predecessors before i became a minister. he added the process for appointing the chairman of the bbc is rigorous and independent. so those comments just independent. so those comments just in from rishi sunak on the appointment of richarp sharp as chairman of the bbc. in a moment, the bbc news at one with clive myrie, but now it�*s time for a look at the weather with susan. hello. i really pronounce contrasting our temperatures today. suffolk saw temperatures fall to —10 celsius through the small hours of monday. the coldest night in east anglia in a decade. in the highlands 11 celsius. that is above average for the daytime temperatures here.

the cold air to the south has originated from the arctic and has been dragged in underneath a ridge of high pressure. the very mild air further north is on a south—westerly wind and has come from quite a way south of the atlantic. quite a lot of moisture around in the uk. low cloud potentially into the early hours of tuesday and patchy rain for the coast and across some of the western facing hills. further south where clear skies continue we could seek —8 in 0xfordshire but look at this area of green across southern and eastern most counties. they could be some cloud pulling in from the continent through the small hours and save those areas from the sharpest of the frost. this ridge of high pressure extending across central parts of england and wales meeting light winds overnight. still a lot of moisture around from the recent rain, dense patches of freezing fog could be an issue for the midlands and east anglia first thing on tuesday. here is the cloud to the south, cold here, not quite

as cold as it has done on monday. we should see sunshine across that central suede is the fog lifts by the afternoon. temperatures will struggle to get the above freezing if it sticks though. double figures across scotland and northern ireland. by midweek change is afoot, we see this high to the south weakening and the front coming in from the north. that will eventually push out the very cold air from southernmost counties. it is a slow job though, some southern areas will still struggle with the cold, dense patches of fog around on wednesday. you can see generally across our map figures are returning closer to average values for the time of year. despite the fact by wednesday we will be picking up a north—westerly wind. even with a northerly wind we�*re still in relatively mild air as we look to the end of this week.

today at one — the prime minister wants his independent ethics adviser to look into the tax affairs of the conservative party chairman nadhim zahawi. are your tax affairs a distraction for the party, mr zahawi? the bbc confirmed over the weekend that he paid a penalty to hmrc when he was chancellor for unpaid tax. integrity and accountability is really important to me. and clearly in this case there are questions that need answering, and that's why i have asked our independent adviser to get to the bottom of everything. mr zahawi says he�*s confident he�*s acted properly. we�*ll be live at westminster. also this lunchtime... there was no conflict of interest, says the bbc�*s chairman,

after claims he helped the then prime minister borisjohnson secure a loan before getting the bbcjob.