tonight at 10pm... a possible turning point, as germany and the usa both agree to supply tanks to ukraine. the leopard 2 battle tank, of which germany has over 300, will be made available to ukraine, just 1a of them to begin with. the abrams is an american tank. president biden confirmed 31 will be sent to ukraine's dip he said, while it is not a provocation to russia, it is not a provocation to russia, it is a message.— it is a message. putin expected euro -e it is a message. putin expected eumpe and _ it is a message. putin expected europe and the _ it is a message. putin expected europe and the us _ it is a message. putin expected europe and the us to _ it is a message. putin expected europe and the us to weaken i it is a message. putin expected i europe and the us to weaken our resolve and our support for ukraine to crumble with time to stop he was wrong. he was wrong. we to crumble with time to stop he was wrong. he was wrong.— wrong. he was wrong. we will be askin: wrong. he was wrong. we will be asking how _ wrong. he was wrong. we will be asking how the _

wrong. he was wrong. we will be asking how the supply _ wrong. he was wrong. we will be asking how the supply of - wrong. he was wrong. we will be asking how the supply of tanks i wrong. he was wrong. we will be asking how the supply of tanks is i asking how the supply of tanks is likely to affect the conflict, which started 11 months ago. the metropolitan police warns that more cases of wrongdoing will emerge, as dishonest and violent officers are dealt with. in coventry, workers at amazon have been staging their first authorised strike in the uk, in a dispute about pay. # happy birthday... and, at the australian open, novak djokovic celebrates his mother's birthday and an easy path into the and coming up on the bbc news channel: it's another goal for marcus rashford as manchester united take on nottingham forest in the first leg of the efl cup semifinal. good evening. the course of the conflict in ukraine is set to change

significantly, following decisions by germany and the usa to supply battle tanks to ukrainian forces. —— could change significantly. president zelensky says the heavy weaponry will be crucial in the drive to push back and defeat the russians. the german chancellor, olaf scholz, had been under growing pressure to agree the deal, reflecting the deep misgivings among many germans. germany will make available 1a leopard 2 tanks, and they'll give partner countries permission to export the same model of german tank to kyiv. washington is set to deliver a significant number of its own abrams tanks to ukraine. president biden says it should not be seen as an "offensive threat" to russia. russia's ambassador in washington has warned that any deliveries of us tanks will be a blatant provocation. our europe editor, katya adler, reports.

almost a full year of hell. destruction, devastation. cruel deaths and despair in ukraine. the most serious armed conflict in europe since the second world war. an attempt by russia to upend a sense of security across the continent. but today saw an offer of help kyiv has long been crying out for. translation: we will now be sending our leopard 2 - battle tanks to ukraine. we are doing this after intense discussion with our international partners and allies. it was right not to hurry this decision. actually mr scholz�*s allies had fast been losing patience. lots of european countries own these german—produced tanks. they're stable and reliable.

but berlin has the export rights so countries like poland, desperate to send this, powerful help to ukraine couldn't as long as germany dithered. now kyiv could eventually receive dozens of tanks, though its soldiers first need to be trained how to use them. public pressure at home as well as abroad also heavily influenced chancellor schoz. being prime minister of germany is a tricky balancing act. modern and cool, berlin has another face, balancing act. modern and cool, berlin has anotherface, too. city of ghosts. reminders of germany's dark past are everywhere here. it is holocaust memorial day on friday and german politicians don't, they shouldn't forget. as the aggressor

in two world wars, the idea of german—made tanks rolling into parts of europe where german soldiers once committed so many atrocities make many here feel extremely uncomfortable. translation: ~ ., ,, ., , uncomfortable. translation: ., , ., translation: what russia is doing in ukraine is awful _ translation: what russia is doing in ukraine is awful but _ translation: what russia is doing in ukraine is awful but sending _ translation: what russia is doing in ukraine is awful but sending in - ukraine is awful but sending in german tanks, with our history, it's a terrible idea. i german tanks, with our history, it's a terrible idea.— a terrible idea. i grew up in post-war — a terrible idea. i grew up in post-war germany. - a terrible idea. i grew up in post-war germany. it - a terrible idea. i grew up in - post-war germany. it was right to post—war germany. it was right to think_ post—war germany. it was right to think long — post—war germany. it was right to think long and hard before sending tanks _ think long and hard before sending tanks but _ think long and hard before sending tanks but now i am glad we are doing it. i tanks but now i am glad we are doing it. ., tanks but now i am glad we are doing it. . ., , tanks but now i am glad we are doing it. i have a very bad feeling about all of this- _ it. i have a very bad feeling about all of this. i'm _ it. i have a very bad feeling about all of this. i'm scared _ it. i have a very bad feeling about all of this. i'm scared how- it. i have a very bad feeling about all of this. i'm scared how putin l all of this. i'm scared how putin will react. all of this. i'm scared how putin will react-— all of this. i'm scared how putin will react. also wary of moscow, chancellor _ will react. also wary of moscow, chancellor olaf _ will react. also wary of moscow, chancellor olaf scholz _ will react. also wary of moscow, chancellor olaf scholz was - will react. also wary of moscow, chancellor olaf scholz was keen | will react. also wary of moscow, i chancellor olaf scholz was keen for the to send some of its mighty abrams tends to ukraine, too. this evening, as if on preagreed q, evening, as if on preagreed 0, president biden promised 31 vehicles for care. desperate for care. —— for

kyiv. putin expected europe and the united states to weaken our resolve. he expected our support for ukraine to crumble with time. he was wrong. and he was wrong from the beginning, and he continues to be wrong. we are united. washington's announcement and berlin's u—turn are a wish come true for ukraine's president, who celebrated his birthday today. translation: the key now is speed and volume- — translation: the key now is speed and volume. we _ translation: the key now is speed and volume. we had _ translation: the key now is speed and volume. we had form _ translation: the key now is speed and volume. we had form a - translation: the key now is speed and volume. we had form a fist - translation: the key now is speed and volume. we had form a fist of i and volume. we had form a fist of freedom that will not allow the russians to rise again.- russians to rise again. these soviet-era — russians to rise again. these soviet-era tanks _ russians to rise again. these soviet-era tanks on - russians to rise again. these soviet-era tanks on display l russians to rise again. these| soviet-era tanks on display in russians to rise again. these - soviet-era tanks on display in the soviet—era tanks on display in the german capitalfor the up in the cold war, the threat of nuclear was ever present. tonight, while many celebrate olaf scholz�*s decisions on tanks, others, including voices in his own party, warn that this conflict could now escalate, threatening lives beyond ukraine.

in ukraine, the long—awaited news of the tank supplies has been greeted with relief and gratitude. president zelensky has been saying for weeks that defeating the russians would be extremely difficult without a significant supply of heavy weaponry. our correspondent andrew harding has been talking to people in the city of zaporizhzhia, not far from the frontline. explosion. ukrainian tanks, half a century old, battling near the front lines. in this area, close to the donbas town of bakhmut, russian forces are slowly gaining ground. and when we visited this tank unit last week, the mood seemed close to despair. both sides have heavy losses. but we need more equipment. we need more weapons. we appreciate the support of our partners, britain, usa and european. no surprise, then, today, to find many ukrainians celebrating

the news that modern western tanks will soon be on their way here. at the bus stop in the front line city of zaporizhzhia, vasily tells me, "russia has better weapons than we do, so this is good news." a pensioner called viktoria isn't so sure. "you start with tanks," she says, "but then it escalates. i'm afraid this will end in a nuclear war." but when another woman, elena, overhears that, she comes over to disagree. "we need any weapons from any countries to help us kick the russians out of here and protect our borders." moscow's forces are not far away from here. on the road towards the front line, we pass tank traps, ready to help block any new russian advance. both the ukrainians and the russians have made it pretty clear

that they are planning to launch major new offensives, perhaps within a matter of weeks. the question now is whether these new, western tanks are going to arrive soon enough and in large enough numbers to make a real difference in this next phase of the conflict. for now, ukraine continues to fight with what it has. and a senior officer, who agreed to meet as close to the front, said victory was certain, with or without foreign help. translation: the russians keep attacking us in human waves, - and suffer enormous casualties. i believe we can withstand this. it's just a matter of time before we win. ukrainian tanks charge forwards. but it may still be a while before modern western machines are fighting alongside them. andrew harding, bbc news, ukraine. earlier this evening, president zelensky of ukraine thanked president biden

for his decision to send over 30 tanks, calling it "an important step on the path to victory." but what is the consensus on whether the tanks will make a decisive contribution? here's our analysis editor ros atkins. ukraine says it needs at least 300 modern tanks to help fight russia, and now it's going to get some of them. earlier this month the uk promised 1a of its challenger 2 tanks. now, today the us is promising to send 31 m1 abrams tanks too. now, we don't know when these will arrive in ukraine but they matter politically as well as militarily because germany didn't want to do this alone, and now with that announcement from joe biden it doesn't have to. and so today germany announced it will send 1a of its leopard 2 tanks to ukraine. these are far superior to the soviet—era tanks that ukraine is currently using. the leopard 2 is faster, more powerful, has better crew protection and it's easier to maintain and repair,

and that's because there are more than 2000 leopard tanks across europe, and all of these countries can help with spare parts and with support. that's why germany's decision today is so significant, because as the manufacturer of the leopard 2, germany retains the right to decide if all of these countries with the tanks can pass them on to ukraine. today it has granted that permission, and this analyst says the decision could really count. an armoured brigade of 100 tanks, supported by 100 infantry fighting vehicles and artillery support, is incredibly significant. and what it does is it basically allows the ukrainians, if you imagine that as the spearhead in one place of attack, if that's going to be in donetsk, for example, or maybe around zaporizhzhia, that is the spearhead unit that would punch through. now, these possibilities become available to ukraine as the better weather of spring approaches. these tanks deepen the west's commitment to the war that putin started.

it's also worth saying it's a war which has no end in sight. that was ros atkins. russia has warned that germany's decision to supply tanks to ukraine is a "dangerous escalation". and russia's ambassador to the us said any deliveries of us tanks would be a blatant provocation. in a moment, we'll talk to our russia editor, steve rosenberg, but first our north america editor, sarah smith, in washington. what led to this decision by president biden?— what led to this decision by president biden? that is what everybody _ president biden? that is what everybody has _ president biden? that is what everybody has been _ president biden? that is what everybody has been asking i president biden? that is what - everybody has been asking today, what changed? last week the pentagon was saying that these abrams tanks were not suitable for ukraine because they were too complex and today was a significant shift. insiders in the white house admits it was a diplomatic much as military decisions up president biden thinks it is absolutely vital that the nato

allies who are supporting ukraine remain completely united and this question of the tanks were threatening to expose a really serious rift among the allies. on the military side, the us does think it is of the utmost importance that ukraine does get tanks in time to launch a spring offensive and counter one that may come from russia. these tanks are not going to arrive until then, it could be a year before they get ukraine, but it was the promise of sending them that was the promise of sending them that was enough to unlock the sending of the german leopard 2 tanks, which can arrive much faster in ukraine. and the white house says russia should not think this is an offensive threat to russia itself in any way at all, but they say obviously does pose a threat to russian forces in ukraine, who america says should withdraw anyway. and now to steve rosenberg, a russia editor. were the russians expecting, with this series of announcements,

at this point, and how would you characterise the reaction so far? i think they were expecting them. mixed signals, i have to say, from russia today, on the one hand the kremlin was trying to downplay the significance of western battle tanks going to ukraine. the kremlin spokesman saying, you know what, don't overestimate the potential that these tanks could add to the ukrainian army, they will burn, this plan will fail, and also russian tv news bulletins today were showing various charts and diagrams of the us abrams tank highlighting its alleged vulnerabilities and technical problems, in other words, the message was, nothing to worry about, but on the other hand, other russian officials were saying, no, these tank deliveries are extremely dangerous. they were talking of a new level of confrontation and, to go with that, a new level of anti—western rhetoric. yesterday one

of russian state television's most prominent talk—show hosts described the german political leadership as nazis. tonight, he said that the fourth right had declared war on russia and he said that berlin was a legitimate target. many thanks to our russia editor steve rosenberg and our north america editor, sarah smith. and for the latest on the situation in ukraine, just go to the live page at bbc news online at bbc.co.uk/news, or use the bbc news app. the prime minister has defended his decision not to sack the conservative party chairman, nadhim zahawi, who is reported to have paid a penalty for underpaid taxes to hmrc. mr zahawi was chancellor at the time the estimated £5 million settlement was agreed. rishi sunak told mps today that the right thing in the first instance was to order an inquiry

into mr zahawi's conduct. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, said mr sunak�*s response was "hopelessly weak" and that a minister "seeking to avoid tax" should be sacked. our political editor, chris mason, has more details. is the conservative party chairman done for? wednesday means prime minister's question time. reporter: are you going to have to sack your partyj chairman, prime minister? last week, rishi sunak said nadhim zahawi's tax affairs had been addressed in full, but we now know he'd paid a massive tax bill and a penalty to the tax authority. questions to the prime minister. and so, the labour leader asked... does the prime minister agree that i any politician who seeks to avoid i the taxes they owe in this country is not fit to be in charge - of taxpayer money? no issues were raised with me when he was appointed to his current role, and since i commented on this matter last week,

more information has come forward. the prime minister suggested that while it would've been tempting to sack nadhim zahawi this morning, that would've been wrong. the politically expedient thing to do would be for me... ..would be for me to have said that this matter must have been resolved by wednesday at noon. but i believe in proper due process. and so an inquiry is under way. nadhim zahawi is a multimillionaire. while he was chancellor last summer, and so in charge of the country's finances, he was also sorting out his own with revenue and customs. back in the commons, it was the prime minister's family's vast wealth that featured next. it emerged last year his wife had legally avoided millions of pounds of uk tax before saying she would pay it from then on. we all know why the prime minister was reluctant to ask his party chairl questions about family finances and tax avoidance. _ laughter

but his failure to sack him - when the whole country could see what's going on shows how hopelessly weak he is _ when i disagreed fundamentally with the previous prime minister, i resigned from the government, but forfour long years, he sat next to the member for islington north! a reference to former leaderjeremy corbyn, who mr starmer, as leader, later kicked out of the parliamentary party. that's what's weak, mr speaker! he has no principles and just petty politics! a midwinter tussle over political strength or its absence. the backdrop — the loitering mist hanging over the tax affairs of a former chancellor. and there are still loads of unanswered questions about precisely what rishi sunak knew and when about

his party chairman. a new development tonight on the broader theme of the weaponising of wealth, theme of the weaponising of wealth, the potential for awkwardness if you are a senior politician and you happen to be incredibly rich. after ducking the question at lunchtime, downing street now say rishi sunak himself has not ever faced a penalty from the tax authority. studio: many thanks, our political editor chris mason, with the latest thoughts at westminster. the coming weeks and months are likely to see dozens of court appearances by metropolitan police officers facing criminal charges, according to the commissioner sir mark rowley. he said the public should prepare for more painful stories, as the force faces issues including violence against women and girls, in the form of domestic abuse and sex offences. sir mark was speaking in the wake of the case of pc david carrick, who admitted dozens of rape and sexual offences against earlier this month. our home editor mark easton is here.

when you heard the commissioner make that statement, did you think the extent of what he was a warning about is something the public is prepared for? i about is something the public is prepared for?— about is something the public is prepared for? i think a operation turnaround _ prepared for? i think a operation turnaround as _ prepared for? i think a operation turnaround as it _ prepared for? i think a operation turnaround as it is _ prepared for? i think a operation turnaround as it is called, - prepared for? i think a operation turnaround as it is called, is - prepared for? i think a operation turnaround as it is called, is a i turnaround as it is called, is a very risky strategy, but sir mark rowley thinks the only way to restore public confidence in the met is to demonstrate things have changed at scotland yard when it comes to corrupt officers. he talks about lancing the boil, lifting every stone and sea and water cruel dad. he set up an integrity hotline so public and staff could bring in if they had concerns about an officer, that is yielding tens of calls every week and he is now reverting all 115,000 met staff and officers against police national databases to see if there are any convictions or intelligence that might lead them to rogue officers,

and sir mark said today we had to prepare for more painful stories as we confront these issues, he expects two or three officers appearing in court each week linked to dishonesty, sexual offences, violence, domestic violence and in the short—term trust in the met might take further hits, but the hope is that people begin to see they are serious about reaching out bench officers and in time that is what will restore public confidence. our whole editor, mark thank you. —— home editor. at manchester crown court, the jury at the trial of lucy letby, the nurse accused of murdering several babies in her care, has heard evidence claiming she killed one baby at the fourth attempt. the court was told the baby in question died in october 2015 at the countess of chester hospital. the 33—year—old is charged with the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of ten others in 2015 and 2016. lucy letby denies all the charges.

the funeral has taken place of elle edwards, the 26—year—old woman shot dead on christmas eve in a pub in wallasey on merseyside. police say elle wasn't the intended target of the gunman. connor chapman, who's 22, has been charged with murder and is due to stand trial injune. staff at the online retail giant amazon are staging theirfirst—ever strike in the uk, in a dispute about pay. around 300 members of the gmb union have taken action at amazon's warehouse in coventry after they were given what they call a derisory 5% rise last august. the company, which doesn't recognise trade unions in the uk, says it offers competitive pay. our employment correspondent zoe conway has that story. it's one of the biggest retailers in the world, one of the biggest private sector employers in the uk.

hiya, there's a strike on today. i don't know if you saw it on the news. and it's now facing its first ever strike here. nicholas henderson is one of the gmb union's newest recruits. we are basically on the bread line. by the time you add in your rent, your mortgage, yourfood, your bills, you've basically got nothing left. workers here at the coventry site were given a 50p pay rise in august, taking their minimum pay rate to £10.50 an hour. the union says it should be £15 an hour, arguing that the company's profits boomed during the pandemic and so, too, the bank account of billionaire founderjeff bezos. we don't want his boat or his rockets. we just want to be able to live. darren and garfield work at the coventry site and are leading today's action. we just want a decent wage. we're on our feet for ten hours a day. we get told off if we're caught leaning or sitting. the coventry site is similar to this

amazon centre in essex. garfield and darren say their work is monitored. they have to meet targets. the pressure is intense. as soon as you come in the building, you're tracked. you then go on to your station, where as soon as you log on, they know exactly where you are in the building. they know how often you're scanning. if you haven't scanned within a certain time, they will come and speak to you. they both say they've been questioned by managers for taking too long to go to the toilet. heaven forbid you get - there and all cubicles are full. you suddenly find you've got 10—12 minutes of doing nothing - but look for a toilet, _ and then of course you've got to use of the toilet and come back. that could be 15, 16, - 18 minutes in that process. they will then question you, "what were you doing?" i amazon says their pay is competitive and says that like most companies, they have a system that recognises great performance. and they have coaching to help employees to improve. they also say that performance is only measured when staff

are logged in at their workstation. amazon doesn't recognise trade unions, so pay negotiations won't happen anytime soon. but the gmb hopes today marks a turning point, that they can keep recruiting in a sector which for so long has tried to keep them out. zoe conway, bbc news. in china, a bbc investigation has found evidence of many covid—related deaths in rural areas after the virus spread from big city areas into more remote areas with older populations. people working in the funeral industry say they've been much busier than usual. the chinese authorities have been consistently accused of under—reporting the number of people who've died from covid. our correspondent stephen mcdonell has been to the northern province of shanxi. the coffin makers in northern shanxi province have been busy. there's been great debate about the number of covid deaths in china's cities.

but there is still no official death toll for rural areas. yet what you see if you visit local crematoriums is that a lot of people have died. translation: she had severe diabetes. i after she got covid she had a high fever and her organs began to fail. this man has just lost his sister—in—law. the mother of two was in her early 50s. translation: she was a great person. we must hold a grand event to send her off, the best we can afford. orders for these paper funeral ornaments are being placed at two or three times the normal rate because of coronavirus deaths, according to this man. translation: some sick people were already very weak. - then they catch covid and their elderly bodies can't handle it.

the government has announced more than 70,000 covid—related deaths in china's hospitals, but these rural areas have only sparse facilities and many pass away at home, so are mostly not being counted. for the spring festival, hundreds of millions of younger people have already returned to their home towns. these are the fireworks, the pictures, the lanterns and the snacks that chinese people buy to help them ring in the new year. it's normally a veryjoyous time — in fact, the most important festival in this country — but this year people won't necessarily be so happy because they may well have lost friends or loved ones to the coronavirus. everyone seems to know somebody who's died. i ask this farmer about what appear to be new graves nearby. translation: families have been i burying their elderly relatives. i there are just so many.

he points to the fresh mounds of earth. they are marked with red flags. in his village of a few thousand, he says more than a0 people have passed away during the outbreak, but they are hoping that covid's worst work has been done. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, shanxi province. tennis, at the australian open, novak djokovic has reached the men's semi—finals with ease. the nine—time champion is competing in melbourne, a year after he was deported from australia for breaking covid rules — and his day included a special birthday celebration, as our correspondent andy swiss reports. announcer: novak djokovic! a grand entrance for the hot favourite, but 12 months after he was deported from australia, still not everyone's pleased to see novak djokovic as he faced not only andrey rublev but also a heckler. every single point, you're reacting!

"send him home," had been the taunt — an apparent reference to last year. and while djokovic soon blazed his way to the first set, he was still unhappy with that spectator. just pay attention to what he's saying. but if djokovic seemed rattled, you'd never have guessed it from this, as rublev was given the runaround. talk about channelling your frustration! a straight sets win suggests djokovic will take some stopping. he'll next face the unseeded tommy paul. and how did he celebrate? with a rendition of happy birthday for his watching mum. # happy birthday, dear you! # happy birthday. ..# well, his tennis at least is hitting the right notes. andy swiss, bbc news. some news just some newsjust in, meta, the online giant which owns facebook and

instagram, has announced in the past few minutes that donald trump is to have his social media account to be understated. they were suspended two years ago shortly after the attacks on the us capitol. they said at that time the accounts were breaking their rules over incitements to violence. there will be more detailed from that decision on the bbc news channel and on bbc news online coming up very soon. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor. burns night tonight and the banks and braes of central scotland set fresh and fair, but a day of contrasts across the uk, you could barely see the pier and weston—super—mare. but things will even out over the next few days, clearing away the