this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the search begins for a new first minister of scotland — after the shock announcement that nicola sturgeon is standing down. british gas owner centrica reports record profits — earning £35 billion in 2022. a new way of screening 999 calls will be introduced in england, in an effort to speed up ambulance response times. the shadow home secretary says the actions of lancashire police were very unusual after the force disclosed nicola bulley suffered significant issues with alcohol. thousands of severely disabled children's lives are at risk because of long waits for ambulances, doctors warn.

thousands of syrian refugees, arrive at the turkish border — as they try to cross back into their home country — after last week's earthquakes. and tributes for the hollywood film star and model, raquel welsh — who's died at the age of 82. the energy giant, centrica — which owns british gas — has reported huge profits of £35 billion last year — more than triple those of 2021. the increase is largely down to the surge in energy prices because of the war in ukraine. british gas has recently been criticised for entering the homes of vulnerable customers to force—fit prepayment meters. let's talk to our business correspondent theo leggett.

which correspondent theo leggett. part of the business i these which part of the business have these profits really come from? element for a start, very little has actually come from british gas, the retail bit of the business. that sells as retail bit of the business. that sells gas to — retail bit of the business. that sells gas to people _ retail bit of the business. that sells gas to people like - retail bit of the business. twat sells gas to people like you and me. that contributed £72 million but was well down on 2021. where most of this money has come from is what is called the upstream part of the business, extracting oil and gas out in the north sea, for example and then trading on international markets. that's been very lucrative because the price of crude oil shot up because the price of crude oil shot up in the wake of the war in ukraine getting under way. the price of gas on wholesale markets has also shot up on wholesale markets has also shot up and even though centrica also generates electricity from nuclear power, because wholesale prices, the overall customer electricity went up, it also made money from that as well. this is where the bulk of this cash has come from but we should say centrica has paid something like £1 billion in tax over the past year as well. ~ . ,

billion in tax over the past year as well. ~ ., , , ., ,~' billion in tax over the past year as well. ~ ., , , ., ., ., well. what might they be asked to do with these large _ well. what might they be asked to do with these large profits? _ well. what might they be asked to do with these large profits? some - well. what might they be asked to do with these large profits? some of- with these large profits? some of those will go _ with these large profits? some of those will go back— with these large profits? some of those will go back to _ with these large profits? some of. those will go back to shareholders, we know centrica is planning to buy back shares, there will also be dividends. centrica is not alone here, one of a number of energy companies producing record profits at the moment. we heard from bp and shell last week much the chain picture. that led to renewed call for windfall taxes to be increased. the uk does have a windfall tax, the energy profits levy, and from the 30th of january, that is 35%, applicable to profits generated in this country, but some environmental groups, some opposition politicians say that is simply not enough with the size of the profits, simply on end, the result of the oil and gas price going up, a feeling that perhaps these companies should be paying more we are likely to see renewed calls for that to happen. what about calls for further spaceport for those who are vulnerable and unable to meet higher

energy bills? —— further support. they are under a lot of pressure, it emerged in a report done by the times newspaper british gas, a third party agency appointed by british gas have been entering homes of vulnerable people in order to forcibly fit prepayment meters. the company has roared back from that the regulator of gem has effectively banned energy suppliers from forcibly introducing prepayment meters until the end of march. there is a lot of consideration about what happens there what kind of support energy companies can and should be giving to people who struggle to pay their bills. the chief executive of centrica said today so for the company has invested £75 million on helping those customers, but of course, we have all seen the headlines over the past couple of weeks and it has not been terribly good, certainly in terms of optics for british gas and therefore for centrica.

the search has begun for the next leader of the scottish national party and first minister of scotland, following nicola sturgeon�*s surprise decision to stand down yesterday, afterjust over eight years in power. the snp�*s national executive committee will meet this evening to draw up a timetable for a leadership race. ms sturgeon plans to remain in office until her successor is elected and continue on as an msp until at least the next holyrood election. with more on yesterday's events, here's alexandra mackenzie. scotland's first female and longest—serving first minister, nicola sturgeon, is now preparing to step aside. giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job is the only way to do it. the country deserves nothing less. but in truth, that can only be done by anyone for so long. for me, it is now in danger of becoming too long. # bye bye, nicola #. across scotland and the political parties, people were quick to react to the surprise resignation.

well, let me first start by paying tribute to nicola sturgeon - for her long—standing public service, and i wish her- well in the future. obviously, nicola and i didn't agree on everything, - but in the short time that we did work together, i was pleased . that we were able to announce two freeports in scotland — _ that'sjoint working - between the uk government and the scottish government. those freeports are going to attract investment and create jobs - in scotland, which is great i and i look forward to working with whoever the new first minister is to continue working _ constructively to deliver i for the people of scotland. i first met nicola sturgeon when i was 12 years old because she was standing in an election against my father and there's been lots of disagreements, lots of arguments, lots of back and forth. but one thing you can't doubt is this is someone that is an able politician, someone who has been in politics for 20 years, and that level of service is, of course, worthy of respect and thanks. alex salmond was once a close friend and mentor. now he's a political opponent. i think the key litmus test is going to be whether the next leader sees the opportunity

to redefine the strategy for independence, to broaden the base of the independence campaign, and starts articulating the fundamental case for scottish self—determination. i am not going to say who my preference will be to succeed me. but many are asking that question. one possibility is the deputy first minister, john swinney, who has done thejob before, or angus robertson, the former snp westminster leader and now constitution secretary. the finance secretary, kate forbes, who is currently on maternity leave. the health secretary, humza yousaf, or the mpjoanna cherry, a critic of nicola sturgeon�*s leadership. nicola sturgeon wanted a referendum this october. when it was blocked by the supreme court, she announced a special conference due in march to discuss the way forward. now a way forward with a new leader. and the risk undoubtedly is that the party can't find somebody who can provide it with the kind of leadership that both mr salmond and ms sturgeon have provided it with, can't unite it on the independence strategy, can't appeal to the public, and therefore, as a result, the independence

movement goes backwards. nicola sturgeon said she's confident her successor will deliver independence and said this is the final phase of thatjourney. alexandra mckenzie, bbc news. let's get more on this now with our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon. nicola sturgeon said this is because of the bruising brittle nature of politics, but what are the detailed reasons behind your deciding to step down? ~ ~ , ., down? well, i think there is an element that _ down? well, i think there is an element that she _ down? well, i think there is an element that she is _ down? well, i think there is an element that she is tired, - down? well, i think there is an element that she is tired, she | down? well, i think there is an i element that she is tired, she has beenin element that she is tired, she has been in politics for a long time, in powerfor a long time. first ministerfor powerfor a long time. first minister for eight years, powerfor a long time. first ministerfor eight years, she has had to deal with five different prime ministers, negotiate and hold talks with them, let your party the snp into three general elections, two scottish parliamentary elections, so she has probably had enough of being in the hot see and

at the top table. but there is also an element of politics as well, it has become more difficult for her over the last few weeks and months, she is facing domestic pressures in areas like the nhs and in education with the long—running teacher strike in scotland, overpaid. she has had difficulty over the gender recognition reform bill passed here at holyrood just before christmas. she has found questioning over the sending of that convicted double rapist to a woman prison. she has been ash repeatedly whether they are a man and a woman and she has found that difficult to answer, and there is an issue of a second independence referendum, she would like the next general election to be a de facto referendum. some in her own party have said they are a little bit uncomfortable with that strategy, and i think she thinks perhaps her

party with her at the head is down a little cul—de—sac, there is little room for manoeuvre, and it's time for a new leader with a new set of ideas to take over, not least in this area about how to pursue the strategy of a second independence referendum. strategy of a second independence referendum-— strategy of a second independence referendum. ., . ., ., , , ., referendum. how clear at this stage who the front _ referendum. how clear at this stage who the front runners _ referendum. how clear at this stage who the front runners might - referendum. how clear at this stage who the front runners might be? . who the front runners might be? there are certainly people who might throw their hat into the ring, no clear frontrunner in one nicola sturgeon took over from alex salmond backin sturgeon took over from alex salmond back in 2014 was unopposed. this time around i think it is a bit more wide open, you heard in the previous report there that there are several people who there is speculation might stand for the role, people likejohn swinney, angus robertson, who have held leadership positions before, joanna cherry, very robust niche of brexit and the gr are, it has been no fan of nicola sturgeon, or make the snp members decide to skip a generation and go for someone

born in the 1990s like kate forbes? who is currently on maternity leave. the national executive committee of the snp will meet this evening to decide the rules and procedures, and timetable for any election going forward, but it's interesting that the snp has been a party with very good discipline in years gone by, over the last few weeks we've, and months, we've seen that fracture not least over the gr are, but potentially we could see a very robust competition amongst those who want to take on the position of leader of the party. joining me now isjim sillars, who's a former deputy leader of the snp. thank you forjoining us this morning. how surprised are you that nicola sturgeon has decided she has had enough? t nicola sturgeon has decided she has had enough?— nicola sturgeon has decided she has had enough? i am very surprised, so

is everyone. — had enough? i am very surprised, so is everyone, because _ had enough? i am very surprised, so is everyone, because i _ had enough? i am very surprised, so is everyone, because i have - had enough? i am very surprised, so is everyone, because i have been - had enough? i am very surprised, so is everyone, because i have been 60j is everyone, because i have been 60 years in politics and i have never known a politician who held power actually wanting to give it up. so that gave us a great surprise. whatever the reason is, nicola sturgeon is now in history, the party and the independence movement have got to look at where we are and how we get to our objective of a sovereign state. that is the key thing we've got to discuss now. horst thing we've got to discuss now. how much of a setback _ thing we've got to discuss now. how much of a setback is it that she has stepped back in the circumstanceswas only recently that the supreme court said no, you can't have another referendum.— said no, you can't have another referendum. ., ~ ., ., ., referendum. you know, we have had six wasted years _ referendum. you know, we have had six wasted years under _ referendum. you know, we have had six wasted years under nicola's - six wasted years under nicola's leadership since the day after the brexit vault. the scottish national party became the referendum party, not the independence party. and a vacuum was created in the policy

sphere. if i went and knocked a door this morning and in old—age pensioner came and said to me what happens to my pension, state pension, when we are independent, i could not tell her because there is no policy. if someone says to me what does the economic policy? i could not tell, because there is no policy. if someone says what about currency, what will happen with currency? how do you setup your own? i could not tell them, because... why is this policy vacuum in all this time when the clue of your party plus my contention is in its very name?— very name? because we have concentrated _ very name? because we have concentrated on _ very name? because we have concentrated on a _ very name? because we have i concentrated on a referendum, very name? because we have - concentrated on a referendum, which never actually was deliverable by holyrood or its own. if you don't get a section from the schedule, from the westminster government, you have no legal right to hold a referendum, and for anybody who believed that was possible, they

were leading the people astray. so were leading the people astray. so we have had six wasted years, we have now got to say to ourselves, forget about this referendum, we need a new conversation, forget about the referendum, the biggest challenge before the scottish national party now and the independence movement is to go from 44% to round about 55, 56, 57%. when you get to that, you need the economic policies to get to that, and when you get to that, no westminster government, because it is a democratic organisation down there, could then see you are right to hold a referendum, we are miles away from that because of the six wasted years. the party has now got to get real about this. what wasted years. the party has now got to get real about this.— to get real about this. what sort of leader does _ to get real about this. what sort of leader does the _ to get real about this. what sort of leader does the party _ to get real about this. what sort of leader does the party need - to get real about this. what sort of leader does the party need nxt? l leader does the party need nxt? someone who understands that you never again will develop the cult of personality inside the snp. that has

been the undoing of alex salmond and it has been the undoing of nicola sturgeon. for example, the party as such outside the parliamentary group counts for nothing today. it does exactly what nicola has told. but if the party was not involved in worshipping the cult of personality, it would have been able to tell nicola you're gender recognition bill is dynamite, political and social dynamite. don't go down that road. but there was nobody able to say that under the cult of personality. and that is the key thing. whoever becomes the new leader has to understand and make the government, the party and the government in hollywood much more collegiate than it has been in the salmond or sturgeon heroes. we really appreciate you talking to us

the nato secretary—general, jens stoltenberg, is beginning a two—day visit to southern turkey today, to meet the president and offer support to areas devastated by last week's earthquakes. he travels to the country as thousands of people who fled the war in neighbouring syria — which was also hit by the disaster — line up at the border to return home. 0ur correspondent, caroline davies is in southern turkey to get the latest on the situation there. what is the purpose of this visit by the head of nato? what's a work in that organisation offer? t the head of nato? what's a work in that organisation offer?— that organisation offer? i think there are several _ that organisation offer? i think there are several different - that organisation offer? i think - there are several different reasons whyjens stoltenberg is visiting today, on first report is because of the earthquake, and having this conversation for the leadership providing further support in showing visible support by actually coming to the country. we are seeing there will be visitors from other political arenas as well, we know the us secretary of state is also due to visit turkey, as well as other political leaders that have

said they're planning to come and show support for the country, but we also knowjens stoltenberg is to speak to the government here about the cession of sweden and finland to nato —— accession. we know there needs to be an agreement ratified from the 13 member state governments, and so far turkey and hungary are the two that have not done that, so there is a continued conversation, if you will, between nato and turkey about what will happen next, and what can be done further to progress this.— further to progress this. thank you ve much further to progress this. thank you very much for— further to progress this. thank you very much forjoining _ further to progress this. thank you very much forjoining us. _ the shadow home secretary, yvette cooper, says that the actions of lancashire police were "very unusual", after the force disclosed that nicola bulley suffered "some significant issues with alcohol" — brought on by struggles with the menopause. the 45—year—old disappeared nearly three weeks ago while walking her dog in st michael's on wyre. 0ur correspondent yunus mulla is in st michael's—on—wyre.

just remind is exactly what was said by lancashire police yesterday. lancashire police took the unusual step of revealing details, private details of nicola bulley, making them public. that was to give us a better understanding of their investigation. what they said was nicola bulley had significant issues with alcohol which had been brought upon by the struggles she had with the menopause, and those struggles had resurfaced in recent months. what they also said was that police and professionals had been called to her homejust and professionals had been called to her home just last month with concerns for welfare but no arrest had been made and that incident is being investigated. that is why they revealed these new details, they said there is a lot of speculation out there and they wanted us to give an insight into their investigation and why she was high—risk on the

start of this investigation. and why she was high-risk on the start of this investigation.- start of this investigation. there has been quite _ start of this investigation. there has been quite a _ start of this investigation. there has been quite a reaction - start of this investigation. there has been quite a reaction to - start of this investigation. there l has been quite a reaction to them releasing these very personal details on people asking how much difference is this going to make to their inquiries?— their inquiries? there has been a lot of reaction, _ their inquiries? there has been a lot of reaction, some _ their inquiries? there has been a lot of reaction, some of - their inquiries? there has been a lot of reaction, some of that - lot of reaction, some of that reaction has been from politicians, yvette cooper described and said how this is extremely unusual and she will be speaking to lancashire police about it. we've also had criticism from the chair of the mental health trust to question whether this is really about protecting reputation of lancashire police, and again, how will it affect their missing person investigation here? and an mp who said she found it deeply uncomfortable that nicola bulley�*s so—called vulnerabilities were being made public this way, she also fears perhaps it might even help people on social media and elsewhere to victim blaming. so there's quite a lot of negative reaction to what lancashire police have to say.—

police have to say. where does this take their investigation? _ police have to say. where does thisj take their investigation? lancashire police have said _ take their investigation? lancashire police have said this _ take their investigation? lancashire police have said this investigation l police have said this investigation is unprecedented in its scale. it is a missing persons investigation, nicola disappeared when she was out taking her dog for a walk, they don't believe she left the field just a short distance away from here, they believe she went into the water, and that is why they have had search teams out, divers first aid and then further down the estuary into morecambe bay, so they are still working on that hypothesis is that she is still missing and there is no third party involved, but they also stress that there is a lot of speculation out there on social media in particular, that is damaging their investigation. they say it is conjecture and misinformed and really quite damaging to what they are trying to do here. for the moment, thank— they are trying to do here. for the moment, thank you _ they are trying to do here. for the moment, thank you very - they are trying to do here. for the

moment, thank you very much. i a new way of screening less urgent ambulance calls is to be introduced in england, to try to improve response times. the focus is on category two calls — which include emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes. but, crews are being asked to review incidents which may not need such a fast response. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports. ambulance, is the patient breathing? ambulance call centres have seen record levels of demand in recent months, contributing to some of the worst ever response times. so in london and the west midlands, they have been experimenting with a new way of dealing with calls in an effort to make sure help gets where its needed the most. this new system will allow a clinical conversation between a nurse, a paramedic or a doctor and the patient, and between them they will be able to decide whether an ambulance is the best response for that patient, or they are better cared for in a different environment. it does not mean anyone loses their place in the queue.

what it does is provide more individualised care for an individual patient. it also allows us to free up the resources for our most vulnerable patients. category two ambulance call—outs make up over half of all emergency calls. they are meant to cover an immediate risk to life, things like a heart attack or stroke, but they also include conditions such as burns, diabetes or headaches, where the severity of the problems can vary enormously and some of which do not always need an immediate response. through having a more detailed conversation with some of those patients, a pilot scheme found around one in five of all category two calls could be better treated elsewhere and did not need an ambulance. i'm just calling back to follow up on your earlier call... with ten years experience as a paramedic, dave has used the new scheme to help a patient who called 999 after getting a nasty cut on his hand. when i phoned back, he was in a much calmer state, the bleeding had stopped, the pain had subsided somewhat,

and i was able to give him advice to make his own way to the urgent care centre to treat his wound, which saved an ambulance but still got him the right treatment he needed. those running the pilot scheme set no patients were disadvantaged. some even found himself moved from category two to the most urgent category two to the most urgent category one. the scheme is now being expanded to all ten ambulance services across england, with the hope it can help improve response times and focus help for those who need it. "crippling delays", "unprecedented demand" and "a system in crisis" — those are just some of the words used to describe emergency care this winter. for children with severe disabilities, a&e departments are vital — but with mounting pressures, families are concerned whether they can continue to rely on the essential care, that keeps their children alive. ruth clegg reports. it that emily's favorite song?

it's 7.00 in the watson household, and the morning routine has just begun. so for breakfast, christopher has about seven different meds. emily has seven as well, but a different combination. it's busy. it's intense. and for emily and christopher, it's life—saving research. so we've got feeding tubes, they've got epilepsy. the 12—year—old twins were born prematurely and have complex medical needs. each one on their own could be life threatening. if we have a problem with chris' breathing tube, he's tracheostomy and unable to resolve it. he'd be dead within minutes. and that's why emergency care is vital. get the lady to come round here and see. just before christmas, with ambulances in short supply, and hospitals declaring critical incidents, christopher started to have problems with his breathing tube. we changed his tube to make sure he had a good airway, to make sure it was clear. we're increased his oxygen to make sure that the oxygen was getting

around his body right. but he didn't seem to improve. he seemed to be getting worse. he was presenting in a way that we'd never seen before. he was presenting in a way that we weren't trained to deal with. they called for an ambulance, but were told that despite christopher being a category one, which means paramedics should arrive within ten minutes, it could be a three—hour wait. what's going through your head at this point? you've tried everything. you literally know that it's got to be emergency care. it's scary. yeah, it's scary. and you start to think, "what's going wrong now? what can we do? how is this going to end up?" that's really, really difficult because it's something that many people would never have to experience. yeah. like nearly 100,000 children across the uk, emergency care is a crucial part

of their everyday lives. these families are caring for such complex children, and their homes are like intensive care units. normally we would be saying to them, "well, you know, if this is happening, this is when you call the ambulance, and don't worry, they'll be there within10, 20 minutes." at the moment, you can't rely on there actually being an ambulance able to come in that short length of time. the families may have to make a decision about whether they should bring the child to hospital themselves. got emergency blue box with a standard tracheostomy tube. and christopher's family were in that dilemma after being told it would be a three—hour wait for an ambulance. christopher's got a history of having seizures where he loses respiratory effort, and then you have to start cpr. really, you don't want to be doing that for more than five or ten minutes. we did phone back to say, you know, "look, we'll get christopher to hospital ourselves."

and that was the point at which we were told, "there's actually an ambulance in the next village. it's making its way to you." he was finally rushed to hospital, where a resuscitation team were ready and waiting. these children need that extra level of care. it's not their fault that they need it. the health system needs to work. it's essentially important that it works. christopher survived and is back at school. but the worry is always there. if the health service does not function, christopher has an episode like that, he would not be here. the government says it is planning to improve services with 5000 more beds and 800 new ambulances. check off they have got everything they need to keep christopher safe. everybody needs a functioning health service, but for a significant group of disabled children, they are not only more likely to use it, but when they do need it,

it is a matter of life and death. ruth clegg, bbc news. time for a look at the weather forecast. good morning. a fairly cloudy and murky start to the day, rain sweeping southwards and today thatis rain sweeping southwards and today that is only slowly going to pull away into the north sea. through the day we will see breaks in the cloud develop, some brightness coming through, but we hang on to the sunny skies across the far north of scotland for the longest. by the end of the day, coming into northern ireland in western scotland, we do have some rain. that rain will be persistent as it moves out of northern ireland, across scotland and a trailing front will bring some of that rain across nottingham and later on. will be a very mild night but will also be a windy one in the north, was severe gales developing by the end of the night across western and northern scotland. they will be with us tomorrow with gusts of wind up to 80 miles an hour. 0ne

of wind up to 80 miles an hour. one day in london as well, eastern scotland and north—east england looking at gusts of up to 50 — 70 miles an hour, potentially disruptive and damaging gusts of wind. meanwhile, ourfront sinks out, a weak creature, taking its cloud and rain with it and it will be mild again. this is bbc news, the headline the search begins for a new first minister of scotland after the shock announcement that nicola sturgeon is standing down. british gas owner centrica reports record profits, earning £3.3 billion in 2022. a new way of screening 999 calls will be introduced in england, in an effort to speed up ambulance response times. the shadow home secretary, yvette cooper, says that the actions of lancashire police were "very unusual", after the force disclosed that nicola bulley suffered "some significant issues with alcohol". thousands of severely disabled children's lives are at risk

because of long waits for ambulances, doctors warn. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre. good morning. it's been a great opening day for england's cricketers in the first test in new zealand. thanks to some strong batting and then a clever piece of captaincy from ben stokes. the stars with the bat were ben duckett with 84, and harry brook making 89. and this was as more estabished stars around them struggled. england captain ben stokes then made the decision to declare on 325—9 after a flurry of late evening england wickets. he was looking to take advantage of the fading light. and it paid off. 0llie robinson and then james anderson took wickets, the hosts 37—3 at the close and england well placed. for the first time since november, manchester city are top of the premier league,

after replacing arsenal at the summit thanks to a 3—1win at the emirates stadium. just a month ago, arsenal were eight points clear, but now the momentum has shifted, as jane dougall reports. triumphant and top of the table. manchester city's victory against their closest rivals perhaps an omen for the league title, leaving arsenal wondering if they've let the trophy slip away already. city struck first, kevin de bruyne pouncing on a mistake. and it's turned in by kevin de bruyne. then an error from ederson and arsenal had a penalty. fans praying for an intervention. but bukayo saka didn't need it. prayers answered. the second half saw city take charge. a neat dummy set up a jubilantjack grealish. and manchester city lead. and their talisman, erling haaland, made sure of the win. now de bruyne. and haaland! this league will be decided for the last eight, ten games,

and still 16 games to play is a lot, and now the champions league is coming, europa league is coming, many games. i have more belief than i had just before the game. - with the performance that they put | in, the level that the team reachedj today against this team, - and with the crowd that we have, good things are going to happen. this match had been billed as an indication of who might go on to win the title. city fans would say that's fair. arsenal supporters will argue there is still a long way to go. jane dougall, bbc news at the emirates. now, chelsea fluffed their chances in front of goal yet again and were left scratching their heads after losing the first leg of their champions league tie at borussia dortmund. chelsea were shown how to score by dortmund's karim adeyemi, who had blistering pace and said to chelsea record signing enzo fernandez, "now you see me, now you don't." brilliant solo goal. graham potter's team still have the return leg at stamford bridge next month, but will have to find their scoring touch and have

won just once all year. meanwhile in the scottish premiership, managerless motherwell secured a first win in 12 as they beat st mirren 2—1 at home. the biggest talking point — this clever goal from maxjohnston. the defender insists he meant it as a shot and not a cross. now, there's a couple of international trophies to be won in women's football, and a landmark moment for wales. they beat the philippines in the first match since a new deal came into effect which means they are paid the same as the men's side. kayleigh green's penalty on the stroke of half—time was enough to give them a 1—0 win in the pinatar cup in spain. at the same tournament, scotland's women conceded two goals in less than a minute in their 2—0 defeat to iceland. the european champions,

england, have their sights set on another trophy. they play south korea in their opening match of the arnold clark cup later. they are the defending champions and lionesses captain leah williamson will be wearing the one love armband which was banned by fifa during the men's world cup in qatar. the skipper says the team feel it's important to continue making a stance on equal rights. lewis hamilton says he'll continue to speak his mind on issues that are important to him, despite a formula 1 ban on free speech from drivers. he was talking ahead of the new season at the unveiling of his new mercedes car. the seven—time f1 champion said he would ignore the new rule stopping "personal, religious and political statements" without written consent, even if it means he picks up penalty points. nothing will stop me from speaking on things that i feel i'm passionate about and issues that there are. i feel this sport does have a responsibility, still, always, to speak out on things, to create awareness on important

topics, particularly as we are travelling to all these different places. and so nothing changes for me. it's a huge day in rugby league with the start of the new men's super league season. it kicks off later, with last year's beaten grand finalists leeds rhinos, looking to go one better with head coach rohan smith, starting his first full year in charge. they go to warrington wolves with both sides trying to narrow the gap on champions st helens, who are aiming for a fifth super league title in a row. that's all the sport for now. let's return to our top story, and the owners of british gas, centrica, have announced profits of £3.3 billion for 2022. that's more than triple the sum the company made the year before, as energy prices soared. british gas has recently been criticised for entering the homes

of vulnerable customers to force—fit prepayment meters. simon francis from end fuel poverty coalition joins us now. thank you forjoining us. what's your view of the profits? they are off the back of the huge increase we have seen in the price of oil and gas because of the ukraine war. these profits are being made off the back of people who are vulnerable, off the elderly and families with young children, disabled, people with long—term health conditions, who have been condemned to live in cold and damp homes this winter. whilst they are profiting because of the increase in energy prices worldwide, they do, we feel, have a duty to recognise the impact those prices are having on customers here in the uk and indeed elsewhere in the world. because they will say their retail arm makes little

profit. it still makes a decent sized profit, and the profits that are really driving the big numbers are really driving the big numbers are from the production and the trading arm. so that's where the profits and the price rises we have all seen have come from. because the excess profits are being made by energy producers and the trading and markets teams, trading electricity and gas and making money at every turn. �* .., and gas and making money at every turn. �* ., �* , , turn. but centrica don't set these rices. turn. but centrica don't set these prices- how _ turn. but centrica don't set these prices. how easy _ turn. but centrica don't set these prices. how easy would _ turn. but centrica don't set these prices. how easy would it - turn. but centrica don't set these prices. how easy would it be - turn. but centrica don't set these prices. how easy would it be for i turn. but centrica don't set these i prices. how easy would it be for one arm of the business to cross subsidise the other arm? thea;r arm of the business to cross subsidise the other arm? they kind of admit they _ subsidise the other arm? they kind of admit they do _ subsidise the other arm? they kind of admit they do that _ subsidise the other arm? they kind of admit they do that a _ subsidise the other arm? they kind of admit they do that a little - subsidise the other arm? they kind of admit they do that a little bit - of admit they do that a little bit anyway. they have said they provide additional support for vulnerable households, which is more than they make in profit, they say, from the retail arm. make in profit, they say, from the retailarm. so make in profit, they say, from the retail arm. so they clearly are fine doing that if they want to do it. it's a choice that they are making. it's a choice that they are making. i think what's interesting is that elsewhere in the report they go on to talk about the fact that more needs to be done to help vulnerable

customers and even go as far as calling into a review into energy market regulation. clearly they feel, as we do, that the energy market is broken, it's not working, it's hurting vulnerable the worst and we need to see a whole review of britain's broken energy system. this britain's broken energy system. as you say, centrica think more needs to be done to protect customers, but to be done to protect customers, but to what extent do you think it's one individual company's or all individual company's or all individual company's or all individual company's response individual compa ny�*s response ability as individual company's response ability as opposed to national legislation? tt’s ability as opposed to national legislation?— legislation? it's clearly a collective _ legislation? it's clearly a collective responsibility. | legislation? it's clearly a - collective responsibility. the way the market is regulated at the moment, we need energy firm government to speak to leeds work together. speak to people who work with charities, members of the end fuel poverty coalition and others. people working on the front line to end these issues. they have come up with proposals like a social tariff,

reducing the tariff for vulnerable households, and the idea of energy for all, a basic band of energy that everyone gets for free, with people who go above that paying slightly more to subsidise it. there are lots of really interesting ways the energy firms and government could work together to create a system thatis work together to create a system that is better for consumers and fairerfor that is better for consumers and fairer for the that is better for consumers and fairerfor the most that is better for consumers and fairer for the most vulnerable. simon francis from the end fuel poverty coalition, thank you. the search for a new first minister of scotland has begun after nicola sturgeon�*s surprise decision to stand down after more than eight years in the job. nicola sturgeon will be remembered as one of the most powerful politicians of her generation, delivering a string of landslide victories for the snp. but her politicaljourney started as a teenager, with one thing in mind — independence for scotland. andrew kerr looks at nicola sturgeon�*s legacy. nicola sturgeon has dominated the political stage, notjust in scotland, but in the uk.

a remarkable and long career at the top of scottish politics has now come to an end. nicola sturgeon grew up with her family in ayrshire. spurred into campaigning during the thatcher era, she attempted to make the case for the snp in a 1992 tv studio debate. to make the point first of all that ravenscraig and other scottish steel plants could be bought at a minimal cost to the scottish people. garnering experience, passion and polish started to shine through. what neither of these things can do is give scotland a seat at the top tables of europe. it removed trident from the clyde, restored benefits to 16 and 17—year—olds. these are the things that the people of scotland care about. a law career ended and she became a lawmaker, elected to the new scottish parliament in 1999. withjohn swinney bowing out as party leader in 2004, a formidable new partnership was born — salmond and sturgeon. the old party boss saw

an opportunity for the snp in 2007, and they won the holyrood election — first minister and deputy. the partnership was successful. the people voted in a majority snp administration in 2011. the road to the referendum was embarked upon. it was not to be, though. scotland said no in 2014 and salmond exited the stage. it was sturgeon�*s time. and there was that popstar—style tour around the country. the next year, opponents were virtually wiped off the map in the 2015 westminster election. a leader stepping up onto the uk stage. my promise is this, if you vote snp, we will make your voice heard. the snp will always stand up for scotland's best interests. brexit reignited the independence campaign. nicola sturgeon continued to fight

the uk government but another referendum has not been delivered. i will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. a bitter internal battle also ensued with her predecessor alex salmond over sexual harassment complaints. but the pandemic then gripped the nation and nicola sturgeon�*s handling of the crisis boosted her popularity ratings. i'll start with the usual report on today's covid statistics... but commentators have been pointing out perceived failings in education policy and the current state of the health service. now the government seems mired in the row over the transgender issue, while the party struggles with independence next steps. but there will have been personal high points. a role on the world stage at the glasgow climate summit, and a warm relationship with the late queen. a year's gap is incredible. absolutely. cheering. and supporters say she'll be remembered as a significant figure in modern scottish politics.

it's been eight long years at the helm for nicola sturgeon. her talents will be much sought—after elsewhere, as the party she loves now seeks a new leader. let's talk now to the scottish national party mp for angus, david doogan. how much of a loss to your party is this with nicola sturgeon deciding to step down? t this with nicola sturgeon deciding to step down?— to step down? i think everybody across the _ to step down? i think everybody across the independence - to step down? i think everybody - across the independence movement yesterday was shocked at nicola's announcement and plans to step down as leader and first minister of scotland. the way she, as she always does, skilfully laid out the reasons and reasoning behind her decision i think left all of us in no doubt that she has always had and always does make a strategic decision in

the interest of the snp but principally in the interests of scotland, which will be best served by independence. and she has made what must have been an extremely difficult decision, and acknowledged the way the media works has resulted in her becoming a divisive figure in some people's eyes and that's having a material impediment to the progress of the independence movement. i think i wish it wasn't so but in the event that her analysis says that it is, i have to accept that, and so do we all across the independence movement, but she is and always will be a giant in scottish politics.— is and always will be a giant in scottish politics. you say everyone has to accept _ scottish politics. you say everyone has to accept that _ scottish politics. you say everyone has to accept that but _ scottish politics. you say everyone has to accept that but we - scottish politics. you say everyone has to accept that but we were - has to accept that but we were speaking tojim sellers earlier, a former deputy leader of the snp, and he believes that under nicola sturgeon the last six years have been wasted. there is a policy vacuum that the next leader needs to fill. he clearly thinks she has not been as effective as she might have been. . �* , been as effective as she might have been. ., �*_ ., , been as effective as she might have been. ., �*_ ., i. been. that's certainly one view. i think the view _ been. that's certainly one view. i think the view i _ been. that's certainly one view. i

think the view i would _ been. that's certainly one view. i think the view i would be - been. that's certainly one view. i think the view i would be much . been. that's certainly one view. i - think the view i would be much more interested in is the repeated endorsement of nicola sturgeon�*s scottish government and its policies by the scottish electorate, which has in its greater part, since nicola sturgeon has been leader, endorsed those policies and ambitions of the snp for scotland. that's what's important and that is what reflects the quality or otherwise of snp policy. none of thatis otherwise of snp policy. none of that is ever taken for granted, that work goes on and it will do with the new leader. i think if you want to characterise nicola sturgeon�*s leadership and policy direction and the snp as a failure, then that would be at odds with the electoral reality that we have been very lucky to cultivate in scotland as a party under movement. abs, to cultivate in scotland as a party under movement.— to cultivate in scotland as a party under movement. a lot of members of the ublic under movement. a lot of members of the public in — under movement. a lot of members of the public in scotland _ under movement. a lot of members of the public in scotland have _ under movement. a lot of members of the public in scotland have been - the public in scotland have been very unhappy with the way the party has handled the gender recognition reform act, which of course was rejected by the westminster government, and also the commitment

to the deposit return scheme, to try to the deposit return scheme, to try to get people to recycle their bottles and cans, which a lot of people are now saying is utterly unworkable. how likely is it that the snp will have to move away from those two policies? tn the snp will have to move away from those two policies?— those two policies? in terms of the render those two policies? in terms of the gender recognition _ those two policies? in terms of the gender recognition reforms, - those two policies? in terms of the gender recognition reforms, that i gender recognition reforms, that situation, it's important that the media coverage, which it frequently fails to do, recognises that the bill, when it passed through the scottish parliament, was endorsed by all parties in the scottish parliament, including some conservative msps as well. the problem with that has come with the uk's decision to block scottish legislation democratically settled within the scottish parliament. and very interestingly that parallel reaches across into the deposit return scheme as well. scotland is on the front foot, addressing these

challenges within the climate emergency that we face, and has designed a very cogent, very pragmatic, very deliverable deposit return scheme. where it presents a challenge for retailers and wholesalers, it's with the uk, or more precisely england, to align itself with scottish proposals. and why would england align itself with scotland? we are told we are in a union of equals, so why is it that with scotland having made exceptional progress among other nations on these issues with the deposit return scheme, it now hits the rocks because england demands it takes a different view. it is not mandated anywhere that the uk or english government has to deal with scottish policy, but it seems to be a habit that's forming. [3&th scottish policy, but it seems to be a habit that's forming. dave doogan from the snp, _ a habit that's forming. dave doogan from the snp, thank _ a habit that's forming. dave doogan from the snp, thank you _ a habit that's forming. dave doogan from the snp, thank you for- a habit that's forming. dave doogan from the snp, thank you forjoining| from the snp, thank you forjoining us. the headlines on bbc news...

the search begins for a new first minister of scotland — after the shock announcement that nicola sturgeon is standing down. british gas owner centrica reports record profits — earning £3.3bn in 2022. a new way of screening 999 calls will be introduced in england, in an effort to speed up ambulance response times. more now on the disappearance of nicola bulley. the shadow home secretary yvette cooper has described the actions of lancashire police a "very unusual", after the force disclosed that nicola bulley suffered "some significant issues with alcohol" brought on by struggles with the menopause. we can talk now to zoe billingham, former inspector of her majesty's majesty's constabulary. what was your reaction when you heard a lancashire police divulge these very personal details? goad

these very personal details? good morninu. these very personal details? good morning- being — these very personal details? good morning. being honest, _ these very personal details? good morning. being honest, it- these very personal details? (13mm morning. being honest, it stopped me in my tracks. not wanting to comment on this ongoing, terrible case, which is so unimaginably upsetting for nikola's family, the police need to be left to get on with the investigation but this was truly unprecedented, to release this sort of private, personal information, 20 days into an investigation. i think most people will be wondering how on earth is that going to help the police in their bid to bring nicola home. and if it was relevant at any point in the investigation, why wasn't it released in an appropriate way without going into all of that personal detail much earlier on? and it caused me to think, well, why are the police releasing this information in this way now? it smacked either of panic or perhaps even a deliberate decision on the part of the force to think about how

they can maintain their reputation, and that's quite disturbing on so many fronts, isn't it? the and that's quite disturbing on so many fronts, isn't it?— many fronts, isn't it? the police said they are — many fronts, isn't it? the police said they are struggling - many fronts, isn't it? the police said they are struggling to - many fronts, isn't it? the police| said they are struggling to dispel persistent myths about nicola, about this case, and that's what they were trying to dispel. how adequate an explanation is that for you? t’m trying to dispel. how adequate an explanation is that for you? i'm not sure that completely _ explanation is that for you? i'm not sure that completely adds - explanation is that for you? i'm not sure that completely adds up - explanation is that for you? i'm not i sure that completely adds up because if you look at the chronology of yesterday, the senior investigating officer, who i thought, for what it's worth, did a really good job at the press conference to explain where the police have got to, she very specifically refused to answer questions around the details relating to nicola that have now come into the public domain. it was only a few hours later that the police force, lancashire police, decided to put that information out there. i think they have done the job during the day, in the press conference, to try to dispel the myths and that's why it was so extraordinary that later in the davis information relating to really

private matters, and i mean people are rightly asking, how does the reproductive status of a woman who has gone missing relate to the bid to find her, and with same question, with that same information be put into the public domain if she were a man? it's difficult to raise these situations, but we have to think about public confidence here. what the police have done sets and incredibly unusual precedent. if my mum, granny or sister incredibly unusual precedent. if my mum, granny orsisterwent incredibly unusual precedent. if my mum, granny or sister went missing now, i would mum, granny or sister went missing now, iwould be mum, granny or sister went missing now, i would be thinking, well, what private information relating to them that may not be at all relevant might get into the public domain? i think we have now got to the point where probably the chief constable or the police and crime commissioner needs to step forward, not talk about the details of the investigation, but actually give the public some reassurance that the force is managing this whole issue in the right way. zoe force is managing this whole issue in the right way.— in the right way. zoe billingham, former inspector _ in the right way. zoe billingham,

former inspector of _ in the right way. zoe billingham, | former inspector of constabulary, thank you for talking to us. we can go to germany to show you live pictures of the american vice president kamala harris, who has just landed at munich airport, greeted by the man on the right of the picture, who is a bavarian state premier. kamala harris is heading to the venue of this year's munich security conference, which starts tomorrow. white house officials have said she will also meet the german chancellor, 0laf scholz. rishi sunak will also be attending on saturday. and france's president, emmanuel macron, will be in munich as well. the white house also saying that the us vice president will address relations with china during these meetings with foreign leaders after that balloon that was chinese owned was shot down in north american airspace a couple of weeks ago.

hundreds of angry residents gathered in a small town in the us state of ohio to demand assurances about their health after a train derailed, spilling toxic chemicals and spreading a gas cloud. the train, which crashed almost two weeks ago, had been carrying vinyl chloride, which can cause cancer. nomia iqbal was at the meeting in ohio. a meeting hasjust wrapped up here in the town hall where residents got together to try and get some answers. they are angry, upset and fearful. one woman said, do not portray us as some small, poor community. another woman said to me that she believes that if this had happened in a bigger city in america, they would be getting answers. they want to know why did a train carrying chemical toxins pass through their town without any warning. they tell me they are too scared to drink the water, even though officials here say it is safe. they say their pets have fallen ill, they feel ill, their houses are of no value, and so they want to get down to the bottom of it. what's made it worse

for many of them is that the train company, norfolk southern, which owns the train, didn't show up here, their representatives. they said it was out of fear of their safety, which has really angered residents. the firm has provided a fund of more than $1 million to help people, but everyone here is worried about the long—term effects when it comes to the environment and their health. hollywood star raquel welch, who will be remembered as an international sex symbol in the 1960s, has died aged 82, following a brief illness. the actor is often credited with breaking the mould for modern day action heroes. 0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito looks back at her life and career. raquel welch did not expect anyone to remember what she thought was just a silly dinosaur movie. but one million years bc, with its giant malevolent turtles, poor grasp of evolution

and prehistoric bikinis, turned raquel welch into a star of teenage bedrooms across the world. "in one fell swoop, everything about the real me was," she said, "swept away." # you make me feel so young... it was pretty clear how she was being marketed. coffee ? in bedazzled, she was given the role of lillian lust. it's strong and black and sweet. in public, she played the role. but she said she had little control over her career. now, listen here, boys. i used to be a square... she was bornjo raquel tejada, the daughter of a bolivian engineer, and her heart was really lay in song and dance. light—hearted, old school glamour. a lot of people want to be great artists. i don't know that i'm capable of being that, but i hope i entertain a few people. the producer behind many of her

projects was the man she married in 1967, film producer patrick curtis. it would be fair to say she was better known than many of her films. never again will i let you go into such terrible danger. but she did win a golden globe for the three musketeers. # i can rub and scrub this house and it's shining just like a dime... and on stage and television, she got a chance to show off her song and dance skills. # you got the shake and i got the shimmy... raquel welch had set out wanting to be ginger rogers, and ended up being defined by a doeskin bikini. david sillito looking back at the life and career of raquel welch. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. it's been a fairly cloudy, murky, wet start to the day for some of us. the clearer skies have been across the north of scotland. we've got this weather front

which is sinking steadily southwards clearing, but then later in the day we've got this next weather front coming our way. so a lot of cloud, brightening up, though, as the rain clears away across east wales, the midlands, east of the pennines and later east anglia and the southeast. and at the same time we've got more rain coming in across northern ireland and western scotland. but once again today it's going to be a mild day across the board with temperatures 7—14 degrees. now, this evening and overnight, a rapidly deepening area of low pressure crosses us, taking some heavy and persistent rain across northern ireland and scotland. sinking slowly south is a weaker feature, but the winds will really be strengthening and by the end of the night we'll have severe gales across the west and the north of scotland, and it's going to be a mild night. so that's how we start tomorrow, with this deep area of low pressure pushing away. you can see from the isobars it's still going to be windy in the north, less so in the south. this weather front sinking south, producing some patchy rain. so we're going to have gusts, 60—80 miles an hour, so gales,

severe gales across the north and the west of scotland. and down the east coast, down towards the east of the pennines and north—east england, gusts, 50—70 miles an hour. there's the potential for disruption of course from this, and also the potential for some damage. you're likely to find some delays and also potentially power cuts, so bridges may well have restrictions on them, ferry crossings cancelled, that kind of thing. as we go through the day, our weather front sinks south, taking its cloud across the rest of england and wales with some patchy light rain. clearer skies follow on behind. cooler air comes into the north so the showers will be wintry on the tops of the hills. but further south we are still looking at double figures, 11 to about 14 degrees. heading on into saturday, our rain pushes away, then there'll be a lot of cloud left in its wake. we'll still see some wintry showers at lower levels in the northern isles and the tops of the hills as far south as the lake district. and still relatively mild. it's not really until we get towards the middle of next week

that they start to slide away and before then we'll have periods of cloud, there will be some rain and strong winds across the northwest.

this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. the search begins for a new first minister of scotland, after the shock announcement that nicola sturgeon is standing down. thousands of syrian refugees, arrive at the turkish border as they try to cross back into their home country after last week's earthquakes. residents near the site of a toxic train derailment in ohio demand assurances about their health. british gas owner centrica reports record profits — earning £3.3 billion in 2022. the shadow home secretary, yvette cooper, says that the actions of lancashire police were "very unusual", after the force disclosed that nicola bulley suffered "some significant issues with alcohol".