this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm annita mcveigh and these are the latest headlines. the un secretary general is in ukraine forfurther talks on extending a deal to export grain via the black sea. kyiv denies any involvement in reports that a pro—ukrainian group was behind september's attack on the nord stream pipeline. the investigation of official authorities will describe every detail, it is like special forces, but this is not ours. the un's refugee agency criticises the uk's plan to stop migrant boats crossing the channel saying the move would break international law. but the government remains defiant.

closing of access to asylum in the uk for people arriving irregularly, we believe it's a clear breach of the refugee convention. they will enable us to take a very bold and forward leading steps in order to reduce the rights of people to claim and to thwart their removal. the bbc is to speak to one of its highest paid presenters, gary lineker, after he criticised the government's immigration plans on social media. he bbc investigation reveals how scammers and con people out of hundreds— scammers and con people out of hundreds of millions of dollars. hello and welcome to bbc news.

the un secretary general, antonio guterres is in ukraine to hold talks with president zelensky about the continued export of ukrainian grain. brokered by the united nations and turkey lastjuly, and secured with russia, the deal enabled the shipping of ukrainian grain from odesa via the black sea, through the bosphorus strait and istanbul. but, now the deal is up for renewal and russia has signalled that before it agrees to anything it wants more done to lift curbs on its own agricultural exports. our diplomatic correspondent james landale is in kyiv and explained more about russia's position. this grain deal that allows some grain to pass through the black sea from ukraine through to the world markets is actually two agreements, one is an agreement between ukraine and turkey and the united nations and then there is a separate agreement between russia, the united nations and turkey. and part of that deal with russia was to say, yes, russia would allow, open up some of those ports on ukraine's southern

coast, but, at the same time, there was a separate sort of three—year plan for the united nations to encourage greater access for russian fertiliser and grains onto the world markets and it is that area that russia is complaining about, saying not enough has been done. only the ukrainian side of the deal has been upheld. and so that is why they have suggested that potentially there might be what they call obstacles to signing off on the renewal of this grain deal at the end of next week, so that is what today's negotiations are about, to discuss what russia wants, what could be done to make sure that this deal continues because a huge amount is at stake. rhiannon phillips is an expert on the grain talks and is from the intelligence analysis company sibylline. i asked her whether she thought another deal was likely. i think it is definitely important to look back and look at the trajectory of the conflict and whether it is

having any impact on the talks that we are seeing at the moment. we are not seeing any sign of the conflict abating in the coming months ahead of the spring, so, what we are seeing at the moment is a similar narrative to what we saw back in november when all parties tried to get this renewal again. we are seeing a similar narrative, noting there are things to be done, there are obstacles. one element that is really important to look at that is potentially different this time is we are seeing russia step up the hostile narrative in the weeks ahead of the potential renewal on the 18th of march. something we have not seen before. we have seen their demands on the concessions around fertiliser exports but we are seeing notable allegations coming from russia saying ukraine is using the black sea ports to import nuclear material from california. this is very different, this is quite a noticeable narrative, they are claiming that odesa port,

chornomorsk port as well, they are using these ports to bypass these customs. effectively, what they are saying, bottom line, the narrative is that ukraine is utilising the black sea grain deal initiative to further their efforts for nuclear bio—terrorism. this is really important. this is really something we might see russia use to scupper the deal. russia's position in the black sea is not as strong as people think. the question we have to ask ourselves is will they be able to strong—arm these parties? will they strong—arm turkey, the un, and will the un call moscow's bluff again like they did last time? how much grain is currently leaving the ports? there has been significant delays, this has been increasing over the past three months.

we are seeing that anything between 20 to 22 million tonnes of grain have been exported, since back injuly when the first iteration was ratified. these have been disputed, it is quite difficult to know specific statistics, but it is significant that there have been delays in the ramp up to the possible renewal and we have seen a diversification of markets, international markets, trying to diversify since the conflict started to try and cushion the blow of the delays. ultimately, it is not enough and they will need to be a lot more grain exported from these ports to make up for this, in fact. ukraine has denied any involvement in an attack last september on the nordstream pipelines, which were built to carry russian gas to europe. this map shows where they run, along the sea bed, from russia,

across the baltic, to germany. the damage was discovered near the danish island of bornholm. it's also relatively close to the russian territory of kaliningrad. the damage was first noticed when huge amounts of gas bubbled to the surface. when cameras were sent down to film what had happened, this is what they recorded — several experts said it appeared the pipes had been damaged by an exterior explosion. it's not yet been established who was responsible, but a report in the new york times has now quoted anonymous us security officials as suggesting a pro—ukrainian group was to blame. ukrainian defence minister oleksii reznikov commented on nord stream revelations, here's what he said. isa is a little bit strange story become because the story is nothing with us, and i think the investigation of official authorities will describe

every detail because it's like a compliment for our special forces, but this is not our activity. the kremlin says there needs to be an urgent, transparent investigation — including russian experts. our diplomatic correspondent james landale is in kyiv — and he gave us this analysis. the bomb attack on the nord stream pipelines last september remains unclear who did it. there are continued investigations by germany, sweden and denmark. there has been a lot of speculation since then about who or who was responsible for it. there are fresh reports both in the us media and the new york times, also in germany, suggesting today that it was some form of pro—ukrainian organisation that was behind it. there is some granular detail, there is a talk of a team of five men and women, the claim that the relevant yacht has been identified, that the truck that delivered kits to that yacht before it set sail from the north coast of germany.

there is some granular detail. but there is a huge caveat attached to this. us officials are saying, look, we do not know the strength of this evidence yet. there is still huge uncertainty about who was responsible. the german defence minister said this morning that it might be a false flag operation to try and blame ukraine and for ukraine's part, a senior aide to president zelensky has said this morning that this is another amusing conspiracy theory, and in no way was ukraine involved. the united nations refugee agency says it is very concerned about the uk government's planned changes to the law, which could see people arriving by small boats over the english channel first detained, then deported, without being able to claim asylum. the unhcr's representative to the uk says the measure would break international law. but british prime minister rishi sunak says he is up for the fight

if the legislation is challenged in court and insists action is needed to stop illegal crossings. our uk political correspondent ian watson has more. as the boats keep coming, so the political problems keep growing. rishi sunak is attempting to turn the tide and a new law aimed at deterring people coming to the uk by illegal routes. but if this doesn't stop the boats, by the time of the next election, will he have failed? if we get this right, it will make a difference. now we're in the early stages of it, but we've given it a long, hard thought and i said at the beginning of the year that, you know, i only promise what i believe i can deliver and i will absolutely deliver on what i promise. so if passed by parliament, what would the government's new law do? it'd stop almost everyone arriving in small boats from claiming asylum here. arrivals would be detained and then removed to rwanda or another safe country. and they would be banned

from re—entering the uk. the government hopes this would deter people from making the hazardous channel crossing. khalid came across the channel in a leaky dinghy in 2021 and he doesn't think a new law would stop others from doing the same. now, even seeing the numbers, numbers are even higher. they are still going to try to seek and run after that hope. and how quickly could the new system be put in place? in a letter to mps, the home secretary, suella braverman, said "there was a more than 50% chance that the government's plans aren't compatible with international law." that would make legal challenges more likely. and the united nations high commission for refugees has said it is profoundly concerned by the government's new legislation. this is effectively closing off access to asylum in the uk for people arriving irregularly. we believe it's a clear breach

of the refugee convention. and labour claims the government's plans are unworkable. the problem is that it is a con, it is a rerun of proposals they have tried and failed before and what they are trying to do is cancel asylum decision—making without having any return agreements in place. there's clear blue water between government and opposition on how to tackle the migrant crisis, and it's an issue that's unlikely to subside before the next election. iain watson, bbc news. the uk home secretary suella braverman has been on media outlets, defending the policy — insisting the measures are lawful. here she is speaking to bbc breakfast a short time ago these measures do not withdraw us from the european convention on human rights, they will enable us to take very bold and forward leaning steps in order to reduce the rights of people to claim and to

thwart their removal. they will ensure that people who come here illegally who jump the queue and break our laws in doing so will not have a right to settlement in the united kingdom and it will enable, in fact, impose a duty on the secretary of state to remove people who fall under our scheme. these are necessary and compassionate measures that we need to take to stop the small boats. well, that was suella braverman saying the new law is "necessary and compassionate", but how will the government tackle the legalities of this bill and get it through parliament? here's our chief political correspondent, nick eardley, on what happens next. the first step will be to get it through parliament, the government hopes to do that by the autumn, the process will start on monday when we get the first vote in parliament. i suspect they will get it through the house of commons fairly comfortably, they might have more trouble in the

house of lords. if it becomes legislation later this year, it is bound to see some legal challenges as we were hearing, there is a debate over the legality of this legislation in terms of the international obligations that the uk has to follow. and it does feel a bit at the moment like the government is gearing up for a political battle with the labour party ahead of the next general election where it will say, look, we have got a plan, we have gone further than ever before, even if it is stuck in the courts, we are trying desperately to do this. labour will retort it is a gimmick and it will not work, it might make the problem worse because it does not address the core issues of the speed with which asylum applications are processed, it does not do enough to break down the criminal gangs who are taking people over the channel. it feels to me like this is going to remain a big political battle for

now. and even if it ends up in the courts, it could be one we see into the next general election. our correspondent simonjones is in dover. then, where many of the small boats arrived. we have the legality and politics of this, in terms of the practicalities, does anyone in dover think these plans are going to act as a deterrent to people trying to make that journey? as a deterrent to people trying to make thatjourney? it’s as a deterrent to people trying to make that journey?— make that journey? it's really interesting — make that journey? it's really interesting speaking - make that journey? it's really interesting speaking to - make that journey? it's really| interesting speaking to people make that journey? it's really - interesting speaking to people here interesting speaking to people here in dover because here on the southern coast of england, we are really at the sharp end of the issue of channel crossings. 16,000 people making the journey last year. i think it is fair to say this is the community divided. we sell that to an extent at the weekend when there was a protest organised, that was attended by people who said that migrants are not welcome here. there was a counter demonstration organised by people saying refugees

are welcome. i think what does unite people here in dover is the belief that these crossings need to be stopped. not least because out there, it is the world's busiest shipping lane, it is incredibly dangerous. ask people what they think about this new legislation, they will say they have heard it all before because this is just the latest announcement from the british government to try and stop the crossings, we had legislation last year, the nationality and borders act that came into force, but the numbers making the crossing had continued to rise, we have had deals with france in the past, a lot of british money given to the french authorities, increased number of patrols on the beaches of northern france, about the number of people making the crossing has continued to grow. i think people want to see results. interestingly, the home secretary was questioned this morning about what will success be if this legislation gets through? will we see no more small boats two

suella braverman will see by the time of the next election under two years' time, you canjudge us by our results. but she was asked, will this mean no boats? apologies, as you can see, that line to simon has frozen. that was simonjones in dover. the bbc says it will have what it describes as a �*frank conversation�* with one of its leading presenters — gary lineker — over comments he made about the uk government's new policy on migrants and asylum. mr lineker — who presents football coverage and is also know for his playing career, when he captained england, made the comments in a tweet — which he since appears to have deleted. in his tweet, he said �*there is no huge influx. we take far fewer refugees than other major european countries. this is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by germany in the 30s.�* the uk�*s

home secretary suella braverman has described those comments as disappointing and unhelpful. i think it is not helpful to compare our measures which are lawful, proportionate and compassionate to the 1930s germany. i also think we are on the side of the british people here. it is plain for anyone to see that the british people have had enough of the situation of thousands of people coming here illegally at huge cost to the taxpayer and undermining our laws and in fact the british generosity. that needs to stop. we need to take necessary steps to ensure that if you are coming here illegally you will be detained and removed. that is what bill will do. suella braverman there. and the immigration minister robertjenrick said that there were descendants of holocaust survivors in his own family — and that �*those sort of words should not be thrown around lightly.�*

in recent years, people around the world have lost hundreds of millions of dollars to online romance scams. one of the most lucrative of these, being run by criminal gangs across south east asia, is called the "pig butchering romance scam". as the name suggests, the scammers refer to their victims as pigs, whom they fatten up to be butchered — or conned, out of as much money as possible. a bbc world service investigation has spoken to former scammers. a warning that this report from zhaoy—een fung contains scenes some viewers may find disturbing. a whispered plea for help. translation: i am a chinese man trapped in a scam compound in - cambodia. deedee, not his real name, left china for the promise of a well—paid job. instead, he was trafficked to cambodia, locked up in a compound and forced by criminal gangs to carry out an online romance scam known as �*pig butchering�*. i am recording this video secretly from

inside the bathroom. in the scam, victims are known as �*pigs�*. scammers use fake online profiles to groom them before tricking them to invest in fake financial exchanges. deedee worked 12—hour days targeting people in america and europe under the constant threat of violence. someone in my team made a mistake today. he was beaten up in front of everyone, then dragged out of the office. videos shared with the bbc by activist networks show the type of violence deedee witnessed is common in scam compounds. this is a former scam boss. he is wearing a mask to avoid reprisals from criminal gangs. he says he made hundreds of thousands of dollars running a scam operation, even writing a guide for other scammers to follow. but that he now regrets his actions.

translation: the pig butchering scam is all about using emotions. _ that is how you win their trust. the profiles we make up our always very handsome, rich, responsible and caring. it was a profile just like this that cindy fell for. the scammers stole the identity of an innocent social media influencer from south korea to target her with. he came at a time when i was the most vulnerable in my entire life. cindy is a successful business women based in boston in the us. at the time, she was going through a divorce and had just found out she had terminal cancer. he would message me every day. if i was sad in my interactions with my husband, he was always there. when my husband and i had decided that we were going to divorce, that's when it switched

to much more of a romantic relationship. after seducing cindy, he tricked her into investing more than $2 million on a fake cryptocurrency platform. despite the large amount that i lost, i actually believe that i have been luckier than most. i have given the scammers enough of my time, i've given them enough of my money, and i absolutely refuse to give them who i actually am. after four months in captivity, deedee managed to escape and make it back home to china. we approached the owner of the compound where deedee was being held for comment, but he did not respond. hundreds of gangs continue to carry out the pig butchering scam from compounds across south—east asia, targeting people all over the world.

michael roberts runs rexxfield, a cybersecurity firm specialising in disrupting cyber—crime and has been working on pig butchering scams. i asked him how unusual this type of scam was. it is an interesting paradox because you do not know who to root for, if the slaves who are running the scams successfully scam don�*t successfully scam the victims in the west financially, they are punished. but if they fail, we have, we root for the financial victims in the west because they didn�*t lose money. we need to look beyond the victims at both ends at the sociopaths at the top of the scams. tell us more about how you are trying to disrupt these scammers, the people at the top who are exploiting both the scammers they have under their control as well as the victims around the world. our model is based on disrupting at the beginning, at the source of the scam. we are trying to bring

about a change in the way social networking platforms, e—mail providers, website hosts do business. they have a firewall to the outside world. we are commercial, but our nonprofit ngo is trying to get them to disrupt at the beginning. the problem is the scam happens here, the grooming happens here, the scam happens here, the report to law enforcement happens here, the police respond here. the problem is, by the time it gets here, the scammers have already burnt down the infrastructure to use for the communications of the scam and set up a new infrastructure and they start again. traditionally, law enforcement does not work. we need to move the action to the beginning, not the end. how do you make that happen, change that model of response so that law enforcement get sent faster and earlier in the timeline you describe? i am working with several agencies to persuade

them to go from the criminal investigation bureau model to implementing a criminal disruption bureau model where we do not solve crimes, we look for them at the beginning and cut them off. we cancel the single whatsapp number that is being used, like cindy, who they are contacted through. we find common ip addresses, there are even whatsapp business accounts used by the scammers which have thousands of numbers attached. we can burn it all down in one fell swoop. and if other platforms work with our ngo, we can disrupt the source. instead, they say it is not ourjob, we will wait until law enforcement ask us do it. there will always be victims, but what more can individuals do to protect themselves to be cautious if they think something seems too good to be true or if they have the slightest suspicion that something is not quite what it ought to be?

disruption through education. make sure you tell your grandmothers, grandparents, how these things go down. yesterday, i received three whatsapp calls just like cindy described, i am working with them now, and i am counter grooming them because i want to find out where they are, capture the ip address and burn down the network. on our website, people can register, as a citizen disrupter, there will be newsletters showing people how they can disrupt the scams en masse. let�*s turn to the former soviet republic of georgia now — where there have been violent protests against new laws which critics say will limit freedoms. the demonstrations were centred in the capital, tbilisi — they saw police using water cannon and tear gas. it comes after the parliament backed a law which would force non—governmental organisations and independent media, which receive certain levels

of funding from overseas, to declare themselves as foreign agents. emer mccarthy reports. chaos on the streets of tbilisi. riot police advanced on protesters in the georgian capital after parliament gave its first approval to a bill that would require any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as foreign agents. critics say it represents an authoritarian shift in the former soviet state. georgia�*s president threw her support behind the protesters and said she will veto the law if it crosses her desk. translation: i am addressing you who are standing _ on rustaveli avenue this evening as i myself have stood many times. i am standing here in new york and behind me is the statue of liberty. this is the symbol for which georgia

has always fought and for which we have come to this day. i am with you because today, you represent free georgia. the us also expressed its concern. it would stigmatise and silence independent voices and citizens of georgia who wish to do nothing more than work together to build a brighter future, a future that is integrated with europe, a future that is democratic and free where georgia is an independent and sovereign country. protesters say the law is reminiscent of the 2012 law in russia that has been used to crackdown on dissent. some also fear the draft law could hurt the country�*s hopes of european union membership. one of the eu�*s top diplomats, josep borrell called the draft law a very bad development that is incompatible with eu values and standards.

he also warned it may have serious repercussions on the relationship between the bloc and georgia. in greece, a fresh round of mass strikes and nationwide protests is set to take place today, following the country�*s worst rail tragedy last week which killed 57 people. 14 people still remain in hospital after a freight train collided with a passenger train near the city of larissa. i�*m joined now by niko efstathiou a journalist and author based in athens, nico is also the managing editor at weekly magazine lifo. thank you very much forjoining us. greece has a new transport minister who took over after the previous transport minister resigned following the train crash. he held a news conference this morning. what did he have to say? it is

news conference this morning. what did he have to say?— did he have to say? it is a week after the tragic _ did he have to say? it is a week after the tragic incident - did he have to say? it is a week after the tragic incident and - did he have to say? it is a week| after the tragic incident and one week after the new transport minister took over. the main focus of the speech was to outline steps for the next day of the greek railway network for safety after the chronic problems and infrastructure that led to the deadly incident. there was a change in the government there, initially they focused on the human error of the incident, narrowing it down to the station master, but intraday�*s press conference, the transport minister spoke about the unjustifiable loss and apologised on behalf of the government for the responsibility saying it has been recognised. some of the steps about how the railway network is supposedly going to be restarted regarding safety, we include the fast tracking of the technical upgrade of our system, the idea that two trains were running on the same track four minutes before they collided with only one person supervising has enraged the country. the minister is saying that the

systems that should have been installed years ago will be put in place. other measures will include more staff, better training systems as as well as an increase in the state control of the railway system and budget of 155 million from the european recovery fund. will it be enough to convince the greek population that steps are being taken? the public sentiment is that it is too little and too late, and as we speak, a general strike is just happening in greece as well as a mass protest from the main athens square to the centre of athens to express the anger about the responsibility behind this deadly incident. just to pick up on that point, the apology, the change narrative from the government, as you describe, as the government, as you describe, as the protests continue today, do you think the changing narrative is going to be enough to persuade the protesters that this is a time of

change? that things are happening, or do you think, is your sense they will need to the pressure up? i doubt it will be enough to satisfy the public bust up i have to tell you, we are seeing a mass protest movement, a mass mobilisation every day since last week�*s incident. protest tapping in major cities across way. you are seeing people you don�*t usually see taking to the street, mothers protesting along with kids, there is no party or ideology particularly colouring this, it is not an opposition vote is necessarily but a mass process. against the reality that in 20 per century on a single train line to trains travelling on the same line. the government, the governing party has a success as a crisis manager, banking on the success of covid, as

well as a government that tended to modernise the greek state and fix a moderate in efficacies, this completely demolishes this narrative as we head towards elections. i�*m not sure what it was indications will be, there are chronic problems in the greek railway system that have not been fixed for years by successive governments, not later any party can come forth and say we are the ones that had warned you this will happen right now. hick is definitely affecting greece in its pre—election season. initially it was like before the accident that elections would take place in april, on the ninth, with the announcement is supposedly taking place sometime this week, now all signs point to the fact it will probably be postponed. two of four americans kidnapped in mexico on monday have been found dead... the two survivors have returned to the us. the group was fired on by gunmen while driving through mata—moros in the north east, after crossing into mexico from texas.

a mexican woman also died in the violence. a suspect is in custody. here�*s our mexico correspondent will grant. caught up at the epicentre of mexico�*s violent drug war. this unconfirmed video reportedly shows the moment that the four us citizens in mexico for a cosmetic health procedure for one of them were kidnapped. only one appeared to be conscious, ramping up the fears for their relatives in north carolina. those fears were later confirmed in the most public of ways by the governor of tamaulipas state, speaking live to the mexican president in his morning press briefing. translation: about an hour ago, we were notified that there - were indications of a sighting of the four american citizens. and 35 minutes ago, it was fully confirmed by the prosecutor�*s office. two of the four are dead. one is injured and the other is alive. the ambulances and the rest of the security personnel are on their way to give the necessary assistance for the transfer and any medical

support that may be required. this was supposed to be a short trip to mexico by a close group of friends, but it descended into another tragic and violent episode on the border. health tourism to mexico is common and popular among people living in southern us states. but matamoros is one of the most dangerous cities in this country, tamaulipas one of its most dangerous states. the four americans had travelled together for one of them, 33—year—old latvia t mcgee, to undergo a minor procedure. she was accompanied by shahid woodard, jindal brown and eric williams. but the group never made the appointment. the incident further strains the already difficult us—mexico relationship. the cartels are responsible for the deaths of americans, and we are fighting as hard as possible. the dea and the fbi are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks that they depend on.

under president lopez obrador, the mexican drug war has continued to worsen. critics say his security policy, often described by his, quote, hugs, not bullets, simply isn�*t working with the cartels in control of swathes of the country. now, as these four us visitors return home in the worst possible circumstances, they become the latest victims of mexico�*s endless war with organised crime. will grant, bbc news, mexico city. uk rail strikes due to take place next week have been called off after the rmt union received a new pay offer. the development will raise hopes of a breakthrough in the long—running dispute between rail workers and their employers. howard johnson reports. after months of transport chaos, finally some good news. the rmt union has called off strike action of members who work for network rail. the company that looks after the upkeep of britain�*s railway network.

maintenance workers and signallers had been due to walk out on thursday and saturday of next week. the rmt union said all strike actions concerning network rail had been suspended following the receipt of a new pay offer. so far, details of what the offer is have yet to emerge. london euston is one of the busiest train stations in the country and it has been the site of many delays and cancellations over the last few months. so this news will be received positively by commuters. but this is just one of many disputes between rail companies and transport unions. members of the rmt from 1a train operators are due to strike later this month. with the start of the easter holidays for many. and london underground drivers are to strike on the 15th of march. since last year, britain has been gripped by a wave of industrial action by hundreds and thousands of workers, including post office

staff, nurses and teachers as wages fail to keep pace with soaring inflation and the deepening cost of living crisis. a department for transport spokesperson welcomed the rmt�*s latest move but added... the rmt�*s leaders must put the best and final offer to their members in the train operating companies who are still due to strike in the coming weeks and who are not being given the opportunity to vote on an offer. the rmt union says further updates on the national rail disputes will be given in the coming days and a vote on the new pay offer will be put to its members. howard johnson, bbc news. exclusive data obtained by the bbc shows police forces in england and wales are recording more cases of dogs being dangerously out of control — with more than 21,000 offences last year. the number of dogs being seized is also going up, meaning police have had to spend millions on kennels and vet bills — as danny savage reports. whoa, whoa, whoa. the aftermath of a dog

attack in london. police try and contain the animal with a fire extinguisher. but look at the strength in its pull. a 13—year—old child is being treated on the ground nearby. sirens. this is a growing problem in the uk. it was a cross between a rottweiler and a shar pei. it was behind the letterbox waiting for me. it heard me coming down the path and it was ready as soon as i lifted that lid of the letterbox, the snout was there. didn�*t see the snout, i wasn�*t expecting it, but it was there and it was a clean bite. sarah king started 2022 with ten fingers. she finished it with nine. still hurts, very numb, very sensitive. there�*s things i can�*t do. holding your phone, your mobile, you actually use your full handspan. little things, definitely,

it has affected me. it feels like that training dogs is of growing importance. clever boy, yes! this dog is not a dangerous animal, but more than 20,000 dog attacks on people or assistance dogs were reported last year and the number of dangerous dogs seized has soared over the last few years. at the moment, if you�*ve got money, you can have a dog. simple as. there�*s no kind of safeguards, there�*s no checks done. and basically, i think that�*s part of the problem. looking back in retrospect, could have been my throat. janet was attacked by two of her neighbour�*s dogs. pictures of her injuries at the time are too graphic to show. nearly a year on, she has to do physio and is expecting more operations on her arm. they were with their owner, so it was a big surprise and a big shock to be attacked. and i didn't realise how much damage a dog can do in seconds. just especially you

don't see it coming. dangerous dogs are a growing problem and all too often animals are left to bite again with little meaningful action taken against owners. danny savage, bbc news. in switzerland now — four bankers are due to go on trial, in a case which could shed light on president putin�*s undisclosed wealth. they are all senior executives at the zurich branch of gazprombank — the financial arm of the russian gas giant, gazprom. here is our correspondent imogen foulkes in bern. what the prosecution alleges is that these four former senior executives at gazprom bank did not operate what swiss money laundering law calls "due diligence" when they opened accounts between 2014 and 2016 of a man called sergei roldugin. now, it was well known at the time that this man, mr roldugin, a humble cellist,

but actually also a very good friend of russian president vladimir putin, and what is alleged is that the bank executives did not ask mr roldugin where he got all these millions and millions that he was depositing in the accounts they opened for him. under money laundering law, they should have asked those questions. the allegation is they didn�*t. therefore, they are charged with failure of due diligence. but what�*s most interesting is what this case might reveal about the secret wealth, alleged wealth of the russian president, vladimir putin. hundreds of people attended a vigil in cardiff last night for three young people killed in a car crash, which has left two others critically injured. it comes as the police force is being criticised over why it didn�*t find them sooner. our wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. a moment to honour three young lives.

friends who went on a night out together and never made it home. darcy ross was 21, the same age as her close friend eve smith. they died alongside rafeljeanne, aged 24. it was one of his friends who arranged tonight�*s vigil. yeah, we were very close. got a lot of memories together. been through a lot of stuff together. friends for years. pretty much, we were like brothers. i just wish obviously we knew a lot sooner and was able to see through the trees so he was found a lot earlier. could have potentially saved him, maybe. the police say the car crashed early on saturday morning. it was found almost two days later after a member of the public spotted tyre tracks. the officers�* response is now the subject of an independent review.

for now, feelings here are a mixture of grief, shock and some anger. there�*s also fear that more lives are still in the balance, as the car�*s two other passengers remain critically ill in hospital. the hundreds who came here tonight wanted to celebrate three lives lost and share in each other�*s sorrow. emotions are still raw here, with many questioning whether the police could have found their friends sooner. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. a weight loss jab has been approved for use by the nhs in england. semaglutide, which gained popularity in the us, makes people feel fuller, so they eat less, as annabel rackham reports. weight loss can be a lifelong battle for some people. but now a new drug designed to help obese people has been approved for use in england. the national institute for health

and care excellence says semaglutide, orwegovy, is safe, effective and affordable for the nhs. kailey wood lives in america and she�*s been using a similar drug to semaglutide for seven months, and has lost a third of her body weight. she says it helped when nothing else did. previously, when i would have a meal, i would fill my plate and i would have the whole plate. and it�*s not even that i was gorging myself. it�*s just i would eat everything on my plate and my body wouldn�*t tell me, you�*re full. when you take this medication, it takes the work out of telling yourself, "should i eat this? shouldn�*t i eat this?" you just, you stop eating when you�*re full, you turn down foods that maybe you wouldn�*t have turned down before. patients approved to use the drug will inject themselves once a week and will be allowed to stay on it for up to two years. it works by mimicking a hormone which is released after you eat and suppresses appetite by making you feel full. it has been recommended to those who have a bmi near the top of the obese range

and a weight—related health condition such as high blood pressure or heart disease. but it�*s not without risks. we also need to be mindful that this treatment does have a potential side effect. in this circumstance, mostly gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. not all patients will experience that, but it�*s really important that the care is there for patients to be able to ensure that the benefit is being achieved, and that they�*re also not suffering with side effects from the treatment. obesity is thought to cost the nhs more than £6 billion a year and there are hopes that this new drug could help reduce those figures. annabel rackham, bbc news. a major survey of plant life shows there�*s been a dramatic decline in native species across the uk and ireland, due to modern agriculture and climate change.

botanists have discovered that, for the first time, invasive flora outnumber long—established plants. i�*m nowjoined by dr kevin walker, the head of science at the botanical society of britain and ireland. good to have you with us. pretty alarming stats, aren�*t they? half of all native plants declined since the 19505. all native plants declined since the 1950s. tell us more about the part of the agriculture and climate change have had to play in that. good morning. the survey was carried out by the botanical society of britain and ireland, we had about eight and a half thousand botanists over a period of 20 years recording the distribution of plants and ferns grown in the wild across britain and ireland and the survey resulted in around 30 million records, an amazing survey of about three and a half thousand species, but as you say, the findings are fairly

catastrophic, in terms of our native flora. over half of the native species have declined since the 19505, species have declined since the 1950s, by and large, that is due to modern agriculture, obviously since the 1950s we�*ve had a huge push to increase productivity in agriculture and that is where it is the decline of many different habitats that support wild flowers, particularly grasslands and he things that have been converted to production or have been converted to production or have been improved for livestock production, so the results are pretty astounding. we are also starting to see the impacts of climate change, we are seeing some species are spreading as the climate warms, so some species from southern britain and southern europe are sort of spreading northwards, species such as the br could, but much more worrying is the decline of species on mountains in scotland, for instance, that rely on heavy snowfalls and snow patches. and

obviously with a warming climate, though species are starting to decline because the amount of snow thatis decline because the amount of snow that is falling is actually declining, and basically... iwas auoin to declining, and basically... iwas going to ask— declining, and basically... iwas going to ask you. _ declining, and basically... iwas going to ask you, is _ declining, and basically... iwas going to ask you, is it _ declining, and basically... iwas going to ask you, is it natural. declining, and basically... i was i going to ask you, is it natural that plant populations evolve over time? it may be caused by extraneous factors but is it normal that those populations evolve over time? and what sort of impact would that have on the ecosystem more broadly? plants respond to the environment that they live in, and obviously the climate in britain and ireland has changed dramatically since the end of the last ice age, but what we are seeing now is very rapid changes in the climate, and a lot of these species are quite long—lived, and they are adapted to sort of fairly slow changes, but the changes we�*ve seenin slow changes, but the changes we�*ve seen in the last few decades, certainly particularly in those sort

of high areas are starting to make the climate sort of unfavourable for them. they have essentially got nowhere to go because they are at the limits of the distribution, they grow high up on the tops of mountains, there is literally no environment space for them to sort of move in to as the climate warms. what is the way ahead, the path ahead? it is it to try to reintroduce more of those native plants? or is it to try to look at new species that will suit the changing climate or a mixture of all of the above? i changing climate or a mixture of all of the above?— of the above? i think the first thin is of the above? i think the first thing is to — of the above? i think the first thing is to protect _ of the above? i think the first thing is to protect what - of the above? i think the first thing is to protect what we i of the above? i think the first . thing is to protect what we have. of the above? i think the first - thing is to protect what we have. we still have a very wild life, while a rich landscape. we still have lots of places where the species survive. many of those are protected, they are nature reserves, but there is also quite a lot of habitats till outside in the wider countryside, so the first thing you need to do is to increase the protection that those habitats and species are afforded. but then we need to start to try and

restore some of these habitats in the wider countryside, particularly on four—month, so this is where we see the biggest declines. for many of the species, particularly in the lowlands. but there is no great opportunities to try and restore things like grasslands and heathlands on agricultural land through government schemes such as agri— environment schemes like the new environmental management scheme which offers real opportunities to restore some of these habitats for wild flowers, restore some of these habitats for wildflowers, which obviously all other wildlife depends on as well, so it is a win—win for all of our wildlife. a question from the showbusiness world now — just how inclusive are the oscars? research suggests that over the event�*s 95 year history, only 16% of the winners were women. and when it comes to women of colour, that falls to just 2%. things have been changing,

but as our los angeles correspondent sophie long reports, not as fast as many would hope. # no woman, no cry #. black panther: wakanda forever, showcases black culture. not only was it a box office hit, it also has five oscar nominations. for angela bassett, it was a long time coming. did you just think, "oh, that�*s wonderful?" or did you think a bit more like, "about damn time?" i would say a little bit of both. no, no, no, absolutely wonderful. wonderful, and at this point in my career, to be any sort of inspiration for those who are coming behind, because i certainly had those that i looked toward when i was starting out and it meant the world to me. but the omission of actors like viola davis for her role in the woman king led to criticism

of the academy for failing to acknowledge black talent. we are doing everything we can to diversify our membership, to create mentoring programmes, to really inspire more women to enter the business. and also, we have now a new programme for mid—career women and just underrepresented groups. so we are not the industry, we cannot dictate hiring, but we're doing everything we can to try to level the playing field. ijust never thought i would come back here. only six of 20 nominees in the main acting categories are people of color. among them is brian tyree henry for his role in causeway. i was inducted into the academy in 2020, i was the class of 2020, so i was able to vote, which was truly incredible. there were so... it was very diverse, the class that i was inducted with, but there's still work to be done. you know, there's still a lot of progress to be made. there has been progress.

new research shows the hashtag #oscarssowhite and the movement it created eight years ago had a clear impact. 8% of nominees before #oscarssowhite, the eight years before, the eight years after, 17% for people of color. that�*s notable, right? i mean, that�*s not a bad shift. it�*s nowhere near what it needs to be, which is a0%, which reflects the us population. i can see where this story is going. but a hashtag can�*t change everything everywhere all at once. a combination of films that celebrate underrepresented communities and new diversity standards to be brought in next year might help. sophie long, bbc news, los angeles. it�*s been the coldest night of the year so far here in the uk with temperatures reaching —14c in the scottish highlands. bitter conditions are expected to last until the weekend, with the met office warning that traffic disruption and power cuts are likely across the uk.

thousands of greeks protest in central athens after various labour unions call strikes, as anger boils over deadly train crash. 57 people were killed as a passenger train and freight train collided head—on. earliertoday, greece�*s new transport minister... the previous one resigned after that crash, the new transfer manager held a press conference and apologise for what had happened —— transport minister. he outlined what measures were being taken to ensure something like this could never happen again. talking to a greekjournalistjust a little earlier, he said he doubted that the public would be convinced by this. he thought these protests might continue, in order to keep pressure on the government and the rail industry in greece to bring about changes. these are the pictures from

athens, as protesters gatherfor what promises to be a large—scale protest after that fatal train crash. you are watching bbc news. hello again. there has been a mixture of rain, sleet and snow across parts of southern england and south wales this morning. and we have just had the coldest night of this year so far, with temperatures in the highlands falling to —15 celsius. arctic air has got a grip on our weather, for most of us, but you can see the milder yellows in the far south—west, here temperatures are not falling away as much. the weather front today is bringing rain, sleet and snow and will continue to do so. it will ease for a time but the rain pushes east and the snow moves across wales, into the midlands, some of it getting into northern england and later east anglia. north of that, sunnier skies and a peppering of winter showers in the north and east

close to the coasts. as we head into the evening and overnight, the rain continues eastwards, we hang on to some snow across wales, in through the midlands and north home counties and east anglia as well as northern england. if you are travelling, bear this in mind. it is going to be a cold night with widespread frost but not as cold as last night. this next area of low pressure coming in from the atlantic with weather fronts. tomorrow, we�*ve got the rain across southern areas, snow pushing north, for a time, there�*s a bit of a respite, and then, as the next system comes in, it will introduce rain, and at the leading edge, some snow. very mild in the south—west and still cold for the rest of us. the met office has issued a yellow warning for thursday and friday for this area, where, on average, we could see 15 to 20 centimetres of snow and at lower levels less than that, on the trans pennine routes it could be double that.

treacherous conditions as the low pressure drifts across us taking the snow with it. on thursday night, rain pushing across the south of england, snow pushing northwards across wales, the midlands, northern england, northern ireland and southern scotland. it will be windy, notjust on thursday night, but into friday. the snow will be blowing, treacherous travelling conditions, but it will ease off as we go through the course of the day and many of us will end up with a largely dry day. wintry showers across the north, temperatures 2 in the north and 10 degrees in the south.

this is bbc news. welcome if you�*re watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories: kyiv denies any involvement in reports that a pro—ukrainian group was behind september�*s attack on the nord stream pipeline. the investigation of official authorities will describe every details because it is like a complement to our special forces but this is not our activity. the un secretary general is in ukraine forfurther talks on extending a deal to export grain via the black sea. the un�*s refugee agency criticises the uk�*s plan to stop migrant boats crossing the channel saying the move would break international law.

closing of access to asylum in the uk for people arriving irregularly, we believe it�*s a clear breach of the refugee convention. they will enable us to take a very bold and forward leading steps in order to reduce the rights of people to claim and to thwart their removal. a bbc spokesperson has said one of its highest paid presenters, gary lineker, is being �*spoken too�* after he criticised the government�*s immigration plans on social media. a crime with two victims — how gangs in south east asia are forcing migrants to carry out online scams worth hundreds of millions of dollars. travel disruption for the uk as snowfall causes flight cancellations with warnings that sub—zero temperatures will last until at least friday.

ukraine has denied any involvement in an attack last september on the nordstream pipelines, which were built to carry russian gas to europe. this map shows where they run, along the sea bed, from russia, across the baltic, to germany. the damage was discovered near the danish island of bornholm. it�*s also relatively close to the russian territory of kaliningrad. the damage was first noticed when huge amounts of gas bubbled to the surface. when cameras were sent down to film what had happened, this is what they recorded — several experts said it appeared the pipes had been damaged by an exterior explosion.

it�*s not yet been established who was responsible — but a report in the new york times has now quoted anonymous us security officials as suggesting a pro—ukrainian group was to blame. ukrainian defence minister oleksii reznikov commented on nord stream allegations, here�*s what he said. is a little bit strange story become because the story is nothing with us, and i think the investigation of official authorities will describe every detail because it�*s like a compliment for our special forces, but this is not our activity. in a moment we�*ll hear from our correspondent jenny hill in berlin, but first, let�*s speak to frank gardner, our security correspondent. what might be a credible explanation

as to who could have been responsible for attacking what presumably is quite an important source of income for russia? i think we have to — source of income for russia? i think we have to be _ source of income for russia? i think we have to be careful— source of income for russia? i think we have to be careful to _ source of income for russia? i think we have to be careful to avoid - we have to be careful to avoid speculation because, i�*m sounding a 93v speculation because, i�*m sounding a gay politician here, but the investigation is still ongoing. obviously, this is immensely sensitive because the report that has come out, citing unnamed us intelligence officials, also backed up intelligence officials, also backed up by intelligence officials, also backed up by reports in the german media, or indicating that this has been found, this yacht that set off in northern germany and the baltic coast and was crude, they think, by ukrainians but they are not sure. if it turns out to be the work of a pro—ukrainian group, that is a massive pr victory for moscow which has said all along, nothing to do with us, this was an active international sabotage, terrorism

even these were for big conclusions. the conclusion of most intelligence agencies is that it was deliberate, not an accident, and it would have had to been state—sponsored in order for the sophistication for this because this was done very effectively. there were two pipelines and for explosions, rendering both of them inoperable to presumably they are not easily accessible?— presumably they are not easily accessible? the location would re . uire accessible? the location would require quite — accessible? the location would require quite a _ accessible? the location would require quite a lot _ accessible? the location would require quite a lot of _ accessible? the location would require quite a lot of effort - accessible? the location would require quite a lot of effort to i accessible? the location would i require quite a lot of effort to get there? ., ., ., ., ~ ., ., there? you would have to know what ou were there? you would have to know what you were doing. _ there? you would have to know what you were doing, so _ there? you would have to know what you were doing, so the _ there? you would have to know what you were doing, so the german - there? you would have to know what l you were doing, so the german report talks of a yacht that has been discovered with traces of explosives found on the table inside the tan they think there was a captain, two divers, a medic, two assistant divers, a medic, two assistant divers a professional organiser operation? it was certainly effective and anyway, by then, germany wasn�*t already importing russian gas in the way that it was before but nevertheless, this was a

russian built pipeline with german help. a huge strategic pipeline and it has been rendered inoperable so at no time in the near future will germany be able to import the sort of volume of russian energy. let us just imagine the work finishes tomorrow, there is suddenly a benign president in the kremlin and we are all friends with russia again. that pipeline is still not going to be operable for a very long time. finally, in effect, whoever is responsible for this, disrupted potentially the opportunity at least to bring down energy prices in the future, it is for a period? irate to bring down energy prices in the future, it is for a period? we don't know what — future, it is for a period? we don't know what the _ future, it is for a period? we don't know what the motives _ future, it is for a period? we don't know what the motives where - future, it is for a period? we don't know what the motives where but | future, it is for a period? we don't . know what the motives where but this is now the second of two recent events that have happened where there has been this murky idea of possibility of a full flag operation so the germans have hinted that there are not ruling it out, it could be a full flag operation. that means where you make it look like somebody else has done it but actually you did it. so making it

look as if... 50 actually you did it. so making it look as if. . ._ actually you did it. so making it lookas if... look as if... so you can say, where the victim? — look as if... so you can say, where the victim? exactly. _ look as if... so you can say, where the victim? exactly. we _ look as if... so you can say, where the victim? exactly. we had - look as if... so you can say, where the victim? exactly. we had this i the victim? exactly. we had this raid close to _ the victim? exactly. we had this raid close to the _ the victim? exactly. we had this raid close to the ukrainian - the victim? exactly. we had thisl raid close to the ukrainian border which was very strange involving a group no one had heard of. they carried out an attack and then withdrew and that was helpful for the kremlin to say, look, we are under attack from ukraine, they are bad people. jenny hill is in berlin. what, if any reaction has there been to these allegations after they were published in the new york times? the main published in the new york times? iie: main focus here published in the new york times? "ii2 main focus here in published in the new york times? i“i2 main focus here in germany published in the new york times? ii2 main focus here in germany is what is being published in the german press following a huge investigation ijy press following a huge investigation by a national broadcaster and national newspaper which focused again on the yacht that frank was talking about there. apparently, rented out by a polish company,

reportedly owned by two ukrainians. we have just had reportedly owned by two ukrainians. we havejust had it reportedly owned by two ukrainians. we have just had it confirmed just as you came on air from the german federal prosecutor that in germany, the investigators here searched that yacht on suspicion of that it might have carried explosives to the site. frank told you about some of the people on board who were travelling, it is believed on fake passports so we don�*t know their nationalities. there is this potential link to ukraine in that the company which initially rented out this yacht is said to have been ultimately owned by a couple of ukrainians. within some of those reports, too, there is the suggestion that western intelligence agency sent a tip of two is european partners saying that a pro—ukrainian group may have been involved but those are the only potential links at this stage and certainly, most of the senior politicians here this morning are publicly saying, we need to be very careful about this, we need to make

sure investigations are concluded and the prosecutor has said they will not give out any further details about what, if anything, they found during their investigations. they found during their investirations. ., , , . investigations. knowing the public mood in germany, _ investigations. knowing the public mood in germany, as _ investigations. knowing the public mood in germany, as you - investigations. knowing the public mood in germany, as you do - investigations. knowing the public mood in germany, as you do so i investigations. knowing the public i mood in germany, as you do so well, where might they be reaction to this kind of allegation because after all, germany is frankly moving heaven and earth to support ukraine to overcome some of its own understandable objections to military intervention or providing military intervention or providing military support and this yet this could be ukraine almost biting the hand that feeds cosmic i think that is why a lot of the senior politicians here are urging people to wait and see.— to wait and see. what is really at the truth of _ to wait and see. what is really at the truth of this? _ to wait and see. what is really at the truth of this? there - to wait and see. what is really at the truth of this? there have i to wait and see. what is really at. the truth of this? there have been all sorts of rumours swirling around as to who might be behind it. all of

the reports in the german press currently are making very clear that this stage, there is no evidence of the ukrainian state having been behind some kind of full flag attack. that is being made extremely clear but you are right, the authorities here will be concerned because whilst the vast majority of germans remain in favour of supporting ukraine militarily and economically, there is a minority here, a vocal minority, who say that should stop, that it was the wrong thing to do. many germans have had to relate to magically rethink their own attitudes towards war and peace and how best to make sure that piece on the continent of europe is upheld, largely as a result of this country�*s terrible second world war history. so there will be a lot of concern, i think, history. so there will be a lot of concern, ithink, among history. so there will be a lot of concern, i think, among authorities here and i suppose also perhaps the imperative to try and get this concluded as quickly as possible although as we know, a number of different countries are currently investigating what happened up there

investigating what happened up there in the baltic sea and those investigations are going to take some time to conclude.- investigations are going to take some time to conclude. frank, one miaht some time to conclude. frank, one might wonder. _ some time to conclude. frank, one might wonder, given _ some time to conclude. frank, one might wonder, given the _ some time to conclude. frank, one | might wonder, given the diplomatic background to all of this and the potential for some quite awkward conversations, that this might be an investigation the authorities might rather take a very long time over, so long that we forget it was even taking place, is that possible or just too high profile for that? i think people need answers over this. russia is pushing for a full investigation of which it wanted to be a part. i think western countries would say, hang on, you are a suspect, you can be part of the investigation but nevertheless the russians are saying, we did not do it. it is our pipeline and summary else has damaged it so if their hands are clean, they got an absolute right to demand a full inquiry over this thing. there are so much a public relations and

propaganda in the whole ukraine war, evenin propaganda in the whole ukraine war, even in the months leading up to it. so much deception and confusion and smoke screens so this absolutely feeds into it. one thing the crown that has been very good at over the years, or has tried very hard at least to do is to put out a lot of different theories so when the salisbury poisoning happened five years ago, this march when two officers allegedly came to salisbury and smeared noah chuck and ended up his daughter as well. they survived but they were caught basically red—handed once they had gone down to moscow. moscow came out with 28 different explanations as to how it could have been, they even suggested that theresa may, the prime minister at the time, may have had a hand in it. ~ ., ., at the time, may have had a hand in it. we will leave that conspiracy theory for _ it. we will leave that conspiracy theory for another _ it. we will leave that conspiracy theory for another day - it. we will leave that conspiracy theory for another day but i it. we will leave that conspiracy theory for another day but let i it. we will leave that conspiracy i theory for another day but let me ask you about something happening

today, the awkward compromises that may have to be made, the green deal. russia has said it is not minded to renew it unless there is more favourable treatment of its own agricultural exports.— favourable treatment of its own agricultural exports. what they been b that is agricultural exports. what they been by that is the — agricultural exports. what they been by that is the payment, _ agricultural exports. what they been by that is the payment, the - by that is the payment, the insurance, the logistics that�*s around export of grain, there are not sanctions on the export of russian grain per se because that would hurt developing nations etc and of course ukraine and southern russia have been a breadbasket so russia have been a breadbasket so russia has its own exports but what it is upset about is that postinvasion, the sanctions put on russia or hurting its payment facilities so it is not the grain itself. ukraine has its own grain exports, down 26% because of the war, and of course they would like to renew this deal for at least another year. to renew this deal for at least anotheryear. it to renew this deal for at least another year. it runs out very quickly in ten days�* time. we

another year. it runs out very quickly in ten days' time. we will talk more about _ quickly in ten days' time. we will talk more about that _ quickly in ten days' time. we will talk more about that for - quickly in ten days' time. we will talk more about that for viewers | quickly in ten days' time. we will. talk more about that for viewers who are staying with us here on bbc news. now, we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two in the uk. the un secretary general, antonio guterres, is in ukarine to hold talks with president zelensky about the continued export of ukrainian grain. brokered by the united nations and turkey lastjuly, and secured with russia, the deal enabled the shipping of ukrainian grain from odesa via the black sea, through the bosphorus strait and istanbul. but, now the deal is up for renewal and russia has signalled that before it agrees to anything it wants more done to lift curbs on its own agricultural exports. our diplomatic correspondent james landale is in kyiv and explained more about russia�*s position.

this grain deal that allows some grain to pass through the black sea from ukraine through to the world markets is actually two agreements, one is an agreement between ukraine and turkey and the united nations and then there is a separate agreement between russia, the united nations and turkey. and part of that deal with russia was to say, yes, russia would allow, open up some of those ports on ukraine�*s southern coast, but, at the same time, there was a separate sort of three—year plan for the united nations to encourage greater access for russian fertiliser and grains onto the world markets and it is that area that russia is complaining about, saying not enough has been done. only the ukrainian side of the deal has been upheld. and so that is why they have suggested that potentially there might be what they call obstacles to signing off on the renewal of this grain deal at the end of next week, so that is what today�*s negotiations are about, to discuss what russia

wants, what could be done to make sure that this deal continues because a huge amount is at stake. let�*s speak now to oleksiy goncharenko, ukrainian mp for odesa. thank you very much forjoining us at took about this today. you and i spoke about this deal last summer when it was agreed. it was only for a short amount of time. what do you think the prospects are of getting it renewed? i think the prospects are of getting it renewed?— it renewed? i hope that it will be renewed and _ it renewed? i hope that it will be renewed and prospects - it renewed? i hope that it will be renewed and prospects can i it renewed? i hope that it will be renewed and prospects can be i it renewed? i hope that it will be i renewed and prospects can be good but in general, but question i have is why the road led vladamir putin to close the black sea. that is a very dangerous question. tomorrow he

can decide to close the baltic seek, then the chairman, she can decide to close the chinese see and what will be with the world trade on the situation in the world? that is the question number one. when i spoke with you last summer, i told you russians, they don�*t want any deal. the one to see food prices speaking, they want to see millions of people starving, causing social unrest, waves of migrants and refugees to europe and so on and so on. the plan of vladamir putin has not changed but he is much weaker than he was one year ago and the question is, why the world is letting him again to regale the whole planet by weapon icing food with the threats against the grain deal that we have today. is there really any alternative? we were seeing the impact of the disruption of supplies until this deal was agreed once russia began

its invasion of ukraine and as you say, blockading the black sea. without that deal, those problems, particularly in parts of the horn of africa, would have cut materially worse during the last few months. this might not be an ideal agreement from ukraine was my point of view, but really, there really isn�*t any other choice, is there? ida. but really, there really isn't any other choice, is there? no, there are. it is better— other choice, is there? no, there are. it is better than _ other choice, is there? no, there are. it is better than nothing, i are. it is better than nothing, definitely. but there are better options. the world can say the commercial litigation should not suffer and if russia will try to attack any ship under the flag of any country, according to the united nations charter and according to international law, that will be a war of russia against this country, turkey, the uk, against any other country, under the flag of which commercial vessel will come to take commercial vessel will come to take commercial cargo. ijust want

commercial vessel will come to take commercial cargo. i just want to see what russia would do. we know the answer. at the end of october, russia already said, we don�*t want to continue the deal, we are leaving the deal. but at that moment, the president said, we will continue without you and in today�*s, russians came back because in reality, they were bluffing, they don�*t have the capacity to blockade this was up they are just threatening and unfortunately, the world is afraid of these threats of russia. ukraine needs this deal, _ of these threats of russia. ukraine needs this deal, doesn't _ of these threats of russia. ukraine needs this deal, doesn't it, - of these threats of russia. ukraine | needs this deal, doesn't it, because needs this deal, doesn�*t it, because if you cannot export your grain, you cannot clear the silos, you cannot have a location to put this year�*s harvest? have a location to put this year's harvest? . , ~ . have a location to put this year's harvest? ., , ,, ., , have a location to put this year's harvest? ., , ~ ., , , harvest? certainly, ukraine needs is deal and for— harvest? certainly, ukraine needs is deal and for the _ harvest? certainly, ukraine needs is deal and for the economy, _ harvest? certainly, ukraine needs is deal and for the economy, yes, i harvest? certainly, ukraine needs is deal and for the economy, yes, but| deal and for the economy, yes, but ukraine will not start in anyway also the world needs this deal even more than ukraine because the black

sea is vital for food security and everybody knows and that is why russia have taken the back—seat. wear this t—shirt and you know may be now there is social unrest in georgia caused by again russian influences. russia have taken the black sea consciously, understanding the vital role black sea in the world security and that is something which should be stopped. good to speak to you, thank you for joining us on bbc news. the united nations refugee agency says it is very concerned about the uk government�*s planned changes to the law — which could see people arriving by small boats over the english channel first detained, then deported, without being able to claim asylum. the unhcr�*s representative to the uk says the measure would break international law.

but british prime minister rishi sunak says he is up for the fight if the legislation is challenged in court, and insists action is needed to stop illegal crossings. our uk political correspondent ian watson has more. as the boats keep coming, so the political problems keep growing. rishi sunak is attempting to turn the tide and a new law aimed at deterring people coming to the uk by illegal routes. but if this doesn�*t stop the boats, by the time of the next election, will he have failed? if we get this right, it will make a difference. now we�*re in the early stages of it, but we�*ve given it a long, hard thought and i said at the beginning of the year that, you know, i only promise what i believe i can deliver and i will absolutely deliver on what i promise. so if passed by parliament, what would the government�*s new law do? it�*d stop almost everyone arriving in small boats from claiming asylum here.

arrivals would be detained and then removed to rwanda or another safe country. and they would be banned from re—entering the uk. the government hopes this would deter people from making the hazardous channel crossing. khalid came across the channel in a leaky dinghy in 2021 and he doesn�*t think a new law would stop others from doing the same. now, even seeing the numbers, numbers are even higher. they are still going to try to seek and run after that hope. and how quickly could the new system be put in place? in a letter to mps, the home secretary, suella braverman, said "there was a more than 50% chance that the government�*s plans aren�*t compatible with international law." that would make legal challenges more likely. and the united nations high commission for refugees has said it is profoundly concerned by the government�*s new legislation. this is effectively closing off

access to asylum in the uk for people arriving irregularly. we believe it�*s a clear breach of the refugee convention. and labour claims the government�*s plans are unworkable. the problem is that it is a con, it is a rerun of proposals they have tried and failed before and what they are trying to do is cancel asylum decision—making without having any return agreements in place. there�*s clear blue water between government and opposition on how to tackle the migrant crisis, and it�*s an issue that�*s unlikely to subside before the next election. iain watson, bbc news. our correspondent simonjones is in dover. it isa it is a bitterly cold morning where you are as we speak. is this a day

when both activity could still be expected? i when both activity could still be exected? ~ , , expected? i think it is very unlikely today. _ expected? i think it is very unlikely today. we - expected? i think it is very unlikely today. we have i expected? i think it is very l unlikely today. we have had expected? i think it is very - unlikely today. we have had snow coming down earlier and sleet and in the past, we have had seating crossings on bitterly cold days like this but actually, it is very windy. if you look out there to the channel, there are big waves and so we are not going to see any crossings today and it is very predictable because the moment it calms down, we will see crossing happening again. earlier this week, 197 people made thejourney happening again. earlier this week, 197 people made the journey on five boats in a single day. so far this year, more than 3,000 people have made the crossing and today, we had the british home secretary admitting that potentially, we could see more than 80,000 people make the crossing during the course of this year if the government does not take action and that is why the government here is saying it needs to do something and need to do something pretty radical. , �* ' . ,

radical. isn't the difficulty thou~h, radical. isn't the difficulty though. the _ radical. isn't the difficulty though, the one - radical. isn't the difficulty though, the one that i radical. isn't the difficulty i though, the one that would still persist even if it does get this law through parliament, that it doesn�*t have the places or the process at the moment to be able to remove people speedily, hence why there are such an enormous backlog running into the tens of thousands? yes. into the tens of thousands? yes, some real _ into the tens of thousands? yes, some real questions _ into the tens of thousands? yes, some real questions about i into the tens of thousands? i2: some real questions about how this would work in reality, even if it makes its way through parliament and does become law perhaps by the summer or at the latest by the autumn. if you are talking about detaining people, 115,000 people arriving across the channel last year so you�*re going to need a lot of detention places. the government says it is increasing those and then you�*re talking about swiftly removing people to rwanda for example but at the moment there are no removals to rwanda because of that deal is facing a legal challenge. there also talk of removing people to save countries they have passed through but at the moment there are no returns

agreements with eu so that is a huge practical problem but the government is saying... we practical problem but the government is sa inc... ~ practical problem but the government issa in... ~ ., ., ., is saying... we will have to leave it there, thank _ is saying... we will have to leave it there, thank you. _ there�*s been a mixture of rain, sleet and snow this morning. we have just had the coldest night of this year so far with temperatures falling to -15. so far with temperatures falling to —15. arctic air has a grip on our weather and you can see the mildest yellows in the south—west and hear temperatures are not falling away as much. this weather front today springing in rain, sleetand much. this weather front today springing in rain, sleet and snow and will continue to do so. it will ease for a time but you can see how the rain pushes eastwards and this new moves across wales in through the midlands, some of that getting into northern england and later into east anglia but north of that,

sunnier skies the peppering of wintry showers in the north and east bitterly close to the coast. as we head on into the evening, the rain continued to drift eastwards. we hang onto some snow across wales and the midlands and the home counties could see some of that. if you are travelling, bearthis could see some of that. if you are travelling, bear this in mind. also going to be a cold night with a widespread frost although not as cold as last night. we have this next area of low pressure coming in from the atlantic with its weather fronts. into tomorrow, we have the rain across southern areas, we have the snow pushing northwards for a time. there is a respite and then as the next system comes in, it is going to introduce some rain and we will also see some snow come in but still very mild in the south—west and still cold for the rest of us. the met office has a yellow weather warnings out for thursday and friday for this area where on average we could see 15 to 20 centimetres of snow but at lower levels, it will be

less than that. on high ground, it could be double that. some treacherous conditions is low pressure drift across us stop we start off on thursday night with the rain pushing across the south of england, the snow pushing northwards across wales, the midlands, northern england, northern ireland and also southern scotland. it will be windy, notjust southern scotland. it will be windy, not just for thursday night southern scotland. it will be windy, notjust for thursday night but southern scotland. it will be windy, not just for thursday night but also into friday, so this note will be blowing and there will be treacherous travelling conditions but it will ease up as we go through the course of the day. many of us ending up with a largely dry day. so wintry showers across the north with temperatures, two in the north to ten in the south.

markets fall after the head of us central bank warns of further rate rises ahead. and taking a back seat — we look at the driverless car that could revolutionise the way we get around. welcome to world business report. the cost of borrowing has been rising around the world as central banks try to tame rampant inflation. and in the us — the world�*s largest economy — rates are set to keep on rising. that�*s the warning vfrom the head of america�*s central bank,