james waterhouse with the latest from _ soon.kraine, _ soon. james waterhouse with the latest from ukraine, thank - soon. james waterhouse with the latest from ukraine, thank you. l soon. james waterhouse with the i latest from ukraine, thank you. the time is just after quarter past six. our top story this evening: the nhs in crisis — ambulance response times and a&e waits in december are the worst on record. and coming up — harry stylesjointly leads the way with four nominations for this year's brit awards. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel. the pressure's on graham potter. one win in seven as he takes his chelsea side to neighbours fulham looking to get their season back on track. a group of afghan families who were brought to the uk after the taliban took power are taking the government to court after their accomodation was changed. at first the four families were housed in a london hotel — but then they were moved to the north of england meaning their children had to leave their school. they've struggled to find

yeah, 0k, james waterhouse, _ tomorrow. yeah, 0k, james waterhouse, life _ tomorrow.e, life in - tomorrow. yeah, 0k, james waterhouse, life in kyiv. - the government plans to bring in new laws which would require key public services like the railways, ambulance service, and fire brigade to maintain a minimum level of service during strikes in england, scotland and wales. it would mean that employers could sue unions who fail to comply but one union has called it an attack on workers who are trying to defend themselves and services like the nhs. today, rail passengers faced a third day of strike disruption this week with more to come tomorrow. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has that story. pickets and placards have become a familiar sight as a wave of strikes has swept the country. hospitals, railways, airports and universities all among the areas affected by industrial unrest. now, the government plans to make some sectors keep a minimum level of service going when they strike in future. we're saying, look, there has to be a minimum safety level that people

james waterhouse, many thanks _ of our territory.se, many thanks there _ of our territory. james waterhouse, many thanks there in _ of our territory. james waterhouse, many thanks there in kyiv. - the amount of goods we bought in shops and online saw the biggest fall on record for the month of december. according to the office for national statistics, sales volumes were down by 5.8% compared with the previous year. it's just one sign of how hard rising prices are hitting people's pockets. emma simpson reports from norwich. this family owned department store, they were planning for the worst. but it turned out far better. irate but it turned out far better. we were but it turned out far better. : were cautious with inventory levels, cautious with our marketing but actually the reality was the consumer came out and spent really well pre—christmas. just feeling the sense of actually, we will have a good christmas this year, come what may. good christmas this year, come what ma . ,, , , ., , may. high street were busier as --eole may. hi

james waterhouse _ political stage. interesting. james waterhouse in _ political stage.tage. interesting. james | waterhouse in kyiv, thank you very much indeed. the former prime minister borisjohnson has told the bbc how he felt vladimir putin had personally threatened him in the run—up to russia�*s invasion of ukraine. mrjohnson said that during a telephone call, the russian president told him that it would "only take a minute" to hurt him with a missile. he made the revelation in a new bbc documentary series about mr putin�*s leadership. here�*s our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. kyiv, last february — a city on the brink of war. borisjohnson arrives in a show of support for a president, who is yet to replace his suit and tie with army fatigues. alongside other countries, we are also preparing a package of sanctions and other measures. the prime minister publicly urges russia not to invade, prompting an astonishing reaction from president putin. i get back from kyiv and, the following day, i�*ve got putin on the blower again. and this is a very long call and

that was james waterhouse in . critics back in pressure. that wasjames waterhouse in kyiv.orge pell, has died in rome aged 81. the australian was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two choirboys in melbourne more than two decades earlier, becoming the highest—ranking roman catholic to be caught up in the scandal that has blighted the church in recent decades. but after serving 13 months in prison, his conviction was overturned on appeal. he's believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khaliljoins us now from sydney. great to get you on the programme. 0bviously, such a controversialfigure, talk programme. 0bviously, such a controversial figure, talk us through cardinal pell�*s background and history. he through cardinal pell's background and history. he was a controversial— background and history. he was a controversial figure _ background and history. he was a controversial figure and - a controversial figure and quite an influencing and senior figure, he was the highest ranking australian catholic cleric, his influence could not be overstated.

our correspondent james waterhouse reports. james: a salt mining town under russian assault.edar has become a story of carnage and contradiction. after months of fighting, an attempt by russia to give a clear message. for the first time it claimed to be in complete control and that this town is the start of something bigger. the capture of soledar became possible due to the constant destruction of the enemy, says russia's defense ministry. by ground attack, aircraft, missiles and artillery. ukraine is saying fighting continues in soledar. troops are holding defense against the enemy. ukraine has resisted russia's attack here for months. the price is getting heavier. >> we will never give up. this is our city and we will not give it to anyone. ukraine is ours. as soon as we see the russian soldiers, we will hit them. james: the claimant has had not -- has not had anything to cheer about for the last few months. soledar will change that. it is why kyiv is hinting at a possible retreat. the last time a city fell, russia made minimal gains and ukraine took trades elsewhere. it is

james waterhouse - takes time. james, thank you very much. james waterhouse in - takes time. terhouse in kyiv. | takes time. james, thank you very . much. james waterhouse in kyiv. the time is now 9:13am. the headlines on bbc news so far today. president zelensky welcomes western leaders sending tanks but urges them to be delivered quickly, as reports say kyiv is under rocket attack from russia right now. nhs physiotherapists walk out in england for the first time, they're latest to join strike action over pay. more on that in just a second. the number of new cars made in the uk falls to its lowest level since 1956. let's talk more about one of those headline stories. thousands of nhs physiotherapists in england are on strike today, in an on—going dispute about health service pay. more than 4,000 physiotherapists from 30 nhs trusts are supporting the 24—hour strike. physiotherapists in wales are due to walk out next month. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports. becky has worked as a physiotherapist for 30 years. like her colleagues, treating patients, notjust with

laura: james waterhouse reporting.n to evelyn, former deputy terry -- deputy secretary assistance up to defense for russia. now part of a think tank. how critical is this pitched battle in determining the sort -- the course of the war? >> thank you for having me on agai i would not say that it's really critical. the city might be more important, strategically. this could be a gateway. but i think what is more important is what kind of offensive do the russians have planned and kind of offensive do the ukrainians have planned and the timing of each. that is what is going to determine what comes next. we are providing increased air cover to ukraine with the patriot missile system coming online. not immediately, but soon hopefully. and of course we are seeing more tanks flowing into ukraine from the west, which will of course increase the likelihood that they can go on the offensive soon. laura: when presiden zelensky was here in washington he said he would ask for more. do you think the u.s. should say ask? >> absolutely

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.ra: as jamesesm th reported,o the front line urszula dead, many of them prisoners. in the head has a game claimed that it has been captured. he is run by the afghani precursor and. you can see him in the middle of the picture he posted, she claims is that a salt mine and solid. questions are being raised about tensions behind the snes between the military and the group. i've been speaking to our russia editor for bbc. if we look at the battle, russia's defense ministry is saying that it is and over, but the head of the mercenary group, he is saying that it has fallen to them. what does that tell you about the divisions, even amongst pro-russian forces? >> it suggests a certain rivalry , divisions, as you say, between russia's official army, if you like, and this private military company that is run by a person known as tash while the russian defense ministry said earlier on wednesday that it was russian forces, russian aerospace forces in russian airborne troops who were carrying out t

james waterhouse ts update. >> very few expected this cease-fire to work.part of ukraine is no stranger to war. record the invasion, the army had been fighting russian-backed paratists here. we are very close to the front line and we have already heard sirens, a possible symptom of the cease-fire notorking. but relatively close file -- where we are seeing the heaviest fighting, there have been ports artillery fire being exchanged by both sides. russian forces have accused ukraine of targeting its positions. ukrainian officials close by having dues russian forces of doing the same. these accusations and counter accusations were expected. vladimir putin had said he was to allow orthodox christians to celebrate christmas. all of the early signs suggest that this was probably more part of the information war rather than a meaningful gesture of goodwill. >> james waterhouse reporting. britain has reached a deal with the german pharmaceutical company biontech which is going to start cancer vaccine trials in the u.k.. biontech developed a covid-19 vaccine using mn

james waterhouse, bbc news, bakhmut.for iran to stop executing anti—government protesters. the state department said two men who were hanged on saturday were convicted in sham trials. britain and the european union have have also condemned iran's use of the death penalty. shelley phelps reports. nationwide protests have swept iran since the death of mahsa amini in september. the young woman had been detained by the country's morality police. now two men have been hanged for killing a member of the security forces during the demonstrations. mohammad mahdi karami and seyed mohammad hosseini had appealed against their sentences, saying they'd been tortured into making false confessions. on saturday, iranian state tv broadcast footage of the two men testifying during a court hearing that has been condemned as a sham trial by human rights groups. in every single execution, we see that the primary and the most significant evidence or self incriminating confessions are obtained under torture. indeed we know that one of the peop

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.sabeth braw, a resident fellow at the american enterprise institute, spoke to us earlier about the significance of russia moving into soledar. it's important that russia has not been able to capture any sort of town, let alone city, for a long time, as the correspondentjust said. but even more important is the fact that now the kremlin can tell the russian population that things are going our way, and the russian population is not going to say, "how big was the town? "is it big enough for us to be satisfied?" they will see that the russian forces have captured, if that is indeed the case, have captured a town, and that will give them some hope and that will in turn encourage them or entice them to support the war, because we should remember that the war was not going to last this long. even in russia, people's patience will start wearing thin when young men just kept dying without any gains to show for it. what sort of reaction will this development have in washington, for example, and

james waterhouse, bbc news, bakhmut. let's get some of the day's other news.have crashed in mexico city, killing at least one person and injuring more than 50 others. the trains collided between two stations on line 3, which is one of the oldest in the city's metro system. federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash. thousands of israelis have taken part in protests against the new right—wing government. many accused the administration of endangering democracy through proposed judicial reforms. the plans would allow parliament to override decisions made by the supreme court. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has sought to calm concerns about the fate of civil rights. ivory coast has welcomed home dozens of soldiers who'd been detained for six months in mali, causing a diplomatic row. the 46 servicemen were pardoned by mali's military leader on friday, a week after being given long jail terms for allegedly undermining state security. the ivorian government said the troops had been sent to mali to assist the un mission there. pri

james waterhouse has this report.nt artillery fire the situation in soledar depends on who you ask. it's under control as of this morning according to this ukrainian commander. "they will never break us," says his injured comrade. "we are winning." but if you ask these two, "wagner are clearing the city," they say. russian, yes, but not from the regular army. they're from a private military group called wagner, a network of mercenaries who do a lot of russia's fighting. its boss, yevgeny prigozhin, has recently recruited convicts from russianjails, and they've been spearheading the attack on soledar, claiming to now be in full control. we chat to one ukrainian soldier on the front to see if that's the case. don't believe russian propaganda. it's not true. bakhmut and soledar have ukrainian control. kyiv has described the battle for soledar and bakhmut as the bloodiest scenario yet. and that's all we can say with real certainty. small amounts of territory are being fiercely fought over and the human cost is huge. but t

james waterhouse, bbc news, bakhmut.the uk now — prime minister, rishi sunak and the health secretary — have been meeting leaders of nhs organisations and medical experts in downing street — to try to tackle the ongoing challenges facing the health service in england. with many a&e departments unable to keep up with demand — and long waits for other medical care, rishi sunak said he recognises the system is under enormous pressure.the opposition, labour party, said today's meeting here's our political correspondent, ben wright. around a0 of england's nhs managers were summoned to no 10 for this saturday meeting, a chance to share their thoughts with ministers under pressure. how bad is the nhs crisis? it is the worst for years and the government knows it needs to get a grip of it. the new prime minister faces an early test, with senior doctors warning the nhs is on a knife edge. these pictures were released by downing street, and today's meeting was the first of its kind since rishi sunak took over. it focused on four ma

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv region.eruvian capital, lima, where thousands of anti—government protesters are taking part in demonstrations. they are calling for the resignation of president dina boluartay, the release from custody of the man she replaced, pedro castiyo, and new elections. buses brought protesters into the capital. organisers have described their action as "the taking of lima." one woman has died today and more than a0 people have been killed in a month of protests in the country since he was forced from office. i spoke to sigrid bazan, who is a congress woman of the together for peru party in peru. she is demanding for the immediate resignation of president dina boluarte and early elections in the country. what's been happening in peru, we've been having these protests since december 7 with the ousting of pedro castillo. and also, they have been growing due to the excessive repression of this government. we're joining these protests that ask or demand, basically, dina boluarte's resignation, also early e

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv region.er to former us ambassador to ukraine, john herbst, and asked what the impact would be on ukraine's leadership. so their loss is a loss to ukraine's effort to win a savage war. but there are other able professionals in ukraine who will take the place of those lost today, and i'm sure the impact on the actual war effort will be small. but they were distinguished officials and fighters, and they should be honoured. indeed, and particularly with the interior minister, as i understand it, he was very close to president zelensky. in terms of how you think president zelensky has approached this, he was at davos — i understand you have been there, as well — and when he made that speech to people in the room, he sounded still quite defiant, didn't he? first, he was here virtually, he was broadcasting from ukraine. yes, of course he's defiant, he's facing a war of annihilation waged by vladimir putin. and he's been brilliant as a war leader — in part by rallying his people to deal with the dang

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.rd is a senior fellow on us foreign policy at the chicago council on global affairs. i asked her what she makes of the russian victory announcement in soledar. it is hard to independently verify if russia has taken soledar at this point, but making the assumption that they have, it is contested but they have certainly been been making gains there, i would disagree with russia's claimed that this is a strategic victory. it is certainly a tactical step to overrunning bakhmut which is part of the overall plan of taking the donbas but not a big step along that path. but what i find more notable is already been indicated is that this is russia's first victory in a while. so all my mind is does this indicate russia's ability to conduct offensive operations. we will find out over the coming days and weeks. by defensive operations you mean its ability to hold territory that it takes? sorry, cffensive operations. whether they will continue progressing further in taking more territory and also r

our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports.alt mining town under russian assault, soledar has become a story of carnage and contradiction. after months of bloody fighting, an attempt by russia to give a clear message. for the first time, a claim, to be in complete control, and that this town is the start of something bigger. "the capture of soledar became possible due to the constant destruction of the enemy," says russia's defence ministry. "by ground attack, aircraft, missiles, and artillery." but ukraine is saying... "fighting continues in soledar, our troops are holding defence against the enemy." ukraine has resisted russia's attack here for months. the price is getting heavier. translation: we will never give up. this is our soledar, our city, and we will not give it to anyone. ukraine is ours. as soon as we see the russian soldiers we will hit them. the kremlin has not had anything to cheer about for the last six months since it last captured a major location. soledar would change that but it's also why kyiv is hinting a

now let's cross to james waterhouse in kyiv. james, an unannounced trip by boris johnson. but a very choreographed _ johnson. tell us more. unannounced, but a very choreographed and - but a very choreographed and controlled trip. we saw images today along with everyone else of mr johnson appearing in, as you say, borodianka and bucha, cities which were effectively destroyed in the initial russian advance last year, early on in this invasion. there he was greeted warmly by some people. he met with local officials as well before heading to the presidential palace, where volodymyr zelensky greeted his guest alongside his cabinet. we are told by kyiv that this was an unofficial visit, but it did look pretty official. he met the whole cabinet, and then the former prime minister and ukrainian president sat down and exchanged words, and we are told they talked about the best way is mrjohnson could help ukraine going forward, and what we hearing is that they wanted mrjohnson to travel to kyiv, because he is a friend of ukraine, in their words, and has been a long—time ally. and it

james waterhouse. _ caught in the middle of it.es of the minerals, which are needed in various high tech products. tim allman reports. close to the arctic circle in the far north of sweden lies the city of kiruna. they've been mining iron ore here for more than a century. but now they've found something else. this computer generated map shows the existing mine. buried nearby, and named after a famous swedish scientist, is the per geuer deposit. previously undiscovered, tonnes and tonnes of rare earth elements, or rees. what we can say today is by far the largest deposit of rees in europe. total vital for our transformation from combustion engines to electric engines. there are more than a dozen so—called rare earth elements, which are proving to be incredibly useful to the modern world. amongst other things they've been vital to the development of wind turbines, smartphones, and electric cars. but the problem facing europe is until now the main source of rees has been china. this discovery could change all that. there is really a g

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.musicianjeff beck, known as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, has died at the age of 78. music plays beck, who played with the yardbirds in the 1960s and led thejeff beck group, died suddenly after contracting bacterial meningitis on tuesday. he won eight grammys. his fingers and thumbs were famously insured for more than $8 million. we can now speak to another rock legend, gene simmons from kiss, one of many paying tribute to jeff beck. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. no doubt a really sad day for the music industry, geoff beck known as one of the greatest musicians of all time, you knew him well but was he like as a person and musician and person. like as a person and musician and person-— and person. it's difficult i learned _ and person. it's difficult i learned about _ and person. it's difficult i learned about his - and person. it's difficult i | learned about his passing and person. it's difficult i - learned about his passing not too long ago, just a few hou

james waterhouse, bbc news, bakhmut.aker of the us house of representatives, kevin mccarthy, has said former president trump helped him finally secure his position — after 15 rounds of voting — and at times, acrimonious exchanges with fellow republicans. he said "i don't think anybody should doubt" mr tump�*s influence. president biden congratulated mr mccarthy on his win and said he looked forward to co—operating with his party. our washington correspondent, gary o'donoghue, reports. it took them four days and 15 separate ballots before they finally got there. the honourable kevin mccarthy of the state of california, having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected speaker of the house of representatives. cheering not since the american civil war more than 160 years ago has it taken this long to elect a speaker. that was easy, huh? i never thought we'd get up here. after multiple concessions, days of arm—twisting, and some tempers almost boiling over, kevin mccarthy finally persuaded enough on the right of

that was james waterhouse reporting for us in kyiv.ties as part of their investigation into the social media personality andrew tate. now, you may not have heard of him, but if you've got teenagers, particularly boys, they almost certainly will have. the self—proclaimed misogynist has a loyal following on social media, despite being banned from facebook, instagram, tiktok and youtube. some british schools are so worried about his influence that they're devoting entire lessons to trying to counteract his views. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. andrew tate is in a romanian jail but he still sits in the minds of british teenagers. why is it that andrew tate has had so much impact? at the st dunstan's college, they don't ignore the problem. the online influencer had millions of followers but views he admits are misogynistic. he's been arrested as part of a rape and human trafficking investigation — allegations he denies. what is it about his videos that give the perception of them being so popular? because at first, seemingl

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv region.announced that ferry services to and from calais will be suspended for nine hours, from 7am tomorrow, due to national walk outs across the channel. the port of dover will remain open, with dunkerque services running as normal, but travellers are being urged to allow extra time for all journeys. eurostar services will also be affected. a day of strikes and demonstrations is taking place across france, in protest at plans to raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64. it has been revealed that the father of a newborn baby who police are trying to trace is a registered sex offender. mark gordon was convicted of rape in florida as a teenager. he and his partner, constance marten, and their baby have been missing since their car broke down near bolton earlier this month. ms marten is from a wealthy family, but estranged from them. police say the couple have a substantial amount of cash and could be living off—grid. the most senior un delegation to visit afghanistan since the taliban swept to

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv. joining me now is our international editor, jeremy bowen.hy is soledar so significant? is you have been hearing, it is strategically important, the russians really need a victory at the moment. they want to go ahead and get it there. i was in soledar in the summer. at that point, it was already being shelled. there were very few civilians around, there were big holes and craters everywhere. it was a very scary place. you can only imagine the extent to which that has moved on. as well as that, these tunnels and mine shafts are considered by both sides to be quite strategically important places. for example, places where you could hide weapons. lots of talk in recent days about the wagner group of fighters. why is it getting so much attention? the man behind _ it getting so much attention? the man behind it _ it getting so much attention? tue: man behind it is it getting so much attention? tte: man behind it is very it getting so much attention? "tte: man behind it is very vocal. it getting so much attention? tte: man behind it is very vocal.

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv region. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines.russian imports" for its energy supply. christian lindner told the bbc that his country had completely diversified its energy infrastructure since president putin turned off the gas taps to europe, which had led to fears of blackouts this winter. protesters from around peru are continuing to arrive in the capital lima to demonstrate against the president, and demand that the government immediately hold elections. at least 42 people have died in five weeks of clashes between protesters and security forces, according to peru's human rights mediator. last week, peru's top prosecutor launched an inquiry into the president and key ministers, after weeks of deadly clashes. the officials are being investigated on charges of "genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries". microsoft says it's cutting 10,000 jobs. it is another big lay—off in the us tech sector, although it is less than 5% of the total workforce. microsoft ceo satya nadella spoke of the need for caution as parts of the worl

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv region.st senior un delegation to visit the country since the taliban seized power in 2021 has flown into kabul to raise concerns about restrictions on women working for aid agencies. the visit, by the un deputy secretary—general amina mohammed comes as some international aid organisations have partially resumed work in afghanistan after receiving assurances that women can work in healthcare. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports from kabul. winters are always harsh in afghanistan but this is the winter of all winters. not only the temperatures below freezing but this is a country where electricity is erratic or absent and heating is hard to find, especially in remote areas of afghanistan, which are all but cut off by snow. but on top of that, this year, the taliban have decided that afghan women can no longer work for the international aid agencies who are desperately trying to get this urgently needed aid to millions of people who need it. so, just how urgent is the situ

that was james waterhouse reporting from kyiv.ic stories behind the headlines beginning to emerge. they include that of five—year—old kyle doan, who has been missing since floodwaters swept him awayjust minutes after he reassured his mother that they just needed to be calm. at least 19 people are now known to have been killed by the flooding and mud slides, which began in late december. 0ur correspondent james clayton reports. a brief lull in the rain in northern california has allowed authorities to assess the damage from successive storms. a search had been under way for kyle, a five—year—old boy living in sonoma. he liked people. he liked to dance. he was very outgoing, active. on monday, the floods submerged the car he and his mother were in as she drove him back from school. rescuers were able to get to his mother, but kyle was swept out into the water. and my wife just happened to be closer to them. and when she was able to reach out to the rope that they were able to have and the flow of my son was farther down and they saw

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.gside calls for more weapons to be sent. nato chiefjens stoltenberg has said ukraine could expect more deliveries of heavy weapons from western countries. the uk is sending 1a challenger tanks, while poland is also considering handing over its german—made leopard 2 tanks, but it needs the german government's permission to export them. earlier, we spoke with rafael loss — defence expert at the european council on foreign relations — for more. for the longest time, the chancellor drew a red line around western—produced heavy tanks and armoured fighting vehicles. but with the latest decision to send german fighting vehicles alongside american ones, there seems to be an open door. and some countries, germany's neighbours — countries that also use the leopard 2 main battle tank — see this as an opportunity to finally make available to ukraine this critical capability. i think the meeting of the ukraine defense contact group at ramstein air base next week is a culminating point. poland's pre

james waterhouse. let's get some of the day's other news.h the drugs company pfizer to secure a licence to manufacture a generic version of their covid—19 anti—viral drug. china is keen to finalise the deal before the january 22nd lunar new year, when holiday travel will surge. a pfizer spokesperson said the company is actively collaborating with chinese authorities to secure an adequate supply of the vaccine. the british writer and filmmaker hanif kureishi says it's unclear if he'll ever be able to walk or hold a pen again, after a fall left him unable to move his arms and legs. he wrote my beautiful laundrette and the buddha of suburbia, and says there have beenjust minor improvements in his mobility, after an operation on his spine. a deadly storm has inflicted widespread damage in northern california, dumping record—breaking rain along the coastline. the rain has fallen on areas that were already saturated from a new year's eve storm. more severe weather is forecast for the weekend and next week. the mexican president has defended the mi

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.to death in iran have told the bbc that authorities are preparing to execute him. alireza akbari was arrested more than two years ago and accused of spying for the uk, which he denied. the foreign office has urged iran to release him and say they are supporting his family. royal mail says it is unable to send letters and parcels overseas after cyber incidents. it is telling customers to stop sending items overseas while it tries to resolve the issue. the firm said there were also minor delay deliveries into the uk, but domestic deliveries are unaffected. the uk's culture secretary, michelle donelan, says the collection of ancient greek sculptures, known here as the elgin marbles, should continue to belong to the british museum. report suggested the museum's chairman george osborne is close to a deal returning the works to athens, but ms donnellan says this would be a dangerous road to go down and could lead to some british museums losing their entire contents. two nationalist parties i

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.aristjeff beck has died at the age of 78. beck — who played with the yardbirds and led thejeff beck group — died on tuesday. often described as one of the greatest guitarists of all time — he won eight grammys. beck — whose fingers and thumbs were famously insured for £7 million — was known as a keen innovator. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... reports from france say a suspected attacker who stabbed and injured six people at paris's gare du nord rail station on wednesday has been identified as a libyan national, aged in his 20s, who was due to be deported. police are still investigating the motive but are not believed to be treating it as terror related. the suspect was shot three times and taken to hospital with serious injuries. police across brazil have been ordered to prevent road blockades you and the invasion of public buildings, after supporters of the former president jair bolsonaro called for new protests. officials say they are determined to repeat

the bbc�*s james waterhouse, who's in kyiv, gave us his assessment of the situation.s on the eastern front of ukraine. it is an area where contract soldiers, a private army called the wagner group, is doing the bulk of russia's fighting, and they are throwing everything at the town of soledar and bakhmut to try and achieve some immediate gain. we're in a phase of this conflict where they are throwing everything at it, at a huge human cost. and i wouldn't be surprised to see ukraine make some kind of tactical retreat to wait for russian forces to exhaust themselves, if you like. for now, kyiv is adamant the defensive lines are holding and they say the wagner group are putting some of their best soldiers into soledar to try and make more immediate gains. the russians are claiming that it has control, but there are, as ever, conflicting reports in terms of the military significance. i wouldn't place too much on soledar. this is about a propaganda trophy for vladimir putin to present to critics back inside russia. the direction of the war i don't think will be influenced

james waterhouse has this report. distant artillery fire the situation in soledar depends on who you ask. it's under control as of this morning according to this ukrainian commander. "they will never break us," says his injured comrade. "we are winning." but if you ask these two, "wagner are clearing the city," they say. russian, yes, but not from the regular army. they're from a private military group called wagner, a network of mercenaries who do a lot of russia's fighting. its boss, yevgeny prigozhin, has recently recruited convicts from russianjails, and they've been spearheading the attack on soledar, claiming to now be in full control. we chat to one ukrainian soldier on the front to see if that's the case. don't believe russian propaganda. it's not true. bakhmut and soledar have ukrainian control. kyiv has described the battle for soledar and bakhmut as the bloodiest scenario yet. and that's all we can say with real certainty. small amounts of territory are being fiercely fought over and the human cost is huge.

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv region.ause of risk of flooding, saying that it is "prudent to plan for the worst". pumping began yesterday to clear water off the somerset levels with authorities keen to avoid a repeat of the 2014 floods that devastated the area. our west of england correspondent danjohnson is at northmoor green in somerset. this is one of the pumping stations at the centre of this serious effort to try and clear some of the floodwater before it gets into people's homes and they know here how devastating that can be because they've suffered so badly in the past. that's why so many residents here are tonight really concerned. the somerset levels are once again submerged, and people here are holding their breath. we've got winter barley, winter oats under water, grass seed underwater. farmers risk losing more thanjust crops, and there is frustration. it's coming up so fast. we have a press release saying 7—10 days before pumps are in. a lot of that is red tape. the trigger points were put in place so we'd hav

let's talk to our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse who is in kyiv.ume that these missile strikes are a direct result of the announcement around tanks? mast announcement around tanks? most --eole announcement around tanks? most peeple here — announcement around tanks? most peeple here are _ announcement around tanks? i’j�*if?3ii people here are making that connection. and i think it's justified cynicism, to be honest with you. because, this is russia, partly, continuing its tactic of targeting ukraine's infrastructure, to deprive people of water and energy, to effectively try and make them give up on the wall, to lessen their appetites to fight. thus far, it has not worked. but also, russia doesn't seem to be letting up on this strategy. there are questions overjust how long it can keep this up, how many drones or missiles does it have. but this morning once again, we along with many across the city were underground, we were told 30 missiles were in the air and half were shut down, but they were drone strikes in the early hours. this is also a signifi

our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, reports.t mining town under russian assault, soledar has become a story of carnage and contradiction. after months of bloody fighting, an attempt by russia to give a clear message. for the first time, a claim, to be in complete control, and that this town is the start of something bigger. "the capture of soledar became possible due to the constant "destruction of the enemy," says russia's defence ministry. "by ground attack, aircraft, missiles, and artillery." but ukraine is saying... "fighting continues in soledar. "our troops are holding defence against the enemy." ukraine has resisted russia's attack here for months. the price is getting heavier. translation: we will never give up. - this is our soledar, our city, and we will not give it to anyone. ukraine is ours. as soon as we see the russian soldiers, we will hit them. the kremlin has not had anything to cheer about for the last six months since it last captured a major location. soledar would change that, but it's also why kyiv is hinti

james bought a house there in kyiv —— james waterhouse.e significantly this week with the possible delivery of more heavy tanks from western allies for the ukrainian forces. the nato secretary—general says it's a pivotal moment for the war. much of focus has been on germany and the supply of the leopard 2 tank. germany has yet to give formal approval but an announcement is expected soon. the leopard 2 is lighter than other tanks and there are plenty available across europe. the americans are considering supplying the abrams tank to ukraine — discussions are said to be at an advanced stage. the uk has already promised ukraine some challenger 2 tanks. it's the british army's main battle tank — there are 14 to be sent. let's speak to our europe editor katya adler. germany has been under so much pressure. what about the prospects of a change in the conflict as well? the prospects _ in the conflict as well? the prospects are _ in the conflict as well? the prospects are looking - in the conflict as well? tue: prospects are looking good, in the c