now to jonathan blake i closer to that dream. thank you, james. now to jonathan blake in | james. ews of nicola sturgeon's departure? surprise as much as anywhere, wherever you happen to be in the united kingdom nicola sturgeon probably enjoys more recognition than many senior politicians here at westminster might do. it is the prominence that she has achieved as first minister of scotland which supporters but also opponents of hers are acknowledging in their statements today as they mark our departure, which has come out of the blue for people at westminster as it has for people everywhere today, although mps aren't here, parliament is on it's half term break, as people digest the news, nicola sturgeon's decision will lead big questions about devolution as a whole, how much power should be transferred from westminster to the devolved nations, for independence of course the big question and for the other parties, the snp�*s gains came at largely labour's expenses of labour and the conservatives are seeing this as an opportunity to regain ground in scotland. jonathan blake, regain g

jonathan, thank you for that, jonathan blake _ inflation down. ccess in the hunt for the pea—sized radioactive capsule lost in the austalian outback. coming up on the bbc news channel. tottenham manager antonio conte looks set to miss this weekend's clash against manchester city. he is to undergo surgery to remove his gall bladder, after suffering with severe abdominal pain. large crowds are expected in the american city of memphis, for the funeral of the black man tyre nichols. five black police officers have been charged, in connection with the 29—year—old's death. the vice president kamala harris, and the family of george floyd, who was killed by a police officer in minneapolis in 2020, will attend the service. 0ur north america editor, sarah smith, has more from memphis. large crowds are expected to brave freezing temperatures in memphis to attend the funeral of 29—year—old tyre nichols. a eulogy will be delivered by the veteran civil rights campaigner the reverend al sharpton. what happened to tyre is a disgrace to this country. there's no ot

jonathan blake reporting from westminster. jonathan blake reporting from westminster.ister, liz truss, has blamed what she's called a "powerful economic establishment" and a lack of support from the conservative party for her downfall. liz truss was forced to resign as prime minster after barely seven weeks, after her package of tax cuts caused panic in the markets and the pound dropped to a record low. earlier, the former conservative cabinet minister david gauke gave us his view. i think it's a pretty unconvincing case, in all honesty. the fact is that the government pursued a fiscal strategy, a tax and spend policy that did not have credibility. the markets took flight, interest rates rose accordingly, the pound fell and the uk faced a real problem and market crisis, and that was a consequence of a reckless approach to the public finances. and i don't think there's really an indication from liz truss that she probably recognises that or recognises the errors that she made and her chancellor made in pursuing a policy that undermined market confidence. i spoke to henr

jonathan blake, bbc news.n regions, after a heat wave sparked forest fires that left at least 13 people dead. more than 100 homes have been affected and 117,000 hectares of forest destroyed since the wildfires broke out on wednesday. stephanie prentice reports scenes of devastation in chile. these are just some of the homes razed the ground by fires raging out of control. some of the people living here in santa juana trying desperately to save their communities. doing what they can to salvage the dry earth on arable land. thousands of firefighters and civilian support crews have been sent out to try and contain the fires on the ground between the capital, santiago, and southern farming regions. but on friday, a helicopter trying to assist them came down, killing two of the rescuers. 0ther civilians have died trying to flee in cars through the smoke, at least two when their car crashed. translation: i want you to know l we are not going to leave you alone. today the priority is to put out the fire. that's what

jonathan blake, bbc news.tures of nicola bulley, who went missing while walking next to the river wyre in lancashire, have been released showing her on the morning of her disappearance. police have said their assumption is that she fell into the river — and today many members of the local communityjoined the search to find her. a key witness, who was pushing a pram near where ms bulley disappeared nine days ago has come forward. here's danny savage. this is nicola bulley leaving home on the day she vanished. in the pictures first obtained by the bbc, she can be seen setting off on the school run, putting her spaniel, willow, in the boot. her family released these pictures to show exactly what she was wearing. for days, police have been searching for any trace of the mother of two young girls. today was no different. what did seem very obvious was the large number of other people out, too. this is the bench where nicky's mobile phone was found a week last friday. today is dry and sunny and the number of people

jonathan blake, bbc news.s returned to its former grandeur. 0ur reporter emb hashmi has more. elaborate opera, dancing and sparkling masks are back with a bang in venice. the two week—long festivities were launched by this colourful unicorn, a magical creature that transports dreamers to the stars. the narrow alleys and bridges of the city were lit up by dazzling dancers and spectacular floats for the parade down the canal grande. over the next two weeks the city will be filled with thousands of tourists from across italy and the world. translation: it's great, it's magical, what else i is there to say? come and feel the spirit here! masked balls are held in ancient venetian palaces, while concerts and gondola parades are organised in the piazzas and canals, and costumed participants gather at the epicentre, saint mark's square. the tradition of this carnival dates back to the 11th century, and it is still going strong. emb hashby, bbc news. and that is all from me for now. thank you for watching. goodbye. hel

jonathan blake, bbc news. nick eardley is in manchester for us.be achieved? that five missions, the question remains, how will they be achieved?— how will they be achieved? that is one of the main _ how will they be achieved? that is one of the main criticisms. - how will they be achieved? that is one of the main criticisms. there l one of the main criticisms. there was not a great deal of detail about how the missions will be delivered. there was talk about potentially having the fastest growing economy in the g7 by the end of the first labour term but no specifics on how the labour party intends to do it. artistic criticism we have heard from the conservative party already, there were no new ideas about how to improve the uk. hard to look at that speech are see keir starmer as a leader who feels increasingly confident he will be the next prime minister. there was talk about what he will do in the first but also acknowledge what we do in the second term of a labour government, talking about a so—called decade of renewal. no guarantee any of that

jonathan blake, bbc news.minated water. hms portland returned to portsmouth after the incident, which is thought to have been caused when a crew member put the wrong chemical into the ship's drinking water system. nearly all of the sailors have been discharged from hospital. the ministry of defence said it's taking measures to safeguard personnel. and just before we go, how's this for beginner's luck? 18—year—old juliette lamourjust scooped nearly $36 million in canada's gold ball lottery jackpot on her first try. although she's the youngest canadian to ever win such a big prize, she still plans to finish her university studies and become a doctor. this is bbc news. hello there. a tale of two halves with the weather for this weekend. there's a lot of cloud around today, and that's because we've got a weather front slipping southwards, it's mild air, as well, it is mostly cloudy. tomorrow behind our weather front, it looks as if we a good deal of sunshine. but we do change from this mild air ahead of that weath

jonathan blake, bbc news. ends. it�*s the last opportunity for healthy people, aged between 16 and a9, to get a top—up if they haven�*t already. nhs england says almost 400,000 appointments are still available. a 16—year—old girl has died after being attacked by a shark in western australia. she was pronounced dead after being pulled from the swan river in perth. reports say the girl was riding jet skis with friends when the incident happened and local police say it�*s possible the girl had jumped in the water to swim with dolphins nearby. it�*s believed to be the first fatal shark attack in the swan river in a hundred years. the royal navy is conducting an investigation after sailors on a warship needed hospital treatment for drinking contaminated water. hms portland returned to portsmouth after the incident, which is thought to have been caused when a crew member put the wrong chemical into the ship�*s drinking water system. nearly all of the sailors have been discharged from hospital. the ministry of defenc

and _ action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster.re _ action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and we are going i action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and we are going to l westminster. and we are going to talk more about the strikes after 2.30, but now let's look at some of the other main stories. two men, mohamed el abboud and kusai al—jundi, have been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years, for killing a 71—year—old woman in a plot to steal her life savings and take over her rental properties. louise kam disappeared injuly 2021. her body was eventually found dumped in a rubbish bin the following month, and she'd been strangled. helena wilkinson has more from the old bailey. this is 71—year—old businesswoman louise kam, who was callously murdered for her money. the two men, who she met through a mutualfriend, targeted louise for her property in a sophisticated fraud. in this video, filmed at one of the properties she rented, el—abboud is seen boasting to his friends about his new lifestyle. he

jonathan blake, bbc news.al correspondent, jonathan blake. just to pick up on the theme you are exploring in the report, the idea that these are sort of a way of bringing together different threads in government, rather thanjust in government, rather than just seeing in government, rather thanjust seeing as tony blair did 97, here is our pledge on education in class, pledge on health, south facing these things will apply across government. it's an —— ambitious idea, how practical to people at westminster think it can be? i practical to people at westminster think it can be?— think it can be? i think it's certainly _ think it can be? i think it's certainly not _ think it can be? i think it's certainly not the - think it can be? i think it's certainly not the first - think it can be? i think it's certainly not the first time think it can be? i think it's - certainly not the first time we've heard talk of a new way of government or of rewiring the machinery of whitehall to do things more efficiently and achieve t

and jonathan blake gave us some of the reaction that we have been getting today from westminster.much as anywhere. _ today from westminster. surprise, as much as anywhere. wherever - today from westminster. surprise, as much as anywhere. wherever you - much as anywhere. wherever you happen to be in the united kingdom. nicola sturgeon probably enjoys more recognition than many senior politicians here at westminster might do. and it is the prominence that she has achieved as first minister of scotland, which supporters and also opponents of hers are acknowledging in their statements today, as they mark her departure, which has come out of the blue for people at westminster, as it has for people everywhere. although mps are not here, parliament is on it's half term break as people digest the news. nicola sturgeon's departure will leave the question is what devolution is a whole. how much power should be transferred from westminster to devolved nations? for independence, the big question for the snp and other parties, the snp gains came largely as labour's expense, so labour on the co

our political correspondent jonathan blake, has more. they chant. by nhs staff in england. nurses, ambulance workers, physiotherapists and others are due to strike in the coming days. as industrial action continues by unions demanding higher pay, they are trying to put pressure on the government to negotiate. i can categorically say to you we are in no talks at any level whatsoever with the government about pay in the nhs. that is a real abdication of responsibility. why is rishi sunak not coming to the table? what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! _ in wales, some unions have suspended strikes to consider a new offer from the labour—run welsh government. but uk government ministers responsible for setting pay in england are showing no sign of giving ground. i don't think we need to be having these strikes at all. the reality is, as i said, actually, over a million nhs workers got a pay rise last year when there wasn't one on offer. there is a pay rise on the table this year. and just to clarify one point, the government has actually, t

our political correspondent jonathan blake, has more. years experience in the ambulance servicejoanne never thought she would find herself striking. while this dispute is primarily about pay, forjoanne it is also about the state of the health service and the delays patience and ambulance crews face because of the pressures on the system. i because of the pressures on the s stem. , , system. i feel sick sometimes because i _ system. i feel sick sometimes because i think _ system. i feel sick sometimes because i think those - system. i feel sick sometimes because i think those people i system. i feel sick sometimes - because i think those people outside waiting for ambulances could be your auntie or mum and dad, brother or sister. once we arrive at a patient was my house and they have been waiting ten hours for an ambulance, we get the backlash. people shout at us, where have you been? we have been waiting hours. then we have to try and explain it is not ourfault and we are really sorry and we just feel sad and frustrated. i5 and we are re

jonathan blake is in westminster for us — what are the political repercussions of this?t was greeted with a slight shock and surprise at westminster as it was 400 miles away in edinburgh. and that perhaps is something of a mark of nicola sturgeon and her prominence in the role of first minister that she has come to define her time in office through what has been a turbulent time in scottish politics as it has been of course for uk politics as a whole. with the tributes that i come from her political opponents as well as her supporters have also come comments and attempts to try to shift the political narrative away from independence. and try to use this as an opportunity certainly from the labour party and the conservative party point of view to regain ground in scotland. 0ne party point of view to regain ground in scotland. one said it was the end of an era and what will come next we just do not know. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. what is in store? most of us will get sunshine today but the weather picture is changeable. across the highlands of sc

jonathan blake, bbc news.s been shot down by an american fighterjet, off the coast of south carolina. the balloon, which the us says was being used to spy on military sites, appeared to plummet straight into the sea. china says it was a weather observation device which strayed off course. tim allman reports. for days now, all eyes have been on the solitary object floating serenely through us airspace. was it a harmless weather balloon, or a spy in the sky sent by the chinese? whatever it was, the american government had decided enough was enough. look at that trail of light vapour on the left of your screen. that is a us f—22 fighterjet, streaking towards the balloon. then, a second trail. this time from sidewinder missile, about to bring itsjourney to an sidewinder missile, about to bring its journey to an abrupt end. suddenly we saw something take off from thejet, we knew suddenly we saw something take off from the jet, we knew it was a missile, and you could see the explosion, didn't hear anything, missile,

our political correspondent jonathan blake has more. rishi jonathan blake has more.ned to downi street rishi sunak returned to downing street after what he said were positive talks with political parties in northern ireland as expectations rise of an agreement with the eu to sort out post—brexit problems. with the eu to sort out post-brexit roblems. , ., ., ~' with the eu to sort out post-brexit roblems. , ., ., ~ ., ., problems. there is more work to do and that is — problems. there is more work to do and that is why _ problems. there is more work to do and that is why my _ problems. there is more work to do and that is why my ministerial- and that is why my ministerial colleagues and i will continue talking to the european union intensely to find solutions that reflect the belfast and friday agreement and our place in the single market.— agreement and our place in the single market. under the protocol which came _ single market. under the protocol which came into _ single market. under the protocol which came into the _ single market. under the protocol which came

with president zelensky in a show support for the ukrainian war. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blakee would meet cara sir keir starmer. no sir keir starmer has returned the compliment. this is sir keir starmer _ has returned the compliment. this is sir keir starmer his _ has returned the compliment. this is sir keir starmer his first _ has returned the compliment. this is sir keir starmer his first visit - has returned the compliment. this is sir keir starmer his first visit to - sir keir starmer his first visit to ukraine from a year ago. i had of that anniversary, sir keir starmer has meant resident zielinski in the capital, kyiv, and we're told he has gone there to demonstrate neighbours unwavering support in the fight against russian aggression. as well as meeting the president in the capital he has gone to other areas to see russian war crimes. and here is explained in a little bit more about his reasoning behind it. it is imortant about his reasoning behind it. it is important for— about his reasoning behind it. it is important for me to be here in ukraine— important for me to

let's get more from our political correspondent jonathan blake.inventions-— questions from the opposition inventions. ., , ., inventions. how did you do? there was a show — inventions. how did you do? there was a show of _ inventions. how did you do? there was a show of unity _ inventions. how did you do? there was a show of unity from - inventions. how did you do? there was a show of unity from the i inventions. how did you do? there| was a show of unity from the prime minister and dominic raab and they side by side by side as they face payments or questions. he would usually be there but notably not staying away at this difficult time for him as this an investigation into eight formal complaints about his behaviour as secretary of state forjustice as foreign secretary and brexit secretary as well gets under way. sir keir starmer going on a tech to the prime minister and pressing him over what he knew about concerns around dominic rob heavier. before he appointed him as prime minister when he took office. pressed on that, the primary server said

jonathan blake, many thanks.— new figures show even though we narrowly avoided falling into recession in 2022, there was no growth at all in the final three months of the year. more than 21,000 people are now known to have been killed in earthquakes in turkey and syria — the united nations warns the full extent of destruction still isn't clear. an raf plane has been sent to turkey providing aid for those left homeless by the quakes. friends of the missing lancashire woman nicola bulley are marking two weeks since her disappearance with fresh attempts to find information. they will hold up posters of her along the roads close to where she was last seen walking her dog in st michael's on wyre. police believe she fell into the water but say they're keeping an open mind and have expanded the search area. nick garnett has this report. two weeks ago, nicola bulley spent the morning getting her children ready for school and taking the dog for a walk. nicola was seen by a fellow dog walker at 8:50. and then again at 9:10

britain a "clean energy superpower" and cut health inequalities. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blakecould do better. i will never accept that this country is destined for decline, that our best days belong to the past. success is all around us. it just needs direction. people have huge ambitions for their community. theyjust need a government that matches their ambition. too often, he said, the uk lurched from crisis to crisis, and promised a new way of governing, with more long—term planning and fewer short—term fixes. a relentless focus on a clear set of priorities. an answer to the widespread call to fix the fundamentals. a long—term plan to unlock our pride and our purpose. a profound statement of intent, mission—driven government. those missions are broad themes, not specific pledges. economic growth, the nhs, clean energy, equal opportunities and crime would, sir keir said, form the backbone of labour's plan for government. the fastest—growing economy in the g7. a clean energy superpower. public services that lift us up. a mission—driven government that will end sticking plaste

. _ joining me now is our political correspondent, jonathan blake. of the economy _ in many sectors. yes, across huge parts of the economy and - in many sectors. yes, across huge parts of the economy and across i in many sectors. yes, across huge i parts of the economy and across the public sector there are strikes happening, as we have seen today and are set to continue happening in the coming weeks and months. unions representing workers on the railways, in schools, in hospitals, in the civil service and elsewhere and they continue their calls for above inflation pay increases, which they say are needed by their members in order to cope with the rising cost of living and subsequent below inflation pay increases in previous years, which have seen their earnings fall, they argue, in real terms. but in the face of all that action, that escalating industrial action, that escalating industrial action we are seeing, the government public position remains firm. they say it would be wrong to concede to the union's demands and other public sector workers ab

let�*s get more on this now with our political correspondent, jonathan blake. sturgeon that we expect to be confirmed at the news conference in the next half an hour or so. and people perhaps asking having seen the exchange with laura kuenssberg a few weeks ago, what has changed since then, or maybe she didn�*t have a choice, whatever was on her mind about her political future, to answer questions in those terms. because had she given even the slightest hint she was thinking about stepping off the political stage then it would have been seized on as a signal that she was on her way out. but it�*s a quiet week in westminster, as it is in edinburgh. parliament is on recess so no mps are here to diejust parliament is on recess so no mps are here to die just the news. they are here to die just the news. they are all away in their constituencies. but given her prominence as first minister in scotland, of course, as we have been reflecting, her influence and impact in that role has been felt far beyond the scottish parliament and far beyond scotland and across the re