Profits at UK energy giant Centrica more than triple

British energy firm Centrica has reported record profits of £3.3bn, more than three times its earnings the year before. The news has sparked fresh calls for energy producers to pay more tax, as households struggle with the cost of gas and electricity. Julia Chapman reports.

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SNP SEARCH FOR NEW LEADER AND FIRST MINISTER

The process to replace Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland is getting underway.

She announced on Wednesday that she'd be stepping after over eight years in the role.

It could affect the prospects for Scotland becoming independent from the rest of the UK.

Journalist Andrew Neil claims that's a critical factor in her resignation.

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Russia fires multiple rockets across Ukraine overnight

Russia fired a number of missiles overnight in a bid to damage
Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

And Ukraine's President says fighting on the ground is fierce around
the besieged city of Bakhmut.

William Denselow reports from Kyiv.

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Australia – Killing of police motivated by religion

The shooting deaths of two police officers on the Western Downs in the state of Queensland has been declared an act of domestic terrorism. 

Detectives have provided an update revealing the killers, members of the Train family, were motivated by religion when the ambush took place at Wiembilla (Wee am billa) in December. 

Shaun Bindley reports 

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COURTESY AIR NEWS MEDIA - AUSTRALIA 

Pakistan hikes taxes ahead of bailout talks with IMF

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Pakistan has raised taxes on several goods and services in the country ahead of key bailout package talks with the International Monetary Fund.

Islamabad is seeking a $1.2 billion tranche for the country as its foreign exchange reserves have dipped dangerously.

Ishan Garg reports.

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China says it will retaliate against US over balloon shooting

China says it will retaliate against the US for shooting down a Chinese balloon that Washington accuses of being used for spying. Beijing says the way the US has handled the situation has violated China’s sovereignty. 

Richard Kimber reports from Hong Kong.

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Japan records largest ever trade deficit for January

Japan has recorded the largest ever trade deficit for a single month

Trade figures for January show a record 26-billion dollar shortfall as import prices continue to outpace exports. 

Chris Gilbert reports. 

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Wall St rises on stronger retail sales

US markets rose in Wednesday trading after the latest retail sales
data showed an unexpected jump in buying.

The figures for January showed that consumers are continuing to spend,
despite rising inflation.

Nick Harper reports from New York.

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US actress Raquel Welch dies aged 82

The American actress Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82.

Her manager says her death followed a brief illness.

She won a Golden Globe for her performance in the 1974 production of
"The Three Musketeers" and was nominated for another Golden Globe in
1987.

She shot to fame in the late 1960s, starring in the film One Million
Years BC, a prehistoric drama in which she famously wore a deer-skin
bikini that turned her into one of the most popular models of the era.

In 2012 she told an audience at the Lincoln Center in New York that
she considered herself enormously privileged to have enjoyed a career
stretching back 6 decades.

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Raquel Welch whose death was announced on Wednesday at the age of 82.

Buffalo shooter sentenced to life in prison

The 19 year old gunman who shot and killed 10 black people inside a
Buffalo supermarket last year has been sentenced to life in prison.
The sentencing was briefly interrupted on Wednesday after a man ran
towards the convicted gunman leading to a brief adjournment.
Jody Jacobs has more from New York...

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Judge orders SBF back to court over internet communications

A judge in New York has ordered the founder of the collapsed
cryptocurrency exchange FTX back to court after authorities discovered
he was accessing the internet illegally.

Sam Bankman-Fried is under house arrest in California ahead of his
trial on multi-million dollar fraud charges.

Nick Harper reports from New York.

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US retail sales rise 3%, exceeding estimates

US retail sales rose more than expected in January as consumers continued to buy despite rising inflation.

They increased by 3 per cent according to the commerce department, easily exceeding the Dow Jones estimate of 1.9 per cent.

Our US correspondent Kate Fisher reports

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US man freed after 28 years in jail on wrongful conviction

A man in the U.S. state of Missouri has been freed after spending nearly 28 years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit.  Lamar Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of killing Marcus Boyd - who was shot dead on Johnson's front porch in 1994.

Toni Waterman has more.

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NICOLA STURGEON STANDS DOWN AS SCOTLAND'S FIRST MINISTER

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has resigned - saying while she had wrestled with the decision, she knew in her head and her heart it was the right time to stand down. Ms Sturgeon has led Scotland's government for eight years. It's not clear who will replace her. Laura Makin-Isherwood has more.

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UK inflation slows to 10.1%

Inflation in the UK slowed to 10.1% in January, down from 10.5% the month before. The rate remains higher than in the Eurozone and the U.S. Julia Chapman reports from London.

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U.S Says it Has No Preferred Candidate in Nigeria’s Presidential Election

The United States says it has no preferred candidate in Nigeria's Presidential election on February 25^th.

Correspondent Tesem Akende reports from Jos.

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European Union discusses possible tenth round of Russia sanctions

Officials at the European Union are meeting on Wednesday to discuss a tenth sanctions package against Russia.

The move comes just ten days before February 24th, which marks one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.

Ross Cullen reports.

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Ukraine calls for swifter action from allies

Ukraine's President says its allies must act quickly in delivering
more arms and fresh supplies to its forces.

After a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers Volodimir Zelenskiy says
Ukraine's partners are committed to combating Russian aggression.

William Denselow reports from Kyiv.

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BBC's India offices searched by tax officials

Indian tax officials are conducting what they're calling 'surveys' at the BBC's offices in Delhi and Mumbai.

They say this is linked to alleged tax evasion and irregularities.

The government action comes just weeks after the BBC screened a two-part documentary critical of Mr Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The documentary was not screened in India but the govt blocked its link - using emergency laws to prevent its sharing.

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Air India unveils record order for almost 500 planes

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Air India has unveiled deals to buy 470 planes from Airbus and Boeing, in what is the single largest purchase by an airline.

This follows the privatisation of Air India, which was sold to the Tata Group in 2021.

Rebecca Bundhun reports from Mumbai.

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