but what makes this cold snap different is it's expected to affect the whole of the uk. temperatures could fall as low as —8, but it will feel much chillier because of the wind. there could be increased pressure on already stretched nhs services, and councils are providing extra emergency beds for rough sleepers. in ipswich, it's being done in partnership with the local housing association. the main aim is always to get people off the street and to stop people from dying in the cold weather. and to date, we have been pretty successful. next thursday is the meteorological start of spring. but that appears to be on hold, as winter continues to bite. let's stay with the weather and find out how it's looking, with helen. good evening. if you were outside of the wind, it felt pleasant enough, as the air gets colder it will feel much colder. white raw in the days ahead. it's because we have had wind

pushing in from siberia, it will be frosty overnight, a hard frost, —6 also in the suburbs. some frost around sunday morning, a little bit of cloud around but it should melt away. there will be more cloud for the coming day across the east of scotla nd the coming day across the east of scotland and england. it is a little grey, a few snow flurries. in contrast, less cloud in the western isles of scotland and northern ireland, not really helping the temperatures. add on the strength of the wind and it will feel better. tomorrow night we see an increasing threat of flickr cloud. —— thicker cloud. another bitterly cold night. then the risk increases as we go through monday of snow showers. this is bbc news, our latest headlines: the un security council has unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a 30—day ceasefire in syria. it comes as more thanks 500 civilians have been killed in a week in the rebel—held enclave of eastern ghouta in the country. a man and a woman have been charged

with causing death by dangerous driving following a crash which killed two young brothers in coventry. the red cross becomes the latest aid charity to become embroiled in scandal after revealing that more than 20 staff paid for sexual services whilst working for them. the actress emma chambers has died aged 53. she was best known for playing alice tinker in the vicar of dibley. britain is set for its coldest february week in five years, as freezing air, dubbed the beast from the east, arrives from russia. now on bbc news. alastair leithead presents damming the nile. the river nile is the world's longest river. it's where the world's first war over water could be fought.

the first of its two great tributaries, the white nile, flows from lake victoria, but ourjourney begins in ethiopia, following the blue nile from lake tana as it sweeps through africa's grand canyon to where a dam is being built close to the sudan border. lake tana, the source of the river, is a place of myth and legend. it's the biggest lake in ethiopia and many of its 37 islands have their own monasteries. it's a very sacred place for ethiopian orthodox christians. this monastery dates back to the 14th century. some of these paintings are more than 400 years old. the nile appears in

the old testament and legend has it that the ark of the covenant was briefly brought here. but all is not calm on these waters. the struggle for control of this great river is dividing the three countries that share it. the nile is the bringer of life, and from where it launches itself downstream it has the power to bring peace or bring war. this is where the blue nile begins its long journey. from here up in the ethiopian highlands it will cut through caverns and canyons, across flood plains through sudan and egypt and into the delta of the mediterranean sea. around 85% of that water comes from here and that is why a vast new dam being built in ethiopia is dividing nations. this is the grand ethiopian

renaissance dam and it is driving ethiopia's ambitious plans for industrial revolution, to put its growing population to work to power the region and to tame the river, but it's also at the heart of a row that has sucked in sudan and egypt and threatens peace in this part of africa. when it's finished, this will be the largest hydroelectric power station in africa and one of the biggest dams on the continent. it will not only power this country but the surrounding countries as well. ethiopia didn't even ask the countries downstream before it started building. that is the scale of this country's ambition. after just five years of work, it's almost two thirds complete. this project is a project that is being built by ethiopians and that will benefit other african brothers, sisters

and other countries. the project manager says it is costing at least $4.5 billion and that is probably an underestimate. he insists that downstream countries shouldn't worry as it is not consuming any water. this is a hydroelectric project. it is a non—water—consuming scheme project that is only dedicated to generate electricity. this shows how the government of ethiopia, how the people of the nations, are committed themselves to eradicate our common enemy — poverty. the construction works are impressive. this second dam sweeps across a 5km valley, joining two mountains to create the edge of a vast reservoir. all this and a lot more will be flooded. 0nce finished and filled, it will cover more than 1,800 square

kilometres, larger than the size of greater london. it will flood the blue nile for nearly 250km upstream. if it is filled too fast, it will reduce the amount of water that flows to sudan and egypt. thousands of people have already been moved to make way for the lake. the power lines are ready and waiting for the electricity the dam will provide. 70% of ethiopia — that's 70 million people — don't have electricity. it is holding back the country's grand plans for development and it is why people support a project they are paying for. translation: if we had electricity, we would be able to get what the village needs. for instance, the villagers here make a living by farming. if we had electricity, we would be able to create jobs on our own, including metal and woodwork. as well as that, we would also be able to own tvs, a fridge

and so many other things. modernisation is already changing life in the capital, addis ababa. this is east africa's first metro system. the amount of construction going on speaks volumes. ethiopia wants to pull its people out of poverty, to create jobs and get over its historic image of drought and famine. it's africa's fastest—growing economy right now, but with a population set to double in 30 years, it needs to grow even fasterjust to keep up, hence the need for cheap renewable energy. but the cost of government ambition is human rights, freedom of speech and democracy. protests across the country are being crushed. to the government, development is everything. it is one of the most important flagship projects for ethiopia. it is a project that

will transform the country, it's very important. there is money to spend and the minister says that people will pay for the dam through a lottery, contributions and taxes. he insists that despite its fears, egypt will get more rather than less water. it's not about control of the flow, it's really about providing opportunities for us to develop our service. it has a lot of benefit for the downstream countries. construction on the dam is going on around the clock, such is the urgency to get this built and generate power, but because ethiopia didn't consult with egypt or sudan before starting construction work during the arab

spring, talks between the three countries keep collapsing. a new political order is emerging and egypt doesn't like it. i've spoken to senior people in ethiopia who have said that they are afraid of a war with egypt over water. that they might bomb this dam. that's the level of anger. what do you think about that? i don't think so. these kind of extreme ideas are not welcome. this will not happen in this region, i am sure. there is no record in history of war erupting because of water. the water belongs to all of us. we have to develop it in responsible ways, not thinking about war. but whatever he says, the blue nile can now be controlled by ethiopia and that is a big concern for egypt when so much of the water that reaches cairo comes from here. sudan, however, its next stop,

likes the look of the cheap electricity heading its way. the waters of the nile bring life to sudan. one of the world's biggest irrigation schemes was created here more than a century ago to grow cotton for britain's industrial revolution, but now it is the gulf states who need what sudan can grow. the blue nile heads north through these vast irrigated lands to join the white nile before meandering through a desert steeped in ancient history. we are following it to ask if a row over who controls its flow could lead to war. it's here in khartoum that the blue nile and the white nile meet and merge and then head north to egypt. the river has travelled about a third of the way from its source to the sea and is growing and strengthening in size.

so what does sudan, this vast country now emerging from years of us sanctions, think about ethiopia building this dam upstream? well, it thinks it's a great idea. land is not in short supply and with the power of the sun and the waters of the nile, sudan's agricultural potential is huge. this is alfalfa, top—quality cattle feed, and this farm can cut nine harvests a year for local cows, but primarily for export to the middle east. sudan has the right to take billions of gallons of water every year through old treaties with egypt, but claims it hasn't been using its full allocation. the suggestion it now might is a source of tension with its northern neighbour. this farm is owned by a massive private company that does everything from agriculture to mining, from cars to earth—movers to health care.

its owner is sudan's richest man, who designed his own golf course in khartoum. for sudan, it is wonderful. it is the best thing that has happened for a long time and i think the combination of energy and regular water levels is a great blessing. cheap electricity can be used for a lot more than just keeping your cows properly air—conditioned. it can bring faster development to sudan, which isjust emerging from decades of crippling us sanctions and wants to take advantage of the opportunities. what do you think about the row between ethiopia and egypt about this dam? the nile is the lifeline of egypt so for them, i wouldn't say they're paranoid, but they are very concerned about anything to do with that water. and the nile is a lifeline

to sudan as well. welcome to the first—ever festival of music and culture in this village. this village is about half a day's drive north of khartoum. it was abandoned 20 years ago, the mud houses left without roofs as the villagers moved away from the river banks to avoid catastrophic flooding. this woman remembers two huge floods from when she was a child. her father was mayor. this was their house. translation: it's an image from my life i will never forget. when the 1976 flood hit, it was during the date harvest,

so people used boats to collect the harvest. it has lasted three weeks. the whole village left, but now a dam upstream regulates the flow of water so it doesn't flow as high, meaning they can hold festivals here and people can move back to this village, especially if there is cheap electricity on the way. it's a time of change in khartoum. with the lifting of sanctions, there is a strong cafe culture where issues of the day are discussed. most people here are in favour of the dam. our experience shows that it is a blessing

to downstream countries, especially if the intention is power generation. do you think there is politics between the changing fortunes of the three countries? water in general is becoming politicised not only in this region but elsewhere, but i think there will always be a political case involving the three countries, i think it will work out. he's diplomatic, but this is far from resolved. talks between the three countries have collapsed and tensions across the whole region are growing as a result of it. the rivalries go back to the time of the pyramids —

the sudanese pyramids. this isjebel barkal and these are more than 2,000 years old. for a short time, the nubian kush empire ruled egypt from here. this was their capital. powers rise and fall but all are linked by one great river. this is egypt, the next stop on our trip and what a way to see it. we are flying in a hot air balloon over luxor. the sun isjust coming up, it's a stunning way to see this country. the reason we're here is to understand and get an explanation of why it is egypt is so opposed to this dam that ethiopia is

building way up the nile. even though egypt built the dam for its own development, it is angry with ethiopia's plan. from luxor, we will follow the river to cairo and onto the delta, the heart of the country's agriculture, where water really is everything. the pharaohs used to worship the river as a god. egypt, they said, was the gift of the nile. civilisations flourished here on the banks of the river. these temples represent thousands of years of wealth and power. they are part of egypt's proud national identity. you don't take something so set in stone and accept another country

damming the nile upstream and threatening your lifeline. the ancient egyptians considered the nile as lifeblood. it was life itself. why? because they used the nile for everything. the nile was alive and still is alive for egyptian people in egypt. and decades ago, egypt decided the best way to protect its interests was to build a dam. work on the aswan high dam began in 1960 and took ten years. it created the giant lake nasser, nearly three times bigger than the new ethiopian reservoir will be. it regulated the flooding of the nile, generated power and a agricultural lands to be indicated. tens of tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes

and an ancient egyptian temple had to be moved brick by brick, but it was a symbol of great pride — a nationalist project projecting power for revolutionary post—colonial egypt. it has been good for this man, who at 60 has been a fisherman on the nile for a0 years, like his father and grandfather before him. translation: our life and livelihood depends on the nile. we as a family lived by the river. we fished, we grow crops on the islands in the nile. our cattle are fed from the nile. if they dam the river, there will be wars and fighting.

and there are even bigger concerns downstream in chaotic cairo. egypt relies on the nile for almost all its water but the population is growing fast. but the government argues 12: 4.52.25: freezers; 5.52.45; — —~————~ —— -,,-, 7— m— using it efficiently and importing wheat rather than using water to grow it. egypt's water minister says one big threat is climate change. the second threat is unilateral action in upstream countries, it will have severe impacts downstream and this is a threat if not coordinated one.

how angry are you? i am extremely angry because we are responsible for our nation which is 100 million. one of the key things i would mention to you, if the water coming to egypt is used by 2%, what does this mean? we lose about 200,000 acres of land. one acre at least. if one acre makes one family survive, the average family in egypt is five persons, so it means one million will be jobless. he says that means more migrants heading to europe and more people to be recruited by terror groups. europe and egypt are suffering from what is happening in syria and libya and other countries, so what if egypt is added to these countries? what will happen? it is an international security issue. experts say egypt has the right to be angry. a dam was being discussed but ethiopia started building without telling egypt during the arab spring.

the impact downstream has not been properly assessed and although the great ethiopian renaissance dam would extract water, filling it too quickly will reduce the flow downstream and it is a trust issue. ethiopia can now control the river. it is very much a game changer. now if ethiopia is combining the physical power of being upstream country that can in one way or another control the nile flow and the economic power of being able to construct a dam depending on its own domestic resources, so, yeah, it's an indication, it is a manifestation that the power balance is changing in the region, economically, politically and strategically as well. the last stretch of the nile is where its famous cotton is grown alongside crops like rice, a notoriously thirsty crop.

irrigating fields by flooding them is one reason why so much water is wasted. the delta is sinking as the dam stops being replenished, the reason the nile flood plains were so productive to begin with. it is now polluted, fish are dying and people are getting poorer. saltwater is moving gradually upstream. it is sad to see how this great river ends up. this is it, this is where the river nile reaches the end of its long journey. this behind me is the mediterranean sea. you can see the waves coming in, this is now saltwater. whatever egypt says or does, ethiopia is building this dam. it's not an idea or a plan, it's a thing. it can already control the flow of the river nile. egypt has been strong enough to dominate the countries upstream but that is changing.

talk of war is a foolish thing to do to solve political prices and every one we have spoken to, nobody thinks that is going to happen, but this is a really serious problem and needs to be sorted out quickly. the nile is the place where the world's first war over water can be avoided. this could even become a model of how countries can learn to share great rivers. but, for now, it's up to ethiopia, sudan and egypt to navigate tensions on the world's longest river. good evening. it has felt cold

today, but there was an abundance of sunshine and that certainly helps this late in february and there will be another fine day for sunday. frosty first thing with the cold air still penetrating across the uk, but if anything the air will get cold in the coming few days and it will feel more bitter, especially as the wind strengthens, but as we go through the evening we have more cloud coming into eastern parts and week at have the odd snow flurry in aberdeen and maybe these areas right on the coast avoid the frost but for most it will be another frosty and cold start on sunday morning, minus 5--6 cold start on sunday morning, minus 5——6in cold start on sunday morning, minus 5——6 in rural areas. any cloud will melt away and the prospects are bright for the west of cornwall, also the parts of northern ireland and western scotland which were plagued by thicker cloud, more sunshine is in the cards tomorrow but the wind is still brisk. if you

can escape the brisk wind it will feel pleasant enough in the sunshine, but no higher than 11—5 and it gets colder. into monday the increasing risk of snow showers and another cold night, as it comes into the cold air falling on the services there is a risk for monday morning of snow showers and the risk increases as we go through the day on monday. mostly as showers initially, you can see the east to the wind strengthening, moving into eastern areas, but masses of snow starting to develop across the north sea and that is starting to develop across the north sea and that ing! concern, starting to develop across the north sea and that ing! freezing starting to develop across the north sea and that isqm! freezing on just a few degrees above freezing on monday, factor in the strength of the wind and it will feel colder. add 1—2, the wind and it will feel colder. add 1-2, that the wind and it will feel colder. add 1—2, that will be a reasonable temperature for the week ahead when they could be below freezing by several degrees celsius. you factor in the wind and it will feel cold and these are the forecasts for tuesday and wednesday, it will feel

bitterfor tuesday and wednesday, it will feel bitter for many. taking tuesday and wednesday, it will feel bitterfor many. taking it tuesday and wednesday, it will feel bitter for many. taking it further ahead into the middle of next week, you can see the depth of blue coming across the country, siberian air, very dry initially, the increasing threat of snow, especially as we go through tuesday and then may be late in the week, as well. keep watching the forecast. this is bbc world news today. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: after three days of haggling, the united nations finally agrees on a ceasefire resolution for syria. the security council, including russia, backs a call for a 30—day pause, as the number of dead from government strikes on a rebel—held enclave tops 500. we may not know the faces that we're talking about. we may not know their names, 01’

talking about. we may not know their names, or these people, talking about. we may not know their names, orthese people, but talking about. we may not know their names, or these people, but they know us. and we all failed them this week. two major us airlines, delta and united, become the latest firms to cut ties with the powerful national rifle association in response to the florida school shooting. china calls for the withdrawal of the new us sanctions package against north korea, described by president trump on friday as the "largest ever".