this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at nine. flood warnings along the south west and north east coasts — as strong winds drive high tides onshore. meanwhile, work continues to clear roads and railway lines from snow, with most services expected to be back to normal for the start of the working week. german chancellor angela merkel is set to form her fourth government after the social democrats voted in favour ofjoining a new grand coalition. eu trade chiefs say they will retaliate with trade tariffs on us imports if president trump puts extra tax on cars imported to the us from europe. the collapse of carillion — mps say the company was "aggressively managed" to make the balance sheet look better than it was. also in the next hour, a right royal celebration for harry and meghan‘s wedding weekend in may. pubs in england and wales will be able to stay open for an extra two hours on the friday and saturday nights.

oscar hopes for gary oldman for his portrayal of winston churchill. he could be one of the winners at tonight's 90th academy awards. and our sunday morning edition of the papers is at 9.35. this morning ‘s reviewers are coated balls, the political correspond at the spectator and then surely economics correspond and the independent. good morning and welcome to bbc news. snow and ice continue to cause widespread disruption despite temperatures slowly rising. many rail lines remain blocked and drivers have been warned to expect delays. two yellow warnings remain in place, covering much of the uk, while 16 flood warnings have been

issued for the south—west and north—east of england. thousands of homes in cut—off rural communities remain without power. simon clemson reports. with so much snow to melt and even a little more in today's forecast, some will be living with these conditions and the disruption for a while yet. northern england, the midlands, wales and parts of northern ireland could still see further amounts of snow this morning, while scotland faces more coming in from the north sea. the met office is also warning drivers to be aware of ice following lower overnight temperatures. after some train operators simply said "don't travel," services are resuming. but many trains will not run today, with a number of companies on a reduced service. birmingham, cardiff and glasgow airports have reopened, but there are reports of delays and cancellations. some power companies are planning to fly engineers out today to reconnect remote areas.

thousands of homes in cut—off villages remain without power. in devon, work will continue this morning to get supplies to a town and village on the north coast which were cut off. elsewhere, in somerset, farmers say they cannot get their milk out because tankers cannot reach them, meaning they are having to pour thousands of litres away. dairy farming is hard enough without losing money, but at the end of the day, what can we do? it was freak weather. we've just got to get on with it. there are still flood warnings in place along the south—west and north—east coast as the wind whips up the waves. with scotland on standby for snow into tomorrow, the latest spell of weather is not going quietly. our correspondent is in north yorkshire. thejunction

our correspondent is in north yorkshire. the junction remains closed and in the last hour he centres this update. in hourago it centres this update. in hour ago it was still snowing here, that has stopped and it is very cold and there are some fog around as well. the a 66 is closed and there are some local traffic being allowed through, there is a carcoming being allowed through, there is a car coming down you will see in a minute and they how working on a couple of tractors are being led through as well. there was a lorry moving it might be letting a bit of local traffic through. you can see a car is about to come through and there is a highways agency lorry basically blocking the a 66, the road that connects the ai m and the m6 over income rear. it has been shut for three days now. it is a vital cross—country route. as far as the railways, some are getting back to normal, south—east and south—west getting back to normal at great western railway is a nearly normal, average and east coast say they are starting to run trains between scotla nd starting to run trains between scotland and england yesterday and

still nothing on west coast trains in scotland and england at all but there is a bus replacement service which is an improvement on yesterday when there were not even any buses. there is a gradualfor comment but it could be “4 in rural areas, so the cold weather still affecting people right across the uk. president trump has stepped up his rhetoric on trade tariffs, by threatening to impose additional taxes on cars imported to america from europe. the eu had said it would retaliate in kind if mr trump carried out an earlier threat to apply tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. andrew plant reports. the white hot claude steele, this multibillion—dollar global industry has sparked heated sets of trade tariffs and friction between the us and europe. it is disgraceful and would it comes to a time when our...

on thursday donald trump announced plans to levy a 25% tax on steel imports and 10% on aluminium, the current deals he said are bad for the us economy. the european commission president says the eu could retaliate in kind, and tariffs of its own on things the us sales to europe. we buy more steel from the us than any other country... canada opposed the idea, justin trudeau urging mrtrump to opposed the idea, justin trudeau urging mr trump to reconsider. now donald trump has hit back threatening to increase tax on imported european cards, america eu's biggest car market in a tweet he said if the eu wants to further increase the already massive carriers and —— tariffs and barriers on us companies doing business there we will simply apply a tax on their ca i’s we will simply apply a tax on their cars which freely bought into the us and make it impossible for our cars and make it impossible for our cars and more to sell there. big trade imbalance. as yet there has been no

retaliatory response, the white house press secretary simply saying no one should be surprised at mr trump's amendments. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in today's front pages. at 09:30 and 10:30 this morning the papers — our guestsjoining me are katy balls, political correspondent at the spectator and ben chu, economics editor at the independent. in the last hour we have heard from germany that members of germany's ce ntre—left germany that members of germany's centre—left social democratic party have voted clearly in favour of re—entering a coalition government with chancellor angela merkel‘s conservatives. let's get the latest on this from a berlin correspondent jenny hilljoins me now. this has taken months to get this coalition government of the ground, and everybody was waiting for the

support from the social democrats and the have decided to stick with angela merkel. that is correct, germany has been waiting a long time for this, it now has its new government which is in effect a continuation of the last one, a coalition between angela merkel‘s conservatives in the social democrats or spd. it has been a long and painful process that began in september, when a general election saw angela merkel later conservatives to the election result, the social democrats suffered a similarfate. mrs result, the social democrats suffered a similar fate. mrs merkel tried but failed to secure a coalition agreement with two other parties, her preferred option, and finally after a long chronic process she managed to get a coalition agreement with herformer she managed to get a coalition agreement with her former partner is the social democrats but before that could go ahead the spd membership had the final say so it has been in everything we can for mrs merkel as 400,000 spd members went to a postal

ballot to deliver their verdict on whether they wanted to go back into coalition. it has been a painful topic for the spd and there has been a lot of opposition to the idea of working with mrs merkel again. many social democrats blame for years of her shadow for their terrible election showing in september, any still believe that this coalition could destroy the party. it has been a difficult time. finally this morning it was announced in the last hour that two thirds of spd membership voted in favour of that coalitions were germany has its government, in theory angela merkel should be celebrating but this does not feel like much of a victory. that is for several reasons. the social democrat party themselves have torn themselves apart in this process , have torn themselves apart in this process, they have really slumped in the opinion polls as a result and many fearfor the opinion polls as a result and many fear for the future of the party. secondly there is limited public enthusiasm for this coalition government. that is partially because it has been such a painful

process , because it has been such a painful process, people have started to lose faith in the two largest and most established german political parties. and then of course there's the chancellor, angela merkel herself. this means that she will serve a fourth term as the german chancellor, but she has been severely weakened by this process, very damaged, domestically and also in the world stage she has been preoccupied with domestic events for so preoccupied with domestic events for so long now it is most hard to imagine her back leading the european agenda. that is what she hopes to do and certainly what she wa nts to hopes to do and certainly what she wants to deliver, a stable government in germany, it is what she promised to germany. she has given them the government but she has her work cut out to deliver on stability, ruling this country back together and restoring faith but only in her government but in our leadership. the polls have opened in italy in a general election characterised by a divisive campaign, dominated by immigration and the economy. the centre—left government faces a

stiff challenge from a right—wing coalition and the populist 5—star coalition and the populist 5—star coalition which could emerge as the biggest party. let's hear from her let's hearfrom her corresponded gavin lee. let's show you around. we are going toa let's show you around. we are going to a local school here, you can see here what police i think the voters at the moment, we can peek inside. as we thought, fairly quiet. let me talk you through what matters because italy is the fourth biggest economy in the eu, it has been through a bad debt crisis and are starting to recover but matters with brexit, all eyes would be an italy if there were any wobbles. 6000 migrants arrived by boat in italy, these are issues notjust for people voting according to the polls, but

the rhetoric from the politicians. i think a glance to the papers set the scene. you need 40% to get the majority, nobody has done that since the second world war. the public are talking about the country being in the balance, one party to look out for the five method and these are the proportion of thing a few years ago, a comedian set up the party and now they are likely to be the single biggest party with luigi de male, 31—year—old sharp suited italian who is talking about a social media revolution of getting to people to vote for candidates online, he is potentially one of the youngest prime ministers in europe if he wins. there is also uncertain times and difficult government according to this paper, picking up as well in one of these papers on this man, silvio berlusconi, 81 euros billionaire banned from public office for corruption, but he is still leading the centre—right coalition. they potentially have a

chance of being the biggest block, they are working with the leader who are critics say a xenophobic party. the former plymouth‘s centre—left party are being slightly less well in the polls. and back to the threats of president trump to impose additional taxes on cars from europe. we arejoined by our business correspondent. what will this mean for british manufacturers? let's start by saying this is a tweet, not us corporate policy or legislation. this is a tweet from a president who likes to tweet. but if you were to impose taxes on european ca i’s you were to impose taxes on european cars being sold in the us it would have a huge impact because huge

numbers of german especially in british cars are sold in the north american continent. bmw and mercedes are huge brands, volkswagen are huge brand, that they have factories in north america, bmw mercedes and vw. well as jaguar land rover and most of their cars here in the uk and export them to the us. they are also premium products which mean they would proportionally be paying more money if tax was slapped on it. i had a look at the stats and jaguar land rover sold 114 —— sold 114,000 ca i’s land rover sold 114 —— sold 114,000 cars in the us last year, seven to 4000 word land rover, bigger vehicles and adding a 10% or 20% charge could make americans decide actually i will buy shetty or cadillac or whatever it is so it would definitely have an impact.“ this tweet did come to pass, if it became policy and legislation and so on, would europe retaliate? with

this turn into effectively a trade war between the us and europe?- the moment we're talking about a verbal trade war because last week presents trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminium, withina a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminium, within a dayjob for juncker was talking about retaliatory action and picking on harley—davidson ‘s for the very strategically important state of force concert which is a key swing state for president trump. he's not taking that lying down, he's talking about imposing taxes on european cards, because let's be honest there are not that many american cars sold in the continent of europe but plenty of european cars. but they have plenty of factories in north america saw the real loser might be american workers. if this came to pass the corrugated factor is we are leaving the eu, we are seeking to do a trade deal of our own with the us. it brings into sharp relief how

rough and tumble global trade business can be, it has been relatively smooth over the last decade or so, but it could get very nasty if there is a trade war of some description. the united kingdom obviously is part of a much bigger block with the european union and can impose vicious parasite anyone pa rt can impose vicious parasite anyone part of this work, whereas with the uk want to impose tariffs on the us since there are few us cars coming into the uk after brexit? many thanks indeed. south korea is sending a high—level delegation to north korea on monday for talks. the discussions are expected to focus on resuming dialogue between the communist state and the usa. south korean president moonjae—in has named his top security adviser and the chief of the country's spy agency as his special envoys to pyongyang. the delegation is then expected to travel to the united states. translation: the delegation will

discuss conditions for the us dialogue on denuclearisation of the korean peninsula and relations between bath and south korea. this will take place on the 6th of march. after that they will travel to the united states to brief officials there. local authorities are being warned by the housing secretary, sajid javid that they risk losing their planning powers if they refuse to build enough new homes. he told the sunday times that he would be "breathing down the neck" of so—called "nimby" councils to make sure they meet their targets. here is a political correspondence who says the plans may stoke tension with the conservative led authorities. if he doesn't see it through and actually city councils if you are not building enough houses who will ta ke not building enough houses who will take that away from your own strip

your those powers, we are going to send in inspectors then that is a serious threat to local authorities but it is a big challenge giving with house—building, it is something that successive governments notjust this one have failed to build the number of houses that are needed. i think the big challenge for him really will be calling these councils nimby councils, a lot of them are conservative councils and it might not feel very happy with government intervention of this nature. the reason it is happening now is the government need the premise of tomorrow to give a speech on housing where she will talk about ways to improve the number of houses being built, increase the number of houses being built, the government knows that are a lot of people certainly younger voters who feel like they will never get on the housing ladder. this is an important thing for them to focus on ahead of the local elections we have coming pretty soon. the construction giant carillion had been "aggresively managed" to make its balance sheet look better than it was, that was the verdict of an independent report given to its board four months

before it collapsed. the chairman of the commons work and pensions committee, frank field, said the report showed the "gross failings of corporate governance and accounting" at the firm. a man has been charged with the murders of four people who died in a fire which destroyed a bungalow in fermanagh last week. the victims, including a young child, were members of the same family. the man, who's 27 has also been charged with arson. syrian government forces have gained more ground in their assault on the last major rebel—held enclave near damascus. one monitoring group says they now control 10 per cent of eastern ghouta. disturbing footage has emerged, showing aid workers carrying an injured man into a van which was then targeted in an air—strike. from neighbouring lebanon, yolande knell reports. after days of air strikes and

shelling, fighting on the ground has recently intensified. and the uk based monitoring group the syrian observatory for human rights say that government forces have now reca ptu red that government forces have now recaptured two areas in the east and south—east of the besieged enclave where an estimated 400,000 people are trapped. rebels in turn shelves damascus. more than 100 civilians are reported to have been killed since the united nations security council called for a ceasefire one week ago. shouting on another front in the many sided syrian war, turkey said it has ca ptu red syrian war, turkey said it has captured a kurdish town in the northern region of caffeine, at least 36 pro—syrian government troops sent to support kurdish

forces are reported to have been killed by a turkish strike. six weeks ago turkey launched a military offensive in the area to create a kurdish militia, which it sees as terrorists. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reporting. flood warnings while elsewhere work continues to clear snow from railway lines, that is the latest on the weather situation and we will bring you much more on that throughout the morning. but in the meantime, let's move on to the oscars. hollywood is abuzz with speculation about who will win at the 90th academy awards, which take place tonight. it has been at a much easier for the film industry. gary oldman is the

uk, he played winston churchill in darkest hour. many are keeping him for oscar glory. the fan to see the shape of what leads the field of 15 nominations, for best film and other nominations, for best film and other nominations as well. our arts correspondent, rebecca jones sent this from the red carpet in hollywood. it is the most famous carpet since aladdin's, and now it is being rolled out before the stars roll up. not long to go now, but operations continue to hollywood's big night. this star wars actor will be making an appearance for the first time since 1977. all these years of watching it in my pyjamas, saying, look at her hair! now this year i have to put on a tuxedo and be part of it, because i'm presenting. as big an honour as it is to be part of it, it's more fun to watch it at home. you cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth! playing a starring role this year will be gary oldman, who is favourite to win best actor for his

portrayal of winston churchill in darkest hour. do they know i'm black? british hopes also rests with daniel kaluuya for get out. i've got a few text messages from people saying, good luck. i'm just trying to relax and enjoy it. you may think that thing looks human. stands on two legs, right7 the shape of water has 13 nominations. its british star, sally hawkins, is up for best actress. francis mcdormand is tipped to win for three billboards outside ebbing, missouri. while it may look much the same as usual, this is not a typical oscars year. the issues of harassment and gender equality are being talked about as much as the likely winners, which is threatening to overshadow the ceremony. is it going to be about the prizes or the protests this year?

i think you decide, that person decides. for us, it's about the fun. your life should be a protest. your voice, every day, should be the protest. notjust one night. i know that if i get up on the stage i will be so nervous... this woman is competing against herself, with nominations for best costume design for beauty and the beast and darkest hour. how did this happen, i don't know! you have been in this position before, you won an oscar in 2013 for anna karenina. what is that moment like, when your name is read out? totally and utterly overwhelming. it's everything mixed up together. it's a kind of... absolute shock. and then a kind of dread, of standing up and going up onto the stage. but also the most wonderful feeling that you can't believe that you've actually won. the stars have been out and about in hollywood this weekend.

but it is just a taster before the main event. we will have live coverage from the oscars tonight and tomorrow of course you're on bbc news. a night of rainbow flags, sequins and flamboyant displays has helped celebrate a milestone year for sydney's gay and lesbian mardi gras. hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the massive street party, celebrating 40 years since activists first marched in the city for lgbt rights. it's also australia's first parade since legalising same sex marriage by public survey in december. georgina smyth reports. the sun sets in sydney as party—goers warm up for its famous gay and lesbian mardi gras parade — the 40th anniversary of the original march and the first since australia said yes to same—sex marriage. i feel like this is a really important platform for me to show myself as a middle eastern australian in a dress and show

a different side of myself. for the people that don't have freedom. equality. it means being loved and accepted and, you know, being acknowledged. 40 years — it is a big thing. it's a milestone. riding up front, the self—styled dykes on bikes kicked off a night of colour, music, costumes and glitter. # there's a party going on right here. over 200 floats paraded down sydney's oxford street from drag queens to giant bottles of champagne and lgbti icon, cher. but for many, the most significant float is that of the 78ers, dedicated to the original activists who marched 40 years ago in sydney and were met with police violence. it's wonderful, exhilarating to have such a wonderful audience to look at us and cheer us and all that. we didn't have any of that 40 years ago.

a very proud pride march still glowing from the yes vote. georgina smyth, bbc news. here in the uk, pubs will be allowed to stay open late to celebrate the wedding of prince harry and the american actress meghan markle. bars in england and wales can remain open until one am, both on the eve of the festivities and on the day itself, may—the—nineteenth, as jessica parker reports. congratulations from all of us. the big day is getting closer and now, pubs will be able to stay open longer. cheers! on the friday night before the royal wedding and the saturday night itself, licensing hours are being extended until 1am, so people have more time to raise a glass to the happy couple. i think it's a great idea! it lets people celebrate, brings people together. to connect the people to the royal family, we need to be able to celebrate as well. i'm very much in favour!

i think it's something that all pubs need. this has happened before, including for the wedding of the duke and duchess of cambridge and the queen's 90th birthday. it's the home secretary who can briefly loosen licensing laws for special occasions. of course, the royal wedding coincides with this year's fa cup final on the 19th of may, but the government says there have been no reports of increased disorder when pub rules have previously been relaxed in this way. it's all about community, it's about coming together and celebrating, whether it's football or a wedding, and i think actually it's just going to be a great day for people and for pubs. on friday, prince harry and meghan markle announced that over 1,000 members of the public will be invited to the grounds of windsor castle to join the celebrations and hear the wedding bells chime. drinkers will hear a familiar peal, too... bell rings. ..just a little later than normal. jessica parker, bbc news. skaters have been making the most of the freezing temperatures

on the fens at welney. the flooded fields have frozen over, allowing them to be used as an ice rink for the first time in almost a decade. but as you can see, it isn't always as easy as it looks and experts advise never to skate alone and only if you understand the conditions. you were as crucial of course, let's see what's happening in the few days. many part of a country struggling under severe many part of a country struggling under severe snow we many part of a country struggling under severe snow we have seen under recent days, but both on the forecast today across the high ground in scotland, northern england, bit of a mixture towards the coast with rain and sleet. showers elsewhere and we see this area of rain extending into easternmost areas of kent, suffolk

and buffet as well. getting close to london mightjust and buffet as well. getting close to london might just scrape and buffet as well. getting close to london mightjust scrape away to the east. however is to go through the night the rain works into the north sea before bending back across scotla nd sea before bending back across scotland saw the rain he will turn to snow which are an indie night and the snow could turn out to be heavy. in rural areas that is the risk of ice are takers on monday and then thatis ice are takers on monday and then that is the forecast for scotland, particular to the hills there could be some snow and rain and sleet makes them. showers into south—west england with an ongoing thought that across eastern england fewer showers and brighter weather turning milder in london. but most of us still quite cool. thatcher weather.