welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: search teams find the wreckage of a small plane carrying the argentine footballer, emiliano sala, that disappeared between france and britain. president maduro appears on venezuelan television to deny that his country is facing a humanitarian disaster. anger, and a search for answers in the brazilian valley engulfed by mining waste. and pope francis arrives in the united arab emirates for the first—ever papal visit to the arabian peninsula. hello and welcome. investigators say they've found the wreckage of a light aircraft that crashed into the sea between france and britain,

with argentine international footballer emiliano sala and his pilot on board. the plane was travelling from nantes where sala previously played, to his new club, cardiff city, when the aircraft disappeared. sarah campbell reports. the search to find the plane was expected to take three days. but on the first morning, it appears to have been located. this vessel was commissioned by the air accident investigation branch to carry out a survey of the seabed over four nautical square miles and working close by was this boat, the morven, paid for by the family of emiliano sala after a campaign raised more than £300,000 to fund it. these pictures were taken yesterday as the morven, with the latest sonar technology, prepared to leave harbour, its crew hopeful of finding some trace of the craft. sala and the plane's pilot, david ibbotson, went missing after their aircraft disappeared on january 21 en route from nantes

in france to cardiff. the official search was called off, but almost a week ago, some seat cushions were recovered from a beach in northern france, with the sala family desperate for the search to resume. and this evening, the marine scientist, david mearns, who directed the privately funded search operation, tweeted that the wreckage of the plane carrying the footballer had been located early this morning. emiliano sala's club, cardiff city, played their first home game since his disappearance yesterday. they won, in a ground filled with tributes to the footballer, with tears from the manager who said his new star signing had been with them. sarah campbell, bbc news. the venezuelan president, nicolas maduro, has denied that his country is facing a humanitarian disaster, blaming the united states for instigating a political crisis. in a television interview, mr maduro didn't rule out the possibility of civil war and he rejected a deadline set by four major european powers of midnight local time for him to call presidential elections.

translation: today, no-one could answer the question of a civil war with certainty. everything depends on the level of madness and aggressiveness of the northern empire and its western allies. it doesn't depend on us. we simply live in our country and we ask that nobody intervene in our internal affairs. and we prepare ourselves to defend our country. 0ur correspondent 0rla guerin is in caracas and has been assessing the level of support for nicolas maduro. standing firm with the revolution. in the slum neighbourhood of petare, some cherish the memory of hugo chavez, the firebrand socialist who ruled venezuela for years.

for now, these people are sticking with his hand—picked successor, nicolas maduro, as the best hope for the poor. and if the revolution has run out of steam, they don't admit that here. local officials, saying they've come with love for the people, and promising to sort out chronic problems, like getting the buses running again. joel, a jobless father of two, tells me he'll be with mr maduro until death. but he admits that the country is now divided. what you see here is the other side of the story, staunch supporters of president nicolas maduro. they say that he is their legitimate president, he is the guardian of the revolution and they want him to stayjust where he is. they say chavismo has brought lasting benefits for all. translation: take the universities -

before, only one group in society could get educated. now, everyone can study. and the government provides medicines and food, not just for me, but for everyone. in among the crowd, officials from the colectivo, a pro—government committee that controls the neighbourhood, in particular, the distribution of government rations. we've been told by locals here that if you back the opposition, you risk going hungry. the authorities keep a close eye on poorer districts like petare. president maduro can't afford to lose them. when some did protest here recently, the area was flooded with security forces. undoubtedly, president maduro has support here in this cradle of chavismo.

and it seems that, publicly, at least, he still has the backing of the army. the venezuelan leader appears well entrenched and if he is to be unseated, it could take time. 0rla guerin, bbc news, caracas. villagers living downstream from the mining dam, which collapsed in brazil last week, have spoken of their anger at never being told about the risks of the site. more than 300 people died or are missing after a massive mud slide in the south—east of the country, with the mine's owners accused of putting profits before safety. they had installed emergency sirens at the dam, but they never went off. 0ur science editor david shukman has this report from the site at brumadinhol. mile after mile of mining waste surged downstream, killing and destroying on an unprecedented scale. a once—beautiful valley is now filled with sludge. and even now, more than a week after the disaster,

rescue workers are still finding bodies swept along in the deluge, provoking more anguish and anger. a crowd denounces the company that owns the mine, vale, for failing to keep people safe. this man lost a friend at the mine, who had said the dam was leaking before it collapsed. and these student volunteers told me this kind of catastrophe just shouldn't happen. i think brazil have to, like, do a law and start to work everywhere in brazil, to work with these companies. because it's happened again. people died there. so that's really stronger. that, like, hurt our hearts. when the dam broke, a warning system should have alerted everyone downstream, but vale now says the deluge was moving too fast for that to happen.

so, there was no sound from this siren near the home of mario fontes. last year, vale calculated the likely impact of the dam collapsing. this satellite image shows how the sludge actually spread. we don't know how accurately vale predicted this. but did the company share its conclusions? "no, there was never any alert or training," mario says. "no information, absolutely nothing about us being at such risk." at a meeting in one community, where everyone has suffered a loss, a public prosecutor accused vale of putting profits first and not investing enough in maintaining the dam. if you spend less in maintaining... how can i say, maintenance, you go up with profits. and they don't care about the risks. this is the problem. vale has sent engineers to see the damage. but they didn't want to talk. is it true that vale knew there were risks

the dam would collapse? i can't, sorry. 0ur request for an interview with vale was turned down. instead, it said: amid so much death and destruction, the problem for vale is that so many people here now question everything it says. the company insists that it did everything required of it under brazilian law. but the fact remains that whatever safety systems were in place simply failed. and in the wake of what happened here, there are growing fears about the many other mining dams in brazil. there's an official system for rating how risky they are. but at the moment, few can trust it. david shukman, bbc news, in brazil. let's bring you some breaking news out of the united states. the super

bowl is happening tonight. we have a result in american football. the patriots have beaten the rams 13—3. if you record were made. tom brady, the oldest quarterback to win a super bowl. and the oldest coach to wina super super bowl. and the oldest coach to win a super bowl as well. that means the patriots have won a sixth super bowl for them. i am sure many fans are thrilled at that. the british prime minister, theresa may, says she's determined to deliver brexit as scheduled on 29 march, promising to return to brussels with new ideas. the backstop guarantee to keep the irish border open will be central to any fresh talks with the european union, after uk members of parliament voted last week to seek alternative arrangements. here's our political correspondent chris mason. after a week when parliament had its say and mps voted to back theresa may's brexit plan if she could change

one key part of it, the prime minister has said she's ready to do just that. but what are the new ideas? i asked border force months ago to advise me to look at what alternative arrangements were possible, and they've shown me quite clearly you can have no hard border on the island of ireland, and you can use existing technology, it's perfectly possible. the only thing that's missing is a bit of goodwill on the eu side. the sticking point is how to keep an open border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland under all circumstances after brexit. the existing solution, the so—called backstop, is deeply unpopular in parliament. its critics say it binds the uk and northern ireland in particular

too closely to the eu. the government says it's working hard to find a solution it can take back to brussels. the prime minister could be back there by the end of the week. work is being done to find an alternative to the backstop, and in addition, the attorney—general, the government's most senior lawyer, is looking at legal changes that could be requested to put a time limit on the backstop or to find a mechanism where the uk could leave it at a time of its choosing. but as things stand, publicly at least, the eu is opposed to all of these options. my concern is that when we talk about, or when they talk about, alternative arrangements, they're talking about revisiting things that have already been rejected. the british prime minister and the british government resiled from an agreement that they made with 28 other governments. it demonstrates exactly why we need a backstop. labour argue theresa may needs to shift her position

and keep closer ties with the eu. you must get a deal through parliament that is acceptable. that means you must change your red lines about a customs union. it means you must look again at the way in which the future political framework is so vacuous. brexit is just over seven weeks away. there's no sign yet of a break in the deadlock. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. and if you want to look at a useful guide to help explain brexit and what some of the terms, like backstop mean, just go to our website, bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the floods threatening families in the australian city of townsville caught up by monsoon rains. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for.

after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. and the anc leader, nelson mandela, is to be set free unconditionally. four, three, two, one... a countdown to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: search teams find the wreckage of a small plane that disappeared between france and britain carrying the argentine footballer emiliano sala and his pilot. president maduro has appeared on venezuelan television to deny that his country is facing a humanitarian disaster. for fans of american football, the super bowl has been won by the patriots. did you ever doubt your team could

do it? we never doubted them. a great victory. you must be absolutely thrilled. it's really been amazing. this team has been on a run of ten plus years, theyjust keep winning super bowl after super bowl, one of the greatest teams in the history of american football. now, a lot of people have been talking about tom brady is one of the oldest quarterbacks. it is pretty incredible that he just keeps going and going. 41 years old, this quy going and going. 41 years old, this guy keeps winning. six rings he now has on his fingers. unbelievable that he can continue to do this at 41 yea rs that he can continue to do this at 41 years old. i asked viewers, how do you feel? do you think you could be out there on the football field at 41 years old? it is tough and he did it. he is a bit of a divisive figure for some. in the lead up where you are a little bit unhappy about some of the negative things being said? you know, we have been so being said? you know, we have been so fortunate to have a team that has w011 so many so fortunate to have a team that has won so many times over the past several years, that in new england,

we are humble yet we are very proud of the teams that we have here. yet most states around the country seemed to really despise the patriots, for a variety of reasons. you know, if you can't win, you don't want a route for the guy who is always winning, but we continue to do it. so we are very proud of tom brady. some of the commentary during the game was talking about a very low score. does that mean the rams kind of gave the new england patriot a run for their money? absolutely, it was actually a very good game. everyone expected this game to be extraordinarily high scoring. teams have an exceptionally good offence but it was a defensive battle throughout, in fact tom brady was a factor in a game but it was the defence that really delivered for the new england patriots, really helped them win again this time. and there was really a sense of young and old, so you have an older coach, older quarterback and a very young

coach on the rams' side, as well. absolutely, young coach, young quarterback, there are several teams in the national football league now that have these young coaches and young quarterbacks, and they have got a lot of talent there, and tom brady is not going to last forever. there are going to be a lot of other teams that will come out of the national football league. but as patriots fans we are going to continue cheering on our team and rooting for bill beller check and tom brady. -- belichek. thank you for joining tom brady. -- belichek. thank you forjoining us. pope francis is in the united arab emirates on the first—ever papal visit to the arabian peninsula, the birthplace of islam. during the trip, that lasts less than 48 hours, he will meet leading muslim clerics and hold an open—air mass for some 135,000 catholics in the region. eliza philippidis reports making history, the pope's plane touched down on the tarmac at abu dhabi's presidential airport. during the flight, he told

journalists he was hopeful the visit would prove to be successful. translation: this will be a short trip. but this morning i received news that it was raining in abu dhabi, and in this place, one thinks of this as a sign of a blessing. i hope it will all be like this. he was greeted by abu dhabi's crown prince, sheikh mohammed bin zayed al nahyan, who escorted him to meet the grand imam of egypt's al—azhar mosque and university, one of the mains seats of learning of sunni islam. before leaving rome on sunday, the pope held mass in st peter's square. he made his strongest condemnation yet of the war in yemen, where the united arab emirates has a leading military role. he said the yemeni population is exhausted by the long conflict. translation: i follow with great concern the humanitarian

crisis in yemen. a great many children are suffering from hunger, but no access to food supplies is there. brothers and sisters, the cry of these children and their parents rises up to god. i call on the concerned parties to reach agreement, to assure the distribution of food, and to work for the good of the yemeni people. but the aim of the visit is for the pope and islamic scholars to send a message of tolerance to the world. in 2016, the uae appointed a minister whose portfolio is to develop cultural awareness in the region. translation: why a minister of tolerance? because of the conflicts, destruction, and wars religion is sadly dragged into. we need to respect everyone, while keeping at the same time our own traditions and beliefs.

the foreign workers and expats of all nationalities and beliefs make up 80% of the population in the uae. many of them have been lining up for tickets for the papal mass on tuesday. thousands of residents in the australian city of townsville have been warned of unprecedented flooding as monsoon rains continue. about 20,000 homes are at risk of flooding in townsville, in northern queensland, after the gates to the city's dam were opened on sunday. briony sowden reports. monsoon rains have been unrelenting, and filled this dam beyond capacity. as water levels quickly rose on sunday, officials were forced to open the dam gates, deliberately flooding several neighbourhoods. at one point, about 2,000 cubic metres of water were spilling out every second, enough volume to fill about 48 0lympic—size swimming pools every minute. residents had been told to move to higher ground as officials warned of dangerous levels of floodwaters threatening property and lives.

but these streets are already rivers. homes are already under water. record levels of rain over the past week have dumped more than a metre of water in this coastal town, 20 times the average for this time of year. the waters rose with little warning. these residents were stranded as they waited for firefighters on boats to rescue them. livestock and cars have been swept away, while even dangerous predators have washed onto the streets. we have seen about a couple of hundred homes now that have been inundated. we have nearly 10,000 residents without power. we've got about 200 people in oui’ evac centres. townsville is in tropical northern queensland, and often experiences monsoon during the summer months, but not to this level. local authorities are calling it a once—in—a—century flooding event,

and they are urging residents still in their homes to be prepared to leave, with more heavy rain expected to fall over the next few days. briony sowden, bbc news. poland's first openly gay politician, robert biedron, has launched a political party called spring to challenge the socially conservative government in domestic and european elections this year. he told supporters in warsaw that poland needed positive energy to fulfill the legacy of pawel adamowicz, the mayor of the northern city of gdansk, who was stabbed to death on stage at a charity event last month. 0ur poland correspondent adam easton attended the party's launch. # 0de tojoy. beethoven's 0de tojoy, the anthem of the european union, played over the loudspeakers as robert biedron walked on stage, in front of a crowd of many thousands of cheering supporters. mr biedron‘s pro—eu stance

highlights the difference between his views and those of the eurosceptic and nationalist—leaning government. translation: the republic of poland is the republic of all citizens, with no exception. we can collaborate with the european union efficiently and get eu funds. we can introduce in—vitro fertility treatment and reliable sex education, and we can separate church from state. the silver—haired 42—year—old set out a programme that puts him at odds with powerful vested interests, including the coal mining industry and the catholic church. he vowed to cut state funding to the church, legalise abortion, and close down all of the country's coal mines by 2035. mr biedron has been portrayed as poland's macron, but he has also adopted some policies from the government's generous and popular social spending programme. what sets him apart from some

here is his commitment to progressive ideas. translation: i think that, if we're to have a chance in the elections, this party is our only chance. mr biedron is clearly a rising star of polish politics. the question is whether his party can achieve broad—based appeal. just before we go, here is an extremely rare weather phenomenon. a snow roller created entirely by nature. a combination of wind in the right sort of snow led to a rolling across a field in wiltshire, here in the uk, gathering size as it went. and there are no footsteps or any sign of human involvement. stay with us. hello.

after the coldest, snowiest week of the winter so far, there was only a gradual thaw over the weekend, but that is going to pick up pace in the coming days. but this is going to be disappearing away from the higher hills and mountains, as temperatures are heading up across the uk. but monday still starting on a chilly note across northern scotland, where there's some snow around. several centimetres into the hills here, above 150 metres or so, but a bit to even lower levels than that. it could be icy in places around this area of low pressure, which has also pushed this band of rain east across the uk through the night, though lingering for a time in the morning, particularly, across east anglia and south—east england. so the snowfall in northern scotland could be causing a few problems as the day begins. that's slowly going to fizzle during the day. it's quite windy for a time in scotland, as well. the rain pulls away from the south—east. it's going to drag its heels, certainly, in kent. a lot of cloud behind this weather system, so we're not going to see much

in the way of sunshine for east anglia and south—east england. elsewhere, though, some sunny spells, one or two showers around, and already temperatures are going up, and towards parts of wales and south—west england in particular, could be as high as 12 celsius. but, with the wind easing further under clear skies, there's another frost on the way on monday night and into tuesday morning. now, there could well be some fog developing, particularly through parts of southern england, that could be quite dense as tuesday begins. so here the temperature may not fall too far. but elsewhere, yes, there's that widespread frost, and we haven't had one of those for a while. so a frosty and in places foggy start to tuesday, but some sunshine around, before the next atlantic weather system start to feed in thicker cloud and outbreaks of rain moving north—east during the day, with a freshening south—westerly wind. it will be, the further north—east you are, you'll hold onto the drier, sunny conditions for longest on tuesday. so we will see outbreaks of rain spreading further east on tuesday night, and into wednesday, most of that clears. but this weather front mayjust

linger close to parts of east anglia and south—east england. still something to play for in the detail, but if it does, expect further outbreaks of rain. whereas elsewhere, there's a few days to come of sunshine and showers on a brisk breeze, but you'll notice the temperatures. they are at or even above normal for the time of year. and that is the big weather change for this week. it's the feel of the weather. as temperatures recover, it'll be much milder. still unsettled, with low pressure close by, so some rain at times, not all the time. there'll be some sunshine occasionally, too. 0ften windy, but mild south—westerlies. this is bbc news, the headlines: underwater search teams have found the wreckage of the plane which was lost over the english channel 13 days ago carrying premier league footballer emiliano sala and his pilot. his family have been informed. the privately—funded search of the seabed was launched after the official operation was called off. president nicolas maduro has denied that venezuela faces

a humanitarian disaster, but blamed the united states for instigating a political crisis. in a television interview, mr maduro didn't rule out the possibility of civil war. villagers living downstream from the mining dam which collapsed in brazil last week, have spoken of their anger at never being told about the risks of the site. more than 300 people died orare missing, with the mine's owners accused of putting profits before safety. now on bbc news, it's time for dateline london with carrie gracie.