hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. a member of the thai security forces has died as they stormed a shopping mall in the city of nakhon ratchasima where a soldier is holed up after killing at least 21 people in a shooting spree. 30 people have been injured, 10 of whom of are in a critical condition. the violence started on saturday when the soldier is reported to have killed his commanding officer before stealing weapons from a military camp. he then continued his attack at the terminal 21 mall in nakhon ratcha seema's city centre. our bangkok correspondent

jonathan head reports. —nakhon ratchasima. panicked shoppers scatter in a city centre shopping mall as they hear news that a gunman is inside, shooting people. outside, the sound of repeated shots stuns passing motorists. some of them are struck by the flying bullets. this is the start of what was to be a long and terrifying day in nakhon ratchasima. security cameras picked up the chilling image of a well—armed assailant, a serving soldier, walking calmly through the mall. the gunman has been identified as an army sergeant major. earlier, he had killed his commanding officer and stolen weapons and ammunition from an army base, before moving on to the mall. his motive for this attack is still unclear. police and army units surrounded the mall for five hours before officers from a special police squad

moved in, allowing hundreds of trapped bystanders to run out to safety. gun crimes are not uncommon in thailand, but a shooting on this scale by one man is something horribly new. the number of people who have died from the new coronavirus has now passed 800, overtaking the total death toll from the sars outbreak, in 2003. at the same time, cases in the worst affected region of china appear to have stabilised slightly in the past four days. mike ryan from the world health organisation said the virus remained concentrated in hubei province. we are in a four day period where the disease, the number of reported cases, hasn't advanced. and that is good news, and may reflect the impact of the control measures we have put in place. we would hope that the same stabilisation that appears to be occurring in wuhan

also happens outside. but again, it's very, very early to make any predictions about numbers in this outbreak. this is still a very intense disease outbreak in wuhan and hubei, and there are still great risks in practically all of the other provinces. china has introduced strict new rules to try to control the outbreak. in beijing, there's a ban on group dining, while other cities are limiting how many family members can leave home each day. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonell has the latest from beijing. wuhan, the city at the heart of china's coronavirus emergency, is struggling to cope with the size of this crisis. there are not enough beds. there is not enough equipment. hospitals have been swamped by the sick, who need to be placed in isolation. faced with an explosion of infections, two massive quarantine centres were constructed, each in less than two weeks. days ago, the 1,000—bed mountain fire god facility was opened. now, patients are also

being brought to the new mountain thunder god hospital, adding another 1,300 beds. translation: what we're measuring is the net pressure difference in the room. it can make sure the wind outside is blowing into the ward, to prevent the infection source from going out. across the world, there is considerable concern this outbreak has a long way to go before being stabilised. chinese cities are introducing ever more harsh measures to try and control the spread of the disease. in hong kong, residents returning from mainland china are to spend two weeks in quarantine. foreigners must remain inside hotels or special government—run facilities. those who don't comply are being threatened with prison time. and don't forget you can get more information on the coronvirus visit our website. just visit: bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app onto your

smartphone or tablet. there are also a number of handy background articles on subjects like the process of quarantine and what lessons health officials learnt from the sars outbreak. polls have closed in the irish general election. the prime minister leo varadkar has been trying to win a third term for his party in government. an exit poll, commissioned by rte and the irish times, indicates that mr varadkar‘s fine gael party secured 22.4% of first preference votes, closely followed by sinn fein on 22.3% and fianna fail on 22.2%. 0ur correspondent emma vardy is in dublin. well, the exit polls suggest things are looking very tight indeed. it predicts that leo varadkar‘s fine gael party are tied with their opponents fianna fail, and it is impossible to say at the moment who will form the next government. now, counting takes place the following day, and it is highly likely

after that that coalition negotiations will begin between the parties, and that will be where things really get down to the nitty—gritty. coalitions are the norm here in ireland. now, the current taoiseach, leo varadkar, he has had a very high international profile over the past three years as ireland's youngest ever prime minister. he has had huge influence in the brexit negotiations. if it is his opponents, fianna fail, who form the next government, then it will be their leader, micheal martin, who becomes the next irish prime minister. now, the other big story of the night is there looks to be some major breakthroughs for sinn fein, major gains for them. a big, successful night for them, if that exit poll is to be proved correct. now, this is the first time that a general election in ireland has been held on a saturday. leo varadkar said he wanted it on a saturday to prevent there being school closures, and to give more people the chance to get out and vote. people have had to brave the weather of storm ciara to go and cast their ballots. but now all eyes will be

on those negotiations, after the results are counted tomorrow. the australian state of new south wales is braced for more severe wet weather this weekend as downpours ease the bushfire crisis in the region. australia's bureau of meteorology warned of dangerous conditions on saturday and sunday. there has already been flooding in sydney and other areas along the coast. 0livia crellin has more. first came the fires, then the floods. so far this year, australia has faced weather conditions of biblical proportions. after months of destructive wildfires razed millions of hectares of land and killed 33 people and billions of animals, australia has experienced severe hailstorms and flash floods. despite the country receiving the heaviest rainfall in almost 20 years, many of the fires in the east of the country are still burning. we actually have 723 firefighters still in the field of operations. they are dealing with 38 fires, i9 uncontained, but the rainfall is obviously providing some welcome relief

to many of the bushfires that have been raging. a welcome relief, but a challenge in its own right. there have been 13 rescues, flood rescues, which u nfortu nately has doubled since yesterday. i would appeal to the community to be very conscious of the fact that drains, rivers and any number of pieces of infrastructure will be challenged over the course of this flood activity. still, for much of new south wales, which had been in drought for over three years, providing the conditions that fuelled the intensity of the recent fires, the rain is a salve. with 20 of about 60 fires in the state already put out by the downpour in the past day, australians hope that after the rain comes the sun. heavy rain and strong winds have started to batter the uk with significant disruption expected tomorrow.

storm ciara is forecast to bring wind speeds of up to i30 kilometres an hour. british airways say they have already cancelled dozens of flights coming into heathrow and gatwick on sunday. rail passengers are being asked to travel only if absolutely necessary. 0ur correspondent richard galpin says it will cause a lot of disruption. at heathrow, at gatwick, at london city airport, dozens of flights are going to be cancelled for safety reasons. and this is particularly affecting short—haul flights and essentially what they are doing is when you have got, for example, flights going to spain, if there are several flights going, they will cut the numbers of flights so it is still possible to fly but people will be pushed into a smaller number of planes. british airways has also offered the chance for people who have booked to change the date on which they fly so they can fly at a different time to escape the storm itself. edinburgh airport, they say

they haven't got any disruption so far but they, like a lot of other airports around the country, are keeping a very careful eye on what is happening. ferries, we know that seven ferries have been cancelled, these are p&0, on routes going across the irish sea from liverpool to dublin. and on the trains also, there is some disruption there on the networks, speed reductions, reductions of timetables and actually on routes in the west highlands in scotland, they are saying they had suspended their services because they are so worried, they are talking about winds which could be in excess of 80 mph so they are saying it is not safe to run. bridges also, humber bridge, for example, is probably going to be closed, not definitively yet, and other bridges in scotland. and if you want to find out more about how storm ciara is affecting your area, tune into your local

bbc radio station or head to our website bbc.co.uk/weather. more than a thousand people have protested at the british museum in london this afternoon, over the energy company bp's sponsorship of an exhibition about ancient troy. climate activists wheeled a i3—foot—high trojan horse into the grounds of the museum yesterday and two campaigners spent the night inside the horse. as part of the demonstration the group, called bp, or not bp staged a sit—in inside the great hall for 15 minutes, singing and chanting "bp must fall". a group of senior conservatives is urging fellow tory mps, to challenge borisjohnson‘s decision to give the chinese technology firm, huawei, a role in building the uk's 5g mobile networks. in a letter, severalformer cabinet ministers say, there are alternative options which would not compromise national security. the government insists the decision was taken following a rigorous review and huawei's involvement in 5g

would be limited. sir iain duncan smith explained why he's concerned about the decision. we are at a point where we need now to make a decision and the decision is a long—term decision, notjust on 5g but on 6g which is the big breakthrough, as to whether or not you have an organisation from a country that is an aggressor in terms of cyber warfare and a company that is clearly totally and utterly in the hands of the chinese government who demand absolute obedience on these matters. the foreign secretary says he is seeking an ‘ambitious‘ trade deal with japan as britain begins free trade talks with major economies. dominic raab met his japanese counterpart on his first overseas trip following britain's departure from the eu last month. mr raab said he wanted a trade agreement at least as good as the eu's. i have discussed how we can deliver new bilateral arrangements at least as high standard, if not higher, and at least as ambitious as the eu—japan economic agreement, which would send a very powerful signal of our shared commitment to free and rules—based trade.

the minister and i also discussed the uk's interest in membership of the comprehensive and progressive agreement on the tra ns—pacific partnership, and we very much welcome the advice and support from japan in that regard. more now on our top story the shootings at a shopping mall in north east thailand. 0ur reporter, aaron safir is with me now. what we have had in the last few minutes is that there is a report this man has been killed by security forces. we have not had that confirmed but this is the report coming in from police and military and news sources and we send in the last 40 sources and we send in the last a0 minutes, quite a lot of activity around the shopping centre where the gunman had been. we were not really sure what that meant or what that was indicating, so it could be

that was more a peril you need to another attempt to take this gunman ‘s life. —— previewed. just to summarise, security forces have killed the shooter jakrapha nth thomma, forces have killed the shooter jakraphanth thomma, according to police and military sources from reuters news agency. we will check that out but that possibly indicate as you can see the pictures we're looking now, that people have been able to get closer to the entrance and you and i were watching pictures earlier showing five oi’ pictures earlier showing five or six ambulances getting right close to the gate? and we thought that might be an indication that that was an indication that that was an indication to make their last move and about a0 minutes ago we had another update indicating that the gunman was on his own and he did not have any hostages. and it was a crucial update, saying he did not have hostages and that is

significant in terms of police tactics potentially? yes, and it brought to a close a 12 hour window where we were not sure how new people were in the mall and whether they were hiding or being held hostage. we had seen a previous attempt to flush the gunman out which actually ended with one of the security forces dying. and keeping an eye on the pictures, we see a line of officers, without armour, they are not in body armour, going past this yellow tape and into the shopping centre, clearly an indication at least on the ground level they are reasonably comfortable of their own security. we have any updates at all of the numbers of people who have been both killed and injured? we know at least 21 is the death toll. and that includes one member of the security forces who was involved in that attempt to storm the shopping mall earlier

on. and those deaths have occurred at a number of sites. because all this began many hours ago. take us back right to the start of what we know. this data with him apparently shooting his commanding officer and his commanding officer's mother—in—law, as an army base, and that was more than 12, i6 hours ago. he then moved into the centre of town to this shopping centre, the terminal 21 shopping centre, on the way posting some updates on social media. and this scene we're seeing now, has been the centre of attention for hours now. thank you, aaron safir. to recap, we are repointing —— reporting what the reuters news agency is reporting. it's as security forces killed the shooter. they attributed this to police and military sources. as yet unnamed. we will

continue to verify those reports from writers and bring you the latest as we get that from thailand. this is bbc news. the headlines: a member of the thai security forces has died during a raid on a shopping mall where a soldier killed at least 20 people in a shooting spree. the reuters news agency report security forces have killed the shooter at the mall. the number of deaths caused by the new coronavirus outbreak has exceeded 800, surpassing the number killed by sars 17 years ago. let's stay with that story, five british people, including a nine—year—old child, have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the french alps. they were all staying in the same chalet at a ski resort in the savoie region. meanwhile, a final evacuation flight of british people has left china and will land in the uk early on sunday morning. here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. it is a long way from wuhan, yet the contamines—montjoie ski resort in france now has a cluster of coronavirus cases.

it appears the source was a british man who been in singapore, and while in the area, visited the chalets of 11 other britons. five were infected, including a nine—year—old child. all are in hospital, none seriously ill. translation: we are trying to chase where the 11 people from the chalets have been throughout their stay, and above all, find the people they have been in close contact with. tracing close contacts of those infected with coronavirus is vital if the outbreak is to be controlled. the british man, who is from brighton, was diagnosed on thursday and is in isolation in st thomas's hospital in london. after getting his travel history, health officials contacted the ski resort where he had been staying. prior to that, he had attended a business conference in singapore, where he was infected with the virus. singapore now has a0 reported cases. it has raised its alert

level to orange, the same as in the sars outbreak in 2003, indicating the virus is spreading there between people. it now has the second—highest number cases of outside china. there are nearly 80 britons on board this cruise ship which remains quarantined off yokohama in japan, after dozens of passengers tested positive for the coronavirus, among them alan steele, on his honeymoon. he is doing well in hospital. those on board are mostly confined to their cabins. all passengers are allowed on deck, 50 at a time, deck by deck. so it's about once every three days we get about an hour or 90 minutes to stretch our legs on deck. in wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, a second new hospital has opened, built in just two weeks. this is wuhan airport, where more than 200 passengers, mainly british, boarded the final uk repatriation flight.

it is due to arrive at raf brize norton in oxfordshire early tomorrow, and then the britons will be taken to a conference centre in milton keynes to be quarantined for 1a days. four rare mountain gorillas, including a pregnant female, have died in uganda after being hit by lightning. a local conservation group says the three adult females and a male infant were found in uganda's m guh hinga national park. the area was hit by a huge storm on monday. one of those caught in the storm in the south—west of the country was journalist jack losh — he's been telling us more about what happened. the storm was intense. i had been trekking to see the famous iconic mountain gorillas of uganda the previous day. we returned and a huge electrical storm struck the place where we were staying and the thunder was dramatic, the downpour of rain

was like nothing i had seen before and, tragically, it seems that this gorilla family were caught up in it as well. the bigger picture here is that if we return to the 1980s there were only 250 of these iconic big apes left in the world, centred around central africa and uganda, rwanda and the democratic republic of the congo. through a phenomenal conservation effort over the last few decades which has brought together local communities, national government and international conservation organisations, this number of 250 gorillas has now been raised to around 2000 today. so even though this is a success story for gorillas, their population is still fragile and we are warned not to stay lax. so the death of four gorillas in a single

night is concerning. this was a single family who had recently moved over from rwanda into uganda into a national park that only had one family there. what is concerning is that out of these four fatalities, three of them were females. childbearing gorillas and one was already pregnant with a gorilla. the fourth was a young infant male. the good news is, is that conservationists are saying, while they were lost, the rest of the family seems perfectly intact and healthy and are continuing to feed on this tropical highland vegetation as normal. so even though it is a blow for conservation efforts, it does seem to not greatly impact us in the long—term. it's the biggest night in hollywood on sunday

where the stars will be gearing up for the oscars. the list of nominees has once again come under criticism from some for being too white and, for some categories, too male. the film director spike lee will present one of the awards. he sat down with our arts editor will gompertz to talk about hollywood, diversity and female directors. the oscars. what you make of the line—up this year? not like last year. and i said this last year, to not expect six african—americans to win oscars next year. it is feast to famine. and it will be a struggle and the struggle continues. why does it continue to be a struggle? because power does not give up power easily. it goes to the studios. the gatekeepers and we have seen more diversity amongst the gatekeepers then have a great effect amongst the oscars. a greater effect.

is it happening at the moment? the gatekeepers? no, no. this is a business. hollywood is a business. art does not always come ahead of business. and what is that hollywood business like at the moment? post #metoo? is it changing or the same old same old? same old thing. perhaps dressed up differently. many women are making good movies. a lot more than there was. they're still not up to parity. but even this year there have been notable movies made by women but no recognition. what is going on? get in line.

i am not saying that to make light of it. it is obvious that there is work that still needs to be done. spike lee there, speaking to our arts editor will gompertz. we'll have full coverage of the oscars on sunday, here on bbc news. it's also worth checking out our website, there lots of background and analysis. that's all at bbc.com/news — or you can download the bbc news app. dancers and artists on floating structures have delighted revellers attending the venice carnival. during the two week event, the city fills with thousands of tourists from across italy and the world. masked balls are held in ancient venetian palaces and gondola parades are organised in the piazzas and canals. carnival first began in the 11th century as a period of excess before the rigours of lent, the a0 days of fasting that traditionally precede easter. a reminder of our top story.

the reuters news agency is reporting that thai security forces have killed the soldier who carried out a shooting rampage that left at least 21 people dead. these least 21 people dead. are live pictures from near these are live pictures from near the scene. they said he had been killed at the shopping mall where he was holed up in the northeastern city of nakhon ratchasima. the weather now with helen willetts. hello. storm ciara will batter the uk today. it is powerful and dangerous and brings exceptionally windy weather. it is unusual because it will affect such a widespread area. very few places will escape the severe gales that are forecast and hence the met office have got amber warnings in place notjust for the wind but also for rain. starting with the wind, that will affect most parts of the uk. the amber warnings for england and wales, we expect damage and disruption, potentially a danger to life as well but it will be equally windy for scotland and for northern ireland.

a stormy day across the board. as i say, a double—edged sword because there is wet weather. the rain has been coming down through the night and the amber warning is potentially for some rivers that will fill quickly across southern scotland. but many places will have a lot of rain, a0 or 50 millimetres leading to flash flooding as well. either way away from northern scotland it will be a mild start and a mild day but inconsequential because it will be very windy. these are the speeds we are talking about. for scotland and northern ireland it is quite windy as well. 80 mile an hour inland for england and wales is an unusual occurrence, once or twice a decade, hence the concern this is a powerful storm. the detail across the northern half of the country. the main wrinkle is and then there is a lot of showers coming in, hail and sleet and snow across the hills and the escalation in the wind,

potentially reaching above 80 miles an hour for the central belts. that needs watching. don't concern yourself because the amber warning may be extended. a stormy day and a stormy day for england and wales with bands of rain and squally wind moving through and the wind escalate with some very powerful gusts of wind that could bring down power lines and trees, rip off roof tiles and generally cause some dangerous conditions as well. if that were not enough, it is also going to coincide with the spring tide which means we already have large waves and wind but coinciding there could be coastal flooding as well as inland flooding because of the sheer intensity of the rain as it comes along. that storm does blow away and you can still seem to keep a strong wind crosses on monday and it is a north—westerly so it will feel colder with increasing amounts of snow over the hills but we will notice a difference in the weather. as i say will remain windy but not as stormy as the day ahead. the warnings are all on the website including the details. take care.

this is bbc news, the headlines: a gunman in the thailand shooting has been shot dead, he killed and injured dozens more and he killed his commanding officer, after stealing weapons from a military camp. the number of people who have died from the new coronavirus has now passed 800, overtaking the total death toll from the sars outbreak in 2003. cases in the worst affected region of china appear to have stabilised slightly. the three main political parties have tied in first preference votes, according to an exit poll for the republic of ireland's general election. none are expected to reach the 80 seat threshold needed for a majority making a coalition government likely.