this is bbc world news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: bernie's big night. senator sanders cements his position as the democratic front—runner with victory in the nevada caucus. no campaign has a grassroots movement like we do, which is another reason why we're going to win this election. the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in mainland china rises to nearly 77,000. italy adopts what it calls urgent and extraordinary measures to tackle what is now the biggest outbreak in europe. and a grudge match in vegas. tyson fury takes on deontay wilder in their heavyweight bout.

bernie sanders has cemented his status as the democratic front—runner to take on donald trump in the us presidential election. he's projected to win nevada's caucuses and early results suggest he is on course for a large victory. former vice—president joe biden is in second place. we're going to hear from all the main candidates. let's start with mr sanders highlighting his string of successful results. i think all of you know we won the popular vote in iowa. cheering we won the new hampshire primary. cheering and, according to three networks and the ap, we have now won the nevada caucus.

cheering you know, i know we don't know the final results yet, but i feel really good. you've put me in a position... you know, the press is ready to declare people dead quickly, but we're alive and we're coming back, and we we're going to win. cheering and i congratulate senator sanders on a strong showing today, knowing that we celebrate many of the same ideals. but before we rush to nominate senator sanders in our one shot to take on this president, let us take a sober look at what is at stake for our party, for our values, and for those with the most to lose. there is so much on the line, and one thing we know for sure is that we absolutely must defeat donald trump, and everything that he represents, in november. cheering i've got a word tonight for nevada. thank you for keeping me in the fight. applause

the race has been called. bernie has won. congratulations, bernie. come on! applause but i want to tell you something else that's going on. since wednesday night... applause since wednesday night, our support has been growing everywhere. since i stepped on that stage, 250,000 people have gone to elizabethwarren.com and pitched in their 25 bucks. in three days, people have contributed $9 million to this campaign. this fight is our fight! applause

those were the four main contenders in the vada. —— in nevada. north america correspondent sophie long has been following developments in nevada's largest city, las vegas. the official results are still coming in, but as you saw there, bernie sanders has already declared victory, and us media are reporting this as a resounding victory for bernie sanders. he's already left nevada. he's already campaigning in texas, one of the largest states to go to the polls in super tuesday, in ten days' time. so a good night for bernie sanders‘s campaign, but that will only increase anxiety amongst moderates in the party, who feel he is too progressive and too far left to beat donald trump in november. moderates, though, still struggling to unify behind a single candidate. according to early official results, pete buttigieg anjoe biden were fighting it out for second place. but i'm at a biden campaign event here. he's already been on the stage, and his team are calling this a strong second place for their man. much—needed result for him, of course. he had very disappointing results in both iowa and new hampshire, and his campaign has basically been

on life support for the past few days. if he has a good night here tonight, which his campaign team says he has, that will give him some momentum to go through to south carolina, which is next to vote, and then onwards into super tuesday. he polls well amongst african—americans, which make up about a quarter of the population in south carolina. so, although it wasn't a win forjoe biden, it was a good night for him as well. very briefly, sophie, how might the other candidates try to catch up with senator sanders on super tuesday? well, supertuesday, of course, is where all eyes are now, and all the candidates will be out campaigning. only a few of the candidates remain in nevada tonight. others are already in those states which will go to the poll on super tuesday, which is 3 march. now, a huge number of delegates are on offer then. if bernie sanders continues with this momentum, the thought is that perhaps he may accrue enough support to be insurmountable. he could eliminate a lot of threats, so all the candidates will now be campaigning madly

ahead of super tuesday, because that is the next real test. we have full coverage of the presidential campaigns on our website, where there's background and analysis on the differenct candidates. that's all at bbc.com/news or you can download the bbc news app. the number of confirmed cases of the virus in mainland china has now reached almost 77,000. more than 2,400 people there have died. in south korea, the number of new cases more than doubled in one day to 433. laura bicker is in seoul. health authorities say they're using every tool at their disposal to get try to get this outbreak under control, but the case numbers continue to rise. the real area of concern is a hospital, a psychiatric hospital, where over 100 patients have caught coronavirus while in their hospital bed. two patients from there have already died. these are long—term patients with underlying health conditions.

now, the investigation into how this outbreak started centres around the shincheonji church ofjesus. this is a religious sect with over 500,000 members right across south korea, around 9,000 of whom are said to be at risk. they have been told to put themselves into quarantine, and in interviews, overi,000 of them said that they had symptoms of coronavirus. now, that doesn't necessarily mean they have the virus. they have to yet test positive. when it comes to the rest of the country, the highly affected area of daegu, where they have the most number of cases, the mayor there has asked the 2.5 million residents to stay at home if at all possible. the defence ministry has put all south korean bases on lockdown after three different soldiers from three different provinces came down with coronavirus. although it is centred around one region, a number of outbreaks keep cropping up all over the country, which is concerning

health authorities here. now, the good news is south korea was very well prepared for this. it had hospitals and medics on standby. but even they seem surprised by how quickly and how rapidly this virus is spreading. that's laura bicker with the latest from seoul in south korea. and italy is now adopting urgent measures to deal with what is the biggest coronavirus outbreak in europe. two people have died, and confirmed cases have risen to 79. the prime minister, giuseppe conte, said in the affected areas in the northern regions of veneto and lombardy, people will not be allowed to enter or leave without special permission. let's get some of the day's other news. hundreds of people have marched through central london demanding that jailed wikilea ks founderjulian assange be released days before of his extradition hearings begin. a london court begins hearings on monday to decide whether the australian—born assange should be extradited to the united states.

the 48—year—old who spent seven years in ecuador‘s london embassy is wanted by the us on 18 criminal counts of conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. bolivia's acting president has been seeing first hand the damage caused by heavy flooding in the central region of the country. jeanine anez and several of her ministers visited the city of cochabamba, which has experienced heavy rainfall in recent days. houses have been damaged and streets turned into fast—flowing rivers. neighbouring peru has also been severely affected. a us tv star and amateur rocket builder has been killed during an attempt to launch a homemade steam powered rocket. mike hughes died inside the device he'd made when it plunged into the ground shortly after take—off. the 64—year—old, known as mad mike, had been taking part in a tv series in which rival teams were competing to launch a rocket on a tight budget. boxing, and tyson fury and deontay wilder are facing one other again in in las vegas for the wbc world title.

it's almost 15 months since the pair fought out a controversial draw and tickes have been exchanging hands for thousands of dollars. sport editor dan roan is at the mgm grand hotel in las vegas. the wbc title, the most prestigious of the four belts, is on the line. it is such a big fight because these are undefeated fighters. remember, they're widely considered to be the two best heavyweights in the world right now. and if it is anything like as good a bout as the one you mentioned just then, some 15 months ago in los angeles, when it was a draw, and remember, fury outboxed his american opponent for a large part of that fight, miraculously, memorably, climbing off the canvass in the final round, and was unlucky not to get the win, then we're in for another epic classic. but of course, if wilder can win, and he is one of the most feared punchers in the history of the sport, then that will reinforce his status as a dominant force in boxing. one thing is for sure —

this feels like something of a throwback to the glory days of this sport. it is a boxing occasion to savour. many afghans have expressed cautious optimism after the first day of an interim agreement between the us and the taliban to reduce violence. afghan officials reported some minor clashes, but told government troops to respect the agreement. it could lead to the withdrawal of foreign troops after nearly two decades of war. from kabul, secunder kermani reports. celebrations late last night, as the reduction in violence came into effect. for the next week, the taliban, afghan government and us forces have promised not to carry out major attacks, helping pave the way, it is hoped, for an eventual peace deal. war has torn this country apart. tens of thousands have been killed. for more than a year, the united states has been trying to negotiate an exit to

its longest ever war. the taliban wants to make a deal. we'll see if they want to make a deal. it's got to be a real deal, but we'll see. that's meant talking to the taliban. the two sides have drawn upa taliban. the two sides have drawn up a deal that would see a timetable established for the withdrawal of american troops in exchange for the taliban breaking links with groups like al-qaeda. if this week passes peacefully, they'll sign an agreement next weekend. translation: it depends how honest the taliban are. if they do what they say, we will have peace. if they don't, they are just playing with us. but, even if the us—taliban agreement is signed, that won't be the end of this conflict. instead, it will signal the start of a new set of discussions, this time between the taliban and other

together, they will need to establish a longer—lasting ceasefire, and decide how the country should be governed for many afghans, the immediate priority is peace. more than 3,000 civilians lost their lives here last year. now there is a chance, at least, of an end to the violence. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: party time in rio. millions take to the streets for the annual carnival. prince charles has chosen his bride. the prince proposed to lady diana spencer three weeks ago. she accepted, she says, without hesitation. as revolutions go, this had its fair share of bullets. a climax in the night outside the gates of mr marcos's sanctuary, malaca nang, the name itself symbolising one of the cruellest regimes of modern asia. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly using a cell from another sheep. warren beatty and faye dunaway announced to the world that the winner of best film was la la land. the only trouble was, it wasn't. the mistake was only put right in the middle of gushing

speeches by the team behind the modern musical. not for 20 years have locusts been seen in such numbers in this part of africa. some of the swarms have been ten miles long. this is the last time the public will see this pope. very soon, for the sake of the credibilty and authority of the next pope, benedict xvi will, in his own words, "be hidden from the world for the rest of his life." this is bbc news, the latest headlines: senator bernie sanders has cemented his status as the frontrunner for the democratic presidential nomination with a resounding victory in the nevada caucus. the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in mainland china rises to nearly 77,000. police in kazakhstan have detained about 200 people during demonstrations in the country's largest city, almaty. the arrests came after two banned opposition groups tried to hold illegal anti—government protests. this report, from rich preston.

yelling. these demonstrations were not supposed to turn violent. in fact, they weren't supposed to happen at all. the two groups protesting are banned. there is no official political opposition in this oil—rich central asian country. the democratic party was created last year, but isn't formally recognised. the other party, the democratic choice of kazakhstan, was labelled as an extremist group by the government in 2018. demonstrators were met by huge numbers of police. this man, eric, is sharing his views of the government, before plain—clothed police officers take him away. "down with the dictatorship," she's shouting. the sign says, "political repression is a disgrace. detentions for peaceful rallies." security forces were unrelenting in who was arrested.

translation: this lawlessness must not be left without responsibility! those in power must take responsibility. they didn't ask for people's opinions. they got used to trampling people's opinions and their lives. the democratic party of kazakhstan will rise! kazakhstan is often criticised for its authoritarian regime and for limiting freedom of speech. when the president, kassym—jomart tokayev, took office last year, he promised to change that, and to ease restrictions on public protest. but there is little sign of change. civil society groups say they are not happy with the proposed reforms, and dissent on the streets is short—lived, and met with a swift, heavy—handed response. rich preston, bbc news. the former rebel leader, riek machar, has been sworn

in as south sudan's first vice president at a ceremony injuba. on thursday, he and president salva kiir agreed to form a unity government, ending years of fighting. here's the bbc‘s catherine byaru hanga. the man of the moment, riek machar, arrived — shaking hands, hugging and smiling. so help me god... the former rebel leader was sworn in to office before his arch rival, president salva kiir, and promised they would now serve their people. i want to assure you we will work collectively to end your long—suffering. millions of south sudanese are living in camps like this one, both here and in neighbouring countries. many are too scared to go back home after experiencing brutal violence. hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have been killed in the past six years. their president says change has come and they should prepare to return. he says it's time to heal old wounds.

i have forgiven my brother, riek machar, and first vice president of the republic of south sudan. applause and i also ask for his forgiveness. applause and i'm inviting all the people of south sudan to forgive one another. there are sighs of relief from south sudan's main allies, especially the united states, which threatened even more sanctions if this unity government was not formed. president kiir and his first vice president are just leaving the ceremony now. they've tried this partnership twice in the past, and each time,

it's ended in fighting. can they trust each other enough now, enough to let this country rebuild? 0n the streets of the capital, there is some optimism about this latest deal. we are sure they will co—operate and work for the people of south sudan. peace has returned back home and this peace needs to be embraced and this peace also needs each and every person to forgive each other. singing catherine byaru hanga, bbc news, juba. a public state memorial has taken place in sydney to recognise the 25 lives lost in the recent bushfires. staged at the olympic park, the event showed support for affected families and honoured citizens and firefighters who had been killed — some of whom had come to australia's aid from abroad. six pairs of firefighters

boots were lined up, symbolising the three australian volunteers, and three american firefighters, who died. speaking at the event, australia's prime minister, scott morrison, described the trauma caused by the fires as unforgettable. a season of air you couldn't breathe and of orange skies that wouldn't rain. an unforgettable trauma absorbed into our very beings. and of unrelenting grief for our land, oui’ unrelenting grief for our land, our wildlife and our families. children kissing the coffins of their fathers, proudly wearing their fathers, proudly wearing the helmet. mothers and fathers who should never have had to bury their children. friends who came to our aid, who travelled across the water to support us but to return home under their nation's flags.

south africa has held a state funeral forjoseph shabalala, the founder of the ladysmith black mambazo singing group. he died at the age of 78 earlier this month. south africa's president led the tributes, calling shabalala a true ambassador for south african and zulu culture. nomsa maseko has more. melodic chanting whistling and cheering melodic chanting a send—off fit for a man who put isicathamiya on a global platform. joseph shabalala, the gentle—voiced musician, remembered for playing an unparalleled role in introducing the sound of zulu traditional music to the world. singing the founder of ladysmith black mambazo, the most popular vocal group africa has ever produced,

was awarded a state funeral. he was one of south africa's most decorated artists. a musical genius. a prolific composer, who as we heard, would sleep for two hours and want to be composing for the rest of the night. he performed his magical art before multitudes of people around the world. he enthralled ordinary people, kings and queens, presidents, bishops, fellow artists and many others. the funeral service was filled with musical tributes. young and old mourned, and also celebrated his legacy. we really honour him, and we thank what he did for the whole of the nation.

what is your favourite song from ladysmith black mambazo? he sings singing but no—one else could relate to his music more than his fellow group members. singing even though they've lost their leader, the show must go on. ladysmith black mambazo is set to continue with their us tour next week. nomsa maseko, bbc news, ladysmith. it's that time of year again — when the streets of rio de janeiro become a sea of colour and sound. the annual carnival is under way and millions of people are expected to come out and celebrate. the festivities are due to last

until next saturday, as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. year after year, street after street, rio neverfails to impress. exuberance, joy and wonder. millions of people having a good time. this is rio's oldest street carnival, the cordao da bola preta, which began more than 100 years ago. for some, it's much more than just a party. translation: we have to jump around with greatjoy, respecting each person's limits, respecting individuality, respecting their beliefs, respecting their options. kindness solves everything. kindness generates kindness, it generates love. that's what we need. and it's not just the people having fun.

this is the annual pooch parade. dogs of all shapes and sizes dressed up and on display. it's hard to tell who is the more flamboyant — the animals or their owners. translation: it's great. we come every year. this is diana. she's snow white. we're here with the whole family. it's marvellous, come down here, it's great. take care of your animals, they really deserve it. by some estimates, around 2 million people a day will attend this festival, and there are others taking place across the country. a week of partying has only just begun. tim allman, bbc news. is it too late for the rest of us is it too late for the rest of us to head out and join them? if you are out there, tell us how you are enjoying the carnival. you can reach me on twitter —

i'm @jamesbbcnews. more on our website and please, do stay with us. hello there. it's a familiar february theme, more rain on the way and the prospect of further flood warnings. now, at the moment, we've got in excess of 100 flood warnings in force. those numbers have been rising, actually, over the last 2a hours in northern england and scotland. and now we're looking at this — a 4,000—mile long weather front stretching all the way over towards the caribbean. but along the front, there are two areas of low pressure and both of these could cause us some problems. the first is actually knocking on our doors right now with outbreaks of rain spreading into northern ireland and getting quickly across england and wales over the next few hours. the rain always heaviest across wales, perhaps the north midlands, parts of northern england, 20—a0mm in places. and that is falling on saturated ground, so we could see further localised flooding issues. snow showers continue

to work in across scotland where it remains windy, so a blustery start to the day. but for most of us, it's a day that will slowly improve. the rain pushes its way southwards through the day, brighter skies follow with a bit of sunshine. but there will be further showers in the north—west of scotland. still wintry over the high ground, still relatively cool there, compared with the cloudy south where, yes, it will stay quite mild. but looking at the weather picture beyond that, as we head into monday, the next area of low pressure moves in. this one also could cause some disruption, because, before it arrives, it's going to be getting colder through sunday night with some patches of frost and into that cold air, the rain arrives. the rain turns to snow fora time, northern ireland, northern england, and then in scotland, the snow could last longer and could reach down to lower elevations as well. now, apart from the snow, we've also got the prospect of getting some very strong winds at points during the day on monday across the northern half of the country with gusts in excess of 60 or 70mph.

so, there is the risk of some disruption, particularly so for scotland, where there's most likely to be snow that will last longest and also probably where we'll see the strongest of the winds. elsewhere, more rain in the forecast across england and wales. that in itself isn't welcome and could cause some further localised flooding issues. even as the rainband clears, it will be followed by blustery showers. it will be a windy kind of day everywhere. now, beyond that, as that weather front clears away from the south—east, we will be left with a showery north—westerly, so it stays unsettled, stays quite windy. the next weather system arriving towards thursday off the atlantic. so, in other words, there's no sign of the weather settling down any time soon. we are going to see further showers. it's often going to be quite windy and we could see a spell of rain coming through on thursday and be cold enough to see some snow at times as well in the week ahead.

this is bbc news. the headlines: senator bernie sanders has cemented his status as the frontrunner for the democratic presidential nomination with a resounding victory in the nevada caucus. the former vice—president, joe biden, is projected to finish second in the vote. the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in mainland china has now reached almost 77,000, more than 2,400 of whom have died. elsewhere, italy has adopted what it's describing as urgent and extraordinary measures to tackle what is now the biggest outbreak in europe. bolivia's acting president has been seeing first hand the damage caused by heavy flooding in the central region of the country. jeanine anez visited the city of cochabamba, which has experienced heavy rainfall in recent days. houses have been damaged and streets turned into fast—flowing rivers. the situation in neighbouring peru

is also