welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: south korea raises its disease alert to the highest possible level as the coronavirus outbreak claims seven lives. italy imposes quarantine restrictions and the venice carnival closes early to contain europe's largest outbreak. we have a special report from syria where civilians trapped in idlib, the last rebel stronghold, are under ferocious attack by forces loyal to president assad. it's now the biggest exodus of the conflict. they have fled time and time again and now they can go no further, so they ask, now that there are so many of them, can the world continue to ignore their fate? india prepares for donald trump's visit. so can narendra modi

and the us president break down trade barriers? south korea has raised its coronavirus alert to the highest level as the number of confirmed cases keep rising. 161 new cases have just been reported in the country, taking the number of confirmed cases to 763. seven people have died. president moonjae—in says the next few days will be crucial in the battle to contain the outbreak. laura bicker reports from seoul. this hospital should have been a safe haven from the deadly infection, but nearly 100 of its already vulnerable patients are now battling coronavirus. some are being transferred to specialist clinics, two have died on the way.

nearby in daegu, the worst affected area, they've created several crisis centres. outside, the ambulances are lined up, each with a patient waiting to be admitted. the spread of this virus may be relentless, but so are the efforts to stop it. how are you coping? ah, yeah, we have to overcome this situation. do you think you can do it? yeah, but i pray. half of south korea's cases are linked to a secretive religious sect, which is accused of failing to cooperate with medical staff. its church in daegu became a target, prompting the movement's leaders to speak out. he said his congregation were the biggest victims of the virus and urged people to stop spreading groundless rumours. the main shopping district

of south korea's fourth—largest city is almost abandoned. the few who do venture out can use technology to help them stay away from infected areas. alarm sounds they're using your phone to locate where you are, and then they will send you an emergency alert if you are anywhere near where a confirmed coronavirus patient has been. south korea is now facing a race against time to trace the potentially thousands who have been infected and prevent this epidemic from getting out of control. laura bicker, bbc news, daegu. moving to italy, where around 150 people have so far been diagnosed with the virus. the bbc‘s mark lowen spoke to us from just outside the town of codogno, the centre of northern italy's coronavirus outbreak. he could not go into the town without being put into quarantine. this is the point in which police are now stopping all the cars trying to go down

the road towards codogno, which is the epicentre of italy's coronavirus outbreak. the police here are telling us that if we go beyond this point, that we would have to quarantine, we would not be able to leave here for quite some time, and they are checking all the vehicles coming in and out. if we just come over here, there are a couple of residents living on the edge of this zone. speaks italian they are telling me that they feel completely closed and segregated here. speaks italian so they are not leaving the house, they are staying inside, and that tallies with a conversation i had with somebody inside the town of codogno who says that actually in a town of 16,000 people now, there was just one fruit and vegetable store open. all the supermarkets and pharmacies are closed. this is echoed in 12 or so towns right across northern italy, which have about 50,000 people now

in quarantine as the italian government tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and to understand why it is spreading and the cases are rising so fast. let's get some of the day's other news. in turkey, nine people have died in an earthquake that struck near the country's border with iran. turkish tv showed rescue workers in van province searching for people. it's thought that more than 1,000 buildings collapsed when the 5.8—magnitude quake hit on sunday. last month, two avalanches killed at least 39 people in the same province killed. the israeli military says it's carried out attacks in syria and in gaza after a barrage of rockets was fired into israel. a spokesperson said the israeli defence forces had launched a series of strikes against what it called terrorist targets belonging to the islamichhad organization in southern damascus, as well as dozens of similar targets inside gaza. the united nations says the greatest exodus

of civilians in the syrian civil war is taking place in the northern idlib province. the fighting in the last major rebel stronghold in the country has left about a million people trapped. 0ur middle east correspondent quentin sommerville and camera operator fred scott have been into idlib and have this special report. a darkness is closing in around idlib. the regime is creeping closer and those who oppose it take shelter where they can. 26 families are living in this empty shell. the tarpaulin walls put up by ismail yusuf aren't enough to keep out the cold or the sound of regime shelling. bashar al—assad's forces are less than six miles from here. translation: if the regime comes here, we will head to turkey, but they aren't

letting anyone in. in the end, we will have to go to the border, because the alternative is death. towns and villages have been emptied out. a million people have fled in the last three months. the border camps are full. abu douma has already tried to leave once. the shelling is close enough now to make the children flinch. translation: it was like judgment day. there were columns upon columns of vehicles leaving. there was nowhere to go. there were no houses left to rent, not even tents. rebel—held idlib is shrinking fast. these turkish—backed forces and armed jihadists have lost village after town. they took us closer to the front lines.

turkey has given them new weapons and vehicles. but they are outmatched by the regime and russia and powerless to stop the advance. war has been these children's lives. here at idlib orphanage number one, they try to shut it out, but it's getting harder. war came knocking again earlier this week when regime shells landed close by. translation: the girls were terrified. they held one another and started crying. they said this was the last safe place after fleeing so many times. where would they go? would this be the place where they would all die? the situation here

has never been more bleak. and they can already feel the regime's grasp. it has bombed people in hospitals and markets, and earlier this week, it shelled this camp too. a ceasefire may be the only hope, but they're keeping their cars and belongings packed just in case. it's a squalid end to syria's war. but still, people here tell us they would much rather endure this than suffer under bashar al—assad's rule. it is now the biggest exodus of the conflict. they have fled time and time again and now they can go no further. so they ask, now that there are so many of them, can the world continue to ignore their fate? for young and old, there is now almost no safe place in idlib. after enduring nine years of misery, the last place they want to be is left at the mercy of bashar al—assad.

president trump is about to start a 2—day visit to india. he'll begin by attending a rally alongside his host the indian prime minister narendra modi in the prime minister's home city. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan looks ahead to the trip. as india gets ready for the arrival of president trump, no expense is being spared. his first stop — the city of ahmedabad in prime minister modi's home state, gujarat. preparations include building a wall along his planned route to conceal some of the slums in the area. residents aren't pleased. translation: when you are spending so much money for the wall, then come and have a look inside the shanties of us poor people. you can spend 800,000 to a million rupees for the wall, then also go inside the shanty of a poor person to see how they are living, what conditions they are living in. president trump's expected to get a grand welcome when he and prime minister modi address a rally in the city to inaugurate the world's

largest cricket stadium, motera. it's modelled on the howdy modi event last year in houston, texas, when the leaders stood side by side at a rally in america with thousands in attendance. both face pressure at home. president trump post—impeachment, prime minister modi in the wake of kashmir and his pa rty‘s controversial citizenship bill. president trump will meet prime minister modi here in delhi for talks. indian officials have hinted that there could be an announcement on defence, but the trade deal president trump wants so badly looks unlikely. and in a us election year, the president is continuing to talk tough about his hosts. we're doing a very big trade deal with india. we'll have it. i don't know if it'll be done before the election, but we'll have a very big deal with india. we're not treated very well by india, but i happen to like prime minister modi a lot. indian officials say they don't want to rush into a trade deal.

president trump's trip to india's looks set to be —— india looks set to be heavy on ceremony, but lighter on concrete proposals. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. the bbc‘s arunoday mukharji is in ahmedabad and has the latest. as one person liked to put it, he said all roads in india currently are leading to ahmedabad, and that is certainly the sense that we got when we landed here. as soon as you get out of the airport, there are massive hoardings and posters showcasing the special relationship, as they put it, on those hoardings, between prime minister modi and donald trump. this happens to be the prime minister's home state. he's leaving no stone unturned to welcome president trump. many experts are saying this is a first time any foreign dignitary has been granted this kind of welcome, and that in itself is being seen as a very important political message to both their respective constituencies. when the president lands here, he will be undertaking a massive roadshow through the streets of ahmedabad where cultural events

have been planned all along. he then visits the residence for a few days of the face of mahatma gandhi, who was face of the indian freedom struggle. he then goes on to the motera stadium, the largest stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world, which he will be inaugurating, which is likely to see about 100,000 people. about $12 million have been spent on this massive event, and when you go through all the hoardings and the general atmosphere here in the city, it is all about that personal chemistry that both world leaders share, and that is what they are trying to showcase. what do people where you are make of this trip? there is mixed reactions. there have been a fair bit of controversy, a lot of expectations from both leaders. many experts are saying that we also need to cut through the atmospherics and see what exactly is of substance from this entire trip. we must remember there are several outstanding issues that still remain between the us as well as india,

especially on the trade front. they have not managed to cover any common ground. there are many disagreements between both of them and the president pointed out they are not likely to see any trade deal this time around. even a limited one per se. the focus, therefore, has shifted to defence. that is where they are looking to grab headlines. they are looking at a $2.6 billion chopper deal to showcase a big tangible. the other is they are likely to make some progress in the field of energy as well. but there is still lots left to be desired. the president of the united states is also likely to raise kashmir with india, india—pakistan issues, and also, the recent law which granted citizenship to all minorities in the bordering countries except for muslims. that is being seen as discriminatory to the minority community here in the country. these are some issues likely to come up which are relatively uncomfortable for prime minister modi.

i understand they are going to the world's largest cricket stadium, which might be in the haze behind you. i am not sure. does india want to teach the president about cricket? that is a good question. i am not sure how donald trump will receive that, but, yes, you are right. behind me is the stadium. it was fairly well lit a couple of hours ago. that is supposed to be the biggest stadium in the world, 100,000 people are expected to attend. they will speak at that stadium. we are also expecting some cultural programmes as well. whether donald trump has a way with the bat or not is still something to watch out for. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: airports in the canary islands are reopening after a saharan dust storm grounded all planes. 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 credibility 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: south korea raises its disease alert to the highest possible

level as the coronavirus outbreak claims seven lives. italy imposes quarantine restrictions and the venice carnival closes early to contain europe's largest outbreak. a massive saharan sandstorm has engulfed the canary islands, causing widespread chaos and frustration across the popular holiday destination. hundreds of people have been trapped at airports. freya cole reports. outside the terminal at tenerife, an ominous orange sky signals a warning. inside, it is causing chaos. translation: we've been here since yesterday. we're exhausted. airlines have been forced to cancel almost all flights in and out of the ca nary islands. the interrupted flight schedule is interrupting school holiday fun. hundreds of people are stranded. some have settled in for the long haul. translation: why be bitter? we can't do anything.

when it comes to the weather, there is nothing anyone can do. it is near impossible to see more than a few metres ahead, making it far too dangerous to take to the skies. this weather phenomenon is called a calima. it is when hot and strong winds collect sand and dust from the sahara desert and send them across the atlantic ocean. it happens every couple of years, but locals say this feels like one of the worst in decades. adding to the stress, a wildfire is getting close to homes in the west of gran canaria. the flames are being exacerbated by the strong calima winds, which authorities say could lingerfor another 2a hours. it is a forecast which will only cause more headaches at the airport. a long and tiring wait for the skies to clear. indonesia is still dealing with the aftermath of the worst flooding to hit the capital, jakarta, and surrounding areas in a quarter of a century.

more than 60 people are known to have died, tens of thousands more displaced. more rain is predicted in the coming weeks, so the authorities are now working to stop further disaster by using a process known as cloud seeding. resty woro yuniar reports from jakarta. used for thousands of years in the kitchen, indonesia is hoping common table salt will become the secret ingredient in fighting floods. the new decade has brought massive flooding in and around jakarta. the capital was hit by the most intense rainfall in 150 years. now, the government is sending the military into the sky, armed with salt, to try and control when and where the next big rains will fall. it is a process known as cloud seeding. once the salt is loaded on board, the military fly high into storm clouds,

and the salt is released. salt particles attract moisture in the cloud, creating droplets. when those droplets group together, they become too heavy to stay in the sky, the idea being to encourage rain to fall while storm clouds are out at sea. translation: we have managed to cut 30—a0% of rainfall intensity since our operation began. that is the ideal number to prevent further flooding. once a threat is identified in the sky, crews quickly get to work. it is a simple process to artificially create rainfall over the ocean. if it works, it could help give jakarta the relief it so desperately needs. while the government is convinced cloud seeding is the best way to modify the weather, others are concerned about the

long—term environmental impact. translation: the moisture in the clouds could become really acidic. adding sodium chloride, or salt, could create acid rain. normal rain has a ph of about 5—6. if the ph reaches above three, it would have an impact on a number of plants. forecasts predict more heavy rain is on the way, and will hit jakarta in the coming weeks. while it will take some time to say for sure whether this process has real impact, the government is pushing ahead, hoping cloud seeding will be the success they need to save homes and lives. now, how about a musical invention as big as you can imagine. it is called the earth harp, the largest stringed instrument in the world. the creator brings together his love of sound and a passion

for architecture to put audiences at the very centre of every performance. i'm william close. i am the inventor of the earth harp. the earth harp gets its title from the very first time i installed it. i mounted a series of chambers on one side of a canyon, and ran the strings across to the other side, turned that canyon into a giant, giant harp. once i started running these giant strings everywhere, i had to figure out how to play them. and i discovered if you wear gloves with violin rosin on them, and then run your hands along the strings, it produces what's called a compression wave.

it's very similar to running your finger around the edge of a wine glass. it's a purely acoustic phenomenon. so technically what's happening is that chambers are resting on the stage, and the strings are shooting out over the audience and tying into the architecture, and the people that are listening are actually inside the instrument. and i love that. usually i put two microphones inside. it's about the volume of a cello, and then when it's amplified, it's just epic. playing the earth harp is almost like playing a string section in an orchestra. you have a full sound, such a big sound, right at yourfingertips.

it's really majestic. it's almost, dare i say, a sort of healing sound. you know, it touches people, and it can be very emotional, actually. unforgettable sound. the bbc is seeking a rising star of african journalism for the bbc world news komla dumor award, now in its sixth year. journalists from across the continent are invited to apply for the award, which aims to uncover and promote fresh talent from africa. in memory of komla dumor, we wa nted in memory of komla dumor, we wanted this award to be a sign of the bbc‘s investment in the future of africa's journalism.

if you are ambitious and serious about your profession asa serious about your profession as a journalist, that this is the opportunity you've been looking for. winning the bbc world news komla dumor award did an amazing thing for my career. winning this award with an open door into the bbc newsroom , an open door into the bbc newsroom, and as an open door into the bbc i'iewsi'ooiti, and as a an open door into the bbc newsroom, and as a journalist, i have grown. the winner gets to spend three months with the bbc. they also get time and support to work on an original piece ofjournalism. my scripting has improved, my interviewing skills have become better. any journalist worth their salt should be applying for this award. it's an amazing opportunity to go from this level to that level in a very short time, with the best in terms of training. whatever it is that you have maybe what the bbc is looking for. you need to ta ke bbc is looking for. you need to take this opportunity seriously and apply. for more details on how to apply, please visit:

more details on all of our stories on our website. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @jamesbbcnews. hello there. the weather looks set to cause a few more problems over the coming days. first of all, well, the risk of flooding hasn't diminished at all. we've got over 100 flood warnings currently in force, and we've also got a severe flood warning that's been issued. that's been put on a stretch of the river severn, this time in shrewsbury, in shropshire, and it's here later on this afternoon that we could see the river approach record levels. and there could be further flooding over the coming days. we have got more rain in the forecast as well. the other thing that you might encounter as we head into the first part of the morning is this. yes, there is the potential for some disruptive snow. let me explain. it's been getting chilly across northern parts of the country, whereas in the south, you can see some mild air here. temperatures ten degrees orso in cardiff.

it's mild because it's turned wet and windy, and this band of heavy rain is moving across wales and the midlands, bumping into the cold air. it's turning to snow across the high ground of northern england, and across the hills of scotland as well. we could see the snow come down to lower elevations for a time, just in time for monday morning rush hour. so there is the potential for some disruption, and i suspect over the high ground, we could be looking at something like 5—10 cm. and that's not our only problem, mind you. this band of rain sweeps its way southwards and eastwards. as it does so, it could bring about 40—50 mm of rain across the high ground of wales, and that sets the scene for further flooding problems later on in the week, even as the rain clears through. blustery showers follow, a windy day everywhere, and the winds will make it feel really particularly cold in scotland, a bitterfeel to the weather here. now, heading into tuesday and wednesday, high pressure is to the south—west of the uk, low pressure to the north—west, north—east, and that maintains north—westerly winds across the country. and it's those north—westerly winds that will feed

in showers. now, the showers will be quite widespread, particularly across western areas as we head into the afternoon. some of them will have some some wintry flavour to them, particularly across northern areas over the high ground. yes, there'll be some sunshine between. but it's a similar looking weather picture as we head into wednesday — again, a cold north—westerly wind feeding the showers in. the showers particular frequent across the north—west of scotland, northern ireland, running down through the irish sea to affect north wales, cheshire, merseyside, greater manchester and the north—west midlands, all the while feeling cold in the wind, as well. so quite a lot going on over the next few days alone. yes, there's the concerns that we could see some disruptive snow through this morning. heavy rain around as well, and that's likely to cause some further flooding problems as we go through the next few days.

this is bbc news, the headlines: south korea has raised its disease alert to the highest possible level as the coronavirus outbreak claims seven lives. italy has cut short its carnival in venice and imposed quarantine restrictions. and four more britons have tested positive after returning from a cruise ship injapan. the united nations says the greatest exodus of civilians in the syrian civil war is taking place in idlib province. the fighting in the last major rebel stronghold has left about a million people trapped. turkey says it will contact french, german, and russian leaders in march to discuss the crisis. president trump is about to start a two—day state visit to india. he will attend a rally alongside prime minister narendra modi in modi's home city. the two leaders will consider ways of lifting trade barriers and developing strategic ties in the region.