this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president biden urges the us senate to approve his $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package after it was passed by the house of representatives. the people of this country have suffered far too much for too long. we need to relieve that suffering. the american rescue plan does just that — it relieves the suffering. it's time to act. meanwhile, praise for donald trump at the annual gathering of us conservatives. but will the ex—president stay in and of his party?

but will the ex—president stay in command his party? more parents wait and pray in nigeria after the latest school kidnapping: more than 300 girls abducted from the state of zamfara. the uk chancellor of the exchequer plans new measures to help people buy their own homes, as he prepares his budget next week. trumpets play. and tributes are paid to the record—breaking british charity fundraiser, captain sir tom moore, at his funeral. family members say his spirit will live on. and in sport, wales secure the triple crown with a rugby six nations win over england. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk

or around the world. us president, joe biden, has welcomed the passing of his $1.9 trillion, "coronavirus aid bill", in the house of representatives. the republicans said the plan was too expensive and voted against it. but the democrats�* slim majority pushed the bill through. it's the third major us spending package during the pandemic, slightly smaller than the $2 trillion package, introduced last march by donald trump. this was president biden�*s reaction. we have no time to waste. if we act now decisively, quickly and boldly, we can finally get ahead of this virus. we can finally get our economy moving again. the people of this country have suffered far too much for too long. we need to relieve that suffering. the american rescue plan does just that — it relieves the suffering. and it's time to act. well the president there alluded

to some of what's in this aid bill, but in summary. each person will receive a cheque for m00 dollars, payments will be phased out for those on higher incomes. the bill extends jobless benefits until the end of august, to help the more than 11 million people who are unemployed. and there's a $70 billion boost for covid testing and vaccinations. live now to washington and our correspondent, lebo diseko. he didn't speak for very long did he, lebo? it was a very short statement on what took place. hat he, lebo? it was a very short statement on what took place. not at all. statement on what took place. not at all- basically. — statement on what took place. not at all. basically, what— statement on what took place. not at all. basically, what you _ statement on what took place. not at all. basically, what you played - statement on what took place. not at all. basically, what you played was i all. basically, what you played was almost all of it. it was interesting, ifelt like almost all of it. it was interesting, i felt like he almost all of it. it was interesting, ifelt like he was talking really to his own party. he said the senate, he mentioned the senate as the next stage, but the way that democrats have chosen to process this means that they only

need a simple majority in the senate to get that through. so if all of their party where to vote for it, it would pass. the problem that they haveis would pass. the problem that they have is that already, you have two to mechanic senators that have said, no, they won't pass it at the moment as it stands, and that is because there is this very controversial issue of our proposal for $15 and wage, that's $15 per hour minimum wage. they don't want that in there. what we are likely to see is that there will be modifications and then sent back to the house of representatives to vote on and go back to the senate again. they don't have very long to do this. democrats want to get this wrapped up before the president to sign off by the middle of march, which is two weeks away now. because that's when unemployment benefits run out. it’s unemployment benefits run out. it's interesting, isn't it? because raising that minimum wage to $15 was part of the campaign promise. how bad are things for people who are in desperate need for this aide? weill.

desperate need for this aide? well, i think as joe _ desperate need for this aide? well, i think as joe biden _ desperate need for this aide? well, i think as joe biden says, _ desperate need for this aide? well, i think as joe biden says, it - desperate need for this aide? well, i think as joe biden says, it is - i think asjoe biden says, it is really something that he feels is urgent. that's why it was part of his package. i think though that it's telling and kind of speaks to the state of play here in america, the state of play here in america, the division between the parties, that they knew that it would be very difficult for them to pass this with republican support. they are not going to get that. republicans have said that this is too expensive as it stands. the democrats have said that they are going to try and get this through, if not this way, in another way. we are not quite sure how that will be. i thinkjoe biden hasn't given up on getting the $15 minimum wage through at some point some way. minimum wage through at some point some wa . ,., minimum wage through at some point somewa. ., , minimum wage through at some point somewa. ., .,, some way. lebo, always a pleasure, thank ou some way. lebo, always a pleasure, thank you very _ some way. lebo, always a pleasure, thank you very much _ some way. lebo, always a pleasure, thank you very much indeed. - some way. lebo, always a pleasure, thank you very much indeed. thankl thank you very much indeed. thank you. conservative activists and elected officials in the us, are attending this year's "conservative political action conference", known as "cpac", in florida, in what is seen as a key

event determining the future direction of the republican party. the main event will be on sunday, when former president, donald trump, will give his first speech since leaving the white house. speaking earlier, the trump administration secretary of state, mike pompeo, defended the america first foreign policy, which included pulling out of the paris climate accord, and abandoning the iran nuclear deal. the conference has also been hearing from the former us trade representative, robert lighthizer, who was asked how important it was to the conservative cause, that the former president's voice was not silenced. look, he had a four year extremely successful presidency. i have an enormous amount of respect, not only respect, but personal affection for the president. i worked very hard with him.

i've never seen a person work harder than. the notion that you can cancel donald trump is absurd, right? i mean, that's, literally... look, if they could have cancelled donald trump, they would've done in 2016. lets speak to our north america reporter, anthony zurcher — who is in orlando. he has been following that conference. high there. it's meant to be a chance, isn't it it's come of this conference for presidential hopefuls to trust their message, but from reports, it sounds as if it's all about president trump. i think it is all about _ all about president trump. i think it is all about president _ all about president trump. i think it is all about president trump, i it is all about president trump, former president trump here. and when you see people testing their message, like the governor of south dakota just behind me, they are doing it in a way that they are trying to draw their connections to donald trump. after this, she will go down to mara lago to hold a

fundraiser, but she has touting her state's response to coronavirus, she kept her state open and that helped the state forest. but she didn't know that one in 500 south dakota citizens died of covid over the past year. you saw mike pompeo talked about his connections to donald trump and his foreign policy, but alsojust in general, the trump and his foreign policy, but also just in general, the trump message and the trump record, which he was laying claim to. you saw senators yesterday talk about how they continue to support donald trump, and as ted cruz said in a speech, donald trump ain't going anywhere, so the reality is donald trump continues to cast a long shadow over everything that's going on here. i shadow over everything that's going on here. ., �* ~ ., �* on here. i don't know if you've icked on here. i don't know if you've picked up. _ on here. i don't know if you've picked up. but _ on here. i don't know if you've picked up, but i _ on here. i don't know if you've picked up, but i noticed - on here. i don't know if you've picked up, but i noticed that l on here. i don't know if you've - picked up, but i noticed that there are some local reports talking about mr trump already pointing towards fundraising come 2024, which is fascinating. what sort of shape as the party and?— fascinating. what sort of shape as the -a and? . ~ ., the party and? welcoming you know, donald trump — the party and? welcoming you know, donald trump was _ the party and? welcoming you know, donald trump was fundraising - donald trump was fundraising extensively over the last few months

on his challenge to the election results ofjoe biden�*s victory, he has built up a big war chest and give him a lot of influence within the republic and party because he can support candidates running for office, reelection were challenging some of his opponents within the party. i think that when you are looking at where the party is right now, it is taking its lead from donald trump, and no matter what all of the candidates, possible candidates here talk about and plan and try to pitch their messages, they are keeping one eye on donald trump. because until he says he's not going to run again, and that may

not going to run again, and that may not be for very long time, they are going to defer to him, because if you talk to the people behind me who have come to this conference, they are willing to support donald trump. they are sticking by him, and if he runs again, by and large come if you look at polls and you talk to people, they are going to support him. �* , ., ., , people, they are going to support him. �*, ., ., him. it's going to be fascinating, isn't it? come _ him. it's going to be fascinating, isn't it? come tomorrow- him. it's going to be fascinating, i isn't it? come tomorrow afternoon. he is closing that conference. many people are wondering what's going to be included his speech. do you think there is going to be a repeat of those personal attacks? we may see something against mitch mcconnell, or perhaps i think the lady who spoke about not wanting him to be leader of the party, liz cheney. liz leader of the party, liz cheney. l z cheney is a third ranking republican in the house of representatives, and she voted to impeach donald trump, and by all reports, donald trump will call her out by name tomorrow and possibly other people like mitt romney, the senator, and mitch mcconnell, the senate minority leader from mcconnell, the senate minority leaderfrom kentucky mcconnell, the senate minority leader from kentucky who mcconnell, the senate minority leaderfrom kentucky who have criticised him. from reports we have heard, he will take dead aim atjoe biden and try to criticisejoe biden�*s record, in particular on the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, reopening businesses as schools, as well as immigration. know how much of this he goes after critics with in his own party, how

much he goes after democrats, we will see what kind of balance comes out there. but i think the overarching goal of donald trump in his speech tomorrow is to lay claim, once again, it to the republican party, to show that he is still in charge and that he is going to be setting the agenda and picking winners and losers for as far as we can see. . ~' winners and losers for as far as we can see. ., ~ i. winners and losers for as far as we can see. . ~ ,, y winners and losers for as far as we can see. ., ~ i. , . can see. 0k, thank you very much. probably be _ can see. 0k, thank you very much. probably be speaking _ can see. 0k, thank you very much. probably be speaking to _ can see. 0k, thank you very much. j probably be speaking to tomorrow, i'm sure. thank you. let's take a look at some of today's other news... security forces in myanmar, have used batons, tier gas and rubber bullets against protesters, in one of their biggest operations so far, against people opposed to the military coup. there were large—scale arrests with reports of hundreds of activists detained. one woman was shot — the extent of her injuries are not known. france has reported almost 24,000 new confirmed cases of covid—19, in the past 24 hours, that's just over 1,000 fewer than the previous day. weekend lockdowns have been implemented in two coastal cities, to try to slow the spread of the disease. dunkirk, seen here, in the north, and nice, along the mediterranean coast, have seen some of the sharpest increases in infections. the british antarctic survey has

released pictures of a huge iceberg, which has broken off from the "brunt ice shelf" in antarctica. cracks in the ice first appeared ten years ago, so it's not entirely unexpected. the iceberg which covers nearly 1,300 square kilometres — is expected to move slowly away, before grounding itself once more. here in the uk, the funeral of captain sir tom moore has taken place — with his family paying tribute to the veteran and charity fundraiser. sir tom captured the hearts of the nation after raising tens of millions of pounds for national health service charities by walking a hundred laps of his garden before his 100th birthday. he died earlier this month. 0ur correspondentjohn maguire has the story. his was a story born out of lockdown, and as the hearse left his house this morning, pandemic restrictions meant people adhered to the family's

wishes to stay at home. soldiers from the yorkshire regiment, the modern equivalent of captain sir tom moore's wartime unit, who were with him as he made his famousjourney, joined him once more as he made his finaljourney. he received full military honours. 0n the coffin, his medals, including his knighthood and a specially commissioned officer's sword. on one side the regimental motto, "fortune favours the brave", and on the other, his motto, "tomorrow will be a good day". and in clear blue skies above bedford cemetery, the silence was broken by a fly—past from a wartime dakota. to us he was a veteran and a record—breaking fundraiser who walked 100 laps of his back garden to mark his 100th birthday, raising almost £40 million for nhs

charities in the process. but for his daughters, lucy and hannah, he was first and foremost a father. daddy, you would always tell us "best foot forward", and true to your word, that's just what you did last year, raising a fortune for the nhs and walking your way into the nation's hearts. we are all so proud of everything you have achieved and promise to keep your legacy alive. thank you for all the special times we shared. 0ur relationship cannot be broken by death. you will be with me always. and for his grandchildren, benji and georgia, who've grown up living with their grandad, it was a time remember cherished moments. there is a lesson i have learned from living with you these past 13 years. it's the power of positivity and kindness. i truly do not believe i'd be

the person i am today without your sound guidance. he tells stories of his loved ones, the people left behind. _ he doesn't cry or moan or shout. he just says, "best be kind." during the funeral service we learnt so much more about captain sir tom moore — the man, the grandfather and the father — about his humour, his honesty and his humility, qualities that have sent his name around the world and ensure that it lives on beyond today for generations to come. and he became a favourite for millions of people around the world who were inspired by his words and deeds to walk, to be kind and to support good causes. # walk on through the wind.# reassuring us all that we

would never walk alone. john maguire, bbc news, bedfordshire. the uk's chancellor of the exchequer, rishi sunak says he will level with people about the enormous strain the response to the coronavirus pandemic, has put on public finances, when he unveils his budget next week. amongst the measures expected to be announced, is a new mortgage guarantee scheme. 0ur political correspondent, damian grammaticas, has more. a year into this pandemic, is an end in sight? perhaps. and as the mood lifts, a question, when should the massive support given to the economy stop? a year ago, rishi sunak delivered his very first budget as chancellor. since then, he's had to borrow £270 billion, a record. we're setting up a new coronavirus job retention scheme. for now, this national debt is relatively cheap to pay back, but if interest rates rise, that will change. today, the chancellor said...

adding... labour says the government's overseen the worst downturn of any major economy, despite all the cash it's spent. now is not the time to withdraw support for hard—hit firms and families. the chancellor is preparing new measures. so i'm supposed to pour this milk into the yogurt? farabi, who still lives at home with his family, could benefit from a new scheme in the budget to help home—buyers with small deposits get a mortgage. ajunior doctor in london, he hasn't been able to afford his own place. on an nhs salary, i'm on the higher end for a doctor, people who are carers, people who are nurses, physios, etc, if you don't help the rest of us on low incomes, then you are stuck in a sticky situation for the rest of your life.

and the chancellor is facing pressure on all sides. there is some tory mps who won seats off the opposition at the last election who want more spending to level up more deprived areas. the labour party, along with businesses and unions, say any tax rises now could choke off any recovery. and others who say we should start paying down all that debt now. every sensible person knows that this spending we embarked on... to stop the economy collapsing is taxpayer spending and if we don't get it under control inflation comes back then interest rates go up, we'll face a financial crisis. all of this is a sign that as the immediate crisis recedes, its aftereffects will linger on people's health and jobs, the nation's well—being and wealth. damian grammaticas, bbc news. once again in nigeria, police are carrying out search and rescue operations to find children kidnapped

from their school. schools in the north have become targets for mass kidnappings for ransom by armed groups. in the latest development, 42 people, including 27 students, kidnapped from a boarding school last week, in the kagara district of niger state have been released. but on friday, a separate raid by gunmen on a school in zamfara state, saw 317 girls seized and taken away. dr allen manasseh is the founder and chief executive officer of impact trust international, an active humanitarian organization in nigeria. he is a strategic member of the bring back our girls movement, and hails from chibok, in borno state, where 276 girls were kidnapped in 2014 — 26 of whom are relatives of his. hejoins me now. thank you very much indeed. this must break your heart that this is happening once again.—

must break your heart that this is happening once again. exactly. good evenin: happening once again. exactly. good evening and — happening once again. exactly. good evening and thank— happening once again. exactly. good evening and thank you _ happening once again. exactly. good evening and thank you for _ happening once again. exactly. good evening and thank you for having - happening once again. exactly. good | evening and thank you for having me. it's actually appalling to see this happening after close to seven years of the abduction in shoe box. when shabbat happens, we called on every government action to be taken seriously to be sure that children, school children are not forced to go to school —— forced to choose between going to school and staying alive. we had a series of attacks and abductions back to back. it's heartbreaking and something that is very condemnable by every reasonable human being on earth. looking at this, it's notjust happening in small numbers, but the numbers keep increasing. and that is very, very unfortunate. increasing. and that is very, very unfortunate-— unfortunate. there has been widesoread _ unfortunate. there has been widespread nationwide - unfortunate. there has been - widespread nationwide condemnation. we have seen the protests on the streets of nigeria. what on earth is

the government doing about this? well, actually, the purpose of the advocacy groups coming up to protest was for government to actually ensure security is taken seriously as the most important goal of any government is to secure people and to protect lives. but right now, we see insecurity on the rise. instead of government concentrating on ensuring that security is... in every region to building confidence to increasing the welfare and equipping the security agencies by ensuring that intelligence gathering and intelligence sharing is given the utmost significance. we are not seen that happen. qm. the utmost significance. we are not seen that happen.— the utmost significance. we are not seen that happen. ok, i knew there were security _

seen that happen. ok, i knew there were security measures _ seen that happen. ok, i knew there were security measures that - seen that happen. ok, i knew there were security measures that have i were security measures that have been put in place, but you've discussed that for us. thank you very much, we will leave it there for now. thank you. 0k, ok, let's catch up with all the sport. here is lizzie. hello there, the kressa. thank you very much. we will start with rugby union, because wheels has defeated the six nations in winning the triple crown. wheels lead for the majority of the match before england fought back to level it at 24 all. however, wales pulled clear in the final quarter, and a late try from cory. it's wheels highest score against england and it means that they and their captain can still win the grand slam. i think we shown character in the previous two games, we are not going to... a bit of luck as well, bouncing the ball, decisions. so i still truly believe we played quite a bit of ball in hand, and we played

previous games, that's got us into trouble as well. i'm pretty pleased with how it went today. it was outstanding. again, it was a difficult _ it was outstanding. again, it was a difficult game for us. given what happened — difficult game for us. given what happened in the game. so we have got to be able _ happened in the game. so we have got to be able to adapt to that, disruptions, emotional disruptions, fascia _ disruptions, emotional disruptions, fascia and _ disruptions, emotional disruptions, fascia and disruptions and it's a good _ fascia and disruptions and it's a good lesson for us.— good lesson for us. ireland got their first _ good lesson for us. ireland got their first win _ good lesson for us. ireland got their first win of _ good lesson for us. ireland got their first win of this _ good lesson for us. ireland got their first win of this year's - their first win of this year's championship with a comfortable 48-10 championship with a comfortable 48—10 victory over italy in rome. italy now have and one in 36 nations matches. that's a run stretching back to 2015. 0nto football now, manchester city have increased their advantage at the top of the english premier league to 13 points after beating west ham 2—1 and extending their incredible winning streak to 20 matches in all competitions. put cardio has called it one of the greatest achievements in our careers. struggling west from picked up careers. struggling west from picked up a vital win over brighton come

about score line doesn't tell the full story. karl got the valuable goal early in the first half while brighton wheaton to make wasted several chances to equalised, including penalties mist. when spurn remained nine points clear of safety. brighton captain lewes dunked far from happy with the referee for disallowing his free kick. yeah, it's embarrassing. i've got to come here and speak about in front of the camera, why doesn't he speak about a? why does decoherence say what he thought. i said can i take the free kick, he said yes, i kicked it, i scored. the free kick, he said yes, i kicked it, iscored. a the free kick, he said yes, i kicked it, i scored. a massive protest from them, he changed his mind. what it, i scored. a massive protest from them, he changed his mind. what was them, he changed his mind. what was the expianation _ them, he changed his mind. what was the explanation for _ them, he changed his mind. what was the explanation for changing _ them, he changed his mind. what was the explanation for changing his - the explanation for changing his mind? �* ., ., , the explanation for changing his mind? �* ., . , , the explanation for changing his mind? �* ., ., , , . mind? i'm not really sure, too much to actually — mind? i'm not really sure, too much to actually get _ mind? i'm not really sure, too much to actually get a _ mind? i'm not really sure, too much to actually get a conversation - mind? i'm not really sure, too much to actually get a conversation with i to actually get a conversation with him. he wouldn't speak to me at half—time. him. he wouldn't speak to me at half-time— him. he wouldn't speak to me at half-time. ., ., ., ., half-time. the word we got and what we could see — half-time. the word we got and what we could see was _ half-time. the word we got and what we could see was the _ half-time. the word we got and what we could see was the fact _ half-time. the word we got and what we could see was the fact that - half-time. the word we got and what we could see was the fact that he - we could see was the fact that he blew the whistle a second time just before the ball had crossed the line, but not quite sure what for. i don't know. if you don't know, i don't know. if you don't know, i don't know. if you don't know, i don't know. you've watched it more

times than me. i know is i got told i could take the free kick, so i took it and i scored and he changed his mind. ., , ., his mind. one of the days other matches asked _ his mind. one of the days other matches asked and _ his mind. one of the days other matches asked and fill - his mind. one of the days other matches asked and fill it - his mind. one of the days other matches asked and fill it beat i his mind. one of the days other - matches asked and fill it beat leads and in the late kick—off, newcastle are currently beating wolves by goal zero with about 25 minutes on the clock at st james park. tiger woods is said to be in good spirits after being moved to a new los angeles hospital for treatment to the injuries he sustained in a car accident on tuesday. a statement on the 15 time major champions twitter account that he receives successful follow—up procedures after suffering a leg fracture and shattered ankle in the incident. it went on to thank well—wishers on behalf of the golfer and his family for the wonderful support and messages they've received. now there was a big crush on the final day of the uae tour where britain's adam yates managed to come second despite being treated for several minutes with about 40 km to go in the desert. but he still finished second overall. his rival throughout the day, throughout the seven day tour, went on to win the

overall title by 35 seconds. that's all the sport for now. thank you very much, indeed. thank you. you are watching bbc news. don't forget, you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lukwesaburak. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. much of this weekend looks fine and settled and sunny, thanks to high—pressure. but there is still a weak weather front affecting northern parts of the country through today. that's bringing rather grey, leaden skies for parts of scotland and also northern ireland, with a bit of mist, also some drizzle. but a huge contrast further south — much of england and wales is bright with plenty of sunshine, and after the chilly start, that slightly stronger sunshine is getting to work, so it'll feel quite mild out there, but the next few days, pretty similar, largely dry with variable cloud, some sunshine and nights will continue to be chilly. there's that weather front across northern areas which will tend to fizzle away as we move through the latter part of the day.

high pressure dominating the scene for those light winds as well across the board. a little bit of cloud across scotland and northern ireland, the remnants of that weather front further south for england and wales, largely clear skies, so it's going to turn cold. could see a bit of low cloud and mistjust rolling into eastern england and east anglia towards the end of the night, but where we have the clear skies, chillier with pockets of frost, mist and fog, a little less cold for scotland and northern ireland, because here we'll have a little bit more in the way of cloud. 0ur area of high—pressure still with us then as we move into part two of the weekend. we've lost that weather front as well across northern areas. so i think after some early cloud starts to break up across scotland and northern ireland, it should be a sunnier day for you through sunday. england and wales, plenty of sunshine around after a chilly frosty start, bit more cloud, though, affecting eastern england and east anglia. so here, i think temperatures may be suppressed a bit, 6—7 celsius in norwich. elsewhere though, where we have that strong sunshine, 10—13 celsius will be the high, so very mild again. now, as we head through sunday evening and night, it looks like we could see some more substantial mist and cloud rolling in off the north sea across england

and wales through the night, whereas further north, scotland and northern ireland should see clearer spells, so here it will be colder with a touch of frost than what it will be further south and east because there will be more in the way of cloud. but it could be that we start many places off on monday morning like this, rather grey with some mist and murk around, but at least mainly dry. now, if i run the pressure chart on through monday and into tuesday, you can see high pressure dominates the scene, but this weather front mayjust move northwards and affect southwestern parts of the country tuesday into wednesday to bring just a few showers. but i think for most, this upcoming week is looking dry with that area of high—pressure influencing the weather. could see variable amounts of cloud, a little bit of sunshine in northern and western areas, and then signs of it turning chilly for all by the end of the week.

hello, this is bbc news.

the headlines: tributes are paid to captain sir tom moore at his funeral — family members say his spirit will live on. the chancellor plans new measures to help people buy their own homes as he prepares his budget for next week. anas sarwar has been announced as the new scottish labour leader. he takes charge of the party ahead of the scottish parliament election on the 6th of may. ministers in england launch a campaign to reassure parents it's safe for children to return to the classroom. and in the six nations, wales seal the triple crown with a 40—24 win over england. now on bbc news, our world.

the amazon is the largest tropical rainforest and one of the most biodiverse places on earth, but now chunks of it are being sold off online — on social media. joao fellet reports.