this is bbc news 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 doesjust that — it relieves the suffering. and it's time to act. meanwhile, praise for donald trump at the annual gathering of us conservatives. but will the ex—president stay in command of his party? trumpet plays: the last post

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. the uk chancellor of the exchequer plans new measures to help people buy their own homes, as he prepares his budget next week. and we'll explain why the duke and duchess of cambridge are making calls in support of having coronavirus jabs. catherine and i are not medical experts by any means, but if it's any consolation, we can wholeheartedly support your having vaccinations. it's really, really important. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. i'm martine croxall.

us presidentjoe biden has urged the us senate to approve his $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill after it was passed by 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 mr 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 doesjust that — it relieves the suffering. and it's time to act. well, the president there alluded to some of what's in the aid bill. but in summary, each person will receive a cheque for $1,400. 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. the next stage for the stimulus bill is the senate. whilejoe biden�*s democrats have effective control of the chamber, it's not certain they'll accept all of the measures without wanting some degree of compromise from the white house. and as our washington correspondent lebo diseko explains, president biden is appealing to members of his own party to get his bill passed. it was interesting. i felt that 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 were to vote for it, it would pass. the problem that they have is that, already, you have two democratic 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 a proposalfor a $15 minimum wage — that's $15 per hour minimum wage. so they don't want that in there. what we're likely to see is that there will be modifications and then it will be sent back to the house of representatives to vote on and go back to the senate again. but, lukwesa, they don't have very long to do this. democrats want to get this wrapped up and before the president, on his desk, to sign off by the middle of march, which is two weeks away now, because that's when certain unemployment benefits run out. lebo diseko. 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. former us trade representative robert lighthizer.

0ur north america reporter anthony zurcher is at the event in orlando, florida. he says donald trump's shadow is looming large over this year's conference. every single speaker here, practically, has been talking about their connection to donald trump and how donald trump is not going anywhere, in the words of texas senator ted cruz. of course, he is casting a long shadow. he's the closing speaker here tomorrow, and i would expect him to be warmly welcomed by the crowd here. they're just setting up for the evening's events behind me. but when i talk to the people who attend this conference, they say that... a lot of them got into politics because of donald trump. they supported donald trump throughout his presidency. they don't think he lost the election. and they support him running for president again in three years, if that comes to it. what we're hearing is that donald trump is going to go afterjoe biden with some very harsh criticisms of his handling of immigration, of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. he's going to say he hasn't opened businesses and schools quickly enough. i also think that donald trump may take aim at some members of his own party, people who aren't here this weekend who have criticised donald trump

in the recent weeks — people like liz cheney of wyoming, the third—ranking republican in the house of representatives, who voted for his impeachment, or mitt romney, the senator from utah who has been very open in his criticism of donald trump. so i think it could be twofold — going after the democrats but letting everyone in the party know that if you cross him, he is going to remember and he's going to work against them in the years to come. anthony zurcher. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. large protests have been taking place on the streets of buenos aires, over a scandal surrounding a vip vaccine scandal. the minister of health was fired on friday, after he was found to have personally helped to arrange jabs for prominent people connected to the government. hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets of the bangladeshi capital, dhaka, for a second day of protest, over the death of a prominent writer in prison. mushtaq ahmed died on thursday, nine months after being detained on charges under the country's digital security act.

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. 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 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday. he died earlier this month. 0ur correspondent john 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. if 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.

now to myanmar, where the security forces have launched one of their toughest crackdowns yet, after a fourth successive weekend of anti—coup demonstrations. this was the scene in yangon. hundreds of protesters are reported to have been arrested — one woman was shot, though her condition is unknown. in dawei, in the south—east of the country, police were filmed firing tear gas at protesters who had blocked a road. meanwhile, state tv announced that myanmar�*s un ambassador, kyaw moe tun, has been fired. yesterday, he defied the military junta in a shock speech to the un general assembly, urging them to use "any means necessary" to reverse the coup. well, earlier, the burmese analyst tin htar swe told us how the ambassador's speech gave the protesters a morale boost. it was very significant. the ambassador made that speech.

nobody was expecting it, and he publicly condemned the militaryjunta. and when the speech came out, it was later in the evening in myanmar, in burma, and people were so surprised to hear it. they had a pretty tough time yesterday when the police cracked down on protesters. and suddenly, when they heard that the ambassador to the united nations has now publicly declared that he was not going to work for the military junta, that really lifted the spirit of the people. they were so happy. they are very organised, and that surprises everyone. because, if you look at the protests, there's no visible leader. they are all organised by a group of young protesters,

and they know themselves as generation z. and they came up with very creative ideas. they are determined to go on with the protest. be defiant simply because they're so worried that if they don't win this time, then they're going to be like their parents, going to be under the military dictatorship for another many, many years. so they're so worried about it, and they are going to fight back and they are fighting back. and that is something the militaryjunta was not expecting, and they seem to be taken aback by it. but sadly, we may be seeing more violence in the next coming few days. bernie's analyst tin htar swe ——

burmese analyst tin htar swe. 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 are 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 before inflation comes back, and 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. let's take a look at some of today's developments in the coronavirus pandemic. france has reported almost 211,000 new confirmed cases of covid—19 in the past 2a 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 czech government has set out details of new coronavirus restrictions which come into force on monday. all schools, including primary settings, will be closed, and police will carry out spot checks to dissuade people from moving between districts. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has announced a week—long lockdown in the country's biggest city, auckland, after the discovery of a new coronavirus case. it will mean the temporary closure of all but essential shops and services. here in the uk, the duke and duchess of cambridge have been making a series of video calls to members of the public, urging them to put aside their concerns about the covid vaccine and get the jab. william and catherine spoke to two families with long—term health conditions who have been shielding over the past year and are now eligible to receive the vaccine. their royal highnesses

talked to asthma sufferer fiona doyle and shivali modha, who has type 2 diabetes. just like this condition, like this virus, the idea of this vaccination is new. but the more people that get it and realise that, actually, it's helping, and the numbers are showing that, the figures are coming down — all positive things. catherine and i are not medical experts by any means, but if it's any consolation, we can wholeheartedly support your having vaccinations. it's really, really important. we've spoken to a lot of people about it. you know, the uptake's been amazing so far. we've got to keep it going so that the younger generations also feel, you know, that it's really important for them to have it, so it's great that you've taken the time to work it out and come to a conclusion that, you know, "i need to do this." because social media is awash sometimes with rumours and misinformation, so we have to be a little bit careful who we believe and where we get our information from. but especially for those who are clinically vulnerable as well, it's so important

that those vaccinations are done, so good luck. i guess it's the unknown. and i think that's the case for most people. it's just something that's unknown right now. and by the time you've had it... i can't wait, yes. i'm priority group six, - so any day now, i'm really hoping to get called up. good. any worries with vaccinations or anything like that? are you good with needles? fine. don't love them — i mean, who does? but i'm very pro—vaccine. i actually have a pro—vaccination policy at the nursery, _ where i much prefer children to have had their mmr and any kind - of essential vaccines before they start. i so i have always been somebody who truly believes in vaccines. . i truly believe in - science and medicine. and, you know, ithink_ that is the best way to look ahead to have a much brighter future and go back to normality. -

so, yeah, a massive believer in vaccines and i hope - as many people as possible, - you know, when they get called up for it, that they take it. and once you've had the vaccine, what change do you think it will allow you, apart from worrying less and being able to move about a bit more? i think i'm trying to not see it as a magic cure. | i'm not going to go out licking - lamposts or anything straightaway. did you do that before? i'm probably going to do what i do normally. - you know, i'll still wear my mask, i'll still keep the hand gel, - still social distance, but it's nice to know that, mentally, - you have that layer of protection, and that if you do end up- being unfortunate to catch it, that it won't be as severe - as it might have been _ without having been vaccinated. fiona doyle. once again in nigeria, police are carrying out search and rescue operations to find children kidnapped from their school. boarding 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, a nigerian—based humanitarian organisation. he hails from chibok, in borno state, where 276 girls were kidnapped in 2014 — 26 of whom are relatives of his. he says it's a damning indictment that so long after that attack, these mass kidnappings continue to happen. it's actually appalling to see this happening after close to seven years after the abduction in chibok. when chibok happened, we called on every governmental action to be taken seriously, to ensure that children aren't forced to choose between going to school and staying alive. seven years after, we are having

a series of attacks and abductions back—to—back. it's actually heartbreaking and it is something that is very condemnable by every reasonable human being on earth. and looking at this, it is notjust happening in small numbers, but the numbers keep increasing. and that is very, very unfortunate. 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 life. but right now, we see insecurity on the rise, instead of it declining. and instead of government ensuring security is obtained in every region,

building confidence, through increasing the welfare and equipping the security agencies by ensuring that intelligence gathering and intelligence sharing is given the utmost significance. we are not seeing that happening. dr allen manasseh of impact trust international. the golden globes takes place this weekend, but it's been a subdued year in hollywood due to the pandemic. spare a thought for what it's been like for the one set of workers with no way of doing theirjob remotely — make—up artists. let's take a look. make—up artists and hair and wardrobe is so important for hollywood. what you see in the movies and, you know, all the new apps, netflix and amazon and hulu, you know, they need make—up, and without us, it's just not

going to be the same. you know, i mean, i try to keep six feet apart as much as i can, but as i'm doing the make—up, you really can't, so, that's why i keep my mask on at all times. i get covid tests, you know, pretty regularly. like, maybe once a month, so, you know, i come up negative, and then i feel confident that, you know, i can go to my clients. it's not that i ever need a break. i love doing red carpet, and i love the glitz and glamour of, you know, making my clients up and going to the award shows and being with them on the red carpet. it sucks that we can't do it and things are virtual now, but slowly, we will get back to normal. we just have to be patient. but, yeah, award

seasons are a really fun thing for makeup artists and hair and wardrobe stylist for sure. makeup artists and hair and wardrobe stylist for sure-— stylist for sure. you're watching bbc news- _ we'll be taking another look at the papers with our reviewers jo phillips and nigel nelson — that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30pm. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz. the weather's been pretty good lately across most of the uk. lots of sunshine, it feels like spring. the flowers are coming up. there's certainly more oomph to that sunshine, and there's every reason to believe the weather is going to stay settled for the next few days because of high pressure. but high pressure doesn't necessarily mean sunshine everywhere. in fact, it really does all depend on how the wind blows and where around the area of high pressure. and sometimes we get sort of lumps of cloud stuck in that

high, and they may creep in from the coast well inland. so, it does mean that some areas in the morning could be pretty overcast. where the skies are clear overnight, there'll be a touch of frost in the morning, but elsewhere, it's going to be above freezing. so, this is what it might look like in some areas early on sunday morning, and in fact possibly even into the afternoon. here's an example. around lincolnshire, east anglia and down into the south east, possibly london, too, you may have to wait a while before that cloud burns to the coast, if it does. in some areas, it might actually hang around, and temperatures will struggle to seven degrees. but out towards central and western areas, we're talking about 10—12 degrees. not spectacular, but actually mild enough, really, for the very end of february. because as we head into the 1st of march, the first day of meteorological spring, again, a touch of frost in the morning to greet us, to greet march. temperatures out towards western

areas a little bit milder there, 3—6 degrees. now, here's the high pressure monday and into tuesday. it'll sort of be around about here. in fact, extending its reach well into europe across the alps and further south into the mediterranean as well. now, look how much cloud there is on monday. now, this is so, so difficult to predict. in fact, it could linger, it may not. it may actually clear away, so there's a bit of a caveat there. yes, plenty of sunshine with the high pressure, but it's not guaranteed. and it's a little bit cooler, only around eight degrees. in fact, there will be a tendency for temperatures to drop a little bit as we go through the course of the week. certainly cooler air may be reaching us from the northern climes, but enjoy the sunshine if you can.

hello, this is bbc news

with martine croxall. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment. first, the headlines — 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 chancellor plans new measures to help people buy their own homes as he prepares his budget for next week. music: the last post. tributes are paid to captain sir tom moore at his funeral. family members say his spirit will live on. and in a series of video calls, the duke and duchess of cambridge urge people in the uk to put aside their concerns about the covid vaccine and get the jab.