this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. by a single vote, the us senate passes president biden�*s $1.9 trillion covid relief plan. pope francis holds an unprecedented meeting with iraq's top shia religious leader before going onto celebrate mass at a cathedral in baghdad. allegations of police brutality as security forces in myanmar use stun grenades and tear gas against anti—coup protesters. dozens are reported dead in yemen as fighting takes place for control of

the oil—rich city of marib. and parts of iceland are shaken by a series of mini earthquakes, causing fears that a dormant volcano may be about to erupt. president biden has described the senate's approval of his coronavirus relief bill as "one more giant step forward" in helping americans to deal with the impact of the pandemic. the package, which is worth nearly $2 trillion, will provide one—off payments to millions of people. republican senators were united in opposing the bill. our washington correspondent lebo diseko reports. the yeas are 50. the nays are 49. the bill as amended is passed.

a vote on party lines gave joe biden the victory he needed in the senate, after a marathon session lasting more than 2a hours. this is his first major piece of legislation as president — a package, he says, is necessary to turn the toll of the pandemic around. this plan puts us on a path to beating the virus. this plan gives those families who are struggling the most the help and the breathing room they need to get through this moment. this plan gives small businesses in this country a fighting chance to survive. and one more thing — this plan is historic. the bill will help fund payments for the unemployed. last month's job gains are still too slow, says the president, with the country still down 9.5 million since this time last year. money, too, to speed up production and distribution of vaccines — the hope being that that will help significantly increase the 10% of americans who've been fully immunised. but republicans say the cost is too high,

and they were united in their opposition with not one voting in favour of the bill. voters picked a president who promised unity and bipartisanship. democrats�* response is to ram through what they call, quote, "the most progressive domestic legislation in a generation" on a razor—thin majority in both houses. there was criticism, too, from within the democrats�* own ranks which almost derailed the bill — all of this an indication of how difficult it will be for president biden to fulfil his agenda. the bill has been substantially changed since it passed in the house of representatives, so it will go back there for a vote on tuesday. democrats are racing to get it signed by the president by m march, when key unemployment benefits expire. lebo diseko, bbc

news, washington. i asked robert reich, who was labour secretary under president bill clinton, and is the author of the system: who rigged it, how we fix it. the billjust deals, right now, with the pandemic. it is a one—year bill, but democrats hope that many of the provisions in the bill, including particularly those that deal with poverty, are going to be permanent. tell us about the child aspect of it. the united states has an extraordinary problem with child poverty. approximately one out of five children in america is under the poverty line, meaning that child really does not have, and that family does not have, enough food to provide a nutritious mealfor every meal that the child needs and doesn't really have security with regard to the place, the housing or the home in which that family and that child resides. child property is a huge blemish on the united states. what this bill does is, it reduces child poverty by about 50%.

it cuts child poverty in half. it cuts overall poverty by about a third. this is landmark legislation, if it is made permanent. pope francis has met the influential shia muslim cleric grand ayatollah ali al—sistani during the first—ever papal visit to iraq. later, francis celebrated a public mass at stjoseph�*s cathedral in baghdad. our rome correspondent mark lowen is travelling to visa live pictures from north of araghi web preferences will be arriving shortly to carry out three engagements in areas that had been taken by the islamic state in 2014. we await the pope's arrival. at

the end of the red carpet, his claim of land. we hope to bring you that during this bulletin. but our correspondence mark lowen brings you the latest. peace in iraq will take time to flourish, but this visitor is determined to see it. along the narrow alleyways of najaf, and into a historic meeting of two faiths, catholic and shia islam. grand ayatollah ali al—sistani face—to—face with pope francis. at 90 and 84, it's taken long lives and generations to get here. the two religious leaders spoke of friendship to overcome oppression, rare unity after iraq's sectarian conflict. that theme of dialogue then spread further to the remains of ur, biblical birthplace of abraham. and in the shadow of its ancient citadel, pope francis met followers of other faiths.

gestures of respect to those often sidelined, and victims of iraq's wars now brought together in a plea for peace. translation: hostility, - extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart. they are betrayals of religion. we believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion. from these windswept plains, the pope is using the symbolism of the ancient prophet, evoking the figure of abraham, revered by christians, muslims and jews, to try to spur reconciliation between religions today. and then it was on to mass, pope francis hoping to persuade a dwindling christian community to remain. iraq's patchwork of people came together today. but as this country knows too well, the spirit of coexistence can quickly fade.

mark lowen, bbc news, in ur, iraq. to myanmar now, where an increasingly brutal crackdown by police and the military has not stopped protests against the military coup. security forces have continued firing tear gas on protesters gathered in yangon. the un's special envoy on myanmar has told the security council that there is "urgency for collective action". danai howard has this report. this is a scene that's become all too familiar in cities right across myanmar, from the northern mountain region to the major cities of yangon and naypyidaw in the south, young protesters have been standing up to police, banging on home—made shields, and marching for democracy. on saturday, security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades against activists in yangon to clear the streets, and there have been further allegations of police brutality. it's been over a month now since the protests erupted against the military coup on february 1st that overthrew

aung san suu kyi's elected government. in that time, the people of myanmar have faced internet blackouts, night—time raids, unlawful arrests and death. 38 people were killed on wednesday alone, the deadliest day since the start of the coup. hundreds gathered in mandalay on thursday for the funeral of one of the victims. kyal sin, who was known as �*angel�*, wasjust 19 when she was shot in the head during anti—coup protests a day earlier. she was wearing a t—shirt with the phrase "everything will be ok" when she died. the pressure is being felt globally. on friday, the un special envoy to myanmar, christine schraner burgener, urged the security council to hear myanmar�*s desperate pleas, and called for swift international action to end the violence. everyone has a role to play. there are no bystanders here, whether it's the secretary—general, whether it's the security council as a whole, or whether it individual member states,

those who have an influence on the situation in myanmar, whether it's the regional powers, the asean countries, everyone has a role to play. but china and russia and unlikely to impose sanctions, and so far, the biggest international reaction has come from corporations, not governments. facebook, instagram and now youtube have all banned accounts belonging to militaryjunta. the army have threatened civil servants who continue to strike that they'll be fired. but the protests show little sign of waning. every day, people continue to raise three fingers in protest in what has become a symbol of resistance and solidarity for democracy movements across south—east asia. danai howard, bbc news. so while the protests continue in myanmar is there anything more the international community can do to exert any pressure on the junta? that's a question i put to tom andrews. he's the un's special rapporteur on human rights in the country. they have said forever that they are — they can go on their own, they're impervious to international pressure, but what we've found from history is that's not true.

that in fact, the reforms, the democratic reforms that we've seen overturned by this junta by february one were reforms that were created precisely because tough economic sanctions were applied on thejunta. they, and then generations following — the older generations of generals, they want to make money, they want to be part of the international economy. so there was pressure building from within the military to engage with the world so that they could be able to prosper. so, they conceded they had some reforms, modest reforms, but they were reforms. the point is, they reacted, they responded to economic pressure, i believe that they can and they will again now. let's look at international action. if china blocks or slows down action inside the un, would you suggest individual states to carry out their own measures? no question, no question. there are 41 countries, for example, that have some

form of arms embargo, i think we have to increase that number. and also, sanctions, tough, clear economic sanctions. there with 35 countries with some form of economic sanctions already in place. but they're a hodgepodge, they're a wide variety, we need to focus those sanctions. we have to make sure they are clear, tough and coordinated, they work together, so that the collective weight of these countries that are imposing these sanctions will have the strongest possible punch. now, ideally, it's the security council that will be doing this, and they could also make reference to the international criminal court, that could investigate, prosecute, that could put those who are responsible for these atrocities behind bars. but until we can get a unified response by the security council, there are a number of things that individual countries can do, and the best thing they can do is work together. 30 to 40 countries out of, what, 200, taking steps

is nowhere close to a global arms embargo? that's exactly right. and we have a lot of work to do. but if you look at what is going on, on the streets of myanmar right now, you see exactly why it is so compelling for countries to take action. the aggressiveness of this and the brutality of these troops continues to escalate. there is video right now that we've been getting from different parts of the country, in which soldiers are marauding around neighbourhoods and literally firing into homes. and you can see them walking down the street in yangon, firing up through the windows as people look in horror down in the streets. these are gangs. this is criminal activity. they're terrorising these neighbourhoods. so, there is a compelling reason for the world to act and for the world to act now. and you are right, we have a long way to go, but it's worth it. because we simply can't afford in any sense of the word to sit back and turn our backs on the people of myanmar. let's look at the biden administration and the us approach. from what we can tell in the first few weeks, the foreign policy of the biden administration stresses realism and caution. there is an overt promise not

to engage in over—ambitious foreign interventions. does this mean we are unlikely to see the us take any kind of extraordinary steps with myanmar? well, they have taken some very important steps. the biden administration right out of the gate applied some — a new round of sanctions, the president was very clear that this was the first of many steps he was prepared to take to build pressure on the regime. they had an asset freeze, the money that is in us financial institutions and froze them, over $1 billion worth, that takes an immediate bite. so the fact the biden administration has acted quickly, they stepped quickly out of the gate, i think is a very positive step. now we need to see other nations follow. tom andrews there. protesters have rallied in tokyo to express their opposition to the olympic games. they think it's irresponsible

to hold the event before the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control. japanese 0lympic organisers have insisted the games will go ahead. a range of opinions polls across japan show a majority of people want the games postponed or cancelled. lebanon's caretaker prime minister has warned that the country is on �*the brink of an explosion�*, as its dire economic plight worsens. in a television address, he referred to an incident in which supermarket shoppers in beirut fought over powdered milk supplies. lebanon has been hit by a severe financial crisis and political deadlock, following the beirut port explosion last year which devastated much of the capital. in the uk, the government has denied accusations that it�*s breaking previous promises on pay rises for nhs staff in england. it�*s planning to give some workers an increase of one percent. but doctors�* and nurses�* unions say the offer is insulting, and have warned that it could lead to more healthcare workers leaving the profession. egypt�*s president sisi has met civilian and military leaders in sudan during his first visit there since the overthrow of the former president, 0maral—bashir.

close ties have developed recently due to the construction of ethiopia�*s dam on the river nile which both countries fear could affect their water supply. you are watching bbc news — the headlines: the us senate passes joe biden�*s $1.9 trillion covid—19 relief plan by a single vote. the president says the package will beat the virus, and cut poverty for millions of americans. pope francis holds an unprecedented meeting reports from yemen say dozens of people have died in 24 hours of fighting between government forces and houthi rebels, who are battling for control of the northern city of marib. the rebels, who are supported by iran, want to drive out the saudi—backed government in marib. mark lobel reports. explosion. gunfire.

these scenes, shot last month, show pro—government forces have been defending the area around marib from houthi rebels for some time. explosions. now it appears to be under heavy attack again. military sources report a frenetic 24 hours with around 30 deaths on the government side and nearly 60 rebels killed in air strikes. marib is strategically important after heavy investment from the yemeni government. it is also a rich gateway to oil and gas production. it would be a massive blow to the yemeni government if they lost control of the city. they�*d already had to effectively cede control of yemen�*s second city, in aden, to the southern separatists and this really means that marib is the last major city in yemen that they really control. the timing of this latest onslaught may be highly political.

since taking office, the biden administration has called for an end to the war in yemen, with an immediate ceasefire to restore peace talks between the saudi—backed government and the houthi rebels, supported by iran. these houthi military commanders, in public, have stated that they plan to fully push on the city, that they are not going to hold back, that they are going to push to marib and beyond. but it remains to be seen if they will do that or if they will push right to the outskirts of the city, before then realising that this is the best position for them, to then go into any kind of peace talks or political talks with the saudi—led coalition and the yemeni government. the fighting also threatens hundreds of thousands of displaced yemenis, living on precarious floodplains and with limited access to fresh water, now in danger of displacement yet again. all potentially worsening the world�*s worst humanitarian disaster, now into its seventh year of devastating conflict. mark lowen, bbc news.

in paraguay, protests against the government�*s handling of the pandemic are continuing for a second night. protesters are demanding the resignation of president mario abdo. he asked his entire cabinet to resign, saying he had listened to the people. health workers complain that hospitals have run out of medicines and equipment to treat covid—19 patients. demonstrators accuse the government of stealing money that could have been used to deal with the health crisis. in the united states, the city of minneapolis is preparing for the trial of derek chauvin, the former police officer who�*s charged with the murder of george floyd. jury selection in the case is due to start on monday. the unarmed balck man died while in police custody last may. at a news conference, members of mr floyd�*s family have spoken in support for a police reform package that bans choke holds and racial profiling. 0ur north america correspondent, peter bowes reports. almost ten months after

the death of george floyd, his family�*s grief is still raw. i want to say i love you. george floyd died after being arrested by police after being arrested outside a shop in minneapolis. footage showed that the white officer derek chauvin was kneeling on mr floyd�*s neck while he was pinned to the ground. my brother said i can�*t breathe multiple times but the officer sat on his neck with a smirk on his face. i can�*t stop thinking about that the events of that day led to nationwide unrest and protests calling for police reform. last week the us house of representatives passed a sweeping legislation that will ban chokehold and create national standards for policing to bolster the accountability of officers. the measure is now

heading to the senate. we will have change. you just have to be the change and force it and make the change. if you can change laws to protect the earth, you can make federal laws to protect people of colour. on saturday a crowd gathered outside the minnesota�*s governors mansion in st paul to call forjustice in the trial of derek chauvin. another protest took place in the city of baltimore, maryland. with jury selection about to get under way, and tensions are running high. they�*re going to call george everything but a child of god, and try to make you forget what you see on that video, but you heard who george floyd was, so we�*re getting ready for whatever and whatever may come. we will be ready. the killing of george floyd led to a momentous outpouring of anger and grief around the united states. the trial will rekindle the memories of those dark days.

we have some live pictures now from erbil airport in iraq where the pope is touring the country for the first time. you can see him greeting members of his own catholic church. you can notice the limp that he suffers from, and he is now meeting the president of the autonomous kurdistan region. and this takes the pope into the third day of his unprecedented people trip into iraq. 0n the first day he was in baghdad and then on saturday he went to the south of the country, and now he is in the north of the country being invited to move onto the red carpet by the president of the kurdistan region. it is a highly significant visit for a pope, who gets a lot of his energy from travelling, and is determined on this particular visit to support the dwindling christian community. there are

only a few hundred thousand christians in iraqi, many of them are in the northern part of the country, around this particular area which is why the pope has come here. it is also a highly significant visit for the fact that the pope on this third day is due to visit areas which were taken by the islamic state militant group in the year 2014, and during that period from 2014 to 2017, questions were targeted as well as the islamic state so the pope had wanted to come to these areas to show that he sympathises with the plight of christians in this particular area, and for him as the catholic leader as he continues on his welcome ceremony, going to see some of the sources of the most ancient christian communities is clearly an extreme priority for him. it is the first visit the pope has undertaken since the beginning of the pandemic, for the last year or so,

of the pandemic, for the last year orso, he did remain inside his own state, the holy see and the vatican, but now having been vaccinated himself, having been vaccinated himself, having been vaccinated himself, having been made sure that everyone in his entourage has been vaccinated, he has felt confident enough to travel although we should stress that many in iraqi have yet to receive their first doses of. and there is concern that later in the day, the pope is due to celebrate a mass at the stadium in the city. there may be 10,000 people there, and there is a concern about the safety measures there for the pandemic but nevertheless, the vatican clearly feels that the pope wants to take and it is a risky authority in kurdistan clearly feel that they want to take as well as the regional president introduces pope francis to a number of dignitaries there, there will be local catholic leaders as well and interestingly we have seen a number of helicopters which will be going to mosul, the city which became the major centre for the islamic state

group in 2014. the pope will hold a proud in the church square in mosul shortly after the ceremony, and pictures of that area showed that the church in which he is due to hold prayers will never be really reconstructed, given the damage suffered, which is very clearly symbolic of pope francis himself. it is notably, and surely an exhausting trip for a plaintiff who is now 84 years old, who now clearly struggles to suddenly walk up and down stairs but is determined to make this trip to what was once the core of christianity, and is now on the periphery of christianity and he perhaps wants to bring it back and try to reunite faiths as he is meeting leaders from all different faiths and religions. 0ur correspondence is on the people train a new can be sure to hearfrom him

during the day. as we continue our coverage of the pope�*s visit to iraqi. do stay with us. hello there. saturday was a disappointingly cold and cloudy day for many of us, and disappointing temperatures for early march. we did have a bit of sunshine, though, across western areas, but it�*s looking like sunday is going to be a bit of a repeat performance. it is going to stay chilly with limited sunny breaks and quite a bit of cloud around. now, the settled conditions are because of this area of high pressure which will continue to bring settled weather through sunday, but it�*s slowly going to lose its grip on our weather as we head on to the start of next week. so, early for sunday, it�*s going to be cold and under clear skies. we will see some frost and mist and fog about, but there will be some patchy rain for northern and western scotland, a little bit of snow over the higher ground, too, but where we have the cloud, 4—6 degrees here versus sub—zero further south, so a cold start to sunday. there will be some early sunshine around, mind you, with the frost and a bit of mist and fog, but then it

looks like the clouds will tend to build up again into the afternoon, so turning grey and cold for many. we�*ll have further rain for the north and west of scotland. i think temperatures here a degree or so up, 9 or 10 degrees, but elsewhere, 7 or 8 celsius. and then for sunday night, it will turn cold again for central and southern areas under clear skies, some further frost here but less cold further north — that�*s because we will have more cloud. some showery bursts of rain, which will also affect parts of the north into monday. so for northern ireland, parts of scotland, northern england, a bit of sunshine around too. after a cold start further south, there should be a bit of brightness around, but also cloud here and there. i think temperatures a degree or so up across the board — nine or ten degrees will be the high. now into tuesday, the first of the weather fronts start to move in. this one�*s a weak feature, though, and it brings no more than a band of cloud with just a little bit of light rain on it. so it�*ll bring cloudier skies to northern and western areas

initially. sunnier skies central, southern and eastern areas after a cool start. and the winds will start to pick up from the south—west. so temperatures again 9, 10, maybe 11 degrees. but cast your eyes out west. this massive rain tied in with a deep area of low pressure — something that we haven�*t seen in a while — that�*s going to sweep through tuesday night into wednesday and we could see another even deeper area of low pressure potentially move in wednesday into thursday. now, these areas of low pressure will also bring up some milder airfrom the south—west, certainly for england and wales, but it�*s certainly looking pretty stormy from mid—week onwards with some heavy rain, the potential of severe gales, and slightly less cold airfor some of us.

this is bbc news. the headlines: president biden has welcomed a senate vote to approve his covid recovery plan. the bill, worth nearly $2 trillion, will return to the house of representatives for approval within days. republican senators were united in opposing the draft legislation dismissing the bill as an unaffordable wish—list. the visit of pope francis to iraq has continued with a public mass at a cathedral in baghdad. the pontiff will visit a church damaged by the islamic state and hold a mass for 10,000 worshippers. in myanmar there have been further allegations of police brutality after security forces used stun grenades and tear gas against anti—coup protesters, who have again taken to the streets.