this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm joanna gosling. our top stories: the uk considers doubling the number of its troops sent to eastern europe, amid heightened tensions between ukraine and russia. the row in the uk over a rise in national insurance to fund health and social care — borisjohnson and the chancellor say it wil go ahead despite strong opposition. people in northern ireland prepare to mark the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday when british soldiers opened fire on a civil rights march. in the uk two people die —

including a nine—year—old boy — after being hit by falling trees during storm malik. and in the us — a fierce snowstorm hits the northeast of the us — bringing high winds hello and welcome to bbc news. britain is considering sending hundreds more troops to bolster the defences of nato allies in eastern europe amid the build—up of russian forces on ukraine's border. the prime minister, borisjohnson says he's ordered the armed forces to prepare to deploy across europe next week. russia has massed around 100,000 troops, as well as tanks, artillery and missiles — near ukraine's border, but denies it plans to invade the former soviet republic. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale reports. britain already has more than 800 troops in estonia as part of nato�*s

response to reassure allies after russia's invasion of crimea in 2014. now borisjohnson says he is considering doubling that number in the baltic state and sending more military hardware, including long—range artillery rockets, to bolster the defences on nato�*s eastern flank. rafjets based in cyprus could fly nato air policing missions over bulgaria and romania. tensions have already been rising in the black sea, where last summer, hms defender was harassed by russian ships and aircraft. the royal navy could send warships to patrol these waters and the eastern mediterranean, though details have still to be worked out and approved by nato allies. borisjohnson, seen here visiting the british battle group in estonia, says increasing the uk's military presence will send a clear message to moscow. more is being asked of britain's smaller armed forces.

but his focus is notjust on deterrence, but diplomacy, too. this week, he will talk to president putin and visit eastern europe, while the defence secretary, ben wallace, will also be travelling the region to rally support. jonathan beale, bbc news. matthew 0rr is from the risk consultancy rane — he gave us his reaction to the uk troop announcement. i think it's a significant announcement, i think it's an example, it's a signal to putin of the kinds of things he should expect, not only if he follows through with his possible invasion plans, although we think that's pretty unlikely. but even if russia forgoes an invasion, it's an example of the kinds of things that nato will have to do to, you know, respond to the continued build—up that's going on in the western part of russia and something that we think could be part of russia's response basically

as a substitute for invasion as part of its response, its military technical response that it has been warning of in recent weeks. borisjohnson and the uk chancellor, rishi sunak, have pledged to push ahead with a rise to national insurance — a tax rise — in april, despite growing conservative backbench pressure to delay or abandon it. in a joint article in the sunday times, they say every penny raised will go towards boosting the the national health service and social care. the pledge comes amid pressure on the prime minister over reported parties held at downing street during england's lockdown. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake reports.(

a show of unity from borisjohnson and rishi sunak over a policy that's become increasingly tricky for a party that prides itself on keeping taxes low. after speculation that the prime minister could be wavering over the national insurance rise. writing jointly in the sunday times, he and the chancellor say we must clear the covid backlogs with our plan for health and social care, and now is the time to stick to that plan. we must go ahead with the health and care levy. it is the right plan from april. workers, employers and the self—employed will pay more in national insurance. but labour and other opposition parties have branded the tax rise unfair and some conservatives are uneasy, too, warning the rise will hit households hard when bills are already going up. this is a huge amount of money for people who are now potentially paying up to £2,000 in their energy bills. so if inflation has gone up by over 5%, the food prices have gone up and you go and get petrol or diesel in your car, it's close to £1.50 per litre. so people are really struggling in terms of very basic necessities. these aren't luxuries, these are necessities.

the confirmation comes at a sensitive time for the government as it awaits a report by the senior civil servant sue gray into lockdown parties in downing street and the outcome of a police investigation. rishi sunak would be seen as a leading contender in any future leadership challenge, but for now, he and borisjohnson are publicly on the same page. jonathan blake, bbc news. i'm joined now by our uk political correspondent ione wells. has been so much pressure on the government below the thing it is going there were reports over the last couple of weeks the prime minister himself was feeling nervous about the tax rise going ahead and this was after pressure from backbench tory mps around recent scandals around parties in downing street during coronavirus regulations but a number conservative mps they felt this tax rise in april should be posed are completely rethought because of the rising cost of living generally due to inflation and

energy bill is also going up. this article by their prime minister and the chancellor puts any speculation to bed and they will go ahead with a tax increase and it will cost some upset on the conservative backbenches. some are very concerned about the fact workers and also employers will be paying more tax from april, a time when energy bills are also due to go out. this could also mean the impact we see day—to—day would be certain businesses putting their prices up to try to put off some of the cost they will face from april. i5 to try to put off some of the cost they will face from april.- they will face from april. is this art of they will face from april. is this part of the _ they will face from april. is this part of the bigger _ they will face from april. is this part of the bigger picture - they will face from april. is this part of the bigger picture of - they will face from april. is thisj part of the bigger picture of the government trying to get back on the front foot after so much focus on what was happening inside downing street during the lockdown? i think this is certainly _ street during the lockdown? i think this is certainly one _ street during the lockdown? i think this is certainly one of _ street during the lockdown? i think this is certainly one of several - this is certainly one of several announcements the government is pushing out and there are plans to level up the uk and redress regional inequalities to try to draw attention away from the scandals

around alnwick street party. interesting the prime minister has put the speculation of him wavering over the tax rise to bed. —— downing street parties. the fact he is so publicly willing to say he will not heed the calls to pause the rise and heed the calls to pause the rise and he has penned this article with the chancellorjointly he has penned this article with the chancellor jointly after weeks we have the chancellor himself has been privately sending out some colleagues for support in any potential future leadership contest, where one triggered. i think the fact they have both decided to pen this together is trying to send a clear signal of unity publicly anyway stop having said that, i don't think this will necessarily quieten some angry tory backbenchers about this issue with some senior conservatives even this morning like robert halfon seeing the cost of

living needs to be an absolute priority for the prime minister and the chancellor too. events are to be held in londonderry today to mark the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday — the day soldiers from the parachute regiment shot dead 13 civilians at a civil rights demonstration. it became known as one of the definitive incidents during the sectarian conflict in northern ireland. 12 years ago, the british government apologised for the killings after a public inquiry found the victims posed no threat. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris page reports from derry. on 30th january 1972, demonstrators took part in a march which would end in chaos and carnage. they were protesting against a law which allowed the security forces to imprison suspects without a trial. the conflict, known as the troubles,

had already begun but it was about to worsen. the army shot dead 13 people. soldiers claimed they'd been fired at first but bereaved families were determined to have the victims declared innocent. they succeeded 12 years ago, when a public inquiry found the shootings were unjustified. relatives are still campaigning. this defining image of bloody sunday shows people trying to rescue jackie duddy, a teenager who was fatally wounded. his sister is appealing for the former paratrooper who killed him to come forward and tell what happened. jackie duddy was not guilty of anything that day when he was gunned down in the street, just across from us, where we're standing here. my heart is aching. i'm now 75 years old. this fight has continued for 50 years. i don't want to have to pass it on to another generation — i want it to end with this generation. the legacy of the conflict

in northern ireland is complex and contentious, but bloody sunday was undoubtedly one of the most significant events during three decades of violence. today, thousands of people willjoin together to remember those who died and reflect on the consequences of the killings half a century on. chris page, bbc news, derry. kevin sharkey is in derry where commemorations are being held and joins us now. the codes are already beginning to gather in derry for a day of commemorations and hundreds and thousands gathering here and prominent among them the families and most notable the young people in the families, people not even born at the time of bloody sunday. 0ver at the time of bloody sunday. over the weekend you get a sense of how

the weekend you get a sense of how the events of 50 years ago have echoed through the generations and the memories of that day, the dead and the dying on the streets of the city and the bereaved and grieving and the survivors and the harrowing scenes were witnessed by thousands of people of death and devastation on their streets. it is to all of that this commemoration today will speak. two walks along the original ill—fated route and in the middle of the morning service of remembrance attended by the irish prime minister who will lay a wreath and later in the afternoon and address at three derry corner by two of the leading civil rights campaigners of the era half a century ago, the former mp bernadette mcaliskey and the leading civil rights and human rights campaigner amy mccann. then a message to be broadcast by the

president of ireland michael cans, and with that the two offices in the state, the head of government and the head of state taking part in the commemorations here in derry today. the city is getting ready to remember a stand and poignantly pay tribute to the bereaved and the survivors and the people of the city and well beyond who have relentlessly pursued truth and justice for the people and victims of bloody sunday over the past half—century. south korea and japan have reported another north korean ballistic missile launch — the seventh missile test in the space of a month. pyongyang has not tested its long—range intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons for nearly five years, but has instead launched an array of sophisticated shorter range projectiles, including hypersonic and cruise missiles. the country's leader, kimjong un, called on the military to develop its technology and capabilities, ignoring us calls for talks on denuclearisation.

japan has strongly protested against the launch. translation: the series of actions by north korea, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of japan, the region and the international community. such intense ballistic missile launches are in violation of security council resolutions. and japan has made a strong protest to north korea. the headlines: britain says it's proposing to double the number of soldiers it's deployed in eastern europe, as nato weighs up options to increase pressure on russia. in the uk borisjohnson

and chancellor rishi sunak say they will go ahead with a planned tax rise in april to fund health and social care — despite strong opposition. people in northern ireland prepare to mark the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday, when british soldiers opened fire on a peaceful civil rights march. one of the strongest winter storms in years is continuing to batter the east coast of the united states. more than 60 cm of snow fell on parts of new york state, as well as in massachusetts, where high winds have caused more than 100,000 power outages. several states have declared emergencies and residents across the eastern seaboard have been told to avoid unnecessary travel. here's our north america correspondent, peter bowes. a blanket of snow covers times square in new york city, the streets largely deserted as most people hunker down at home. this has been a colossal storm — a �*bomb cyclone' as it is known — a combination of heavy snow and strong winds approaching the strength of a hurricane.

this winter wonderland in the heart of new york city is fun for some, but heading out for a selfie moment is not advised by the authorities. the blizzard conditions can be extremely dangerous. the snowscapes in new york are repeated across great swathes of the eastern united states. boston airport in massachusetts is under a thick layer. across the region, around 6,000 weekend flights have been cancelled. in many neighbourhoods, snowploughs and salt spreaders have been working for hours to try to clear the roads. many homes are without power. you get the prevailing north—east winds — it really impacts the coastal areas. they get that strong wind that comes off the ocean so in addition to having to deal with borderline historic amounts of snow, you get the winds thatjust push all of that water onshore. along the coast, battered by strong winds, flood

warnings have been issued as the storm moves northwards. with frigid, potentially life—threatening temperatures overnight, officials are urging people to stay indoors until the storm passes. this is what is the dangerousness we are talking about — we're expecting temperatures in the single digits tonight, into tomorrow morning, and this is when frostbite kicks in — look at how serious that can be — so, we're trying to remind everybody take this very seriously. the worst of the snowfall is almost over but the dangers posed by the extreme conditions will linger, with a huge clean—up operation likely to last several days. peter bowes, bbc news.

.a nine—year—old boy and a 60—year—old woman died in separate incidentsafter being hit by falling trees during storm malik.the boy died after a tree fell in winnothdale, staffordshire, on saturday afternoon, while the woman was killed in aberdeen. thousands of homes in scotland and england are without electricity. a second storm — storm corrie — is expected to bring further high winds to scotland on sunday. the met office have issued warnings about storm corrie this afternoon with deals of over 90 mph for cats this afternoon. this comes just a day after storm malik. —— 90 mph winds. behind me you will see the spire here, 160 years old, it had

been damaged before but the storm made it worse and the police have surrounded. a 60—year—old woman died in aberdeen after having been struck by a tree that had fallen during the high winds and 20,000 homes were left without power overnight. now as energy suppliers are trying to deal with that problem storm corrie is expected to arrive this afternoon. already scotrail have said they will suspend services from six o'clock this evening and energy suppliers sse has moved to a red alert status in major disruption can be expected in major disruption can be expected in the next few hours. destruction the scottish government say should continue for the next few hours. the nhs covid vaccination programme in england has been extended to vulnerable children aged between five and 11—years—old. eligible children include those with diabetes, epilepsy and learning disabilities or those who live with somebody who immunosuppressed. here's our science

correspondent, pallab ghosh. xavier is 11 and he's among first in his age group to have a covid jab at the emberbrook health centre in surrey. he has epilepsy, which makes him more vulnerable to the virus. the overwhelming majority of children have only mild symptoms, but there are around 500,000 five to 11—year—old who are more at risk, and the government has decided that they should be vaccinated. more than 850 sites have been set up across england, and this is xavier's message to any young children worried about having a jab. it's not as stressful as you may think. everybody here is quite nice, and you get a sticker at the end. children will get two ten microgram doses of the pfizer vaccine at the centre, eight weeks apart — a third of the amount used for adults.

well, i think it is very important for them to be brought in and to be seen, so that they can regain some sort of social interaction, they can get back to the normal activities and daily living that the rest of us take for granted. the scottish government has also started to send letters to parents of at—risk children, inviting them to be vaccinated. they're also being asked to come forward in northern ireland. pallab ghosh, bbc news. there's no need to keep your laptop open — or answer the boss's messages late at night. at least that's soon to be the case for thousands of workers in belgium — the latest country to introduce what's known as the "right to disconnect". from this tuesday 65,000 civil servants will gain the legal right to be offline, outside of their agreed working hours. jessica parker reports from brussels. the makings of a belgian shepherd's pie. delphine, a civil servant,

is preparing dinnerfor herfriends. i love to cook, it is one of my passions. with a life outside of work, she welcomes ways to help people switch off. especially for young people, it is not always clear when they have to be available or not. because when you begin a newjob you want to be perfect, you know? and you think, if i don't answer that email at ten o'clock at night, maybe my boss will not like it, so now i think it is going to be a cultural change. the new rules mean outside normal hours, bosses can't get in touch, although there are exceptions. workers also shouldn't be disadvantaged by not answering calls and e—mails. the idea — better wellbeing, less stress. it's a good idea, as people move more and more

to digital work, especially. translation: you work your eight hours and then you go home. i think it is part of thejob, to be there when it is necessary. the minister in charge of the law change says there are plans to expand it to the private sector. but critics question the need for further regulation. what would you say to people who suggest this is actually a bad idea, inefficient, maybe? it is a misconception to think that you really should work 21w, because we see that a lot of people can't cope with that. and they are falling out. dinner is in the oven, the mood is relaxed. similar laws have been introduced in france, italy and spain. delphine's cat could perhaps best lead by example on how to unwind. it's being hailed as the world's most advanced humanoid robot — but don't worry, ameca hasn't taken over just yet, despite using the hyper—realistic facial expressions

and arm movements. the company behind the robot says machines like ameca kevin hay has more an industrial estate in falmouth, an ugly looking building but it is far from ordinary. this is amica. the thing that makes it unique is its facial expressions. it can make us happy, sad, surprised, now it is getting bored with me. —— an ordinary —looking building. for this demonstration amica is being controlled by morgan role, the director of operations. that camera is lookin: director of operations. that camera is looking at _ director of operations. that camera is looking at my — director of operations. that camera is looking at my face _ director of operations. that camera is looking at my face and _ director of operations. that camera is looking at my face and we - director of operations. that camera is looking at my face and we can i director of operations. that camera | is looking at my face and we can see what my face is doing and i can smile and the robot smiles. move my

head and the robot moves its head so the robot is mimicking everything i am doing. it can effectively talk and listen via the robot from anywhere in the world. figs and listen via the robot from anywhere in the world. as well as bein: anywhere in the world. as well as being controlled _ anywhere in the world. as well as being controlled like _ anywhere in the world. as well as being controlled like a _ anywhere in the world. as well as being controlled like a puppet - being controlled like a puppet artificial intelligence means amica can react to its surroundings. if i aet can react to its surroundings. if i net to can react to its surroundings. if i get to close it will back away. can react to its surroundings. if i | get to close it will back away. the com an get to close it will back away. the company spent — get to close it will back away. the company spent £2 million developing amica and its employees 22 people here in conall. this amica and its employees 22 people here in conall.— amica and its employees 22 people here in conall. this is something we can touch. — here in conall. this is something we can touch. right _ here in conall. this is something we can touch, right here _ here in conall. this is something we can touch, right here in _ here in conall. this is something we can touch, right here in conall. - here in conall. this is something we can touch, right here in conall. the| can touch, right here in conall. the ace of can touch, right here in conall. the age of automation is here. machines like amica i meant to give it a human face. in like amica i meant to give it a human face-— like amica i meant to give it a human face. , ., human face. in the future you will see these more _ human face. in the future you will see these more and _ human face. in the future you will see these more and more - human face. in the future you will see these more and more in - human face. in the future you will l see these more and more in service orientated robot tasks so it could be giving information are checking in for your flight or hotel giving

you a ticket in theatre. aha, in for your flight or hotel giving you a ticket in theatre. a recent government _ you a ticket in theatre. a recent government report _ you a ticket in theatre. a recent government report concluded i you a ticket in theatre. a recent i government report concluded that you a ticket in theatre. a recent - government report concluded that the jobs lost to new technologies should be cancelled out by the number of differentjobs created by new technologies. but surely amica can be something like end at tv news report? amica, bbc spotlight, farmers. ., ., ., ., report? amica, bbc spotlight, farmers. ., ., .,., ., farmers. you are a one take wonder. -- falmouth- — hello. the strong winds of storm malik have now eased away towards the east, we're in a relatively calm spell

of weather for a short time because the next named storm, storm corrie, is moving in from the northwest. so today, for many southern and eastern areas, remaining dry and sunny but increasingly wet and windy weather arrives from the northwest later on. so we've still got a ridge of high pressure sitting to the south. but here is storm corrie moving its way in from the northwest. quite a lot of isobars, so the pressure dropping quickly with this storm system. still a lot of dry weather as we head through the afternoon across the bulk of england and wales, but you can see the rain across northern ireland and scotland and that will be preceded by some snow over the higher ground, too. and that will be preceded by some the winds really picking up by this stage in the middle of the afternoon towards the northwest. further south and east, five to nine degrees, our top temperatures should be staying dry for much of england, wales for a good part of the day. but as we head through this evening into night, look at all

these isobars. it's going to be particularly windyjust on the rear edge of storm corrie as it moves its way across scotland, northern england too. we have got a yellow wind warning across really the northern half of the uk for gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour, but an amber warning across the northern half of scotland, where gusts are likely to reach 80 or possibly 90 miles per hour. so certainly in strength like that, we're likely to see disruption now, moving through the night, then we've got a band of rain crossing the uk, followed by clearer spells and blustery showers. but certainly the winds are going to be very, very strong through the course of tonight. into the early hours of monday could well with some disruption in the north —it won't be quite as cold as it was last night. more of a wind around, but still some pockets of frost here and there, and wintry showers moving in across parts of scotland from the word go. rain showers across other western parts of the uk should be dry in the east, and these brisk winds for eastern scotland and eastern england should ease through the day. but some large waves around the coast. top temperatures between about five to nine degrees — feeling colder, though, where you're exposed

to those brisk winds courtesy of storm corrie. further ahead now, and it's a little bit unsettled through the first part though, where you're exposed to those brisk winds courtesy of storm corrie. further ahead now, and it's a little bit unsettled through the first part of the week. we've got a couple of weather fronts moving in — this warm front pushing its way across the uk into the middle of the week, so that will bring us some slightly quieter, milderweather. some rain in the forecast across the north, but then things turn colder later in the week. all the warnings about storm corrie are on our website. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines: britain is proposing to double the number of soldiers it's deployed in eastern europe, as nato weighs up options to increase pressure on russia. the row in the uk over a rise in national insurance to fund health and social care — borisjohnson and the chancellor say it will go ahead despite strong opposition. events are being held in northern ireland to mark the fiftieth anniversary of bloody sunday, when british soldiers opened fire on a peaceful civil rights march. a nine—year—old boy in staffordshire and a 60—year—old woman in aberdeen have died after being hit by falling trees during storm malik.