this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. off with a bang — the winter olympics officially open in beijing amid chinese pride and international controversy. the presidents of china and russia meet ahead of the opening ceremony — as the two countries move closer together in the face of western pressure and pledge to oppose further nato expansion. downing street insists borisjohnson is still in control — after another conservative mp calls on him to go — and the resignation of a fifth senior adviser. emergency workers in morocco say they are hopeful they'll soon reach a five year old boy who's been trapped for four days in a deep well.

china's president xijinping has declared the winter olympics open at an unusually low—key ceremony — due to the pandemic and a diplomatic boycott over human rights abuses. the main venue is the birds nest stadium, already familiar to sports fans, after it was the main focus for the 2008 summer olympics. spectators were thin on the ground because of strict covid restrictions. from beijing, robin brant reports. china's capital city and olympic because for the second time, the braids nest stadium this built in 2008 is still glorious. there is a

different man in charge now, and if he is very different in 2022. promised a safe and efficient games. for most people tonight, this is the closest they will get to the olympic ceremony of the games. watching it on a walkway over the motorway, we are being moved away from this area at the moment. that's not because there aren't enough tickets on sale, there aren't enough tickets on sale, there aren't enough tickets on sale, there are no tickets on sale to members of the general public. as part of those extreme covid restrictions. "i came to get the vibe", this woman told us. standing at her side, her son asked if they concede or not can it doesn't matter, she said, at least we are trying. forthe matter, she said, at least we are trying. for the athletes, just getting here is a lifetime achievement, but their leaders have stayed away. britain, like australia and around a dozen others has joined the us—led diplomatic boycott. a protest over what they claim is an egregious abuse or even genocide. carried out by china against muslim minorities here. but this leader was

here, in fact, minorities here. but this leader was here, infact, he minorities here. but this leader was here, in fact, he was the star guest. russia's president putin is one of 20 or so presidents, prime ministers or kings who are keen to show their support for china in person. but mr putin came for more, face—to—face talks, and has a great trade and energy deals and a new friendship of closer cooperation with china. they use to share communist rule, now what binds russia and china is concerned about research in us influence has tension over ukraine increases by the day. the moment the olympic flame was installed was a subtle one. no big culture and set alight, but not so the other message sent out by the host from the stadium that china and russia are forging a new much closer friendship. robin brands, bbc news, beijing. let's talk more about this. so how close is president xijinping to president putin?

to discuss this further i am joined by professor steve tsang. he is the director of the china institute at the school of oriental and african studies. thank you very much for being with us. what do you make of this? do you see this as a new partnership, a new strategic alliance between russia and china? it’s strategic alliance between russia and china? 3 ., strategic alliance between russia and china? �*, . , ., . and china? it's a strategic partnership. _ and china? it's a strategic partnership, not - and china? it's a strategic partnership, not quite - and china? it's a strategic partnership, not quite an | and china? it's a strategic- partnership, not quite an alliance, but they are real common strategic interests shared by he and putin. one of which is to make the world safe for terrorism, the other is to take the united states down, and two and thirdly, to make —— to use their views of security and get the rest of the world to accept their definition of their security. we got used to the _ definition of their security. we got used to the sense _ definition of their security. we got used to the sense of _ definition of their security. we got used to the sense of united - definition of their security. we got | used to the sense of united states, g7, nato, the 620 used to the sense of united states, g7, nato, the g20 sort of setting

the rules setting the agenda for the world in china and russia saying, well, no, hang on and it, we want to perhaps set some of the roles {hind perhaps set some of the roles china doesnt perhaps set some of the roles china doesn't want _ perhaps set some of the roles china doesn't want to _ perhaps set some of the roles china doesn't want to change _ perhaps set some of the roles china doesn't want to change to _ perhaps set some of the roles china doesn't want to change to the - perhaps set some of the roles c�*i “ii. doesn't want to change to the un system. china wants to have more to say and how it works. china wants to be leaving the world, in many ways can i think russia is also to make russia be respected under putin. i suppose in a sense, what putin was going to see, the president of china about ways ukraine and trying to get training support for his policies. we don't know what is planning to do. we don't know whether he's planning to invade ukraine or not. what do you think is that chinese seal of the ukrainian crisis? would they support a russian invasion?

china will have preferred no war over ukraine, it does have a strong relationship with crane and doesn't want to spoil that. if it's being for us to choose between ukraine and russia, china would choose to support russia if the chips were to come down, not militarily but economically. let's talk a bit about the olympics. we saw the opening ceremony there. it's a pared down winter olympics, as we have been saying, but how important is that for china and for chinese pride and prestige that these games go well? is incredibly im ortant these games go well? is incredibly important to _ these games go well? is incredibly important to the _ these games go well? is incredibly important to the chinese _ these games go well? is incredibly| important to the chinese president. he will have to make sure it's a tremendous success to ensure that the congress treads the end of this year, he will get his charm which

will be the beginning of the rule as the lifetime ruler of china people in china don't really have a say on the matter like this.— the matter like this. professor, director of _ the matter like this. professor, director of the _ the matter like this. professor, director of the chinese - the matter like this. professor, l director of the chinese institute, thank you so much for your time. you're welcome. while the world worries about a potential new russian invasion of ukraine, communities in the east of the country are counting the cost of a conflict which has already dragged on for years. since 2014, some ia,000 people have been killed, among them soldiers and civilians. our international correspondent orla guerin reports — from the city of krama—torsk — on one family and their loss. it was a funeral for a hero, a fallen soldier in the wire ukraine is already fighting. he wasjust 22.

he was killed on the front nine in december by russian backed separatists. mourned by loved ones and by his hometown. his mother is consoled by one of his brothers in arms who was standing right beside him wearing the sniper�*s but it pierced his helmet. the trust by her husband, and he remembers their eldest son. a boy who was funny, kind, a bit naughty, who grew up to love football. and defend his homeland. of course we did not expect it was going to turn out this way. but i am proud of my son. because he gave his life for his country.

he gave his life for ukraine. for the people and for his family. that's why i'm so proud of my boy. he made this video just weeks before his death. the song says my heart aches, i don't believe you're gone. his father, a pastor, wonders if somehow he sensed what was coming. sometimes i feel that perhaps he was expecting today. —— sometimes i feel that perhaps he was expecting to die. because he spent the last two days of his holiday with us. and he made that video. when he was boarding the bus he said i have a heavy heart, i don't want to leave.

but i said, son, you have to, you make a decision. so you have to go. now they mourn and worry, their city was shelled in 2015, they fear a new phase of war would dwarf the suffering so far. but for them, the worst has already happened. a beloved son is gone. as two more conservative member of parliament calls for a vote of no confidence in borisjohnson�*s leadership, downing street is denying that the prime minister has lost control. the mp said the prime minister's position had become untenable since details had emerged about gatherings held during lockdowns. the development puts further

pressure on mrjohnson — who has also been dealing with the fallout of five resignations from his number ten team. our political correspondent iain watson reports. this is the man who won the conservatives an 80—seat majorityjust two years ago. but now some of borisjohnson�*s own mps want him out of number 10. they say he's lost voters' trust and that he's losing his grip. she's a fighter and a quitter. elena narozanski has represented england at boxing. today she dealt the prime minister a blow by resigning from his policy unit. she's a close ally of munira mirza, the number 10 policy chief who was one of four stuff to resign yesterday. her departure was seen as the most significant, as she had been one of boris johnson's closest aides. she said she resigned when he refused to apologise for his false claims about keir starmer when he was director of public prosecutions. and today, you couldn't mask

the difference in tone between the prime minister and the health secretary. keir starmer, when he was running the dpp, did a good job and he should be respected for it. it's a tough job, and he deserves absolute respect for that. but the prime minister has also come out and clarified those remarks. although some of the downing street resignations were unforeseen, ministers were putting on a brave face. the people who are going are very distinguished public servants who've done an enormous amount to help, but the prime minister wanted change and he said that there would be change, and we're seeing that change now. but remaining staff in downing street attended another gathering today, a pep talk from the prime minister. i'm told he quoted from the lion king, saying "change is good". but some sceptical mps suggested that either the prime minister himself would need to change, or they might need to change the prime minister. we want this to work, but i think, for myself, i'm deeply troubled by what's going on, and we all know that

if a prime minister doesn't ship up then they have to shape out, and that's exactly what happened when this prime minister took over. and tonight, another mp, aaron bell, confirmed he'd submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, saying the breach of trust makes his position untenable. for some conservative mps, it's not a matter of if but when they'll call for a vote of no confidence in borisjohnson. it takes only 5a of them to trigger that vote, but 180 to win it. so some of the prime minister's long—standing critics are a bit wary about rushing in, because under the party's rules, if they fail to oust boris johnson, then he can't be challenged for another year. so in politics, as in comedy, timing is everything. borisjohnson�*s next—door neighbour, rishi sunak, has distanced himself from the downing street gatherings and the prime minister's comments about keir starmer, but this has provoked accusations of disloyalty from some mps, who believe the ground is being prepared for a leadership bid. borisjohnson has now written to all his mps, promising to work more closely with them and declaring "we will deliver together".

but at the end of another difficult week, unity is farfrom guaranteed. i've been speaking with mo hussein, former conservative special adviser to amber rudd, and chief press officer at number ten under david cameron. i think this is very much part of the change narrative that the government and eyes of the prime minister trying to put forward, that he is in control, this was all planned, this was all going to happen anyway, and elements of that may be right, in that some of the people that left were certainly implicated in party gate and were probably being investigated and would've had to go when part two of the report came out or when the met police came back with the investigations, but this is not the picture, the departure of someone and a very public reasoning for doing

so where she was unhappy about the prime minister's claims against keir starmer were not part of the plan. and i think it's a very positive spin by trying to put on this. it's quite difficult to see this as number ten in control, where it just looks and feels very, very chaotic right now. a former member of the house of lords has beenjailed for five and a half years for child sex offences. lord ahmed of rotherham carried out the assaults on two children in the 1970s when he was a teenager. there are now calls for him to be stripped of his title. the 64 year old was tried under his real name, nazir ahmed. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: queen elizabeth marks her platinum jubilee viewing some quirky cards and gifts — celebrating her 70 years as monarch.

this is the moment that millions in iran have been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. and the anc leader, nelson mandela, is to be set free unconditionally. three, two, one. the countdown to the critical moment — the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and, apart of its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of the launch that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first | humans to walk in space without any| lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it "a piece of cake". - thousands of people have given the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth, after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world nonstop.

this is bbc news, our top story. the official opening of the winter olympics has taken place in beijing amid chinese pride and international controversy. emergency workers in morocco are hopeful they'll soon reach a five year old boy who's been trapped for four days in a deep well. the child, who's called rayan, slid more than thirty metres into the shaft, while his father was repairing it. the shaft is narrow — so rescuers are digging a large hole parallel to it to reach the boy. helena wilkinson reports. this footage from a camera lowered into the well show rayan covered in earth, with little room to move. he has been trapped like this for three days. above him, a complex rescue

operation is under way. it has been going on since tuesday night, when rayan fell 32 metres down this narrow opening. for the five—year—old's family, the wait is agonising. translation: i ask all moroccans to please pray for him, _ he really needs your prayers. rayan is the son of all moroccans. translation: rayan is very much loved here in the village, - notjust at home. imiss him. an oxygen mask, food and water have been lowered into the well. whether the little boy has drunk or eaten is not known. early attempts to reach him through the well�*s opening failed because of the narrowness of the hole's diameter. since then, rescuers have been working through the night to extract the ground next to the boy. once at his level, they hope to create an opening. after days of digging, there are just metres to go, but there is the risk

of a landslide. translation: considerable efforts have been deployed by local- authorities and all participating bodies to accelerate the process and rescue the child, rayan, as soon as possible. the only solution remains to use bulldozers in order to make a hole to extract the child as soon as possible. this is an extremely delicate operation. rescuers, though, are hopeful that soon they will be able to free rayan and return the little boy to his family. helen wilkinson, bbc news. scientists in south africa — in a medicalfirst — have made a copy of the moderna coronavirus vaccine, using publicly available information. it's being described as a major breakthrough for africa — where only 11% of the population are fully vaccinated. the vast majority of mrna vaccines have gone to wealthy countries. this could increase access to countries across the global south who aren't getting enough doses from global distribution programmes. the bbc�*s africa health correspondent rhoda odhiambo gives us more detail.

it is quite a big deal, if we look at the past, african countries together with other regional bodies such as the africa cdc and who has been asking countries that have been able to develop covid—19 vaccines to share the technical know—how so that countries that have pharmaceutical companies that are able to do so would be able to produce clothing 19 vaccines and this will mean that we would reduce the logistical cost, and i would not happen, we have seen the example that afrigen has after the example that afrigen has after the who and also through moderna both —— there. i've asked moderna for that technical know—how but moderna declined and used information that was publicly available to make a copy of the moderna vaccine. we are still not sure what to call it as of yet, it still at the preclinical stages, but the scientists at the afrigen at the

covid that has been already made public, but the scientists are able to use a fragment of what they developed on their own and simply copied a small fracture of maternal�*s vaccine to be able to produce a replica of this vaccine. this is still at the preclinical stages. they are planning to start sampling. but if we look at the different stages, the medicines become introduced or commercially available. they will still need to apply for a licence from a dharna because they are the original patent holder. and the dharna will see this as a generic vaccine. so they will still need to apply for a licence, where moderna will say they would either get them a yes or no to produce this vaccine for commercial use. there are reports of a plane crash in peru. the peruvian transport ministry say a small tourist plane has crashed near peru's nazca lines

south of capital lima. seven people are reported to be killed in the crash. pictures that have just come in show some of the wreckage still smouldering and rescue teams inspecting the damage. we will keep you updated as more details come in. this sunday the queen will become the first british monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee, marking a 70—year reign. a series of events to mark the occasion will take place throughout the year. for the queen, sunday — accession day — is always spent in quiet reflection. it is the day her father, george the 6th, passed away — and she acceded immediately to the throne. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. the letters, the newest one. she's nearly 96 now, not quite as robust physically as before. a monarch looking back over 70 years and three previous jubilees. simple, but ingenious. they've been decades during which she's given much, but one thing above all.

stability in times of war and peace, in times of social calm and social disruption. stability in times of pandemic. and increasingly, across the world, she has become, i think, a world symbol of stability and strength. and according to the archbishop of canterbury, she has provided leadership by example. at the funeral of her husband of 70—something years, she sat alone. that was leadership. it was doing the right thing, it was duty. it set an example. from the earliest moments of her reign, doing the right thing has been instinctive. for all the grandeur of her position, she's understood that respect has to be earned.

her ultimate quality has been humility. i think the most successful royals nowadays are the humble ones who understand that they're part of something bigger than them. archive: her majesty moves to king edward's chair, - over which a splendid canopy... elizabeth's reign began the moment her father died, but it was at the coronation when she sat on king edward's throne, that she became the anointed sovereign, set apart on the path of duty for the remainder of her life. the britain to whose throne elizabeth ascended, on that february day in 1952, was a very different country to the one of today. yet britain's core, then as now, was the monarchy. and the young woman who was crowned on this ancient throne has done her utmost to uphold both, crown and country.

you'd never have said in �*52 that in 70 years, the monarchy would actually be, in many ways, more successful and more of a centre of national attention than ever. and the fact that it is, i think, is down to her. the past year has been difficult for her. there has been personal sadness and family pain. now, a milestone no other british monarch has achieved. by most, she is loved. by almost all of the rest, she is profoundly respected. and around the world, she has lived a life that has made a difference. nicholas witchell, bbc news. you are watching bbc news. thank you

very much for watching. do stay with us. hello there. snow was a feature of the weather for some parts of the uk on friday, and it continues to feature as part of what is actually quite a varied weekend weather menu. snow and ice continue to be an issue particularly in scotland. elsewhere, some rain at times, some brisk winds also some spells of sunshine. the big weather maker for the weekend is this weather front extending all the way from north america across the atlantic towards our shores. this front will bring some outbreaks of rain. there will be some strong winds, also this friend winds, also this front will be dividing cold air which will be returning from the north from the smile they're staging a temporary come back down towards the south. this is how saturday shapes up to touch of frost for some. a dry start for much of england and wales, you

can see this wet weather on the move southwards as the day wears on, some particularly heavy bursts of rain developing over hills in the west. the south of england likely to stay dry for a good part of the day, northern scotland breaking up with some increasingly infrequent snow showers and a windy day for all, those are the costs. gusts of 40—60 mph in exposed places in northern scotland. afternoon temperatures, three therefore if stornoway can attend for london, plaintiff and saint tellier. there saturday night can hour by the french continues to journey southwards across northern ireland, it will cling on for a good part of the night, i think. certainly some wet weather crossing that and wales. in scotland from infrequent snow showers, we could see up to 15 cm of snow accumulating over high ground. a mild night in the south, a colder one further north, and we look ahead to sunday, well, this rain could well drag its heels and turn heavy for a time on sunday morning. it may struggle to clear the south of england, but elsewhere, we should see some spells of sunshine through the day, showers continuing from the snow showers across high ground in scotland, but

those showers wintry to quite low levels. strongest winds at this stage could be down towards the south with gail's likely through the channel and temperature again quite a range, four in the north, nine or ten further south, maybe 11 for the channel islands. now, as we head into the start of the new week, an area of high pressure not too far away, trying to build its way northwards, weak frontal system away, trying to build its way northwards, weakfrontal system but it is a warm front, so that will bring some milder air returning from the west, so i mild start to the new week. we will see some rain at times, but particularly the further south you are, the week should start on a mostly dry note.

this is bbc news with me, ben brown. our latest headlines.

the winter olympics opening ceremony has taken place in beijing, signalling the official start of the games. but the run—up to the event has been fraught with controversy, with many countries staging a diplomatic boycott. just ahead of the opening ceremony, the leaders of china and russia met in beijing. xijinping and vladimir putin said they support each other�*s security and foreign policy aims. china backed russia's demand that nato halts any expansion. downing street insists borisjohnson is still in control after another conservative mp called on him to go. the prime minister has also seen the resignation of a fifth senior adviser. rescuers in morocco are reported to be getting closer to reaching a young boy trapped at the bottom of a well. the five—year—old, called rayan, fell down the 32—metre well on tuesday.