welcome to bbc news. i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories: a meeting of minds ahead of the winter olympics: china's president xi backs his russian counterpart in opposing the expansion of nato. emergency workers in morocco say they're hopeful of reaching a five—year—old boy who's been trapped for four days in a deep well. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. china and russia have announced a new partnership, hailed by president putin as an unprecedented pact of cooperation. china says it'll back russia's foreign policy aims and says it

supports russian demand that nato halt its expansion. xijinping and vladimir putin held talks hours before the official opening of the winter olympics in beijing, with the low—key ceremony held amid concerns about covid and a diplomatic boycott over human rights abuses. from beijing, robin brant reports. china's capital city, an olympic host for the second time. the birds nest stadium built for 2008 is still glorious. but there is a different man in charge now and it feels very different in 2022. xijinping promised a safe, efficient games. for 2022. xijinping promised a safe, efficient games. for most --eole in safe, efficient games. for most peeple in beijing _ safe, efficient games. for most people in beijing tonight - safe, efficient games. for most people in beijing tonight this i people in beijing tonight this is as close as they will get to the opening ceremony of the olympic games.— the opening ceremony of the olympic games. watching it on a roadside near _ olympic games. watching it on a roadside near the _ olympic games. watching it on a roadside near the stadium - olympic games. watching it on a roadside near the stadium or- olympic games. watching it on a roadside near the stadium or on | roadside near the stadium or on a walkway over the motorway and we are actually being moved away from this area at the moment. it is not because there are not enough tickets on sale, there are no tickets on sale to

members of the general public as part of those extreme covid restrictions. translation: i restrictions. translation: i came to feel the vibe. restrictions. translation: i. came to feel the vibe. standing at her side. _ came to feel the vibe. standing at her side, her _ came to feel the vibe. standing at her side, her son _ came to feel the vibe. standing at her side, her son asked - came to feel the vibe. standing at her side, her son asked �*canj at her side, her son asked "can we see it or not, mum?" "it doesn't matter, at least we are trying." for the athletes, just getting here is an achievement but their leaders have stayed away, countries like britain and australia have joined a us led diplomatic boycott in protest over what they claim is egregious or even genocide. carried out by china against muslim minorities here. but this leader was here, in fact he was the star guest. russia's president putin is one of 20 also presidents, ministers or kings who wish —— keen to show their support for china in person. mr putin came for more, face—to—face talks and he has agreed trade and energy deals and a new friendship of closer cooperation with china. they used to share communist rule.

now what binds russia and china is concerned about resurgence us influence as tension over ukraine increases by the day. the moment the olympic flame was installed was a subtle one, no big cauldron satellite. but not so the other message, sent out by the host from this stadium, that china and russia are forging a new, close friendship. robin brant, bbc news, beijing. 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, whose name is rayan, fell more than 30m 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, as helena wilkinson reports. this footage from a camera lowered into the well shows 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. complex rescue operation is underway. it complex rescue operation is under way. it has been going on since tuesday night, when rayan fell 32 metres down this narrow opening. forthe opening. for the five—year—old's family, opening. forthe five—year—old's family, the weight is agonising. translation: i weight is agonising. translation: ., translation: i asked all moroccans _ translation: i asked all moroccans to _ translation: i asked all moroccans to please - translation: i asked all moroccans to please pray| translation: | asked all i moroccans to please pray for him. he really needs your prayers. rayan is the son of all moroccans. translation: ra an is all moroccans. translation: rayan is very _ all moroccans. translation: rayan is very much-loved - all moroccans. translation: | rayan is very much-loved here rayan is very much—loved here in the — rayan is very much—loved here in the village, not just at home _ in the village, not just at home i_ in the village, not just at home. i miss him. an in the village, not 'ust at home. i miss him. an oxygen mask, home. i miss him. an oxygen mask. food — home. i miss him. an oxygen mask, food and _ home. i miss him. an oxygen mask, food and water- home. i miss him. an oxygen mask, food and water have . home. i miss him. an oxygen i mask, food and water have been lowered into the well. whether the little boy has drank or eaten is not known. early attempts to reach him through the well�*s opening failed because of the narrowness of the whole's diameter. since then, rescuers have been working through the night to extract the ground next to the boy, and once at his level they hope to create an opening. after days of digging, there arejust after days of digging, there are just metres to go but there is the risk of a landslide.

translation: considerable efforts have _ translation: considerable efforts have been _ translation: considerable efforts have been deployedl translation: considerable | efforts have been deployed by local authorities and all parties and bodies to accelerate the process and rescue the child, rayan. as soon as possible. the only solution remains use bulldozers in order to make a whole to extract the child as soon as possible. extract the child as soon as possible-— extract the child as soon as ossible. , , . , possible. this is an extremely delicate operation. _ possible. this is an extremely delicate operation. rescuers, | delicate operation. rescuers, though, a hopeful soon, they will be able to free rayan and return the little boy to his family. helena wilkinson, bbc news. we will keep across that story, of course, in the coming hours. downing street insists that the prime minister is still in control after another resignation from boris johnson's team. and within the past couple of hours, the former minister nick gibb has added his voice to those calling on the prime minister to resign. our political correspondent iain watson reports. this is the man who won the conservatives and 86 majority just two years ago. but now, some of borisjohnson�*s own mps

want him out of number ten. they say he has lost photo's trust and that he is losing his grip —— 80—seat majority. trust and that he is losing his grip -- 80—seat majority. she is a fighter and a quitter, how women ski has represented england at boxing and today she dealt the prime minister a blow by resigning from his policy unit. she is a close ally of union mezzo, the number ten policy chief who is one of four staff to resign yesterday, a departure seen as the most significant though she had been one of borisjohnson�*s closest aides. she said she resigned when he refused to apologise for false claims made about keir starmer when he was director of public prosecutions. and today, you could not mask the difference in tone between the prime minister and the health secretary. minister and the health secretary-— minister and the health secretary. minister and the health secreta . ,, ., secretary. keir starmer, when he was running _ secretary. keir starmer, when he was running the _ secretary. keir starmer, when he was running the dpp, - secretary. keir starmer, when he was running the dpp, did l secretary. keir starmer, when he was running the dpp, did a j he was running the dpp, did a good job and he should be respected for it. it is a tough job and he deserves absolute respect for that but the prime minister has also come out and has clarified those remarks.

although some of the downing street resignations were unforeseen, ministers were putting on a brave face. the --eole putting on a brave face. the people are _ putting on a brave face. the people are doing _ putting on a brave face. the people are doing a - putting on a brave face. tie: people are doing a very distinguished public servants are doing an enormous amount to help of the prime minister wanted change and he said that there would be change and we're that change now. the there would be change and we're that change now.— that change now. the remaining staff in downing _ that change now. the remaining staff in downing street - staff in downing street attended another gathering today, a pep talk from the prime minister, and i'm told he quoted from the lion king, saying change is good. but some sceptical mps suggested that the prime minister himself would need to change or they may need to change the prime minister. irate may need to change the prime minister. ~ ., , ., ., ~' minister. we want this to work but i minister. we want this to work but i think— minister. we want this to work but i think for— minister. we want this to work but i think for myself, - minister. we want this to work but i think for myself, i'm - but i think for myself, i'm deeply troubled by what is going on and we all know if the prime minister does not ship up, may need to ship out. another mp tonight aaron bell confirmed he submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, saying: some conservative mps, it is not a matter of if but when they will call for a vote of no—confidence in borisjohnson.

no—confidence in boris johnson. it no—confidence in borisjohnson. it takes only sll them to trigger that road but 182 when it. so some of the prime minister's long—standing critics are a bit wary about rushing in but under the party's rules if you fail to oust borisjohnson, he cannot be challenged for another year. so in politics as in comedy, timing is everything. donald trump's former vice president mike pence said he could not have overturned the result of the 2020 us presidential election and that mr trump was wrong to think he could have done so. mr pence said no one person could choose the president. the president trump is wrong. i had no right to overturn the election. presidency belongs the american people and the american people alone. and, frankly, there is no idea more un—american than the notion that any one person could choose the american president. our correspondent

david willis is in la. let's talk about this, david. i was surprised to see that from mike pence. why now, do you think? �* , ., , think? it's an interesting question- _ think? it's an interesting question. mike - think? it's an interesting question. mike pence i think? it's an interesting question. mike pence of| think? it's an interesting i question. mike pence of course was one of the most loyal vice president you could everfind, renowned for his almost filial loyalty to donald trump, defending mr trump even in some of his most controversial moments. so these remarks are being seen with some astonishment here, they are the most outspoken criticism of his former boss to have come from mike pence but in the last few days, donald trump has basically ground down on the narrative that mike pence could have done more to basically prevent the election from going to joe prevent the election from going tojoe biden. he says he could have overturned the results of the electoral college. that is, of course, false. and today, mike pence decided to call donald trump out on that,

saying that the trump was wrong in that assertion and also saying that such a move by a vice president would be, as he put it, un—american. this put it, un-american. this comes. — put it, un-american. this comes, though, - put it, un-american. this comes, though, at i put it, un-american. this comes, though, at the i put it, un-american. this i comes, though, at the same put it, un—american. this comes, though, at the same time as i alluded to there, david, republican parties entering two of its top lawmakers for investigating the capitol road, they called it political discourse, which liz cheney and adam kinzinger disagreed with, so what does it tell us about the republican party and perhaps going forward in 2024, the next presidential race? well, there are —— this all points to the fact that january six, it is deeply controversial still as far as the republican party is concerned and as you mentioned, the party decided today to censure liz cheney and adam kinzingerfor basically adam kinzinger for basically joining adam kinzingerfor basically joining the committee looking into the events of that fateful day. they believe that no

republicans should have joined the committee and that it will basically lead to a witch—hunt that will ultimately end up with donald trump being accused of more things. they also said, the members of the committee today, but this constituted, as they put it, persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse. adam kinzinger has already said he will be leaving congress before his term is up and liz cheney could face some sort of challenge for her seat in wyoming. she issued a statement today, saying that republican leaders, as she put it, had made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits attempting to overthrow a presidential election and none to concealed father against not know if it is possible to know this, david, at that phrase political discourse, will many, you know,

republicans, maybe that supported mr trump, maybe didn't, would they take on without script and that the rnc is putting forward?— is putting forward? well, it's interesting — is putting forward? well, it's interesting because - is putting forward? well, it's interesting because mike i is putting forward? well, it's i interesting because mike pence today in that speech also called the sixth of january a dark day in the history of the us capitol and he was one of the lawmakers of course that was rushed to safety after the capitol building came under siege from a mob of donald trump supporters. some of whom are of course were calling for the vice president to be hanged. now, there is a large feeling in the party amongst some, anyway, that this would have been —— these were terrible events and something that the party really should seek to bury and move on from. others of course like liz cheney believe that there should be some sort of reckoning as a result of this. that's what it almost sounds like with some of these stories you are bringing us. david,

thanks so much. as we heard earlier, a possible russian invasion of ukraine is a top international concern but communities in the east of the country have had to endure a conflict for years. some 14,000 people have been killed — that's soldiers and civilians — and despite an official ceasefire, the deaths continue. the conflict broke out eight years ago when russia annexed ukraine's crimea peninsula. then russian—backed separatists seized parts of eastern ukraine, which is home to many ethnic russians. our international correspondent orla guerin reports from the city of kramatorsk on one family and their loss. bugle plays. it was a funeral for a hero, a fallen soldier in the war ukraine is already fighting. valery herovkin was just 22. he was killed on the front line in december by russian—backed separatists. mourned by loved ones and by his home town,

kramatorsk. his mother, ana, is consoled by one of his brothers in arms who was standing right beside valery when the sniper�*s bullet pierced his helmet. buttressed by her husband, yevgeny, ana remembers their eldest son — a boy who was funny, kind, a bit naughty, who grew up to love football and defend his homeland. translation: of course, i we didn't expect it was going to turn out this way, but i'm 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. valery 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. translation: sometimes, ifeel that perhaps he was expecting i 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 made the 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. orla guerin, bbc news, kramatorsk, ukraine. this is bbc news. the main story: the presidents of china and russia meet ahead of the winter olympics opening ceremony. president xi backs russia in opposing the expansion of nato. we can now speak to eugene rumer, a former national intelligence officer for russia and eurasia at the us national intelligence council and now a senior fellow and the director of carnegie's russia and eurasia program. lovely to have you with us. thank you so much forjoining us. there are a couple of aspects that come to mind when

we hear about russia and china's leaders meeting. what do you make of the meeting? well, it's an important meeting, although i think they have had close to 40 meetings over the past eight years or so. but it's important because of the timing. russia is in a crisis, really, of the kind that we haven't seen since the end of the cold war with the west, and china's relationship with the united states is at its worst in many, many years. so this kind of solidarity is important to both leaders, to show that the other two great powers other than the united states are standing by each other and are prepared to back each other up. 50 other and are prepared to back each other up.— each other up. so what do you think that _ each other up. so what do you think that means, _ each other up. so what do you think that means, though, i each other up. so what do you think that means, though, if l think that means, though, if there is this new strategic alliance, for example? how powerful is it, if we think about even some of the countries that perhaps have boycotted the winter olympics, if it is the us, the uk, australia, canada? well, it is,

i think, significant _ i think, significant symbolically but also in practical terms. the fact that each country, china in the pacific and russia in europe, has its hands in an effort to challenge the united states is a major, major boost to their capabilities in the sense that there strategic priorities are covered. which it was not during much of the cold war. it is at an important enhancement to their overall stature. we have to remember that during the cold war, the soviet union was fighting the cold war—or not fighting, but was in a state of cold war stand—off — against the united states and europe in one theatre but also against china in the other theatre. so now that the two countries have really struck up a strategic partnership, they really have achieved the situation where the other acts as a force multiplier for the

other one. i as a force multiplier for the other one-— as a force multiplier for the other one. i understand what ou're other one. i understand what you're saying- _ other one. i understand what you're saying. and _ other one. i understand what you're saying. and just i you're saying. and just briefly, eugene, please, what do you this means for ukraine? it is kind of stuck in the middle of these various alliances.— middle of these various alliances. , ., , alliances. yes, of course, it is stuck _ alliances. yes, of course, it is stuck in _ alliances. yes, of course, it is stuck in the _ alliances. yes, of course, it is stuck in the middle i alliances. yes, of course, it is stuck in the middle and l alliances. yes, of course, it is stuck in the middle and it is stuck in the middle and it is in a very precarious position. my sense, however, is that the biggest unsettled, undecided issue right now is in the mind of mr putin himself, whether to launch what would be a fratricidal war against ukraine or not, and that is the kind of strategic, historic step, possibly historic blunder, that i believe he cannot bring himself to really take or decide on. and the visit to china, in a sense, provides him with a useful delaying tactic at this time and gives him some time to decide what he wants to do. let's see what happens. thank you so much forjoining us here on the bbc. flit

you so much for “oining us here on the sac.— this sunday the queen will become the first british monarch to celebrate a platinumjubilee, marking a 70—year reign. the day marks the anniversary of the death of her father, george vi, and her accession to the throne. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. letters — newest one. she is 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 has 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 has 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 i bigger than them. archive: her majesty moves to king edward's chair, i 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 at 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. it is called the world's most unreachable shipwreck. a century ago the endurance sank, crushed by ice after being chartered by the anglo—irish explorer ernest shackleton for an expedition to cross antarctica. the crew were left stranded for months but all survived. now, scientists hope the same icy conditions that trapped the boat may have preserved it. they have sent a team using the latest tech to try and find the wreck. our science editor rebecca morelle reports. the final moments

of the endurance. this 100—year—old footage, restored and released by the bfi, shows sir ernest shackleton's famous ship as it was lost to the antarctic ice. there's the endurance. now, a new expedition is attempting to locate the ship. the endurance is the — the most unreachable wreck in the world, and the big challenge is the ice. it's opening, it's clenching. it's a really vicious, lethal environment. this was shackleton's third expedition to antarctica. endurance set off from south georgia in december 1914, but it was a bad year for sea ice, and by mid—january, the ship had become frozen fast. it drifted for months with the crew on board, but eventually an order was given to abandon the ship after it became crushed by the weight of the ice. endurance finally sank on 21 november 1915.

its exact location, though, was recorded, and this is where the search will begin. the agulhas ii is the icebreaker taking on that challenge. underwater robots kitted out with sonar and cameras will hunt for the wreck 3,000 metres down. the hope is it is well preserved by the icy water. shackleton's expedition diary was saved before the endurance sank. "she went today. 5:00pm, she went down by the head. the stern, the cause of all the trouble, was the last to go underwater. i cannot write about it." you can read about how it was creaking. they talk to her. they talk about her as a personality. there's this real kind of sense of how crushed they were when the ship was crushed and sank, as well. the endurance crew travelled for hundreds of miles to get to safety. miraculously,

they all survived. but the ship that had been their home is still silently waiting to be discovered. rebecca morelle, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @bbcnuala. 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 continuing to be an issue particularly in scotland. elsewhere, some rain at times, some brisk winds, but there will also be 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, but also this front dividing cold air, which will be returning from the north from this mild air, staging

a temporary come back down towards the south. so this is how saturday shapes up. a touch of frost for some to start off. 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 brightening up with some increasingly frequent snow showers, and a windy day for all. those are the gusts. gusts of 40—60 mph in exposed places in northern scotland. afternoon temperatures, quite a range, three there for stornoway, ten for london, plymouth and saint hellier. through saturday night, our weather front 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 england and wales. for scotland, frequent 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 then we look ahead to sunday. well, this rain could well drag its heels. it could actually turn heavy

for a time on sunday morning, and it may struggle to clear the south of england. but elsewhere, we should see some spells of sunshine through the day. showers continuing, snow showers across high ground in scotland, but those showers even wintry to quite low levels. strongest winds at this stage could be down towards the south with gales 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. a weak frontal system but it is a warm front, so that will bring some milder air returning from the west. so quite a 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. the headlines: ahead of the opening ceremony of the winter olympics, china's president xijinping met his russian counterpart vladimir putin and gave his support to moscow's security and foreign policy aims. the official opening,

at the bird's nest stadium in beijing, was toned—down due to covid restrictions. emergency workers in morocco say they're hopeful that they'll reach a five—year—old boy trapped for four days in a deep well. the child, named rayan, slid more than 30m into the narrow shaft on tuesday while his father was repairing it. downing street insists borisjohnson is still in control after another conservative mp called on the prime minister to step down. the former minister nick gibb says that his constituents remain furious about what he called double standards in the observance of covid rules. the government's £9 billion move this week to shore up household finances in the face of a sharp rise in energy bills was a major intervention, adding up to help of £350 a yearfor the majority of families. but what difference will that sum make to people struggling with the rise in the cost of living, and will it get to those who need help the most? our business editor simonjack reports.