tonight at ten — washington warns russia could launch an all out invasion of ukraine at any moment. as moscow continues manoeuvres on the border, the white house says an attack may begin with a large scale air assault. what we can say is that there is a credible prospect that a russian military action would take place even before the end of the olympics. nato allies held talks by phone this evening, as the diplomacy continues to avoid war. british citizens have now been advised to leave ukraine. we'll have the very latest from washington. also tonight... the metropolitan police has contacted boris johnson over what he knew of alleged lockdown parties at no 10. growth continues for

businesses after covid, with the uk's economic performance better than expected. we're going to the super bowl! and the world's biggest annual sporting event takes place this weekend, with well over 100 million viewers around the world. and coming—up in sport, on the bbc news channel... russian doping is in the spotlight again as the court of arbitration in sport will decide if kamila valieva can stay at the winter olympics. good evening. the white house is warning that a russian attack on ukraine could begin any day. after a huge build up of russian troops near the ukrainian border, american officials say moscow now has the capability to conduct a major military operation, possibly beginning with an air assault.

moscow has practically encircled its smaller neighbour with close to 130,000 troops, but maintains no invasion is being planned. meanwhile, diplomatic efforts intensified today to avoid war, with president biden hosting a call of world leaders, including borisjohnson, who said he feared for the security of europe, if there's a conflict. all british nationals are now being advised to leave ukraine. 0ur north america editor, sarah smith, has the very latest. the russians are not trying to camouflage these military exercises their troops are conducting in belarus near the ukrainian border, these pictures were provided by the russian defence ministry. has vladimir putin decided to order these troops into ukraine? the us says they don't know but they believe he is in a position to do so so they are escalating warnings that military action could be imminent, possibly within days. we military action could be imminent, possibly within days.— possibly within days. we can't in oint possibly within days. we can't pinpoint the — possibly within days. we can't pinpoint the day _ possibly within days. we can't pinpoint the day at _ possibly within days. we can't pinpoint the day at this - possibly within days. we can't pinpoint the day at this point l possibly within days. we can't i pinpoint the day at this point and the hour but what we can say is that there is a credible prospect that

there is a credible prospect that the russian military action would take place even before the end of the olympics. take place even before the end of the olympia-— the olympics. boris johnson and other european _ the olympics. boris johnson and other european leaders - the olympics. boris johnson and other european leadersjoined i the olympics. boris johnson and other european leadersjoined a| other european leaders joined a court convened by president biden this evening, johnson urging allies to have ready punishing economic sanctions against russia. with fears that aerial bombing and missile attacks against kyiv could come before any ground invasion, british people are being urged to leave, and american forces have said they will not go into ukraine to rescue them. that would be a world war. that would be a very different world to what we are in. how would you find them? , . ., ., what we are in. how would you find them? , ., . ., , what we are in. how would you find them? , ., , , them? things could go crazy very cuickl , them? things could go crazy very quickly. which — them? things could go crazy very quickly, which is _ them? things could go crazy very quickly, which is how— them? things could go crazy very quickly, which is how president . quickly, which is how president biden put it when he called on all us citizens to leave ukraine, they also withdrawing more officials from the country and that is because there is concern in washington that if someone was killed or injured it

would then be difficult to avoid a major escalation in tensions between america and russia. the defence secretary in moscow heard again russian assurances there are no plans to invade but left less optimistic about the chances of a diplomatic solution. it is optimistic about the chances of a diplomatic solution.— optimistic about the chances of a diplomatic solution. it is all about actions. there _ diplomatic solution. it is all about actions. there are _ diplomatic solution. it is all about actions. there are over _ diplomatic solution. it is all about actions. there are over 100,000, 130,000 troops stationed at readiness, plus exercising, and ships and planes, on the borders of the ukraine, and that is an action thatis the ukraine, and that is an action that is not normal. l115 the ukraine, and that is an action that is not normal.— that is not normal. us forces are already being — that is not normal. us forces are already being deployed - that is not normal. us forces are already being deployed to - that is not normal. us forces are | already being deployed to poland that is not normal. us forces are - already being deployed to poland and romania, to bolster those nato allies on the ukraine border with an additional 3000 troops being announced tonight. as the white house warns the conflict they think could begin any day now would bring enormous human cost. the us are being remarkably frank about sharing the intelligence they have gathered

and also about what they simply don't know, whether vladimir putin has decided to actually invade ukraine, and the reason that such dire warnings are emanating from he is notjust dire warnings are emanating from he is not just to dire warnings are emanating from he is notjust to deter russia but also to galvanise european allies and the white house has not completely given up white house has not completely given up the hope of a diplomatic solution and president biden is planning to talk to vladimir putin tomorrow on the phone. sarah smith, many thanks. russia has long sought to determine the destiny of ukraine. under soviet communism, as many as 4 million died of hunger, when moscow forced people from small holdings to disastrously inefficient collective farms. the bitterness remains to this day, and in a special report on the ordinary communities caught up in the struggle for ukraine, fergal keane has been to kharkiv, close to the russian border, to meet some of the last survivors of the famine. as the kremlin's choirs praised stalin, the world

was told of a happy land. archive: and today it is, above all, the granary of eastern europe - with the black earth bringing forth millions of acres of peat. but this 95—year—old knows what a lie that was. forced collectivisation of farms brought starvation and terror to his family. translation: it was very scary. there was a brigade with pitchforks who came to every house searching for bread. i was five at that time. we locked the doors and all the windows but they used crowbars to come inside, and then they went to all the barns to try and find any buried bread. food was seized to punish peasants who resisted collectivisation. it's thought up to 4 million people

died in what ukraine calls the holodomor, "killing through hunger." russia denies the famine was a deliberate attempt to break the independent spirit of ukrainians. this woman, aged 98, remembers the corpses of the starved. translation: what could i see - i saw people who died. _ they made a big pit and threw all the bodies there. my father went to western ukraine taking everything good from our home to exchange for food but he got nothing. you can say i had a life but it was no life. her great grandson has heard her memories, as has his older brother, who is serving in the ukrainian army. near the family home there is a mass grave from the famine era.

stories of the famine are passed on within families from generation to generation, but it's also an important part of modern ukraine's story of origin, this idea of a nation in the 1930s suffering the oppression of a dictatorship based in moscow. this old steel door here... ukrainians who resisted ended up in places like this. some historians say five or 10,000 people was killed here. in this basement. interrogation cells of the secret police in kyiv. i went there with a man who is creating a national record of what happened. it's just impossible to imagine what went through people's minds as they came through that door, into this place. yes. pain.

investigation of stalin's crimes has been suppressed in russia. this man sees a clear line between this and aggression towards ukraine. to protect stalin, they hide the truth, they attack us, they don't recognise us as an independent country. why? we don't understand why. perhaps because all in this conflict know the power of the weapon of memory. fergal keane, bbc news, kharkiv. our latest look at some of the ordinary communities affected by the divisions in ukraine. here as we've been hearing, the government is warning all british nationals in ukraine to leave. our diplomatic correspondent, james landale is at the foreign office. a sense now of the escalating crisis? ~ ., , . ., a sense now of the escalating crisis? ~ . , . ., ., , .,

crisis? what is clear now is that the united _ crisis? what is clear now is that the united states _ crisis? what is clear now is that the united states believes - crisis? what is clear now is that the united states believes that| crisis? what is clear now is that. the united states believes that if russia is going to invade the ukraine, it is likely to happen in the next couple of days, they say that not because they know vladimir putin has made a decision and they say they don't know that, but it is based on an assessment of their intelligence they are getting on the ground and the increasing number of russian troops and the disposition of those forces, the chatter about false pretext for an invasion and misinformation and cyber attacks, things like that, all of which are pointing in one direction. that is why the foreign office is advising the british nationals in the crane to leave if they want, which the us and others are talking about —— in the ukraine. they know quickly —— the ukraine. they know quickly —— the situation could change quickly. the russians have accused the west of spreading false information about an imminent attack and president biden will be speaking to vladimir putin tomorrow, and the point is

this, military action is not inevitable but according to the us it is now highly possible.- it is now highly possible. james, thanks for— it is now highly possible. james, thanks forjoining _ it is now highly possible. james, thanks forjoining us. _ the home secretary, priti patel, says "strong and decisive new leadership" of the metropolitan police is now needed, to restore public confidence. it follows the resignation of dame cressida dick as commissioner, who says she lost the confidence of the mayor of london, despite her view that she could bring change to a beleaguered force. here's our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford. arriving at new scotland yard this morning, the woman who is walking away from the biggestjob in british policing. respected by colleagues, but forced out by the london mayor, sadiq khan. cressida dick first came to public attention as the officer in command whenjean—charles de menezes was wrongly shot, though a jury said she was not personally to blame. in her time as met commissioner, two officers took pictures of the bodies of the murdered sisters bibaa henry and nicole smallman,

but worst of all, a serving met policeman killed sarah everard. a team of officers at charing cross police station exchanged shocking, misogynistic, racist and homophobic whatsapp messages. and the met was slow to investigate alleged parties in downing street in lockdown. the force has also had to face the anger of sarah sak and the other families whose sons were murdered by the serial killer stephen port. the incompetence shown by detectives investigating her son anthony's death was jaw—dropping. there was that many flaws that you just couldn't even put it into words. i do think it really... it will take years to sort this problem out, i don't think it's a quick fix. but it was that extraordinary canteen culture in a team of officers at charing cross that eventually convinced the mayor that the force needed more radical reform. whatsapp messages making jokes about rape and turning african children into dog food. it will take time to root out that kind of behaviour.

if the new met commissioner is upfront and honest with the public about that, is really clear on the package of measures that they are taking to root out inappropriate officers and bring them tojustice when they fail the public, i think that will go a long way to restoring trust. but is this just an issue for scotland yard, or a sign of wider issues in british policing? it would be wrong to say this is a policing problem - confined to london. that would be wrong for the people of london and wrong _ for the communities we servel across the rest of the country. policing is becoming increasingly political, with politicians of all parties feeling bolder about criticising senior officers. but this time, the stakes are even higher, because scotland yard is in the middle of investigating the prime minister and his staff for alleged lockdown breaching parties. it is the home secretary, priti patel, who will appoint cressida dick's replacement, in consultation with the mayor, but it is a process that will take many months.

daniel sandford, bbc news. and in the last few minutes, number 10 has confirmed that borisjohnson has received a questionnaire from the metropolitan police, investigating allegations of covid rules being broken in downing street and whitehall. our political correspondent ione wells is at westminster. that's right, just this evening in the last couple of minutes, number 10 and have confirmed that boris johnson has received a questionnaire from the metropolitan police and his spokesman said that he will be responding to it as required. we know the metropolitan police have sent these questionnaires and our sending them to more than 50 people who are alleged to have been at various different events between may 2020 and april 2021. people receiving the questionnaires, including the prime minister now, will be expected to account for why they were there and also expected to answer all the questions fully and

truthfully as well. the fact that the prime minister has received this questionnaire doesn't necessarily mean the police will find him to have broken rules or that he will get a fine, it's all part of their ongoing inquiry, buti get a fine, it's all part of their ongoing inquiry, but i think it's fair to say that politically, this is an incredibly uncomfortable situation for the prime minister to be in with many conservative mps currently feeling that if he is bound to have broken rules, found to get a fine, then they believed his position could become untenable. thank you. ioane wells live at westminster. the uk economy has continued to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, with new figures showing growth of 7.5% over the last year. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has welcomed the latest figures, which follow a 9.4% drop in 2020. but economists warn that with inflation still rising, uk households will continue to feel a squeeze on finances. here's our economics editor, faisal islam. at union industries in leeds, the reopening of the economy

is finally returning the manufacture of high—speed industrial doors back to normal, back to where it was before the pandemic. we're now back to pre—pandemic levels and looking for further growth in the future. you can certainly say that that pandemic blip is behind you and us and the economy? absolutely, the business blip is behind and now we're back into growth mode. today's figures for the whole of 2021 show the economy growing at the strongest rate since the second world war, and that is the fastest rate of the major g7 economies in 2021. that reflects a much—needed rebound, though, from having had the fastest fall in the first year of the pandemic in 2020. put all that together and the overall pandemic economic hit, compared with two years ago, has the uk in the middle — just below the size of the economy back then. but that's in the past. what's happening now is a shock to prices and energy and in taxation. the big question is whether wages rise to compensate for inflation at over 7%.

the chancellor not backing calls for wage restraint in the private sector, but seems to for public sector workers. when it comes to private wage settlements, i don't think it's the government's role, actually, to get involved. with regard to the public sector, the process we have is an independent process, and what that process does is balance making sure that pay awards are affordable for the taxpayer ultimately who is paying for all of them, but also making sure that we value public sector workers appropriately and also ensure that we can recruit and retain the workers that we need. the minimum wage is going up in april by over 6%, but even that increase is now on course to be gobbled up by fast—rising prices. the opposition say more is needed. households are facing a triple whammy of rising prices, and in particular energy prices, tory tax rises that are being imposed on the economy at the worst possible time, and declining real wages.

chancellor rishi sunak defended the coming rise in national insurance. you have energy bills going up, food bills going up, taxes going up, mortgage costs going up, all at the same time. it's just the confluence of this in one month that's difficult, and you're adding to that with this extra national insurance. well, that's why we've put these other measures in place as well, the national living wage. but you could havejust delayed the tax rise. well, we don't want to delay getting on with tackling the backlogs and reforming social care. in general, the economy is moving again, returning to some sort of normal service. but for household budgets, the picture's not looking so bright. faisal islam, bbc news, in leeds. the government's weekly coronavirus figures show the number of cases being reported continues to fall, with just over 62,500 cases recorded on average each day in the last week. hospital admissions are also falling, with an average of 12,753 patients being treated in hospital over the last seven days.

193 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, though some will have died of other causes. on average this week, 195 deaths were announced every day. ethiopia's civil war has spawned a devastating humanitarian crisis. the fighting between government forces and the tigray people's liberation front in the north of the country, has left thousands dead and more than 400,000 facing famine. the un has accused all sides of war crimes and atrocities. in the last three months, the crisis has worsened, with the rebels threatening to take the capital, addis ababa. the bbc�*s africa correspondent, catherine byaruhanga, reports on the human cost of the conflict, through the eyes of civilians. a warning — some of the images are disturbing. the lush highlands of northern ethiopia — the site of a deadly war and, for months, cut off from the world. in hamusit town in the amhara

region, the bodies of government fighters, rebels and civilians still lie in the valleys and forests. this man and his neighbours tried to bury the dead but they couldn't keep up with the brutal place of death. translation: everyone got sick from the smell i and we couldn't continue. only a couple more bodies could be buried. there were only a few of us and we had to bury 26 bodies in one go. fighting between the federal government and rebels from tigray in the north has left nearly 10 million people in need of aid. many have been cut off because of the conflict. this woman, who lives in woldia, is desperate to find her husband. she says the rebels kidnapped him when they occupied her town. translation: some of the fighters ltell me he could be dead already. l

others say he could be digging graves. i looked for him even in graveyards, hoping to find a piece of his clothing. but so far i haven't found anything. the tigray people's liberation front has denied taking prisoners. drones manufactured in china, iran and turkey have helped the government gain the upper hand in this war, but civilians have been killed and homes destroyed in these attacks. the government denies targeting civilians. prime minister abiy ahmed is under international pressure to end this war. it's not in the interests - of ethiopia to continue the war, that is why, although the tigray - forces have been brutally defeated, we can say, the government has not i expanded the frontiers to tigray. i there's a sense of cautious optimism in the capital. the rebels have been pushed back and the state of emergency is about to be lifted.

but there is also a feeling of tension, a heightened security presence, and a suspicion of the foreign media — we have already been prevented from filming twice. conversations about possible peace talks marked a shift in this, a 15—month conflict. but this is still a fragile moment and an opportunity that should not be lost. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, ethiopia. it's six months this weekend since jake davison shot dead five people in plymouth, including his own mother and a three—year—old girl, before turning the gun on himself. tonight, in an exclusive interview, the gunman's father, mark davison, has described his sorrow for the victims�* families. he claims he warned police about his son getting a shotgun licence, because of his history of mental health problems. devon and cornwall police say they can't comment, while the case is onging. mark davison has been speaking to our correspondent, jon kay. i don't know what was going on in his mind,

and it must be terrible for the victims�* families. it must be horrendous. mark davison still can't believe it. on a quiet evening last august, his son shot dead five people here in plymouth. first, he killed his own mother, maxine, in the cul—de—sac where they lived. he then shot three—year—old sophie martin and her dad, lee, who were walking past, followed by stephen washington, a grandfather, and artist kate shephard. it was the uk's worst mass shooting in more than a decade. 22—year—old jake davison then turned the gun on himself. six months on, what do you want to say to those other families now? i'd just like to say i'm sorry. it would have been bad enough if he'd have done what he did to his mam, but to go out and to go around and shoot all them poor victims in the close, people he didn't even know. i am sorry and i'm ashamed,

and somebody has to stand up and say it, and, you know... it's just an horrendous thing that's happened, like, it really is. it's horrible. that little kiddie, a three—year—old little kiddie, you know what i mean? it must have been so special to have a little kid like that, and the other victims as well. mark didn't see much of his son over the years. he and his wife were divorced. but he claims when he heard jake davison was applying for a shotgun licence in 2017, he called police to raise concerns about his son's mental health. you're not asking, dad, can i have a water pistol? it's a shotgun, for pity�*s sake. you know what i mean? and people with mental health issues, whatever they may be, whatever the labels are, he should have never had the gun in the first place. he should have never, ever had a gun in the first place. devon and cornwall police say they can't comment on mark davison's

claims as they're being investigated over the issuing of the firearms licence. but tonight, the independent office for police conduct has confirmed that his allegations are part of that investigation. what was he like? describe jake to me. he was in his own world at times. jake did struggle to show emotion. that rung alarm bells with me. if he didn't understand, it seemed to me that sometimes that he didn't really have the concept of consequences for actions. mark davis and told me his christian faith has helped him turn his own life around after a spell in jail. six months after the shootings, he says his prayers are with his son's victims this weekend. jon kay, bbc news, plymouth. the super bowl, the world's biggest annual sporting event, takes place this weekend. the los angeles rams will battle the cincinatti bengals,

for american football's most coveted prize, with neither team expected to reach the showpiece final. here's nesta mcgregor. super bowl lvi. the location — los angeles. the venue, at £4 billion, the world's most expensive stadium. sofi is a stone's, or decent throw of a ball from hollywood. for the two teams, there's no more rehearsing — it's time for lights, camera, action. we're going to the super bowl! on the field, the la rams have a home advantage over the cincinnati bengals. odell beckham jr could be key to any rams success. seven years ago he made this one—handed catch, said to be the greatest ever in the nfl. he now feels, though, he has given the fans something else to remember him for. there was a part of me that wanted to prove people wrong more than ijust wanted to be myself and prove myself right. so i definitely feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. the bengals will be heavily reliant on their young

quarterback, joe burrow. in two years, he's taken them from being one of the worst teams in the league to potential champions. i think what separates teams at the top is the trust and the relationships that you build in that locker room that will end up carrying out onto the field, and we have great people like that, that work really hard. the game should live up to the pre—kickoff hype. if the crowd does need a boost, that will come in the form of the famous half—time show. rappers snoop dogg, eminem and dr dre will perform, alongside maryj blige. a global audience of well over 100 million are expected to tune in, some more nervous than others. excited, very excited. things have changed and it's definitely a new era - here in cincinnati. third time's a charm. we're going to win this one this time. for some, valentine's weekend can result in receiving a ring. fitting, that's the prize at stake on sunday. nesta mcgregor, bbc news.

that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello again. this weekend, we'll see outbreaks of rain and it's often going to be quite windy as well, but choose your moments — there will be a few brighter and drier interludes around. at the moment, we're seeing rain spread in from the west. we did have an early frost to start the night, but that frost is easing out of the way as those winds pick up and the cloud spreads in. so, these are the figures heading into the first part of saturday morning, and the weather kind of slices and dices three ways. we've got this zone of heavy rain pushing into wales and northern england, showers for scotland and northern ireland, a few brighter and drier moments here. for east anglia and southeast england, you might get away with a dry day. it will be pretty blustery, though, and those temperatures range from around 8—11 celsius. the second half of the weekend, another area of low pressure's on the way, this one bringing gales to the south. rain pushes across most of the uk,

but perhaps not this time across to the north of scotland, where we'll have the best of the dry and bright weather. it will be mild again. again, highs of 8—11.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the metropolitan police has contacted boris johnson with a questionnaire to ask what the prime minister knew about alleged parties in downing street during coronavirus restrictions. the premiere of ontario has declared a state of emergency, as covid demonstrations continue across the canadian province. he said protestors could face fines or even prison if they refused to disperse. nato allies have been meeting to discuss ukraine. the us has warned that a russian invasion could happen at any time — but says there is nothing yet to indicate vladimir putin has decided to do so. president biden has signed an executive order seizing seven billion dollars of afghan central bank assets held in the us. some of the money could be used to settle lawsuits brought by american victims of terror attacks.