this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. ontario declares a state of emergency as the premier of the canadian province pledges to crack down on anti—vaccine protests, claiming they're part of an illegal occupation. your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the rights ofi million people in ottawa to live peacefully, free of harassment and chaos in their own homes. as russia continues its military build—up in ukraine's border, washington warns an invasion could happen any day now. we continue to see signs of russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the ukrainian border. we are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time, should vladimir putin decide

to order it — russia defends a teenaged figure skater, despite a failed drug test, but could she be frozen out of the winter olympics? a court in canada has issued an injunction, ordering the protestors who have blocked a key bridge to the us to disperse. they've been preventing traffic from moving across the vital trade route for several days, in a protest against covid restrictions. the court order comes after the premier of ontario accused them of creating chaos and holding the entire city of ottawa hostage. he also promised that would come to an end. take a listen. we're now two weeks into the siege of the city of ottawa.

i call it a siege because that's what it is. it's an illegal occupation. today, i'm using my authority as premier of ontario to declare a state of emergency in our province, and i will convene cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure. among the measures mr ford outlined which could be taken against protestors who refuse to leave — fines of up to 100,000 canadian dollars, and up to a year in prison. as he put it, there will be consequences, and they will be severe. canada's prime minister, justin trudeau, has also been discussing the situation with president biden. he said the two leaders had agreed the borders needed to be opened. we discussed the american

and, indeed, global influences on the protests. we talked about the us—based flooding of the 911 phone lines in ottawa, the presence of us citizens in the blockades and the impact of foreign money to fund this illegal activity. president biden and i both agree that, for the security of people and the economy, these blockades cannot continue. the bbc�*s north america reporter, samira hussain, can tell us more. the protests that began here in ottawa, ontario, have spread to several canadian cities, but the one area that has really a cause for concern is the one that's happening along the us canada border. the ambassador bridge for several days has been blocked, and while these protesters have allowed for one lane of traffic it to open up as a

gesture of goodwill, it is still hampering trade going across that border freely. hampering trade going across that borderfreely. that hampering trade going across that border freely. that is why there is an increasing amount of pressure on both the federal and provincial government to try and get an end to these protests, because it is impacting the ever important auto industry in canada and the us. so, we are hearing that there is now a state of emergency in the province of ontario. it does allow police a lot more powers and they have a lot of support. we've also heard from prime ministerjustin trudeau, who has also made it very clear that these protests will end. of course, these protests will end. of course, the challenge is how to make sure that these protests end and that goods can move freely. but to do so in a way that keeps everyone safe. for more on this, we can speak now to karen pauls, national reporter for cbc.

good to have you with us, karen. of course these protests began primarily as a protest against vaccine mandates. what were the main takeaways three weeks and now with the beginning of the third full week? figs the beginning of the third full week? �* , , ., , the beginning of the third full week? a i. , ., the beginning of the third full week? ~ , i. , ., ., week? as you “ust heard in a nutshell. — week? as you 'ust heard in a nutshell, he _ week? as you just heard in a nutshell, he said _ week? as you just heard in a nutshell, he said these - week? as you just heard in a - nutshell, he said these blockades. .. nutshell, he said these blockades... they cannot and will not remain closed. he warned protesters we've heard you in a time to go home. justin trudeau said there will be severe consequences who don't comply. he says the police and all levels of government will take action. that could include criminal charges and that will effectively suspend the trucking licence, and even jail suspend the trucking licence, and evenjail time. the prime minister wouldn't say when or how that will happen, and he referred the right to a peaceful protest. he said that

doesn't extend to blockades at international borders. he said these protests are endangering jobs, threatening the economy and public safety, and it's becoming international. he spoke this morning to us president biden.— to us president biden. inaudible to aet to us president biden. inaudible to get them _ to us president biden. inaudible to get them back _ to us president biden. inaudible to get them back open _ to us president biden. inaudible to get them back open stuff - to us president biden. inaudible| to get them back open stuff might even with these measures that have been talked about, how difficult will it be to actually— will it be to actually clear these blockades? _ will it be to actually clear these blockades? it's _ will it be to actually clear these blockades? it's getting - will it be to actually clear these blockades? it's getting more i blockades? it's getting more difficult every _ blockades? it's getting more difficult every day, _ blockades? it's getting more difficult every day, and - blockades? it's getting more i difficult every day, and ottawa knows the world is watching this occupation of our nation. trudeau said he does not want to deploy the military. he wants to avoid that at all costs. it would be the last course of action. but he knows he has to do something and soon. experts are saying this is closing,

although we've just got news that an ontario court has granted an injunction to the blockade. we are hearing other cities have also considered injunctions. there's one in alberta, so this may be the way to go. in alberta, so this may be the way to no. ~ , , , . in alberta, so this may be the way too. .,., to go. where his public opinion on these protests _ to go. where his public opinion on these protests right _ to go. where his public opinion on these protests right now? - to go. where his public opinion on these protests right now? well, . to go. where his public opinion on l these protests right now? well, this all started with _ these protests right now? well, this all started with truckers _ these protests right now? well, this all started with truckers opposed - these protests right now? well, this all started with truckers opposed to | all started with truckers opposed to the requirement to be vaccinated, and there was public sympathy for that, but it's become so much more. it's affecting people quality of life. you heard conking of warrants, people have been harassed for wearing masks and their livelihoods... —— honking of horns. a vast majority are vaccinated. plants have had to shut down. canadians believe in the right to protest, but these have become occupations. the public rejecting

this approach. the —— they say it's based on health data, but there are questions about whether they are caving into the demands of protesters which creates a very bad presence. protesters which creates a very bad resence. ., ., ~ , ., , . presence. karen, thank you very much for that. national _ presence. karen, thank you very much for that. national reporter _ presence. karen, thank you very much for that. national reporter for - presence. karen, thank you very much for that. national reporter for cbc. - let's turn to ukraine now, and the us is warning that russian forces could invade at any time, although there is not yet any intelligence suggesting vladimir putin has decided to do so. president biden has been holding a virtual call with the leaders of america's major european allies and nato members. the white house has also confirmed president biden and the russian leader vladimir putin are due to talk by telephone on saturday. with the latest from washington, here's our north america editor, sarah smith. 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 simply 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 can't pinpoint the day at this point and the hour, but what we can say is that there is a credible prospect that russian military action would take place even before the end of the olympics. 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. when americans and russians start shooting _ when americans and russians start shooting each other, we're in a very different— shooting each other, we're in a very different world. not shooting each other, we're in a very different world.— different world. not about evacuating _ different world. not about evacuating americans? i different world. not about i evacuating americans? how different world. not about - evacuating americans? how do you even find them. _ things could go crazy very quickly, which is how president biden put it when he called on all us citizens to leave ukraine, they biden put it when he called on all us citizens to leave ukraine. they are 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's all about actions. currently, there's 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 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 president putin has decided to actually invade ukraine — and the reason that such dire warnings are emanating from he are emanating from here from here is notjust to deter russia, but also to galvanise european allies as well. but the 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. our north america editor, sarah smith, reporting from washington. the head of the world health organisation says the acute phase of the covid—19 pandemic could end this year if global vaccination rates hit 70% by mid—year. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — the teenage skating sensation who's put russia and doping back in the spotlight. downing street has confirmed that borisjohnson has received a questionnaire from the metropolitan police — who are investigating allegations of covid rules being broken in downing street. more than 50 people have been sent the email — being contacted does not mean a fine will always be issued. ione wells reports. 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. this is 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. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... a court in canada has issued an injunction against the protestors who have been blocking a key bridge between ontario and detroit. nato allies meet virtually

to discuss ukraine. the us warns a russian invasion could happen at any time, and advises its citizens to leave. russia says the teenage figure skater kamila valieva should be allowed to compete at the winter olympics, despite a positive doping test. the 15—year—old was part of the team that came first in the group event, and is due to compete as an individual. but it has now been confirmed that she tested positive for a banned substance, in a sample taken on christmas day. our sports news correspondent, laura scott, has the latest from beijing. after days of intense media speculation, the international testing agency has now confirmed what we and many other media outlets understood to be the case, which is that the 15—year—old prodigy from russia, kamila valieva tested positive for a banned substance. in a lengthy statement, they revealed that kamila valieva had been drugs tested on christmas day when she was competing at the russian figure skating championships. now, that result hadn't come out.

so she was able to compete here in beijing where on monday, she made olympic history, landing two quadruplejumps to help the russian olympic committee win figure skating team gold. now, on tuesday, those medals were meant to be handed out, but they weren't and that is because, on that same day, the swedish laboratory that was analysing her sample revealed that that sample had tested positive for a banned substance. that meant that kamila valieva was provisionally suspended by the russian anti—doping authorities. then on wednesday, kamila valieva successfully challenged that provisional suspension. but now we know that the international olympic committee and the international skating union are appealing that decision to the court of arbitration for sport, and they are requesting they reimpose that provisional suspension. valieva is the favourite for gold in the women's singles event, which begins

on tuesday, which means this whole process needs to be expedited. we have heard that the russian olympic committee says it is taking comprehensive measures to keep what it described as an honestly—won olympic gold. but, again, another doping controversy here at the olympics engulfing russia. i'm joined now by rob koehler, director general of global athlete and former deputy director general of the world anti—doping agency. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. no one wants to get to a huge complication like this and talk about drugs, but it's happening again. it involves russia. yeah, we've been _ very clear that we're putting blame on three organisations. the anti—doping agency, the international... for not taking the opportunity when they had it to suspend russia from the olympic games, because as we saul, the

system continues to replete itself and athletes continue to dope —— repeat itself. so we clearly put the blame on them. the repeat itself. so we clearly put the blame on them.— repeat itself. so we clearly put the blame on them. the russian olympic committee was _ blame on them. the russian olympic committee was talking _ blame on them. the russian olympic committee was talking about - blame on them. the russian olympic committee was talking about this - committee was talking about this medal being and honestly won a medal, but whatjumps out is you have valieva, who is 15. you have to wonder what level of responsibility that she is in or that russia is in the wrong here. what level should be placed on her as a child. weill. placed on her as a child. well, there are _ placed on her as a child. well, there are strict _ placed on her as a child. well, there are strict liabilities, - placed on her as a child. well, there are strict liabilities, so l placed on her as a child. well, i there are strict liabilities, so she is chank sanctioned, she is sanctioned. we've been calling for reform of the world anti—doping agency and the international olympic committee for the last five years

because of situations like this, and it's fallen on deaf ears. we continue to demand a change to ensure that we have a better system to avoid these situations ever happening again. a 15—year—old is caught in this position, it should never have happened in the first place. never have happened in the first lace. , , , ., never have happened in the first lace. , , ., ., never have happened in the first lace. ,, ., ., , place. just set out for us, you've alluded to _ place. just set out for us, you've alluded to it _ place. just set out for us, you've alluded to it in _ place. just set out for us, you've alluded to it in your— place. just set out for us, you've alluded to it in your first - place. just set out for us, you've| alluded to it in your first answer, butjust be absolutely plain that you want to change with the system. what you think needs to happen to try to avoid athletes testing positive for drugs? irate try to avoid athletes testing positive for drugs?- try to avoid athletes testing positive for drugs? we talk about the ower positive for drugs? we talk about the power and — positive for drugs? we talk about the power and balance. _ positive for drugs? we talk about the power and balance. right - positive for drugs? we talk about | the power and balance. right now, the power and balance. right now, the balance is so outweighed on sport administrator having so much power over athletes. we want to bridge that gap. athletes get a 50% say on how sport is formed and develop and where it goes forward. that simply is not happening. when

you have power at the top, it yields over athletes and that needs to change. over athletes and that needs to chan . e. �* , ., over athletes and that needs to chance. �* , ., . ., ., ., change. i'm still not clear how that is auoin change. i'm still not clear how that is going to — change. i'm still not clear how that is going to make — change. i'm still not clear how that is going to make a _ change. i'm still not clear how that is going to make a difference - change. i'm still not clear how that is going to make a difference when it comes to any one country and the approach they take. if there is corruption in any one country's olympic committee. drugs are being used by athletes. how are the changes you're describing going to make a difference in terms of athletes, coaches who might be involved. using drugs to boost their athletes performance? you involved. using drugs to boost their athletes performance?— athletes performance? you will alwa s athletes performance? you will always have — athletes performance? you will always have opportunities - athletes performance? you willl always have opportunities where people work sheet. —— people will cheat. the athletes are not compensated for anything at the games, so bringing the men as equal partners in forming the roles that should be and ensuring that this sport involves and shapes the future is the only way to go —— bring them

in. it hasn't heard it, but the ioc continues to put their head in the sand and refuse to engage in a meaningful way. that's where we're calling for reform. we called over time and time again that the russian anti—doping scandal has never been properly dealt with. itjust anti—doping scandal has never been properly dealt with. it just shows you that the ioc, the anti—doping agency favours stakeholders over athlete rights.— agency favours stakeholders over athlete rights. rob, thank you very much. thanks. _ let's look at some of the day's other news. president biden has ordered half of the afghan government assets frozen in the us to be used for humanitarian aid in the country. the other half of the funds is being held for settling the claims filed against the taliban over their role in the 9/11 attacks. the united nations is warning that south sudan is in danger of returning to civil war due to delays in implementing the 2018 peace deal. a visiting un team said key

elements of the agreement were behind schedule, including setting up a court to try perpetrators of atrocities. world leaders have concluded talks in the french port city of brest, government data from brazil shows that the amazon rain forest recorded the worst monthly rate of deforestation injanuary. the countries space agency said 430 square kilometres of timber were felled — that's five times the rate in january last year. ethiopia's civil war has left a humanitarian crisis in its wake. the fighting between government forces and the tigray people's liberation front, who have aligned with other rebel groups, has left thousands dead and nearly half a million facing famine. the bbc�*s africa correspondent, catherine byaruhanga, reports on the human price of the conflict. and a warning, some of the images in this report 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 fighter |tell me he could be dead already. | 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, ethiopian. here in the uk, the duchess of cambridge, has recorded a bedtime story for the bbc. she's chosen to read the owl who was afraid of the dark — which follows the story of plop, a baby barn owl who is encouraged by others to face his fears. the duchess described it as one of her favourite books as a child which she now reads to her own children. take a listen. what an encouraging tale.

we can all feel scared sometimes, just like our little owl friend, plop. but as mrs barn owl said, spare to find out about the things the duchess recorded that story for children's mental health week. and if you happen to be in the uk this sunday — you can watch it at 1850 gmt — on the cbeebies channel — before you head off to bed. for the first time in its 90 year history, chester zoo in the the north—west of england has welcomed a baby aardvark. the calf was born hairless with wrinkled skin and giant claws — and has been named dobby, after the character in the harry potter series. ican i can see why. while the new arrival has been spending a lot of time with mum, keepers are also taking turns with feeds. it will still be a number of weeks before we find out if dobby is male or female.

and it's buy from us. —— three. hello there. during friday afternoon, you might�*ve noticed that we had a lot of high cloud moving in across our skies — high cloud that was picked up by the setting sun here in nottinghamshire to give a fine end of the day. but this cloud is the first sign of an approaching weather system that will be bringing wet and windy weather our way this weekend. choose your moments wisely, and there will be some windows of drier and brighter weather to be found. on the satellite picture, this is our area of low pressure that's moving in to bring wet and windy spells — not just for saturday, but there's another dollop waiting in the winds for sunday as well. all the while, fairly tightly packed isobars, with the winds coming in from a south—westerly direction. on the satellite picture, this is our area of low pressure all the while, fairly tightly packed isobars, with the winds coming

in from a south—westerly direction. it will continue to be on the mild side for february. right now, we're seeing the rain affecting western areas. we did have a frost earlier in the night, and as the winds continued to pick up, most of that lifted out of the way. heading into the first part of saturday morning, these are your temperatures, around 3—8 degrees. it is going to be quite a wet day for some of you and, broadly speaking, the weather slices and dices into three zones. scotland and northern ireland, quite a bit of cloud, a few bright spells, but there will be showers here. it's across east anglia, south—east england and the southeast midlands that you've got the best chance of just about staying dry, but it will be breezy and there will be some high cloud around. so, bright for much of the day rather than sunday. temperatures are about 8—10 degrees, so a bit milder than friday. there will be some rain around as well through saturday night, but the next zone of rain really coming in quickly as we go through sunday with some strong winds. we're looking probably at gales developing towards the south coast of england as this area of rain extends all the way towards parts of scotland, although perhaps not reaching the far north. it may well say brighter

through much of sunday with just a few showers around, particularly for shetland and orkney. a mild day for the time of year, though. highs of 8—11 celsius. looking beyond this weekend and into next week, the atlantic stays pretty lively. we'll see further weather systems coming in from the west, bringing in rain or showers, so it is going to stay pretty unsettled. so far, this february has been pretty mild. that theme's set to continue as well in the week ahead, the temperatures at times reaching around 1a or 15 degrees.

again, highs of 8—11. i should

this is bbc news, the headlines. a court in canada has issued an injunction against the protestors who have been blocking a key bridge between ontario and detroit. it comes after the premier of ontario declared a state of emergency. 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. the metropolitan police has contacted uk prime minister boris johnson with a questionnaire to ask what he knew about alleged parties in downing street during coronavirus restrictions. russia says the teenage figure skater kamila valieva should be allowed to compete at the winter olympics — despite a positive doping test. the fifteen year old won the team competition, and is due to compete as an individual.