the uk braces itself as storm eunice is set to hit tomorrow morning, with the met office issuing its strongest possible weather warning — a threat to life. battening down the hatches, with winds of up to 90 miles per hour expected in some areas. the wind strengths are going to be stronger than we would normally see in these kind of storms and it's going to hit highly populated areas, so it's going to have a really big impact. thousands living along the river seven _ thousands living along the river seven have been told to expect flooding — seven have been told to expect flooding and some have even been advised _ flooding and some have even been advised to— flooding and some have even been advised to leave their homes —— living _ advised to leave their homes —— living along _ advised to leave their homes —— living along the river in severn. we'll be looking atjust where and when storm eunice is going to hit. also tonight... president biden says russian military manoeuvres on ukraine's borders are not evidence of them

moving out — and they could invade within days. flash flooding and landslides in brazil have left more than 100 people dead. a slight step out, so that's it, gone, and down. the pressure shows for 15—year—old kamila valieva, the russian skater who failed a drugs test — in tears as she misses an olympic medal in the free skate. and team gb's men's curling team are guaranteed to win britain's first medal at the winter olympics, after getting through to the final. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel, millie bright is on the score sheet for england as they begin their arnold clark cup campaign against canada at the riverside stadium. good evening. communities across the south—west of england and south wales are bracing themselves for the full force of one of the fiercest storms

in years, as the met office issues its most serious red weather warning — meaning a risk to life. gusts could reach up to 90 miles per hour when storm eunice hits this red zone tomorrow morning with warnings of flying debris, damage to homes, power cuts and major travel disruption. and in the rest of the country, there's an amber warning for wind across much of england and wales — and less severe yellow weather alerts for wind and snow in much of scotland, the north of england and northern ireland. storm eunice comesjust a day after storm dudley caused damage here's our science editor, rebecca morelle. storm eunice hasn't yet hit but it is already making its presence felt. in weston—super—mare, the floodgates are shutting, ready for whatever the weather will throw at them. they are also preparing ahead in st ives. so, we've got our flood defence boards that go on the front of the pub, with sandbags behind them.

hopefully stops the sea coming in. the met office has issued a rare red weather warning for friday morning for parts of south—west england and south wales, meaning there's a danger to life. it's going to be a bad one, yeah. as long as people take notice - of what the warnings are and don't take any risks on the quay, don't get washed away. - life is more precious than a photograph. i what's making storm eunice so potent is a combination of events. it's being driven by an extremely active jet stream blowing at more than 200 mph high up in the atmosphere. this is creating very strong winds, forecast up to 90 mph in exposed areas and 70—80 mph inland, which is unusualfor the south of the uk. the problem is, this is coinciding with a spring tide on friday morning, measuring up to 12.8 metres, that's more than a0 feet, in some areas, which could bring storm surges at the coast and result in flooding inland.

meteorologists are concerned because the storm will hit in the morning, when people are out and about. the wind strengths are going to be stronger than we would normally see in these kind of storms, and it is going to hit highly populated areas so it is going to have a really big impact. and the recommendation really, if you don't have to travel tomorrow, if you don't have to go out and about, is to stay indoors. eunice comes straight after another storm, dudley. just north of lockerbie, a tree fell on overhead cables. in hertfordshire, roads were blocked. and in south wales, this wind turbine couldn't cope with the gusts. but is climate change affecting storms? the met office says they have not seen any compelling trends of increased storminess, but the impact of warming may become clearer over time. this was the damage caused by the great storm of 1987, where winds reached more than 100 mph. forecasters say eunice shouldn't be as bad but it could still be

the strongest storm we have seen for many years. we've got the army on standby so if they are needed, they will be able to swing into action so everyone, all of our emergency teams, are keeping in very close contact. the defences are at the ready, schools are closing and train services cancelled. the country is bracing itself for what lies ahead. rebecca morelle, bbc news. thousands of people living near the coast in devon, cornwall and somerset, and the south coast of wales, are being urged to stay at home during the storm. the environment agency has issued ten severe flood warnings for the severn estuary ahead of a potential storm surge and high spring tides. our correspondent andrew plant is in severn beach tonight. yeah, there is real concern here tonight for people living alongside the river severn. there is a high

spring tide on its way tomorrow morning and that, coupled with high winds in rain, means there is a real risk of flooding, so today, thousands of people have been advised to stay indoors tomorrow, but for those most at risk of flooding, they have been advised that they need to leave their homes and not come back until the storm is over. locking down the shutters in somerset, and tying up the boats, as the wind starts to get stronger here. builders busy securing anything that could get blown away. dangerous, dangerous. i wouldn't come down and watch it, not this close. across somerset, all schools are now closed tomorrow amid warnings about high winds and the potential forflooding, too. it's likely that we're going to see severe flooding tomorrow, only in the severn estuary, but that means there's danger to life with that and that really is quite an exceptional event. you can already see the effects of a normal night's weather here,

the seaweed showing exactly how high the waters have been, but now this west coast here in somerset is predicted to be in this storm's red zone and that means very, very high winds predicted. in fact, some of the businesses on the seafront here say it's the worst forecast they've seen in more than 15 years. are you ready for the storm tonight? in seafront cafes here, it is the weather on everyone�*s lips. we have got the floodgates there but, like i said, - we've been here 15 years and we've never actually had to use them, - so we're probably going to prepare, maybe put sandbags at the bottom | of the door inside. others abandoning their caravans and finding the safety of a hotel instead. your caravan is all the way over there? across in south wales, yes. well, it is at the moment. who knows — with this wind, it may be joining us fairly shortly. warning leaflets have been handed out door to door and flood defences put in place, as the west prepares itself

for storm eunice and winds that could reach up to 90 mph. and the m 48 bridge behind us is likely to be closed tomorrow and we already know they will be widespread disruption to public transport and hundreds of schools across this area closed as well. the met office has issued advice for both before and during the storm. before, they say if you can secure any loose items in the garden, any play equipment that's likely to blow away, thermally close all doors and windows, and if you can don't park your car next to a fence or tree that might be likely come down and during the storm, fairly self—explanatory really, don't go outside and don't drive, they say, unless absolutely necessary. the red warning covers much of the coast of south wales, including the cities of cardiff and swansea. our correspondent tomos morgan

is in porthcawl tonight. yeah, at 8am tomorrow, just an hour after the red warning comes into force, it will be high tired here so it looks very likely there will be big waves crashing over here affecting the seafront here —— it will be high tide here. the flats overlooking the seafront have been told to take everything indoors from their balconies. a number of precautions have been put in place across wales to make sure, to mitigate any damage from storm eunice tomorrow. on the travel front all trains have been cancelled across the country here. it's believed it's the first time that has ever happened before a storm. bus services have been cancelled and as andrew mentioned it looks very likely both severn bridges will be closed at some point over the next 24—hour is. most schools across wales will also close tomorrow, a day before half term next week, and in this health board, in the swansea

bay health board, non—urgent care has also been postponed tomorrow. as well as the red warning for wind here across this area of south wales there are over 100 flood warnings now in place across the whole of wales, so a number of precautions in place. the first minister urging everyone not to travel unless absolutely necessary, gearing and ready for storm eunice stop the brunt of it due to hit from 7am tomorrow and to finish after midday. thomas, thank you. —— tomos, thank you. how is this going to affect the country, ben rich? red you. how is this going to affect the country, ben rich?— you. how is this going to affect the country, ben rich? red warnings are rare and this — country, ben rich? red warnings are rare and this talks _ country, ben rich? red warnings are rare and this talks of— country, ben rich? red warnings are rare and this talks of a _ country, ben rich? red warnings are rare and this talks of a risk— country, ben rich? red warnings are rare and this talks of a risk to - rare and this talks of a risk to life and that is a realistic possibility. this storm means business. we were warning for this storm before it even started to form. this stripe of cloud on the satellite picture looked innocuous

but are waving that band of cloud was picked up by a chow of red powerfuljet was picked up by a chow of red powerful jet stream. was picked up by a chow of red powerfuljet stream. see the hook developing, that shows we have a storm we really need to worry about and it's on the southern flank of that low that we are expecting the strong winds. the met office red warning around the coast of south—west england, through the bristol channel, the south of wales, gusts of up to 90 miles an hour are extreme and very unusual but also to be taken seriously. be extreme and very unusual but also to be taken seriously. the amber weather warning because again for some inland parts of the south of the uk, gusts of up to 80 miles an hourare the uk, gusts of up to 80 miles an hour are very rare and will cause big, big problems. further north the winds won't be a strong but snow is going to fall across scotland, that snow will fall fast on the roads, could cause some major problems, power cuts are likely as well so if you have any travel plans during tomorrow it is certainly worth thinking again. ben tomorrow it is certainly worth thinking again.— tomorrow it is certainly worth

thinking again. to get details for your local area, head to your local radio station and bbc.co.uk/news. president biden has said the threat of a russian invasion of ukraine remains "very high" and could take place within days, despite moscow's claim to be pulling troops from its borders. his message was echoed at a nato summit in brussels, where western leaders said that far from withdrawing, russia had in fact added troops, ahead of a possible invasion. there've been reports that pro—russian forces have shelled a village and hit a kindergarten in eastern ukraine. here's our eastern europe correspondent, sarah rainsford. heading right for the front line. ukraine's president went to meet the troops today and we went with him. if there is an all—out russian invasion, then these positions could be right in its path. so a bit of a morale boost for the soldiers on whom so much might depend.

tea and chat with their president. one man even admitted his parents are nervous and keep calling him. just this morning, police had to bundle children to safety after their kindergarten was hit by a missile. ukraine reported a surge in shelling today by forces backed by russia. here, a music room left in ruins. i have to tell you that the picture is very grim. we fear very much that that is the kind of thing we will see more of over the next few days. it's quiet right now but you only have to walk through these trenches in the middle of what used to be a holiday village to realise that, for all the talk of the risk of conflict, this country is already at war. still, western leaders are warning that russia plans to escalate. every indication we have is they are prepared to go into ukraine, attack ukraine.

so volodymyr zelensky had a shout out for the navy today, too. he's trying to keep the nation calm under immense pressure, including from those hinting ukraine will have to make concessions to pacify russia. i just want to understand from you if ukraine is in any way ready to drop its ambition ofjoining nato? it's not ambition, we lost 15,000 people, yes, you know, from the very beginning of this war. it is not ambitions, it isjust our life. people decided to do something they want. it's not about nato, it's about the future of the people. at the un, there was no sign anyone else was softening their position either. russia still insisting nato was the threat on its border. we have been warning the ukrainian government of all that is coming.

and here today, we are laying it out in great detail come with the hope that by sharing what we note with the world, we can influence russia to abandon the path of war and choose a different path, while there is still time. ukraine has already paid heavily for standing up to russia. it knows all about the risk. but the warning from here is that any concessions in this crisis are dangerous, because moscow always wants more. sarah rainsford, bbc news, in eastern ukraine. in a dramatic session at the united nations, the us secretary of state — whom you saw in sarah's piece — laid out precisely how a russian invasion might unfold. our correspondent nada tawfik is at the un in new york. talk us through what he said. it was certainly a bold speech and

the secretary of state chose the diplomatic stage of the un security council to deliver it. he laid out the us assessment of how an attacker could play out in the next few days. first, a pretext for war that is manufactured, such as a staged drone strike or a fake chemical weapons attack. then he suggested the russian government could theatrically call an emergency meeting and then advance on key identified ukrainian targets including the capital of kyiv. anthony blinken did not provide any evidence, and he anticipated that some may doubt the us�*s claims so he insisted he was sharing this information to prevent war, not to start it. meanwhile, russia has accused the united states whipping up accused the united states whipping up hysteria and the deputy foreign minister in the chamber said mr blinken�*s comments were dangerous so russia still suggests it has no

plans to invade ukraine, the united states and western allies suggest its actions suggest otherwise and here at the united nations, there is very much a sense that this could be one of the biggest threats and most perilous times to peace and security since the end of the cold war. thank ou ve since the end of the cold war. thank you very much. _ since the end of the cold war. thank you very much, nada _ since the end of the cold war. thank you very much, nada tawfik reporting from new york. well, as we've heard, moscow continues to maintain there are no plans to invade ukraine, but large scale military drills are still taking place. the us claims that at least 150,000 russian troops are now positioned close to ukraine's borders, with an estimated 30,000 of them in belarus, equipped with artillery and tanks. our special correspondent fergal keane travelled from the nearby border town of senkivka in ukraine to the capital kyiv, meeting people who could be in the path of any russian advance from the north. nothing's changed — the same forest, and beyond it, the same enemy.

the ukrainian patrols that will be the first to see any advancing army. here on the border, with the russians just over there, there is no sense that things have been conclusively resolved, not at all. it's just a pause in what remains a very tense situation. this major grew up in a border town, his father served in soviet times. now his task is to help keep moscow out of ukraine. translation: the independence of ukraine is enshrined _ in all our documents, it is in our constitution. as a military man, i need to protect this. we drove south, along the road towards kyiv. to hear the voices of those who must live with the tension of these days.

this is slavutych, a soviet model town built after the nuclear disaster at nearby chernobyl in 1986. a place where evacuated workers and their families could start life again and where they know the cost of dramatic upheaval. what year did you move in here? 1989. just before the berlin wall fell. like this couple, married 40 years. he's ukrainian, she's russian. it's terrible because we... ..we lose a lot of friends. some of our connections broken completely. i think personally that our kind of brotherhood never will get back.

it's a terrible problem because my parents lived in russia and our daughter lives in russia now. but there is some tension between us, yes. even in the family? even in the family. in kyiv, at the end of thisjourney, in a city that feels weary with the endless speculation about war, i met vitaliy and his wife olga with their two—day—old babyjaromyr. translation: we can't be sure there won't be another putin - tomorrow who will want to create chaos, but i think peace - will prevail and we will do - everything we can to create peace. translation: we need to think about a better life, _ especially now when we have such a miracle in our arms. we can't think about bad things any more.

they've named himjaroymr. it means peace, a name given out of the hope that remains constant here and further north, in the quiet towns and villages closer to the border, despite the nervousness about the days to come. fergal keane, bbc news, senkivka, ukraine. two serving police officers and a former officer have been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on whatsapp. the police watchdog said the charges arose from an investigation into the phone records of wayne couzens, who murdered sarah everard. the officers will appear at westminster magistrates' court next month. donald trump and two of his children, donald trumer and ivanka trump, have been ordered by a judge to answer questions under oath on their business practices. the trump organization has been accused of using fraudulent or misleading information to get loans and tax breaks.

the former president has denied the accusations. more than 100 people are now known to have died in landslides and flash flooding in the brazilian city of petropolis, north of rio de janeiro. a month's worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on tuesday. our correspondent, katy watson, reports from the scene. a moment of shock, and then total devastation. this is a country used to tropical rains but the intensity of this downpour was unprecedented. and the destruction left in its wake, incomprehensible. now firefighters and families are quite literally piecing together what happened, in the hope of finding family. you can see how the mudslide came ripping through this neighbourhood, wiping every house out in its wake. now, there are authorities here on the ground, many of them further down the valley, too, and another group has just arrived. but speaking to the residents, they say that help didn't come soon enough and many of them

are leading their own recovery effort. nilson and his brother have been here for two days, waiting for news of their sister. "she was in the kitchen with my niece," he tells me. "when she heard the roar coming down the mountain, she pushed her daughter out of the door and told her to run. she was saved but my sister was left behind." he has not lost hope, though. "it is the last thing to die," he says. it is now more a recovery than a rescue operation. for those who survived, many are fearful of more rain to come, and they are getting out. katy watson, bbc news, in petropolis. the skater kamila valieva's controversial winter olympics has ended in tears — with a fourth—place finish in the women's event after she fell multiple times in the free skate. the 15—year—old has been in the spotlight after a ruling that she could compete in beijing despite a failed drugs test.

laura scott sent this report from beijing. she was expected to become the champion who couldn't be called a champion, a winner with an asterisk next to her name. but after a week of being weighed down by scandal, 15—year—old kamila valieva's olympic dreams fell apart. commentator: a step out there. shattering on the ice with each shocking, shuddering stumble, in full view of the world. commentator: this is very difficult to watch indeed. - leaving a shell—shocked child. a very difficult image to take in. to thejudges, valieva must be treated like everyone else, but to the watching world, thejudgment goes far wider than whatever score she receives tonight, and extends to those who allowed this situation to have happened at all. inconsolable, as she awaited her fate, but it was perhaps worse than she'd feared. so costly were her errors that she wasn't just

knocked off first spot, but outside the top three. i found myself with my head in my hands halfway through the performance. you just... you wanted the world to stop and someone to say, "come here, let me take you away, let's rewind and make this all go away." but, yeah, we are here. in a victory for russia, gold and silver went to two other members of the same renowned moscow training group. after all the criticism over a lack of ceremony, no valieva meant they could have their moment after all. but the sight of a distraught teenager competing while mired in a doping controversy was a moment of olympic history no one watching will everforget and many might neverforgive. laura scott, bbc news, beijing. well, it's not been the most successful games for team gb, but today, the men's curling team made it through to the final, meaning a guaranteed gold or silver medal. and the women's team made it into the semi—finals too,

as andy swiss reports. commentator: a fantastic performance. _ after 13 days of disappointment, at last... yes, britain has a medal, and just look what it means. bruce mouat and his team were up against the usa, the reigning champions, but on the ice, it was britain that kept their cool. we're on the scoreboard. here it comes, the last stone. come the final end, they led by two, and the us' last shot at glory came to nothing. victory for britain and the delight was plain to see. great britain will contest the gold medal match. i'm just so excited to be able to share the moment with the guys and that celebration at the end there wasjust pure elation. earlier, britain's women made it into their semi—finals after beating the russian olympic committee. a great day on the ice, and a good day in the snow as well. well, here in the mountains, it's been a pretty tough games

for britain's skiers, but could the half—pipe finally give them something to celebrate? gus kenworthy and 19—year—old zoe atkin both reached their respective finals. come on, zoe. atkin qualifying in a very impressive fourth. right, good! but if you thought competing in the half pipe was risky, well, how about filming it? one cameraman getting rather more of a close up than he'd bargained for. no major harm done, thankfully, but you suspect he might need a new lens. andy swiss, bbc news, beijing. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news from where you are, with more details about how storm eunice may affect you. have a very good night. storm eunice is bearing down on the uk. all indications are that this is set to be a damaging, destructive, and dangerous storm. a met office red warning in force

for coastal parts of southwest england and south wales, gusts of to 90mph — damage, disruption, flooding around the coasts all looking likely. but across this broad amber warning area could see gusts of up to 80mph even inaland — and that is quite unusual and will cause issues. so turning increasingly wet and windy through the first part of friday, this rain continuing to drive northwards. snow developing over high ground of northern england, parts of northern ireland, and scotland — that snow will cause some disruption through the day. but further south it's all about the winds — gusts of 80—90mph for some of these western coasts, but even inland spots further east gusting up to between 70—80mph. temperatures the least of our worries, but it will feel really cold in the north — two celsius for aberdeen, 10—11 further south. bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the us secretary of state has ramped up warnings of an imminent russian attack on ukraine — as the un security council met in new york. he said russia should announce with no qualification, that it will not invade ukraine. satellite images show an increase in russian troops on the ukraine border. russia continues to insist it has no plans to invade and says its withdrawn some military equipment. more than 100 people have now died, in landslides and flooding in brazil. nearly a month's worth of rain fell in a matter of hours. the search for survivors in the mud and debris — is continuing. france says it will withdraw its troops from mali, where they've been fighting a jihadi insurgency for ten years. it says mali's ruling militaryjunta was making it impossible to operate there.