this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. as russian drills continue near ukraine, the us says russia has built up the most significant military force in europe since world war two we see additionalforces going to the border, including leading edge forces that would be part of any aggression. after a second day of shelling in eastern ukraine, western leaders — meeting at the munich security conference — again warn that the clashes there could be used as a pretext for a russian invasion. president putin will watch military exercises involving ballistic and russian nuclear forces on saturday. moscow says the drills are not a threat to anyone. storm eunice leaves a trail of death and destruction in europe —

we'll get the latest from the uk and the netherlands storm eunice leaves a trail of death and destruction in europe — we'll get the latest from the uk and the netherlands a former minnesota police officer has been sentenced to two years in prison over the fatal shooting of a black motorist daunte wright last april. the crisis over ukraine continues, with reports of a second day of shelling in the donbas region in the east of the country. ukraine has accused russia of launching a campaign of mass disinformation, after pro—russian rebels in the donbas said they were evacuating civilians, for fear of a ukrainian attack.

western leaders — who have been meeting at the munich security conference — said again that the clashes in eastern ukraine could be used as a pretext for a russian invasion. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in munich and sent this report. the closest the war in europe for years. the closest to war in europe for years. these shots being fired in russia's naval exercises in the black sea. but so close to ukraine's southern coast, and much bigger than ukraine's home fleet. a shot across the bow of kyiv. and the country now surrounded by moscow's military might. on the northern border, another show of force. exercises with belarus. today in moscow president putin met the belarusian leader, closest of friends.

the long table used for visiting western leaders was gone. president putin tells him they will both participate in new drills tomorrow and sends a message to nato, too. translation: i must state that these exercises - are purely defensive in nature and do not threaten anyone. i a much different message here in munich. us and nato allies shoulder to shoulder, condemning what they call russian aggression. no wonder russia's foreign minister stayed away this year. i think president putin has been a little bit surprised. at the way that nato has come together, the european union has come together. we have come together individually, as partners, institutionally. either way, whichever path president putin chooses, we will be ready to respond. one big question dominates this conference. will russia invade ukraine again? the nato secretary general has seen the same intelligence as the us

and british officials who believe it's imminent. there is no certainty about the intentions of russia. but a high probability that there could be something tomorrow, given what you have seen in the intelligence? i think it is very important to just describe the facts. the facts are that we have russian armed forces amassed at the border of ukraine, that are ready to invade without any warning time. and that is a very dangerous situation. a great danger lies here, eastern ukraine, now a wasteland along russia's border, where russian backed separatists exchange fire with ukrainian forces. last night's shelling was some of the worst in years. ukrainian troops inspect the damage here. even a kindergarten got hit. each side blaming the other. nato accuses russia of seeking a pretext to attack. and russia releases images like this, to show it is pulling

out its tanks, pulling away from this brink. but this crisis still teeters dangerously on the edge. lyse doucet, bbc news, munich. as we heard, russia and belarus say they are continuing to carry out joint military exercises. william cohen, who served as the us secretary of defence under president bill clinton, gave the bbc his reaction to the news. well, i think the exercises have reaffirmed the need for nato. nato was created in order to prevent the soviet union from invading europe, western europe. now that we have seen president vladimir putin has militarised or upgraded his military capabilities and demonstrated he has a combined arms capability, i think that reinforces the need for nato to be even stronger and i have my compliments to the president for remaining cool and calm and i can

only prayers president biden for putting more troops in the nato countries and saying president putin, we are going to remain, be strong and that's the reason but were going to be there because the reason, ukraine does not pose a threat. they are free people trying to pursue a capitalist form of economy and pose no threat to russia but russia to not want to be embarrassed. three people have died in england after storm eunice brought severe conditions to many parts of the uk. weather experts say it's likely to have been the worst storm in decades. there was major damage to buildings — and millions of people were advised to stay at home — as the storm hit. our correspondent danny savage has this report from bristol. in bude this morning,

a local landmark toppled. oh, my god, i caught that on video! as storm eunice swept in from the atlantic, the water was whipped into huge waves and coastal areas saw the highest gusts. i don't know what the actual wind speed is, but you can barely stand up in it. i'm guessing it's 80, 90 mph on top of the cliff. the sea state along the south coast was frightening. by lunchtime, 10% of homes in cornwall were without power, and the isle of wight had recorded a gust of 122 mph. oh, my god, oh, my god, whoa! it's ok. nobody�*s hurt. it's just hurt the brand—new fence. whoa. and it wasn't just trees falling. that's the spire of st thomas's church in wells being destroyed. near bristol, a speed limit on the m4 prince

of wales bridge wasn't enough to keep traffic moving. for what's thought to be the first time ever, both bridges here across the severn estuary have closed because of the high winds. but the severe flood warnings here have now expired. thankfully, the worst case scenario wasn't realised. temporary flood defences were not tested, but authorities say it isn't over yet. on the back of this, we've got more rain coming, so they could be possibilities of further flooding as the week pans out, so let's get today out of the way first, then let's make sure that all of our infrastructure, all of our defences are still in good shape. as the day wore on, the storm headed east. for the first time ever, the south—east of england and london were also in a red warning area. to see these strong winds inland across the south where we just don't see them that often,

that has been one of the biggest factors with storm eunice. one of the good things about the storm is the speed at which it has actually moved through, so it's zipped through pretty smartly, but all storms are different, they all offer different things, but this one has been particularly intense. red warnings are rare, to have two out on the same day is exceptional. gosh, it's flipped it off. in london, the wind ripped off the roof of the 02 arena. it left a gaping hole. a thousand people had to be evacuated from the site. the north of england and scotland escaped the worst of the storms, but it did get some heavy snow. this morning's rush hour was difficult, but things have now improved. the humber bridge, though, was another crossing closed, unusually, to all traffic rather than just high sided vehicles. storm eunice will be remembered for its mountainous seas and wind damage. there were fears it could

have been much worse. danny savage, bbc news. in wales, all train services were cancelled for the first time ever. the majority of schools were closed, and tens of thousands of homes were left without power, with eunice damaging homes and properties. our correspondent tomos morgan has been speaking to some of those in the worst affected areas the sound will never, ever leave me. it was just... heartbreaking to hear my daughter screaming. just before lunchtime, in newport, south wales, ellie price's house buckled under pressure from storm eunice. herfive—year—old daughter, olivia, was playing upstairs. opened the door, i could see all the houses, the roofs were hanging off, and i grabbed my daughter, managed to grab any clothes that we could, and just took her outside. three homes condemned, for now, in this street, and, thankfully, nobody was injured.

elsewhere, the seaside town of porthcawl also felt the impact. the majority of its coastline businesses having to shut. the sea front here in porthcawl really bore the brunt of the weather this morning as, within one hour of the red warning coming into force, it coincided with high tide, meaning that waves came crashing over the promenade, here. i have lived in porthcawl many, many years. i have never experienced it like this before. it is even taking my breath away, it's so windy. strongest i've seen for a long time. you know, the lack of rain was a big help, but i haven't seen a wind as strong as this for a while. at its peak this morning, gusts of over 90 mph were clocked, as eunice turned over anything and everything in its path. for the first time ever today, all trains were cancelled as a precaution. most schools also made the decision to close. half term started a day earlier than planned. over 40,000 homes have been

without power across the country and, although the met office's red warning ended at lunchtime, the whole of wales is now under an amber alert for wind until this evening, and the advice remains to stay indoors and the only travel if absolutely necessary. tomos morgan, bbc news, south wales. gusts of close to two hundred kilometres an hour have been recorded as coastlines from brittany in france to denmark have been battered by high winds. a man died in belgium afterfalling from his boat, and three people have been killed in the netherlands by falling trees. the bbc�*s anna holligan is in the hague. storm eunice is pummeling the hague. i'm about to try to secure our garden swing and shed, and there are scenes like these and far worse right across the country. the dutch meteorological institute has issued a code red weather warning.

they're expecting gusts of up to 130 kilometers an hour. hundreds of planes have been grounded and trains have been cancelled. right across the netherlands. schiphol airport in amsterdam is warning passengers to check before they travel and expect delays. hauliers and couriers have been told to stay off the roads, and one food delivery service has cancelled all deliveries to try to protect its moped drivers and cyclists. schools and universities closed early to try to allow students to get home safely, and these ferocious winds are expected to last until the early evening. the emergency services have asked people to only call if it's a real emergency if there is a direct, immediate risk to life, otherwise to stay home and stay safe. a former minnesota police officer has been sentenced to two years in

prison over the fatal shooting of a black motorist last april. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going to afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal computer read it in good order that the army defeated in the task that it had been set to perform.— defeated in the task that it had been set to perform. malcolm has been set to perform. malcolm has been murdered _ been set to perform. malcolm has been murdered and _ been set to perform. malcolm has been murdered and that _ been set to perform. malcolm has been murdered and that is - been set to perform. malcolm has been murdered and that is a - been set to perform. malcolm has i been murdered and that is a horrible effect on the morale of the people, repercussions in the streets. people wonder who was next. x the airlift got under way, there was no _ x the airlift got underway, there was no let— x the airlift got under way, there was no let up in the eruption itself — was no let up in the eruption itself. and low in the crater, they flew itself. and low in the crater, they flew down — itself. and low in the crater, they flew down to the sea on the east of the island, — flew down to the sea on the east of the island, away from the town for

the island, away from the town for the time _ the island, away from the town for the time being. the the island, away from the town for the time being.— the time being. the hero did their new space station _ the time being. the hero did their new space station with _ the time being. the hero did their new space station with a - the time being. the hero did their. new space station with a spectacular i'iili'it new space station with a spectacular night watch — new space station with a spectacular night watch they _ new space station with a spectacular night watch. they call _ new space station with a spectacular night watch. they call it _ new space station with a spectacular night watch. they call it peace. - this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the uss russia has built up the most significant military force in europe since world war ii. and president biden is expected to speak soon about the crisis. the former us police officer who killed a black driver when she confused her handgun for her taser has been sentenced to two years in prison, a penalty below the state guidelines. kim potter was convicted of first degree manslaughter for fatally shooting daunte wright outside the city of minneapolis. the prosecution had been seeking a seven yearjail term. judge regina chu found there were mitigating factors. the death of daunte wright came

as another white police officer, derek chauvin, was standing trial for the murder of george floyd. it sparked several days of demonstrations. duante wright's mother gave an emotional statement after the verdict. once again, we are standing here to say that we are very disappointed in the outcome. yes, we got a conviction. and we thank everybody for that. but again, this isn't ok. this is the problem with our justice system today. white women tears trumps, trumpsjustice. our correspondent in washington gave us her reaction to wright's mother's statement. it was an emotional reaction she have been quite emotional in court asking the court to give the full sentence to tim, the police officer

because a life had been taken. there is no debate about whether it was a mistake or not. it was clear that kim meant platter taser but that was the argument, that she should get the argument, that she should get the full force of the law. but the judge found otherwise, mitigating circumstances, not least because it was a question of reckless handling of a weapon because it had been a fast—moving situation where she had to make a split—second decision and so thejudge to make a split—second decision and so the judge himself got teary as she talked about saying it had been the saddest case over 20 years and more tears also from kim in the court and a very dramatic address to the family when she finally got to speak in turn to the family and sobbing, beg for theirforgiveness. so, it was a very emotional time the court room but there have been a lot of reactions saying that the reduced sentence is not fair and that

similar to the mother, that even if it was a mistake, the police officer should have been given the full sentence because her actions had killed someone. the brazilian president has set up emergency funds amounting to half million dollars will be released to help rebuild the city which was devastated by torrential rains and landslides on tuesday. a—hundred—and—twenty—three people are now known to have died and more than a hundred more are still missing. flying over the city in a helicopter, bolsenaro said it looked like a war zone. our south america correspondent katy watson is there. heavy rain has started here once again and it is hampering at the recovery efforts and their people working on—site but not as much as yesterday were it was more sunny and there were people warning of the rain and potential such as further

mudslides but if you look behind me, the amount of houses, the amount of people who are living in such risky areas and this is notjust about the heaviest rains in the intense rains that we have seen here early this week, but also the amount of people here in brazil who live in areas at risk and risk their lives on a daily basis. we are also hearing notjust from residents, but from people and the authorities who cannot speak on record about the concerns of bureaucracy and the tampering of the rescue effort. people who feel they are not able to get to the rescue site as quickly as they would've liked to and help people here. a court in france has found a 39 year—old former soldier guilty of the abduction and murder of an eight year—old girl who disappeared at a wedding party more than four years ago. nordahl lelandais was given the maximum sentence of life in jail, at the end of widely—followed trial in grenoble.

paris correspondent hugh schofield explains why the trial has gripped the french public. this is one of those trials because the detail in the horrific nature of the detail in the horrific nature of the details manchester transfixed the country throughout the last three weeks. feeling great sympathy and great horror at the same time and great horror at the same time and it happened in 2017, august summer and wedding parties know that part of the country in the southeast, and wedding party and three o'clock in the morning, this little girl, realise that she had gone. she is missing. and was invited to many months later, in the meantime, they had become the suspect at the wedding and invited to the last minute because it was a

friend of a friend but they denied taking into custody and the questions, they denied and denied untilfinally, there was questions, they denied and denied until finally, there was a breakthrough of dna evidence and at that point, many months later, he cracked and led police to a shallow grave where he put her body. malls four and a half years ago we've had this trial where it's all come out again. and it's been very traumatic. canadian police have begun clearing out hundreds of truck drivers from ottawa who have staged a three—week protest against pandemic restrictions that has crippled the capital. earlier officers handed out flyers — telling drivers to leave the city or face arrest. it comes just days after canada invoked emergency powers to break up demonstrations. for the latest on the ground, i've been speaking to kristy kirkup, national reporter at globe and mail newspaper. so, we do understand the dozens of

protesters here in canada's capital have been arrested and i would describe today as what happened in the capital as a crescendo moment. police have been building up to this for a very long time and as you know, there've been demonstrations taking place for more than three weeks and the big question was, when a police going to move? offices of the local police levels said they did not have the appropriate number of resources to move it sooner and now, they do have those resources just to paint a picture for you, there have been officers that have been on horseback, there have been officers that have been part of wearing riot gear and taking protesters often paddy wagons and there really was a warning that they were going to move in yesterday in the interim police chief in ottawa said that they will be moving in eminently in the did just that. this sounds like a very canadian thing to mention but there was a massive

snowstorm that happened. this is all happening at essentially admit a cloak of snow. protesters even building snow forts to try to protect themselves from police. it is quite the scene in canada's capital today. is quite the scene in canada's capital today-— capital today. that sounds extraordinary. _ capital today. that sounds extraordinary. we - capital today. that sounds extraordinary. we haven't| capital today. that sounds - extraordinary. we haven't seen the scale of response from the police and the three weeks of these protests have been going on. how have the protesters responded to the police moving in?— police moving in? there have been a number of protesters _ police moving in? there have been a number of protesters that _ police moving in? there have been a number of protesters that have - police moving in? there have been aj number of protesters that have been extremely defiant in terms of the warnings that they have had from police and they have actually been taken off and there hasn't been in a major confrontation that we can see yet another monitoring this very closely, i think that frankly police believe that this is going to be an effort that is going to take some time. they're strategically moving through downtown streets and the nations capital of canada to train clearly protesters. they are also

toiling away at some of these really big trucks that have been a part of downtown auto up because that core of ottawa has been taken over residents and they feel as though they're being held hostage in their own city, very tight police restrictions with over 100 different checkpoints that police have been trying to restrict access to because what they want an influx of protesters coming in to ottawa that they have to deal with. the 15—year—old was allowed to compete in the individual women's figure skating at the olympics, pending an appeal that she fell on the ice several times and came forth. the president of the committee watched her performance and had this reaction.— and had this reaction. when afterwards. _ and had this reaction. when afterwards, i— and had this reaction. when afterwards, i saw— and had this reaction. when afterwards, i saw how - and had this reaction. when afterwards, i saw how she l and had this reaction. when i afterwards, i saw how she was received by her closest entourage,

with such, what appeared to be a tremendous coldness. it was chilling. it was chilling to see this. ratherthan chilling. it was chilling to see this. rather than giving her comfort. ratherthan this. rather than giving her comfort. rather than trying to help her. you could feel this chilling atmosphere. let's ta ke let's take you live now to the white house, we have been expecting president biden to give an update on the russia ukraine situation and this is after hosting a call with nato allies in the white house and said he will be giving an update on continued efforts to pursue deterrence and diplomacy and russia's build—up of military troops on the border of the ukraine. we will bring you those updates and you

can also find all updates on our website. bbc dot com. to stay with us on bbc news. hello. storm eunice is now moving away from the uk. a couple of days ago, it was a storm which had barely formed on the satellite picture. just in the past 2a hours, look how it really took shape. it's moved across the uk. it's now out into the north sea. as it continues to move away, these really strong and damaging winds will continue to ease. we aren't there yet. in fact, there is still a met office amber warning here in this area. gusts of 60—80 mph, but as we get deeper through the evening and especially into tonight, the worst of these winds are going to be behind us. but there is so much clearing up to do. now, also causing disruption today has been the snow across parts of scotland, notjust into the higher ground. several centimetres to lower levels

in places, too, so really tricky travelling conditions here. further patchy rain, sleet and snow here into scotland, parts of northern england, especially into the higher ground, as we go through the night. many other places, though, turning clear, cold, frosty. and where you've seen some wet weather today, it'll be icy as well. now, we have further wet and windy weather on the way into the weekend. not as bad as we've seen, but the winds will pick up around this system, taking some wet weather through to wales in england during saturday. the northern flank of this could have a bit of snow to lower levels, but also moving through northern ireland towards southern and western scotland with some rain. at least some hill snow out of that, and for a time toward the coast of south wales, southern england, these are average wind speeds. could well see some gusts close to 50—60 mph. not quite on the scale, of course, as we've seen today, but hampering clear up efforts here. more places with the daily temperature in single figures compared with today. now, we're going to see more wet

weather heading our way as we go through saturday night and into sunday from this front. then another front coming in from the west on sunday. that's going to take outbreaks of rain slowly southwards. not much towards the far south and south east during daylight hours. rain totals mounting up over into the west of the pennines. wintry showers following on behind. more widely windy day on sunday. these are gusts here. parts of scotland, northern ireland, irish sea coasts, could be disruptive gusts in excess of 60 mph in places, so we need to be aware of that. somewhat milder day on sunday before as that system clears away, it will turn colder again. things are not going to be as bad as they have been today, but there will be further wet and windy weather around over the weekend.

this is bbc world news, the headlines. as russian drills continue in the ukraine the us says russia has built up ukraine the us says russia has built up the most significant military force in europe since world war ii. president biden is shortly expected to speak about the crisis. the former us police officer who killed a black driver when she confused a handgun for a taser has been sentenced to two years in prison for top a penalty below the state guidelines. several people have been confirmed dead as storm eunice hits the uk and northern europe. severe winds have shut down transports and schools and got up electricity supplies. in canada police in the capital ottawa had been clearing protesters after a three—week blockade by groups opposing vaccine mandates.

at ten o'clock reeta chakrabarti will be here with a full