storm eunice batters the uk, with powerful winds causing death, damage, and disruption. coastal areas in the south were buffeted by gusts and huge waves, with people urged to be cautious. i don't know what the actual wind speed is, but you can barely stand up in it. i'm literally a 45 degree angle here, it's crazy. the gale force winds pulled down trees, tore through buildings, and caused extensive damage in parts of the country. the extreme turbulence led to some bumpy landings — with planes buffeted even on the ground. and on the road — a narrow escape for this set of passengers.

but the storm has claimed three lives, and while the most severe weather has passed, there are still widespread transport delays. also tonight. more shelling in ukraine, both sides blame each other amid heightened fears of a russian invasion. amid heightened fears of a russian invasion. two years for manslaughter — the us police officer who mistook her gun for a taser and shot dead a young african—american man. great britain are in the final. and success for the women's curling team at the beijing winter olympics, meaning a second guaranteed medal for team gb. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel. stripped of olympic silver — the men's 4 x 100 metre relay team lose their medals from tokyo, as c] ujah is found to have breached doping rules. good evening. one of the worst storms in decades —

storm eunice — has torn through large parts of the uk, causing loss of life, and major damage to some buildings. two rare red weather warnings — meaning a danger to life — were issued during the day but have now passed. in the last hour, a serious amber warning in place for a large part of england was lifted, although less severe yellow alerts for snow and ice in northern england, northern ireland and scotland remain in place. the strongest gust of wind — blistering at over 120 miles an hour — was recorded on the isle of wight. three people were killed when they were crushed in their vehicles under falling trees. there was also widespread disruption, with flight and train cancellations, school closures, power cuts in some areas, and major bridges being closed. our first report tonight is from our correspondent danny savage. cornwall was one of the first areas hit this morning.

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. the sea state along the south coast was frightening. the isle of wight had recorded a gust of 122 mph. hampshire a hampshirea man hampshire a man in his 20s died when the van he was in hit a tree. the driver was also seriously injured. oh my gosh. oh my gosh. oh my gosh. and it wasn'tjust oh my gosh. oh my gosh. oh my gosh. and it wasn't just trees falling. that is 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 is thought to be the first time ever both bridges here across

the severn estuary are 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 defence were not tested. but authorities say it isn't over yet. tested. but authorities say it isn't over et. ., , ., , tested. but authorities say it isn't over et. ., , ., , over yet. today as serious as it is and it is a — over yet. today as serious as it is and it is a serious, _ over yet. today as serious as it is and it is a serious, severe - over yet. today as serious as it is and it is a serious, severe eventl and it is a serious, severe event today but on the back of this we have more rain coming so there could be possibility of flooding, as the week pans out. let us get today out of the way and let us make sure all of the way and let us make sure all of our infrastructure a and defences are still in good shape. figs of our infrastructure a and defences are still in good shape.— are still in good shape. as the day wore on the _ are still in good shape. as the day wore on the storm _ are still in good shape. as the day wore on the storm headed - are still in good shape. as the day wore on the storm headed east. i are still in good shape. as the day i 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. in north london, a woman in her 30s died when a tree fell on a car she was a passenger in. a man who was driving was taken to hospital. a few miles away, the

wind ripped off the roof of the 02 wind ripped off the roof of the o2 arena, leaving a gaping hole, a thousand people had to be evacuated from the site. in merseyside another passenger in a vehicle was killed. debris blown in the wind smashed through the windscreen of a van, fatally injuring a nan in his 50s. oman. the north of england and parts of scotland also had some heavy snow. this morning louche was difficult but things later improved. storm eunice will be remembered for its mountainous sea, wind damage and loss of life. a violent weather system which wreaked havoc across the british isles. 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. 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, holly price's house buckled under pressure from storm eunice. all as five—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 on 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've 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. 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 wales, and although the met office's red and amber warnings have now come to an end, a yellow warning for wind begins tomorrow morning. the worst of storm eunice has now blown through wales, creating dramatic and at times dangerous scenery on its way. tomos morgan, bbc news, south wales. well, storm eunice has also caused travel chaos across the country. planes have struggled

to land at airports, and gale force winds brought trees down on railway lines. our correspondent emma simpson reports. would you like some water? what they really want is to get home. early evening at london's waterloo station — hardly any trains are leaving and there's nothing travellers can do. we've been here since about 12.30 so it's not looking very good. dare i ask, what's plan b? we don't have a plan b at the minute. it is what it is, it's not the railway's fault. - they're probably trying _ to do their best, and we just have to be patient and wait and see, really. - at banbury station, a roof flies on to the platform. another roof landed on carmarthen station too. this will take some lifting — a track in the south—west. another area badly hit. fallen trees and debris have caused much of the rail disruption. every train operator in england has been dealing with delays and cancellations. there are trees down all over england and wales,

we've got thousands of colleagues out working with chainsaws and other specialist kit, desperately trying to get the railway open as quickly as we can. it wasn't easy on the roads either — a narrow escape at biggin hill, south of london. there were no reports of any injuries. travelling into a storm from the skies. plenty of stomach churning landings. this was heathrow. and over at gatwick, some pilots had to make several attempts. across the uk, more than a50 flights have been cancelled today. jane danson was en route here, but didn't make it. the pilot came on and said that there were no places to land in any of the other london airports, it wouldn't be possible to land there. they considered amsterdam, but that was closed. they considered edinburgh, but they said it was too snowy up there, so we turned round and came back to bordeaux. the going was rough on water too. a car ferry in dorset on the final approach. at dover, ferry crossings closed.

the last boats to beat the storm tugged into safety. a precaution, as the full force of storm eunice passes through. and here at waterloo station tonight loads of suspended services although a few trains have been leaving. the big picture from network rail is they will be working through the night to clear the debris on lots of track, checking they are safe before the trains can run, i think this will be a gradual re—opening, more disruption tomorrow, not least because lots of trains are in the wrong place, and tonight there are problems on the london underground and the overground. more delays and cancellations, so their advice is check before you go. check before you travel. thank you. i'm joined now by the bbc�*s weather presenter ben rich. ben, why was this storm so powerful? it really was every bit as powerful

and damaging as anticipated. the strongest wind gust at needles on the isle of wight, 122mph, the strongest recorded in england but plenty had their strongest in 15 or 20 years, the warnings came before it had be bun to form, what has happened over the last several days is we have been watching this stripe of cloud, a wave on that weather system, picked up by a strong and powerfuljet system, picked up by a strong and powerful jet stream. system, picked up by a strong and powerfuljet stream. the winds high above our heads, blowing at more than 200mph, deepening that storm, explosively injecting energy into it and propelling it in our direction, but it arrived quickly. it is clearing quickly now, for us this weekend, more weather systems pushing in from the atlantic, there will be more wet and windy weather but it is not going to be as bad, it is still going to be wet and windy, not as stormy but likely to hamper

up not as stormy but likely to hamper up clear up operations, a storm that is likely to live on in the memory. to live on in the memory. to keep up to date with the situation where you live, you can listen to your bbc local radio station — and you can find details of your nearest station at bbc.co.uk/sounds, and for the picture across the country head to bbc.co.uk/news, where to bbc.co.uk/news. there are fears this evening of a serious escalation in ukraine, where there has been more artillery bombardment today across the front lines in the east of the country. kremlin—backed separatists have begun evacuating civilians to russia, claiming they are about to come under attack from ukraine — claims ukraine denies. the self—proclaimed people's republics of donetsk and luhansk have been fighting the ukrainian army in the east for the past eight years, in a conflict that has claimed more than 111,000 lives. it has long been feared that president putin would use the separatist republics

as a pretext to invade ukraine. our correspondent orla guerin has been to the front line village of trudivske and sent this report. an increasingly grim horizon in eastern ukraine. we headed to the front lines, where shelling has intensified. a prelude, perhaps, to much worse to come. the village of trudivske is in the line of fire. emotions were rawjust hours after shells rained down. alexander basilev is lucky to be alive. he was at home with his wife when a shell landed in their garden. they started up the hill, he says. the last shell fell here. now all the mud is inside my house.

the attack here was part of a flare—up along the front line today. the village is on ukrainian soil, but some here sympathise with moscow and put the blame on ukrainian troops. they insist it was russian—backed rebels nearby, and say president putin is laying a trap. we think it's a provocation, she says. because there is shelling of civilian areas where there are no army positions. the enemy wants to provoke the ukrainian army. the tension has been increasing here, and the communities living on the front line, the risks and the suffering are increasing also. the warnings about an invasion keep coming, but whether or not that happens, communities here are already trapped in a war of attrition. and across the front line in the breakaway capital of donetsk, sirens wailing after the authorities announced women and children would be evacuated to russia.

separatist leader denis said the operation was arranged today, friday the 18th, because ukraine would soon attack. but a bbc analysis of the metadata shows this footage was recorded two days ago. tonight, video has emerged showing small numbers boarding buses, apparently bound for russia. the west has long feared that president putin would use the separatist areas as a pretext for an attack on ukraine. it looks like the stage is being set for something. orla guerin, bbc news, eastern ukraine. us diplomats say russia has now amassed up to 190,000 thousand personnel

around the borders of ukraine, calling it "the most significant military mobilization in europe since the second world war." moscow has repeatedly denied planning to invade ukraine. world leaders are meeting in munich for a security conference, but russia isn't attending for the first time in two decades. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports now from munich. 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 to kyiv. and a 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 is 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. 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. we come together institutionally. either way, whichever path president putin chooses, we'll 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's no certainty about the intentions of russia. but a high probability there could be something tomorrow, given what you've seen in the intelligence? i think it is very important to just describe the facts. and the facts is 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. in all this danger, there is still talk of diplomacy. and russia releases images like this, to claim it's pulling out its tanks, pulling away from this brink, but this crisis still teeters dangerously on the edge. lyse doucet, bbc news, munich. let's speak to our moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg, who's in belarus where as we've heard, russia is holding morejoint military exercises this weekend. what are we to make of today's

developments, particularly what's going on in eastern ukraine? well, four days they have been warning that moscow is looking for a pretext to manufacture a crisis. what we are seeing now looks very much like a manufactured crisis. first of all the sudden emergency evacuation of civilians, the car bombing in donetsk, another shelling, and tonight russian tv reporting about the separatist. is this starting to feel scripted to cause tension? vladimir putin continues to demand things the west has already said no to, like an end to nato enlargement eastwards. it is possible this could all be part of

coercive diplomacy by the kremlin, but within the last few minutes, president biden said he was convinced there would be a russian invasion of ukraine.— convinced there would be a russian invasion of ukraine. steve rosenberg there. the government's weekly coronavirus figures show a continuing drop in the number of cases recorded. on average 116,990 cases were recorded each day in the last week. hospital admissions have also fallen, with an average of 11,555 patients being treated in hospital, over the last seven days. 158 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, although some will have died of other causes. on average this week, 147 deaths were announced every day. our health editor hugh pym is here. it's a big day on monday, with an announcement on the future of covid restrictions in england — what does this data point us towards?

well, reeta, a group that is part of the age group of experts has published predictions today suggesting a continued fall in hospital admissions by early march, perhaps to half, and are continual fall in daily deaths, and the government think that this is a bright background to the set of announcements planned on monday, borisjohnson has already indicated that further legal restrictions will be lifted, including the legal requirement to self—isolate for those testing positive. it also seems as if there will be an announcement on the winding down of pcr testing and the end at some stage of free lateral flow test, so it is not quite clear when, they will probably be exemptions for the more vulnerable. it is part of what ministers see as the move to live with covid, opening things up. but there is a warning today from nhs leaders in the group of scientific model is that trying to do things to suddenly could result in a rapid

growth of the virus.— suddenly could result in a rapid growth of the virus. many thanks. kim potter— growth of the virus. many thanks. kim potter was _ growth of the virus. many thanks. kim potter was making _ growth of the virus. many thanks. kim potter was making what - growth of the virus. many thanks. kim potter was making what she l kim potter was making what she thought was a routine traffic stop in minneapolis last year, but she ended up shooting dead the young black driver duante wright. she said she mistook her gun for a taser. today she was jailed for two years, a penalty considerably below the state guidelines, as the judge cried when passing sentence. duante wright's family said it was little more than a slap on the wrists, as barbara plett usher reports. this this is one of the saddest cases... the case was about the killing of a young man, and about a police officer of 26 years who made a fatal error. i am so sorry that i brought the death of your son. kim potter turned to the family as she begged for forgiveness. duante wright was a 20—year—old man of mixed race. last april, police pulled him over in his car. he tried to flee, and potter reached for her taser but grabbed her gun by mistake. he died laterfrom injuries.

in the shooting triggered days of protests in a city on edge over the murder of another black man killed by police, george floyd. she took our baby boy. with a single gunshot through his heart, she shattered mine. - duante wright's mother urged the court to hold kim potter accountable for taking a life, but the judge said this case was not the same as other high police killings. officer potter made a mistake that ended tragically. she never intended to hurt anyone. kim potter murdered my son, and he died april 11. _ today the justice system - murdered him all over again. a system that still sees justice in black and white, the family said. this is the problem with our justice system today. - white women tears - trumps, trumpsjustice.

amidst growing outrage, the state's attorney general has urged everyone to accept the judgment. no one has won, he said. we have all lost. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. great britain have been officially stripped of the silver medal they won in the men's 4 x 100 metre relay at last year's tokyo olympics. it comes after the sprinter cj ujah, who ran the first leg of the relay, was found to have failed a drugs test. the 27—year—old says he "unknowingly consumed a contaminated substance" and the situation is one he "will regret for the rest of his life". at the winter olympics in beijing, team gb is guaranteed another medal after the women's curlers followed the men's team and also won their semifinal match — beating the reigning champions sweden. andy swiss reports from the games. they've done it! for britain's curlers, another day of elation and emotion. a guaranteed medal and a place in the final. but goodness, what drama. eve muirhead...

britain had trailed sweden for most of the match until captain eve muirhead conjured the shot of a lifetime. it's four! but sweden weren't done, forcing the match into an extra end. but when their final stone went astray, the celebrations could begin. great britain are in the final! and so britain's women, like the men's team, now have a shot at gold. i'm pretty speechless right now, but, like, what a moment. yeah, it sounds amazing to to say that we're in the olympic final. but earlier, britain's hopes in the skiing went rapidly downhill. zoe atkin fell notjust once but twice in the final of the halfpipe, and had to settle for ninth. oh, it's massive, isn't it? the gold, though, was never in doubt. the extraordinary eileen gu of china soaring to her third

medal of the games. what a breathtaking talent eileen gu is, and what delight for the host nation. and with her second gold medal here in beijing, she's proving to be perhaps the star of these games. but the name of these games is surely kamila valieva, the russian teenager who failed a drugs test, was cleared to compete, but whose hopes last night ended in tears. today, the lack of sympathy shown by her entourage was criticised at the highest level. it was chilling to see this rather than to try to to help her. you could feel this chilling atmosphere. thomas bach added he was very disturbed by valieva's performance. the pressure is beyond my imagination, he said, especially for a girl of 15 years old. andy swiss, bbc news, beijing. back to our main story — storm eunice. as the worst of the storm

hit britain, thousands were glued to big jet tv, a live youtube stream of planes trying to land at heathrow. david sillito has more. it has been, shall we say, an interesting day to be an air passengerflying into heathrow. easy, easy, easy. go on, son! and watching it all and providing a live commentary on the extraordinary skills being displayed, big jet tv live. it has been a day to marvel at the skills of pilots as they've navigated these extraordinary winds, and following it minute by minute has beenjerry here on big jet tv. it's been quite a day. this cockpit footage from qatar airways. 200,000 watched. touched down, at the third attempt. bosh! and in the cabin of this ba flight, you can feel the relief.

applause. very, very skilled individuals. this is where their training and their years of experience, i say years of experience, some of them are sprogs, aren't they, young pilots who haven't been flying for very long, but you know, they do a greatjob. crabbing. look at him crabbing, man. crabbing. vectoring. jerry's new viewers have been introduced to all sorts of new terms on a day when pilots have truly proved their mettle, and one that many passengers won't forget in a hurry. david sillito, bbc news, heathrow. go on, lad. oh, yes! that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. so, it may be that using more robotic systems like this could free up robotic systems like this could free up staff to work directly in patient care where the human touch can really make a difference.

this is bbc news, the headlines. president biden has said russian forces plan to attack the ukrainian capital kyiv in the coming days with “p capital kyiv in the coming days with up he believes resident putin is already authorised such action for the former police officer who killed a black target when she confused her hand on for a taser has been sentenced to two years in prison, a penalty below the state guidelines. several people have been confirmed dead is storm eunice hits the uk and europe. severe winds shutdown transport and schools and cut off electricity. in canada and the capital but net capital ottawa police have clearing protesters opposed to vaccine mandates. those are the headlines on bbc news.