welcome to bbc news — i'm simon pusey. our top stories... borisjohnson warns europe could be on the verge of the biggest conflict since the second world war — if russia invades ukraine. people need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail, notjust ukrainians but russians too. president biden is to meet with key advisers — as the white house warns an attack could happen at any time. a demonstration of power a hundred miles from ukraine's border — russia and belarus take part in huge military exercises. in other news — canadian police use pepper spray and stun grenades to clear demonstrators from outside parliament. and — miracle in miami — a helicopter crashes into the sea near a crowded

beach — but no one is killed. the british government has warned that a russian invasion of ukraine could spark "the biggest war in europe since 1945". speaking on the sidelines of the munich security conference, borisjohnson said that all the signs were that the russian president's plan had already begun. meanwhile, the ukrainian leader, volodymyr zelensky — who was also in munich — said his country would not be provoked into conflict by russia, but was determined to protect itself with or without support from western allies. paul adams has the latest from kyiv. no need to panic yet. a country already at war

for eight years still somehow taking this crisis in its stride. i am not scared but my friends, some of them are nervous a little, but i don't think that we will have a war. gunfire. but in the east, the situation is increasingly volatile. ukraine's interior minister and visiting journalists forced to flee when their convoy came under shell fire, close to areas controlled by pro—russia separatists. the separatists are evacuating their civilians across the border to russia, arguing, without evidence, that ukraine is about to attack. temporary housing being set up to receive women, children and the elderly. men of fighting age being told to stay back. translation: my husband is a reserve officer. - the men were warned to stay where they were and children over 18 years old are not allowed out so that everyone is in place.

in munich, a conference dominated by russia's challenge to european security. borisjohnson warning that ukraine cannot be abandoned. ..and if ukraine is overwhelmed, we will witness the destruction of a democratic state, a country that has been free for a generation with a proud history of elections. but ukraine's president was there, too, undiplomatically accusing the west of allowing all this to happen. translation: for eight years, ukraine has been a shield. - for eight years ukraine has been holding back one of the greatest armies in the world which stands along our borders, not the borders of the european union. the government here says that russia, through its proxies in the east, is trying to goad ukraine into taking

action, to give moscow an excuse to intervene. the government says it won't be provoked, but these are very dangerous times, and any of the sparks now flying could ignite a much wider conflict. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. international monitors in the donbas region of eastern ukraine say a third day of clashes between the ukrainian military and russian—backed separatists has been "dramatic", with the killing of two ukrainian soldiers. meanwhile, north of ukraine, russia and belarus are carrying out huge military drills. our correspondent, steve rosenberg sent this report from the belarusian capital, minsk — and a warning it does contain flash photography. definition of muscle flexing? this. gunfire. 100 miles from ukraine's border, russia and belarus are holding joint exercises on an unprecedented scale. nato says it's the biggest deployment of russian troops in belarus since the cold war. at least 10,000 russian soldiers within easy reach of ukraine. but both moscow and minsk deny they are threatening anyone.

translation: our country isn't helping russia - to capture ukraine. and russia doesn't want to capture ukraine. we don't need war in belarus or in russia. we've had enough war. we still remember world war ii. russia insists that these exercises are purely defensive. ukraine says this is psychological pressure, at the very least, and at most, well, there is concern in kyiv and in the west that if there is a full—scale attack on ukraine then russian troops in belarus could be part of that.

america seems to think so... for months now, russia has been building up its military forces in and around ukraine. including in belarus. they're uncoiling and are now poised to strike. meanwhile, in moscow... "you may begin," vladimir putin told army chiefs, and they began... the president oversaw drills by russia's strategic nuclearforces, showing off his country's state—of—the—art missiles. a message, perhaps, to russia's rivals, and not a subtle one, that for now, at least, the kremlin is in no mood to compromise. steve rosenberg, bbc news, minsk. police in the canadian capital, 0ttawa, have cleared a main protest site near parliament, which had been occupied by demonstrators for over three weeks. they've defended the use of pepper spray and stun grenades, saying officers faced aggressive resistance from protesting truck drivers. for their part,

the demonstrators — who object to covid manadates — claim the police were heavy—handed. dozens of people have been arrested. downtown residents, we're focused on your safety. we are not going anywhere until you have your streets back. we are aware of protesters leaving the parliamentary precinct moving to surrounding neighbourhoods. we are working with our partners and we will remove these protesters peacefully from your area. this operation is still moving forward. it is not over and it will take more time until we have achieved our goals. well, earlier we spoke to mackenzie grey who's a journalist with ctv national news who told us police in ottawa had finally managed to take control of the parliamentary precinct and protesters were now beginning to disperse

from the city center..( they got a strong foothold in front of the parliament, five or six blocks outside the parliament had 60 trucks on it. today, it is completely under control the you can just see over my shoulder protesters milling about on one of the side residential streets here and fences have been put up all along here. not only parliament but the national war monument, these protesters... some had danced on the tomb of the unknown soldier as well which has been very controversial here. after much angst, police have finally been able to take control. we can see the protesters behind you, and it does looks fairly peaceful but this has been one of the biggest police operations in canada's do you think the authorities have got it right? it is very clear the force that was used today are something people had been wanting for an extended period of time. i was in the crowd when they made the first

moves up from where the senate is right across this front street of wellington, coming to the centre block of parliament, where mps meet on a daily basis, including the prime ministerjust intruded. there is actually a debate going on pepper spray, using smoke canisters as well, smashing windows and trucks. mps were debating the use of the emergency act which gave police additional powers to deal with the protesters to clear them out. that doesn't mean they have left the city. there are side residential streets are parked but substantially fewer on the side streets we expected and we should expect to see police moving on those when the sun comes up. what side of the debate are ordinary canadian citizens on? have they had enough with all of the honking and disruption in ottawa? from what we have seen it is about two thirds of canadian saying it is time to go, truckers, and when they do say they support the general idea what is

happening with the truckers here. the residents of ottawa have been frustrated. the ottawa police chief resigned, essentially after saying that he was not able to have the resources to do the job, couple days later an interim chief cayman and the prime minister, is a mention, dipping in this emergencies act, something which had not been used. since his father was in power back in 1970 during the october crisis. this was something that he did not want to have to use but these additional powers help them clear the protesters out from wellington today and let them get some semblance of normalcy back. it's hard to know it is going to happen but it looks like authorities have got control of the city back. what you see happening over the next few days? we see some protesters here. it is the weekend may seem to the last

really can see lots of protesters coming from other cities to party here in ottawa. there pin hot tubs, bouncy castle, djs, late—night dance parties. that is not what is happening here tonight. you see a smattering of protesters chanting freedom, which is really what they have enchanting the whole time. the canadian anthem spontaneously but this is a substantial chant from 23 days of parties throughout the downtown area here in ottawa. let's look at some other stories in brief police in somalia say at least ten people have been killed in a suicide attack in the central town of beled—way—ner. the islamist group, al shabaab, said it targeted a restaurant popular with politicians. one of those killed was a candidate in parliamentary elections. the brother of the pakistani social media star and model, qandeel baloch, has been freed from jail despite confessing to strangling her. muhammad waseem walked out of prison, after serving less than six years of his life term, following his acquittal earlier this week. the government says it will appeal the decision. rescue teams have continued to work in the brazilian

city of petropolis, which was devastated by flash floods and mudslides on tuesday. a hundred and 46 people are now known to have died and almost 200 have been reported as missing. the emergency services were forced to suspend their work several times during the day because of torrential rains. the emergency services were forced to suspend their work several times during the day because of torrential rains. soldiers from the mexican army have seized three tonnes of cocaine — after a high—speed chase at sea. the incident happened around 70 nautical miles from from the resort city of cabo san lucas. three people were arrested. the bbc�*s tim allman reports.

mexico's war on drugs takes place on land, on sea and in the air. a military helicopter pursues a small boat racing across the waves of the pacific ocean. as the chopper gets closer what looks like a tarpaulin is blown into the sea. whatever was in these containers, the crew tried to dispose of it. three men were taken into custody and now face charges linked to drug smuggling. incidents like this are not that unusual. mexican cartels ferrying cocaine and heroin day and night. the military enjoy some success, occasionally intercepting the small craft. but how many do they miss? this is just one front in a battle being waged across mexico and across the region. another venue in the fight, in the state in the west of the country. there, the army has taken

control of the town, part of the larger city. it is the home of the drug lord, a man on the run who is wanted both in mexico and the united states. if this is a war, wherever she it is yet to be one. the battle rages on. this is bbc news — a reminder of our headlines... borisjohnson warns europe could be on the verge of the biggest conflict since the second world war — if russia invades ukraine. canadian police defend their use of pepper spray and stun grenades to clear demonstrators from outside parliament. let's turn now to storm eunice, it has wreaked havoc across europe, causing power outages and killing at least 16 people. the victims were struck by falling trees and flying debris in britain, ireland, the netherlands, belgium, germany and poland. anna holligan reports.

amsterdam's famous tree—lined streets were transformed into death traps. four people were killed by falling trunks, including someone riding a bicycle. coastal areas experienced the most intense winds, this was scheveningen, on the edge of the hague. the highest code red weather warning has been lifted, for now. this isjust one garden in one city, but people are clearing up scenes like these and far, far worse right across the netherlands this lunchtime. over the border in belgium, 80 mile an hour winds sent the tip of a crane crashing through the roof of a hospital in tournai. according to local media, none of the patients were killed, but some were injured. across the continent, storm eunice will remain in the memories long after these winds have subsided. the netherlands is taking a breath and bracing for storm franklin, which is forecast to hit tomorrow.

anna holligan, bbc news in the hague. the family of a british man — who was killed by a shark in australia last week — have paid tribute to him, saying he had a "rare gift" for connecting with people. simon nellist, who was 35, died in the attack on wednesday off little bay. it was the first fatal attack in sydney for nearly 60 years. two people are in hospital after the helicopter they were flying in crashed into the sea off miami in florida. early reports suggest the helicopter lost engine power, but that the pilot was able to steer away from people on the beach, even as the helicopter fell. the federal aviation authority and the national transportation board are to investigate. graham howell was in the water when the helicopter crashed. he told us what happened. the event itself is something you would see only in a movie. we were in the water vacationing 30—50 yards from where the helicopter meant the water and thinking about what was going to the minds of the pilot and passengers and that

helicopter is something amazing. the helicopter actually made touchdown on the water after what appeared to be some sort of engine or mechanicalfailure and i'm hearing or i have heard conflicting reports that all of the passengers are in a stable condition in hospital and now we are waiting to see what the faa is going to do about investigating this incident. we are seeing pictures as you are talking there. how do people on the beach react? for the pictures it looks like a very crowded beach and obviously it was so close to on the beach. it was, it was. i can only imagine what people closer than i was were feeling. you know, it being in the water, but 30 yards away, i think it's coming out on top of you. there are multiple they cage knows and miami beach residents in the water who are probably in the ten or 15 yards from where the propeller blades hit the water when it made touchdown. thankfully, you know, whether it was just a coincidence or

good graces on behalf of that pilot, the helicopter was able to safely touchdown without injuring anyone else he was in the water at the time. what happened immediately afterwards? we can see pictures of happening but we don't obviously see the scene immediately after? was everyone clear from the beach? do people run over and try to help? it was a dramatic event. there were two lifeguards that swam out immediately. about ten or 15 people who were just standing by immediately rushed toward the helicopter that was starting to sink in the water, sort of running away, knowing that there were passengers arrive on the aircraft, trying to help them get out, whether that was opening the door of breaking the glass, it was about ten minutes from the incident that we started to see police boats, ocean rescue boats and coast guard show up as well as sirens in the background coming then palm beach trying to get to the

scene of the accident. it is my understanding that now the area still cordoned off about 100 by 100. 20 figure out how to get this aircraft out of the water. the search is continuing for 12 people missing after a ferry burst into flames near the greek island of corfu. they are all thought to be lorry drivers from bulgaria, greece, turkey and lithuania. 280 passengers and crew were evacuated from the euroferry 0lympia after a blaze broke out on friday. firefighters still battling to get the blaze under control in the ionian sea. the euro ferry 0lympia was travelling every teen nine—hourjourney from greece to italy when the fire broke out early on friday. in the dark, passengers were woken and told to get into a life raft. but some passengers are still missing — their relatives face an agonising wait for information.

i spoke to another driver that was also in the hold in the cars. i asked him if he had news of my father. he said they had seen him but after they took us out of the ship the passengers gathered together and we were looking for your father but could not find him anywhere. and not only him, but three others as well. some relatives have criticised the standard on board for lorry drivers. so mikey was afraid of coronavirus. he had health issues. and because he was afraid of catching the virus because of overcrowding he often prefer to sleep on especially if it was not a long trip. they are trying to tow the ferry closer towards the shore. fierce temperatures on board are hindering any further rescue attempts. officially, 241 passengers and 51 crew were on board. on friday, two people were rescued and taken to hospital.

to american football now, and the pittsburgh steelers have hired former miami dolphins head coach, brian flores, for a senior role. earlier this month, mr flores filed a class—action lawsuit against the nfl — and three teams — alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices. joe rutter is a sports reporter with the pittsburgh tribune review — he's been following this story and told me more. the super bowl was last week and this is supposed to be a sleepy time for the nfl. most teams are coaches already and this can evoke everybody up today these that

brian couric has joined pittsburgh. people are wondering if he would he get another coaching opportunity? but the steelers, who have a history in adding minority coaches, you know, stepped up and he is going to be a part of their stuff at this for next season. the allegations he makes a pretty serious. remind us what they are. well, he alleged that he had two successful the allegations he makes a pretty serious. remind us what they are. well, he alleged that he had two successful seasons with the miami dolphins, out of history, and he was fired with a 2k and 25. surprise he was fired because his tenure there was two quality seasons. he alleged that he was fired and it was a racially—motivated firing, and some of the interviews he has had including one previously with the denver and one this year with the new york giants, he did not get the job because of racially—motivated factors and he asserts that he was only interviewed to satisfy what is known as the rooney rule where nfl teams must hire or must at least interview african—american candidates. this is not in isolation, is it? the nfl has had other incidents, there is a

sort of series of this. how serious is this, in terms of the nfl legacy? serious enough but all three teams named in the loss it had denied any wrongdoing but commissioner said before the super bowl the nfl is more, that they have not done enough to promote minority hiring. when this rule was adopted in 2003 they had three black head coaches. now they'll have a few more. the nfl needs to be better and they have admitted that but flores is saying they had not done enough and his lawsuit really, you know, sent shock waves through the sport. most of us will never get the chance to travel through space — let alone time. but the nearest you might get to it is in liverpool right now. a new spectacular immersive art experience, known as "�*space,

the universe and everything', aims to give you a hint of what it would be like. it's the work of light artist peter walker. let's take a look. what better place to take people on a journey to the edge of the universe and back. that is what this is all about. allows to contemplate our place in the world but to take of an immersive journey walking around this beautiful building. and experiencing, in an abstract, artistic way, in very immersive way, this journey which we take people on. we like to do great big cultural things at the cathedral.

we like to bring people to the cathedral and we find that when we do these bicultural things, people really want to come and see the cathedral and they really enjoy being in the space. it is notjust a light show, it is experience. it is an exhibition. the idea is that people come around and seamlessly walk between and can even sit on the floor if they want to look up at the heavens and just enjoy this building at night light and attend with this artwork that we have presented. two benin bronzes were returned to their traditional palace in nigeria on saturday more than a century after they were pillaged by british troops. a colourful ceremony marked the return of a cockerel sculpture and a bronze—cast head of an 0ba — or king, displayed there for the first time. it's raised hopes in the country that thousands of other artefacts may be returned to their ancestral home.

hello. sunday, i'm afraid, is going to be a windier day right across the uk once again. we've got a low pressure system that's getting closer, sending wet weather southwards across us. but as it approaches, the winds strengthen too and theyjust get stronger through sunday. it stays very windy overnight sunday night and through much of monday before easing. the potential, again, for strong, disruptive gusts of wind. there are some met office weather warnings. rain moving south, then showers, and after a mild start, it will be turning colder from the north later in the day. a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain to begin the day and a focus on the rain in north—west england — 20 to a0 mm, more into the hills, on saturated ground, so this could bring some problems. it'll take a while before the rain clears away from northern ireland and southern scotland. a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain in wales and england,

but then you see this narrow band of quite intense, even torrential rain forms and moves southwards as the day goes on with particularly squally winds along it. now, wind gusts 40—50 mph quite widely, more around some western and southern coasts. but along this narrow band of intense rain, those winds could be gusting in excess of 60 mph, potentially disruptive gusts of wind. and as for temperatures, turning colder behind the area of rain, initially in scotland and northern ireland, and the showers that follow will be increasingly wintry even to lower levels and some of those will filter further south through sunday night. and the winds get stronger still, at this stage, around some of the coasts of scotland, northern ireland and through the irish sea, maybe up to around 70 mph in places, so potential disruption out of those going into monday morning. and then on monday, the low pressure is pulling away, but still a squeeze in the isobars, still batches of showers moving southwards, though easing later. some sunny spells in between, but it remains very windy out there and still gusting quite widely 50—60 mph for a time, particularly towards western and southern areas. and then those winds will gradually ease later in the day, but not until we've dealt with some more potentially disruptive gusts out there. and temperatures will be close to average, if not a little bit above for the time of year. there is a bit of a lull

on monday night. after that, it stays unsettled with further spells of rain and wind, though perhaps not as windy as it's been at the moment. friday is looking like a fine day. it doesn't look like it will last.

this is bbc news, the headlines...

british prime minister boris johnson says the evidence from russia and ukraine points towards president vladimir putin planning what �*could be the biggest war in europe since 1945'. speaking to the bbc — mrjohnson said that all the signs were that the russian president's plan had already begun. the interim police chief in ottawa has said significant progress has been made in clearing unlawful protests from the streets of the canadian capital — but the operation is not over yet. he defended the police use of pepper spray and stun grenades as they had faced aggressive resistance. two people are in hospital after the helicopter they were flying in crashed into the sea off miami in the us state of florida. it's believed the helicopter lost engine power but the pilot was able to steer away from people on the beach — even as the helicopter fell. if the hype is to be believed, the digital art world is in the grip of a revolution

which is changing not only how