welcome to bbc news. i'm vishala sri—pathma. our top stories: russia claims a strategic victory in ukraine, saying its troops have captured the eastern town of soledar. brazil's supreme court says prosecutors should investigate the role of former presidentjair bolsonaro in the storming of congress. in a meeting with president biden, japan's prime minister warns russia's invasion of ukraine could encourage similar acts elsewhere. are ukrainian chess referee barred from wearing a t—shirt supporting her country's protests.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. russia says its forces have completed the capture of soledar — a small town in eastern ukraine that's been the focus of intense fighting. moscow called it an important step in its offensive which would allow russian troops to cut off ukrainian forces in nearby bakhmut. if russia's claims are true, it would be the first ukrainan town it has captured since july after six months of russian military setbacks. but ukraine's president zelensky says the battle in soledar is still under way. our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, reports. a salt mining town under russian assault, soledar has become a story of carnage and contradiction. after months of bloody fighting, an attempt by russia to give a clear message. for the first time, a claim,

to be in complete control, and that this town is the start of something bigger. "the capture of soledar became possible due to the constant "destruction of the enemy," says russia's defence ministry. "by ground attack, aircraft, missiles, and artillery." but ukraine is saying... "fighting continues in soledar. "our troops are holding defence against the enemy." ukraine has resisted russia's attack here for months. the price is getting heavier. translation: we will never give up. - this is our soledar, our city, and we will not give it to anyone. ukraine is ours. as soon as we see the russian soldiers, we will hit them. the kremlin has not had anything to cheer about for the last six months since it last captured a major location. soledar would change that, but it's also why kyiv

is hinting at a possible retreat, and that is because the last time a city fell, russia made minimal gains and ukraine retook swathes of territory elsewhere. it's also why soledar is unlikely to alter the course of this war. we were in the nearby city of bakhmut last weekend, an urban battlefield that could not have felt further from the politics of control. ukraine is trying to portray its own momentum. translation: the aggressor must be defeated on the ukrainian - land where he came, so that it won't be necessary to fight on the lands of other european nations later. we need to do it now so that russia does not get a break, does not have time to adapt and restore its strength. this year is crucial. more western weapons are on their way to ukraine. the fear is, without them, russia's advance might not stop at soledar. james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.

elisabeth braw, a resident fellow at the american enterprise institute, spoke to us earlier about the significance of russia moving into soledar. it's important that russia has not been able to capture any town, let alone city, for a long time, as the correspondent just said. but even more important is the fact that now the kremlin can tell the russian population that things are going our way. and the russian population is not going to say, "how big was the town? "is it big enough for us to be satisfied?" they will see that the russian forces have captured, if that is indeed the case, have captured the town, and that will give hope and in turn encourage them or entice them to support the war, because we should remember that the war was not going to last this long.

even in russia, people's patience was wearing thin when young men just kept dying without any gains to show for it. what sort of reaction will this development have in washington, for example, and across the european union in terms of how now the west will react in terms of supply and military? it is two parts to that. first of all, i don't think anybody is overly alarmed because the conduct of war works that there is sometimes the side that seems to be winning and have momentum has to concede in a particular spot. and it regains momentum elsewhere. i don't think there is a lot of alarm in any western capitals regarding this, but it will also accelerate the desire in western capitals to send more weapons to ukraine. we've seen that in the past 2a hours with an acceleration

in the thinking in germany, for example, about whether to send tanks. if these two things are combined, we'll get more urgency from western capitals to finally get enough weapons to ukraine so they can achieve lasting progress and not have any of these setbacks anymore. do we have much detail on tanks? there are various media reports on who is sending what. do you have much more detail? what we are hearing is that the uk, to its credit, went first and said that we are sending tanks. until the uk said it was sending tanks, countries had been very reluctant to send modern tanks because they were afraid that russia would see that as a step too far and would retaliate, and finally the uk said it would send some. now germany seems to be on the verge of announcing it

too is sending tanks, its very highly respected leopard tanks that would make a big difference in ukraine, has been reluctant to send them so far, and now another interesting development in germany is the defence minister, christine lambrecht, seems to be about to resign. she was somebody who was very reluctant to send heavy weaponry to ukraine, so the tide seems to be turning in germany as well. what about where you are in the us? what's interesting is that there is a new congress now, with newly elected members of congress and it will be fascinating to watch whether the anti—ukraine coalition, for lack of a better word, is louder in this congress than the last congress, which if you remember, in the last congress there was enormous support to ukraine in both parties, and some did not want to send weapons or wanted to send limited weapons, was essentially the far left, and the trumpian right. we will see how the new

congress pans out. it's in its first days still, but considering how overwhelming the support for military assistance for ukraine was in a previous congress, i don't think you need to worry that it has completely, that the majority has completely vanished in this congress. elisabeth braw in washington. brazil's supreme court announced a short time ago that it will investigate the role of the former presidentjair bolsonaro in the storming of congress. the violence was carried out by thousands of radical bolsonaro supporters who continue to claim that october's election was rigged. mr bolsonaro briefly posted a video questioning the legitimacy of the vote, which was won by his rival, lula da silva. the bbc�*s world service americas editor, leonardo rocha, gave me more details. this is a major step. what we have here is the prosecutors began an investigation on monday, the attack on the presidential palace, congress and supreme

court took place on sunday. on monday and sunday they changed the tone, the government's tone changed, and they opened an investigation. many other people are being investigated. businessmen, officials. the question was always, will it get to president was he involved 7 was there evidence? what happens now? prosecutors earlier today asked for president bolsonaro, the former president, to be included, and they said there was a video he posted online, and took out straight after, in which he said the elections were rigged. for him, the head of supreme court was also the head of the electoral commission, said by saying that the elections were rigged, without proof, he was committing a crime, he was attacking an institution, he was attacking the supreme court, and attacking brazilian democracy, which are safeguarded by the constitution. how can supreme court in brazil go about doing anything if mr bolsonaro is in the us?

he is in the us and there is a big question mark on whether he will come back to brazil. he left before the end of his term. he is under another investigation, him and his children, who are politicians. he denies any involvement with that, said i had nothing to do with that. but this battle over the electoral system has been going on for a long time since he was elected. this is an electronic voting system which is praised internationally. he has been questioning that and people say he has been preparing the attack in case he was defeated in the election which happened in october. there is a question mark, will he be extradited if is eventually indicted, it's a long way off. he has also applied for italian citizenship. if he got italian citizenship and went to italy, he wouldn't be able to be extradited by italy. it's a big question mark and there is a question mark also by the government of luiz inacio lula da silva,

the left—wing leader who has been in power for less than two weeks. leonardo rocha who spoke to me earlier. the operation to clear a site in germany that's been earmarked for new coal—mining is entering its fourth day. police have clashed with protesters near the village of lutzerath in the west of the country. but at least one famous demonstrator has turned up to offer her support, as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. for many, she has become the face of the modern climate change movement. so it was perhaps inevitable that greta thunberg would pay a visit to lutzerath. and as police continued to declare the site, she was not impressed. it is absolutely _ she was not impressed. it is absolutely absurd _ she was not impressed. it 3 absolutely absurd that this she was not impressed. it 1 absolutely absurd that this is happening. the year 2023. it is the most effective people are clear, the size is clear need to keep the carbon in the ground and this, germany is

embarrassing itself right now. the german authorities disagree. they spent the last few days removing demonstrators from this abandoned village. 0nce from this abandoned village. once they god will be demolished to make way for an expanded coalmine. but some of the protesters are dug in, quite literally. translation: the tunnel is a very effective form of defence against the victim. it's much harder to clear channel monetary house. —— monetary house. germany previously said it wanted to abandon, adding that russia's invasion of ukraine and the energy crisis it because has caused a change of heart, hence this ongoing demonstration and the thorny issue of how to bring it to an end. translation: ~ , ., _, . translation: we try to convince them to leave _ translation: we try to convince them to leave but _ translation: we try to convince them to leave but they _ translation: we try to convince them to leave but they refused. l them to leave but they refused. now we have to look at how we can safely recover the two people.

can safely recover the two --eole. . , can safely recover the two --eole. , ., , , people. the last few protesters are still holding _ people. the last few protesters are still holding out. _ people. the last few protesters are still holding out. and - people. the last few protesters are still holding out. and the i are still holding out. and the larger rally as you to take place later on saturday. no surprises. greta thunberg is excited to take part. tim allman, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: footballing legend eric cantona tells us about his new exhibition on players who've changed the world, and how the premier league has lost its soul. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. l huge parts of kobe - were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. i this woman said she had been given no help and no advice i

by the authorities. she stood outside - the ruins of her business. tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws passed by the country's new multiracial government and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running play, the mousetrap. when they heard of her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would have been the last person to want such a thing. this is bbc news. the latest headlines — russia claims a strategic victory in ukraine, saying its troops have captured the eastern town of soledar. brazil's supreme court says prosecutors should investigate the role of former president jair bolsonaro in the storming of congress. on a visit to washington, japan's prime minister has warned that russia's invasion of ukraine has opened a dangerous new era

for the world. fumio kishida said russian aggression could encourage similar acts elsewhere, including asia, and that china remained the central challenge for both the us and japan. let's speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes, who's in los angeles. thanks forjoining us. how significant are these words because clearly, it is a bit of a tight rope, the relationship with china, particularly in relation to the ukraine. i think it is very significant and clearly, the major backdrop to this is what is happening in europe, the war in ukraine. russia's aggression, which the japanese prime suggests could lead to a dangerous new era in the world. and that they could be similar acts elsewhere and specifically asia. i mean, to put it bluntly, what he is suggesting is that asia could become the next ukraine and the concerns relate around

aggression from china, obviously, directed at taiwan which is of great significance to japan but also possible aggression from north korea as well. so this is why the relationship, and it's been a long—term good relationship with the united states. this is why going forward, it is continuing to be very important and perhaps crucial now because japan is planning to spend more on the military, doubling its spending over the next five years, procuring long—range missiles as well, which makes it a much more of a major player in terms of military on the global stage.— player in terms of military on the global stage. and how do we think that will — the global stage. and how do we think that will fare _ the global stage. and how do we think that will fare with - the global stage. and how do we think that will fare with the - think that will fare with the us— chinese relations which is clearly important and lots of spheres of american life? well, i think every — spheres of american life? well, i think every move _ spheres of american life? well, i think every move that - spheres of american life? well, i think every move that the - spheres of american life? well, i think every move that the us l i think every move that the us makes with whichever country as it relates to china is obviously going to affect the relationship, maybejust obviously going to affect the relationship, maybe just the fine print, in terms of the

united states and china but china will be looking on at this with interest and following these developments because as you suggest, there has been quite a tense relationship between china and the us going back over the past few months and especially as it relates to taiwan and the united states rather complex relationship with china and taiwan but knowing that there is this close relationship with japan and in terms of the us military — in fact, there was an announcement recently about us military marines that are based in japan us military marines that are based injapan regrouping to put them in a position where it is easier to respond to any aggression. all of that will be of interest to the chinese. peter, we will have to leave it there. peter bowes. more than 30 tornados have struck the southern united states, killing at least seven people in alabama and georgia. an emergency state has been alerted. officials are searching for bodies in ruined buildings and the full extent of the damage is being assessed. james clayton reports.

america's extreme weather shows no sign of abating. here in alabama, a scene of devastation as a tornado ripped through communities. the deadly tornado focused on the area of selma, famous for its civil rights march. the billowing winds blew off roofs and destroyed homes. it tore off the chimney. hit the car. it's bad out here. it's bad. others have come back to find their properties destroyed. well, i think i was blessed with enough sense to get out of here before the tornado hit. i've lost everything that i own but other than that, i've got my life and i'm in good health. the ferocity of the winds here caught people off guard. there are reports of several mobile homes being launched into the air. on the west coast in california, the heavy rains continued to fall. roads have been swallowed

by rivers and landslides, causing disruption and even isolating communities. here in monterey, the salinas river burst its banks, flooding the surrounding area. there are concerns that entire towns could be cut off here. here in san francisco, itjust keeps raining and raining. the ground here is totally sodden. there is just nowhere for the water to go. and with plenty more rain forecast, there is expected to be further flooding, too. james clayton, bbc news, san francisco. an iranian chess referee has been barred from arbitrating after wearing a t—shirt supporting women's rights in iran at a tournament in iceland. shohreh bayat was ordered by the russian president of the international chess federation to change the women, life, freedom shirt. our news reporter azadeh moshiri joins us now. it's interesting, this. talk us through how it all happened. shohreh bayat is a chess referee who actually lives in

london and of course this is a very difficult time for a run with months of protest following the death of mahsa amini in police custody, supposedly for having violated district dress code there. and so ms fayad wanted to show her support for the protest and wore a t—shirt during a tournament in iceland that red women, life, freedom and that is of course the slogan of the protest there but it didn't sit well with one of the chess officials and did not sit well with the president of the international chess federation who happens to be one of the former russian deputy prime minister is. and so it's worth listening to her describe what happened there and the moment she was asked to take the t—shirt off, and she makes a reference to fide which is the international press federation. hearing that the tournament, they— hearing that the tournament, they reached out to me and he said _ they reached out to me and he said i— they reached out to me and he said i should take off my t-shirt _ said i should take off my t—shirt or take out my t—shirt. i found — t—shirt or take out my t—shirt. i found it — t—shirt or take out my t—shirt. i found it unfair because on the — i found it unfair because on the one _ i found it unfair because on the one hand, there was no

dress — the one hand, there was no dress code for arbiters sol the one hand, there was no dress code for arbiters so i am not breaking any rule. and actually, _ not breaking any rule. and actually, the fide charter is encouraging people and the obligation of fide to encourage humah— obligation of fide to encourage human rights.— human rights. now, this was a very difficult — human rights. now, this was a very difficult decision - human rights. now, this was a very difficult decision for - human rights. now, this was a very difficult decision for her i very difficult decision for her but she ended taking the t—shirt. however, she came back wearing yellow and blue colours, the colour of ukraine, of course. this is on the first time she has had difficulty. in 2020 she had to leave iran permanently because when she was refereeing a tournament in shanghai, she had photos that began circulating without the hijab and it meant that it became a little too dangerous to go home. very dangerous, in fact. ., ., ., , fact. how do the people in chess feel _ fact. how do the people in chess feel about _ fact. how do the people in chess feel about this? - fact. how do the people in chess feel about this? so l fact. how do the people in l chess feel about this? so far the reaction _ chess feel about this? so far the reaction has _ chess feel about this? so far the reaction has been - chess feel about this? so far the reaction has been on - chess feel about this? so far the reaction has been on the chess federation and they have confirmed they asked her to take the shirt off and said it's fine for people to have their own political views but not for them to showcase them and told her she could not wear

any mottos or any slogans. so they believe that when it comes to this, their decision was fair and to this, their decision was fairand right to this, their decision was fair and right they have not confirmed they have barred her completely from the referee commission. she says they did, though. commission. she says they did, thou:h. �* , ., commission. she says they did, thou:h. �* ,, ., , though. and you mentioned she had a bit of _ though. and you mentioned she had a bit of a — though. and you mentioned she had a bit of a reputation - though. and you mentioned she had a bit of a reputation for - had a bit of a reputation for being a bit of a rebel. what other sort of events has she been known for, other actions? 2020 was really the big moment when she could not go back and she said it was because state media had actually started criticising this action, the fact that these photos had been circulated without her wearing a hijab and at the time, years before the protests, she said the hijab rules are very strict there and people go to prison for this but it was only in the last month at panamanian chess player did not return to iran because she competed without wearing the hijab and was told by someone close to her in around that there was talk of a punishment if she went back so the first or likely last time

but chest has become quite politicised. it but chest has become quite politicised.— but chest has become quite politicised. it sounds like it. thank is a — politicised. it sounds like it. thank is a much. _ the former manchester united forward eric cantona is now an actor and art enthusist, and he's co—curated an exhibition of paintings, looking at majorfigures in the sport who've used their fame to change society. nick robinson has that story. for the man they still call �*the king,�* football was always much more than a game, it was an art form, and eric cantona believes art should always make a statement — as it does in this new exhibition of paintings of great sportsmen and women who changed things off as well as on the pitch. football is an art, for sure, from my point of view. and we can use football in sport because you have a great sportsman who has been brave enough to try to change things, even the first black player to play for england. and the same thing with socrates in brazil and his friends — they tried

to fight dictatorship and trying to promote democracy. cantona helped propel manchester united to trophy after trophy in the 1990s. his goals are still revered but football — sport — has changed so much since then. it's not only football, it's modern life. winter olympic games in asia have been given to saudi arabia, which is unbelievable. it seems that money can buy everything. success these days is oiled with millions from the arab world. the saudis are helping to turn newcastle into winners again. manchester city's rise to the top was funded by abu dhabi. and arsenal's emirates stadium is sponsored by dubai. if i was in england today, i would support a club

in second division, i think, in a better atmosphere of football. i love football and i love the atmosphere of football and i do know why some clubs change their stadium to be a bigger stadium. i think arsenal, when they left highbury, they left their soul. but he hopes that the new stars will use their influence beyond the world of sport. i'm very optimistic and i really believe in the new generations. the message of this powerful exhibition in eric cantona's adopted home is that sport can be about so much more than money. he's an icon. it can be about hope, and change, and evenjustice. nick robinson, bbc news, at the nationalfootball museum in manchester. thanks so much, really. that's it from us for now. i am on

socials. thank you for watching. hello there. well, so far, january 2023 has been very wet indeed, with above average rainfall for many. we've seen some localised flooding. river levels running very high, some of them breaching their banks altogether across southern and western parts of the uk, so a number of flood warnings continue, remain in force across the uk. head online to see where they are. however, as we move through this weekend, the rain will clear away. it will turn a bit brighter but a very different feel to the weather. for part two of the weekend and into next week, things are set to be much colder — the risk of ice, snow and frost. now, this area of low pressure brings wet and windy weather across much of the uk to start saturday. early on saturday, that rain will be very heavy and persistent across southern and western areas — up to 70 millimetres of rain.

the northern half of scotland will see clear spells and scattered showers which will be of a wintry flavour as it will be cold here but milder further south. so, a very wet, windy start to our saturday morning across much of the country. eventually, that rain will tend to clear away but it'll leave a legacy — standing water, atrocious road conditions exacerbated flooding as well across some southern and western areas. but it brightens up into the afternoon. plenty of showers rattling through the northern half of the uk. wintry on the hills. it'll be colder here. the last dregs of the milder air hold on across the south—east but it doesn't last. through saturday night, the colder air wins out. clear spells, blustery showers, long spells of rain across the northern half of the country. increasingly wintry, notjust to higher ground — even down some lower levels across northern scotland. it will be a chillier night across the board. so, sunday's looking colder. we're all in that arctic air. then, you can see from the blue colours here, the white speckles indicating snow showers which will be affecting primarily the northern half of scotland. this weather front will bring a mixture of rain, perhaps a bit of sleet over higher ground for parts

of northern ireland into parts of north wales, north west england, into the midlands as well. elsewhere, plenty of sunshine, top and tail of that weather front, but there will be some snow showers feeding into northern scotland, some of these down to lower levels as it will be a cold day right across the board. single—figure values there. factor in the wind, it'll feel even colder than that. so, into next week, it stays much colderfor a time. the risk of overnight frost and ice, an increasing chance of snow in places. some of that snow might be disruptive sunday night into monday, particularly across central and southern parts of the uk, so stay tuned to the forecast. but the general theme is as we move through the week, temperatures begin to recover again towards the end of the week.

this is bbc news. the headlines: russia is claiming a rare victory in what's become a war of attrition in ukraine. it says it's captured the eastern salt—mining town of soledar, though ukraine says fighting is continuing. the town had been pummelled for weeks in one of the most intense battles of the war. brazil's supreme court has decided that prosecutors should investigate the role of the former president, jair bolsonaro, in the storming of congress. the violence was carried out by thousands of radical bolsonaro supporters who continue to claim that october's election was rigged. the former president is in florida.