this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories: the us secretary of state says china is considering supplying weapons and ammunition to russia for its war against ukraine. we have seen them provide non—lethal support to russia for use in ukraine. the concern that we have now is based on information we have that they are considering providing lethal support. borisjohnson urges rishi sunak not to drop the northern ireland protocol bill — as speculation mounts of a compromise over post—brexit arrangements. the first two candidates to become the new first minister of scotland put their names forward. we'll look at what they stand for.

the 76th annual british academy awards take place in london later — with the german—language film all quiet on the western front leading the field, with m nominations. the us secretary of state antony blinken has alleged that china is considering supplying weapons and ammunition to russia for its war against ukraine. he was speaking to cbs news after meeting china's top diplomat wang yi on the sidelines of the international security conference in munich. he said he'd warned mr wang of consequences if material support was provided to moscow. mr blinken told cbs that chinese firms were already providing non—lethal aid for russia's invasion. he was appearing on the face the nation. there is open source reporting that chinese companies are providing. surveillance equipment to that -

mercenary group, the wagner group, fighting in ukraine. does the us consider this to be providing l military support to russia? we've been concerned from day one about that possibility. in fact, if you go back to the very first conversations that president biden and president xi had about russia's war of aggression against ukraine just a couple of weeks into the war, president biden shared with president xi our deep concern about the possibility china would provide lethal support to russia in this effort, as well as engage in the systematic evasion of sanctions. and the reason for that concern was just weeks before the aggression, you'll remember that president xi and president putin had a meeting in which they talked about a partnership with no limits. and we were concerned that among the lack of limits would be chinese support for russia in the war. we've been watching

this very closely. to date, we have seen chinese companies, and, of course, in china, there's really no distinction between private companies and the state, we have seen them provide non—lethal support to russia for use in ukraine. the concern that we have now is, based on information we have, that they're considering providing lethal support. and we've made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship. lethal support. what would that entail? what are you thinking? weapons. that's ammunition. primarily weapons. primarily... there's a whole gamut of things that fit in that category. everything from ammunition to the weapons themselves. earlier, our correspondent jenny hill told me that china has also been in the spotlight. china has been a huge focus here. that is because for the duration of this year—long war now many of these particularly western

leaders gathered here have considered china's positioning within this conflict as crucial. let's not forget china has refused to condemn the russian full—scale invasion of ukraine and, during the last year, ties between moscow and beijing have deepened economically, even politically, you could argue. there are those here who hoped china might be persuaded to use its not inconsiderable influence with vladimir putin to end this war. many actually think china has been a bit of a restraining hand when it comes to the threats from moscow about the use of nuclear weapons for example. china actually during this conference has announced it has got a plan for peace which it intends to give us details about later in the coming week. but then we hear this morning from washington and this will really send a shiver down the spine of many senior diplomats who have worried this might be the case for some time, that china might be considering sending weapons to russia for use in ukraine.

that, of course, shifts things in a very different direction. china has also been a focus because as many of the world leaders said or intimated in their speeches, if vladimir putin wins this war, that might well embolden other countries, and they are talking about china as one example, to do something similar, so there is a sense of nervousness around what china might do with taiwan, were vladimir putin to win this war, and that again is one of the reasons we had seen such unequivocal messages coming out from western leaders�* speeches over the past couple of days. they want to support ukraine because they believe it is the right thing to do but they are concerned about the consequences on wider ramifications of a victory in ukraine for vladimir putin. the former british prime minister — borisjohnson — has intervened in the effort to reform post—brexit trading arrangements in northern ireland.

rishi sunak is trying to agree a new settlement with the eu, amid unrest among members of his parliamentary party. mrjohnson has warned mr sunak not to abandon legislation he introduced that would give the government powers to unilaterally scrap parts of the deal. i spoke earlier to our political correspondent, tony bonsignore. there are already very complicated issues here. like the european court of justice and the amount tax you should have on the so—called green lanes, and goods that come from great britain into northern ireland and stay in northern ireland, but beyond all this, of course, is as we have talked about, he needs to sell this to not only his own mps but also to convince the people, the businesses and the politicians of northern ireland. this morning, we heard from penny mordaunt, the

commons leader, speaking to my colleague saying, look, forget about a commons vote. that is not important. what is important is this gets buy—in from all the parties in northern ireland which is, frankly, easier said than done. and also, i don't think she can completely and the government can't completely ignore a commons vote because it may be coming in a matter of days. and, as you say, you know, jostling, already noises being made, for example, from borisjohnson. it is significant because what he is doing is mobilising on behalf of a number of mps. look, we've got this deal. there's been this piece of legislation called the northern ireland protocol bill, very controversial, still working its way through parliament and this is essentially a threat by the uk to rip up the deal that borisjohnson signed in 2019, and what he said today, what his team, sources, whatever you want to call it, what they are saying today is — don't do it.

even if you agree a deal you still need that in your back pocket, so this was put to the commons leader penny mordaunt and the suggestion this isn't particularly helpful. this is what she had to say. i don't think this is an entirely unhelpful intervention. i think the prime minister would give credit to predecessors for enabling us to get this far. we have the bill, and the command paper that was produced at the time, and in part it is because of that that we are now able to have these negotiations, and the eu is talking about things that previously it said it would not talk about. it is not unhelpful for borisjohnson to be saying to rishi sunak, you better not wash down my brexit deal, you better not drop my bill at a sensitive time and he is trying to

get something over the line. it is a reminder to the eu thereby that they have to get over but ultimately, does not really about what boris johnson or any members of the house of commons think about a deal. it is what the people of northern ireland think. i think the second part of that is definitely true, but i'm not sure about the first, and i'm not sure she will be saying that in few days. particularly if it is winning over those kind of recalcitrant backbenchers, particularly those who feel very, very strongly about this issue of the european court of justice having the final say on cases that are in dispute between europe and uk over these inspections, and all the rest of it. presumably, the latent fear is that this is, a good chance for borisjohnson to put up or shut up. if the government persists and tries to scrap this, he finds a way to the commons to mobilise his supporters. we have the potential of these to see a rebellion. and potentially a significant rebellion but we don't know how much because if we get this commons vote this week it is going to be another one of those set

pieces that political hacks like me love, but the last ones we saw, really, were in 2019 when there is any sort of threat ofjeopardy but things are so different now so this will be a test. how powerful are what are called the european research group, the more hardline brexit—supporting mps? it may be that rishi sunak decides this is the time to test them and maybe, just maybe, this is maybe the time we discover they're not as powerful as they used to be. we can go live to edinburgh where labour leader sir keir starmer is addressing the scottish wing's spring conference. let's hear what he has to say in the wake of the resignation of the first minister nicola sturgeon.— minister nicola sturgeon. people said the same _ minister nicola sturgeon. people said the same thing _ minister nicola sturgeon. people said the same thing to _ minister nicola sturgeon. people said the same thing to both - minister nicola sturgeon. people said the same thing to both of. minister nicola sturgeon. people | said the same thing to both of us. good luck, but you're never going to

do it. well, confidence, let me tell you, i know that, together, we can prove them wrong. thank you. applause make. well, what a difference a year makes. for chancellors, three prime ministers, two fairies still missing and one rock star endorsement. that's right, conference, rod stewart is voting labour. were finally reaching out to the scots who grew up on the mean streets of north london. but, conference, seriously, it has been a long, hard road to this point but this is a new era for scotland and for britain. the tide is turning on the tories

and the snp. now, were right to thank the first minister for her service and i will do the same. to leave scotland for almost a decade as a political achievement that must be acknowledged. and one thing we need to be clear about, wherever you stand on the constitutional issue, we must respect those beliefs as a sincere desire to make the future better for scotland. sincere desire to make the future betterfor scotland. the sincere desire to make the future better for scotland. the first minister was sincere about that and it has shaped her service to this nation and, yes, it shaped her political success. a success grounded, that to be brutally honest, in persuading people who used to vote labour, to support her cause. conference, we've got to reach out to those people now. there will be people in all of your community is looking again at the future of scotland with fresh eyes. and we have to meet their gaze with

confidence. show notjust what and we have to meet their gaze with confidence. show not just what the tories and the snp have done to this nation but the scotland that labour can build. a fairer, greener more dynamic scotland in a fairer, greener, more dynamic labour britain. but, conference, mark my words. we won't change any hearts or minds by sitting back and watching the battle for power within the snp. or by assuming that any weakening of faith in their case ought automatically benefits us. we have to go out there and earn it. prove we can understand the real concerns of the scottish people. that we have listened to the reasons those voters lost faith in labour and britain. reasons those voters lost faith in labourand britain. now reasons those voters lost faith in labour and britain. now offer the

solutions that scotland needs. it's not about change at the top of other political parties, it's about the changes we've made to our own. and the changes that we can now deliver for the scottish people. and that's the value of the steps have already taken together. and don't underestimate them. change with a purpose. to make our labour party fit to serve our country. that's why we had to show our support for nato is non—negotiable. understand the importance of sound money, tear anti—semitism out by its roots, country first, party second. hear starmer talking _ country first, party second. hear starmer talking in _ country first, party second. hear starmer talking in edinburgh at the scottish labour party conference and as reference is to the leader of labour in... of the scottish party but also is the leader of the labour group in the national parliament, in the scottish parliament.

to scotland now — where the first two candidates to replace nicola sturgeon as leader of the snp — and the country's first minister — have put their names forward. labour only has one westminster mp. it does have significant representation in the scottish parliament. the two candidates have announced that they want to succeed either scottish health secretary attempt to make your on and the former minister ash regan on the right. ash regan is a8, and resigned from the government in october in protest against a law which would make it easier for transgender people to legally change their gender identity. speaking to the sunday mail newspaper, she said: we need a new direction and we need to reprioritise. we need to bring back unity, draw a line under certain things and move past them. i believe i am

the person to do that. the electorate expect the scottish government to focus on things that are important to them. that means the nhs which is still struggling to get back on its feet after the pandemic. scottish health secretary humza yousaf, who supports the gender recognition bill, also declared his intention to stand saying he had the experience needed to govern. he said: i've thought hard about it and i've decided to put myself forward as scotland's next first minister. i'm doing it because the top job requires someone who has experience and i have been trusted by nicola sturgeon with some of the toughestjobs in government. i believe independence is needed now more than ever especially after a decade of austerity. nearly two weeks on from turkey's devastating earthquake, officials have said most rescue efforts to find survivors will end today. search operations have been winding down for days as the chances of finding people fade. more than 46 thousand people are known to have been killed by the quake and the aftershocks. bereaved syrian families in turkey are desperately trying

to return their loved ones to syria so they can be buried on home soil. many crossed the border to escape the syrian civil war but clung to the hope of returning home one day. the bbc�*s correspondent is at a border crossing in southern turkey with families where repatriation efforts are under way. a warning her report contains distressing images from the start. wailing. a mother's painful farewell to her loved ones. "take good care of each other," she tells them. the bodies of aisha's three children and two grandchildren are in these bags. they died when their building collapsed in the turkish city of antakya. her and her husband, along with their four—year—old granddaughter, are the only survivors. they are now sending them across the border to syria to be buried on homeland.

the family left idlib to take refuge in turkey, hoping for a fresh start. already broken by years of civil war, they are now completely shattered. wailing. translation: we fled the war but died in the earthquake. - we have been here since early morning and in just a few hours, we have seen six trucks taking bodies across this border into syria. the police tell us this is a massive operation for them. they are working day and night to help this crossing. back in antakya, about aokm from the border, this is all that's left of aisha's front room. ali was just recently engaged to one of aisha's daughters. he was on a video call with her when the earth started shaking. translation: i didn't know it would be the last - time i would see her. when the earthquake happened, she looked at me with fear.

i saw her running. she got up while still holding the phone. but then the network went down and electricity was cut off. like many here, ali has had to put his grief on hold. he's part of a team of syrians helping other syrians find their loved ones. but a big part of their homeland has also been devastated by the earthquake and they are left fending for themselves. translation: we should think about syria. - they don't have electricity or clean water. their houses have been devastated by the bombs and now the earthquake. of course, we accept what comes from god, but i should tell the world — enough. for aisha, there is one more heartbreak to come as the family finally recovered the last person

they were looking for — the body of their son—in—law ten days after the earthquake. antony blinken has arrived in turkey ray stepped off a plane where he is visiting a province. not been prescient, these are not live pictures. this is a few moments ago. mr blunkett is going to be meeting with the foreign minister and there were two earthquake damage. he is going to be seeing what the us military is doing and during a base.

it goes back to the days of the cold war. turkey, he will also be lobbying on behalf of finland and sweden to get the objections stopping finland and sweden being part of nato to be resolved and he will talk to some of the rescue teams as well. south korea's military has held a joint exercise drill involving fighterjets and us strategic bombers in response to north korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. pyongyang said saturday's test of the long—range missile, capable of striking the us, was a warning to both washington and seoul. the us and south korea have already confirmed plans to hold their annual military exercises next month. kim yojong, the powerful sister of north korea's leader, has warned of what she describes as a "strong and overwhelming" response to any "hostile" acts. the family of the former us presidentjimmy carter says he's

decided to spend his remaining time at home — after a series of short stays in hospital. the carter center said the 98—year—old would receive hospice care. mr carter has suffered from recent health issues, including a melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. earlier, i spoke to cbs news correspondent cristian benavides from plains, georgia, where the oldest living leader in the us was born and raised. former president carter has really defied the odds for so many times. you mentioned that cancer about, beating cancer and then coming back at aged 95 and at that age, continuing to build homes with habitat for humanity, so really quite an incredible story. as far as any updates from the family, at this moment, it is still early, it is

about six in the morning so we have not had any updates for the family did ask for privacy in that statement and of course, we are all here in a small town, about 600 people live here and he truly is the fixture of the town. the rest of the country, he is presidentjimmy carter but here he is just country, he is presidentjimmy carter but here he isjustjimmy and everyone in this community knows him and loves him and it is quite heartbreaking for them to be going through this at this time. more heartbreaking for them to be going through this at this time.— through this at this time. more on jimmy carter's _ through this at this time. more on jimmy carter's life _ through this at this time. more on jimmy carter's life and _ through this at this time. more on jimmy carter's life and career - through this at this time. more on jimmy carter's life and career on i jimmy carter's life and career on the bbc news website. the uk's most prestigious film awards ceremony — the baftas — is taking place tonight, and for the first time it will be televised live. it'll be hosted by the actor richard e grant. our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, has been taking a look at the runners and riders. this german—language version of all quiet on the western front contrasts the youthful fervour of a young recruit with the reality of war. it leads with 14 nominations, including best picture and best director for edward berger. does it have a resonance

with what we're seeing happening around the world today? i think it does, even though i'd like to hope that the film would have also connected with an audience without it. and of course we never planned to have it be so horribly relevant because we made the film long before the ukraine war. at the other end of the spectrum, with ten nominations, the imaginative fantasy everything everywhere all at once has wowed awards voters. it's up for best film and its stars michelle yeoh and ke huy quan also recognised. ijust don't like you no more. but perhaps the favourite to do best overall tonight is the banshees of inisherin, the story of two feuding friends. it's up for ten awards, including best film and best british film. you do like me. while its two stars... i don't. ..brendan gleeson and colin farrell are also nominated. cate blanchett has been picking up award after award for her portrayal of an under—pressure conductor

in the film tar. many expect her to continue that winning streak this evening. the biggest film of the last few years, avatar�*s sequel, the way of water, might have been a hit with audiences, but it's only up for two awards, best sound and best effects. the evening will also remember her majesty the queen who had a close association with bafta. the tribute will be led by dame helen mirren, who of course won a bafta and an oscar for playing her in the film the queen in 2006, and who also met her majesty on a number of occasions. in 2013, she received an honorary bafta, recognising her long—standing support for the creative industries. lizo mzimba, bbc news. we'll find out in the bafta awards

live. lots of other great nominees as well. stay with us on bbc news and we will have more at the top of the hour. it was certainly worth getting up early this morning for the beautiful sunrise that many of you enjoyed early on. this was one of our weather—watcher pictures sent in hanks to jo. and another one from the north—east of england. for most parts of the country it is going to be brighter compared with yesterday. a few more sunny spell to go around but thicker cloud heading into scotland. weather fronts here will bring heavy and persistent rain and it is going to get quite windy through the afternoon. gusts up to 50—odd miles an hour. though there is quite a bit of cloud still across

england and wales there will be some bigger gaps in the clouds are a bit more sunshine to go around. a mail today. temperatures 11—13. overnight it is going to get really windy once again with gusts of 50—70 mph. strong enough to bring some localised disruption here with the band have been edging into scotland as well, associated with those strong winds. for the south words, the windy pick up overnight. bringing cloudy weather into western portions of england and wales with a few patches of drizzle. a very mild night and for quite a few, temperatures will stay in double figures. looking at the weather picture into tomorrow, we've got our weather front stretched across scotland, bringing outbreaks of rain. cooler air across the far north of scotland but with cooler conditions at least you will see some bright or sunny spells for orkney, shetland and parts of the highlands. for the south—west we've got that mild flow of south—westerly winds. a few patches of drizzle to start the day across western areas but through the day, there will be a lot of dry weather and bright sunny spells coming through at times that are very mild across parts of eastern

england. 16 degrees in norwich and 8 degrees above average for the time of year. those mild south—westerly winds are back with us again on tuesday but extending northwards across scotland so temperatures across northern scotland will be rising. 13 degrees, for example, in aberdeen. often the weather was going to be cloudy on tuesday but some bright sunny spells breaking through from time to time. there will be a change in the weather pattern as we head to the middle part of the week. we lose the south—westerly wind and swap for the north—westerly winds bringing cooler conditions. i say cooler, and actually temperatures on wednesday will be closer to average for the time of weather to turn a bit brighter later in the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the us secretary of state says china is considering supplying weapons and ammunition to russia for its war against ukraine. we have seen them provide non—lethal support to russia for use in ukraine. the concern that we have now is based on information we have that they are considering providing lethal support. borisjohnson urges rishi sunak not to drop the northern ireland protocol bill — as speculation mounts of a compromise over post—brexit arrangements. the first two candidates to become the new first minister of scotland put their names forward — we'll look at what they stand for. the 76th annual british academy awards take place in london later — with the german—language film, all quiet on the western front,