this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm rebecca jones. our top stories: tight security as voting gets under way in nigeria to choose a new president and national assembly. lam in i am in lagos were millions of people are gearing to choose their next president. president biden rules out sending f—16fighterjets to ukraine, but the us and the european union both impose further sanctions on russia. downing street says talks with the eu over a brexit deal covering northern ireland have been "positive", raising hopes of a new agreement. a fifth person's been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of the off—duty police

officerjohn caldwell in omagh. we report on the huge relief effort in turkey and syria to try to help people who have lost everything in the catastrophic earthquakes. some of these guys have been flying around 2,000 hours since the earthquake struck. they say they were medically evacuating casualties for hours, but they say they will keep going as long as they can. hello and welcome to bbc news. tens of million of people in nigeria are heading to the polls to vote

for a new president. are heading to the polls to vote there's tight security across the country. the election is being seen as one of the most unpredictable in recent years, with three leading candidates instead of two. the incumbent, muhammadu buhari, is stepping aside after serving the maximum two terms in office. with me now is our west africa correspondent, mayenijones. tell us a bit about the climate in which these elections are taking place? i which these elections are taking lace? . ., .,, which these elections are taking lace? . ., , place? i am here in lagos, the place that has the — place? i am here in lagos, the place that has the highest _ place? i am here in lagos, the place that has the highest number- place? i am here in lagos, the place that has the highest number of - that has the highest number of voters in this election. these elections come at a very tumultuous time for nigeria. there is a shortage of cash. there is also rising insecurity across the country with gangster kidnap for ransom

targeting travellers on the country's roads. voters are showing up country's roads. voters are showing up at the polls today hoping that their next president can tackle some of these pressing issues. what their next president can tackle some of these pressing issues.— of these pressing issues. what can we exect of these pressing issues. what can we meet not _ of these pressing issues. what can we expect not the _ of these pressing issues. what can we expect not the polls _ of these pressing issues. what can we expect not the polls have - of these pressing issues. what can . we expect not the polls have opened? people will be voting here until 230i am local time. after that the votes will be sent to abu cher. folks here are electronic. it is a little machine that looks a bit like an ipad. at the end of the day all the results are added onto trade and sent electronically. that in theory means the result should start trickling in a sinister polls close with the final result expected late

on sunday, maybe early monday. what on sunday, maybe early monday. what is the turnout — on sunday, maybe early monday. what is the turnout likely _ on sunday, maybe early monday. what is the turnout likely to be? the - is the turnout likely to be? the electoral is the turnout likely to be? tie: electoral commission says is the turnout likely to be? ti2 electoral commission says this is the highest number of eligible voters they have ever had. because this is a tightly contested race and we have a third—party candidate the third time, people are expecting to turn out to be pretty high. it will be interesting to see how the next hours turnout. the turnout does tend to be high. they are seeing lots of young people. ispoke to be high. they are seeing lots of young people. i spoke to a couple of young people. i spoke to a couple of young people. i spoke to a couple of young people saying they have turned out for the first time. for young people saying they have turned out for the first time.— out for the first time. for now, thank yom _ out for the first time. for now, thank you. good _ out for the first time. for now, thank you. good to _ out for the first time. for now, thank you. good to talk- out for the first time. for now, thank you. good to talk to - out for the first time. for now, | thank you. good to talk to you. ukraine's president zelensky has said he plans to meet china's leader, xijinping, to discuss beijing's proposals on ending the war in ukraine.

he made the comments in a question and answer session in kyiv, to mark the first anniversary of the russian invasion. translation: first of all, i am planning to meet - with xijinping and i think it will be beneficial for our countries and for the world's security. together with china we have large trade. this is not only about war. we are our countries interested in keeping our economic relationships. one of vladimir putin's closest allies, president lukashenko of belarus, is to visit china on tuesday as beijing tries to present itself as a peacemaker in ukraine. joining me now is asia pacific editor for the bbc world service, michael bristow. let's start with that news that the belarusian leader will make a state visit to china next week. what

belarusian leader will make a state visit to china next week.— visit to china next week. what are we to make _ visit to china next week. what are we to make of _ visit to china next week. what are we to make of this? _ visit to china next week. what are we to make of this? well, - visit to china next week. what are we to make of this? well, we - visit to china next week. what are i we to make of this? well, we simply don't know at the moment because we just have sketchy details about this four—day visit which begins next tuesday, but it is tempting to see a series of events when they come together to suggest a motive. we have seen, as you suggested there, over the last few days china has been pushing itself as a peacemaker in the war in ukraine. last week it sent its chief foreign affairs official to moscow, who met with president putin. just on friday, china came forward with this 12 point peace proposal, a series of principles which it believes should be followed in order to stop the conflict in ukraine. now we see alexander lukashenko, vladimir putin's closest ally, going to beijing. it is tempting to see this as some kind of continuing diplomatic offensive by china to get

itself involved in the war in ukraine and perhaps to stop the fighting there.— ukraine and perhaps to stop the fiaahtin there. , , fighting there. president lukashenko doesnt fighting there. president lukashenko doesn't seem — fighting there. president lukashenko doesn't seem to _ fighting there. president lukashenko doesn't seem to be _ fighting there. president lukashenko doesn't seem to be the _ fighting there. president lukashenko doesn't seem to be the only - fighting there. president lukashenko doesn't seem to be the only one - doesn't seem to be the only one going to china. it is being reported that president macron of france will visit china in early april. what is your response to that news? earl?a your response to that news? early a - ril is your response to that news? early april is quite _ your response to that news? early april is quite a _ your response to that news? early april is quite a long _ your response to that news? early april is quite a long time - your response to that news? eat; april is quite a long time away from now and that news is just coming so it is difficult once again to assess the significance. president macron has tried to put himself quite clearly at the heart of negotiations to end the war in ukraine. he has spoken on a number of occasions to president putin. it seems in keeping —— it seems in keeping with that. this could be getting back to china and alexander lukashenko, it could be china as well trying to pass a message on to russia that it doesn't want belarusian to be used as a staging point for any future offensive by russia against ukraine,

so we know that china has a number of concerns about the war. it doesn't want it escalating. it could be that messages are going back to president putin as well as to the ukrainian president. this president putin as well as to the ukrainian president.— president putin as well as to the ukrainian president. this is place in china in _ ukrainian president. this is place in china in the _ ukrainian president. this is place in china in the spotlight. - in china in the spotlight. realistically, what could it achieve? ., realistically, what could it achieve?— realistically, what could it achieve? ., , . , achieve? not very much, really. its credibility has _ achieve? not very much, really. its credibility has been _ achieve? not very much, really. its credibility has been shot _ achieve? not very much, really. its credibility has been shot to - achieve? not very much, really. its credibility has been shot to a - achieve? not very much, really. its credibility has been shot to a large| credibility has been shot to a large extent because it has failed consistently to condemn russia's invasion of ukraine and in many people's eyes, the eu, united states, nato, it is simply lost its credibility as an honest broker, is a neutral party. it leans towards russia, it has supported russia in many respects, even though as of yet it has not provided any weapons to russia. that limits its manoeuvrability and presenting

itself as a neutral party with the ability to come up with some solid conclusion or solid way to end this conflict. finance ministers from the 620 leading economies have been discussing relief for indebted countries at their meeting in india. the indian prime minister, narendra modi, has welcomed germany's chancellor, 0laf scholz, to delhi for a two—day visit. he arrived with a german business delegation seeking to increase trade, especially in the areas of military hardware and green technology. ahead of the meeting, the uk chancellor, jeremy hunt, has said he had been trying to "win the argument" that russian aggression towards ukraine must not be allowed to succeed. he's been speaking to our correspondent leila nathoo about possible divisions among g20 nations as the host country, india, has taken a neutral stance on the war and china abstained from voting in this week's un resolution which condemned russia's invasion of ukraine.

what i'm sensing is actual unanimity from everyone except russia around the idea that one country invading another simply cannot be allowed to happen in the modern world. and, yes, people's language is different, they have different historical context, but the sense that this is something terrible in the world and it must not be allowed to succeed is very widespread. a fifth man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of an off—duty police officer in county tyrone. two gunmen fired several shots at detective chief inspectorjohn caldwell at a sports complex in 0magh on wednesday. he remains in a critical but stable condition. a rally will be held in the town later condemning the shooting. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page reports. john caldwell�*s friends, neighbours

and colleagues have paid tribute to his bravery and selflessness. eyewitnesses say that he shouted to children to run to safety even as he was being attacked himself. this sports complex in the town of 0magh was packed on wednesday night. the police officer was off duty, loading footballs into his car with his son when two gunmen opened fire. members of a running club gave him first aid. asjohn was stumbling, they ran to him and they administered first aid to him very lovingly and very graciously. they got ambulances and then, as more people came, some more help was brought tojohn. thank god that he's still with us and that, you know, has family have a father, that his wife has a husband. today in 0magh there will be a demonstration of goodwill for mr caldwell. trade unions have organized a rally in the main street. people attending will send a message they want northern ireland's peace process to be preserved.

police are focusing their investigation on the dissident republican group known as the new ira. it's one of the paramilitary organizations which still targets the security forces almost 25 years after the conflict in this part of the uk largely ended. also this morning, john caldwell�*s football club, beragh swifts, is holding a walk of solidarity. the community is coming together to support the detective and condemn those who tried to murder him. chris page, bbc news. progress is being made in talks between the uk and the eu over a new brexit deal for northern ireland. the british prime minister has been trying to win support for changes to the so—called protocol. the current agreement creates trade barriers between the british mainland and northern ireland. 0ur political correspondent david wallace lockhart reports. the uk and the eu appear to be

inching closer to a new deal on the northern ireland protocol, one of the most controversial aspects of post—brexit trading. under the protocol goods from scotland, england and wales are checked for compliance with eu rules before they enter northern ireland, effectively creating a border in the irish sea. those goods can then travel freely over an open border from northern ireland to the republic of ireland, which is part of the eu. the dup, northern ireland's main unionist party, and a number of tory mps are opposed to this level of eu oversight in part of the uk. the chancellor yesterday, on a visit to india, was confident a resolution can be found. well, what the government will do is strain every sinew to try and resolve the situation in northern ireland so that goods can be traded freely across the whole of the united kingdom internal market and we won't stop until we get that.

when we have a deal that delivers that, we will put it on the table for everyone to make theirjudgments, but we're not at that point yet. talks are going to continue this weekend, but rishi sunak does face a challenge. while the eu may be happy to make changes so that goods flow more easily between northern ireland and the rest of the uk, he may not be able to secure the sort of wholesale changes that some opponents of the protocol are looking for. the prime minister spoke with business representatives yesterday. one major retailer told the bbc they believe a deal has been done. number ten deny progress is that advanced. for some in business a good deal is better than a fast deal. well, first of all, this has taken a long time even he to get to this point. it's really important for us that the detail is right. we don't want something that's rushed that puts us in a similar situation to what we were first time around. we've taken months and months to overcome some problems,

negotiate some compromises, so it's really important that they take their time to get this right. another few days is better than rolling out something that isn't going to be right for the business community here. another few days — it may well take that. for now, at least, we're told that intensive talks are ongoing. let's talk to our political correspondent ione wells. what do we know? is the deal done? we know that _ what do we know? is the deal done? we know that the _ what do we know? is the deal done? we know that the brink _ what do we know? is the deal done? we know that the brink as _ what do we know? is the deal done? we know that the brink as they - what do we know? is the deal done? we know that the brink as they are, | we know that the brink as they are, essentially. we know that in essence a deal about these new trading arrangements for northern ireland are essentially done. it is not a case about the ongoing talks about how a deal is announced and the logistics around that, but also making sure that everybody is on

board as much as is possible. we know that for a number of reasons, really. we know that the government and prime minister have been briefing mps about the substance of the deal, but also brief and politicians in northern ireland, businesses, retail operators. we know that the king was due to meet with the president of the european commission today. that has been cancelled they say that was due to operational reasons. but that she was due to be here in the uk would suggest that the deal is ready to be announced any day now. the pace of this is rapidly increasing as we speak. i think now it is a case of the politics and that is what will be tricky over the next couple of days for the prime minister. i5 be tricky over the next couple of days for the prime minister. is this a deal between _ days for the prime minister. is this a deal between the _ days for the prime minister. is this a deal between the uk _ days for the prime minister. is this a deal between the uk and - days for the prime minister. is this a deal between the uk and the - days for the prime minister. is this j a deal between the uk and the eu, and if it is, what about the democratic unionist party in northern ireland, who we know have

reservations about any potential deal? it reservations about any potential deal? , ., ., reservations about any potential deal? , . . , deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu, deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu. but _ deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu. but a _ deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu, but a big _ deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu, but a big concern - deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu, but a big concern is - deal? it is a deal between the uk and eu, but a big concern is howl deal? it is a deal between the uk i and eu, but a big concern is how the dup in northern ireland going to react to this. they have never been happy with the protocol and part of these negotiations, not only to resolve some trading barriers between great britain and northern ireland, but also about trying to get the dup back into government in northern ireland. 0ne get the dup back into government in northern ireland. one of the key tests is will they be happy. thank ou, we tests is will they be happy. thank you, we believe _ tests is will they be happy. thank you, we believe leave _ tests is will they be happy. thank you, we believe leave it - tests is will they be happy. thank you, we believe leave it there. i thank you, we believe leave it there. more than 50,000 people are known to have died in the earthquakes which struck turkey and syria earlier this month. as international aid flows into the area, the focus now is on helping survivors, but getting help to those who need it can be challenging. 0ur correspondent laura bicker reports from turkey. aid that was slow to arrive

is now in full flow. helicopter after helicopter of tents, food, medicine all crammed on board. no more room, signals this load master. there are more than 100 flights a day from here. international aid from the us and the uk has also ramped up. 0ur aircraft is stacked with tents around our feet. we head over the mountains towards one of the ten zones in a state of emergency to get an idea of the scale of this disaster. this is by far the biggest logistical operation turkey's forces have ever faced. they've got more than 100 kilometres along a fault line to cover. and tens of thousands in need. and most of them need these, which need room in a helicopter.

we are flying to the first drop—off, near hatay, the worst—affected region in turkey. in the city of antakya, survivors say help took more than two days to arrive. at least 20,000 people lost their lives here. further down the coast, it took more than two weeks to get basic shelter to the people of this remote city. villagers need to stay to feed their livestock. gonul�*s daughter was killed in the earthquake. she is now too frightened to live under this roof, especially after the area was hit by another tremor on monday. translation: we live in fear. we can't sleep well at night. when the quake happens, we suddenly woke up. what can we do?

we can't go outside either. it's cold. there is nothing that can be done. tents are temporary. gonul says she needs a new home. there have been major challenges to overcome to help people like gonul. airports are damaged and landing in remote areas has been difficult. some of these guys have been flying over 1,000 hours since the earthquake struck. they say they will continue to keep going as long as aid is needed. many of them off camera have told us about the harrowing moment where they had to fly in to the earthquake—affected zone. they say they were medically evacuating casualties for hours but they say they will keep going as long as they can. aid is now getting to most who need it. but the long—term plan to help the tens of thousands in crisis is still unclear.

laura bicker, bbc news. it has been described as the most significant shipwreck discovery since the mary rose. the gloucester sank more than 400 years ago and has now been found off the coast of norfolk in eastern england. it was discovered by a pair of brothers after four years of searching, and now some of its treasures are due to go on display. jo black reports. 0n the sea bed, a team of divers explore the site of a royal shipwreck. the gloucester ran aground off the coast of norfolk on the 6th of may 1682. this discovery has been described as the most important maritime find since the mary rose, and it was found by two brothers from norwich. oh, look at that bottle, got a cork on the top as well.

julian and lincoln barnwell run a printing business, but they're also experienced divers and have searched for shipwrecks for years. they challenged themselves to look for the gloucester and after four years they found her. this footage shows a rope, one of the ship's cannons, a wine bottle and the tip of one of the anchors. and this computer image of the site has been generated and shows how a lot of the ship is submerged in the sand. hundreds of items from the gloucester have been brought to the surface and now they're going on public display for the first time. well, it's quite surreal, actually, you know, to sort of go from seeing them on the sea bed and to sort of bring them out to the public and display them in such a lovely way, it's something to be proud of. 0nboard that fateful day was james, the duke of york and future king. he survived, but hundreds died. and because the gloucester sank so quickly, personal possessions were left behind.

now we're able to view them up close. one of the main exhibits is the ship's bell, but there are also items such as wine bottles, spoons and thimbles. also brought up from the ship are combs, pipes and this leather pouch. remarkably, some textiles discovered in chests have also been recovered. this petticoat, a collar and a hood, are all made from silk. objects which are so rare to see that normally dress historians are looking in portraits and paintings to actually look at items that people are wearing. and now we have the opportunity to actually look at them closely, examine how they're constructed, and alsojust wonder at their beauty and craftsmanship. it's a real privilege to share this story for the first - time with everybody. we're telling two stories, i the story of the gloucester in the 17th century, _ the story of a tragedy, almost

losing the heir to the throne. but we're also telling the 21st century story of the second i life of the gloucester, j with julian and lincoln and james little finding it in 2007 and from there, i bringing it to - everybody's attention. what we see here is just a small sample of artifacts. the sea bed holds many more. what i can't stop thinking about is ornate wood, so if we were to find some ornate wood, that the ship in the day was actually covered in gold leaf on the stern. and to find something like that, gold obviously doesn't deteriorate, so to find something beautiful like that, i mean, it'sjust, you know, it's all there to be found, hopefully. so we know there's 20 cannons on the surface on the seabed. she would been having between 50 and 60 cannons. and to have the whole collection from one one site is quite unusual. so we would really build a strong case for recovering the cannons.

so that would be quite a moment, wouldn't it? there are many more years of diving, discovery and research to come, but for now we already know and understand so much more about the gloucester and her last voyage. jo black, bbc news. i want to take you back to nigeria. let's show you some live pictures that have come into us from the capital, where people have been voting in the elections, tens of millions of people in nigeria are heading to the polls to vote for a new president. these live pictures, as i say. polling stations will open at 7:30am local time. abc reporters around the country have said the

start of voting in some areas have been quite chaotic. at one polling unit, waiting voters were told they would have to go somewhere else. it is highly likely we will close out the month of february as we began, with a good deal of quiet, dry weather around. clear skies that might lead to frosty conditions at this time of year, so it has been a frosty start in devon. in the highlands of scotland, quite a bit of clutter on this morning. we do have high pressure, but as the winds come round from a clockwise direction a cold wind is coming off the sea. there is always the risk of showers here and some of those will push further inland, may be turning wintry to the tops of the peaks in

the pennines. the winter is coming from the north—east, cold source, soak us up to a0 miles an hour. the best of the sunshine further west, particularly the north—west of scotland, and temperatures likely to be between five and 8 degrees, where they should be for this time of year. through this evening and overnight, most of the showers will tend to fade back to the far north—east of england and under clear skies we are likely to see a touch of frost quite widely across the country. low single figures first thing on sunday morning, perhapsjust first thing on sunday morning, perhaps just below first thing on sunday morning, perhapsjust below in first thing on sunday morning, perhaps just below in more first thing on sunday morning, perhapsjust below in more rural parts. we are likely to start off on sunday chilly, but largely quiet. the high pressure not moving very far very fast. maybe isobars opening up far very fast. maybe isobars opening up a little. meaning the winds will be slightly lighter for sunday and we should see a bit more sunshine. not a bad second perch at the weekend at all. if you do have outdoor plants i don't think you will be disappointed. still the risk

of a few showers across the north—east. temp —— top temperatures between seven and nine. little in the way of change as we move through the way of change as we move through the working week, but it is worth pointing out that as you go through towards tuesday, there is the risk potentially of showers developing from the channel which may well move towards the south—east corner. you will need to keep an eye on those. generally, looking into your week ahead, dry, settled in sunny as we head into march. just at risk rain into the south east first thing on tuesday morning. whatever you are doing this we can, have a good one.

this is bbc news, the headlines: a fifth person's been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of the off—duty police officerjohn caldwell in 0magh. talks are continuing between the uk and the eu over securing a new brexit deal for northern ireland. there are signs an agreement is close, with a number 10 source calling negotiations "positive". ukraine's president zelensky has said he plans to meet china's leader, xijinping — to discuss beijing's proposals on ending the war in ukraine. china's plan calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty —

but does not call for russia to withdraw its forces.