this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm frankie mccamley. our top stories: millions of nigerians have been voting in their country's most competitive election since military rule ended there more than two decades ago. china's plans for peace in ukraine cause ripples around the world — president zelensky says he wants to hear more — and the leader of russia's key ally belarus announces plans to fly to beijing. governments in london and dublin say talks over a brexit deal covering northern ireland have been �*positive�* — raising hopes of an imminent new agreement on trade. i think the talks on reforming the protocol are inching towards a conclusion. certainly the deal isn't done yet but i do think we are

inching towards a conclusion. a winter storm brings rain and snow to southern california, the likes of which hasn't been seen there for more than three decades. coastal areas are also under flood warning due to high winds. millions of nigerians are voting in the country's most competitive election since military rule ended there more than two decades ago. the race is between two major established parties, and a third candidate, peter obi, who has galvanised the support of young people. nigeria is africa's most populous country — and a record number of people — nearly 90 million — have been eligible to vote. voting has officially ended but the millions of people who are in queues at polling stations nationwide can still cast their ballot. and in some places, especially

in the south of the country, voting has not even started due to severe delays and violent disruptions. joining me now is remi adekoya, lecturer of politics at the university of york. thank you forjoining us. i was just saying violent disruptions, polling station not opening, what is your reaction? ., ., , , station not opening, what is your reaction? ., ., , ., reaction? unfortunately it is sad to hear the reports, _ reaction? unfortunately it is sad to hear the reports, i _ reaction? unfortunately it is sad to hear the reports, i have _ reaction? unfortunately it is sad to hear the reports, i have also - reaction? unfortunately it is sad to hear the reports, i have also heard the reports and spoken to people on the reports and spoken to people on the grounds and unfortunately it is happening. hopefully voting will continue and everybody who is registered to vote will be able to vote at the end of the day. this is bein: vote at the end of the day. this is being billed _ vote at the end of the day. this is being billed as _ vote at the end of the day. this is being billed as such _ vote at the end of the day. this is being billed as such a _ vote at the end of the day. this is being billed as such a huge - being billed as such a huge

election. just give us the context surrounding this because there is a lot of issues in the backdrop of this, a lot of issues nigerians are facing and what do you think they will have in their minds when going to the polls to make that decision? definitely, the number one issue is the economy. the two issues nigerians rank as top priorities is security and the economy. security also links to the economy. nigerians have been hit hard in recent times, a recent survey showed 85% of nigerians describe the current economic situation is bad, which is the worst result ever since the poll was conducted. there is the cost of living crisis all over the world with inflation all over the world, but nigerians have been particularly hit hard and the current administration has not done well economically for the past eight years and that is the general consensus among nigerians. the number one thing on most nigerians,

which of these candidates do i think can turn the economy right? if we can turn the economy right? if we can turn the economy right? if we can turn the economy around, other issues can be issued like tackling security and growing jobs for the population. there is 250 million nigerians and that population is expected to 22 400 million before 2050. the economy is growing, but it is going too slow. nigeria needs much stronger growth to absorb the growing population and create enough jobs. you growing population and create enough “obs. ., ., ., , jobs. you mention the candidates, it is interesting — jobs. you mention the candidates, it is interesting because _ jobs. you mention the candidates, it is interesting because they - jobs. you mention the candidates, it is interesting because they are - is interesting because they are usually two candidates in the race, two major parties. right now there are three major parties in this race? are three ma'or parties in this race? , , ., , , are three ma'or parties in this race? , my race? yes, usually there is anything from 4015 candidates _ race? yes, usually there is anything from 4015 candidates but _ race? yes, usually there is anything from 4015 candidates but it - race? yes, usually there is anything from 4015 candidates but it is - from 4015 candidates but it is usually the case it is a two horse race and only two that have a realistic chance. this time three candidates have a realistic chance of winning. it is anybody�*s gas and

some of the polls have placed a certain candidate as the winner. 0ther certain candidate as the winner. other polls have placed another candidate as the winner. it is anybody�*s guess at this point in time to everybody is waiting as the results are trickling in. they are trickling in slowly but it will probably take a couple of hours before we know the results, perhaps tomorrow. everybody is waiting for who is going to win this because this could be a shocker, the result. thank you, we keep our eyes on that story it develops. 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. at a meeting of the united nations security council to discuss the situation in ukraine, china's spokesperson stressed that his country was ready to help find what he described as a �*political settlement.�* translation: the road to peace will not be smooth. _ translation: the road to peace will not be smooth, but _ translation: the road to peace will not be smooth, but no _ translation: the road to peace will not be smooth, but no matter- translation: the road to peace will not be smooth, but no matter how i not be smooth, but no matter how complicated the situation is, we must not give up our efforts for peace. in terms of the ukraine crisis, china always stands firmly on the side of peace and dialogue. more than 50,000 people are known to have died in the earthquakes which struck turkey and syria earlier this month, but as international aid flows into the area, the focus now is on helping survivors. 0ur correspondent laura bicker reports. 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, with tens of thousands in need and most of them need these, which need room in a helicopter. we're 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 remote kapisuyu. villagers need to stay to feed their livestock. gonul�*s daughter was killed in the earthquake. she's 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 happened, we suddenly woke up. what can we do? we can't go outside

either, it's cold. there is nothing that can be done. there have been major challenges to overcome to help people like gonul. airports are damaged and landing in remote areas has been difficult. 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, in the skies over hatay. the uk and the european union appear to be on the brink of completing a new brexit deal for northern ireland with the government describing negotiations as �*positive'. under the current protocol, goods from scotland, england and wales are checked before they enter northern ireland to make sure they follow eu rules. which effectively creates a border down the irish sea. that's to make sure there's

still an open border from northern ireland into the republic of ireland, which is part of the eu. the democratic unionist party have been firmly opposed to the current system, and have refused to enter a power sharing agreement at stormont until a solution is reached. 0ur political correspondent ione wells gave us an idea of what might be going on now behind the scenes. i think it is certainly fair to say that in essence this deal is all but done. maybe not signed on the dotted line yet, but basically pretty much agreed. it is now a case of these talks over the weekend about how is this presented? we have had various signs of the fact that it is very close. we know king charles, for example, was due to meet the president of the european commission in the uk today. the palace and downing street say the meeting was called off due to operational reasons, but the fact she was meant to be here shows she was poised to publicly present a deal of some kind. i think what is definitely at the forefront of government ministers' minds is, when it is presented how do you make sure different parties are happy with how it is presented,

particularly some of those tory backbench mps. but also the dup in northern ireland, who are refusing to go back into government in northern ireland until issues with the protocol are resolved. so their reaction to any deal to going to be key to this. i think the government, though, acknowledges they may not be able to give everybody everything what they want. the irish prime minister leo varadkar says we're getting closer to a deal. i think the talks on reforming the protocol are inching towards a conclusion. certainly the deal isn't done yet but i do think we are inching towards conclusion and i really want to thank the uk government, the european commission and the northern ireland parties for the level of engagements that they've done in recent months to get us to this point. we just encourage everyone to go the extra mile to come to an agreement, because the benefits are huge. it allows us to have the northern ireland assembly and executive back up and running in the north, to have the good friday agreement working properly again and also to put relations between the united kingdom and ireland and the european union on a much more positive footing.

and that's really important, given all the other challenges we face, particularly with inflation and the war in ukraine. katy hayward is a professor of political sociology at queen's university belfast — she told me what we can expect from a deal. they are hoping to see a softening of the so—called irish border, so it will be easier for goods to move from britain into northern ireland. this is something the dup have been asking forfor a long time now, but so have other parties and businesses in northern ireland and they are frustrated at the additional paperwork and requirements for such movement. of course, they have to balance that against the wishes of the vast majority of people to keep northern ireland having access to the eu single market. it is a tentative balance they have to strike between the uk and the eu and here. in addition, people will be looking for change for the long term relationship between the uk and the eu with respect

to northern ireland, recognising this is an evolving relationship and the uk will emerge from the eu and we need structures in which people from northern ireland, perhaps our elected representatives, can have some say about how northern ireland is placed in this new and complex situation. you have been polling a lot of people, part of your research, in regard to the protocol, what have they been saying, what have you found out about that? yes, my colleagues here in queen's university in belfast, we have been conducting regular polls. what we see is an established trend in northern ireland with slight majority of people being in favour of the protocol. but most people having concerns around the impact it has been having on political stability. recognising there are some economic opportunities potentially, but worried about the long—term effects it has had on the

relationship between unionists and nationalists in northern ireland. interestingly, when we polled this time, asking what would they prioritise as issues of concern, above all else, it is issues that concern other people across the uk and ireland, health care and the economy. however, one in five people think the protocol is the most important issue for them and they would tend to be supporters of the dup. we can see why the dup in particular will be important when it comes to testing this agreement between the uk and the eu and seeing if it is enough for them to go back into power sharing and enabled the executive and assembly to fix the issue such as the economy and the health service that people are most concerned about. you mentioned a couple of times, the economy. this is on the backdrop of a cost of living crisis. does it feel like businesses are struggling, there is a sense of urgency here?

i think the urgency for businesses across northern ireland really relates to the question of certainty. they have been very much concerned there is a big question over the future of the protocol because it is very much a source of tension between the uk and the eu. there is a hope that if we have a deal between the uk and the eu and they get a better relationship, it can bring certainty, clarity about what northern ireland has economic situation will be going forward that will enable businesses to make the most of some of the opportunities they have been promised would be secured through the protocol. that is what they would like to see overall. hence, there is a lot of expectation, hopefully in the coming few days, there will be a reset of the uk eu relationship to give businesses what they have been asking for. events are being held in northern ireland in solidarity with an off—duty detective

who is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot multiple times. john caldwell was attacked in front of his young son after coaching under—15s at football. police have arrested a fifth man in connection with the shooting, which they are treating as a terrorist incident. julian fowler reports from 0magh. the village of beragh, a few miles from 0magh. around a thousand people marched to show support forjohn caldwell. the demonstration was organised by the football club where the off—duty detective was a volunteer coach. the dissident republican group the new ira, who police believe carried out the shooting, has little public support. it's great. itjust shows no part of the community wants to see this. we are united together, and people like that just need to go away. and what were your thoughts when you heard what had happened to john caldwell? well, there was a lot of fright at the same time, you know? because obviously, that sort of stuff doesn't happen as much. so it wasjust bringing back stuff, you know? but fear, first off.

and it was the youths, beragh youths, and fear about that growing up, you know? people have also gathered in the centre of 0magh — a town all too familiar with the violence of the troubles, 25 years after a dissident republican car bomb killed 29 people and unborn twins a few hundred metres from here, violence which the people gathered here today hoped had been consigned to the past. john caldwell, who was with his son, had just finished a training session with an under—15 football team when he was shot several times. he remains critically ill and heavily sedated, with what had been described as "life—changing injuries". four men were arrested in 0magh and coalisland. and late last night, there was a fifth arrest — a 43—year—old man, in stewartstown. all are being held under the terrorism act. the many hundreds of people who took to the streets today want to send a message that those who use violence to oppose the peace process

in northern ireland have little public support, but the events of recent days show they still pose a threat. julian fowler, bbc news, 0magh. floods and landslides in brazil are now known to have killed at least 54 people, with about 30 still missing. most of those killed were in and around sao sebastiao in sao paulo state. more than a month's worth of rain fell in 24 hours last weekend as record storms dumped more than an entire february's worth of rain in 24 hours on the the region, triggering violent floods and landslides that tore through precariously built hillside communities. the local governor admitted the official weather alert system had failed to avoid the tragedy.

california is a place usually associated with warm, sunny weather — but there has been snow settling on the ground in the hills overlooking los angeles. the cause — a cold weather system, the likes of which haven't been seen there for more than three decades. the snow is widespread — this was the scene in the hills near to san francisco on friday. and worse is expected to come — with high winds leading to flood warnings in some coastal areas. some major roads have been closed and there is also weather—related disruption in other parts of the us. 0ur north america correspondent david willis is in los angeles — he sent this report. oh, my god, look, it is beautiful. look, it is all over the roof. almost unimaginable for some, but picturesque nonetheless, this was what some on america's west coast awoke to. but the heavy snowfall was to bring with it freezing rain which pushed into the state from the north, prompting the first blizzard warning in some parts of california since 1989.

a massive low pressure system, driven from the arctic the culprit, according to forecasters. just a strong storm overall for the month of february, one of our wettest months of the year, but the biggest difference is just the feet of snow expected in the mountains. flood and evacuation warnings are in place in some coastal areas, where officials are expecting around three inches of rain. local residents are being urged to limit all nonessential travel until the storm has blown over. as temperatures fall well below normal, snow has even been spotted above the iconic hollywood sign. normally by this time of year los angeles is done with winter and you can see the hollywood sign, which i can assure you is behind me, from miles around, but today it is blanketed by a wall of fog and dense and very heavy rain that is expected to continue over the weekend. all this follows a similar spell of cold weather which hit the midwest and the great lakes earlier in the week.

from wisconsin to nebraska, to south dakota and colorado, all have been battling blizzard conditions which have left three quarters of a million homes without power and are now bearing down on the west coast. a lot of heavy rain, a lot of intense downpours, even some lightning at times with small hail and then a lot of that is going to convert to snow as you get up an elevation above 4,000 feet or so. in the saint gabriel mountains, to the north of los angeles county, they are expecting up to seven feet of snow in places, coupled with winds of around 60 miles an hour. experts say powerful winter storms such as these, interspersed with dry spells and periods of extreme heat, are classic symptoms of climate change and that they are growing

more frequent and intense. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. anthony albanese has become the first sitting australian prime minister to march in sydney's gay and lesbian mardi gras. hejoined the parade for the worldpride festival on saturday evening. he was also joined by penny wong, the first openly gay woman in parliament. phil mercer reports from sydney. anthony albanese has become the first sitting australian prime minister to take part in the mardi gras parade. he said his government was committed to ending inequality based on sexuality or identity. australia is an inclusive country. and there are benefits from our economy, there are benefits, most importantly though

for the people of australia and that everyone should be respected for who they are and tonight is a celebration of that and it's a great example of what an amazing country this is. critics though accuse the prime minister of pandering to a small minority that was hijacking australia's social agenda. but campaigners argue that the mardi gras is a time to acknowledge and celebrate those who have, in the past, suffer shame, rejection and discrimination because of who they are. everybody is welcome, heterosexual, cisgender is, queers, bisexual, everybody. i've got to get in my float. i love you all so much, let's come together, no more separation. for many people, those struggles continue. being gay is illegal in dozens of countries around the world. sydney's mardi gras began as a civil rights march in 1978. it's become one of the world's biggest lgbt events. it's the first time in three years

the parade has made its way through australia's biggest city because of covid restrictions. up to 300,000 people were expected to attend. members of the military, police officers and politicians were among 12,500 marchers. this year's mardi gras coincides with sydney worldpride 2023, a global rights festival. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. 3000 tickets for the eurovision song contest in may are to be made available to ukrainians living in the uk. the event will take place in liverpool — which will host it on behalf of ukraine, who won last year. the uk government has announced $12 million in funding for the contest, to cover operational costs

and to ensure it "truly showcases ukrainian culture". before we go, let's head back to nigeria where we have live pictures where millions of people are voting in the most competitive election in the country. we do know polls have closed, but in order to allow people to vote, we are being told by our reporters in the region, if people are in queues, they will be allowed to cast their votes. but as i say, there have been used, there have been reports that polling stations didn't open in some parts and that is following the retired armyjail stepping down after serving they allowed eight years as is the constitution. you are watching bbc news.

hello. well, it certainly feels chilly out there today. cloudy in places, too, but for many of us, it's a case of blue skies across western parts of the uk. but the wind is the story today, particularly on the north sea coast. and you know, the sensation of how chilly or mild it feels is notjust to do with the temperature itself or even the wind, it's also to do with how dry the air is. and the air over us is indeed very dry at the moment, all the way from the north. it's what's called low dew point air, you might remember that from your geography. a lot of cloud you can see across many northern, central and eastern areas. these are the early evening temperatures around five degrees. then you add on that breeze, that low dew point air and look at that in some areas, it feels like it's barely above freezing so a nippy saturday night on the way. the forecast then for saturday

night, actually plenty of clear spells developing across the country. there will be that breeze again on the north sea coast, so it'll prevent the frost from forming. four degrees in newcastle and hull, but out towards northern western and some central areas, certainly a touch of frost on the way early on sunday morning. so here's sunday's weather forecast — i think more sunshine across more southern parts of the uk, but around the north east of england, perhaps the borders, one or two showers and cloudier moments are possible. the average this time of the year is still eight degrees celsius. tomorrow, less of a breeze so i think it will feel closer to eight degrees. the high pressure is still very much in charge of the weather on monday. we still have the jet stream way to the north and west of us diverting all that traffic, all these weather systems towards greenland and closer to iceland, so we're in the spell of settled weather. so the forecast then, if you're wondering about monday, actually shows one or two showers maybe drifting into parts of lincolnshire, maybe the midlands. i think it will be a cloudier day across many parts of england and wales on monday.

and those temperatures not changing an awful lot, we are talking around eight degrees, pretty much north or south. so that's monday. let's have a look at the outlook then as we head into next weekend. and you can see that the weather isn't changing an awful lot, still around single figures and the weather is certainly about the same. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: millions of nigerians have been voting in their country's most competitive election since military rule ended there more than two decades ago. in some places, especially in the south of the country, voting has not even started due to severe delays and violent disruptions. china's plans for peace in ukraine cause ripples around the world — president zelensky says he wants to hear more — and the leader of russia's key ally belarus announces plans to fly to beijing. governments in london and dublin say talks over a brexit deal covering northern ireland have been �*positive' — raising hopes of an imminent new agreement on trade. a winter storm brings rain and snow to southern california,