this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm ben brown. our top stories... at least 59 people have died — after a boat carrying migrants sinks near the coast of southern italy. pope francis has prayed for the victims and surivors. the bbc understands that an announcement about the new deal between the european union and the uk on post—brexit trading rules for northern ireland is expected imminently. counting is under way in nigeria's most competitive elections in decades — with three candidates still hopeful of becoming president. and — blizzard conditions in unexpected places in america — as a cold weather front hits california and other southern states.

at least 59 people, including a baby, are reported to have died after a boat carrying migrants sank in rough seas off the southern italian mainland. dozens of bodies were found on a beach near a seaside resort in the calabria region, with others found in the waters nearby. these pictures from the italian coastguard were filmed in darkness, early on sunday morning — and you can see the wreckage of the boat. one local official has suggested as many as 150 people had been onboard. rescuers are still searching for survivors, after the vessel — reportedly broke apart near the coastal town of crotone. the coastguard says 80 people are known to have survived but a large search and rescue effort

continues on land and at sea. the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyenm urges eu asylum reform after italy migrant deaths. richard galpin reports. this is all that remains of the wooden boat in which so many people died last night as they tried to reach the southern coast of italy. according to survivors, up to 150 people had been on board. 45 migrants had died while 81 survivors had reached the shore. most of the survivors were from afghanistan. emergency services have continued the search for more survivors at sea in the daylight, using boats and jet skis. but conditions have been bad, making the search difficult. but some bodies have been recovered. italy is one of the main landing points for migrants trying to enter europe by sea.

the so—called central mediterranean route is known as one of the world's most dangerous. the pope has expressed his sorrow at the loss of life, which he said included many children. and he added he would pray for them. 12,000 migrants have arrived by sea into italy since the start of the year. there were more than hundred thousand arrivals last year. earlier francesca basile from the italian red cross�*s migration unit gave me the latest. she explained what they had found out about those on board, including the news that some of the victims were children. the the news that some of the victims were children.— the news that some of the victims were children. the images, but also the stories of— were children. the images, but also the stories of people _ were children. the images, but also the stories of people that _ were children. the images, but also the stories of people that were - the stories of people that were there, they mentioned children a lot

and women and families. this there, they mentioned children a lot and women and families.— and women and families. this is of histo a and women and families. this is of history a major— and women and families. this is of history a major disaster _ and women and families. this is of history a major disaster and - and women and families. this is of history a major disaster and the i history a major disaster and the sort of disaster many people have been fearing, as these numbers of migrants continue to grow, trying to cross very dangerous seas and waters. , ~ , cross very dangerous seas and waters. w , , ., _ cross very dangerous seas and waters. , , ., _ , waters. the risk is proved by this last tragedy- _ waters. the risk is proved by this last tragedy- as _ waters. the risk is proved by this last tragedy. as the _ waters. the risk is proved by this last tragedy. as the italian - waters. the risk is proved by this last tragedy. as the italian red l last tragedy. as the italian red cross, we are active in this, and moving from the very first moment in helping these people, supporting them from a very different point of view from the material assistance. we take care of the culture of mediation, but especially in episodes like this, we work hard with psychosocial support and restoring family links. we believe those two actions are crucial right

now, so the activities of our psychologists together with the culture mediators from one side, but also the possibility to the survivors to restore their family links, the possibility to tell their families they are alive, and also to support the families of the victims. to be able to reconnect with their beloved. the bbc understands that an announcement of a new deal between the uk and the eu is imminent. it all revolves around the post—brexit trading arrangements for northern ireland. earlier today, the uk's deputy prime minister dominic raab indicated that politicians in northern ireland would have a say over any new eu rules which affect them. he also suggested checks on goods passing between britain and northern ireland could be �*intelligence led' rather than the need to check everything. ione wells reports.

it is full steam ahead to get a new deal between the uk and the eu about how trade in northern ireland will work. ministers suggest it will remove checks on goods that will stay here in northern ireland and not go on to the republic of ireland. and that northern irish politicians will get more of a say on future eu laws that apply to the nation. the deputy prime minister, dominic raab, said these things will resolve issues with the existing deal, but dodged whether mps will definitely get a vote on a new one. if there is a deal, can you confirm to your colleagues and also our viewers that mps will have a say, there will be a proper vote on a deal? mps will get the opportunity to express themselves on the deal. doing the right thing in the right way, for all the communities of northern ireland, protecting the good friday agreement that has come under pressure from the northern ireland protocol. frankly, if you ask about the politics, fulfilling our manifesto commitment on brexit.

under the current protocol, goods from scotland, england and wales are checked before they enter northern ireland to make sure they follow eu rules — that basically creates a border down the irish sea. that is to make sure there is still an open border from northern ireland into the republic of ireland which is part of the eu. the largest unionist party in northern ireland, the dup, hate it. they won't go back into the power—sharing government here in belfast until it's changed. they and some tory mps are still concerned the eu could ultimately have control over future eu laws that will apply in northern ireland. what we want is a situation where eu law is expunged from northern ireland, so it is treated on the same basis as england, scotland and wales. 0ther tory mps are urging pragmatism. we have to stop thinking that if there is a deal that is about to be done, it means we have been done over in some way. labour has said that if rishi sunak

holds a vote on a deal, they will back it, meaning it could pass even if some tories and the dup are not on board. if he is able to pull off a deal, - we will support it, because we think it would be an improvement- on what we have got at the moment. let's look at the detail— in the coming days, but all credit to rishi sunak if he does that. the road to a deal is in sight, it could come as soon as tomorrow, but political battles may lie ahead for rishi sunak, if it is not enough to convince the dup back into government in belfast. ione wells, bbc news. well, ionejoined me earlier with the latest on the imminent announcement... we have been told by multiple sources that an announcement about this new deal between the eu and the uk, over post—brexit trading arrangements for northern ireland, is expected imminently, potentially

within the next hour. it is expected full details are more likely to come tomorrow and separately i have been told that as well as conservative mps being given a three line whip, and ordered to attend parliament tomorrow, opposition parties have been told similar. labour mps have been told similar. labour mps have been instructed to go into parliament tomorrow with the implication they may be some kind of update or moment in parliament tomorrow where mps are given further detail. the government hasn't confirmed whether mps will get a vote on that deal. they have said mps will get to express a view but there will be lots of pressure to give them a final say on it as well. this has been a thorny issue for so long. what do we think the outline of the deal might be? and the outline of the compromise between the various parties?— outline of the compromise between the various parties? there has been lots of speculation _ the various parties? there has been lots of speculation about _ the various parties? there has been lots of speculation about this - the various parties? there has been lots of speculation about this and i lots of speculation about this and today the deputy prime minister dominic raab did hint at some of

what may be in that deal. 0ne dominic raab did hint at some of what may be in that deal. one of the main things he alluded to as an idea of reducing or even removing it entirely checks on goods that are moving from scotland, wales and england, that will not go on to the republic of ireland on the eu, so that would remove some of the trade barriers. separately, we may expect to hear some detail on whether the uk has managed to gain some concessions and gain the powers it has wanted to set things like vat taxes or state aid, which is government subsidies for businesses in northern ireland. that is something rishi sunak has wanted for something rishi sunak has wanted for some time. these details are things that are key and has been a major focus of the discussions so far. 0ne contentious point is how much or not, northern irish politicians will get a say in how future eu laws might apply get a say in how future eu laws mightapply in get a say in how future eu laws might apply in northern ireland.

there is an implication from what dominic raab said this morning, they will get more of a say but i think opposition from unionist parties and some conservative mps is that the eu may retain some sovereignty there. you talk about the opposition. the democratic unionists and some brexiteers tories, including boris johnson, may oppose this. how worried would rishi sunak be by that? is that opposition that could potentially derail this deal orjust an inconvenience? i potentially derail this deal or 'ust an inconvenience?i potentially derail this deal or 'ust an inconvenience? i think it could potentially _ an inconvenience? i think it could potentially be _ an inconvenience? i think it could potentially be both, _ an inconvenience? i think it could potentially be both, depending i an inconvenience? i think it could l potentially be both, depending how this plays out over the next 2a hours. certainly there is a political theory about how many, if any, the number of conservative mps oppose the principle of this deal. some have been adamant that a big red line is the application of eu laws in northern ireland may not accept a deal that doesn't remove some of thatjurisdiction that accept a deal that doesn't remove some of that jurisdiction that the eu currently has. 0ne some of that jurisdiction that the eu currently has. one of the major concerns of whether or not this deal

will be a success as well be democratic unionist party in northern ireland agreed to go back into a power—sharing agreement in the government there? if they do not, that could politically be very difficult for rishi sunak, leaving northern ireland without a functioning government and that is one of the key thing is he is helping this deal will achieve. —— this is one of the key things he is helping this deal will achieve. two israelis have been shot dead in the occupied west bank. the israeli army said a palestinian gunman opened fire at an israeli—owned car and then fled the scene. it comes as a high—level security meeting between israeli and palestinian officials is being held injordan, following a wave of deadly violence. elsewhere, tens of thousands of people have held demonstrations across israel against planned legal reforms. the changes would give ministers the power to appoint supreme courtjudges, and end the court's ability to review or annul legislation on constitutional matters. prime minister benjamin netanyahu insists his government is carrying out the will of the people.

joining me now is our middle east correspondent, yolande knell. as we were saying, thus increasing level of violence but we are hearing reports coming through that israel is saying it is committed to stop discussing setting up any new settlement units for four months. what more do we know about this? this statement has come out from the aqaba summit, that has been taking place in thejordanian red sea resort. it is an unusual one. it has brought together experian and palestinian security officials, as well as political officials, as well as other officials from egypt, jordan and the us had sent the most senior person on the middle east there. it is all happening under his watchful eye. the statement on —— after the talks broke up, started

early at the state. it said both palestinians and the israelis are committed to de—escalating for the violence and are committed to maintaining the statistical rules on the holy site ofjerusalem. that is very important because we are looking at having the islamic holy month of ramadan coinciding with the week long holiday of passover, and that will put a lot of pressure on the contested holy sites, especially jerusalem. in addition to that, we are hearing that the palestinian and israeli sides have committed to stopping what is being culled unilateral measures. from the palestinians, that means they will not go to the un and other international forums at the state to press for action against the israelis. israel is committing specifically to stopping the establishment of any new settlement building for a period of four months

and not retroactively legalising unauthorised settlement outposts for the next six months. the palestinians have agreed to support confidence building steps to address outstanding issues through direct dialogue and we understand that will mean a meeting in march, similarto the one that happened in aqaba. the next meeting to take place in egypt. this statement has been welcomed by those other players, by the us. it sounds encouraging that they have been talking and they have reached some sort of agreement. it is notoriously difficult to get the two sides to reach any agreement on anything. will it quell the violence?— anything. will it quell the violence? . , , , ., violence? that is the big question and i violence? that is the big question and i think _ violence? that is the big question and i think part _ violence? that is the big question and i think part of _ violence? that is the big question and i think part of the _ violence? that is the big question and i think part of the challenge, | and i think part of the challenge, we saw that as the meeting was taking place with these two israelis, we understand they were jewish settlers who were killed in

the occupied west bank. it seems a palestinian gunman, according to the israeli military, rammed them with his car and then got out and shot them at close range. we have seen this wave of deadly violence since the start of the year on the israeli side, 13 people have been killed. most of them civilians. and on the palestinian side, more than 60 people have been killed by israeli forces. that has included civilians and militants, it includes palestinian attackers as well, but also adults and children on both sides. you can see this as the deadliest wave of violence we have had for many years here and that has really put the pressure on both the israeli and palestinian leadership,

but also on others around the region. there have been lots of international voices calling for calm as we head into the sensitive period. calm as we head into the sensitive eriod. . ~' ,, , calm as we head into the sensitive eriod. . ~ i. , . plans have been unveiled by the uk government to improve standards in social housing following the grenfell tower disaster and the death of two—year—old awaab ishak, who was exposed to mould at his family home in rochdale. it wants managers in social housing organisations to have a professional qualification, with landlords given time limits to fix problems orface fines, as jon donnison reports. awaab ishak was just two years old when he died in december 2020. the cause, a respiratory condition brought on by mould and damp in his family's rented flat in rochdale. awaab's father had complained to their housing association for years, but nothing had been done. earlier this year, the housing secretary, michael gove, pledged to introduce what's being called awaab's law, saying people living in social housing

were being inexcusably let down. under the new legislation, landlords will have to investigate and fix mould and damp within strict time limits. today, mr gove is announcing additional new rules that will mean social housing managers will have to get a professional qualification in housing. it's thought it will apply to around 25,000 people working in social housing across the country. any landlords who don't comply could be fined by the regulator. i think this is going to increase professionalism in the sector. it's something that i've spoken personally to the secretary of state about when i first met with him, and i think it's going to positively, positively impact the sector in general. this should have happened a0 years ago. it should have happened when social housing was first introduced. i think the government could go even further with extending the requirement to be qualified when working in housing, right down to housing officers. the measures will be included in the new social housing bill,

which is due to resume its passage through parliament later this week. jon donnison, bbc news. sport now...and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh ferris. australia have won a sixth women's t20 world cup... beating hosts south africa in the final by 19 runs in cape town. it was south africa's first final of any kind in international women's cricket and they did well to keep australia to 156 for 6 off their 20 overs. their run chase began slowly, although that hasn't hindered them in their path to the final, but once laura wolvaardt went for 61 they didn't have enough firepower to reach their target. australia have now won all but two of the women's t20 world cups ever played.

meanwhile the third day of the second test between new zealand and england started with a follow on and ended with a fight back. the home side finished day three just 2a runs behind after being asked to bat again beginning their second innings 226 adrift. tom latham and devon conway made 149 for the first wicket before new zealand lost three wickets to jack leach and joe root. but kane williamson and henry nicholls dug in, to finish on 202 for 3 in their second innings. they had a counter attack this morning and then when we enforced a follow on, i thought we bowled exceptionally well without much reward, without much luck, but you are going to get days like today when it is tough work and that is test cricket. we expect, when you come up against quality opposition, to have days like this but it is enthralling. newcastle have the chance to end one of english football's most notable trophy droughts

at wembley today. their last major domestic trophy was 68 years ago. there have been finals since but never silverware as they prepare to take on manchester united in the league cup final. their opponents have also been waiting longer than they'd have liked for a trophy. manchester united's last was in this competition six years ago and their recent form including a win over barcelona in europe will make them favourites for a game which kicks off in just over ten minutes time. in scotland celtic are leading rangers. tottenham have boosted their hopes of top—four premier league finish with 2—0 win over chelsea that increases the pressure on their boss graham potter. 0liver skipp scored his first spurs goal within 20 seconds of the restart... which came after a bizarre ending to the first half. hakim ziyech was sent off but had the red card overturned after the referee reviewed the incident on the pitch side monitor. spurs captain harry kane added a second with ten minutes to go to secure the win. chelsea have now won just two of their previous 15 top—flight

matches and sit 1a points off the champions league places. france appear to be on course to end scotland's six nations grand slam chance — they're into the second half of their match in paris and the home side have a relatively comfortable lead. there were two tries and two red cards in the first ten minutes of the match... with each team down to 1a players. france scored three tries in the first half and led 19—nil at one point. at the moment it is 22—14 to france. that's all the sport for now. the former uk environment secretary george eustice says ood shortages that have seen some shoppers facing empty shelves will continue for 3 or 4 weeks. four major supermarkets in the uk have imposed limits how much people can buy of certain products including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. speaking on sunday with laura kuenssberg, mr eustice said "there's nothing the government can do immediately" to avoid the problems affecting supply chains. there isn't much different that the government could have done in recent months

and there is nothing they can do immediately. we are going to have 3—4 weeks of this. longer term there are things we should be doing. we had a new strategy on food last july, we should be committing to onshore production, so glasshouse production of cucumbers and tomatoes. we should be trying to build that here. we should have a more enlightened approach to labour, so food can get more access to labour. sheffield will become the latest city in the uk to introduce a clean air zone from monday. drivers of the most polluting lorries, vans, buses and taxis will now be charged to enter the designated area — though private cars and motorcycles are exempt. dan johnson has more. no to clean air zones. no to extortionate charges for driving in our own city. | there's a new battle zone in the fight for clean air. sheffield's seen opposition. so has cambridge, and other cities, too, as clean air zones hit more streets across the country.

charging the most polluting vehicles is supposed to get them off the road. but cities have got different prices covering different classes of vehicle, and if you get it wrong, you get fined. bristol's scheme started just before christmas. i think everyone in bristol agrees that we all have a bad cough that lingers, and i think the air quality is terrible. anything we could do to improve it, ifully support. i'm not really seeing a difference. are my lungs better? no, they're the same as they were last year as well, so... as a cyclist, it hasn't made the roads any quieter. - well, it's to stop people coming into the city, but it's also to make money, i think. it's good because we're trying to keep the planet a bit healthier. you know, we want healthier air, we just want clean air. it's good for everyone. bath started charging commercial vehicles two years ago, but some feel that's moved traffic and emissions onto wiltshire's roads. we've seen significant increases in terms of heavy goods vehicles coming through the middle of westbury. we're here on a street where the trucks are going, what, a metre and a half from people's front doors.

so, we've we've taken an air quality problem in bath and simply transposed it to the middle of an area where it's going to create a worse air quality problem. birmingham's zone generated £37 million in fines over the last 18 months. nationally, poor air quality causes something like 36,000 excess deaths each year. but evidence shows it is cutting emissions. during the first few months after the zone's introduction, we found that there was a significant reduction in the n02 levels in birmingham city centre, so that's a good thing. and we didn't see any change in the air quality on the perimeter of the birmingham clean air zone. there's controversy about plans to expand london's low emission zone to cover every borough. but the government is insisting on cleaner air, so more zones are coming. but reducing pollution means tackling more than just vehicle emissions. dan johnson, bbc news. much more news at the top of the

hour. for now, goodbye. you have been watching bbc news. hello there. it's all about high pressure at the moment, dominating the weather story. the centre of the high across scotland. that's where we've had the clearest of the skies, and the lowest temperatures. it was minus five first thing this morning in highland, and yes, there was some frost, even some snow to the tops of higher ground. it was a different story, though, across east anglia in comparison to saturday morning. the cloud was a little more well—broken. a beautiful sunrise here. but the high is going to stay with us on the whole across the country today, keeping things largely fine and quiet. but still that wind direction coming from a northeasterly. slightly lighter winds than yesterday, so therefore fewer showers hopefully around. still some cloud across northern england and north wales in particular, and still the risk of some showers here.

we've also had a few showers across the kent coast this morning. but generally, central and southern england and wales, along with northwest scotland and northern ireland keeping the sunshine, and temperatures peaking between seven and nine degrees, pretty much where we should be for the final few days of february. now, as we go into the evening and overnight, the cloud reallyjust drawing in like a blanket over us. and so for many, that means it'll keep those temperatures above freezing. where we've got those clearer skies, particularly out to the west, once again temperatures below freezing and a frost is quite likely. but that quiet theme will stay with us not only for monday but right throughout much of the week. so as we go into monday, we've got this large area of high pressure sitting across the north, and that will continue to give quite a lot of dry weather in the forecast. still the risk of some cloud around, but maybe breaking up across east anglia and the south east of england with more of a breeze here, and still some sunny spells across western areas of scotland, northern ireland and maybe parts of the lake district. ten degrees is quite possible

in the sunnier moments. now, as we move out of monday into tuesday, there's a risk of a few showers during the early hours just drifting their way through the channel. not really amounting to too much. the high continues to stay with us on the whole, and the winds will stay light. so we could potentially be chasing cloud amounts around as we look further ahead. so, on the whole there will be a good deal of dry weather, some sunny spells from time to time, and as we head into the beginning of march, some areas will continue to see temperatures into double figures. that's it. take care.

over the past 30 years or so, i've covered conflicts in the middle east, in the balkans, and in africa, but this is unlike anything that

i have ever known.