this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lisa—marie misztak. our top stories: the us, britain and australia reveal details of a security pact to counter china's increasing military strength in the pacific. president biden says americans should feel confident in the banking system, despite two historic bank colla pses. more than 100 people have been killed as storm freddy returns to mozambique and malawi the us government approves a controversial oil project in alaska — activists respond on social media. biden just approved the willow project with 92% of what conocophillips originally wanted. millions of young people,

millions, asked him not to do this. and dick fosbury — the man who made the highjump with the fosbury flop has died at the age of 76. the leaders of the us, britain and australia, meeting in california, have given details of a defence pact that will provide australia with nuclear—powered submarines. president biden, uk prime minister rishi sunak and the australian prime minister, anthony albanese, have met to confirm the aukus security agreement. the deal is aimed at countering what the three nations see as china's threat in the indo—pacific region. our political editor, chris mason, has more from san diego.

a pact of old democracies, coming together to counter a new and growing adversary — china. australia and the united kingdom are two of america's most stalwart and capable allies. our common values, ourshared vision for a peaceful, prosperous future unite us all across the atlantic and pacific. this is about projecting power and resolve. the backdrop, a naval base. the images and the words intended to work in unison. the aukus agreement, we confirm here in san diego, represents the biggest single investment in australia's defence capability in all of our history. joe, anthony, we representl three allies, who have stood shoulder—to—shoulder together

for more than a century, - three peoples who have shed blood together in defence - of our shared values, i and three democracies that are coming together again to fulfil that higher purpose - of maintaining freedom, | peace and security, now, and for generations to come. compare and contrast what you've just heard and seen with this — china's leader xijinping also promising to modernise its military, to turn it, he said, into a great wall of steel. prime minister, is china dangerous? china is a country with - fundamentally different values to ours, and represents- a challenge to the world order, and that is why it is rightj that we are alert to that, and take steps to protect ourselves, protect both. our values, stand up- for our values, and protect our interests.

the main announcement here today was an agreement to build australia nuclear—powered, but not nuclear—armed, submarines, built in shipyards the uk and australia, over the next 20 years. it is expected to create thousands ofjobs in the uk. chris mason, bbc news, in san diego. our correspondent phil mercer's explained how significant this deal is to australia. here in australia it has been viewed as monumental. a history—making decision that will make australia only the seventh country to operate nuclear—powered submarines. the australian government is also keen to point out to voters in this country that the aukus submarine deal could generate up to 20,000 jobs, but all of this comes with an enormous price tag for australia, estimated that it could reach us $2“; billion over

several decades. but certainly, the australian government believes that the aukus accord will be at the centre of its national security strategy. australia is very mindful of criticism of the alliance coming out of beijing and worth noting as well that the australian prime minister anthony albanese is insisting that on the one hand australia can have powerful friends and allies with united states, for example, but also pursue deeper economic and diplomatic relations with china. china is australia's most important trading partner. you mentioned china. how concerned is australia about china's growing military activity in the pacific? that's one reason or the very big reason why australia has signed up to the aukus alliance, signed in september 2021, so we have had 18 months of pretty secretive

negotiations between the three countries to arrive at the fact that in the next decade or so will take delivery of at least three us nuclear—powered submarines. australia is increasingly wary of china was not assertiveness in the indo—pacific region but once again anthony albanese the prime minister says it is not contradictory to pursue these military alliances with the uk and the united states while also pursuing better relations with china. mr albanese did point out in his speech in san diego that australia was also investing heavily in the relationship with china and others in the indo—pacific region but once again china will be furious that australia has participated in this. it has accused beijing, it has accused the us, australia and the united kingdom of lapsing back into a cold war mentality.

the boss of silicon valley bank has announced that the bank is conducting "business as usual within the us", and to expect the resumption of cross—border transactions in the coming days. that announcement follows the slump in shares in banks around the world on monday, despite reassurances from the us government that it would guarantee the customer deposits of two collapsed lenders — silicon valley bank and signature bank. it was the biggest such failure for 15—years. earlier, i spoke to mark douglas, who is the ceo of mountain, a venture—funded start—up in which svb owns a small percentage. this is what he makes of the crisis. so i think a lot of this crisis in retrospect came from a bit of an irrational panic. so svb, silicon valley bank, is really unlike any other bank in the world. so you think of a typical bank, they hold a few thousand dollars or pounds in deposits, and then they use their money

to make loans to sometimes other businesses but often for things like mortgages. those mortgages can be risky over time. silicon valley bank did not operate like that at all. they didn't have branches, they only worked with venture—funded companies, so vc—backed companies, or the vcs themselves and then they would hold cash that those companies had just raised and then loan them additional cash for things like receivables, lines of credits to get in office, things like that, services that a new young company could not typically get but they could get because they were depositing all that money that was raised in silicon valley bank. so then what's the problem? the money sits there, the start—ups don't want to risk it, they only want to risk it on themselves. the customers almost really are essentially the venture capitalists, and what happened is that silicon valley bank needed to raise a bit more money and that set off a panic and the panic became the problem, not

the actual financial state of silicon valley bank. given the bank is backed by the us government and it's now conducting business as usual, this must be one of the safest banks to bank with in the us right now, right? actually, i had a call a little bit earlier and i was talking to a pretty prominent venture capitalist and i was making that point which they agreed with, which is that arguably silicon valley bank is at this moment the safest bank that you could bank with. i don't think that's going to last forever. the us, in the united states, deposits are insured for up to $250,000, but for right now, essentially you are banking directly with the us government almost, and there is essentially no safer place to put your money but, over time, i think svb will go back to being one of many banks, although they have a very unique business model and, ironically, a very safe model.

one thing that is really confusing about this crisis is normally when you have a banking crisis, the bank might�*ve made bad loans or made risky investments, but none of that happened here. it was, to a certain extent, an irrational panic that set off a run on the bank, and the panic was the problem. mark douglas, ceo of mountain. a state of emergency�*s been declared in malawi after tropical storm freddy struck the country for a second time, killing more than a hundred people. rescue workers describe being completely overwhelmed by the rainfall and mudslides. the cyclone's one of the longest running in history and has caused havoc across parts of southern africa. the bbc�*s shingai nyoka has more. after leaving a trail of destruction in madagascar and mozambique, tropical storm freddy travelled westwards and is now pummelling southern malawi, felling trees

and power lines. dozens of people are now confirmed dead and at least 200 are hospitalised. homes and infrastructure destroyed by the sheer force of the water and mudslides. in the suburb of blantyre, of the second—largest city, a desperate search for those trapped beneath the rubble. translation: so far we have recovered 30 bodies - but we are not yet done. we're still looking for more victims. i'm using this hope at least to find someone. since the storm struck over the weekend, the death toll has risen sharply and is expected to increase further as search efforts expand to other affected districts. meanwhile, survivors say they witnessed distressing scenes. translation: it was too bad on the night, but now in day i i feel the loss. i've never seen something terrible like this. my neighbours' houses are all gone, theirfamily members are gone, they're missing. in some instances the father

is alive but their wife and children are gone. scientists say climate change is making tropical storms stronger, and as oceans absorb heat from greenhouse gas emissions, that he is being transferred to the atmosphere. translation: this is the second time. | in 2015 we also experienced some disaster, but this is the worst. as of now i have seen 12 dead people and the figures could be rising. malawi is currently battled the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history and un agencies have warned the situation could worsen because of freddy's heavy rains. the storm, which formed over a month ago, is one of the longest—running cyclones in history. it struck mozambique and madagascar twice, leaving over 30 people dead. the true extent of damage is yet to be revealed and incessant rains are hindering rescue efforts. tropical storm freddy is expected to dissipate over the next few days but it will take longer for these communities to recover.

shingai nyoka, bbc news. two people have been killed and nine others injured after they were hit by a truck in canada. the incident happened in the town of amqui — north of quebec city. a 38—year—old man has been taken into custody as police investigate whether the incident was deliberate or not. prime ministerjustin trudeau has sent his condolences to the people of amqui. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: new rules come in for kenya as the government takes on rising cases of alcohol and drug abuse. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by

an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was - on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand - now that the search for it has i become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc world news. our top story this hour — the us, britain and australia reveal details of a security pact to counter china's increasing military strength

in the pacific. well, let's stay with that story. it comes as the british government has promised to increase defence spending by nearly £5 billion over the next two years, to counter growing threats from china and russia. here's our defence correspondent, jonathan beale. a british warship in northern norway, on exercise with nato allies. making their military presence known to a nearby neighbour. radio chatter. russia has always been on the radar, but more so since its invasion of ukraine. the uk has now promised to increase defense spending in line with most nato countries. everyone agrees that we need to pick up, where it comes to readiness and preparedness, that we need to invest

in our safety and security. and that means spending more money on defence? it does. uk defence will get another £5 billion. but is it enough? less than £2 billion of that will replenish weapons stockpiles and equipment given to ukraine. it won't fill all the gaps in what the defence secretary has called a hollowed—out armed forces. in contrast, these norwegian troops have already ordered new tanks and artillery guns to replace what they've sent to ukraine. the government says uk defence has already received its biggest boost in spending since the end of cold war, with an extra £24 billion announced in 2020, and that it's still spending more than more nato allies. currently, just nine of nato's 30 members spend at least 2% of their national income on their armed forces. britain is one of those countries. but after more than 10 years of conservative leadership,

defence spending in the uk has been declining — from 2.6% in 2010, now down to 2.2%. most of the new money will go to the uk's nuclear submarine programme. it will help the deal with australia, counter the rise of china, but also create british jobs. the reactors for the new australian submarines will be built by rolls—royce, and it is often the economy, not defence, that helps decide an election. jonathan beale, bbc news. the us has given the go—ahead for an $8 billion oil drilling scheme in alaska that's been fiercely opposed by environmentalists. the energy giant conocophillips will drill at three sites on alaska's north slope, in what critics describe as a "carbon bomb". but others are welcoming the investment, saying it will create much—needed jobs. 0ur north america correspondent

gary 0'donogue reports. alaska — home to some of america's last remaining undisturbed landscapes. but one oil company says, under the freezing expanse lies decades of untapped oil, and the potential to ensure us energy security into the future. the company, conocophillips, has already begun exploratory work, after receiving a grant from the biden administration. it means over 200 wells will be sunk and hundreds of miles of new roads. we are already in a climate emergency. and so every single drop added to our carbon emissions is sending us into a direction of complete, irreversible climate impact. the campaign to stop willow generated more than a million letters to the white house, and a backlash among campaigners on social media. we will not accept the willow

project moving forward. one of the most powerful movements, ever. bullying, or activism, works. in an attempt to offset criticism, the biden administration has announced drilling bans on nearly 16 million acres of land and sea in alaska, as well as curbing the scale of development. in a statement, the department of the interior said it was "substantially reducing the size of the willow project "by denying two of the five drill sites proposed by conocophillips", and it said "the actions will create "an additional buffer from exploration and development "near the teshekpuk lake caribou herd. this decision could cost joe biden, politically. in his 2020 election campaign, he vowed to end new drilling on his own land, and some in his own party will see this as a betrayal. gary 0'donoghue, bbc news, washington. a new rule comes into force in kenya, as the government tackles the rising cases of alcohol and drug abuse.

under the new regulations, only one bar will be allowed to operate per town in the region worst affected by alcoholism. but not everyone is happy with this rule. the bbc�*s emmanuel igunza reports from central kenya. central kenya is battling what the government warns is an alcohol and drugs epidemic. since like this are common here. authorities blame it on the high number of unregulated pubs and bars and an influx of cheap, listed ruse. so pubs and bars and an influx of cheap, listed ruse.— cheap, listed ruse. so the governors. _ cheap, listed ruse. so the governors, not _ cheap, listed ruse. so the governors, notjust - cheap, listed ruse. so the governors, notjust in - cheap, listed ruse. so the governors, notjust in this| governors, notjust in this area, but in kenya, must make a decision, that in the pursuit of revenue, licensing every kiosk, every outlet, barand restaurant, you want to destroy a n restaurant, you want to destroy an entire generation, and that is not right. an entire generation, and that is not right-— is not right. and the government - is not right. and the government has - is not right. and the. government has been is not right. and the - government has been widely supported by residency in the central region, like rosemary.

she lost her husband to alcoholism, while three of her children are all battling dependency. translation: these bo s are dependency. translation: these boys are well _ dependency. translation: these boys are well educated. _ dependency. translation: these boys are well educated. they - boys are well educated. they don't like working. all they do is wake up and drink alcohol. you cannot even find them hanging out with their girlfriends. all they want to do is drink the local brew. are we really going to see a new generation?— generation? under the new directive. _ generation? under the new directive, only _ generation? under the new directive, only one - generation? under the new directive, only one bar- generation? under the new directive, only one bar will| generation? under the new. directive, only one bar will be licensed per town. premises will also be required to strictly sell alcohol between via and midnight, but business owner said this will lose to closures of hundreds of premises and massive job losses. premises and massive 'ob losses. ., ., , losses. you would be closing 17,000 businesses _ losses. you would be closing 17,000 businesses in - losses. you would be closing 17,000 businesses in the - 17,000 businesses in the central region. and that, you will be losing a workforce of about 100,000 people. where are we going to take these people? in or indirect employment, where are we going to take

them? . , , where are we going to take them? ., , , ., where are we going to take them? , ,., . . them? local ngos and the church have intervened _ them? local ngos and the church have intervened to _ them? local ngos and the church have intervened to set _ them? local ngos and the church have intervened to set up - have intervened to set up rehabilitation centres but they are expensive, and out of reach for many addicts. the attitude to have also made it harder, with many young people saying alcohol and drug abuse are not alcohol and drug abuse are not a major problem in central kenya. a major problem in central ken a. ., , ., kenya. the main problem we are facin: in kenya. the main problem we are facing in central _ kenya. the main problem we are facing in central kenya _ kenya. the main problem we are facing in central kenya is - facing in central kenya is unemployment and high cost of living. that's the main problem we want him to tackle, and we want the government to tackle. we don't come to drink beer just because we have nothing to do. we went to drink cheap beer. as a person who drinks, i do, beer, at times, but not always. but if we get money, we won't drink cheap beer like he's saying. won't drink cheap beer like he's saying-— won't drink cheap beer like he's sa inc. , . , he's saying. there is currently no exact data _ he's saying. there is currently no exact data is _ he's saying. there is currently no exact data is to _ he's saying. there is currently no exact data is to just - he's saying. there is currently no exact data is to just how. no exact data is to just how many people are affected by alcohol abuse, many people are affected by alcoholabuse, but many people are affected by alcohol abuse, but experts warned that an entire generation could be lost here in central kenya if nothing is done to tackle the crisis.

emmanuel igunza, bbc, central kenya. a court in the romanian capital bucharest will rule later on and rotate �*s request to be released from police custody first of the controversial social media influence and his brother tristram have been in custody since december while police investigate charges of rape and human custody against them. the pair who deny any wrongdoing are best —— being asked to be transferred to house arrest. dick fosbury — the man who revolutiuonised the high jump — has died, at the age of 76. he was the first athlete to go over the bar backwards, and it won him an olympic gold in 1968. four years later, almost all competitors had adopted the style, which had earned the name "the fosbury flop". it's a technique still used by athletes today. 0ur correspondent louisa pilbeam has more. i'll take you back to the 1968 mexico olympics, and what happened was this 21—year—old from oregon in the united states, he strode up

to the highjump and he went over backwards. so it's a style we're used to seeing now. he went over headfirst onto the mat but incredibly, i actually didn't realise this, athletes up until that time used to go over in a hurdle style, a scissors style, which seems very odd to us now. he revolutionised the sport because this is the style that athletes take on today but there was a furore at the time, and the spectators and journalists who were covering the event thought it was a crazy way to do things. 0ne journalist at the time said he looked like a guy falling off the back of a truck. he perfected this technique in high school and he admitted in interviews later that it did look kind of weird, as he said, at first, but it felt so natural and like all good ideas, you just wonder why no—one had done it before. and so people from the world of sport have been paying tribute to him. what have they been saying? yes, absolutely.

so he won the gold medal, he won the olympic record and his agent who announced his death, ray schulte, said, "it is with a very heavy heart that i have to release "the news that my long—term friend and client, "dick fosbury, passed away peacefully in his sleep early sunday morning after a battle, a recurrence of lymphoma." also, bbc pundit, michael johnson, who was such a successful sprinter, of course, paid tribute to him and said that he actually changed the course of sport, he said that he changed an entire event forever, with a technique that looked crazy at the time, but the result made it standard, and that is the legacy of dick fosbury, that it is the standard now, that he changed history. you will find lots more detail about the stories we're covering on our website — including our top story — the deal to provide nuclear—powered submarines to australia.

the agreement will see the us provide australia with the vessels, before a new model is built in britain and australia. just head to bbc.com/news — or use the bbc news app that's all for now. hello. there's a weather battle going on this week, a battle between mild air and cold air. the mild air clung on for many on monday. in fact, parts of eastern england got all the way up to 16 degrees. compare that with just 1 degree in parts of northern scotland. and for tuesday, the cold air wins out for now. those parts of eastern england, just eight degrees on tuesday afternoon, and some spots in the highlands will struggle to get above freezing. with that, it will be breezy, not quite as windy as it was on monday. and there will be some wintry showers around as well, some ice to start the day. the cold air working in behind this band of rain, and some hill snow pushing across southern england first thing. behind that, yes, some spells of sunshine, but some showers.

and many of these showers will be wintry. the showers tending to clump together, actually, through the afternoon across parts of northern ireland, southern scotland, getting down into northern england, north wales and the north midlands. these showers will be a mixture of rain, sleet, hail and snow. some of the showers could be pretty heavy. there could even be some flashes of lightning, some rumbles of thunder mixing in. temperatures, well, they are set to struggle. just three degrees there in aberdeen, perhaps nine for london and for plymouth, so a chilly day, wherever you're spending it. as we go through tuesday night, some wintry showers pushed across the south. we'll keep a feed of wintry showers into northern scotland, where it will stay quite windy, but for many, a slice of clear sky and some really cold weather for tuesday night, wednesday morning. those are the temperatures in the towns and cities. some places in the countryside will be colder than that. so a frosty start to wednesday.

however, we start to see things changing from the west. we'll see cloud rolling in, some outbreaks of rain, briefly some snow over high ground, perhaps very briefly to low levels. but it will tend to turn back to rain because it is going to start to turn milder. and for the end of the week, it looks like mild air is going to start to win the battle for most of us. maybe that cold air clinging on in the north of scotland. but for thursday and friday, some much milder weather on the way, temperatures of 1a, maybe 15 degrees. but with that, some wet and windy weather at times.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the us, britain and australia sign a security pact to counter china's military strength in the pacific, including new nuclear—powered submarines. after the leaders met in southern california, president biden said the aukus pact would boost stability in the asia pacific region for decades. one of the strongest storms recorded in the southern hemisphere has hit the region for second time in a month, killing 100 people. storm freddy has left destruction in malawi and mozambique ripping roofs off buildings and bringing widespread flooding. the us government has given the green light to the controversial willow oil drilling project in alaska and the arctic. the $8 billion scheme has faced fierce opposition

from environmentalists.