fukushima nuclear disaster — we'll visit a site transformed and meet those still clinging to the past. the house of representatives, the lower house of congress, has passed a major covid—19 stimulus package worth $1.9 trillion. the plan was approved in the senate on saturday, despite every republican voting against. and the same thing has happened in the house — every republican voted against, along with one democrat. the measure will be signed into law by president biden on friday. here's house speaker nancy pelosi announcing the result. on this vote, the yeas are 220. the nays are 211. the motion is adopted. applause the bill's aim is primarily to address the impact of covid on the us economy. but there are broader ambitions to tackle longer—term causes of poverty. here are some of the details. the so—called american rescue package gives one—off payments worth $1,a00 to most americans. it allocates $350 billion to state and local governments, and $130 billion to schools. it also provides $49 billion for expanded covid—19 testing and research, as well as $14 billion for vaccine distribution. and the bill extends unemployment benefits of $300 a week until september. millions of americans had been set to lose their benefits in the coming weeks — not any more. so a huge moment for the us economy — and an important political moment for president biden. he said there was now light at the end of the tunnel for the american people. this bill represents an historic, historic victory for the american people. and i look forward to signing it later this week. everything in the american rescue plan addresses a real need, including investments to fund our entire vaccination effort, more vaccines, more vaccinate oars, and more vaccination sites. millions more americans will get tested, including home testing. schools will soon have the funding and resources to reopen safely on national imperative. in washington, our correspondent lebo diseko said it took time, but the bill got there in the end. it did have quite a difficult passage, really, but is a significant moment for president biden. this is his first major piece of legislation, he's now able to say to people that voted for him, "look, i have fulfilled my promise." i think the most significant things, or things people feel immediately are those unemployment benefits — $300 a week for people who are unemployed — and also those cheques, $1,a00 cheques that'll go out to most american people. and as you said, there's also money for vaccine distribution, education, as well. bernie sanders is an independent senator, but he usually votes with the democrats — he called this one of "the most significant pieces of legislation in modern history". that's huge when he think about, for example, the legislation around the financial crisis, all the other pieces of legislation that have passed in congress. so it is a big moment, but watching the passage that it took — democrats had to use a special way of getting it through the senate, which essentially bypassed republicans. they didn't need any republican votes to get it through, and they still struggled. and it makes you think, "how willjoe biden get the rest of his agenda through?" he wants to bring legislation, the next big piece of legislation he wants to bring is on infrastructure. there's also stuff on civil rights, things like voting rights and police reform, as well. those will need at least ten republicans on board in the senate to get through, and it's very difficult to see how that will happen at this stage. well, given that it took such an effort, and you put into context there, what can the president do? what's next on his plate? well, i think that's what we've all been trying to figure out. i think, to be fair to the republicans, they say thatjoe biden came into office promising that he would be bipartisan. and what the democrats have done, the first big piece of legislation, they've rammed this through. they turned down an attempt by republicans to try and find other ways — there were republicans that actually went to the white house and sat down withjoe biden, but couldn't reach any kind of agreement. democrats would say that republicans have been so intransigent, they can't work with them. it is difficult, there are calls to reform or get rid of this wall that means that 60 votes are needed in the senate, a super majority's needed in the senate to get legislation through. but it is two democrats — one very loud democrat who's said he will not support that, and also another moderate democrat who said she's not very supportive of that. so even in the measures that they might be able to take to try and get around this, there doesn't really seem to be a clear path — and it's from the democratic side. let's get some of the day's other news... brazil's former leader, luiz inacio lula da silva, has returned to the forefront of his country's politics, with a strong condemnation of president bolsonaro's covid—19 policies. at a speech in sao paolo, the popular left leader declined to say whether he would run against bolsonaro next year, after a judge annulled his corruption convictions, reinstating his right to run for office. meanwhile, brazil has registered a record 2,286 deaths from covid—19 in the past 2a hours — the first time the country has surpassed 2,000 deaths from the virus in a day. it has suffered the world's second—highest death toll, adding to criticism of far—right president jair bolsonaro, who has frequently downplayed the severity of the crisis. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman who was jailed in iran on spying charges, should be released immediately — according to the prime minister boris johnson. he's spoken to iran's president mrjohnson and said her continued confinement was "completely unacceptable". she is facing new court proceedings this weekend. the uk has summoned a top european union diplomat, after being accused of baning exports of covid—19 vaccines. the claim was made by european council chief charles michel amidst a row over vaccine roll—outs which has seen the uk outpace its former eu partners. it's a year since the world health organization officially declared coronavirus was a worldwide pandemic. covid—19 has so far claimed 2.6 million lives. our global health correspondent, naomi grimley, has been looking at the latest situation across the world. it's been a year that most of us will remember for the rest of our lives. one of grief and loneliness on a scale none of us could've imagined. it's exactly 12 months since the world health organization officially sounded the alarm about the seriousness of covid—19. we have therefore made the assessment that covid—19 can be characterised as a pandemic. and yet, after a whirlwind of scientific discoveries, we're now seeing vaccines being distributed to some of the most remote communities on earth. in brazil, they've mounted a vaccination campaign reaching reservations and villages like this one, deep in the amazon jungle. translation: i'm happy. we are grateful for the vaccination, so we will not catch the disease and my people will get better. because of a new variant spreading there, brazil has seen some of the worst death toll figures since the pandemic began in the last few days. but overall, scientists are positive about bringing the pandemic to an end. we're in a much more powerful situation because we understand so much more about the virus now. so i am very optimistic of the future, i think we have a better handle on the virus, and we are able to keep up, i suppose, with the race against an evolving virus. this graph shows some of the differences in pace, however, of vaccination rates globally. chile, israel, and the us have powered ahead. faring less well are brazil, russia, and china. in europe, there's been a huge amount of disquiet over disappointing vaccination rates. the situation in france has not been helped by negative remarks from president macron about the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine, which he later retracted. this family doctor is doing his best to persuade reluctant patients. translation: there's always a hesitation, i and we have to convince some patients that's time and energy used. if we don't have support, both from government and media, it's hard to go up from there. patients trust us, but only to a certain extent. meanwhile, the international covax programme has said it's delivered over 20 million doses to more than 20 developing countries, mostly in africa. but it's really only enough to vaccinate key medical workers. whether it's drive—thru vaccinations in la or doctors and nurses in nigeria — get ready for an increasingly divided world, depending on who's been vaccinated and who hasn't. with over 2.6 million deaths in the pandemic so far, everyone can agree that much better protections are needed to ensure it never happens again. naomi grimley, bbc news. uk police searching for sarah everard have said they have found "what appear to be human remains" in woodland in kent. a serving metropolitan police officer has been arrested on suspicion of murder following ms everard's disappearance last week in south london. metropolitan police commissioner, dame cressida dick, says the news the man arrested was one of her officers has sent shock waves through the force. the news today, that it was a metropolitan police officer who was arrested on suspicion of sarah's murder, has sent shock waves and anger through the public and through the met. i speak on behalf of all of my colleagues when i say that we are utterly appalled. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: ten years on from the fukushima nuclear disaster, ourjapan correspondent returns to the site to meet the people who's lives were changed irrevocably on that day in march 2011. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours, the soviet union lost an elderly, sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots from the gym, then he came out and started firing at our hearts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41 — - sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90 — l travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an eight—car convoy. i paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what'll you do now? will it change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really, i've never married before. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... president biden has scored an important victory afterjust 50 days in office, with the house of representatives approving his covid stimulus package worth almost $2 trillion. a month after the military coup in myanmar that saw the government of aung san suu kyi overthrown, dozens of police officers have fled the country, refusing to carry out the orders of the army. the defectors have fled to india, fearing they would be forced to kill or harm civilians. violent protests have taken place across the country, during which demonstrators have been killed. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports now from the indian state of mizoram, which lies on the border with myanmar. they fled the brutal crackdown in myanmar. these police men and women are now hiding in india. all in their 20s, they're terrified. they say they were ordered by the military to use violence against their own people. translation: as protests were taking place, my - boss ordered us to fire at the crowd. i refused to shoot them. isaid i'd rather side with the people. later, i told him i was going to visit my family. that's when i ran away. the military�*s becoming more and more brutal. he tells me he's left behind his wife and two daughters. the youngest is just six months. he's worried he may never see them again. the bbc couldn't independently verify the accounts of those we spoke to. as pro—democracy protests escalate, security forces in myanmar have been accused of killing at least 50 people and injuring hundreds more. some of the officers we met say they witnessed brutality first—hand. translation: people were beaten up. i had sleepless nights when i saw innocent people bleeding. my conscience wouldn't permit me to take part in such evil acts. we travelled across the remote and mountainous state of mizoram, now refuge for those fleeing the violence, and more keep coming every day. this part of northeast india shares a 250—mile border with myanmar. even though it's patrolled by security forces, people are risking the crossing. well, i'm standing in the indian state of mizoram, but on the other side of the banks here is the country of myanmar. and this river makes up some of the border which separates the two countries — and it's across here that dozens of people have made that journey, fleeing the military crackdown and coming to india for safety. and we've been told that they're expecting many more to make a similarjourney. authorities in myanmar have asked india to return the defectors, to uphold friendly relations. but the officers we talked to say they can't go back. translation: they wanted us to arrest our friends. _ if we continued to remain in myanmar, our lives would be in danger. we want peace to come quickly to the country and for the military to be defeated. local politicians say they'll provide temporary help to those arriving from myanmar. but as people flee to this corner of india, the national government has yet to decide what happens to them next. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, mizoram. ian maxwell, brother of ghislaine maxwell — who's in jail facing trial in new york — has said his sister is being held in degrading conditions which "amount to torture". ghislaine maxwell is seeking bail ahead of her trial on charges of helping the convicted sex offender, jeffrey epstein. she denies the charges. our new york correspondent nada tawfik has the story. jeffrey epstein and ghislaine maxwell shared an intimate relationship. to epstein�*s alleged victims, the pair were a dangerous combination. ghislaine, they say, was the chief enabler of the convicted sex offender. and now herfamily is finally speaking out. ian maxwell defended his sister in an interview with the bbc. he said she was being treated in a fashion that amounted to torture. physically, she's a 59—year—old woman and we understand that she's losing her hair, and that she's also having trouble with her eyesight and her ability to concentrate, because this is a tremendous pressure to be under. his comments come as his sister is seeking bail for a third time, desperate to leave the federal prison here in brooklyn and to wait out the trial under home confinement. thejudge has previously ruled that she is a flight risk. ghislaine maxwell says she's innocent. her brother denies that she is seeking to flee or that she is a suicide risk. ghislaine is not a suicide risk. she has never been a suicide risk. there are daily mental evaluations of her. she has shown no indication that that is her intention. she's been completely overmanaged. and why is that? because jeffrey epstein, who was under federal custody at the time of his death, died in federal custody, and so this is a grotesque overreaction. for her alleged victims, though, it's not. women that i represent, these 20 victims, many of them have suffered for so many years. they have, some of them, engaged in self—blaming, feel ashamed. they are understanding now that it's not their fault, but this has been a long, long process. ian maxwell says that he met epstein once fleetingly, and that he only saw him and his sister together once. there are numerous photos, including this infamous one with prince andrew, which he was asked about in his bbc interview. i don't know anything about the photograph, other than that i've seen it's been published. do you recognise the setting of that? was it taken in ghislaine's house in london? i do recognise that setting. he believes his sister still considers prince andrew a friend. the prince, meanwhile, has stepped back from royal duties to reduce his public profile. with the trial drawing near, the world may finally get to uncover the truth about epstein, his associates, and what's been called the most notorious sex trafficking ring in us history. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. it's exactly ten years since japan was hit by a giant 9.0 earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami which crashed into the coast less than an hour later. along the north east coast, dozens of towns and villages were engulfed by the immense wave. the disaster triggered a multiple meltdown at the fukushima daichi nuclear plant 250km north of tokyo. ten years on, ourjapan correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes has been back to meet people who's lives were changed irrevocably on that fateful day in march 2011. a major earthquake hit japan on friday afternoon... - 11 march, 2011. on the northeast coast ofjapan, a huge earthquake has triggered a giant tsunami. live pictures are broadcast around the world as the wave sweeps through the little fishing port of yuriagi, destroying everything in its path. by the end of the day, one in ten of yuriagi's residents are missing. among them are kiyokazu sasaki's whole family, including his wife and 14—year—old daughter. ten years on, sasaki—san takes me to the place his house once stood. clutched in his arms, his most precious possession — his daughter's school uniform. all that he has to remember her by. translation: in the beginning, i was drinking heavily. _ i really don't remember much of the first three years after the earthquake. after four years, i started to tell my story. i had a fight with my wife that morning before the quake struck. so now, i tell people, "what would you do if tomorrow never comes?" i tell them to live every single day as if you don't have tomorrow. down the coast, the tsunami triggered a second disaster at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. explosions ripped through the reactor buildings, releasing a huge radioactive cloud. today, the two towns closest to the fukushima plant remain deserted, frozen in time. the plant itself is now circled by vast waste dumps. underneath these green sheets are millions of tonnes of contaminated topsoil. unlike with chernobyl, the japanese government has set out to decontaminate the land here around the fukushima plant. vast areas of topsoil have been removed, creating millions and millions of tonnes of waste. and here behind me, you can see new towns being built for the nuclear evacuees. and in large part, it's been a success — the radiation levels here are very low, and it is safe for people to return to live here. unfortunately, that's no guarantee that they will. yoshihiro shiga is struggling to open the door to his deserted and badly—damaged workshop. after ten years, the roof is falling in. this is where his family made pottery for 300 years. but shiga—san now has no desire to see this place decontaminated. translation: this place may look like a mess. - but i want it to be left alone. this is my home. i have so many memories here. i don't want others to come in and trample on everything. on the spot where his house once stood, sasaki—san has planted three pine trees to commemorate those he lost. nearby, a huge new seawall has been built to protect yuriagi from future tsunamis. but he, too, has no desire to return to live here next to the ocean that took his family from him ten years ago. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in yagi, northernjapan. incredible to think it's been ten years. and before we go, a bit of bird news. for the northern royal albatross, flying is an effortless act. but when it comes to landing, well, that can be a different story. the albatross often has trouble coming back down to earth because of its narrow wings, which make it harder for the bird to fly slowly. so it may not have quite made the landing, but who among us gets it right all the time? let's be honest, it can fly, right? that's pretty awesome. from me and the team, thinks for watching. good night. hello. march may have come in like a lamb, but the lion has now arrived early. and, after a stormy night, we have a very windy thursday to come — yes, some sunshine, but also heavy, blustery showers. all around an area of low pressure that's sitting to the north of us, but the tightly—packed isobars right across us indicating that wherever you are, thursday will be a very windy day. but it's england and wales bearing the brunt of the strongest, most disruptive winds, particularly early in the day as we see this area of wet weather move across northern england, wales, the midlands, and on towards east anglia. first thing in the day, the strongest winds will be wales, western england, gusting up to 70 mph, maybe more exposed coastal hills, especially in wales, very rough seas and large waves hitting the coastline here, so that could be disruptive in terms of flooding. and the winds across england and wales as they continue to gust, 50—60 mph, maybe a little bit more in places during the morning, could be disruptive before easing gradually into the afternoon. weather—wise, wherever you are, it is sunshine and blustery showers from heavy hail and thunder. these are your wind gusts at the end of the afternoon, so they're easing a bit in england and wales, but still very windy in northern ireland — in fact, the winds picking up again in northwest scotland, approaching 60 mph at this stage. single figures in scotland and northern ireland, 9—12 celsius in england and wales. and it remains very blustery overnight thursday and into friday. further showers around increasingly falling as snow into the hills of scotland, perhaps northern ireland, into the pennines, as well — some here with a covering of snow at the higher ground as friday starts. and these are your temperatures. and then, for friday, spot the difference — yes, there'll be drier moments and sunshine, but there'll be further heavy showers around, some with hail and thunder, and still falling as snow into the hills of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, perhaps into wales at times, too, the higher up you are. and, ifanything, perhaps a little bit cooler on friday. and then, into the weekend, well, still low pressure. a frontal system bringing more wet weather more widely overnight and into saturday. then saturday, it's sunshine and showers. bit of a lull first thing sunday, but this weather system bringing more rain at least into western parts as we go on through sunday. so, a selection of locations here for your sunday weather. and then, looking into next week, well, it turns drier and calmer once again, as that march lamb makes a comeback. this is bbc news, the headlines president biden relief package is cleared. the economic aid plan worth almost $2 trillion was improved by the house of representatives without a single rep or delete not republican in favour. $1400 for most americans. burmese police — who've fled across the border to india — have told the bbc, they left after refusing to follow the orders of the military. they said, they'd been told by senior offciers, to shoot protestors. told by senior offciers, human remains have been found in the search for sarah everard — last seen in london a week ago a serving police officer has been detained on suspicion of her murder. that's it from me.