hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the us house of representatives has just voted to pass presidentjoe biden�*s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill. the cash would be extended as emergency financial aid to households, small businesses and state governments. unemployment in the us is close to 10%, with some ten million jobs lost in the pandemic. the vote comes in the same week the us passed 500,000 coronavirus—related deaths — the largest figure of any nation in the world. the republicans — who say it is too expensive — had fought to get it defeated in committees. 0ur washington correspondent lebo diseko sent us this update. it's not a surprise that this bill has passed in the house. democrats hold a majority there and it was just a simple majority that was needed to get it through. the real battle will come in the senate. democrats are using a special process called budgetary reconciliation and it means that there are two in the senate it willjust need a simple majority to pass. but there is no guarantee that the bill in its current form will get that. the real bone of contention has been this issue of the $15 minimum wage and already there are two democratic senators who have said they will not vote for the bill if it contains that. so what we are likely to see is modifications made and that the bill will be sent back to the house to vote on it again. democrats really want this to get in front of president biden for him to sign by mid—march, because that is when some key unemployment benefits expire. and forjoe biden, this is his first big legislative package, so we are likely to see democrats do whatever they can to make sure that it does eventually pass. in the uk, the chancellor rishi sunak will unveil new measures to help people buy their own home in his budget next week. a scheme will encourage lenders to provide mortgages covering 95% of the value of properties up to £600,000. the chancellor will also say he's providing funding for 40,000 places on apprenticeship and trainee programmes in england. our business reporter, ramzan karmali, reports. with government spending heading towards £300 billion to deal with the pandemic, the unemployment rate hitting its highest level in five years and the uk economy shrinking almost 10% in 2020, all eyes will be on the chancellor next week when he delivers his budget on wednesday. one area that will be in focus will be the housing market. over the past year, banks have tightened their lending criteria for those attempting to get onto the property ladder. but now the government is aiming to make that easier. from april, buyers in the uk will only need a 5% deposit to take out a mortgage for a property worth up to £600,000. the government will offer lenders the guarantee they need to provide mortgages that cover the other 95%. the scheme is based on the help to buy scheme launched back in 2013 which helped more than 100,000 people buy homes. but there were concerns that it pushed up house prices. the chancellor will also make changes to england's existing traineeship schemes as part of next week's budget. a new flexi—job apprenticeship will enable participants to work with a number of different employers in one sector. and the government will pay £3,000 to firms who take on an apprentice regardless of age. a lot of small businesses who obviously have struggled significantly throughout the covid—19 crisis, this opportunity of additional financial incentives to support new people into their business can only help them move forward. speaking in the financial times, mr sunak acknowledged there was an immediate need to spend to deal with the challenges of the pandemic. but he warned that britain's finances were exposed because of the level of debt the country has taken on. labour said that now is not the time for tax rises on families or businesses. ramzan karmali, bbc news. ministers in england have launched a campaign to reassure parents it's safe for children to return to the classroom. the back—to—school adverts will highlight extra measures, such as testing and masks, being introduced ahead of schools reopening fully on march the 8th in england. 0ur correspondent, jon donnison, has the details. these are some of the reasons the government in england think it's important to get young people back to school. teachers unions, though, are urging caution. our view is that it is the right time to go back into school. we would have had a phased return because that is what we see in wales, in northern ireland and in scotland. we haven't really seen the evidence for why it is so different in england. 0n the other hand, this is all about managing risks. and the risks of children not being in school are very significant as well. so, yes, it is the right time. but let's be realistic and recognise that it must be done with a real sense of honesty and of caution. and the unions are unhappy that the government has rejected the idea of prioritising teachers for vaccinations. instead, age will continue to be the main factor driving the vaccination timetable. the government has pledged to offer the vaccine to everyone over 50, as well as those in specific at risk groups, by mid april. it will then work down through the age groups, starting with those aged 40—49, then 30—39, and finally 18—29 — aiming that all adults should have been offered at least a firstjab by the end ofjuly. but despite the rapid progress on jabs, at the latest downing street briefing — a warning not to become complacent. it's a bit like being 3—0 up in a game and thinking, "well, we can't possibly lose this now." but how many times have you seen the other side take it 4—3? do not wreck this now. it is too early to relax. and as we head towards spring, although cases are continuing to fall on a national level, in one in five local council areas infections have actually started to slightly rise again. jon donnison, bbc news. police say it will take "some time" to deal with a large unexploded second world war bomb close to exeter university. hundreds of university students were evacuated from 12 halls of residence after the device was found, and officers declared a major incident. a 100 metre cordon is in place and a further 100 nearby properties were also evacuated. three parties in northern ireland's devolved assembly have requested an emergency meeting — after the agriculture minister, gordon lyons, ordered a halt to the construction of brexit inspection posts. his democratic unionist party opposes the northern ireland protocol, which means there are checks on goods arriving from the rest of the uk. in nigeria, hundreds of schoolchildren have been abducted — in the latest incident of its kind. president muhammadu buhari says the government will not be blackmailed by criminals who target innocent children. this time 317 schoolgirls were taken from a boarding school. they were kidnapped in the northwest state of zamfara. the governor has ordered all schools to close in response. mayenijones reports. the lucky few. these students were amongst those that were not kidnapped on friday morning. 0ver100 gunmen stormed this all—girls secondary school in the town ofjangebe, taking 317 students with them. security forces have been deployed to the area. we are on the trail of the kidnappers, that's way you find us in the fringes of the forest here. it's part of our location effort and it's part of our cordoning effort. anxious parents gathered outside the school all day, waiting for news of their loved ones. abductions of this type have become increasingly common in northern nigeria. just last week, 42 people, including 27 students, were kidnapped in the central state of niger. they are yet to be released. in december, more than 300 boys were kidnapped by gunmen and later released after negotiations. it's not clear who carried out that attack. but it was the 2014 kidnapping of 276 girls in the town of chibok by islamist militants that brought global attention to mounting insecurity in the country. that kidnapping was carried out by the extremist group boko haram. although they haven't been active in north—western nigeria, there is evidence their area of activity could be expanding. we know that one of the major institutions rejected by boko haram that has been operating in nigeria for over ten years is secular education, and we know that boko haram has been infiltrating the criminal gangs in the north—west and have succeeded in the past 18 months or so. so i wouldn't be surprised if these people are doing it for some ideological reasons, or at least this indicates to us the pathological hatred they have for school, possibly because they did not have the opportunity of attending any. criminals have been encouraged by the publicity that followed the abduction of the chibok girls. they know it is an effective way of pressuring the government. with no clear strategy to stop them, northern nigeria remains one of the most unsafe places in the world for children. mayenijones, bbc news, lagos. the funeral of the record—breaking fundraiser, captain sir tom moore, will take place today — with an raf fly—past and a gun salute from his former regiment. almost £33 million worth of donations were made to nhs charities, after captain tom walked 100 laps of his back garden, to mark his 100th birthday. john maguire reports. they were there by his side when he made that most famous journey. i'm surrounded by the right sort of people, so, yes, ifeel fine. i hope you're all feeling fine too. and today, they're with him once again as he makes his finaljourney. soldiers from the modern equivalent of captain sir tom moore's wartime regiment will provide full military honours for his funeral. it's an absolute honour to be here. i met captain sir tom moore last year to mark his 100th lap of his garden, as you know, you were there. i hand over the role of the regiment sergeant major next week, so this is my actual final act and i could not think of a more honourable way to finish my ten years with the regiment of sergeant major of the yorkshire regiment. the preparations have been painstaking to ensure a suitable sendoff. it will be a small family funeral, and the public have been asked to stay away due to the pandemic. before his death, he had been very clear about his wishes for today. and i said, so i think your idea of the cardboard coffin and using the cheapest funeral is probably not going to cut it, these days. because he was always like, don't waste your money, once you're gone, you're gone. remember, this is the man. and i said, ijust don't think that's going to work. and he said, what have you got in mind? and i said, i think it's not what i've got in mind, i think that you should think what you really want. we've kept to his wishes, we've kept it simple. there's eight of us, you can imagine how many people there could have been, you know, in these times. he's met lots of new friends and lots of new supporters. we've created a funeral that i think he would look down on and say, goodjob, girls. an aircraft he would have seen overhead in wartime burma, the dakota from the battle of britain memorial flight, will fly past at midday to mark the beginning of the ceremony, followed by a 1a—gun salute. the service itself will hear tributes from his daughters and grandchildren. # walk on through the rain. # though your dreams... and the music will include his record—breaking duet with michael ball singing you'll never walk alone. # walk on. # walk on, with hope in your heart. michael buble has recorded a version of the song smile especially for today's funeral. and on his coffin, draped with the union flag, will be his knighthood medal, his campaign medals and a replica of his military cap. also, a specially commissioned officer's sword. on one side engraved with his regiment motto, "fortune favours the brave." and on the other, what else but his most memorable words, "tomorrow will be a good day." let's speak now to dr nighat arif, a family gp from buckinghamshire. hello. captain sir tom moore has become to be seen as this symbol of resilience, and inspiration to many people, but the money he raised was for the nhs, that must be very important to you. fire for the nhs, that must be very important to you. are incredibly important _ important to you. are incredibly important to — important to you. are incredibly important. to me, _ important to you. are incredibly important. to me, he _ important to you. are incredibly important. to me, he was - important to you. are incredibly important. to me, he was alsol important to you. are incredibly | important. to me, he was also a local hero. he was so local to us and it felt tangible that all of the hope and goodwill he was putting three really meant something to us as working staff. at the start of the pandemic, they were really dark times. there was a lot of bickering, everybody was looking at who is the most vulnerable, what age category everyone is going into, how do we protect our elderly, and then he defied the odds and showed, actually, he managed to transcend through the norms we would have to divide people into communities, he translated all of those and was able to unite us and be able to give us some hope —— he transcended all of those. this was a new virus, we were scared, we saw the death toll which was utterly, utterly heartbreaking. and yet this amazing gentleman, quietly, gracefully walking up and down, raising money for the nhs because the nhs needed it. this was our battlefront. colleagues were really feeling the difficulties. he was able to rally on a bigger scale which wasjust was able to rally on a bigger scale which was just unfathomable at the time. ifeel he is somebody which was just unfathomable at the time. i feel he is somebody who which was just unfathomable at the time. ifeel he is somebody who is local to me and i'm honoured to speak about him today. localto me and i'm honoured to speak about him today.- localto me and i'm honoured to speak about him today. make your local connection _ speak about him today. make your local connection very _ speak about him today. make your local connection very palpable. - local connection very palpable. there has been over the last months very strong outpouring of positive donation towards the nhs but do you think captain sir tom changed people's perceptions of the nhs as well? , , , .. , people's perceptions of the nhs as well? , , ,, , well? definitely, because people have always. _ well? definitely, because people have always. i — well? definitely, because people have always, i can't _ well? definitely, because people have always, i can't generalise . well? definitely, because people i have always, i can't generalise but there is this feeling that it's there is this feeling that it's there and it's something i guess to a degree people take for granted. i can do what i like, eat what i like, be as reckless as i like and the nhs will fix me. but actually it is a finite resource and he showed this is a finite resource that needs input. but notjust the is a finite resource that needs input. but not just the fact is a finite resource that needs input. but notjust the fact it is a resource that is there and the nhs has an amazing ability to cope under pressure. look at the vaccination programme. we are able to provide care when needed. the difficulty is that mental health services needs input, and loneliness, we talk a lot about loneliness. these are issues we weren't actually considering and then he brought that out. he also showed you can be 100 and achieve the impossible and amazing things. i think this is where people were feeling that maybe they were down in the dumps and he was able to transcend that and say, it's opaque, regardless of where you are in life, to marry is a good day —— its 0k, tomorrow is a good day. to marry is a good day -- its 0k, tomorrow is a good day.- to marry is a good day -- its 0k, tomorrow is a good day. more angry protests are taking place in myanmar following the military coup there earlier this month. in the main city, yangon, police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse demonstrators. there was a heavy police presence from early in the morning there. as protests continue the military government has officially annulled the results of last november's general election, which saw a landslide victory for aung san suu kyi's party. earlier, a un special envoy said no country should recognise the current military government. the bbc�*s nick marsh is following developments from singapore. there were reports of one protester having been shot dead, i wonder if you can bring us up—to—date? this you can bring us up-to-date? this occurred near _ you can bring us up—to—date? ti 3 occurred near mandalay in you can bring us up—to—date? t1151 occurred near mandalay in the you can bring us up—to—date? ti 1 occurred near mandalay in the middle of the country. for now there has been no confirmation on our part that she has died, local media say she was shot dead. if that's true she was shot dead. if that's true she would become the fourth protested to be killed in violence related to the coup which took place at the beginning of the month. i've been speaking to my colleagues and they say she was taken to the hospital and in the intensive care unit. 0nce hospital and in the intensive care unit. once people reach intensive care it is difficult to get information. we are keeping across this and as soon as we know more we will keep you updated. in terms of the wider picture, more protests in various cities, rubber bullets, tear gas and more people on the streets. we will have to see how security forces respond. find we will have to see how security forces respond.— we will have to see how security forces respond. and no sign of the military backing — forces respond. and no sign of the military backing down _ forces respond. and no sign of the military backing down if— forces respond. and no sign of the military backing down if they - forces respond. and no sign of the military backing down if they have| military backing down if they have annulled the results of the general election. . �* , , election. that's right, this election — election. that's right, this election in _ election. that's right, this election in which - election. that's right, this election in which aung - election. that's right, this| election in which aung san election. that's right, this - election in which aung san suu kyi got 80% of the vote. the military said it was conducted fraudulently and have produced no evidence to back up that claim that they want to hold another election which they claim will be fairer and more democratic. we will have to see how that unfolds but at the moment aung san suu kyi's under house arrest and there is no proposition of dialogue. perhaps we will see some of myanmar�*s regional neighbours exerting pressure in that regard but no dialogue, no relenting from the military, as of yet.— new zealand has announced a lockdown in auckland to start on sunday. restrictions will be imposed for seven days because of a new case of covid—19. the rest of new zealand will be put into level 2 restrictions that limit public gatherings. two weeks ago, auckland's nearly two million residents were plunged into a snap three—day lockdown after a family of three were diagnosed with the uk variant of covid—19. an iceberg measuring nearly 490 square miles has broken away from the antarctic. the split was detected not far from britain's halley research station, on the brunt ice shelf. scientists — who've been predicting such an event for months — say they'll use satellite images to track the iceberg. thomas barningham leads the team at the halley station. he's currently on—board a ship travelling from antarctica to the falkland islands and spoke to us a short time ago. it's a natural process, and it's something that happens sequentially through time, so we've been expecting a calving event on the brunt ice shelf, we expect one to happen may be every 30 to a0 years or so, and i think the last one was in the 1970s. so, yes, it's very much a natural process. it's literally the ice shelfjust calving and releasing the ice out into the ocean, and then over time it will build up again. this iceberg itself is quite a fair distance from the station itself, so at the moment we don't see any impact on the station but we have lots of gps monitoring equipment and glaciological monitoring to keep an eye on the stability of the ice shelf around the station. the ice shelf we work on is probably the most intensively monitored ice shelf in the world, and we get all of this very high resolution data that we can then compare to satellite imagery, which is how we would normally capture calving events happening across antarctica. but the fact this is on our doorstep and we have all of our instruments set up is a great opportunity to understand ice shelf dynamics. there will be a period of time where it will potentially sort of move around the rest of the ice shelf, or it might be pushed out into the sea where it will disperse quickly, but it could hang around or it could disappear very quickly. glastonbury might be off this year, but since borisjohnson announced his roadmap out of lockdown in england, a number of festivals have said their shows will go on — and some are enjoying record ticket sales. creamfields, field day, reading and leeds are among those which have sold out, but some event organisers say they need more certainty from the government on when restrictions will be eased. this report from katie prescott contains some flashing images. dancing together, a distant memory. the echoes of crowds like these not heard for over a year. but there are hopes that parks like this one might soon welcome them again. this festival organiser is planning an event here in september. but he is taking a big risk. with every single month that goes by from now until september we are investing heavily in this show. we currently have no insurance in place to ensure that we are going to get that money back. every single month that goes by, thousands of pounds are being spent on suppliers. we had to delay as many payments as was humanly possible until were absolutely clear and certain that the festival can go ahead, and that what capacity, and with what measures. and that not knowing is particularly tough for freelancers, like performers. completely helpless. but then also, what can you do? i'm someone that definitely works in the moment, and when everything and all of the tools possible have been taken away and downed it makes it extremely hard. what are you going to do? # show me love. the festival industry will be hoping the chancellor shows them some love in his budget on wednesday. a year on since the pandemic started, it will lay bare just how much it has cost to keep businesses going through covid. but the event industries are hoping that the government doesn't pull the plug on spending just yet. at least until audiences are able to return to venues like these. we need an extension of furlough. the business rates relief is really important. the 5% vat is interesting, but we've not been able to trade so we've not been able to benefit from that. but the crucial thing, we need a lead time to enable these events to bounce back. the hospitality industry can bounce back in a couple of weeks. when tickets are available, it seems people do want to buy them. we are, if anything, worried about the capacity we're going to have for the explosion of domestic tourism we are expecting to see in the uk this summer. international tourism obviously a completely different story. stonehenge, which is one of our most important sites, we normally have 75% of visitors from overseas. so naturally that's going to make a big difference to us, the fact that they almost certainly won't be coming this year. after a year of silence, this summer could mark the start of a new dawn for festivals. even in a socially distanced world. katie prescott, bbc news. what might be possible for us this summer. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with 0wain. i hope you're well. we have high pressure nearby at the moment and it's painting a settled picture across much of the uk. we have seen some sunshine this morning. we had some sunshine this morning. we had some yesterday. we hang onto that theme for most for the next couple of days with some chilly nights to come. there is the area of high pressure across the uk. we have this week front pushing into northern parts introducing thicker cloud, potentially some patchy rain into northern ireland and scotland. eventually into the north of england. much of england and wales in the north—east of scotland enjoying plenty of sunny spells through the afternoon, brazier along coastal parts and temperatures reaching 12. the high pressure is still with us and that means it should remain mostly dry. it probably won't be as chilly as last night and we will see some mist and fog patches as well. you can see the remnants of the week where the front affecting parts of northern ireland, the north of england and scotland. temperatures down to two or three celsius. tomorrow morning will be quite grey and miserable for many as we see some mist and fog patches. hopefully, as we head through the afternoon, it will brighten up with some sunny spells on offer. a very quiet story once more. we will see those mist and fog patches but for the majority, again, sunny spells developing as we head through the day. i can't promise wall—to—wall blue sky, variable amounts of cloud once more. we may see the odd isolated shower into northern ireland, the north west of england and southern scotland. looking at the big picture, the high pressure is still there, so again it's a very quiet, settled weather story but we'll see some sunny spells this weekend but potentially less of that on monday with some low cloud, mist and fog which will stick around into the afternoon in central parts of england and wales. further north, it should be drier and brighter. towards the middle of the week, the high pressure is hanging on in there. we still have some weather fronts nearby, it is keeping those away. looking at the outlook for next week, it is very quiet with variable amounts of cloud overhead. as we look towards the end of next week, it looks like those temperatures may slide away. turning cooler but we'll keep you posted. see you soon. hello, and welcome to dateline london, the programme bringing together foreign correspondents based in london with bbc expertise. i'm geeta guru—murthy. after the crisis, the deluge. keeping economies afloat has cost exchequers around the world a fortune and now, as we peer towards the end of lockdown, thoughts are turning to how we pay the bills. will there be a deluge of new taxes? the austerity of 2008 seems out of favour now so will there be a continued flood of spending? will economic activity bounce back rapidly or will tax revenues take a hit as unemployment rises? it is often said that if there are three economists there will be four opinions, and i am joined today by marc roche from france's le point and stephanie baker from bloomberg. and here in the studio, at a safe social distance, the bbc�*s business editor, simonjack. thanks forjoining us and welcome to you all. in britain, the chancellor, rishi sunak, presents his budget next week. there's pressure from new conservative mp's in the north, along with the labour party, for continued support through the pandemic and no tax rises. the hope is that economic growth and perhaps controlled inflation will do the trick. but what if it doesn't? could future low productivity, low investment or a rise in interest rates all pose dangerous risks especialy to jobs. simon, a big week ahead for the government — setting post pandemic strategy and the first budget after brexit — what are you expecting? i think there are two main challenges. we are coming out of the worst slump in over 300