this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughanjones with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the us secretary of defence says russia has the military capability to strike ukraine, but tells vladimir putin it's not too late to prevent a conflict. he can choose to de—escalate. he can order his troops away. he can choose dialogue and diplomacy. tens of thousands of russian troops have amassed on the ukrainian border, but ukraine's president calls on the west to avoid creating "panic". translation: you get the impression from the media that we're at war, - that there are soldiers on the streets, that there's mobilisation going on, that people are running away. we don't need that panic. the latest on partygate — the bbc understands the report will be delivered to the prime minister without waiting for the police inquiry to conclude.

so, when ijoined bbc news it was just radio and television. and now there is the website, social, the app, there is continuous news tv, radio, continuous news so there's a lot more of it. is that better or worse? it's better in that i think we are responding to what people want and how they live their lives and how they don't want to just kind of make an apointment to see news or to see news they needed there, instantly so it's better in that respect. it is the quality of what we do worse or better? i think the quality of what we do is actually incredibly good. you mentioned quality, but as you've heard, some people think there has been a loss of quality because of the cuts that you've had to make of the past few years. recently the bbc admitted it had been a mistake to interview the lawyer alan dershowitz after ghislaine maxwell's conviction. do you accept that with fewer experience journalists in the newsroom mistakes are going to happen like that even more? well, mistakes do happen. i'm not going to deny that. but i think in that particular

we'll be back to hear your thoughts about bbc news coverage again next week. goodbye. it was a pretty winter and to the reek in many parts of the uk. snell brought disruption for some although he did bring beautiful scenes as well. that's how it looked in east dunbartonshire. tonight as could be a hazard for a time but it will turn my other and also let her into the second half of the night. clear skies with temperatures plummeting and ice from southern scotland and spots further south as well. but then we seek cloud bringing rain in from the west and a spell of snow as it bumps into the cold air but it will turn back to me as temperatures climb. by the end of the night eight, nine, orio degrees. a mile they started to saturday morning but with cloud and outbreaks of rain. the frontal system will bring unsettled day of whether that heavy breaths of rain and wind sandwiched between the two other funds we have this wedge of mild air. a different feel to it being saturday morning with outbreaks of heavy rain pushing east with the rain organising itself into bands and this

this is bbc news. i'm nuala mcgovern with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the first shipment of newly approved us military aid arrives in kyiv following "frank" talks over russia's troop build—up on the ukraine border. the un condemns a saudi—led coalition air strike in yemen, killing dozens. the us calls for a de—escalation of the conflict. rio's colourful carnival parade is pushed back from february to april amid a coronavirus surge in brazilfuelled by the 0micron variant. anti—abortion activists gather in washington for the annual march for life. their hopes are now pinned on the supreme court. # like a bat out of hell # i'll be gone when the morning comes... and tributes to one of the giants of american rock:

this is bbc news. our top stories. three white men who murdered ahmaud arbery in the us state of georgia are given life sentences — the family said they never lost faith in justice. i knew that we would come out with a victory. yes. — i never doubted it. and i knew that today would come. the us questions kazakhstan's decision to invite in russian troops to quell unrest, saying it might be difficult to get them to leave. india locks down the capital delhi to try and halt a surge of cases fueled by the 0micron variant. you will call me sir or mr thackeray. and sidney poitier, the first black man

dominic hughes, bbc news. let's take a look at the latest official government figures. there were11t1,1t72 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. in the same period 97 deaths were reported — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. it means the total number of people who've died with covid now stands at 150,154. on vaccinations, 35.5 million people have had a booster jab, which means, 61.7% of people aged 12 and over have now had three vaccine doses. novak djokovic's appeal against deportation from australia begins in a few hours with a court hearing. the men's tennis number one has been held in a hotel in melbourne since he arrived in the country. the australian government says he is not exempt from the requirement for visiting foreigners to be vaccinated. from melbourne, shaimaa khalil reports. a day before challenging his deportation in court, novak djokovic is still held at the immigration detention hotel, and his supporters are still outside, callin

welcome to bbc news. i'm victoria derbyshire with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. england's education secretary backs reducing covid isolation down from seven days to five. the australian government did not give novak djokovic assurances that he could enter the country without a vaccination, according to documents filed ahead of a hearing on monday. russian troops arrive in kazakhstan as order is restored following six days of violence that killed 164 people. the afghan baby, separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal, is reunited with relatives. look, this one, and this one, it is also _ look, this one, and this one, it is also broken _ a bbc investigation into accommodation for asylum seekers in the uk discovers serial concerns about the living conditions provided for some people. and it's a draw for england and australia in the fourth ashes test. england trail 3—0 in the series, with one test to play. hello and welcome if you're watching

this is bbc news. storm malik batters northern britain, leaving two people dead — a nine—year—old boy and a 60—year—old woman. thousands are without power as forecasters warn storm corrie will bring further high winds tomorrow. in the united states, warnings of historic blizzards as a fierce winter storm bringing heavy snowfall hits the east coast. as the ukraine border crisis continues, borisjohnson is to travel to eastern europe and will telephone the russian president in the coming days. senior conservative mps join the opposition in calling for the report on downing street parties during lockdowns to be published in full. a more detailed study is under way after initial research finds some people with long covid may have hidden damage to their lungs.

this is bbc news. our top stories: australian government lawyers say the continued presence of novak djokovic in the country is undermining their covid vaccine strategy as the tennis player's legal team tries to stop his deportation. one of borisjohnson's ministers calls his behaviour unacceptable after downing street apologised to the queen for number 10 staff lockdown parties on the eve of prince philip's funeral. the us accuses russia of planning to create a pretext to justify invading ukraine. i will let you say "green light". green light. and we meet �*mr beast�*, the man who made almost $54 million last year and has topped the youtube rich list.

katharine da costa, bbc news. the head of a british parliamentary standards committee says any attempt by the conservative government to blackmail its own mps into supporting the prime minister would be illegal. chris bryant, who's from the opposition labour party, said he'd heard complaints from about a dozen conservatives. it comes amid reports that gatherings in borisjohnson�*s official residence are part of an investigation into parties held against covid rules. 0ur political correspondent damian grammaticas. already under pressure, the coming days could prove decisive for boris johnson. now, there is a new concern. the fact that one of the main rebel mps who've already written letters of no confidence in him is due to talk to the police, possibly on monday. the mp william wragg this week alleged he had been told others had faced threats that they might lose funding for their constituencies if they didn't back the prime minister. the intimidation of a member of parliament is a serious matter. moreover, the r

this is bbc news. the headlines: england's education secretary becomes the first uk cabinet minister to back reducing covid isolation down from seven days to five. novak djokovic prepares for a court hearing — after saying he has a vaccine exemption to enter australia — because he had covid last month. russian troops arrive in kazakhstan as order is restored following six days of violence. the afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal is reunited with relatives. the duchess of cambridge at 40 — three new portraits will go on display in english towns where kate has lived to celebrate her birthday. now on bbc news it's time for some political thinking with nick robinson. "i should've been in prison, not in parliament," my guest on political thinking this week says. that is a reflection not just of the fact he was brought up in real poverty in london's east end, but that his grandfather was a convicted bank robber. wes streeting has been on quite a journey

this is bbc news the headlines at six. the education secretary for england backs reducing the covid isolation period — from 7 days to 5. the australian government did not give assurances to novak djokovic that he could enter the country without a vaccination — according to documents filed before tomorrow's court hearing. an afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal — is reunited with relatives. russian troops arrive in kazakhstan — there is relative calm there, after 6 days of violence that killed 164 people. the golden globe awards take place tonight in hollywood — but there's no red carpet, no stars and it's not on tv. and coming up on sportsday, it's a draw for england and australia in the fourth ashes test. england trail 3—0 in the series, with one test to play. the education secretary has said shortening the covid isolation period in england would be helpful in dealing with staffing shortages. nadhim zahawi said any decision would be made on the basis of advice f

welcome to bbc news. the education secretary has said he would support cutting the coronavirus self—isolation period from seven days to five in england if the move was recommended by experts at the uk health security agency. nadim zahawi said the reduction would help with staff absenteeism. also he denied that there were plans to stop supplying free lateral flow tests after a report in a sunday paper. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. the good news is that booster jabs are holding fast against the omicron wave. even as new cases have surged, hospital admissions remain a long way off the peak seen this time last year. but each day, hundreds of thousands of people are having to isolate for at least seven days, so now there's a suggestion that period could be cut to five days instead. it would help with staff absenteeism, hence why i think if the experts, and i have to defer to the uk health and security agency, deem it appropriate that you can have two negative tests on consecutive days as

this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world: tennis star novak djokovic had a vaccine exemption to enter australia because he had covid in december, according to court documents. explosions ring. days after violent and deadly protests erupted in kazakhstan, the former domestic intelligence agency chief is detained on suspicion of high treason. it comes as the us questions kazakhstan�*s decision to bring in russian troops to quell the violent unrest. one lesson of recent history is that once russians are in your house, it is sometimes very difficult to get them to leave. flat owners in the uk won't have to pay to remove dangerous cladding from lower height buildings under new government plans, the bbc understands. three white men who murdered ahmaud arbery in the us state of georgia are given life sentences — his family say they never lost faith in justice. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. lawyers acting for tennis star novak djo

this is bbc news. the headlines: britain is accusing russia of planning to install a pro—kremlin leader in ukraine, as fears of an invasion grow. the foreign office in london says a former ukrainian mp is being considered as a potential candidate — along with four others who it says have links to russian intelligence services. islamic state fighters have continued one of their biggest attacks in syria since the group's self—declared caliphate was defeated nearly three years ago. a british—based monitoring group said more than 75 people — most of them jihadists — had been killed in three days of fighting with kurdish—led forces in the northern city of hasakeh. now, on bbc news, it's time for dateline london.

paul adams, bbc news. the uk's deputy prime minister dominic raab has been speaking this morning about the potential sanctions russia could face. he was also asked about whether british troops could be sent to ukraine. i think it is extremely unlikely. but that does not we won't do anything we can short of that to short up and protect the position of ukraine and taking defensive measures and also make it clear there will be a very severe economic price to pay. russia is engaged in a whole range of nefarious activity and russia, as a member of the un security council needs to live up to the basic tenets of international law and invading another country is not one of them. a muslim politician in the uk says her faith was raised by a government whip as a reason why she was sacked as a minister in 2020. according to the sunday times newspaper, nusrat ghani says when she asked for an explanation, she was told her "muslimness was raised as an issue". chief whip mark spencer said ms ghani was referring to him and

this is bbc news. the headlines: novak djokovic prepares for a court hearing — after saying he has a vaccine exemption to enter australia — because he had covid last month. england's education secretary becomes the first uk cabinet minister, to back reducing covid isolation down from seven days to five. the afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal — is reunited with relatives. russian troops arrive in kazakhstan, as order is restored following six days of violence. and the duchess of cambridge at a0 — three new portraits will go on display in english towns where kate has lived to celebrate her birthday. time for the sport, now. hi, thank you. we will start with the ashes. it was tense and nervous. england clung on for a tense draw on the final day of the fourth test

now on bbc news, review 2021, we remember. prince philip, una stubbs, charlie watts, sarah harding, captain sir tom moore, christopher plummer and jimmy greaves. just a few of those whose lives are celebrated in this year's programme. # we're all going on a summer holiday...# why doesn't he stop honking his horn? there's plenty of room to park! we're not going on a london bus if that's what you had in mind! well, you're not going to get very i far on your holiday in this thing. i we're not on our way on holiday. we're going to an engagement! i don't wish to impose upon you. my pleasure. in that case, you might as well do the laundry while you're about it, and dust the furniture. boys! you've got another one! what? goodness, here? i think i might! applause. i say, he forgot to pay. i wasn't a trained dancer. i didn't go to any. lessons or anything. my dad was a barber, _ but he'd come home and start... and i copied him, but ii could always tap dance. # raindrops keep falling on my head # and just like the guy whose feet are too

but tonight here on bbc news... during the pandemic, thousands of dog thefts were reported across the uk and ireland. this is the story of molly, one of those stolen dogs, and the fight to bring her back home. are you good? i would actually rather know that she was dead than to imagine the sort of people that she's with right now. a miniature, bitch, two—year—old, lads. it's the smell that gets you firstl and then hundreds of these eyes looking back at you. i have seen people taking photographs of dogs. i guarantee that i can look on dog for sale pages and see those pictures. only a very, very small percentage of people are actually prosecuted for this. good girl! she still has love to give and still has faith in the human race. - good girl, good girl! we haven't stopped fighting for even a single day, and we never will. are you good? one of my favourite things that i remember about molly is that she just had so much love inside herfor all of us. she's just so lovable and kind. the last photo that i took of moll

david lumb, bbc news. i'm back with the papers, but for now it is time for a new swatch. has the bbc�*s coverage of those downing street party allegations been a witchhunt that is played unfairly on the audience's motions? and we delve into the archive to look at some opening titles from news bulletins in years gone by. the latest in a string of allegations of lockdown parties at downing street has led to a free braille atmosphere in westminster over the past few days and, one can imagine, a bit of a frenzy in newsrooms around the country too. although this week's reports have made many years angry, others have accused bbc of getting overexcited by the story.— overexcited by the story. surely there are far— overexcited by the story. surely there are far more _ overexcited by the story. surely there are far more important i overexcited by the story. surely i there are far more important news items that the bbc should be looking at, such as housing the afghan refugees or even what vladimir putin is doing, rather than whether or not there was a socially distant to get

mark lobel, bbc news. this is bbc news. the headlines: the us has warned that the build—up of russian troops on the ukraine border is the largest since the cold war. earlier, the russian president, vladimir putin, told his french counterpart, emmanuel macron, that he had no plans for an offensive. the report into parties held at downing street during lockdown is expected to be delivered to the prime minister shortly. there had been speculation the report would be delayed. a bridge in the us city of pittsburgh has collapsed hours before a visit to the area by president biden, to tout the investment his administration is making in america's infrastructure. six vehicles, including a bus, were on the bridge at the time, but no deaths have been reported. here's our north america correspondent peter bowes. it took just seconds for the snow—covered forbes avenue bridge to collapse early on friday morning. the steel structure, built in 1970, is a common route for motorists travelling into downtown pittsburgh. the emergency serv

peter bowes, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the influential online streaming platform twitch accused of encouraging unhealthy behaviour. this is the moment that millions in iran have been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid, and the anc leader nelson mandela is to be set free unconditionally. mission control: three, two, one... a countdown to a critical moment — the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it "a piece of cake". thousands of people have given l the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming - in the corn

hello, this is bbc news with me, shaun ley. the headlines: the education secretary for england backs reducing the covid isolation period to five days. the australian government did not give assurances to novak djokovic that he could enter the country without a vaccination, according to documents filed before tomorrow's court hearing. an afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal is reunited with relatives. morrisons becomes the first supermarket to scrap "use by" dates on its milk, encouraging consumers to reduce waste by using the "sniff test" instead. don't worry, there will be a use before date instead. coming up in a moment on bbc news, it's sportsday. but first, here's click. that's it from us from ces. we'll be back in vegas next year. echoes: next year... next year... not a casino or convention centre in sight! thundering, powerful music plays welcome to ces 2022 from vegas! it's been touch and go, but we made it, and there's plenty of tech here. yeah, not as much as we were exp

this is bbc news. the headlines: secondary school pupils in england are being asked to wear face masks in classrooms to reduce the spread of omicron. unions welcome the move. warnings of a worst case scenario of quarter of staff in the public sector being off work because of covid. fire engulfs the parliament building in south africa after its sprinkler system failed. trials begin today on safe standing at football matches with this afternoon's game between chelsea and liverpool. now on bbc news, review 2021, the business year. ben thompson reflects on how the uk economy, businesses and jobs have changed amidst the coronavirus pandemic and in the wake of brexit. 2021 has, for many people, been a long and difficult year. a year of change and uncertainty. and worry about lives and livelihoods and jobs and prospects. and early hopes of a return to something more normal have been replaced by a realisation that covid will be around for much longer than we first thought. its impact on how we live and how we

.# you're watching bbc news from london. a short while ago, buckingham palace announced the death of his royal highness prince philip, the duke of edinburgh. i've just done what i think is my best. i can't suddenly change my way of doing things. i can't change my interests, i can't change the way i react to things, that's someone's style and that's too bad. he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments. but he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years. and i and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know. # when you walk through a storm, hold your head up high # and don't be afraid of the dark...# after the second and third number ones, we thought, "blimey, we're making some money. and it all became, "ah, that's nice! "we can make money as well as enjoying ourselves!" # walk on, walk on # with hope in your heart # and you'll never walk alone # you'll never walk alone!# day after day after day, with the money getting bigger

this is bbc news. our top stories. britain accuses russia of planning to install a pro—kremlin leader in ukraine, as fears of an invasion grow. foreign aid is being distributed in tonga, with over 80% of the population affected by last weekend's volcanic eruption and tsunami. tonga's recovery from this disaster will be long—term, and i think we need to ensure that we keep the momentum up. two years to the day since china forced the city of wuhan and its ten million citizens into lockdown, we have a special report on how beijing's containing the virus. there does appear to be widespread support for the government policy on covid because you get this, it looks quite normal, but nobody knows the answer to the big question, how long will it go on for? and how this indestructible store of primary climate data — earth's black box — could see us pass invaluable information to future generations. hello and welcome to bbc news. britain has accused the kremlin of planning to install a pro—russian leade

., we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news, the headlines: prince andrew's lawyers prepare to ask a us court to dismiss a civil sexual assault case brought by virginia giuffre. pupils across the uk head back to school this week amid concerns about covid—related staff shortages. a second chinese city is locked down — and the winter olympics venues are sealed off — as officials rush to contain outbreaks of covid, a month before the games begin. and former tech billionaire elizabeth holmes — founder of the health company theranos — is found guilty of fraud over her failed blood testing technology. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, from new york. this city is testament to the power of science and technology. but we shouldn't be fooled by these gravity defying towers. we are not masters of the universe. covid and climate change remind us of that. and so, too, does my guest today, arguably america's most famous scientist, neil degrasse tyson. his special subject is astrophysics,

this is bbc news. our top stories: in the us, heavy snowfall dampens wildfires in colorado as residents criticise evacuation plans and get a first look at devastation. families immobilised without any warning and we all got safely out of town, and that is a christmas miracle. i know families that have lost everything. as the world welcomes a new year, london puts on a surprise in the skies. lasers and fireworks mark the start of 2022, celebrations kept secret to deter the crowds. mourners in south africa pay their final respects to archbishop desmond tutu ahead of his funeral on saturday. and tributes are paid to the golden girls actress betty white who has died just weeks before what would have been her 100th birthday. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the governor of the us state of colorado has pledged to help residents who've lost everything to rebuild their lives after sudden wildfires destroyed 1,000 homes. tens of thousands of people were evacuated as the fires tore

this is bbc news. our main story this hour: the us and russian foreign ministers have held talks in geneva to try to ease tension over the build—up of russian troops on the border with ukraine. there are growing concerns for women in afghanistan protesting against the curbing of their rights under the taliban, after at least two were reported abducted in night raids. neighbours told that bbc that one of them, tamana paryani, was taken from her apartment by armed men along with her two sisters. the taliban has removed the right of most afghan women to work and study — it denies being responsible for the abductions. quentin sommerville reports from kabul. women chant in body and spirit, afghan women are under attack from the taliban. here, fighting for the right to work, to education, they are pepper—sprayed by taliban fighters at this protest last week. "women have value", they shout. "it takes raw courage to stand up to armed men who want to take away almost everything you've achieved in life". "

hugh pym, bbc news. lawyers for virginia giuffre, who's accused the duke of york of sexual abuse, are calling for two people based in the uk to give evidence in her civil case, including his former equerry. prince andrew denies all the allegations. our correspondent nomia iqbal has the latest from washington. in the last hour or so, virginia giuffre�*s lawyers here in america have submitted two letters, making a formal request to a british court to help secure evidence from what they are calling two witnesses. so just to let you know who they are, shukri walker. virginia giuffre�*s team claims that shukri walker saw prince andrew at this night club in 2001 in london with a young girl. and virginia giuffre alleges that was around about the time that she claims prince andrew abused her in london. the second letter, as you mentioned there, is a request for major rob olney. this was prince andrew's former assistant. and virginia giuffre�*s lawyers believe that he may have information relating to the re

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: russia readies for possible conflict over ukraine, but says there is room, for further dialogue with the west. vaccine maker moderna says it's begun clinical trials of a booster dose designed specifically to combat the coronavirus 0micron variant. uk prime minister boris johnson has rejected claims he personally authorised the airlift of animals to the uk from an afghan charity, following the fall of kabul to the taliban. it comes after emails from officials suggested he'd intervened to help. labour says he's been "caught out lying." here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. they were desperate days. british citizens, afghans who'd worked with the british army, thousands at risk from the taliban who never made it out. but pen farthing did, along with his animals. dogs and cats cared for by his rescue charity were on one of the last planes out. today, borisjohnson again denied he'd had a hand in it. no, abso...and this whole thing is total rhubarb. i

simon jones, bbc news. up to half—a—million flat owners across the uk will no longer be liable for the cost of replacing dangerous cladding on their properties, under new government proposals. the plans, set to be announced by the housing secretary michael gove, would instead see developers forced to pay up to an additional four billion pounds — to help resolve the crisis, which has left many unable to sell their homes. newsnight�*s lewis goodall has more. it's estimated that more than half a million people are caught up in britain's fire safety crisis. and we can exclusively reveal the government's latest plans to deal with it. up until now, the government's approach breaks down as follows. dangerous cladding removal would be paid for by the building safety fund only for buildings over 18.5 metres in height. everything else would be covered either by developers paying or by a loan scheme for leaseholders. but we understand that michael gove, the levelling up secretary, will make the commitment on m

jonathan blake, bbc news. rafa nadal has made history, becoming the first male tennis player to win 21 grand slam singles titles, after victory at the australian open. he beat russia's daniil medvedev in five sets, in a match lasting almost five—and—a—half hours. it puts him one title ahead of his great rivals roger federer and novak djokovic who was deported from australia earlier this month, for breaking covid rules. austin halewood reports. as the sun sets on another australian open, the crowd in melbourne were looking for one final piece of magic. rafa nadal knew he could leave the rod laver arena as the most successful men's singles player in history. but right now, daniil medvedev is right at the top of his game. it didn't take the russian long to seal the first set. and the second soon followed. but so many times in his career, nadal seemingly has done the impossible and into the third, an unlikely comeback looked on. nadal pulling one back. at 35, after six months out injured, just reaching the f

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: heavy snowfall in the american state of colorado helps to douse a wildfire that destroyed a thousand homes. a new year surprise in the skies — lasers, fireworks and drones light up london, new year celebrations kept secret to deter the crowds. official figures suggest that nearly 2.3 million people in the uk had covid in the week before christmas — the highest level of infections since the data was first compiled last year. the figures indicate that one in 30 of the population had coronavirus. for the week before, the estimate was one in a5. it's translating into greater pressure on the nhs. more than 25,000 healthcare workers are themselves off sick or isolating each day. our health correspondent katharine da costa reports. most nhs staff will be glad to see the back of 2021. nearly two years into this pandemic, many are exhausted. a spike in covid cases is driving a rise in staff sickness. in england, london's worst affected with about a% of staff in acute

hello and welcome to bbc news.

this is bbc news. the headlines at five: police will meet a conservative mp who's accused government whips of trying to "blackmail" politicians who've tried to oust borisjohnson. the first shipment of american military aid to ukraine arrives there after talks over russia's troop build—up on the border. the un has condemned an air strike on a yemen detention centre that has killed more than 80 people. a week after tonga was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami, humanitarian aid begins to reach the tens of thousands of people affected. the actor arnold schwarzenegger is involved in a multi—vehicle crash in los angeles — one person is in hospital, but it's not thought their injuries are life threatening. good afternoon. a conservative backbencher who has accused government whips of trying to blackmail some mps seeking to oust borisjohnson is to meet the police to discuss his allegations. william wragg said he'd be speaking to a scotland yard detective in the commons early next week. the pri

russell trott, bbc news. this is bbc news. a reminder of our headlines: south africa's president leads funeral tributes to archbishop desmond tutu, calling him the nation's moral compass. coronavirus is still causing major disruption for travellers worldwide. thousands more flights have had to be cancelled. more now on the passing of archbishop desmond tutu, and, as we've heard, he requested a basic wooden coffin and for his body to be aquamated. it's not a term that many of us are familiar with, so what is aquamation? earlier i asked christopher taktak, the founder of doola, america's first direct to consumer aquamation service to explain the process. aquamation is scientifically known as alkaline hydrolysis. it's the most eco—friendly and gentle way to dispose of a human body. effectively, it uses water instead of fire to cremate a body's soft tissue and we use the bones afterwards to, you know, produce ashes that become a take—home result forfamilies and loved ones — that's — that's the simplest, you know, descripti

russell trott, bbc news. this is bbc news. our main headline: south africa's president leads funeral tributes to archbishop desmond tutu, calling him the nation's "moral compass." more now on the passing of archbishop desmond tutu, and as we've heard, he requested a basic wooden coffin, and for his body to be "aquamated." it's not a term that many of us are familiar with, so what is aquamation? i've been speaking to samantha sieber. she's a biologist, and her father was one of the founders of the aquamation process. she explained how it worked. aquamation is an alternative to burial and cremation, a choice that families have. very similar end result to cremation, where the family receives an urn. anything that you can do with cremation ashes, you can do with ashes from aquamation. but aquamation does not use fire — it uses a process that is 95% water and 5% alkali to gently reduce the body to the mineral remains. the minerals are — just like, with flame cremation, that's what's returned to the family in an urn. there's no

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us and russian foreign ministers have held talks in geneva to try to ease tension over the build—up of russian troops on the border with ukraine. aid agencies say an air strike by the saudi—led coalition on a prison in yemen has killed dozens of people and wounded many more. levels of coronavirus are falling in england, scotland and wales, according to official figures. but the government is still facing the challenge of how to persuade more than four million people in the uk to take up the offer of a vaccine. bbc analysis shows that younger people continue to be the most vaccine—hesita nt. here's our health editor, hugh pym. a vaccination campaign with a difference. and you could end up with long covid, which is no fun. team halo videos have had more than 250 million views. please don't play this russian roulette with your life. they're focused on debunking vaccine misinformation. let's talk about long covid. dr bnar talabani is one expert working on t

this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. after days of confusion, the downing street lockdown parties report is now expected to be delivered without waiting for the police inquiry. the us warns the russian troop build—up near ukraine is the largest since the cold war as attempts to find a diplomatic solution continue. hello and thanks forjoining us. a senior british civil servant is expected to deliver her report on lockdown parties at downing street to the british prime minister soon, without waiting for the police to finish their investigation. scotland yard has made it clear that it has not delayed the report's publication. here's our political correspondent iain watson. which rules could have been broken behind the famous black door during lockdown? the report by the senior civil servant sue gray was expected to provide some answers this week — that was until cressida dick, the country's top police officer, said on tuesday that her

this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: russia readies for possible conflict over ukraine, but says there is room for further dialogue with the west. the search for dozens of people lost at sea from a boat that capsized off florida is suspended. the us coast guard says it's unlikely there are any more survivors. vaccine maker moderna says an omicron—specific shot is on the horizon. but can drug makers really keep pace with new variants? north korea has confirmed test—firing of long—range cruise, surface—to—surface missiles earlier this week. and to mark holocaust memorial day, prince charles unveils portraits of seven survivors. the paintings will go on display in buckingham palace. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. russia has suggested it may be open to holding further talks with the united states as part of attempts to de—escalate the crisis in ukraine. the kremlin described some of washington's proposals as a starting point for a "serious conversa

this is bbc news. we are edging up to viewers joining us on bbc one for the latest news. before we do that, let's bring you the latest covid news. more than a people across the uk have now died during the covid pandemic. that is someone who dies within 28 days of a positive test. that comes after several days of record numbers of cases being reported. the highly transmissible omicron variant has swept across much of the country. our health correspondent has been telling me about these figures. these are figures for today, 313 deaths recorded, 28 days within a positive test. that does not include data for wales. looking at what happened before christmas, we saw a surge of cases being increased by the omicron. there is a lag and deaths are up by nearly a0%. the uk hit 100,000 deaths injanuary last hit 100,000 deaths in january last year. hit 100,000 deaths injanuary last year. it has taken 12 months to reach 150,000 deaths. that is down to the protection we have had from vaccines and boosterjabs in particular. they are playing a part in stopping people getting seriously ill

you this is bbc news. the headlines at seven: the first shipment of american military aid to ukraine arrives there amid warnings a russian invasion could be imminent. police will meet a conservative mp who's accused government whips of trying to "blackmail" politicians who've tried to oust borisjohnson. a man appears in court charged with the murder of an elderly woman and the attempted murder of her husband. the port of dover admits new customs checks have contributed to big queues on the roads. coming up later this hour, mark kermode joins jane hill to discuss the latest cinema releases and what's new on streaming in the film review. good evening. are welcome to bbc news. a senior conservative mp says the uk must do more to support ukraine as russian troops mass along its border. tobias ellwood, who chairs the commons defence committee, says he thinks an invasion could now be "imminent" and that president putin is "taking full advantage of a weakened west". russia has denied it's planning an invasion. bu

iain watson, bbc news. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, joins us now from new scotland yard. daniel, what are police fears over sue gray's report possibly prejudicing their own investigation? well, clive, first of all, we're not talking about the risk of prejudicing a jury of somehow influencing a jewellery, because there won't be a jewellery. the crimes aren't serious enough, the alleged crimes are not serious enough —— influencing a jury. they are talking about prejudicing the investigation, publishing a detailed report about the events before they've even started questioning people. because people might change the answer to those questions according to that report. people might see that something isn't in the report and then they can deliberately leave it out of their answers because they think they've got away with it or they might deliberately give answers contradicting the report to try and get themselves or a friend off. ask any officer, "would you like a detailed report published

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, as newsday continues straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. it seems there is no room for political opposition or dissent in today's hong kong. legislative elections at the end of last year saw pro—beijing candidates sweep the board. pro—democracy activists have either been arrested, forced into exile or cowed into silence.

lucy manning, bbc news. now to the story of an amazing reunion, more than 50 years after a toddler was found wandering alone miles from her home in australia. kathy wrethman�*s dissappearance in 1968 sparked a huge search — one that fortunately had a happy ending. until now, though, she never really knew who had rescued her. but all these years later, our correspondentjon kay finally found the answer while he was researching the story of another missing child — as he now explains. june 1968. and kathy wrethman was safe. the toddler had been missing for three days. but she was found, alone, in new south wales, almost 20 miles from home. now a grandma, this is the first time kathy has ever spoken publicly about what happened. the person that took me didn't hurt me. the only thing kathy could tell her parents was that there was a man. and the only clue, whoever took her from the family home, cut her hair. nobody was ever charged. i can only remember a dog. and a room, being in a room. someone coming in, o

this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 7am in singapore, and 6pm in washington — where the number of new covid infections and the number of hospital admissions have reached an all—time high. in europe, the world health organization says there's a new tidal wave of omicron sweeping the continent from west to east — with france, italy, and turkey reporting new pandemic highs. more on that in a moment. if we take a closer look at the us, we'll see cases there have soared over the past few weeks — to an average of 737,000 per day. the number of americans in hospital with covid is over 142,000. it's never been higher, and it's increased 83% in the last two weeks. 0ur washington correspondent barbara plett has more. with 0micron reaching across the country, the government's response to the resurgent pandemic is coming under a harsh spotlight. we will now introduce today's witnesses. .. at a hearing on capitol hill, senators grilled health officials about delays, failures, and confusion. top of the list was the short