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

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:

lizo mzimba, bbc news. lianne al—khaldi, from stafford, worked with a group of 35 women across her town sewing 3,500 items of protective equipment for nhs and care workers across the west midlands. she's been awarded a british empire medal. first of all, congratulations. thank ou ve first of all, congratulations. thank you very much- — first of all, congratulations. thank you very much- it _ first of all, congratulations. thank you very much. it is _ first of all, congratulations. thank you very much. it is a _ first of all, congratulations. thank you very much. it is a wonderful i you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, _ you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell _ you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell us _ you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell us how- you very much. it is a wonderful achievement, tell us how this i you very much. it is a wonderful. achievement, tell us how this came about? i achievement, tell us how this came about? . ., ., achievement, tell us

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.

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

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: 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

this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: 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. after days of confusion the downing street lockdown parties report is now expected to be delivered without waiting for the police inquiry. tens of thousands displaced and over 80 killed as tropical storm ana sweeps across countries in south—eastern africa. more doubts emerge about novak djokovic�*s covid status during his attempt to enter australia for the tennis open. and the influential online streaming platform, twitch, accused of encouraging unhealthy behaviour.

they are your headlines on bbc news. now on bbc news,

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

james reynolds, bbc news. joining me now is paul whiteman, general secretary of the national association of headteachers. we heard our report saying that the arrangements could have been made earlier. 0bviously would have like that to happen. now they are being made, what you think about them? we made, what you think about them? - broadly welcome the government's announcements overnight. we were warning the government before christmas that our members were already contacting a saying that they are staffing levels were down to about half their normal levels, and the pressures on schools were making it very difficult to keep to ourjoint objective of keeping schools open. we all want to see every class open and all children in school who are well enough, but the pressure on staffing right now has become critical, so the announcement overnight about facemasks is welcome. it is not ideal in a teaching sense, but as a temporary measure, and the government has been very clear with me that this is a temporary measure

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: prince andrew demands a trial byjury, in an ii—page official response to sexual abuse allegations. the wait goes on in westminster for the report into lockdown parties at number 10 that could determine boris johnson's future. a year ago today, a small fishing boat called nicola faith left its home port of conwy in search of whelks off the north wales coast. the three crew on board would never be seen alive again. now the families of those men are working with the lifeboat service to improve safety at sea. chris dearden went to meet them. man overboard — this is only a training course but next time it may be for real. these men and women work as a fishing cruise along the coast of wales and they are shown how to survive if they find themselves in rough waters. a, survive if they find themselves in rough waters.— in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifejacket. _ in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifejacket. how- in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifeja

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

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

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. 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

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

farhatjaved, bbc news, murree. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: it should be one of the biggest nights in hollywood but this year, there will be no celebrities to collect the awards and the ceremony won't even be shown on tv. we'll explain why in a moment. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. l huge parts of kobe were simplyl demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice| by the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. j tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws, passed by the country's new multiracial government, and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running pl

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: novak djokovic's court case against his deportation from australia is under way after the world's best tennis player had his visa cancelled by the authorities there. at least 19 people have died, including nine children, after a fire in an apartment block in new york city. let's stay with that story now. let's get more on the djokovic court case, which hasjust adjournd for lunch. i've been speaking to abul rizvi, former deputy secretary of australia's immigration department. he explained why the djokovic case has turned into such a mess. i suspect we can pinpoint the problem really occurring between the fifth of january, when the government's policy was whatever medical exemption is provided by the victorian government to someone seeking to enter australia was accepted at face value. we know that was the policy because the prime minister explained the policy on the fifth of january and we know prior to that a number of tennis players had entered australia on that

this is bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories: rising tensions on the border between ukraine and russia. ukraine's defence minister calls for western sanctions so moscow knows an invasion would be costly. it will be disaster for europe because this or is not only east of ukraine. this war is going on east of europe. british prime minister boris johnson faces mounting pressure as a rapidly growing number of his own mp's express doubts about his leadership. captured and held captive whilst campaigning to be president, now ingrid betancourt announces she's back on the campaign trail. and the soaring success of the gaming industry as microsoft buys the company behind call of duty for $70 billion. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. us secretary of state antony blinken is due to arrive in ukraine for urgent talks amid warnings that russia could carry out an attack "at any point." mr blinken also plans to meet the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov on friday, with the whit

aruna iyengar, bbc news. the latest headlines on bbc news... secondary school pupils are to be required to wear facemasks in class in england, as coronavirus cases continue to surge across europe. fears a quarter of uk public sector workers could be off due to coronavirus — as firms are warned to make contingency plans. france will cut the covid self—isolation period from ten to seven days, in a bid to ease staff pressures. in the uk, 20 conservative mps and peers have called on the prime minister to tackle the spiralling cost of living. five former ministers are among the signatories of a letter to the sunday telegraph, which follows huge increases in wholesale gas prices. 0ur political correspondent chris mason reports. wholesale gas and electricity prices are rising steeply. the boss of one energy firm is predicting an enormous crisis this year as a consequence. now 20 tory parliamentarians are expressing their concerns, too. their letter has been organised by what is called the net zero scrutiny group of conservatives, which keeps an ey

peter bowes, 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. people on the us north east coast are bracing themselves for a powerful winter storm — bringing high winds and heavy snow — due to hit over the weekend. thousands of flights have been cancelled in the region. a short time ago i got the details from meteorologist matthew cappucci, who is in cape cod, one of the areas due to be worst affected by the storm. here in the north—east we are used to pretty big snowstorms but the impressive thing is not just the amounts for close descent —— ten centimetres an hour can be done at times. we have destructi

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

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

daniela relph, bbc news, salisbury. and you are watching bbc news. hello. our weather is set to get a lot colder for many of us over the next 2a hours. if you look back to saturday, we had temperatures as high as 60 degrees. 15 and and and brought. across the board across... it's going to be a lot colder. in edinburgh, the change to colder weather has already started to take place. the winds will continue to come south across the whole of the uk reaching the south by tuesday. this afternoon, this is where the colder air is across scotland. it is moving into the far north of england. the last of the mild days temperatures reaching double figures through the afternoon, the temperatures will drop in scotland and highs of around 2 degrees for a time. overnight tonight, things turn ic which showers frequently moving into scotland. some of them will be snowy. miles across the far south. 7 degrees. otherwise the frost is going to be widespread, particularly in the countryside. a cold start on tuesday and frequent snow showers. may be around two to five cm. moreove

stephanie prentice, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: why president biden is to pick a black woman after a us supreme courtjudge retires. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after lift—off. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman schoolteacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word 'revolution'. the earthquake - singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. _ tonight, the search for any survivors. has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass. i the new government is firmly in control of the entire republic of uganda. survivors of the auschwitz concentration camp have been commemorating the 40th anniversary of their liberation. they toured the huts, gas chambers and crematoria and relived their horrifying experiences. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: britain's prince andrew demands a trial byjury as he rejects the allegations of sexual abu

mark labelle, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: how zara rutherford became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. donald trump is now the 45th president of the united states. he was sworn in before several hundred thousand people on the steps of capitol hill in washington. it's going to be only america first. america first. demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they called him the 'butcher of lyon'. klaus altmann is being held on a fraud charge in bolivia. the west germans want to extradite him for crimes committed in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief klaus barbie. millions came to bathe as - close as possible to this spot. a tide of humanity- that's believed by officials to have broken all records. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: new images of the russian military buildup — as the us warns any incursion into ukrain

welcome to bbc news. our top stories: after tonga's volcanic eruption, the wait goes on to hear from the pacific islanders who're cut off from the outside world. the australian and new zealand military are scrambled to provide humanitarian aid in what is fast becoming a race against time. muslim leaders condemn the attack on a synagogue in texas: two teenagers are arrested in the uk as part of the investigation. and who betrayed the family of anne frank to the nazis? has one of the great wartime mysteries been solved? hello. thanks for joining hello. thanks forjoining us here on bbc news. it's already three days since the major eruption of an underwater volcano in tonga, and still, there is a very worrying lack of information about the scale of the damage done across the many tongan islands or the whereabouts and well being of many of the islanders. these very limited pictures have just been sent to us. they are from one of the surveillance flights sent by australia and new zealand to assess the damage. t

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, is facing calls to resign from within his own party after admitting he attended a downing street drinks gathering at the height of covid lockdown and offering an apology. prince andrew will face a civil trial over allegations he sexually assaulted virginia giuffre when she was underage after a us judge ruled her lawsuit against him can proceed. he denies the allegations. nato's secretary—general has warned there's still a real risk of new armed conflict in europe. jens stoltenberg spoke after talks with russia, which left significant differences unresolved. he said nato was ready for more dialogue over ukraine where 100,000 russian troops have massed at the border. our defence correspondent jonathan beale has been following events and sent this update from brussels. talks lasted four hours — longer than expected. but like the talks between the us and russia earlier in the week, they ended without breakthrough, both sides n

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

paul adams, bbc news. the communities secretary, michael gove, has met developers today and urged them to pay more for work to remove dangerous cladding from blocks of flats and to rectify building safety issues. the move comes in the wake of the grenfell tower fire and will cost developers billions of pounds. almost five years after the tragedy, 40% of tall tower blocks with flammable grenfell—style cladding have yet to be made safe — despite money from the government's £5 billion building safety fund. there are also nearly a thousand tower blocks with other types of dangerous cladding which need fixing as our sarah corker reports. hi, i'm allie. my name is stephen. i'm tamaya. my name's will, i'm a leaseholder of a flat in sheffield. no work has started and no funding has been confirmed. due to ongoing delays with the building safety fund. we don't know when the remediation is going to start _ four years on, these problems are still not fixed. the building is still unsafe. flat owners from across th

this is bbc news. a reminder of the 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. as you heard earlier, south africa has officially bid farewell to archbishop desmond tutu at his funeral in cape town. he asked for a basic coffin and called for his body to aquamated. so, what exactly is an aquamation? none of us here readily knew the answer, so we reached out to samantha sieber. she is a biologist and her father was one of the founders of the aquamation process. she is in danville, indiana. samantha, thank you forjoining us. can you quickly summarise the process of aquamation because i think a lot of people watching may not have ever have heard of it?— heard of it? absolutely. aquamation _ heard of it? absolutely. aquamation is - heard of it? absolutely. aquamation is an - heard of it? absolutely. - a

joe wilson, bbc news. a 32—year—old army officer has become the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to the south pole. captain preet chandi trekked 700 miles in a0 days, pulling her equipment in a sledge. she faced temperatures of —45c and said she wanted "encourage people to push boundaries and believe in themselves." our correspondent phil mackie has the story. this was the moment she made it. a0 days after captain preet chandi set off and two years after she started training. i've made it to the south pole, where it's snowing. feeling so many emotions right now. i knew nothing about the polar world three years ago and it feels so surreal to finally be here. getting ready wasn't exactly easy. she went to iceland and spent 27 days in greenland to prepare for the extreme conditions. before she left, polar preet, as she's become known, who is an army physio, said one of the reasons she wanted to do it was to inspire other girls from her background. as a woman of colour, as an asian wom

hugh pym, bbc news. this is bbc news — the 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. 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. other women who took part in the same protest have said that they are in hiding. 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 ta

louise pilbeam, bbc news. —— louisa pilbeam, bbc news. some breaking news now — we're getting reports of a stampede at a famous shrine in indian—administered kashmir. police say at least 12 people have died and several others have been injured in a stampede at the hindu shrine of mata vaishno devi. local media reported that a large number of pilgrims had reached the shrine for darshan, meaning the viewing of a deity, on the first day of the new year. the holy cave shrine near the town of katra is among india's most revered pilgrimage sites. we'll bring you more news on that story as we get it. 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 through suburban areas of boulder county on thursday. gary 0'donoghue has this report. winds of more than 100 mph drove the flames across more than 1600 acres of suburban colorado, which would normally have snow on the ground

aruna iyengar, bbc news. the latest headlines on bbc news... secondary school pupils are to be required to wear facemasks in class in england, as coronavirus cases continue to surge across europe. fears a quarter of uk public sector workers could be off due to coronavirus, as firms are warned to make contingency plans. france will cut the covid self—isolation period from ten to seven days, in a bid to ease staff pressures. the south korean military says it has carried out a search operation after a south korean man crossed the border into north korea. the circumstances of the apparent defection are unclear, but a military source said the unnamed man crossed from the demilitarised zone into the north on saturday evening. the office of south korea'sjoint chiefs of staff said it could not confirm whether the person was still alive. laura bicker in seoul is following the story. there have been a number of breaches of the border in the last few years, but this, just to explain to your viewers, is one of the most heavily fortified areas in the enti

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. 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

this is bbc news. our headlines: two teenagers have been arrested in the english city of manchester as part of the investigation into a siege at a synagogue in the us. a british man was shot and killed by police in texas, after taking four people hostage. international efforts to deliver aid to tsunami—hit islands in tonga have been gathering pace. communications with the island nation are still very limited. one british man reports his sister died. borisjohnson�*s former chief adviser dominic cummings — now one of his leading critics — has said he warned the prime minister in person about a downing street drinks party in may 2020, during the first lockdown. britain's culture secretary has confirmed the bbc�*s licence fee will be frozen for the next two years. nadine dorries also announced a review into how the corporation is funded after 2027.

jo black, bbc news. you can watch more about that tonight, �*digging for britain' will be on bbc two at 8pm, and available on iplayer afterwards. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett hello. a dull and damp day across many southern parts of the uk. all of the low cloud and rain and drizzle will be pulling away slowly but surely and clearer skies will follow but as we head further north and there is a strengthening wind that will blow more cloud into northern and western scotland and other parts of scotland and northern ireland will be chilly but across england and wales with light winds we will have a frost but also some fog forming overnight and lingering into tomorrow. this is the main area covered by the yellow warning from the met office and a lot of busy roads in this area and the fog is going to be patchy and dense so it could be difficult for travelling for a while. the fog slowly lifting through the morning and for many parts of the uk will be a dry day with more sunshine across en

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

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: australia tells novak djokovic rules are rules, as the tennis star has his visa cancelled over a covid vaccine exemption. the president of kazakhstan appeals for help from russia and neighbouring countries as protesters fight running battles with police and seize the international airports. it's been another day of record covid cases across europe. france has registered more than 335,000 cases in a single day — a new european record. italy has been meeting to discuss whether to make vaccines mandatory for all workers and people over the age of 50. in a newspaper article, french president emmanuel macron — used controversial and strong language — threating to ban all those who refuse a jab from most public life. bravissimo! the youngest to be armed in the endless battle against covid. five—year—old eduardo gets his first jab as italy steps up vaccinations for children. maybe too small to grasp how the pandemic has changed their world. but, say parents, t

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. more than 150,000 people in the uk have now died within 28 days of a positive covid test — since the pandemic began. lawyers for novak djokavic claim he was given a vaccine exemption to enter australia, because he'd had a recent covid infection. thousands more flat—owners will be spared the expense of replacing unsafe cladding — under new government plans to make developers offer four—billion pounds towards the costs. nasa says the james webb space telescope has fully deployed in space, after unfolding its final mirror panels. good evening and welcome to bbc news. more than 150,000 people in the uk have now died within 28 days of a positive covid test. another 313 deaths have been reported in the latest daily figures. the uk is the seventh country to pass this number of official deaths, afterthe us, brazil, india, russia, mexico and peru. 0ur health correspondent, katharine da costa, has been telling us about the significance of passing the milestone of 150,000 deaths in the u