this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. buckingham palace confirms that the duke and duchess of sussex will not return as working members of the royal family. return as working members of the royalfamily. they return as working members of the royal family. they will be stripped of their patronage is an honourary appointments and prince harry will lose all of his military titles given to him by the queen. us presidentjoe biden has delivered a major speech reaffirming the united states alliance to nato we will be hearing more from anthony blinking an exclusive interview with the bbc. the uk's highest court first a you who the drivers may be treated as drivers rather than self employed. the case could have implication for many others was also in the

programme, coronavirus infection rates keep falling across the uk. just over 550,000 people have the virus last week according to government data. and the latest look at mars. being back from perseverance from the red planet. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the duke and duchess of sussex will not be returning as members of the royal family. not be returning as members of the royalfamily. prince fleet that not be returning as members of the royal family. prince fleet that they would step down last year a move said the rebate reviewed within the next year. now their break with the institution is final. the couple who are expecting their second child i

have been stripped of their patronage and honourary appointments which will be returned to the queen and distributed elsewhere in the royal family. and distributed elsewhere in the royalfamily. with more here is our royalfamily. with more here is our royal correspondent. the bond which was once so close in every formal royal sense has been shattered. the breach in terms of the business of royalty is complete. and bar a complete about—face by the sussex says it is final. for harry then perhaps a scent sense of long—sought freedom. for william one imagines a deep sense of disappointment. today's news is not unexpected. in the years since harry and meghan made their last appearance at a formal royal engagement at westminster abbey the gulf between them and the rest of harry's family has grown ever wider. the couple and bought a house in california, negotiated deals with us media companies and made it clear

that they relish their new life. at midday today buckingham palace confirmed that they would not be returning as working members of the royal family. returning as working members of the royalfamily. the returning as working members of the royal family. the statement said that following conversations with harry the queen has written confirming that and stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come up with a life of public service. the statement finished... this was the sussex response. they finish their statement by saying this... for harry, the loss

of his military roles particularly as captain general of the royal marines will be particularly hard. i know that he'll be personally gutted just as i was that he's not going to put a military uniform on anymore. regardless, that doesn't change his commitment to the individuals that serve and it and those that require care beyond it. serve and it and those that require care beyond it— serve and it and those that require care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why _ care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she _ care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she wants _ care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she wants a - care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she wants a new- care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she wants a new life. j understand why she wants a new life. the press drove her out of here and if she _ the press drove her out of here and if she was_ the press drove her out of here and if she was going to stay here any longer— if she was going to stay here any longer i — if she was going to stay here any longer i think they would've probably made her ill. because it isn't a _ probably made her ill. because it isn't a relationship that most americans are used to. so isn't a relationship that most americans are used to. so one of the ro al americans are used to. so one of the royal family — americans are used to. so one of the royal family is _ americans are used to. so one of the royal family is most _ americans are used to. so one of the royal family is most popular- royal family is most popular members, a manfor royal family is most popular members, a man for over the years has been great sympathy and admiration now faces a very different future. the way back to royal duty has been closed. he can never again wear eight military

uniform. harry's future lies in california with his wife and family. joined now i'm by a co—host of really obsessed eight us podcast about the royal family produced. thank you forjoining us. firstly, what is your reaction to the news of the substances officially ending all connection with the royal family and their duties here?— their duties here? thank you for havin: their duties here? thank you for having me- _ their duties here? thank you for having me- i— their duties here? thank you for having me. i do _ their duties here? thank you for having me. i do think _ their duties here? thank you for having me. i do think we - their duties here? thank you for having me. i do think we are - their duties here? thank you forj having me. i do think we are not surprised over here. especially as a royal insider. ifeel surprised over here. especially as a royal insider. i feel like we all expected this, we knew the one—year review was happening. it's hard not to feel a bit sad to see harry and meghan's royal roles officially come to an end. but that's what's really exciting to as annette? because it's not really the end. we have netflix, but is ideal, there is so much coming out from them. it’s

coming out from them. it's interesting _ coming out from them. it's interesting to _ coming out from them. it's interesting to hear you say exciting because they were two schools of thought here. those who criticise the couple for turning their back on their royal duties and capitalising on the sussex and brand and cashing in on that. and there were others that are saying well, good for them, start living your life the way you want to. ~ ., i. , ., ., want to. where do you stand on this? i stand in want to. where do you stand on this? i stand in the — want to. where do you stand on this? i stand in the second _ want to. where do you stand on this? i stand in the second camp _ want to. where do you stand on this? i stand in the second camp firmly. - i stand in the second camp firmly. it is hard and harry had to let go of his military roles. that's really disappointing. that something that's near and dear to his heart. we know that shot of him getting teary at the mountbatten music festival is very tall. i think they are gearing up very tall. i think they are gearing up for so much. and here stateside we feel really lucky to have them. what is the view stateside of them? from earlier called on the us is royals. i from earlier called on the us is ro als. ., , from earlier called on the us is ro als. ~' , ., ., royals. i feel like they are global celebrities. _ royals. i feel like they are global celebrities. almost _ royals. i feel like they are global celebrities. almost a _ royals. i feel like they are global celebrities. almost a tear - royals. i feel like they are global celebrities. almost a tear up - royals. i feel like they are global celebrities. almost a tear up for| royals. i feel like they are global. celebrities. almost a tear up for my normal american celebrities. i do think while they may not officially

be royal anymore, he is still the sun and princess diana and he holds a very special place in our hearts. it's been especially cool to see this past year as them being authentically themselves. living there california live, getting to see them on zoom, see them work with charities they wouldn't have normally been able to work with in la. i think it's really going to be an even more exciting time for us as an even more exciting time for us as a real watchers in america. i presume that you don't believe that the stripping of titles and patronage is is going to have that much of an impact. i patronage is is going to have that much of an impact.— patronage is is going to have that much of an impact. i don't think so. the said much of an impact. i don't think so. they said services _ much of an impact. i don't think so. they said services universal - much of an impact. i don't think so. they said services universal in - they said services universal in their statement today. we can all live a life of service. they also still have their private patronage is. they still have in victor's for harry, make smart works for meghan. it does seem like they were are still going to continue that

philanthropic branch of their work. you call yourself a royal insider. i'm wondering how much you are across about how they are being viewed in the british media. a lot has been said particularly on social media about the couple as well. it seems like there is a real different narrative here in the uk to what you are describing in the us.— are describing in the us. would you auree are describing in the us. would you a . ree with are describing in the us. would you agree with that? _ are describing in the us. would you agree with that? i _ are describing in the us. would you agree with that? i would _ are describing in the us. would you agree with that? i would agree, - agree with that? i would agree, yeah. when i say royal insider, royal watcher is what i meant to say. i do think that the us media has been a bit more welcoming towards these sauces there is. i think tabloid culture over here is a little bit —— sussex says. here it's very celebratory. we really love them. the podcast is called royally obsessed so you can glean that from the title. we also don't have the taxpayer aspect. the title. we also don't have the taxpayeraspect. it the title. we also don't have the taxpayer aspect. it definitely feels like a warmer reception over here. thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.

we have an update for the duke of edinburgh is to remain in hospital acting on an abundance of caution to the bbc. the duke who is 99 walked into hospital on tuesday. he is said to be in good spirits. us presidentjoe biden, has delivered a major speech, reaffirming the us' commitment to nato and the principle which underlies it that an attack on one is an attack on all. just over four weeks after taking over from the trump administration, mr biden's message stands in marked contrast to donald trump's ambiguity over the us' role within nato. in a moment we'll hear from the us secretary of state in an exclusive international tv interview. but first, that pledge to unite the west, from president biden. i'm sending a clear message

to the world, america is back. the transatlantic alliance is back. and we are not looking backwards. we are looking forward together. it comes down to this, transatlantic alliances is a strong foundation. the strong foundation on which our collective security and our shared prosperity are built. the united states is fully committed to our nato alliance. and i welcome europe's growing investment and its military capabilities that enable our shared defenses. you know, to me and to the united states and many of us will keep article, will keep the faith of article five. it's a guarantee. an attack on one is an attack on all. that is our unshakeable vow. us president biden. a few hours ago.

the us secretary of state anthony blinken has talked exclusively to the bbc about the biden administration's approach to the world. he was speaking to yalda hakim. we are determined once again to engage in the world. to show up again. because in the absence of american engagement in the absence of american leadership then one or two thing happens, are there is some other country tries to take our place and probably does so in a way that doesn't advance the common interests and values of the democratic war to enact worlds are no one does. and then you may well have a vacuum of chaos before anything good does. it's also imperative that american engagement and american leadership be for the purpose of finding new ways to co—operate among countries. because every single one of the major challenges we face, the ones that affect the lives of our citizens

weather and climate change, this pandemic, the spread of a dangerous weapon, not a single nation acting alone can deal with it effectively. we have to find ways to work together. the g7 today is a very strong manifestation of that. the worlds leading democratic economies coming together to tackle covid—i9, to deal with climate, to deal with other challenges to our democracy. let's discuss iran. you've been speaking to european foreign ministers henri rejoining the iran nuclear deal. can you clarify what has been agreed with your european partners? i has been agreed with your european artners? ., . �* , has been agreed with your european artners? ~ ., �*, , ~ partners? i think what's striking about the conversations - partners? i think what's striking about the conversations with . partners? i think what's striking | about the conversations with our european partners is that we are once again on the same page. we are not working at cross purposes. that in and of itself is very important we share the same objective. president biden has been clearfor some time that if iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the agreement the united states would do the same thing for something then we would work with

our partners. both to lengthen and strengthen the agreement and to confront other issues, other challenges posed by iran including its day stabilising activities in the region and ballistic programme that need to be addressed. what i found for my conversations with the european three, as are called, as we are exactly on the same page. we now have an invitation from the european union to have an informal meeting of the so—called joint commission of the so—called joint commission of the iran nuclear agreements. so the united states, european partners, russia, iran of all been invited. we intend to be there. you spoke to president danny and reiterated the importance to the americans interest in peace process was up al-qaeda influences growing in afghanistan under the protection of the taliban. isn't this just a clear breach of the need to hire agreement? we isn't thisjust a clear breach of the need to hire agreement? we are in the midst — the need to hire agreement? we are in the midst of— the need to hire agreement? we are in the midst of a _ the need to hire agreement? we are in the midst of a very _ the need to hire agreement? we are

in the midst of a very rigorous - in the midst of a very rigorous review of the policy towards afghanistan. particularly we need to the agreement set up and reach between the united states and the taliban and the work we have done in the government in afghanistan. all of that work is ongoing for some what we do know already in the initial conclusion that we've come to is that it is vitally important for us and others to press the parties to make good on the commitments that they've already made. when it comes to the taliban they've made clear commitment to disassociate themselves from al-qaeda and other terrorist groups do not support them in any way. i do not support them in any way. l suopose — do not support them in any way. i suppose they say they continue to allow al-qaeda and protect them to remain in the country.— remain in the country. well, we are takin: a remain in the country. well, we are taking a very _ remain in the country. well, we are taking a very hard _ remain in the country. well, we are taking a very hard look _ remain in the country. well, we are taking a very hard look at _ remain in the country. well, we are taking a very hard look at that - taking a very hard look at that right now. as i said, i think the most effective thing necessary thing that we can do now along with partners in the region including neighbours is to press the parties at starting with the taliban to make good on commitments that they've made. including the commitments they

made. including the commitments they made under the us taliban agreement. in that interview he also pledged to support the drive to get covid vaccines back to developing countries. british prime minister borisjohnson set out clearly the priorities of this g7 at the beginning of the summit. make sure everybody gets the vaccines that they needed so that the whole world can come through this pandemic together. i know that several colleagues already announced that idea and the uk strongly, strongly supported. 0f that idea and the uk strongly, strongly supported. of course we also want to work together on building back better.- also want to work together on building back better. james lindell has been following _ building back better. james lindell has been following the _ building back better. james lindell has been following the summit - building back better. james lindell has been following the summit for| has been following the summit for us. i think what we seen today is the western world, the g7 developed nations sort of lifting their eyes from their immediate focus of their own national covid situations. and

own national covid situations. and challen . es own national covid situations. and challenges to _ own national covid situations. fific challenges to look more own national covid situations. e'"ic challenges to look more towards own national covid situations. el"ic challenges to look more towards the horizon. they are all putting more money into the un back distribution system for spreading vaccines around the world. and according to the communique which isjust the world. and according to the communique which is just come out there is now g7 is worth about seven and a half billion us dollars. in terms of the amount of money collectively that has been announced and given so far to this kovacs facility. the problem and this is what all the aid agencies and charities and others say is that this is a little bit late. and that actually many of these rich countries have been stockpiling and ordering large amounts of vaccines and a lot more developing countries are struggling to get it. they have been trying to get vaccines from elsewhere from russia, china and places like that. there is a little bit of catch—up here by the more developed nations. the supreme court has ruled that a group of uber drivers must be treated as workers rather than self—employed — a decision which means they could be entitled to a minimum wage

and holiday pay. the decision marks the end of a five—year legal battle. the company could face a large compensation bill and the case could have implications for many others. with more here's our transport correspondent caroline davies. the supreme court unanimously dismisses uber�*s appeal. relief after years of fighting. today outside the supreme court, yaseen aslam and james heard the decision they were waiting for that when driving for uber they were workers is not self—employed. i am delighted, to be honest, it is victory and i think it sends a strong signal to big massive companies like uber that workers can find them. a strong signal to big massive companies like uber that workers can find them. they spent millions of pounds to try to defeat workers. it's reprehensible they've done this but i am delighted, thrilled and relieved. work status isn't the same as an employee but it means they had a right to a minimum wage and holiday pay. the ride hailing app has claimed

it as an intermediary but that was rejected by the supreme court. uber say thisjudgement applies to the drivers that first brought the case in 2016 not to every uber drive in the country because they say they have made changes since then. some drivers and lawyers would disagree. today the court set out the reasons why it thought these drivers were workers which include the fact that uber set the pay and contracts without any say from the drivers. how today's verdict will affect the drivers today and other workers will be the subject of future court cases. other companies in the gig economy might already be working out what it means for them. they will have to look at their business model. if they think they can continue with the self—employed model, it is quite clear the judiciary isn't afraid to intervene in this, to find they are self—employed individuals are actually workers. the court says the drivers working from when they log into the app not just when they have a passenger. some drivers are worried that

if uber have to pay a minimum wage for those hours they could cut down on drivers or change the way uber operates. samuel has driven for uber for the last five years and is concerned. it doesn't impress me. the only reason i am attracted to drive on the app is the flexibility. uber say they respect the court's decision and will consult with every active drive across the uk to understand the changes they want to see. today's case sets a legal precedent that could have huge applications for uber and other firms that rely on flexible labour. the company once thought of as the big disruptor might now have been disrupted. yes! well done, well done! caroline davies, bbc news. the number of coronavirus cases are continuing to fall in all parts of the uk. the latest r number, estimated to be between 0.6 and 0.9, also suggests infection numbers are shrinking. but experts warn that with more

than half a million people currently infected — there is still plenty of virus circulating for people to catch. they say any lifting of restrictions should be done slowly and cautiously. here's our health correspondent, catherine burns. the pressure is easing on the nhs, but from a very bad situation. injanuary, hospitals in england treated 100,000 covid patients, a third of all the people they had seen with coronavirus since the pandemic started. it's better now but far from normal. there are still many hospitals around the country with intensive care units that have more covid patients than they had at the peak of the first wave back in april, and there are still intensive care units who are at double their normal baseline capacity. on monday, we'll hear about the government's road map out of lockdown in england, with the promise that they'll be led by data, not dates.

and that data is definitely going in the right direction. essentially, cases halved over three weeks. the office for national statistics figures suggest that in the third week injanuary, one in 55 people across the uk would have tested positive for coronavirus. by the end of that month, it was rarer. cases had fallen to under one in 65 people. and at the start of february, fewer still, one in 80 people. in the most recent figures, four last week, it was won in 115. ——for last week, it was one in 115. the numbers are going down across the uk, one in 115 in england. it is one in 125 in wales. for northern ireland, it's one in 105, and scotland has the lowest rates, at one in 180. we've been in this position before, poised on the verge of restrictions easing. 0n the 10th of may last year, the prime minister announced

how we would come out of the first lockdown. ..provide the first sketch of a road map for reopening society. but things are different now. like then, case numbers are falling, but from a much higher level. back in may, hospitals were treating almost 12,000 covid patients. now, it's more like 19,000. 0n the other hand, though, we didn't have a vaccine then. almost 17 million people have had their first dose, and about 600,000 of them have now had their second boosterjab, too. we are waiting for numbers showing what impact this is having on the virus, but the early signs are positive. it's only been two or three months since we started vaccinating, and it takes quite a long time to collect the data needed to really get a good handle on how effective the vaccination is proving to be. whatever the road map out of lockdown looks like, it won't be a straight path. we can expect small steps

with pauses in between. but the hope is, in a few months�* time, life will look a lot more normal. catherine burns, bbc news. nasa is going to release the first colour images from mars taken by its rover perseverence — which landed on the red planet last night. it's hoped it will find microscopic signs of ancient life — from billions of years ago. it was an extraordinary and perilous landing — one that was helped by a company in devon as our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. the surface of mars in the shadow of perseverance. it's first limbs of the terrain it's about to explore. the science team is really excited to get going here. we have years of scientific investigation ahead of us. you can see that we landed about two kilometres to the south—east of the delta. there are rocks in this field of view. we don't know exactly how big they are, but they might be

about ten centimetres, would be a reasonable guess. and also, in the background, there are features in the back that look like the cliffs of the delta. it's the start of the rover�*s two—year mission, and its main objective is to search for signs of life. perseverance is in an area called thejezero crater. it was once a huge lake. called thejezero crater. you can see the river flowing into it and out of it. and this purple area is a beautifully preserved river delta where microorganisms could once have lived. this is one of these existential questions of — are we alone in the universe? and what i can say is that all the raw materials, the building blocks, are there for there to be life, so if there's going to be life, it should be in this

the rover survived a perilous descent, travelling at the speed of a bullet before a supersonic parachute helped it to the ground. and this crucial bit of kit is made in this fabric factory in tiverton in devon. it was a nerve—racking moment for them. i could hardly watch, and then it sort of really hit home. you know, there was lots of things that could go wrong, but it all went right, and all of us, the whole team and everybody working at heathcotes, was elated that we had another successful mission. perseverance will send back more images soon, including the first video of its landing. for now, the rover�*s being checked over before it begins to investigate its new home. rebecca morrelle, bbc news. these are latest images sent by perseverance in the past hour. the first looks towards the horizon of the planet. and the next gives us a really close look at rocky surface being covered by the rover. quite extraordinary to see that. if you want to keep up—to—date with that mission of course you can do so

on the bbc news website where there is plenty more analysis there. we would love to hear from you. get in touch. they headlines next. good evening it looks set to be an extremely mild across the uk but with mild weather often comes wet weather. that is exactly what was going to see. heavy rain particular in the west. brisk winds as well. this chart shows the rainfall we are expecting to accumulate over the next couple days. you can see the wettest weather over the high ground in the west parts of eastern england may see very little rain at all for the weekend. but there is a met office amber warming weekend. but there is a met office amberwarming and weekend. but there is a met office amber warming and forest fire parts of southern whales of the high ground we could see up to 200 mm of rain and the very wettest places. that brings the risk of flooding and disruption. 0n the earlier satellite picture you can see there is stripe of cloud, very slow moving weather front that will continue to bring

pulses of rain through the weekend. that ran continuing to pile and across the southwest of england into wales. northwest england as well through the night to the southeast of that some clear spells. certainly some clear skies for a time across northern ireland and scotland. a little bit chilly in the fire north but for most of us it is a very mild start to saturday morning. so our slope moving weather front willjust be wriggling around to the day on saturday. bringing more heavy rain up saturday. bringing more heavy rain up northwards. further east you are the better chance of staying dry with some styles of sunshine. east anglia and the southeast although we will see variable amounts of clouds i think it will stay predominantly dry and they'll be some fairly lengthy sunny spells. but out west we see outbreaks of heavy rain once again. the rain heavy is of a high ground pushing northwards through the day across northern ireland up into scotland. very windy as well for those are the best we can expect. could see a gust of 52 may be 60 mph and exposed western areas. with the winds coming up from the south yet it is going to feel exceptionally mild with eyes of 11

to maybe 16 degrees. in the brighter spots in the southeast. to saturday night and into sunday our weather front will still be with us. it's likely to weaken to some extent. probably sitting somewhere across england. maybe whales during sunday foot up a bit of uncertainty about the detail. to the southeast of at the detail. to the southeast of at the zone of dry, find bright and mild weather. quite miles further north and west is well with a mix of sunshine and showers. a quick look ahead into the new week, it will briefly turn a bit cooler early in the week. with only a bit. my uncle the week. with only a bit. my uncle the return the northwest with highs of 17 degrees.

us presidentjoe biden has declared the transatlantic alliance is back in a speech seeking to reestablish the united states leader of the west against what he called a global assault on democracy. the g7 group of developed nations has promised billions of dollars to the un's kovacs fund to immunise the world against coronavirus. the german chancellor said the pandemic would be conquered only when everyone on earth is vaccinated. the united states has officially rejoined the international effort to tackle climate change known as the bears climate change known as the bears climate agreement. it's a major shift in the approach of a former president donald trump overthrew the us from the lamp marked climate

accord. claiming at the time the country have been given a bad deal. and they took a duchess of sussex have been stripped of their artery appointments after confirming two queen that they will not return as working members of the royalfamily. the first minister of whales as he hopes the country has entered its last three weeks of the stay at home rules. further changes to lockdown will depend on case rates continuing to fall. younger primaries to children return on monday for the peace that all primary pupils and students years 11 and 13 may be able to return from the 15th of march. some nonessential shops and hairdressers could also reopen then. and from tomorrow up to four people from two different households can exercise outdoors together. but pubs restaurants and cafes and gyms alike remained closed for a while. 0ur

whales yet another family walk. this has been of 18 to 2021 for them. but in three weeks' time the children could be back to school. i think we'll be skipping into the playground and it is just great that the children are able to get back to school and get back to some structure normality in a school environment. the classrooms are ready. the peoples, there is three to seven years old, sat back on monday. filth. years old, sat back on monday. oh, it will be wonderful to have children— it will be wonderful to have children back in these classrooms. that means — children back in these classrooms. that means about half of these peoples. that means about half of these --eoles. ., ., ., . , peoples. for now, the balance feels riuht. i peoples. for now, the balance feels right- lthink— peoples. for now, the balance feels right. i think we _ peoples. for now, the balance feels right. i think we have _ peoples. for now, the balance feels right. i think we have to _ peoples. for now, the balance feels right. i think we have to get - peoples. for now, the balance feels right. i think we have to get it - right. i think we have to get it right— right. i think we have to get it right with _ right. i think we have to get it right with our younger children first so— right with our younger children first so that we can refer children, staff, _ first so that we can refer children, staff, families, the school community, that it is safe as we can possibly— community, that it is safe as we can possibly make it for the children to

return _ possibly make it for the children to return to _ possibly make it for the children to return to school.— possibly make it for the children to return to school. clough swims may be cominu return to school. clough swims may be coming back _ return to school. clough swims may be coming back to _ return to school. clough swims may be coming back to life _ return to school. clough swims may be coming back to life but _ return to school. clough swims may be coming back to life but this - return to school. clough swims may be coming back to life but this is . be coming back to life but this is going to be a slow and staggered progress. —— classrooms may be going back to life. some secondary school students may not be back until the easter holidays. the welsh government is starting an incremental process of easing methods were still 20 are hope. ministers will not give a detailed route map for exiting lockdown just a direction of travel. i route map for exiting lockdown 'ust a direction of travai a direction of travel. i hope with all the caution _ a direction of travel. i hope with all the caution that _ a direction of travel. i hope with all the caution that i _ a direction of travel. i hope with all the caution that i usually - a direction of travel. i hope with | all the caution that i usually have to exercise that this will be the last week of the state home restrictions because we would all like to be doing more than we are doing now. despite these will be the last weeks of the stay—at—home restrictions. last weeks of the stay-at-home restrictions.— restrictions. the first minister sa s he restrictions. the first minister says he looks _ restrictions. the first minister says he looks forward - restrictions. the first minister says he looks forward to - restrictions. the first minister says he looks forward to the i says he looks forward to the greenstreet of recovery. here they were just like to start selling them. garden centres in wales aren't allowed to open. they might get the go—ahead in three weeks but you can't keep plants samples. stack go-ahead in three weeks but you can't keep plants samples. stock has been ordered — can't keep plants samples. stock has been ordered months _ can't keep plants samples. stock has been ordered months and _ can't keep plants samples. stock has been ordered months and months i can't keep plants samples. stock has been ordered months and months in| been ordered months and months in advance because we know that at some point we are going to open so we have to have staff here to take

their stock in, display it, get it ready, and then we don't know if we're going to open.— we're going to open. incredibly frustrating- _ we're going to open. incredibly frustrating. cloche _ we're going to open. incredibly frustrating. cloche and, - we're going to open. incredibly - frustrating. cloche and, hesitation, there will be plenty of it in the weeks to come as we feel our way towards greater freedom. weeks to come as we feel our way towards greaterfreedom. bbc weeks to come as we feel our way towards greater freedom. bbc news, cardiff. organisations were presenting health care staff say their lives are being put at this because they're ppe they're using provides inadequate protection against airborne strains of coronavirus. the group which includes the doctors and the royal couege includes the doctors and the royal college of nursing says that more than 900 workers have died of covid—19. the site editor david shulman says that paramedics are especially worried. despite our science editor.

a ambulance queues are among the first on scene. a ambulance queues are among the first on scene-— first on scene. people call us and describe themselves _ first on scene. people call us and describe themselves as - first on scene. people call us and describe themselves as cannon i describe themselves as cannon fodder, canaries and i call my own, not worth anything, they feel demoralised.— not worth anything, they feel demoralised. , ., ., , ., . ., demoralised. the standard protection for ambulance — demoralised. the standard protection for ambulance crews _ demoralised. the standard protection for ambulance crews includes - demoralised. the standard protection for ambulance crews includes a - demoralised. the standard protection for ambulance crews includes a thin l for ambulance crews includes a thin surgical mask but many feel it is not enough and they have got covid patience with them.— not enough and they have got covid patience with them. ambulances are thou . ht to patience with them. ambulances are thought to be _ patience with them. ambulances are thought to be a _ patience with them. ambulances are thought to be a particular— patience with them. ambulances are thought to be a particular risk- thought to be a particular risk because you are indoors with a little fresh air close to people who are infected and for long periods of time. and when you combine all those factors it is much more likely that you will become infected. and factors it is much more likely that you will become infected. and the ambulances _ you will become infected. and the ambulances are _ you will become infected. and the ambulances are often _ you will become infected. and the ambulances are often queueing i you will become infected. and the | ambulances are often queueing for hours to deliver their patients, with paramedics inside the vehicle is all that time. and some of them have got the virus, like this person. i have got the virus, like this erson. , ., �* person. i 'ust felt that i didn't have person. i just felt that i didn't have enough _ person. i just felt that i didn't have enough protection - person. i just felt that i didn't have enough protection to - person. i just felt that i didn't - have enough protection to protect me, especially because of some things that i meant to have to do to

treat the might mean that i would have to get quite close to them so not only am i in a small metal box in a basement they are also having to get quite close in order to treat them because they are really unwell and they'd need care. let's make the movie is that the virus is spreading through the air, infection particles called aerosols, but the big focus has been on hands and services and keeping clean white white people are pushing their shopping is in washing their pets and all sorts of things but what they were not doing is thinking that the virus might be floating in the air and so we weren't so stuck in a mental model of droplets and things that we touch that we completely forgot the air that we completely forgot the air that we completely forgot the air that we breathe. the that we completely forgot the air that we breathe. , that we breathe. the government says there is no need _ that we breathe. the government says there is no need to _ that we breathe. the government says there is no need to change _ that we breathe. the government says there is no need to change the - there is no need to change the guidelines on ppe but it is monitoring the emerging the research into a bun transition and it's of the safety zone is a priority. david shipman, bbc news. that's right into

airborne transmission. —— into airborne transmission. —— into airborne transmission. of days news. overturn the home secretary's decision that 50 patel did not breach the code of ministerial conduct. legal bid has been launched overturn this. enquiry found that some of her actions amounted to bullying. dismay and anger amongst its members. the chief of bitton's mi6 foreign intelligence services publicly apologised for historic dissemination. before 1991, spy historic dissemination. before 1991, spy agencies had refused to hire lesbian, gay, bisexualand lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender people for fear they would be susceptible to blackmail. today, richard moore said that such misguided policies had deprived britain's spy services a talent. more now on the thousands of uber drivers in the uk who will be entitled to minimum wage

and holiday pay after the supreme court ruled them as workers, not self—employed. the ruling could leave the ride—hailing app with a hefty compensation bill and have wider consequences for the gig economy. to explore this further, i'm joined by gareth edwards, a technology and transport journalist and the editor of transport analysis website, "london reconnections". thank you very much a being with us and how significant is this willing today? i and how significant is this willing toda ? ., and how significant is this willing toda ? ~ , ., , and how significant is this willing toda ? ~ , ., today? i think if people hoping to see short-term _ today? i think if people hoping to see short-term changes - today? i think if people hoping to see short-term changes that - today? i think if people hoping to see short-term changes that is l see short—term changes that is unlikely but i think in the long term it has implications for how eb deals with its riders and also for the wider gig economy and out approaches its employees as well. what kind of implications we talking about here? , ., , , about here? obviously, the ruling itself is directly _ about here? obviously, the ruling itself is directly about _ about here? obviously, the ruling itself is directly about workers' i itself is directly about workers' rights but it is also about the kind of traditional difference that exists between greek economy kind of things and what you might see on a high street of a shop so one of the

real implications is that it starts to make companies like ill but more traditional in the way that, saying, the tax office and see them as much as how we see them in places that we work for. that is one of the real implications beyond this so that it is notjust about implications beyond this so that it is not just about workers' implications beyond this so that it is notjust about workers' rights which is part of this but it is also how does hmrc, for example, now see uber? alley something that it has to apply back to, for example, which they have not had to pay back before? ,, ., ., , before? share, and the mind boggles in terms of what _ before? share, and the mind boggles in terms of what labour _ before? share, and the mind boggles in terms of what labour were - before? share, and the mind boggles in terms of what labour were now - in terms of what labour were now thinking it is their business model thatis thinking it is their business model that is rolled out across the world for this. that is rolled out across the world forthis. —— that is rolled out across the world for this. —— what uber are now thinking. we talk about the implications here in the uk that this could change how they operate elsewhere as well.— elsewhere as well. yes, the uk is not the only _ elsewhere as well. yes, the uk is not the only place _ elsewhere as well. yes, the uk is not the only place where - elsewhere as well. yes, the uk is not the only place where these i elsewhere as well. yes, the uk is . not the only place where these cases of ongoing being settled and it really does have implications for the wider model. it is worth remembering that outside of the cab side of hoover a lot of their business model is built almost on getting money in revenue from, say, the restaurants were kind of the feed side of things, but the cap model is one where it is very much

about taking that money directly from the consumer and that applies globally so it really does impact their potential presence in lots of different countries and really where they are part path to profitability lies in future.— lies in future. does this mean, then, lies in future. does this mean, then. that _ lies in future. does this mean, then, that drivers _ lies in future. does this mean, then, that driversjoining - lies in future. does this mean, then, that driversjoining abel| lies in future. does this mean, . then, that driversjoining abel will then, that drivers joining abel will be able to dictate, if they are joined as a part—time worker or if theirjourney as a full—time worker? —— driversjoining uber. peek of. i think we don't really know that. == think we don't really know that. -- i think we think we don't really know that. » i think we don't really know that yet. if it was a minor thing that only affects five or so workers which is what they're saying, if it was, why would they fight this for more than five years? i think it has a lot more to come in what will change the relationship, the contractual relationship and read what drivers can act that is, or what drivers can act that is, or what it is for drivers but they have also had a long time to think about what they divide over those contracts with existing fibre so, again, i don't think we'll see

immediate change but i think over time it really does change that relationship forever.— time it really does change that relationship forever. could we have this havin: relationship forever. could we have this having a _ relationship forever. could we have this having a similar— relationship forever. could we have this having a similar impact - relationship forever. could we have this having a similar impact on - this having a similar impact on other companies as well across different industries?— other companies as well across different industries? yes. i mean, where you — different industries? yes. i mean, where you have — different industries? yes. i mean, where you have got _ different industries? yes. i mean, where you have got a _ different industries? yes. i mean, where you have got a similar- different industries? yes. i mean, where you have got a similar gig l where you have got a similar gig economy model that relies very heavily on the idea that people aren't employees then, yes, it will have an impact. as i say, it is worth remembering that that is not all gig economy companies. so some things will be, the veteran services, as i say, might be charging the restaurant look of the crossover might increase cost the consumer might not see the cost. —— the restaurant services. the consumer might not see those costs because they will be pushed onto the supplier rather than onto them. anywhere where you are looking on services where they figured primarily on making money from the consumer it may well be that in the long term that the price increases are gone. it is worth saying that what when we say increases what we really mean is paying the amount of money that those services should across all along, that is really what this ruling are saying. it is

really interesting _ what this ruling are saying. it is really interesting to see how this is going to play out in the months to come. thank you so much for joining us, gareth edwards there from london be connections. we were bringing you the news a little lately about the g7 group of major nations pledging billions of dollars the united nations covax fund to immunise the world gets rotavirus. the united states of costa and joe biden are making that public pledge as well we can reason pictures life in michigan where what you're looking at it as a pfizer manufacturing site in michigan where joe biden is currently speaking to workers there and as time goes on what you can see as number of boxes that are stacked up high containing the pfizer vaccination. this part, because, of the roll—out across the united states in the united states announcing $4 billion towards international vaccination programme alongside the eu today that pledged

to double their contribution reaching a total of $1.2 billion and adding to the pledge from angela merkel that everything on earth needed to be vaccinated in $1.8 billion. that there the pfizer manufacturing site withjoe biden currently talking to the pharmaceutical company there. now, the family of princess latifa — the daughter of the ruler of dubai — say she remains in the care of her family, and will hopefully return to public life "at the appropriate time". they've released a statement after secret videos were obtained by the bbc�*s panorama programme, in which she accused her father of holding her hostage in the city. the un has asked to see proof she's alive. bbc arabic�*s special correspondent nawal al—maghafi first reported on the princess latifa videos and has more on the background to the story.

it all starts in 2018 when princess latifa tried to flee dubai. before she made that fleeing attempt she recorded this video saying if things go badly wrong you are going to be watching this and her friends released that and we saw this. now, no one knew if she was ok and so the un launched an enquiry to the un's working group on enforced disappearances and they requested proof of life in the uae back then. if you were accepted at these pictures of her with mary robinson that this lunch proved that she was alive and then mary robinson came to the bbc and she said that she is a troubled young lady in the loving care of her family. that falsely you to drop the case back then. but this latest panorama that was released on tuesday brings it all back to the surface. that smack that forced the un to drop the case back then. it brings messages from princess latifa saying she is being held captive in central divide and it also has an interview with mary robinson saying that in 2015 she was, in fact, misled, she was told that princess

latifa has bipolar disorder and that she was tricked. today the un has asked for proof of life once again because we haven't had for her in months and the un has released a statement. in it they say she is in the care of her family medical professionals, that our reporting is not reflective of the actual position, but they are yet to prove that she is alive. the metropolitan police and national crime agency have made one of britain's biggest ever drug seizures. the cocaine, estimated to be worth 184 million pounds arrived on a boat from colombia hidden in a consignment of bananas. three people have been charged. the bbc was given exclusive access to the final hours of the operation. here's our home affairs correspondent tom symonds. inside control during a big police drugs operation. two males stood outside, gone in to the smaller shutter... they've got an industrial

unit under surveillance. we can't report the full details, but they're monitoring everything that is going on. we started to gather the intelligence last weekend into what was going on, and we've worked really hard almost 24 hours a day since then to achieve what you've seen this afternoon. yeah, the lorry�*s not in view yet, but i believe they're directing them to come in. go ahead. a suspected gang has allegedly arranged a shipment of more than two tonnes of cocaine from columbia after portsmouth. the crucial decision for this joint met and national crime agency team, when is there enough evidence to make a move? shouting. these are specialist counterterrorism firearms officers. inside, 41 pallets used to transport the load, but these are dummy packages. police seized the real drugs in portsmouth.

we're talking about probably one of the biggest seizures of cocaine ever in the uk. we think about 2.3 metric tonnes. by the time that is divided down into deals, we could possibly be talking about five million deals. it is, in fact, roughly half of the average cocaine seizure for a whole year in the uk. drugs which now won't be sold on streets across britain. tom symonds, bbc news. around four million people in the uk sufferfrom diabetes — including around a million who have not been diagnosed, according to the charity diabetes uk. and while it's already known that diabetics are more at risk of suffering severe cases of covid — new evidence suggests the virus could actually be triggering the condition in some patients. olivia sopel reports.

first step is taking my blood sugar... this isjordan's daily routine. after contracting covid—19 last year, he developed type 2 diabetes, which went undiagnosed for months and resulted in a 23—day hospital stay and being put in an induced coma. a normal blood sugar is between, kind of, five and seven. they will usually say you have diabetes if you have a blood sugar of between, like, 15 and 20. when i went into hospital, my blood sugar was 127. it was the highest blood sugar they'd ever seen in that hospital, it was incredible, they said that if i had waited another hour before i went into hospital, that i wouldn't have made it. jordan's case is just one experience and there is still much scientists don't know about what triggers the condition. professor francesco rubino has been studying the connections between covid—19 and diabetes and has established a global registry for medical professionals to track cases. the coronavirus that causes covid—19 can bind to cells

not only in the airways, where it could cause the, you know, typical pneumonia and other problems, but also to cells in other tissues, including the pancreas, the liver, even the gut or in the adipose tissue. and of course, those organs are so crucial for sugar metabolism that if the virus is able to cause dysfunctions there, then obviously one could expect problems. in england, as many as 5% of people hospitalised with severe covid have developed type one or type two diabetes. although it's a serious condition affecting four million people in the uk, around one in eight are thought to be undiagnosed, and this was the case forjordan. pretty much every organ in my body failed, i had to be put on a ventilator, i had pancreatitis, i had an acute kidney injury, all of this had come from this diagnosis that i didn't know i had, which was diabetes.

and that had been triggered by me having covid all the way back in march, and so from march up until september, i had been living with diabetes and not knowing it. we have heard that people can live for up to ten years - without being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, i and what that means is that they are more at risk of being diagnosed when they have _ complications already. complications can be things like heart problems, - sight loss, nerve damage, - that type of thing, so it is really important to identify it l early and get the correct treatment and management. first thing in the morning, i take out this... since his diagnosis, jordan's life has completely changed, from taking various different medications to injecting insulin every day and having to strictly control what he eats and drinks. diabetes is a condition... experts like professor rubino are continuing to study the connection between covid—19 and diabetes, and research into the links between the two diseases is still in the early stages. in the meantime, anyone concerned they have symptoms of diabetes is advised to ask their gp for a test. olivia sopel, bbc news.

the united states has formally re—joined the international effort to tackle global warming. president trump withdrew the us from the paris agreement, saying the country had been given a bad deal. but president biden has made tackling climate change a key pillar of his administration, and overturned trump's policy. here's our environment analyst roger harrabin. as california burned last year, the presidential debate was also heating up, donald trump denying the influence of climate change, joe biden promising to tackle america's carbon emissions that are fuelling global heating. on day one, i signed the paperwork to rejoin the paris climate agreement. we're taking steps, led by example, of mitigating climate objectives across all of our diplomacy. us emissions actually fell over the past year, partly because of the covid effect on the economy, partly because of previous energy

efficiency standards on vehicles, and partly because of the plunging fall in the cost of renewables. now the pressure is on president biden to deliver a $2 trillion clean energy package that he will have to get through congress and to formallyjoin other nations in pledging to reduce emissions to almost zero by 2050. rejoining the paris agreement is only a first step, but i think we are seeing some pretty clear signs from the biden administration already that they are very serious about this and prepared to go well beyond even the obama administration in terms of action. the usa will also need to put pressure on oil—producing nations such as saudi arabia to cut their emissions too. at the triumphant paris climate accord five years ago, the usa played the role of global enforcer, using its influence to corral reluctant nations into agreement. but time is short.

some scientists warn that ice at the poles is melting faster than previously thought likely. it is not clear yet if politicians can respond fast enough, whether the us is part of the climate accord or not. roger harrabin, bbc news. dogs have helped millions of us to get through the last year or so — but you don't necessarily have to own one, to feel the calming benefits of man's, and woman's, best friend. max the springer spaniel has been sharing his walks with the world via social media. and now he's become the first pet dog to receive a very special award — tim muffett has the story.

max lives with his owner in the lake district, but has fans across the world. the 13—year—old springer spaniel belongs to kerry irving who's been live streaming their walks during lockdown. all right, maxie? we started doing live feeds on our daily walks because we've got the lake district here, this is our home, this is where we can walk and exercise, but some people are trapped in cities, tower blocks. max's walks with fellow springer spaniels paddy and harry have brought comfort to hundreds of thousands of people and max's companionship to kerry has been life changing. following a road traffic accident 15 years ago he was suffering from severe depression. the anxiety it caused me to walk out of the door on my own and not have somebody with me was for me a terrifying experience. every step i took, max was with me and every time i stopped and faltered, he stopped with me too. the psa order of merit rewards animals that show outstanding contribution to society. you can see how max has

not only had a massive impact on kerry's life, but his activities, all those kerry has been filming with them, have reached the lives of hundreds of thousands of people right across the world. four—year—old evelyn is one of them. # happy birthday to max... # kerry and max's videos have been an absolute godsend to us in lockdown and helped us with stress relief at the end of the day and made every day during lockdown a fresh start. evelyn suffers from the febrile convulsions, seizures that can happen at any time. her mum hannah believes max has had a profoundly positive impact. when you see max's videos, how does max make you feel? happy. the impact that dogs have both on mental well—being and on general well— being is fantastic.

the animal equivalent of an obe, richly deserved. tim muffet, bbc news. how lovely. thank you max and well done. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. it looks set to be an extremely mild weekend across many parts of the uk. but at this time of year with mild weather often comes wet weather. that is exactly what were going to see. some heavy rain particularly in the west. brisk winds as well. this chart shows the rainfall we're expected to accumulate over the next few days. you can see the wettest weather will be over high ground in the west. parts of eastern england may see very little rain at all through the weekend. but there is a met office amber warning and parts of southern but there is a met office amber warning in force on parts of southern wales. over high ground we could see up to 200 mm of rain in the very wettest places.

that brings the risk of flooding and disruption. on the earlier satellite picture you can see this stripe of cloud. a very slow—moving weather front that will continue to bring pulses of rain through the weekend. that rain continuing to pile in across the southwest of england into wales, northwest england as well. to the southeast of that clear spells. certainly clear his spells at times across northern ireland and scotland without a little bit chilly in the far north but for most of us it is a very mild start to saturday morning. our slow moving weather front willjust be wriggling around through the day on saturday bringing more, heavy rain northwards. but the further east you are, the better chance of staying dry, with some spells of sunshine. so east anglia and the southeast, although we will see variable amounts of cloud i think it will state largely dry and there will be some fairly lengthy sunny spells out west we see outbreaks of heavy rain once again for top the rain heaviest over high ground pushing northward through the day across northern ireland up into scotland. very windy as well. those of the gusts we can expect was that we could see gusts of 52 to maybe 60 mph

in exposed western areas. with winds coming up from the south it is going to feel exceptionally mild with highs of 11 to maybe 16 degrees. in the brighter spots in the southeast. through saturday night and into sunday our weather front will still be with us. it's likely to weaken to some extent. probably sitting somewhere across england, maybe wales, a bit of uncertainty about the detail. to the southeast of that a zone of fine dry, bright and mild weather. quite mild further north and west as well with a mix of sunshine and showers. a quick look ahead into the new week — it'll turn briefly a bit cooler early in the week, but only a bit, and then mild weather returns. some rain to the northwest with highs of 17 degrees.

this is bbc news, i'm kasia madera — our top stories. a reset for transatlantic relations as president biden recommits to nato and pledges to "earn back" europe's trust. america is back, the transatlantic alliance is back. we are not looking backward. we are looking forward together. we'll be hearing from the us secretary of state antony blinken, in an exclusive interview with the bbc. a donation of surplus vaccines to tackle the pandemic — as developed nations make promises and pledges at the g7 summit. and, the latest look at mars — beamed back by nasa's rover perseverance, which landed on the red planet last night.