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 astonishing new images sent back from mars by its perseverance rover — showing the red planet's surface

in detail and the robot during its historic landing. the us presidentjoe biden, has delivered a major speech which underlies it, that an attack on one is an attack on all. just over four weeks after taking overfrom donald trump, 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. so tonight, 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

who asked him what president biden meant when he told the group of seven leaders that america is back. we're 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 of two thing happens, either 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 world or 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, whether it's 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—19, to deal with climate, to deal with other challenges to our democracy. let's just discuss iran, mr secretary. you've been speaking to european foreign ministers on rejoining the iran nuclear deal. can you clarify what has been agreed with your european partners? i think what's striking about the conversations with our european partners is that we're 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 objectives. president biden has been clear for some time that if iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement the united states would do the same thing, but 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 de—stabilising activities in the region

and ballistic missiles programme that need to be addressed. what i found from my conversations with the european three, as they 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 iran nuclear agreements. so the united states, european partners, russia, china and iran of all been invited. we intend to be there. you spoke to the president this week and reiterated the importance to the americans interest in peace process. the us treasury department said last month that al-qaeda influence is growing in afghanistan under the protection of the taliban. isn't this just a clear breach of the doha agreement? we are in the midst of a very rigorous review of the policy towards afghanistan. in particular, we needed to review carefully the agreements that have been reached between the united states and the taliban and then

the work that we have done with the government afghanistan. and all of that work is ongoing. what we know already and the initial conclusion we come to is that it's 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 to not support them in any way. i suppose they say they continue to allow al-qaeda and protect them to remain in the country. well, we're taking a very hard look at that right now. as i said, i think the most effective thing and necessary thing that we can do now, along with partners in the region, including neighbours, is to press the parties, starting with the taliban to make good on commitments that they've made. including the commitments they made under the us taliban agreement. the us secretary of state speaking

exclusively. meanwhile — the united states has officially re—joined the international effort to tackle climate change, known as the paris climate agreement. it's a major shift from the approach of former president donald trump, who withdrew the us from the landmark climate accord, claiming at the time 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. the g7 group of developed nations has also pledged billions of dollars to the united nations�* covax fund to immunise the world against coronavirus. in a statement, the group says they will work together to beat covid, and give assistance to the nations most hit by the pandemic. ahead of the meeting, the white house announced four billion dollars towards an international vaccination programme. the european union pledged to double their contribution, reaching a total of $1.2 billion. and germany is donating an additional $1.8 billion, with angela merkel saying everyone

on earth needed to be vaccinated. markjit is a professor of vaccine epidemiology at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. he told me what the world can go to increase vaccine distribution to poorer countries. the first thing we need to do is to make sure that the supply is available to all of these countries, especially the countries, the poorer countries of the world who have not been able to secure their own supply of vaccine. so they are reliant on these mechanisms, like covax. the next thing is once the supplies are secured to actually bring the vaccines to those remote communities. are you hearing anything about certain countries being charged more for vaccines? well, different countries have made different deals with the manufacturers. i think the covax initiative is really an initiative to bring together all of the countries in the world to negotiate and get good prices, collectively, for all countries in the world together.

so i think that sort of collective agreement is the fairest because it ensures that all countries are paying a price that they can afford for the vaccines. and when you've got the g7 leaders coming together, pledging to intensify this cooperation, what do you hope to see on the ground, notjust pledges but actual action, what would you like to see? well, i think these pledges are important. the reason covax has been slow to be able to deliver the volume of vaccines the countries in the world need is first of all, they haven't had the sufficient funds in order to buy the volumes that they need. second of all, the vaccine manufacturers have pledged many doses to the richer countries in the world, who have had the resources to preorder the doses. so only now is covax starting to be able to sign these deals with the manufacturers. as these resources start to flow into my hope it means that covax can

increase the supply of vaccines to countries in the world who are still waiting to vaccinate their population. un secretary general was really concerned, criticising the distribution of vaccines, 130 countries have not yet received a single dose. that's an alarming figure. it is alarming because we know that without vaccination, covid issues will not be solved. the covid pandemic will not be over in those countries. unless it's over everywhere in the world, it will not be over for the whole world. so until we come together as a world to get vaccines to all the countries in the world, we will not see the end of this pandemic. that was professor from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. now, to some breaking news. it's being reported in the united states that reality star kim kardashian has filed papers to divorce her rapper husband kanye west. that's according to the celebrity news site tmz.com and hollywood

outlet variety. kim kardashian and kanye west have been married for seven years. tmz claims the split is amicable and that kardashian asked forjoint custody of their four children. variety cited a court source as saying the divorce papers were filed on friday. so just to remind you that breaking news, it's being reported in the united states that reality star kim kardashian has filed papers to divorce her rapper husband kanye west. a power crisis in the us state of texas has become a water crisis. millions are being told to boil water before drinking it — as severe winter weather brings more chaos and disruption. nearly half of all texans — around 13 million people — have had water services disrupted. hospitals in some hard—hit areas have had to transfer patients elsewhere due to shortages. the state's energy grid is up

and running again but many homes are still without power as workers rush to repair damaged or frozen powerlines. meanwhile — texas senator, ted cruz, has been criticised for flying to mexico for a family holiday in the midst of the crisis. he has since returned. jason whitely is a senior reporter at wfaa—tv channel 8 in dallas. he told me there is some good news — at least for the residents of fort worth we got above freezing for the first time in a week which is substantial considering there's a lot of ice and snow on the ground. but the other encouraging news is that most power has been restored except for that which limbs have knocked power lines down and frozen equipment around power plants as well. but the energy emergency is cancelled, as you mentioned though, there are lingering problems. the 7 million texans having to boil water because water treatment plants were taken off—line. natural gas supplies were freezing in the pipeline and natural gas is used to heat most

of the homes in texas. finally, as if it couldn't get any worse, this cascade of problems has landed in grocery stores as well because the food supply chain has slowed down, trucks couldn't get on the roads because of the weather and that has left many store shelves empty. of course, many people struggling. when it comes to why texas was so unprepared, talk us through the reasoning behind this. it's a good question. this is a rare event for texas, a sustained winter storm like this. so most texas power plants are physically outside because peak demand in texas is in the summer when it's very hot, more than 100 fahrenheit, so if those plants were inside like they are in maybe chicago or new york city or places like that, than those power plants in the summer when they are needed wouldn't be able to produce at such a high rate. so there is something the federal government is looking up that will affect every state in the country, that is coming up with the best plan to winterize all plants inside or outside. with the best plan to winterise

all plants inside or outside. the feds are working on that now, and i guarantee it something texas will most likely adopt here. when it comes to the senator, he's been very apologetic about his trip to cancun. talk us through with the political fallout will be because he's been so criticised about that trip. in politics, at least in america, memories are very short. now, the good news for ted cruz if he decides to run again for the us senate, he would not be on the ballot again until 202a. if he decides to run for president like so many people think he will, then he would have to spin up a camp in the next two years or so. whether it has any long—term effects remains to be seen, of course. you know, senator ted cruz here in texas has weathered and survived many more stories bigger than this one, but this one certainly didn't look good, him taking off on a beach holiday as 29—30 million of his constituents are sitting in the cold and dark because of this infrastructure failure in the largest energy producing

state in the united states. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: nasa releases astonishing new images of the perseverance rover being lowered onto the surface of mars, as new pictures come in of the rocky red planet. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered. that has a terrible effect for the morale of the people. i'm terrified of the repercussions in the streets. one wonders who is next? as the airlift got under way, there was no let up

in the erruption itself. as the airlift got under way, there was no let up in the erruption itself. lava streams from a vent low in the crater flow down to the sea on the east of the islands, away from the town for the time being. it could start flowing again at any time. the russians heralded _ their new generation space station with a spectacular night launch. they've called it mir, . the russian for "peace". this is news, the latest headlines... presidentjoe biden has used a virtual global security summit to recommit to the transatlantic alliance and pledge to "earn back" europe's trust. leaders of the world's major economies have pledged billions of dollars to the un's global fund for coronavirus vaccines. let's look at some of the day's other news... a young woman has become the first protester to die in the anti—coup demonstrations

in myanmar after she was shot in the head. the 20—year old was critically injured last week when police tried to disperse protesters using water cannon, rubber bullets and live rounds. the united arab emirates has said that princess latifah, the daughter of the ruler of dubai, is being cared for at home, supported by herfamily and medical professionals. the statement by the uae embassy in london came after the united nations asked for proof that the princess was still alive. it follows a bbc report in which the princess said she was being held against her will. the uk supreme court has ruled that the taxi app uber must classify its drivers as workers rather than self—employed. uber had argued its drivers were independent contractors. the ruling could leave it facing a hefty compensation bill,

as well has having wider consequences for the gig economy. the netherlands court of appeal has postponed for a week a decision on whether to uphold a ruling that a nationwide coronavirus curfew should be lifted. the dutch senate is also debating a law hastily drafted to preserve the curfew, which bans people from leaving their homes without good reason. if the law is approved, the cabinet will be able to keep the curfew in place regardless of the outcome of the court appeal. prince harry and his wife meghan have told queen elizabeth that they will not be returning as working members of british royal family. the decision means they will no longer hold the honourary military appointments and royal patronages given to them by the queen. prince harry and meghan have committed to continue supporting the organisations they have represented saying "service is universal". 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell has more. the bond which was once so close

has, in every formal royal sense, been shattered. the breach, in terms of the business of royalty, is complete, and, bar a complete about face by the sussexes, it is final. for harry, then, perhaps, a sense of long sought freedom. for william, one imagines, a deep sense of disappointment. today's news is not unexpected. in the year 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 have 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 they would not return as working members of the royal family. a statement said that, following conversations with harry, the queen has written confirming

that in stepping away from the work of the royal family, it is not possible to continue this was the sussexes 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 will be personally gutted, just as i was,

that he is not allowed to pull a military uniform on any more. regardless, it doesn't change his commitment to the individuals that serve in it and those that require care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she wants a new life. if she was going to stay here any longer, i think they would probably have made her ill because it isn't a relationship that most americans are used to. so, one of the royal family's most popular members, a man for whom, over the years, there has been great sympathy and admiration, now faces a very different future. the way back to royal duty has been closed. you can never again wear military uniform. harry's future lies in california with his wife and family. and just an udate on the queen's husband the duek of edinburgh, ——and just an udate on the queen's

husband the duke of edinburgh, prince philip is expected to stay in hospital over the weekend. the duke of edinburgh, who'll be 100 years old injune, was admitted to hospital on tuesday, for "observation and rest". nasa has just released the latest images from mars taken by its rover perseverence — which landed on the red planet last night. these were sent by perseverance a short time ago. the first gives us a really close look at rocky surface being covered by the rover, and the second is a bird's eye view as the rover lands on mars. it's hoped it will find microscopic signs of ancient life — from billions of years ago. well it was an extraordinary and perilous landing — our science correspondent rebecca morelle has the latest. a new view of the surface of mars. images sent back from the perserverance rover just after it landed, providing a first glimpse of the terrain it is 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. 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 type of environment. the rover survived a perilous descendents travelling at the speed of a bullet as a supersonic parachute helped it to the ground. and this is where it was made. it's a fabric factory in tiverton 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. quite extraordinary. ijust want quite extraordinary. i just want to share a quote with you with one of the mission�*s managers who said that

they are happy to see that the rover is doing great, is healthy on the surface of mars and continues to be highly, highly functional, awesome and adds, i'm just exhilarated. it's just so exciting. yes, exhilarating to see those images. an italian hikerfound that man's best friend lived up to his name, after he broke his ankle in the alps. the dog — called ash — stayed with the 33 year old, who spent a week in the foothills with no phone signal to call for help. he dragged himself to a stream, and said ash kept him warm through the freezing nights and helped raise his spirits. surely a human�*s best friend. and just a reminder of our breaking story a few moments ago. reality star kim kardashian has filed papers to divorce her rapper husband ka nye west. that's according to the celebrity news site tmz.com and hollywood outlet variety.

the divorce is being described as amicable. the couple had been married for seven years. lots and lots on social media. but for me and the time delete 19 for the time being, that's all. 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. and that is exactly what were going to see. some heavy rain particularly in the west, some 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 in force fpr but there is a met office amber warning in force for parts of southern wales. 0ver high ground, we could see up to 200 mm of rain in the very wettest places.

that brings the risk of flooding and disruption. 0n 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 through the night. to the southeast of that, some clear spells. certainly some clearer skies at times across northern ireland and scotland, a little bit chilly in the far north, but for most of us, it is a very mild start to saturday morning. 0ur 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. but out west, we see outbreaks of heavy rain once again, the rain heaviest over high ground pushing northward through the day across northern ireland up into scotland. very windy as well. those are the gusts we can expect, we could see gusts of 50 to maybe 60 mph in exposed western areas. but with winds coming up from the south, yes, it is going to feel exceptionally

mild with highs of 11 to maybe 16 celsius in the brighter spots in the southeast. through saturday night and into sunday, our weatherfront will still be with us. it's likely to weaken to some extent. probably sitting somewhere across england, maybe wales during sunday, 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 world news, the headlines us presidentjoe biden has declared the "transatlantic alliance is back" in a speech seeking to reestablish the united states as leader of the west against what he called a global assault on democracy. the g—7 group of developed nations has promised billions of dollars to the un's covax fund to immunise the world against coronavirus. the german chancellor angela merkel said the pandemic would be conquered only when everyone on earth is vaccinated. the duke and duchess of sussex have been stripped of their honorary appointments after confirming to queen elizabeth that they will not return as working members of the royal family —

making a final break with the institution.