this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. us intelligence officials say saudi arabia's crown prince personally approved an operation that killed the journalist jamal khashoggi. police in nigeria begin a search operation after more than 300 girls were abducted from a school in the country's north west. more good news on the effectiveness of covid vaccines as a british study shows even a single dose of the pfizerjab stops the virus spreading. this is my first time on being on an open topped bus. is it really? yeah. no! i'm not really allowed to. britain's prince harry gets on the bus in california — to explain why he didn't want to live in the uk any more. it was destroying my mental health. i was like, "this is toxic."

yeah. so, i did what any husband or any father would do is, like, "i need to get my family out of here." 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 us government has published a report, compiled by its intelligence services — which accuses saudi arabia's crown prince, mohammed bin salman, of personally approving the operation which led to the murder of the journalist, jamal khashoggi. it's the first time the us has officially, and openly accused the crown prince — who is a key american ally in the middle east. mr khashoggi disappeared after entering the saudi

consulate in istanbul in october, 2018. his body was neverfound — but subsequent investigations by turkish officials, found he had been killed inside the building. the saudi crown prince denied any involvement. the us counts saudi arabia as a key regional friend. here's pentagon spokesmanjohn kirby reacting to the report. saudi arabia remains a strategic partner in the region. we have to be courageous enough as friends to speak candidly and to make clear our concerns about the rule of law and about civil and human rights, even with friends and partners. john kirby their _ speaking in the us earlier. some

breaking news on this very subject, we are hearing we have reaction from saudi arabia, and they are saying in a statement that the crime was committed by individuals that have transgressed all regulations and authorities of the agencies where they were employed. it goes on to say that the leadership has taken steps to ensure that this never happens again. so the first reaction we are getting there from riau. let's discuss this further, are a state department correspondent barbara plett usher is in washington for us. barbara, idon�*t barbara plett usher is in washington for us. barbara, i don't know if you've been keeping up—to—date with these lines, they are coming through as i'm speaking to you. what do we make of saudi arabia's reaction? well, from what you have read, it's on similar to what the kingdom has said before, that this was a rogue operation and that they have taken

steps against the individuals involved and that it won't happen again. or involved and that it won't happen again. 0rtaken involved and that it won't happen again. or taken steps to make sure that it doesn't happen again, so they have jailed eight individuals which they charged and convicted of having been involved. they did sack five senior governments members, including several close aides to the crown prince, although, they did not and up convicting any of them. as far as the kingdom goes, they believe this is a closed case, and what you have read there, thousand sound to me like they are changing that line. 1, ., sound to me like they are changing that line. ., ., _ , that line. barbara, obviously they are hoinu that line. barbara, obviously they are heping that — that line. barbara, obviously they are hoping that the _ that line. barbara, obviously they are hoping that the straws - that line. barbara, obviously they are hoping that the straws allyingj are hoping that the straws allying under the matter, but this —— is this going to be enough for congress there in washington? weill. this going to be enough for congress there in washington?— there in washington? well, that's a aood there in washington? well, that's a good question _ there in washington? well, that's a good question because _ there in washington? well, that's a good question because congress i there in washington? well, that's a | good question because congress has been very passionate about this issue, and i'm talking about a bipartisan group of lawmakers who have pursued this issue, who have called out the crown prince for some time now and have been pushing for

the publication of this report, and some of them have been saying that if the crown prince is guilty of authorising this operation as the intelligence assessment says, then he should be punished for it, that if others are sanction for it, if the people around him or sanction for it, which is the case, and we have had a few more of those sanctions announced today than he should be sanctioned as well, so i thank you will continue to hear those kinds of calls especially from democratic congress people, the steps taken so far though suggest that the biden administration will spare the crown prince any sort of direct punishment. it's a difficult line for president biden to walk, he wants to show that is showing a new willingness to call out saudi arabia for human rights abuses, unlike the trump administration before him, but he also wants to continue working with saudi arabia as you heard there from mr kirby, it's an important ally in the region. so they are

trying to show that they are ready to call out the behaviour of the crown prince and take some steps but still try to preserve the relationship.— still try to preserve the relationship. still try to preserve the relationshi. , ., relationship. very quickly, barbara, i will be interested _ relationship. very quickly, barbara, i will be interested to _ relationship. very quickly, barbara, i will be interested to know - relationship. very quickly, barbara, i will be interested to know how - i will be interested to know how closely this matters to america. because many people would say why is america doing this? they weren't aware that mr khashoggi a citizen. well, i don't have any poles to back that up, but i can tell you that it is here in washington is a big issue because mr khashoggi was living in washington, he was writing for the washington, he was writing for the washington post, he was speaking at various think tanks. i went to an of the events hosted by a think tank where he was speaking. he knew members of congress, he had an inside track on the kingdom because he had been a close aide to powers in saudi arabia before he went into self—imposed exile because he felt uneasy about his situation there, and so he was very much a part of the washington mix, that's one, and

the washington mix, that's one, and the other is the very grisly way in which he was murdered in a consulate building and then dismembered. that just really made congress people very, very angry and determined that there would be some sort of accountability made on this issue. 0k, barbara plett usher, thank you very much indeed, thank you. here's a reminder of what we know about the events surrounding the killing ofjamal khashoggi. mr khashoggi was last seen entering the saudi consulate in istanbul, on the second of october 2018, to obtain papers that would allow him to marry his fiancee. a few days later, turkish officials reported that a hit squad was present in the building, on the day of his disappearance. 0n the 11th of october, president trump announced an investigation into the killing, but said the us would continue diplomatic ties with the kingdom. 0n the 19th, saudi arabia confirmed khashoggi was dead, claiming he had died in a fist—fight with their officials. early in 2019 saudi arabia put

11 unnamed individuals on trial, in connection with the journalist's murder. in september, prince mohammed said, that he, ultimately, bears responsibility for the death. but denied he had ordering the killing. then in december the court sentenced five individuals to death for the murder. three others were handed prison sentences. let's speak now to agnes callamard, director of columbia university's global freedom of expression project and un special rapporteur on extra judicial killings. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. we are hearing from saudi arabia to this us intelligence report. what was your reaction to the report when it first came out? well, you know, at some level, of course i welcomed the report, i'm glad that the us administration and

assessment is that the crown prince authorised the killing of khashoggi. i'm glad that the 0di was able to play its role in that democratic institution of the united states were able to play their role. i am disappointed by the lack of material information and evidence included in that report, and i will be very disappointed if there is no action taken having recognise the primary role played by the crown prince. when you say lack of evidence, what would you have liked to have seen in there? ~ , there? well, look, the report is basically an _ there? well, look, the report is basically an assessment - there? well, look, the report is basically an assessment based l there? well, look, the report is l basically an assessment based on circumstantial information. it's mirrors very much along the lines of what i have done in my own investigation as a special reporter.

looking at what we know about the kingdom and individuals who perpetrated the killings and, you know, the logical inference from a range of information was that the crown prince was heavily implicated. i would have liked to see in that report some more material evidence, meaning information regarding a direct link between the killing and the crown prince rather than this circumstantial assessment that has been provided. 50 circumstantial assessment that has been provided-— circumstantial assessment that has been provided. so do you think more direct action — been provided. so do you think more direct action should _ been provided. so do you think more direct action should be _ been provided. so do you think more direct action should be taken - direct action should be taken against the crown prince then? absolutely. i agree with your colleague earlier, you know, 17 people have been sanctioned for and in relationship to the killing of khashoggi, some of whom did not play as important a role as the crown

prince, it is the logical implication of what was released today that the crown prince should be sanctioned, his bank account, his assets should be frozen, and in my opinion, he should also be banished from certain international diplomatic circles. i do not see how the administration will be able to escape from the logical steps that must be taken.— escape from the logical steps that must be taken. sorry to interrupt, but very quickly. _ must be taken. sorry to interrupt, but very quickly, how _ must be taken. sorry to interrupt, but very quickly, how can - must be taken. sorry to interrupt, but very quickly, how can you - must be taken. sorry to interrupt, j but very quickly, how can you take those steps and yet continue to ensure that you have a foreign policy that enables stability within the middle east? because this is why there is this relationship between saudi arabia and the us. {iii there is this relationship between saudi arabia and the us. of course, but why are — saudi arabia and the us. of course, but why are we _ saudi arabia and the us. of course, but why are we assuming _ saudi arabia and the us. of course, but why are we assuming that - saudi arabia and the us. of course, i but why are we assuming that because we have a government that is

violating basic human rights ahead of state that is personally ordering the killing of a modern dissidents, why do we see that as being a factor of stability and a good way forward for this strata in the medium turn and a long—term stable relationship demands that phase should be based on mutual respect and understanding of some basic common values. so i do not see any contradiction there. i believe that the more we are partnering with individuals who have blood on their hands, the less we will be able to create a stable environment that everyone is needing. environment that everyone is needinu. ., ~ , . needing. thank you very much indeed. thank ou. needing. thank you very much indeed. thank you. thank _ needing. thank you very much indeed. thank you. thank you. _ we've lots more analysis on the us intelligence report into the murder ofjamal khashoggi, including this piece from our security correspondent frank gardner on how the report could dent us—saudi ties for years.

just go to our website for all that and more. for the second time in just over a week in nigeria, a gang of armed men has kidnapped a group of children at gunpoint. it happened in the north western state of za mfara. more than 300 schoolgirls were taken from their boarding school — when the gang, said to be 100 strong, moved in, in the middle of the night. they came in a motorised convoy, and were heavily armed. security forces are searching for the captives — thought to have been forced to walk into the bush. here's the local commissioner of police explaining the situation. it's an established fact that the students were kidnapped. we are on the trail of the kidnappers. that's why you find us in the fringes of the forest here, as part of our location efforts, it's part of our coordinated effort to trace the kidnappers

and retrieve the students. families have gathered at the school. some were reunited with children who avoided being captured. it's not clear who carried out the kidnapping. as we mentioned, this abduction is just the most recent in a number of similar of incidents. at least 42 people, including 27 students, who were kidnapped last week in the central state of niger are yet to be released. in december, more than 300 boys were kidnapped by gunmen and later released after negotiations. it's not clear who carried out this latest attack. in 2014, 276 schoolgirls in the town of chibok were taken by islamist militants, which brought global attention to the security

challenges in nigeria. 0ur correspondent in the nigerian capital abuja — ishaq khalid — has more on this latest abduction. well, basically, the police are saying that they are now trying to rescue these girls are more than 300 of them, but we don't have details about that rescue. we spoke to some residents there, they said that the gunman in large numbers stormed the girls secondary school and also, you know, wounded a local guard there and kidnapped the children from their dormitories. so the communities are in a state of shock and distress, and some of the parents are saying that they are shocked and devastated. there are reports that some of them even collapsed when they gathered at the school premises. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... the uk's highest court rules that

a teenage british girl who ran away tojoin islamic state in syria does not have the right to return. lets bring you up to date on the latest official data on the coronavirus pandemic here in the uk. according to the latest official figures published this afternoon by the government. in all there were 8,523 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. it means an average of 9,688 new covid cases were recorded per day in the last week. across the uk, an average of 15,1185 people were in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to last sunday — that number includes suspected cases in wales. in the last 2a hours, 3115 additional deaths have been recorded, that's people who have died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average, 357 deaths were announced every

day in the past week. the total number of people who've died during the pandemic is 122,415. this is bbc news — our main stories this hour... a declassified us intelligence report says that the saudi crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi. security forces in nigeria are searching for more than 300 girls who were abducted from a school — the second such kidnapping in just over a week. there's further evidence that covid vaccines may help prevent the spread of coronavirus as well as protecting against getting ill. there's further evidence — thanks to a study of health care workers in the uk — that coronaviruss vaccines may help prevent the spread of coronavirus as well as protecting

against getting ill — as our medical editor fergus walsh reports. like thousands of health care workers in cambridge, daniella does a weekly swab test for coronavirus before she goes to work at addenbrooke's hospital. it will show whether she could be carrying the virus without displaying symptoms. that swab is analysed at these university labs, where they compared the results from staff like daniella who'd received the pfizer vaccine with those yet to be immunised. in early data, they found that two weeks after the first dose, the risk of asymptomatic infection — carrying the virus without knowing it — was reduced by 75%. an england—wide study of health workers found a similar protective effect. this is a genuine good news story. people should be really pleased that the vaccine will protect them and they should have the vaccine in order to prevent themselves and others from getting infected.

i think it will help us get out of lockdown, help other countries get out of lockdown and it will allow us to get back to normal. hi, laura. can i check your blood pressure? daniella is a nursing apprentice at addenbrooke's. nearly nine in ten staff here have had their first dose of vaccine — important, as it reduces their chance of getting infected and may protect patients. it makes me feel very happy knowing that i will not pass the virus to anyone around me. it's very reassuring. very reassuring. it was one of the big unknowns — can vaccines help slow transmission of coronavirus? the study here adds to growing evidence that they do. that has huge implications. it suggests vaccination benefits notjust the individual but the wider community. it's vital people have both doses of vaccine. but while highly effective,

they don't offer 100% protection from catching coronavirus or passing it on. so while infection rates remain high, social distancing will continue to be important. fergus walsh, bbc news. the uk's supreme court has ruled that shamima begum — the woman who left britain as a teenager tojoin the islamic state group in syria — should not be allowed to return to challenge the removal of her british citizenship. the 21—year—old is currently stuck in a camp in northern syria. daniel sandford reports. shamima! shamima begum last summer in the al—roj camp in northern syria, where she remains to this day. she's been stripped of her british citizenship because the home secretary says she's a threat to national security. in court, her lawyers had argued that she must be allowed back to the uk to have a fair hearing to fight that decision, but today the supreme court unanimously ruled against her, saying her case should

simply be postponed. national security comes first. the right to a fair hearing does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public. shamima begum and two school friends, both now believed to be dead, left london aged just 15 to join the islamic state group in syria. there she married a foreign fighter and had three children, all of whom have now died. when is's rule collapsed two years ago, she reappeared, asking to be allowed home to britain. i just want forgiveness, really, from the uk. like, everything i've been through, i didn't expect i would go through that. human rights groups say she and others like her must not be left in the camps. the only sensible option is to bring the 15—20 british family units back and then prosecute the adults where there are charges to answer. that is safe. there seems no prospect of that for now, and shamima begum will remain in al—roj camp, no longer a british citizen,

and in legal limbo. daniel sandford, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news... the us presidentjoe biden is spending the day in texas, seeing how the state is recovering from a freezing winter storm which left millions without power or clean water for days. he and the first lady have visited a food bank in houston, where they helped put together supplies for distribution. a un special envoy has insisted that all efforts must be made to restore democracy in myanmar — and that no country should recognize or legitimize the military government that seized power. as protests continue the military government has officially annulled the results of last november's general election, which saw a landslide victory for aung san suu kyi's party. a global assessment of plans to cut carbon emissions has found they won't be enough to stop dangerous global warming. the study indicates that internationally

agreed limit of one— point— five degrees celsius above pre—industrial levels will be exceeded. britain's prince harry says he felt forced to step back from his duties with the royal family because press coverage was damaging his mental health. he's been speaking with the chat show hostjames corden, on a us television show — and our royal correspondent daneila relph was watching. here we are. this is very nice. yeah _ it's the first time i've been on an open tour bus. is it really?! yeah. no! i'm not really allowed to. in the la sunshine, from the top deck of a tourist bus, prince harry opened up to his friend james corden about leaving the uk and, ultimately, royal duty. it was never walking away, it was... it was stepping back rather than stepping down. right. you know, it was a really difficult environment, as i think a lot of people saw. we all know what the british press can be like and it was destroying my mental health. really? — i was like, this is toxic.

yeah _ so, i did what any husband and what any father would do, i was like, i need to get my family out of here — there were lighter moments too, including a call to his wife. haz, how's your tour of la going? haz? i didn't know we were calling you "haz" now! no, you're not my wife, so...! james corden offered a sympathetic ear and harry was clearly at ease. he revealed that he had watched the tv series the crown, his son archie's first word was "crocodile" and there'd been a special gift the queen. interesting, my grandmother asked us what archie wanted for christmas and meg said a waffle maker. sorry, you're glossing over the fact that i cannot for the life of me imagine the queen ordering a waffle maker! for two brits living in california there were some memories of home. there you go, a little slice of home, huh?! next weekend, it will be meghan's turn, with the broadcast of her interview with oprah winfrey. daniela relph, bbc news.

let's remind you of the breaking news this hour... in the breaking news this hour... reaction to the us i| reports in reaction to the us intelligence reports into the murder of khashoggi in istanbul, the saudi arabian government has responded, they have said that the crime was committed by a group of individuals that have transgressed all regulations and authorities of the agencies where they were employed. a number of individuals including the crown prince himself was named in that cia report. it goes on to say that the leadership has taken steps to ensure that this never happens again. so, that this never happens again. so, thatis that this never happens again. so, that is the latest reaction from saudi arabia to that report that was released, unclassified report released, unclassified report released by us intelligence services into the murder of khashoggi in

2018. more of this, of course, on bbc news. in the meantime, i'm on twitter i'm @lukwesaburak cheerio. good evening. friday brought us another springlike day, with some blue sky, some sunshine and temperatures warm for this time of year. this was the scene as the sun set in cambridgeshire a little bit earlier on. largely clear skies there, a little bit of patchy cloud drifting around, but it's going to be quite a cold night under those clear skies for many of us. so through the weekend, things are staying dry largely. some sunny spells around but some chilly nights as well. it won't be dry across the board. we have got a weak front that's working in from the northwest. that will be a bit of a player in the weather through into saturday morning, but it should clear away later saturday and into sunday. it is bringing more cloud and some light patchy outbreaks of rain to scotland and northern ireland through the course of tonight. england and wales are staying dry with some mist and some fog patches and a touch of frost as well, as temperatures get down to freezing or a few degrees below

in one or two spots. the areas most likely to see the mist and fog are across parts of the welsh marshes, south wales, down towards somerset and into dorset as well. so some early frost for some of us, some mist and some fog patches that should clear away fairly quickly as the sunshine gets going. through the day, then, this band of cloud and patchy light drizzly rain pushes out of scotland and northern ireland, pushing into northern england later on in the afternoon. sunshine in the north. further south, sunshine through the course of the dayjust breaking up the early mist and low cloud as well, so temperatures between about ten to 13 degrees. won't be wall—to—wall blue skies but a decent day, with light winds and sunny spells too. into saturday evening and overnight into sunday, we have still got a fair amount of cloud, the remnants of that weak front which has fizzled itself away. but by the time we get to sunday morning, there could be some mist and some fog patches. won't be quite as cold, though, first thing sunday morning, temperatures generally holding up a few degrees above freezing for most of us. but high—pressure well and truly established right across the uk as we move through the second half of the weekend, so that brings a dry

day on sunday with light winds. we have got a fair bit of cloud, patchy cloud that's drifting around. that will tend to thin and break up through the day, so some sunny spells certainly by the afternoon, temperatures on sunday perhaps a degree or two down on what we are going to see on saturday but still about 9—11 celsius through the course of sunday. and as high—pressure holds on as we look into next week, that largely dry settled theme continues, some sunny spells by day, but watch out for some chilly nights with some frost and fog too. bye— bye.

this is bbc world news, the headlines. a declassified us intelligence report says saudi arabia's crown prince, mohammed bin salman, approved the murder of the exiled journalist jamal khashoggi in istanbul in 2018. the saudis say those responsible acted independently, and have been punished. police in nigeria have begun a search operation after gunmen abducted more than 300 girls from a boarding school. a study of health care workers in england suggests that a single dose of the pfizer covid vaccine does appear to slow the spread of the virus. it also seems to prevent people who get infected from becoming seriously ill. the uk's supreme court has

ruled that shamima begum, a woman who left to join the islamic state group in syria