a very warm welcome to bbc news. our top stories: as prince charles makes his first public appearance following the explosive interview by his son and the duchess of sussex, there's a response to the allegations from buckingham palace. the first jurors are chosen in the trial of a policeman accused of killing george floyd. california says it will reserve 40% of available vaccines for disadvantaged residents in an bid to reopen the state. and a week after a meteor lit up skies over the uk, meet the family who woke up to find a priceless chunk of it sitting in their driveway.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. buckingham palace has responded to the allegations made by prince harry and his wife meghan in their interview with oprah winfrey, particularly that of race, are concerning. but it doesn't admit any wrongdoing and says it will address the claims privately. saying the royal family is saddened to learn how challenging the last few years have been for the couple. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. the revelations in their interview have been heard. there has been hurt on both sides. tonight, buckingham palace issued a statement from her majesty the queen. it read...

it amounted to just 61 words. the palace made it clear it would not be commenting further. earlier, while the palace was pondering its response the daily business of the british royal family continued. the prince of wales was at a vaccination centre in northwest london. a normal visit, apart from the inevitable question... reporter: sir, can i ask, what did you think of the interview? millions around the world have now heard meghan�*s claim to have been suicidal but ignored, and her assertion of a racial slur by a member of the royal family about her then unborn baby. all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of,

"he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title", and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born. what?! meghan�*s estranged father thomas markle watched the interview on us television. what did he make of his daughter's claims? i don't think the british royal family are racist. the thing about what colour will the baby be or how dark will the baby be, i'm guessing and hoping it's just a dumb question. closely linked to the question of racial prejudice in the couple's view, is the role of the british tabloid media. this is what meghan said in the interview... there's a reason that these tabloids have holiday parties at the palace. they're hosted by the palace. the tabloids are.

you know, there is a construct that is at play there, and because from the beginning of our relationship they were so attacking and inciting so much racism, really, it changed the risk level, because it wasn't just catty gossip. it was bringing out a part of people that was racist in how it was charged. and here, amid the blanket coverage, some voices are saying, yes, there was a double standard in the way that meghan was reported. you have to draw conclusions from the way meghan was systematically criticised and attacked for things which other, white, members of the royal family could get away with. and so a sharply divided debate continues. was meghan the naive american who never understood the nature of being a british royal, or a huge potential asset who was wasted and wronged by an inflexible institution?

nicholas witchell, bbc news. jawn murray is a television presenter and commentator. people believed it was a smear campaign, a legend bowling at the palace and a lot of commentators were talking about it and acting as though it was a serious investigation taking place. after that sunday night, the same expert all over television talking about how damning it wasn't to the palace and how the palace would have to respond and that this was a story no—one had seen before. it rallied behind meghan and african—american people in particular he was still

fighting for justice particular he was still fighting forjustice in the us, that story about baby archery and the colour of his skin, that really resonated, a synergy happening here and it has dominated the news cycle here. bi has dominated the news cycle here. ~' ., , , ., here. 61 word response from the alace, here. 61 word response from the palace. does _ here. 61 word response from the palace. does it _ here. 61 word response from the palace, does it do _ here. 61 word response from the palace, does it do the _ here. 61 word response from the palace, does it do the job? - here. 61 word response from the palace, does it do the job? notl palace, does it do the “ob? not at all. it felt * palace, does it do the job? iirrt at all. it felt hollow, it felt insincere at all. it felt hollow, it felt a cry on television here. they spoke about the fictitious claims on bullying and they are still mum as a church mouse about prince andrew sexual allegations. our people shot that could be alleged racism insensitivity in the palace,

no, but no—one expected to be this fragrant, this blatant and the palace cannot move forward regularly with the queen governing so many nations with people of colour being the dominant race and having this the world for everyone everyone to take in. we the world for everyone everyone to take im— to take in. we should say that i prince andrew denies absolutely he had any knowledge or played any part in the thingsjeffrey epstein is accused of. a commendable message to see someone with all kinds of advantages speaking about mental health but then seeing the person getting some support but also being trashed to the extent that a tv presenter was that of a studio, in fact walks out of hisjob that of a studio, in fact walks out of his job because another presenter takes issue about the fact is this not believe anything meghan says. ——he does not believe. anything meghan says. --he does not believe-— not believe. piers morgan disappearing _ not believe. piers morgan disappearing from - not believe. piers morgan disappearing from that. not believe. piers morgan i disappearing from that show not believe. piers morgan - disappearing from that show was a christmas present come early

from britain. we know he had a vendetta and never followed up after they had a personal engagement. they went out for drinks and he never heard from her again. he has had an axe to grind for a long time. but this story played out like a hollywood movie. the printer decided to abandon his family to become a knight in shining armour. they moved to hollywood and they were rescued by tyler perry, a hollywood mogul, who gave them security and a black woman oprah winfrey who gave them a platform. i do not know if you could have scripted a better story in any of the movies that have been blockbuster. they could not have predicted this on the show, the crown. one unexpected consequence of the reaction to harry and meghan�*s interview

has been the celebrity tv presenter, piers morgan, losing his job as a breakfast anchor. he had said he did not believe a word the duchess had said when speaking with oprah winfrey. that led to 41,000 complaints being made to british broadcasting regulators. mr morgan also had an on—screen row with a co—presenter, who accused him of �*continuing to trash' meghan. his employer, itv, said he was leaving the good morning britain show with immediate effect. mr morgan hasn't commented but did post this gif on twitter showing a ticking clock. let's get some of the day's other news: japan's top news agency, kyodo, is reporting that the government has concluded that foreign spectators will not be able to attend this year's olympic games. kyodo said overseas fans would not be welcome because of concerns over coronavirus. the government says a final decision will be made by the end of the month. britain has hit back after the european union accused the country of imposing a vaccine export ban. the claim was made by european council chief charles michel. but the uk foreign secretary has said the allegation

is completely false. here in london, detectives investigating the disappearance of a 33 year old woman who went missing last week have arrested a serving officer within their force. sarah everard was last seen while walking home from a friends house. from a friend's house. the metropolitan police also arrested a second person on suspicion of aiding an offender. jury selection has been underway in the trial of former police officer derek chauvin, who faces charges of murder and manslaughter. chauvin killed an unarmed black man, george floyd, in may 2020 in minneapolis. video of chaw—vin kneeling on george floyd's neck triggered weeks of protests across the us and around the world. he would face up to forty years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge. our north america correspondent barbara plett—usher sent this report. chanting: we are unstoppable, another world is possible! after months of protests, a moment of reckoning for policing and racism in america. activists demanding justice

for the black man george floyd are facing their most important test — the trial of the white police officer charged in his killing, derek chauvin. you have been summoned as potentialjurors in the case of the state of minnesota vs derek chauvin. jury selection is the first step. in an unprecedented move, the trial is being broadcast live because covid is keeping the public out of court. so, americans are getting a good look at mr chauvin. it's the first time he's been seen on camera since a bystander filmed him last year. i cannot breathe... kneeling on george floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, as mr floyd gasped for air and then fell silent. check his pulse! police restrained him this way after complaints that he'd used a fake $20 bill. the video will be the prosecution's main evidence — and the main challenge to seating a jury. i think it'll be extremely difficult to get an impartialjury.

virtually everybody in the country — and practically the world — has seen the video, or at least read articles about the video and its contents. we think the best that we can hope for is that those who have seen it or read articles about it will commit to keeping an open mind and to being impartial as the trial goes on, and different kinds of evidence come in. nothing is certain with a jury trial, and the graphic footage doesn't necessarily mean a conviction. the city is afraid that protests will turn violent if mr chauvin is acquitted so it's put up these fences and called in the national guard. the intersection where mr floyd was pinned to the ground has grown into a memorial — a permanent refusal to accept his death as the end of the story. here, they've been counting down the days to the trial. because it's notjust derek chauvin on trial, it's the value of a black life on trial. we've been here before as a country. this is not the first trial that we, as black people in this country, have had to wait and watch to see if the assailant would actually be

convicted of their actions. there are difficult weeks ahead for this divided nation. but, for healing to begin, the country will need to feel thatjustice has been done. barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: a week after a meteor lit up skies in the uk, a family woke up skies in the uk, a family woke up to find a precious chunk of it sitting in their driveway. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 21l hours, then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts.

god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years i and due for parole when he's 90, - travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison. in an eight—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really — i've never been married before! this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: buckingham palace responds to allegations made by the duke and duchess of sussex in their explosive interview, saying they are concerning and "taken very seriously". the firstjurors are chosen in the trial of a policeman accused

of killing george floyd. president biden has promised there will be enough vaccines for every american adult by the end of may. but some states are doing much better with the rollout than others. in california, 40% of available vaccines will now be reserved for residents of the most disadvantaged areas, to try to slow the spread. sophie long reports. people in south los angeles come to this clinic in their thousands and they come prepared to wait. it is supplied by leftover doses from other vaccination sites. here you do not need an appointment, all you need to obtain the much—sought—after jab is time. i have literally been trying every day to get an appointment. so i am happy to be here. i don't care if it hurts, i don't care if my arm hurts, i don't care if i feel bad for a few days, it is worth it to me do not have to go

through anything worse. there have been so many people lost. la's home of baseball is now home to one of the biggest vaccination centres on the planet. but the authorities are playing catch up here and in this race the wealthy are once again winning. the challenge about a place like dodgers is you have to drive up there. you need an appointment. those are already two major barriers many people in south la cannot overcome. the state's governor seeks to address that. california is now channelling 40% of vaccines to the most vulnerable, those living in neighbourhoods most severely impacted when the covid numbers here surged out of control at the beginning of the year. only when those communities, with a high proportion of essential and low—paid workers are protected, will california start to reopen again. most centres require proof of address in order to fend off daytripping vaccine seekers from wealthier zip codes. but what about the tens of thousands in los angeles who do not have an address? charities working with the homeless say the move does not do enough to help them. still waiting, really,

for the huge queues, going out on the street in montreal. going where people are to meet their need and give them a vaccine. as quickly as possible. and they are very much at risk. it is hoped that dedicating more of the vaccine to the most disadvantaged will help address the glaring inequity of the pandemic�*s impact and is the way to reopening. but in a state with a0 million residents, there is a long way to go. so while some in america are calling for priority vaccines for workers in certain professions, as karishma vaswani sent us this report on the strategy. the crowds are back at singapore's airport, but they are not here to fly. this terminal�*s now transformed into a vaccination centre for front line workers.

but in singapore, that doesn't mean only nurses and doctors. everyone here today is from the aviation sector. that includes yanti, who works in customer service. she's considered a front—line worker here — it's why she's among the first in line. it's very sad to look at the situation now, because it's very quiet. if everybody plays their part to actually get vaccinated and, you know, it'll be safe for everyone to travel, and then we can start going back to how the normal is. aviation workers aren't the only ones of the top of the list. along with the elderly and healthcare workers, singapore is also putting maritime and transport workers of the queue. it may look like business as usual, but it's not. there's something missing — tourists. this isn't enough to get singapore's economy back on track. it's got to open borders and the economy to survive. borders have been closed for over a year because of the pandemic. jobs have been lost and businesses have shut for good. that's why the government's spent close to us$80 billion

to support workers — a huge amount for a population of six million people. in our case, our society infection rates are very low. but we're at risk from our borders, from the front—line workers at the port, at the airport, at the land borders. so for us, that was our first priority — to take care of them. the hope is that strategy could help fill these empty planes with travellers once more, so singapore's economy can take off. but it needs the rest of the world to open their doors too. karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore. a year ago, bafta was criticised for a lack of diversity when it unveiled the nominations for its film awards with an all white cast of acting nominees and no female film directors. this year it's all change. 16 of the 2a acting nominees have a black, asian or minority ethnic background. four women who directed films have also been nominated. the american drama, nomadland, and rocks, a film about an abandoned teenager, lead the way as our arts editor

will gompertz reports. nomadland jointly leads bafta's 2021 shortlist, its most multicultural ever, with seven nominations, including one for its director, chloe zhao, and a leading actress nod for frances mcdormand. hello, coffee? she is a big star. bukky bakray, another nominee for leading actress, is not — yet. hers was an eye—catching performance in rocks, a beautifully observed film about growing up in east london, which also sees kosar ali shortlisted for best supporting actress and nominations for both its director and screenwriters. were you expecting that? no! we are bowled over, i can't believe it. were we expecting it, theresa? no, we were hopeful. i think we are at a time where people are beginning to wake up to different stories which, thank god, they've always been there and they've always been worth telling. we can only toil

at soilfor so long without seeing a harvest and i think this is the beginning of harvest season for so many people, way beyond i got into this industry, who have been working for so long. the dark comedy—cum—thriller promising young woman has six nominations, including one for its british judas and the black messiah's dominique fishback is among the supporting actress nominees, while daniel kaluuya, who plays fred hampton, leader of the chicago black panther party, gets a supporting actor nod. along with clarke peters in spike lee's da 5 bloods. if my daddy had known if i'd have turned out like this, he'd have named me gabriel. chadwick boseman, who died of colon cancer last year receives a posthumous leading actor nomination for his performance in ma rainey�*s black bottom. he's one of 16 of the 2a actors shortlisted who comes from an ethnic minority group, which is quite a turnaround from last year, when there were none. we can onlyjudge what's entered but what we did do is make sure there was a more level playing field.

that more films were watched by more members, and therefore a greater variety and range of films and performances have been recognised. i'm not leaving my flat! anthony hopkins gets a leading actor nod for his portrayal of an elderly man suffering from dementia in the father, a british movie that is also shortlisted for the prestigious best film award in a bafta short list unlike any other. will gompertz, bbc news. roger mudd — the long time cbs and nbc correspondent and anchor — has died at the age of 93. he was best known for his televised interview with edward kennedy in 1979 which is credited with helping derail the democratic senator's presidential campaign. mudd won the peabody award and also picked up five emmys while serving as the host of meet the press, nbc nightly news and cbs

evening news. a meteor that lit up the sky over the uk last week has found it's way onto a family's driveway in the west of england. our science correspondent victoria gill takes up the story. from nuneaton to somerset to wigan, the night sky was lit up by a fireball of space rock just over a week ago. the display was accidentally captured on security footage, but the uk fireball alliance, with an array of special cameras, managed to follow its trajectory. meteorite trackers honed in on an area of gloucestershire, and a small charred patch on a driveway, and a very vigilant resident in winscombe provided the final clue about where it landed. the moment, i think, was when catherine and hannah went out of the door. they were heading out for the walk and i was staying in the house, and they said, "what's this on the drive?" and i came out, and we looked at this pile of what looked like crushed coal. what on earth could it be? so it must have come down from the sky.

and you start thinking, is it a piece of plane debris or something like that, but didn't think it looked like that, and so i started even then thinking perhaps it's come down from space. after millions of years hurtling through space, the rock sat on a driveway for less than a day, before being collected and handed into the care of scientists at the natural history museum in london. nothing like this rock has ever been found in the uk before. ashley, why is this space rock in particular so special? so this is 4.6 billion years old, so it's older than any rock we have on the earth, so it's like a time capsule — it takes us all the way back to the birth of our solar system. this is a carbonaceous chondrite type meteorite, so it contains all the building blocks for our solar system. so potentially, this meteorite contains things like simple organics and amino acids that can tell us about how life got started on our earth. mission control: and liftoff of osiris-rex! i while this discovery weighs in at almost half a kilo, nasa and the japanese space agency both previously sent probes to asteroids,

at huge cost, to return just a few grams of pristine space rock. some 65,000 meteorites have fallen to earth and been collected around the world, but only 1200 had eyewitnesses to their fall. and, of these, only 51 are rare carbonaceous chondrites like this one. researchers say there may yet be more fragments of the meteorite in the winchcombe area, so they're asking residents to keep an eye out for unusual jet black rocks, in case any more space debris ended a journey across the solar system in their driveway. victoria gill, bbc news. 0f of all the driveways and all the world, very special space rock. ~ ., ., rock. meanwhile, the royal family says _ rock. meanwhile, the royal family says it _ rock. meanwhile, the royal family says it is _ rock. meanwhile, the royal family says it is taking - family says it is taking allegations by the duchess of sussex very seriously. a statement by the queen says they are all saddened to learn how challenging the last few years have been for harry and meghan but the issues will be

addressed, it says, privately. that is it for now. thank you so much for watching. hello there. the transition from winter into spring can often be peppered with some pretty turbulent weather, and that's going to be the story over the next few days. notjust heavy rain, but gale—force gusts of winds which have the potential to cause some disruption, particularly across england and wales. the heaviest of the rain and the strongest of the winds over the last few hours have been through scotland, but as we move into wednesday, you can see the next low pressure waiting out in the wings, to arrive later on in the day. so, a spell of heavy rain across england and wales. we might get a drier interlude briefly through the afternoon, but there'll be more wet weather to come. heavy rain gradually pushing into western scotland as well.

sunny spells and scattered showers developing into northern ireland, with highest values peaking between 8—12 degrees. but as we move through wednesday afternoon, into the evening, that next low moves in. and it's here to the southern flank of that low where we're going to see the strongest of the winds gathering. so, particularly across england and wales, we could see widespread gusts in excess of 60—70 mph. so the met office has issued a warning. it'll still be windy further north, but the strongest of the winds, the emphasis really, across england and wales. and quite widespread through wednesday night into thursday. so, there'll also be some rain across parts of western scotland, north west england and wales, gradually drifting its way eastwards. will gradually develop as we go through the day into thursday, but it's going to be a windy afternoon and temperatures, well, they should peak generally between 8—11 degrees. there's little change in the trend of the weather as we head towards the weekend. friday, still that significant low to the north. plenty of isobars on the charts, driving in weather fronts

from the atlantic. so, it stays pretty unsettled. sunny spells and scattered showers the order of the day through friday. another blustery afternoon to come for many. dodge the showers, get some sunshine. we may again see temperatures peaking into double figures with highs of 11 degrees. little change as we head into the weekend. it's still going to stay windy. you'll still need to dodge those showers, i'm afraid, and there will be some sunshine from time to time. that's it. take care.

this is bbc news, the headlines: prince charles has made his first public appearance since that explosive interview by his son and the duchess of sussex. and buckingham palace has responded to the couple's allegations. a statement says the issues raised — particularly on the subject of race — are "concerning" and "taken very seriously" but will be addressed "privately". ajudge in minneapolis has selected the first three members of thejury for the trial of derek chauvin, the former police officer charged with murdering george floyd last may. the killing sparked protests around the world. possible jurors are being questioned to try to ensure their impartiality. california is to reserve 40% of vaccines for disadvantaged workers that make disadvantaged residents and essential workers. there are worries that the rollout may not extend to people who do not have an address or who are homeless.

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