welcome to bbc news. i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories. new images of the russian military build—up, as the us warns any incursion into ukraine will be met with a tough response. there is no doubt — let there be no doubt at all — that if putin makes this choice, russia will pay a heavy price. aid planes finally arrive in tonga after a volcanic eruption and tsunami left the country in desperate need of supplies. we'll bring you the latest. untouched by climate change, a rare deep water coral reef is discovered off the coast of tahiti. and adele breaks down, as she postpones her las vegas residency the day before her first show. i'm so sorry, but... ..my show ain't ready.

it's been impossible, we have been up against so much and it just ain't ready. i'm really sorry. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the united states has, with the backing of its european allies, warned russia that if any of the tens of thousands of its soldiers massed at the ukrainian border invade there will be grave consequences. the us secretary of state antony blinken and his russian counterpart, sergei lavrov, are scheduled to have crucial talks in geneva later, but moscow denies planning to invade ukraine. here's our diplomatic correspondent james landale. it is notjust the russians who are conducting military exercises. these are pictures released by ukraine's defence ministry, showing their forces training close to crimea. it was annexed by russia in 2014 and the kind of incursion that ukraine

and its allies are trying to deter once again. i have been absolutely clear with president putin, he has no misunderstanding, if any assembled russian units move across the ukrainian border, that is an invasion. it will be met with severe and co—ordinated economic response. in some of the most intensive american diplomacy for years, the us secretary of state has been touring western capitals. he was in berlin today, rallying support for ukraine and he appealed directly to the people of russia. you deserve to live with security and dignity, but what really risks your security is a pointless war with your neighbours in ukraine. western allies are threatening russia with massive economic sanctions if there is any invasion. behind the scenes there are differences over what those penalties shall be, but the public message is united.

translation: we are in - absolutely close coordination with regard to joint sanctions because we have an absolutely joint assessment of the situation, but also of the reactions with the regard to the security of ukraine. this also applies to sanctions. fresh satellite images appear to show how russia has massed notjust troops near ukraine, but also military equipment. from the north to ukraine's eastern border and to the south in the crimea. the diplomacy now moves to geneva where he arrived for talks with his russian counterpart on friday. but the discussions at his hotel tomorrow may be difficult because the gap between both sides is so large. the americans want to talk about avoiding war in ukraine but the russians want to talk about their demands for nato to step back and allow moscow to establish a new sphere of influence across

eastern europe. in eastern ukraine, they know what that might mean. pro—russian separatists have been fighting government forces here since 2014 and the scars are all to see. this woman lives close to the front line. "it is a miracle we stayed alive," she says. "we could have died many times." she is pro—russian and fears a full—scale war. russia denies that that is its intentions. but his forces are training hard close to ukraine. but the question now is whether all these exercises might soon become the real thing. andrei korobkov is professor of political science and international relations, middle tennessee state university.

lovely to have you with us. thank you forjoining us. we seeing that report from my colleague, james landale, how serious you this particular situation?— serious you this particular situation? ~ . ., , situation? well, clearly putin is making _ situation? well, clearly putin is making a _ situation? well, clearly putin is making a point _ situation? well, clearly putin is making a point that - situation? well, clearly putin is making a point that there i situation? well, clearly putin| is making a point that there is a quickly changing balance of strategic power in the world and in the region, that the us is losing its position as the only superpower. europe is losing its position as the centre of the world's system that it held for more than 500 years. and he is shifting from pure negotiations to the use of at least a demonstration of force to get what he wants. and, quite frankly, he is in a very good position, because of the growing chain, and because of not very consistent and coherent us policies. what happened yesterday at the news

conference in the white house has just worsened the situation in this sense, because clearly biden sends very conciliatory signals and probably spilt some of the issues that are being discussed behind closed doors. it's interesting. we know what mr biden wants, or doesn't want, shallow say, and that would be an incursion of any sort, but you do mention china there, that hasn't been mentioned by either side directly. what do you see as their position within this particular triangle? sure, china is present where every room when negotiations take place, between russia and anybody else. putin always now can say, ok, you introduced sanctions, you take other

steps, you push me closer towards china.— steps, you push me closer towards china. and then you moved back _ towards china. and then you moved back to _ towards china. and then you moved back to europe - towards china. and then you moved back to europe there | towards china. and then you l moved back to europe there is an additional argument. there are negotiations going on about the gas pipeline going from russia to china and if it ever happens that would mean that sanctions such as those against nord stream 2, would be irrelevant, because china would be able and willing to consume all the gas that ross hart can offer. so the balance is changing and it is changing in favour of the west at the moment, so it is a very serious issue —— russia. moment, so it is a very serious issue -- russia.— issue -- russia. just briefly, before we — issue -- russia. just briefly, before we finish, _ issue -- russia. just briefly, before we finish, what - issue -- russia. just briefly, before we finish, what could | before we finish, what could the united states do to stop, for example, russia making that step two tried to get access to land, perhaps, towards crimea?

clearly there are both carrots and sticks in this situation, so biden offers something in exchange for russia abstaining from military action and the same time enumerates possible sanctions. so yesterday he mentions essentially blocking operations going through the russian banks. clearly, while sanctions in relation to the pipeline are still being considered, for better or worse. and then there are other issues. there are personal sanctions against putin, this is something absolutely new. and the uppermost elite circle, including the russian oligarchs. there is an issue of swift and rashaad's access to it. there is an issue of russian sovereignty, and all this can be pretty serious and

in terms of its impact on the russian economy. but there are three problems. first problem, nobody knows for sure what would be the effect of these sanctions if they are implemented on the world economy and the american economy, among other things. second, if you use these cards, what's next? well, what with the negotiation be about? in the negotiation be about? in the third issue is the one we have already mentioned. putin probably, as soon as the doors close, says "and what about china, guys?" if you introduce all these sanctions don't you think we will turn towards china. so it is a pretty unpleasant situation in that sense. ., ~' unpleasant situation in that sense. ., ~ unpleasant situation in that sense. ., . ., sense. thank you so much for “oininu sense. thank you so much for joining us _ sense. thank you so much for joining us from _ sense. thank you so much for joining us from tennessee. i if you want to know more about whether russia is preparing to invade ukraine, just go to our website, where there is more analysis and answers to the main questions about this developing story.

the first plane loads of aid have arrived at tonga's main airport after saturday's volcanic eruption and tsunami cut the pacific island nation off from the outside world. more flights and several ships are on their way, bringing urgently—needed drinking water, food, and medicines. the queen has said her thoughts and prayers are with the people of the pacific nation, which is part of the commonwealth. rupert wingfield—hayes reports. for the first time since last saturday's huge eruption, we're finally getting to see what has happened to tonga's main island. along the coast, the damage from the tsunami looks extensive, with many buildings destroyed. in tonga's capital, nuku'alofa, there's a lot of volcanic ash, but the buildings are intact and the clean—up has begun. telephone services are also back, and that means for tongans living abroad, the agonising wait for news is finally over. it's a relief to finally hear their voices

and to finally know how they are back home. my dad had told me that they're fine, no major damages to our homes. so, at the moment, i've got family over in the outer islands of ha'apai. i have heard from them, and they're doing 0k. who i haven't heard from is my father. i'm sure he's out there working hard, doing what he does. we've also learned of a remarkable survival story. this man says he was swept off a small island by the tsunami and was in the water for more than 2a hours before making it to land. help is now arriving. this is an australian c17 transport plane on final approach to tonga this afternoon. the crew quickly unloaded water and emergency supplies, but, because of covid, they were not allowed any contact with locals. tonga's government has decided that until covid is over,

the islanders will have to deal with the clean up from this disaster by themselves. meanwhile, another cleanup is under way. the crude oil was spilt from a tanker that was unloading, triggered by the eruption in tonga more than 10,000 kilometres away. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. let's get some of the day's other news. the united states has charged four government officials from belarus with aircraft piracy over the diversion of a passenger plane in order to arrest a journalist. the incident took place last may, when a ryanair plane travelling from greece to latvia was forced to divert to minsk, after the belarusian authorities said there was a suspected bomb threat. the lower house of austria's parliament has passed a bill to make covid—i9 vaccinations compulsory for adults. the bill, which is now likely to become law, will mean everyone over the age of 18 without a valid exemption must get the jab. the french government has announced plans

to ease covid—19 restrictions from 2 february. on that date it will end the mandatory wearing of face masks when outdoors and lift capacity restrictions for large events, such as sport matches and concerts. during a press conference the prime ministerjustified the move saying it coincided with the introduction of a covid vaccination pass which will come into force on monday. a dispute has deepened between airbus and one of its largest customers, qatar airways, with the announcement that the european firm is scrapping a contract to supply 50 a321 aircrafts. this comes as a court in london has begun hearing the qatari airline's claim for compensation over alleged technical problems with larger a250 jets. shares in netflix fell almost 20% after the streaming platform missed it's target for predicted new subscribers in 2021. 0verall, netflix added 18.2 million members last year — roughly half the number who subscribed in 2020. the firm said it expected to add just 2.5 million members in the three months to march, far lower tha n a nalysts

had expected. emergency teams in ghana are searching for survivors following a huge explosion that's all but destroyed a village. police have not confirmed the number of casualties but videos showed many victims. mark lobel has more. a community decimated after a truck collided with and drove over a motorbike. the dynamite—laden truck was 140km from the gold mine run by the canada based company kinross gold. both drivers had enough time to escape their vehicles before an enormous explosion occurred. the police army and rescue services joined locals to contain the situation. 0nlookers were struggling to make sense of the widespread destruction. the blast carving out a large crater, beside a road.

many were injured and bodies were pulled from the rubble. the blast hit a small residential town near bogoso which has a population of under 10,000 of mostly farmers and miners. ghana's president nana akufo—addo wrote that it was a sad and unfortunate and tragic incident, expressing deep condolences to the families of the deceased. but his promise not to spare any effort to return the situation to normal may take some time with so many broken lives in damaged buildings. police have appealed to nearby towns to open up their classrooms and churches to accommodate surviving victims. as ghana, one of africa's largest school producers sufficient another mining—related accident. mark labelle, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: how zara rutherford became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.

donald trump is now the 45th president of the united states. he was sworn in before several hundred thousand people on the steps of capitol hill in washington. it's going to be only america first. america first. demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they called him the 'butcher of lyon'. klaus altmann is being held on a fraud charge in bolivia. the west germans want to extradite him for crimes committed in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief klaus barbie. millions came to bathe as - close as possible to this spot. a tide of humanity- that's believed by officials

to have broken all records. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: new images of the russian military buildup — as the us warns any incursion into ukraine will be met with a tough response. aid planes finally arrive in tonga, after a volcanic eruption and tsunami left the country in desperate need of supplies. britain's prime minister is still fighting for his political life and today a senior conservative lawmaker said it looked like checkmate for borisjohnson. another conservative mp accused the government of trying to blackmail colleagues who want mrjohnson to quit. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg has more. if it's not one thing, it turns out to be another. how will it turn out? for weeks, the prime minister has been having to explain himself. what's this... ?

and what happened in number 10 during the pandemic made some of the public and his own mps mad, but there are claims now too his team have been intimidating tory backbenchers who want to speak out. i've seen no evidence, heard no evidence to support any of those allegations. what i'm focused on is what we are doing to deal with the number one priority of the british people, which is coming through covid, and we have made enormous progress thanks to the vaccine roll—out. back at westminster, there's nothing unusual about mps being subject to some pretty strong persuasion. in dark corners, around the corridors of power, party bosses work to keep backbenchers in line. but in front of the cameras this morning, a tory critic of borisjohnson's said it's gone far too far. a number of members of parliament have faced pressures and intimidation from members of the government because of their declared or assumed desire for a vote of confidence in the party leadership of the prime

minister. the reports of which i'm aware would seem to constitute blackmail. politics is not for the faint hearted. conversations behind closed doors can be brutal, but what today's argument shows is the boiling tension inside the conservative party, fighting while everyone awaits the official verdict into what really happened in number 10 during lockdown. but one conclusion is perhaps already being drawn, a member of the cabinet publicly admitting today that this saga is damaging our democracy. much may stand between borisjohnson and any exit, yet, with a bright light shone on his government's conduct and character, the omens do not look good. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the former pope, benedict xvi, has expressed shock at the sexual abuse of children by clerics, after a report accused him of failing to take action in four cases back when he was archbishiop of munich, germany. benedict, who was then

called josef ratzinger, denies any wrongdoing. victims' groups have welcomed the report's findings. 0ur berlin correspondent, jenny hill has more details. the world came to know him as pope benedict xvi but back in the late 1970s and early '80s, he was archbishopjosef ratzinger, and he presided over the german diocese of munich and freising. and the report's authors say it was there that he in effect failed to act in four child sex abuse cases. they say that he knowingly allowed three priests who had convictions for crimes against children to work in the diocese and they also focused on the case of another cleric who was a known paedophile when he was transferred to the diocese to carry on working as a priest. pope benedict who denies all wrongdoing has said that he knew nothing about the background of that particular man, but the report's authors unearthed

minutes of a meeting at which this particular man, his case's transfer was discussed and the former pope said he had never been at that meeting. the report's authors say that they looked at those minutes and it was quite clear from the minutes that he had indeed been there. we have had nothing directly from the former pope who is now in his 90s but the vatican have issued a statement saying they are going to examine and analyse the report. it runs for some 1600 pages at least so there is a lot to look through. they also express their regret at the victims, the hundreds of people actually that the report talks about, the hundreds of children who were abused at the hands of clerics within the catholic church in germany. we've heard a lot about the perilous threat to coral reefs around the world because of climate change. but a previously unknown giant coral reef has been discovered off the coast of tahiti in pristine condition. a research mission, led by unesco, made the find at a depth of more than 30 metres, and it's hoped this discovery may mean there are many more coral reefs waiting to be found, as our science correspondent,

victoria gill, reports. "magical." that was one of the words a veteran specialist diver who led this mission used to describe this view. some of these rose—shaped corals are more than two metres wide, and the whole reef structure stretches three kilometres along the sea bed. its depth and its distance from the coast is thought to be a key reason for its pristine condition. the researchers say it shows no signs of damage from pollution or from warming ocean temperatures, something that poses a major threat to shallower reefs. it looks beautiful, but, scientifically, how important is this as a discovery? it might be, to date, one of the largest coral reefs in the world that actually lies at that sort of depth of more than 30 metres. so, from that perspective, this is opening a new insight in science. this could suggest that we have many more large reefs in our ocean, at depths beyond 30 metres, which we simply do not know about.

it's often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor. only about a fifth of it has so far been mapped. this discovery is part of a larger mission to fill in those gaps in our ocean knowledge. and coral reefs like this are the sea floor hotspots for marine life. about a quarter of known ocean species can be found around these living ecosystems. the team is now planning more investigative dives to work out what lives here and, crucially, how their remarkable newly discovered habitat can be protected. victoria gill, bbc news. a 19—year—old has become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. zara rutherford has landed in belgium, at the end of herjourney which began in august last year. she flew across more than 50 countries on her own as jessica parker reports.

a smooth landing after a long journey. it takes time to fly around the world in a 300—kilo microlight. what was your scariest moment? i got pretty close to a thunderstorm in singapore, so suddenly there was a lightning strike and i think that was pretty scary, but otherwise the mental challenges were definitely mostly over siberia, because i would be flying for hundreds of kilometres with just nothing human, and then i realised that if the engine were to stop i would have a really big problem. both parents are pilots. zara faced serious weather delays along the way, but she also saw the sights. i am in nome, alaska, right now. and now i am in greenland. flying from indonesia to sri lanka. i have arrived in singapore. from korea to taiwan. i am still in greece. i'm in russia! it's pretty cold. zara wants to encourage more girls and women into aviation. her dream is to become an astronaut. the sky isn't even the limit! jessica parker, bbc news, in belgium.

a tearful adele has taken to social media to announce the postponement of her entire las vegas residency. the pop—star was due to play the first of 2a planned shows at caesars palace's on friday and forecast to make more than $679,000 per performance. adele apologised to fans and promised the shows would be rescheduled. i'm so sorry, but... ..my show ain't ready. we've tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we've been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and covid. half my crew, half my team are down with covid. they still are. and it's been impossible to finish the show. and i can't give you what i have right now. and i'm gutted.

a lot of disappointed fans who had purchased tickets to go and see adele in las vegas. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @bbcnuala hello again. thursday was a fairly chilly day, temperatures about 2—3 degrees below average forjanuary, but for many of us, we had sparkling blue skies for most of the day. and what a beautiful weather watcher picture this is from buttermere in cumbria. slightly less beautiful were the skies in east anglia. we had a shower stream coming down the north sea. and for norfolk and, to a degree, suffolk, quite a few showers here, but they are fading away. right now, as the winds start to change direction to more of a northwesterly, that shoves the showers over towards belgium and the netherlands. 0therwise we've got clear skies for many areas. and it's a cold one for sure, temperatures at their lowest, about —6, —7. southern wales, central, southern england the coldest spots. might be very cold and frosty,

but it should be bright with plenty of sunshine to start the day for most of us. even this cloudier zone in the west will be prone to a few breaks during the morning, so you could see a few glimpses of sunshine for a time. cloud tends to thicken through the afternoon. could threaten an odd patch of light rain or drizzle 0therwise, temperatures at 6s and 7s. now, friday night is where we keep those clear skies. again, temperatures will fall away to give us some patches of frost. it is going to be patchy rather than extensive, so not as overall cold across england and wales. and the thickest cloud across northwest scotland, temperatures about 8 overnight in stornoway. this weekend, the tendency is for the weather to turn a little bit cloudier. there will be a lot of drier weather to come. some sunny spells, but we could have a bit of frost and fog to contend with as well. essentially, as we go through the weekend, high pressure's still there. we're starting to get this milder air recirculating back around the high and particularly moving into northern areas of the uk, where we'll see the highest temperatures, particularly for northern scotland. saturday, mist and fog could be an issue first thing in the morning.

0therwise, we've got some patchy of frost, but then we'll have some sunshine to compensate across central and eastern areas. in the west, it continues to turn milder, but that's because we've got extensive cloud, thick enough to bring some rain to western scotland, where temperatures reach 11 celsius. second half of the weekend, again, we could go into sunday with some fog patches around. some of it could be quite dense, a few frost patches as well. overall, a little bit more in the way of cloud for most areas, with some mist and hill fog patches around the coasts, a bit of drizzle for western scotland, where it'll continue to be particularly mild. that's your weather.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the united states has warned russia that if any of the tens of thousands of its soldiers massed at the ukrainian border invade there will be grave consequences. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, and his russian counterpart, sergei lavrov are scheduled to have crucial talks in geneva. the first planeloads of aid have arrived at tonga's main airport after saturday's volcanic eruption and tsunami cut the pacific island nation off from the outside world. more flights and several ships are on their way, bringing urgently—needed drinking water, food, and medicines. many people are feared dead following a huge explosion in the west of ghana. rescue teams are searching for survivors after the blast destroyed hundreds of buildings. police say the incident happened when a truck carrying explosives to a mine collided with a motorbike. and there are your headlines.

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