this is bbc news. i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world: chinese tennis star peng shuai again denies making allegations of sexual assault in her first western media interview since the accusations emerged on social media. looking to thaw tensions between russia and the west — president macron is heading to moscow for talks on ukraine. we report on the frontline in the east of the country. this entire village is a casualty of the conflict. it is extraordinary that anyone still lives here. the handful who remain are pretty much cut off. did politicians�* comments costs

hundreds of thousands of lives? the former head of britain's armed forces says it's time to work with the taliban to protect the afghan people. these people have been through so much in the past decades, they simply do not deserve it. and celebrations in senegal as they beat egypt to win the africa cup of nations football title for the first time. hello and welcome to the programme. the chinese tennis star, peng shuai, has given herfirst western media interview since she accused a former a senior communist party official of sexual assault.

there's been global concern for her safety since november, when she made the allegation and disappeared from the public eye for three weeks. she's now told a french newspaper, she didn't write the post and never disappeared, and that it was all a huge misunderstanding. courtney bembridge has more. the story started on the second of november with post onto the chinese social media site we both which was quickly deleted. in it peng shuai accused the former vice president of the communist party of sexual assault. she then disappeared from the public eye and by the middle of november several high—profile and misplaced including naomi osaka and serena williams were tweeting about the situation using the hashtag #whereispengshuai. then a social media message from

peng shuai. it did little to quail concerns and if the un and the white house called for and the white house called for an investigation and verifiable proof of her whereabouts. two days later, the international olympic committee president said he held a video call from peng shuai and she said she was safe and well but there were chinese officials on the cold. in december, the women's tennis association announce it was suspending all tournaments in china including hong kong until there was a full investigation without censorship or potion. now peng shuai has confirmed her retirement from the spot in an interview with the french spot newspaper. she said... she also said she had a dinner with the ioc president over the

weekend and they had a nice discussion. an iss statement gave few details of the conversation. peng shuai was accompanied by the chinese olympic committee chief of staff during the interview, raising further questions about whether she was able to speak freely. courtney bembridge, bbc news live now to being and our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell. courtney making the point at the end of that report that she was not alone during the interview with the french newspaper so questions still being asked about its legitimacy in a way? the problem _ legitimacy in a way? the problem with _ legitimacy in a way? the problem with every - legitimacy in a way? tie: problem with every time the communist party, at times in collusion with the international olympic committee or in this case a french newspaper, sort of tries some way of dampening down this issue, more questions are left unanswered and in this case, the french newspaper did not

ask the crucial questions. for example she says apparently in that interview, i never accuse anyone of sexual assault. well, what did you mean? this is a crucial thing. what did you mean? this is a crucialthing. she what did you mean? this is a crucial thing. she wrote in a post on social media, directly addressing zhang gaoli, a former member of the standing committee no less in chinese no audio translation available that to a chinese person either means, you took me to your house and rate me or you took me to a house and forced me to have sex with you or you took it to your house and pressured me into having sexual relations. eitherway, me into having sexual relations. either way, they are very serious allegations. what did she mean by them? we do not know because she was not asked the crucial question. she also

was not asked about these kind of ridiculous proof of life videos when she was appearing with friends at restaurant where they were, for some bizarre reason, mentioning the date and time, something you would do with your friends while having dinner! i suppose somebody in the party thinks of this interview or another dinner with thomas bach can come this thing down but it inflames things. it has stripping the peng shuai issue to the forefront of people's mine. �* ., ., . ., mine. and the announcement to her retirement _ mine. and the announcement to her retirement from _ mine. and the announcement to her retirement from tennis, - her retirement from tennis, what has been the reaction to that? it what has been the reaction to that? ., , what has been the reaction to that? a, , c, y what has been the reaction to that? .,, c, y , what has been the reaction to that? a, y , ~ ., that? it has only “ust kind of come. i think— that? it has onlyjust kind of come. i think people - that? it has onlyjust kind of come. i think people mightl that? it has onlyjust kind of - come. i think people might have thought it was not too strange, she has had injuries and it would be quite natural that she might retire. i think the good news, if it is true, that she would be able to travel.

really, everybody wishes her the best and the hope is that, in the end, for her this can be put behind, she is able to travel and go back to having a normal life but it is going to be very difficult because if you make a serious allegations about a senior member of government and then hope it all goes away, it is a tough thing for her to get over, really. for now, thank you, stephen mcdonnell with the latest on that story. let's get some of the day's other news: the mayor of the canadian capital ottawa has declared a state of emergency in response to more than a week of protests by truckers against covid restrictions. jim watson said the city was completely out of control, with demonstrators outnumbering police. the truckers were initially angered by a government requirement that they be vaccinated against covid. a leaked un report says north korea is continuing to carry out cyberattacks to acquire cryptocurrency in order to fund its weapons programmes. the report said pyongyang stole $50 million

from 2020 until the middle of last year. last month, another us report said north korea had taken far more in cryptocurrency last year — $400 million. emergency workers in madagascar are assessing the damage inflicted by cyclone batsirai, with whole villages reported to have been almost completely destroyed. the severe storm killed at least ten people. it was the second powerful cyclone in a fortnight to affect madagascar carriejohnson, the wife of the british prime minister, has insisted that she plays no role in the uk government. a statement has been issued by her spokesperson, after extracts of a forthcoming book about her were published in the daily mail and mail on sunday, claiming she influenced her husband's decisions. french president, emmanuel macron, has said he thinks a deal to avoid war

in ukraine is possible. he spoke to president biden last night, ahead of a visit to moscow to meet vladimir putin. mr macron called for a "new balance" to protect european states and address russia's security concerns, stressing that the sovereignty of ukraine was not up for discussion. our international correspondent, orla guerin, reports now from a village in eastern ukraine that has been almost destroyed by the conflict. russia lies across the water, a threat not seen, but felt. on this side of the frozen azov sea, all is quiet on the beaches in the ukrainian seaside town of shyrokyne. these days, less beach resort, more last resort. war came here in 2014, and kremlin—backed separatists are still dug injust

a few kilometres away. "there are defences on the shore "and mines in the water", says the commander, sergei, who insists president putin is just flexing his muscles. for now, more waiting and wondering — will he, won't he invade? a worry notjust for ukraine, but for the world. and for this village, anotherfront line area, about two hours away. this entire village is a casualty of the conflict. most of the houses are abandoned. most of the people are long gone. it's extraordinary that anyone still lives here. the handful who remain are pretty much cut off. viktor is glad to have

a visitor to his home on the first of may street. he's one of the last five villagers, sticking it out despite the separatist rebels, positioned it kilometres beyond the tree line. his wife, ira, who's 59, like him, says they are too old to move, and loneliness is the greatest battle. "i miss the old days," she says. "there were so many people. "now there's no one to talk to. "we watch tv and do crosswords, and we talk to the animals." standing proud down the road, theodore, a hardy 91—year—old. he tells me his daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren live in rebel—held territory,

and have been unable to cross the front line to see him in months. but the villagers are stoic. they have to be. "life is not so bad that we cry all the time," says ira. "we carry on. "of course, we would like it to be better. "but there's nothing we can do." orla guerin, bbc news, eastern ukraine. emmanuel macron is headed to moscow and a lot at stake. we will take this on our business coverage. we are looking at gas supply to europe, financial sanctions and more. australia is reopening its border to vaccinated tourists for the first time

in almost two years. prime minister scott morrison said people with two doses will be allowed in the country from february 21. he said the move would be a welcome boost to the tourism sector. our correspondent phil mercer is in sydney. that you have it, the finally open. that you have it, the finally oen, �* , ., ., that you have it, the finally oen. , . ., that you have it, the finally oen. , ., ., ., ., , open. australia has gradually beinu open. australia has gradually being this — open. australia has gradually being this man's _ open. australia has gradually being this man's link- open. australia has gradually being this man's link it - open. australia has gradually being this man's link it covid| being this man's link it covid fortress for a few months now. before christmas was backpackers, some skilled workers, refugees and international students allowed into the country and in two weeks time, tourists will be allowed back into australia if they are fully vaccinated. the prime minister scott morrison saying the definition of fully vaccinated is two doses of a covid—i9 vaccination. this will be huge news for australian

tourism and education sector is. they have suffered with these borders control. australia shut out most foreign nationals to try to curb the spread of covid—i9 back in march 2020. it seems an awful long time ago. they were some of the strictest measures. while 90% of the population is double vaccinated in australia so australia prepared to fully reconnect with the rest of the world and according to official figures, australia has recorded 2.3 million covid—i9 cases since the pandemic began, more than 4000 people have died but clearly the prime minister scott morrison believing that in two weeks time, now is the time for australia to fully open its international borders and allow the rest of the world to finally come here.— to finally come here. thank ou. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: parties on the streets of dakar

as senegal beat egypt to win their first africa cup of nations. there's mr mandela, nelson mandela. a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church - to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, - 'ba by doc' duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm

and of all her other realms and territories, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: of sexual assault in her first western media interview since the accusations emerged online. french president macron to meet with president putin later for the latest efforts to avoid a russian invasion of ukraine. one of the figures behind the oxford—astrazeneca covid vaccine has suggested that hundreds of thousands of people might have been killed as a result of the virus because of comments by politicians undermining the jab. several eu countries initially banned the use of the az

vaccine for older adults, and president macron wrongly called it quasi ineffective. our medical editor, fergus walsh reports. the fergus walsh reports. rollout of the oxford astrazeneca the rollout of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine in the uk is widely regarded as a great success. but in the eu it was perceived by hurdles. late january 2021 with vaccines and desperate short supply, president macron described the astrazeneca jab is quasi active in the elderly. france and germany said they wouldn't use it for older adult but both reversed that decision weeks later, when it was shown to be highly protective. many eu countries briefly suspended its use completely over the risk of rare blood clots, a few never usedit rare blood clots, a few never used it again. sirjohn bell of

oxford university who helped bring astrazeneca on—board bring astrazeneca on—boa rd scathing bring astrazeneca on—board scathing about what he sees as missteps, by decision—makers in the eu. missteps, by decision-makers in the eu. , ., ., ., the eu. bad behaviour from scientists — the eu. bad behaviour from scientists and _ the eu. bad behaviour from scientists and politicians, . scientists and politicians, will have killed, probably hundreds of thousands of people, and that, they cannot be proud of stopping they have damaged the reputation of a said in a way that echoes through the rest of the world. then there is the issue of vaccine inequity. six and ten of the world population have received east one dose of a kelemete vaccine, but across africa, just 120 people are double jab. global health experts say that is not only unfair, it's dangerous. we gave the virus the _ unfair, it's dangerous. we gave the virus the opportunity - unfair, it's dangerous. we gave the virus the opportunity to - the virus the opportunity to involve, to mutate, to present rapidly transmissible forms, we will be deep into 2022 before we have this pandemic under

control, and a best case scenario because that's how long it's going to take to get vaccine rolled out equitably around the world.— vaccine rolled out equitably around the world. billions of vaccine doses _ around the world. billions of vaccine doses have - around the world. billions of vaccine doses have now- around the world. billions of| vaccine doses have now been pledged for low income countries. but the logistics of getting them to those who need them as a major problem. nigeria destroyed a million astrazeneca doses in december, which had a shelf ofjust a few week, too little time to use them. the scientist who created them. the scientist who created the jab once vaccine production scaled up, well before the next antivirus emerges. i scaled up, well before the next antivirus emerges.— antivirus emerges. i would like to see more — antivirus emerges. i would like to see more vaccines _ to see more vaccines manufactured in africa. for the next pandemic we need to increase vaccine capacity across the world, if the vaccines don't exist, they can't be shared.— vaccines don't exist, they can't be shared. despite the setbacks the _ can't be shared. despite the setbacks the az _ can't be shared. despite the setbacks the az vaccine - can't be shared. despite the setbacks the az vaccine has| setbacks the az vaccine has played a major role in curbing pandemic. easy to store and transport and sold at no profit, had a truly global

reach. from the antarctic... to the amazon. it's been used in over 180 countries, more than any other covid—19 vaccines and will have saved countless lives. fergus walsh, bbc news. with up to eight million people at risk of starvation, including 1 million children, afghanistan is facing a grave humanitarian crisis. now, the former head of britain's armed forces, general sir david richard, has told bbc panorama that it's time to accept the war has been lost and to work with the country's new taliban leaders to protect the afghan people. john simpson reports. just under six months after the taliban took power, afghanistan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. in cities like kabul,

there is no actual shortage of food, but people don't have the cash to buy it. as a result, up to 8 million people are facing starvation. economy has simply collapsed. he wheezed his frozen afghanistan's financial frozen afg hanistan�*s financial assets, frozen afghanistan's financial assets, nearly $10 billion worth. and because the taliban are still classed as a terrorist organisation, sanctions have been imposed which means the country has run out of cash. it’s which means the country has run out of cash-— out of cash. it's a very difficult _ out of cash. it's a very difficult and _ out of cash. it's a very l difficult and challenging out of cash. it's a very - difficult and challenging time for the people of afghanistan, the core need is to help them provide their own economy and livelihood, that is not possible without state. this man was — possible without state. this man was a _ possible without state. this man was a minister - possible without state. this man was a minister in - possible without state. this man was a minister in the l man was a minister in the previous government but felt it was his duty to stay on and work with the country's new masters. one senior british military figure believes it's

time to work with britain's former enemies, in order to protect the afghan people stop i. i protect the afghan people stop i. “ protect the afghan people stop i. 4' , , protect the afghan people stop i. i think the west is going to end u- i. i think the west is going to end up recognising _ i. i think the west is going to end up recognising the - i. i think the west is going to i end up recognising the taliban government. that's the case we better get on with it sooner rather than later.— better get on with it sooner rather than later. there is a treat rather than later. there is a great phrase _ rather than later. there is a great phrase being - rather than later. there is a - great phrase being magnanimous in victory, this is a case for us to be magnanimous in defeat. this is outside the city of her right, on top of everything else, over the past four years, afghanistan has suffered from a devastating drought. here can't grow their own food any longer, now they have to —— you for handouts. i now they have to -- you for handouts-— handouts. i feel terrible for my peeple. _ handouts. i feel terrible for my peeple. it's _ handouts. i feel terrible for my people, it's so - handouts. i feel terrible for my people, it's so sad - handouts. i feel terrible for my people, it's so sad to i handouts. i feel terrible for i my people, it's so sad to see how dependent bhullar, and how desperate people are. it's one of the most difficult times i have ever seen in my life. liii<

have ever seen in my life. uk government _ have ever seen in my life. uk government says it's providing to £86 million in aid but the situation is increasingly desperate. famine, added to economic collapse. i've been reporting on afghanistan for more than 40 years, but i don't think i've everfelt more than 40 years, but i don't think i've ever felt before that i might be watching the destruction of a nation. and, you know what? these people have been through so much in the past decades, and they simply don't deserve it. john simpson, bbc news, afghanistan. senegal has been celebrating its national football team's triumph over egypt at the final of the africa cup of nations. large crowds took to the streets of dakar late into the night and the government has declared a public holiday. piers edwards reports

from cameroon, where the final took place. this is the olembe stadium, in yaounde, where the teranga lions have, as you said, won their first—ever africa cup of nations title. it's their first ever major title of any note. this was billed as the match between mane and his liverpool team—mate salah and, as you say, in the early stages, it was not exactly going the way that mane had hoped it would when he missed that penalty. gabaski, the egyptian keeper, blocking a fiercely driven penalty, to be fair to mane, that really played into the egyptian's hands. they are very cagey, they don't like to come out of their shell and they wanted to hit senegal on the break and just rely on their defence, which got them through on penalties in the round of 16 against a good cote d'ivoire side, and in the semifinals when they beat cameroon, the host nation. but neither side could actually make it past the goalkeepers. edouard mendy, the chelsea stopper, was in good form at one end and gabaski, as we said, at the other. we went to penalties and after egypt missed two. they have not lost a penalty shoot—out since 1984.

it was left to mane, who had missed a penalty earlier in the game, missed a penalty in the 2017 nations cup to eliminate senegal against cameroon, leaving him in tears. he stepped up, fired home to get the people of dhaka absolutely celebrating and, in the third time of asking, they have finally become african champions. what an incredible achievement. the nominations for the 42nd golden raspberry awards, better known as 'the razzies�*, will be announced later. they are, of course, awarded to the very worst films of the year. the longer pre—nominations list was announced last month, with netflix's 'diana the musical�* appearing in nine categories. the winners, or should that be losers, will be selected on the 26th of march, the day before the oscars. an old german motorway bridge has been blown up don't forget, you'll find much more on all the stories we're covering on our website —

it's updated 24 hours a day. lots of detail about pinkish way and the situation in the ukraine. hello there. a quieter end to the night to come. the wintry showers are easing away, as are the winds, which have been a feature of the weather throughout the weekend, and that's because we're having a little ridge of high pressure building in. so not only are the winds easing but, as the showers die down, the cloud is breaking and temperatures tumbling away. close to freezing in many parts by dawn, so a much colder start on monday morning and potentially, as well, an icy start where the surfaces are still damp because temperatures notjust in the air but on the roads will be close to freezing. you can stay up to date with the warnings, as ever, on our website. for the day ahead, we've got further weather fronts coming in and fairly brisk winds, but not as windy as it has

been, and as those weather fronts come in to the high pressure further south, there won't be that much rain but what they will do is introduce much milder air through the day. so, initially, there could be some snow on the forward edge of that weather front as it moves into the hills of scotland, but it will turn back to rain quite quickly. what we will find, though, is the sunshine that we start the day with. lovely bright start will tend to fade as the cloud comes in. still staying largely dry and bright across many central, southern and eastern areas but some drizzly rain and hill fog in western and northern areas. more significant rain for the highlands and the islands but the temperatures, 10—12 degrees celsius. yes, there will be a stronger wind picking up towards the north—west but much milder air to the south of our weather front and that continues through monday night into tuesday. the colder air returns, though, with a few wintry showers in the north. not as cold as it has been, and still much milder a night for many as we go into tuesday, when we have that weather front straddling the country. probably northern ireland, parts of scotland, northern england, perhaps north wales. the dividing line, if you like, between that mild atlantic air and lots of dry weather but quite cloudy weather in the south, and brighter but showery weather further north. and we will see some sunshine

breaking through equally in the south as well and it will be very mild on tuesday — 13s and 14s. and still relatively around normal further north, even in the colder air. and that battle continues through the week, with our weather front straddling central areas, not producing that much rain, we don't think, as it's coming into the high pressure butjust keeping a lot of cloud with us here, whilst we could see a spell of windier weather midweek in the north, enhancing those wintry showers, but then high pressure builds towards the end of the week, for a lot of dry, bright but chillier weather.

peng shuai this is bbc news. this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. last minute diplomacy — president macron travels to moscow for talks with president putin as worries increase over europe's acccess to gas and other energy. the big pay squeeze — what is the best policy when it comes to pay increases? we find out if bosses are listening to the bank of england governor who urgues employers to show restraint. and the forgotten trades — from weaving to woodturning, we look at the heritage crafts under treat and what can be done to preserve them.