tonight at 10, prince andrew settles out of court, with the woman who accused him in a civil case, of sexual assault. he'd always denied the allegations made by virginia giuffre, and there's no admission of guilt in the deal. but he accepts she has suffered, as a "victim of abuse." here as a "victim of abuse." in new york, the settlemer puts here in new york, the settlement puts an end to further legal proceedings in the case and ensures that prince andrew will not face trial. there's been no comment from buckingham palace, to the news of the settlement. also tonight... russia claims it's pulling troops back from ukraine's border, but president biden says it's unverified, and he had this warning, for mr putin.... let there be no doubt. if russia invade —

let there be no doubt. if russia invade ukraine, responsible nations around _ invade ukraine, responsible nations around the — invade ukraine, responsible nations around the world will not hesitate to respond. novak djokovic tells the bbc, he'd rather not win any more trophies, than be forced to take a covid vaccine. wales is to offer covid jabs, to all 5 to 11 year old children. and, russia's teenage figure skater, kamila valieva, competes again at the winter olympics, despite herfailed drugs test. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel... city in champions league cruise control. they hit four goals before half—time in lisbon, putting one foot in the quarterfinals. good evening. buckingham palace has tonight declined to comment, on the news that prince andrew and virginia giuffre, the woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, have reached an out of court settlement. it is an about turn from the prince and ms giuffre, who'd both said

they wanted to contest the claims in court. there is no admission of liability by the duke, who's always maintained his innocence, but in the agreement, he accepts ms giuffre, has suffered as a "victim of abuse," and he's pledged to "demonstrate his regret for his association, with the convicted sex trafficker jeffrey epstein." the duke of york will also make a substantial donation to ms giuffre�*s charity, which supports victims of sex trafficking. with more on the settlement, here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. for all the show of public defiance that he was determined to fight the case in court, it was always thought by lawyers and others that he would have to settle out of court and that's exactly what andrew has now done. without, importantly for him, any admission of liability, over virginia giuffre�*s central assertion against andrew of sexual assault, but with the promise of a substantial donation to ms giuffre�*s charity in support of victims' rights. a statement filed to the civil court in new york said...

the statement contrasts sharply with andrew's newsnight interview when he expressed no sympathy for epstein's victims and said he had no regrets about his friendship with epstein. do you regret the whole friendship with epstein? now, still not, and the reason being is that the people i met and the opportunities that i was given to learn, either by him or because of him,

were actually very useful. for andrew, it was vital in the settlement not to accept any liability. for virginia giuffre, to have had her ordeal at the hands ofjeffrey epstein to be fully recognised. overall it's very positive for her. it's also positive for him, but he's the real loser in all this because of the terrible public relations below he's suffered as a result of all of this. buckingham palace has offered no comment but one thing is certain, this out—of—court settlement will be a huge relief to the royalfamily. the prospect of a court case hanging over the queen's platinum jubilee was not one they relished, to put it mildly. i think for the royal family this was really the only decision prince andrew could have taken. this will save months of embarrassing revelations coming out and spoiling the queen's platinum jubilee year. quite what andrew's

future is now is unclear. in the court statement he says he will work to support the fight against the evils of sex trafficking. nicholas witchell, bbc news. more from nick in a moment but first to our correspondent nada tawfik in new york. how surprising is it that both parties decided to settle? i how surprising is it that both parties decided to settle? i think leual parties decided to settle? i think legal exnerts _ parties decided to settle? i think legal experts expected _ parties decided to settle? i think legal experts expected from - parties decided to settle? i think legal experts expected from the | legal experts expected from the start that this would end in a settlement, simply because of the potential for even greater financial and reputational damage to prince andrew and the timing is notable, it comes just weeks before the duke of york was to sit for a deposition in london, to face personal questions, under oath, by virginia giuffre's lawyers. this afternoon a judge in new york has temporarily suspended further legal proceedings and expects a formal request to dismiss

the case to be filed by both sides within 30 days, but essentially this case is over. remember, settlements are all about both sides getting as much as they can and back in january, virginia differ a's lawyer said it was important for the matter to be resolved in a way that vindicated her, clearly they feel this was the closest they would get and for prince andrew's part, he avoids a very public and he merely virginia giuffre. and nick is here. there will probably never be a comment. nothing, norwillthere be, the palace _ comment. nothing, norwillthere be, the palace wants to stay as far away from this_ the palace wants to stay as far away from this as — the palace wants to stay as far away from this as possible. they said he had been _ from this as possible. they said he had been contesting this as a private — had been contesting this as a private citizen and buckingham palace — private citizen and buckingham palace has effectively disowned him and i think— palace has effectively disowned him and i think in recent weeks the royal— and i think in recent weeks the royal family has become more concerned, appalled at the prospect of this— concerned, appalled at the prospect of this court case going forward to a hearing — of this court case going forward to a hearing in— of this court case going forward to a hearing in the autumn. even a few

days ago. _ a hearing in the autumn. even a few days ago. on— a hearing in the autumn. even a few days ago, on the 6th of february, the day— days ago, on the 6th of february, the day the — days ago, on the 6th of february, the day the queen was celebrating her accession to the throne, stories in the _ her accession to the throne, stories in the paper— her accession to the throne, stories in the paperabout her accession to the throne, stories in the paper about andrew preparing to give _ in the paper about andrew preparing to give his _ in the paper about andrew preparing to give his deposition. i suspect the family, led i would imagine by the family, led i would imagine by the prince — the family, led i would imagine by the prince of wales, has now said enough _ the prince of wales, has now said enough is — the prince of wales, has now said enough is enough, we cannot tolerate this any— enough is enough, we cannot tolerate this any longer, you must settle. now, _ this any longer, you must settle. now. this — this any longer, you must settle. now, this statement, carefully crafted — now, this statement, carefully crafted by the lawyers, this out—of—court settlement, virginia giuffre _ out—of—court settlement, virginia giuffre has — out—of—court settlement, virginia giuffre has not withdrawn her allegations, she is receiving this substantial donation, but importantly, most importantly, from the point _ importantly, most importantly, from the point of— importantly, most importantly, from the point of view of andrew, no admission— the point of view of andrew, no admission of liability. so, could there— admission of liability. so, could there be — admission of liability. so, could there be a — admission of liability. so, could there be a route back to public life for andrew? there be a route back to public life forandrew? it is, clive, very there be a route back to public life for andrew? it is, clive, very hard to see _ for andrew? it is, clive, very hard to see that — for andrew? it is, clive, very hard to see that. let us be honest about it. he _ to see that. let us be honest about it. he has— to see that. let us be honest about it, he has been shown to have very poor— it, he has been shown to have very poorjudgment, i think many people would _ poorjudgment, i think many people would regard him as a liability and frankly, _ would regard him as a liability and frankly, what charity would want him? _ frankly, what charity would want him? ., ~ frankly, what charity would want him? ., ,, , ., president biden has urged russia

to step back from the brink of war, saying it hasn't been verfied, that moscow has begun withdrawing troops from ukraine's border. he warns that a russian invasion still "remains distinctly possible," but that "united states and its nato allies are prepared for whatever happens, and russia would pay a steep economic price." earlier president putin said he didn't want war in europe, but that the west still needs to address his concerns about russian security, and nato's eastward expansion. borisjohnson says there are signs of a "diplomatic opening" to resolve the crisis. tonight, well over 100,000 russian troops remain on ukraine's borders. 0ur correspondent, steve rosenberg, has the very latest from moscow. russia's army on the move. and apparently heading away from ukraine's border. moscow announced it is pulling back some of its troops. is it a signal that the kremlin

is ready to de—escalate? russia says it is proof it is not preparing an invasion. in moscow, more socially distanced diplomacy. this time germany's chancellor trying to persuade vladimir putin to reduce tensions even further. the kremlin is ready to talk. translation: there are some things we are ready to discuss. _ it was us who suggested them, on european security, medium and short range missiles and military transparency. we are ready to continue ourjoint work. the kremlin has not got what it really wants, ukraine barred from joining nato. but east and west are now talking about european security and it seems that those discussions will continue. so some positive signs of diplomacy and deescalation. but it is still unclear how this crisis will end. one thing is certain, vladimir putin is loving

the attention and loving the fact that world leaders have been lining up to come here to talk to him. because that puts him exactly where he wants to be. slap bang centre of the geopolitical stage. but the muscle flexing has not stopped completely. some russian military drills are continuing near the ukrainian border and the number of troops that moscow has actually pulled back is not clear. the intelligence we have seen today is still not encouraging. we have more battalion tactical groups being brought closer to the border with ukraine, according to the intelligence that we are seeing. so mixed signals i think at the moment. president biden said a russian invasion it remained a distinct possibility. if russia attacks ukraine, it will be met with overwhelming international condemnation. the world will not forget that russia chose needless death and destruction.

what does it all mean for the international reputation of russia ? the image of russia right now in the west is of a country which is ready to use force. it is a problem of image makers from the west. for them, russia is a threat for sure because they know for sure that we are equal in terms of nuclear weapons and missiles. they understand that clearly. we are the only country in the world with the same possibilities as america. for now, ukraine and the west are waiting for more russia is pulling back, that moscow is committed to resolving this crisis peacefully. steve rosenberg, bbc news. amid the international warnings of an imminent russian invasion, there's no obvious sign of panic in eastern ukraine, where many are already war weary.

an on going conflict between russian backed separatists and the ukrainian government has claimed more than ia,000 lives in the east since 2014. our international correspondent orla guerin reports from the strategic port city of mariupol, just 30 miles from ukraine's border with russia. history loom large over mariupol. the soviet past carved in stone. moscow hankers for the dominance at last. but ukraine has moved on and says there is no going back. at the supermarket tills today, business as usual. no empty shelves, no panic buying, not what you might expect given all the talk of invasion. tatiana has seen a lot in her 7a years. she doesn't buy it. "the invasion isjust

in our heads," she told me. "nobody is going to invade, not everyone is a fool. "nobody will attack their brothers." perhaps, but their slavic brothers remain within striking distance, just 30 miles up this road. it's now a dead zone because pro—moscow rebels have been at war with ukrainian troops for the past eight years. up ahead is territory controlled by russian backed separatists and then the border with russia itself, where the road is almost empty today, no sign of trouble on the horizon, but russia's pressure on ukraine is a long—term project, and here in the east, plenty of damage has already been done. and year by year, it is handed on.

this is the baptism of a four—month—old baby into the ukrainian orthodox church. his family lost everything in 2015 — when pro—moscow separatists took their city. they are internally displaced like one and half million others. now they live in mariupol in this rundown building. three generations crammed into two rooms. mhatve's grandmother, elena, tells me they had a good life before the war with a home of their own. then shelling forced them to flee. "we left our house and jobs" she says, "and we moved." now she fears that may happen again. nearby, another indelible

mark left by war. a mural of a little girl orphaned in 2015, her mother died shielding herfrom shelling. orla guerin, bbc news. our north america editor, sarah smith, is at the white house. despite claims russia is trying to de—escalate this crisis by pulling troops back, there is no let up in president biden's tough rhetoric towards moscow. trio. president biden's tough rhetoric towards moscow.— president biden's tough rhetoric towards moscow. no, and that is because there _ towards moscow. no, and that is because there are _ towards moscow. no, and that is because there are -- _ towards moscow. no, and that is because there are -- very - towards moscow. no, and that is because there are -- very clear. because there are —— very clear scepticism about what we are hearing from moscow and not really seen on the ground. president biden, when he was speaking from the white house said that he does not think that the threat of a further russian invasion of ukraine has gone away, he called it a distinct possibility, saying that the us has not yet been able to verify on the ground that russian forces are actually pulling back from the ukrainian border. president

biden vowed to continue with high—level diplomacy that has been going on over recent days and weeks, but he did make it very clear that the us will not compromise on what he called basic principles, that nations have a right to sovereignty and the freedom to choose their own path, in other words he will not compromise on the idea that ukraine may be able at some point in the future tojoin nato may be able at some point in the future to join nato and he may be able at some point in the future tojoin nato and he did not mince his words either when describing the response, what the international response would be if russia does take military action, including punishing economic sanctions and he warned the american people that that could lead to rising prices of petrol pumps. he had a message for the russian people, he said that the us is not your enemy. he said that the us is not trying to destabilise russia and that america is not targeting the people of russia, so there are diplomatic words there, but still a threat of firm action if the white house thinks it is required, if russia does actually take military

action. .. . russia does actually take military action. ,,. ., ,, ., . action. sarah smith at the white house, action. sarah smith at the white house. thank — action. sarah smith at the white house, thank you. _ novak djokovic says he'd rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to take a covid vaccine. speaking exclusively to the bbc, the men's world no1 insisted he wasn't part of any anti—vax movement, but believed the right to choose was more important than any tennis tournament. he was deported from australia last month for being a threat to public safety. he's been speaking to the bbc�*s amol rajan. he's widely regarded as the greatest men's player of his time, in an era blessed with legends. yet in recent weeks, he's becme the most controversial player, too. novak, good to see you. take a seat. thank you so much. back home, training at his tennis centre in belgrade, he reflected on last month's saga. he had flown to australia for the open there. unvaccinated, he had a medical exemption, having had covid in december.

but australia cancelled his visa, twice — the second time on the grounds that he would spark anti—vaccination protests. have you received any vaccination against covid? i have not. why? i understand and support fully the freedom to choose whether you want to get vaccinated or not. i have not spoken about this before and i have not disclosed my medical record and my vaccination status, because i had the right to keep that private and discreet. but as i see there is a lot of wrong conclusions and assumptions out there, i think it's important to speak up. i was never against vaccination. me, as an elite professional athlete, i have always carefully reviewed, assessed everything that comes in, from the supplements, food, water that i drink,

or sports drinks — anything, really, that comes into my body as a fuel. what do you say directly to anti—vaccination campaigners around the world who proudly declare, "novak djokovic is one of us"? i say that everyone has the right to choose to act or say whatever they feel is appropriate for them. and i have never said that i am part of that movement. based on all the information that i got, i decided not to take the vaccine, as of today. i keep my mind open, because we're all trying to find, collectively, a best possible solution to end covid. on arrival in australia last month, djokovic's visa was cancelled and he was taken to a detention centre. i'm not here to sympathise with you, but i do want to understand you better and i can imagine your experience in that detention hotel was far from pleasant.

it definitely wasn't pleasant, but i do not want to sit here complaining about conditions in that detention centre because i stayed seven days, around seven days, and some people have stayed there for years. did you feel powerless? yes, i did feel powerless. when i arrived i was not allowed to use my phone for three orfour hours, it was the middle of the night. the visa was reinstated, first revoked and reinstated, and then revoked again, so i was free for four days and i was training, but it was not a regular kind of training. not training days that i would normally have prior to a grand slam competition. i had helicopters flying above every single training session i had on rod laver arena. cameras all over the place. and also my colleagues, and that hurt me a lot,

because i felt that energy and those looks from my colleagues. what would you say to the ordinary australian, listening to you now and says, based on what they see in the news, this guy thinks he's above the law, he thinks that he doesn't have to abide by the same rules as everybody else? i understand that there has been lots of, say, frustrations from australian people towards me and towards the entire situation and the way it was dealt with. i would like to say that i always followed the rules. as things stand, if this means that you miss the french open, is that a price you would be willing to pay? yes, that is the price that i am willing to pay. and if it means you miss wimbledon this year, again, that is a price you're willing to pay? yes. ultimately, are you prepared to forgo the chance to be the greatest player that ever picked up a racket, statistically, because you feel so strongly about this jab?

yes. i do. novak djokovic, speaking to amol rajan. well, as you heard there, novak djokovic says he's "keeping his mind open" on the possibility of being vaccinated. our medical editor, fergus walsh, looks now at what we already know about the covid vaccines available. novak djokovic says he does not have enough information about the vaccine and what it might do to his body, but there is already a mountain of evidence available. european regulators have approved five covid vaccines using three very different technologies. they were developed in record time, but went through all the usual trial stages, involving tens of thousands of volunteers. the scientists involved and regulators are adamant, no corners were cut on safety. since then, more than 10 billion doses have been administered

and just over six in ten of the world's population have had at least one dose of a covid vaccine. like all medicines, vaccines can have side effects. some of the very rare ones were only picked up after millions had beenjabbed. but your risk of some of those very rare complications, like blood clots or heart problems, are far higher after covid than from the jabs. these vaccines are now being used very widely around the world, in very large numbers of people, so we have got lots of information that we did not have one year ago about their safety, we are seeing rare, severe side effects are extremely unusual and we are consistently seeing that these vaccines prevent severe disease caused by covid in the people that receive them. covid vaccines have already likely saved millions of lives and they appear to protect against long covid and it is immunisation that is enabling sports

fans to get back into packed stadiums to see their heroes. mr djokovic thinks it's ok for sport spectators, all his fans, to take the vaccine, that allows him to get back to play the sport in front of them and earn millions again, it is ok for him to have them take the vaccine, but the vaccine is not ok for him. i think he should reflect on his decision. as an elite athlete, novak djokovic is at very low risk from covid, but it's not zero. he says he has caught covid twice already, and that will give him some protection, but the best safeguard is to be triple jabbed, rather than taking your chances with the virus. fergus walsh reporting, and you can see that full interview with novak djokovic on the bbc iplayer. wales has become the first nation in the uk, to announce its offering the covid vaccine to all 5 to 11 year olds. the committee which advises the uk government on immunisation was due to publish its official recommendation on vaccines

for young children last week, but it's been delayed. our wales correspondent, hywel griffith, is outside the senedd in cardiff. was this a surprise? we were waiting for this decision, _ was this a surprise? we were waiting for this decision, and _ was this a surprise? we were waiting for this decision, and some _ was this a surprise? we were waiting for this decision, and some expected | for this decision, and some expected it last week, the health minister today said she was perplexed why it had not been published yet. normally in the pandemic we have seen the four nations coordinate their announcements but there seems to be frustrations and a suggestion that may be the westminster government will wait until next week to give its decision on england, but what we know about the roll—out here, very few details. it may not be treated as urgently as the winter blues programme, recognition may be that the direct benefit for children is not as great for them as it is for adults —— booster programme. some ministers in wales asking the conversation to be started at home

over the benefits of vaccination, and although the uk has led the vaccination fight globally, other countries have made this decision earlier. children in european countries started being vaccinated this yarn in december. —— this young. this yarn in december. -- this ounu. . this yarn in december. -- this oun. _ ., ., this yarn in december. -- this ounu. . ., ., , the teenage russian figure skater, kamila valieva,is currently in first place, in the individual women's event at the winter olympics in beijing. her continued participation has angered many because of a failed drugs test. andy swiss explains. so now it's time for the girl at the centre of the storm. | back on the ice and under the spotlight, the eyes of the world once again on kamila valieva. cleared to compete despite failing a drugs test, how would the 15—year—old cope? well, after an early stumble, the crowd held its breath. and not to be on that take off. but she regained her poise and soon her remarkable talent was plain to see.

a stunning performance and a final flourish before it seemed the emotions of the last week overflowed. well, there's no denying the talent, the artistry. i but as the tears rolled, the questions mounted. earlier, it emerged she'd claimed her positive test was caused by contamination with her grandfather's medicine. and although her score put her top at the halfway point, her mere presence continues to divide these games. it's an enormous lead. forteam gb, meanwhile, it was a day when more hopes came crashing down. 0h! a bruising start to the slopestyle final for 17—year—old kirsty muir, and although she soon found herfeet... huge! ..she couldn't quite find her best. in the end, she had to settle for eighth. one place above her team—mate katie summerhayes. storms the 12! well, amid all the thrills and spills, it wasn't to be for kirsty muir and for katie summerhayes here. and what that means, of course,

is that britain's long wait for their first medal of these games goes on. this is a beautiful, clean run... and soon another hope tumbled in the most dramatic fashion. oh, no. - it's crashed. britain's two—man bobsleigh coming to an icy end. thankfully, no harm done. but what's this? the men's curling team into the semis and in sight of a medal. after 11 desperate days, could team gb finally have something to celebrate? andy swiss, bbc news, beijing. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. good evening. very strong winds will likely bring disruption and damage this week with two storms crossing the shores of the united kingdom. dudley impacts on wednesday in particular, and then eunice on friday. so, really on the cusp of that storm now, throughout the rest of the evening,

more rain sweeps in and then overnight turns readily to snow over the higher ground of scotland. that will be a hazard for travellers. it's blown away, but temperatures should stay above freezing because of the wind and still quite a bit of cloud around, but, already, we've got more rain waiting to come in then during the day on wednesday. another day where things cloud over with rain coming in. it's very mild air all wrapped up with this deep area of low pressure, this storm dudley, but the story is all about the strength of the wind, which by mid afternoon will really be escalating. that's when the amber warning is in force from the met office. this, the likely area of impact from strongest of those winds, but those strong winds will be felt widely, as i say, there could be some damage and disruption.

this is bbc news, the headlines. president biden has warned that a russian invasion of ukraine remains a �*distinct possibility�*. but he also said he wanted to give diplomacy with russia �*every chance to succeed�*. president vladimir putin has said that nato has failed to address basic concerns about russian security but he said he was prepared to continue discussions. he was speaking after meeting the german chancellor, olaf scholz in moscow. britain�*s prince andrew has reached an out of court settlement with virginia gqufre who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. court documents in the united states show the prince will make a donation to ms giuffre�*s charity in support of victims�* rights. novak djokovic has told the bbc he�*s prepared to miss future tournaments including wimbledon and the french open, rather than take the covid vaccine.