welcome to bbc news — i'm david eades. our top stories: settled out of court — prince andrew reaches a deal with virginia giuffre, with no admission of liability, after she accused him of sexual assault. russia claims it has withdrawn some of its troops from the border with ukraine. president biden says allied action will be swift if moscow orders an invasion. if russia attacks ukraine they will be met with overwhelming international condemnation. the world will not forget that russia chose needless death and destruction. in a legalfirst, an american gun company has been held liable for the sandyhook mass shooting in which 26 students and staff lost their lives. and the american author and satirist pj o'rourke

has died at the age of 7a. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. prince andrew and virginia giuffre, the woman who'd accused him of sexual assault, have reached an out—of—court settlement, in a civil case. the queen's second son had previously said he wanted to contest the claims in front of a jury. in the settlement there is no admission of liability, but the duke accepts ms giuffre, has suffered as a "victim of abuse." he's also pledged to demonstrate his "regret for his association with the convicted sex traffickerjeffrey epstein," by supporting what he called the "fight against the evils of sex trafficking'. he is to make a substantial donation to ms giuffre�*s

charity, supporting victims�* rights. 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 admit 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 royal family. 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. adam klasfeld, the managing editor of the us based legal news outlet law & crime has been following the case — and hejoins me from new york.

thank you for your time. it seems like the moment of the settlement may have caught some people on the hop but the fact that there was a settlement, did that surprise you? i would say probably _ did that surprise you? i would say probably it _ did that surprise you? i would say probably it is _ did that surprise you? i would say probably it is a _ did that surprise you? i would say probably it is a yes - did that surprise you? i would say probably it is a yes and i did that surprise you? i would say probably it is a yes and a l say probably it is a yes and a no answer. i think we did here both of the party is making these vows that they were going to take this all the way to trial and of course the federal judge refusing to dismiss the case and sending it to this stage. again, we need to look at the history of this case. virginia giuffre, the same person who sued prince andrew had entered into settlements with jeffrey epstein, had entered into settlements withjeffrey epstein, ghislaine maxwell and now, the prince. so this obviously happens very frequently in civil cases of this nature and it's even happened with this particular plaintiff so in that sense, it is not a surprise.— is not a surprise. the vast majority _ is not a surprise. the vast majority of _ is not a surprise. the vast majority of cases - is not a surprise. the vast majority of cases would i is not a surprise. the vast l majority of cases would end is not a surprise. the vast - majority of cases would end up this way. it feels as if given

the language put out in prince andrew �*s statement in particular as if there is none the give and take here, there has to be some acknowledgement for this settlement to get through?— for this settlement to get throu~h? ~ , ~ through? absolutely. we saw in certain interviews _ through? absolutely. we saw in certain interviews with - through? absolutely. we saw in certain interviews with the - certain interviews with the attorneys of virginia giuffre that they said a dollar figure or a pound figure was not enough, it was not necessarily just the question of what number can land on in terms of the settlement. it was a question of this statement and what we have here is something, i have covered many settlements and usually, we get this language along the lines of so and so does not confirm or deny the allegations and it goes much further here. there is this acknowledgement of virginia giuffre as a survivor and saying, speaking about what she has endured. this is not a boilerplate, even if it is a

carefully worded statement that avoids explicit acknowledgement of wrongdoing. d0 avoids explicit acknowledgement of wrongdoing-— of wrongdoing. do you think we will learn just _ of wrongdoing. do you think we will learn just how _ of wrongdoing. do you think we will learn just how much - of wrongdoing. do you think we will learn just how much money is changing hands here? and indeed whether we will ever hear from either of these parties again on this issue? reports are already trickling out, i believe the uk telegraph newspaper has reported a number north of io newspaper has reported a number north of 10 million, newspaper has reported a number north ofio million, i newspaper has reported a number north of 10 million, i think they reported £12 million. of course the number has not been officially confirmed anywhere and one thing that we do know from the settlement is that it includes a donation to the charity of virginia giuffre. one of her charities is a nonprofit and those have public disclosure laws so i think we will see if there is a huge boost in the coffers of this charity, we will know exactly what happened between what you are and what year.— are and what year. people will be looking _

are and what year. people will be looking at _ are and what year. people will be looking at the _ are and what year. people will be looking at the accounts, i be looking at the accounts, clearly. adam, thank you. has moscow actually started withdrawing troops from ukraine's border? moscow says it has, but president biden sayis that has not yet been verified and is warning that a russian invasion still "remains distinctly possible". he added that the "united states and its nato allies are prepared for whatever happens, and russia would pay a steep economic price." if it didn't step back from the brink. earlier, president putin said he didn't want war in europe, but that the west still needs to address russian security concerns, and nato's eastward expansion. well over 100,000 russian troops remain on ukraine's borders. our 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, socially distanced diplomacy. germany's chancellor with his work cut out to get 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, loving the fact that world leaders have been lining up to come here to talk to him. because that puts mr putin 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 ukraine's 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 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 all this 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 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 evidence that russia is pulling back, that moscow is committed to resolving this crisis peacefully. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

�*the world's most trusted gunmaker�* — that is the advertising slogan of the oldest gun manufacturer in the us, remington arms. but the company has, for the first time, been held liable for the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut, where 26 staff and students were killed by a single gunman in 2012. remington has reached a settlement with some of the victims' families, who argued that the weapon used by the 20—year old adam lanza, an ar—15, was not suitable for civilian use. let's hearfrom the us — po murray is a resident of sandy hook and lived next door to the shooter, adam la nza. in the aftermath of the killings she founded the newtown action alliance — a grassroots, national, group which campaigns for legislative & cultural changes to end gun violence. thank you forjoining us. i guess we should start with your

sense of satisfaction or otherwise with the settlement because it's a lot of money? it is a lot of money. but no amount of money will ever bring back the sandy hook families children and their loved ones. but this lawsuit has held the gun maker responsible and accountable for their deceptive marketing practices for the first time in a long time. since the congress and george bush passed the act. remington have agreed _ bush passed the act. remington have agreed on _ bush passed the act. remington have agreed on a _ bush passed the act. remington have agreed on a sun _ bush passed the act. remington have agreed on a sun and - have agreed on a sun and initially the families were asking for substantially more, actually, over $200 million so does that suggest that there has had to be compromised because i guess in many ways, you really don't want compromise?- you really don't want compromise? you really don't want comromise? , ~ ., compromise? yes. we did not want compromise _ compromise? yes. we did not want compromise but - compromise? yes. we did not want compromise but the - compromise? yes. we did not i want compromise but the sandy hook families settled with the

insurance companies that do business with remington. and that was the maximum amount that was the maximum amount that was the maximum amount that was allowed, $73 million. so the insurance company are the ones that settled this case with the families. can the ones that settled this case with the families.— with the families. can i ask ou with the families. can i ask you because _ with the families. can i ask you because she _ with the families. can i ask you because she had - with the families. can i ask you because she had been| you because she had been campaigning fora you because she had been campaigning for a long time, there was the protection of lawful commerce to arms act passed in 2005, i think it was, under george w bush which seemed really to provide armour, if you like, to gun companies caught up in situations like this. are you surprised you found a way through the sort of legal challenge here and what does that mean for future cases, do you think? i that mean for future cases, do you think?— you think? i am not surprised because the _ you think? i am not surprised because the act _ you think? i am not surprised because the act had - you think? i am not surprised because the act had some - because the act had some exceptions and connecticut had unfair trade practices act, the

consumer protection is act that allowed the sandy hook families to pursue their lawsuit. and we believe that since this act was available to the families, we are hoping that other states will pass a similar type of protection and of course, we are also fighting for congress to repeal the act so many other survivors in this nation could have their day in court as well. ~ , ,., ~' have their day in court as well. ~ , , have their day in court as wellr , , ., have their day in court as well. ~ , , ., ., well. we spoke yesterday to one ofthe well. we spoke yesterday to one of the campaigners _ well. we spoke yesterday to one of the campaigners on _ well. we spoke yesterday to one of the campaigners on the - of the campaigners on the fourth anniversary of the parklands shooting yesterday. and they reminded us there have been 117,000 deaths from gun incidents sincejoe biden came to power. you must feel like you are swimming against a tide here? , �* , , here? yes, it's been frustrating. - here? yes, it's been frustrating. sadly, i here? yes, it's been - frustrating. sadly, during the pandemic, there was a gun sales surge, last year, 20 million guns were sold, the year before

that 23 million, more than ever before. and as evidenced by 400 million guns not being able to protect us, it's really important for us to pass a comprehensive set of gun—control laws to start protecting our children and our families and other communities. thank you so much for talking to us. . ~ thank you so much for talking to us. ., ,, i. ., ., stay with us on bbc news, still to come: remembering the celebrated journalist, author and satirist, pj o'rourke who's died. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home — the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered.

that has a terrible effect for the morale of the people. i'm terrified of the repercussions in the streets. one wonders who is next. as the airlift got under way, there was no let—up in the eruption itself. lava streams from a vent low in the crater flow down to the sea on the east of the island, away from the town for the time being. it could start flowing again at any time. the russians heralded - their new—generation space station with a spectacular night launch. _ they've called it mir — l the russian for "peace". this is bbc news, the latest headlines... prince andrew has reached an out of court financial settlement with virginia giuffre, without admitting liability.

russia claims some troops have withdrawn from the ukrainian border, but have they? president biden says allied action will be swift if there's an invasion. the former honduran presidentjuan orlando hernandez has left his home in the capital escorted by armed police following an extradition request on drug—trafficking and weapons charges from the united states. the former president — who must appear before a supreme court judge within hours — says he's willing to collaborate and defend himself. mark lobel reports. former president potential prisoner. wanted by a miracle for allegedly supporting the drugs trade, led away by armed police. the former president of hondurasjuan orlando hernandez honduras juan orlando hernandez taken hondurasjuan orlando hernandez taken from his home in the honduran capital after an arrest warrant was issued.

earlier, he released a defiant audio message. translation: the police know i am ready and willing to collaborate them and accompany them when a judge decide so i can face this situation and defend myself. the former president is alleged to have helped facilitate half 1 million kg of cocaine passed through honduras from venezuela and colombia. on to the united states. according to a document seen by reuters. his age is governing honduras ended last month. it governing honduras ended last month. , . , , governing honduras ended last month. , ., , , ., month. it is happening now because he's _ month. it is happening now because he's no _ month. it is happening now because he's no longer- month. it is happening now because he's no longer in l month. it is happening now- because he's no longer in power and apparently prosecutors in the united states have pretty good evidence to make sure not only that he is extradited but hopefully, i guess, to convict. in 2019, the then president denied any involvement in the drugs trade after being identified as a co—conspirator in his brother �*s drug trial in new york for which as brother received a life sentence for

cocaine trafficking. translation: in the name of the hunter and people i reiterate my complete rejection of the accusation our country is a drug stealing state. it is a decisive move by the biden administration. last week the us secretary of state antony blinken said no one is above the law. and that the us was acting and credible reports the former honduran leader had supported drug—trafficking and usedit supported drug—trafficking and used it to fund his political campaign. used it to fund his political campaign-— used it to fund his political camaiun. , ., campaign. the message is that the united _ campaign. the message is that the united states _ campaign. the message is that the united states is _ campaign. the message is that the united states is now - the united states is now willing to go after current leaders and former leaders who have or are in cahoots with organised crime.— have or are in cahoots with organised crime. juan orlando hernandez _ organised crime. juan orlando hernandez previously - organised crime. juan orlando hernandez previously enjoyed | hernandez previously enjoyed the support of the former president donald trump, he says the current games are based on statements provided by convicted drug traffickers who he says were out for revenge due to his tough stance on narcotics and for breaking up some of the most powerful cartels in honduras. his lawyer had argued that he had immunity

from arrest because of his membership of the central american parliament. but legal experts say the immunity can be lifted by a member �*s home government which is now under the control of the former president �*s political rivals. his extradition trial could take months. mark lobel, bbc news. the us writer and satirist pj o'rourke has died at the age of 74. best known for books including republican party reptile, eat the rich, and give war a chance — written in a style that combined conservative and libertarian ideas with the so—called gonzo journalism of the 1960s. a specific cause of his death has not been revealed but his publisher said mr o'rourke had been ill in recent months. david willis is in los angeles. david, i saw the atlantic, one of the many publications he wrote for, put out a series of his articles, i was reading through some of them. they are

pithy, he was witty, very sharp and quite fearless.— and quite fearless. very much so, p] o'rourke _ and quite fearless. very much so, p] o'rourke was - and quite fearless. very much so, p] o'rourke was one - and quite fearless. very much so, p] o'rourke was one of. and quite fearless. very much| so, p] o'rourke was one of the so, pj o'rourke was one of the most prolific and one of the most prolific and one of the most widely quoted american writers. often defined as a political satirist, writers. often defined as a politicalsatirist, if writers. often defined as a political satirist, if you like, but his work went well beyond the political. indeed, he wrote more than 20 books on subjects as diverse as politics, economics, etiquette, cars and so one. he was a hippie in the 60s and he started working on underground newspapers and magazines before making his way to national lampoon which in the 1970s here in america was a very influential humour magazine. from there, he went on to write for publications such as rolling stone and the atlantic monthly. and as you mentioned, his work was once likened to and i quote here, a cross between the head and —ism of hunter s thompson and the patrician mockery of tom wolfe.

he was a conservative republican, of course, he once said god is a republican, santa claus is a democrat but in 2016, he announced that he would not be voting, he would be voting for hillary clinton, not donald trump, having said of hillary clinton, she is wrong about absolutely everything but she is wrong within normal parameters. that was seen as somewhat of a criticism of donald trump, her opponent, whom pj o'rourke regarded as unstable. but throughout his career, his chief target was self—importance, whether it was his own or other people's and indeed that won him support from both sides of the political divide. he was working, it is said, on a book, prior to his death, about the united states viewed from his hometown of toledo in ohio, thatis hometown of toledo in ohio, that is a place he once called one of the junkyards of american capitalism. david,

thank you- _ the family of a woman who was shot dead on a film set in the us are suing the actor, alec baldwin, and the movie's other producers for wrongful death. last october, baldwin was pointing a gun at halyna hutchins when it went off; he says he never pulled the trigger. a criminal investigation into the cinematographer�*s killing is continuing. here's our correspondent, sophie long, in los angeles. well, basically, it alleges that alec baldwin and other producers displayed reckless behaviour and cost cutting, and that's what led to the tragic death of halyna hutchins. baldwin is also accused of discharging a lethal weapon recklessly. now that is a criminal offence in new mexico, where this tragedy happened. but alec baldwin has since given a very tearful interview a couple of months ago in which he said he did not expect to face criminal charges. i should say that this lawsuit has been filed at a time when a criminal investigation is ongoing by the santa fe sheriff's office. they have not ruled out any

criminal charges at this time. they're still trying to determine, though, how a live bullet, live ammunition, ended up on the film set of rust. just to remind you of what happened. alec baldwin had been rehearsing a scene with halyna hutchins. she was directing him at the time. now, he says that he never fired the weapon. he was told it was a cold gun. that's what they call it in the industry when a gun is safe, he was handed that gun, told it was safe. he says he didn't pull the trigger. now, nonetheless, that gun was discharged and the bullet went through the torso of halyna hutchins and then lodged in the shoulder of directorjoel sousa. now she was airlifted to hospital and sadly, she died from her injuries. the director, joel sousa, is now recovering. and finally people across china have gathered together to celebrate their age—old traditions and welcome the lantern festival. thousands of lanterns filled the streets alongside light—shows, fireworks and eye—catching folk performances. people write personal messages of hope for the new year inside the lanterns —

such as prosperity or goodluck in love. the lanterns illuminate the sky and carry the wishes to heaven. hello there. it's going to be a stormy few days ahead. the first of two named storms arrives during wednesday, that is storm dudley. and ahead of dudley we have seen this stream of cloud pushing in on those stronger winds from the atlantic, bringing yet more rain across from the west. by the time we get to wednesday morning, most of that wetter weather is out of the way. still some wetness there across northern scotland, but away from here, it's a mild start, and there may be some early sunshine, but it will cloud over quickly. we've got the rain coming in from dudley, soon arriving in northern ireland, heavier, more persistent rain here pushing into northern england and heading northwards into a good part of scotland. further south, perhaps not too much in the way of rain, but it will be turning milder, very mild in the southeast, temperatures here reaching 16—17 celsius. as it gets milder, the winds are going to be strengthening across many parts of the country throughout the day.

now, the main core of strongest winds is still where we have this amber wind warning from the met office. in this area, we are expecting gusts of around 70—80 mph perhaps, more likely to have some damage and disruption as well. now, the winds are picking up sooner because the storm is moving in rapidly. it's going to move away very quickly as well, leaving northern parts of scotland, taking some damaging winds into continental europe on thursday. so by the time we get to thursday morning, the winds won't be as strong. it's still going to be windy, butjust not as windy. there will be some sunshine during the day on thursday and some showers, and those showers could be of a wintry flavour in the hills in scotland because it's quite cold air here. temperatures in the southeast peaking at 12 celsius. the winds gradually ease down during thursday, but then we will see the winds really strengthening again in time for friday. that's when we see the next named storm arrive, this is storm eunice. and the pressure is falling so rapidly, it's undergoing what we call

explosive cyclogenesis. and it's likely to bring some potentially damaging and disruptive winds more widely towards the uk. not only some very windy conditions, we've also got the possibility of some snow and blizzards in the north. now, at the moment, that is perhaps more likely to be affecting scotland, perhaps the far north of england, but a lot depends on the track of the low. there is still some uncertainty, but it's likely that on friday we will see some more disruption more widely across the uk.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

prince andrew has reached an out—of court settlement with virginia giuffre with no admission of liability. in the agreement, he accepts ms giuffre has suffered as a "victim of abuse" and will make a substantial donation to ms giuffre's charity, supporting victims' rights. the duke has always maintained his innocence. president putin claims some russian troops have been withdrawn from the ukraine border, but that has yet to be confirmed. president biden says a russian invasion is still a distinct possiblity and that the united states and its nato allies are prepared for whatever happens. alec baldwin is being sued for wrongful death over the accidental shooting of halyna hutchins on a film set in the us. last october, baldwin was pointing a gun at halyna hutchins when it went off — but says he never pulled the trigger. a review of health services for miscarriages in england is investigating

the lack of support for the partners of women losing a pregnancy.