a diplomatic row with china — over claims and denials of spying. seen at high altitude over montana, the balloon was being used for intelligence purposes, according to us defence officials. we know that it's a surveillance balloon and i'm not going to be able to be more specific than that. we do know that the balloon has violated us airspace and international law, which is unacceptable. china has apologised, but a planned visit to beijing by the us secretary of state has been postponed. also on the programme... some of the thousands of victims of the nhs infected blood scandal — this afternoon the long—running inquiry into the disaster heard its final evidence. inquiry into the disaster

police say they believe nicola bulley, who's been missing for a week, fell into the river while walking her dog. the pope and british church leaders visit south sudan in an attempt to heal divisions in its civil war. have you caught him? and how will it end? millions of fans await the finale of the bbc�*s award—winning drama happy valley. later on bbc london, the metropolitan police has apologised for inviting retired officers who were investigated for misconduct to rejoin the force. and coming up on the bbc news channel, britain's record—signing enzo fernandez makes his debut for chelsea in the west london derby as fulham travel to stamford bridge. and coming up on the bbc news channel, britain's record—signing enzo fernandez makes his debut for chelsea in the west london derby as fulham travel to stamford bridge. good evening. a diplomatic row has erupted between the us and china after a balloon was spotted at high altitude in the skies over america,

which it says is being used for surveillance. it's led to the secretary of state antony blinken cancelling a planned trip to china tomorrow. the chinese have apologised and declared the balloon is used for scientific research, and that it could have blown off—course. but that hasn't stopped the row from escalating. here's our security correspondent gordon corera. i...have no idea what this thing is. a strange object in the sky, filmed by a member of the public in rural montana. and for those of you who think this mightjust be the moon, it is not the moon, the moon is off to my right, i can see it... it's not the moon, nor a ufo, but, us officials claim, a chinese spy balloon. it seemed so brazen and just so insane to me, it wasjust, like, this thing is so visible. and it's now sparked a major diplomatic row.

the chinese foreign ministry today first called for calm but later apologised, saying a scientific balloon mainly used for weather research had gone off course. but within hours, the us military responded by saying they did not believe beijing. the fact is, we know that it is a surveillance balloon, and i'm not going to be able to be more specific than that. we do know that the balloon has violated us airspace and international law, which is unacceptable. so where did the balloon come from? a us meteorologist has tracked the route it may have taken using a model normally used to look at the spread of pollutants. the bbc�*s data analysts and weather teams say this model takes account of things like wind patterns and shows a trajectory from china across the pacific, crossing alaska then canada before entering the us. it was then spotted, supposedly first by civilians

on a plane, over rural montana. here, us officials claimed, the balloon lingered. why? well, one possible reason we can see from this satellite imagery is malmstrom air force base nearby, an important base that houses intercontinental missiles. the us air force scrambled two fighter jets from nevada's nellis air force base, but the decision was taken not to shoot the balloon down because of the risk of debris causing harm below. so what do we know about the balloon itself? here's what scientific experts we've spoken to think — that it's likely filled with helium, with solar panels to provide power, and it is manoeuvrable. there are instruments and sensors to collect data that could be used for science or surveillance. military specialists i've spoken to, though, say it's not likely to offer anything more than existing spy satellites can do. this balloon may not represent any significant security threat,

but the incident highlights that the growing tension between the two countries now even extends to the skies above rural america. gordon corera, bbc news. our north america editor sarah smith is in washington. the secretary of state has spoken about this incident this evening. what did he say?— about this incident this evening. what did he say? well, he's clearly very angry- — what did he say? well, he's clearly very angry- he _ what did he say? well, he's clearly very angry- he said _ what did he say? well, he's clearly very angry. he said this _ what did he say? well, he's clearly very angry. he said this was - very angry. he said this was irresponsible and unacceptable, particularly coming just before his planned trip to china, and he said it undermined the very basis of that trip watch was intended to improve relations and increase trust. secretary blinken was due to meet the chinese president xi jinping himself, among other things they would have discussed taiwan which is a major point of tension. america fears china might move to militarily seize the self—governing province and china would have wanted to talk

about america's expanding military presence in the philippines which is supposed to deter china from making a move on taiwan but fundamentally the whole point of us chinese engagement at the moment is not to try to reach any sort of agreement but to maintain open lines of communication at the very highest levels are because tensions are running so high. both nations fear that a misunderstanding could actually lead to an unintended conflict and today shows you just how very delicate the situation is. thank you, sara smith reporting. the long—running public inquiry into what has been called the "worst treatment disaster in the history of the nhs" has heard its final evidence after more than four years. it is thought tens of thousands of people were infected with hiv and hepatitis between 1970 and 1991 after being given a contaminated product or blood transfusion. 3,000 patients are thought to have died and 30,000 patients are reported to have been infected. the inquiry, which started in 2018, has reviewed thousands

of documents and is expected to publish its findings in the autumn. here's our health editor, hugh pym. some families lost more than one person. it's just devastated families over a0 years. what happened to us was avoidable, and i think that's what made me angry, made me want to fight. we have battled mps, civil servants, the medical profession, _ the pharmaceutical company — i mean, itjust goes on and on and on. i they've all battled forjustice, not least these former schoolmates who have been at almost every day of the inquiry. they were given infected blood products as treatment for their haemophilia at a special school. gary developed hiv and hepatitis c. he gave moving evidence earlier in the inquiry. i have guilt, still being here...

stigma, losing 72 friends. sue had blood transfusions in the 1980s and then for years felt unwell with no explanation. it turned out to be hepatitis c, linked to contaminated blood supplies. it affected the lives of my children. i know it did. and i know also that it ended my first marriage, because my husband couldn't cope with me being ill all the time. you can't have something like hepatitis c in your life and it do nothing, because it changes who you are, it changes what you may have been. at the inquiry, messages were left in bottles by families who'd lost loved ones. the scandal goes back to the 1970s and �*80s. imported blood from paid donors, including prisoners, was infected. it was used in products for nhs patients. thejudge heading the inquiry

will now report on who is to blame. where there is to be explicit or significant criticism in the report, and there will be criticism, the person due to be criticised is told of what i intend to say and of the factual basis underpinning it, so they can respond if they wish. the inquiry looked at 750,000 pages of official documents, amid suggestions of a cover—up, with some in authority knowing the risks of infection yet not telling patients or stopping their treatment. for years, they've known and suspected what went wrong, and for so many, they've been vindicated. many people may have even been looked at as conspiracy theorists. and they've all been vindicated by the evidence that has come out. so what are gary's reflections as the inquiry winds up after four and a half years? it's a big moment for all of us. yeah, it's a sad moment, because people are no longer here that were here at the beginning

of the inquiry, 2018. so we've lost many people just in these four years, so that's hard, so we have to remember them. yeah, it's the beginning of the end, i think. the end may be in sight, but still to come is the final report, with a conclusion on full compensation for victims and their families. campaigners are hoping there'll then be a swift response from the government. hugh pym, bbc news. thousands of disabled people could receive significant compensation after an appeal court ruling involving universal credit. the department for work and pensions was found to have discriminated against two disabled men when they had their benefits cut after being moved onto universal credit payments. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan is here. tell me more. this is a court judgment — tell me more. this is a court judgment that _ tell me more. this is a court judgment that could - tell me more. this is a court judgment that could see - tell me more. this is a court judgment that could see up i tell me more. this is a court.

judgment that could see up to tell me more. this is a court - judgment that could see up to around 50,000 disabled people receive significant amounts of money. they had been underpaid by around £60 a month for a number of years and the treasury estimates the whole compensation package if it is paid could end up costing somewhere in the region of £150 million. this was a consequence of a court case taken by two disabled men who had separately been moved on to universal credit a few years ago. when the transition happened they found they were £180 a month worse off so they sued the department for work and pensions. the department for work and pensions said, we'll give you one of the benefits we have cut back but we will not give you the other one, that was worth about £120 a month or so, and these are benefits that are paid to some of the most severely disabled people in the most severely disabled people in the country. a recognition of the high costs associated with being disabled. 0ne high costs associated with being disabled. one for example was diagnosed with terminal cancer. the men pursued the additional claim for £60 at the court of appeal has now

found the department for work and pensions did indeed discriminate against them, they are entitled to the £60 a month that was cut and so are potentially tens of thousands of other disabled people as well. ministers are saying they will consider their options in light of the court case but this transition to universal credit has always been hugely controversial. ministers have always said some people are better off on the benefit but some are worse off but they never did clarify who would be worse off and until the judgment it appears some of the people who were set to be worse off were some of the most disabled people in the country.— people in the country. michael, thank yom _ lancashire police say they believe that nicola bulley, who went missing while walking her dog last week, most likely fell into the river wyre. a major search for her continues, but no trace of her has been found. her partner has said he will never lose hope but he can not get his head around how she has vanished. danny savage reports. exactly a week on from when nicola bulley vanished, her friends staged a roadside appeal this morning, hoping tojog

the memory of anyone who was passing last friday. her pictures are everywhere, but there's no trace of her anywhere. it's been an agonising week for her partner and their two young daughters. my whole focus is my two girls. just staying as strong as i can for them. i'm scared that if i put any focus into anything else, it's going to take my, you know, focus off that. right now, it is as though she has vanished into thin air, like, yeah, it's just insane. in the river close to where she vanished, police have again been searching. today, a senior officer spelt out the reality of the situation. our main working hypothesis, therefore, is that nicola has sadly fallen into the river, that there is no third—party or criminal involvement,

and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person. nicola was seen by a fellow dog walker last friday morning shortly before 9am. she was last seen at 9:10 in a field further along the river bank. at 9:20, police have now established her phone became stationary at a riverside bench. 13 minutes later, her phone is found, along with her dogs harness. nicola is nowhere to be seen, but her spaniel, willow, is found at the same spot. this is the river wyre. nicola's phone was found on a bench about 500 metres around the corner there. the river then flows towards us over the weir and then eventually out towards the sea. it's not very wide, but it is very deep and murky, which means much of the searching has to be done by touch, rather than sight. friends who have been so key at raising the profile of the missing 45—year—old are feeling the strain. nikki is the most beautiful person,

you've seen the pictures of her, she's beautiful on the outside, but she's also the kindest soul on the inside, she's thoughtful, she's caring. and then you add her and paul together, add a little bit of magic, and they created these two beautiful humans who are just wanting to know where their mummy is. after examining cctv and an extensive land search, detectives have effectively ruled out attack or abduction involving nicola. the sad reality is that police say all evidence suggests she accidentally fell into the river here and couldn't get out. danny savage, bbc news, st michael's on wyre. a man who entered the grounds of windsor castle armed with a crossbow has pleaded guilty to a charge of treason. jaswant singh chail was wearing a metal mask when he was arrested on christmas day in 2021. he'd spent two hours in the grounds before being spotted by a royal protection officer

and claimed he wanted to avenge a massacre by the british in india over a century ago. he'll be sentenced after psychiatric reports. in ukraine, since the onset of cold weather in october, russia's attacks have included a systematic targeting of ukraine's power network in an effort to demoralise millions of people as they endure typical winter lows of minus 20 or worse. but during this time, ukraine's state and private energy companies have been working around the clock to repair the damage and to keep electricity flowing. the bbc�*s diplomatic correspondent paul adams has been granted rare access to the network and the teams involved. ukraine's energy war. a constant battle for heat and light. a race to keep up with russian attacks.

siren blares for a week, we follow the teams fighting this war. what the missiles destroy, they rebuild... ..in places where people are living on the edge. for months, russian missiles and drones have rained down on ukraine's civilian infrastructure, causing untold damage all across this vast country. so what happened here? this power plant in central ukraine has been hit repeatedly. it's a huge place, but this is what well—aimed russian missiles have done to its transformers — vital links to the world outside. for security reasons, we've been asked not to identify the plant or its manager. these. these, these, these. everywhere across here. translation: every time | the equipment is damaged, it gets all of us right here, in our soul,

because it's our life, it's our second family. millions of people depend on this coal—fired power station, built in the soviet era. fantastic machine! its great turbines churning away at the heart of ukraine's sprawling power grid. but the staff here know they're in russia's sights. so there's the siren. we had been expecting it this morning. we have to get out of the turbine hall and head straight for the shelter. on days like these, hours are spent underground. anxious moments, as news comes in of a fresh wave of attacks. their colleagues at a power station in the west have taken a direct hit. they know this could have been them. and closer to home, word is spreading of something much worse.

across town, a tragedy is unfolding. a missile — almost certainly aimed at the power station — has struck an apartment building instead. the rescue effort is frantic. 46 people have died here. we travel south, towards communities under fire. ukraine's army of engineers racing from one repairjob to the next. "this happens all the time," volodymyr tells me. "we're on our way to a village shelled just last night." the power lines are down, again. the repairs won't take long, but the men know they'll be back. translation: this is pure terror, terrorising the population, - causing maximum damage to the infrastructure. this is a tactic of the russians on the other side of the reservoir.

in the village, the sound of artillery has the mayor ducking for cover. how long do you think you can carry on living here, in this situation? translation: those who wanted to leave left already. _ those who can't leave stay. as long as we have even a bit of electricity and water, we'll carry on living. russia thought it would break ukraine, but this energy war isn't working. half the grid may be in tatters, but in helmets and body armour, these men are keeping it alive. paul adams, bbc news, eastern ukraine. the pope is visiting south sudan along with british church leaders on a mission to help end the conflict in the country, where over half the population is christian. the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, is travelling with the pope, along with the moderator of the church of scotland.

south sudan has suffered years of civil war which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. a peace deal five years ago significantly reduced the level of violence. but serious conflict continues, with rebel militia groups attacking civilians and violence between sudan's diverse communities — often linked to disputes over water, land and grazing rights. most is due to ethnic rather than religious divisions. around six in ten people in south sudan are christian — among them roman catholics, anglicans and presbyterians. the pope and other christian leaders are in the capital, juba, and our religious affairs editor, aleem maqbool, is there. yes, it has been an unprecedented day here in south sudan, reeta, in the centuries there has never been a foreign trip by an archbishop of canterbury with a pope, but that all changed today, and they were joined by the moderator of the church of

scotland as well. so why here? why are they making this unprecedented move in south sudan? well, the idea is, because it is a majority christian country, most of the rival leaders who have been fighting for control of the resources of this country almost since its independence back in 2011, they call themselves christian, they say they are churchgoing, the president is a catholic, the first vice president is presbyterian, and the idea is to say, if you call yourselves christians, you need to live out those values. what are the chances of achieving a lasting peace? well, according to what has happened in the past, they have a very slim chance, actually, because back in 2019, these same leaders were invited to the vatican, and in a very dramatic moment, the pope kissed their feet. well, very dramatic moment, the pope kissed theirfeet. well, not very dramatic moment, the pope kissed their feet. well, not a very dramatic moment, the pope kissed theirfeet. well, not a great deal has changed since then, and today the pope said no more of this, when he was referring to violence

and corruption and instability, and immediately the president here said he would meet some of the factions that he has not met since 2018. but this is just the start of the visit, it gets under way in earnest tomorrow, and it culminates in a mass on sunday.— tomorrow, and it culminates in a mass on sunday. thank you, aleem maabool mass on sunday. thank you, aleem maqbool reporting _ mass on sunday. thank you, aleem maqbool reporting there _ mass on sunday. thank you, aleem maqbool reporting there from - mass on sunday. thank you, aleem maqbool reporting there from juba. j the majority of planned strike action across the nhs in wales next week has been suspended, after several health unions agreed to consider an improved pay offer by the welsh government. nurses, ambulance staff, midwives and physiotherapists were all due to take part. members of the unite union are still planning to strike uk athletics has clarified its position on transgender participation in athletics in the uk. it wants the government to change the law to ensure the women's category is reserved for those registered female at birth. and they're calling for an open category to replace the current men's category. let's speak to our lgbt and identity correspondent, lauren moss. give us more details.

that is right, reeta, uk athletics has said it wants the men's category to become an open category in which transgender women can compete. the women's category for women registered female when they were born. this is similar to what the british triathlon federation announced last month, and in its statement uk athletics says it does not think there is enough evidence that suppressing testosterone for trans women eliminates male advantage, and each out, ian beattie, says he wants the sport to be welcoming and also fair. the news has been welcomed by some, fair play for women say they are glad for the need of a category based on birth sex has been acknowledged, but others, like gendered intelligence, which supports people who are transgender, has courted this outing and say they are concerned about what it means for sport at grass

roots and youth level. so it is already divisive, but it gets more complex because uk athletics say they want the law to be updated to enable them to exclude transgender women from the women's category. government sources are pretty clear that the equality act already allows for that as it is, but it is another example where the law around all of this is interpreted in different ways when it comes to balancing the rights between transgender women and women's rights. qm. rights between transgender women and women's righte— women's rights. 0k, lauren, thank ou. manchester united are conducting an internal investigation to determine whether mason greenwood should play for the club again after criminal charges against him, including one of attempted rape, were dropped yesterday. today the club's manager, erik ten hag, declined to comment when asked about the player's future, as jane dougall reports. he's risen from manchester united's academy to their first team... a fine finish from mason greenwood! ..breaking into the england squad along the way. but last year, mason greenwood appeared in court charged with attempted rape, engaging in controlling

and coercive behaviour, and assault. now all charges have been dropped because key witnesses have withdrawn from the case. so where does that leave the striker? well, the united manager — despite being repeatedly asked — wouldn't give a response. i can add nothing, it's... i refer to the statement of the club. i can't comment about the process. i can't say anything about it. i refer to the statement of the club. that statement only confirmed an internal investigation has been launched. greenwood is currently suspended, but is there anything to stop manchester united from resuming his career? the justice system has decided that he's not guilty of anything. he doesn't have to prove his innocence, the prosecution had to prove his guilt. the fact that a jury weren't impanelled means, to me, that the case was weak. there was no criminal sanction. there may well be an employment law sanction, but the court of public opinion will make its ownjudgment. greenwood hasn't played or trained with the squad for 12 months. despite that, some fans

want him back on the pitch. if someone accuses you of something and it's not been proven, _ then i think it's only fair that- you give him another chance, really. the optics of playing him are not good. there is a risk that manchester united could alienate theirfemale fans and their women's team, who are currently top of the women's super league. well, i don't think i'd come again, it would really, like, hurt me, it'd really feel like a... it sounds overdramatic but a stab in the heart, because i love this club, it's my everything, it's where i grew up, i've been watching it for years, i'm still watching it, i'm a big fan of the women's team, and like you said, top of the league, and ijust think it would be a real, like i said, stab in the heart for them to do that. greenwood has said in a statement that he's relieved the matter is over, but for united, it's very far from that. the club is in the process of being sold, and with two years remaining on the player's contract, they have to determine if he's brought the club into disrepute. if so, would it be more prudent to simply write off that expense, as opposed to facing a potential pr disaster? while the internal investigation

is ongoing, greenwood will not return to training. the question now is a moral one — should he be allowed to once again represent one of the biggest clubs in the world? jane dougall, bbc news, old trafford. this weekend sees the final episode of the award—winning bbc tv drama happy valley, which stars sarah lancashire as the west yorkshire police sergeant catherine cawood. millions have tuned in as episodes are released weekly, and others have watched on catch—up. fans are now preparing for the finale on sunday night. no spoilers now, i promise! colin paterson reports from hebden bridge. when was the last time you had any contact with tommy lee royce? after almost a decade, this is it... he's going to be angry. the end of happy valley. even more desperate and dangerous. and in hebden bridge, the setting for the gritty police drama, excitement is building... she's beside herself, i can't do anything with her. i love it, love it! trying to guess the end.

yeah, and she's got pretty far—fetched with that, i have to tell you. # in this troubled town... # ..including at a very significant location. hello, is this catherine cawood's house? it is, yes. in real life, five years ago, murray and his partner bought the very house which is still used in the series as the home of sarah lancashire's character. through here is the kitchen. this is familiar — very familiar! what have i said? that's assault! yeah, ring the police! different colour, though, isn't it? er, slightly, yes, i can live with this, i don't think i could live with the dark brick red. this is the tv you will watch the last episode of happy valley on... yeah. ..in catherine cawood's living room. bit weird, isn't it? i'm the best copper that ever lived, but code 11, job done. do you think it's going to be a happy ending? somewhere in—between the two, probably. i do love you, you know. and part of the success of the show

is that tension has been growing as viewers have to wait a week between episodes. and we'll talk like this tomorrow, yeah? _ during filming, james norton told me he prefers it when all the episodes don't drop at once. it was always the kind of water—cooler show. i was actually shooting a different show at the time and coming to set, with the show having aired the night before, was a great experience, because most people had watched it, everyone had something to say about it. # in this troubled town... # and in hebden bridge, people had plenty to say about it. how do i think it's going to end? er. in murden _ well, ithink it will be happy, yeah. hopefully! ann could kill him at the retirement do. we don't know, do we? we've no idea! we find out on sunday. colin paterson, bbc news, hebden bridge. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. not think that dramatic in this

corner of the studio, but a