this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a spy in the sky or a wayward weather balloon? the us and china diplomatic row escalates with the us secretary of state postponing a trip to beijing. the boss of tesla, elon musk, is cleared of fraud charges brought against him by the company's shareholders. the pope and british church leaders visit south sudan in an attempt to heal divisions in its civil war. and the spanish fashion designer, paco rabanne, best—known for his metal clothing designs and his

hello, and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. washington has accused beijing of acting irresponsibly after a chinese surveillance balloon was detected over the united states. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, has postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing over the incident. for its part, china says the balloon is a civilian airship which had deviated from its planned route. however, us defence officials argue the balloon, seen above sensitive areas in recent days, was a high—altitude surveillance device. our security correspondent, gordon correra reports. 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. a little earlier, i spoke to scott kennedy from the centre for strategic and international studies. that's a washington—based policy research organisation. and i began by asking him about what china found so interesting about the weather in the us state of montana. it's probably not just it's probably notjust with a balloon. it's most likely a surveillance balloon trying to get information. the us has nuclear launch sites in montana

and this is a way for them to get information. but sending a balloon also sent a signal. in some ways it's a trial balloon to see how the us would react, given the certain current state of the relationship.— given the certain current state of the relationship. they knew the us would _ of the relationship. they knew the us would see _ of the relationship. they knew the us would see it _ of the relationship. they knew the us would see it pretty - the us would see it pretty clearly and that we would see it as well. clearly and that we would see it as well-— clearly and that we would see it as well. well, they probably fi . ured it as well. well, they probably figured the — it as well. well, they probably figured the us _ it as well. well, they probably figured the us would - it as well. well, they probably figured the us would see - it as well. well, they probably figured the us would see it. i figured the us would see it. and i guess there are some folks from the ground to have noticed things. but this was revealed to the world because the us department of defence wanted to be. and so the us decided to publicise it, make an issue of it, and then after an issue of it, and then after a day or two of dialogue in washington and the state department decided to call off the secretaries forthcoming trip. i5 the secretaries forthcoming tri. , , the secretaries forthcoming tri . _ , , , ., the secretaries forthcoming tri. , , . trip. is this some tension that can be contained? _ trip. is this some tension that can be contained? i— trip. is this some tension that can be contained? i ask- trip. is this some tension that can be contained? i ask that l can be contained? i ask that because i'm thinking back to

1960 where surveillance aircraft from the united states caused a huge moment of tension between the two superpowers back then. between the two superpowers back then-— back then. well, i don't think we ought _ back then. well, i don't think we ought to _ back then. well, i don't think we ought to put _ back then. well, i don't think we ought to put too - back then. well, i don't think we ought to put too much - back then. well, i don't think | we ought to put too much into this effort at surveillance as a source of fundamental tensions. really, the us china relationship already is not in a very good place. some thought as a result of the meeting between the leaders. that this meeting could be a breakthrough. instead, ithink the two sides have struggled over the past couple of months to decide what the agenda was going to be, and neither side had high expectations. so in some ways, this meeting was thrown off course because even a balloon could give both sides reason for second thought. some news that's just breaking now — memphis police department says it's fired another officer as part of its investigation into the death of tyre nichols,

a 29—year—old black man who was beaten by officers in the us city last the department named the officer fired as preston hemphill. in a statement, it said he had violated department policies on personal conduct, truthfulness and compliance with regulations. five police officers have already been following her and they are charged with second—degree murder. two others have been suspended. ajury in the united states has found elon musk not guilty of fraud over tesla tweet. mr musk was being sued by shareholders who claim they lost billions following tweets by the founder of the car—maker that he was taking the company back into private ownership. it never was. summing up, the lawyer for the shareholders said that the billionaire was not above the law, while mr musk�*s attorney said his client was not a tweeting monster. james clayton has been following the case. elon musk seemed nervous after he had given evidence. how did

i do, he asked the media outside. to be fair, he has a lot to lose. billions in fact. in terms of an individual tweet, this tweet had already been extremely costly. in august 2018, he tweeted out that he had funding secured to take tesla private. that would effectively mean buying out tesla shareholders. many investors say they took mr musk at his word, buying up tesla stock. after that tweet, tesla share price rocketed. but soon it became clear that the deal was far from done. it became clear that the deal was farfrom done. tesla never went private. it's still a public company to this day. when it became clear, the share price fell. investors lost big money. the securities exchange commission had already fined elon musk and tesla $14 million for the tweet. and stripped him of his position as chairman of the board. in addition to that, many shareholders sued. for the last week this court in san francisco has been hearing

evidence. the question the jury had to decide which weather elon musk had knowingly tweeted out something that wasn't true. if he had, what damages they should pay. mr musk argued in court that he had acted in good faith, and after deliberation, thejury faith, and after deliberation, the jury concluded he did faith, and after deliberation, thejury concluded he did not have to compensate investor losses. the lawyer who is an expert in securities fraud who has interviewed bernie madoff after oath says will has interviewed bernie madoff after oath say— after oath says will be looked at this case — after oath says will be looked at this case i _ after oath says will be looked at this case i thought - after oath says will be looked at this case i thought it - after oath says will be looked at this case i thought it was l at this case i thought it was a slam dunk. when it comes out and says funding secured, doctors concrete as a statement as taking a company private as there can be. finding elon musk not guilty is a travesty i think because it means that from now on, corporate executives can put out treats, through social media, and skirted the line very thin on what's real and not real, as long as they can say that they believed in their own mind.

many legal experts thought that mr musk would lose this case. they were wrong. 0ne mr musk would lose this case. they were wrong. one of the worlds richest people has just saved himself potentially billions of dollars. elon musk has been tweeting, and his tweet there, thank goodness the wisdom of the people has prevailed. i am deeply appreciative of the juries united a finding of innocence due to the tesla private case. that case goes back to 2018 when he was 20. he separately bought twitter and that is a tweet from his own account. india's government has started an initial review of adani group's finances — following fraud claims which sent the company's shares falling. the group was forced to scrap a 2.5 billion dollar share sale this week, after it was accused of stock manipulation and financial fraud by us investment firm, hindenburg research. adani has denied the allegations.

job growth surged in the us injanuary, defying fears that the economy is heading for a downturn. the us department of labour said employers added 517,000 jobs last month, far more than expected. it's pushed the unemployment rate down to 3.4%, the lowest rate since 1969. a care home in the us state of iowa, has been fined 10,000 dollars after a dementia patient was mistakenly declared dead. the 66—year—old woman had been moved to a funeral home, but was later discovered by staff gasping for air inside a body bag. she died two days later. the us is to provide ukraine with longer range guided rockets as part of another package of military support worth some 2.2 billion dollars. in addition to the ground—launched rockets, the package will include more air defence systems, anti—tank missiles and armoured infantry vehicles. it comes as france and italy also announced further military aid afterfinalising plans to supply kyiv with a mobile air defence system.

0ur north america correspondent nomia iqbal has more. this is a bit of a turnaround for the us in that ukraine really wanted this longer range missile. it's effectively twice the range of ukraine's weaponry. it's normally launched from the air. this one is launched from the ground, but it doesn't actually exist in the us military stockpile. so it has to be made by the weapons industry. it is thought it could take some time for ukraine to therefore get it, probably around about nine months. ukraine actually wanted missiles that cover a much longer distance, but the us is still uncomfortable about that. there's concerns that it could be used to hit targets deep inside russia. now, it's nearly a year since the invasion and the us has given more than $24.2 billion in security assistance. and so far there has been broad support. there has been a bipartisan support for president biden�*s position in helping ukraine, but there are some cracks in that consensus. you have republicans who are now in control of the house who have said

that they will not give a blank check to ukraine when it comes to helping them. at the moment, though, recent surveys do suggest around three in four americans believe that ukraine should still be supported by the us. but as we know, politics can change. and if they can, so can policy. senior officials from the european union have said, "ukraine's future is inside the eu". the comments were made at a summit in the capital, kyiv, hosted by president volodymyr zelensky. there was no mention of a timeline, but the eu says it will support ukraine and its people against what it calls, "russia's ongoing war of aggression" for as long as it takes. the president of the european council, charles michel, spoke at a joint news conference. the eu will support you in every way we can for as long as it takes. we are not intimidated, and we will not be intimidated, and we will not be intimidated by the kremlin

because ukraine and the eu, we are family. and my second message, the future of ukraine is within the european union. the ukrainian people, you have made a clear choice for freedom from the northwest. we have also made a clear decision. yourfuture is also made a clear decision. your future is with us and our common european union. your destiny is our destiny. the us secretary of state delays his trip to china — because of the chinese surveillance balloon over us skies. to the uk now — and police in the northwest of england say they believe that nicola bulley, who went missing while walking her dog, probably fell into the river wyre in lancashire. the 45—year—old mother of two was last seen a week ago in st michael's on wyre.

air and underwater drones, helicopters, police divers and dogs have all been used in the search. danny savage has the details. exactly a week on from when she vanished, herfriends staged exactly a week on from when she vanished, her friends staged a roadside appeal this morning, hoping tojog the memory roadside appeal this morning, hoping to jog the memory of anyone who was passing last friday. her pictures are everywhere. but there is no trace of her anywhere. it has been an agonising week for her partner and their two young daughters. my partner and their two young daughters— partner and their two young dau:hters. g ., , , partner and their two young dau:hters. g ., ,, , daughters. my whole focus is my two uirls. daughters. my whole focus is my two girls- just — daughters. my whole focus is my two girls. just staying _ daughters. my whole focus is my two girls. just staying a - two girls. just staying a strong as i can for them. i am scared that if i put a focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off thought. right now, it is as though she has vanished into thin air. yeah that's just it. it's insane. yeah that's 'ust it. it's insane. . ., insane. in the river close to where she _ insane. in the river close to

where she vanished, - insane. in the river close to where she vanished, police | 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. fiur reality of the situation. our main working _ reality of the situation. our main working hypothesis, therefore, is that she had sadly— therefore, is that she had sadly fallen into the river. but — sadly fallen into the river. but there is no third—party or criminal_ but there is no third—party or criminal involvement. and that this is— criminal involvement. and that this is not_ criminal involvement. and that this is not suspicious, but a tragic— this is not suspicious, but a tragic case of a missing person _ tragic case of a missing person-— tragic case of a missing erson. ,, .,, , _ ., person. she was seen by a fellow dog _ person. she was seen by a fellow dog walker - person. she was seen by a fellow dog walker shortly i fellow dog walker shortly before nine a:m.. she was last seen at ten past nine and a field further along the river bank. at 920, police have now established her phone became stationary at a riverside bench. 30 minutes later, her phone is found, along with her dog harness. she is nowhere to be seen, but her spaniel, willow, is found at the same spot. this is the river wire. nichols phone was found on the bench. it is not a very ride

with her, but it is very deep and murky. which means much of the searching has been done by touch rather than site. friends who are being so keen at raising the profile of the missing 45—year—old are feeling the strain. missing 45-year-old are feeling the strain-— the strain. nikki is the most beautiful — the strain. nikki is the most beautiful person. _ the strain. nikki is the most beautiful person. she's - beautiful person. she's beautiful person. she's beautiful on the outside, but she is— beautiful on the outside, but she is also the kindest soul on the inside _ she is also the kindest soul on the inside. she's thoughtful, she is— the inside. she's thoughtful, she is caring. and then you watch — she is caring. and then you watch her_ she is caring. and then you watch her and paul together, these — watch her and paul together, these two beautiful humans, you 'ust these two beautiful humans, you just want— these two beautiful humans, you just want to know where their money— just want to know where their money is _ just want to know where their money is— just want to know where their mone is. �* . money is. after examining cctv and an extensive _ money is. after examining cctv and an extensive land _ money is. after examining cctv and an extensive land search, i and an extensive land search, detectives have effectively ruled out attack or objection involving nicola. all evidence suggests she accidentally fell into the river here and couldn't get out. danny savage, bbc news, st michael's. pope frances has arrived in south sudan, as the start

of what the vatican is calling a pilgrimage of peace. he was welcomed by large crowds. the pope wasjoined at the airport injuba by the leaders of the churches of england and scotland. together, they're seeking to promote reconciliation in a largely christian country that has been ravaged by tribal conflict since it became independent 12 years ago. francis is honouring a 2019 promise to visit south sudan, when, in a dramatic gesture,in the vatican, he kissed the feet of the country's rival leaders at the vatican. 0ur religion editor aleem maqbool is in the capitaljuba with more on this story. in the centuries, there has never been a foreign trip by an archbishop of canterbury with the pope. but that'll change today. and they were joined by the church of scotland as well. so why here? why are they making this unprecedented new and salsa down? while the idea is is that it's a christian

country. almost since its independence since 2011, will they call themselves christian. the idea is to say, well if you call yourself christians, then you need to live out those christian values. and what are their chances, though, of achieving a lasting peace? well, according to what's happened in the past, they have a very slim chance actually. backin a very slim chance actually. back in 2019 the same leaders were invited to the vatican in a very dramatic moment, the pope kiss their feet. a very dramatic moment, the pope kiss theirfeet. well, not a great deal has changed since then. and today, the pope and his opening speech 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 he hasn't met since 2018. but this is just the start of the

visit. it gets under way in earnest tomorrow and culminates in a mass on sunday. the spanish—born fashion designer paco rabanne has died at the age of 88. his death was confirmed by a spokesperson for the spanish group puig, which controls the paco rabanne label he left two decades ago. he made his name with space—age designs in the 1960s, he also made jewellery for givenchy and dior, and was also a successful perfume maker. i've been speaking to david lackie, who interviewed paco rabanne in paris while working as editor at cosmetics magazine in 2008. will what was remarkable about it is that he wasn't even supposed to be there. he surprised everybody, because paco didn't do anything without consulting his astrological charts and his astrologer. so apparently the day before, he looked in his charts and they said he was able to travel and two interviews. and hejust showed up. he was in the corner of the room, and i got to spend

half an hour with him. he was very serious, very thoughtful, and so farahead very serious, very thoughtful, and so far ahead of his time with the whole space—age design movement. with the whole space-age design movement-— with the whole space-age design movement. where did that come from, that _ movement. where did that come from, that idea _ movement. where did that come from, that idea for _ movement. where did that come from, that idea for space-age? l from, that idea for space—age? you know what's interesting is i actually think a lot out of his history in architecture. he studied architecture and then worked for ten years years in the field of architecture before he went into fashion. so if you look at his designs, in 1966 he unveiled those 12 chain—link metal dresses that just change fashion and caused a sensation. they were very architectural. i actually got to hold one, and they were so heavy. i don't know how the models wore them. they were really very heavy. so i believe that he brought an architectural ally and his astrology. it was out there. from what i understand, he told her he had a problem in spain with a ghost. he her he had a problem in spain with a ghost-— with a ghost. he did. he lived on the ocean, _ with a ghost. he did. he lived on the ocean, and _ with a ghost. he did. he lived on the ocean, and he -

with a ghost. he did. he lived on the ocean, and he lived . with a ghost. he did. he lived i on the ocean, and he lived very remotely. and he loves to do his astrology. he had this ghost that was bothering him. he was telling me that he had to deal with this ghost. and that was just, i think, to deal with this ghost. and that wasjust, i think, part to deal with this ghost. and that was just, i think, part of his genius. he combined all of these different elements and created some lasting designs that we still love today. find that we still love today. and he was talented _ that we still love today. and he was talented and - that we still love today. and he was talented and so many areas. how unusual is that? it is very unusual. and what is interesting is usually fashion designers sell their name or company to another brand. that's the end of it. they go on and do the wrong thing. but up on and do the wrong thing. but up until the very end, this company would consult them. and i have reports of people who worked with him he said he would show up in these boardrooms with the most fantastical ideas from all these products but even today was so far forward. and he said his ideas came when he was meditating and he was doing astrology and he needed to be by himself. and he said that's just where they came from. he

was really a fascinating man. those ideas so space—age. but as you touch that heavy metal, did he not have much sympathy for the models who had to translate those visions into reality? i translate those visions into reali ? ~' reality? i don't think he thought _ reality? i don't think he thought about - reality? i don't think he thought about that - reality? i don't think he thought about that at l reality? i don't think he i thought about that at all. reality? i don't think he - thought about that at all. it was the creativity. it was the shape and the fabrics. he would work with paper. he would work with plastic. he would work with plastic. he would work with metals. it was all about very much the texture and the shape of everything. that was his thing. no, practicality wasn't always part of the whole idea. �* .., , wasn't always part of the whole idea.�* ..,, v wasn't always part of the whole idea.�* , 2 idea. because it's so space-age. - idea. because it's so space-age, because| idea. because it's so i space-age, because it's space—age, because it's impractical, will it last? do you see other designers copying? leaving his imprint over the work now? absolutely. you know _ over the work now? absolutely. you know those _ over the work now? absolutely. you know those dresses - over the work now? absolutely. you know those dresses that i over the work now? absolutely. you know those dresses that he did in 1966 could be worn on a red carpet today. and they still are. so yeah, red carpet today. and they stillare. so yeah, he red carpet today. and they still are. so yeah, he has lasting power. far beyond his contemporaries. i think you are going to see his legacy go on

for many, many years to come. and we look at the 1 million fragrance that he launched that i went to. it's top four in the world still to this day. so yeah, he had a knack for what was coming ahead. now here's a cautionary tale about letting children play with your phone. a six—year—old in michigan in the us has managed to order about a thousand dollars worth of takeaway food from his dad's mobile. mason stonehouse fancied a snack while playing. multiple orders later, and the stonehouse family was inundated with pizza, sandwiches and so much more. karen morrison explains. this is a six—year—old with a very big appetite for spending. gave him the phone to play and i wasn't paying attention. i was watching my show. mason has sent was watching my show. mason has spent more _ was watching my show. mason has spent more than _ was watching my show. mason has spent more than £800 _ was watching my show. mason has spent more than £800 within - spent more than £800 within minute using a delivery on his dads phone. he made multiple orders from severalfood

orders from several food outlets. orders from several food outlets-— orders from several food outlets. , . . outlets. peaches, rice, chilli cheese fries. _ outlets. peaches, rice, chilli cheese fries. i _ outlets. peaches, rice, chilli cheese fries. i looked - outlets. peaches, rice, chilli cheese fries. i looked out i outlets. peaches, rice, chillil cheese fries. i looked out the window and he popped up and said who's here? the cars are coming into the driveway, cars are leaving the driveway. i looked at my phone and it said chase, fraud alert, $439 for peaches. and then he tipped 25% on every single order. but mason's _ on every single order. but mason's actions _ on every single order. but mason's actions have consequences. as parents rated his piggy bank to repay some of the money. blue i his piggy bank to repay some of the money. blue— the money. blue i have a my .|. . the money. blue i have a my piggy bank — the money. blue i have a my piggy bank and _ the money. blue i have a my piggy bank and how - the money. blue i have a my piggy bank and how much i the money. blue i have a my| piggy bank and how much you have now? — piggy bank and how much you have now? 1_ piggy bank and how much you have now? 1 cent. _ piggy bank and how much you have now? 1 cent. villa - piggy bank and how much you have now? 1 cent. villa mac. have now? 1 cent. villa mac this is my — have now? 1 cent. villa mac this is my lesson, _ have now? 1 cent. villa mac this is my lesson, first - have now? 1 cent. villa mac this is my lesson, first and | this is my lesson, first and foremost _ this is my lesson, first and foremost. and hopefully parents see that — foremost. and hopefully parents see that i — foremost. and hopefully parents see that i learned from this. the — see that i learned from this. the main _ see that i learned from this. the main take away, think twice before you give your phone to someone. never give your phone away. it doesn't matter how well they are. and if you do have to give it away, make sure the very least that you somehow managed to disable all the takeaway orders. more on our

stories on our website. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @jamesbbcnews. thanks so much for watching. hello there. it's going to be a weekend of two halves, weather—wise. the weekend starts off with a lot of cloud and a mild feel, just as we've had over the last couple of days. but the second half of the weekend will look and feel quite different. it will be mostly sunny, the skies will be clearer, but it will be a little bit chillier. but starting saturday morning, as you can see, with extensive cloud cover in most places, that cloud producing the odd spot of drizzle, a bit of mist and murk over hills in the west. for england and wales, we should see some breaks appearing in that cloud, so some sunny spells. but for northern ireland and scotland, it's a slightly different story. this band of rain will push in from the northwest eventually, with brighter skies following behind. top temperatures between 9—12 degrees. and then as we head through saturday night, this

band of cloud and increasingly light and patchy rain will sink its way southwards. clear skies following on behind. and we will be moving into some colder air, which will be across just about all parts by the end of the night. so we will start sunday morning in quite a few places, i think, with a touch of frost, because we will be in this colder air, but with this strong area of high pressure building on top of the uk. and what that means is a lot less cloud and a lot more sunshine, perhaps with a chilly breeze for some of these north sea coasts, at least for a time. a bit more clouds dancing across the north of scotland, maybe some extra cloud for a time in the far south—west of england. but for most, sunday will bring sunshine, albeit with slightly lower temperatures — 7, 8 or 9 degrees. but with the sunshine overhead, that is not going to feel too bad. now, as you move through sunday night into the first part of monday, the centre of our high drifts a little further eastwards. and under the centre

of the high, with light winds, we could well have some fog patches to start monday morning, especially across central and eastern parts of england. england and wales will have the lion's share of the sunshine on monday, eastern scotland perhaps as well. but for northern ireland and for the western side of scotland, we will see a bit more cloud filtering in, maybe with a few splashes of rain, and temperatures generally between 7 and 10 degrees. as we head through the course of the week, we are going to see a lot of dry weather. temperatures generally staying in single digits. the greatest chance of any rain towards the north and west of the uk.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the us secretary of state has said beijing was acting irresponsibly and violating international law, after a chinese observation balloon was detected over the united states. antony blinken has cancelled a planned visit to beijing this weekend because of the incident. earlier, china insisted it was a civilian weather balloon. memphis police department says it's fired another officer as part of its investigation into the death of tyre nichols, a 29—year—old black man who was beaten by officers in the us city last month. the department named the officer fired as preston hemphill. five policemen have been charged with murder. ajury in the united states has found elon musk not guilty of fraud over a tesla tweet.

mr musk was being sued by shareholders who claim