this is bbc news. i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: the top american diplomat postpones a trip to beijing, accusing china of violating international law after an observation balloon is spotted in us airspace. 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 fragrances, dies, aged 88.

hello and welcome to bbc news. 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. 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 corera 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. yesterday, the department of defence announced that we had detected and were tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that remains over the continental united states. we continue to track and monitor the balloon closely. we are confident this is a chinese surveillance balloon. in light of china's unacceptable action, i am postponing my travel this weekend to china. 50 i am postponing my travelthis weekend to china.— i am postponing my travelthis

weekend to china. so where did the come from? _ weekend to china. so where did the come from? us _ weekend to china. so where did i the come from? us meteorologist has tracked the route it may have taken, using a model usually used to look at the spread of pollutants. the bbc�*s data analysts and weather teams say this model takes account 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 claim, 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. daniel davis is a senior fellow for defense priorities and a former lieutenant colonel in the us army. he's in denver, colorado. daniel, antony blinken has cancelled his trip to china. was he right to do that? i don't think he was. this is not the first time this has

happened and every country on everybody. we spy on china daily and best bonus. there are a lot of things going on right now and tensions have been as leading between china and the united states and already the us has conducted unusually low amounts of high—level diplomacy between the two countries. i think they need to and i hope you get to back on track soon. antony blinken had to do something, to take a stand. what else would you recommend he did? he what else would you recommend he did? . ., what else would you recommend he did? ., ,, what else would you recommend he did? _, ., ,, ., he did? he could address it and sa it is he did? he could address it and say it is unacceptable _ he did? he could address it and say it is unacceptable and - he did? he could address it and say it is unacceptable and have | say it is unacceptable and have diplomatic — in a row over it, and say that when making strong representation, but say that we're going to talk about it and get it resolved that the source while we are talking about other things. it isn't one of the other. you can do them both. one of the other. you can do them both-— one of the other. you can do them both. a, , ., ., _ ., them both. more diplomacy and conversations. _ them both. more diplomacy and conversations. china, _ them both. more diplomacy and conversations. china, of- conversations. china, of course, say it is a weather balloon, and have apologised. do you think it could be a weather balloon?-

do you think it could be a weather balloon? no, i don't. there is no — weather balloon? no, i don't. there is no way, _ weather balloon? no, i don't. there is no way, because - weather balloon? no, i don't. there is no way, because of l weather balloon? no, i don't. l there is no way, because of the fact that it stopped over the us air force base, stopped over strategic missile silos for icbm, intercontinental ballistic missiles, that isn't a mistake, and i think that they knew we would see that. so i think it is some kind of an intentional message, but i think it went well course and i think it went well course and i think it went well course and i think it blew up more than expected. i think they are embarrassed by this. what intentional _ embarrassed by this. what intentional message - embarrassed by this. what intentional message you i embarrassed by this. what i intentional message you think they were trying to send and why do you think they would do it now? . , , it now? that is the big question _ it now? that is the big question and - it now? that is the big question and i - it now? that is the big question and i think i it now? that is the big question and i think it| it now? that is the big i question and i think it is it now? that is the big . question and i think it is a big mistake because it was coming literally hours before antony blinken was supposed to go on plane to visit china. but there are all these issues going on between china and the united states over the issue of taiwan and i suspect that china may have been wanting to send a message and say we know where your icbm silos are and if this gets into an ugly situation, we can take them out. that may have been their intention because it certainly stayed over there and they knew we

would track it and be aware of it. but again i think it was ham—fisted and i think it was a bad move by beijing. [30 ham-fisted and i think it was a bad move by beijing.— bad move by bei'ing. do you think there _ bad move by bei'ing. do you think there is _ bad move by beijing. do you think there is no _ bad move by beijing. do you think there is no danger - bad move by beijing. do you think there is no danger that the us could ramp up militarily and actually this escalate? well, it would be hard to escalate more than it has been a ready. we don't want to overreact on something as small as this. not unusual weather satellite or balloon that has come over before. but we have already been wrapping up the military stuff. we just signed a new dealforfour military stuff. we just signed a new deal for four additional basesin a new deal for four additional bases in the philippines. we are expanding our facilities bases in the philippines. we are expanding ourfacilities in japan. we have opened up for the first time in seven years and marine base in guam. china has been ramping up, doing more flights close to the taiwanese quarter. both sides are ramping up quarter. both sides are ramping up and that is why diplomacy is so important because we need to call tensions and not keith geyer the current trajectory. thank you forjoining us

formally to general daniel davidson. —— former lieutenant general. a jury 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 carmaker that he was taking the company back into private ownership — something which never happened. 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. i'm curious as to what you guys think. elon musk seemed nervous after he'd given evidence. "how did i do?" he asked the media outside. and, to be fair, he had a lot to lose, potentially billions. in terms of an individual tweets, 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,

and many investors say they took mr musk at his word, buying up tesla stock. after that tweet, tesla's price rocketed. but soon it became clear that the deal was far from done. tesla never went private. it's still a public company to this day. and what that became clear, the share price fell. investors lost big money. the securities exchange commission had already fined elon musk and tesla $40 million for the tweet, and stripped him of his position as chairman of the board. and in addition to that, many shareholders sued. for the last few weeks, this court in san francisco has been hearing evidence. the question the jury had to decide was whether elon musk had knowingly tweeted out something that wasn't true, and, if he had, what damages he should pay. mr musk argued in court that he had acted in good faith and, after deliberation, thejury concluded he did not have to compensate

investor losses. this is a lawyer who is an expert in securities fraud. when we look at the case, i thought it was a slam dunk. it comes out, says funding secured. i mean, that's as concrete of a statement as taking a company private as there can be. finding elon musk not guilty, i think, is a travesty, because it means that from now on, executives can put out tweets, social media, and skirt the line, be very thin on what's real and not real, as long as they can say they believe that in their own minds. many experts thought mr musk would lose this case. they were wrong. one of the world's richest people hasjust saved himself potentially billions of dollars. tony nash is an economist and the ceo and founder of complete intelligence,

a finance—related ai platform. thank you forjoining us. how surprised were you about this verdict? to surprised were you about this verdict? ., , ., , ., verdict? to be honest, not reall . verdict? to be honest, not really- i — verdict? to be honest, not really. i know _ verdict? to be honest, not really. i know a _ verdict? to be honest, not really. i know a lot - verdict? to be honest, not really. i know a lot of - verdict? to be honest, not l really. i know a lot of people thought he would be found guilty. it was a stupid tweet. i think he would take it back and wouldn't admit that but i think you probably would if he could do it again. but i think it does make the landscape pretty crazy going forward where executives can say things publicly that they would be very careful of saying before. so if you are an investor i think you now have two look at the formal declarations, regular three findings, to find out real information. elon musk has made this an incredible informal way of talking to people. informal way of talking to --eole. ., ~' informal way of talking to --eole. ., «a , ., people. you think stupid not intentionally _ people. you think stupid not intentionally misleading - people. you think stupid not intentionally misleading but| people. you think stupid not l intentionally misleading but it proved very damaging, of course, to shareholders? it did. since 2018, the seb ross

has done well. i don't know what these guys were investing into, billions of dollars, unless there was something exotic. the shares have risen over the last four years. if those plaintiffs, some of the statements that they made said they were trying to look out for their well being, these sorts of things. you know, the share price has delivered over the long—term. so, you know, the long—term. so, you know, the sec has find twitter and elon musk, so in bigotry environment, that has been in force. do they prove they lost billions of dollars, obviously didn't because this was a jury trial. didn't because this was a “my trial. , ., ~ , trial. do you think this will chance trial. do you think this will change the _ trial. do you think this will change the way _ trial. do you think this will change the way that - trial. do you think this will change the way that elon l trial. do you think this will- change the way that elon musk tweets? or that other ceos tweets? or that other ceos tweet in future?— tweet in future? for sure. i think the — tweet in future? for sure. i think the voice _ tweet in future? for sure. i think the voice of _ tweet in future? for sure. i think the voice of the - tweet in future? for sure. i think the voice of the ceo l tweet in future? for sure. i i think the voice of the ceo can get now informal and i think especially in tech companies. i

think you will see ceos becoming very informal and making claims even if they can justifiably say i thought that this was going to happen. alright? and this is what elon musk has said, he reasonably thought it would happen, and it didn't happen, so well. i think the sec sees claims that have been made that were true, but they're leaning in that direction. investors will need to be more wary and do their research before taking positions.— research before taking ositions. ,, , ., ., positions. surely now elon musk has done this _ positions. surely now elon musk has done this and _ positions. surely now elon musk has done this and had _ positions. surely now elon musk has done this and had this, - positions. surely now elon musk has done this and had this, it. has done this and had this, it is a reprimand, isn't it, even if he was found not guilty. people have to be careful. they won't have the same defence because of what has happened to elon musk here?— elon musk here? they won't. auain, i elon musk here? they won't. again. ithink— elon musk here? they won't. again, i think from _ elon musk here? they won't. again, i think from a - elon musk here? they won't. again, i think from a regular| again, i think from a regular three perspective and from a — let's say from investor relations or communications perspective — it is all of a

sudden the wild west. you can say what you want. you can say i think we will go private at a certain present if it doesn't happen, you know, you just kind of shrug your shoulders and say didn't work out. you may get a slap on the wrist. $40 million isn't much of a slap on the wrist but you can get a slap on the wrist from the sec, but investors have to be careful and they have to do their research before taking positions. this is really what the basis of the lawsuit was about. those executives, i guess, can be a bit more careless in their communications. i guess that is what it tells me with the finding in this suit. they can be more careless with their communications. i am be more careless with their communications. iam not be more careless with their communications. i am not a lawyer. communications. i am not a la er. ., ., ., ., , lawyer. you are an economist, thou~h. lawyer. you are an economist, though. thank _ lawyer. you are an economist, though. thank you _ lawyer. you are an economist, though. thank you very - lawyer. you are an economist, though. thank you very much l lawyer. you are an economist, i though. thank you very much for joining us. the us is to provide longer range rockets to ukraine.

it's part of another package of military support worth some $2.2 billion. 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. our 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 r . weapon y 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 cheque 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. let's get some of the day's other news. jobs growth surged in the us injanuary, defying fears that the economy is heading for a downturn. the us department of labor 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. the memphis police department says it's fired another officer as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of tyre nichols, a 29—year—old black man who was beaten by officers

in the us city last month. it said preston hemphill violated department policies on personal conduct, truthfulness and compliance with regulations. five policemen have already been fired and charged with second—degree murder over the case. the former brazilian president jair bolsonaro has given a speech at his first public event since he lost the election and left his country for the united states ahead of the inauguration of president lula. mr bolsonaro is facing investigation in brazil over his role in the storming of government buildings in brasilia by his supporters last month. our correspondent, will grant, is in miami. what will grant, is in miami. did bolsonaro have to say? his what did bolsonaro have to say? his supporters were waiting for him to say he is about to make an imminent return to frontline politics in brazil or anything of that nature, that was not

forthcoming. nor did he make any explicit reference that i could make out two events on 8 january, the uprising in brasilia. what he did say is that he considers brazil is facing, as he put it, and "ethical, moraland facing, as he put it, and "ethical, moral and economic crisis". and when it came to his role going forward, he said he was currently recharging his batteries and would not give up on brazil, that was enough for his supporters to start chanting 2026, that is the next election year in brazil. so they clearly think he is not done yet, and they expect him to be back there eventually, notjust to be back there eventually, not just facing any to be back there eventually, notjust facing any question of investigation of his role in the events of 8 january investigation of his role in the events of 8january but actually to try and take back the office of president at some point. 50 the office of president at some oint. .,, , .,. point. so was he preaching already to _ point. so was he preaching already to the _ point. so was he preaching already to the converted? | point. so was he preaching - already to the converted? how was he received?— was he received? yeah, absolutely, _ was he received? yeah, absolutely, this - was he received? yeah, absolutely, this was - was he received? yeah, absolutely, this was a i was he received? yeah, i absolutely, this was a very friendly audience, this was organised by a group that promotes conservative values in

us campuses at universities and high schools and so on, a group called turning point. he was introduced by the conservative talk show host charlie kirk, this was absolutely preaching to the converted. i think it was being watched very closely in brazil for was being watched very closely in brazilfor any was being watched very closely in brazil for any reference about the events that took place in brasilia, that uprising, anything he may have said. really though, this was much more a speech about what he considered his successes had been as president, and he was making a lot of reference to example, the things that he did on covid, the biggest chair i think was when he said that they respected the "freedoms of those who didn't want to get the vaccine".— the vaccine". thank you very much for _ the vaccine". thank you very much forjoining _ the vaccine". thank you very much forjoining us. - the vaccine". thank you very much forjoining us. we'll. much forjoining us. we'll grant in miami. ——will grant. pope francis 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's 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, he kissed the feet of the country's rival leaders at the vatican. our religion editor, aleem maqbool, is in the capital, juba, with more on this story. 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 and well. so why are they here, why are they making this unprecedented move in south sudan? well the idea is because it's a majority christian country,

they all call themselves christian. the president is catholic, the first vice president is presbyterian. they 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 is happened in the past, they have a very slim chance actually because back in 2019 the same leaders were invited to the vatican, and in a very dramatic moment, the pope kissed their feet. not a great deal has changed since then. and today the pope, in his opening speech, said "no more of this," when he is 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 fashion designer paco rabanne has died in france at the age of 88.

he began his career working on jewellery designs for luxury labels including givenchy and dior, before launching his own fashion house in 1966. his label said his legacy would remain a constant source of inspiration. 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 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. manchester united are conducting an internal investigation to determine whether mason greenwood should play for the club again, after criminal charges of rape against him were dropped. the striker hasn't played for united, orfor england, since audio emerged online of a man apparently pressuring a woman to have sex with him. jane dougall reports.

he's risen from manchester united's academy to theirfirst team... 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 own judgement. 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 their female 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. let's bring you some breaking news now. us reporters are quoting the pentagon press spokesman as saying a second balloon is transiting over latin america, it is being assessed to be another chinese surveillance balloon. we will bring you more on that as soon as we can. you are watching bbc news. you can find more on all our stories on the bbc news website and the bbc news app. thanks 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 north—west 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. 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 they lost billions following tweets by the founder of the carmaker that he was taking the company back into private ownership. the former brazilian president jair bolsonaro has given

a speech at his first public event since he lost