welcome to bbc news. i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: after a chinese balloon flies into us airspace, a second is spotted — this time over latin america. 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 keeping the power after russian attacks. we meet the emergency team is trying to repair ukraine's missile hit infrastructure. —— teams.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. in the last hour, the pentagon has confirmed that they are seeing reports of a balloon transiting over latin america. brigadier general patrick ryder says that the us department of defense now assesses that it is another chinese surveillance balloon. this comes after washington accused beijing of acting irresponsibly after a first such balloon was detected over the united states. secretary of state antony blinken postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing over the incident. china says that balloon was a "civilian airship" — which had deviated from its planned route. in a moment, i'll get the latest from our correspondent on the second balloon sighting. first, this report from gordon correra. 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. 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 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 correra, bbc news. well, our north america correspondent peter bowes joins me now. peter, this second balloon sighting, what more can you tell us? , ~ .,

tell us? very little. we have had a coume _ tell us? very little. we have had a couple of _ tell us? very little. we have had a couple of lines - tell us? very little. we have had a couple of lines from . tell us? very little. we have i had a couple of lines from the pentagon confirming that there is a second balloon that is flying somewhere over latin america. that is a vast area. we don't have any precise location. and that it is, according to the pentagon, another chinese surveillance balloon. so that means there are too. it certainly as to the intrigue. it certainly raises more questions than it answers. is this another balloon that has veered off track, like the chinese were saying about the original balloon that is still floating somewhere over north america? is this a concerted effort by china, assuming, now, that there are two balloons, and possibly more — who knows? and what is the strategy as far as beijing is concerned? so many really unanswered ma ny really u na nswered questions many really unanswered questions at the moment but you can bet the state department will be looking into this with urgency. we will wait to see

what the chinese themselves they about the second balloon. antony blinken has now cancelled his trip to beijing. how have people reacted to that decision? i how have people reacted to that decision? ~' ., , decision? i think generally in terms of politics _ decision? i think generally in terms of politics it _ decision? i think generally in terms of politics it is - decision? i think generally in terms of politics it is seen i decision? i think generally in terms of politics it is seen as the right decision that clearly there is a tense situation developing. it might seem surreal to many people. but this is turning into a major international row between the united states and china. and unusual — we really don't know how it will end. i think one of the questions is this visit was planned to try to improve relations between the united states and china. they plan to discuss a number of issues during the meetings over the weekend, everything from technology to covid—i9 to taiwan. it isn't happening now because it has been completely overshadowed by this situation and we don't know how it is

going to end. i think it might depend to some extent on the level of cooperation between the chinese and the americans to either bring this balloon safely down or at least get it out of us airspace.— out of us airspace. peter bowes. _ out of us airspace. peter bowes, alan _ out of us airspace. peter bowes, alan north - out of us airspace. peter i bowes, alan north america correspondent, joining us from los angeles, thank you. —— our north america. john powell is the president and founder ofjp aerospace. his company has launched 200 balloons into the upper atmosphere for research students and media companies. hejoins us now he joins us now from sacramento, california. why use a balloon are not a satellite? balloons give you several advantages. it is much closer and more highlighted. you have and more highlighted. you have a new camera or sensor, and you don't want to wait six months, but want to fly it now. the balloon is built.—

but want to fly it now. the balloon is built.- but want to fly it now. the balloon is built. how high do the balloons _ balloon is built. how high do the balloons fly? _ balloon is built. how high do the balloons fly? how- balloon is built. how high do the balloons fly? how high l balloon is built. how high do | the balloons fly? how high is the balloons fly? how high is the first balloon, do you know? at first there was a 150,000 feet. now they have updated it and said it is 60,000.- and said it is 60,000. does it surrise and said it is 60,000. does it surprise you _ and said it is 60,000. does it surprise you to _ and said it is 60,000. does it surprise you to hear _ and said it is 60,000. does it surprise you to hear that - and said it is 60,000. does it| surprise you to hear that there is now a second balloon that has been seen over latin america?— america? actually what surprises _ america? actually what surprises me _ america? actually what surprises me is - america? actually what surprises me is that - america? actually what l surprises me is that they america? actually what - surprises me is that they are paying attention to it. at any given time there are literally thousands of these balloons flying over the world. literally thousands are lodged every day, flying over the us, over europe, overjapan. whether balloons will sometimes circle the globe a couple of times before landing. there are actually a lot of balloons up there in the sky. —— weather. why these are notable in your opinion? why these are notable in your oinion? ~ , ., why these are notable in your oinion? ~ ,, ., , opinion? when you are flying over somebody's _ opinion? when you are flying over somebody's asbos - opinion? when you are flying over somebody's asbos you | over somebody's asbos you notify them. every is talking to each other. they gave no

notice of the balloon until it was spotted out of place. —— airspace. was spotted out of place. -- airsuace-_ was spotted out of place. -- airsace. ., . ., , ., airspace. you are an expert on balloons — airspace. you are an expert on balloons. we _ airspace. you are an expert on balloons. we don't _ airspace. you are an expert on balloons. we don't know- airspace. you are an expert on balloons. we don't know much about the second balloon, but what can you tell us about the first? ., , . ., first? one of the things we can tell is the _ first? one of the things we can tell is the balloon _ first? one of the things we can tell is the balloon it _ first? one of the things we can tell is the balloon it is. - first? one of the things we can tell is the balloon it is. this - tell is the balloon it is. this type of balloon, of balloon, latex balloon, is a standard weather balloon that weather services around the world use. it is made out of latex rubber. a research balloon going to longer distances with larger payloads, these are about 50m in diameter stressed out, but is made out of thin film poly. this is what we're seeing the pictures of this balloon from china. it looks like it isn't being floated on a traditional weather balloon but on a research or high altitude

military balloon. 50 research or high altitude military balloon. research or high altitude milita balloon. ., ., military balloon. so what would this balloon _ military balloon. so what would this balloon consist _ military balloon. so what would this balloon consist of, - military balloon. so what would this balloon consist of, john? . this balloon consist of, john? the balloon itself is just a polyethylene film. if you have a food wrap film and have something about ten times thinner, and that is holding your big ball of helium that is holding the balloon up. below it is the instrument package. from what we can see there are solar panels on it which is very common. and that is the only really identifiable then we can see on the vehicle. john, thank you very much. i have learnt a lot more about berlin zoo note that i thought i would when i turned up the work. thank you very much for your time. work. thank you very much for your time-— your time. you are welcome, thank you- — your time. you are welcome, thank you- --i _ your time. you are welcome, thank you. --i have - your time. you are welcome, thank you. --i have learnt i your time. you are welcome, thank you. --i have learnt a l thank you. ——i have learnt a lot more about balloons than i thought i would. a jury in the united states has found elon musk not guilty of fraud over a tweet about tesla. 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. reed kathrein is a lawyer who is an expert in securities fraud. he has interviewed bernie madoff and elizabeth holmes under oath. when we looked 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

—— when we looked 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 be be be 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. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — giving the game away: why this year's grammy awards will be honouring a different type of music. this is the moment that millions in iran have been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil.

south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid, and the anc leader nelson mandela is to be set free unconditionally. mission control: three, two, one. a countdown to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it, "a piece of cake." thousands of people have given l the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming - in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record . for sailing solo _ around the world, non—stop. this is bbc news. a reminder of our top story —

after a chinese balloon flies into us airspace, a second is reported, this time over latin america. the us is to provide ukraine with longer—range guided rockets as 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. nomia iqbal reporting. well, all of this support from ukraine's allies comes as russia has been bombing the country's power network relentlessly. energy companies in ukraine have been working around the clock to repair the damage

and to keep electricity flowing during the cold winter months. the bbc�*s paul adams and cameraman david mcilveen have been granted rare access to the energy network and the teams involved. ukraine's energy war — a constant battle for heat and light. a race to keep up with russian attacks. air siren wails. 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. air siren wails. 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've 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 powerlines 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. pope francis is in south sudan, the latest stop on 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. our religion editor aleem maqbool is travelling with the pope and has more from juba. in the centuries, there has been — there's never been a foreign trip by an archbishop of canterbury with a pope but that all changed today, and they were joined, as you say, 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's a majority christian country, most of the rival leaders who've been fighting over control of the resources of this country — almost since its independence back in 2011 — well, they all call themselves christian, they all say they are churchgoing, the president is a catholic, and the idea is to say, "well, if you call "yourselves 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've got 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, not a great deal has changed since then and today, the pope, in his opening speech, said, "no more of this" — 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. aleem maqbool reporting. american music's biggest night, the grammys, takes place on sunday evening. awards will be handed out in dozens of categories including pop, rock, hip—hop and jazz, to name a few. but this year, a new award is being given to a previously unheralded type of music. the bbc�*s tim allman explains. much anyone who is anyone has won a grammy. but they are give or take the most prestigious award in music. famously, they give them out forjust award in music. famously, they give them out for just about every genre you can think of, and that list hasjust every genre you can think of, and that list has just got a

little bit longer. this isjust one nominee in the latest category, the grammy for best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media. it's the music you hear when you are fighting aliens, slaying dragons or flying sorties during the war. i think is an industry, _ sorties during the war. i think is an industry, we've - sorties during the war. i think is an industry, we've shown i is an industry, we've shown that there is great artistry and fantastic music being composed for video games so it is just amazing that someone as big as the grammys has taken it on and thought we need to support this industry. hat on and thought we need to support this industry. not that the industry — support this industry. not that the industry needs _ support this industry. not that the industry needs that - support this industry. not that the industry needs that much l the industry needs that much support. it is already big business, valued at around $200 billion, and there are gamers all over the world. so, for those composing the music, this new award could not come quick

enough. new award could not come quick enou:h. ., _, ., enough. having the recognition of an institution _ enough. having the recognition of an institution like _ enough. having the recognition of an institution like the - of an institution like the grammys or other big things like thatjust show grammys or other big things like that just show validation but what we are doing is important, it is reaching wide audiences. important, it is reaching wide audiences-— audiences. the lucky winner will be revealed _ audiences. the lucky winner will be revealed at - audiences. the lucky winner will be revealed at the - will be revealed at the ceremony on sunday which is taking place in la. reward at last for a music described as being unlike anything else in the entertainment industry. tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of our breaking news this hour — the pentagon has confirmed it is seeing reports of a balloon transiting latin america. brigadier general pat ryder said it is now being assessed as another chinese surveillance balloon. this is the second balloon to be spotted — the first was seen over the united states. china says that balloon was a "civilian airship" which had deviated from its planned route. but the us secretary of state antony blinken postponed a much—anticipated trip to beijing over the incident.

you are watching bbc news. it is great to have you with us. 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 cloud 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 — seven, eight or nine 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 seven and ten 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: after a chinese observation balloon was detected over the united states, a second has been reported, this time over latin america. earlier, the us secretary of state said beijing was acting irresponsibly and violating international law. antony blinken has cancelled a planned visit to beijing this weekend. 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. pope francis is in south sudan, the latest up on what the

vatican is calling a pilgrimage