of freezing conditions. hello and welcome, if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the bbc has obtained secret recordings, made by the daughter of the ruler of dubai, in which she accuses her father of holding her in solitary confinement. sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoumon is a close ally of the united kingdom, with extensive business interests here, and he claims that princess latifa is safe in the care of the family. it's known that the princess tried to leave dubai in 2018, but was captured by troops and forced to return. last year, the high court in london found that sheikh mohammed had �*ordered and orchestrated' the abduction. our correspondent, nawal al—maghafi, has the story. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum, ruler of dubai. here she is skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she's a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018 as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. with the help of her friend tiina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, oh, my god, they're here." she continued screaming and kicking and trying to get away. that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. princess latifa would only be allowed to step out of the villa for this, a lunch with former un human rights commissioner mary robinson, arranged by her stepmother, princess haya. nothing has been heard from her since, until now. so i'm repeating to them, i'm repeating that my name is latifa al maktoum. i don't want to go to dubai. i want to get asylum. panorama has obtained these videos, recorded over a period of many months. in them, she details where she is being held, a villa in central dubai. i am a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail, all the windows are boarded shut, i cannot open any window. i have been by myself in solitary confinement, no access to medical help, no trial, no charge. nothing. she sketched what she can see. the villa is being guarded by around 30 police on rotation. panorama has independently verified the details of where and how she's being imprisoned. nobody should be subjected to that. solitary confinement of that sort is broadly considered to be a form of torture as it becomes prolonged, the way this has been right now. for three years now, life for sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum has continued as normal. here's sheikh mohammed, speaking with her majesty the queen. but he's been responsible for the imprisonment and abuse of his own daughter. until this day, the sheikh maintains that princess latifa's return to dubai was a rescue mission. i don't want to be a hostage in this jailvilla, ijust want to be free. a few months ago, her secret phone went silent. these messages would be the last we'd hear from her. we have taken the decision to release some of this evidence. we haven't taken this decision lightly. i feel that she would want us to fight for her and not give up. every day i am worried about my safety and my life. i don't really know if i am going to survive the situation. the police threatened me that i will be in prison my whole life and i'll never see the sun again. princess latifa ending that report there by our correspondent nawal al maghafi. as we mentioned, the sheikh found himself criticised by the high court in london last year, when his daughter's circumstances were considered. the sheikh is one of the richest heads of state in the world, and a somewhat controversial figure. but he is also extremely well connected, not least because of his business interests, including his horse racing empire, which has brought him into contact with the queen. our diplomatic correspondent james landale considers the potential impact of the bbc panorama investigation. sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum might be prime minister of the united arab emirates and one of the richest heads of state in the world, but he is also one of the biggest landowners in britain, who shares a passion for horses with the queen, and whose stables are a mainstay of the british racing industry. his wealth flows through britain. he owns passenger ferries, the london gateway port and vast estates in scotland, surrey and here in suffolk where he keeps hundreds of horses. but the sheikh is also a man who, according to a high courtjudge, not only intimidated his then wife, princess haya, seen here, but also imprisoned his daughter, something latifa has now confirmed herself. world leaders now need to look at who they are calling friends and doing business with and distance themselves from sheikh mohammed until he abides by not only his own laws but international law. such is the family's influence that in 2018 it persuaded a former president of ireland and ex—un human rights commissioner to meet the princess in dubai. mary robinson was supposedly there to prove latifa was alive but unwell. she now admits she was tricked and wants an investigation. i was misled, initially by my good friend princess haya because she was misled. haya began to explain that latifa had quite a serious bipolar problem, and they were saying to me, very kind of in a way that was very convincing, "we don't want latifa to go through any further trauma." i didn't know how to address somebody with bipolar about their trauma, and i really didn't actually want to talk to her and increase the trauma over a nice lunch. the question is what impact these revelations might have, if any, on sheikh mohammed. buckingham palace would not comment on his relationship with the queen, and some doubted the british government would intervene. is it britain getting involved to make britain feel better, or is it britain getting involved because it might create a change of heart and lead to the freedom of this particular young woman? people have to be pretty candid about these things. it's not going to work. the united nations has, in the past, asked sheikh mohammed's ministers for news about princess latifa, but to no avail. in the end, his daughter's fate seems to lie in his hands and his alone. james landale, bbc news. donald trump has launched a blistering attack on the republican leader in the us senate, mitch mcconnell, saying the party would never again be strong with leaders like him. three days after his acquittal in his second impeachment trial, the former president described mr mcconnell as a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack. our north america correspondent peter bowes joins us from los angeles. peter, i peter, i guess this is some of peter, i guess this is some of the first shot in a war that is likely to go on for awhile? 0h likely to go on for awhile? oh yes, and i think it certainly confirms that we perhaps didn't already know at that donald trump intends to stay in political fray for some time to come, as well as attacking, as you havejust come, as well as attacking, as you have just quoted some of his words, attacking mitch mcconnell and very personal terms. ., ., ., , terms. he also talks about his economic— terms. he also talks about his economic record, _ terms. he also talks about his economic record, he - terms. he also talks about his economic record, he talks - terms. he also talks about his l economic record, he talks about his record on the coronavirus when he was in the white house, it almost reads like the early draft of an election manifesto but a lot of the focus of course will be on what is it about mitch mcconnell, saying that he wasn't the kind of leader that could continue to win elections for the republicans, and mr trump saying that he will support republican candidates who espouse his agenda, his america first agenda, which of course was a big part of his campaign when he was first elected after his initial campaign in 2016. and mr trump his initial campaign in 2016. and mrtrump of his initial campaign in 2016. and mr trump of course famous, infinite perhaps for holding election rallies even when there was no actual election. mr biden seems to be taking a leaf out of his book going for a townhall?— first major trip outside of washington forjoe biden and of course what has been happening within his administration has been somewhat overshadowed by the impeachment trial over the last week or so, so this is an opportunity, i think, last week or so, so this is an opportunity, ithink, initially forjoe biden to get back into the headlines and what we expect is the main subject will be the coronavirus and mr biden�*s attempt to get bipartisan support, republican and democratic support for his bell, his $1.9 trillion bill to help americans through this pandemic, money for individuals, $1400 is written into this bill but also widespread help to get businesses back on track again and also the distribution of the vaccine for the coronavirus, so i think those are likely to be the key issues with mr biden really appealing to the american public. this will be live on us television to get behind him as far as the speu to get behind him as far as the spell is concerned. politically he doesn't need the republicans but he very much might need their support. in myanmar, the trial of the detained civilian leader aung san suu kyi has begun behind closed doors. ms suu kyi, who appeared in court via video link, accused to have violated the country's natural disaster law, in addition to earlier charges, on possessing illegal communications. protests against the military coup have continued across myanmar, but a military spokesman claimed ms suu kyi was being confined for her own safety. 0ur south east asia correspondentjonathan head reports. when you have lost the monks in myanmar, you're in trouble. they led the last big uprising against military rule. now some arejoining the protests against the coup. it's the diversity and inventiveness of this civil disobedience movement which has stumped myanmar�*s new military rulers. this impromptu painting shows a young woman who was shot in the head by police last week. the involvement of so many professional groups is also challenging the authorities. these are engineers, refusing to co—operate with the new regime. here people joined railway workers to ensure that the trains don't run on time under military rule. public services are beginning to crumble under the strain. banks are running out of cash. putting troops on the street is no answer to this kind of protest. so, two weeks after seizing power, the military offered their own version of events to journalists today, accusing protesters of violence and intimidation, and insisting their power grab was not in fact a coup. but this was also the day the generals put aung san suu kyi on trial, on what looked like trumped up and trivial charges. after that, any battle for hearts and minds was already lost. even for the nameless and mainly younger organisers of this movement, she is still the popularly elected leader of the country. jonathan head, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: lift off on diversity, we hear about the european space agency's ground—breaking new recruitment drive. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered. that has a terrible affect on the morale of the people. i'm terrified of the repercussions on the streets, one wonders who is next. gunfire. as the airlift got under way, there was no letup . in the eruption itself. lava streams from . a vent low the crater flowed down to the sea the east of the island, i away from the town for the time being. | it could start flowing again at any time. i the russians heralded their new generation space station with a spectacular night launch, they called it �*mir�* — the russian for peace. biontech the latest headlines: chilling new videos from the daughter of the ruler of dubai — princess latifa says she is being held prisoner by her father after trying to flee. donald trump criticises mitch mcconnell as "dour and sullen", saying the republican party will never be strong with leaders like him. at least 11 people have lost their lives in the united states, as once—in—a—generation freezing winter weather hammers the southern states. more than 150 million americans are now under winter storm warnings, and officials have declared a state of emergency in texas. angelica casas sent this from san antonio. the winter weather in texas started out as a fun. power went out in the heights so if i'm freezing my butt off, might as well be out in the snow. but this dreamy scene soon turned into a nightmare, with temperatures dropping to 0 fahrenheit across — that's —17 celsius. power supplies have failed, leaving over 4 million people without electricity. this man's house froze up, forcing him to drive 30 miles to houston to find a hotel for him and his family. got a newborn, just trying to find a hotel and trying to find a place to stay. we called several hotels — everybody was just booked up. many have been left to fend for themselves. rolling blackouts have been put in some areas of the state to keep powerfor hospitals, police and fire stations. texas is not used to the fury of a cold winter. i have been seeing people put food outside to freeze, instead of in the freezer, charging their phones into their vehicles, and even spending the night in their turned—on cars just to stay warm. but the state is the biggest energy producer so many families are telling me that they are upset that texas did not prepare in advance for the freezing temperatures that we are seeing now. local officials say they are doing their best to get back on track, especially during this pandemic. the hurst county public health department building lost power. at that location we had 8,430 moderna vaccines, so we got to work, under the mission to avoid losing those vaccines with the loss of power. there have been hundreds of road crashes in texas and in other states too. the national weather service says this abnormal weather is down to a cold outbreak that has come through from the arctic. it says nearly 73% of the united states is covered in snow right now and the cold snap will stay for another week. angelica casas, bbc news, san antonio. let's get some of the day's other news: the court of appeal in the netherlands has decided that a 9pm coronavirus curfew will remain in place until a full appeal is heard later this week. a lower court had ruled that the measure had to be reversed immediately, as ministers had not shown why it was needed so urgently. north korean hackers are reported to have tried to break into the computer systems of pharmaceutical giant, pfizer. according to south korea's spy agency, the hackers were looking for information on the vaccine. north korea has been under self—imposed isolation since january last year. leader kimjong—un has denied that the country has had any coronavirus cases. the world's biggest cryptocurrency, bitcoin, has broken through the $50,000 barrier for the first time. it continues an upward trend that's seen it rise almost 900% since march last year. bitcoin has been given a boost by news of large firms, like tesla and mastercard, showing support for the currency. the lower house of the french national assembly has approved legislation to combat extremism, which the government says threatens national unity. president emmanuel macron�*s flagship project is meant to nurture republican values and has militant islam as its prime target. conservatives say the bill doesn't go far enough while those on the left—wing argue it risks stigmatising muslims in general. it includes closer scrutiny of religious associations, tighter controls on home schooling and a new offence of posting personal details online to endanger others. the senate will debate the measures next month. you may remember the story of anna sorokin, a german woman who posed as a wealthy new york socialite named anna delvey, and scammed more than $200,000 from banks and luxury hotels in the process. she spent nearly four years in prison but that's doesn't seem to have reformed her. in herfirst interview she branded her incarceration as "pointless". the reporter who got that first interview is jacob shamsian, legal reporter at business insider. good to talk to you. she is not exactly repenta nt good to talk to you. she is not exactly repentant than?- exactly repentant than? what was that? _ exactly repentant than? what was that? she _ exactly repentant than? what was that? she is _ exactly repentant than? what was that? she is not - exactly repentant than? “misgt was that? she is not repentant? definitely no. she found the experience of present pointless and a waste of time. she says it more as something she needs to fix rather than a crime she committed. to fix rather than a crime she committed-— to fix rather than a crime she committed. ., , ., ., ., committed. how did you manage to talk to her? _ committed. how did you manage to talk to her? i _ committed. how did you manage to talk to her? i have _ committed. how did you manage to talk to her? i have covered - to talk to her? i have covered the story _ to talk to her? i have covered the story for— to talk to her? i have covered the story for a _ to talk to her? i have covered the story for a while - to talk to her? i have covered the story for a while and - to talk to her? i have covered the story for a while and i - the story for a while and i knew she was getting out in february of this year, a few weeks ago. i broke this other story about her using this for money to pay off the people she scammed. it money to pay off the people she scammed. , money to pay off the people she scammed-— scammed. it is obviously a scoo -. scammed. it is obviously a sc00p- did _ scammed. it is obviously a scoop. did you _ scammed. it is obviously a scoop. did you feel - scammed. it is obviously a scoop. did you feel a - scammed. it is obviously a scoop. did you feel a bit i scoop. did you feel a bit years, ifeela bit scoop. did you feel a bit years, ifeel a bit years, years, ifeela bit years, it feels as if we are promoting her brand again. this feels as if we are promoting her brand again.— feels as if we are promoting her brand again. as a reporter, i t not her brand again. as a reporter, i try not to _ her brand again. as a reporter, i try not to judge _ her brand again. as a reporter, i try not to judge people - her brand again. as a reporter, i try not to judge people that l i try not to judge people that i try not to judge people that i expected. ijust tried to play it straight. there have been a range of reactions to the interview, some positive and some negative but i do not really feel used. she and some negative but i do not really feel used.— really feel used. she has several _ really feel used. she has several new _ really feel used. she has several new projects - really feel used. she has several new projects i i really feel used. she has - several new projects i gather? yes, i think right now she is just happy to be out of prison and she is enjoying that. she has a memoir in the works. while she was incarcerated, she published online, some personal notes and essays. she also has an independent tv to publish videos of herself, controlling the narrative around her rather than being filtered through the press. than being filtered through the ress. ,, , . ., , press. she is certainly internet _ press. she is certainly internet famous - press. she is certainly internet famous no i press. she is certainly . internet famous no doubt press. she is certainly - internet famous no doubt about that as you could become wealthy despite the people she took for a ride. she wealthy despite the people she took for a ride.— took for a ride. she is very savvy about _ took for a ride. she is very savvy about being - took for a ride. she is very savvy about being online. | took for a ride. she is very l savvy about being online. it remains to be seen exactly how she's received. she is in a position to do something. there is an appeal pending? that's correct. she was not convicted on all counts against up but on most. despite pain mac most of the money, she wants to clear her name. —— payback. she is appealing as a criminal case because she does not want that on her record.— on her record. very interesting to talk to _ on her record. very interesting to talk to you. _ on her record. very interesting to talk to you. thank _ on her record. very interesting to talk to you. thank you. - few people have ever been to space but, soon, that number will be growing. for the first time in over a decade, the european space agency is recruiting new astronauts. and they plan to select at least one astronaut living with a disability. so what does it take to go to space? 0ur science correspondent victoria gill has been finding out. if you have ever dreamt of a career in space exploration, now could be your chance. being selected to become an astronaut is to be the preserve of young men with a military background. it was 1991 before the first european woman flew in space. now, in an effort to be much more inclusive, they want to recruit at least one person with a disability. the ultimate aim is to adapt spacecraft so that people with a disability can be on them. people who used to be ineligible are being encouraged to apply. that particular— encouraged to apply. that particular about _ encouraged to apply. that particular about the - encouraged to apply. twat particular about the kinds of disabilities they are looking at but this is a step in the right direction. a young person with a disability who wants to chase history and wants to be an astronaut absolutely should hang on to that dream. working with international _ hang on to that dream. working with international paralympic, l with international pa ralympic, they have the intention of making it a reality.- they have the intention of making it a reality. you could be excluding _ making it a reality. you could be excluding the _ making it a reality. you could be excluding the best - making it a reality. you could i be excluding the best astronaut in the world purely based on the fact have this difference whereas now giving people the opportunity, hopefully, they might be someone out there in the world. might be someone out there in the world-— the world. every recruit will have to go _ the world. every recruit will have to go through - the world. every recruit will. have to go through rigourous and vigorous preparation. the trainina and vigorous preparation. the training you — and vigorous preparation. the training you do _ and vigorous preparation. tue: training you do as and vigorous preparation. tte: training you do as an and vigorous preparation. tt2 training you do as an astronaut isjust so training you do as an astronaut is just so diverse but it is an incredible journey. is just so diverse but it is an incrediblejourney. share isjust so diverse but it is an incredible journey.— incredible “ourney. are you excited incredible 'ourney. are you excited to— incredible journey. are you excited to see _ incredible journey. are you excited to see who - incredible journey. are you excited to see who makes| incredible journey. are you | excited to see who makes it through? excited to see who makes it throu~h? , , . excited to see who makes it through?— excited to see who makes it throu~h? , , ., ., ., through? this is a new era of sace through? this is a new era of space exploration. _ through? this is a new era of space exploration. returning| space exploration. returning humans into the surface of the man and a steppingstone to going to marseille this selection process could potentially be picking the first europeans who will set foot on mars. tt first europeans who will set foot on mars.— first europeans who will set foot on mars. if you would like to chase your— foot on mars. if you would like to chase your dream, - foot on mars. if you would like to chase your dream, the - foot on mars. if you would like l to chase your dream, the online application opens in march. victoria gill, bbc news the city of new orleans is famous the world over for its music, its traditional creole food and, of course, the mardi gras festival, sadly cancelled this year because of the pandemic. no festival means no floats. but that hasn't stopped locals getting into the party spirit. this year they have been channelling all their energies into decorating their own homes, and there's a range of whacky themes and some pretty spectacular designs. thousands have taken part in what's been dubbed "yardy gras", with entire streets transformed in some parts of the city. a reminder of the may news, bbc has obtained secret recordings made by princess latifa, daughter of the ruler of debate accusing herfather of daughter of the ruler of debate accusing her father of holding it in such a confined —— holding her in solitary confinement. he claims she is safe in the care of the family. more on that and all the news, national and international on the bbc website or twitter feed. thank you for watching. hello there. we can expect more mild weather through the rest of this week, but with that, there will be more outbreaks of rain. through wednesday, yes, it will be mild but also windy, some outbreaks of rain at times. quite a wet start to the day, actually, thanks to this frontal system pushing its way eastwards. now, that rain will clear from many areas quite quickly, but you can see this frontjust dangling down towards the south. that means the rain is going to linger across southern counties of england for a good part of the day. in fact, pushing back northwards into parts of south wales, the midlands and east anglia through the afternoon. elsewhere, it's a sunshine and showers day. some particularly heavy showers towards the northwest where it will also be windy. gusts of 70 mph in exposed spots in western scotland. but as you can see, it's quite a blustery day for all parts of the uk. temperatures ranging from 7 celsius there in stornoway to a high of 12 celsius in london. now, as we move through wednesday night, we see more wet weather ploughing its way northwards, particularly heavy bursts of rain across the west. the winds coming up from the south, it's going to be a pretty mild start to thursday morning, but, we will see this rain pushed eastwards as we go through the day — pushed eastwards by a weather front, a cold front, and so behind our rain band, we will start to feel the effects of some slightly colder air. you can see the rain pushing eastwards quite quickly through the day. sunny spells and showers following on behind. more persistent rain bending back into northwest scotland. but temperatures actually falling away as the day goes by. these are the values you can expect at 3 o'clock on thursday afternoon. feeling quite chilly, actually, across the west, but that's only a temporary shift to something cooler, because by friday, the winds will be hurtling back up from the southwest again. from the southwest again. with that, we will see some outbreaks of very heavy rain, maybe some flooding in some western areas, but those temperatures beginning to climb upwards. and as we head into the weekend, well, this weather fronts is going to be quite troublesome because it will be wriggling around, bringing pulses of rain. some uncertainty about exactly where the wet weather will end up, but to the southeast of these weather fronts, we will continue to tap into some pretty warm air wafting up from the south. so, temperatures could get as high as 15 or 16 celsius in southern areas, but there will also be some outbreaks of rain at times. they called it �*mir�* — the russian for peace. this is bbc news, the headlines: the daughter of the ruler of dubai says she is being held prisoner by her father. the bbc has obtained video in which she says she's being kept in solitary confinement. sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum says princess latifa is safe in the care of the family. donald trump has heavily criticised the leader of the republican party in the us senate, mitch mcconnell, saying the party would never again be strong with leaders like him. just days after his acquittal in his second impeachment trial, the former president described mr mcconnell as dour and sullen. in myanmar, the trial of the detained civilian leader aung san suu kyi has begun behind closed doors. ms suu kyi faces a new charge of violating the country's natural disaster law and an initial charge of possessing illegal communications. protests against the military coup have continued across myanmar. the radio 2 presenter jo whiley says she is living