hello, and welcome. buckingham palace has responded to the allegations made by prince harry and his wife meghan in their interview with oprah winfrey, saying the royal family is saddened to learn how challenging the last few years have been for the couple. the statement says that some issues, particularly that of race, are concerning. but it doesn't admit any wrongdoing, and says it will address the claims privately. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. the revelations in their interview have been heard. there has been hurt on both sides. tonight, buckingham palace issued a statement from her majesty the queen. it read... it amounted to just 61 words. the palace made it clear it would not be commenting further. earlier, while the palace was pondering its response the daily business of the british royal family continued. the prince of wales was at a vaccination centre in northwest london. a normal visit, apart from the inevitable question... sir, can i ask, what did - you think of the interview? millions around the world have now heard meghan�*s claim to have been suicidal but ignored, and her assertion of a racial slur by a member of the royal family about her then—unborn baby. in those months when i was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, "he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title", and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born. what? meghan�*s estranged father thomas markle watched the interview on us television. what did he make of his daughter's claims? i don't think the british royal family are racist. _ the thing about what colour will the baby be or how- dark will the baby be — - i'm guessing and hoping it's just a dumb question. closely linked to the question of racial prejudice in the couple's view, is the role of the british tabloid media. this is what meghan said in the interview... there's a reason that these tabloids have holiday parties at the palace. they're hosted by the palace. the tabloids are. you know, there is a construct that is at play there, and because from the beginning of our relationship they were so attacking and inciting so much racism, really, it changed the risk level, because it wasn't just catty gossip. it was bringing out a part of people that was racist in how it was charged. and here, amid the blanket coverage, some voices are saying, yes, there was a double standard in the way that meghan was reported. you have to draw conclusions from the way meghan was systematically criticised and attacked for things which other, white, members of the royal family could get away with. and so a sharply divided debate continues. was meghan the naive american who never understood the nature of being a british royal, or a huge potential asset who was wasted and wronged by an inflexible institution? nicholas witchell, bbc news. one unexpected consequence of the reaction to harry and meghan�*s interview has been the celebrity tv presenter, piers morgan, losing hisjob as a breakfast anchor. he had said he did not believe a word the duchess had said when speaking with oprah winfrey. his comments led to 41,000 complaints being made to british broadcasting regulators. here's our correspondent david sillito. live from television centre - in london, this is good morning britain with piers morgan and susanna reid... - itv�*s good morning britain, and there was only one topic of conversation. on one side, piers morgan, who's been more than scathing about the duchess of sussex. on the other, the presenter alex beresford, defending her comments on race and mental heath. things got heated. i understand that you don't like meghan markle, you've made it so clear a number of times on this programme. but yet you continue to trash her... ok, i'm done with this. no, no, no... sorry! do you know what? that's pathetic. see you later. piers morgan did return to the studio, but by the end of the day, ofcom had received more than 41,000 complaints. itv then announced he had decided to go. he also told fellow itv presenter lorraine kellyjust before she appeared on this evening's one show. it's certainly going to be quieter. yeah, i can imagine! but you know? we all wish him well. we all wish him absolutely all the best, of course we do. piers morgan has had a long and often controversial career. he was sacked as editor of the daily mirror and in recent years has become an outspoken voice about controversies on language, race and gender — so—called "woke culture" — and a former colleague and friend was glad he had spoken his mind. he's my mate. i worked with him for years. he's my friend. i'm going to stand by his right to say what he feels. and if he wants to leave the show, that's his right, too, so i stand by, you know, what he wants to say, his freedom of speech. so, thousands of complaints, but piers morgan does have millions of followers. today's walk—out was good for attention — and with two new opinion—led news services preparing to launch, the morgan style of broadcasting isn't about to go out of fashion. david sillito, bbc news. there have been further protests in towns and cities across myanmar, in defiance of the armed forces. they're calling for an end to military rule and the release of the country's elected government leaders, following last month's coup. it's thought more than a0 people were arrested overnight, with government forces sealing off neighbourhoods to round up demonstrators. our south east asia correspondent jonathan head reports. with their homemade shields, they practice defensive manoeuvres. more reminiscent of ancient rome than modern myanmar. but this is all they have against bullets and tear gas. throughout the day, these young activists play a dangerous game of cat—and—mouse with the security forces. advancing, then retreating down sidestreets, hoping they don't get caught. everywhere, you see breathtaking courage against a military government with little regard for human life. in this extraordinary shot taken from a nearby building, the protesters surge forward — but are met with volleys of gunfire. two died, some were horribly injured. five weeks after the coup, this has all the hallmarks of a civil war — but a war where only one side is armed. at night, the soldiers roam around rebellious neighbourhoods, terrorising with wild gunfire, hunting down dissidents. they captured 50 last night after besieging this district. much of myanmar is once again bracing itself for another frightening few hours until daybreak. jonathan head, bbc news. britain has hit back after the european union accused the uk of imposing a vaccine export ban. the claim was made by european council chief charles michel. but the british foreign secretary has said the allegation is "completely false". with me is our news reporter, paul hawkins. so what's this row about? so so what's this row about? 50 charles so what's this row about? sr charles michel is not happy with accusations of it vaccine nationalism leveled at the eu. he says the eu never stopped exporting and, in his weekly briefing notes, he's written, "the uk and the us have proposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines produced in the territory,". .. export of vaccines produced in the territory,"... now the uk is not happy with this accusation about an outright ban, dominic raab called it completely false. he summoned an eu resented up to the foreign office in london for further discussions, and charles michel trying to take some of the heat out of this accusation, and has since tweeted,... now some might say that when it comes to different ways of imposing bands, last week italy block 250,000 doses of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine to australia, and they might say that the eu was in some ways putting in place some kind of band there. but putting in place some kind of band there.— band there. but this isn't the first time _ band there. but this isn't the first time there's _ band there. but this isn't the first time there's been - band there. but this isn't the first time there's been a - band there. but this isn't the | first time there's been a barn between the eu and the uk over vaccines, isn't there? we between the eu and the uk over vaccines, isn't there?— vaccines, isn't there? we had a barney earlier _ vaccines, isn't there? we had a barney earlier in _ vaccines, isn't there? we had a barney earlier in the _ vaccines, isn't there? we had a barney earlier in the air - barney earlier in the air between the eu ok and the eu trying to block vaccine imports into the uk from northern ireland. they came under heavy criticism therefore going through a massive u—turn. the uk -- through a massive u—turn. the uk —— in the uk, through a massive u—turn. the uk -- in the uk, 34... it's only around nine, so the eu very much playing catch up and the pressure is really on the european commission. paul, many thanks. like many countries around the world, singapore has started a coronavirus vaccination programme. but, perhaps uniquely, the island state is dependent on the outside world and foreign nationals for much of its economic prowess. so it's taking a unique approach to giving out the jabs — as karishma vaswani reports. the crowds are back at singapore's airport, but they are not here to fly. this terminal�*s now transformed into a vaccination centre for front line workers. but in singapore, that doesn't mean only nurses and doctors. everyone here today is from the aviation sector. that includes yanti, who works in customer service. she's considered a front—line worker here — it's why she's among the first in line. it's very sad to look at the situation now, because it's very quiet. if everybody plays their part to actually get vaccinated and, you know, it'll be safe for everyone to travel, and then we can start going back to how the normal is. aviation workers aren't the only ones of the top of the list. along with the elderly and health care workers, singapore is also putting maritime and transport workers of the queue. it may look like business as usual, but it's not. there's something missing — tourists. this isn't enough to get singapore's economy back on track. it's got to open borders and the economy to survive. borders have been closed for over a year because of the pandemic. jobs have been lost and businesses have shut for good. that's why the government's spent close to $80 billion us to support workers — a huge amount for a population of six million people. in our case, our society infection rates are very low. but we're at risk from our borders, from the front—line workers at the port, at the airport, at the land borders. so for us, that was our first priority — to take care of them. the hope is that strategy could help fill these empty planes with travellers once more, so singapore's economy can take off. but it needs the rest of the world to open their doors, too. karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore. let's bring you some breaking news now. it concerns the disappearance of sarah everard, who's been missing for a week after leaving a friend's house in clapham in south london. police have now made an arrest of one man at an address in kent with regards to the disappearance of the woman. he's been taken into custody at a london police station where he remains, and we understand he is a serving metropolitan police officer. so one arrest has been made in the disappearance and investigation into the disappearance of sarah everard, who's been missing for a week after leaving a friend's house in clapham seven or so days ago. the man has been arrested and is in custody at a london police station, and he is said to be a serving metropolitan police officer. any more on that, we will bring it to you when we get it. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a rare chunk of the meteor that lit up the skies over europe last week is found in front of a family's home in southern england. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 24 hours, the soviet union lost an elderly, sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots from the gym, then he came out and started firing at our hearts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41 — - sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90 — l travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an eight—car convoy. i paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what'll you do now? will it change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really, i've never married before. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... prince charles has made his first public appearance following the explosive interview by his son and the duchess of sussex. buckingham palance issued a response to allegations by the couple, saying they were "concerning". violent clashes escalate again in myanmar. we'll look at how unarmed protesters manage to take on the security forces. jury selection has been taking place in the trial of former police officer derek chauvin, who faces charges of murder and manslaughter. chauvin killed an unarmed black man, george floyd, in may 2020 in the us city of minneapolis. video of chauvin kneeling on floyd's neck triggered weeks of protests across the us and around the world. our north america correspondent barbara plett usher sent this report. chanting: we are unstoppable, another world is possible! - after months of protests, a moment of reckoning for policing and racism in america. activists demanding justice for the black man george floyd are facing their most important test — the trial of the white police officer charged in his killing, derek chauvin. you have been summoned as potentialjurors in the case of the state of minnesota vs derek chauvin. jury selection is the first step. in an unprecedented move, the trial is being broadcast live because covid is keeping the public out of court. so, americans are getting a good look at mr chauvin. it's the first time he's been seen on camera since a bystander filmed him last year. i cannot breathe... kneeling on george floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, as mr floyd gasped for air and then fell silent. check his pulse! check his pulse, chile! police restrained him this way after complaints that he'd used a fake $20 bill. the video will be the prosecution's main evidence — and the main challenge to seating a jury. i think it'll be extremely difficult to get an impartialjury. virtually everybody in the country — and practically the world — has seen the video, or at least read articles about the video and its contents. we think the best that we can hope for is that those who have seen it or read articles about it will commit to keeping an open mind and to being impartial as the trial goes on, and different kinds of evidence come in. nothing is certain with a jury trial, and the graphic footage doesn't necessarily mean a conviction. the city is afraid that protests will turn violent if mr chauvin is acquitted — so it's put up these fences and called in the national guard. the intersection where mr floyd was pinned to the ground has grown into a memorial — a permanent refusal to accept his death is the end of the story. here, they've been counting down the days to the trial. because it's notjust derek chauvin on trial, it's the value of a black life on trial. we've been here before as a country. this is not the first trial that we, as black people in this country, have had to wait and watch to see if the assailant would actually be convicted of their actions. there are difficult weeks ahead for this divided nation. but, for healing to begin, the country will need to feel thatjustice has been done. barbara plett usher, bbc news, minneapolis. violent clashes have broken out between protesters and police in the greek capital, athens. demonstators gathered on tuesday, calling for an end to police brutality following the release of a video of a man being beaten with a baton over the weekend. a breakaway group escalated affairs, hurling rocks and petrol bombs and setting garbage bins alight. police fired tear gas and made multiple arrests but say a number of officers were injured, one seriously. the greek prime minister said the violence must end. the baftas are the uk's equivalent of the oscars — and, like their hollywood cousin, they've come in for criticism in recent years, for largely ignoring performers from ethnic minority groups. but things seem to be changing, with two thirds of the nominees in this year's acting categories coming from those communities. our arts editor will gompertz reports. nomadland jointly leads bafta's 2021 shortlist, its most multicultural ever, with seven nominations, including one for its director, chloe zhao, and a leading actress nod for frances mcdormand. hello, coffee? she is a big star. bukky bakray, another nominee for leading actress, is not — yet. hers was an eye—catching performance in rocks, a beautifully observed film about growing up in east london, which also sees kosar ali shortlisted for best supporting actress and nominations for both its director and screenwriters. were you expecting that? no! we are bowled over, i can't believe it. were we expecting it, theresa? no, we were hopeful. i think we are at a time where people are beginning to wake up to different stories which, thank god, they've always been there and they've always been worth telling. we can only toil at soil for so long without seeing a harvest and i think this is the beginning of harvest season for so many people, way beyond i got into this industry, who have been working for so long. what do i do for a living? the dark comedy—cum—thriller promising young woman has six nominations, including one for its british writer and director, emerald fennell. judas and the black messiah�*s dominique fishback is among the supporting actress nominees, while daniel kaluuya, who plays fred hampton, leader of the chicago black panther party, gets a supporting actor nod. along with clarke peters in spike lee's da 5 bloods. if my daddy had known if i'd have turned out like this, he'd have named me gabriel. chadwick boseman, who died of colon cancer last year receives a posthumous leading actor nomination for his performance in ma rainey�*s black bottom. he's one of 16 of the 24 actors shortlisted who comes from an ethnic minority group, which is quite a turnaround from last year, when there were none. we can onlyjudge what's entered but what we did do is make sure there was a more level playing field. that more films were watched by more members, and therefore a greater variety and range of films and performances have been recognised. i'm not leaving my flat! anthony hopkins gets a leading actor nod for his portrayal of an elderly man suffering from dementia in the father, a british movie that is also shortlisted for the prestigious best film award in a bafta short list unlike any other. will gompertz, bbc news. scientists are excited about the remarkable discovery of meteroite rock in a residential area near cheltenham here in the uk. —— meteorite. it came after a fireball hurtled across the through the night sky to end up in gloucestershire. victoria gill reports. from nuneaton to somerset to wigan, the night sky was lit up by a fireball of space rock just over a week ago. the display was accidentally captured on security footage, and the uk fireball alliance with an array of special cameras managed to follow its trajectory. meteorite trackers honed in on an area of gloucestershire, on a small charred patch on a driveway, and a very vigilant resident in winscombe provided the final clue about where it landed. the moment was when catherine and hannah went out the door. they were heading out for the walk and i was staying in the house, and they said, "what's this on the drive?" and i came out, and we looked at this pile of what looked like crushed coal. what on earth could it be? so it must have come down from the sky. and you start thinking, is it a piece of plane debris or something like that, but we didn't think it looked like that, so even then we started thinking perhaps it's come down from space. after millions of years hurtling through space, the rock sat on the driveway for less than a day before being collected and handed into the care of scientists at the natural history museum in london. nothing like this rock has been found in the uk before. ashley, why is this space rock in particular so special? this is 4.6 billion years old, so older than any rock we have on the earth, so it's like a time capsule and takes us all the way back to the birth of our solar system. this is a carbonaceous chondrite type meteorite, so it contains all the building blocks for our solar system. so potentially, this meteorite contains things like simple organics and amino acids and can tell us about how life got started on our earth. and liftoff of osiris—rex! while this discovery weighs in at almost half a kilo, nasa and the japanese space agency both previously sent probes to asteroids, at huge cost, to return just a few grams of pristine space rock. some 65,000 meteorites have fallen to earth and been collected around the world, but only 1200 had eyewitnesses to their fall. and, of these, only 51 are rare carbonaceous chondrites like this one. researchers say there may yet be more fragments of the meteorite in the winchcombe area, so they're asking residents to keep an eye out for unusualjet black rocks, in case any more space debris ended a journey across the solar system in their driveway. victoria gill, bbc news. a reminder of our top story. the british royal family says it's taking allegations of racism raised by the duchess of sussex in a television interview, very seriously. a statement issued on behalf of queen elizabeth said the whole family was saddened to learn how challenging the last few years had been for prince harry and meghan. hardtalk is coming up after the headlines,. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @clivemyriebbc. hello there. the transition from winter into spring can often be peppered with some pretty turbulent weather, and that's going to be the story over the next few days. notjust heavy rain, but gale—force gusts of winds which have the potential to cause some disruption, particularly across england and wales. the heaviest of the rain and the strongest of the winds over the last few hours have been through scotland, but as we move into wednesday, you can see the next low pressure waiting out in the wings to arrive later on in the day. so, a spell of heavy rain and pretty much an unsettled day across england and wales. we might get a drier interlude briefly through the afternoon, but there'll be more wet weather to come. heavy rain gradually pushing into western scotland as well. sunny spells and scattered showers developing into northern ireland with highest values peaking between 8—12 celsius. but as we move through wednesday afternoon into the evening, that next low moves in. and it's here to the southern flank of that low where we're going to see the strongest of the winds gathering. so, particularly across england and wales, we could see widespread gusts in excess of 60—70 mph. so the met office has issued a warning. it'll still be windy further north, but the strongest of the winds, the emphasis really across england and wales, and quite widespread through wednesday night into thursday. so, there'll also be some rain across parts of western scotland, north west england and wales, gradually drifting its way eastwards. sunny spells and scattered showers will gradually develop as we go through the day into thursday, but it's going to be a windy afternoon and temperatures, well, they should peak generally between 8—11 celsius. there's little change in the trend of the weather as we head towards the weekend. friday, still that significant low to the north, plenty of isobars on the charts driving in weather fronts from the atlantic. so, it stays pretty unsettled. sunny spells and scattered showers the order of the day through friday. another blustery afternoon to come for many. dodge the showers, get some sunshine. we may again see temperatures peaking into double figures with highs of 11 celsius. little change as we head into the weekend. it's still going to stay windy. you'll still need to dodge those showers, i'm afraid, and there will be some sunshine from time to time. that's it. take care. this is bbc news. the headlines — prince charles has made his first public appearance following the explosive interview by his son and the duchess of sussex. later, buckingham palace issued its response to allegations made by the couple. a statement said the issues raised, particularly on the subject of race, were concerning. there's been another day of mass protests across myanmar despite violent efforts by the military to crush opposition to their seizure of power. an official from the deposed national league for democracy died in custody after he was arrested in the early hours of tuesday morning. singapore has started its coronavirus vaccination programme but the nationalistic country has taken a unique approach and placed aviation workers at the front of the queue for inoculation. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.