britain's prince andrew is demanding a trial byjury in a civil case brought by virginia giuffre, who has accused him of sexual assaulting her when she was 17. the prince denies her claims and his lawyers have lodged papers with the us court — which set out several reasons why they say the allegations are false. these include a denial that andrew was a close friend of ghislaine maxwell, at whose house some of the alleged abuse took place. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell has more details. across 11 pages, andrew's lawyers have set out his defence — a denial of the central allegation of sexual abuse made by virginia giuffre and an assertion in respect of others that andrew lacks sufficient information to either admit or deny what's been claimed. he says, for example, in relation to the widely publicised picture of the two of them, that he doesn't have enough information to admit or deny that there exists photographic evidence of his alleged meeting with miss giuffre. elsewhere, his lawyers assert that virginia giuffre�*s civil complaint should be dismissed because she's a permanent resident of australia and not domiciled in the united states. and they say this: finally, they demand this: all of which suggests that andrew is determined to fight it out in court, though lawyers say this doesn't preclude an out—of—court settlement. you can certainly have a settlement further down the road, and it wouldn't shock me at all, between now and a trial, to see something like that happen. and sometimes, though, there are cases where no amount of money will make them go away. there are times when, again, a victim wants their day in court. and that certainly seems to be virginia giuffre�*s intention. her lawyer has said they look forward to confronting prince andrew with his denials and his attempts to blame miss giuffre for her own abuse at the trial. nicholas witchell, bbc news. we have more details for you on the case on our website and you can see that there. there is detail about the latest developments but also analysis from our royal correspondent. although it is there for you if you wish to look at it. that makes all of that is there for you. it's understood that final checks are still being made to the findings of an investigation into downing street parties during coronavirus lockdowns. the report from the civil servant, sue grey had been widely expected by mps yesterday. the exact time frame for its release is still unclear. opposition parties have said it must be published in full. borisjohnson has insisted he will not resign. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more. busy doing nothing much. waiting, wondering if the findings of a report into rule—breaking in downing street will make life impossible for borisjohnson. other ministers, trying to concentrate on serious matters of the day... can you survive this, prime minister? ..anxiety, anticipation about what the next few hours would bring. the prime minister eager not to show any nerves to his backbench troops. cheered at lunchtime, but with questions pressing, can that mood prevail? how much damage are the prime minister and his cabinet prepared to do to save his skin? let me just remind the house what's been going on in downing street. we've been prioritising the covid backlogs, mr speaker. and when the official verdict into what really went on is ready, will we see it all? can the prime minister confirm that he will publish the full sue gray report as he receives it? of course, i will do exactly what i said. remember, the official civil service inquiry isn't the only one that lurks. we now have the shameful spectacle of a prime minister of the united kingdom being subject to a police investigation. isn't this a prime minister and a government that have shown nothing but contempt for the decency, honesty and respect that define this country? and for all sorts of reasons, many people may want me out of the way, but i'll tell you the reason he wants me out of the way, it's because he knows that this government can be trusted to deliver! and we're — and particularly i — am getting on with the job. a public show of force. but it's the private world behind number 10's show that's been exposed. it's a business meeting! laughter allegations of parties in the press office exploded with a cringeworthy video of staffers joking about how they'd explain it away. and it's not socially distanced. can you stop? i'm going to make a statement, you don't... the tears of the former press spokesperson allegra stratton, the first casualty of this whole mess. then admissions of various other gatherings in whitehall when the country was locked down. revelations of bring—your—own—booze drinks in the downing street garden, organised by none other than martin reynolds, one of the most senior staff by borisjohnson�*s side. a basement booze—up during the national mourning for prince philip. and then, just this week, news of a birthday celebration for the prime minister in the cabinet room during lockdown. lulu, why did you go to borisjohnson�*s party? the painful question all the way through — how could the people who wrote the lockdown rules have broken them too? face coverings in england are no longer mandatory after the relaxation of the covid rules came into effect this morning. but many shops, such asjohn lewis and sainsbury�*s, and transport providers have said they'll still ask customers to wear masks, as a courtesy to others. face coverings continue to be mandatory when shopping in northern ireland, scotland and wales. we will look at these changes taking — we will look at these changes taking place _ we will look at these changes taking place in— we will look at these changes taking place in our— we will look at these changes taking place in our business. taking place in our business coverage _ taking place in our business coverage in_ taking place in our business coverage in about _ taking place in our business coverage in about 20 - taking place in our business. coverage in about 20 minutes time — coverage in about 20 minutes time in — coverage in about 20 minutes time. in particular— coverage in about 20 minutes time. in particular looking - coverage in about 20 minutes time. in particular looking ati time. in particular looking at the nighttime _ time. in particular looking at the nighttime industry- time. in particular looking at the nighttime industry and l time. in particular looking at. the nighttime industry and how that has— the nighttime industry and how that has been— the nighttime industry and how that has been impacted - the nighttime industry and how that has been impacted by- the nighttime industry and howj that has been impacted by plan b. the united states has issued its formal response to russia's demands over the crisis on the ukraine border. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, said washington had made no concessions on its core principles. but he insisted the document contained serious offers to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis. it is for nato, not the united states unilaterally, to discuss the open door policy. these decisions that nato makes as an alliance, not by the united states unilaterally. but from our perspective i can't be more clear. nato's door is open, remains open and that is our commitment. our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford has more now from the ukrainian capital, kyiv. matches, needle, etc. medicals and bandages, medicine. yuri is getting ready for a war he hopes he never sees. he's packed an emergency bag to grab and go if russian bombs or troops reach kyiv. a basic survival kit for the worst possible scenario. what does it actually feel like to be doing this? it's unbelievable. so, i understand it, i am living now in the 21st century. i'm amazed that i should do this, that i should pack this bag, but this is what i have to do to keep my family safe. yuri thinks a major escalation in ukraine's 8—year—long war with russia is unlikely. he just feels better being prepared for it. today, the us government strongly advised its citizens to leave ukraine. the government here calls warnings of a major new incursion by russia alarmist, but it's not ignoring the tens of thousands of troops deployed near its border. a few weeks ago, the authorities here actually released a map with all the bomb shelters, and just look at it — there's thousands of them — 5,000, in fact — all over the city. marking a map, though, is the easy bit. the door�*s locked. and this is one of the official bomb shelters, supposedly. so, either nobody here's expecting war to break out any minute now or they're just not very well prepared for it. the metro might be a safer bet, deep below ground. if the air raid siren sounds, people will have 20 minutes to get down here. there's so much talk now outside ukraine about the possibility of the conflict escalating, ofan imminent russian invasion, and it's quite weird being here inside kyiv itself and realising that people are just going about their ordinary lives. there's no sense of panic here at all. do you think it's possible that the conflict could actually reach kyiv? i don't know. i don't have any information about that, so i'm just living my best life right now and hoping that everything will be ok. did you make any kind of preparations, or any...? no, no. so, as western governments wrestle with moscow's ultimatums and demands, ukrainians for now are getting on with a life they've long lived in the shadow of russian threats and aggression. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kyiv. it's been six months since the taliban swept to power across afghanistan — after decades of war. the economy is close to collapse, millions face starvation and the former allies of osama bin laden now faces a new terror threat of their own — large scale attacks by islamic state in the khorasan or is—k. this report is from yalda hakim who has travelled to sangin in helmand province — a small village 600 kilometres south of the capital kabul. it was one of the deadliest places for british and american forces — and their afghan allies. the road to sangin in helmand province was once littered with roadside bombs. now there is relative calm. our taliban escort says that this highway was hell for american marines and british troops. abdul karim laid mines. he is responsible for the killing of hundreds of coalition forces and civilians. translation: when the people saw that they were dopping - bombs on us and killing us they stood against them. all the people help. even when i was planting mines, children around ten years old would help me. when i asked him to clarify if the children were forced, he insists they were not. translation: no. they volunteered and said that we are members of the resistance. many families fled during the years of fighting. translation: a bullet went | through the wall and hit here. the bullets were fired incessantly. mohammed has now returned with his children to rebuild their lives. translation: everything is expensive now. - i cannot even afford cooking oil and bread. people learn to get by, but everyone is happy that foreign forces have left here. people genuinely felt occupied by the foreign forces and the former government. and this is what they've left behind. homes destroyed. and this is the price of freedom that these people say they have had to pay. in the conservative heartland of sangin, the taliban in power may be welcome. but in many parts of the country, afghans continue to pay a heavy price. the economy is close to collapse. poverty and hunger are affecting millions. across the country, the taliban are intimidating and crushing dissent. and this one—time terror organisation is dealing with a terror threat of its own. islamic state in the khorasan, or is—k, has launched a string of large—scale attacks across afghanistan in recent months. we have been called here by the taliban police who wanted to show us and isis sleeper cell that they recently attacked. translation: in all parts of the world these kinds . of incidents are seen. even the place where you consider the safest place in the world. i mean, the united states, new york, britain, even in those places, incidents such as these happen. the taliban is trying to make afghanistan the safest country in the world. despite abdul karim's assurances, members of the shia community say they do not feel protected by the taliban. they continue to be targeted by is—k. in october, a suicide bombing of a shi'ite mosque in kandahar claimed the lives of 50 worshippers. this woman's husband was killed. translation: what should i do now? i no longer have him. my partner has gone. i feel completely devastated. the family now face an uncertain future. translation: it was rumoured that the schools were being - bombed and my children were very scared. i told them to go to school and they said no. they were meant to protect us and then a bomb went off. is that what you call protection, bombing ordinary people? afghanistan is a country shattered by decades of war. sanctions on the new regime are biting hard. as the humanitarian crisis deepens and violence continues, the taliban are struggling to even begin rebuilding the fragile country. yalda hakim, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a year on from tragedy, the families who lost relatives at sea, help others learn safety basics. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after lift—off. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman schoolteacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word 'revolution'. the earthquake - singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. _ tonight, the search for any survivors. has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass. i the new government is firmly in control of the entire republic of uganda. survivors of the auschwitz concentration camp have been commemorating the 40th anniversary of their liberation. they toured the huts, gas chambers and crematoria and relived their horrifying experiences. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: prince andrew demands a trial byjury, in an ii—page official response to sexual abuse allegations. the wait goes on in westminster for the report into lockdown parties at number 10 that could determine boris johnson's future. a year ago today, a small fishing boat called nicola faith left its home port of conwy in search of whelks off the north wales coast. the three crew on board would never be seen alive again. now the families of those men are working with the lifeboat service to improve safety at sea. chris dearden went to meet them. man overboard — this is only a training course but next time it may be for real. these men and women work as a fishing cruise along the coast of wales and they are shown how to survive if they find themselves in rough waters. a, survive if they find themselves in rough waters.— in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifejacket. _ in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifejacket. how- in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifejacket. how was i in rough waters. a lot easier with a lifejacket. how was it| with a life'acket. how was it the first with a lifejacket. how was it the first time? _ with a lifejacket. how was it the first time? harder. - with a lifejacket. how was it the first time? harder. i didj the first time? harder. i did not expeet _ the first time? harder. i did not expeet it _ the first time? harder. i did not expect it to _ the first time? harder. i did not expect it to be - the first time? harder. i did not expect it to be that - the first time? harder. i did | not expect it to be that hard. you can relax and breathe and float _ you can relax and breathe and float around. _ you can relax and breathe and float around. it— you can relax and breathe and float around.— you can relax and breathe and float around. it shows how well these lifejackets _ float around. it shows how well these lifejackets actually - these lifejackets actually work. these life'ackets actually work. �* . . these life'ackets actually work. �* ., . ., , work. and watching our six eo - le work. and watching our six peeple who _ work. and watching our six people who know - work. and watching our six people who know what - work. and watching our six people who know what it i work. and watching our sixj people who know what it is work. and watching our six - people who know what it is like when things go wrong at sea. these are the family members left behind when the fishing vote nicola faith sank on the 27th of january last year. on board was a scraper, carl mcgrath, alan minard and ross ballantine. the families are now working with the lifeboat service. it now working with the lifeboat service. . , now working with the lifeboat service. ., , .,, , ., , service. it was ross, he was our brother- _ service. it was ross, he was our brother. he _ service. it was ross, he was our brother. he has - service. it was ross, he was our brother. he has two - service. it was ross, he was| our brother. he has two sons and we want them to grow up to see that we're doing something positive his name and all the men's names. we have to show it is real—life and devastating families is what is left behind. once they are gone, they are gone. it is the people who understood you today who have to live with it for the rest of their lives. it have to live with it for the rest of their lives.- rest of their lives. it has been an _ rest of their lives. it has been an emotional - rest of their lives. it has been an emotional and l rest of their lives. it has - been an emotional and difficult year. none of the families you each other until they found themselves outside the lifeboat station waiting for news. relatives raise money for extra such as to look for the wreckage of the vote. now money will go to the royal national lifeboat institution. taste will go to the royal national lifeboat institution. we found a relationship _ lifeboat institution. we found a relationship with _ lifeboat institution. we found a relationship with the - lifeboat institution. we found a relationship with the family | a relationship with the family of the nicola faith crew. it shows real coverage to take that step and work together and help save the lives of other fishermen and women. but help save the lives of other fishermen and women. but it is onl one fishermen and women. but it is only one thing _ fishermen and women. but it is only one thing under _ fishermen and women. but it is only one thing under the - only one thing under the family's mine. they continue to support each other a year after their loss and are still waiting for answers as to how the nicola faith sank in the first place. the vote was raised from the sea last may and an investigation is due to respond back later this year. chris dearden, bbc news. north korea has had a six weapon states. the japanese prime minister says the latest round of launches was very regrettable. it's holocaust memorial day today, marking 77 years since the liberation of the nazi death camp at auschwitz—birkenau, although the day is for the victims of all genocides. later the bbc is screening a special documentary about seven holocaust survivors, each of whom was painted by a different artist, commissioned by prince charles. our royal correspondent daniela relph has more. arek hersh was one of two members of his family to survive the holocaust. this painting captures him at the age of 93. the style is realistic, almost photographic. his right—handed rest on his left arm, the arm that bears a number he was marked with at auschwitz. creating a gallery of holocaust survivors, the bbc has been following the project. covid made things unconventionalfor this covid made things unconventional for this artist. i started to paint this altered in a completely opposite process to normal.- in a completely opposite process to normal. you should have painted _ process to normal. you should have painted me _ process to normal. you should have painted me when - process to normal. you should have painted me when i- process to normal. you should have painted me when i had i have painted me when i had hair~ — have painted me when i had hair. . . , have painted me when i had hair. ., ., , ., have painted me when i had hair. ., ., ., ., we hair. that was a while ago. we had some _ hair. that was a while ago. we had some virtual _ hair. that was a while ago. we had some virtual settings. - hair. that was a while ago. we | had some virtual settings. how do ou had some virtual settings. how do you feel? — had some virtual settings. how do you feel? 0k. _ had some virtual settings. how do you feel? 0k. it _ had some virtual settings. how do you feel? 0k. it was - had some virtual settings. how do you feel? 0k. it was a - do you feel? 0k. it was a challenging _ do you feel? girl. it was a challenging experience. months later came a real—life meeting as arek hersh shed his story. that was at camp. 11 years old i was. that is auschwitz and it is where we got our number on the arm. , ., . ., the arm. these are children who survived at _ the arm. these are children who survived at auschwitz. _ the arm. these are children who survived at auschwitz. arek - survived at auschwitz. arek hersh was _ survived at auschwitz. arek hersh was one _ survived at auschwitz. arek hersh was one of _ survived at auschwitz. arek hersh was one of the - survived at auschwitz. arek i hersh was one of the survivors but the rest family, by his sister, never reached liberation. one of the millions ofjewish people killed. the prince of wales commissioned the project. i prince of wales commissioned the project-— the pro'ect. i felt we owed it to the project. i felt we owed it to these remarkable - the project. i felt we owed it to these remarkable people| the project. i felt we owed it - to these remarkable people just to these remarkable people just to remember them in this way. there is something really special about the portrait and about the artist's i in bringing out the real underlying character, personality and meaning of the personality and meaning of the person who is sitting for the altered. .., . ., , altered. the connection between artist and survivor _ altered. the connection between artist and survivor has _ altered. the connection between artist and survivor has been - artist and survivor has been strong. the pictures reflect both loss and survival. these cultures go — both loss and survival. these cultures go to _ both loss and survival. these cultures go to the _ both loss and survival. these cultures go to the heart - both loss and survival. these cultures go to the heart of. both loss and survival. these | cultures go to the heart of the individuality and humanity. what better way of rejecting that kind of philosophy that led to the holocaust and honouring survivors in this project. honouring survivors in this ro'ect. . , , , project. the reality is, these extraordinary _ project. the reality is, these extraordinary group - project. the reality is, these extraordinary group of - project. the reality is, thesel extraordinary group of people are now growing smaller every year but the power of their testimony forms are lasting memory. daniela relph, bbc news. the queens gallery at kingham palace. —— buckingham palace. astronomers in australia have discovered an unidentified spinning object unlike anything they've seen before. here you can see it's position in the milky way. the mysterious, bright object — first seen in 2018 — releases an enormous burst of energy three times an hour, like clockwork, which astronomers say shouldn't be possible. they say they're still trying to understand what they've found. early theories are that it is a remnant of a collapsed star or an entirely new type of object. dr natasha hurley—walker, who led the investigation, said it was exciting. to find an entirely new class of object is just incredible. in my life i have discovered a radio galaxy, done a huge service across the sky and found all sorts of interesting things they were all known types of objects. this is a first time i have found something completely unexpected, that nobody even thought would be able to produce this kind of stories coming up. elon musk saying he is expecting growth of 50% this year. we will take a look at that and more. see you in a moment. hello there. we've certainly seen some windy weather across more northern parts of the uk into the night. the winds will continue to ease down during the day on thursday. it'll still be breezy, mind you, and there should be more sunshine more widely. the strongest winds have been near that area of low pressure that's moving away from the northern isles. this weather front is continuing southwards. it's continuing to weaken, and that means the rain and drizzle on it is becoming very light and patchy. this is the picture towards the end of the night. further north across the uk, clearer skies are continuing to follow with some more of those showers, mainly in the north of scotland, but it should be a frost—free start to thursday. but we start quite cloudy across much of wales, the midlands and southern england. some light and patchy rain and drizzle mainly in the west. that'll move southwards, soon cheering up in wales in the midlands. the cloud takes all morning to move away from southern england, heading out into the channel. then sunshine follows widely, a few more of these showers continuing mainly across northern and western scotland. but not a cold day despite the north—westerly wind, temperatures double figures for most. it will feel quite a bit cooler than of late, though, in northern parts of scotland. the winds ease down during the evening. some clearer skies will turn it chilly for a while overnight. and then, if we look out to the west, a stream of weather fronts there will bring some wet weather mainly towards scotland on friday. but at the same time, we're drawing in some very mild south—westerly winds. ahead of it, though, across england and wales, a chilly start. some sunshine, one or two early mist and fog patches. does tend to cloud over more and more from the west during the day, hanging onto some sunshine towards south—eastern parts of england, most of the rain coming eastwards across scotland. and for many, those temperatures will be reaching 10 or 11 degrees. it is turning milder and turning windier throughout the day, and most of the rain will continue to affect scotland overnight, that weather front pepping up the rain over western parts of scotland. then that weather front moves southwards on saturday. so, again, it's going to weaken and the rain becomes light and patchy. moving away from scotland and northern ireland, there won't be much rain heading down across england and wales. then we get a north—westerly wind once again, a few showers across northern parts of scotland. double—figure temperatures for most of the day. very mild in the south—east of england at ia degrees. a windy day on saturday. the winds are not going to be as strong, though, on sunday. it will be a bit cooler. northern areas turn wet and windy later on. yalda hakim, bbc news. this is bbc news with this is bbc news with the latest business reserve — as he signals the end the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. and around the world. higher interest rates higher interest rates will soon be appropriate will soon be appropriate says the head of the federal says the head of the federal reserve — as he signals the end of ultra—cheap money. another volatile day on wall street with an early stock market recovery wiped out by those comments from the fed. fully charged! tesla hails a 'breakthrough year�* with record earnings. but can it continue to swerve the supply chain crisis? plus — the rising price — of chicken and rice. asian consumers struggle with staple food inflation.