this is bbc news, broadcasting around the world and here in the uk. opposition politicians in india question the approval of a locally made coronavirus vaccine, saying it's premature and could be dangerous. borisjohnson warns that covid restrictions in england are, "probably about to get tougher," as the uk records more than 50,000 new cases for the sixth day in a row. it may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. civil war in america's republican party as some senators challenge the results of the us election.

and accusations of racism and harrasment at berlin's and harrassment at berlin's principal ballet company. india's opposition congress party has warned that the government's decision to approve the emergency use of a locally developed coronavirus vaccine, covaxin, was premature and could be dangerous. it says the data on the safety and efficacy of covaxin had not been fully reviewed. another vaccine, developed by astrazeneca and oxford university, has also been approved. the jabs will kick off one of the world's biggest immunisation drives in the world. the country's drug regulator said both vaccines were safe and provided a robust immune response.

anbarasan ethirajan reports from delhi. this was the moment many in the world's second most populous nation were waiting for. after days of uncertainty over which coronavirus vaccine will be approved for emergency use, a drug regulatorfinally spoke. after adequate examination, the cdsco has decided to accept the recommendations of the expert committee and accordingly vaccines of m/s serum and bharat biotech are being approved for restricted use in emergency situation and permission is being granted to m/s cadila healthcare for conduct of the phase iii clinical trials in india. with the approval of oxford university astrazeneca and the indian—made covaxin jabs, the roll—out can happen within weeks. astrazeneca has tied up with a local partner to produce the vaccine in india. the indian prime minister, narendra modi, expressed hisjoy for the fact that both the vaccines

will be produced in india, but within hours of the approval of the two vaccines, controversy has erupted. the opposition raising concerns over the permission given to the locally made covaxin. critics argue that safety and efficacy of the vaccine has not been reviewed. but the drug regulatory authority said both the vaccines were safe to use. experts say the government needs to allay the fears over the vaccine. i think the way to deal with resistance is to have a very strong communication strategy. that needs to be developed. and also for the government to work very closely with communities, both in the kind of urban setting as well as the rural setting. and understand, for example, working with, you know, opinion leaders within communities, religious, nonreligious social leaders, you know, people who have a lot of influence. approving the vaccine is only the first step.

the challenge is a glitch—free campaign in the coming months. the world will watch and learn from how india rolls out one of biggest vaccination exercises. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news, delhi. lets tick with this story. —— let's stick with the story. dr swapneil parikh is author of the coronavirus: what you need to know about the global pandemic and he is also a clinical researcher at the katsurba hospital of infectious diseases in mumbai. thank you forjoining us, doctor. talk through your specific concerns with the announcement of covaxin. thank you so much for having me on. you know, governments have a responsibility in a pandemic to make quick, data driven decisions about covid—i9 vaccines. but equally, they have a responsibility to be transparent about the data they have

reviewed and the process they have followed to reach that decision. i think that could have been done better in india. the phase three trials for covaxin has not been completed yet. enrolments aren't complete. this... i can't even a nswer complete. this... i can't even answer a question to a patient about what the efficacy and safety of this vaccine is. when the questions asked by our patients about what we think about the vaccine, we need to have data to be able to respond to these questions and i believe that the government had engaged better with the public and with positions that aren't necessarily employed by them -- if aren't necessarily employed by them —— if they had engaged with us better, then we would be able to address these concerns better. yes. india is very well—versed, let's say, and when it comes to mass immigration programmes. we have also had the authorities are saying that the evidence they see in terms of efficacy is adequate. do any of these factors reassure you? well, that's part of it, that the

regulators have approved it, that they have been over the data, that isa they have been over the data, that is a good thing, but we need to be transparent about the process. we need everyone to be able to access this data and to look over it because ultimately when patients ask their doctors, should they take a vaccine? the doctor can't say, ok, just trust the government, they have to have reviewed the data to be able to have reviewed the data to be able to comment on its efficacy. so realistically and practically speaking, what are you expecting going forward in the coming days, as you get those orders to start implementing and giving this vaccine to your patients? i think immunisation programmes are something that india does really well. the universal in realisation programme, we vaccinate so many children in india every year and vaccinating adults is a little easier than vaccinating children, fortu nately, easier than vaccinating children, fortunately, so i think india is going to do well with the vaccination programme. also, you may have heard the indian government has been doing a good job conducting dry

ru ns a cross been doing a good job conducting dry runs across the country, where they have been preparing health care workers, hundreds of thousands of health care workers, to implement the vaccination programme and i think that is a great step, getting the country ready for such a monumental public health undertaking. it will be interesting to see how things develop there. dr swapneil parikh, thank you for your time. thank you. the uk prime minister boris johnson has warned that coronavirus restrictions in england are "probably about to get tougher" in order to bring the virus under control. there have been another 55,000 positive coronavirus cases recorded in the uk in the latest 2a hour period. and a further a54 people have died. borisjohnson also insisted primary schools should open as planned this week — except in london and some areas of the south—east, where the new variant of coronavirus is rising rapidly. here's our political correspondent jonathan blake. arriving in a hurry to deliver a difficult message. the prime minister gave his first interview of the year this morning and warned that life

with coronavirus in england is likely to get worse before it gets better. he said the government may soon impose tighter restrictions in more areas. it may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. i don't... i mean, i'm fully, fully reconciled to that and i bet the people of this country are fully reconciled to that. under pressure over the return to school for children in england, the prime minister said there'd be no change and most primaries would open as planned tomorrow. schools are safe — very, very important to stress that. the threat, the risk to kids, to young people, is really very, very, very small indeed, as the scientists continually attest. the risk to staff is very small. and, of course, the benefits of education are so huge. 0verwhelmingly, we want to keep our young people, keep children, keep kids in education

because that's the best thing for them. but teaching unions say the time is not yet right and want primaries open only to vulnerable and key worker children, with the rest taught remotely for now. the levels of risk in school are heightened compared to other areas but we're not saying close schools down and keep teachers away. they've been working during any period of restricted access to keep education going and it's simply a short and determined period to get the new strategies and better strategies of control into schools, to make them covid—secure again. in wales and northern ireland, the return of primary schools is delayed for a week. in scotland, for two weeks. borisjohnson didn't rule out further closures in england. we will keep this under constant review but we will be driven by public health considerations and by the massive importance of education. for parents like charlotte, it's a frustrating time. we are lurching from crisis to crisis, in that this isn't a feasible way forward every time there is a surge in the virus rates. we cannot limp from school closure to school closure. whether schools are open or closed,

most people in england are now living under the tightest level of restrictions. for how long and how many more willjoin them remains uncertain. jonathan blake, bbc news. the labour leader sir keir starmer is calling for new national restrictions in england to be brought in within 2a hours and said it is inevitable that more schools will have to close. the virus is clearly out of control and there is no good the prime minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week or two or three. that delay has been the source of so many problems. so i say bring in those restrictions now, national restrictions within the next 2a hours. that has to be the first step to controlling the virus. 0n schools, i don't want to add to the chaos that would be caused by having all schools closed tomorrow. many will be closed. it is inevitable more schools are going to have to close and the government needs a plan for children's learning, but also for working parents, so it is inevitable that

more schools are going to close and many will be closed tomorrow morning, but the more important thing, in a way, is the national restrictions need to come in in the next 2a hours. let's not have the prime minister saying, "i'm going to "do it, but not yet." that is the problem he has made so many times. jonathan blake is our political correspondent. we had four new mm to go in our package, let's get more from you now. took us through what we just heard there from sir keir starmer, that action needs to be taken in 204i that action needs to be taken in 204i was. how likely is this? i think what sir keir starmer is trying to do there is get out of the government and sees clearly that this may be heading potentially toward something like a new national lockdown in england and as you heard him say there, if that is what ligament is intending to do it should get on and do it, rather than dropping hints at this point that it could happen further down the line. i have to say, i haven't picked up this afternoon but that is what the prime minister was signalling in his

interview this morning, saying that tougher restrictions may well be needed, the current deal for system was about to get tougher. i think we should currently interpret that as more. . . should currently interpret that as more... coming under those tighter dealfor more... coming under those tighter deal for restrictions, more... coming under those tighter dealfor restrictions, plus possibly the closure of schools along with that, depending on the impact of restrictions as they are at the moment and the practical situation around schools, as we have seen the debate playing into whether primary school should open as planned tomorrow in most parts of england. but sir keir starmer they're upping the anti a bit and urging the government to take a national approach, rather than the regional approach, rather than the regional approach it is currently taking, although it is a reasonable approach, the vast majority of areas in england under the highest tier 4 restrictions, about 78% of the population. and on the subject of primary schools, it is hugely debated at the moment. you got the union saying to teachers don't go in if you don't feel it is safe, boris

johnson saying, if your primary schools open, continue to go in. what are we going to see tomorrow morning? is that local authorities making this decision is now? in most cases, local authorities don't have the power to order schools to remain closed, so what we have seen today isa closed, so what we have seen today is a couple of examples of local authorities asking the department for education, the government, to step in and add their area to the list of schools where it is recommended to stay closed, so for example for the whole of london and other parts of the south—east primary schools will be close to most children, not all, tomorrow, but the county councils in kent, cumbria and other areas asking the government to intervene there. that is one part of it, another is union organising themselves together to urge the government to keep primary schools closed to children for the time being, saying that time is not right and it is not safe to do so at this point, so if enough teachers decide that it simply isn't safe or isn't right for them to go to school

tomorrow, that could have a big impact on potentially seeing more schools close, otherwise they wouldn't have done, but the prime minister and the government for now sticking to its plan, urging parents to send their children to school, where they are open, and making the case that it is safe to do so. yes, jonathan blake, thank you very much. the us vice—president, mike pence, has welcomed plans by senators to raise objections tojoe biden‘s election victory, in spite of the lack of evidence of fraud. the vice—president will preside over a senate session on wednesday to certify the results of the electoral college. paul hawkins reports. the electoral votes have been cast, legal challenges have failed, the inauguration stage is being built and yet, with 17 days to go untiljoe biden becomes president, some are still challenging the result. on wednesday, the upper house of congress, the senate controlled by the republicans will officially certify the election results. but almost a dozen republican

senators led by ted cruz have said they intend to vote to reject electors from states facing unproven allegations of election fraud. that's despite the two most senior republican senators, including mitch mcconnell, urging them not to. they've publicly accepted the election result. so today i want to congratulate president—electjoe biden. they also argue the certification is ceremonial. there is virtually no chance that the challenge by ted cruz and co will make any difference. the fact that they are going through with it, despite the warnings, shows how divided the republican party is over loyalty to president trump and loyalty to the party. instead, all republican hopes will be on keeping control of the senate. on tuesday, two republican senators are facing the election in georgia. david perdue, a big trump supporter, is up against democratjon 0ssoff. and after four years of hatred and racism and division and bigotry,

georgia is going to make a statement about love and decency and compassion and unity. democrat raphael warnock meanwhile will hope to take the seat of republican senator kelly loeffler. are you ready to show america that georgia is a red state? the polling suggests both races are very tight indeed. should the democrats take both seats in georgia, then the senate would be tied at 50 seats each, with vice president—elect kamala harris getting the deciding vote. but if the republicans take just one of those seats in georgia, they keep control of the senate, and that would make life more difficult for president—electjoe biden. but it would also give him the opportunity to showcase his self—declared skills as a negotiator, a ao—year veteran of the senate who thinks he can bridge america's fiercely partisan divide. paul harkins, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... 0pposition politicians in india

question the approval of a coronavirus vaccine, saying it's premature and could be dangerous. borisjohnson warns that covid restrictions in england are "probably about to get tougher" — in order to curb rising infections. israel has emerged as a strong contender in the race to vaccinate against coronavirus. it has surpassed the i million jabs mark — that's just over 12.5% of the population innoculated. the country is currently in its third nationwide lockdown to contain the outbreak. it has reported more than 426,000 cases and at least 3,300 deaths since the pandemic began. the bbc‘s tom bateman spent the year meeting people whose lives were hit by the virus. now he's gone back to hear how much has changed. you said you felt like superman, what do you feel like now? i feel like i have lost my superpowers. shuki is running again, piecing normal life back together. he was one of the first

to get the virus. we last met him in the summer, where the recovered help the sick where the recovered helped the sick going into the covid wards. i liked volunteering, i saw the impact it was making on the system and the people who were sick there... but shuki is out of the wards for now, as his immunity is dropping. every month i would take a blood test to see what the state of my antibodies are. i might be done, i don't know. right. in the spring, the epidemic raged injerusalem's ultraorthodox neighbourhoods. police raided, accusing people of failing to distance. now i have come back. allah shalom.

yoel kraus said he would speak to me. my name is tom, nice to meet you. here, in their two—room house, a family who take it in turns to sleep. yoel has 18 children. translation: everybody was sick. i was one of the first right from the start. but i had it lightly. my older kids had it worse. i ask about the police raids around here. what did that feel like for you? translation: they simply harassed us but we kept fighting, now they leave us alone. thank god, it is quiet. the sight of our camera causes heckling. there is a wariness of outsiders. ok, perfect. it feels a world away in tel aviv, but i hear how yet another life has changed. dani was patient 7a, back when they were still counting.

she became a social media star in instagram isolation. when i went into the hospital, there was no lockdown so basically i came out into a whole different world. i felt like everything is crumbling. ifelt like i can't see the person that i love or be with and she was supporting me. it took me, like i said, a few months until i managed to switch my mind back and get my balance again. israel's government says it supported health and business but so many lives are altered and firms have been hit hard. the dancing stopped months ago at this nightclub. now they pack food rations here instead. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. sport and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre,

here's gavin. there are just two games today, after fulham's match at burnley was postponed due to a fresh covid—i9 outbreak at the london club. leicester city against newcastle united has not long finished. leicester won 2—1 at stjames park, and move above spurs into third in the english premier league table. all the goals coming in the second half — youri tielemans and james maddison putting leicester 2 up, before andy carroll gave newcastle some hope. so, confirmation of that results. and kicking off in the next 15 minutes or so it's chelsea against manchester city — a big game for both sides as they look to break into the top four. city will be investigating a breach of coronavirus rules by benjamin mendy, who hosted a new year's eve dinner party. we are less in touch, the players are not in the locker room any more right now and... just... we see us in the training, on the pitch, and it is what it is. so we will have another squad to go there and try to compete

against a tough opening, you know, with chelsea, how it is. and we are going there to play our game. football's world governing body fifa has announced that kieran trippier‘s io—week ban for breaching betting rules has been suspended pending an appeal. the atletico madrid defender was hit with the ban on december 23rd after the english football association found him guilty in four of seven alleged breaches of its betting regulations. all are understood to have occurred in july 2019, around the time of the 30—year—old's move from tottenham to atletico. however, the spanish club subsequently lodged an appeal against the ban, which will now be reviewed by fifa. england's cricketers have arrived in sri lanka, for their two—test tour, amid strict coronavirus checks. a charter flight landed in the south of the island, where all members of the party and their belongings were sprayed with disinfectant, before everyone underwent a rapid covid—i9 test — all came back negative. they'll now isolate in individual hotel rooms and if they test negative again on tuesday morning, they'll be able to train ahead of the first match on the 14th.

england abandoned a tour of sri lanka in march on the second day of a practice match, as the pandemic spread. and england's next opponents, sri lanka, are currently touring south africa. on the opening day of their second test in johannesburg, they were bowled out forjust 157. anrich nortje taking six wickets for 56 runs. sri lankan opener kusal perera top scoring for the tourists with 60. south africa finished the day on 148—1. dean elgar top scoring with 92. they trail by just nine runs already. that's all the sport for now. you can of course get more on the bbc sport website at the usual address, but i will see you a bit later on. the first black female dancer at berlin's principal ballet company has accused the institution of racial harrassment. chloe lopes gomes says she was told she did not fit in because of her skin colour, and was asked to wear white make—up so she would "blend in" with the other dancers.

chloe lopes gomes says she has faced racism at the berlin state ballet since she joined in... 2018. she told the bbc why she decided to speak up. 2018. she told the bbc why she decided to speak uplj 2018. she told the bbc why she decided to speak up. i am the first black female...

chloe was also asked to wear white make—up to blend in with the other dancers. many black and mixed heritage ballet dancers have shown support for chloe. the colombian dancer, fernando montagne, has said she is not alone in suffering such

dissemination within ballet. the berlin state ballet has now launched an internal investigation into discrimination and racism within the company. michael cox, bbc news. let's return to the coronavirus pandemic. the latest uk government figures show there were a total of 511,990 positive coronavirus cases recorded in the latest 2a hour—period. a54 deaths were reported of people who have died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that brings the total number of deaths across the uk to 75,024. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. hello. if you're waiting for the weather to turn a bit milder, i think you'll be waiting a while, no sign of any end to this current cold spell, certainly not in the week ahead. it

is going to stay pretty chilly, with some rain, sleet and snow at times, but also some spells of sunshine. high pressure to the north, low pressure to the south, which is driving a brisk north—easterly wind across the british isles. it feels really chilly in that wind and the breeze also bringing quite a few showers across eastern and central areas, those pop following is a mixture of sleet and snow, and certainly through the night there is the potential for some certainly through the night there is the potentialfor some ice across parts of north—east england and scotland. more general cloud and rain, ithink scotland. more general cloud and rain, i think mainly rain pushing into east anglia and the south—east later in the night, a bit milder here, temperatures just above freezing, whereas for northern ireland and particularly scotland we will see temperatures well below freezing. then in two tomorrow northern ireland and scotland will see the best of the sunshine, but some wintry showers here as well. for england and wales quite a lot of cloud around, particularly the further south and east you are, through parts of sussex and essex and kent, also for the channel islands a few outbreaks of rain

continuing for a good part of the day. the wind is pretty gusty three england and wales, so when you look at top temperatures ofjust england and wales, so when you look at top temperatures of just four england and wales, so when you look at top temperatures ofjust four or 5 degrees and factor in the strength of the wind, it will feel pretty cold out there. through monday night, the showers drifting in from the north—east, still that persistent rain across parts of south—east england into the channel islands, that line of wet weather sticking around for a good part of tuesday as well and further north sunshine and showers, quite a few showers for north—eastern and eastern parts, some of them showery sherry and wintry, temperatures back to three and 6 degrees. a subtle change through tuesday into wednesday, our area of high pressure starting to slip away westwards, and this low up to the north will start to ta ke this low up to the north will start to take a bit more control of our weather, most places on wednesday still seeing some spells of sunshine and one or two wintry showers, not as windy by this stage, but cloud and rain and snow will move into the north west of scotland is the day moves on, likely to push south

eastwards towards the end of the week, so the chance of some sleet and snowjust week, so the chance of some sleet and snow just about anywhere, week, so the chance of some sleet and snowjust about anywhere, some sunshine as well, but it will stay on the cold side. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: parents in england should send their children to primary school tomorrow, the prime minister says, but warns tougher measures may be

needed in the weeks ahead and refuses to rule out further school closures. it may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. i don't...| mean, i'm fully, fully reconciled to that and i bet the people of this country are reconciled to that. for the sixth consecutive day in the uk, there have been over 50,000 new cases of coronavirus, with 511,990 recorded in the last 24 hours and 454 more deaths. tougher restrictions could be on the way in scotland, as nicola sturgeon recalls parliament amid a rapid rise in covid infections. india's medicines regulator gives the go ahead for two coronavirus vaccines, as it starts one of the world's biggest vaccination programmes. the oxford jab will be used alongside a locally developed vaccine.