this is bbc news i'm reeta chakrabarti. the headlines the number of people in england waiting for routine hospital treatment last november reached a record high, at nearly four and a half million. experts warn it could take years to clear the backlog it is not only that they delay in having procedures and heart surgery that we know about. it is the fact that we know about. it is the fact that people are notjoining the waiting list, the backlog is likely to be far more advanced. in the last few minutes the government have announced passengers from many countries in south america will be banned from entering the uk amid concerns over a new variant of coronavirus there. richard leonard resigns as scottish labour leader after three years in the role donald trump denies inciting last week's violence at the capitol — after he becomes the first us

president to be impeached twice: no true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. no true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great american flag. a global climate change warning as scientists say the last decade was the warmest since records began thousands of laptops and tablets are donated to help children being home—schooled online after a bbc campaign. a record number of patients have been waiting to start non—urgent hospital treatment in england — nearly four and a half million at the end of november, with the number of those waiting

more than a year for treatment one hundred times higher than before the pandemic. the royal college of surgeons says the figure shows the calamitous impact of coronavirus. newly released data also shows that 1 in 4 patients admitted to accident and emergency departments waited more than four hours for a bed in november. nhs england has warned that services face an �*exceptionally tough challenge�*. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. christine stubbs lives with constant and debilitating pain. she urgently needs a hip replacement but her operation has been cancelled and she doesn't know when it will happen. she says she has been so desperate, she has considered ending her life. what does it feel like when you try to take a step? it's just like somebody is sticking a knife in my groin and twisting it, and not being able to put any weight on it whatsoever. sometimes it actually makes me feel

physically sick, the pain, and i really am struggling at times. christine is not alone. waits for routine care are at their highest levels because of the pressure from covid—19. nearly 4.5 million people, a record, are waiting for treatments, including knee and hip operations. figures for last november show nearly 200,000 people had waited more than a year for treatment. that's before the second wave really hit. compare that to the year before the pandemic when the figure was less than 2,000. the royal college of surgeons in england has described the number of patients waiting as calamitous, and says the figure could be even higher. what we saw in the first surge was that patients were frightened to come to hospital. i think that was true in november, too. the numbers of patients in a kind of hidden waiting list are probably building up in addition to all this, so it is likely that

the figure is even bigger. the pressures are being felt far wider than in london and the south, which has been the epicentre of the second wave. 0ne hospital in swindon has declared a critical incident due to the large number of patients needing treatment for the coronavirus. today, hospitals in birmingham announced they were temporarily suspending kidney transplants due to the critical covid—19 situation there. across the nhs, there are serious staffing challenges. 0n sixth january, 100,000 staff were reported absent, almost double the number compared to last year. 50% of those were due to covid, either illness or isolation. - that indicates the huge pressure that covid is putting on staffing, | which, meeting that high demand due i to covid is incredibly challenging. . christine says she is determined

to get through her ordeal, however hard the wait is for an operation, and is hoping it willjust be a few months. the challenge facing the nhs in reducing the waiting list could, though, take years. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. 0ur health correspondent nick trigglejoins me now. there is a lot to discuss this afternoon. more evidence if it were needed of the terrible pressure at the nhs is under. we needed of the terrible pressure at the nhs is under.— the nhs is under. we have been trackin: the nhs is under. we have been tracking over — the nhs is under. we have been tracking over recent _ the nhs is under. we have been tracking over recent weeks - the nhs is under. we have been tracking over recent weeks the l tracking over recent weeks the growing number of patients with covid—19 and hospital are currently one in three patients in hospital have covid—19. in one in three patients in hospital have covid—i9. in some hospitals it is more than one into and that is pushing out others. what we have got is the evidence of how big an impact that has had. we have been hearing about routine operations. these are things such as knee and hip replacements and the waiting list approaching 4.5 million as the royal

couege approaching 4.5 million as the royal college of surgeons was warning, loves of people who have not even been referred onto the waiting list even though they need care. not 192,000 of those patients had waited over a year for treatment and put that into context before the pandemic began in february, a recess 1600 people who had waited that long. in a and b we have got a long rate of patients experiencing when they need to be admitted onto a ward to find a bed, there's a shortage of beds in hospitals and bees are having to wait inside rooms and encourage noise. these are known as chardy rates and one in four patients who need to be admitted from a and b onto a wired face as i wait that long. we have also got the critical care bed numbers and technology expected the number of critical care beds has been increasing. there is now a 25%

increase in beds since early november. 0ver5000 increase in beds since early november. over 5000 critical care beds. what is going to happen if staff are having to be redeployed and taken from some of these areas to look after the release of the air patients who have covid—19. to look after the release of the air patients who have covid-19. there is the glimmer— patients who have covid-19. there is the glimmer of— patients who have covid-19. there is the glimmer of hope _ patients who have covid-19. there is the glimmer of hope being _ patients who have covid-19. there is the glimmer of hope being brought l patients who have covid-19. there is. the glimmer of hope being brought by the glimmer of hope being brought by the vaccine. you have got details about the regional breakdown of how it's been rolled out. it is about the regional breakdown of how it's been rolled out.— it's been rolled out. it is the first day _ it's been rolled out. it is the first day we _ it's been rolled out. it is the first day we have _ it's been rolled out. it is the first day we have had - it's been rolled out. it is the first day we have had this i it's been rolled out. it is the - first day we have had this regional breakdown for england and if we have a look at the chart we can see the proportion of people over 80 who have been vaccinated into different regions in england. this is a crucial age group. they have been prioritised by the vaccine and the average age of people who have died from covid—19 is over the age of 80. this would have a big impact on deaths in these areas and their coming weeks and months. we can see you northeast and yorkshire have vaccinated them mostjust shy of half over 80 years have been

vaccinated. this is to the 10th of january. the average is around a third. you can see around the 30% mark. east of england, 29%, a little lower than other areas. nhs england south says based vaccination programme is accelerating all the time. last week there were a million vaccinations done. this week we imagine it might be about 1.5 million. the target is to get the 2 million. the target is to get the 2 million which will allow the government to meet its target of offering everyone over the age of 70 front line health and care staff and the clinically vulnerable a vaccine by mid february. the clinically vulnerable a vaccine by mid february-— the clinically vulnerable a vaccine by mid february. the clinically vulnerable a vaccine b mid februa . , ., by mid february. some news about the r number from — by mid february. some news about the r number from northern _ by mid february. some news about the r number from northern ireland. - by mid february. some news about the r number from northern ireland. yes. | r number from northern ireland. yes. the r number— r number from northern ireland. yes. the r number now _ r number from northern ireland. yes. the r number now is _ r number from northern ireland. yes the r number now is between 0.7 30.9. i think we are beginning to see the impact of lockdown there in northern ireland but also elsewhere

in the uk. we are beginning to see the numbers of new confirmed infections dropping slightly. they were averaging close to 60,000 a day. last three days he had seen the well below the 50,000 mark. there is an encouraging sights to suggest the restrictions and the tear for restrictions and the tear for restrictions and the tear for restrictions and parts of england before christmas and the lockdowns that have been brought in across the uk seems are becoming to have an impact. this will take a time to start having an impact for hospitals because the people who have been admitted into hospital now and the people who are infected a week or two ago, it is a glimmer of hope and it will take a long time to filter through to the hospitals and relieving some of that pressure as we have been speaking about. thank ou ve we have been speaking about. thank you very much- _ the coronavirus vaccine is being given in a small number of high street pharmacies in england, as part of a pilot scheme getting underway today. six chemists are the first to give appointments, with up to 200 taking part in the next two weeks. duncan kennedy reports.

which side will your...? this was the day the covid vaccine came to our high streets. among the first to get a jab was 82—year—old derek mersh, in this case at a superdrug in guildford. no problem at all. i never felt it, the lady was very efficient and very polite, so no problem. this is one of six pharmacies in england to begin offering the jab today. it hopes to give 1,000 doses a week, operating from eight in the morning until eight at night. pharmacies have been pressing - the government for some time to get involved in the vaccine roll—out. you are now involved — can you deliver? - absolutely. i'm very proud that here in guildford superdrug today, our pharmacists and nurses will be amongst the first in community pharmacy on the high street to provide the vaccine. we have highly skilled and experienced vaccinators who've been involved in the flu vaccination programme this year, so we stand ready and able to provide the service to the nation. the way it works is that these people and anybody else who comes to a pharmacy must

have an appointment. you can'tjust turn up on spec and hope to get one. then once you're here, you're put into a waiting area, you then go and get your injection and then afterwards, particularly for older people, there is another waiting area where you're monitored for 20 minutes before being allowed home. but already, some people have turned up without appointments because they didn't press "save" at the bottom of their online booking form. i booked, and then i made a note of the appointment that i had, but i didn't page down the page where i would have found "save" and a reference number. but they should remember, people of 80 are not all computer savvy. so, where are we now with the whole vaccination roll—out? well, the jab will soon be available at a total of 2,700 sites across the uk. as well as hospitals, gp surgeries and large hubs, around 200 of the community

pharmacies should come online in the next fortnight, with more to follow. this boots pharmacy in halifax is another of the sites to begin work today. for now, only bigger branches are being used as they can deliver large volumes of injections and maintain social distancing. we are a trusted site because they come here for their flu vaccinations, they get their medicines from us, and it's somewhere that is familiar to them, so it means that the local people, the elderly people, the young people, they can all have access to this vaccine which is vitally important. the first day of pharmacy vaccinations appears to be going well, and it now seems that from hospitals to high streets, the full array of health services are being mobilised to deliver covid protection. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in guildford. the transport secretary has announced a travel ban on arrivals from south america and portugal — in response to the coronavirus

variant that has been discovered in brazil. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young joins me now. when is this being brought in? it is ve when is this being brought in? it 1 very widespread. the whole of south america plus panama, cape verde and portugal as well because of the obvious links between abrasive and practical. it doesn't show how seriously the government is taking this. it is a discovery of another variant of coronavirus. we know this has happened in other places. south africa and also here in the uk where they are identifying a new variant and it causes concern for various reasons in the case of the uk because of the increased transmissibility. there is a lot of detail about this travel ban. if you are a uk citizen or irish citizen or if you are brazilian but you are a

resident in the uk you can still come home but you will have to quarantine and get have to quarantine and get have to quarantine for ten days plus your household. that is a strict quarantine than other travellers would have. there are other exemptions as well. that would be truck driver is coming from portugal without bearing exemption and they allowed to carry on with their work. this comes into force from tomorrow and of course also extra restrictions coming for travellers who for monday when they come into england will have to produce a negative coronavirus test. you may not be able — negative coronavirus test. you may not be able to _ negative coronavirus test. you may not be able to answer— negative coronavirus test. you may not be able to answer this - negative coronavirus test. you may not be able to answer this but - negative coronavirus test. you may not be able to answer this but do i not be able to answer this but do you have any idea of this sort of passenger numbers that we would normally expect from these countries? it normally expect from these countries?— normally expect from these countries? , ., ., countries? it is worth saying that we are not _ countries? it is worth saying that we are not supposed _ countries? it is worth saying that we are not supposed to - countries? it is worth saying that we are not supposed to be - countries? it is worth saying that we are not supposed to be going| we are not supposed to be going anywhere. it's a stay—at—home message and you are not supposed to travel anywhere let alone internationally but they would only be reasons where people have to for

emergencies and you are still allowed in some cases for work. for example there might be people who have been in brazilfor some time but they are british or they are a resident here and they want to come home. in terms of numbers i don't know but because of the uk variant of coronavirus there's already been restrictions going the other way. brazil for example has not allowed direct flights into their country from the uk for a couple of weeks. i think that would be cutting down on the travel. we are hoping to hear from the transport secretary in the next hour or so and these questions are being put to him.— are being put to him. thank you so much. people who've had covid—19 are protected from getting it again for at least five months, according to a study led by public health england. but the research suggests that while someone who's had it has 83 percent immunity, they can still carry the virus and pass it on to others. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has more. coronavirus is spreading fast,

and the number of people who have already had covid is rising. this latest study looked at how likely they are to catch it again. 6,500 health care workers who'd been infected in the past were tracked and given regular tests. most were protected from the virus for at least five months. and they're now being monitored to see how long this immunity lasts. but there were a few reinfections, with 44 potential cases detected, and some had high enough levels of the virus to put them at risk of spreading it to others. it is a sobering thought, but it's not totally unexpected that with time immunity will dwindle, and therefore there will be some people who, having caught the virus right at the outset of all this, may now be becoming vulnerable again, and therefore they should be careful. because of this, scientists say that vaccination is still vital for everyone. we can only say that there is protection for the length of time

we can follow people at. it looks like it's acting similarly to the vaccine, and it may be that the vaccine will boost this immune response and allow people to have an even better immune activation in the future. scientists will continue to study immunity, but the advice for now is to stay at home, remembering hands, space and face, whether you've had the virus or not. rebecca morelle, bbc news. the plans are for that provision to be made via local authorities. rather than through schools and through vouchers. marcus rashford, head footballer who has made a big name for defending the school meals during the holidays has been treating and he is saying...

and this is another from and this is anotherfrom him referring to his last campaign. it says: it interesting development there. of course he is someone who spoke directly to the prime minister about his concerns about this and people wait to see where that goes. global meteorological agencies say that the last decade was the warmest on record. while scientists are divided on how 2020 ranks compared to other years, there is agreement that it was among the top three warmest in a record dating back to the 19th century.

let's speak now to dr friederike 0tto, associate director of the environmental change institute at the university of oxford good afternoon to you. what do you make of this new information, does it surprise you? it is make of this new information, does it surprise you?— it surprise you? it is not surprising _ it surprise you? it is not surprising at _ it surprise you? it is not surprising at all. - it surprise you? it is not surprising at all. we - it surprise you? it is not. surprising at all. we have it surprise you? it is not - surprising at all. we have seen emissions of greenhouse gases rising in recent years and the rate of the increase is also still rising. of course global temperatures are still rising to follow this. it's also not terribly important whether 20/20 is the hottest or the second hardest year. what is important is that we are still having despite an announcement of that we need to stop emitting greenhouse gases, they are still rising and we still have rising temperatures. 50.

still rising and we still have rising temperatures. so, we are measuring _ rising temperatures. so, we are measuring globally _ rising temperatures. so, we are measuring globally the - rising temperatures. so, we are| measuring globally the increases rising temperatures. so, we are . measuring globally the increases in global temperature based on their levels in 1990. where are we now? so levels in 1990. where are we now? sr we levels in 1990. where are we now? 5r we measure levels in 1990. where are we now? 551 we measure the most important or the most talked about global temperature increase is comparing it to preindustrial times or early industrial times. so that we can see how the whole image since since the beginning of the industrial revolution have increased. we are at approximately 1.2 celsius higher than at the beginning of the industrial revolution. that might not sound like a lot but that means we have an increase in the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather events, heat waves, most of all and that is something that we really feel, all of us.— really feel, all of us. sorry to

interrupt- — really feel, all of us. sorry to interrupt. there _ really feel, all of us. sorry to interrupt. there has - really feel, all of us. sorry to interrupt. there has been - really feel, all of us. sorry to interrupt. there has been a l really feel, all of us. sorry to i interrupt. there has been a lot really feel, all of us. sorry to - interrupt. there has been a lot of comments about the effect of the pandemic on peoples activities in relation to climate change. has that pandemic had any impact, do you think, on global temperature or is it simply impossible to measure that because it's too short a period of time? , , ., , ., because it's too short a period of time? ,, ., , ., , because it's too short a period of time? ,, ., , . , . because it's too short a period of time? ,, ., , ., , ., , time? the emissions have been a bit slower during — time? the emissions have been a bit slower during the _ time? the emissions have been a bit slower during the pandemic - time? the emissions have been a bit slower during the pandemic than - time? the emissions have been a bit| slower during the pandemic than they would have been if we had done our normal economic activities but that does not have any impact on global temperatures and it's not helping to stop them rising. what we have learned from the pandemic is how vulnerable we are as a society to a lot of different risks and especially complex risks happening

at the same time because when you're in a pandemic it's much more difficult to react to a hurricane or things like this. we are been there —— we are very vulnerable and we need to climate change as seriously as mitigation is something we have learned. we have to change the way we do our economic activities. we don't have to stop economic activities which is basically what happened during the pandemic. what happened during the pandemic. what sort of changes _ happened during the pandemic. what sort of changes would you like to see happen? it’s sort of changes would you like to see happen?— sort of changes would you like to see happen? it's not what i would like to see — see happen? it's not what i would like to see happen _ see happen? it's not what i would like to see happen but _ see happen? it's not what i would like to see happen but what - see happen? it's not what i would like to see happen but what will. see happen? it's not what i would l like to see happen but what will we all need to see happening is that our economic activities are not based on burning fossilfuels our economic activities are not based on burning fossil fuels any more and that means of course we generate electricity from renewables but also how we design our cities

and i would transport that there is and i would transport that there is and all of these things need to change. but that does not mean our economic activities stop in any shape, it isjust economic activities stop in any shape, it is just really the energy reducing is different as we have the technology available to do that. it's really putting the policies in place to use what we have in a better way. place to use what we have in a better way-— place to use what we have in a better wa . ., ,, i. , . better way. thank you very much. some breaking — better way. thank you very much. some breaking news _ better way. thank you very much. some breaking news from - better way. thank you very much. j some breaking news from france. that's take you over to a press conference that's going on. just before this gentleman, the french prime minister was speaking about the worrying situation with coronavirus in france and he has announced more restrictions from saturday at 8pm, everybody must be

at home from 8pm every day except when returning from work were bringing children home from school. that is a nationwide curfew, i beg your pardon, it is at six o'clock. 6pm every evening. that is a nationwide curfew that at the moment was already in place in eastern regions in france but that is being extended nationwide. there prime minister says there is no need for a new lockdown now, but if in coming days the epidemic spins out of the hands of a little lockdown again. just to be clear, my mistake, there is a curfew coming into place across france at 6pm every evening from saturday. the scottish labour party leader, richard leonard, has resigned. in a statement mr.leonard said ”'i have come to the conclusion it is in the best

interests of the party that i step aside as leader of scottish labour with immediate effect. mr leonard had been leader of the party for three years — but polls have suggested that many scottish labour supporters struggle to recognise him. here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. richard leonard has spent the last 20 minutes saying he's going to stand down with immediate effect and he decided that is the best course for the party. it's not a great surprise because richard leonard had faced some internal criticism within the scottish labour party from the way that he has laid it over the last three years. they have been previous attempts to get rid of them. they all failed. some of them at the very last minute. it does seem that pressure from his internal critics has got too much and he decided to go potentially before he was pushed. he is from the carbon ring of the party.

even a strong ally ofjeremy corbyn and a cheerleader of the former labor leader. some of the party deep down impressed with the impact he has made in scottish politics. but also critical of the way he dealt with the independent issue. you know that they are some mixed messages from the labour party on independence over the last couple of years and some in the labour party blamed richard leonard for that and ultimately it looks like he has come under pressure again over the last few weeks to stand down and taking the decision to do so. this really matters even if you're not in scotland and you're wondering is this a big issue potentially never heard of richard leonard. does it matter? it does. we are five months out from election to the scottish parliament and it would be one of the most important election in recent years where it is front and centre. we know the s npr and we know

they look pretty untouchable at the moment in scottish politics and one of the things that some on the prounion side were hoping is labor could make more inroad into scottish politics and there are some who think possibly by getting rid of richard leonard will have a better chance of doing so. the pandemic has caused immense damage to retailers across the country. lockdowns and covid restrictions stopped customers going to their high streets, and pushed some shops and businesses to the wall. so what is the future for retail? i'm joined now byjohn edgar, ceo of department chain fenwick. good afternoon to you. thank you for joining us. about itself, how has it faired? it’s

joining us. about itself, how has it faired? �* , , ., joining us. about itself, how has it faired? �*, , ., ., . faired? it's been a tough time. we have been closed _ faired? it's been a tough time. we have been closed when _ faired? it's been a tough time. we have been closed when we - faired? it's been a tough time. we have been closed when we expect| faired? it's been a tough time. we l have been closed when we expect to open march april we have been closed for six or seven months the last 12 months of that period of the year. they would have been the most profitable times of the year and the same for a lot of retailers on the high street. we look to drive our online business as much as possible but it does not fill the gap that we are losing through normal trade. your online business, how developed was that before the pandemic? it was re was that before the pandemic? it was pretty young- — was that before the pandemic? it was pretty young- we _ was that before the pandemic? it was pretty young. we relates _ was that before the pandemic? it was pretty young. we relates to _ was that before the pandemic? it was pretty young. we relates to the - pretty young. we relates to the party. i started in the basement last april when everything was closed so we got the online business up closed so we got the online business up and running pretty quick and it's done well but obviously we are still quite young. so, it's a challenge but we are doing as well as he can and being as agile as he can and learning from the process to be honest. ., . .

learning from the process to be honest. ., ., ., ., ., honest. you are a and later established _ honest. you are a and later established brands - honest. you are a and later established brands but - honest. you are a and later established brands but you| honest. you are a and later . established brands but you are honest. you are a and later - established brands but you are quite small. you don't have that many stories, has it helped or a hindrance? i stories, has it helped or a hindrance?— stories, has it helped or a hindrance? ~ �* , , hindrance? i think it's definitely been a help- — hindrance? i think it's definitely been a help- i— hindrance? i think it's definitely been a help. i think— hindrance? i think it's definitely been a help. i think london - hindrance? i think it's definitely been a help. i think london has| hindrance? i think it's definitely - been a help. i think london has been more difficult than the regional centre is generally where we are able to provide a great offer which we try to do locally to the local community, i think that puts us in quite a good place and we are fortunate and have got a great family backing and i think it puts us in a good pace compared to a lot of retailers. i do think the lockdown going on now for so long, we are in a situation where we really need the muscle of retail and i think there are good retailers that are going to start to feel the

pinch. we have to do our best and we have to follow what the government says but i think we really do need some help from the government going forward. you some help from the government going forward. ., ., ., , ., , forward. you will have heard people who talk about _ forward. you will have heard people who talk about the _ forward. you will have heard people who talk about the potential - forward. you will have heard people who talk about the potential death i who talk about the potential death of the high street because of the pandemic and some people say that is only accelerating a trend that was already bare, that shoppers are moving more from stories to online. place your take on this? do you think the high street has a chance? people love shopping, it's a bit of a national obsession. people will always shop i think without a doubt, the trend was moving in different directions. they were a lot of challenges with retail, we have too many shops in the uk. for a long time there will be strong high street and ones that perform better than others and i think there will

be some up in dynamic for a period of time between london and other regional centres with the impact of terrorism. but the high street will survive. people love shopping. you need to provide a great product and great service which is what fenwick tried to do. i’m great service which is what fenwick tried to do. �* , great service which is what fenwick tried to do— tried to do. i'm interested in what ou said tried to do. i'm interested in what you said about — tried to do. i'm interested in what you said about fenwick— tried to do. i'm interested in what you said about fenwick being - you said about fenwick being family—owned dating back to the late 19th century. these are qualities that make it stronger. could you elaborate on that? we that make it stronger. could you elaborate on that?— that make it stronger. could you elaborate on that? we are in a great osition elaborate on that? we are in a great position because _ elaborate on that? we are in a great position because our _ elaborate on that? we are in a great position because our sheet - elaborate on that? we are in a great position because our sheet is - elaborate on that? we are in a great position because our sheet is strong | position because our sheet is strong and be on most of our property and we don't have lots of leases and for many take a very long term view on things. that puts us in good stead. he does not mean times aren't difficult but compared to different forms of ownership or where business

is our in terms of what etc, it puts us in a strong position.— us in a strong position. thank you very much- _ now, the weather with louise leah. we had to contend with rain or snow. it is eating away and first thing tomorrow we have a new set of problems with widespread ice and fog in place is. it's may be slow to lift away. it will be a murky starts but it will brighten up from the left. into the afternoon it would be a dry story. if the fog lingers where we have snow with a temperature is struggling to our three degrees. it changes as we go into the weekend. we have got this area of low pressure pushing off the atlantic. the wind direction changes and it will bring some rain. that

pushes its way down into the southeast for saturday afternoon. it will be more dry and bright with some showers. with highs of seven through 10 degrees. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the number of people in england waiting for routine hospital treatment last november reached a record high, at nearly four and a half million. experts warn it could take years to clear the backlog uk bound arrivals from many countries in south america and portugal are to be banned from tomorrow, amid concerns over a new variant of coronavirus richard leonard resigns as scottish labour leader after three years in the role. donald trump denies inciting last week's violence at the capitol — after he becomes the first us president to be impeached twice: a global climate change warning as scientists say the last decade

was the warmest since records began thousands of laptops and tablets are donated to help children being home—schooled online after a bbc campaign. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, and tojohn watson. andy murray's participation at the up coming australian open is in doubt after the former world number one tested positive for coronavirus. the tournament starts in three—and—a—half weeks. he's said to be in good health and was due to leave in the next two days but he'll stay at home to self isolate — and there's a question mark over whether he'll be allowed to travel to melbourne outside of the chartered flights put on by the organisers. if he's given the go ahead he'll have to test negative before departing and then complete a 1k day quarantine period upon arrival. dom bess and stuart broad

were the stars for england on the opening day of the first test against sri lanka. england finished the day on top in galle, just eight runs behind the hosts. joe wilson was watching. escape for a moment into a different world called cricket. they are, in his 15th year with england, stuart broad. he struck again before lunch as sri lanka slumped. this crickets ground is gloriously nestled along side the sea. deserted. almost. this man has been waiting to watch england for almost ten months but no spectators are allowed. the authorities permitted him to sing before moving him on.

now restricted by quarantine england's players had little preparation but they were sharp. watch this shot. england's luck was in. a sweep from the captain as they thrived. playing it with wonderful control. england 127—2. the view, getting better. aston villa have been forced to postpone another premier league match due to the pandemic. they closed their training ground last week after a number of positive tests. wednesday's game against tottenham had already been postponed.

sunday's match at home to everton has now been called off. meanwhile danny ings has tested positive. the striker has been self—isolting since getting his test results after southampton's win over liverpool 10 days ago and will miss their game against leicester on saturday. 0lympic bronze medallist nile wilson has announced his retirement from gymnastics following a spate of career threatening injuries. he was part of a golden generation for british gymnastics, becoming britain's first 0lympic medallist on the high bars in rio and won three golds at the commonwealth games on the gold coast in 2018. posting about his retirment he said gymnastics gave him experiences he could never have dreamed of, but his body can't take any more. i'v e i've had a roughjourney i've had a rough journey with injuries. specifically since my next surgery when i had my fusion in my spine, it'sjust been surgery when i had my fusion in my spine, it's just been competition after complication over these last two years and it's got to the point where i really have fallen out of love with the process and no matter

how much i give and i push and i believe, my bodyjust goes no, it made, we are not doing this any more. and the masters snooker continues this afternoon. kyren wilson in a real tussle with david gilbert before the defending champion stuart bingham takes on shaun murphy in the evening session. this one a tight affair — these are live pictures from milton keynes where they're into the qurter finals. kyren wilson potentially one frame from from victory against david gilbert. gilbert has just gilbert hasjust won gilbert has just won the tenth frame to take it right down to the wire. wilson at the table at the moment. you can watch it via the bbc sport website and the app. lots more on the bbc sport website and app including confirmation that the new super league season will start two weeks later than planned, on 25th march. that's it from us for now, plenty more in sportsday at 6:30.

donald trump faces trial in the senate after becoming the first us president to be impeached twice. last night members of the house of representatives voted to charge him with inciting last week's violence at the capitol building in washington. after that vote, the president released a video — in which he didn't mention impeachment, but urged americans to unite and avoid violence. barbara plett usher reports. the ayes are 232. the nays are 197. the resolution is adopted without objection. the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. so ended a week like no other in washington, with the astonishing collapse of donald trump's final days in office. lawmakers returned to a capitol transformed. thousands of national guard troops deployed to protect them from the loyal supporters of the departing president, who had stormed congress. the people's house looked like a war zone. the debate to impeach the president for inciting the violence

was sharp and emotional. the president must be impeached, and i believe the president must be convicted by the senate — a constitutional remedy that will ensure that the republic will be safe from this man who is so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold dear and that hold us together. it's always been about getting the president, no matter what. it's an obsession — an obsession that has now broadened. it's not just about impeachment any more, it's about cancelling, as i've said, cancelling the president and anyone that disagrees with them. but most republicans didn't defend mr trump. instead, they questioned the process and warned it would deepen divisions. and ten voted for impeachment — a stark difference from the first time round, one year ago. next, this goes to the senate for trial, but only after the inauguration ofjoe biden, when mr trump will have left office. but i cannot emphasise that there must be no violence, no lawbreaking, no vandalism of any kind.

in a video message, he still didn't concede the election, but with the threat of more attacks to come, he called for protesters to remain peaceful. mob violence goes against everything i believe in and everything our movement stands for. no true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. disrespect law enforcement or our great american flag. no true supporter of mine could ever threaten or harass theirfellow americans. it's been one week since the riot, and there's one more week to go beforejoe biden is inaugurated. in the middle of this, the house says it has acted to protect democracy by impeaching mrtrump, but a peaceful transfer of power still feels very fragile. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. with president trump now impeached for inciting the us capitol riot, what does this mean —

for him, for president elect biden — and for the united states? paul adams reports. it's a rare distinction, to be impeached twice in a year. it's what the history books will record before anything else. that donaldj trump incited the crowd that attacked the capitol and tried to overturn the results of the presidential election, including a threatening call to georgia's secretary of state. i just want to find 11,780 votes. so, the president is going to be tried, but when? the senate, where the process will take place, is in recess until tuesday. the outgoing republican majority leader, mitch mcconnell, won't bring senators back early. forjoe biden, anxious to get on with his agenda, it's a dilemma. the president—elect has suggested the senate could split its time

between conducting the trial and confirming key administration appointments. a delicate, perhaps explosive mix. joe biden is trying to thread a needle here, because he believes in accountability for trump and he thinks it is important to draw a line in the sand. but he also wants his presidency to not be defined by the past presidency, he doesn't want every news headline from 20th of january onward to be about donald trump. but this is difficult for the republicans, too. what happens to their party if donald trump is convicted? a week ago, his son issued a stark warning. this isn't their republican party any more. this is donald trump's republican party! words that will haunt senior republicans for months, perhaps years to come. without donald trump's fervent base, the party is nothing, and they're still standing by their man. no matter what kind of evidence you show, no matter what the court say, these people are so determined and are so passionate about donald trump having won

the election, that that explains what happened a week ago, it explains what continues to happen right now. washington is swarming with troops, more than in iraq and afghanistan combined, a measure of the realfear that donald trump's embittered supporters could still try and disrupt next week's inauguration. paul adams, bbc news. going to be speak at our correspondent in belfast about the coronavirus situation in northern ireland. pursuant to bring you a tweet from public health england, as you can see there against the new number of positive cases across the uk. this is due to a processing issue with death data of the dashboard update for covid 18 is today delayed. no indication of when we look at that figure. the positive cases you can see there. that

compares with 47,525 yesterday. the small rise of about a thousand. but i think important to bear in mind but our health correspondent was saying a little earlier, that for a few days running down the number of new cases has been below 50,000, having been in the 60 thousands prior to that. so we are still seeing a drop. the first minister arlene foster has said the r—number in northern ireland has fallen to between 0.7 and 0.9 and credits the lock down introduced on boxing day with slowing the rate of transmission. let's get more on this from our correspondent in belfast, chris page. so, some good news. you know that's right. and arlene foster had the start of the news conference in the last hour, will that was the first fact that she mentioned because she said everybody did need some good news. the said everybody did need some good news. , ., news. the r number in northern

ireland news. the r number in northern ireland has— news. the r number in northern ireland has fallen _ news. the r number in northern ireland has fallen and _ news. the r number in northern ireland has fallen and that - news. the r number in northern ireland has fallen and that was l news. the r number in northern l ireland has fallen and that was the goal, if you like, of the lockdown that came in on boxing day. results between 0.7 and 0.9. another positive set of statistics for northern ireland, today northern ireland has passed something of an early landmark any vaccination programme, more than 100,000 people here have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, and that amounts to about five and a half percent of the population, so according to arlene foster that makes northern ireland on track to be one of the top—performing countries all around the world come so the plan is that everybody over 80 incurable residents and all health and social care workers will have had at least one job before january the 31st. the bigger picture though, still some very concerning trends, hospitaladmissions continuing to rise, as he would mission still rising and deaths still rising. so the thinking is that admissions may peek perhaps at the beginning of next week, but then we will see the results of that in

the r number of filtering through. the health service here still under extreme pressure, so mrs foster, the main partner in the world government, the deputy first minister very much putting emphasis on the lockdown measures here working, having an impact on that means all the more important people follow them through of lease until february the 6th when lockdown is due to end but there's been warnings from stormont scientific us saying that they could be extended beyond that. if that they could be extended beyond that. ., , that they could be extended beyond that. . , ., that. if we have seen default in the r number that _ that. if we have seen default in the r number that does _ that. if we have seen default in the r number that does suggest - that. if we have seen default in the r number that does suggest that l r number that does suggest that people have been taking the lockdown measures seriously, and following the rules by and large. yes measures seriously, and following the rules by and large.— measures seriously, and following the rules by and large. yes and thus the rules by and large. yes and thus the general — the rules by and large. yes and thus the general sense, _ the rules by and large. yes and thus the general sense, she _ the rules by and large. yes and thus the general sense, she said - the rules by and large. yes and thus the general sense, she said she - the rules by and large. yes and thusj the general sense, she said she was so supporting that there were reports of house parties and the police are still issuing penalty notices every day, so it's certainly notices every day, so it's certainly not a universal following of the

rules but generally she thinks compliance has been good. when you unpack the statistics of that the decline is amongst the under 60s but slower than the over 60s. the suggests compliance is made be higher amongst people who are older and if there's noncompliance it's people who are in the younger age category. as i said a strong message from the devolved government today is that when you look at the big picture of the figures, shedding retail and leisure facilities has been making an impact and people really need to stick with it. thank ou ve really need to stick with it. thank you very much. — really need to stick with it. thank you very much, chris _ really need to stick with it. thank you very much, chris page - really need to stick with it. thank you very much, chris page therel really need to stick with it. thank i you very much, chris page there our belfast correspondent. 11 acid to donate laptops and tablets to help children who are learning at home.

fiona lamdin has been to meet some of the people donating them and catch up with families who have been helped. oh, my goodness! this was the moment when edwina and herfamily received a laptop on loan from her school. that was a week ago. thank you very much. thank you, thank you. it's been kind of a heavy weight is lifted off. no more shouting, "0h, mummy, can i use your phone?" "mummy, this," — no. they know they've got, each person has got a slot on the laptop. as a result of bbc�*s make a difference campaign we have been overwhelmed by your generosity. injust seven days, we've had over 5000 devices donated, and bbc has just learnt that 20,000 extra devices are coming in the next few weeks from businesses. one of those who donated was marilyn. i heard the appeal on the bbc. we had two laptops upstairs that have been doing nothing for a couple of years, so ijust wanted

to find out and help and give. my husband passed away from covid four weeks ago. he was so generous, so generous and kind, and he would have done it himself. he'd be really proud of me, i'm sure. yeah, proud. madeline hasn't been able to hold her husband's funeral yet, but she's so determined to help she's already taken their laptops to her local school. if people don't have the technological know—how to erase the data, then they can be reassured that if they pass that laptop on to us, we will make sure it is completely clean of anything that is left on there. 0n the other side of the city, we meet the adam family. these ten—year—old identical twins have been relying on paper hand—outs from their school. earlier this week, the government promised another 300,000 devices to disadvantaged children learning at home...

wow! ..taking the total to 1.3 million. i really want to try it, thank you. now we have this, we'll be able to join in on the live lessons. i want to be a doctor, and so i have to work really hard and, like, focus more on my work, so having these laptops really helps my education. i would like to say thank you for this donation, because it's a life changer and it's also a life—saver. fiona lamdin, bbc news. if you have a laptop or tablet that you want to donate, then please go to bbc.co.uk/makeadifference where you can find details of the charities who will help get them safely to the children who need them most. growing �*vaccine confidence�* has led to a boom in the over 50s booking summer holidays. coach and tour operators say they�*ve seen a rush to book, with some seeing an almost 200 percent increase over

the last two weeks. simon browning reports. holidays. millions of us missed out last year. no sea, no sun, no long sunset drinks. instead, we got cancellations and refunds. now, as the mass roll—out of the vaccine gets under way, tour operators say we�*re booking again and looking for sunnier climes. tui is the uk�*s biggest tour operator. greece, turkey and spain are our favourites. in the last few weeks, over 50% of our bookings on our website have been the over—50s. we�*re seeing people booking longer holidays. so, rather than the straight seven nights, they�*re booking 10s, 11s and 14s, maybe trying to catch a bit of that missed holiday back up, and we�*re seeing them go in more multi—generational and broader groups. so, it�*s a bit more of a bigger family holiday that�*s coming through.

it�*s notjust holidays abroad. national express says bookings have surged 185% in the 65—plus market, compared to the same period last year. we launched our spring/summer brochure just this weekend gone, and on monday we took a week's worth of bookings in one day. many of them have had their first jab, and they know that within 12 weeks that they will receive their second jab. that gives them a level of certainty. now, whilst we all dream, it�*s been a tough year for the industry. abta estimates 90,000 jobs have been lost. this is utterly fantastic news, hugely welcomed by an industry that has been entirely devastated by this pandemic. ten months into this crisis and the travel industry has still received zero dedicated financial support from the government. so, this is the first sign of the light at the end of the tunnel for the sector. who isn�*t going to want a holiday after the annus horribilis that was 2020? we�*re yearning for sun

whilst the days are dark. for some, the vaccine brings hope for sunnier times ahead. simon browning, bbc news. # what we do with the drunken sailor. , ., , , ~ # what we do with the drunken sailor. , .,, , ,, _ sailor. the interest was sparked by this man, 26-year-old _ sailor. the interest was sparked by this man, 26-year-old scottish - this man, 26—year—old scottish postman nathan evans who is renditions of ancient seafaring songs have attracted millions of views online since december. he says he can�*t believe the attention he�*s received. it�*s he can't believe the attention he's received. �* , . ., , he can't believe the attention he's received. �*, . ., , �*, received. it's crazy, it's absolutely _ received. it's crazy, it's absolutely crazy. - received. it's crazy, it'sj absolutely crazy. under received. it's crazy, it's - absolutely crazy. under that received. it's crazy, it's _ absolutely crazy. under that would watch it to a certain extent but never an idea this. # the name of the ship... about four

times i went to take parcel to doors and dave seen on tick—tock somehow and dave seen on tick—tock somehow and saying i know your face! and dave seen on tick—tock somehow and saying i know yourface! and that�*s what it�*s been through, it�*s been through that. #. it all started back injuly last year. someone left a comment on one of my videos asking me to a sea shanty, and i�*ve done that one. it reached about a million views and since then there�*s just been so many requests for different songs in different see shanties. abs, requests for different songs in different see shanties.- requests for different songs in different see shanties. a new star there. hello there. many of us have had to either contend with heavy rain or significant snow today. it made for some beautiful weather watch your pictures being sent in. take a look at county durham earlier on this afternoon. a gorgeous woodland walk, no doubt. but we did see around ten cm plus of lying snow across parts of scotland and northern england. even a centimeter or two

starting to accumulate across the east midlands. further north and west it was a different story. it was heavy rain in excess of 15 mm of rain fell in greater manchester and lead to some localized flooding as well. the weather front was fairly slow moving, you can see where the snow was sitting through the spine of the country. still some heavy rain to clear from the southeast as well, but it will do so through the latter stages of this evening and overnight. that in turn will bring a new set of problems with light winds, clearing skies and seeing the temperatures are falling away, and we could have some widespread freezing services. almost anywhere across the country. so ice is an issue, and also the potential for some freezing fog. so if you do have to make an essentialjourney tomorrow, it is worth bearing in mind about that ice and fog, and tune into your bbc local radio station early morning travel and traffic updates. but on the whole, friday is all

about this ridge of high pressure. so yes we are in the colder air mass. the blue colors. the milder, whether whether waiting in the wings for saturday. but friday will be a quieter day. the fog should take it�*s time to lift away, but hopefully into the afternoon some brighter skies, particularly further west you are a dryer story but not a particularly warm one. temperatures peaking around 2 to 5 degrees, maybe 6 or 7 out to the west. that milder air starting to arrive. so as we go into the weekend this low pressure moves in from the atlantic, the isobars of squeezing together around the low, the winds will strengthen. going to drive significant rainfall. it will push through at quite a pace, potentially on saturday, easing the southeast corner by the middle of the afternoon, something brighter following on behind. a scattering of showers to the northwest of the great glen. temperatures should peak on saturday, little higher, but may be at around eight to ten for many. now as a move into sunday it could be drier and quieter still with some sunshine coming through. potential for a little more rain from monday onwards. take care.

today at six: a record waiting list for hospitals in england — 4.5 million patients face delayed treatments. surgeons say it�*s the calamitous impact of covid on the nhs — imagine being a cancer patient waiting for treatment. i�*ve got this tumour, and i�*ve had it for at least 12 months. and to have had no treatment is frightening. it�*s frightening. as the first pharmacies offer covid vaccinations, new figures show the regional breakdown — london and the east of england are lagging behind the rest of the country. also on the programme... from heat waves to wildfires, the challenge of climate change — scientists from around the world agree the last decade

was the warmest on record.