this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at five... more than 1,500 people have been arrested in russia as police crack down on protests by supporters of the jailed opposition leader, alexei navalny. senior doctors call for the 12—week gap between the first and second dose of the pfizerjab to be halved. and the american broadcaster and talk show host larry king has died at the age of 87. in a moment, viewers on bbc one will be joining us for a full round—up of the day's news with kate silverton.

first, police in russia have made more than 1,000 arrests at protests in support of the jailed opposition leader, alexei navalny, who was arrested last week on his return to russia from germany. 0ur diplomatic correspondent, james landale, reports. in the freezing cold, out they came. thousands of protesters taking to the streets to demand change. here in vladivostok, in the far east of the country, there were scuffles with police as they tried to disrupt protests the kremlin says are illegal. "putin is a thief," they shouted. "freedom to navalny." there were reports that hundreds had been arrested at rallies in up to 60 cities across the vast breadth of russia. they were out for one man — the opposition leader, alexi navalny. he may remain injail but his supporters were in full voice.

translation: i'm tired. just like many russians, i'm tired. i'm 26 years old, i've lived my whole life under putin, and, every year, i hear the same old promises. translation: in russia, - the current authorities are doing everything they can in order to cement their power, you know, so that it will never change. but what are we for? we are for a transfer of power. more than 5,000 miles to the west, many thousands gathered to protest on the streets of moscow. "russia without putin," they chanted. police detained hundreds before the protests even began. "how can you look your children in the eyes," this man asks them. the question now is whether protesters can keep up the momentum in the days and weeks ahead in the face of the police and the bitter russian winter.

we have got the snow around this afternoon. that area will clear away eastward through the evening. further snow showers in scotland and then this area rising to south—west england, wales, the far south of northern ireland. another cold night, widespread frost and ice a risk again, temperatures down as low as minus eight celsius at least in scotland. this area of rain, sleet and snow continues eastwards through the morning. further north, mostly dry with the sunshine pick the wintry showers piling in to the north and west of scotland and another cold day, temperatures at best two or three celsius in places, five or six along the south—west coast. looking ahead on monday another cold day with a few wintry showers but most will be dry and it

turns wetter, windier and milderfor the west as we had to next week. goodbye. —— head through.

good afternoon. senior doctors have called for the maximum 12—week gap between administering the first and second doses of the pfizer coronavirus vaccination to be halved. in a private letter to england's chief medical officer — which has been seen by the bbc — the doctors union, the bma, called the time delay, which the government had decided "difficult to justify". the government argues the longer gap can saves lives by allowing more people to receive a first jab more quickly. our health correspondent

anna collinson reports. it's the largest vaccination programme in british history and to many, so far, it's been a success. but there are calls for the pfizer/biontech second dose to be given more quickly. the manufacturers have no data to back up the 12—week delay and some senior doctors want it reduced to six weeks. that would still allow many more people to have a first dose compared to a three—week interval, but at least it will be in keeping with international best practice guidance. there is no other nation internationally that has adopted a 12—week delay. health officials have called extending the gap to 12 weeks a public health decision. the government says the current system is under review but believes it is the right thing to do. it enables people to get the first jab as quickly as possible and the high level of protection that one jab alone provides to them, and then of course those individuals

will be invited back for their second jab within 12 weeks. questions are also being asked about the more infectious variants. vaccines are still expected to be effective, but early evidence suggests it may be more deadly, though more research is needed. the question about then whether it is more dangerous in terms of mortality i think is still open, but there is evidence that it is more dangerous. but on the other hand, this is a very dangerous virus so it's not a game—changer, it's a very bad thing that is slightly worse. we can expect more reminders to stay at home and to keep our distance for weeks and maybe months to come. anna collinson, bbc news. let's look at the latest government figures. there were 33,552 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 37,157.

there were 37,899 people in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to thursday. 1,348 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 1,248 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 97,329. the uk's programme of mass vaccinations continues to ramp up with a new daily record for the roll out. 478,248 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24—hour period. it takes the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to 5,861,351. police in russia have made over

2,000 arrests at protests in support of the jailed opposition leader, alexay navalny. large gatherings have been taking place across russia, including the eastern cities of vladivostok and khabarovsk. in the siberian city of yakutsk, protesters braved temperatures of —50 degrees. the main demonstration was in the capital, moscow, from where our correspondent steve rosenberg reports. in moscow, you can feel the anger. police had warned people, any protests would be broken up. any protester risked arrest. but thousands came to pushkin square to support the kremlin�*s fiercest critic, alexei navalny. "freedom to navalny," they cried. and, "russia without putin." on her way to the protest, mr navalny�*s wife, yulia, was detained by police.

so were hundreds of others. for taking part in what the authorities called an unsanctioned gathering. for years the russian authorities made out that alexei navalny had minimal support across the country, that he was in no way a threat to them, but these scenes of riot police and detentions suggest the kremlin is more worried than they've letting on. in a direct challenge to vladimir putin, whom he accuses of ordering the nerve agent attack on him, alexei navalny returned to russia last weekend and was arrested for an alleged parole violation. russia isn't investigating his poisoning, it's investigating him. the kremlin denies any involvement in the attack. there were pro—navalny rallies across russia today. things heated up in vladivostok. in yakutsk it was —50

but there were protests here too. but the kremlin rarely gives in to pressure, especially from the street. instead of compromise, expect a crackdown. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. the conservative leader in the welsh parliament has resigned his position after being seen drinking with other politicians in the senedd, days into a pub alcohol ban. paul davies said his actions had "damaged the trust and respect" he'd built with the people of wales. his colleague, darren millar — who was also seen drinking — has also resigned. the american talk show host, larry king, has died. he was 87. rumblings in the trump camp in as faras the rumblings in the trump camp in as far as the presidency. could he be eyeing the white house? in 25 years hosting his own programme on cnn, larry king interviewed some of the biggest names in politics, showbusiness and sport, ranging from vladimir putin to frank sinatra.

king conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six—decade career. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. good evening.

hello. this is bbc news. guernsey has gone into lockdown with immediate effect today after four people from different households tested positive for covid—19. islanders had been free from social distancing since june last year but must now stay at home. euan duncan reports. for guernsey's 63,000 residents, this is a bitter blow. the island has been blessed with daily life as close to normal for over six months, but now guernsey is back to where they were last march. queues began to form early this morning as news of a potential lockdown spread — a move which was officially announced at an emergency press conference. there was confirmation of community spread as four cases of the virushave been found in islanders without any travel history. the unknown we're facing on this

occasion is the emergence of the viral variants and exactly what that impact is going to be. and that was also key to our decision—making. not only have these four cases, but we are sitting against the background of a changing situation, and it was that uncertainty that we've always done what we can to try and protect the health and well—being of the population. schools, bars and restaurants are to close, but the government say mass vaccinations will still go ahead. guernsey's community vaccination centre will open its doors on monday. but the centre has already been designed to include social distancing. the island knew it was in a unique and fortunate position to have been living life with the freedoms not enjoyed in largerjurisdictions. no one knows how long this lockdown will last. the island is holding its breath. the leader of the welsh conservatives has resigned after an investigation found he may have broken coronavirus restrictions by drinking alcohol

in the senedd tea room. the incident last month involving four members of the welsh parliament happened just days after pubs across wales were banned from selling alcohol. 0ur wales political editor, felicity evans, gave us this update. it's been a very difficult week for the welsh conservatives. these allegations first emerged on tuesday and, at that time, paul davies, the leader of the conservative group in the senedd, along with his chief whip, darren miller, and a labour member of the senedd, alun davies, issued statements in which they said they had had a drink in the tearoom of the senedd, which is a licensed premises, just days after the welsh government had introduced a ban on alcohol being served in licensed premises. although they insisted they did not break coronavirus regulations because the onus in these new rules was on the licence holder

rather than any drinkers. but in that statement, they accepted that it might be perceived they hadn't observed the spirit of those regulations, though they insisted it was a work meeting and they had only a couple of glasses of wine. it was a work meeting and they had since then, pressure has built, the senedd commission has launched its own investigation. yesterday, mr davies�* group said he had their unanimous support, but shortly after that, the presiding officer issued a statement in which she confirmed that four elected members had consumed alcohol on the senedd premises and that she was referring the matter to the standards commissioner for further investigation. and this morning, paul davies and his chief whip, darren miller, have both announced they are standing down from their front bench positions. the bbc has been given exclusive access to the nurse—led covid wards at clacton community hospital in essex. they are experiencing high patient demand and an increasing number

of patients are not surviving covid—19. simon dedman and cameraman jamie niblock report. staff have struggled a lot more the second time round. you can see them really struggling, gasping for air, it's horrendous on our part. stressful. it's stressful for everyone. patients come in, walking in here, and they are covid—positive, and, within a few days, you see them deteriorating, they're so fatigued they can't move and then gradually we see them dying. but we still have to be there for them until the end. two months since we were on clacton hospital's covid wards, things have changed. the number of beds has doubled to 56, but still that is not enough to meet demand — they are nearly always full. wejoined this nurse again on her round.

oh, look at those, lovely! no fluid in there. it's quite bad at the moment. obviously, the whole nhs is really struggling. we have increased our bed base here recently in the last week to accommodate more patients coming from the acute trusts to free up those acute beds for those patients who really need that additional care. covid patients are getting younger. diane from colchester is 56. she's been in hospital since before christmas. i didn't want to be resuscitated, i was so ill, and peoplejust think it's easy — it's not. i was really ill. even the doctors were worried about me, and i said, if i'm going to come out a lot worse than what i went in, i don't want to come out. they're more poorly this time round, and we've also got quite a few staff off, regular, substantive staff, so we are working

with a lot more agency. agency staff like deanne, who's been drafted in from her communityjob. there's lots of machines i've never used before, i i've never had to do obs in my life. it is a different experience, | being out in the community. it does feel a lot busier than when we were here two months ago, it's a lot more frantic, there's a lot more energy. the staff say that they are stressed and, frankly, when you look at their faces, you can tell that they are. it's paul's second day. he cleans constantly to kill covid particles to protect patients and his colleagues. i was a carer for ten years for my mum, who sadly passed away, but i've always wanted to help people, it's what i've done pretty much most of my life. so i thought, there's no better way to help people thanjoin the nhs. patients are waiting, hoping, like donald and diane, for covid to clear their bodies. as we wait and hope for covid to be gone from our communities,

hospital staff are working night and day like never before, trying to save people from this deadly disease. students from more than 50 universities are taking part in a rent strike in protest at how the pandemic has affected their studies. many courses have moved to remote learning which has caused some students to go back home. with mental health also a big concern, the higher education regulator is calling for more financial and emotional support for students. adina campbell reports. a lonely figure in one of the uk's largest cities. life in sheffield for third—year student harry smith isn't what it used to be. stuck indoors in a tiny room, he's one of a handful of people left in this block of flats, normally home to hundreds. his only contact with the outside world, working part—time at the local supermarket.

i've told my university many times, you should have told us to stay at home and do a virtual degree. it would have saved £5,000 for me on rent, it would have saved coming here, switching jobs, ruining my mental health, that sort of thing. but i think now, i think someone needs to step in, the government, the accommodation themselves, the university, to alleviate these contracts that we are tied up to. sheffield hallam university says it quickly communicated that teaching would be online until the end of february and has prioritised mental health support. harry has just about managed to pay his rent for the next few months, but others are choosing not to and are taking part in a rent strike campaign at more than 50 universities in the uk. this is not the university experience students ever imagined they'd be facing. normally, this part of sheffield is full of people making their way to and from lectures or catching up in cafes and pubs.

but instead, it's eerily quiet and more like a ghost town. the department of education and governments in scotland, wales and northern ireland say millions of pounds has been made available to help those experiencing financial difficulties as well as funding for better access to online learning. two railway routes which were closed more than 50 years ago are to be reopened. the next phase of the east west rail, connecting oxford and cambridge, was confirmed by the government in november — it has been awarded £760 million. and the northumberland line, which still carries freight, will get £34 million to restart passenger services. 0ur transport correspondent, caroline davies, reports. some train lines cut in the 1960s are being brought back. the government have announced £760 million to continue work

on the bicester to bletchley line, which hasn't run since 1968. but life after covid could look very different, and it could take a while for the numbers using the railways to bounce back. why are you investing this amount of money now? it's really important that we are thinking about the future and, fortunately, with the jabs going into people's arms, we can see that there will be life after coronavirus. we want people to be able to get about, connect communities. there's also £34 million to restore a line in northumberland, closed in 1964, but still running freight. it means towns like ashington will have a train station after decades without one. although it is welcome, some say much more is needed. the northumberland line is one piece in the jigsaw, but, if you do not invest in other critical infrastructure, in particular in the wider rail network, then the north—east will never benefit from projects like hsz and northern powerhouse rail. both services will run on diesel, at least initially, rather

than greener alternatives. the government say they looking to bring back more lines previously cut. caroline davies, bbc news. one of the giants of american broadcasting, larry king, has died. he was 87. he's best known for hosting a nightly talk show on cnn, which ran for 25 years. he was being treated in hospital after testing positive for covid—19. daniella relph looks back on his life. for more than 60 years, he interviewed everybody who was anybody. tonight, the legendary liza minnelli on marriage. would you marry again? are you nuts? ..0scar winners. .. start spreading the news — the legendary liza minnelli is here. ..presidents. .. tonight, a candid conversation with president george w and laura bush from the white house. do you ever think you would say, "maybe i was wrong?" the decision to remove saddam hussein was the right decision. | not friends any more! ..if you were in the public eye, you came to the court of larry king. were you with the president at times, intimately, and he would also be conducting

affairs of state? the story that he was on the phone, talking to congressmen? erm, yes. it's the witching hour, miami beach's midnight flyer programme... born in brooklyn, he rose to fame in his 20s as a discjockey in florida, here spoofing his role in this 1960s tv crime series based in miami. hey, creep! from the nation's capital, you're listening to the larry king show. by the 1970s, he was broadcasting his late—night radio show coast to coast... across the united states, this is the larry king show, coast to coast... ..preferring not to prepare too much for an interview and simply letting the conversation unfold. i like spontaneity, that's the kind of broadcaster i am. i'm coming on the air, saying, "good evening, my guest tonight is..." i have no idea what that question's going to be. in the 1980s, king joined a new 24—hour tv news station, cnn, gently probing everyone from donald trump...

rumblings in the trump camp as far as the presidency. could the manhatten magnate be eyeing the white house or is he just calling a bluff? i have no intention of running for president, but i have a point to get across — we have a great country, but it's not going to be great for long if we continue to lose $200 billion a year. ..to frank sinatra. i tremble every time i walk out from the wing onto the stage l because i keep thinking to myself, "i wonder if it'll be there." - after leaving cnn, those famous braces could be seen, until recently, on larry king now. they go, "cut! cut! "what is she doing?!" his new talk show was criticised for being syndicated on the russian—sponsored tv network, rt. people don't expect you to be sitting at certain board... but with guests like 0prah, larry king proved that, even in his 80s, he still had

unrivalled pulling power. the us broadcaster and talk show host larry king, who has died at the age of 87. time for a look at the weather. hello. we have got further snow around this afternoon for parts of north and west scotland, north—west england, through parts of the midlands and into east anglia. that area will then clear away eastwards through this evening. further snow showers for the north and west of scotland overnight, and then this area of rain, sleet and snow arrives into south—west england, wales, maybe far south of northern ireland. it's another cold night, a widespread frost, ice also a risk once again. temperatures down as low as —8 celsius at least across north—east scotland. so this area of rain, sleet and snow continuous slowly eastwards through the morning across parts of wales, central southern england, south—west england, may be part of northern ireland too. further north, mostly dry with sunshine, but further wintry showers piling into the north and west of scotland. and it is another cold day.

temperatures at best 2—3 celsius in places. perhaps just five or six along the south—west coast. so, looking ahead, then. on monday, it is another cold day with a few wintry showers, but most will be dry. then it tends wetter, windier and milder from the west as we head through next week. bye— bye. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... more than 2000 people have been arrested in russia at protests in support of the jailed opposition leader alexei navalny. mr navalny�*s wife, yulia, has now been released after being arrested while attending

a demonstration in moscow. senior doctors call for changes in the vaccine roll—out in the uk. they want the 12—week gap between the first and second dose of the pfizerjab to be halved. the leader of welsh conservatives, paul davies, has resigned after admitting drinking on the senedd estate days after an alcohol ban was enforced. and the american broadcaster and talk show host larry king has died at the age of 87. now on bbc news, bbc newsbeat go on a road trip to meet young americans from all sides to see what they think needs to be done to build bridges in their country. let us be the nation that we know we can be, a nation united, a nation strengthened, a nation healed! this is america by childish gambino plays the nightjoe biden won the us presidential election —

but right now, the country is looking torn in ways we have