this is bbc news. the headlines at five... more than 70 cases of the south african variant of covid are identified in the uk — amid concerns the vaccine may be less effective against it. ministers say numbers are being closely monitored. we have an enhanced contact tracing to do everything we possibly can to stop them from spreading. some enjoy the wintry conditions as snow and ice sweep across the uk, but severe weather warnings are in place for many areas. the number of covid—19 cases in the united states passes 25 million, with the death toll soaring to nearly 418,000. leaving the union — the snp lays out what it's calling a road map to a new referendum on scottish independence.

and joy in china as 11 gold miners who'd been trapped underground for two weeks are rescued. good afternoon. the health secretary has said 77 cases of the south african variant of coronavirus have been found here in the uk, but they can all be linked to international travel and there is no evidence it is spreading in the community. matt hancock also said we are a "long way" from covid restrictions being eased as scientists warn vaccinated people may still be able to pass the virus on. the uk has recorded a further 30,004 daily covid infections. that's down from more than 33 and a half thousand yesterday.

there have also been a further 610 daily covid deaths — that's people who've died within 28 days of a positive test. that figure was at 1,348 yesterday. more than 6.3 million people in the uk have now received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, an increase in the past 24 hours of nearly 492,000. 0ur science editor david shukman reports. all kinds of surprising locations are now mobilised in the push forvaccination, even the black country living museum near birmingham. used as a set in the drama peaky blinders, this celebration of an earlier age is ready to offer the most modern of medicines — everything prepared for coronavirus vaccines. please, please come and get your vaccine. we are here and we are ready and we are waiting for you. it is vitally important that people protect themselves, protect their families and protect one another. we do know that the injections offer good protection.

they boost antibodies in the bloodstream and keep people from getting ill, but it's not clear if that stops the virus causing infections that can then spread to others. there is some evidence from the astrazeneca vaccine trial, and that did show that a small number were indeed positive for sars, coronavirus too, despite having no symptoms whatsoever and having had the vaccine. now, it's very small numbers and really hard to see a stastistically meaningful result. and another concern is how the virus is changing. a variant in south africa is one of several being checked to see how effective the vaccines are against it. there are 77 known cases of the south african - variant here in the uk. they are under very close observation and we havel enhanced contact tracing to do everything we possibly- can to stop them from spreading _ the majority of those have had

contact with or come _ from south africa, and that's why we've got such stringent - border measures in place. so, a big question is how to manage the uk's borders. many countries require travellers to quarantine in hotels. there's pressure on the government for stricter controls. on monday, we got this delayed announcement yet again delayed. we would fully expect the government to bring in tougher quarantine measures, we would expect them to roll out a proper testing strategy, and we would expect them as well to start checking up on the people who are quarantining. only three out of every hundred people who are asked to quarantine when they arrive into the uk actually faces any checks at all. that's just simply not sufficient. and meanwhile, not everyone is getting the message. the police broke up an illegal rave in east london in the early hours, and they issued fines totalling £15,000. david shukman, bbc news.

israel has announced it is banning incoming flights until the end of the month, to try and contain the spread of coronavirus. with a quarter of its population vaccinated, israel is far ahead of other countries, but has seen a steep increase in infections since november. scientists are watching data shared by the country keenly to learn what vaccinations at scale could mean for slowing the spread of the disease. the israeli health minister yuli edelstein spoke to my colleague andrew marr about their findings so far. we are just in the beginning of the campaign. unfortunately, we do see cases after getting the first dose, people get sick, get the coronavirus. at the same time, there are some encouraging signs of less severe diseases, less people hospitalised after the first dose. so at this stage, it's very difficult to say. it's not a clinical trial yet. it's just our empiric data, and we sincerely hope we will have

better information very soon. we still have a very small number of those who we consider fully vaccinated, meaning a week after the second dose, according to pfizer instructions. so we still can't boast accurate data on that. we are collecting every piece of information. we hope to be able very soon to say the number of those hospitalised goes down. and one thing we are closely following, there's always been the situation where you have a rise in people who are infected, you have an immediate rise in hospitalised and severe cases. we hope that this graphic, this slide will change a little bit, and then we'll be able to talk about the influence of the vaccine. today's snowfall affected four vaccination centres in wales which had to be closed. travel has been disrupted in many parts of the uk, but some have been out

enjoying the snow. simonjones is in surrey for us this afternoon. simon. not sure if you've been enjoying it. there is a big blanket this morning. has it stopped or started again? a large amount of snow here covering this area and some people are still out enjoying the snow. even as the light fades. this has been the first significant snowfall we've seen in southern england so far this winter, but it's affected a large amount of the uk, so we've seen large snow showers in northern ireland, we've seen problems in wales where some vaccination centres have to shut. the midlands has also been particularly hard—hit in some areas. there have been up to 12 cm of snow, and some of it is falling onto land which it has already —— is already saturated after potential rain and

flooding. in terms of the weather, it's not snowing at the moment, but the warning is certain areas could see further snow this evening up until around midnight. when we get into tomorrow, we're not out of the woods because there are further warnings from the met office in place for icy conditions, because you've got these freezing conditions overnight, it's not going to melt so it could be pretty tricky getting around when it comes to conditions tomorrow. on your marks, get set, go! a race to get out into the open air after weeks cooped up inside during lockdown. ijust think it's so important for the soul to get out, enjoy the outdoors when you can. it means literally the world to me because coronavirus has been really hard for people now. these hills in surrey resembled a ski resort as families came out for their permitted daily exercise. that's despite the met office issuing a severe warning

of dangerous conditions underfoot and on the roads. in many places, there have been treacherous driving conditions. the snow has fallen on ground that was already freezing, and in many cases, saturated after days of rainfall. it's meant that many people have come up here by foot. a gritting lorry overturned in devon as drivers were warned only to travel if absolutely necessary. the flakes came down thick and fast across large swathes of the uk. this was a snowy scene in newport. four coronavirus vaccination centres in south wales were forced to shut. the met office says by the middle of the week, the cold and wintry conditions will give way to wet and windy ones, leading to fears of flooding. simon jones, bbc news. we've seen people here coming out enjoying the snow. to be fair, it's largely been family groups and we

have seen social distancing. there are signs up warning people that they must maintain their distance. there was also a snowman outside scotland yard in central london where quite rarely some snowfall actually collected and the police there warned people enjoying the snow to just make sure they were sensible and make sure they did observe social distancing and didn't start mixing with people who weren't from their own family or from their own social bubble. in terms of what we've got here, well, a few people still out and about enjoying it. the big challenge for some people here is going to be getting out of the car park because we've seen quite a lot of people, wheels spinning, trying to get out of here in the icy conditions. i'mjust trying to get out of here in the icy conditions. i'm just hoping i'll be able to find my way home. the scottish national party has laid out what it calls a "roadmap" to a new independence referendum. the plan has been shared with the party's national assembly and could lead to a legal showdown

with borisjohnson�*s westminster government, which opposes another referendum. he is frightened of democracy. the polls now show a majority of people in scotland want independence. if the snp win the scottish election in a few months�* time on a proposition of giving the people that choice, then what democrat could rightly stand in the way of that? boris johnson clearly just fears the verdict and the will of the scottish people. 0ur scotland political editor, glenn campbell, has this update from glasgow. it's long been the snp's plan a to win the _ it's long been the snp's plan a to win the next election in may. as convincingly as it can. if there's a majority— convincingly as it can. if there's a majority for — convincingly as it can. if there's a majority for independence in the scottish— majority for independence in the scottish parliament, to watch uk opposition, crumble. the trouble was that is_ opposition, crumble. the trouble was that is the _ opposition, crumble. the trouble was that is the current uk government shows— that is the current uk government shows no— that is the current uk government shows no sign of agreeing. critics

of nicola — shows no sign of agreeing. critics of nicola sturgeon's leadership within— of nicola sturgeon's leadership within the snp have demanded she sets out— within the snp have demanded she sets out a — within the snp have demanded she sets out a plan bee. that's what we have _ sets out a plan bee. that's what we have now — sets out a plan bee. that's what we have now. the idea that if the snp contihues— have now. the idea that if the snp continues in government, it will press _ continues in government, it will press ahead with legislation —— plan b. press ahead with legislation —— plan b even _ press ahead with legislation —— plan b. even without uk consent and be prepared _ b. even without uk consent and be prepared to defend that in court and the unlikely event of a challenge. the snp — the unlikely event of a challenge. the snp said they would only hold a referendum if it was a certified as legal— referendum if it was a certified as legal and — referendum if it was a certified as legal and after the pandemic, but the conservatives say this isjust legal and after the pandemic, but the conservatives say this is just a wrong _ the conservatives say this is just a wrong priority. the entire focus should — wrong priority. the entire focus should be — wrong priority. the entire focus should be on recovery from coronavirus. but with opinion polls suggesting support for both the snp and independence is strong, expect a lot and independence is strong, expect a tot more _ and independence is strong, expect a lot more political tension to come over this — as the covid vaccination

programme continues, there are growing concerns that people with learning disabilities are being overlooked. a recent public health england study found a mortality rate up to six times higherfor those in this group than the general population, but many are not being prioritised for a vaccine. nikki fox has the story. you know, you can't smell it, you can't see it. you can't hear it. it's like a silent killer. everyone here has a learning disability. they meet up regularly to talk about and understand death and bereavement. it is scary at times. these chats have never been more important. all i keep thinking is, am i going to be next? you know, am i going to be the next one to die? i would hate to be in hospital and end up dying on my own. people with learning disabilities are up to six times more likely to die from coronavirus. that's according to analysis by public health england, which looked at the number of deaths during the first wave of the pandemic. however, only those with down�*s

syndrome and severe learning disabilities are being prioritised for the vaccine. people adore her. tilly is one of those being prioritised. and it can't come soon enough. i get so fearful for her. historic inequalities in health care and the knowledge that even before covid people with learning disabilities had such a low life expectancy means, for many families, any visit to hospital is a worry. we have had too many incidences where she's been refused treatment, because they can't work out how to treat somebody with a learning disability. for me to think about that happening, if she had the virus and she had to go into hospital, it's terrifying, absolutely terrifying. deciding who is eligible for priority access is not an easy task. the initial priority programme was based on the risk of hospitalisation and death. the committee which advises government examined a different set of data to public health england. it believes those with milder learning disabilities are not at such an increased risk.

individuals with learning disabilities we recognise is a very disadvantaged group, so that's why we decided to make a clinical decision to prioritise those with profound and severe learning disabilities within our first six categories. with such conflicting figures, experts fear that by not immunising everyone with a learning disability as a priority... we need to protect this population. ..there will be many who will not get the vaccine in time. lots of people with learning disabilities have things like diabetes or heart problems, or lung problems. even before covid, more than four in ten people with a learning disability died of a lung condition like pneumonia. it is clear that, as a group of people, they really are at risk, and they should be prioritised. we are just as important as everybody else that should have a chance of having the vaccine. but we need it now, rather than later.

death after death and crisis i after crisis, ijust can't cope... legal action on the grounds of discrimination is being taken against the government. however, the department of health and social care says it is working hard to vaccinate all those at risk. they should be on top of the list. but with learning disabilities being such a complex, often misunderstood condition, campaigners believe that, once again, this group of people are being forgotten. nikki fox, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... more than 70 cases of the south african variant of covid are identified in the uk amid concerns the vaccine may be less effective against it. severe weather warnings are in place for many areas as snow sweep across the uk. the number of covid—19 cases

in the united states 25 million, with the death toll soaring to nearly 418,000. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. let's start with the latest from the fa cup. and the big game of the day, between manchester united and liverpool, at old trafford. between manchester united 19 trophies between these two and about 15 minutes or so gone. chances few and far between so far but united's mason greenwood did force liverpool keeper alisson into making a save a few moments ago. and these are the live pictures from old trafford, the match is on bbc one right now. the winner of this tie faces west ham in the fifth round, next month. to the day's other games now. a hat—trick from tammy abraham sent chelsea through to the fifth round. they beat luton 3—1 in the early kick off. the win takes some of the heat off the blues, after their premier league struggles. abraham with two of his goals in the first half before chelsea keeper kepa had a moment to forget.

letting injordan clark's tame effort. abraham made the game safe in the second half. they take on another championship side, barnsley, next month. brentford surprised leicester by taking an early lead when mads sorensen put them ahead after six minutes. but the premier league side overwhelmed their championship opponents with three second half goals james maddison goals, james maddison completing a 3—1win. they'll face brighton next. burnley were in a happy place after a 3—0 win over top—flight opponents fulham. jay rodriguez headed homejack cork�*s cross. he got his second from the penalty spot before kevin long got the third in the final ten minutes. they'll face either bournemouth or crawley town. england had their captainjoe root to thank, for another sensational innings in sri lanka. his 186 on day three of the second test keeps them in contention. root was dismissed on the final ball of the day in galle. his heroics, helping his side to 339—9.

just 42 runs behind the hosts. jos buttler reached his half century in england's innings, and said the captain led by example. quite amazing innings. to back up his double hundred in the first test very physically and mental to show the application and do it again to a master class in betting against men. it's been a great education for all of us. we've thoroughly enjoyed watching him. manchester united have gone to the top of the women's superleague thanks to a 2—0 win over birmingham city. leah galton put united ahead in the opening minute of the second half. ella toone sealed the win with ten minutes left. united are now three points clear of second—placed chelsea, whose match was postponed because of the weather. in the day's other game, manchester city thrashed brighton 7—1. it's the second league game in a row they've scored that many.

caroline weir and steph haughton both struck twice. city are up to third because arsenal's game was also called off because of the weather. arsenal midfielder mesut 0zil has completed his move to turkish side, fenerbahce. the 32—year—old former germany international spent eight years at the emirates and won three fa cups but hasn't played for the first team in nearly a year. 0zil has signed a three and a half year contract. england's tyrrell hatton produced a stunning final round, a stunning final round to win the abu dhabi championship. it was extremely tight at the top of the leadboard at the start of the day, but hatton surged ahead with a six—under—par 66. 0vernight leader rory mcilroy finished five shots back. hatton said it was a big boost to win so early in the season, especially with ryder cup points at stake. former two—weight world champion conor mcgregor was left stunned on his return to the ufc as dustin poirier claimed victory in their rematch. mcgregor came out of retirement for a third time to face poirier, and looked

good in the first round but the american came on strong in the second, sealing a technical knockout win after a flurry of punches. that's all the sport for now. liverpool have taken the lead against manchester united in the fa cup match there in the fourth round. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. gavin, we will see you later on. the us has recorded over 25 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic bagan. that's according to thejohn hopkins university that's officially been tracking the viurs. it's only five days after the us, the world's wealthiest and hardest—hit nation, recorded 400,000 deaths from the disease. newly inaugerated presidentjoe biden has signed executive orders as part of his wartime covid action plan. covid action plan. meanwhile, law makers in the us are set to deliver the impeachment charge agaisnt donald trump in the senate tomorrow.

i'm joined now by our correspodent, nomia iqbal in washington. another terrible milestone. more pressure onjoe biden and this hundred days to try and get on top of the virus. you like— of the virus. you like what's even more astonishing _ of the virus. you like what's even more astonishing are _ of the virus. you like what's even more astonishing are health - of the virus. you like what's even i more astonishing are health experts are unsure if that's an understatement. they think the virus is a lot more widespread than we realise. as you mention, it comes days after that other grim milestone, the death goal going over more than 400,000 people —— death toll. it's only been four days since joe biden took his place in the white house and he has always said tackling the pandemic is his number one priority. he's been critical about how president trump handle it and he blames mr trump for the virus being at the scale it it is. he mentioned he does have these... he's trying to push through congress another relief package. this will be

there third one to boost vaccination. he's already signed an executive order where covering your face is necessary and government buildings and he wants to get 100 million people vaccinated in 100 days. it's a real race against time, notjust in the us but across the world, to get people vaccinated because the virus is mutating into another strain and there are fears that it could be resistant to all these newly approved vaccination. we've seen from donald trump since the inauguration. also those impeachment proceedings due to start. �* ., , start. i'm not sure if you watch the inauguration- _ start. i'm not sure if you watch the inauguration. but _ start. i'm not sure if you watch the inauguration. but he _ start. i'm not sure if you watch the inauguration. but he certainly - inauguration. but he certainly wasn't there. in terms of the impeachment trial, this doesn't begin for another couple of weeks but what happens is very important. the articles of impeachment which lay out the charges, which that he's accused of inciting an insurrection,

being responsible for the violence on january the 6th will being responsible for the violence onjanuary the 6th will go to the senate. you will have time to prepare for his defence. the democrats need 17 republicans to back them in order to convict him. why impeachment? he's already gone but the democrats say this is about setting an example to show this cannot go unpunished. also if he is convicted by two thirds majority, they can vote again by a simple majority to stop him from ever running again because of course, under the constitution, he could run again. he could get four more years. if you can do convicted, donald trump could never be president —— if he is convicted. i imagine that's what some republicans secretly want because they will be hoping to run in the future. you because they will be hoping to run in the future.— in the future. you say that but it was interesting, _ in the future. you say that but it was interesting, last _ in the future. you say that but it was interesting, last 24 - in the future. you say that but it was interesting, last 24 hours i in the future. you say that but it| was interesting, last 24 hours or so, one senator republican said if we get back control of the senate in

the few years time, maybe we should look historically at democrats who need to be impeached for a second time. ., ., , need to be impeached for a second time. ., , , , time. there are those republicans who are still _ time. there are those republicans who are still loyal _ time. there are those republicans who are still loyal to _ time. there are those republicans who are still loyal to donald - time. there are those republicans| who are still loyal to donald trump and that's largely because they know he's still a very powerful figure in the republican party. his huge base of more than 75 million people back to him is something that many republicans still want to keep hold of. he changed the demographics of the and republican parties. americans looked at the republican party at the party of the rich, but i now see that it as a party for working class people, which is not how many people see the democratic party that i've spoken to —— but they now see. democrats are hoping that doesn't happen. they do need 17. it's not guaranteed but given ten republicans voted to impeach him, i'm sure they will be hoping as

the trial proceeds that they can bit people on board.— eleven gold miners trapped underground in china for two weeks have been rescued. a total of 22 workers were trapped 600 metres below ground at the mine in shandong province following an explosion. it's not clear if others are still alive underground. 0ur correspondent steve mcdonell reports. after two weeks trapped underground, he took his first breath of air above the mine. his eyes masked against the glaring light, his gratitude to be alive overwhelming. one of 11 miners rescue today after a dramatic change in fortune. the first miner out prompted cheers. he was barely conscious after being found still alive but separated from the main group, which had been receiving food and medicine. soon, others were emerging. there were injuries, but many could walk with the assistance of those who had been battling through freezing conditions night after night to reach them.

translation: the rescuers checked the miners to see l if they had any injuries and covered their eyes for protection. after lifting up all the trapped miners, we will go on with the search for the missing ones. an initial delay of 30 hours in reporting the accident led to the sacking of local officials. then a week later, miners were discovered alive and a long, thin communication tunnel meant emergency deliveries. one of the main group died from his head injuries and they lost contact with their colleague trapped below. with underground water rising, it was looking grim when officials said it would take 14 more days to take a rescue tunnel through 600 metres of granite. but somehow, a large ventilation shaft was cleared which led all the way to them, and within hours they were being rescued and on their way to hospital. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. the us company spacex has set a new world record for the number

of satellites launched on a single rocket. 143 payloads were on board the falcon rocket which launched from florida. it beats the previous record of 104 satellites set by an indian mission four years ago. not sure how snowy and cold it is with you. helen willetts has the details. some of us have seen the first significant snow of the winter but it has been settling as you can see here in gloucestershire. even on the faster routes, it settled. showers followed on but the snow is still falling in some areas and with the surface is damp, ice will be a problem for many. the snow grounds to i hold somewhere as you can see across north wales —— grinds to a

halt. seeing quite a bit of snow falling and covering the ground and it further centimetres to come as it returns southwards this evening on top of the snow that we've already had. it does eventually clear away, but it will be treacherous. the snow showers will continue with a widespread frost, a little bit of freezing fog and temperatures —8,—9. we've had several centimetres of snow during the day. but it looks drier for england and wales and northern ireland. a few more showers for scotland, even in central and southern areas. a cold day but not as cold as today because we will have the cloud cover. a little more sunshine but it will feel cold. lighter winds under a ridge of high pressure but that didn't last very long. i tuesday, pressure but that didn't last very long. ituesday, we pressure but that didn't last very long. i tuesday, we see the atlantic air trying to replace the cold, arctic air. but it's reluctant to clear away. you get all this mild

air coming in overthe clear away. you get all this mild air coming in over the cold ground, misty and murky. lots of low cloud, some rain because there are still numerous flood warnings. the ground is saturated. it comes into the cold air, there'll be some further snowfall. it looks as if the air will hang on in the for the —— far north. not that much rain, but the second weather front coming in wednesday looks more vigorous. we will see more persistent rain. clearly that is a cause for concern. in the meantime, we've still got that snow around. we couldn't have that snow around. we couldn't have that cold air hanging on in the north. if you are heading out, please head to our website where all our warnings are listed.