this is bbc news. the headlines at six... 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. the number of covid—19 cases in the united states passes 25 million, with the death toll soaring to nearly 418,000. israel announces it will ban incoming flights from monday evening until the end ofjanuary in order to try and contain the spread of coronavirus. celebrations in china as 11 gold miners who'd been trapped underground for two weeks are rescued.

some enjoy the wintry conditions as snow and ice sweep across the uk, but severe weather warnings are in place for many areas. hello and welcome to bbc news. the uk 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.

0ur science editor david shukman now reports. all kinds of surprising locations are now mobilised in the push for vaccination, 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—cov—z, despite having no symptoms whatsoever and having had the vaccine.

now, it was very small numbers and really hard to see a statistically 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 have enhanced contact tracing to do everything we possibly can to stop - them from spreading. the majority of those i have had contact with, or come from, south africa, . and that is 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 in the uk actually faces any checks at all. that's just simply not sufficient. 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. the us has recorded over 25 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic started. that's according to thejohns hopkins university that's tracking the virus. it's only five days after the country, the world's wealthiest and hardest—hit nation, recorded over 400,000 deaths. 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. 0ur correspondent in washington, nomia iqbal, has this analysis of the level of covid infections in the us. isa is a staggering number and what's even more astonishing is that head experts aren't sure that's an understatement. —— health experts. they think the virus is a lot more widespread that comes days after the other grim milestone, the death toll going over more than 400,000 people. it's only been four days sincejoe biden took his place in the white house and he has always said that tackling a pandemic is his number one priority. he's been critical of how president trump handled it and he blames mrtrump how president trump handled it and he blames mr trump for the virus being at the scale that it is. as you mentioned, he does have these plans in place. he's trying to push through congress and other relief package, this would be the third

one, to boost vaccination rates. these are designed and 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 here in the us, but across the world, to get people vaccinated because the virus is mutating into another strain and there are fears that could be resistant to all these newly approved vaccinations. speaking to me from washington. 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. mr edelstein also responded to criticism that israel has excluded palestinians from its vaccine rollout. as far as the vaccination is concerned, i think israeli obligation first and foremost to its citizens. they pay taxes for that, don't they? having said that, i do remember it's our interest, not our legal obligation, but it's our interest to make sure palestinians get the vaccine, that they will have the covid—19 spreading. i understand that, but the palestinians have asked you for vaccines and you haven't given them some, and under the fourth geneva convention, israel is required to do so.

article 56 says israel must adopt and supply the prophylactic and preventative measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics in co—operation with local authorities — that means the vaccine. so why aren't you giving them the vaccine? i would say first of all we can look into the so—called 0slo agreements, which says loud and clear that palestinians have to take care of their own health. i'm sorry to interrupt, but the united nations says international law should supersede the oslo agreements on this. if it is the responsibility of the israeli health minister to take care of the palestinians, what exactly is the responsibility of the palestinian health minister? the palestinians turn to us in terms of helping them with their medical teams... i authorised vaccines to those medical teams who directly work with corona patients

and the palestinian authority, and as you can hear, it's not because i think we have a legal obligation, it's because i understand that they are doctors and nurses and they don't get the vaccine at this stage. in china, 11 gold miners saw daylight today for the first time in two weeks after an incredible rescue. they were part of a group of 22 who had been trapped underground after an explosion. last week, rescuers at the mine in shandong warned the men might have wait two more weeks before they could be reached. but on sunday, a major obstacle fell to the bottom of the shaft and they were bought to the surface. it's not clear if others are still alive underground. 0ur correspondent steve mcdonell has more. 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 dig 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. good news for them. we'll keep you posted on that situation. the scottish national party has laid out what it calls a "road map" to a new independence referendum. the plan has been shared with the party's national assembly and could lead to a legal showdown with boris johnson's westminster government, which opposes another referendum. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon spoke to the bbc�*s andrew marr this morning. 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. well, it's long been the snp's plan letter_ well, it's long been the snp's plan letter a _ well, it's long been the snp's plan letter a to— well, it's long been the snp's plan letter a to win the next holyrood election — letter a to win the next holyrood election in— letter a to win the next holyrood election in may —— plan a. if there's— election in may —— plan a. if there's a _ election in may —— plan a. if there's a majority for independence in the _ there's a majority for independence in the scottish parliament to watch uk opposition crumble, the trouble with that _ uk opposition crumble, the trouble with that is the current uk government shows no sign of agreeing to whats— government shows no sign of agreeing to what's called in the ref to, and as boris_ to what's called in the ref to, and as borisjohnson's resistance has appeared — as borisjohnson's resistance has appeared to harden, critics of nicola — appeared to harden, critics of nicola sturgeon's leadership demanded she set out a plan b. if

the snp _ demanded she set out a plan b. if the snp continues in government, it will press _ the snp continues in government, it will press ahead with legislation for an— will press ahead with legislation for an independence referendum, will press ahead with legislation foran independence referendum, even without— foran independence referendum, even without uk_ foran independence referendum, even without uk consent and be prepared to defend _ without uk consent and be prepared to defend that in court in the unlikely— to defend that in court in the unlikely event of a legal challenge. the snp _ unlikely event of a legal challenge. the snp said they would only hold the referendum if it was certified as legal— the referendum if it was certified as legal and after the pandemic, but the conservatives say this isjust the conservatives say this isjust the wrong — the conservatives say this isjust the wrong priority. the entire focus should _ the wrong priority. the entire focus should be _ the wrong priority. the entire focus should be on recovery for coronavirus. with opinion polls suggesting independence is strong, expect— suggesting independence is strong, expect a _ suggesting independence is strong, expect a lot more political tension to come _ expect a lot more political tension to come over this.— expect a lot more political tension to come over this. glenn campbell from glasgow _ the headlines on bbc news... more than 70 cases of the south african variants have been identified in the uk with concerns of vaccine may be less effective against it. a number of covid—19

cases in the united states passes 25 million. the number of deaths has soared to nearly 418,000. israel announces it will ban incoming flights from monday evening until the end of january flights from monday evening until the end ofjanuary in order to contain the spread of coronavirus. people in amsterdam have been taking part in protests against new coronavirus restrictions introduced by the dutch government. police have used water cannon to disperse the demonstrators. netherlands has imposed its first night—time curfew since world war ii in a bid to stop the spread of new coronavirus mutations after a majority of lawmakers supported the emergency measure during a debate on thursday. egypt, the arab world's most populous country, has begun the process of vaccinating its more than 100 million citizens. the first recipients were a doctor and a nurse, who were given the chinese—made

sinopharm injection. vaccines from britain and russia will be included in the programme as it unfolds. egypt has recorded nearly 9,000 coronavirus deaths. more than 300 doctors have died. the german government is reported to have bought a supply of regeneron, the experimental antibodies treatment credited with helping donald trump recoverfrom covid—19. the country's health minister said germany would start deploying the drug next week, the first european union country to do so. he said it would work like a passive vaccination, helping to protect high—risk patients in the early stage against a serious deterioration. as the covid vaccination programme continues, there are growing concerns that people with learning disabilities in the uk 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. we don't always get that much snow in the uk. today's snowfall here in the uk affected four vaccination centres in wales which had to be closed. travel has been disrupted in many parts of the country, but some have been out enjoying the snow. simonjones has spent the afternoon in surrey. we spoke to him a little earlier. this has been the first significant snowfall we've seen and southern england so far this winter. but it's affected a large amount of the uk, so we've seen large snow showers and northern ireland, problems in wales where some vaccination centres had 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 this falling onto land which was already saturated after torrential rain and flooding. so potentially, some more problems ahead. in terms of the weather, it's not snowing here at the moment, but the warning is in 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 freezing conditions, because 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 coming out and enjoying the snow. we have seen social distancing. there are signs warning people that they must maintain their distance. there was also a snowman outside scotland yard and central london where the police they people enjoying the snow to make sure they were sensible and make sure they did observe social distancing and didn't start mixing with people who from their own family or from their own social bubble. in terms of what we've got here, a few people still out and about enjoying it. the big challenge for some people here is going to be getting out to the car park because we've seem quite a lot of people, wheels spinning, trying to get out of here in the icy conditions. i'mjust to get out of here in the icy conditions. i'm just hoping that i'll be able to find my way home too. i i'll be able to find my way home too. ~ , �*

too. i think he did. they didn't like the snow _ too. i think he did. they didn't like the snow either. - now to the decline of the honey bee. as we've reported in the past, experts around the world are alarmed at the reduction in their numbers. but in bolivia, a vet and his wife are doing their best to save several colonies threatened by deforestation in the andes. gail maclellan reports. it's humid, it's subtropical, and high on the eastern andean slopes of the cordillera real, it's also vulnerable. as in many areas in bolivia, deforestation has become an issue. in this case, the trees are cut down to grow coca — in its most innocent form used to alleviate the symptoms of high altitude, but also used to produce cocaine. this deforestation is a huge blow, particularly for one of the littlest creatures dependent on the vegetation. vet eric paredes says the number of bees in the area has been halved, and this

endangers food production. translation: bees are incredibly important for our planet. - it's been shown that bees are responsible for 70% of food production around the world, so, from that point of view, we give greater importance to the work we do. and that work is looking for beehives to save, and creating safe habitats for the bees. wooden beehives keep the bees safe, and the vet and his wife have saved ten native species. you'll be relieved to know the species doesn't sting as well. convincing local farmers to assist with the conservation has been difficult. if their crops are not fruits, farmers see bees as a nuisance, not an aid to agricultural production. eric paredes is not going to give up. translation: the ob'ective of this place is for it h to become a bee research institution for all native, stingless bees, and we want to be able to transmit this knowledge to different regions

so they're valued more. our mission is simply to save the bees. and at the same time, to support a delicate ecosystem. gail maclellan, bbc news. 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. you're watching bbc news. plenty more on the website. check us out on instagram and twitter as well. if you want to know what the weather will be like, helen has all the details now. hello there. some of us have seen our first significant snow of the winter today, but it has been causing

treacherous conditions out and about on the roads because it has been settling as you can see here in gloucestershire but, even on the faster routes, it settled. it cleared away, but showers followed on, but the snow is still falling in some areas and, with the surfaces damp, ice will be a problem for many through the evening and overnight. treacherous conditions because the snow ground to a halt somewhere, as you can see, across north wales, the north midlands, into southern parts of northern england. those sort of areas across to east anglia seeing quite a bit of snow falling and covering the ground, and 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 treacherously icy. the snow showers will continue in the north with a widespread frost, a bit of freezing fog around, and temperatures —8, —9 across where we've seen the snow fall, for example, in the midlands. so, yes, we've had several centimetres of snow during the day today, more to come this evening, but it looks drier for england and wales and northern ireland tomorrow. just a few showers coming in here. a few more showers for scotland

again, even into central and southern areas, a cold day, yes, but not as cold as today because we won't have the cloud cover. we'll see a bit more sunshine, but it'll still feel cold. lighter winds at least under a ridge of high pressure, but that doesn't last very long. by tuesday, we start to see the battle with the atlantic air trying to displace the cold arctic air that we've been sitting in through the last two or three days, but it's reluctant to clear away. so you get all this mild, moist air coming in over the cold ground. it'll turn very misty and murky, lots of low cloud, some rain, unwelcome rain because there are still numerous flood warnings in force. there are still numerous the rivers are very sensitive to any more rain — the ground is saturated. it won't be just rain. it comes into the cold air. there'll be some further snowfall. that cold air will hang on in the far north and east of the uk. that first weather front fizzling out, not that much rain on it, but the second weather front coming in wednesday looks more vigorous. we will see more persistent rain coming here so, clearly, that is a cause for concern. for the meantime, though,

we've still got that snow around. so we could have that cold air hanging on in the north. if you are heading out for your essential journeys, please do check out our website where all the warnings are listed.