the south african covid variant. more than 70 cases have been identified in the uk. amid concern the vaccine may be less effective against this variant, numbers are being closely monitored. we have enhanced contact tracing to do everything we possibly can to stop them from spreading. we'll be looking at how ministers hope to control transmission of new variants with tighter travel restrictions. also tonight: an snp roadmap to a second independence vote, as nicola sturgeon faces more scrutiny over the handling of harassment claims against her predecessor. relief and joy in china, as 11 miners are rescued after two weeks trapped underground.

enjoying the winter wonderland. but the snowy conditions mean severe weather warnings for many areas. it is rashford against allison and he's made the finished look so easy. and marcus rashford helps manchester united secure a thrilling victory over liverpool. good evening. 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 of spread 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. our 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. as we understand more and more about this virus that anybody, really, with a variety of underlying health conditions or perfectly healthy can still get severe covid, so it is important we still maintain our

social distancing and wear masks and the other procedures we are experiencing, because the risk of passing the infection could still be considerable. 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. 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. the latest government figures on coronavirus show 30,004 new infections in the latest 24—hour period which means an average of 35,929 new cases per day in the last week. there were 37,899 people in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to the 21st of january. 610 deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours of people who'd had a positive covid—19 test within

the prevous 28 days. the average number of deaths per day in the past week isi,240. the total number of uk deaths is now 97,939. the vaccination programme has hit a new daily record with 491,970 people getting a first dose of one of the approved vaccines in the latest 24—hour period, and a total of 6,353,321 people have now had their first jab. chris mason our political correspondent is here. we are close now to 100,00 uk deaths. what can we expect on measures in the coming weeks? it isa it is a grim milestone and those in government acknowledge there is a huge swell of uncertainty about how the degree —— disease will progress on the new variants in particular, and they are hopeful another error

—— about vaccine distribution and they expect a levelling off in the number ofjobs administered per day number of jobs administered per day this number ofjobs administered per day this week. that is because of supply constraints. what we are getting out from the government at westminster is expectation management about how soon we might tiptoe back towards normality. matt hancock talking today about how it is a long, long, long way off before we could even start considering that. let's look at two things tonight, firstly, border controls. coming in the next couple of days and an announcement from the government about tightening border controls as far as people coming in from high—risk countries, the likes of south africa and brazil. the expectation is that people will be picked up by a government boss, taken to a hotel, have to there for ten days and pick up have to there for ten days and pick up the bill. that will be for foreign nationals, at least, and potentially for everyone. it will take a while, i suspect, to impairment. a quick word about schools in england as you might have seen headlines about them remaining closed until easter, the government says it is too early to say anything

at the moment, but speaking to people in regular touch with the department for education, there is an acceptance there that the idea of schools going back in full after the february half term is already written off. maybe in the next half term some year groups might be able to return. that is being actively discussed, but even that is some way off. , . ~ discussed, but even that is some way off. , ., ~ , ., , . as the vaccination programme continues, there's 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's scary at times. these chats have never been more important. all i keep thinking is,

am i going to be next? you know what i mean, 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 instances 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 disability we recognise as 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're 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 scottish national party has laid out what it calls a roadmap to another independence referendum if it wins a majority in the holyrood elections in may — and even if the uk government

refuses permission for one. it comes as the party leader and first minister nicola sturgeon continues to face pressure over the handling of harassment allegations against her predecessor, alex salmond. here's our scotland political editor glenn campbell they were a powerful political double act, leading scotland close to independence. he has done so much to support me... but their relationship has broken down over harassment complaints made against alex salmond and how his successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon, handled those complaints. when she appeared on tv this morning, the depth of the rift between them was made clear. there are false conspiracies being spun about this... coming from alex salmond? well, you can draw your own conclusions around that. alex salmond hinted at a political

plot against him when he emerged from court after a criminal trial. at some point that information, those facts and evidence will see the light of day. he was acquitted of all the sexual offence charges he faced, having already won a civil court action over the scottish the scottish government's complaint handling procedure. he was awarded more than £500,000 in legal costs in that case, triggering inquiries into what nicola sturgeon�*s administration got wrong. so, what started with complaints about alex salmond's behaviour has led to intense scrutiny over nicola sturgeon�*s conduct. the key question — has she broken the code of conduct for ministers by misleading the scottish parliament over what she knew and when about the allegations against alex salmond. the evidence is mounting that nicola sturgeon has misled the scottish parliament. she has lied to parliamentarians and has misled people about when she first knew about these allegations. i am clear that i did not mislead parliament and that is

what i will set out clearly, when i get the opportunity, which i haven't had in front of the committee of enquiry yet. both nicola sturgeon and alex salmond are expected to give evidence to a scottish parliament enquiry in early february. the two highest profile advocates of scottish independence pitted against one anotherjust months before the snp seeks a mandate for another independence referendum in the holyrood elections. and glenn's live for us in glasgow now. what do you make of the strategy the snp has now put forward, aimed at getting another referendum despite the uk government refusing one. until now, the snp has argued that if it wins the holyrood election in may, if there is a majority for independence here at holyrood, that uk government opposition to another referendum would crumble. the

trouble with that is that boris johnson's resistance to the idea of what is known as another independence referendum has appeared to harden, and as that has happened, critics of nicola sturgeon�*s leadership within the snp have been demanding that she sets out a plan b. that is what we now have, that if the snp continue in power in the scottish government, they will push a referendum bill through the scottish parliament and be prepared to defend that in court, in the likely event that there is a legal challenge. forsome likely event that there is a legal challenge. for some in the independence movement, that is not bold enough. it is certainly not guaranteed to work and that, i suppose, raises the question, might they need a plan c? supporters of they need a plan c? supporters of the uk say the independence is the wrong priority on the sole focus should be on recovering from coronavirus. should be on recovering from

coronavirus-_ should be on recovering from coronavirus. , ., , , ., ~ coronavirus. glenn campbell, thank ou. after two weeks trapped underground, 11 miners have been rescued from a damaged gold mine in china's shandong province. the entrance to the mine they were working in collapsed in a explosion, trapping 22 men hundreds of meters below the ground. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonell has the story. 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 rescued 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'd 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'll go on with the search for the missing ones. 22 workers were on shift on the 10th of january when the blast hit the shandong gold mine. 11 miners were trapped together. one, 50 metres below them, ten others missing. 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, even prompting a request for sausages. 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 1a 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. you may well have seen it for yourself today — the snow that came to many parts of the uk. the disruption caused included four vaccination centres in wales having to be closed for the day. but people were also able to enjoy the wintry conditions, as simon jones reports. 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. some police forces were quick to remind people to maintain social distancing with 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. in hampshire, some residents said they were woken up by thundersnow when thunder and lightning combined with the heavy showers. while in worcester, people already reeling from a recent torrential rainfall found they had the snow to add to their concerns. the snow may now largely have blown through but there are further warnings in place for icy conditions tomorrow as temperatures plummet overnight. simon jones, bbc news. the online retailer boohoo is set

to buy the debenhams brand and website. the bbc understands they won't be taking on any of the remaining 118 stores or some of its 12,00 staff. the 240 year—old chain is already in the process of closing down after administrators failed to secure a rescue deal for the business. with all the sport now, here's john watson at the bbc sport centre. mishal, thanks. manchester united and liverpool locked horns again, this time in the fa cup. if you're waiting to watch the highlights which follow the news, you might want to look away as united came out on top in a five—goal thriller at old trafford to reach the fifth round. patrick gearey reports. cheering the noise you hear might be recorded, the fans you see might seem a little flat, but this is a fixture that could never feel empty. there's something on every game, every pass, every goal. especially that one, from liverpool's mo salah. it was his side's first

since the last round, ending a dry january. manchester united, though, are league leaders, and they have marcus rashford — a man of vision, who spotted mason greenwood, who slotted the equaliser. greenwood's just 19, the same age as liverpool's rhys williams. still learning — sometimes, the hard way. after williams missed this, he'd have known rashford wasn't going to. 2-1. jurgen klopp had hoped this game would reignite his team. sometimes, the switch only flicks when you force it. salah sparked. liverpool lit an old flame. it would be extinguished by magic. a year ago this week, united signed bruno fernandes, precisely to do things like this. so a rivalry built on close geography, sustained by competitive history, is settled by individual quality. patrick gearey, bbc news. also into the fifth round are leicester, chelsea and everton and burnley came out on top in another

all premier league tie. livingston will play stjohnstone in the scottish league cup final after they beat st mirren 1—0 at hampden. scott robinson with the goal. and manchester united returned to the top of the women's super league. leah galton with their first in a 2—0 win over birmingham city. manchester city won 7—1 at brighton. captainjoe root produced another batting masterclass, as england finished day three of the second test 42 runs behind sri lanka. after his matchwinning score in the series opener, his innings of 186 today leaves the second test finely balanced, asjoe wilson reports. joe root, england's inspiration, from sunrise to sunset — almost. without his batting, the cause would already be lost. once more, the captain displayed his mastery of the situation and the conditions. you have to adapt in sri lanka. there are things here you would never see at lord's. look, not wearing a tie. jos buttler was root�*s chief supporter. he made 55 before he was out like this.

the replays proved the ball went from bat to boot to fielder, did not hit the ground, so it was out, caught. the rest basically fell like this. sam curran, one of seven wickets for lasith embuldeniya, sri lanka's new bowling star. england's progress was cautious, careful, but the captain knew the way. this took him to another landmark, to 150. he was still improvising, still scoring, hours of toil — well, refuel. england needed root because sri lanka still had embuldeniya, here dismissing dom bess. england were 42 behind. joe rootjust had to see it out. forward, scramble back — too late. replays showed the bail off before the bat made it home. to score 186 and still feel despondent — that's a captain. joe wilson, bbc news. there's plenty more on the bbc sport website, including coverage

of the nfl championship games, as legendary quaterback tom brady looks set to become the oldest player to reach the super bowl. for now, that's all from me, mishal. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are.

you're watching bbc news. for the news where you are. president biden says he wants to restore the nuclear deal with iran — making it a top foreign policy priority. donald trump pulled out of the agreement in 2018. but distrust between washington and tehran means it's not clear whether president biden will be able to revive the deal. our middle east correspondent, martin patience, reports. donald trump wasn't popular in iran. donald trump is a liar,

is an unpredictable person. he is not representative of satan — he is satan himself. he is a satan. and here's the main reason why. in a few moments, i will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating us nuclear sanctions on the iranian regime. in 2018, president trump pulled out of the nuclear agreement. his policy — maximum pressure on iran. sanctions designed to force tehran back to the negotiating table — something that never happened. but now donald trump's gone, and joe biden's in, and he wants to revive the deal. but is any agreement still possible? i was in iran a year and a half ago as tensions were soaring. tankers exploding in the gulf, the iranian shooting—down of an american drone. and then, a year ago, the us assassination of iran's top general.

tehran retaliated by firing missiles into american bases in neighbouring iraq. and what all of this means is that president biden can't simply hit the rewind button. iran's ramping up its nuclear activities, and it's now in breach of their agreement. so, if there was a deal, how would it work? would america, for example, lift some sanctions and then iran would respond by rolling back elements of its nuclear programme? or would washington want to renegotiate the deal to include, for example, iran's missiles — a move that tehran has ruled out? and then there's america's allies, saudi arabia and israel, who were always opposed to the nuclear deal because they believed that it allowed iran to run amok in the region. raise your right hand and repeat after me... reviving this agreement may be one

of president biden's foreign policy priorities. but in the end, donald trump may have laid enough obstacles to scupper any chance of that. hello. monday will start with widespread frost and ice after a wintry weekend which, of course, brought some significant snow in places. it won't be the last covid—secure snowman we see sent in to us this winter and, hopefully, sunday's weather did bring a bit of fun at least. but of course, more people have to be out in the morning, and so that does mean some difficult conditions on untreated roads because it will be icy in places with that widespread frost. after further wintry showers overnight and into the morning across parts of scotland, rain and sleet on the coasts, some snow inland and into the hills. maybe the odd shower into northern ireland and northern england but, actually, monday is one of the better weather days of the week. most places will be dry,

variable cloud, decent amount of sunshine and it will feel a bit less cold than it did over the weekend. into monday night, still some showers, wintry in nature, particularly to hills, affecting parts of scotland, northern ireland and northern england. still frosty and icy, although temperatures start to come up across western areas as we see another system moving our way. and that's going to spread its rain and a bit of hill snow northwards during tuesday. it brings a bit more rain, as do others that follow this week, so if you are in a flood—affected area, certainly worth keeping across conditions near you. not as much rain as last week, but more rain isn't necessarily what you want. we see some rain spreading further north and east during tuesday, into the colder air. at least hill snow into parts of northern england and scotland, and the chance as tuesday comes to an end, especially in scotland, some snow even to low levels here. whereas further south, it turns a bit more milder, but of course, it is wetter. as we go into wednesday, the next weather system will start to move in.

looks like it's a pretty slow affair, bringing its rain to the south—west initially, and it is of course the source of milderair coming in from the atlantic. but running into that cold air towards the north and east, it does set up a bit of a battle, and as that battle takes place during wednesday, again as the wet weather starts to move in, as it moves further north and east, there's the chance of seeing some snow out of that, particularly as we get into wednesday night. although some parts are turning milder this week, it isn't going to last because by the end of the week and into the weekend, the colder air will come south again and there is the chance again next weekend of some parts seeing a bit of snow. that's the forecast.

hello. this is bbc news with lewis vaughanjones. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment — first the headlines. the number of covid—19 cases in the united states passes 25 million with the number of deaths soaring to nearly 418,000. 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. israel announces it will ban incoming flights from monday evening until the end of january to try and contain the spread of coronavirus. some enjoy the wintry conditions as snow and ice sweep across the uk, but severe weather warnings are in place for many areas.