hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. countries in europe are now running out of critical covid—19 vaccine supply — as a row of a delay in deliveries escalates. issues in the supply chain and with efficacy — germany says it will no longer give the astrazeneca jab to people over 65 because of "insufficient data" over its protection for older people. joe biden reverses some restrictions on abortion rights — as he continues to unpick donald trump's policies. we will look at what happened when smalltime investors took on wall street with a billion—dollar gamble on game stop and they won. and in our weekly report for the bbc website — we look at whether travel restrictions can work to curb the pandemic.

a year into the pandemic, the way out has been clearfor some time — vaccinations. but now theres major issues in the supply chain. and it's become a huge health and political story in europe. here's the world health organizations europe director. no one is safe until everyone is safe, but the reality is, that for the time being, there is realistically a shortfall of vaccines. the eu blames the shortfall on british—swedish firm astrazeneca — it had promised the eu 100 million doses by march. now, around of quarter of that is likely. on wednesday both sides met and agreed to work together to resolve the issues. today, thursday, things

have escalated again. european council president charles michel said in a letter to four eu leaders... for its part, astrazeneca blames shortage on production problems at european plants. but the eu is now trying to corroborate that claim itself. this is astrazeneca's production site near brussels — and the european commission has confirmed that belgium authorities have been inspecting it forfaults. here's our europe correspondent gavin lee. talked privately by eu officials that there is a lot of suspicion, a lot of disbelief that it is this factory that's had such production problems as to why there would be a delay, why astrazeneca, as we understand, won't be able to provide 100 million doses. one of the theories was that some of it had been moved to the uk or had they sold it elsewhere? now, there is no official comment other than to say this is something that's happened. this is an urgent issue for the eu because it's already running short on doses of the pfizer

and moderna vaccines. germany says it's got issues through til april. its health minister tweeted — we've translated — he says... "because with the shortage of the vaccine, we are going through at least ten tough weeks. we should spend that by working together on the matter. that is what the citizens can expect from us". so with shortages already — there's some harsh criticism of the eu and astrazeneca coming from berlin. our correspondent damian mcguinness is there. that is being called by the newspapers here a scandal, one newspaper put it, another newspaper which i looked at this morning says that europe is threatened by vaccine "crisis". those words of "scandal, crisis," being thrown along a lot, that's why angela merkel has just announced that she will be holding a summit on monday, a vaccine summit, it's being called, with the regional leaders from all over germany and ministers as well as vaccine producers and pharmaceutical companies, because that's really the problem. spain is facing the same problem —

authorities have halted all vaccinations in madrid for two weeks beacuse of supply issues. and catalonia could run out of doses by the end of the week. in france, the public health agency for paris and the surrounding region has told hopitals to suspend giving the first dose of the vaccine from next week. scheduled second doses will still go ahead as normal. here's hugh schofield in paris there is anger here, of course, as there is elsewhere, about the projected arrivals not being up to the level they expected, but that's for the future. but for right now, there's another problem, which is that the vaccine that they do have which is the pfizer and the moderna is not arriving in sufficient quantities, and there are shortages beginning to become apparent. if you look around the local press, as i did today online, you see from lots of regions of france, reports coming in about vaccinations being put on hold, because of supply difficulties, which are not come as i repeat,

they can't be linked to astrazeneca but they are linked to difficulties with pfizer, which is providing the bulk of vaccines now. for all these reasons, the doses froim astrazeneca are crucial. for all these reasons, the doses from astrazeneca are crucial. so what's the solution? well the eu is pointing to what the uk did late last year when it was in need of more vaccine doses — and when the eu was yet to approve their vacciantion programme. here's gavin lee again in brussels. if you look at the contract, it says the two factories of primary use are the two main factories in the uk, and they've put money towards those factories. the secondary factories are here in belgium and the netherlands. they are the ones that are having the problems. so, the solution must be found from the uk and coming, being delivered to the eu, they also make the point, this is quite important, they say, back in december, the uk had the same problems, where did they get the vaccines from? the netherlands and belgium. so 4 million came here to supply uk patients for the covid job. so 4 million came here to supply uk patients for the covid jab. safeco suicides of why they believe

it should be back and forth. well that's raised concerns here in the uk about a knock on effect on its supply. here's cabinet office minister michael gove. we must make sure that we continue with the vaccination programme that relies on, as the supply schedule has been agreed being honoured, that's the first and most important thing, but secondarily, i'm sure that we all want to do everything possible to make sure that as many people in countries which are our friends and neighbors are vaccinated, and i we best achieve that through dialogue and cooperation and friendship. now it's important to point out that one of the key reasons the uk is currently doing far better with its vaccine programme — and particularly not seeing the same astrazeneca supply issues — is because it moved quicker than the eu to cut supply deals and to approve each vaccine. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. uk government was the first to sign a deal with astrazeneca for 100

million doses of its covert vaccine. it wasn't until august three months later, that the european union signed an agreement for up to 400 million doses. last month, the uk's nhra became the first regulator in the world to approve the oxford astrazeneca jab. tomorrow, the european medicines agency is meeting and is expected to approve the vaccine. but for the moment, it vaccine. but forthe moment, it remains vaccine. but for the moment, it remains unlicensed in that you. i'm joined now by david herszenhorn — chief brussels correspondent for politico. david, thank for being with us on outside source. we heard that the president of the european council was pursuing all avenues available. can you help us understand what options that you house?- can you help us understand what options that you house? well, they are t in: options that you house? well, they are trying to _ options that you house? well, they are trying to reserve _ options that you house? well, they are trying to reserve all— options that you house? well, they are trying to reserve all options - options that you house? well, they are trying to reserve all options at. are trying to reserve all options at this point. obviously, tensions are running very, very high. as you heard the european commission today has decided it will impose export restrictions, oversight measures that they say are intended to gather

information from about really, we know will be positioning you countries to potentially block international shipments of vaccine. the council president, charles michelle was referring to the possible implication of a provision in that you treaties that would allow for emergency measures that could force companies potentially to share their patents —— patents to mmp share their patents —— patents to ramp up production some way. we do see quite a bit of political posturing here, everybody wanting to show that they are doing as much as they can to get citizens the vaccine as quickly as possible. imore they can to get citizens the vaccine as quickly as possible.— as quickly as possible. were there nor -- where _ as quickly as possible. were there nor -- where there _ as quickly as possible. were there nor -- where there no _ as quickly as possible. were there nor -- where there no warning - as quickly as possible. were there - nor -- where there no warning signs? nor —— where there no warning signs? what we have heard now is that the european commission learned in early december that astrazeneca's production numbers would be lower than expected but said that those numbers were acceptable at that point. and then a week ago came this shock that, in fact, they would be cutting 75% less of the vaccine than they expected. we're talking bout to they expected. we're talking bout to the tune of 75 million doses fewer than what they had expected to get in the first three months of this year. so that's came as quite a

shock to them. some folks say the european commission should have been better on top of that, but as you give the back—and—forth, there were occasions where the uk was receiving vaccine from factories in the year. there were four eu countries that had reached a deal with astrazeneca actually injune, june 15, which actually in june, june 15, which then actually injune, june 15, which then grew into the wider contract for the entire eu later in august. but, really, what you have here is a situation where there is just not enough vaccine and the desire for it and demand for it is so great that political leaders are really scrambling to show that they are doing everything they can to protect their citizens. find doing everything they can to protect their citizens.— their citizens. and do we have any more details _ their citizens. and do we have any more details on _ their citizens. and do we have any more details on what _ their citizens. and do we have any more details on what a _ their citizens. and do we have any more details on what a potential. more details on what a potential export ban of vaccines from inside the eu to outside the eu might look like? because of you has done quite a lot of posturing on the issue of vaccine nationalism and it would appear that this potential export ban doesn't sit very comfortably without stop... . it really goes against their core self—image as a champion of multilateralism and a proper size of free trade. the officials who

described this today for us really used a lot of tones of regret. i mean, they tried to insist that in fact the goal was to try to gather information, but what we know is that they will require manufacturers to seek approval for exports for shipments that would then allow the countries are the factories are located to step in, and with the eu's approval, stop those shipments essentially keeping the vaccine back, presumably to make sure that you's on purchase agreements are fulfilled. now, that doesn't seem to be the goal that anyone wants to get to. their hope is that there may be other ways to ramp up production if there is enough cooperation, but it is hard to mistake this for anything than what it is, which is that you reserving the ability to restrict shipments of vaccines so it can keep thosejobs for its shipments of vaccines so it can keep those jobs for its own citizens. david, we appreciate you coming on. that's the chief brussels correspondent for politico. concern about supply is one thing. concern about how well it works, the efficacy, is another. german public health authorities have said the astrazeneca vaccine should only be given to people under the age of 65.

the independent vaccine commission advising the german government says... suggesting it should only be used on people aged 18—65 until further trials are completed. this quickly raised concern in the uk, because thousands of people over 65 have already received the astrazeneca jab. public health england was quick to respond. their head of immunisations admitted that while... to observe precise levels of protection in this group, data on immune responses were very reassuring." and she was backed up by the prime minister. i think that the nhra, our own authorities have made it very clear that they think the oxford astrazeneca vaccine is very good and efficacious. it gives a high degree

of protection after just efficacious. it gives a high degree of protection afterjust one dose, and even more after two doses. the evidence that they have seen, that they have supplied, is that they think it is effective across all age groups and it provides a good immune response across all age groups. you ma be response across all age groups. you may be watching this but i'm thinking, welcome hold on, how have two major health bodies looking at the same trial data center come to two diffferent conclusions? our global health correspondent naomi grimley explains. now, this goes to the heart of how you structure a clinical trial. remember, they were bringing thousands of people in these trials. they gave half the vaccine from half the placebo, and then they waited to see how many infections they got to before deciding how effective it was. now, because there were so few over 65s recruited to those trials just around 6—8%, that's why germany's made this call. when regulators here

looked at the data, although they acknowledged there weren't that many over over 65s in the trial, they nevertheless looked at other evidence. so, for example, when they gave the jab to the older age group, they looked at their antibody levels in their bloodstream and they thought that that evidence was quite strong, and they also extrapolated from these large trials they'd done in the younger age group, and so the regulator here said there was nothing to suggest a lack of protection. so, we've covered supply and we've looked at efficacy. the third challenge is getting people to take the vaccine. it's a problem india is struggling with. while europe can't get enough shots — india has plenty — health authorities say they can produce 500 million of them per month. but only about 56% of people in india eligible to get the vaccine have stepped forward for their shot. here's yogita limaye on why. it's hard to put an estimate on exactly how many people are rejecting taking a vaccine shot in india. this is because while the government

releases a number for the total number of people who've gotten the first shots, we don't know how manyjobs overall have been offered. manyjabs overall have been offered. two vaccines were launched on the 16th ofjanuary, oxford astrazeneca's covid shield, and in indian firm covaxx vacine. what we have seen on the ground is there is some amount of hesitation in taking either of the two vaccines because people believe they've been rushed. but there are specific reservations about about the covaxx vaccine, this is because phase three human trials have not been completed, data on how effective it is is not available yet. but the other major factor in india is if you look at the covid—19 curve, it has fallen sharply, even when there are very few restrictions in place and some of the country's most densely populated areas, the coronavirus is not spreading here like we are seeing in the west and in many other countries around the world. and so when you go out on the street

and you talk to people, and they are questioning whether they need to take a vaccine shot at all. let's talk about a battle between private and professional investors in america. abc niss? gamestop saw its market value soar in recent days after amateurs joined forces to drive up its stock price. at the start of the year it was a loss—making company worth less than 20 dollars a share. then the price climbed to well above 300 dollars. so what happened ? it centres on a forum on the messaging site reddit called wall street bets. more than four million people use it to discuss investing in stocks. they got wind that a hedge fund was trying to short the stock. and wanted to beat them at their own game. here's what that means. in short, what you do here is you go to a broker, you borrow a certain amount of shares and you do this when you think a company

is overvalued and that the share price is going to fall over a certain period of time. so you borrow the shares can even go into the market can you sell those shares to someone else and if the share price falls, you will then become profitable. now, the risk of course here is that if the share price rises, which has been the case in spectacular fashion in recent weeks, you end up losing a lot of money, but more importantly, the broker that you borrow those shares from starts getting anxious and says can i want my shares back. the outcome being that some individual investors made a lot of money. in some cases tens of millions of dollars. and because hedge funds were caught out in their short positions they lost billions. and now trading platforms have stopped people from buying more shares. this has left amateur investors furious. patrick freyne from the irish times explains why... "the people who normally rig the system are really upset that other people are rigging the system in a different way." there's unusual agreement on this from ted cruz, a staunch republican, and alexandria occasio—cortez, on the left of the democrats.

one of the hedge fund managers to lose big has taken the opportunity to give this advice to the new reddit millionaires. when you make your profits, make sure you put some away for the irs. that money is not all your money, but at the end of the year, you do owe tax money. and i've seen many an individual trader let that money roll, roll, roll, maybe in a cold spot come april and it put them in a tough situation. so what does all of this tell us about how investing is changing? michael mckenzie from the financial times ways in the.— times ways in the. what you have seen in the _ times ways in the. what you have seen in the last _ times ways in the. what you have seen in the last few _ times ways in the. what you have seen in the last few years - times ways in the. what you have seen in the last few years is - times ways in the. what you have seen in the last few years is a - times ways in the. what you have | seen in the last few years is a real convergence between what the professionals on wall street have in terms _ professionals on wall street have in terms of— professionals on wall street have in terms of access to information, access— terms of access to information, access to — terms of access to information, access to trading and what the retail— access to trading and what the retail investors, and they are performer —— former professionals who have — performer —— former professionals who have flocked here who now offer commission — who have flocked here who now offer commission for each trading. they offer— commission for each trading. they offer you _ commission for each trading. they offer you call options which is a

derivative. _ offer you call options which is a derivative, which is kind of similar to sports— derivative, which is kind of similar to sports betting. what you're doing here is— to sports betting. what you're doing here is you — to sports betting. what you're doing here is you are putting down a small amount— here is you are putting down a small amount of— here is you are putting down a small amount of money, that's all you are going _ amount of money, that's all you are going to _ amount of money, that's all you are going to lose, and you have what is effectively — going to lose, and you have what is effectively a lottery ticket. if the stock _ effectively a lottery ticket. if the stock starts rising rapidly, you are going _ stock starts rising rapidly, you are going to _ stock starts rising rapidly, you are going to make a lot of money. that's what they— going to make a lot of money. that's what they have been doing. now, us politics. the raft of executive orders from president biden continues today. just in the last hour, the president has reversed some of president trump's anti—abortion policies. he wants to — re—open the nation's online health insurance marketplace — healthcare.gov — which protects americans, who can't get coverage through their employers. and he wants to reverse several anti—abortion policies. domestically, he will review a gag rule — which restricts health clinics from referring patients to abortion providers. internationally, he's set to rescind the mexico city policy — which prohibits non—government organisations who perform or promote abortions — from receiving us aid. he noticed we didn't use the term abortion when asked signing the executive order. the abortion when asked signing the

executive order.— abortion when asked signing the executive order. the second order i'm executive order. the second order i'm signing _ executive order. the second order i'm signing relates _ executive order. the second order i'm signing relates to _ executive order. the second order i'm signing relates to protecting i i'm signing relates to protecting women's health at home and abroad and it reinstates the changes that were made in title x and other things making it harderfor women to have access to affordable health care as it relates to their reproductive rights. while pro—life groups who have been pushing back on the trump let's find out more. alina from the kaiser family foundation says that any changes will need to be introduced via a strict process. the trump administration actually enacted regulations that were actually very similar to the regulations that they have for the mexico city policy banning providers from either referring or providing abortion services if they received the federal funds. this has been challenged by nearly half of the states, planned parenthood, the american medical association and other providers. so, biden today is calling for a review of the regulations.

they will need to tread carefully and follow all of the procedures because this case is moving its way through the courts and is now sitting on the doors of the us supreme court. next, let's talk about covid in the us. with over 429,000 deaths — the us the worst—hit by the pandemic, by a long way. however, we do have some good news to report. according to this new york times database, average daily coronavirus cases have fallen by 34% in 2 weeks. they peaked on january 8th at 300,000 new infections. yesterday that figure was just over 155,000. so, is the us finally turning a corner? apoorva mandavilli is a science and health reporter for the new york times — and joins me from new york. thank you very much for being with us. perhaps you can help me with that question. is this as good as it appears to be? it that question. is this as good as it appears to be?— appears to be? it certainly looks very good- _

appears to be? it certainly looks very good- it's — appears to be? it certainly looks very good. it's about _ appears to be? it certainly looks very good. it's about 3596 - appears to be? it certainly looks very good. it's about 3596 and i appears to be? it certainly looks very good. it's about 3596 and as appears to be? it certainly looks - very good. it's about 3596 and as you very good. it's about 35% and as you said come in the last three weeks. that's the kind of decrease we haven't really seen since the start of the pandemic. we have seen some small dips that have been come back up, but nothing like this. deaths have not yet come down. they have stabilized, and rates are usually lagging behind the infections by a few weeks. so it's still possible they will come down. it may be because states and people have begun to take some precautions. we have more people wearing masks, more people staying home, and several state governments enacted more restrictive policies towards the end of the year. it may also be because we are slowly approaching herd immunity. we got about 21 million people vaccinated already, and maybe 100 million or so who have been infected, extrapolating from the data that we have had. so that means even though we are not quite at herd immunity, it may be that the virus is slowing approaching a state where it is running out of people to infect. so that's all potentially good news.

infect. so that's all potentially good news-— infect. so that's all potentially aood news. ., ., , good news. that is potentially good news. good news. that is potentially good news- tommy _ good news. that is potentially good news. tommy martha _ good news. that is potentially good news. tommy martha vaccines. - good news. that is potentially good j news. tommy martha vaccines. you mentioned some numbers there, i'm sure you are aware of this huge row in the european union at the moment about vaccine supply. how is that playing out in the us? we about vaccine supply. how is that playing out in the us?— about vaccine supply. how is that playing out in the us? we have some ofthe playing out in the us? we have some of the same — playing out in the us? we have some of the same problems _ playing out in the us? we have some of the same problems here. - playing out in the us? we have some of the same problems here. things . of the same problems here. things apply has been a huge issue. we have had many problems with roll—out as well come about slowly getting resolved. we are vaccinating more than a million people per day now, and we should be hitting 100,000,100 days, which is watch president biden had promised. i don't think that will be difficult. the bigger issue is that they have set, the biden administration, they are negotiating for about 300 million doses, enough doses to vaccinate 300 million people by the end of the summer, or perhaps early fall, and it remains to be seen whether that will happen, because i'm the one hand, you know, the vaccine companies have promised that they will be able to provide a lot more supplied, but vaccine money manufacturing can be tricky, you can have one batch that goes wrong for whatever reason, or you can run out of really mundane things like glass

vials, so we will have to see if that really comes to pass. in terms of restrictions _ that really comes to pass. in terms of restrictions under— that really comes to pass. in terms of restrictions under which - of restrictions under which americans are living, president biden has made a big play of getting kids back to school as quickly as possible, but he won't want to do that unless the uppers are encouraging. you think these kinds of numbers may assist that effort to get children back? if the numbers stay down, but i think that's a big if, becausejust today, we learned that south carolina has seen two cases of the variant that's been circulating in south africa, and we have already seen one case of the variant from brazil and the one from the uk has been spotted in many states. so, if the variant�*s spread like they have in the uk and south africa, we will probably actually see these numbers go back up. we will probably actually have to double down on the restrictions rather than loosen them up restrictions rather than loosen them up and send kids back to school. so i'm not really sure. just up and send kids back to school. so i'm not really sure.— i'm not really sure. just before i let ou i'm not really sure. just before i let you go. _ i'm not really sure. just before i let you go. i _ i'm not really sure. just before i let you go, i must _ i'm not really sure. just before i let you go, i must ask— i'm not really sure. just before i let you go, i must ask you - i'm not really sure. just before i | let you go, i must ask you about herd immunity, which you referenced in yourfirst answer, herd immunity, which you referenced in your first answer, lots of people will be thing and that's interesting

that america may be close. where do you judge america needs to reach before it can consider itself having herd immunity? itrefoil before it can consider itself having herd immunity?— herd immunity? well thanks for aaivin me herd immunity? well thanks for giving me a _ herd immunity? well thanks for giving me a chance _ herd immunity? well thanks for giving me a chance to _ herd immunity? well thanks for giving me a chance to clarify - herd immunity? well thanks for l giving me a chance to clarify that, because i don't want to give the impression that america is anywhere near herd immunity, it'sjust that we are slowly, slowly approaching it. he think we will probably need to have about 80% of the population vaccinated before we can say that we are at herd immunity. at herd immunity is notjust one single point. as you get closer to it, so evenif point. as you get closer to it, so even if 30% of the population of some sort of immunity either from infection or a vaccine, the viruses just starting to run out of people to infect. so we will see some effective outcome even if we are not all the way at herd immunity. great to have you — all the way at herd immunity. great to have you on _ all the way at herd immunity. great to have you on the _ all the way at herd immunity. great to have you on the programme. ink very much, please come back on again soon. that's our science and health reporter for the new york times live with us from new york. every an outside source, we try to bring you the biggest stories from all around the world, we have reported from brussels, the uk, from new york. let me show you

these pictures coming in from poland. this is right now, hundreds of people are back on the streets protesting against a near total ban on abortion which is now in effect. these are pictures from warsaw, quite a crowd as you can see, despite absolutely freezing temperatures. earlier, they have traffic near the prime ministers office and people carried both polish and lgbt q rainbow flags and chanted things like freedom, equality, abortion on demand, this is all connected to poland's constitutional courts ruling to ban abortion in october except in cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. itjustified this on the grounds that an unborn child is a human being and deserves protection under poland's constitution. that is supported by poland's conservative government which has very strong ties to the country's powerful catholic church, but as you can see, it's not supported by everyone by any means, and this isjust the latest in a long run of protests against that so not against that

decision by the constitutional court. that's it for the first half of outside source. i will see you in a couple of minutes' time. hello there. we've got more rain spreading from the west this evening, some of it will be quite heavy as it spreads across wales and england. to the north of the country, though, it stays cold, certainly across scotland where we will see further rain, sleet and some pretty heavy snow at all levels. you can see the extent of the mild air through today across much of the country, but still that cold air has been looming across the northern half of scotland, and that will win out as we move towards the end of the week and certainly into the weekend. so it stays very wet with further snow across much of scotland this evening and overnight. the main rain band clears away and is followed by lots of showers across england and wales. some of these will be quite heavy, but there will be some clearer spells in between. anotherfairly mild night

across most of northern ireland, england and wales, still cold across scotland with the risk of ice here. so we start very unsettled across the northern half of the country, some rain, some sleet, some snow, some ice to watch out for. plenty of showers across the south too, but i think through the day, as the ridge of high pressure builds and, conditions are going to gradually improve. we will start to see the rain peter out to the north, we will lose the showers in the cell. quite a bit of cloud around, but some brightness, and mild in the south, double figure values here, cold air in the north, which will be seeping its way southwards through friday night, one or two showers around which could be wintry. then we look to the southwest, a new area of low pressure and a weather front will bring outbreaks of rain increasing amount of snow settling over the high ground. so it's mild again across the far southwest as we head on into saturday, but colder further north with the risk of ice. now, some uncertainty to the forecast into this weekend, but it does look like this area of low pressure is going to bump is going to bump into that cold air, and it's going to bring a mixture

of rain, sleet and snow from northern ireland through wales, parts of the midlands, down towards east anglia, perhaps into the southeast mainly over the high ground here, but we could see some significant accumulations over the high ground of wales, perhaps into the south pennines as well. i think the far southwest here with some milder air is going to be mainly of rain, but still some uncertainty to all of this. you really will have to stay tuned. double figure values therefore plymouth, much colder further north, but at least bright with some sunshine. sunday morning starts very cold, frosty, risk of ice in places, again, much of the country will be dry and bright but a new area of low pressure will push into the west to bring further rain and snow and snow for northern ireland, wales, the midlands, perhaps in towards the southwest. it's going to be a colder there for all areas for sunday.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. countries in europe are now running out of critical covid—19 vaccine supply — as a row over a delay in deliveries escalates. issues in the supply chain and with efficacy — germany says it will no longer give the astrazeneca jab to people over 65 because of "insufficient data" over its protection for older people. a russian court rejects alexei navalny�*s appeal against his 30 day detention and orders him to remain in custody. he's calling the case "illegal". translation: | want to drawl the attention of the court that, since the detention, i've not had a single opportunity to meet with my defenders in private. and in our weekly report for the bbc website — we look at whether travel restrictions can work to curb the pandemic.

every week on outside source, we produce a detailed report on a big issue of the week. today, we're looking at the coronavius pandemic and travel restrictions. globally, over 2 million people have died. and the globally, over2 million people have died. and , , , ., globally, over2 million people have died. and , ,, ., ., " died. and the pressure from covid-19 is unrelenting- _ died. and the pressure from covid-19 is unrelenting. we _ died. and the pressure from covid-19 is unrelenting. we know _ died. and the pressure from covid-19 is unrelenting. we know about - died. and the pressure from covid-19 is unrelenting. we know about a - is unrelenting. we know about a variant that's _ is unrelenting. we know about a variant that's arrived _ is unrelenting. we know about a variant that's arrived in - is unrelenting. we know about a variant that's arrived in south i variant that's arrived in south africa, various variants that have arrived in brazil, as well as in southern california and in the uk, and one that was found in denmark associated with mink farming. and there will be more.— there will be more. these variants are driving — there will be more. these variants are driving infection _

there will be more. these variants are driving infection rates. - there will be more. these variants are driving infection rates. and - are driving infection rates. and there's this warning on the one identified in the uk.— identified in the uk. there is a realistic possibility _ identified in the uk. there is a realistic possibility that - identified in the uk. there is a realistic possibility that this i realistic possibility that this variant— realistic possibility that this variant may be in associated with increased — variant may be in associated with increased mortality compared to the old variant, — increased mortality compared to the old variant, as well as increased transmission.— old variant, as well as increased transmission. .. , transmission. faced with these new variants, transmission. faced with these new variants. many _ transmission. faced with these new variants, many countries _ transmission. faced with these new variants, many countries are - variants, many countries are focusing on travel.— focusing on travel. with the pandemic — focusing on travel. with the pandemic worsening - focusing on travel. with the pandemic worsening and i focusing on travel. with the | pandemic worsening and the focusing on travel. with the i pandemic worsening and the more contagious— pandemic worsening and the more contagious variants— pandemic worsening and the more contagious variants spreading, i pandemic worsening and the more| contagious variants spreading, this isn't the _ contagious variants spreading, this isn't the time — contagious variants spreading, this isn't the time to _ contagious variants spreading, this isn't the time to be _ contagious variants spreading, this isn't the time to be lifting - isn't the time to be lifting restrictions— isn't the time to be lifting restrictions on— isn't the time to be lifting l restrictions on international travel~ _ restrictions on international travel. ~ ., . restrictions on international travel. ., ., ,, travel. more than that, the us ban on arrival now _ travel. more than that, the us ban on arrival now expands _ travel. more than that, the us ban on arrival now expands to - travel. more than that, the us ban on arrival now expands to europe, | on arrival now expands to europe, south africa and as a democrat elsewhere. then there's israel, which says it has hermetically sealed the skies. and the uk, which had a travel ban on other countries, has now added this dimension for uk citizens of. taste has now added this dimension for uk citizens of. ~ . citizens of. we will require all such arrivals _ citizens of. we will require all such arrivals who _ citizens of. we will require all such arrivals who cannot i citizens of. we will require all such arrivals who cannot be i citizens of. we will require all- such arrivals who cannot be refused entry to i circulate in government provided accommodation such as hotels for ten days without exception. they will be met at the

airport and transported directly into quarantine. but airport and transported directly into quarantine.— into quarantine. but our travel restrictions — into quarantine. but our travel restrictions the _ into quarantine. but our travel restrictions the answer? i into quarantine. but our travel restrictions the answer? can l into quarantine. but our travel. restrictions the answer? can we into quarantine. but our travel i restrictions the answer? can we be sure they'll help rain and a rampant virus, and at what cost? not everyone is convinced. this south african scientist describes travel bands as... african scientist describes travel bands as- - -_ bands as... almost like a silly, t in: to bands as... almost like a silly, trying to block _ bands as... almost like a silly, trying to block a _ bands as... almost like a silly, trying to block a country. i bands as... almost like a silly, i trying to block a country. because we know how fast this virus spread. the view that these bands are silly fits with one american eb dummy all adjust and what he calls a long time scepticism of travel bands. butjoe biden wants scientists to revisit theissue, biden wants scientists to revisit the issue, arguing that travel is the issue, arguing that travel is the hallmark of the spread of this virus around the world. and how we understand this doesn'tjust matter in terms of people's health. it matters because travel is essential to the global economy, because of the social consequences of keeping people apart, and because trust in our governments is at stake. when life is disrupted to this extent, they want to know it's for good reason. i'll look at all of that.

let's start with the restrictions in place. countries have adopted a range of different approaches, including a complete ban on arrivals, restricting arrivals from hotspots, mandatory quarantine, and showing a negative test before travel. in the uk's case, it's showing a negative test before travel. in the uk's case, its goal is clear. to travel. in the uk's case, it's goal is clear. ., . , ., ., is clear. to reduce passage of flow, so that only — is clear. to reduce passage of flow, so that only a _ is clear. to reduce passage of flow, so that only a small— is clear. to reduce passage of flow, so that only a small number- is clear. to reduce passage of flow, so that only a small number of- so that only a small number of people for whom it is absolutely essential to travel, are doing so. right now, reducing passengerflow is a global goal. and it's happening. airline passengers fell by 67% from 2019 to 2020. and for some places, none of this is new. australia and new zealand, taiwan, vietnam, singapore have all had tech travel resurgence for months. all have had success in curbing covid—19, which adds to the case for closing borders. this is a neuroscientist in ireland. lockdowns onl brina neuroscientist in ireland. lockdowns only bring the _ neuroscientist in ireland. lockdowns only bring the case _ neuroscientist in ireland. lockdowns only bring the case numbers - neuroscientist in ireland. lockdowns only bring the case numbers down i neuroscientist in ireland. lockdowns| only bring the case numbers down in the community, but they don't keep

the community, but they don't keep the virus _ the community, but they don't keep the virus out. it's essential that we keep— the virus out. it's essential that we keep the virus from re—seating the country — we keep the virus from re—seating the country. otherwise we make a mockery— the country. otherwise we make a mockery out of everything that we're doing _ mockery out of everything that we're doing as _ mockery out of everything that we're doing as citizens in enduring lockdown. doing as citizens in enduring lockdown— doing as citizens in enduring lockdown. . �*, , _ lockdown. that's backed up by germany's _ lockdown. that's backed up by germany's leading _ lockdown. that's backed up by germany's leading coronavirus lockdown. that's backed up by - germany's leading coronavirus expert who argues... indeed, germany is now banning most travellers from the countries most hardest hit by the covid—19 variants. on the face of it, there's a logic to all this. stop the spread of the virus and its variants by controlling the movement of people between countries. an international lockdown, if you like. but if that's the case for doing this, questions remain — not least, is travel the problem? let's take the uk as an example. covid—19 was brought into the uk on at least 1300 occasions by the end of march. initially, travel certainly was a factor. fast—forward to december, and there's a different story. they government's transport secretary

says... in that same month... as grant shops told the bbc... in other words, with the virus moving freely within communities, community transmission is the major driver of infections, not international travel. that's why the travel industry is pushing back. on the quarantine measures, the airport operators association says... and this is the world traveller tourism council. we this is the world traveller tourism council. ~ , ., ., council. we believe there are more effective measures _ council. we believe there are more effective measures of _ council. we believe there are more effective measures of curbing i council. we believe there are more effective measures of curbing the l effective measures of curbing the spread of the virus without having to completely halt international travel and closing borders. br; to completely halt international travel and closing borders. by that, the mean travel and closing borders. by that, they mean things _ travel and closing borders. by that, they mean things like _ travel and closing borders. by that, they mean things like passenger. they mean things like passenger testing, social distancing at airports, and so on. but the variants have made this more complex. travel bands are not only about containing covid—19, but about

containing particular types of covid—19. and if you want to stop something arriving at all, australia is an important case study. this is the australian experience. since early last year, foreigners haven't been allowed in, australians coming home have to hotel quarantine, and there's a cap on how any people can arrive this week. this has led to what seven news australia describes as... and we know many still haven't got home. but public opinion is behind the policy. case numbers in covid—19 deaths are very low by international standards. and look at this — it's christmas in sydney. life isn't normal, but it's a lot closer than in many places. but there is a crucial difference here. australia's policy is one of eradication. he wants to completely control and limit the virus. that can work, but it's not an option for many countries where the virus is established, which is why you cannot assess the subject without talking about the timing and asking, is it

too late for travel restrictions? the travel journalist simon too late for travel restrictions? the traveljournalist simon corder sums up why some people think it is. many people here in the uk have always said that the time to introduce really tough travel measures is when rates of infection and extremely low. at the moment in the uk, they are extremely high. there's also this story in nature, he looked at the data around border closures and concluded... the point here though is that the uk and many other countries aren't only looking to restrict the virus. this is about trying to restrict certain variants of it. but even on that point, there are doubts. this public health expert is blunt... others argue the virus is just to verlin to be contained in this way anyhow. so where does all this leave us? i find

it useful to think about how we define success. governments are simultaneously working towards many different goals during this pandemic. in the short term, governments need to suppress the infection rate. travel restrictions may help that my containing the new variants, though there are only one of several factors. what we can be more certain of is that they will carry a human cost. this is one australian who's been diagnosed with cancer but can't return. we australian who's been diagnosed with cancer but can't return.— cancer but can't return. we 'ust want to go fl cancer but can't return. we 'ust want to go home i cancer but can't return. we 'ust want to go home to i cancer but can't return. we 'ust want to go home to ouri cancer but can't return. we just want to go home to our family. | cancer but can't return. we just i want to go home to our family. yet, when _ want to go home to our family. yet, when you _ want to go home to our family. yet, when you go— want to go home to our family. yet, when you go through something like this, you _ when you go through something like this, you need the support of your family _ this, you need the support of your famil . , ., .., ., . family. there will be an economic cost too. family. there will be an economic cost too- we _ family. there will be an economic cost too. we must _ family. there will be an economic cost too. we must not _ family. there will be an economic cost too. we must not forget i family. there will be an economicj cost too. we must not forget that 330 million _ cost too. we must not forget that 330 million livelihoods _ cost too. we must not forget that 330 million livelihoods that i cost too. we must not forget that i 330 million livelihoods that depend on our sectors. 330 million livelihoods that depend on our sectors-— on our sectors. governments don't deny there — on our sectors. governments don't deny there is — on our sectors. governments don't deny there is a — on our sectors. governments don't deny there is a cost, _ on our sectors. governments don't deny there is a cost, they - on our sectors. governments don't deny there is a cost, they argue i on our sectors. governments don't deny there is a cost, they argue at| deny there is a cost, they argue at this moment that the costs of not acting on travel will be greater. and if that's for now, what of the long—term goal here of moving beyond the life shaped by covid—19? as the who puts it... h0

the life shaped by covid-19? as the who puts it---_ who puts it... no one is safe until eve one who puts it... no one is safe until everyone is— who puts it... no one is safe until everyone is safe. _ who puts it... no one is safe until everyone is safe. his _ who puts it... no one is safe until everyone is safe. his point - who puts it... no one is safe until everyone is safe. his point being i everyone is safe. his point being that the resolution _ everyone is safe. his point being that the resolution of _ everyone is safe. his point being that the resolution of the - everyone is safe. his point being i that the resolution of the pandemic requires, by its very nature, a global solution, requires, by its very nature, a globalsolution, not requires, by its very nature, a global solution, not national solutions. at some point countries will have to reconnect. the restrictions will go. but for now, they remain, a reminder of this virus�*s power to alter how we live and how we move. russia's opposition leader, alexei navalny, will remain behind bars, after a judge in moscow overturned an appeal against his detention. speaking from prison, he said his arrest was illegal, and that he'd been denied his rights. translation: i understand my rights. i want to draw the attention of the court that, since the detention, i've not had a single opportunity to meet with my defenders in private. not a single one. neither at kimki police station, nor at detention centre number one. our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford says the court's ruling wasn't a suprise. so the judge just left the courtroom for a few minutes to decide

on alexei navalny's fate, to come to his decision. he returned then to reject the appeal against attention by mr navalny to say he will remain behind bars. —— detention. now that is until a more important hearing, if you like, on the 2nd of february which will decide whether or not mr navalny is facing a long—ish prison sentence — a sentence, a spell behind bars — because the prison authorities say he violated the terms of a previous suspended sentence for fraud and, because of that, because of him repeatedly failing, they say, to turn up to register according to those terms, he should now spend that sentence behind bars. since mr navalny was detained on saturday, a lot has happened. last week, his anti—corruption foundation released a video showing a luxury palace worth billions of dollars which, they say, rich businessmen built for president putin. it's had almost 100 million views. then over the weekend, police broke up large protests all across russia, where hundreds of navalny supporters were detained —

including his wife. and today, at the same time as navalny�*s court appearance, police raided at least 18 properties in russia, taking several of his associates into custody, including his brother. another was his doctor. here's how she welcomed the officers who came into her house. piano playing after finishing that piece, she went with the police and was taken into custody. here's sarah rainsford again. so what we've seen though is key allies of mr navalny being rounded up by police, several of them now in custody facing serious criminal charges, and others having their homes and offices searched as police look for evidence in those criminal cases. so it's the standard kremlin

playbook, in actual fact — after big events like mass protests, unsanctioned protests, big opposition of events, they then go for the ringleaders. but this time, they're going in really hard and tough. there are a number of criminal cases opened, and i think some key allies of mr navalny could essentially be facing a spell behind bars. so how did it come to this? here's a reminder. alexei navalny is the most prominent face of russian opposition to president vladimir putin. navalny has millions of russian followers on social media, and for years, he's led nationwide anti—corruption protests. in 2018, he was barred from challenging mr putin in the election because he had a previous conviction for embezzlement. he spent a short time in prison in 2013, with the rest of the sentence suspended. last august, navalny collapsed on a flight over siberia and was airlifted to berlin for treatment. the german government said they found "unequivocal proof" he was poisoned with "a chemical nerve warfare agent". navalny says the kremlin was behind it — which they of course deny.

and on 17 january, mr navalny flew back to moscow, where he was arrested on arrival. ajudge sentenced him to jailfor 30 days, saying he had violated parole conditions for that earlier suspended sentence. navalny and his allies show no sign of giving up. here's steve rosenberg in moscow. on these streets, it's not so much that russians believe in alexei navalny. it's just many people stopped believing in the president. "putin's not the leader he was," she says. "prices in the shops keep rising. he must have something to do with this." you can put a political opponent behind bars. but one thing you cannot do is lock away, put out of sight the public mood. and the kremlin's problem is that, with the economy here in difficulty, russians feel that life is getting tougher. and that means growing dissatisfaction with the authorities.

but the kremlin has this warning — illegal protest brings chaos. the last thing russia needs, it says, is another russian revolution. steve rosenberg, bbc news. stay with us on outside source. still to come: experts from the world health organisation start their inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in wuhan after finishing two weeks of quarantine. borisjohnson says endless talk about a scottish independence referendum is completely irrelevant while the uk battles the pandemic. the prime minister was speaking on a visit to scotland today. the scottish national party said his trip was not essential during a national lockdown and said he was panicking as opinion polls show declining support for the union. our scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. from the lighthouse covid testing lab in glasgow...

to a community vaccination centre being set up with the help of the army, to this vaccine manufacturing plant, there is no mistaking the message the prime minister was sending with growing talk of another vote in scotland's future, borisjohnson was here to emphasise what he believes the benefits of the country remaining united. i think endless talk about a referendum without any clear description about what the constitutional situation will be after that referendum, is completely irrelevant now to the concerns of most people, who i think want us to beat this pandemic and come through it strongly together. at that constitutional question does loom large, there is an election in holyrood in three weeks' time and the snp are riding high in the polls. today they questioned whether the prime minister's trip was essential travel. people are really asking why is the prime minister coming to scotland on a day trip? we have got the situation

there is a marked difference in the approval rating of the first minister, who has shown true leadership through this crisis in scotland, than what we have seen with the prime minister. i think people were just reflecting on that. the pandemic dominates daily life and conversation on daily life in scotland. but the questions about the country's future have not gone away. whether scotland should become an independent country is the fault line in scottish politics. every poll sincejune has suggested more people would vote yes to scottish independence than no. this is outside source, live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... countries in europe are now running out of critical covid—19 vaccine supply — as a row over a delay in deliveries escalates. lets turn to china.

a world health organisation team investigating the origins of covid—19 have finished quarantine in wuhan, and can begin field work. this is the team leaving the hotel in the city where they spent two weeks in isolation. up until now their investigation has been done online. now their interviews will be face—to—face. the group is made up of 13 experts — including epidemiologists, veterinarians, and food safety researchers. the who hasn't provided details of their itinerary. we know they'll spend two weeks in wuhan where the virus was first detected in december 2019. we think they'll visit hospitalsm, research institutes. and this seafood market — where the first known cluster of cases was traced back to. biologist doctor farbean leendurtz was on the who delegation to china, but had to pull out from the visit. here he is on the challenges. i think the imagination that you go somewhere and find the direct evidence is an illusion.

they will talk to people in see the institutes, they will see places like the wet market, the famous one, and get a personal impression on these places. but it's not like you go and find a tree somewhere just by visiting it. —— find a trace. so this is scientific—based work and, through the science, we are collecting the missing parts of the puzzle. and that may take a few more weeks or months, or even years. the investigation didn't get off to a good start. the who says the team was due to arrive earlier injanuary but was denied entry in china because of a lack of visa clearances. beijing later called it a misunderstanding. so the team arrived on 14 january. their two week quarantine was productive. here's the evidence. one expert on the team tweeted... it's widely believed the virus

originated from an animal — possibly a horseshoe bat — and thenjumped to humans. but how, and where that happen is deeply contested — and very political. china has been pushing a narrative that the virus existed abroad. and state media has carried that claim. here's one example from the global times injune, suggesting the virus came from europe on imported seafood. a leading chinese epidemiologist repeated that claim in october... yesterday, the white house accused china of "misinformation," adding that it was "imperative" to get to the bottom of the virus origins. today china fired back. here's the foreign ministry spokesman. translation: we hope the us can work with china, _

have a responsible attitude, respect facts and science, and respect the hard work of the who international covid—19 origin—tracing expert team, so they can carry out scientific research on tracing the origins of covid—19, free from political interference. a year on, relatives of covid—19 victims in china and abroad are demanding answers. here's stephen mcdonell in wuhan on the expectations. i think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding amongst many people that this international team will be doing a lot of its own research to find out what caused the coronavirus. that's not really what will happen. what they're doing is they're seeing with the chinese scientists have already done, and then wondering, "where are the holes in our knowledge?" and possibly in the future, organising for other studies to be done to chase down started the coronavirus. i mean, what they won't be doing is in two weeks, coming out and saying, "we found it, we know what caused the coronavirus."

they're telling us it'll take a long time, it's a very complicated matter. and basically, everybody just has to wait. now another thing they won't be doing is looking at the lab—leak theory. they're saying that really, in their view, is a conspiracy area, and they'll be focusing much more on this possibility that the virus came from, say, bats into another animal, and then into human beings. either way, the biggest task for the chinese and international teams will be to get above the politics to try to really focus on the data and chase down the science to attempt to answer this question at the whole world wants to know — what caused the coronavirus? now to a huge talking point in europe this week — what role has brexit played in the uk gaining a head start on coronavirus vaccinations? the uk's vaccine roll out is going faster than the european union's.

11% of the uk population has received at least one dose. in the eu, it's 2%. which raises the question of whether brexit explains the difference. the eu's angry because it's only getting 40% of the vaccines it was promised by astrazeneca. we reject the logic of "first—come, first—served". the uk was first to act though. it signed vaccine contracts with astrazeneca in may, and with pfizer injuly. both took place during the transition period as the uk was exiting the eu. well, die welt in germany calls the eu astrazeneca row — "the best advertisement for brexit". borisjohnson was asked if he thought brexit helped. we certainly were able to use speed and agility to deliver on the programme that we needed to do. whatever the reason for moving early, the pharmaceutical industry is clear that it helped. astrazeneca inherited, when they did the deal with oxford university at the end . of april, a coalition of willing i companies that were already working

on the scale up challenge. _ for its part, the eu, after some deliberation, insisted it would act as one. and we've all agreed, legally binding, that there will be no parallel negotiations, no parallel contracts. so the frame that we are all working in is a frame of 27. by pooling their negotiating power, eu members may have got better prices — but the deal coming later meant vaccines had to be produced more quickly. commentator guntram wolff says the eu didn't react to that. "there is an argument," he says, "that the eu was slow to develop an industrial strategy to increase production." and what if brexit hadn't happened? well, eu law allows member states to authorise vaccines themselves for emergency use. indeed hungary has signed a deal for russia's vaccine. and the fact the uk could do it while an eu member is shown by the fact that it was a member at the time of the deals — it was still in the eu during the brexit transition. whether it would as an ongoing

member is harder to know. it's not out of the question. the uk was often prepared to be independent as an eu member — for example, it opted out of the schengen travel area and the euro single currency. it could have done the same on vaccines. and with oxford university involved, the astrazeneca vaccine was intrinsically linked to the uk. it's hard to imagine it would have missed out on securing privileged access to it, whether in or out of the eu. but of course, this isn'tjust about laws and regulations, it's about politics. and surely brexit made the uk more likely to go its own way, with the benefits in the vaccine deliveries that have subsequently followed. there's much more on that issue and the , , , ., there's much more on that issue and the , ,, ., there's much more on that issue and the broader issue of vaccine supply chains, the broader issue of vaccine supply chains. not — the broader issue of vaccine supply chains, notjust _ the broader issue of vaccine supply chains, notjust in _ the broader issue of vaccine supply chains, notjust in asia _ the broader issue of vaccine supply chains, notjust in asia but - the broader issue of vaccine supply chains, notjust in asia but in i chains, notjust in asia but in north america too through the bb news —— bbc news website. thanks very much for watching, we will see

you next week, bye—bye. hello there. we've got more rain spreading from the west this evening, some of it will be quite heavy as it spreads across wales and england. to the north of the country, though, it stays cold, certainly across scotland where we will see further rain, sleet and some pretty heavy snow at all levels. you can see the extent of the mild air through today across much of the country, but still that cold air has been looming across the northern half of scotland, and that will win out as we move towards the end of the week and certainly into the weekend. so it stays very wet with further snow across much of scotland this evening and overnight. the main rain band clears away and is followed by lots of showers across england and wales. some of these will be quite heavy, but there will be some clearer spells in between. anotherfairly mild night across most of northern ireland, england and wales, still cold across scotland with the risk of ice here. so we start very unsettled

across the northern half of the country, some rain, some sleet, some snow, some ice to watch out for. plenty of showers across the south too, but i think through the day, as the ridge of high pressure starts to build in, conditions are going to gradually improve. we will start to see the rain peter out to the north, we will lose the showers in the south. quite a bit of cloud around, but some brightness, and mild in the south, double figure values here, but cold air in the north, which will be seeping its way southwards through friday night, one or two showers around which could be wintry. then we look to the southwest, a new area of low pressure and a weather front will bring outbreaks of rain, increasing amounts of snow certainly over the high ground. so it's mild again across the far southwest as we head on into saturday, but colder further north with the risk of ice. now, some uncertainty to the forecast into this weekend, but it does look like this area of low pressure is going to bump into that cold air, and it's going to bring a mixture of rain, sleet and snow from northern ireland through wales, parts of the midlands, down in towards east anglia, perhaps into the southeast, mainly over the high ground here. but we could see some significant accumulations over the high ground of wales, perhaps into the south pennines too.

i think the far southwest here with some milder air is going to be mainly of rain, but still some uncertainty to all of this. you really will have to stay tuned. double figure values there for plymouth, much colder further north and east, but at least bright with some sunshine. sunday morning starts very cold, frosty, risk of ice in places, again, much of the country will be dry and bright, but a new area of low pressure will push into the west to bring further rain, sleet and snow for northern ireland, wales, the midlands, perhaps in towards the southwest. it's going to be a colder there for all areas for sunday.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the government says the uk's vaccine supply is not at risk as the eu threatens legal action to secure its own supplies. the prime minister visits a vaccine laboratory near edinburgh he calls arguments about a scottish independence referendum "completely irrelevant" during the pandemic. the cladding crisis — the woman who lost everything after buying a flat that turned out to be unsafe. and get your skates on the new lockdown craze sweeping the globe