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

the government says vaccine supplies won't be interrupted, despite a continuing row between astrazeneca and the european union over shortages. almost seven and a half million people have now had at least one dose of the vaccine in the uk that's far higher than countries across the eu. the row was sparked when astrazeneca said it wouldn't be able to deliver all the doses promised to the eu by march. the eu has called for some of the vaccines made in the uk to be. diverted and warned it could resort to legal action. the uk's roll out has been one of the best in the world. israel leads the way, there have been almost 50 doses administered for every 100 people there. the uae is next, with more than 27 doses for every 100 people. the uk has 11 out of every hundred,

ahead of the us with seven, and well ahead of italy, at 2.6, germany at 2.4 and france at just 1.7. our medical editor fergus walsh reports. the biggest immunization drive in the history of the nhs just keeps growing. this supermarket pharmacy near birmingham started offering covid jabs today to the over 75s, one of more than m00 vaccination sites in england alone. what a contrast in madrid, where supplies of vaccine have all but dried up. the spanish capital has canceled all appointments for around two weeks. the eu where slow off the mark in ordering vaccine, and now want some of the uk's supply of astrazeneca doses. in may, the uk government was the first to sign a deal with astrazeneca for 100 million doses of its covid 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 mhra 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 remains unlicensed in the eu. we had assembled our short list of vaccines... the uk is now reaping the benefits of commercial deals struck by the former head of the vaccine�*s task force. the uk is in a strong position because we recruited a private—sector team that knew the industry incredibly well. so, we prioritize the vaccine landscape quickly. we approached the various companies, and then we were the first to sign with 0xford astrazeneca, with pfizer biontech, and then we signed deals in addition with novavax, which we are expecting

clinical shortly. the astrazeneca vaccine is grown in a bio reactors. i've seen how complex the process is at this site in oxford. by contrast, they have been poor yields at the main european site in belgium. the eu is threatening legal action to force astrazeneca to hand over some doses made here. we can and will get doses of the vaccine from the series of plants which are mentioned in the contract, and therefore, also including those in the united kingdom. and now another twist, germany's vaccine committee has said the astrazeneca jab should, for now, only be given to people under 65 years old. it cited insufficient data over its efficacy in older people. the government here firmly rejects that. our own authorities have made it very clear that they think

the oxford astrazeneca vaccine is very good and efficacious. they think that it is effective across all age groups and provides a good immune response across all age groups. there is limited evidence on how well the astrazeneca vaccine works in the over 65s, but leading scientists here say they are confident it will give strong protection. let's will give strong protection. pick up on that point. i'm joined now by dr simon clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the university of reading. just delve into this idea that the german regulators in uk regulators, they have been working on the same data when it comes to the oxford astrazeneca vaccine for top yet they've come to very different conclusions. can you help us to understand how that's possible. goad understand how that's possible. good evenina. understand how that's possible. good evening- the — understand how that's possible. good

evening. the german _ understand how that's possible. (emf. evening. the german body has understand how that's possible. (ef>;f>f. evening. the german body has looked at the protection data only and decided that frankly, not enough people over 65 were included in the study to be able to get any meaningful data, any meaningful indication as to whether it actually protects those people from infection and disease. it seems that what's happened in the uk is that while the regulators here have looked at that, they've also looked at data taken into account the fact that the vaccine does induce a robust immune response across all age groups. now thatis response across all age groups. now that is a very positive sign. but if you really want to be absolutely sure, you have to measure the actual protection chances of somebody getting disease. we don't know what it takes to make somebody amusing. measuring end in a lab while that may be a good indicator, it's not

proof. so may be a good indicator, it's not roof. _, , ., may be a good indicator, it's not roof. , ., ., proof. so when it comes to how we should interpret _ proof. so when it comes to how we should interpret this _ proof. so when it comes to how we should interpret this decision - proof. so when it comes to how we should interpret this decision by i should interpret this decision by germany compared to what is happening in the uk, just put our minds at rest, it should be also just bear in mind that the levels of people over 65 who were initially trialed, they weren't as high. so it's also difficult to get that data from fact? . �* , it's also difficult to get that data from fact? ., �*, .,. , from fact? that's exactly right. what germany _ from fact? that's exactly right. what germany is _ from fact? that's exactly right. what germany is looking - from fact? that's exactly right. what germany is looking at - from fact? that's exactly right. what germany is looking at is i from fact? that's exactly right. i what germany is looking at is not evidence that it doesn't work. there is no such evidence. what they are looking at is a small number of people in the study therefore, they can't generate any meaningful conclusion from that. so it's really important to stress that this is not because there is evidence that it doesn't work in people over 65, that just doesn't exist.— just doesn't exist. because realistically, _ just doesn't exist. because

realistically, is _ just doesn't exist. because realistically, is there - just doesn't exist. because realistically, is there such l just doesn't exist. because | realistically, is there such a difference between somebody 60, 65, 70? ~ difference between somebody 60, 65, 70? . ._ , difference between somebody 60, 65, 70? . , ., difference between somebody 60, 65, 70? ., 70? while maybe not quite so close but there is — 70? while maybe not quite so close but there is 65, _ 70? while maybe not quite so close but there is 65, 70, _ 70? while maybe not quite so close but there is 65, 70, not _ 70? while maybe not quite so close but there is 65, 70, not really. - 70? while maybe not quite so close but there is 65, 70, not really. but| but there is 65, 70, not really. but if you check the immune system of somebody who is 70 again somebody who is 20 there can be quite a substantial difference. as we get older our immune systems slow down. the decision that the germans have made not without some reason at least. 50 made not without some reason at least. ., made not without some reason at least, ., made not without some reason at least. ., , least. so for those people in the uk have had their _ least. so for those people in the uk have had their first _ least. so for those people in the uk have had their first dose _ least. so for those people in the uk have had their first dose of- least. so for those people in the uk have had their first dose of the - have had their first dose of the astrazeneca vaccine and they perhaps could be concerned about this information, this decision from the german regulators. what do you say to them? i’d german regulators. what do you say to them? �* , german regulators. what do you say to them? �* ., german regulators. what do you say tothem?�* , to them? i'd say to people remember there is no such _ to them? i'd say to people remember there is no such thing _ to them? i'd say to people remember there is no such thing as _ to them? i'd say to people remember there is no such thing as a _ to them? i'd say to people remember there is no such thing as a 10096 - there is no such thing as a 100% effective vaccine. they should continue to follow the advice, they

should behave as if they have two haven't been vaccinated into far more people are. and i would remind them that there is in fact good evidence of a decent immune response in people in their age groups. the? in people in their age groups. they will be grateful _ in people in their age groups. they will be grateful to _ in people in their age groups. they will be grateful to hear. they will be grateful to hear. cellular microbiology at the university of reading. 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 snp said his trip was not essential during a national lockdown and said he was panicking as opinion polls show declining support for the union. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. from the lighthouse covid testing lab in glasgow... and you're doing 85,000 tests a day? ..to a community vaccination centre being set up with the help of the army, to this vaccine manufacturing plant,

there's no mistaking the message the prime minister was sending. with growing talk of another vote on scotland's future, borisjohnson was here to emphasise what he believes are the benefits of the country remaining united. i think endless talk about a referendum, without any clear description of 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. but that constitutional question does loom large. there's an election in holyrood in three months�* 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? of course, we've got the situation that there's a marked difference in the approval rating of the first minister, who's shown true leadership through this crisis in scotland, and what we've seen with the prime minister.

and i think people are just reflecting on that. the pandemic dominates daily life and conversation here in scotland, but the questions about the country's future have not gone away. whether or not scotland should become an independent country is the fault—line in scottish politics, and every poll sincejune has suggested more people would vote yes to scottish independence than no. there's no doubt that the union as much pressure as it has _ been frankly during the 300 years of its existence. _ there's been a very clear rise in support for independence. | two principle reasons — i one, the pursuit of brexit, which is widely unpopular in scotland~ _ and two, the widespread perception that nicola sturgeon has handled i the coronavirus pandemic much more effectively than the prime minister. l the taxi drivers at one location the prime minister visited today said they were grateful for government help to pay their bills during the pandemic, but had divided views on those in charge.

without a doubt, nicola sturgeon. why's that? she's got her priorities right. he's breaking his own rules. he's up here glory—grabbing. i think he's welcome if he wants to come and visit. as far as i'm concerned, it's a united kingdom, so he's as welcome here as he is anywhere else. borisjohnson has repeatedly stated his opposition to another referendum on independence. uk approval is needed for any vote, but the snp say if they win may's election, they'll still pass legislation to allow for it once the covid crisis is over. a possible fight in the courts over this and a renewed battle over scotland's future beckons. lorna gordon, bbc news, glasgow. the latest government figures show there were 28,680 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 2a hour period. on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 28,584 a big fall

since the start of the month. across the uk an average of almost 37 thosuand people were in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to sunday including suspected cases in wales. 1,239 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid 19 test. on average in the past week 1,221 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 103,126 half those people have died since the start of november. the uk's mass vaccinations programme continues though it appears to have slowed in the past week. 282,812 people have had theirfirst dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 2a hour period, taking the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to more

than 7.4 million. scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in england say they're disappointed that infections aren't coming down enough to help ease the pressure on the nhs, with demand for critical care beds still rising. the latest study by imperial college london shows a decline in the infection rate in london, the south east and south west but signs of a slight rise in the east midlands. 0ur health correspondent katharine da costa reports. shut up shops, empty classrooms, life on hold. three weeks into england's third national lockdown, many want to know when this will all be over. there are now some signs things may be going in the right direction. imperial college has published full results for its survey. it gathered a random sample of swabs from over 160,000 volunteers in england between the 6th and 22nd of january. it found one in 64 had

the virus over that period. it suggests infections are gradually falling or plateauing in most regions, except for the east midlands. but rates are still highest in london and among 13—24—year—olds. the prevalence is so high, the pressure on the health service is so high, that it's really important that we get these rates down as quickly as we possibly can. as i say, we've got a hint in the last seven days that things are now moving in the right direction, but not fast enough, so we just have to do more. there has been some progress. daily case numbers are falling. 70% of swab results were returned in 24 hours, up from just over 50% last week. contact tracing has remained stable, with just under 70% of close contacts reached and asked to isolate. the vaccine rollout continues to be ramped up. this islamic centre in derby now one of around 1,400 vaccination sites in england. more than seven million

of the most vulnerable have had their first dose and, despite supply issues, the government says it's still confident it can offer vaccines to 15 million by mid—february, but scientists say the rollout needs to be worldwide, notjust in the uk. there is only one answer to all of this and that is to drive down transmission, to keep it low and to make these vaccines available globally. otherwise, we will see new variants coming up, new strains of this virus which will come back to all of our countries and, not now, but at some point in the future, may escape these amazing tools of vaccination. health officials say vaccinations won't relieve pressure on the nhs in the short term. while the number of covid patients in hospitals is starting to fall, there is still huge demand in icus. latest figures show critical care beds in nearly a third of hospitals are more than 95% full, despite nearly 50% more being added since november.

the more contagious uk variant means stopping the spread of the virus is that much harder. restrictions and social distancing are likely to be with us for some time to come. katharine da costa, bbc news. the home secretary, priti patel, has called on a senior conservative mp to apologise for urging a group of vaccine sceptics to "persist" with their campaign against coronavirus lockdown restrictions. sir desmond swayne argued he wasn't aware of the organisations position on the immunisation. ms patel said his comments are "thoroughly wrong" and strongly urged him to "take them back". the headlines on bbc news... the government says the uk's vaccine supply is not as brisk as the eu threatens legal action to secure supplies. prime minister visits a vaccine in edinburgh he calls for a referee random completely irrelevant during the pandemic. the cladding

crisis and the woman who lost everything after buying a flat that turned out to be unsafe. 0ne one of the uk's largest care home group say it will not hire staff who refused to have a coronavirus vaccine on medical grounds. which runs 200 care home said it was adopting the new policy because of the vulnerability of its residents. we arejoined by the vulnerability of its residents. we are joined by the chief executive, thank you for your time. just talk us through your decision when it comes to new staff who potentially could be refusing the vaccine on nonmedical grounds. goad vaccine on nonmedical grounds. good evenina. vaccine on nonmedical grounds. good evening- as — vaccine on nonmedical grounds. good evening- as a — vaccine on nonmedical grounds. good evening. as a care _ vaccine on nonmedical grounds. (emf. evening. as a care provider we see our heat responsibility is the safety of our residents who live within our homes which in fact are

their homes. also to respect and look after the safety of the staff working there. so we believe that taking advice from the chief medical officer said yesterday of the day officer said yesterday of the day before that actually they highly recommend all staff and all residents get vaccinated in care homes. we believe as many staff as possible and as many residents as possible and as many residents as possible should be vaccinated. that is the best way to keep people safe. we think therefore that any new staff who are going into care should have the same approach was up and they should want in virtually all of them do want to do the best thing to keep residents say. so we believe that all staffjoining keep residents say. so we believe that all staff joining should keep residents say. so we believe that all staffjoining should be of the same view and take that view. we have taken that view that anyone starting would have to either have the vaccine or agree to take the vaccine. ~ ., ., ,., , , ., , vaccine. what about existing staff and what do _ vaccine. what about existing staff and what do they _ vaccine. what about existing staff and what do they make _ vaccine. what about existing staff and what do they make of - vaccine. what about existing staff and what do they make of your.

and what do they make of your decision? ~ �* ., ., ., ., decision? we've done a huge amount of our staff showing _ decision? we've done a huge amount of our staff showing the _ decision? we've done a huge amount of our staff showing the evidence - decision? we've done a huge amount of our staff showing the evidence of l of our staff showing the evidence of effectiveness and also the growing opinion that it's likely to reduce transmission issue you had the vaccine. in our staff are in general we sent in questionnaires, we've asked for response we spoken to them personally without zoom calls and face—to—face meeting. and our staff in general are hugely supportive of our approach. the in general are hugely supportive of our approach-— in general are hugely supportive of our approach. the organisation that our approach. the organisation that ou run our approach. the organisation that you run just — our approach. the organisation that you run just over— our approach. the organisation that you run just over 200 _ our approach. the organisation that you run just over 200 care - our approach. the organisation that you run just over 200 care homes, | you runjust over 200 care homes, when it comes to new staff how many people potentially have you gathered? how many people could affect and have you spoken to lawyers about it, have they given you the all clear to do something like this? it’s you the all clear to do something like this? �* , ., ., ., ., like this? it's a matter of, our view, like this? it's a matter of, our view. our _ like this? it's a matter of, our view, ourjudgement - like this? it's a matter of, our view, ourjudgement that - like this? it's a matter of, our view, ourjudgement that we | view, ourjudgement that we constantly review. we recruit around for a 5000 staff a year. we look at international opinion from experts

we commission our own opinion from experts and we have discussed with lawyers our position. fundamentally we believe that ultimately and again the chief medical officer did suggest that he finds it and many other experts find it highly unlikely that ultimately the evidence will show that having the vaccination reduces transmission and protects lives. so we had taken legal advice. we obviously want to follow closely employment law and adhere to it at all times. but i believe our stance is in keeping with that. because we do have we are going to insist on this, will got to have a clear objective indication if there's any overriding consideration about peoples employment we have that objective justification and do have that overriding consideration. because our prime responsibility is the safety of our residents and their health and their lives. and we believe this will keep our residents

and our staff safe. {iii believe this will keep our residents and our staff safe.— and our staff safe. of course you talk about _ and our staff safe. of course you talk about the _ and our staff safe. of course you talk about the safety _ and our staff safe. of course you talk about the safety of - and our staff safe. of course you talk about the safety of your - talk about the safety of your residents and staff being your prime concern. if somebody pushes back and talks about personal freedoms and the right to choose, how do you balance that? we the right to choose, how do you balance that?— the right to choose, how do you balance that? we have to respect --eoles balance that? we have to respect peoples opinions. _ balance that? we have to respect peoples opinions. this _ balance that? we have to respect peoples opinions. this is - balance that? we have to respect peoples opinions. this is new- peoples opinions. this is new starters that don't currently work here. we aren't respecting people have a choice. we believe that people's choice is to have the vaccine or not have the vaccine and that's entirely within them. we have ever responsibility as well as individuals having responsibility and choices we believe we can only fulfil our responsibility by doing everything we can to keep our care homes as safe as possible and to keep this virus out. because we've seen and heard even on your early news broadcast the devastation this virus can have once it gets within care homes. it is our responsibility, our overriding

responsibility, our overriding responsibility to keep our residents safe and do everything we can with the best available to us to keep that position.— the best available to us to keep that position. the best available to us to keep that osition. ~ ., , ., , ., that position. would you be able to u date us that position. would you be able to update us at _ that position. would you be able to update us at the _ that position. would you be able to update us at the moment - that position. would you be able to update us at the moment of- that position. would you be able to update us at the moment of the . update us at the moment of the percentage of your residents and staff who have already had at least one dose of a vaccine? it’s staff who have already had at least one dose of a vaccine?— one dose of a vaccine? it's a changing — one dose of a vaccine? it's a changing position. _ one dose of a vaccine? it's a changing position. it - one dose of a vaccine? it's a| changing position. it changes one dose of a vaccine? it's a - changing position. it changes every day. currently we are reaching around 90% of our residents having a first vaccination. and we have around 66% of our staff having received their first vaccination. good to have those figures. thank you so much for talking us through your decision. there will be a vote in parliament on monday with labour. with labour. the government to do more to protect millions of leaseholders from the cost of replacing flammable cladding on flats. three and a half years after the grenfell fire the majorty of blocks identified with dangerous

cladding are still unsafe. leaseholders are having to pay thousands of pounds in the meantime for fire safety patrols and other temporary measures. sarah corker�*s been speaking to the first person to declare bankruptcy because of those spiralling costs. this is hayley�*s story. i've always wanted to be a homeowner before i'm 30. so when i did at 27, ijust felt like i'd won the lottery. and the last thing you think is you're going to be bankrupt at 28. from fine to disaster, for me, it was a matter of months. hayley bought a one bedroom flat in leeds in 2019, butjust six months later she was told flammable cladding and other fire safety faults had been found on the building. it didn't for one second occur to me that they could sell me something that's a death trap and completely unsuitable. you just don't think that anyone would ever build a flat or a home out of something that could go up into smoke that quickly.

then the bills started to arrive. the service charge went up, my insurance went up, my wage didn't go up. i'd actually been made redundant pre—pandemic. flat owners were forced to pay for round—the—clock wardens known as waking watch. my mortgage payments was 330 a month, and the waking watch was actually 300. and it's just been a complete nightmare. last month, hayley left, her money had run out. i declared myself bankrupt, so i handed my keys to my mortgage lender and accepted my fate, really. i feel like, now going forward, the rest of my future's ruined. those future years are also gone, and they are thousands and thousands of peoplejust like me on a similar income in a similar problem. hayley�*s now temporarily living in her dad's spare room

while she looks for work. i have neverfelt so insignificant, and so unimportant and powerless as i have this year. just when you think you have hit rock bottom, you find there is another layer to this and you find that, still, someone wants some money. hayley tillotson ending that report from our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker. most pupils in northern ireland will not return to school until monday eight march at the earliest, the stormont executive has agreed. first minister arlene foster said the ongoing public health situation meant remote learning must continue. it may also be the case that only some year groups go back to school on eight march, if a return then is possible. two men who organised a mass snowball fight during the latest coronavirus lockdown have each been fined £10,000.

hundreds gathered in a leeds park when heavy snowfcarpeted the city earlier this month. the pair in their 20s were tracked down after footage emerged on social media. west yorkshire police said they put people at "a significant and completely unnecessary risk". scotland's spending plans for the coming year have been outlined in the scottish parliament today. workers will pay less income tax according to the draught budget and extra cash will be given to local authorities. the budget includes 1.1 billion pounds of spending on jobs and employment support, extra money for the health service to tackle the covid—19 pandemic, and more funds for education. 0ur scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie reports. hello! now use your thumbjust to keep herfoot nice and flat on the gauge. kerry hoped today's draft budget would be the perfect fit for her retail businesses in the scottish borders. we have some shoes to try... with both her shops closed, she's doing socially—distanced shoe

fittings, like this one with one—year—old imogen. she had hoped business rates relief would be extended for longer than three months. we need help and support for at least the next year onwards, just to get us back up and running to keep our high streets, you know, keep our high streets going. delivering her second budget, kate forbes said that without a commitment from westminster the money isn't yet available. i know how crucial this year's targeted 100% relief from nondomestic rates has been to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. the extension of this relief to avoid a cliff edge in support was the number one ask of businesses. the scottish tories said there had been unprecedented support from the uk treasury. the budget for the coming year will be the highest i in the history of devolution — . giving the scottish government more money to spend - than at any point in history. and all this is possible -

because of the broad shoulders of the uk government. nurses have been on the front line of the covid pandemic. today, there was a pay increase for public—sector workers, 3% for the lowest paid, 1% for others. the offer that has been put forward today through the budget is an absolute insult to public service workers who have gone above and beyond over the past year during this covid pandemic — but not only the covid pandemic — at any time. the finance secretary said that despite these challenging times, this budget — which will be voted on in march — looks towards economic recovery. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. although it's been very wet at times recently it's been very mild. saw 14 celsius during thursday afternoon. you can see the extent of the mild air.

not reaching the northern half of scotland. here it has been cold we see further rain, sleet and snow. that cold is going to win out by the end of the week into the weekend. through tonight it will stay very wet across the northern half of the country. rain band clears through eastern england followed by restive showers for the rest of england and wales. some of these will be quite heavy. but a mild night come across the south called again with some ice in the north. we start off with rain, sleet, snow for friday morning across scotland, lots of showers across southern britain. i think generally during the day improving pictures as a ridge of high pressure builds in. a ridge of high pressure builds. you see the rain peter out in the north we start to lose the showers in the south. turns a bit dry. a little bit of brightness around for that mild again in the south, cold in the north. that cold air slipping southwards to all areas over the weekend we could see a a risk of some rain, sleet and snow across the south and the west both saturday and sunday. hello, this is bbc news with me, kasia madera.

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 and 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. a large study suggests that black people over the age of 80 were half as likely as white people to have been vaccinated against covid by the 13th of january. that's despite the fact that black people and those from other ethnic minority groups are four times more likely to die with covid—19 than their white counterparts. the study was based on more

than 20 million patient records in england and found that of the million of those aged over 80 but not living in a care home, 43% of white people have been given their first dose of the vaccine, 30% of the bangladeshi and pakistani population had their first dose, but only 21% of black people had received it. here's our community affairs correspondent adina campbell. working as a scientist couldn't get any better than this for this man. his work on the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine has been the highlight of his career so far. but away from the lab, and as someone who grew up in the gambia, he's urging other members of the black community to have a covid vaccine. if somebody is sick and they go to the hospital to get treatment, they don't go to a friend or somebody who is not a doctor

for their diagnosis. you know, they rely on a doctor to diagnose them, so the same way you rely on a doctor for information about your ailment is the same way you should rely on the experts in the field who are involved in this work. concerns have been growing for weeks over the number of people from ethnic minority groups who are reluctant about the vaccines. a study published yesterday suggested older black people are much less likely to have been vaccinated than older white people. and today, the government has published more figures on ethnicity, but more information is needed to understand the numbers. this social media video, put together by doctors, faith leaders and community workers, is one way they are hoping to spread accurate information about covid vaccines. trust is a big issue here, isn't it? that comes into play when people think about how the vaccine could potentially affect them. it does, and i think we have to be honest and we have to be open—minded and understand that historically,

definitely within the black community and, you know, history, has damaged us consciously and unconsciously. there's an ethical responsibility |as well as a faith responsibilityj to take information from reliable sources and to count _ that as your evidence - as opposed to anything else. why was it important for all of you to be part of making this social media video that you've decided to share? firstly, to really raise awareness about vaccination in our community and making the information available to people in an accessible format. we also... ..by making sure the information is accessible in many languages. and for those in high—risk groups over the age of 80 who've had a vaccine, the message is clear. i'm very, very hopeful that people will take it, because you may say, "no, i'm all right." but you may infect the others wherever you go.

so this is the programme. we should all be in it together. adina campbell, bbc news. joining me now is eleanor smith, a former labour mp for wolverhampton south west who also worked as a nurse for 40 years. you can talk us through this reasoning why so many black people are reluctant to take or there is a hesitancy or a mistrust to take the vaccine. talk us through what the thinking is behind this.— thinking is behind this. right, in reuards to thinking is behind this. right, in regards to the _ thinking is behind this. right, in regards to the thinking - thinking is behind this. right, in regards to the thinking behind i thinking is behind this. right, in | regards to the thinking behind it, we have to as the previous speaker talked about, the historical, the history behind it. there have been, and information is coming around from a social media, how in the past black people, particularly in america, works experiment it on. there was also a case in england as well in regards to the what they

call the family planning defra invention. plus and i need to say as well that also the face of institutional racism within the nhs come up black people felt that when they go into the nhs to see a doctor, they are not listen to, they're not taken seriously. there have been various research on that. so you have the mistrust of the nhs. and then you have where you don't actually see your self being representative when they are talking and it was fantastic to see that scientist because that's the first time we have seen a black scientist being part of the covid research. so there is all that take into consideration.— there is all that take into consideration. �*, ., ., there is all that take into consideration. ., ., consideration. it's an awful lot to un-ack consideration. it's an awful lot to unpack there- — consideration. it's an awful lot to unpack there. how _ consideration. it's an awful lot to unpack there. how do _ consideration. it's an awful lot to unpack there. how do you - consideration. it's an awful lot to unpack there. how do you get. consideration. it's an awful lot to i unpack there. how do you get over that and encourage people to take it, especially given that the dangers the community face with this particular virus?

dangers the community face with this particularvirus? i5 dangers the community face with this particular virus?— particular virus? is about to be on the issue the _ particular virus? is about to be on the issue the message _ particular virus? is about to be on the issue the message gets - particular virus? is about to be on l the issue the message gets through it right and also about whether or not... what most black people don't understand is how we came back so quickly. we need to make sure that that information gets to them. and we also need scientists like that scientist to explain to the black community what was involved and how we managed to come to what they have got now. there is all that. there is also as well a sense of having and i really like what the asians have donein really like what the asians have done in regards to getting people who are well known in the black community to come out and say why they should have the vaccine. that is so important to see your self being represented on the media and the platform of social media or public media itself. so the platform of social media or public media itself.— public media itself. so we saw amonust public media itself. so we saw amongst those _ public media itself. so we saw amongst those the _ public media itself. so we saw amongst those the actor -

public media itself. so we saw - amongst those the actor comedian behind citizen, encouraging other celebrities to do this. we have politicians also standing up. is that the community, are they the people to get that message across or does it take people within the community on the ground and the grassroots to get that message across? i thinking churches and community centres all these places, there is a lack of access to them at there is a lack of access to them at the moment because of lockdown restrictions. the moment because of lockdown restrictions-_ restrictions. yes, actually. within the black unity — restrictions. yes, actually. within the black unity themselves, - restrictions. yes, actually. within the black unity themselves, they| the black unity themselves, they have a very strong faith belief. so forgetting what i call the pastors to come out and support. they are supporting the injection but they are not actually saying to come and get it. if they could actually say with information that we have got, we can provide you with people they can give you that information, the questions that you have come of the concerns that you have can be addressed, that will be something that we need to do. i feel in the same way that the asian community

and particularly the muslims have opened up their mosques. he will be such a thing for us to be able to open up our churches as well so people can actually go in and say, yes, i have questions i did have my fear but i feel that somehow this is now the thing that we need to do. we need to do it for our community. we need to do it for our community. we need to do it for our community. we need to do it so that you can see your family. need to do it so that you can see yourfamily. we need to do it as well for the wider society as well. that is our destiny. that's what we should be doing. and you know what? 0nce should be doing. and you know what? once that is given in once and information is there, i know that they will come out and have the injection. they will come out and have the in'ection. �* , ., they will come out and have the in'ection. �* i. ., . injection. and you touched upon the conce -t of injection. and you touched upon the concept of the _ injection. and you touched upon the concept of the beginning _ injection. and you touched upon the concept of the beginning of- concept of the beginning of misinformation and i'm assuming that is spread through social media. how do you also disrupt that and how do you stop that spreading the doubt and the lack of clarity behind this? one of my concerns about those things are coming through social media that most of it is coming from

america. and i really do feel that there is a form underlying right wing view that is feeding into the misunderstanding of what the vaccine is and what it can do. and how can provide support and what it cannot do and what it is not going to do, like... so i think we need more, as they say, to counteract that misinformation from our medics. we have gps, we have gynaecologists that are in the community, if they came out and actually produced a video of some sort, a zoom video people could ask questions, i'm sure that would help. we people could ask questions, i'm sure that would help.— that would help. we look forward to seeinu that would help. we look forward to seeing that- — that would help. we look forward to seeing that. it's _ that would help. we look forward to seeing that. it's really _ that would help. we look forward to seeing that. it's really good - that would help. we look forward to seeing that. it's really good to - seeing that. it's really good to talk to you and get that message across. the former labour mp for wolverhampton southwest, thank you for your time and your strong words there, thank you.—

let's return to a story we mentioned earlier this hour. scientists behind a study tracking coronavirus in england say there are signs of a "shallow decline" in infection levels, but that they still remain high. imperial college london's react study shows not all regions are seeing the same downward trend and that pressure on health services is likely to continue. my colleague clive myrie spoke earlier to professor neil ferguson, an epidemiologist at imperial college london who in march predicted that up to 500,000 britons could die from covid—19, which led to the government enforcing a nationwide lockdown. he gave his reaction to the 100,000 death toll from covid—19 in the uk. it's a far higher toll than i ever hoped for. and it demonstrates, really, the threat this virus has posed to the world and to this country specifically. many people have criticised me

and colleagues around the country for being alarmist, but the fact is that... i mean, this virus, if allowed to run out of control, can kill basically 1% of the people it infects, and that leads to a devastating toll and devastating hospital demand as well. you advocated lockdown, a severe lockdown, and yet we have more than 100,000 people who've died. was the problem that the lockdown simply came too late? so, i think in march, we had a lot less information then, one can criticise decisions made, but i think where we didn't learn lessons — and frankly this is not a specific criticism of the uk government, but it's true across europe — is that in september, i think some of the political consensus and the population consensus around the need to suppress this virus, if you want to protect

your health services, never mind say people's lives, had broken down. and that led to delays, frankly. had we kept the virus at a lower level, had we acted on sage recommendations earlier in september, then we would be in a different position now. i mean, inevitably, we can't predict things like the new variant, and unfortunately we would have still had many people die, but it could've been substantially less than we've seen. cos it's a little under 30% of those deaths occurring after the... in the last sort of two or three months, i think. are you suggesting then that because that consensus broke down... i mean, it's worse than that. it's worse than that? a third of the deaths have occurred in the last six weeks. last six weeks? and half the deaths have occurred since the 7th of november. so... was that complacency, then? was that complacency through the summer months and that leading to the breakdown in this

consensus that you talked about, in terms of, you know, having a robust lockdown? i mean, my personal view is the government, certainly the prime minister, matt hancock, would've acted earlier had it not been for, let's say, the unfortunate influence of people really propagating views with no evidence base, the covid sceptics out there and lockdown sceptics. and unfortunately, what we've seen unfold has both disproved a lot of the disinformation put out, but also highlighted the need for us to react early. i mean, the fact is, in controlling this virus, is the countries which have acted earlier have had least economic impact in terms of their economies and social well—being and have been able to lift measures sooner, so reacting later is always

the worst thing to do. what do you make of the fact now it seems from the latest data that we're not seeing the kind of precipitous fall in infection rates that perhaps we were hoping the lockdown might�*ve produced by now. so, we're seeing a mixed picture, and if i'm honest i don't fully understand it, and neither to do my colleagues across the country. we're seeing very rapid drops in community testing and what's called pillar two testing. the cases reported every day, in most areas, but not all, and we're seeing a much slower rate rate of decline in those critical infection surveys, random surveys of the population run by the office of national statistics and imperial college react study, and also quite slow declines in hospital admissions, which we sort of expect because there's a leg there in hospital admissions. the good news is that hospital admissions appear to be

declining everywhere. what we don't know is quite what the trajectory will be in the next few weeks because of this disconnect between different data streams. and so the next two weeks of data will be critically important for a number of reasons. first of all, just to understand the impact as lockdown is happening, and also it's the time period where we'll start to see the impact of the vaccination programme. a court has rejected an appeal from russia's opposition leader, alexei navalny against his arrest. he denounced his detention as "demonstratively illegal". he was detained for 30 days on the 17th of january for not complying with a suspended sentence when he flew back to moscow from berlin, where he had been recovering from a near fatal nerve agent attack in russia last august. 0ur moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. from insidejail, via videolink,

the kremlin's most ferocious critic demanded his freedom. alexei navalny told a court his arrest was illegal, an attempt to scare him and his supporters. "it wouldn't work," he added, "we are the majority." the judge dismissed his appeal. more pressure. police raiding mr navalny�*s anti—corruption organisation. it had posted this video of mr navalny accusing vladimir putin of building himself a £1 billion palace with illicit money. the kremlin's denied it, but the video's had nearly 100 million views in a week. palaces and political battles, what are russians making of all of this outside moscow? here is 100 miles away? last weekend, there were protests here and across russia in support of mr navalny.

and against president putin. police broke them up. among those detained was pavel. it was the first time he'd taken part in a protest. "a lot of people," pavel says, "have watched that video about the palace and believe it." 0n the streets here, it's not so much that russians believe in alexei navalny, it's just many people have stopped believing in the president. "putin is not the leader he was," says yevgena, "prices in the shops keep rising. he must have something to do with this." you can put a political opponent behind bars. one thing you cannot do, though, 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. a scottish man who has been held in an indian jail without conviction for three years has told the bbc he was tortured to sign a blank confession. jagtar sinthohal is accused of conspiring to murder a number of political leaders, charges he denies. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports from delhi. the first dance forjagtar singh johal on his wedding day in 2017. the 33—year—old from dumbarton in scotland had travelled to india for the celebrations. days later, while out shopping with his new wife, he was taken away by police in the state of punjab.

he's been in detention ever since. seen here at a court hearing, jagtar sinthohal�*s accused of conspiracy to murder. indian authorities allege he was involved in a series of killings of right—wing hindu leaders. 0fficials claim he's a member of the separatist organisation they describe as a terrorist gang. they say mrjohal paid £3000 to the group to help fund the crimes. jagtar sinthohal denies the allegations. his family say he's a peaceful activist who's written about human rights violations against sikhs. i believe he's innocent, and he will be proven innocent through the courts if a trial starts. what's your message to the uk government? he's been subject to torture and mistreatment, and you have failed him. please bring my brother back home so he can continue and start his life with his wife. the family sayjagtar sinthohal wrote this letter detailing allegations of torture. it claims he was stripped

and beaten, given electric shocks, and that his legs were pulled apart each time he was questioned. the bbc�*s been unable to independently verify these claims which the authorities deny. jagtar sinthohal claims he was tortured into signing a confession letter and made to record this video leaked to indian media. his lawyer told me the authorities have yet to provide him with any evidence linking mrjohal to the crimes. he fears his client's being framed. translation: i am very worried. 0ur immediate concern is that we get a fair trial which proceeds quickly. untilthen, he is languishing injail. jagtar sinthohal�*s being held here at delhi's maximum security tihar jail. he's one of thousands of people being held in prisons across india without conviction, some for many years. the human rights charity reprieve is concerned that some

of the charges he's awaiting trial for here carry the death penalty as the maximum punishment. but experts stress that executions in india are extremely rare. reprieve has asked the foreign secretary to call for mrjohal�*s immediate release. the foreign office told the bbc that dominic raab did raise the case with his indian counterpart during his trip to india in december. this is the most recent timejagtar sinthohal was seen at court. british officials also say they're in regular contact with prison staff and his family about his well—being. but his brother remains concerned. in august last year, he was joined by dozens who protested outside downing street. jagtar sinthohal�*s case has attracted international attention. his supporters say they won't give up until he's back home. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. the stationery chain paperchase has

been rescued in a deal that will secure around 1000 jobs. it's thought that around 70% of stores will be retained by the new owner, but 250 jobs at the chain will still be lost. paperchase has blamed the cumulative impact of lockdowns and restrictions on a collapse in sales. a licencing hearing has been told how the singer rita 0ra's team offered a restaurant £5000 to break lockdown rules for her 30th birthday. police also said the pop star's security team asked for cctv cameras to be turned off during the party at casa cruz in notting hill on the 28th of november during the second virus lockdown. cctv hard drives were wiped two days later, the hearing at kensington and chelsea council was told. the licensing committee is considering whether to revoke the restaura nt�*s licence. people have been turning to hobbies old and new to pass the time in lockdown. one that has really caught on is roller skating. it's become so popular in the past year that there's now

a worldwide shortage of skates, as daniela relph reports. music. from total beginners to making a career out of it. the challenge, the joy and the frustration, as plotted on social media by newly—qualified doctor and new skater kelsey loveday. this is a hobby that gets me out moving my body, getting all those feel—good endorphins of active exercise, so i can almost switch off my medical brain, skate around and just let the, sort of, trauma of the pandemic and what i deal with at work just glide away. roller—skating google searches doubled in recent months, thanks in part to viral skaters like umijanta from berlin. lastjune, she posted this. almost 3 million views later,

she's given up herjob and made freestyle roller—skating her career. everything has no importance any more when it comes to skating. so you don't think about work, you don't think about money or whatever, you just skate. so this moment has such power, that moment, it's you and skating, it's amazing. but it's notjust a millennial craze. for mel blackwood, a small business at home in leeds with skate lessons from the kitchen is now a full—time job with a shop and staff. this time last year, _ we had a great week if we sold two or three pairs of skates, | and now we can be doing ten pairs a day. we're finding our customers - are often in their mid—to—late 30s, 40s and beyond, and they're coming in saying, "i used - to do this as a child. but i've decided life's too short, and i want to have another go."| huge demand for some brands of skates now means long waiting lists. the freedom of roller—skating has captivated so many

in these restricted months. daniela ralph, bbc news. they make it look so, so easy in i can tell you from first—hand experience, it is not. i have fallen over so many times i will not admit to it. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. 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'll 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, but it'sfollowed 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, sleet, some snow, some ice to watch out for. plenty of showers across the south, too, but i think through the day, as a ridge of high pressure starts to build in, conditions are going to gradually improve. we'll start to see the rain peter out to the north, and we'll 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 south—west, 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 south west as we head on into saturday, but colder further north with a 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 south east, 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. but i think the far south west 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 here 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 south west. as well, it's going to be a colder there for all areas for sunday.

this is bbc news — the head of the european council says the eu will make use of all means possible to ensure the delivery of coronavirus vaccines. that would include measures to prevent european factories from shipping vaccine supplies out of the eu. the eu is urging more dialogue, but the commission that has campaigned against vaccine nationalism is now in an uncomfortable position. the fight back is on against the insurgent traders pummeling wall st — brokers are restricting the trading of the most popular stocks after wild swings in value. also in the programme... another day, another executive order. president biden has today moved to expand health care for americans, expanding access to the affordable care act.

and how followers of the qanon conspiracy tried to make