hello, i'm ros atkins. this is outside source. the us is threatening to take legal action against the burmese military after it seizes power in a coup in myanmar. thanks and suu kyi is under arrest stop you what people are not sure what would happen yes so they are staying indoors unless really necessary to go out. rich and door—to—door testing is beginning in england to stop the spread of the new south african coronavirus variant. more than 100 cases have been detected, some have no connection to the country. if you no connection to the country. if you live in one — no connection to the country. if you live in one of _ no connection to the country. if you live in one of these _ no connection to the country. if you live in one of these postcodes - no connection to the country. if gm. live in one of these postcodes where we are sending an enhanced testing,

thenit we are sending an enhanced testing, then it is imperative that you stay at home and that you get a test even if you don't have symptoms. the eu is under ressure don't have symptoms. the eu is under pressure after — don't have symptoms. the eu is under pressure after making _ don't have symptoms. the eu is under pressure after making a _ don't have symptoms. the eu is under pressure after making a series - don't have symptoms. the eu is under pressure after making a series of - pressure after making a series of diplomatic blunders when dealing with vaccines shortages. we will take a close look at what has happened. ms strips of support have been coming in for captain sir tom moore, the world war ii veteran who raise millions for the nhs and is in hospital with coronavirus. the us has threatened to take action against the burmese military after it seized power in a coup in myanmar. troops are on the streets, a curfew is in place — and the the country's de factor leader aung san suu kyi is under arrest. she won a landslide in elections last november — but the army says the win was fraudulent. it's 1.30 in the morning in myanmar now. this is what's happened in the last 2a hours.

aung san suu kyi and other senior figures from the ruling national league for democracy party were detained in the capital in the early hours of monday. one of the raids was captured on video. this is a regional mp whose arrest was live streamed on facebook by her husband. the president of myanmar win myint was also arrested. next came this announcement on military—controlled tv, declaring that power had been handed to the head of the armed forces — general may 0ng line. within hours soldiers arrived on streets of the capital. roadblocks were set up. and a year—long state of emergency was declared. then this is myanmar�*s commercial hub yangon. there's a heavy police presence there too. internet and phone lines have been restricted. and a number of international and domestic tv channels — including the state broadcaser — went off air. we did manage to get this report from the bbc burmese in yangon. things here in general are very quiet. people are not sure what will happen next. so, they're staying indoors unless really necessary to go out.

but earlier today, people rushed to shops and markets to stock up on rice and other staple foods. people have been seen lining up at atms and banks and trying to take out money as much as they can. phone lines and internet connection is limited with various providers cutting their services. even i can't make calls on my phone. in yangon, life at least looked normal — this video was posted by a localjournalist on twitter. the journalist made this point... that's referring to the military coup that took place then. it is difficult to get people to comment —— people to comment in myanmar, but there has been some reaction within sight. translation: on that i am shocked and panicked, i

have been feeling unwell all day, tears have been stringing down my face of the present i am hopeful that they will be released, may she and her colleagues be free and make the country better. i am and her colleagues be free and make the country better.— the country better. i am surprised and shaken- _ the country better. i am surprised and shaken. i— the country better. i am surprised and shaken. i fear— the country better. i am surprised and shaken. i fear that _ the country better. i am surprised and shaken. i fear that prices - the country better. i am surprised and shaken. i fear that prices will| and shaken. i fear that prices will rise and people will revolt. the timing of the coup can be explained. for months there have been tensions between the military and aung san suu kyi's party. the military has backed the opposition in november's election — and claimed voting irregularities. today ms suu kyi's government was supposed to be sworn in. but — of course that didn't happen. and it seems aung san suu kyi's party expected this — it released this statement after her arrest which we're told she'd wrote it in preparation. she added that the military actions have put myanmar back under dictatorship. it's extremely rare for ms suu kyi to call for public demonstrations. here's the editor of the bbc burmese

on how this might play out. her clear message to the public is that this is, "you don't let this happen. "this is unacceptable. "so, you resist in every way you can," after the military�*s attempt to bring back another military dictatorship. so far, we don't see that people are coming out onto the streets in protest but as the message sinks in and people kind of come to realise that the new reality that they are facing, that might change it. so, that's a dangerous part. the military presence is seen in the streets in many parts of the country in major cities. so, probably, they won't tolerate such a protest or dissent. so, it's a dangerous escalation of course which we are witnessing in myanmar. in the past couple of hours president biden has called on myanmar�*s military to immediately relinquish power. barbara plett usher, washington. i was mentioning thatjoe biden has

talked about taking action, but what action is available to the americans?— action is available to the americans? , ., ., , ., , americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement _ americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that _ americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that is _ americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that is notable - americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that is notable for| worded statement that is notable for a number of reasons. one, he has said that this is a direct assault on the transition to democracy and the rule of law. he has also called for an international response. he says the international community should unite to press the military to relinquish the power it sees and release those that interested, with the resurgence on communications and he says they should act together, the world community, to hold the generals accountable if they don't do that. and then he has also threatened sanctions. he said we, the united states come up with it our economic embargo on myanmar over a period of time when the period of transition to democracy was under way but if that process is reversed, then we have to do a sanctions review and see what action, appropriate action should be taken. the fact that he mentioned that

decades long sanctions and an embargo on myanmar suggests that they would also entertain, the americans, some more economic punishment notjust say americans, some more economic punishment not just say for example targeted sanctions against the generals who carried this out. barbara, stay with us. a couple other things to ask you about. myanmar was ruled by the armed forces until 2011 — that was when democratic reforms spearheaded by ms suu kyi ended military rule. however — behind the scenes the military kept a tight grip. wai wai nu is burmese human rights activist. she and her family spent seven years as political prisoners in myanmar from 2005 until 2012 and now lives in washington. here's her reaction. we were not expecting the military would go this far given the system that we have put in place already under the 2008 constitution. under a so—called democracy, military has already shared a great amount of power within the systems of the government by holding three

ministries at the executive, and 25% of seats at the legislator. and, they have already controlled the vast majority of businesses and the economy. so, there is no reason for the military to go this far. there are criticisms and there are assumptions that it's beyond the military's wanting to have power. it might be also about the individuals — specifically, particularly, the commander in chief's personal ambitions to become president. myanmar�*s military chief min aung hlaing led the coup. he's been a powerfulfigure in the country for years. this is him. the 64—year—old has led the armed forces since 2011 —

publishing many of his activities on his facebook page. he'd been due to step down as commander in chief this year — before he reaches the age limit of 65. that seems unlikely now. these pictures were broadcast on local tv earlier — his first meeting with members of the military as interim leader. the miltiary chief has been criticised internationally over myanmar�*s military offensive against the rohingya muslims in 2017. he's facing sanctions in the us and a court case in the international court ofjustice over it. and here's amnesty international with its concern. this is a military with a long and storied history of human rights abuses and grave ones at that. so while we're hearing at the moment of the political arrests, there are also reports of activists going into hiding because they're being sought out for arrest. we've seen early reports that journalists have been potentially targeted by mobs. so, we're really, really concerned about the human rights situation. this is a really critical moment. aung san suu kyi spent nearly 15 years in detention in myanmar. she was internationally hailed

as a beacon of democracy and won the nobel peace prize. but her leadership and reputation has been tarnished by her recent backing of the army's ill—treatment of the rohingya minority. here's former myanmar correspondent fergal keane. those who support her have very little if no sympathy for the rohingya muslims. so, they will complain about the depredations of the military against them and the abuses of their own human rights but not when it comes to the military abusing the human rights of the rohingya muslims. there is a very clear kind of psychological divide in the way that aung san suu kyi and indeed her supporters see that. within the country, she is massively popular still and is going to be more so after this action by the military. let us bring in barbara plett usher from washington again. we heard about her popularity in myanmar but what is her relationship with the administrations prior to the biden administration?—

administration? well, i think the view in washington _ administration? well, i think the view in washington has - administration? well, i think the view in washington has been - administration? well, i think the| view in washington has been that administration? well, i think the - view in washington has been that she had to work with the generals, they recognise that because the generals never relinquish power so that they knew she was walking a fine line. but when she defended their campaign against the rohingya muscles and her reputation was tarnished here like it was elsewhere and you see that most clearly in the reaction of bill richardson who is the former governor and diplomat who is a long—time friend of hers a couple of years ago, he basically said that she sort of foster moral leadership and he kind of broke with her. and he has not issued a statement saying no matter what happens, she really should step down and went in democratic leader come forward to lead the transition back to democracy. that is not the government position. the administration over the past years and now i think has taken quite a broad view bonded to support a transition to democracy which is very complicated and fragile and in the statements put out by the state department and the white house, you

see a call for aung san suu kyi as well as the others who have been detained to be released and democracy to be restored, nothing specifically about her role.- specifically about her role. thank ou ve specifically about her role. thank you very much — specifically about her role. thank you very much barbara. - urgent testing for the south africa variant of coronavirus is beginning in parts of england, after cases were found with no known links to travel or previous cases. over 16s in eight areas in surrey, london, kent, hertfordshire and walsall are being asked to take tests whether they have symptoms or not. these images are of a mobile testing unit that is spent set up in the area. previous cases in the uk were tracked back to south africa, where it's the dominant virus in much of the country. but random checks have identified 11 cases in the uk that cannot be linked back. this points to community transmission of the variant within the uk. here's the uk's health secretary speaking about it a short while ago.

if you live in one of these postcodes where we are sending in enhanced testing, that it is imperative that you stay at home, and that you get a test even if you don't have symptoms. this is so important so that we can break the chains of the transmission of this new variant. and we have got to bring this virus to heal. our health correspondent catherine burns has more details. we know that since they first spotted this variant back in december, there's been 105 cases pop up in the uk. but until this point, these 11 cases, they can all be traced back to someone who's come in from abroad. with these 11 cases, they cannot do that. now, is 11 the actual final number of cases? no, it's not because what happens when you have a coronavirus test and its positive, then a small select of those will be randomly picked for testing for genome sequencing, and that at the minute it's somewhere between 5—10%. so, we know that this 105 cases

is an underestimate. it's the tip of the iceberg is the worry? well, sort of somewhere between 90 and 95%. so, again, in this big scale of coronavirus, these numbers are not huge. but all of this now is to keep it that way and dampen it down. just like the uk variant, the south african variant is thought to be more contagious, although there is no evidence it causes more serious illness. but there are signs it makes vaccination a little less effective. dr emma hodcroft is a molecular epidemiologist at the university of bern. so, the variant that's predominantly circulating in south africa has a couple of the same mutations as the one that's already in the uk but it has one important difference. it's a mutation at a position that we call 484, and the reason this is causing so much concern is that some studies have shown that this mutation may allow the virus to re—infect people who have already had coronavirus more easily. so, what that means is that the virus seems able to evade that immune response, evade that immunity from having

previously been infected, and infect you again. and the main concern here is of course that could impact how well the vaccines work since those also rely on immunity. now, the good news is that the preliminary work from the vaccine manufacturers seems to suggest that even though this 48a mutation does decrease the efficacy of the vaccine slightly, it's still strong enough to be effective. we've now heard of several variants of covid—19 that are causing concern — as well as the uk and south africa variant, the brazil variant has already caused some countries including the uk to shut its borders to countries in south america where it's prevalent, as well as to portugal because of its links to brazil. simon clarke is an associate professor in microbiology at the university of reading. he is with us now. simon thank you for your time. we have talked about travel restrictions in the last seven days or so, do these latest developments suggest that they are too late to contain these variants? we knew when those restrictions came

in that these strains were already here. today's news isn't that much of a surprise. really i think it was inevitable we were going to find some people who where there was a missing link where we could not trace their infection all the way back to somebody who had been to south africa for whatever reason. i think really there is a certain inevitability about this and it was bound to happen sooner or later. in terms of the way that the virus is developing, does that also fit with your expectations?— developing, does that also fit with your expectations? yes, mutations are normal- _ your expectations? yes, mutations are normal. we _ your expectations? yes, mutations are normal. we would _ your expectations? yes, mutations are normal. we would be - your expectations? yes, mutations are normal. we would be more - are normal. we would be more interested in the virus if it didn't mutate than if it did. and we can expect to see more of them. we have seen mutations in the past wasn't the current crop of mutations are not the first. people forget about that, we did see a particularly important mutation back in the spring. so we will almost certainly see more. in spring. so we will almost certainly see more. , ., ., ., , see more. in terms of how not 'ust the uk government i see more. in terms of how not 'ust the uk government but i see more. in terms of how not 'ust

the uk government but a i see more. in terms of how not 'ust the uk government but a lot h see more. in terms of how notjust the uk government but a lot of. the uk government but a lot of governments around the world manage these different variants, what is these different variants, what is the best approach in your view to doing that?— doing that? particularly or potentially _ doing that? particularly or potentially troublesome . doing that? particularly or - potentially troublesome variant, doing that? particularly or _ potentially troublesome variant, one that might dodge the action of antibodies that are raised by the vaccine, with something like that if you can and the numbers are still small in the uk, we have to cut off the routes of transmission, the opportunity for it to spread from person—to—person because without that, it will die out. so if that is done with 100% efficiency, and it would take 100% efficiency, then it can be eradicated. but would take 100% efficiency, then it can be eradicated.— would take 10096 efficiency, then it can be eradicated. but might we end u . can be eradicated. but might we end u- in a can be eradicated. but might we end up in a situation _ can be eradicated. but might we end up in a situation much _ can be eradicated. but might we end up in a situation much like _ can be eradicated. but might we end up in a situation much like the - can be eradicated. but might we end up in a situation much like the flu i up in a situation much like the flu with a vaccine that are being used have to involve year on year to respond to the state of the virus? yeah, i think we probably will and thatis yeah, i think we probably will and that is borne out by the fact the government has announced today purchases of vaccinations over the next few years. i think there's an expectation probably in central governments that over the next few

years there are going to be boosters probably have different variants, different strains.— probably have different variants, different strains. simon thank you for coming — different strains. simon thank you for coming on- — different strains. simon thank you for coming on. please _ different strains. simon thank you for coming on. please come - different strains. simon thank you for coming on. please come back| different strains. simon thank you l for coming on. please come back on soon. that's simon clarke from the university of reading. let's say in the uk. many of you want you to hoots or time or is, he wrote —— raise a astonishing £33 million for the national health service in the uk. he did it by walking 100 maps of his garden in bedfordshirejust before his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown in england. these pictures are from july when he was knighted by the queen for his efforts. he was admitted yesterday to bedford hospitalfor help efforts. he was admitted yesterday to bedford hospital for help with his breathing. he is not in intensive care for some among the well—wishers are the prime minister borisjohnson. well-wishers are the prime minister iz’orisjohnson-_ well-wishers are the prime minister borisjohnson. . , ., ., boris johnson. captain tom moore has been an inspiration _ boris johnson. captain tom moore has been an inspiration to _ boris johnson. captain tom moore has been an inspiration to everybody - boris johnson. captain tom moore has been an inspiration to everybody in - been an inspiration to everybody in this country during this pandemic and i think our thoughts and our

prayers are not with him and with his family. prayers are not with him and with his famil . . , . prayers are not with him and with his famil . ., ., prayers are not with him and with his famil . . , ., ., , prayers are not with him and with his famil . ., ., , ., ., his family. captain tom is also a hue his family. captain tom is also a huge cricket _ his family. captain tom is also a huge cricket fan, _ his family. captain tom is also a huge cricket fan, former - his family. captain tom is also a huge cricket fan, former cricket | huge cricket fan, former cricket captain michael von sent him this message. captain michael von sent him this messaue. ., ., , captain michael von sent him this messaue. ., . , ., message. you had been at the nation's heartbeat. _ message. you had been at the nation's heartbeat. we - message. you had been at the nation's heartbeat. we are - message. you had been at the nation's heartbeat. we are all| nation's heartbeat. we are all thinking of you, get well soon. == thinking of you, get well soon. -- michael thinking of you, get well soon. —— michael vaughn. the eu has always had a high view of itself and taking strength and high numbers was up at during the vaccine robot, that has come under pressure. it really goes against their core self image as a champion of multilateralism and proselytizer of free trade. first, there's the idea that together is better. the framework we are all working in is a framework of 27. together we are negotiating. together we are procuring, and we are bringing

forward this vaccination process. they are together but was it better? but the eu signed vaccine deals months after the uk and in the eu less than 3% have received at least one jab, in the uk it'514%. and now in a huge row with astrazeneca, the eu can't get the vaccine supply it says it's owed. many have blamed the european commission. the leader of bavaria says... next, there's the eu's much publicised opposition to vaccine nationalism. when it comes to fighting a global pandemic, there is no place for me first. .,, ., , pandemic, there is no place for me first. ., , , , first. those ideals bit the dust the moment the _ first. those ideals bit the dust the moment the eu _ first. those ideals bit the dust the moment the eu started _ first. those ideals bit the dust the moment the eu started to - first. those ideals bit the dust the moment the eu started to raise i moment the eu started to raise parking exports made to the eu. today the commission has ado ted made to the eu. today the commission has adopted and _ made to the eu. today the commission has adopted and if— made to the eu. today the commission has adopted and if a _ made to the eu. today the commission has adopted and if a petition _ made to the eu. today the commission has adopted and if a petition making i has adopted and if a petition making the export of certain projects sutton —— subject to a certain

authorisation. this concern is that the exportation of covid—19 vaccines. and these weren'tjust any type of export blocks. remember how the eu spent the entire brexit process, insisting that in no circumstances could there be any border checks between the republic of ireland, an eu member — and northern ireland in the uk? this kind of thing... throughout this negotiation, the eu and the _ throughout this negotiation, the eu and the uk are fully committed to protect— and the uk are fully committed to protect peace, to protect stability on the _ protect peace, to protect stability on the island of ireland. that sentiment appeared to have been mislaid on friday as the eu unveiled a plan to ignore part of the brexit deal by blocking the movement of vaccines moving from the eu into the uk across the irish border. the eu would have been able to predict the reaction of the irish government — given that it was exactly how the eu has been reacting on this issue for years. it took four years to put the protocol together and people were blindsided by the decision that was taken and its implications for the protocol. politico noted that they achieve the

seemingly impossible task of... and within hours the eu had withdrawn at that threat. meanwhile, in the middle of a day when the eu appeared to be doing everything possible to protect its interests above other considerations it was insisted? we are not protecting ourselves against any specific country and we are not in competition or in a race against any country. the only race where it is this virus. but it looked like there was also a race going with anyone else who wanted access to vaccines produced in europe — and between senior eu figures over who could generate the most negative pr. on that subject — enter emmanuel macron who first attacked the uk after it declined to share some of its vaccines. for his part, mr macron's model was to enter territory normally left

for the scientists. hours after the eu had approved the astrazeneca vaccine for use — the french president told us... cue much scratching of heads. as profjohn bell, a leading geneticist who developed the vaccine expressed. yes, iam yes, i am not sure where he got that from. and while emmanuel macron was too busy criticising the uk for not sharing vaccines the ones that he was criticising... in close competition with mr macron was senior commission figure martin selmnayr who tweeted with pride that... when that sentiment was questioned, mr selmayr tweeted back "some humility & more solidarity would be appropriate." but humility has been in short supply. indeed, the eu has

sounded indignant. ursula von der leyen told us of the good they've done. europe and invested billions to help develop the world of�*s verse covid—19 vaccines. to create a truly global common good. and now, the companies must deliver. but didn't the eu tie those investment to guarantees of vaccines? the eu also thinks astrazeneca has promised to deliver millions of vaccines by the end of march — but astrazeneca doesn't. and either those guarantees aren't in the contract — or it's cut a deal that the other side has misunderstood. neither explanation reflects well. peter tiede is the german tabloid bild... the european union takes pride in competence. but faced with the greatest crisis for decades — it hasn't got the vaccines it needs

to save as many lives as possible. worse, some of the reasons why are of its doing. and the sense of people losing their cool is palpable. plenty more on the european union's efforts on the vexing robot on the bbc news website. also a reminder that president biden in one of the first foreign policy challenges he has since taking office has them to take action against the burmese military after they seized power in a coup that is seen the detention of military —— civilian leader. mr biden is calling on the military to really push power immediately or he said the us would take what he said appropriate action. the most senior republican in the senate described the scene is horrifying and there will be an emergency meeting held on to say. in recent years, the us has

eased sanctions as democracy has been allowed to happen... the prospect of sanctions coming back is now a real possibility. good evening. we've just had our coldest january in about a decade in february isn't starting on a cold note as well. even in the sunshine, the temperatures struggled and now we've got the atlantic weather front starting to gather moving into that cold air. we are going to have some more issues with ice and with snow in the next 24—48 hours and that cold air will be reluctant to relinquish its grip throughout this week. the immediate problem going through the night and tomorrow will be snow and with surface temperatures around about freezing, it will be icy to go with it. we have artie had snow showers around today. we have this first weather front across northern

ireland with rain and snow and it gets swept up by this next more intense band of rain turning to snow across the hills temporarily at lower levels for the midlands, east anglia, southern and central scotland not to be without elsewhere but there could be several centimetres even at lower levels and with those lower temperatures at freezing, it will be icy. but there will be icy conditions to start but some sunshine, when strengthening blowing around the snow, the central belt likely to see a few centimetres of snow, so across northern ireland and across northern england perhaps into the north midlands but all the time you have this slightly milder air bungling in and in sunny spells but lots of showers, heavy showers with hail and thunder as the wind starts to strengthen. temperatures will be into the teens potentially in southern areas contrasting with that arctic air stuck for the north. we also have to contend with snow thaw filtering down into the rivers

with the ground being saturated. tuesday night and wednesday, little change in the north, strengthening winds but we could have more significant rain across southern counties of england, possibly wales. the devil is in the detail this week. please do stay tuned to the forecast that weather front is still with us across parts of southern central scotland, possibly northern ireland. the detail will be difficult to keep track of but it is like the fault snow, potentially at lower levels. you can see the temperature contrast. a concern as well for footing temperature contrast. a concern as well forfooting because temperature contrast. a concern as well for footing because we still have numerous flood warnings in force. you can get those in the weather ones on the website. —— and the weather ones.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. our lead story is that america is threatening to take action against the burmese military every power in myanmar. the country's defector leader aung san suu kyi is under arrest. ., , ., , leader aung san suu kyi is under arrest. .,, ., , ., leader aung san suu kyi is under arrest. ., , ., , ., ., arrest. people not sure about what ha ened, arrest. people not sure about what happened. so _ arrest. people not sure about what happened, so they're _ arrest. people not sure about what happened, so they're staying - arrest. people not sure about what l happened, so they're staying indoors and that's really necessary. door—to—door testing is under way in parts of england to stop the south african variant of coronavirus. ii african variant of coronavirus. if you live in one of these postcodes where _ you live in one of these postcodes where we — you live in one of these postcodes where we are sending in enhanced testing _ where we are sending in enhanced testing than it is imperative that you stay—

testing than it is imperative that you stay at home and that you get a test even _ you stay at home and that you get a test even if— you stay at home and that you get a test even if you don't have symptoms. in test even if you don't have symptoms-— test even if you don't have symptoms. test even if you don't have s m toms. ., ., ., symptoms. in china, world health organisation _ symptoms. in china, world health organisation leaders _ symptoms. in china, world health organisation leaders are - symptoms. in china, world health organisation leaders are visiting l organisation leaders are visiting two laps in the centre of wuhan. figs two laps in the centre of wuhan. as one two laps in the centre of wuhan. is one of the most important site they will visit in two weeks. ind will visit in two weeks. and messages _ will visit in two weeks. and messages support - will visit in two weeks. and messages support flooding in for captain sirtom messages support flooding in for captain sir tom moore, the world war ii veteran who raised millions for the nhs and is currently in hospital with covid—19. international leaders and human rights experts are calling on the man mar army truly crisp our effort sees that power simply outrageous. it isjust... many of us feared that this might happen.

the signs that we were hearing in recent days were not encouraging, but listen, we are talking about overturning a constitution by the generals, and that the generals themselves wrote. that they said just yesterday that they would abide by. so this is notjust an assault, an attack on an individual or a political leader, a political party. this is an assault on democracy itself, on the people of myanmar come on their hopes and their aspirations. and the people of myanmar need to know that the world is watching, and the world is with them. the european union, india and the us have called for a return to democracy in myanmar. and here's the reaction from japan. translation: japan believes it's l important for the parties concerned to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue in accordance with the democratic process. we've been encouraging

the parties concerned to do so. regardless of the situation, we will take all possible measures to ensure the safety ofjapanese residents in the area. so that's the reaction from japan. china has struck a different tone. here's a foreign ministry spokesman earlier. translation: china is myanmar's friendly neighbour. _ we hope all sides in myanmar can properly manage their differences under the constitution and the legal framework to uphold political and social stability. howard zhang is the editor of the bbc�*s chinese service. howard, how do you gauge how the chinese have reacted? the howard, how do you gauge how the chinese have reacted?— chinese have reacted? the first impressions — chinese have reacted? the first impressions that _ chinese have reacted? the first impressions that the _ chinese have reacted? the first impressions that the chinese i impressions that the chinese government has been very, very careful here. they're trying not to give the impression of either backing the coup or they are against it. also so far the state media have

been quite consistently low key. the only reporting as matter of fact, i think altogether i think on the newspapers and on the publications you can see our carrying less than 150 words from the news agency. every newspaper is reporting the same thing. a coup has happened in china is calling for calm and legal and lawful resolution of the differences between the parties. but also leucine some on platforms trying to serve on some comments as well as analysis from academia as well as analysis from academia as well as analysis from academia as well as normal people come up out during this government that the relations between china and myanmar has improved. some of pointed out that the military government during their nationalistic rule have caused

quite a few conflicts between the ethnic regions. some of them chinese communities, with the burmese national army. they saw this improvement and so now they are caught in the middle and wanting to see things returned to some kind of normality. see things returned to some kind of normali . �* ., ., , normality. and to what degree is the burmese economy _ normality. and to what degree is the burmese economy reliant _ normality. and to what degree is the burmese economy reliant on - normality. and to what degree is the j burmese economy reliant on chinese support and cooperation?— support and cooperation? china, i think by far. _ support and cooperation? china, i think by far. is — support and cooperation? china, i think by far, is the _ support and cooperation? china, i think by far, is the biggest - support and cooperation? china, i| think by far, is the biggest trading partner as well as investor into the burmese economy. so these economic links china is by far the biggest supporter of the economy, and mainly in the energy sector and construction, and also i think in the jade industry as many of the chinese cities have a very, very big

jade trade, and burma is a main producer ofjade. jade trade, and burma is a main producer of jade.— jade trade, and burma is a main producer of jade. thank you very much for this. _ let's turn to coronavirus now — and the world health organization team tasked with trying to uncover the origins of coronavirus have visited two disease control centres. in the city of wuhan — where i'm sure you'll remember is where the first cases of coronavirus were recorded over a year ago. our correspondent stephen mcdonnell is there. the crucial thing about this building is its location. so, over this way, like about... well, several hundred metres in that direction is the huanan large dry market where the first cluster appeared in this city. now, you can imagine the possibility somebody comes out of here. inadvertently, they have the virus on them. off they go to the market to buy some seafood or something, and that way, they spread the disease into a super spreader location.

i should stress that this is only one theory, one of many that the team is considering. they're asking people in here about the early stages of the coronavirus. so, they want to know — how did these chinese officials know people had coronavirus in those early weeks? did the patients have anything in common? how did they initially treat the patients? they have lots and lots of questions to ask those here. it's probably one of the most important sites they'll visit throughout the entire two weeks. it's important to note that the experts won't be making any conclusions for some time — they've admitted it could take years to properly understand the origin of the virus. here's the who's executive director of health emergencies dr michael ryan. part of any investigation of any infectious disease event,

as you gather more information, you get some answers and then it creates more questions. it's a detective story and you'll go through again and you answer more questions. the fact you have to ask a different question two weeks later to a different person doesn't mean that someone is holding back information. it means you haven't asked the right question yet. so, that's the process and thus the scientific process of discovery and finding things out. that's what we're trying to do, push back the window so we can see the origin of this virus which is important for everyone. now — let's look at the current state of the pandemic around the world — and start in the us — where to israel now — and the government has extended its lockdown and border closures for another five days despite the country leading the world in it's vaccination program. this graph shows you the countries that have administered the most doses per 100 people. as you can see — israel has administered more than 50 doses per 100. ahead of the united arab emirates, the uk and the us. the israeli health authority says that one in three israelis have received at least one jab.

and they are starting to see some positive results in terms of immunity. here's our middle east correspondent tom bateman. the the ministry of health in israel have released some data last week suggesting that the second dose of the pfizer vaccine was pretty effective and they said if more than 700,000 people who had received a second dose that after a week later, the numbers testing positive for tiny, around 317 people, and that represented 0.04% of all of those who have received the vaccine. so, there is encouraging news from israel. as i said, is very preliminary, effectively anecdotal because it is not peer—reviewed properly. but at the same time, you have this locked down now one month end, the prime minister benjamin netanyahu talked of the virus attacking the population. there were another 4000 new cases registered yesterday. and forjanuary was the deadliest month that israel has had since the pandemic began. but while israel's vaccination program has thrived —

there's been concerns about the rollout of vaccines for palestinians in the occupied west bank and gaza. un experts say israel has a responsibility for vaccinations there. here's tom bateman again. sot they are procuring the russian sputnik vaccine and others. this it will begin to roll that out in mid february, that willjust be 50,000 doses to begin with. as things stand, there is some progress for palestinians but at the moment around 5 million or so palestinians in the occupied west bank and the gaza strip are still waiting for their vaccine. other countries are starting to receive their first vaccines. this was the moment south africa's first batch arrived atjohannesburg airport. it was carrying 1 million doses of the astrzeneca vaccine on board, that wee manufactured in india. the south african government is trying to curb a second wave of infections driven by a more contagious variant of the virus. our correspondent nomsa maseko has more. as soon as the consignment

on the vaccine arrived earlier today, in fact this afternoon, it was taken to an area where it will be subjected to quality checks and also to verify if it can actually be able to fight off this new variant which is highly contagious which is also driving the number of infections and deaths here in south africa but from what we have heard is that the government is also going to give millions and millions of more doses from pfizer which it says that it's vaccine has been proven to be able to fight against the uk variant and also the south african variant. now — let's look at the current state of the pandemic around the world — and start in the us — where the numbers are out of control. more than 95,000 americans died from covid—19injanuary, meaning the united states recorded more deaths last month than the vast majority of other nations have throughout the entire pandemic. part of the surge in cases and deaths is being attributed to a new variant from california —

which like those first found in england, south africa and south america — is seemingly more infectious. and dr anthony fauci — chief medical advisor to president biden — says the mutations makes the vaccination program even more vital. viruses cannot mutate if they don't replicate. and if you stop the replication by vaccinating widely and not giving the virus and open playing field to continue to respond to the pressures that you put on it, you will not get mutations. pakistan has also received its first batch of coronavirus vaccines — for free. half a millionjabs — produced by chinese state—owned company sinopharm and donated by beijing — arrived in the country on monday. our correspondent secunder kermani has the details from islamabad. pakistan has long had a close relationship with china so it's no surprise of the first doses of the

vaccine are coming from beijing. the pakistani authorities sent a military plane to collect them, they will not be distributed from islam abide across the country for a vaccination campaign that is kicking off on wednesday targeting health care professionals. they said that pakistan will be receiving 17 million doses produced by astrazeneca as part of the international kovacs scheme that's just repeating the vaccine amongst poorer countries. up pakistan has more than 200 million people so it's going to need a lot more doses than that and there's been some criticism that and there's been some criticism that the government has not been proactive enough. all the procurements we have seen so far have been donations rather than purchases, but officials here say if there's another chinese previous vaccine being worked on if that gets approval than it will be eligible for 20 million doses, and we expect to get the results from final stage trials pretty soon. the other major vaccine producers is india which has

been donating vaccines elsewhere, but given the intense relationship that seems a much less likely option at least for now, what pakistan does have in its favour is that around 11,000 recorded coronavirus death so far it has not been as badly affected by this pandemic as many feared it would be. nevertheless, the health care system which was already week has been under a lot of pressure. this is welcome news for doctors. now to travel. and as countries look to eventually open up their borders — ensuring new arrivals are not already infected is going to be crucial. in many places travellers are already being asked to produce coronavirus test certificates that prove they have had a negative test before flying. but europol — which is the eu's law enforcement agency — is warning that criminals are exploiting the pandemic and selling fake negative test certificates. angus crawford reports. this is a covid test certificate. the holder's negative and fit to fly. except they might not be, because it's a counterfeit. an investigator monitoring

online forums used by criminal gangs. in some, flight tickets are bought and sold using stolen credit cards. and now they're also dealing in fake covid test certificates. these criminal organisations that have been previously providing airline tickets using stolen credit card information, they're providing a fuller service. so they're now being able to give you false nhs certificates saying that you are fit to fly, that you have a negative covid test result. so this is like an underground travel agency? absolutely. and these guys have been operating for some time, not located just in the uk, they operate on a global basis. recently a man was arrested outside luton airport on suspicion of selling fake fit to fly certificates. it's an issue the authorities right across europe are worried about. our investigation found not just fake nhs certificates, but also ones sold abroad for people coming

back to the uk. these look like they're from clinics in nigeria but they're also fakes. stay with us on outside source — still to come... russia cracks down on supporters of the opposition leader alexei navalny — now his wife is among those fined for calling for his release. the online fashion giant, asos, has bought the topshop, topman and miss selfridge brands from sir philip green's arcadia group — which collapsed into administration last year. they�*ll also take on shares in the companies— but they won't keep any of the high street stores. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. closed, and never to reopen. topshop, topman and miss selfridge, the prized assets of sir philip green's once mighty retail empire are now going online only. i know i speak for a lot of people

when i say it really does feel like the end of an era. it is kind of inconceivable to think that topshop won't be there any more, it was so much a part of my childhood. when sir philip green bought arcadia back in 2002, asos was just getting going, with annual sales of £4 million. by 2020, sales had leapt to more than £3 billion, having expanded all over the world. this pandemic has driven shoppers online. it was the final straw for arcadia, and asos swooped. we know these brands really well, we have traded them on our website for many years and we know this customer, we know this market. in fact, these brands grew over 40% with us during the christmas period so we see this as a really natural fit. why don't you want the stores? it is... asos was born digital native, it is e—commerce only. we are really good at e—commerce. stores are just not our model.

its online rival boohoo doesn't want stores either. it is closing in on buying burton, dorothy perkins and wallace, the three remaining arcadia brands. british retail is being reshaped, at breakneck speed now, thanks to the pandemic, but the changes will also have big repercussions for our high streets, as well as heavyjob losses. emma simpson, bbc news. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is president biden warns myanmar's military leaders they will be held accountable for staging a coup , and asked them to immediately release civilian leaders. let's turn to russia now — and yulia navalnaya, the wife of the russian activist alexei navalny, has been fined 20,000 roubles — that's about $270 us —

for taking part in unsanctioned protests over her husband's detention. she was among thousands of people detained in moscow as demonstrations broke out in 90 cities across russia in support of the jailed putin critic. sarah rainsford has more from moscow. there are all sorts of risks and sanctions that people face when they head out onto the streets in protests because if those protests aren't authorised, and very few of them are these days, then protesters face riot police very quickly. they face arrests, they face short—term detentions or fines or potentially criminal charges and we've seen in the past week people who were involved in the protests a week ago — allies, close supporters of mr navalny — now facing criminal cases that have been open against them, potentially several years in prison. and apart from that, a whole range of people, in fact thousands across the country, who are now facing fines

and potentially a time in police custody, police detention centres. but here in moscow for example, i've been told by protesters who have been detained that the normal detention facilities are full and so those protesters are being moved to centres for illegal migrants outside of the city limits. so, obviously, the system is straining at the very limits because this is a record number of people that's being detained across the country — although the kremlin is saying there were hooligans in the crowd and the police are simply doing theirjob. the protests were designed to show solidarity with mr navalny and stop the kremlin's attempts to silence him. but there are concerns that it might have the opposite effect. russian security services expert yuri felshtinski was a friend and colleague of ex—russian agent alexander litvinenko, who was killed by poisioning in london in 2006. he's been speaking to the bbc. as unfortunate as it is for putin, this was an indication that the decision to kill navalny he was a correct one.

they failed but fortunately, i think he's in danger. and i think putin knows that now, he knows that for sure that if navalny stays alive, he has the ability to present himself as the next candidate for president of russia. we've been talking about pressures on the european union's vaccine rollout. it signed deals to supply them months after the uk. and in the eu less than 3% have received at least one jab, in the uk it'514%. that's linked to a huge row with astrazeneca over a delay in vaccine supply. many blamed the european commission. the leader of bavaria in germany is blunt... "the order was placed too late, and then only a few companies were chosen. operational responsibility clearly lies with brussels." i cannot recall a reaction from senior eu figures to something that

we have seen in the last few days. i would say in your words they are frat, they really did panic. when pfizer said that they'd could not deliver everything ok they lived with that but when astrazeneca said they can't deliver to the record of what they promised in the first quarter the commission panicked and the commission president panicked because europeans are quite angry. they look at the rate of inoculation in britain and in america, and they say well what about us? and that's a serious question. a political question notjust a health question. it looks like ursula, who took control of this made it very political, and made a lot of mistakes. and deeply embarrassed by what has happened. ind mistakes. and deeply embarrassed by what has happened.— what has happened. and given that she is making _ what has happened. and given that she is making mistakes _ what has happened. and given that she is making mistakes in - what has happened. and given that she is making mistakes in the - what has happened. and given that l she is making mistakes in the middle of the worst crisis in decades, how

much pressure is she under in terms of her position? i much pressure is she under in terms of her position?— of her position? i think she would be ok, it it _ of her position? i think she would be ok, it it would _ of her position? i think she would be ok, it it would make - of her position? i think she would l be ok, it it would make everything worse if they poster out but what's annoying a lot of people is she is putting blame on underlings rather than taking the blame upon herself. most leaders would say yes we screwed up and now let's look at the lessons, and she is not really doing that. what's so bizarre about it is to invoke the northern ireland protocol, which is to come picketed to explain, but really drove everyone in ireland and northern ireland crazy. it wasjust everyone in ireland and northern ireland crazy. it was just so maladroit and so unthinking that it did raise questions about leadership. i think she will be ok but i do think she is wounded by this. it's a very serious political misjudgment. this. it's a very serious political misjudgment—

misjudgment. and leaving the olitical misjudgment. and leaving the political drama _ misjudgment. and leaving the political drama aside, - misjudgment. and leaving the political drama aside, the - misjudgment. and leaving the| political drama aside, the most important thing here is that vaccines are got out as quickly as possible and i'm sure the wheels are turning quickly note the crisis has escalated. do you think the european union is showing signs of getting back on top of this? i union is showing signs of getting back on top of this?— back on top of this? i think they will come _ back on top of this? i think they will come of _ back on top of this? i think they will come of the _ back on top of this? i think they will come of the problem - back on top of this? i think they will come of the problem is - back on top of this? i think they will come of the problem is the | back on top of this? i think they - will come of the problem is the lack of vaccines, the problem is not really the procedure of actually getting them. and i think by the end of the spring, probably early summer, europe will be in these of all kinds. there's this feeling that the eu should have paid more attention and should have paid more for these vaccines to give incentives to companies to actually deliver early. and the cost of that compared to the cost of shutting it down again is minuscule, and i think there really are questions that the european parliament will ask about the kinds of decisions that were

made and why. ind the kinds of decisions that were made and why-— the kinds of decisions that were made and why. and 'ust in the last minute or so h made and why. and 'ust in the last minute or so of— made and why. and 'ust in the last minute or so of the _ made and why. and just in the last minute or so of the programme, . minute or so of the programme, people were saying perhaps this was the eu's mask slipping and we so it's really like behind the very smooth exterior, do you think that is fair with yellow i think it's a little unfair because actually that struck me as very aberrant for the eu. i think the eu is normally of rules and all about regulations. not much about politics and it actually does not get angry, but i think what you had was a commission or commission president that really did panic because all their plans for the roll—out of vaccines for the first quarter were thrown into disarray by astrazeneca's failure to produce, and that cause real panic. i think it's an unusual moment rather than the hidden devil underneath this unpleasant smile.

good to talk to you. ending this edition of outside source. much more online on bbc news, and i will see you soon. good evening. we've just had our coldest january for about a decade in february is starting on a cold note as well. even in the sunshine, the temperatures struggled and now we've got the atlantic weather front starting to gather foce moving into that cold air. we are going to have some more issues with ice and with snow in the next 24—48 hours and that cold air will be reluctant to relinquish its grip throughout this week. the immediate problem going through the night and tomorrow will be snow and with surface temperatures around about freezing, it will be icy to go with it. we have already had snow showers around today. we have this first weather front across northern ireland with rain and snow and it gets swept up

by this next more intense band of rain turning to snow across the hills temporarily at lower levels for the midlands, east anglia, northern england, southern and central scotland — not to be ruled out elsewhere but there could be several centimetres even at lower levels and with those road surface temperatures at freezing, it will be treacherously icy, too. but northern scotland will continue to see some frosty conditions to start but some sunshine, wind strengthening and blowing around the snow, the central belt likely to see a few centimetres of snow, still that risk across northern ireland and across northern england perhaps into the north midlands but all the time you have this slightly milder air following in and in sunny spells but then lots of showers, heavy showers with hail and thunder as the wind starts to strengthen. temperatures will be into the teens potentially in southern areas contrasting with that arctic air still stuck further north. we also have to contend with snow thaw filtering down into the rivers, again, with the ground being saturated.

tuesday night and wednesday, little change with that weather front stuck in the north, just strengthening winds but we could have more significant rain across southern counties of england, possibly wales. the devil is in the detailfor this week. please do stay tuned to the forecast that weather front is still with us across parts of southern central scotland, the far north of england, possibly northern ireland. getting the detail at this stage will be difficult but away from the coast, it is likely to fall as snow, potentially in the heavier bursts even at lower levels. you can see that temperature contrast. a concern as well for flooding because we still have numerous flood warnings in force. you can get those and the weather ones on the website.

this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. the headlines at 8pm — urgent testing is under way in specific areas after 11 cases of the south african variant of coronavirus, with no links to travel, have been identified in england. the health secretary says it is important to stay at home. people infected areas should stay home as they come down hard. if you live in one of these postcodes where we're sending in enhanced testing, then it is imperative that you stay at home and that you get a test even if you don't have symptoms. coming up before 8:30pm, we'll be live with public health officials in two of the affected areas of england. also tonight — the government says all care home

residents in england have now been offered a first coronavirus vaccination and that it's on track to meet its targets. fake coronavirus test certificates with a negative result