tonight at 10:00pm, there's growing concern about the south african variant of coronavirus in parts of the uk. people in eight postcode areas across london, surrey, kent, hertfordshire, southport and walsall are being asked to take tests regardless of symptoms. random checks have found a number of cases in the uk, which couldn't be linked to international travel, so ministers gave this warning. 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. but there's more progress on then vaccination front, on the vaccination front, as all residents in eligible care homes have been offered the jab. also tonight...

in myanmar, the army is in charge again after detaining the democratically—elected leader, aung san suu kyi. three and a half years after the grenfell fire, hundreds of thousands of people are still living in unsafe apartment blocks, despite government promises to help. what are you up to in your socks out there? it's like “4. on patrol with avon and somerset police — among the first to use the new £800 fines in england for breaking the lockdown rules. and the american quarterback aiming to win an incredible seventh super bowl, and a place in sporting history. and coming up in sport on bbc news... liverpool sign ben davies from preston this evening but it's one of very few deals on a not—so—busy transfer deadline day.

good evening. there's growing concern among health experts about the south african variant of coronavirus, after random checks found a number of cases in the uk, which could not be linked to international travel. the health secretary for england, matt hancock, said authorities across the uk would have to "come down hard" on the variant. around 80,000 people in england will be offered urgent tests. door—to—door testing will be carried out in the affected areas, certain postcodes in london, the west midlands, hertfordshire, kent, surrey and merseyside. mr hancock urged people in these areas to stay at home unless they "absolutely have to leave", and to get a covid test. health officials are confident the current vaccines will be effective against the south african strain, but probably not as effective as they are against the others. 0ur health editor hugh

pym has the latest. new mobile testing units have moved in to some communities in england, part of a drive to track the spread of the south african variant of the virus. all this after a handful of cases were discovered which could not be linked to arrivals from south africa or other countries. around 80,000 people aged 16 and over in eight areas — most in the south east of england and one in the west midlands — have been asked to take tests regardless of symptoms. positive cases will be analysed to see if they're caused by the variant. 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. this is so important so that we can break the chains of the transmission of this new variant, and we've got to bring this virus to heel.

how confident are you that the existing vaccines in use will be effective against the south african variant? 50, three of the vaccines that have been used to date in trials have shown that they've been effective against the south african variant. we expect all other vaccines to have a similar level of effectiveness, particularly in reducing hospitalisation and death. there's speculation the vaccines might have to be adjusted to cope with new variants. it is unlikely that people would have to start again. much more likely that it would be a booster shot, a bit like the annual flu vaccine. local councils like woking have been sent home testing kits. officials have been preparing to distribute them as fast as possible. the aim now is to contact as many households as they can. what we're doing is mobilising over | 100 volunteers to go out and knock on residents' doors in a defined geographical area with letters i and testing kits, with a request

that they carry out a test - themselves, and then we'll come and collect it. - i so this is about identifying how fari the south african variant has spread within the community. in the areas being targeted, like hanwell in west london, local people have been urged to take extra precautions, with a call for them to minimise social contact, as well as getting a test as soon as they can. officials say the variant doesn't make people sicker than the original strain, but it can spread fast, and that's what they want to stop. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 18,607 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means that on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 23,732. the number of people in hospital has fallen slightly, down to 34,783.

406 deaths were reported — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that figure is always lower after a weekend. on average in the past week, there were 1,148 deaths announced every day, taking the total so far across the uk to 106,564. 0n the vaccine roll—out, 319,038 people have had theirfirst dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24—hour period. that means nearly 9.3 million people in the uk have had their first vaccination. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. when we look at the challenge posed by the south african variant, what is your understanding of the scale of that? to is your understanding of the scale of that? ., ., ., ~' is your understanding of the scale of that? ., ., ., ~ ., ., ._

of that? to look at it one way, there are _ of that? to look at it one way, there are just _ of that? to look at it one way, there are just 11 _ of that? to look at it one way, there are just 11 cases - of that? to look at it one way, there are just 11 cases where l of that? to look at it one way, - there are just 11 cases where there are no known links to international travel. 105 in all. 0fficials are no known links to international travel. 105 in all. officials say it does not make patients more sick than they would have been with the original strain of the virus. as we have heard, public health england certainly think the vaccines will be effective enough, if not quite as effective enough, if not quite as effective as they were with the first strain. but it is more transmissible, meaning it spreads more rapidly, a bit like the original uk variant that emerged in kent at the turn of last year, towards the end of last year. that's what they are worried about and why they are putting people into these local communities and flooding it with testing capability. in matt hancock's words, to come down very hard on it and stop it spreading any further. across the uk, cases are falling 30% week on week and hospital admissions are coming down 20% week on week. they don't want this picking up again. at a time when ministers and officials are

looking ahead at the possibility of easing restrictions.— easing restrictions. hugh pym, health editor, _ easing restrictions. hugh pym, health editor, thank _ easing restrictions. hugh pym, health editor, thank you. - so, as we heard, more than nine million people in the uk have had their first dose, and the vaccination drive has been very successful in elderly care homes. in scotland, 94% of residents have now had their first dose, and 80% of care home staff. wales has now given a first dose to 74% of residents, and 78% of staff. in northern ireland, 80% have had both doses of the vaccine, and in england, all eligible care home residents have been offered the vaccine. but that doesn't mean that life can yet return to normal there — visits by relatives are still restricted. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt has been hearing about the impact on families of not being able to see their loved ones. hello. hello, it's me!

this is the only way that ruth coward can spend time with her mum, diane, in a specially—built visiting lodge in the garden of her mum's care home near loughborough. the screen that separates them keeps any risk of the virus at bay, but it's also a barrier to what ruth sees as meaningful contact. it's great that she's got staff who are happy to hold her hand, but i'm the other side of a window and i want... i want to get that close. the vaccine roll—out means residents are now better protected from covid, but for ruth, the worry is about the impact on her mum of not having family with her. she's changed, she's a different woman, a different personality. can't communicate as well. looks completely different. that's not due to any lockdown, necessarily, but i've lost that time with mum, and it was never part of the plan. some homes have stopped almost all visits.

at the willows, where diane lives, throughout they've tried to ensure families and residents have some sort of safe contact, but their priority is clear. we do understand, but we have to look at what's best in this particular time for the residents, and it's to keep them safe. we have to make sure that we do not get the virus in the home. this is the most difficult of balancing acts. after so many deaths, care homes know the importance of protecting residents, but for many relatives, time with the people they love is quite simply running out. what about your granddaughter? here, elsie lamb is surrounded by the next three generations of her family. covid separated the 97—year—old care home resident from them, and eventually it took her life. her granddaughter is now campaigning for key relatives to be prioritised for vaccines, like care staff.

we knew obviously she didn't have loads of years left, but i think she had longer. and to have taken away the opportunity in herfinal year, to have not been able to touch her or hold her hand, as my mum, my sister and i always had, isjust barbaric. blow her some kisses. vaccines offer important hope in care homes, but for many families, spending proper time together still feels a long way off. alison holt, bbc news, loughborough. in myanmar, the armed forces have seized power and detained the country's leader, aung san suu kyi, and other democratically—elected figures. troops are patrolling the streets and a night—time curfew is in force, along with a one—year state of emergency. us presidentjoe biden has raised the possibility of new sanctions. the army alleges the recent election victory by ms suu kyi's party was undermined by fraud.

she has urged her supporters to "protest against the coup". myanmar, formerly known as burma, was ruled by the military until 2011. after democratic reforms, aung san suu kyi was in partial control with the military�*s agreement. after spending 15 years under house arrest, aung san suu kyi was hailed around the world as a symbol of democracy and awarded the nobel peace prize. now her leadership and reputation are damaged after defending the army's brutal treatment of myanmar�*s minority community of rohingya muslims. but she still enjoys great support in myanmar. the bbc�*s fergal keane has the latest. an army reverting to autocratic type, swiftly and ruthlessly deposing a democratically—elected leader. somewhere behind the guns, aung san suu kyi is once more a prisoner of the generals.

and even if people never trusted the military, they're still shocked at what's happened. translation: the army assaulted i people as it carried out a coup i on the civilian government elected by our people. our country is just a bird learning to fly. now the army has broken our wings. i am surprised and shaken. i fear that prices will rise and people will revolt. i hope that aung san suu kyi and her colleagues will be freed sooner rather than later. the crisis began when suu kyi's party won a landslide victory in elections last november. that win may have convinced the military that their hold on key security ministries — the root of real power here — was threatened. this was their response, relayed to the public on state television. allegations of election fraud from an army notorious for its human rights abuses.

there'll be a state of emergency for a year, with limitless powers to detain political enemies. this is the husband of one woman mp asking the soldiers what they want. his wife is taken away in one of the numerous dawn raids. expect them to escalate. the coup has an air of dark familiarity. for decades, the military has tried to maintain a monopoly of power. this was in 1995, when aung san suu kyi was released after her first six years of house arrest. the woman i met then was a global human rights icon. i think i became more political after i was put under house arrest than before, because once i was under house arrest, i became totally a political animal. because this was my whole existence. but human rights would eventually come second to politics. three years ago, by now sharing power with the military,

aung san suu kyi defended generals accused of genocide against the rohingya muslims, even appearing for the defence at a war crimes trial in the hague. do you ever worry that you will be remembered as the champion of human rights, the nobel laureate, who failed to stand up to ethnic cleansing in her own country? no, because i don't think there's ethnic cleansing going on. for western powers, the issue isn't about a personality, but the principle of democracy in myanmar. and tonight, president biden threatened renewed sanctions on the military. but he needs chinese support, and that's far from assured, given the competition for regional influence between beijing and washington, and china's long—standing support for the generals. the army's supporters were on the streets today, but the cheers won't echo for long. ahead lies deepening isolation, perilous uncertainty. fergal keane, bbc news.

the impact of the pandemic is being felt acutely by children, with the closure of schools to most pupils. the leading economic research group the institure for fiscal studies has predicted that the loss of teaching could translate into a loss of earnings totalling of up to £350 bllion in the long run. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley has been to two schools on merseyside. morning, guys. you 0k? egremont primary in wallasey. morning, gorgeous, you 0k? the school at the heart of the community. morning. this is an area which has high levels of deprivation. the pandemic has made worse many of the challenges children here face, and there is concern that lockdown and lost learning will have a lasting legacy. we've got children in school at a primary age that have missed key elements of their learning, and we can try and help them catch up as best we can, but each year, the curriculum builds

on the foundations of the knowledge from the previous year. ultimately, the children that come to our school are coming to school with an awful lot of barriers to learning already. this is going to have an impact on many of them for the rest of their lives. school life is very different now. part of our pe curriculum is live lessons with the children. here, the challenges have been met with resilience and imagination, but today's report by the institute for fiscal studies paints a bleak picture. it's predicting that those in education now could — on average — be £40,000 worse off across their working lives because of the pandemic. i felt very, very flat, _ and ijust thought, "here we go, "here is another thing telling the children how badly off i "they are, and how awful. they feel at the moment." at birkenhead high school academy, the head teacher says there needs to be more focus on keeping up morale in schools. what we're doing as a school - and as educators, what we are always doing, is we're trying to instill

a lot of aspiration, _ so it's motivating and keeping - the children going, without loading that pressure on, saying that everything is going to count. towards your gcses or your a—levels or your btecs — so, my hopes are to go to university... beth and tegan are doing a—levels. their careers are at the forefront of their minds and so is trying to stay positive about the future. it's hard sometimes when you're trapped in your room, and it feels like it isjust you going through it, so that is why we wanted to come up with a video for our school, to show people that it's notjust them going through it, it is everyone. what i would say to people is, i just take every day as it comes. you know, take it as an opportunity and just try and live _ a happy and positive life, and hopefully soon we i will be back to normal. the government says it is investing over £1 billion in an education catch—up fund. there will be hard times on the horizon for a generation whose education has been disrupted by the pandemic. one of the biggest challenges is ensuring optimism for the future. elaine dunkley, bbc news.

this weeked saw the introduction of new £800 fines in england for anyone attending a house party with more than 15 people. people gathering to socialise in private homes has been a major cause of rule—breaking during the lockdown. our home affairs correpondent june kelly went out with avon and somerset police — one of the forces which has immediately started using the new powers. loud music plays. for some, the weekend is still party time. until the police arrive, equipped with body—worn cameras and stronger powers. you're not going anywhere. turn it off and get the lights on now. because this party breaches the 15—plus rule, individual students here in bristol are given notice that they are now facing the new £800 fine. we're quite near, where are you, mate? not far off.

avon and somerset police has a special team dealing with lockdown enforcement. yeah, we'll put our body cameras on now. they've been told there is a gathering in this flat. hello, it's the police. an 80—year—old man in this block has recently died of covid and neighbours are concerned. are you aware of the regulations at the moment and what's going on? yeah, obviously, yeah. yeah, so you just thought... yeah, it was stupid, yeah. the man living here seems to be cooperating. meanwhile, it appears his guests have left via a balcony at the back, with a 40 foot drop. yeah, he is. he's got no shoes on. one of them is found. what are you up to in your socks out there? it's like —4. i think you've potentially been breaching the regulations. it's just a bit odd that you're going for a walk with your socks on. here, fewer than 15 people were involved, so in this case the fine is £200. we obviously want the public to call in. policing in the pandemic

is different. people may think, we'll bend the rules a little bit, have a mate round, two friends around. nobody will know. we're all human, we don't enjoy telling people that they can't see their mates or have parties or spoil these special occasions. however, everyone's got to make sacrifices at the moment. this was another student party broken up by the team. ministers hope that even the most hardened rule breakers will decide that the new £800 fine is too much to pay for a night out. june kelly, bbc news, bristol. the prime minister borisjohnson said today that people will be "living with covid for a while to come", suggesting again that the lifting of restrictions looks some weeks away. nearly a month into the latest lockdown, in the dark and cold winter months, how are people coping? our correspondent alex forsyth sent this report from the cotswolds. covid has quietened the usually bustling market town

of moreton—in—marsh. we were last here in may, the end of the first lockdown insight. now, restrictions weigh heavy again. back then, things seemed a little brighter. now the mood, for some, has turned with the weather. last spring, anna's teenage sons kept busy with xbox and bike rides. this time round, they're finding it much harder. last time, you could go out in the sun, and do, like, other stuff, but now, just, i don't know... dark, raining. sit inside all day. also i've got gcses this year, so it's, like, proper serious now. it's been a year without being able to get intojust_ a big group of friends, i for all of us, you know? that's going to take i its toll, i think, yeah. in town, rhea's hair salon has been closed for the best part of a year. during the past two lockdowns, she kept busy, but this time, like many, she is struggling. for the first time i was a bit like, well, i'd never had a really long break from work,

so let's just try and enjoy it. the second time round, it was only a month, i had a plan, i feel that the whole time. i filled it the whole time. but this time round, it's really hard to get motivated, the weather is not good, it's hard to get out, i think everyone's just flat. there is hope, with vaccines happening at pace and more details due this month of a plan at least to ease restrictions when say. to ease restrictions when safe. but for now, in the nearby village of broadway, volunteers have been keeping the community going, saying now there's more demand for emotional support. the third lockdown is harder for people, they're starting to say they are feeling trapped. a different sort of emotional toll taking place. i think people feel more lonely- and there is a lot more uncertainty of what we should be doing _ where and when, and when, and how, and when it's going to end. they definitely want to chat more, when you're dropping off, you definitely feel that they need just that bit of reassurance. these are crucial connections, a helping hand, a comforting chat for those at home. they're suffering from isolation and not seeing people, and not knowing when it's

going to end. but thouthill and barry have been shielding without seeing their children for a year, they're staying positive. because there's nothing we can do about it. - just... get on with it. got to get on with it. since last spring, communities have stuck together, and while the idea of a quick fix might have faded, there's still hope of some normality soon. alex forsyth, bbc news. three and a half years after the grenfell fire, hundreds of thousands of people are still living in unsafe apartment blocks, despite ministers pledging £1.6 billion to fix the problems with fire safety. tonight, mps have been discussing the cladding crisis, in a debate called by labour. but dozens of conservative mps also expressed their concern about the government's handling of the crisis, as our correspondent sarah corker reports. dangerous cladding being

removed in salford today. this work is being paid for by government funding, but across britain, thousands of flat—owners are still living in flammable homes, including jake, who was one of those watching today's debate. this is going to bankrupt hundreds of thousands of people potentially. what i'm also hoping for as well is that government step up to the plate and understand that we can't pay these bills. these bills will be forced on us. i call thangam debbonaire to move the motion. in the commons, labour called for urgent action to protect flat—owners and a deadline of next year to make buildings safe. if you bought a new car which turned out to be dangerous, _ you wouldn't expect to be told to take out a loan of tens - of thousands of pounds to pay l for it, often more than the price of the original car. and this is people's homes. the government's allocated £1.6 billion to remove cladding. i now call minister chris pincher. but the housing minister told mps that developers had a duty to act, too.

in many cases, building owners or their managing agents have simply passed on significant remediation costs to leaseholders without regard to the affordability of those measures. and that's why we've been accelerating the work to develop a financial solution to protect leaseholders from such costs. but dozens of conservative mps expressed their concern about how this is being handled. the government has to provide a safety net, it has to step - in and it has to help leaseholders through this area. _ i will not accept - loans to leaseholders. labour won tonight's non—binding vote, and while conservative mps all abstained, this debate increases pressure on ministers to find a solution to this escalating cladding crisis. sarah corker, bbc news. a month has passed since britain left the eu's single market and customs union, under the post—brexit trade deal,

marking the start of a major shift in economic relations. the government claims businesses have adjusted well overall to the new rules, and that trade is flowing smoothly. but some mps are warning that food exporters, in particular, are struggling with delays and added bureaucracy, and they say action is needed to save companies from collapse, as our economics editor faisal islam reports. the fishing fleets coming in at bridport�*s harbour on the dorset coast. it's been a month since the post—brexit deal provided for the stability of ongoing free trade in what the government called a new sea of opportunity from increased catches, but so far new difficulties of exporting foodstuffs back across the channel mean choppy waters. some wonderful cuttlefish that's just come in. at the family fish exporters down the road, charlie samway�*s prime exports have for decades served european plates. here, they prepared thoroughly for brexit, but that hasn't been enough.

the first page is a cmr for the whole truck. we didn't have to do that before. this is all export health certificates, so this is completely new. there are 26 steps the government outlined, hours before the new arrangements came into force, including export health certificates, that require a visit by this vet, to certify safety. the government's description of these as "teething problems" causes some annoyance here, and at their clients down the road at brixham market in devon. waterdown�*s fishing merchants were promised no unnecessary form filling by the pm in person in his first month in thejob. in the first few weeks, in practice, uk prices fell so much that they are deciding whether to land their catch directly in france. the prices are suffering dramatically, so we are at least a third down in terms of the value, and therefore the turnover of the business. it is the worst of all outcomes. at least, that's how it feels at the moment. here you can see the reality of the government's promise,

that the post—brexit trading arrangements with the european union would mean no new form filling, would mean no new trade barriers with our exports. it's pretty clear that there are plenty in the fishing industry, but many industries are in the same boat. they say it is notjust teething problems. they want answers from government. fish is an extreme example, but even longer lasting foodstuffs, such as cheese, produced in cheshire and exported directly into european homes, is facing an end to such trade, as each transaction now incurs a £180 fee from those export health checks. challenging is one word, disastrous is another. i the other side of our business, which is our online sales - to the consumers of the eu, that has completely - and utterly stopped. these are just two examples in the testing first weeks of the deal. there have been delays for tens of thousands of pigs, for example, some large exporters find

ingredients in their goods don't qualify for the deal, and they are paying tariffs. the conservative chair of the agriculture select committee wrote to the government, saying these issues needed to be gripped by government before businesses go to the wall. ministers are adamant that disruption in general has been lower than expected, and that problems will go away, especially after a £23 million fund for fish exporters. but having prioritised freedom from eu rules over the free flow of exports to it, there were always going to be consequences. faisal islam, bbc news, in bridport. the 55th annual super bowl takes place in tampa, florida next sunday — it's the most—watched sporting event in america — and all eyes will be on tom brady. at 43 years old, the quarter—back is aiming to win an incredible 7th super bowl, with his new team the tampa bay buccaneers. the achievement would see him take his place among the greatest americans sports stars of all time — as nesta mcgregor reports.