welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: an internet blackout fails to prevent protests in myanmar — thousands take to the streets in the biggest demonstrations yet against the miltary coup. translation: as a citizen l who was born in this country, i cannot accept the unjust takeover by the military. because of this military dictatorship, many of our lives have been destroyed. we cannot let our future generation meet the same fate. astrazeneca confirms a trial does suggest the oxford vaccine has only limited effectiveness against the south africa variant but says it still offers protection. in india, thousands of farmers block roads across the country in a protest that sees the deployment of 50,000 police officers.

hello and welcome to the programme. we start in myanmar and the military coup there. we've now seen the biggest day of protests. thousands of workers and young acitivists out on the streets in yangon. meanwhile military rulers shut down most of the internet. the protesters are calling for the release of everyone detained by the army since monday, including elected leader aung san suu kyi. 0ur correspondent jonathan head reports. five days after the military takeover and people are testing the limits. this group included factory workers from the western suburbs of yangon. but led by young political activists, shouting their condemnation of the new regime and their support for the ousted government.

translation: as a citizen l who was born in this country, i cannot accept the unjust takeover by the military. because of this military dictatorship, many of our lives have been destroyed. we cannot let our future generation meet the same fate. translation: i am really pleased with what i see i in these protests. here people are not paid to come out to protest, these are genuine people. to those who are watching these scenes, we welcome you to join us. the crowd grew as it headed towards the downtown area of myanmar�*s largest city, where a line of police blocked their way. offering a perfect backdrop for the hunger games salute that has become the symbol of popular defiance in this region. it's hard to gauge how much of the country shares this sense of outrage, but it is a fair bet this coup

is widely unpopular. the protest was broadcast as it happened on a dozen or more social media pages but the military began shutting down the internet and blocking popular apps so that through the day we watched myanmar slipping back towards the digital dark age of a decade ago. protests have taken place outside myanmar too. with aung san suu kyi in custody once more, these are painful echoes of a wretched past. are myanmar�*s generals really prepared to return to the bad old days? perhaps even they do not know what they will do yet after inflicting such a blow to their country's hopes. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. derek mitchell is the former us ambassador to myanmar. i asked him whether renewed us sanctions could put pressure on the military.

i think it is probably necessary to send a signal this is completely contrary to — to our values into our interests in — in myanmar — in burma. but i think that is not sufficient. i think we need to reach out to our allies, and i know they are — japan, korea, and probably india, as well. to put pressure on the regime as well as to see if there is less ability that we are not seeing to date in the commander—in—chief and the military at large. i don't know how honest you can be, but were you taken by surprise with this action from the military? we know that they are incredibly powerful in the country. they retain power, but they must�*ve felt that was under threat and have taken action. but it seems were taken many by surprise.

it did take me by surprise. the constitution and given them the economic prerogatives, the security prerogatives, 25% of the parliament. so they had a lot of their interests protected. but this is in some ways very personalfor this commander—in—chief and his relationship with the state councillor, aung san suu kyi. i think right up to the very last moment, people were thinking that they saw signs there might be a coup. there was heightened tension over the election, a lot of bitterness between the military and the government, but it might not actually happen. so when it did happen i think it really did take people by surprise, notjust people on the outside, but on the inside. there is a lot of disappointment and sadness and also resilience within the society that we are going to see over the next day through street demonstrations. the other challenge for the biden administration here is the role of china, china increasingly influential in myanmar. yes.

they feel that burma — myanmar is in their sphere of influence. they feel they should have a special place in the governance and the affairs of the country. they want to have access to the indian 0cean — they consider it to be their west coast. they have long had investment interest, resources that fuel chinese development, coming from myanmar — a lot of theirjade. they are pleased, i think, that the united states and the west has been alienated from myanmar. they have had a good relationship with the lnd and aung san suu kyi. they have not had a good relationship with the military. they have not liked that chinese support for groups that have been fighting groups against the military. this may push the regime and the military towards china and it might be an opportunity for china to take. derek mitchell there. china appears to have made

good progress, with two vaccines from sinovac and sinopharm already making their way abroad. the sinovacjab has just received limited approval in china for use on an emergency basis. —— drug company astrazeneca says it believes its covid—i9 vaccine will protect against severe disease caused by the south african variant of the coronavirus. but, the drugmaker admitted the vaccine appears to have limited effectiveness against milder illness caused by the south african variant. so what should we make of this and when will we know more? dr ingrid katz is an infectious disease specialist and associate faculty director at the harvard global health instite. i think we'll get more information on the upcoming week to really help us understand what is going on, particularly with these new variants as noted in south africa. and how concerned are you by these new variants? we have had one version in kent, and in south africa, could there be more? absolutely. i remain concerned about these variants,

particularly when the rates of covid—i9 are still high and the percentage of the population globally rates. does this mean that we need to start thinking about the coronavirus like we think about the flu, that every single year there will be different variants and we will need protection against that? i do think the coronavirus is here with us to stay, u nfortu nately. but on the optimistic side, it's been wonderful to see that these vaccines do seem to prevent hospitalisations, which is the thing that we're most concerned about. so if they can continue to work on these vaccines to ensure that they're safe and effective as these variants mutate, that i think we may be considering annual shots to make sure that everyone stays safe. —— then i think. and can i ask you an unfair question on timescales, here? of course we don't know what will happen and we have to be prepared for the unpredictable,

but with all things being equal, given where we are now, do you have a rough hopeful timetable in your head for when life could start to get back to normal? yes. i mean, i have been thinking about this a lot. and i first have to say it's so critical that we think about vaccine distribution and equity globally, that the virus does not stop at a given border. it is critical that we get vaccines distributed globally. i think if we can get effective scallop of these vaccines over the next 3—6 months, globally, then i hope that we can really turn the corner on this by the end of 2021 and be resuming a more regular life. china appears to have made good progress, with two vaccines from sinovac and sinopharm already making their way abroad. the sinovacjab has just received limited approval in china for use on an emergency basis. and that's despite caution from sinovac that data for the protection rate for people over 60 is limited. david campanale has more.

from mask diplomacy to vaccine diplomacy. china has been working hard to change global perceptions. it already has a vaccine in production made by sinopharm, which is being used internationally. indonesia's president joko widodo became the first major world leader to publicly receive a shot one month ago. by giving conditional approval to sinovac�*s product, chinese regulators have now allowed emergency access for a second chinese supply for general use. rio dejaneiro's iconic sambadrome, which hosts the city's famous carnaval. brazilians here over 90 years old have been receiving sinovac jabs after the venue was converted into a drive—through vaccination centre. translation: it will be - wonderful to see my family. there is nothing better than embracing them. i miss them. translation: professionally, it is a unique experience - and as a citizen, it is a joy for us to be giving hope to people with a vaccine

that is efficient, that is safe, and we hope for better days. sinovac says trials in brazil have shown 50% effectiveness in preventing infection, reaching 80% in preventing cases requiring medical intervention. but the company has also admitted that efficacy and safety results need to be further confirmed as trials are yet to meet normal standards. as western nations dispute contracts and bid up the price of the big—name vaccines, china's home—grown jabs are picking up customers overseas. in asia, singapore, malaysia, the philippines and indonesia have either signed up or begun rolling out the sinovac vaccine. turkey has also approved the sinovac vaccine for emergency use. other deals have been reached with chile as well as brazil. the united arab emirates and bahrain have approved

the sinopharm vaccine, as has hungary, along with several others. china's initial cover—up of the viral outbreak and deflection of its roots to countries far away has lowered global trust in beijing. its largesse with its products, branded china's health silk road, is not entirely altruistic, with beijing hoping for a long—term reputational and diplomatic return. here in the uk, the new chair of the vaccine taskforce says he's "very optimistic" of meeting the target of offering a first coronavirus injection to all over—50s by may. almost 11.5 million people have now received their firstjab. but some — particularly people in minority communities — remain hesitant. here's our community affairs correspondent, adina campbell. this vaccination hub, at the royal london hospital, has been up and running

for almost six weeks and it's nonstop, with staff putting jabs into hundreds of arms each day. any history of problems with bleeding or bruising at all? one of them is martin griffiths, a consultant surgeon, whose dayjob normally involves treating trauma victims with severe wounds, but now he's part of the vaccination effort. he's seen, first—hand, the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on people from black, asian and other ethnic minority groups. there's a lot of anxiety out in the community about coronavirus and the vaccination, about its speed, about whether it works or not and a lot of misinformation on, particulary on social media about that. i think it's important that people take the opportunity to ask questions and have their concerns answered by trusted individuals. this government video is one way of spreading the vaccination message on social media. people from these communities are up to four times more

likely to die from coronavirus than white people, but there's growing evidence and research which shows they're more reluctant to be vaccinated. we have to trust that, you know, the scientists have done what they should be doing, government and everybody has done theirjob correctly and they've put this out there. they've had a lot of misconception, especially within the bangladeshi community. it's more to do with not getting the information in the language that they need it or if they've got the misconceptions, where they come from. nhs staff are giving jabs from more than 1500 sites across the country. this is one of the busiest vaccination hubs in london and, at the moment, it's running twice a week, where up to 700 people a day are given a jab here. and for those still in doubt... we are not authority, we are people as well. we want to help our community get better. so, yes, please, ask questions. we'll give you the answer and tell you the truth and we can move forward from there. in an effort to get more people vaccinated, the government has

now started to publish ethnicity data and it's hoped these clinics will end up attracting the most hard to reach hesitant communities. adina campbell, bbc news. this is bbc world news. our top stories this hour: an internet blackout fails to prevent protests in myanmar — thousands take to the streets in the biggest demonstrations yet against the miltary coup. a study shows the oxford astrazeneca vaccine has limited effectiveness in preventing mild illness from the south african variant of coronavirus, but the team says it does help prevent severe cases. to india now, and the huge protests by farmers there. thousands from right across the country blocked roads to pressure the government to roll back agricultural reforms. more than 50,000 security personnel were deployed around delhi. small farmers object to plans to open up food production to big business. our india correspondent,

rajini vaidyanathan reports. roadblocks as farmers in cities across india staged a three—hour traffic jam. protests against the government's farm laws have spread nationwide, protesters say they will not give up until the reforms are repealed. translation: in protest of the three farm laws i that a modi government have imposed on us, we are blocking the highways, but peacefully. there will be no violence and they will be carried out peacefully. the government says they will leave farmers better off by allowing them to sell direct to big businesses. farmers fear once big corporations enter the market, price guarantees on crops will eventually disappear. translation: the modi - government, under the pressure of big corporations, have brought these three farming laws. our demand is that these laws be repealed because it is notjust bad for farmers, it is harmfulfor the 1.3 billion people of our country.

as tens of thousands of farmers continue to camp in protest just outside delhi, a high security presence remains in the area. internet has been shut down at protest sites. farmers accuse the government of trying to silence them. the un human rights agency became the latest to comment on the protests, calling on the authorities to protect peaceful assembly and expression. it comes after public figures, including rihanna and greta thunberg, tweeted their support for the protests. in response, india's foreign ministry issued an unprecedented statement this week saying sensationalist social media by celebrities and others was neither accurate nor responsible. despite rounds of talks, both sides are in deadlock. this is the largest challenge facing india's populist prime minister, narendra modi.

farm leaders say they will not go home until their demands are met. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. to northern iraq now. the formal burial has taken place of more than a hundred members of the yazidi community who were murdered by the islamic state group. the ceremony has been held in the village of kocho in the sinjar region, where is carried out an attempted genocide in 2014. tim allman reports. on this day, in this place, they have to queue up to bury the dead. coffin after coffin — 104 of them, to be precise — carried to their final resting place. with each one, a photograph representing a life lost and a family bereaved. "it is the worst day in history," said this man. "the worst day in history.

"people die once, but we die every day. "these are our people, our community, all the yazidis. "they are our sons, brothers, mothers, fathers." thousands fled, thousands died as the so—called islamic state lay siege to sinjar. many women and girls were abducted, some used as sex slaves by is fighters. many of those killed were buried in mass graves. only now, their exhumed remains are finally being returned home. when we speak to survivors and ask them what is it that you want? the first answer of most of them is, we want to know where our loved ones, what happened to them. so their loved ones are missing and they are transferred in other countries or they are in these mass graves that are all over sinjar.

a funeral is an ending, a chance to say goodbye to a loved one. but for the yazidi community, this is only the beginning. there are so many more funerals still to come. tim ullman, bbc news. there's plenty more to the background of that story on our website. scotland claimed their first win at twickenham since 1983 as ben russell orchestrated a shock six nations victory over england by 11 points to six. the word from scotland was that if they brought their a game they were cable, capable of beating anyone. 1999 was the last time there were champions of europe, when they won the last five nations tournament. over that period there have

been times when scotland had been times when scotland had been really strong back row forwards, particularly when they sent the ball out wide there was nobody there, then more recently they have had this flamboyant reputation, almost playing basketball styled rugby with all the creativity and flair, perhaps not enough steel. today what we saw was a combination of all of those elements coming together, and above all else, they were in control of this match, almost from the word go. that's really the remarkable thing, they maintain that intensity throughout the 80 minutes, and for a coach, that must feel almost like a perfect match. let's hear now from the coach. i am delighted for the players. it's weird, i think when there is no crowd, you don't get emotionally invested in the games from the coaching box, and we were quite calm there in the second half, and the way the second half, and the way the players lead on the field, it was superb in these conditions.— it was superb in these conditions. ~ , ., ., .,

conditions. we 'ust had one of those days. — conditions. we just had one of those days, the _ conditions. we just had one of those days, the first _ conditions. we just had one of those days, the first half - conditions. we just had one of those days, the first half we i those days, the first half we came — those days, the first half we came in. _ those days, the first half we came in, two points behind, but in reality— came in, two points behind, but in reality they have 75% of possession, the penalty count was ten — possession, the penalty count was ten months, and we were hanging — was ten months, and we were hanging in— was ten months, and we were hanging in there, and credit to ourguys. _ hanging in there, and credit to ourguys, we hung hanging in there, and credit to our guys, we hung in there today, _ our guys, we hung in there today, we _ our guys, we hung in there today, we had no ball, no field position. — today, we had no ball, no field position, no penalty count, and we've _ position, no penalty count, and we've only— position, no penalty count, and we've only got ourselves to blame _ we've only got ourselves to blame for the penalty count, let's— blame for the penalty count, let's be _ blame for the penalty count, let's be pretty clear about that _ let's be pretty clear about that. ., . ., ., that. everton claimed a point in the 95th — that. everton claimed a point in the 95th minute _ that. everton claimed a point in the 95th minute away - that. everton claimed a point in the 95th minute away at i in the 95th minute away at manchester united thanks to dominick lewin, the game ending 3-3, dominick lewin, the game ending 3—3, and united now trail the premier league leaders manchester city by two points. a ironman newcastle beat southampton 3—2, fulham versed western was 0—0. england's chances of claiming victory in the first test are still going strong after a brilliant double

century from the captain. his nine—hour innings means england head into day three shortly on 555 for 8, ben stokes also making an enterprising 82. the loss of four wickets in the evening session of day two halted england's progress slightly but the tourists are still in an impressive position. having the luxury to sit in an audience full of fellow enthusiasts and watch a film festival seems so far in the past. that's something that interested the organisers of sweden's gothenburg film festival, and why they sent a lone fan to watch the films in a lighthouse on an isolated rock in the sea.

we chose lisa because she is a big film lover and that's very important for us, that it will be someone who can appreciate the films that we love so much, and we decided to programme at the festival, but she has also dedicated this past year in the front line against the covid—19 pandemic. it was so nice just to be able to listen— it was so nice just to be able to listen to your own mind, and not have — to listen to your own mind, and not have this phone in your hand — not have this phone in your hand constantly, making noises and commanding to be heard. it was really— and commanding to be heard. it was really nice just to put the phone — was really nice just to put the phone down and don't care about the world — phone down and don't care about the world outside. i watched the films that was on when i was — the films that was on when i was there, sol the films that was on when i was there, so i watched all the movies— was there, so i watched all the movies that were on for the seven— movies that were on for the seven days, four or five movies each _ seven days, four or five movies

each day — seven days, four or five movies each day-— each day. the difficult ones were really _ each day. the difficult ones were really more _ each day. the difficult ones were really more difficult . were really more difficult because i was alone and no—one to share it with. it wasjust it was just my own mind that kept me _ it was just my own mind that kept me awake, being worried about— kept me awake, being worried about werewolves and vampires,. it about werewolves and vampires,. it was _ about werewolves and vampires,. it was lonely, and it was brilliant _ it was lonely, and it was brilliant. i actually want to id brilliant. i actually want to go back— brilliant. i actually want to go back again. is that before i go, let's take another look at the picture of mars, taken by china's made in space exploration mission to mars, here it is, you can see canyons on the surface there, and later

this year, the rover is expected to land on the planet itself. this is bbc news. hello there. it has been called the beast from the east two and during sunday strengthening easterly wind will bring in colder air and we will have snow falling widely. the focus of the snow has been in scotland and it is still snowing here now but the emphasis changes towards the south—east of england where we are closer to storm darcy, bringing thicker cloud and added moisture, which is bumping into that really cold air that we can trace all the way back to the baltic sea and towards the arctic. we will find snow falling by the morning in the south—east and east anglia. it might be slippery elsewhere, further north there will be snow showers coming in off the north sea. let's focus on the heaviest snow, where we have the amber snow warning from the met office, it covers

parts of suffolk, essex and kent. widely five to ten centimetres, more perhaps in some places and there will be blizzards and drifting as well with the winds continuing to strengthen. notjust knowing here, it will be snowing widely across the south—east of england and east anglia. further north, snow showers coming in off the north sea across scotland, northern england, northern wales, one or two for northern ireland, drier towards the south—west and parts of the midlands as well. the winds will be strong, perhaps gale force around the north sea coasts and it will make it feel cold. temperatures will be lower than saturday, so maybe two or three degrees at best. add on the strength of the wind and it will feel much colder, typically minus four or even minus five degrees. that run of cold easterly winds continue for the start of next week. the cold air coming over the slightly warmer north sea generates the cloud which generates the showers, which will be snow. those will stream their way in across england, heading

towards wales, lots of snow showers coming into scotland as well. drier for northern ireland. we shouldn't see the heavy falls of snow perhaps in the south—east of england but it will be very cold here. temperatures below freezing all day with that covering of snow and of course, because we have the strong winds, it will feel much colder in the wind as well. we are likely to find more snow showers, for eastern parts of the uk during tuesday. and by the middle part of the week, it may be a bit drier, not as windy but it is still going to be cold.

this is bbc news, the headlines: in myanmar as thousands of people took to the street�*s of the main city yangon to protest against this week's military coup. they're calling for the release of elected leader aung san suu kyi and others detained by the army. a leaked document has revealed that borisjohnson astrazeneca believes the jab would protect against severe disease. major roads were brought to a standstill in india to show the opposition to agriculturalforms india to show the opposition to agricultural forms which they say would leave them out of pocket. dozens were arrested with more than 50,000 members of the security services being deployed.

a leaked document has revealed that borisjohnson