this is bbc news. the headlines at 5... the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine offers limited protection against mild disease caused by the south african variant of covid—19, but scientists say it will still help to beat the pandemic. we may not be reducing the total number of cases, but there's still protection, in that case, against deaths, hospitalisations and severe disease. 12 million people in the uk have now received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, but the government says it has no plans to introduce vaccine passports. of course, you have the evidence that you have been vaccinated held by your gp. and if other countries require you to show proof of that evidence, then that is obviously up to those countries. a himalayan glacier collapses

sending a wall of water and rock down river in northern india. at least nine people have died and more 100 others are missing. heavy snow could bring significant disruption to the south east of england in the coming hours, with weather warnings issued by the met office for large parts of the uk. good afternoon. the scientists behind the oxford astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine say it should still prevent people needing hospital treatment or dying, despite the emerging south african variant. research has found that the jab offers only limited protection against mild cases of that variant, although that study hasn't yet been checked by other experts. the government says it is looking

at ways to deal with covid variants in the long term. earlier, i spoke to our health correspondentjim reed and asked him how worried we should be about this latest news over the astrazeneca jab. it is worth pointing out this is not a surprise. scientists have warned of disease being able to get round vaccines for a long time. the results coming out of this trial show, they reflect what other manufacturers have said which is that specific mutations with the south african variant of coronavirus, e484k, that is the mutation that appears to allow the virus to get round antibody protection if you have had the virus but also if you have been vaccinated and that's what scientists are

concerned about. some reassurance. they say the oxford astrazeneca vaccine showing not working as well to stop mild moderate disease, but the people behind the vaccine think or hope from looking that it. severe disease. ., , , disease. that sounds mildly paradoxical. _ disease. that sounds mildly paradoxical, but _ disease. that sounds mildly paradoxical, but there - disease. that sounds mildly paradoxical, but there are l disease. that sounds mildly - paradoxical, but there are questions like who was in the study which can affect the result and what, how badly they get the virus in the first place. to badly they get the virus in the first place-— badly they get the virus in the first lace. ., , .,, ., first place. to begin with it was a small number, _ first place. to begin with it was a small number, only _ first place. to begin with it was a small number, only 2000 - first place. to begin with it was a l small number, only 2000 people, first place. to begin with it was a - small number, only 2000 people, we will get the data tomorrow, we are just seeing press releases at the moment. the issue is that the average age of people in the study was 31 years old. you're not going to pick up perhaps those serious cases you might have done if you had an older age group, that's part of the issue.

the government has released the latest coronavirus figures. a further 373 people have died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. 15,845 people have tested positive for the virus in the latest 2a hour period. and the government has announced that more than 12 million people across the uk have now had their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. with infections falling and the vaccine roll—out going according to plan, i've been speaking to ben wright about a possible route out of lockdown february the 22nd is the date in the diary that we are waiting for. that is when borisjohnson will come to the house of commons and describe where he thinks... a fortnight tomorrow? a fortnight tomorrow. ..where he thinks lockdown will go next. between now and then, the government will be assembling all of the data about how the roll—out is going, if they are going to hit their target of vaccinating all of the over—70s by mid—february, how far they will get with the next groups after that.

they will be looking at hospitalisations, mortality rates, whether there are any more variants popping up, how they are suppressing the south african variant. all of that goes into the mix and will determine what the government will announce that week after the parliamentary half term, february 22nd. the other date we do know is that the government wants english schools to be back by march the 8th. that will be part of their thinking as well, they will have to weigh up the extent to which that may or may not have an impact on the r rate and transmitability of the virus. so all of that goes into the pot. but we will get a better sense of where lockdown goes next in a couple of weeks' time. what about this debate about vaccine passports? for a lot of people, that is a long way off — the thought of a summer holiday or even travel for work, they are all for the future. but the debate is very lively at the moment on this. it is, and becoming more so. the more people that are jabbed and think

they are inching toward freedom, the more we talk about lockdown, the closer we get to summer, the more people are thinking about holidays. the greek government say they would be willing to see british holiday—maers going their way if they can prove they have had the vaccinations. i think the danish and swedish governments have said they will introduce a vaccination passport system very soon. tony blair said recently that he things this would be tony blair said recently that he thinks this would be inevitable in the future world, and that britain should be on the front foot trying to do this now. but nadhim zahawi dismissed the idea today, saying it is not in their current thinking at all. partly because vaccines in the uk are not mandatory, so he doesn't think it would be fair to go down the passport route, and it would be discriminatory because you would have one part of the country — at the moment the over—70s — who are jabbed and ready and have to start packing to go on holiday, and others, who are younger, who cannot. he thinks that would be unfair.

the labour mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham, is calling for poorer areas of the country, where life expectancy is lower, to be given additional supplies of the covid—19 vaccines. i am not going, to sort, of find ways of criticising. what i am saying today is just to think of adjusting the approach as we move into the next phase of the vaccination programme, when we are vaccinating those people between 50 and 70, because in my view, if we want to save more lives, as we do, it means notjust looking at age, but looking at life expectancy in different parts of the country as well. because in parts of the uk, in parts of greater manchester for instance, people's life expectancy is ten years behind what it is in other most affluent parts of the country. to put it another way, people in their 60s have the same level of health as people

in their 70s in more affluent areas. the vaccination programme needs to take account of that. at least nine people are known to have died and many others are missing, after a glacier broke free in northern india and smashed into a hydroelectric dam. one witness said a wall of water and rock sped down the river so quickly, there was no time to sound the alarm. a rescue operation has been taking place and survivors have been pulled from under the mud and rubble. it happened in uttarakhand, in the district of chamoli. our south asia correspondent, rajini vaidyanthan, reports. this dramatic footage shows when the nanda devi glacier in the himalayas burst on sunday morning. as water gushed down the valley, damage and destruction. translation: i witnessed something that looked like a scene _ from a bollywood film. i'd never seen anything like it.

about 50—100 people were running for their lives, but couldn't be saved. and they were engulfed by the river. the situation here is still dangerous. people are leaving their homes and are fleeing towards the forest. they're taking their belongings, including their quilts and mattresses. with floodwaters rising and roads and homes destroyed, and urgent rescue operation was under way. an urgent rescue operation was under way. hundreds of members of the indian military and disaster response units have been deployed to the area. translation: we are ensuring| that those who are stranded due to bridges being washed away and due to the absence of bridges, that they do not face any shortages of rations or food. our efforts will be extended to help and send relief to people who are trapped as early as possible, through our rescue teams. cheering. a moment of hope, as workers rescue one man from this tunnel. but dozens more are still feared trapped. officials say two power plants, employing more than 150 people, were also hit.

many of the workers remain unaccounted for. hospitals are on standby. in a tweet, india's prime minister's, narendra modi, said he was constantly monitoring the situation. "india stands with uttarakhand," he says. "and the nation praise for everyone's safety." in a moment viewers on bbc one willjoin us for a round up with mishal husain but before that... the uk's haulage industry has called for urgent help from the government to help with the flows of goods into europe. the road haulage association estimates that the volume of exports from britain to the eu dropped by two thirds injanuary, compared with last year. our business correspondent katie prescott reports. made in north wales, sold all over the world. and then all you are doing is blow. this bubble manufacturer says she is struggling with getting her products

across the border into the eu. she has even set up a branch in france to stay afloat. it seems that every day there's a new challenge, so have we got the right descriptions on the paperwork, have we accurately measured the weight? we had a parcel stopped yesterday because it was two kilos out on measurements. the government said grants and support are available for businesses and freight levels into europe have reached normal levels since new trading rules came in. but not according to industry bodies, whose businesses are being put off trading by red tape and freight levels into the eu are down by two thirds. we are talking to our international traders. we have the evidence, we have proof that this is happening and the government is turning a blind eye to this and we think that is incredibly complacent. the government is gambling with the economic recovery of uk businesses. experts say businesses are regularly seeing goods sent back,

which costs time and money, but things are slowly improving. it will iron out over time, because things are not going to change, the declarations are still going to need to be made. what i think is happening is obviously the businesses are getting help from people like myself, vat consultants, customs consultants, and i think the hauliers and the carriers and the parcel companies, they are trying really, really hard to get the goods moving. these are bubbles that you don't have to blow... businesses like paula's are now looking towards the 1st ofjuly, when checks will be tightened on goods coming from the eu into the uk. a potentially fragile moment for the border. katie prescott, bbc news.

a study of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine suggests it may offer limited protection against the south african coronavirus variant. around 100 cases of that variant have been identified in the uk. scientists behind the jab say it should still protect against the worst consequences of covid. maybe we won't be reducing the number of cases as much but we still won't be seeing the deaths and hospitalisations and the severe disease and that is really important for health care systems. we'll be exploring the effort to protect against emerging variants, as the number of people who've had a first vaccine dose passes 12 million. also on the programme: snowfall for the east of the uk, from north to south, but the full impact

of storm darcy is yet to come. a second day of pro—democracy protests in myanmar, amid anger over its military coup. and in rugby, wales stage a spirited comeback at home against ireland in the six nations. good evening. scientists behind the oxford astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine say it should still prevent people needing hospital treatment or dying if infected with the south african variant. it comes after early results from one study — not yet checked by other experts — suggested the vaccine had only limited protection against that variant. around 100 cases of it have been identified in the uk.

our health correspondent jim reed reports. extra surge testing in the midlands to try and stamp out the latest variant of coronavirus. around 100 cases of a version first found in south africa have been confirmed here to date. the worry is, a specific mutation could make our vaccines less effective. now, new trial results from south africa appear to confirm that. a small study of 2,000 people, published in full tomorrow, has found the oxford astrazeneca jab only offered limited protection protection against mild and moderate infections. whether it works against more disease could not be assessed because the numbers were too low but the oxford ciders are still confident the jab will reduce deaths

and hospitalisations. —— the oxford scientists. maybe we won't be reducing the number of cases is much, but we still won't be seeing the deaths, the hospitalisations and the severe disease, and that's really important for health care systems, even if we are having mild and asymptomatic infections. the news today follows similarfindings from other vaccine manufacturers. the team in oxford are already working to tweak their vaccine and say a new version which can better protect against the south african variant should be available by the autumn. the government says it may be we need a newjab each year as new variants emerge. we see very much probably an annual or a booster in the autumn or an annual, in the way we do with flu vaccinations, where you look at what variant of virus is spreading around the world, you rapidly produce a variant vaccine and then begin to vaccinate and protect the nation. first all comes as hospitals very busy. —— this all comes. in stoke, staff say admissions are starting to slow down but on the respiratory

ward, almost all of the beds are still taken. vaccinations may be the best way to relieve this pressure but a reminder today that even when the programme is complete, it won't mean the end of covid. we may have to live with the virus for years to come. jim reed, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 15,845 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means an average of 18,358 new cases per day in the last week. another 373 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. numbers do tend to be lower at weekends. on average in the past week, 901 deaths were announced every day. the total number of uk deaths is now 112,465. the latest on the vaccination programme is thatjust under 550,000 people had a first dose

of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24 hour period. and that takes the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to just over 12 million. so as the roll—out of covid vaccines continues apace, the government says there are no plans to issue vaccine passports, which may facilitate travel to countries saying people should be vaccinated before arriving for summer holidays. our political correspondent iain watson is at westminster for us. why are ministers taking this view? currently, it is illegal to travel abroad and quite frankly, it does not feel like holiday weather at the moment, either. but the issue has come to the fore because greece has said it may well open up to visitors in the spring as long as they can prove they have been vaccinated. but the idea of having a vaccination passport has been basically denounced by none other than the vaccine to minister himself, nadeem

zaha we, on the grounds it would be discovered in a tree. you could see the situation for older people who have had the jab are allowed to travel abroad and younger people who are yet to have the jab would be confined to these shores. but in recent days, that has not been good enough for the former prime minister tony blair, who has been pushing for an internationally agreed travel pass. and anotherformer an internationally agreed travel pass. and another former labour leader, ed miliband, now on their front bench, said an open mind on the vaccination passport should be kept. in the conservative party, meanwhile, as the programme for vaccinations roles at pace, there has been caused by a vocal minority of mps for schools to reopen in england later this month but the vaccines minister said the prime minister intends to be careful so the date pencilled in for reopening, much the eighth, looks very unlikely to be brought forward.— parts of the country have been hit with heavy snow and strong winds, with warnings of possible further significant disruption. the met office has issued yellow weather warnings

for much of england, scotland and northern ireland — with snow and ice expected to affect travel. an amberwarning, meaning power cuts are also likely, is in force across the east and south east of england. our news correspondentjon donnison has spent the day in colchester. forfamilies in for families in colchester, forfamilies in colchester, a bit of a lift from life under lockdown, although some may still be claiming to be working from home, for many, the snow provided a welcome break. at, the snow provided a welcome break. few weeks ago, we were probably one of the only areas that did not have any snow so we are glad we have got some now. ~ any snow so we are glad we have got some "ow-— any snow so we are glad we have got some now. when was the beast from the east? three _ some now. when was the beast from the east? three years _ some now. when was the beast from the east? three years ago, _ some now. when was the beast from the east? three years ago, that - some now. when was the beast from the east? three years ago, that was| the east? three years ago, that was our last— the east? three years ago, that was our last time — the east? three years ago, that was our last time here. we the east? three years ago, that was our last time here.— our last time here. we wanted to come out and _ our last time here. we wanted to come out and play _ our last time here. we wanted to come out and play in _ our last time here. we wanted to come out and play in the - our last time here. we wanted to come out and play in the snow i our last time here. we wanted to l come out and play in the snow and see some other people, it is nice. but on the high street in the town, not everyone looks to be enjoying themselves. this year, the weather providing perhaps another good reason to stay at home. and there has been some disruption. at klatten

hospital in essex, covid vaccination centre was forced to close because of heavy snow. appointments also had to be rescheduled in parts of suffolk. and there could be more problems for key workers if, as forecasters predict, the cold snap continues for much of the week. the bi est continues for much of the week. the biggest amount continues for much of the week. tta: biggest amount of continues for much of the week. "tt2 biggest amount of disruption continues for much of the week. tt2 biggest amount of disruption will be the next 24 hours in parts of norfolk, suffolk, essex and kent, thatis norfolk, suffolk, essex and kent, that is where the amber warning is in place. over the next few days, there could be localised disruption in eastern scotland and eastern england with snow flurries and even if you don't see the snow, and many won't, there will be a notable wind—chill, sub zero, through much of the week. it will really be a cold spell and the big question is when that will break down. if it does, it is likely to be towards the end of the week and weekend and we can see some more snow this time in western areas of. in can see some more snow this time in western areas of.— western areas of. in kent, drivers were struggling — western areas of. in kent, drivers were struggling this _ western areas of. in kent, drivers were struggling this morning - western areas of. in kent, drivers were struggling this morning and | western areas of. in kent, drivers i were struggling this morning and the aa is warning motorists to be especially careful on side roads. in scotland, where they are more used to snow, there was also a good coating. forthose

to snow, there was also a good coating. for those who love the snow, the good news is, in many parts, it is forecast to continue into tomorrow, with temperatures not expected to rise significantly for the rest of the week. here in the grounds of colchester castle, with night falling, you can really feel the temperature is beginning to drop. but as you heard, the view from a lot of people here i think was that the snow has brought a little bit of light relief under lockdown. that could of course change tomorrow and during the rest of the week, when more and more people, especially key workers, will be having to travel and head into work. thank you. a mountain rescue volunteer is in hospital with life—changing injuries after falling more than 150 metres while going to the aid of two campers in the lake district. the padderdale mountain rescue team were called for help near ambleside after one of the men began experiencing chest pains. the two friends, from leicester and liverpool, have been fined £200 by police

for breaching coronavirus restrictions. tens of thousands of protesters were back on the streets in myanmar for a second day running today, amid growing outrage over last week's military coup. the largest demonstrations were in the main city of yangon, but those elsewhere included the capital and military stronghold, naypyitaw. many called for the release of aung san suu kyi from detention. our south east asia correspondentjonathan head reports. they started marching in the morning and the numbers just kept growing. if the soldiers who unseated me are's elected government on monday thought the coup would be unopposed, thousands came out to prove them wrong. they filled the streets. "democracy is our right", they chanted, "ending dictatorship, our will". the traffic was forced to a crawl, and cars are sounded their

horns, not in support and in defiance of the police, you mutely watched as yangon city centre was taken over. many wore or carried the colour red for the national league for democracy, the deposed party of angus and sushi. and everywhere, her face. —— aung san suu kyi. she is still in military custody and very much the symbol of this growing resistance movement. translation: taste resistance movement. translation: 2 don't want to go back to military rule. we don't want to live in fear. we want mother su to be freed from being under detention unjustly. translation: being under detention un'ustly. tuna/momfi being under detention un'ustly. translation: they can block the internet and _ translation: they can block the internet and other _ translation: they can block the | internet and other communications but they— internet and other communications but they can't block people's ears, mounts _ but they can't block people's ears, mounts and — but they can't block people's ears, mounts and brains.— mounts and brains. there were similar protests _ mounts and brains. there were similar protests across - mounts and brains. there were similar protests across the - mounts and brains. there were - similar protests across the country. in the second city, mandalay, and surprisingly, a big march in the

remote and mountainous chin state and even in the military�*s own citadel, the capital, nay pyi daw, a noisy rally protesting motorbike riders. the military may hold all the levers of government but for now, the streets belong to the people. after an anxious and dispiriting week, it was a relief and enjoyment in these protests. but the army has killed thousands before, to shore up its power. it may do so again. jonathan head, bbc news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the engineering giant rolls—royce is proposing to temporarily close its jet engine factories this summer to try to save money because of the pandemic. the shutdown, which is thought to be the first in its history, would affect 12,500 workers in the uk and last a fortnight across its civil aerospace division. the authorities in india say more than 125 people are missing and feared dead, after part

of a himalayan glacier broke off and swept away a dam in the north of the country. most of those unaccounted for are construction workers employed at the dam. seven bodies have so far been recovered from the site, according to a local official. it is a busy day of sport. over to lizzi greenwood—hughes to bring us up to date. good evening. england's cricketers are firmly in control of the first test against india. they're leading by 321 runs after an entertaining third day in chennai — where india closed on 257—6. adam wild reports. before the play, the plotting. this was england planning and all—round team performance. first with the bat, and adding as many as possible to their already impressive total. this helped them towards 578 before the clatter of wickets signalled the start of phase two of the day's plan. england's bowlers taking early wickets. here wasjofra archer....

right on schedule. at lunch, england on top and still revising that strategy. dom bess, here, showing exactly how he intended to trap virat kohli. after the break... gone, got him! isn't it great when a plan comes together? but you can't always bank on brilliance, except perhaps when it comes tojoe root. already inspirational with the bat, this catch, to get rid of ajinkya rahane, was quite magnificent. if anything, that spurred india on. rishabh pant�*s method was less subtle but every bit as effective. pant eventually took one risk too many, out for 91. india ending still more than 300 behind. another good day for england, off to plot another tomorrow. adam wild, bbc news. wales beat ireland 21—16 on the opening weekend of rugby union's six nations championship. but it was a brutal encounter in cardiff where ireland had

a player sent off early in the game. our correspondent joe wilson reports. in place of 74,000 voices, just 15. well, cardiff can never be empty, not for rugby. right, then. maintaining the limits is always at this sport's challenge. things look worse slowed down but watch irish player peter o'mahony. that kind of contactjust player peter o'mahony. that kind of contact just can't player peter o'mahony. that kind of contactjust can't happen. ireland, down to 14 men in the 14th minute. leigh halfpenny nudged wales in front with the boot, for a while. tackling is safest when it is aimed at the legs. johnny williams, head injury assessed and replaced. remember, it was ireland who were permanently a man down. it was ireland who were dominating the game. just before half—time, a try. but the second half began with george north deceiving the irish

defence, as wales found space.