even now, should protect against the worst consequences of the virus. mai; worst consequences of the virus. may be will not be — worst consequences of the virus. .— be will not be reducing the amount of cases as much, but we still won't be seeing the deaths of the hospitalisations and the disease but it is really important for health care systems. it is really important for health care system-— it is really important for health care systems. it is really important for health care s stems. ~ , ., care systems. will be looking at the lans as care systems. will be looking at the plans as the — care systems. will be looking at the plans as the number _ care systems. will be looking at the plans as the number of _ care systems. will be looking at the plans as the number of people - plans as the number of people receiving a first vaccination passes 12 million. also tonight. a breakaway glaciers sweeps away a dan

in northern india. wills begin the six nations campaign with a thrilling victory over ireland and cardiff. how the comedy show is going on through lifestream. good evening. scientists behind astrazeneca virus say it should still protect against the worst potential consequences of covid—i9 after study suggests that it had limited effect against the south african variant of the disease. run the hundred cases of that variant have been identified in the uk in

the study involving a trial of 20 people has not been reviewed by other experts. 0ur medical expert reports on the latest research and the ongoing effort to combat emerging in future strains of the coronavirus. there is concern that current vaccines being used of thousands of centres across the uk might eventually lose some of their potency as coronavirus evolves. the oxford extras the neck ofjed works 0xford extras the neck ofjed works well against the king variant for in september and now dominant in the uk. a study of 2000 young adults in south africa suggest it gives minimal protection against mild and moderate disease caused by the variant there.

we still won't be seeing the deaths and hospitalisations that is really important. and hospitalisations that is really im ortant. ., ., important. even though we have mild infections to — important. even though we have mild infections to prevent _ important. even though we have mild infections to prevent people - important. even though we have mild infections to prevent people from - infections to prevent people from going to hospital with covid—i9 which would have a major effect. coronavirus is constantly mutating, most changes are not to worry. vaccines use the gene from the spike protein to train the immune system so if this mutates as it has and the variance in south africa, brazil in kent, it may make the virus less visible to antibodies. thankfully t cells, another part of our immune system looks like they can spot infections, meaning existing vaccines should protect against severe disease.—

vaccines should protect against severe disease. a, . ' i: i: i: ., severe disease. more than 1000, have been seen in — severe disease. more than 1000, have been seen in more _ severe disease. more than 1000, have been seen in more testing _ severe disease. more than 1000, have been seen in more testing is _ severe disease. more than 1000, have been seen in more testing is under- been seen in more testing is under way in a bid to suppress its spread. but it is inevitable that more variance will emerge. the oxford team are creating prototype vaccines against several variants and say they will be ready if needed by the autumn. coronavirus immunisation may become an annual event. indie autumn. coronavirus immunisation may become an annual event.— become an annual event. we see very much an annual _ become an annual event. we see very much an annual or— become an annual event. we see very much an annual or a _ become an annual event. we see very much an annual or a boost _ become an annual event. we see very much an annual or a boost in - become an annual event. we see very much an annual or a boost in autumn | much an annual or a boost in autumn and an— much an annual or a boost in autumn and an annual— much an annual or a boost in autumn and an annual in the way we do flu vaccinaiions— and an annual in the way we do flu vaccinations where you look at what variants _ vaccinations where you look at what variants and — vaccinations where you look at what variants and rapidly produce the variani— variants and rapidly produce the variant and you do it to protect the nation _ variant and you do it to protect the nation. ., _, ., ., , nation. the more coronavirus mutates. _ nation. the more coronavirus mutates, the _ nation. the more coronavirus mutates, the less _ nation. the more coronavirus mutates, the less likely - nation. the more coronavirus - mutates, the less likely vaccination will be possible. the latest

government figures show their 15,845 new chronic coronavirus infections. trench 58 new cases per day in the last week. another threat of 73 deaths were -- 373 —— 373 deaths and numbers to tend to be lower in the weekend. 0n —— 373 deaths and numbers to tend to be lower in the weekend. 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 vaccination programme is just in the latest 24 hour period and that takes the overall number of people who have had their firstjab. more now from fergus walsh, another big number in the vaccination side of things, but.

the vaccination side of things, but how concerned should we be about this study into the south african variant on the oxen vaccine? tiles? variant on the oxen vaccine? new variants of _ variant on the oxen vaccine? new variants of coronavirus _ variant on the oxen vaccine? lie variants of coronavirus are going to emerge all the time, it's what viruses do, but coronavirus actually mutate much more slowly than seasonal flu. mutate much more slowly than seasonalflu. it's mutate much more slowly than seasonal flu. it's unclear how often we are going to need a booster dose. it could be annually, it could be every two years or even longer. it's simply too early to tell, but it's straightforward to tweak these vaccines. it would only need small clinical trials. the current vaccines, pfizerand clinical trials. the current vaccines, pfizer and astrazeneca, both work really well against the predominant strain is here, especially after two doses. against the south african variant and may be the south african variant and may be the brazilian one, they may be less likely to stop mild and asymptomatic disease, which is less good news for slowing the spread. but the bottom line is, vaccines are the best protection we have. so if you get your invite, go for it. the roll—out has been a big success. 12 million people have had their first dose,

half a million there second. fergus, thank ou half a million there second. fergus, thank you very _ half a million there second. fergus, thank you very much. _ half a million there second. fergus, thank you very much. our— half a million there second. fergus, thank you very much. our medical l thank you very much. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh. tens of thousands of protestors were back on the streets of myanmar for a second day 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, naypidaw. many called for the release of aung san suu kyi from detention. 0ur south east asia correspondent jonathan head reports. they started marching in the morning, and the numbers just kept growing. if the soldiers who unseated myanmar�*s elected government on monday thought their coup would be unopposed, thousands came out to prove them wrong, filling the streets. chanting. "democracy is our right", they chanted, "ending dictatorship, ourwill". horns honk. the traffic was forced to a crawl and cars sounded their horns, not in anger, but in support,

and in defiance of the police, who mutely watched as yangon city centre was taken over. many wore or carried the colour red of the national league for democracy, the deposed party of aung san suu kyi. and everywhere, herface. she's still in military custody, but very much the symbol of this growing resistance movement. chanting. translation: we don't want to go back to military rule. _ we don't want to live in fear. we want mother suu to be freed from being under detention unjustly. translation: they can block the internet and other - communications, but they can't block people's ears, their mouths and their brains. the security forces made no attempt to break up the massive crowd. some traffic police even handed out water. just for a moment, you could forget that a popular leader had been overthrown at the point of a gun.

but the momentum behind this movement must worry myanmar�*s military rulers. there were similar protests across the country in the second city, mandalay, a surprisingly big march in chin state, and even in the military�*s own citadel, the fortress—like capital naypyitaw, a noisy rally of 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, there was 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.

a rescue operation is under way in northern india after part of a himalayan glacier collapsed into a river, sweeping away a dam and triggering huge floods. at least nine people are known to have died, and more than a hundred are missing, many of them construction workers at a hydro power plant in uttarakhand state. 0ur south asia correspondent, rajini vaidyanathan 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: about 50—100 people were running for their lives, but couldn't be saved. they were engulfed by the river. the situation here is still dangerous. people are leaving their homes and are fleeing towards the forest. with floodwaters rising and roads and homes destroyed, 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: approximately 125 people could be missing as per the estimates, but it could rise because the power company is unable to give the exact figures. everyone is busy in the rescue operations. cheering. a moment of hope, as workers rescued 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, narendra modi, said he was constantly monitoring the situation. "india stands with uttarakhand," he says. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. rolls—royce is considering plans to temporarily close its jet engine factories this summer to try to save money because of the pandemic. the two—week shutdown is thought to be the first in the company's history, affecting its entire civil aerospace

division and 12,500 workers in the uk. parts of the uk were hit with heavy snow and strong winds today, 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. from colchester, jon donnison reports. forfamilies in colchester, a bit of a lift from life under lockdown. although maybe some still claiming to be working from home, for many, the snow providing a welcome break. a few weeks ago, we were probably one of the only areas that didn't have any snow, so we're glad we've got some now. when was the beast from the east? three years ago? so that was our last time here, wasn't it? it's a welcome break to come out |and play in the snow and actuallyj see some other people, which is nice. _

but on the town's high street, not everyone looked to be enjoying themselves. this year, the weather providing perhaps another good reason to stay at home. along with the beauty, the snow always brings that certain feeling of quiet and perhaps, in this strange year, even more so. with fewer people out and about travelling to work by car, train or bus, you might actually find the disruption caused is less than you would normally expect. and there has been some disruption. at clacton hospital in essex, the 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 biggest amount of disruption will be the next 24 hours. parts of norfolk, suffolk, essex and kent, that is where the met office amber warning is in place.

but over the next few days, there could be localised disruption in eastern scotland and eastern england with snow flurries there, and even if you don't see the snow, and many won't, there will be a notable wind chill, sub—zero wind chill through much of the week. it really will be a cold spell and the big question mark comes, just when that will break down? if it does, it is likely to be towards the end of the week and weekend and we could see some more snow, this time in western areas. in kent, drivers were struggling this morning, and the aa is warning motorists to be especially careful on side roads. in scotland, where they're more used to snow, there was also a good coating. for those who love the snow, the good news is, in many parts, it's forecast to continue into tomorrow, with temperatures not expected to rise significantly for the rest of the week. jon donnison, bbc news, colchester. sport now, and there's been lots to keep lizzie greenwood hughes busy today. thanks, mishal. good evening. wales beat ireland 21—16 on the opening weekend of rugby union's 6

nations championship, but it was a brutal encounter in cardiff, where ireland had a player sent off. our correspondent joe wilson reports. in place of 74,000 voices, just 15. cardiff can never be empty, not for rugby. right, then. maintaining the limits is always this sport's challenge. things look worse slowed down, but watch irish player peter 0'mahony. that kind of contactjust can't happen. ireland down to 14 men in the 14th minute. tackling is safest when aimed at the legs, and 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—time, a try. but the second half began with george north deceiving the irish defence as wales

found space. the same corner and an even betterfinish from louis rees—zammit. ball line, fly, die. irelandjust rees—zammit. ball line, fly, die. ireland just five behind, kick this into touch. 0h, ireland just five behind, kick this into touch. oh, no. too much — the ball flew dead, the match was done. well, life and the six nations will go on. joe wilson, bbc news. match of the day 2 and sportscene in scotland are on later, so don't listen if you want to wait for the football results because they're coming now. there was an extraordinary match at anfield, where the premier league leaders manchester city beat champions liverpool 4—1. city are now 5 points clear at the top of the table and 10 above liverpool. in the other games, chelsea won at bottom side sheffield united, tottenham beat west brom and wolves—leicester was goalless. despite drawing with bottom side hamilton, rangers are still the runaway leaders of the scottish premiership with a 21—point advantage over celtic — who have two games in hand. both top teams in the women's super league lost as manchester united were beaten

by reading and leaders chelsea lost to brighton, ending their 33—game unbeaten run. england's cricketers are firmly in control of the first test against india, who'll start day 4 in chennai 321 runs behind england on 257—6. adam wild reports. before the play, the plotting. this was england planning an 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. british number one tennis player dan evans has won his first atp tour title. he won the murray river 0pen — one of the warm—up events for the australian open, which starts at midnight. evans is the 30th seed and will play fellow briton cameron norrie in the first round. and you can follow all the action from melbourne on the bbc sport website as well as the super bowl, which gets under way injust over an hour's time. but that's it from me.

back to you, mishal. they say laughter is the best medicine, which means we really need it in a pandemic — and in the spirit of "the show must go on", the leicester comedy festival has begun online. it's been running for nearly 30 years, this time via live stream, with more than 100 comedians and audiences getting involved. 0ur arts editor will gompertz dropped in. laughter. there's nothing like a good lockdown laugh. in what has been a miserable year, the chance to chortle is being leapt at by these comedy fans who would fill theatres pre—pandemic to see comics like felicity ward. you had to be in the room, they'd say. yes, this is an adventurous choice of trouser. well, now, you have to be in the zoom. welcome to the first night of the leicester comedy festival 2021! the leicester comedy festival is normally a mixed—bill,

multi—venue event. now it's a purely online experience. i know what i have to do, i like to engage with the audience, that's what i used to do in olden times. hey, how is everybody doing? there's even a sense ofjeopardy that somebody might at home might leave their mic on while shouting at a family member. shouting. bring it to me, please! laughter. this is how i dress. i am from an area called millwall. prince abadi also performed on opening night from his makeshift stage at home, all alone, no audience energy to work with. it can't be easy. it's a bit strange performing to people at home, - and you see how well some people live, like, i did a gig to the other. day to two people in a hot tub. so it's a bit odd for the performers, but what about the audience? what you can't see is, i've got my pyjama bottoms on. i felt a bit self—conscious at the beginning because you don't have the cover of darkness.

i wish we could all. be in the same room. as close as being at a real gig as it can be, especially- when they let you interact - and they talk to you and you can hear other people laughing. i love it. can you see that, bbc? experienced comics have adapted their acts for a domestic setting, but is the popularity of live streamed gigs a quick counter—covid fix or a game changer? it will absolutely change the landscape of comedy and what it has done already, it's included a bunch of people that often have to assess whether they can go to a gig, people with physical disabilities, people with social anxiety. i think that what it will allow is, people will start to think internationally now when they're doing a live gig. laughter. there are downsides to this technology that we all know about. she's frozen. but that's perfectly fine. the one big advantage is, if you want to quietly leave the room, you can do so without fear of being picked on or humiliated. will gompertz, bbc news. there's more throughout the evening

on the bbc news channel. a look at the papers is coming up on the new channel. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. toxic disrespect is disrespect is this is all you hello. this is bbc news. as the lockdown continues and new covid variants emerge, the government is constantly looking at what restrictions are needed to bring the virus under control. one thing that's so far been ruled out is axing the bubble system — because, for many, bubbles have represented a lifeline during the pandemic. hope bolger has been taking a look at how they've helped. it's been a lifeline. i don't know how people are doing without it. the difference it has made to our quality of life, and to her quality of life, is huge. it has actually saved my life. coronavirus has caused many of us

to feel isolated at times. during the first lockdown, some people spent weeks without any real human contact. alex was one of them. the most meaningful conversation. i had was with the lady in the co—op over the road about eggs. it was incredibly isolating, j it got really, really lonely. when support bubbles were brought in lastjune, they offered people in similar situations a vital chance to reconnect. it has actually saved my life. had the situation of being on my own, being away from people, . gone on for much longer, i don't know what state . i would have ended up in. honestly, i owe my friends who said "come over" a world of gratitude. . because without them, we might not be having the conversation. - the rules across the uk differ slightly. in england, wales and scotland, you can form a support bubble if you are the only adult in the house. separately, england has childcare bubbles for families

with kids under 14. scotland lets couples who live apart bubble, even if there are other people in their households and in northern ireland two households of any size can form a household bubble. it's even really difficult thinking back to it, just how much of a struggle it was. with a tantruming, really needy two—year—old, it was so, so, so difficult. nessa runs a new business and is a university lecturer, all while looking after her toddler, jacob. she gets help from her mum, pam. it's been a lifeline, i don't know how people are doing without it. my business definitely wouldn't have been able to survive, because we are a new business, i do need to go on to site quite often. at a time when schools are closed, shops are shut and pubs are empty, some have raised concerns that bubbles contribute to the spread of the virus, but would ditching them lead to more problems? in the last few weeks, the government has dismissed rumours it might suspend bubbles.

the bubbles that we have in place, the childcare bubbles, the support bubbles, are very important and we are going to keep them. experts say it's a case of weighing up the risks. so it's really important. that you form the bubble with the right people, - to optimise your mental health and at the same time | to reduce your chance of contracting the virus. what would you do if we couldn't come round and make your dinnerfor you? starve. 93—year—old margaret worked in the land army during the second world war. this support bubble has really allowed us to actually- keep her independent in her home because the reality is, _ if it didn't exist, she'd have to go. into a home or she'd have to move in with us, which she vehemently does not want to do. _ as with everything during this pandemic, it's about finding the right balance, but for those in bubbles, their importance cannot be overstated. good evening.

it has been a wintry start to a new week, bitterly cold and snow showers, amber weather warning still remains in force across parts of east anglia and the south—east. we have some accumulations causing road closures in kent, as you can see by that picture. we have also had a keen easterly wind whipping up the north sea, making it feel a bitingly cold at times and actually this easterly flow is set to stay with us for the next few days. so yes, it is a beast from the east, the question is how long will it stay? it has been driving in snow showers across eastern scotland and north—east england through the day, more persistent snow across the south—east due to the legacy of a weather front here. that is where the amber weather warning remains throughout the night. and into tomorrow lunchtime. as you can see, plenty of snow showers are set to continue. it will be a cold start to monday as well, with temperatures just below freezing. we will start off monday with plenty

of isobars on the chart, that easterly wind a notable feature and i will continue to drive in the threat of further snow showers. we could potentially see funnelling of these snow showers merging fur longer spells of snow at times and those could start to bring some accumulation of further inland, but sheltered western areas should stay relatively dry and quiet, but it will be a cold and blustery afternoon for many. that would just exacerbate that wintry feel at there. temperatures in your thermometer will just sit a couple of degrees above freezing, but factor in wind strength and direction of that wind, it really is going to feel quite cold indeed. moving into tuesday, the isobars open just a touch across central and southern england, lighter winds, if you are showers here and we need to keep an eye on this weather front to the south—west. it mayjust bring the threat of snow showers to the isles of scilly by the end of the day. the snow showers will remain across north—east england and up into eastern scotland,

sheltered western areas again seeing the best of the drier, sunnier moments and temperatures are still likely to struggle. from wednesday onwards it looks likely to stay relatively quiet, perhaps not quite as cold as we head towards the weekend.

hello. this is bbc news. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow mornings papers in a moment with tony grew and caroline frost — first the headlines. 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,