this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines... the government launches a final push to vaccinate the most vulnerable as it closes in on its target of 15 million jabs. if you are in one of those groups, i would say please come forward i if you have not already got. an appointment to be jabbed, because the more people who get this jab, the safe everybody is. _ meanwhile, leading british scientists warn vaccines must be made available to poorer countries in order to bring the pandemic under control. former president donald trump is expected to be acquitted when senators vote on his second impeachment trial later today. protests in myanmar enter their eighth day as the un passes a resolution denouncing the military coup and calling for the release of aung san suu kyi.

also, we'll be looking at the reason behind the disappearance of south africa's great white sharks. and coming up at 2.30, the stark choice facing pro—democracy campaigners in hong kong — whether to stay or go, in the exiles: hong kong at a crossroads. good afternoon. people over the age of 70, who haven't yet had a covid ab are being urged to come forward, in a final push by ministers. the aim is to offer a jab to 15 million people in the most vulnerable categories by monday. it comes as the health secretary

matt hancock said he hoped that covid—19 would become, by the end of this year, an illness the country could live with like flu. it comes as covid—19 surge testing is to be rolled out in several more areas of england in an attempt to curb the south african variant of the virus. people living in middlesbrough, walsall and hampshire are now being strongly encouraged to take a coronavirus test, whether they are showing symptoms of the disease or not. here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. after a year in which optimism has been in short supply, a dose of hope. the vaccine roll—out continues here in epsom and across the uk this morning. ministers are confident that by the end of the weekend, those most at risk from covid, 15 million people, will have been offered the first jab of the vaccine. we are on target to meet the gold by monday, of offering the vaccine to everybody in group 1—4 and then by may offering the vaccine

to everybody in groups 1—9. ——goal we have a high degree of confidence in the supply we have to reach those goals but the exact speed of the supply is the limiting factor on how quickly we can vaccinate right across the uk. with the vaccine and better treatment for those who do fall ill, the health secretary has said covid could become like flu, still there but manageable. but some experts advising the government warn that may take time. i'm not sure that covid settles down to look like flu quite so quickly. i think there is quite a long way to go between now and next winter. so i think, in some ways, it's not the right time to make that decision. we need to see how low we can get the prevalence of covid, the prevalence of the virus in the community as we exit this summer.

how to get streets like these moving again... the prime minister will set out his plan for england later this month. it's likely to be a gradual process, starting with schools, before opening other parts of society. some of borisjohnson�*s mps hope that the vaccine can make shut downs a thing of the past. if it's the same level as flu, we don't think for a second of locking down the country over flu. there will come a point where there will be a death rate from covid but it's at a normal level and then we have to cope with it. obviously, we still try and prevent it but we accept it, i think we have to. experts, though, warn the health service is still under real pressure and are urging ministers to be cautious. as the political pressure to reopen increases, the government has a lot to weigh up. we will be hearing from nick shortly

regarding the search testing. speaking a short while ago, at a plant in teesside where the new novavax vaccine will be manufactured, borisjohnson said he was optimistic he would be able to begin announcing the easing of restrictions when he sets out his road map out of the lockdown on fabry the 22nd. we road map out of the lockdown on fabry the 22nd.— road map out of the lockdown on fabry the 22nd. we have made huge rouress fabry the 22nd. we have made huge progress with _ fabry the 22nd. we have made huge progress with the _ fabry the 22nd. we have made huge progress with the roll-out _ fabry the 22nd. we have made huge progress with the roll-out of - fabry the 22nd. we have made huge progress with the roll-out of the - progress with the roll—out of the vaccines. that's great. but we've also got infection still running very high, as you know, throughout the country. levels which last year we would have thought were really very high indeed. still, sadly, a great many deaths in our hospitals, although the number is coming down. and perhaps starting to come down quite fast, there we need to look at the data very, very hard. so that is what we will be doing in the next few days. we will be saying more on monday about where we have got to do

with the jcvi monday about where we have got to do with thejcvi cohorts 1—4. and then on the 22nd, i will be setting out more of the road map about the way forward, starting with schools. we very much hope on march the 8th. that has got to be the priority, our kids education is the number one kid's education is the number one priority. but then working forwards to getting nonessential retail open as well, and then come in due course, as and when we can, prudently and cautiously, of course we want to be opening hospitality as well. and i'll be trying to set out as much as i possibly can come in as much detail as i can give. always understanding that we have to be wary of the pattern of disease. and we don't want to be forced into any kind of retreat or reverse ferret, if you see what i mean.- kind of retreat or reverse ferret, if you see what i mean. could we be drinkin: if you see what i mean. could we be drinking and — if you see what i mean. could we be drinking and pub _ if you see what i mean. could we be drinking and pub gardens, _

if you see what i mean. could we be drinking and pub gardens, as - if you see what i mean. could we be drinking and pub gardens, as the . drinking and pub gardens, as the papers suggested a common april? ii papers suggested a common april? if you don't mind, i am going to ask you don't mind, i am going to ask you tojust wait you don't mind, i am going to ask you to just wait a little bit longer. give us some more time to look after the date about what is happening. look at the way the numbers are coming down. the study also, i think very importantly, the efficacy of the vaccines, are they working on the way that we hope they are? and making sure that they are really helping, along with the lockdown, to drive down the incidents. that is a key thing. you know, i'm optimistic. iwon't incidents. that is a key thing. you know, i'm optimistic. i won't hide it from you. i'm optimistic. but we have to be cautious. our political correspondent, nick eardley, joins me now. that was the prime minister, speaking a short time ago, and sounding very cautious? yes. speaking a short time ago, and sounding very cautious? yes, the new a- roach sounding very cautious? yes, the new approach of — sounding very cautious? yes, the new approach of downing _ sounding very cautious? yes, the new approach of downing street _ sounding very cautious? yes, the new approach of downing street seems . sounding very cautious? yes, the new approach of downing street seems to | approach of downing street seems to be to play down expectations. yes,

borisjohnson is optimistic. he thinks things are going well. but he is very reluctant to get into the detail right now. although we have a lot of suggestions that potentially you start to see schools opening in march, and other parts of society gradually opened like outdoor hospitality, potentially, in april, say some of the newspapers. downing street is saying it is too early to make any cast—iron predictions, simply because they haven't seen the data. so the next few days, boris johnson is going to get some figures that show what has happened with the vaccine roll—out in its first phase. what is happening with hospitalisations, deaths, new cases. and it's on that basis that the government will make the decision as to what they are going to announce on the 22nd of february. but you can almost see it in borisjohnson's face there that he wanted to give some good news. but there is a real sense in government that they are holding back on this, because they don't want to be in a position again where they overpromise and have to

roll back on some of the things that have been set.— roll back on some of the things that have been set. certainly groups like nhs medical— have been set. certainly groups like nhs medical people, _ have been set. certainly groups like nhs medical people, scientists - have been set. certainly groups like| nhs medical people, scientists also, have been warning, as more and more discussion about easing restrictions has entered over the last few weeks, what are their main concerns been and what warnings have they been sounding? {line and what warnings have they been soundin: ? ., ., ,., , ., sounding? one of the reasons we are auoin to sounding? one of the reasons we are going to hear — sounding? one of the reasons we are going to hear more _ sounding? one of the reasons we are going to hear more and _ sounding? one of the reasons we are going to hear more and more - sounding? one of the reasons we are going to hear more and more about l going to hear more and more about easing frustrations is that so many boris johnson's easing frustrations is that so many borisjohnson's backbenchers are desperate to get some sort of plan to get the economy moving again. they have been for some time, frankly. but we are hearing saying you need to do this properly and make sure you are not going too fast. we have been hearing the message this morning from some of them, saying, look, the nhs is still under tremendous pressure. there is still a backlog of cases that are not covid related, that are still going to be tough to deal with, at the same time as you have some wards taken up by coronavirus patients. so

there is very much that message from some scientists of the prime minister, not to go too far, too quickly. so the next ten days or so, as borisjohnson ways of what quickly. so the next ten days or so, as boris johnson ways of what to quickly. so the next ten days or so, as borisjohnson ways of what to do on the 22nd of february, although there is that natural optimism that you heard about there, there is also some cautious messages coming forward. and many experts are saying don't go too far. in forward. and many experts are saying don't go too far-— don't go too far. in the last hour we have just _ don't go too far. in the last hour we have just had _ don't go too far. in the last hour we have just had the _ don't go too far. in the last hour we have just had the news - don't go too far. in the last hour| we have just had the news about don't go too far. in the last hour- we have just had the news about this new batch of search testing. what more can you tell us? irate new batch of search testing. what more can you tell us?— new batch of search testing. what more can you tell us? we know part ofthe more can you tell us? we know part of the government _ more can you tell us? we know part of the government plan _ more can you tell us? we know part of the government plan to - more can you tell us? we know part of the government plan to tackle i more can you tell us? we know part i of the government plan to tackle new variants of the virus, that have not spread widely in the immunity come in the uk, so far, is to have this search testing where particularly postcodes, where you see variants must test it quickly, to figure out who has and hasn't got it, this is in relation to the south african variant, first found in south africa. what we found out is that parts of middlesbrough, warsaw, in some areas of hampshire are going to see some of the search testing over

the next few days. it is something that has been done elsewhere. it's been fairly successful where it has been fairly successful where it has been done so far. it is not necessarily something to worry about. but it is all designed to quickly find if people have the new variants, and if so, to stop them spreading. variants, and if so, to stop them spreading-— variants, and if so, to stop them spreading. heathrow airport has expressed concern over the implementation of hotel quarantine plans, that are due to come into effect on monday. anyone arriving in england, from 33 high—risk countries, will be required to quarantine for 10 days. but the uk's busiest airport, says �*significant gaps�* remain in the government's plan , and it is yet to receive the necessary reassurances. seven leading british scientists are warning that the pandemic will be prolonged, and might take years to bring under control, if the vaccines aren't made available to poorer countries. writing in the lancet, they say that billions of people might not get inoculated this year,

which could allow the virus to mutate further, and become resistant to vaccines. the experts say production needs to be ramped up worldwide and vaccines have to be priced affordably earlier the lead author from the london school of economics and political science, dr olivier wouters, explained their concerns. if we don't treat this as a global problem on the virus is allowed to continue to reach some parts of the world, we might see the risk of new mutations emerging are still there. so even if we end up vaccinating the entire population in the uk under the richer countries, the new variants might undermine the efficiency of vaccines and it could cause problems in the uk. the efficacy of the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine in children is set to be tested in a new clinical trial. researchers will use 300 volunteers

to assess whether the jab will produce a strong immune response in children aged between six and 17. the university of oxford said theirs was the first trial in the 6—17 age group. it said other trials had begun but only measure efficacy in those aged 16 and 17. dr grace li, from the university of oxford, is involved with the clinical trials. she explained to my colleague shaun ley why they are starting trials for this age range. so, it's almost 12 months ago since the initial trials were started in adults. and it was always intended for trials to be conducted in children. and we are very happy to be able to start that this weekend. we know that the majority of admissions are of adults, and of older adults. there are a very small number of children who do get admitted who are very unwel. and it may be that a very select group of children would

benefit from vaccination. yes, it's a great point. you're absolutely right. sadly, some children have died. but, statistically, it is a very small number. which doesn't in any way diminish the awful impact for the families that have lost children or have had children seriously affected and are living with the consequences of the infection. but presumably getting to this stage is almost, in a sense, a good sign of your confidence in the vaccine itself? yes, you're absolutely right. the trial so far, conducted across several countries, have given us great safety and efficacy data. which gives us more confidence when we are heading into a trial in this young age group. how do you find volunteers at that age? because, presumably, 16 and 17—year—olds are in a position to give informed consent. but a six—year—old can't. no. here at the oxford vaccine group, we have a lot of experience in handling trials with children of all ages. and there are very specific and recognised guidelines

about how to obtain consent. in all cases we provide information that is age—appropriate of the children, so that they have as much understanding as possible, given their age, what is going to happen to them. we also make sure that the parents are fully informed as well. so it's a collaboration between both the child and the parents. how long do you expect this particular trial is going to take before you have results that you can look on and feel that they give you a confident picture about the impact, if any, on children of that age? so, this trial is primarily looking at the immune responses. so, it's a relatively small trial compared to the adult trials. it's really looking at the response in the blood. we are taking blood samples over the course of approximately one year. so, it will take us approximately one year to gain results. senators in the united states are expected to vote later in the second impeachment trial of donald trump. lawyers representing the former

president have accused democrats of using the proceedings to settle political scores, saying the charge of "incitement of insurrection" was a "monstrous lie". 0ur north america correspondent barbara plett usher reports. chanting: fight for trump! donald trump told his supporters to fight like hell. but did he really mean it? nothing in the text could ever be construed as encouraging, condoning, or enticing unlawful activity of any kind. of course he did not, his lawyers argued, in a combative and brief defence. this was ordinary political rhetoric. to make its point, the defence produced a selectively edited video of democrats uttering the same word. fight that fight. we have been fighting... i was fighting very hard... time is of the essence both in terms of the fight... i think we should be fighting... there was no attempt to play down the horror of the violence, but mr trump's lawyers argued that those responsible had hijacked the event for their own purposes.

the fact that the attacks were apparently premeditated, as alleged by the house managers, demonstrates the ludicrousness of the incitement allegation against the president. you can't incite what was already going to happen. instead, they accused democrats of a politically motivated witch—hunt — the climax of years of trying to drive mr trump from office. mr heinrich. mr heinrich, aye. mr hickenlooper. mr hickenlooper, aye. ms hirono. ms hirono, aye. the defence was performing for an audience of one and he will almost certainly be acquitted in a vote later today. the shortest impeachment trial in us history. if there's one thing clear, it's that both sides want this finished as soon as possible. and on one other thing they could agree. 0fficer goodman, thank you. applause.

the courage of a police officer who protected them from the dangers that crossed party lines that day. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. the headlines on bbc news... the government launches a final push to vaccinate the most vulnerable, as it closes in on its target of 15 millionjabs. meanwhile, leading british scientists warn vaccines must be made available to poorer countries in order to bring the pandemic under control. former president donald trump is expected to be acquitted when senators vote on his second impeachment trial later today. the united nations�* human rights council has passed a resolution deploring the military coup in myanmar, and calling for the immediate release of aung san suu kyi and others who've been detained. hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests

in cities across the country. mark lobel reports. the stand—off between protesters and police is deepening. rubber bullets fired on the streets in the south—east of the country. casualties amongst those standing firm against the coup. 0thers taken away. it is not what the military hoped for from their february the 1st takeover. could their authority now fade into thin air? translation: we need to maintain this dignity. | due to unscrupulous persons' incitement, some civil service personnel have failed to perform their duties at present. but the defiant chant here is, don't go to work, struggle to be free. translation: we are united and growing. i we lawyers and civil servants must work together to get rid

of authoritarianism. we must act within the law, but not obey the unlawful government. translation: i call on the us and other governments - of the world to act strongly using diplomatic means. i that call is being heard. the human rights council wants aung san suu kyi's elected government restored, access for aid and human rights monitors and... immediately release all individuals arbitrarily detained. they should have prompt access to legal representation and medical support and specious criminal charges should be dropped. the military has just released thousands of prisoners. but opponents fear they could bolster the junta's efforts in a repeat of what happened during a bloody time 33 years ago. wailing. back in 1988 the military escalated and conducted a brutal crackdown, killed thousands of protesters in the streets of

rangoon and elsewhere. 2007 also. but we're also concerned about night—time arrests of government and dissidents. chanting. yet that memory is not discouraging this mighty show of defiance on the waters, and at the roots of resistance that seems to be heading for more confrontation. mark lobel, bbc news. the number of lorries leaving and arriving in the uk is almost back to normal levels, according to new data from ports and official bodies. the figures show a significant dip in freight traffic during january, after thousands of lorries were forced to wait in kent because of both covid testing and new border checks following the post—brexit transition period. more than 50,000 homes and businesses in glasgow were left without water this morning after a main supply pipe burst in the west side of the city. nearby roads were flooded, with water turning to ice in places,

due to sub—zero temperatures. scottish water apologised to customers and said supplies were gradually being restored. it's normally a time when restaurants are booked up with couples dining out to celebrate valentine's day. with lockdown measures still in place and cashflows under pressure — an increasing number of venues have adapted to create restaurant—quality home delivery meal kits instead. our business correspondent katy austin has more. vicky and chris plan to recreate the restaurant experience at home this weekend. we're getting a posh takeaway from a local restaurant. so, we're having beef wellington, macarons. not cheap, but, you know, we're not spending any money on anything else, really. deprived of their normal sit in trade around february 1ath, many restaurants have now created special kits for people to finish off at home.

so, everything's ready—made and then it's reheating, finish it off and plating it. andreas runs michelin starred venues in the midlands. it's helping keeping our businesses afloat more than anything, and that's what it is. cash flow is a real thing at the moment. he's even planning on carrying on the service in future. when the restaurant's closed and i looked at — the only people doing business were supermarkets, i felt a bit like a dinosaur. you know, i'd become extinct. we needed to react to a possible... you know, it's like having a shop online. and if you thought of valentine's was just for couples, ruth's local cafe is doing her a three course treat for one. would i go to a restaurant on valentine's day on my own? no, probably not. this meal kit at home from a restaurantjust perfect to be able to still treat yourself and still feel a bit special. the hospitality trade body says valentine's normally provides

a £500 million boost. takeaway and delivery has been important throughout the pandemic but it doesn't come anywhere near replacing the sales that you get in the sites. after their most challenging year ever, restaurants are relieved customers are showing some love to their attempts to diversify. vicky and chris can't wait for their big evening in. i might even put a dress on and some make—up on, which i haven't done for a long time! katy austin, bbc news. the great white shark has drawn tourists to south africa for decades, but numbers spotted off the coast of cape town have fallen drastically in recent times. 0ur africa correspondent andrew harding has been investigating the reason for their disappearance. on a hillside overlooking false bay, shark spotters are keeping a close watch on the waves. after all, this coastline near cape town has long been home to hundreds, if not thousands, of the world's most famous predator.

until now. south africa's great white sharks — the stuff of nightmares and of nature documentaries — have gone mysteriously missing. wherever you go, if you put your feet into the water, you expect to encounter a white shark, but that's not the case no more. i don't even remember the last i've seen a shark. none at all? none at all. no white sharks in false bay. it's two years now since they vanished, and the economic impact has been devastating. the great white tourism industry has collapsed. unfortunately, we're suffering a lot. it's very, very difficult times. for the whole town? the whole town, yes. the whole industry? yes. it is really, really sad. we miss these sharks a lot. but why did they disappear?

this amateur footage shows the arrival of two suspects — a pair of orcas, killer whales. could they have scared off all those great whites? to us, the arrival of these orcas and then the reduction in shark| activity does all seem to be correlated. - it appears that the orcasi arrive and the sharks just are aware that they are no longer the apex predator anymore. - but here's another theory — localfishermen have been catching smaller sharks to export to fish and chip shops in australia. those sharks formed part of the great whites�* diet. this quite simply meant that the bulk of their food was no longer available in false bay, so logic tells you, if your food�*s not available here, you go look elsewhere, and that�*s what a lot of us believe is what�*s actually happened. but other shark detectives see a more complicated crime scene. dr sara andreotti used to study great whites here.

now, she�*s using a harpoon to scrape dna from smaller species. now, we have to collect this very carefully. her view is that the great white population has been shrinking unnoticed for many years because of climate change, pollution, overfishing — a range of human activities. it is not, for us, just frustrating, it's the feeling that that happened under our watch, you know? we saw the sharks, we saw the numbers were not great and the work we did wasn't enough to get them the environment, better protected in a way, or maybe it was just too late. her conclusion is that the great whites didn�*t move elsewhere — they simply died out, their turf taken over by these copper sharks. plenty of beautiful sharks down here, but no great whites,

none at all, and so many theories about why they may have disappeared, but the real fear is that they may have gone for good. perhaps, but nothing in this great white mystery is certain — except the knowledge that we humans are, as usual, prime suspects. andrew harding, bbc news, south africa. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. 0ur cold, wintry spell of weather will gradually be easing as we head through the weekend and into next week too, but only very slowly, that milder air moving across the uk. it�*s also going to be a windy picture through the course of the weekend as well. still some problems with snow and ice through today for many of us. heavy snow initially for northern ireland and that will push through parts of wales,

north—west england, western scotland as well. eastern scotland and much of eastern england staying dry but really cold. temperatures may be a degree above freezing on the thermometer, but when you add on the wind—chill it�*s going to feel around about —6, —7 degrees for many of us. so a really blustery picture as we head through the course of tonight, too, strong winds as we move into sunday morning. a bit more patchy snow for northern england and for scotland too and with temperatures still below freezing first thing tomorrow there could well be some icy stretches. there�*ll be further outbreaks of rain that are then going to fall on sub—zero surfaces, so ice through the day, particularly for northern england and scotland. strong, gusty winds and temperatures starting to pick up from the west. bye— bye.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the government launches a final push to vaccinate the most vulnerable, as it closes in on its target of 15 millionjabs.