a this is bbc news, the headlines at six. with 15 million new vaccinated — the goverment say they've hit their first covid vaccination target a day early. it has been a truly national uk wide effort. we have done it together. the prime minister is under pressure from some of his own mps to end covid restrictions by the end of april. government ministers however urge caution... we are not going to be able to give certainty unless we are basing it on the evidence that the vaccine is doing itsjob. so far the prognosis is pretty good but we have got to keep monitoring it as the roll—out proceeds.

president trump suggests he could make a political comeback after he's cleared of his second impeachment trial. an extension to the ban on evictions in england — the government says it will ensure tenants won't be forced out of their homes by the pandemic. and — skating on thin ice — a rare winter event could return to the netherlands thanks to the cold weather — but will covid restrictions sink it? good afternoon. the government says that everyone in england — in the first four priority groups — has now been offered a coronavirus vaccine. that group includes everybody over the age of 70 and those classed

as �*clinically extremely vulnerable.�* it comes as across the uk — 15 million people have now received their first dose of the vaccine. from tomorrow — rollout is now being expanded to include over 65's and those deemed clinically vulnerable. our health correspondent, laura foster explains more about the target. the government's pledge was to offer the covid vaccine to everyone in the top four priority groups, that's the over—70s, the extremely clinically vulnerable, care home residents and staff, and front—line health and social care workers. that was the pledge. but what they've done today is they've announced that 15 million people have now had a covid vaccine. it is important to recognise that within the top four priority groups there are estimated to be 15 million people. but what we don't know for sure yet is how many of the 15 million jabs have been received by people in the top four priority groups. but what we do know is that wales

is the first nation to say, to offerjabs to the top four groups, and sthis afternoon in a video message, the prime minister borisjohnson said that another nation had followed in those steps. in england, i can tell you, we have offered jabs to everyone in the first four priority groups, the people most likely to be severely ill from coronavirus, hitting the first target that we set ourselves. tomorrow, i will set out in full the details of the progress we have made with vaccinating these groups chosen because they were the most likely to be seriously ill if they caught covid. so, that was the statement from the prime minister. but, obviously, as far as most people are concerned, 15 million vaccinations, a lot of people doubted whether the nhs would be able to do this when it was first announced that this was this very ambitious roll—out plan. what about, though, the tier 4 people because, presumably,

they are the ones who contribute most to the deaths and hospital admissions. so, it is hard, it can be hard to remember the concept of time when we talk about coronavirus, and it can be hard to forget that vaccinations have been only going for ten weeks, it only started on the 8th of december. and the reason why these four groups were picked is because they are the people who are most at risk from coronavirus, the most likely to become seriously ill, the most likely to die. that is why the jcvi chose them as the first people to get those jabs. and then, what starts tomorrow is the official roll—out of jabs for the over—65s, and those who are clinically vulnerable. again, people who are still at risk but not as much at risk as the top four. latest government figures show a further 258 people have died in the uk — within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. a further 10,972 new infections

have also been recorded. as we've been hearing, the prime minister says that at least 15 million people in the uk have had their first coronavirus jab. let's take a look at the vaccine rollout in the uk so far. on the 8th december — 6 days after the pfizer vaccine was approved for use in the uk — margaret keenan became the first patient in the world to be vaccinated against coronavirus. on the 30th december — the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine was also approved for uk use — prompting a ramping up of the rollout across the country. the first dose of the oxford/astrazeneca was delivered on the 11th of january — that same day the government set the target to offer a vaccine to the top four priority groups by mid—february. on the 9th january — the queen and duke of edinburgh received their first dose of the vaccine. two days later —

the first mass vaccinations centre opened their doors. and by the start of the february — the rollout appeared to be on track as the uk hit the milestone of vaccinating 10 million people. earlier i spoke to professor andrew pollard — one of the lead scientists behind the oxford vaccine. he gave his reaction to the 15 million milestone. yes, absolutely fantastic we have reached this moment today. it is really important to celebrate the milestones because it represents this incredible effort in organisation and coordination by the nhs and all volunteers involved in this over the last few months. yes, an incredible moment. when you look at the polls of people in these high—risk groups and over the age of 70 or 80, most have said, "yes, we will take a vaccine, it is a good thing," a lot of them through that second world war generation. those figures don't always apply

to younger generations, do they? is that something that might concern you about people below that age group not taking up the vaccine? we are still rolling the vaccine out here, slowly stepping down to the over—65s and eventually down to the over—50s. these are all groups who are at much greater risk from coronavirus infection than younger people. it is absolutely right we target those groups first because that is what will have the biggest down pressure on the virus and problems we have with people getting seriously ill, and the deaths. but in the long run, there are many younger people who will also benefit from vaccination. we have seen many cases of younger people affected by the virus. it is just it is less common, but still devastating if someone is in their 40s or 30s or 20s and ends seriously ill.

we can speak now to professor paul hunter, an expert in health protection at the university of east anglia. good view on the programme, thank you. you must welcome the figure today. is it going to get much tougher going forward? it is today. is it going to get much tougher going forward? it is an incredible achievement - tougher going forward? it is an incredible achievement to - tougher going forward? it is an incredible achievement to get. tougher going forward? it is an l incredible achievement to get to tougher going forward? it is an - incredible achievement to get to 15 million so far and although we have still got a long way to go, the vaccine will be offered widely over the coming months and hopefully in the coming months and hopefully in the not—too—distant future we will have 30 million immunised and the more people that are immunised, the more people that are immunised, the more that will be protected against getting severe disease if and when there are quite —— they acquire the infection. there are quite -- they acquire the infection. , ., ., ., infection. the question marks over su -l , infection. the question marks over suwly. when _ infection. the question marks over suwly. when will— infection. the question marks over supply, when will we _ infection. the question marks over supply, when will we only - infection. the question marks over supply, when will we only had - infection. the question marks over supply, when will we only had two | infection. the question marks over. supply, when will we only had two or three vaccines will dissipate because we have more vaccines coming on track? , �* , .

because we have more vaccines coming on track? , ~ , ., ., , ., because we have more vaccines coming on track? , a . ., ., ., on track? yes. as far as i am aware, we have ordered _ on track? yes. as far as i am aware, we have ordered rather _ on track? yes. as far as i am aware, we have ordered rather more - on track? yes. as far as i am aware, | we have ordered rather more vaccine than we would ever use in this country so it some point we will become a net exporter vaccine and will be supplying vaccines to countries around the world because we put in orders early enough that we put in orders early enough that we could get large amounts of vaccine produced as early as we could and that will benefit notjust the uk but many of our neighbours and many countries in less well off parts of the world as well. the hotel quarantine _ parts of the world as well. the hotel quarantine starts at 40 m hotel quarantine starts at a0 m tomorrow, what are your fears just looking ahead? —— four mac am tomorrow. is there always that danger in your mind and other scientists about the new variant which will be able to beat this and

the research project still have to continue at the same breakneck speed to deal with this eventuality? indeed, but when you look at how other human coronaviruses evolved, they evolved slowly over time, certainly compared to influenza and each step is another step away from control, it generally is not that certain and not associated with a big increase in risk. as long as we have everyone vaccinated, yes we will have to deal with new variants and there is always the possibility that one of those new variants will be particularly severe, particularly more infectious, but in general, once we have got many people immunised, it will be a lot easier to cope with this incremental evolution of the virus because that is what happens with all the other human coronaviruses that ultimately

nowadays just because the common cold. i nowadays 'ust because the common cold. ., �* ~' ., nowadays 'ust because the common cold. ~' ., nowadays 'ust because the common cold. ~ ., ., cold. i don't know if you are able to hear cold. i don't know if you are able to hehr the _ cold. i don't know if you are able to hear the interview _ cold. i don't know if you are able to hear the interview with - cold. i don't know if you are able i to hear the interview with professor pollard beforehand, we were looking at the demographics and are seriously at risk groups, by and large are 98% take—up of the vaccine. most of those slip as you go down to the over 50s, our age group, is that a concern? yes. go down to the over 50s, our age group, is that a concern?- go down to the over 50s, our age group, is that a concern? yes, to a certain extent _ group, is that a concern? yes, to a certain extent but _ group, is that a concern? yes, to a certain extent but the _ group, is that a concern? yes, to a certain extent but the important i certain extent but the important thing about the vaccine is the more people who have it, they will be protected. we do not know how effective any of the vaccines will be in terms of reducing the spread of the disease, they will reduce the spread but not totally stop the spread but not totally stop the spread so this is the virus we will live with for years, decades to come. at the moment, the key issue is vaccinating most vulnerable people so they survive their first

natural infection without getting severely l. at that point, we will then know whether we have to modify vaccines for new variants, we will know then how likely we are to need to boost people for the vaccine but at the moment it is not clear but what is clear as protecting people who are vulnerable so that they actually survive their first infection. hopefully without even having to go into hospital. i think all of the vaccines do that very effectively. how long they will do that, we will have to wait and see as new invariants will definitely appear. as new invariants will definitely a- ear. , as new invariants will definitely auear. , , as new invariants will definitely auear. , ., as new invariants will definitely auear. ., ., appear. this could be an annual event. if appear. this could be an annual event- if you — appear. this could be an annual event. if you have _ appear. this could be an annual event. if you have the - appear. this could be an annual event. if you have the top - appear. this could be an annual event. if you have the top nine | event. if you have the top nine tiers vaccinated, that would account for 88% of all the deaths that have unfortunately happens as the pandemic cabin?— unfortunately happens as the pandemic cabin? unfortunately happens as the andemic cabin? . ., pandemic cabin? indeed. once we have not the pandemic cabin? indeed. once we have got the death — pandemic cabin? indeed. once we have got the death rate _ pandemic cabin? indeed. once we have

got the death rate down _ pandemic cabin? indeed. once we have got the death rate down to _ pandemic cabin? indeed. once we have got the death rate down to really - got the death rate down to really small numbers and the hospitalisation rates down to small numbers, we can focus on the test, track and trace app for identifying customers and responding to people who are vulnerable and might not have had the vaccine with prophylactic postexposure treatments that are also coming on stream. so evenif that are also coming on stream. so even if people have not had vaccine but with the new antibodies developed, we might be able to make sure their episode of infection is not lethal or does not require them to be taken into respiratory ventilation areas. smaller numbers mean it will be easier to manage those people even if they do not have the vaccine but the important thing is, the big protection is the vaccine and if you have not had the vaccine, you cannot rely on herd

immunity to protect you. you cannot rely on the fact that your neighbours have been vaccinated to stop you getting the infection, you need to have the vaccine itself to protect you from severe disease. professor hunter, as always, thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news. i mentioned about the quarantine hotels from 33 red list countries coming into effect at four o'clock in the morning tomorrow, there has been some debate, especially from heathrow saying they were not ready for the plans put in place by the border force to deal with the numbers. we havejust had an updated statement from heathrow about the quarantine hotels, a spokesman said we have been working hard for successful implementation of the policy. good progress has been made to address a number of issues but the key concern remains the ability of the border force to

cope with queues. recent queues of five hours are totally unacceptable. ministers need to ensure there is adequate resources and effective processing of the border force to avoid compromising the success of passengers which could never take the suspension of summarising flights. four o'clock in the morning is when it kicks in. we will be across all of it here on bbc news. meanwhile, the government is coming under pressure from a group of its own conservative backbench mps to speed up the route out of lockdown. the mps — known as the covid recovery group — want all legal restrictions on people's freedoms to be eased by may. but the foreign secretary dominc raab has rejected their call — he says easing the lockdown has to be done cautiously, and be based on the success of the vaccine in bringing down deaths and hospitalisations. here's our political correspondent nick eardley. scenes like these have

become eerily familiar. the centre of london, more like a disaster film than a thriving city. but as the number of cases and deaths falls and the number of people who have had a vaccine rises, the government is under pressure from some mps to start opening up again. we share all of the ambition and the desire to get out of this lockdown. we want to do it responsibly and safely and therefore, it's got to be based on the evidence, which is what we said from the outset. but you've got to be able to monitor it in real time, which is why i think saying what we are going to do with precision and as a guarantee by the end of april and beginning of may is difficult to do at this stage. 15 million most at risk in the uk have been offered a first dose of the vaccine. everyone over 50 will now be offered one by the end of april and some conservatives say that should be the point where all restrictions are lifted. it's not arbitrary at all, it's completely tied to the roll—out of the vaccination programme

and the fact that you are then protecting the most vulnerable people from death and serious disease from covid, from the fantastically successful vaccination programme the nhs has undertaken. there are slightly different plans in different parts of the uk, but for england, the prime minister will set out the roadmap out of lockdown a week on monday, the 22nd. ministers hope the schools will be able to reopen on the 8th of march. that is likely to be followed by more outdoor recreation. then nonessential shops would start to open again, followed by hospitality, pubs and restaurants serving again. some, though, have expressed frustration and say pubs should be allowed to open soon. we think we can open very safely for easter weekend. we understand, as i said, that there would be social restrictions in place, like there were injuly and we will absolutely administer those to the letter and we would ensure that we have a responsibility

for our customers and our staff. but there are warnings from some scientists that moving too quickly could risk a resurgence in the virus. there are political warnings, too. this lockdown has to be the final lockdown, by the way. the strategic aim is to do everything we can now, so we don't have to go back into a lockdown. parts of the economy will start to move again soon and, next week, we will find out more details of when. nick eardley, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. with 15 million now vaccinated — the goverment say they've hit their first covid vaccination target a day early. the prime minister is under pressure from some of his own mps to end covid restrictions by the end of april. government ministers however urge caution. president trump suggests he could make a political comeback after he's cleared

of his second impeachment trial. donald trump has hinted he could return to politics, after being acquitted in his second impeachment trial in the us senate. only 7 republicansjoined the democrats in voting to convict the former president, meaning the vote fell short of the two—thirds majority required. after the vote, mr trump said he plans to put forward what he called a �*vision fora bright, radiant and limitless american future�*. nomia iqbal reports from washington. ..donald john trump, former president of the united states, is not guilty as charged in the article of impeachment. this wasn�*t a typical trial, but it had an ending we all saw coming. nearly half of the jurors, the republican senators, had voted unsuccessfully to stop the trial from happening. the motion as agreed to... there was a plot twist when it looked like witnesses

may have been called, but soon the drama concluded, making it the fastest impeachment trial in history. at the heart of it all was the question, did the then president donald trump incite a violent mob to overturn the election results on january the 6th? mr mcconnell, not guilty. mr romney, guilty. only seven republicans said yes, along with 50 democrats. that was more republicans than expected. in this security footage video... democrats had spent three days presenting new, harrowing footage and audio showing how mr trump not only encouraged rioters, but backed them when the violence was happening. all the senators had been inside the capitol that day, including vice president mike pence and top democrat nancy pelosi. they were targeted by the mob and had to flee. what we saw in that senate today was a cowardly group of republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend theirjob.

a lot of her anger was directed at this man, top republican mitch mcconnell. there's no question, none, that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. we will never takei back our country... tough words, but he voted to acquit mr trump on a technicality, saying it was unconstitutional to remove a president who had already left office. in a lengthy statement, donald trump said the trial was a witch hunt and that his make america great again movement had only just begun. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. the prime minister has told cbs news that american democracy is strong following former us president donald trump�*s impeachment trial and acquittal on a charge of inciting insurrection against his own government. earlier i spoke to our political correspondent damien grammaticas about what the prime minister

has been saying. what he was asked was about his response to that, particularly given the fact that originally it was seen that borisjohnson had cultivated a fairly close relationship with president trump, closer certainly than other european leaders had done but then after those events in the capital had come out against them, so he was asked what his view was of the acquittal and this is what he said. i think the clear message that we get from the proceedings in america is that after all the toings and froings and all the kerfuffle, american democracy is strong, and the american constitution is strong and robust, and we are delighted now, i'm very delighted, to have a good

relationship with the white house, which is an important part of any uk prime minister's mission. i've had some good conversations already with president biden. fantastic conversations about the way he sees things. you know, there's been some important developments in the way that uk—us thinking has been coming together in the last few weeks. and particularly on issues like climate change, on nato, on iran. but above all on the ways that the us and the uk are going to work together to deal with the environmental challenge that faces our planet. and there i think some of the stuff we are now hearing from the new american administration, from the new white house, is incredibly encouraging. he was also asked about comments that mr biden had made last year in which he called borisjohnson the physical and emotional clone

of donald trump and asked whether he thought they were getting off on the wrong foot. he said no, they had had good phone conversation so far and looking forward to working together. onto other issues. china came up, maybe we�*ll talk about than a minute. in terms of what was happening with northern ireland, the northern ireland protocol, trade and brexit because again joe biden has often played up his irish roots and was quite critical about events there. yes, this is interesting because this could be a pressure point between the two sides, between the us administration and borisjohnson, particularly this question of how things are working out in northern ireland. mrjohnson saying recently he could even suspend parts of the deal in order to try to free up trade between great britain and northern ireland but president biden had said

absolutely nothing should be done to undermine the peace process. mrjohnson was pushed quite hard on that and in response he said, yes, this is fundamental, those agreements for the northern ireland peace process are crucial, indicating he is very aware of that pressure. and it does pay down on him. president biden doesn�*t want you to put that peace agreement in northern ireland at risk at all, he has made that clear, that border needs to stay open and you need to adhere to that eu, uk agreement from december. can you commit and reassure the us congress and us president that you would do so in all circumstances, stick to that agreement? you bet. this is fundamental for us. the anglo—irish agreement, the peace agreement, the good friday process, the belfast agreement, these agreements are absolutely crucial. and the northern ireland protocol. they are crucial to the continued

stability and success as a united kingdom. i have a great relationship with dublin, micheal martin, the irish taoiseach and we will work together to do some great things. be in no doubt, we don't want to do anything to jeopardise the achievements of the northern irish peace process. that is absolutely vital. america and uk of course, back in the pandemic, our vaccine roll out slightly better than the states at the moment. they are not too far behind though. what about the new relationship with china, the fact the who investigation was not given access to all areas. this is another interesting investigation because the biden administration has raised questions about how forthcoming the chinese administration is, the early data,

the source of the pandemic, can they focus in on finding that in china and whether it was there and their complaints about china�*s co—operation with that. mrjohnson was pushed on that and did he agree that china was obscuring what happened? at the end he said i thoroughly support what biden has said about that. so again being pushed in that relationship and showing that he wants that close relationship with the us. freezing temperatures in the netherlands have caused canals to ice over, meaning there are hopes the world�*s biggest skating competition on natural ice might go ahead. but coronavirus restrictions mean it�*s a politically charged issue as anna holligan reports. every formation brings hope the legendary race might just take place. everybody who skates, it�*s their dream to do it. you are talking about the elfstedentocht, yes. when you are skating in holland, you have to skate 11 city tours.

i've skated it three times, in 1985, '86 and 1997. 1997 was the last elfstedentocht. this was 1963. 10,000 skaters competed but brutal temperatures meant only 69 finished. the event attracts millions of spectators. the ice must be 15 centimetres thick across the 200 kilometre route. even if those climate conditions are met, the dutch covid guidance remains. 1.5 metres social distancing, essential travel only and a ban on mass gatherings. but professional athletes are still allowed to train and compete under certain conditions and there are calls for elfstedentocht to go ahead with competitors only in a natural ice bubble. this year is even more special because of the covid, of course. we can�*t go on holidays as much as we do, we can�*t go out. it is a perfect thing right now.

why is that? nobody wants to get the blame if something goes wrong. but even this is already unique, just to dream about it is even fun. the discussion has turned into a culture war this year, as the anti—lockdown populace argue elfstedentocht should be allowed, while the health and skating experts have advised it�*s impossible without the risk of breaking the covid rules. what began as a means of transportation, utilising the extensive waterways to keep the country moving during winter, today offers a rare opportunity to get out and indulge in something they love — together. why are we so passionate? it�*s part of who we are. we grew up with it. from the time we can walk, we are on the ice if it�*s there. here, in schipluiden, they couldn�*t wait to get their skates on. and scenes like these are replicated right across the netherlands, generations of skaters making

the most of what they�*ve got before it�*s gone. anna holligan, bbc news, schipluiden. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello there. last week was characterised by extreme cold weather across parts of the uk. a reminder that braemar got down to —23 celsius, the lowest february temperature for over 60 years in the uk. meanwhile, earlierthis morning we had some pretty nasty freezing rain. look at all this ice plastered over this sheet of glass. and earlier today, still digging out the roads in scotland, some massive snowdrifts still causing problems out on some of the lanes. makes it all the more surprising that as we head into next weekend, some of us will be looking at temperatures as high as 17 celsius.

yes, the weather is going to be turning much milder and the process of the mild air arriving is happening right behind this weather front. meanwhile, this hook of cloud just going past northern ireland will bring some very strong winds into western scotland, where i reckon the hebrides will see gusts of around 75 mph. potentially disruptive winds here, then, and it will be quite blustery for many of us as we head into the first part of the night, as our band of rain continues its journey across the midlands, southern and eastern areas of england. later in the night, probably quite a lot of cloud around, some mist and hill fog patches and certainly some showers coming back into northern ireland and scotland. it will be a mild night, temperatures a—10 celsius. looking at the weather picture through the week ahead, it�*s one of those weeks where we will see day to day temperature variations. however, often we will have south—westerly winds, so often the weather is going to be pretty mild. monday, we start off with cloud and rain across east anglia and south—east england.

that will clear out of the way. showers for northern ireland, the north of both england and wales and scotland too. some of the showers quite heavy here, actually. but it will be a very mild day with temperatures widely10—1a c, on tuesday, another cold front bringing some rain across the country. it does turn a little bit less mild, if you like, with these showers around on tuesday. 10—11 c widely, still well above average for the time of year. but probably the warmest weather will be as we head into next weekend, where for some of us temperatures will reach the dizzy heights of 17 degrees as we get the air coming up from north africa and spain. we are looking at highs of 7—9 c, there might be wintriness mixed in with rain over the higher mountains in scotland. friday, south—westerly winds pumping in across the country

by bringing further falls of rain. quite windy at times. temperatures through the afternoon reaching highs of 11 and 13 celsius. into the weekend, it becomes extremely mild for february. we will start to drop more of a southerly flow of wind which will drop more warm air from north africa and spain. push it across to western europe and into parts of the united kingdom as well. so saturday and sunday particularly across parts of eastern england we will see temperatures as high as 17 degrees but it will be pretty mild for most of us. 17 way above—average for most of us. 17 way above—average for that time of year and the warmth will last until sunday. the weekend is completely different, gone is the severe cold, turning out as we head into the weekend.

more than 15 million people in the uk have been given their first covid—19 vaccine, just over two months since the programme started. in england, the top four priority groups have now been offered the vaccine. the prime minister said overall it was an extraordinary feat. i want to thank each and every person who has helped make it happen. you can be incredibly proud of the part you�*ve played. we�*ll be looking at which groups are next in line for the vaccine. also this evening... don�*t count me out of politics just yet, donald trump�*s message after his impeachment acquittal over riots at the capitol. to navalny with love — supporters of the jailed russian opposition leader protest with flowers on valentine�*s day. and captain root is swept aside —

as india take complete control of the second test against england. good evening. a day ahead of schedule, the government has reached its target of giving a first dose of coronavirus vaccine to 15 million people. in england, everyone in the top four priority groups has now been offered a firstjab. the prime minister praised a truly nationwide effort and said everybody who�*d helped meet the target, from nhs staff to volunteers, should be incredibly proud. the success of the vaccination programme has seen growing pressure for a clearer road map out of lockdown, and a return to some kind of normality — including from some of mrjohnson�*s own mps. here�*s our political correspondentjonathan blake.

lining up in lancashire for the coronavirus vaccine — some of those getting their first jab today, and taking the total number to be offered an injection to 15 million across the uk. this country has achieved an extraordinary feat... in a video posted online, the prime minister confirmed that government had met its target of offering the four most vulnerable groups in england theirfirst jab by mid february. it has been a truly national, uk wide effort. we�*ve done it together. and i want to thank each and every person who has helped make it happen. you can be incredibly proud of the part you played. hi, my name is libby. i'll do your vaccination today. the aim now is to offer everyone under 50 a first injection by the end of april. then, some conservative mps argue, all legal restrictions should and. then, some conservative mps argue, all legal restrictions should end. it�*s completely tied to the roll—out of vaccination programme.

and the fact that you are then protecting the most vulnerable people from death and serious disease, from covid, from the fantastically successful vaccination programme the nhs has undertaken. while the pressure to lift the lockdown is on, as the vaccination programme continues apace, ministers are urging caution until the impact of the vaccines is clear. we share all of the ambition and the desire to get out of this lockdown. we want to do it responsibly and safely. and therefore, it�*s got to be based on the evidence. which is, of course, what we said from the outset. the prime minister is due to give details of a roadmap out of lockdown in england a week on monday, the 22nd of february. schools are expected to open to all pupils on the 8th of march. next, more outdoor recreation is likely to be allowed, followed by more shops being able to open and, finally, hospitality venues. but some in that industry are eager to start trading soon. we think we can open very safely for easter weekend.

we understand, as i said, that there will be social restrictions in place, like they were injuly. and we will absolutely administer those to the letter. and we will ensure that we�*ve got a responsibility for our customers and our staff. although there is urgency from businesses badly affected, there are risks if the government acts too soon. this lockdown has to be the final lockdown, by the way. the strategic aim is to do everything we can now, so we don�*t have to go back into a lockdown. there will be no shortage of speculation in the coming days about how and when a return to normal may come. but the stakes are still high. jonathan blake, bbc news. so, having reached the first major vaccination target, how does the roll—out proceed from here, and who is next in line forthejab? our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. from margaret keenan in december, the first person to be vaccinated, to less than ten weeks later, 15 million people have had theirfirst dose.

so, who will be vaccinated next, and when? the next stage starts with 65—69—year—olds. that�*s nearly 3 million people. and those with underlying health conditions, an estimated 7 million. next up, it�*s 2 million 60—6a—year—olds. and then the 5 million 50—59—year—olds. that�*s a total of more than 17 million people who will be offered vaccines by the end of april. then, for phase two, another 21 million people, the rest of the adult population, should be vaccinated by the autumn. more than 1 million over—65s have already been sent letters this weekend, and some areas have even started delivering jabs. it�*s an indication of the different demographics of different parts of the country. obviously certain populations will have much higher proportions of those people who are over 70 or housebound, and that will take longer. in my practice, in north london, we are vaccinating already those people over 60 and 65.

people with some medical conditions are also being invited. these include chronic lung disease, down syndrome, diabetes, some cancers and morbid obesity. so, how will we know if vaccination is working? it�*s likely that in about a week�*s time we may well see the beginnings of an effect in hospitalisations, particularly in older people, relative to the changes in younger people. cases is going to be a little bit less clear, i think, because the vaccine doesn�*t necessarily stop mild cases. in the coming weeks, could there be any problems? there will be some bumps in supply, with pfizer overhauling its factory in belgium. new variants could also pose a problem, and booster shots may be needed to improve immunity. covid levels in the uk are still high, but vaccination should soon make a difference, helping us map a path out of lockdown.

rebecca morelle, bbc news. let�*s have a look at the latest government figures now and there were nearly 11,000 new infections recorded in the latest 2a—hour period. an average of 13,200 new cases were recorded per day in the last week. 23,3a1 people are in hospital with coronavirus across the uk. in the last 2a hours, 258 deaths have been recorded, that�*s people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. 672 deaths were announced on average every day in the past week. the total number of people who�*ve died isjust over 117,000. as we�*ve heard, the government has met its first target for the vaccination programme. over half a million people had a first dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 2a hour period, which takes the number of people who have now had their firstjab

to more than 15 million. donald trump has hinted that he could return to politics, after being acquitted in his second impeachment trial in the us senate. only seven republicans joined the democrats in voting to convict the former president, meaning the vote fell short of the required two—thirds majority. after the verdict, mr trump said the movement to "make america great again" had onlyjust begun. nomia iqbal reports from washington. the yeas are 57, the nays are a3. more than 2a hours after donald trump was cleared of inciting a mob, the reaction was swift. much like his trial. it was nancy pelosi, the top democrat, who had been a target of the rioters that day. what we saw in that senate today was a cowardly group of republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend theirjob. the prime minister boris johnson also weighed in.

i think the clear message we get from the proceedings in america is that after all the toing and froings, and all the kerfuffle, american democracy is strong. but as for the man himself, no public appearance, just a statement. there was no mention of january the 6th, and his acquittal, thanks to a7 republican senators, cements the enduring power he holds over the party. it means he could run for office again in 202a. party. it means he could run for office again in 2024.— party. it means he could run for office again in 2024. spoke to him last night--- _ office again in 2024. spoke to him last night... one _ office again in 2024. spoke to him last night... one of— office again in 2024. spoke to him last night... one of his _ office again in 2024. spoke to him last night... one of his closest - last night... one of his closest allies is republican _ last night... one of his closest allies is republican lindsey - last night... one of his closest - allies is republican lindsey graham, who says mr trump will have influence over the midterm elections, which are only two years away. he elections, which are only two years awa . , . , elections, which are only two years awa . , ., , ., ., elections, which are only two years awa. , ._ ., ., ., elections, which are only two years awa. , ., ., ., ., away. he is ready to move on and rebuild the _ away. he is ready to move on and rebuild the republican _ away. he is ready to move on and rebuild the republican party. - away. he is ready to move on and rebuild the republican party. hel away. he is ready to move on and| rebuild the republican party. he is

excited about 2022. but rebuild the republican party. he is excited about 2022.— rebuild the republican party. he is excited about 2022. but mr trump's le . al woes excited about 2022. but mr trump's legal woes are _ excited about 2022. but mr trump's legal woes are not _ excited about 2022. but mr trump's legal woes are not over. _ excited about 2022. but mr trump's legal woes are not over. the - excited about 2022. but mr trump's legal woes are not over. the state l legal woes are not over. the state of georgia and new york are conducting criminal investigations into his actions, that could threaten his finances and possibly his freedom. threaten his finances and possibly his freedom-— threaten his finances and possibly his freedom. ., , _ ., �*, his freedom. happy valentine's day. there was also _ his freedom. happy valentine's day. there was also a _ his freedom. happy valentine's day. there was also a statement - his freedom. happy valentine's day. there was also a statement from - his freedom. happy valentine's day. | there was also a statement from the actual sitting president, that felt like a speech. mr biden called the riots a sad chapter and that democracy was fragile. this trial was about donald trump a�*s attempt to stop joe was about donald trump a�*s attempt to stopjoe biden from occupying the house behind me. and although he has been acquitted, his efforts failed. this is joe been acquitted, his efforts failed. this isjoe biden�*s white house. and he doesn�*t want his legacy to be about the man he defeated, but about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that he has promised this country he will beat. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. in russia, valentine�*s day has seen more protests in support of the jailed opposition leader, alexei navalny. women took to the streets with flowers — and perhaps because of the nature of the protest — there was no repeat of the violence and arrests

of previous demonstations, as our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford reports. the cold was toe—numbing in moscow today. but these women defied the frost and their fear to turn out for a valentine�*s day protest. they called it a chain of solidarity and love, and they carried flowers, not placards. but the hearts were black, in memory of all the russian women detained and persecuted because of their politics. i want to support all these women, and all these prisoners. there are some of my acquaintances in prison. we hoped that today there wasn't to be so many arrests. because we are here for love. not for struggle. the numbers here are not huge, but the message the women are sending is a strong one. about the right to political, peaceful protest, and for an end to arrests of people just

for expressing their views. today�*s protest was inspired by alexei navalny�*s gesture to his wife in court. yulia was there as the opposition politician was sentenced to almost three years behind bars. that ruling brought crowds onto the streets last month, chanting for navalny�*s freedom. there were the biggest protests against president putin for years. and the response was tough. thousands detained and dozens facing serious criminal charges. the kremlin calls the rallies illegal, fomented by the west, it says, to weaken russia. so, navalny�*s team have switched tack. across russia tonight, his supporters are forming torchlit hearts in their own backyards, peaceful and police—proof. they want to show that the protests have moved off the streets

for now, but haven�*t faded. sarah rainsford, bbc news. now with all the sport here�*s karthi gnanasegaram at the bbc sports centre. hello reeta, thank you. it was not a good day for england�*s cricketers, bowled out in their first innings for 13a on a deteriorating pitch in chennai. and with india on 5a for one in their second innings, the hosts have a lead of 2a9 as they head towards victory in the second test. joe wilson reports. sum up sunday in chennai? well, that. england began 329 behind. rory burns — 0—1. but what happens ifjoe root fails — like this? out for six. axar patel�*s first test wicket. now the crowd seemed closer than ever. pitch bare, ball spinning, fielders crowding and dan lawrence falling. problems — serious problems. ben stokes, bowled. ravichandran ashwin, masterful in india.

captain kohli conducted the fans — listen! cheering real noise. while rishabh pant flew to get ollie pope. ben foakes steered and survived — an honourable a2 not out. but ashwin�*s fifth wicket meant 13a all out. india batting again, rohit sharma—style. the lead, to 2a9, and for them, just a perfect day. joe wilson, bbc news. there have been some fascinating encounters in this year�*s rugby union six nations. and today saw another with france in full flow but onlyjust beating ireland 15 points to 13. ben croucher has the details. some fresh faces to answer island�*s increasingly anguished call. a valentine�*s day withoutjohnny sexton and other experienced heads. the new guard will not have loved a

first half in which tournament favourites france lived up to that time. but you can�*t get too far ahead of yourself in international rugby. one step ahead of the opposition is often enough, though, as ireland continued to play catch—up. from behind, spot him, thatis catch—up. from behind, spot him, that is ronan kelaher. the twinkle toes dancing down the touchline and over the try line. hope. toes dancing down the touchline and overthe try line. hope. ross toes dancing down the touchline and over the try line. hope. ross burns�* right foot, kicking ireland closer still. two points in it. the romantic fairy tale comeback? not en france�*s watch. sealed with a kick. today, they started shoulder to shoulder. now the six nations already looks out of island�*s reach. and croucher, bbc news. manchester united have moved above leicester city into second place in the premier league after a 1—1 draw with west bromwich albion. pierre emerick aubemayang scored his first premier league hat trick as arsenal were a—2 winners over leeds. while wolves beat southampton 2—1. celtic beat saintjohnstone 2—1 in the scottish premiership. two goals in two minutes from odsonn edouard means second

placed celtic are 18 points behind leaders rangers. and on the bbc sport website, there�*s news of novak djokovic�*s fourth round win at tennis�*s australian open. reeta. that�*s it. we�*re back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one it�*s time for the news where you are. goodbye. hello. this is bbc news. let�*s return to the news

that the government says that everyone in england in the first four priority groups has now been offered a coronavirus vaccine. that group includes everybody over the age of 70, and those classed as "clinically extremely vulnerable". it comes as, across the uk, 15 million people have now received their first dose of the vaccine. from tomorrow, roll—out is now being expanded to include over—65s, and those deemed clinically vulnerable. it�*s ten weeks since the firstjab was given. and chris hopson, the chief executive of nhs providers, has been giving his reaction to today�*s news. these ten weeks have been the busiest in the nhs�* 72—year history. we have had to set up a nationwide network of fully staffed vaccination centres. we have had to do it when the weather has been against us, and we have had to do it at a point where we have had really much more lumpy supply of vaccines in terms of them not arriving in the volumes and times we expected.

so it is fantastic, it is amazing. we are incredibly proud in the nhs of what has been achieved. and at a time when nhs staff are exhausted, and have already been through months, a year nearly, of this pandemic. just talk us through the actual logistics. you have had to recruit a lot of volunteers as well, how time—consuming has that been, and how fast is the pick—up on that? it is an incredibly complex logistical chain of delivery. we have to get the vaccines in from the manufacturers. they come into a central warehouse. you have got to get vaccines out straightaway on to the front line for use the following day. they have to be stored at very precise temperatures or else they are rendered ineffective. we then have to make sure we have staff available in dedicated facilities that are separate from many health care facilities, so there is no danger of cross

infection from patients with covid. we have to make sure all the staff are in place. they have to be properly trained. we then have to make sure the people who are the right people come forward for the vaccinations, they have to be met and greeted. they go inside to be vaccinated. we have to get their consent to make sure people fully understand what it is they are doing and they have no conditions that might mean they are at risk, although there are very, very small numbers of that. we then have to administer the vaccinations, and make sure people, there is no adverse reaction for 15 minutes afterwards. and do all the paperwork to get on to the computer system so we know exactly who has been vaccinated so we can proudly tell you 15 million people have been vaccinated and give you more information tomorrow about how many in each of those priority groups has been vaccinated. i have to tell you this is an extraordinary logistical effort right the way across the nhs.

and the thing that particularly i would want to point to is the fact we have had really short—notice changes. because the vaccines have not been arriving in the way we expected. there have been fantastic stories of people working through the night to make sure because they have an extra tray of doses they were not expecting, to make sure all those are used up the following day. so, hey, yet again, when the nation wanted and needed the nhs to deliver, we have delivered. if you don�*t mind, i think we are incredibly proud of that. did you think you could do it? if you go back, if you really go back to the news coverage around the fourth, fifth, sixth, 7th, 8th of december, and you assess how confident people were, you will find actually people were really hedging. they were saying, this is currently really difficult. this will be complicated.

because of that complexity of that logistical chain i have described, because, as you said, we had exhausted, fatigued staff. and we had a guess we were about to go through this enormous covid peak where we have had 3a,000 people, covid patients in hospitals, compared to the 19,000 in the first phase. if you look at that coverage, you will find people were cautious. that makes the achievement all the greater. because we know it has been delivered at a really difficult time. so far, so good. "lumpy" supply i think is the word you used and government ministers were using as well. how confident are you this can be continued? because the regional supply is interesting, because not all regions are getting the same supplies when they necessarily need it. just to take that last point.

we have deliberately, the central team has been throttling supply, measuring the supply carefully to each region to enable us to exactly and precisely avoid a postcode lottery. there is another degree of complexity in the logistical chain. if you have been far ahead, for example, the north east earlier on, they have had slightly less vaccine to enable everyone else catch up. in terms of the next phases, we have to go through the next five groups. but here is a good sign how well we are doing. if you remember when we first talked about the total, the nine in total, we were talking about the end of may being the deadline by which that would be done. we are now talking about the end of april, a whole month earlier, that will mean more lives saved, less patient harm, because the nhs has been working so effectively. the issue, and this is really interesting,

is if we are going to have to go for annual booster vaccination campaigns, as people are talking about, that will be a really interesting challenge for the nhs because, actually, the workforce model we are using at the moment is we are pulling people off their ordinary work. this morning i have written an article for the financial times where i have said, if we are going to do an annual booster vaccination campaign, we will have to give the nhs more funding, and we will have to ensure the nhs has more people in order to do everything that it needs to do. we are going to have to ensure the nhs is sustainable, to carry on dealing with covid over probably a number of years. hello there. our weather is going to turn increasingly mild over the next 2a hours, but as it does so, we�*ve got some rain and some strong winds to come from this area of low pressure. this hook of cloud just going past northern ireland will bring some particularly strong winds, i think, to the hebrides

in western scotland, where gusts of wind will probably reach about 75mph, so there is the risk of some disruption here from the strong winds. outbreaks of rain and fairly windy conditions, though, with us for most areas of the uk as we go into this evening, and indeed overnight, those winds will very slowly ease down. there will be further showers later in the night for northern ireland and western scotland. and it�*s going to be a mild night — i�*ve not said that for many weeks — a—10 celsius, something like that. monday starts off on a rather damp note across east anglia and south—east england, with some rain slow to clear away. showers follow to northern ireland, north of both england and wales, and across scotland. there will probably be quite a bit of cloud around, maybe a few mist and hill fog patches, but it will be mild.

this is bbc news, i�*m shaun ley — the headlines at seven. with 15 million now vaccinated — the goverment says it�*s hit the first covid vaccination target a day early. the prime minister is under pressure from some of his own mps to end covid restrictions by the end of april. ministers urge caution. anger in myanmar as armoured vehicles appear on the streets of yangon — there are reports of an overnight internet blackout. president trump, cleared at his second impeachment trial suggests he could make a political comeback.