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 tonight... harry and meghan announce they're overjoyed to be expecting their second child. 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. the uk has hit a major milestone, with more than 15 million people given their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. in england, everyone in the top four priority groups has now been offered a firstjab — that's a day ahead of the scheduled target. the prime minister praised a truly nationwide effort and said everybody who'd contributed — from nhs staff to volunteers — should be "incredibly proud". the success of the vaccination programme has led to 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 the 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 have 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 have played. with vaccinations in full flow, the prime minister has promised a road out of lockdown in england a week tomorrow, the 22nd of february. the government wants schools 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. this with the aim now to offer everyone over 50 their firstjab by the end of april, some argue all legal restrictions should end by then. it is completely tied to the roll—out of the vaccination programme and the fact 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. in the industries worst affected there is an urgency to start trading soon. we there is an urgency to start trading soon. ~ u, there is an urgency to start trading soon, ~ there is an urgency to start trading soon. ~ .,, , there is an urgency to start trading soon. i“, , there is an urgency to start trading soon. , , ., soon. we can open very safely for easter weekend. _ soon. we can open very safely for easter weekend. we _ soon. we can open very safely for easter weekend. we understand i soon. we can open very safely for- easter weekend. we understand there would be social restrictions in place like they were injuly and we would absolutely administer those to the letter, and we would ensure that we have got a responsibility for our

customers and for staff.— customers and for staff. some conservative _ customers and for staff. some conservative mps _ customers and for staff. some conservative mps are - customers and for staff. some conservative mps are growing| conservative mps are growing increasingly frustrated and want firm commitments from the prime minister about when restrictions will lifted. although borisjohnson can't ignore the political pressure from his own party, the risks of opening things up too soon seem to be weighing more heavily and, for now the watchword in government is caution, untilthe now the watchword in government is caution, until the impact of the vaccines becomes clear. political opponents will be the first to accuse boris johnson opponents will be the first to accuse borisjohnson of easing restrictions before coronavirus is contained. , restrictions before coronavirus is contained-— restrictions before coronavirus is contained. , ., contained. this lockdown has to be the final lockdown, _ contained. this lockdown has to be the final lockdown, by _ contained. this lockdown has to be the final lockdown, by the - contained. this lockdown has to be the final lockdown, by the way. - contained. this lockdown has to be| the final lockdown, by the way. the strategic aim is to do everything we can now that we don't have to go back into lockdown.— can now that we don't have to go back into lockdown. whilst seizing on the success _ back into lockdown. whilst seizing on the success of— back into lockdown. whilst seizing on the success of the _ back into lockdown. whilst seizing on the success of the vaccination i on the success of the vaccination programme so far, the prime minister acknowledged there was much more work to do, and that a return to normal is still some way off. 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 having 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 is 2 million 60—61i—year—olds, 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 a million over—65s have been sent letters this weekend. in some areas, they 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 who are 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�*s syndrome, diabetes, some cancers and morbid obesity. so, how will we know if vaccination is working? the best place to look is israel. it has inoculated more of its population than anywhere else in the world. and hospitalisations of those who were vaccinated first, the over—60s, are falling much faster than other groups. so, when could we see an impact on the uk? in about a week's time, we may well see the beginnings of an effect in hospitalisations, particularly in older people, relative to changes in younger people. there will be cases.

it's 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 cause a problem, and booster shots might be needed to improve immunity. covid levels in the uk are still high. but vaccination should soon still 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 24—hour period, that's the lowest since october. an average of 13,200 new cases were recorded per day in the last week. 23,341 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 is just over 117,000. as we've heard, the government has reached a significant milestone in its 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. from tomorrow, travellers arriving in england from a list of 33 high—risk covid—19 countries will have to quarantine in a government—approved hotel for ten days. it will cost them over £1,700 and people who break the rules risk fines of up to £10,000. let's go now to our correspondent katy austin, who is outside

the department of health for us. are the travel industry and immigration staff ready for this? the union representing immigration staff say there is a lack of clarity around some of the policy being implemented at the border, heathrow which is expected to handle most passengers arriving from affected country says it is worried about whether the border force will go, with queues building up and incoming flights having to be delayed. the home office says it has maintain staffing levels at heathrow throughout the pandemic and people should only be travelling when it is really strictly necessary. the government thinking behind introducing this hotel quarantine policy is an extra layer of security against new variants of coronavirus. it has secured ten hotels for the purpose, although that number could expand, and while people are staying there, they will have to take two covid tests during that ten day

period. and our health editor hugh pym is with me. a big day, but there is still some light and shade? yes, it is a huge achievement by the nhs. rememberthat yes, it is a huge achievement by the nhs. remember that the oxford astrazeneca vaccine was only given regulatory approval at the end of december, and the roll—out of that one started injanuary december, and the roll—out of that one started in january the december, and the roll—out of that one started injanuary the 4th. the prime minister only set the target then. there was the issue of changing the second dose from three weeks to 12 weeks. that was yet more logistical challenges. 0n weeks to 12 weeks. that was yet more logistical challenges. on top of all that, the huge pressure on hospitals throughout january, that, the huge pressure on hospitals throughoutjanuary, and that, the huge pressure on hospitals throughout january, and still there with covid patient numbers, all of that the nhs in different parts of the uk had to cope with with some support from the military as well. there are still some question marks. we don't know what percentage of nhs and care home staff have had the vaccines. certainly in england although scotland and wales have provided some figures. they were in the top four groups. the roll—out for the next five begins this coming

week with the over 65 is, and over, then the clinically vulnerable, but again more details been looked for in that group of people with underlying health conditions. who exactly will qualify and, for example, for those with asthma, there has been a slightly tighter definition put out about who qualifies. people with severe asthma, and others, feeling that they would like more clarity on who is going to qualify. they would like more clarity on who is going to qualify-— they would like more clarity on who is going to qualify. thank you, hugh ' m. a woman who accused scotland's former first minister alex salmond of sexual assault has said it has become "much harder" for women to make complaints in the aftermath of his acquittal in a criminal trial last year. the woman — who can't be named for legal reasons — has told the bbc that an ongoing inquiry by members of the scottish parliament has become so political, she's finding it "more traumatic" than the trial. here's our scotland political editor, glenn campbell. when alex salmond was cleared of all charges, he hinted

at a political plot against him. that information, those facts and that evidence will see the light of day. as he has pursued claims of a conspiracy, those who testified against him you they are being implicated. prompting one of the women to speak out. her voice and appearance have been changed to protect her identity. it is utterly absurd to suggest that nine women could be persuaded to lie to the police, to perjure themselves in court. mr salmond was acquitted of 13 sexual assault charges. by then, he'd won a separate case against the scottish government, challenging the process it used to investigate earlier harassment complaints against him. a holyrood committee is investigating the mistakes the scottish government made. the woman i've spoken to think it has become too political.

it's actually, in many ways, more traumatic than the experience of the high court trial. more traumatic? i think so, because you actually now have, what was a glimmer of hope in the committee, thinking that they could be impartial, instead, what has happened is they have taken your very personal experiences and they have exploited them for their own self—serving political interests. it was obviously a big decision for you to make a complaint. do you think that women are more or less likely to do that now than they were before all of this? much less likely. i think that this has made it much harderfor women to be believed, and for women to be able to come forward. the committee convener�*s offered a personal apology for any hurt the inquiry has caused and the hope that it will lead to

better protection for women. what started with complaints about alex salmond is now heavily focused on how his successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon, and her administration mishandled those original complaints. the inquiry expects to call both politicians to give evidence in the next few weeks, before holyrood breaks for the election. glenn campbell, bbc news. the duke and duchess of sussex have announced tonight that they are expecting their second child. i'm joined now by our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. happy news for them. particularly after the miscarriage when megan wrote about the unbearable grief of losing a child. they looked happy in the black—and—white photograph that i have released to accompany the news, barefoot among the apple blossom, harry at and this news comes 72 hours after they heard that they

have won the privacy case against the mail on sunday so it was a double celebration. the royal family are said to be delighted and they have sent a couple their good wishes. this will be the queen's tenth or 11th great—grandchild. that depends on whether zara phillips has a baby before the sussex baby in the summer. the sussex baby will almost certainly be born in the united states. it will therefore almost certainly be a citizen of the united states, notwithstanding that it will be a thin line, boy or gill, to the throne of the united kingdom. —— it will be eighth in line, boy or girl. armoured vehicles have appeared on the streets of several major cities in myanmar. the military is moving to consolidate power after its coup two weeks ago. ambassadors from the us, the eu, britain and other western countries

have issued a joint statement urging the army not to harm protesters. 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 this evening supporters across the country lit torches and candles, some forming heart shapes in the snow of their courtyards. there was no repeat of the violence and arrests of previous demonstrations, 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 of the russian woman detained and persecuted because of their politics. i want to support all these women and all these prisoners, and some of my acquaintances being in prison also. we hope that today, it was not

going to be so many arrests, because we are here for love. not for struggle. the numbers here are not huge, but the message that these 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. they 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 formed heart shapes in the snow in their own backyards, a protest both peaceful and riot police—proof. they then flooded social media with the images. filip and ignat came out tonight, too. they were both arrested last month at the first street rally for navalny. locked in the same police van, they then shared a cell for ten days. undeterred, theyjoined a flashmob in filip's yard. we want to feel free, we want to say our opinions. we would like to change something, yeah. but you don't feel free now? no. so the protests have moved off russia's deep—frozen streets for now. but it seems the protest mood hasn't faded here. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. with all the sport now, here's karthi gnanasegaram at the bbc sport centre.

hello, reeta. day three of the second test between england and india starts in a few hours' time, but england need to make a remarkable comeback to avoid defeat. they were bowled out for 134 in their first innings on a deteriorating pitch in chennai and india now have a lead of 249 as they head towards victory. 0ur correspondentjoe wilson has been watching. 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 0llie pope. ben foakes steered and survived — an honourable 42 not out. but ashwin�*s fifth wicket meant 134 all out. india batting again, rohit sharma—style. the lead, to 249, and for them, just a perfect day. joe wilson, bbc news. this year's rugby union six nations has provided some thoroughly entertaining encounters. and today saw another with france going top of the table after a narrow 15 points to 13 win over ireland. ben croucher reports. some fresh faces to answer ireland'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 tag. 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, that is ronan kelleher. the hooker�*s twinkle 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 on france's watch. sealed with a kick. today, they started shoulder to shoulder. now the six nations already looks out of ireland's reach. ben croucher, bbc news. it's time to pop out of the room if you don't want to know today's football results, as match of the day 2 and sportscene follow soon on bbc one. pierre emerick aubemayang scored his first premier league hat—trick as arsenal were 4—2 winners over leeds. aubemayang was praised by his manager, mikel arteta, who said he is key to their success. manchester united have moved above leicester city into second place after a 1—1 draw

with west bromwich albion. wolverhampton wanderers beat southampton 2—1. and fulham had a 2—0 win over everton. celtic beat stjohnstone 2—1 in the scottish premiership. two goals in two minutes from 0dsonne edouard means second—placed celtic are 18 points behind leaders rangers, with a game in hand. there's more on the bbc sport website including today's australian open use with rafa nadal facing italy's fabio fognini. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye.

hello. this is bbc news. 15 million people in the uk have had theirfirst dose of coronavirus vaccine. borisjohnson says jabs have been offered to everyone in the top four priority groups in england —

that's all those aged 70 and over, care home staff and residents, and the clinically extremely vulnerable. he said there would be "bumps in the road" but we could "go forward with great confidence". dr nikita kanani is medical director of primary care for nhs england. she spoke to my colleague tim willcox about the significance of today's milestone. we have had a very, very difficult year, but this moment that we have just come to really shows how incredible our colleagues, our staff have been up and down the country to roll out this programme as quickly and as safely as possible. and logistically, i mean, many people did not think it would be possible, did they? just give us a clue and some ideas about how hard people have been working, many of whom of course will have been exhausted from the past 12 months of dealing on the front line anyway. yes, absolutely. so, people will have been

dealing with a pandemic and subsequent waves, they will have been dealing with winter, and i can tell you that they have been working genuinely day and night — behind—the—scenes and in front of the scenes — to make sure that the vaccine programme moves at pace, and really that we get the people protected that we need to. and yet some groups have not been taking up the vaccine, as you presumably would hope, and they include people from bame backgrounds. i know you have been tasked, haven't you, with leading a health commission or investigation into that? what are you going to do specifically about that problem? we are already working really hard with local communities to build trust and confidence in the vaccine. so, for example, we have got stories around the country of different groups who have been working with local health services and local authorities to make sure that the vaccine is accessible. so this is about access

to the vaccine and confidence about taking it, so getting rid of any of the misinformation out there, showing that it is something that is safe and important to have. we have had a fantastic uptake from people who have taken buses into the community, to local temples and mosques, and said, you know, "this is safe. come together, let's make sure that we take the vaccine and protect our community." so we are already working with faith leaders and community leaders to make sure that people feel confident that, when they get offered the vaccine, they can take it up. is there are also an argument perhaps to actually create vaccination centres in religious buildings, in temples and mosques? well, we have over 1500 different ways you can get vaccinated around the country, so the bulk are your general practice teams who lead local vaccination services, we have community pharmacies, hospital teams, and mass vaccination centres, but many of those have been reaching

into communities and we now have nearly 200 sites that have popped up in community centres, gurdwaras, synagogues and mosques, and many beside. because actually that is how you get into the heart of the community, and that is what the nhs does really well in partnership with the local community and local authorities. so, just briefly, i mean, those poor take—up figures a few months ago, those are improving now, are they? the uptake figures are published every thursday, and we are seeing an improvement week on week. we will continue to see that as long as we do all the things we have been doing. you know, using trusted local relationships to make sure that people feel confident taking up the vaccine when it is their turn. hello there. i thought i'd start off with a look atjust how extreme the weather was last week. you might remember braemar got down to —23 celsius, the lowest temperature we have recorded in february for over 60 years. meanwhile, sunday morning,

we had a very dangerous episode of freezing rain across parts of scotland. look at this window completely encrusted in ice. and also on sunday we were still digging out the roads in some parts of scotland following the enormous falls of snow that we have seen. what might come as more of a surprise, as we work through this week it becomes very mild. indeed, into the weekend, we can see temperatures as high as 17 degrees for some of us. yes, it is going to be a completely different week of weather. satellite picture shows low pressure, and it is to the west where we are seeing the milder air push in. this hook, though, brought some very strong winds to western scotland for a time. those winds, though, will be calming down as we get on into monday morning. rain to start today for east anglia, southern counties of england, easing away. then come showers, they will be affecting parts of north wales, northern england, northern ireland and certainly in scotland. winds coming in from the south—west, it's going to be a mild day for many of us. temperatures between 10—14. the far north of scotland about 7—9, but still a lot milder than it has been. looking at the temperatures

through the week ahead, well, really we are going to see day to day changes in those temperatures, but often with the winds coming in from a south—westerly direction, it will tend to be milder and at times very mild indeed. looking at the weather charts into tuesday, we have got a band of rain pushing eastwards across england. this is a cold front, so behind that we will see a mixture of sunshine and showers. the showers most frequent in western scotland. slightly cooler air blowing its way in through the afternoon, so temperatures dropping just a little bit. highs of 10—11 quite widely, so still on the mild side but not quite as mild as monday. for wednesday, we see those winds again coming in from a south—westerly direction. low pressure still to the north—west of scotland, continuing to feed in some showers here, maybe some rain returning to southern parts of england and into parts of wales as well. those temperatures still around 10—12 quite widely. again, the far north of scotland around 7—8, something like that with some brighter spells. thursday, probably have some very heavy rain working across the country for a time. as this weather system

works its way through, the winds, just for a time, will come down from the north—west so those temperatures won't be as high as we go through thursday afternoon. looking at highs of around 7—9. there might be a little bit of winter rain this mixed in with the rain over some of the higher mountains in scotland. friday, the south—westerly winds again pumping in the mild air across the country, but again bringing furtherfalls of rain. it will continue to be quite windy at times. temperatures through the afternoon on friday reaching a high widely of between 11—13. as we head into the weekend, it becomes extremely mild for february. what is going to happen is we will start to draw more of a southerly flow of wins, and that will start to drag up some of the warm air from north africa and spain, pushing across western europe, and in across parts of the united kingdom as well. so, saturday and sunday, particularly across parts of eastern england, it is here where we will see temperatures as high as 17 degrees, but it will be pretty mild for most of us. 17, though, way above average

for the time of year. and that warmth lasts on into sunday, as well.