hello, i'm ros atkins. this is outside source. myanmar�*s military announces harsh new penalties for anti—coup protesters as they rally for a tenth day. two protesters were reportedly injured as soldiers fired rubber bullets at one protest in mandalay we at one protest in mandalay are now getting reports internet we are now getting reports of the internet has been blocked for a second consecutive night. england's new quarantine laws have come into force, meaning travellers arriving from 33 high—risk countries must spend ten days in a government—approved hotel. not particularly looking forward to the next 11 days, but i'm just hoping it goes by quickly. good news from israel's immunisation programme,

it's reported a 94% drop in symptomatic coronavirus cases among people who've been fully vaccinated. scientists have found life 900 metres below the ice in antarctica by accident. we'll speak to one of the geologists who made the discovery. a number of big developments in myanmar. the military is warning that people who obstruct the armed forces could face a possible 20—yearjail term. despite that, rallies in protest at the coup have continued for a tenth day in a row, and there's been some violence. this was mandalay earlier. demonstrators banged dustbins before running from security forces. according to reports, it turned violent when soldiers fired rubbet bullets at protesters, and two people were injured. we know that the military has boosted its presence

across the country as it tries to consolidate its hold on power. this footage was taken outside myanmar�*s central bank in yangon. we see several armoured vehicles and soldiers on patrol. the coup leaders had earlier said that those who incite hatred towards the military by "words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation" will face punishment. next, this is a human rights advocate. this is what he's seen in yangon. today, there's less people on the street compared to the past. it's not because, i guess, the heavily military allocations present on the street, but because the people have to provide their own security at night. like, block by block, people are forming sort of, like, community security systems in place. in another development, 20 students have been released from prison in the capital nay pyi taw. here they are walking out and being greeted by huge crowds who'd gathered to demand their release.

they were arrested on monday morning during a rally outside a government office. myo ko ko is a student activist and one of the protest organisers, but is currently in hiding. he's been speaking to the bbc about why they're not backing down. the military have been conducting illegal arrests to the edifice, to the government who are joining a civil disobedience movement with armed force. we know it is risky, but we are our rights in 2021. i have to move to another place because of pain by police. we hope the international community will help us. things escalated on sunday. this footage was taken in yangon. troops were deployed onto the streets for the first time. also the internet was blocked nationwide for eight hours, until 9am on monday. protests are becoming more violent. this is the town of myitkyina.

riot police and soldiers are seen trying to drive away crowds outside a power plant. it's unclear whether the sounds you can hear is live ammo or rubber bullets. western embassies in myanmar have called on the military to "refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians". here's james rodehaverfrom the un. in terms of human rights action, the primary option is... - it's notjust a question of putting out reports, it's to keep watch over _ what is being done in the country, to investigate violations - as they occur and to identify particularly the acute areas - where individuals need protection. and that's perhaps the most urgent thing at this time, i is ensuring that those people who are in need _ of protection get it. next, this is the bbc�*s south east asia correspondentjonathan head. well, i think what we'll see this

week will be different from the previous week. for the first two weeks after the coup, we saw a very rapid growth in what became a sort of nationwide civil disobedience movement, with protests in every way, shape and form all across the country that were essentially blocked at certain places by police. occasionally opening fire, as we know, but mostly just letting them run. the presence of these armoured vehicles and a lot of soldiers, and these are soldiers from combat units, units with frankly well—deserved reputations for real brutality, i think will change the tone a lot. aung san suu kyi has been under house arrest for two weeks. according to reuters, she was meant to be released today. however, we're told she's being held for another two days. she'll appear in court via video link on wednesday. earlier, police attempted to search the headquarters of her national league for democracy party in yangon. they were met by this scene. protesters surrounded the building. many of them carried signs saying "respect our vote".

that is a reference to the party's victory in novembers elections. some footage showed people inside the headquarters waving at crowds. soe win than is the editor of the bbcs burmese service in london on aung san suu kyi's case. that lawyer hasn't been able to meet aung san suu kyi as yet to get the official authorisation to act for her. but, today, also the police and soldiers tried to rate and soldiers tried to raid the nld headquarters in yangon, but the nld officials inside would not let them in. so they were supposed to consent, they were trying to find some kind of evidence to implicate aung san suu kyi and put another charge. it is half past iam it is half past 1am in me and mar and reports that the internet has been blocked for a second night in a row. next, let's hearfrom bbc burmese correspondent

nyein chan aye in yangon. it's already evening here in yangon. it is rather quiet, - unlike the previous day. you can still see heavy police presence in various areas - in the centre of the city. but we no longer see the tanks and armoured vehicles - which rolled in last night. we don't know where they are l and when they are coming back. but the situation i remains very tense. here in the uk, new hotel quarantine laws have begun in scotland and england. let's look at england first. british citizens and those with uk residency entering from this red list of 33 countries must quarantine in government—approved hotels. foreign citizens are already been banned from entering. anyone entering from a country not on the red list must quarantine at home. the red list comprises countries where the risk of new coronavirus variants is greatest.

it includes brazil and south africa, where variants have been identified that make vaccines less effective. these are the first arrivals. they're taken away under escort to a hotel where they'll spend the next ten days in isolation at a cost of £1750 each. that's just under $2500. the hotels are sanitised and employ security guards to make sure no one leaves. caroline davies is at one of them. this gives you an idea of the scale of the operation just at this hotel. each of these bags will be filled with food to provide guests with three meals a day every day throughout the course of their stay, and this is just for one corridor in a hotel with 17 rooms. red list passengers are permitted to enter england only via five airports, including heathrow and gatwick, where hotel accommodation has been reserved. so far, the government's done deals with 16 hotels.

it has just under 5000 rooms available, with a further 58,000 available if necessary. last week, the uk's transport secretary, grant shapps, told the bbc he expected fewer than 1000 passengers from these red list countries to arrive per day. we think the numbers are actually very small in terms of people returning because of course nobody should be travelling anywhere at this stage, either domestically or internationally. these countries don't have direct flights back from them. they've been on the red list for a while in some cases. and so most people will have already repatriated if that's what they need to do, and it's only british, irish citizens and those with permanent residence who can travel here from those countries at all. so the numbers are actually very small. let's hearfrom the managing director of the aurora chain of hotels. well, i think the hospitality aspect of people coming i

to the hotel and looking . after them, that's simple. we know how to do that. it's a change in the way we do that, it's a change in the way— we interact with our guests, but it's just a change - to our normal practice. and frankly most hoteliers around | the country are very eager to get| people back in their hotels, | very eager to get people off furlough and working again. so we're actually quite excited, although it is a different way. of operating, we're actually quite excited to be giving _ some services again. it's what do best and what we're looking forward to doing. - and here are some passengers from johannesburg headed for the uk. i've been isolated in my house for two weeks. i'm used to it, you know? we haven't left our flat for two weeks. i think, all in all, it might be a bit expensive. but i guess i understand the reason behind it, just trying to save lives. i think it's necessary, - especially given all the strains. but i think the downfall is the implementation. and the clear guidelines as to what is allowed, l who's allowed.

there are concerns that high—risk red list arrivals will be free to mix with non—red list passengers on planes and in airports. frankie mccamley is at heathrow. well, we've spoken to a few people as they have been arriving. some understand what is happening and say that this is just part of life now. but others have complained. they have complained about the cost of the hotels they are going into. they also said they don't see the point of these extra restrictions when people flying into the uk from countries on the red zone, on the red list are mixing with other people who are flying in from other countries, then they are heading into quarantine after that. now we have seen a very small number of people arriving here into heathrow today. heathrow say it has been a successful day. they have kept queues to a minimum. people have not queued for more than an hour, they say. people from countries on the red

list have been separated. they been put into queues as they head through border control. they are then going into the baggage claim areas where they are kept separate there, and then they are put onto buses as they head onto these hotels. now if people fail to comply with these new rules that have come in today, they could face fines of up to £10,000. and if they are caught lying on any forms from the country claiming which country they have come from, they could face up to ten years in prison. as i mentioned, things are running very smoothly today, but the airports�* unions are concerned with more passengers arrive here and queues do start to build, passengers could end up mixing and that could mean the safety of staff and passengers could be put at risk. meanwhile in scotland, hotel quarantine rules have also come into force, but require everyone arriving from overseas to isolate in a hotel. it raises the possibility of people arriving at airports in england and then travelling to scotland to avoid the tighter controls. here's our scotland editor sarah smith. it isa it is a huge problem because if you

say there _ it is a huge problem because if you say there is— it is a huge problem because if you say there is this glaring loophole in the _ say there is this glaring loophole in the middle of the scottish government's policy of trying to quarantine everybody who is coming in from _ quarantine everybody who is coming in from any— quarantine everybody who is coming in from any foreign country. so there _ in from any foreign country. so there are — in from any foreign country. so there are discussions ongoing with there are discussions ongoing with the uk _ there are discussions ongoing with the uk government about this because there is_ the uk government about this because there is this _ the uk government about this because there is this way out. if you fly directly— there is this way out. if you fly directly into scotland can be go straight — directly into scotland can be go straight to quarantine but if you fly straight to quarantine but if you fly into— straight to quarantine but if you fly into england and then travel up to scotland, then you are expected to scotland, then you are expected to self—isolate and home for ten days _ to self—isolate and home for ten days and — to self—isolate and home for ten days and take to covid—19 test that is honestly— days and take to covid—19 test that is honestly much cheaper than staying — is honestly much cheaper than staying at a hotel and some would say much — staying at a hotel and some would say much harder for the authorities to enforce — say much harder for the authorities to enforce. and nicola sturgeon says we so _ to enforce. and nicola sturgeon says we so much — to enforce. and nicola sturgeon says we so much better and so much easier if the _ we so much better and so much easier if the rules— we so much better and so much easier if the rules with the same in all four— if the rules with the same in all four nations of the uk but the way to achieve — four nations of the uk but the way to achieve that, she thinks, is for boris _ to achieve that, she thinks, is for borisjohnson to adopt to achieve that, she thinks, is for boris johnson to adopt our policy of quarantine — boris johnson to adopt our policy of quarantine for travellers coming from _ quarantine for travellers coming from any— quarantine for travellers coming from any foreign country and not 'ust from any foreign country and not just those — from any foreign country and not just those on the red list. there is one other— just those on the red list. there is one other option and that would be if the _ one other option and that would be if the uk _ one other option and that would be if the uk government would enforce quarantine _ if the uk government would enforce quarantine for people coming into english _ quarantine for people coming into english airports through heathrow or stahsted _ english airports through heathrow or stansted or wherever. make them quarantine because of what fork after _ quarantine because of what fork

after they come from if it is their intention— after they come from if it is their intention to then travel up to scotland _ intention to then travel up to scotland and that would need to be enforced _ scotland and that would need to be enforced by the uk government as near as— enforced by the uk government as near as possible to the point of arrivet— near as possible to the point of arrival in — near as possible to the point of arrival in england so that would need _ arrival in england so that would need cooperation between the two administrations and there are conversations ongoing about that. so we've explained the rules in scotland and england. elsewhere in the uk, if you look at northern ireland and wales, hotel quarantines aren't in effect, and that's because there are currently no international flights arriving there. meanwhile, the covid vaccine programme in the uk is hitting all of its targets, with 15 million people now having received their firstjab. the country's been locked down for six weeks now, but prime minister borisjohnson won't deliver a road map out of it until next monday. that's because ministers have not yet been given the vital data on exactly how effective the vaccine roll—out has been at both preventing serious illness and death, and stopping transmission. while they wait for that data, ministers have drawn up three broad scenarios. the first is an optimistic outcome, whereby the vaccine roll—out has proven to be extremely effective at stopping both serious disease and transmission, and therefore the government can run through its priorities for lifting

restrictions relatively quickly. then there's a middling scenario, where the vaccine has had a decent effect on illness and transmission. then there's a pessimistic scenario, where the vaccine's impact is less strong than hoped. we still don't have enough data about the exact effectiveness . of the vaccines in reducing the spread of infection. i we have some interesting straws in the wind. - we have grounds for confidence, i but the vaccinations have only been running for a matter of weeks. and while we're learning the whole time, we don't, today, _ as i talk to you today, - we don't have all the hard facts that we need. and the level of infection remains very high. - with still more people today, - more people still in hospital today

than at the peak last april. and admissions across the uk, a very important statistic, - admissions running at 1600 a day. well, as ministers in the uk await that vital data, israeli health authorities have published their own. as you might remember, israel is vaccinating their population faster than any other country. we've shown you this graph a lot over the last month. it shows the number of vaccine doses administered per 100 people. as you can see, israel has given 7a jabs per 100 people. a quarter of the population has received two doses. and along with the mass vaccinations, israeli health authorities have been conducting mass studies. and the results, so far, are very promising. health experts have compared 600,000 israelis who have received two doses of the pfizer/biontech jab with an unvaccinated group of the same size. and they have reported a 94% reduction in symptomatic infections among those immunised. that's a result similar to pfizer's own vaccine trials, which,

as you might remember, suggested the two—dose vaccine had a 95% efficacy in stopping symptoms of coronavirus. now, it's important to note that this study in israel is based on the preliminary findings and is yet to be peer—reviewed. here's our correspondent injerusalem yolanda knell. we have four health care providers in israel, and this is from the largest of them. it covers more than half of israel's population. and a senior official there has come out saying that this shows unequivocally that the pfizer vaccine is extremely effective. israel has been working with biontech, germany's biontech, which helped develop this vaccine. it was part of the reason that israel was able to secure large numbers of the vaccine quite early, as well as paying higher than market rates, that it was able to share a lot of this data. so, effective at stopping coronavirus symptoms,

but does the pfizer vaccine also limit transmission? here's dr hagai levine, an epidemiologist at the hebrew university—hadassah medical centre. we don't know yet. we need dedicated studies for that. and that is more complicated to understand how the transition works and what is the impact of the vaccine. i know that there are specific studies on that issue now ongoing in israel and in other countries. unfortunately, we can still not answer the question about the impact on transmission. also it is likely that at least there is some impact on transmission. now, with vaccine roll—outs picking up pace around the world, there's a growing focus on how to return to some form of normal. and one type of measure being discussed by a range of governments is vaccine passports. there's two suggestions of how these could work. first, a vaccine passport could be used for people looking to travel. so individual countries might require all people entering their country to produce a document or digital

certificate proving that they have had a vaccine. it's something we know the uk is considering. here's prime minister borisjohnson. i i think inevitably there will be | great interest in ideas like "can you show that you had a vaccination against covid" in the way that - you sometimes have to show that you have had a vaccination - against yellow fever- or other diseases in order to travel somewhere. i think that's going to be very much in the mix down the road. - i think that is going to happen. it's a plan greece is adopting. they've already signed a deal with israel that will allow those vaccinated to travel between the two countries. and prime minister kyriakos mitsotakis has urged the eu to adopt passports across the bloc to allow a return of freedom of movement, a key pillar of the eu's function. portugal, cyprus, poland and spain are also keen on the idea. denmark and sweden are already developing digital passports. and iceland already gives a vaccine certificate to anyone that has received two doses. the benefit from a government's perspective is simple. it allows them to open up borders

and boost the economy. but what do the experts say? many are for it. oxford uehiro centre for practical ethics wrote in the lancet medicaljournal... but for the who, the idea of vaccine passports for travel is a long way off. number one, the vaccine is not widely available. that would actually tend to restrict travel more than permit travel. secondly, we don't have enough data right now to understand to what extent vaccination will interrupt transmission, and especially the individual risk of an individual to continue transmitting disease. so, there's vaccine passports for travel, and then there's the suggestion of expanding the idea and using them internally to help ease lockdown restrictions for those who have been vaccinated. so, for example, a vaccinated person could be allowed to go out to restaurants, attend sporting events or music festivals, while someone without a vaccine could not. here's borisjohnson again.

what i don't think we will have in this country is, as it- were, vaccination passports to allow you to go to, say, i the pub or something like that. i that that would be going it a bit. i'm joined now by professor david archard, chair of the nuffield council on bioethics. he is live with us. david, thank you very much for your time. do you like this idea? do you think you could be a constructive addition to our ways of handling the virus? i a constructive addition to our ways of handling the virus?— of handling the virus? i think your recedin: of handling the virus? i think your preceding reports _ of handling the virus? i think your preceding reports are _ of handling the virus? i think your preceding reports are being - of handling the virus? i think your . preceding reports are being imported making key distinctions between the extent to which a vaccine prevents transmission and the same vaccine may prevent people from getting infected. and what immunity is within a country is essentially premised on the end of the vaccine prevents transmission. and as the is really expert and borisjohnson said, we are at the very early stage of gathering enough evidence to believe that is the case. it is

nevertheless easy to see why there might well be considerable benefits to individuals who would once again have the liberty to work, to have social contact, to travel and so on. and benefits to the economy and the public from knowing who might be a cause of harm to others. those look like the obvious benefits, but i and the council and others have warned against the possible risks there might be of introducing such immunity certificates. i mean, one is it might well be counterproductive if he will think this is a short cut and vaccines work and we can relax all the other measures that we need to prevent transitions such as distance and wearing masks. secondly is the worry about in erosion of trust in the public. we need to know carefully what certificates are being introduced and whatjustification introduced and what justification was introduced and whatjustification was and we know that is currently a great deal of uncertainty and hesitancy about taking the vaccine

and people might think are these being used to force us to get vaccinated and thereby increased distrust of government. is vaccinated and thereby increased distrust of government.— distrust of government. is there also a risk _ distrust of government. is there also a risk that _ distrust of government. is there also a risk that within _ distrust of government. is there also a risk that within individual| also a risk that within individual countries you create a two—tiered society between those who been able to access a vaccine and those who have and it can be younger adults in particular in on a global scale could end up with people in the european union being a sealed area for richer countries they can buy lots of vaccines but elsewhere in the world people will not be able to move around with such freedom? i move around with such freedom? i think your question is a very good one. there is a general issue of inequality both within nations and globally between nations. we know in the uk that some groups are separate is proportionately during the pandemic and even if we talk somewhat glibly about the roll—out of the vaccine can we know that there are inequalities in taking up there are inequalities in taking up the offer and access to it. and for instance it certificate was displayed by digital technology on the phone app can this would

increase but would assume that everybody had access to the phones it would display it. and you are right that globally we know the ways in which the vaccine is already been distributed that there are countries in the global south who have had far fewer vaccines than those in the more developed north. and the worry is the use of such certificates would stigmatize and deny liberties to those simply unable to get access to those simply unable to get access to vaccines and continue to reward those who are already privileged. but despite all those concerns and the concerns you about level makes people uncomfortable, do you think on balance that there is merit in having some form of system where we have to say whether we have had a vaccine or not because simply it is our only route back to normal life evenif our only route back to normal life even if it is uncomfortable? it is one art even if it is uncomfortable? it is one part of _ even if it is uncomfortable? it is one part of the _ even if it is uncomfortable? it is one part of the route _ even if it is uncomfortable? it 3 one part of the route back to normal life and it is probably the case that there is the growing momentum to have such certificates and i think that if the uk were to insist on an outright prohibition on the

use of a travel vaccine pass for something like that they might be difficult. but in order to bring it backin difficult. but in order to bring it back in the way that is proportionate and fair we need to have an open public discussion of these merits and risks and we need to have wide consultation of all the affected groups and all those who bring their expertise to bear on this. ., , ,., bring their expertise to bear on this. ., ,,., ., ,, bring their expertise to bear on this. ., , ., ,, i. , . this. professor, thank you very much indeed. so many— this. professor, thank you very much indeed. so many interesting - this. professor, thank you very much indeed. so many interesting and - indeed. so many interesting and important areas being raised by the vaccine programme and notjust nationally but we have seen israel and the uk getting further ahead than most but also on the global level if you bring in systems that affect people at proportionately far more than others. we have worked through a number of details with relation to the pandemic in the last 50 minutes if you want further details because there is a lot of different rules changing the moment and data coming in on vaccine roll—outs as well, you can find that through the website. you can also get exec at the same information

through bbc news app which you can simply download onto your smartphone. that is it for the first half of the programme and i will be back to talk about indian farmers and other stories in the next half hour. after the icy winds of experienced it felt like summer. the blue is here but the above average orange and red we getting a bit midweek but are there through much of the time and in fact you can see those oranges deepening into the week and by which point winds on saturday could lift temperature is an easter parts of england to 17 celsius or 63 fahrenheit, a big turnaround. it does not mean it sunshine all the way as rain is at times this week with windy conditions as well and with windy conditions as well and with that rain and temperatures, snow melt could give some flooding issues as river levels rise there

will be another batch of rain coming in overnight tonight and this area of low pressure pushing him towards us with the weather front bringing rain across many areas of the time we see first light tomorrow morning. heaviest rain will be in the west in the winds strengthening with gale force in northern ireland by the time we go towards don. it does mean we have a south—westerly winds that will be incredibly mild of 5—10 with temperatures for the afternoon usually around seven or eight as this time of year so we start with the rich is above average and will only climb a bit further. he will be a windy day tomorrow with winds of strongest towards the west of scotland and then the rain on and off through much of the day towards the channel islands in the southeast anything let me be a bit brighter later. wigmore persisted across scotland easing and sunshine and showers for many through tuesday and that will be pushing those showers quite smartly with those in the west heavy and thunder rate. western scotland with lowest departures above average at eight or nine and then most around 10—13 c. giving in

to the start of tuesday night, drive for a while but then the next area of low pressure which is in for wednesday and again another batch of weather fronts working their way through so most of us will see rain at times to start wednesday with rain lingering throughout southern canada and england especially to the southwest in south wales where it will get heavier later in the day and for the north some sunshine but the downpours and it will be a bit cooler across scotland and northern ireland and northern england on wednesday but still 9 degrees, above will be a bit cooler across scotland and northern ireland and northern england on wednesday but still 9 degrees, above we should be. another brief them across the north on thursday, the rich was climbing into the weekend with some rain at times but in the east eyes as i said around 16 or 17.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. and military is announcing harsh new patentees fire and haiku protesters as they rally for attention today. protesters were injured as a jazz riot rubber bullets during demonstrations. they are getting reports of the internet has been blocked nationwide for a second night. good news from the immunisation programme in israel. it's reporting a 94% drop in symptomatic coronavirus cases among people who have been fully vaccinated. there is outbreak in india after a leading climate activist is arrested for helping farmers who are protesting against

agricultural reforms. we will look at why neither the government or the protesters are backing down. ngozi okonjo—iweala has become the first woman and the first african to be appointed as the new head of the world trade organisation — the pandemic is top of her agenda. so that we don't have a phenomenon where rich countries are vaccinating their population and poor countries have to wait behind.— their population and poor countries have to wait behind. scientists have found life 900 — have to wait behind. scientists have found life 900 metres _ have to wait behind. scientists have found life 900 metres below- have to wait behind. scientists have found life 900 metres below the . have to wait behind. scientists havej found life 900 metres below the ice in antarctica by accident. we will speak to one of the geologists who made the discovery. let's turn to india and the latest on the ongoing farmers' protests there. this is 22—year—old climate activist disha ravi who was arrested on saturday. she's accused of making a toolkit document to help the farmers with their protest

against agricultural reforms. she was detained in her home city of bangalore and flown 2000 kilometres to the capital delhi. she was then accused of sedition and sent to prison for 5 days. it's caused outrage. our demand is to allow us to protest peacefully without arresting people who are just helping. it's not a crime. it is not even sedation. it was just an information sheet. this is one element of a broader story which reaches back decades. and arguably it boils down to one thing. india's farmers are angry. down to one thing. for months down to one thing. they've been protesting against reforms. sometimes those protests have turned violent. and the message throughout has been clear. we are fighting for our land. we are fighting for our rights. we will not go back

until these laws are repealed even if you have to give our lives for the cause. the numbers in indian agriculture are staggering. half of india's workforce is in farming. that's about 200 million people. making up a sixth of the indian economy. the government wants to reduce the state's role in farming — and create more opportunities for the private sector. in a moment, we'll look at why the government is adamant this must happen. first though the farmers who feel their livelihoods are on the line. these laws will have an effect on anyone who eats. they will buy from us at very low prices and we lose our livelihoods. not everyone agrees with that analysis though. this commentator writing in the wall streetjournal says farmers will benefit from what he calls "a jolt of market—friendly common sense." that more competition, will see more investment, more efficiency and better prices. maybe — but india's farmers have reason to be keen on their current set—up. the government provides a range

of subsidies. farmers also have a guaranteed price for 23 different crops. and some debts are waived if they're unable to meet them. now the indian government says these subsidies are safe. and it's worth saying — state support for agriculture is not unusual. it happens in the us. and in the european union which provides farmers with $65 billion in subsidies a year. but despite the reassurances, the farmers still fear the opening up of the market. and to really understand their concerns — we can't only look at their desire to protect what they have now — we need to look further back. they protesting in new delhi and it's a reflection of the compound angry that has been building up over the decades. that is a reference to the long—term pressures farmers have been feeling. this graph shows that agriculture accounted for 40% of the indian economy in the 1960s — to 15% now.

that's in part because of other industries expanding — but farmers have been struggling to keep their businesses viable. which means that now — more than half of farming households are in debt. that has contributed to another crisis. since 1995 the government official record shows that more than 300,000 farmers have committed suicide and tells us how serious the farm to stress that prevails in india. the government does not deny the terrible toll that this crisis in farming has taken. indeed it argues this is precisely why the reforms are urgently needed. the argument being that if private companies have greater access to farmers' produce — they can increase their income and alleviate these devastating financial pressures. this is the prime minister narendra modi. these reforms will provide new rights and opportunities to indian farmers and they will be able to use their technology more effectively. in 2016 prime minister modi promised to double farmers' incomes.

but in reality they're only increasing by 2% a year. and the broader context here is that farmers earn a third of the average salary of all other workers. there's also distrust around the timing of this. we are looking into this particular instance is the prime minister using the pandemic to suddenly announce a gift to the farmers, something the farmers never asked for ever. and so we have this stand—off between farmers and the government. and way this is being covered in the media tells it's own story. the guest on the right is saying the protests are led by people who aren't farmers. despite there being no evidence for this. we've also seen claims that farmers are being taken—advantage of by opposition parties who have anti—modi agendas. again, there's no evidence of that. and there's more on social media. this video was shared by a pro—modi

facebook page with 3.5 million followers. it claims the protests are being hijacked by sikh separatists. as you can see — it was flagged by facebook as false. indian fact—checking website alt news tells us why — highlighting that the footage is from a 2018 march in — the us. while there are sincere opinions held on both sides — there is a campaign to discredit the farmers. but they have some influential people on their side. and music superstar rihanna gets vocal about india's protesting farmers. rihanna tweeted asking why people weren't talking about the protests. people were talking about them — but her tweet made sure a lot more were. greta thunberg also tweeted that she stands with the farmers. the indian government was unimpressed — calling these high profile interventions — �*propaganda', and added they "can't decide india's fate, only progress can".

all of which brings us to a moment with no sign of movement from either side. and the stakes are high. the historian ravinder kaur has written "this is the most major mass resistance that the modi government has faced, and the protesters are prepared for a long haul." and here's the challenge for the prime minister. devising reforms at first is about economic theory — selling them is about political reality. in the past narendra modi successfully used nationalism to frame his ideas as ones that protect india and its interests — often against external threats. that dynamic is more complicated when the industry you are taking on is the very foundation of indian society — and when farmers are concerned by what they see as an external threat — one that comes in the form of multi—national corporations. these protests will tell us about what kind of society indians want — and if their leader, who's often billed as a strongman, has found the limit of his political strength. dtl sachin gogoi from bbc

monitoring in delhi. i wonder how this issue is evolving in indian media beyond just the issue of farming reforms? i in indian media beyondjust the issue of farming reforms? i would see this as _ issue of farming reforms? i would see this as a _ issue of farming reforms? i would see this as a complete _ issue of farming reforms? i would see this as a complete breakdown issue of farming reforms? i would i see this as a complete breakdown of trust between both sides and if we talk about media and india, particularly electronic media which is generally seen as supportive of their government. so there have been usually pro—government messaging through media we are trying to find fault with this movement and also with the protesters. the protesters claim that because of this contentious law their likelihood would be in danger. most of the prominent media outlets especially prominent media outlets especially prominent television outlets have been pointing out that the protests

have been hijacked by the opposition parties and also separatists because there are six separatist movements you've mentioned. so essentially now we are in the middle of a battle of perceptions where each side is trying to outsmart the other side and trying to prove that the other side is wrong. and trying to prove that the other side is wrong-— and trying to prove that the other side is wrong. help me understand their prime — side is wrong. help me understand their prime minister's _ side is wrong. help me understand their prime minister's thinking. - side is wrong. help me understand their prime minister's thinking. he| their prime minister's thinking. he exhibits very long bitter standoff with the farmers over these reforms. he is using a lot of political capital to do so. why is he so convinced this has to go through? farm reforms have been in the agenda for quite some time so it is not that suddenly became out with all these reforms and bills. they were in a meeting but what the farmers complain is that actually at that time of framing these laws they were

not properly consulted and the due process of democracy was not followed when all the laws were pushed through the two houses of the parliament. so therefore while the government side is quite convinced that they have brought out much needed reforms which will boost the agricultural productivity and income of the farmers. the farmers are not so much convinced. drillers in the antarctic have accidentally discovered several new species — after drilling through a 900—metre—thick ice shelf to collect sediment samples. the new species include sponges, possible barnacles, and animals with stalk—like heads which could be a form of ocean predator. this is the moment the drill engineers equipment went down through the ice. it takes about 12 hours to get to the ocean floor, and at bottom, the drill camera unexpectedly hit a rock — and the new species

were inadvertedly discovered living on the rock, in total darkness, hundreds of kilometres from their closest source of food. it's the first ever record of this kind of life deep beneath an ice shelf, and goes against all previous theories of what types of life could survive there, suggesting that life in antarctica's harshest environments is more diverse than thought. paul anker is one of the drilling engineers who bored down through the ice shelf. our initial response was one of frustration. we were hoping to return with a sediment core and we looked at the footage and we discovered a rock instead of getting the sentimentally required. on closer inspection on we discovered that camera hung perfectly to be

able to capture life on the rock. {lit able to capture life on the rock. of all of these species that you came across, which were the most remarkable to you? i across, which were the most remarkable to you?- across, which were the most remarkable to you? across, which were the most remarkable to ou? ., , ., , ., remarkable to you? i wont be able to comment on — remarkable to you? i wont be able to comment on the _ remarkable to you? i wont be able to comment on the species. _ remarkable to you? i wont be able to comment on the species. i _ remarkable to you? i wont be able to comment on the species. i was - remarkable to you? i wont be able to comment on the species. i was the i comment on the species. i was the engineer on the drilling programme so the actual species themselves have not been closely identified because of the problem with the footage but we were not anticipating seeing any life at all in the location. so seeing anything was a surprise. location. so seeing anything was a surrise. ., surprise. tell me about the practicalities _ surprise. tell me about the practicalities of _ surprise. tell me about the practicalities of dreading i surprise. tell me about the practicalities of dreading to j surprise. tell me about the i practicalities of dreading to an surprise. tell me about the - practicalities of dreading to an ice sheh practicalities of dreading to an ice shelf like this? ilrrui’eiiii practicalities of dreading to an ice shelf like this?— practicalities of dreading to an ice shelf like this? well it's up to 900 metres thick— shelf like this? well it's up to 900 metres thick in _ shelf like this? well it's up to 900 metres thick in places _ shelf like this? well it's up to 900 metres thick in places and - shelf like this? well it's up to 900 metres thick in places and so - shelf like this? well it's up to 900 metres thick in places and so we l shelf like this? well it's up to 900 i metres thick in places and so we use a technique called hot water dreading where your mouth our way through the ice. we create large quantities of water on the surface which we heat up and pumped through the nozzles and we melt our way through. it's a quick method and we don't recover any ice and it gives us access to the ocean very quickly.

the problems are we have to work in a small window of time maybe a couple of months in an art —— antarctica and we have very low temperatures and strong wind so it's incredibly remote. over 1000 km from the first base so we have to be very resilient and self—reliant and we have to be very well prepared. you described the _ have to be very well prepared. you described the conditions on the surface. what do we know about the conditions 900 metres down to the point to you drill can reach? this is the reason _ point to you drill can reach? this is the reason we _ point to you drill can reach? this is the reason we are _ point to you drill can reach? t'i 3 is the reason we are doing the research is that we can access this incredibly remote environment. obviously there is no sign down there. it's very remote from any source of food. there are over 260 km from the actual open ocean. but we do measure the water temperature and the water quality and retake sediment samples. we know a lot about the past glacial history of the sediment and we know the inflow and outflow of the water to that

environment but because it's so remote we don't have much visual imagery of that area. in remote we don't have much visual imagery of that area.— imagery of that area. in terms of how much _ imagery of that area. in terms of how much unexplored _ imagery of that area. in terms of how much unexplored territory i imagery of that area. in terms of - how much unexplored territory there is down there, can you give us an idea of the size of this ice shelf and to what degree it's been drilled through and exploit? the and to what degree it's been drilled through and exploit?— through and exploit? the ice shelf itself is the _ through and exploit? the ice shelf itself is the size _ through and exploit? the ice shelf itself is the size of _ through and exploit? the ice shelf itself is the size of sweden. - through and exploit? the ice shelf itself is the size of sweden. we i itself is the size of sweden. we have drilled through to a number of locations over the last couple of decades and most recently over the last five years there have been six orseven last five years there have been six or seven holes but if you think about the area that we are managing to look at through we are only looking at maybe a couple of square metres with the imagery we have recovered. if you compare that to be size of the ice shelf we are looking at incredibly small areas. so there's still a huge amount of stuff that we do not know about underneath theice that we do not know about underneath the ice shelf. that we do not know about underneath the ice shelf-—

they did not expect to discover all those new species but they did. stay with us on outside source. still to come, we have a special report from yemen from taiz, the so—called "city of snipers", about the dangers facing children there. a south african inquiry into corruption underjacob zuma will ask the constitutional court to impose a jail term on the former president, after he failed to appear before the commission on monday. mr zuma, who was forced to resign over graft scandals in twenty—eighteen, has accused the commission of bias. our correspondent pumza filhani said it appears that the head of the commisison — deputy chiefjustice, raymond zondo — is running low on patience. it was his most scathing rebuke against the former president yet. i could just read you quickly some of what he said. he said that the former president was not entitled to refuse to comply with the summons and also had no valid or sound reason to not appear. he has refuted any claims that the former president has been

treated unfairly by the commission. in fact, he says he is been given numerous chances to appear before the commission or to even approach other legal avenues to try and prove his case there. he said that he takes this matter very seriously and that decently cannot be left unchallenged because it puts the president right against the constitution and that cannot be allowed to happen. the constitutional court is well within its rights to decide on a punishment was to be as much as six months or rather a fine. but the commission has said they want him to be jailed for refusing to comply with their order. now one of the main things that he has been called to give evidence to our watford allegations that when he was president he presided over a widespread network of corruption with his allies using influence to get lucrative state contract for his benefit. he is repeatedly denied any

wrongdoing except he refuses to stand before any legal constituted body to testify to this. and that for the legal team that is heading up this commission is a big concern. they set aside this week for the former president to come and testify and effectively allow the commission so they can attempt separate process. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is — myanmar�*s military has announced harsh new penalties for anti—coup protesters as they rally for a tenth day. afp is reporting the internet has been blocked nationwide for a second night. yemen is a dangerous place, its population has been suffering from a civil war that's lasted for six years. but the city of taiz is one

of the most dangerous places to be a child. human rights workers say more than a50 children have been killed or wounded by houthi rebel sniper fire. the houthis deny it. taiz, in yemen's south—west, is home to one of the longest—running battles of the conflict. it's under virtual siege, divided between yemeni government forces backed by a saudi—led coalition including the uk and the us, and the iranian—backed houthis, who still control most of the population. our international correspondent orla guerin, cameraman goktay koraltan and producer claire read sent this report from the so—called "city of snipers". a warning, some of you may find it distressing. in taiz, city of snipers. a family on the front line. ruweida saleh is eight years old. her big brother amry is ten. she probably owes him her life.

here she lay last august after she was shot in the head. who took aim and pulled the trigger, herfamily have no doubt — a houthi sniper. it was amry who dragged her to safety. ruweida arrived in hospital unconscious and had to have brain surgery. she has made a remarkable recovery, physically at least.

but she's still trapped in a city at war, and that's taking its toll, says herfather, saleh bin saleh. in front of the family's home, right where ruweida was shot, kids just want to be kids. her attack caused outrage. since then, snipers have left the children alone on this street. under armed escort, we travelled

to another front line area. human rights workers document every attack. they say houthi snipers have killed or injured more than a50 children in taiz. houthi officials say these are completely false accusations by their opponents. the makeshift barricades are to block the snipers' line of sight. well, we have to move carefully here and take cover in these front line districts. nowhere is safe and no one is spared — especially, it seems, the children. you can go from building to building here, from family to family, and hear more stories of children that have been deliberately targeted by snipers. one father wanted to tell us his story, so we followed him to his home. he runs this risk every day.

so do his children. this photo of 10—year—old saber was taken last april. days later, he was dead. abdu tells me saber was shot out of a tree after climbing to pick fruit. the bullet passed through his body. saber�*s younger brother mohammed was there and saw him die. he got shot in the stomach. the seven—year—old made it home and hid under a blanket, too scared to tell their mother they had climbed the tree.

while mohammed survived, he's deeply traumatised. his mother says when he's not happy, he tells her, "i'll go to the sniper so he can shoot me again." across yemen the young are at risk from all sides, and death often comes from the skies. air strikes by the saudi—led coalition, which supports the yemeni government and is backed by the uk, kill many children. human rights workers here in taiz say the difference is houthi snipers are systematically trying to kill them. back in ruweida's neighbourhood, a young boy plays dead. hard to watch. too often here, it's not a game. orla guerin, bbc news, taiz.

nigerian economist dr ngozi okonjo—iwaya has been named as the new director general of the world trade organization. it's taken a little while. she was shortlisted for the role last year, but the trump administration blocked her selection, saying another candidate was more qualified. that despite her having the support of the rest of the wto's membership. the biden administration has now approved her nomination. in a tweet today, the wto wrote that... "dr ngozi okonjo—iwaya makes history as the first woman and the first african to lead the organisation". the bbc�*s ishaq khalid has more. okonjo—iwaya set records as the first woman to hold a number of positions in her career. she was nigeria's first female finance minister. she was hailed for her efforts in fighting corruption in nigeria and securing a massive debt relief and cancellation for the country from international creditors in 2005. she was also the country's first female foreign minister and former managing director of the world bank.

and now the 66—year—old development expert is the first female and first african to head the world trade organization. thank you for watching. the die. good evening. after the icy wind some of us experienced through the weekend, it felt like spring today when the sun was out. and that's going to continue this week. the cold air, the blue colours here, still on the chart towards the east. but the above average oranges and reds may weaken a little bit midweek, but they're there through much of the time. and, in fact, you can see those oranges deepen into the weekend, by which point southerly winds on saturday could lift temperatures in eastern parts of england to 17 celsius, 63 fahrenheit, a big turnaround. 17, though, doesn't mean it's sunshine all the way. there'll be rain at times this week and some fairly

windy conditions, too. and with that rain and the higher temperatures, snow melt could give some flooding issues as river levels rise. and there'll be another batch of rain coming in overnight tonight. this area of low pressure pushing it towards us, where this weather front will bring rain across many areas by the time we see first light tomorrow morning. heaviest of the rain will be in the west, and the winds will be strengthening, reaching gale—force to the north of northern ireland by the time we go towards dawn. it does mean, though, with south—to—southwesterly winds, it will be an incredibly mild night, 5—10 degrees. temperatures by the afternoon are usually around 7—8 degrees this time of the year, so we start with temperatures above average. they'll only climb a little bit further. it will be a windy day, though, tomorrow, winds strongest towards the west of scotland. rain, though, on and off through much of the day towards the channel islands, the south east and east anglia. maybe something brighter later. the more persistent rain across western scotland will ease, and really, for many of you, it will be sunshine and showers through tuesday. and that wind'll be pushing those showers through quite smartly, with some of the showers in the west heavy and thundery. strongest of the winds, though, western scotland. lowest of the temperatures here, still above average at 8—9 degrees. most, though, around 10—13 celsius.

now, as we go into the start of tuesday night, dry for a while, but then the next area of low pressure pushes in for wednesday. again, another batch of weather fronts working their way through, too, so most of us will see rain at times to start wednesday. rain, though, could linger throughout across southern counties of england, particularly towards the south west and south wales, where it'll get heavier later in the day. further north, there'll be some sunshine between the downpours, and there'll be a slightly cooler feel across scotland, northern ireland, northern england on wednesday. but still nine degrees, above where we should be for the time of year. and then, after another brief dip across the north on thursday, temperatures climb into the weekend. some rain at times, but in the east, highs as i said of around 16 or 17.

you're watching bbc news with me, tim willcox. the headlines at eight... caution over coming out of lockdown. borisjohnson gives no guarantees, saying we are in a battle with nature. we wa nt we want this lockdown to be the last, and we want progress to be cautious, but also irreversible. the uk's vaccination programme moves onto its next target to jab the first nine priority groups, including everyone over 50, by the end of april. the first arrivals check into hotel quarantine. we speak to some preparing for their enforced stay.

not particularly looking forward to the next _ not particularly looking forward to the next 11 days, but, yeah,