hello, good afternoon. this is bbc news with me, ben brown. the latest headlines: around 1.7 million more people are to be added to the shielding list in england. it comes after experts identified more people at serious risk of covid—19. they would also be able to get access to prioritised supermarket deliveries, to medicines delivery. and also, if they are unable to work from home and they choose to take the advice and stay at home, they will be able to access statutory sick pay. new data suggests england's vaccination programme is starting to pay off — coronavirus deaths are falling and more elderly people are developing antibodies. the stuff we report here every day is showing an extraordinary drop, a 35% drop over every ten

days or so. and it's going down faster in older groups, the over—70s, than it is in younger groups, the under—70s. and this is very encouraging. a phased return to school for pupils in scotland from next monday, starting with the youngest children first. concerns are growing for the wellbeing of princess latifa, the daughter of the ruler of dubai, who says she's been held against her will by her billionaire father. she's released secretly recorded messages. i'm a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail, all the windows are barred shut, i can't open any window. calling all budding astronauts — for the first time in a decade, the european space agency is recruiting.

hello, welcome to bbc news. the government has recommended that another 1.7 million vulnerable adults in england should be shielding to protect themselves from a coronavirus infection. the decision means the total number of people on the shielding list has almost doubled from 2.21; million to almost 4 million. the expansion follows research into a new risk calculation model, which assesses people based notjust on their clinical condition but on a combination of factors. drjenny harries, deputy chief medical officer for england, explained more about the model. the new predicted risk model, which we have been working on right across nhs digital, nhs england and with our academic researchers at oxford university, allows us to identify people who may be at increased clinical risk due to a combination

of personal and underlying health conditions. that is very new. that has not been and it's january also as far as we know in the world. for the first time, it manages all those individual perspectives which previously we have just had to look, for example, an individual diseases. and how do you go about or how did the team go about developing it? what did they look at? if we the team go about developing it? what did they look at?— the team go about developing it? what did they look at? if we go back to the start of _ what did they look at? if we go back to the start of the _ what did they look at? if we go back to the start of the pandemic, - what did they look at? if we go back to the start of the pandemic, we - to the start of the pandemic, we know that there were some risk factors we could identify, or at least we estimated there would be based on our understanding of respiratory viruses, but they asked the specialist group to put together researchers who have been gone back and looked at all of those patients who were hospitalised or who sadly have passed away in the first wave of the pandemic, and working backwards identified all the underlying risk factors associated with that to create a utility of

risk model, which allows us then to look forward and predicted this patients in the future who might come to harm —— cumulative risk model. but we've managed to do is identify 1.7 million people, more than half of those have already had their vaccination, they are 70 or over, so what are action does today is a lazzez 20 to five the 820,000 individuals who have not yet been vaccinated and for them —— allows us to. into the group. vaccinated and for them -- allows us to. into the group.— to. into the group. they make it their vaccination _ to. into the group. they make it their vaccination sooner - to. into the group. they make it their vaccination sooner than - to. into the group. they make it. their vaccination sooner than they might have done. and what will that mean for those going into the shielding list and what that will mean for their lives? obviously if we are identifying _ mean for their lives? obviously if we are identifying anybody - mean for their lives? obviously if we are identifying anybody with l we are identifying anybody with increased clinical risk, and we have taken a very precautionary approach, we may have slightly overestimated

to make sure we protect as many people as possible, they will be able to have access to all of the support that anyone else on the shielded patient list does. at the moment, for example, we have a national lockdown for those who have been shielding, we are extending that shielding notice to the 31st of march. and all of these new individuals who are included will be able to take that advice if they want to. they would also be able to get access to prioritised supermarket deliveries, to medicines delivery. and also, if they are unable to work from home and they choose to take the advice and stay at home, they will be able to access statutory sick pay. that's drjenny harries. let's speak now to halima begum, chief executive of the runnymede trust, an independent race equality think tank. you've done a lot of research in this area, on the impact particularly on black and minority ethnic communities of covid. do you welcome this decision to expand the

shielding list based on a range of factors, but ethnicity is one of them? ., �* ~ ., factors, but ethnicity is one of them? . �* . ., them? thanks, ben. what can i say? this is a watershed _ them? thanks, ben. what can i say? this is a watershed moment - them? thanks, ben. what can i say? this is a watershed moment for - them? thanks, ben. what can i say? this is a watershed moment for us. l this is a watershed moment for us. we have been pleading with the government to prioritise this as a risk factor in 2020, so for us to hear ethnicity is now seen as a risk factor is enormously welcomed and we are just feeling overwhelmed at the moment. it is not a silver bullet but it does step in the right direction, and it points to the fact that structural inequalities our response over the inequalities in our community with covid was to we are just normally welcoming this move. it is not enough because we now need to focus a lot more on getting the roll—out right, getting the distribution right, so even in our communities and inner cities, there are still a lot of minorities who cannot access the vaccine unit they are the priority list, so we

need to think about mobile vaccination units. that helps us who are not mobile to get the vaccine for sub we are very pleased the government has listened. it is not enough, we still need to do more in getting mobile access to our committees.— getting mobile access to our committees. ., ., , getting mobile access to our committees. ., . , . committees. you are pleased, you are deliahted committees. you are pleased, you are delighted come _ committees. you are pleased, you are delighted come is _ committees. you are pleased, you are delighted come is this _ committees. you are pleased, you are delighted come is this something - committees. you are pleased, you are delighted come is this something we l delighted come is this something we done before? —— what is this something? {iii done before? -- what is this something?— done before? -- what is this somethinu? , ., , something? of course, of course, we want to analysis _ something? of course, of course, we want to analysis government - something? of course, of course, we want to analysis government today i want to analysis government today has actually acted in the best interest of our communities. it is not enough, they could do more, and how about think about the move beyond the vaccine, how about think about protecting our communities further as we start to build out of this covid crisis? we're going to be the ones who are left behind. actually, the move towards a statutory sick pay is welcomed. some in our

committees, they are not lucky enough to be furloughed they have been made redundant, so this is a good measure, but we are so relieved that matt hancock is actually listen to us. we now urge him to thing about the roll—out, the distribution, getting the vaccine at the doorsteps and the doctors, who are trusted sources, so we would still like to work with the government to sure up those responses. i know it sounds odd, in the middle of london or manchester, how could access be an issue? we have elderly people, even to walk half a mile to the gp has been an obstacle, so let's focus on that pragmatic rely to protect our communities.— pragmatic rely to protect our communities. ., ., ~ ., communities. good to talk to you, thank ou communities. good to talk to you, thank you so _ communities. good to talk to you, thank you so much. _ communities. good to talk to you, thank you so much. halima - communities. good to talk to you, | thank you so much. halima begum. the latest uk coronavirus

figures have been released. 10,625 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — which is down compared to last tuesday, when more than 12,000 cases were reported. there were 799 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test — that is also down from 1,052 deaths reported this time last week. the number of people receiving their first dose of the vaccine in the uk is now more than 15.5 million people. with more on those falling death figures, and new data indicating that the covid vaccination programme may be starting to pay off already, here's our health correspondent laura foster. lockdowns and rising death figures have meant a very bleak start to 2021. but scientists say there is finally some good news. it's ten weeks to the day since vaccinations began and data from the office for national statistics says the number of people dying each week with covid—19 is falling and is now lower than it was before christmas.

it's going very fast because the more recent daily data that we get, which is not as good quality as this data, because this is what's on the death certificates, but the stuff we report here every day is showing an extraordinary drop, a 35% drop over every ten days or so. and it's going down faster in older groups, the over—70s, than it is in the younger groups, the under—70s. this is very encouraging. the vaccination programme means many of the most vulnerable people are building protection against this deadly virus. blood tests show more than 40% of people over the age of 80 in england have coronavirus antibodies. two weeks ago, that figure was 26%. the uk government will unveil its plans on monday but says it will be driven by data and not by dates. we all want the same thing, to get our lives back as quickly as possible from this severe lockdown.

which is why we have focused, put so much energy into the vaccination programme. but we will be data driven. if you are data driven, it will be sustainable. but every restriction that's lifted gives the virus more of an opportunity to spread, making vaccinations even more important. there are concerns that not all health workers are taking up the offer. within my own health care setting, we have had ethnic—minority staff who are reluctant. we've just spent time talking to them about the misinformation. if we engage them through trusted sources, through peer groups who can give them the right information, they're more likely to take it up. it's really time and engagement. the next few weeks and months will be a tough balancing act between ensuring the roll—out of the vaccine continues and society reopens while making sure

health services can cope and people stay safe. we're joined from newcastle by professor andrew hayward. he's director of the ucl institute of epidemiology and a member of sage, the committee of scientists which advises the government. thank you once again for sparing the time to be with us here on bbc news. can ijust ask time to be with us here on bbc news. can i just ask you about those figures, which seem to be going in a generally downward direction, which is good news? how much of that is because of lockdown and how much the work of the vaccine, which is now rolling out so fast? it is work of the vaccine, which is now rolling out so fast?— rolling out so fast? it is a combination _ rolling out so fast? it is a combination of _ rolling out so fast? it is a combination of the - rolling out so fast? it is a combination of the two. i rolling out so fast? it is a - combination of the two. clearly lockdown has been essential in bringing the overall population rates down. the vaccine will be beginning to bring down the rates of disease and death in the elderly, and it is early to see that come about think we are just beginning to see that now. it is

about think we are 'ust beginning to that now.— about think we are 'ust beginning to that how.— see that now. it is too early to say whether it — see that now. it is too early to say whether it is _ see that now. it is too early to say whether it is affecting _ see that now. it is too early to say whether it is affecting the - whether it is affecting the christmas ability of the —— transmissibility of the virus? 1 think it is too early to say that. we don't they know exactly by how much it will reduce the transmissibility. much it will reduce the transmissibili . , ., _ ., transmissibility. obviously we are ttoin to transmissibility. obviously we are going to hear _ transmissibility. obviously we are going to hear from _ transmissibility. obviously we are going to hear from the _ transmissibility. obviously we are going to hear from the prime - going to hearfrom the prime minister on monday about the road map in terms of easing restrictions, but given what you're saying, how much longer do you think, generally, we will need social distancing measures as a minimum? are we talking about through to the end of this year, are we talking about internet year? i this year, are we talking about internet year?— this year, are we talking about internet year? i think this is one tuestion internet year? i think this is one question we _ internet year? i think this is one question we really _ internet year? i think this is one question we really need - internet year? i think this is one question we really need to - internet year? i think this is one | question we really need to follow the data rather than the dates. if you look at the models being produced a week or two ago, they are suggesting if we unlock gradually up until the end of march and then completely released injuly, we could still see very high levels of

death and hospitalisation, and so that may be a bit early. so i think there are some uncertainties in that, both in terms of exactly how effective the vaccine is in preventing hospitalisations and deaths, with the uptake is in different groups and also things like the extent to which seasonality, being in the summer, reduces transmission. given those uncertainties, we really need to follow the data and prepared to do things cautiously. bud follow the data and prepared to do things cautiously.— follow the data and prepared to do things cautiously. and we know that one of the concerns _ things cautiously. and we know that one of the concerns is _ things cautiously. and we know that one of the concerns is the _ things cautiously. and we know that one of the concerns is the variance l one of the concerns is the variance that are emerging all the time, and —— the latest one, is that anymore concerning than the other ones we've been hearing about in the last few weeks? it been hearing about in the last few weeks? , ., , ., . weeks? it is potentially of concern, in that some _ weeks? it is potentially of concern, in that some of _ weeks? it is potentially of concern, in that some of the _

weeks? it is potentially of concern, in that some of the mutations - weeks? it is potentially of concern, in that some of the mutations that l in that some of the mutations that it carries are similar to those within the south african variance and brazilian variant, and therefore may affect immunity to this strain. fortunately, it does not seem to be spreading any faster than other strains, and it's a very low levels, but i think the important thing with all of these variants is we need to be keeping a very close eye on them... vaccines will not completely lose effectiveness about them, but we don't know exactly how effective the vaccine will be if these strains come to dominate, which is why we have been so careful. bill come to dominate, which is why we have been so careful.— have been so careful. all right, professor _ have been so careful. all right, professor andrew _ have been so careful. all right, professor andrew hayward, - have been so careful. all right, i professor andrew hayward, thank have been so careful. all right, - professor andrew hayward, thank you for your time and being on bbc news. nicola sturgeon says a phased opening of schools in scotland

will start as planned by next monday, but otherwise coronavirus restrictions and the stay at home message will continue until at least the beginning of march and possibly longer. in the first phase of reopening, schools will open to pre—school children, the youngest primary school children up to the age of eight and some senior school students, but only for essential work. the first minister also said it's unlikely other pupils will return before the 15th of march at the earliest — and even then, there would be increased social distancing measures. next week, nicola sturgeon will publish its "framework" of how to emerge from lockdown, but she urged caution, saying, "a slight easing of restrictions could mean cases rise rapidly again." however, the first minister also said that children's education is a national priority. we are very deliberately choosing to use the very limited headroom we have right now to get at least some children back to school because children's education and well—being is such an overriding priority.

but being able to get children back to education may mean the rest of us living with some other restrictions for longer, and that's a trade—off we need to be willing to make at this stage. also, if we want to return as much normality as we can to life within scotland, the need to live for a longer period with significant restrictions on our ability to travel overseas is likely to be inescapable. so, what matters most is a question we will have to ask ourselves often in the weeks ahead, and it will be important for me and the government to be very upfront about the choices we face. now, i'm talking today in general terms but i can confirm that the scottish government is currently preparing a revised strategic framework which will set out in much more detail when and how we might gradually emerge from this lockdown. we hope to publish this new framework next week, probably at this time next week, following discussions with the other parties in parliament

and also business organisations, trade unions, third—sector bodies and others. nicola sturgeon speaking a little earlier. four people were each fined £10,000 after arriving at birmingham airport without declaring they had travelled from a "red list" country during the previous ten days. west midlands police said they were not allowed to leave the airport. quarantine hotels came into effect on monday, meaning those coming into the uk from high—risk countries must isolate in a hotel room for ten days at a cost of £1,750. it is a story of abduction, forced return, torture and a campaign of intimidation. the high court in london ruled last year that the billionaire ruler of dubai, sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum, was responsible for the abduction and forced return of two of his daughters. one of them — princess latifa — later made two unsuccessful attempts to flee her father's family. after the first, she was imprisoned by herfather in dubai

for over three years. in the second attempt, she was abducted at sea off the indian coast and forcibly returned to dubai, where she was put under house arrest. now, she seems to have disappeared, but not before she managed to film the conditions under which she was being held on a secret mobile phone. we have this exclusive report from bbc arabic correspondent nawal al—maghafi. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east, sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum, ruler of dubai. here she is, skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she is a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018, as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, "i can do

whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want." with the help of her friend tina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, oh, my god, they're here." she continued screaming and kicking and trying to get away, and that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. nothing has been heard from her since, until now. i'm repeating to them, my name is latifa maktoum, i don't want to go to dubai,

i want to get asylum. panorama has obtained these videos, recorded over a period of many months. in them, she details where she's being held, a villa in central dubai. i'm a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail, all the windows are barred shut, i can't open any window. i've been by myself, solitary confinement, no access to medical help, no trial, no charge, nothing. she has sketched what she can see. the villa is being guarded by around 30 police on rotation. panorama has independently verified the details of where and how she's being imprisoned. nobody should be subjected to that. solitary confinement of that sort is broadly considered to be a form of torture as it becomes prolonged the way this has been now. for three years now, life for sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum has continued as normal.

here's sheik mohammed, _ speaking with her majesty the queen. but he has been responsible for the imprisonment and abuse of his own daughter. until this day, the sheik maintains that princess latifa's return to dubai was a rescue mission. i don't want to be a hostage in this jail villa, i just want to be free. a few months ago, her secret phone went silent. these messages would be the last we'd hear from her. we have taken the decision to release some of this evidence. we haven't taken this decision lightly. i feel that she would want us to fight for her and not give up. every day, i am worried about my safety and my life. don't really know if i'm going to survive this situation. the police threaten me that i will be in prison my whole life and i'll never see the sun again.

the former irish president and un commissionerfor human rights mary robinson says she was horribly tricked into believing princess latifa was safe when she met the family more than two years ago. mary robinson flew to dubai in december 2018 at the request of her friend, princess haya, for a lunch at which latifa was also present. ms robinson told panorama that she and princess haya had earlier been presented with details of latifa's bipolar disorder, a condition she does not have. i was misled initially by my good friend, princess haya, because she was misled. haya began to explain that latifa had quite a serious bipolar problem, and they were saying to me, very kind of in a way that was very convincing, "we don't want latifa to go through any further trauma." i didn't know how to address somebody who is bipolar about their trauma, but i really didn't actually want

to talk to her and increase the trauma over a nice lunch. mary robinson there. joining me now is marcus essabri, princess latifa's cousin. thank you very much for being with us. the secretly recorded messages from her have stopped. what do you fear may have happened to her? we have fear may have happened to her? - have lost contact, so we fear for her health, for her life. it was a very difficult decision for us to take and make, with the footage that you have, but it's a risk that we have to take. but we need now to push and make sure that this is, that she is free now and that we get to see her in nature that she is all right —— make sure she is all right. the opportunity to get the rest of the road to put pressure on the

sheik? ~ ., the road to put pressure on the sheik? . ., ., , the road to put pressure on the sheik? . ., .,, , sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, the need sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, they need to — sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, they need to let _ sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, they need to let her— sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, they need to let her out _ sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, they need to let her out now. - sheik? whoever has imprisoned her, they need to let her out now. she i they need to let her out now. she has suffered enough. she is a human being, she is not an animal to be kept the way she is being kept. her health has deteriorated. she has no adequate care, nothing. she needs to be looked after now. she needs to be free. �* ., , be looked after now. she needs to be free. ~ ., , ., ., free. and as we heard in that re tort, free. and as we heard in that report, human _ free. and as we heard in that report, human rights - free. and as we heard in that report, human rights watch l free. and as we heard in that - report, human rights watch saying to be held in that villa which has been turned into a prison, it seems, is a kind of solitary confinement which human rights watch say is equivalent to torture. it human rights watch say is equivalent to torture. , ., to torture. it is torture. the little contact _ to torture. it is torture. the little contact i _ to torture. it is torture. the little contact i had - to torture. it is torture. the little contact i had with - to torture. it is torture. the j little contact i had with her, to torture. it is torture. the | little contact i had with her, i could feel how struggling she was and how tired and, you know, how much pain she was going through. it was horrible to hear, and not much you can do from the outside. and you wish that the world could hear and

know what's going on, but the fear of, are we going to make the situation worse? it'sjust of, are we going to make the situation worse? it's just the most horrific situation to be in. it is situation worse? it'sjust the most horrific situation to be in.- horrific situation to be in. it is a harrowing _ horrific situation to be in. it is a harrowing story. _ horrific situation to be in. it is a harrowing story. in _ horrific situation to be in. it is a harrowing story. in the - horrific situation to be in. it is a harrowing story. in the end, - horrific situation to be in. it is a harrowing story. in the end, it i horrific situation to be in. it is a | harrowing story. in the end, it is just a story about a girl who wants her freedom. just a story about a girl who wants her freedom-— her freedom. that's all it is that's all, a her freedom. that's all it is that's all. a simple. _ her freedom. that's all it is that's all, a simple, lovely, _ her freedom. that's all it is that's all, a simple, lovely, loving, - all, a simple, lovely, loving, caring young lady who wants the opportunities that we have. but her father is one _ opportunities that we have. but her father is one of _ opportunities that we have. but her father is one of the _ opportunities that we have. but her father is one of the richest - opportunities that we have. but her father is one of the richest man - opportunities that we have. but her father is one of the richest man in l father is one of the richest man in the world, one of the most powerful man in the world. he is the ruler of dubai. is he susceptible to pressure, whether it is from the united nations or the united kingdom, where he has a lot of investments? and we saw him and that reports talking to the queen. all susceptible to pressure is he, do you think, from around the world? for me, it is difficult to know, but we are talking about a human being and i think in the end, everybody

has to come together and do what is the best thing. we cannot keep ignoring the mother and think it is just going to go away, because we are not going to go away. and we want her alive and well, and that's the important thing, and every minute counts. look at how many people are suffering just because of the covid, and we still have a lot more freedom than what she's having. we can see daylight, we can go out for walks, we have medical care, so imagine... when it —— we cannot compare ourselves to what she is going through. a human being, the queen, however, i'm sure they can feel some empathy in their hearts stop it you would like pressure from the british government, maybe from buckingham palace itself as well? to government, maybe from buckingham palace itself as well?— palace itself as well? to get her released? _ palace itself as well? to get her released? everybody, _ palace itself as well? to get her. released? everybody, everybody. eve bod released? everybody, everybody. everybody goes — released? everybody, everybody. everybody goes to _ released? everybody, everybody. everybody goes to dubai, - released? everybody, everybody. i everybody goes to dubai, everybody goes there to have fun. how can you, just knowing her location was somewhere for people go and enjoy

themselves? it is heartbreaking, it is heartbreaking knowing she is struggling, that she has no hope and we are all out there going to enjoy ourselves. fits we are all out there going to en'oy ourselves. �* , , ., we are all out there going to en'oy ourselves. ~ , i. _ ., we are all out there going to en'oy ourselves. ~ , i. ., ., we are all out there going to en'oy ourselves. ~ , ., ., ., ourselves. as you say, a lot of theole ourselves. as you say, a lot of people go _ ourselves. as you say, a lot of people go to _ ourselves. as you say, a lot of people go to dubai. _ ourselves. as you say, a lot of - people go to dubai. controversially during lockdown, social media influencers and so on. are you saying in some ways, we have the wrong impression of dubai? look, for me, it isjust— wrong impression of dubai? look, for me, it isjust important _ wrong impression of dubai? look, for me, it is just important for _ wrong impression of dubai? look, for me, it isjust important for me - wrong impression of dubai? look, for me, it isjust important for me to - me, it is just important for me to get her out. ifearfor me, it is just important for me to get her out. i fearfor her me, it is just important for me to get her out. i fear for her life, me, it is just important for me to get her out. ifearfor her life, i fearfor her get her out. ifearfor her life, i fear for her safety. get her out. ifearfor her life, i fearfor her safety. it get her out. ifearfor her life, i fear for her safety. it wasn't easy to take this decision to do it, because we are taking a risk, but the only thing i ask is, please, please, please, we cannot... this is our opportunity for to we've got to do something now. this is for the un, the president in america, anybody who has their word means something, because we have tried many times and nobody listens to us.

in the first thing you want to know is that she is safe and alive, but the second thing is to get her released?_ the second thing is to get her released? ., ., , ,, , , released? totally. she deserves that. she deserves _ released? totally. she deserves that. she deserves to _ released? totally. she deserves that. she deserves to be - released? totally. she deserves that. she deserves to be free. i released? totally. she deserves i that. she deserves to be free. and she has escaped to help her sister, and now she finds herself in the worst situation ever, so she has a good heart. she is a beautiful young lady and she needs... the rest of the years she's got left, she needs to live them happily. she deserves that. . , , to live them happily. she deserves that. , , ., ., ~ ., that. marcus, it is good to talk to ou, and that. marcus, it is good to talk to you. and thank— that. marcus, it is good to talk to you, and thank you _ that. marcus, it is good to talk to you, and thank you very - that. marcus, it is good to talk to you, and thank you very much - that. marcus, it is good to talk to you, and thank you very much for talking about this harrowing story. marcus essabri, who is prince latifah's cousin. for your time. —— princess latifa's cousin. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt. hello. whilst cloud and rain lingers for some across the south and east, it's been a story of sunshine

and showers for most today. showers could be heavy at times, pushed along by strong breeze. strongest of those winds through the rest of today will be to the northwest of scotland — 60, maybe 70 miles an hour gusts possible. temperatures as we head into the evening still in double figures for some, but a colder night on the way. showers initially across england will clear. clear skies, then, for many, lasting longest across eastern areas but in the west, wind, rain return. now, with those clear skies in the east, temperatures will be lower than last night, cold enough for a touch of frost returning to parts of northeast scotland, but not much around. most will be mild enough to start tomorrow. a spell of rain spreading across the country quite quickly, then sunshine and showers. but our weather front will linger across some southern counties of england and into south wales, and further rain expected at times, some of which will become heavy during the afternoon. milder air remains in place here, a little bit fresher further north tomorrow, but as you go into tomorrow evening, that rain starts to push its way northwards to give us a mild wednesday night. hello, this is bbc news.

the headlines... around 1.7 million more people are to be added to the shielding list in england. it comes after experts identified more people at serious risk of covid—19. new data suggests england's vaccination programme is starting to pay off. coronavirus deaths are falling and more elderly people are developing antibodies. a phased return to school for pupils in scotland from next monday, starting with the youngest children first. concerns are growing for the well—being of princess latifa, the daughter of the ruler of dubai, who says she's been held against her will by her billionaire father. she's released secretly recorded messages. calling all budding astronauts — for the first time in a decade, the european space agency is is recruiting.

olly foster has always wanted to be an astronaut. sign me up! defending champion and world number one novak djokovic is through to the australian open semi—finals but he had to come from a set down against the german alexander zverev. djokovic was nursing an abdominal injury that he picked up in the previous round and he said it took him time to warm up and get into the match. though he won the second set, he was really out of sorts in the third, taking out his anger on his racquet. that left the clearing up job for a poor ballgirl. he later said that helped him regain his focus. he won that set to go 2—1 up. an epic fourth was decided on a tie—break, the serb sealing the win with an ace to reach the last four, where he'll face the russian qualifier aslan karatsev. serena williams is still on for a 24th grand slam singles title.

she beat the world number two simona halep to reach the semi—finals. it was tighter than the 6—3, 6—3 scoreline suggests but williams hit some ferocious forehands on her way to victory. williams will play naomi osaka next, theirfirst meeting in a major tournament since the 2018 us open final that osaka won. the england captainjoe root conceded that they were outplayed by india in every department. they were beaten in the second test by 317 runs inside four days in chennai, and the series now stands at 1—all with two to play. here's our sports correspondentjoe wilson. it was only ever win and never if, it's how india one. dan lawrence beaten. once deceived, it's a race. katzman scrambling to the crease, stretching for the bales. ——

batsman. ben stokes caught. the left looking more confused than when he arrived. all the pope —— olly hope. his dismissal was almost a repeat. seven down. now batting was extremely challenging, evenjoe root succumbed. when the ball spins off the bare earth, what can you do? when allie started, five of them was a surprise for everyone.— a surprise for everyone. another six! he had _ a surprise for everyone. another six! he had covid _ a surprise for everyone. another six! he had covid this _ a surprise for everyone. another six! he had covid this winter- a surprise for everyone. anotherj six! he had covid this winter and entland six! he had covid this winter and england say _ six! he had covid this winter and england say he's _ six! he had covid this winter and england say he's now _ six! he had covid this winter and england say he's now chosen - six! he had covid this winter and england say he's now chosen to | six! he had covid this winter and - england say he's now chosen to take the option to fly home. on 43, is ending stop. so did the match. india won by 317 runs.

ending stop. so did the match. india won by 317 runs— won by 317 runs. we've been outplayed — won by 317 runs. we've been outplayed in _ won by 317 runs. we've been outplayed in all _ won by 317 runs. we've been outplayed in all three - won by 317 runs. we've been - outplayed in all three departments this week, so it's important we learn. we take it as a bit of an education. learn. we take it as a bit of an education-— learn. we take it as a bit of an education. ., ., , ., ., . , ., education. two teams, two matches to come, and education. two teams, two matches to come. and the — education. two teams, two matches to come, and the series _ education. two teams, two matches to come, and the series level. _ education. two teams, two matches to come, and the series level. joe - come, and the series level. joe wilson, bbc news. france's head coach fabian galthie has tested positive for covid—19. the french squad were already isolating after another member of staff contracted the virus. galthie had a returned negative result but was re—tested today. france lead the way in the six nations championship with two wins out of two, and organisers will be thankful that there is a rest weekend coming up. they name their squad to face scotland on february 28th tomorrow. the ireland players that came into contact with the french in dublin on sunday have all returned negative results. the champions league returns this evening. the first leg of liverpool's last 16 tie against leipzig is actually in budapest because of covid travel restrictions in germany. they need an upturn in fortunes, their premier league title defence has faltered of late with three

defeats in a row. the manager tries to protect us as much as possible. it's down to us to change the situation that we're in, and we take full responsibility on results and performances. so, yeah, it's down to us to go out there, keep fighting to try and change this tough period that we've been going through over the last few weeks. and you can follow that match live, along with the night's other game, barcelona against paris saint germain, on the bbc sport website and app. that is an eight o'clock catch up. that's all from us for now. always worth the watch. as the number of people in hospital with covid starts returning to levels not seen since before christmas, hospitals across the uk are starting to open up wards again to non—covid patients.

the pandemic has had a huge impact on medical care for people who don't have coronavirus, with many reluctant to seek help even when it's urgently needed. at glan clwyd hospital in north wales, highly dedicated teams have been fighting throughout to treat everyone who needs urgent medical help. our correspondentjeremy cooke has been talking to staff who've been trying to help patients. in a time of covid, time to breathe. you're going 100 miles an hour in the department, in resus, your trauma calls. precious moments in the north wales hills for doctor sam wright. this is where i come to reset before i'm ready for my next shift. i just hear something other than machines beeping at me. and so, back to work. two, three... have you taken any- painkillers yourself today?

it's a fairly small district general hospital, and there is a massive sense of community. in the hospital's red zones — the covid zones — specialist teams are fighting to save lives. but this is the story of the doctors, nurses, support staff in the green zone. you've got a bit of a lump on there. no covid here, but so many patients who need help. we're getting quite a significant rise in mental health problems, patients coming in having taken overdoses or self—harming as a result of the pressures that they're under and the struggles that they're having at the moment. when was the last time you had the chest pain? every ten days or so. 0k. colin has just arrived at a&e. the ect is showing something. so, it's a heart attack. it's suggesting that some parts of the heart have been struggling to get enough blood. fear of covid means too many patients... will i be seeing her today? you will. ..are waiting too long to get help. we're seeing patients who have had heart attacks in the preceding days or weeks but not wanted to bother us, patients who

have got quite significant, quite progressed cancer, and unfortunately, that starts to limit how much we can actually do for their ongoing condition. across the hospital, covid means delays. but the life—saving work must go on. jill's in for breast cancer surgery, so no visitors. i was apprehensive but determined to get it over and done with and start my life off again. jill's operation was cancelled at another hospital because of a covid spike, so massive relief it's happening here. high—end care from this surgeon, but she and her team are under pressure. we've had staff off shielding, we've had staff off sick and i have seen some evidence of burn—out, especially within the nursing staff. and ijust don't know how much longer we can keep it up. i've got two green down to one now. delays mean when the pandemic ends, so much hard work will begin.

it will be a mountain to climb, both in terms of the operational challenge of getting the right care to all those people that have been waiting all this time. but also, i think what we will find is that clinical teams come across patients who have suffered because they've had to wait longer. emma's not expecting the cavalry to come to the rescue... ..so tackling the backlog will need innovation. professor kingsley is using a new technique for prostate cancer diagnosis. let me know. no longer the need for a precious operating theatre, it can now be done here. and nursejoe is training to do the job. gosh, they've been waiting so long, some of those patients, but if we can just help to reduce that backlog, it's rewarding. every week, we're seeing differences. helping patients — it's the mission statement here, not just for covid, but for everyone.

a day after surgery, jill is heading home, back to her own bed. i don't recommend it to anybody. get your appointments, get your things done at the hospitals. it's been fantastic here. i'm very, very lucky. back on the hills for sam, there's time to reflect. i've seen some phenomenal acts of kindness. there's definitely a desire to get through this altogether. together in a medical landscape utterly transformed by covid—19. jeremy cooke, bbc news, north wales. the dj jo whiley has said she is living "a nightmare" after being offered a covid vaccine before her sister, who has a learning disability and diabetes. her sister frances has since tested positive for coronavirus after there was an outbreak in her care home. the vaccines minister said people with a learning disability in residential care were now starting to get the jab. data from public health england showed that six out of ten people

who died from coronavirus up to november last year had a disability. jo whiley has been speaking about her sister to our disability correspondent, nikki fox. francis is, she has a very, very strong personality. she's bought red hair and she is the fiery tempered who goes with it. she forms very, very close attachment with people and she's very sociable. being an lockdown has been phenomenally hard for her because the one thing she loves more than anything in the world is people, she sits outside mum and dads houtz unjust waves to people in the street and everyone knows francis. she loves music, my mum set up a club and i dj there.

she's always had an amazing sense of rhythm, way better than me. honestly, she can dance a much better than me. she'll introduce records and she loves dancing queen. she's a very strong character as well. on the whole, she someone you never forget. well. on the whole, she someone you never forget-— never forget. how much of your family gone _ never forget. how much of your family gone through _ never forget. how much of your family gone through to - never forget. how much of your family gone through to try - never forget. how much of your family gone through to try and l never forget. how much of your i family gone through to try and get frances the vaccine? for family gone through to try and get frances the vaccine?— frances the vaccine? for weeks, we've done _ frances the vaccine? for weeks, we've done everything _ frances the vaccine? for weeks, we've done everything we - frances the vaccine? for weeks, l we've done everything we possibly can. i sent e—mails, my mum sent e—mails to the gp surgery, saying could you please vaccinate this group of people? we got absolutely nowhere. it was extraordinarily frustrating. in the end, you just give up. that's what we had to do, just give up. you have to face your faith in the fact that someone out there will look after them and they

will be all right. it's not all right. there is covert operate in that home, and i wish that something would be done —— there is a covid outbreak. would be done -- there is a covid outbreak. ~ ., ., . would be done -- there is a covid outbreak-— would be done -- there is a covid outbreak. . ., ., . ., , ., outbreak. what advice would you give to other families _ outbreak. what advice would you give to other families in _ outbreak. what advice would you give to other families in the _ outbreak. what advice would you give to other families in the situation? i to other families in the situation? the most important thing is if you have a relative or care for somebody with a disability, call your gp surgery and make them aware that they haven't had the vaccination and they haven't had the vaccination and they need it. that's it, that's what you have to do. then they can be priorities and hopefully the vaccine will be administered. first move tomorrow, whenever, called the gp surgery and make sure they're aware. keep the pressure on.— keep the pressure on. yeah, 10096. make sure because _ keep the pressure on. yeah, 10096. make sure because you're - keep the pressure on. yeah, 10096. make sure because you're speaking| make sure because you're speaking for somebody who has no voice, they need to listen. d0 for somebody who has no voice, they need to listen.— need to listen. do you think people understand how _ need to listen. do you think people understand how difficult _ need to listen. do you think people understand how difficult this - understand how difficult this particular time has been for people

with learning disabilities? the fact they're all staying indoors, all of these kind of measures that we're all having to adhere to. it's been very difficult for a lot of people with disabilities. it’s very difficult for a lot of people with disabilities.— with disabilities. it's been incredibly _ with disabilities. it's been incredibly hard _ with disabilities. it's been incredibly hard for- with disabilities. it's been incredibly hard for people j with disabilities. it's been i incredibly hard for people with learning disabilities. on a daily basis. there are only so manyjigsaw puzzles you can do. they thrive on having simulation from a number of different things, a lot of social interaction. but there's nowhere to go and i know a lot of people are struggling with that, but i imagine if your world is just all walls and you don't get anything from television, you don't like listening to the radio, that's too much for you. just seeing friends and having that taken away from you, you see absolutely no one, that is very, very big and it's almost like a mental torture. jo whiley speaking to our disability correspondent nikki fox. some of the biggest names in british theatre, including damejulie walters, sir ian mckellan and patrick stewart, have added their names to an open letter urging the government

to ensure visa—free work in the eu. they say new visa rules, post brexit are a �*towering hurdle' that must urgently be addressed. mps on digital, culture, media and sport committee heard evidence from musicians and artists this morning. the government says it opens to open negotiations with individual countries to help reduce performance to work in europe. let's speak now to lyndsay duthie. —— help british performers. she is the chief executive of the production guild of great britain, which represents uk film and tv drama professionals. she appeared on the digital, culture, media and sport committee hearing today. thank you so much for being with us. for people who are not familiar with this problem for the creative industries in europe, just explain what it means for british performers at the moment. what it means for british performers at the moment-— at the moment. well, it's very difficult because _ at the moment. well, it's very difficult because now - at the moment. well, it's very difficult because now you - at the moment. well, it's very difficult because now you have at the moment. well, it's very i difficult because now you have to have a visa, a permit, and there's

27 different countries within the eu all but slightly different regulations. what we're finding is if you take up to three months to obtain a visa, we've got stops at hmrc that are taking ten weeks to work through. what used to be a very simple process is fraught with problems. for us at the moment in film and television, covid travel restrictions are obviously posing the most acute challenge, so some of the most acute challenge, so some of the brexit impact... we need clarity at the moment as to what we're going to do. i work in film and television, so our colleagues in music and theatre have been hit much harder because of the tory nature of their work. harder because of the tory nature of theirwork. but harder because of the tory nature of their work. but we too are feeling their work. but we too are feeling the impact, so it's imperative that we find a solution to this for the temporary engagement of working both ways. if temporary engagement of working both wa s. , ., temporary engagement of working both wa s. y ., y temporary engagement of working both wa s. , ., , ., temporary engagement of working both wa s. , ., temporary engagement of working both was. , ., .,

ways. if you try to make a tv programme _ ways. if you try to make a tv programme in _ ways. if you try to make a tv programme in a _ ways. if you try to make a tv programme in a european i ways. if you try to make a tv - programme in a european country, it's very difficult if you are a rock band or a singer trying to perform. but the government is saying that they are trying to negotiate individually with the member states of the european union, the 27 eu countries. is that a solution or is thatjust going to take too long? it solution or is that 'ust going to take too long?— solution or is that 'ust going to take too long? it is going to take time and i _ take too long? it is going to take time and i think— take too long? it is going to take time and i think we _ take too long? it is going to take time and i think we have - take too long? it is going to take time and i think we have to - take too long? it is going to take i time and i think we have to identify the top five countries that impact us the most. we do have some bilateral agreements in place with france, for example. it seems like the idea of a ways or visa is not on the idea of a ways or visa is not on the table so we have to find a way through —— waiver visa. we want to continue to make our world—class content and our colleagues in music and theatre, it's an even greater problem with them. though that is a potential solution, problem with them. though that is a potentialsolution, but problem with them. though that is a potential solution, but it needs to be happening now because that is a

lot of work to work through. bud be happening now because that is a lot of work to work through. endi lot of work to work through. and i su- hose lot of work to work through. and i suppose for _ lot of work to work through. and i suppose for the — lot of work to work through. and i suppose for the creative - lot of work to work through. and i suppose for the creative industries in general, whether you're an tv or music or whatever, they've been hit by this but they've also been hit massively by the pandemic. it's like a double whammy. it is massively by the pandemic. it's like a double whammy.— a double whammy. it is a double whammy- _ a double whammy. it is a double whammy- i _ a double whammy. it is a double whammy. i represent _ a double whammy. it is a double whammy. i represent film - a double whammy. it is a double whammy. i represent film and i a double whammy. it is a double i whammy. i represent film and tv, a double whammy. it is a double - whammy. i represent film and tv, and we probably did a little bit better than our colleagues in music and theatre because we did manage to keep going and we delivered a very good year of 2.31; billion spent. but the covid measures for film and tv is adding an additional eight to 30% on top of production budgets, so it's fraught with problems. at the moment, the travel restrictions for covid are outweighing the brexit issues for us, but we do have the small window of time to try and sort this out as we start to come out to the pandemic. this out as we start to come out to the pandemic— this out as we start to come out to the pandemic. thank you very much for talkint the pandemic. thank you very much for talking to _ the pandemic. thank you very much for talking to us _ the pandemic. thank you very much for talking to us and _ the pandemic. thank you very much for talking to us and explain - the pandemic. thank you very much for talking to us and explain those i for talking to us and explain those

problems. the ministry of defence says it's correcting what it because of historic injustice after the ban on lesbians and gay men in joe ousalice loved his life at sea. he served in the royal navy for nearly 18 years as a radio operator. in 1982, he was part of the taskforce which sailed to the south atlantic in the falklands war and he did tours of duty in other trouble spots. joe's career ended because of his sexuality and, as part of his dismissal, his long—service and good—conduct medal was cut from his uniform. i wouldn't have minded, had i done something wrong, but the fact was i'd done nothing wrong. the ministry of defence made a trumped—up charge against me and kicked me out purely because of my sexuality.

this war veteran mounted a personal battle to get his medal back. he had to resort to legal action against the ministry of defence. and in 2019, they settled his claim. joe received his medal and an apology. they apologised to me, but that's not enough. i did get my medal back and i was elated over that, but nevertheless, there are thousands of other people out there who have been treated not too dissimilar to myself. now, more than 20 years after the ban on lgbt people serving in the armed forces was lifted, the ministry of defence has announced that other former service personnel dismissed because of their sexuality can finally apply to have their lost medals restored. it's taken a while to get here, and i acknowledge that. but, you know, today is a good day. many people thought we would never get here, and giving individuals the chance to apply and have their medals reinstated is a really important step for them.

while welcoming this, joe regrets that some who lost out have died without the honours owed to them. june kelly, bbc news. have you ever wanted to visit space, perhaps now more than ever? well, this could be your chance. the european space agency is advertising and for the first time it says it wants to recruit astronauts with disabilities. so, what does it take to go to space? our science correspondent victoria gill has been finding out. if you've ever dreamed of a career in space exploration, now could be your chance. angle? how does that look to you? the european space agency is recruiting new astronauts for the first time in more than a decade. being selected to become an astronaut used to be the preserve of young men with military backgrounds. it was 1991 before the first european woman, britain's helen sharman, flew in space.

now, in an effort to be much more inclusive, the agency says it plans to recruit at least one person with a disability. we are looking for an individual who is psychologically, cognitively, technically and professionally qualified to be an astronaut, but has certain classes of physical limitation that would normally prevent them from being selected through the requirements we normally have. so, right now, we're at step zero. the door is closed to such people. we want to change that and go from zero to one. every recruit will have to go through rigorous mental and physical preparation. something that major tim peake, the last british astronaut to be recruited, understands well. the training you do as an astronaut isjust so diverse, from going back to the classroom, then you start stripping down computers and learning about internet protocol. you learn about plumbing. you learn how to fix aircraft. you need to have a bit of patience with me... are you excited to see

who makes it through? you know, this is a new era of space exploration that we are about to embark on. we're involved in the artemis program, that is returning humans to the surface of the moon, which will no doubt happen by the end of the decade at the very latest. and as a stepping stone to go on to mars. so, this selection process could potentially be picking the first europeans who will set foot on mars. what would you advise people who want to put themselves up for that rigorous process? research esa programmes, current and future plans, and know what it's going to mean to be an esa astronaut. there's tim peake. but it's an incredible journey, and people who are selected have got a really exciting future ahead of them. victoria gill, bbc news. sophie is coming up with the bbc news at six, but now it's time for a look at the weather with matt. hello. definitely a feeling of spring rather than winter this week, though temperatures will be up and down a little bit. as for today, shrove tuesday,

could have been better across the south and east. cloud and rain lingering into the afternoon, but elsewhere, it has been a case of the weather flipping between sunshine and showers. a strong breeze across the country, strongest towards the north—west of scotland where we've seen winds touch 60 or 70 miles an hour. showers here, plenty across england and wales with the odd rumble of thunder as we head towards the end of the afternoon and evening. but temperatures above where they should be for the time of year. we should be around seven or eight degrees, we're at ten or 12. there should be some early evening sunshine, east anglia and the southeast, before some showers push into the second half of the evening. then clear skies to the east of the country before more cloud, wind and rain gathers in the west. and under those clear skies in the east, temperatures will be lower than last night, cold enough for a touch of frost across parts of north—east scotland. as we go into wednesday, this is the big picture — low pressure to the north—west of us, weather fronts pushing their way eastwards on a general south—westerly wind, so a mild theme continues hour

or two of rain for most before hour or two of rain for most before some showers develop, strongest winds again back towards the north—west of scotland, potentially stronger than today, but while most will see sunshine during the afternoon, cloud and outbreaks of rain could linger across counties of southern england and south wales. here, though, milder. temperatures further north drop a little bit. milder air will surge through wednesday night but into thursday, colder air will gradually shove that out the way and with it outbreaks of rain we start the day with. another blustery day across—the—board, this time, southern areas having an hour or two of rain before the sunshine comes back out. further north, it could linger longer. for most, sunny spells, a few showers during the afternoon, temperatures close to where they should be at seven and nine degrees. to see the week out, the mild air will gradually surge back, but with rain at times, particularly in the west. weather fronts running up here could cause some minor flooding at times, but into saturday and sunday, we start to introduce

more of a southerly flow across the country. not completely dry this weekend, so while temperatures will lift maybe up to 16 or 17 degrees across eastern england, you'll notice for some of the city forecasts, there will still be rain at times, particularly in the west.

tonight at six: chilling new videos from the daughter of the ruler of dubai — princess latifa says she is being held prisoner by her father after trying to flee. i'm a hostage, and this villa has been converted into a jail. all the windows are barred shut. i can't open any window. the footage was filmed on a phone smuggled to her — it's the first time the 35—year—old has been seen in over two years. herfather — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum — is one of the richest heads of state in the world — he's claimed his daughter is in the loving care of her family. the princess's videos, recorded over several months, have now stopped — friends fear for her safety. also tonight: another 1.7 million adults are being added to the shielding list in england after experts identified more people at serious risk from covid—19.