tv BBC News BBC News February 19, 2021 8:00pm-9:01pm GMT
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this is bbc news, i'm kasia madera — our top stories. a reset for transatlantic relations as president biden recommits to nato and pledges to "earn back" europe's trust. america is back, the transatlantic alliance is back. we are not looking backward. we are looking forward together. we'll be hearing from the us secretary of state antony blinken, in an exclusive interview with the bbc. a donation of surplus vaccines to tackle the pandemic — as developed nations make promises and pledges at the g7 summit. and, the latest look at mars — beamed back by nasa's rover perseverance, which landed on the red planet last night.
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hello and welcome if you're watching on pbs in the us or around the world, i'm kasia madera. the us presidentjoe biden, has delivered a major speech reaffirming the us' commitment to nato and the principle which underlies it, that an attack on one is an attack on all. just over four weeks after taking over from the trump administration, mr biden�*s message stands in marked contrast to donald trump's ambiguity over the us' role within nato. in a moment we'll hear from the us secretary of state in an exclusive international tv interview. but first, that pledge to unite the west, from president biden. i'm sending a clear message to the world, america is back. the transatlantic alliance is back.
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and we are not looking backwards. we are looking forward together. it comes down to this, transatlantic alliances is a strong foundation. the strong foundation on which our collective security and our shared prosperity are built. the united states is fully committed to our nato alliance. and i welcome europe's growing investment and its military capabilities that enable our shared defenses. you know, to me and to the united states and many of us will keep article, will keep the faith of article five. it's a guarantee. an attack on one is an attack on all. that is our unshakeable vow. president biden. so tonight, the us secretary of state anthony blinken has talked exclusively to the bbc about the biden administration's approach to the world. he was speaking to yalda hakim
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who asked him what president biden meant when he told the group of seven leaders that america is back. we are determined once again to engage in the world. to show up again. because in the absence of american engagement in the absence of american leadership then one or two thing happens, are there is some other country tries to take our place and probably does so in a way that doesn't advance the common interests and values of the democratic war to enact worlds are no one does. and then you may well have a vacuum of chaos before anything good does. it's also imperative that american engagement and american leadership be for the purpose of finding new ways to co—operate among countries. because every single one of the major challenges we face, the ones that affect the lives of our citizens weather and climate change, this pandemic, the spread of a dangerous weapon, not a single nation acting alone can deal with it effectively. we have to find ways to work together.
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the g7 today is a very strong manifestation of that. the worlds leading democratic economies coming together to tackle covid—19, to deal with climate, to deal with other challenges to our democracy. let's discuss iran. you've been speaking to european foreign ministers henri rejoining the iran nuclear deal. can you clarify what has been agreed with your european partners? i think what's striking about the conversations with our european partners is that we are once again on the same page. we are not working at cross purposes. that in and of itself is very important we share the same objective. president biden has been clear for some time that if iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the agreement the united states would do the same thing for something then we would work with our partners. both to lengthen and strengthen the agreement and to confront other issues, other challenges posed by iran including its day stabilising activities in the region
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and ballistic programme that need to be addressed. what i found from my conversations with the european three, as they are called, as we are exactly on the same page. we now have an invitation from the european union to have an informal meeting of the so—called joint commission of the iran nuclear agreements. so the united states, european partners, russia, iran of all been invited. we intend to be there. you spoke to the president and reiterated the importance to the americans interest in peace process was up al-qaeda influences growing in afghanistan under the protection of the taliban. isn't this just a clear breach of the need to hire agreement? -- doha agreement. we are in the midst of a very rigorous review of the policy towards afghanistan. in particular, we need to review carefully the agreements that have
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been reached between the united states and the taliban and the work that we have done with the government afghanistan. and all of that work has been done. in the initial conclusion we come to is that it's vitally important for us and others to press the parties to make good on the commitments that they've already made, and when it comes to the taliban, they made clear decisions to disassociate themselves from al-qaeda and other terrorist groups to not support them in any way. the treasury is — to not support them in any way. the treasury is saying that they continue to allow al-qaeda and protect them to remain in the country. protect them to remain in the count . ~ . . ~ protect them to remain in the count . ~ . .,~ ., protect them to remain in the count . ~ . .~ ., ., protect them to remain in the count .~ . ., ., country. we are taking a hard look about right — country. we are taking a hard look about right now, _ country. we are taking a hard look about right now, and _ country. we are taking a hard look about right now, and as _ country. we are taking a hard look about right now, and as i - country. we are taking a hard look about right now, and as i said, - country. we are taking a hard look about right now, and as i said, i i about right now, and as i said, i think the most effective thing and necessary thing that we can do now, along with partners in the region, including neighbours, is to press the parties starting with the taliban to make good on commitments that they've made, including the commitments they've made under the us agreement. yalda the secretary of state anthony blinken spoke
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to you about a broad range of subjects, what stood out for you? well, as you heard there, it really was a _ well, as you heard there, it really was a wide—ranging interview and the longer— was a wide—ranging interview and the longer version will go out this week and i'm _ longer version will go out this week and i'm bbc world news. but he touched — and i'm bbc world news. but he touched on everything. i mean, obviously. _ touched on everything. i mean, obviously, as we put in our headline there. _ obviously, as we put in our headline there. it _ obviously, as we put in our headline there. it was— obviously, as we put in our headline there, it was the g7 meeting today, there, it was the g7 meeting today, the first_ there, it was the g7 meeting today, the first time that biden has come out and _ the first time that biden has come out and addressed the international community. the message really was america _ community. the message really was america is— community. the message really was america is back. i suppose there are many— america is back. i suppose there are many critics — america is back. i suppose there are many critics who are now saying that white _ many critics who are now saying that while america might be back after four years — while america might be back after four years of donald trump and a focus _ four years of donald trump and a focus on — four years of donald trump and a focus on america first, are the europeans— focus on america first, are the europeans going to look at this like the old _ europeans going to look at this like the old days where american leads and your— the old days where american leads and your follows? so there are major challenges _ and your follows? so there are major challenges ahead for the united states — challenges ahead for the united states. the major focus for them is obviously— states. the major focus for them is obviously the china challenge, what to do— obviously the china challenge, what to do about a more competitive china, — to do about a more competitive china, because, of course, you will remember— china, because, of course, you will remember that people like tony blinking — remember that people like tony blinking worked under the obama administration and it was a very difficult — administration and it was a very difficult time. the last four years, there _ difficult time. the last four years, there has— difficult time. the last four years, there has been a lot of pressure on
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china _ there has been a lot of pressure on china from — there has been a lot of pressure on china from the united states and being _ china from the united states and being described as extreme competition byjoe biden. he addressed outcome he addressed things— addressed outcome he addressed things like the vaccine distribution which _ things like the vaccine distribution which we — things like the vaccine distribution which we have seen is a big talking point _ which we have seen is a big talking point today, and the us commitment of putting _ point today, and the us commitment of putting $4 billion to kovacs. so a mixed _ of putting $4 billion to kovacs. so a mixed bag there. and you heard some _ a mixed bag there. and you heard some of— a mixed bag there. and you heard some of those points there, but we have the _ some of those points there, but we have the longer version coming up this weekend.— have the longer version coming up this weekend. ., ~ ., ., ~' this weekend. indeed we do. we look forward to it- — this weekend. indeed we do. we look forward to it. as _ this weekend. indeed we do. we look forward to it. as she _ this weekend. indeed we do. we look forward to it. as she was _ this weekend. indeed we do. we look forward to it. as she was saying, - forward to it. as she was saying, the longer version available this weekend. we were mentioning some of those topics that she was discussing. the united states has officially re—joined the international effort to tackle climate change, known as the paris climate agreement. it's a major shift from the approach of former president donald trump, who withdrew the us from the landmark climate accord, claiming at the time the country had been given a bad deal. but president biden has made tackling climate change a key pillar of his administration, and overturned trump's policy.
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the g7 group of developed nations has also pledged billions of dollars to the united nations' covax fund to immunise the world against coronavirus. in a statement, the group says they will work together to beat covid — and give assistance to the nations most hit by the pandemic. ahead of the meeting, the white house announced four billion dollars towards an international vaccination programme. the european union pledged to double their contribution, reaching a total of 1.2 billion dollars. and germany is donating an additional one point eight billion, with angela merkel saying everyone on earth needed to be vaccinated. i'm joined now by markjit, professor of vaccine epidemiology at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. good to have you on professor. before we talk about what's been happening today, just give us an understanding, were we ever really truly understand the level of deaths that coronavirus has created in
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those remote areas in developing nations? ~ , ., , ., those remote areas in developing nations? ~ , , ., . ., nations? well, probably not. what we know is that — nations? well, probably not. what we know is that many _ nations? well, probably not. what we know is that many parts _ nations? well, probably not. what we know is that many parts of _ nations? well, probably not. what we know is that many parts of the - know is that many parts of the world, the recorded number of deaths in the headlines is well below the true number of true debts. and other studies looking at the number, just total excess deaths not necessary due to covert, and he suggests that, you know, up to 95% of covid deaths might not be properly recorded. so the numbers we see might be vastly underestimated.— underestimated. that's an interesting _ underestimated. that's an interesting point. - underestimated. that's an interesting point. when i underestimated. that's an interesting point. when it| underestimated. that's an - interesting point. when it comes to giving the vaccine to them, just expand how important it is and how realistic it is to get those vaccines to those remote areas. welcome i think the first thing we need to do is make sure that the supply is available to all these countries, especially the countries, the poorer countries of the world who have not been able to a new
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vaccine, like kovacs. the next thing is once the supplies are secured to actually bring the vaccines to those remote communities. are actually bring the vaccines to those remote communities.— actually bring the vaccines to those remote communities. are you hearing an hinu remote communities. are you hearing anything about _ remote communities. are you hearing anything about certain _ remote communities. are you hearing anything about certain countries - anything about certain countries being charged more for vaccines? well, different countries have made different deals with the manufacturers. i think the kovacs initiative is really an initiative to bring together to negotiate and to bring together to negotiate and to give good places —— good prices collectively, so i think that sort of collective agreement is the fairest because it ensures that all countries are paying a price that they can afford for the vaccines. when you have the g7 leaders coming together pledging to intensify this cooperation and, what do you hope to see on the ground notjust pledges but actual action, what would you like to see?— but actual action, what would you like to see? ~ _, ~ , like to see? welcome i think these ledaes like to see? welcome i think these pledges are _ like to see? welcome i think these pledges are important. _ like to see? welcome i think these pledges are important. the - like to see? welcome i think these pledges are important. the reasonj pledges are important. the reason kovacs has been slow to deliver the
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volume of vaccines that the countries in the world needed, first of all, they haven't had sufficient funds in order to buy the funds that they need. the vaccine manufacturers have pledged many doses to the richer countries in the world who have had the resources to preorder the doses. so only now are they able to sign these deals with the manufacturers, but as these resources start to flow in, i hope it means that kovacs can increase the supply of vaccine so the countries in the worlds were still waiting to vaccinate their populations. waiting to vaccinate their --oulations. ,, . ., , , ., waiting to vaccinate their --oulations. ,, . , ., populations. secretary-general was really concerned, _ populations. secretary-general was really concerned, criticising - populations. secretary-general was really concerned, criticising the - really concerned, criticising the distribution of vaccines. 130 countries have not yet received a single dose. that's an alarming figure. it is alarming because we know that without vaccination, the covert issues will not be solved, the covert pandemic will not be over in those countries, and unless it's over everywhere in the world, it
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will not be over for the whole world. so until we come together as the world to get vaccines to all the countries in the world, we will not see the end of this pandemic. professor, always really good to get your thoughts. thank you so much for your expertise. thank you. much more on our website. stay with us here in bbc news, still to come... nasa releases astonishing new images of the mars perseverance rover being lowered onto the surface of the red planet during its landing landing on thursday. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered. that has a terrible effect for the morale of the people. i'm terrified of the repercussions in the streets. one wonders who is next?
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as the airlift got under way, there was no let up in the erruption itself. lava streams from a vent low in the crater flow down to the sea on the east of the islands, away from the town for the time being. it could start flowing again at any time. the russians heralded _ their new generation space station with a spectacular night launch. they've called it mir, . the russian for "peace". this is bbc news, the latest headlines... presidentjoe biden has used a virtual global security summit to recommit to the transatlantic alliance and pledge to "earn back" europe's trust. leaders of the world's major
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economies have pledged billions of dollars to the un's global fund for coronavirus vaccines. a power crisis in the us state of texas has become a water crisis. millions are being told to boil water before drinking it — as severe winter weather brings more chaos and disruption. nearly half of all texans — around 13 million people — have had water services disrupted. hospitals in some hard—hit areas have had to transfer patients elsewhere due to shortages. the state's energy grid is up and running again but many homes are still without power as workers rush to repair damaged or frozen power lines. meanwhile — texas senator, ted cruz, has been criticised for flying to mexico for a family holiday in the midst of the crisis. he has since returned. for more on the story i'm joined now byjason whitely is a senior reporter at wfaa—tv
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channel 8 in dallas. we are very happy to see you, jason, we will talk about the senator in a moment, first of all, bring us up—to—date with how people are coping. we have had images of people queuing up for water, talk us through what's happening on the ground. there is some good news in the last release for dallas—fort worth. we got above freezing for the first time in a week which is substantial considering there's a lot of ice and snow on the ground. at the other encouraging news is that most power has been restored except for that which limbs have knocked power lines down and frozen equipment around power plants as well. of the energy emergency is cancelled, as you mentioned though, there are lingering problems. the 7 million texans having to boil water because water treatment plants were taken off—line. natural gas supplies were freezing in the pipeline and natural gas is used to heat most of the homes in texas. finally, as if it couldn't get any worse, this cascade
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of problems has landed in grocery stores as well because the food supply chain has slowed down, trucks couldn't get on the roads because of the weather and that has left many store shelves empty. riff the weather and that has left many store shelves empty.— the weather and that has left many store shelves empty. of course, many --eole store shelves empty. of course, many people struggling- _ store shelves empty. of course, many people struggling. when _ store shelves empty. of course, many people struggling. when it _ store shelves empty. of course, many people struggling. when it comes - store shelves empty. of course, many people struggling. when it comes to l people struggling. when it comes to eye texas was so unprepared, talk us through the reasoning behind this. it's a good question. this is a rare event for texas, a sustained winter storm like this. so most texas power plants are physically outside because peak demand in texas is in the summer when it's very hot, more than 100 fahrenheit, so if those plants were inside like they are in maybe chicago or new york city or places like that, than those power plants in the summer when they are needed wouldn't be able to produce at such a high rate. so there is something the federal government is looking up that will affect every state in the country, that is coming up state in the country, that is coming up with the best plan to winterize all plants inside or outside. the feds are working on that now, and i guarantee it something texas will most likely adopt here.— most likely adopt here. when it comes to the _
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most likely adopt here. when it comes to the centre _ most likely adopt here. when it comes to the centre he's - most likely adopt here. when it comes to the centre he's been. most likely adopt here. when it - comes to the centre he's been very apologetic about his trip to cancun. talk us through with the political fallout will be because he's been so criticised about that trip. in politics, at least in america, memories are very short. now, the good news for ted cruz if he decides to run again for the us senate, he would not be on the ballot again until 2024. would not be on the ballot again until2024. if would not be on the ballot again until 2024. if he decides to run for president like 70 people thank you will, then he would have to spin up a camp in the next two years or so. whether it has any long—term effects remains to be seen, of course. you know, senator ted cruz here in texas has weathered and survived many more stories bigger than this one, but this one certainly didn't look good, him taking off on a beach holiday as 29, 30 million him taking off on a beach holiday as 29,30 million of his him taking off on a beach holiday as 29, 30 million of his constituents are sitting in the cold and dark because of this infrastructure failure in the largest energy producing state in the united states. fix. producing state in the united states. �* ., ., , producing state in the united states. ., ., , �*, states. a lot of people saying it's not a states. a lot of people saying it's rrot a good _ states. a lot of people saying it's not a good look. _ states. a lot of people saying it's not a good look. jason, - states. a lot of people saying it's not a good look. jason, we - states. a lot of people saying it's
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not a good look. jason, we are i states. a lot of people saying it's i not a good look. jason, we are very happy to have your company, senior reporterfor happy to have your company, senior reporter for tv happy to have your company, senior reporterfor tv in happy to have your company, senior reporter for tv in dallas. happy to have your company, senior reporterfor tv in dallas. thank you so much. the united arab emirates has said that princess latifah, the daughter of the ruler of dubai is being cared for at home, supported by herfamily and medical professionals. the statement by the uae embassy in london came after the united nations asked for proof that the princess was still alive. it follows a bbc report in which the princess said she was being held against her will in a barricaded villa. prince harry and his wife meghan have told queen elizabeth that they will not be returning as working members of british royal family. the decision means they will no longer hold the honourary military appointments and royal patronages given to them by the queen. prince harry and meghan have committed to continue supporting the organisations they have represented saying "service is universal". 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell has more.
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the bond which was once so close has, in every formal royal sense, been shattered. the breach, in terms of the business of royalty, is complete, and, bar a complete about face by the sussexes, it is final. for harry, then, perhaps, a sense of long sought freedom. for william, one imagines, a deep sense of disappointment. today's news is not unexpected. in the year since harry and meghan made their last appearance at a formal royal engagement at westminster abbey, the gulf between them and the rest of harry's family has grown ever wider. the couple have bought a house in california, negotiated deals with us media companies and made it clear that they relish their new life. at midday today, buckingham palace confirmed they would not return as working members of the royal family. a statement said that, following conversations with harry, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work
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of the royal family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. the statement finished: while all are saddened by their decision, the duke and duchess remain much loved members of the family. this was the sussexes response, as evidenced by their work over they finish their statement by saying this... for harry, the loss of his military roles, particularly as captain general of the royal marines, will be particularly hard. i know that he will be personally gutted, just as i was, that he is not allowed to pull a military uniform on any more. regardless, it doesn't
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change his commitment to the individuals that serve in it and those that require care beyond it. supporters of meghan understand why she wants a new life. if she was going to stay here any longer, i think they would probably have made her ill because it isn't a relationship that most americans are used to. so, one of the royal family's most popular members, a man for whom, over the years, there has been great sympathy and admiration, now faces a very different future. the way back to royal duty has been closed. you can never again wear military uniform. harry's future lies in california with his wife and family. staying with the british royal family, the queen's husband prince philip is expected to stay
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in hospital over the weekend. the duke of edinburgh, who'll be 100 years old injune, was admitted to hospital on tuesday, for "observation and rest". nasa has just released the first images from mars taken by its rover perseverence — which landed on the red planet last night. these are latest images sent by perseverance a short time ago. the first looks towards the horizon of the planet. and the next gives us a really close look at rocky surface being covered by the rover. it's hoped it will find microscopic signs of ancient life — from billions of years ago. well it was an extraordinary and perilous landing — our science correspondent rebecca morelle has the latest. the surface of mars in the shadow of perseverance.
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a new view of the surface of mars. images sent back from the perserverance riverjust it's first limbs of the terrain it's after it landed providing a first about to explore. glimpse of the terrain it is about to explore. the science team is really excited to get going here. we have years of scientific investigation ahead of us. you can see that we landed about two kilometres to the south—east of the delta. there are rocks in this field of view. we don't know exactly how big they are, but they might be about ten centimetres, would be a reasonable guess. and also, in the background, there are features in the back that look like the cliffs of the delta. it's the start of the rover�*s two—year mission, and its main objective is to search for signs of life. perseverance is in an area called thejezero crater. it was once a huge lake. you can see the river flowing into it and out of it. and this purple area is a beautifully preserved river delta where microorganisms could once have lived. this is one of these existential questions of —
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are we alone in the universe? and what i can say is that all the raw materials, the building blocks, are there for there to be life, so if there's going to be life, it should be in this type of environment. the rover survived a perilous descendents travelling at the speed of a bullet as a supersonic parachute helped it to the ground. and this is where it was made. it's a fabric factory in tiverton devon. it was a nerve—racking moment for them. i could hardly watch, and then it sort of really hit home. you know, there was lots of things that could go wrong, but it all went right, and all of us, the whole team and everybody working at heathcotes, was elated that we had another successful mission. perseverance will send back more images soon, including the first video of its landing. for now, the rover�*s being checked over before it begins to investigate its new home. rebecca morrelle, bbc news.
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is dead fantastic? i'm looking forward to the next images that perseverance was signed. lots more on our website. i'm back very soon. bye—bye for now. good evening. it looks set to be an extremely mild weekend across many parts of the uk. but at this time of year with mild weather often comes wet weather. that is exactly what were going to see. some heavy rain particularly in the west. brisk winds as well. this chart shows the rainfall we're expected to accumulate over the next few days. you can see the wettest weather will be over high ground in the west. parts of eastern england may see very little rain at all through the weekend. but there is a met office amber warning and parts of southern wales. 0ver high ground we could see up to 200 mm of rain in the very wettest places. that brings the risk of flooding and disruption. 0n the earlier satellite picture, you can see this stripe of cloud. a very slow moving weather front that will continue to bring pulses of rain through the weeken.
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that rain continuing to parlin across the southwest of england into wales, northwest england as well. to the southeast of that clear spells. certainly clear his spells at times across northern ireland and scotland without a little bit chilly in the far north but for most of us it is a very mild start to saturday morning. 0ur slow moving weather front willjust be wriggling around through the day on saturday bringing more, heavy rain northwards. but further east you are the better chance of staying dry with some spells of sunshine. so east anglia in the southeast. although we will see variable amounts of cloud i think it will state largely dry and there will be some fairly lengthy sunny spells out west we see outbreaks of heavy rain once again the rain heaviest over high ground pushing northward through the day across northern ireland up into scotland. very windy as well. those ew the gusts we can expect was that we could see those are the gusts we can expect was that we could see
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gusts of 52 may be 60 mph in exposed western areas. with winds coming up from the south it is going to feel exceptionally mild with highs of 11 to maybe 16 degrees. in the brighter spots in the southeast. through saturday night and into sunday our weather front will still be with us. it's likely to weekend to some extent. it's likely to weaken to some extent. probably sitting somewhere across england, it may be wales, a bit of uncertainty about the detail. to the southeast of that a zone of fine dry, bright and mild weather. quite mild further north and west as well with a mix of sunshine and showers. a quick look ahead into the new week. it will turn briefly a bit cooler early in the week but only a bit. and then mild weather returns. some rain to the northwest with highs of 17 degrees.
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the headlines us presidentjoe biden has declared the "transatlantic alliance is back" in a speech seeking to reestablish the united states as leader of the west against what he called a global assault on democracy. the g—7 group of developed nations has promised billions of dollars to the un's covax fund to immunise the world against coronavirus. the german chancellor angela merkel said the pandemic would be conquered only when everyone on earth is vaccinated. the duke and duchess of sussex have been stripped of their honourary appointments after confirming to queen elizabeth that they will not return as working members of the royal family — making a final break with the institution. nasa has released new images sent back from mars by its perseverance rover. it shows the robot heading down to the ground on thursday during its landing. it was taken by the rocket cradle that placed you are watching bbc news. the supreme court has ruled that
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a group of uber drivers must be treated as workers rather than self—employed — a decision which means they could be entitled to a minimum wage and holiday pay. the decision marks the end of a five—year legal battle. the company could face a large compensation bill and the case could have implications for many others. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies reports. the supreme court unanimously dismisses uber�*s appeal. relief after years of fighting. today outside the supreme court, yaseen aslam and james heard the decision they were waiting for that when driving for uber they were workers is not self—employed. i am delighted, to be honest, it is victory and i think it sends a strong signal to big massive companies like uber that workers can find them. workers can fight them. they spent millions of pounds
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to try to defeat workers. it's reprehensible they've done this but i am delighted, thrilled and relieved. work status isn't the same as an employee but it means they had a right to a minimum wage and holiday pay. the ride hailing app has claimed it as an intermediary but that was rejected by the supreme court. uber say thisjudgement applies to the drivers that first brought the case in 2016 not to every uber drive in the country because they say they have made changes since then. some drivers and lawyers would disagree. today the court set out the reasons why it thought these drivers were workers which include the fact that uber set the pay and contracts without any say from the drivers. how today's verdict will affect the drivers today and other workers will be the subject of future court cases. other companies in the gig economy might already be working out what it means for them. they will have to look at their business model. if they think they can continue with the self—employed model, it is quite clear the judiciary isn't afraid to intervene in this,
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to find they are self—employed individuals are actually workers. the court says the drivers working from when they log into the app not just when they have a passenger. some drivers are worried that if uber have to pay a minimum wage for those hours they could cut down on drivers or change the way uber operates. samuel has driven for uber for the last five years and is concerned. it doesn't impress me. the only reason i am attracted to drive on the app is the flexibility. uber say they respect the court's decision and will consult with every active drive across the uk to understand the changes they want to see. today's case sets a legal precedent that could have huge applications for uber and other firms that rely on flexible labour. the company once thought of as the big disruptor might now have been disrupted. yes! well done, well done! caroline davies, bbc news. the number of coronavirus cases are continuing to fall
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in all parts of the uk. the latest r number, estimated to be between 0.6 and 0.9, also suggests infection numbers are shrinking. but experts warn that with more than half a million people currently infected — there is still plenty of virus circulating for people to catch. they say any lifting of restrictions should be done slowly and cautiously. here's our health correspondent, catherine burns. the pressure is easing on the nhs, but from a very bad situation. injanuary, hospitals in england treated 100,000 covid patients, a third of all the people they had seen with coronavirus since the pandemic started. it's better now but far from normal. there are still many hospitals around the country with intensive care units that have more covid patients than they had at the peak of the first wave back in april,
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and there are still intensive care units who are at double their normal baseline capacity. on monday, we'll hear about the government's road map out of lockdown in england, with the promise that they'll be led by data, not dates. and that data is definitely going in the right direction. essentially, cases halved over three weeks. the office for national statistics figures suggest that in the third week injanuary, one in 55 people across the uk would have tested positive for coronavirus. by the end of that month, it was rarer. cases had fallen to under one in 65 people. and at the start of february, fewer still, one in 80 people. in the most recent figures, for last week, it was one in 115. the numbers are going down across the uk, one in 115 in england. it is one in 125 in wales. for northern ireland,
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it's one in 105, and scotland has the lowest rates, at one in 180. we've been in this position before, poised on the verge of restrictions easing. 0n the 10th of may last year, the prime minister announced how we would come out of the first lockdown. ..provide the first sketch of a road map for reopening society. but things are different now. like then, case numbers are falling, but from a much higher level. back in may, hospitals were treating almost 12,000 covid patients. now, it's more like 19,000. 0n the other hand, though, we didn't have a vaccine then. almost 17 million people have had their first dose, and about 600,000 of them have now had their second boosterjab, too. we are waiting for numbers showing what impact this is having on the virus, but the early signs are positive. it's only been two or three months since we started vaccinating,
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and it takes quite a long time to collect the data needed to really get a good handle on how effective the vaccination is proving to be. whatever the road map out of lockdown looks like, it won't be a straight path. we can expect small steps with pauses in between. but the hope is, in a few months' time, life will look a lot more normal. catherine burns, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 12,027 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — a fall of 20% since last friday. it means an average of 11,639 new cases were recorded per day in the last week. more than 19—thousand people are in hospital with coronavirus across the uk. in the last 24 hours, 533 deaths have been recorded that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test.
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on average, 519 deaths were announced every day in the past week. the total number of people who've died is 119,920. more than 450 thousand people have had their first dose of one the three approved vaccines in the latest 24 hour period. almost 17—million people have now had their firstjab. the first minister of wales says he hopes the country has entered its last three weeks of the �*stay at home' rules. but mark drakeford said further changes to lockdown will depend on case rates continuing to fall. whilst younger primary school children return to school on monday, he said all primary pupils and students in years 11 and 13 may be able to return from 15 march. some nonessential shops and hairdressers could also reopen then. from tomorrow up to four people from two different households
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can exercise outdoors together. but pubs, restaurants, cafes and gyms are likely to remain closed for a while. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. yet another family walk. for nicola and her children, this has been the routine for 2021. but in three weeks' time, if infection rates keep falling, nine—year—old evan and eight to old lyla can take their first step back to school. i think we will be skipping into the school playground. and i think it is great the kids are able to get back to school and get back to some structure and normality in a school environment. the classrooms are ready. the first pupils, those aged 3—7 years old, start back on monday. it'll be wonderful to have children back in these classrooms. that means about half ofjenny�*s pupils. for now, the balance feels right, to be honest. i think we need to get it right with our younger pupils first so that we can reassure children, staff, families, the school
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community that it is as safe as we can possibly make it for the children to return to school. classrooms may be coming back to life but this is going to be a slow and staggered process. some secondary school students might not be back until after the easter holidays. the welsh government is starting an incremental process of easing measures while still trying to give families some hope. ministers will not give a detailed route map for exiting lockdown. just a direction of travel. i hope, with all the ifs that i always have to emphasise, that this may be the last three weeks of the stay at home restrictions because we would all like to be able to do more than we are doing now. the first minister says he looks forward to the green shoots of recovery. here, theyjust want to start selling them. garden centres in wales are not allowed to open. they might get the go—ahead in three weeks but you can't keep plants on pause.
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the stock has been ordered months and months in advance because we know at some point we will open so we have to have staff here to take the stock in, display it, get it ready, and then we don't know if we will open. incredibly frustrating. caution, hesitation, there will be plenty of it in the weeks to come as we feel our way towards greater freedom. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. the high court has ruled that the government acted unlawfully when it did not reveal details of some of the covid contracts it had signed while procuring personal protective equipment within the required timeframe. the court said the health secretary matt hancock had "acted unlawfully" and he had "breached his legal obligation". the department of health and social care said it had been forced to sign deals within very short timescales and against a background of unparalleled global demand. 0rganisations representing health care staff say their lives are being put at risk because the ppe they use
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is providing inadequate protection against airborne transmission of coronavirus. the group, which includes the british medical association and the royal college of nursing, says more than 900 workers have died of covid, our science editor david shukman says paramedics are especially worried. ambulance crews are first on the scene at the most serious covid cases and phil rennie from 0ldham, roger moore from falkirk, and alan haigh from carmarthenshire are among more than 20 to die of the virus leaving colleagues scared that they are not better protected. people call us through the college and describe themselves as cannon fodder, as canaries in a coal mine, as not worth anything. they feel devalued, demoralised. the standard protection for ambulance crews includes a thin surgical mask but many feel that's not enough when they've got covid patients with them.
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ambulances are thought to be a particular risk because you are indoors with little fresh air, close to people who are infected and for long periods of time and when you combine all those factors it is much more likely you will become infected. and the ambulances are often queueing for hours to deliver their patients, with paramedics waiting inside have caught the virus, like george. ijust felt i didn't have enough protection to protect me especially because some of the things that i'd have to do to treat the meant i'd have to get close to them so not only am i in a small metal box with a patient, i'm having to get close to treat them because they are very unwell and they need care. the worry is that the virus is spreading through the air in tiny infectious particles called aerosols but the big focus has been on hands and surfaces and keeping them clean.
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people are washing their shopping, washing their pets, all sorts of things but what people were not doing is thinking the virus might be floating in the air. and, so, we were so stuck in a mental model of droplets and things we touch that we completely forgot the air we breathe. the government says there is no need to change the guidelines on ppe but it is monitoring the emerging research into airborne transmission and it says that safety is always the priority. david shukman, bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for the film review. hello and welcome to the film review with me, mark kermode. reminding you that while cinemas may
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be closed to lockdown there's still plenty of new movies to enjoy in the comfort and safety of your own home. in david finch's gone girl, rosamund pike played an enigmatic character behind whose smile lurked dark secrets. now pike is back on spiky form in i care a lot, a gleefully callous thriller packed with vicious gallows humor. good morning, ms peterson. i'm sorry to disturb you so early. the court has ruled that you require assistance in taking care of yourself. but, but i'm fine. i'm afraid it's not up to you to decide. she plays marla grayson, a shark who preys upon the elderly, hijacking their lives and fortunes by becoming their legal state guardian and then milking their assets
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for all they're worth. i'm here to help. but when marla picks the wrong cherry in the shape of dianne wiest�*s elderly retiree jennifer peterson, she finds herself face—to—face with roman, played by peter dinklage, an ex—russian mafia drug trafficker with a penchant for cakes, smoothies and cutting off his enemies fingers. i don't like you. you've onlyjust met me. written and directed byj blakeson, who made the viscerally—twisty three—hander, the disappearance of alice creed, i care a lot is carried by pike, who wears a smile that looks like it could strip wallpaper at 40 paces. no living family? no family at all. as for dinklage, he's very well—cast as the sotto—voce criminal who hates getting angry and who sucks a straw like a vampire sucking blood, a quality mirrored by his new nemesis. lensed in bubble gum hues that seem to reflect the artifice and plastic superficiality of this world, blakeson's film has a slick,
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vacuum—sealed sheen matched by a brittle synthpop soundtrack. as with alice creed, the genuinely disturbing elements of the opening act gradually give way to more generic heist—y thrills, with blakesson reveling in wrong—footing the audience, upending our sympathies and allegiances in a manner that recalls the wachowskis' debut feature, bound. i don't lose. i won't lose. i'm never letting you go. 0hh. you're in trouble now. the result is a nicely nasty black comedy, a roller coaster ride that swaps genuine moral dilemmas for something more disposable. picking you up, spinning you round, and leaving you feeling entertained — if a little bit empty. you can find it now on amazon prime video. now, it's hard to remember a movie being more badly—received than music. the directorial feature debut
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from popstar—turned—film—maker sia, which came to uk vod platforms this week. it centres on two half—sisters, kazoo and music — and yes, i'm sorry, those really are the characters names. she sees the world in a completely different way from us. kate hudson's kazoo, orjust zu for short, is a recovering alcoholic and drug dealer who is unexpectedly required to care for her younger sibling, music, a young woman with autism who'd previously been living with her gran. music is played by former dance mum's star, maddie ziegler, prompting charges of ableism from those who thought the role should have gone to a neurodiverse performer, and have also slammed the film's depiction of the dangerous
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physical restraint used to subdue its title character. music, it's yourfriend, ebo. sia's response to these criticisms was first aggressive and then apologetic. she's since conceded that she "listened to the wrong people" and announced that future editions of the film will come with a warning and some cuts. yet those alterations won't change the fact that this is trite nonsense that can best be described as woefully misjudged. we're about to have a pool party! robot voice: i am happy. swerving unevenly between cliched real life and day—glo coloured fantasy, music is a film that attempts to tell its internal story through the medium of modern dance and fails spectacularly. you can do this. from ziegler�*s gurning performance, which smacks of caricature, to a hudson's utterly unconvincing portrayal of a hardened alcoholic — yeah, right — to the inclusion of celebrity cameos from the likes ofjuliette lewis, henry rollins and sia herself. the whole thing has a whiff of a misguided vanity project.
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as for the dance numbers, they're totally awful — the kind of thing rowan atkinson would've come up with as his mime artist alter ego, alternative car park. the fact that music has been nominated for two golden globes just serves as a reminder that that dismal debacle is run by a bunch of unaccountable bozos who know nothing about film and whose votes are based entirely on the members' desperate desire to hang out with famous people. # 0o—oo—ooh, love you too...# this is the number we always play when people ask us to play more, because we know that after we play this if they couldn't possibly ever want to hear us again. now, when he's not being one half of bill and ted, alex winter has carved out in impressive directorial career, from the early—90s horror—comedy freaked to his latest outing, zappa, a documentary about the musical legend built upon a wealth of largely unseen
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personal archive material. i haven't heard anything like it before or since. frank embodied everything. you couldn't say, "oh, yeah, that's rock and roll, because it wasn't." it'sjazz — no, it's pop music — no, well, what the hell is it? it's zappa. describing his film as not a music dock or a conventional biopic but the dramatic saga of a great american artist and thinker, winter's passion project follows zappa's career from his days in the 60s with the mothers of invention to his later orchestral projects. it also covers his fight against music censorship in the �*80s, even though the discs under attack were not his own, and his strange political career, which saw him being invited to become the czech republic's special ambassador to the west on trade, culture and tourism — yes, really. it's time for a revolution. i've often said that the real test of a documentary is whether it makes you feel involved with a subject in which you had no previous interest. while the recent doc, king rocker had had the advantage of being about a musician i really like, namely rob lloyd. my affection for zappa's music is, at very best, passing. i mean, i enjoy the stuff he did
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with beefheart, but not much else. so it's a credit to winter that zappa had me gripped, taught me stuff i didn't know, and even convinced me to track down some of frank's classical compositions, not something i ever thought i do. i think if we shoot any lower than that, you're gonna wind up with something sleazy. making inventive use of graphics and animations to augment the interviews, concert footage, and home movie reportage, this is a thorough and thoroughly engaging account of a prolific artist. a film that william esquire would undoubtedly hail as excellent. you can find it at altitude film. from the glades of california's laurel canyon to the suburbs of rome with bad tales. despite the directors family name there's precious little innocence
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on display in this visually stylish yet morally dyspeptic tale that invites us to share its fashionably cynical worldview. narrated by a man writing in a young girl's diary, the story is declared to be inspired by a true story that was inspired by a false story that is not very inspired. a phrase which seems to provide its own review of the film. what follows is a collage of adult behaving badly while children imitate their behavior. parents acting like kids who act like bad parents in a dark suburban fairy tale. there's no doubt in the artistry of bad tales, which is evocatively shot to juxtapose the hot sun setting with the coldness
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of its depiction of humanity. but beyond being a queasy exercise in modern gothic grotesquery, i'm not sure that this has much to say, sharing the overheated bleakness of but lacking the coming—of—age empathy of, say, lynn ramsey. personally i found myself increasingly impatient with the films ever—so—slightly smug attitude, although others were much more impressed. you can find bad tales now on movie which is also currently home to a couple of delightful canadian oddities. war. a foreign menace emerges and the fate of our country hangs in the balance. 0ur troops sprang into action. and we will not stop until the world... but could one man be destined to save our great nation? in matthew rankin's debut feature of the 20th century, the film—maker constructs a satirical account of one man's battle to fulfil his destiny and become
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the canadian prime minister, proudly flying the flag of national disappointment. a dizzying collage of absurdist set pieces that draw inspiration from everything from 0rwell to german expressionism, this is divertingly bonkers fare, a hallucinogenic medley of twisted history and celluloid madness with a hint of dolly parton and a smidgen of monty python. the brilliantly surreal docu—saga my winnipeg. ——madden's latest also a movie is stump the guesser, a short co—directed from thejohnson brothers and boasting manning the brilliantly surreal docu—saga my winnipeg. one of my favourite films of the 21st century. ——madden's latest also a movie is stump the guesser, a short co—directed from thejohnson brothers and boasting manning trademark lands of soviet cinema styles and deadpan satire.
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its subject is a carnival act who can guess anything from someone's age to how any fish they have secreted about their person. but when our antihero meets and falls for a woman who turns out to be his sister, he must disprove the theory of hereditay so that he may marry the love of his life. clearly madame's work is not for everyone but his films have consistently made me laugh, cry, and scratch my head in wonder and if you're looking for an entry into his bewildering back catalogue then this is just the ticket. that's it for this week. thanks for watching the film review. stay safe and i'll see you next week. good night, children.
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good evening. it looks set to be an extremely mild weekend across many parts of the uk. but at this time of year, with mild weather often comes wet weather. and that is exactly what were going to see. some heavy rain particularly in the west, some brisk winds as well. this chart shows the rainfall we're expected to accumulate over the next few days. you can see the wettest weather will be over high ground in the west. parts of eastern england may see very little rain at all through the weekend. but there is a met office amber warning in force fpr parts of southern wales. 0ver high ground, we could see up to 200 mm of rain in the very wettest places. that brings the risk of flooding and disruption. 0n the earlier satellite picture, you can see this stripe of cloud, a very slow—moving weather front that will continue to bring pulses of rain through the weekend. that rain continuing to pile in across the southwest of england into wales, northwest england as well through the night, to the southeast of that, some clear spells. certainly some clearer skies at times across northern ireland
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and scotland, a little bit chilly in the far north, but for most of us, it is a very mild start to saturday morning. 0ur slow moving weather front willjust be wriggling around through the day on saturday, bringing more heavy rain northwards. but the further east you are, the better chance of staying dry with some spells of sunshine. so east anglia and the southeast, although we will see variable amounts of cloud, i think it will state largely dry, and there will be some fairly lengthy sunny spells. but out west, we see outbreaks of heavy rain once again, the rain heaviest over high ground pushing northward through the day across northern ireland up into scotland. very windy as well. those are the gusts we can expect, we could see gusts of 50 to maybe 60 mph in exposed western areas. but with winds coming up from the south, yes, it is going to feel exceptionally mild with highs of 11 to maybe 16 celsius in the brighter spots in the southeast. through saturday night and into sunday, our weatherfront will still be with us. it's likely to weaken to some extent.
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probably sitting somewhere across england, maybe wales during sunday, a bit of uncertainty about the detail. to the southeast of that, a zone of fine dry, bright and mild weather. quite mild further north and west as well with a mix of sunshine and showers. a quick look ahead into the new week — it'll turn briefly a bit cooler early in the week, but only a bit, and then mild weather returns. some rain to the northwest with highs of 17 degrees.
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this is bbc news, i'm kasia madera — our top stories... a reset for transatlantic relations as president biden recommits to nato and pledges to "earn back" europe's trust. america is back, the transatlantic alliance is back. we are not looking backward. we are looking forward together. we'll be hearing from the us secretary of state antony blinken, in an exclusive interview with the bbc. a donation of surplus vaccines to tackle the pandemic — as developed nations make promises and pledges at the g7 summit. and astonishing new images sent back from mars by its perseverance rover — showing the red planet's surface in detail and the robot during its historic landing.
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