this is bbc news with the latest headlines. care home residents in england will be allowed to pick one person to visit them regularly from the 8th of march, as easing of lockdown measures start to be revealed. of march, as easing of lockdown security forces in myanmar have opened fire on protesters in the city of mandalay, killing at least two people and injuring more than 20 others. president biden declares a major disaster in texas — as he unlocks federal funds for a state paralysed by a severe freeze and a huge powerfailure. hsbc says it's reviewing its procedures for fraud victims after a bbc investigation reveals one victim was kept on hold for 20 hours — before they were able

to speak to someone. good afternoon. welcome to the programme. on lewis phonejones. this is bbc news. i want to take you straight to russia. i think i can show you some pictures happening live right now. this is alexi novelli. he has been in the second —— he's been in court for the second —— he's been in court for the second time today. his prison sentence upheld for the first time. this is the russian opposition leader who was poison. he blames the kremlin for that poisoning. he flew to germany to recover and in germany

thatis to germany to recover and in germany that is when he was accused of breaking his conditions of the suspended sentence. he flew back to russia and on his arrival back he was arrested. the court... let's just try and listen let's see if we can hear anything. 0k ok we can't quite hear anything, but just to clarify there are two court cases. this is the second one. he has been accused of slandering a world war ii veteran, he has rejected those claims and he says political interference is behind these court cases. he is already in prison, facing prison for breaching his conditions, essentially the suspended sentence for a separate court case. this second court case we can see he is in the dock, but we

cannot hear much. we will keep those pictures and we will bring you any developments in alexei navalny�*s second court case as we get them here on bbc news. we will go back to our original top story now. care home residents in england will be allowed to pick one person to visit them regularly from the 8th of march in the first confirmed easing of lockdown. they'll be able to meet indoors and hold hands, but visitors must wear personal protective equipment and be tested before going into the home. the announcement is ahead of the prime minister revealing his "road map" for easing lockdown on monday. our health correspondent anna collinson has more. a moment of relief during a dark year for 83—year—old barbara abrams. this is the closest her family have been allowed to get to her while visiting her care home in stockport because of covid restrictions. that lack of physical contact has been really difficult for us. my poor mum, her health both physically and mentally has really deteriorated, particularly in the last... since christmas.

i think that was like the straw that broke the camel's back. but now, a sign of hope. from the 8th of march, care home residence in england will be allowed to pick one person to visit them regularly indoors. with the government preparing to reveal its road map for easing lockdown on monday, this announcement has been called the first step to getting back to where we want to be. there are some rules. it has to be the same visitor every time, holding hands is allowed, but there can be no kissing or hugging. the visitor must be tested before entering the home and they must wear ppe while inside. it is welcome news for many families, but too late for those who have lost loved ones during the pandemic. we have tried everything we possibly can. and what you have to remember is people in our services have very complex health care needs. and so therefore, our primary duty has always been through all the guidance we get is to keep them safe and to keep our staff safe.

from early march, residents in scottish care homes will be allowed two visitors. in northern ireland and wales, the advice varies between individual homes. scientists say a slow and steady approach is needed. there are some families who haven't seen their loved ones in care home since march. so i really welcome that announcement. i would say we still have to be cautious, let's not forget the nhs has treated over 100,000 severely ill patients in the last month and we still have almost 20,000 people in hospital. jill has two siblings and says, it is unlikely she will be a chosen visitor because she lives the furthest away, but she doesn't mind. it is wonderful that one of us will be able to go in and hold her hand and that will make a whole difference to us as a whole whole family. our political correspondent jessica parker told me some more details about what we might learn on monday. we are learning a little bit more in the run—up to monday. we know the 8th of march,

these limited care home visits will be allowed. we know the aim is to reopen schools in england. exactly how that will work or how it will look? i expect will get more details on monday. what we are hearing is a priority is going to be try and help families reunite. a little bit more social contact. but that is going to be outdoors. because we know the virus is less likely to spread outdoors. there were reports overnight that you could see two households mixing outdoors by easter, we have not got confirmation on the timelines of that. but that is under consideration. when you speak to people inside government, they are not very eager to give you the details because they're looking at the science and the data is changing all the time. there are various options on the

table. d0 there are various options on the table. ~ ., ., ., , table. do we know how the details are bein: table. do we know how the details are being finalised, _ table. do we know how the details are being finalised, what's - table. do we know how the details are being finalised, what's being l are being finalised, what's being considered, when and where? we are told that the — considered, when and where? we are told that the prime _ considered, when and where? we are told that the prime minister- considered, when and where? we are told that the prime minister and - considered, when and where? we are told that the prime minister and key i told that the prime minister and key advisers are always looking at the data. they are always looking at the data when it comes in. when it comes and there's a lot of things to look at, the effects of lockdown and the effects of the vaccine programme. what effect that having on case rates and transmissibility. there's always a bit of a lag. in terms of what we can expect, there's going to be a key committee meeting which is largely attended by senior ministers, key advisers, sometimes chief scientific and medical advisers. there has been talk about a cabinet meeting in the next couple of days to sign off on the road map. and on monday, that is when we expect the prime minister to stand up in the house of commons and outline the road map. ok, thank you jessica.

emergency medical workers in myanmar say at least two people have been killed and several others injured, at an anti—coup protest in the city of mandalay. witnesses said police used live ammunition as they tried to disperse the crowd in myanmar�*s second city. they'd been clashing with striking shipyard workers. it's an escalation in the military�*s response to the daily demonstrations across myanmar. they began when the burmese army seized power on the first of february and detained the elected leader aung san suu kyi. there were also large rallies in yangon where people mourned the death of a young woman, shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd in the capital naypyitaw. for more on the situation in mandalay, here's soe win than, editor of bbc burmese. two people died from injuries he received when the security troops fired at the protesters. there were clashes all day. they started off in the shipyard in mandalay where the

workers, the shipyard workers are striking and the security troops turned up and asked them to leave the port. and then they broke onto a ship and they asked the shipyard workers to leave and when they refuse there were clashes. the other protesters joined refuse there were clashes. the other protestersjoined in refuse there were clashes. the other protesters joined in and support of the workers and there was a standoff. police started to fire tear gas and rubber bullets, initially. we saw people running around in the background. the footage has come from mandalay showing that people were running around, they were hiding. loud gunshots were heard in the background. after that, we saw several injured people carried on stretchers and whatever else was around. people were carrying the wounded. does people —— two people died. and there were several injuries. some of them were serious.

president biden has approved a major disaster declaration for texas as the full extent of the crisis caused by a severe freeze and a huge power failure becomes clear. it would pave the way for more us federal funds to be spent on relief efforts. nearly 60 deaths have been attributed to cold weather that has swept down across the us this week. on friday, about 180,000 homes and businesses in texas still had no electricity. the bbc�*s lebo diseko reports from dallas. after days battling to find power, texans are now struggling to get clean water. 13 million people, around half the state, are being told to boil what comes out of their taps, some even resorting to heating snow to drink. awesome! but in any crisis there are helpers like allen — he has brought hundreds of bottles of water for his local community. super important, it really is, this takes the burden off of me having to get out and drive around. so i appreciate this,

i really, really do. it has been a gruelling few days for allen, who has dealt with power outages and now has no food at home. i was very cold, and every time i would get out of my car and go back in just to have somewhere to lay down, i had to decide, do i want to be uncomfortable in my car in the warmth or go into a cold home and lay in a comfortable bed? today, i am going to do this water and then after the water, i am going to check and see what type of food people lost and see what i can do to replace their food. honey, this is more than enough! it is clear allen is making a huge difference to his community, bringing supplies like water and even electricity generators. but temperatures are expected to triple in the coming days and that could bring new problems — melted ice coming through already damaged pipes could cause flooding. that could see precious supply

dwindle even further. officials say some areas in the state could completely run out in the coming days. residents are being asked to ration the little utilities they already have. it has been a long, cold week in the us. several states in this country have been brought to their knees by the severe winter storms. is too early to definitively link this weather to global warming, but what is clear is that the us needs to be better prepared for a changing climate. leboo diseko, bbc news, dalls, texas. let's get more on what's happening on the ground there. we can talk now to alvin migues, emergency disaster services director for the salvation army in texas. hejoins us now from dallas. thank you so much for coming on the programme. inc. you thank you so much for coming on the programme- int-— programme. inc. you for having us. what is the — programme. inc. you for having us. what is the kind _ programme. inc. you for having us. what is the kind of _ programme. inc. you for having us. what is the kind of support - programme. inc. you for having us. what is the kind of support that - what is the kind of support that people need that you are able to provide? people need that you are able to rovide? ,, . , ., provide? since the event started earl last provide? since the event started early last week, _ provide? since the event started early last week, the _ provide? since the event started early last week, the salvation i provide? since the event started i early last week, the salvation army has been working to open all of our facilities so that people will have

a warm place to go and stay. just like you mentioning your story, there are a lot of people running out of food, water is definitely becoming a huge issue for us. and we done everything we can from our main hub to start supplying as many folks as we can with water, food products and of course blankets and warm coats. we are working diligently with all of our vendors to try and secure food boxes so that we can take those out and start delivering them across the state. we are hoping to receive up to 20 lorry loads of food boxes in the next week or so. it is remarkable, just that basic need that need to be met. we heard thatjoe biden has approved this declaration of a major disaster for texas which will release more funds. from a national level. what difference does that make on the ground? difference does that make on the round? ., , ., ground? funding right now is a huge issue because _ ground? funding right now is a huge

issue because we've _ ground? funding right now is a huge issue because we've gone _ ground? funding right now is a huge issue because we've gone through . issue because we've gone through this whole year as a covert crisis. it has created a lot of challenges for people. theyjust do not have a lot to give. having the federal dollars to come to us allows us to focus on getting the home repairs done quickly and efficiently so people can get back into their houses and their lives back to normal. ., . , houses and their lives back to normal. ., ., , ., normal. unfortunately that might take a bit of— normal. unfortunately that might take a bit of time. _ normal. unfortunately that might take a bit of time. and _ normal. unfortunately that might take a bit of time. and we - normal. unfortunately that might take a bit of time. and we have l take a bit of time. and we have freezing temperatures. infrastructure, domestic or commercial, damaged frozen pipes. that all needs repair and that's going to take a long time. it is absolutely _ going to take a long time. it is absolutely going _ going to take a long time. it 3 absolutely going to take a long time. i expect we will start our case management work within a next couple of weeks, but i expect it taking up to a year or a year and a half before everyone is back to normal. ., , ., half before everyone is back to normal. . , ., w, ., , normal. that is an extraordinary len . th normal. that is an extraordinary lenath of normal. that is an extraordinary length of time. _ normal. that is an extraordinary length of time. people - normal. that is an extraordinary length of time. people have - normal. that is an extraordinary. length of time. people have been debating this especially here watching around the world. how unexpected is this? people seeing the pictures saying well, texas is

not very prepared for this nor should it be because it is normally not like this, but how much of a surprise is it there? we not like this, but how much of a surprise is it there?— not like this, but how much of a surprise is it there? we knew it was cominu , surprise is it there? we knew it was coming. we — surprise is it there? we knew it was coming. wejust— surprise is it there? we knew it was coming, we just didn't _ surprise is it there? we knew it was coming, we just didn't know- surprise is it there? we knew it was coming, we just didn't know the - coming, we just didn't know the severity. we anticipated it, but the fact that we had one storm that came and dropped a lot of snow followed by another storm that dropped lots of ice, and that is what created most of the havoc. we could not deal with the ice in the subzero temperatures. that was an incredible surprise. temperatures. that was an incredible surrise. ,., ., temperatures. that was an incredible surrise. ., surprise. good luck with all the work ou surprise. good luck with all the work you are — surprise. good luck with all the work you are doing _ surprise. good luck with all the work you are doing there. - surprise. good luck with all the | work you are doing there. thank surprise. good luck with all the - work you are doing there. thank you forfinding time to work you are doing there. thank you for finding time to talk to us here. inc. you for having us. the headlines on bbc news: as plans to ease lockdown in england start to be revealed, residents in care homes will be allowed indoor visits by a member of their family or a friend, from next month. the hospitality industry says it will need at least two weeks' notice before re—opening to ensure supply chains are in place.

security forces in myanmar have opened fire on protesters in the city of mandalay, killing at least two people and injuring more than 20 others. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. we are going to start with the premier league. southampton have ended their worst run in the top flight by holding chelsea 201—1 draw. they came into this match off the back of six straight league defeats despite the port form. however the scoring was opened against the run of play. they went on to rescue a point from the spot for chelsea.

there are three more games today.. burnley are currently taking on west brom latest goalless. later at 5.30 the big match of the day is at anfield where liverpool take on everton in the merseyside derby. then at 8 o clock fulham host sheffield united. in the scottish premiership, the top two sides rangers and celtic both play tomorrow. there are for games this afternoon. you can see the latest there on your screen... not much to tell you about. hibernian havejust taken the lead against hamilton. livingston are ahead at st mirren. harlequins have leapfrogged sale into third place in rugby union's premiership after beating them 24—12. quins ran in 3 tries withjoe marchant stunning sale when he crossed the line twice in three first half minutes. two games kicked off at 3 pm. second placed exeter host northampton saints.

saints leading 7—nil. leicester 5—nil up against wasps. naomi osaka said she was gratefulfor the energy of the crowd, after winning the australian open. that is her fourth grand slam title, and it maintains her 100% record in majorfinals. she beatjennifer brady in straight sets, as adam wild reports. ata time at a time where literally tennis has felt certain, the threat of naomi osaka is perhaps one of the few constants. for attornment that has taken place against the odds, it felt fitting that here also was a fine list few expected. jennifer brady spent her first two weeks in australia and isolation forced to practice in a hotel room, yet here she was holding her nerve in her first grand slam final. from lockdown,... a momentary misjudgment

against an opponent like osaka that rarely goes unpunished. osaka took the next point. she accelerated like only a player of her calibre can. offering brady little chance. i feel like -la in: offering brady little chance. i feel like playing a _ offering brady little chance. i feel like playing a grand _ offering brady little chance. i feel like playing a grand slam - offering brady little chance. i f--i like playing a grand slam right now is a super privilege and it is something i will not take for granted. thank you for this opportunity. fist granted. thank you for this opportunity-— opportunity. at 'ust 23 it is already her_ opportunity. atjust 23 it is already her fourth - opportunity. atjust 23 it is already her fourth grand i opportunity. atjust 23 it is i already her fourth grand slam opportunity. atjust 23 it is - already her fourth grand slam title. an uncertain year and an uncertain tournament, but you can be sure that osaka will not be ignored. it's the world's oldest trophy and one that the uk have never won. ben ainslie's ineos team uk face a real struggle if they're to reach the pinnacle of sailing — the america's cup final. in this morning's qualifiers in auckland, they won one and lost one against the luna rossa team from italy, which means they trail 5—1, and it's the first to seven that wins this eliminator. so, barring a dramtic turnaround starting tomorrow, the wait could go on for at least another four years.

that's all the sport for now. there's much more on the website and app including live coverage of the semi finals of the welsh open snooker. northern ireland'sjordan brown is up against stephen maguire. brown lead three frames to one. ronnie o'sullivan plays mark williams this evening. check out bbc.co.uk/sport pubs, restaurants and cafes need their supply chain to be ready if they can serve customers their full range. and those suppliers, are asking the government for at least two weeks' notice of a definite re—start after an extremely challenging year. because with the manufacture of some food products stopped during the lockdown and many staff furloughed, gearing up again won't be straightforward. here's our business

correspondent katy austin. the boss is waiting with baited breath for monday's announcement. it has really been very stressful. we are rocking across all the time. we would like certainty, we would like a date. we need at least two weeks to get the pups open correctly. our need longer. for example beer takes three weeks to brew. for need longer. for example beer takes three weeks to brew.— need longer. for example beer takes three weeks to brew. for many pups, restaurant and _ three weeks to brew. for many pups, restaurant and cafe _ three weeks to brew. for many pups, restaurant and cafe prepared - three weeks to brew. for many pups, restaurant and cafe prepared for- restaurant and cafe prepared for full dining to resume depends on the supply chain being ready. the next is wholesalers. nearly half of the staff here are furloughed and after a stop start year, the man in charge also wants to know what is next for hospitality. it also wants to know what is next for hositali . , ., , ., hospitality. it is not 'ust a case of turning * hospitality. it is not 'ust a case of turning on t hospitality. it is not 'ust a case of turning on a i hospitality. it is notjust a case of turning on a switch - hospitality. it is notjust a case of turning on a switch and i hospitality. it is notjust a case i of turning on a switch and providing the product. the customers have to plan what menus they want to offer. we then have to plan from our 40,000 customers how much stock we want and

order that stock from the suppliers. fresh produce, fresh fish. all of that takes a while to get into the supply chain. that takes a while to get into the supply chain-— that takes a while to get into the su--l chain. ., , , , ., , supply chain. that brings us to this desert company- — supply chain. that brings us to this desert company. it _ supply chain. that brings us to this desert company. it has _ supply chain. that brings us to this desert company. it has stopped i desert company. it has stopped making some things like round cakes which are mostly eaten in coffee shops and restaurants. activity is only at ten or 15%. shops and restaurants. activity is only at ten or 1596.— only at ten or 1596. there's only a certain amount _ only at ten or 1596. there's only a certain amount of _ only at ten or 1596. there's only a certain amount of customers i only at ten or 1596. there's only a | certain amount of customers that only at ten or 1596. there's only a i certain amount of customers that are ordering. the certain amount of customers that are orderina. ., ., , certain amount of customers that are orderin.. ., ., , _ ordering. the manager here is saying he cannot ramp _ ordering. the manager here is saying he cannot ramp things _ ordering. the manager here is saying he cannot ramp things up _ ordering. the manager here is saying he cannot ramp things up overnight. | he cannot ramp things up overnight. the ingredient is what will delay us. most of them are in the uk, there are a number of ingredients that we get from abroad. chocolate in particular. some of those in need about four weeks of lead time. cream cheese for us takes three weeks and it is a key ingredient. this

cheese for us takes three weeks and it is a key ingredient.— it is a key ingredient. this year has squeeze — it is a key ingredient. this year has squeeze cash _ it is a key ingredient. this year has squeeze cash flow - it is a key ingredient. this year has squeeze cash flow hard. i it is a key ingredient. this year. has squeeze cash flow hard. and multiple closures and restarts have led to foodways. these firms say the government need to help them so that when dining out can happen again the products that customers want are on the menu. the duke of edinburgh is expected to stay in hospital over the weekend and into next week for observation and rest. prince philip, who turns 100 injune, was admitted to king edward vii hospital on tuesday evening after feeling unwell and walked unaided into the medical centre. the duke is said to be in good spirits. princess eugenie and jack brooksbank have named their son august philip hawke brooksbank. the couple released this photograph with their baby boy, who was born at the portland hospital in central london on 9th february. sharing the photo on instagram, princess eugenie said it was taken by their midwife, and she thanked well—wishers for their messages. as we've been reporting, the russian opposition leader alexei navalny is back in court

for a second time today. this time, he's in the dock accused of slandering a world war two veteran who had praised vladimir putin. the court will rule whether to fine navalny for calling a world war ii veteran a "traitor" on twitter last year. there he is doing his signature heart sign. we can go live to the court room. there he is in the chequered shirt on the left of the picture. this is not the first time he was in a court case. recently he was poisoned in russia and flew to germany for treatment. when he flew back, he was arrested because he was accused of breaking the terms of his suspended sentence. and now a second court case in moscow. we are waiting for a verdict in the courtroom. as soon as we get one we will bring that to you. the weather now with ben rich. there are weather warnings in place across several parts of the uk, with railway lines in cornwall and parts of south wales flooded, and disruption to road travel.

what can you tell us? yes, indeed. it has been exceptionally wet weekend so far, particularly across western parts of the uk. we are talking about parts of england, wales, scotland as well where flood warnings are enforced. our weather watchers have been capturing the scenes. you can see the flooding that was taken place. very full rivers. as well as the rain, we have had strong winds. we have had a met office amber weather warning in force across parts of south wales. this is valid until four o'clock. the potential that some spots will have seen 200 mm of rain by the end of the day. we've already seen more than 100 mm. that is why we have had such significant flooding problems. you can see on the radar picture the rain hasjust been ploughing in. i am showing you 24 hours of rainfall. it has

basically not stopped. it has been pushing northwards. there are signs that the rain is starting to thin out. i think the worst in terms of rainfall will be over here. the rivers will obviously continue to rise for a little while. further east, it is fine with sunshine. temperatures up and above 15 degrees. the warmest day of the year so far for what it is worth. it is going to be a very mild and to the day across eastern parts of the uk. it is pretty windy. i showed you that picture from devon. we have had 50 to 60 miles per hour. we could see gusts of 70 mph and exposed spots. a lot of the rain will ease off overnight. those parts of scotland where it has been so wet it will be a drier. it will be a mild knob but not as much as last night for some of us. sunday, this frontal system will still be sitting in

place. it is moving quite aimlessly at this stage. it is wriggling around. it will be light and patchy rain in the morning. it might pep up a little bit in the afternoon. not nearly as wet as it has been. for scotland, northern ireland, for the far north of england, a mix of sunshine and one or two showers. bright skies to the southeast and another mild day with 11 to 15 degrees. it will be a dry start to the new week. however, you can see frontal systems will be pushing and once again from the west. we will see more rain across northern ireland, scotland, northwest england. on the east of this frontal system we will tap into and some very, very mild air. highs in the south of around 17 degrees on wednesday. more rain towards the northwest, hopefully it will be drier for all of us by the end of the week. there are flood warnings

in floors across england, scotland and wales. the bbc weather website will keep you up—to—date and we will have more weather right here on the bbc news channel throughout the rest of the afternoon.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: as plans to ease lockdown in england start to be revealed, residents in care homes will be allowed indoor visits by a member of their family or a friend, from next month. number ten says reuniting families and allowing people to have more social contact will be an "absolute priority" in easing lockdown after schools reopen. security forces in myanmar have opened fire on protesters in the city of mandalay, killing at least two people and injuring more than 20 others. president biden declares a major disaster in texas as he unlocks federal funds for a state paralysed by a severe freeze and a huge powerfailure.