this is bbc news, i'm reeta chakrabarti, the headlines at 5:00... care home residents in england will be allowed to have one person visit them regularly from the 8th of march, as easing of lockdown measures start to be revealed. number ten says reuniting families and allowing people to have more social contact will be an "absolute priority" in easing lockdown after schools reopen. prince charles has visited the king edward vii hospital in central london where his father the duke of edinburgh is being treated. a court in russia upholds a decision to jail opposition leader, alexei navalny, forjust over two—and—a—half years and finds him guilty of a further charge. 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.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. 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 reports. 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 residents 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's 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 healthcare needs. and so therefore, our primary

duty has always been, through all the guidance we get, 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 homes since march. so i really welcome that announcement. i would say we still have to be cautious, let's not forget the 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's unlikely she'll be a chosen visitor because she lives the furthest away, but she doesn't mind. it's 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. anna collinson, bbc news.

let's talk to caroline abrahams from the charity age uk. good afternoon to you. so, changes on the way in england from march the 8th, and also in scotland as well, where people will be allowed to eu visitors from next month. northern ireland and wales, the advice varies between individual homes. how important a step is this going to be for people living in residential care? . , for people living in residential care? ., , care? really important. it gives --eole care? really important. it gives peeple hepe — care? really important. it gives people hope that _ care? really important. it gives people hope that they - care? really important. it gives people hope that they can - care? really important. it gives people hope that they can be i people hope that they can be reunited again, even if they can't see everybody, as we were just hearing, at least they can see somebody again. particularly for people with dementia, it will make the world of difference, i think. this is the right time to be doing this, do you think?— this is the right time to be doing this, do you think? yes, i think it is. of this, do you think? yes, i think it is- of course _ this, do you think? yes, i think it is. of course it _ this, do you think? yes, i think it is. of course it is _ this, do you think? yes, i think it is. of course it is true _ this, do you think? yes, i think it is. of course it is true that - this, do you think? yes, i think it is. of course it is true that care l is. of course it is true that care homes have been through a terrible time. we had tens of thousands of care home residents killed by this horrible virus and, of course, hundreds of care staff as well. so,

there is the proportion. but with there is the proportion. but with the number of cases going down, access to ppe and testing, there is no reason now why we cannot be open, very carefully, to visitors. so it is a great thing to celebrate today. what have people been saying to you about how difficult this period has been? we have heard some terrible stories. we been? we have heard some terrible stories. ~ . ., ., , ., , stories. we have heard from people who have finally _ stories. we have heard from people who have finally may _ stories. we have heard from people who have finally may be _ stories. we have heard from people who have finally may be got - stories. we have heard from people who have finally may be got to - stories. we have heard from people who have finally may be got to see| who have finally may be got to see somebody after several months, may be through a window, and been shocked at the decline that they witnessed, because that person has given up hope because they have not been able to see anybody. if you have dementia, the world is a puzzling and frightening place anyway. not to have that reassurance of somebody you have loved all your life with you makes an enormous difference. in some cases, it really has led to people, sadly, dying before their time. so this is tremendously important. you have to get the balance right with infection control, but i think that is what the government is going to do. such

a difficult balancing act. because people were being protected for their own health, from the virus, but you say it had that devastating effect sometimes?— effect sometimes? yes, we are balancin: effect sometimes? yes, we are balancing two _ effect sometimes? yes, we are balancing two risks. _ effect sometimes? yes, we are balancing two risks. the - effect sometimes? yes, we are balancing two risks. the risk. effect sometimes? yes, we are| balancing two risks. the risk we were most aware of, to start with, was getting the affection and succumbing to it. but as time has gone on, it has become increasingly clear that if you are an older person in a care home, with not very good health, not much time on your side, perhaps with dementia as well, then at the other huge risk is what that does to your health, your well—being, your mental health. i think opening up now starts to find the right balance. qm. think opening up now starts to find the right balance.— think opening up now starts to find the right balance. 0k, thank you so much. caroline _ the right balance. 0k, thank you so much. caroline abrahams _ the right balance. 0k, thank you so much. caroline abrahams from - the right balance. 0k, thank you so much. caroline abrahams from age the right balance. 0k, thank you so - much. caroline abrahams from age uk. thank you for your time. staying with coronavirus and the latest government figures show that another 10,406 people have tested positive for the virus in the latest 2a hour period. a further a45 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test in the uk. and the number of those receiving their first dose

of the coronavirus vaccine has climbed to over 17.2 million. prince charles has visited the king edward vii hospital in london where his father, the duke of edinburgh, is being treated. 0ur correspondent helena wilkinson has the latest from the hospital. prince charles arrived here, not through the front entrance of the hospital, but at a rear entrance just round the corner from where we are, at around 3:20 this afternoon. he arrived in a grey car. he was wearing a light grey suit, with a face covering on. he wasn'tjoint, as far as we could see, by other members of the royal family. so he did arrive alone. he went inside and spent some time inside the hospital. it was a fairly short visit, but we understand, as far as we know, this is the first visit by a member of the royal family to the duke of edinburgh,

who, as you say, is in hospital, remains here, and this will be his fifth night here at the central london hospital. he was brought here on tuesday evening, from windsor castle. that is where he and the queen have been isolating. we were told at the time that the duke of edinburgh was brought to hospital he was feeling unwell for a couple of days, there was an abundance of caution by bringing him to the hospital, and there wasn't really a sense of any cause for concern. but they kept him in to observe him, and in orderfor the duke of edinburgh to rest in hospital as well. in terms of updates from buckingham palace, we had some detail yesterday from a palace source, saying that the duke of edinburgh is expected to remain in hospital for the rest of the weekend and into next week, reeta, for continuing observation and also rest.

we don't know why he is in here, apart from the fact that he was feeling unwell for a couple of days before he was admitted on tuesday. but we do know the palace have confirmed that it was not anything to do with the coronavirus. and, as we know, the duke of edinburgh and the queen both had the vaccine, or the first dose of the vaccine, last month. president biden says he'll sign 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. brian greene is president and ceo of the houston food bank. he joins us live from houston.

hello. what effect have these storms and this very severe weather had on your operation? and this very severe weather had on your operation?— and this very severe weather had on your operation?— your operation? well, it has certainly _ your operation? well, it has certainly impacted - your operation? well, it has certainly impacted everyonej your operation? well, it has i certainly impacted everyone in your operation? well, it has - certainly impacted everyone in the houston area, and most of texas. but low income families the most. this was not only a situation where you have the power cut off, you probably lost your water, you might have had water damage from burst pipes. but low income families are not only dealing with not having water, that is safe to drink, we have to get that, but the economic cost on the fact they have been cut off from the food supply for several days. we are ramping up as much as we possibly can. ., ., ,, ., ~ ramping up as much as we possibly can, ., ., , , ., " ., ramping up as much as we possibly can. you are speaking to us from where, can. you are speaking to us from where. it — can. you are speaking to us from where, it looks _ can. you are speaking to us from where, it looks like _ can. you are speaking to us from where, it looks like a _ can. you are speaking to us from | where, it looks like a warehouse? this is used in food bank. feeding america food banks, where we get surplus food and distributed out. in the united states alone, there are literally billions of pounds of this. this is what we do. we use

this. this is what we do. we use this resource to help families in need. it this resource to help families in need. ., ., this resource to help families in need. ., , , ., need. it looks absolutely huge from the little that _ need. it looks absolutely huge from the little that l — need. it looks absolutely huge from the little that i can _ need. it looks absolutely huge from the little that i can see. _ need. it looks absolutely huge from the little that i can see. clearly - the little that i can see. clearly there are a lot of families dependent on you, or partly dependent on you, or partly dependent on you, or partly dependent on you. are you able to get the food to the families that need it at the moment? we get the food to the families that need it at the moment?- get the food to the families that need it at the moment? we do the best we can- _ need it at the moment? we do the best we can. we _ need it at the moment? we do the best we can. we are _ need it at the moment? we do the best we can. we are serving - need it at the moment? we do the best we can. we are serving many| best we can. we are serving many tens of thousands, probably in the neighbourhood of 80,000 or 90,000 familiesjust this week. neighbourhood of 80,000 or 90,000 families just this week. the need neighbourhood of 80,000 or 90,000 familiesjust this week. the need is great. the toughest thing to get at the moment is water. we have several tractor—trailer loads coming and going out each day, to go along with the supplies. that is what the need is looking like. haifa the supplies. that is what the need is looking like.— is looking like. how about actually caettin the is looking like. how about actually getting the food — is looking like. how about actually getting the food supplies - is looking like. how about actually getting the food supplies to - is looking like. how about actually getting the food supplies to you, | getting the food supplies to you, has not been disrupted or is it ok? there were a couple of days where the road traffic had come to a standstill. so we were cut off then. but no, the roads are flowing good. we are able to get the supplies in.

we are able to get the supplies in. we are able to get the supplies in. we are pulling in probably in the neighbourhood of 20 tractor—trailer loads each day, so we can get that out. , ., , , , loads each day, so we can get that out. , . , , , , , out. presumably, this is the first time ou out. presumably, this is the first time you have — out. presumably, this is the first time you have seen _ out. presumably, this is the first time you have seen weather - out. presumably, this is the first time you have seen weather of l out. presumably, this is the first. time you have seen weather of such an extreme nature? i time you have seen weather of such an extreme nature?— time you have seen weather of such an extreme nature? i wish! actually, we have had — an extreme nature? i wish! actually, we have had hurricanes— an extreme nature? i wish! actually, we have had hurricanes here, - we have had hurricanes here, hurricane harvey really knocked us. this is a different style. we have not dealt with a big freeze like this before, and i don't think texas was ready for something of this magnitude as a freeze. we have had disasters before and we are responding the way that we learned to do. ., ., , responding the way that we learned todo. ., ., , , to do. you have put me perfectly riaht, i to do. you have put me perfectly right. i should — to do. you have put me perfectly right, i should have _ to do. you have put me perfectly right, i should have been - to do. you have put me perfectly right, i should have been more l right, i should have been more specific, the first time you have seen snow like this? i specific, the first time you have seen snow like this?— seen snow like this? i feel for everybody _ seen snow like this? i feel for everybody up _ seen snow like this? i feel for everybody up north _ seen snow like this? i feel for everybody up north now, - seen snow like this? i feel for - everybody up north now, because this is tough! everybody up north now, because this is tou~h! , ., ., ,, everybody up north now, because this istou~h! , ., ., ,, ., is tough! very good to talk to you, brian is tough! very good to talk to you, iztrian greene. _ is tough! very good to talk to you, brian greene, president _ is tough! very good to talk to you, brian greene, president and - is tough! very good to talk to you, brian greene, president and ceo l is tough! very good to talk to you, | brian greene, president and ceo of the houston food bank. pubs, restaurants and cafes need their supply chain to be ready in order to 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. 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. right now, takeaway and delivery are the only options for pubs like this one in berkshire, providing only a fraction of pre—pandemic trade. we have invested heavily in outdoor spaces. the boss is waiting with baited breath for monday's announcement. it has been very stressful, we are racking up costs all the time. we would like certainty, like a date. at least two weeks, really, for pubs to open correctly. but our suppliers need longer. i mean, beer, for example, takes three weeks to brew. for many pubs, restaurants and cafes, being prepared for full dine—in service to resume depends on the supply chain being ready. the next link in that is wholesalers. bid foods' customers range from high street eateries to care homes. nearly half the staff here are furloughed,

and after a stop—start year, the man in charge also wants to know what's next for hospitality. it's notjust a case 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. we then have to order that stock from the suppliers. long—life ambient foods, but also fresh produce, fresh meat, fresh fish. all of those things take a bit more time to get into the supply chain. some production has stopped, of large catering packs and speciality catering products. that brings us to mademoiselle desserts, whose cakes and puddings bid foods sells on. it's stopped making some things like round cakes, which are mostly eaten in coffee shops and restaurants. activity is only at 10—15% of pre—covid levels. there's only a certain amount of customers ordering at the moment. the manager here too says he cannot ramp things up again overnight. the ingredients is the thing that will delay us. most of them are uk. there are a number of ingredients that we do

get from abroad, you know, chocolate in particular, but some of those are a four—week lead time at the moment. and then cream cheese for us is three weeks, and that's a key ingredient for our business. a tumultuous year has squeezed cash flow hard, while multiple closures and restarts have led to food waste. these firms say the government needs to help them so that when dining out can happen again, the products customers want are on the menu. katy austin, bbc news. in a moment, we'll bejoined by bbc one viewers for a full round up of the day's news. but, first, doctors say ambulance handover delays in england — during the surge in covid cases over christmas — led to secondary victims in the community. the royal college of emergency medicine says people died of unrelated conditions while waiting hours for help. dr faye kirkland, who is also a working gp, has this report. the first call to 999 was at ten...

it's there. the first call to 999 was at ten... 10:25. rose says it was her worst nightmare. then another call to 999. while working a ngiht shift as a nurse this christmas, her teenage children called to say their father was suddenly unwell. it is literally five minutes to the hospital. of course, now he could not move, that was the challenging thing. the family called 999 four times before an ambulance arrived, three hours after the first call. i can't really expect that an ambulance can take such a long time, having been sounded by children. forget about the person who was sick, the fact was that the children were in the house alone with their dad, who was unwell. robert, seen here celebrating four days earlier on boxing day, died of a stroke before the ambulance arrived. such call—outs should take around 18 minutes. that week, the time it took for ambulances to hand over patients

rose sharply with the spread of the kent variant, meaning for some patients there was no ambulance free to respond to their calls. he was frightened and getting sicker and sicker by the minute. angela templeman waited for more than six hours for her partner's ambulance. by the time it arrived, an existing surgical wound had started to break them. you do not know what to do in that situation, you have done everything you can — phoned, called, the gp has said you have to go to hospital and you are too sick to go in a car, with me. so we had to sit and wait and it was just so frightening. nobody would listen. graham was taken to intensive care with sepsis and is now recovering at home. bbc news has learned ambulance waiting times outside hospitals in some parts of england rose dramatically over the festive period. freedom of information requests show waiting times in london rose by 63% for the two weeks over the christmas period. and by 48% in the west midlands.

it is clear that covid is creating a whole bunch not only of covid victims but also secondary victims. the body which represents emergency care doctors said treating patients in the back of ambulances during the pandemic could have been avoided. i think it was preventable. if you run a system on fumes basically you are going to have problems. the idea patients call for help, have been taken in an ambulance and a paramedic hasjudged this is a person who is seriously ill who needs to go to hospital, and they get to hospital and the whole system designed to help them is unable — i think that is absolutely ghastly. nhs england said services work together to free up capacity despite a significant increase in the number of patients with coronavirus. faye kirkland, bbc news.

good afternoon. care home residents in england will be allowed to choose one person to visit them regularly from march 8th, in the first confirmed easing of lockdown. they will be able to meet indoors and be allowed to hold hands — but visitors must wear personal protection equipment, and be tested before entering the home. the announcement comes ahead

of the prime minister revealing his "road map" for easing lockdown on monday. 0ur 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 residents 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's 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 healthcare needs. and so therefore, our primary duty has always been, through all the guidance we get, 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 homes 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's unlikely she'll be the chosen visitor because she lives the furthest away, but she doesn't mind. it's 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. anna collinson, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent helen catt. so we'll get more details about easing lockdown on monday — are there any further signs this afternoon of what's to come? ministers have said the first thing they want to reopen is schools and they want to reopen is schools and the dataset is the 8th of march, there has been increasing confidence this week that they will hit that —— the date set for that. and that downing street says the priority is allowing more families to get together again, to allow more social mixing and social interaction, and we understand in the first instance thatis we understand in the first instance that is likely to be outdoors, that is where the virus is less likely to spread, so an option being looked at is allowing two households to mix outdoors, but in terms of a

timescale, newspaper reports suggesting that could be by easter, the first few days of april, and in terms of business opening we know broadly that the government was looking at after outdoor recreation, looking at after outdoor recreation, looking at after outdoor recreation, looking at nonessential retail and then hospitality but number ten sources insist the final detail is being nailed down. there is a meeting of ministers tomorrow and the prime minister will then set out the prime minister will then set out the plans publicly on monday. helen, thanks forjoining _ the plans publicly on monday. helen, thanks forjoining us. _ let's have a look at the latest government figures now, and there were 10,1t06 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. an average of 11,224 new cases were recorded per day in the last week. 18,462 people are in hospital with coronavirus across the uk. in the last 24 hours, 445 deaths have been recorded, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. on average, 494 deaths were announced every day in the past week.

the total number of people who've died is 120,365. more than 370,000 people had their first dose of one of the approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24 hour period. taking the total who've now had their firstjab to over 17.2 million people the prince of wales has been to the hospital in london where his father — the duke of edinburgh — is currently being treated after feeling unwell. prince charles arrived this afternoon. his father was admitted to the king edward vi! hospital on tuesday evening, as a precautionary measure. 0ur royal correspondent, daniela relph, is outside the hospital for us now. as we have just think the prince of wales, the eldest son of the duke, arrived here at 320 this afternoon, by a rear entrance, we understand he had been driven from the highgrove

estate in gloucestershire, a journey of around 90 miles, estate in gloucestershire, a journey ofaround 90 miles, and he estate in gloucestershire, a journey of around 90 miles, and he spent just over half an hour inside the hospital with his father before leaving. this is a private hospital, its covid guidelines state that visits from family should only be made in exceptional circumstances, and the duke of edinburgh is heading into his fifth night in the hospital but this afternoon buckingham palace has repeated its statements from early in the week which say the duke of edinburgh is being kept in hospital out of an abundance of caution and he is in good spirits. many thanks. emergency services in myanmar say at least two people have been killed and others injured during protests in the second city, mandalay. witnesses say police used live ammunition to disperse the crowd, after clashes with striking shipyard workers. protests are continuing over this month's arrest of the elected leader, aung san suu kyi, in a military coup which has drawn international condemnation. the russian opposition leader

alexei navalny was back in court today to appeal against the prison sentence he'd received earlier this month. the appeal was rejected — mr navalny will go to prison for two and a half years. the jailing of russia's most prominent opposition activist has been condemned outside of russia, and could lead to a new round of western sanctions against moscow. 0ur moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. back in court. the kremlin's most vocal critic, russia's most famous prisoner. alexei navalny tried to be upbeat. but his appeal was rejected. the result? two and a half years in prison for fraud and parole violations — charges widely seen as politically motivated. this was mr navalny a month ago, flying home after recovering in germany from being poisoned in siberia. he was arrested on arrival. that sparked nationwide protests,

but the russian authorities were in no mood to listen. and there's been a cold response here to international criticism. this week, the kremlin rejected a ruling by the european court of human rights that mr navalny should be freed. as for talk of more western sanctions, the kremlin has been exploiting that to its own benefit. in vladimir putin's russia, this is how it works. western criticism over the jailing of mr navalny, western pressure, western sanctions, the kremlin takes that and holds it up to the russian people, and says, "look, we told you so, the west has got it in for russia." in other words, the authorities try to use this to bolster their claim that this is a country under siege. and that is precisely the message in the russian state media. basically, the west is not interested in navalny. the west is just willing to see russia destroyed.

and that's the major idea that we have in russia. blaming the west is an attempt to distract attention from problems here? no, we are not... yes, of course, we have our problems. but they cannot be even compared with the problems that you have. the kremlin will be hoping that this problem of a rival and a challenger has been dealt with once and for all. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. tennis and japan's naomi 0saka has won the australian open in melbourne. around 7,500 people were allowed into the stadium to watch as she beat americanjennifer brady by two sets to love. it's her second title in melbourne and herfourth grand slam. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. now on bbc news, it's

time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. here is a story that sounds like fiction, a boy that is born in scotland is raised in poverty, his father absent, scotland is raised in poverty, his fatherabsent, his scotland is raised in poverty, his father absent, his mother addicted to alcohol and dead by the time he is 16. he is bullied mercilessly because he is different, gay in an intolerant culture. that boy becomes a fashion designer who writes a first novel that wins the prestigious booker prize. this is no fiction. his name is douglas stewart and he is my guest today.