this is bbc news the headlines at 6pm: a pledge that every adult in the uk will be offered their first dose of coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly — a month ahead of schedule. it's because of the success of the vaccine roll—out that we're able to do that and that will have an impact on how quickly we'll all be able to return to normal, which is obviously what everyone wants to see. borisjohnson meets ministers and scientific advisers to put the final touches to plans to bring england out of lockdown. a pioneering breakthough for children needing a heart transplant — a machine that keeps hearts beating outside the body for up to 12 hours. it's transplanting patients that otherwise would not get an organ and that's the real beauty of this machine.

in tennis, world number one novak djokovic wins a ninth australian open title with a comfortable victory over daniil medvedev. good afternoon and welcome to bbc new. the prime minister has promised that all adults in the uk will be offered their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly. so far, more than 17.5 million people have already had a jab — that's around one in three adults. the vaccines offer protection against the two most commonly found variants in the uk — but it's not clear yet how they work against the south african variant. a single case of that strain has

been confirmed in brentwood in essex and surge testing is now being expanded there. our health correspondent, laura foster, reports. more than 17 million people in the uk have been given their first dose of the covid vaccine, offering them some form of protection against this deadly virus. but we're only a third of the way there. what's critical, of course, is that as many people as possible are vaccinated because the more who are vaccinated, the more individuals are protected, and the more society as a whole is protected. so for all those reasons i encourage everybody to come forward when you get that invite and get yourjab as soon as possible. the next phase is to protect the over 50s, and anyone with an eligible underlying health condition by the middle of april, that's two weeks earlier than originally planned. and the latest promise is to offer the vaccines to all adults by the end ofjuly. there has been much praise for the speed of the roll—out.

but not everyone has been convinced it has been done correctly. broadcasterjo whiley says her sister, frances, who has a learning disability and diabetes, was only offered her vaccine after being hospitalised with covid—19. keep them safe and protect these people, because they are so precious, they are so vulnerable, and we should have looked after them a long time ago. i feel, i'm talking to you today because i just want to give them a voice, because somebody... we should be doing more, we should have been doing more for these people who have no way of helping themselves. they are just wholly reliant on us. the vaccines offer protection against the two most commonly found variants in the uk, but it's not yet clear how they work with others. everyone in brentwood in essex is now being asked to take a covid test after the south african variant was detected there. we do not yet have the confidence that the vaccine is as effective against the south africa variant and the variant first seen in brazil. but we do think that the measures that we've taken, both the enhanced contact tracing, really clamping down when you see one

of these, and the measures at the border are reducing those new variants here. scientists say it's important to keep transmission low to stop new variants from appearing. i it's certainly a risk if we allowl high rates of infection in certain parts of the communities, younger individuals, - then we do run the risk of further mutations occurring, _ which could reduce the effectiveness of the vaccination programme. - but even when you get yourjab, there are key things to remember. vaccines don't work immediately. it takes weeks after your first dose before protection kicks in, and it will take months to vaccinate us all. laura foster, bbc news. well, the prime minister has said vaccinating more people sooner — will help further ease lockdown rules across the country. borisjohnson has been meeting senior government members and advisers in the past few hours to discuss plans to ease restrictions. tomorrow he will reveal

what's been decided. but what could the "road map" out of lockdown involve? our political correspondentjessica parker has been taking a look. change is coming, though the government says it won't spring up all of a sudden. that as the vaccine roll—out is speeding up, but to what effect? there are signs that the numbers in hospital are falling much more sharply than they were in the first wave and there's further analysis to be done on that. but clearly, the level is still far too high. that's why the prime minister will be setting out a road map. we can't lift the measures right now. but we can see that direction of travel. so in parliament tomorrow, england's road map will finally be unveiled. ministers in scotland, wales and northern ireland set their own plans. it's already known that limited indoor care home visits in england can resume in just over two weeks. downing street has also said it

will look to prioritise more outdoor social contact. on schools, some teaching unions have called for a phased return. but the labour leader says ideally all students should be back on march the 8th. i've been worried through the pandemic, a number of people have, about the impact of being out of school has on particularly vulnerable children and the attainment gap is getting bigger. so ideally the 8th of march. we'll have to see where the data is, see where the science is, but that is where we should be working towards. if that means more testing, if that means nightingale classrooms, if it means other measures, let's do that. ministers are emphasising caution. nearly a year on since the first lockdown was announced here, the journey has, so far, already often been unpredictable. the latest government figures show that another 9,834 people have tested positive for the virus in the latest 24—hour period.

a further 215 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test in the uk. that number tends to be lower on weekends. and, nearly 17.6 million people — around a third of the uk adult population — have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. britain has introduced a new heart transplant technique for children that reanimates a donor heart outside the body and can even repair any damage sustained by the organ during death. this programme, a collaboration between the royal papworth and great ormond street hospitals, significantly increased the number of such life—saving operations carried out in the uk last year. our health correspondent, anna collinson, has this report. just a year ago, one of these sisters had a failing heart and was put on an urgent transplant list. nice wave!

freya heddington was warned she may have to wait up to two years. but thanks to a new programme it was just eight weeks. and within months she could start doing the things she loved most. i'm ecstatic that i got such an amazing gift of a heart. but it's also upsetting to know that someone also died. a donor's family must be consented before surgery, as this training simulation shows. until a year ago, almost all paediatric heart transplants came from patients who had suffered brain death. their heart may beat but they will never wake up. life support is withdrawn and the heart is stopped and retrieved. but this new programme uses hearts which have been allowed to cease beating on their own after life support is withdrawn. as soon as this happens, the heart begins to deteriorate. by using this machine demonstrated here using red dye at the royal papworth hospital, doctors can effectively restart it and repair the damage.

you would have the heart sitting with the connector at the top, the aorta. these tubes move blood through the heart which keeps it healthy for up to 12 hours, giving surgeons much more time to carry out checks, and even transport it to other locations. this organ care system is now used by adult cardiac transplant centres across the uk. but 12 months ago, the team here in cambridge joined forces with great ormond street hospital to extend their world—leading service to children, and despite the pressures of the pandemic, treated six patients in 2020. in the adult world, we double the amount of heart transplantation and we reduce the waiting time period. and we had to do exactly the same thing for the paediatric recipients at the same time for both populations to reduce the mortality in the waiting list. and this is what we achieved. once retrieved, the hearts are delivered to great ormond street hospital for transplantation.

children normally have to wait around two and a half times longer than adults for a new heart. for many of our transplant patients now, they are so sick that they have to wait in the hospital for their transplants, sometimes for six months, perhaps even over a year. so not only is it reducing wait times but it is transplanting patients that otherwise would not get an organ. freya's family will never forget what they've been through, or the people and the machine that saved her life. it will always be there i in the back of our minds. but, you know, we know now she's got a lovely healthy heart _ and her future's bright. in a london hospital. he was visited yesterday by his son, the prince of wales. prince charles spent around half an hour at the king edward vii hospital, before returning to his highgrove home in gloucestershire. prince philip, who's 99, was admitted to hospital on tuesday on the advice of his doctor after feeling unwell.

he will be 100 injune. a four—year—old girl and two adults have died in a house fire in exeter. three other children, who were in the house, are in a stable condition in hospital. duncan sleightholme reports. behind these blackened windows, three members of a family have lost their lives. a bunch of flowers placed outside this home in tribute to those who have died. forensic officers and detectives looking for evidence to work out how this tragedy has happened. the emergency services were called in the early hours of this morning. a 28—year—old woman, a 29—year—old man and a four—year—old girl have died. three other children are being treated in hospital — two boys, aged four and nine, and a seven—year—old girl. it's a huge tragedy for all involved. the family, those who knew the family, the broader community here in exeter, as well, all of whom will be greatly affected by this. throughout the day, specialist fire investigators have been working

with police and forensic officers to gather evidence about how this fire started. cordons are likely to remain in place around the house in clayton road near st david station for the next couple of days as the investigation continues. we don't know, at this stage, exactly what's happened. we have people working at the scene really hard to try to establish exactly what's happened. but, as i said, we don't think there's any third—party involvement and we're not looking for anybody else at this stage in connection with the fire. the next of kin of those who have died had been informed. the police say the three children in hospital are in a stable condition and are expected to be transferred to bristol children's hospital for further treatment. duncan sleightholme, bbc spotlight, exeter. debris from a united airlines passengerjet, which suffered an engine failurejust after take—off, has landed on a residential area in the us state of colorado. the boeing 777 was flying

from denver to honolulu when the accident happened. it was able to return safely and land, and there have been no reported injuries. mark lobel reports. the chilling view from inside, moments after takeoff from denver, when its right engine catches fire. some of the 231 passengers using their phones to film what could be their last flight. others nervously texting loved ones goodbye. you could just feel it, like, boom and you could hear it. and you just... we started shaking. and i... we were right on the wing, so i looked out and i could see some smoke coming and ijust knew, you know. my daughter was sitting on the window and she's af... you know, iwasjust like, "don't look," like, "let's just close it up," and "let's just pray", so that's what we did. we kind ofjust held hands and said some prayers. as the boeing 777 destined for hawaii suddenly circles back for an emergency landing... che, why don't we get going, because these things are just falling? ..parts of the plane were raining

down on the city of broomfield. landing in the park, streets and on people's front lawns. this casing was meant to be keeping the plane's engine free from ice, and literally weighs a tonne. it initially struck this pickup truck with its ownerjust metres away. a lot of people said they heard that really loud explosion, which scared a lot of people, and then they started seeing basically what they thought was a plane falling from the sky. what it was, was debris. it's hard to determine exactly what it is. i did kind of comb through the park, i was taking a look at some of the debris, it looks like possibly some exterior pieces of the plane. this whole town is now effectively behind police lines, only residents permitted to enter with investigators requesting that debris is left alone. america's national transportation safety board has opened an investigation into what they're calling an "engine event." for all those who were onboard and on the ground below,

it's certainly an event none of them will ever likely forget. mark lobel, bbc news. seven people have been killed after a nigerian air force plane crashed while approaching the runway at abuja airport. this eyewitness described what she saw. for us, it is very painful. because when the plane just landed, wham, once i heard wham, when i heard wham, ijust see it explode with fire and smoke together. i could not go there. later, when i get here, i saw the dead body on the ground. our correspondent in abuja, ishaq khalid, gave us more details about the crash. what we have so far is that seven people were on board the military aircraft. all of them have died. the authorities are saying the aircraft developed an engine problem on its way to the central city of minna after

its take—off from this airport in the capital, abuja. then it returned. on its return at the airport, it hit the runway and then burst into flames. witnesses say that it hovered before crashing and there was a loud sound there after the crash and then the aircraft actually went into flames. the authorities are investigating. now pointing at a technical problem. but the weather here is also quite hazy, there is some sort of fog but they are not mentioning the weather at the moment but possibly maybe one of the things that they are going to consider in their investigations. ishaq, was this a military operation and is abuja airport shared by military as well as civilian aircraft? well, basically, the airport in the capital, abuja, has several wings. so this particular accident happened in one of the wings where chartered flights, you know, use and also sometimes official flights.

so this situation at the moment is not at the passenger wing of the airport. and this particular aircraft, according to officials, was conveying officials... i mean officers to minna in niger state to rescue or to help in the rescue of dozens of people who were abducted on wednesday from a boarding secondary school, students and staff there. this crash has now, in a way, hampered that rescue effort. but authorities are saying this was not the only plane that was going there. so the rescue efforts of those abductees are still going on. but this plane crash is quite a blow to the nigerian air force, which has, in the past, also seen similar incidents. for instance, in 2017, one of its craft, you know, mistakenly dropped explosives on an idp camp, internally displaced persons camp, in the north—eastern state. where the boko haram conflict is taking place. this mey be another reminder of the kind of tragedies that the nigerian air force has seen

in the recent years. the headlines on bbc news... a pledge that every adult in the uk will be offered their first dose of coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly — a month ahead of schedule. borisjohnson meets ministers and scientific advisers to put the final touches to plans to bring england out of lockdown. a pioneering breakthough for children needing a heart transplant, which helps reduce waiting list times. new research claims that coronavirus has had a disproportionate economic impact on regions of the uk. the study carried out by the national institute of economic and social research found that the official unemployment rate may be under—reporting the true level, and that destitution appears to be rising in certain regions, such as the north—west of england. professor adrian pabst is the deputy

director of the think tank the national institute of economic and social research. this has been flagged up by several local mayors and other local politicians. just how much of a variation is it and how serious is it? ~ variation is it and how serious is it? . ., , variation is it and how serious is it? ~ , ., variation is it and how serious is it? , ., , ., variation is it and how serious is it? ~ , ., , ., it? well, last year, destitution was about, it? well, last year, destitution was about. you — it? well, last year, destitution was about, you know, _ it? well, last year, destitution was about, you know, 0.796 _ it? well, last year, destitution was about, you know, 0.796 of- it? well, last year, destitution was about, you know, 0.796 of all- it? well, last year, destitution was about, you know, 0.796 of all uk i about, you know, 0.7% of all uk households, that's around 200,000 households. in our research, we are projecting that can rise to as much as 1.5% of all uk households, that would be much closer to 600,000 or more households. many hundreds of thousands of people lacking essential goods. and then there is variation across the uk. in the north—west, as you havejust variation across the uk. in the north—west, as you have just said, our research suggests that this could double and, indeed, quadrupled by the end of 2022. it is a very serious state of affairs.-

by the end of 2022. it is a very serious state of affairs. how do you define destitution? _ serious state of affairs. how do you define destitution? we _ serious state of affairs. how do you define destitution? we use - serious state of affairs. how do you define destitution? we use a - define destitution? we use a definition — define destitution? we use a definition that _ define destitution? we use a definition that is _ define destitution? we use a definition that is accepted i define destitution? we use a definition that is accepted by define destitution? we use a - definition that is accepted by the treasury. and essentially pioneered ijy treasury. and essentially pioneered by the joseph rowntree treasury. and essentially pioneered by thejoseph rowntree foundation. it is essentially £70 per week per aduu it is essentially £70 per week per adult in a household or another £30 per extra adult and £20 per child. this is extremely little money. it means that people in destitution and lack of essential goods such as shelter, food, heating and also clothing. —— lack essential goods. that means really extreme forms of poverty. that means really extreme forms of ove . ., ., . ., , poverty. the government, of course, will argue. — poverty. the government, of course, will argue. won't _ poverty. the government, of course, will argue, won't it, _ poverty. the government, of course, will argue, won't it, it— poverty. the government, of course, will argue, won't it, it spent - poverty. the government, of course, will argue, won't it, it spent what? i will argue, won't it, it spent what? £280 billion on the pandemic so far. this cannot continue. but, presumably, you are wanting the government to pledge more to these disadvantaged groups? 50. government to pledge more to these disadvantaged groups?— government to pledge more to these disadvantaged groups? so, what we're sa in: is disadvantaged groups? so, what we're saying is that — disadvantaged groups? so, what we're saying is that the _ disadvantaged groups? so, what we're saying is that the furlough _ disadvantaged groups? so, what we're saying is that the furlough scheme, . saying is that the furlough scheme, and other support schemes, have

clearly made a massive difference and limited destitution up until now. but as furlough is ended... at the moment it is meant to end at the end of april, or indeed other support schemes come to an end in the spring and the summer, people will slide into destitution. that is why we are calling for very targeted support, high universal credit payments, it could be child benefit, it could also be school meals. and pledging support to people to end uncertainty and know whether things will continue rather than just stop at any one point in time. there's other things that the government can do in its budget on march the 3rd. i suppose the other problem is that for people perhaps in lower paid work, when you are told to self—isolate, and we know the facts, that people sometimes don't self—isolate because they physically can't afford to lose out on the money, is that something else you think the government should be looking at?— think the government should be lookin: at? , ., ., , ., looking at? there is no doubt that different sectors _ looking at? there is no doubt that different sectors and _ looking at? there is no doubt that different sectors and people - looking at? there is no doubt that i different sectors and people working in those sectors are affected very

differently. the sectors most hit by the pandemic, the lough dan, of course, like hospitality and so on, —— the lockdown. where social contact is necessary. in a cafe or restaurant it is hard to do this with social distancing. take away is one way but it is not really covering enough people. yes, we are also saying look at the sectoral impact and help businesses very specifically for instance by access to finance. small and medium—sized businesses don't get loans as easily as larger businesses. the businesses don't get loans as easily as larger businesses.— businesses don't get loans as easily as larger businesses. the signs seem to be and people _ as larger businesses. the signs seem to be and people are _ as larger businesses. the signs seem to be and people are predicting - as larger businesses. the signs seem to be and people are predicting that l to be and people are predicting that to be and people are predicting that to come out of lockdown and may be the economy will rev back up. do you think there will be lagging indicators regionally in terms of joblessness? and what sort of figures do you anticipate seeing there? it figures do you anticipate seeing there? , ., , ,., , ., there? it is absolutely right that when lockdown _ there? it is absolutely right that when lockdown ends, _ there? it is absolutely right that when lockdown ends, gradual i there? it is absolutely right that i when lockdown ends, gradual and phased, the economy will of course

resume and lots of activity will start again and that's really important for people in those precarious positions. it is also the case that certain sectors will not come back in the same way. tourism, hospitality and others. we are projecting that unemployment could rise to as much as, you know, 10%. that is across the uk. in certain areas, it could go even higher. the north—west is one such area where unemployment could be even in the low or mid—teens. they will be enormous regional disparity with joblessness. enormous regional disparity with joblessness— enormous regional disparity with 'oblessness. ., ., joblessness. professor adrian pabst, thanks for speaking _ joblessness. professor adrian pabst, thanks for speaking to _ joblessness. professor adrian pabst, thanks for speaking to us _ joblessness. professor adrian pabst, thanks for speaking to us on - joblessness. professor adrian pabst, thanks for speaking to us on bbc - thanks for speaking to us on bbc news. . ~ thanks for speaking to us on bbc news. ., ~ , ., police in birmingham are continuing to question two 15—year—old boys on suspicion of kidnap and theft. the boys were arrested after a car with two young children inside was taken from a driveway in the city. a police helicopter was involved in the search before the car was stopped on a road in the city centre. the boys, aged two and four, were unharmed and reunited with their parents at the roadside.

a funeral has taken place in myanmar for a young woman who has become a national symbol of resistance to miltary rule. the military overthrew the elected government earlier this month. mya thwet thwet khaing died on friday after being shot during a protest against the coup. a hearse carrying her coffin was driven through the capital naypyidaw. thousands lined the streets to honour her, some making the three—fingered salutes used by demonstrators. across myanmar, protesters have taken to the streets again despite the previous day being the worst violence yet in weeks of protests. two demonstrators were killed in mandalay after police opened fire. the united nations, the united states, britain and france have strongly condemned the use of force by the authorities. myanmar�*s ministry of foreign affairs insists the authorities are exercising restraint. here's nyein chan aye with the latest. the funeral service was held in the capital, naypyidaw for mya thwe thwe khaing,

who was the first confirmed death from the anti—coup movement, after she was shot in the head last week and died on friday. the funeral was, so far, peaceful, despite thousands of mourners and supporters turn up and show their solidarity. in the meanwhile, the military regime arrest more people, including a famous actor, called lu min, who was among the celebrities calling for all civil servants to take part in nationwide civil disobedience movement. he was charged with incitement against the regime. now, nearly 600 people have been already arrested or charged, or sentenced under this regime, according to local rights groups. however, there is no sign of dying down in anti—coup movement, and protesters called for nationwide strikes on monday.

some of the largest retail outlets already declared a temporary shutdown tomorrow, and huge protests are expected again. this is nyein chan aye, bbc news, yangon. a new report, backed by the archbishop of canterbury, says that the church of england should use its extensive land holdings to help ease the housing crisis. the study recommends that the billion—pound anglican property portfolio be used for environmental and social benefits, alongside economic ones. harry farley reports. in gloucester, like so many other parts of the country, the realities of the housing crisis bite. according to a new report from the archbishop of canterbury, this is not simply a political problem, but a moral and spiritual one, too. which says to the church, very bluntly, and to everyone else, that if we are going to solve the crisis, there must be sacrifice.

people have to give something up. we're talking about more than 10,000 houses, not tomorrow, but over a 20—year period. this report says we have got to have a vision for housing, if we're going to solve the crisis, that is like our vision for the nhs. the church of england is one of the country's largest landowners, from acres of farmland to inner—city areas like here, in gloucester. the challenge in this report is, can that land be better used to help solve the housing crisis that's leaving millions in unstable, unsatisfactory and, in some cases unsafe, accommodation? this whole area used to be the old vicarage. where the car park is now was orchards and ponds and gardens. in the parish of saint paul and st stephens, an old eight—bedroom vicarage has now been redeveloped into affordable housing and flats for young people at risk of homelessness.

but projects like this mean the church misses out on vital revenue if the flats had been sold at full price. i think it looks like actually not putting our security in finances, but actually doing what we've been asked to do, which is proclaim the good news ofjesus christ. so the church is losing money? well, it's perhaps not about losing money, it's about not holding onto it for, um... ..different purposes. 19—year—old chelsea is one of the young people housed here. there was a lot of trauma about when i was young, | so that created a bad - mental health for me now, and now i am free. i see myself as free. i've got this little - catchphrase of 2019, opened my mind, 2020 was me being free, and 2021 _ is me making my future. so it's going to be good. but there are some who fear this could mean a loss of part of this country's history and heritage. we're not talking about church

buildings here, or vicarages, or cutting back on clergy. no, this is about land, in some cases, we've owned for over 1,000 years. we're not withdrawing, we're going onto what we should be doing to love our neighbour as well as love god. and use land that can be used for development, that's not protected land, in order to create affordable housing in wonderful communities. this place has saved me _ in lots of different ways, you know. i've got my own place now. i'm free, i'm ok, i'm looking forward to my future. - so, it has! harry farley, bbc news, gloucester. clive myrie is coming up with a full round—up of the day's news, but now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. very mixed weather fortunes coming up in the week ahead. very wet in some areas, dry, very mild in others. and, well, of course, we've got used to the rain coming back.

the weather has turned milder, so it has been that mild, wet weather week. and look at this temperature anomaly map here. look at the very mild colours, so temperatures well above average for a time, particularly around midweek, before easing off later. but yet again, with the mild air, there's rain on the way. not evenly distributed across the uk. parts of eastern england staying dry. but the green colours across some portions of scotland bringing a renewed risk of flooding, with rain totals going above 100 millimetres in some spots. from an area of low pressure which brings in a waving weather front here for tuesday and wednesday, just sitting across many of the same areas. not just scotland, but northern ireland, wales, western parts of england seeing a bit of rain. but particularly for northern ireland and scotland. but if you avoid that weather front and stay dry, that's where we'll get that very mild air coming in, though all parts are going to be mild. now, we're already dealing with a bit of rain in parts of england and wales, and will be through the evening and night. particularly northern england, wales, the west midlands and south west england. east anglia and the south east, dry. it will be a mild night in england and wales, but the coldest parts of scotland and northern ireland under clear

skies seeing a touch of frost. bar the odd shower here tomorrow, it'll be another fine day. brightening up for parts of northern england, wales and the south west as the weather front edges back towards east anglia and south east england tomorrow. increasingly light and patchy rain. for all, it's another mild day. a little bit cooler in england and wales overnight and into tuesday. on tuesday, then, we start to bring in this waving weather front with the rain. a bit of snow preceding that into the hills of scotland. wet for northern ireland, scotland. some outbreaks of rain into wales, western parts of england. the winds picking up as well. strong to gale—force winds with gusts 50—60 mph with that rain towards the north and west, whereas much of central and eastern england will stay dry. the further east you are, you see the sunny spells. this is where you see the higher temperatures, but we're all mild. and a very mild night to come on tuesday night. milder still in those brighter parts of england on wednesday. further rain at times in parts of scotland, with a renewed risk of seeing some flooding as those rain totals mount. but after the wet weather, where it has been so wet,

it will turn drier again later in the week. bye— bye.

of a coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly. so far, 17.5 million people have already had an initialjab. the good news is that, as of this morning, one in three of all adults in the whole country have been vaccinated. the speed of the vaccine roll—out could help the government in easing lockdown restrictions in england. an announcement is expected tomorrow on any relaxation of the rules. also on the programme... the machine that can revive donor hearts, cutting transplant waiting times for children. i'm ecstatic that i got such an amazing gift of a heart,

but it's also upsetting to know that someone also died. and novak djokovic wins the australian open, after a dominant display in melbourne. good evening. the prime minister has promised all adults in the uk will now be offered their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly, ahead of the original estimate of sometime in the autumn. borisjohnson says the new target will allow more vulnerable people to be protected "sooner," and would help ease lockdown restrictions across the country. more details are expected on a possible relaxation of the rules in england tomorrow. so far, more than 330,000 people

have had their first dose of one of the approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 26 hour period, taking the total over 17.5 million people. that's around one in three of all adults in the uk. the labour party has welcomed the new vaccine targets, but called on the government to prioritise people based on theirjobs. our political correspondent helen catt has the latest. it's a tiny bottle that could have a big impact. more than 17 million people in the uk have now had their first dose of the vaccine. they now have some protection against covid—19. and it's been announced we will all be offered a vaccine sooner than thought. everyone over 50, and all adults with underlying health conditions, will be able to get their first dose by the middle of april, two weeks earlier than planned. every adult in the uk will be offered a firstjab by the end of july. critical of course is that as many

people as possible are vaccinated because the more who are vaccinated, the more individuals are protected and the more society as a whole is protected. in england, the prime minister promised that this lot they'll be different because the vaccine offered a path out. so does this bring hope for lifting the restrictions soon? there are signs the numbers and hospital are falling much more sharply than they were in the first wave and there is further analysis to be done on that. but clearly the level is still far too high, that's what the prime minister will be sending out a road map. we cannot lift the measures right now but we can see that direction of travel. the road map has been finalised and will go to cabinet for approval tomorrow. for now, only a handful of senior ministers and scientists know exactly what is in it. downing street has said top priority is getting all children back into school. it's expected the road map will confirm that's happening on march the 8th.

teaching unions are concerned and would prefer a phased return but the labour leader wants to see all children back, too. ideally, the 8th of march i and i want to see where the data is and where the science is with that is what _ we be working towards. if that means more testing, if that means nightingale classrooms ori other measures, let's do that. beyond schools, downing street says the absolute priority in england is allowing families and friends to start meeting again. for most of us, the government is looking to the outdoors for social contact. that's likely to start with a tweak to the rule exercising with one other person to allow meeting to socialise, too. but care home residents will be allowed regular indoor visits from one named person from the 8th of march. tomorrow's road map will signal another step towards starting the end of lockdown in england. wales, scotland and northern ireland will set out their own routes. but the progress of the vaccine roll—out continues to provide a backdrop of hope right across the uk. more from helen in a moment.

well, the government, as we've been hearing, says it wants to focus on "data, rather than dates", in deciding whether to ease the lockdown in england. the latest figures show there were 9,834 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, with an average of 11,062 new cases recorded per day in the last week. there have been 215 deaths recorded of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test, meaning, on average, 488 deaths were announced every day in the past week. that takes the total to 120,580. let's talk again to helen catt, our political correspondent. the success, helen, of the vaccine roll—out, and now being speeded up, that potentially puts more pressure on the government to ease restrictions at some point? certainly i think it upped the pressure on them to get this road map right, and the politicians have to weigh up a lot of factors when they decide on how to unlock in

england. when it comes to controlling coronavirus, it's not just the vaccine roll—out they are looking at but other data too. they also have to balance that with the economic and social cost of continuing restrictions for any length of time, and ministers will say that even the government hasn't got everything right in this pandemic, so i think there is a sense that they really do need to get this right, this road map. they have been talking the language of caution, publicly, in recent weeks, so tomorrow is going to be a big moment for england. it will set out the plan for getting out of lockdown, but in terms of seeing any real significant change to daily life, well, it sounds like that might be a few weeks off yet. thank ou, might be a few weeks off yet. thank you. helen — might be a few weeks off yet. thank you. helen catt- _ the government's vaccine programme offers protection against the two most commonly found variants in the uk, but it's unclear how they work against the south african mutation of covid—19. a single case of that strain has been confirmed in brentwood in essex, and surge testing is now being expanded there. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has more.

so what is a safe way out of lockdown? it seems to rely on a mix of high vaccination numbers and low rates of infection. the government stressed any reopening will be based on data, not dates, and scientists say data about the nhs is likely to be key. say data about the nhs is likely to be ke . �* ., say data about the nhs is likely to beke .�* ., ., ., be key. almost half of our hospitalisations _ be key. almost half of our hospitalisations are - be key. almost half of our hospitalisations are in - be key. almost half of our hospitalisations are in the | be key. almost half of our - hospitalisations are in the end of 70s, so if we eased off rapidly now we would get another surge in hospitalisations, so we have to ease very gradually, otherwise we will put the health service under pressure again, and we will get a surge in hospitalisations and in the deaths. 50 surge in hospitalisations and in the deaths. ., ' ., , deaths. so far, 17.5 million people have had a — deaths. so far, 17.5 million people have had a first _ deaths. so far, 17.5 million people have had a first dose _ deaths. so far, 17.5 million people have had a first dose of _ deaths. so far, 17.5 million people have had a first dose of the - have had a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in the uk. the new accelerated plan means by the 15th of april, jabs will be rolled out to everyone aged over 50, and younger people with underlying health conditions, and by the end of july, all adults in the uk should have been offered one dose of the

vaccine. it is hoped by lowering the number of infected people, the vaccination programme will reduce the chance of new variants emerging. brentwood in essex is the latest place where residents will undergo testing, after a case of the south africa variant was discovered there. we do think that the measures that we've _ we do think that the measures that we've taken, both the enhanced contact — we've taken, both the enhanced contact tracing and really clamping down _ contact tracing and really clamping down when you see one of these, and the measures at the border, are reducing — the measures at the border, are reducing those new variants here. but there — reducing those new variants here. but there has been real concern about the increased infectiousness of the new variants. we about the increased infectiousness of the new variants.— of the new variants. we mustn't relax. vaccination, _ of the new variants. we mustn't relax. vaccination, while - of the new variants. we mustn't i relax. vaccination, while stopping severe _ relax. vaccination, while stopping severe disease, _ relax. vaccination, while stopping severe disease, we _ relax. vaccination, while stopping severe disease, we are _ relax. vaccination, while stopping severe disease, we are not - relax. vaccination, while stopping. severe disease, we are not entirely sure whether — severe disease, we are not entirely sure whether it _ severe disease, we are not entirely sure whether it stops _ severe disease, we are not entirelyj sure whether it stops transmission, so we _ sure whether it stops transmission, so we still— sure whether it stops transmission, so we still need _ sure whether it stops transmission, so we still need a _ sure whether it stops transmission, so we still need a lot _ sure whether it stops transmission, so we still need a lot of— so we still need a lot of restrictive _ so we still need a lot of restrictive measures. so we still need a lot of restrictive measures to | so we still need a lot of. restrictive measures to not so we still need a lot of- restrictive measures to not only bring _ restrictive measures to not only bring down _ restrictive measures to not only bring down cases, _ restrictive measures to not only bring down cases, but- restrictive measures to not only bring down cases, but to - restrictive measures to not only bring down cases, but to makel restrictive measures to not only. bring down cases, but to make sure that they— bring down cases, but to make sure that they stay — bring down cases, but to make sure that they stay down. _ bring down cases, but to make sure that they stay down. in _ bring down cases, but to make sure that they stay down.— that they stay down. in israel, almost half — that they stay down. in israel, almost half of _ that they stay down. in israel, almost half of the _ that they stay down. in israel, almost half of the population l that they stay down. in israel, i almost half of the population has now received a vaccine, and society is opening up. early data, which is

not definitive, suggests transmission may have fallen there. if true, it could be a game changer in the fight against the coronavirus. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories. in america, a passenger plane got into trouble, when one of its engines failed on take—off, and disintegrated, spraying debris over a residential area, near denver. the boeing, with 231 people on board, and ten crew, did manage to land safely at an airport. no one was injured. a four—year—old girl, and a man and a woman in their late 20s, have died in a house fire, in exeter. three other children, two boys, aged four and nine, and a seven—year—old girl, are in a stable condition in hospital. police are calling it a "deeply upsetting" and "tragic incident", and say they're not looking for anyone else in connection with the blaze. israel has advised people to avoid all its beaches, after an oil spill polluted much of its mediterranean coast. thousands of volunteers have joined

soldiers in efforts to clean up, which has also harmed wildlife. the cause of the spill is unclear, but investigators are looking at nine ships that were in the area at the time. in a world first, children needing a heart transplant are being offered organs that have been "reanimated" outside the body. in a collaboration between the royal papworth and great ormond street hospitals, hearts can now be revived by a machine, repairing any damage sustained during the death of the donor. the new procedure could cut transplant waiting times. here's our health correspondent, anna collinson. just a year ago, one of these sisters had a failing heart and was put on an urgent transplant list. nice wave! freya heddington was warned she may have to wait up to two years. but thanks to a new programme, it was just eight weeks. and within months she could start doing the things she loved most. i'm ecstatic that i got such an amazing gift of a heart.

but it's also upsetting to know that someone also died. a donor's family must be consented before surgery, as this training simulation shows. until a year ago, almost all paediatric heart transplants came from patients who had suffered brain death. their heart may beat, but they will never wake up. life support is withdrawn and the heart is stopped and retrieved. but this new programme uses hearts which have been allowed to cease beating on their own, after life support is withdrawn. as soon as this happens, the heart begins to deteriorate. by using this machine, demonstrated here using red dye at the royal papworth hospital, doctors can effectively restart it and repair the damage. you would have the heart sitting with the connector at the top, the aorta. these tubes move blood through the heart, which keeps it healthy for up to 12 hours, giving surgeons much more time to carry out checks, and even transport it to other locations. this organ care system is now used

by adult cardiac transplant centres across the uk. but 12 months ago, the team here in cambridge joined forces with great ormond street hospital to extend their world—leading service to children, and despite the pressures of the pandemic, treated six patients in 2020. in the adult world, we double the amount of heart transplantation and we reduce the waiting time period. and we had to do exactly the same thing for the paediatric recipients and at the same time for both populations to reduce the mortality in the waiting list. and this is what we achieved. once retrieved, the hearts are delivered to great ormond street hospital for transplantation. children normally have to wait around two and a half times longer than adults for a new heart. for many of our transplant patients now, they are so sick that they have to wait in the hospital for their transplants, sometimes for six months,

perhaps even over a year. so not only is it reducing wait times but it is transplanting patients that otherwise would not get an organ. freya's family will never forget what they've been through, or the people and the machine that saved her life. it will always be there i in the back of our minds. but, you know, we know now she's got a lovely, healthy heart, _ and her future's bright. jason heddington, freya's father, ending that report, from anna collinson. now, with the day's sport, here's olly foster at the bbc sport centre. good evening. novak djokovic described his 18th grand slam triumph as emotionally challenging, but it didn't show on court. the world number one beating daniil medvedev in straight sets to win the australian open. adam wild reports. there are few players in the history of tennis that have dominated one tournament quite like novak djokovic in melbourne. eight times a winner before today. there is a slight sense that times in tennis may be changing. daniil medvedev at the forefront

of the sport's next generation but novak djokovic is not the type to let up or let go. the mark of a great champion, always the hunger for more. set one hard—fought but, for djokovic, hard—won. daniil medvedev giving everything, getting nothing, the feeling of so many players before him. things now beginning to fall apart for daniil medvedev, whose racket did the same. in truth djokovic remains too good, at times unplayable, the complete player, drawing himself onward to yet another title, winning in emphatic style. the greatest the australian open has ever known. the next generation willjust have to wait. rangers are moving ever closer to the scottish premiership title. they beat dundee united, 4—1, and are 18 points clear of celtic, who play later. manchester city still top the premier league by ten points, after a 1—0 win over arsenal.

leicester are up to second for now, and west ham's rise continues. here's our sports correspondent natalie pirks. footballers missing fans, but as spurs supporters grumbles grow louder, it is probably unfortunate forjose they couldn't be at west ham. michailantonio's forjose they couldn't be at west ham. michail antonio's quick thinking put the hammers into an early lead. spurs looked short on ideas recently and a rejuvenated jesse lingard was about to double their misery. celebrations were delayed by a var check, but the final decision was music to their ears. but with gareth bale on, could spurs mount a comeback? 2—1, came on, and the chances kept coming. in the dying seconds, west ham had the post to thank for the points, but the hammers are now up to fourth, whereas tottenham's woes continue. lester further solidified their champions league credentials with a cool champions league credentials with a cool, calm and collected win over aston villa. 2— won the final score to take them up to second, for now,

behind manchester city. well, manchester city headed to arsenal riding high after a record 17 consecutive matches one in all completions. their hot streak was not about to change, as raheem sterling out slept everyone up to just two minutes. city ruthless, arsenal toothless. the gunners found more spark in the second half but couldn't land a punch. city now ten points clear and seemingly untouchable. natalie pirks, bbc news. sir ben ainslie's america's cup dream is over. ineos team uk was well beaten by luna rossa, the italian boat winning both races in auckland today, to take the prada cup, 7—1. they will now challenge the holders, team new zealand, for the main prize, the america's cup, next month. ronnie o'sullivan is 5—3 down in the welsh open snooker final, you ronnie o'sullivan is 5—3 down in the welsh open snookerfinal, you can watch that's when it resumes in the next 50 minutes on the bbc sport website. that's it. and i'll be back with the late news at 10pm. now on bbc one, time

for the news where you are. you're watching bbc news with clive myrie. the radio 2 presenterjo whiley has made an impassioned plea for vulnerable people with learning disabilities to be given the covid—19 vaccine urgently. the broadcaster's sister, who has a rare genetic disorder and diabetes, is currently seriously ill in hospital with coronavirus. earlier, she spoke to andrew marr. it's been the worst week of our lives without a shadow of a doubt. 26 hours ago, we were talking palliative care. and, yesterday, she rallied round and we are seeing her oxygen levels rise. so, at the moment, we've got hope. 26 hours ago, we didn't have any hope at all. so, you know, she is an amazing fighter. she has always has been a great fighter. and i'm just hoping her spirit gets her through. and how are you and your parents? it's been awful, absolutely awful. my parents, i don't think have slept for days. and we are really fortunate because they allowed my mum and my dad to be with her because the idea

of frances having to do this on her own is unthinkable. and also actually people couldn't cope with frances. when she was admitted to hospital, she was so terrified that she rampaged through the hospital and people couldn't contain her. and security guards had to be involved, they had to restrain her. and the fact that my mum was there and was able to talk her down and then to be there with her and try and give her oxygen was crucial, absolutely crucial. so my mum and dad are amazing people, they're very strong, they're very focused on getting her better. but they're pretty done in and very anxious. on the same day that frances was tested positive for covid, you were offered a vaccine. you called that a terrible twist. why do you think that happened? i have no idea why i was offered the vaccine and my sister wasn't. it felt like the cruelest twist in the world, because i've been asking for her, wanting for her to have her vaccine for a year to be honest with you, to be protected. and then for me to suddenly get a call to say i could get a vaccine, itjust felt hideously unfair.

and she actually was called in for her vaccine last night. my mum actually got a message to say she could get vaccinated, but it's too late, she's fighting for her life in hospital. i mean, it couldn't be crueler, itjust couldn't be crueler. now, one thing we know, partly thanks to charities like mencap, is that people with learning disabilities are at much higher risk of catching covid and then sadly of dying from covid. for people who don't understand that, can you explain why that's the case? if you have a learning disability, you have very complex needs. so, i can best explain it by talking through my sister. so, frances, it's quite difficult to predict how she will react to things, like physically and emotionally. and that is the same with anyone with a learning disability. so, going into hospital, the easiest thing and what happens with everybody when you've got covid, you're given oxygen. they couldn't do that with frances because she just couldn't tolerate it. she was petrified. she just wouldn't allow anyone to put anything near herface. she has an incredible

superhuman strength, so you can't physically make her lay down, you can't do anything. and that is why her oxygen levels plummeted, that's why she ended up fighting for her life, because you couldn't do the most basic, simple thing that you would do to try and get somebody through covid. and we were at our wits end. i was there at 4am in the morning just saying, "how can we get oxygen into her?" and the medical professionals are doing an amazing job, just aren't equipeed because it's all so new. they don't know how people with a learning disability are going to react in this situation, which is why it makes such sense to just get them vaccinated as quickly as you possibly can, take away that problem, take away the burden on the nhs, just stop these people coming into hospital who are absolutely petrified. quite often they can't communicate, they're terrified. they don't know what's going on. they have no comprehension of what covid is and what's happening to them. and they're there bewildered in a hospital. just don't put them through that. stop everybody having to go through that whole experience, just keep them safe and protect these people because they are so precious, they are so vulnerable and we should have looked after them a long time ago. i feel i'm talking to you today because i just want to give them

a voice because somebody... we should be doing more. we should've been doing more for these people who have no way of helping themselves. they're just wholly reliant on us. jo, you've had what you say is one of the worst weeks of your life, but you want to use that experience to send a message on behalf of people with learning disabilities. what is your message this morning? my message is there should be no debate. forget the classifications, forget the cohorts, all those kind of things, just protect these people. they are so precious, they are so vulnerable, they have no way of fighting for themselves. we have to fight for them, get them and their carers who are going into the home — and this is how it's spreading — get them vaccinated, stop them dying now. jo whiley, thanks very much indeed. hello. very mixed weather fortunes coming up in the week ahead. very wet in some areas, dry, very mild in others. and, well, of course, we've got used to the rain coming back. the weather has turned milder, so it has been that mild, wet weather week. and look at this temperature anomaly map here. look at the very mild colours, so temperatures well above average for a time,

particularly around midweek, before easing off later. but yet again, with the mild air, there's rain on the way. not evenly distributed across the uk. parts of eastern england staying dry. but the green colours across some portions of scotland bringing a renewed risk of flooding, with rain totals going above 100 millimetres in some spots. from an area of low pressure which brings in a waving weather front here for tuesday and wednesday, just sitting across many of the same areas. not just scotland, but northern ireland, wales, western parts of england seeing a bit of rain. but particularly for northern ireland and scotland. but if you avoid that weather front and stay dry, that's where we'll get that very mild air coming in, though all parts are going to be mild. now, we're already dealing with a bit of rain in parts of england and wales, and will be through the evening and night. particularly northern england, wales, the west midlands and south west england. east anglia and the south east, dry. it will be a mild night in england and wales, but the coldest parts of scotland and northern ireland under clear skies seeing a touch of frost. bar the odd shower here tomorrow, it'll be another fine day. brightening up for parts

of northern england, wales and the south west as the weather front edges back towards east anglia and south east england tomorrow. increasingly light and patchy rain. for all, it's another mild day. a little bit cooler in england and wales overnight and into tuesday. on tuesday, then, we start to bring in this waving weather front with the rain. a bit of snow preceding that into the hills of scotland. wet for northern ireland, scotland. some outbreaks of rain into wales, western parts of england. the winds picking up as well. strong to gale—force winds with gusts 50—60 mph with that rain towards the north and west, whereas much of central and eastern england will stay dry. the further east you are, you see the sunny spells. this is where you see the higher temperatures, but we're all mild. and a very mild night to come on tuesday night. milder still in those brighter parts of england on wednesday. further rain at times in parts of scotland, with a renewed risk of seeing some flooding as those rain totals mount. but after the wet weather, where it has been so wet, it will turn drier again later in the week. bye— bye.

harry farley, bbc news, gloucester. this is bbc news the headlines at 7pm: a pledge that every adult in the uk will be offered their first dose of coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly — a month ahead of schedule. it's because of the success of the vaccine roll—out that we're able to do that and that will have an impact on how quickly we'll all be able to return to normal, which is obviously what everyone wants to see. borisjohnson meets ministers and scientific advisers to put the final touches to plans to bring england out of lockdown. a pioneering breakthough for children needing a heart transplant — a machine that keeps hearts beating outside the body for up to 12 hours. it's transplanting patients that otherwise would not get an organ and that's the real beauty of this machine. in tennis, world number one novak djokovic wins a ninth australian open title with a comfortable victory

over daniil medvedev.