tonight at ten — borisjohnson confirms that ministers are considering the case for so—called �*vaccine passports�*. people who've been vaccinated could be given a certificate or they might need to show proof of their covid status in certain circumstances. the lockdown in england is due to be lifted in full on june 21st but the prime minister warns that introducing a vaccine passport is fraught with difficulty. we've never thought in terms of having something that you have to show to go to, you know, a pub or a theatre. and so there are deep and complex issues that we need to explore, ethical issues. we'll have details of the policy review that's now been launched. also tonight... in scotland, the first minister

nicola sturgeon sets out what she calls a �*progressive easing' of covid restrictions. unemployment at its highest rate in five years with young people bearing the brunt. tiger woods is in hospital with serious leg injuries after a car accident in los angeles. and the online version of london fashion week as the industry appeals for help with the effects of lockdown and brexit. and coming up in sport, on bbc news... all the latest from the champions league with chelsea playing atletico madrid in the opening leg of their last 16 tie. good evening. the prime minister has confirmed that the uk government will consider the case for the introduction of so—called �*vaccine passports�*.

the document could take the form of a vaccine certificate or proof of covid status, and the nhs mobile app could be modified to carry the information. but mrjohnson was keen to emphasise the considerable difficulties involved, and it�*s an idea that he and other ministers have dismissed in the past. he said he was still confident that all restrictions in england could be lifted by june 21st. in scotland, the first minister nicola sturgeon has unveiled what she called a �*deliberately cautious�* strategy, with a phased re—opening of the economy. more on scotland in a moment, but first our deputy political editor vicki young on the debate at westminster. up and down the country every minute of the day. 0k? 0k. people are getting some protection from the virus that�*s changed our lives. three, two, one, sharp scratch. this is our way out of covid restrictions. if everything goes according to plan

this summer, dance floors, theatres and concert venues could once again be packed once more, but should everyone be let through the doors or only those who�*ve been vaccinated? ministers need to decide soon. we�*re looking at a novelty for our country. we haven�*t had stuff like this before, we�*ve never thought in terms of having something that you have to show to go to, you know, a pub or a theatre. so there are deep and complex issues that we need to explore, ethical issues. not everyone is waiting for the government review. to protect vulnerable residents, some care homes are asking employees for proof they�*ve had a vaccine. with new staff that are joining us we�*rejust going to make it a requirement that they have to have the vaccine. and if they�*re not willing to, then they can�*t work for us. it�*s notjust the care sector taking this approach, other companies want employees to be vaccinated too. it's going to be the protection

and safety of our staff and the protection and safety of our customers. so i feel it is a no—brainer, basically. what about people who decide they either can�*t have one for medical reasons, or don�*t want to have one, it�*s not compulsory in this country, is that unfair on them? the ones that don't want to have it, that's not unfair, that's their decision, their choice. but i think it's going to mean that they won't get a job, they won't be able to go to clubs, restaurants, theatres or even travel. so that's their choice. ministers accept that other countries are likely to ask for vaccine passports before we can travel abroad, but some say using them at home is unfair. it�*s really important that the government holds fast to the idea that vaccination is voluntary. it�*s a fundamental right that we should be able to choose what medical treatment we have or do not have and inevitably those people who would be most disadvantaged by any system, would be those people who are already marginalised, already poorer or already disadvantaged in other ways. for weeks, the government has ruled out a vaccine passport or certificate for domestic use, but that�*s now changed.

there�*s going to be a review and ministers say that they�*re going into it with an open mind. one idea being looked at is to use the existing nhs app so people can record whether they�*ve been vaccinated or had a negative test before they enter a venue. the government knows that vaccinations and testing are the key to opening up many businesses, but they need to avoid a divisive two—tier system. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. our home editor mark easton is here. listening carefully to the prime minister, he did not sound certain as to whether he wanted it or not. you could hear the equivocation in his voice when talking about a vaccination passport and conservative ministers are queasy about the idea of identification papers, and i remember20 about the idea of identification papers, and i remember 20 years ago the row over id cards which were portrayed as i�*m british but there is a inevitability about some kind of axing passport and that is why the government is looking at whether

the government is looking at whether the nhs app which we used to check our medical records and test results, whether that could be adapted to show both vaccination status and covid status and the thought is you could show either, that you have had a jab, or you have tested negative, which gets around the discrimination problem of people who cannot or prefer not to have the vaccine, but there is more work to be done and there are technical questions about how you make sure that the confidential medical data is safe and secure and practical questions about how you make sure the passport is available to everyone and acceptable by everyone, notjust nationally but not just nationally but internationally. notjust nationally but internationally. major airlines are saying they�*re going to demand a vaccine certificate to fly to certain places and countries like greece are encouraging the eu to introduce a vaccine certificate for tourists to go on this summer. some politicians may not like the idea of

having state papers required to go to the pub or the football or the theatre but this mayjust be another example of how the pandemic is forcing society to adapt to new and often uncomfortable ways.- forcing society to adapt to new and often uncomfortable ways. thanks for “oininu us. let�*s take a look at the latest official figures. they show there were 8,489 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. it means an average of 10,882 new cases were recorded per day in the last week. the latest figure for the number of people across the uk in hospital with coronavirus is 16,797. that includes suspected cases in wales. in the past 2a hours 548 deaths have been recorded — that�*s people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. on average, 444 deaths were announced every day in the past week.

the total number of people who�*ve died is 121,305. 0n vaccinations, more than 192,000 people had their first dose of a vaccine in the latest 2a hour period. close to 18 million people across the uk have now had their first vaccination. the first minister of scotland has set out what she called a �*progressive easing�* of covid restrictions with the reopening of non—essential businesses including shops, restaurants and hairdressers starting in the last week of april. from 15th of march, four people from two households will be allowed to meet outdoors. and all primary and more secondary pupils could return to school, with some outdoor sports for young people allowed. then from april 5th, it�*s hoped the stay—at—home rule could be lifted, with places of worship beginning to open up, and schools ready to accept all children.

and from the 26th of april, other parts of the economy would start to reopen, and scotland will return to its previous levels system. nicola sturgeon says restrictions could be lifted more quickly if cases remain low and the vaccine rollout contines to go well. 0ur scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie reports. cautiously and gradually is how scotland will emerge from lockdown. between now and the end of april there will be a slow easing of some restrictions. the first minister told the scottish parliament the current situation is promising, but precarious. taking the brakes off too quickly will allow the virus to get ahead of us again and put our progress out of lockdown into reverse. i appreciate that this can be, indeed is, a frustrating message but it is an essential one. the reopening of scotland�*s economy, which includes shops, bars, restaurants, gyms and hairdressers, is expected to start in the last

week of april when the country will move from lockdown back into the levels system. karen forret owns several clothes shops and she has already permanently closed two of her businesses during the pandemic. if we are allowed to open, we need people to be able to come and we need them to be allowed to travel on public transport to travel more than a few miles, so they can actually use nonessential retail when it opens back up, otherwise it�*s pointless. the government said schools are a priority. early years and a limited number of senior students returned to the classroom yesterday. all primary and more secondary pupils could return from the 15th of march. the rest could go back from the 5th of april. the announcement today will be good news for many but others say it falls short of expectations and lacks clarity about the way forward.

in glencoe the snow is in abundance but the slopes are empty. in what should be the height of the ski season, the resort remains closed. a lot of our skiers live from one season to the next for their fix of skiing and snowboarding and i think for a lot of people the benefits of being out, getting out there in what we believe is a safe environment, would be hugely beneficial for the population, especially the local population. the leader of the scottish conservatives at holyrood said people had a right to be disappointed. this is not a route map out of covid but a holding document for the next eight weeks. everyone understands we may not be able to give people absolute certainty, but they were expecting the first minister to give them some kind of hope. but the first minister said she believes this to be a firm and sustainable way out of lockdown. alexandra mckenzie, bbc news, glasgow.

nicola sturgeon now finds herself dealing not only with the pandemic but also with an increasingly bitter conflict with her predecessor as first minister, alex salmond. at the heart of the row is an inquiry into the scottish government�*s handling of harassment claims made against mr salmond in 2018. mr salmond was due to give evidence to a parliamentary committee tomorrow. but earlier this evening mr salmond told the committee that he would not be giving evidence tomorrow but offered to appear on friday. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith reports. as he was acquitted of 13 counts of sexual assault after a criminal trial last year, alex salmond made it clear he wants to tell his side of the story and settle some scores. there are certain evidence i would have liked to have seen led in this trial, but for a variety of reasons we were not able to do so. at some point that information, that facts and that information will see the light of day.

this has become a bitter battle between once—close friends as well as deeply entwined political allies. they are now publicly trading accusations of lying and conspiracy. as nicola sturgeon and alex salmond have very different accounts of what happened when the scottish government investigated mr salmond over complaints of sexual harassment. alex salmond says in written evidence, nicola sturgeon�*s account of meetings they had is, "false and manifestly untrue." he also claims there was a malicious and concerted effort by a number of people, including nicola sturgeon�*s husband and her chief of staff, "to damage my reputation, "even to the extent of having me imprisoned." he appears to be suggesting some kind of conspiracy or concerted campaign against him without a shred of evidence. as well as walking free from the criminal trial, he also won a legal battle in 2018 against the scottish government, when a court found the procedure used to invest allegations of sexual harassment

against him, was unlawful. a holyrood parliamentary committee is now investigating how the scottish government got it so wrong and that�*s the inquiry which wants to take evidence from alex salmond in person this week. alex salmond has announced that he will not appear as scheduled in front of the committee on wednesday, thatis front of the committee on wednesday, that is because when his written evidence was published, the crown 0ffice, evidence was published, the crown office, the prosecuting service in scotland, raised legal concerns about some of it, so the evidence was taken down and certain paragraphs were removed and the document was then made available again but alex salmond and his lawyers are worried about how that might constrain what he can say in front of the inquiry so they want to take until friday to consider the legal implications. nicola sturgeon is eagerly awaiting her turn to appear in front of the committee, saying she will relish the opportunity to refute what she calls baseless allegations against her. studio: sarah smith, thanks for joining us.

the duke of edinburgh, who�*s been in hospital in central london since last tuesday, is not expected to leave for several days according to buckingham palace. prince philip, who�*s 99, is being treated for an infection and is said to be �*comfortable�*. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is here. doing no more than that? tonight, it will be his eighth _ doing no more than that? tonight, it will be his eighth night _ doing no more than that? tonight, it will be his eighth night in _ will be his eighth night in hospital. he was admitted last tuesday after having felt unwell. we were given no clues as to the nature of that illness other than it was an covid related. we have received a short statement from the palace telling that he is receiving treatment for an infection. the statement went on, he is comfortable and responding to treatment, but is not expected to leave hospital. days. separately, prince edward has told a journalist that his father is a lot better. bear in mind hitherto,

he was in good spirits from the moment he went into hospital. prince edward went on, he is looking forward to getting out of hospital, so we keep our fingers crossed. all in all, for someone who is just 15 weeks short of his 100th birthday now, i would think that that would seem fairly reassuring.— now, i would think that that would seem fairly reassuring. thanks very much, nicholas _ seem fairly reassuring. thanks very much, nicholas witchell, _ seem fairly reassuring. thanks very much, nicholas witchell, our- seem fairly reassuring. thanks very much, nicholas witchell, our royal| much, nicholas witchell, our royal correspondent. unemployment has risen to its highest rate in nearly five years, hitting 5.1% in the three months to december. the figures suggest younger workers are bearing the brunt ofjob losses. our business correspondent sarah corker reports from blackpool which has one of the highest rates of unemployment for young people. for nine months of the year, blackpool lives or dies on the tourism trade. but the sound of the seagulls is now louder than the screams from the roller—coasters. the owners of blackpool tower and other major attractions here say lockdown has taken away

many of the jobs young people relied on. 65% of our workforce is under the age of 2a, so it has really hit them hard. it has been devastating for them. so, last year when we normally would have taken on our seasonal recruits, they didn�*t get a job. they�*ve spent all of that time or most of that time in lockdown. today�*s figures show there were 726,000 fewer workers on payrolls last month compared with the start of the pandemic. nearly 60% of that drop, more than 400,000 workers, were those aged under 25. locked up and virtually deserted, seasonal work here in blackpool has disappeared, and with more people chasing fewerjobs, less experienced young people are missing out as a result. oliver wants to be a mechanic. he�*s got adhd and autism and says

the pandemic has made thejob hunt even harderfor him. it�*s quite stressful to be honest, because i�*m looking forjobs. i try to apply forjobs and i don�*t get anything other than an e—mail saying you have been unsuccessful. i keep on looking, i keep on looking and there�*s nothing there. but i mean, at the end of the day, if you keep on trying, i�*m sure something will come up. for the last 30 years linda has been a youth worker here and warns that some people are at crisis point. we�*re looking at a generation that have fear for the future and have no hope for the future. so what we need to do is ensure that we offer them the training and the skills so they�*re ready, when the work opportunities are available, they�*re ready. there is a brighter outlook for euan. he�*d been looking for an apprenticeship for three years. in december, he got taken on. financially it�*s been a struggle, paying bills and paying for food and stuff like that. it�*s hard.

but now that i�*ve got a wage i feel relieved and just over the moon. the government has set up a £2 billion scheme to help the under 25s, and as lockdown eases those looking for work hope the jobs they depend on will come back soon. sarah corker, bbc news, in blackpool. yemen is at risk of the worst famine the world has seen in decades according to the united nations. the un warns 16 million people will go hungry this year including 400,000 children who will suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die without urgent treatment. yemen was already the arab world�*s poorest country before its civil war escalated in 2015. houthi rebels, backed by iran, control most of the population. the yemeni government, helped by a saudi—led coalition which is backed by the uk, has been carrying out

a bombing campaign in support of the internationally—recognised government. our international correspondent orla guerin�*s report from southern yemen does contain distressing scenes from the start. every breath is a struggle, and he is dangerously thin. mohammed is 12 months old, but too weak to hold his head up. he�*s in the grip of severe acute malnutrition. mohammed needs to go to hospital urgently. his mother knows, but can do nothing.

this rural clinic couldn�*t provide transport for mohammed. we were able to give mother and baby a lift to the hospital an hour away. this was a chance encounter in taiz province, an area ravaged by hunger in one of the world�*s poorest countries. malnutrition was entrenched in yemen before the war, but has increased every year since. at khalifa hospital, doctors do what they can. they say mohammed�*s weight is about half what it should be, and he has a chest infection. he�*s put on oxygen — a lifeline for now. we can help the cases which reach hospital, but there are a lot of babies cannot reach our hospital. so this is the problem. are you afraid that there are children dying at home? yes, there are a lot

of cases die at home, from a lot of factors, a lot of causes. those causes are complex, but don�*t include lack of food in the markets. there�*s plenty to buy, but many can�*t afford it. six years of conflict have taken their toll. food prices have risen, about 140%. the yemeni currency has collapsed, along with the economy. and the youngest here are heartbreakingly vulnerable. her name is gada. she came because of acute gastroenteritis. she is four months old. tiny gada is deteriorating rapidly in the southern city of aden. for her mother, ibtida, displaced by the war, seeing her like this, rigid with pain, is another trauma. gada has severe acute malnutrition and is running a high fever.

dr maha suleiman tries to cool down her tiny body with a cold cloth. some of gada�*s test results come back. it�*s not good news. when i find the really sick children, and they come in and deteriorate, or not responding to treatment, it�*s very hard. even we have some sleep disturbance forming. i have sleep disturbance some nights. it�*s very hard. and we have even no time to change the sheet of the bed. just to change the sheet, another patient is just coming. well, doctors are now extremely concerned about gada. they say her case is critical. she needs an x—ray, but it�*s too far away across the hospital, they can�*t take the chance

of moving her now. she�*s on oxygen at the moment and they�*re just trying to stabilise her. as the spectre of famine hangs over yemen, those in need are getting less food aid because of cuts in international donations. the un says yemenis are not starving, they are being starved. since we filmed these pictures, gada has died. orla guerin, bbc news, southern yemen. the terrible plight of so many young children in yemen. the golfer tiger woods, has been injured in a serious car crash and taken to hospital in los angeles. the full extent of his injuries is unknown, but his agent said he�*d suffered multiple leg injuries. our correspondent sophie long

is in los angeles with the latest. we know the authorities were called to the crash site just south of los angeles just after seven o�*clock this morning. paramedics and firefighters helped to pull tiger woods from his suv after it appears to have flipped, overturned and crashed. he is said to have been conscious and taken to hospital nearby. we don�*t know the full extent of his injuries, his agent issued a statement saying he sustained multiple leg injuries and was now undergoing surgery. he thanked people for their support and privacy at this time. we know tiger woods had been travelling alone in the coastal time, winding roads and beautiful views over the pacific. we know no other vehicle was involved but we don�*t know what caused the crash and that is being investigated. it was hoping that tiger woods, who was recovering from back surgery was able to take place in the masters in april, but that is

looking all but unlikely.— looking all but unlikely. sophie, thank ou looking all but unlikely. sophie, thank you for— looking all but unlikely. sophie, thank you for the _ looking all but unlikely. sophie, thank you for the latest - looking all but unlikely. sophie, thank you for the latest in - looking all but unlikely. sophie, thank you for the latest in los l thank you for the latest in los angeles, sophie long. the head of the competition and markets authority has described australia�*s proposed regulation of big tech platforms as �*sensible�* and suggested the uk should follow a similar path. dr andrea coscelli said the dominance of facebook and google in the advertising world was also a problem. he�*s been speaking with our media editor amol rajan. the western web today is based on free and open access. you don�*t pay for links. but the price of that freedom is that we leave personal data trails that are monetised by the likes of google and facebook, giant advertising companies. in a rare broadcast interview, the boss of the competition and marketing authority said that google�*s 90% share of the uk�*s search advertisement market is a problem and then he turned to facebook... there is a £55 billion, according to your own cma figures,

£5.5 billion display advertising market in the uk, and facebook has more than 50% of that. is that too much? yes. why? when companies have too much economic power that creates a number of distortions. first, for competitors, and secondly, for consumers. some level potentially in terms of the political process, as well, in some cases. overnight australia and facebook reached a compromise over a new law to force it and google to pay news publishers more for their content. facebook had blocked news content in the row but that is now being restored. under a new deal, there will be mediation to agreed payments before any final arbitration kicks in. i think the australian approach is a sensible one which is to force the companies into proper commercial negotiations with a backstop or possible intervention by a regulator. the tech giants argue that publishers choose to be on their platform because they derive value from it. they can build an audience

to whom they can sell adverts. we don�*t ask car—makers to pay radio stations each time they play on a car radio so why ask tech platforms to payjournalists? the answer, at least according to an emergening consensus, is that our public information system, the media, is too precious and too damaged to be left to a californian duopoly. but what if britain did follow the route that australia is taking and facebook build new services from uk users? i think it would be pretty serious. i think it would be unlikely that facebook would do it given what has happened in australia and the aftermath of that. i think potentially the uk should introduce a regulation to potentially prevent this type of action by facebook as part of legislation. what does that reveal about the imbalance of power between individual global organisations, companies, and democratic, sovereign nations? i think it�*s a very worrisome development and i think it really

shows that we need to urgently do something to reduce this imbalance of power. amol rajan, bbc news. the fashion industry is worth £35 billion a year to the uk economy and its leaders say they need significant help from government to deal with the impact of the pandemic and the effects of brexit. london fashion week has been forced online because of the covid restrictions and the industry is complaining of additional paperwork and costs having left the eu as our arts editor will gompertz explains. london fashion week 2021, an online only event this year, but still an important showcase for britain�*s luxury fashion brands. they know how to put on a good show, even in the bad times. which these are certainly are for the uk�*s multi billion pound fashion industry. covid has dealt it a huge blow and brexit, they say, is the sucker punch.

this particularfabric is from biella in the north of italy and was to be in my collection. it arrived too late. it got stuck between documentation and stansted airport. there�*s no deal as far as the textile industry is concerned. it is a disaster. ijust believe it�*s going to get worse unless something is seriously done, and the double duty and double vat, thatjust has to change. erdem, the internationally admired london based luxury fashion brand is showing its new ballet—inspired autumn winter collection at london fashion week. it�*s looking great... ..but businesses isn�*t. it�*s extraordinary, the kind of thoughtlessness of what�*s happening with brexit. it�*s resulted in cancelled orders, it�*s resulted in absolutely increased costs. if the changes being demanded by everyone in the fashion industry, if they don�*t materialise, what�*s the outlook? one outlook would be to set up

a subsidiary company in europe. if the government is making it increasingly difficult