hello, i'm ros atkins, welcome to outside source. the us and eu impose sanctions on russian officials over the poisoning of opposition leader alexei navalny. among the targets is the head of russia's penal system. moscow has denounced the move and vowed to respond. the fbi director defends his bureau's actions leading up to the capitol hill attack on january the 6th in a hearing in the senate. that attack, that siege was criminal behaviour, plain and simple, and it's behaviour that we, the fbi, view as domestic terrorism. some positive news in the uk — coronavirus deaths are down to the lowest level since the start of the year, a clear sign that vaccinations and the lockdown are doing theirjob.

as europe struggles with slow covid vaccine roll—out, we'll look at the countries turning to russia, china and israel for help. the us has announced sanctions on russian individuals over the poisoning of opposition leader alexei navalny. the measures target seven government officials and entities. these sanctions are being co—ordinated with similar moves by the european union, which has sanctioned four russian officials. on four russian officials. this is alexei navalny. you may remember he was sent to jail injanuary for

breaking his probation. he'd done so because he'd just returned from germany, where he'd been flown for treatment after being poisoned by the nerve agent novichok. barbara plett—usher, washington. help us understand the calculations targeting individuals rather than targeting individuals rather than targeting russia as a country. 50. targeting russia as a country. so, the americans _ targeting russia as a country. srr, the americans have targeting russia as a country. s57, the americans have targeted targeting russia as a country. s513, the americans have targeted seven senior russian government officials. this includes the director of russia's internal and intelligent service, which the americans assay was involved in political prosecutions of mr putin's opponents. the us says were accused of countering mr navalny�*s influence. two ministers of defence, because a key part is the use of chemical weapons against international norms. the prosecutor general and another senior official involved in mr navalny�*s arrest,

though those of the seven government individuals targeted on top of that six entities involved in scientific research related to chemical weapons have been sanctioned as well as the main intelligence director and a two senior intelligence members of it who are said to have been involved in particular with the chemical weapon used. so, that's the extent, broadly speaking, of the sanction. help me understand that you us thinking here, because presumably those in the biden administration are realistic on the impact on this will have on how putin handles this issue. , , , will have on how putin handles this issue. , ,,, . ._ will have on how putin handles this issue. , . issue. the press secretary was asked that because — issue. the press secretary was asked that because in _ issue. the press secretary was asked that because in 2018, _ issue. the press secretary was asked that because in 2018, under- issue. the press secretary was asked that because in 2018, under the - that because in 2018, under the trump administration, sanctions were levied against russian officials for the poisoning attributed to mr putin and the kremlin. the former russian intelligent official. also said to

have been poisoned by novichok, and that clearly didn't stop the kremlin from carrying out something similar, so why did they think the outcome would be different now? in fact, specifically, the press spokesperson said this is not a silver bullet, we don't think this is going to solve everything. i'm paraphrasing, and we don't expect there to be greater challenges. we're announcing this now because we wanted to do it on the same timeline as the european union because the eu were announcing sanctions today. to work together with allies to deal with countries like russia, so that was a big part of the timing. she also said there are other areas under review where further sanctions might be levied, but this is a relationship which they will continue to be a challenge, even if sanctions are lifted. ., ., ~ , challenge, even if sanctions are lifted. ., ., , . lifted. barbara, thank you very much indeed. the eu and the us are calling for the immediate release of mr navalny. yesterday, we reported that he's believed to have been transferred

to penal colony no 2 in the town of pokrov in the vladimir region. the facility has a reputation for torture—like conditions that are used by the kremlin to break the spirit of the detainees. this is part of a 20—minute video uploaded to alexei navalny�*s youtube channel. it's called "where is navalny? prison hell for putin's main enemy". it's trending on russian youtube and has been viewed 2.8 million times since monday. it contains first—hand accounts of former inmates of the pokrov prison who speak of physical and psychological abuse at there. —— while there. and this report in daily komsomolskaya pravda says that the prison where navalny is due to spend two—and—a—half years "resembles a soviet—era compulsory treatment centre for alcoholics". here's sarah rainsford in moscow.

there's growing positive news from the uk. there's growing evidence that the national lockdown combined with the highly successful roll—out of vaccines is leading to a sharp reduction in covid deaths. according to the latest figures from the office for national statistics, the number of registered coronavirus deaths in england and wales has fallen by more than a quarter in a week to the lowest level since the start of the year. here's our health editor, hugh pym. the streets may still look quiet, but we are on the road to recovery. that's the message from ministers in england today with positive news about the impact of vaccines on preventing serious illness and deaths. and the hunt for a missing person infected with the brazilian the health secretary, while warning of the need for caution, gave mps an upbeat assessment. the vaccine is working, reducing the number of deaths among those who were vaccinated first, and preventing hospital admissions. this is real world evidence that the vaccine is protecting the nhs and saving lives. one measure of the covid impact is the total number of excess deaths in the uk.

this line shows the five year weekly average for total reported deaths, and this is what is happening since the start of 2020, where there was a sharp spike last april, largely because of covid. then the numbers fell back again before another steep increase at the end of last year and into january. since then, the number has been falling back. this map shows cases per 100,000 in different parts of the uk. light blue shows the lowest number. overall numbers are falling but there are still some hotspots, in eastern and central england, shown here in red. the numbers are moving in the right direction but there is still intense strain on the front line of the nhs, with no sign of respite for hospital staff, who had to cope with the huge surge in covid patient numbers since the new year. as the cases come down, they are coming down from a really high level, and across our whole membership, we are hearing

from nhs leaders that covid—19 remains a major pressure and it probably will do so. russell is normally fit and active but is recovering from covid at home after leaving hospital last week. it's like drowning, it's horrible. he had been in a ward where others did not pull through. his message is, don't think covid has gone away. you will know about it, - it's serious, it is so serious. i've seen people pass by. it's not very nice. people might think they're immune from it all they'rei scared of a vaccine. i wish i could have had the vaccine in may. - i would take it straightaway, | without a shadow of a doubt. it's a reminder that the vaccination programme has a way to go and that people are still getting very sick with covid. but the overall picture is looking brighter than it was. hugh pym, bbc news.

france has cleared the astrazeneca vaccine for use in the over—65s, but that won't necessarily immediately undo a perception that this is an inferior vaccine or address how that perception is impacting the vaccine roll out in france. here's why. on 4january, this man, 82—year—old brian pinker, became the first person in the world to receive astrazeneca. the uk had cleared it for use in all ages. later that month, the european medicines agency approved the jab for use in adults of all ages across the eu. but emmanuel macron was unconvinced, and rather than leaving the assessment of the vaccines to the scientists. he told us, "everything points to thinking it is quasi—ineffective on people older than 65". except everything didn't point to that. the eu's agency said it expected the jab would give protection to over—65s, but that limited data prevented a definitive estimate on that. that had two consequences — france declined to give the jab to the over 65s, and the french continued to speak publicly in a way that cast doubt over the astrazeneca vaccine.

this is one minister on the uk decision to use it on older people. translation: the british are in an extremely - difficult health situation. they are taking many risks in this vaccination campaign, and i can understand it, but they are taking many risks. the french government was taking a different type of risk, the risk of creating an impression that this is a risky or less effective vaccine when the data does not suggest that. and certainly, there's evidence that for one reason or another, that perception is taking hold. the state news radio station france info reported health workers were "trying to avoid receiving astrazeneca doses, which they regard as third rate compared with �*the rolls—royce' produced by pfizer—biontech." here's one nurse. translation: what i see on the news and social media doesn't _ seem reassuring at all. it's very scary, so i would rather wait a little longer and see how it goes. so, there are doubts, and there have been other

consequences of france's decision to restrict the astrazeneca vaccine for the over 65s. one of them is unused doses. despite the huge row injanuary over the slow delivery of this vaccine, only a quarter of the doses delivered to france have been used. the guardian reports that it's "a result of the french government focusing exclusively, and, critics argue, inflexibly on vaccinating the oldest and most at—risk groups for whom the shot had not been approved, with no back—up plan for using spare doses." so, through february, hundreds of thousands of doses have gone unused, partly because of hesitancy, partly because they weren't refocused on under 65s. also in february, new evidence started to emerge about the astrazeneca vaccine. a study in scotland found that four weeks after receiving a vaccine, hospital admissions for people who had the pfizerjab fell by 85%. for astrazeneca, it was 95%. and we heard from

president macron again. translation: for me, the criteria is transparency and everything _ for me, the criteria is transparency and everything has _ for me, the criteria is transparency and everything has been _ for me, the criteria is transparency. and everything has been transparent around _ and everything has been transparent around astrazeneca. _ and everything has been transparent around astrazeneca. my _ and everything has been transparent around astrazeneca. my turn - and everything has been transparent around astrazeneca. my turn will - around astrazeneca. my turn will coma, _ around astrazeneca. my turn will come. but — around astrazeneca. my turn will come, but there's _ around astrazeneca. my turn will come, but there's still— around astrazeneca. my turn will come, but there's still time. - around astrazeneca. my turn will come, but there's still time. if. come, but there's still time. if this vaccine _ come, but there's still time. if this vaccine is _ come, but there's still time. if this vaccine is offered - come, but there's still time. if this vaccine is offered to - come, but there's still time. if this vaccine is offered to me, i will of— this vaccine is offered to me, i will of course _ this vaccine is offered to me, i will of course take _ this vaccine is offered to me, i will of course take it. - then on monday, we heard from the uk government's health secretary. a single shot of either the oxford astrazeneca vaccine or of the pfizer vaccine works against severe infection among the over—70s, with a more than 80% reduction in hospitalisations. and on the same day, the french health minister announced a change of policy. translation: from now on, all people who are 50 years old and over— and who have what are called co—mobilities, such as diabetes, hypertension or a history of cancer, can be vaccinated with astrazeneca. this a significant shift, and one which the french government would argue has simply followed available data. the question is whether the way it spoke about astrazeneca

planted doubts that will cause issues long after the regulators have given the all—clear. the eu's vaccine rollout continues to cause concern amongst its members. some of them are now looking elsewhere for options. austria and denmark are joining forces with israel to produce second generation vaccines that will work against different mutations. the austrian chancellor sebastian kurz said countries could "no longer be dependent only on the eu for the production of second—generation vaccines." and danish prime minister mette frederiksen said of the eu vaccine programme, "i don't think it can stand alone, because we need to increase capacity." and to increase that capacity, some are looking to russia and china — hungary, for example. it's already started using vaccine from china and russia. this was prime minister victor orban being vaccinated at the weekend. he says the eu's slow rollout is costing lives. then there's the czech republic.

it has the world's worst infection rate per capita, and it's requested sputnik vaccines from russia in an urgent effort to increase supply. poland has entered talks with china about getting the sinopharm vaccine. these are eu member states, remember, and the eu has invested millions into vaccine development. and then there's slovakia. yesterday, its prime minister revealed an order of 2 million vaccines from russia. that plan had been kept a secret until these moments, when welcomed the first batches of sputnik at the airport. and it's a move that's already had major ramifications. this is rob cameron in prague. slovakia's foreign minister is not happy about this surprise departure in his country's vaccination strategy, and he's not mincing his words. he says sputnik is notjust a vaccine, it's a tool of russian hybrid warfare. he says moscow's

failure to have the vaccine registered with the european medicines agency is a deliberate political ploy to divide europe. he's now seeking urgent talks not just the prime minister, but also the country's president and the head of the parliament. he wants reasserting says about slovakia's foreign policy direction, and need not ruling out his resignation —— he wants a reassurance. those will have to take the vaccine will sign a form saying they are aware they took a vaccine against covert that has not been certified by the european authorities. —— against covid. the cabinet said they would not go down this path of unilateral certification, but the prime minister said on monday that the situation was so dire that there was literally no time to waste when people were dying of covid every day. now, a few things to note — neither russia or china's vaccines have been approved by the the eu's regulator,

but neither has sought approval. and eu member states can approve vaccines for emergency use themselves. however, the eu has made a big play of doing this as one, and member states freestyling was not part of that idea. here's sarah wheaton from politico. they have not been approved by the european _ they have not been approved by the european medicines agency, and that can make _ european medicines agency, and that can make those countries vulnerable to legal— can make those countries vulnerable to legal challenges if they do turn out to— to legal challenges if they do turn out to he — to legal challenges if they do turn out to be problems. that's one of the messages that brussels is pointing — the messages that brussels is pointing out to rain this in. those are countries _ pointing out to rain this in. those are countries moving _ pointing out to rain this in. those are countries moving out - pointing out to rain this in. those are countries moving out of - pointing out to rain this in. those are countries moving out of step| are countries moving out of step with brussels. there's also a much wider discussion about vaccines being used as soft power. the new york times released this oped on sunday titled "the era of vaccine diplomacy is here," in which the editors write, here," in which the editors write... for western powers, the hope is that the global scheme covax can help provide lower income countries with vaccines,

and that has started. then today, the who held a virtual conference and looked at the next steps in the covax rollout. here's its director general. covax will deliver 11 million doses this week— covax will deliver 11 million doses this week and _ covax will deliver 11 million doses this week and between _ covax will deliver 11 million doses this week and between now- covax will deliver 11 million doses this week and between now and i covax will deliver 11 million doses . this week and between now and the end of— this week and between now and the end of may, — this week and between now and the end of may, 237 _ this week and between now and the end of may, 237 million _ this week and between now and the end of may, 237 million doses- this week and between now and the end of may, 237 million doses of. end of may, 237 million doses of vaccine — end of may, 237 million doses of vaccine will _ end of may, 237 million doses of vaccine will be _ end of may, 237 million doses of vaccine will be allocated - end of may, 237 million doses of vaccine will be allocated to - end of may, 237 million doses of vaccine will be allocated to 142 l vaccine will be allocated to 142 participating _ vaccine will be allocated to 142 participating economies - vaccine will be allocated to 142 participating economies and i participating economies and countries _ but despite its global backing, covax has only seen its first delivered vaccine this week. in the meantime, russia and china have filled the void. more than 20 countries in asia, the americas, africa and europe are getting supplies of china's two vaccines, sinovac and sinopharm. some are receiving them for free. china's president, xijinping, has pledged $2bn for vaccines for africa. he's also offering latin american and caribbean countries a $1bn loan to buy vaccines. all signs that beijing may use its vaccines to expand its global influence.

this is one analyst talking to abc news. and then there's russia. moscow also claims it has orders from around 20 countries, including one from mexico. it's ordered 7.5 million doses, and invited vladimir putin to visit as a thank you. we'll have to see if that happens but let's talk about the broader issue. vitaly shevchenko, russia analyst with bbc monitoring. do you think the russian government sees its vaccine as a tool of soft power? sees its vaccine as a tool of soft ower? �* , ' . ., power? it's difficult to overestimate - power? it's difficult to overestimate this - power? it's difficult to j overestimate this very power? it's difficult to - overestimate this very idea of power? it's difficult to _ overestimate this very idea of how important it is to the kremlin. if you turn on your tv and russa in the

evening news, you are going to hear updates of the number of countries which are thinking of buying sputnik. yet, if you look at the number of people who have been vaccinated in russia, it's not that encouraging. it currently stands at less than 3% of the population. why is russia offering theoretically millions and millions of doses of sputnik to all these foreign countries? there seems to be two main reasons, one domestic, one foreign policy. domestically, the idea of being able to supply something as important, as necessary as a coronavirus vaccine to foreign buyers, it enforces one of the key pillars on which the kremlin's ideology risks, which is the idea russia is respected —— ideology rests. of course, it's a way of saying in terms of need, who is your friend now? this

saying in terms of need, who is your friend now?— friend now? as i'm listening to you, i'm friend now? as i'm listening to you, l'm thinking — friend now? as i'm listening to you, i'm thinking aren't _ friend now? as i'm listening to you, i'm thinking aren't lots _ friend now? as i'm listening to you, i'm thinking aren't lots of _ friend now? as i'm listening to you, i'm thinking aren't lots of the - friend now? as i'm listening to you, i'm thinking aren't lots of the most | i'm thinking aren't lots of the most powerful countries doing this with their vaccine programmes? yes. what we are seeing — their vaccine programmes? yes. what we are seeing from _ their vaccine programmes? yes. what we are seeing from the _ their vaccine programmes? yes. what we are seeing from the russian - we are seeing from the russian leader, it seems to be sort of driving a wedge between different countries that are seen as parts of the west. for example, hungary or the west. for example, hungary or the czech republic, the idea that's often mention on russian tv is they are willing to buy a vaccine, but they're being stopped by brussels or washington. is that fair? that reinforces the idea that russia is a force for good and yet it the david fighting the evil goliath of the west. ., ,., .., fighting the evil goliath of the west. ., ,., .. , west. there are political debates about whether _ west. there are political debates about whether it's _ west. there are political debates about whether it's just _ west. there are political debates about whether it'sjust a - west. there are political debates about whether it'sjust a fireballl about whether it's just a fireball to be giving away all of these

thousands of vaccines that many russians are still waiting for? fin russians are still waiting for? on the one hand, you have this russians are still waiting for? (m the one hand, you have this very vague reporting that doesn't really give you the numbers of people who've got the vaccine, so that question is not being answered in those parts of the media. but in the more independent sources, people are asking the question, why are we offering these vaccinations abroad when we're struggling to vaccinate ourselves? . ~ when we're struggling to vaccinate ourselves? ., ,, , ., , . ourselves? thank you very much indeed. giving _ ourselves? thank you very much indeed. giving us— ourselves? thank you very much indeed. giving us a _ ourselves? thank you very much indeed. giving us a perspective i ourselves? thank you very much - indeed. giving us a perspective from russia. let's look at it from the perspective of the european union. very good to have you back on. we've been detailing how some member states are going outside of the eu's programme to store supplies of the vaccine, how significant a blow is that to the eu's ambitions to be operating this all vaccine roll—out itself for its members? operating this all vaccine roll-out itself for its members?—

itself for its members? they're clearly voting _ itself for its members? they're clearly voting with _ itself for its members? they're clearly voting with their - itself for its members? they're clearly voting with their feet. i itself for its members? they're - clearly voting with their feet. none of those member states are saying no, we don't want the vaccine doses that the eu has managed to procure, but as we've spoken about in the past, its been such a slow and fraught process, especially compared to the uk, compared to the united states. some eu countries are opting to look outside the block and even look at some pretty extraordinary places, including the black market, for doses. that doesn't make the eu look great, but itjust comes as a natural consequence of what's been a really slow and fraught roll—out and purchasing process for the block. normal league when we see the eu's member states going their different ways on the issue, the eu find a way of exerting suppression, saying please stay in line here, this will be worth their while. it's striking is not able to do that in the

moment. is not able to do that in the moment-— is not able to do that in the moment. �*, ., , ., ., moment. it's really out of their hands. moment. it's really out of their hands- in _ moment. it's really out of their hands. in the _ moment. it's really out of their hands. in the sense _ moment. it's really out of their hands. in the sense that - moment. it's really out of their hands. in the sense that the i hands. in the sense that the european condition did conclude purchasing agreements with the number of pharmaceutical companies. the block's regulator did approve some vaccines, and generally, they've been a few weeks behind the uk and the us. what's been a real blow has been the delivery schedule and the supply from the pharmaceuticals. arguably, it's too late in the game for the uk to actually do anything about that, at least with this round of vaccines. perhaps they can make improvements and add more pressure to the pharmaceuticals for vaccine boosters or specific variants or updated versions of the vaccine. additionally, roll—out is slow in the countries, so that's not the eu's fault. that's down to the national authorities. so, eu's fault. that's down to the nationalauthorities. so, i do eu's fault. that's down to the national authorities. so, i do want to caution viewers that there's a little bit of national politics at play here. national governments doing a bad job,

play here. national governments doing a badjob, getting play here. national governments doing a bad job, getting those doses in the arms of their citizens, it's much easier to blame brussels than to blame their own failures. stand much easier to blame brussels than to blame their own failures. and you ma have to blame their own failures. and you may have heard _ to blame their own failures. and you may have heard me _ to blame their own failures. and you may have heard me talking - to blame their own failures. and you may have heard me talking to - to blame their own failures. and you may have heard me talking to my i may have heard me talking to my colleague earlier from may have heard me talking to my colleague earlierfrom bbc monitoring about soft power and how vaccines are being used to do that. is there a risk we overstate the fact that china and russia are both now looking like they'll supply vaccines into the eu?- now looking like they'll supply vaccines into the eu? well, the euro ean vaccines into the eu? well, the european commission - vaccines into the eu? well, the| european commission president responded to a similar question and said we should be asking why russia is not vaccinating their own population vaxxer and selling them overseas. —— population faster. clearly, this is a soft power move on the part of these two global powers. that being said, the situation in the eu right now is if sputnik works, we'lljust situation in the eu right now is if sputnik works, we'll just take situation in the eu right now is if sputnik works, we'lljust take it and ask questions later. and the

reason that that's resonating in parts of the block as cicely because of these failures in the collective action that you try to achieve —— is precisely because. action that you try to achieve -- is precisely because.— precisely because. thank you very much indeed. _ precisely because. thank you very much indeed. new _ precisely because. thank you very much indeed. new york _ precisely because. thank you very much indeed. new york times. i precisely because. thank you very i much indeed. new york times. she will be reporting on the story through their website. any number of different strands playing out the other european union's vaccine roll—out that perhaps a crucial one being if nice —— emphasised by our last guest. if the russian vaccine works and the supplies are available, and the end, that might be the priority above all other diplomatic considerations when we consider the different ways that russia and the eu are... well, there's tension at the moment. our lead story is about the fact that the eu and the us have announced sanctions against russian individuals tied to the poisoning of alexei navalny. a different story

intertwining. we'll continue to pick them up in a couple minutes' time. hello there. it was all about location across the british isles on tuesday. yes, it was a chilly start in the far northwest, but that's where we have beautiful clear skies for much of the day, stunning picture in argyle and butte. further east, once again, low cloud rolling in off the north sea, made for a rather grey—looking afternoon, and at times, it felt on the chilly side. some of that cloud did break up and actually, if you look at the satellite picture, you can see how the sunshine got to work nibbling away, pushing that's cloud back to the north sea. so the best of the sunshine certainly further west and along that south coast. now, this cloud down into the southwest, that's some showers that will arrive through the night tonight, moving up through cornwall across devon and eventually into south wales. once again, low cloud, mist and fog may well push back in off the north sea. some clearer skies

into the northwest. here, it could be on the chilly side. but generally speaking, it is going to be a pretty messy story to tell, once again, for wednesday. this weather front will continue to enhance some showers up into the southwest. elsewhere, it stays largely quiet. now, if you do have a chance to see the sunrise, the chances are it could be a slightly more orange flavour to it with some saharan dust in the upper atmosphere. so if you're a weather watcher, get out with your camera and take a shot, and send it in for us. so as we go through wednesday, then, we can split the country into three. some clearer skies, some sunshine out to the northwest, low cloud, misty, murky conditions again along the east coast and that band of showers gradually drifting its way steadily into the midlands and perhaps into the southeast. ahead of it, with some sunshine, we are likely to see highs of 14 celsius. as we move out of wednesday into thursday, this high pressure will sink its way steadily down from the north, and a brisk northeasterly wind will start to dominate the weather story,

and that is introducing a cooler air mass. so noticeable difference to the feel of the weather. there's a weak weather front as well, which will bring spits and spots of rain, really, out of scotland into the northeast of england. quite a lot of cloud around on thursday as well, but more importantly, it's going to feel noticeably cooler for all of us with temperatures ranging between 6—8 celsius. ten celsius in the southwest if we're lucky. and that's the trend as we had into friday into the start of the weekend. largely dry, but cooler.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. the us and eu impose sanctions on russian officials over the poisoning of opposition leader alexei navalny. among the targets is the head of russia's penal system — moscow has denounced the move and vowed to respond. the fbi director defends his bureau's actions leading up to the capitol hill attack on january the 6th — in a hearing in the senate. that attack, that siege, was criminal behaviour, plain and simple. and it's behaviour that we, the fbi, view as domestic terrorism. we will report from nigeria. 279 girls abducted by gunmen from from their school in nigeria have been released. some have spoken of their ordeal. translation:

who met most of us got injured on ourfeet, and we who met most of us got injured on our feet, and we could not continue tracking. so the captors said they would shoot anybody who did not continue to walk. in the us — senators are questioning the director of the fbi on the storming of the capitol builing. specifcally — they want to know how much the agency knew about right wing extremists who were involved in the attack. these are images from that attack on the 6th januray. at least 18 people associated with the far—right proud boys have so far been charged over it. and nine people tied to an anti—government militia, known as the oath keepers, are alleged to have conspired — as far back as november — to try preventjoe biden from becoming president. here's some of what we heard from chris wray. i was appalled, like you the violence and destruction that we saw that day.

i was appalled that you, our country's elected leaders, were victimised right here in these very halls. that attack, that siege, was criminal behaviour, plain and simple. and it's behaviour that we, the fbi, view as thomistic terrorism. ——and it's behaviour that we, the fbi, view as domestic terrorism. it's got no in our democracy, and tolerating it would make a mockery of our nation's rule of law. gary o'donoghue, washington. gary, is this the latest chapter in a longer story of who gets the blame for what happened?— for what happened? certainly in art. we for what happened? certainly in part- we saw — for what happened? certainly in part. we saw the _ for what happened? certainly in part. we saw the police - for what happened? certainly in part. we saw the police officersj for what happened? certainly in i part. we saw the police officers who were in _ part. we saw the police officers who were in charge on the day in question. _ were in charge on the day in question, and they were complaining that they— question, and they were complaining that they didn't get the intelligence and time to tell them that something about serious nature would _ that something about serious nature would happen. this is the fbi's answer— would happen. this is the fbi's answer to— would happen. this is the fbi's answer to that, because the fbi director— answer to that, because the fbi director today said among other

things. — director today said among other things, these people who had passed on and _ things, these people who had passed on and intelligence that emerged on january— on and intelligence that emerged on january five the day before about the specific threats, the capital pass— the specific threats, the capital pass that — the specific threats, the capital pass that on within an hour to various— pass that on within an hour to various parts of the capital police and end — various parts of the capital police and end done in three different ways through— and end done in three different ways through some verbal communication and computer portals and all that kind of— and computer portals and all that kind of thing. the fbi were little bit slow— kind of thing. the fbi were little bit slow on this one. also, the fbi director, _ bit slow on this one. also, the fbi director, rebutting, refuting those suggestions from donald trump supporter is that the people who are responsible for the violence were leftist _ responsible for the violence were leftist agitator. and responsible for the violence were leftist agitator.— leftist agitator. and the fbi's view, leftist agitator. and the fbi's view. how — leftist agitator. and the fbi's view, how do _ leftist agitator. and the fbi's view, how do we _ leftist agitator. and the fbi's view, how do we explain i leftist agitator. and the fbi's view, how do we explain how leftist agitator. and the fbi's i view, how do we explain how we leftist agitator. and the fbi's - view, how do we explain how we reach that point onjanuary view, how do we explain how we reach that point on january the view, how do we explain how we reach that point onjanuary the 6th? ltrefoil. that point on january the 6th? well, their view, that point on january the 6th? well, their view. l — that point on january the 6th? well, their view, i mean, _ that point on january the 6th? well, their view, i mean, they _ that point on january the 6th? well, their view, i mean, they are - that point on january the 6th? well, their view, i mean, they are still- their view, i mean, they are still investigating, obviously, they made something like 270 arrests, but they are suggesting that there was a

planned — are suggesting that there was a planned effort to do this, that some of the _ planned effort to do this, that some of the online chatter turned out to be true _ of the online chatter turned out to be true. the difficulty they face and he — be true. the difficulty they face and he said this, is that it's difficult _ and he said this, is that it's difficult to strip out what they call aspirational chatter online, in other— call aspirational chatter online, in other words, people just shooting their mouths off, and what is actually— their mouths off, and what is actually serious. and the extent to which _ actually serious. and the extent to which they— actually serious. and the extent to which they are coordinated. clearly, they didn't — which they are coordinated. clearly, they didn't have an absolute idea of what was _ they didn't have an absolute idea of what was about to happen from about something _ what was about to happen from about something they will have to focus on in the _ something they will have to focus on in the future to try to work out how they actually discern what matters and that's — they actually discern what matters and that's kind of see of information that comes out them through— information that comes out them through the social media channels. ok, through the social media channels. 0k, gary, — through the social media channels. ok, gary, thanks foryour through the social media channels. ok, gary, thanks for your help on that one. now to scotland, where right at the moment when support for independence from the united kingdom is running high, two figures who've dominated the ruling scottish national party are locked in a fierce battle. these are the people concerned — nicola sturgeon, the first minister —

and her predecessor and one—time mentor, alex salmond. this is them campaigniing together in happier times. fast forward to now, he's accusing her of misleading parliament in evidence she gave to an inquiry into his personal conduct. he's also accusing her of conspiring against him to have him removed from public life, allegations which she denies. as we said, they're both in the same party — the snp, which governs scotland. well, we're getting new developments now. the scottish conservatives say they'll seek a vote of no confidence in nicola sturgeon as a result of some legal documents being released. let's go to our correspondent nick eardley in edinburgh who can tell us more. this is developing and a pretty competent story. at the heart of it, these draws my colossal figures in scottish politics, once the best of friends, now bitter enemies, so we had alex sammons give evidence to as

mps in the scottish parliament on friday, and he left so many questions about the way that the government under nicola sturgeon had dealt with harassment allegations against him. and as we start to see some of the answers to those questions, i think the situation is getting worse by the hour for nicola sturgeon at the moment. so she's facing a number of claims when she evidence to as mps tomorrow. there is a claim that she lied to parliament, but she failed to tell the truth about meetings she held on mr salmon. a claim that her government waste of taxpayer money by not dropping a legal action involving mr salmond when their lawyers were telling them they were probably going to lose. that's just the start of it. a number of allegations that mr salmond and opposition parties have made about nicola sturgeon we would probably keep us here all night. so she's going to have a real test tomorrow

to answer all of those questions. i've got to say for a politician whose party is doing so well in the polls, just nine weeks out from scottish parliament elections, this is a really dangerous moment for nicola sturgeon, and it feels to me like the pressure tonight is really growing ahead of her appearance tomorrow. . ~ growing ahead of her appearance tomorrow. . ,, , ., growing ahead of her appearance tomorrow. , ., ., ,, ., , tomorrow. nick, you talk about this bein: a tomorrow. nick, you talk about this being a dangerous _ tomorrow. nick, you talk about this being a dangerous moment - tomorrow. nick, you talk about this being a dangerous moment for- tomorrow. nick, you talk about this l being a dangerous moment for nicola sturgeon. i was mentioning that the scottish conservatives will seek a vote of no—confidence. they are her political foes, vote of no—confidence. they are her politicalfoes, is there realistic possibility of a vote of that nature being successful? mr; possibility of a vote of that nature being successful?— possibility of a vote of that nature being successful? my instinct at the moment does _ being successful? my instinct at the moment does know, _ being successful? my instinct at the moment does know, because i being successful? my instinct at the i moment does know, because although the snp are a minority party in the scottish parliament, the greens who are also pro—independence, they have are also pro—independence, they have a majority, and the something coming from the greens tonight suggested they want to see parliamentary inquiry go forward before they try and bring down the first minister just a few weeks before an election.

that said, nicola sturgeon is, you know, facing some really difficult moments over the next few weeks. so we mention a moment ago that suggestion that she's broken the ministerial code. that's the rules that ministers in the uk have to abide by. if that's true, normally, she would be expected to resign. and there are a number of allegations against her when it comes to the ministerial code. now, she denies them come in tomorrow, probably over several hours, by the way, we are going to hear her give her version of events and try and launch a defence of her own actions and the actions of her government. as i say, nicola sturgeon is a politician who has been really popular over the last few years, who has been largely seenin last few years, who has been largely seen in the polls as successful in government, although, there have been some big problems. tomorrow is a really tough day. been some big problems. tomorrow is a really tough day-— nick, you will be helping us guided us through it, i know.

we have more information on the brazil variant of the coronavirus. scientists who've carried out a preliminary study say it appears to be more contagious, and able to evade immunity provided by past infection with coronavirus. the amazonian city manaus has been badly hit by the variant — and data there suggests it may be up to twice as transmissible as earlier types of covid. the preliminary data puts the chances of a person being reinfection at between 25% and 60%. yesterday it was revealed that six cases of the brazil variant had been identified in the uk. however one of the lead researchers of the study from manaus says the variant is unlikely to quickly take off in britain with so few cases identified. prof ester sabino said, "you need many introductions

the problem is — one individual identified with the variant failed to complete their contact details after having the covid test. so test and trace uk have been unable to track them down — and the infected person may not even know they have the virus. the uk's health secretary had this update on the search today. we've identified the batch of home test kits in question, our search has narrowed from the whole country down to 379 households in the southeast of england, and we are contacting each one. well let's get more on that study into the variant. our science correspondent rebecca morelle joins us now. i suppose my first question is how much weight and we should put on the study, given that we are told its preliminary data. it is study, given that we are told its preliminary data.— preliminary data. it is very early data, but scientists _ preliminary data. it is very early data, but scientists are - preliminary data. it is very early data, but scientists are sort i preliminary data. it is very early

data, but scientists are sort of. data, but scientists are sort of pulling together knowledge as quickly as they can. i think what makes this quite interesting is the city that the variance came from. so my manaus in the northwest of brazil the first time around during the pandemic was hit really, really hard by covid. some studies estimate that three quarters of the people there were exposed to the virus. so that's a lot of people with antibodies. and when a new surge started sweeping through the city more recently, it's not the sort of place you would expect that to happen because you would think people would be protected already from infection. so that's when they found out that it was a new variant. so they have been characterising what's different about this, and like the other ones, it's got a lot of mutations on the spike of the virus. and this is the bit of the virus that basically lets the virus—infected ourselves, and that shares a mutation with the uk variant, and that makes it more

transmissible. that helps it to evade past immunity, and another one, that is thought to increase both transmissibility and evade immunity. and they have been able to put some numbers on this, so they think overall that the new variant increases transmissibility between 1.4 and 2.2 times compared with the older variants. and in terms of evading the immune system, basically, the numbers mean 25—60%, for if 100 people were infected with covid in the past between 25—60 of them might be reinfected again with this new variant, so it's early data, but it's also following a similar pattern to the uk variant in the south african variant in some ways, because it shares mutations with both of them, so in some ways, the findings aren't surprising, but it's good to get some detail on this particular variant.—

particular variant. rebecca, very helful, particular variant. rebecca, very helpful. thank— particular variant. rebecca, very helpful, thank you _ particular variant. rebecca, very helpful, thank you very - particular variant. rebecca, very helpful, thank you very much i particular variant. rebecca, very i helpful, thank you very much indeed. to china — which says it wants to vaccinate 40% of its entire population byjune. bear in mind, china has a population of 1.4 billion people. so far, 52.5 million covid—19 vaccines have been delivered. if these are single doses, that means that roughly 3—4% of its population has been inoculated. and this latest target means china will aim to deliver 560 million within four months — that's not far off the entire population of north america. let's speak to our china media analyst kerry allen. she is live with us. do we have details on how they will scale up at this pace? details on how they will scale up at this ace? ~ ., ., , details on how they will scale up at this ace? ~ ., .,, , ., this pace? well, china has shown it has that capacity — this pace? well, china has shown it has that capacity before _ this pace? well, china has shown it has that capacity before in - this pace? well, china has shown it has that capacity before in terms i this pace? well, china has shown it has that capacity before in terms ofj has that capacity before in terms of testing to be able to organise people and get massive populations together in order to receive medical treatment. and we think that last year around november, a city with a population of 9 million people

received tests within five days, so china has the capacity to be able to do these mass procedures, but, yeah, already, china did set a threshold for vaccinating people by the end of spring festival, vaccinating 50 million people, so it's been able to achieve that already come about, yes, 560 million people in four months is pretty extraordinary. i guess it's notjust a logistical challenge, it's also about having the doses, because we know china supplying a number of other countries, so does a tab sufficient doses in place to be able to do this? , ., , , doses in place to be able to do this? , .,, , , this? yes. there has been reports already saying _ this? yes. there has been reports already saying that _ this? yes. there has been reports already saying that one _ this? yes. there has been reports already saying that one of - this? yes. there has been reports already saying that one of the i already saying that one of the vaccines has 1 already saying that one of the vaccines has1 billion doses already saying that one of the vaccines has 1 billion doses already available, orwill vaccines has 1 billion doses already available, or will have1 billion doses available by the end of the year. there is also another vaccine which has a similar amount of doses. there are also two other vaccinations on the way, and chinese media have been saying that by the end of this year, china should have

4 billion doses of vaccinations. yes, it's obsolete of the capella —— the capacity to provide overseas but also domestically. figs the capacity to provide overseas but also domestically.— also domestically. as you will know come here in _ also domestically. as you will know come here in the _ also domestically. as you will know come here in the uk, _ also domestically. as you will know come here in the uk, there - also domestically. as you will know come here in the uk, there have i also domestically. as you will know i come here in the uk, there have been lockdowns and plays into rapid vaccination programme to try to respond to the second wave of covid—19. it's not quite the same backdrop in china, is it? ida. covid-19. it's not quite the same backdrop in china, is it?- backdrop in china, is it? no, it's not. for backdrop in china, is it? no, it's not- fora _ backdrop in china, is it? no, it's not. for a long _ backdrop in china, is it? no, it's not. for a long time _ backdrop in china, is it? no, it's not. for a long time in - backdrop in china, is it? no, it's not. for a long time in china, i backdrop in china, is it? no, it's. not. for a long time in china, there was very much a message that seeking mass vaccination was just not possible because of china's huge population, so instead, what was happening was where local outbreaks were identified, china had these very rapid, very strict lockdowns in place. it also china has had some experience learning from sars back in the early 90s when people understand that yes, ok, huge population, you have to be able to go on as life is normal, you can't stay under lockdown, and china has a huge economy as well. so people used to mask wearing. that has been the thought for a long period of time

that where there is transmission, try and isolate it as quickly as possible, and in other areas, go about as usual, but, yes, take extra precautions, wash your hands, wear a mask. . ~ precautions, wash your hands, wear a mask. . ,, , ., precautions, wash your hands, wear a mask. . ~' , ., , precautions, wash your hands, wear a mask. . ,, , ., , . mask. thank you very much indeed. in a few minutes — mask. thank you very much indeed. in a few minutes on _ mask. thank you very much indeed. in a few minutes on outside _ mask. thank you very much indeed. in a few minutes on outside source i mask. thank you very much indeed. in | a few minutes on outside source some neck we'll turn to nigeria where gunmen have released 279 girls kidnapped from their school last week. it's budget day tomorrow — and all eyes are on what the chancellor rishi sunak will do to take the country through lockdown and beyond. our economics editor, faisal islam, looks ahead to a budget that will take place against an unprecedented economic background. there's never been a budget backdrop like this, with lockdown restrictions still in place, events companies such as ruby lemon in essex are left with empty offices, its business legally

obliged to be shut down. in the months to come, there is a path out of this but for now, several million britons and their employers, like lisa, remain reliant on government support for wages and livelihoods. when the furlough scheme was first established just under a year ago, around 9 million workers had up to 80% of their wages paid. that fell as the economy reopened over the summer but has gone back up in the latest lockdown, to less than the first lockdown but stilljust under 5 million. the cost so far is £54 billion and counting. the business secretary this morning acknowledged that the scheme will continue. i think the chancellor has already indicated that we will be extending furlough. i think that has been a public announcement. i think there will be other measures that we will see tomorrow. there were some clues in the chancellor's very personal social media preview video, that protecting livelihoods is the title of the statement and the support is not going anywhere. and that is not going to stop.

this is actually largely a's budget, and the numbers never saw the light of day because the pandemic was officially declared just hours after this was published. no mention of furlough. that scheme, both extremely expensive but it could be cheap at half the price if, as designed, millions ofjobs, basically, are put into hibernation in lockdown and can be restored as some sort of normality returns on the back of the roll—out of the vaccine. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is? the us and eu impose sanctions on russian officials over the poisoning of opposition leader alexei navalny. moscow has denounced the move and vowed to respond. lets turn to afghanistan — and what appears to be another

targeted attack on journalists. 3 female employees of a popular tv station have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen. they were attacked as they were returning to work in jalalabad. we have these pictures from the city. this is the naghar hospital mortuary the women were taken to. we're told the women worked in the dubbing department for the broadcaster. killings have increased since peace talks between the afghan governnment and the taliban started, last year. here's secunder kermani in neighbouring islamabad. details of this particularly grim incident are still coming through, but what we know is that these three women all worked for a local tv and radio station in the eastern city, and it seems that they were attacked in two separate but coordinated incidents. we are being told that two of the women were killed as they were walking through a bazaar. a third woman was killed just a short

distance away from her home. so far, there has been no claim of responsibility, but back in december, anotherfemale presenter december, another female presenter from december, anotherfemale presenter from this same station was shot dead, and in that instance, the islamic state group admitted having carried out the attack. afghanistan has been really rocked by a series of deadly assassinations right across the country with journalists, human rights activists and governmental vessels all amongst the victims. now, afghan officials and western officials often blame the taliban or see them as being responsible for many of those incidents, particularly the ones in which no claim of responsibility emerges, but as could well be the case in this instance, i asked had also been responsible for some of the bloodshed. some good news to bring you from nigeria. 279 schoolgirls who were kidnapped in the north—west last week have now been released. they were taken by an armed gang in zamfara state on friday. and here they are being brought back to safety earlier. we've blurred their faces

to protect their identity. they were brought to a government building in zamfara on mini buses. they've said they were hit with guns and beaten with canes. here's one of the girls. translation: most of us got injured on our feet i and we could not continue trekking, so the captors said they would shoot anybody who did not continue to walk. we walked across the river and they hid us and they let asleep under shrubs in a forest. the girls were abducted by unidentified gunmen from their boarding school injangebe town and taken to a forest. originally police said 317 girls had been kidnapped — but later revised that down to 279. another official told reuters news there was discrepency because some of the girls had escaped the gunmen. the government denies paying a ransom to secure the release. it says it had help from one of the kidnappers inside the group. here's the state governor.

those repentant ones are working for us and they are working for the government, they are working for a security, so we are going to continue with that process because not all of them are bad. the one that we used to secure the release of these children, they are all independent, because nobody is able to find them, they know them, they know where to see them and we finish this process yesterday mornign, they contacted me and said we should provide vehicles to bring these children. there's been lots of reaction. nigeria's president buhari says he's glad the ordeal came to an end without incident. he's also tweeted "we are working hard to bring an end to these and we've had this reaction from the family of the girls. i'm happy, i'm happy. this is my... like i was bornjust now, and i feel very fine. translation: i'm very happy indeed.

god has made this ordeal that we found ourselves in come to an end. we are happy. we thank god for everything. this is not an isolated incident. and mass kidnapping appear to be becoming more frequent. in december, last year 344 students were ta ken from a boarding school in kankara. eight days later another 84 students were kidnapped in mahuta. last month another school was stormed in kagara. we have these pictures from the town. we're told 42 peple were kidnapped. 27 of them were students. the bbc�*s ishaq khalid is in abuja. he's been speaking to some of the released girls�* families about whether they'll be returning to school. they've been telling me that they are extremely happy that they are back. many of them told me that the last 4—5 days have been that of uncertainty, and one thing that, you know, they are unanimous about our that all of them say they are willing to send their children back to school, despite what happened,

but they are calling on the authorities to make sure that security is provided for schools across the country, especially in those areas where insecurity is quite endemic. we're told not everyone feels safe enough to return to school. fatima shehu imam is a womens rights activist in northern nigeria on what the government needs to do. we are talking about security or insecurity, that is primarily the responsibility of the government, so it is incumbant on the government to ensure that the security of people's lives and property are protected. so that is the primary responsibility of government to ensure that schools are well protected, so that parents and guardians will feel very comfortable sending their children to school. and here's the bbc�*s mayeni jones in lagos on why the kidnappings are unlikely to stop.

it's been a long—standing line from the authorities that they do not pay ransoms. this time, the governor said that some repentant criminals, kidnappers, he has this scheme where he has promised some of the kidnappers economic rewards in exchange for them stopping the activities. he said some of these repentant criminals helped negotiate the release of the girls. but the reality is a lot of these negotiations are shrouded in secret, but nevertheless, this doesn't seem to stop kidnappers from carrying them out time and time again, so many nigerians, believe there is an incentive behind it, that's why they keep doing it. that ends this edition of outside source. if you want any further at background on the stories we are covering, you can get that to the bbc news app and website. i will see you tomorrow at the usual time.

bye—bye. hello there. it was all about location across the british isles on tuesday. yes, it was a chilly start in the far northwest, but that's where we have beautiful clear skies for much of the day, stunning picture in argyle and butte. further east, once again, low cloud rolling in off the north sea, made for a rather grey—looking afternoon, and at times, it felt on the chilly side. some of that cloud did break up and actually, if you look at the satellite picture, you can see how the sunshine got to work nibbling away, pushing that cloud back to the north sea. so the best of the sunshine certainly further west and along that south coast. now, this cloud down into the southwest, that's some showers that will arrive through the night tonight, moving up through cornwall across devon and eventually into south wales. once again, low cloud,

mist and fog may well push back in off the north sea. some clearer skies into the northwest. here, it could be on the chilly side. but generally speaking, it is going to be a pretty messy story to tell, once again, for wednesday. this weather front will continue to enhance some showers up into the southwest. elsewhere, it stays largely quiet. now, if you do have a chance to see the sunrise, the chances are it could be a slightly more orange flavour to it with some saharan dust in the upper atmosphere. so if you're a weather watcher, get out with your camera and take a shot, and send it in for us. so as we go through wednesday, then, we can split the country into three. some clearer skies, some sunshine out to the northwest, low cloud, misty, murky conditions again along the east coast and that band of showers gradually drifting its way steadily into the midlands and perhaps into the southeast. ahead of it, with some sunshine, we are likely to see highs of 14 celsius. as we move out of wednesday into thursday, this high pressure will sink its way steadily down from the north, and a brisk northeasterly wind will start to dominate the weather story, and that is introducing

a cooler air mass. so noticeable difference to the feel of the weather. there's a weak weather front as well, which will bring spits and spots of rain, really, out of scotland into the northeast of england. quite a lot of cloud around on thursday as well, but more importantly, it's going to feel noticeably cooler for all of us with temperatures ranging between 6—8 celsius. ten celsius in the southwest if we're lucky. and that's the trend as we head into friday into the start of the weekend. largely dry, but cooler.

this is bbc news. the headlines... at eight. down by a quarter injust a week. deaths from covid in the uk are the lowest level since the start of the year. are the lowest level since the start of the year-— of the year. what all this shows is that the vaccine _ of the year. what all this shows is that the vaccine is _ of the year. what all this shows is that the vaccine is working. i that the vaccine is working. reducing the number of deaths among those who are vaccinated first and preventing hospital admissions. this is real—world evidence. irate preventing hospital admissions. this is real-world evidence.— is real-world evidence. we will have all the latest — is real-world evidence. we will have all the latest on _ is real-world evidence. we will have all the latest on coronavirus - is real-world evidence. we will have all the latest on coronavirus as i is real-world evidence. we will have all the latest on coronavirus as the l all the latest on coronavirus as the search for the person linked to the brazilian variant is narrowed to just a few hundred thousand in southeast england. the chancellor says he will protectjobs in tomorrow's budget is the furlough scheme is to be extended. pontoons makes change changes after whistle—blowers as it routinely

discriminated against