this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm mike embley. hundreds of thousands of uighurs in china transferred by the authorities to factories, often farfrom home. we have an exclusive report. the us imposes sanctions on russia, following the attempted killing of opposition leader alexei navalny. more countries around the world receive vaccines under the covax scheme, as four million doses arrive in nigeria. and president biden says the us will inoculate every adult by the end of may and directs two pharmaceutical giants to work together to mass produce the vaccine.

a bbc investigation has found evidence that china's policy of transferring hundreds of thousands of uighurs, and other ethnic minorities, from north—west xinjiang to factory jobs often far from home is being used as a method of uprooting and assimilating the population. it's also uncovered possible connections between these workers and major international brands. china says transferring workers away from the region is a way of tackling rural poverty and unemployment. our china correspondent john sudworth has this report. at this factory, the uighur workers are clearly visible. more than 2000 miles from home, brought all the way to central china by a massive relocation scheme.

now the bbc has found compelling evidence of how it works. in this xinjiang village, the authorities need 100 people to send tojobs on the other side of the country. they set up a stall, but this 2017 state media report shows no one's interested. so they go house to house. "if you stay here," this official says, "you will be married soon and never able to leave." "will you go?", he asks. "no," she says. but with a mixture of propaganda... ..and heavy persuasion, the young woman eventually agrees. "i'll go if others go," she says. the bbc has new evidence that this separation from family and culture is, in part at least, precisely the point.

a chinese study produced for senior officials says, "labour transfers help assimilate uighur minorities, transform their thinking and reduce uighur population density." the study was posted online in error. some of xinjiang's mainly muslim minorities are sent first to the giant re—education camps where china says it's fighting extremism, then to the factories. very few have managed to leave china after their release. translation: there were 200 workers in the factory. - we sold children's clothes and we were obliged to sing the chinese national anthem. the faster we let you go." but most of those transferred to work have not been in the camps and are sent direct from poor villages. the study also outlines how

they are transported in groups, accompanied by security guards, and put through political indoctrination. this is just an unprecedented authoritative source, written by really leading academics and former government officials, with unprecedented high level access in xinjiang itself. that drives home the implications of what is going on here. there are higher goals of manipulating population density and demographics that, in my opinion, are very concerning, and they really point us towards crimes against humanity. we found products that may contain yarn from this company on sale in amazon in the uk. the factory says it no longer employs uighurs, and amazon told us it doesn't tolerate forced labour. and this factory makes plastic mouldings for some major international brands. so we've spoken to one worker here, who has confirmed that as many as a few hundred uighurs

are employed in this factory. but, unlike the chinese staff, they are unable to leave the factory premises. in a statement, the chinese government said the study seen by the bbc reflects only the author's personal view, and much of its contents are not in line with the facts. but in large part it echoes government thinking. "some uighurs," it concludes, "are unwilling to leave their homes, a problem that should be tackled with strong guidance and persistent measures." john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. the us government has announced sanctions on seven senior members of the russian government over the attack on the leading opposition activist alexei navalny. the list includes russia's spymaster, the director of the fsb. officials in washington say russia was behind the poisoning and that export controls on 14 firms involved in the production of biological and chemical agents will be tightened. the us has also called

for the release of mr navalny, who is being held in a russian prison camp. the opposition leader's team posted a video about the conditions in the camp where he's believed to be held. this is footage from that video, showing the prison in pokrov, just outside moscow. the facility has a reputation for torture—like conditions, that are used by the kremlin to break the spirit of the detainees. here's sarah rainsford in moscow. even by russian prison standards, it is a pretty brutal sounding place. we have been speaking to former inmates to talk about punishment beatings and other physical conditions there in one form of political prisoner said he was incarcerated and everyone was bad tooth peaking to him. the eu and the us have reacted today to the treatment of alexei navalny more broadly with a package of new sanctions. they have specifically targeted individuals, senior officials individuals, senior officials in russia. they do not target the economy more broadly and do not do what the team of alexander navalny asked for, to

go over and after the thorbjorn 0lesen figures that are close to putin, they say they wanted them sanctioned. as further sanctions, the spokesperson for putin has dismissed the use of sanctions once again. he said that the west is addicted to applying actions and ask themselves one question, does it work? according to the kremlin spokesperson, it doesn't. —— word after senior figures that are close to putin. ambassador daniel fried is a former sanctions coordinator in the 0bama administration. he's in washington. i know you have enormous diplomatic experience and experience of rush hour. what you make of the sanctions, first of all?— first of all? that is a solid first of all? that is a solid first step _ first of all? that is a solid first step by _ first of all? that is a solid first step by the - first of all? that is a solid first step by the biden - first step by the biden administration and a step taken in co—ordination with the eu, catching up to the eu and uk sanctions. so, iam impressed. it is not all that is needed.

but it is a first step, taken very soon after they came into office, so it, it hits the mark, and it leads the way for further action in the future. yes, you know there are supporters of navalny saying it is not enough. what is needed do you think and what are the chances of those other things happening?— chances of those other things happening? well, mr navalny supporters — happening? well, mr navalny supporters have _ happening? well, mr navalny supporters have an _ happening? well, mr navalny| supporters have an interesting proposal and said that the biden administration should go after 0llie arcs close to putin and that is a good idea and they could do that but taking such actions will take a lot of time and they want to do it fast after mr navalny, as a first step, not a last step. what practical implications to

the sanctions have? presumably anything that increases unhappiness on the inner circle of putin puts pressure on him? the biden administration shows that, one, it will not ignore the repression of mr navalny or the repression of mr navalny or the russians who have demonstrated on his behalf and, two, that the biden administration, unlike his predecessor, is going to be able to work with europe. this was a co—ordinated package. as i said, it is a first step only, but it is a good and sustainable step. navalny�*s people are right, more will have to be done but the biden administration wanted to move fast, and i don't blame it. i think they are right to have moved quickly. ambassador, t uickl moved quickly. ambassador, quickly arm _ moved quickly. ambassador, quickly arm the _ moved quickly. ambassador, quickly arm the european - quickly arm the european sanctions, they seem to be a compromise perhaps between the baltic states who are more likely to see russia as a dangerous enemy and other states such as germany, who rely on russian gas imports. well, in matters it with regard

to the kremlin, the baltic states and poland tend to be right, history shows. i wish that the germans had not started the nord stream two gas pipeline and that is another challenge for the beynon administration, thinking what to do —— biden administration, thinking what to do. i do not want to criticise the eu. it is not easy to take 27 states and come up with a co—ordinated set of actions, they have done so. the russians, the kremlin can laugh all at once. it used to laugh all at once. it used to laugh in the 1980s during the reagan administration, but it was not laughing at the end. i do not think we can be hasty. i do not think we can be hasty. i do not think it pays to be greedy and expect that much —— too much but over time, a sustained western resistance to the aggression of putin and outreach to the russian people will have a big impact. ambassador, very interesting to

talk to you. thank you for talking to us.— talk to you. thank you for talking to us. my pleasure. thank you _ talking to us. my pleasure. thank you for _ talking to us. my pleasure. thank you for the - talking to us. my pleasure. . thank you for the opportunity. deliveries of coronavirus vaccines have begun around the world under the covax scheme which provides lower income nations with the much—needed jabs. we begin in nigeria where nearly it million doses of the astrazeneca jab arrived tuesday for africa's most populous country. the oxford—astrazeneca jabs, manufactured in india, are the first of 16 million doses that will be delivered to the country in the coming months. deliveries were also made to ghana where the country's vaccination campaign kicked off tuesday. the government hopes to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of the year. 0ur correspondent thomas naadi is in the capital, accra, where people queued outside health centres for their first vaccines. i'm in one of the covid—i9 vaccination centres in the capital, accra, where people have been waiting all morning to get the jab. as spoke to some of the staff earlier and they are excited to get

started. they are prioritising the most vulnerable, including frontline health workers, people with underlying conditions, and the elderly, aged 60 and above. i5 conditions, and the elderly, aged 60 and above.- conditions, and the elderly, aged 60 and above. is like any other vaccination, _ aged 60 and above. is like any other vaccination, nothing - othervaccination, nothing else~ _ other vaccination, nothing else. i, , other vaccination, nothing else. , i, other vaccination, nothing else. , else. people should be encouraged _ else. people should be encouraged because i else. people should be encouraged because if| else. people should be . encouraged because if you else. people should be - encouraged because if you are thinking — encouraged because if you are thinking there _ encouraged because if you are thinking there is— encouraged because if you are thinking there is a _ encouraged because if you are thinking there is a risk- encouraged because if you are thinking there is a risk with i thinking there is a risk with it, thinking there is a risk with it. there _ thinking there is a risk with it. there is _ thinking there is a risk with it, there is a _ thinking there is a risk with it, there is a risk— thinking there is a risk with it, there is a risk with- thinking there is a risk with it, there is a risk with you i it, there is a risk with you not — it, there is a risk with you not takin it. i, , , i, not taking it. there has been a lot of scepticism _ not taking it. there has been a lot of scepticism about - not taking it. there has been a lot of scepticism about the - not taking it. there has been a lot of scepticism about the jab | lot of scepticism about the jab with women saying it can cause infertility, change dna and other conspiracy theories so to ease these concerns, the president yesterday took his jab on life television. the initial target is to vaccinate about 20 million people before the end of the year but pregnant women and children under 18 years will not be vaccinated as authorities do not have enough data about the possible side effects for these groups. scientists have already

approved another vaccine and authorities are hoping to purchase about 10 million doses. these factors are also involved in research to develop further vaccines. vaccinations also began this week in the ivory coast and further vaccine deliveries touched down in the democratic republic of the congo and in neighbouring angola. and, in kenya, where our correspondent rhoda 0dhiambo was at the airport when the vaccines, there too, made their arrival. kenya has finally received the covid—19 vaccines from the covax facility. the 1.2 million doses of the oxford—astrazeneca bank screen was distributed among 500,000 canyons in the first phase. the health minister, who was at the airport to receive the vaccine, says frontline health workers will receive the vaccines first. �* r, �*

will receive the vaccines first. �* i, �* i, first. after that, we're going to to to first. after that, we're going to go to peeple _ first. after that, we're going to go to people with - first. after that, we're going to go to people with other. to go to people with other infections and people who have other— infections and people who have other diseases, so that we can also _ other diseases, so that we can also protect them. only then, are we — also protect them. only then, are we then going to rolling it out to the rest of the population.— out to the rest of the population. out to the rest of the --oulation. , , , ., population. given this is a anxious — population. given this is a anxious time _ population. given this is a anxious time for - population. given this is a anxious time for the - population. given this is a i anxious time for the country, looking at how the surge of covid—19 cases have been going up, many are sceptical as to whether the vaccines will reach the intended populations. they are hoping the government will inspire it in how the vaccines will be distributed amongst different cities, ensuring that every person who is intended to get the vaccine, gets it. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: # vaccine, vaccine, vaccine # i'm begging of you please don't hesitate #.

dolly parton pleads with people to get the vaccine before it is too late. first, the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly, the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards, and it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb. on a remote pacific atoll, the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier, and so my heart went bang, bang, bang! the constitutional rights of - these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united i states, and they should be protected even in the right. to test them out, so that they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. - this religious controversy — i know you don't want to say too much about it — but does it worry you that it's

going to boil up when you get to the states? well, it worries me, yes, but i hope everything will be all right in the end, as they say. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: a bbc investigation has found evidence that china's policy of transferring hundreds of thousands of uighurs to factory jobs often far from home — is being used as a method of uprooting the population. the us has imposed sanctions on russia — following the attempted killing of opposition leader alexei navalny. yesterday we told you the story of nine—year—old ahmed in yemen. he and his friends attend school in the ruins of their classrooms — close to front—line fighting between the government and houthi rebels.

ahmed is just one of millions of children suffering from the brutal civil war there, now in its sixth year. and in a worrying trend, international aid has been decreasing. the uk government, for instance, plans to cut its donations to yemen by half. our international correspondent 0rla guerin sent this report, and a warning that viewers may find some elements of this story distressing. imagine if this was the school your child was going back to. the building and its pupils, hanging by a thread. it's a snapshot of childhood in yemen. a country that will now get much less aid from the uk. this is ahmed, who touched many hearts in our story last night. he stands in when his teacher is absent. he's nine and was born blind. he's a beacon of hope and resilience.

here in one of the world's poorest countries, the united nations says cuts in aid will be a death sentence. the spectre of famine is hanging over this land. in ad dali province, mothers queue to have their children checked for signs of severe acute malnutrition. labour has accused the government of leaving children to starve. the foreign secretary says britain is doing its bit, and remains one of the top five donors to yemen. baby hamas is the latest to be diagnosed. nurse abdullah al khadri is pained by what he sees.

it's already too late for saif hassan. this video was taken the day before he died from hunger. his brother, abu bakr, was by his side. saif lies buried here. aid agencies warn cuts in funding will be measured in lives lost. 0rla guerin, bbc news, southern yemen.

the reggae music legend, bunny wailer, has died in kingston, jamaica, at the age of 73. bunny wailer was the last surviving member of the group the wailers, which also included bob marley and peter tosh. in 2017 bunny wailer received the jamaican government's order of merit for his contribution to jamaican music. president biden says the united states is on course to produce enough coronavirus vaccine to inoculate every adult in the country by the end of may. at a white house press briefing, mr biden said two of the country's pharmaceutical giants, johnson &johnson and merck, would work together to mass produce the jabs. speaking a short while ago, president biden said his administration was bringing in "war time" strategies to fight the pandemic. this is a wartime effort, and every action has been on the table including putting together breakthrough approaches. and today, we're announcing a major step forward. two of the largest health care and pharmaceutical companies in the world, that are usually competitors,

are working together on the vaccine. johnson &johnson and merck will work together to expand the production ofjohnson &johnson's vaccine. this is the type of collaboration between companies we saw in world war ii. we'll also invoke the defence production act to equip two merck facilities to the standards necessary to safely manufacture thej&j vaccine, and with the urging and assistance of my administration, johnson & johnson is also taking additional new actions to safely accelerate vaccine production. johnson &johnson's vaccine manufacturing facilities will now begin to operate 21t/7. the president also appealed again to americans to continue wearing masks for his first 100 days in office. i want to conclude with this. we're making progress from the mess we inherited.

we're moving in the right direction. and today's announcements are a huge step in our effort to beat this pandemic. but i have to be honest with you, this fight is far from over, i told you i'd be straight up with you from the beginning. as i said many times, things may get worse again as new variants spread and as we face setbacks like recent winter storms in the midwest and south. but our administration will never take this public health threat lightly. though we celebrate the news of a third vaccine, i urge all americans — please keep washing your hands. stay socially distanced. wear masks, keep wearing them, get vaccinated when it's your turn. now�*s not the time to let up. i've asked the country to wear a mask for my first 100 days in office. now�*s not the time to let our guard down. people's lives are at stake. we have already, we have already and i carry

this in my pocket, lost more — as of today, we've lost more than 511,839 americans as of today. it's got to stop. someone not hearing that message and are singing a different tune is that governor of texas. despite a worrying rise in covid variants, the governor is brushing off covid concerns, re—opening the state and ending the mask mandate. here's some of what greg abbott had to say in his announcement. i'm issuing a new executive order that rescinds most of the earlier executive orders. effective next wednesday, all businesses of any type are allowed to open 100%. applause that includes any applause that includes any type of entity in texas. also, i am ending the

state—wide mask mandate. cheers and applause now despite these changes, rememberthis. removing state mandates does not end personal responsibility. governor abbott there. public figures have been getting their covid vaccinations in an effort to boost trust in the vaccine programme, and one music legend has just added her name to the cause. country music singer songwriter dolly parton has taken to social media saying, "dolly gets a dose of her own medicine". she was given the moderna vaccine after she donated money towards its research. she's also encouraged others to get theirjab. take a listen. # vaccine, vaccine, vaccine # i'm begging of you please don't hesitate # vaccine, vaccine, vaccine # because once you die,

that's a bit too late #. i know i'm trying to be funny now but i'm dead serious about the vaccine. i think we all want to get back to normal, whatever that is, and that would be a great shot in the arm, wouldn't it? if we could get back to that. but anyhow, ijust wanted to encourage anybody —— everybody, because the sooner we get better, the sooner we are going to get back to normal, so i just want to say to all of you cowards out there, don't be such a chicken squat, get out there and get your shot. she added i've been waiting a while, i'm old enough to get it and i'm smart enough to get it. just briefly a reminder of that main news again, a bbc exclusive investigation has found evidence that china public policy of transferring hundreds of thousands of uighur and other minorities to factory jobs very farfrom and other minorities to factory jobs very far from home is being used as a method of

uprooting and assimilating the population because of the investigation has also uncovered possible connections between these networkers and major international brands —— these workers. hello there. a week ago we were seeing temperatures of 17, even 18 degrees in the sunshine. this wednesday, though, will be a lot cooler across the uk than it was last wednesday. mainly because there's a lot of clout around. ——cloud. this was the scene in pennine areas in west yorkshire where temperatures were only two or three degrees on tuesday afternoon. there is a lot warmer in the sunshine out towards the west with more shelter, and the northwest of wales in particular. and the reason for those differences, really, is high—pressure to the east of the uk and easterly wind drawing in all of that moisture. and two things are happening overnight, that low cloud is becoming more extensive so there's more mist and fog, and towards the southwest this cloud is thickening to bring some showers. now, with a lot of cloud by the end

of the night, for most places it will be a few degrees above freezing. where we have some clear skies and parts of scotland, northwest england, there will be a frost. there could be some sunshine around, though, on wednesday morning. it's the fog, though, that's more of an issue. it will gradually tend to lift. many places, though, will stay dull and cloudy. it may well brighten up a bit in northern ireland, but the showers in the southwest will spill into wales, and then into the midlands, the southeast of england into the afternoon. ahead of the showers in the southeast, if it does brighten up a bit, those temperatures will get a boost, but across eastern scotland and the north—east of england with the low cloud, going to be four or five degrees. the showers that do develop will continue into the evening. some of them heavy and possibly with the odd rumble of thunder before becoming confined to the southeast and east anglia by the end of the night. and as we head into thursday we see another area of high pressure. this one is moving down from iceland, and it's bringing with it colder air and a north—easterly breeze. there will still be some showers towards the southeast early on thursday. those will move away. that we have got this line of mostly light rain or drizzle. early snow over higher parts of scotland, and then behind

that that the colder northeasterly wind comes in. as you can see, a lot of cloud around on thursday, so it's going to be a cold day with temperatures typically five to eight degrees. let's look ahead to friday and saturday, and temperatures aren't going to change very much by day. could be a bit colder in the mornings with some clear skies. the cloud tending to bubble up and developed more widely during the course of the day. but high—pressure is going to be in charge on friday. perhaps into saturday as well, but there are signs of weather fronts coming in from the atlantic, and that signals a change as we head into next week.

this is bbc news, the headlines: a bbc investigation has found evidence that china's policy of transferring hundreds of thousands of uighurs, and other ethnic minorities, from north—west xinjiang to factory jobs often far from home, is being used as a method of uprooting and assimilating the population. the biden administration has imposed its first sanctions on russia over what it says was moscow's attempt to kill opposition leader alexei navalny. the us targeted seven russian officials, including the head of their secret service, and more than a dozen businesses, some connected with biological and chemical materials. 200 million doses of astrazeneca vaccine are expected to be sent to 142 countries by the end of may. they're delivered under the covax scheme, which provides poorer countries with free inoculations. a shipment of nearly four million coronavirus vaccines has already arrived in nigeria.