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.

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 look empty but the vaccine appears to be working. a hunterfor the working. a hunter for the person working. a hunterfor the person with a resilient variant of the coronavirus has been narrowed down to 370,000 households in the east of england. the health minister while warning for caution, gave mps an upbeat assessment. the vaccine is working, reducing the number of deaths amongst

those who are vaccinated first in preventing hospital admissions.— in preventing hospital admissions. ,, ., ., admissions. this is real-world evidence that _ admissions. this is real-world evidence that the _ admissions. this is real-world evidence that the vaccine - admissions. this is real-world evidence that the vaccine is i evidence that the vaccine is protecting the nhs and saving lives. . , protecting the nhs and saving lives. ., , ., lives. one measure of the im act lives. one measure of the impact of _ lives. one measure of the impact of the _ lives. one measure of the impact of the total- lives. one measure of the | impact of the total number lives. one measure of the . impact of the total number of excess deaths in the uk. this line shows the five year weekly average of total reported deaths and this is what has been happening since the start of 2020 and there was a sharp spike last april largely because of covid—19. then the numbers for 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 people last week in different parts of the uk. light blue shows the lowest numbers. 0verall totals have been falling but there are still some hotspots, including in central and eastern england, shown here in red. the numbers are moving in the right

direction but there is still intense strain on the frontline of the nhs, with no sign of respite for hospital staff. at respite for hospital staff. at the respite for hospital staff. git the cases come down, coming down from a high level, and across alcohol membership, we are hearing from nhs leaders that covid—19 remains a major pressure. that covid-19 remains a ma'or pressure. russell is normally fit and active _ pressure. russell is normally fit and active but _ pressure. russell is normally fit and active but he - pressure. russell is normally fit and active but he is - fit and active but he is recovering from covid—19 at home after leaving hospital last week blue it is like drowning, it is horrible. he had been in a ward where others did not pull through. his messages do not think it is gone away. is messages do not think it is gone away-— gone away. is so serious. i have seen _ gone away. is so serious. i have seen people - gone away. is so serious. i have seen people pass - gone away. is so serious. i have seen people pass on, gone away. is so serious. i - have seen people pass on, it's not nice — have seen people pass on, it's not nice and people may think they— not nice and people may think they are — not nice and people may think they are immune from but i wish i had _ they are immune from but i wish i had the — they are immune from but i wish i had the vaccine in may. it is a reminder— i had the vaccine in may. it is a reminder that _ i had the vaccine in may. it is a reminder that the - i had the vaccine in may. ut 3 a reminder that the vaccination programme has a way to go and people are still getting very sick with covid—19 but the overall picture is looking brighter than it was.

now on bbc news, as hollywood celebrates the golden globes, the first major film awards talking movies hears from some of the key contenders. hello, and welcome to our talking movies awards season lookahead. i'm tom brook. new york's rainbow room here in rockefeller center and california's beverly hilton will be co—hosting the golden globes, the first major film awards event of the year. in today's programme, we'll be looking at awards season right up to the oscars, at the actors and films emerging as strong contenders. but before we begin, a note on the globes themselves. the voting is done by the hollywood foreign press association, some 87 internationaljournalists based in the los angeles area.

over the years, there have been numerous allegations attacking the integrity of the organisation, often that it is too much in the sway of the big hollywood studios. and very recently the group was put on the defensive when it was revealed that within its ranks was not a single black member. but having said all that, the globes do give some indication of the likely contenders in the oscars race. the frontrunner at the golden globes, at least in terms of nominations, is the picture mank. it's a tribute of sorts to old hollywood, set behind the scenes during the making of one of the greatest movies of all time, citizen kane, directed by orson welles. mank has been put together by top american film—maker david fincher, and it stars the 0scar—winning british actor gary 0ldman, who most definitely has awards heat. in mank, the focus is on the creation of the first

draft of the screenplay for citizen kane, released in 19111. gary 0ldman plays the central character, screenwriter hermanj mankiewicz. welles almost stole the screenwriting credit for citizen kane from him. the new world with all its power and might... 0ldman played another man good with words, winston churchill, four years ago in a remarkable performance which brought him an oscar. he says portraying mankiewicz in mank, directed by david fincher, really pushed him. i read that you said that this was the most challenging role that you had ever done. i was surprised to hear that. in what way? david wanted no veneer between me and the audience. he said to me, "i want you as naked as you've ever been," and that plays to my insecurities. i just felt very exposed. citizen kane tells of the rise

and fall of media magnate charles foster kane, based partly on the american press baron william randolph hearst. orson welles served as director, co—writer, star and producer of the film, making it when he was only in his mid—20s. it is one of the most worshipped movies of all time. interestingly, gary 0ldman isn't a devout fan of it. i had seen the film three times in my life before mank, and i re—watched it for a fourth time. i'm a fan of welles. watching citizen kane again, i felt that it's a little hokey, but i can appreciate the era in which it was made. and it was a magnificent achievement by a guy coming to hollywood, you know, this 24—year—old upstart. how do you do, mr mankiewicz? that's a big question. gary 0ldman is an awards veteran. he must know that this year, the competition for prizes from his fellow actors is very

strong, but the fact that his work is bringing nominations is, as you might expect, welcomed by him. it's nice that it's acknowledged. it's not something that you really think about in the moment of doing it, of going into a project. it's only after, where people start throwing your name around for awards, you know, 0scar buzz or whatever, of course it's a nice thing. i need a favour, but you're going to have to promise you won't laugh. but mank has also yielded another strong awards contender, amanda seyfried, who plays actress marion davies, who was also william randolph hearst's romantic partner. seyfried, who brings glamour to the movie, has been nominated for a golden globe for her supporting role. she's not on—screen that much, but when she does appear, she makes an impact, which has brought her acclaim from awards bodies, critics and the public. audiences really do like you in this role. does that mean a lot to you?

do you know what it means? it means that they believe me, they believe what i'm doing, they're being transported and i'm helping them do that. i can't hide my essence, and i absolutely feel like i understand her essence. and i think together i was able to really embody her as best i can, and the fact that it worked, it was very effective, is amazing. mank? it's orson welles... shot in black—and—white, mank is a film that's been beautifully crafted. director david fincher has created a movie designed to be seen in a cinema, as opposed to through a streaming platform. the pandemic put paid to that. god bless william randolph hearst. | mank is a film with some powerful scenes and great performances. it is impressive, but it's dramatically inert,

which means, in the awards sweepstakes, gary 0ldman and amanda seyfried will be visible contenders, but don't expect to see the film itself as the leader of the pack in the best picture competition. are you familiar with the parable of the organ grinder�*s monkey? the golden globes augurs well forfemale film—makers, because this year, a record number — three — have been nominated in the best director category. the only time a woman has won a best director 0scar was kathryn bigelow in 2009 for the hurt locker. this year, a woman could be taking home a best director 0scar once again. emma jones reports. all right, y'all, come and get it! 30 years after regina king made her film debut as an actor in 0scar—nominated boyz n the hood, herfilm debut as a director, one night in miami, has earned her

a golden globe nomination. king is the second african—american woman ever to be nominated in that category. ava duvernay was the first for civil rights drama selma. power, black power... i like the sound of that. king chose the adaptation of a play about a meeting which actually did happen in the 1960s in miami between four black icons — malcolm x, singer sam cooke, the boxer cassius clay, later called muhammad ali, and sportsman jim brown. you mean no—one else is coming? i tell regina this all the time, it was a throwback to those really great, powerful �*90s films, the full cinematic experiences, and she was a part of so many of those projects herself, in boyz n the hood and friday, and just films that really you could sink your teeth into and sit down and enjoy. and she obviously has learned through all those experiences

what it takes to really bring that experience and bring that type of film—making to the finished product. another actress, emerald fennell, most recently seen as a young camilla parker—bowles in netflix�*s the crown, also has a directing nomination for promising young woman, which she also wrote. every week, i go to a club, i act like i'm too drunk to stand, and every week, a nice guy comes over to see if i'm 0k. you 0k? this wickedly shocking comedy, starring british actress carey mulligan, about a woman's revenge for her best friend's death, is also fennell�*s first feature film. it's produced by mulligan and australian actress margot robbie. is it significant that two out of the three directing nominations are first feature films by women already established within the industry, with connections vital to get a project funded? who needs brains? they never did a girl any good.

jodie foster, one of the first actresses to make the journey behind the camera, has recently walked back in front of it to play lawyer nancy hollander in kevin macdonald's the mauritanian, based on the true story of an innocent man detained at guantanamo bay. you want turkey and pumpkin pie with mom and dad and unclejoe? go on, get out. do you think that it is significant that so many actresses do seem to be turning towards directing? it is wonderful to see all these actresses becoming directors because they have such amazing experience, and i really do think that the best transition to becoming a director is coming from being an actor. i think all of us have a great story to tell. however, the favourite to take best picture and best director, not only at the globes but at the oscars, is chloe zhao, who's come to prominence through the traditional route of independent film—making. she was first noticed a few years ago for two very

low—budget movies about american life, 2015's songs my brothers taught me, about two young people living on a native american reservation, and later the rider, set in the world of rodeos. no, i'm not homeless, i'm just. . . houseless. not the same thing, right? no. her latest film, nomadland, is a stunning epic of wide skies and growing horizons for a bereaved woman, fern, living in hervan and played by frances mcdormand. if zhao, an american—chinese film—maker, does take these accolades, she'd be the first woman of asian descent to do so and her victory could give others their breakthrough. i'm very fortunate to be able to do what i love, i and if this means that morel people that look like me get to do it, then- i think that's great. these things does informl investors and gatekeepers to look at what kind of stories

and what kind of talent - they invest in, so there should be a trickle effect to it. - the outlook for female directors has changed dramatically even since 2016, when san diego state university's report, the celluloid ceiling, found women were directing only 9% of hollywood's top 250 movies. every awards season brings shocks and surprises, but right now, the landscape is a set fair for women in film, and that's been a long time coming. the golden globes also honours excellence in television, and this year, as you might imagine, the streaming services did well in terms of nominations. but when it came to diversity, there was plenty of room for improvement, as kizzy cox reports. the glitz and glam of the golden globes is going to look very different this year, as the pandemic has changed everyday life, including how people watch movies.

tv streaming has taken off, and that boom has led to some interesting golden globe nominations. i think it ran the gamut, and that's par for the course with the golden globes because it is a smaller voting body so the chances are that, you know, something niche is going to slip in there. two women running the shop, that's the last thing this country needs. perhaps that's preciselyl what this country needs. the crown racked up six nominations and is favourite to win best drama series. netflix picked up a stunning 42 nominations, and as more films stream on platforms like netflix and hulu, the line between cinema and tv is blurring. fans are kind of caring less and less about that distinction. i think what's going to be really interesting is how the industry, how critics, how awards shows kind of code that differently, so where are these kind of things going to fit into, say,

in 0scars or in emmys? as we've reported, the golden globes made history in its film nominations, with three female film—makers up for best director awards, but that diversity didn't carry over into tv. how'd you smash your phone? i don't know. 0ne glaring omission was michaela coel�*s i may destroy you, which tells the story of a young woman trying to rebuild her life after being raped. everyone and anyone talked about that show. we were all watching it together and that's — that was a really shocking one, especially because michaela coel is such a prolific writer and she is normally an industry favourite and people really gravitate to her writing and the things that she produces and works on. just because they don't want you here doesn't mean you're not supposed to be.

actors in the genre—defying lovecraft country, set in segregation—era united states, mrs america, about the 1970s movement to ratify the equal rights amendment and its political backlash, and never have i ever, following the ups and downs of a first—generation indian—american girl, were also overlooked. while awards like the golden globes are not the only way the industryjudges an artist's work, angela harvey, co—chair of the think tank for inclusion and equity, says getting snubbed for one means missing more thanjust a swanky night out. it is cachet. it's green—lighting power for your next project. they open doors, they grant artistic freedom, they attract dollars. so, then you have underrepresented people who are making these artistic achievements like a minari, like a i may destroy you, and then they get to the top to where they are meriting to stand among the best, but they don't get

a nomination. harvey says another problem is that even though diversity programmes are successful at bringing underrepresented writers into the industry, those writers face numerous barriers climbing up the ladder to positions of greater influence, which makes it nearly impossible for them to bring their shows to life for viewers to see. the think tank's mission is to achieve greater representation and advancement to tv writers of colour, and harvey has some ideas on what the industry needs to do to make that happen. there does need to be antiracism training, there needs to be mentorship for underrepresented writers to help them navigate this landmine of repetition and struggle, and frankly harassment and abuse as well. last year, a movie from south korea, parasite, made history by becoming the first non—english—language film to win the most coveted 0scar trophy of all, that of best picture.

needless to say, south korean storytelling in cinema is gaining in international currency, and this year, a film from a korean—american film—maker has emerged as an awards contender. it's called minari. hey, look! minari is set in the 1980s. it's the story of a family of south korean immigrants who move from los angeles to rural arkansas. the patriarch wants to start a farm. played by acclaimed korean—american actor steven yeun, he's searching, in a way, for his version of the american dream. he's looking for a lot of things. i think he's looking forjust a certain sense of control over his environment. kind of, i think he's accessing something natural to him, but maybe isn't realising how much he's causing also miscommunication and

damage around him, too. minari was written and directed by isaac chung, who grew up on a farm in arkansas. his family comes from south korea. this is his fourth feature film, but it's not strictly autobiographical. ijust tried to stay true to little details that i remembered that i personally wanted to preserve, but at the same time, it's also very fictional. all the characters are very different from my parents and my grandmother, and that's to try to make a story, try to make it a film. the parents in the film, the married couple, have a tautness in their relationship. they have different aspirations. a particularly engaging aspect of the story is what unfolds when the young son's grandmother, newly arrived from south korea, enters the household. he doesn't like her at first, but they grow extremely close.

i don't like grandma... why does your character like his grandmother in the end? he doesn't like her to begin with. he can't really see - the goodness inside of her and the fun, - i think, you've got. the grandmother is played by south korean screen legend youn yuh—jung. she gives a very skilful and endearing performance. she worked with director isaac chung to get it right. iasked him about, "should i imitate your grandmother?" and he said, "no, you don't have to," so i felt like i had a freedom from him, from the director, so we create maybe together, both isaac and me, so the truth is, isaac said, his grandmother is totally different than the one i played in the movie.

minari has been the subject of controversy because it was only permitted to compete in the golden globes�* best foreign language film category, although it was financed by us companies, put together by an american director and tells an american story. it was shut out of the globes�* best picture categories because it did not have more than 50% of its dialogue in english. but this won't be an issue at the oscars, and the picture has already secured best picture nominations or the equivalent from other major awards bodies. the minari cast believes the best picture win by parasite last year at the oscars definitely increased the demand for korean storytelling. for us, as asians or koreans, we never thought about somebody could get the award from 0scar, so bong joon—ho gave us a big present for us and then every country was cheering for him, so, that was a big change for us. and then now we are talking about minari like this, it's a very happy surprise.

the growing embrace of korean storytelling as witnessed with minari is, in many ways, a consequence of the pervasiveness of the giant streaming platforms breaking down cultural barriers by bringing international audiences a broad diet of cinema. we're living in a time where people are willing to break through very, very thin barriers of, kind of, like, director bong had said, subtitles or navigating the authenticity of culture, that we can just see each other for the human beings that we are, then maybe we can share so many more stories and connect in so many more ways. minari is incredibly touching. you could call it an organic immigrant story in that it isn't constrained by a conventional template. it's its own original tale. it's one of the most welcome

contenders in awards season, and it's going to continue to pick up nominations for its performances, direction and the film itself. it could be one of this year's big awards winners. pretty boy, pretty boy. i'm not pretty, . i'm good—looking! well, that brings this special talking movies: awards season lookahead programme to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies, and you can find us on facebook and twitter. so, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production team here in new york, london and berlin, it's goodbye as we leave you with a dancing sequence from the danish film another round, which has made it onto the preliminary shortlist for a best international feature film 0scar. music.

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 cloud around. this was the scene in pennine areas in west yorkshire where temperatures were only two or three degrees on tuesday afternoon.

it was 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 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 clearer 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.

welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: 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 for the attempted killing of leading opposition activist alexei navalny. more countries around the world receive vaccines under the covax scheme as four million doses arrive in nigeria. and president biden promises the us will inoculate every adult by the end of may. he's directed two pharmaceutical giants to work together to mass produce vaccines.