tonight at ten. because of fears about side—effects. spain, germany and france have done the same. translation: the decision which has been taken - but the astrazeneca vaccine is safe — according

and let's remember, this virus kills people, it kills people my age, younger people and older people. also tonight... more tributes following the death of sarah everard as an independent inquiry is promised into the police handling of saturday's vigil. there should have been an earlier lockdown in england, last autumn — according to government ministers and officials. i like it here. no, you don't. and there's plenty of british talent among those nominated for this year's oscars. and coming up in sport on bbc news. we'll see how liverpool fared away to wolves in the premier league.

good evening. the biggest member states of the european union have now denmark and norway. the world health organization, along with the eu's very own medicines regulator, say there is no justification for the temporary ban and leading british scientists insist the vaccine is safe. our medical editor fergus walsh has the latest. a public display of confidence in the oxford astrazeneca vaccine from northern ireland's chief medical officer today.

northern ireland's chief medical officertoday. by northern ireland's chief medical officer today. by contrast, you cannot have the jab in the irish republic, in france, germany and is a growing list of eu countries which have temporarily suspended its use. this is a safe, effective vaccine as recommended by mhra. let's remember, this virus kills people, kills people my age, younger people and older people and the benefits are strongly in favour of people getting this vaccine at that time. the strongly in favour of people getting this vaccine at that time.— this vaccine at that time. the eu roll-out was _ this vaccine at that time. the eu roll-out was already _ this vaccine at that time. the eu roll-out was already lagging - this vaccine at that time. the eu | roll-out was already lagging well roll—out was already lagging well behind that of the uk. france has said it will wait for a safety analysis from the european medicines agency due tomorrow, before deciding whether to restart using the oxford astrazeneca vaccine. translation: astrazeneca vaccine. tuna/mom- astrazeneca vaccine. translation: . , ., . , translation: the decision which is beinu translation: the decision which is bein: taken translation: the decision which is being taken is _ translation: the decision which is being taken is to _ translation: the decision which is being taken is to suspend, _ translation: the decision which is being taken is to suspend, as - translation: the decision which is being taken is to suspend, as a - being taken is to suspend, as a precaution of vaccinating with the astrazeneca vaccine, in the hope we can carry on quickly if the opinion

of the european medicines agency allows. ., , ., _, , ., allows. ten european countries have susended allows. ten european countries have suspended the _ allows. ten european countries have suspended the use _ allows. ten european countries have suspended the use of _ allows. ten european countries have suspended the use of the _ allows. ten european countries have suspended the use of the oxford - suspended the use of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine pending safety investigations. germany, france, the netherlands and spain are the latest. ireland paused at the weekend following denmark, iceland. several other countries, including austria have stopped using certain patches of the vaccine. that leaves several eu nations using the jab, which has been approved in over 70 countries around the world. astrazeneca says more than 70 million people in the uk and european union have now had its vaccine. that fewer than a0 cases of blood clots have been reported. it says the risks of having a clot are significantly lower among those who have been vaccinated compared to the general population. we have been vaccinated compared to the general population.— general population. we know that blood clots are _ general population. we know that blood clots are remarkably - general population. we know that l blood clots are remarkably common and we would expect them to happen in one to two people to thousands,

take a year. which is a very large number. and much higher than the sorts of levels we are talking about in this particular report. scientists in the uk are frankly baffled by the decisions made in the eu. there is concern that the polls in using the astrazeneca jab will cost lives because people will not be protected from covid and that it will damage public confidence in a highly effective vaccine. fergus walsh, bbc news. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels — there's a danger this will add to vaccinne hesitancy. it is getting worse in some areas, so this isn't going to help, is it? absolutely not. if you think about the oxford astrazeneca jab, there was already quite a lot of european hesitancy around it, due to mixed messages from a number of european leaders earlier on in the year as to how efficient they thought the

vaccine was for the over 65. add into the fact that many in mainland europe, you are much more vaccine wary than the majority of the public in the uk. so european governments say they realise how sensitive their decision is if they have decided to temporarily halt the roll—out of the astrazeneca vaccine, but they say, actually, they are trying to do it to restore public confidence while it is being investigated. we are seeing country by country inside the eu and the rest of europe making this decision, but they are waiting for a pan—european verdict. we had there, from fergus from the european medicines agency. and while it is investigating those reports of blood clots, it says it thinks the virtues of the oxford astrazeneca virus outweigh any risks, because the eu needs vaccine. it doesn't have enough of them anyway, because there has been problems with delivery and even with the vaccine is the eu has, many countries have had lots of

stumbling blocks with their national roll—out. the eu lags way behind the uk, the us and never mind israel. they are trying to getjabs into arms and all this while european countries are facing a third wave of the coronavirus. italy is introducing restrictions today. thank you very much. as we said, italy is one of the countries suspending the use of the astrazeneca vaccine. italy is now facing a third wave of the pandemic with a sharp rise in the rate of infections, so the government is introducing new restrictions, including the closure of schools, shops and restaurants. more than half the country is affected and for three days over easter in early april, there will be a full national shutdown, as our correspondent mark lowen reports from milan. for 95 years, guido di nardo's family have dressed the men of milan. his boutique passing down

from his grandparents. but these 12 months have ruined him. with losses of 75% and no closing for another lockdown, even europe's fashion capital is fraying. translation: i hope we don't have to shut down completely, _ like so many others here. when i think of how this shop was my parents' and grandparents' life, it makes me want to cry. i'm only staying open for my children. if it were up to me, i would have given up already. a third wave, fuelled by the british variant, has closed shops, restaurants and schools in over half of italy's regions, including here in lombardy where europe's first wave exploded a year ago. forfamilies, it's like being stuck in time. for the covid generation, it's like time stolen. we feel pretty dreadful. it's like back to square one after a year. it is incredible that we haven't, the government, the schools haven't

had the chance to think about an alternative. we look at israel, we look at the us, and we look at the uk thinking while, things are working there. and here? not really. turbo—charging italy's slow vaccine while out, this drive—through centre opens today in milan. the government pledging to almost double dailyjabs now and triple them by mid april. well, italy is finally in full vaccine mobilisation but there is frustration here that it has taken weeks to get to this point. yes, there have been supply problems, but only now with the drive—through starting and jabs also in schools, theatres and gyms. in the race between vaccine and virus, there is a feeling that italy has led the latter win for too long. butjust hours after vaunting its vaccine increase, italy halted its astrazeneca jabs.

covid's fix thrown into doubt. as the pandemic drags on, it is taking the new poor with it. 3500 a day now come to this hand—out. the price of survival in this, italy's financial capital. it's a disaster, says roxana, whose mother died of covid. neither my family nor i can find work now. at least this stops me sleeping under the bridge. from the exhausted, to the fearful. italians are desperate for a sign of hope. but for the first western country engulfed by the virus, its longed for path out has been pushed back again. that layout will not be eased by concerns over the astrazeneca vaccine and italy's suspension of it. but the large majority of vaccines administered here so far have been pfizer. last year, italy became the first country in the world to impose a national lockdown

exactly two weeks before britain. as you can see here tonight, this tired nation is once again shuttered down, desperately hoping this will be the last lockdown sacrifice it will be called to make. iast lockdown sacrifice it will be called to make.— last lockdown sacrifice it will be called to make. last lockdown sacrifice it will be calledto make. , ., ., called to make. many thanks for the latest in the — called to make. many thanks for the latest in the land. _ the prime minister borisjohnson has declared his confidence in the commissioner of the metropolitan police, dame cressida dick, who's faced calls to resign following the handling of the vigil on saturday, when many gathered on clapham common in south london, following the death of sarah everard. mrjohnson said there will be an independent investigation into what happened. during the day, mps have been debating a controversial new policing bill, which will restrict the right to protest. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. this is a moment, a moment for the country and women in particular. it has triggered something

in so many, and although few here will have known sarah everard, they think of her and their own experiences of harassment, abuse, or rape. your story is ours and ours is yours, the message here. that's why this scene two days ago, where reflection turned to resentment towards the police behaviour, upset so many. officers dragging away women taking a stand against violence. for those at the vigil on saturday, anger it didn't stay peaceful. the police in the middle of that vigil made a clear decision to do enforcement, and it was at that point when they went up to the bandstand, that the mood changed in the vigil and people became distressed and upset. given the fact that there was a load of burly men going up to the bandstand to try to stop women speaking. georgina ashby was also at the vigil and on her way home, when she saw a man exposing himself. it was a group of about five

or six police officers and i went up and said, "hey, excuse me, there is a man who has his genitalia out, i feel really uncomfortable, it's a bit scary, can you please check it out?" a female officer was like, "ok, let's go." and a male officer said, "no, we're not dealing with this, we've had enough with the rioters tonight, we're not going to do it." how did it make you feel when they they did not take any action? it was disappointing, i wouldn't say it is an issue with the police on the ground, they are only listening to instruction, it needs to come from the top and there needs to be a systematic change. the prime minister said the pictures from the vigil were distressing, but he still had full confidence in the head of the metropolitan police, cressida dick. people must feel, women i in particular, must feel that when they make serious complaints about violence, about assault, - that they are properly heard and properly addressed. - in westminster, a few hundred people gathered to demonstrate against attacks on women and about the commons debate this evening on new laws

for the police and courts. tonight the government said it would spend an extra £20 million on better lighting and cctv to improve street safety. too many of us have walked home from school or work alone, only to hear footsteps uncomfortably close behind us. too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend, to scare someone off. too many of us have clutched our keys in a fist in case we need to defend ourselves. and that is not ok. it is still so emotionally charged here. men and women standing, many of the women are in tears. it has certainly touched something. and if the spark was the death of sarah everard and the flash point the police clearing the vigil, then the focus has to be

on the police and the politicians stopping the attacks and harassment of women. at the heart of all this, sarah everard. police searching in sandwich in kent today as they widen the investigation to find out how she was murdered. lucy manning, bbc news. the events that took place on saturday night have raised new questions about the role of the police, not least given the controversial new powers that ministers want to create. our home editor mark easton looks at the many issues which arise for police, politicians and members of the public, when large gatherings are held during a pandemic. a warning that his report contains flash photography from the outset. understanding what went wrong on clapham common on saturday night means going right back to the beginning of the pandemic a year ago. the public health emergency saw new laws forbidding

ancient freedoms. police found themselves navigating strange legal territory and decided to take a sensitive and sympathetic approach to the coronavirus regulations, using enforcement only as a last resort. derbyshire police found themselves criticised for being too tough in the early days of lockdown. officers found themselves in a place that they had never been before. and, in a sense, we were all making it up as we went along. everyone in society. the difference for police officers was that they were having to apply the new legislation. last summer posed a new question for police. how to deal with protests. chanting: power! power. power to the people. the black lives matter movement exploded onto the streets and, rather than risk a confrontation, some officers took a knee in solidarity. when demonstrators in bristol pulled down a statue with police watching on, the home secretary let it be known she wanted and expected

tougher enforcement. to the criminal minority who have subverted this cause with their thuggery, i simply say this. your behaviour is shameful and you will face justice. the death of sarah everard amid the tightest of lockdowns in england prompted an outpouring of anguish. the organisation reclaim these streets wanted to hold a vigil, promising to provide stewards and ensure social distancing, but police said such an event would be illegal. the debate ended at the high court. the argument was about the coronavirus regulations versus the fundamental right to freedom of expression, as enshrined in the human rights act. now, the judge listened to both sides but, in the end, declined to rule on the legality of the vigil itself. he was effectively saying, "sort it out between yourselves." facing a potential £10,000 fine, reclaim these streets decided to cancel their involvement in the event. this afternoon, they met with metropolitan police commissoner dame cressida dick.

cressida dick has lost our confidence and the confidence, i think, of women in the capital. this morning, we didn't want to call on her to resign until we had at least had a meeting and given her a chance to engage with us. we feel that that chance was wasted. without organisation, the vigil was much more difficult to control. when some women moved to make speeches, it appears police tactics changed. perhaps it was felt this turned a legal vigil into an unlawful demo. passions exploded, there was anti—police chanting. chanting: nojustice, no peace! and a group of anti—lockdown protesters joined the crowds. mistakes were made, but there is no map for policing in a pandemic. the insensitivity shown on clapham common on saturday night may have been a side effect of covid—i9. mark easton, bbc news. senior government ministers and officials have told the bbc there should have been a lockdown in england at an earlier period last autumn, to contain the second wave of the pandemic that claimed

tens of thousands of lives. on the eve of the first anniversary of the initial restrictions, we start a week of special nightly reports looking back over the past year. our political editor laura kuenssberg has spoken to 20 ministers and senior officials off the record, the men and women whose decisions have had such a far—reaching effect on people's lives. at the start of march last year, i asked a senior member of the government if they were worried about coronavirus. their answer was, "personally, no." now we've lost more than the population of a small city. i've talked to more than 20 senior politicians, officials and former officials. those who were in the room making the decisions. they agreed to talk on the basis of anonymity. this is what they were thinking as we all watched on. the virus arriving in italy was when it sank in for most.

like a scene from a nightmare that italy is now living. the government had been talking about the virus for weeks but some on the inside say it was seen as hysteria, "it'sjust like flu." it went from, "not on the radar, to people on the floor of hospitals in lombardy. that was the moment we knew it was inevitable," said one senior minister. after several weeks of cobra meetings, described by one attendee as a disaster... are we prepared enough, mr hancock? "..the government machine was breaking in our hands," an insider told me. number ten had started to prepare the public but although it was never a firm proposal, officials had even talked about chickenpox parties to help the virus spread among the healthy population. the conversations were "totally in the wrong universe," one source said. but a tiny group of advisers confronted the prime minister with evidence on saturday iath march, showing graphs to him that suggested without tougher, faster action the nhs would collapse. we had those reasonable worst—case

scenarios of hundreds of thousands of deaths, and the problem with them was that they were coming true. so we knew we had to act and that monday, i went to parliament and said that all unnecessary social contact should be stopped. i couldn't believe that i was having to say these words. lockdown was coming. it was all so new. "we were more blind than we told the public," one official admits. but something more personal soon struck. tonight at ten, the prime minister borisjohnson has been taken to intensive care. cabinet ministers were summoned urgently on the phone. "all of a sudden, we were asked tojoin a call, not knowing if he was alive," one of them said. who's in charge at the moment? well, the government's business will continue. but the country spiralling into crisis could for a moment have lost its prime minister. but, after two months of strict rules, news broke about the prime minister's chief advisor dominic cummings.

he, in fact, travelled to his parents' home in durham. he refused to quit, instead defending himself in the downing street garden. i thought the best thing to do in all the circumstances was to drive to an isolated cottage on my father's farm. the political atmosphere turned sour. cabinet ministers said, "there had been tremendous goodwill — the early pandemic washed away the bitterness of brexit. but that came flooding back. all that bile, all that frustration." by the summer, with cases falling, and many rules relaxed, we didn't feel like a country in the grip of a pandemic. even encouraged to eat out. hello! but when schools and universities returned, the testing system couldn't cope and the rise began. a senior figure told me, "if you do nothing now, by the end of october, you'll get something worse than the first wave." there was frustration among some in downing street about the prime minister's attitude, sometimes appearing to be in "let it rip" mode.

what i said to the prime minister over the summer is review what's gone on, there is likely to be a second wave, and don't make the same mistakes again, because i think that's unforgivable. i might have given you the benefit of the doubt in the first wave but you didn't learn the lessons and you went and repeated the very same mistakes. the prime minister resisted calls for a short lockdown. a senior figure told me, "the biggest mistake was the rush of blood to the head in the summer, and the prime minister has to carry the can." from the middle of september, there were people in government saying you're going to have to toughen things up, you are going to have to go faster. no, we listened to all of the evidence all the way through. but you've got to balance all of the different considerations. you know, it's only at the prime minister's desk that all these different considerations come together. yet some believe borisjohnson can't be blamed, it was a reasonable set of judgments to make. no one knew then, either, about the new variant. the oxygen levels plummet of a covid patient. but for some of the decision—makers still in government, the missed moments of september had a profound effect, setting a course

for a terrible second wave. time and again, those who made the choices cite one big success, throwing everything at finding a vaccine. they had resolved to "pay high, pay early and ensure it works" at home. ministers resolved to set aside the normal rules. the project was vital, but uncertain. much of it was secret too. the vaccines even had codenames named after submarines to protect commercial confidentiality. now that early choice to push alone for a vaccine seems a stroke of genius. but, back then, it was a real gamble. this generation of decision—makers and the fabric of the state have been stretched in a way theyjust hadn't been for decades. but so have we. and those who made the decisions are all too aware that mistakes in these last 12 months may have had such a terrible cost.

the bbc�*s political editor, laura kuenssberg with that special report. the latest coronavirus figures show there were 5,089 new cases recorded in the latest 2a—hour period, which means on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is 5,756. there were 6a deaths reported, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test, which means on average, ia5 people died every day in the last week from taking the total to 125,580. — from coronavirus. 257,010 people have had theirfirst dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 2a hour period, which means a total of more than 2a million people have now had their firstjab, meaning just over a6% of the adult population has now

received their first vaccination. and more than 1.6 million people have had both doses of the vaccine. portugal will be removed from the �*red list�* of countries, so travel to england will be allowed again after a o'clock on friday. it means returning travellers will be able to quarantine at home, rather than in a hotel. but other countries including ethiopia, oman, somalia and qatar will be added to the travel ban list. hairdressers in wales say they've been overwhelmed with demand for appointments, after re—opening today. but nail bars and beauty salons are likely to remain shut until at least the middle of next month. more pupils have returned to school in scotland, in the latest phase of easing the lockdown. high school students are beginning face—to—face lessons on a part—time basis, while all primary pupils have now returned to the classroom. the chocolate retailer thorntons

says none of its stores will reopen when the lockdown restrictions are lifted. the decision to close its 61 shops will put more than 600 jobs at risk. the company said it had been badly hit by the pandemic and lost sales over the crucial christmas and easter trading periods. the most competitive event of the racing calendar, the cheltenham festival, begins tomorrow. there was controversy last year when the event was allowed to go ahead, with tens of thousands of spectators, despite the looming pandemic. it will be very different this year with empty stands and a sport rocked by controversy over its treatment of horses, as our sports editor dan roan reports. final preparations ahead of what will be a unique cheltenham, one robbed of its famous roar. last year's festival heavily criticised for going ahead despite fears over the pandemic. we followed the advice of the government at the time and that advice was for events such as this to continue and,

you know, we're all in a very different situation now. this time, the controversy is of a different kind. top trainer gordon elliott, and amateurjockey robjames, both banned after pictures emerged of each posing with dead horses plunging the sport into crisis. the woman who runs racing told me it can't afford to be complacent. the images shown in recent weeks and seeing those break through into mainstream media is damaging. we really need to ensure that the racing fans of the future, those people who may potentially own horses in the future, really get the correct image of horse racing, and so we've got a lot of work to do to make sure that that message gets across. 12 months ago, all the concern was for the spectators who came here, but recent events mean that the focus has now shifted to the welfare of horses as racing fights to regain public trust. these thoroughbreds are being cared for in their retirement at these stables in the cotswolds, among thousands supported by the charity retraining of racehorses.

but those dedicated to horse welfare want more support. i think the spotlight will be on us even more. we can always do things better and we need help to do that better. i think the racing industry needs to probably get behind us and really start telling the story much better than we do now. top trainer fergal o'brien has been enjoying his best ever season ahead of the festival and says the sport should not bejudged on the recent controversies. you're talking about two very isolated incidents that don't actually represent the sport at all. go to any racing yard and you'll see the quality and care that are given to these athletes. but all we can do is go forward and portray what a great sport that we are involved in, and one that i'm still very proud to be involved in. a national database for racehorses like these is being developed, one of a number of welfare reforms delayed by the pandemic. but with the spotlight on the sport like never before, there is now added urgency. dan roan, bbc news, cheltenham.

this year's oscar nominations include plenty of british talent — with carey mulligan, olivia colman and sir anthony hopkins among those named. our arts editor will gompertz takes us through the nominations for a ceremony that will be unlike any other — taking place in a railway station. welcome to the 2021 oscar nominations, not coming from sunny hollywood, sadly, but from a rather damp leicester square where the cinemas have been shut all year but, by hook or by crook, the films have been released so we have got a shortlist to discuss with larushka from the metro newspaper. let's start with the acting nominations and best actress. who should win? who will win? i think who should win is vanessa kirby, the british actress, for pieces of a woman. i still haven't got over the 20—minute birth scene that she does at the beginning of that film. but i think who will win is andra day, who puts in a terrific transformational performance as billie holiday. # blood on the leaves and blood at the root. #.

best actor, who is in the running and who is going to win? i would love to see riz ahmed win for sound of metal. he plays this ex—drug addict drummer who goes suddenly deaf. he is electrifying in this role.