this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. organisers of this summer's tokyo olympics and parlympics say no international fans will be allowed because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. europe braces itself for a third wave of coronavirus infections — with fresh lockdowns in france and poland. reaching a milestone — as borisjohnson gets his jab, the government announce half of all adults in the uk have been vaccinated. a volcano erupts south—west of iceland's capital reykjavik. learning languages in lockdown — the boom in the number of people learning welsh, notjust in the uk but around the world. the former leeds and scotland footballer peter lorimer has died at the age of 7a after a long illness.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. our top story — the tokyo 2020 olympic organising committee has said that international spectators will not be allowed to enterjapan during the olympic games which are scheduled for this summer. the decision will ensure the four—yearly spectacle will be a largely televised event this year. olympic and paralympic tickets purchased by overseas residents will be refunded, it said in a statement. speculation about the ban had been rife for weeks, as organisers grappled with how to make the games safe during the coronavirus pandemic. our sports correspondent alex capstick has more on this.

alex, it was predicted because there has been so many questions about whether these games would be held at all. , ., , whether these games would be held at all. , . , , whether these games would be held at all. , , all. this has been well signposted for a few weeks. _ all. this has been well signposted for a few weeks. there _ all. this has been well signposted for a few weeks. there was - all. this has been well signposted for a few weeks. there was a - all. this has been well signposted for a few weeks. there was a leak from inside the japanese government earlier this month, which suggested that this was going to happen. foreign fans were going to be barred from attending the games. today, that has been made official. it follows a meeting with the organisers of tokyo 2020, the japanese government, the metropolitan government and the ioc and the international paralympic committee. those two organisations both fully support this organisation which has been made by the japanese government. they have always said that their priority was for these games to be a safe and secure as possible. and with tokyo currently in lockdown, under emergency measures, the failure to control the pandemic around the world, this decision was coming. it will be hugely disappointing for fans around

the world who were hoping to attend the world who were hoping to attend the olympics injapan this year. there now will be allowed to. they will get a refund, although costs related to hotel rooms and that sort of stuff, they will not get their money back on that from the local organisers. imilli money back on that from the local organism-— money back on that from the local oraanisers.~ , ,, u, .,, organisers. will japanese spectators be allowed? — organisers. will japanese spectators be allowed? that _ organisers. will japanese spectators be allowed? that decision _ organisers. will japanese spectators be allowed? that decision is - organisers. will japanese spectators be allowed? that decision is yet - organisers. will japanese spectators be allowed? that decision is yet to l be allowed? that decision is yet to come. be allowed? that decision is yet to come- that — be allowed? that decision is yet to come. that will _ be allowed? that decision is yet to come. that will be _ be allowed? that decision is yet to come. that will be made _ be allowed? that decision is yet to come. that will be made in - be allowed? that decision is yet to come. that will be made in april. | come. that will be made in april. fans are watching live sport in japan, they are going into the stadiums right now. sometimes in quite large numbers. so fans are expected to attend the games or competitions. how many, they do not know. there may be a cap on the number that go to those events. it has been suggested they could allow them to be full for the games, but thatis them to be full for the games, but that is a decision which has to come. there were comments from the committee, they said earlier this week the decision on foreign fans should be delayed until closer to

the games. that has not happened because organisers wanted to make a decision mainly for logistical reasons. because people had reserved rooms, they had reserve flights, they felt it was only fair to make that decision as soon as possible before the relay starts later this week. ~ ., , , , before the relay starts later this week. ~ . , , , ., week. what is the sense of the ublic week. what is the sense of the public made — week. what is the sense of the public made in _ week. what is the sense of the public made in japan _ week. what is the sense of the public made in japan itself? i week. what is the sense of the | public made in japan itself? are public made injapan itself? are they keen to have this very prestigious set of events happen or are they really worried about international teams, with a huge staff that come with them, coming into their country? the staff that come with them, coming into their country?— into their country? the made in ja an into their country? the made in japan has _ into their country? the made in japan has played _ into their country? the made in japan has played a _ into their country? the made in japan has played a role - into their country? the made in japan has played a role in - into their country? the made in japan has played a role in this l japan has played a role in this decision. recent polls suggest that 80% of the japanese public either want the games postponed, delayed again until next year, or cancelled altogether. that has clearly buoyed organisers, it is clearly worried government officials as well. —— worried organisers. as has been consistently said, it is only fair for them to hold an olympic games thatis for them to hold an olympic games that is as safe and secure as

possible for the japanese public. they have clearly been worried about the influx of foreign fans. they are also worried about the ten and a half thousand —— 15,500 olympic and paralympic half thousand ——15,500 olympic and paralympic athletes who will attend the games, their entourage, coaches and officials, and tens of thousands of media who are due to attend the event. closing off foreign fans will be some of them, but in any of them will still be worried about these games taking place at all. is a definite that _ games taking place at all. is a definite that they _ games taking place at all. is a definite that they will go ahead or is it still an open question? if definite that they will go ahead or is it still an open question?- is it still an open question? if you talk to that _ is it still an open question? if you talk to that local— is it still an open question? if you talk to that local officials, - is it still an open question? if you talk to that local officials, the - talk to that local officials, the olympic committee, the games are going ahead. it is not whether they going ahead. it is not whether they go ahead, it is how they go ahead. they have got lots of covid countermeasures, playbooks that have been given to athletes, given to officials, given to members of the media, with the clear instructions on how they should behave when they get to the games. people will be kept inside bubbles, they will not be allowed to travel on public transport, go to local shops,

restaurants, they will have to stay within the games infrastructure. accredited venues only. those are in place, they are clear for everyone. athletes seem to be happy with them. you mentioned in your introduction, this will be mainly a televised event. it has been said, that this is mostly a televised event anyway,, the olympics, perhaps it will not look that different, especially if the local fans are allowed inside the local fans are allowed inside the venues. the overall experience, which is a meeting place for people around the world, that will disappear from this event, because foreign fans will not be allowed, and athletes will not be allowed to mingle as much as they have done in the past. mingle as much as they have done in the ast. . ~ i. mingle as much as they have done in the ast. . ~' ,, ,., mingle as much as they have done in the ast. . ~' ,, . europe is preparing for a third wave of coronavirus amid a surge in new cases and a shortage of vaccines that can reduce the spread of the disease. france has introduced a partial lockdown — with 21 million people in 16 areas, including paris, among those affected. in poland, non—essential shops, hotels, cultural and sporting facilities are also closed for three

weeks — as the country has seen the highest new daily cases since november. germany's chancellor, angela merkel, has also said the country is at risk of having to re—impose lockdown measures as it copes with an �*exponential rise' in coronavirus cases. meanwhile, in the uk, the vaccine roll—out programme has reached a new milestone, with health secretary matt hancock saying half of all uk adults now having received their first coronavirus jab. this report from simonjones contains flashing images. facing a third wave fuelled by a faltering vaccine programme — with delays in supplies and scepticism about the jab — much of europe is seeing a rise in infections. in germany, there is a warning it is likely the country will need to apply an emergency break and reimpose lockdown measures. just 8% of germany's population has so far received a first dose of vaccine. translation: there are not yet enough vaccines in europe - to stop the third wave through vaccination alone. even if deliveries of eu

orders are now reliable, it will still stake several weeks before the risk groups it will still take several weeks before the risk groups are fully vaccinated. only then can we talk about wider openings in society. in france, there was a rush to leave paris before new lockdown measures came into force at midnight. the prime minister, jean castex, was keen to be seen getting the astrazeneca jab after days of debate in the eu about its possible side—effects, resulting in europe's medical regulator saying it is safe. in the uk, where infections continue to fall in many areas, around half the adult population has now been given a first dose. the prime minister, borisjohnson, returned to the hospital in london where he was treated last year for coronavirus to back the jab. i did not feel a thing. it was very good, very quick, and you know what i'm going to say, i cannot recommend it highly enough. everybody, when you do get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it,

it is the best thing for you, the best thing for your family and everybody else. and there is a warning the uk cannot afford to be complacent. we have had our first and second wave, there are areas of the country where it is stubbornly staying at a relatively high level. what will happen later in the year is the infections come back again, if we have not protected our vulnerable population by vaccination at that stage, then we will be back where we were in march, april of last year. we have got a little card to take away with you. to complement the vaccine programme, the british government is funding two new clinical trials to try to develop treatments to stop the spread of covid amongst the most vulnerable. the message from the prime minister is that the scientists will help us get through this. simon jones, bbc news. let's get more on this from sian griffiths, emeritus professor at the chinese university of hong kong and chair of the global health committee for public health england. she also chaired the inquiry into the hong kong government's response to the sars outbreak back in 2003.

thank you so much for your time today. why do you think there is this eu rise in infections? obviously it is a combination of factors. we have seen a slower vaccine roll—out in most of the countries in europe, we have also seen an exponential increase, which rather mirrors the exponential increase that we had in the uk in december, when the variant, the variant that was first identified in kent, took off and created our last wave of infections. and we note that france, for example, is reporting high levels of variant, as opposed to the original strain of virus. so it is about the virus is more transmissible, the vaccination rate is quite slow, people were getting ready to stop lockdown, to ease lockdown, so i think there is a sort of population issue there, and of

course there is the vaccine scepticism that has been seen, which is at a higher rate in some countries. in france, than it would be in the uk. countries. in france, than it would be in the uk-_ be in the uk. event that everyone could see what _ be in the uk. event that everyone could see what was _ be in the uk. event that everyone could see what was happening - be in the uk. event that everyone could see what was happening in | be in the uk. event that everyone i could see what was happening in the uk with this huge new infectious rate, should europe have closed down and lockdown much more tightly? because it is incredible, isn't it, to see this third surge there when it should have been predicted? it is alwa s it should have been predicted? it 3 always difficult to say. it is always difficult to say. it is always easy to look at hindsight and say that that is what you should have done. with my experience in hong kong, itend have done. with my experience in hong kong, i tend to say well, let's look at where we are now and what we need to do. what is needed is to increase vaccination rates, particularly vulnerable groups, very quickly. and to get the roll—out going. it has had that stop, start history, particularly last week with the need for the ema to make a pronouncement on whether or not the astrazeneca vaccine was safe, which

it is, and which has been being rolled out in the uk but was held up for a while. there was a sense about there has not been the full commitment to the vaccination programme. it is notjust that, it is people's behaviours. france has been putting in place lockdown is in various cases, so it is not that they have not been doing things, it is just that more needs to be done. if there is a search, as we are seeing in europe, even though the uk is vaccinated half of its adults, could that have an impact in this country and what does it mean for summer travel?— summer travel? obviously, it is treat summer travel? obviously, it is great that— summer travel? obviously, it is great that half _ summer travel? obviously, it is great that half of _ summer travel? obviously, it is great that half of the _ summer travel? obviously, it is great that half of the country i summer travel? obviously, it is| great that half of the country are vaccinated, but the other half are not, so they are at risk of getting the disease. the virus could start to spread amongst younger age groups, that is a possibility. what it means for the summer is that it is much more difficult to come to agreement about vaccine corridors or

arrangements when you know that you have got increasing rates of disease in countries such as france, italy, spain, germany, when you grow the rates are going up... spain, germany, when you grow the rates are going up. . ._ rates are going up... should the government _ rates are going up... should the government be _ rates are going up... should the government be saying _ rates are going up. .. should the government be saying now- rates are going up... should the government be saying now that| rates are going up... should the - government be saying now that summer holidays abroad are not advisable or is it too soon? when realistically will we know that? i is it too soon? when realistically will we know that?— will we know that? i think this is alwa s a will we know that? i think this is always a difficult _ will we know that? i think this is always a difficult call, _ will we know that? i think this is always a difficult call, it - will we know that? i think this is always a difficult call, it is - will we know that? i think this is always a difficult call, it is a - always a difficult call, it is a political call, and the politicians need to make it. scientists can reflect speed of increase or decrease, speed of increase of vaccination and effectiveness and look at how this goes throughout europe over time, and just make decisions based on the evidence that there is at the time. many people will still want to go away, even if it is not until august, by which time this wave could be reduced and it could be safe.— it could be safe. what is your sense auoin into it could be safe. what is your sense going into autumn? _ it could be safe. what is your sense going into autumn? in _ it could be safe. what is your sense going into autumn? in terms - it could be safe. what is your sense going into autumn? in terms of - it could be safe. what is your sense i going into autumn? in terms of speed of vaccination roll—out in the uk and europe, europe, is there a real risk that the numbers will spike upwards again?—

risk that the numbers will spike upwards again? there's always a risk, upwards again? there's always a risk. there _ upwards again? there's always a risk, there is _ upwards again? there's always a risk, there is a _ upwards again? there's always a risk, there is a risk— upwards again? there's always a risk, there is a risk of _ upwards again? there's always a risk, there is a risk of variance i risk, there is a risk of variance taking hold, there is a risk... i think we have seen a case of a worker in china who is not protected and has got covid for the second time. that could be with a different variant, it could bejust time. that could be with a different variant, it could be just because the immunity had waned, or it could be that although it has a population figure when you get a percentage of protection in the population, at— 90%, it is not every individual. some individuals will remain at risk. it is a matter of keeping the population levels of virus as low as possible to stop the spread. if they start to increase, i am sure we will have to take more measures, be it booster vaccination or be it more lockdown measures, such as social distancing. all the way through this, we have to remember that we still need to keep those behaviours. in the uk, we are not out of the woods, we still have to stay local, state home, we need to remember

about mask wearing in public places and we also need to remember about things such as hand washing, they should not disappear, because that in itself will decrease other respiratory viruses, such as blue. a sort of sense here that, although it is good news and we are travelling on the right direction, we are seeing anxiety and signs that make us anxious across the channel in europe. we need to stay watchful. we need to be prepared to act quickly should we say a another wave rising, but hopefully we will not. hopefully the vaccination and our behaviours will keep the level is low. this is a global problem, this is not a single problem for a single country. we do need to be concerned, notjust about what is going on in europe, what is going on in south america, what is going on in south america, what is going on in south america, what is going on across africa but, what is going on across africa but, what is going on across africa but, what is going on in other parts of the world. it is going to be very important that we have a global

programme to reduce the spread of covid. notjust a local one. although we have made good progress to start in the uk.— to start in the uk. thank you very much forjoining _ to start in the uk. thank you very much forjoining us _ to start in the uk. thank you very much forjoining us today. - here, the government is coming under pressure to ease lockdown restrictions to allow protests to go ahead. more than 60 mps and peers have signed a letter warning that allowing police to criminalise people for protesting is "is not acceptable" and "arguably not lawful". our political correspondent jonathan blake is with me. is this people who are very liberal or libertarian politically? we have just been hearing about the huge pressures on covid and the public safety risks of gathering, no matter howjustified, they are clear. this how 'ustified, they are clear. this is a howjustified, they are clear. this is a a-rou howjustified, they are clear. this is a group of _ howjustified, they are clear. t�*i 3 is a group of politicians from all the main parties at westminster, but broadly aligned, as you suggest, along libertarian lines. there are a handful of conservative backbench mps in there who have signed this letter, coordinated by big brother watch, but they are people who would

normally expect to criticise the government approach to lockdowns and very much and he the continuation of restriction measures. they argue, though, that in the week of the sarah everard killing and the response to the vigil on clapham that there is ambiguity around the law when it comes to protest. although it was not explicitly forbidden in the coronavirus regulations, it does not come under that list of exemptions that people in england are allowed to leave their homes for, and the people have signed this letter say that this is an entirely unsatisfactory situation, the police have no legal certainty, they say, as do protesters to their rights. this cannot continue. the home office has responded saying, making clear that it is still illegal for people to protest while we are in the pandemic, they say they continue to urge people to avoid large gatherings. a key point here is that on the 29th of march, the next step

in the lifting of lockdown measures in the lifting of lockdown measures in england, the government has made clear that it will be legal to protest then, subject to previous covid precautions, fulfilling of risk assessments, social distancing and the like. those who have signed this letter this that and they make very much a broader point of principle about what they see as the erosion of human rights, particularly the right to protest. that is something that the government has come into criticism for with its approach beyond the pandemic, so legislation going through parliament at the minute, it has been criticised by many for its approach to protest, specifically around noise levels and what critics argue is extra powers for police to limit people's rights to protest, one of those who signed a letter today, criticising that bill is the leader of the liberal democrats. the police could stop a peaceful assembly now and in the future with these new conservative laws

if those protests made a noise. i think people should wake up, this is a draconian approach from this conservative government. you know, i am fed up of hearing conservative mps talking about freedoms and free speech when they are voting for some of the most illiberal laws i have ever seen. conservative mps who championed freedom are now voting for the most disgraceful attack on your rights and my rights that i have seen in my lifetime. making a political attack on the government. the conservative mps who are in some cases speaking up against the lockdown measures. this is a debate that will continue, definitely, because i have been various points of concerns expressed by opposition parties, yes, but also some in the conservative party about the reach of coronavirus legislation and how far that may continue beyond the end of the pandemic. this bill going through parliament at the moment looking at crime and

sentencing is definitely a flashpoint for that debate. absolutely. it is a divider between what is going on now and much bigger potential restrictions after the pandemic if we ever get through it. thank you very much indeed. learning a language might have been an aspiration for many of us in lockdown, but now new figures here in the uk show there's been a boom in people learning one in particular — welsh. and notjust in the uk — people have been learning it all over the world too. tomos morgan meets some of the people in far flung places who've taken it up. i ddysgu cymraeg nawr, to learn welsh now, the classroom's gone online, just like everything else over the last year. since i was a baby. but these classes aren't just for those living here in wales that can't speak the language. they're full of learners from all over the world.

i will give you an eight out of ten for that, that's pretty good. people like student nicole gallegos who lives in, yes, you guessed it, costa rica. not your usual hotbed for celtic languages, i'll admit. she began studying in october on a language app after realising that her surname has a welsh connection. i heard that the gallegos people are like a combination of spanish and welsh people that came to the land many years ago, so gallegos kind of has a little bit of welsh in it. and heraim? to be fluent and to come and study in cardiff in the future. it would be super, super cool if i could go and study there after i finish studying here. the royal welsh college of music and drama in cardiff, is it? yes, that's right. i wasn't quite good enough to get in there, so if you do, you'll have done very doing well. thank you. last year, welsh was the fastest—growing language in the uk on duolingo, and the number of users worldwide learning welsh has increased

by 100,000 since october, with a fifth of all students based in america and even someone in antarctica. so we're here just outside doorn in the netherlands... back to a more familiar time zone in holland and jen bailey, an australian music conductor, has also taken to studying one of the oldest languages in in europe over the pandemic. without the social interaction of the orchestra over the last year, the added interaction online, on facebook, has been a huge relief for her. some people live in wales and some of them, like me, come from across the world, no particular family connection, no reason whatsoever to learn welsh, and that gave a tribe and it gave validation, it's not completely weird to learn welsh. but this increased interest has meant that online classes have been overwhelmed with a lack of teachers to meet the demand.

we were surprised initially that anyone would be interested in wanting to learn online. i've been running online chat clubs all over the world, people from all over the world connecting, and ijust put up the chat club and it fills up within a few hours and then i have to turn people away. as face—to face socialising begins again, will welsh continue to flourish as the pandemic eases? for now, there's still plenty of grammar yet to be learned. tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. extraordinary! i hope that young lady gets to cardiff. a volcano in south—west iceland has erupted, releasing streams of lava from under the earth's surface. it follows thousands of small earthquakes in the area over recent weeks. the fissure erupted 30 kilometres from of the capital, reykyavik, is more than 500 metres long. this is the first eruption in the area in centuries. danai howard reports.

this is what icelanders have been waiting for for weeks now. 1t0 kilometres south of the capital reykjavik, lava began spewing from the ground on friday evening. officials say the fissure is around 500 kilometres long, and a no—fly zone has been established in the area. iceland sits between two tectonic plates so eruptions aren't uncommon, but this is the first in fagradalsfjall in 900 years. normally, there are around 1,000 tremors a year but there have been more than 50,000 in the last three weeks — the highest number since digital recordings began in 1991. in 2010, the eruption of another volcano ejected a column of ash nine kilometres into the air that brought flights to a halt across europe. iceland's meteorological office says the lava from this eruption will emerge more slowly and not create such disruption. the small village of grindavik is just a few kilometres away. for weeks now, they have been

affected by near constant earthquakes and tremors warning of the upcoming eruption. translation: the earth shook well outside and when i came _ in with the luggage, the kitchen island was on its side and various things had come out of the cupboards. we thought we'd prepared! police have told residents to close their windows and stay indoors, due to the risk of gas pollution carried by the wind. and after 900 years of volcanic inactivity, people in the area have been flooding social media with photos and videos of this formidable sight. danai howard, bbc news. emergency authorities in australia are warning of "life threatening" flash floods as torrential rains batter its most populous state, new south wales. dozens of people have been rescued from the floodwaters. the state premier said the storms could last till the end of next week and pleaded with residents to obey evacuation warnings. agata imielska from the bureau of meteorology urged people to prepare themselves for more heavy rain.

in fact, for the mid north coast and hunter region, we are seeing rainfall that is record—breaking for march by 100—200 millimetres above those march records. you are watching bbc news. the former leeds and scotland footballer peter lorimer has died at the age of 7a after a long illness. he was part of the leeds team that won the league twice under don revie and remains the club's all—time leading goal scorer. our sports correspondent andy swiss looks back at his career. when it came to the art of goal—scoring, few did it as spectacularly as peter lorimer. here's lorimer! no better striker or volleyer of the ball in football than hotshot lorimer. it was a nickname he earned at leeds united where, after making his debut atjust 15, he became famed for his ferocious shooting.

lorimer! at speeds of around 90 mph, few hit the ball harder. lorimer. what a goal! his goals propelled leads to two league titles and an fa cup, as in the late '60s and early '70s they became the dominant force in english football. at the same time, lorimer was inspiring scotland to the 1974 world cup where he scored yet another thunderous goal. lorimer! 1-0. his career might have been even better. in 1975, leeds reached the european cup final, and lorimer seem to have blasted them ahead, but the goal was controversially ruled out for offside and they lost to bayern munich. but his legacy is beyond dispute. his tally of 238 goals still a record for leeds. despite retiring as a player in 1986, his status as a legend endured.

a much loved footballing figure and the man whose dazzling goal—scoring powers... lorimer! ..will surely never be forgotten. peter lorimer remembered there. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello there. it's the spring equinox today, and whilst many will be cloudy and rather cool, there will be a little bit of sunshine to warm things up for some of you. we have got high pressure still in charge. it has slipped a bit further southwards, though, and with that, we will start bringing in winds in from the north and west instead of from the east. that is going to have a big difference to some areas because, crucially, the sea temperatures around the uk at the coldest at the moment get the wind off the sea, it is going to feel chilly. certainly a chilly day across eastern england yesterday with the wind coming off the north sea. today, though, with winds from the north—west, it is here where the best of the cloud breaks will be. same, too, in south—east scotland. and where the highest of the temperatures will be.

we will see some sunshine return later, orkney, shetland, and the far north of scotland after a wet and windy spell. sunshine continues in the south across the channel islands. but here, with the wind off that chilly sea, just 9 degrees. 14—17 possible in some parts of that north—east england. this is where the peak of today's warmth will be. moving away from western scotland, where it was yesterday. that is all due to that shift in wind direction, which will now go to night into more of a northerly direction, pushing patchy rain and drizzle southwards through scotland, northern ireland, into northern england, wales, and by the end of the night, across the midlands, too. with clear skies in its wake and that chilly air in place, it is going to be a colder night than last night across the northern half of the country. could see temperatures low enough for a touch of frost in one 01’ two areas. mild enough, though, in the south, lots of cloudy, damp, drizzly, quite a murky start to the day for some of you, particularly around the hills. the rain and drizzle will ease off, becoming confined to the channel islands, far west of cornwall. skies will brighten. more cloud into the far north of scotland with a few spots of rain. elsewhere, a better chance of a bit

of sunshine on sunday afternoon. temperatures, though, will be down a little bit, we have got a slightly colder air mass in place, probably the highest of the temperatures this time south west midlands, south—west england, and across south wales. but with the colder air, by and large in place, and some clear skies for sunday night, monday morning could be chilly. gardeners take note, there could be a little bit of frost around as we head into the start of the new week. the new week will start with high pressure in place, we start dry, but as that starts to push its way southwards, we open the door to the atlantic winds and that will bring more cloud and some wet and windy weather for some of you. particularly for scotland and northern ireland. as our outlooks for next week show, rain will be developing at times. further south always drier and always a little bit milder. that is how it is looking. i will see you again soon. hello, this is bbc news with geeta guru—murthy. the headlines: europe braces itself for a third wave of coronavirus infections — with fresh lockdowns

in france and poland.