this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 7:00pm. the government warns the european union, that any attempt to block the export of doses of coronavirus vaccine to the uk would be "counterproductive". yesterday saw another record—breaking number of vaccinations in the uk — nearly 900,000 administered — but a warning that facemasks and some social distancing could be with us, for years. meanwhile, wore questions over whether people can plan forforeign holidays. i think it would be premature to do that. it would be potentially risky. we are seeing growing variants. we have done a huge amount of work, the taxpayer, the nhs staff, my constituents who have been in lockdown since september in preston and i don't want

us to throw that away. a snapshot of life in england, wales and northern ireland — today's the deadline for millions of people to take part in a once—in—a—decade census. parts of australia have been hit by the worst flooding in a century. and more torrential rain is forecast. the australian prime minister has offered emergency funds to those who've been forced to flee their homes. and coming up in sportsday — defeat for man united — they have been knocked out of the fa cup by leicester city. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the government has warned the european union, that any attempt

to block the export of coronavirus vaccine to the uk, would be "counterproductive". the defence secretary, ben wallace, told the bbc, there's a risk of reputational damage to the eu, if it stops vaccines manufactured on the continent, from leaving. on the continent from leaving. but frustration is widespread in some eu countries, that they're not receiving the doses they need. this comes as yesterday saw another record—breaking number of vaccinations in the uk — nearly 850,000 people received either their first or their second jab on saturday — that brought the total number of first jabs delivered in the uk to 27.6 million. a further 33 people who tested positive for coronavirus in the past 28 days have died — the lowest figure since october 5th. and the number of new confirmed cases registered on saturday was 5,312.

here's our political correspondent, ben wright. protection against covid delivered at pace. yesterday, just over 844,000 people received a jab, a second record in as many days. more than half of uk adults have had theirfirst dose and infection rates are falling. but in europe, rising cases and slower take—up of the vaccine has seen restrictions reimposed in some countries and led to a warning last week by the european commission it could block vaccine exports to countries including the uk. there was no retreat from that threat today. what's terribly important this week, as you say, there is an increase in infections across europe, alarming for everybody. but the leaders will meet this week and they will make an assessment of the current situation about the roll—out of vaccines, and perhaps make decisions. but as the president

of the commission said herself, everything is on the table, but there is no decision. despite the cross—channel tension, one cabinet minister said the two sides had to work together. if you are a country around the world and you see this kind of language being employed by the commission, it will be counter—productive. what we know about the manufacture of our vaccine, it is a collaborative approach. the astrazeneca ip was developed in oxford. parts of the supply chain are in europe and some are in india. trying to balkanise or build walls around this would only damage both eu citizens and the united kingdom. the government does expect a big drop in vaccine supply next month but insists all adults will be offered a firstjab by the end ofjuly. the speed of the uk's vaccine roll—out has hardened calls from some tory mps for lockdown restrictions in england to be lifted sooner. they will be vocal this week when mps get a vote on renewing the government's emergency powers for another six months. but ministers insist their road map must remain cautious,

and that applies to any summer holidays people might be planning. the very earliest date people will be allowed to travel abroad is may 17th — and with infection rates rising in some european countries, the chance of a getaway might be shrinking. we do need to be careful, we do need to be cautious. and, frankly, i haven't booked a foreign holiday for this summer and i won't be doing so because i don't think we're there yet. ministers will set out their plans for restarting foreign travel on april 12th. there's still hope that summer holidays can happen but it's by no means guaranteed. ben wright, bbc news. with no further clarity yet on foreign holidays or travel to visit family abroad — and with infections rising in europe — there's a warning that some coronavirus restrictions could last for years. 0ur health correspondent, jim reed, has more. this weekend, more than one million doses of a coronavirus vaccine are likely to be given across the uk. the question is, how quickly will that allow us to unlock society

and return to normality? today, one of england's most senior doctors warned masks and social distancing might need to continue for some years. certainly, for a few years. at least until other parts of the world are as well vaccinated as we are and the numbers have come down everywhere. that's when we may be able to go very gradually back. one of the concerns that doctors and the scientist have are variants. all viruses constantly mutate. most changes are not a worry but vaccines use the gene from the spike protein on the outside of the virus to train the immune system. so if this mutates, as it has done in the variants first found in brazil, and in particular, south africa, it may make the virus in brazil and, in particular, south africa, it may make the virus less visible to the protective antibodies generated by the vaccine. surge testing like this has found around 300 cases of the south african variant in the uk so far.

in france, the level is much higher with around 5,000 cases in the last week alone. it's one reason why some scientists have said foreign travel might not be possible this summer. others think some form of vaccine passport might be needed. for example, the south african variant, we know that the vaccines being rolled out in the uk have at least 50% efficacy against them. and it is likely that the death rate, for example, if you do get the illness, the new variant, will not be as high. scientists say the vaccine roll—out in the uk is now starting to pay off. but returning to normal life will depend, very much, on what also happens in the rest of the world. jim reed, bbc news. the government has been warned that its decision to slash billions of dollars from its overseas aid budget is illegal. the former top prosecutor,

ken macdonald, said the commitment to meet a un target of spending 0.7% of national income on foreign aid was enshrined in domestic law. 0ur diplomatic correspondent, james landale, has more. it comes down to an analysis of the existing law, the international development act. the government says this allows for the target of 0.7% of national income on aid every year to be missed. but what this judgment says is, yes, you can miss it inadvertently, by mistake, and come to parliament and explain why you made the mistake and what you will do to correct it. what this judgment says is what you cannot do is say, we are going to miss the target in future deliberately. we will reduce it down to 0.5. lord macdonald says you cannot do that. the lord doesn't give you the power to do it. you can only do that if you put

new legislation through parliament and that is why it is unlawful. james landale reporting. buckingham palace is reviewing its �*diversity policies', in all of the royal households. palace sources have told the bbc, that although the work has been under way for some time, it would now include looking at the allegations of racism made by the duke and duchess of sussex, in their recent tv interview. the sources said, there are already policies in place, but there's an acceptance that more needs to be done. the work is said to have the full support of the royal family. details of every adult and child in england, wales and northern ireland, are being collected today, as part of a once—in—a—decade census. by law, everyone has to be accounted for, in order to provide the government, local authorities and other organisations with information needed for future planning. the bbc�*s home editor, mark easton, has the details. voiceover: the census builds a picture of your community. l when you fill in yours, you help make decisions about services like local transport and health care. almost every decade since 1801,

the uk has held a census, a detailed snapshot of our society that helps governments plan and fund the local services we need. schools, gp surgeries, roads, transport and housing. but only for the third time in its long history, part of the country will not be participating in this census day. in scotland it has been delayed for a year because of concerns the results would reflect the abnormal circumstances of the pandemic and prove less useful in the longer term. lockdown means people are not necessarily staying in their usual household, or have left the country during the health emergency. but the event goes ahead in the rest of the uk, with the justification that understanding the impact of life under covid will be vital in distributing funds where they are needed most after the pandemic is over. it's easy to complete the census online. you can do it on a computer, tablet, or phone. this census, for the first time, will be conducted primarily online. 90% of households will have received

a letter with a i6—digit code to access a secure website page. but paper forms are available for those who need them. the 2021 census includes one new question, counting military veterans, and extra categories on sexual orientation and gender identity. it is a legal requirement to complete or be included in the census by the end of today, although officials will go door—to—door to offer support before prosecuting those who refuse to comply with a fine of up to £1,000. mark easton, bbc news. over the last year, millions of people in england, who were told they're clinically extremely vulnerable have been shielding at home to protect against the coronavirus. well, that shielding will now end for nearly four million people, on 1st april. 0ur north of england correspondent, judith moritz, has more details. this is my kitchen. over here is my dining room.

it's also my study. there's not much chance to get away from work. for the last year, these four walls have been philip's whole world. he started shielding last march and has barely been outside since. it's really frustrating being stuck inside when it's such a nice day. philip has the blood disorder aplastic anaemia, which makes him extremely vulnerable to covid. he has chosen to shield even at times when the guidance has been relaxed. i live by myself, i've had very little human contact over the past year. given that, what's it felt like? have you had cabin fever? ifelt really, you know, confined at the start of lockdown but i think it's something that i've gradually got used to. it's almost now, it's the anxiety of when i finally do go out into the real world, i think that's preying on my mind more than being isolated for so long. we'll meet again... # we'll meet again...#

for so many people, meeting online has been the only way of socialising. what fairy tale character has really long hair? rapunzel. well done. the vibe group in liverpool is for adults with additional needs, some of whom are shielding. the weekly quiz and karaoke gives them some much—needed time together. i love meeting new people in vibe. some days it's good to meet up and see everyone. love you all, love you all. i like to come to vibe very much. bye, guys. bye. i'm escaping the house for five minutes to have a little walk round the garden. the size of rachel's world has also shrunk, as her severe asthma put her on the shielding list. today we are going to continue to look at macbeth. rachel is a teacher. currently her pupils are at school and she's teaching them from home. on page 16 in your booklet. but over the last year, the advice to shield has changed several times,

and she's had to change with it. i've ended up kind of jack—in—a—box shielding. it's difficult to get your head round how it's safe to be in the classroom one day, and then the next day it's not and you've got to shield, or like, currently, it's not safe for me to be in the classroom on 31st march but on 1st april, which is our last day of term, i can go into school, and the school will have done nothing different on either of those days. rachel can't wait to get back out into the world, and says despite it all she feels lucky. having lost friends to covid, she is just grateful to be safe. judith moritz, bbc news. it is just it isjust coming up it is just coming up to 7:15pm. the headlines on bbc news. the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, has been criticised by the uk government, for suggesting that exports of the astrazeneca covid vaccine outside the eu,

could be blocked. the government is facing more questions over whether people can plan holidays abroad this summer. homes washed away in australia, as heavy rain and flash floods batter the east coast. thousands of people are ordered to evacuate. essex has one of the highest rates of suicide in england. but in the last year, more than 115,000 people in the county, have taken part in mental health awareness training. the council is offering the training to everyone, to try to identify and support those who are struggling during the pandemic. 0ur reporter, chi chi izundu, can tell us more. hello, my name is tina. tina runs her own business and a charity and describes herself as a confident person. but christmas was a tough time for her mental health. if i'd have been pushed much further, i'm not sure i would be sitting here talking to you today. was it really difficult

to say, i need help? i didn't actually fully ask for it, it was sort of like thrust upon me from a great height because the other great thing is, is that these are people who are really good friends who'd actually seen there was something not right. so they actually came forward and then made me spill it out that there was a problem. tina was helped by people who'd gone through mental health awareness training. help other people to understand mental health and mental ill—health and what we can do about it. it's designed for anyone and not only teaches about the different types of mental health conditions but also the different ways to approach someone who may be struggling and how to signpost them to help. my name's kirsty 0'callaghan and i work as head of- strengthening communities at essex county council. - the idea to get people trained came to kirsty after she lost her dog. i realised that people would respond to something on facebook group - to something on a facebook group in a way that they perhaps wouldn't to other things _ unfortunately, we had| a very difficult incident in essex where a young woman .

took her own life, and we wanted a different way to work - hand—in—hand with communities. to reach people in essex, she contacted community groups online and said the council would pay for those who wanted to have mental health awareness training. started in south woodham ferrers, i trained about 400 people in a week, training took place in a local pub and we rolled out from there. i so to date, we've now trained - about 45,000 people across essex. but training didn'tjust happen in pubs, it also took place in other settings like monkey bizzness, hockley. hi, i'm simon, this isjames, and i'm from the never too late, mate facebook page and group. simon did his training here and set up the never too late, mate facebook group to help people get access to mental health resources. people now have the knowledge and the power to realise just how easy and simple an intervention can be. the happy hub in basildon right now only operates as a food bank and crisis centre but usually it

welcomes people inside who may be battling with their mental health. there, they can get support from volunteers who've had the mental health awareness training. i think it's invaluable, i really think everyone should have it. i'd love everyone to have it at school, i'd love everyone to have it as an adult, ijust think it's really essential because we don't have that understanding of mental health in society that we should. it's difficult to measure the training's impact, but essex city council says that people have told them that the support from those trained had stopped them taking their own lies. now 47 other local authorities around england want to adopt this very model to help their own communities. people don't go forward and say, "i'm feeling really low at the moment". you have to recognise that. so it gives you that ability to know what to look for in people and also how, if you like, how to then deal with it, but also while protecting your own mental health. chi chi izundu, bbc news.

protesters have clashed with police in bristol, after thousands of people turned up to a demonstration over plans to give the police more powers to deal with non—violent protests. hundreds of people gathered for the kill the bill demonstration, in the city centre, before marching to a nearby police station. images show protestors confronting officers — rocking a police van that had been sprayed with graffiti — as well as officers on horseback being pushed by the crowd. earlier, police had advised people not to attend the demonstration, and said action would be taken "when necessary and proportionate". a music festival is taking place in the netherlands this weekend, despite the rest of the country being under a covid—19lockdown. the two—day event is an experiment, to try to work out whether there's a safe way, to allow large social gatherings without increasing the spread of the virus.

but, with the average number of new infections in the country up, by 25% since last week, questions are being asked about the wisdom of holding a festival during a pandemic. 0ur correspondent, anna holligan, reports. surreal as it might look, a reminder of what life was once like and an opportunity to pilot a way back to this. i'm just really happy, we can go party again. what does it feel like? euphoric! 1,500 people managed to get a ticket for this and everyone here had to show a negative test before being allowed in. everyone is meant to be wearing a mask and as you can see they are not. either they have not realised or do not care. the risk with an event like this is when people stop

following the rules that could potentially affect everyone outside this controlled environment. soon they were all mixing and the masks had mostly vanished. once you are into the mood of dancing and partying, they fly away in no time. they become a party hat. asi as i usually say. as all these people are tested and no negatives, of course, this is not a normal situation. you have to see them as test bunnies during an experiment. this is not normal life. there will be people who think it is unethical to use these young people like guinea pigs. what do you say to them? all the participants know there is a minor risk. they are well aware of it. we believe from the first data that we can say the risk is not much higher than staying at home. these are motion sensors designed to track the group dynamics, and the government is paying

for the scientific research. this event will inevitably raise eyebrows and questions about how ethical it is, especially when neighbouring nations are locking down. here in the netherlands the infection rate has gone up by 25% since last week. in what sense is this valuable when the risks are still so great? yes, it will only give us the data to reopen society and if you plan it right, you can do safe things. this is not an unsafe event. the entertainment industry in the netherlands and around the world has been shut down by measures to stop our social interactions. the isolation has huge consequences, for businesses and our mental health. i miss it very much because i really love dancing. for me personally i

really miss this. yeah, i love it and i enjoy it. we really miss this. yeah, i love it and i enjoy it— really miss this. yeah, i love it and i enjoy it. and i en'oy it. we miss each other and i enjoy it. we miss each other and now we _ and i enjoy it. we miss each other and now we can — and i enjoy it. we miss each other and now we can come _ and i enjoy it. we miss each other and now we can come to - and i enjoy it. we miss each other and now we can come to a - and i enjoy it. we miss each other and now we can come to a party i and now we can come to a party again. _ and now we can come to a party aaain. , , ~ ., ., ., again. this feels like a revelation of freedom _ again. this feels like a revelation of freedom again. _ again. this feels like a revelation of freedom again. we _ again. this feels like a revelation of freedom again. we are - again. this feels like a revelation of freedom again. we are really. of freedom again. we are really happy— of freedom again. we are really happy to— of freedom again. we are really happy to be _ of freedom again. we are really happy to be able _ of freedom again. we are really happy to be able to _ of freedom again. we are really happy to be able to meet - of freedom again. we are really happy to be able to meet like . of freedom again. we are really l happy to be able to meet like this again _ happy to be able to meet like this again it — happy to be able to meet like this again it feels— happy to be able to meet like this again. it feels so _ happy to be able to meet like this again. it feels so surreal. - happy to be able to meet like this again. it feels so surreal. meet. again. it feels so surreal. meet different people _ again. it feels so surreal. meet different people and _ again. it feels so surreal.- different people and handshake again. it feels so surreal— different people and handshake and hugging. different people and handshake and hu: auin. . different people and handshake and hu. ”in. . ,., different people and handshake and hu~in. .. , different people and handshake and hu~in~. . , ., ., different people and handshake and hugging. have you been doing a lot of hugging? — hugging. have you been doing a lot of hugging? yeah! _ hugging. have you been doing a lot of hugging? yeah! everyone! - hugging. have you been doing a lot of hugging? yeah! everyone! they| of hugging? yeah! everyone! they will be tested _ of hugging? yeah! everyone! they will be tested again _ of hugging? yeah! everyone! they will be tested again next - of hugging? if�*iii everyone! they will be tested again next week to see if this event has been the source of an outbreak. although on previous occasions not everyone showed up for the second test. looking ahead to festival season, this might be a model for other countries to follow. anna holligan, bbc news. the us defence secretary, lloyd austin, has held talks with the afghan president, ashraf ghani, during

an unannounced visit to kabul. they discussed the peace process and concerns over rising violence. the visit comes at a crucial time for afghanistan. the us president, joe biden, is reviewing his administration's policy for the country, ahead of a may troop withdrawal deadline, which was agreed by his predecessor, donald trump. a court in pakistan has sentenced two men to death, for a rape which triggered public outrage. abid malhi and shafqat ali bagga, attacked a pakistani—french woman when she found herself stranded in her car beside the motorway with her two children. police had questioned why she was out so late at night. the comments sparked a public outcry, with thousands of women demanding justice and better protection for women. thousands of people are continuing to protest against the self—imposed military rule in myanmar — despite escalating violence. videos uploaded to social media,

show large crowds of people in the country's capital — naypitaw — fleeing from live ammunition. according to the un, at least 149 people have died, since 1st february, though the actualfigure is thought to be much higher. large numbers of mourners in tanzania, have been paying their respects to the late president, john magufuli, who died on wednesday. thousands have been filing past his flag—draped coffin at uhuru stadium in dar es salaam. there is no social distancing and very few of the mourners or security officials are wearing masks to guard against the potential spread of covid—19. mr magufuli had played down the risk posed by the disease, and his government had stopped providing figures early on in the pandemic. the official cause of his death was heart failure. in australia, thousands

of people in some of sydney's lower lying suburbs are being warned they may have to leave their homes due to some of the worst flooding in decades. seven emergency shelters have opened across the state of new south wales. torrential rain and strong winds are forecast to continue, and floodwaters aren't expected to subside for several days. here's phil mercer. in new south wales, officials had warned sydney was potentially facing a rain bomb. torrential downpours have turned roads into rivers and fields into lakes. homes have been swamped, and emergency crews have responded to thousands of calls for help. for the first time in years, sydney's main reservoir is overflowing, putting suburbs at risk of flooding. we worry about, do we escape or stay here? we don't know. this is the worst i've seen it. last year, just after christmas it was pretty bad as well, but not this bad.

there's going to be a lot. of people that maybe don't get their houses flooded, l but they won't get to work, the roads will be wrecked as well. across new south wales, australia's most populous state, residents in many low lying areas have been told to leave. communities to the north of sydney have been badly affected. i just want to say to everybody in new south wales who is experiencing that fear and anxiety, that our thoughts are with you and we'll get assistance to you as soon as we can. oh, my goodness. near the town of taree, a house was washed away down a river by floodwaters. it's a day the owners will never forget. they were supposed to get married, but the bride and groom were kept apart by the floods. the wild weather has delayed the roll—out of covid—19 vaccinations. more storms are expected in the next few days. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney.

i suspect slightly calmer weather. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben. hello there. most of us have seen at least some early spring sunshine this weekend although cloud amounts have varied. this is the earlier satellite picture. you can see it was cloudy across south—west england earlier today but it did brighten up. north—east scotland very similarly brightened up through the day. as we go through this evening and tonight, where we have clear skies that is where temperatures are going to drop, parts of eastern scotland, northern england, the midlands, wales, particularly prone to a touch of frost. not as cold where there is mor cloud, in the south—east of england, north—west of scotland and northern ireland. as we head into tomorrow, northern ireland and scotland can expect a lot of cloud feeding in on the south—westerly wind and the odd spot of drizzle possibly as well. eastern scotland down

across england and wales will see some spells of sunshine, large areas of cloud too, temperatures between 10—14 degrees. so, a fine start to the week ahead but it will turn wetter and windier from mid week onwards and then briefly quite a bit colder for the end of the week.

hello, this is bbc news with me, lukwesa burak. the headlines: the government warns the european union that any attempt to block the export of doses of coronavirus vaccine to the uk would be "counterproductive". yesterday saw another record—breaking number of vaccinations in the uk — nearly 850,000 — but there's a warning that face masks and some social distancing could be with us for years. it comes as the government faces further questions over plans to extend the ban on holidays abroad this summer. a snapshot of life in england, wales and northern ireland — today's the deadline for millions of people to take part in a once in a decade census. of people to take part homes washed away in australia, as heavy rain and flash floods batter the east coast —

thousands of people are ordered to evacuate.