hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. the row between the eu and uk over the astrazeneca vaccine continues to gather pace. meanwhile as countries argue over supply issues in the us long—awaited study shows the astrazeneca jab is up study shows the astrazeneca jab is up to 100% effective at stopping serious illness. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, is cleared of breaching ministerial rules in her handling of sexual misconduct complaints against her predecessor alex salmond. i believe i acted appropriately in a difficult situation and i'm pleased that i have the independent verification. canada, the united states, britain and the eu — all impose sanctions against chinese officials over the treatment of ethnic uighurs. and we'll have the latest update

on a huge fire at the rohingya refugee camp in bangladesh. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the eu's threat to restrict vaccine exports to the uk remains — the eu is frustrated that while astrazeneca the uk's full order of vaccines — it hasn't been able to meet its targets for the eu. this was the eu earlier. this is not about banning vaccine. of course this is about making sure that companies deliver on their commitments to the member states in the european union that are

inscribed in contracts that they have with us. and then this is the uk's prime minister, borisjohnson. i've talked to our friends repeatedly over the period. we're all facing the same pandemic, we all have the same problems. i think there's one worth stressing is on the continent right now you can see sadly, there is a third wave underway. and people in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits ourfriends, i'm afraid it washes up on our shores as well. the eu's threat is to block astrazeneca exports to the uk from a factory in the netherlands. here is it — in the city of leiden and run by sub—contractor halix. it's listed as a supplier of the contracts that astrazeneca has with the uk and the european union. however, there are now reports that the uk is prepared to share vaccine supplies from halix in order

to prevent a blanket export ban on vaccines — because remember this is not the only facility in the eu which makes vaccines used in the uk. that's not confirmed yet — but its expected. this is spain's foreign minister on the stand—off. what's at stake here is vaccinating. it's not about being nice or un—nice to other countries. it's making sure all our citizens get the job. it's making sure all our citizens get the job. another important development relating to astra zeneca — results from america's trial have been released and they confirm that the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine is both safe and effective. and given what we've seen in europe — the were no safety issues regarding bloodclots. the us study followed more than 32,000 volunteers in the us, chile and peru — and it found that the vaccine was 79% effective at stopping any symptoms of covid—i9. and it was 100% effective at preventing serious illness.

the vaccine was also found to give the same amount of protection to both those over 65 and all other adults. these results mean the us is highly likely to approve the vaccine�*s use. american health officials wanted to wait for their own study before making a decision — and now they have it. here's our health correspondent, michelle roberts. it comes at a really important time because we know there's been a lot of attention on the astrazeneca jab recently. because of the reported concern about blood delete not clots, reviews being done on that now with no evidence of a link. we are seeing some european countries starting to use it again after pausing for a little bit. talking about attitudes in europe about this in europe. meanwhile, a yougov poll published today has found that half of people surveyed in france, germany and spain now believe the oxford/astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine is unsafe. 7,000 people took part in the survey and from that 61% of french respondents didn't feel confident in the jab — an increase of 18%

points from february. so trust in the vaccine is falling away sharply. 55% of germans also didn't feel confident — that's up 15% points from february. and just over half of people surveyed in spain feel that it is unsafe. that's a 27% surge in the past month. here's professor sarah gilbert, who co—designed the vaccine. when vaccines are used in tens of millions of people as this now is there will be some adverse events that happen after some people who've been vaccinated. it's very difficult to work out if the vaccine had anything to do with that. so it's important that we continue to investigate but it's also important to remember these events are very rare and there is no proven link between these events and vaccination. 50 between these events and vaccination.— between these events and vaccination. , ., ., , between these events and vaccination. . , . vaccination. so your p leaders have some important— vaccination. so your p leaders have some important decisions - vaccination. so your p leaders have some important decisions to - vaccination. so your p leaders have some important decisions to make | some important decisions to make around the vaccine. katya adler our europe editor is in brussels.

what you can safely say that eu leaders and commission are under mounting pressure to do something about vaccines. for weeks people across the eu have been looking across the eu have been looking across at neighbouring uk and seeing across at neighbouring uk and seeing a swift and successful vaccine rollout. and like their own. they want to know whether vaccines are where they will protect them and their families. where they will protect them and theirfamilies. particularly now their families. particularly now that theirfamilies. particularly now that there is a pernicious third wave of the virus that is sweeping across much of mainland europe with new lockdowns in italy and france and some of the highest death rate in the world in parts of central and eastern europe. of course this is leading into political debate with some eu countries feeling that they are credibility is at stake. certainly the credibility of the european commission is at stake. all of this is building ahead of an eu leaders summit this thursday. today what a lot of the talk a bit about is should the you put some kind of

ban on the exports of vaccines produced in pe you in order to secure it supplies? why would he think of that? because vaccines are in low supply in the european union. all of the manufacturers of vaccines that have been approved so far by the european medical agency have had some hiccups or another. but the main culprit here is astrazeneca. so as you alludes to. supply problems are a part of this. what are the chances the leaders will actually oppose a ban on exports? the eu already has controls on vaccine exports are at member states disposal. those eu countries that do have vaccine production sites in their countries. so far blocking and export, that's only happened once, it was something italy did with a relatively small export of vaccines.

250,000 which had been destined for australia. a lot of eu leaders are extremely nervous about blocking exports of vaccines. we heard today for example from the irish prime minister he was talking about the global supply chain. there is an awareness in the eu as elsewhere of course that to make and produce vaccines, there is the need for all sorts of parts of the vaccines coming from all over the world. a lot of eu leaders aren't nervous about disrupting that. so they already have tools at their disposal is that they wanted to block vaccine exports, vaccines that have been made by a company that hasn't fulfilled its contract with the eu at the moment that would be astrazeneca. there've been called from the european commission to tighten those controls further by eu leaders are absolutely divided over that. what they say their focus is going to be at the thursday summit is how to secure our vaccine

supplies to the various tools that they might have at their disposal to do that rather than in obsessive focus on vaccine export bans. i think although they will discuss that on thursday i be very surprised if eu leaders came to a joint conclusion on that matter this week. to scotland — and the latest chapter in a bitter political row. the first minister, nicola sturgeon, has been cleared of breaching the ministerial code of conduct by an independent inquiry. it could clear the path on a second vote on independence from the uk. looking into the sexual harassment complaints. against this man, her predecessor as first minister, alex salmond. he denied the claims and was later cleared in court. he has successfully argued that the way the allegations were handled was unlawful. but this inquiry has found that nicola sturgeon didn't breach any of the standards expected of government ministers. here's her reaction.

i'v e i've always been of that view but independent adjudication of that is important to me. but it's also important to me. but it's also important to me. but it's also important to the scottish public to know that in the opinion of somebody whose independence is completely beyond reproach i did not breach the ministerial code. so i'm delighted and of course relieved about that. so i'm delighted and of course relieved about that. this is about two people who have dominated the movement for scottish independence from the united kingdom. here's nicola sturgeon and alex salmond campaigning together in happier times. fast forward to now, he's accused her of conspiring to have him removed from public life. she's accused him of peddling conspiracy theories. and there's a second investigation putting pressure on nicola sturgeon. a committee of members of the scottish parliament has also been examining the handling of complaints against alex salmond. nicola sturgeon gave 8 hours of evidence to this committee under oath. their report is due on tuesday. but we already know some of what they'll say. a majority of members on the committee believe the first minister misled their inquiry. here's our scotland

editor sarah smith. the harassment committee report will not only say that nicola sturgeon was in accurate and one pardon for evidence but also that it's hard to believe she didn't know of concerns about inappropriate behaviour from alex salmond before november 2017. and that she should of reported meeting she had with them to the civil service much earlier than she did. the rules state that nicola sturgeon would be in breach of the ministerial code if she misled the committee in any way. here's the leader of the opposition in scotland. it's absolutely abundantly clear that nicola sturgeon has breached the ministerial code as first minister. you cannot continue if you have been untruthful, misled parliament and you misled the people of scotland. it is a resigning matter pure and simple. rob, help me understand we had this independent inquiry which is about to report. independent inquiry which is about to reort. ~ . ., , independent inquiry which is about toreort. . ., ,, ., to report. which ones should we give more weight — to report. which ones should we give more weight you _ to report. which ones should we give more weight you in _ to report. which ones should we give more weight you in terms _

to report. which ones should we give more weight you in terms of - to report. which ones should we give more weight you in terms of nicola i more weight you in terms of nicola sturgeon is political stability? i think undoubtedly the first one. the one that's just reported. because thatis one that's just reported. because that is independent and there is no way that anybody could turn around and say oh well so—and—so had an axe to grind. the report by scottish mps will matter but not as much as this one for the top i think if this one had found she had misled parliament she would have been in a very sticky position indeed. find she would have been in a very sticky position indeed.— position indeed. and all of this we need to see _ position indeed. and all of this we need to see in _ position indeed. and all of this we need to see in the _ position indeed. and all of this we need to see in the context - position indeed. and all of this we need to see in the context of- position indeed. and all of this we need to see in the context of the i need to see in the context of the upcoming scottish elections as well? yes. it must be a huge relief nicola sturgeon and the pro—independent scottish national party. the campaign kicks off on thursday for elections to the scottish parliament. interestingly over the last couple of weeks since new year, support from the scottish independent party and indeed for independence for scotland had been dipping in the polls. it's hard not to think that that was in some way

connected to the two major titans as you said of the independence movement alex salmond and nicola sturgeon biting chunks out of each other. �* . ., , , sturgeon biting chunks out of each other. . ., , , other. and much more broadly still where have — other. and much more broadly still where have we _ other. and much more broadly still where have we got _ other. and much more broadly still where have we got to _ other. and much more broadly still where have we got to with - other. and much more broadly still where have we got to with the - other. and much more broadly still. where have we got to with the debate whether they should be a second referendum on scottish independence? i think this is of course the key question. i think if things had gone against nicola sturgeon today i think that would have been certainly a short—term blow for her, for the scottish national party and the independence movement. but i think if you sort of step back and look at things more broadly, what the opinion polls suggest is what's really been driving support for independence has been a dislike of brexit and scotland where the majority of people voted to remain in scotland for that and a dislike of borisjohnson. i think the big picture, what's really going to drive the dynamic of whether scotland becomes independent is how

brexit works out. and whether prounion politicians like boris johnson can somehow make an argument that scotland and england aren't somehow drifting apart. i think that is the big battle. yes, this would've been huge if nicola sturgeon had been found to have misled parliament but i think that is the really big dynamic in the months and frankly years ahead is how brexit works out.— how brexit works out. always appreciate — how brexit works out. always appreciate your _ how brexit works out. always appreciate your help. - stay with us on 0utside source — still to come... we are going to hear how a number of western government has imposed check sanctions over some individuals on the treatment of ethnic uighurs. we will have all the reaction to that. where police station was attacked in 20 officers were injured. proquest new laws to give officers more power

for demonstrations. we new laws to give officers more power for demonstrations.— for demonstrations. we have been clear that to _ for demonstrations. we have been clear that to save _ for demonstrations. we have been clear that to save lives _ for demonstrations. we have been clear that to save lives and - for demonstrations. we have been clear that to save lives and fight i clear that to save lives and fight this pandemic people must not currently hold large gatherings. too many this weekend selfishly decided that this did not apply to them. we will always give the police the support and protection that they need and it is sad as we saw last week that the opposition voted against measures to protect our police. and also introduce longer sentences. the scenes in bristol yesterday were utterly shameful. we saw a criminal thuggery and disorder caused by a minority who belie will he not put lives at risk. 0ur exceptional and brave police officers put themselves in harms way to protect the public. for them to face the criminal violence against them while upholding the law is completely unacceptable. 0ur lead story is... the row between the uk

and the eu continues over the astrazeneca vaccine — as brussels considers a ban on exporting doses to the uk. to bangladesh where emergency teams and volunteers are battling a huge fire inside a rohingya refugee camp. here you can see the fire in cox's bazar. it's already destroyed many homes — and a representative of the children's agency, unicef, has called it "devastating". a similar fire injanuary left thousands of people without shelter. remember around a million rohingya refugees live in these makeshift homes after fleeing myanmar more than three years ago. the bbc�*s akbar hossain is in the bangladeshi capital dhaka. we have just seen there is some local media are reporting that at least five people including three children were killed by the devastating fire. and the fire broke out at three o'clock in the afternoon. and it spread rapidly two

different camps. i have spoken to some rohingya refugees living inside the camp and they told me that at least 3000 tents were gutted by the fire. at the local authorities all the un agencies, they have not yet confirmed there's number of deaths or number of tenants gutted by the fire. but it was a huge fire. the place is very difficult for the firefighters to go. after six hours of frantic the firefighters were able to control the fire in the can. many people have become homeless, thatis many people have become homeless, that is very clear. and rohingya people are fleeing from the camps to save their lives because these houses really vulnerable to fire. they are made up of bamboo and plastics and some other flammable materials. in the unifirst at unh see officials are telling us that

this is going to be a very big devastation because if the 3000 people, and 3000 tents have been gutted to the number of people affected by this fire could be as high as more than 15,000. thousands of people are homeless. a very difficult challenge for them to build the houses and again get them settled in the area. a number of western governments have imposed new sanctions against china. they target four individuals and one organisation — and there a respose to over human rights abuses against uighur people in china's xinjiang province. the european union, the united states, britain and canada all co—odinated their annoncements. this was the uk foreign secretary earlier. state control in the region is systemic. over a million people have been detained without trial. there are widespread claims of torture and rape based on first—hand survivor testimony.

people are detained for having too many children, for praying too much, having a beard or wearing a headscarf or having the wrong thoughts. i'm sure the whole house willjoin me in condeming such appalling violations of the most basic human rights. xinjiang is in the north west of china. the uighur population that live there is about 12 million people, it is mostly muslim. and for years china has developed a network of camps where uighurs are forcibly detained. the us accuses china of a "systematic attempt to destroy uighurs". and internationalfocus has grown as more evidence of china's actions has emerged. these drone pictures believed to be from 2018 show hundreds of blindfolded and shackled men being taken from a train in what appears to be a transfer of prisoners. china denies human rights abuses. it says the camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism. and when the eu announced its sanctions today — china was quick to retaliate with sanctions of its own — against the eu.

here's the eu's minister of foreign affairs. rather than change its policies and address our legitimate concerns china has again turned a blind eye and these measures are regrettable and unacceptable. james landale, bbc diplomatic correspondent. primarily targeted at for individuals big chinese officials, powerful man within the region where these abuses are taking place and one of the main organisations that the west believes is responsible for the west believes is responsible for the repression they are in charge of security and policing in that region. travel bands asset freezes, the usual sanctions you might think that makes not much difference these men are probably coming to europe for the holidays at the moment is up but is hugely symbolically important because all these countries are acting together. and it's a first time that we've moved from just criticising china to actually concerted action vels up the chinese

new european sanctions were coming. they have sanctioned their own individuals, sanctioned a group of parliament there is eat you bodies, no response yet to the uk or the american action so far. they were sanctions imposed under the trunk. there is some continuity there. i think we are also seeing a growing sense of look, on the things we need to call china out on, hhiinnkk two hong kong, west of saint let's act together and better. and this is an example of that. where there is still uncertainty is how far should the wesco in treating talking and engaging to china? things that really matter global trade and climate change there are still differences of opinion for that we have an example in europe at the moment the europeans are planning to sign a big investment trade deal with the chinese. big criticism from that here in the uk and in parts of the united states was up there is division over that. but at the same time you have divisions politically within the uk, within the government

here there were i'm saying look, we need to be closer to china. 0thers need to be closer to china. others say absolutely not. there's quite a tough division player.— tough division player. everyday an outside source _ tough division player. everyday an outside source we _ tough division player. everyday an outside source we bring _ tough division player. everyday an outside source we bring you - tough division player. everyday an outside source we bring you the l tough division player. everyday an . outside source we bring you the most important stories from around the world. let's turn to australia now where the east coast is experiencing its worst flooding in thirty years. around 18,000 residents were told to evacuate their homes in australia's most populous state of new south wales. emergency warnings are in place across the state, including in port macquarie, kempsey and sydney's west. heavy rains are expected to continue into wednesday. the bbc�*s shaimaa khalil has been to some of the worst hit areas. this is what days of relentless downpour looks like. a deluge not seen here in decades. emergency services have conducted more than 500 rescues so far. this is what they are up against.

waters so high and forceful a three—bedroom cottage was seen floating through. crews have also been called in to get stranded cattle to safety. 0ne team even managed to ferry 20 dogs on inflatable boats. in the town of windsor, north—west of sydney, residents are used to floods this time of year, but nothing like this. very shocking. i have not seen it like this before. 1990 was the last time i remember having a really big flood. we have had some where the bridges have gone under before, but not like this. it is hard to tell. this is the newly built windsor bridge. it is barely one—year—old. it was meant to withstand heavy flooding. this is how swollen the river got. you can hardly make out the windsor bridge. with more rain forecast over the next few days things are set to get much worse before they get better.

thousands of families have already evacuated, with many more ready to go. for days now, this family has been on high alert. they tell me they hardly slept in the past 2a hours as they watched the waters inch ever closer to the property and submerge the whole of their back garden. this is what their property looked like before the flood. and this is it now. normally it is completely green. it slopes down to the dam. now, it is completely inundated. in the distance we can just see farmland. but now, we just see water. it is not the first natural disaster to hit these areas in the past year. some communities who were battered with the bushfires, now they are battered by the floods. drought prior to that. i do not know any time in our state's history when we have had these events in such quick succession.

many have spent the night in evacuation centres. with the rain showing no sign of letting up there is no telling when they will be able to get back to their homes and what state they will find them in. just before we wrap up this half—hour i want to show you extraordinary pictures in iceland. after a volcano erupted there on sunday. i'm not to show you the volcano, have a look at what some of these people up and getting up to. these are scientist at the foot of the volcano using its lava to cook sausages as they kept themselves up while they started the erection. spectators have been flooding into the area some walking their dogs right up to the lava flows some doing a bit of barbecuing as well as you can say. it's become a bit of an attraction. remember you can find plenty more analysis across their bbc. you can find it on the bbc news website as well as bbc iplayer and

bbc sounds. thank you very much indeed for watching this half an hour. i will see you soon. hello there. what a glorious start to the working week for many of us. at this time of year that can also translate into some warmth. we've seen at a high this afternoon of 14.5 celsius so 15 degrees in the london area. the sunshine really became more widespread as the day developed. particularly across eastern scotland much of central eastern and southern england. further north and west thicker cloud. the cloud thick enough for a spot or two of drizzle in the highland end scotland. and here we keep the risk of some showers through the night and i felt up a bit more of a breeze feeding those showers in ahead of this weather front that's going to arrive in tomorrow. high pressure losing its grip.

where we keep some clearer skies we will see low single figures but generally with the cloud eight milder start. but some showers pretty much for the word go along western fringes. as we go to the day a cloudier story in comparison to today, i'm afraid. cloud and rain into western scotland and western fringes of northern ireland by the end of the day. highest values through tuesday afternoon between nine and 12 c. that weather front continues to slip its way south and east. it will weaken but it will continue to bring some cloud. and through the day on wednesday may be some light, patchy rain over southwest england, into the midlands and eventually into that southeast corner. behind it we will have some sunshine. by the end of the afternoon a freshening breeze and once again some wetter weather chiefly to the northwest of the great glen. again, highs between eight and 13 degrees. thursday is going to be a case of sunny spells and scattered showers for most of us. but the winds will strengthen and the showers chiefly out to the west. but the real weather story or whether change arrives thursday night into friday. this cold front pushes through,

the wind directions change to a northwesterly. a colder source, a stronger and that's going to drive colder air right across the country during friday. it could be a short, sharp shock but certainly worth bearing in mind. sunny spells and scattered wintery showers about higher ground and generally factoring the strength of that went with widespread gusts in excess of 30 to a0 mph in the far northwest, it's going to feel chilly. temperatures will struggle for many to climb up into double figures. that's it, take care.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is 0utside source. the row between the eu and uk over the astrazeneca vaccine continues to gather pace. as borisjohnson pleads for the eu not to ban exports of the vaccine to the uk. canada, the united states, britain and the eu — all impose sanctions against chinese officials over the treatment of ethnic uighurs saudi arabia proposes a ceasefire and plan for peace negotiations in yemen — after six years of conflict. and we'll take a look at the company trialling a new way to clean up thousands of tonnes of space junk from the earth's orbit — using magnets.

the tension between the uk and the eu over vaccines is ratcheting up — with the possibility of an eu export ban looming — and a big eu summit to bring that into focus. here's katya adler. both the uk and the eu have been accused by critics in pursuing �*vaccine nationalism'. something they both deny. but let's look at what both have said and done. this was the european commmission president ursula von der leyen last year. vaccine nationalism puts lives at risk. but since then — the eu's becomne increasingly frustated at supply delays — and in part holds the uk responsible. this was ursula von der leyen last week. we wa nt we want to see reciprocity and

proportionality in exports and we are ready to use whatever tool we need to deliver on that. this is about making sure that you're gets its fair share. now the context here is that 10% of the eu's population has received at least one dose — in the uk it's more than 50%. access to vaccines is crucial to both. the oxford astrazeneca vaccine is produced in plants in britain, india and the eu. the pfizer biontech vaccine is produced in plants in the us, germany and belgium. the uk and the eu are using both vaccines. but they're getting different access. and this is how. last year astrazeneca signed an agreement with eu, a day later it signed one with the uk. but according to astrazeneca, the uk has priority for uk produced vaccines because of a research funding agreement with 0xford university and the uk government that was in place before the pandemic. as well as that.

on december 30 last year, the uk gave emergency use approval to the astrazeneca vaccine. it was a month later, january 29, that the eu gave conditional marketing approval to astrazeneca. but it soon became clear that astrazeneca would not be able to meet its delivery promises because of issues with production plants in the eu. vaccines are in low supply at the european union. of the manufacturers of vaccines been approved by the europe's medical agency have had some hiccup or another but the main culprit here is astrazeneca. the some hiccup or another but the main culprit here is astrazeneca.— culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk ma be culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk may be able _ culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk may be able to _ culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk may be able to share _ culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk may be able to share some - culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk may be able to share some of - culprit here is astrazeneca. the uk may be able to share some of its . may be able to share some of its astrazeneca supply but that original agreement between astrazeneca and the government does not allow for the government does not allow for the export of vaccines from the uk plants. frustration at all of this spilt over in early march. the european council president charles michel wrote that:"the facts do not lie.

the united kingdom and the united states have imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory." the uk was quick to respond. the foreign secretary dominic raab said: charles michel was wrong — and soon adapted his language. but the uk does have different terms with vaccine producers than the eu does. if the uk has a deal to ensure uk produced astra zeneca stays in the uk — the eu didn't make an equivalent deal with the pfizer—biontech production plants in germany or belgium. as well as that, its estimated that half the vaccines produced in the eu have been exported. which means you have statistics like this. alex taylor is a journalist in france who highlights that:

new york times journlaist matina stevis—gridneff has picked up on this too. for its part the uk is also resisting the idea that it's failing to support others. this is borisjohnson earlier. when the wave hits, and i'm afraid that it washes up on our shores as well and i expect that we will feel those effects into course and that is why we are getting on with her vaccination programme as fast as we can. but a vaccination campaign, developing vaccines and rolling them out, these are international projects that require international cooperation. and here's what the european commission had to say today about its recent threats to stop exporting. this is not about banning vaccine

exports, this is about making sure companies deliver on the commitments. it comes down to what policy is reasonable — and there's no agreement on that. brussels journalist dave keating summarises it this way. "what mistakes did eu make? to me it seems obvious. the eu took decisions based on an assumption of a free market and good faith from its partners. they didn't think forcing an eu partnership on biontech was essential, or that eu plants should be for europeans first. that now appears naive." naive perhaps. 0r globally responsible — depending on your perspective. and both the uk and the eu — supportive of covax scheme aimed at getting vaccines to lower income countries. the uk donates $735 million. and the eu $1189 million. though that investment is only beginning to turn into vaccines being given. the developing world remains a long way behind the uk and the eu on that. and what we're seeing here is that vaccine nationalism remains

a challenge for all wealthier nations to navigate. remember the message from the world health organisation has been clear throughout. vaccine nationalism might serve short—term political goals, but it's ultimately short—sighted and self—defeating. there was always going to be tension between supporting the global effort — and vaccinating the populations who elect you — and who want to be rid of the virus. matina stevis—gridneff from the new york times, joins us now from brussels. do you think the eu is being unfairly criticised for this possible threat to stop exports to the uk? i possible threat to stop exports to the uk? 4' . . , the uk? i think the criticism, frankl , the uk? i think the criticism, frankly. is — the uk? i think the criticism, frankly, is somewhat - the uk? i think the criticism, i frankly, is somewhat warranted the uk? i think the criticism, - frankly, is somewhat warranted if the principal everyone seems to morally support or practically support is openness and as prime

ministerjohnson mentioned earlier, global partnerships. unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. if the eu is the only major territory permitting exports of vaccines practically speaking, then that means that other parts of the world and you've already mentioned the uk in the united states are not doing the same. it is a bit complicated to be asking of the eu to be morally superior, to be morally sound, to participate in the global marketplace of free trade and openness to be internationally minded when the other is not doing the same. �* ., ., ~' minded when the other is not doing the same. �* ., ., ~ ., the same. been looking at the statistics that's _ the same. been looking at the statistics that's exported - the same. been looking at the statistics that's exported over| the same. been looking at the i statistics that's exported over 40 statistics that's exported over a0 million doses but only 10 million have gone to the uk, perhaps the bigger issue is what is being exported elsewhere in the world as opposed to the uk. you exported elsewhere in the world as opposed to the uk.— exported elsewhere in the world as opposed to the uk. you can look at it like that and — opposed to the uk. you can look at it like that and that _ opposed to the uk. you can look at it like that and that is _ opposed to the uk. you can look at it like that and that is exporting - it like that and that is exporting to 33 countries and one quarter of

the total is going to the uk. no comparison between what percentage is going to the uk and what is going to the other 32 countries and two of those, for example, we can possibly look away from the uk for a minute are canada and mexico, two countries that her next—door neighbours to the united states that are getting zero doses from the united states it instead of relying on a plan a few minutes up from where i'm sitting in belgium for their supply. so clearly, this is not an easy or simple cell, politically speaking for the european union. the other auestion for the european union. the other question as _ for the european union. the other question as it _ for the european union. the other question as it is _ for the european union. the other question as it is a _ for the european union. the other question as it is a difficult - for the european union. the other question as it is a difficult sell- question as it is a difficult sell but who took the decision in the first place for exporting to canada, one of the wealthiest countries in the world was a good plan where europe is facing the challenge that it is of the pandemic. fin

europe is facing the challenge that it is of the pandemic.— it is of the pandemic. on that question. _ it is of the pandemic. on that question. i — it is of the pandemic. on that question, i have _ it is of the pandemic. on that question, i have about - it is of the pandemic. on that question, i have about the i it is of the pandemic. on that. question, i have about the tweet which is they, the eu is fundamentally a trading block. they did not to export or not permit exports from eu —based companies and facilities to whatever those companies were going to sell, if that naive retrospect with hindsight it appears so, other countries that host major manufacturing sites chose to go into business with those companies in the eu thought that they would get a fair deal, they would get whatever it was on paper that they and clearly they were wrong and quite late in the game now are trying to do something about it. we appreciate your help and thank you very much indeed. you speak to you very much indeed. you speak to you soon, i hope. saudi arabia has proposed a plan to end the conflict in yemen. the plan includes a nationwide ceasefire supervised by the un — as well as restarting negotiations

between the saudi—backed yemeni government and houthi rebels — who are backed by iran. here's the saudi foreign minister announcing the plan. we wa nt we want the guns to fall completely silent. that is the initiative that is the only thing that can really get to the next step which is the political process of resolution that can make yemen safe and secure for the people of yemen. we will do all we can to put the necessary pressure on them to accept and to come to the negotiating table and lay down arms because we believe a stop to the fighting the political solution is the only way forward. the plan has been welcomed by the saudi—backed yemen government and by the united nations. but it was immediately rejected by the houthi rebels who are supported by iran. the rebels said the proposal offered:

to the situation and that a saudi—led air and sea blockade around yemen must be lifted first before any ceasefire negotiations. so the two sides are still at odds. and while the fighting continues the situation for those living yemen is getting worse. aid agencies say the country is suffering from the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. 2a million people are said to be in need of humanitarian assistance — 12 million of those are children. 2.3 million children under the age of five in yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition. and the country's healthcare system is crumbling. only half of the country's 5,000 or so health facilities are fully operational. here's the world health organisation's representative for yemen, speaking to the bbc earlier. it is on my mind every day on top of thatis it is on my mind every day on top of that is the museum of diseases that we are having in yemen. 0ngoing outbreaks have come around,

influenza, malaria, polio, despite that, there is detections and clauses on top of that, the situation in a recent study that we have conducted in reporting because covid—19 is the list of the war is in terms of the economic shocks and challenges and this is where we need the international support.— the international support. cleaning u . the international support. cleaning u - sace the international support. cleaning up spacejunk_ the international support. cleaning up spacejunk using _ the international support. cleaning up space junk using magnets. - big changes for the british armed forces with soldiers and tanks on the reduction of the number of old aircraft. cuts are being made to fund new equipment and technologies.

here is our defence correspondent. the army of the future will have fewer tanks and fewer soldiers. the raf will retire some of its order jets and aircraft. in the navy will see a cut in its service fleet before new warships come into service. all of this at a time with the threats are rising. but it is promising a high—tech armed forces and to invest in new technologies from fast jets to and to invest in new technologies from fastjets to drones and robots. to fight the wars of the future. will ensure that they do this thread focused and financially sustainable, ready to confront future challenges and seize new opportunities to global britain and laid the foundations for more secure and prosperous united kingdom. the armed forces of tomorrow _ prosperous united kingdom. the armed forces of tomorrow will _ prosperous united kingdom. the armed forces of tomorrow will be _ prosperous united kingdom. the armed

forces of tomorrow will be able - prosperous united kingdom. the armed forces of tomorrow will be able to - forces of tomorrow will be able to find a new dimension of space and cyber. grammarians and troops will be better equipped, but the regular army is going to lose about 10,000 soldiers —— marines. willa smaller force be able to deliver a more potent punch? aha, force be able to deliver a more potent punch?— force be able to deliver a more otent unch? �* , ., ., ., potent punch? a small team having the effect of — potent punch? a small team having the effect of the _ potent punch? a small team having the effect of the company, - potent punch? a small team having the effect of the company, we - potent punch? a small team having the effect of the company, we are l the effect of the company, we are looking at a 12 month team compared to 60 plus having a greater effect. it is not all out with the old, after years of arms reduction, the government says it will increase the ceiling of its stockpile of nuclear warheads. 0ne legacy from the cold war era but it does not want to give it up. this is 0utside source live from the bbc newsroom. 0ur lead story is.

results from a long awaited us trial of the astrazeneca vaccine — shows it is 100 per cent effective at preventing serious illness — meaning it could soon be approved for use in america. a year ago a gp from colchester ended up in hospital on a ventilator after contracting the coronavirus. dr michael hare spent almost 2 months in intensive care. when he left hospital in may he spoke to our health correpsondent, catherine burns about the impact covid had had on his life. now he has invited her back to talk about how the virus has changed him — in some cases for the better. you gave yourself goals, and mine was to get home... it was just to get home. we met dr michael hare last may. he had achieved his goal, but frail and exhausted, his recovery was just beginning. now the weather is colder but the smile is steady.

it is so lovely to see you both looking so well, you look like a different person than ten months ago, how are you feeling? different! i think we were fairly fatalistic when we saw you last, and now we know that we can get over severe illness, this covid can be beaten. before covid his name was mr fit, he ran marathons, love skiing and sailing. this time last year, though, he was put on a ventilator. he was in intensive care for almost two months. i remember nothing, absolutely nothing, until they woke me up seven weeks later, saying i had been unconscious in icu. what were your physical milestones? i was particularly worried that i wouldn't be able to speak or sing, which is important to me, i wanted to stand as soon as possible, and then as soon as i did, i wanted to walk and have a shower. having a shower was fantastic!

i was looked after then. but for someone who was worried about speaking again, see if you can spot him back doing one of his favourite hobbies — singing in a sea shanty group. i havejust had to be patient. there is pressure on us to get better quicker and quicker, and it is just everything going on around us, but in truth nature is in charge, and it takes a while to improve our health. did you always believe that you are going to get well? i didn't let myself think it, every day was taken as a different day. honestly, his mental attitude was unbelievable. really, though, his progress has been speedy. it takes longer for many patients. after covid, mike thought he might retire from his job as a gp, but he changed his mind.

i tried to retire, i thought i had retired in my currentjob! but then realised i had made a recovery, just before september and thought that i wasn't ready to retire, i want to retire on my terms. how do you compare physically to mr fate? how do you compare physically to mr fit? i think i am probably 70%, but i am not trying to be that same person, i think it is mentally and emotionally i am 110—120%. and a recovery programme wasjust what i thought it would be, but have the time. people were saying, it will take him six months, and it took about three. after i woke up, i had messages from about 1000 people, and it was almost an experience like attending your own funeral. i think i am lucky, i am lucky i have been looked after well, and i am supported by good genetics and good friends and good family. dr michael hare talking to health

correspondent catherine burns. a nation cease—fire, let's bring in the chief international correspondent. saudi arabia has been central character in this conflict, so what is changed with spread about this new approach. it’s so what is changed with spread about this new approach.— this new approach. it's not really a new approach. _ this new approach. it's not really a new approach, they _ this new approach. it's not really a new approach, they have - this new approach. it's not really a new approach, they have tried - this new approach. it's not really a new approach, they have tried for| new approach, they have tried for more than a year to extricate themselves from a conflict which when they unleashed it six years ago, this said it would just be a matter of weeks and here we are six years on and yemen is facing the united nations describes is the worst humanitarian crisis in the studies have been frustrated that their negotiations and efforts to bring them all around to the negotiation table have not worked and now this new offer comes when the united nations and the united states are joining forces under the

joe biden administration to really push for diplomatic solutions. the saudi arabia kingdom as to the united states and the un yesterday that it was going to do this and what i think they want to do us a right, here is some new concessions from us and we want a cease—fire, we want to go to the table and so the ball is in their court. in want to go to the table and so the ball is in their court.— ball is in their court. in one of those concessions? _ ball is in their court. in one of those concessions? they - ball is in their court. in one of| those concessions? they have ball is in their court. in one of- those concessions? they have not riven those concessions? they have not given them _ those concessions? they have not given them everything _ those concessions? they have not given them everything they - those concessions? they have not given them everything they want l those concessions? they have not. given them everything they want to come after six years the gap between the two sides is very wide, but two important concessions are they have agreed that they will open international airports. the capital is under their control, including the airport terminal, we visited it last year. the airspace is controlled by the saudi led coalition and there's been great frustration for yemen that you cannot fly in and out of yemen

through there. when we were there, to get from the north of yemen to the south of yemen, instead ofjust a one hourflight, we had to drive for nearly 2a hours and yemen has to do that as well. that is one concession. the second concession has to do with the most vital port of data. they say restrictions will be eased and put in the central bank in both the government backed by the saudi and then can use that money to pay salaries. in opening of vital air and sea length, that is going to be complicated because there are problems on both sides, but they have now acknowledged that this is a huge obstacle to ending this war and easing this major humanitarian crisis. easing this ma'or humanitarian crisis. . ~ easing this ma'or humanitarian crisis. ., ~' , ., , easing this ma'or humanitarian crisis. ., ,, , ., , . crisis. thank you very much, we shau crisis. thank you very much, we shall monitor _ crisis. thank you very much, we shall monitor how _ crisis. thank you very much, we shall monitor how they - crisis. thank you very much, we shall monitor how they respond | crisis. thank you very much, we i shall monitor how they respond to all of that. before we in the hour, before we in the let's talk about space junk. for more than 50 years we have been

sending things into space. space stations, satellites, probes, rovers and astronauts. but with almost every mission and launch some form of debris is being left behind. it's estimated that around 9,000 tonnes of debris is currently in orbit around the earth. and the concern is that this could collide with active satellites. there are currently around 3,000 active satellites that provide technologies like gps, weather monitoring and mobile networks. well a british company has come up with a new way of trying to clear the debris — using magnets. and it's successfully launched two spacecraft to showcase its plan. jonathan amos has more. is this the start of a new era? a russian rocket flies skyward on a mission to showcase how the space industry can finally start to deal with its dirty secret — orbital debris.

more than 60 years of space activity have left millions of discarded pieces of metal and other materials littering the skies overhead. everything from old rocket segments to accidentally dropped astronaut tools, even flecks of paint. the space industry is finally realising that unless we start removing some of the biggerjunk items, we run the risk of collisions that will destroy the active satellites that provide our communications and weather forecast. enter the astroscale company with a division in the uk, which launched its clean—up demonstration on monday's rocket. it'll use one satellite to magnetically grab another, a dummy in this instance, and pull it down to earth. the manoeuvres involved will be complex. the key bit is to capture a tumbling object. so if a satellite fails it can quite easily start tumbling and that makes it considerably harder to capture it. so that is our key technology.

they believe a vibrant market will emerge this decade were space owners can track other operators to service and repair hardware in orbit or tow it out of harms way. this should keep orbits free and safe for everyone to continue using. for more on how the clean up works — here's chris blackerby who is the chief operating officer of astroscale, which designed the spacecraft. in this mission, we are actually bringing our debris up with us. two satellites will be connected together, and they will separate and attached together. when it's finished, we are going to bring it down into the atmosphere, where it will burn up and disintegrate. and then future missions, when we have actual commercial missions when we service customers, that's what we'll be doing. we'll be going up and grabbing the degree, bringing it down into the atmosphere,

where it will then burn up. if we don't put down is going to create a risk to so many things that we rely on all the time to get data. hello there. what a glorious start to the working week for many of us. a dry day today with some lovely spring sunshine. at this time of year that can also translate into some warmth. we've seen at a high this afternoon of 1a.5 celsius so 15 degrees in the london area. the sunshine really became more widespread as the day developed. particularly across eastern scotland much of central eastern and southern england. further north and west thicker cloud. the cloud thick enough for a spot or two of drizzle in the highland end scotland. and here we keep the risk of some showers through the night and i felt

up a bit more of a breeze feeding those showers in ahead of this weather front that's going to arrive in tomorrow. high pressure losing its grip. where we keep some clearer skies we will see low single figures but generally with the cloud eight milder start. but some showers pretty much for the word go along western fringes. as we go to the day a cloudier story in comparison to today, i'm afraid. cloud and rain into western scotland and western fringes of northern ireland by the end of the day. highest values through tuesday afternoon between nine and 12 c. that weather front continues to slip its way south and east. it will weaken but it will continue to bring some cloud. and through the day on wednesday may be some light, patchy rain over southwest england, into the midlands and eventually into that southeast corner. behind it we will have some sunshine. by the end of the afternoon a freshening breeze and once again some wetter weather chiefly to the northwest of the great glen. again, highs between eight and 13 degrees. thursday is going to be a case of sunny spells and scattered

showers for most of us. but the winds will strengthen and the showers chiefly out to the west. but the real weather story or whether change arrives thursday night into friday. this cold front pushes through, the wind directions change to a northwesterly. a colder source, a stronger and that's going to drive colder air right across the country during friday. it could be a short, sharp shock but certainly worth bearing in mind. sunny spells and scattered wintery showers about higher ground and generally factoring the strength of that went with widespread gusts in excess of 30 to a0 mph in the far northwest, it's going to feel chilly. temperatures will struggle for many to climb up into double figures. that's it, take care.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the prime minister warns a third wave of covid could hit the uk as the eu vaccine row intensifies. people in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught is that when a wave hits our friends experience has taught is that when a wave hits ourfriends in italy, i'm afraid it washes up on our shores as well —— ourfriends. an independent inquiry says scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon did not break the ministerial code in her response to allegations against alex salmond. i believe i acted appropriately in a difficult situation and i'm pleased that i have the independent verification. the home secretary condemns violent clashes during a demonstration against new police powers in bristol last night — calling it utterly shameful.