this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. india suspends all major exports of the astra—zeneca vaccine following a domestic surge in coronavirus infections. with brazil struggling to contain the rapid spread of covid—19 — the number of deaths has surpassed 300,000. virginia becomes the first southern, us state to sign—away the death penalty. democrats say opposition is rising across the country. egypt is due to re—start efforts to free a giant container ship that's been wedged across the suez canal, for almost 48 hours.

the global demand for covid vaccines has reached a peak just as the number available appears to running into problems. at least for some countries. joe biden will talk to eu leaders on thursday and they will be hoping to get more cooperation over supplies as the us continues to enforce an export ban. on wednesday, india suspended all major exports of the astrazeneca covid vaccine following a surge in the number of infections there. officials said it was a temporary squeeze to meet domestic demand for the jabs. the serum institute of india, the world's biggest manufacturer of vaccines, produces the astrazeneca dose under licence. the institute has already delayed shipments to several countries including brazil and the uk. the who— backed covax scheme is also affected. 0ur correspondent nik—hil in—amdar is in mumbai and following developments.

this is a temporary squeeze, or a temporary suspension, according to government sources that the bbc has spoken to, because domestic demand for vaccines here in india has shot up because the government is speeding up its inoculation programme, and also because people above the age of 45 are now being allowed to take the vaccine starting next month. it's unclear when these exports will resume, but certainly it's a move that will hit several countries, given that the serum institute of india is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer and india has shipped over 60 million doses. that's more than it has used to domestically inoculate its own people. clearly, with the country now in the firm grips of a second wave, it does seem like india's vaccine diplomacy is going to have to take a back—seat, at least for now. meanwhile, after weeks of tension between the uk and the european union over the distribution of vaccines — a joint statement has been issued pledging to �*create a win—win situation

and expand vaccine supply for all citizens�*. it was a notably different tone to the one struck earlier by the eu, when the commission proposed tougher controls on exports of vaccines. 0ur europe editor, katya adler, spoke to the eu's internal market commissioner thierry breton. i understand that the uk is heavily, heavily dependent on the eu to get vaccines. probably more than two—thirds of the vaccines to date injected into its citizens are coming from the eu, so, i understand the concern, because the uk is not at all self—sufficient. but, of course, for us, in the eu, what we want is to have reciprocity and to have clarity. let me give you an example. we have a contract with now four companies and of course everything is going extremely well, except with astrazeneca and with astrazeneca, we have ordered 120 million doses, and so far we receive only 13 million doses. at the same time we understand

that astrazeneca, and i don't blame it, they have delivered 100% of what was committed for the british government. we just want to understand why, where does it come from? that is why we need to have reciprocity and transparency. it seems with the new proposals you're actually penalising countries that have been successful with their vaccine roll—out, unlike the eu. no, i would say that there is nothing against anybody, and especially not the uk, so i want to be very clear on that. we are the largest producer of vaccines for us, and for the world.

we know that the us is not exporting anything at all, and we export vaccines already for 32 countries. all of our partners, all of our nato allies, and of course massively for uk. but we just want reciprocity. let me give you an example. for this astrazeneca, in our contract, there are two factories in the uk which were part of our supply chain, and we were expecting them to deliver doses to the eu, so we want them to do it. we want to have an explanation if, from our side, we deliver massively to the uk. there was nothing to penalise. we just want to have plurality, and to be able to discuss. meanwhile, in brazil, 300,000 people have died from covid—i9. with oxygen running low in some of the busiest icu's. it is the frontline in the battle against the virus at the moment, and it would appear things are going from bad to worse. the bbc�*s mark lobel reports... counting the cost of coronavirus. translation: we are in | a situation that affects the

whole world, and so far no one has been able to contain it - because the one . who decides is god. but statistics in brazil are particularly grim. it has the second—largest death toll the world. highly contagious variants are sweeping through the country, creating a tsunami of new infections, and many blame the president for opposing lockdowns and masks. he remains resolute. translation: i want to reassure the brazilian people and - confirm that vaccines are guaranteed. - by the end of the year. we will have reached 500 million doses to vaccinate the entire population. - we will soon return to normal life. - his optimistic message drummed out by brazilians bashing pots and pans, in several cities. 0utside one of rio dejaneiro's hospitals, a moment to reflect

on the huge pressures on beds inside intensive care units. presidentjair bolsonaro has installed a fourth health minister as he attempts to reassert his authority, introducing his new recruit, as he launches a new crisis committee to deal with the surge, promising weekly meetings and coordination with governors. we are talking about a president who after an entire year announced he is going to create a five strong team. we are by far in their worst moment of the pandemic. we still don't have a decent vaccination plan so far. we have vaccinated only 5% of our population. i am sure that we have lost thousands of lives that could be spared, if we had a president if we had a leader, who takes the whole

situation seriously. with thousands dying each day, the outlook remains bleak. mark lobel, bbc news. facebook says it's blocked a group of hackers in china who the company says were using the the platform to spy on uighurs overseas by infecting their devices with malicious software. the social media giant said the group targeted around 500 uighur activists, journalists and dissidents living in the us, canada, australia, turkey and other countries. to china now, where the retail giant h&m is facing a backlash, and a potential boycott, because it won't source its cotton from china's xinjiang province. in a statement last year, gfx)h&m said that it was "deeply concerned" by reports of "forced labour and discrimination" against xinjiang's muslim minorities. then on wednesday, the chinese communist youth league posted this message on social media, saying "spreading rumours to boycott xinjiang cotton, while wanting to make money in china? wishful thinking". shortly after, h&m disappeared from two of china's major shopping platforms. chinese state tv released

photos mocking the h&m logo calling it "ridiculous" and even celebrities have claimed they're breaking ties with the retailer. shaun rhine is the founder of the china market research group and author of several books on china including "�*the end of cheap china', hejoins me now from shanghai.— are you surprised by the reaction on chinese social media?— how common is it for social media users to call for boycotts?— how will this affect h&m? what are you advising your clients?— meanwhile facebook why did it take a full year for chinese consumers to get really angry on social media and start to call for boycotts against h&m throughout the country. it is really because of the backdrop to what happened two days ago. the european union slapped sanctions on four chinese government officials saying that there was genocide,

there were slave labour —like conditions and human rights abuses and china's government said there is no genocide and there are no slave labour camps but they have set up vocational but they have set upvecatianal to mandarin and have betterjob skills so that they can integrate into society. so because of the backdrop of sanctions from the eu that is where we see china's government and consumers are retaliating against h&m and other european companies. the against h&m and other european companies-_ companies. the chinese government _ companies. the chinese government to - companies. the chinese government to say - companies. the chinese government to say that| companies. the chinese i government to say that but companies. the chinese - government to say that but as the bbc has been broadcasting there is first hand testimony and well verified satellite images. i and well verified satellite imaaes. . ., , ., images. i am not sure i would call that conclusive. _ images. i am not sure i would call that conclusive. the - call that conclusive. the german researcher who has created a lot of the reports is actually an advertised semite who says that muslims and will go to hell because they are not

christian. we go to hell because they are not christian. ~ ., ., christian. we cannot sort that out here. _ christian. we cannot sort that out here. as _ christian. we cannot sort that out here, as you _ christian. we cannot sort that out here, as you know. - christian. we cannot sort that out here, as you know. but. christian. we cannot sort that l out here, as you know. but the images are unmistakable. this testimony was first—hand. at the moment is this a sign that the moment is this a sign that the sanctions from the us are having an effect and if that is so do you think this kind of retaliation, this tit—for—tat to go on under the biden administration? i to go on under the biden administration?- to go on under the biden administration? i do see that china will— administration? i do see that china will stand _ administration? i do see that china will stand strong. - administration? i do see that china will stand strong. they | china will stand strong. they want to make sure that europe and the united states knows it no longer 1860. where european powers came in and bounce down the ageing's famed summer palace. china will push back and i think the world has to understand in the next five to ten years were going to see a lot tension between america and china, europe and china. unfortunately. especially because china has the greatest growth engine for even the biggest companies. indian brazil are having problems with covid and china has largely contained in since april of

2020. and for china is the fourth largest market. their 520 outlets and generate $239 million worth of sales last year so hopefully china can come to an understanding. you know, competition, notan come to an understanding. you know, competition, not an enemy —like relationship with the united states and europe because that will not solve world problems. it because that will not solve world problems.— world problems. it is interesting, - world problems. it is interesting, isn't - world problems. it is interesting, isn't it?| world problems. it is- interesting, isn't it? and money talks. increasingly, is china seeing _ money talks. increasingly, is china seeing social _ money talks. increasingly, is china seeing social media . money talks. increasingly, is china seeing social media as| money talks. increasingly, is. china seeing social media as a tool for geopolitics? yes, this case against boycotts against h&m is very common. last year a general manager of the houston rockets at the time said free hong kong, pro democracy in hong kong, pro democracy in hong kong. and all of a sudden you saw celebrities and companies all say will boycott and that really impacted the sales in china. now you are going to see it also with h&m

so social media is being ripped up so social media is being ripped up organically by everyday consumers who are angry at h&m or the nba but also aided and abetted by the government because it is a great way to rally support for the government's leadership said this is something that we are going to see notjust in china but throughout the world in the coming years. it can also be dangerous. i coming years. it can also be dangemus-_ dangerous. i didn't mean to interrupt — dangerous. i didn't mean to interrupt you. _ dangerous. i didn't mean to interrupt you. thank- dangerous. i didn't mean to interrupt you. thank you. i dangerous. i didn't mean to | interrupt you. thank you. as alwa s, interrupt you. thank you. is always, thank you interrupt you. thank you. sis always, thank you for having me, mike. virginia has become the first southern us state to abolish the death penalty. signing the bill into law, governor ralph northam, who's a democrat, said capital punishment had been applied disproportionately to black people, and that a flawed legal system had led, too often, to mistakes. i spoke just now to jayjones, who is a delegate to the virginia state legislature and was one of the main sponsors of the new law. it is an incredibly big deal. we are the first southern state to rule out the death penalty. the 23rd in the united states. i thinkjust a few years ago

signing this bill into law was unthinkable but it is the by—product of a tonne of hard work and passion by advocates across the state, and lawmakers in a changing climate here in virginia and across the country. there is no way to sugar—coat it, is there? a penalty that has been applied disproportionately across the country and historically against black people. absolutely. i think this practice has its roots in racism and is the descendant of lynching and state—sponsored murder in a way that we don't want to have in our system any more. it does not reflect our values and that is not who we are and the data speaks for itself. it does disproportionately affect black people especially here in virginia and that is something we can no longer stand for. for a long time apparently did reflect a significant portion of the values in the state. was there a particular moment, a particular case that changed a lot of peoples minds? you know, i think it was the by—product of a lot of work.

i think we had got into a point where we needed to fully reassess our justice system. this was one of the many things that we were able to do not just in this legislative session in 2021 but even last year during a special session in 2020 and i certainly think that as we move ahead, people will look to virginia for continued reform in ourjustice system and this is one that we will have a lot as a long—term coming and something that will make our commonwealth more equitable and just. when was the last time virginia executed somebody and whether people who were very close to going to the death penalty who now will not? we have not executed someone some time. there are two folks on death row in this legislation will make it so that they will not be excluded because it is retroactive in their execution. they will not be executed by the state. today when the governor signed it it was a powerful moment for us to be there and in that moment knowing that there were two folks who were there who will no longer be subjected to this heinous and barbaric

punishment. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: egyptian authorities try to free a huge container ship that's been wedged across the suez canal, for almost 48 hours. i'm so proud of both of you. let there be no more wars or bloodshed between arabs and israelis. with great regret,

the committee have decided that south africa be excluded from the 1970 competition. chanting streaking across the sky, - the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from i onlookers on fiji. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines. india suspends all major exports of the astra—zeneca vaccine following a domestic surge, in coronavirus infections. the number of cornavirus deaths in brazil has

surpassed 300—thousand — as the virus continues its rapid spread. in a few hours work will start again to try and dislodge the giant container ship that is currently blocking the suez canal. the huge vessel, ever given, has been stuck since tuesday. as about 12 % of global trade passes through the canal, that's a problem. the hold—up has seen oil prices rise , on international markets. our global trade correspondent dharshini david has the story. there are bottlenecks on the daily commute, and then there's this — a ship the size of the empire state building blocking one of the busiest shipping lanes, after it was aground by strong winds, it's claimed. behind the stricken ever given, owned by evergreen, a mounting queue of marine traffic, carrying cargo from oil to clothes and food. whereever they hail from — china, the middle east or south asia — they're going nowhere. seen from above, the problem is clear. ships have grown to match our appetite to consume more, but they are ill—suited to a waterway

that's just 205 metres wide. this canal, connecting the red sea and the mediterranean, was originally built 150 years ago. it's still crucial for modern trade. the ever given ran aground at 5:40am on tuesday morning. it's one of 52 ships a day that travel through this passage of water. they carry 12% of global trade, worth over £2 billion per day. there is no easy alternative route, so this disruption could be costly. the suez canal is blocked for, what, the third time in its history. how damaging could that be to global trade? when we think about exports from china, they will take about 10% longer, in terms of shipping time, to arrive at their destination. and when we think about the importance of chinese products for the production of goods all over the world, we have to be worried that this will have major consequences.

they're hoping tug boats, diggers and the tide will refloat the ship. tonight, a side channel has been opened to divert some traffic, but it could take weeks to deal with the consequences of this disruption. however mighty the forces of globalisation, we're all vulnerable to the whims of nature. dharshini david, bbc news. president biden�*s pick to be assistant us health secretary, rachel levine, has become the first openly transgender person to receive senate approval for a top federaljob. two republicans broke ranks to vote with democrats in her favour. doctor levine will work in washington fifty years ago, bangladesh — then east pakistan — started a nine—month struggle for independence. the northern village of ataikula endured some of the worst atrocities of the conflict — men were shot and women were raped by pakistani soldiers. decades later, the women have been given the honorary title "�*war heroine'.

they were promised financial support that many still haven't reieved. akbar hossain has been talking to survivors. this woman survives by making pottery at her home in northern bangladesh, where she has lived for over 50 years. she was a young woman with a husband and two children when soldiers arrived in her village. she says the details of what happened to her are too horrific to discuss. 36 women were raped in this village alone. this woman also struggles to describe what happened to her. in this sleepy rural area, one of the worst atrocities of the war took place.

the pakistani army and their bengali collaborators attacked fellow muslims across the country. but in this village, the hindu bengalis were singled out, suspected of being pro—india. 52 men from the village were killed, shot by firing squad. the women were the poorest of the poor in 1971 and still are today. the survivors tell me they struggled to raise a family on their own.

they made a huge sacrifice for independence, and the state is yet to recognise it. many years after the war, women who had been raped were told to apply for birangana, or war heroine status. it meant they would be given financial support. but in this village, less than a third of the women were accepted. after 50 years, they're still waiting. akbar hossain, bbc news, northern bangladesh. in the vatican, pope francis has ordered pay cuts for cardinals and priests. from april, cardinals will be paid 10% less although lower orders will see fewer cuts to their salaries. the vatican's income has fallen during the pandemic particularly by the closure of its museums. the pontiff said pay cuts were preferable to having to fire people given the current tough economic climate. the olympic torch is starting its four—month journey around japan, as it heads to tokyo for

the olympic flame, lit in fukushima. the location is significant, fukushima was of course the site of the devastating tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011 — with the concept behind the olympic torch relay "hope lights our way". .. the olympic flame, flown down from greece, will travel through the country's 47 prefectures, carried by some 10,000 runners. starting with members of the japanese national women's football team. 0ur correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes is in fukushima. it is almost exactly a year since the unprecedented announcement that the tokyo 0lympics would be postponed and since then we have had months of speculation. going to really go ahead? well, you can see behind me here today in fukushima the start of the torch relay. this is really the point of no return. this is japan saint of the world, this game is going to go ahead this summer regardless of the pandemic.

well, the torch is going to travel from here in fukushima for a 121 days right in japan from the farthest north to the father southern islands and then it is going to arrive at the olympic stadium in tokyo onjuly 23 to the grand opening ceremony. of course, because of pandemic, none of this happening here today is without problems. you can see there are no cheering crowd here in fukushima. there are only invited schoolchildren and the media and we have all had to add health checks in order to come in here. and on the route today and for the next few weeks people are being told not to gather men large crowds. not to cheer the flame. another is the games themselves. we now know the decision has been made that no international spectators are going to be allowed to come here to japan to watch the games. that is a huge disappointment for olympic fans

and forjapan. but it is the reality of holding the olympics during a global pandemic. hello there. the weather's looking pretty unsettled over the next few days and it's going to be turning a bit colder as well. before we get there, though, today on the satellite picture, we can see some thick cloud developing to the west of the british isles. and this is going to be moving its way across northern ireland, with a little bit of rain here developing over the next few hours. more general rain and cloud heading into western scotland, so wet weather into the highlands, the western isles and perhaps pushing into 0rkney as well as we head into the first part of thursday morning. so for these northwestern areas of the uk, cloudy

with rain at times. now, there will be a few showers elsewhere developing through the day across england, also some spells of sunshine, but towards eastern england, we're going to have a zone of convergence. this is where the winds bash together and make a line of showers. and if you happen to live in this kind of area, that's where the greatest chance of showers are, whereas across the midlands and across the south coast, your chance of showers is much lower and there should be more in the way of sunshine. in the sunshine, temperatures widely around 13 or 1a degrees across england and wales. a bit cooler across scotland and northern ireland, ten to 12 celsius, about ten where it stays cloudy with rain. now, it is going to be turning colder. colder air that's just to the west of greenland at the moment has our name on it, and it's going to be arriving across the british isles as we head into friday behind this stripe of rain, which is our cold front. so, this band of rain, squally winds on it, will push its way eastwards across england. then, sunshine and showers follow. cold enough for a little bit of snow across some of the higher mountains across the northwest of the uk, and those temperatures really taking a plunge. just 7 degrees celsius in both

belfast and in glasgow through friday afternoon. now, beyond that, into the weekend, it does stay pretty unsettled. often, the weather's going to be quite windy and there will be some rain around as well. of the two days, probably saturday the better of it, but quite cloudy across western areas with some patches of rain, more general rain spreading into northern ireland. and all the while, we'll have gusty winds. temperatures still below par for the time of year, about nine to 12 celsius on saturday. and on sunday, we've probably got some heavier rain on the way, working into some central portions of the uk. to the south of this area of rain, temperatures not so low. we're looking at highs of around 12 or 13 degrees. but cold still in scotland, about 8 to 10 — below average, then, for the time of year.

this is bbc news —

the headlines. india has suspended all major exports of the astra—zeneca covid vaccine — because of a surge in infections in india. the foreign ministry expects domestic demand to pick up in the coming weeks, and says the doses will be needed for india's own rollout. in brazil, the number of deaths from covid—19 has now passed 300,000 — with oxygen running low in some of the busiest hospitals. brazil is the second—worst affected country in the world after the united states — it has recorded more than 12 million covid cases. virginia has become the first southern us state — the 23rd across the country overall — to abolish the death penalty. signing the bill into law, governor ralph northam — who's a democrat — said capital punishment had been applied disproportionately to black people, and that a flawed legal system had led, too often, to mistakes. now on bbc news, hardtalk with stephen sackur.