this is bbc news, i'm kasia madera. the headlines at 8pm... a backlash from landlords, after borisjohnson says a vaccination passport might be needed to get into a pub. i think it will drive people away from local hospitality venues and even city centre ones, where what we need to be doing is bringing people back in. zoom summit for eu leaders — they're under pressure to increase vaccine supplies. where does that leave exports to britain? an apology to parents after a teacher shows cartoons of the prophet muhammad at a west yorkshire school. an extra £95 million to improve maternity care in england. it follows the baby deaths scandal at the shrewsbury and telford nhs trust.

a second attempt to re—float the ship stranded in the suez canal fails as efforts continue to unblock one of the world's most important trade routes. good evening, and welcome to bbc news. mps have voted to extend the government's power in england to impose covid restrictions by a further six months. it comes after the hospitality sector's opposition to the prime minister's suggestion that you might need a vaccine to impose covid restrictions by a further six months. it comes after the hospitality sector's opposition to the prime minister's suggestion

that you might need a vaccine passport to go for pint in the pub. he did say it couldn't happen until all adults have had the jab, but the news has still caused concern. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. eager to get to the bar? forget proving your age, what about proving you had a jab or negative test to get a pint? the bell and cross near stourbridge has already spent thousands to get ready to serve outside. ijust think it's a really, really bad idea. the checks we had to do anyway when we were open were extensive. it creates a huge amount of extra work, which meant an extra increase in staff costs. also the stress of the staff, because we were meticulous in following these instructions. borisjohnson paints himself a freedom lover, but regular covid checks are being considered as the government wrestles with how to safely open the economy. but it's not easy to grab onto straightforward solutions. i need to get a haircut. are you booked in for april the 12th? for the pub? yes. no, for the haircut! whether haircuts or this issue, pub passports, there's a lot to plan. you've got to be careful how you do this. you might only be able to implement a thorough vaccination passport scheme, even if you wanted such a thing, in the context of when absolutely everybody had

been offered a vaccine. so, there are complexities, moral complexities, ethical problems that need to be addressed. hang on though — this was only last month. what i don't think we will have in this country is, as it were, vaccination passports to allow you to go to, say, the pub. that view is shifting, though. this is one of downing street's locals and, like everywhere else around the country, it hasn't seen a punter for months. the government isn't planning to make vaccines compulsory, or force you to do a test every time you leave the house. but they are looking at how pubs, restaurants, venues, football grounds or workplaces can use covid checks to help open up and let us back in. officials are considering if pubs and venues could stop social distancing if they carried out covid tracks.

—— covid checks. but they'd leave the decision to do so up to individual firms. it's not really for the government to abdicate its responsibility and leave it to the private sector to decide the rules, and then take the flak for what may be very unpopular decisions. with so many doors still shut, this suggestion has riled a small but noisy group of tory mps, already unhappy that ministers asked them to extend the government's sweeping powers. unless you fight for freedoms every day, they end up being taken away from you. after months of denial, now indeed it will be i the case that you will have - to provide your vaccination bona fides when you go to the pub. we, as conservatives, should be very careful not to constrain the private sector in how they choose what customers they have. covid checks wouldn't be used until everybody has been offered a vaccine and will not affect grand plans to reopen outdoor venues next month. but as restrictions roll back, thing is clear, the world won't look the same. laura kuenssberg, bbc

news, westminster. as we've just heard, the earliest there could be any decision on vaccine passports — as they are sometimes called — will be april, when ministers review the situation. that hasn't stopped people in the hospitality industry from worrying about the implications. our news correspondent sian lloyd reports from stratford—upon—avon. serenaded in the sunshine, and making the most of being able to meet another person in the open air. but at this nearby bar it's the next steps towards opening up that are on the mind of publican nick rowberry. he finds the idea of policing a vaccine passport uncomfortable. the headline idea is unpalatable because it is another restriction on something that could be ongoing, but if it's what it takes for us to run a business with a degree of normality, successfully, in an enjoyable manner for our staff and our customers, i think it is something we'll have to accept. it's only a short walk from nick's bar to the town's

world —famous theatre. its doors have been closed now for a year. keith and sue are missing their visits there. they say the idea of a vaccine passport would give them more confidence to take their seats back in the audience, but do have questions about how it would work. it's just whether they're going to be doing these things electronically, on smartphones, or are they doing the paper side of it? just the logistics, really, of how they're going do it. having a passport, if it means we can get back here, we can come back to our very regular visits. amelie and ellie are both 17. they wonder how a passport certificate would affect them. i am willing to wait a lot more time for the theatres to open and wait . i for things to get better to maybe i implement more strategies to keep i covid—safe than rush back into it . and have another break—out happen, because we are in our third lockdown now. i if you can also maybe get in with proof of a negative covid test, but i guess it's alljust kind of trial to see what works

best for everyone. the streets of stratford have never been quieter. people living here have had to get used to all the restrictions imposed, but now there's a new suggestion for them to digest. at this confectioners, fudge tastings and tours have been put on hold due to covid, with only one customer allowed in the shop. but grace says she wants to welcome everyone back, passport or not. i don't think the passport is a good idea, because if people have - got mental problems, i underlying health issues, or theyjust don't want - to have the jab, you know, we've just got to accept that. the town's cinema would love to see customers again, but will it be with a covid passport? sian lloyd, bbc news, stratford—upon—avon. european union leaders are holding a virtual meeting where they've been discussing their handling of the pandemic, and how to increase supplies of the coronavirus vaccine.

among the options to consider are tougher export controls, which could affect the number of doses available in the uk. our europe editor katya adler is following events from brussels. what i'm hearing is that it's unlikely that eu leaders will give the green light to those controls tonight. now the commission says that they should, it says it's exported so many vaccines despite short supply here. one eu diplomat saying to me that 20 million were sent to the uk since december, but that the eu is still waiting to receive one vaccine back from the uk in return. but you know, a lot of those eu leaders don't like the idea of blocking vaccine exports. trade—minded countries like the netherlands or ireland say it could trash the eu's reputation and disrupt global supply chains needed to make vaccines. but make no mistake, all these leaders are under a lot of public pressure to take action. belgium is amongst a number of eu

countries reintroducing lockdown measures because of a third wave of the virus and, as i say, vaccines are in short supply. but away from the politics, if you ask people do they want to take vaccines away from the uk to keep for themselves, they don't say that. they're calling on their government and the eu to sort out what they see as their vaccine mess, and hurry up and get jabs in the arms here. —— into arms here. the nhs in england is to spend an extra £95 million to improve maternity care. it follows the baby deaths scandal at the shrewsbury and telford nhs trust. the funding will help to provide an additional thousand midwives across the country. the move has been welcomed by bereaved parents as a "step in the right direction". here's our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan. baby kate was just hours old when she died after mistakes at the shrewsbury and telford trust in 2009. after 12 years of campaigning for better maternity care, her parents have

welcomed today's investment. there will be children alive in years to come that will be born perhaps in need of medical intervention, and that care hopefully will be there to prevent adverse outcomes or the avoidable death of a baby. so there will be children alive in years to come as a direct result of this money. the shrewsbury and telford trust was at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in nhs history. dozens of babies died or suffered avoidable harm. the care that more than 1,800 families received is being investigated. the new money builds on what's been learned already in an initial report published last year. £95 million will be invested in improving maternity safety. up to 1,000 midwives will be hired, as well as around 80 obstetrics consultants. some of the money will be used to allow them to train together. teams that train together will then work well together,

in emergency scenarios, when they're all needed and rely upon one another to in order to deliver safe care. i think this is very welcome. though maternity care is improving, in recent years scandals in shropshire, morecambe bay, ayrshire, east kent and elsewhere have highlighted significant problems. poor investigations when things go wrong, as well as a nationwide shortage of thousands of maternity staff have been recurring problems. midwives have been telling us for a long time there is just not enough of them around to deliver safe and high—quality care. but, more importantly, women have been saying there's not enough midwives. and that is really important, that women are confident in the care that they have. richard and rhiannon, alongside kayleigh and colin, fought tirelessly for improvements after losing their babies due to maternity errors. they welcome the investment, but are incredulous such efforts were needed. when care is questioned because it is so poor and there has

been so many adverse and woeful outcomes, people should speak sooner and louder to make sure that these kind of tragedies don't occur. this should never be allowed to happen ever again. the preventable death of a baby leaves a life—long scar. this money should mean fewer families suffer such crippling hurt. michael buchanan, bbc news. gill walton is the ceo of the royal college of midwives. shejoins us now. she joins us now. we heard you talk about there — she joins us now. we heard you talk about there was _ she joins us now. we heard you talk about there was simply _ she joins us now. we heard you talk about there was simply not - she joins us now. we heard you talk about there was simply not enough | about there was simply not enough midwives around, that women are saying this is wealth stop this extra funding will provide 1000 extra funding will provide 1000 extra midwives. your organisation has been calling for 2000 — so arguably it's not enough? has been calling for 2000 - so arguably it's not enough? good evenina. arguably it's not enough? good evening. 1000 _ arguably it's not enough? good evening. 1000 is _ arguably it's not enough? good evening. 1000 is a _ arguably it's not enough? good evening. 1000 is a good - arguably it's not enough? (emf. evening. 1000 is a good start, and we really believe this will make an impact on improving the safety of

maternity care. so we really welcome this money. we all want better maternity care for women and families, and we want equally working maternity services to be able to provide that safe care. so we believe it's a really good start, we've been told it's a recurring amount of money, and what we need to do is keep a very close eye on whether it's enough money to buy enough midwives and obstetricians, and all the training they need moving into the future so we improve care. ., y ., . . moving into the future so we improve care. ., i. ., . ., care. now you gave evidence into the review into what _ care. now you gave evidence into the review into what happened _ care. now you gave evidence into the review into what happened at - review into what happened at shrewsbury and telford hospital nhs trust. the decision there was that good practice was not followed — what needs to be changing, notjust the number of midwives, as well, and the number of midwives, as well, and the fact that they trained together and therefore provide better services because they know each other and work together? what else is needed, in your opinion? i

other and work together? what else is needed, in your opinion?- is needed, in your opinion? i think there is a fundamental— is needed, in your opinion? i think there is a fundamental need - is needed, in your opinion? i think there is a fundamental need to - there is a fundamental need to change culture. ultimately it's about women and families at the centre of care and really listening to them. and i think we've heard that a lot throughout all of the inquiries how important it is to really listen to women. it is about the culture and how obstetricians, midwives and maternity teams work together, and that they trained together. that there's more training and funding for training, we've heard that today, how important that is, and we really support that we really support the opportunity for funded training for the whole maternity team. find funded training for the whole maternity team.— funded training for the whole maternity team. funded training for the whole materni team. �* , ., ., maternity team. and when you gave evidence, maternity team. and when you gave evidence. you _ maternity team. and when you gave evidence, you spoke _ maternity team. and when you gave evidence, you spoke about - maternity team. and when you gave evidence, you spoke about this - maternity team. and when you gave evidence, you spoke about this idea| evidence, you spoke about this idea that normal birth was promoted at any cost. how do you overcome that? is that still something that arguably is happening now, this idea that a normal birth is something that a normal birth is something thatis that a normal birth is something that is arguably aspirational? what that is arguably aspirational? what we promote _ that is arguably aspirational? what we promote is _ that is arguably aspirational? what we promote is that _ that is arguably aspirational? harriet we promote is that women are

supported to understand the sort of birth that they want, so it's understanding the risk and benefit of all their choices. and that's what's really important. every woman has a midwife and it's important that the midwife supports the woman and she understands what's available for her, and that it is up to her what she wants, and the midwife is there to support that choice. find there to support that choice. and what about _ there to support that choice. and what about women who would like a caesarean section? but of course, there's the cost factor, as well, but they genuinely do feel that is the route they'd like to go down. what's the kind of training that midwives will get now in terms of something like that? the midwives will get now in terms of something like that?— something like that? the most im ortant something like that? the most important thing _ something like that? the most important thing is _ something like that? the most important thing is that - something like that? the most important thing is that the - important thing is that the discussions are had with women about their options for birth. and as i said before, it's about helping women understand their choices and the risk and benefit of all those choices. ultimately, there midwives and obstetricians supporting the choice the woman wants, so she's satisfied and confident in her

experience of childbirth. many thanks for— experience of childbirth. many thanks for your _ experience of childbirth. many thanks for your time, - experience of childbirth. many thanks for your time, thank i experience of childbirth. many thanks for your time, thank you. thank you. the headlines on bbc news... a backlash from landlords after borisjohnson says a vaccination passport might be needed to get into a pub. zoom summit for eu leaders — they're under pressure to increase vaccine supplies. where does that leave exports to britain? an apology to parents after a teacher shows cartoons of the prophet mohammed at a west yorkshire school. sport now, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's tulsen tollett. good evening to you and good evening to everyone. the european world cup qualifiers continue this evening, with england up against the world's lowest—ranked team, san marino at wembley. it took until almost a quarter

of an hour in for gareth southgate's team to get on the scoresheet, and it was southampton�*s james ward prowse who scored the opener with england two up heading towards half time. elsewhere in group f — scotland are hosting austria, it's goalless at the moment with just over half an hour played. in group c northern ireland are away to italy. italy lead 1—0 in that one. for all the latest, head to the bbc sport website. earlier, england's under—21's lost their opening match at the european championship when they were beaten 1—0 by switzerland. the match that was played in slovenia was decided thanks to a deflected goalfrom dan n'doye. aidy boothroyd's side still have portugal and croatia to play in group d. fifa have confirmed that norway won't face disciplinary action following last night's protest ahead of their win over gibraltar. the players all wore t—shirts with the slogan "human rights — on and off the pitch". fifa say they believe in the "freedom of speech, and in the power of football as a force for good." norway have discussed

whether they should boycott next year's tournament because of poor working conditions for migrant workers in qatar. the former scotland captain scott brown will leave celtic at the end of the season to join premiership rivals aberdeen. the 35 year—old has signed a pre—contract to go to pittodrie as a player—coach, and willjoin them in the summer. brown, who signed for celtic from hibernian in 2007, has played more than 600 times for the hoops, winning 10 league titles and 12 domestic cups. england captain eoin morgan, will miss the rest of the one—day series in india after sustaining a hand injury in the opening match on tuesday. morgan left the field as soon as he picked up the injury in pune and it meansjoss buttler will skipper the team for the last two matches at the same venue. sam billings will also miss out on tomorrow's second match of three — also through injury, which means liam livingstone will make his one day international debut. it's never nice to see team—mates get injured, but fingers crossed they're not quite as serious as

they could have been. so, yeah, speedy recovery for them too and hopefully they're back fit before the ipl. but, yeah, like you said, it's obviously not nice to be able... to have to come into replace injuries, but really nice to be able to be given opportunity. britain's adam yates has retained the overall lead after the fourth stage of the volta a catalunya. he couldn't follow up yesterday's impressive victory with esteban chaves, leaving yates and his fellow ineos grenadiers team—mates behind with just under four miles to the finish. the colombian won the stage, but yates finished soon after to stay 45 seconds ahead of teammates richie porte and geraint thomas. in tennis news, there was a scare for british teenager jack draper at the miami open in what was his debut on the atp tour. the 19—year—old desperately struggled with the heat and humidity in his match against mikhail kukushkin, collapsing on court during the first set. he received swift medical attention, but couldn't continue.

he did recover though and was able to walk off unaided. british number one and 2017 championjohanna konta is through to the third round. in only her second win of the season, she beat poland's magda linette in straight sets. konta has been struggling with an abdominal injury. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on the bbc news channel later on. you just couldn't resist, could you? thank you — i think. bring you up—to—date. .. two pilots are in a stable condition in hospital after a royal navy hawk jet crashed in woodland during a training exercise. the ministry of defence said both pilots ejected safely before the plane went down near the town of helston. it's thought engine failure was to blame, but there'll be an investigation. 0ur correspondent tamzin melville

is in cornwall for us. —— jonathan beal has ——jonathan beal has been —— jonathan beal has been updating us on the story, he's been tweeting about this and has said that "all hawk t—1 jets flying have paused after the crash today,", according to the... the raf has decided to temporarily pause hawk t—1 operations as a precautionary measure while investigations are ongoing. so this follows those two pilots who had to eject, they ejected safely, they are in stable condition in hospital, but as we hearfrom jonathan, all condition in hospital, but as we hear from jonathan, all hawk t—1 jet flying has been paused after that particular crash. any developments, of course we will bring them to you. the coronavirus pandemic has impacted ourjobs, with many of us now working from home. the nationwide building society has told its 13,000 staff, that they can choose to work anywhere they like once the pandemic is over.

but will it catch on? 0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports. kelly's cracking on with work, but she's happy for a few welcome interruptions... today, she's heard from her employer that this world of working from the dining room can carry on after the pandemic. this has given me so much more freedom than i ever could have imagined. my eldest child started school back in september and at the start of last year before all of this hit i was worried about being the absent parent from the school gates, not being able to be part of his school life, and actually if anything the pandemic has given me that flexibility to kind of block time out to do the school run in the morning. but it has not been everyone's cup of tea. isaac and four of his colleagues have now been asked to come back into the office of his sales company, and he is delighted. everyone's been stuck in the house so everyone wants a bit of fresh air, a bit of freedom, you know? we all feel like birds in cages. working from home, it can get a little bit tiring. you get lethargic because you know

your bed is only in the other room so you can hang up the phone and just have a lie down. nationwide said it will give people a choice but they are not worried staff will slack off when they are not in the office. home workers are working if anything i harder than they were in the office. i actually, the challenge - of home working is making sure people are looking _ after their own well—being and we're doing enough to support people. most of the uk's millions of workers who are at home still haven't been told by their employers when or whether they will be expected back in the office. so they'll remain working in front rooms, bedrooms, back rooms, offices, right across the country — and for some that's a joy, and for others a real disappointment. i live on my own so it's a bit - boring in the same house every day. you can't go out, - can't see your friends. i feel like it's the little tiny bit of a social life i get. yeah, that's very true. because i feel if i was just stuck inside all day, i'd go insane, i'd go absolutely mad. high street banking has changed beyond recognition, and today santander announced

they're closing more than 100 branched, with more staff dealing with calls and online queries from their front rooms. colletta smith, bbc news, in manchester. the wife of the jailed russian opposition politician alexei navalny has called for the immediate release of her husband so he can be treated by doctors. yulia navalny says the kremlin critic is in pain and being denied proper healthcare. mr navalny was jailed last month for two and a half years on charges he said were politically motivated. russia's prison authority has described his condition as stable and satisfactory. last september, mr navalny was flown from russia to germany for medical treatment after being poisoned with the novichok nerve agent. johnny depp has lost a bid to overturn a damning high court ruling in london which concluded he assaulted his ex—wife amber heard and left her in fear for her life. thejudge said mr depp had no real prospect of success and therefore

is refused permission to appeal against the ruling given last year in his libel case against the publishers of the sun. a group of mps has warned the government it's "missed the boat" on reform of the bbc licence fee. the media select committee says the existing system is the only option for the foreseeable future — but ministers say they still plan to review how the bbc is funded. scientists have launched a study to see if two drugs, which are already available, could be used to reduce deaths from coronavirus. the cambridge—led trial also aims to cut the number of people who are re—admitted to hospital following treatment for the disease. 0ur science correspondent richard westcott reports. covid has put nearly half a million uk people in hospitals so far. most survive, but the disease doesn't relinquish its grip just because they've been discharged.

ambulance driver nigel�*s been nicknamed the "miracle man" by his daughters after nearly dying from the disease last summer. _by —— by his doctors. three cheers for nigel, hip hip! hooray! hip hip! hooray! leaving hospital was a high point. but months later, he's still suffering. can't walk very far, but i do my best. upper body strength — where i used to have that, i haven't got that any more. you tire easily, don't you? have an afternoon nap? yeah. you've got your stomach problem. yeah, ulceritis, colitis. the mental health, ptsd side of it. mood swings. yeah. i had covid, i lost smell. this is long _ i had covid, i lost smell. this is long covid — i had covid, i lost smell. this is long covid because it's affected his life. this increasingly common long—term damage is why cambridge researchers are launching a new uk—wide drugs trial.

led by a doctor who pushed all the paperwork and raise the money in between shifts on intensive care. hi, charlotte, how are you? i'm well. they'll be recruiting discharged patients to try two common drugs. this drug is a clotbusting drug, and we know that people who have coronavirus infection are at increased risk of getting blood clots in their lungs and the legs. so it's to try and combat that in the post—hospital phase. and then, atorvastatin is a cholesterol—lowering drug. one of the really important things about these two particular drugs is they're relatively cheap, they are easy to take because they're tablets, and they're widely available. a large study found that, for every ten people discharged from hospital after covid, within six months, three will be readmitted and one will die. finding treatments to cut those numbers could change thousands of lives. richard wescott, bbc look wast, clacton, in essex. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets.

good evening. we saw a little sunshine today, but also, there were quite a number of showers around. and those showers will continue as we go through this evening and overnight. in fact, they merge into a longer spell of rain across the north and west. and it's behind this band of rain, a cold weather front, that we've got colder air coming in — so a late dip in our temperatures across northern ireland, western scotland. for most, temperatures stay, as you can see, around the 6—7 mark because we've got the cloud and showery rain, and the breeze. the wind strengthens a bit through tonight into tomorrow, as well, so blowing through more blustery showers following our band of rain. a few hours of quite steady, even heavy rain moves its way eastward through the day. sunny spells follow, but the showers will be wintry compared with today, more so over the hills, hail and thunder as well, as we've seen today. and temperatures will be lower by 11—5 degrees, so a different—feeling day, chillier—feeling day

with those showers. perhaps a little bit drier for most of us on saturday, but more unsettled weather saturday night into sunday.

hello, this is bbc news with kasia madera. the headlines... a backlash from landlords after borisjohnson says a vaccination passport might be needed to get into a pub. zoom summit for eu leaders — they're under pressure to increase vaccine supplies. where does that leave exports to britain? an apology to parents after a teacher shows cartoons of the prophet mohammed at a west yorkshire school. an extra £95 million to improve maternity care in england. it follows the baby deaths scandal at the shrewsbury and telford nhs trust. a second attempt to re—float the ship stranded in the suez canal fails as efforts continue to unblock one of the world's most important trade routes.

a second attempt to re—float the container ship stranded in the suez canal has failed. the ship's owner has apologised for the grounding and the effect it has had on international shipping. at least 150 vessels are currently waiting to go through the canal, which was completely blocked when the 200,000 tonne cargo ship, the ever given, ran aground. theo leggett reports. an ocean—going giant lies stuck, its bow embedded firmly in the sandy bank of the suez canal, and one of the world's busiest trade arteries remains blocked for a third day. the canal provides a relatively quick way for cargo to travel between europe and asia, and for oil supplies to come from the middle east. the alternative is a passage around the southern tip of africa, which is thousands of miles further and can take more than a week longer. with the canal blocked, the backlog of ships with nowhere

to go is building up. we have ships lining up and this is notjust container ships, this is bulk carriers, carrying grain cargoes as well. this is crude oil, this is oil product, carrying gasoline and diesel to feed our cars. the ever given is one of a very new generation of so—called mega ships, huge vessels hundreds of metres long capable of carrying tens of thousands of containers. the suez canal was built in 1859 and although it was recently expanded, it remains a very narrow and tricky prospect for such large ships. the biggest concern is when there is an incident these ships are too big for salvagers to quickly and easily managed to free them and certainly, there needs to be a thorough audit of what went wrong and why and at the moment we're not really sure. the question now is how much longer it will take for the canal to be fully reopened. a long delay will only add

to the disruption to global supply chains already caused by the covid outbreak and ultimately that means outbreak and ultimately, that means a potential shortages and higher costs for businesses that may already be struggling. theo leggett, bbc news. let's speak now to guy platten who is secretary general of the international chamber of shipping. very good of you to join us. so what do you reckon? i —— how much longer should this be? we do you reckon? i -- how much longer should this be?— should this be? we really don't know. should this be? we really don't know- we _ should this be? we really don't know. we know _ should this be? we really don't know. we know the _ should this be? we really don't know. we know the latest - should this be? we really don't i know. we know the latest attempt should this be? we really don't - know. we know the latest attempt has failed. it could take some days or even weeks to reflow the vessel, let's hope that's not the case. to get to their destination, with the back—up of ships, it so clearly very worrying situation. itjust shows this strategic waterway. we were lookin: at

this strategic waterway. we were looking at images _ this strategic waterway. we were looking at images of— this strategic waterway. we were looking at images of the - this strategic waterway. we were looking at images of the ever - this strategic waterway. we were i looking at images of the ever given. it is the length of four football pitches. is it too big for the suez canal. {iii pitches. is it too big for the suez canal. .., , pitches. is it too big for the suez canal. _, , ., , , , canal. of course, it goes... this is a one-off- — canal. of course, it goes... this is a one-off- i _ canal. of course, it goes... this is a one-off. i think— canal. of course, it goes... this is a one-off. i think we _ canal. of course, it goes... this is a one-off. i think we need - canal. of course, it goes... this is a one-off. i think we need to i a one—off. i think we need to establish first what happened, and we don't know that yet. until then, we don't know that yet. until then, we should hold judgment on that. undoubtedly, we would urge it get reflow did as soon as possible to get world trading back. {siege reflow did as soon as possible to get world trading back.— get world trading back. give us understanding _ get world trading back. give us understanding of _ get world trading back. give us understanding of how- get world trading back. give us understanding of how many i get world trading back. give us i understanding of how many millions of dollars of goods passed through the suez canal every day. eaten;r the suez canal every day. every ear, the suez canal every day. every year. it's _ the suez canal every day. every year. it's over _ the suez canal every day. every year, it's over a _ the suez canal every day. every year, it's over a trillion, - the suez canal every day. every year, it's over a trillion, and i the suez canal every day. every year, it's over a trillion, and its| year, it's over a trillion, and its fuel, its fuel, as medical supplies, everything. so it's such an

intractable waterway —— integral. already, there will be all ongoing delays of ships going into ports and potentially delays of consumers, so let's hope it gets cleared quickly. the longer it goes on, the more difficult it becomes.— the longer it goes on, the more difficult it becomes. when you've not a difficult it becomes. when you've got a make _ difficult it becomes. when you've got a make a _ difficult it becomes. when you've got a make a ship _ difficult it becomes. when you've got a make a ship like _ difficult it becomes. when you've got a make a ship like this, i difficult it becomes. when you've got a make a ship like this, how. difficult it becomes. when you've i got a make a ship like this, how on earth do reflow that? how you even begin? earth do reflow that? how you even beuin? ., , earth do reflow that? how you even beuin? . , ., earth do reflow that? how you even beuin? ., , ., ~ earth do reflow that? how you even bein? . , . ~' , begin? clearly, the idea i think is to dredue begin? clearly, the idea i think is to dredge around _ begin? clearly, the idea i think is to dredge around it. _ begin? clearly, the idea i think is to dredge around it. probably i begin? clearly, the idea i think is. to dredge around it. probably have to dredge around it. probably have to consider taking some of the containers off. so a combination of factors that will need to be put in place. they've tried to do it quickly, but it looks like it may be in for a slightly longer hole than anticipated. —— longer hall. to try and get it re—fluted on the way, and

to clear the canal so ships can resume their transits.- to clear the canal so ships can resume their transits. with those 150 or so vessels _ resume their transits. with those 150 or so vessels waiting - resume their transits. with those 150 or so vessels waiting to i resume their transits. with those 150 or so vessels waiting to go i 150 or so vessels waiting to go through, waiting to see what happens, we saw some of them have decided to cut their losses and go round, it must be really difficult conversation going on. it is because ou're conversation going on. it is because you're talking _ conversation going on. it is because you're talking about _ conversation going on. it is because you're talking about maybe - conversation going on. it is because you're talking about maybe a i conversation going on. it is because you're talking about maybe a weekl you're talking about maybe a week extra for a slower ship. it could be as much as 12 days, and if you think about the cost of that, the ongoing delays because you've got to get your car to a port, that's going to be delayed. the knock on effects are immense and the costs are immense as well. ., , ,., , .,, , well. indeed, absolutely. hopefully we'llseak well. indeed, absolutely. hopefully we'll speak to _ well. indeed, absolutely. hopefully we'll speak to you _ well. indeed, absolutely. hopefully we'll speak to you once _ well. indeed, absolutely. hopefully we'll speak to you once this - well. indeed, absolutely. hopefully we'll speak to you once this gets i we'll speak to you once this gets resolved. thank you so much for your time. ., ~' ,, , . joe biden has held his first ever formal white house press conference as us president. 25 us and international

journalists were in the room. the us has conducted one of the fastest vaccine roll—outs in the world. 130 million doses have been given, more than any other country. a quarter of all adults have had at least one dose. now president biden has revealed a new target of 200 million jabs within his first 100 days in office. on december 8th, i indicated that i hoped to get 100 million shots in people's arms in my first hundred days. we met that goal last week by day 58, 42 days ahead of schedule. now today, i'm setting a second goal, and that is we will by my 100th day in office have administered 200 million shots in people's arms. that's right — 200 million shots in 100 days. i know it's ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close.

campaigners calling for compensation for people affected by contaminated blood transfusions in the 1970s and 80s have given a cautious welcome to government plans to review the matter. up to 30,000 people were infected and thousands died as a result. it's been called the biggest treatment disaster in nhs history, and so far, there's been no government compensation, just limited financial support. here's our health editor, hugh pym. jason evans watches home videos to remember the father he barely knew. he was just four when his dad jonathan died after being infected with hiv and hepatitis c as a result of treatment for his haemophilia. he has been campaigning to get to the truth of what happened and for the government to pay compensation. these are demonstrable losses that have occurred. people couldn't get life insurance, they lost their homes, their careers. my mum was sacked from herjob based

on the fact that it was known that my dad had aids, so there are real losses here that have occurred before we even talk about the emotional damage, the physical damage. a public inquiry into what has been called the worst disaster in nhs history is under way. inquiry staff have been trawling through hundreds of thousands of pages of official documents. at the hearings, those who had lost loved ones were encouraged to leave notes and bottles. more than 3000 people died after being treated with contaminated blood products, some which were imported using blood from paid donors, including prisoners. victims and their families do get financial assistance, but campaigners say today marks a big change, with the government for the first time saying that compensation could be paid, depending on the outcome of the inquiry. the government have never previously acknowledged liability for this. they have always paid this money on the basis that it was support

their liability and said they are responsible for this. payments rather than compensation, so they have never acknowledged their liability and said they are responsible for this. just the word and the recognition that comes with that word of compensation is hugely significant for our community. the inquiry chair, sir brian langstaff, said it was unfair that the uk's four nations were paying out different levels of financial support. today, he welcomed a new commitment to get those national schemes up to the same level. clair walton's husband brian died with hiv and hepatitis c after being treated with contaminated blood products. clair, who gave evidence at the inquiry, said today marks a step forward. i was 23 years old when this started and i will be 60 this year. _ i have been turned from a wife into a carer, i from a wife into a widow, and it will be good - just to see the end. that's what compensation means to me. _

but families of those who died know there have been false dawns before. for certainty they will have to await the findings of the inquiry next year. hugh pym, bbc news. the department for education has condemned what it calls the �*threatening nature of protests' in response to a west yorkshire school showing a cartoon of the prophet muhammad during a lesson on blasphemy. the head teacher at batley grammar school has apologised and called the use of the image "completely inappropriate." a member of staff has been suspended. shabnam mahmood reports. videos posted online show an angry protest this morning outside a school in batley. parents calling for the sacking of a teacher who used an image of the prophet muhammad, the founder of islam, during a school lesson. by lunchtime, the teacher in question had been suspended, pending an independent formal investigation. the school unequivocally apologises for using a totally inappropriate image in a recent

religious studies lesson. it should not have been used. the member of staff has also relayed their most sincere apologies. showing the image has offended the muslim community. any depictions of the prophet muhammad are strictly forbidden in islam. batley grammar school is in a town with a high number of asian families. according to a 2015 0fsted report, three quarters of its pupils come from ethnic minorities. people i've spoken to outside the school say they are shocked by what happened. 0verall, it's offensive. whether it was, like i said, a family member, friend, teacher, it's offensive. the issue has been raised and flagged and dealt with. it should be laid to bed now. it's quiet outside the school this evening, and community leaders here say, although they're deeply hurt by what happened, they will continue to work closely to resolve the issue. shabnam mahmood, bbc news, batley.

0ur correspondent keith doyle is here. we saw the protests this morning and had a further development.— had a further development. things are developing. — had a further development. things are developing, but _ had a further development. things are developing, but most - had a further development. things are developing, but most muslims| are developing, but most muslims consider images of mohammed or any profit to be forbidden, not all muslims, but certainly most. what we saw in that report was this religious education class, in that class, the teacher showed a picture of mohammed, and that was considered blasphemy. after those protests we saw there, the department for education they said that it is never acceptable... the statement goes on to say...

the statement says... a fairly robust statement they are from the department for education. in a way, defending what happened in the school. so in a way, defending what happened in the school. ., .., in a way, defending what happened in the school. ., .. ., the school. so that came after the school unequivocally _ the school. so that came after the school unequivocally apologise. i school unequivocally apologise. we've had for the reaction since. we saw in we've had for the reaction since. - saw in that report the head teacher apologising unequivocally. they said the school apologised for using totally inappropriate resources in a recent religious studies education. they have immediately rid withdrawn teaching on that course, and are reviewing how they go forward with the support of all the communities represented in our school. they're really backing down and saying we made a mistake, but the former

chancellor of the exchequer, who is a muslim, he tweeted this evening... so, you can see both sides coming down on this. certainly, the department for education saying the school should be allowed to teach these what they call challenging controversial issues. one local muslim groups as it is unwilling to work with the school until the teacher is permanently removed, but a senior in leeds said while they simplifies, people have a right to express concerns. protests can't always achieve what can be achieved through constructive dialogue, a fair investigation by the school and causation with the parents should be allowed to take place. aha,

causation with the parents should be allowed to take place. fit. 11th causation with the parents should be allowed to take place.— allowed to take place. a lot of reaction- _ allowed to take place. a lot of reaction. keith, _ allowed to take place. a lot of reaction. keith, thanks - allowed to take place. a lot of reaction. keith, thanks so i allowed to take place. a lot of i reaction. keith, thanks so much. almost exactly a year since it was postponed, the tokyo olympic torch relay is under way. over the next four months, the flame will make its way from the icy north of japan to the sub—tropical islands in the far south, before arriving at the tokyo 0lympic stadium onjuly the 23rd. despite the pandemic and repeated scandals, it looks very much like the tokyo olympics will really happen. here's rupert wingfield—hayes. it's a moment many had predicted would never happen. but this morning in fukushima, a year later than planned, the runners got under way. the olympic torch relay has begun. for months, opinion polls have shown an overwhelming majority of japanese are against holding these games this year, but as the torch relay entered the city of iwaki today, a lot of people turned out, ignoring government advice not to gather in crowds, although they did heed the advice

to clap rather than to cheer. "when i watched the torch go by today it became more real for me," this lady says. "but i am glad they're not going to allow spectators from abroad." "i'm going to be an olympic volunteer," this student says, "so i really want them to go ahead. "when the whole world is down because of the pandemic, i think the olympics will cheer people up." so the torch relay has now arrived in the little town of futaba, and this town is one of them that was evacuated after the nuclear disaster at fukushima daiichi ten years ago. in fact, the nuclear plant is just a few kilometres away from here and despite all of the razzmatazz surrounding the torch relay here today, if you go just 100 metres in either direction, you'll find that this town is still completely deserted and some of the people who come from this area are not hugely amused about the amount of money that's being spent on the olympics when they still can't come home.

there are still plenty of other things that could go wrong, not least because japan has barely started to vaccinate its population against covid—19. but as the olympic torch sets out today on its long journey towards tokyo, for the first time in over a year, it really does feel like the summer olympics are going to happen. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in fukushima. the headlines on bbc news... a backlash from landlords after borisjohnson says a vaccination passport might be needed to get into a pub. zoom summit for eu leaders — they're under pressure to increase vaccine supplies. where does that leave exports to britain? an apology to parents after a teacher shows cartoons of the prophet mohammed at a west yorkshire school. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's

and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. a major report by the international union for the conservation of nature has revealed reveal that africa's elephants are far more threatened than previously thought. decades of decline caused by poaching and an ongoing loss of their habitat have driven forest elephants and savanna elephants into the two highest categories of extinction threat. victoria gill reports. the largest land animals on earth. but their size has not protected them from the impacts of poaching or from the continued destruction of the vast swathes of interconnected habitat they need. this latest red list of threatened species, considered to be the comprehensive report on how nature is faring on an increasingly crowded planet, puts africa's savanna elephants into the endangered category.

forest elephants are now even closer to extinction — critically endangered. it is an alarm bell for us. there are two main reasons for these declines. one is poaching of these animals for their ivory and the second one is habitat loss through human activities that take place in total disregard of the needs of these animals. across africa, there are nowjust over 400,000 wild elephants, and this latest examination of decades of census data and habitat surveys has shown that the demand for ivory still drives the decline in their numbers. the level of threat they faced had also been masked by the fact that the african elephant was previously thought to be a single species. this is the first time the savanna and forest elephant has been assessed separately. what does it mean practically to have this information about their status? how do you use that to protect these

animals and reverse these declines? well, on the surface of it, it looks bleak. the fact that it's been flagged is actually positive because then it means we can do something about it. and also separating the species, i think that's also positive because it means we can do something about it on a more concentrated level. the loss of species and natural spaces is happening all around the world. but conservationists are confident that this wake—up call could ensure that these giant icons of african wildlife get the protection and the space that they need. victoria gill, bbc news. we often hear about people "finding their voice", but richie cottingham is taking that idea quite literally. he's used an artificial voice his whole life because of cerebral palsy, but now he's on a quest to replace the standard computerised pronunciation with something a lot more "yorkshire". fiona lamdin has more.

my name is richard cottingham. i'm richard cottingham. but i like to be called richie. i'd like to be called richie. ..be called richie. 26—year—old richie has cerebral palsy. my generic voice is not my identity. he's never had his own voice and has always had to communicate via a computer. once i have a new unique voice, i have an identity. now he hopes to create an entirely new voice by blending recordings of two local men. what are you looking for in a new voice? female computerised voice: i�*c like a young man's voice with a subtle east yorkshire accent, someone who has a nice smile. so far, 36 men have come forward. hiya, my name's billy, i live in hull. my name is gaz, i'm 24 years old, from york. . my favourite colour is red and my

favourite food is sunday dinner, especially yorkshire puddings. good evening, richie... but it's up to richie to listen and draw up a shortlist. what do you think of that one then? give me a rating out of ten? i'm a local lad myself. obviously i'm a massive yorkshire lad. this is 29—year—old ryan, who lives just a few miles from richie. we need to try and do everything we can to help anybody, you know, and if it's the littlest thing that might make that person's life a little bit better than i'm more than happy to help out where i can. being from around the hull area... there's also 26—year—old scott, who's proud of his east yorkshire accent. it's quite a friendly accent. i'd say that you're a lot more. affable if you sound northern. are there any particular phrases you'd be keen to put in the voice bank? i guess there's a lot of dialect that throws people off. - if i say "chip spice" people haven't heard of that. i it's not mum, it's mam. there's about a hundred different |words for bread roll, isn't there? j

i go for bread bap. hi, i'm richard cottingham. but i'd like to be called richie. and there are many, many others who are keen to help. it's something that he couldn't do because he's never been able to speak, but i thought it's something that we all take for granted. richie finally hopes to have his new voice in the next few months. i would like to say thank you to all the volunteers who took the time and effort to apply. fiona lamdin, bbc news. now, let's bring you some breaking news coming from germany regarding angela merkel, who's been speaking about the distribution of vaccinations. the chancellor says we don't want any disturbance of international supply chains, but companies must fulfil their vaccine contracts. this follows on from eu leaders holding a virtual summit.

they've been discussing supplies and improving distribution across 27 member states after concerned about countries complaining that doses have not been distributed fairly. the german chancellor saying "we don't want any disturbance of international supply chain, but companies must fulfil their vaccine contracts." we will keep you updated. tonight marks one year since the first clap for carers. to mark the moment, children's author michael rosen, who spent seven weeks in intensive care last year, is sharing his poem about the nhs. it's illustrated by the artist charlie mackesy and includes the faces of front line workers we've spoken to over the past year. let's take a look. i'd like to read a poem about the nhs, that expresses my feelings that i have for everybody that works in the nhs. for the people that saved my life, and saved the lives of thousands of others. these are the hands that touch us first, feel your head, find the pulse, and make your bed.

these are the hands that tap your back, test the skin, hold your arm, wheel the bin. change the bulb, fix the drip, pour the jug, replace your hip. these are the hands that fill the bath, mop the floor, flick the switch, soothe the sore. burn the swabs, give us a jab, throw out sharps, design the lab. and these are the hands that stop the leaks, empty the pan, wipe the pipes, carry the can. clamp the veins, make the cast, log the dose and touch us last.

indeed a big thank you from all of us. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets. good evening. we saw a little sunshine today, but also, there were quite a number of showers around. and those showers will continue as we go through this evening and overnight. in fact, they merge into a longer spell of rain across the north and west. and it's behind this band of rain, a cold weather front, that we've got colder air coming in — so a late dip in our temperatures across northern ireland, western scotland. for most, temperatures stay, as you can see, around the 6—7 mark because we've got the cloud and showery rain, and the breeze. the wind strengthens a bit through tonight into tomorrow, as well, so blowing through more blustery showers following our band of rain. a few hours of quite steady, even heavy rain moves its way eastward through the day. sunny spells follow, but the showers will be wintry compared with today, more so over the hills, hail and thunder as well, as we've seen today. and temperatures will be lower by 11—5 degrees, so a different—feeling day,

chillier—feeling day with those showers. perhaps a little bit drier for most of us on saturday, but more unsettled weather saturday night into sunday.

i'm laura trevelyan in new york. this is bbc world news america. president biden holds his first press conference in office, promising 200 million covid vaccinations in his first 100 days, defending his border policy — saying this is how he'll govern. all i know, i've been hired to solve problems. to solve problems, not create division. the heart of the matter — we meet the families of those who fled guatemala, risking the long journey north to the us border. families in these highland communities say their young people aren'tjust leaving, they're being forced out — obliged to leave their homelands through a potent combination of high unemployment and poor soils, damaged by climate change and drought. a special bbc report — our correspondent travels