this is bbc news with the headlines.... authorities in berlin declare france a high risk area for coronavirus — requiring all travellers to be tested and quarantined upon arrival in germany. scotland's former first minister alex salmond launches a new pro—independence party to contest the holyrood elections in may we attempt to contribute ideas to assist scott and's recovery and help build and dependence platform to face new political realities. borisjohnson says he'll stand firmly by british citizens, who've had sanctions imposed on them by china, which accuses

them of spreading lies about abuses of uighur muslims. at least thirty—two people are killed — and many more injured in egypt — in one of the worst train crashes there in recent memory. hello and welcome if you're watching on pbs in the us or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. germany has imposed travel restrictions on france, declaring the country a "high risk" area for coronavirus infections. people arriving in germany from france will now need to show a negative covid test and go into quarantine. the country will deploy an extra 90,000 police officers at railway stations, airports, and toll booths on motorways, to prevent people moving between areas without permission. as francedeals with

a surge of cases, its foreign minister accuses the uk of "blackmail" over its handling of coronavirus vaccine exports. france has called for the eu to implement tougher export controls whilst its own roll out has struggled. in the uk, the latest figures show that there were 70 deaths of people within 28 days of a positive test and 6,187 infections reported in the last 2a hours. the number of uk cases is an increase of more than a thousand compared to a week ago. 0fficial figueres show that the number testing positive for coronavirus has levelled off in england, wales and northern ireland, and risen slightly in scotland. in germany, the robert koch institute has warned that the country could see 100,000 infections a day if the third wave of coronavirus spreads unchecked — with fears that this could be the worst wave so far. 0ur berlin correspondent, damien mcguinness, is following developments.

i think it is a controversial step, really, because, obviously, there is so much traffic, commuters, families everyday crossing that border between france and germany. now, germany has already imposed border restrictions and border controls on some of its borders, so we have already had border controls on parts of austria, the czech republic, slovakia. those regions have now been classed officially as high risk regions as well. so that means there are also going to be the same rules that you have just mentioned for france, which is you have to have a recent test before you cross into the country, but now, that is also going to be the case for france. this is something that has been a political debate here for awhile now. pressure has been growing on the government to decide what do about that border because as the number has gone up in france, more and more people along the region does mark in the region along the border are worried that those infections are going to come into germany and now, indeed, the authorities have taken that step and that's really because of the numbers. even though the numbers are going up in germany,

they are not going up as severely as in france. in germany, we havejust over 100 new infections per 100,000 population over a seven—day period. that number is more like 300 and france. so, for now, what that means is they are going to be spot checks along the border. there are no plans as of yet for a checkpoint but it will certainly impede travel. it will impede commuters. it could even impede trade. a big hit economically for those regions. but according to the authorities here in germany, it is necessary to stop those high infections from spreading into germany from france. earlier frankfurt doctor, kai zacharowski, joined us straight from an intensive care shift. he says germans are tired of following the rules — one year on — which has resulted in these tougher measures. the situation is getting worse. at the moment, the third wave definitely has arrived. what we see is now that the age of patients is younger than before. so, we have patients which are in

the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. in the first and second wave, we had the elderly — over 70 or 80. so, there is a huge difference. the second important thing to recognise is, patients have a longer length of stay in the intensive care unit. so, now, we have patients on average staying for 16 days and the mortality rate in comparison to the first and second wave has also increased by almost 60%, so it is a really bad situation now. how are the hospitals coping? at the moment, we are still coping very well in germany because, as you know, we have the highest number of intensive care beds per 100,000. however, with the increasing numbers now in germany and today again, 22,000 new infections and an incidence rate of almost 120

on average in germany, it is only a matter of time that the beds, which are occupied with these very sick patients, will be short at some stage stop that is the reason why we have to take measures now to really reduce this infection rate. how do you propose that batch be done? that is a good point. i mean, the ideal way would be that everybody understands the disease and the seriousness of this disease but this is sometimes really hard and difficult to transport to people in the country and the only thing which has, so far, really worked was to have a mask and having distance and hand hygiene. but, obviously, people are tired of this now, so we need more information.

scotland's former first minister alex salmond has announced he is setting up a new pro—independence — political party to run in the scottish parliament elections in may. the surprise announcement comes after a very public falling out with his former protege and successor nicola sturgeon over her government's handling of complaints of sexual harrassment against him. the snp reacted to the news saying the interests of the country should not be obscured by what it called alex salmond's self interest and questioned whether it was appropriate for him to return to public office. here's our scotland editor sarah smith. today i'm announcing the public launch of new political force, the alba party. another comeback from alex salmond, this time is leader of a brand—new political party. we are seeking to build a super majority for independence in the scottish parliament.

over the next six weeks we will promote new ideas about taking scotland forward, giving primacy to economic recovery from the pandemic and the achievement of independence for our country. despite the bitter personal feud between alex salmond and nicola sturgeon, he claims his new party is not out to steal snp votes. he won't run candidates in constituencies. under the proportional representation voting system, msps are also elected from regional lists, and that is where alba candidates will be standing. the only people who benefit from the creation of alex salmond's party are those who oppose independence. we will double down, work hard, not take any votes for granted and urge people to cast their votes for the snp. not everyone who supports independents support the snp. they do want to elect as many pro—independence msp clinic as possible to pressure westminster into allowing another referendum. alex salmond's new party will split

this vote and his rivals think alba is more to do with his ego than political strategy. this is the public meltdown of a thoroughly disgraced individual. this is a man from scotland's past personally pursuing vendettas who does not have anything positive to offer. he is less popular in scotland and boris johnson. today's launch, plagued with technical problems, not the slick operation alex salmond was used to in the snp. almost exactly a year ago he was acquitted of 13 charges of sexual assault, although he did admit inappropriate behaviour with female staff when he was first minister. he has since accused people at the top of the snp of conducting a malicious plot to destroy him. now alex salmond has created a new platform from which to pursue his own agenda.

how much appetite is therefore a new political party in scotland? the onl wa political party in scotland? the only way we — political party in scotland? the only way we can _ political party in scotland? tue: only way we can get political party in scotland? tte: only way we can get at the moment until we kept some on the subject is to look at the popularity of alex salmond himself. six weeks before an election it will not have a great deal in way of resource that there may be some notable defections to the party. i think therefore our best guide at the moment is how popular is alex salmond? he is not very popular. two polls conducted recently regarded him favourably or unfavorably both came out with the same answer. 14% of all voters. it's likely high amongst those who will vote for the snp but not by very much. so, given that then probably the best alex salmond can hope for, if he manages to mobilise every single alex salmond —— met with the voter who might vote for the party

on the list say they think of him favourably and maybe he may get about 7%, 8% of the vote. now, that would be enough for him to be able to pick up some msps but it wouldn't be anna —— enough to achieve what he apparently thinks he might be able to achieve is to become the second—largest party in scotland. tt second—largest party in scotland. if a party or 90pm. when we think a party or 90p.m. when we think about the pulling power of the electorate in scotland? tt’s about the pulling power of the electorate in scotland? it's one of the by'pl’oducts _ electorate in scotland? it's one of the by-products of _ electorate in scotland? it's one of the by-products of the _ electorate in scotland? it's one of the by-products of the fact - electorate in scotland? it's one of the by-products of the fact that l the by—products of the fact that alex salmond are falling out seriously with each other and that extends the consequence of a personality clash. but the other side of the figures that i have told you far isn't like 85% or so of current snp militaries and are satisfied with doing herjob. i

think it will be in his interest to pursue this as a matter of personality. i guess what he wants to do and making some of those who might be willing to back him are amongst those who perhaps are concerned at the end of the day nicola sturgeon is not willing to pursue independence as determinedly as they would like and that in particular she is to reluctant to get the scottish parliament to try to organise a referendum of its own if borisjohnson continues to say they should not be one. some of that may emerge in this debate. but equally, alex salmond cannot afford to be too critical of either nicola sturgeon or her party because his strategy does rest above all on persuading people who back the snp to vote for his party on the list and they will not take too kindly many of those voters if they are attacking the party they're going to vote for on the constituency ballot.

how much damage will visited pro—independence parties like the snp and the greens way alex salmond coming into the political landscape this way? the risk he is taking it into and he does not actually this express and target but rather he does not get any msps.- express and target but rather he does not get any msps. along the way he takes enough _ does not get any msps. along the way he takes enough votes _ does not get any msps. along the way he takes enough votes away _ does not get any msps. along the way he takes enough votes away from - does not get any msps. along the way he takes enough votes away from the | he takes enough votes away from the snp that the handful they might need in order to get a overall majority is denied. i think there is an argument about their but what matters in this election is not how many msps that are indicated which is what alex salmond is enacted in but whether likely to get an overwhelming majority themselves or not. if they do they will be able to say that in 2011 when we got the majority, the then prime minister david cameron gave us a referendum and now borisjohnson to do the same thing. if they fail to hit that

target then the position is more difficult.

you are watching bbc news. here are the headlines. germany declares france a high—risk area for coronavirus and tightens its border. requiring all travellers to be tested and quarantined upon arrival. scott and's for my first minister alex salmond launches a new independence party to contest the election for may. and borisjohnson says he will stand firmly by british citizens who've had sanctions imposed on them by china which accuses them of spreading lies about abuses of muslims. as we have been

hearing, china has imposed sanctions on 9 uk citizens including mps, peers, a lawyer and an academic who have all criticised china's treatment of its uighur minority population. the foreign secretary dominic raab said the move wouldn't stop him and others speaking up against what he called �*industrial scale human rights abuses'. there are about 12 million uighur in china — predominately muslims — china is accused of detaining up to a million of them in so called �*re—education' camps in the province of xinjiang in the north west of the country. china has dismissed claims of abuse as a plot by britain and the us to destablise the chinese economy. here's our diplomatic correpsondent james landale. this is the image china wants you to have of xinjiang. a mountainous paradise where everyone can live out their lives in liberty and prosperity. people from various ethnic

groups live in concord, work in solidarity and develop in harmony, blending together closely like the seeds of a pomegranate. but if you try to get past the propaganda videos, as the bbc�*s done in the past, there is a different perspective not everyone wants you to see. and that's one where allegations of human rights abuses against the uighurs are rife. of arbitrary detention, forced labour and sterilisation. so strong are these allegations that britain and allies announced sanctions on four top chinese officials responsible for camps like these. today, beijing retaliated, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on british citizens and organisations it accused of spreading lies. for some time, certain forces... have fabricated a large amount of lies of the century about xinjiang. the sanctions were aimed at five conservative mps including the former party leader, sir iain duncan smith, all of them vocal critics of china's government.

as well as two peers, a lawyer and an academic and a handful of campaign groups. few of those sanctioned appeared dismayed. speaking for the nine individuals who have been sanctioned it's only going to re—fortify our efforts to pull out china for the industrial scale human rights abuse abuses going on in xinjiang, in tibet and elsewhere within china. it's intimidation of members of parliament to try to put them under pressure not to talk about what's happening in xinjiang. and i think that's the big issue we need to deal with internationally. how democracies deal with political interference. china's acting ambassador was summoned to the foreign and development office to hear of britain's displeasure and determination. if the chinese government's want to continue with these blanket denials, but nothing wrong is taking place in xinjiang, the obvious thing for them to do would be to allow access to the united nations. diplomats here at the chinese

embassy dismiss all these allegations, talking of anti—china forces fabricating these accusations to try and constrain their country. but amid the claim and counterclaim, one thing is clear. the government's ambition of pursuing a more positive trade relationship with china is getting harder by the minute. the sanctions imposed by president xi were not unexpected but they were unprecedented. the price paid for raising human rights concerns with the world's growing military and economic power. james landale, bbc news. we have just been hearing some news coming to us from downing street that presidentjoe biden and the uk pending if they have spoken on the phone and we understand that phone call taking place very recently expressing concern both men about china's retaliatory action. he can try to get what the context of that phone call contained but we know they spoke about the issue which is

no surprise but trying to find out exactly what that means in terms of concrete resolutions to the situation. many companies have now been thinking about where they stand in terms of trade links with china because they've practised his interest and that head of the charity. thank you for being with us. what is your assessment of how this is going to play out in business terms of a number of companies thinking how are they going to navigate very strange environment? t going to navigate very strange environment?— going to navigate very strange environment? ~ , environment? i think the interesting thin about environment? i think the interesting thing about the _ environment? i think the interesting thing about the past _ environment? i think the interesting thing about the past couple - environment? i think the interesting thing about the past couple of- environment? i think the interesting| thing about the past couple of weeks is companies are being forced to make a choice on are being forced to make a choice on are being forced to make a choice by both sides. my people in the west who are purchasing products which are made in that part of the world and be enforced by beijing and that choice is pretty simple. it is are you going to honour basic human rights work are you going to look to 19 yard line and continue to do

business impact part of china. it's getting increasingly difficult to straddle that divide henri saivet today because beijing has decided that they are not content simply with companies staying silent. they now are insisting that companies positively affirm that everything is fine and the northwest of china. at the region is ok and nothing is going on there. that happened today when a number of companies removed from their website their statements about forced labour presumably under duress from the chinese government. talk us through who those brands are because clearly this is as much about a publicity exercise for those brands and really trying to hold on to what consumer sentiments might be behind this? fin to what consumer sentiments might be behind this? ., , , ., ., behind this? on one side, you have not hu~o behind this? on one side, you have got hugo boss _ behind this? on one side, you have got hugo boss and _ behind this? on one side, you have got hugo boss and other _ behind this? on one side, you have got hugo boss and other brands - got hugo boss and other brands affirmed they will continue to source cotton from the uighur region of china but on the other hand you

have companies who are making statements of concern about what's happening there. nike, h&m, marks & spencer have gone very far on base, ips as well, people make statements of concern about what is happening and human rights situation in place china. the interesting thing is that there are companies who are saying their claim to source are doing so flying in the face of all of the evidence and flying in the face of markets, the consumer markets in the west who are increasingly concerned about their ethical purchasing practices. about their ethical purchasing ractices. ., ., ., practices. how you read that? several companies _ practices. how you read that? several companies reaffirmed j practices. how you read that? - several companies reaffirmed their going to use their cotton, bowing to pressure from china. went back playing out, do you think they will be some kind of a reaction from consumers at the end of the sales team? t consumers at the end of the sales team? ., ~' consumers at the end of the sales team? ., ~ .. ., , ., team? i do. i think he can only go one way. — team? i do. i think he can only go one way, because _ team? i do. i think he can only go one way, because as _ team? i do. i think he can only go one way, because as you - team? i do. i think he can only go one way, because as you have - team? i do. i think he can only go i one way, because as you have heard repeatedly from the chinese

government, they are not willing to accept that anything that is wrong at all. in fact, the day moved from denial to trying to accuse other countries of having genocides in the past. that's not become their pr strategy. the remarkable thing about this is that the public awareness is growing, the parliamentary initiatives around the world are growing, they will be more and more attention on this and not mess and that means more consumer awareness but i would go even further. some of these companies that hugo boss should have learned the lessons of history. hugo boss pities the eight uniforms for the national socialists in the 1930s and 40s. here they are again in this situation where they are affirming their desire to continue sourcing cotton from a region which is accused of having up to two million people in concentration camps. we to two million people in concentration camps. to two million people in concentration cams. ~ ., to two million people in concentration cam-s. ~ ., ., concentration camps. we will have to leave it there- _ concentration camps. we will have to leave it there. we _ concentration camps. we will have to leave it there. we will _ concentration camps. we will have to leave it there. we will say _ concentration camps. we will have to leave it there. we will say we - concentration camps. we will have to leave it there. we will say we have i leave it there. we will say we have not been able to get a response from their retailers they in this

conversation but thank you so much forjoining us. at least thirty—two people have been killed and more than one—hundred—and—sixty injured in egypt in one of the worst train crashes there in recent memory. several carriages were derailed and overturned when two with more, here's david campanale. the aftermath of another that he crashed on egypt's railway. in this incident, one carriage was seen being violently thrown into the air in a cloud of dust after a speeding train ran into him from behind. inside, one of the 0verton cavities, these seams were found just moments after the crash. from within the chaos and the dusts, cries for help or posted on social media. 0ne chaos and the dusts, cries for help or posted on social media. one woman said, peace, my son, help me. some people got out of the derailed carriage is relatively unharmed. but many others caught inside were badly injured and meeting rescue. ==

injured and meeting rescue. -- meetin: injured and meeting rescue. » meeting rescue. we need an official to come and see what happened. they can't remove the people from underneath the trains. it's a shame, look at the children. we need a crane but they said, people are dead. we can't even save the ones who are alive. dead. we can't even save the ones who are alive-— dead. we can't even save the ones who are alive. around the wreckage --eole who are alive. around the wreckage people gathered — who are alive. around the wreckage people gathered next _ who are alive. around the wreckage people gathered next to _ who are alive. around the wreckage people gathered next to the - people gathered next to the overturned cavities to see what could be done. dozens of ambulances came to seem to take the engine away and inside, rescuers were deployed to help reach those survivors still trapped. egypt rail authority said that the crash occurred after unidentified passengers had activated emergency brakes and one of the trains causing the one behind it to crash into it. the president

tweeted that they would be serious consequences for anyone found responsible. a study commission is the latest in a string of major accidents on egypt's railways. he had been blamed on failure as maintenance and infrastructure. stay with us. the headlines are next. today had some big cloudiness like this it brought heavy showers. the rain has not only been heavy, it's been wintry in places. we had a change to some cold conditions. the frontal assistance left with outbreaks of rain behind it. the cold air flows from the northwest. we have further showers tonight and it will continue to be wintry. the 55 cm of snow in highland scotland. for seven scotland and northwest england and wales and the nicknames

and less country we could see a centimetre or two of snow by the end of the night. temperatures in towns and cities close to freezing in the countryside. there could be some icy stretches to start tomorrow. tomorrow it will be a bright start to evaluate sunshine. it will not last. it will be cloudy through the day. 0utbreaks last. it will be cloudy through the day. outbreaks of rain and in wales as well. temperature is already showing signs of creeping up. it will be a short—lived cold spell. a windy day awaits on saturday night. northwestern areas. all the white lines are squeezing together. it shows we will have strong lanes and details for parts of northern ireland and scotland. i'm very heavy bursts of rain working for you. the rain will likely be being stuck across central parts of the uk on sunday. to the north 20,000 and some of them will be wintry. in the south

the crouching break and expel the sunshine. it will bring some warmth with highs of 15 or 16 degrees. the temperatures have further to rise. 0ut temperatures have further to rise. out of sunday and into monday the frontal system will go around the north of the uk. it will bring a lot of rain into northwest scotland. it could be enough to bring flooding. in the south of the leather fund, the air will turn warmer and warmer. here are some of the temperatures. across the north of the uk there will be highs of 18 or 19 degrees. we will have the rain north and west. furthersouth, we will have the rain north and west. further south, that temperatures up to 22 or 23 —— 23 degrees. that's quite warm for the end of march.

this is bbc news. the headlines... at least 32 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in day train crash in southern egypt. the country has suffered many crashes due to a lack of investment. berlin has declared the whole of france a high risk area for infections. all travellers will need to have a negative test result and quarantine on arrival to germany. us president biden and the british prime minister, borisjohnson, have expressed concern over china's retaliatory actions. and a new attempt to unblock the... the ever

given ship has now beenjammed across the busy waterway for four days. the number of people testing positive for coronavirus has stopped falling across england, wales and northern ireland, and is rising slightly in scotland — according to the latest weekly data from the office for national statistics. it has found that infection levels in secondary school—age children rose slightly in england. here's our health editor hugh pym. schools reopening means more people mixing, both in the classrooms and the wider community, and that was always likely to mean some spread of the virus even with robust controls. the latest data in england suggests an increase in case rates among teenagers in years 7—11. holly and her brother morgan are back at school in sandwell in the west midlands. during lockdown, they had to share a school laptop which made life difficult, and their mum was pleased they went back, even

with the slight virus risk. i was struggling with how much work they got sent to them at home, and a lot of the things, like, i didn't understand what they were doing, because what we did at school when i was at school, they're doing something completely different. the head of the office for national statistics said, with school holidays, cases should fall again, so he's not concerned about next month. i'm very hopeful that although we may see a small uptick when the schools reopen, the combined factors of it being from a lower base together with the summer season coming on will mean that it is manageable. the 0ns survey suggests that last week in england one in 340 people had the virus. in wales it was one in 450, and in northern ireland one in 320. the 0ns said in all of them case rates were levelling off. but in scotland one in 240 had the virus with case numbers increasing.

the r number range, anything below one suggesting the virus receding, between 0.7 and 0.9, with the midpoint a bit higher than the previous week. what does all this mean for the easing of lockdown restrictions? should that be speeded up or slowed down? health officials point out even if virus cases are rising the chances of getting seriously ill are lower because of the vaccines. hospital admissions and deaths are falling sharply. but there are warnings that policymakers should not move too quickly. as we have seen - throughout this pandemic, if we plan too far ahead it is - likely those plans and those dates set in place may change, _ so what we really need to do is look at the data on a weekly or fortnightly— basis and respond to that each time. a key moment for looking at the data will come in mid to late april, after schools have gone back, and shops and other businesses have started reopening. hugh pym, bbc news.

from tomorrow, people in wales will be able to see family and friends in other parts of the country, when the �*stay local�* coronavirus rule is lifted. self—catering accommodation can open, but nonessential travel to other parts of the uk will still be banned. there�*s some concern the changes could attract unwelcome visitors from england, as hywel griffiths reports. a taste of sea air or something more adventurous? this is what many of us crave right now. from tomorrow, people across wales can travel where they want, as long as they remain within its borders. i think there�*s a mass confusion over when people are opening or when they�*re not opening. paula can start welcoming guests, too, provided they�*re from wales. she says customers have been confused about when they can book one of her huts, but there�*s no doubting demand. i think people have been literally locked into their homes and theyjust want to get out and they just want the freedom

of walking and breathing in the fresh air and seeing the sea. this may sound like a big leap out of lockdown, but actually what you can do on your day trip or staycation is still pretty limited. pubs, cafes and restaurants are still closed, offering takeaway only, and there is no date on when the rest of the tourism industry can open. so three lads? living at the same address, coming to walesjust because they're bored? no. previous lockdowns have seen people test the rules. you're potentially bringing the virus over from merseyside over to here. for now it�*s only welsh visitors who can come and enjoy the scenery. the stay at home message remains in place in scotland and northern ireland. from monday, people in england should stay local, and that means not crossing the welsh border unless it�*s essential. in the brecon beacons they expect a busy easter. and some people will still think heading to the hills puts them above the law.

people have got to take responsibility for their own actions and, you know, the police, national park staff and others will be out and about engaging with visitors throughout the easter period, and hopefully we won�*t find too many people breaking the rules. these are still tentative steps. concern over a third wave of the pandemic remains, as we move slowly towards greater freedom. hywel griffith, bbc news, in the vale of glamorgan. thousands of asda supermarket workers have won a major victory at the supreme court, in their battle for equal pay. more than 40 thousand store workers, who are mostly women, are arguing that it�*s unfair that workers in depots, who are mostly men, are paid more. the judge found that the roles could be compared, but they will still have to prove that the work is of equal value. here�*s our business correspondent emma simpson. the scales are now shifting in their favour. today the supreme court has ruled that workers on the shop floor

at asda can be compared with colleagues in distributing centres when it comes to equal pay. wendy worked at asda for 32 years in middlesbrough. she�*s retired now and has happy memories of stacking shelves and community work. her husband worked for asda in the nearby depot. we�*ve always worked as a team, but him getting paid more than me, it just wasn�*t fair. her reaction to today�*s news? fantastic! fantastic part that we actually got awarded it, that things will happen. asda responded today, saying: "retail and distribution are very different sectors with their own distinct skill sets and pay rates. asda has always paid colleagues the market rate in these sectors and we remain confident in our case." the ripple effects of this ruling here at the supreme court could be huge. for instance, tesco,

sainsbury�*s, morrisons, co—op and next are all defending similar equal pay claims. if ultimately successful, lawyers reckon the overall bill could hit £8 billion for back pay and compensation. it is certainly a landmarkjudgment. the supreme court�*s decision basically means that companies can no longer rely on the fact that they�*ve got workers in two different places in order to avoid paying them equally. it�*s made very clear in the judgment that the purpose of the legislation is to allow these types of comparisons to happen rather than to try and avoid them. but this is only round one for asda shop workers in their battle for equal pay. the next legal hurdle is proving that their roles are of equal value to those in the depots. a dispute that�*s expected to go on for several more years. emma simpson, bbc news.

there have been further protests outside a school in west yorkshire, where a teacher has been suspended for showing an image of the prophet muhammad. the school, which had been due to break up for the easter holiday, is understood to have switched to a day of remote learning. depictions of mohammed are considered to be deeply offensive within islam, and the head of batley grammar has apologised "unequivocally". the communities secretary robertjenrick has called the demonstrations "deeply unsettling". a mother — whose two daughters were brutally killed in london last summer — has questioned why their deaths received so little attention at the time compared to the death of sarah everard who was abducted in south london. mina smallman feels the metropolitan police did not act swiftly when her daughters were reported missing — she was later told police had taken selfies with their bodies. mishal husain has been speaking to her. they were dancing in the fields with lights and just having a real good time. and we never, ever,

spoke to them again. bibaa henry was celebrating her birthday on a june evening last year. her sister nicole smallman was with her in a london park. a search by friends found their bodies two days later. the family�*s trauma was compounded when they were told of allegations against officers at the crime scene. they had seen one of their colleagues, a police officer, taking selfies with our girls. and he�*d notjust taken the photograph but he�*d sent it on further. allegations against the police in relation to the case are still being investigated. the commissioner cressida dick told us she recognises that trust in the met among some black communities is still too low. she�*s very sorry about that and it�*s something she�*s working to change.

now the public response to the everard case has left the family with new questions. we�*ve received so much kickback from friends and colleagues who are saying, excuse me, where was this level of coverage and outrage for two of your daughters murdered? why do you think that is? i think the notion of all people matter is absolutely right but it�*s not true. other people have more kudos in this world than people of colour. if their lives make a change, in the way women are viewed and black women in particular, because in the pecking order

of things, it�*s been known that we are the lowest on the ladder. a man suspected of their murders is due to go on trial this summer, one of many milestones for mina. two sundays ago it was my first mother�*s day without my girls. we were destroyed, really. as mum, i am as broken, broken beyond words. mina smallman speaking to mishal husain. let�*s speak now to seyi falodun—liburd, who is the co—director of uk feminist organisation level up, whose mission is to interrupt all forms of gender injustice. thank you so much forjoining us. it was incredibly moving listening to

mina speak their about what happened to her daughters. what are your reactions to some of the comments she made in the interview?- she made in the interview? firstly, i want to acknowledge _ she made in the interview? firstly, i want to acknowledge just - she made in the interview? firstly, i want to acknowledge just how - i want to acknowledge just how difficult this means the mac must be for her. —— this must be for her. not only did she lose two daughters but she also had to deal with the indignity of being ignored at every step. i agree with everything that she said because it�*s a story that we have heard time and time again. wejust saw a we have heard time and time again. we just saw a national response to sarah�*s disappearance and rightly so but we should have seen that with nicole and bibaa. it�*s an uncomfortable truth but we have to talk about why those cases were treated differently. um? talk about why those cases were treated differently.— treated differently. why do you think they were _ treated differently. why do you think they were treated - treated differently. why do you - think they were treated differently? it comes down to who we see as

victims and who we don�*t. so, in the coal and bibaa�*s case, their families had to search for them and ultimately, they came across their bodies before they were believed by police. these are just individual cases. unfortunately, there are lists of women�*s names that we don�*t know. with sarah reid, who was a victim of police brutality in 2012 and ultimately died in 2016, it was police action and police violence. lets be clear here, are we talking about the disparity on the issue of race? , . , , about the disparity on the issue of race? , ., , , ., about the disparity on the issue of race? , , ., , ., race? yes, absolutely. not 'ust that when it comes * race? yes, absolutely. not 'ust that when it comes to h race? yes, absolutely. not 'ust that when it comes to policing _ race? yes, absolutely. notjust that when it comes to policing but - race? yes, absolutely. notjust that when it comes to policing but also l when it comes to policing but also when it comes to policing but also when it comes to policing but also when it comes to reporting to the police, to moving through courts, to how it is covered in the media, it is systemic racism that threads

throughout our institutions and represents itself as overrepresentation for one and not the other. this overrepresentation for one and not the other. �* , ., ., . the other. as mean moment centre that interview. _ the other. as mean moment centre that interview, she _ the other. as mean moment centre that interview, she has— the other. as mean moment centre that interview, she has been - the other. as mean moment centre | that interview, she has been pushing forjustice for her daughters but also for the fact that understanding that the police handling of the case was incredibly horrific in the sense that there were selfies being taken that there were selfies being taken thatis that there were selfies being taken that is utterly shocking to hear that. what you think needs to happen because, clearly, as you have stated there are a number of examples that go back years and years and progress perhaps is not that forthcoming, is what we need to see happening here? i it starts with... i mean there is a lot of work to do but it starts with the government purely funding the specialist services who are experts in supporting black and brown women, who have experienced abuse. at the moment, though services are being closed or at risk

of closure and that is unacceptable. there are also a number of women who won�*t go to the police because what we have talked about here today, so it is vital that these services exist. tit it is vital that these services exist. , ., , ., exist. in terms of petitioning the government. _ exist. in terms of petitioning the government, you _ exist. in terms of petitioning the government, you are _ exist. in terms of petitioning the government, you are saying - exist. in terms of petitioning the government, you are saying thatj exist. in terms of petitioning the - government, you are saying that you are looking for a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls but does it not need to go further than that because we are talking about a strategy to tackle violence against girls and women from an ethnic diverse backgrounds here? absolutely. that means supporting the specialist organisations that are representing a range of backgrounds, who understand what it means to support not only survivors of violence against women and girls but also know how to lead and make changes in these areas and, ultimately, those specialists and those experts need to be leading what the change looks like and the government needs to be led. d0

what the change looks like and the government needs to be led. do you feel protected _ government needs to be led. do you feel protected as _ government needs to be led. do you feel protected as black _ government needs to be led. do you feel protected as black women? - government needs to be led. do you feel protected as black women? no. j feel protected as black women? no. wh ? feel protected as black women? no. why? because _ feel protected as black women? no. why? because i _ feel protected as black women? no. why? because i walk— feel protected as black women? no. why? because i walk around - feel protected as black women? no. why? because i walk around in - feel protected as black women? no. why? because i walk around in this | why? because i walk around in this body every — why? because i walk around in this body every day _ why? because i walk around in this body every day as _ why? because i walk around in this body every day as a _ why? because i walk around in this body every day as a black _ why? because i walk around in this body every day as a black woman . why? because i walk around in this l body every day as a black woman and i know what it means to experience violence in this body as a black woman. i know that women across the board experience violence but black women experience a very specific racialised violence that is very difficult to challenge, particularly, when mainstream and the public don�*t see an issue. they don�*t understand and find it difficult to understand what the issue is. tt difficult to understand what the issue is. ., , , difficult to understand what the issue is. . , , ., , issue is. it has been really interesting _ issue is. it has been really interesting talking - issue is. it has been really interesting talking to - issue is. it has been really interesting talking to you, | issue is. it has been really - interesting talking to you, seyi, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. i appreciate your time.

write about a senior army officer has been falsely —— has beenjailed after falsely claiming many. has been falsely —— has beenjailed afterfalsely claiming many. the court was told the 57—year—old general who left the army back in 2018, has applied for the allowance claiming that he and his wife would not be close to the school in dorset. in common with other members of the military, major general is able to claim an allowance for private school fees so his children could have education and his wife could have education and his wife could accompany him when he was working in different places. between december 2015 and very 2018, he claims £48,000 in fees between two schools in dorset. 0n the basis that

he and his wife would not be living close to the schools but in military accommodation in london. the military court here at bulford heard that the news around education allowances mean that spouses must spend time at the military home, in fact, they mustn�*t be away from it more than 90 days in a year. but the prosecution said that the wife of major general, spent most of her time at a cottage near to the children�*s schools. during the trial, welch had denied being dishonest. his defence said that he regretted not taking sufficient care in the continuity of allowance. the court found him guilty of fraud because he had dishonestly failed to disclaim information. he was sentenced to 21 months in prison and thejudge said that sentenced to 21 months in prison and the judge said that dishonesty was not consistent with serve forces. those in rank and authority lead a certain authority. welsh�*s barrister

said it was the pride of his life to serve in the army. he was dismissed from the army today and ordered to pay back the many. his defence said the case had brought his career to an end and left his family life shattered. the latest attempt to free a gigantic container ship that�*s blocking traffic through the suez canal has failed. dredgers have been trying to dig it out, but the lack of success has left freight transport companies weighing up alternative routes, including an expensive diversion around africa. the blockage is estimated to be holding up goods worth 7 billion pounds each day. theo leggett reports. one of the world�*s busiest trade routes blocked by a single giant ship firmly wedged between the banks. eight powerful tugs have been trying to move it, a special suction dredging machine has been brought in to clear away thousands of tonnes of sand and mud. it�*s a complicated operation and salvage experts

from the netherlands have been drafted in. they have done something similar before in the river elbe in february 2016, a similar sized vessel also ran aground in sand and they successfully refloated her after excavating and with the support of tugs. it took six days. giant trafficjams have built up at both ends of the canal with more more than 230 ships waiting to get through. container vessels, oil and tankers and bulk carriers all going nowhere. some $10 billion worth of trade normally passes through the canal every day, and the costs are mounting up. the business interruption claims and business interruption cost to companies, to factories, to other dependent industries is going to be enormous. i don't even dare to pick a number right now. the ever given is a giant of the seas, capable of carrying tens of thousands of containers. some of them are meant to be

delivered in the uk with the ship scheduled to dock in felixstowe early next month. meanwhile, other shipping companies are considering their options. the suez canal is a giant shortcut allowing vessels to travel between europe and asia or the middle east relatively quickly. the alternative is a haul round the southern tip of africa. it can take much longer, use more fuel and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds more, as well as exposing ships to the risk of bad weather and piracy. the blockage of the suez canal has raised questions about the risks involved in sending such huge vessels through such a narrow waterway. but it�*s also placed a renewed focus on the vulnerability of the global supply chains which provide the goods we rely on every day. theo leggett, bbc news.

today marks 50 years of the independent establishment of bangladesh. many fled what is called —— what was then called east pakistan. looking back through photographs of his life as a young man living in bangladesh, he has no regrets. taste man living in bangladesh, he has no recrets. ~ ., ., ., regrets. we get our flag, we get our name. we regrets. we get our flag, we get our name- we can _ regrets. we get our flag, we get our name- we can say — regrets. we get our flag, we get our name. we can say that _ regrets. we get our flag, we get our name. we can say that we _ regrets. we get our flag, we get our name. we can say that we are - regrets. we get our flag, we get our name. we can say that we are from | name. we can say that we are from bangladesh. this name. we can say that we are from itangladesh-— name. we can say that we are from bangladesh. as a student in 1971, he fou~ht bangladesh. as a student in 1971, he fought against _ bangladesh. as a student in 1971, he fought against west _ bangladesh. as a student in 1971, he fought against west pakistan - bangladesh. as a student in 1971, he fought against west pakistan in - bangladesh. as a student in 1971, he fought against west pakistan in a - fought against west pakistan in a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. thea;r civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. they were aaivin thousands of people. they were giving artillery _ thousands of people. they were giving artillery from _ thousands of people. they were giving artillery from the - thousands of people. they were giving artillery from the back. . thousands of people. they were i giving artillery from the back. but stillm _ giving artillery from the back. but still... 1, ., , giving artillery from the back. but still... ., , ~ ., still... bangladesh, known as east pakistan, still... bangladesh, known as east pakistan. was _ still... bangladesh, known as east pakistan, was known _ still... bangladesh, known as east pakistan, was known -- _ still... bangladesh, known as east pakistan, was known -- was - still... bangladesh, known as east pakistan, was known -- was ruled j still... bangladesh, known as east i pakistan, was known -- was ruled by pakistan, was known —— was ruled by a government thousands of miles away. many wanted autonomy and voted

for it in the elections of 1970, a landslide victory. the pakistani authorities refused to acknowledge the result of the election and so began a brutal war, mass killing, rape and torture.— began a brutal war, mass killing, rape and torture. within a month, the had rape and torture. within a month, they had killed _ rape and torture. within a month, they had killed my _ rape and torture. within a month, | they had killed my brother-in-law. they had killed my brother—in—law. his son was only 21 days. this was a very big shame for me. it was not very big shame for me. it was not very good and i feel very bad about what happened in this country. ? in 1971, with india�*s help, bangladesh gained independence. three generations of this family have now made the uk their home but he wants his grandchildren to learn about the history. his grandchildren to learn about the histo . ., his grandchildren to learn about the histo . . , , his grandchildren to learn about the histo. . ., , history. yeah, because bangladesh was art of history. yeah, because bangladesh was part of pakistan. _ history. yeah, because bangladesh was part of pakistan. those - history. yeah, because bangladesh was part of pakistan. those who i was part of pakistan. those who lived and fought _ was part of pakistan. those who lived and fought through - was part of pakistan. those who lived and fought through the - was part of pakistan. those who | lived and fought through the war have tried to put it behind them but 50 years on, younger generations are eager to learn about their heritage

and the roles their families played in such a historic event. british bangladeshi singer and brit awards nominee... t bangladeshi singer and brit awards nominee... , , bangladeshi singer and brit awards nominee... ,, ,., bangladeshi singer and brit awards nominee... ,, . ., nominee... i miss it so much. i long auoin nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back — nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back there _ nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back there and _ nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back there and i _ nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back there and i long - nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back there and i long for - nominee... i miss it so much. i long going back there and i long for my l going back there and i long for my village. 0ne going back there and i long for my village. one thing that really spins me is that, oh my gosh, this is where this part of my lineage started. t5 where this part of my lineage started. , .,, ., ., ., where this part of my lineage started. , ., ., ., ., started. is those who fought to gain independence _ started. is those who fought to gain independence now _ started. is those who fought to gain independence now reach _ started. is those who fought to gain independence now reach the - started. is those who fought to gain independence now reach the final. independence now reach the final chapters in their lives, the new generations are picking up the mantle to keep their stories going. that�*s it from me. are you with the weather. good evening. today brought some impressive sky scapes. some big clouds like this tend to bring heavy showers. and the showers today haven�*t only been heavy, they have been wintry in places because we have had a change to some rather cold conditions. this frontal system swept

eastwards with outbreaks of rain and behind it, you can see the cold air flowing down from the north—west. so, where we have further showers through tonight, they will continue to be wintry. we could see up to five centimetres of snow on the high ground in ireland and scotland but for southern scotland, northern ireland, north—west wales, the midlands, even the moors and the west country, we could see a centimetre or two of lying snow by the end of the night. temperatures in towns and cities close to freezing. out in the countryside, some spots willjust get below. so, there could well be some icy stretches to start tomorrow morning. but, tomorrow should get off to a bright start with some spells of sunshine. however, it won�*t last. it will cloud over from the west in the day with outbreaks of rain through northern ireland and into scotland with outbreaks in wales and the south—west as well. temperatures already showing signs of creeping upwards. it is quite a short lived cold spell. now, a windy spell awaits during saturday night, particularly across north—western areas. notice, all the white lines on the charts wheezing together, all the isobars. that shows we will

have strong winds. gales in fact for parts of northern ireland and scotland for a time. some very heavy bursts of rain working through and that rain is likely to get stuck across central parts uk during sunday. in the north, a mixture of sunny spells and showers. some of those will be wintry. in the south, the cloud will tend to break to give spells of sunshine and that will bring some warmth with highs of 15 to 16 degrees. but temperatures have further to rise. as we move out of sunday and into monday, this frontal system will wriggle around across the north of the uk and it will feed quite a lot of rain into parts of north—west scotland. it could even be enough rain for flooding over the next couple of days but to the south of our waving weather fronts, the air willjust turn warmer and warmer. so, have a look at some of the temperatures. across the northern half of the uk, you could see highs of 18 or 19 degrees. we will have that rain further north and west, particularly in north—western scotland. but further south could see temperatures of up to 23 degrees. unseasonably warm

for the end of march!

this is bbc news. i�*m lukwesa burak with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. authorities in berlin declare france a high—risk area for coronavirus, requiring all travellers to be tested and quarantined upon arrival in germany. borisjohnson says he�*ll stand firmly by british citizens who�*ve had sanctions imposed on them by china, which accuses them of spreading lies about abuses of uighur muslims. at least 32 people are killed and many more injured in egypt alex sam and lotj is a new party to contest the holyrood elections in

may. contest the holyrood elections in ma . �* , , ., contest the holyrood elections in ma . ~ , , ., , . may. and help build an independence latform to may. and help build an independence platform to face _ may. and help build an independence platform to face new _ may. and help build an independence platform to face new political - platform to face new political realities. at least 32 people are killed and many more injured in egypt