this is bbc news. the headlines... more than 70 mps launch a campaign against coronavirus vaccine passports, calling them �*divisive and discriminatory�*. the philippines, pakistan, kenya and bangladesh have been added to england's travel red list — international visitors will be refused entry, and british and irish citizens and residents will have to enter hotel quarantine. at least 48 people have been killed and dozens injured in a train crash in taiwan. oxfam suspends two members of its staff in the democratic republic of congo following allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying. wildlife conservationists warn people to keep their distance from seals this easter weekend, over concerns that disturbing and scaring them can lead to harm.

good afternoon. more than 70 mps — including 41 conservatives — have warned against the introduction of vaccine passports in england, which could mean people have to show they've received a jab before they're allowed into some venues. the idea has been described as "divisive" and "discriminatory". the government is reported to be considering testing a scheme for some major events, including the fa cup final next month. downing street has dismissed these reports as "speculation" and said that no final decision had been made on covid certificates. our political correspondent, jonathan blake, has more. slowly, things are opening up. but once all restrictions

are lifted in england, might we have to prove we have had the vaccine or a negative test to do certain things? no firm plans yet, but already, there is opposition. more than 70 mps and peers across political divides have signed a pledge. they say, "we oppose the divisive and discriminatory use of covid status certification to deny individuals access to general services, businesses orjobs." i hope the government will take on board the level of concern about this across parliament and it will avoid what i believe would be a huge infringement of our civil liberties, and unnecessary. when you inject an element of compulsion into public health measures such as vaccination or symptomatic testing, you actually encourage resistance and scepticism. but for sectors like the performing arts, which have struggled to survive through the pandemic, the government argues that asking people to prove their covid status could help fill empty seats.

this is not about a vaccine passport, it is about looking at ways of proving that you are covid—secure, whether you have had a test or the vaccine. clearly, no decisions have been made and that means we need to weigh up different factors, the ethical considerations and so on, but it may be a way of ensuring you can get more people back doing the things they love and being in fantastic institutions like this. soon, big sporting events like the fa cup final will be used to trial ways of getting large crowds back into empty venues. testing and possibly some kind of covid certification will be part of that. for some businesses, trying to work out what this might mean for them, though, there's uncertainty and concern. the additional burden of the vaccine passport could really, really scupper things. it could make us actually feel that we are discriminating against sections of the population that haven't been offered vaccination or are unable to have one, like pregnant women or those like granddad — who's probably going to forget his actual vaccine passport because he doesn't have it

on his smartphone. allowing parts of the economy closed for so long to be able to open up safely seems to be dominating the government's thinking here, and the prime minister has talked increasingly openly about asking people to prove their covid status in order to do certain things. but there are big questions about how covid certification might work, who will police it, and — crucially — how the government can convince the public that it's worthwhile. for international travel, vaccine passports seem inevitable, butjust how proving your covid status in everyday life will work is the big question the government must answer. jonathan blake, bbc news. peter marks is the chief executive of rekom uk — britain's biggest operator of bars and nightclubs — with 42 venues in total. thank you forjoining us. let me ask you first, what is your view on vaccine passports, vaccine

certificates? i vaccine passports, vaccine certificates?— vaccine passports, vaccine certificates? i think it is very difficult to — certificates? i think it is very difficult to do, _ certificates? i think it is very difficult to do, i _ certificates? i think it is very difficult to do, i don't - certificates? i think it is very difficult to do, i don't think i certificates? i think it is very - difficult to do, i don't think these should be part of our future, difficult to do, i don't think these should be part of ourfuture, it should be part of ourfuture, it should not be part of open europe hospitality. we heard the prime minister say earlier on in the year thatjune 21 would be when we get back to normality, and since then all we have seen is the government rolling back on that and trying to add more conditionality. the simple thing is we do not want to see it. what do you think the answer is in making sure that venues are as covid—19 safe as possible if you do not have vaccine passports included? i think it gets back to the point that when so many of the population has been vaccinated, you are in a position that we all wanted to be last year. i cannot see what everybody has been vaccinated in the first nine groups, such tiny little chances of people catching it and putting any burden on the nhs, all those other things we have been

talking about for many months, all of that she would really be in the past. unless there is a new variant, that's where it gets difficult. it that's where it gets difficult. if this idea were to be moved ahead, how do you thick would work in practice in bars, clubs and pubs? i think it will be very difficult. it is going to lead to conflict, particularly for pubs. pubs do not have door staff or security that can check these things, so where are you going to do that? check out the bar? put people on the door? it becomes very difficult not very practical, as perhaps what i must emphasise it is is going to cause conflict for something that is tiny, effectively small the risk once we get every body vaccinated, the other thing is that people under the age of 35 are not going to be vaccinated at a right at the backend, yet they make up

right at the backend, yet they make up 50% of hospitality staff. what do you do? what do you do about the staff? they are not going to get vaccinated until second vaccine, endeavour toe.— vaccinated until second vaccine, endeavour toe. does that not mean euuall endeavour toe. does that not mean equally that — endeavour toe. does that not mean equally that it _ endeavour toe. does that not mean equally that it would _ endeavour toe. does that not mean equally that it would be _ endeavour toe. does that not mean equally that it would be safer - endeavour toe. does that not mean equally that it would be safer to - equally that it would be safer to have passports to protect people who have passports to protect people who have no doubt mag who want to congregate? we have no doubt mag who want to congregate?— have no doubt mag who want to conaareate? ~ . . , congregate? we are victimising young --eole congregate? we are victimising young eo - le who congregate? we are victimising young peeple who will _ congregate? we are victimising young people who will not _ congregate? we are victimising young people who will not get _ congregate? we are victimising young people who will not get vaccinated, i people who will not get vaccinated, you are really saying that hospitality is over, if you have a vaccine, therefore if you're over the age of 50 you can go out, if you are under the age of you cannot tell you have had to vaccines. it is discriminatory. a lot of young customers, our guests are very much against this. they feel they have had enough and have been put up on enough for something that is not affected them, but has affected their families etc, affected them, but has affected theirfamilies etc, but 1—step their families etc, but 1—step vaccination theirfamilies etc, but 1—step vaccination is achieved what it was

there to achieve in the majority, that should be enough. —— once the vaccination. that should be enough. -- once the vaccination-— vaccination. what has the impact been on the _ vaccination. what has the impact been on the hospitality _ vaccination. what has the impact been on the hospitality industry. been on the hospitality industry over the past year? devastating, eseciall over the past year? devastating, especially for _ over the past year? devastating, especially for late _ over the past year? devastating, especially for late night. - over the past year? devastating, especially for late night. i - over the past year? devastating, especially for late night. i run . over the past year? devastating, especially for late night. i run a i especially for late night. i run a specialist late—night nightclub business and we have not been able to open up at all. my business went bustin to open up at all. my business went bust in december i had luckily we were able to find some new backers, new finance, but has been devastating. fora new finance, but has been devastating. for a lot of my friends at the public industry they don't know where they are from one week to the next, traditions thrown upon them like the ten o'clock curfew, came out of nowhere, made no sense whatsoever. it has been really hard i did real strain, whatsoever. it has been really hard i did realstrain, notjust financially but also mental health of our staff who have been sat at home wondering when they will get back. the good news that the government gave us earlier this year when boris actually said even that clubs are coming back, the first time he has mentioned it since last may, wasjust time he has mentioned it since last may, was just the time he has mentioned it since last

may, wasjust the news time he has mentioned it since last may, was just the news we wanted to hear, and we wanted to carry on or that road, get as many vaccines done as possible and when the risks are so low to open up in the way that they are doing, and i thicket is quite sensible, i would like to see a faster, as you would expect, but the point is we need to get out properly. —— i think it is quite sensible. properly. -- i think it is quite sensible-— four more countries have been added to the "red list" of countries, which requires visitors to self—isolate at government—approved hotels for ten days on arrival in britain. the philippines, pakistan, kenya and bangladesh will be added at 4am on friday the 9th of april after new data showed an increased risk from new coronavirus variants in those countries. government scientific advisers have failed to agree what the uk's r number is this week. the uk r number — which illustrates whether an epidemic is shrinking or growing — was at 0.7 to 0.9 last week. the figure for england could be as high as 1 and was calculated to be between 0.8 and 1 — unchanged from last week.

the office for science says particular caution should be taken with the estimates for london and the south west, as they are based on low numbers of cases and/or dominated by clustered outbreaks. —— the department of health says. some regional airports are warning it will take them years to recoverfrom the pandemic, with many worried that if short—haul flights to europe aren't possible this summer there could be more damage. uk airports are losing £5.3 million every day, and research suggests nearby communities have seen greater unemployment than the national average. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies reports. no holiday excitement. no last minute suncream purchases. no pre—flight pints. apart from a skeleton staff were today's one flight in and out, southampton airport stands near empty, waiting. as does martin, one of the only taxi drivers still coming here for work. lucky if we get one trip a day.

it's not enough, and the savings are right at the end now, so we're sort of looking, thinking, blimey, what am i going to do now? you know, there's lots of people that are on furlough at the moment. they are all in the same boat that i am, you know, they're thinking, if this airport doesn't stay, what am i going to do? southampton airport, like many smaller airports, was hit twice last year. firstly by the collapse of flybe, that ran many of its routes, then by the pandemic. the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in nearby eastleigh was 1a7% higher in january 2021 than january 2020. the fact that there are no passengers doesn'tjust have an impact on the airport and the airline and people who work here. local businesses have ssaid they are concerned that the airport local businesses have said they are concerned that the airport recovers too. just under 30 miles away, r h h franks makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. having a thriving regional airport brings lots ofjob opportunities to people, but also inspires younger generations to get into the world of aviation.

it creates a wide pool of personnel within the local area that businesses like r h h franks can recruit from. many regional airports are worried airlines will return to bigger airports first. derek runs southampton, aberdeen and glasgow airports. it's been unspeakably hard for us this year. at this moment in time, our sole focus is on maintaining our airports to remain open. but of course there is a commercial reality. with no flybe and its smaller aircraft, southampton wants to extend its runway so it can accommodate larger planes. the local area committee turned down the proposal. the local council will look at it soon. as well as worries about noise, there are concerns about the environment. as we talk about building back better, should we be making airports bigger? we already have more capacity in our airports in the uk then we could possibly use within our carbon budget. creating morejobs in high—carbon

industries i don't think is the best way to meet net zero or the best way to give people long—term and secure employment. the industry says it does have plans to reduce its carbon emissions. airports have received business rates relief and used the furlough scheme, but they say that help is a drop in the ocean. a government spokesperson says it has pledged £7 billion to aviation and is continuing to explore how best to support the travel industry. more announcements are expected on international travel from england. as many wait for a date for take—off, smaller airports will be hoping they are not left behind. the trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin will resume shortly. he is accused of killing george floyd by kneeling on his neck last may in a case that triggered worldwide protests over racial inequality. the defence contends it was floyd's drug use and underlying health conditions that led to his death.

live to our correspondent lebo diseko — she's in minneapolis. bring us up—to—date with what we know so far. bring us up-to-date with what we know so far-— bring us up-to-date with what we know so far. , ~ ., , know so far. this week we have been heafina know so far. this week we have been hearing from — know so far. this week we have been hearing from the _ know so far. this week we have been hearing from the prosecution's - hearing from the prosecution's witnesses, basically trying to establish that it was derek chauvin�*s actions, his knee on george floyd's net, that because george floyd's net, that because george floyd's net, that because george floyd to die, that that use of force was unreasonable. also trying to dispel any arguments around whether or not george floyd had been aggressive or posing a threat to officers. we have heard from a number of people that were at the scene, what has been really striking is how many of them still carry dealt with them to this day. we heard from very young children, teenagers still saying they think how they intervened, had they done things differently, would george boyd still be alive? the girl who

actually filmed the incident said she still prays and says to george floyd, she apologises to him and wishes she could have done more. yesterday we ended the day with slightly less emotional testimony but no less powerful. we heard from two paramedics that had attended the scene, who testified they thought george boyd was dead when they arrived. very powerful testimony that they actually had to tell derek chauvin to move from george floyd's no choir they were trying to check for a pulse. the day ended with hearing from derek chauvin�*s supervisor who had been called by a 911 dispatch worker who had been watching things unfold from inside the dispatch room and were so alarmed that she called his superiors, and it was said the use of force should have stopped when it was clear george floyd was no longer resisting. the headlines on bbc news...

more than 70 mps launch a campaign against coronavirus vaccine passports, calling them �*divisive and discriminatory�*. the philippines, pakistan, kenya and bangladesh have been added to england�*s travel red list — international visitors will be refused entry, and british and irish citizens and residents will have to enter hotel quarantine. at least 48 people have been killed and dozens injured in a train crash in taiwan. sport, and time for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. easter weekend is always a busy one in the rugby league calendar — two superleague games and a championship match for you to enjoy this good friday — in the first of those, warrington beat super league newcomers leigh 411—12. the wolves ran in four first—half tries — including this one from gareth widdop — to give them a 22—point lead at the break. they added four more after half—time.

leigh did manage two of their own, but never looked like staging a recovery. this match and the following between leeds and castleford are both being played at st helen�*s stadium due to coronavirus restrictions. leinster�*s heineken champions cup last—16 match against toulon this evening has been called off after an unnamed toulon squad member tested positive for covid—19. the french side were already in dublin. the winner of the match was set to meet exeter chiefs or lyon next friday. india cricket legend sachin tendulkar is in hospital, as his coronavirus symptoms have got worse. he tested positive six days ago after developing mild symptoms, but after quarantining at home he has been advised to admit himself to hospital. he�*s now 47 and is test cricket�*s all—time leading run scorer, in a record 200 matches. his social media tweet thanked people for their wishes and prayers and says the decsion to go to hospital is out a of an "abundance of precaution" and that he hopes to be home in a few days.

the diving world cup in tokyo has been cancelled by the sport�*s international governing body because the organisers�* planned covid precautions "will not properly ensure" athletes�* safety. it was due to take place at the tokyo aquatics centre in just over two weeks time as the final 0lympic qualifier and an official test event for the delayed games. in a letter seen by the bbc, fina also criticise the japanese government who, in their opinion, "did not take all the necessary measures to ensure successful and fair" competition. celtic are talking to former bournemouth manager eddie howe about becoming their manager. the bbc understands he�*s held discussions with members of the club�*s board. howe left bournemouth in august 2020, when the club was relegated from the premier league. celtic have been without a manager since neil lennon resigned in february. now, after the world cup qualifiers, it�*s straight back into club matches today, and the football league takes centre stage, with the easter weekend often a defining time in promotion and relagtion battles. there are 11 games in the championship —

barnsley against reading and birmingham against swansea in the later fixtures. keep up to date with all the latest scores and access bbc local radio updates on the bbc sport website and app. charlton have boosted their hopes of finishing in the play—off places in league one. they won 1—0 at doncaster, thanks to this strike from ian maatsen — on loan from chelsea. charlton are now fifth — a point clear of portsmouth and gillingham. motorsport�*s new event, extreme e, gets underway this weekend — with desert x prix in saudi arabia. the series is all off road and uses electric vehicles in order to raise awareness of climate change. and there�*s some big names involved with fomula 0ne world champions lewis hamilton and nico rosberg having teams, and another former championjenson button getting behind the wheel again. there are some fantastic teams involved, and with nico and lewis, it brings a lot of eyes to the category, what we�*re trying to

achieve, which is fantastic. in terms of drivers, i have never seen so many who have been racing, world champions, most of them racing on dirt, whether rally grass or in the states, it is fantastic, fantastic drivers, it will be a real challenge for all of, going up against each other. and golf�*s first major of the year is underway in california — the women�*s ana inspiration, 3 english players charley hull, bronte law and georgia hall arejust three shots off the lead — follow that on our website this evening. and there�*ll be commentary of the final 2 rounds from tomorrow night on 5live sports extra. i will be back with an update on our stops you then. campaigners have started legal action over government guidance that

the houses at least 48 people have been killed in a passenger train crash in taiwan. hundreds of others were trapped in the wreckage. the train, packed with local tourists, derailed in a tunnel after a maintenance vehicle is thought to have slid onto the tracks. 0ur correspondent john sudworth reports. the train travelling south from taiwan�*s capital and along the island�*s mountainous east coast was packed with people ahead of what is a long holiday weekend here. as it entered a tunnel, it�*s believed to have been derailed by a truck that slipped onto the track from a nearby construction site. rescuers worked to free those trapped in carriages ripped apart by the impact. reports suggest that, with almost 500 people on board, many were standing and were tossed about by the impact. "the truck slid off the road and crashed into the train," this rescue worker says. "now all the front carriages are damaged." passengers in those carriages less damaged by the impact were able to walk to safety...

..but the mangled wreckage inside the tunnel meant those inside had to use the roof of the train to escape. ambulance ferried dozens of injured people to local hospitals. "my whole body fell to the floor — i hit my head and it started bleeding," this woman says. "there was no space on the sides of the tunnel — we had to climb onto the carriage roof to get out." taiwan�*s premier su tseng—chang visited the scene, while the president, tsai ing—wen, described the incident as heartbreaking. taiwan�*s state—owned railways are generally reliable and efficient, but with a record marred by a number of fatal accidents over the years. this is being described as the worst in at least four decades. john sudworth, bbc news, taipei.

campaigners have started legal action over government guidance that bans older care home residents in england from going on visits outside the home, despite lockdown restrictions being eased. visits are allowed in exceptional circumstances, says the government, and that it is looking to open up more safe options. here�*s our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. after the toughest of years, care homes are slowly, cautiously beginning to reopen. nearly all residents have had at least one dose of the vaccine, and they�*re allowed a single named visitor indoors. but government guidance says a trip out is still too risky for older residents. and that�*s what�*s being challenged. a legal letter�*s been sent to the department of health and social care byjohn�*s campaign — which represents residents, families and friends. it argues that guidance in respect to visits out is unlawful, and that the ban on outings by residents aged 65 or over is in breach of human

rights and equality laws. it also challenges the need for residents who have been out to self—isolate for 14 days, saying vaccinations and testing make it unnecessary. people living in care homes — people who are in the last period of their life — were actually deprived of the simple pleasures of going for a walk by the river, going to a park, going out to see perhaps grandchildren playing in a playground. those simple pleasures which mean so much. in its guidance, the government acknowledges that trips out are important for residents, but says it increases the risk of covid getting back into care homes. alison holt, bbc news. 0xfam says it has suspended two members of staff in the democratic republic of congo over allegations of sexual exploitation and bullying.

the charity said the suspensions were part of an "external investigation" set up last november into the allegations. the charity was allowed only last month to resume applying for funding from the british aid budget, after claims of serious sexual misconduct in haiti. the labour mp sarah champion chairs the house of commons international development committee — she says this will damage the reputation of the aid industry. unfortunately, it is going to knock people�*s confidence and that is a great shame because the aid sector does the most unbelievably amazing work. it saves lives, it empowers people around the world, it gives them prosperity and a future. but we have to accept that these are incredibly vulnerable people. there is a massive power imbalance in the relationship between the donors, the aid workers and people that are in receipt of their support. and so, right from the very beginning of every project, safeguarding needs to be embedded and until we see that happening as an absolute automatic,

until we see the very people that are there to receive the aid being viewed as partners, as people who know best how to both invest the money but also build in the safeguardings, these scandals are just going to keep on coming up. and i don�*t understand why the aid sector as a whole doesn�*t address this once and for all. and that is why it pains me that this has happened to oxfam, because i know they have been trying to really uncover all examples of where there are weaknesses in their system and change them. and that is part of the problem. you have to accept that, because you�*re dealing with vulnerable people, there is always the potential. what annoys me more is the organisations that aren�*t looking for abuse. i think every organisation needs to assume that there is that potential and do something about it. wildlife conservationists are warning people not to disturb any seals they may come across on the coast over the easter weekend.

it�*s part of a government—backed campaign by the seal alliance, which says getting too close can lead to seals being injured and even dying. john maguire has this report. clearly fearful and distressed, a herd of seals is fleeing the land, heading for the safety of the sea. it�*s not always an easy journey, but seals can be spooked easily by people — or their dogs — getting too close. it�*s the youngest seals that are the most vulnerable, with only around a quarter of them surviving to adulthood. injury—wise, they�*re either the young pups who get bashed around in the storms and separated from their mums, orfrom litter — so entanglements in fishing lines, nets. and one of the worst injuries we see is actually the dog frisbee hoops — the seals play with them, they put them over their necks and then they grow into them and they can be really severe injuries. and as the latest lockdown restrictions ease, conservationists are asking people out walking

on the coastline to give the animals adequate space. people can disturb them if they are awake and alert or they're moving, then they've been disturbed. and obviously the worst situations are when they crash off the beaches and rocks into the sea and they can damage themselves, cause themselves injury. and all the while that's happening, they're not getting the rest they should be getting. well, we�*re all well used to seeing these warning signs around the coastline telling you about beaches, hazards in the sea, undertows, things like that. increasingly now you�*ll see these signs saying give seals space — reminding people to ensure they don�*t get too close to wildlife. last year�*s first full lockdown has been credited as one reason why some colonies around our coasts have thrived — having been left alone for weeks on end. but the case of freddie the seal, who died after being attacked by a dog off the lead on the banks of the river thames last month, has highlighted the potential risks

to the wild animals of trying to live too close to people. john maguire, bbc news. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with louise lear. good afternoon. it has been a decent start to our extended easter weekend. lots of dry weather out there, the best of the sunshine certainly has been further west. take a look at this beautiful weather watcher picture sent in just a couple of hours ago in west lothian. there has been a little more cloud across that east coast, here disappointing, and as we go through the night, that breeze coming in off the north sea will continue to drive in more cloud. so the clearer skies are likely to be further north and that is where we could see temperatures falling close to freezing. a touch of light frost not out of the question. but there will be some sparkling sunshine on saturday across parts of scotland, northern ireland, northern england and wales. hopefully some of the cloud across central and eastern england should thin and break, but it will stay rather cool and disappointing across exposed east coasts, with top temperatures of 8 or 9 degrees. in the sunshine, we could see 16. so all in all it is not a bad start

to the easter weekend. dry and settled for many, but getting noticeably colder, particularly on monday, with the risk of snow showers. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... more than 70 mps launch a campaign against coronavirus vaccine passports, calling them �*divisive and discriminatory�*. the philippines, pakistan, kenya and bangladesh have been added to england�*s travel red list — international visitors will be refused entry, and british and irish citizens and residents will have to enter hotel quarantine. 50 people have been killed and dozens injured in a train crash in taiwan. 0xfam suspends two members of its staff in the democratic republic of congo following allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying.

wildlife conservationists warn people to keep their distance