the health secretary insists the astrazeneca vaccine remains safe after experts found a potential link to extremely rare blood clots. matt hancock says the vaccination programme remains on track for all adults to receive their first dose by the end ofjuly. we know the roll—out�*s working, we know the safety system's working and we're on track to meet the goal of offering to all adults by the end ofjuly, and the speed of the roll—out won't be affected by these decisions. so, you know, when you get the call, get the jab. new figures show the lowest weekly covid deaths in england and wales since october — we'll have the latest. also this lunchtime... political leaders at stormont condemn another night of violence in belfast — the northern ireland secretary is on his way there for urgent talks.

after myanmar�*s ambassador to the uk was locked out of the embassy overnight, the foreign secretary condemns the country's "bullying" military leaders. back on the buses — as public transport is prepared for next week's lockdown easing in england, the industry tries to reassure travellers that it will be safe. and golf�*s masters tee off in a couple of hours�* time — just a few thousand fans will be allowed into the grounds in augusta. coming up in the sport later in the hour on the bbc news channel... the french open is going to start a week later than planned because of the current french lockdown. that's going to impact the grass court season.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the health secretary, matt hancock, says the uk has more than enough supply of the pfizer and moderna covid vaccines to treat all adults under 30, after the medicines regulator said people aged 18 to 29 should be offered an alternative to the astrazeneca jab, because of a possible link with rare blood clots. it comes as scientists tracking covid—19 in england say the vaccination programme is beginning to break the link between cases and deaths — the latest official figures have shown the lowest weekly number of deaths with covid, in england and wales, since mid—october. here's our health correspondentjim reed. in just over 100 days�* time, every adult in the uk should have been vaccinated. the government says it is sticking to that plan, despite growing signs

the astrazeneca jab can be linked to a very rare form of blood clot. after the last 2a hours, we now know that the vaccine works and is breaking the chains of... breaking the link from cases to deaths. we know the roll—out is working, we know the safety system is working and we are on track to meet the goal of offering to all adults by the end ofjuly and the speed of the roll—out won't be affected by these decisions. when you get the call, get the jab. 79 people in the uk have now been diagnosed with the blood clot, a fraction of the 20 million given the astrazeneca jab. there is still no proof the vaccine is causing the very rare condition. the regulator said the link is now getting firmer. neil astles died on easter sunday after suffering a blood clot weeks after receiving his vaccine. we cannot know for sure what caused his death but his family say they were

told by doctors a link was likely. despite what has happened to neil and the impact on ourfamily, i still strongly believe that people should go ahead and have the vaccine. if you've had one dose, go ahead and have your second. if you haven't had your dose yet, make sure that you do because overall we will save more lives by people having the vaccine than not. overall, the risk of falling seriously ill with covid is far higher than any risk from the vaccine but data so far suggests the blood clots may tend to affect more younger people who are also far less at risk from the virus itself — that is why those under 30 will now be offered a different type ofjab. there are 10.1 million people in that age group. 1.6 million of those have already had theirfirst dose. the advice there is to continue with the same second dose. that leaves another 8.5 million who will now be offered a different type of vaccine

made by the drugs companies pfizer and moderna. we would still encourage people to have a vaccination against covid because it isn't just about the infection itself, it is about long covid, developing those long—term consequences as well as of course protecting the more vulnerable in the population who can't have the vaccination. ministers said today there is enough supply of alljabs to keep the programme on track, and government advisers say anyone offered the astrazeneca vaccine should still take up the offer. we still feel this is a safe, effective vaccine where the benefits far outweigh the risks to the majority of people. i would encourage anybody who has been offered either their first dose of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine, and certainly their second dose where there have been no cases of the second dose, to receive it today when offered. the roll—out of the vaccine is crucial — and notjust for these people

queueing for theirjabs. keeping the programme on track will be key as more lockdown restrictions are lifted across the uk in the coming weeks. jim reed, bbc news. our medical editor fergus walsh is here. there is still a real government drive to maintain confidence here at. , , . drive to maintain confidence here at. , w ., at. this is about the balance of the versus risk- _ at. this is about the balance of the versus risk. the _ at. this is about the balance of the versus risk. the older— at. this is about the balance of the versus risk. the older you - at. this is about the balance of the versus risk. the older you are - at. this is about the balance of the versus risk. the older you are the. versus risk. the older you are the more the benefits from any vaccine, and the astrazeneca vaccine, the way in. huge benefits. and very, very small risk from these serious clocks. it is a fine judgment if you get down into your 20s. there, the dangerfrom covid is much lower and part of the reason people in their 20s are getting immunised is to protect others. but the risk of a serious clot is around one in 90,000, and that is why those under

30 are going to be given the fight or moderna jabs, which don't seem to cause these clots. other countries have acted differently. australia has said anybody under 50 will get the pfizerjab. this vaccine is supposed to be the workforce for the world. it is cheap, can be kept in a fridge and transported in fridges, and one area it was meant to be used widely was africa, well, the africa union of more than 50 countries today said they would no longer invite the vaccine pro and they will try to get the jansen single dose vaccine. . ~ try to get the jansen single dose vaccine. ., ~ , ., , try to get the jansen single dose vaccine. ., ~ ,, , . ., , political leaders in northern ireland have condemned the rioting that's raged in belfast for six nights, but criticised each other about the underlying causes. police were attacked, petrol bombs were thrown and a bus was set on fire last night. in total, 55 police officers have been injured in the violence. the northern ireland secretary brandon lewis

is on his way to belfast now, and will hold talks with politicians later this afternoon. chris page sent this report. sirens the barrier, which is commonly known as a peace line, was anything but peaceful last night. the wall was built 20 years ago to try to stop clashes between politically divided communities in west belfast. but there was trouble on both sides as crowds threw petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks. violence began on the loyalist shankill road where protesters had gathered. a bus was hijacked and set on fire. there were no passengers on board, but the driver was said to be very shaken. then, across the peace wall in the springfield road area, republican youths rioted. community representatives tried to calm the situation. sad to see this. we are trying to say to these young people that this isn't the answer.

they shouldn't be engaging in violence. it's only a matter of time, i feel, before someone gets seriously hurt. people in northern ireland had hoped that scenes of destruction like this belonged well in the past. but today, as the debris and damage from last night is cleaned up, the question is, does the violence of the past week have the potential to escalate? my appeal to those who whisk the narrow_ my appeal to those who whisk the narrow wish to organise the disorder is not _ narrow wish to organise the disorder is not to— narrow wish to organise the disorder is not to do— narrow wish to organise the disorder is not to do it. it serves no purpose _ is not to do it. it serves no purpose and nobody wants to see the scenes _ purpose and nobody wants to see the scenes we _ purpose and nobody wants to see the scenes we have seen last night. we now have _ scenes we have seen last night. we now have a — scenes we have seen last night. we now have a new generation of chiidren— now have a new generation of children and young people who are being _ children and young people who are being exposed to things they won't have seen— being exposed to things they won't have seen previously. following standing order 11, i have summoned the assembly to meet today. police briefed ministers in the devolved government this morning, and the stormont assembly returned early from its easter break to discuss the issues. there can be no place in our society for violence, or the threat of violence, and it must stop. just as it was wrong in the past

and was neverjustified, so it is wrong now, and cannot be justified. as political leaders, we must stand united in appealing to all concerned to refrain from further threats or use of violence, and recognise that is only through democratic politics that we can solve problems and concerns. borisjohnson and the irish prime minister micheal martin have condemned the violence. it has been a more sustained level of violence in streets in northern ireland for some time. only small areas have been affected so far, but many people in this part of the uk are feeling a new and yet familiar sense of concern. chris page, bbc news, belfast. and chris is in west belfast, where the trouble was last night. the secretary of state is on his way. vital talks this afternoon stopping at the northern ireland secretary brandon lewis is coming

back to belfast to hold talks with the main political parties in. boris johnson and _ the main political parties in. boris johnson and micheal _ the main political parties in. err" 3 johnson and micheal martin both said overnight they were deeply concerned by the scenes of violence. as political talks: clean—up operation on the ground is continuing, workers have spent this morning repairing some of the damage to this peace wall here. the gates have just closed again. last night up to 600 people were here, according to the police, and during the course of the disturbances officers fired a56 battlegrounds and arrested two people and eight officers were injured during the course of the rioting. police have also made the point that although most attacks were carried out by younger people, there were adults here who were clapping and applauding them as what was going, so that again is something that has been spoken about in the stormont assembly today and has caused a great deal of concern. until last night the rioting in

several towns and cities in northern ireland that was happening only in loyalist areas, a number of factors at play. there has been only in loyalist areas about the brexit arrangements in northern ireland, loyalist leaders arrangements creating a trade body in the irish sea, an economic border between northern ireland and the rest of uk, which undermines the british identity. there have been police crackdown loyalist paramilitary gangs and the networks they run over the last number of months and then last week renewed and goes when prosecutors decided not to take action against sinn fein politicians who attended the funeral of a leading ira man in belfast last summer, allegedly breaching coronavirus restrictions. it is a complex picture but a message being hoped to be put out today is that the violence has to stop immediately and if it doesn't the reality is that lives will be lost.- and if it doesn't the reality is that lives will be lost. chris page, thank yon _ the foreign secretary dominic raab has condemned what he's called the bullying actions of myanmar�*s

military leaders, after the country's ambassador to the uk was locked out of the embassy last night. a spokesman for the sacked envoy kyaw zwar minn has asked the british government not to recognise his replacement. myanmar�*s military seized power in a coup in february, sparking widespread protests. our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports. for more than two months now, myanmar has been torn apart by violence as people protested against the army's seizure of power. now this bloody struggle has led to a diplomatic stand—off on the streets of london. this is kyaw zwar minn. as far as he was concerned, he was myanmar�*s ambassador to britain but last night he was locked out of his embassy by his deputy in the military attache. they occupy my building. the picture on the back of his car explains why. last month he criticised the coup and called for the elected leader, aung san suu kyi, to be released and reinstated. the ambassador was summoned

home, but he refused. after a night in his car, the ambassador was still there this morning and, through a spokesman, said he was looking for support from the british government and urged them not to work with the diplomats inside. he is trying to walk in the middle ground, but there is no doubt which is the right side. the military have killed nearly 600 people, including a8 children. in a tweet, the foreign secretary dominic raab did voice his support. are you still the ambassador? yes, of course. but a foreign office spokesman said it had been formally notified by the myanmar authorities that the position of the ambassador in london had been terminated and the uk had to accept that decision.

in recent weeks, the outside of the embassy has become a shrine to those who have died and a focal point for protesters. now it has also become the scene of a diplomatic coup which has effectively forced the uk to recognise the authority of the military regime in myanmar. james landale, bbc news. and charlotte wright is at myanmar�*s embassy in london. what is the latest? well, you can see behind _ what is the latest? well, you can see behind me _ what is the latest? well, you can see behind me the _ what is the latest? well, you can see behind me the strength - what is the latest? well, you can see behind me the strength of. see behind me the strength of feeling around this issue. a small group of people had gathered here to protest against the military�*s actions in myanmar and also following the removal of the ambassador. they have been chanting and singing here today for the past hour or so. they are calling things like free aung san suu kyi and calling on the uk government to intervene. they are carrying signs. you can see policy uk government to

shut down the burmese embassy. it is pretty busy at the moment. the ambassador himself has been coming and going this morning. he of course spent the night parked up in his car or sleeping outside the embassy after he was unable to get in last night and he has come back here a couple of times so far this morning, speaking to members of the media. i askedif speaking to members of the media. i asked if he were still the ambassador and he said yes. he also said that he has family members are still in a myanmar at the moment. he believes they are safe and he said he will be meeting with the foreign office at one o'clock today, so that meeting should be going on at the moment. they want the government to intervene. we will have to see the outcome of that meeting to see exactly what happens next. charlotte wriuht, exactly what happens next. charlotte wright. thank — exactly what happens next. charlotte wright, thank you. _ the time is 1:16pm. our top story this lunchtime. the health secretary has insisted

that the astrazeneca vaccine is safe after health experts found a link to rare blood clots. and coming up... anger as hs2 diggers have started clearing a corner of ancient woodland that helped inspire roald dahl�*s fantastic mr fox. coming up in the sport in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel... after 13 months out, sarah hunter returns to the england team. the red roses captain will play against italy in the women's six nations this saturday. covid—19 has had a profound impact on end—of—life care for millions across the uk — with official figures showing that the number of people dying at home rose by more than a0% in the last year. and a report by the marie curie charity, seen by the bbc, suggests that drug shortages caused by the pandemic meant that some patients suffered unnecessary pain. karen morrison reports. my mum was a really brave and beautiful woman. she loved her life and she

lived it to the full. she really loved playing tennis — she'd play every week up until she became ill with the cancer. sheila lowe was 7a when she died last year from bowel cancer. after deciding to be looked after at home, her daughter susan became her main carer — but the country went into lockdown weeks later. we had a lot of difficulties getting hold of medicine. it would be sent electronically over to the local pharmacy. the pharmacy didn't have stocks. it was so frustrating. i think a couple of times i burst into tears in the... ..in the actual pharmacy. in a new survey of 1,000 unpaid carers, commissioned by marie curie, nearly two—thirds of respondents said they didn't get all the support they needed to manage the pain of their loved one. 65% said they needed more respite care, and just over

we need to make sure now that care that is got right— for people in the future, our loved ones, peoplel who we know and we care for, is available for them - when they need it, it and that means us prioritising| end—of—life and palliative care services in the home but also means that as a nation we should _ properly resource that. the elephant in the room - here is there isn't enough resource to make sure all that care is available for people - when they need it. terri was diagnosed with terminal cancer three days before christmas. when michelle received the devastating news about her wife terri, she wanted to ensure she could care for her at home. she said two things when we got back to the hospital car park. the first one was, "i don't want to go because i don't want to leave you." and the second was, "i want to die at home." when i needed respite, they struggled to get me somebody. i was lucky they got me somebody — i had a night sitter for one night.

and on the second night when the sitter arrived, i had to tell her that terri had died. many people, when given the option, will choose to spend their final weeks at home, but these problems were seen in professional settings too. at the start of the pandemic, hospices were not classed as a front—line nhs service, and they experienced shortages of ppe, medicines and staff. the department of health says it has funded support for unpaid carers throughout the pandemic, and that they continue to perform an incredibly important role. my biggest regret is that my mum died in pain — or more pain she needed to be in. karen morrison, bbc news. a £a3 million support package has been announced by the government for the expected arrival of thousands of hong kong citizens in the uk.

a new visa scheme has been set up in response to china's security clampdown in the former british territory. our home editor mark easton reports. in the seven weeks since the new british national overseas visa for hong kong nationals was launched, 27,000 people have already applied to come to the uk. some are understood to be veterans of protests against beijing's decision to restrict democratic freedoms on the previously british—run territory. but, many are expected to be families wanting to take advantage of the uk's offer to start a new life here. we have received quite a lot of feedback from our hong kong audience that they really hope to be self—sufficient in supporting themselves, as best as they can, when they arrive, so that they do not become a burden on the state and they indeed hope to positively contribute towards the uk economy and society. the home office estimates that up to 15a,000 may come in the first year, and a third of a million in the next five years. but, if demand remains at current levels, those forecasts would be easily overtaken.

it is absolutely right to be supporting the hong kongers in their hour of need. i have no problem with that. however, looking at it from an immigration perspective, this is hardly the control of immigration that we were promised. the government has given an open—ended right to settle to some 5.4 million people. today, the government has announced a £a3 million support package, including 12 welcome hubs spread across every region of the uk to help hundreds of thousands of hong kong citizens gain access to housing, school places and jobs in britain. so, you will be able to go and get practical support for everything from how to get a national insurance number, how to get your children to get your children into local schools, how to transfer your professional qualifications. we are also ensuring that there is support for those who come here who don't speakfluent english.

so they will be able to access english language training. and, if you do fall on hard times, you will be able to access support from your local council. for example, you will be able to access social housing. the government says it has an historical and moral commitment to the people of hong kong and, although elected on a promise to reduce immigration numbers, ministers are determined to lay out the welcome mat to up to 6 million people. mark easton, bbc news. as england begins to open after lockdown, the public transport system is preparing for an influx of passengers. operators are trying to reassure travellers that trains and buses will be safe — but passenger groups have warned that social distancing won't always be possible. here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies. empty arrival halls in birmingham, deserted carriages in manchester, and quiet top decks on london buses. please ensure you wear a face covering... - this pandemic has meant many of us have spent months hardly using this network. but as the world begins to venture

outside, public transport is once again getting ready to take us there. at this depot in hull, they began fogging their buses 1a months ago. they're planning extra services into the summer to help with social distancing, but there's still some uncertainty from potential passengers. i wouldn't like to use the bus. it can be so busy i wouldn't want to be that close to people, especially if it's so full you have to sit next to a random person. as long as people wear their mask, i think you can get as many people on as you want. changes are happening around the country. by monday, there'll be 18,000 train services each weekday across britain — that's1,000 more since february. but how many passengers will take rail trips over the next few months is still guesswork. we want people to travel with confidence, so we're making as much space available for people — whether that's extra daily services or longer trains. we're also making sure that those trains are spotlessly clean, but also we're giving better information so that people can find out which services

are busier and so they can plan theirjourneys better. while commuter services are likely to be busier, there's also transport to sports events, music festivals — even just trips to the beach that are likely to fill up. while the industry has always said that it will do what it can, it's down to the police to enforce the rules. while most services have been quiet during lockdown, there have been images like this, taken on the london underground injanuary. maintaining social distance and wearing a mask will be crucial to getting people back on board confidently. returning to public transport may well feel strange and unsettling after months of keeping apart — the industry know that they need to rebuild that confidence to get passengers on board. caroline davies, bbc news. the leader of welsh labour, mark drakeford, has promised to move the country forward as it comes out of the coronavirus pandemic. he was speaking as he launched his pa rty�*s manifesto for the senedd elections on may 6th.

the manifesto we launch is a document rooted in trust, and infused with ambition. trust, because of the way we have worked together to keep wales safe in the face of the global pandemic. these last 12 months have been a time of immense sorrow for so many. lives have been lost and harm has been caused to so many livelihoods. it has also been a time of immense strength and bravery. together, we have faced our difficulties head—on. we have taken the tough decisions. part of an ancient woodland that helped inspire roald dahl to write fantastic mr fox is being cleared to make way for work on the high speed rail link, hs2. the operation has led to a standoff with protesters. our environment correspondent clare marshall reports. the ancient beech trees ofjones' hill wood. they're said to have helped inspire

the author roald dahl to write his story about wily mr fox. but times have changed. it's in the path of the controversial new high—speed line from london to birmingham. protesters have been camped out here for almost a year, but hs2 contractors have now started to fell two—thirds of the wood. in its heart, we found an aerial standoff. a young protester. she's getting in the way of the tree cutters, doing what she can to delay the work. a bailiff — part of the national eviction team — climbs up to meet her. there are police present, and paramedics on standby. hs2 say that the train line is going to help make the uk carbon—neutral. in essence, you're fighting against something that would be good for the environment. it's not encouraging rail travel. if it were, they'd be making it

cheaper and more accessible than car travel, say. so, yeah, that whole thing is completely inaccessible. it's quite a big hint that sustainability isn't their main focus. hs2 say they're planting up to seven million trees — including 22,000 around jones' hill wood. what we are doing through the compensation is to look at the native species that are already within the landscape and design a mitigation scheme that is sympathetic to what is around it. it creates a green corridor along the route. roald dahl�*s fictional farmers boggis, bunce and bean failed to outwit the cunning mr fox. the real—life bunce family still farm the land. it's just hollow. there's no feeling left. it used to be full up with primroses, foxgloves,

bluebells, wood anemones — all sorts of things like that. never will they come back. absolutely disgusting, what they've done. but the law to build the line was scrutinised by mps and passed by parliament. hs2 could now well cost more than £100 billion. these trees are seen by some to be standing in the way of progress. clare marshall, bbc news, buckinghamshire. it's one of golf biggest events — the masters gets under way in a couple of hours' time. about 12,000 fans will be allowed in to watch in a covid—secure way — a fraction of the hundreds of thousands who usually gather at the augusta national. patrick gearey reports. augusta. beautiful, but savage. 0h! no place to wander off course. lee westwood knows his way around the azaleas — this will be his 20th masters and now, aged nearly a8, he's in

some of the best form of his life. so could he outdo even the great jack nicklaus and become the oldest masters champion? like jack, he'll have his son on the bag as caddy to his daddy. to have a chance to break one of his records would be very special. it's amazing that, you know, i'm old enough to have my son on the bag and still be competing in these tournaments and having sam here to enjoy the experience with me. i have to close his mouth every now and again when we're going round, you know — he loves it so much. this week will be missing the ultimate master — woods' car crash means there will be no tiger at augusta. but you can find other big beasts — bryson dechambeau's pursuit of power is changing the sport. where the massive gains will be is in athletes. i think once you get somebody out here that's a seven—foot—tall human being and they're able to swing a golf club at 145 miles an hour effortlessly, that's when things get a little interesting. so one day there might be giants here — there have always