welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughanjones. our top stories: a health system on the verge of collapse — india suffers a second wave of covid, with record numbers of daily deaths and infections. once the first wave subsided, the government almost declared victory over covid—19. the country has been caught unprepared. as america reflects on the conviction of derek chauvin, the us justice department announces an investigation into the minneapolis police force. thousands of supporters of russia's jailed opposition leader, alexei navalny, take to the streets — hundreds are arrested. vladimir putin always says that everything is ok, every single word he says is a lie and i

am not ok with that. that is why i am here. message in a bottle, the message is written in the titanic that drifted in the ocean for more than a century. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we start in india which is being devastated by a second wave of covid. the prime minister is calling it a coronavirus storm. it's now at the epicentre of the pandemic , with cases accelerating faster than anywhere else in the world. in the past 2a hours more than 2,000 people have died. but the true figure is thought to be higher. hospitals in many parts of india, including the capital delhi, are already overwhelmed. 0ur correspondent yogita limaye is there. some may find her report upsetting.

a capital on its knees. at its biggest hospitals, people being pushed to the limit of human endurance. "my husband's in a very bad state, let me get through", this woman says. she's been carrying him around for ten hours. many of these people won't survive the night. "sir, for one minute, come and look at my mother," a man pleads. a doctor follows him to the ambulance and prepares to say the words he's had to say over and over again in the past day alone. (cries) "she's no more." herfamily among hundreds in india denied even the chance of saving a loved one. covid—i9 has hit this country with a ferocity not seen before, but not unexpected either. balaji! hey!

this woman tries to revive her brother, who was losing consciousness. balaji! balaji thirupathi, the father of two children, died minutes later. his family wanted their story to be heard. there is an acute shortage of oxygen, too. sima died because the ambulance ran out of it. some hospitals have just a few hours of supply left. and this is delhi, which has among the best health care facilities in the country. it's what's been feared would happen since the pandemic began. but, once the first wave subsided, the government almost declared victory over covid—i9. and now it's stunned by fear and grief. at this crematorium,

new funeral platforms have had to be built overnight because of numbers they've never had to handle before. in a protective suit, rohit sharma builds a pyre for his mother, deepika, with crematorium workers. it's a ritual normally performed together by families. we were not prepared. as a country, we were not prepared. and it's really sad to see my mother go away, because she was just 59. and she recently retired. she wanted to spend some quality time with us, but all i could see was her lying down on the... that's all i... holding on to his mother's bangles, a broken man. so many more will lose as the virus rips through india. yogita limaye, bbc news, delhi.

a desperate situation in india. several state governments are trying to build new medical facilities but are struggling to keep up with the rising number of infections. there's a rather different picture in the us. president biden says more than 200 million shots of a coronavirus vaccine have now been given out, meaning he's hit his target of achieving the number within the first 100 days of his administration. speaking on his 92nd day in the job, he said everyone over the age of 16 will be eligible for a vaccine from monday and announced funding to reimburse businesses who give their staff paid time off to get the jab. i'm calling on every employer, large and small, in every state, to give employees the time off they need with pay to get vaccinated. and anytime they need with pay to recover if they are feeling under the weather after the shot. no working americans should

lose a single dollar from their paycheck because they chose to fulfil their patriotic duty of getting vaccinated. argentina's health minister says the country is going through the worst period of the pandemic since the first cases were reported there just over a year ago. she said the public health system was facing the prospect of collapse because of a sharp rise in infections in the past two months. more than 60,000 people have died of covid—i9 in argentina. two vets in chile have been fined around $10,000 each for using a vaccine meant for dogs on humans in a bid to protect them from covid—i9. dozens of people were given the eight in one jab which is designed to prevent various dog diseases including some coronavirus infections. many of the people who received the vaccines late last year

worked at veterinary surgeries — there've been no reports of adverse reactions. the israeli military says a missile fired from syria has exploded in southern israel. it exploded in southern israel. it exploded near the nuclear reactor triggering warning signs in the area. no immediate reports of injuries or damage, israel says it has retaliated with attacks on several military targets around the syrian capital of damascus. i'm going to take you to the us now. in the wake of the guilty verdicts in the trial into the murder of george floyd, the government's top lawyer, the attorney—general has announced, a federal investigation into minneapolis police practices. let's have a listen to what merrick garland had to say on this. the investigation i am announcing today will assess whether the minneapolis police department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during

protests. the investigation will also assess whether the police force engages in discriminatory conduct and whether its treatment of those with behavioural health disabilities is unlawful. it will include a comprehensive review of the minneapolis police department's policies, training, supervision and use of force investigations. it will assess the effectiveness of the mpd�*s current systems of accountability and whether other mechanisms are needed to ensure constitutional and lawful policing. what does this all mean? for more on this i'm joined by retired lieutenant, diane goldstein, the executive director of the law enforcement action partnership. thank you for coming only program. thank you for coming only program-— thank you for coming only rouram. ., ~ ., ., program. thank you for having me on. program. thank you for having me on- we _ program. thank you for having me on. we just _ program. thank you for having me on. we just had _ program. thank you for having me on. wejust had a - program. thank you for having me on. we just had a little - me on. we 'ust had a little sni et me on. we just had a little snippet there _ me on. we just had a little snippet there of _ me on. we just had a little snippet there of what - me on. we just had a little snippet there of what this | snippet there of what this investigation is going to be looking out. and absolutely fascinated by the detail. how

does a review, an investigation like this pan out? what would be looking at? == like this pan out? what would be looking at?— be looking at? -- what will it be looking at? -- what will it be looking — be looking at? -- what will it be looking at? _ it will be looking at everything from a—to—z in relation to policing practices policies and procedures. the thing we have to understand is this is a direct result of the derek chauvin conviction. this is just derek chauvin conviction. this isjust an individual agency is just an individual agency being isjust an individual agency being investigated and this will, this investigation alone by them doesn't necessarily mean that it will lead to... a national... mean that it will lead to... a national. . ._ national... changes in police forces across _ national... changes in police forces across the _ national... changes in police forces across the country - forces across the country because it isn't like many other countries like the uk or other countries like the uk or other countries like the uk or other countries where you have more central authority and you can dictate the changes that you want to be made across a police force. the issue is more devolved across different states and different areas but within states, was in the us which makes any kind of uniform changes to policing in america all the more challenging.

doesn't it?— all the more challenging. doesn't it? all the more challenging. doesn'tit? . . , doesn't it? that is correct, my apologies. _ doesn't it? that is correct, my apologies. my _ doesn't it? that is correct, my apologies. my dog _ doesn't it? that is correct, my apologies, my dog was - doesn't it? that is correct, my apologies, my dog was about | doesn't it? that is correct, my. apologies, my dog was about to bark and i was trying to get her to be quiet. h0 bark and i was trying to get her to be quiet. no problem at all. so zoom _ her to be quiet. no problem at all. so zoom interviews - her to be quiet. no problem at all. so zoom interviews are - all. so zoom interviews are alwa s all. so zoom interviews are always great. _ all. so zoom interviews are always great, right? - all. so zoom interviews are always great, right? so - all. so zoom interviews are always great, right? so i i all. so zoom interviews are i always great, right? so i think here's the issue, we know about the chauvin trail, which is so critically important is that accountability is just a small part of attaining justice. criminal responsibility is just one piece to reform that really needs to be a national movement that shifts both policy and more. and i welcome the consent decree investigation into the mpd because every organisation can learn from that. but we have to focus on many different things, both at the local, state and national level relative to transforming the

criminaljustice relative to transforming the criminal justice system, relative to transforming the criminaljustice system, and policing in particular completely. we have to look at, what we want our police to do? for so many years in america, we have used the police to issues of socio—economic poverty and mental health issues and substance use disorder issues. the only tool of criminalisation and that does not work. we need to look at the inequities and the structural racism that in many aspects has been built in because we over police people in the united states. that hrase in the united states. that phrase over _ in the united states. that phrase over policing - in the united states. that phrase over policing is - phrase over policing is interesting. we've been hearing from people on the ground and many activists in neapolis someone of the phrases that comes up is this idea of warrior policing. this idea that during police trading, you are taught effectively that you will go into enemy territory and that culture and mindset is something that needs to be changed stop what you make of that? i changed stop what you make of that? ., ., .,

that? i would agree. there are times, that? i would agree. there are times. please _ that? i would agree. there are times, please don't _ that? i would agree. there are times, please don't get - that? i would agree. there are times, please don't get me . times, please don't get me wrong, there are in fact times when law enforcement requires the use of force. if somebody is about to get assaulted or murdered. but it needs to be reasonable and necessary. when we start looking at cultural shifts in policing, we have two start at who we recruit, who we retain, the systems of supervision and accountability in place that at the very ground level, we have to go back and emphasise that policing is by consent. we serve our constituents and if they don't approve of how we are policing them, then we need to change. and i think that is where we are at right now. we need to go back to being police officers and not simply looking at policing people as the solution to our problems. we hear that _

solution to our problems. we hear that loud and clear. let's get on the specifics, one of the other ideas is this national database so that if you get police officers that are facing disciplinary action in, makes it harderfor them to move to another police force and not be held accountable in the right way. do you think we are likely to see measures like that actually coming? i are likely to see measures like that actually coming?- are likely to see measures like that actually coming? i know at the state level, _ that actually coming? i know at the state level, our— the state level, our organisation is working with many legislators and staffers right now on a state level the certification processes but the federal government needs to step in which takes a role that includes the development of a database that has every police officer that has been decertified or who have lost their license to be a police officer. if you look at it, if you are a lawyer or a medical doctor and you practise in a way that is harmful to people, you can lose your license to be

a police officer — a professional. we don't necessarily have that in policing and if we want to be treated as true professionals, we need to be held to those same types of standards which includes being held accountable if we are incompetent.- if we are incompetent. diane, that is so _ if we are incompetent. diane, that is so interesting. - if we are incompetent. diane, that is so interesting. great i that is so interesting. great to have your thoughts on that and thank you very much for keeping your dog under control there as well. thank you. i appreciated, thank you so much. stay with us on bbc news — still to come: thousands news — still to come: of supporters of the dale thousands of supporters of the dale opposition leader, let navalny, take to the streets and hundreds are arrested. —— jailed opposition leader. the stars and stripes at half—mast outside columbine high. the school sealed off, the bodies of the dead still inside. i never thought that they would actually go through with it. choir singing one of the most successful singer—song writers of all time, the american pop star prince has died at the age of 57.

i was — it's hard to believe it. i didn't believe it. we just — he was just here saturday. for millions of americans, j the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has i meant conflicting emotions. a national day of— mourning next wednesday, sitting somehow uneasily with the abiding - memories of the shame of watergate. _ and lift off of the space shuttle discovery with the hubble space telescope, our window on the universe. this is bbc news — the latest headlines: scenes of desperation repeated across india — as it grapples with a ferocious second wave of covid—i9. the country has again reported it's highest numbers of daily

cases and deaths. to moscow now. president putin is warning any attempts to contain russia will be met with a "tough" and "asymmetrical" response. in his annual state of the nation address, he said anyone who crossed a red line would seriously regret it. at the same time there have been demonstrations across the country. supporters of the jailed kremlin critic, alexei navalny, demanding he be released. hundreds of protesters have been arrested. 0ur moscow correspondent steve rosenberg has the latest. a touch of pomp. then, cue the president. this was vladimir putin's 17th state of the nation address. he used it to portray his country is a besieged fortress, threatened by the west. and he warned, "don't mess with russia."

translation: i hope no-one will cross russia's red line, i but in each case, we are the ones who will decide where the red line is. organisers of any provocation threatening our security will regret it like they haven't regretted anything for a long time. but is it moscow that's the threat? the us and nato say they're concerned by russian troop movements and a military build—up near ukraine. there is concern too about alexei navalny. the jailed opposition leader is on hunger strike and in poor health. america has warned russia of consequences if he dies. today, police detained more than 1,000 supporters of mr navalny. there were protests across russia. this was the scene in moscow, close to the kremlin. people marched through the city, defying the authorities

who'd called the protests illegal. "russia will be free," they chanted, and "we're the power here". vladimir putin always says that everything is ok. every single word, he says, is a lie. and i'm not ok with that, that's why i'm here. in his speech, vladimir putin made no mention of alexei navalny or protests. but, in many ways, what's been happening to mr navalny is a reflection of the state of this nation. the kremlin�*s most ferocious critic first poisoned, and then put in prison. in one day, we saw two very different russias. to the kremlin, unsanctioned protest means chaos, disorder. president putin wants russians to believe that only he can guarantee them stability. steve rosenberg, bbc news moscow.

we can now speak to eugene rumer who's ia senior fellow and the director of carnegie's russia and eurasia program. prior tojoining carnegie, rumer was the national intelligence officer for russia and eurasia at the us. national intelligence council from 2010 to 2014. we can clearly say that the west's relations with russia is broken. what we do about it? there is not a whole lot we can do to improve it in the near term. the major obstacles such as the military buildup on the border with ukraine and of course the occupation of crimea and eastern ukraine, the war that continues undeclared for almost seven years. those are not going away and until those are really resolved, it is difficult to imagine that the relationship will go through

another reset, to use a term from an forgotten era, president obama's time in office. if president obama's time in office. , ., , office. if you were president biden, office. if you were president biden. what _ office. if you were president biden, what other _ office. if you were president biden, what other things - office. if you were president| biden, what other things you would be looking to do? well, i think the answer _ would be looking to do? well, i think the answer is _ would be looking to do? well, i think the answer is not - would be looking to do? well, i think the answer is not to - would be looking to do? well, i think the answer is not to fix i think the answer is not to fix the relationship to manage it. what you call guard rails to establish better channels of communication, to make clear from both sides that there are redlines that neither side will allow to be crossed. to some extent putin is trying to do it today but i think the administration has moved in that direction as well. [30 administration has moved in that direction as well. do you think the _ that direction as well. do you think the position _ that direction as well. do you think the position should - that direction as well. do you think the position should be i think the position should be towards alexei navalny? i’m towards alexei navalny? i'm afraid it is _ towards alexei navalny? i'm afraid it is the _ towards alexei navalny? i“n afraid it is the most disturbing aspect of the situation. it is hard to imagine anything that the biden administration can do at the moment will dissuade mr putin to change course, to change the

way he is treating mr navalny. this is come from putin personally. britain has already decided wants to kill navalny and i'm afraid this is —— putin has a ready decided he wants to kill the valley and this is what they are doing, slowly, not with an urge agent by administrating him in prison and the prison hospital. this has been — and the prison hospital. this has been pretty _ and the prison hospital. this has been pretty depressing all round. is there any ray of light you can see, any opportunity? i light you can see, any opportunity?- light you can see, any opportunity? light you can see, any o- ortuni ? ~ . opportunity? i think there are some limited _ opportunity? i think there are some limited opportunities i opportunity? i think there are| some limited opportunities on cooperation. the obvious one is on the iran nuclear programme where the united states needs russia to make it happen for the jcpoa thejcpoa plan of action to be working again. there is some talk about climate change and former secretary kerry has engaged in conversations with

the russians but i would say that overall, in the grand scheme of things, in the context of the relationship, those are very small bright spots to the extent. eugene rumer, thank _ spots to the extent. eugene rumer, thank you _ spots to the extent. eugene rumer, thank you for - spots to the extent. eugene l rumer, thank you for coming spots to the extent. eugene - rumer, thank you for coming on. rate to have your expertise. —— great. an explosion in the pakistani city of quetta has killed three people and injured 11 others. the blast took place in the car park of the serena luxury hotel, which is often visited by officials. a bbc correspondent in pakistan says the chinese ambassador is suspected to have been the target of the explosion. the pakistani taliban say they were behind the blast but did not mention any target. a bottle that drifted in the atlantic ocean for more than 100 years carried with it vital clues about one french family's past. inside was a letter written on board the titanic the day

44—year—old submarine with 53 people on board was last reported carrying up to torpedo drill off the coast of bali. the indonesian navy has appealed for international help with several countries helping in the search for the missing vessel. people were forced to leave their homes after a volcanic explosion. a bottle that drifted in the atlantic ocean for more than 100 years carried with it vital clues about one french family's past. inside was a letter written on board the titanic the day before it sank in 1912. courtney bembridge reports. asimple a simple letter written by 13—year—old girl, undiscovered for more than 100

years. ” undiscovered for more than 100 ears. “ ., ., ., years. " we are due to arrive in new york _ years. " we are due to arrive in new york for _ years. " we are due to arrive in new york for a _ years. " we are due to arrive in new york for a few - years. " we are due to arrive in new york for a few days. | years. " we are due to arrive | in new york for a few days. if anyone finds it, let the family know. it is dated the 13th of april 1912. know. it is dated the 13th of april 1912— know. it is dated the 13th of april 1912. april1912. but matilda never made it to — april1912. but matilda never made it to new _ april1912. but matilda never made it to new york. - april1912. but matilda never made it to new york. the i made it to new york. the following day, disaster struck. she was killed along with her mother, three siblings and more than 1500 others. the ship sunk in the atlantic ocean. the wreckage lies about 600 kilometres south of canada's newfoundland. for more than one century, the little bottle drifted in the ocean until it eventually washed up on a beach in the bay of fundy. it eventually washed up on a beach in the bay of fundy.— in the bay of fundy. it was a canadian — in the bay of fundy. it was a canadian family _ in the bay of fundy. it was a canadian family who - in the bay of fundy. it was a i canadian family who discovered this bottle while walking around the top in trade based two small roles in this side, the family broke the bottle and found the letter.— found the letter. when the story was _ found the letter. when the story was reported - found the letter. when the story was reported in - found the letter. when the - story was reported in canadian media, it was the final piece of the puzzle who had been looking into his family's past. translation: one time i

realised that five members of the family died at the same time and i called my country and set a catastrophe must have occurred at that time. i immediately thought about the titanic — immediately thought about the titanic. ., ~ ., , ., titanic. now he knows for sure but he has yet _ titanic. now he knows for sure but he has yet to see - but he has yet to see the letter penned by his great art with his own eyes. it is still in the hands of researchers at the university of quebec. jacques hopes one day it will be on display in a museum. a quick reminder of our top story now. they have been scenes of desperation repeated right across india as it grapples with a voracious second wave of covid—19. the country has again reported its highest numbers of daily cases and deaths. in the past 2a hours, more than 2000 people have died and nearly 300,000 new cases have been reported. the true figure is thought to be higher. hospitals in many parts of india, including the capital, delhi, are already overwhelmed. that's it from me.

get me on twitter at melbourne —— lewis vaughanjones. this is bbc news, but i. —— bye—bye. hello. after slightly cloudy conditions across england and wales on wednesday, the clear blue skies and strong sunshine experienced in scotland, northern ireland, akin to what we can see here from one of our weather watchers during the day, well, they will become a bit more abundant. but those clear skies by day also mean colder nights are back, and a widespread frosty start to the day, temperatures as low as —5—6 through some parts of eastern scotland and northeast england, very few immune to a frost. and that's because we've got high pressure in charge. it's keeping those skies clear. high pressure generally means dry weather as well, stops the rain clouds from going up. and around the centre of it, which is right over us, there will be light winds. a little bit more breeze, most notable across the far south of england. and while most will see sunshine from dawn to dusk, they will be a bit more clout in northern scotland through thursday compared with wednesday, and the sunshine in central parts of scotland that little bit hazier. but with much more sunshine around on thursday, pollen levels are back up again high

in most parts, limited a little bit around this southeast corner and through the english channel because we've got more of a breeze here. that breeze, coming in from an east or northeasterly direction, will also limit the rise in temperatures here to between 10—13 celsius. but with lighter winds further north and west, because the ground is so dry at the moment, it means the air above it warms quite quickly and that's why we could get to around 16—17 celsius in some western areas through the afternoon. but what will follow, again, will be there skies for most away from northern scotland into thursday night, so another frost is likely. notice how that area of high pressure has barely changed. the lines on the chart, the isobars, where we see the windy conditions will be out to the south and the west, so more of a breeze potentially for northern ireland, but still that breeze blowing through the english channel and through southern parts of wales. the cloud in the far northeast of scotland mayjust produce the odd isolated shower, but for most, again,

it's another day of sunshine from dawn to dusk. and with each day being sunny, the ground warms up a bit more. temperatures could reach 19—20 celsius, particularly across parts of north wales, northwest england and southwest scotland. still cooler with that onshore breeze, though, to east anglia and the southeast. now, if you're expecting any change into this weekend, they'll only be subtle ones. dry, sunny sums it up for most, the nights still chilly with a risk of a frost. there will be a bit more cloud developing through saturday and sunday, and by sunday, temperatures dropping just a little bit. bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines: india is being devastated by a second wave of covid — a �*coronavirus storm' as the country's prime minister called it. cases are accelerating faster than anywhere else in the world. in the past 2a hours there have been more than 2,000 deaths and nearly 300,000 new cases. the attorney general of the united states has announced an investigation into the minneapolis police department to see whether there has been a pattern of unconstitutional policing. it follows the conviction of a former officer for the murder of george floyd. russian police are reported to have arrested almost 1,500 supporters of the jailed opposition activist, alexei navalny, on a day of protests across the country. they want mr navalny to be released.