tonight at ten — president biden urges world leaders to unite and fight climate change together, in what he calls "a decisive decade". meeting online, joe biden pledged to cut us emissions by at least 50% by 2030, but says he can't do it alone. scientists say urgent action is needed to avoid more frequent fires, floods and extreme weather. this is the decisive decade. this is a decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. but there were no new commitments from two of the biggest polluters, china and india. also tonight... india's covid crisis — hospitals are running out of oxygen — some in delhi have none left, as the country records the world's highest ever number of new infections in a day.

newsreel: these are men who are responsible - for the observance of the blockade. the black and asian soldiers who died fighting for the british empire in world war one — the prime minister offers an unreserved apology for the failures to properly commemorate them. and are they sowing the seeds of change? the conservative council that labour is trying to win back after 15 years. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel — leicester city take on west bromwich albion in a match that has consequences on both the top and bottom of the table. good evening. president biden has opened a major global climate summit — the first in several years — with a call to world leaders to step up to the challenge. joe biden pledged to cut us emissions by at least half from 2005

levels by the end of this decade, but he warned his country couldn't take action alone. he told world leaders that scientists were calling this the "decisive decade" for tackling climate change, and action was needed now. the latest data shows china is the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, estimated at 28% in 2019. the us was second at 15% and india was third, at 7%. 0ur science editor david shukman has this report. the more the world heats up, the more dangerous it becomes. that's what this is all about. more intense flooding in the uk and many parts of the world is more likely. while in some regions, like central america, the big fear is droughts getting even worse. failed harvests are already forcing thousands to leave their homes. all of a sudden, we can see the whole, whole sphere. i it's one reason why, with a video, president biden is making climate a priority.

we knowjust how critically important that is because scientists tell us that this is the decisive decade. this is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. this virtual gathering saw the leaders of the world's biggest economies and some of its most vulnerable nations all calling for action on climate change. we're suddenly getting a flurry of promises, counted in different ways, but all significant. the united states — to cut its emissions by up to 52% by 2030. the european union — 55% by the same year. and the uk - 78% by 2035. china, the world's biggest polluter, says its emissions will fall from 2030, but president xi wants more developed nations to cut first. translation: developed countries | need to increase climate ambition | and action and make concrete efforts to help developing countries

accelerate the transition to green and low—carbon development. to make any real difference, every country has to play its part, and despite all the talking in recent decades, the scale of the challenge has got even bigger. that's because human activity every year emits something like 50 billion tonnes of the gases that are heating up the atmosphere. now, scientists say that needs to come down by nearly half by 2030 to have any decent chance of keeping a lid on the rise in temperatures, and emissions should then fall to basically zero by 2050. but, at the moment, the world is not heading in that direction. so, what's likely to happen? well, electric cars are on their way. we're going to see far more of them. fewer flights may be on the cards because prices may have to go up if there are charges for pollution. eating less red meat is another recommendation from government advisors, who say it'll save carbon.

and heating our homes, not with gas boilers, but with heat pumps or hydrogen, but the details still need to be worked out. we're working with everybody, from the smallest nations - to the biggest emitters, _ to secure commitments that will keep change to within 1.5 degrees. but for younger people, this is all too slow. this earth day protest was in indonesia, and american politicians got a similar message from greta thunberg. we, the young people, are the ones who are going to write about you in the history books. we are the ones who get to decide how you will be remembered. so my advice for you is to choose wisely. already green technologies are becoming far cheaper, but the transition to a zero—carbon world will need a lot more political will and help for the countries most at risk, and all of that still needs to be negotiated. david shukman, bbc news.

0ur north america editorjon sopel is at the white house for us. the well�*s second biggest c02 polluter, can president biden do his new target? well, there's no doubt that the goal he set himself is ambitious. it marks a distinct break with the trump presidency, who pulled america out of the climate change agreement, and it's much more ambitious even than when barack 0bama signed up to the climate change deal in 2015, so those are the optics of it, but it's also going to require a change in american people's behaviour. the gas guzzling cars that they drive might have to go. the way they heat and cool their homes might have to change. and also industry as well, where coal and oil are consumed in very large quantities. so those are the challenges. but there's also the political challenge of getting this through congress. republicans are

sceptical notjust through congress. republicans are sceptical not just about the science but about signing up to a deal that russia and india, as we heard, are not making those sort of commitments, to bring massive change about, and china too. and so that is the particular optics of it. ifjoe biden wants to show that he is a leader on the world stage then box ticked today. if he wants to bring about a 50% reduction in emissions, that box still has a big question mark in it. jam that box still has a big question mark in it— that box still has a big question mark in it. , ., , ., ~ ,. the covid crisis in india is intensifying. at least six hospitals in the indian capital delhi have completely run out of oxygen. other hospitals say they have just hours left of supplies. india has recorded nearly 315,000 new infections — a record number, the highest daily figure anywhere in the world since the start of the pandemic. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyahathan reports. the scale of india's loss is becoming hard to comprehend.

thousands dying every day, each pyre a family in grief. and for some, it's turned to anger. my father is now dead. he was cold—blooded murdered. nobody else helped me. i called each and every hospital. i called all the oxygen suppliers. nobody helped me. vinay srivastava was a father and a freelance journalist. like so many others in india, he'd made a desperate plea on social media to find a hospital bed. ..he tweeted. a day later, his oxygen had dropped to 31. when will someone help me, he begged. the last photo he shared, his finger attached to an oximeter showing a dangerously low reading. five hours later, he died. covid—19 is crippling

india's health care system. people are struggling to find icu beds, and oxygen is in short supply. we are the doctors, we are the hospital, we are supposed to give life. if we cannot give them oxygen even, we're in the situation where the patient will die. in delhi, dozens queued to buy oxygen canisters for their loved ones. today, many hospitals in the capital were perilously close to running out. this man's family spent the day searching for oxygen for him. his niece told me relatives drove five hours to find supply for today. they'll have to do the same again tomorrow. it's distressing. i can't imagine what his daughter, who's younger than me, - my cousin, and his son, - they must be going through right outside the hospital. they're stationed outside _ and running here and there at every lead to fill a cylinder . or to get their oxygen.

a desperate second wave, which many health experts believe could be down to a new strain of the virus, one they fear is more infectious and deadlier. rajini vaidyahathan, bbc news. and india will be added to the uk's coronavirus �*red list�* from 4am tomorrow. it means after that only uk and irish nationals or those with residency rights arriving from there will be allowed to enter the country. they will then have to quarantine in a government—approved hotel for ten days. the latest coronavirus figures show there were there were 2,729 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. 2,101 new cases were reported on average per day in the last week. just over 1,900 people are in hospital. 18 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 22 deaths were announced every day.

the total number of deaths is now 127,345. as for vaccinations, just under 118,000 people have had their first dose in the latest 24—hour period, meaning more than 33.2 million have now had theirfirst dose. the take up for the second jab remains high, withjust over [116,000 in the latest 24—hour period, meaning just under 11.2 million people are now fully vaccinated. coronavirus cases in wales are falling so fast that the first minister has said restrictions will be eased more quickly than originally planned. mark drakeford denied that relaxing the rules early had anything to do with the upcoming election in wales. let's speak to our wales correspondent, hywel griffith, for long periods during this pandemic the welsh labour government

has taken a slow and staggered approach to easing lockdown measures put in the last few weeks it's pushed fast forward. we already know that next monday outdoor hospitality will resume in wales, outdoor attractions will open too, but now, on the monday, may the 3rd, there is a raft of changes coming. extended households can be formed again, gyms can reopen and indoor classes can happen, play centres can open, swimming lessons can resume again earlier than planned. tonight, the first minister, labour's mark drakeford, has announced he would like to see indoor hospitality happen in pubs, bars and restaurants, from may the 17th, a new date again earlier than expected. the opposition parties may support the changes, but they don't like the way this has all been announced, accusing labour of naked electioneering ahead of the vote in may. what will the voters make of it all? well, we get their verdict then, but the labour government says

these changes are based on the science. with coronavirus rates in wales now lower than they were in september and the vaccination programme ahead of other parts of the uk. , ., ~ ,., the prime minister has apologised for the failure to commemorate properly more than 100,000 mainly black and asian service personnel who died while fighting for the british empire in the first world war. a report from the commonwealth war graves commission found that "pervasive racism" had caused the remains of countless soldiers, mostly from india, east and west africa, and egypt, to be treated differently to european soldiers. our home editor mark easton has the story. the imperial war graves commission was established with a remit to remember every individual who died for their country regardless of rank, class, religion or race. in france, the immaculate thiepval memorial is an example ofjust that. but outside europe, the commission enacted a policy of discrimination, categorising the fallen as white,

indians or what it called "natives". this village in punjab, then part of british india, sent 460 men to fight in the first world war, the largest number of any village in south asia. and yet the war dead are not named. a shock to a british gp who went to research his ancestors from there. i just came across the whitewashing of history when it came to the world wars. and growing up born and bred in nottingham, in history lessons, i never saw a photograph or any story of a black soldier or an indian soldier. in southern kenya, white war dead lie beneath named memorials in a well—tended cemetery. beyond the fence is where their african comrades are buried — no names, no gravestones — a legacy of this man, lord arthur brown, who headed the war graves commission in the 1920s and believed that african natives were not civilised enough to appreciate individual headstones. unlike the war graves at this

south london cemetery, today's report finds at least 116,000 casualties of world war i, mostly africans and indians, were not commemorated by name or were not commemorated at all, a consequence of pervasive racism. it was a policy encouraged by winston churchill, then secretary of state for the colonies. "in ordinary circumstances," he advised, "the commission would not erect individual headstones for native troops, but a central memorial in some suitable locality." shortly after sunrise, a bugler brings the dusky warriors... . the commission has known for years there were significant issues with the way black and asian servicemen had been honoured, a century too late. today, the prime minister gave his personal backing to an apology delivered in the house of commons. i want to apologise for the failures to live up to their founding principles all those years ago and express deep regret that it's taken so long to rectify the situation.

selina carty was on the committee which compiled today's report. a long—time campaignerfor proper recognition of the role played by black servicemen in two world wars. they're inviting me to come and have a conversation that's going to be very difficult for them to have and have somebody like me to be able to point out what all the things that they should've done many years ago and how we're now going to start doing that without glorifying colonialism, without glorifying the empire. there are promises to act, but true healing will take time. not only has there been a great historical injustice to black and asian servicemen, but our nation's story has been missing vital pages. mark easton, bbc news. documents released at the high court today have shed more light on how ppe contracts were awarded at the start of the pandemic last year. they suggest there was a controversial vip route that allowed certain companies to fast track the process. our special correspondent, lucy manning, is outside the high court for us.

tell us more about what the documents say?— tell us more about what the documents say? tell us more about what the documents sa ? . , , ., documents say? over the last year bbc news has _ documents say? over the last year bbc news has revealed _ documents say? over the last year bbc news has revealed tens - documents say? over the last year bbc news has revealed tens and l bbc news has revealed tens and millions of gowns and facemasks couldn't be used with what they were intended for. there has been concern over the vip roots, the route where politicians and officials they referred firms they got on the fast track. it has been shown these companies on the vip rig did get more ppe contracts. but the campaign group, the good low project took the government to court over some of these deals and there was a hearing today that documents were released and we get a sense the civil servants themselves were concerned about this vip route. 0ne servants themselves were concerned about this vip route. one of them writes in an e—mail, one of the civil servants, we are currently drowning in vip requests and high priority contacts that, despite all of our work and best efforts, do not either hold the correct certification or do not pass due diligence. and we get a bit more

detail about the firms that got onto this vip route. 0ne company, some of their masks couldn't be used and the chairman was at an 80th birthday party of the father—in—law of a senior official at the department of health. that is how they got onto the system. another company, they had an adviser who was also an adviser to the department after a and the e—mail went out, can we treat this as a vip case, please? and the allegations of cronyism are unsustainable. why does it matter? it is all about weather in the rush to get ppe, which was needed at the time, whether millions of pounds, hundreds of millions of pounds was wasted by the government? luci; wasted by the government? lucy mannin: , wasted by the government? lucy manning, thank _ wasted by the government? lucy manning, thank you. _ downing street has announced an internal inquiry into the leak of private text messages between boris johnson and the businessman sirjames dyson over the tax status of his employees.

the bbc revealed these text messages sent at the start of the pandemic, in which borisjohnson says he would "fix" tax rules that sirjames said presented an obstacle to making ventilators for the nhs. labour have called for all correspondence from mrjohnson�*s phone about government business to be released. this report from our political editor laura kuenssberg contains some flashing images. ticking. there wasn't time to waste. at the start of the pandemic, those at the cabinet table were under the most intense pressure. but were mistakes made in the rush? yesterday, we revealed the prime minister and the businessman sirjames dyson had been in touch by direct text. dyson had offered to make ventilators for the nhs in the uk, but the firm wanted guarantees they wouldn't have to pay extra tax if they brought more staff in. government business is meant to be transparent — labour's calling foul. we've got this bizarre situation, where you've got some people who've got the prime minister's number

and can access him and he apparently will respond by telling people that he'll get things done and then you've got the vast majority of people who've got no such access. dyson spent £20 million and didn't get a contract in the end. the firm says they were only trying to comply with the rules. sirjames became a uk tax resident again this week and ministers have defended what went on. what the prime minister did was to ensure that things happened. now this is the dither and delay of the socialists. they don't want to do things, they want to put the process ahead of succeeding. let us praise dyson for all that he has contributed to british manufacturing — the huge success that he has been. there were concerns in government, though, about how boris johnson communicates. 0ne senior whitehall figure told me there was great anxiousness about this prime minister doing deals on whatsapp. nobody trusted him, nobody knew what was improper. and number 10 did not officially deny today claims that borisjohnson had been advised to change his phone number in the autumn. downing street emphasises this

was happening during an emergency, adamant nothing went wrong and confident of some public sympathy, but it's not the only strand of concern about access and influence — raising doubts about whether this is a government that really plays fair. whatever the tangle, one question is the same — can you be sure those with the wrong motives never sneak behind the gates? laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the most senior civil servant at the treasury, sir tom scholar, has said the failed finance company greensill capital "persistently" lobbied the department to be included in the government's covid support schemes. sir tom said the former prime minister, david cameron — who was an adviser to the firm — had rung him and sent a series of text messages, but all the proposals put forward were rejected. mr cameron says there's been no wrongdoing. 0ur political correspondent helen catt is in westminster for us. more details emerging this evening.

yes, this evening we are getting a sense of that persistence. in response to a freedom of information request, the treasury has released e—mails, letters and phone calls between senior officials, ministers, david cameron and greensill. it was designed to help businesses struggling with their cash flow. 0ne e—mail greensill says the conditions were making it nearly impossible to deliver the credit his business model relied. the application was rejected and that rejection letter has been published. greensill did go on to be part of a different government scheme which allowed it to lend to other companies. labour said these e—mails show the government knew that the company was in financial trouble before that and therefore put taxpayers' money at risk. . ~ therefore put taxpayers' money at risk. ., ~ , ., the government has announced major

changes for funding for courts in england and wales in a bid to combat the unprecedented backlog in criminal trials. a cap on how many daysjudges can sit for hearings will be lifted to clear 58,000 outstanding crown court cases. the backlog means some suspects and victims will have to wait until 2023 for their cases to be dealt with. jeremy cooke has been speaking to those affected by the delays. we have a huge backlog of cases and it's not because of covid. a criminaljustice system struggling in the face of a mountain of delayed cases. long waits and frustration across the uk. defendants left in limbo. well, it'sjust giving me depression and anxiety, everything. lawyers on hold... it's so frustrating, you go home and you just think, "what a waste of everyone's time." victims waiting for justice. mentally destroys you. you're on a roller—coaster. third time we've tried

to get the trial on. charlie is a barrister in bristol, defending the accused, often with their liberty on the line. the trial date of the summer of 2021, so three years after he was arrested... even when they get inside the court building ready to go, delays can still happen. you have to say, "i'm really sorry, i know you're here, i know you have psyched yourself up waiting to give your side of the story," but it's a fairly regular that you end up saying, you know, "sorry, no justice, not today." gemma in lancashire is a victim of assault. her day in court was put back again and again. a couple of days before, if not the day before, i they ring and say it's not going ahead, you need l to wait for a new day - to come through the post. and that's happening time and time again? yeah, six refusals for court dates. gemma was assaulted by her ex—partner. her young daughter saw it happen. the delay's added to the misery. you're building for that final day,

for it all to be over— and it doesn't happen. gemma got help from the charity, victim support. at one point, she felt suicidal. i was left with two options, either i end all the pain - and the misery and the notl being able to sleep, or i get into court before it takes me under. waiting lists in england and wales are at the highest level for years. covid hasn't helped. this is because of a leak which was leaking into court rooms whilst trials were going on. brooke shanda is a barrister in leeds, worried about the future of her profession and the future of the entire system. the government made a decision to cost save and what they did, is they sacrificed the system that works. and it's now a system which is falling apart. ministers said today there will be no financial limits to crown court operations over the coming year to tackle the backlog. i watched this amazing profession,

the entire system just gradually slow down, just grinding to a halt. labour says the delays shows the government has turned its back on victims of crime. the british system has always worked to provide justice in a timely manner. important to everyone, including the accused. i'm 23 now, this happened when i was 19. it shouldn't have taken this long. callum was involved in street violence in gloucestershire back in 2018 and his case has onlyjust finished. he pleaded guilty to affray. you obviously regret it? yeah, yeah, it shouldn't have happened. what's it done to your life? given me depression, anxiety, everything. i haven't been able to get on in my life because i can't tell people that i'm going to work for them or anything like that, because i don't know if i'm going to jail or not. so it'sjust been a whole mess, if you know what i mean? in the end there was no jail for callum, instead, an ankle tag and a suspended sentence. running the criminaljustice system cost serious money but delays also have a cost...

..psychological and emotional. it's been hard, hasn't it? very. did you expect this? i thought it'd all be over and done with within a matter of months. . but we have finally got it sorted, but it's took its toll. _ yeah. gemma ending that report byjeremy cooke. the bay city rollers singer, les mckeown, has died suddenly at the age of 65. # bye bye baby #. the band, which had hits with tracks like bye bye baby and shang—a—lang, were tartan—clad sensations in the uk and us in the 1970s. they were hugely successful, selling more than 120 million records. les mckeownjoined in 1973 and left in 1978. scottish labour has launched its manifesto for the holyrood election next month.

it says it will guarantee a job for every young person in scotland and the party has also called for the country to unite behind a national covid recovery plan. here's our scotland editor, sarah smith. the banks of the river clyde were once rock—solid labour ground. the party that once dominated scotland now languishes in third place and their new leader admits will not form the next scottish government. i would love to say to you, sarah, that i have the superpowers to reverse a 20 year decline in ten weeks. i'm not pretending to have such a superpower. but what i do want to do is to be honest and direct with people across scotland. the labour party hasn't been good enough, you deserve a better labour party, and i'm going to work day and night to give you that better labour party you deserve so we can all rebuild the country that we love. scottish labour propose under—25s and the long—term unemployed to be guaranteed a job in the public sector, rapid diagnostic centres for cancer patients, a free digital device for every school pupil, increasing

the scottish child payment to £20 a week and opposing an independence referendum within the next five years. if the result of this election is a majority of msps who support independence, how can labour stand in the way of what voters have chosen, which is to have another referendum? what people are worried about right now in scotland isn't the date of a referendum. what they're worried about is keeping their loved ones safe, when are they going to get a vaccine? if and when they'll have a job to go back to, their children's education and mental health, the cancelled operation or the failure to get a cancer diagnosis, the planet we're going to leave our children and our grandchildren. these are the big issues, i think. could you work with an snp government whilst they were at the same time pursuing an independence referendum within the next three years? firstly, this isn't a party manifesto, it's a recovery plan for all of scotland. i don't support independence, i don't support a referendum, but is that going to stop me from working with people to challenge child poverty, to get a great investment in our nhs, to get people back to work?

no. in a fortnight, voters in england head to the polls in 143 councils to decide who they want in charge of crucial local services, such as social care. in swindon, the conservatives have controlled the council for more than 15 years, but labour is trying to win it back. here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. these allotments have been a haven this past year, but even here there's no total escape from the pandemic. these residents will soon be asked to vote in council elections, and covid, it seems, could play a part. there are lots of lovely green open spaces... for sue, having to stay home has made her aware of what's on the doorstep. it's made me start to think, well, where does our council tax money go? is it going to the right people, at the right places? local elections are local things. but ann thinks the national picture will determine votes, though she doesn't think it should. it's the only way you're going to change local government, for people to understand how it works and how important