temperatures down, making things feel a bit cooler of course, and some sunshine to enjoy as well. this is bbc news. i'm clive myrie. the court of appeal clears 39 former subpostmasters of fraud and false accounting, after one of the uk's most widespread miscarriages ofjustice. it was all about clearing my name. i'm not a thief, i'm not a fraudster. i'm an honest person and that... that's it. that's everything i want. there are now calls for a full judge—led public inquiry. also this hour... india joins the travel red list, as some left it late to beat the change, arriving just hours before quarantine becomes compulsory. india has reported its highest number of new daily infection — more than 330,000 cases. industrial oxygen is now having

to be used in hospitals as stocks run out. the wales football manager and former manchester united player, ryan giggs, has been charged with assaulting two women. he's due to appear before magistrates next week. a new malaria vaccine developed by the team behind the oxford—astrazeneca jab has proved to be 77% effective in early trials. and at 5:45, anna smith gives her take on the best and worst of the week's film and dvd releases. that's in the film review. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. there are calls for a full public inquiry after 39 former subpostmasters who were convicted of theft and false accounting because of a defective post office

accounting system were cleared by the court of appeal. it's the uk's most widespread miscarriage ofjustice. some had gone to prison, and many sawjobs, marriages and reputations ruined after being wrongly accused of financial irregularities. the court heard that a computer software system called horizon had problems from the beginning of its installation. the post office has apologised for the impact the scandal has had on the men and women who were convicted. katie prescott reports. unsure whether to laugh or cry. after year of being labelled criminals, some shunned by their communities, even imprisoned, these former postma sters saw their these former postmasters saw their records wiped clean. marvellous, it has been 16 years. it hasn't been easy. you will find who your friends are and a good family and i only wish my elder son was here. but you know... we got through it.

for me, it's, it was all about this, all about clearing my name. i'm not a thief. i'm not a fraudster. i'm an honest person. and that, that's it. that's everything i want. i had to wait 14 years and then to have to i bring an army against them. that's what it's been. it's been an army against them. my god, it's notjust me, my whole family is grateful to the court. she is a soul. these people who used to own and run post offices were convicted of things like theft and false accounting, based on the evidence of a flawed software system known as horizon. it showed up short falls in their accounts where there were none and as a result they have had their lives turned upside down.

this is the most widespread miscarriage of justice in that the uk has seen. 39 people have seen their criminal records cleared today. three on the list with diseased in brackets. i would like to think and hope that the many others that are out there that have convictions to their name, come forward and follow the same process. hopefully a process that now will become a bit easier for them. because we've got probably six or seven hundred people that are still convicted in the most instances wrongly and deserve the same sort of justice that these brave people have had. today's judgment paved a way for a malicious prosecution claim today's judgment paves the way for a malicious prosecution claim that could mean further damages. the government says this is a another important milestone for postmasters affected by the dispute.

an independent inquiry is under way, but some say it is a white wash. it is a allowing post office off the hook. it is allowing post office off the hook. at the moment, there is no official inquiry looking at the conduct of directors and senior staff at post office. 0utside court now, though,. celebrations. after so many years it'll take a while to sink in. katie prescott, bbc news. 0ur correspondent frankie mccamley said there were calls for the people responsible for the scandal to be prosecuted. i think that is what some people are calling for. they want someone to be held accountable and there will be an inquiry by the government, but a lot of people say that is fruitless as the judge won't have the necessary powers to call in who they

want. as you can see behind me, those crowds had dispersed. people will be going home letting all of that information sink and after nearly two decades of trying to clear their names. you saw there were smiles, there were tears, there was this huge sense of relief, and this is a very significant day. not only for the people here, but also the legal system, which will now face questions as to how this was allowed it to happen. there were 39 convictions quashed today before before this, the case all people get £50 million in compensation. this has stretched over two decades and there was a very damning statement from judges today that said the post office knew that there were problems in the accounting system, and rather than investigating them, it insisted that it was reliable and effectively steam—rolling over some postmasters

who disagreed. thisjudgment is going to be sinking in. i think there is going to be some celebration this evening. i saw some bottles of champagne outside earlier, but i think it's going to be a very sombre time for some families who have lost their loved ones, who died before they even had a chance to clear their names. many people are going to be asking for compensation, i want to see people from the post office held accountable —— some want. but i also think one family told me a little bit earlier that they want to walk away from this black cloud that has been hanging over their lives for so long. the conservative mp lucy allen is a member of the all party parliamentary group on post offices and has a constituent whose conviction was quashed today by the court of appeal. she said there should be a judge led public inquiry into what happened. the initial review that has been commissioned by the government is helpful.

it may not get us to a position where those accountable are properly held to account, but it will be a start. and i hope the initial review will go ahead, make recommendations and if one of those recommendations is we must now have a judgment inquiry in order for the people responsible to be punished for what they have done, they can't be allowed to continue holding positions in public life. they can't be allowed just to walk away from this absolute wreckage having trashed the brand of the post office and destroyed the lives of many, many hundreds of people, not just those who have had their convictions quashed today. many will sympathise with what you're saying about the speed that's needed to resolve this, and as a result, perhaps an interim inquiry makes sense. but at the end of the day, some people knew what was going on, and they did not change their behaviour. clearly, the evidence given in the original trials was fraud because those convictions have today been quashed.

it's been suggested that some of the plea bargains that were entered into by individuals because they were so worried about going to jail, so they admitted a level of culpability. they were asked as part of these plea deals not to criticise the horizon system. someone has to go to jailfor this, horizon system. someone has to go to jailforthis, haven't horizon system. someone has to go to jail for this, haven't they? horizon system. someone has to go to jailfor this, haven't they? there has got to be criminal prosecutions for the destruction of people's lives as a result of what happened in. ~ ~ . . , in. well, i think certainly, there is an indication _ in. well, i think certainly, there is an indication that _ in. well, i think certainly, there is an indication that the - in. well, i think certainly, there is an indication that the court i is an indication that the court feels — is an indication that the court feels that— is an indication that the court feels that certain evidence was misleading, evidence that was given — misleading, evidence that was civen. .. ., , misleading, evidence that was civen... .,, misleading, evidence that was given. . ._ people i misleading, evidence that was - given..._ people lied. given... people lied? people lied. there's been _ given... people lied? people lied. there's been a _ given... people lied? people lied. there's been a to _ given... people lied? people lied. there's been a to the _ given... people lied? people lied. there's been a to the probably - there's been a to the probably prosecutions for perverting the course — prosecutions for perverting the course of — prosecutions for perverting the course ofjustice. yes, those people should _ course ofjustice. yes, those people should be _ course ofjustice. yes, those people should be prosecuted for that if

that is— should be prosecuted for that if that is the case. you then come to what _ that is the case. you then come to what about— that is the case. you then come to what about the management of the post office? what about the management of, where these people working _ management of, where these people working now? why are their lives unscathed? yes, for properjustice to be _ unscathed? yes, for properjustice to be done, — unscathed? yes, for properjustice to be done, these people must be held to _ to be done, these people must be held to account, and there is a suggestion if there is... held to account, and there is a suggestion if there is. . .- suggestion if there is... lucy allen. let's bring you the latest coronavirus figures for the uk. 2,678 new covid infections have been recorded in the latest 24—hour period and a0 new coronavirus deaths have been recorded — that's those who've died within 28 days of a positive test. more than 33.3 million have now received their first dose of a covid vaccine, and more than 11.6 million are fully vaccinated after having two doses. soaring covid infection rates in india has seen the country move

onto the government's travel red list overnight. it means british and irish nationals arriving in the uk from india must now quarantine in a government—approved hotel at their own cost for ten days. we'll have more from india in a moment, but first, our transport correspondent caroline davies reports on the travel ban. amongst yesterday's arrivals, the last few flights from india to the uk before the red list deadline. there was joy for those who made it back. it's amazing, ifeel like kissing the ground! hi, mum. other are still separated. others are still separated. ranjan's daughter lives just outside delhi with her two children and husband. i'm like paranoid - and keep phoning them and saying, don't leave i the house, don't do this. but you know, fair enough they may not do it, but. there's other family out there as well, l you know in gujarat and others, cousins and things, _ they're in villages and stuff.

they also need, they're not in the same environments. | every environment in india's different isn't it? _ her daughter feels scared and lonely. we are doing everything we can to protect ourselves and build our immunity in us. it is very isolated. i do miss my family heaps, and vice versa. they're missing us. today's new restrictions mean anyone arriving from india from 4am this morning must quarantine in a hotel for ten days at their own expense. quarantine hotels like this have been running for more than two months. the management told the bbc its sister hotel in gatwick has just opened, employing extra staff, expecting demand to go up. the so—called indian variant of the virus is still being investigated. it's four months since india banned flights from the uk to stop the spread of the uk variant. countries' fortunes can change quickly and some

are warning that until more have had both shots of their vaccine in the uk, international travel should not re—open. we are seeing as the cases are at the lowest in our part of the world, the proportion of cases associated with travel is on the rise and this must be a warning sign for plans to lift the restrictions for the next steps ahead. the red list continues to get longer as countries confront new waves of the virus. caroline davies, bbc news. there were more than 330,000 new coronavirus cases in india yesterday, the highest figure recorded anywhere in the world since the beginning of the pandemic. more than a third of the world's new cases are now in the country. hospitals are being overwhelmed with patients, while suffering acute shortages of oxygen. 0ur correspondent nikhil inamdar sent this report. mass cremations after a deluge of covid deaths in india's capital new delhi.

more than 2,200 people dead in the last 2a hours, according to official count. the real numbers could be much higher. india recorded more than 332,000 infections in the last 2a hours, a global record since the pandemic began, crushing the country's already weak health infrastructure. translation: i have been waiting for a bed since 21st _ for a bed since the 21st and done the rounds of half the hospitals in delhi. there's not a single vacant bed. meanwhile hospital continue to put out sos calls on social media saying they have just a few hours of oxygen supplies left. some even saying that supplies have run out entirely. patients meanwhile across the country scramble for beds and ventilators. there's also a shortage of essential drugs for the treatment of covid,

such as remdesivir. following desperate pleas from state government, the railways and the air force now deployed to transport oxygen. but criticism against the government's the government's handling of the crisis is now mounting. it is definitely lapse of covid—appropriate behaviour as soon as the country re—opened — weddings were happening, massive election rallies were going on, religious gatherings were happening, cricket matches were being played, malls and _ restaurants re—opened, kids started going back to school. a ramp up of india's inoculation programme is the only defence against this deadly second wave say experts, but a country that once boasted of being the pharmacy of the world is now crippled by a shortage of crucial vaccines. and with the infection peak nowhere in sight, there is more suffering to endure. in the last few minutes, dominic cummings, former senior aide to borisjohnson,

has issued a statement in relation to the row over text messages between the prime minister and sirjames dyson. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blakejoins me now. what's he got to say? in the last few minutes. — what's he got to say? in the last few minutes, dominic— what's he got to say? in the last| few minutes, dominic cummings what's he got to say? in the last i few minutes, dominic cummings is hitting back strongly at claims made in several newspapers today by anonymous sources that he was behind the leaking of text messages between the leaking of text messages between the prime minister and sirjames dyson. dominic cummings denies being the source of that story. he makes reference to what he describes as false accusations made against him in the media. he says he does have some whatsapp messages between the prime minister and sirjames dyson forwarded to him by borisjohnson. he is not found the ones, though, he says were leaked, nor is he aware of

being sent to them. he goes on to say, "i was not directly or indirectly the source for the bbc�*s story." so, coming out there in response to a concerted effort by someone or some people in downing street to pin the leaking of those messages on dominic cummings, who does not work in downing street any more after leaving at the end of last year. he goes on to talk more about other incidents, namely the leaking of information about plans for a second lockdown in the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, and also the issue of how renovations in downing street and specifically the prime minister and his fiancee carrie symonds's flat has been paid for. he ends with a withering attack on boris johnson's downing

ends with a withering attack on borisjohnson's downing street operation as it is now, saying that it's sad to see the prime minister and his office fall so far below the standards of competence and integrity that the country deserves. yeah, he does say he's not going to engage in media briefings regarding this issues, but will answers questions about any of these issues on the 26th of may for as long as mps want. he's got a lot on his mind and want to get it out there, doesn't he?— and want to get it out there, doesn't he? , ., �* , . ., , doesn't he? yes, and he's clearly not shy about _ doesn't he? yes, and he's clearly not shy about talking _ doesn't he? yes, and he's clearly not shy about talking about - doesn't he? yes, and he's clearly not shy about talking about his i doesn't he? yes, and he's clearly i not shy about talking about his time in downing street. he's very keen, as you suggest, that his version of events out there. that is what this blog post has done today, and given that dominic cummings no longer works in downing street, he was such a crucial and controversialfigure a crucial and controversial figure while a crucial and controversialfigure while he was there, having relatively combative and at times unconventional style rubbing up against the traditional operation of

the whitehall civil service machine. he cause controversy and put nose out of joint he cause controversy and put nose out ofjoint along the way, and it seems that now he is out of office and no longer employed by the prime minister, he's not afraid to continue doing that by putting his version of events across. he will be questioned by mps in parliament later in may, and he also has something to say about the wider question in an investigation of the government's response to coronavirus, saying the proper way for all these issues to be handled is via an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the government's... under oath and have access to documents. under oath and have access to documente— under oath and have access to documents. , ., ., ., ., ~ , ., ., documents. jonathan, thank you for that. the headlines on bbc news... the court of appeal clears 39 former subpostmasters of fraud and false accounting after one of the uk's most widespread miscarriages ofjustice. there are now calls for a full judge—led public inquiry. dominic cummings, the prime

minister's former senior aide, denies leaking text messages between boris johnson and sirjames dyson. india joins the travel red list, as some left it late to beat the change, arriving just hours before quarantine becomes compulsory. the french national anti—terrorist prosecutor has taken control of the investigation into the fatal stabbing of a policewoman near paris. 0ther police officers shot dead her tunisian attacker after he stabbed her in the throat at the entrance of a police station in rambouillet, south—west of the capital. paying tribute to the 49—year—old officer, the prime ministerjean castex said france had lost one of its everyday heroines to a barbaric and infinitely cowardly act. he's gone to the scene, along with the interior minister gerald darmanin. there's growing evidence that

the pfizer and astrazeneca covid vaccines are highly effective in reducing infection. researchers at the office for national statistics and university of oxford analysed test results from more than 370,000 people and found that infections fell by 65% after a first dose. it's still early days, but it's an improving picture in the uk, with latest estimates suggesting infections are continuing to fall in england and scotland. and there's more good news in the fight against covid. further evidence both the pfizer and astrazeneca vaccines offer good protection against the dominant uk variant, and crucially protects the over—75s and people with underlying health conditions. in a major study of more than 370,000 volunteers, researchers found there was 65% overall protection from infection after one dose, and 90% protection after two doses of the pfizer vaccine — similar to levels after natural infection. but the researchers say

the vaccine only cut asymptomatic infection by around 50%, meaning people could still pass on the virus without realising. it's so important, actually, we still wear face coverings, do other things to reduce risk. the virus is always out there and every person it infects, it just gives it a chance to mutate and potentially turn into something more dangerous again. so, it's good news, but there's also a knife edge. we're walking a very fine line here. the surge in new infections ripping through countries like brazil and india are a stark reminder the pandemic�*s farfrom over. while the uk's donated half a billion pounds towards a global vaccine fund, health experts warn rich nations need to go further, faster. now is the time to donate the vaccines that we have available now. yes, it will delay the vaccine roll—out in this country by a little bit, but vaccine transmission is so low now in the uk, we are in a position to do that.

and we would be better advised to prevent new variants are rising and the rest of the world, which will come back to haunt us if we don't drive down transmission everywhere. in the uk, the researchers say their findings also back up the decision to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible, by delaying the second dose, but more work is needed to determine how long the protection lasts and how well current vaccines protect against other new variants. katharine da costa, bbc news. we brought you that news a little bit earlier. but the wales football manager ryan giggs has been charged with assault, actual bodily harm and coercive behaviour in relation to two women in his home. now the man himself has issued a statement saying "i have full respect for the due process of the law and understand the seriousness of the

allegations. i will plead not guilty in court and look forward to clearing my name." he would like to wish robert page, players and supporters every success of the euros this summer. ryan giggs will not be making any further comments. ryan giggs, the wales manager, not taking charge of the team during the euros this summer, but he's made it clear that he has full respect for the due process of the law and he will plead not guilty in court and he looks forward to clearing his name. that's in relation to charges from greater manchester police, alleging assault, actual bodily harm and coercive controlling behaviour in relation to two women in his home. a new malaria vaccine has proved to be 77% effective in early trials. malaria kills more than 400,000 people a year in sub—saharan africa, many of them children. the vaccine has been developed by the team behind the oxford—astrazeneca jab and the effectiveness is far higherfigure than for any existing treatment. there will be larger—scale testing.

prof adrian hill of the university of oxford says he believes the vaccine has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives. this is very exciting. it's a very difficult disease to vaccinate against. it's caused by a parasite. we have no vaccines at all against any parasitic disease, so technically, this has been a long time coming. people have been trying to make malaria vaccines for many decades. so, this one really is part of a major collaboration between ourselves at the university of oxford, a fantastic manufacturer, 0xford, a fantastic manufacturer, the serum institute of india, the world's largest vaccine supplier to the world. and a biotech company in america. samy ahmar is head of health at the charity save the children. hello to you, thanks forjoining us.

how revolutionary is this breakthrough, do you think? i think it's an incredibly _ breakthrough, do you think? i think it's an incredibly encouraging - it's an incredibly encouraging development. malaria is the second—largest infectious cause child mortality globally after pneumonia. it kills about 400,000 people, mostly in africa, two thirds of children. whilst a huge amount of progress has been achieved over the last 15 to 20 years in a malaria control and bringing down the burden of disease, particularly thanks to preventive interventions and bed nets and really effective therapies and diagnostic tests, progress has been stalling over the last four to five years. we haven't seen the numbers come down like they used to, and one reason for that is the lack of the vaccine. 50. and one reason for that is the lack of the vaccine.— of the vaccine. so, this is a small stealth crile _ of the vaccine. so, this is a small stealth crile -- _ of the vaccine. so, this is a small stealth crile -- small-scale - of the vaccine. so, this is a small stealth crile -- small-scale trial. j stealth crile —— small—scale trial. we still do have to wait for bigger trials to take place in. absolutely.

this is the first _ trials to take place in. absolutely. this is the first stage _ trials to take place in. absolutely. this is the first stage of _ trials to take place in. absolutely. this is the first stage of what - trials to take place in. absolutely. this is the first stage of what i - this is the first stage of what i suspect will be a long process. we have seen with covid that the process of trial and approval can be accelerated, so we very much hope the next stage will be quick and we gather the evidence that will make the world comfortable with rolling out this technology, but it is potentially a really exciting development. as doctor hill said, for parasitic disease, it would be a first. i5 for parasitic disease, it would be a first. , ., , .,. for parasitic disease, it would be a first. , ., , ., first. is not 'ust the fact that malaria can’— first. is notjust the fact that malaria can kill— first. is notjust the fact that malaria can kill children, - first. is notjust the fact that malaria can kill children, it'sj first. is not just the fact that - malaria can kill children, it's also the fact that it stunts growth as well and arrest their development for the rest of their lives. absolutely. what we observe in the field at a community level is an amount of comb so children showed up with malaria, but also suffer from

diarrhoea or pneumonia. it's this vicious cycle of vulnerability —— amount of co—morbidity. it's ultimately an issue of the health system. whilst this would be an amazing new component to them malaria control tool box alongside the therapy and diagnostic test, it will require investing in health systems because children die from malaria because they're not diagnosed early enough, because they suffer from diagnosed early enough, because they sufferfrom comorbidities, because of... so the vaccines will absolutely help. it will be an amazing fourth leg to malaria control, but we do need to invest in health system. control, but we do need to invest in health system-— health system. that's a really important _ health system. that's a really important point _ health system. that's a really important point to _ health system. that's a really important point to make. - health system. that's a really important point to make. a l health system. that's a really - important point to make. a vaccine is incredibly important, but there still needs to be investment made by

governments across sub—saharan africa. in order to improve health systems so that problems can be dealt with. systems so that problems can be dealt with-— systems so that problems can be dealt with. absolutely. that goes all the way _ dealt with. absolutely. that goes all the way from _ dealt with. absolutely. that goes all the way from multilateral- all the way from multilateral agencies and donors all the way down to national governments, subnational governments and committees themselves. it has to be a systemic solution. there isn't going to be a magic bullet for malaria. and it remains very much a health system issue that we need to tackle, and invest in, really, at all levels. 0k, invest in, really, at all levels. ok, it's good to see you. thanks for joining us. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. good afternoon. very little change in the weather throughout the remainder of the day. high levels of pollen, strong sunshine coming through, little bit more cloud in the northeast of scotland, even the odd shower, but still plenty of sunshine. there's a bit more breeze in southwestern areas of the

channel islands today, so we'll feel the effect of that — a little bit cooler. but for most, possibly the warmest day of the week. we could see 19—20 for the likes of northeast wales and the northwest of england. 0vernight, we'll see a little bit of cloud returning through parts of scotland, eastern areas. but again, with clear skies for much of the night, temperatures will fall to within frost levels in a few areas. not as widely as this morning, but still a chilly start on saturday with some low cloud and some fog to clear ourselves off. once that clears away, it's very similar to today, actually. we've still got that brisk breeze across the south and west, perhaps more generally along the south coast. just starting to take the edge off the temperatures as well from the north sea as we pick an onshore breeze here, but again, 17 or18 inland. sunday looking like another fine day for many, too. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: the court of appeal clears 39

former subpostmasters of fraud and false accounting, after one of the uk's most widespread miscarriages ofjustice. it was all about clearing my name. i'm not a thief. i'm not a fraudster. i'm not this person and that's it, that's everything. dominic cummings, the prime minister's former senior aide, denies leaking text messages between borisjohnson and sirjames dyson. india joins the travel red list, as some left it late to beat the change, arriving just hours before quarantine becomes compulsory. india has reported its highest number of new daily infection, more than 330,000 cases. industrial oxygen is now having to be used in hospitals, as stocks run out. the wales football manager and former manchester united player, ryan giggs, has been charged with assaulting two women. he's due to appear before magistrates next week. a new malaria vaccine developed by the team behind

the oxford—astrazeneca jab, has proved to be 77% effective in early trials. sport and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. good evening. let's start with news in the last hour that the wales manager ryan giggs has been charged with three offences after an incident last november where police were called to a disturbance in worsley. the former manchester united player has been charged with causing actual bodily harm to a woman in her 30s and common assault of a woman in her 20s. he has also been charged with one count of coercive and controlling behaviour between december 2017 and november 2020. he has been bailed and is due to appear before the courts next wednesday. the welsh fa confirmed that robert page will continue as wales manager for this summer's european championships.

in a statement, giggs says he has the full respect for the due process of law and understand the seriousness of the allegations. i will plead not guilty in court and look forward to clearing my name. manchester united manager 0le gunnar solskjaer says he "did not like the concept" of the european super league and wants to "earn the right" to play in europe. he ended up speaking to fans at the club's training ground yesterday who were protesting against the glazer family's ownership and involvement in the plan. we involvement in the plan. will always listen to the fa and we will always listen to the fans and i thought it was the only right thing to do is to go and listen to them and speak to them and have a nice discussion with them and peaceful discussion and because it is important that we respect each other and respect each other�*s views. it was a good ten minutes and i was happy with that. of course, we did not shake hands. we gave a fist

bump and we parted. not good news for britain's mens's number two — cameron norrie — he's out of the barcelona 0pen. at the hands of rafa nadal at the quarter—finals stage of the clay court tournament. 6—1, 6—4 the final score — nadal will now play either diego schwartzman or pablo carreno—busta in the last four. gymnastics now and britain's jessica gadirova has won bronze in the all—around final at the european championships in basel. this was her senior international debut and she came third with an impressive score in the vault to claim her place on the podium behind 15—year—old viktoria listunova of russia. and fellow brit amelie morgan finished 4th. simon yates has won the tour of the alps after finishing safely in the pack on the fifth and final stage into riva del garda. the stage itself was won by felix grosschartner of bora hansgrohe.

yates came home in the greenjersey winning the tour by 58 seconds. the win will no doubt be great preparation for next month's giro d'italia. jofra archer will sit out the rest of the ipl season, as he continues his recovery from surgery on his hand. the ecb have confirmed that the fast bowler returned to training this week, and his progress will be monitored ahead of england's test series with new zealand injune, and is on course to be fit for it. it's a huge blow for the rajasthan royals — as archer was named the tournaments most valuable player last year. you can follow all the action from the world snooker championship on the bbc sport website and app. neil roberston is 9—7 up against jack lisowski after the afternoon session. and mark williams leads 5—3 againstjohn higgins. that's it from me — sportsday with katherine downes is here at 6.30.

thank you for that. some breaking news and surge testing in the highgate and wellesley wards. it will be extended today. further testing now required in those areas after more cases of the variant first found in south africa have been discovered. the local council is working closely with public health and nhs test and trace to curb any spread of the variant and this will include significantly increasing the testing offer in a targeted and intelligence led way. so that involves contact with households in the b five area of birmingham. so an expansion of the testing into areas of birmingham

after increased discovery, as it were, of the covid—19 variant from south africa have been found. government borrowing has hit the highest level since the end of world war ii. the enormous cost of supporting the economy during the coronavirus pandemic is laid bare in new figures from the office for national statistics, which says more than £300 billion was borrowed in the year to march. that's nearly £250 billion more than the year before. andy verity has more. we talk about them as eye watering, but one thing that is really important to remember is they are not eye watering like debt is for you or me, for a household or a small business, where you have to worry about the debt collectors. the government does not have to worry about that because the government can print money and lend it to itself, which is what it largely has been doing since the pandemic began. the amounts that it has borrowed, if you like, from itself, from the bank of england, that is who it owes most of the money to, amounts to £303 billion, as you say. that is a huge sum of money, a peacetime record. it is what the chancellor needs to to plug the gap

between his spending, which has exploded over the past year, and his income from tax revenue, which has been dropping. if you look at that deficit, that borrowing, if you like, and compare it to recent borrowing, obviously you see a huge jump there at the end of the chart where it is shooting up to about five times what it was expected to be one year ago. but for the reasons i gave you, it may not be so urgent to repay it. interestingly, in the most recent budget by rishi sunak, it was clear that he felt he needed to spend more before anything was done to try to reduce that borrowing. now, if you look at it compared over time, it is the highest borrowing as a percentage of the economy since 1945—1946, but you can also see on the chart there that it drops really rapidly. that is exactly what the office for budget responsibility is predicting will happen this time. it will drop rapidly, not because of any spending cuts, but because in the economic recovery, the tax revenues

will get a massive boost. the uk and australia have agreed the vast majority of a free trade deal during talks in london this week and will look to reach full agreement in principle byjune, a joint statement has revealed in the last hour. britain is pursuing a deal with australia as one of the pillars of its post—brexit strategy to build stronger commercial and diplomatic links in the indo—pacific region. 0fficial estimates say it could add 500 million pounds to british economic output over the long term. most of us are in for some glorious spring weather this weekend — so you may be thinking of venturing into the great outdoors fora hike ora ramble. if so, you're being asked to stick to proper footpaths. adam mcclean reports from scafell pike. this path is one of hundreds across the lake district's fells — routes that help hikers reach the top of england's highest peaks. we're always repairing the paths in the lake district, and we're repairing them for the benefit of the environment, so we're stopping the damage to the vegetation and the wildlife here. and that's our main reason

for the work that we're doing, to protect this wonderful scenery and this precious environment. this route's one of the most popular in the lake district — from those completing the three peaks challenge to others ticking off the highest point in england. i think the pandemic has made people realise how important the countryside is for their physical and mental well—being and health. and so they're getting out into the countryside more and that's absolutely great to see but, of course, it has an impact, and what's happening is this mountain is literally being worn away. repairing the paths needs heavy machinery — a challenge for the team fixing the fells. we realised that access for the machine to do the machine restoration was particularly tricky — well, impossible, to be honest — and that the only way to get the machine up would be to take it apart, bring it here, fly it up to the summit and then rebuild it! the work will repair five damaged sections of the path, with equipment flown up by helicopter.

0k, terry, ready to lift. and lifting, terry. after a short four—minute flight, the equipment arrives here, on the path to the top of scafell pike. piece by piece, there'll soon be a digger near the top of england's highest mountain. certainly, around these hills, wind can play a big part of the aviation turbulence. wind shear, downdrafts, we've always got to be aware of that. this helicopter is capable of lifting 1.2 tonnes, and that's right at its maximum weight. so, if we have any outside influences which may affect our performance, we've got to be extremely careful. and certainly, when we're working around people on the ground as well. and for those enjoying a walk, the hard work didn't go unnoticed. er, i think the work to maintain

and restore the paths is fantastic because it makes it much more accessible for people to get up the mountain. and it's a beautiful view. you can see the isle of man, you can see all around. - i've made good use of the panoramic feature on my phone's camera. - itjust makes you feel so much safer going up this sort of path, especially compared to, like, the other other mountain paths i've been on, is you feel looked after. high visitor numbers and extreme weather are eroding england's highest mountains. it's hoped this work will help preserve them for the future. adam mcclean, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: the court of appeal clears 39 former subpostmasters of fraud and false accounting, after one of the uk's most widespread miscarriages ofjustice. there are now calls for a full judge led public enquiry. dominic cummings, the prime minister's former senior aide, denies leaking text messages between borisjohnson and sirjames dyson. india joins the travel red list, as some left it late to beat the change,

arriving just hours before quarantine becomes compulsory. now it's time for the film review with anna smith. hello and welcome to the film review with me, anna smith. i'm filling in for mark kermode to review this week's releases.

the american actress aubrey plaza usually picks with the interesting movies on this one may be her best yet. movies on this one may be her best et. ., ., , ., movies on this one may be her best et. ., ., . movies on this one may be her best et. ., ., | movies on this one may be her best yet-_ i can't - movies on this one may be her best yet-_ i can't cook- i yet. you are so lucky. i can't cook. at all. yet. you are so lucky. i can't cook. at all- like — yet. you are so lucky. i can't cook. at all. like anything? _ yet. you are so lucky. i can't cook. at all. like anything? can - yet. you are so lucky. i can't cook. at all. like anything? can you - yet. you are so lucky. i can't cook. | at all. like anything? can you cook e: s? i at all. like anything? can you cook eggs? i can — at all. like anything? can you cook eggs? i can scramble _ at all. like anything? can you cook eggs? i can scramble and, - at all. like anything? can you cook eggs? i can scramble and, maybe. | eggs? i can scramble and, maybe. what about — eggs? i can scramble and, maybe. what about hamburger? _ eggs? i can scramble and, maybe. what about hamburger? have - eggs? i can scramble and, maybe. what about hamburger? have you| eggs? i can scramble and, maybe. - what about hamburger? have you ever cooked hamburger? take potato. ho. cooked hamburger? take potato. no. you never baked potato? black- cooked hamburger? take potato. no. you never baked potato? black bear. you never baked potato? black bear beains you never baked potato? black bear be . ins as a you never baked potato? black bear begins as a biting _ you never baked potato? black bear begins as a biting relationship - begins as a biting relationship drama and transforms into something much more complex. it is split into two parts, both set in a remote lake house and featuring intriguing characters. house and featuring intriguing characters-—

house and featuring intriguing characters. ., ., ., ., characters. you really have to learn to read. i characters. you really have to learn to read- i get _ characters. you really have to learn to read. i get that _ characters. you really have to learn to read. i get that all— characters. you really have to learn to read. i get that all the _ characters. you really have to learn to read. i get that all the time. - to read. i get that all the time. part one. _ to read. i get that all the time. part one, cold _ to read. i get that all the time. part one, cold the _ to read. i get that all the time. part one, cold the boehringerl to read. i get that all the time. - part one, cold the boehringer road, is an intense triple—header where the personal character arrives to spend the night with a man and his pregnant partner. the more the alcohol flows, the more the debates about modern life and feminism turn into full—blown arguments. element it is not i can't stand that you have thoughts about the world, it's that i can't stand the thoughts about the world that you have. it is about the world that you have. it is a darkly funny and uncomfortably credible detection of a bickering couple. writer—director lawrence michael has a real handle on the way that partners can remember things differently and contradict each other in public. in part two, cold the bear by the boathouse, the story becomes a film shoot featuring the same actors in slightly different roles. ~ , ., ., ., , roles. whenever you are ready. abbott is now _ roles. whenever you are ready. abbott is now a _ roles. whenever you are ready. abbott is now a controlling - roles. whenever you are ready. - abbott is now a controlling director who plays mind games with actress alison, and it is incredibly stressful to watch him torture her. yet as the shoot descends into near

chaos, black bear is bitterly