if you are waiting for rain, this weather feature is going to bring some over the next few days, bringing rain on monday across scotland. quite heavy bursts of rain actually. the odd shower breaking out in northern ireland and maybe the north of england. in the south another sunny day. the winds easing a touch for southern england and the south of wales. highest temperatures in the west of england and wales, 16 degrees, turning chillier in the north—west. if you are waiting for rain in the south, on tuesday, some of the wet weather will migrate southwards. it will break up into showers. quite hit and miss. some places will fall through the gaps and stay completely dry. warmer in the south—east, turning chillier in the north. the cooler air will spread southwards. one or two showers but still quite a lot of dry weather around. a similar story in the north. any showers on the high ground in scotland could

start to turn wintry.

this is bbc news. the headlines: india's prime minister narendra modi says the surge in coronavirus cases has shaken the nation — his comments come as the country hits a record number of new cases for the fourth day in a row. labour calls for the government to face mps over the refurbishment of the prime minister's downing street flat. but the government denies claims that borisjohnson broke the rules.

answer need to —— the government need _ answer need to —— the government need to— answer need to —— the government need to answer why have given out billions _ need to answer why have given out billions of— need to answer why have given out billions of pounds of money to their cronies— billions of pounds of money to their cronies and — billions of pounds of money to their cronies and friends. everything has been declared within the rules. a fire sweeps through a hospital treating coronavirus patients in baghdad, killing at least 80 people according to iraqi officials. a operation to extinguish one of the largest gorse fires of recent years in northern ireland, enters its third day — more than 100 firefighters have been trying to put out the flames since friday. england's biggest football teams and the sport's governing bodies will stage a four—day boycott of social media from next friday to campaign for social media companies to crack down on online abuse. now on bbc news, in a talking movies: oscars preview special, the programme reports on the excitement at union station in los angeles — which is co—hosting this year's

academy awards. hello from union station in downtown los angeles. i'm tom brook and welcome to our oscars preview edition of talking movies. in today's programme, we are going to tell you everything you need to know to make sense of this year's oscar ceremony which is taking place partly here, inside the biggest railway station in the western united states. it is the most diverse field of oscar contenders ever, a woman could win for best director and, for the first time, a muslim is up for best actor. it is a win for our culture when it feels like we are all moving forwards together.

we will be hearing from several top contenders, we will also be looking at movies around the world, vying for oscars' consideration. but first, something a bit different — my take on the academy awards and the ceremony�*s move to an additional venue. everybody thinks that the king's speech, the british period drama is going to do very well indeed... i have been covering the oscars for almost a0 years, and this year's ceremony proves to be like no other. because of covid—i9, the academy awards is being reinvented. for the last 20 years, the oscars has been taking place at the dolby theatre on hollywood boulevard. this year, because of the need to meet social distancing requirements, an additional venue was sought, which i went to check out. tannoy announcement. la's spacious union station was chosen and it could be reached in a myriad of ways, including by this underground train, which will take me right to the heart of the station complex.

of course, oscar nominees on the night will be arriving in considerably more style, probably by limousine. now arriving, union station. it doesn't immediately hit you, but union station is breathtaking. it has been described as a vital portal to the promise of the california dream. the reason the academy is using union station is to spread the membership out, because of social distancing, because of the pandemic. but this is the sistine chapel of railway stations, certainly here in america. this is a theatre for the traveller, it's often referred to as a cathedral of transportation, it's so magnificent inside. big sections of the station have been cordoned off for the oscars.

part of the classic 1982 sci—fi blade runner movie was shot at union station, as were more than 150 other films, cementing the station's hollywood status, adding to its suitability as an oscar night venue. in the restaurant, robert redford and barbara streisand get into a domestic altercation. amazingly, trains will keep running throughout the academy awards ceremony. communters seem pleased the oscars were coming to union station. it is going to be a nice change of scenery, i think, _ but it is definitely going to be a little out of the norm - of what the oscars usually is. but what will remain hidden from oscar night viewers will be the many, many homeless and mentally ill people who now live in and around the station. you will have people attending the oscars who have so much wealth, so much money and power. and then you have the people here who don't have the bare minimum, like food or shelter.

to their credit, the academy awards producers are doing everything they can to bring the oscars ceremony to life, to reinvent it. it will not be one big zoom show and my friend and colleague, a spanish broadcaster, has covered the academy awards for more than 30 years... he speaks in spanish. he is one of the few lucky accredited journalists on the small red carpet this year. it's going to be like watching a movie. i don't know details because they do not want to reveal anything but i think it's going to be interesting to see a ceremony which is really a film, with its scripts and everything. the academy has a lot riding on the oscars show. last year's academy awards, pre—covid, had the lowest tv ratings of any oscar ceremony in history. if we start with the assumption that it might not break historical records for oscar ratings, maybe it can do better simply by being an incredibly innovative and engrossing ceremony that sends a positive message about

the resilience of the entertainment industry and its ongoing relevance. that is colin firth here, live on the red carpet. as i've learned over the years, the oscar ceremony is an ephemeral event, quickly over. by contrast, the custodians of union station proudly see their structure as more long—lasting, more solid. forthem, perhaps, less lightweight than the oscars. it's a little different. this station is real. it is not make—believe, it will be there after the oscars and everyone can come visit. so let's move on and take a look at the actors up for an oscar this year. when it comes to the top acting prizes, i expect the late great chadwick boseman will win best actor for his performance in ma rainey�*s black bottom. and i think frances mcdormand, well, she will win best actress for her role in nomadland, but really nothing is certain.

because of the recent demographic changes in the academy's membership, it has got much harder than it used to be to predict who will win the acting races. anyway, emma jones has been taking a look at the field. it really is anyone's guess this year as to who of all these nominees will take home an oscar. even the nominations had surprises. the best actor category includes chadwick boseman for ma rainey�*s black bottom, asian american steven yeun for minari, and londoner riz ahmed for sound of metal. two past oscar winners sir anthony hopkins for the father and gary oldman are in the running and it still carries a thrill for oldman who plays the writer of citizen kane in david finch's mank. you know, you have to pinch yourself. you go, "oh, i have got an oscar." it is not something you really think

about in the moment of doing it, of going into a project. it is only after, where people start throwing your name around. it is a nice thing. and the best actress category is even harder to predict. it is between viola davis for ma rainey�*s black bottom, frances mcdormand for nomadland, andra day for the united states vs billie holiday, vanessa kirby for pieces of a woman and carey mulligan for promising young woman. any one of them could win. what's my name? jason, here we are in our award season finery with nowhere to go. but has the online award season meant there has been more fragmentation when it comes to actually choosing the winners? i think there is and i think that what has happened is because there is a lack of award season, no one has been able to build up a red—carpet hullabaloo before a momentum. the studios with their marketing might and the campaigns around them,

no one has been able to piggyback on accrued momentum throughout the season so what you're getting is peoplejust saying, well, i'm going to vote for the one that i liked the most. korean actress yuh—jung youn, who stars in minari, the story of an immigrant korean family in america, it is becoming the favourite for the supporting actress academy award, after wins at bafta and the screen actors guild. and the award goes to... yuh—jung youn, minari. she credits bong joon—ho's parasite for opening the door to her achievement. as an asian or korean, we never thought about somebody could the an award from oscar. so bong joon—ho gave a big present for us. then every country was cheering for him. that was a big change for us. disappointment is no easier to bear sitting on zoom instead of in a theatre and daniel kaluuya's might be crushing if after the globe, bafta and screen writers guild awards, he doesn't get an oscar

for best supporting actor forjudas and the black messiah. kaluuya plays black panther activist fred hampton. you can murder a freedom fighter, but you can't murder freedom! - kaluuya seems to be a clear favourite. lakeith stanfield, also forjudas and the black messiah, paul raci in sound of metal and sasha baron cohen for the trial for the chicago 7, are also nominated. so is leslie odoerfor his part as sam cooke in one night in miami. he has already got a grammy and a tony award for the musical hamilton. i have to be honest about that kind of stuff. because the truth is, i have gone further and achieved more than i ever really intended to. most of my experience with film is as an audience member, i'll say that. these modest rebuttals of nominees mean more when really no one has certainty who will win, unlike in the past.

the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, the organisation that hands out the oscars doesn't exactly have a glorious track record when it comes to rewarding indian cinema. interestingly, india, which has the most prolific movie industry in the world, has never won for best international feature or the equivalent award at the oscars, but this year there is a film set and shot in india which has earned the best adapted screenplay nomination. it has gone to the writer and director, ramin bahrani, and the film is the white tiger. since i was a boy, the desire to be a servant... ..had been hammered into my skull. the white tiger is based on the 2008 bestseller of the same name by aravind adiga. it is the story of a young indian servant, full of the most noble of intentions who is corrupted by his amorality of his master. there is naked rage and revenge

in this story, nothing soft or cosy. the film has big named stars — priyanka chopra jonas and rajkummar rao. and newcomer adarsh gourav mesmerising as the servant boy, balram. ramin. good to see you again. i know, it's like a long time. the film has been directed by ramin bahrani, a talented new york—based film—maker whose work i have been following for more than 15 years. the white tiger is definitely bringing audiences a caustic, commentary on modern india. the movie takes place between 2007 and 2010. india had a lot of confidence then, there was a middle class that was growing. i think some of those changes have stalled, obviously their economy did not reach the potential that they thought. it is a commentary, however, on massive gaps in wealth. it is very, very specific and authentic to india but it is very universal. i think especially tragically in the age of covid, many, many more people started

to feel how difficult it is to get anywhere in life when the system around you seems corrupt and built just for the rich and powerful. it can be crass to categorise movies. people have labelled your film, to some extent, as a rags to riches story and they have made comparisons with slumdog millionaire. in what way do you see the two films as being different or perhaps similar? the stories are probably quite different because i think white yiger is not so rose coloured, with no million rupee game show that is going to save anybody here. the only other solution that the main character sees is crime or politics, he says. ramin, i first met you more than 15 years ago when you had just made your first film, man push cart, which was about a pakistani—born cart vendor who sells bagels and coffee in manhattan. it was a beautifully crafted film, i really liked that film. is there any connection between your earlier work, your first work, and what you have done with the white tiger, do you think?

yes. i remember that encounter very well because i used to watch you on the bbc and it was my first film. i couldn't believe that tom brook was calling me to do an interview. i still remember it so vividly. of course i think there are similarities. this is my seventh film and my sixth film that deals with issues of wealth inequality. most of my films have been about unseen and unheard voices. characters we don't normally see in movies, so these are subjects that i am very interested in. ramin bahrani faces very stiff competition in the adapted screenplay category and is unlikely to win at the oscars, but the white tiger has already brought him much critical acclaim. it has been a resonant hit with audiences. it has really been helped by the powerful performances of his actors. i am just one who cannot go into the restaurant he has to sleep in. this year, many of the academy's top

prizes will go to american films and american film talent. cinemas from beyond us shores have been nominated in the best international film category and there is one picture, another round from denmark, that appears to be the frontrunner. emma jones has been taking a look at what is on offer. in a year with little to celebrate in cinema, apart from the quality films, another round, danish director thomas vinterberg's story opf a middle—aged male experiment with alcohol has found a huge fan base. it is partly due to actor mads mikkelsen's electrifying performance as martin, a teacher despondent his best years seem to be behind him. vinterberg's also nominated for a best director oscar. but professional recognition is secondary to the personal. the film is dedicated to his daughter, ida.

my daughter, who passed away during the making of this film, we made the movie for her. sort of to honour her memory. so, of course, every shine we can get, for me, it is a shine for her. oscars can turbo charge an internationalfilm's box office. bong joon—ho's parasite took $8 million in us cinemas injust a few days immediately after it scooped four oscars. this year awards are vital to these non—english language movies where promotion has been limited and cinemas closed. quo vadis, aida? byjasmila zbanic, is film from bosnia—herzegovina. nine european countries funded her story about the massacre of 8,000 bosnian men and boys at srebrenica in 1995. events unfold for the eyes of a translator, aida. our aim is that this film is seen by many people and since nominations, we have so many requests.

the film was mentioned in the media like a thousand times more than before nominations. so i am completely aware what power is behind the oscars. yet some nominees have flourished online. the romanian entry, collective, also nominated for best documentary feature, is a story ofjournalists battling to expose corruption in romania's health service after a tragic fire. it was the most watched film in 2020 on an hbo streaming service. we would like to release in ronamian cinemas two weeks before the pandemic closed it down. we really had record numbers. but we found basically that even the online release of the film is good in the end. maybe even more people have seen it.

the increasingly international demographic of oscar voters may also have shaped the shortlist. better days, a chinese romantic crime drama made by derek tsang is hong kong's first international feature entry since farewell my concubine in 1994. you want my soul. i want your back. tunisia also has its first—ever oscar nomination with the man who sold his skin by kaouther ben hania. it's the story of a syrian refugee who becomes a work of art in europe. the story pointedly showing that goods have an easier passage than some humans. since there were more . voters outside of the us, more voter in africa, in europe, l in asia, so there is more diversity and we can feel it also in the movie, in - the movie nominated.

i think things are changing. these international nominees may face an even tougher landscape than ever post—covid, no wonder they are raising a glass to getting this far. now before we go, it is time for me to make my predictions of who will win in the key oscar categories. of course, i run the risk of making a total full of myself. ——a total fool of myself. best adapted screenplay. that award will go to nomadland, one of several it will receive on the night. chloe zhao used jessica bruder�*s non—fiction nomadland: surviving america, the 21st century bestseller, to craft a story cleverly blending real itinerant people playing themselves with professional actors. best original screenplay, that oscar will be awarded master screen wordsmith aaron sorking for the trial of the chicago 7.

the vietnam historical legal drama which he also directed. best documentary feature, that award goes to my octopus teacher. a portrait of south african craig foster's strikingly photographed love affair with an octopus. best animated feature, that will go to soul, a beautiful pixar animation. chronicling the efforts of a school music teacher to reunite his soul with his body. best supporting actress, south korean screen veteran yuh—jung youn stole audience's hearts with her portrayal of a quirky but doting grandmother in minari. academy voters will probably feel inclined to reward her. best supporting actor, that awar seems almost certain to go to british actor daniel kaluuya for his masterful and emotionally

charged portrait of fred hampton, a significant member of the black panther party, in the film judas and the black messiah. best actress, that will go to frances mcdormand, who has emerged as one of the big screen's most accomplished leading ladies. she will now have as many trophies as meryl streep, but is still outdone by katharine hepburn, who won four. best actor will go deservedly to the late great chadwick boseman who died tragically at the age of 43 last year, for his last screen role as troubled trumpet player, in ma rainey�*s black bottom. best director, yes, that will go chloe zhao, making history as the first woman of colour to win the award for her work on nomadland. and she is only the second woman ever to win for best director.

for her, it will be a very good night. and finally, talking movies predicts the best picture prize, hollywood's top award, will go to nomadland, which was basically anointed oscar's frontrunner from the time of its launch at the venice film festival last year. perhaps in this turbulent covid—19 time, audiences and oscar voters were drawn to this story of dislocated lives set against the big skies of the american west. nomadland was a film about something. beautifully shot with strong performances. it had the feel of an oscar—winning epic. well, that brings this special oscars preview edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you enjoyed the show. remember, you can always watch us online. and you can find us on facebook and twitter. so from me, tom brook and the rest of the talking movies production team here in los angeles, it is goodbye, ss we leave you with the oscar—nominated song,

speak now from the movie one night in miami. # speak now #. # oh, can hear the angels? # speak now #. hello. for the vast majority it is turning into another dry and mostly sunny day. with cool easterly winds developing especially across england and wales it is feeling cooler, compared with yesterday. high pressure in charge of the scene giving dry and settled area.

winds around high pressure flow in a clockwise direction which is pulling the cool air in across some parts of england and wales. the easterly wind is also pulling in some cloud across eastern parts of england, some of it getting across into the midlands and east wales, breaking up as it goes. there will still be sunny spells. the odd shower popping up across high ground in highland scotland. any showers which do develop quite slow—moving. the winds will be light, stronger winds further south. quite gusty in the south of england and the channel islands. the lowest temperatures will be on the east coast, the highest temperatures will be in shelter further west. 16 for cardiff, 17 for liverpool and glasgow, 17 in the western counties of northern ireland as well. this evening and overnight it will stay dry for the majority. at the other end of the uk more cloud into north—west scotland.

in this clear slot, this is where we are most likely to see a touch of frost. if you are waiting for rain, this weather feature is going to bring some over the next few days, bringing rain on monday across scotland. quite heavy bursts of rain, actually. the odd shower breaking out in northern ireland and maybe the north of england. in the south, another sunny day. the winds easing a touch for southern england and the south of wales. highest temperatures in the west of england and wales, 16 degrees, turning chillier in the north—west. if you are waiting for rain in the south, on tuesday, some of the wet weather will migrate southwards. it will break up into showers. quite hit and miss. some places will fall through the gaps and stay completely dry. warmer in the south—east, turning chillier in the north. the cooler air will spread southwards. one or two showers but still quite a lot of dry weather around. a similar story in the north.

any showers on the high ground in scotland could start to turn wintry.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i am joanna gosling. india's prime minister narendra modi says the surge in coronavirus cases has shaken the nation — his comments come as the country hits a record number of new cases for the fourth day in a row. a fire sweeps through a hospital treating coronavirus patients in baghdad, killing at least 82 people according to iraqi officials. labour calls for the government to face mps over the refurbishment of the prime minister's downing street flat. but the government denies claims that borisjohnson broke the rules. the government has to answer to why they had given out billions of pounds of money to their cronies and their friends and they won't even

declare it through the current rules. the costs are being covered by the prime minister and everything