this is bbc news. the headlines at five: 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. 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 campaign's being launched to encourage younger people to get the covid vaccine when their turn comes. figures show more than half the uk population has now received a first dose of the jab. the indonesian military say that the submarine that that went missing last week has been found split into three pieces and that all on board are dead.

more details emerge about the death of an ambulance technician killed when his vehicle was hit by an object. west midlands ambulance service is ruling out foul play. 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. a operation to extinguish one of the largest gorse fires of recent years in northern ireland, is in it's third day — more than 100 firefighters have been trying to put out the flames since friday. the biggest clubs in english football — along with the sport's governing bodies — will boycott social media, as part of efforts to fight

the racist abuse of players online. the four—day ban will begin on friday. it's an attempt to pressurise the main platforms like facebook and twitter to do more to combat online abuse. players have been repeatedly targeted, often with racist comments. angus crawford has this report. on the pitch, a clear message — there is no room for racism in football. but, on social media, it is a different story. players across the game report relentless, hate filled abuse. enough is enough, it has been happening for too long. i got it a year ago, boys are still getting it to this day, it's 2021. you are getting racially abused online by anonymous people, you don't know who, but it is easy to make an account.— this. the blanket ban will be staged across next week in's round of - fixtures. for four days next - weekend, english football will go quiet. no facebook, instagram or twitter. ~ , , ., .,

statement from all of football that it's not acceptable, what's been happening is not acceptable. i think social media platforms and companies can do more. they know exactly what lwe are doing, when we are doing it| and when to sell us stuff when we have been looking at something five minutes before on a different website. so they have the technology, we just want them to point it in the direction of removing hate, not 'ust selling us sto. , , .,., ., the very greats of the english game, t airey henry, took his own personal stand last month, deleting all of his social media accounts —— thierry | henry. it is not ok to get harassed| online. as we know, young people a day are committing suicide. big tech | has pledged to do more, new filtersi and better content moderation. four days of silence, then. a symbolic gesture or a real attempt to rid

football and social media of racism for good? angus crawford, bbc news. india has registered a new world record for daily coronavirus infections for the fourth day in a row. almost 350,000 new cases and more than 2,700 deaths were reported in the past 2a hours. the indian capital, delhi, has exended its lockdown for another week as prime minister narendra modi said the country had been shaken by a "storm" and urged people to get vaccinated. simonjones reports. patients continue to arrive at hospitals struggling to breathe, needing urgent treatment. but the health system is close to collapse. almost 350,000 new cases in the latest daily figures, another record. this man is desperate to find help for his sister in delhi. translation: i've been trying |

nonstop for three days from one hospital to another. i've never seen anything so terrible ever in my life. what's needed above all is oxygen. patients are dying because it's running out. but these are the scenes inside many hospitals, pushed to their limits. the world health organization says the situation in india is a devastating reminder of what coronavirus can do and doctors are feeling the strain. it's been 20 years or so i've been doing this profession and i've never seen this kind of crisis situation. i hope that nobody else sees it, and we never see it again because the kind of numbers are there, the lack of infrastructure we are facing, these supplies and the physical stress, because it is a highly contagious illness, the health care workers are also getting infected. it is acting as a double whammy, as well as having problems from the manpower

as well as the supplies. it is a very, very difficult scenario. at this plant in the state of uttah pradesh, hospital staff are among those queueing up, trying to get supplies of oxygen. the government says it is distributing it to some of the hardest—hit areas, using the train and also the plane. the air force has been called in to help. customs duties on imports of medical grade oxygen had been axed to try to boost the availability. but critics say it is too little, too late. earlier this year, the government thought it had beaten the virus — with cases falling, vaccines were being exported. the health minister said india was in the endgame of the pandemic. but the emergence of new variants, as well as mass gatherings has completely changed the picture. the us is promising additional support for india, to tackle what it's calling an horrific outbreak. with record numbers of new cases and deaths, there will be many tough days ahead. simon jones, bbc news.

the indonesian military have confirmed that they have found the submarine that went missing last wednesday, and that all 53 crew on board are dead. 0fficials leading the search said the vessel was found broken into three parts on the sea bed. yesterday the navy said the sub had sunk in the bali sea and that they'd discovered debris, including personal items such as prayer mats. 0xygen supplies were believed to have run out in the early hours of saturday morning. three days of mourning have been declared in iraq after a fire at a baghdad hospital, in which at least 82 people have died and more than 100 others injured. it's thought the fire was caused by an exploding oxygen tank which tore through an intensive care ward. the health minister has been suspended over the fire. 0ur middle—east correspondent lina sinjab reports.

a moment of horror, people in shock and despair. the hospital that gives oxygen to covid—19 patients is filled with smoke. an oxygen tank exploded, breaking the fire and leaving many out of breath stop translation: my father is over there. we went in after hearing the sound of explosion. we took people outside. the people responsible for the oxygen were not there. people run for their lives. seeking a gasp of air to survive. many did not make it. they died as they had to be off ventilators and oxygen while being evacuated. but the search continues, families looking in panic for their beloved ones. they were here for a

hope of surviving the coronavirus but are now at risk of the fire. translation: we've been looking for them for an hour, and there is no trace. we went to the morgue, to every hospital, to all the hospitals. iraq's cases of covid—19 surpassed 1 million, with more than 15,000 deaths. the government did not impose strict lockdown rules to contain the pandemic. people who reached the hospital are a few of a large number across the country. and the vaccine plan is far from large number across the country. and the vaccine plan is farfrom in reach with only 300,000 vaccines available at the moment. iraq is suffering layers of conflict, political, economic and the health one with the pandemic. in this fire —— and this fire only added to the flame of anger among people. a 14—year—old boy has been charged with the murder of another teenager in east london. police were called on friday after reports of the attack,

but were unable to save fares matou, who was also 1a. witnesses said fares was wearing his school uniform when he was attacked outside a pizza restaurant in the borough of newham. tributes have been paid to an ambulance technician who died when object struck his vehicle's windscreen as it was responding to an emergency call. the incident, which happened near moreton on lugg in herefordshire, is being treated as an accident and not a malicious act. the driver of the ambulance was also injured and taken to hospital. colleagues at west midlands ambulance service paid tribute tojeremy daw, who had recently returned to his job after retiring, in order to help with the coronavirus pandemic. he was one of life's good people, you know? he was a public servant that did his nearly 30 years in the ambulance service. he was a mentor, a friend, colleague, a father. he was a doting husband. things like this shouldn't

happen to anybody, but for people that provided that public service, we're devastated. and this hurts. it really, really hurts at this moment in time. the latest coronavirus figures in the uk show that 1,712 new covid infections have been recorded in the in the latest 24—hour period and 11 new coronavirus deaths — that's those who've died within 28 days of a positive test. a further 142,215 people have had their first vaccine dose, and another 498,430 have had their second dose. that's more than 46 million combined doses overall. the international trade secretary, liz truss, has denied claims that borisjohnson broke the rules over refurbishing his downing street flat. on friday, the former number ten adviser dominic cummings accused the prime minister of planning

to ask conservative donors to pay for the work in secret — something mr cummings described as foolish and possibly illegal. here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. his report contains some flashing images. december2019, borisjohnson, his fiancee carrie symonds and his election triumph putting them in downing street. but now the questions that won't go away. after they moved in, their flat there was redecorated, cost unknown, perhaps £58,000. who funded it? and how? 11 months later, kicked out, the prime minister's closest adviser dominic cummings. his new claim is that mrjohnson discussed a secret plan to have a tory donor fund the work. so, did the prime minister get a loan? the trade secretary was asked the question five times by andrew marr. my understanding is the costs have been covered by the prime minister and everything is being fully declared

in line with the rules. did a tory party donor lend him the money beforehand? as i said, he is covering the cost, and it is being complied with fully... the question is did a donor provide the money before hand ? andrew, i am spending my time in intense trade negotiations, getting a good deal for the united kingdom. i am not spending my time thinking about the downing street flat refurbishment. later, on sky, another side step. it is rather windy out here. for liz truss, it must have felt like there was incoming from all sides today. the reason it matters, a loan may have to be declared for electoral and tax purposes. boris johnson registered the fact. his office say no codes or laws have been broken. dominic cummings has questioned the integrity and competence of the prime minister he used to serve. labour say that fits a pattern,

whether it is redecoration work or privileged access to contracts for safety equipment in the pandemic, and ministers must be transparent. the government have to answer why they've given out billions of pounds of money to their cronies and friends and they won't even declare it through the current rules. publish the members' interests and ministers' interests, and publish who is on that vip list, and tell us where you are getting this money from, boris, to do up your flat. so, this is the storm unleashed by an adviser scorned and the questions that keep being asked. damian grammaticas, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: 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. 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. the indonesian military say that the submarine that that went missing last week has been found split into three pieces and that all on board are dead. the firefighting operation at the mourne mountains in northern ireland is being scaled back. after three days of battling the fires, the major incident status has been de—escalated. firefighters have now moved to work on extinguishing hotspots. northern ireland fire and rescue service has indicated that it hopes the operation can be wound up within hours. in the last hour, the assistant chief officer, aidanjennings, from the northern ireland fire and rescue service gave us this update. as you've reported, our resources are being scaled down this afternoon. we've got a very successful operation yesterday and into the early part of the evening last night before we withdrew

resources from the mountain in the hours of darkness. we got resources back up at first light this morning, and your listeners and viewers will appreciate that it takes quite some time to walk up into the mountain, carrying that the equipment and ppe. it is the highest mountain in northern ireland at 350 metres, so we have travelling times of up to an hour, and a half, carrying equipment up hour, and a half, carrying equipment up into the mountains to get to the scene of operations. that up into the mountains to get to the scene of operations.— up into the mountains to get to the scene of operations. that must have been exhausting _ scene of operations. that must have been exhausting for— scene of operations. that must have been exhausting for your _ scene of operations. that must have been exhausting for your crews, - been exhausting for your crews, then? , . . ., , . then? very challenging and difficult terrain. inaccessible _ then? very challenging and difficult terrain. inaccessible areas. - then? very challenging and difficult terrain. inaccessible areas. we - then? very challenging and difficult| terrain. inaccessible areas. we have used coast guard helicopters to bring crews up and down the thames. and wearing ppe in the heat and fire fighting when they get there is pretty difficult. there is no access to water supplies when you get up to that sort of height, so then they are physically beating out the fire, which can have quite a high flame height, two or three metres, sometimes more, in gorse and

bracken. it is very exhausting for the firefighters. it is the multi—agent —— and for the multi—agency partners working with us. multi-agency partners working with us. �* multi-agency partners working with us. �* ., multi-agency partners working with us. , ., multi-agency partners working with us. and local people have been . ivina us. and local people have been giving food _ us. and local people have been giving food and _ us. and local people have been giving food and refreshments, | us. and local people have been - giving food and refreshments, local businesses helping out as well yeah we've had a fantastic multi—agency response to statutory and voluntary partners, but equally i would want to thank the community for their response. to thank the community for their resonse. �* .,, to thank the community for their resonse. �* ., , ., to thank the community for their resonse. �* .,, , ., ,': f, response. belfast is about 25, 30 miles from _ response. belfast is about 25, 30 miles from the _ response. belfast is about 25, 30 miles from the mourne _ response. belfast is about 25, 30 | miles from the mourne mountains response. belfast is about 25, 30 i miles from the mourne mountains in northern ireland, and businesses have gone down to supply refreshments and water for firefighters and partners on the ground, and that has been well received. it is difficult for the firefighters in terms of the conditions but also difficult to see the devastation the sorts of incidents caused, and seeing that local some unit —— community support and from individuals, and there are some fantastic individual stories of people coming and putting in effort in, really gives our crews a lift and encourages us that there is one

team working towards the successful outcome which we are seeing this afternoon, and hopefully we will be closing down in the early part of this evening. closing down in the early part of this evening-— this evening. we're 'ust seeing ictures this evening. we're 'ust seeing pictures of the h this evening. we're 'ust seeing pictures of the fire _ this evening. we're just seeing pictures of the fire there. - this evening. we're just seeing pictures of the fire there. you | pictures of the fire there. you talked about devastation — how much damage has been done? anyone who knows it will tell you it's a really beautiful part of the world. to what extent has it been damaged, and how long will it take for that to of repair itself? it’s long will it take for that to of repair itself?— repair itself? it's a fantastic area, repair itself? it's a fantastic area. an — repair itself? it's a fantastic area, an area _ repair itself? it's a fantastic area, an area of— repair itself? it's a fantastic| area, an area of outstanding national beauty, and somewhere that is of particular interest to people over the last year in particular, where they have wanted to get out and take a walk and it is somewhere safe to do that. the mountains are one of the most beautiful places in northern ireland, and i would encourage people when it's safe to visit. the damage caused, i can't put a square metre or square kilometre on that, but it is part of an area called bloody ridge, and the

winds coming in help it to grow and spread. . then back towards the town of newcastle. anyone who was able to see the social media pictures available on friday evening, you could see the fire was on two levels. those were spectacular, but they are a measure of what we are dealing with in daylight hours, which become visible then and very obvious once darkness has fallen and you can see the flame. than? obvious once darkness has fallen and you can see the flame.— you can see the flame. any idea how these fires started? _ you can see the flame. any idea how these fires started? is _ you can see the flame. any idea how these fires started? is it _ these fires started? is it impossible _ these fires started? is it impossible to _ these fires started? is it impossible to tell? - these fires started? is it impossible to tell? at i these fires started? is it l impossible to tell? at this these fires started? is it impossible to tell? at this point it is too early to say. we are protecting the environment, making sure there is no life at risk and making sure members of the public stay out of the area. i would thank the public for that. they heeded the heat warnings dash like the warnings put out by ourselves. there were people on friday who were going to

camp and once they were made aware, the public have been fantastic in their support. the general area allowed people to move equipment and resources in the area. well, as the uk offers help to india to deal with record coronavirus cases, members of the hindu community gathered at a temple in north west london to pray for their relatives. the prayers were video streamed to india as shabnam mahmood reports. special prayer is being offered at the international temple in london. many here have lost family members to the virus which is now spreading across india. i to the virus which is now spreading across india-_ across india. i have lost my four immediate _ across india. i have lost my four immediate family _ across india. i have lost my four immediate family members - across india. i have lost my four l immediate family members within across india. i have lost my four - immediate family members within a very short period of six months of time. i am very short period of six months of time. iam really, really hurt. iam speechless, and when i go to talk to

my friends and family here, i am unable to even go for a walk. i walk about 10,000 steps a day minimum, three orfour times a about 10,000 steps a day minimum, three or four times a day, about 10,000 steps a day minimum, three orfour times a day, but about 10,000 steps a day minimum, three or four times a day, but since this thing happened, it has broken me down. , ., this thing happened, it has broken me down. , . , this thing happened, it has broken me down. , ., , ., me down. others are praying for loved ones _ me down. others are praying for loved ones who _ me down. others are praying for loved ones who are _ me down. others are praying for loved ones who are suffering - me down. others are praying for i loved ones who are suffering from covid—19, many waiting outside hospitals as the country runs out of beds and oxygen. morna has travelled down from coventry. we beds and oxygen. morna has travelled down from coventry.— beds and oxygen. morna has travelled down from coventry. we got very many elderly relatives _ down from coventry. we got very many elderly relatives and _ down from coventry. we got very many elderly relatives and close _ down from coventry. we got very many elderly relatives and close family - elderly relatives and close family that do— elderly relatives and close family that do need a lot of medical care and attention, and they are not able to get— and attention, and they are not able to get to _ and attention, and they are not able to get to hospitals at the moment because _ to get to hospitals at the moment because they are literally packed to the rafters. that, for us, is a huge concern _ the rafters. that, for us, is a huge concern here _ the rafters. that, for us, is a huge concern here. and you feel so helpless — concern here. and you feel so helpless because you can't do anything _ helpless because you can't do anything at all.— helpless because you can't do anything at all. helpless because you can't do an hint atall. ., , ., , anything at all. lots of people here have told us _ anything at all. lots of people here have told us they _ anything at all. lots of people here have told us they feel _ anything at all. lots of people here have told us they feel helpless. - have told us they feel helpless. collective prayers is their only way of coping. collective prayers is their only way of coin:. ., ., collective prayers is their only way ofcoina. . . collective prayers is their only way ofco-uin. . . . of coping. prayer have a power, and that is the main _ of coping. prayer have a power, and that is the main which _ of coping. prayer have a power, and that is the main which i _ of coping. prayer have a power, and that is the main which i think - of coping. prayer have a power, and that is the main which i think with l that is the main which i think with india at the moment, there are a lot

of people suffering from covid—19, so the best way we cannot do anything else but we can ask god, can you please give them strength and help them to come out from all the people is suffering? the prayers were simulcast _ the people is suffering? the prayers were simulcast up _ the people is suffering? the prayers were simulcast up across _ the people is suffering? the prayers were simulcast up across india - the people is suffering? the prayers were simulcast up across india to i were simulcast up across india to send messages of love, hope and thoughts to those so far away. the controversy over the cost of removing flammable cladding from blocks of flats returns to parliament this week. the government will try to pass the fire safety bill, in the face of oppositon from some of its own backbenchers and the house of lords. the bill currently allows block owners to pass on the cost of removal to leaseholders. as sarah corker reports, campaigners fear that could lead to widespread bankruptcies. security, safety, a place to call home again. bassel deeb fled the war in syria and came to the uk a decade ago. shouting in arabic.

when you live in these situations, you often come to a point where you feel numbed at the violence and the death that goes on. i bought my flat in eastern ghouta, which is the east side of damascus. i moved into my flat. in 2013, i've been told how the flat, how the building was destroyed by the fighting. it was my life savings basically all gone. this is where i live. eventually, bassel was granted asylum. he could work and managed to buy a 25% share in a one—bed flat in east london. when i first came to the uk, i had to walk, so i could save the fare of the bus to actually put the deposit together for a flat. but his development has flammable hpl, or high pressure laminate, cladding. there are also combustible wooden balconies, and other

building safety defects. i own 25% of my flat, but yet i am asked to pay 100% of any remediation work that could be needed for the property. which could lead to me being bankrupt. bassel and his neighbours had hoped that the government's £5 billion building safety fund would come to their rescue, but their application has been rejected. their development isjudged to be just half a metre short of the 18—metre qualifying height for funding. which is bonkers. like the fact that we have, you know, 50 centimetres difference and we can't access the fund is just weirdly unfair. the ministry of housing told us that, for smaller blocks, low interest loans will be offered to help cover cladding costs.

it added that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. i'm still hoping that society will not accept this to happen to so many people across the uk on that massive scale. sarah corker, bbc news. a group of french volunteers have emerged from a cave after a 40—day study exploring the limits of human adaptability to isolation. the 15 participants lived in a cave in south—west france with no phones, clocks or sunlight. it's hoped that their experiences could help scientists understand more about conditions such as alzheimers. rhal ssan reports. slowly, they filed out. after 40 days of pure darkness. kept at a constant temperature of 12 celsius, with 95% humidity, the group lived and worked together

in the cave without any knowledge of how much time they'd spent there. water was drawn from a well, and electricity generated from an exercise bicycle. you'd think that they'd be eager to return to the outside world. but surrounded by darkness, some grew to love their environment. translation: i think i'm happy. a few hours ago i didn't want to leave the cave, because i think we deducted to the environment. but now that we found new smells, we can see colours again, you know, we can feel the wind. there are so many sensations that come back. all the sensations that i'd forgotten, actually, during those 40 days. this experiment is the first of its kind. scientists monitoring the volunteers want to see how we respond emotionally and cognitively to an environment without normal day and night. this could help the study of conditions which result

in disorientation and perceptions of time and space. translation: it's alzheimer's i disease, it is inner-ear problems. people who suffer from vertigo suffer from disorientation problems. so, one of the protocols that we have set up in deep time is to have very sensitive measures of this. for the members of the experiment, who called a cave in southern france their home for over a month, their long night has finally ended. cheering and applause. rhal ssan, bbc news. 40 days without phones at — i don't know how they survived! it is guaranteed to be an oscars like no other: broadcast live from a train station, honouring films few saw in movie theatres or cinemas, and reuniting hollywood's a—listers for the first time in more than a year due to covid—19. nominees and their guests

will gather at a courtyard in the los angeles, union railway station, while other show elements will be held live inside its usual venue — the dolby theatre. sophie long reports from la. what a year, right? the oscars should be about film stars, red carpets, parties and champagne. this year there's a few little added extras, like covid tests, vaccine, and quarantine. and the ceremony itself is being held in a train station. notjust any train station! union station — an iconic landmark in the movie capital of the world. union station is a life—breath in so many ways, it's a story of los angeles — in so many ways. and, it's featured in more than 200 hollywood movies. the list is huge, but a few stand out. union station, where union station played a train station, they played it in chicago, but nonetheless, it's our station. when you come to something as recent as the dark knight rises, the batman trilogy, the way

we were — you look for union station in that movie, you will find it. supporting roles, or leading lady, she fills the bill. so, this is where the magic will happen. the vast majority of the ceremony will take place right here, in—person, there'll be no zoom calls, and there's a dress code, there's been a very clear no—thanks to sweat pants. it will be smaller, only nominees and one guest have been invited. the producer of aardman's shaun the sheep: farmageddon will be among them. i'm slightly nervous, if i'm really honest! i think it's kind of weird — for a lot of us, we've spent over 12—plus months sitting in our houses, not really going out and socialising. and suddenly we're going to be at this event. so, it's a bit exciting, nervous, kind of unsure what to expect, but you know, to have the opportunity to go is fantastic. composer and director

chris bowers has been nominated for �*a concerto is a conversation', a short documentary about his family. do you know what it's going to be like? yeah, they did tell us that its going to be something where they only have a certain amount of seats and the audience will be rotated in and out, so people are controlled in how many people are in a space at one time, i guess. people had to get tested and most people are vaccinated. once you are on the premises, i think it is like masks—off and it will definitely feel like, as normal as they can make it, which would be pretty wild, definitely the biggest event i've been to since covid started. so, finally, the oscars buzz is building. oh, the finale is going to be sensational and we're building to it now. you can feel it. when you — when you see the transformation, of what is happening inside the station, and the wild anticipation you feel, your heart quickens. because it's so good. sophie long, bbc news — not in hollywood, but downtown la.

and tomorrowjane hill and film criticjason solomons will host a special programme bringing you the winners and reaction from the 93rd academy awards. that's at 9.30pm here on bbc news. now, it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. many have had warm sunshine unbroken, but more cloud next week. it has been very dry this april, but we will see at least some. from this area of low pressure moving down from the north and behind it northerly winds will bring in colder air once again.

in eastern england will tend to migrate back inland, pulling its way westwards towards the welsh borders. light winds elsewhere into the starry skies will allow our temperatures to fall away. but by the end of the night, it is likely that we will see our first weather front and tiny area of low pressure bringing some rain into the northern and western isles and northwest highlands. so, not as chilly here, but those were some patch of frost and more so under the clear skies again. so, the safety the area of low pressure will drift southwards, the rain turns more showering, so not all guaranteed some rain. at that low pressure than pulls away to the east of us and it hangs around, so it is never too far away. not promising a great deal of rain but always bringing potentially quite a bit of cloud around and as it does pull away to the east, it allows once again a northerly arctic wind to pull down across the uk. so, actually a chilly start on monday with a bit of mist and fog and low cloud around a clear way, but in the south, we start to lose the chilly breeze we had slowly.

so, perhaps feeling a bit warmer here away from the south coast. but for scotland, it is definitely a different day. cloudier, breezier, with outbreaks of quite heavy rain, which will eventually erode the sunshine into northern ireland and northern england with a few showers here by the end of the day. so, obviously feeling cooler too. through monday night and into tuesday, that low pressure still with us. slowly meandering southwards. the rain turning a little bit more showering with heavy in perhaps northeastern england, north scotland and perhaps not reaching the far southeast, but some of the showers could well turn out to be heavy with hail and thunder and look at the temperatures for most, considerably lower than they have been. back down to around average, perhaps a bit below average for many and that is heading further southwards by the time begin to wednesday and thursday as well. so, cooler air and still the risk of frost. as always, there is more on the website.

another day of record new covid infections in india as hospitals in delhi turn patients away. with the peak of india's second wave still thought to be two weeks away — there is anguish and anger at the government's failures. i am totally disheartened with the situation that i am seeing. the government is a literal failure. the uk is sending oxygen equipment and ventilators to india as international concern grows at its covid crisis. also on the programme... the row over borisjohnson's flat refurbishment — questions remain about how the work was initially paid for. the mountains of mourne ablaze — after three days, firefighters in northern ireland have now brought a major gorse fire under control.

and as the government seeks to pass its new fire safety bill, the homeowners who will still face huge bills to have dangerous cladding removed. good afternoon. india has registered a new world record for daily coronavirus infections for the fourth day in a row — with almost 350,000 new cases. in the capital delhi — the epicentre of a ferocious second wave of covid — the disease is killing one person every four minutes. as hospitals across india struggle with overcrowding and limited oxygen supplies, an initial shipment of uk aid is due to leave tonight. from delhi, our correspondent yogita limaye reports. with every pyre that burns,

india's self belief is dying. each funeral is a story of personal loss and national shame. charanjeev malhotra has been helping to cremate the dead for decades. now, he barely ever stops working. "i've never seen such a terrifying situation. i can't believe that we're in the capital of india. people aren't getting oxygen, and they're dying like animals," he says. "we don't even have enough resources to cremate them properly." outside, shivangi mehra's on the phone, organising oxygen for the hospital she works in. nothing, nothing is being done. i don't know if government is sleeping, or what they are doing. i am totally disheartened with the situation that i am seeing. the government is a literal failure. a person cannot live here in delhi.

a person cannot even die peacefully in delhi. she is waiting to cremate her grandfather, who died, she says, because there wasn't enough oxygen. this small hospital in north delhi is facing a daily struggle. and we have been spending sleepless nights since the last one week. at times we feel like crying, because we are not able to help patients properly. every day, it is the same scenario. we are left only with two hours of oxygen. and we are only getting assurance from the system, no oxygen. and so, families are being told to organise oxygen. at one medical shop, we found people with empty cylinders, waiting to buy their own supply for loved ones who urgently need it. people are being told that the government is rushing in oxygen. but it's already too late. every crematorium we've been to, we've seen body after body being brought in.

it's hard for anyone to keep calm, but what workers have been telling me is that the real scale of deaths caused by covid—19 in india is a lot higher than what official numbers reflect. and a lot of those who died right now have done so because they couldn't get oxygen in time. there is a sense of abandonment in this country. citizens are stepping up to do what a government should. left to fight a vicious pandemic on their own. yogita limaye, bbc news, delhi. here, a senior minister has denied claims that borisjohnson acted improperly over how the renovation of his downing street flat was paid for. the former number 10 adviser dominic cummings has accused the prime minister of planning to ask conservative donors to pay for the work in secret — something mr cummings described as foolish and possibly illegal. here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas, whose report contains some flashing images.

borisjohnson, his fiancee, and his election triumph putting them in downing street. but now, questions that won't go away. after they moved in, the flat there was redecorated — cost, perhaps tens of thousands. but who funded it? 11 months later, kicked out, the prime minister's closest adviser dominic cummings. so did the prime minister, as he suggested, get a secret loan? the trade secretary was asked the question five times by andrew marr. my understanding is the costs have been covered by the prime minister and everything is being fully declared in line with the rules. did a tory party donor lend him the money beforehand? as i said, he is covering the cost, and it is being complied with fully... the question is, did a donor provide the money beforehand? andrew... that he's now paid back? i am spending my time in intense trade negotiations, getting a good deal for the united kingdom. i am not spending my time thinking about the downing street flat refurbishment.

on sky, another side step. it's the most distrusting, awful environment... - it's rather windy out here. for liz truss, it must have felt like there was incoming from all sides today. borisjohnson's office say no laws or codes have been broken. at this matters because he has to declare a loan for electoral or tax purposes, orjust to show there is no conflict—of—interest. cummings's claim about his former boss, labour say, fit a pattern. whether it's redecoration is a privileged access to contracts in the pandemic, ministers must be transparent. the government have to answer why they've given out billions of pounds of money to their cronies and theirfriends, and they won't even declare it through the current rules. publish the members' interests and ministers' interests, and publish who is on that vip list, and tell us about where you are getting this money from, boris, to do up your flat. so, this is the storm unleashed by an adviser scorned and the questions that keep being asked. damian grammaticas, bbc news.

the biggest clubs in english football — along with the sport's governing bodies — will boycott social media for four days, as part of efforts to fight racist abuse of players. the action — due to begin on friday — is an attempt to pressurise twitter and facebook to do more to combat online abuse. angus crawford reports. on the pitch, a clear message — there is no room for racism in football. but on social media it is a different story. players across the game report relentless, hate—filled abuse. enough is enough, you know? it has been happening for too long. i got it a year ago, boys are still getting it to this day, it's 2021. you are getting racially abused online. now, listen to this. the blanket ban will be staged across next weekend's round of fixtures. for four days next weekend, english football will go quiet. no facebook, instagram or twitter. football has worked hard to stamp out racism within the grounds.

but so far, it's found it impossible to do the same on social media. this boycott is an attempt to redress that balance. i think it is just a great statement from all of football that it's not acceptable, what's been happening is not acceptable. i think social media platforms and companies can do more. they know exactly what wer'e doing, when we are doing it and when to sell us stuff when we've been looking at something only five minutes before on a different website. so they have the technology, we just want them to point it in the direction of removing hate, not just selling us stuff. twitter says it's improving its automated systems, with new filters and improved content moderation. similar changes have been adopted by facebook and instagram. and, in an interview before news of the boycott, the tech giant said it was committed fighting racism. we have worked really closely with educators, we worked really closely with football clubs to talk about how do we raise awareness, and how do we educate people

that this is an issue of concern? but we do believe that everyone, whether it's media, whether it's corporations, whether it's tech companies, everyone should be having these conversations. four days of silence, then. a symbolic gesture, or a real attempt to rid football and social media of racism for good? angus crawford, bbc news. the latest government figures on coronavirus show 1,712 new infections in the latest 24—hour period, which means there has been an average of 2,438 new cases per day in the last week. 11 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours — that's people who'd had a positive covid—19 test within the prevous 28 days. the average number of deaths per day in the past week is 23. the total number of uk deaths is now 127,428. just over 140,000 people have received their first dose of a vaccine in the

latest 24 hour period. more than 33.5 million people have now had theirfirstjab. while the number of people who've had their second dose of the vaccine in the latest 24 hour period, isjust under 500,000, taking the overall number who've had their second jab, to more than 12.5 million. in the last few hours firefighters in northern ireland have managed to bring one of its worst gorse fires for years under control. the flames had been raging since friday in the mourne mountains in county down, with the firefighting teams assisted by organisations including the forestry service and the national trust. our correspondentjulian fowler reports from the scene. the slopes of slieve donard, northern ireland's highest mountain, have been ablaze for three days. after several weeks of dry weather, the gorse and heather on the mountainside was a tinderbox. the flames, fanned by a steady breeze from the irish sea. coast guard helicopters

were deployed to get an aerial view, and transport firefighters into remote areas of the mountain terrain. the firefighting operation is now being scaled down, as the investigation continues into how it started. our focus remains finalising the extinction of the fire, wrapping up, briefing our crews and working with the multi—agency partners for that. it's been a really challenging incident for us. it's really difficult terrain. the mournes are an area of outstanding natural beauty, and a conservation habitat forwildlife, including ground nesting birds. the impact of the fire has been devastating for the environment. an area the size of 500 football pitches has been destroyed. firefighters have worked in intense conditions, taking up shovels to beat out the flames. they have been praised for their heroic efforts, inviting one of northern ireland's most challenging wildfires. julian fowler, bbc news, the mourne

mountains. let's take a look at some of today's other news. at least 82 people have died in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the iraqi capital, baghdad. more than 100 were injured in last night's blaze, reportedly caused by an exploding oxygen tank. iraq's health minister has been suspended amid public anger. a 14—year—old boy has been charged with the murder of another teenager in east london. fares maatou, who was also 14, was stabbed outside a pizza restaurant in the borough of newham on friday. his death is the 33rd homicide in london since the start of the year. the controversy over the multi—billion pound cost of removing flammable cladding from buildings in the wake of the grenfell tower fire returns to parliament this week. the government will try to pass the fire safety bill, amid opposition from some of its own backbenchers and the house of lords. the bill would allow freeholders who own blocks of flats to charge leaseholders for the cost of removing cladding — leaving some fearing bankruptcy. sarah corker reports.

security, safety, a place to call home again. bassel deeb fled the war in syria and came to the uk a decade ago. shouting when you live in these situations, you often come to a point where you feel numbed of the violence and the death that goes on. i bought my flat in eastern ghouta, which is the east side of damascus. i moved into my flat. in 2013, i've been told how the flat, how the building was destroyed by the fighting. it was my life savings basically all gone. this is where i live. eventually, bassel was granted asylum. he could work and managed to buy a 25% share in a one—bed flat in east london. when i first came to the uk, i had to walk, so i could save the fare of the bus to actually put a deposit together for a flat.

but his development has flammable hpl — or high pressure laminate — cladding. there are also combustible wooden balconies, and other building safety defects. i own 25% of my flat, but yet i am asked to pay 100% of any remediation work that could be needed for the property. which could lead to me being bankrupt. bassel and his neighbours had hoped the government's £5 billion building safety fund would come to their rescue, but their application's been rejected — their development isjudged to be just half a metre short of the 18—metre qualifying height for funding. which is bonkers. like, the fact that we have, you know, 50 centimetres' difference and we can't access the fund is just weirdly unfair.

the ministry of housing told us that, for smaller blocks, low interest loans will be offered to help cover cladding costs. it added that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. i'm still hoping that society will not accept this to happen to so many people across the uk on that massive scale. sarah corker, bbc news. the latest of government's pilot events that sees spectators returning to sport in england is taking place at wembley stadium this afternoon. around 8,000 people have been allowed into the carabao cup ginal between tottenham hotspur and manchester city, including 2,000 supporters from each side. the game is currently goalless with half an hour to go. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with

the late news at ten. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are.

hello. this is bbc news. more now on the news that the uk is sending ventilators and oxygen equipment to india where hospitals are being overwhelmed by a huge surge in covid cases. earlier we spoke to navtej sarna, the former indian ambassador to the us and a former high commissioner of india to the uk, he told us what india is currently most in need of to fight the pandemic. there is a lot of need for a lot of things and at the moment, india is approaching suppliers for oxygen generators, medicines, equipment for oxygen generation and so on. but specifically from the us, i think

there is a broader request and that is to allow the export of equipment and components needed for vaccine production. as well as other materials needed. this has been locked under the defence production act and locked under the defence production actand india, locked under the defence production act and india, which is the worlds largest vaccine producer cannot be producing vaccines at a ramped up pace before its own needs as well as for the needs of the rest of the world because as you know, we have already exported around 66 million doses to 95 countries. so, there is a need for these raw materials and a need for the astrazeneca doses, around 17 million which are lying in the united states and are not expected to be used, those could be sent across and there is a need to make an exception that the wto, before allowing production of

vaccines, in other words, an exception to intellectual property rights and this is an issue that has been put forward by india, south africa and several other countries. these are the assets from the united states. it these are the assets from the united states. , ., these are the assets from the united states. , . . .., these are the assets from the united states. , . . , ., ., states. it is a critical situation they need _ states. it is a critical situation they need swift _ states. it is a critical situation they need swift action - states. it is a critical situation they need swift action to - states. it is a critical situation | they need swift action to make states. it is a critical situation - they need swift action to make sure that the country does of the supply of oxygen and other medication that is needed. how long might it take to resolve those bureaucratic issues that you are talking about? i think as far as the _ that you are talking about? i think as far as the oxygen _ that you are talking about? i think as far as the oxygen generators i that you are talking about? i think i as far as the oxygen generators and others are concerned, i think the movement is already taking place in some oxygen containers from singapore came in yesterday and it's something that is expected from germany and i think things are afoot in france, possibly the uk and the uae. you see, there are logistical

difficulties. you cannot carry oxygen just like that. difficulties. you cannot carry oxygenjust like that. it difficulties. you cannot carry oxygen just like that. it has to be liquefied. if liquefied oxygen comes by ship, it has its own time constraints. it is not easy and probably the easiest thing of the moment is to get the generators and to get in small plants which can actually be producing oxygen for the hospitals. there is a need for medicines and above all, there is a need for the vaccine raw materials. so, it cannot happen overnight, but i think things have started. here are government _ i think things have started. here are government minister- i think things have started. here are government minister list trust, the international trade secretary thatis the international trade secretary that is been talking about what support the uk government can give to india. the country is looking up what support it can offer, describing the situation is terrible. she says they are looking at what can be done for areas like

oxygen and putting together a package should try to help the indian government. what specifically would you ask of the uk government? i think movement, to be able to give them lists and i'm sure that the commission has already put on the list there. i would not like to second—guess with these they have asked for. i think it is obvious for the needs of wrapping up the immediate supply of oxygen in whichever way we can. i think the high commission has very put out a detailed list.— high commission has very put out a detailed list. you've mentioned that india has exported _ detailed list. you've mentioned that india has exported huge _ detailed list. you've mentioned that india has exported huge numbers. detailed list. you've mentioned that india has exported huge numbers of doses from the vaccine, 66 million doses from the vaccine, 66 million doses to 95 countries and other india is the situation that it is and, we're talking about the difficulties of getting astrazeneca doses across the united states, do you foresee a potential situation

where india will say that it doesn't want to export doses currently and will keep supplies for itself? that will keep supplies for itself? git the moment, and he is not exporting because we have to defer to a domestic need. so there is a temporary halt that process and there also considerable domestic criticism of having exported those doses and i think they were done with the idea that this is a global pandemic and that this is not one countries problem alone. and there's an expectation, not a reciprocity of expectation, but there is an expectation, but there is an expectation that countries will come together and see where the need is greatest and frankly, there is no place in the situation which is too far away. and what is happening in india could very easily have been in some other country. so, i think there is an expectation that there should be a more generous and more open—hearted and more statesman—like

approach to removing the barricades to exports of essential materials. it will turn chilly again tonight. we'll probably pick up more cloud with mist and low cloud coming across whales and our first significant weather front for some time bring some rain in the far northwest of scotland by morning. milder care, but for many again, chilli with a bit of frost around by dawn, probably a little bit of mist and fog if you're early. much clear away and we will see more strong sunshine in the south and will start to lose that keen breeze wealthier instead it a breeze your day, claudia davidson quite heavy bricks of rain and eventually, some shower rain getting across to northern england. it will be distinctly cool

compared to the day, but in southern areas, more unsettled cloudy skies fell to the west of the south next week is on, it turns cooler as well.

england this is bbc news. the headlines at six: 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. labour calls for the government to face mps over the refurbishment of the prime ministermy downing street flat, but that a government denies claims that borisjohnson broke any rules. the uk will send more than 600 pieces of medical equipment to india as the country hits a record number of new covid—19 cases for the fourth day in a row. a operation to extinguish one of the largest gorse fires of recent years in northern ireland, is in it's third day —