this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 8pm — more questions about leaks and behaviour in downing street as sources say borisjohnson did suggest that "bodies could pile high" during a discussion about lockdown. he denies it. no, but, again, ithink the important thing, i think, that people want us to get on and do as a government is to make sure that the lockdowns work. iran sentences nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe to another year in prison, dashing hopes she'd be coming home. i think it was worse than i was expecting. i think i thought we'd get some kind of suspended sentence and it would be a bit ambiguous. in fact, we've got a one—year sentence plus a one—year travel ban.

doctors in india say people are dying from covid in the streets while desperate families queue to buy their own oxygen. lockdown restrictions in scotland and wales are eased — pubs, cafes and restaurants reopen to customers outdoors. and triumph at the oscars for sir anthony hopkins, who becomes the oldest winner ever of the best actor award for his role in the father. well, here i am in my homelandl in wales, and at 83 years of age, i did not expect to get this award. i really didn't. and i'm very grateful— to the academy, and thank you. good evening, and welcome to bbc news. sources have said to the bbc that

as england went into a second lockdown last autumn, the prime minister said he would rather see "bodies pile high" than take the country into a third lockdown. the prime minister denies it. the government was criticised for delaying the lockdown, during which tens of thousands more people died. labour say the prime minister has degraded his office and that his comments are a disgrace. it comes amid a storm of allegations against the prime minister by his former closest aide dominic cummings and a growing row over who paid for the refurbuishment of the prime minister's downing street flat. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. are you ready? politics is notjust a game, but a constant back—and—forth over the most serious of decisions. boris johnson's alleged, in the autumn, to have made the most serious of remarks, suggesting around the time of the second lockdown that the bodies of those dying of coronavirus could just pile up. did he?

no, but, again, ithink the important thing, i think, people want us to get on and do as a government is to make sure that the lockdowns work. yet back in early autumn, it was tense. ministers and advisers divided over whether to lockdown again as coronavirus cases rose. after arguments, borisjohnson did agree to introduce restrictions. you must stay at home, you may only leave home for specific reasons. but several sources, familiar with private conversations at the time, say the prime minister did then suggest he would let bodies pile high in their thousands rather than repeat the process again. at the time, dominic cummings was by borisjohnson�*s side. now the prime minister's former chief adviser is very firmly out of government and very firmly on the warpath. there's a list of dangerous claims stacking up at downing street's door, not just about the prime minister's attitude during the pandemic,

but about how contracts were awarded, what promises he made and how and who paid for an expensive makeover of the downing street flat where he lives above the shop. theresa may gave a rare glimpse of the flat in her last week of office, but the pink sofas and beige carpets were moved out when borisjohnson and his fiancee moved in. it's claimed tory donors initially picked up the tab for tens of thousands of pounds of renovation. if so, that should've been declared, and that hasn't happened yet. and the most senior civil servant in the country wasn't willing to shed much light on it for mps this afternoon. i asked you whether you were aware whether or not any private donations had been used to refurbish the flat. i mean, that's a straightforward yes or no, really. so, as i said, the prime minister's asked me to conduct a review - into how this has been done and asked that i share - the details of those _

conclusions with the committee. after months of claims, downing street now says the prime minister paid out of his own pocket, but we don't know when or where he got the money. for the opposition, sparks flying in downing street are a political gift. we've got lots of investigations going on, of behaviour. and, day after day, there are new allegations of sleaze, of favours, of privileged access. we need a full investigation to get to the bottom of that and, most importantly, make recommendations about change because we need to change the rules. borisjohnson�*s sometimes been proud of pushing political convention. downing street is adamant that, in all senses, regulations were followed, but with a long list of claims against him, it isn't yet clear if he was always following the rules. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at around

10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining me tonight are author and journalist yasmin alibhai—brown and politico's uk trade and economics correspondent anna isaac. the british—iranian woman nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe has been sentenced to a year injail in iran after a court found her guilty of "propaganda" against the regime. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe completed a five—year sentence in march on spying charges, which she denies. borisjohnson said that the government will be "working very hard" to secure her release. and the foreign secretary, dominic raab, has called the latest sentence inhumane and unjustified. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has been getting reaction to the latest developments from nazanin�*s husband, richard ratcliffe. it probably took me a little bit of time to process it. i think it was worse than i was expecting. i think i thought we'd get some kind of suspended sentence and it would be a bit ambiguous. in fact, we got a one—year sentence plus a one—year travel ban.

so that's effectively two years. now, it's not clear when nazanin has to go to prison, and she's going to appeal it, so maybe there's a space for it to be, you know, survive on appeal. but the threat is there, and the threat is bigger than we were fearing. so, you know, all along this, i've been looking for what's the worst case scenario. yeah, it's summer 2023. what do you think it does mean? well, there's clearly negotiations going on in vienna through the west and iran. there's clearly negotiations going on about the debt that got kicked down the road last week. we're clearly a bargaining chip in both of those sets of negotiations that in some ways are the same set now. so what it means is that one part of the regime is not happy with where the negotiations are and are signalling that things can get worse unless there is movement. now what we don't get to see

is if things are going to move or if they're not. we only get to see the consequences of those negotiations, so part of me has been told just keep my head calm and let's see what unfolds the next couple of weeks, you know, in reality nazanin still is at her mum's and dads. i'm not always told what's going to happen, but it hasn't happened yet. so do you think she will go back to jail? i think it's a question of time. so i think if the vienna negotiations break down and nazanin and all the other hostages are still there, then, yes, i think at some point she will go back. i think that's what the signalling is. i don't think that's going to happen tomorrow. and we'll see what unfolds. you know, but, yeah, ithink the worst case got a bit closer.

richard ratcliffe there talking to us. lydia parker is the "individuals at risk" campaigner at amnesty uk. thank you very much forjoining us. how much is nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe in danger? it’s zaghari-ratcliffe in danger? it's hard to say- _ zaghari—ratcliffe in danger? it�*s hard to say. from the start we have seen these kind of games being played by the iranian authorities and the judiciary. played by the iranian authorities and thejudiciary. it's played by the iranian authorities and the judiciary. it's very difficult to know what will happen next. as he heard richard say it is difficult for us to be able to assess what will happen. but what is clear is that if she were to go back into prison it would be awful awful for her well—being for her mental health which is already suffered so much because of what's already happened to her completely unjustly. she is got multiple unfair trials grossly unfair her human rights are being abused consistently in the situation and sheet once again does

not know what her future holds we really are concerned that if this happens again we just simply don't know what that will do to her. the trauma that she has already gone through, the trauma that richard and their daughter are also going through every day trying to get her home. it'sjust astonishing through every day trying to get her home. it's just astonishing that this is happening. we all hoped that the best would come and that at the end of already five years of un—unfair sentence that she would be coming home. so i think it's difficult to say but as he said there, it is horrifying and we are seeing the worst coming out. we know from the medical— seeing the worst coming out. we know from the medical report _ seeing the worst coming out. we know from the medical report that _ seeing the worst coming out. we know from the medical report that was - from the medical report that was commissioned by charities a couple of months ago into her conditions, not only that it is having a clear deep psychological impact on her going to the separation from her husband and daughter in particular

but also some of the cold tactics that have been used. for example one of the guards are bringing their own daughter in so she could see and hear the child playing and interacting with a parent, which only adds to her agony in her sense of isolation and her husband has been quite open and saying how mentally fragile she has become understandably in those terrible conditions. what is not happening in terms of international pressure, do you believe, that is not somehow persuading the irradiance? delete they have taken a hard high view of this about their own national self—interest and how they are treating this woman, but as you say it is torture. there are all kinds of international conventions designed to prevent that and they're all kinds of sanctions that are used against governments that use it and that somehow has not been enough in this case. why not, do you think was meant i may come up for what we are seeing and what we doing working with richard and really trying to push this forward, this case forward... push this forward, this case forward- - -—

push this forward, this case forward... �* , , forward... because it has been five ears as i forward... because it has been five years as i said _ forward. .. because it has been five years as i said of— forward... because it has been five years as i said of an _ forward... because it has been five years as i said of an unfair - years as i said of an unfair situation that she has had to live through, what we are saying is very much that we need to see the uk government doing a lot more and they say a lot and they say the right words and from what we have gathered from richard, he does believe that they do genuinely care about nazanin and the other dual nationals that are being arbitrarily detained. however we have not really seen that manifest in the appropriate action. we have not really seen any kind of real change come from that. and it's been a long time. do real change come from that. and it's been a long time.— been a long time. do you think... sor to been a long time. do you think... sorry to interrupt. _ been a long time. do you think... sorry to interrupt. do _ been a long time. do you think... sorry to interrupt. do you - been a long time. do you think... sorry to interrupt. do you think . been a long time. do you think... j sorry to interrupt. do you think in part it is because these other things that are going on kind of outside but inevitably connected? so the negotiations over the nuclear deal with iran, the negotiations of getting money that britain owes iran from back in the 1970s, that all thatis from back in the 1970s, that all that is making it much more collocated for them to apply the

pressure they might otherwise want to do publicly? i pressure they might otherwise want to do publicly?— to do publicly? i absolutely... i mean, to do publicly? i absolutely... i mean. there — to do publicly? i absolutely... i mean, there are _ to do publicly? i absolutely... i mean, there are so _ to do publicly? i absolutely... i mean, there are so many - to do publicly? i absolutely... i| mean, there are so many things to do publicly? i absolutely... i- mean, there are so many things that are going on that are at play in this and absolutely it's clear to see that there are multiple things at play around all sorts of different things that are happening in the world. however with the focus is for us is the human rights abuses that are happening simply to an individual in the situation and it seems clear that regardless of what the multiple reasons are that are at play here, nazanin and is being used in the situation as a diplomatic leverage and is part of treatment —— diplomatic machination that are farther than herself and she simply has no control within it. and it's kind of stuck there.— has no control within it. and it's kind of stuck there. lydia parker, thank ou kind of stuck there. lydia parker, thank you very — kind of stuck there. lydia parker, thank you very much _ kind of stuck there. lydia parker, thank you very much for - kind of stuck there. lydia parker, thank you very much forjoining i kind of stuck there. lydia parker, | thank you very much forjoining us this evening on bbc news.- thank you very much forjoining us this evening on bbc news. the indian government says there is no need to panic despite doctors saying people are dying in the streets and as desperate families try to buy oxygen on the black market

as hospitals run out. the country is struggling with record coronavirus infections. more than 350,000 have been recorded in the past day. 0ur india correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports. in gujarat, it's come to this. a hired van, now a makeshift ambulance. with no doctors available, this man is doing all he can to save his aunt himself. people have been left to fend for themselves as india's health care system crumbles. it's a horror story on repeat. in delhi, this man waits outside this hospital with his relative. "we've been to a few, but they won't admit him," he said. "we're standing here with our oxygen in the middle of the road without any hope." hope is in short supply, but some help is on its way. ventilators and oxygen concentrators from the uk government are due to land in delhi tonight.

even regional rivals pakistan and china have put aside their differences with india as theyjoin the list of countries pledging help. but it's not nearly enough to meet demand. and in the uk, some doctors are also lending a hand. this doctor from coventry runs a medical charity in india. he has been taking hundreds of calls from patients in rural areas. they are frightened, they say my mother is gasping, my mother is not able to breathe. health experts say the peak is weeks away and fear that case numbers could triple. there's a lot of suffering going on in india at the moment. what do your projection say for how long this will continue? there is a lot of suffering. in fact, i think every family is grieving because there's someone in every family who has died. the current projections are this

will go on for a while longer, probably another three to four weeks before we see a peak and a reversal. i have no idea how the systems will cope. these fires will keep on burning. mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. friends and colleagues. how many more lives will be claimed and could more have been done to save them? rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news. let's speak now with drjerryl banait, executive board member of the united residents and doctors association. hejoines me from nagpur in the maharashtra?state. were of course doctor you saw some of the biggest rises in cases in the last couple of months and also quite a bit of politics as civil government and state government argued over who was responsible. but what has been the effect day—to—day with the kinds of cases and the sheer volume of cases you and your colleagues have been trying to

process? colleagues have been trying to rocess? . ., ., ., process? the central government and the state government, _ process? the central government and the state government, whatever - process? the central government and the state government, whatever the i the state government, whatever the politics is going on, like the ground reality is the medical fraternity and the, citizens are being affected hugely today. we are seeing a large number of search and a huge number of patients who are coming in the hospitals for their own survival. and due to lack of oxygen, beds or lack of ice you ventilators or beds, we are unable to take them up. and hence we are starting where we are shifting where the more moderately affected covid—i9 patients so the severely affected patients can be taken in the icu sectors and the medical colleges. of the sheer number with which the patients are turning in the hospitals is tremendous and the health care facility is stretched to the limit and notjust health care facility is stretched to the limit and not just the health care facility is stretched to the limit and notjust the doctors but the paramedical staff, the

nurses, everybody is exhausted not just physically but mentally as well because we see cases where there is oxygen not available and crucial medicines are not available and the vaccination drive is is also starting from the 1st of may so we did not know where we are going right now. but fortunately there are governments from abroad like united kingdom that have landed a hand and are giving us oxygen concentrators and the data states is also providing us raw materialfor vaccinations, which is a very welcoming step and this will benefit the country in all the citizens in it. �* the country in all the citizens in it. ., , the country in all the citizens in it. ~ ., , , the country in all the citizens in it. , the country in all the citizens in it. and actually 'ust as you began s-ueakin , it. and actually 'ust as you began speaking. the — it. and actuallyjust as you began speaking, the palace _ it. and actuallyjust as you began speaking, the palace announced | it. and actuallyjust as you began - speaking, the palace announced from paris that the french president's office that it is sending five large containers of medical liquefied oxygen to india but it will not actually arrive until next week. in all of this process, we were seeing on friday night i think one of the

major hospital chains, even the private sector as well saying sos, we have run out or we are about to run out of oxygen. reaction was done an immediate reaction where possible to do it but you cannot keep doing that forever, can you? we cannot. the demand _ that forever, can you? we cannot. the demand for _ that forever, can you? we cannot. the demand for oxygen _ that forever, can you? we cannot. the demand for oxygen and - that forever, can you? we cannot. the demand for oxygen and the i that forever, can you? we cannot. - the demand for oxygen and the demand for the beds is so huge that it has become practically impossible for the health care system to cater to the health care system to cater to the number of patients, and then there is a lack of oxygen. how can that be produced overnight? so we need help from abroad, we need help from all the entrepreneurs and philanthropists who can come in and give their support to the health care system today. because ultimately... care system today. because ultimately. . ._ ultimately... i'm sorry to interruot. _ ultimately... i'm sorry to interrupt, please - ultimately... i'm sorry to l interrupt, please continue. ultimately it is the citizens who are suffering, the indian citizens who are suffering. the burden is on the health care system and the doctors. if we do not perform right now, the entire country will crumble down on his knees. let

now, the entire country will crumble down on his knees.— down on his knees. let me ask you finally how — down on his knees. let me ask you finally how serious _ down on his knees. let me ask you finally how serious is _ down on his knees. let me ask you finally how serious is that - down on his knees. let me ask you finally how serious is that worry? l finally how serious is that worry? because we have had five weeks of continuing growth in the number of deaths and sorry i will give you that again, six weeks in which deaths have gone up consecutively and for weeks in which a number of infections have gone up definitively and you can see record—breaking figures every single day. that might suggest we have not yet reached the peak of this and therefore that means the problem is going to continue before it slowly starts to dissipate. continue before it slowly starts to dissiate. ~ ,,., , continue before it slowly starts to dissiate. ~ , , , ., ~ , dissipate. absolutely. the peak is et to dissipate. absolutely. the peak is yet to come. _ dissipate. absolutely. the peak is yet to come. i _ dissipate. absolutely. the peak is yet to come, i guess, _ dissipate. absolutely. the peak is yet to come, i guess, and - dissipate. absolutely. the peak is yet to come, i guess, and it - dissipate. absolutely. the peak is| yet to come, i guess, and it might come after a few weeks or a month or two, we do not know. we cannot predict it because there is no stopping of the new positive cases, there is no plateauing. every day we record a number of cases which are coming in andjust record a number of cases which are coming in and just in my city, which has around 2.5 million citizens, the number of cases which are coming positive is almost at 7000—8000 and

as you mentioned, 10% of those required icu beds so the demand for icu beds in my city is 73 beds per day. and can we cater that? is limited staff, there are limited doctors and limited institutes and limited health care and sectors so we are all around the country but the cases are just increasing each and every day and each and every hour. so right now currently we are seeing one of the worst case possible in the history and such a huge crisis has come on our country. doctor bennett, another will be a great deal of it with eight for un this country but hopefully international help is on the way. but we have a great deal of sympathy and respect for all the effort you and respect for all the effort you and your colleagues are putting in to try to help as many of us have family and friends here in the uk. doctor, thank you very much. thank ou. sport, and for a full

round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's tulsen. good evening. it's been confirmed that former arsenal players thierry henry, dennis bergkamp and patrick vieira are joining spotify co—founder and lifelong gunners supporter daniel ek in a bid to buy the club. fans have become discontented after arsenal's involvement in the failed european super league, with many calling for owner stan kroenke to sell. and our reporter laura scott says supporters want a greater say. some that i spoke to see any involvement from this trio of legends as a positive and they also seem to like daniel ek given he seems to be a long—running supporter of the club but what is clear is that whoever owns the club in the future, they want more fan involvement. 0ne game in the premier league this

evening, as leicester host crystal palace. the host can regain a four—point lead but that is not the way now with a 1—0 lead for crystal palace with a 1—0 lead for crystal palace with wilford saha with the goal. chelsea manager thomas tuchel has criticised the new champions league format, saying coaches and players have not been consulted on plans to add more games to an already busy schedule. the number of teams participating in the group stage of the champions league will increase from 32 to 36. it comes after the collapse of plans for a european super league. all these discussions about super league made forget that we have now a new form of the champions league very soon. did they ask any coach about this? i don't think so. they did not ask me. did they ask any player? i don't think so, it's just more games, it is not more quality, just more games. and who will play these games? at the same time, we had three substitutes here in the premier league in the toughest competitions.

no, i am not happy about this format, not at all. just days after signing a one—year contract extension at ac milan, zlatan ibrahimovic is being investigated over an "alleged financial interest in a betting company". it's being reported in sweden that the 39—year—old has broken the rules after becoming a partner, with uefa's disciplinary regulations stating players should not have a financial interest in betting. reading and former england player fara williams has announced she'll retire from professional football at the end of the season. the 37—year—old is england's most capped player with 172 appearances for the lionesses. williams said on social media that it had been a pleasure and a privilege to have had a career of more than 20 years within the women's game. the icc says it's monitoring the coronavirus situation in india and the effect it may have on the indian premier league after several australian cricketers and the india all—rounder ravi ashwin left the competition amid rising cases in the country. adam zampa, kane richardson and andrew tye have ended their season early to return home. the ecb said they're not currently aware of any england players planning to leave the ipl.

the icc also said it's too early to say if there will be a knock—on for the men's t20 world cup, which is due to take place in india in october and november. former championsjudd trump and stuart bingham progressed the world snooker championship quarter—finals earlier this afternoon. world number one trump accounted for david gilbert 13—8, while bingham eased pastjamiejones with a 13—6 win. ican i can tell you that sean murphy has just gone through against his opponent by 13—7 in that one came into the 2005 champion goes through to the quarterfinals. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. thank you very much for that.

an 18—year—old man has died in a stabbing in east london. met police officers were called to an address in the canning town area earlier this afternoon, where the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. no arrests have yet been made. an 18—year—old man has been detained by police following an incident outside a college in west sussex. police helicopters and armed police were called to the scene at crawley college campus this afternoon following reports of shots being heard. staff and students were evacuated from the college buildings, and two members of staff were treated for minor injuries. sussex police say a gun and a knife were recovered from the scene. the european commission has launched legal action against astrazeneca over its contract for the supply of covid vaccines and for not having what it called a "reliable" plan for timely deliveries. the two sides have been in dispute over the matter for several months. an eu spokesman said the action was launched on behalf of the 27 member states. the commission has started last friday legal action against the company astrazeneca

on the basis of breaches of the advanced purchase agreement. the reason indeed being that the terms of the contract or some terms of the contract have not been respected in the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure the timely delivery of those. what matters to us in this case is that we want to make sure there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that european citizens are entitled to and which have been promised on the basis of the contract. so, the commission has indeed started legal indeed started legal action on its own behalf and on behalf of the 27 member states that are fully aligned in their support for this procedure. in response, astrazeneca has issued a statement expressing regret at the news. it said...

the latest government figures on coronavirus show 2064 new infections in the latest 24—hour period, which means an average of 2309 new cases per day in the last week. there were 1781 people in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to last thursday. six deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours of people who'd had a positive covid—19 test within the previous 28 days. these figures are often lower on a monday. the average number of deaths per day in the past week is 23. the total number of uk deaths is now 127,434. 79,695 people have received a first vaccine dose in the latest 24—hour period,

and a total ofjust over 33,750,000 people have now had their firstjab. while the number of people who've had their second dose of the vaccine in the latest 24—hour period is 260,801, which takes the overall number who've had their second jab to nearly 12,900,000. around half a million 44—year—olds in england are being invited to book their covid jab as the vaccine roll—out continues. they are being invited to book their jab as the roll—out continues. the nhs said it would set out when 40—43—year—olds would be eligible in the coming days as vaccine supply allows. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. a large vaccination centre at wimbledon football club in south—west london today. staff here say they've had a rush of younger people booking appointments, as 44—year—olds were invited for vaccines in england

for the first time. it's just fantastic to know that there's more cohorts coming through. people then are offered vaccination, that means safety. but why has the vaccination programme only opened up to a single new year group this time? 44—year—olds, instead of everyone in their 40s? well, one answer may be found here. although the number of doses being given remains relatively stable, hundreds of thousands of people are now being prioritised for their second jabs, seen here in dark blue. the danger is if we extend that period between the first and the second vaccination, so the so—called prime and boost, that we might have a situation where the protection really goes down. that's why it's so important to have that second dose. another challenge is that people in their 40s make up a vastly larger age group than any of the older groups who've already

been invited for vaccinations. there's no doubt that the roll—out of the uk's vaccination programme has been rapid. already 90% of people at risk of dying of covid—19 have received one dose. the big question is will the younger generation, who are at less risk of coronavirus, be as enthusiastic for the jab? the good news is that vaccine hesitancy seems to be falling in great britain. figures comparing february with march showing young people, who are among the most sceptical, it dropped from 17 to 12% and, in the black population, it halved from a high of 44% to 22. and to ensure as many younger people as possible are vaccinated, this government advert is running for the first time today. 35—39—year—olds have now been invited for vaccination in northern ireland. nhs england says a decision on all 40—year—olds will be made in the next few days, based on factors such as vaccine supplies. sophie hutchinson, bbc news.

it has been glorious today in london. let's look at the prospect for the whole country with susan powell. hello. what is that on the screen behind me? well, you can be forgiven for forgetting what it looks like. it's rain, and finally this week we do have some rain in the forecast, working its way from north to south. i can't promise a real top—up for all areas. this low, working its way eventually from scotland down towards the south west for the middle of the week and then down to the south east for thursday, will bring showers. so, somewhat hit and miss. some areas could get some heavy downpours, some areas may actually stay essentially dry, but the chance of getting some rain certainly looks much higher this week than in recent weeks. the low to the north of the uk overnight means showers spreading their way out of scotland into northern england and wales by dawn. the cloud, the rain, the wind, though, means a milder start here for tuesday. to the south, a risk of overnight frost, not of early sunshine.

think it will stay dry throughout the day on tuesday as well for the south east and east anglia. further north, some showers to contend with. very wet, grey and chilly down the north sea coast. hello, this is bbc news with shaun ley. the headlines: more questions about leaks and behaviour in downing street sources a borisjohnson did suggest that bodies could pile high during a discussion about lockdown. he denies it. iran prospects this is nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe to another year in prison, dashing coach will be coming home. doctors in any essay people are from covid—19 in the streets. the family skew to buy their own oxygen. lockdown restrictions in scotland and wales are used from today. pubs, cafs scotland and wales are used from today. pubs, caf s and restaurants have reopened to customers. and the oscars for sir anthony hopkins who becomes the oldest one ever of the

best actor award at 83 for his leading role as the father. there's been a further easing of lockdown in parts of the uk. after four months, scottish restaurants, pubs and cafes are welcoming back customers — and unlike the rest of the uk they can open indoors but only until 8pm, and alcohol will be served only to customers seated outside. nonessential shops, gyms and swimming pools are also reopening. and travel restrictions have been relaxed, allowing trips to other parts of the uk. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. scotland is reopening for business. after so many months of shuttered shops and closed doors, colour, cash and people are returning to the streets. for some, today means family reunions. well, it's coming to see my granddaughter, who i haven't seen for two years. and this was the day i thought, "right, get on a train, scotland is now open for visitors." where have you come from? lancaster. for others, it's a chance to celebrate with friends.

we've all taken the day off, and the following day, so we can revel in edinburgh's brilliant hospitality. scotland's not exactly been known for its outdoor dining culture, but covid is changing all that, and today feels like a big step back towards normality. cheers! 0utside, as well as indoors, hospitality is restarting here, but the scottish government says the risk of transmission is greater inside, so strict controls remain in place. the industry disputes this. nick wood, who runs over 20 venues, says the restrictions mean it's too financially challenging for some to reopen straightaway. at the moment, i can't serve alcohol inside and i have to shut inside at eight o'clock. 0utside, i can serve alcohol till ten. until we can serve alcohol indoors, there's a huge amount of our venues that just won't be viable at all. all retail in scotland can now reopen. after months away from the till, staff in this shop just glad to be back at work.

it was a bit like waking up from a long nap, kind of everything's a bit like relearning how tojust work in a shop again, it's a bit sort of strange, but also very nice. it's a familiar space. guest houses, b&bs, hotels and campsites are ready to welcome back visitors in this, the biggest push to open scotland's economy since this latest lockdown started easing. for many, though, it will still be a soft start. i do have somebody coming in today, later on, and then it's a slow trickle. and in the middle of may, when the restaurants can then more, i think they're allowed to serve alcohol indoors, that's when i've got more bookings. rules on masks and social—distancing remain, but this is still a big change to life in scotland and, all going well, further easing is planned for the months ahead. lorna gordon, bbc news, edinburgh. in wales, lockdown restrictions are also being eased for outdoor activities. pubs, cafes and restaurants can

reopen to customers —allowing up to six people from six different households to sit outside. attractions, such as zoos and theme parks, have also opened. and a maximum of 30 people can attend outdoor receptions for weddings and funerals — and take part in organised sports. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith has the latest. in three, two, one. launching out of lockdown and into business. this new zip wire in aberdare welcomed its first ever customers this morning, after what's been a bumpy ride. having to change their opening date several times. colin was one of the first down the line. absolutely awesome! oh, it was fabulous. i thought it might have been a bit faster than it was, but it was brilliant. built on the site of an old coal mine, this zip wire was eventually , originally meant to open injuly last year, but the pandemic kept pushing plans further and further into the future, until today finally arrived.

they are now fully booked for the next three weeks. i really, really think that people are going to enjoy this. that's welcome news for caitlin, who's been desperate to start her newjob. i'm really excited. like, i didn't really sleep last night because it's one of those things where everyone is just going to be rushing in, really excited. high spirits, and plenty of wine and beer too, as pubs and cafes around wales started up outdoors service again. after months of meeting online, it was a chance for sophie and her colleagues to see each other face—to—face again and not worry about pressing mute. it just feels a bit less forced. you know, when we're talking online, it's normally about work and stuff but, you know, you get to spend a bit more time getting to know people personally outside. so when i've been chatting to you online, you've been forcing it? yeah, it's been a bit forced! oh, it's fantastic, it's been a really long winter. - so i think we were last out, _ ithink, in december, novembertime. so, yeah, coming back out — in the sunshine as well — - it's fantastic.

it isn't your first rodeo! the weather has, so far, been kind to those who make their living outdoors. a sudden drop in temperature could cool demand but, for now, there's little to dampen the exhilaration of being open at last. hywel griffith, bbc news, aberdare. the former chief executive of the post office has resigned from the boards of the supermarket chain, morrisons, and the retailer, dunelm, after the it scandal which led to the wrongful convictions of former postmasters. paula vennells is also withdrawing from her work as a minister in the church of england. 0ur correspondent colletta smith sent this update from morrisons headquarters in bradford. it certainly was an avalanche of pressure this weekend after the overturning of those convictions. paula vennells has now announced she's stepping down, not only from the board here of morrisons and the retailer dunelm, but also from her duties as an ordained minister in the church of england. the companies are obviously very

keen to distance themselves from that scandal that's swirling around the post office at the moment and doing considerable damage the reputation of the brand. especially as, over the coming weeks and months, paula vennells will have to answer questions from the government's inquiry about what exactly she knew about flaws in the it system that was used in the unlawful convictions of potentially hundreds of sub—postmasters right across the uk. in a statement, the reverend vennells has said again that she apologises to sub—postmasters but now, because she has stood down from these roles, she can fully focus on working with the ongoing government inquiry. two former paratroopers have gone on trial for the murder of a man in belfast nearly 50 years ago. joe mccann, who was 24, was a member of the group known as the "official ira". 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy has more from belfast. well, the prosecution of former british soldiers who were stationed here in northern ireland during the 30 years of conflict known as the troubles is a very

emotive and controversial issue. and today, we saw two former paratroopers coming back to northern ireland, appearing here in court, where they entered not guilty pleas in relation to that incident which happened nearly five decades ago. now, in court, they are referred to as soldier a and soldier c, and the circumstances were that in 1972, they were on patrol in belfast when police asked for help to bring about the arrest ofjoe mccann, known to be a member of the official ira, but when he ran away, the soldiers opened fire and joe mccann was killed. the prosecution's argument in this case was that shooting was not justified to bring about the arrest, or for self defence, while the defence case was that use of force was reasonable. there was also the former government defence ministerjohnny mercer mp who left the government over the treatment of veterans,

he believes former soldiers should be protected from prosecutions like these, while at the same time there are many victims and relatives groups in northern ireland who think cases like this are an important part of dealing with the past. this case is due to last for about the next four weeks. moscow's prosecutor has ordered the political offices of the jailed russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, to suspend their activities across the country. he also asked a court to suspend the work of mr navalny�*s anti —corru ption foundation. the court in moscow is due to rule this week on whether to ban the organisations as extremist groups. here's the latest from sarah rainsford in moscow. with mr navalny behind bars, of course, it looks like the authorities are now moving to close down all organisations that are linked with him. the first move has come from the moscow prosecutor who has suspended already the activities of all of mr navalny�*s political offices across the country, some three dozen offices, with staff there and many supporters.

their activities have now been suspended and the prosecutor has also asked the court to suspend the activity of his anti—corruption foundation as well. you will remember that mr navalny and his team have been carrying out a number of very high profile investigations into very senior figures within the russian elite here, that's what the foundation was doing. its activity, the authorities are now looking to suspend as well. that's all ahead of a move by the courts to ban both those organisations, to label them extremist, which would be an extremely serious move, because it could meanjail sentences and all sorts of punishments for anyone linked to those organisations going forward. a man has been nominated for the george's cross with a 20—year—old

jimmy was walking near london bridge saturday evening with a friend when they heard a woman calling for help. jimmyjumped in and save the woman but his body was found a few hours later. his father said today that jimmy was a unique and angelic soul. serious concern about rugby players who've gone on to suffer permanent brain damage has been growing in recent years. now dozens of former elite players, including wales' record try scorer shane williams and england's world cup winner ben kay, have joined a study looking into the early warning signs of dementia. some footballers are also going to be monitored as part of research by the alzheimer's society. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. rugby is a contract sport and this is just a training session. the amateur team london scottish lions preparing to start playing for real as lockdown eases. there are strict protocols to deal with concussion and head injuries, but in previous decades, there was less awareness of the risks.

and alzheimer's society study will monitor the brain health of retired top level players. taking part will be ben kay, part of england's world cup winning team in 2003. as someone that will undoubtedly have suffered head trauma, mild head trauma while i was playing rugby, if i can be part of the process that examines how that might affect not just sports people, but anyone who has suffered head trauma in their life at some point, then absolutely, i want to throw my weight behind it. 50 retired elite players aged between 40 and 59 will be added to an existing study with people from the wider population in that age group. they will have scans and other tests every two years. the condition of the rugby play as will be assessed against the rest of the group. the former welsh international shane williams is already part of the study. his brain scans were shown in a bbc wales documentary last year on rugby and concussion. there was always that fear of,

what were they going to find on the scans really? but i am so glad i done it, i am so glad i can take part in this study because if i can help people moving forward, then i have done something right. a few former footballers, including alan shearer, will be included in the new study. dawn astle's father geoff are still died, heading a football died, heading a football was listed as a cause. she says research should have started much sooner. this is a irreparable brain damage and footballers are dying because of it. and for far too long, certainly, we feel, certainly the family of my dad, that it has been swept under a carpet. world rugby, which runs the global game, says it continually reviewed evidence to ensure the best possible player outcomes. the football association said a new concussion substitute policy came from doctors working in the game. but players of both sports believe

a lot more ground needs to be covered to give them more understanding of the risks. hugh pym, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... more questions about leaks and behaviour in downing street as sources say borisjohnson did suggest that "bodies could pile high" during a discussion about lockdown. he denies it iran sentences nazanin zaghari ratcliffe to another year in prison, dashing hopes she'd be coming home. doctors in india say people are dying from covid in the streets while desperate families queue to buy their own oxygen. after an oscar ceremony like no other, the biggest winner of the night was the film nomadland, with its director chloe zhao becoming the second woman to be named best director and the first of asian descent. sir anthony hopkins also became the oldest best actor winner at 83, while daniel kaluuya is the first

black british actor to win an oscar in the supporting category. 0ur arts editor will gompertz has more. the oscars 2021 pulled into la's union station for a pandemic—era showy live event presented a bit like a movie — but the script lacked surprises, and there was a stumbled start by nominee and guest presenter regina king. ah. laughter. 0oh. live tv, here we go! the mood was more low—key art house, rather than hollywood blockbuster. fitting, then, that nomadland — an elegiac film about a widowed woman seeking solace on the open road — was the night's big winner. it's writer—director chloe zhao became only the second woman in the 0scars' 93—year history to win the best director award. this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves. the film's star, frances mcdormand, took home the leading actress 0scar

— the third in her career — and then, when the film won best picture, told millions of tv viewers to go to the movies. take everyone you know into - a theatre, shoulder—to—shoulder, in that dark space, and watch every film that's represented _ here tonight. the 83—year—old sir anthony hopkins became the oldest ever leading actor oscar winner for his remarkable performance as an old man with dementia in the father. oh, i was a dancer. were you? yes. dad. what? you were an engineer. what do you know about it? yes, tap dancing was my specialty. he chose not to attend, which was another blow to an underwhelming show. still, he was delighted, as he said in a video posted on social media today. thank you all very much. ha! i really did not expect this. so, ifeel very privileged and honoured. thank you. daniel kaluuya was another british success, picking up the best supporting actor oscar

for his portrayal of fred hampton, chicago's black panther leader, injudas and the black messiah. you can murder a liberator, but you can't murder liberation! to chairman fred hampton, what a man! how blessed we are that we lived in a lifetime where he existed, d'you know what i'm saying? emerald fennell — familiar to many as camilla parker bowles in the crown — continued a good night for the brits by winning the best original screenplay 0scar for her revenge drama promising young woman. oh, my god, he's so heavy, and he's so cold! _ laughter. best supporting actress went to youn yuh—jung, who played the mischievous grandma in a gently—paced american dream movie, minari. hollywood will be hoping next year's 0scars will be celebrating films seen at the cinema, rather than on a tv at home, but in a world of streaming, people will still feel the magic of going to the movies. will gompertz, bbc news. i'm nowjoined by entertainment

journalist, kj matthews. interesting journalist, kj matthews. night, lovely to speak to interesting night, lovely to speak to you again. always good to hear your assessment. can we start with francis mcdormand? she is aiming for the top here? as far as i can see, on the internet, only katherine hepburn has got more than three best actresses. she's already pushed a lot of people. she's outclassed elizabeth taylor and bette davis and all these people. she is now and it's win it. all these people. she is now and it's win it— it's win it. isn't he? she is. peole it's win it. isn't he? she is. people really _ it's win it. isn't he? she is. people really love - it's win it. isn't he? she is. people really love francis i it's win it. isn't he? she is. _ people really love francis mcdormand and she knows how to pick script. she after the smaller, low—budget independent films and she does well. the academy loves her. she sorta won her third 0scar. she can do no wrong. it her third oscar. she can do no wronu. , , ., , wrong. it will be interesting to see where her career _ wrong. it will be interesting to see where her career goals _ wrong. it will be interesting to see where her career goals and - wrong. it will be interesting to see where her career goals and may i wrong. it will be interesting to see| where her career goals and may be attempted by a glamourous part in the future. she has got such an interesting face. when you are watching, you look at her. right.

she has done _ watching, you look at her. right. she has done all— watching, you look at her. right. she has done all these _ watching, you look at her. right. she has done all these dramas. i j she has done all these dramas. i want to see her in a comedy. the right, comedy with the right cast. she is funny. she really is. i think that part of her has not been explored. i would love to see francis mcdormand to make comedy ready for her would be great. let’s ready for her would be great. let's ho -e ready for her would be great. let's hope somebody — ready for her would be great. let's hope somebody who _ ready for her would be great. let's hope somebody who matters is listening. talking to people who couldn't do comedy into drama and maybe he is done more quirky roles, something very simple but very powerful, siranthony something very simple but very powerful, sir anthony hopkins and the father. what did you make of fm? you know i love the father but i will be honest, most people did not think that anthony hopkins would win. we all thought it was a showing for the late, great chadwick bozeman. people were really standing when he did when because that would be a wonderful opportunity to do attributes to chadwick boseman because he sends so many great films and when he was a lie they didn't honour him in the way they thought

they should have. so when anthony when he was alive they didn't honour him in the way they thought they should have. so when anthony when it was surprising and then normally at the end of the ceremony is always the end of the ceremony is always the best picture award, not this year. they saved it for the best actor and unfortunately, sir anthony hopkins was not there in person. that was a little disappointing to have anthony hopkins when and not be thereto accepted in person, but i see all of her social media he has to take something from wales and he said he is excited and he won and he is one of the oldest one is out there. interesting. they might change things up a little bit next year and go back to presenting the best picture award at the end of the three hour ceremony. it best picture award at the end of the three hour ceremony.— three hour ceremony. it makes you wonder they _ three hour ceremony. it makes you wonder they were _ three hour ceremony. it makes you wonder they were thinking - three hour ceremony. it makes you wonder they were thinking what - three hour ceremony. it makes you wonder they were thinking what a i three hour ceremony. it makes you i wonder they were thinking what a lot of other people were thinking about who was going to win that best actor award that it was going to be a tribute to an actor whose career was cut so tragically short. by illness and an untimely death. and he performance. but also now the question about diapers, the dreaded

word. most people say it is a jargon word, but it is about more than just colour and skin committed by gender, inclusiveness in the world of disability, just different social grounds. —— about diversity. how much did they pull that out this year? i think they are moving in the right direction.— right direction. there were more than 70 women _ right direction. there were more than 70 women that _ right direction. there were more than 70 women that were - right direction. there were more - than 70 women that were nominated either in front of the camera or in the back of the camera. we had six performers of asian descent there were nominated. we had two women directors nominated for best directors nominated for best director and we had one way in front of the one that one of course is the first person of chinese descent to win so yes we had the british black acted daniel kaluuya winning prejudice in the black messiah and the best supporting actor category. that was a line of inclusion and diversity there. unfortunately if you look at the ratings they came back today, not so good. i you look at the ratings they came back today, not so good.- you look at the ratings they came back today, not so good. i was about to ask that- —

back today, not so good. i was about to ask that. francis _ back today, not so good. i was about to ask that. francis mcdormand - back today, not so good. i was about to ask that. francis mcdormand was | to ask that. francis mcdormand was making her plea for us all to go back to the cinema and my right in saying that there are a lot of people and the industry quite nervous about whether we ever will go back to cinema? is that fair? that is fair to say. they could have been something that turn people off. now you know everything is about streaming. we know you can see any film you went home and i really believe, there will be a hybrid method in the future. we will eventually go back to the movie theatres, but i think some films willjust be released on streaming and never make it to the movie theatres. that is what we are because of the pandemic. it will take quite some years have every single film in the theatre again but because of the streaming networks, they are here to stay so you will never get every single film today to debut in a movie theatre.— debut in a movie theatre. finally, what ou debut in a movie theatre. finally, what you brought _ debut in a movie theatre. finally, what you brought up, _ debut in a movie theatre. finally, what you brought up, the - debut in a movie theatre. finally, what you brought up, the viewingj what you brought up, the viewing number. i saw something about a 58% drop year on year in the all viewing

for the oscars. terminal news, isn't it? if you need the advertisers to still advertise?— still advertise? right. i saw something _ still advertise? right. i saw something on _ still advertise? right. i saw something on twitter - still advertise? right. i saw something on twitter were | still advertise? right. i saw- something on twitter were somebody said get will come again broke. laughter. but they were basically saying was when the show opened there was regina king in one of the things she said very early on she didn't know if she would be at the award show and if he wanted to present. —— get woke she is happy that the verdict for the george floyd trial came out because if it did and she might not have showed up at the oscars. you know, probably there were people in middle america that were very unhappy, politics, social justice that were very unhappy, politics, socialjustice into the oscars and i can see that a lot of people probably turned off the television there. ,, , , , , probably turned off the television there. ,, , , ,, ., there. slightly depressing thought. but listen, there. slightly depressing thought. iout listen. you _ there. slightly depressing thought. but listen, you are _ there. slightly depressing thought. but listen, you are never— but listen, you are never depressing. always entertaining may be more than the oscars. 0ur ideas

forfor you. thank you be more than the oscars. 0ur ideas for for you. thank you so be more than the oscars. 0ur ideas forfor you. thank you so much be more than the oscars. 0ur ideas for for you. thank you so much for being with us on bbc news. look forward to talking to you again. and very knowledgeable entertainment genderless to talk about. she does get below the surface of a of a lot of things. one quick thing, i should imagine the executives of abc news probably had indigestion after the oscars when they saw those audience 0scars when they saw those audience figures. kanye a pair of shoes designed and worn by the musician kanye west have sold for £1.3 million at auction, the highest amount ever paid for trainers. the nike air yeezy1 prototypes are the first pair of trainers to sell for more than $1 million, according to the auction house hebys. ka nye west first wore the shoes while performing at the grammys in 2008. they were bought by an internet platform for investing in rare footwear. they must be the cleanest pair of trainers that have ever been worn by

a star. now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. you can be forgiven for forgetting what looks like. it is raining. finally this week we do have some rain. i can't promise a real top up for all areas this low working his way eventually from scotland down towards the southwest for the middle of the week and into the southeast for thursday it will bring showers so somewhat hit or miss, some areas to get heavy downpours in some areas may actually stay a sense of the dry but the chance of getting rain looks much higher this week that in recent weeks. the low to the north of the uk overnight, showers spreading their way out of scotland into northern england and wales by don in the cloud and rain in the wind means a milder start here for tuesday into the south, a risk of overnight frost and a lot of other sunshine and it will stay dry throughout the day on

tuesday for the southeast and east anglia and some showers in the further north, wet, great and chilly down the north sea coast.

this is bbc news. the white house says it will release tens of millions of astrazeneca vaccine doses, but it hasn't decided who will get them and it will be weeks before they ship. india needs help urgently. for five straight days, the country has set new daily records for coronavirus, a breeding ground for new variants. but the white house isn't impressed with narendra modi banning tweets that criticise his handling of the pandemic. that certainly wouldn't be aligned with our view of freedom of speech around the world. this week, joe biden will have been in office 100 days. it's a rather random notion, but it's an excuse for new polls. and so far, he's doing 0k. also in the programme — the british—iranian woman nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe has been sentenced to another year in jail

in tehran after being found