this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 2pm... the electoral commission launches a formal investigation into the funding of the refurbishment of boris johnson's downing street flat. are you worried about the investigation, _ are you worried about the investigation, prime - are you worried about the - investigation, prime minister? the watchdog says there are reasonable grounds to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred. labour went on the attack: don't the british people deserve a prime minister they can trust and a government that is not mired in sleaze, cronyism and scandal? he should know that i paid for the downing street refurbishment personally, mr speaker, and i contrast it any further declaration that i will have to make, ifany, i will be advised upon.

a country in chaos — india's official covid death toll passes 200,000 — but the real number is almost certainly much higher. 0ne dose of the oxford/astrazeneca or pfizer vaccine halves the likelihood of a person who gets coronavirus passing it on. the bafta tv nominations have been announced. sir steve mcqueen's bbc drama small axe leads the way — with 15 nominations. and coming up — how self—driving vehicles could be allowed on uk roads by the end of this year. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. a formal investigation has been launched into the funding of borisjohnson's downing street flat refurbishments by the electoral commission.

the watchdog announced it was �*satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred'. mrjohnson came under sustained pressure from the labour leader during prime ministers questions about whether he'd initially borrowed the money. the prime minister said again he had covered costs but has asked the new advisor on ministers interests to advise on whether any further statements are needed. 0ur political correspondent iain watson reports. dominic cummings lit the political fuse. the prime minister's former adviser accused his old boss of planning to ask conservative donors to pay for refurbishing the downing street flat. he said this would have been unethical and possibly illegal. today, the party political watchdog, the electoral commission, announced a formal inquiry into the funding of the flat, saying it was satisfied "there are reasonable grounds "to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred." are you worried about _ the investigation, prime minister?

it's not the backdrop to pmqs that ideally borisjohnson would have wanted. unsurprisingly, the labour leader asked the prime minister about the electoral commission investigation. it's incredibly serious. can the prime minister tell the house, does he believe that any rules or laws have been broken in relation to the refurbishment of the prime minister's flat? prime minister. no, idon't, mr speaker. keir starmer wanted to explore whether there was a potential conflict of interest, had borisjohnson initially paid for works to the flat or was it someone else? either the taxpayer paid the initial invoice, or it was the conservative party, or it was a private donor, or it was the prime minister. i'm making it easy for the prime minister, it's now multiple—choice. the answer is i have covered the costs and most people will find it absolutely bizarre... of course, there is an electoral commission investigating this. i can tell him i have conformed

in full with the code of conduct. don't the british people deserve a prime minister they can trust and a government that isn't mired in sleaze, cronyism and scandal? week after week, the people of this country can see the difference between a labour party that twists and turns with the wind, that thinks of nothing except playing political games. the snp focused on borisjohnson's denial of reports that he'd said last autumn that he was willing to see bodies pile high rather than go into further lockdowns. parlimentary rules stop me from saying that the prime minister has repeatedly lied to the public over the last week. can i ask the question, are you a liar, prime minister? i did not say those words. what i do believe i said is that a lockdown is a miserable thing and i did everything i could to try to protect the british public throughout the pandemic, to protect them from lockdowns, but also to protect them from disease.

this is the new adviser of ministerial standards, a former parliamentary secretary to the queen, and borisjohnson will take his advice on when anything further needs to be said about the flat. ever since the allegations were made, number ten has insisted no codes of conduct have been breached and no electoral laws broken, but the timing of the electoral commission investigation is farfrom ideal, potentially distracting the conservatives from campaign messages they would prefer to be talking about ahead of crucial elections next week. and the government will need to do more if it is to reclaim the agenda. iain watson, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent damian grammaticas says there are several things to focus on here. the first thing is the electoral commission investigation. that now is ongoing. they have powers to investigate the funding, where that came from, where that went, so that will come back. on that issue, the question there is whether they will choose to impose any sanction if they find there was wrongdoing.

that could be a fine of up to something like £20,000, or in extreme cases, and this is very rare, to refer it to the police. separately, you have that investigation that will be done by the new adviser on ministerial standards into whether borisjohnson needs to declare anything. now, confusingly on that, if the new adviser finds something was done wrong, he will refer it back to the prime minister and it is the prime minister who decides if there is a sanction on himself. that's a slightly odd situation. lastly is the political fallout from this. we saw these very angry exchanges. sir keir starmer reminding the prime minister that the ministerial code states if you mislead parliament, you are expected to resign. and he said in relation to the comment about bodies piling high and lockdown.

that is where he wanted the prime minister on record in the house. thank you. caroline slocock is a former private secretary to both margaret thatcher amd john major, and is now director of the civil exchange thinktank. what are the outstanding questions you have about the prime minister and the refurbishment of his flat? it is important that every prime minister is above suspicion and seems to be behaving according to the ministerial code, they should be setting the standards and in fact that does set the standards the other ministers follow. the issue with the flat, which frankly, unless there is something very peculiar going on, should have been resolved days ago, but the issue is, is he receiving, has he received benefits from other donors which might make him beholden to them and are they potentially purchasing favours? at the moment, the situation should be

that the prime minister pays any excess amount over and above that which the state will pay in that is what boris johnson which the state will pay in that is what borisjohnson says he has done, but persistent questions are still there and the electoral commission investigation now really suggests there is something to look into. they have been earlier leaks, with one person saying they were giving money to the cost of the flat. find money to the cost of the flat. and then it goes _ money to the cost of the flat. and then it goes beyond that, any donor will then be looked at to see whether they have benefited from government contracts in some way, the cronyism that is talked about a lot. , . , the cronyism that is talked about a lot. , ., , , the cronyism that is talked about a lot. , . , , ., lot. yes, and it is very important that ministers _ lot. yes, and it is very important that ministers are _ lot. yes, and it is very important that ministers are above - lot. yes, and it is very important l that ministers are above suspicion in these respects which is why the rules are there, and the roles can be changed, of course, but they are there to protect and to make sure of good government and to protect people like the current prime minister from the current row, which has been going on for days now, they must be distracting from the business of good government. surely

he can simply resolve it rather than initiating another investigation by simon case, for example. he should be able to put all this to rest now. it sounds like there is some real issue here about a loan being given at an earlier stage. we issue here about a loan being given at an earlier stage.— at an earlier stage. we are hearing from the reuters _ at an earlier stage. we are hearing from the reuters news _ at an earlier stage. we are hearing from the reuters news agency - at an earlier stage. we are hearing i from the reuters news agency that the press secretary to the prime minister believes the electoral commission investigation relates to the conservative party rather than the conservative party rather than the prime minister directly, but beyond this, beyond the flat refurbishment issue, you talk about the honesty of the prime minister. how he sets the tone. there has been criticism and concerns from all quarters about his conduct over many years. to what extent do you believe he does set the right tone? what years. to what extent do you believe he does set the right tone?— he does set the right tone? what i have seen over _ he does set the right tone? what i have seen over at _ he does set the right tone? what i have seen over at my _ he does set the right tone? what i have seen over at my working -

have seen over at my working lifetime, which involved working for two prime ministers 30 years ago, i have seen a progressive decline especially in recent years of those kinds of standards. i found it personally surprising that the previous independent adviser to the prime minister on standards advised that priti patel had broken the ministerial code and borisjohnson overruled him. that led the adviser to resign, now we only situation where a new adviser is in place, but as the reporterjust said, they are only going to report back to boris johnson who will then decide whether his conduct was acceptable or not, so there's a sense in which the prime minister seems to above the rules. it is very important for the conduct of public life that prime minister is to behave with integrity, and with probity, and when you put this together with the

circumstances surrounding the greensill affair and previous prime minister, lobbying on behalf of a company on which he appears to be personally benefiting, the overall impression is that the prime ministers, ministers, routinely lie and have their snouts in the trough, thatis and have their snouts in the trough, that is the talk that goes down at the local pub. the trouble is, people may believe that but if it is actually happening, it is incredibly corrosive to the good conduct of government and it starts to break down the contract between the people and those who govern. so it's very important. it's like pulling at a thread at the moment and every thread at the moment and every thread that is pulled it seems to be pulling away at this confidence in the way we do government in britain. 0ver the way we do government in britain. over a very long time we have been setting high standards to other

countries as to how to do these things and borisjohnson should be doing everything he can to shore this up but the suspicion there is that he doesn't notice the rules and he doesn't follow them. that is very bad, i think, he doesn't follow them. that is very bad, ithink, in a prime he doesn't follow them. that is very bad, i think, in a prime minister. it doesn't show leadership. how im ortant it doesn't show leadership. how important is _ it doesn't show leadership. how important is the _ it doesn't show leadership. how important is the context against which borisjohnson is governing? he has been criticised for how contracts have been handed out in the pandemic and criticised over his speed of decision during the lockdown but he has overseen a very successful vaccination programme rolled out. how do you then bring somebody to book if they have built up somebody to book if they have built up enough political capital at least within their own party?— within their own party? well, ultimately. — within their own party? well, ultimately, it _ within their own party? well, ultimately, it is _ within their own party? well, ultimately, it is down - within their own party? well, ultimately, it is down to - within their own party? well, - ultimately, it is down to parliament to call him to account for good

behaviour, and also the bodies that are set up like the electoral commission, and of course the electorate also has a vote. they will have to take all of this into the balance. but the damage that may be done now by applying for standards in public life isn'tjust an issue for now, it is an issue for the future because it sets an ever lower bar so that future governments may behave in ways which are increasingly putting the standards and lower principles in public life and lower principles in public life and the standards to which ministers are obliged to apply, they will increasingly pay no attention to that. so, you lose good governance and a strong democracy slowly, and it very rarely happens all in one 90, it very rarely happens all in one go, and it is important that people do pay attention to this, even if it seems sometimes a little bit

esoteric, the ins and outs. i understand why borisjohnson wants to live come to be in his flat, i understand why he wants to spend money on it, but if donations have been made as loans, at an earlier stage, that is something that should be very transparent. i think for myself, should be actively discouraged. chequers, the prime minister's are the home is run by a trust, a trust that does not allow private donations to be made, it is topped up by public funds. we do spend public funds on allowing prime ministers to live in comfort and that they live in a style which you would expect from somebody of that prominence internationally. caroline, the former private secretary to margaret thatcher and john major, thanks forjoining us.

some breaking news. we are told two police officers have been charged with misconduct in public office in connection with photographs taken and circulated in relation to a crime scene. a police officer who is 47 and pcjamie lewis crime scene. a police officer who is 47 and pc jamie lewis who crime scene. a police officer who is 47 and pcjamie lewis who is 32, they will appear at westminster magistrates' court on the 27th of next month for their first hearing. both have been charged with one count of misconduct in public office relating to an investigation into the deaths of —— into the deaths of two women last year. so two police officers have been charged relating to that misconduct. the number of coronavirus deaths in india has leapt

to over 200,000 — with parts of the country devastated by a second surge of the disease. there's a continuing acute shortage of oyxgen — along with desperately overcrowded hospitals. in some cases, people are dying while waiting for beds. experts believe the real number of infections and deaths is much higher than official figures show. the government, which is coming in for increasingly bitter criticism for its handling of the second wave, is now considering lockdowns in 150 of the worst—hit districts. with india in such crisis, we'll hear from our correspondents across the country. but first, our correspondent yogita limaye has spent the day with one nurse at a hospital in delhi. years of training. but nothing could have prepared them for this. manjusha mathew — a nurse and the mother of three young children. a new patient is brought in. seema! 0xygen mask...

she's constantly scanning how others are holding up... ..treating as many as they can. "people say, "sister, please save our loved one." they call us god. that makes us so emotional because we can only do so much." with resources so short, they're having to choose who they might save — decisions they should never have had to make. translation: at times we break down.

some nights i wake up crying. but i also feel a sense of satisfaction that i'm doing something to help. this is a hospital in a big city, and out of reach for most indians. the situation at this point is so difficult that all the people who work here, everyone who's exposing themselves to risk on a daily basis, knows that if they or their families were to get sick, even they would struggle to find the right medical care. in a city overrun, it's hard to leave the trauma behind. the risks follow you home, too. manjusha's children know not to hug her when she'sjust back from hospital... ..but they're too young to fully understand what their mother does — her front line role at one of the most grim times in india's history. well, that's the latest from the capital delhi — but how are other parts of the country coping?

0ur correspondents in india have sent us these updates. first, here's the view from maharashtra state in the west of the country. india's western maharashtra is the worst affected state by covid—i9 pandemic, along with cities like mumbai and pune. its rural areas like palghar where i am today are also suffering from a rise in coronavirus cases. some districts in maharashtra have reported a massive 700% rise, as compared to last year in the first wave. the availability of icu beds is a major cause of concern as a few districts have already run out. maharashtra is the home of world's biggest vaccine maker, but one in ten indians have managed to receive the covid—i9 jab so far. the north indian state of punjab has the highest death rate in the country and is a major cause of concern.

experts say that people are reluctant to get themselves tested for covid—i9. this is a majorfactor contributing to the high death rate. outside the district hospital in mohali, people have told me that covid does not exist. they say it has been created by the authorities to stop protests by farmers who have been gathering in big numbers since last year. health experts say that people only reach hospitals after developing serious complications when it is not easy to save them. here in the state of west bengal, elections remain the main focus up until now. i'm outside this covid hospital here in kolkata. the health care system is under serious pressure. people are now worried, as 15—16,000 new cases are being reported every day

in the state. during the past one month, people have been voting here for the state elections and huge campaign rallies were organised. thousands of people attended those rallies, most of them didn't wear a mask or didn't maintain physical distancing. the rallies were attended by the prime minister and the home minister who flew down from delhi almost every other day. but people are now frightened that cases may explode. medical supplies, including ventilators and oxygen equipment, have arrived from the uk in india. ravi singh is founder and chief executive of khalsa aid international — that's a uk—based humanitarian relief charity — which has workers on the ground assisting people in the country. we spoke the other day, and i imagine that you have been extraordinarily busy the last few days, tell us what you are hearing

in terms of the strain in the health system in india? we in terms of the strain in the health system in india?— system in india? we are getting messages. _ system in india? we are getting messages, e-mails, _ system in india? we are getting messages, e-mails, phone - system in india? we are getting. messages, e-mails, phone calls, messages, e—mails, phone calls, anyway people can get in touch with us, asking for help, all sorts of people from all over india, it is absolutely desperate, the situation is getting worse and people in rural areas and other parts of india outside the main cities are fearing the spread now, so there is a lot of panic, as well. the spread now, so there is a lot of panic. as well-— panic, as well. how well-equipped our hospital _ panic, as well. how well-equipped our hospital facilities _ panic, as well. how well-equipped our hospital facilities in _ panic, as well. how well-equipped our hospital facilities in more - our hospitalfacilities in more rural areas? we have seen in delhi that some hospitals are completely overwhelmed. i’oe that some hospitals are completely overwhelmed-— that some hospitals are completely overwhelmed. �* , ., ., overwhelmed. i've spoken to some of the smaller — overwhelmed. i've spoken to some of the smaller hospitals, _ overwhelmed. i've spoken to some of the smaller hospitals, the _ the smaller hospitals, the charitable hospitals in the state of punjab and some of them are running out of oxygen and beds, private hospitals, the prices are very high, out of the reach of ordinary people, so we are now preparing to support some of those hospitals, especially

the charitable ones with oxygen supplies. i never thought in my life that we would be purchasing and procuring oxygen so that is what we are doing. we have a contract now with a company to make sure they have enough oxygen for the next few weeks, for these rural hospitals which are already struggling, so it is already spreading, and there is a lot of panic and a lot of people are now asking for help. i'm not sure how long we can sustain this. even now in the uk, we will make an appealfor now in the uk, we will make an appeal for oxygen concentrators and we have ordered, requested from the public and we have received already in one day over 100 of them today, and we are expecting at least 300 oxygen concentrators from the british public in the next few days. the public have been very generous,

so we are doing what we can and these will be airlifted by this weekend and then the next batch will be sent afterwards. it we weekend and then the next batch will be sent afterwards.— be sent afterwards. if we 'ust exlain, be sent afterwards. if we 'ust explain. the i be sent afterwards. if we 'ust explain, the oxygen * be sent afterwards. if we just i explain, the oxygen concentrate be sent afterwards. if we just - explain, the oxygen concentrate is a machine to help you breathe, people have been buying them online here and sending them to you in slough. that is right, to our head office, and i did not expect it to have such and i did not expect it to have such an amazing response and i'm so proud of the british public in this time, because these are costing between £200, £400, each, and people are spending the money and sending these concentrators directly to us in slough and i'm so proud of the community. how they have been responding to this emergency. and i think... ~ , �* think... inaudible i think... inaudible i think— think. . . inaudible i think we - think. . . inaudible i think we have - think... inaudible| i think we have lost think... inaudible - i think we have lost him. the picture has frozen but we got the gist of what he was saying. a remarkable response from the british

public and those oxygen concentrators are making their way to india. the government he has promised to send more equipment to india, as well, to tackle the growing crisis, a foreign office minister said 200 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators had arrived in india yesterday and another shipment of 400 concentrators will arrive there in the next couple of days. and throughout the rest of the day, the bbc is bringing you special coverage on the deepening coronavirus crisis in india and its significance for the globalfight against the pandemic — that's across tv, radio and our digital platforms. new research suggests a single dose of a covid vaccine can cut transmission of the virus by up to half. a study by public health england found that people given either the astrazeneca or pfizerjabs were less likely to pass on the virus than those who are unvaccinated. and new data shows that more than 60% of people in the uk now have antibodies to coronavirus ?

either from vaccination or past infection. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. vaccines can't stop every case of coronavirus, but the evidence they have prevented serious illness, hospitalisation and death in thousands of people is strong. and now there's further good news, suggesting vaccines can reduce transmission of the virus, cutting the risk of catching coronavirus for those who live and work with vaccinated people. a study looked at 24,000 households where someone had a confirmed case of coronavirus but had received a vaccination. it found that those given a first dose of either the pfizer or astrazeneca vaccines and who became infected three weeks later were between 38 and 49% less likely to pass the virus on than unvaccinated people. vaccines are not 100% effective, either at preventing severe symptoms or at allowing yourself to be infected, but the evidence is suggesting that they are providing at least some level of protection

from passing the virus on if you do get infected. and this morning, mps on the science and technology select committee were told this was a significant bonus to the vaccine effect. vaccinated individuals themselves were less likely to become a case in the first place, so that is an additional benefit on top of the benefit we've already seen in the actual reduction in cases in people who've been vaccinated. and there's more good news on the side effects caused by the vaccines. another study has found only one in four people experience mild short—lived side—effects after receiving either the pfizer or astrazeneca vaccines. headache, fatigue and tenderness are the most common symptoms, but they usually last only a day or two. you are more likely to get a local painful bruised - arm with the pfizer one _ than you are with the astrazeneca, but slightly less likely to have these mild side—effects. - and this reallyjust tells us - that those severe side—effects are incredibly rare.

as lockdown eases and people return to shops and bars, levels of immunity in the population become even more important. the latest figures show more than 60% of people in the uk now have antibodies to coronavirus, either via infection or vaccines. but experts warn now is not the time to let down our guard. if we all go completely wild and just ignore everything that we've learned over this last year in terms of social restrictions, there will be another wave, and that wave will be much larger. the message remains the same. a successful vaccine programme doesn't mean the danger has passed. dominic hughes, bbc news. and this evening at 5pm there will be a downing street press conference today led by health secretary matt hancock and he'll be joined by professorjonathan van—tam, deputy chief medical officer for england and dr nikki kanani, medical director of primary care for nhs england and nhs improvement. we'll be covering that live for you here on bbc news.

arlene foster's leadership of the dup, and as northern ireland's first minuster, is hanging in the balance this afternoon, after a letter of no—confidence was signed by most of the party's mps and mlas. it's understood there is majority support among the party's stormont and westminster ranks — about 80% — for a change in leadership. she's led the dup, and been first minister, for more than five years. lets get more on this from dr clare rice, a researcher in northern irish politics at newcastle university. wa nts. wants. why does arlene foster find herself in this position, do you believe? aha, herself in this position, do you believe? �* . herself in this position, do you believe? �* , ., ' believe? a number of different elements have _ believe? a number of different elements have contributed - believe? a number of different elements have contributed to i believe? a number of different i elements have contributed to this believe? a number of different - elements have contributed to this as she herself alluded to just yesterday, and this is not the first time that she has faced a leadership or a question over her leadership of the dup, so for her, it isjust

another blip on the horizon but i think from the figures that you suggested, around the numbers of mlas that have signed the former circulating amongst the party, it seems to be a lot more serious than anything that has gone before. some of these elements, some of which can stretch back, can be seen to have stretched back a number of years, have contributed to what we have seen it coming to the forefront in the last couple of days, so looking back to the rhi scandal, and the subsequent public inquiry that came from that, and we see the relationship and the breakdown of the relationship that there was between the dup and the conservatives, in westminster, through the confidence and supply arrangement. and also in recent months we have seen the brexit negotiations and how they have worked out and the structure of the northern ireland protocol and the trouble we have seen and unrest in northern ireland in the last couple of months, all of these factors are starting to come together and clearly something has reached a breaking point within the party and

now the powers that be have decided now the powers that be have decided now is the time to execute a revolt. can you tell us how disenchanted our dup supporters, rather than elected politicians, with her leadership? yes, this is a bit of a split in opinion. there tends to be two camps. there is the side of the dup supporter, the electoral base that still supports arlene foster. i saw just become currently on air —— i sawjust before coming on air a vox p0p sawjust before coming on air a vox pop by one of your colleagues here in northern ireland with members of the public, and there was a general sense of support for arlene foster but at the same time she has faced a lot of heavy criticism over the shape of the northern ireland protocol on the challenges that have been seen since the 1st of january in relation to that, so there has been a building sense even within the electorate and the support for the electorate and the support for the democratic unionist party that something needs to change. not all

of that discontent has been directed towards arlene foster had necessarily but the tide seems to be turning on that front. who necessarily but the tide seems to be turning on that front.— turning on that front. who will they re - lace turning on that front. who will they replace her — turning on that front. who will they replace her with? _ turning on that front. who will they replace her with? the _ turning on that front. who will they replace her with? the dup- turning on that front. who will they replace her with? the dup have - turning on that front. who will they replace her with? the dup have a l replace her with? the dup have a habit of learning someone up before a vacancy becomes available, don't they? a vacancy becomes available, don't the ? . . a vacancy becomes available, don't the ? . , ., ., ., they? that is the million dollar question- _ they? that is the million dollar question. that _ they? that is the million dollar question. that is _ they? that is the million dollar question. that is the _ they? that is the million dollar question. that is the normal. they? that is the million dollar - question. that is the normal sense with the dup, on this occasion, it is anybody�*s guess what's going to happen, and the dup itself is playing their cards very close to its chest on this matter. even the letter itself that has been circulated has been kept quiet and any effort to extract some further detail from the party is any effort to extract some further detailfrom the party is being deflected with the line that it is an in party matter and that is being dealt with in line with the party structure and governance rules. really it is anyone's guess. i would say there are a few larger figures within the dup, certainly senior figures that could be on the line to take this position but there is also

a straitjacket that one of the party rules is that currently any way that the leader of the party needs to come from the mla, so an mp couldn't take that role, but that could be up for discussion. further discussion as well around the potential for splitting that role. where there would be someone different as party leader. that would bring a whole host of political challenges so anything is up in the air and it is anyone's guess what will come next. thank you for talking to us. we are hearing that nestle is planning to cut almost 600 jobs in the uk, close a factory in newcastle upon tyne, switch the production of some products to europe and invest £29 million at its sites in york and halifax. so some investment but 600 job losses by nestle. time for a look at the weather with staff.

so very much needed rainfall falling through southern parts of the country through today thanks to an area of low pressure, which has been spreading southwards across the uk the last couple of days. today is a mixture of showery rain in the south, thanks to this weather front, but some sunshine, the best of that across more northern parts of the uk, but even here we have some showers, wintry over the high ground. the cloud and rain begins to clear away from the south this evening, a bit of a hang back across east anglia and the south—east. further north, clear spells and showers, wintry over the high ground, and more frost around to greet us on thursday morning. but it's going to be bright, with plenty of sunshine around. we lose the cloud and rain from the south—east will top showers will be getting going and some could be heavy with some hail and thunder, wintry over the higher ground in the north. a chilly feel to things in that brisk north—east breeze, north—east areas that could see highs of around 12 or 13 celsius in the south.

hello. this is bbc news. the headlines — the electoral commission launches a formal investigation into the funding of the refurbishment of boris johnson's downing street flat. the watchdog says there are reasonable grounds to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred. the prime minister told mps he paid "personally" for the work. a country in crisis — india records more than 200,000 deaths with coronavirus — but the real figure could be much higher. 0ne dose of the oxford/astrazeneca or pfizer vaccine halves the likelihood of a person who gets coronavirus passing it on. the bafta tv nominations have been announced. sir steve mcqueen's bbc drama small axe leads the way — with 15 nominations. sport now, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's . sarah.

good afternoon. it will be more than a month before we know whether any spectators will be allowed at the tokyo 0lympics this summer. no overseas fans are allowed but it's hoped some home fans will be able to attend. the ioc have released details today of protocols athletes will have to abide by at the games, including daily testing — but have delayed a decision about allowing people in to watch events. there are more specific details on rules and guidelines to ensure that health and safety, and they can give confidence and they show how diligentlyjapan is confidence and they show how diligently japan is protecting confidence and they show how diligentlyjapan is protecting its population, and is protecting also the participants of the games. george north will miss the british and irish lions tour of south africa in the summer with a serious knee injury. the wales winger, who won his 100th cap, during this years victory in the six nations, had been expected to feature

in warren gatland's squad. it would have been a third lions tour for north after he was part of the squad in australia in 2013 and new zealand four years later. this morning, north tweeted, "sport can be cruel. we all know the risks when we take the field. unfortunately i ruptured my acl on saturday and will need surgery next week. heartbroken is an understatement". cricket will join football's social media boycott this weekend to tackle abuse and discrimination. in a statement, they say �*cricket stands with football'. the england and wales cricket board, first class counties, the women's regional teams and the professional cricketers' association will all take part in staying off platforms from 3pm on friday for four days. after chelsea and real madrid kicked things off in spain with a 1—1 draw in the first leg of their champions league semi—final, manchester city are at thomas tuchel�*s old club

paris saint germain for the second semi later today. the french club are now run by former tottenham manager mauricio pochettino, who took over at the end of last year, and knows city very well. i think manchester city is one of the greatest teams in the world, and i the greatest teams in the world, and ilhink. _ the greatest teams in the world, and ilhink. for— the greatest teams in the world, and i think, for me, with the best coach. — i think, for me, with the best coach. and _ i think, for me, with the best coach, and of course it is going to be tough — when you arrive at this stage, there is only— when you arrive at this stage, there is only one — when you arrive at this stage, there is only one thing _ when you arrive at this stage, there is only one thing you _ when you arrive at this stage, there is only one thing you can _ when you arrive at this stage, there is only one thing you can do - when you arrive at this stage, there is only one thing you can do is - is only one thing you can do is enjoy— is only one thing you can do is enjoy the _ is only one thing you can do is enjoy the game. _ is only one thing you can do is enjoy the game, and - is only one thing you can do is enjoy the game, and enjoy- is only one thing you can do is - enjoy the game, and enjoy bringing the responsibility, _ enjoy the game, and enjoy bringing the responsibility, the _ enjoy the game, and enjoy bringing the responsibility, the pressure. i the responsibility, the pressure. enjoy— the responsibility, the pressure. enjoy the — the responsibility, the pressure. enjoy the pressure, _ the responsibility, the pressure. enjoy the pressure, enjoy - the responsibility, the pressure. enjoy the pressure, enjoy the i enjoy the pressure, enjoy the responsibility, _ enjoy the pressure, enjoy the responsibility, in— enjoy the pressure, enjoy the responsibility, in the - enjoy the pressure, enjoy the responsibility, in the enjoy i enjoy the pressure, enjoy the i responsibility, in the enjoy the fact that — responsibility, in the enjoy the fact that maybe _ responsibility, in the enjoy the fact that maybe you _ responsibility, in the enjoy the fact that maybe you are - responsibility, in the enjoy the fact that maybe you are not i responsibility, in the enjoy the i fact that maybe you are not living more _ fact that maybe you are not living more this — fact that maybe you are not living more this kind _ fact that maybe you are not living more this kind of— fact that maybe you are not living more this kind of situation. i fact that maybe you are not living more this kind of situation. that. fact that maybe you are not living | more this kind of situation. that is the elite _ more this kind of situation. that is the elite and — more this kind of situation. that is the elite and the _ more this kind of situation. that is the elite and the top _ more this kind of situation. that is the elite and the top players i more this kind of situation. that is the elite and the top players enjoyj the elite and the top players enjoy these _ the elite and the top players enjoy these situations— the elite and the top players enjoy these situations because - the elite and the top players enjoy these situations because they- the elite and the top players enjoy| these situations because they take responsibility _ commentary is on five live,

the build up starts at seven o'clock with mark chapman. kick off is at eight o'clock. kyren wilson was the first player through to the semi—finals of the world snooker championship. wilson was the runner—up last year and knocked out former champion neil robertson. they were 8—8 overnight but wilson won the first five frames of the day to end the australian's hopes of another title. and mark selby is also in the final four. he started the day 6—2 ahead of anotherformer world champion mark williams and lostjust one more frame, winning13—3. the action is just getting undwerway this afternoon. judd trump and shaun murphy were tied at 4—4 going into this session. anthony mcgill led stuart bingham 9—7 overnight. that's live on the bbc sport website. that's all the sport for now.

next thursday, people in many parts of england will get the chance to elect their local councillors, who are responsible for running services such as schools and bin collections. 0n the same day there will be a by—election to elect a new mp in the uk constituency of hartlepool. victoria derbyshire is spending the day there for us, but first she's been taking a closer look at the demographics of the town. just over 90,000 people live in hartlepool, and it's a town that has had a labour mp since the seat was created in 1974. hartlepool is one of the most deprived areas in the country. over 33% of children in the town are eligible for free school meals. average earnings in hartlepool are 7% lower than the national average. life expectancy is also below the national average, and the hartlepool by—election will be a key focus on may the 6th,

and it's an election that could test political ties and potentially send shock waves far beyond the town's boundaries. and we can cross to victoria now. good afternoon. today we have spoken to the labour candidate, who wants to the labour candidate, who wants to be the next labour mp for hartlepool. we will talk to the greens and lib dems a little later. the conservative candidate unfortunately said she was not available for an interview. we will talk mount to a man called john prescott, not thatjohn prescott. he is the reform uk candidate. reform uk, for those who don't know, there are plenty who don't know it, we just met a voter actually who voted for the brexit party in 2019 i didn't realise that reform uk is the old brexit party. good evening to you, mr prescott. you probably wish you'd worn your big coat, don't you? i do, it is rather cold.— i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the

brexit party _ i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the brexit party got _ i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the brexit party got 2696 _ i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the brexit party got 2696 of - i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the brexit party got 2696 of the - i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the| brexit party got 2696 of the vote i do, it is rather cold. 2019, the i brexit party got 2696 of the vote and brexit party got 26% of the vote and came third in hartlepool. a poll of polls last week put you at 2%. is there any appetite for your party any more?— there any appetite for your party an more? ~ , , any more? absolutely. i never trust olls any more? absolutely. i never trust polls anyway _ any more? absolutely. i never trust polls anyway because _ any more? absolutely. i never trust polls anyway because they - any more? absolutely. i never trust polls anyway because they are i any more? absolutely. i never trust polls anyway because they are just. polls anyway because they are just small samples, like the daily mail one had us down as 1%. out of that poll there were ex party voters. but brexit is done. we don't need you any more. brexit is done. we don't need you an more. ., brexit is done. we don't need you any more-— brexit is done. we don't need you an more. ., ., , ., any more. you say that but on the doorstep it — any more. you say that but on the doorstep it is _ any more. you say that but on the doorstep it is a — any more. you say that but on the doorstep it is a matter _ any more. you say that but on the doorstep it is a matter of - any more. you say that but on the doorstep it is a matter of trust, i any more. you say that but on the j doorstep it is a matter of trust, so when the labour party candidate for example, who is a complete remainer, it puts people off, because he was a remainer and this is a 70% leave town, so it still lives in people's memories and it does matter when it comes to choosing the candidate. so what are you promising to do for the people of hartlepool if you were to become their next mp? first people of hartlepool if you were to become their next mp?— people of hartlepool if you were to become their next mp? first of all i would ut become their next mp? first of all i would put hartlepool _ become their next mp? first of all i would put hartlepoolfirst. - become their next mp? first of all i would put hartlepool first. we i become their next mp? first of all i j would put hartlepoolfirst. we need would put hartlepool first. we need to reject the sleaze and cronyism of

the two main parties and what i am offering is a real alternative to that. . . . , offering is a real alternative to that. . , . , ., that. that is what every candidate sa s. we that. that is what every candidate says- we will _ that. that is what every candidate says. we will put _ that. that is what every candidate says. we will put hartlepool i that. that is what every candidate says. we will put hartlepool firstl says. we will put hartlepool first and we are offering the real alternative. i and we are offering the real alternative.— and we are offering the real alternative. ~ ., , ., alternative. i know, but we are offerin: alternative. i know, but we are offering policy _ alternative. i know, but we are offering policy that _ alternative. i know, but we are offering policy that will - alternative. i know, but we are offering policy that will help i alternative. i know, but we are | offering policy that will help the least well off. so we want to increase income tax threshold to 20,000. 50 increase income tax threshold to 20,000. ,., increase income tax threshold to 20,000. ., �* 20,000. so you wouldn't pay income tax until you — 20,000. so you wouldn't pay income tax until you reach _ 20,000. so you wouldn't pay income tax until you reach £20,000 - 20,000. so you wouldn't pay income tax until you reach £20,000 at i 20,000. so you wouldn't pay income tax until you reach £20,000 at the l tax until you reach £20,000 at the moment it is 12,500. 50 tax until you reach £20,000 at the moment it is 12,500.— tax until you reach £20,000 at the moment it is 12,500. so that would ut moment it is 12,500. so that would - ut £1500 moment it is 12,500. so that would put £1500 back _ moment it is 12,500. so that would put £1500 back into _ moment it is 12,500. so that would put £1500 back into the _ moment it is 12,500. so that would put £1500 back into the pockets i moment it is 12,500. so that would put £1500 back into the pockets of| put £1500 back into the pockets of someone earning £20,000. bearing in mind this town, 87% of the housing is in band a. that gives you an example of the demographic in hartlepool, so these policies will resonate with people. we've got the 5% tax the energy bills, we want to slash vat on that, but we want to help small businesses mainly that employed two thirds of their worker

population in the uk by scrapping business rates altogether for small and medium—size businesses. business rates altogether for small and medium-size businesses. looking at our and medium-size businesses. looking at your website. _ and medium-size businesses. looking at your website, the _ and medium-size businesses. looking at your website, the reform _ and medium-size businesses. looking at your website, the reform uk i at your website, the reform uk website, you would slash masses of taxes. it looks like it is £48 billion worth of taxes every year. there is 8% unemployment in hartlepool, way above the gb rate, which is 5%, so what would you do for the very, very poorest people, those that don't have a job? it is those that don't have a “ob? it is very important h those that don't have a “ob? it is very important we i those that don't have a job? it 3 very important we create... teesside has a lot of very skilled people. we need to bring back industry that brings back well—paid skilled jobs. you do that by getting investment and working alongside the tees valley mayor and hartlepool council, working together in tandem, putting party politics aside to do what's best for hartlepool and put that fair share of investment. that will

create opportunities but i also want to help young people as well, in terms of coming through schools and universities, and create a much more entrepreneurial spirit, getting them to compete against each other locally. i would love to do that scheme where you put them in front of panels and they have a chance to get some real investment. fine of panels and they have a chance to get some real investment. one final tuestion, get some real investment. one final question. the _ get some real investment. one final question, the electoral _ get some real investment. one final question, the electoral commission | question, the electoral commission has today said that regarding the refurbishment of that downing street flat, they are satisfied there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred and they will continue investigating how it was initially paid for before the prime minister met the custom cell. if it is found the prime minister has committed an electoral offence, what should happen? he electoral offence, what should ha- ten? , ., , , happen? he should resign, it is clear cut really, _ happen? he should resign, it is clear cut really, if _ happen? he should resign, it is clear cut really, if you - happen? he should resign, it is clear cut really, if you break i happen? he should resign, it is| clear cut really, if you break the rules cover that said, over, i think. ., ~ , ., , . think. right, thank you very much

for talkint think. right, thank you very much for talking to _ think. right, thank you very much for talking to us, _ think. right, thank you very much for talking to us, thanks _ think. right, thank you very much for talking to us, thanks for i think. right, thank you very much. for talking to us, thanks for coming down, we appreciate it, john prescott, who has heard all the jokes i haven't even attempted to make one gag about his name. he is the reform uk candidate. as i said a little later, will talk to the greens, the lib dems and more voters. the sun is out, do not be forwarded to still absolutely freezing, and even though 99s are only a quid it isjust freezing, and even though 99s are only a quid it is just too cold to have them. studio: you look like you're in your element, it looks beautiful. i you're in your element, it looks beautiful. ., ., you're in your element, it looks beautiful-— you're in your element, it looks beautiful. ., ., , , ., beautiful. i got about six layers on and ti t hts beautiful. i got about six layers on and tights under _ beautiful. i got about six layers on and tights under my _ beautiful. i got about six layers on and tights under my trousers i beautiful. i got about six layers on and tights under my trousers as i and tights under my trousers as well. . ., ., .,. well. overcome of the aching glamour- _ well. overcome of the aching glamour. like _ well. overcome of the aching glamour. like you. _ like you. you can find the full list of candidates standing in the hartlepool by—election on our website. the wales football manager, ryan giggs, has appeared in court to plead not guilty to assaulting two women. the former manchester united player also denied accusations of coercive or controlling behaviour. our sports editor, dan roan is in manchester and has the latest. well, wearing a dark suit and tie,

ryan giggs arrived here for his first court appearance, one of the most decorated players of course in british football history, flanked by two of his lawyers. inside, in a short court appearance lasting just 30 minutes, he spoke only to confirm his name, age and address and to plead not guilty to three charges of domestic abuse, including that he allegedly assaulted his former girlfriend kate greville in november of last year at his home in the west of manchester, along with her younger sister, and that he subjected his ex partner to coercive behaviour over a three—year period. for the prosecution, it was said that he subjected her to a head—butt and he used violence, isolation, bullet going, degradation and abuse. giggs was granted bail and will appear in front of manchester crown

court on may 26 in a trial it is expected to lastjust under three weeks. it's emerged a woman found dead in woodland in kent yesterday afternoon was a serving police community support officer. police are treating the death of 53—year—old julia james as suspicious, but no arrests have yet been made. 0ur correspondent simonjones is in snowdown, near dover. simon, tell us more about this investigation.— simon, tell us more about this investitation. ~ . ., investigation. well, the police now have the difficult _ investigation. well, the police now have the difficult task _ investigation. well, the police now have the difficult task of _ have the difficult task of investigating the death of one of their own officers, pcso julia james was 53 years old. her body was found yesterday afternoon, just after four o'clock, in woodland down the road

here. now, the police say they are currently trying to ascertain the circumstances of the death, but they are treating it as suspicious. they haven't made any arrests, but there are a lot of police officers in the area. they have been carrying out door—to—door inquiries, trying to get more information as to what might have happened. they are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything unusual or suspicious in this area on monday or tuesday to come forward, particularly anyone who might have any sort of dash cam footage, and they are asking people here to be vigilant. now, i have been speaking to some of the local people. there was one man who told me that he used to get into trouble when he was much younger with the police, but he said the police community support officer was always reasonable with him and he was very shocked at the news of the death. that sense of shock very much shared by neighbours here who saw the police opportunity cache activity yesterday, a lot of the police officers combing the woodland around here, so the police now determined

to find answers as to what exactly went on here. to find answers as to what exactly went on here-— to find answers as to what exactly went on here. ., ., ., ., went on here. simon, for the moment, thank ou went on here. simon, for the moment, thank you very — went on here. simon, for the moment, thank you very much, _ went on here. simon, for the moment, thank you very much, simon _ went on here. simon, for the moment, thank you very much, simon jones i went on here. simon, for the moment, thank you very much, simon jones in l thank you very much, simonjones in kent. so—called self—driving cars could be allowed to operate on uk roads by the end of the year. the department for transport says the first type to be legalised will be "automated lane—keeping systems". let's speak now to mike hawes — who's chief executive of the society of motor manufacturers and traders. mike, welcome. what do we mean, really, by self driving cars? i mean, how much more automated are they than the cruise control that you get on some vehicles already? yes, this is if you like the next generation. what it will enable you to do, when you are on a motorway in low speeds, less than 38 mph, in other words stop start congested traffic, what will happen is that the car will say do you want to enact this system? if you say yes, it will allow you to take your hands off the steering wheel come your

feet off the pedals, and do something else. however, you still have to be ready to intervene. you will be given about a ten second morning, should the circumstances change, the congestion will ease a new drive away and so forth. so it is about taking some of that stress away from some of the worst types of driving experiences, you know, when you are stuck on the m25 or the m6 at rush hour and so forth. so we think it will increase the concentration that drivers can have at other times. but concentration that drivers can have at other times.— concentration that drivers can have at other times. but how much do you need to be concentrating _ at other times. but how much do you need to be concentrating and - need to be concentrating and anticipating the car sort of handing control back to you? for example, would you be ok to be looking at your phone for example, which we know is against the law?— your phone for example, which we know is against the law? yeah, the rules and regulations _ know is against the law? yeah, the rules and regulations around i know is against the law? yeah, the j rules and regulations around phone use are very clear, that you shouldn't be using your phone when driving. howeverwhat shouldn't be using your phone when driving. however what this for the first time will allow is if your phone is tethered, linked to the

dashboard, because this is the system which will take over control of the car for a period system which will take over control of the carfor a period of system which will take over control of the car for a period of time and those certain circumstances, you will be able to look at something on the dashboard, whether that is a movie or e—mail or something, because the car is in control for that period. however because you must remain in the driving seat, there will be monitoring going on of you to make sure someone is there and alert so you won't be able to fall asleep, and you have to be sure when you are given that notification, and there will be visual warnings, potentially some haptic touch warnings, that you can basically take control of the car. why do we need these? what use is this technology going to be in a wider sense, this technology going to be in a widersense, because this technology going to be in a wider sense, because there are risks still involved, we know there have been accidents in other parts of the world when these vehicles are in use? ., . , , _ , , use? no vehicles with these systems are et in use? no vehicles with these systems are yet in use- _ use? no vehicles with these systems are yet in use. we _ use? no vehicles with these systems are yet in use. we won't _ use? no vehicles with these systems are yet in use. we won't see - use? no vehicles with these systems are yet in use. we won't see the i are yet in use. we won't see the

first vehicle on the road probably until the end of the year, possibly into next year. we have something like 47,000 accidents a year, far too many deaths. a lot of those accidents are rear end shunt is. so this is like a significant next step in technology. ultimately, we want to get to a state where there are zero accidents, and 90% of accidents are actually caused by human error. if you can replace that human error by a sure technical solution, which in these limited circumstances it is another step to improving road safety. the uk really has some of the most safe roads in the world. this will make them even safer. thank you forjoining us. nestle is planning hundreds ofjob cuts and closing its confectionary factory near newcastle. let's speak now to business reporter alice baxter. quite a few hundred jobs, by the siam is a —— micro by the sounds of

it, alice? siam is a -- micro by the sounds of it, alice? . siam is a -- micro by the sounds of it, alice? , ., , , it, alice? yes, absolutely right. disappointing — it, alice? yes, absolutely right. disappointing news, _ it, alice? yes, absolutely right. | disappointing news, devastating it, alice? yes, absolutely right. i disappointing news, devastating news for the hundreds of nestle employers affected by this announcement from the swiss companyjust in the last hour. hundreds ofjob cuts due to take place and the closure of its uk factory, the firm saying its plans are intended to support its long—term success in an increasingly competitive sphere. the news wire that the company sent out today, saying that the proposals to its work this afternoon means picking closure of its confectionery factory near newcastle, with the loss of 475 jobs. they say it is part of a restructuring of confectionery in the uk, which will see the products produced here moved to other sites in york and in halifax. they say that 98% -- in york and in halifax. they say that 98% —— they say that 98 more jobs are being cut in york, which pushes the total closer to 600.

faldum currently produces 15 brands including much loved brand such as fruit pastels, matchmakers and rollers. the plan is to close the site by the end of 2023 —— including rolos. there will be an investment of £24.9 million in york and halifax, the proposal meaning a total of 573job halifax, the proposal meaning a total of 573 job cuts. so just shy of the 600 number. of course union representatives have already come out in force, describing this announcement as sickening, and that lives were being ruined in a ruthless pursuit of profits. that of course in reaction to this news that the swiss confectionery giant nestle are planning to cutjust shy of 600 jobs in this huge restructuring. thank you, alice baxter. as the pandemic and lockdowns forced many of us to spend hours at home,

we turned to the tv in our millions — so many of us will be very familiar with this year's nominations for the bafta television awards. bbc 0ne's "small axe" leads the field with 15 nominations, and the netflix drama the crown has ten. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba reports. enough is enough! there's been significant campaigning in recent years for award ceremonies to better represent the uk's diverse communities. and oscar winner steve mcqueen's impactful series small axe, about the experiences of west indian immigrants, with its predominantly black cast, leads the way with 15 nominations. those recognised include actress letitia wright and actorjohn boyega. you are silent now. why didn't you back me? i am out there on the field with no back—up! 2020 was the year of lockdown, and viewing figures for streaming services increased, meaning even bigger audiences surged to shows like netflix's royal drama the crown. its ten nominations include

roles for best actor forjosh 0'connor�*s prince of wales. a few years ago now, i i was visiting her sister. diana was still quite young then. tobias menzies's prince philip and helena bonham carter's princess margaret. like small axe, drama i may destroy you has a predominantly black cast. it's creator, michaela coel, has three nominations for starring, directing and writing. i had a not great experience. a drug—facilitated sexual assault and i was trying to get back on track. her co—stars weruche 0pia and paapa essiedu have also received acting nominations. lockdown meant that audiences that may never have seen it otherwise raved about normal people. the relationship drama has seven nominations, two of those going to its two stars. i think it's pretty obvious i don't want you to leave. i don't find it _ obvious what you want. daisy edgar—jones and paul mescal.

there was also a posthumous nomination for friday night dinner�*s paul ritter. he died earlier this month, before his nomination for best male comedy actor was announced. lizo mzimba, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. some very much needed rainfall falling through southern parts of the country through today thanks to an area of low pressure, which has been spreading southwards across the uk the last couple of days. today is a mixture of showery rain in the south, thanks to this weather front, but some sunshine, the best of that across more northern parts of the uk, but even here we have some showers, wintry over the high ground. the cloud and rain begins to clear away from the south this evening, and overnight, could see a bit of a hang back across east anglia and the south—east. further north, clear spells and showers, wintry over the high ground, and more frost around to greet us on thursday morning. but it's going to be bright,

with plenty of sunshine around. we lose the cloud and rain from the south—east. showers will be getting going and some could be heavy with some hail and thunder, wintry over the higher ground in the north. a chilly feel to things in that brisk north—east breeze, north and east areas could see highs of around 12 or 13 celsius in the south.

hall oxall. this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 3pm... the electoral commission launches a formal investigation into the funding of the refurbishment of boris johnson's downing street flat. are you worried about _ the investigation, prime minister? the watchdog says there are reasonable grounds to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred. at pmqs labour went on the attack... don't the british people deserve a prime minister they can trust and a government that is not mired in sleaze, cronyism and scandal? he should know that i paid for the downing street refurbishment personally, mr speaker, and i contrast it any further declaration that i will have to make, ifany, i will be advised upon.

a country in chaos — india's official covid death toll passes 200,000 — but the real number is almost certainly much higher. 0ne dose of the oxford/astrazeneca or pfizer vaccine halves the likelihood of a person who gets coronavirus passing it on. the bafta tv nominations unveiled — sir steve mcqueen's bbc drama small axe leads the way, with 15 nominations and coming up — how self—driving vehicles could be allowed on uk roads by the end of this year. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. a formal investigation has been launched into the funding of borisjohnson's downing street flat refurbishments by the electoral commission.

the watchdog announced it was "satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred". mrjohnson came under sustained pressure from the labour leader during prime ministers questions about whether he'd initially borrowed the money. the prime minister said again he had covered costs but has asked the new adviser on ministers interests to advise on whether any further statements are needed. 0ur political correspondent iain watson reports. dominic cummings lit the political fuse. the prime minister's former adviser accused his old boss of planning to ask conservative donors to pay for refurbishing the downing street flat. he said this would have been unethical and possibly illegal. today, the party political watchdog, the electoral commission, announced a formal inquiry into the funding of the flat, saying it was satisfied "there are reasonable grounds "to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred." are you worried about _ the investigation, prime minister? it's not the backdrop to pmqs that ideally borisjohnson would have wanted.

unsurprisingly, the labour leader asked the prime minister about the electoral commission investigation. it's incredibly serious. can the prime minister tell the house, does he believe that any rules or laws have been broken in relation to the refurbishment of the prime minister's flat? prime minister. no, idon't, mr speaker. keir starmer wanted to explore whether there was a potential conflict of interest, had borisjohnson initially paid for works to the flat or was it someone else? either the taxpayer paid the initial invoice, or it was the conservative party, or it was a private donor, or it was the prime minister. i'm making it easy for the prime minister, it's now multiple—choice. the answer is, i have covered the costs and most people will find it absolutely bizarre... of course, there is an electoral commission investigating this. i can tell him i have conformed in full with the code of conduct.

don't the british people deserve a prime minister they can trust and a government that isn't mired in sleaze, cronyism and scandal? week after week, the people of this country can see the difference between a labour party that twists and turns with the wind, that thinks of nothing except playing political games... the snp focused on borisjohnson's denial of reports that he'd said last autumn that he was willing to see bodies pile high rather than go into further lockdowns. parlimentary rules stop me from saying that the prime minister has repeatedly lied to the public over the last week. but can i ask the question, are you a liar, prime minister? i didn't say those words. what i do believe is that a lockdown is a miserable thing and i did everything i could to try to protect the british public throughout the pandemic, to protect them from lockdowns, but also to protect them from disease.

this is lord geidt the new adviser of ministerial standards, a former parliamentary secretary to the queen, and borisjohnson will take his advice on when anything further needs to be said about the flat. ever since the allegations were made, number ten has insisted no codes of conduct have been breached and no electoral laws broken, but the timing of the electoral commission investigation is farfrom ideal, potentially distracting the conservatives from campaign messages they would prefer to be talking about ahead of crucial elections next week. and the government will need to do more if it is to reclaim the agenda. iain watson, bbc news. let's speak to the deputy political editor of the telegraph, lucy fisher. you were gripped by the prime minister's questions today, what did you make of it? i minister's questions today, what did you make of it?— you make of it? i have rarely seen the prime — you make of it? i have rarely seen the prime minister _ you make of it? i have rarely seen the prime minister quite - you make of it? i have rarely seen the prime minister quite so i you make of it? i have rarely seen. the prime minister quite so rattled, and angry as he appeared at the dispatch box, in the commons today, and it marked the culmination of what has been a month now of onslaught on downing street with the

politically and personally for the prime minister —— both politically and personally. firstly over the refurbishment of the downing street flat and the timing of the announcement that the electoral commission is now investigating it because it has reasonable grounds to suspect a offence has taken place, that was extraordinary timing, just before the weekly showdown with keir starmer, the labour leader, and of course the other area which is under intense pressure, is over the suggestion that he made this course remark about letting the body —— bodies pile high rather than go into another lockdown last autumn. do you think he has — another lockdown last autumn. do you think he has answered _ another lockdown last autumn. do you think he has answered the _ another lockdown last autumn. do you think he has answered the question i think he has answered the question is adequately based on the performance today? around the refurbishment _ performance today? around the refurbishment of _ performance today? around the refurbishment of his _ performance today? around the refurbishment of his flat, i performance today? around the refurbishment of his flat, there | performance today? around the i refurbishment of his flat, there are

still questions that need answering. keir starmer asked him thursday whether lord brownlow, conservative party donor, had made a donation, that in any way had functioned in the payment initially of the renovation of the flat. boris johnson did not answer that directly but he said that he had personally paid for the costs. not going into whether that had always been the case. keir starmerstuck whether that had always been the case. keir starmer stuck on the subject and again asked the question, who paid the initial invoices? regardless of the prime list now picking up the bill, who paid the invoices initially, and again there was not a direct answer —— the prime minister now picking up the bill. so until he answers directly, this will rumble on. this is atainst directly, this will rumble on. this is against the _ directly, this will rumble on. this is against the backdrop of the leaked text messages betweenjames dyson and the prime minister, raising questions that it is who you

know and not what you know, and these contracts which are landed and which cost the taxpayer a lot of money, those questions are still so collating. money, those questions are still so collatint. . ., money, those questions are still so collatin.. , ., ., ., collating. yes, that was another issue raised _ collating. yes, that was another issue raised in _ collating. yes, that was another issue raised in the _ collating. yes, that was another issue raised in the commons i collating. yes, that was another i issue raised in the commons today. the prime minister says he will publish his correspondence with james dyson and of course today in the daily telegraph james james dyson and of course today in the daily telegraphjames dyson, one of the best—known inventors in britain, he fought back against the bbc because the bbc initially broke the story, arguing the characterisation of him as a conservative donor and friend of the conservatives was not correct. but yes, you are right, the ongoing question that began with the row over greensill and the collapsed lender for which over greensill and the collapsed lenderfor which david cameron lender for which david cameron worked, lenderfor which david cameron worked, that argument and those questions about the interface between the private sector and whitehall are not going to go away anytime soon. whitehall are not going to go away anytime soon-— whitehall are not going to go away an ime soon. , ., ,., anytime soon. opposition parties are kee-tin u- anytime soon. opposition parties are keeping up the _ anytime soon. opposition parties are keeping up the pressure _ anytime soon. opposition parties are keeping up the pressure on - anytime soon. opposition parties are keeping up the pressure on the i anytime soon. opposition parties are| keeping up the pressure on the prime minister to be transparent and to

answer questions that he seems to have sidestepped in their view for quite some time. how damaging is this to the prime minister in terms of whether he will hang on or be forced out? i of whether he will hang on or be forced out?— forced out? i don't think we're anywhere _ forced out? i don't think we're anywhere near _ forced out? i don't think we're anywhere near him _ forced out? i don't think we're anywhere near him being i forced out? i don't think we're i anywhere near him being forced forced out? i don't think we're - anywhere near him being forced out, to put this into perspective. clearly he has been feeling the heat and he was rattled today, and after he left the commons he went to the tea room in the house of commons and clearly wanted to take the temperature from some of his backbenchers. he gauge their mood to see how frustrated they might be, and no doubt hearfrom see how frustrated they might be, and no doubt hear from them what they are hearing from their constituents ahead of next thursday, the super thursday elections, which this row will really be tested, how much public cut through it is hard. that said, the prime minister has a huge majority of 80 seats and i don't think we are seeing him anywhere near to stepping down but he is clearly under pressure and as you say the opposition parties have

really got stuck in and will be wanting to make the most of it before those elections next week. lucy fisher, deputy political editor at the daily telegraph, thank you. the number of coronavirus deaths in india has leapt to over 200,000 — with parts of the country devastated by a second surge of the disease. there's a continuing acute shortage of oyxgen — along with desperately overcrowded hospitals. in some cases, people are dying while waiting for beds. experts believe the real number of infections and deaths is much higher than official figures show. the government, which is coming in for increasingly bitter criticism for its handling of the second wave, is now considering lockdowns in 150 of the worst—hit districts. 0ur correspondent yogita limaye has spent the day with one nurse at a hospital in delhi. years of training. but nothing could have prepared them for this. manjusha mathew — a nurse and the mother

of three young children. a new patient is brought in. seema! oxygen mask... she's constantly scanning how others are holding up... ..treating as many as they can. translation: people say, "sister, please save our loved one." - they call us "god." that makes us so emotional because we can only do so much. with resources so short, they're having to choose who they might save — decisions they should never have had to make.

translation: at times we break down. some nights i wake up crying. but i also feel a sense of satisfaction that i'm doing something to help. this is a hospital in a big city, and out of reach for most indians. the situation at this point is so difficult that all the people who work here, everyone who's exposing themselves to risk on a daily basis, knows that if they or their families were to get sick, even they would struggle to find the right medical care. in a city overrun, it's hard to leave the trauma behind. the risks follow you home, too. manjusha's children know not to hug her when she'sjust back from hospital... ..but they're too young to fully understand what their mother does — her front line role at one

of the most grim times in india's history. so, why is this second wave of coronavirus in india quite so devastating? our global science correspondent rebecca morelle considers now the covid—i9 variants which have risen to such deadly prominence. the death toll keeps on rising, as india struggles to cope with its covid crisis. but how did they get to this point, and are variants behind the surge in cases? since april, india has reported 5 million covid infections. each day is bringing record numbers. are changes to the virus causing this explosive growth? or people's behaviour? it's always a combination of things. the increase in social mixing that's happened over the last several months, the sort of dropping of the guard of people, thinking that they can go back to being normal, as well as potentially the variants that have emerged.

so, how is the virus mutating and what do we know about the variants? the picture is different in different parts of the country. in delhi and punjab, the uk variant is dominant. it has a mutation to the spike of the virus that allows it to enter cells more easily, so it can infect more people. but in maharashtra and west bengal, a new indian variant has emerged. it has two key mutations. lab studies suggest it's slightly more infectious, but less so than the uk variant. but the changes may mean that antibodies find it harder to block the virus. scientists need to assess how much immunity is lost. it probably means the virus is a bit less well able to be neutralised by vaccines, but certainly i don't think there's any evidence that it's an escape mutation or that it fundamentally can't be stopped by the vaccines. and i think we have to obviously watch carefully but there

is at present no reason to panic about it. so, is this only affecting india? what does it mean for the rest of the world? the priority now is to get medical care to the sickest, but there is also an urgent need to reduce transmission because if the virus is out of control in one country, it's likely to spread to others. and these are ideal conditions for the virus to evolve. the way to limit viral variants emerging in the first place i is to prevent the virus replicating in us. - that's when they get the chance for the mutations to arise. - so the best way to control variants is actually to control the global- amount of disease that we have at the moment. _ globally, the pandemic shows no sign of easing. the world health organisation says vaccines are vital, but until they are available everywhere, this is a bleak reminder that no one is safe until we are all safe. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

how serious is the crisis in india? our reality check correspondent, who also used to be our india correspondent, chris morris is here. a country that you know very well. talk us through the numbers? the? talk us through the numbers? they are horrifying. _ talk us through the numbers? tue are horrifying, frankly. talk us through the numbers? tte are horrifying, frankly. last talk us through the numbers? tte1: are horrifying, frankly. last year india locked down very hard but they did not do that this year, we had better rallies and the biggest religious festival in the world, and we are seeing the result of some of that, sadly. if we look at the data, on the right—hand side of the graph, they have skyrocketed, 330,000 on average as of yesterday, and we know in the past 2a are as they have been another 360,000 new cases, so that graph is heading in one direction, going upwards. sadly, you won't be surprised to hear, the shape of the graph is very much reflected when

you look at the deaths, and these are just the deaths which have been reported, and we are pretty sure, that there are far more deaths than have been officially reported. the seven day average until yesterday, 2480 people dying on average per day. the last 24 hours, nearly 3300 people died, so the numbers are horrible. one thing we should say, india is a big place and if you look at it per capita compared to here and compared to the united states, it is still way below that, but it is the potential for this to spread and spread and spread in a country which is home to one in six of the world population.— world population. always worth remembering — world population. always worth remembering the _ world population. always worth remembering the death - world population. always worth remembering the death rate i world population. always worth . remembering the death rate figure for each of those thousands and thousands of deaths, it's a terrible tragedy for those concerned. what is the picture across the country? are there regional variations? it is there regional variations? it is - re there regional variations? it is pretty bad _ there regional variations? it is pretty bad across _ there regionalvariations? tt 3 pretty bad across the country and a lot of the reporting has been from delhi and mumbai, the big cities,

and we can see on the map, the state in which mumbai is situated, more than 64,000 deaths as of a couple of days ago, delhi with more than 14,000, but in every state you see a sharp rise in numbers. people have to remember, when you look at a map in the world india looks pretty small but its population is four times that of the united states, a huge place and that is one of the challenges. if we look at delhi we can show you the scale of the challenge, if you like. this is the number of covid patients in hospital in delhi and if you look at the last couple of weeks, from the 10th of april until the 26th of april, the number of patients has been going up by a thousand patients a day and that number, around 20,000 patients in hospital, that isjust short that number, around 20,000 patients in hospital, that is just short of the very worst day we had here nationwide, just in one city, it is a big city, but nevertheless it shows just how many cases are happening and the struggle to

control it. �* , , ., , control it. and why the hospitals are under so _ control it. and why the hospitals are under so much _ control it. and why the hospitals are under so much strain, - control it. and why the hospitals are under so much strain, so - control it. and why the hospitals i are under so much strain, so what does india need? they can't do this on their own. we does india need? they can't do this on their own-— on their own. we saw in northern ital and on their own. we saw in northern italy and other _ on their own. we saw in northern italy and other places, _ on their own. we saw in northern italy and other places, the - on their own. we saw in northern i italy and other places, the tsunami of challenges which hits any health system, and it needs beds, i see you units are full but what it needs most of all, we can show you a map with illustration of that, oxygen. the coloured countries are those of low and medium income countries and the darker the colour of the country the darker the colour of the country the more oxygen they need. the darkest country is india, sadly. i3 darkest country is india, sadly. 13 million cubic oxygen metres per day, which is a lot of oxygen. 1 million cubic oxygen metres per day, which is a lot of oxygen.— which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imaaine which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imagine how — which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imagine how much _ which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imagine how much that - which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imagine how much that is. - which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imagine how much that is. it . which is a lot of oxygen. i can't imagine how much that is. it is which is a lot of oxygen. i can't i imagine how much that is. it is a lot. in normal— imagine how much that is. it is a lot. in normaltime _ imagine how much that is. it is a lot. in normaltime is— imagine how much that is. it is a lot. in normaltime is 1596 - imagine how much that is. it is a lot. in normal time is 1596 of - imagine how much that is. it is a lot. in normal time is 1596 of the | lot. in normal time is 15% of the oxygen supply is used in medical supplies but a lot of it is used otherwise in industrial areas, and a

lot of that industrial use has been moved to medical areas but there is still not enough to go round, and we know the government is building new oxygen plants but that will take time. countries including the uk are starting to send in help, we have sentin starting to send in help, we have sent in ventilators and oxygen concentrators which means you suck the oxygen out of the surrounding air to create the equivalent of an oxygen tank. even what is being sent with all the goodwill around the world, and the south asian communities here in the uk and elsewhere, it is not enough, it feels like a drop in the ocean on the ground and that is the challenge in india, it is always the size of the country. 1.4 billion people and coming to terms with the way covid can spread so rapidly in a country of that size is a huge challenge. you could understand why, when you look at those figures come at the near vertical increases on the graph, in terms of cases, it would be impossible for any system to keep

pace. be impossible for any system to keep ace. , . ,.,, , , be impossible for any system to keep ace. , . i, pace. pretty much impossible, yes, because any — pace. pretty much impossible, yes, because any health _ pace. pretty much impossible, yes, because any health system - pace. pretty much impossible, yes, because any health system would i pace. pretty much impossible, yes, | because any health system would be overwhelmed. march and april last year, there was huge concern that our system would be overwhelmed, but we were lucky it wasn't. the problem in india, in places like delhi and mumbai, they have world—class hospitals, but smaller towns and cities especially in the countryside, medicalfacilities are countryside, medical facilities are far less countryside, medicalfacilities are far less good. countryside, medical facilities are far less good-— countryside, medical facilities are far less good. chris morris, thanks for 'oinin: far less good. chris morris, thanks forjoining us- _ and at four o'clock we'll be bringing you a special half hour programme on the deepening coronavirus crisis in india and its significance for the global fight against the pandemic — do stay with us for that. new research suggests a single dose of a covid vaccine can cut transmission of the virus by up to half. a study by public health england found that people given either the astrazeneca or pfizerjabs were less likely to pass on the virus than those who are unvaccinated. and new data shows that more than 60% of people in the uk now have antibodies to coronavirus ? either from vaccination or past infection. our health correspondent

dominic hughes reports. vaccines can't stop every case of coronavirus, but the evidence they have prevented serious illness, hospitalisation and death in thousands of people is strong. and now there's further good news, suggesting vaccines can reduce transmission of the virus, cutting the risk of catching coronavirus for those who live and work with vaccinated people. a study looked at 24,000 households where someone had a confirmed case of coronavirus but had received a vaccination. it found that those given a first dose of either the pfizer or astrazeneca vaccines and who became infected three weeks later were between 38 and 49% less likely to pass the virus on than unvaccinated people. vaccines are not 100% effective, either at preventing severe symptoms or at allowing yourself to be infected, but the evidence is suggesting that they are providing at least some level of protection from passing the virus

on if you do get infected. and this morning, mps on the science and technology select committee were told this was a significant bonus to the vaccine effect. vaccinated individuals themselves were less likely to become a case in the first place, so that is an additional benefit on top of the benefit we've already seen in the actual reduction in cases in people who've been vaccinated. and there's more good news on the side effects caused by the vaccines. another study has found only one in four people experience mild short—lived side—effects after receiving either the pfizer or astrazeneca vaccines. headache, fatigue and tenderness are the most common symptoms, but they usually last only a day or two. you're more likely to get a local painful bruised i arm with the pfizer one _ than you are with the astrazeneca, but slightly less likely to have these mild side—effects. - and this reallyjust tells us - that those severe side—effects are incredibly rare.

as lockdown eases and people return to shops and bars, levels of immunity in the population become even more important. the latest figures show more than 60% of people in the uk now have antibodies to coronavirus, either via infection or vaccines. but experts warn now is not the time to let down our guard. if we all go completely wild and just ignore everything that we've learned over this last year in terms of social restrictions, there will be another wave, and that wave will be much larger. the message remains the same. a successful vaccine programme doesn't mean the danger has passed. dominic hughes, bbc news. and this evening at 5pm there will be a downing street press conference today led by health secretary matt hancock where he'll be joined by professorjonathan van—tam, deputy chief medical officer for england, and dr nikki kanani, medical director of primary care for nhs england and nhs improvement. we'll be covering that live for you here on bbc news.

an older brother of usman khan, the convicted terrorist who killed two people at fishmonger�*s hall in central london in 2019, has apologised in person to victims�* families at their inquest. usman khan fatally stabbed jack merritt and saskia jones at a prison education programme event. lets get more on this from our correspondent zoe conway who's following the inquest in central london. what has been happening? we have heard evidence _ what has been happening? we have heard evidence from _ what has been happening? we have heard evidence from usman - what has been happening? we have heard evidence from usman khan'sl heard evidence from usman khan's elder brother, seven years older than him, but we can't name him for legal reasons, and he began his evidence by offering his condolences to the families ofjack evidence by offering his condolences to the families of jack merritt evidence by offering his condolences to the families ofjack merritt and saskia jones. he said the family were very sorry for what had happened. he was asked about usman khan's teenage years when he first became involved in extremism and he said he didn't know what his brother was getting up to. he said he kept

himself to himself. but this answer was challenged by the lawyers of saskia jones and jack merritt�*s families, and thejury was saskia jones and jack merritt�*s families, and the jury was shown photographs of this khan handing out extremist literature and waving a blackjihadis flag in stoke where he grew up, and those photos appeared in the local newspaper. again, his brother said they had not known what he was up to and it wasn't until his arrest that they realised the extent of his activities. when he was convicted of terrorism and sent to prison, he said the family was shocked and it was unbelievable, he said. he was also asked about the period after usman khan a's release in late 2018 and about the attack. he said that he saw usman khan with the rest of the family every sunday and that during these meetings that would go on for several hours, he seemed very optimistic about the

future. he was asked whether the family had ever challenged usman khan about his offending behaviour and had ever asked him about it and he said, yes, and that usman khan would reply, iwas he said, yes, and that usman khan would reply, i was young, he said, yes, and that usman khan would reply, iwas young, i he said, yes, and that usman khan would reply, i was young, i was silly. the brothers said we did the best we could. he was also asked about how much he knew about the inner life of usman khan during the months leading up to the attack, did he know, that usman khan had been taking cocaine and using sex lines? the answer was no. we learned that just a few days before the attack he saw his brother, and it also happens to be the day that usman khan had gone out to buy gaffer tape which are used to strap the knives to his wrists to use in that attack and he was asked about usman khan's demeanour that day, was there anything that suggested something wasn't well? he said, no, they were laughing and joking. near the end of his testimony, the lawyer forjack

merritt�*s family put it to him that his brother was a nasty, violent self regarding piece of work, and he went on, all the signs were there. you looked away, he said. usman khan's brother was wearing a mask during the evidence so it was impossible to see how he reacted to this. hejust mumbled something inaudible. right at the end of his evidence, he again condemned the actions of his brother.— actions of his brother. thanks for 'oinin: actions of his brother. thanks for joining us- _ arlene foster's leadership of the dup, and as northern ireland's first minuster, is hanging in the balance this afternoon, after a letter of no—confidence was signed by most of the party's mps and mlas. it's understood there is majority support among the party's stormont and westminster ranks — about 80% — for a change in leadership. she's led the dup, and been first minister, for more than five years. as the pandemic and lockdowns forced many of us to spend hours at home,

we turned to the tv in our millions — so many of us will be very familiar with this year's nominations for the bafta television awards. bbc one's "small axe" leads the field with 15 nominations, and the netflix drama the crown has ten. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba reports. enough is enough! there's been significant campaigning in recent years for award ceremonies to better represent the uk's diverse communities. and oscar winner steve mcqueen's impactful series small axe, about the experiences of west indian immigrants, with its predominantly black cast, leads the way with 15 nominations. those recognised include actress letitia wright and actorjohn boyega. you are silent now! why didn't you back me? i am out there on the field with no back—up! 2020 was the year of lockdown, and viewing figures for streaming services increased, meaning even

bigger audiences surged to shows like netflix's royal drama the crown. its ten nominations include roles for best actor forjosh o'connor�*s prince of wales. a few years ago now, i i was visiting her sister. diana was still quite young then. tobias menzies's prince philip and helena bonham carter's princess margaret. like small axe, drama i may destroy you has a predominantly black cast. it's creator, michaela coel, has three nominations for starring, directing and writing. i had a not great experience. a drug—facilitated sexual assault and i was trying to get back on track. her co—stars weruche 0pia and paapa essiedu have also received acting nominations. lockdown meant that audiences that may never have seen it otherwise raved about normal people. the relationship drama has seven nominations, two of those going to its two stars. i think it's pretty obvious i don't want you to leave.

i don't find it _ obvious what you want. daisy edgar—jones and paul mescal. there was also a posthumous nomination for friday night dinner�*s paul ritter. he died earlier this month, before his nomination for best male comedy actor was announced. lizo mzimba, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. some very much needed rainfall falling through southern parts of the country through today thanks to an area of low pressure, which has been spreading southwards across the uk the last couple of days. today is a mixture of showery rain in the south, thanks to this weather front, but also some sunshine, the best of that across more northern parts of the uk, but even here we have some showers, wintry over the high ground. the cloud and rain begins to clear away from the south this evening, and overnight, could see a bit of a hang back across east anglia and the south—east.

wintry over the high ground, and more of a frost around to greet us on thursday morning. but it's going to be bright, with plenty of sunshine around. we lose the cloud and rain from the south—east. showers will be getting going again and some could be heavy with some hail and thunder, wintry over the higher ground in the north. a chilly feel to things in that brisk north—east breeze, north—east areas could see highs of around 12 or 13 celsius in the south. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the electoral commission launches a formal investigation into the funding of the refurbishment of boris johnson's downing street flat. the watchdog says there are reasonable grounds to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred. the prime minister told mps he paid "personally" for the work. a country in crisis — india records more than 200—thousand deaths with coronavirus — but the real figure could be much higher. one dose of the oxford/astrazeneca or pfizer vaccine halves the likelihood of a person who gets

coronavirus passing it on. and coming up — how self—driving vehicles could be allowed on uk roads by the end of this year. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. organisers of the tokyo olympics have released their latest guidance for athletes attending the games this summer. amongst the measures for those taking part includes having to take two tests before arrival and then daily testing while in the country. participants will also not be allowed to use public transport or visit any tourist areas, shops, restaurants, bars or gyms. organisers have also delayed a decision about whether local fans will be allowed to attend events. these playbooks are science and experience based playbooks. they are

based in taking into account the latest scientific developments. they are based on the best scientific and medical expertise being available worldwide. they are developed together with the world health organization, with independent experts and organisations from across the world. manchester city continue their bid for a first champions league title later — they are away to paris st germain in their semi—final first leg. two managers who know each other well, with pep guardiola meeting former tottenham manager mauricio pochettino, who is now in charge of the french side. after a turbulent 10 days for european football — the focus is firmly back on the pitch — as paul frostick reports. this past week has shown why so many people love football. when the goalposts of competition were threatening to be moved by a super elite room of the pure enjoyment of the game was talked about by real

fans at all levels around the world. and the word enjoyment came across pep guardiola's lips on tuesday as he urged his star—studded manchester city team to enjoy their semi final challenge against psg. city team to enjoy their semi final challenge against p56.— city team to enjoy their semi final challenge against psg. there's only one thing you _ challenge against psg. there's only one thing you can — challenge against psg. there's only one thing you can do, _ challenge against psg. there's only one thing you can do, is _ challenge against psg. there's only one thing you can do, is enjoy - challenge against psg. there's only one thing you can do, is enjoy the i one thing you can do, is enjoy the game. and enjoy the responsibility, the pressure, enjoy the pressure, enjoy the responsibility, enjoy the fact that maybe you are not living more situations. but fact that maybe you are not living more situations.— more situations. but semi finals often best _ more situations. but semi finals often best endured _ more situations. but semi finals often best endured and - more situations. but semi finals often best endured and i - more situations. but semi finals i often best endured and i enjoyed. they are not nice games to lose. pep guardiola knows psg have players that can win a match in seconds, and players who are always on his mind. i tried to sleep well last night, and i slept well when i was not thinking about it. that's the reality. thinking about it. that's the reali .

thinking about it. that's the reali. �*, reality. psg were in last season's final but fell— reality. psg were in last season's final but fell to _ reality. psg were in last season's final but fell to buy _ reality. psg were in last season's final but fell to buy in _ reality. psg were in last season's final but fell to buy in munich. i reality. psg were in last season'sl final but fell to buy in munich. the team date then beat in the quarterfinals this year. is that the toughest test overcome for mauricio pochettino? ~ ., . , , toughest test overcome for mauricio pochettino? . , , , ., pochettino? manchester city is one ofthe pochettino? manchester city is one of the greatest _ pochettino? manchester city is one of the greatest teams _ pochettino? manchester city is one of the greatest teams in _ pochettino? manchester city is one of the greatest teams in the - pochettino? manchester city is one of the greatest teams in the world. i think_ of the greatest teams in the world. i think for— of the greatest teams in the world. i think for me they have the best coach, _ i think for me they have the best coach, and — i think for me they have the best coach, and of course it's going to be tough, — coach, and of course it's going to be tough, tougher than munich. in be tough, tougher than munich. [n their be tough, tougher than munich. their last be tough, tougher than munich. t�*t their last meeting five years ago, manchester city beat psg their last meeting five years ago, manchester city beat p56 in the quarterfinals. two of those goals came from kevin, but which global superstar will step up this time and it steer their team into the champions league final and edge closer to that mission complete button? commentary is on five live, the build up starts at seven o'clock with mark chapman. kick off is at eight o'clock.

kyren wilson was the first player through to the semi—finals of the world snooker championship. wilson was the runner—up last year and knocked out former champion neil robertson. they were 8—all overnight but wilson won the first five frames of the day to end the australian's hopes of another title. and mark selby is also in the final four. he started the day 6—2 ahead of anotherformer world champion mark williams and lostjust one more frame, winning13—3. you can follow that all on the bbc sport website. that's all the sport for now. next thursday people in many parts of england will get the chance to elect their local councillors, who are responsible for running services such as schools and bin collections. on the same day there will be a by—election to elect a new mp in the uk constituency of hartlepool. victoria derbyshire is spending

the day there for us, but first she's been taking a closer look at the demographics of the town. just over 90,000 people live in hartlepool, and it's a town that has had a labour mp since the seat was created in 1974. hartlepool is one of the most deprived areas in the country. over 33% of children in the town are eligible for free school meals. average earnings in hartlepool are 7% lower than the national average. life expectancy is also below the national average, and the hartlepool by—election will be a key focus on may the 6th, and it's an election that could test political ties and potentially send shock waves far beyond the town's boundaries. and we can cross to victoria now. iimagine you i imagine you have been doing star jumps to keep warm, have you? yes. jumps to keep warm, have you? yes, absolutely spot _ jumps to keep warm, have you? yes, absolutely spot on. _ jumps to keep warm, have you? yes, absolutely spot on. in _ jumps to keep warm, have you? te: absolutely spot on. in the car jumps to keep warm, have you? t2: absolutely spot on. in the car park here at the marina. we are going to

have a quick word now with rachel who is the green candidate, opposite her we have andy who is the liberal democratic candidate, thank you both very much forjoining us on bbc news this afternoon. when you walk when you campaign a knock on doors what are people saying to you are the issues that they care about? thea;r issues that they care about? they care about _ issues that they care about? they care about prosperity _ issues that they care about? they care about prosperity for the town, so it's _ care about prosperity for the town, so it's twice — care about prosperity for the town, so it's twice the national average for unemployment. 18% of children went hungry here last year, and in one of— went hungry here last year, and in one of the — went hungry here last year, and in one of the richest countries in the world _ one of the richest countries in the world it's — one of the richest countries in the world it's absolute disgusting. when a massive _ world it's absolute disgusting. when a massive investment in greenjobs, need _ a massive investment in greenjobs, need to— a massive investment in greenjobs, need to save — a massive investment in greenjobs, need to save liberty steel, my preference would be nationalisation followed _ preference would be nationalisation followed by an employee owned cooperative, and we need to improve the prosperity of the town. we need services _ the prosperity of the town. we need services brought back to the local hospital— services brought back to the local hospital and when he could public transport — hospital and when he could public transport links to the rest of the region— transport links to the rest of the region and — transport links to the rest of the region and beyond. you transport links to the rest of the region and beyond.— transport links to the rest of the region and beyond. you could do all that if ou region and beyond. you could do all that if you became _ region and beyond. you could do all that if you became the _ region and beyond. you could do all that if you became the mp? - that if you became the mp? absolutely because there are several funds available, they are not big

enough — funds available, they are not big enough or— funds available, they are not big enough or ambitious enough but her people _ enough or ambitious enough but her people could do for them and get them _ people could do for them and get them. ~ :, :, people could do for them and get them. ~ ., ., i. people could do for them and get them. ~ ., ., , , ., them. what are you picking up from --eole them. what are you picking up from people what — them. what are you picking up from people what do _ them. what are you picking up from people what do they _ them. what are you picking up from people what do they want _ them. what are you picking up from people what do they want from - them. what are you picking up from people what do they want from the | people what do they want from the next mp? ~ �* ~' ~' people what do they want from the next mp? ~ �* ~ ~ ., ., ., , next mp? when i'm knocking on doors and talkin: next mp? when i'm knocking on doors and talking to — next mp? when i'm knocking on doors and talking to local— next mp? when i'm knocking on doors and talking to local people _ next mp? when i'm knocking on doors and talking to local people they - next mp? when i'm knocking on doors and talking to local people they are i and talking to local people they are talking _ and talking to local people they are talking about — and talking to local people they are talking aboutjobs, _ and talking to local people they are talking about jobs, good _ and talking to local people they are talking aboutjobs, good quality- talking aboutjobs, good quality 'obs talking aboutjobs, good quality jobs coming _ talking aboutjobs, good quality jobs coming into— talking aboutjobs, good quality jobs coming into the _ talking aboutjobs, good quality jobs coming into the town. - talking aboutjobs, good quality jobs coming into the town. i'm i talking aboutjobs, good quality- jobs coming into the town. i'm born and bred _ jobs coming into the town. i'm born and bred here, _ jobs coming into the town. i'm born and bred here, i've— jobs coming into the town. i'm born and bred here, i've been— jobs coming into the town. i'm born. and bred here, i've been unemployed here, _ and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've _ and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've been— and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've been on _ and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've been on a _ and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've been on a low— and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've been on a low wage - and bred here, i've been unemployed here, i've been on a low wage here . here, i've been on a low wage here and so _ here, i've been on a low wage here and sol— here, i've been on a low wage here and so i can— here, i've been on a low wage here and so i can empathise _ here, i've been on a low wage here and so i can empathise with - here, i've been on a low wage here and so i can empathise with fellow| and so i can empathise with fellow citizens _ and so i can empathise with fellow citizens and — and so i can empathise with fellow citizens. and ed _ and so i can empathise with fellow citizens. and ed davies _ and so i can empathise with fellow citizens. and ed davies has - and so i can empathise with fellow citizens. and ed davies has got - and so i can empathise with fellow citizens. and ed davies has got a i citizens. and ed davies has got a brilliant — citizens. and ed davies has got a brilliant record _ citizens. and ed davies has got a brilliant record of— citizens. and ed davies has got a brilliant record of bringing - citizens. and ed davies has got a brilliant record of bringing green| brilliant record of bringing green 'obs brilliant record of bringing green jobs into— brilliant record of bringing green jobs into coastal— brilliant record of bringing green jobs into coastal areas _ brilliant record of bringing green jobs into coastal areas like - jobs into coastal areas like hartlepool, _ jobs into coastal areas like hartlepool, people - jobs into coastal areas like hartlepool, people are - jobs into coastal areas likel hartlepool, people are also jobs into coastal areas like - hartlepool, people are also talking about _ hartlepool, people are also talking about the — hartlepool, people are also talking about the hospital. _ hartlepool, people are also talking about the hospital. they _ hartlepool, people are also talking about the hospital. they are - hartlepool, people are also talking about the hospital. they are really| about the hospital. they are really angry— about the hospital. they are really angry with — about the hospital. they are really angry with the _ about the hospital. they are really angry with the labour _ about the hospital. they are really angry with the labour party- about the hospital. they are really angry with the labour party for. angry with the labour party for reducing — angry with the labour party for reducing the _ angry with the labour party for reducing the services - angry with the labour party for reducing the services here - angry with the labour party for reducing the services here at. angry with the labour party for- reducing the services here at people desperately— reducing the services here at people desperately want— reducing the services here at people desperately want them _ reducing the services here at people desperately want them brought - reducing the services here at peoplel desperately want them brought back. my mother— desperately want them brought back. my mother went _ desperately want them brought back. my mother went to _ desperately want them brought back. my mother went to the _ desperately want them brought back. my mother went to the hospital - desperately want them brought back. my mother went to the hospital in - my mother went to the hospital in december— my mother went to the hospital in december and _ my mother went to the hospital in decemberand she _ my mother went to the hospital in december and she went— my mother went to the hospital in december and she went into - my mother went to the hospital in i december and she went into another hospitat _ december and she went into another hospitat with— december and she went into another hospital. with the _ december and she went into another hospital. with the mothers _ december and she went into another hospital. with the mothers and - hospital. with the mothers and fathers — hospital. with the mothers and fathers out _ hospital. with the mothers and fathers out there _ hospital. with the mothers and fathers out there in _ hospital. with the mothers and fathers out there in hartlepooll hospital. with the mothers and . fathers out there in hartlepool to be treated — fathers out there in hartlepool to be treated here _ fathers out there in hartlepool to be treated here with _ fathers out there in hartlepool to be treated here with her- fathers out there in hartlepool to be treated here with her family. fathers out there in hartlepool to l he treated here with her family and be treated here with her family and loved _

be treated here with her family and loved ones — be treated here with her family and loved ones are. _ be treated here with her family and loved ones are. heinr— be treated here with her family and loved ones are.— be treated here with her family and loved ones are. how would you bring the maternity _ loved ones are. how would you bring the maternity unit _ loved ones are. how would you bring the maternity unit back? _ loved ones are. how would you bring the maternity unit back? because . loved ones are. how would you bring| the maternity unit back? because i'm from here--- — the maternity unit back? because i'm from here... what _ the maternity unit back? because i'm from here... what would _ the maternity unit back? because i'm from here... what would you - the maternity unit back? because i'm from here... what would you do? - the maternity unit back? because i'm from here... what would you do? wej from here... what would you do? we need to be — from here... what would you do? we need to be lobbying _ from here... what would you do? we need to be lobbying and _ from here... what would you do? we need to be lobbying and influence - need to be lobbying and influence think— need to be lobbying and influence think about — need to be lobbying and influence think about what _ need to be lobbying and influence think about what you _ need to be lobbying and influence think about what you need - need to be lobbying and influence think about what you need is - need to be lobbying and influence think about what you need is an l need to be lobbying and influence i think about what you need is an mp that really— think about what you need is an mp that really does _ think about what you need is an mp that really does care _ think about what you need is an mp that really does care about - think about what you need is an mp that really does care about the - that really does care about the town, — that really does care about the town, not _ that really does care about the town, not someone _ that really does care about the town, not someone that - that really does care about the town, not someone that has . that really does care about the i town, not someone that has been parachuted — town, not someone that has been parachuted in— town, not someone that has been parachuted in coming _ town, not someone that has been parachuted in coming to - town, not someone that has been parachuted in coming to a - town, not someone that has been parachuted in coming to a careerl parachuted in coming to a career politician — parachuted in coming to a career politician which _ parachuted in coming to a career politician which is _ parachuted in coming to a career politician which is what - parachuted in coming to a career politician which is what is - politician which is what is happening _ politician which is what is happening. you - politician which is what is happening. you want- politician which is what is - happening. you want someone politician which is what is _ happening. you want someone that has been born— happening. you want someone that has been born and — happening. you want someone that has been born and bred _ happening. you want someone that has been born and bred here, _ happening. you want someone that has been born and bred here, is— happening. you want someone that has been born and bred here, is really- been born and bred here, is really passionate, — been born and bred here, is really passionate. nry— been born and bred here, is really passionate, my family— been born and bred here, is really passionate, my family are - been born and bred here, is really passionate, my family are here. l been born and bred here, is really. passionate, my family are here. i've been _ passionate, my family are here. i've been to— passionate, my family are here. i've been to school— passionate, my family are here. i've been to school with _ passionate, my family are here. i've been to school with many _ passionate, my family are here. i've been to school with many of - passionate, my family are here. i've been to school with many of the - been to school with many of the people — been to school with many of the people watching _ been to school with many of the people watching now— been to school with many of the | people watching now combusted been to school with many of the . people watching now combusted on been to school with many of the - people watching now combusted on the terraces— people watching now combusted on the terraces with _ people watching now combusted on the terraces with them. _ people watching now combusted on the terraces with them. i've _ people watching now combusted on the terraces with them. i've taught - people watching now combusted on the terraces with them. i've taught many. terraces with them. i've taught many of their— terraces with them. i've taught many of their children. _ terraces with them. i've taught many of their children. that's _ terraces with them. i've taught many of their children. that's the - terraces with them. i've taught many of their children. that's the sort - of their children. that's the sort of their children. that's the sort of passion — of their children. that's the sort of passion at _ of their children. that's the sort of passion at the _ of their children. that's the sort of passion at the people - of their children. that's the sort i of passion at the people demand of their children. that's the sort - of passion at the people demand and thus the _ of passion at the people demand and thus the sort— of passion at the people demand and thus the sort of— of passion at the people demand and thus the sort of passion _ of passion at the people demand and thus the sort of passion that - of passion at the people demand and thus the sort of passion that will - thus the sort of passion that will bring _ thus the sort of passion that will bring back— thus the sort of passion that will bring back those _ thus the sort of passion that will bring back those services. - thus the sort of passion that will bring back those services. neither of ou bring back those services. neither of you have _ bring back those services. neither of you have mentioned _ bring back those services. neither of you have mentioned the - of you have mentioned the environment, is that issue or not? i would expect both to mention it. is would expect both to mention it. is a big concern about the green spaces being _ a big concern about the green spaces being lost— a big concern about the green spaces being lost and that's a concern because — being lost and that's a concern because we need those green spaces. if we don't— because we need those green spaces. if we don't do something about climate — if we don't do something about climate break down than all of this

is meaningless and it knocks the economy— is meaningless and it knocks the economy as well is refunding on the environment being stolen by the government set what? you environment being stolen by the government set what?— government set what? you are lau~ahin. government set what? you are laughing- last— government set what? you are laughing. last week _ government set what? you are laughing. last week for - government set what? you are laughing. last week for shots i government set what? you are l laughing. last week for shots at announced accelerated plans to cut carbon emissions... that's with the independent climate change committee recommends. itrutith independent climate change committee recommends. ~ , independent climate change committee recommends-— recommends. with its unambitious because we — recommends. with its unambitious because we are _ recommends. with its unambitious because we are not _ recommends. with its unambitious because we are not on _ recommends. with its unambitious because we are not on track - recommends. with its unambitious because we are not on track to - recommends. with its unambitiousi because we are not on track to meet the targets— because we are not on track to meet the targets for the paris climate agreement and it's getting too late. that's_ agreement and it's getting too late. that's a _ agreement and it's getting too late. that's a world leading position according to the conservatives, that acceleration of cutting carbon emissions. acceleration of cutting carbon emissions-— acceleration of cutting carbon emissions. , ~ , . ., emissions. they keep changing the tar: ets. emissions. they keep changing the targets- it's _ emissions. they keep changing the targets. it'sjust _ emissions. they keep changing the targets. it'sjust bluster. _ emissions. they keep changing the targets. it'sjust bluster. if- targets. it'sjust bluster. if people— targets. it'sjust bluster. if people want— targets. it'sjust bluster. if people want green - targets. it'sjust bluster. if people want green policies targets. it'sjust bluster. if- people want green policies they should — people want green policies they should both _ people want green policies they should both the _ people want green policies they should both the liberal- people want green policies they . should both the liberal democrats. the top _ should both the liberal democrats. the top five — should both the liberal democrats. the top five recycling _ should both the liberal democrats. the top five recycling councils - should both the liberal democrats. the top five recycling councils in i the top five recycling councils in the country. _ the top five recycling councils in the country, four— the top five recycling councils in the country, four of— the top five recycling councils in the country, four of them - the top five recycling councils in the country, four of them are i the top five recycling councils inl the country, four of them are run the top five recycling councils in - the country, four of them are run by liberat— the country, four of them are run by liberal democrats, _ the country, four of them are run by liberal democrats, if— the country, four of them are run by liberal democrats, if you _ the country, four of them are run by liberal democrats, if you look - the country, four of them are run by liberal democrats, if you look at - liberal democrats, if you look at our record — liberal democrats, if you look at our record when _ liberal democrats, if you look at our record when ed _ liberal democrats, if you look at our record when ed davey- liberal democrats, if you look at our record when ed davey was . liberal democrats, if you look at| our record when ed davey was in coalition— our record when ed davey was in coalition look— our record when ed davey was in coalition look at _ our record when ed davey was in coalition look at the _ our record when ed davey was in coalition look at the green - our record when ed davey was in. coalition look at the green business bank, _ coalition look at the green business bank. him — coalition look at the green business bank, him putting— coalition look at the green business bank, him putting green— coalition look at the green business bank, him putting green at- coalition look at the green business bank, him putting green at the - coalition look at the green business bank, him putting green at the topi bank, him putting green at the top of the _ bank, him putting green at the top

of the government _ bank, him putting green at the top of the government of— bank, him putting green at the top of the government of agenda, - bank, him putting green at the top of the government of agenda, look bank, him putting green at the top. of the government of agenda, look at the quadrupling — of the government of agenda, look at the quadrupling of— of the government of agenda, look at the quadrupling of renewables- of the government of agenda, look at the quadrupling of renewables and i the quadrupling of renewables and look at _ the quadrupling of renewables and look at the — the quadrupling of renewables and look at the work _ the quadrupling of renewables and look at the work he _ the quadrupling of renewables and look at the work he did. _ the quadrupling of renewables and look at the work he did. if- the quadrupling of renewables and look at the work he did. if you - the quadrupling of renewables andl look at the work he did. if you want green _ look at the work he did. if you want green policies — look at the work he did. if you want green policies are _ look at the work he did. if you want green policies are to _ look at the work he did. if you want green policies are to vote _ look at the work he did. if you want green policies are to vote for- look at the work he did. if you want green policies are to vote for the i green policies are to vote for the liberal— green policies are to vote for the liberal democrats. _ green policies are to vote for the liberal democrats. you - green policies are to vote for the liberal democrats.— green policies are to vote for the liberal democrats. you are coming in from a standing _ liberal democrats. you are coming in from a standing start _ liberal democrats. you are coming in from a standing start essentially - from a standing start essentially compared to the last general election in 2019. how do you think you are going to do? we election in 2019. how do you think you are going to do?— you are going to do? we think we will do well _ you are going to do? we think we will do well because _ you are going to do? we think we will do well because the - you are going to do? we think we| will do well because the messages going _ will do well because the messages going down really well on the doorsteps. and people are concerned about— doorsteps. and people are concerned about climate breakdown. they know that a _ about climate breakdown. they know that a green vote is a vote that shows— that a green vote is a vote that shows they care about climate breakdown. they care about public services _ breakdown. they care about public services and they care about political _ services and they care about political reform because the green party— political reform because the green party has — political reform because the green party has plans to make

nick de wales football manager ryan giggs has pleaded not guilty to assaulting two women in salford last month.

the former manchester united player also denied accusations of coercive or controlling behaviour. he was released on bail, ahead of a trial at manchester crown court next month. wearing a dark suit and tie, ryan giggs arrived for his first court appearance, one of the most decorated players in british football appearance history, flagged by two of his lawyers. in a short court appearance lasting just 13 minutes, he spoke only to confirm his name and his address, and to plead not guilty to three charges of domestic abuse, including that he allegedly assaulted his former girlfriend kate greville in november last year at his home, in the west of manchester, along with her younger sister, and that he subjected kate greville to controlling behaviour over a three—year period between december 2017 and november 2020, and for the prosecution andrew griffiths said

ryan giggs had subjected kate greville to a deliberate head but wide interlink and that he repeatedly engaged in controlling behaviour and used violence, isolation, litigant, humiliation, degradation and abuse —— belittling. ryan giggs will appear in front of manchester magistrates�* court later in may. we manchester magistrates' court later in ma . ~ :, manchester magistrates' court later in ma . ~ ., ., manchester magistrates' court later inma .~ ., ., , ., manchester magistrates' court later inma. ., ., in may. we have a statement from the conservative — in may. we have a statement from the conservative party _ in may. we have a statement from the conservative party regarding _ in may. we have a statement from the conservative party regarding this - conservative party regarding this investigation. regarding the investigation. regarding the investigation by the electoral commission and help the funding of the refurbishment of borisjohnson�*s fat was funded, and the conservative party —— flat was funded, and the conservative party say they will work with the electoral commission

but while the investigation is ongoing they will not be commenting any further. the headlines on bbc news... the electoral commission launches a formal investigation into the funding of the refurbishment of boris johnson�*s downing street flat. india records more than 200,000 covid deaths — but the realfigure could be much higher. one dose of the oxford/astrazeneca or pfizer vaccine halves the likelihood of a person who gets coronavirus passing it on. nestle has announced plans to cut almost 600 jobs and close a confectionery factory in newcastle. the world�*s largest food company wants to close its site in fawdon by the end of 2023 and focus production on factories in york and halifax. it said 573 jobs would be "put at risk" by the changes.

a robot ship will set sail later this month as paul carter reports. this is the moment the mayflower 400 entered the water for the final time before it departs on its ground—breaking journey across the atlantic to massachusetts in the us — but unlike its namesake, which took more than 100 pilgrims to the new world in 1620, the mayflower 400 won�*t have any people on board at all. four or five years ago we were talking with folks in the city about how we were going to commemorate the 400th anniversary, so, just an informal discussion at another meeting, and there was some talk about building a replica. so, my perspective was just that, let�*s do something that speaks to the next 400 years in maritime enterprise, and so, for me, that means building autonomous vessels to do ocean research.

it�*s designed and built to be completely autonomous, and while it can be piloted remotely, the hope is that once it�*s out of port, it will make the almost 3,500 mile journey completely unaided and become one of the first large autonomous vessels to make the crossing. led by a team in plymouth, along with software engineering from ibm, the boat uses a range of artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation systems to navigate and avoid hazards alongside more traditional technologies such as radar. with no space needed for food, drinking water or sleeping space, all spare room is entirely given over to scientific equipment which will collect data throughout the journey. for the science on board the vessel, we are doing some really cool experiments around things like marine mammal populations, using audio data. we are also using a new device, and it's a smart tongue, an electronic tongue, that's going to be looking at the chemical characteristics of sea water, as well as some really exciting experiments we are doing around sea level and wave height.

it will now complete a period of final testing and checks before it departs in mid—may, weather permitting. unlike the original mayflower, which took 66 days to make its crossing, this 21st—century version is expected to complete its journey in around two weeks. it�*s incredible to think that in just a few weeks�* time that�*s going to be heading out across the atlantic, and just 12 days later it will be in america. we are going to keep it going. it's notjust one trip, it's going to do lots of things once it gets across to the other side. it may come back, it may go to the med, but we want to inspire people to continue to do science and to explore. we don't want people to think it's all been done, because it hasn't. now the mayflower�*s in the water, it will undergo its last round of checks and tests before departing on its voyage to the us sometime in mid—may, weather permitting. and who knows? this could be the future of ocean transport. paul carter, bbc news.

so called self—driving cars could be allowed to operate on uk roads by the end of the year. the department for transport says the first type to be legalised will be �*automated lane—keeping systems.�* this is a pretty small step into the self driving future, we are talking about driverless assistant features, in this case automatic lane keeping where the car keeps within a lane and at a safe distance from the car in front. they are available on a few cars at the moment but it is not legal to take your hand off the wheel, so making them pretty useless, but the law change would allow that, allow you to do other things, maybe check your e—mail and even watch a video, while the system was at work but only up to a maximum of 37 mph. in other words using it effectively during a trafficjam where you are stopping and starting and moving backwards and forwards, so pretty limited use. the use of the term self driving by the

government has raised concerns especially amongst car insurers, they say it is important not to give drivers an impression that we are going down the road towards automation because these are not really self driving cars and they are pretty limited features. there could be accidents if people overestimate what their cars can do, so words of caution from the insurers. let�*s speak to matthew avery, who�*s director of thatcham research — that�*s a vehicle safety organisation established by the motor insurance industry. we checked with matthew that he was not driving before we went to him because that is the least we can do! how ready is the uk for these so—called self driving cars? it is so-called self driving cars? it is important _ so-called self driving cars? it is important to — so-called self driving cars? it is important to say _ so-called self driving cars? it is important to say that _ so—called self driving cars? tt 3 important to say that the insurance industry who i represent are very keen on self driving cars, automated driving as we would call it, but i

don�*t think the technology is there yet. there a lot of technological vehicles today, assisted driving technology, and people arejust beginning to understand how that works. that still requires the driver to be watching what is going on, but the car is supporting them with steering and braking. these systems are very good because they are working cooperatively with the driver. the automated systems are not mature enough yet, we think there are safety issues, and we don�*t think people are ready. you don't think people are ready. you don't think people are ready. you don't think— don't think people are ready. you don't think there is much demand don�*t think there is much demand from the driving public? don't think there is much demand from the driving public?— don't think there is much demand from the driving public? there is a lot of confusion _ from the driving public? there is a lot of confusion with _ from the driving public? there is a lot of confusion with the _ from the driving public? there is a lot of confusion with the driving i lot of confusion with the driving public and there is a lot of work we need to do to educate the driving public, because there are a lot of systems out there already that support the driver, but also a lot of misunderstanding, some brands that use terminology like autopilot which confuses some customers. is the carp self driving already? it's not. —— this car. it is assisted

driving technology which means you have to have your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. we don't have a self driving cars yet. harare have a self driving cars yet. have ou had have a self driving cars yet. have you had a — have a self driving cars yet. have you had a go _ have a self driving cars yet. have you had a go in — have a self driving cars yet. have you had a go in one? _ have a self driving cars yet. have you had a go in one? i _ have a self driving cars yet. have you had a go in one? i have. - have a self driving cars yet. have you had a go in one? i have. i'ml you had a go in one? i have. i'm sittin: you had a go in one? i have. i'm sitting in — you had a go in one? i have. i'm sitting in a _ you had a go in one? i have. i'm sitting in a car— you had a go in one? i have. i'm sitting in a car at _ you had a go in one? i have. i'm sitting in a car at the _ you had a go in one? i have. i'm sitting in a car at the moment i you had a go in one? i have. i'm i sitting in a car at the moment with a very good level of assisted driving technology so quite a lot of cars on the road already that can support you with the steering and braking. but the problem with the automated lane keeping systems that are being proposed for later this year, is they are too limited in what they will do, so the systems will only work at 37 mph, only work on motorways and most importantly they will only stay in lane, so they can't swerve to avoid debris on the road or even a pedestrian coming out of a vehicle, so they are not safe enough and also, if the driver is incapacitated or the vehicle is faulty, the vehicle cannot find self harbour and it can't find a hard

shoulder. it can only stay in lane, which means the vehicle will come to a halt in a running lane and we have seen problems with that, we have seen problems with that, we have seen deaths and injuries with vehicle stationary on smart motorways. that is all these vehicles can do so the insurers want the car is to be able to move lanes, find a safe harbour, read road signs and also data, there needs to be data to understand who was driving, if there is a collision. h0??? data to understand who was driving, if there is a collision.— if there is a collision. how far away from — if there is a collision. how far away from those _ if there is a collision. how far away from those advances i if there is a collision. how far| away from those advances are if there is a collision. how far - away from those advances are we? we are away from those advances are we? - are probably only a couple of years away and what we are advocating to the government is, is automated driving is great, car insurers like it, but we are not ready yet. it is probably a few years away and there needs to be changes in the regulations to allow vehicles to move lanes, and technology needs to be proven first, so we say, let's use the technology but let's use it as assisted driving technology to keep people safe and get people used

to using this kind of technology because it is great. when it works with a driver, it's great.— with a driver, it's great. matthew ave , with a driver, it's great. matthew avery. thanks — with a driver, it's great. matthew avery, thanks for _ with a driver, it's great. matthew avery, thanks forjoining - with a driver, it's great. matthew avery, thanks forjoining us. - now it's time for a look at the weather. hello, there. farmers and gardeners getting some welcome rainfall on the dry ground, but not for all areas through today. it looks like most rain will be across parts of england and wales, with the best of any sunshine across scotland, and northern ireland. the rainfall has been down to this area of low pressure which has sliding southwards. so, for the rest of the day, it is wales, the midlands, south—west england that will see most of the rain. even further north, there will be some showers here, maybe

wintry over higher ground as colder air comes across northern areas. in particular around the coast. 12 or 13 is the high. it will for your cool where we have the cloud, the breeze and the rain. —— it will feel cool. into this evening and overnight, the cloud and rain slowly clears away. elsewhere, clear spells, showers, wintry over the higher ground and the north, there will be a large chance of seeing some frost again for much of the country because there is clearer skies. lows of four or 5 degrees. the cloud eventually clears away and then most places for thursday will be brighter. some rain developing into the afternoon, with hail and thunder mixed in, and some winter winds over the high ground. it will feel chilly and there is enough north—easterly wind across the country, but particularly chilly across northern and eastern coasts. temperatures down for the time of year, ten or 11 degrees, perhaps 12 or 13 with those sunny spells. we are left with a run of cold arctic north north—easterly

winds, but light winds. however, we will see a few showers developing through friday and the weekend. the same for friday, saturday, sunday. frost again, sunshine and showers into the afternoon, but then just a sign of things turning better and windier as we head on into bank holiday monday.

this is bbc news with special coverage of india's covid crisis, as the number of deaths passes 200,000. i'm matthew amroliwala. i'm divya arya in delhi. we'll spend the next hour looking at what it's like living and dealing with the second wave of this pandemic. behind the numbers — the real face of the suffering — affecting rich, poor, urban, rural. the worst, worst night of my life. i was not able to save her. no money, no contact, nothing helped me up. people continue to die waiting for beds, oxygen supplies remain critically low. we'll hear from families, from doctors, from our correspondents across the country.