this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president biden is going big in his first address to a joint—session of congress. he's due to set out plans for trillions of dollars in government spending — but the republicans are wary. here in the uk, prime minister borisjohnson feels the heat as a formal investigation is launched into the funding for refurbishing his downing street flat. india's covid crisis deepens — hospitals overwhelmed, record infections, and soaring death rates. we have a special report from delhi.

through the day, there are frantic please for oxygen, hospital beds, medicines — on the phone, online, even on the streets. and michael collins, one of the original members of the apollo 11 mission to the moon, has died aged 90. hello, and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. i'm shaun ley. and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. you might call it back to the future. in a few hours from now, presidentjoe biden is expected to lay out plans for the biggest attempt to expand government support for working families in the us since the 1960s. it's not quite a cradle—to—the—grave

welfare state, but if it passes congress, the american families plan will provide free pre—school education and free community college places, plus tax credits for the middle class. the entire plan would cost a staggering $1.8 trillion — and republicans are already asking how america can possibly afford it. president biden will announce the plan in a speech to congress, marking his first 100 days in office. let's talk now to our washington correspondent, lebo diseko who's on capitol hill for us. the state of the union usually comes a bit earlier than this, doesn't it, but it's been a very unusual year — if nothing else, unusual because this is a president addressing his fellow politicians in a chamber that just a few months ago was at the heart of the great insurrection on capitol hill. heart of the great insurrection on capitol hill-— heart of the great insurrection on caitol hill. ~ , , ., ., , capitol hill. absolutely, and many ofthe capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers _ capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers will _ capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers will have - capitol hill. absolutely, and many of the lawmakers will have been l capitol hill. absolutely, and many i of the lawmakers will have been here on that day — and that is something

that he will include in his speech. he will also be talking about the pandemic and wanting to talk about his achievements when it comes to that. so, for example, the vaccine roll—out, also the impact of the stimulus checks that he got out to people. but he'll also be talking about the way forward, his blueprint, what he wants to do for america in the direction he wants to take it in. he spoke about the american families plan — that is one of two proposals that he has, the second is the american jobs plan, which is a broadly defined infrastructure plan costing more than $2 trillion. it's got quite a wide delicate wide definition, those plans come out to more than $4 trillion. along with a further $2 trillion. along with a further $2 trillion that was spent with the covid relief bill. as you can imagine, republicans are already raising opposition when it comes to the cost of this. we had a little bit of excerpts from their response

to joe bit of excerpts from their response tojoe biden�*s speech, and they're saying that america's future won't come from washington's schemes and what they call "socialist dreams". on that, in order to fund it, will he have to reversed the trump tax cuts? that's something that republicans regarded as the big legislative achievement in the four years donald trump was in the white house. , ., ., �* , house. yes, and the other thing he's floatin: is house. yes, and the other thing he's floating is increasing _ house. yes, and the other thing he's floating is increasing tax _ house. yes, and the other thing he's floating is increasing tax on - house. yes, and the other thing he's floating is increasing tax on the - floating is increasing tax on the top 1% of earners. so both of these things are things that will likely face opposition from the republican party, and joe biden�*s challenge will be to get it through both chambers of congress, the house and the senate. so we will see how that goes — but at the moment, the numbers will make that quite tricky. thanks very much, we'll be talking to you over the next three hours before the president takes to the podium there in the chamber on

capitol hill. thank you very much, our washington correspondent they are watching. there will be great symbolism and what the president doesin symbolism and what the president does in his speech — the oldest president the united states has ever had, being flanked by two women for the very first time, the speaker nancy pelosi and his vice president, kamala harris, who chairs the senate when it's in session. staying with us politics for a moment — federal investigators have carried out searches at the home and offices of donald trump's former personal lawyer, rudy giuliani. they're trying to establish whether mr giuliani illegally lobbied the trump administration on behalf of the ukrainian government. they're also probing allegations that he tried to find incriminating information onjoe biden�*s son, hunter, before last year's presidential election. mr giuliani's lawyer says his client did not break the law and has called the searches "legal thuggery". there's to be an official investigation into the funding of renovation work on british prime minister borisjohnson�*s flat in downing street. the inquiry will be carried out

by the electoral commission, which says there's reason to believe the rules may not have been followed. mrjohnson insists that he paid for the work himself, and has complied with the codes of conduct. but labour is accusing him of leading a government mired in sleaze. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more details. there's no place like home. are you worried about the investigation, prime minister? and there's been no fix quite like this for borisjohnson before. who coughed up for the flat, sir? his flat had an expensive makeover. he won't say who first paid — a mystery that's now subject to a serious investigation. but the electoral commission today said... with claims that tory donors might have picked up the tab, there's suspicion the rules were broken.

"initially" is the key word here. who initially paid for the redecoration of his downing street flat? he should know that i paid for downing street refurbishment personally, mr speaker. any further declaration that i have to make, if any, i will be advised upon by lord geidt. lord geidt used to work for the queen, and he will now watch over ministers�* behaviour — but remember, the question isn't who stumped up in the end, it's who paid borisjohnson�*s bills at the start. what do we get from this prime minister and this conservative government? dodgy contracts, jobs for their mates, and cash for access, and who's at the heart of it? the prime minister, major sleaze, sitting there. 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 the country can see the difference between a labour party that twists and turns with the wind, that thinks of nothing except playing political games,

whereas this party gets on with delivering on the people's priorities! this isn't about spending cash on cushions or curtains, it's about where the money came from to do so at the start. all politicians have to declare any money or loans they receive, so that we can all be absolutely sure precisely what's going on. the prime minister appears to be feeling the heat now on several fronts. angry denials down there were the order of the day. did the prime minister rage he'd rather see bodies pile up than lock down again, as several sources familiar with the exchanges have told the bbc and other news organisations? can the prime minister tell the house categorically, yes or no, did he make those remarks or remarks to that effect? no, mr speaker, and i think that, if he's going to repeat allegations like that, he should come to this house

and substantiate those allegations. parliamentary rules stop me - from saying that the prime minister has repeatedly lied to the public over the last week, _ but can i ask a question? are you a liar, prime minister? i didn't say those words. what i do believe is that a lockdown is a miserable, miserable thing, and i did everything i could to try and protect the british public throughout the pandemic, to protect them from lockdowns, but also to protect them from disease. yet the prime minister's opponents are trying to peck away at boris johnson's integrity and, at the very least, unanswered questions are a big distraction. if a serving government minister is found to have broken the rules on party funding or even law, should they resign? given that this is a coronavirus press conference, you won't be surprised that i'm not going to add to the answers the prime minister's already given to very extensive questioning, thanks. but avoiding questions doesn't make them disappear. there are multiple inquiries now into exactly what happened. political reputations must be

tended to with care. the leader of the democratic unionist party, arlene foster, has announced that she's stepping down as party leader and as northern ireland's first minister. more than 80% of the party's elected representatives are though to have signed a letter of no confidence. she's been criticised over the northern ireland protocol — the post—brexit agreement that, in effect, left northern ireland within the european single market for goods. after a deceptive lull earlier this year, india is grappling with a devastating second wave of covid—i9. today, the official death toll passed 200,000 — and many fear that figure is a huge under—estimate. the health system is under enormous pressure, with acute shortages of hospital beds and oxygen supplies. our correspondent yogita

limaye has from delhi. her report contains images you may find upsetting. years of training, but nothing could have prepared them for this. this woman, a nurse and the mother of three young children. every few minutes, there's a new patient. oxygen mask! i need an oxygen cylinder! 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. we've been following her all week. it has been relentless. "i tried so hard to revive this man," she told us, "but i couldn't." 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, better off than most others. weeks of toil lie ahead in a city that's overrun. everything needed to fight covid is in short supply. every morning in india, we're waking up to news that someone we know has died. through the day, there are frantic pleas for oxygen, hospital beds, medicines on the phone, online, even on the streets. and amidst all of that, we are also seeing people who wake up every morning, put on their protective gear and get down to business trying to help as many people as they can. this man is a volunteer trying to provide oxygen to critical patients. they should be in intensive care.

desperation has brought them here. he offers a temporary reprieve, keeping people alive till they get hospital care. "when people's lives hang in the balance, we thought this is one thing we could do to try to save someone," he says. this woman has driven her mother here. "we are getting nothing from the government, no support. they only come to us when they want a vote. now, where are they? she says. this man collapsed on his way here. the need is just too great. with each cylinder, they're trying to help as many as they can. once stabilised, the hunt begins again. "hundreds of people

are coming here each day. if we had help from the government, we could do so much more," he says. ten days since delhi locked down, people wait by the side of a road for oxygen. this is india's capital city. yogita limaye, bbc news, delhi. i'm joined now by professor nathan grills, a public health physician at the university of melbourne, and australia india institute, who works on health in india. for many years he was based in india. professor, thanks so much for joining us on bbc news. you must be looking at the pictures and accounts your hearing from india with mounting distress?- your hearing from india with mounting distress? your hearing from india with mountin: distress? ,, ., mounting distress? good day, sean, it's really distressing _ mounting distress? good day, sean, it's really distressing and _ mounting distress? good day, sean, it's really distressing and i _ mounting distress? good day, sean, it's really distressing and i think- it's really distressing and i think many of us have friends in india or friends who are going through similar situations, and i get constant phone calls and whatsapp

messages from friends in india with similar stories being recounted there, trying to find oxygen and treat those at home because there's no hospital beds. it's really dreadful to see the health system so overwhelmed by the. it dreadful to see the health system so overwhelmed by the.— overwhelmed by the. it raises the auestion overwhelmed by the. it raises the question of. _ overwhelmed by the. it raises the question of, given _ overwhelmed by the. it raises the question of, given the _ overwhelmed by the. it raises the question of, given the scale - overwhelmed by the. it raises the question of, given the scale this | question of, given the scale this problem, a lot of people might say, "surely, why notjust have a national lockdown? bring every thing under control, stop people moving around the country, try to restrict the opportunities for transmission?" in yourjudgment, why wouldn't that make comparatively little difference? it make comparatively little difference?— make comparatively little difference? ., , ., ., difference? it goes back to what level of infection _ difference? it goes back to what level of infection you _ difference? it goes back to what level of infection you have - difference? it goes back to what level of infection you have in - difference? it goes back to what | level of infection you have in the community. i think the first lockdown to happen last year in india did slow the transmission of the virus, obviously, and i think that's an option now. the government's weighing up the effect of a lockdown on jobs, government's weighing up the effect

of a lockdown onjobs, the government's weighing up the effect of a lockdown on jobs, the economy. in india, where you've got a large number of people who are living in poverty, if you cut off their employment orjobs, then the destitution they face is equally as dangerous. so it's a balancing act, i've got a number of friends also who are saying many in the community have lost their jobs who are saying many in the community have lost theirjobs and they can't afford to buy food because of the shutdowns that are happening. the government is making a few steps towards regional lockdowns or shutdowns, limiting activity — that's what should've been happening over the last three have more months, a very cautious approach —— 3-4 months, a very cautious approach —— 3—4 months. i'm assuming in india there may have been much more immunity in the community from infections, some of the zero prevalence surveys suggest there had been a large number of infections this way, but it seems that might not of been the case, a lot of

people... there seems to be —— needs to be a limitation on mass gatherings, and that's all happening now. but i think the approach to lockdown or limited amounts of time is the wise way to go. but in places like delhi where you're overwhelming the health system, yes, lockdown will be the approach so the health system can cope. will be the approach so the health system can cone-— will be the approach so the health system can cope. ultimately at this state, system can cope. ultimately at this stage. peeple _ system can cope. ultimately at this stage, people have _ system can cope. ultimately at this stage, people have infections- stage, people have infections developing into serious illness or death. that's what the need to hold onto, a functioning health system. professor, thanks so much, i hope we'll be able to talk again in the coming days and weeks as the story develops with your insight about the country and how people there are coping. thanks very much.- country and how people there are coping. thanks very much. thank you, take care. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: remembering the man who didn't walk on the moon, michael collins, the third member of the apollo 11 crew dies at the age of 90.

nothing, it seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them, they've taken the capital which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7am in the morning on the day when power began to pass _ from the minority to the majority —

when africa, after 300 years, - reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... president biden is due to set out plans for trillions of dollars in government spending — but the republicans are wary. michael collins, one of the three us astronauts who flew to the moon in 1969, has died at the age of 90. it was his job to keep the apollo 11 command module orbiting the moon, while his crewmates neil armstrong and buzz aldrin stepped onto the planet's surface for the very first time. our science correspondent jonathan amos has more.

neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, and michael collins achieved something extraordinary that, even now, 52 years later, still stirs a sense of wonder. armstrong is no longer with us — he died in 2012. and now comes the news of the passing of another member of this remarkable apollo 11 trio, michael collins. his family and nasa have announce his death from cancer at the age of 90. collins was an integral part of the mission, but is often labelled the "forgotten man" because he didn't actually go down to the surface. he stayed in the command module circling the moon, whilst armstrong and aldrin made their boot marks in the lunar soil. that he missed out was something he never complained about. i did not have the best seat of the three on apollo 11. but i can say, in all honesty, i was thrilled with the seat that i did have. i knew that i had somehow lucked into being one third of the team that was going to do this wonderful thing — and my function suited me fine. i mean, yeah, sure, iwould've

preferred to walk on the moon, but that really seemed a trivial distinction at the time. i was very pleased with my responsibilities on the flight. his responsibilities on that mission included making sure armstrong and aldrin could get home. if something had gone wrong during the ascent from the lunar surface, collins would be their only help. when the three men returned to earth, they all had to deal with the adulation in their own way. like armstrong, collins didn't particularly like the limelight and rejected the idea they were celebrities. he saw the moon missions as a great collective effort. i remember so vividly the trip that the three of us took after the flight of apollo 11. and we were surprised that, everywhere we went, every city we visited, we were not greeted with, "oh, well, you americans finally did it" — we were greeted with, "we did it! we, humanity, we human beings have put ourselves, our talents together

and we've done it." michael collins left nasa very soon after coming home, although he continued in public service. his death comes just as the us space agency plans a return to the lunar surface with new rockets and space capsules. a new generation of astronauts will soon walk in apollo's footsteps. whether they can never recreate quite the aura that surrounded michael collins in his crewmates, though, is open to question. jonathan amos, bbc news. i'm joined now by dr kevin fong, an expert on space medicine who interviewed michael collins for his podcast, 13 minutes to the moon. i hope that podcast is still available online, kevin, because it is a gripping account of those remarkable days and the critical hours around the moon landing. make

the case for michael collins, if you would, because everybody will say, "neil armstrong, would, because everybody will say, "neilarmstrong, buzz would, because everybody will say, "neil armstrong, buzz it dumb cauldron, and the other fella." "neil armstrong, buzz it dumb cauldron, and the otherfella." he cauldron, and the other fella." he was as cauldron, and the other fella." he: was as critical to the mission as armstrong or aldrin. collins's role was to be there to catch anything if it went wrong. he he had to rescue the crew if any systems failed, so he was integral to the whole thing, and he has probably one of the most emotionally in touch and creative thinkers of the entire apollo core team. �* :, thinkers of the entire apollo core team. �* ., , :, thinkers of the entire apollo core team. �* ., i. ., thinkers of the entire apollo core team. ., ., , , team. i'm glad you said that because my colleague — team. i'm glad you said that because my colleague here, _ team. i'm glad you said that because my colleague here, the _ team. i'm glad you said that because my colleague here, the film - team. i'm glad you said that because my colleague here, the film editor. my colleague here, the film editor this evening, said, "he was the man who would've had to go out to the deepest part of space to spend that 45 minutes in darkness." in that great philosophical moment, i am all alone, while they are having fun on the moon. but he's got to constantly

be thinking, it's everything working? can i get these guys safely off the surface again?— off the surface again? that's what preempted _ off the surface again? that's what preoccupied him, _ off the surface again? that's what preoccupied him, and _ off the surface again? that's what preoccupied him, and when - off the surface again? that's what preoccupied him, and when he . off the surface again? that's what| preoccupied him, and when he was off the surface again? that's what - preoccupied him, and when he was at the back of the moon, he described himself as being alone but not lonely. and what was on his mind was that, if it all went wrong, he'd be returning to earth alone, the sole survivor of a failed mission. armstrong is someone who has a good chance of being remembered in ten centuries' time, that's not true of collins. but i met michael collins, and he genuinely didn't care about that. he didn't want to be remembered in that way. for him, it was all about the mission and his service to the mission and exploration. and he was a wonderful, warm human being and he'll be greatly missed.— warm human being and he'll be greatly missed. doctor, thank you ve much greatly missed. doctor, thank you very much for— greatly missed. doctor, thank you very much for that, _ greatly missed. doctor, thank you very much for that, and _ greatly missed. doctor, thank you very much for that, and the - greatly missed. doctor, thank you i very much for that, and the podcast 13 minutes to the moon, which is still available, i hope, for people

to listen to— a real fascinating account with all that sound and conversations the astronauts had live in space during those magical hours. thank you so much for reflecting on the life and career of michael collins. that is it from bbc world news, thank you very much for your company. viewers in the uk will bejoining us for the papers, and we will have more international news at the top of the hour. do stay with us. hello there. it took till the end of the month before they started to make an appearance, but april showers feature quite heavily in the forecast through the rest of this week and into the weekend. and don't expect things to warm up as we see april out and go into may. it is going to be on the chilly side. area of low pressure with this weather front, which brought rain to end wednesday across southern counties. continues to push away eastwards, opening the door to north to north easterly winds for all, all the way from the arctic. the blue colours indicating that cold air in place, and once again this morning, a fairly widespread frost away

from the towns and city centres. that makes it every day in april so far, somewhere in the uk has seen a frost. lovely bright start, though, for many. 1—2 early showers, wales and the southwest, but the bulk of the showers will be north east england, eastern scotland, northern ireland. some of these could be heavy with hail and thunder. just watch how they develop through the day — become a bit more widespread, pushing a bit further southwards. now, it is going to be a day where some of you stay completely dry. southern counties maybe along some eastern coasts, too, but all will be in that north to northeasterly airflow for all. temperatures will be down on where we should be. should be around 12 in aberdeen, just eight. should be 15 in london, just 12, as we go through the second half of the day. now, into the evening and through thursday night into friday, we will see clear skies return once again. a few showers to continue through the night, but another frosty night to see the last morning of the month. just about anywhere again away from towns and city centres. could have a bit of ice, too. we've seen some overnight showers and like thursday, showers will start to develop, becoming heavy with hail and thunder.

more, though, compared with thursday across parts of wales, central and southern england, particularly southernmost counties, and it will still stay chilly even though the breeze is not desperately strong. and that breeze becomes even less of a feature as we go through friday night into saturday. notice how the isobars aligned, opening out fairly light winds across the uk, and that does mean as the showers develop through the day after a sunny — in places, frosty — start, where you do catch some, they will be slow moving. most prone towards the south and southwest of the uk, western scotland and northern ireland. temperatures still down on where we should be for the time of year. fewer showers potentially on sunday, butjust watch what happens as we head into a bank holiday monday. deep area of low pressure pushes its way towards us, could be bringing after a bright start some heavy rain and strong winds. we'll keep you updated.

this is bbc world news. the headlines... the us president, joe biden, is preparing to mark 100 days in office with his first speech to a joint session of congress. he'll call for ambitious changes to the social benefits system, including free pre—school, paid family leave and free community college. britain's electoral commission has launched a formal investigation into how prime minister borisjohnson paid for the refurbishment of his downing street flat. there is growing evidence that the official death toll in india's covid crisis is a massive underestimate. the number of reported deaths is nearly 200,000, but crematorium figures show that number could be twice as high. the apollo 11 astronaut michael collins has died at the age of 90.

he orbited the moon in the command module as his crewmates neil armstrong and buzz aldrin walked on the surface in 1969.