this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley 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 pleas 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, welcome to bbc news. i'm shaun ley. you might call it back to the future. in a couple of 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 this speech comes in a couple hours�* time. what�*s the mood music they are about the scale of the ambition that will these debts be displayed? and what sort of reception will be received where, yes, the democrats have the majority, but in the senate, it�*s a wafer thin majority? but in the senate, it's a wafer thin majority?— thin ma'ority? well, it is hu:el thin majority? well, it is hugely ambitious. - thin majority? well, it is hugely ambitious. along j thin majority? well, it is - hugely ambitious. along with the other part of his proposals, there are two big proposals, there are two big proposals, there are two big proposals, the american families plan and the american jobs plan, which is more than $2 trillion together, they�*ll cost more than $4 trillion. this comes off the back of the covid relief bill which was recently put in that cost more

than $2 trillion. that�*s the cost that republicans are complaining about in their response to this. we�*ve heard some excerpts around this, and they�*ve compared this to socialism. joe biden also faces challenges from within his own party, from the progressive wing who feel that what he�*s doing hasn�*t gone far enough. so he faces a tricky balance, trying to satisfy the progressive wing in his own party but also try to get the republicans on board. and he�*ll need that support if he wants to pass these proposals. it�*s interesting, you talk about a divided house, ithink interesting, you talk about a divided house, i think there�*s also a division with his and his own party that he needs to solve if he wants to move forward. solve if he wants to move forward-— solve if he wants to move forward. 3 m , forward. it's difficult because joe forward. it's difficult because joe biden _ forward. it's difficult because joe biden was _ forward. it's difficult because joe biden was part _ forward. it's difficult because joe biden was part of - forward. it's difficult because joe biden was part of the - forward. it's difficult because - joe biden was part of the obama joe biden was part of the obama administration where there was this desire to build consensus with the republicans. john weiner, the house leader there was saying they didn�*t realise what a clown car, as he put it,

he was trying to drive because so many of his republican colleagues were determined never to compromise with obama because they thought that was wrong in principle. in a sense, the dilemma president obama faced is still there for president biden. ~ ., , president biden. well, that is what progressives _ president biden. well, that is what progressives within - president biden. well, that is what progressives within his i what progressives within his party are saying. they say the republicans didn�*t play fair then, they won�*t play fair now, so why should democrats make any concessions? joe biden did come into the presidency saying he wanted to work in a bipartisan way, and he does seem to want to continue that. we know he�*s continuing to hold bipartisan meeting groups of lawmakers after he makes this speech, to do with the proposal he�*s made to get their input. so he is still trying to do that, but we�*ve also seen that joe biden is willing to move ahead without that republican support in terms of the covid relief bill. he did that by a

process called budget reconciliation which bypassed the republican support. so we may see that he�*s willing to do the same when it comes to these proposals he put forward, but at the moment he is still trying to really bring forward everybody on board as far as he can. everybody on board as far as he can, ., , ., , everybody on board as far as he can. ., , ., , ., can. on capitol hill 'ust a coule can. on capitol hill 'ust a couple hours t can. on capitol hill 'ust a couple hours ago h can. on capitol hilljust a couple hours ago now, i can. on capitol hilljust a| couple hours ago now, we can. on capitol hilljust a - couple hours ago now, we will hear from the couple hours ago now, we will hearfrom the president couple hours ago now, we will hear from the president himself and i know you will be monitoring that for us here on bbc news. our washington correspondent live with us as she will be throughout the coming hours. there�*s to be an official investigation into the funding of renovation work on british prime minister boris johnson�*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 boris johnson 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 boris johnson�*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 i 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. 0ur 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.

0xygen 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 i 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. 0nce 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. professor nathan grills is a public health physician at the university of melbourne, and australia india institute, who works on health in india. he says the accounts of his colleagues there are really distressing.

i think many of us have friends in india orfriends who are going through similar situations, and i get constant phone calls and whatsapp messages from friends in india with similar stories to what�*s being recounted there, trying to find oxygen and treating sick ones at home because there�*s no hospital beds. it�*s really dreadful to see the health system so overwhelmed like this. it raises the question of, given the scale this problem, a lot of people might say, "well, 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 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 onjobs, 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 who have rung me 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 active steps towards regional lockdowns or shutdowns, limiting activity — that�*s what should�*ve been happening over the last 3—4 months, a very cautious approach to opening up again. they�*re 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 of been the case, a lot of people who aren�*t immune getting infected quickly. there 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. 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". 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 headlines this hour... president biden is due to set out plans for trillions of dollars in government spending, but the republicans are wary. a formal investigation has been launched into the funding for renovations to boris johnson�*s downing street flat. the images out of india in recent weeks have been harrowing. one of the photographers reporting on the crisis says he�*s covered conflicts and warzone around the world, but the second wave of the pandemic sweeping across his own country

is unlike anything he�*s faced before. courtney bembridge reports. every day, we�*re seeing pictures like these out of india — people pleading for oxygen, hospitals overwhelmed and mass cremations. the images drive home the scale of the crisis, but often, we don�*t think about who�*s behind the lens capturing the grief and suffering. these men have just lost their brother to covid—i9. the picture was taken by pulitzer prize photographer denise siddiqui. he says the brothers were adamant to tell their story. this story can�*t be told from the newsrooms. you have to have boots on the ground. and when you have boots on the ground, you have boots on the ground, you have boots on the ground, you have to take a call as a journalist, as an individual, where is the redline? but the story is so important, and we don�*t want the story to be just about the numbers. there are people that are dying, families

bearing their loved ones. he�*s bearing their loved ones. he's been covering _ bearing their loved ones. he's been covering the _ bearing their loved ones. he's been covering the pandemic for more than a year, but in recent weeks, he says it�*s resembled a conflict zone. weeks, he says it's resembled a conflict zone.— conflict zone. last year, the situation — conflict zone. last year, the situation in _ conflict zone. last year, the situation in the _ conflict zone. last year, the situation in the same - conflict zone. last year, the situation in the same room | situation in the same room where i went a couple of weeks back was totally different. i was totally shocked when i stepped into that room because i wasn�*t expecting the centre of delhi, delhi�*s largest covid facility, that people would be sharing beds — not even poor pamela families, total strangers sharing beds. it was very shocking. but strangers sharing beds. it was very shocking-— strangers sharing beds. it was very shocking. but many people can't even _ very shocking. but many people can't even get _ very shocking. but many people can't even get into _ very shocking. but many people can't even get into hospitals. i can�*t even get into hospitals. these pictures show breathless patients receiving oxygen in their cars. and of course, there is a risk for him and his family, to. there is a risk for him and his family. to.— there is a risk for him and his famil , to. ~ i. �* _, family, to. when you're coming back home. _ family, to. when you're coming back home, you _ family, to. when you're coming back home, you don't _ family, to. when you're coming back home, you don't know - back home, you don�*t know whether you�*re taking back something, whether the enemy, which is the virus, is coming back. you�*re taking all the precautions. there�*s no safe

zone at home, you are always weird about it. he zone at home, you are always weird about it.— weird about it. he says documenting _ weird about it. he says documenting the - weird about it. he says documenting the crisis | weird about it. he says l documenting the crisis is weird about it. he says - documenting the crisis is a delicate task, but he feels a duty to show what is happening around him. courtney bembridge, bbc news. 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. 0ur 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, while 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 ever recreate quite the aura that surrounded michael collins in his crewmates, though, is open to question. jonathan amos, bbc news. michael collins, and asked her the first man on the apollo 11 flight. a reminder of our top story. presiden biden is preparing to mark 100 days in office with his first speech to a joint session of congress in a few hours�* time. he�*ll call for ambitious changes to the social benefits system, including free pre—school, paid family leave and free community college — paid for partly by reversing donald trump�*s tax cuts on the wealthiest americans. mr biden is also expected to address sensitive issues including police reform, gun control and immigration. his remarks will be followed by a rebuttal speech from the republican party. all that coming up in about 90 minutes�* time. do stay with us on bbc news, i�*ll be back shortly with a full summary of

the news will stop thank you for watching us on bbc news. 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 latest headlines... in the next hour, presidentjoe biden is giving a prime—time address to a joint session of congress for the first time in his presidency. he�*ll lay out what he�*s achieved in his first 100 days in office, and also provide details on his american families plan. there�*s to be an official investigation into the funding of renovation work on british prime minister boris johnson�*s flat in downing street. the inquiry will be carried out by the electoral commission. mrjohnson has always insisted that he paid for the work himself. 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. there are acute shortages of hospital beds and oxygen supplies. now on bbc news, it�*s time for hardtalk.

welcome to hardtalk, i�*m stephen sackur.