this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm rebecca jones the united states backs an initiative at the world trade organization to waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines. the uk is sending two patrol vessels to monitor a planned blockade of jersey's main port. it's the latest escalation with france over post—brexit fishing rights. facebook upholds its suspension of donald trump, saying it has the right to refuse to be a medium for the former president. and hope for coral reefs under threat. how local people are helping restore them in indonesia.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the biden administration says it supports waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines — a breakthrough for international efforts to suspend patent rules as the pandemic rages in india and south america. there's been growing pressure on the world's richest nations to share their vaccine stockpiles with poorer nations to bridge the scale of the vaccine gap. the issue was discussed on wednesday in london at a meeting of ministers from the g7 group, comprising some of the wealthiest nations in the world. let's put the issue into context. starting in the us, 73 doses per 100 of population have been administered so far — more than 240 million vaccinations. but almost 12,000 kilometres

away in the democratic republic of congo, there have been only 0.01 doses per 100 people distributed so far. their roll—out only began on april the 1st. in south america, peru has administered 4.81; doses per 100 of their population. and here in the uk, 68.7 doses have been administered per 100 people 7 more than 46.5 million doses in total. a group of more than a 100 countries argue that one way to ensure doses reach developing nations is to remove patent restrictions on covid—19 vaccines and medicines to allow more countries to manufacture doses. the international federation of pharmaceutical manufacturers and associations says the plan is a red herring. thomas cueni is the association's director general.

the decision by the us administration is disappointing, but it doesn't change that it's a strong answer to complex problem. it's the wrong but simple answer to complex problem because it disrupts, it distracts from tackling the real challenges, which are trade barriers, including from the us, disrupting supply chains. it prevents the immediate tackling of the bottlenecks in the supply chain, the scarcity of raw materials, where you really need full partnership. and it also prevents a fast move because what we need now, looking at the dramatic situation in india, is rich countries starting rapidly to share their vaccines with poor countries. it is unfair to see that we have countries with 20—year—old, healthy young people vaccinated, and most of africa, basically, doesn't get

any vaccine now that india is in such a dramatic situation. emily janoch from care international supports the annoucement from the biden administration, but says more needs to be done. we think this is a great first step. — we think this is a great first step, lifting patent regulations and making vaccines more _ regulations and making vaccines more available is the first step— more available is the first step in_ more available is the first step in what we need to do next — step in what we need to do next but_ step in what we need to do next. but it's not enough. we also _ next. but it's not enough. we also need _ next. but it's not enough. we also need to support developing nations— also need to support developing nations to produce and manufacture vaccines safely. we need _ manufacture vaccines safely. we need to — manufacture vaccines safely. we need to keep pushing for global vaccine — need to keep pushing for global vaccine equality in whatever ways — vaccine equality in whatever ways we _ vaccine equality in whatever ways we can. is vaccine equality in whatever ways we can-— vaccine equality in whatever ways we can. is it fair to say that rich _ ways we can. is it fair to say that rich countries _ ways we can. is it fair to say that rich countries are - ways we can. is it fair to say that rich countries are not . that rich countries are not fulfilling their earlier pledges to ensure that those around the globe, all those around the globe, all those around the globe, what have access to the vaccine? ensuring ulobal access to the vaccine? ensuring global access — access to the vaccine? ensuring global access for _ access to the vaccine? ensuring global access for everyone - access to the vaccine? ensuring global access for everyone who | global access for everyone who needs— global access for everyone who needs it — global access for everyone who needs it would cost about $190

billion — needs it would cost about $190 billion. of that, about 63 billion. of that, about 63 billion— billion. of that, about 63 billion should be coming from wealthy— billion should be coming from wealthy nations who are contributing far less. they haven't _ contributing far less. they haven't rolled them out fast enough _ haven't rolled them out fast enough. it's really important understand. it's easy to make a bil understand. it's easy to make a big pledge and no one is accountable for making sure we follow _ accountable for making sure we follow through. being transparent and public, not just— transparent and public, not just when you make a pledge, but when _ just when you make a pledge, but when you actually deliver is part — but when you actually deliver is part of— but when you actually deliver is part of the way we need to solve — is part of the way we need to solve this— is part of the way we need to solve this problem.— solve this problem. what are the implications _ solve this problem. what are the implications of _ solve this problem. what are the implications of not - the implications of not following through on those pledges? following through on those ledaes? �* , following through on those ledaes? v . following through on those ledaes? �*, ., ., ., pledges? it's a moral imperative. - pledges? it's a moral imperative. it's - pledges? it's a moral imperative. it's not i pledges? it's a moral- imperative. it's not ethical to suggest _ imperative. it's not ethical to suggest that some people to their— suggest that some people to their vaccines and some people don't _ their vaccines and some people don'liusl— their vaccines and some people don'tjust because of where they— don'tjust because of where they live _ don'tjust because of where they live in the world. but more _ they live in the world. but more than that, research says we can— more than that, research says we can save twice as many lives around — we can save twice as many lives around the _ we can save twice as many lives around the world if we invested in a fast — around the world if we invested in a fast and fair mobile roll-out _ in a fast and fair mobile roll—out of vaccines than if risk — roll—out of vaccines than if risk countries co—ordinate themselves. we could see economic benefits of up to $9 trillion — economic benefits of up to $9 trillion in _ economic benefits of up to $9 trillion injust one year because no one is safe until everyone _ because no one is safe until

everyone is safe, and no one recovers— everyone is safe, and no one recovers economically until everyone is safe and we can open — everyone is safe and we can open economies again. how much is thisjust — open economies again. how much is this just about _ open economies again. how much is this just about the _ is this just about the roll—out, and other words, supply? how much is it to do with distribution and actually the administration of the vaccine?— vaccine? the goal of vaccination - vaccine? the goal of vaccination is - vaccine? the goal of - vaccination is vaccinated people _ vaccination is vaccinated people. it's not vaccines sitting _ people. it's not vaccines sitting in warehouses around the world. we need to be investing much more in vaccinating people who need the most _ facebook says it will continue to stop donald trump from directly using its platforms. posts by the former us president about the storming of the capitol building were originally restricted after facebook ruled the outgoing president had broken its standards and rules. he appeared to sympathise with the attackers, while continuing to falsely insist that he had won a landslide victory in the presidential election. facebook�*s oversight board said it upheld the decision, but that a review of the decision would be

carried out within six months. james clayton has more. what did the capitol hill rioters have in common? love of donald trump, sure. but was also noticeable was how many were recording what they were doing. it was designed for platforms like facebook. trump �*s my use of social media is almost impossible to disentangle with social... it was his way of directly communicating with americans. but that he also use that platform to radicalise where his... responsible for these riots? facebook boss mark zuckerberg thought trump's post could lead to further violence and suspended donald trump indefinitely the day after the riots. twitter went one step

further and banned mr trump forever. he'll never be allowed back onto that platform. however, facebook asked its decision to be reviewed by its board which it claims is independent. it's designed to make difficult moderation decisions, and their decision today was complex. it said that the oversight board has upheld the oversight board has upheld the decision to just suspend mr trump. however, it's also said that facebook couldn't ban trump indefinitely. the company must reassess this penalty, it said, within six months of the decision. thejudgment said, within six months of the decision. the judgment does leave a way back for trump back on facebook, but for now, the door is firmly closed. that is a huge problem for donald trump and his hopes for political return. in a statement, the former president lashed out, saying... facebook is an embarrassment to our country. they and other companies must play the initial —— play a

political price. he play the initial -- play a political price.— play the initial -- play a olitical rice. , , ., political price. he spent more than $200 — political price. he spent more than $200 million _ political price. he spent more than $200 million in - political price. he spent more than $200 million in 2020 - than $200 million in 2020 between his campaign and his facebook advertising, so it's notjust facebook advertising, so it's not just an facebook advertising, so it's notjust an opinion that facebook was an essential part of this political power. he was actually one of the few places where he was putting his money where he was putting his money where his mouth was. mr trump esterda where his mouth was. mr trump yesterday released _ where his mouth was. mr trump yesterday released his _ where his mouth was. mr trump yesterday released his own - yesterday released his own communications platform. but it's really no replacement for being on twitter or facebook. at the click of a button, mr trump could being himself onto the computers and phones of tens of millions of americans. that button has now gone. perhaps further. james clayton, bbc news. dex hunter—torricke is head of communications for facebook�*s oversight board, and he told us more about the reasons behind its decision. the board upheld the suspension of donald trump on january the 7th. we looked at what he posted onjanuary the 6th, and the content that the president posted encouraged and

legitimised violence that cost lives. however, leaving the suspension completely open ended this indefinite suspension. that was not acceptable. this was a penalty that facebook invented. it's not contained in their rules and it doesn't have any standards or criteria for being imposed or lifted, which leaves it entirely up to facebook�*s discretion. the board says that's not appropriate. facebook has a user community of billions of users. it is really important for the sake of fairness that the rules are clear and transparently applied to everyone equally. facebook cannot make up the rules as it goes, even if they think it's really well—intentioned. in atlanta in the united states, a sacked white police officer is to get his job back despite facing murder charges for fatally shooting a black man lastjune. rayshard brooks was shot outside a wendy's restaurant by garrett rolfe, who faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. he lost his job after

the shooting, but a police oversight board has ruled that his dismissal did not follow due process. to colombia now, and anti—government protests have entered an eighth day with demonstrators gathering across the country. at least 2a people, including a police officer, have died since the protests began with the un urging security forces to refrain from using firearms. more than 800 people have been injured in clashes between police and demonstrators while more than 80 people are reported as missing. the nationwide rallies were initially against a now—cancelled tax reform bill. almost half of the country's population now lives in poverty, with inequalities exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. a woman from mali in west africa may have made history after giving birth to nine babies. doctors thought the 25—year—old was carrying seven children,

and were astonished to find two more when they were delivered by caesaran in a hospital in morocco. nonuplets — as they're called — are exceptionally rare. mali's health ministry said the mother and her five girls and four boys were all doing well. the uk is sending two royal navy patrol vessels to the island ofjersey, in the english channel, to monitor the situation after a row erupted with france over post—brexit fishing rights. the french government threatened to cut off power supplies to the channel island in a dispute over new a licensing system for french fishing vessels. a new licensing system for french fishing vessels. butjersey�*s government says a more imminent danger is a blockade by fishing boats of st helier, the island's main entry point for goods. 0ur correspondent robert hall has the latest from the island.

well, news of those vessels being deployed came following a phone call to thejersey government from number ten, from borisjohnson, who expressed his unwavering support forjersey�*s position. to be fair, their politicians have been trying very hard for the past few days to calm things down ahead of a protest of which more in a moment. how did we get here? french fishermen traditionally have worked together with channel islands fishermen, but that went downhill after brexit when jersey started to reestablish its territorial waters. at the weekend, it also began to issue licenses to french boats. those licenses to french boats. those licenses cover boats that are regularly here, cover what they can catch, the amount of time they're in jersey waters. can catch, the amount of time they're injersey waters. there was also immediate pushback from the french community unknown the normally close —— normandy coast. they haven't had enough time. there is detail that is unacceptable and unworkable. at a meeting a couple of days ago, they got

together with other fishing ports and said we are going to have to do something here. they are going to stopjersey boat landing, go and protest in jersey and we had that speech in the french parliament yesterday from the maritime minister, saying they may use jersey's supply from their grade as a negotiating school. as i speak, around 70 books on the way —— negotiating tool. they may be protesting —— 70 boats. israeli president has asked the leader of the centrist yesh atid party, yair lapid, to try to form a coalition government. it could mean an end to 12 consecutive years in power for benjamin netanyahu, who was unable to form a coalition of his own after the elections in march. 0ur correspondent injerusalem, yolande knell, has the latest. the president reuven rivlin spent the day talking to members of the different political parties here, and then he announced his

decision in a live broadcast a short time ago saying that he had asked yair lapid, who he is a centrist politician — he's a former finance minister but before his time in politics he was a tv anchor. he said that he had the backing of 56 of the 120 members of the israeli parliament. so, obviously, still short of a majority, but he thought that he had the best chance of being able to form a government that had parliament's support despite their still been difficulties, the president said, so now mr lapid will enter into political wrangling with many of the other parties that had lined up to oppose benjamin netanyahu returning to another term in office. but what's going to be a real challenge for him is that those are parties who are from the whole way across israel's political spectrum, from the left to the right, so they have got really big ideological differences between them that

he's going to have to bridge. (pres) stay with us on bbc news, still to come:(00v + stay with us on bbc news. president emmanuel macron lays a wreath at the tomb of napoleon to mark 200 years since his death. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby serve to the faithful of the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister becamel the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes _ memories of victory

as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in the future of peace and freedom. this is bbc news. the latest headlines... the united states backs an initiative at the world trade organization to waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines. facebook upholds its suspension of donald trump, saying it has the right to refuse to be a medium for the former president. myanmar�*s national unity government has formed a "people's defence force", which it says will protect civilians from military attacks. the opposition group says this

move is a first step to establishing a federal union army. 0ur southeast asia correspondent, jonathan head, gave us this update. there are lots of people willing to fight. there are many groups involved in the civilian in the city who have taken a basic weapons and we're beginning to see groups and places like chin state which is on the border with india. we seen a number of soldiers killed there. the ethnic insurgent groups have been fighting for years on the borders and formally pledge their support to this national unity government. in return, it says it will create a federal system, including properly representing them for the first time. and incorporating those insurgents into what they say will be a federal army. they say this defence force is the first step in that. but it doesn't really exist. there's no command structure. there's no command structure. there's no armed force. there are a number of people who fled to

the border. we're talking about a few dozen who are getting training from the ethnic insurgent and getting to the beginning stages. there is no force that can really challenge the supremacy in terms of military might of the myanmar armed forces. emmanuel macron has marked the bicentenary of the death of napoleon bonaparte, france's best known military leader and one of the the founders of the modern republic. the president laid a wreath at napoleon's tomb, but in 21st—century france, napoleon is a divisive figure and mr macron acknowledged a darker side in the legacy. lucy williamson has been looking at how napoleon is remembered. how do you commemorate an emperor in the 21st century? a man who threatened much of europe and reversed a ban on slavery, but also laid the foundations of the modern french state. translation: | tried - to make him as i think he was - very tormented, internal, never satisfied, always looking for power and

a place in history. i didn't want to make him a conqueror, but rather someone very lonely who died alone. this new statue of napoleon is destined for the town of montauban near toulouse, made a regional capital by the emperor in 1808. but is he still a hero here? translation: i don't understand why we're now putting up - statues of napoleon when we've had such a fuss about removing statues of men because of their racist past. napoleon reinstated slavery, so i think it's bizarre. translation: i think it's a great idea. - even with his shortcomings, he was still a great man, whether we like it or not. montauban city council was also initially divided over the statue. translation: as with any | historical figure, some spots are darker than others. but of course, if you take just one element, it's very- easy to condemn anyone.

today, we're in a dictatorship of the politically correct, - and i'm among those who want to fight it _ napoleon was a man who knew the power of public image. at his former home outside paris, they're preparing for a new exhibition, looking at his many different faces. this room tells the story of napoleon's careful creation of his image from busts in the style of roman emperors to this painting, which shows him leading an army across the alps — reimagined to replace the mule he was actually travelling on with a magnificent horse. napoleon reportedly loved this painting so much, he ordered several copies of it to use as propaganda. 200 years on, the story of france's past is more balanced, more controversial. but president macron today said he that history should not be made to bear the burden of modern debates. translation: napoleon| bonaparte is a part of us. he is a part of us

because saying his name continues to strike cords of imagination everywhere. napoleon bonaparte is part of us because the actions and lessons of the warrior, the strategist, the legislator as well as the builder, still carry into our century. his decision to lay a wreath at the emperor's tomb today won't have pleased everyone. but as this resting place so clearly shows, napoleon's relationship to france was always complex. a man who died in exile after the shame of military defeat, laid to rest in honour under a golden dome. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. coral reefs are home to around a quarter of all marine species. but threats like over—fishing and rising sea temperatures are killing them. now, an initiative to restore

badly damaged reefs is happening in indonesia, as david shukman reports. it's one of the most shocking sights in the underwater world when corals die, either because they're damaged or because the sea becomes too hot for them and they turn into what looks like a graveyard. when you dive on a reef and it's just quiet and it's all monotone grey, it's desolate, it's so depressing. the solution, pioneered by professor smith, involves whole communities in indonesia. they take these metal frames, called reef stars, and fix them to the sea bed. fragments of live corals are attached to them, and the result is a revival of a habitat that many depend on. you see fish come in, you dive on it one day and you see the small fish sort of finding a hole in the reef stars amongst the corals.

six months later, medium sized fish, the whole ecosystem responds when you give it this chance of kick—starting the system. the latest reef to be helped in this way is called hope. the word is spelt out in the new corals and the aim is to apply the same technique in other areas around the world. over the years, there have been dozens of attempts to try to bring reefs back to life, some more successful than others. and they have all been on a really small scale, as with this latest initiative. so, there will be questions about it. it's funded by the pet food company sheba, which uses a lot of fish in its products, so can this venture really make any kind of difference? well, scientists i've spoken to are impressed by the way that reefs that were once dead are now being revived. and because the task is so huge, they welcome funding from big—name companies. for businesses involved, dependent on fish and marine

resources, to actually invest in restoring the ocean, in recovering depleted reefs, is a good thing. obviously in business, you always have that extra filter of scrutiny. and because most corals are threatened as global temperatures continue to rise, any attempt to save even small areas will need real determination. david shukman, bbc news. before we go, let's remind you of our top story. the bite administration says it supports raving international property protections for coronavirus vaccines —— biden administration —— waving. it will make it easier for poorer countries to manufacture their own, as the covid pandemic rages in india and south america. the world health

organization chief said president biden's support for the wto waiver was a monumental moment. you're watching bbc news. hello there. the weather is set to change a bit this weekend as the wind direction changes. at the moment, though, we've still got that cool northerly airflow and that means more showers, heavy showers again during thursday. certainly a dramatic day on wednesday, lots of downpours, hail and some thunder in there as well. a lot of those showers have faded away, so we've got a cold start. may be a frosty start in places on thursday morning. not as cold in the southwest where there is more cloud moving in. that's going to bring a bit of rain and drizzle that will run its way along the south coast through the english channel for a while. but could be a bit snowy to start with in scotland. snow levels will tend to rise, but these heavy showers will move across scotland into northern england. fewer showers for northern ireland roster may see some sharp showers in the southeast corner of england for a while, there should be fewer showers

through the midlands, wales and southern england. temperatures still only nine to 12 degrees. another chilly feeling day. as we head into the evening we will see those showers continuing to move their way southwards, fading away for most inland areas overnight. that means temperatures are going to fall away. it's going to be another cold night. there is a risk of a frost, but may not be quite as cold by friday morning. plenty of sunshine to start the day. we will see the cloud developing, and a few showers breaking out as we head into the afternoon. most of those heavier and perhaps thundery showers with hail confined to eastern scotland and some eastern parts of england. turning drier further west. temperatures should be a little bit higher on friday, but still no better than 1a, maybe 15 degrees. now into the weekend, the changes i promised. we've got another area of low pressure. that is going to strengthen the wind and these weather fronts will bring some rain up from the southwest. looks like it's going to be a southerly wind that brings

that rain and eventually that will introduce some warmer air, especially during the second half of the weekend. wet weather, though, i think for england and wales on saturday and for a while in northern ireland, the rain moves slowly northwards into scotland where it's going to be a cold day here. temperatures across england and wales away from the north should get up to 1a or 15 degrees. maybe a touch warmer than that in the southeast if it brightens up as the rain clears later in the day. we should be turning more showery, i think, during sunday and with that warmer air across most areas, 19 or 20 as possible in the southeast. it cools down on monday, but the showers will continue.

this is bbc news,

the headlines. the biden administration says it supports waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines — a breakthrough for international efforts to suspend patent rules and make it easierfor poorer countries to manufacture vaccines, as the pandemic continues to rage in india and south america. the uk is sending two royal navy patrol vessels to the island ofjersey — to monitor the situation in the english channel — after the french government threatened to cut off power supplies to the channel island, over disputed post—brexit fishing rights in the lucrative fishing area. donald trump's ban from facebook and instagram has been upheld by facebook�*s oversight board. the social media giant ruled the outgoing president had broken its standards and rules by appearing to sympathise with the capitol building attackers, while continuing