this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. another day of record infections and deaths in india. we have a special report looking atjust how badly this crisis is affecting rural health facilities. polls close across england, scotland and wales in the biggest test of opinion since the uk general election of 2019. the us secretary of state antony blinken, on a visit to kyiv, urges russia to end what he calls its reckless and aggressive actions towards ukraine. as the us sees a record number of migrants crossing the southern border, we follow one family hoping for a better life.

hello and welcome. there's no end in sight to india's surging coronavirus cases. the country has seen yet another record rise in infections — more than 400,000 new covid cases in less than 2a hours. but that figure is almost certainly an underestimate. the virus has spread from india's cities to the countryside, where hospitals are poorly equipped. 0ur correspondent yogita limaye has travelled to varanasi in uttar pradesh and a warning, her report contains distressing footage and flashing images. in less than an hour, we saw 13 funerals here. the government says there were just seven in the whole day. and this is prime minister

modi's own constituency. the human cost is being suppressed. this is the reality all over india. we'll never know how many died of the virus in this country. india's hinterland is where most of its people live. amidst lockdowns in big cities, masses are returning to their homes in small towns and villages. the virus is spreading. rundown hospitals trying to cope with a crisis they have never been equipped for, conditions the government doesn't want people to see — so we filmed secretly. covid patients being treated amidst people with other illnesses, the sick being cared for by their own families for a lack of doctors. this is the intensive care unit — we saw toilets

overflowing on its floor. just outside, we met this man. "if she'd got the right medicines and treatment, she might have survived, but she didn't get it here." his wife was 35. this is the rural health centre she was first taken to, the only one for villages around. here they didn't discover she had covid until she became severely ill. there were no resources to treat her. i asked each person standing in this queue what they are suffering from. most of them have told me it is fever or a cough, and they are waiting in line at a primary health centre, this is the first place that someone from the village would come to. they are waiting for the doctor inside to tell them what's wrong with them.

most of these people weren't tested for covid and haven't had the vaccine. we drove miles to reach the deceased woman's village. even getting to basic health care is out of reach for most here. her husband says their whole family had covid symptoms. she was the mother of two children. people here are angry. "the prime minister makes announcements on televisions, but nothing reaches us," a neighbour says. "there is little we can do," she says, "those who are lucky to survive, whoever has to die will die." yogita limaye, bbc news, uttar pradesh. so, the pandemic is continuing to ravage india, but it's also continuing to spread across much of the developing world. now, there's growing pressure on richer countries to share their vaccine

stockpiles with poorer nations to bridge the scale of the vaccine gap. it's become a question of global concern — will countries waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines? the us has backed a proposal to do so, and the european union is set to consider it, too, but germany has now voiced opposition, as have some biotech firms, saying patent rules don't hinder production of the jabs. matthew kavanagh is from georgetown university law centre. i asked him if waiving patent rules can help. the thousands of people at this point are dying of covid because we have a production problem. wejust simply because we have a production problem. we just simply are not making enough vaccines to reach the people who are in need, and the people who are in need, and the problem there is multitasking. 0ne the problem there is multitasking. one part of the problem is patents and the intellectual property. it's one

fundamental problem. countries around the world are trying to get access to more vaccines, and what we need is far more of the factories around the world that could be making covid vaccine in the business of doing so, and that's part of that intellectual property. it's also about companies sharing their technology with others. it's also about funding to do those. all three are key, but waving the patents is one key piece of making that happen. key piece of making that ha en. �* , key piece of making that happen-— key piece of making that ha en. �* , , ., happen. it's interesting that this debate _ happen. it's interesting that this debate is _ happen. it's interesting that this debate is happening - this debate is happening because when the lister institute was involved in developing the vaccine back in summer of last year, it's instinct as a nonprofit organisation to improving people's medical asked outcomes was to put the formula out there. it was advised don't do that because the problem you'll haveis that because the problem you'll have is you can't guarantee the quality everywhere all at once. lots of people will be doing that. secondly, if you pair up

with a big company, this is what they ended up doing. you'll have all the advantages that come with that logistics of transmission of transferring fast supplies. where they wrong in going down that route? i'm not blaming them, but with a given of bum steer? i not blaming them, but with a given of bum steer?- given of bum steer? i think they were- _ given of bum steer? i think they were- i _ given of bum steer? i think they were. i think - given of bum steer? i think they were. i think that - given of bum steer? i think they were. i think that was| given of bum steer? i think. they were. i think that was the wrong move. where we've ended up wrong move. where we've ended up now is we've got a handful of companies that are the only producers of these vaccines, and we've done this very strange thing while we talk all the time about vaccine equity and how best to allocate those vaccines, was actually happening is which country gets how much vaccine on what timeline is completely controlled by a handful of companies. whereas had they initially share the technology from the start, had we set up technology hubs that might have shared how to do those vaccines in various places. we could have production happening in africa, asia, latin america instead ofjust the handful of companies we got right now.

quality is a huge issue. we want high—quality medicines, vaccines, the time. the people have confidence in these. it is a mistake to think companies are able to do that in these countries. if we look at india, south africa, thailand, brazil, there are billion—dollar enterprises that are engaged in making and manufacturing fantastically high quality products. we need them in the game, so not having enabled those folks to do that, not having gotten them from the start means we're now stuck in a monopoly system where only a few companies get to control. that means that every country in the world is dependent on those few. we seen a bad outcome of that from the serum institute when it had to shift its production to focus on india. ., , , ., india. last brief question, if atent india. last brief question, if patent rules _ india. last brief question, if patent rules were _ india. last brief question, if patent rules were waived, l india. last brief question, if. patent rules were waived, how quickly could that be achieved? there's going to be two keys.

we have to get the patent rules wave quickly. in the past, this has sometimes taken months, but it could happen in weeks. what we want is to rapidly move to a moment where he got production happening, and that's down to do the companies themselves review or sing these drugs. companies tomorrow, pfizer, moderna, astrazeneca, they could all share their cannot technology with a handful of companies around the world and we can have production in months —— their fantastic technology. we still are going to be in a situation where we are no longer monopolised if we can pass this patent waiver. right now, the uk is resisting. the us is backing it and that's good news. the director general of the world trade organization has welcomed us support for a patent waiver on coronavirus vaccines, and believes vaccine inequality needs to be overcome.

what wto members are trying to negotiate is a pragmatic agreement. it will allow access to people in developing and poor— to people in developing and poor countries, because it is not — poor countries, because it is not right— poor countries, because it is not right to have an inequity of access_ not right to have an inequity of access that we have now. it's not _ of access that we have now. it's not right that of the 1.17 billion— it's not right that of the 1.17 billion doses, 83% is in reach. something needs to be done about— something needs to be done about that. but i would say wto members — about that. but i would say wto members are negotiating. they need _ members are negotiating. they need to— members are negotiating. they need to negotiate to be able to come _ need to negotiate to be able to come to— need to negotiate to be able to come to the right solution that would — come to the right solution that would be — come to the right solution that would be pragmatic and allow companies to work with their technology and help to boost surlply. — technology and help to boost supply. so, i don't want to prejudge _ supply. so, i don't want to prejudge what that outcome would — prejudge what that outcome would be, but i'm quite convinced we can come up with an answer— convinced we can come up with an answer that will allow access— an answer that will allow access to the volumes needed

for poor— access to the volumes needed for poor countries whilst at the — for poor countries whilst at the same time, reassuring manufacturers that research and development and innovation will be protected. i'm s o rry , i'm s o rry , i'm sorry, i should have said she, not he. apologies. polling stations have closed in england, scotland and wales in what's been called a �*super thursday�* of elections. at stake are the devolved parliaments in scotland and wales, dozens of councils and 13 directly—elected mayors in england. as well as england's police and crime commissioners. it's the biggest test of opinion since the general election of 2019. the results will be closely watched not only for the state of the parties and their leaders, but also for their potential impact on the future of the united kingdom. 0ur political correspondent jessica parker has the latest. the activity has been going on “p the activity has been going on up and on the country. as you say, scotland, wales and england, where we've seen this huge set of elections that we're going to be chewing over for days because partly due to

covid, but partly the sheer numbers of election going on. we're going to be talking about results coming in until monday, actually, when will get the final set of elections. you're right to point out one of the big moments expected to come saturday afternoon, evening as we get a fuller picture of what has happened in terms of the scottish parliament. particularly whether the snp, nicola sturgeon�*s party, has gained a majority and can therefore push again for that referendum on independence that it wants. a referendum that borisjohnson, the prime boris johnson, the prime minister, borisjohnson, the prime minister, has made it clear that he will resist. that's the sort of stage that has been set ahead of saturday. huge implications for scotland and the united kingdom.- the united kingdom. some re orts the united kingdom. some reports suggested - the united kingdom. some reports suggested that - the united kingdom. some reports suggested that it i the united kingdom. some - reports suggested that it could be a situation where you take

other pro—independent parties into the mix, as well as the snp. you could ended up with two thirds of msps being pro—independence. i wouldn't —— it wouldn't lead to independence itself, but it would change the calculation in terms of relations between westminster and holyrood. i think in terms of the parties who are arguing in favour of independence, what they will point to, depending on the result that comes in, is the level to which they feel they have a mandate to pursue a further independence referendum. so, it will be hugely important to see how those numbers shake down over the coming days, and then of course, south of the border, you have the immediate focus likely to be an early result that will not get in this heart pulled by election. that's a seat that the labour party has held since 1974, since the seat was created, and this will be a real test for the newish labour

lever, sir keir starmer, being imposed for around a year. —— labour leader. he'll want to show that he can hold onto those labour heartlands and make progress after the serious significant defeat the labour party saw in 2019. if he can't, i think the murmurings and mumblings and grumblings about his leadership will grow louder, and for borisjohnson, the prime minister, who leveled up the prime minister, who leveled up his party to victory in 2019, if he takes the seat, it will be some level of further proof. although by election can be a tease and a sense, but he's eating into those old labour heartland. while spy elections have to be treated with a little bit of caution, we'll be seeing something how those leaders are doing. jessica parker had a very fizzy few days. —— very busy. still to come... the new research that shows that reducing methane could have a bigger impact

on reducing global warning than previously thought. 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... another day of record infections and deaths in india. the crisis is now spreading from the towns and cities and affecting rural health facilities. polls in britain have closed for elections to the devolved parliaments in scotland and wales and to local government authorities in england, the biggest test of opinion since the uk general election of 2019. in the first 100 days ofjoe biden s presidency, the us has experienced a record number of migrants crossing into the southern border. president biden has urged migrants not to attempt to travel to the us border — but with donald trump out of office, some believe immigration to the us is now more possible. for many, that's not the case, and they get expelled back to mexico, but some seeking asylum get to stay. for some of those people,

it makes their first stop the town of yuma, arizona. from there, patricia sulbaran reports. this is where a new life begins for some asylum—seekers in the united states. border patrol has just released them from their custody in yuma, arizona. when they are released, they are tested, they're fed, they're screened. we're allowed to bring them to a shelter that will assist the next step in their process to be able to get to their families. in the absence of government

action, this responsibility is taking on entirely by volunteers. to realise migrants were dropped off on the streets without getting tested and with no shelter. we meet this man and his family. just four of the thousands of migrants who have entered the us, is originally from nicaragua. they are seeking political asylum. their final destination is florida, where his mother and sister live.

the us is the best option for families like his because they already have relatives here. they had to the airport before dawn. despite reaching their family

in florida, theirfuture is still uncertain. this family faced a fight in court to get there asylum case heard. patricia sulbaran, bbc news. let s get some of the day s other news. in brazil, at least 25 people have been killed in a police operation against suspected drug traffickers. at least two people on a passing metro train were hit by stray bullets. the neighbourhood where the incident took place is considered a base for one of brazil's most powerful gangs, the red command. the former president of the maldives, mohammed nasheed, has been injured in an explosion in the capital male. his supporters say the blast took place as he was about to get into a car parked in a narrow lane. mr nasheed has been taken to hospital and is understood to have had surgery. mr nasheed is currently speaker of parliament. the makers of the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine have agreed to supply theirjab to all athletes and delegations at the tokyo 0lympic and paralympic games, which start injuly. although it's not mandatory to have the vaccine, the international olympic

committee is encouraging all athletes to take the jab ahead of the games. the us secretary of state has urged russia to end what he called its reckless and aggressive actions towards ukraine. on a visit to kyiv, antony blinken said the us is looking at increasing security assistance to the country. russia last month amassed 100,000 troops on ukraine's borders, the biggest mobilisation since moscow seized crimea in 2014. those forces have begun to withdraw, but many are still in place. moscow also continues to back a pro—russian insurgency in ukraine s east that has killed more than 13,000 people, according to the united nations. president zelensky wants ukraine tojoin nato for protection, but washington has been lukewarm and wants to see more progress on corruption. secretary blinken met president zelensky

and assured him that the us stands with his country. just weeks ago, as russia pushed more forces to ukraine's border than any time since 2014. i can tell you, mr president, we stand strongly with you. partners do as well. i heard the same thing at nato a couple weeks ago. we look to russia to seize reckless and aggressive actions. we will continue to strengthen our security partnership in close collaboration with you to make sure ukraine can defend itself against aggression. secretary antony blinken. you may think a hot air is something to do with

politician, there's also a tale it has something to do with cows starting to much. reducing methane emissions is far more important in tackling climate change in the short term than previously thought, according to a major united nations report just published. — — cows —— cows at fighting. methane is a potent global warming gas produced when organic material decomposes. but the un says the good news is that rapid and significant reductions in the greenhouse gas are possible using cheap, existing technologies. here s our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt. — — cows —— cows passing gas. you are about to meet methane — the gas that fires your stove, seeps from rotting organic material, and bubbles from our stomachs and those of cows and sheep. butjust look what happens when you add a little bit of pure oxygen. methane is a much more

potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. each molecule has 120 times the effect, and the real difference between methane and carbon dioxide is that methane breaks down after about a decade. but carbon dioxide will be with us for thousands of years. methane concentrations in the atmosphere have been steadily increasing, but because it breaks down so quickly in the air, the un says if we can cut emissions, we can rapidly get rid of this powerful warming gas. that means urgently tackling the methane produced by the oil and gas industry, by agriculture, and in our waste. methane is second only to carbon dioxide when it comes to driving climate change, and the assessment shows that to put the world on a path that is consistent with the paris agreement target of the 1.5 degrees, methane emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030. the report says the fossil fuel

industry has the greatest potential to cut methane emissions cheaply by plugging leaks at oil and gas wells and at coal mines. but we can all do our bit to help. we can cut back on red meat and dairy, and if you get a compost collection, do always put your organic waste in it, because it's much easier for emissions to be controlled that way. and technology can help — a new network of high—resolution satellites has been laucnhed that can spot methane emissions. like the methane plume from this rubbish dump in the indonesian capital, jakarta. it's spewing methane equivalent to the c02 from 750,000 cars. and methane is also linked to air pollution that causes tens of thousands of deaths a year worldwide — yet another reason, says the un, to start reducing emissions right now. justin rowlatt, bbc news.

and that's it from bbc world news. i'm shumway. thank you for your company. news. i'm shumway. thank you foryour company. —— i'm shawn lay. hello there. thursday bought another rash of showers, some significant snow to parts of scotland. it's still cold air with us for the day ahead, so it will be a chilly start, and there will be further snow showers over the hills of scotland. but as we've gone through the evening and overnight, the showers have tended to fade away. we had a lot of hail and thunder in eastern areas, but under the starry skies once again, because it's cold air, temperatures aproach freezing — a little below — and given there is some dampness on the surfaces, it could be a bit icy in a few spots. perhaps a little bit of river mist as well. but an abundance of sunshine first thing. the showers already with us in some areas, as you can see, become more widespread as the morning goes on. initially, across many parts of england and wales developing across scotland, one or two for northern ireland, but then congregating on the east into the afternoon. hail and thunder and

snow over the hills. so, again, chilly, but temperatures probably a little bit higher than yesterday, up to 15 perhaps in the south. but then, it's all change as we go through the coming night and into saturday. we've got the next weather system coming in, so the frost won't be as widespread by saturday morning. more limited to the far northeast of scotland, which is where we probably won't get the milder air in. it's this deep area of low pressure that's pulling itself in off the atlantic, giving us all, really, a spell of wetter weather. looks quite wet in western areas, and given we've got the south—westerly wind coming in off the atlantic, it is bringing much milder air in, which means a lot of rain potentially across south—west england, wales, into the north of england. you can see a wetter day for northern ireland and much of scotland. it may actually dry up and brighten up in south—eastern areas later. the rain may not actually reach the far north of scotland, and the milder air slow to arrive here, perhaps some wintriness on the hills. but we could see 16 or 17 if it brightens up in the south. through the night, that weather front�*s dragging its heels,

really slow to move its way eastwards. we've got one band of rain moving up towards the north of scotland, showers following in behind. still the south—westerly wind into sunday, so still mild, but with plenty of showers merging together across north and west areas near the centre of the area of low pressure. it will be windy through the weekend as well, but we could see 20—22 celcius and possibly some late afternoon thunderstorms in south—eastern areas. quite a lot of uncertainty on the detailfor sunday, but it does look a very unsettled weekend ahead. you can get more from the website.

this is bbc news,

the headlines. india has once again reported a record number of cases and deaths. a new variant of coronavirus — discovered in india in march — may be linked to the massive surge. after the big cities rural health facilities across the country are coming under increasing pressure. polls in britain have closed for elections to the devolved parliaments in scotland and wales, and to local government authorities in england. a parliamentary seat in hartlepool in northeast england is also being contested. the governing conservative party is hoping for a surprise win in a traditional stronghold of the main opposition labour party. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, has urged russia to end what he called its reckless and aggressive actions towards ukraine. speaking after talks in kyiv, mr blinken said russia had withdrawn some forces from its recent build—up along the border, but significant numbers remained.