this is bbc news with the latest headlines. sirens hundreds of homes are evacuated amid flood warnings — as the uk is hit by a third major storm in less than a week. storm franklin is causing another day of misery on the roads and rails — including here in rotherham. borisjohnson will set out plans to scrap all remaining covid legal restrictions in england — including the requirement to isolate. i the requirement to isolate. don't understand why f put i don't understand why people can't put a mask on when they are in enclosed areas. why they can't stay home when they are covid positive. how do you feel about the prospect of ending all covid restrictions? is it coming at the right time,

or does it make you feel anxious? you can get in touch with me on twitter @annitabbc, using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions. the queen carries out light duties at windsor castle this week despite testing positive for covid. president biden agrees to a meeting with russia's vladimir putin — in another attempt to avoid a war in ukraine. it isa it is a very lonely place and you need to make sure you believe in yourself and your idea to take to next level. yourself and your idea to take to next level-— yourself and your idea to take to next level. ~ , . , ., next level. music entrepreneur and ou two next level. music entrepreneur and you two start _ next level. music entrepreneur and you two start jamal _ next level. music entrepreneur and you two start jamal edwards - next level. music entrepreneur and you two start jamal edwards has i next level. music entrepreneur and l you two start jamal edwards has died you two start jamal edwards has died at the age of 31. —— youtube star. and nearly two years after the start of the pandemic, australia reopens its borders to international travellers.

hello, and welcome to bbc news this morning. a third named storm in less than a week is sweeping across the uk this morning, bringing high winds and heavy rain. it comes only days after storm eunice killed three people and left 1.4 million homes without power. storm franklin has brought severe flooding in parts of northern ireland, leaving more than 4000 households without electricity. in yorkshire and greater manchester, people have been forced to leave their homes for safety. there are 140 flood warnings across the midlands, with danger to life warnings in south manchester. this is the scene at rotherham station, not much happening there because of

the flooding, the station is currently closed. several train companies have asked people to travel only if theirjourney is essential. a yellow warning for wind covering wales, northern ireland, most of england and parts of south—west scotland is in place until one o'clock today. and a couple of minutes we will be live in south manchester and ballycastle, first, this report from will bachelor. it came from the west. storm franklin battered the irish coast before causing heavy rainfall across northern ireland. counties londonderry and tyrone suffered the worst of the flooding, with the river in 0magh among those close to bursting its banks. an amber wind warning is in force for the north of northern ireland until 7am today. wales, too, was badly hit by flooding. this torrent in powys is usually a small stream. last night, in nearby llandinam, seven people were rescued by boat after the river severn burst its banks.

siren wails northern england may have avoided the worst of storms eunice and dudley, but it's bearing the brunt of franklin. that's the flood warning siren for todmorden in west yorkshire. this equipment was supposed to be working on future flood defences on the river aire at kirkstall until it was washed away. in hebden bridge, the river close to bursting its banks and more high water in matlock, sheffield, barnsley, kirklees. this is knaresborough, where residents and their pets were rescued from a flooded holiday park. and in south manchester, more than 400 homes were being evacuated last night after two severe flood warnings on the river mersey indicated a danger to life. in liverpool, the mersey looked extremely choppy as this tug boat went to work. and a bumpy ride too for this police helicopter above the wirral. plenty more journeys will be disrupted by franklin this morning, as train lines are flooded

and blocked with fallen trees. south western, great western and avanti among the operators urging passengers to cancel or delay their journey. and with wind warnings still in place this morning, the full extent of the damage is yet to be assessed. will batchelor, bbc news. in a moment we'll speak to louise cullen in ballycastle, but first, let's speak to nick garnett in south manchester. it might not look like it at first glance, but you are standing on a golf course?— glance, but you are standing on a uolf course? , . ~ ., , golf course? yes, i am. and that is the ninth hole. _ golf course? yes, i am. and that is the ninth hole. which _ golf course? yes, i am. and that is the ninth hole. which is _ golf course? yes, i am. and that is the ninth hole. which is a - golf course? yes, i am. and that is the ninth hole. which is a bit - the ninth hole. which is a bit weird! but that is basically what has protected the whole of south manchester's flood affected areas, what happened is that over the other side of the motorway that you can see in the distance, probably, there is a floodgate. that was opened last night, which allowed this golf course to be completely flooded with huge amounts of water. that has

alleviated the pressure, dropped the river mersey levels, and it has protected the housing. in the end, only eight families had to stay at a rest centre overnight. 430 homes were at risk of evacuation overnight, but it was kept down to a handful of people that needed to be moved out of their houses. so, this water will stay here now until the river mersey starts to drop. it has already dropped 1.2 or 1.5 metres overnight, which has eased some of the pressure. there has been an awful lot of debris in that area. the main concern at the moment seems to be what is happening on the roads. the m60, the orbital motorway around manchester, has been closed near the trafford centre, after a lorry turned over. on the m6 in lancashire, there was a lorry fire after a lorry was blown into a bridge and the driver has to be taken to bridge and the driver has to be ta ken to safety. all sorts of little problems across the region, and also

in the rail network as well, where the rail companies are basically telling people not to travel unless it is absolutely vital. but there won't be any golf going on here today. not for a couple of days, anyway. and when it does, it is going to be a little bit soggy. it certainly will. thank you for that update. let's cross to the antrim court coast, ballycastle, louise colin is there. there seas look incredibly rough behind you, and storm franklin is pretty much throwing everything at northern ireland? it throwing everything at northern ireland? ., , throwing everything at northern ireland? . , ., , throwing everything at northern ireland? . , .,, , ireland? it really did. it has been a very sleepless _ ireland? it really did. it has been a very sleepless night _ ireland? it really did. it has been a very sleepless night for - ireland? it really did. it has been a very sleepless night for a - ireland? it really did. it has been a very sleepless night for a lot i ireland? it really did. it has been a very sleepless night for a lot ofj a very sleepless night for a lot of us. all around this coast, there have been incredible wind speeds recorded, almost 80 mph, all the way from the gilligan right down to county down. so, the full length of the coast. there was a bit of a low at about 7.30, but as you can tell, the wind has definitely picked up a bit again. the wind brought down trees across northern ireland, blocking roads. and it caused power cuts as well, around 4000 properties

are currently without electricity. that was at around the height of the storm. the wind and rain has caused flooding in various locations, pumps have been brought into 0magh in county tyrone to protect houses and prevent rivers bursting their banks. there is travel disruption as well. some disruption to flights, and some ferries have been cancelled. rail transport, it is not a huge network in northern ireland, but it is running at a reduced speed because of the strength of the wind. the amber warning lapsed at 7am this morning, but there is still a yellow warning in place right through until midday. you can expect a lot more of this and a lot more of that. and, quite possibly, more trees down and a bit more damage. there is going to be quite a clean—up to come whenever people get out and start checking their properties now, as the wind eases later this morning.- eases later this morning. louise, thank ou eases later this morning. louise, thank you very — eases later this morning. louise, thank you very much _ eases later this morning. louise, thank you very much for - eases later this morning. louise, thank you very much for the - eases later this morning. louise, i thank you very much for the update.

thank you for the very latest from both of you. if you want to get in touch with us today about this story orany touch with us today about this story or any of the other stories we are covering, you can do that on twitter. you can use the hashtag bbc your questions. a lot of you have been getting in touch about the story coming up next and i will be reading out some of your comments, as many as we can fit in. prime minister is to lay out his vision for repealing all remaining covid restrictions in england, saying his plan will bring the country "towards a return to normality". despite this, borisjohnson is warning that we shouldn't "throw caution to the wind" as the virus still remains dangerous for some. it's expected that by the end of the week the legal requirement to self—isolate will be scrapped for those who test positive, and will be replaced with advice instead. free lateral flow and pcr testing are likely to be rolled back. the vaccine programme will remain open to anyone who hasn't had their doses yet. across the rest of the uk — in northern ireland,

restrictions are no longer legally—binding. wales is at alert level zero, which is the lowest level of covid rules. and in scotland, first minister nicola strugeon is due to update msps tomorrow. in westminster today, the prime minister will chair a cabinet meeting this morning, before addressing the commons later this afternoon. let's speak now to our chief political correspondent adam fleming. it isa it is a very significant day. but while it might be popular with many borisjohnson's backbenchers, some polling suggests not so popular with the public, especially the idea of removing the legal requirement to isolate if somebody tests positive. so, is this really about the politics of the science? it is so, is this really about the politics of the science? it is a bit about the politics, _ politics of the science? it is a bit about the politics, remember, i politics of the science? it is a bit i about the politics, remember, boris johnson first made this pledge to scrap the covid legislation, or the legal restrictions, a month earlier than planned, right at the height of

the challenge to his leadership. so, thatis the challenge to his leadership. so, that is what is giving labour ammunition to say they are opposed to this, because it is on a political timetable rather than a scientific one. i think downing street are well aware of the fact that there will be some people, particularly among their own backbenchers, very pleased to legal restrictions are being lifted. they are also aware that there are some people who are very anxious about covid and some people who are vulnerable, and for whom it could still be a potentially very serious disease, which is why it has been described, this plan, is a balanced package that will try to speak to all of those different groups. it won't be about abandoning testing altogether. it's far more likely to be about gradually withdrawing universal testing and focusing it on where it is needed. and it won't just be go to work if you have a sniffle, it will be make a careful decision about the rescue could be posing to other people if you go to work if you have a sniffle. it will just not be backed up in law. that is the thing that will really pleased tory backbenchers when they hear this this afternoon.—

hear this this afternoon. adam, thank you _ hear this this afternoon. adam, thank you very _ hear this this afternoon. adam, thank you very much. _ hear this this afternoon. adam, thank you very much. let i hear this this afternoon. adam, thank you very much. let me i hear this this afternoon. adam, i thank you very much. let me bring in some of the tweets you have been sending about this, do you think it is the right time for england to remove the legal requirements around covid? 0r remove the legal requirements around covid? or do you think it is premature? this one is from bill murphy on twitter, saying it is totally politically motivated, reckless to drop everything now. paul tavener says giving up isolation is purely a political decision. this one is from ed, conservatives are only thinking about money. this is from saying that it about money. this is from saying thatitis about money. this is from saying that it is ridiculous. i would be happier if we had heard from a chris whitty and patrick vallance. the absence of their common causes me concern that it is the wrong time. anna says it is a dangerous and

premature move and it will jeopardise the vulnerable. i've had quite a few comments, and so far everybody is disagreeing with the removal of all of the legal requirements around the restrictions. if you think otherwise, get in touch. i can only read out what i am sent. you can continue to get in touch on twitter and let me know what you think about what we are expecting to hear from the prime minister today. joining me now is professor anthony costello, a former director at the world health organization and professor of global health at university college london. professor, good to have you with us. do you think the conditions are right for this removal of the legal requirements of the covid restrictions we have had in place up until now? we restrictions we have had in place up until now? ~ ., restrictions we have had in place up until now? ~ . ., , restrictions we have had in place up until now? . . . , . until now? we all want this pandemic to end, but until now? we all want this pandemic to end. but we _ until now? we all want this pandemic to end, but we must _ until now? we all want this pandemic to end, but we must follow _ until now? we all want this pandemic to end, but we must follow the i to end, but we must follow the science of what we have learned about the virus, about the immunity from the vaccines and about public health. you know, we have had four

variants that have come, will hand, alpha, delta and 0micron, each time politicians tell us the pandemic is over. unfortunately, we don't have stable herd immunity. we were told backin stable herd immunity. we were told back in april 2020 that we would have herd immunity soon. again, last year. what we have is short—term and waning immunity. i mean, in the current surge, above 10% of infections are re—infections. we have seen that with the queen and prince charles. people have to understand that this is not like the measles vaccine, where you have to eu shots and you are protected for life. this is different, because this is a virus that changes itself very quickly, and if we stop isolation, and we have always isolated people with notifiable disease, the infection will spread. the worry about lifting the legal

restrictions is that we are telling not only our population, but the world, that there is really nothing to worry about, that it is all over, when it isn't. d0 to worry about, that it is all over, when it isn't-_ when it isn't. do you think that is how people _ when it isn't. do you think that is how people will _ when it isn't. do you think that is how people will interpret - when it isn't. do you think that is how people will interpret it? if. when it isn't. do you think that is. how people will interpret it? if the legal restrictions, all the legal requirement to isolate is removed, the prime minister, we believe, will still ask people to exercise their judgment. so, if everyone does that, and not everybody will have the same judgment, but if everyone takes reasonably sensible precautions, do you think, given where we are at, the stage of the pandemic, the vaccination programme and so forth, that the gains that we have made can be held on to?— be held on to? well, that is a big if, on the — be held on to? well, that is a big if, on the behavioural— be held on to? well, that is a big if, on the behavioural committee| be held on to? well, that is a big i if, on the behavioural committee of sage, that advises the government, they suggest that the evidence says that in the past when they have lifted restrictions, people have loosened their behaviour. and so,

you know, i am sure some people will still stick to the rules. but a lot of people already are not. you know, i travelled on the tube this weekend on the water of people did not wear masks. 0f on the water of people did not wear masks. of course, if you stop free testing, you can't control the virus if you don't know where the virus is and how it is spreading. i5 if you don't know where the virus is and how it is spreading.— and how it is spreading. is that for ou, as a and how it is spreading. is that for you. as a final— and how it is spreading. is that for you, as a final point, _ and how it is spreading. is that for you, as a final point, is _ and how it is spreading. is that for you, as a final point, is not i and how it is spreading. is that for you, as a final point, is not the i you, as a final point, is not the most concerning part for you? cutting back on testing, or is it about removing that a legal requirement to isolate if you test positive? requirement to isolate if you test ositive? ~ , ., requirement to isolate if you test ositive? ~ a ., , positive? well, both. actually, the thin . positive? well, both. actually, the thin that positive? well, both. actually, the thing that worries _ positive? well, both. actually, the thing that worries me _ positive? well, both. actually, the thing that worries me most - positive? well, both. actually, the thing that worries me most of- positive? well, both. actually, the thing that worries me most of all. positive? well, both. actually, the| thing that worries me most of all is the plan to stop funding for the weekly 0ns survey, which tells us exactly what is happening. at the moment, last week's survey showed one in 20 overs has this infection, 2.5 million people. you know, they have the long covid surveys that tell us that 1.3 million people have

very prolonged symptoms. so, the who have said don't do this, the bma have said don't do this, the bma have said don't do this, leading biologists are saying don't do this. we need to hear from the government advisors, and i hope there will be a press conference tonight because i can't imagine that they will support all of these measures.— all of these measures. thank you very much- _ all of these measures. thank you very much. professor _ all of these measures. thank you very much. professor of - all of these measures. thank you very much. professor of global i very much. professor of global health at university college london. joining me now is professor angus dalgleish an oncologist, at st george's hospital in london. thank you for your time. i think you take a somewhat different view to that we have just heard from professor costello?- that we have just heard from professor costello? indeed i do. perha -s professor costello? indeed i do. perhaps we _ professor costello? indeed i do. perhaps we ease _ professor costello? indeed i do. perhaps we ease off _ professor costello? indeed i do. perhaps we ease off on - professor costello? indeed i do. perhaps we ease off on all i professor costello? indeed i do. perhaps we ease off on all of i professor costello? indeed i do. | perhaps we ease off on all of the restrictions, i was keen on it for a long time, i was very upset at the possibility of a lockdown before christmas. remember, there was advice to do this from chris whitty and michael gove, and the prime minister basically took a decision

that he wasn't going to take that advice. and it worked out very, very well. i, personally, would have reduced all of the restrictions and lack them go, to roughly how they are in sweden, where they are not enshrined in law, but you actually trust your people to make their own decisions relative to themselves. i also take a position that, in my own observations under monitoring, looking at the data daily, it is an extremely infectious virus, you cannot stop it, and i think doing restrictions and isolations is really a complete waste of time. but everybody in the country is probably going to get exposed to it. if they have not been exposed already. and i think that it adds an exceptionally good extra layer of immune protection. good extra layer of immune protection-— good extra layer of immune rotection. , ., , ., protection. sorry to interrupt, do ou think protection. sorry to interrupt, do you think it— protection. sorry to interrupt, do you think it is _ protection. sorry to interrupt, do you think it is better _ protection. sorry to interrupt, do you think it is better if _ protection. sorry to interrupt, do you think it is better if everybody gets the virus? you say eventually they will, effectively would go back to where we were in march 2020? is

that what you are suggesting? ida. if that what you are suggesting? no, if eve bod that what you are suggesting? no, if everybody gets _ that what you are suggesting? no, if everybody gets infected _ that what you are suggesting? no, if everybody gets infected with - that what you are suggesting? i157, f everybody gets infected with this, they have had their vaccinations, they have had their vaccinations, they will be much better protected, so when they do get the virus, we get it mild, like we are hearing the queen has it, like they have colds and flu. we have been exposed to prototypes of those four years and years. so, wejust live with it. i think we just have to do this. because it is not going to go away. look at australia and new zealand, they tried to say we were lockdown and completely prevented coming in, no, it is going to come in. you are going to get a new waves. we are just to have to learn to live with it, probably. it is no longer a lethal virus that it was, whether it is a continuation of the latest strain, 0micron, which has mutated tremendously in its virulence, the infectivity has increased greatly, thatis infectivity has increased greatly, that is something we have seen in other waves of the virus. it is actually a very good thing, because

it is helping with the immunisation process, in my view.— process, in my view. finally, professor. — process, in my view. finally, professor, as _ process, in my view. finally, professor, as we _ process, in my view. finally, professor, as we mentioned| process, in my view. finally, i professor, as we mentioned in the introduction, you are an oncologist, your patients are very vulnerable. do they share your view or are they nervous, do you think, about the idea some of these legal requirements around covid should be removed? i requirements around covid should be removed? ., �* requirements around covid should be removed? . �* ,. ,, removed? i haven't discussed it in . reat removed? i haven't discussed it in great detail _ removed? i haven't discussed it in great detail with _ removed? i haven't discussed it in great detail with them, _ removed? i haven't discussed it in great detail with them, along i removed? i haven't discussed it in l great detail with them, along these lines. but what i do find is that none of them are bothered about coming into hospital and seeing me any more, whereas a year ago we were doing as much as possible to do it over the phone. now none of them are concerned. they would rather get on and have their treatments as normal. everything is normal. no delays in the system, no delays because of having to worry about covid, disinfection and all of that sort of thing. people would rather get on and have their cancer diagnosed and treated, than put up with these things, which we know are necessary. you are going to get infected or you

are not going to get infected basically whatever you do. thank you very much- — basically whatever you do. thank you very much- to _ basically whatever you do. thank you very much. to make _ basically whatever you do. thank you very much. to make a _ basically whatever you do. thank you very much. to make a very _ basically whatever you do. thank you very much. to make a very differentl very much. to make a very different opinions from those professors i have just spoken to. a few more of your tweets, this is from shiny silver on twitter, literally russian roulette for all people with zero immunity. liar politician on twitter says that if people are afraid of 19 rock obstruction is being lifted, let them wear masks or stay at home, let them wear masks or stay at home, let everybody live their lives, you have already stolen two years of their lives. sharon says we have to live with covid, but i believe that masks should be worn to protect the vulnerable. mike flint, the who are advising against removing restrictions, this seems politically, rather than scientifically motivated. this one is from pc uk, fine, we can't keep setting everything down, i had it a couple of weeks back, i had no

vaccine doses but caught from my fully boosted wife. and roger graham says i am a 76—year—old male and i have a hard covid twice, the second time after receiving two jabs. i think it is timely to remove restrictions and allow people to use their own judgment. restrictions and allow people to use their ownjudgment. keep restrictions and allow people to use their own judgment. keep your comments coming in. clearly it is something that a lot of you want to talk about. you can do that on twitter. the queen will continue with light duties today after she tested positive for covid. palace officials say her symptoms are mild and that she'll be receiving medical attention and following all guidelines. the queen is understood to be fully vaccinated but — at 95 — her age puts her at increased risk from the virus. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph is in windsor. good morning. iam good morning. i am sure the queen's officials will not want to be providing a running commentary on how she is, but do we have any further update on her condition?

good morning. no, we don't. as you say, the royal officials have made it very clear that what they won't be doing is delivering any kind of daily updates on the queen's health. they don't want to do that. they view her health and any treatment that she is getting is largely a private matter. therefore, they say quite simply that they will give us any information if there is actually something to say. if there is not any significant change, i think we will not be hearing much from them at all. i think the mood music in terms of what we got yesterday was one of caution, but no sense of alarm, really. it was interesting that the statement said that the queen wanted to continue with these light duties with her paperwork and her red boxes, perhaps even a phone call and looking through correspondence. so, what they want to do is make sure everybody understands that she does want to carry on working if that is possible over the course of the next few

days. but having said that, she is vulnerable, she is nearly 96 years old. she hasn't been that well recently, she looks considerably thinner and more frail than she did a few months ago. all of that is in the mix and doctors will want to keep a close eye on her over the next few days. keep a close eye on her over the next few days-— keep a close eye on her over the next few da s. ., ~ ,, , . in the last few minutes, the kremlin has had premature to organise a biden and putin summit on ukraine. the meeting was proposed by france. the meeting was proposed by france. the white house said it would only happen if russia does not invade its neighbour. president putin is due to hold what the kremlin has called a large, extraordinary meeting of the russian security council. explosions have been continuing in the donbas region this weekend, and there have been increased clashes between ukrainian government forces and rebels backed by russia. military drills in belarus that were meant to end with russian tanks going back to their bases —

not any more — leaving the fear of war hanging over its nearby border with ukraine. but after a series of phone calls, the french president says the us president and president putin could meet to discuss the crisis, offering hope of a peaceful solution. president biden has made very clear that he's prepared to meet president putin at any time, in any format, if that will help prevent a war. and as long as — even if the die is cast, until it's settled, until we know that the tanks are rolling, the planes are flying and the aggression has fully begun, we're going to do everything we can to prevent it. to set the terms for a putin—biden meeting, their respective foreign ministers will speak on thursday. but the white house says any proposed summit will only take place if russia has not invaded its neighbour.

in recent days, in eastern ukraine, russian—backed rebels and government forces have accused each other of violating a ceasefire. following the killing of two ukrainian soldiers, now russian—backed rebels there say two civilians have been killed in shelling by government forces. russia is helping evacuate women and children from the eastern breakaway regions it controls, claiming kyiv is planning an attack there. russia has been demanding assurances nato will not admit ukraine, which it sees as a threat to its security. but that's an aspiration ukraine's foreign minister says remains alive, in an interview with cbs. ukraine is seeking membership in nato. has there been any subtle pressure from the united states for you to abandon your desire? no. so far, this message has came from a few european members of nato.

meanwhile, resistance preparations for a wartime scenario in kyiv continue as fresh satellite images appear to show russian military units within nine miles of the border with ukraine. mark lobel, bbc news. let's speak to our correspondent james waterhouse in kyiv. james, hello to you. let's talk about these latest lines coming from the kremlin. we understand that president putin is to address what we are told is not a regular meeting of the russian security council. what reaction is there in ukraine to all of this, and the latest efforts at diplomacy, certainly meetings at at diplomacy, certainly meetings at a foreign minister level, but not necessarily at a presidential level, at least yet?— necessarily at a presidential level, at least yet? you are exactly right. at the moment, _ at least yet? you are exactly right. at the moment, the _ at least yet? you are exactly right. at the moment, the main - at least yet? you are exactly right. i at the moment, the main diplomatic avenue seems to be between russia and the us, but, there is a big but,

the kremlin spokesman has dampened hopes slightly, saying talks of a summit between both presidents is premature, and there are no concrete plans for president biden and president putin to meet. although a call could be set up. he did hint at that. meanwhile, as you just said, there is going to be an extraordinary meeting of the russian leader and his security council. we don't know what exactly is going to come out of that. perhaps we will learn a bit of vladimir putin's thinking. meanwhile, ukraine's foreign minister has been speaking at a eu meeting of foreign ministers, where he urged the eu to walk the walk, notjust ministers, where he urged the eu to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. what does that mean? well, he wants western allies to bring an immediate economic punishments, sanctions now for russia, for what it has already done to ukraine to this campaign of sustained aggression. yesterday, the us said we are on the brink of war. some

media outlets were predicting that there were orders given to troops. today, it appears some time has been bought with diplomatic efforts. it's clearly stuttering at this point. but, crucially, it is buying time as the uncertainty the predictive ability of this crisis continues. james, just on the activity in the donbas region, between ukrainian forces and russian backed rebels, a lot of concern of what that could lead to. just give us some insight into what is going on, the efforts to portray to the rest of the world that this is contained and has not spread into ukraine yet? you that this is contained and has not spread into ukraine yet?- spread into ukraine yet? you are exactly right- _ spread into ukraine yet? you are exactly right. there _ spread into ukraine yet? you are exactly right. there are - spread into ukraine yet? you are exactly right. there are people i spread into ukraine yet? you are i exactly right. there are people here in kyiv who are getting more and more concerned about what is happening in the so—called pupil's republic of donetsk. we have seen

60,000 people be evacuated by russia across the border, because of what they describe as escalations in the territory. there has been a higher than usual number of reported showings, exchanges of fire between ukrainian forces and russian backed separatists, two ukrainian soldiers were killed over the weekend, and the blame game is going up, too. both sides are accusing each other of escalating things. as far as the west is concerned, it is all part of russia, president putin, generating a false justification for a potential invasion. what vladimir putin says is what is happening in the region, this escalation is why i am leaving 30,000 of troops to the north, when military drills are ending now, something that is adding to the security concerns of ukraine's government.

to the security concerns of ukraine's covernment. ., ~ , ., , ukraine's government. thank you very much. music entrepreneur and youtube starjamal edwards has died at the age of 31. he was a leading figure in britain's rap and grime scene. no details have been given of the cause of his death. he set up the youtube channel sb.tv, which helped launch the careers of artists including ed sheeran, dave, and rita 0ra. helen devlin looks back at his life. jamal edwards set up such a successful film operation straight after leaving school, google asked him to tell his story to help endorse their product. when you're starting off, it's a very lonely place, and you need to make sure that you believe in yourself and you believe in your idea to take it to the next level. he got over a million followers by filming up—and—coming and established rap and pop music stars and putting them on his youtube channel, sb.tv. he was soon rubbing shoulders with some impressive figures, including richard branson and prince charles, becoming an ambassador for his charity, helping young people getjobs.

if you can't, nobody can. not bad for a council estate west londoner whose filming began with no training and just a basic video camera his parents gave him when he was 15. one of the things that i wish i knew when i was a little bit younger was stuff about vat, everything about tax, finance, receipts... he became a multimillionaire by the age of 23, mainly from ad revenue on his youtube channel on which mainly 13 to 30—year—olds saw his work with artists including ed sheeran, stormzy and skepta. in a tweet, the organisers of the mobkoards said... presenter, comedian and brit awards host mo gilligan mourned the loss of a truly humble and blessed soul, saying... jamal edwards was awarded an mbe in 2015 for his work in music.

he set up youth clubs and penned a self—help book. he spoke about getting bad anxiety at times, often reminding himself to slow down. the london mayor, sadiq khan, said... the inspirational entrepreneur will be remembered as a pioneering figure in british rap and grime music. jamal edwards, who's died at the age of 31. jamal�*s mother, singer and presenter brenda edwards sent a message to the loose women team saying she was devastated, she went on to say, "jamal was an inspiration to myself and so many" and that his legacy lives on. it is time to look at the weather. a very busy week. the third storm in

the space of seven days. we still have a weather warning for storm franklin, this time it is yellow, the amber warning has now gone. it is valid until 1pm today for much of the uk and we could see wind speeds of 50 or 60 mph in land, with exposure around the coasts it could be even more than that. so, still some damaging wind, as we go through the course of the afternoon, this is what we can expect. we lose the 50s and 60s, again, while two showers and temperatures ranging from about six in the north to 12 in the south. as we head through the afternoon, the latter part of the afternoon, the latter part of the afternoon, evening and overnight, we start off with frost. then we have light rain and drizzle coming our way, then more rain coming our way through the course of tomorrow, a company by squally wind as it sinks steadily southwards. behind that, we will see some dry conditions, we will see some dry conditions, we will also have some snow, mostly on the hills, and temperatures getting up the hills, and temperatures getting up to about six and 13 degrees. but

we are not done with the wind just yet. so, a busy week ahead for us when the weather. hope it is something quieterfor you in the sport. the chair of uk sport says it's right to question how public funding for winter sports has been spent after team gb fell well short of their medal target for beijing. they won just two medals — both in curling, with the women's team claiming gold on the final day of the games. they had been set a target of three to seven. there were only 15 top—ten finishes from team gb, compared to 17 outside the top—25 orfailing to finish. we reviewed the funding every four years. checking in to see how people are doing. these results are a big part of it but the whole thing is looking forward to the future. i

think there is a misunderstanding that funding, the reward comes if you have the medals but it's not as simple as that. the potential, the results of the games are an element, a piece of information that is used but it's all about what the team will look like, what the age group is, the results. the will look like, what the age group is, the results.— is, the results. the gold medal willin: is, the results. the gold medal willing curlers _ is, the results. the gold medal willing curlers have _ is, the results. the gold medal willing curlers have boarded i is, the results. the gold medal. willing curlers have boarded their flight back to the uk this morning. curling is coming home. the men's and women's team, gold and silver medaljust out of shot, but the champagne in hand and not a bad way to travel. eve muirhead here, looking very comfortable in first class with a glass of champagne. plenty to celebrate. bruce mallett with a panda and a bear, and i think the bear is his! flying home, hoping to return this evening. the fsa is

investigating the behaviour of fans at elland road during manchester united is a victory over leeds united is a victory over leeds united in the premier league yesterday. united held off a fightback from their rivals, winning 4-2 at fightback from their rivals, winning 4—2 at the match was marred by unsavoury chanting on both sides and that both sides objects were thrown onto the pitch. a red flare, a coin striking one of the players during goal celebrations. but he didn't seem too bothered, as you see, scoring a fourth goal for his side. at molineux, goals helped earn wallace a win over leicester city. wolves go seventh now. in the scottish premiership, celtic have a three—point lead at the top of the table after winning at home to dundee. a hat—trick for the greek striker. striking twice in quick succession. and he scored the winner

late in the game. capitalising on the rangers draw with dundee united. england's lioness as continue preparations for the euros later this year as they take on spain in the arnold clark up. they maintained their unbeaten run under their manager as they drew goalless with an informed spanish side. lauren hemp are coming closest to breaking the deadlock. the effort bouncing off the post. in tennis, cameron murray is up to a career high of 12 in the world rankings. after winning in the world rankings. after winning in florida. winning his third career title, beating his american rival in straight sets. built on a tie—break. this time last year he was the world number 65. he has credited his rise to being more aggressive on the court. novak djokovic is playing competitive tennis for the first time in three months. preparing for

the first round of the dubai tennis championship. he could not play in the australian open last month because he has not been vaccinated against coronavirus and could face difficulties playing another tournament this year. daniil medvedev could overtake him at the top of the world rankings if the russian wins the tournament he is playing in mexico. that is all your sport. back to you. thank you. let's return now to the news that the prime minister is due to unveil plans to bring an end to covid restrictions in england. borisjohnson said the end to restrictions was "a moment of pride, as we begin to learn to live with covid." but some scientists urged caution, while labour questioned plans to scale down testing. john maguire has been speaking to people across england about the incoming changes. it's been a while since i've worn this level of ppe for an interview, but you'll understand why when you consider that juliette coffa, who has a severe lung condition, hasn't left her home

for more than 850 days. this is where i feel like literally the house is closing in on me. there's days i want to see the sea. there's days i want to go and see my parents. all these things that people do normally. when people start going out and you see their facebook posts, and you see people at adventure parks or at dinner, or out with friends and you think, "the world's leaving me behind here." and you do get that sense that we're very much left behind because there's not enough measures in place to make it safe for us to be out. juliette is extremely clinically vulnerable and extremely concerned that all restrictions in england are being swept away. i don't understand why people can't put a mask on when they're in an enclosed area, why they can't stay home

where they are covid positive. and ijust don't get why my life isn't valuable enough for society to take on those measures, so that everybody can have a plan to live with covid. notjust the people who are able to. community pharmacies have been among the unsung heroes of the fight against the pandemic, providing front line care support and advice to millions of people. andy williams is anxious that the gains we've made against covid could now be undermined. we have also seen lots of people, whose journey during the pandemic has been quite traumatic. they have really worked, you know... they're making tender steps out because of their own personal frailties. and what we don't want to do is to see that they feel that the rug is being pulled underneath their feet, and in some way, they need to then make a decision to absorb themselves

away from our wider society. we've got three different rolls of material. - we have a blue, which is waterproof, slightly waterproof, _ we have the antibacterial layer and we have this layer- in a transparent material. when the pandemic began to take hold two years ago, this air filtration firm used its expertise to start manufacturing facemasks. they set up this factory in rural herefordshire, where they make a million masks a day and will continue to do so. the requirement, even a medical grade type two, ask in all of the hospitals around europe, pre—pandemic, is related maybe to only 1% of our production capacity. so we are going to continue and we are going to continue to provide to the united kingdom and europe, making us, as a nation, independent from those overseas suppliers.

two lots of ear loop. few lives have been left untouched by the impact of covid. roger powell lost his job in the first lockdown, but was then employed here when production ramped up. i couldn't have askedl for a better outcome. two years ago, i was looking for probably a part time job i because people won't want to take a 64—year—old. i but dean offered me the job and i haven't looked back. i it's been fantastic. this group of builders merchants, who work for selco across the uk haven't got together socially for two years — until tonight — where they're striking out at the lanes bowling alley in bristol. we used to have an occasion like this once a month, yeah. so we've missed out mostly two years' worth of it. yeah. i mean, how important is it to do something like this? very.

they work in birmingham, we work in bristol, people work in wales, and it's times when you meet up like this, you can actually discuss things that you don't normally discuss. so one, it's about the business side of it, but then again, it's building bonds with the guys in birmingham. so yeah, it is important. the debate about if, when and by how much restrictions should be lifted goes on. meanwhile, what was once mandatory now becomes discretionary. the decisions are all ours to make. john maguire, bbc news. joining me now is peter cheese, the chief executive of the chartered institute of personnel and development. peter, welcome and thank you for your time. peter, welcome and thank you for yourtime. presumably, employers are waiting to hear if there is going to be any specific advice or guidance for them? , �* , , for them? yes, i'm sure they will. throughout _ for them? yes, i'm sure they will. throughout the _ for them? yes, i'm sure they will. throughout the pandemic, - for them? yes, i'm sure they will. i throughout the pandemic, businesses have been asking for clarity but i

think the honest truth is the signs are if this is really about living with covid and moving into the endemic phase, the onus and responsibility will move on to individuals and businesses as to how we take care of ourselves when the virus is still around, but it's not at the levels it was perhaps before. do you think there will be anything that changes to working from home hybrid working arrangements which many companies already have in place or do you think where those exist, companies and businesses will try to stick with those? i companies and businesses will try to stick with those?— stick with those? i think we have learned a lot _ stick with those? i think we have learned a lot during _ stick with those? i think we have learned a lot during the - stick with those? i think we have learned a lot during the course i stick with those? i think we have | learned a lot during the course of the pandemic and certainly in recent months about the benefits of hybrid working and in facing now, that responsibility, businesses and individuals to take care of themselves, hybrid working can be a very good way to make this work for us. but it's very important to recognise hybrid working, working sometimes from home and sometimes from the office can only really work

for those who had the opportunity in terms of the type of work they do. the majority of the workforce still needs to be in a place of work so we needs to be in a place of work so we need to make sure as businesses and responsible businesses, we continue to reassure staff and try to keep our places of work as safe as we possibly can, we engage with staff about what will work best for them. of course, it's all very well saying that if you can work from home but if you have to be in an office, a factory, shop, whatever the environment, with lots of other co—workers, it becomes a much more complicated thing when you talk about removing the legal requirement to isolate a someone tests positive. are you concerned some employees may be compelled to work when they have covid or feel compelled to work alongside colleagues who may have covid and how will they know if there is less testing?— covid and how will they know if there is less testing? that's the thin , there is less testing? that's the thing. how _ there is less testing? that's the thing. how will _ there is less testing? that's the thing, how will people - there is less testing? that's the thing, how will people know? i there is less testing? that's the l thing, how will people know? we there is less testing? that's the i thing, how will people know? we know there are many asymptomatic cases,

presenting with covid so its already, i suppose, presenting with covid so its already, isuppose, a presenting with covid so its already, i suppose, a question many people are asking about how many people are asking about how many people have covid but are not testing. 0ne people have covid but are not testing. one of the things we will be looking for is what the government says about the provision of flattery flow tests and community pcr tests, will that mean there is less ability to test? you had that question, and you have questions about the individual as well as collective responsibilities, which always exist, but we should not go to work when we are not feeling well. unfortunately, historically, to build on your thoughts about people compelled to come to work, we have seen a lot of present he is on, people coming to work when they are not as well as they should be because that is they feel the pressure of work and unfortunately, we do have a situation in this country with a very low level of statutory sick pay, many organisations top up on that, many

parts of the workforce who would therefore be concerned about the level of pay they would have if they were off sick so you have a lot of different dynamics going on, the ability to test, to make sure as individuals and organisations, we keep as safe as we can but looking at other things like policies and practices, when people are not well, shifting away from the culture of present he is on.— shifting away from the culture of present he is on. finally, if! may, we do expect _ present he is on. finally, if! may, we do expect to — present he is on. finally, if! may, we do expect to be _ present he is on. finally, if! may, we do expect to be guidance i present he is on. finally, if! may, we do expect to be guidance or. present he is on. finally, if! may, i we do expect to be guidance or would you like to see guidance around employers having someone to outbreaks to if they notice a cluster of staff for example with covid and do you think employers will feel they may be have a duty of care to provide testing for employees if the government itself is going to scale back the testing, do you think some employers will think they need to step in and pick up think they need to step in and pick up those pieces? i think they need to step in and pick up those pieces?— think they need to step in and pick up those pieces? i think undoubtedly some well. up those pieces? i think undoubtedly some well- if — up those pieces? i think undoubtedly some well. if you _ up those pieces? i think undoubtedly some well. if you take _ up those pieces? i think undoubtedly some well. if you take obvious i up those pieces? i think undoubtedly some well. if you take obvious cases| some well. if you take obvious cases like health and social or

organisations with the workforce working on the front line, serving customers, people out and about in the community, they would probably feel a stronger sense they need to keep testing staff for providing facilities for their staff. this would be something i think we are looking for, what the government will say about the provision of free testing, will this become a cost employers need to bear and if so, how did they write that into their own policies and staff with the expectation that will provide? as you say, this other question about what do we do and where we report outbreaks of covid, i would think again that is part of our individual and collective responsibility to try and collective responsibility to try and provide information but if the office for national statistics will not be surveying these things in the way we have in the past, then as a minimum way as organisations and business leaders need to understand making an organisation as transparent as we cannot there are outbreaks and doing all we can to

protect staff and that very much comes back to the point about of care. ., ~' comes back to the point about of care. . ~ , ., comes back to the point about of care. ., ~ i. ., i. care. peter, thank you for your time. a couple _ care. peter, thank you for your time. a couple more _ care. peter, thank you for your time. a couple more of - care. peter, thank you for your time. a couple more of your. care. peter, thank you for your i time. a couple more of your tweets on this. what do you think of what we are expecting to hear from the prime minister today, the removal of the remaining legal measures around covid. 0ne viewer says it's purely political, nothing else, trying cheer up his party who want everything their way, trying to divert attention away from the police investigation, transparently obvious what he's doing. and this one from dave. we need to hear independent views from chris whitty and patrick vallance, i know many people who are currently ill with covid and they've all been careful but have been infected by the selfish actions of others. please keep your comments coming in. imagine if you found out yourjob

wasn't actually real. that's what happened to more than 50 people who were hired to work for a design agency that turned out to be fake. through an online web of phoney profiles, stolen work and lies, the group was lead to believe they were joining a successful business. catrin nye has been investigating the story just over a year ago, james harris from york was desperately searching forjobs online. he'd applied for more than 2,000 before landing a great—looking role with a glamorous design agency called madbird. i was buzzing, absolutely buzzing, that i'd finally found a job that i knew i could, like, progress in. one of my best friends, helen was like, "oh, my god, this is it, jim, this is it!" more than 50 people from all over the world got a job at madbird between mid 2020 and early 2021 — when the pandemic was raging. they were impressed by the company's client list. nike, samsonite, national geographic — that sounds like big budget, as well. and i showed it to lots of people

who i know who are in the same industry as me, and they all agreed — it looked great. it's established, it's based in kensington. madbird's ambitious recruits were told they'd only earn commission for the first six months, before getting a salary if they passed their probation. that didn't seem like a problem, given the impressive clients the agency already had. are you web—based? everyone worked remotely — some for almost six months. the sales team was in talks with some big clients. if you guys have any questions, feel free to ask me. have a good weekend. but then, everything changed. i've received an email from jane smith, who i wasn't familiar with. the rest of the madbird employees were ccd in. i'm like, "jane smith? who's jane smith? " "for the attention of madbird employees. some shocking evidence has come to light regarding madbird." and as i was reading the email, my mouth kept dropping, like... "we have strong reason to suspect that the founders of madbird have knowingly participated

in the following activities." all of the work was stolen. that bombshell email from an unknown whistle—blower claimed to have evidence that madbird was a fake design agency. the work on the website was stolen, several staff members didn't really exist, and madbird's impressive client list wasn't real. i've literally been here for, like, two months. working for, like, how many hours, not getting paid, telling people to do this. recruiting people to a fake company... i've spent the last year investigating the truth behind madbird. i found many more victims and reams of fakery. one of the co—founders of the company didn't exist — his picture turned out to belong to a beehive designerfrom prague — and other staff members turned out to be fake, too. an entire pitch document that staff had been using to try and get work was stolen from another design agency. so who was behind

this elaborate con? 0ur investigations all led us to one man — madbird's charismatic boss, ali ayad. he was the director of the company, he looked like an influencer — appearing in gq magazine — and had claimed to have worked for nike. but all that turned out to be lies, too. we needed to speak to ali. whispering. hi, ali ayad. my name's catrin nye, i'm from the bbc. come on, it's time to talk to us, ali. why did you make up a fake company and then take advantage of people when they were at their most desperate? your version of the story. 0k? we have been waiting to hear your version of the story, ali, for months. you don't know all the things behind the story. you have heard one version of the story. you need to see two sides of the story. will you say sorry to the people who you hurt? i'm s o rry? whose lives and time you wasted? if i hurt somebody... if i hurt somebody, of course i'm sorry, but i'm telling you there's another

version of the story. was there another version of the story? as far as we knew, ali ayad didn't make any money from madbird — he insisted he was trying to create opportunities for people during the pandemic. one thing we did know — many people around the world had been job—phished and needed answers. catrin nye, bbc news. it's been a long time coming, almost two years, but from today most of australia — with the exception of western australia — will open its borders to vaccinated international tourists. nine million foreign visitors visited australia each year prior to covid, but the country closed its borders in march 2020, crippling the tourism industry. from sydney, phil mercer reports. international tourists were the lifeblood of featherdalea wildlife park in sydney, accounting for two thirds of its trade. the koalas were the stars of the show, along with a dazzling supporting cast.

domestic visitors have helped to keep the park afloat, but the reopening of australia's borders is a significant moment. oh, it's huge. i mean, we've been waiting for this now for over two years. we used to welcome people from all over the world to featherdale because it's the most diverse collection of australian animals anywhere, so it was a real tickbox for people to come. and so when that goes from 65% of your business to zero, you notice it. tourism has been an economic juggernaut in australia, generating about $40 billion a year. but here in the blue mountains and in other parts of the country, many businesses haven't been able to survive the pandemic, while others have managed to just about hold on. so the opening of australia's international borders feels like a new beginning. but while there's optimism about the future, in the tourist town of leura, there's also a wariness about expecting too much too soon.

i would say about 40% of businesses that were on the mall have closed or changed hands. it's not going to be a magic recovery. it's a scary time. you don't want to go to a foreign country and get stuck, so maybe it'll be quite a slow start, but hopefully it'll build up and people will feel safe coming to our beautiful country again. forest fires devastated parts of the world heritage blue mountains before covid struck. the past few years haven't been easy for restaurants and other businesses. up here, we had the bushfires at the end of 2019, and that was fairly devastating for the businesses up here for a good two or three months. two months later, to have the pandemic start up, it was very, very nerve—wracking, and everybody was on tenterhooks, i suppose. but now there is a growing sense that may be the worst of the pandemic is over.

the fact that we can reallyjust start welcoming people back is going to do a lotjust for our morale. i think it's going to be really good for everyone. named after the sunrise, dawn the koala is perhaps a sign of better times ahead for australia's beleaguered tourism industry. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. how gorgeous is that koala? i think we need some lovely images this morning. the weather hasn't been providing us with too many of those? here is carol kirkwood. storm is coming in across northern ireland, southern scotland. continuing that track through the rest of the morning. this yellow weather warning runs out at lunchtime today but when will be at lunchtime today but when will be a feature of the weather through today. showers pushing south, the wind is still costing as much as 60

miles an hour inland, more than that with exposure, easing through the afternoon but still hampering the clear up operation. temperatures today ranging from six up to 12 degrees. this afternoon and evening we see our first weather front coming in introducing cloud and patchy light rain and drizzle, some frost ahead of it and the second weather front comes in frost ahead of it and the second weatherfront comes in introducing heavier rain tonight and tomorrow. squally winds around that as it pushes towards the south—east. behind that, sunshine and showers, some of them wintry especially on the tops of the hills.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. russia says there are no concrete plans for pretty matter on biden to meet in person, despite reports of a summit. but they say diplomacy will continue. borisjohnson will set out plans to scrap all remaining covid legal restrictions in england — including the requirement to isolate. i don't understand why people can't put a mask on when they are in an enclosed area, why they can't stay home, when they are covid positive. how do you feel about the prospect of ending all covid restrictions? is it coming at the right time, or do you think it's premature? you can get in touch with me

on twitter @annitabbc, using the hashtag bbcyourquestions.