katharine da costa, bbc news.face increasing pressures from non—covid patients. the pressure is coming from the fact that there's three things going on at once at the moment. we've got these big care backlogs that we are trying to get through as quickly as possible and we are tackling the most complex cases to start with and that means those patients need to have overnight stays because they are difficult cases. the second thing that's happening is we think there are significant numbers of people who have put off coming into hospital and actually have now reached the stage where they must come in and get treatment, but because they have left it so long, it means that the treatment required will take longer and it's more complex. the third bit is yes, in those areas where we are seeing an up—tick, it's a small up—tick, in covid—19 pressures, it is adding to the pressure as well. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is here. another weekend, another warning about hospitals and nhs providers are clearly concerned

katharine da costa, bbc news. this is bbc news. our main headlines...al media. president biden calls leaders on both sides, expressing grave concern about the escalating violence. extra testing across the uk for the variant of the coronavirus first detected in india — as doctors' raise concerns about the easing of restrictions. the national unity government in myanmar, which represents those opposing the military government, has appealed for international intervention to save the population of a small town under siege byjunta forces. it says government forces are using heavy artillery and helicopter gunships on the town of mindat, in northwestern chin state, a town that's been besieged for three weeks. its residents took up arms against the ruling military junta last month. soe win than is the editor of bbc burmese, and says the town's people have been doing what they can to resist the country's military. we saw over the past two days very intense battle. so, the local population armed themselves with hunting rifles and whatever homemade weapons they ha

our health correspondent, katharine da costa, is here. s called for _ clearly a worrying trend. the nhs has called for this _ clearly a worrying trend. the nhs has called for this ban _ clearly a worrying trend. the nhs has called for this ban after- clearly a worrying trend. the nhs| has called for this ban after videos were posted on social media showing young people using these small magnets on either side of their tongue trying to trick people into thinking they had a piercing. the danger is they are easy to swallow and if you swallow more than one it can be potentially life threatening and cause significant damage if they are not removed immediately. what happens is, these super strong magnets get stuck together inside the bowel or the intestines and they squeeze the tissue cutting of the blood supply, and the tissue dies, they can lead to long—term physical problems and internal scarring. these tiny magnetic balls are widely sold as toys to children and the nhs says it is also seeing an increase in hospital admissions amongst teenage

katharine da costa, bbc news. responsible for the destruction of a platform to encourage ospreys to breed.it was chopped down just a day after an egg was laid in the nest. 0spreys are a protected bird of prey and it is an offence to interfere with them or their nests. tim muffett reports. ospreys are a very rare sight in the uk. nesting platforms for the birds of prey were first built at llyn brenig reservoir in north wales in 2013 as part of a successful conservation project. but on friday night, just one day after an egg was laid in this nest, what's been described as an horrific act of vandalism took place — the nesting platform was cut down with chainsaws. we're really pulling all stops out to try to catch the person or persons responsible for this. the whole team are absolutely devastated by it, and i'm sure the community are as well. these birds give a lot of people a lot of pleasure and ijust can't understand how anybody could go and do something like that. 0spreys spend the winter in africa, typically retu

katharine da costa, bbc news.stuck, has died aged 89. she had a long and distinguished career and also as a director. but it is for her roles in comedy films such as moonstruck and steel magnolias that she found international fame. the singer and actress cher, who played olympia dukakis' daughter in �*moonstruck�*, has been among those sharing their memories of her — tweeting that she had spoken to her shortly before her death. viola davis, who starred with olympia dukakis in the 1998 film �*the pentagon wars' descibed her as a "consummate actor" and "a joy to work with". four astronauts have returned from the international space station, in nasa's first night—time landing in 53 years. the crew, made up of three astronauts from nasa and one from japan's space agency have spent six months in space. recovery ships were waiting in the gulf of mexico to reach the capsule and crew. people have started to arrive for a music festival at sefton park in liverpool, where up to 5,000 will attend. they'll all have to show a n

katharine da costa, bbc news.resume in parts of the uk from monday. restrictions are also being eased across much of europe. in italy, the beaches are reopening. and in parts of spain — some football fans will be allowed back for the final games of the season. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. slowly, ever so slowly, life becomesjust slowly, ever so slowly, life becomes just that little bit more familiar. in poland, for the first time in months, people can go to a restaurant for something to eat. only outdoor dining right now, but a step in the right direction. and lisa maddock i've been missing it a lot. i couldn't wait to eat breakfast and have a copy in my favourite restaurant.— a copy in my favourite restaurant. ~ �* , , , restaurant. we've been missing it a lot. restaurant. we've been missing it a lot- we _ restaurant. we've been missing it a lot. we had _ it a lot. we had to stay at home and could only go for a walk — home and could only go for a walk this— home and could only go for a walk. this is definitely

katharine da costa, bbc news.rsity of cambridge. he's a professor of clinical microbiology and has been researching the evolution of covid—19, including new strains. thank you forjoining us. what are your concerns about the india variant? it your concerns about the india variant? , , ., ., variant? it seems that the india variant? it seems that the india variant is the _ variant? it seems that the india variant is the next _ variant? it seems that the india variant is the next in _ variant? it seems that the india variant is the next in the - variant? it seems that the india variant is the next in the line i variant? it seems that the india variant is the next in the line ofj variant is the next in the line of variants of concern. it's the fourth one that we have had since december of last year. and it is somewhat different from those had that come before. it does appear to have elements that make it more transmissible, for example, mutation that generates a different form. it also has mutations in the key parts r

katharine da costa, bbc news.ssfully returned to earth the capsule splashed down off the coast of florida right on schedule at 2:57am local time after the mission had been delayed due to bad weather. it's nasa's first night—time splashdown for over 50 years. the journey from the iss took six and half hours. the spacex craft is the second to return in a week. a recovery boat took about 10 minutes to reach the capsule to collect the crew and its data. the astronauts had spend more than 160 days in space. to find out more about this night—time splashdown — earlier i spoke with dr david brown from the astronomy and astrophysics group at the university of warwick. it is an interesting option to do at night. it comes with some additional risks, obviously, because there is potential difficulty in locating the spacecraft though these days with tracking, these risks are somewhat disappeared. one of the reason they have chosen to do it at night this time apart from potential descent duration questions and lining up florida

katharine da costa, bbc news. 0ur reporter luxmy gopal is in bolton — she explained what's happening of cases. victoria, there is a dual approach here, increasing vaccinations and increasing testing by going to communities. and health authorities here have been going door to door, dropping off tests to get people testing, and among the many measures to get people vaccinated is the vaccine bus here, as you can see behind me. despite the rain, people have been lining up, queueing all the way around the corner, down the road, to get their jabs. let's speak to the head for the programme of vaccination here in bolton. helen, first of all, how many people still need to be vaccinated? because of course older people and the vulnerable have already been eligible for a while. in this area, we have approximately 10,000 eligible people still unvaccinated. and what has been stopping people getting the jab? i think the reasons are that we are in an area of significant deprivation, and that brings barriers to vaccination, barriers in terms of not being able to book an appointment because you don't

katharine da costa, bbc news. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel.le who've been in contact with someone who tests positive could be relaxed, as a result of a new study. daily lateral flow tests will be given to up to 40,000 people who have a positive covid—19 contact, and they won't be required to isolate. stephen bustin is professor of molecular medicine at anglia ruskin university and author of several papers on pcr testing. he's been giving me his thoughts on the new plans. well, i think, as is often the case, the concept may be valid but the practical implementation and the specifics will be problematic. i think another problem is this it transfers responsibilities on individuals, on the public, and this kind of, of course, absolves politicians of having to be responsible for implementing sensible and appropriate but perhaps unpopular policies. so that is one concern i have. i think, in terms of the test itself, clearly, the sensitivity is a problem because there are numerous studies that show that they are not sufficiently sensitive to reliably

katharine da costa, bbc news. a long and distinguished career and also as a director. but it is for her roles in comedy films such as moonstruck and steel magnolias that she found international fame. the singer and actress cher, who played 0lympia dukakis' daughter in moonstruck, has been among those sharing their memories of her — tweeting that she had spoken to her shortly before her death. viola davis, who starred with 0lympia dukakis in the 1998 film the pentagon wars descibed her as a "consummate actor" and "a joy to work with". now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, we have a mixture of sunshine and showers at the moment. still some quite heavy showers around right now. but those showers will gradually tend to ease a bit through the evening and we will get some clear skies for a while. up towards the west, the cloud will be increasing. we will start to see some rain coming in from the atlantic, the breeze picking up as well. it does mean that frost tonight will be more limited to ea

katharine da costa, bbc news.s in whitley bay — one of the affected areas. sharon, in this round, there are conflicting accounts of who knew what and when?— conflicting accounts of who knew what and when? yes, here in north t neside, what and when? yes, here in north tyneside, whitley _ what and when? yes, here in north tyneside, whitley bay, _ what and when? yes, here in north tyneside, whitley bay, absolute . tyneside, whitley bay, absolute shock and confusion, the directorate for public health for north tyneside wendy burke, told me she only found out late last night and only through the media, i have to say, many journalists, health correspondence, we only found out last night, we were sharing it with as many people as we knew but in a statement, she said this has not been accompanied by any communications to the local authorities, local residents, orto businesses. the mayor here, norma redfern, has echoed those comments and said the implications for people across north tyneside and the wider region, they are

katharine da costa, bbc news. let's speak to our correspondent, andy gill, in bolton.ere? the infection rate in bolton over the autumn and winter followed the pattern of much of the rest of the country but infection rates in the last week of april doubled and doubled again in the first week of may. the problem with the indian variant is centred on three areas to the south of the town centre. there are areas of some deprivation. there is a high asian population, also quite a lot of students and dense housing. that is where local health officials think the problem is. they think there was initially some connection of this indian variant with international travel but now they think it is down to household transmission. initially, the increase in transmission was among younger people. now, though, they are seeing increases in age groups right up to the age of 60. so they are really hoping they can get on top of this. the local authorities have already targeted these areas with more testing, as we have heard the government is sending more doses of vaccine to bolton as well,

katharine da costa, bbc news. 5,000 people will attend a music festival in liverpool later this afternoonto watch headline act blossoms in sefton park without having to social—distance or wear face coverings. scientists will be monitoring the gig, and those with a ticket will have to provide a negative covid test to get in. 0ur correspondent dan johnson is in liverpool for us and joins me now wristband on, i'm sure. plenty of excitement?— wristband on, i'm sure. plenty of excitement? , ., , , , , excitement? yes, absolutely. this is sefton park. — excitement? yes, absolutely. this is sefton park, there _ excitement? yes, absolutely. this is sefton park, there will _ excitement? yes, absolutely. this is sefton park, there will be _ excitement? yes, absolutely. this is sefton park, there will be 5000 - sefton park, there will be 5000 people coming in here very soon. this is the entrance. the gates are not open yet, but not long before people can get back to enjoying live music, at least in this experimental arena. if you look here, you can see some of the scientific equipment that will be u

katharine da costa, bbc news.ealed for international intervention to save the population of a small town under siege byjunta forces. it says they are using heavy artillery and helicopter gunships on the town of mindat, which has been besieged for three weeks. its residents took up arms against the ruling junta last month. soe win than is the editor of bbc burmese and says the town's people have been doing what they can to resist the country's military. we saw over the past two days, the population arming themselves with hunting rifles and whatever home—made weapons they can manage, and then they interceded, intercepted the military compound, and then set fire on six military trucks yesterday. the military retaliated by using aerial attack helicopters, and we have heard that the military has entered the town and seized it. thousands of people have fled the city. voters in chile are electing delegates to redraft the country's military—era constitution. the new assembly will have equal numbers of men and women and, f

katharine da costa, bbc news. 0ur reporter, luxmy gopal is in bolton.ere this morning. tell us what is going on there this morninu. . ., . , tell us what is going on there this mornin. . ., ., , ., ., morning. victoria, there is a dual a - roach morning. victoria, there is a dual approach here. — morning. victoria, there is a dual approach here, increasing - approach here, increasing vaccinations and increasing testing by going _ vaccinations and increasing testing by going to communities. and health authorities_ by going to communities. and health authorities here have been going door to _ authorities here have been going door to door, dropping off tests to -et door to door, dropping off tests to get people testing, and among the many— get people testing, and among the many measures to get people vaccinated is the vaccine bus here, as you _ vaccinated is the vaccine bus here, as you can— vaccinated is the vaccine bus here, as you can see behind me. despite the rain. _ as you can see behind me. despite the rain, people have been lining up, queueing all

katharine da costa, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news...s will be offered as an alternative to ten days quarantine. india has recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic. a national day of mourning in israel, after a5 people were killed by a crush at a jewish festival early on friday. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's chetton. (good afternoon. good afternoon, we're going to start at old trafford where in the past hour around 200 manchester united fans made their way through the barriers and onto the pitch — in protest against the owners of the club, the glazers. the fans wanted to make their feelings clear, following the formation and collapse of the controversial european super league, of which manchester united were one of the clubs involved. as were liverpool — who are united's opponents at old trafford in the premier league this afternoon. the protest started outside but these supporters were able get past the barriers and into the ground. they eventual

katharine da costa, bbc news. time. it's one of a number of pilot events, as lockdown restrictions ease. 0ur correspondent, danjohnson, sent this from sefton park. they were ready for this, after life has been emptied for so long. unmasked and ready to go! it is the first time we have been allowed out in so long. it is like they are lifting the restrictions now. and because we are going into it first and have gone out of it first. it isa it is a good day to be a scouser. everyone is being tested and will be checked again next week but the question is, can people gather like this to enjoy themselves without masks, without social distancing but without the virus spreading? all your festival favourites are here, the bar is well stocked and after a silent summer last year they are looking forward to feeding the 5000. can't wait to have so many over—the—counter and get back to normal. hopefully busy as well. a busy day. but scientists are here to see how this goes and what lessons can be learned. we have around 40 came

katharine da costa, bbc news. our correspondent andy gill has been giving in the latest from bolton. the infection rate in bolton over the autumn and winter followed the pattern of much of the rest of the country, but infection rates in the last week of april doubled and doubled again in the first week of may. the problem with the indian variant is centred on three areas just to the south of the town centre. they're areas of some deprivation. there is a high asian population, also quite a lot of students and dense housing. that is where local health officials think the problem is. they think there was initially some connection of this indian variant with international travel, but now they think it is down to household transmission. initially, the increase in transmission was among younger people. now, though, they are seeing increases in age groups right up to the age of 60. so they are really hoping they can get on top of this. the local authorities have already targeted these areas with more testing, as we have

katharine da costa, bbc news.nment data shows there were just over 2,000 new covid infections in the past 2a hours — with seven deaths recorded. more than 36.3 million people have now had their first dose of a vaccine. that's 69% of the uk's adult population. nearly 19.7 million have had both jabs, so that's over 37% of all adults now fully vaccinated. the health secretary, matt hancock, will be live on the andrew marr show tomorrow morning at 9am, on bbc one. wreaths have been laid to mark the centenary of the royal british legion. in a message marking the occasion, prince charles said the charity ensured the sacrifices of veterans would never be forgotten. our correspondentjon donnison reports from the cenotaph in central london. in whitehall this morning, a lone bugler and the last post. to remember those who have been lost but also to mark 100 years of the royal british legion. representatives of the army, the royal navy and royal air force were among those who laid wreaths at the cenotaph, after earlier princ

katharine da costa, bbc news.or dining will resume in parts of the uk from monday. and restrictions are also being eased across much of europe. in italy, the beaches are re—opening. and in parts of spain, some football fans will be allowed back for the final games of the season. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. slowly, ever so slowly, life becomes just that little bit more bit more familiar. in poland, for the first time in months, people can go to a restaurant for something to eat — only outdoor dining for now, but a step in the right direction. translation: i've been missing it a lot. - i couldn't wait to have a coffee and eat breakfast in my favourite restaurant. translation: we've been missing it a lot. | we had to stay at home and could only go for a walk. this is definitely a big change. a stiff breeze was no deterrent for the people of rome as they returned to the capital's austere beach. limited numbers, as there are no foreign tourists, but italy has scrapped quarantine for visitors from the european union,

our health correspondent, katharine da costa joins me. number of people dying from alcohol misuse progressively got worse from march onwards last year as the pandemic hit and we went into the first lockdown. nearly 2000 people died at the end of the year, between october and december. that was the highest quarter since records began in 2001, and these were deaths that were defined as being directly caused by alcohol misuse. most were caused by chronic long—term conditions like liver disease. the death rate from alcohol abuse has been growing by just over 1% a year since 2001. last year, it went up by 18%. in england, the men living in the most deprived areas were four times more likely to die from alcohol than men living in the wealthiest areas. unlike previous years, the death rate was twice as high for men compared to women. even though there were more people drinking at the start of the first lockdown last spring, this increase in deaths is more likely to be down to those suffering from longer term problems with alcohol than before the

katharine da costa, bbc news.arvis, who co—chairs the british medical association's public health medicine committee. no think the easing of lockdown in england next week should go ahead given this indian variant? the england next week should go ahead given this indian variant?— given this indian variant? the bma is advisin: given this indian variant? the bma is advising caution _ given this indian variant? the bma is advising caution to _ given this indian variant? the bma is advising caution to the _ is advising caution to the government and members of the public. there are a couple of reasons for this, one is the indian variant, the second is related to the large numbers of people in the general population that have yet to be vaccinated. thinking a little bit about the indian variant, there is good evidence to suggest now that it transmits more easily than the variant that has been dominant in the uk for a few months. the evidence on the severity of illness, we are looking very carefully at that, but that appea

katharine da costa, bbc news.ight tonight, we'll be answering your questions on the indian covid variant and the risks to easing restrictions. i will bejoined by professor sian griffiths from the chinese university of hong kong and professor paul hunterfrom the university of east anglia. send in your questions using the hash tag bbc your questions or by emailing yourquestions@bbc.co.uk. the latest figures show a further 2,027 cases have been confirmed in the latest 24—hour period, meaning an average of 2,252 new cases per day in the last week. seven deaths were reported in the latest 2a hour period — and the seven—day average now sits at 10 deaths. meanwhile, latest government data show continued decrease in the number of people at hospital. the most recent data says 991 people are in hospital receiving treatment for covid—19. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is here with me. chris, the figures as we see them there, there is a concern, isn't there, there is a concern, isn't there, coming from the government

katharine da costa, bbc news.l issues that have taken its internet banking platform and mobile app offline. its cash machines are also unavailable and some account holders are reporting that their cards have been declined. santander hasn't said when it expects services to return to normal. let's get more now on the fa cup final from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. exciting prospect? yes, it will be a great game. excitement is building ahead of the fa cup final from wembley where chelsea and leicester go head—to—head. kick off at 5.15 on bbc one. it is one of the most famous days in the football calendar. leicesteraiming famous days in the football calendar. leicester aiming for the first fa cup and we canjoin natalie pirks, who is there. what is the atmosphere like at the ground at the moment with so many fans being able to attend this one of course? it is really different. _ to attend this one of course? it is really different. it _ to attend this one of course? it 3 really different. it has been more than a

katharine da costa, bbc news. a further 2027 cases were confirmed in the latest 2a hour period.st 2a hour period. the seven day average sits at ten deaths. latest government data also show the continued decrease in the number of people in hospital. 991 people are in hospital, receiving treatment for covid—19. the headlines on bbc news: a tower block in gaza, housing the offices of the associated press and aljazeera news outlets, has collapsed after being hit by an israeli airstrike. the israeli military said the building housed military assets belonging to hamas. in london, crowds of pro—palestinian protesters have gathered and marched to the gates of the israeli embassy. people in areas where the indian variant of coronavirus is spreading are urged to get a covid vaccination. wreaths have been laid to mark the centenary of the royal british legion. in a message to coincide with the occasion, prince charles said the organisation ensured the sacrifices of veterans would never be forgotten. jon donnison has the details. bugle plays last post in whitehall this morning, a lone bugle

katharine da costa, bbc news. ant to overreact, but we need to clear it up if we are going to move forward and everybody to stick to the road map. the first is the government does need to issue a first clarify ication today so that the residents of bolton and beyond are in in doubt what is being asked of them and the status of the guidance is made clear to people. i think that does need to be done by a minister later today, so that even knows exactly where they stand and there is no room whatsoever for knows exactly where they stand and there is no room whatsoeverfor any confusion here as we move forward. we are going to hearfrom our confusion here as we move forward. we are going to hear from our health correspondent in a moment. to confusion the situation, we have just seen something from leicester. leicester's director of public health says the government has confirmed that the new advice in relation to leicester is incorrect. professor ivan brown said people should continue to follow the existing national gover

katharine da costa, bbc news.oins me now tell us little more about this joint statement issued by the local councils affected. it statement issued by the local councils affected.— statement issued by the local councils affected. , ., ., councils affected. it comes down to a big breakdown _ councils affected. it comes down to a big breakdown in _ councils affected. it comes down to j a big breakdown in communications because it seems to be a meeting with the councils and government officials were there some reassurance. it is worth stating that the government had previously said that these were guidelines only. not restrictions in law. and the people needed to remain cautious, to act responsibly, to use common sense. so, the are still in level three. on behalf of burnley, bedford, blackburn, lester, london and they said that they have met with officials and confirm there is no restrictions on travel in or out of our areas and there are no local lockdown. they say in areas where new covid—i9 variants are spreading,

katharine da costa, bbc news.arried his fiancee carrie symonds in a secret ceremony at westminster cathedral, it's been reported. the wedding was held in front of close friends and family yesterday, according to several newspapers — although downing street has declined to comment. 0ur political correspondent helen catt reports. borisjohnson boris johnson and carrie borisjohnson and carrie symons with the first unmarried couple to live together in downing street. he had first been publicly linked by the media in early 2019. by the end of the year they were engaged. they did not announce it until the following february, when carrie symons posted the news on instagram. at the same time as announcing they were expecting their first child together full wilfred was born in april last year. there have been lots of speculation about when and how the couple would get married. in the end of the secret ceremony at westminster took almost everyone by surprise. downing street has declined to comment. an unusual position but on

in england have needed urgent surgery, after swallowing magnets. 0ur health correspondent, katharine da costa. tell is more. the nhs called for _ sounds really grim. tell is more. the nhs called for the _ sounds really grim. tell is more. the nhs called for the span - sounds really grim. tell is more. the nhs called for the span of. sounds really grim. tell is more. | the nhs called for the span of the videos appeared on tiktok showing young people using two little magnets on either side of the tongue trying to trick people into thinking that they�*ve had a piercing. now, the danger is that they�*re easy to swallow and if you swallow more than one, 18 can be potentially life—threatening and cause significant damage within hours they�*re not immediately the nieves garment removed because what happens is these magnets are super strong and become stuck together inside the bowels of the intestines, squeeze the tissue and cuts off the blood supply in the tissue dies so they can cause long—term physical problems, internal scarring. can cause long—term physical problems, internalscarring. earlier th

katharine da costa, bbc news.nt andy gill has been giving in the latest from bolton. bolton over the autumn and the winter followed the pattern of much of the rest of the country, but infection rates in the last week of april doubled, they doubled again in the first week of may. the problem with the indian variant is centred on three areas just to the south of the town centre called rumworth, deane and great lever. they are areas of some deprivation, there is a high asian population, also quite a lot of students and dense housing, and that's where local health officials think the problem is. they think there was initially some connection of this indian variant with international travel, but now they think it's down to household transmission. initially, the increase in transmission was among younger people. now, though, they're seeing increases in age groups right up to the age of 60. so they're really hoping that they can get on top of this. the local authorities have already targeted these areas with more testing

katharine da costa, bbc news.e latest country to land a spacecraft on the surface of mars. the rover has been circling the planet since february. the solar powered rover, will collect rocks and scan the surface of the red planet over the next three months. china's president has called the mission an "outstanding achievement". wreaths have been laid across the uk and around the world to mark the centenary of the royal british legion. in a message to coincide with the occasion, prince charles said the organisation ensured the sacrifices of veterans would never be forgotten. our correspondentjon donnison has this report. bugle plays last post in whitehall this morning, a lone bugler and the last post — to remember those who have been lost but also to mark 100 years of the royal british legion. representatives of the army, the royal navy and the royal air force were among those who laid wreath clinic at the cenotaph, after earlier prince charles had offered his thanks. i wanted, above all, to offer my sincere and hear

urgent surgery after swallowing toy magnets in the last three years. 0ur health correspondent, katharine da costaow dangerous is it? well the nhs has called _ story, how dangerous is it? well the nhs has called for _ story, how dangerous is it? well the nhs has called for this _ story, how dangerous is it? well the nhs has called for this ban - story, how dangerous is it? well the nhs has called for this ban after- nhs has called for this ban after being alerted to videos on tiktok where young people are using two small magnets to trick people into thinking they have had a piercing, the danger is they are easy to swallow. swallowing more than one can be potentially life—threatening and can cause damage within hour, what happens is the super strong magnets become stuck together in the bowels, they squash the tissue, cutting off the blood supply and it can die. it can cause long—term physical problem, and internal scarring. these magnetic balls are widely sold as toys for children. the nhs says it has seen an increase in hospital admissions among stagers too. —— teenagers too. parents are being tol

katharine da costa, bbc news.d to mark the centenary of the royal british legion. in a message to coincide with the occasion, prince charles said the organisation ensured the sacrifices of veterans would never be forgotten. jon donnison has the details. bugle plays last post in whitehall this morning, a lone bugler and the last post — to remember those who have been lost but also to mark 100 years of the royal british legion. representatives of the army, the royal navy and the royal air force were among those who laid wreaths at the cenotaph, after earlier prince charles had offered his thanks. i wanted, above all, to offer my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to all those who have helped build this wonderful organisation we know today, and to all those who will be part of its future. the british legion was set up in 1921, in the aftermath of the first world war. its mission to support military veterans and their families. so, 100 years after it was founded on this very spot, the royal british legion has marked its

katharine da costa, bbc news. our political correspondent chris mason is here with me.ow transmissible this indian variant is? ., transmissible this indian variant is? . , ., transmissible this indian variant is? ., transmissible this indian variant is? . i. ., is? yeah, when you look at the scientific data _ is? yeah, when you look at the scientific data published - is? yeah, when you look at the scientific data published last i scientific data published last night, they acknowledge there is a huge amount that isn't yet known about the transmissibility, how easy it is to spread this new indian variance. but they acknowledge the early evidence to suggest that there is more transmissible than the other variants. if an community transmission, as it was known, it was to be 40 or 50% more transmissible than the kent variant, it might be on the early evidence. they conclude that the unlocking could on its own lead to a resurgence in cases and hospitalisations, around and about the level we saw earlier this year in january. that the level we saw earlier this year injanuary. t

our health correspondent, katharine da costa, is here.tening, and they can cause significant damage within hours if they are not removed. what happens is, these super strong magnets get stuck together within the bowel or intestines and a squeeze of tissue which cuts off the blood supply so the tissue dies and they can cause long—term physical problems and what has happened is that these tiny magnet balls are widely sold as toys to children. the nhs says it has also seen an increase in hospital admissions amongst teenagers because of this online craze. parents are being warned to be aware of the dangers and to seek urgent medical help if children swallow these magnets. ultimately, england�*s top children�*s dr has called for them to be banned altogether. children's dr has called for them to be banned altogether.— be banned altogether. thanks for “oininu be banned altogether. thanks for joining us- _ brentford have finally been promoted to the premier league for the first time in their history. it was the tenth time they�*d featured in the

katharine da costa, bbc news.r of vaccine epidemiology at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine, says there's not enough data yet to determine how much of a risk the variant poses. we spoke to him earlier. well, it's very difficult to say right now because we don't have as much information as we would like, but the signs we're seeing are slightly worrying. i mean, we've seen this variant increase very rapidly and we've seen a big wave of cases in india. we've seen the variant has come to the uk, and in some parts of the uk, it's now well over 50% of all cases reported. so, it seems to be growing faster than the existing variants we have in the uk, although these are still early days, so it's difficult to say for sure. we've also seen some countries in southeast asia for instance, which seemed to have very good control of covid, now seeing outbreaks caused by this variant, so there do seem to be some rather alarming signs. how transmissible do you think it is? i mean, iappreciate we don't actually know

katharine da costa can bring us the latest.ed to 1600 just before the start of the pandemic in february last year. it has gone up by more than 50,000 in the last month alone. these are people who started waiting last march, just as the pandemic began. these are patients waiting for things like knee and hip replacements. often they are in agony, have reduced movement and that really impact on their quality of life. nhs england say they have treated more than 400,000 covid patient since the start of the pandemic. more than 100,000 were in january alone, during the peak of the second way. that has caused huge disruption, with thousands of nonurgent operations having to be cancelled to focus on the covid crisis. the nhs as it has managed to catch up over the summer months to around 80% activity by september. it says it's recovering after the second wave, that is progressing more quickly. because reducing the backlog of operations is seen as a crucial priority for the nhs. research from the institute for fiscal studies but england f

our health correspondent katharine da costa reports. i things seemed to progress well, until her 20 week scan.- things seemed to progress well, until her 20 week scan. i was told the news that _ until her 20 week scan. i was told the news that she _ until her 20 week scan. i was told the news that she definitely - until her 20 week scan. i was told the news that she definitely has l until her 20 week scan. i was told l the news that she definitely has got spina bifida, she has got a very big lesion on her back so ethically half of her spine was exposed. —— basically. they said it was likely she will be paralysed, likely she will be incontinent and will need a shunt to drain the fluid from her brain later on. i was... i was beside myself when they told me that all of these possible outcomes for having this condition. and ijust could not stop crying, basically. they told me the probability of her walking or moving her legs, very, very low. and, yeah, that was... but was absolutely devastating.- was absolutely devastating. within da s, was

our health correspondent katharine da costa reports.ial people come forward for theirjabs. we will accelerate remaining second doses to the over—505 and those clinically vulnerable, right across the country, so that those doses come just eight weeks after the first dose. and if you are in this group, the nhs will be in touch with you. extra vaccine doses have been deployed in bolton, which has seen a spike in cases of the indian variant. so far there's no evidence vaccines are less effective against this version of the virus, but the speed of the spread is concerning. people who've got a second vaccine will have greater protection not only against the original variants, but also against this new variant. so it is very important that people who get their first vaccine also go on to get their second vaccine, and there is very clear evidence that people are taking that offer up very strongly across the uk and indeed in bolton and surrounding areas. businesses in england, wales and most of scotland will welcome customers back inside many ve