nick eardley, thank you _ to get on top of it. nick eardley, thank you very _ to get on top of it.much _ to get on top of it. nick eardley, thank you very much indeed. - the duke of edinburgh has been remembered for his humour humanity as he was laid to rest at st george's chapel in windsor. the service was restrained, in line with the duke's wishes and coronavirus guidelines. princes william and harry were seen chatting together as they left the service. the period of official national mourning has now come to an end. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell looks back on a funeral that was watched by millions around the world. drawn up in the spring sunshine on the castle's quadrangle were the military detachments. they stood with heads bowed and rifles reversed. the scale was smaller than would have been the case without the pandemic — though that's hardly something that would've troubled the duke. he, after all, had choreographed much of what was to follow. the land rover hearse, which the duke had helped to design, moved to its position by the state entrance. the duke's coffi

here's our political correspondent nick eardley.stadium has been quiet for some time. but in the next few weeks, fans will be back at wembley, cheering on teams as part of pilot schemes. and this year's fa cup final will be used to trial covid passports, where you have to prove your status before you're allowed in. the key purpose of looking at this option is to see how it can enable us to open up getting back to the things that we want to do, if this can be at all to enable businesses to open sooner, because it could potentially mean that we can get rid of social—distancing sooner. then that could mean that some of these businesses can open sooner. and certainly, if they are open, then they can open more profitably. this isn'tjust for people who've had the vaccine. it could be a few months before all adults have had both jabs. but status certificates would allow you to prove that you've had the vaccine, a recent negative test, or that you have natural immunity based on having had the virus in the past six months. ministers have rul

our political correspondent nick eardley has more.many people have been making the most of being allowed to meet friends outdoors again. but when might life feel more normal, with busy pubs and restaurants, stadiums and theatres? it's one of the questions the government is considering, and whether proof you've had a vaccine or a negative test could reduce, maybe even remove, the need for social distancing. i think it's a good idea, but with all things, it needs testing. ijust don't... i don't know. i feel like it would create a division in society, personally. i would love to, because, well, i work in a pub. - so, will you need a certificate to get in here in the future? some sort of vaccine passport does look likely for international travel, but it's more controversial at home. a group of 70 mps, including a former labour and conservative leader, have spoken out today, writing... i'm not convinced that vaccine passports for use within the uk is proportionate to the risk. it would be divisive, effectively creating an underclass of peo

nick eardley, bbc news.h have been added to england's red list of places from where almost all travel is banned. from next friday, only british and irish nationals or uk residents will be allowed to return home from pakistan, bangladesh, the philippines and kenya. they'll have to self—isolate for ten days in a government—approved hotel. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, using music to help children born with autism overcome their speech disorders. we bring you a special report from ghana on world autism awareness day. music. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can, at worst, produce a meltdown. in this case, the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. old fears about the safety features the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fin

nick eardley, bbc news.ch republic say they want to question the two russian men suspected of carrying out the salisbury nerve agent attack after linking them to a fatal explosion four years earlier. 18 russian diplomats have been expelled from prague, after the czech government said there was strong evidence moscow was involved in the blast. the foreign secretary dominic raab said the british government stands in full support of the czech republic, and called the actions of russian intelligence services �*reckless and dangerous�*. gareth barlow reports. the czech republic, 2014. an explosion at an arms depot leaves two people dead, damages nearby homes and sends smoke rising from the ruins. following years of investigations, the czech authorities allege these two men were behind the blast. alexander mishkin and anatoliy chepiga, also known as alexander petrov and ruslan boshirov, the two russian intelligence officers the uk says in 2018 carried out the poisoning of a former russian agent on british soil. an

but the state of the scottish economy is also a key electoral issue, and nick eardley is live in aberdeening left before the holyrood elections and what happens here in the north—east of scotland could be really important to answering some of the key questions. can the snp win an overall majority? can the conservatives beat labour into second place again shamanic independence is obviously one of the big issue was that scots are thinking about before the election next week but so is the economic recovery after the pandemic, as i've been finding out. welcome to coming back indoors. a warm welcome back after a long winter lockdown. i hope you're hungry. hospitality on aberdeen's beach front is back up and running. anyway, enjoy your lunch. and despite a tough time recently, susie remains optimistic. we have to be positive going forward as from now with the reopening of everything, but it has been a very scary time this last year for everybody in aberdeen, aberdeenshire. do you think it's important that politicians focus on getting the economy moving again? oh, yes, firstly and mostly, yes. t

nick eardley, bbc news, glasgow.lections, on the bbc news website. tributes have been paid to a man who died afterjumping into the river thames to rescue a woman. folajimi olubunmi—adewole, known asjimi, entered the water on saturday night when he saw the woman fall from london bridge. she was pulled to safety, but his body was recovered six hours later. his friends and family have described him as a hero, and called for him to be honoured. here'sjon donnison. tributes to a young man considered by many a modern day hero. folajimi olubunmi—adewole dived into the thames at night to try and save a stranger. she was rescued, along with another man who also jumped in. jimi's parents, heartbroken, told us they wanted to talk about how proud they were of their son. he is my friend. if i am at home, he always come to me, and we are really friends. this is my son's clothes. i can't sleep since friday. i use his clothes to cover myself and smelljimi's body on his clothes. jimi's friend bernard was with him and saw what happene

nick eardley, bbc news.chin tendulkar has been taken to hospital, after suffering from coronavirus for more than a week. the uk medicines watchdog has found 30 cases of rare blood clots in people after the astrazeneca jab — out of 18 million doses. our correspondent rebecca morelle says a link between the clots and the vaccine hasn't been proven. these clots are unusual in that they are associated with a low platelet levels, and platelets are a type of blood cell that normally cause bleeding, not clotting. and they can affect the brain. so one needs to be on pictures by the are happening naturally but this clots of because some countries to restrict who they give the vaccine too. so today the netherlands has announced that it is not going to be giving the astrazeneca jab to people under the age of 60, generally germany are doing the same thing. but the uk is continuing with the vaccine roll—out and the uk regular stresses along with the european medicines agency and the world health organization that the ben

nick eardley, thank you- _ in the us, the mayor of chicago has appealed for calm after the release ofdead by a policeman last month. the video shows adam toledo with his hands up and unarmed — although a weapon was recovered nearby. the teenager's death comes at a time of increased tension in the us about police killings, as mark lobel reports. police, stop! a chicago police officer chases 13—year—old adam toledo down a dark alley before shooting him once in the chest. shots fired, shots fired, get me an ambulance over here now. the boy's actions at that moment have become a source of contention. initially, it was claimed he was holding a gun. but bodycam footage appears to show no weapon is visible as he raises his hands. those videos speak for themselves. adam, during his last second of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, "show me your hands," adam complied, turned around, his hands were empty when he was shot in the chest at the hands of the officer. after the shooting, the policeman calls for an ambulance while urging adam to stay awake. cpr is perfo

nick eardley, bbc news.ve been added to england's red list of places from where almost all travel is banned. from next friday, only british and irish nationals, or uk residents, will be allowed to return home from pakistan, bangladesh, the philippines and kenya. they will have to self—isolate for ten days in a government—approved hotel. the latest government figures show there were 3,402 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. because of the bank holiday, there's no data today for wales. on average, a,i72 new cases were reported per day in the last week. that's down by around a third on this time last week. there are 3,723 patients in hospital with covid—i9. 52 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. again, that number doesn't today include wales. on average in the past week, 43 deaths were announced every day, taking the total number to 126,816. 0n vaccinations, almost 154,000 people have had theirfirs

nick eardley, bbc news.ry poisonings are being linked to an explosion at an arms depot in the czech republic in 2014. the bbc has learnt details of a trail of evidence linking the explosion to a unit of russian military intelligence. 18 russian diplomats are being expelled from prague over the incident. our security correspondent, gordon correra, is here. what is the link between salisbury and what happened in the czech republic? and what happened in the czech reublic? ~ , , ., republic? when this explosion ha--ened republic? when this explosion happened in — republic? when this explosion happened in 2014 _ republic? when this explosion happened in 2014 it _ republic? when this explosion happened in 2014 it was - republic? when this explosion i happened in 2014 it was assumed republic? when this explosion - happened in 2014 it was assumed to be an accident, killing two people and only under the salisbury poisoning that investigators started to go back over some pieces of the puzzle and re—examine them. one o

nick eardley, bbc news.i spoke to our political correspondent jessica parker about the new traffic light system for international travel but started by asking her about the covid passport scheme in england. there had been quite a lot of focus on this idea you might have to present some sort of proof of your covid status to go into pubs and that seemed in particular to attract opposition, not least of all from some conservative backbenchers, it almost became this kind of focus where you really have to prove your status to go and get a point in the pub and it's notable it's not part of these plans although as nick reported, they aren't ruling it out later down the line. i suspect ministers will hope by leaving out hospitality venues and places like pubs, that might allay some concern expressed by some conservative mps but the announcement has been made overnight, we will have to see what the reaction is overnight and we will get more details tomorrow. more details on the trials of these covid passports. they'v

nick eardley, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondentjessica parker.first about the covid passports, trials starting. we know they are not going to be in things like pubs. they are not going to be in things like ubs. ., v they are not going to be in things like ubs. . �*, ., like pubs. that's right. there had been quite _ like pubs. that's right. there had been quite a _ like pubs. that's right. there had been quite a lot _ like pubs. that's right. there had been quite a lot of— like pubs. that's right. there had been quite a lot of focus - like pubs. that's right. there had been quite a lot of focus on - like pubs. that's right. there had been quite a lot of focus on this i been quite a lot of focus on this idea you might have to present some sort of proof of your status to go into pubs and that seemed in particular to attract opposition, not least of all from some conservative backbenchers, it almost became this kind of focus. you really have to prove your status to go and get a point in the pub and it's notable it's not part of these plans although

nick eardley, bbc news.spondent chris mason. chris, we are going to hearfrom chris, we are going to hear from the uk prime minister borisjohnson today. what's he going to say, and not going to say?— today. what's he going to say, and not going to say? there's two things to look out for, _ not going to say? there's two things to look out for, the _ not going to say? there's two things to look out for, the scheduled - to look out for, the scheduled notice, a week before and unlocking in england for the government has promised it will say yes or no so what we are going to get this afternoon as the prime minister saying yes, step two on the road map published earlier in the year will happen next monday, one week today in england. that's the reopening of nonessential retail, that ludicrous phrase that we could use to sing in the last six months or so, essential for plenty of us, not least those of us wanting a haircut in england, one of the things opening in scotland today. of the things opening in scotland toda

nick eardley, bbc news, glasgow. from the world health organization, regarding the crisis in india. they say they are working to deliver 4000 oxygen concentrators to india for the cove in 19 patients there. they also say that three variants of covid—19 present in india may have contributed to the spread, but other factors include the recent large gatherings, according to the who. they also say that part of the problem in india has been that many people are rushing to hospital when home—based care can be managed. that reported by reuters, regarding the who and the crisis in india. research in the uk suggests black women face a significantly higher risk of having a miscarriage than white women. analysis by the leading medical journal the lancet on 4.6 million pregnancies in seven countries suggests that being black increases the risk of having a miscarriage by 43%. the report also calls for women in the uk to be given support after their first pregnancy loss. at the moment, specialist clinics are usually only offered t

let's talk to our political correspondent nick eardley. nick what more can you tell us? contacts? it is sli . htl into lobbying contacts? it is slightly different _ into lobbying contacts? it 3 slightly different from lobbying. what has emerged is that matt hancock owns 15% of a company called topwood ltd. his sister owns a much larger share in it, and is a director. now, that company has won some nhs contracts, from nhs wales. that is slightly complicated, because matt hancock isn't anything to do with nhs wales, nhs wales is run by the welsh labour government. but there is a question over whether matt hancock should have declared the fact that his sister owns so much of this company when it was given approved status by the nhs a couple of years ago. it's basically in a position where it could potentially be awarded contracts by the nhs in england, although it doesn't seem that it has been so far. now, the government market was saying matt hancock played every thing by the book, he declared the shares when he was given them as a gift, and that he had conversations with

let's look at some of the detail with our political correspondent, nick eardley.is fairly significant. let's start off with international travel, what is the british government laying out? fin what is the british government laying out?— what is the british government la in: out? ., laying out? on monday we will get an u date laying out? on monday we will get an update from — laying out? on monday we will get an update from the _ laying out? on monday we will get an update from the prime _ laying out? on monday we will get an update from the prime minister - laying out? on monday we will get an update from the prime minister at - update from the prime minister at different parts of the economy comes to international travel there is going to be a traffic light system to allow people to go to certain countries listed country when you return to the uk to quarantine or self—isolate, if it's an amber listed country you will have to quarantine but you can do it at home, if it's a red listed country you will have to quarantine in a hotel which is approved by the government

it's expected the pilots could start from mid—april. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley has beeny we will get a fairly major update from the prime minister about some of his plans for unlocking different parts of the economy. international travel. there is going to be a traffic light system to allow people to go to certain countries. it will be green, amberand red. if you go toa green, amberand red. if you go to a green listed country, when you return to the uk you won't have to quarantine or self—isolate. and ballistic country, you have to quarantine but you can do it at home. on a red listed country, you will have to quarantine in a hotel approved by the government. —— in a red listed country. exactly when this happens, we don't know for sure. made a 17th is the earliest, but speaking to people in government, no decision has been made on whether that will happen. —— may 17th. we don't know which countries are on which list, the government say they are not ready to make the decision yet. they are urging people in the uk not to book holidays yet. prime minister boyko borisov and

let's go to nick eardley in aberdeen. hello, nick. the sun has come out for our last — hello, nick.come out for our last hour of _ hello, nick. the sun has come out for our last hour of coverage - hello, nick. the sun has come out for our last hour of coverage from | for our last hour of coverage from aberdeen harbour. we have been speaking to the party this afternoon about some of the big challenges that scotland could face over the next five years. the north—east it could be really important, both for the result and for the future of the economy. some of the seats here are going to be really key to whether the snp can get an overall majority, whether the conservatives or labour finish in second place as the largest opposition party. but there is also interesting because it is still having a debate over independence. it is also having a debate over how best to recover after the pandemic. have a listen full stop welcome to coming back indoors. a warm welcome back after a long winter lockdown. i hope you're hungry. hospitality on aberdeen�*s beach front is back up and running. enjoy

nick eardley, bbc news, glasgow.llion has it unearth alarming information. data suggest black women face a significantly higher risk of having a miscarriage than white women. and losing a pregnancy can leave all women vulnerable to long—term health problems. with one and seven pregnancies ending in a miscarriage there now calls for more specialist support to be offered. in a constant has a story. in a constant has a story. people don't talk about miscarriages that much, so i really had no experience of what happens when somebody has a miscarriage. in 2018, nana—adwoa mbeutcha lost her fourth baby at 18 weeks. as a black woman, research suggests she is more at risk of miscarrying. what happened going through labour was worse than knowing that my baby died, because with my previous pregnancies going through labour is painful, it's horrible, but you have a living baby at the end of it. this time i knew it was going to be painful, it was going to be horrible and i was going to be presented with my baby that had died. a n

our political correspondent nick eardley has more. what would you do to get back in here? in a busy pub again, sharing lunch or a drink with friends. it's one of the questions the government is looking at just now, and whether proof you had a vaccine or a negative test could reduce, maybe even removed, the need for social distancing. i think it's a good idea, but with all things, it needs testing. ijust don't, i don't know. i feel like it would create a division in society, personally. i would love to, - because i work in a pub. some sort of vaccine passport looks likely for international travel, but they're more controversial mystically. a wide—ranging group of mps, including former labour and tory leaders, have spoken out today, warning... the government will take on board the level of concern about this across parliament and it will avoid what i think would be a huge infringement of our civil liberties and unnecessary. the culture secretary is trying to figure out how more people can get back into theatres like this one in wolverhampton. this is not about a vaccine pass

nick eardley, bbc news, aberdeen.and across the day on bbc news we'll be taking a look at some of the key issues in wales ahead of tonights debate. and sarah dickins, the economic correspondent for bbc walesjoins me now from cardiff. the pandemic has changed so much for us all and these elections will be a test as to whether the pandemic will shape our political choices as well. what are the party saying about issues of the future of the high street and how we are going to work in the future as part of the broader debate on the economy?— debate on the economy? there is something _ debate on the economy? there is something important _ debate on the economy? there is something important to - debate on the economy? there is| something important to recognise debate on the economy? there is - something important to recognise and thatis something important to recognise and that is that wales went into the pandemic with already a very weak economy, we are one of the least productive parts of the uk. that is not because we ha

nick eardley, bbc news, glasgow. flat. quite a and who paid for the redecoration of borisjohnson's flat. quite a few of you are interested in where the money came from. val says, yes, it matters to me. i am astounded to hear that on ten occasions boris johnson was late with his declarations of interest, does this indicate he does not need to follow the rules? at a time when people are struggling financially, £30,000 that he was able to spend amazingly needed topping up with another £27,000. i am disgusted, says val in north yorkshire. janet says, we don't care. ijust north yorkshire. janet says, we don't care. i just wonder where your reporter is their halos. move on, we don't care. peter says, reporter is their halos. move on, we don't care. petersays, i reporter is their halos. move on, we don't care. peter says, i am interested in where the money came from four boris's flat. i also resent tory politicians telling me what i am interested in is only coronavirus. jenny says, my late husband was a district councillor

our political correspondent nick eardley has more details. should be seeing this again in england — pubs and restaurants serving outside, nonessential shops opening their doors, hairdressers back open. those lockdown haircuts finally brought back under control. the cabinet will meet to discuss the latest data on coronavirus this morning. borisjohnson will confirm his plans in a press conference this afternoon. he will also be talking about holidays. but don't expect firm dates or a list of where we will be allowed to go. there will in future, though, be a traffic—light system. green will mean you don't have to quarantine on return to england. amber, you will have to quarantine at home and red will mean that it is in a government—approved hotel. there will be more information about covid passports in england, too. they are designed to allow mass spectator events like the fa cup final. under the plans, you will need to show either you have had the vaccine, a recent negative test, or that you have natural immunity based on having had the virus i

i asked our political correspondent nick eardley what�*s been happening on the story today.f of this company about potential conflicts of interest in the civil service and in the cabinet as well but in a lot of these, it seems like the bills haven�*t been broken so we are increasingly heaving calls for the rules to be tightened. let�*s listen to labour�*s shadow cabinet office minister, rachel reeves. what we have seen this week is that tory sleaze is back and it is bigger than ever and we need real change to the _ stored trust in our democracy and in the very essence of public service which matters to so many of us and matters to people in our country. what we want to see, to have a proper enquiry, not shared by one of borisjohnson's friends, a very close friend of the conservative party the man doing the review. but a proper independent enquiry which has teeth and has a chance to make recommendations on how to clean this up because this isn't just about this company. it is the tip of the iceberg. there are £2 billion of contracts that have gone to friends of the conservati

our political correspondent, nick eardley, has this report. this feels like a long time ago.ore than one year since we saw packed football grounds in the uk. but the government is testing ways to get fans back in stadiums and certificates showing your covid status could the answer. the government has confirmed it is developing a system to allow people in england to return to mass events. you would be asked to prove you have had either a vaccine, a recent negative test or natural immunity from having had the virus within the last six months. the plan will be tested later this month at the snooker championships. the crucible, a pilot for what could become a much wider scheme. a nightclub and an outdoor cinema in liverpool will be used for test sites as well. with pubs and restaurants reopening in england later this month you will not need to prove your covid status, but downing street has not ruled out that happening later in the year. perhaps to reduce the need for social distancing. but the government does not want covid certificates for public transport or supermarkets and o

but the state of the scottish economy is also a key electoral issue, and nick eardley is live in aberdeenting because the north—east region where we are today could be one of the crucial ones for answering some of the big questions in this election. can the snp when the overall majority? they say that would give them a mandate for an independence referendum. can the conservatives hold onto second place? they are in a race with the labour party for that. and how will the smaller parties, like alex salmond's new album party, do? independence is obviously a really crucial part of the debate in the next week or so, but so is the economic recovery after the pandemic. as i have been finding out. a warm welcome back after a long winter lockdown. i hope you're hungry. hospitality on aberdeen's beach front is back up and running. enjoy your lunch. and despite a tough time recently, susie remains optimistic. we have to be positive going forward from as from now with the reopening of everything. but it has been a very scary time this last year for everybody in aberdeen and aberdeenshire. do you thin

nick eardley _ though. nick, thank you very much indeed. nick eardley there - though. he was cleared about the qualities needed for thejob. the qualities needed for the “0b. the ca aci qualities needed for the “0b. the capacity to i qualities needed for the job. ti2 capacity to get on with all kinds of people without snide, snobbery or aloofness. ., . , ., , aloofness. politics was in her blood, aloofness. politics was in her blood. her — aloofness. politics was in her blood, her mother— aloofness. politics was in her blood, her mother was i aloofness. politics was in her| blood, her mother was weber aloofness. politics was in her - blood, her mother was weber britain, a famous novelist and feminist campaigner. —— her mother was vera britten. she first stood for parliament at the age of 24 but it took three attempts before she finally entered the house of commons in 1964. in a male dominated possession, she often found herself the lone woman on the platform. ih the lone woman on the platform. in fighting inflation without unemployment... fighting inflation without unemp

nick eardley, bbc news, glasgow.paul scully said the current government inquiry will deliver that more rapidly, rather than beginning a statutory inquiry at this point. (tx sot) in response to the court of appeal judgment that post office has apologised. the post office chair has said the post office is extremely sorry for the impact on the lives of those postmasters and the lives of those postmasters and the families that was caused by these historical failures. the families that was caused by these historicalfailures. the government recognises the gravity of the judgment and the hugely negative impact the convictions have had an individual postmasters and their families. thejourney individual postmasters and their families. the journey to get to last friday's court of appealjudgment has unquestionably been a long and difficult one. the government pays tribute to their courage and tenacity in pursuing the fight for justice. the government also pays tribute to colleagues across the house who have campaigned tirelessl

but the economic recovery after the pandemic is also a key issue. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley indoors. a warm welcome back after a long winter lockdown. i hope you are hungry. hospitality on aberdeen's beachfront is back up and running. anyway, enjoy your lunch. despite a tough time recently, susie remains optimistic. we have to be positive going forward as from now with the reopening of everything. but it has been a very scary time this last year for everybody in aberdeen, aberdeenshire. do you think it's important that politicians focus on getting the economy moving again? 0h, first, yes. firstly and mostly, yes. there are green shoots here. shoppers back on union street, but aberdeen has been hit hard and local business groups want politicians to act. unemployment has been the highest in scotland. 0ur number ofjob vacancies has fallen the most. this is a vital election, possibly the most important of our lifetimes because i think the policy decisions that are determined now. that are determined now will see how we recover. we are asking for our business to be trusted by gov

nick eardley, bbc news.s and garden centres in scotland can reopen from today in the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions. salons and barbers can welcome back customers with appointments only, although most nonessential shops will have to stay closed for at least three more weeks. here's our scotland correspondent james shaw. the chance to finally tame out of control lockdown hair will be something that many people have been looking forward to for weeks, if not months. if this hair salon in glasgow is anything to go by, there is enormous pent—up demand. when we got the first announcement, we opened our books and we had over 1000 bookings within 2a hours. we were expecting that, so it is crazy busy, but the staff are well rested and we are going to be open seven days, until eight at night, so long days ahead. we are ready. there are still restrictions such as face coverings and physical distancing. all cuts must be pre—booked and mobile services are still not allowed. after your haircut you might want to

our political correspondent nick eardley has this report. this feels like a long time ago.been more than one year since we saw patfull all grounds in the uk. but the government is testing ways to get fans back in stadiums and certificates showing your covid status could the answer. the government has confirmed it is developing a system to allow people in england to return to mass events. you would be asked to prove you have had either a vaccine, a recent negative test or actual natural immunity from having had the virus within the last six months. the plan will be tested later this month the snooker championships. the crucible, a pilot for what could become a much wider scheme. a nightclub and an outdoor cinema in liverpool will be used for test sites as well. when pubs and restaurants reopening in england later this month you will need to prove your covid status but downing street has not ruled out that happening later in the year —— year. but the government does not want covid certificates for public transport or supermarkets and other essential shops. transport or superm

earlier our political correspondent, nick eardley, gave us this update.er owns a much larger share in it, and is a director. now, that company has won some nhs contracts, from nhs wales. that is slightly complicated, because matt hancock isn't anything to do with nhs wales, nhs wales is run by the welsh labour government. but there is a question over whether matt hancock should have declared the fact that his sister owns so much of this company when it was given approved status by the nhs a couple of years ago. it's basically in a position where it could potentially be awarded contracts by the nhs in england, although it doesn't seem that it has been so far. now, the government was saying matt hancock played every thing by the book, he declared the shares when he was given them as a gift, and that he had conversations with senior civil servants about potential conflicts of interests, decided that there wasn't one, and if one emerged it would be recorded in due course. but i suppose there is also this issue of the whole relationship between government, min

here's our political correspondent nick eardley.ks, fans will be back at wembley cheering on teams as part of pilot schemes. this year's fa cup final will be used to trial covid passports, where you will have to prove your status before you are allowed in. fix, prove your status before you are allowed im— prove your status before you are allowed in. �* ~' , , ., allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option _ allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option is _ allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option is to _ allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option is to see _ allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option is to see how - allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option is to see how it - allowed in. a key purpose of looking at this option is to see how it can . at this option is to see how it can enable us to open up getting back to the things that we want to do, if it can be at all, to enable businesses to open sooner, because it could potentially mean that we can get rid of social distancin

nick eardley, bbc news, glasgow. spectacular sight. thank you for sending in some pictures. here it is rising over istanbul. iam not i am not sure that is from one of our viewers. this one was from chile. thank you to our viewers in chile. and this is in sydney. did you say it was 14% bigger than normal? i in sydney. did you say it was 14% bigger than normal?— bigger than normal? i can't remember. _ bigger than normal? i can't remember. yeah, - bigger than normal? i can't remember. yeah, 14, i bigger than normal? i can't i remember. yeah, 14, actually. bigger than normal? i can't _ remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i said- — remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i said- i— remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i said. i thought _ remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i said. i thought you _ remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i said. i thought you said - remember. yeah, 14, actually. that's what i said. i thought you said 40. i what i said. i thoug

let's get more from our political correspondent nick eardley.y looking into? rules, so what exactly are they lookin: into? . ., ., ., looking into? we have had some of the broad terms _ looking into? we have had some of the broad terms of— looking into? we have had some of the broad terms of the _ looking into? we have had some of the broad terms of the enquiry - the broad terms of the enquiry published within the last hour. it is going to look at some of the schemes that were set up that involved complete mac capital, the company that david cameron worked for, and some of its associated work. —— greensill capital. it will look at david cameron's lobbying but will not necessarily look at what you were alluding to, which was the fact that a lot of people are now questioning whether the lobbying system in general works, and whether under the rules in place are fit for purpose. if what we have seen over the last few weeks was within the rules. so it seems from the reference that we have had published that this will look at some of the specifics of

let's speak now to our political correspondent, nick eardley, who joins us from westminster. the spotlight. i think you - taken right now. it's really under the spotlight. i think you have i taken right now. it's really under| the spotlight. i think you have hit it on the head. what started as a story about the former prime minister david cameron and his links to private companies, one called greensill capital, has quite quickly become something else. it has become a much bigger story about the links between ministers and people in government and civil servants, and the private sector, and companies which potentially make money from government contracts. specifically on the health secretary matt hancock, basically he has a 15% share in this company called topwood limited. his sister owns a bigger share and is a director at the company and it got a £300,000 contract from nhs wales. no suggestion that the rules have been broken and the department of health is adamant that matt hancock followed all of the protocol. even spoke to senior civil servants about whether they could be

a spokesman said mr hancock had acted entirely properly. 0ur correspondent nick eardley gave us thiser. all week we have seen a stream of stories about the relationship between people in government and the private sector. this one is slightly different. it is not about lobbying, but it is about claims of a potential conflict of interest. earlier this week we found out that matt hancock had a 15% shareholding in a company owned by his sister. now, that company has had nhs contracts in wales. they are not in any way connected to matt hancock, he is the nhs health secretary for england. the welsh one is run by the welsh government. but it has emerged that a couple of years ago, this company was given the status which would allow it to bid for contracts for the nhs in england and the question that is being asked by labour is why the potential conflict, matt hancock's sister owning that company, was not made public at the time. they also questioned whether he broke the rules that ministers have to follow which says that any potential conflicts involving close family members should be regi

our politcal correspondent nick eardley reports from aberdeen. welcome to coming back indoors.first, yes. firstly and mostly, yes. there are green shoots here. shoppers back on union street, but aberdeen has been hit hard and local business groups want politicians to act. unemployment has been the highest in scotland. our number ofjob vacancies has fallen the most. this is a vital election, possibly the most important of our lifetimes because i think the policy decisions that are determined now. that are determined now will see how we recover. we are asking for our business to be trusted by government, to be seen as part of the solution. after the challenges of the last year, economic recovery is playing a big role in the election debate. how to protectjobs and livelihoods when some of the emergency support schemes come to an end. but in scotland, it's also about independence, how strong is the economy here? would it suffer if scotland left the uk? over the country be able to make better, perhaps better economic decisions? aberdeen is no stranger to economic challenges. after t

nick eardley, thanks very much- — the number of covid—i9 deaths around the world has risen to more thanre of the deadly virus. no country left untouched. canada continues to face an incredibly serious situation with this third wave. cases are rising rapidly. in many cases, in many places, numbers are higher than they have ever been before. and far too many hospitals are stretched way too thin. the news of three million registered deaths comes a day after the head of the world health organization warned the globe was approaching the highest rate of infection. more than 140 million infections have been identified so far. around the world, cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates. globally, the number of new cases per week has nearly doubled over the past two months. this is approaching the highest rate of infection that we have seen so far during the pandemic. as cases climb in india, brazil, canada and other countries such as papa new guinea, there is no doubt the pandemic is far from over. and with 860 million doses of vaccines administered and a global population o