Captain sir tom moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word. In the dark days of the Second World War fought for freedom and in the face of this countrys deepest post war crisis, he united us all. Well be paying tribute to sir tom who died in hospital after Testing Positive for coronavirus. Also tonight following concerns about delaying the second dose new analysis of the astrazeneca vaccine shows the first jab is effective for up to 12 weeks. Pupils in scotland are told theyll start heading back to the classroom from the end of this month. Jeff bezos, one of the worlds richest men, who created amazon, is to step down from the leading role as Chief Executive. And coming up in sport, on bbc news. A huge win for Sheffield United in the battle of the bottom two. Well bring you the latest from the premier league. Commentator absolutely priceless for Sheffield United good evening. Her majesty the queen and the Prime Minister borisjohnson have led the many tributes to captain sir tom moore whos died at the age of 100. He was admitted to hospital for pneumonia injanuary, and then again a few days ago, as his family confirmed hed tested positive for coronavirus. Sir tom was a veteran of the Second World War who raised almost £39 million for Nhs Charities during the first lockdown last year. That remarkable Achievement Led to nationwide fame and earned him the respect and admiration of millions. Sir tom said the pinnacle of the past year for him was being knighted by the queen at windsor last summer, as our correspondent david sillto reports. Hes a 99 year old war vet. Hes a one man fundraising machine. Captain sir tom moore. The word inspirational is rather an understatement. Thats the way i think ive always looked at it, tomorrow will be a good day. What began as a Little Family challenge, to do 100 laps of his garden, became a fundraising juggernaut. On new years eve the face of 2020 was captain tom. He was born in keighley in 1920, and served in burma during the war. After that, hed run a business and the closest he had ever come to fame. And appearing this christmas on. Was an appearance on blankety blank. Tom, have you got family or anyone you would rather not be watching this . Yes, two girls, coming up 16 and coming up 14. But everything changed when his family set up a Fundraising Page for captain tom. The hope was to raise £1,000 for Nhs Charities to support the nurses and doctors during the pandemic, butjust over a week later the total had passed £1 million. And by the time he celebrated his 100th birthday, the total had topped £30 million. Walk on through the wind. He also had a number one single. Walk on through the rain. Captain tom had become known the world over. He received 140,000 birthday cards. He was made an honorary colonel. He received a knighthood. And the raf staged a birthday fly past. Im absolutely delighted with all the people like you who have come to wish me a many happy birthday. It has been an extraordinary ten months. The final entry on his wish list was an end of year trip to barbados. And then, earlier this week, it was announced that he had pneumonia and had tested positive for the coronavirus. Leading the tributes today, a statement from buckingham palace. The queen said. In downing street, the union flags were at half mast. Captain sir tom moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word. In the dark days of the Second World War, he fought forfreedom and in the face of this countrys deepest post war crisis, he united us all. Captain tom described it as a fairy tale, but during some dark months, it was his good cheer that became a little source ofjoy for millions. I never ever anticipated ever in my life anything like this. It really is amazing. I must say to everyone, thank you very much to everyone wherever you are. Youll never walk alone. Todays tributes to captain sir tom moore, the champion fundraiser and lockdown hero, whos died at the age of 100. With me to reflect on a very long and fruitful life, and indeed a remarkable last year of his life in sir tom was my case, is mark easton, our home editor. Im just thinking, tom, this really is a kind of combination of factors, isnt it . The right man at the right time for what people needed. What people needed. Thats right, eole what people needed. Thats right, people absolutely what people needed. Thats right, people absolutely needed what people needed. Thats right, people absolutely needed captain | what people needed. Thats right, people absolutely needed captain tom when the pandemic was making this question everything, he was a representative of the greatest generation, the men and women shaped by wartime sacrifice, who understood what it meant by duty and resilience and humility. Walking up and down his garden, up and down, uncomplainingly doing his bit. And i think captain tom, you know, with his medals and his regimental blazer he linked us back to something many in britain see almost as this countrys finest hour, the Second World War, and he won the affection of the whole nation, old and young, as lockdown required us to furlough our freedoms, as lockdown required us to furlough ourfreedoms, this as lockdown required us to furlough our freedoms, this old soldier was sort of epitomising how we would like to see ourselves in a crisis. Because as well as the indomitable spirit, there was always a twinkle in his eye, a joke and a laugh. And when we needed it most as the virus raged and we struggled to hold it together, captain tom kept on in people being infected with coronavirus and because they were not infected, they cant go on and transmit to other people. And so that is really important in potentially curbing the pandemic. Secondly, we had really good protection right from a couple of weeks after the first dose through to the second dose being given three months later, and which tells us there is maintained efficacy over that period. Meanwhile, more cases of the South African variant has meant Fighting Coronavirus is now being done house to house. 80,000 adults in nine postcode areas of england are being urged to have a test because cases of the variants have been detected there unconnected to foreign travel. And its emerged that the uk variant first found in kent has itself undergone another mutation. Viruses evolve all the time, but there are several variants here which share one mutation of concern its in the spike protein and called e484k. Its been found in bristol in a mutated version of the more contagious uk variant. And in liverpool, in a variant which mutated from the original wuhan strain. This same mutation is also found in the South African and brazilian variants. It appears to make the virus less visible to antibodies, a key part of the Immune System, which could make vaccines less effective. We do have some evidence from the laboratory that this mutation might reduce the efficacy of certain vaccines. Having said that, the vaccine should still work very well and reduce transmission and reduce symptoms, we hope, but we are going to need to keep a very close eye on this. Hello, i work with council. In surrey, the Public Health teams mostly met with a positive response. What do you think about this whole exercise . I think its brilliant. I think its really good that they have acted upon it really quickly. Its almost the first thing that i feel like they have taken. Relatively urgent. Yeah. Yes. This door to door testing should provide Vital Information on how much the South African variant may be spreading silently within the community. And hopefully suppress it at least to a certain extent, buying vital time for the vaccine roll out. Well done. So the quicker the nhs can immunise those most at risk, the better. And social distancing remains vital because the less virus out there, the lower the risk of it mutating again. Fergus walsh, bbc news. We will talk to fergus in a moment. Before that, the latest Government Figures show the number of coronavirus cases continues to fall there were 16,840 new infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period which means that on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 23,268. Across the uk an average of 32,466 people were in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to sunday including suspected cases in wales. 1,449 deaths were reported, thats people who died within 28 days of a positive covid 19 test. On average in the past week, 1,122 deaths were announced every day. The total number of deaths so far across the uk is 108,013. Lets look at the Vaccination Roll out. 350,348 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid 19 vaccines in the latest 24 hour period. Taking the overall number of people whove had their firstjab to 9,646,715. Fergus is here now. We have had quite a few developments today, fergus. What do you want to pick out for viewers . I today, fergus. What do you want to pick out for viewers . Pick out for viewers . I wouldnt be surrised pick out for viewers . I wouldnt be surprised if pick out for viewers . I wouldnt be surprised if some pick out for viewers . I wouldnt be surprised if some viewers pick out for viewers . I wouldnt be surprised if some viewers are surprised if some viewers are confused about all these new variants, but i think the take home message is there is some evidence that the new variants may be able to evade parts of the Immune System and make the vaccines are less likely to stop infection completely. But we need a lot more research there. But on a positive note, all the vaccines should give strong protection against really serious covid disease, the type that would put you in hospital or kill you, so thats much more positive. Then on the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine, very encouraging results tonight. 0ne dose appears very effective for at least three months after the first shot. And that strongly supports the uk policy of this 12 week gap between the first and second dose. And then these tantalising findings still out for review that the vaccine may curb transmission, and that would be really important in reining in the pandemic. Reining in the pandemic. Fergus, many thanks reining in the pandemic. Fergus, many thanks once reining in the pandemic. Fergus, many thanks once again. Reining in the pandemic. Fergus, many thanks once again. Fergus| many thanks once again. Fergus walsh, our medical editor. In another development today, frances Health Regulator became the latest in the European Union to recommend that the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine should not be given to people over 65 years old. They said that more studies were needed before the vaccine was used in older age groups. It follows a similar decision by germany last week, despite the eus Medicines Agency approving the vaccine for all ages. Ministers at westminster are under more pressure to tighten the Quarantine Rules for people arriving into the uk. The rules were tightened last month, meaning all travellers must self isolate for ten days when they return to the uk, while people returning to england from high risk countries will have to quarantine in hotels. But labour says the measures dont go far enough, given the high level of infections. 0ur Political Correspondent ben wright has more details. Theres a trickle of arrivals compared with before. But people are still coming into the uk around 21,000 a day including hauliers. Border restrictions were tightened again after the South African and brazil variants of covid were discovered. But labour says its time to isolate all arrivals to the uk in hotels. The greatest threat to the gains of the british people over the past 10 months and to the vaccine roll out is a mutant strain of the virus reaching these shores. We have to do all we can to prevent that happening and that means a comprehensive Hotel Quarantine system for all arrivals in the uk. But were going to be dealing with new variants coming in of covid for perhaps years to come. Yours is not a sustainable long Term Solution to this, is it . I disagree. I think that this is absolutely vital. At the moment, anyone coming into the uk needs proof of a negative covid test and must quarantine for 10 days. Direct flights to the uk from 33 high risk countries including south africa are now also banned, and people whove been in those places in the previous 10 days are not allowed in except for british citizens and residents, who have to self isolate and will soon have to quarantine at their own expense in a hotel. The policy was announced five days ago but the hotels are not yet up and running. We announced the intention of this last week, in conjunction with other initiatives we are doing Including Banning Travel from other countries, and the details will be announced. It is a logistical effort as well as you will appreciate. But today the Scottish Government said the uks Quarantine Plans did not go far enough. We intend to introduce a managed Quarantine Requirement for anyone who arrives directly into scotland regardless of which country they have come from. Here at westminster, the opposition says this is the latest example of ministers bungling their approach to borders and acting too late. There certainly seems to be a long running debate within the government between some ministers who want the tightest possible restrictions and others fretting about the impact that could have on airlines and the economy. The government says its scientific advisers have not recommended completely closed borders, but the argument around risk isnt settled. Ben wright, bbc news, westminster. Pupils in scotland will start heading back to the classroom from the end of this month. The first minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement to msps this afternoon. All early years and childcare, as well as pupils in primaries 1 to 3, will return full time in the week beginning february 22nd. She added that there would be a part time return for secondary School Pupils in s4 to s6, who have to complete practical work for national qualifications. The timetable will be confirmed in a fortnight and will depend on the lockdown continuing to work. 0ur Scotland Editor sarah smith has more details. In less than three weeks, these Nursery School kids could be waving hello to their friends as all Early Learning and childcare facilities should reopen full time on the 22nd of february, along with Primary School classes one, two and three. To prioritise these children, Lockdown Rules will remain firmly in place everywhere else. Now, i have to be candid that our room for manoeuvre, given the current state of the pandemic, is limited, but i want to be equally candid, as i have been before, about the governments determination to use every single inch of headroom that we have to get children back to school, even if that means adults living with restrictions for longer. Only a few older students, like the children of key workers, attend kings park secondary in glasgow, and only a small percentage of the schools senior pupils in s4 to s6 will be allowed back on a very limited part time basis to undertake Practical School work. They cant necessarily do Music Technology at home or practical electronics, so thats really important to get our young people back. So, we need to think very carefully about how we bring young people back. Students still stuck at home want a date for when they might be back in the classroom. Its really giving us a lot of anxieties about whats going to happen when we do eventually go back to school. Like, theres going to be a lot to catch up on. Itsjust hitting my morale, not going to school. I would like to know when im going back, but id like it to be certain that im going back then rather than it just being constantly pushed back. All school staff and older pupils will be offered at home testing twice a week, but it may be some time before more students can return. They will probably trial this initial phase for around a month. I think its going to be difficult for them to shift very quickly beyond that. In a two week period, youll be able to identify whether there are new infections, and if we have this rapid repeat testing then people can get on top of that pretty rapidly. While scotlands Vaccination Programme has been criticised for not being rapid enough. The Scottish Government is facing sustained criticism over a vaccine roll out that is slower than in other parts of the uk. Nicola sturgeon says the number of daily vaccinations is increasing and she wants to see that Programme Grow and accelerate. The youngest Children In Scotland should return to some normality soon. Strict rules will remain for the rest of the country until at least the start of march. Sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. Staff carrying out Border Checks at ports in Northern Ireland were told not to carry out their duties today after concerns were raised about their safety. Mid and east Antrim Council has withdrawn staff from Brexit Inspection Duties and the eu has condemned threats against staff, telling their officials in Northern Ireland not to attend work. Its an escalation of tensions over the new post Brexit Arrangements for Northern Ireland, brought about by the reality of a new trade border which lies in the irish sea. Tonight, borisjohnson called on the eu to take urgent action to resolve issues with the border. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy has the latest. Northern irelands ports have become a focal point for anger over brexit. This graffiti at the entrance to Larne Harbour has now been removed. But staff have also raised concerns about suspicious behaviour around the port. Today, the officials that man the border checkpoints at both larne and belfast port were stood down. We have seen increasing signs of discontent and tensions within certain sections of the community. We have seen a number of incidents of graffiti threatening or intimidating in nature to staff at point of entry. The growing tensions stem from the new Brexit Arrangements, which mean lorry loads of goods arriving into Northern Ireland from britain are subject to new checks and controls that never existed before which many unionists view as an unacceptable border, dividing up the uk. Today, hauliers arriving into belfast and larne were told, for now, checks on goods were being suspended. Because of the safety concerns, the eu also told its staff not to show up for work at the ports today. Whilst this isnt being linked to any organised group, it goes to show that it doesnt take much to disrupt what is already a fragile situation here. We condemn very strongly any threat of violence against Port Officials or anybody else in Northern Ireland. Police say theres no evidence that Loyalist Paramilitaries are behind this, but Northern Irelands past means theres always heightened awareness over security. The dup are calling for the government to override parts of the brexit deal which are causing the greatest unease. Ironically, the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol were meant to be put in place to maintain the peace in Northern Ireland, and yet we find there are provisions and the way in which it has been handled are causing tensions. Its not clear how quickly port staff will return to work here, but today michael gove, the minister in charge of brexit, said there were Serious Problems with the arrangements for Northern Ireland which need to be addressed. Emma vardy, bbc news, larne. The eu has told british fishermen they are banned indefinitely from selling live mussels, oysters, clams, cockles and scallops to the 27 eu member states. As the uk is now a separate country, it is not allowed to transport the seafood to the eu unless they have already been treated in purification plants. British fishermen say they dont have enough tanks ready and their business is less viable. The government here promised to continue to raise the issue with the eu. The Russian Opposition activist Alexei Navalny has been told he will serve two and a half years in prison, a decision thats prompted worldwide criticism, and prompted more protests in russia. Hed been accused of breaching his parole but the time in question was spent in germany being treated for poisoning an attack blamed on the russian leadership. Mr navalny and his supporters say he is being persecuted because he is feared by president putin. The uk and other countries have called for mr navalny� s immediate release, as our correspondent Steve Rosenberg reports from moscow. And a warning his report contains some flashing images. For years, the russian authorities claimed Alexei Navalny was no threat to them, that he was just a nobody. But outside the court they were taking no chances. Inside, mr navalny was brought into the courtroom, locked in a glass cage. Hed been accused of a parole violation. A case which he insisted is politically motivated. His wife was in court alongside him. When the verdict came he put on a brave face, but the kremlin� s most severe critic had been put in prison for two and a half years. As for Alexei Navalny, until today the authorities had avoided sending him to prison, so he would not become a political martyr. The calculation has changed. In russia he has become the face of protest, a catalyst for political change. Alexei navalny� s arrest had brought people onto the streets across the country. Now his Prison Sentence has sparked international condemnation. We sentence has sparked international condemnation. Sentence has sparked international condemnation. ,. ,. ,. , condemnation. We repeat our call for the russian condemnation. We repeat our call for the russian government condemnation. We repeat our call for the russian government to the russian government to immediately and unconditionally release Alexei Navalny as well as the hundreds of other russian citizens wrongly detained in recent weeks were exercising their rights. Message received. This is moscow tonight, police are out in force message not received. Police are determined to stop any sign of protest in support of Alexei Navalny. Alexey, we are with you, he just has time to say. The authorities will be hoping that with Alexei Navalny in prison, the protests will lose steam. And if they dont, well, those in power here are in no mood for compromise. Steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. With just a week to go, before Donald Trumps second impeachment trial, the two sides have been laying out their arguments, in pre trial documents. Senior democrats have accused him of inciting insurrection at the us capitol injanuary, by creating a � powder keg of discontent, but mr trumps lawyers say the impeachment process violates the constitution. In the past hour its been announced Thatjeff Bezos is to give up his role as Chief Executive role at the internet giant amazon. That is the company he created some 30 years ago. Hes not severing his ties with amazon its said hell work on other projects. The news came after the Company Reported huge profits for the last three months of 2020. Lets join our Business CorrespondentMichelle Fleury in new york for more. This was a huge surprise on everyone from wall street to Silicon Valley was not aware of this. Jeff bezos is someone whos success is unquestionable, he built from scratch one of the Top Companies around the world today. Suddenly he is announcing in a memo to employees that he is going to step aside from the online retailjuggernaut and hand over the reins to a man who runs the companys cloud business, web based cloud business, a booming part of the company, and may be one that many people are less familiar with. We think of it is an online retailer but the success of this division is such that he has been elevated to the top job. Those who Thinkjeff Bezos is disappearing, Thinkjeff Bezos is disappearing, think again, because he is moving to the Executive Chair Role and is expected to be heavily involved in any major decision within the company. Any major decision within the company any major decision within the coman. ,. ,. ,. , company. Many thanks for the update. Thanks forjoining company. Many thanks for the update. Thanks forjoining us. Big tech firms have had a hugely profitable past year and its prompted more questions about their overwhelming dominance. From san francisco, James Clayton reports. There have been winners and losers from this pandemic, and some of the biggest winners are also some of the Richest Companies in the world based around san francisco. Take here at apple, last week the Company Posted record Quarterly Sales of more than £80 billion. At that rate, during this two and half minute news report, apple will have done one half Million Pounds worth of sales. Big tech has had an astonishingly profitable pandemic. We all turned to technology more during the pandemic. Its as simple as that. We were doing more things online than ever before, from gaming to shopping, to seeing our doctor, you know, theyre not charities. You know, they are making money out of, you know, what theyre enabling. But some believe that making so much money at a time of Economic Hardship shows that theres something fundamentally wrong with the economy. Lets take tesla, for example, just look at its share price over the last year. Its now worth more than the nine next largest Car Companies combined. Its made elon musk the richest man in the world. Speaking of wealth, out of the ten richest people in the world now, six are us Tech Entrepreneurs elon musk, tesla, jeff bezels, amazon, bill gates, ex microsoft, larry ellison, 0racle, mark zuckerberg, facebook and larry page, google. Joe biden has said he wants to look closely at competition around big tech according to those close to him. I dont think he has a huge choice in the matter. Within the business community, there is a growing chorus of voices