to pet scammers. good evening. prince william has made his first public comments since the interview with the duke and duchess of sussex was broadcast four days ago, saying the royals are "very much not a racist family". the duke of cambridge also revealed he had not yet spoken to his brother but said he would do so. in the interview, meghan and prince harry said a member of the royal family had expressed concern over "how dark" their son archie's skin might be. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. it is an allegation which strikes at the very core of an institution, the purpose of which is to unify. the suggestion by the sussexes in the oprah winfrey interview of a racist attitude within the royal family has stung deeply. what? and so on a visit by the cambridges to a school in east london, prince william took the opportunity gently to push back. sir, have you spoken to your brother since the interview? i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and is the royal family a racist family, sir? we're very much not a racist family. like the queen's statement on tuesday, william's comments were short and to the point — "we are not a racist family". that is the message the family wants and needs to be heard. and the evidence across decades of work by the queen in the context of the commonwealth, and by in particular the prince of wales here in britain, supports the proposition that equality and diversity are important to the royal family. even those with reservations about their recent performance accept that good work has been done. in terms of the prince of wales' previous work, that can't be denied. we acknowledge that he's done some excellent work with communities. but how damaging for the family is the loss of the duchess of sussex? i think it's a hugely, hugely missed opportunity. i know from my own personal perspective as a mixed—race woman, when meghan markle joined the royal family, i was so happy, so pleased. there was an opportunity for diverse communities to see themselves reflected in the royal family. the queen believes this is a matter for the family to sort out. logically, she will take the lead to try to heal the family rifts. but there's another big challenge for them — to underline to the watching world that, as william said today, this is not a racist family. that report from nick witchell — who's also given this update detailing what might happen next. it isa it is a very big family rift, there is a lot of family heard and anger, not least because _ is a lot of family heard and anger, not least because of— is a lot of family heard and anger, not least because of the _ not least because of the reputational damage, reputational damage abroad, particularly in the united states, damage to the institution which the queen has paid nearly 70 years protecting and nurturing. how do you restore that? the traditional view should be, just let the facts speak for themselves, let the facts speak for themselves, let people remember the work we have done on equality and diversity. i would think, and the evidence of william, they think we need to be rather more proactive, more assertive in saying racism is wrong and we are not racist. this is the position in which the suffixes have put them. restoring family equilibria is one part of the challenge andy quy will take the lead, but repairing reputational damage is the other part and they will all be involved. —— sussexes. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are the broadcaster david davies and editor of the labourlist, sienna rodgers. the family of sarah everard have tonight paid tribute to her, saying she "brought so much joy to our lives". the 33—year—old was last seen in south london on the 3rd of march, walking home alone from a friend's house in clapham. a serving officer in the metropolitan police — who has been arrested on supsicion of her murder — remains in custody. in their statement, sarah everard's family describe her as "bright and beautiful — a wonderful daughter and sister and a shining example to us all" who "always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humour." they said that "we are so grateful to the police and would like to thank them for all they are doing". the family also asked people to "come forward and speak to the police if you have any information. no piece of information is too insignificant." our correspondent, lucy manning, has this report. police officers bring flowers to the gates where their colleagues are searching as another policeman sits in custody still being questioned about the kidnap and murder. the flowers from the public, an attempt to give some comfort to sarah everard's family. they are still waiting for answers about what happened to the popular 33—year—old from york after she disappeared last week walking to her house in south london. how could the simple act of a woman walking home bring a massive police investigation to the remote countryside of kent, where human remains were discovered yesterday? this quiet, rural road in ashford the scene of intense police activity. forensic teams spread out across a wider area. divers and their equipment were brought in in this truck to help the search and portable offices brought in, suggesting this will be a lengthy investigation. the suspect lived 30 miles away from where police are searching, a diplomatic protection officer in his forties, an arrest that has sent shock waves through the force. an old garage in dover where he used to work and his family used to own was cordoned off and searched by officers. the police are determined to do everything they can to find out what happened to sarah everard from the moment she went missing, notjust for her family's sake, but for all the women who feel unsafe walking alone at night. it is a disappearance that has touched many. the prime minister said he was shocked and deeply saddened. the home secretary added that every woman should feel safe to walk the streets without fear. but the reality, though, is that many don't. a private ambulance came onto the search site. removing their caps, the officers gave their utmost respect. for sarah's parents, sister, brother and partner, it is, as the head of the metropolitan police said, every family's worst nightmare. lucy manning, bbc news. we have some breaking news to bring you that is regarding the independent 0ffice you that is regarding the independent office for police conduct which say they have launched an investigation into whether the metropolitan police officers responded appropriately to a report of indecent exposure following referrals which are linked to the arrest of the suspect in the sarah everard case, the iupac said this follows a conduct referral into the force in relation to two officers, it was received on wednesday night, and is linked to four other referrals, all connected to the arrest of the serving metropolitan police officer who is currently being held on suspicion of kidnap and murder of miss everard and also for a separate allegation of indecent exposure. just that news that the iop sea has launched an investigation into whether metropolitan police officers responded appropriately to a report of indecent exposure. anything more, we will bring that to you. the disappearance of sarah everard from a south london street last week has highlighted the issue of women's safety and has prompted many to share their anxieties about being out alone. 0ur correspondentjudith moritz has been talking to some women about their experiences. alison and adele are two of a group of women who run together in south manchester. last week, their friend was sexually assaulted here. it shocked them, but they say the police have been supportive, and it hasn't put them off running. women shouldn't change their behaviour. men need to change their behaviour. people like that need to change their behaviour, but women absolutely need to be out there. we shouldn't have to think about where we're going, who we're with. we should be allowed to run by ourselves, there's been a big debate online about the precautions some women feel they have to take when they go out on their own. anywhere by myself, i'm constantly aware of men's footsteps behind me. barrister harrietjohnson had a huge response after posting on social media that every woman has walked home scared. the tweet came about because i was walking home myself from work. it was only about 6.30 at night, but it was already dark and because of everything that had been in the news, i became very aware of my own surroundings and it really struck me for the first time how common it is for me to be aware of my own surroundings when i'm out by myself. the latest homicide figures show that 695 people were killed in england and wales in the year to last march. almost three quarters of victims were male, while just over a quarter were female. the statistics also show that whilst it's likely for men to have been killed by an acquaintance or somebody they don't know, it's rare for women to be killed by a stranger and more common for a partner, ex—partner or family member to have been responsible. but some criminologists argue that the homicide figures are only part of the bigger picture. murder statistics do not include missing people or people who have died in suspicious circumstances that are not categorised as murder. also, the rape statistics are absolutely horrendous. the stalking statistics are absolutely horrendous too. so women's fears are very real. aya hachem. melissa belshaw. in the house of commons this afternoon, mps listened in silence as labour'sjess phillips listed all the names of women killed in the uk over the last year where a man has been convicted or charged. gwendoline bound. ruth williams. the home secretary said that every woman should feel safe to walk our streets without fear of harassment or violence. alison and adele say they'll be out running again tomorrow. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. we're joined by chris hemmings who's written the book �*be a man — how macho culture damages us and how to escape it'. chris, you give workshops at schools, universities and workplaces where you address harmful masculine stereotypes. you're also a bbc freelance journalist, tell us what you did when you started your shift today. it is something i didn't spot, i should have.— it is something i didn't spot, i should have. , , ., ., should have. maybe you should have but it is so normal— should have. maybe you should have but it is so normal that _ should have. maybe you should have but it is so normal that we _ should have. maybe you should have but it is so normal that we kind - should have. maybe you should have but it is so normal that we kind of. but it is so normal that we kind of accepted has given, so this story is about male violence and about men being violent towards women. all day the viewers can see beneath us right now, it has been saying women's safety concerns. that immediately frames the entire debate as if it is your problem is a woman, your problem to deal with and soul. this is not about you, this is not about women, women are the victims, this is about men, so i came in at the first thing i don't was change that, i think it now says male violence against women. that refrains it and makes about us, because it is about us, men, we are the culprits, whether we like it or not, this is about men. we have to deal with that as we cannot even start to have that debate unless we start to reframe it with men at the centre. it is great that you have hundreds and thousands of women telling their story, really good, but we need men to start talking about it at we cannot do that lately sent us in the conversation.— that lately sent us in the conversation. ., . ., conversation. you have men who will sa , i am conversation. you have men who will say. i am not — conversation. you have men who will say. i am not a _ conversation. you have men who will say, i am not a predator— conversation. you have men who will say, i am not a predator or— conversation. you have men who will say, i am not a predator or a - say, iam not a predator or a rapist, i want to help, i understand, so how do you get men involved in the conversation in a meaningful way?— involved in the conversation in a meaningful way? meaningfulway? firstly, i do this buti no meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on _ meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on tour, _ meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on tour, i _ meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on tour, i was _ meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on tour, i was in - meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on tour, i was in a - meaningfulway? firstly, i do this but i go on tour, i was in a school yesterday and the first thing i said, i am not talking about you as an individual, this is not about you and your behaviour, maybe it is, thatis and your behaviour, maybe it is, that is your reckoning to deal with, but this is about us as a society, the collective socialisation of men that has led to some men becoming predatory, becoming harmful towards women. we are not even talking specifically about predatory behaviour, day—to—day stuff too, about what we as men can do to try and prevent our brothers from ending up and prevent our brothers from ending up as one of those awful statistics of a rapist or and who had violence, because i do not want anyone to be a victim, i also don't want enemy to be a perpetrator and so many men, we hear about the not all men campaign, but we have to accept the reality, 90% of murders are male, 87% on crime against a person is committed by men, 97% of sexual offences are committed by men, so it is not all men but more often than not it is a man that is perpetrating these crimes. we have to start instilling empathy into young boys early because we know there is an empathy gap between boys and girls by the time they get a 13 or 1a. we have to work a lot harder to have those conversations at that age. qm. work a lot harder to have those conversations at that age. ok, i am a mother of — conversations at that age. ok, i am a mother of two _ conversations at that age. ok, i am a mother of two boys, _ conversations at that age. ok, i am a mother of two boys, i— conversations at that age. ok, i am a mother of two boys, i do - conversations at that age. ok, i am a mother of two boys, i do not - conversations at that age. ok, i am j a mother of two boys, i do not want my children, for them to grow up to be harmful towards women, how does this work? you going to school, how do you talk to young people about theirs? , , ., ., theirs? interesting your frame it that wa , theirs? interesting your frame it that way. one — theirs? interesting your frame it that way, one of _ theirs? interesting your frame it that way, one of the _ theirs? interesting your frame it that way, one of the quizzes - theirs? interesting your frame it that way, one of the quizzes i i theirs? interesting your frame it | that way, one of the quizzes i get asked is, what can i do as a women to help? my answer to that is, honestly, you have kind of done enough already. this is about the brotherhood stepping up and doing the work ourselves. we have relied on you for decades, centuries, the entire human existence to do all of the emotional labourfor entire human existence to do all of the emotional labour for us and nurtures ad so that is why men see nurturing and caring behaviour is feminine and there is nothing worse for a man than being seen as feminine, a whole different subject, but if we can break that down and start to instill everything into young men, to understand their behaviour will notjust have consequences for themselves, which any kind, middlejustice consequences for themselves, which any kind, middle justice system they barely do, but actually there behaviour has long—term negative consequences. —— criminaljustice consequences. —— criminal justice system. consequences. —— criminaljustice system. stalking, a man doesn't think about the long—term impact on the women, but we see it all today, it is long—term damage. so we have to get men involved, there are too few men talking about it. the martin luther king quote, you will always —— you whenever forget the words of your enemies but you will remember their silence of your friends. so you need to, we need men to start speaking up right now, it is not about in a few days or weeks, right now, immediately, because this will not change without you.— not change without you. first, really good — not change without you. first, really good to _ not change without you. first, really good to hear— not change without you. first, really good to hear from - not change without you. first, really good to hear from you, | not change without you. first, - really good to hear from you, thank you for changing the words on the screen, because we should have done that immediately. let's plug your book. thank you. the headlines on bbc news... prince william says the royal family isn't racist — following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. the family of sarah everard pay tribute to her, saying she "brought so much joy to our lives". a serving police officer — who has been arrested on suspicion of her murder — remains in custody. more than 11.5 million people in england are now waiting to start hospital treatment — a record number. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's tulson. good evening. we'll start with europa league football where manchester united have conceded a late equaliser against ac milan in the first leg of their round of 16 clash. the italian's minus the injured zlatan ibrahimovic saw united go in front at old trafford through a well worked piece when amad diallo headed over the keeper. his first goal for the club. but in the second minute of stoppage time the visitors picked up a vital away goal, the second leg will be at the san siro next thursday. rangers had to come from behind to earn a draw at slavia prague. nicolai stan—choo smashed home the opening goal for the czech side with just six minutes gone. it took half an hour for the new scottish champions to draw level through filip helander picking up a vital away goal ahead of the return leg at ibrox. four matches currently taking place. tottenham v dinamo zagreb. all the latest via the bbc sport website and on the app. manchester city have joined chelsea in the quarter finals of the women's champions league after thrashing fiorentina 5—0, for an 8—0 aggregate victory. england striker ellen white, who was captain for the game, struck twice in the first half in italy. caroline weir added one from the penalty spot and sam mewis scored twice in the second half to complete the win. the draws for the quarter and semifinals will be held in switzerland tomorrow. former masters champion sergio garcia is the three stroke clubhouse leader on 7 under after his opening round of the player's championship in florida. not such a good day, though, for defending champion rory mcilroy. the northern irishman got off to a bad start and it only got worse on his final hole of the day as he hit his first tee shot into the water — then just moments later his third shot, from the drop zone, ended up in the water again! it meant a quadruple—bogey 8 which left him on 7 over par. matthew fitzpatrick had better luck, though. the englishman has a share of second place thanks to some wondeful play around the greens, including this chip in for birdie on the 14th. 2a hours after beating british number one dan evans, roger federer has lost his second round match at the qatar 0pen. the tournament in doha was federer�*s return after over a year out following two knee operations — but the 20—time major winner was defeated in three sets by georgia's world number 42 nikoloz basilashvili. full—back max maylins will make his first start for england in their six nations match against france at twickenham on saturday. after six appearances on the bench, he replaces elliot daly in one of three changes to the side beaten by wales, with luke cowan—dickie starting at hooker and charlie ewels named in the second row. maylins will line up alongside anthony watson and jonny may in the back three. really impressed since he has been in the squad, started in autumn, he has got a good kick return game, good feeling for the game, bring space on the ball and particularly playing against a team like france which had the highest kicking and longest kicking game in the world, the fullbacks are pretty busy, so he will have a bigger role for us. france return to action for the first time since covid—19 hit the squad, they're unbeaten in the championship after wins over italy and ireland. powerhouse centre virimi vakatawa missed those games with a knee injury but he's back in the starting fifteen to face england. britain's giro d'italia winner tayo geoghegan hart has returned to his home in andorra where he'll be monitored by medical staff from his ineos grenadiers team. the 25—year—old crashed during yesterday's fourth stage of the paris—nice race and was withdrawn after feeling dizzy. 0n today's fifth stage, ireland's sam bennett claimed his second victory of the race. slovenia's primoz roglic retained the overall lead. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on the bbc news channel later on. the latest figures on coronavirus show 6,753 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 5,760. across the uk, latest data shows the number of patients in hospital with coronavirus is 8,977. 181 deaths were reported —— that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average, 163 people have died every day in the last week from coronavirus. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 125,168. as for vaccinations, almost 244,000 people have had their first dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period. it meansjust over 23 million people had theirfirstjab. and 1.35 million people have had both doses of the vaccine. homeless people will be prioritised for a covid jab following recommendation from the body that advises the government on vaccines. thejoint committee on vaccination and immunisation have advised that people who are homeless should be included in group 6 of the vaccination programme, which includes adults with underlying health conditions. they will also be offered the vaccination without the need for an nhs number or be registered with a gp. more than 4.5 million people were waiting to begin hospital treatment in england at the end of january — that's the highest number since records began in 2007. the royal college of surgeons has called the situation "dire" and says it will take a long time to turn it around. here's our health editor hugh pym. hospital wards devoted to covid. the surge in numbers over the last two months led to widespread cancellations of less urgent types of care, and there's still a backlog from last year's first covid peak. today's figures highlight again the scale of the problem. charmaine has severe arthritis, and last year was hoping to have a knee replacement. she was told in november she'd have to wait another 12 months. she's currently out of work and the task of finding a newjob keeps getting harder. devastated. i hate not being able to work. how do i say to a new employer, "thanks for thejob, but maybe in a couple of months, i might need three months off for a knee replacement?" patient waits for non—urgent care have increased around the uk. in england, more than 304,000 had waited over a year in january for hospital treatment, including outpatients. as of december, in scotland over 39,000 patients were waiting more than a year. in wales, which measures waits of over 36 weeks, it was over 226,000. in northern ireland, there were over 56,000 waiting more than a year, though this wasjust for hospital surgery. the total waiting list in england is nearly 4.6 million, but health leaders believe there are millions more who will need treatment. we know there are other people who have not yet been referred, so they've not yet entered the waiting list. but that could be for all sorts of different reasons relating to the pandemic, and they may well surface over the coming months into the waiting list, thus growing it even further. some cancer checks have been affected. kate's routine mammogram was postponed because of the pandemic, but nearly two months later, she found a lump in her breast and then got referred for treatment. she thinks she was lucky. if time had passed and i hadn't had a mammogram forsix months, i might have been in a worse situation. it could have spread further. there are people i've talked to who that's happened to. they were diagnosed late last year, six months after the start of the pandemic, and it had already spread around the body. so i was very fortunate. i found the lump and reported it to my gp. kate is a supporter of the charity breast cancer now, which estimates almost 11,000 are living with undiagnosed breast cancer due to covid—19 disruption. nhs england said there were more than double the number of cancer referrals in january than in the first wave last april, and more routine operations carried out. but the latest figures show there's a lot of ground to make up, as well as coping with the continuing covid challenge. hugh pym, bbc news. let's hear more on this now from helen stokes—lampard. she's a gp, but also chair of the academy of medical royal colleges. good of you to find a time to speak to us, we are speaking about 4.5 million people in pain, very anxious. talk is through the concerns you have and how this figure compares to pre—pandemic times. figure compares to pre-pandemic times. . , , , ., times. clearly this figure is a terrible statistic, _ times. clearly this figure is a terrible statistic, a _ times. clearly this figure is a terrible statistic, a terrible i terrible statistic, a terrible headline, and unfortunately it will get worse before we start to turn it around and get better. the pandemic caused massive changes in the way we deliver care in the nhs, we had to prioritise saving lives, the sickest, this is something the nhs is good at and that has prioritise in, but we are left with a backlog gradually building and each wafer pandemic makes it worse. we are starting to emerge from the current wave and the figures in hospitals and kc data is going on the right direction, but we fear future waves of the disease will cause problems again. the whole nhs is now working to think how it can restore services, get to as near as normal as possible, and we will be looking get a new normal, things will never be quite the same again, some of the infection prevention measures will probably never go back from, because we have realised how effective they are, generalsociety also. we have realised how effective they are, general society also. we have got exhausted staff, a huge number of people waiting, it is going to take yet another superhuman effort by the nhs also a big effort by the public and massive investment by the government to try to attack this ad work through the backlog and get it down to a level that is more sustainable and reasonable. we heard in the report — sustainable and reasonable. we heard in the report that _ sustainable and reasonable. we heard in the report that not _ sustainable and reasonable. we heard in the report that not everyone - sustainable and reasonable. we heard in the report that not everyone has . in the report that not everyone has been referred, not everyone is counted in these figures. are you concerned and do you roughly, can you guess how much higher this could get? we you guess how much higher this could let? ~ ., , , ., you guess how much higher this could net? ., _ ., ., you guess how much higher this could et?. ., , , ., ., 4' ., you guess how much higher this could let? ., _ ., ., «a, ., get? we honestly do not know how much higher— get? we honestly do not know how much higher it _ get? we honestly do not know how much higher it really _ get? we honestly do not know how much higher it really is, _ get? we honestly do not know how much higher it really is, by - get? we honestly do not know how much higher it really is, by every . much higher it really is, by every health—care professional is fearful of theirs, we know there have been fewer cancer referrals, fewer people presenting with orthopaedic hips and knees and joint problems, so there is a cyclic and percentage still out there waiting to come forward. —— eight significant percentage. i get people phoning me, they have been vaccinated and thick they would like to talk to us about being referred for gallstone problems or whatever, so there are a big chunk of people that are going to want to go forward for treatment in the coming months and will add to this pressure. but there will be some people, although they are on the waiting list, will be approached and offered surgery who will say, actually, i don't want to, not yet, i don't feel safe yet, i for those people who can wait there will be plenty of others delighted to take their place. for a small number condition will have resolved itself, for whatever other reason, there may not need surgery any more as a whole waiting list is being looked at carefully. those who have life—threatening problems add those who situation is urgent are being prioritised and the nhs is doing very well on those, so where we have a known cancer for example, but everybody else can expect to be contacted and given some education about where they are on the waiting list, that can take time, but we know that people throughout the hospital service are desperately trying to do that, to re—prioritise and keep in contact, because one thing patients complain about is being completely in the dark, no idea how long the wait will be. that was ut a idea how long the wait will be. that was put a lot _ idea how long the wait will be. that was put a lot of— idea how long the wait will be. that was put a lot of pressure on your relationship with the person you are trying to treat. it's difficult. sometimes we feel like we're stuck the middle. we diagnose the problem, we make the referrals, patients are on the waiting list, normally that is our involvement until after the procedure when patients are back in the community. now people are contacting their gp asking where they are on the list. to be honest, your gp doesn't know because we don't share records with our hospital colleagues. we would like to but we don't yet. and there are patients who are deteriorating, their pain is increasing so they can't work any more, for some people their diseases are getting worse, and sometimes agb will have to intervene. frequently, there needs to be a telephone number so people can chase things up, but there are people working in every part of the system to try and help you move through the system to ensure your procedure happens as swiftly as possible. —— sometimes agb will have to intervene. a lot of it is also sitting tight. make sure you are in the best physical shape so when you are called up for an operation you are called up for an operation you are as fit as you can be, which means looking at your weight, your lifestyle, anything you can do to get in the best shape so you are in the hospitalfor the get in the best shape so you are in the hospital for the shortest amount of time in your recovery is swift, too. , ., ., of time in your recovery is swift, too. ,., ., ., . ., of time in your recovery is swift, too. ., . ., ., too. good advice. chair of the academy _ too. good advice. chair of the academy of — too. good advice. chair of the academy of medical - too. good advice. chair of the academy of medical royal - too. good advice. chair of the - academy of medical royal colleges. thank you so much for your advice there. thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather. these strong winds we had today across the uk have caused a bit of disruption and not only the strength of the wind but we had heavy showers as well. this was the picture from argyll and bute earlier on this thursday, some shower clouds around. for this evening and overnight, we keep the strong blustery winds, gusting around 30 to 50 mph, particularly blustery around exposed coasts. eastern parts will tend to see a lot of those showers dying away, becoming largely dry, particularly for the east of england. further north and west, more showers packing in. hail, thunder, and sleet and snow for scotland and icy conditions developing. a chilly start to friday morning. try bringing day of sunshine blustery showers. it'll turn dry in the east with sunshine here. furtherwest, more frequent showers, with hail and thunder and windy conditions. relatively cool with temperatures between six and 11 degrees. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: prince william says the royal family isn't racist — following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. reporter: have you spoken - to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know is the royal family a racist family, sir? we're very much not a racist family. the family of sarah everard pay tribute to her, saying she "brought so much joy to our lives". a serving police officer — who has been arrested on suspicion of her murder — remains in custody. more than 4.5 million people in england are now waiting to start hospital treatment — a record number the boom in lockdown puppies prompts a sharp rise in the number of people falling victim to pet scammers. the government is launching an inquiry into whether a controversial new coal mine in cumbria should be allowed to proceed. a complicated story. controversial, as i mentioned, talk to us about the details. up details. up until now the plans for this £165 million deep coal mine in west cumbria had been in the hands of cumbria had been in the hands of cumbria county council. it's been approved three times but they are reconsidering their decision to give it the go—ahead in light of new evidence. it's controversial. it will apparently help the uk steel industry because that is what the coalmine will be used for, it'll create about 500 jobs and will be a boost for the local economy, but opponents argue that it is the last thing the uk should be building in the year when it is hosting the global climate conference later this year, and wants to be seen as committing to cutting carbon emissions, and positioning itself, or trying to come as something of a world leader in that aim. there has been a development tonight, though, and the communities secretary has written to cumbria county council informing that the government is now taking control of this process and it'll make the decision in due course. in a letter the communities secretary has said that controversy about the application's increased, and it raises planning issues of more than local importance, and there has been some reaction coming in from the labour party among others who say the truth is the mine is terrible for our fight against climate change, won't help the steel industry, and will not help create jobs and calls on the government to cancel it. one of the mps creating the cumbrian constituency, tim farron, saying something similar, it is obvious we won't be taken seriously on the world stage with this coalmine hanging around our neck. what this does is possibly signal the start of a process in which the government will quietly kill off the idea of the coalmine ever being built. it could delay the decision on whether it is built or not until after the climate conference in glasgow later this year. 0r conference in glasgow later this year. or it could be a way to quickly give it the and get things moving. i think the last of those is probably the least likely but we will have to see happens from here on. yes, absolutely. thanks for bringing us up—to—date. a major study is underway to determine what the long term health effects of covid—19 might be. the genetic details of half a million people were already stored in the biobank uk database before the pandemic. now it is carrying out detailed scans of thousands of people to see how their organs might have been affected by the virus. 0ur science correspondent, rebecca morelle, reports. searching for after effects of covid. these plans are part of the biggest imaging study shedding light on the long—term impact of infection. this is brian sheppard who is taking part in the research. the 71—year—old lives in gateshead with his wife, jean. in november, he was taken to hospital with covid. when i got in the ambulance, my wife was standing on the pavement and you think, will i see her again? you know? after five days of treatment, he was allowed home. but months later, he is still feeling the effects and hopes the scans could explain why. we are all very proud to have taken part in it and feel that our little bit can help somewhere along the line for the rest of the world. the scans are being carried out by bio bank uk. it's a huge study that holds medical images, genetic data and health information on half a million people. now it's imaging 1500 of these participants who have had coronavirus. they range from a symptom medication is to those with long covid who still feel l months after infection. —— covid who still feel ill months after infection. having these standardised scans before and after infection, researchers will be able to investigate the direct effects of coronavirus infection on changes in both the structure and the function of organs, which is obviously what we all want to know. the scans could provide vital clues about the impact of covid—19 on different organs. the virus infects the respiratory system and damages cells in the lungs, so scientists will be searching for any scarring. they will examine the heart for inflammation or muscle damage and to see if this is worse after a severe infection. the virus also affects the brain and this study could pinpoint where in the nervous system these changes are happening. the brain scans can tell us whether there is evidence for inflammation in the brain that may be persisting. and whether there has been damage enough to actually kill nerve cells in the brain that may be causing shrinkage. these scans will be repeated over the coming years and made available to researchers all around the world. our understanding of the pandemic�*s health legacy is just beginning. rebecca morelle, bbc news. iceland has become the latest european country to suspend the use of the 0xford—astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine, amid reports that some recipients have developed blood clots. 0ur health correspondent michelle roberts explains. so i can understand why it sounds worrying, but this is very much a precaution, so they've noticed, a few people have had some events where they've had blood clots. unfortunately a couple of people have died. but there is no evidence at all that it's linked to the vaccine. 0bviously, when you're jabbing millions of people, those people will have normal everyday things happening to them as well, so it's kind ofjust doing the checks and measures to make sure that there is no link between the vaccine itself and any of the events that may occur. the ema, the regulator, the european regulator that's been looking at this, says it's happy so far. there are no major concerns. the pause is correct, just to check over the batch, because a million doses went out to 17 countries, and that the batch was used on the two people that we have heard about this problem in. however, out of five million doses that have gone into people, the ema have been looking at, we've only had about 30 cases of this blood clotting condition, and it is very common. if you take the vaccine side of it away from this, in normal life, a lot of people will get blood clots. and also if you catch covid, that's a significant increase of your chance of getting a blood clot, so it's still really important to go and get your vaccine. there is no suggestion from this that the vaccine is doing anything untoward. lockdown has brought with it a puppy boom. as demand soared, so did prices. and fraudsters quickly spotted an opportunity. more than 6,000 people have been become victims of pet scammers in the past year. most answered adverts online from people claiming to have puppies for sale. they paid a deposit, and then never heard from the so—called seller again as angus crawford reports. you've put a massive hole in our hearts now we're not going to be able to fill. a puppy she wanted to build a home around. we were going to call him humphrey. it's just awful. the scammer was totally believable, sent video and pictures. the price was good too — £1000. ashley even agreed a time to pick up humphrey, sent £200 as a deposit, then the messages stopped. i was heartbroken because i don't have any children, no one has a bit ofjoy these days. we're all in lockdown. and to give that love and attention to something new in your family and it be taken away from you, it's just awful. what do you think of these people? it's disgusting. across the uk, there are many more cases like ashley's. since the first lockdown last year, there have been 6,366 reports of pet scams. costing victims more than £2.4 million. in just a couple of days, we've managed to contact scores of scammers selling puppies for up to £1200 each. some use really basic instagram or facebook accounts, others, much more sophisticated websites like this one. they claim they are in leeds, and susie is still for sale, but it's all fake. so what have you got to say? you are ripping people off, people want puppies, they've set their hearts on puppies and you're ripping them off. we think he's outside the uk, and there is little chance the police will ever track him down. say hi to rhubarb and her owner mandy who is also a breeder. it's gut wrenching. you feel very violated. so, this is my father... she found pictures of rhubarb and herfather on pet scam sites, stolen by criminals and used to trick buyers. it's happening to other breeders across the country. the number of upset people i've heard of who have lost money on deposits for puppies that, you know, their children were expecting to receive a puppy, etc, so there is the emotional loss as well as the financial. and it's a real common story. and then to think you might have contributed towards it's, you know, awful, awful feeling. demand for puppies has never been higher. for many families, a bit of light in lockdown, for scammers, just another business opportunity to exploit. angus crawford, bbc news. three government lgbt advisors have quit their roles over delays in banning gay conversion therapy — a form of treatment which aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. one of them — jayne 0zanne — has accused equalities ministers lizz truss and kemi badenoch of creating a "hostile environment" for lgbt plus people. the government has said it will bring forward plans to end the practice shortly. 0ur reporterjosh parry has investigated conversion therapy in the past, and we can speak to him now. what is conversion therapy for those people who perhaps haven't heard of this? ,., ., ., , ., this? good evening. conversion therapy is _ this? good evening. conversion therapy is the _ this? good evening. conversion therapy is the practice - this? good evening. conversion therapy is the practice of - therapy is the practice of attempting to change somebody�*s sexuality or gender identity through medicalforms or sexuality or gender identity through medical forms or religious forms. in the 60s and 70s it was more common it will take place in a medical setting. that may be anything from electroshock therapy to aversion therapy. it is important to state that the nhs and all psychiatric bodies in the uk agree this practice does not work and is also harmful. but in many of its forms today, it is still perfectly legal. it takes place in many settings, but mostly in religious settings, and that can range from the smallest things which could be prayer therapy, right through to the most extreme of practices, such as corrective rape. it sounds extreme. why is there any controversy over banning this? to controversy over banning this? trr understand the controversy, really you need to go back to 2018. the government launched its lgbt+ plan. it found that as many as 5% of lgbt people had been offered conversion therapy. since then, there have been several promises from the government to ban the practices. borisjohnson said last summer that it was abhorrent and promised to ban it. however, on monday the equalities minister gave an update, and they said that they were still looking into the practice of conversion therapy, and they would take steps to end it. that's crucial because as many as 20 lgbt charities say they feel this is a backtrack. they feel to end something and to ban something our two different things. that's now led to three resignations of the government's lgbt+ advisors. they were supposed to be advised on how best to do this. jane herself is a survivor of conversion therapy. she has now sparked outcry from the lgbt+ group who say they stand with her and wish to offer her support after her resignation. do her and wish to offer her support after her resignation.— after her resignation. do we know how prevalent _ after her resignation. do we know how prevalent it _ after her resignation. do we know how prevalent it is _ after her resignation. do we know how prevalent it is in _ after her resignation. do we know how prevalent it is in the - after her resignation. do we know how prevalent it is in the uk? - after her resignation. do we know how prevalent it is in the uk? it i after her resignation. do we knowj how prevalent it is in the uk? it is uuite how prevalent it is in the uk? it is quite hard — how prevalent it is in the uk? it is quite hard to _ how prevalent it is in the uk? it is quite hard to put _ how prevalent it is in the uk? it 3 quite hard to put an exact number on the prevalence of conversion therapy in the uk. the lgbt+ action plan suggested as many as 5%, that is one in 20, lgbt+ people had been offered conversion therapy. however, experts that you will speak to say that it probably didn't reach all corners of the lgbt community, and they think the lgbt community, and they think the number would be much higher. lgbt+ abuse charities recently told me that in any one given time their caseload could be between 25% and 50% made up of people undergoing conversion therapy, and to think that many people may not even realise that is what is happening to them until many years later when they begin to more openly explore their sexuality and their agenda. and i say gender because the other thing which has come up from these surveys and research is that trans people are much more likely to be offered conversion therapies compared with homosexual people. thank you so much. i know you've been investigating this extensively. thanks very much.— the headlines on bbc news... prince william says the royal family isn't racist — following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey the family of sarah everard pay tribute to her, saying she "brought so much joy to our lives". a serving police officer — who has been arrested on suspicion of her murder — remains in custody. more than 4.5 million people in england are now waiting to start hospital treatment — a record number. there are few things that define the great british summer like a musical festival — from behemoths like glastonbury, to smaller boutique events — hundreds of festivals take place across the uk every year. the pandemic means they were all put on hold last year — but a number of major music events are tentatively making plans to re—open the fields to revellers this summer. the demand is there, tickets have sold out in record time, but some organisers are worried about the financial set back they could encounter if the government delays its plan out of covid and they have to cancel their event. well here to discuss is jamie tagg, co—founder of mighty hoopla which is set to take place in london today with the pop star cheryl headlining. hejoins us now. must be a huge relief for you initially. must be a huge relief for you initiall . , , , . must be a huge relief for you initiall . ,, , ., �*, must be a huge relief for you initiall. , ., �*, , initially. massive, yeah, it's been amazin: initially. massive, yeah, it's been amazing that _ initially. massive, yeah, it's been amazing that we _ initially. massive, yeah, it's been amazing that we get _ initially. massive, yeah, it's been amazing that we get to _ initially. massive, yeah, it's been amazing that we get to go - initially. massive, yeah, it's beenj amazing that we get to go ahead. after a year of cancelled events, we were all crossing our fingers after a year of cancelled events, we were all crossing ourfingers it would go ahead this year. were all crossing our fingers it would go ahead this year. when it comes to ticket _ would go ahead this year. when it comes to ticket sales, _ would go ahead this year. when it comes to ticket sales, talk - would go ahead this year. when it comes to ticket sales, talk us - comes to ticket sales, talk us through how they went. are you sold out? and when did that coincide with the peak in sales? the out? and when did that coincide with the peak in sales?— out? and when did that coincide with the peak in sales? the road map came out a coople — the peak in sales? the road map came out a coople of — the peak in sales? the road map came out a couple of mondays _ the peak in sales? the road map came out a couple of mondays ago _ the peak in sales? the road map came out a couple of mondays ago governedj out a couple of mondays ago governed by the friday we were sold out. such a relief because we knew the demand was there, we just didn't know how they would sell. it's been great to see. ~ , ., , ., see. where people are getting in touch with you _ see. where people are getting in touch with you saying, _ see. where people are getting in touch with you saying, is - see. where people are getting in touch with you saying, is it - touch with you saying, is it happening? please let it happen. yes, our inbox... because of coded, we have a stripped back team, so we are trying to get back to people as quick as we can. —— because of covid—19. quick as we can. -- because of covid-19-_ quick as we can. -- because of covid-19. �* , ., ., ., ., covid-19. are you worried about what ha--ens covid-19. are you worried about what ha ens if covid-19. are you worried about what happens if you _ covid-19. are you worried about what happens if you have _ covid-19. are you worried about what happens if you have to _ covid-19. are you worried about what happens if you have to cancel- covid-19. are you worried about what happens if you have to cancel for- happens if you have to cancel for any reason? {iii happens if you have to cancel for any reason?— happens if you have to cancel for an reason? , ., any reason? of course. goes without sa inc. any reason? of course. goes without saying- the — any reason? of course. goes without saying- the longer— any reason? of course. goes without saying. the longer it _ any reason? of course. goes without saying. the longer it goes _ any reason? of course. goes without saying. the longer it goes on, - any reason? of course. goes without saying. the longer it goes on, the i saying. the longer it goes on, the more repercussions there are for the whole industry. there are pilot events happening in may and june. if they get pushed back tojuly and they get pushed back to july and august, it isn'tjust my festival affected, the whole industry is affected. we should have been in june originally, we are now in september. the ones that get pushed back, the whole chain is affected. the costs go up for everybody across the board. , . .,,, the board. fingers crossed everything _ the board. fingers crossed everything will _ the board. fingers crossed everything will go - the board. fingers crossed everything will go ahead i the board. fingers crossed i everything will go ahead and the board. fingers crossed - everything will go ahead and it'll all happen, but you've got to be conscious of safety when it comes to covid—19 restrictions. what kind of changes do you have to make? until we know what _ changes do you have to make? until we know what all _ changes do you have to make? until we know what all of _ changes do you have to make? limit i. we know what all of the guidelines are, we don't know, but any event organiser knows that the entrance money, that policy is important. whether it is testing before, on the day, whatever it is, it's going to be different. we are waiting for the guidelines to come out. itrailiiiie be different. we are waiting for the guidelines to come out.— be different. we are waiting for the guidelines to come out. while we are waitin: , guidelines to come out. while we are waiting. talk— guidelines to come out. while we are waiting. talk us _ guidelines to come out. while we are waiting, talk us through _ guidelines to come out. while we are waiting, talk us through who - guidelines to come out. while we are waiting, talk us through who is - waiting, talk us through who is appearing. brute waiting, talk us through who is appearing-— waiting, talk us through who is auearinu. ~ . . ., , appearing. we have a great line-up. che lis appearing. we have a great line-up. cheryl is headlining. _ appearing. we have a great line-up. cheryl is headlining. we _ appearing. we have a great line-up. cheryl is headlining. we have - appearing. we have a great line-up. cheryl is headlining. we have jimmyj cheryl is headlining. we havejimmy somerville. becky hill. lots of pop music this year which we are really happy about. find music this year which we are really happy about-— music this year which we are really happy about. and you are sold out? yes. absolutely _ happy about. and you are sold out? yes. absolutely gutted. _ happy about. and you are sold out? yes. absolutely gutted. thanks, - yes. absolutely gutted. thanks, jamie, creator _ yes. absolutely gutted. thanks, jamie, creator of _ yes. absolutely gutted. thanks, jamie, creator of the _ yes. absolutely gutted. thanks, jamie, creator of the mighty - yes. absolutely gutted. thanks, - jamie, creator of the mighty hoopla. thank you forjoining us. it's almost a year now since the curtain came down in theatres across the uk. now the royal shakespeare company is using the latest technology to get audiences back to the theatre. spencer kelly — who presents the bbc�*s technology programme, click, reports what hast thou done? it's a midsummer night's dream, but not as you know it. dream is a new performance inspired by both shakespeare's original play and the times we live in. as the actors move about, their performances are captured and used to animate puck, peaseblossom and the rest of the inhabitants of fairyland, and over 12 live performances the actors will partly improvise scenes based on which way the online audience chooses to guide puck through the forest. in many ways this is less like theatre acting and more like the kind of acting that hollywood performance have been doing in cgi films for quite a few years now. you can interact with a fellow performer in the same space but what you end up looking like — well, that's up to the digital artist. inexplicably, i've become a kind of power ranger i don't think was in the original shakespeare text. so, what are the differences between performing here and performing live on stage? on stage a lot of it is through eye contact, but if you cannot see that the two characters have eyes how else can you express that? how can you tell that you are talking to someone? that you are giving your attention, your energy, to them. is that a suspicious eye contact or is it a welcoming lovely to see you? this project has been in development for a couple of years now so rather than just being a stopgap while theatres are closed this is a full on r&d project to explore how theatre can continue to evolve. theatre has always innovated. i hope that the technology in a way becomes invisible so we can have cutting—edge technology drive it, but ultimately we want the experience of the audiences to be delightful, entertaining, magical and meaningful. dream runs until the 20th of march, without the weird power ranger. spencer kelly, bbc news. i bet spencer requested that power ranger image. there is more about that on our website. now it's time for a look at the weather. thursday brought us a windy day with some sunshine and showers. this was county down on thursday afternoon. blue skies there, sunshine in shorter supply here, this was twickenham earlier on thursday. shower clouds aplenty. 0ver twickenham earlier on thursday. shower clouds aplenty. over the next few days that story will remain with us. strong, blustery winds, not as windy as it has been, and scattered and heavy showers as well. more showers to come, particularly over the western half of the uk through tonight. some hail and thunder mixed in with these showers. dry east on england and towards parts of eastern scotland. some of the showers over the highlands will be falling as sleet and snow. a chilly start, temperature is around 2 degrees first thing. with the strength of the wind it'll feel quite chilly again with plenty more showers. showers in the east will ease away. the afternoon is mostly dry or parts of eastern england, the far east of scotland, as well, but plenty more showers packing in from the west. —— dry for parts of eastern england. the winds is a real feature, dry for parts of eastern england. the winds is a realfeature, gusts up the winds is a realfeature, gusts up to 40 mph, even stronger than that around some exposed coasts in the west. windy and wet friday night into saturday. more heavy showers and thunderstorms are rattling through on that breeze. temperatures to start your weekend between one and 6 degrees. fairly chilly conditions through saturday, particularly when you add on the wind. it'll be another blustery sort of day. into sunday, things will settle down. another day of sunny spells and blustery, heavy showers on saturday, particularly windy through the english channel. those showers could merge into longer spells of rain in the north—west later on. temperatures between seven and ten, a cool feel, another windy day. into sunday, looking at the quieter day of the weekend, as high pressure tries to build in from the south—west. a few showers moving in from the north—west. towards the south and south—east, things should stay dry, possibly going up 1 degrees up to 11. high—pressure builds into next week, things will turn quieter with some sunshine, but watch out for the winds over the next few days. goodbye. this is bbc news. joe biden hasn't wielded the presidential pen much in public since taking office. but his first major photo—op was a biggie. in the oval office this afternoon, he signed into law one of the largest economic relief measures in us history. the pandemic officially began a year ago — today the us president promised to rebuild a shattered country. as covid cases pick up across europe, the eu approves thejohnson & johnsonjab. it couldn't come soon enough. also in the programme.... has the meghan—harry saga unleashed a new wave of anti—monarchist sentiment among americans? we'll discuss. plus — the pensioners taking a swing at covidwhile celebrating their newly a swing at covid while celebrating their newly found vaccine freedom.