in china begins today — a canadian embassy official claims he has been barred from entering the courtroom. italy, germany and france will re—start the rollout of the astrazeneca vaccine — after europe's medicines regulator says the jab is safe and effective. in france — a new month—long lockdown for paris and surrounding areas — the prime minister warning the country is suffering a third wave of coronavirus welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe we start with those first top level meetings between the us and china sincejoe biden became us president. it's a chance to reset relations between the world's two biggest economies. but there's no indication so far that things are improving from the turbulence of the trump years. america's top diplomat antony blinken is meeting his opposite number yangjiechi against the snowy backdrop of alaska. and in their opening remarks, not too many warm words. today we will have an opportunity to discuss key priorities, both domestic and global, so that china can better understand our administration's intentions and approach. we will also discuss our deep concerns with actions by china including in hong kong, taiwan, attacks on the united states, economic coercion towards our allies. i said that the united states relationship will be competitive or should be, collaborative can be an adversarial work it must be. the people of the two countries in the world, they are hoping to see practical outcomes coming out of our dialogue and debate in taiwan are an inalienable part of china's territory. china's five firmly opposed to us interference in china's affairs. we have expressed our staunch opposition to such interference and we will take firm in response. our state department correspondent barbara plett—usher is in anchorage — where the meeting is taking place. she says both parties went into the meeting with quite different agendas. actually, the opening statements turned out to be rather a usually undiplomatic exchange because you had first of all very bluntly mr blinken saying what he had been telegraphing he would say because he had been saying it beforehand, talking about china's policies towards hong kong, economic coercion as he calls it insane at all of these things were not internal matters but issues that affect the system of rules that govern global stability so there were issues concerning and they would raise them and the chinese shot back and say we follow the un rules and you should stop trying to advance your own system of democracy because it is not necessarily superior and you're dealing with your own problems of social unrest so don't try to tell us what to do and that was the end of the formal comments and the two sides went back and forth for a bit, kind of having counter says and defend each other in the press was about to be dismissed and someone called them back and say i want to add this and so on. it was an unusual extended public sparring event and afterwards a senior official accused the chinese and in the opening session that he said we will continue to go ahead with business as planned in the session has now ended. they have two more to go. they have two more to go. the trials of two canadians charged with spying in china begin today. they were arrested two years ago following the detention of huawei executive meng wangzhou in vancouver on a us warrant. michael spavor�*s case is being tried in dandong today — the canadian embassy in china has said their official has not been allowed to enter the courtroom.michael kovrig's trial is due to begin on monday. stephanie carvin, associate professor in international affairs at carlton university in ottawa, told us she wasn't surprised that canadian consular officials were denied entry to the courtroom. (tx sot if there is some good news there it was that canadian officials worked alone. media reports on the ground are suggesting there were at least eight countries that also tried to get access to this trial on the ground. what i would interpret to be a sign of solidarity with canada and concern the international concern the international concern over this trial. some kidneys but i am not surprised they were denied access, unfortunately. something constantly reported in this case with good reason is the alleged conditions they are being held then.— alleged conditions they are being held then. right. this is very much _ being held then. right. this is very much a — being held then. right. this is very much a concern _ being held then. right. this is very much a concern of- very much a concern of canadians. the conditions that they have been held in have been described as having the lights on 2a hours a day, there were reports 18 months ago that one man's glasses have been taken away to stop them from reading. and just basically the conditions are what we were considering the worst amount to torture. you have to contrast that with what is happening in vancouver. she is in one of two of her large mansions here. she has been seen in and about the city going to restaurants. so it is the exact opposite of what they canadians themselves are experiencing anything this continual denial of any kind of consular access to them. that would be expected under international law is even more worrying. international law is even more wor inc. , . international law is even more wor inc. , worrying. they are being accused _ worrying. they are being accused of _ worrying. they are being accused of spying. - worrying. they are being accused of spying. how i worrying. they are being - accused of spying. how credible do you think there's charges are? , , . . ~' are? lets be clear. i think the issue here — are? lets be clear. i think the issue here is _ are? lets be clear. i think the issue here is the _ are? lets be clear. i think the issue here is the chinese - are? lets be clear. i think the issue here is the chinese [awl issue here is the chinese law which is incredibly vague and not at all precise. they are being held on charges they violated china's national security law and frankly that could bejust security law and frankly that could be just normal everyday kind of research activities that someone involved in business or research would to do. one man is a member of the international crisis group and was involved in research activities. but under china's weber law they could interpret it as espionage activities and that goes against interests. it is a convenient law and they can interpret it in a very wide way. let's get some of the day's other news heavy rains have caused widespread damage in northern peru, with 15 homes being washed away and hundreds of farms destroyed by rising floodwaters. almost 4,000 families have been cut off, but authorities say no lives have been lost. north korea has announced that it will cut all diplomatic ties with malaysia for extraditing one of its nationals to the united states to face money laundering charges. the north korean is accused of supplying luxury goods from singapore to pyongyang. he could become the first north korean to stand trial for alleged sanctions—related crimes in the us. world athletics has allowed the return of russian track and field athletes competing under a neutralflag to international events, including the olympic games. their number will be limited to ten. the athletes will have to meet anti—doping criteria; and their participation will continue to depend on the russian athletics federation meeting certain targets in its reform programme. several leading eu states say they'll re—start the roll—out of the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine after europe's medicines regulator concluded the jab was "safe and effective". the european medicines agency has been conducting a review after 13 member states suspended use of the astrazeneca vaccine, over fears of a possible link with blood clots. now the ema is saying that while it cannot definitively rule out a connection, these cases are very rare , and the benefits of using the astrazeneca vaccine outweigh the risks. here's our medical editor fergus walsh every injection, every vaccine given is another person protected. half a million people a day here are getting immunised at present. many eu countries suspended using the oxford astrazeneca jab pending the outcome of today's safety review. in hull, there was no sign of vaccine hesitancy. i was waiting a long time. i'm in my 60s, and i've only just really got mine, so i was just happy it's finally done. ijust took on board this is my appointment, this is what needs doing, this is keeping everyone safe so let's go ahead and get it done. the uk medicines regulator said after a rigorous review, there was no evidence that blood clots were caused by the oxford astrazeneca vaccine. it looked in particular at five cases of rare clots in the brain among 11 million people immunised by the nhs. all were men under 60, one of whom died. it said, given the link was unproven, the benefits of the vaccine far outweighed potential side effects. for those in their 40s, the risk of dying after covid infection is one in a thousand. as a precautionary measure, it's advising anyone with a headache that lasts more than four days after vaccination to seek medical attention. there is no difference that blood clots in veins are occurring more than would be expected in the absence of vaccination, for either vaccine. the public can have every confidence in the thoroughness of our review. and in amsterdam, the european medicines agency has come to the same conclusion about the astrazeneca jab. this is a safe and effective vaccine. its benefits in protecting people from covid—19, with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation, outweigh the possible risks. the committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events, or blood clots. the prime minister, who's 56, will get his first dose of the astrazeneca vaccine tomorrow, and said all adults would be offered a jab by the end ofjuly. our progress along the road - to freedom continues unchecked. we remain on track to reclaim the things we love, _ to see our families and friends again, to return to our- local pubs, our gyms and sports facilities, | and, of course, our shops. all, of course, as long - as the data continue to go in the right direction, - and we meet our four tests. those in their 40s seem likely to have to wait until may to get their first vaccine, because older people will be getting their second shot, and there won't be enough extra doses to go around, due to supply issues caused by a delay in a delivery of vaccine from india and a batch here that needed retesting. half of all adults in the uk have now had a first dose of vaccine. the head of the nhs in england, sir simon stevens, got the astrazeneca jab at westminster abbey. safe and effective vaccines will answer all our prayers to be delivered from this pandemic. fergus walsh, bbc news. parts of france will re—enter lockdown on friday evening as the country fears a third wave of coronavirus infections. more than 35,000 new cases have been recorded in the past 2a hours and hospitals are nearing crisis point. tanya dendrinos reports. patients fighting for life. nurses and doctors fighting to save them. 1200 people are currently in intensive care in paris, higherthan currently in intensive care in paris, higher than at the peak of the second wave in november. breaking point is inside. translation: you can always go. the alert is getting tighter and tighter. we are not at breaking point at the moment that we have come very close oh, yes, we have the impression that the breaking point is not far away. we managed to adapt all situations but the is that we deserve the detriment of something else. the mounting pressure forcing the government to respond. from midnight on friday the french capital will go into month long lockdown along with 15 other regions. translation: facing an acceleration of the virus and the pressure that is increasing in our hospital systems, we owe it to ourselves. the time has come to go further and implement more demanding measures in the most critical departments and situations. nonessential businesses will be forced to shut but skills will remain open. the measures are not quite as strict as the previous lockdown with people still allowed to exercise outdoors. meanwhile the national curfew will remain in place but begin an hour later. if this lockdown allows us to move onto the next step and take advantage of this month to vaccinate and prepare for future it is a good thing. it is more like saying that one is this going to end. one year we have not found a way out of this, in one year we have lockdown number eight? that is what scares me. a relentless cycle in the battle against the unrelenting virus. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: as security forces in myanmar resort to increasingly violent tactics to suppress daily demonstrations, we speak to the family of a 17—year—old medical student who died in a protest. today, we have closed the book on apartheid, and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision. all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was - on a pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand - now that the search for it has i become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines. the united states and china exchange sharp words in the first high—level direct talks since president biden took office. the trial of a canadian man charged with spying in china begins today, more than two years after he and another man were detained. it's ten years this week since the start of the war in syria and the attempt to oust the regime of president bashar al—assad. in a once—prosperous nation, three quarters of the population are now in need of humanitarian aid. food prices are rocketing, leading to widespread malnutrition, particularly among children. our middle east editor jeremy bowen, who's covered the conflict since the start, has been assessing the impact of the conflict. a country destroyed, perhaps half a million people killed. one estimate is that 22,000 of them were children. at the centre of too many tragedies to count are the decisions taken by president bashar al—assad. he says he saved syria. with the russian air force, the president saved his regime. zabadani, outside damascus, in the first year of the war. a taste of freedom. it became a war when the regime crushed peaceful demonstrations and protesters turned into armed rebels. the fighters i met that night were all killed. allahu akbar! morale was high among recruits to the new rebel militias. these held the damascus suburb of eastern ghouta for seven years and were typical — young sunnis angry, often unemployed, ready to fight a vicious regime built around assad's own minority alawi sect. what do you think will happen to assad? killed. must be killed. this man, islam alloush, is now injail in france on war crimes charges. it became a dirty sectarian war. the regime's firepower meant it spilled most blood. aleppo, 2017. just after regime forces besieged and starved out fighters and civilians using medieval tactics with modern weapons in the vaults of an ancient city. when bashar inherited the country from his father in 2000, he promised reform, and many syrians believed him. in wellington in new zealand, karan shah has political asylum and is building a new life. in aleppo, his hometown, he helped organise the first peaceful protests, hoping the president might risk elections instead of war. i think bashar al—assad would have won by a huge difference. he refused to do that. he was extremely arrogant. he did not want to give any concessions, fearing that minor concessions early on might tell the public that, well, their protest actually worked, and that might get them to raise their demands. so you would say that he made a massive mistake? genuinely, i really think he did. bashar al—assad, against all the evidence, insists there were no peaceful protesters. instead, he claims syria faced a conspiracy hatched by the west, israel, saudi arabia, al-qaeda and islamic state. in a rare interview in 2015, he showed no remorse. did the president hint it might have been different? only he knows. what keeps you awake at night? what keeps me awake at night? many reasons that could affect any human. life. could be personal, could be work. yourjob? could be yourjob, could be personal. iam human. what could any human be affected by? i am affected by the same factors. millions blame bashar al—assad for their suffering and would like to see him dead. but without some real supporters prepared to give their own lives, assad would not have survived. this was the funeral of a soldier from his own alawi heartland. the years of killing have left syria broken, divided and dangerous. what price victory? jeremy bowen, bbc news. more than 200 protesters have been killed by myanmar�*s security forces in crackdowns since the coup on february 1st. a united nations team investigating war crimes has asked people to collect evidence of atrocities by the military. but the violence has continued and more people have been killed on the streets. the bbc�*s nyein chan aye met the family of a 17—year—old medical student in yangon who died in a protest. a young life cut short. khant nyar hein was a medical student, just 17. he was shot in the head during a protest. kind—hearted and bright, he excelled in education, according to his chinese parents who were born in myanmar. khant nyar heinjoined the protests on 1a march without telling anyone — all heartbreaking now for his parents. translation: | took my bike | and went out to search for him. then i heard gunfire. i heard someone say someone had fallen. kids were running. it was chaos. i didn't think it was my son totally. i did watch the videos. i can't bear it in my heart. when it happened, i was around the area looking for him. translation: what happened was that he was using - a shield to protect others. there were only 20 of them by the police station. they shot him from inside. the video i've seen shows that he fell down. a girl was shielding him as he fell. people wanted to help them, but there was gunfire so no one dared to go there. they dragged him away like a dog. khant nyar hein was one of more than 200 people killed during the military crackdown on protests since the coup on the 1st of february. despite the danger of losing their lives, young protesters are still taking to the streets in the hope of regaining the freedom they once enjoyed. nyein chan aye, bbc news. we humans may be tired of video calls, socialising on a screen and streamed performances, but chimps at two czech zoos have just started to enjoy their new daily zoom calls. to compensate for lack of interaction with visitors since the start of the pandemic, staff at two wildlife parks launched a project which allows chimpanzees from separate enclosures to watch one another�*s daily lives on giant screens. the primates have also adopted other human behaviours such as grabbing goodies like nuts to chew on while watching each other. zoo keepers hope the experiment would provide some stimulation and company to the animals who have been suffering from loneliness since the zoo closed last december. you can reach me on twitter — @lvaughanjones. hello there. we saw plenty of sunshine across scotland on thursday. that pushed temperatures up to 19 celsius in edinburgh, making it the warmest day of the year so far. for most, though, it was rather cool and cloudy, and that's how it's going to be today. in fact, the southeast quadrant is going to be quite chilly, as we tap into some colder air from the near continent. so another chilly day here like we saw on thursday. elsewhere, plenty of cloud around, the odd spot of light rain or drizzle, but again, sunshine will develop through central, western scotland, northern ireland, perhaps western wales too, and plenty of sunshine across the southeast, as this colder air will be drier air, but it's going to feel particularly chilly, especially close to the coast, temperatures struggling to get much above 7—9 celsius. but in the sunnier spots, though, through central scotland, we could make 15 celsius, not as warm as thursday, and could see 12—13 celsius in some of the warmer spots, the sunnier spots elsewhere. so as we head through friday night, it stays chilly and clear across the southeast. elsewhere, quite a bit of cloud around, just the odd clear spell here and there, the odd spot of light rain and drizzle too. temperatures range from 4—7 celsius particularly where we have the cloud. but under clearer skies, lower than that, particularly in the southeast. so, this is saturday's picture, then, starts off mostly cloudy, again, but through the day, we will start to see some cloud break, some sunshine, eastern sctoland, northeast england, and this weather front will move into the northern isles and northern scotland to bring stronger winds here and outbreaks of rain. so a little bit cooler here because of the wind, but where we have the sunshine for eastern scotland, northeast england, we could see 13—14 celsius, but for most, 10—12 celsius. on into sunday, our area of high pressure's still with us, so winds for most will be light away from the north and east, a bit of an onshore breeze here, and then signs of the cloud tending to break up more on sunday. so we could see increasing amounts of sunny spells here and there, but some areas may stay grey all day. again, those temperatures 10—12 celsius, maybe 13 celsius in any brighter spots, but chillier along north sea coasts. then into next week, our area of high pressure eventually breaks down and moves towards the near continent and allows weather fronts to move in from the atlantic, starting to pick up more of a west—south—westerly airflow, so it begins to turn more unsettled. so a generally fine, settled, benign week, rather cloudy, before it starts to turn more unsettled by the end of the week. there are signs that the temperatures are beginning to creep up. this is bbc news, the headlines: the us secretary of state, antony blinken, says he won't shy away from raising issues such as china's actions in hong kong, in the first high—level direct talks between the biden administration and beijing. in response, china said the us must stay out of its internal affairs. the trial of a canadian man charged with spying in china begins today. michael spavor was detained along with fellow canadian michael kovrig two years ago in what beijing denies was a response to canada's arrest of huawei executive meng wa nzhou. mr kovrig's trial is due to begin on monday. several leading eu states have said they'll restart the roll—out of the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine after a review concluded the jab was "safe and effective". now on bbc news, panorama. tonight on panorama — the gold rush, as britain's health workers ran short of ppe... we were so scared of this virus. if there was no ppe then what? ..£12.5 billion worth of contracts were awarded, some to people with friends in high places. you were ten times more likely to be awarded a contract if you had been in that high priority lane than if you hadn't. big profits were there to be made. that's an awful lot of money. yeah, it's a very large contract. we reveal the dog food supplier who took a cut of one of the biggest deals of all... every person that feeds rockster to their dog