welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. first, the european union has backtracked in a row with the united kingdom over the export of coronavirus vaccines. earlier, brussels introduced new controls giving member states the power to block vaccines being sent abroad. then to reinforce that, it announced the invoking of a clause in the brexit deal that would reinstate border checks between the eu and northern ireland, in effect stopping vaccines entering the uk by the back door. paul hawkins reports. no hard border between ireland and northern ireland — that point was made time and time again by the eu during the brexit negotiations. so when the eu announced late on friday that it was triggering article 16 of the northern ireland protocol, which is part of the brexit treaty, many were shocked because that meant border checks for vaccines on the island of ireland. the eu said it had to do this: in other words, to stop the vaccine getting to the uk via a backdoor route through northern ireland. triggering article 16 was only meant to be for serious reasons — the nuclear option. butjust a few hours later, the eu announced it would not invoke article 16, but it added: the threat of invoking article 16 was still there. many were left wondering what was going on. i understand — and this is what i hear from the european commission — that there was an accident. the accident or the mishap has been repaired and i think this is important — but, again, this is not a hostile act against third countries or territories. despite backtracking on northern ireland, the eu is still introducing new controls, giving member states the power to block exports of the vaccines to countries, including the uk, should they want to. it is the latest twist in a deepening dispute over the vaccine producer astrazeneca's delivery commitments to the eu. the bloc agreeing to buy 400 million doses of its vaccine last year, only be told that supplies would be reduced by 60% in the first quarter of this year because production problems at one of its eu factories. this approach is built on trust, transparency and responsibility. commitment needs to be kept and contracts are binding. advanced purchase agreements need to be respected. the european union, meanwhile, has been criticised by its own member states for taking too long to agree contracts with suppliers and to approve the vaccines themselves. scenes like this in madrid are rare with people waiting after vaccine shortages. some may be wishing they were looking after their own vaccine programmes. paul hawkins, bbc news. another vaccine developer, johnson and johnson, says its single—dose injection has proved to be 66% effective against covid—19. this comes just a day after novavax announced uk trials had shown its vaccine to be 89% effective. our medical editor fergus walsh has spoken to the developers of both jabs. covid vaccine trials keep delivering results beyond all expectations. these volunteers in southampton are among tens of thousands worldwide testing the vaccine from janssen, part of the pharmaceutical giant johnson &johnson, which will produce one billion doses of its jab this year. we have a single—shot vaccine which can protect very highly, 85%, against severe disease and complete protection against death and hospitalisation after day 28, and that's a finding across the world, in all the regions, independent of age and independent of strain. the results from the us biotech novavax are nothing short of spectacular. this site in london, part of a uk—wide trial, which showed the vaccine offered strong protection, even against the contagious new variant, first identified in kent. it's very significant because we were able to show that the vaccine works well against both the old, the original strain and the new strain. it had 96% efficacy against the original covid—19 strain and yet it still had 86% efficacy against the variant strain. so how do they work? of coronavirus and combines these with a chemical booster or adjuvant. the janssen vaccine puts the gene for the spike protein into a harmless virus, a similar approach to the oxford—astrazeneca jab. both vaccines prime the immune system, including creating antibodies, which will target coronavirus in the event of infection. fergus walsh, bbc news. while the news of so many vaccines is encouraging, america's top infectious disease expert dr anthony fauci says we can't become complacent in fighting the virus. it is an incentive to do what we have been saying all along — to vaccinate as many people as we can as quickly as we possibly can. because mutations occur, because the virus has a playing field, as it were, to mutate. if you stop that and stop the replication, viruses cannot mutate if they don't replicate. germany and france have tightened their border controls, overfears new coronavirus variants might spread in europe. berlin says most visitors from britain, ireland, portugal, braziland south africa will be banned from saturday. most non—eu nationals will be excluded from france from sunday. the european union remains opposed to a blanket travel ban. the drama surrounding share—dealing in the us company gamestop continues to rumble on. regulators on both sides of the atlantic have issued warnings about the volatility of the market — amid fears small investors are creating an unsustainable bubble. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. hey, uninstall robinhood! get it off your phone! woo! robin hood and his not—so—merry men. this relatively small—scale protest took place outside the headquarters of the no—fee trading firm that many have been using to buy and sell shares in gamestop. they'd imposed trading limits which had led to a drop in the share price. yeah, i mean, you know, they are called so, yeah, it's kind of ironic that they are helping the big guys. gamestop seems an unlikely vehicle for what some are depicting as a david versus goliath battle between big money and small investors. following tips from a forum on the social media site reddit, these small investors bought and sold stock, pushing up the price and making a tidy profit. the fear is with gamestop described as a struggling company, the foundations for growth may not be strong enough. this is a bubble that could well burst. translation: | think i what they are doing here is really risky. nobody will profit in the end. we must reject any kind of market manipulation. we're not all interested in achieving an all—time high on any given day, followed by years of slump. regulators on both sides of the atlantic have weighed in. the us securities and exchange commission saying: and the uk's financial conduct authority warned: but is anyone listening? bells ring at close of play on friday, us stock markets were down around 2% but gamestop, after robinhood eased restrictions, saw a big increase. if this is a war between the wolves of wall street and the reddit rebels, no—one's flying the white flag just yet. tim allman, bbc news. protestors in lebanon's northern city of tripoli have clashed with security forces for a fourth night over strict lockdown measures. many have been left without an income in a country where a third of the workforce is unemployed and the coronavirus pandemic has furthered lebanon's deep economic crisis. from tripoli — carine torbey reports. ahmed and four of his children live here. unemployed and short of money, he has very little to feed the kids. let alone enough to send them all to school. translation: everything is expensive. _ i cannot afford meat or chicken. we mostly eat bread. i've been looking for a job for some time, but there aren't anyjobs. all i can is one meal a day for the kids. and sometimes even that is not possible. like many others here, lacks the basics. this is one of many neighbourhoods in tripoli that have long been marginalised. scores of young people here feel abandoned by the state, living in poverty, in deprivation and desperation. they are the forgotten ones who have countless reasons to be angry. tripoli is lebanon's second largest city and one of the most impoverished. with the economic collapse of the country, things have gotten even worse. frustrated by coronavirus and the nationwide lockdown, he joined the people who took to the streets. translation: we were already suffering from a lot _ of injustice but the current drop in the standards of living is scary. we are nearing starvation. the protests soon turned into riots and clashes with security forces. so much anger and pain on the streets of a city that hasn't yet healed from years of sectarian fighting. it's not the first time that tripoli revolted against poverty and horrible living conditions, the difference this time is the economic meltdown, the anger, might also be echoing elsewhere in the country. there's been a third successive night of street demonstrations in the polish capital, warsaw, in protest at new laws restricting abortion. protesters chanted the number of an abortion helpline and carried colourful banners bearing slogans such as liberty, equality abortion on demand. poland's constitutional court approved the law last october but its introduction was delayed following large protests. it was suddenly enacted on wednesday, provoking renewed outrage from supporters of the right to abortion. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: the hard reality of funerals amid coronavirus — south africans are unable to follow traditional rites. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after lift—off. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman school teacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word �*revolution�*. the earthquake singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. tonight, — the search for any survivors has an increasing desperation about it — as the hours passed. the new government is finally in control_ of the entire - republic of uganda. survivors of the auschwitz concentration camp have been commemorating the 40th anniversary of their liberation. they toured the huts, gas chambers and crematoria, and relived their horrifying experiences. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the eu backs down from using emergency brexit measures to restrict the movement of vaccines. their plan sparked outrage in london and belfast. but the bloc�*s vaccine shortfall sees them force pharmaceutical firms to seek permission to export european—made jabs. south africa's president cyril ramaphosa says funerals have been coronavirus "super spreaders." he's called for regulations — including shorter ceremonies, smaller crowds, and for a covid death, no viewing of the body — to be followed. but some people are struggling to accept the changes. pumza fihlani reports. from big state funerals with p°mp from big state funerals with pomp and ceremony, to send offs for ordinary people, current devices changing long—standing practices around death and burial is here. —— coronavirus is changing. in my family, as with many in south africa, funerals are often a big occasion. it is a time when hundreds of people gather to show support for the bereaved family. it is also a time when age—old traditions are observed and ritual practices are performed. but large family funerals have now been replaced by small, hurried affairs. at what cost? funerals are seen as an important rite of passage in many african cultures. but under the strict covid regulations, where there is little to no contact with the deceased, certain burial practices are impossible. it is something funeral parlours say is difficult forfamilies something funeral parlours say is difficult for families to accept. is difficult for families to acce t. . , ~ is difficult for families to acce t. ., , ~ ., accept. families like to cleanse. _ accept. families like to cleanse, they - accept. families like to cleanse, they want - accept. families like to cleanse, they want to l accept. families like to - cleanse, they want to wash them, do their own things after them, do their own things after the mortuary. so when we come back to them and say, no, this cannot be done at such a time, it poses a taboo for them, because then that makes them not be allowed to rest in peace. not be allowed to rest in eace. peace. under the new regulations, - peace. under the new regulations, servicesl peace. under the new i regulations, services can peace. under the new - regulations, services can only be attended by 50 people. to try and minimise the spread of covid—19. but in a society where even grief is shared, some are struggling with the new norm. some are struggling with the new norm-— some are struggling with the new norm. ., i. .., ., new norm. now you can imagine the trauma _ new norm. now you can imagine the trauma in — new norm. now you can imagine the trauma in the _ new norm. now you can imagine the trauma in the aftermath - new norm. now you can imagine the trauma in the aftermath of l the trauma in the aftermath of covid—19 that you are going to have, when people have not had that last rite of passage between those who are departing and those who have departed. certainly people will struggle dealing with the fact that they have not performed those rituals, and whatever misfortune some of them will be facing, they may attribute this precise lead to the fact that their ancestors, whatever they are, are restless and unhappy of the manner of departure. to try and bridge that gap, some funeral parlours on our livestreaming funerals and having drive—through memorial services to help families feel more connected. but for some, thatis more connected. but for some, that is falling short. with my mother passing away, and having to do things differently, we ended up not doing the things that we would have liked to do for her. everyone wants to come to see, you know, and since they can't be here, now, they want to watch. at the end of the day, you are looking for the day, you are looking for the presence of the people, and as much as you know that they are there, but they are not here, it is not the same. mil here, it is not the same. all these changes _ here, it is not the same. all these changes point to one thing. but the rich traditions associated with certain aspects of death in south africa have gone for now. this row of recently filled graves is a small but real reminder of the death that has devastated hundreds of south africans here every day. and with coronavirus still in a firm grip across the country, many families are now forced to look at which traditions to keep and which ones to let go of in order to be safe. it is forcing culture to evolve. pumza fihlani, bbc news, johannesburg. the indian supreme court is hearing contempt of court cases against a cartoonist and a stand—up comedian for criticising the judges over a recent ruling. the legal action against the two artists are seen by critics as a reflection of the diminishing space for dissent and criticism in the country. from delhi, here's anbarasan ethirajan. cartoonist rachita taneja at work. simple line drawing but with powerful messages. in one of her recent cartoons, she criticised the supreme court's decision to grant bail to a pro—government news anchor. she's now facing contempt of court charges and could face up to six months in jail. this is censorship, plain and simple. it's not only sending a message to these specific people who are being arrested, it's also sending a message to everyone else in the country, saying "fall into line or this will happen with you". so it is definitely censorship and there is a very real threat to our democracy. for pakistan! laughter. here is kunal kamra, one of india's leading stand—up comedians. laughter. in a series of tweets, he lampooned the supreme court after they gave bail to the same controversial news anchor. the result? mr kamra is also facing contempt of court charges. cheering and applause. so why there is so much concern about what the supreme court does? for a country like india, the checks and balances are important in preserving the democracy and they believe that institutions like the supreme court, they play a crucial role in safeguarding democracy. ..the guns are powdered... another comedian, munawar faruqui, was arrested earlier this month after complaints that he had insulted hindu deities in his show. his friends insist that he had never made those jokes but he has already spent weeks in jail. several human rights activists have been imprisoned for alleged maoist communist links, but their supporters say they are being punished for showing peaceful dissent. people are under some kind of a fear that if you criticise the government, for example, you are inviting trouble. a lot of people have been taken into custody because of what is called their activism, or their commitment to human rights and, you know, objecting to violations of human rights. but there are growing concerns that the world's largest liberal democracy is becoming an intolerant one. overall, i concede there are aberrations, but to say that democracy in india, that the space for dissent in india has beenjeopardised, i think it's sort of taking the issue a bit too far. what i would say is that yes, there is a need to have a greater degree of tolerance towards people who you disagree with. threats from every direction has not stopped people like ms taneja to fight for artistic freedom. even if that means standing up to the mighty indian establishment. for them, without dissent, there is no democracy. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news, delhi. fans will be able to see the players live at next month's australian open, the first tennis grand slam of the year. 4,000 fans watched a tennis exhibition event in adelaide on friday which included a match between serena williams and naomi osaka. local officials in melbourne now say strict coronavirus infection control measures will be in place, but a daily crowd capacity of 30,000 will be permitted for the first eight days of the tournament, before being reduced to 25,000 from the quarterfinals — half the average attendance of previous years. the players and officials have undergone a 2—week quarantine ahead of the event, which begins a week on monday. in the us, the pandemic has quietened new york city, but it's meant birdwatching has become a lot more popular. and this was a highlight on wednesday. a snowy owl spotted in central park, a rare sight. from new york, here's tom brook. in new york's central park, birdwatching has become a much favoured pandemic activity, deemed safe for social distancing to a point, and it takes place outdoors. a couple of owls in the park so let's see if we can track down the barn owls. like last week, we will look around. �*birding bob' leads birdwatching groups in central park. the pandemic has made him busy. we've seen a lot more people, mainly because people prefer to be outside and you stay six feet away from everybody else and you breathe air that is moving around a lot. this new wave of birdwatching has brought out a wide range of people of all ages and social backgrounds. previous to the pandemic i was a bit more plugged into work, and the daily rigmarole of the rat race, so to speak. so this has been something i have been able to reconnect with a little bit with my local environment. having the quiet in the city and feeling isolated by the pandemic, going out and realising that things are still happening, it is great. we are on a wild goose chase! david runs a live twitter page tracking bird sightings. he thinks the pandemic will lead to a wholesale increase in birdwatching. once people start birding and they find out how much fun it is, they stick with it. of course if they have to go back to work more, they'll be doing less of it but overall i think more birders are here to stay. birdwatching has been introducing new yorkers to an enthralling new world. they have learned that the city is an important stopover on the atlantic flyway, a strategic migratory route for birds. central park is a desired destination with more than 200 different species of birds visiting the park every year. i think a lot of people think that manhattan is simply buildings, glass, a few highways and the subways. but we have a long history of watching birds in this park. as an important migratory bird habitat, it is a significant place. a few months ago, the idea that legions of urban new yorkers would be taking up birdwatching would have been met with scepticism. but birdwatching has become a hot new pursuit in the city. one more example ofjust how much the pandemic is changing our lives. tom brook, bbc news, new york. well, that's about it from me. as always there is plenty more online on the bbc news website and the bbc news app. do head over there. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. i'm lewis vaughan—jones, and this is bbc news. hello. we're in for a cold weekend. there is some sunshine in the forecast but also more rain, sleet and snow. now, this time, the sleet and the snow should mostly fall across the hills. and at the moment, there's a battle between cold air coming in from the north and the milder air trying to spread in from the south. and this is also where we have a weather front, and that weather front will bring the rain, sleet and the snow on saturday. in fact, we've got a couple of weather fronts heading our way. this is just the first one which is moving across the uk as i speak. so, early in the morning, it's very mild in the south—west of the country, so certainly no snow here. the further north you go, the temperatures do dip away, so some sleet and snow across the welsh hills. and then north of that, early on saturday morning, with the clear skies across the far north of england and scotland, there's a sharp frost. so, that sharp frost and clear skies in the morning across scotland and the far north of england. to the south of that, the cloudier weather, outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow. to the south coast, i think, here, it is going to be far too mild for any wintry weather. temperatures, for example, in plymouth will be around 10 degrees. but as the day wears on, some of that rain may turn to sleet and maybe some wet snow across other cities of the south away from the southern counties. now, through the night, saturday night into sunday, the skies will clear. so, with that wet day, it is going to turn icy early in the morning on sunday, as temperatures dip away to freezing or below across many parts of the uk, and another very cold night there in scotland. now, i mentioned two weather fronts, one on saturday. this is the next one paying us a visit on sunday. now, remember, it's a very chilly morning on sunday, the weather front is coming in, it's sub—zero here, at least for a time, so some of this weather will be snowy. sleet and snow certainly across the welsh hills, but there is a possibility of some wintry weather spreading to other parts of the country as well, not in the north and the north—east. here, i think we're in for some sunshine. and it is going to be chilly wherever you are. but the chilly weather isn't going to last for very long, particularly in the south. i think by the time we get to monday, tuesday and wednesday, for example, in the south, temperatures will be back into double figures. bye— bye. this is bbc news, the headlines: the eu has backed down on a decision to use emergency brexit measures to control the movement of vaccines across the border in ireland after a backlash from leaders in london, dublin and belfast. but the bloc will force pharmaceutical companies to seek permission before supplying other countries with vaccines produced in europe. another vaccine's been shown to be effective against coronavirus. trials showjohnson &johnson's single—dose jab has an overall efficacy of 66 percent but the shot does not protect as well against a variant first detected in south africa. several thousand people have marched through cities across poland in a third night of protests against a near—total ban on abortion. riot police were again deployed in the capital warsaw where hundreds took to the streets despite coronavirus restrictions. home schooling is now a fact of life for most pupils