hello and welcome. 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 backdoor. 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 thousand of cancellations from vaccine shortages. some maybe wishing their own countries were looking after their own vaccine programmes. paul hawkins, bbc news. another vaccine developer, johnson &johnson, says its single—dose injection has proved to be 66% effective against covid—19. this comes just a day after nova—vax announced uk trials had shown its vaccine to be 89% effective. our medical editor fegus 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? the novavax jab uses proteins from the surface spike 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 doctor 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 robinhood, right? 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. ahmad 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 can't 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 afford is one meal a day for the kids, and sometimes even that is not possible. ahmad's house, 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 recent economic and financial collapse in the country, things have got even worse. frustrated by coronavirus and the nationwide lockdown, mohammad 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 the 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 dire living conditions, the difference this time is that with the economic meltdown, the anger might also be echoing elsewhere in the country. carine torbey, bbc news, tripoli. 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. this is bbc news. the headlines: the eu backs down from using emergency brexit measures to restrict the movement of vaccines — their plan sparked outrage in london and belfast. pharmaceutical firms to seek permission to export european—made jabs. 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. ms taneja is not alone. 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. china and hong kong have both announced that from the 31st of january, they will no longer recognise british national overseas passports. this will prevent hong kongers using them to pass through immigration, oras proof of identity. the move comes after the uk relaxed visa rules for bno passport holders in response to a sweeping national security law passed by beijing last year. our asia editor rebecca henschke reports. to leave or to stay and fight? like many protesters in hong kong, this is the decision a man we are calling h has had to make — and he has decided to go. translation: i had never thought - that i would become a refugee, but now it has happened. there is no other way. there are greater fears if i stay here and do not leave. we're concealing his identity, out of fears of a backlash from the authorities. h was born two years before britain handed back hong kong to china, so he has a british national overseas passport, a document that now opens a pathway to uk citizenship for him. he drives to the airport, through a city where, for over a year, he took part in increasingly violent protests, demanding more democracy and less chinese influence — a movement stopped by a sweeping national security law and the arrest of its young leaders. and h's motherfeared for her only child. translation: when can we reunite? i may not be able to see him for the rest of my life, but his safety is most important. others, like this man, h's friend, have decided to stay. translation: i want to persevere to the last moment. giving up on our home, where we were born and grew up, is not what we wanted. after making that decision, he took to the streets again. it was after the introduction of the national security law. he was swiftly detained for unauthorised assembly. police didn't press charges against him and, despite the risks, he wants to keep fighting. translation: even though we feel lost, we have to keep going. we can only see the light of hope if we persevere. having made the decision to go, h feels he may never be able to go back. his battle now is to try and build a new life in sheffield, a very different place. translation: looking at what's happening in hong kong, - especially i am now on the other side of the earth, i feel helpless. it is very difficult to have a concrete, long—term plan. it is inevitable to feel lost. china accuses the uk of meddling in its internal affairs and, in response, announced it will no longer recognise bno passports. under the scheme, up to 5.5 million hong kongers have the right to move to the uk. they, too, have to make an agonising choice — to stay or to go? rebecca henshke, bbc news. 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. there's 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'll look around. robert decandido, or �*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, nature is moving on, it's absolutely calming. 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. that birdwatching has become a hot new pursuit in the city is just one more example ofjust how much the pandemic is changing our lives. tom brook, bbc news, new york. a year ago who'd have imagined people would be spending so much time working from home and online? video conference calls have given us all an insight into other people's homes. for a company that sells books in somerset it has provided a very unexpected boost — and that's not from people wanting to read their books asjon kay explains. whoever you are, whatever you are saying, when you are working from home your shelves are being judged. what do your books say about you? this company in somerset normally sells second—hand books for tv and movie sets, but lockdown has brought new clients who want to impress on video calls. engineers, teachers, ceos, celebrities, all the way up to the major players in government. share any names with us? i cannot mention any names! they have had customers asking for classics, to appear well read, guidebooks, to look well travelled. some just want colours to match their walls. you can display your new—found love of green issues or subtly tell the boss that you are ready for promotion. but what does this new trend say about who we are and who we want to be? partly it's what you are passionate about and interested in and partly it's what you want people to believe you are passionate about and interested in. people's online background is an extension of walking into someone's living room and seeing books and what that confirms about what you know about them and perhaps how it goes against it. with entire social media accounts now analysing what people have on their book shelves, maybe this is the safest approach. jon kay, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones. 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. they are being punished for showing peaceful dissent. 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.

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