the european commission had attempted to block vaccine exports to northern ireland — which could have led to checks on the irish border — but reversed the decision. the commission made a mistake. they didn't consult us or ourfriends in dublin, and they united parties in northern ireland, from sinn fein on one side to the dup on the other, in condemnation. as the world health organisation calls for a global approach to the pandemic, we assess how the vaccine is being rolled out here in the uk and across the world. and champions exeter are back to winning ways in rugby union's premiership, but they're pushed close by worcester. good evening. the government says the european commission recognises it made a mistake threatening to impose controls on the export of coronavirus vaccines from the eu into northern ireland. it was a decision that could have seen checks on its border with the republic of ireland. the move — which was reversed late last night — came amidst a deepening row over vaccines supplies. the first minister of northern ireland accused brussels of an "incredible act of hostility". michael gove insists the uk will work with the eu to address issues — and that the uk's vaccine programme is still on track. our political correspondent nick eardley reports. vaccines are the great hope. a potential way out of the coronavirus crisis. in the uk ministers believe the roll—out is going well and this was the first vaccine in northern ireland last month, but in the eu there is concern about supply. brussels introduced controls on exports but that lead to a furious row over what could happen here at the irish border, the eu plan to use emergency powers from the brexit deal which would have imposed restrictions to ireland and northern ireland, and after widespread condemnation brussels dropped the plan last night. the condemnation brussels dropped the plan last night-— plan last night. the european union recounises plan last night. the european union recognises they _ plan last night. the european union recognises they made _ plan last night. the european union recognises they made a _ plan last night. the european union recognises they made a mistake - recognises they made a mistake yesterday, the commission made a mistake, they did not consult us or our friends mistake, they did not consult us or ourfriends in dublin and the united parties in northern ireland from sinn fein on one side to the dup on the other in condemnation. people in northern ireland were bewildered by this. in northern ireland were bewildered by this. , , . ., ., this. in the republic of ireland there was _ this. in the republic of ireland there was surprise, _ this. in the republic of ireland there was surprise, that - this. in the republic of ireland there was surprise, that its . this. in the republic of ireland - there was surprise, that its leaders were not involved in the initial decision. it were not involved in the initial decision. . ., , were not involved in the initial decision. . . , ., were not involved in the initial decision. . . , decision. it clearly was a mistake in that regard — decision. it clearly was a mistake in that regard and _ decision. it clearly was a mistake in that regard and what - decision. it clearly was a mistake in that regard and what is - decision. it clearly was a mistake i in that regard and what is important is that the channel of communications are open and they are constructive ones, they have taken on board what we said, and relatively quickly they pulled back. at westminster there was unity across the brexit divide, as politicians condemned brussels, but some are now arguing the government here should use its emergency powers to protect trade between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. we were told ireland and the rest of the uk. - were told under no circumstances could the european commission countenance this kind of act but yet 29 days into the protocol they are quite happy to evoke it when it is in their interests. i quite happy to evoke it when it is in their interests.— in their interests. i fear it has caused some _ in their interests. i fear it has caused some political- in their interests. i fear it has| caused some political damage in their interests. i fear it has - caused some political damage and given— caused some political damage and given the — caused some political damage and given the brexiteer for an opportunity to use it to their own advantage — opportunity to use it to their own advantage and that is very unfortunate given the fact that there — unfortunate given the fact that there is— unfortunate given the fact that there is a _ unfortunate given the fact that there is a lot of attention and effort — there is a lot of attention and effort and dedication put into protecting the all ireland economy. avoiding _ protecting the all ireland economy. avoiding a — protecting the all ireland economy. avoiding a hard border in ireland was one of the hardest tasks of the brexit negotiation and that is why some here are so frustrated that europe seems to be willing to use its emergency powers so quickly, and although it has now changed its mind, there are questions over what this will do to trust between brussels and london. and whether something similar could happen again. brussels is still introducing some controls, giving the member states powers to block exports, but after last night's argument, now a rethink. i after last night's argument, now a rethink. ., ~' after last night's argument, now a rethink. ., ~ ., , ., , rethink. i do think it was a big mistake and _ rethink. i do think it was a big mistake and out _ rethink. i do think it was a big mistake and out hope - rethink. i do think it was a big mistake and out hope that. rethink. i do think it was a big | mistake and out hope that the european union comes back with some measures, they must do everything that we can, everything we have in our power, to find a solution, and any kind of vaccine nationalism i think is simply wrong. aha, any kind of vaccine nationalism i think is simply wrong.— think is simply wrong. a ma'or post-brexit d think is simply wrong. a ma'or post-brexit crisis i think is simply wrong. a ma'or post-brexit crisis has i think is simply wrong. a ma'or post-brexit crisis has been h think is simply wrong. a major- post-brexit crisis has been avoided post—brexit crisis has been avoided but there are still big questions over the vaccine roll—out internationally and how vaccine diplomacy will work. nick is here. what will be the lasting impact of this row? domestically the uk government is still confident that although export controls are being brought in, it won't impact supply in the uk, and remember the uk gets some of the vaccines from pfizer's plant in belgium, for example, and beeline for ministers is are still confident that contracts will be fulfilled —— and be lying. they are still targeting vaccinating everyone in the banned most important categories by mid—february —— in the four most important. in europe there is frustration at the pace it is going and clearly european countries want to getjabs into arms as quickly as possible as well but there is concern about what happened last night. after all those mornings from both sides during the brexit process about maintaining an open border on ireland, that it got to this stage. the government he is trying to play down the impact, michael gove even talking about trying to help brussels with some of his own shortages today —— its own. the irish prime minister said he wants to play this down, as well, he thinks there is an open conversation which will avoid this happening in the future, but don't underestimate the future, but don't underestimate the frustration that some have that it got to be stage last night, the amazement really that some of those issues were not flagged up sooner. indeed. thanks forjoining us. andrew marr will interview the irish prime minister about this here on bbc one, tomorrow morning at 9am. as we've been hearing, governments across the world are grappling with how best to roll out vaccines with varying degrees of success. here in the uk, five out of six people who are over 80 have now had theirfirstjab. our health correspondent katharine da costa explains the approach the uk has taken to vaccine procurement and delivery. the uk vaccination programme's already well under way, with more than 300 million doses on orderfrom seven different companies. three have already been approved, but only the oxford astrazeneca and pfizer/biontech vaccines are in use. supplies of moderna are expected in the spring. this week, two other vaccines were also found to be highly effective at protecting people from falling seriously ill with covid. if they are approved by the uk regulator, novavax and janssen could be rolled out in the second half of this year. unlike the other vaccines, the janssen one only needs one shot, and because it can be stored in a fridge, it could have a significant impact on the global pandemic. the uk is also committed to help distribute more than a billion vaccines to developing countries this year. so, how is the vaccination campaign going? well, israel has taken an early lead, with 53 doses per 100 people. followed by the united arab emirates. the uk is on 12 per 100. the uk vaccine task force says it supports the clinical trials and securing deals early on has given it an advantage over its european neighbours with countries like spain, germany and france still lagging behind. one major concern scientists have is whether new variants could stop current vaccines from working as effectively. the good news is that novavax was found to be 86% effective against the uk variant, and both novavax and janssen were found to be around 60% effective against the south african version. scientists are still studying their impact on current vaccines. early evidence shows that they are still pretty efficient, but companies say, if changes are needed, they could be tweaked within weeks or months, and, like flu, we may need new vaccines each year. katharine da costa reporting there. now let's take a look at the latest government figures. there were 23,275 new coronavirus 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 25,519. the number of people in hospital is falling — with 34,783 currently in hospital. 1,200 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 1,177 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 105,571. there are also figures for the numbers of people vacinnated. 487,756 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 2a hour period. meaning nearly 8.4 million people in the uk have had theirfirstjab. west midlands police say two teenagers have been charged with the murder of 15 year old keon lincoln. keon died after suffering gunshot and stab wounds in handsworth in birmingham, on thursday last week. two boys aged 1a and 15 have been remanded in custody to appear before birmingham magistrates' court on monday. a man has been charged after a suspicious package was sent to a coronavirus vaccine production site in north wales. all staff had to be evacuated from the wockhardt site in wrexham on wednesday, and production halted, while the package was investigated. anthony collins, who's 53 and from chatham, has been remanded in custody to attend maidstone crown court next month. there's growing concern about the conflict in the central african republic, as rebel forces surround the capital, barnggee. former prime minister martaan zigulay described the situation as "apocalyptic", with fighting across the country. the un says rebel attacks are blocking humanitarian access, and more than 200,000 people have now fled their homes. a dinosaur footprint has been discovered by a four—year—old girl on a beach near barry in south wales. lily wilder made the discovery while on a walk with her father richard, on bendrick�*s bay. the footprint, which is 220 million years old, is 10cm long. it has been described as one of the best examples from anywhere in the uk. it's hoped it will help establish more about how early dinosaurs walked. lily's dad said she was just the right height to have spotted it. well, we were literallyjust walking along the beach, doing the usual thing, looking for shells and what have you. lily said, "daddy, look at this." and there it was, this amazing footprint, unbelievably realistic. we couldn't believe it was real. with all the sport now, here's lizzie greenwood—hughes at the bbc sport centre. thanks very much. good evening. we're starting with football and that means i need to warn you — match of the day and sportscene are coming up later, so if you don't want to know what happened yet — then avert your attention because the results are coming now. manchester city have extended their lead at the top of the premier league to three points after a narrow win over bottom side sheffield united. but the biggest surprise was newcastle's 2—0 victory at everton — a relief for manager steve bruce — whose side hadn't won for 12 games. callum wilson scored both their goals. in the other games, arsenal against manchester united was goalless. crystal palace beat wolves. southampton lost at home to aston villa. and the relegation clash between west brom and fulham ended in a draw. in scotland, st mirren won at celtic for the first time in 31 years. the result keeps celtic 23 points behind premiership leaders rangers who play in the week. there were also wins for hibs and stjohnstone. english premiership rugby union is back this weekend after an enforced break due to the pandemic. champions exeter overcame a gutsy worcester side 21—17 to move—up to second in the table. while gloucester stay bottom after a 31—26 defeat by northampton. nesta mcgregor has the details. exeter started the season with four straight victories, two defeats in a row was described as a rebel, steady hands were needed to prevent another loss, step forward jonny gray, barely visible beneath a pile of bodies, and two self seems to have both teams. worcester got stronger as the half went on, morris slicing through the defence, and they traded one more try each, exeter held on for the win, but still five points behind leaders bristol. at the other end of the table bottom side gloucester hosted northampton, the saints had been out of action for an extra fortnight, because of a covid outbreak at the club, and a gritty first half with both teams forced into early substitutions, after this nasty looking clash of heads. gloucester went into the break with the lead and then extended it, willi heinz touching down between the posts. but three tries in ten minutes or northampton take charge, roy hutchinson and then two from sean adam dorff, and they remain in mid—table, gloucester unwatchable for some, that is now three months without a victory. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. england's paul casey is leading golf�*s dubai desert classic going into the final day. an incredible third round — including six birdies and an eagle on the final hole — helped him move a shot clear at the top of the leaderboard, just ahead of the young scotsman robert macintyre. both players are hoping to do enough to earn a place on europe's ryder cup team in september. the seven—time australian open tennis champion serena williams has been practising in melbourne after being allowed out of quarantine. many of the players have had to stay indoors ahead of the grand slam which starts in just over a week's time. the tournament organisers confirmed today that up to 30,000 fans will be allowed—in to watch, around half the usual capacity. and you can find out on the bbc sport website how british freestyle skie izzy atkin won a silver medal at the x games despite crashing on herfinal run. but that's it from me — back to you, kate. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. that's all from me. goodnight. hello. this is bbc news with me martine croxall. the prime minister has published an open letter to parents, saying he is "in awe" of how they are coping. he also promises "hundreds of millions of pounds" will be spent on a national education catch—up programme after the pandemic. here's our education editor branwen jeffreys. it's tough for millions of parents right now, trying to help children learn at home. schools in england are mainly closed until march. today, borisjohnson said he couldn't thank parents enough. he said they are buying time for vaccination and that is saving lives. only a few children are still learning in school. parents and teachers are worried about lost learning. there is a promise in the letter of hundreds of millions of pounds for catch—up but it's going to be a big job. one of the schools i have responsibility for, fantastic place, serves a very deprived community, only 30% of those families have access to broadband in that area. only 30%. this is digital poverty in a really extreme way and it means that many children, despite the very best efforts of schools and teachers, still cannot connect with that learning. this warehouse is getting laptops to kids, more than 800,000 so far. but not every child will have somewhere quiet to work or parents able to give them lots of time. leading to fears that children could pay a heavy price in this pandemic. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. midwives are warning that confusion over coronavirus rules in maternity wards is upsetting families — and in some cases staff are being verbally abused. last month nhs england changed its guidance to say pregnant women should be able to choose someone to be with them at all stages of the maternityjourney. but an investigation by bbc news has found that isn't always possible. our health correspondent anna collinson reports. gemma, this is jacqui and jacqui, this is gemma. can i have a look at your bump? yep. aw! these two women both know what it is like to be pregnant in lockdown. gemma is due in two months. she's hardly left home since november and has gone to most appointments alone. the biggest feeling is probably anxiety at the minute. jacqui gave birth to evie last year and hopes her experiences will help gemma. throughout the pandemic, the priority has always been for a woman to have a partner, relative or friend present during labour and birth. but last month, nhs england updated its guidance to say a support person is an integral part of care and should also be able to attend scans, appointments, if the woman feels it is important, and antenatal and postnatal wards. we've spoken to more than 20 trusts and found services vary. take london as an example. one trust in the east of the city of support people on the postnatal and anti—nato ward but only at certain times. if you travel a few miles north to a second trust, they about visiting and overnight stays, in stark contrast to a third trust we spoke to which is currently suspended visiting because of safety concerns. midwives say stricter rules may be in place because of local infection rates and limited space on the wards. you might have four or six beds in a bay and so, you can imagine if you then have, on top of the six women in the bay, the six babies, you know, you've then got to think is it safe, is it possible for us to have all six partners there as well at the same time, and to be able to socially distance? we have been told by some trusts that families have been confused and in some cases it has led to staff being abused. what is your reaction to that. . , , being abused. what is your reaction tothat. ., , , , ., , to that. that is 'ust usually distressing _ to that. that is 'ust usually distressing to _ to that. that isjust usually distressing to hear. - to that. that isjust usually distressing to hear. these | to that. that isjust usually i distressing to hear. these are people who have worked there at the pandemic night and day trying to provide the highest quality maternity care in a really frightening situation. jacqui's husband tom had to leave shortly after she gave birth. it's what gemma is most worried about. if you're on your own, you miss out on that time as a family. yeah. and itjust, yeah, worries me how i'd cope with all of those emotions, as well, and not knowing what i'm doing with the baby. yeah, i completely understand. there's so much support for you, be it in the form of the midwives, the nhs staff, but also the other mums that are going to be there going through it with you. in terms of time missing it at the time as a family, as soon as i came home, he took the reins and he was like, "you go, have a shower, go to sleep, i'm fully rested, i've got this and i can take care of the baby." so he got some one—on—one time as well. so this is evie. i can't wait to have my baby and cut of it _ i can't wait to have my baby and cut of it i_ i can't wait to have my baby and cut of it. i suppose that was what i have _ of it. i suppose that was what i have to — of it. i suppose that was what i have to keep in mind with everything going _ have to keep in mind with everything going on— have to keep in mind with everything going on that at some point, we will be going on that at some point, we will he at _ going on that at some point, we will he at home — going on that at some point, we will be at home with the baby. —— my baby and cuddle _ be at home with the baby. —— my baby and cuddle it~ — do enjoy, like, the rest of your pregnancy but enjoy the birth as well, because, you know, when they get handed to you, it is literally the best feeling in the world. say bye—bye then. say bye—bye! bye! anna collinson, bbc news. when international visitors can eventually return to amsterdam, they may find one of the city's most famous tourist attractions off limits. amsterdam's mayor wants to ban foreign tourists from the dutch capital's cannabis cafes. but coffee shop owners say barring travellers will direct them into the hands of criminal gangs. anna holligan has more. amsterdam, famous for an array of things, including its thriving nightlife, red light district, cannabis cafes and bars, attracting 20 million tourists per year. the city is currently in lockdown. some of its 850,000 residents would prefer life after covid to resemble something closer to its current state rather than return to what it was. this time last year, it would be crowded already with drunk and stoned tourists, who are here solely to get lost, you know? the mayor, femke halsema, has a plan. she thinks cutting off the lifeblood of cannabis tourism will deter low—budget guests and reduce the anti—social behaviour regularly associated with them. they let go of all behavioural discipline and control, and they start misbehaving, littering, shouting, peeing, pooping, puking, whatever. the council has already tried other ways to reduce the pressure that comes with overtourism. airbnb—style holiday rentals were recently banned from the historic centre, and the future of the red light district is under discussion, with proposals to create a sex zone on the outskirts instead. coffee shops are the latest pleasure seeker�*s pursuit to be targeted. in the red light district, there's actually only eight coffee shops left, so on the one hand you could say how much do they really contribute to the disturbance in the streets? because in this same area in this zip code, for example, there are 500 places that serve alcohol. so, i think the mayor feels like something needs to be done. although i think refusing tourists from the coffee shops is not the right way to make the centre of the city more liveable for the locals. so, how do you stop dutch residents from simply becoming street dealers facilitating sales to tourists if they're banned from these cafes? no one from the council was available to answer that, but they did give us this response... cannabis is a big draw for this city, and some small business owners, like this fishmonger, are worried about the impact of the proposed ban. there's going to be a lot less money here, and definitely here, we're going to sell a lot less fish to people who are stoned, who are hungry. with police, prosecutors and many residents onside, foreign tourists are highly likely to be barred from amsterdam's cannabis cafes from next year. anna holligan, bbc news, amsterdam. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers are the author and journalist, yasmin alibhai—brown and the executive chairman of the communications group, cicero, iain anderson — that's coming up after the headlines. time for a look at the weather with nick. hello, it's been a chilly day, pretty much wherever you are, made worse by a brisk easterly wind for some of us. some sunny views from our weather watchers, albeit looking out onto snow—covered hills. a few wintry showers in scotland, another dose of heavy rain into parts of england and wales. that's why there are so many flood warnings in force at the moment. and notjust rain, some snow, particularly to the higher ground in wales. notjust here, though, as this area of wet weather pushed in. into the colder air we saw some of that sleet and snow all fizzling out now as we get into the night and where it has been wet today, as temperatures drop, it is going to be turning icy. this area of low pressure that brought the wet weather is pulling away. there is another one heading our way tomorrow so, for some of us, more rain, but it's sleet and snow on the hills, although, for many, sunday's looking dry, as we'll see in a moment. and it will be turning dry where it's been wet today across southern parts. but again, as temperatures drop, it'll be getting icy. icy, too, in the northern isles where there will be further wintry showers around. a few freezing fog patches in scotland, and with a widespread hard frost, one of the coldest nights of the winter so far, with some spots in scotland dipping down into minus double figures as sunday begins. a few more of those wintry showers in the far north of scotland. for many of us, a lovely, crisp, sunny start to the day, some cloud increasing, sun turning hazy and some thicker clouds and outbreaks of rain pushing back into south west england and wales. some sleet and snow to the higher ground here, turning damp and drizzly towards parts of south—east england later in the day as well. not quite as chilly in that breeze, which isn't quite as strong tomorrow as it's been today. and as we go on through sunday night and into monday morning, again, one or two wintry showers in scotland, not quite as cold here as it's going to be in the coming night. and for parts of england and wales, a damp night to come with patchy rain and, again, a little bit of sleet and snow to the hills, more especially in wales. to tends to fizzle out as we go on through monday morning, though, a good deal of cloud across southern parts on a cold—feeling, damp day. there will be some sunny spells the further north you are you may catch an isolated shower and easier monday temperatures. then we're looking into the atlantic. well, first sign of it here and the more vigorous weather system coming our way going into tuesday, more rain where it's not needed. a freshening wind, as it meets the colder air pushing north some disruptive snow around during tuesday, lingering in parts of scotland into wednesday, too. so for some of us it will be turning briefly milder and then colder again later in the week. that's your latest forecast, bye—bye. hello. the government calls for a reset in relations with the eu — following a row over the supply of vaccines and the now—abandoned attempt to override part of the brexit agreement. i think the european union recognise that they made a mistake in triggering article 16, which would have meant the re—imposition of a border on the island of ireland. the prime minister publishes an open letter to parents, saying he's "in awe" of the way they're coping with home schooling. confusion over coronavirus rules in maternity wards — midwives warn a lack of clarity means some staff are being abused. five men have been arrested following a �*disturbance' at a former military barracks in kent, being used to house hundreds of asylum seekers.