some parts of the country as storm darcy blows in. and a new lock down pastime which means you can exercise and stay away from crowds, night walking. and coming up on sportsday later in the hour and on bbc news, england are top in india, nine wickets required to win the first test, but have they left themselves enough time in chennai? this is good evening and welcome to bbc news at six. the government says the most immediate coronavirus threat facing the uk is still the variant first identified in kent rather than the new one from south africa, which they do not expect to become dominant in the next few months. health officials say the vaccine is being given widely at the moment which are effective against the kent variant, less so against the kent variant, less so against the south african strain, but the jabs are still expected to prevent serious illness or death. from today everyone over 70 in england who has not already had the jab should contact the nhs. meanwhile targeted surge testing is being stepped up to trace any new variants on the spot doorstep test, home testing and mobile testing units being deployed to eight areas of england or anyone aged 16 and over. these locations include several places in london such as parts of ealing, pollard hill and tottenham hale, outside london, surge testing taking place in walsall in the west midlands, in worcestershire, in broxbourne, and in a ward near saturn. various postcodes in south gloucestershire and bristol have also started mass testing programmes —— near sefton. fergus most reports. despite some worrying headlines about the south african variant, public enthusiasm for vaccination remains strong. this centre at elland road, home of leeds united football club, started mass immunisation today. joshua is 25, and has very severe asthma stop he has been shielding at home, and has only come out to have his jab. it only come out to have hisjab. it was being like locked up, in a way, like being kept in a cage, and having this is like getting the key to get out. having this is like getting the key to net out. ., �*, having this is like getting the key to net out. . �*, .,, having this is like getting the key to netout. . �*, , having this is like getting the key touetout. . �*, , to get out. margaret's has been has been in intensive _ to get out. margaret's has been has been in intensive care _ to get out. margaret's has been has been in intensive care with - to get out. margaret's has been has been in intensive care with covid . been in intensive care with covid for almost a month. —— margaret's husband. 1 for almost a month. -- margaret's husband. , , ., _, husband. i wish this had come earlier so _ husband. i wish this had come earlier so my _ husband. i wish this had come earlier so my husband - husband. i wish this had come earlier so my husband could . husband. i wish this had come i earlier so my husband could have husband. i wish this had come - earlier so my husband could have had it. , ., ., , ~ it. visiting a covid testing kit su lier it. visiting a covid testing kit suwlier in — it. visiting a covid testing kit supplier in derby, _ it. visiting a covid testing kit supplier in derby, the - it. visiting a covid testing kit supplier in derby, the prime| supplier in derby, the prime minister said vaccines are the way out of the pandemic for all of us. we are very confident in all of the vaccines that we are using. i think it is important for people to bear in mind that all of them, we think, are effective in delivering a high degree of protection against serious illness and death. fix, degree of protection against serious illness and death.— illness and death. a small trial in south africa _ illness and death. a small trial in south africa appeared _ illness and death. a small trial in south africa appeared to - illness and death. a small trial in south africa appeared to show. illness and death. a small trial in | south africa appeared to show the oxford astrazeneca vaccine offers 0xford astrazeneca vaccine offers little protection against mild to moderate infection from the variant there. that has rung some alarm bells, but scientists here believe the jab should prevent people from needing hospital treatment if they get the south african variant. the variant was first detected in england just before christmas. surge testing is taking place in several places, like worcester, where cases have been found with no links to international travel. the deputy chief medical officer says there is no evidence the south african variant is displacing the dominant strain here, against which vaccines work well. my strain here, against which vaccines work well. y , , , work well. my first view is very sim - le. work well. my first view is very simple- do _ work well. my first view is very simple. do not— work well. my first view is very simple. do not delay _ work well. my first view is very simple. do not delay or- work well. my first view is very simple. do not delay or stop . work well. my first view is very i simple. do not delay or stop have the vaccine that would protect you against the current threat and don't worry, you can be re—vaccinated. the worry, you can be re-vaccinated. the government — worry, you can be re—vaccinated. the government says anyone over 70 who has not yet been called for a vaccine should get in touch with the nhs. the country looks well on track to have given around 15 million people in the highest at risk groups their firstjab people in the highest at risk groups theirfirstjab by people in the highest at risk groups their firstjab by the people in the highest at risk groups theirfirstjab by the middle of people in the highest at risk groups their firstjab by the middle of the month. fergus most, bbc news. the next phase of the pandemic could increasingly become a game of catch up increasingly become a game of catch up between you variance and the vaccines to tackle them. david shulkin has more. around the world, there is now a race between the virus in the vaccines, between the threat of you variance, and efforts to stay ahead of them, and the outcome matters to us all. whilst a first wave of countries including the uk should see the majority of their population is vaccinated this year, others won't reach that stage until next year, and many will have to wait for the year after or even longer. to wait for the year after or even loner. , , ., to wait for the year after or even loner. , ,., ., to wait for the year after or even loner. , ,., , longer. this is a global virus, rlobal longer. this is a global virus, global pandemic _ longer. this is a global virus, global pandemic and - longer. this is a global virus, global pandemic and until- longer. this is a global virus, global pandemic and until we longer. this is a global virus, - global pandemic and until we are all protected then it could be that a variant in another country mutates, so that the current vaccines are no longer effective, and that will come back so even those people who are vaccinated, they are still going to be at risk with these future variance. be at risk with these future variance-— be at risk with these future variance. , , . ., ., variance. the virus is changing over time, and variance. the virus is changing over time. and when _ variance. the virus is changing over time, and when it _ variance. the virus is changing over time, and when it human _ variance. the virus is changing over time, and when it human cells, - variance. the virus is changing over time, and when it human cells, it i time, and when it human cells, it takes over and gets them to make millions of copies, but they will not all be the same. each batch may have some random genetic mistakes. mutations that are usually unimportant, but some might prove dangerous. the first task is to track these changes, and that is done by studying the genetic code of the virus. since december 2019, when it was first confirmed in wuhan, scientists have monitored what effectively is a family tree, with hundreds of different branches. each of these lines represents one of many different variants that has emerged over the course of the past year. it is only by doing this genetic research, that we can spot the variants that are worrying, in the variants that are worrying, in the uk, braziland the variants that are worrying, in the uk, brazil and south africa. half a million british coronavirus samples are going through genetic screening so far. these machines are among those that have done most of the analysis. but, few countries can work on this almost industrial scale, so there is a lot we don't know about how the virus is changing worldwide. ., ., ,., , worldwide. there are thousands, millions are _ worldwide. there are thousands, millions are places _ worldwide. there are thousands, millions are places globally - worldwide. there are thousands, millions are places globally that l millions are places globally that there are undoubtedly other variants of covid that are spreading quickly but which we are blind to, and any one of those additional strains around the world could confer an advantage for the virus, allow it to re—infect people, even though they have been vaccinated, and that is what we want to protect against. {line what we want to protect against. one answer is to — what we want to protect against. one answer is to have _ what we want to protect against. one answer is to have a global screening operations. in west africa five years ago, mobile labs studied the ebola virus, and something far larger is needed now, and along side that, the faster the vaccines can be rolled out and adapted, as new variants emerge, the safer we will all be. david shulkin, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 111,104 new coronavirus infections it in the latest 24—hour period. that means an average of 17700 and four new cases in the last week. across the uk 29,326 people are in hospital with coronavirus. another 333 deaths were reported, people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. 0n people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. on average in the past week, 891 deaths were announced every day. the total number of uk deaths is now 112,798. the latest on the vaccination programme is that 278,988 people have had one of the approved vaccine first doses, taking the overall number people who have had their firstjab number people who have had their first jab to number people who have had their firstjab to 12,294,006. fergus most joins me now. good news again today about the number of vaccinations and about the number of vaccinations and a change in advice for the over 70s. the roll—out of the vaccine has been a huge success. public support for the covid vaccine is immense. when i have spoken to people who have just had theirjab there is a genuine sense of relief and enthusiasm, that they are starting to get protection although it takes several weeks for that to build. that is reflected in take—up figures which far exceed anything the government thought was possible. 91% of the over 80s have had their first dose, 95% of those aged 70—79. reassuring also on the south african variant. no evidence that it south african variant. no evidence thatitis south african variant. no evidence that it is going to displace the current dominant strain, the kent variant. it is very important that the pfizer and astrazeneca vaccines work well against the current dominant strain. and this new advice now to the early 70s, if you haven't already been called up for your appointment, get in touch either online or by calling 119, and get the jab. online or by calling 119, and get the 'ab. , . ~' , ., the jab. fergus, thank you. the prime minister _ the jab. fergus, thank you. the prime minister says _ the jab. fergus, thank you. the prime minister says tackling - the jab. fergus, thank you. the| prime minister says tackling the loss of children's learning is the single biggest priority for the government, with a long—term plan due to be outlined later this this month. how can children catch up after all of the school they have missed over the past year? are education editor has been speaking to sir kevin connors, who has been advising the prime minister on a recovery plan. at home in leicester, nadhim is trying not to fall beind. gcses are looming next year. research today shows pupils in years ten and 11 have lost most confidence. nadhim has tutoring, paid for by government catch up funds. i am a bit worried, to be honest. because of lockdown and especially because i think that that just reduces my education, a bit, but because of tuition, that boosts my confidence up, that i might do, i will do good, if i carry on with this tuition. his dad says the short—term help is welcome, as far as it goes. it's very important, because if you are not confident, especially now, in an exam, in gcse, _ that will affect his morale. to help them catch up, nothing is yet ruled out. longer days, shorter summer holidays. the prime minister has a new education catch up adviser. when he spoke to me, exclusively, he said decisions were needed soon. this is the time to listen, but to act quite quickly around things like summer and summer schools, for example, which i do think have promise. children's mental health has been one of the big concerns. do you think they are going to be able to step up and do extra hours of learning? i think we need to think about the extra hours, not only for learning, but, for children to be together, to play, to engage in competitive sport. for music, for drama. so far, the catch—up efforts have focused on this year and next. but the effects of this pandemic could flow through schools for many years to come, from the youngest children who have missed out on development, to those who've lost confidence and interest in learning, leading some to call for a much bigger, bolder vision, covering the next 5—10 years. asking teachers to work more hours would not be popular, and would face union pushback. schools want a say in deciding what works. to have that added on, to have any extra is being forced onto the school, rather than us choosing what we want, and the things we think would help our particular cohort, would not be helpful, and actually, being able to give students a sort of suite of activities and a suite of different ideas that they could do. teachers have got used to live—streaming lessons, but it's when everyone's back in the classroom that the real journey to catch up can begin. branwen jefferies, bbc news. the online retailer, boohoo, has promised to turn burton, dorothy perkins and wallis into brands "fit for the current market environment" after buying them in a £25 million deal. the shops had been part of sir philip green's arcadia group, which collapsed last year. the deal includes the brands and online businesses, but not the 214 shops — nor the almost 2,500 workers employed in them. it's an inquiry that ultimately could threaten the position of the most powerful person in scottish politics, first minister nicola sturgeon. it's examining the scottish government's handling of allegations of harassment against the former first minister alex salmond and has laid bare divisions between the former party leader and his protege. alex salmond has accused nicola sturgeon of misleading the scottish parliament and now has refused to give evidence to the inquiry. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith reports. alex salmond was jubilant two years ago when he proved in court the procedure used to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against him was unlawful. a holyrood committee is investigating how the scottish government got it so wrong. as salmond wants to tell his side of the story, but will not appear before the committee if they will not publish evidence he submitted to them. nicola sturgeon says she is looking forward to her turn to give evidence. in looking forward to her turn to give evidence. ., ., ., ., , evidence. in addition to answering ruestions evidence. in addition to answering questions i _ evidence. in addition to answering questions i will _ evidence. in addition to answering questions i will get _ evidence. in addition to answering questions i will get the _ evidence. in addition to answering| questions i will get the opportunity to take head—on some of the ridiculous suggestions that have been made about this whole situation. , been made about this whole situation-— been made about this whole situation. , , ., been made about this whole situation. , , situation. this has become a bitter battle between _ situation. this has become a bitter battle between alex _ situation. this has become a bitter battle between alex salmond - situation. this has become a bitter battle between alex salmond and | situation. this has become a bitter. battle between alex salmond and his successor, nicola sturgeon. he accuses her of misleading parliament and reaching the ministerial code, both of which would be resigning offences. she denies all of that, saying it is a conspiracy of nonsense. it could be damaging, just three months away from crucial scottish elections. today, the snp chief executive, who is also nicola sturgeon's has been, appeared in front of the virtual committee for the second time. the front of the virtual committee for the second time.— front of the virtual committee for the second time. the whole truth and nothin: but the second time. the whole truth and nothing but the _ the second time. the whole truth and nothing but the truth. _ the second time. the whole truth and nothing but the truth. he _ the second time. the whole truth and nothing but the truth. he was - nothing but the truth. he was accused of — nothing but the truth. he was accused of lying _ nothing but the truth. he was accused of lying under - nothing but the truth. he was accused of lying under oath. i nothing but the truth. he was i accused of lying under oath. you have made _ accused of lying under oath. you have made an _ accused of lying under oath. you have made an untrue statement to the committee. _ have made an untrue statement to the committee, it is self evident. | committee, it is self evident. don't think committee, it is self evident. i don't think so. opposition don't think so. 0pposition politicians now demand he is investigated for perjury. about a meeting that was between alex salmond and nicola sturgeon in their marital home three years ago. you are clear that _ marital home three years ago. 7m, are clear that what was being discussed at that meeting was a scottish government matter, is that still your position? mr; scottish government matter, is that still your position?— still your position? my evidence was reflectin: still your position? my evidence was reflecting my _ still your position? my evidence was reflecting my impression, _ still your position? my evidence was reflecting my impression, but- still your position? my evidence was reflecting my impression, but it - still your position? my evidence was reflecting my impression, but it is i reflecting my impression, but it is not for— reflecting my impression, but it is not for me — reflecting my impression, but it is not for me to speculate the basis of the nature — not for me to speculate the basis of the nature of the meeting. his wife, nicola sturgeon, _ the nature of the meeting. his wife, nicola sturgeon, is _ the nature of the meeting. his wife, nicola sturgeon, is due _ the nature of the meeting. his wife, nicola sturgeon, is due to _ the nature of the meeting. his wife, nicola sturgeon, is due to appear i nicola sturgeon, is due to appear before the committee next week, and alex salmond can yet give evidence if the committee can agree the terms. our top story this evening... while testing continues for new variants, the government says they are unlikely to become dominant variants. are unlikely to become dominant variants. and still to come — england set india a record target coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news... against the odds, the australian open is underway, but the former champion, angelique, says covid quarantine contributed to her first—round defeat. champion angelique kerber says covid quarantine contributed to her first—round defeat. storm darcy has brought severe weather to much of the uk, with heavy snow and ice across parts of the east. it's the coldest snap since the beast of the east hit in 2018. schools and vaccination centres have been forced to close in some areas, with the police warning people not to travel. 0ur correspondent helena wilkinson reports. kent has had some of the heaviest snowfall, up to 16 centimetres in some areas. this scene has been repeated across much of eastern england, which has been left under a blanket of snow. the weather has made driving conditions difficult and left some roads are dangerous to travel on. we and left some roads are dangerous to travel on. ~ , ., travel on. we will be out gritting da and travel on. we will be out gritting day and night — travel on. we will be out gritting day and night again _ travel on. we will be out gritting day and night again throughout i travel on. we will be out gritting i day and night again throughout the week. the biggest challenge has been the likes of drifting due to storm darcy, and we had some strong, blustery winds, which has caused drifting in certain exposed areas and that has caused a lot of problems on the roads. in chartham in canterbury _ problems on the roads. in chartham in canterbury local _ problems on the roads. in chartham in canterbury local workers - problems on the roads. in chartham in canterbury local workers helped l in canterbury local workers helped to keep village life ticking along. we are working at the moment, so there are things inside that need to be done, but this takes priority, getting everybody in and out. we don't want anyone snowed in, so why not help at the community? the weather forced _ not help at the community? the weather forced some vaccination centres to close, including several in suffolk and essex, as well as surrey and norfolk. hat in suffolk and essex, as well as surrey and norfolk. not possible then? no chance. _ surrey and norfolk. not possible then? no chance. that's - surrey and norfolk. not possible i then? no chance. that's ridiculous. in the town of pulborough in suffolk, four foot snow drifts left roads blocked. this suffolk, four foot snow drifts left roads blocked.— roads blocked. this is what nhs staff do to _ roads blocked. this is what nhs staff do to get _ roads blocked. this is what nhs staff do to get to _ roads blocked. this is what nhs staff do to get to work. - roads blocked. this is what nhs staff do to get to work. the - roads blocked. this is what nhs staff do to get to work. the aa| roads blocked. this is what nhs - staff do to get to work. the m says treacherous — staff do to get to work. the m says treacherous driving _ staff do to get to work. the m says treacherous driving conditions - staff do to get to work. the m says treacherous driving conditions have| treacherous driving conditions have caused numerous accidents. a number of met office warnings will remain in place until wednesday. forecasters are warning of more heavy snowfall and extremely cold weather to come. the snow is continuing to fall here tonight in southend—on—sea and essex. it has been on and off all day. what has been on and off all day. what has been consistent is the bitterly cold temperatures, and they continue to feel very cold indeed. temperatures overnight in some parts of england are expected to reach —10 celsius, and there is also expected to be between 10—15 centimetres of snowfall. the next few nights are expected to be the coldest of the winter yet. the use of ten million medical gowns by frontline nhs staff and bought by the uk government has been suspended because of the way they were packaged. sterile surgical gowns were bought from a us firm for 70 million pounds last year but safety concerns were raised because they weren't double wrapped. lucy manning has the story remember an american jewelry company whose owner won lucrative contracts to supply ppe to the uk, michael saiger was able to pay a go—between, spanish businessmen gabriel anderson, £21 million to help. it caused a storm when the bbc revealed it in november. does the prime minister think that £21 million to a middle man was an acceptable use of taxpayers' money? saiger went on to win a further £70 million contract to supply gowns. now, we can reveal few of those gowns actually made it into hospitals. in a legal document, the government admitted that the use of the gowns in hospitals had been suspended. hospital infection experts believe the gowns should be double wrapped, to make sure they were sterile, but these gowns only came with a single layer of packaging. another big contract for ppe that couldn't be used as intended. the lessons are, government, when spending £12.5 billion on ppe, really itself needs to know what it is buying. it should be buying from those who are experienced. it needs to be keeping a careful check on the prices it is paying. there was no actual requirement in specifications or contract for the gowns to be double wrapped, but obviously experts didn't think they would be safe enough in the most infectious parts of hospitals. saiger said... remember pestfix, the small firm officials admitted last year had mistakenly got onto the fast track vip scheme for government co ntra cts ? they supplied some of the most vital kit, the highest grade masks, ffp3s, and unlike masks currently used in the most infectious areas, the bbc can reveal 73 million of the pestfix masks couldn't be used as intended, because they failed testing. they had ear loops, which the government says now shouldn't be used. pestfix then submitted a small number of prototypes as potential alternatives. internal documents from the safety watchdog seen by the bbc say head straps on several samples snapped, and nosebands fell off on nearly all samples from the first batch. pestfix said... the department of health said it had worked tirelessly to deliver ppe to protect health and social care staff on the front line, with over 7.6 billion items delivered so far. there was a scramble for ppe. but, in its rush to get it, did the government take enough care over the way it spent taxpayers' money? lucy manning, bbc news. and you can hear more on this story on file on four on bbc radio 4 at 8 o'clock tomorrow night. let's take a brief look at some of today's other news the uk's terror threat level has been reduced from severe to substantial, meaning that a terrorist attack is still likely. the home secretary priti patel told mps that there'd been a significant reduction in the momentum of attacks in europe, but the public should remain vigilant. tesla, the electric car company founded by elon musk, says it has bought more than a billion pounds' worth of the cryptocurrency bitcoin. tesla says it expects to start accepting payments in bitcoin soon. the price of a single bitcoin jumped to a record high, about £32,000, when the news was announced. at a pre—inquest hearing today, a coroner said he fears further delays to the inquest into the death of molly russell may put other social media users at risk. in 2017 the 14—year—old took her own life and after she died her family found graphic images of self harm in her social media accounts. her inquest aims to look at whether algorithms — used by social media giants to keep users hooked — may have contributed to her death. the bbc has announced that the annual licence fee will rise by £1.50 to £159 a year. the rise will come into effect on april 1st. cricket now — england and india are heading for a thrilling final day's play in the first test in chennai. india will need to break a world record to win — 420 runs in theirfinal innings. joe wilson reports. let's start monday in slow motion. firstly, of this catch. a ben stokes special. and it ended in the's first innings. england, 241 ahead, batting again, to extend their lead. well, not yet. rory burns, gone, first ball. india's captain, right into it. well, england's leader was soon involved. what a shot! that's big. yeah, that'sjoe root, all right. in full 2021 mode. 0thers fell. dan lawrence, lbw. and the 300th test wicket of ishant sharma's career. one of india's very best bowlers. joe root, meanwhile... that is brilliant. bowled for more to the lead. stand by for a shock. root, out for 40, almost as if he was mortal. but england were still in command. there was a bit ofjos buttler, but time was ticking. now, captain, how many do you need? how safe do you feel? how soon is now? no declarations. it only ended when england were all out. ravichandran ashwin taking his sixth wicket. satisfaction for india, and now they needed 420, to win. england's task, to take ten wickets. there is one. cleans them up! jack leach struck before sunset, and the close of play left the test perfectly poised. all options are possible tomorrow. joe wilson, bbc news. 0ne consequence of lockdown has been that neighbourhoods that were once almost deserted after dark have come to life. the night walk, in which people can get a breath of fresh air and avoid crowds, has become a ritualfor millions. the advice is to stay close to home, wear something bright and of course, keep your distance. david sillito hasjoined some of the keen walkers who have been reclaiming the night. see you later. it has, for many of us, become a lockdown ritual, as darkness descends, instead of settling down, it's the moment to head out. short winter days often mean the only time we can escape to exercise is after dark. caroline, i'm guessing. hello. caroline whiteman is a passionate nightwalker. my hearing becomes more sensitive. my sense of smell is more acute. and you can really appreciate the air on yourface. in a way that, during daylight hours, these things go unnoticed. the short winter days and lockdown, walking and running in the dark has, for many of us, become a daily ritual. when things do eventually return to normal, maybe you will remember all of this as just a fleeting phenomenon, but it is already starting to make people think. so, it is much busier in the streets than normal. it certainly is. i joined a professor whose specialism is how life is changing in towns and cities. do you think there will be a positive benefit? i think it will change people's perceptions of safety in their own city. they will realise that perhaps it is not as unsafe as they had to thought. here, we have somebody else with a light that is coming along. we are not alone. this is proof that we are not alone. thoughts also shared by caroline, who feels that this is a freedom we should consider more. does this fly in the face of advice, especially for women, about not going out walking at night? i agree, and i would challenge that, and say that everybody should be entitled to have this experience of having an adventure by night and that shouldn'tjust be the preserve of men. we have been conditioned, as women, to believe we have no place out in the night, and yet, when you can create a place of safety for yourself whilst night walking, it builds confidence. it is different, neighbourhood to neighbourhood, but for some of us, lockdown has made the dark a little less forbidding. david sillitoe, bbc news, sleaford. time for a look at the weather here's tomasz schafernaker. it is very cold and getting colder. yes, you are absolutely right and the cold is here to stay, quite possibly for quite a while. that's a beer wind—chill is going to continue and those easterly winds and further snow showers and heart overnight frost. you can see where the weather is coming from, it is coming from the east, the snow showers blowing across the north sea, affecting parts of the country. 0ut towards the west there is some clear weather, but the snow streamers, these lines, continue overnight with some areas getting snow and other areas a few floats of snow carried in on the breeze. when the winds are strong the temperatures do not drop away so much during the night. but here is the forecast for tomorrow, further snow showers. but a little at atlantic front sneaks into the cold air, bringing sleet and snow to parts of cornwall, may be the channel islands. there could even be a blizzard there with strong winds, believe it or not. the gusts of wind tomorrow generally 30—40 miles an hour. with temperatures around zero during the course of the day it will feel more like minus six degrees, the equivalent temperature of how fast you lose heat on bare skin on your hands and face. the forecast for wednesday and again snow showers continue, but lots of clear, crisp weather. temperatures might nudge up briefly to 2 degrees for an hour or so, but generally speaking it will be around freezing or below. this is the atmosphere on wednesday and the jet stream is displaced way to the south. it should be somewhere around here, it is about 1000 miles further south, deflecting the mild air into the mediterranean, so the cold air is to the north of us and it looks like that beastly air stream will continue from scandinavia and parts of eastern europe into the uk. mild air is trying to sneak in towards the end of the week