hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. downing street has given details of prime minister borisjohnson�*s strategy for easing the lockdown in england, ahead of his long—awaited announcement on monday. number ten says a key ambition will be to reunite families and last night, the government announced that, from next month, residents in care homes will be allowed indoor visits by a member of their family or a friend — and to hold hands. our health correspondent laura foster reports. when england went back into lockdown at the beginning ofjanuary, the doors to care homes were closed to visitors unless circumstances were exceptional. a way of protecting residents from the rising number of cases and the added threat of the new variant. but now nearly 17 million people have had their first covid jab, including 95% of people living in care homes in england. from the eighth of march, they will each get to choose one person who can visit them indoors. but there are some rules. it has to be the same visitor every time. they can hold hands but they cannot get too close to each other. the visitor must test negative before entering the home and they must wear ppe while inside. i think it is a step forward. it's something we need to proceed with caution, and ensure that we can make this happen safely for the people coming into our services. coming into our services to visit their loved ones, and also for the loved ones in our services and our staff. so there is details to be worked out, but definitely a step in the right direction. the government says it will provide the lateral flow tests and ppe, so it won't cost residents or visitors any money. but these changes are full england only. in scotland, visitors will still only be allowed indoors if it is essential, while in northern ireland and wales the advice varies between individual homes. more details of the prime minister's plant is lockdown restrictions in england will be announced monday. laura foster, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondentjessica parker, and we're starting to get a sense of what borisjohnson is likely to announce on monday? we have heard for quite some time the hope is to get schools back on march eight but overnight we have heard as laura was reporting a limited allowance for visits into care homes, coming off the back of the vast majority of care home residents having had the first dose of the vaccine. beyond that, what do we know? reports of a night, some papers saying up to two households could be allowed to mix outdoors by easter. no official confirmation but we understand that downing street is focused we are told on trying to look at ways to make sure families are reunited in a safe way. we know mixing outdoors is regarded as much safer than mixing indoors. not hugely surprising looking at this, we knew kind of part of the road map is looking at schools and then outspending outdoor recreation which could sort of fall into that category, then nonessential retail and then at some point hospitality. we will learn more on monday. fine we will learn more on monday. one su: aestion we will learn more on monday. one suggestion in _ we will learn more on monday. one suggestion in the guardian newspaper, professor chris whitty, one of the key scientific advisor to the government, is unhappy about march eight, all schools going back at the same time?— at the same time? reaction from downin: at the same time? reaction from downing street? _ at the same time? reaction from downing street? yes, _ at the same time? reaction from downing street? yes, from - at the same time? reaction from downing street? yes, from a - downing street? yes, from a department of health spokesman, saying story is categorically untrue and the reported disagreement is fantasy so is quite a strong push back. we had a number of teachers unions voicing concerns about the idea of all schools coming back all at once. you would have millions potentially of teachers, students all going back to school at one point on march eight. we will find out more details on monday in terms of exactly what the government thinks return to school would look like. but they have made clear over a number of weeks getting schools backis a number of weeks getting schools back is a huge priority, but of course concerns about children's loss learning, huge strain on parents and families around the country. it parents and families around the count . ., ., ~' parents and families around the count . ., ., ~ . ~ parents and families around the count . ., ., ~ ,., . ~ ., country. if we look back over the ear of country. if we look back over the year of the _ country. if we look back over the year of the pandemic, _ country. if we look back over the year of the pandemic, boris - country. if we look back over the . year of the pandemic, boris johnson year of the pandemic, borisjohnson has been accused of locking down to write, coming out too early, being a domestic. this time he wants to be cautious and when we come out of lockdown that to be irreversible. that is something they seem to be prioritising. it seems the last thing they want to do is lift a restriction only to then have to reimpose that, partly because it would be very disruptive, we have seen examples of that before. but also the damage it can do to public trust, to the government when they are saying we are going to lift these restrictions and then reimposing them, they want to avoid that at all costs. that is one of the reasons i think they are being incredible cautious, the political reason. they are always looking at the data, we are seeing case rates falling, helping the vaccine is having quite a dramatic effect not just on case rates but also on the transmissibility of the virus. i think caution will be the watchword. the prime minister has been accused of overpromising in the past and that will be part of that. russia's leading opposition figure alexei navalny has appeared in court has appeared in court in moscow — where his prison sentence was upheld, but shortened by six weeks. mr navalny�*s arrest — on returning to moscow injanuary after recovering from poisoning with a nerve agent — sparked mass protests across russia, and many thousands of people were arrested. our correspondent in moscow, steve rosenborg says the appeal court's decision to keep him in prison was not unexpected. i don't think there'll be any surprise, i mean, everything we've seen since mr navalny came back to russia mid—january has led to this point, really the fact that the russian authorities had put him on a wanted list, they've made it very clear that he wasn't welcome back in russia. but he had taken the decision that he had to return. he wanted to return to russia. he was arrested as soon as he landed in moscow. he was put injail. that was upheld. then the court decision sending him to prison. everything that has happened has reflected the determination of the authorities to crack down hard on alexei navalny who is seen as a threat, a threat to the system, despite the fact that for many years the russian authorities have denied that alexei navalny is a threat to to the kremlin. they continually point out he has minimal support across the country. but all the actions we've seen from the authorities suggest that they do believe that in the current circumstances with the economy in slow down, a difficult socioeconomic situation in russia, they do believe that mr navalny is a figure who can act as a trigger for protests across the country. he is, after all, the only opposition figure in russia who has proved himself capable of bringing pretty large crowds of protesters onto the streets across the country. president biden says he'll sign a major disaster declaration for texas as the full extent of the crisis caused by a severe freeze and a huge power failure becomes clear. it would pave the way for more us federal funds to be spent on relief efforts. the bbc�*s leboo diseko reports from dallas. after days battling to find power, texans are now struggling to 13 million people, around healthy state, are being told to boil what comes out of their taps, some resorting to heating snow to drink. but in any crisis there are helpers like alan who has brought hundreds of bottles of water for his local community. of bottles of water for his local community-— of bottles of water for his local communi . ,, , ,., ., community. super important, he reall is, community. super important, he really is. this _ community. super important, he really is, this takes _ community. super important, he really is, this takes the - community. super important, he really is, this takes the burden i community. super important, he| really is, this takes the burden off of me having to get out and drive around. i appreciate this, i of me having to get out and drive around. iappreciate this, i really do. it around. i appreciate this, i really do. ., , around. i appreciate this, i really do. , . around. i appreciate this, i really do. . , , ., , do. it has been a gruelling few days for allen who _ do. it has been a gruelling few days for allen who has _ do. it has been a gruelling few days for allen who has dealt _ do. it has been a gruelling few days for allen who has dealt with - do. it has been a gruelling few days for allen who has dealt with powerl for allen who has dealt with power outages and now has no food at home. i was very cold and every time i would get out of my car and go back in to have somewhere to lay down, i had to decide, do i want to be uncomfortable in my car in the warmth or go into a cold term and play in a comfortable bed? today, i am going to do this water and then after the water i am going to check and see what type of food people last and see what i can do to replace their food. this last and see what i can do to replace theirfood. this it last and see what i can do to replace their food. this it is clear allen is making a huge difference to his community, bringing supplies like water and even electricity generators. like water and even electricity generators— like water and even electricity generators. temperatures are ex - ected generators. temperatures are expected to — generators. temperatures are expected to triple _ generators. temperatures are expected to triple in _ generators. temperatures are expected to triple in the - generators. temperatures are i expected to triple in the coming days and that could bring new problems, melted ice coming through already damaged pipes could cause flooding. that could see pressure supply dwindle even further. officials say some areas in the state could completely run out in the coming days. residents are being asked to ration the little utilities they already have. several states in this country have been brought to their knees by the severe winter storms. is too early to definitively link this weather to global warming, but what is clear is that the us needs to be better prepared for a changing climate. leboo diseko, bbc news. lane luckie is a reporter for a local tv station in texas and has been updating the bbc on conditions in the state. iam in i am in tyler, texas, iam in tyler, texas, a i am in tyler, texas, a city of around 100,000 people and this type of weather event is very unusual for this part of the country. we have been below freezing for more than a week and right now we are around three below zero, celsius. tyler is about 150 kilometres to the east of dallas to give you some perspective. we have had a chance to kind of thought and we are looking forward to that over the next couple of days but the situation is just beginning. people without power across the state of texas, that situation is improving a little bit but right now is water, water is everything. so many people across the state of texas without basic essentials like something to drink or cook with. all eyes will be on borisjohnson on monday as he announces the first steps out of england's lockdown. businesses are hoping for more details of when they can begin to reopen. our business correspondent katy austin has been speaking to those in the hospitality trade about their hopes and needs for the future. right now takeaway and delivery are the only option for pubs like this one in berkshire, providing only a fraction of pre—pandemic trade. we have invested heavily in outdoor spaces. the boss is waiting with baited breath for monday's announcement. it has been very stressful, we are racking up costs all the time. we would like certainty, like a date. we need at least two weeks, really, for pubs to open correctly. i mean beer, for example, takes three weeks to brew. for many pubs, restaurants and cafes, being prepared for full dine—in service to resume depends on the supply chain being ready. the next link in that is wholesalers. bid foods' customers range from high street eateries to care homes. nearly half the staff here are furloughed, and after a stop—start year, the man in charge also wants to know what's next for hospitality. it's notjust a case of turning on a switch and providing the product. the customers have to plan what menus they want to offer. we then have to plan from our 40,000 customers how much stock we want. we then have to order that stock from the suppliers. long—life ambient foods, but also fresh produce, fresh meat, fresh fish. all of those things take a bit more time to get into the supply chain. some production has stopped, of large catering packs and speciality catering products. that brings us to mademoiselle desserts, whose cakes and puddings bid foods sells on. it's stopped making some things like round cakes, which are mostly eaten in coffee shops and restaurants. activity is only a 10—15% of pre—covid levels. there's only a certain amount of customers ordering at the moment. the manager here too says he cannot ramp things up again overnight. the ingredients is the thing that will delay us. most of them are uk. there are number of ingredients that we do get from abroad — you know, chocolate in particular, but some of those are a four—week lead time at the moment. and then cream cheese for us is three weeks, and that's a key ingredient for our business. a tumultuous year has squeezed cash flow hard, while multiple closures and restarts have led to food waste. these firms say the government needs to help them so that when dining out can happen again, the products customers want are on the menu. katy austin, bbc news. let's get more on this and speak to coral rose, chair of the federation of wholesale distributors — the trade association for food and drink wholesalers in the uk. we were hearing there, this is not just about the shops, public houses and restaurants, but the supply chain, getting that moving again. we will hearfrom borisjohnson chain, getting that moving again. we will hear from borisjohnson on monday about his road map. how much notice do you think you need to get things moving again? that notice do you think you need to get things moving again?— things moving again? at least two weeks was that _ things moving again? at least two weeks was that we _ things moving again? at least two weeks was that we need _ things moving again? at least two weeks was that we need to - things moving again? at least two i weeks was that we need to restock. we are through christmas and for reopening of schools are industry throwaway almost £12 million of stock. we need a clear road map of what is going to open and when to make sure we can get the right supply and right fresh produce to schools and care homes and other hospitality needs, to restock. 1anthem hospitality needs, to restock. when the prime minister _ hospitality needs, to restock. when the prime minister talk _ hospitality needs, to restock. when the prime minister talk about a road map, you need specific dates? i understand they cannot give clear days because he is talking about not just clear dates but also how often the rate of the virus is going to reduce. we know he cannot stick to that to reopen the economy too quickly. but we need to know what will happen and when to make sure we really understand what his criteria are and if we are in line with his criteria we can plan accordingly as well. ., ., , ., ., ., well. throughout the year or so of the pandemic— well. throughout the year or so of the pandemic we _ well. throughout the year or so of the pandemic we focused - well. throughout the year or so of the pandemic we focused a - well. throughout the year or so of the pandemic we focused a lot - well. throughout the year or so of the pandemic we focused a lot on | well. throughout the year or so of. the pandemic we focused a lot on the hardship of the pandemic on pubs, restaurant, shops, what has it been like for the wholesale distribution industry? it like for the wholesale distribution indust ? ., , , , like for the wholesale distribution indust ? , , ., industry? it has been very hard, runnina industry? it has been very hard, running at _ industry? it has been very hard, running at a _ industry? it has been very hard, running at a loss _ industry? it has been very hard, running at a loss for— industry? it has been very hard, running at a loss for the - industry? it has been very hard, running at a loss for the last - industry? it has been very hard, | running at a loss for the last few months. people losing several hundred thousand a month, eating into their reserves, taking loans out and operating at probably worse than 20% of the usual trade but still have all our overheads, several thousand pounds per month to keep a freezer open for example. no support, financial support from government at all. business rates relief, 4 million was given to retailers but we did not receive any. —— 4 billion. we are going to have hospitality customers asking for stock and extra credit, we have not got the cash to pay for that stock to supply to them. if we do not have the stock, customers cannot eat out. do not have the stock, customers cannot eat out. ,, ~ not have the stock, customers cannot eat out. i. ~ ., , , eat out. do you think in a sense we have seen — eat out. do you think in a sense we have seen the _ eat out. do you think in a sense we have seen the government - eat out. do you think in a sense we have seen the government forget l eat out. do you think in a sense we - have seen the government forget you? completely forgotten, we have not been given any support despite giving food to the vulnerable, they will rely on us again. they are taking us completely for granted. coral rose, thank you. ambulance delays over christmas led to "secondary covid victims", according to the royal college of emergency medicine. the royal college of emergency medicine says people died of unrelated conditions while waiting hours for help. dr faye kirkland, who is also a working gp, has this report: rose said it was her first time ever, while working late her children's father called to say... the family called 9995 times before an ambulance arrived, three hours after the first call. i an ambulance arrived, three hours after the first call.— after the first call. i was not exnecting — after the first call. i was not exnecting an _ after the first call. i was not expecting an ambulance - after the first call. i was notj expecting an ambulance can after the first call. i was not - expecting an ambulance can take after the first call. i was not _ expecting an ambulance can take such a long time having been sounded by children. forget about the person who is sick, the fact the children are in the house alone when their dad was unwell.— are in the house alone when their dad was unwell. robert, seen here celebrating — dad was unwell. robert, seen here celebrating four _ dad was unwell. robert, seen here celebrating four days _ dad was unwell. robert, seen here celebrating four days earlier - dad was unwell. robert, seen here celebrating four days earlier on - celebrating four days earlier on boxing day, died of a stroke before the ambulance arrived. such call—outs should take around 18 minutes. that week, the time it took four ambulances to hand over patients rose sharply with the spread of the kent variant meaning for some patients there was no ambulance free to respond to their cause. he ambulance free to respond to their cause. . , . cause. he was frightened and getting sicker and sicker _ cause. he was frightened and getting sicker and sicker by _ cause. he was frightened and getting sicker and sicker by the _ cause. he was frightened and getting sicker and sicker by the minute. - sicker and sicker by the minute. angela templeman waited for more than six hours for her partner's ambulance. by the time it arrived in existing surgical wound started to break them. you existing surgical wound started to break them-— existing surgical wound started to breakthem. ., ., ., ~ ., ., ., break them. you do not know what to do in that situation, _ break them. you do not know what to do in that situation, you _ break them. you do not know what to do in that situation, you have - break them. you do not know what to do in that situation, you have done i do in that situation, you have done everything you can, phone, called the gp, said you have to go to hospital and you are too sick to go in the car with me. so we had to sit and wait and it was just so frightening. and wait and it was 'ust so frighteningfi and wait and it was 'ust so frightening. and wait and it was 'ust so friuuhtenin. ., ,., , ., , frightening. nobody would listen. graham was _ frightening. nobody would listen. graham was taken _ frightening. nobody would listen. graham was taken to _ frightening. nobody would listen. graham was taken to intensive i frightening. nobody would listen. l graham was taken to intensive care with sepsis and is now recovering at home. bbc news has learned ambulance waiting times outside hospitals in some parts of england rose dramatically over the festive period. request show waiting times in london rose by 63% for the two weeks over the christmas period. and by 48% in the west midlands. it is by 4896 in the west midlands. it is clear covid is _ by 48% in the west midlands. it 3 clear covid is creating a whole bunch not only of covid victims but also secondary victims. the bunch not only of covid victims but also secondary victims.— also secondary victims. the body which handles _ also secondary victims. the body which handles emergency - also secondary victims. the body which handles emergency care i also secondary victims. the body - which handles emergency care doctors said it could have been avoided. i think it was preventable, if you run a system on fumes basically you are going to have problems. the idea patients call for help, been taken on an ambulance and the paramedic has said they need to go to hospital and they are unable to be helped, thatis and they are unable to be helped, that is ghastly. aha, and they are unable to be helped, that is ghastly-— and they are unable to be helped, that is ghastly. a statement said we work together _ that is ghastly. a statement said we work together to _ that is ghastly. a statement said we work together to free _ that is ghastly. a statement said we work together to free up _ that is ghastly. a statement said we work together to free up capacity i work together to free up capacity despite a significant increase in the number of patients with coronavirus. faye kirkland, bbc news. the duke and duchess of sussex will not return to their roles as working members of the royal family. the decision, which has been confirmed by buckingham palace, means that harry and meghan will handback their honourary military appointments and royal patronages. keith doyle reports. the royal split! the point of no return. that is what the duke and duchess of sussex have passed, with the headlines on both sides of the atlantic highlighting their final break from royal life. it was a year ago that harry and meghan formally stepped back as senior royals, saying they wanted to become financially independent. it was to be reviewed in 12 months. that review has clearly closed down any chance of them holding onto or returning to royal life. the statement from buckingham palace said: the couple, who have a new life in california, issued their own statement — some may see it as a rebuke. it said: carrying out royal work from sunny california was clearly not going to work out. organisations they were patrons of have already started to move on. friends of harry's say he will particularly feel the loss of the military titles he held. i know he'll be personally gutted, just as i was, that he was not allowed to put a military uniform on anymore. regardless, that doesn't change his commitment to the individuals who serve in it and those who require care beyond it. harry and meghan will keep their sussex titles and harry remains a prince. but the split with former duties was final. now, with a second child due, their focus will be on their lives in the united states. they're due to give an in—depth interview to oprah winfrey next month, a clear sign of the break from the constraints of royal life and the new life they have embraced. keith doyle, bbc news. the duke of edinburgh is expected to stay in hospital over the weekend and into next week for observation and rest. prince philip, who turns 100 injune, was admitted to king edward vii hospital on tuesday evening after feeling unwell and walked unaided into the medical centre. the duke is said to be "in good spirits". they're one of the most recognisable couples in the world but it seems the seven—year marriage of kim kardashian and kanye west is over. david willis reports from los angeles — his report contains some flashing images. it was a made—for—tv marriage, the rapper and the reality star. the union of two people uniquely gifted in the art of self—promotion. kim kardashian west! both destined to strike an improbable alliance with another star of reality television, although politics was, it's thought, just one source of disagreement. she a democrat... i love this guy right here! he, an increasingly vocal conservative, seen here sporting a "make america great again" hat in the oval office before going on to announce an ill—fated run for president. that led in july last year to a barrage of worrisome tweets, including one in which kanye west likened his mother—in—law to the north korean dictator kimjong—un, and even accused herfamily of trying to lock him up. it is being reported i that kim had been over the marriage for a long time, but she felt that last year- was not the right time to file for divorce, i because kanye, in her mind and in that of a lot - of the public, was struggling. both are said to be worth more than $1 billion — he through music and fashion lines, she as a tv star and entrepreneur. it is thought the couple has a prenuptial agreement which neither side plans to contest. neither side has commented on the divorce, but kim kardashian is expected to discuss it later this year, where else than on her own reality tv show? david willis, bbc news, los angeles. and in tennis, in the past half hour naomi osaka of japan has won the women's final at the australian open in melbourne, securing her fourth grand slam title. she defeated the americanjennifer brady in straight sets 6—4, 6—3. you're watching bbc news. here's a lstory to make you smile now. an 11—year—old boy has been finding ways to keep residents entertained at a care home in fife. before the lockdown, 0wen visited regularly. and despite not being able to go inside right now, he was still keen to stay in touch. this is his story... are you going to get a game of bingo with me? yeah. would you like to? we'll dae that some day. yeah. aye. hi, i'm owen and i'm11, and i like to visit my friends here at the care home. the residents speak often of owen. they say that they miss the board games, how much of a kind—hearted little boy she is and that somebody his age really brings life and spirit into the care home when he visits. always a laugh and joke with him. aye he was good, good company. he is just a kindly wee laddie. he's always been like that from when he was a wee tot. aye, and he is well liked. i'm interested in coming here to see the smiles on the old peoples faces. hi. i've missed them a lot. there is no indoor visits at present so owen has actually been coming outside the home and waving through the window to the residents. the other day i built a snowman and i was chucking snowballs at harry from the window. on christmas, i saved up my pocket money and i bought like necklaces and earrings and my gran self isolated them in a cupboard for 72 hours and they stuck their hand into a bag and pulled one out. and the men got aftershave. they liked it a lot. well, we were talking about how lonely they would be with not seeing their family and their friends or anything. so he said, can i buy every one of the residents presents? everybody got one, and it was brilliant. he put a lot of thought into it. ken, it wasn'tjust something off a shelf. that's lovely. i'd say the relationships are so important. you can see in old people that it brings them out of their shell. it's a great relationship to build up, and i'd encourage more young people to be involved with care homes if they can. i will have to be going now, son. aye! you've got a bigger hand than me. i'm just a wee crater. i'll see you again. goodbye, owen! bye. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz. hello. well, today, some of us are in for some sunshine and mild weather, but there's plenty of heavy rain in the forecast, too. it's been pouring across western parts of the uk during the night, southern parts of wales bearing the brunt of the heavy rain. and an amber warning from the met office here valid for the rest of the afternoon. by the end of the day, we will have seen 100, perhaps even 200 millimetres of rain in total across some areas there in the south of wales. on top of that, strong winds and more rain spreading northwards across the country. the best of the weather, east anglia and the southeast here. temperatures getting up to around 16 or 17 degrees. so here's that rain. finally, it clears from wales, butjogs a little towards the east. so london and norwich will get a few spots of rain, showers and strong winds continuing in western parts of scotland. a mild night and another mild day on the way tomorrow in the southeast east temperatures once again hitting the mid teens.