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. the way of protecting residents from a 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 to visit their loved ones, and also for the loved ones in our services and our staff. so there's detail 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. more details of the prime minister's plant is lockdown restrictions plan to ease lockdown restrictions in england will be announced on monday. let's speak to our political correspondentjessica parker. as correspondent jessica parker. we as correspondentjessica parker. we heard, we havet monday, as we heard, we have to wait till monday, but newspapers speculating about those details even though we have to wait a couple more days. what is the latest downing street as saying? what is the latest downing street as sa in: ? ., , what is the latest downing street as sa inc? . , ., saying? there have been weeks of speculation _ saying? there have been weeks of speculation leading _ saying? there have been weeks of speculation leading up _ saying? there have been weeks of speculation leading up to - saying? there have been weeks of speculation leading up to this - speculation leading up to this long—awaited road map. just in terms of what might happen beyond march the 8th, at the moment, we hope that schools can reopen, and we will have more details on monday about how that will work, now limited care home visits. beyond that, we are hearing that the government's priority is to allow families to reunite more, to allow more social contact, but it will be outdoors, the focus. why? people will be pretty familiar with the reason now, because the virus is less likely to spread outdoors. one thing you might have seen reported is this idea of two households being able to mix out those in parks and gardens by easter. i understand that idea is on the table. it's an option. there is no exact timeline for it at the moment, but they are certainly looking at that idea is a possibility. there is a meeting tomorrow of the senior ministers and key advisers concerning covid, and the plans will be signed off tomorrow, and the prime minister will lay them out on monday. fin tomorrow, and the prime minister will lay them out on monday. on the idea of schools _ will lay them out on monday. on the idea of schools reopening _ will lay them out on monday. on the idea of schools reopening in - will lay them out on monday. on the idea of schools reopening in march l idea of schools reopening in march the 8th, according to one paper, the guardian, they are saying that professor chris whitty, one of the government's key scientific advisors, is very unhappy about that. what is the reaction to that very strong pushback, some sources even labelling it as a fantasy, denying that report is true. what even labelling it as a fantasy, denying that report is true. what we heard yesterday. — denying that report is true. what we heard yesterday, of _ denying that report is true. what we heard yesterday, of course, - denying that report is true. what we heard yesterday, of course, is - denying that report is true. what we heard yesterday, of course, is from | heard yesterday, of course, is from a number of teachers' unions, who are concerned about the idea of a full return. we don't have all the details yet, but a full return of schools in march the 8th, talking about millions of children and staff all potentially back at school, and voicing concerns about that, labelling the plans as potentially reckless. as i say, we haven't had exact details yet. the impression i get is that it is certainly the hope to try and get as many children back as back as quickly as possible, because they have been huge concerns about the damage to children's education and the great strain on parents and families who are also trying tojuggle work parents and families who are also trying to juggle work at the same time. thank you very much. liz wynn is the manager of southminster residential home and joins us from there now. thank you so much for being with us. as we sat there, we gather that residents of care homes are going to be able to be seen by their loved ones from the beginning of march. how important is that, do you think? i think it is incredibly important, and obviously, for here, they have been seeing their relatives via window visits and prior to the second variant, they were having garden visits. and pod visits. that was up to probably a couple of months ago, when this new variant hit us again. so we have tried to make sure they do see their relatives, to keep them happy and content. but relatives, to keep them happy and content. �* ., ., , . ., content. but the idea of this change would be that _ content. but the idea of this change would be that they _ content. but the idea of this change would be that they are _ content. but the idea of this change would be that they are actually - would be that they are actually allowed to hold hands? yes. we already have _ allowed to hold hands? yes. we already have a _ allowed to hold hands? yes. we already have a commencementl allowed to hold hands? yes. we - already have a commencement policy for internal visits, and obviously, that will be a nominated visitor, and we have all the process ready to allow this to happen, by ensuring that lateral tests are done, full ppe is worn, and hopefully, visitors will be monitored as well, say, for 45 minutes, and it would have to be that nominated person all the time that nominated person all the time thatis that nominated person all the time that is visiting. find that nominated person all the time that is visiting.— that is visiting. and how much of a difference you _ that is visiting. and how much of a difference you think _ that is visiting. and how much of a difference you think that _ that is visiting. and how much of a difference you think that would - that is visiting. and how much of a i difference you think that would make to your residence there, the fact they would be able to hold hands with a loved one? it is they would be able to hold hands with a loved one?— they would be able to hold hands with a loved one? it is going to be an incredible _ with a loved one? it is going to be an incredible difference, - with a loved one? it is going to be an incredible difference, becausel with a loved one? it is going to be | an incredible difference, because it has been so long since they have been able to hold hands with their relatives, and it'sjust going been able to hold hands with their relatives, and it's just going to been able to hold hands with their relatives, and it'sjust going to be amazing for us to see that happening. logistically, it's going to be quite difficult, but it's certainly something that we know is going to happen and we to happen. and have all your residence been vaccinated now? mil and have all your residence been vaccinated now?— and have all your residence been vaccinated now? all our residents have been vaccinated _ vaccinated now? all our residents have been vaccinated with - vaccinated now? all our residents have been vaccinated with their . have been vaccinated with their first dose now, and all staff have had their vaccinations.— first dose now, and all staff have had their vaccinations. when would ou exect had their vaccinations. when would you exoect them — had their vaccinations. when would you expect them to _ had their vaccinations. when would you expect them to have _ had their vaccinations. when would you expect them to have the - had their vaccinations. when would | you expect them to have the second doses? how much longer do you think they will have to wait? i’m doses? how much longer do you think they will have to wait?— they will have to wait? i'm not sure. ithink— they will have to wait? i'm not sure. i think it _ they will have to wait? i'm not sure. i think it will— they will have to wait? i'm not sure. i think it will probably i they will have to wait? i'm notj sure. i think it will probably be about another eight weeks. but i can't swear to that. i really don't know. �* ., ., , , can't swear to that. i really don't know. �* ., , ., ., know. and of easily, for all care homes, know. and of easily, for all care homes. a _ know. and of easily, for all care homes, a desperately _ know. and of easily, for all care homes, a desperately long - know. and of easily, for all care - homes, a desperately long struggle through this pandemic. —— obviously. do you start to see light at the end of the tunnel now, as the government keep telling us?— keep telling us? yes. we have concerns. _ keep telling us? yes. we have concerns, obviously, - keep telling us? yes. we have concerns, obviously, becausel keep telling us? yes. we have - concerns, obviously, because care homes have really kept themselves to themselves they have not visited families, so we hope that people and relatives, everybody is very sensible about this and does not take any risks to affect the health and safety and well—being of our residents. and safety and well-being of our residents. �* ., . ., , residents. are there other changes ou would residents. are there other changes you would like _ residents. are there other changes you would like to _ residents. are there other changes you would like to see _ residents. are there other changes you would like to see in _ residents. are there other changes you would like to see in the - residents. are there other changes you would like to see in the next . you would like to see in the next few weeks that the government could introduce, that they may be have not been thinking about in their road map out of the lockdown?- been thinking about in their road map out of the lockdown? that's a difficult one _ map out of the lockdown? that's a difficult one to _ map out of the lockdown? that's a difficult one to answer. _ map out of the lockdown? that's a difficult one to answer. until, - map out of the lockdown? that's a difficult one to answer. until, say, j difficult one to answer. until, say, the 8th of march, when this is supposed to be happening, i think we would have to evaluate that as it happens, and see what else could be done to make improvements or do some things differently if they are not working. good luck to you and to all your staff at the residential home stop many thanks for talking to us. thank ou. russia's leading opposition figure alexei navalny 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. a little earlier, the kremlin critic's lawyer told reporters that he considers the decision to reject the appeal unlawful. our correspondent in moscow, sarah rainsford, says the appeal court's decision to keep him in prison was not unexpected. a tiny softening of the sentence, a total of six weeks knocked off the time alexei navalny will spend in a prison colony, but essentially, the judge only took about 20 minutes to reach her verdict and come back with a ruling, that alexei navalny, she says, did violate the terms of his previous suspended sentence, and therefore, his sentence, which was suspended, will become a custodial one. so, no surprises, no surprise in the fact that alexei navalny use the chance to make a very passionate and strong speech, notjust to the court, really, but through the court to the country, talking about his innocence, calling this an absurd and concocted case against him which is purely, he says, about his opposition politics. he talked about a future russia which he said would only be free, as is one of his slogans, a free rush of the future, but also, he said a happy country. he said if you look at the literature about russia for years, for centuries, it has all been about suffering. he said we should change our slogan, suffering. he said we should change ourslogan, not suffering. he said we should change our slogan, not to have a free russia but to have a happy rush in future. —— a happy russia in future. president biden will sign a major disaster declaration for texas, where millions of people are facing unusually cold conditions. power and water supplies have been seriously disrupted. the declaration would clear the way for more us federal funds to be spent on relief efforts. lane luckie is a reporter for a local tv station in texas and has been updating the bbc on conditions in the state. they are quickly improving, if you can believe that. the temperatures are much warmer than the last week. i am in a city of about 10,000 people, and this kind 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 just about three below zero, the celsius, that is. this city is about 150 kilometres to the east of dallas, to give you some perspective. we've had a chance to thaw, and that is what we are looking forward to over the next couple of days, but really, the situation is just beginning. people without power across the state of texas. that situation is improving a little, but right now, it is water which is everything. so many people across the state are without some of the basic essentials, like just something to drink or able to cook with. breaking news now from the anti—coup protests in myanmar. there are reports that at least one person has been killed in the country's second city, mandalay, after police opened fire to disperse protesters. local media reports that police and striking shipyard workers reuters news agency suggests that two people may have been killed. that is unconfirmed at the moment. local media reported that local police and striking shipyard workers clashed for hours and some people were left with serious wounds and taken to hospital. there have also been large rallies in yangon, where people are mourning the death of a young woman who was shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd in the capital. 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 options 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. but our suppliers need longer. 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 at 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 a 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. the headlines on bbc news... as plans to ease lockdown in england start to be revealed, residents in care homes will be allowed indoor visits by a member of their family or a friend from next month. president biden is set to declare a major disaster in texas as he unlocks federal funds for a state paralysed by a severe freeze and a huge powerfailure. a court in russia has upheld an earlier decision to jail the opposition activist, alexei navalny, for nearly three years. doctors say ambulance handover delays in england during the surge in covid cases over christmas led to secondary victims in the community. 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. the first call to 999 was at ten... it's there. 10:25. rose says it was her worst nightmare. then another call to 999. while working a night shift as a nurse this christmas, her teenage children called to say their father was suddenly unwell. it is literally five minutes to the hospital. of course, now he could not move, that was the challenging thing. the family called 999 four times before an ambulance arrived, three hours after the first call. i can't really expect that an ambulance can take such a long time, having been sounded by children. forget about the person who was sick, the fact was that the children were in the house alone with their dad, who was unwell. robert, seen here 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 for 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 calls. he was frightened and getting sicker and sicker by the minute. angela templeman waited for more than six hours for her partner's ambulance. by the time it arrived, an existing surgical wound had started to break down. you don't know what to do in that situation, you have done everything you can — phoned, called, the gp has said you have to go to hospital and you are too sick to go in a car, with me. so we had to sit and wait and it was just so frightening. nobody would listen. 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. freedom of information requests show waiting times in london rose by 63% for the two weeks over the christmas period. and by 48% in the west midlands. it's clear that covid is creating a whole bunch not only of covid victims but also secondary victims. the body which represents emergency care doctors said treating patients in the back of ambulances during the pandemic 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, have been taken in an ambulance and a paramedic hasjudged this is a person who is seriously ill who needs to go to hospital, and they get to hospital and the whole system designed to help them is unable — i think that is absolutely ghastly. nhs england said services work together to free up capacity despite a significant increase in the number of patients with coronavirus. the head of the united nations nuclear watchdog, the iaea, is due to travel to iran today, as efforts continue to persuade the country to rejoin an international nuclear agreement. since the us pulled out of the iran nuclear deal — under the trump administration — tehran has gradually restarted enriching uranium. abbas milani is director of iranian studies at stanford university, and explained what chance they would have to persuade iran to rejoin the deal. some in iran, we don't know how strong that number is, really don't want a reset button, because they have suffered so much of the last four years, they don't want the biden administration to give this regime essentially a new lease on life. but i think the majority of the people do want it, and the majority of the people see this as an opportunity to re—enter into negotiations. his spokespeople are still adamant that they do not want to direct negotiations with the united states. just this morning, in the mouthpiece newspaper, it is stated clearly that direct negotiations with the united states are forbidden with mr khamenei. if that line continues, i think we will not get much ahead. there's been mixed reaction on both sides of the atlantic to the news that 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 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 any more. 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. 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. the reality tv star is reported to have filed for divorce from her rapper husband. 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 - 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, - 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? princess eugenie and jack brooksbank have named their son august philip hawke brooksbank. the couple have released this photograph with their baby boy, who was born at the portland hospital in central london on the 9th february. sharing the photo on instagram, princess eugenie said it was taken by their midwife and thanked well—wishers for their messages. you're watching bbc news. here's a story 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, owen 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 little boy he 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. hi, owen. 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 people's 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 brill. 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. that was 11 year old owen, who shared his story with the bbc�*s scottish nine programme. 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 amberwarning 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.