no chemotherapy throughout the pandemic. i don't have much of a choice. and john lewis has warned of further store closures after it made a record annual loss of more than £500 million. good afternoon. prince william has insisted the royal family is not racist, in his first comments since the duke and duchess of sussex told us television that a member of the family had questioned what colour their child's skin would be. william also revealed he hasn't spoken to his brother since harry and meghan gave the interview to oprah winfrey, but said he would do. the duke and duchess of cambridge were visiting a school in east london when they were asked by a reporter about the controversy. have you spoken to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know, is the royalfamily a racist family, sir? no, we are very much not a racist family. our royal correpsondent, sarah campbell, joins me now. they are the first comments that we have heard on camera from a member of the royalfamily have heard on camera from a member of the royal family about this, and also a key member.— of the royal family about this, and also a key member. absolutely, yes. as ou also a key member. absolutely, yes. as you say. — also a key member. absolutely, yes. as you say. the _ also a key member. absolutely, yes. as you say, the comments _ also a key member. absolutely, yes. as you say, the comments were - also a key member. absolutely, yes. | as you say, the comments were made as the duke and duchess were leaving as the duke and duchess were leaving a school in london this morning. it is not usually the done thing on visits for reporters to shout questions at royals, but when there is a huge story like this, the rules are different. the reporter would not have expected to get an answer necessarily, but he got two. firstly, whether he had spoken to his brother. as you heard, and as harry spoke about in the interview, there was a rift between him and william. william said he hadn't spoken to him since the interview, but he did intend to. so that is interesting. then the second question, is the royalfamily racist? as much as the queen's statement on tuesday talked about the fact they would deal with this is a private family matter, i think it would have been very difficult to have met such a direct question with silence. that perhaps explains partly why prince william was so keen to get that very direct message back, that that wasn't the case. it is worth remembering and listening back to the section of the interview... race came up several times during the interview, but the key quote is when she relate a conversation that harry had allegedly had with a member of the family who had concerns about the colour of their baby's skin. we have interned in — colour of their baby's skin. we have interned in the _ colour of their baby's skin. we have interned in the conversation - colour of their baby's skin. we have interned in the conversation of, - colour of their baby's skin. we have interned in the conversation of, you will not _ interned in the conversation of, you will not be — interned in the conversation of, you will not be given security, not be given _ will not be given security, not be given a _ will not be given security, not be given a title. also, concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might — conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born. clearly— skin might be when he is born. clearly a — skin might be when he is born. clearly a damaging allegation. prince harry wouldn't go into any detail about who the person was, but he did say oprah winfrey made clear that harry had said to her that it definitely wasn't the queen, and it wasn't the duke of edinburgh, but that hasn't started a whole guessing game as to who it was. —— it has started a guessing game. the official buckingham palace statement made it clear that all of this would be discussed privately.— be discussed privately. indeed. i susect be discussed privately. indeed. i suspeet we _ be discussed privately. indeed. i suspect we will _ be discussed privately. indeed. i suspect we will probably - be discussed privately. indeed. i suspect we will probably not - be discussed privately. indeed. i | suspect we will probably not hear very much of that. prince william obviously making clear to the reported today that he will have a conversation with prince harry, so you would imagine the conversations have been going already between william, charles and the queen. at some point, harry and meghan will be brought into this. we probably won't know if it will be the queen, as the head of the household, who will make that initial contact. then others will be brought in. but clearly she was clear in her statement on tuesday, she said that the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. then there was that phrase which has been picked up upon widely, while some recollections may vary, they will be addressed privately, so the clear indication that that there will be discussions held between clarity about who said what to who, when did it happen, and trying to nail down but if those recollections vary, which different recollections vary, which different recollections of talking about? clearly, how much the public will be allowed to know about those conversations, we don't know. thank you. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving metropolitan police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. it follows the discovery of human remains in woods near ashford in kent yesterday. the 33—year—old marketing executive went missing as she walked home from a friend's house last week. the home secretary, priti patel, said this morning she is deeply saddened by developments. jon donnison reports. the discovery of human remains comes amidst a prominent newspaper coverage over sarah's disappearance, with many identifying the main suspect as a serving officer in the metropolitan police's diplomatic protection service. officers are continuing to search a house in deal in kent, where the man was arrested on tuesday, along with a woman in her 30s. she is a suspected of assisting an offender. and a large police operation is ongoing in woodland near ashford, where the remains were found. officers have also sealed off several garages in dover. in a tweet, the prime minister said... the home secretary, priti patel, said she too was deeply saddened, adding, "every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence." and the labour leader has also commented. this is awful news, and it has shaken all of us. i'd like to say these incidents are rare. but the truth is that violence against women and girls is far too common. sarah disappeared after walking home from a friend's house in clapham in south london last wednesday evening. the met has described news that one of their own is one of the primary suspects as shocking and deeply disturbing. with the investigation now shifted to kent, officers there are warning it could take time to formally identify the remains that have been found. but sarah's family and friends must now fear the worst. jon donnison, bbc news. the disappearance of sarah everard has prompted calls for more action to be taken to tackle intimidation and violence against women. the labour mpjess phillips said society and the justice system had to "wake up" to the threat that women face every day. thousands of people have gone online to express their anger at feeling unsafe in public places, as helena wilkinson reports. what happened to sarah everard is shocking. how can something so simple as walking home from a friend's house end like this? apparently snatched off the street, herfamily now dealing with the unthinkable. but this type of crime is uncommon. it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets, but i completely understand that, despite that, women in london and the wider public, perhaps particularly those in the area where sarah went missing, will be worried and may be feeling scared. cressida dick is right to be say that it's rare to be snatched in what may be a random attack off the streets, and it's the kind of thing we were raised as women to be frightened of, and it is quite rare. it is not rare for women to suffer violence in their homes, at work, on the streets. that is not rare. sarah everard's case has started a national conversation about women's safety. many have been sharing their experiences of feeling unsafe in public and what they do to protect themselves. women are constantly making decisions about where they go and changing their routes and avoiding certain places, doing things like carrying their keys in their hand, picking particular seats to sit on public transport. we are really aware of our surroundings and tuned into that risk. it's been called the invisible safety work of women. but many believe that a change of attitude has to come from men — a task that may prove difficult. i tried to organise a million man march in 2016 and 52 men signed up. i try, every time i do keynote speeches on the issue of male violence, some man will walk out of the room because he just can't take me challenging them. more generally, women have also spoken of their fears of sexual harassment. the extent of how often it happens has been revealed in a survey from un women uk. 97% of women between 18 and 2a said they'd been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages said they'd experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. later today, the labour mpjess phillips will read the names of all the women killed by men in the last year during a debate to mark international women's day. what happened to sarah everard has laid bare the everyday fears many women have of something happening to them. helena wilkinson, bbc news. we will be in the commons to hear some of that debate that elena was talking about there. the number of people waiting to start hospital treatment in england has risen to a new high. more than 4.5 million people were waiting at the end of january, the largest figure since records began in 2007. cancer treatment and routine operations are among the services particularly affected. more details from our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson. a year since the who declared a pandemic. few could have guessed the magnitude of the strain that coronavirus would place on the nhs. the latest figures lay bare of the vast number of non—covid—i9 patients who have missed out on treatment. nhs england says an unprecedented 4.6 million patients are now waiting for treatment. more than 300,000 have waited over a year, compared tojust 1,600 before the pandemic. and the number of operations has more than halved. another concern is that 8% reduction in the number of patients starting cancer treatment compared with january 2020. patients likejean robinson, who had started chemotherapy and then had it stopped because of the virus. i was really, really shocked, really upset, obviously started crying, because it is my lifeline. what they are saying to me is it's either chemotherapy, no chemotherapy, die of cancer or die of the pandemic. you know, i don't really have much of a choice, you're removing my lifeline. the figures for the backlog include the second wave injanuary which brought some parts of the nhs perilously close to break point. despite that, nhs england said it managed to treat almost double the number of non—covid patients as it had in the first wave but no—one is in any doubt about the challenge ahead. i think what we are seeing, though, is evidence of the nhs responding to that challenge in terms of carrying out more operations, more consultations, diagnostic tests, than was possible during the first wave of the pandemic. it's clear the nhs is raising its game but no—one underestimates the scale of the challenges. and while the nhs works on reducing the backlog, another big challenge is the vaccination programme. today there were calls for the 12—week wait for a second dose of the vaccine to be reviewed for cancer patients after an early small—scale study suggested the long gap could leave patients vulnerable. this data needs to be reviewed by experts and policymakers in terms of whether we need to think about bringing that second dose forward for this patient population. those are complex decisions. the scientists say, for cancer patients, social distancing and other infection prevention measures remain key until more research is carried out. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. we will talk about one further story before we turn to that debate in the house of commons. the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, has this morning said the government "bows to nobody" in the protection and promotion of lgbt rights. his comments follow the resignation of three members of the government's lgbt+ advisory panel, amid concern it is being too slow in bringing in legislation to ban "conversion therapy", which aims to change sexual orientation or gender identity. three people have now resigned from that government advisory group. jayne ozanne was one of those who resigned after accusing ministers of creating a "hostile environment" for lgbt+ people. shejoins me now. hello, good afternoon. explain initially if you can, for those who haven't been following this, why haven't been following this, why have you resigned? what was your key complaint here? i have been considering my position for some time now stop i have been increasingly concerned about decisions government have made without engaging with the advisory panel or seeking our advice. the final straw for me was on monday evening, in an excellent debate on the need to ban conversion therapy, where mps across the house unanimously by calling on the government to act urgently. the ministerfor government to act urgently. the minister for equalities replied with a most appalling speech, which frankly showed no understanding of any of the issues that i and others have tried to talk to her about over the last few years. she has yet to meet with any survivors. but she failed to use the word ban. she used it once in the whole speech where she was talking about various prosecutions we already had. it showed she didn't understand that what we were calling for protections for victims from even going through conversion therapy, and sending out a clear message to those who want to practice it that they shouldn't. notably, she didn't talk about protecting the notably, she didn�*t talk about protecting the trans— notably, she didn't talk about protecting the trans— committee, protecting the trans— committee, protecting adults, she did not talk in anyway about helping young people who are supposedly consenting but don't have anybody they can turn to when they are told that who they are is sinful and they have to go through this horrendous practice. just in terms of what has been happening and the politics of all of this, it is striking and quite confusing, because borisjohnson has in the past used the word ban, he has talked about it and there are some countries that do ban it. if i'm right in saying, you are anxious because the equalities minister has not or will not use that word and will not commit to it, is that how you see it?— will not commit to it, is that how ou see it? . v you see it? that's right. the prime minister did _ you see it? that's right. the prime minister did use _ you see it? that's right. the prime minister did use the _ you see it? that's right. the prime minister did use the word - you see it? that's right. the prime minister did use the word ban - minister did use the word ban finally lastjuly, but ever since, over the last 1000 days we have engaged with them, they have talked about ending it. we would say that you cannot ended without banning it. we need a clear signalfor those you cannot ended without banning it. we need a clear signal for those who think they can get away with that this country actually will not allow it, that it is outlawed, and that victims can call the police and seek redress. it is not good enough to try to dodge these words and try to pretend that they are going to bring legislation when there has not been any proposals brought forward to do that. ,., , ,., , , that. the government response is that, we that. the government response is that. we are _ that. the government response is that, we are working _ that. the government response is that, we are working to _ that. the government response is that, we are working to bring - that, we are working to bring forward funds to do so shortly, to end conversion therapy. you shaking your head, and two other member is have resigned as well.— have resigned as well. absolutely. shortl is have resigned as well. absolutely. shortly is a — have resigned as well. absolutely. shortly is a message _ have resigned as well. absolutely. shortly is a message we _ have resigned as well. absolutely. shortly is a message we have - have resigned as well. absolutely. l shortly is a message we have heard for 1000 days. shortly is a message we have heard for1000 days. in shortly is a message we have heard for 1000 days. in that time, how many lives have been impacted and perhaps even lost? i went through conversion therapy, i know how much it traumatised as people. i get contacted almost daily by people of all ages who have fallen foul of it. my all ages who have fallen foul of it. my concern is, while the government continues to drag its feet, it emboldens perpetrators and allows those who want to continue to do so with impunity. this those who want to continue to do so with impunity-— those who want to continue to do so with impunity. this panel was set up in 2019, with impunity. this panel was set up in 2019. under— with impunity. this panel was set up in 2019, under theresa _ with impunity. this panel was set up in 2019, under theresa may. - with impunity. this panel was set up in 2019, under theresa may. has - in 2019, under theresa may. has there been a shift for you with the change of administration question much how much engagement was there back then, when the panel was brought together for the first time, versus where it is today? timer;r brought together for the first time, versus where it is today?— versus where it is today? they are li . ht versus where it is today? they are light years — versus where it is today? they are light years apart- _ versus where it is today? they are light years apart. when _ versus where it is today? they are light years apart. when the - versus where it is today? they are light years apart. when the panel| light years apart. when the panel was set up, it was set up in order to help implement something called the lgbt action plan and 75 action points were agreed with government, based on a survey of the lgbt community, one of the biggest surveys in the world, 108,000 people replied, stating what they would like to see the government do to help enhance their protections, to help enhance their protections, to help them in their workplace, at school, in education and health care settings. one of those action points was to ban conversion therapy. there was to ban conversion therapy. there was a determination to work on that action plan. however, when we saw the change with ministration and change of leader at the top, we have hardly met with officials, the action plan has seemingly been dropped. we tried to impress the new secretary of state without priorities, but they haven't been listened to. all the reforms we were looking at in terms of gra reform have sadly... well, they haven't turned out the way we were led to believe they worked. the gender recognition act. that lack of engagement and understanding of the lgbt community has worried me and got me to this point that i had to speak out and resign.— got me to this point that i had to speak out and resign. thank you so much we stop _ speak out and resign. thank you so much we stop i'm _ speak out and resign. thank you so much we stop i'm sorry _ speak out and resign. thank you so much we stop i'm sorry that - speak out and resign. thank you so much we stop i'm sorry that we - much we stop i'm sorry that we didn't have further to talk about the therapy, because i appreciate there are people watching who might not know too much about it. perhaps for another occasion on a very busy day. thank you forjoining us. one of three people on the government's advisory panel who have now resigned. three out of the 12 members. it is 2:21pm. there is that debate in the commons this afternoon to mark international women's day. it started a little early, so we will cross to the commons. an event that was always planned, of course. christina rees speaking, a labour mp. but so much more to discuss, and a very poignant day to be having this debate, given the huge public anxiety following the disappearance of sarah everard in south london. let's hear some of this in and from the comments. it was formed during the strike for women by women. the workshop retrained women to gain qualifications and is the birthplace of the community university of the valleys. women are pioneers in sport. as a former welsh international with well over one had caps, i am the only welsh international squash coach. i am proud of our current welsh squash senior internationals. the world number nine, commonwealth bronze medallist, british champions to years running to stop emily whitlock, former world another 12. ellie breach, aged 15 and her 60, millie, —— and hersister. ellie breach, aged 15 and her 60, millie, —— and her sister. there was a virtual session and over a0 women across walesjoined in. i will continue to fight for squash to become an olympic sport. my friend, the captain of the seven sisters team, is a fighter for women's equality honoured off the field. i am proud to be patron of seven sisters ladies rfc. as a labour and co—operative mp, i will miss my friend, who was leaving the party in june. i thank my daughter from the bottom of my heart for her love and support. she is my world, madam deputy speaker. i support. she is my world, madam deputy speaker-— deputy speaker. i know. andrea leadsom- _ deputy speaker. i know. andrea leadsom. thank _ deputy speaker. i know. andrea leadsom. thank you. _ deputy speaker. i know. andrea leadsom. thank you. today - deputy speaker. i know. andrea leadsom. thank you. today i i deputy speaker. i know. andrea l leadsom. thank you. today i feel - re leadsom. thank you. today i feel pretty angry _ leadsom. thank you. today i feel pretty angry and _ leadsom. thank you. today i feel pretty angry and sad _ leadsom. thank you. today i feel pretty angry and sad to _ leadsom. thank you. today i feel pretty angry and sad to stop - leadsom. thank you. today i feel| pretty angry and sad to stop angry that women walking home in the dark have to be scared of the person walking closely behind them, and sad because, for far too many walking closely behind them, and sad because, forfar too many women, even getting home safely doesn't mean they are safe from harm. so i say to all colleagues across the house, let's never let party politics get in the way of protecting women and girls. i want to use my short time today to raise an issue that would help women, and thatis an issue that would help women, and that is making flexible work standards. in 1995, iwas that is making flexible work standards. in 1995, i was working for barclays at the age of 32, and five months pregnant with my first child. i was promoted to senior executive. only eight were women. i was told that taking on this massive newjob was told that taking on this massive new job would was told that taking on this massive newjob would mean coming back quickly from maternity leave, and i naively lea pt quickly from maternity leave, and i naively leapt at the chance. three months after fred had borne, —— after fred was born, i had full and in love with him, but i was under pressure to go back to work. after postnatal depression, 18 months holding down the job while seeking to go part—time and two miscarriages later, i took legal advice. to go part—time and two miscarriages later, itook legal advice. the to go part—time and two miscarriages later, i took legal advice. the head of the uk bank had said we have managed without female directors until now, we certainly don't need part—time once. i was advised to sue focused active muscle and sex dissemination. blissfully for me, i was now pregnant with harry. this was now pregnant with harry. this was not worth the stress of a court case. i took voluntary redundancy. 25 years on, it is still the case that they cannot refuse part—time work. i will give way. does my honourable friend not agree with me that this is one of the many reasons why we should protect pregnant women, such is the case you were talking about, from being made redundant? i were talking about, from being made redundant? .., , , ., redundant? i completely agree. i absolutely agree _ redundant? i completely agree. i absolutely agree with _ redundant? i completely agree. i absolutely agree with everything | redundant? i completely agree. i- absolutely agree with everything she said in her remarks were stopped during my time, a top priority was to make the uk the best place in the build to work, by encouraging flexible work as standard, the transparency of employment terms and regular working hours was not i plan to bring it forward in the implement rights bill, where applicants can propose to own working day, as opposed to the employer setting the terms. whether you work in a supermarket or behind a desk, you should have the right to request a working pattern that suits you without consequences. as i found, many fear to request flexible working because of repercussions on theirjob working because of repercussions on their job security. working because of repercussions on theirjob security. flexible as standard can be a huge advantage for employers was up ifjob ads don't specify fixed working arrangements, then applications will come from a wider and more diverse pool of candidates. employers must be able to refuse unrealistic offers, but enabling flexible as standard well, in my view, improve quality—of—life as well as productivity and diversity in the workplace. we know that women provide the majority of part—time workers, and also the principal caring roles, so capturing all of their talents will benefit both our economy and our society. so as we look to build back better, let's put flexible work as standard at the heart of our recovery. thank ou. now at the heart of our recovery. thank you- now we _ at the heart of our recovery. thank you- now we go — at the heart of our recovery. thank you. now we go to _ at the heart of our recovery. thank you. now we go to angela - at the heart of our recovery. thank| you. now we go to angela crawley. thank _ you. now we go to angela crawley. thank you. — you. now we go to angela crawley. thank you, madam deputy speaker. as always, it is a pleasure to speak on international women's day. it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the contribution that women make here and around the globe, to look how far we have come in the fight for equality, and the distance we get have to travel. of course, this debate is set in a time like no other. the last 12 months have been incredibly difficult for all of us. coverage 19 has bought disruption, worry and. it has brought heartbreak. it is also exacerbated the inequalities that are present through the pandemic, and the means to challenge these things has been hampered by the outbreak of this pandemic. sadly, that has exacerbated the inequality further between men and women. only 9% of working—class women in the uk can working—class women in the uk can work at home we stopped the sector that most severely affected being dominated by women, such as hospitality and health care, it is women taking on most of the unpaid care, reducing hours of giving up implement to look after children. it is also women who are more likely to look after disabled relatives and neighbours, and it is also women who will be trapped in their homes, self isolating, with an abusive partner. despite this, women and girls have been largely invisible from the debate and excluding from decision—making. hundreds of billions of taxpayer pounds has been spent without considering the specific challenges women facing. for example, injanuary, it was reported that... women have seen their work volumes increase and also experienced a job loss. furlough impacts millions of women injanuary this year. while the extension is welcome, they should not be a cliff edge to that support. the uplift to universal credit is due to be... women have been inversely impacted and the worst affected in this pandemic. madam deputy speaker, there are few silver linings to this pandemic. the opportunity for women to work from home and have lexical working is more important that ever. i would call on the government to take into consideration the findings in this regard was lastly, i would like to end with a quote regarding the issue. how often have we said to a friend on the way home, be safe, text me when you get home. the fear alone should tell us we have a problem. now we go to the father of the house who i recollect has taken part in this international women's day debate on every occasion i have observed over the last 25 years long before it was fashionable. sir peter bottomley. that is probably because m mother bottomley. that is probably because my mother thought _ bottomley. that is probably because my mother thought she _ bottomley. that is probably because my mother thought she was - bottomley. that is probably because my mother thought she was a - bottomley. that is probably because my mother thought she was a better mp than i could have been. i want to recognise progress and join the colleagues who have spoken so far and will listen in silence to the roll call of names of women who have been killed by men. cuts in un aid will primarily affect women. i hope the house will have an opportunity to say that the government should stick to its promise in the manifesto last election. domestically, it is not a question of most men behaving well most of the time, and no one can claim to be perfect, it is not a question of why most women are in a worse position, but we all need to change and i hope we can get to the stage when i don't have to carry a whistle on my keys and my daughters and granddaughters don't have to either. people have to feel safe at work, when travelling and in their domestic circumstances. for that we must find a way of people having both the patience and courage to challenge behaviours in ourselves and others, which make other people both feel threatened and to suffer violence, whether physical or mental or economic. i would like people to be able to be people. i recognise we may be men, women, female, male, other orientations orfeel women, female, male, other orientations or feel differently, thatis orientations or feel differently, that is not the point. the point is we should be safe, secure, be able to talk, and for that we need to encourage each other. i hope that elements of this debate will be reported in the newspapers with practical suggestions of what we see in ourselves and our rounders. as doctor richard stone, one of the assessors on the stephen lawrence inquiry, too often we put... it is our responsibility to make sure we join with others to make life better, whatever our age, stage, race, background, religion, people need to be safe, and it is women at the moment who don't feel safe. i'm glad to have contributed and i hope to learn from what i hear in a moment. i to learn from what i hear in a moment-— moment. i thank him for his contribution _ moment. i thank him for his contribution and _ moment. i thank him for his contribution and constant i moment. i thank him for his - contribution and constant support for this debate taking place here in this chamberfor which we for this debate taking place here in this chamber for which we have for this debate taking place here in this chamberfor which we have had to fight over the years, and for his constant support also on the matters discussed here. iam now constant support also on the matters discussed here. i am now going to temporarily suspend the time limit because i appreciate that the honourable memberfor birmingham honourable member for birmingham yardley honourable memberfor birmingham yardley is going to read a list of names. honourable members will know that the reading of the list is prohibited in this chamber but special disposition has been given, as in previous years, to read this important list. jess phillips. thank ou. this important list. jess phillips. thank you. this shows _ important list. jess phillips. thank you. this shows parliament - important list. jess phillips. thank you. this shows parliament is - you. this shows parliament is committed to this issue. in this place, we count what we care about, vaccines, the number of people on benefits, we rule or oppose based on a count and we obsessively track that the data, we love to count data about our own popularity, but we don't currently count dead women. victims of domestic abuse who are killed, died by suicide, or die suddenly. we have alljust accepted dead women as part of our daily lives, just one of those things. killed women are not vanishingly rare. thanks to brilliant work of counting dead women project, these women's lives and the scale of men's violence can be known. these are the women killed in the uk where a man has been charged as the primary perpetrator in the case. ruth williams, victoria woodall, kelly fitzgibbons, killed alongside her two daughters. caroline walker. ruth brown. louise atkinson. hyacinth morris. louise atkinson. hyacinth morris. louise smith. melissa belshaw. dawn bennett. rosemary hill. bernadette walker. maria howarth. rhonda humphreys. carol wright. sarah smith. katherine grainger. carol hart. mary wells. mr robertson. carol smith. katie simpson. bennylyn burke and her two—year—old daughter. there has been much debate over what i would say is the end of the list. we have all prayed that the name of sarah everard would not be on the list. . ~ name of sarah everard would not be on the list. ., ,, , ., ., , on the list. thank you to the member for birmingham _ on the list. thank you to the member for birmingham yardley. _ on the list. thank you to the member for birmingham yardley. there - on the list. thank you to the member for birmingham yardley. there are i on the list. thank you to the member| for birmingham yardley. there are no words _ for birmingham yardley. there are no words i_ for birmingham yardley. there are no words. i wanted to talk about the influence — words. i wanted to talk about the influence that women in my life had had. influence that women in my life had had i_ influence that women in my life had had i can _ influence that women in my life had had. i can honestly say in my life where _ had. i can honestly say in my life where i_ had. i can honestly say in my life where i have chosen parts of my career _ where i have chosen parts of my career that — where i have chosen parts of my career that are male dominated that i career that are male dominated that i have _ career that are male dominated that i have had _ career that are male dominated that i have had nothing but support from the male _ i have had nothing but support from the male colleagues, friends and family— the male colleagues, friends and family members in my life and i wouldn't — family members in my life and i wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for they— wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for they are wholehearted support. we need _ for they are wholehearted support. we need to remember we do not have that support _ we need to remember we do not have that support from every man in society— that support from every man in society and we have come a long way in the _ society and we have come a long way in the uk _ society and we have come a long way in the uk but we still have a long way to— in the uk but we still have a long way to go— in the uk but we still have a long way to go not only in this country but across— way to go not only in this country but across the world. i wanted to reflect _ but across the world. i wanted to reflect today on the commemoration of beatrice _ reflect today on the commemoration of beatrice schelling, the now renowned engineer, and the gold star she was— renowned engineer, and the gold star she was awarded by doing a lap over 100 mph— she was awarded by doing a lap over 100 mph around brooklyn is. it reminded — 100 mph around brooklyn is. it reminded me of my grandmother in the 19305 _ reminded me of my grandmother in the 19305 and _ reminded me of my grandmother in the 19305 and during the second world war who _ 19305 and during the second world war who was a military dispatch rider— war who was a military dispatch rider on— war who was a military dispatch rider on a — war who was a military dispatch rider on a motorcycle and she travelled _ rider on a motorcycle and she travelled the length of the country on her_ travelled the length of the country on her own and when i started to drive _ on her own and when i started to drive as— on her own and when i started to drive as a — on her own and when i started to drive as a young woman she would ask where _ drive as a young woman she would ask where i_ drive as a young woman she would ask where i had _ drive as a young woman she would ask where i had been, and she could never— where i had been, and she could never understand where i had been when _ never understand where i had been when i _ never understand where i had been when i talked about motorways, we had to _ when i talked about motorway5, we had to talk— when i talked about motorways, we had to talk about a road5. and my mother. _ had to talk about a road5. and my mother, who became a police officer. her number. — mother, who became a police officer. her number, her police number was five. her number, her police number was five she _ her number, her police number was five. she was seen as a great talent and she _ five. she was seen as a great talent and she became a detective but in order— and she became a detective but in order to _ and she became a detective but in order to go — and she became a detective but in order to go to the cid in those days you had _ order to go to the cid in those days you had to — order to go to the cid in those days you had to have special di5pen5ation to become _ you had to have special di5pen5ation to become a female detective if you are under— to become a female detective if you are under the age of 21. without they are — are under the age of 21. without they are stories and then recollecting what they had been doing _ recollecting what they had been doing and what i could do, in being fearless— doing and what i could do, in being fearle55 and going out there and doing _ fearle55 and going out there and doing the — fearle55 and going out there and doing the job that i wanted to do, and to— doing the job that i wanted to do, and to work with both male and female — and to work with both male and female colleagues and friends, to be able to— female colleagues and friends, to be able to put— female colleagues and friends, to be able to put something back into society. — able to put something back into society. i— able to put something back into society, i wouldn't be without their advice _ society, i wouldn't be without their advice today. i would like to pay contributions to those women, those working _ contributions to those women, those working women and our colleagues, our male _ working women and our colleagues, our male colleagues who continue to support— our male colleagues who continue to support the great move5 our male colleagues who continue to support the great moves forward, and i am support the great moves forward, and i am so _ support the great moves forward, and i am so proud to be here and i thank you all— i am so proud to be here and i thank you all very— i am so proud to be here and i thank you all very much. we i am so proud to be here and i thank you all very much-— you all very much. we now go to aberdeen- _ you all very much. we now go to aberdeen. it _ you all very much. we now go to aberdeen. it is _ you all very much. we now go to aberdeen. it is 2021. _ you all very much. we now go to aberdeen. it is 2021. it - you all very much. we now go to aberdeen. it is 2021. it is - you all very much. we now go to aberdeen. it is 2021. it is more | aberdeen. it is 2021. it is more than 100 years _ aberdeen. it is 2021. it is more than 100 years since _ aberdeen. it is 2021. it is more than 100 years since women i aberdeen. it is 2021. it is more | than 100 years since women got aberdeen. it is 2021. it is more i than 100 years since women got the vote, more than 50 years since their equal pay act. we have come such a long way. although we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us, who fought for equality, we still have such a distance to go. my we still have such a distance to go. my children are growing up in a deeply unequal world with deeply unequal experiences. they are pigeonholed, stereotyped, even now in 2021. little girls are told to be kind, be nice, smile. little boys are told to be brave, be fast and strong. how often have you picked up a toy teddy bear and used the word he to describe it, unless it has a pink bow? we must look at stereotypes and always consider intersection and consider our own privilege. terry pratchett wrote that evil begins when you start to treat people as things but i also think it begins when you remove any one's agency or the rights to make their own choices. before we embark on criticising a focus someone has, we should check our own privilege. we have the ability to fight on the of others but we have that because we have our own agency and rights to make choices. before we can fight for anyone else, we must have a measure of the privilege it gives us those options and energy to do so. the uk government have done what they can to remove those agency and choices, we can see that from the number of women who have had abortions during this pandemic, and the rape clause has created the financial situation that put them into this situation. we need to instead of drowning out concerned voices, we should be amplifying them. before metoo, women were experiencing harassment, before george floyd people were getting murdered, before sarah everard people were scared to walk home alone. i people were scared to walk home alone. ., ., .., ., ., alone. i want to congratulate the member for— alone. i want to congratulate the member for basingstoke - alone. i want to congratulate the member for basingstoke for i alone. i want to congratulate the i member for basingstoke for securing member for ba5ing5toke for securing thi5 member for ba5ing5toke for securing this debate. i hope next year the member— this debate. i hope next year the member for this debate. i hope next year the memberfor birmingham this debate. i hope next year the member for birmingham will be speaking — member for birmingham will be speaking for a shorter amount of time _ speaking for a shorter amount of time and — speaking for a shorter amount of time and there aren't so many women killed _ time and there aren't so many women killed at— time and there aren't so many women killed at the _ time and there aren't so many women killed at the hands of men. i would like to— killed at the hands of men. i would like to send — killed at the hands of men. i would like to send a virtual hug. it is with— like to send a virtual hug. it is with a — like to send a virtual hug. it is with a heavy heart that we are recognising international women's day recogni5ing international women's day to— recognising international women's day to day under the mood of the house _ day to day under the mood of the house has— day to day under the mood of the house has once again been dictated by the _ house has once again been dictated by the actions of men and not the achievement of women. that is the reality— achievement of women. that is the reality of— achievement of women. that is the reality of our day—to—day live5. achievement of women. that is the reality of our day—to—day lives. the actions _ reality of our day—to—day lives. the actions of _ reality of our day—to—day lives. the actions of men dictate our lives and choices _ actions of men dictate our lives and choices i_ actions of men dictate our lives and choices. i would like to celebrate phenomenal women in my constituency. helen taylor— phenomenal women in my constituency. helen taylor thompson lived in the village _ helen taylor thompson lived in the village of— helen taylor thompson lived in the village of nutley and i unfortunately had to attend her funeral — unfortunately had to attend her funeral la5t unfortunately had to attend her funeral last year. the reason why she is— funeral last year. the reason why she is so— funeral last year. the reason why she is so important is that at the a-e 5he i5 so important is that at the age of— 5he i5 so important is that at the age of i9— she is so important is that at the age of 19 she signed the official secrets — age of 19 she signed the official secrets act and began working for the special operations executive. the 5pecial operation5 executive. later— the special operations executive. later she — the special operations executive. later she raised over £3 million and set up _ later she raised over £3 million and set up the _ later she raised over £3 million and set up the first uk hospice for caring — 5et up the first uk hospice for caring for— set up the first uk hospice for caring for people with aids—related illnesses _ caring for people with aids—related illne55e5. i wonder if helen taylor thompson — illne55e5. i wonder if helen taylor thompson was a man, if all of us would _ thompson was a man, if all of us would know— thompson was a man, if all of us would know her name. i want to put her name _ would know her name. i want to put her name on — would know her name. i want to put her name on record today. when we celebrate _ her name on record today. when we celebrate their phenomenal vaccination programme i hope we don't _ vaccination programme i hope we don't whitewash the roles of women. i don't whitewash the roles of women. i want _ don't whitewash the roles of women. i want women like those in my constituency to be recognised. charlotte — constituency to be recognised. charlotte love, ensuring vaccines are rolled — charlotte love, ensuring vaccines are rolled out. doctor padgett, 5he are rolled out. doctor padgett, she was able _ are rolled out. doctor padgett, she was able to— are rolled out. doctor padgett, she was able to get patient5 vaccinated in a short— was able to get patient5 vaccinated in a short period of time. i could speak— in a short period of time. i could speak about the progress of women and the _ speak about the progress of women and the prejudice we face but i want to talk— and the prejudice we face but i want to talk about the plight of the uighur— to talk about the plight of the uighur women, to talk about the plight of the uighurwomen, women to talk about the plight of the uighur women, women who are forced into being _ uighur women, women who are forced into being 5terili5ed, forced abortion5, having their children removed. — abortion5, having their children removed, all because they are uighur — removed, all because they are uighur i— removed, all because they are uighur. i hope we can do much more within— uighur. i hope we can do much more within our— uighur. i hope we can do much more within our power to try to support them _ within our power to try to support them it— within our power to try to support them it is— within our power to try to support them it is a _ within our power to try to support them. it is a pleasure to be speaking _ them. it is a pleasure to be speaking at this debate today but it would _ speaking at this debate today but it would be _ speaking at this debate today but it would be far more powerful in future if we had _ would be far more powerful in future if we had more thanju5t three minutes— if we had more thanju5t three minutes to talk about the phenomenal progress _ minutes to talk about the phenomenal progre55 women have made and the work we _ progre55 women have made and the work we have to do going forward. we believe that debate in the commons for now. there are many more to come. you could watch it on bbc parliament. we will reflect on it throughout the afternoon. sobering and moving to hear of the list read by the labour mp jess and moving to hear of the list read by the labour mpjess phillips who, every year, to mark international women's day, reads a list of women who have died at the hands of men. over the course of the previous 12 months. we will talk more about that after three o'clock and i will be speaking to the former victims commissioner baroness newell of as well. let's look at a couple of other stories this afternoon. the fa wants more young players to think about life after football. it's launched guidance today to try to make it easier for the top players in the women's game to combine football and education. it's hoped it could stem the flow of young english talent moving to america to play — and study — through the us college system. katie gornall reports. as a player, beth england has a laser focus. it'5 england from long range...! but the chelsea and england striker has goals off the pitch too. she's studying for a law degree. why choose law? law is just something i've always been interested in. growing up, i used to watch csi, criminal minds, law 81 order with my mum. i never thought this would be a full—time job, so i always knew that education would have to come into it. afterfootball, you need to make sure that you've got something set up ready for that transition. the fa want to make it easier for the top female players to combine football and education. the new plan is for every women's super league and championship club to be linked with a university or college. we know that whilst the women's game is growing enormously and you can earn a decent living, you're certainly not earning the kind of money that men are earning, and when you get to the end of your career, we want you to have an alternative and we want you to have the best possible chance to do well in life, not just well in football. until now, the usa has always been a big draw when it comes to mixing sport and study. lucy bronze, demi stokes and rachel daly are just some of the current england squad that came through the us college system on soccer scholarships. many players will still go for the experience, but can the english system now make them think twice? england goalkeeper karen bardsley was born in the us and went to college there, but while playing for manchester city, she also studied for a masters in sports directorship. well, i think what's really interesting is, like, the right of accelerated growth and improvement of the wsl. you know, i think if you would have asked some of these girls may be four or five years ago whether they felt they would miss out on anything if they went to the states, they'd probably say no. however, if you ask people now, they definitely say yes, i think. for many, just being paid to play is a dream come true. england's 5hot — brilliant! now it's about being ready for whatever the future holds. katie gornall, bbc news. there's been a fall in the amount of sugar consumed through fizzy drinks in the uk, after the government imposed a sugar tax. the drop in the last year is thought to be about 10 percent but, as our health correspondent anna collinson reports, that's not because we're drinking fewer soft drinks. obesity is seen as one of the biggest health crises facing the uk. to try and tackle the problem, three years ago, the government brought in a tax to discourage customers, particularly children, from buying the most sugary drinks. if a beverage contains more than five grams of sugar per 100 ml, companies have to pay a levy. if it's below that, they don't. now, a study suggests that in the year since this was introduced, there was no change in the total volume of soft drinks bought, but there was a reduction in the amount of sugar consumed, an estimated three teaspoons per person, perweek. i don't want to think about the amount of calories i was probably consuming before i could make a switch to a fizzy drink that tasted similar but being sugar—free. so the fact the options are there, it's the availability actually. sugar—free options were probably still an option before the sugar tax it's just that they weren't readily available everywhere. researchers believe it's because manufacturers have increased healthier options by changing the formulas for their products, reducing sugar content. it's notjust helping people to have healthier diets to consume less sugar, but the fact that we found no change in the total volume of drinks purchased suggests to us that this is good news for industry as well, that they're selling the same volume of product, but that it's perhaps better for us. experts say cutting out even the smallest amount of sugar will have an impact on the number of people who have obesity and type two diabetes, two groups who are particularly at risk of coronavirus. anna collinson, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. some very strong winds have caused disruption especially last night and early today as well. winds have been easing, just some disruption to travel, big waves around the coast, this is hastings and east sussex earlier on. we keep the strong winds today, a mixture of sunshine and showers with some hail and thunder mixed in. this is the satellite picture, the main band of rain heading to the east but then this speckled cloud piling on from the west bringing heavy and blustery showers. gusts of wind through the afternoon, widely a0 mph but up to 50 mph towards the north and west where we will see the bulk of the showers. temperatures between 8—12 degrees for most of us. staying dry for longest in the east but into the evening, we will all see heavy showers of hail and thunder rattling through. showers are falling as snow over the highlands of scotland, icy conditions developing overnight. more showers piling in from the west overnight, eastern area of remaining dry and clear with temperatures down to three or a degrees. milder air where we have more cloud in west. tomorrow is similar to today, sunshine and blustery showers moving through the west on that breeze. not as windy as today. again, some of these heavy showers could bring hail and thunder and more sleet and snow over the mountains of scotland. towards the west we will see the bulk of the showers during the afternoon, brighter and drier in the east. towards the weekend, low pressure is not far away. areas of low pressure in the east, another one approaching from the west so still unsettled. saturday another day of sunshine and blustery showers, some are wintry on the high ground, in north england and scotland in particular. 8—10 on saturday, best of the sunshine in southern and east england. things turning quieter on sunday but still a brisk wind coming in from the north—west. more rain into north—west later on in the day. southern and eastern areas avoid most showers, temperatures around 9—11 on sunday. high pressure builds towards next week so it will be a little bit quieter and drier with overnight frosts. goodbye. alone should tell us we have a problem. this is bbc news. the headlines prince william says the royal family isn't racist, following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. have you spoken to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know, is the royalfamily a racist family, sir? no, we are very much not a racist family. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile, mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women to mark international women's day. the number of patients waiting to start hospital treatment in england hits a new high — a.5 million people injanuary, with cancer services among the worst hit. no chemotherapy and die of cancer, or die from the pandemic. you know, i don't really have much of a choice. you are removing my lifeline. and thejohn lewis partnership has warned of further store closures after it made a loss of more than £500 million — its first ever annual loss. good afternoon. prince william has insisted the royal family is not racist, in his first comments since the duke and duchess of sussex told us television that a member of the family had questioned what colour their child's skin would be. william also revealed he hasn't spoken to his brother since harry and meghan gave the interview to oprah winfrey, but said he would do. the duke and duchess of cambridge were visiting a school in east london when they were asked by a reporter about the controversy. have you spoken to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know, is the royalfamily a racist family, sir? no, we are very much not a racist family. our royal correspondent, sarah campbell, told me more about what prince william had said. as you say, the commons were made as the duke and duchess were leaving a school in east london this morning. it is not usually the done thing on visits for reporters to shout questions at royals, but when there is a huge story like this, the rules are different. the reporter would not necessarily have excited get an answer, but he got two. firstly, whether he had spoken to his brother, as you heard, harry spoke about a rift between him and william, that there was space, he described, between them. william said that he hadn't spoken to him since the interview, but that he did intend to. so that is interesting. then the second question, is the royal family racist? as then the second question, is the royalfamily racist? as much as then the second question, is the royal family racist? as much as the cream pot statement on tuesday talked about the fact they would deal with this is private family matter, i think it would have been very difficult to have met such a direct question with silence. so that perhaps explains partly why prince william was so keen to get that very direct message back that, no, it wasn't the case. it is worth remembering and having ellison back to the section of the interview... race came up several times during the interview, but the keeper wrote that has been taken out is that when she relate a conversation that harry had allegedly had with a member of the family who had concerns about the family who had concerns about the colour of their baby's skin. we have the colour of their baby'5 skin. we have interned in the conversation of, have interned in the conversation of. he _ have interned in the conversation of. he will— have interned in the conversation of, he will not be given security, will not — of, he will not be given security, will not be — of, he will not be given security, will not be given a title. and also concerns — will not be given a title. and also concerns and conversations about how dark his _ concerns and conversations about how dark his skin _ concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born _ dark his skin might be when he is born. . , f dark his skin might be when he is born. . , j ., dark his skin might be when he is born. . , f . , born. clearly they're a very damaging _ born. clearly they're a very damaging allegation. i born. clearly they're a very | damaging allegation. prince born. clearly they're a very i damaging allegation. prince harry would not go into any detail about who the person was, but he did say... oprah winfrey made clear that he said to her that it wasn't the queen and it wasn't the duke of edinburgh. but it has started a guessing game as to who it was. also, one wonders where it goes from here, and how much the public will know about what goes on. of course, the official statement made it clear that all of this would be discussed privately. that all of this would be discussed rivatel . ., that all of this would be discussed rivatel . . , , , . privately. indeed, and i suspect we will not hear _ privately. indeed, and i suspect we will not hear very _ privately. indeed, and i suspect we will not hear very much _ privately. indeed, and i suspect we will not hear very much of- privately. indeed, and i suspect we will not hear very much of that. i will not hear very much of that. prince william obviously making clear that the reported today that he will have a conversation with prince harry, c would imagine the conversations have been going already between william, charles and the queen, and then at some point harry and megan will be brought into this. we probably won't know if it will be the queen, as the head of the household who will make that initial contact. then others will be brought in. but clearly she was clear in her statement on tuesday, she said that the issues raised, particular that of race, are concerning. then there is that phrase that a back that has been picked up upon, while recollections differ, they will be discussed privately. some clarity about who said what to who, and when did it happen, and really trying to nail down that if those recollections vary, which different recollections are we talking about? how much the public will be allowed to know about the results of those conversations, recently don't know. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving metropolitan police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. it follows the discovery of human remains in woods near ashford in kent yesterday. the 33—year—old marketing executive went missing as she walked home from a friend's house last week. the home secretary, priti patel, said this morning she is deeply saddened by developments. jon donnison reports. the discovery of human remains comes amidst a prominent newspaper coverage over sarah's disappearance, with many identifying the main suspect as a serving officer in the metropolitan police's diplomatic protection service. officers are continuing to search a house in deal in kent, where the man was arrested on tuesday, along with a woman in her 30s. she is a suspected of assisting an offender. and a large police operation is ongoing in woodland near ashford, where the remains were found. officers have also sealed off several garages in dover. in a tweet, the prime minister said... the home secretary, priti patel, said she too was deeply saddened, adding, "every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence." and the labour leader has also commented. this is awful news, and it has shaken all of us. i'd like to say these incidents are rare. but the truth is that violence against women and girls is far too common. sarah disappeared after walking home from a friend's house in clapham in south london last wednesday evening. the met has described news that one of their own is one of the primary suspects as shocking and deeply disturbing. with the investigation now shifted to kent, officers there are warning it could take time to formally identify the remains that have been found. but sarah's family and friends must now fear the worst. jon donnison, bbc news. our correspondent, frankie mccamley, is near ashford in kent. bring us up—to—date with the police operation and what they are saying. yes, police continue to search this stretch of woodland behind me. i would say the investigation has been getting bigger each hour. at the start of the day, we saw dozens of police vehicles arrive, followed by forensics, sniffer dogs and in the past few hours we have seen a diving unit arrived. we have also seen police portakabins arrived, to show this investigation is not going anywhere quickly. we have also been told by police that the remains they have found in these woods behind me have found in these woods behind me have not yet been identified. so it is important to stress that we don't yet know if they are those of sarah everard. despite not knowing this, people have begun to leave flowers attached to these gates behind us. one reads, i know we are strangers, sarah, but i do hope that it is not you. of course, this search started in south—west london, just over a week ago, where sarah disappeared as she made her way home from a friends house on wednesday evening. that investigation has well and truly shifted here to kent. not only are the woodland is being searched, but also we have heard police are searching garages in dover. earlier this week, police searched a home in deal. they took a car away as part of the investigation. one of the most shocking developments was earlier this week when we found out a serving police officer had been arrested, a man in his aos. that said not only shock waves through the public but through the police force. we had from the met police commissioner, who described sarah's disappearance is awful and wicked and something she said would be the worst thing to ever happen to a family. sarah has disappeared for more than a week now. this investigation does feel like it is picking up pace, it is developing quickly, as officers tried to find those answers sarah's family and friends desperately need.- those answers sarah's family and friends desperately need. the disappearance of sarah everard has prompted calls for more action to be taken to tackle intimidation and violence against women. the labour mpjess phillips said society and the justice system had to "wake up" to the threat that women face every day. thousands of people have gone online to express their anger at feeling unsafe in public places, as helena wilkinson reports. what happened to sarah everard is shocking. how can something so simple as walking home from a friend's house end like this? apparently snatched off the street, herfamily now dealing with the unthinkable. but this type of crime is uncommon. it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets, but i completely understand that, despite that, women in london and the wider public, perhaps particularly those in the area where sarah went missing, will be worried and may be feeling scared. cressida dick is right to be say that it's rare to be snatched in what may be a random attack off the streets, and it's the kind of thing we were raised as women to be frightened of, and it is quite rare. it is not rare for women to suffer violence in their homes, at work, on the streets. that is not rare. sarah everard's case has started a national conversation about women's safety. many have been sharing their experiences of feeling unsafe in public and what they do to protect themselves. women are constantly making decisions about where they go and changing their routes and avoiding certain places, doing things like carrying their keys in their hand, picking particular seats to sit on public transport. we are really aware of our surroundings and tuned into that risk. it's been called the invisible safety work of women. but many believe that a change of attitude has to come from men — a task that may prove difficult. i tried to organise a million man march in 2016 and 52 men signed up. i try, every time i do keynote speeches on the issue of male violence, some man will walk out of the room because he just can't take me challenging them. more generally, women have also spoken of their fears of sexual harassment. the extent of how often it happens has been revealed in a survey from un women uk. 97% of women between 18 and 2a said they'd been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages said they'd experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. what happened to sarah everard has laid bare the everyday fears many women have of something happening to them. helena wilkinson, bbc news. the number of people waiting to start hospital treatment in england has risen to a new high. more than a.5 million people were waiting at the end of january, the largest figure since records began in 2007. cancer treatment and routine operations are among the services particularly affected. more details from our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson. a year since the who declared a pandemic. few could have guessed the magnitude of the strain that coronavirus would place on the nhs. the latest figures lay bare of the vast number of non—covid—19 patients who have missed out on treatment. nhs england says an unprecedented a.6 million patients are now waiting for treatment. more than 300,000 have waited over a year, compared tojust 1,600 before the pandemic. and the number of operations has more than halved. another concern is that 8% reduction in the number of patients starting cancer treatment compared with january 2020. patients likejean robinson, who had started chemotherapy and then had it stopped because of the virus. i was really, really shocked, really upset, obviously started crying, because it is my lifeline. what they are saying to me is it's either chemotherapy, no chemotherapy, die of cancer or die of the pandemic. you know, i don't really have much of a choice, you're removing my lifeline. the figures for the backlog include the second wave injanuary which brought some parts of the nhs perilously close to break point. despite that, nhs england said it managed to treat almost double the number of non—covid patients as it had in the first wave but no one is in any doubt about the challenge ahead. i think what we are seeing, though, is evidence of the nhs responding to that challenge in terms of carrying out more operations, more consultations, diagnostic tests, than was possible during the first wave of the pandemic. it's clear the nhs is raising its game but no one underestimates the scale of the challenges. and while the nhs works on reducing the backlog, another big challenge is the vaccination programme. today there were calls for the 12—week wait for a second dose of the vaccine to be reviewed for cancer patients after an early small—scale study suggested the long gap could leave patients vulnerable. this data needs to be reviewed by experts and policymakers in terms of whether we need to think about bringing that second dose forward for this patient population. those are complex decisions. the scientists say, for cancer patients, social distancing and other infection prevention measures remain key until more research is carried out. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. scientific advisers have said wales could avoid the worst of a third wave of covid—19 if there is a cautious easing of restrictions between now and the summer. the welsh government's technical advisory cell said case rates could be kept low if alert level three restricions are in place injune and schools reopen gradually. its report is based on modelling by scientists at swansea university. it's expected the government will announce a "stay local" rule on friday. the northern ireland executive is currently discussing when all children should return to school. education minister peter weir wants all pupils in northern ireland back in classrooms by april the 12th. a paperfrom mr weir recommends that all primary pupils who have not yet returned to school should start on the 22nd of march. ministers are also expected to discuss whether extend rates relief for some businesses for a year. the headlines on bbc news: prince william says the royal family isn't racist — following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile, mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women to mark international women's day. mps are marking international women's day — which was of course on monday — with a debate in the house of commons this afternoon. i think that debate is very much ongoing. the debate was opened by the conservative mp, and former minister for women and equalities, maria miller. she began by sending her thoughts and prayers to the family of sarah everard before continuing to talk about the fear many women feel. her abduction has sent shock waves across the uk. sarah did everything to avoid danger, and let's be clear, women are not the problem here. but for many women this story will bring back memories of threatening situations they found themselves in through no fault of their own. being sexually harassed on the streets, walking home from beating france, anonymous threats of physical violence on social media —— walking home from meeting friends. many choose to not talk about this, for fear of not being believed or taken seriously. but the research shows these events are part of women's everyday lives, that is why what happened to sarah everard feels so very close to home. she was followed later in the debate by the labour mp jess phillips, who — just as has in previous years — read out a list of names of women who had been killed by men over the past year. this was her reasoning for doing so. in this place, we count what we care about. we count the vaccines done, the number of people on benefits, we rule or oppose based on a count and we obsessively track that data. we love to count data about our own popularity. however, we don't currently count dead women. no government study is done into the patterns every year of the data of victims of domestic abuse who are killed, die by suicide, or die suddenly. dead women is a thing we've alljust accepted as part of our daily lives. dead women isjust one of those things. killed women are not vanishingly rare. killed women are common. dead women do count and thanks to the brilliant work of karen ingala smith and the counting dead women project, and the academics and charities working on the femicide census, these women's lives and the scale of male violence against women can be known. let's now speak to the former victims' commissioner and conservative peer, baroness newlove. afternoon good afternoon. i am interested _ afternoon good afternoon. i am interested broadly _ afternoon good afternoon. i am interested broadly in _ afternoon good afternoon. i am interested broadly in your thoughts as a woman, and i say that because there seems to have been an outpouring, a reaction to the grim news in south london in the past week or so, so many women sharing their stories and experiences, living life as women. i wonder if you have had similar thoughts? first of all, m you have had similar thoughts? first of all. my heart _ you have had similar thoughts? f “st of all, my heart goes out to the family of sarah everard. it is just heartbreaking to listen. i think of them as i am speaking now. i have been heavily involved in the domestic abuse bill that is going through the house of commons now. violence has escalated against women, and this has risen further now into a debate about how we understand violence against women and how women feel unsafe on the streets. for me, it is a bigger picture. we are becoming desensitised, having moved on, do we truly understand? the criminal justice system has a lot to answer for in the messages it sends for women to feel that their voices are not being heard.— not being heard. when you say we have become _ not being heard. when you say we have become desensitised, i not being heard. when you say we have become desensitised, is i not being heard. when you say we have become desensitised, is thatj have become desensitised, is that because the vast majority of cases of violence against women are perpetrated by someone they know, thatis perpetrated by someone they know, that is absolute not to diminish what we have all been talking about in the last week, but statistically most women are injured or killed by a partner orformer most women are injured or killed by a partner or former partner. most women are injured or killed by a partner orformer partner. is most women are injured or killed by a partner or former partner. is that what you were driving at? that a partner or former partner. is that what you were driving at?- what you were driving at? that is one art what you were driving at? that is one part of _ what you were driving at? that is one part of it- — what you were driving at? that is one part of it. but _ what you were driving at? that is one part of it. but i _ what you were driving at? that is one part of it. but i think- what you were driving at? that is one part of it. but i think that i what you were driving at? that is one part of it. but i think that is l one part of it. but i think that is the whole issue of it. there are always excuses, why didn't they leave? when they ask for help, the police are not there to support them. they will visit them to see if there is any issues, are they comfortable question mike i have met many victims where there was a tea towel on the coffee table. we wouldn't think of it. that was a controlling mechanism for the partner to say, if you say anything, i will keep strangling you with this detail. the commonjustice i will keep strangling you with this detail. the common justice system has got to understand the impact of this violence, and the sentencing we are seeing recently is laughable. i think now we need to look and say to ourselves, what do we value, human life within our criminaljustice system? we are seeing lost lives as if we are losing smarties out of a box as we walk along the street. you are talkin: box as we walk along the street. you are talking about the police and the support that victims are given, and the wider sentencing issues, the judicial system, so there are two macro areas there. do they both need reform question mike is it education?— reform question mike is it education? we need early intervention _ education? we need early intervention and - education? we need early. intervention and education, education? we need early i intervention and education, we education? we need early _ intervention and education, we need least to understand the impact of domestic abuse, the impact of violence, not making any justifications, having this issue of characterising a person. instead of looking at the actions and the fear that that person has actually been going through. that is why i am pleased i have this amendment through in the house of lords. this is just through in the house of lords. this isjust one piece through in the house of lords. this is just one piece of the jigsaw. we are seeing now what is going on with this case, but it is what happens right through here, sentencing, understanding, looking at how they dissect the victim and the offender. we are not sending strong enough messages. that is the politicians as well. you cannot keep windowdressing. i know there is the police, crime and courts bill being heard about, but that has to be strong and has to have teeth, not die looted, and to have faith in a criminaljustice die looted, and to have faith in a criminal justice system. die looted, and to have faith in a criminaljustice system. —— die diluted. there are people who are really fearful for their lives, with violence already, and the system is not there to protect them with a very strong net. not there to protect them with a very strong net-— not there to protect them with a very strong net. what is dispiriting about a lot of _ very strong net. what is dispiriting about a lot of what _ very strong net. what is dispiriting about a lot of what you _ very strong net. what is dispiriting about a lot of what you have i very strong net. what is dispiriting about a lot of what you have laid l about a lot of what you have laid out there is... ifeel as about a lot of what you have laid out there is... i feel as though about a lot of what you have laid out there is... ifeel as though i was doing interviews about this 20 years ago, speaking to people such as yourself then, saying, the police need greater understanding, they need greater understanding, they need greater understanding, they need greater resources, women's resources need greater —— women's refuges need greater resources. the narrative doesn't seem to have moved on that much. that is so dispiriting. now there is social media on top of that, and the internet, which was in its infancy then. ., . then. you are quite right, i will not disagree — then. you are quite right, i will not disagree at _ then. you are quite right, i will not disagree at all. _ then. you are quite right, i will not disagree at all. i _ then. you are quite right, i will not disagree at all. i came i then. you are quite right, i will not disagree at all. i came into| not disagree at all. i came into this from losing my husband. the whole point of this is week change the narrative to fit what it is at the narrative to fit what it is at the time. it is not sustainable to... ricard even call present a sentence. it is about rehabilitation. when you have all of this rhetoric, no wonder people don't think the justice system will listen. the pandemic was a reason in a recent case. it is becoming that the woman who has lost their life has no worth in this world any more. they are not case files, their human lives. so i want to see stiffer sentences which understands that loss of life rather than, we will give you the sentence because that is what it says. with anything, there might be empathy but when we put strong enough spine in there to support victims, it really is that you are fighting for their voices to be heard and for their families who have lost a loved one. i am be heard and for their families who have lost a loved one.— have lost a loved one. i am also interested _ have lost a loved one. i am also interested on _ have lost a loved one. i am also interested on your _ have lost a loved one. i am also interested on your thoughts i have lost a loved one. i am also l interested on your thoughts about the role of men here. the focus is so much on the women and how they should behave. that so much on the women and how they should behave.— should behave. that is what i was 'ust about should behave. that is what i was just about to _ should behave. that is what i was just about to say, _ should behave. that is what i was just about to say, it _ should behave. that is what i was just about to say, it is _ should behave. that is what i was just about to say, it is not - should behave. that is what i was just about to say, it is notjust i just about to say, it is notjust women. we have men who are murdered, who are attacked, same—sex couples will stop we should not split this into gender. i have recently heard that men should stay in, be all right to work and women should stay in. it is not about this, it is sending a message to everybody. we should all feel comfortable where we live and not be fearful of where we walk, or even in a car. if we park up walk, or even in a car. if we park up at a station, we are checking to make sure we will not be attacked. we are so desensitised to violence because there is nothing that says, this has got to stop because it is impacted stop it is down to rehabilitation and education, especially with our social media platforms. facebook and instagram, all of them, they have no responsibility to support the people with all of these vile messages they are getting, and the sexual images and everything. we have to fight to cover all of these corners. but the violence carries on. it seems to be that we need to have an open and honest conversation about this. this sadly won't be the last discussion we will have on this, and that is what is worrying me. we can't take the politics out of it.— the politics out of it. thank you very much _ the politics out of it. thank you very much for— the politics out of it. thank you very much for your _ the politics out of it. thank you very much for your time - the politics out of it. thank you very much for your time this i very much for your time this afternoon. the former victims commissionerfor afternoon. the former victims commissioner for england and wales. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello. we've had some very strong winds overnight last night and earlier on today as well. the winds are tending to ease through the rest of the day but they caused some disruption to travel, trees down as well. still blustery through the remainder of the afternoon. in fact, gusts of wind between about 30—a0 mph quite widely but 50 mph or more around some exposed coasts in the north and west in particular. temperatures out there between 7—12 celsius, feeling cold where you do have that wind. sunny spells and scattered heavy showers. into the evening hours, the showers tending to ease towards the east but more of them moving in from the west. hail, thunder possible in any of these showers, and they will be wintry over the higher ground of scotland, so snow accumulating, some icy conditions likely here. temperatures between 2—5 celsius overnight. tomorrow, another day of sunny spells and scattered blustery showers. again the chance of hail, thunder and some sleet and snow over the highlands. the best of the dry weather probably in the east, and top temperatures of 6—11. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... prince william says the royal family isn't racist, following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. have you spoken to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know, is the royalfamily a racist family, sir? no, we are very much not a racist family. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women to mark international women's day. the number of patients waiting to start hospital treatment in england hits a new high — a.5 million people injanuary, with cancer services among the worst hit. thejohn lewis partnership has warned of further store closures after it made a loss of more than £500 million — its first ever annual loss. we will talk more about coronavirus in the next half an hour, one year since the pandemic was declared, but now let's get to the sports news. manchester city have joined chelsea in the quarter finals of the women's champions league after thrashing fiorentina 5—0, for an 8—0 aggregate victory. england striker ellen white, who was captain for the game, struck twice in the first half in italy. caroline weir added one from the penalty spot and sam mewis scored twice in the second half to complete the win. the draws for the quarter and semi—finals will be held in switzerland tomorrow. there are 3 english sides and the scottish champions in europa league last 16 action this evening. rangers, tottenham, arsenal, and manchester united, who are likely to be missing some key names from their line up, including marcus rashford, who went off in sunday's manchester derby with an ankle injury. cavani and de gea are also expected to be missing for the early kick—off against ac milan who will be without zlatan imbrahimovic. a thigh problem keeps him from a return visit to his old club. manchester united, ac milan, it sounds like champions league, and i have had the ultimate admiration for ac milan as a club for many years. they have tradition, history, quality, absolute class act. they have rebuilt again, really challenging at the top, and it is nice to see them being back up there. the first round of golf�*s player's championship is under way at tpc sawgrass in florida. it's one of the biggest tournaments of the year, outside the majors, and it's been a dreadfulfirst day for rory mcilroy. the defending champion got off to a bad start and it only got worse at the 18th. he hit his first tee shot into the water. and then just moments later he hit his third shot, from the drop zone, into the water again. he ended up with a quadruple—bogey eight to put him on seven over par. he started on the back nine so he still has nine holes to play. england's lee westwood is having better luck though. the former world number one shares the lead on three under par. full—back max malins will make his first start for england in their six nations match against france at twickenham on saturday. after six appearances on the bench, he replaces elliot daly in one of three changes to the side beaten by wales, with luke cowan—dickie starting at hooker and charlie ewels named in the second row. malins will line up alongside anthony watson and jonny may in the back three. really impressed us since he has beenin really impressed us since he has been in the squad. started in autumn, he has got a good kick return game, a good feeling for the game, brings pace on the ball and particularly playing against a team like france, the highest and longest kicking game in the world, a full—back is pretty busy, so he is going to play a big role for us. france return to action for the first time since covid—19 hit the squad. they're unbeaten in the championship after wins over italy and ireland. powerhouse centre virimi vakatawa missed those games with a knee injury but he's back in the starting fifteen to face england. new zealand international sonny bill williams has confirmed his retirement, at the age of 35. he switched between codes in a 17—year career, winning two rugby union world cups with the all blacks. he now plans to concentrate on boxing — he's won all seven of his professional heavyweight fights to date and says he's keen to get back in the ring. tokyo 2020 olympics president seiko hashimoto has denied media reports earlier this week which said the games would be staged without foreign spectators. she said a decision will be made before the torch relay starts on march the 25th and the number of fans allowed in venues will be confirmed next month. the ioc vice has said there had already been extensive discussions with organisers over ticket refunds and accommodation. silverstone has been earmarked as on of three tracks ready to stage one of the first sprint races this season, as changes to the traditional run—up to grands prix are trialled. the second practice session on fridays is likely to be replaced by qualifying for the shortened race the following day, which will last about half an hour and will decide grid positions for the grand prix on sunday. the idea is to make race weekends less predictable and increase the sport's fan base. f1 teams are broadly in support of the new format. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. iceland has become the latest european country to suspend the use of the oxford—astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine, amid reports that some recipients have developed blood clots. our health correspondent, michelle roberts is here to explain. there are a few european countries which have done this now. on the face of it, it is alarming. what is going on? i face of it, it is alarming. what is going on?— face of it, it is alarming. what is uaoinon? ,. , , going on? i understand why it sounds wor in: going on? i understand why it sounds worrying but — going on? i understand why it sounds worrying but this _ going on? i understand why it sounds worrying but this is _ going on? i understand why it sounds worrying but this is very _ going on? i understand why it sounds worrying but this is very much - going on? i understand why it sounds worrying but this is very much a i worrying but this is very much a precaution. they have noticed a few people have had some events where they have had blood clots, unfortunately a couple of people have died. there is no evidence it is linked to the vaccine. when it is millions of people, those people will have normal things happening to them as well. it is checking there is no link between the vaccine itself and any of the events which may occur. the ema, european regulator, which has been looking at this says it is happy so far and there are no major concerns but the pauseis there are no major concerns but the pause is correct to check the batch. the doses went out to 17 countries, and that batch was used on the two people we have heard about the problem in. out of 5 million doses that the ema have been looking at, we have only had about 30 cases of this blood clotting condition. if you take the vaccine side of it away from this, in normal life, lots of people will get blood clots. also if you catch covered it significantly increases your chance of getting —— if you catch covid, it increases your chance of getting blood clots. it is a decision taken by a number of countries, denmark, norway, austria, estonia. the european agency says it is satisfied with how things are. have we heard from astrazeneca? the things are. have we heard from astrazeneca?— things are. have we heard from astrazeneca? , , ., astrazeneca? the company is doing retestin: astrazeneca? the company is doing retesting of — astrazeneca? the company is doing retesting of the _ astrazeneca? the company is doing retesting of the batch _ astrazeneca? the company is doing retesting of the batch and _ astrazeneca? the company is doing retesting of the batch and they i astrazeneca? the company is doing retesting of the batch and they said | retesting of the batch and they said it is passing all those tests. the check if it is sterile, completely clean, no contaminants, and they are happy it is not the case. they also check does it actually contain the things it is meant to, is it to the right dosage, everything is looking good. in right dosage, everything is looking aood. . , right dosage, everything is looking aood. , , ., good. in this country, nothing has chanced, good. in this country, nothing has changed. the _ good. in this country, nothing has changed, the vaccine _ good. in this country, nothing has changed, the vaccine programme| changed, the vaccine programme continues? .. changed, the vaccine programme continues?— changed, the vaccine programme continues? ., ., ., continues? nothing has changed and the batch wasn't _ continues? nothing has changed and the batch wasn't one _ continues? nothing has changed and the batch wasn't one we _ continues? nothing has changed and the batch wasn't one we had - continues? nothing has changed and | the batch wasn't one we had received any way but there is no suggestion the vaccine is causing this. one year on since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, and the world has changed in ways we couldn't previously have imagined. four of our correspondents look back at what's happened in shanghai, rome, sao paulo and johannesburg and what the situation is there now. we start in china, where covid—19 was first discovered, with our correspondent robin brant. this is the place where it all began, and it started as an outbreak in a small part of the city. it went on to become an epidemic, and now it is a global pandemic. but here, 15 months on from that, in the country where it all started, things are pretty much normal. in shanghai, everyone wears a mask, but the buses are running, the are banks open, and the restaurants are doing business. most of the schools in this country have been teaching face—to—face since last august. and people are travelling in their millions on planes, on trains, but china is a country shut off from the rest of the world. almost no—one is allowed in internationally. it is rolling out vaccines — there are three home—made versions at the moment — but�*t is doing it slowly. it's aiming to get almost half the population having had those jabs, but not until this summer. at the same time, it's using some of that stock to help other countries abroad and also to try to win diplomatic favour. now, china's official version of how it dealt with coronavirus is one of success, and look to the official numbers. in a country of la billion people, 15 months on from the outbreak, they have had 108,000 cases, according to the official numbers, and just under 5000 deaths. this week marks a year since italy became the first country in the world to impose a nationwide lockdown, and one year on, the situation is again not looking good. with the infection curve rising here and the r value, the spread of the virus, going back above one again in the last week, italy is thought to be in a third wave. it's become the second country in europe to surpass 100,000 deaths, after the uk, and fatalities remain high at 300 to a00 today. the government of the new prime minister, mario draghi, is tightening restrictions, with different regions in different tiers — yellow, orange and red. but he's under pressure to tighten further and faster, with support growing for a more stringent lockdown, despite the dire economic impact — italy's economy shrank by about 9% last year. the vaccination roll—out here is rather sluggish. italy has administered by 5.8 million doses, but that's a lower number per 100,000 people than the rest of europe, including spain, greece and portugal. one year after the pandemic started, brazil is going through its worst moment, breaking daily records of cases and deaths. injanuary, the amazon city of manaus as made the news again due to a shortage of oxygen and hospitals overwhelmed. and now the fear is that we could see that happening in other parts of the country as the situation has gotten worse all over the territory. a handful of facts explain how we got here — that is of course the new variant identified in manaus, with mutations that make the virus more transmissible. but that's not the only reason. brazilians have been disregarding social distancing recommendations for the past few months, sometimes stimulated by their own president, jair bolsonaro, who has been downplaying the severity of the pandemic since the beginning. vaccination started injanuary, but the roll—out has been very slow, so it could take a long time for brazilians to get some sense of normality back. it's been a year since south africa recorded its first case of coronavirus. the country went from a mere two cases at the beginning of march last year to currently reaching over 1.5 million infections, and with more than 50,000 deaths, this is the worst affected country the continent. a third wave is expected here during the winter months, and there are fears that less than half the population will have been vaccinated by then. david heymann is professor of infectious disease epidemiology at london school of hygiene 8 tropical medicine, chairs the who's advisory group for infectious hazards. hejoins me now. can we look back before we look to the future. extraordinary year. speaking as a person with no science background, it seems staggering how much has been learnt and developed in the course of 12 months. the amount of— in the course of 12 months. tue: amount of knowledge which in the course of 12 months. tu2 amount of knowledge which has become available about this virus is probably more in one year than most viruses have had in their whole in human populations. we understand a lot about this because scientists, despite the geopolitical tensions in the world, have been willing to work together and share their information through who and other sources. medicaljournals as well have published in front of their pay walls so people can have to information. we have seen incredible advancesin information. we have seen incredible advances in technology with new vaccines, new diagnostic tests on the market, able to help us as we face this virus going forward. there has been a lot of learning. there has been a lot of learning. there has also been learning about how countries when they are really prepared and jump on outbreaks rapidly, as they did in asia in january, theyjumped on it and stop that, they had the capacity to deal with patients and they have been able to keep it at low levels whereas other countries that didn't jump whereas other countries that didn't jump on it so rapidly have had difficult times. the jump on it so rapidly have had difficult times.— jump on it so rapidly have had difficult times. the history books are auoin difficult times. the history books are going to _ difficult times. the history books are going to be _ difficult times. the history books are going to be sad _ difficult times. the history books are going to be sad but - difficult times. the history books i are going to be sad but fascinating. still a lot of people are not well and we have to learn as a society how we live with this and go forward without just shutting society how we live with this and go forward withoutjust shutting society down every time there is a spike or outbreak. how do you envisage the future nations adapting and learning to live with this? presumably it is something we will have to do. we must something we will have to do. 2 must learn to live with it as we have with other viruses in the past. there are four human coronaviruses which entered most likely from that animal kingdom, as did tuberculosis and hiv. we can do our own risk assessment and prevent ourselves and others from getting infected. we have vaccines, we know how to wear masks properly, and a whole series of other things we can do moving forward. at the same time we also need to use those new tools we have two the best possible ability and we need to learn from what other countries have done. countries which have done good outbreak investigation, stopped outbreaks before spreading to communities, they have been able to sustain their response better than other countries. now there is no excuse to any country that can get access to vaccines and hopefully as time goes on we will see access to vaccines in all countries. as that occurs, people will not have to face a serious illness and death, especially those with comorbidities, or those who are obese or elderly, and we can change our policy is to live with the virus in a more secure way. the one caveat is long covid, which we don't understand at present. l which we don't understand at resent. , ., ., , which we don't understand at resent. , . ., , ., present. i understand a bit and you are sa in: present. i understand a bit and you are saying about — present. i understand a bit and you are saying about adapting - present. i understand a bit and you are saying about adapting and i are saying about adapting and learning and learning from each other but realistically can we go back to the way we used to be, constant international travel, we could take the disease with us to different corners of the globe, is that sort of life that we lived before going to be possible again one day or will this change our mindset and we will think it is not even desirable?— mindset and we will think it is not even desirable? many of the things we have done _ even desirable? many of the things we have done through _ even desirable? many of the things we have done through this - even desirable? many of the things l we have done through this outbreak, such as zoom and other activities have decreased pressure on the environment, which is good. i participate in who meetings twice a week, two hours each time, and it prevents me having to go into the site and i can do it online, and i have attended computers with two or 3000 people. we have to learn from the experience we have had with this coronavirus but i believe we will get back to a much more normal lifestyle. we may continue to wear masks if we have a respiratory infection to protect others, we may be more careful on the underground to try to get on the right time of day so are not too crowded. i am confident we will learn to live with this virus as we have with others in the past. this virus as we have with others in the ast. �* . ., ., ., the past. and a final thought about lona the past. and a final thought about long covid- — the past. and a final thought about long covid- ls _ the past. and a final thought about long covid. is it _ the past. and a final thought about long covid. is it being _ the past. and a final thought about long covid. is it being monitored i the past. and a final thought about long covid. is it being monitored in different countries and are relearning the time? you pointed out it is an unknown in some ways. the uk is ahead — it is an unknown in some ways. the uk is ahead in _ it is an unknown in some ways. tu2 uk is ahead in much of this because they have established cohorts of survivors of people who have had the infection and become well and they are observing and working with them over a long period of time and i believe we will understand this before long because of the excellent research being done in the uk and other countries around the world. thank you. thejohn lewis partnership has warned that not all its stores will reopen after lockdown, as it posted its first ever annual loss. the chain, which includes waitrose supermarkets, says the coronovirus pandemic resulted in a loss of £517 million for the year to january. here's our business correspondent emma simpson. john lewis, a cornerstone of so many high streets and town centres. in hibernation for now. but how many of these stores will reopen, and where? eight closed last year — could another eight follow? no numbers or locations today. the chairman told me a final decision will be made by the end of the month. we are reshaping the store estate to be fit for the future and obviously any store closures are always very difficult. look at the last year we've had, in a decade of changes in shopping habits in one year, and it's also the case there are some areas of the country which, you know, sad as it is, we can't any longer profitably sustain the size of store we've got today. making money from these big department stores was a challenge long before the pandemic but, despite all the lockdowns and restrictions, what's striking is thatjohn lewis has managed to transfer all its lost sales from stores to its website. that will have focused minds on how much space it really needs. and where. expect to see more of this — john lewis concessions in waitrose supermarkets, a trial for now, and it's planning a smaller format forjohn lewis on the high street. so we've got lots of ideas about what we'd call sort of neighbourhood stores. there might be a manyjl on your local high street. —— there might be a minijl on your local high street. we will continue to be confident about the future but the high street is changing, the way we are all shopping is changing and we are changing with it. that is coming at a cost, the business plunging into the red today thanks to some huge one—off charges. and staff won't be doing this. for the first time in decades, no bonus. so, is the business on the right track? there is an appetite for shopping actually in that bricks and mortar, touchy—feely, getting good advice, speaking to people, so they've got to be very careful they don't switch away, when you see that some of the pure players, such as amazon, for example, are looking to open their bricks and mortar sites. tough times for traditional high street retailers, though, with some disappearing altogether. our town centres could look very different when this pandemic finally ends. an eight—year—old black rhino has completed the first leg of her a,000 milejourney from north yorkshire to tanzania. chanua left her home at flamingo land to travel to africa as part of a plan to increase the number of the species. luxmy gopal has been following herjourney. chanua has been training for this moment for weeks. her keepers in yorkshire have worked on coaxing the eight—year—old black rhino to step into the crate. and now, for the final time, the barrier comes down and she's safely stowed, ready to start herjourney to africa. getting a crate holding a one tonne rhino onto a lorry is no mean feat. but this precious cargo is worth the effort. chanua's new life in east africa is part of a vital conservation mission to help revive the black rhino population, a critically endangered species. she's travelling from her home in malton, down to hythe in kent, where she'll spend time with two other captive females before they're all transported by air to tanzania, tojoin a new herd of rhinos brought there from other zoos. like her predecessor, almaty, who was moved to rwanda in 2019, her transition to life in the wild will be gradual, with the team helping the herd adjust. we need to assimilate them to the natural diet in the area, wean them off of the zoo food which we've been feeding her, and the dried pellets, and start introducing her to local flora, specifically alfalfa. it's a long drive down to kent. luckily, she seems to be a calm passenger, even when a stop—off at the services is needed. and finally, the first leg of herjourney is complete. luxmy gopal, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. some very strong winds have caused disruption especially last night and early today as well. winds have been easing, just some disruption to travel, big waves around the coast, this is hastings, east sussex earlier on. we keep the strong winds today, a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers with some hail and thunder mixed in. this is the satellite picture, the main band of rain heading to the east but then this speckled cloud piling on from the west bringing heavy and blustery showers. gusts of wind through the afternoon, widely a0 mph but up to 50 mph or more towards the north and west where we will see the bulk of the showers. temperatures between 8—12 degrees for most of us. staying dry for longest in the east but into the evening, we will all see heavy showers of hail and thunder rattling through. showers are falling as snow over the highlands of scotland, icy conditions developing overnight. more showers piling in from the west overnight, eastern area of remaining dry and clear with temperatures down to three or a degrees. milder air where we have more cloud in west. tomorrow is similar to today, sunshine and blustery showers moving through the west on that breeze. not as windy as today. again, some of these heavy showers could bring hail and thunder and more sleet and snow over the mountains of scotland. towards the west we will see the bulk of the showers during the afternoon, brighter and drier in the east. towards the weekend, low pressure is not far away. areas of low pressure in the east, another one approaching from the west so still unsettled. saturday another day of sunshine and blustery showers, some are wintry on the high ground, in north england and scotland in particular. 8—10 degrees on saturday, best of the sunshine in southern and east england. things turning quieter on sunday but still a brisk wind coming in from the north—west. more rain into north—west later on in the day. southern and eastern areas avoid most showers, temperatures around 9—11 degrees on sunday. high pressure builds towards next week so it will be a little bit quieter and drier with overnight frosts. goodbye. this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines. prince william says the royal family isn't racist following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. have you spoken to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir? no, we are very much not a racist family. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile, mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women to mark international women's day. the number of patients waiting to start hospital treatment in england hits a new high. four and a half million people injanuary, with cancer services among the worst hit. no chemotherapy, die of the cancer or die of the pandemic, you know, i don't really have much of a choice. you're removing my lifeline. thejohn lewis partnership has warned of further store closures after it made a loss of more than £500 million — its first ever annual loss. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. prince william has insisted the royal family is not racist in his first comments since the duke and duchess of sussex told us television that a member of the family had questioned what colour their child's skin would be. william also revealed he hasn't spoken to his brother since harry and meghan gave the interview to oprah winfrey, but said he would do. the duke and duchess of cambridge were visiting a school in east london when they were asked by a reporter about the controversy. have you spoken to your brother since the interview? no, i haven't spoken to him yet, but i will do. and can you just let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir? no, we are very much not a racist family. our royal correspondent sarah campbelljoins me now. sarah, the first comments we've heard on camera from a member of the royal family. how unusual it it for prince william to even comment like this?- how unusual it it for prince william to even comment like this? well, in terms of royal _ to even comment like this? well, in terms of royal engagements, i i to even comment like this? well, in| terms of royal engagements, i would say it's not the usual protocol to have questions shouted at a member of the royal family and certainly my understanding is that prince william's team made clear to the reporters of that weather that they wouldn't expect answers to any questions that when there's a huge story of this magnitude all the rules come out of the window. so prince charles was asked a question and his reaction to the interview on tuesday was he didn't give a response that could have been at that point the queen hadn't issued her statement. which obviously was issued on tuesday evening. so the answer that were given to date with prince william, let's not forget he will have known that anything he said would make headlines right around the world and would push the story right up to the top of the running order, so it's very interesting whether the answers were impromptu, whether he planned what going to say, whether he'd planned to give a response, but he gave a response but not one but two questions. the first regarding prince harry, the rest which have been spoken about some often in newspapers and headlines up to the oprah winfrey interview. very much confirmed by prince harry and prince william saying he had not spoken to his brother since the interview but he intended to. and then of course the second question, the very direct question, is the royalfamily racist? and this relates to what has become one of the most damaging allegations which emerged from that interview. this was when megan —related conversation harry claim to have had with a senior, a member of the royalfamily, when that member apparently questioned how dark their baby's skin would be. so we have, in tandem, the conversations of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title. and also... ..concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born. server cream in a statement on tuesday, of course there were so many issues that came out of that interview, but the one specific that she referred to in a statement was this issue of race. —— cream. she said the issues are concerning, the phrase, while recollections may vary, they are to be taken seriously and will be addressed privately. of course prince william this afternoon and this morning has made a very public comment on the issue and no doubt that's going to be picked up very widely, but clearly, he felt staying silent in answer to that very direct question was not an option. very direct question was not an otion. ., ., very direct question was not an 0 tion. ., ., ., ., ~ option. sarah, for the moment, thank ou ve option. sarah, for the moment, thank you very much- _ detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving metropolitan police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. it follows the discovery of human remains in woods near ashford in kent yesterday. the 33—year—old marketing executive went missing as she walked home from a friend's house last week. the home secretary, priti patel, said this morning she is deeply saddened by developments. jon donnison reports. the discovery of human remains comes amidst prominent newspaper coverage of sarah's disappearance, with many identifying the main suspect as a serving officer in the metropolitan police's diplomatic protection service. officers are continuing to search a house in deal in kent, where the man was arrested on tuesday, along with a woman in her 30s. she is a suspected of assisting an offender. and a large police operation is ongoing in woodland near ashford, where the remains were found. officers have also sealed off several garages in dover. in a tweet, the prime minister said... "i am shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the sarah everard investigation. like the whole country, my thoughts are with her family and friends. " the home secretary, priti patel, said she too was deeply saddened, adding, "every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence. " and the labour leader has also commented. this is awful news, and it has shaken all of us. i'd like to say these incidents are rare. but the truth is that violence against women and girls is far too common. sarah disappeared after walking home from a friend's house in clapham in south london last wednesday evening. the met has described news that one of their own is one of the primary suspects as shocking and deeply disturbing. with the investigation now shifted to kent, officers there are warning it could take time to formally identify the remains that have been found. but sarah's family and friends must now fear the worst. jon donnison, bbc news. our correspondent frankie mccamley is near ashford in kent. what more can you tell us about what's happening there today? well. what's happening there today? well, this investigation _ what's happening there today? well, this investigation has _ what's happening there today? 2ii this investigation has been developing and it's been getting bigger throughout the day. this morning, we saw dozens of police vehicles arriving here on the same, the woodlands just behind me. vehicles arriving here on the same, the woodlandsjust behind me. we vehicles arriving here on the same, the woodlands just behind me. we can now see a lot of police vehicles just leaving. we might have to get out of the way. just a bear with us. we are moving the camera to get out of the wave as many of these police vehicles are now leaving. you will see dozens of officers in each vehicle. not only that, we have seen forensics, sniffer dogs, team of divers, arrive and in the last hour, we've seen a private ambulance arrive and then leave shortly after. now, this investigation initially started in south—west london in clapham, where sarah was last seen. it has really shifted now and the focus is here in kent. notjust here is woodlands behind us also police have been searching a row of garages in dover and a house in deal, where a forensics tent was set up on the car was removed as part of the investigation. i think the real turning point in this investigation was earlier this week when we were told a serving police officer in his aos was arrested. he has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder. he remains in a london police station where he is being questioned but of course, it is now more than seven days since sarah's disappearance. this investigation is well and truly under way, moving at a very quick pace as officers tried to answer those questions that sarah's friends and family really desperately need now.- sarah's friends and family really desperately need now. frankie, for the moment. _ desperately need now. frankie, for the moment, thank _ desperately need now. frankie, for the moment, thank you _ desperately need now. frankie, for the moment, thank you very i desperately need now. frankie, for| the moment, thank you very much. reporting there from ashford in kent. some breaking news to bring you now regarding the latest government data on the coronavirus. we are told that in the last 2a—hour period, 181 deaths have been recorded, someone who died within 20 days of a positive covid test and 6753 new cases of covid—19 have been recorded in the uk, so 181 deaths, 6753 new cases of coronavirus. let's return to the disappearance of sarah everard. the disappearance of sarah everard has prompted calls for more action to be taken to tackle intimidation and violence against women. the labour mpjess phillips said society and the justice system had to wake up to the threat that women face every day. thousands of people have gone online to express their anger at feeling unsafe in public places, as helena wilkinson reports. what happened to sarah everard is shocking. how can something so simple as walking home from a friend's house end like this? apparently snatched off the street, her family now dealing with the unthinkable. but this type of crime is uncommon. it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets, but i completely understand that, despite that, women in london and the wider public, perhaps particularly those in the area where sarah went missing, will be worried and may be feeling scared. cressida dick is right to be say that it's rare to be snatched in what may be a random attack off the streets, and it's the kind of thing we were raised as women to be frightened of, and it is quite rare. it is not rare for women to suffer violence in their homes, at work, on the streets. that is not rare. sarah everard's case has started a national conversation about women's safety. many have been sharing their experiences of feeling unsafe in public and what they do to protect themselves. women are constantly making decisions about where they go and changing their routes and avoiding certain places, doing things like carrying their keys in their hand, picking particular seats to sit on public transport. we are really aware of our surroundings and tuned into that risk. it's been called the invisible safety work of women. but many believe that a change of attitude has to come from men — a task that may prove difficult. i tried to organise a million man march in 2016 and 52 men signed up. i try, every time i do keynote speeches on the issue of male violence, some man will walk out of the room because he just can't take me challenging them. more generally, women have also spoken of theirfears of sexual harassment. the extent of how often it happens has been revealed in a survey from un women uk. 97% of women between 18 and 2a said they'd been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages said they'd experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. what happened to sarah everard has laid bare the everyday fears many women have of something happening to them. helena wilkinson, bbc news. with me now is hera hussain, the founder of chayn, a volunteer—led organisation that addresses gender—based violence. thank you very much forjoining us. obviously we have been reporting the incredibly sad story of sarah everard over the last few days. what does this case highlights in particularfor does this case highlights in particular for you? does this case highlights in particularfor you? like does this case highlights in particular for you? does this case highlights in articularfor ou? ~' ., particular for you? like many other women, particular for you? like many other women. my — particular for you? like many other women. my heart _ particular for you? like many other women, my heart was _ particular for you? like many other women, my heart was so _ particular for you? like many other women, my heart was so heavy i women, my heart was so heavy yesterday because we can see ourselves in sarah's story. we've had our thoughts of where to go, who to tell where i'm going, but really, when it comes down to it, women are not safe in our homes, because that's where domestic abuse happens, we are not safe on the streets where sexual harassment happens, we are not safe at a regular sexual harassment happens, and, despite the fact that so many women are sharing their trauma in the public space, their trauma in the public space, the fact remains that these things don't stop happening, no matter how much we share, the outcome remains the same that we face abuse, stalking, harassment and even death. so how do we bring about change? what should the focus be? women, young women, young girls, learn how to be vigilant, learn how to carry out those checks every time they are some of ape feel slightly uneasy on their own. how do we change the focus the who are perpetrating this violence? liise focus the who are perpetrating this violence? . . focus the who are perpetrating this violence? , . , ., , violence? use added, if the problem is men, violence? use added, if the problem is men. that — violence? use added, if the problem is men, that the _ violence? use added, if the problem is men, that the solution _ violence? use added, if the problem is men, that the solution has - violence? use added, if the problem is men, that the solution has to i violence? use added, if the problem is men, that the solution has to be l is men, that the solution has to be men. it's shocking, with so many women sharing their stories, the focus on twitter, the trending topic was not on men, over everything else. and that in itself is the problem. the problem is men are not taking responsibility and understanding the structural issue here. the issue is that of patriarchal norms, which tell men they have somehow claim over women. i don't even understand the claim many of the times, serving under perpetrating it without thinking they have done that. people like thinking about nice and they would never murder someone. that makes sense, but when you start talking about the specifics, whether it is being rude and abusing a woman who has rejected them on tender, or not believing a woman when she tells you what she is facing on the streets, not believing someone when they talk about domestic abuse but, oh but, that guy is so nice, these are all forms of disbelief and victim blaming and gas lighting that happens on a national scale. and mostly done by men because that's where the responsibility is. women cannot bear the responsibility of men's actions, they have to do that themselves, and if every man thinks i would not do that and i don't know anybody who would do that, then who is doing this? use up the numbers yourself, 97% of young women facing this issue, my earliest memory of sexual harassment and of being very aware of being a woman in a public space was when i was six years old. if someone who is six years old and someone who is 60 is facing the same issue, the problem isn't with anything we are doing an act of cultural norms we need to change. you have also seen people saying not all men trending on social media as well and that is true, not all men will be violent, not all men will attack or abuse women. so how do we stop this becoming miss anderson? how do we stop it sounding man hating and harness the power of good men who would never dream of doing this? lt men who would never dream of doing this? ., , , ,, ., men who would never dream of doing this? ., , , ~ ., ., this? it only sounds like that to those who _ this? it only sounds like that to those who don't _ this? it only sounds like that to those who don't understand i this? it only sounds like that to | those who don't understand the issues. a responsible response from men to the fact the overwhelming majority of men do this, because an overwhelming majority of men face this, it can't be that 20% of men are perpetrating crimes which affect 97% of women across the country. that's just not possible. it is happening in our houses, and workplaces on school grounds and universities, our newsrooms, so it's a collective responsibility. but, as you said, if someone takes that to be misandry, that a lack of self—awareness and recognition that they have a role to play. we have had centuries of patriarchal and gender—based violence. that is when we had horse—drawn carriages, dimly lit streets, now we have telephones, streetlights, all these more funding for police and things people thought were the reason we were getting assaulted, but that still happens, so it's not that. it is about cultural norms are so men have to take responsibility and not shirk it by saying i wouldn't do it. we have to tackle lad culture, rapejokes, thinking it's ok to comment on what a woman does and what time of night they are out and how they behave, because these are the root causes of what could be thought rape culture, patriarchal culture, which allows unsafe environments for women and girls and men who are in the lives of us. . ~ girls and men who are in the lives of us. . ,, ,., girls and men who are in the lives of us. . ~' ,. , girls and men who are in the lives ofus. . ,, , . girls and men who are in the lives ofus. . ~ , . ., of us. thank you very much for talkin: of us. thank you very much for talking to _ of us. thank you very much for talking to us. _ the headlines on bbc news. prince william says the royal family isn't racist — following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women to mark international women's day it's exactly a year since the world health organization declared coronavirus a pandemic, as outbreaks of the virus were recorded across the world. covid—19 has now claimed more than two and a half million lives, though the development of vaccines has brought hope that it can be brought under control. our global health correspondent naomi grimley has been looking at the different responses to the pandemic, one year on. it's been a year that most of us will remember for the rest of our lives. one of grief and loneliness on a scale none of us could have imagined. it's exactly 12 months since the world health organization officially sounded the alarm about the seriousness of covid—19. we have therefore made the assessment that covid—19 can be characterised as a pandemic. and yet after a whirlwind of scientific discoveries we're now seeing vaccines being distributed to some of the most remote communities on earth. in brazil they've mounted a vaccination campaign reaching reservations and villages, like this one, deep in the amazon jungle. translation: i'm happy, - we are grateful for the vaccination so we will not catch the disease and my people will get better. because of a new variant spreading there, brazil has seen some of the worst death toll figures since the pandemic began in the last few days. but overall scientists are positive about bringing the pandemic to an end. we're in a much more powerful situation because we understand so much more about the virus now, so i'm very optimistic for the future. we have a better handle on the virus and we're able to keep up, i suppose, with the race against an evolving virus. in europe there's been a huge amount of disquiet over disappointing vaccination rates. the situation in france has not been helped by negative remarks from president macron about the oxford astrazeneca vaccine, which he later retracted. this family doctor is doing his best to persuade reluctant patients. translation: there's always a hesitation and we have i to convince some patients. that's time and energy used. if we don't have support, both from government and media, it's hard to go up from there. patients trust us, but only to a certain extent. meanwhile the international covax programme says it's delivered over 20 million doses to more than 20 developing countries, mostly in africa, but it's really only enough to vaccinate key medical workers. with over 2.6 million deaths in the pandemic so far, everyone can agree that much better protections are needed to ensure it never happens again. naomi grimley, bbc news. we can now speak to dr natasha kathuria. she's an emergency room physician based in austin, texas. thank you very much forjoining us. describe, if you can, what sort of year you have had. lt describe, if you can, what sort of year you have had.— year you have had. it has been a remarkable _ year you have had. it has been a remarkable 12 _ year you have had. it has been a remarkable 12 months, - year you have had. it has been a remarkable 12 months, i - year you have had. it has been a remarkable 12 months, i will i year you have had. it has been a remarkable 12 months, i will tell you that. it started out terrifying and it is still frightening to us but we have come a long way. there has been suffering in our hospitals across america across the world with covid—19 patients and patients without covid—19 having difficulty getting their normal medical care because of the pandemic. also mental health has become a very big issue throughout this pandemic and the endless fight for us to protect ourselves against contracting the virus from our patience has really been terrifying. there is a new hope now we have the vaccine and most of us are already vaccinated and been vaccinated, but we are nervous, we are just nearing the end of this marathon and we need to go faster and run faster than ever and unfortunately some of our states are slowing down and lowering our restriction is quite a bit which scares us. we are not quite there yet. it's been quite a year. let’s yet. it's been quite a year. let's come to a _ yet. it's been quite a year. let's come to a that _ yet. it's been quite a year. let's come to a that in _ yet. it's been quite a year. let's come to a that in a _ yet. it's been quite a year. let's come to a that in a second. i yet. it's been quite a year. let's come to a that in a second. there's been devastating winter storms which have hit a texas which have caused additional problems on top of the pandemic, but winding back to the start of covid—19, how well prepared was texas able to be in terms of protective equipment? that was texas able to be in terms of protective equipment?— was texas able to be in terms of protective equipment? that was very difficult. this — protective equipment? that was very difficult. this wasn't _ protective equipment? that was very difficult. this wasn't just _ protective equipment? that was very difficult. this wasn't just texas i difficult. this wasn'tjust texas but nationwide, colleagues of mine from new york city, california, we have limited ppe and that lasted for a very long time and it's still an issue in some places. conserving our masks in brown paper bags and plastic bins, very difficult. being nervous we would run out of gloves, and gowns, at a point when we had no way to protect ourselves. we felt like we were soldiers going to war without appropriate armour and it was terrifying. the level of anxiety we all face to just going to work to be able to treat our patients was incredible. and we have come a long way, but it's been very difficult. we have had advances in how we treat the virus and now there's a lot more hope. we know what to expect, what complications may come, we know what medications do and do not work, which are both equally important, and there is a lot of research coming out but the most important thing is we now have a vaccine. and we are doing a greatjob at getting people vaccinated, but we still have a long way to go. people vaccinated, but we still have a long way to go— a long way to go. over the last ear, i a long way to go. over the last year. i have — a long way to go. over the last year, i have interviewed i a long way to go. over the last year, i have interviewed more| year, i have interviewed more epidemiologists, virologist, immunologist, than ever before in my 30 year career and it's been wonderful to do that but how much notice do you think globally people have really ta ken notice do you think globally people have really taken of scientists? at times we ask for them advice and that it doesn't seem to be heeded. right, i do think that now is a remarkable point in history. there's never been a time where every scientist and every specialty of medicine has been focused on one disease. i would say maybe during the hiv pandemic in the 80s, but this time, every specialty was worried about this, and there really has been a highlight on front—line workers, essential workers, especially nurses who have been at the bedside and given every answer them selves to their patients and finally they are getting the attention they deserve all they have given. there are who just are not willing to listen to public health measures and have that same sense of concern for their fellow man and everybody else in society. and that's difficult, it's a minority, and overwhelm minority i would say, but it's hard not to pay attention to that minority of the population thatis to that minority of the population that is not listening because at the end of the day, that's going to be a bad link that gutters across the finish line and we need to come together as a society globally to get there. together as a society globally to net there. ., .. together as a society globally to net there. ., ,., ,., get there. you said you were concerned — get there. you said you were concerned at _ get there. you said you were concerned at the _ get there. you said you were concerned at the speed i get there. you said you were concerned at the speed with | get there. you said you were i concerned at the speed with which restrictions are being lifted in places. what are the signals that you would be looking out for to indicate you would be happy for restrictions to be eased? l indicate you would be happy for restrictions to be eased? i think the biggest _ restrictions to be eased? i think the biggest thing _ restrictions to be eased? i think the biggest thing is, _ restrictions to be eased? i think the biggest thing is, number i restrictions to be eased? i think. the biggest thing is, number one, vaccinating. getting enough vaccines to our citizens, so in texas for example, we've only vaccinated about 9% of our total population so we need to get a better higher number there. the other thing we really need is how many cases we are having, how quickly is this virus spreading? it may not be attacking the elderly and at risk, so i would decimate may be lower, but if the virus is circulating even in younger healthier patients, that's giving this virus continued opportunity to mutate which is what we are concerned about. if it mutates too far we mayjust backtrack all of concerned about. if it mutates too far we may just backtrack all of the progress and sacrifices we have made as a society. progress and sacrifices we have made as a society-— as a society. doctor, thank you very much forjoining _ as a society. doctor, thank you very much forjoining us. _ as a society. doctor, thank you very much forjoining us. thank - as a society. doctor, thank you very much forjoining us. thank you. i the number of people waiting to start hospital treatment in england has risen to a new high. more than a and a half million people were waiting at the end of january, the largest figure since records began in 2007. cancer treatment and routine operations are among the services particularly affected. more details from our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. a year since the who declared a pandemic. few could have guessed the magnitude of the strain that coronavirus would place on the nhs. the latest figures lay bare of the vast number of non—covid—19 patients who have missed out on treatment. nhs england says an unprecedented a.6 million patients are now waiting for treatment. more than 300,000 have waited over a year, compared tojust 1600 before the pandemic. and the number of operations has more than halved. another concern is that 8% reduction in the number of patients starting cancer treatment compared with january 2020. patients likejean robinson, who had started chemotherapy and then had it stopped because of the virus. i was really, really shocked, really upset, obviously started crying, because it is my lifeline. what they are saying to me is it's either chemotherapy, no chemotherapy, die of cancer or die of the pandemic. you know, i don't really have much of a choice, you're removing my lifeline. the figures for the backlog include the second wave injanuary which brought some parts of the nhs perilously close to break point. despite that, nhs england said it managed to treat almost double the number of non—covid patients as it had in the first wave but no one is in any doubt about the challenge ahead. i think what we are seeing, though, is evidence of the nhs responding to that challenge in terms of carrying out more operations, more consultations, diagnostic tests, than was possible during the first wave of the pandemic. it's clear the nhs is raising its game but no one underestimates the scale of the challenges. and while the nhs works on reducing the backlog, another big challenge is the vaccination programme. today there were calls for the 12—week wait for a second dose of the vaccine to be reviewed for cancer patients after an early small—scale study suggested the long gap could leave patients vulnerable. this data needs to be reviewed - by experts and policymakers in terms of whether we need to think- about bringing that second dose forward for this patient population. those are complex decisions. the scientists say, for cancer patients, social distancing and other infection prevention measures remain key until more research is carried out. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. we've had some very strong winds overnight last night and earlier on today as well. the winds are tending to ease through the rest of the day but will cause some disruption to travel. some trees down, as well. still blustery through the remainder of the afternoon. in fact, gusts of wind between about 30—a0 mph quite widely, but 50 mph or more around some exposed coasts in the north and west, in particular. now temperatures out there between 7—12, feeling colder where you do have that wind. sunny spells and scattered heavy showers. into the evening hours, the showers tending to ease towards the east but more moving in from the west. hail, thunder possible with any of these showers, and they will be wintry over the higher ground of scotland, so some snow accumulating, some icy conditions likely here. temperatures between 2—5 overnight. tomorrow, another day of sunny spells and scattered blustery showers. again the chance of hail, thunder and some sleet and snow over the highlands. best of the dry weather probably in the east and top temperatures 6—11. bye for now. hello. this is bbc news. iam martine i am martine croxall. the headlines — prince william says the royal family isn't racist, following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile, mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women, to mark international women's day. the number of patients waiting to start hospital treatment in england hits a new high — a.5 million people injanuary, with cancer services among the worst hit. thejohn lewis partnership has warned of further store closures, after it made a loss of more than £500 million — its first ever annual loss. sport, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. good afternoon. the first round of golf�*s player's championship is under way at tpc sawgrass in florida. it's one of the biggest tournaments of the year, outside the majors, and it's been a dreadfulfirst day for rory mcilroy. the defending champion got off to a bad start and it only got worse at the 18th. he hit his first tee shot into the water. and then just moments later he hit his third shot, from the drop zone, into the water again! he ended up with a quadruple—bogey eight to put him on seven over par. he started on the back nine so he's into the second half of his round. matthew fitzpatrick is having better luck though. the englishman is the outright leader on 5—under—par after 11 holes. we will keep you updated on rory mcilroy�*s progress and how matt fitzpatrick is getting on at the top of the standings. fitzpatrick is getting on at the top of the standings. manchester city have joined chelsea in the quarter finals of the women's champions league, after thrashing fiorentina 5—0, for an 8—0 aggregate victory. england striker ellen white, who was captain for the game, struck twice in the first half in italy. caroline weir added one from the penalty spot and sam mewis scored twice in the second half to complete the win. the draws for the quarter and semi—finals will be held in switzerland tomorrow. there are three english sides and the scottish champions in europa league last 16 action this evening. rangers, tottenham, arsenal, and manchester united, who are likely to be missing some key names from their line—up, including marcus rashford, who went off in sunday's manchester derby with an ankle injury. cavani and de gea are also expected to be missing for the early kick—off against ac milan, who will be without zlatan imbrahimovic. a thigh problem keeps him from a return visit to his old club. man utd, ac milan, that sounds champions league like, and i have had the ultimate admiration for ac milan as a club for many, many years. they've got tradition, history, quality, absolute class act. they've rebuilt again, now really challenging at the top and it's nice to see them being back up there. six. it's nice to see them being back up there. . ., ., , it's nice to see them being back up there. ,, ., ., , , it's nice to see them being back up there. . ., ., , , , there. six nations returns this weekend- _ full back max malins will make his first start for england in their six nations match against france at twickenham on saturday. after six appearances on the bench, he replaces elliot daly in one of three changes to the side beaten by wales, with luke cowan—dickie starting at hooker and charlie ewels named in the second row. malins will line up alongside anthony watson and jonny may in the back three. really impressed since he has been in the _ really impressed since he has been in the squad. started in autumn. hes— in the squad. started in autumn. he's got— in the squad. started in autumn. he's got a — in the squad. started in autumn. he's got a good kick return game, he's he's got a good kick return game, has got _ he's got a good kick return game, has got a — he's got a good kick return game, he's got a good feeling for the game. — he's got a good feeling for the game, brings pace onto the ball and particularly — game, brings pace onto the ball and particularly playing against a team like france, which are the highest kicking _ like france, which are the highest kicking and — like france, which are the highest kicking and longest kicking game in the world. — kicking and longest kicking game in the world, the full—back's kicking and longest kicking game in the world, the full— back's pretty busy. _ the world, the full— back's pretty busy. so — the world, the full— back's pretty busy, so he's going to have a big role for— busy, so he's going to have a big role for us — role for us. france return to action for the first time since covid—19 hit the squad. they're unbeaten in the championship after wins over italy and ireland. powerhouse centre virimi vakatawa missed those games with a knee injury but he's back in the starting 15 to face england. new zealand international sonny bill williams has confirmed his retirement, at the age of 35. he switched between codes in a 17—year career, winning two rugby union world cups with the all blacks. he now plans to concentrate on boxing — he's won all seven of his professional heavyweight fights to date and says he's keen to get back in the ring. tokyo 2020 olympics president seiko hashimoto has denied media reports earlier this week, which said the games would be staged without foreign spectators. she said a decision will be made before the torch relay starts on march the 25th and the number of fans allowed in venues will be confirmed next month. the ioc vice has said there had already been extensive discussions with organisers over ticket refunds and accommodation. silverstone has been earmarked as one of three tracks ready to stage one of the first sprint races this season, as changes to the traditional run—up to grands prix are trialled. the second practice session on fridays is likely to be replaced by qualifying for the shortened race the following day, which will last about half an hour and will decide grid positions for the grand prix on sunday. the idea is to make race weekends less predictable and increase the sport's fan base. f1 teams are broadly in support of the new format. that's all the sport for now. keep up—to—date with the players championship in sawgrass in florida on a website but for now, martin, back to you. sir keir starmer has launched labour's campaign for england's local and mayoral elections in may. in a speech this morning, he emphasised his support for nhs workers and called for people on the nhs frontline to receive a payrise above the rate of inflation. a vote for labour is a vote to support our nurses, our doctors, our nhs staff and to reward our key workers. my mum was a nurse, my sister was a nurse, my wife works for the nhs. i know what it means to work in the nhs. when i clapped for our carers, i meant it. the prime minister clapped for our carers then he slammed the door on them. thejohn lewis partnership has warned that not all its stores will reopen after lockdown, as it posted its first ever annual loss. the chain, which includes waitrose supermarkets, says the coronovirus pandemic resulted in a loss of £517 million for the year to january. here's our business correspondent emma simpson. john lewis, a cornerstone of so many high streets and town centres, in hibernation, for now. but how many of these stores will reopen, and where? eight closed last year — could another eight follow? no numbers or locations today. the chairman told me a final decision will be made by the end of the month. we are reshaping the store estate to be fit for the future, and obviously any store closures are always very difficult. you look at the last year we've had, in a decade of changes in shopping habits in one year, and it's also the case there are some areas of the country which, you know, sad as it is, we can't any longer profitably sustain the size of store we've got today. making money from these big department stores was a challenge, long before the pandemic, but, despite all the lockdowns and restrictions, what's striking is thatjohn lewis has managed to transfer all its lost sales from stores to its website. that will have focused minds on how much space it really needs, and where. expect to see more of this — john lewis concessions in waitrose supermarkets, a trial for now, and it's planning a smaller format forjohn lewis on the high street. so we've got lots of ideas about what we'd call sort of neighbourhood stores. there might be a minijl on your local high street. we will continue to be confident about the future but the high street is changing, the way we are all shopping is changing and we are changing with it. that is coming at a cost, the business plunging into the red today, thanks to some huge one—off charges. and staff won't be doing this. cheering for the first time in decades, no bonus. so, is the business on the right track? there is an appetite for shopping actually in that bricks and mortar, touchy—feely, getting good advice, speaking to people, so they've got to be very careful they don't switch away, when you see that some of the pure play players, such as amazon, for example, are looking to open their bricks and mortar sites. tough times for traditional high street retailers, though, with some disappearing altogether. our town centres could look very different when this pandemic finally ends. emma simpson, bbc news. iceland has become the latest european country to suspend the use of the oxford—astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine, amid reports that some recipients have developed blood clots. our health correspondent michelle roberts explains the background to this. so i can understand why it sounds worrying, but this is very much a precaution, so they've noticed, a few people have had some events where they had blood clots. unfortunately a couple of people have died. but there is no evidence at all that it's linked to the vaccine. obviously, when you're jabbing millions of people, those people will have normal everyday things happening to them as well, so it's kind ofjust doing the checks and measures to make sure that there is no link between the vaccine itself and any of the events that may occur. the ema, the regulator, the european regulator that's been looking at this, says it's happy so far. there are no major concerns. the pause is correct, just to check over the batch, because a million doses went out to 17 countries, and that the batch was used on the two people that we have heard about this problem in. however, out of five million doses that have gone into people, the ema have been looking at, we've only had about 30 cases of this blood clotting condition, and it is very common. if you take the vaccine side of it away from this, in normal life, a lot of people will get blood clots. and also if you catch covid, that's a significant increase of your chance of getting a blood clot, so it's still really important to go and get your vaccine. there is no suggestion from this that the vaccine is doing anything untoward. a teenager has pleaded not guilty to the murders of two sisters in an unprovoked and random attack in a park. 19—year—old danyal hussein allegedly stabbed 27—year—old nicole smallman and a6—year—old bibaa henry multiple times in the early hours of saturdayjune 6th last year. their bodies were found together in fryent country park in wembley, north—west london, the next day. at a hearing at the old bailey today attended by members of the victims' family, hussein pleaded not guilty to all the charges. the trial will take place onjune 7th. the foreign secretary dominic raab has criticised china for approving new laws, paving the way for hong kong's electoral system to be overhauled. the move will reduce democratic representation, and allow a pro—beijing panel to vet candidates. mr raab said it was the latest step by the mainland to "hollow out the space for democratic debate" in hong kong. myanmar�*s military rulers have accused the ousted civilian leader, aung san suu kyi, of accepting illegal payments worth the equivalent of £a30,000, as well as gold. since last month's coup, ms suu kyi has been held in an undisclosed location, and there have been widespread protests calling for a return to democracy. japan is marking the tenth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated its north—east coast, and caused a nuclear meltdown at the fukushima power station. more than 18,000 people were killed. at a memorial ceremony in tokyo, emperor naruhito expressed his condolences for those who'd died, and praised people who had overcome hardship by �*helping one another�*. the japanese government has spent more than £200 billion on reconstruction — but a decade on, many communities in the region are still struggling. rupert wingfield—hayes reports. a major earthquake hitjapan on friday afternoon... march 11th, 2011. on the north—east coast of japan a huge earthquake has triggered a giant tsunami. live pictures are broadcast around the world as the wave sweeps through the little fishing port of yuriage, destroying everything in its path. by the end of the day, one in ten of yuriage's residents are missing. among them are this man's whole family, including his wife and 1a—year—old daughter. ten years on, he takes me to the place his house once stood. clutched in his arms, his most precious possession, his daughter's school uniform — all that he has to remember her by. translation: in the beginning, i was drinking heavily. _ i really don't remember much of the first three years after the quake. after four years i started to tell my story. i had a fight with my wife that morning before the quake struck. so now i tell people, what would you do if tomorrow never comes? i tell them to live every single day as if you don't have tomorrow. down the coast, the tsunami triggered a second disaster at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. explosions ripped through the reactor buildings, releasing a huge radioactive cloud. today, the two towns closest to the fukushima plant remain deserted, frozen in time. the plant itself is now circled by vast waste dumps. underneath these green sheets are millions of tonnes of contaminated topsoil. unlike with chernobyl, the japanese government has set out to decontaminate the land here around the fukushima plant. vast areas of topsoil have been removed, creating millions and millions of tonnes of waste. and here behind me you can see new towns being built for the nuclear evacuees. in large part, it has been a success. the radiation levels here are very low. it is safe for people to return to live here. unfortunately, that is no guarantee that they will. this man is struggling to open the door to his deserted and badly damaged workshop. after ten years, the roof is falling in. this is where his family made pottery for 300 years. but he now has no desire to see this place decontaminated. translation: this place may look like a mess, i but i want it to be left alone. this is my home. i have so many memories here. i don't want others to come . in and trample on everything. on the spot where his house once stood, this man has planted three pine trees to commemorate those he lost. nearby, a huge new sea wall has been built to protect yuriage from future tsunamis. but he, too, has no desire to return to live here, next to the ocean that took his family from him ten years ago. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in miyagi, northern japan. the headlines on bbc news... prince william says the royal family isn't racist, following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile, mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women, to mark international women's day. there's been a fall in the amount of sugar consumed through fizzy drinks in the uk, after the government imposed a sugar tax. the drop in the last year is thought to be about 10%, but, as our health correspondent anna collinson reports, that's not because we're drinking fewer soft drinks. obesity is seen as one of the biggest health crises facing the uk. to try and tackle the problem, three years ago, the government brought in a tax to discourage customers, particularly children, from buying the most sugary drinks. if a beverage contains more than five grams of sugar per 100 ml, companies have to pay a levy. if it's below that, they don't. now, a study suggests that in the year since this was introduced, there was no change in the total volume of soft drinks bought, but there was a reduction in the amount of sugar consumed, an estimated three teaspoons per person, perweek. i don't want to think about the amount of calories i was probably consuming before i could make a switch to a fizzy drink that tasted similar but being sugar—free. so the fact the options are there, it's the availability actually. sugar—free options were probably still an option before the sugar tax it's just that they weren't readily available everywhere. researchers believe it's because manufacturers have increased healthier options by changing the formulas for their products, reducing sugar content. it'5 notjust helping people to have healthier diets, to consume less sugar, but the fact that we found no change in the total volume of drinks purchased suggests to us that this is good news for industry as well, that they're selling the same volume of product, but that it's perhaps better for us. experts say cutting out even the smallest amount of sugar will have an impact on the number of people who have obesity and type two diabetes, two groups who are particularly at risk of coronavirus. anna collinson, bbc news. a boy, who suffered life—changing burns in a caravan fire that killed his younger brother, is attempting to scale the height of everest — at home. harley's family was told to prepare for the worst after the fire, but he's since made a remarkable recovery. now, he wants to raise money for the charity that helped get him back on his feet. a warning, tomos morgan's report contains some images viewers may find upsetting. coming home to the house is when it really hit. everything was just so different and so quiet. on january 19th last year, zach and his older brother harley were staying with their father in a caravan when a fire broke out overnight. harley was saved by their heroic father. but as the blaze grew stronger, zach was unable to be rescued and died. the police came then. even though i knew what they were going to say, about zach, when they said it, it was just... everything just came crashing and it was just... i was in shock. the surviving son was transported by air ambulance to bristol for immediate surgery, as mum erin made a three and a half hour drive in the car as fast as she could to be there for harley. they sat us down, and said it wasn't looking very good, and to obviously be prepared for the worst, and for harley to not make it. no matter what they they said couldn't prepare us for when we walked into that room. it was a big shock. he was in a critical condition on intensive care. the prognosis wasn't good. the medical teams kept preparing the family for the worst. but on week three... harley! ..harley took his first steps since the blaze. his recovery was remarkable, miraculous, better than most had predicted. in another three weeks, he was home. and just over a year later... ..look at him now. like every five—year—old boy, he's as active, lively and cheeky as ever, and just wants to play. ok, we'll do one more slide down and then you're going to sit down. 0k. his recovery will continue at swansea over the next few years. so harley and older brother alex have decided to do something to help the welsh dragons burns club, a charity there. the boys are on day 15 of their challenge. they have 39,662 steps. are you ready, boys? yeah. go! climbing snowdon is off limits due to lockdown, so it's the stairs. but the highest mountain in wales wasn't enough of a challenge. so the aim over 12 weeks, is to climb the aa,000 steps needed to summit everest. alex, how are you finding it so far? er, it's a bit tiring. the cause of the fire is still unknown. it's not being treated as suspicious, and the family are awaiting an inquest. every day there'll be something that will remind me of zach, or what's happened, and then i'll get emotional and it'll be hard. but then i do always have the kids to pick me back up and get on with it for them. his positivity and his energy definitely helps us all get through, i think, especially me. just seeing his his attitude towards it all is definitely what kept me going. have you done it today? no. no? are we going to do it when we get home? actually, i'm buying something from the shop. buying something from the shop, ok. two weeks down, and if the remarkable recovery of this young lad is anything to go by, a few stairs won't be getting in his way. tomos morgan, bbc news. hundreds of climbers are poised to return to mount everest for the first time next month since the pandemic shut down nepal's mountaineering sector for a year. climbers must quarantine for seven days and present a negative covid test result before setting off. a tourism department official said she expected more than 300 to make an attempt on the peak, slightly down on the spring season two years ago. an eight—year—old black rhino has completed the first leg of her a,000 milejourney from north yorkshire to tanzania. chanua left her home at flamingo land to travel to africa as part of a plan to increase the number of the species. luxmy gopal has been following herjourney. chanua has been training for this moment for weeks. her keepers in yorkshire have worked on coaxing the eight—year—old black rhino to step into the crate. and now, for the final time, the barrier comes down, and she's safely stowed, ready to start herjourney to africa. getting a crate holding a one tonne rhino onto a lorry is no mean feat. but this precious cargo is worth the effort. chanua's new life in east africa is part of a vital conservation mission to help revive the black rhino population, a critically endangered species. she's travelling from her home in malton, down to hythe in kent, where she'll spend time with two other captive females before they're all transported by air to tanzania, tojoin a new herd of rhinos brought there from other zoos. like her predecessor, almaty, who was moved to rwanda in 2019, her transition to life in the wild will be gradual, with the team helping the herd adjust. we need to assimilate them to the natural diet in the area, wean them off of the zoo food which we've been feeding her, and the dried pellets, and start introducing her to local flora, specifically alfalfa. it's a long drive down to kent. luckily, she seems to be a calm passenger, even when a stop—off at the services is needed. and finally, the first leg of herjourney is complete. luxmy gopal, bbc news. as she meets her new travel companions. in a few weeks, there will be off to meet a new herd, start a new family and start a new life in the wild. luxmy gopal, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. some very strong winds have caused disruption especially last night and early today as well. winds have been easing, just some disruption to travel, big waves around the coast, this is hastings, east sussex earlier on. we keep the strong winds today, a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers with some hail and thunder mixed in. this is the satellite picture, the main band of rain heading to the east but then this speckled cloud piling on from the west bringing heavy and blustery showers. gusts of wind through the afternoon, widely a0 mph but up to 50 mph or more towards the north and west where we will see the bulk of the showers. temperatures between 8—12 degrees for most of us. staying dry for longest in the east but into the evening, we will all see heavy showers of hail and thunder rattling through. showers are falling as snow over the highlands of scotland, icy conditions developing overnight. more showers piling in from the west overnight, eastern area of remaining dry and clear with temperatures down to three or four degrees. milder air where we have more cloud in west. tomorrow is similar to today, sunshine and blustery showers moving through the west on that breeze. not as windy as today. again, some of these heavy showers could bring hail and thunder and more sleet and snow over the mountains of scotland. towards the west we will see the bulk of the showers during the afternoon, brighter and drier in the east. towards the weekend, low pressure is not far away. areas of low pressure in the east, another one approaching from the west so still unsettled. saturday, another day of sunshine and blustery showers, some are wintry on the high ground, in north england and scotland in particular. 8—10 degrees on saturday, best of the sunshine in southern and east england. things turning quieter on sunday but still a brisk wind coming in from the north—west. more rain into the north—west later on in the day. southern and eastern areas avoid most showers, temperatures around 9—11 degrees on sunday. high pressure builds towards next week so it will be a little bit quieter and drier, with overnight frosts. goodbye. this is bbc news. the headlines: prince william says the royal family isn't racist — following accusations made by prince harry and meghan during their explosive interview with oprah winfrey have you spoken to your brother since the interview?— since the interview? now. buti will. ace the _ since the interview? now. buti will. ace the royal— since the interview? now. buti will. ace the royal family i since the interview? now. buti will. ace the royal family a i since the interview? now. but i. will. ace the royal family a racist family sarah? — will. ace the royal family a racist family sarah? we _ will. ace the royal family a racist family sarah? we are _ will. ace the royal family a racist family sarah? we are very i will. ace the royal family a racist family sarah? we are very much| will. ace the royal family a racist i family sarah? we are very much not a racist family- — detectives investigating the disappearance of sarah everard in south london are continuing to question a serving police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. meanwhile mps debate how to tackle the issue of male violence against girls and women to mark international women's day. the number of patients waiting to start hospital treatment in england hits a new high — 4 and a half million people injanuary, with cancer services among the worst hit: