helena wilkinson reports. arriving at westminster magistrates�* court this morning, pc wayne couzens, believed to be in this police man. the 44—year—old met police man. the 44—year—old met police officerjoined the post—2 years ago. today he appeared in the dock, charges of kidnap and murder were formally put to him. it is ten days since sarah everard disappeared in south london. the body found here in south london. the body found here in woodland, near ashford in kent. extensive searches are continuing close to where her body was found. 13 miles away, the police officer�*s house in deal is a focus, and an old garage where he used to work is being searched. in clapham, where sarah was last seen, a vigil has been cancelled. organisers had hoped it was a chance for people to express their sorrow, but also send a broader message that many women feel unsafe alone on the streets. the group effectively lost a challenge at the high court over covid—i9 regulations. it challenge at the high court over covid-19 regulations.— challenge at the high court over covid-19 regulations. it doesn't end here by any — covid-19 regulations. it doesn't end here by any stretch. _ covid-19 regulations. it doesn't end here by any stretch. we _ covid-19 regulations. it doesn't end here by any stretch. we are - here by any stretch. we are encouraging people, as we said, to light a candle in their doorstep or in the street at 9:30pm, to remember sarah everard and her life but also the lives of so many women that we have lost to violence of this kind. what happened to sarah everard has started a national conversation about women�*s safety and has become about women�*s safety and has become a political issue. the government is seeking further views on how to tackle violence against women and girls. tackle violence against women and uirls. ,,. , tackle violence against women and uirls. , , tackle violence against women and iirls. , , girls. sadly, the messages coming from women _ girls. sadly, the messages coming from women have _ girls. sadly, the messages coming from women have been _ girls. sadly, the messages coming from women have been very - girls. sadly, the messages coming i from women have been very powerful but the message i am getting back to government is do something, do something meaningful or we will be holding yourfeet to something meaningful or we will be holding your feet to the fire over why not. holding your feet to the fire over wh not. �* ., ., , ., holding your feet to the fire over wh not. �* ., ., ., why not. but for the family of sarah everard, why not. but for the family of sarah everard. what _ why not. but for the family of sarah everard, what they _ why not. but for the family of sarah everard, what they are _ why not. but for the family of sarah everard, what they are dealing - why not. but for the family of sarah everard, what they are dealing with i everard, what they are dealing with is unimaginable. they will be wanting answers as to what happened to sarah, who they say was bright and beautiful, and a shining example. helena wilkinson, bbc news. as we�*ve been hearing, the suspect appeared this morning in court. my colleague greg mckenzie is there for us. greg, what is set to happen next? the 48—year—old has been remanded into police custody, and will appear at the old bailey crown court, on tuesday. he has yet to enter a plea on those two charges of the kidnap and murder of 33—year—old sarah everard in south london. greg mckenzie. _ everard in south london. greg mckenzie, thank _ everard in south london. greg mckenzie, thank you - everard in south london. greg mckenzie, thank you very - everard in south london. greg mckenzie, thank you very much. shops, schools and restaurants will close across much of italy from monday after the prime minister, mario draghi, confirmed the country was now experiencing a fresh wave of coronavirus. cases have been rising steadily, with more than 25,000 new infections now reported each day. our rome correspondent mark lowen reports. it�*s just over a year since italy imposed the world�*s first national lockdown of the pandemic. now, the first country in the west to be overwhelmed by covid is in a third wave. with cases rising for the past six weeks — exceeding 25,000 a day — italy is closing its doors again. from monday, schools, shops and restaurants will shut in more than half the country. for three days over easter, they will close nationwide. the new prime minister, mario draghi, said urgent action was needed. translation: i am aware that today's restrictions will have _ consequences on the education of your children and the economy and everyone�*s mental health. but they are necessary to avoid a worsening of the situation that would require even stricter measures. it is a bleak situation in some other parts of europe, too. poland has seen its second highest daily number of cases since november, and germany is reporting a rapid rise among schoolchildren, with new variants to blame. the speed of vaccination programmes in most of the eu remains sluggish. italy has administered just over 6 millionjabs — about a quarter of the doses of the uk, with similar populations. austria�*s chancellor said vaccines weren�*t being fairly distributed among member states, with signs that some countries were striking side deals with manufacturers. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. here, wales has begun easing its lockdown restrictions. the stay—at—home rule has been replaced with a requirement to stay local. it means that, as in scotland, up to four people from two different households can now meet outdoors to socialise, including in private gardens. eight people have been shot dead by the security forces in myanmar, as protests continue across the country against last month�*s military coup. images posted online show several severely injured people, including a buddhist monk. two men were killed in front of a police station in yangon, while a woman was shot in mandalay. now, if you�*ve got an old petrol or diesel car — would you be prepared to swap it for a bike or take the bus instead? a scheme�*s begun in coventry where people can hand their vehicles over to be recycled — in exchange for credit to spend on more sustainable modes of transport. our business correspondent katy austin has the details. it�*s the end of the road for this car. it was sent here deliberately by its former owner. but why? let�*s reverse a few days. we met mohammed, who owned that 15—year—old diesel for four years. after, you know, the lockdown has kicked in, i have been mainly working from home, five days a week. so, i�*m not using the car as much. he decided tojoin a trial in coventry. owners of cars over ten years old can give them up and get cash for other forms of travel. they are offering £3000 worth of credits, which you can use to travel by bus, train, taxi. authorities in the west midlands are behind this scheme, using funding from a government grant. the idea is to get 250 cars off the road and get their drivers onto more environmentally friendly transport. this is trying to address what you might call the behavioural choices of individuals. bear in mind we are investing hundreds of millions of pounds of the capital in the transport network, but we do need to know how we are actually going to encourage more people onto it. so it�*s all part of a wider scheme. the aa told us the timing was bizarre, and the money would be better spent on electric charging points. the walking and cycling charity sustrans, though, welcomed the trial, but said it wasn�*t a silver bullet. these schemes are more likely to work when you have got decent public transport provision already and safe walking and cycling routes. i think the challenge with schemes like this is obviously in rural areas, and in some suburban areas. there are not currently any plans for a national scheme, but traffic was increasing before the pandemic, and here, they hope to change at least some people�*s behaviour. katy austin, bbc news. with all the sport now, here�*s chetan pathak at the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. we start with the six nations. wales are overwhelming favourites to beat italy in rome later, taking them to the brink of a grand slam. there�*s only one side that can stop them and that�*s france, who are up against england at twickenham, after an enforced break. joe lynskey reports. france beat ireland on valentine�*s day. a month on each embrace is under scrutiny. days after this the squad had a covid outbreak. they were meant to be on a strict bubble. now 27 days later, their six nations resumes, and with two wins from two they are still on for a grand slam. the papers say the french public are still with them. they still have a very positive image because this generation of players, people like the way they play, they like the solidarity, if there are some responsibilities, it will be on the staff people at the french rugby union, not the players or the team. do we know how this outbreak happened in this squad? some people had been careless, the players had been careless, but the big problem is that the manager, fabien gaulthie had been careless, he went outside the bubble. there are a lot of question marks about his behaviour. now france go where they have not won in 14 years, but this tournament�*s ended one twickenham curse. the first win for scotland at twickenham since 1983, 38 years. england have lost twice already, their title defence is now a rebuild job. one of the changes is elliot daly left on the bench, and when he is fit he has not been dropped for five years, but does looking forward come at a cost? results are important, but not the be—all and end—all. as an england side we are expected to win every game, and we want to win every game, but at the same time, there is a responsibility to make sure we develop the team for 2023. the six nations takes us from winter into spring. from a standing start they face an england side with different pressures. we will see at twickenham which team responds. there�*s commenary on today�*s games on bbc radio 5live and sports extra. there�*ll be no crowds at those games of course, but, in football, premier league chief executive richard masters hopes that every club will have one match in front of home fans before the end of this season. providing the government�*s road map goes to plan, there�*ll be up to 10,000 supporters at the final two fixtures, with the penultimate round of games moved back a day so they�*re played after lockdown rules are eased on 17th may. it will be a fantastic finale to the end of our season and, then, from the beginning of next season onwards, our goal is to have full stadia. and obviously the government�*s road map offers us that opportunity. there�*s a lot of water to pass under the bridge before that can happen, but that�*s our ultimate goal — to see a return of full, vibrant premier league stadiums. it�*s been a tricky second day so far for lewis hamilton, as testing continues ahead of the new formula one season. the opening session had to be stopped when he slid across the track and spun his mercedes into the gravel. hamilton�*s going for a record eighth world title and said it was "horrible" in the car after day one, as the team struggled. just time for a quick update from the early premier league kick—off. it�*s goalless so far between leeds and chelsea. back to you. you can see more on all of today�*s stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at ten past five — goodbye for now. hello. you�*re watching the bbc news channel. i�*m shaun ley. more now on the anti—coup protests in myanmar. at least eight people have been shot dead by the security forces. among those, two men were killed in front of a police station in thaketa township in yangon, while a woman was shot dead in mandalay. earlier i spoke to an anti—coup protester from mandalay where some of these killings happened. the demonstration where the monk was shot, three people were killed over there. one clarification that i would like to make is the rally was at an end when the police decided to show up and they basically were there to not break up the protest, not crack down on the protest, they were there to kill and they killed three people and they shot a monk. what you are describing is a situation now then presumably where organisers are very, very careful about how they disseminate information about where protests are going to take place and presumably the protests are quite short and sharp to prevent them becoming targets for this kind of action? yes, for example today the protest, protesters start gathering at 9am today. the police showed up at 10am. by then, the rally was already over. as i said, they were there to kill, they did not have to kill, they did not have to shoot a single shot. people were about to go back, about to disperse, but they did anyway. what is the thing that would change the situation in a positive way for you in myanmar? i guess, as much as you may hope for more international help, beyond sanctions it is unlikely there will be much else concrete that could change things. can you change things within the country or is this pattern just going to carry on where you try and protest, they try and kill you, there is another protest somewhere else, more death, more injury, and it is stuck in a terrible cycle of death and no resolution? we are stuck in a terrible cycle of death. frankly we are tired of waiting for the international community to help us. it is good the call for r2p, it is good that crph and doctor sa sa are trying to spread awareness, but i would plead for doctor sa sa and crph to give full immunity to those foot soldiers and policeman who are thinking about or who are choosing to defect from the ranks, because i do not believe foot soldiers or policemen, i do not believe they are in love superiors either, i do not think they are paid well enough. i do not think they are fed well enough. we believe they are, when they are told to crack down on protest, they are given one meal, breakfast and that is it, so if we are able, if the crph were able to give them and provide them immunity for defection, i believe it would cause a snowball effect and cause mass defections. that is an anti—government protester from myanmar and for obvious reasons he has chosen to disguise his identity. the headlines on bbc news: a serving metropolitan police officer has appeared before magistrates. 48—year—old wayne couzens is charged with the kidnap and murder of sarah everard. a vigil in sarah�*s memory has been cancelled — the police say the event would breach covid rules. the organisers will now fundraise for women�*s causes. at least eight people have been shot dead by the security forces in myanmar, as protests continue across the country against last month�*s military coup. new york�*s governor andrew cuomo says he will not bow to what he calls "cancel culture" and resign. there are growing calls for him to step down after allegations of sexual misconduct. us democratic senators chuck schumer and kirsten gillibrand havejoined the list of politicians saying he should go. paul hawkins reports. andrew cuomo, new york governor, but for how much longer? once widely praised for his leadership during the first wave of coronavirus, he�*s now fighting for his political life. i did not do what has been alleged. period. there are often many motivations for making an allegation. seven women have now come forward making allegations against him, including sexual misconduct and assault. politicians who don�*t know a single fact but yet form a conclusion and an opinion are, in my opinion, reckless and dangerous. the latest of those politicians includes chuck schumer, one of the most senior democrats in congress and the senate majority leader. along with fellow new york senator kirsten gillibrand, they released a statement, saying... but, they add... already, more than 55 democratic legislators in new york have signed a letter calling on him to step down. the city�*s mayor bill de blasio says he should go. so too some democrats in congress, including alexandra ocasio—cortez. and as for the white house... the president believes that every woman who has come forward deserves to have her voice heard, should be treated with respect, and should be able to tell her story. there also is an independent investigation that is ongoing, of course, in the state, with subpoena power overseen by the attorney general, and he certainly supports that moving forward. andrew cuomo says he�*ll wait for the outcome of that investigation before deciding whether to step down. people know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture, and the truth. i�*m not going to resign. but there�*s also another investigation, a federal one, into claims the state undercounted the true covid death toll in care homes. the pressure for him to go now could be too much. paul hawkins, bbc news. a huge car bomb in herat, in western afghanistan, has killed at least eight people. the powerful blast also injured around 50 other people and destroyed more than a dozen houses. the united nations has condemned what it called an alarming increase in attacks deliberately targeting civilians, despite peace talks taking place between the taliban and the afghan government. no group has claimed it carried out the latest attack. now to the american city of minneapolis, and one of the largest pre—trial settlements in us history — 27 million dollars to the family of george floyd. he�*s the african—american man who died while being restrained by police officers in may last year. lawyers for his family say the city has agreed to settle in the civil case for damages. separately, a former minneapolis police officer, derek chauvin, is standing trial on criminal charges, including third degree murder, following the incident. here�*s the floyd family lawyer, ben crump. the financial compensation most directly impacts george floyd and his family, the future of their family. but it is the policy reforms that affects all of us. today marks the one—year anniversary of the killing by police of breonna taylor in her apartment in the us. the police shot 26—year—old ms taylor eight times and no criminal charges have ever been brought over her death. her death sparked protests in her home city of louisville, kentucky, and across the country, and it became part of the wider black lives matter movement. earlier i spoke to kehinde andrews, professor of black studies at the university of birmingham, about both george floyd and breonna taylor. well, i mean, i think the fact that it is the one—year anniversary of the killing of breonna taylor and as you say, there have been no criminal charges brought. just in december they decided not to bring in a new prosecutor, which shows that not really much has changed. i think it is good that there has been a settlement in the george floyd case, but we have seen that before with these high—profile things. but actually with the day—to—day experiences, you�*ve seen many more black people being killed in the last year and actually the treatment of breonna taylor and her family shows that things have not really changed at all. the circumstances, for those that do not know the case, is that police officers entered the apartment, her boyfriend, partner, says he fired a shot into the air to, as he thought, ward off burglars because he thought someone was breaking into his apartment. he said there was no warning, no shout of police and all the rest of it, they fired back multiple shots into ms taylor and she was killed. this question of police liability for their actions seems to be a real problem in the