i'mjohn watson, i'm john watson, coming up i'mjohn watson, coming up in i'm john watson, coming up in the sport, leicester city knocked manchester united out of the fa cup, joining southampton, chelsea and manchester city in the semifinals. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. we begin in australia, where heavy rains have triggered the worst floods for a century. thousands of residents in the state of new south wales have been told to leave home. forecasters are warning that more rain is expected. just to give you an idea of how saturated the ground is, take a look at these pictures, filmed at oxley island, about 250 kilometres north of sydney. the water simply has nowhere to go. and that's led to images like this — a house, literally floating away. it's believed it belonged to a couple who were due to get married on saturday. the river is peaking nearly six metres above normal — that's almost 20 feet. it's already burst its banks. our correspondent in phil mercer sent this report. in new south wales, officials had warned sydney was potentially facing a rain bomb. torrential downpours have turned roads into rivers and fields into lakes. homes have been swamped, and emergency crews have responded to thousands of calls for help. for the first time in years, sydney's main reservoir is overflowing, putting suburbs at risk of flooding. we worry about, do we escape or stay here? we don't know. this is the worst i've seen it. last year, just after christmas it was pretty bad as well, but not this bad. there's going to be a lot of people that maybe don't get their houses flooded, but they won't get to work, the roads will be wrecked as well. across new south wales, australia's most populous state, residents in many low—lying areas have been told to leave. communities to the north of sydney have been badly affected. i just want to say to everybody in new south wales who is experiencing that fear and anxiety, that our thoughts are with you and we'll get assistance to you as soon as we can. oh, my goodness. near the town of taree, a house was washed away down a river by floodwaters. it's a day the owners will never forget. they were supposed to get married, but the bride and groom were kept apart by the floods. the wild weather has delayed the roll—out of covid—19 vaccinations. more storms are expected in the next few days. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. let's go live to sydney — sophie lovejoins me now. she lives 80 kilometres inland from port macquarie, one of the worst hit areas. i can see that you buy a river that looks like it is raging. tell us a little bit about your situation there.— tell us a little bit about your situation there. , ., ., situation there. ok, so we on the banks of the _ situation there. ok, so we on the banks of the river _ situation there. ok, so we on the banks of the river about - situation there. ok, so we on the banks of the river about five - situation there. ok, so we on the i banks of the river about five metres from my house. the river came up, the water was lapping yesterday at the water was lapping yesterday at the top of the bank, near the house. it covered the flat, the front of the house, it has never come up this high before. it dropped six metres yesterday and is coming up again. this is nothing compared to what it was like yesterday. we have lost the bridge that is our access into the property. we have lost acres of river bank. i don't know how we are going to recover from this quite honestly. going to recover from this quite honestl . ., , ., honestly. you said five metres from our honestly. you said five metres from your house. — honestly. you said five metres from your house. far— honestly. you said five metres from your house, far too _ honestly. you said five metres from your house, far too close _ honestly. you said five metres from your house, far too close for - your house, far too close for comfort. what is the weather forecast like?— comfort. what is the weather forecast like? , ., forecast like? so, it is raining, it is rainin: forecast like? so, it is raining, it is raining again _ forecast like? so, it is raining, it is raining again now. _ forecast like? so, it is raining, it is raining again now. and - forecast like? so, it is raining, it is raining again now. and it - forecast like? so, it is raining, it is raining again now. and it is i forecast like? so, it is raining, it| is raining again now. and it isjust going to keep raining. i think the peakis going to keep raining. i think the peak is supposed to be tomorrow night, when two whether systems collide. we are pretty scared about that quite frankly having seen what we went through yesterday. [30 that quite frankly having seen what we went through yesterday. do you think it is safer _ we went through yesterday. do you think it is safer for _ we went through yesterday. do you think it is safer for you _ we went through yesterday. do you think it is safer for you to _ we went through yesterday. do you think it is safer for you to get - we went through yesterday. do you think it is safer for you to get out . think it is safer for you to get out or is it too dangerous to get on the roads? we or is it too dangerous to get on the roads? ~ u, �* or is it too dangerous to get on the roads? ~ a, �* ., , roads? we can't get out. our bridge, normall , roads? we can't get out. our bridge, normally. when _ roads? we can't get out. our bridge, normally, when the _ roads? we can't get out. our bridge, normally, when the river _ roads? we can't get out. our bridge, normally, when the river is _ roads? we can't get out. our bridge, normally, when the river is flooded, | normally, when the river is flooded, we would get on a flying fox and then go across to the other side, but none of the creeks are possible, the bridges have been lost away we have lost a bridge on our property, and the bridges, most of the access roads, have been washed away. i don't know how the entire area is going to recover from this. don't know how the entire area is going to recoverfrom this. i don't know how any of us are ever going to get back to work or to school. haste get back to work or to school. have ou been get back to work or to school. have you been talking — get back to work or to school. have you been talking and _ get back to work or to school. have you been talking and burning with neighbours who have got the same problems —— ferling with neighbours? you've got the water coming at you and know where to go. the landlines are out to my _ and know where to go. the landlines are out to my mobile _ and know where to go. the landlines are out to my mobile the _ and know where to go. the landlines are out to my mobile the landlines i are out to my mobile the landlines are out to my mobile the landlines are out, mobiles have been out since friday, so it is only those of us who have got satellite internet who can communicate with anybody. and in fact that has been a lifeline although it doesn't work a lot when it's raining, so it has been very patchy, but most of our neighbours are in their80s, patchy, but most of our neighbours are in their 80s, and there is no way to communicate with them. it is a real worry, quite frankly. way to communicate with them. it is a realworry, quite frankly.— a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think— a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think i _ a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think i could _ a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think i could be _ a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think i could be as _ a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think i could be as calm - a realworry, quite frankly. sophie, i don't think i could be as calm as l i don't think i could be as calm as you right now, but i guess inside it is very tough. you right now, but i guess inside it is very tough-— you right now, but i guess inside it is very tough. yesterday we were all ve calm is very tough. yesterday we were all very calm in — is very tough. yesterday we were all very calm in an _ is very tough. yesterday we were all very calm in an emergency - is very tough. yesterday we were all very calm in an emergency and - very calm in an emergency and yesterday we had a very scary couple of hours rescuing animals and building portable buildings, we have a tiny house, and all of the trailers and everything from that, including my 12—year—old son, we all had a headache last night and i think this morning, we have lived through the bush fires and the drought, we know that we can survive. it is depressing, but right now, we don't know how bad the damage is, and wejust have now, we don't know how bad the damage is, and we just have to now, we don't know how bad the damage is, and wejust have to keep putting one foot in front of another and... , ., , putting one foot in front of another and... , . , , and... city, we are 'ust beginning to lose the h and... city, we are 'ust beginning to lose the link _ and... city, we are 'ust beginning to lose the link -- _ and... city, we arejust beginning to lose the link -- sophie. - and... city, we arejust beginning to lose the link -- sophie. i - and... city, we arejust beginning to lose the link -- sophie. ijust i to lose the link —— sophie. ijust want to say thank you for sharing your story and good luck to you and your story and good luck to you and yourfamily in the coming days. thank you. the us defense secretary has refused to say whether american forces will leave afghanistan by the may deadline, which was announced by donald trump while he was president. lloyd austin was speaking after talks with the afghan leader, ashraf ghani, during a brief visit to kabul. he didn't refer directly to the peace talks with the taliban which are taking place in qatar — but said he hoped a negotiated settlement to end the conflict could be reached. take a listen. that process of reviewing the conditions that have been met or not met is ongoing. as you have seen with our efforts in doha, so, i will not care to comment on that, but what i will say is that it is obvious that the level of violence remains pretty high in the country. we would like to see that violence come down, and i think, if it does come down, and i think, if it does come down, and i think, if it does come down, we can begin to set the conditions for some really fruitful diplomatic work. this is the time of year when young americans, particularly college students, head off on spring break, perhaps the biggest mass party of the year. and for many people, the pandemic is no barrier. just look at these scenes in miami in florida, filmed on saturday evening. but the events have become so raucous, with multiple reports of fights, that the city authorities have declared a state of emergency. and that includes an 8pm curfew in the main entertainment district and restrictions on travel. police eventually used pepper balls to clear these crowds. as you can see, there was little social distancing or mask wearing in evidence. live now to our north america correspondent, lebo diseko, in washington. spring break is normally a big affair, but were american shocked by the scenes when we are still in a pandemic? it the scenes when we are still in a pandemic?— pandemic? it is an annual party around the _ pandemic? it is an annual party around the country. _ pandemic? it is an annual party around the country. it - pandemic? it is an annual party around the country. it is - pandemic? it is an annual party around the country. it is not. pandemic? it is an annual party around the country. it is not a l around the country. it is not a surprise in the normal year to see lots of people descending on miami beach. but, yes, people outside of florida certainly would have been quite shocked to see the number of people just packed together on the streets, and obviously authorities there were quite alarmed. they have instituted this curfew that was going to be in place until tuesday. and even after those pepper ball sprays were fired, into the crowds, there were still people out on the streets, so there were several restrictions brought in, areas of the city that are going to be shut off, a road closure, some stretches where businesses will not be allowed to open. so, yes, it seems to have alarmed authorities, and people watching around the country t. it watching around the country t. if they are out on the streets again, if it is defiance, not compliance, what would they face, possibly being arrested? i what would they face, possibly being arrested? ., ., ., arrested? i would imagine law enforcement _ arrested? i would imagine law enforcement would _ arrested? i would imagine law enforcement would be - arrested? i would imagine law enforcement would be out - arrested? i would imagine law enforcement would be out in l arrested? i would imagine law- enforcement would be out in numbers, and we may well see them deploy the sort of tactics that we saw last night, but we are a few hours away. we will have to kind of wait and see how it plays out. we will have to kind of wait and see how it plays out-— how it plays out. what about the state of florida, _ how it plays out. what about the state of florida, looking - how it plays out. what about the state of florida, looking at - how it plays out. what about the state of florida, looking at the l state of florida, looking at the bigger picture? has lockdown been controversial there, as in other places? it controversial there, as in other laces? , , places? it is interesting. the governor _ places? it is interesting. the governor of _ places? it is interesting. the governor of florida, - places? it is interesting. the governor of florida, ron - places? it is interesting. the - governor of florida, ron desantis, has been a big ally of donald trump and his approach has been in the mould of the former president when it comes to coronavirus. he lifted restrictions on the state around coronavirus last september, and refused to institute state—wide mask mandates. last month he was praising his state approach, and said that they have had no lockdown mandates, he has instituted this executive order which basically gets around restrictions brought in by local governments, finds that they had implemented around coronavirus restrictions. but i think what is interesting is that there has been a bit of soul—searching, comparing the impact of coronavirus in places like florida to states like california, which is a democratic run state. ron desantis is a republican, and they have had much harsher conditions but, when you look at their caseload per 100,000, they are not that different. again if you look at death rates, obviously, it is terrible when anybody passes away, but both states are around the mid 20s, when it comes to the state rankings. florida, of course, because it has kept businesses largely open has avoided some of the unemployment levels that they have seenin unemployment levels that they have seen in california. so there are questions being asked about which approach is best. certainly i would imagine it is quite shocking to see like we have seen over the past weekend playing out in miami. thank ou for weekend playing out in miami. thank you for getting _ weekend playing out in miami. thank you for getting as _ weekend playing out in miami. thank you for getting as up-to-date - weekend playing out in miami. thank you for getting as up—to—date from washington. buckingham palace has announced a review of all diversity policies across all royal households. sources close to the british royal family say procedures are already in place, but they have not yet produced the hoped—for progress. that work began before the duke and duchess of sussex, harry and meghan, made allegations of racism in their interview with oprah winfrey. the largest asteroid to pass by earth this year has reached its closest point, giving astronomers an opportunity to observe a space rock that formed at the dawn of the solar system. the asteroid — first discovered 20 years ago — is about 900 metres in diameter. the american space agency nasa says that even at its nearest point, it was still two million kilometres away. the headlines on bbc news. parts of new south wales in australia suffer their worst floods in a century, with thousands of people urged to evacuate and there's a warning of more rain to come. america's defense secretary lloyd austin says he's concerned about the recent violence in afghanistan — but wouldn't comment when asked if the us was still planning to pull sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. leicester city are into the semifinals of the fa cup after knocking out manchester united. talei ihenacho scored. adam wilde was watching. 0ne quarter finals weekend, this was the fa cup seemingly saving the best till last. leicester city and manchester united, the country's top teams, and with that mark —— that in mind this from fred seems rather out of place. that gifted killer he ihenacho of leicester and opening goal. they eventually created a chance for themselves, paul pogba got onto it, and don evander beat stayed away from it. mason mid finishing. having seen the draw at half—time they knew who would be there waiting. if that was incentive, youri tielemans seemed inspired, this run unstoppable. jamie vardy usually so reliable in these situations had a great chance to make it three. you don't often — great chance to make it three. you don't often see _ great chance to make it three. ym. don't often see jamie vardy miss from there. don't often see jamie vardy miss from there-— from there. leicester made the semifinal for _ from there. leicester made the semifinal for the _ from there. leicester made the semifinal for the first _ from there. leicester made the semifinal for the first time - from there. leicester made the semifinal for the first time in i from there. leicester made the semifinal for the first time in a | semifinal for the first time in a generation, and now on their way to wembley. a big win for brendan rodgers and his leicester side, but for manchester united, the schedule appears to be catching up with them according to their manager 0le gunnar solskjaer. according to their manager ole gunnar solskjaer.— according to their manager ole gunnar solskjaer. tonight, it is understandable, _ gunnar solskjaer. tonight, it is understandable, sometimes i gunnar solskjaer. tonight, it is l understandable, sometimes you gunnar solskjaer. tonight, it is - understandable, sometimes you know, they have been fantastic, the last three or four months, they have played every three days, every four days, and they are on a great run, and itjust caught up with us, all of the games. theyjust didn't have that extra zip, that extra authority and confidence. the that extra zip, that extra authority and confidence.— that extra zip, that extra authority and confidence. the players want to succeed. and confidence. the players want to succeed- we — and confidence. the players want to succeed. we are _ and confidence. the players want to succeed. we are ambitious - and confidence. the players want to succeed. we are ambitious to - and confidence. the players want to succeed. we are ambitious to be i and confidence. the players want to | succeed. we are ambitious to be the best that _ succeed. we are ambitious to be the best that we can be. we know that we are competing against some big opponents. but that is the challenge and it— opponents. but that is the challenge and it is_ opponents. but that is the challenge and it is a _ opponents. but that is the challenge and it is a test that we will enjoy and it is a test that we will enjoy and you — and it is a test that we will enjoy and you see performances like tonight — and you see performances like tonight. the quality, the calmness, the aggression, those really well for us _ the aggression, those really well for us going forward.— the aggression, those really well for us going forward. joining them in the semifinals, _ for us going forward. joining them in the semifinals, chelsea, - for us going forward. joining them in the semifinals, chelsea, who i for us going forward. joining them in the semifinals, chelsea, who is| in the semifinals, chelsea, who is to have zero victory over sheffield united sees them rewarded with a tie against manchester city in the last four. the eight time winners remain unbeaten since the appointment of thomas tuchel as manager. they took the lead in the first half but only nature of their place thanks to this goal from nature of their place thanks to this goalfrom hacking deek. they will play manchester city whilst southampton will play leicester. tottenham currently leading to having zero against aston villa in the premiership, earlier there was a london derby that had it all as arsenal came from behind to salvage a draw against west ham. the home side chasing champions league football looked destined to move alongside chelsea in the table after three goals in the first 32 minutes, but then two goals in an equaliser from alexandre lacazette so the point share. west ham remained fifth. arsenal, nine. he came into this the pressure of the two having cruised through his semifinal and beat the defending champion victor axelsen from denmark today in the final in birmingham. jofra archer will miss the upcoming series against india and the start of the oncoming indian premier league because of his ongoing elbow problem. the elbow deteriorated during the five match t20 series and he returned treatment. the three match series starts on tuesday. he was due to play for rajasthan royals in the ipl from the 9th of april through to the 30th of may. that is all from the bbc sport centre for now. back to you. turning to events here in the uk, and protesters have clashed with police in bristol after thousands of people turned up to a demonstration officers had "strongly advised" against attending. crowds gathered for a rally against the �*police and crime bill�* before marching to a nearby police station. for these vehicles have been set on fire, windows smashed and fireworks set off. police have called the actions of protesters unacceptable and said those responsible for offences will be identified and brought to justice. in households around the world, covid restrictions have meant couples spending more time together than before the pandemic. families have been sharing space, working from home, and home schooling. but spare a thought for the men and women just trying to get to know each other — especially when living in different countries. here's david campanale with the story of how one couple split between canada and the united states have kept their relationship alive. room to move safely and space to keep love alive. four american reading steel and canadian rod greenwood, this park has become central to their relationship. since the beginning of the pandemic a border crossing at peace arch park is where they get together. we have been datin: is where they get together. we have been dating now— is where they get together. we have been dating now about _ is where they get together. we have been dating now about six, - is where they get together. we have been dating now about six, six - is where they get together. we have been dating now about six, six this | been dating now about six, six this year? we met online. we have been spending some time down in the states because his son was there. that was how we met up. every weekend, flanked by a tent, portable heater, coffee and hot chocolate, the couple meet to do jigsaw puzzles, listen to music and talk. this time last year, the us— canada border was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. british columbia closed its side of the park, but washington state remained open for canadians to enter, and has proved a lifeline for couples in cross—border relationships. it proved a lifeline for couples in cross-border relationships. it has been great _ cross-border relationships. it has been great coming _ cross-border relationships. it has been great coming to _ cross-border relationships. it has been great coming to the - cross-border relationships. it has been great coming to the park i cross—border relationships. ut u—.3 been great coming to the park and having this here, because this is the only way we have been able to spend time with each other in the last almost 11 months now and if we didn't have this we wouldn't be able to see each other. but didn't have this we wouldn't be able to see each other.— to see each other. but with covid restrictions _ to see each other. but with covid restrictions pushed _ to see each other. but with covid restrictions pushed to _ to see each other. but with covid restrictions pushed to the - to see each other. but with covid restrictions pushed to the limit i to see each other. but with covid l restrictions pushed to the limit and border officials under political pressure to act, park access might come to a close, and couples will have to fix the puzzle of another kind, how to keep love alive online. david campanale, bbc news. a music festival is going ahead in the netherlands this weekend, despite the rest of the country being under a covid—19lockdown. the two—day event is an experiment, to try to work out whether there's a safe way to allow large social gatherings without increasing the spread of the virus. 0ur correspondent anna holligan sent this report from biddinghuizen near amsterdam. surreal as it might work, a reminder of what life was once like and an opportunity to pilot a way back to this. everyone is going to party here. what does it feel like? euphoric. 1500 people managed to get a ticket for this and everyone here had to show a negative test before they were allowed in. as you can see, everyone is meant to have to wear a mask. and as you can see, they are not. and of course the risk with an event like this is when people stop following the rules, it can potentially affect everyone outside this controlled environment. soon, they were all mixing and the masks had mostly vanished. once you are into the mood of dancing and partying, they fly away in no time, they become a party hat. as all of these people are tested, and no negatives. of course this is not the normal situation. you have to see them as test dummies during an experiment. this is not a normal life. there will be people who think it is unethical to use these young people like guinea pigs. what do you say to them? all the participants know that there is a minor risk. they are well aware of it. we believe from the first data that we can say that the risk is not much higher than staying at home. these motion sensors are designed to track the group dynamics, and the government is paying for the scientific research. this event will inevitably raise eyebrows and questions about how ethical it is, especially when neighbouring nations are locked down. here in the netherlands the infection rate has gone up by 25% since last week. in what sense is this valuable, when the risks are still so great? it will only give up the data to reopen society, if you plan it right, you can do safe things. so this is not an unsafe event. the entertainment industry in the netherlands and around the world has been shut down by measures to stop our social interactions. the isolation has huge consequences for businesses and on our mental health. this is very much because i really love dancing so for me personally it is a big relief to do this. yeah, i love it, i enjoy it. we enjoy it and now we can go to a party again. - this feels like a revelation. we are happy to be able to meet like this again. to be social, and meet different people and handshake - and, like, hugging. you have been doing a lot of hugging? 0h everyone, everyone! they will be testing next week to see if this event has been a source of an outbreak although on previous occasions not everyone showed up for the second test. looking ahead to festival season, this might be a model for other countries to follow. scientists in iceland say the eruption of a volcano near the capital, reykjavik, appears to be subsiding. the volcano — which last erupted around 800 years ago — burst through a huge crack in the earth's crust on friday night. icelanders had been bracing themselves for an eruption for several weeks, after more than 50,000 earthquakes and tremors were felt in the region. you can see more you can see more of you can see more of these stunning pictures on their website and the bbc news app. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @philippabbc thank you for watching bbc news. and now it is time for the weather with darren bett. good evening. the weather pattern is forecast to change over the week ahead. today's been another one of those quiet days mixed amount of sunshine, certainly but a lot of dry weather. 0vernight tonight we'll see cloud probably coming back in from the atlantic into northern ireland into western scotland and northwest england. rather more variable cloud elsewhere and where we have the clearer skies for longer, say parts of northeast england, midlands and wales and even into eastern scotland, those temperatures will be close to freezing by the morning. one or two mist and fog patches. but those won't last long. looking ahead to monday, looks quite cloudy for western scotland, northwest england and northern scotland. more of a breeze or light drizzle for western scotland. elsewhere it looks dry, sunshine from time to time. highest temperatures 13, 1a degrees where the clouds a bit thinner through the midlands, the southeast and also the northeast of scotland. high pressure then in charge. the centre of the high starts to drift away towards continental europe on tuesday. allowing more of a south to south—westerly breeze. a noticable breeze picking up in most areas on tuesday and we may have a fair bit of cloud around. the best of the sunshine across more sheltered eastern areas in northern ireland in eastern scotland we've got a weather front arriving and that will start to bring rain. could be drizzle across western areas of the day as well. that weatherfront is going to signal a change. it's not bringing much rain at all but it will move down across the country, opening up more of an atlantic airstream heading our way and bringing it's with it some more unsettled weather. this weather front, there it is they are, producing a bit of rain and drizzle as it heads towards the southeast, through the midlands and east anglia. then there is some sunshine before we see some showers coming into the northwest where we got the stronger winds and it will be wettest in the northwest of scotland. temperatures dropping away here. otherwise, not a great deal of change. as we move from wednesday into thursday, the wind starts to pick up a little bit more, another weather system coming in from the atlantic. no longer high pressure, pressure will be much lower by thursday and we've got showers and sunshine perhaps some heavy showers toward the northwest was up blog is rain sweeping across northern island and western parts of scotland. again, temperatures 11 to 13 celsius so near normal for this time of year. a quiet start to the week, things start to turn a bit wetter and windier. particularly in the northwest and then briefly later in the week it turns a bit chillier. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the eu comission president, ursula von der leye, has faced criticism from the british government after suggesting that exports of the astrazeneca vaccine outside the eu could be blocked. a record breaking day on saturday — that's what the government says on the number of vaccines administered in the country. nearly 850,000. but a warning that facemasks and some social distancing could be with us, for years. it comes as more questions are raised over whether people can plan forforeign holidays this summer. protesters clash with police in bristol after thousands demonstrate over plans to give the police more powers to deal