uber drivers in the uk will be classed as workers, not self—employed, with big implications for global employment rights. and — the 99 year old duke of edinburgh returns home to windsor, after a month in hospital — he's said to be in good spirits. sweden and latvia are the latest eu member states to suspend use of the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine, following concerns about possible side—effects. france, germany, spain and italy have all said they're awaiting the conclusions of an investigation by the european medicines agency, which are due on thursday. but the agency has already said today there's �*no indication�* that the astrazeneca vaccine causes side—effects such as blood clots. our medical editor fergus walsh has more details. this vaccine saves lives, of that there is no doubt. and yet in the middle of a pandemic, with thousands dying every day in europe from covid. germany, france, italy, more than a dozen eu countries have temporarily suspended using the astrazeneca jab. why? the concern is blood clots. astrazeneca says there have been 37 incidents of blood clots in the uk and eu, but that is following 17 millionjabs. in germany, seven rare clots in the brain and three deaths have been recorded. the european medicines agency is investigating each case, but says the overall rate of clots is no higher than you would expect in the general population. at present, there is no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions. they have not come up in the clinical trials and they are not listed as known or expected side effects with this vaccine. germany's health ministry said it won't be responsible to keep using the astrazeneca vaccine without a re—evaluation, but the eu safety regulator says the suspension is unnecessary. we are still firmly convinced that the benefits of the astrazeneca vaccine in preventing covid—i9, with its associated risks of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risk of these side effects. take up of covid vaccines here is among the highest in the world. and scientists hope public confidence will not be undermined. i think it's very important that people don't worry at the moment, i mean this, this is being sorted out, it's being looked into, but at the moment, there doesn't appear to be any signal that would make us feel concerned about risk of clotting. i would be much more worried about not being vaccinated than being vaccinated. the european medicines agency also publish its safety review on thursday. if it gives the astrazeneca jab the all clear, france has said it will start reusing it immediately. but the fear is the pause may increase vaccine hesitancy, and that alone could cost lives. fergus walsh, bbc news. meanwhile, the world health organisation has urged african countries not to lose faith in the astrazeneca jab. many parts of the continent are relying on doses which are being delivered as part of the covax global sharing initiative. the bbc�*s rhoda odi—hambo has more. out of the 55 african countries here, it is only the democratic republic of the congo that suspended the roll—out of the vaccine, and this was of course as a precautionary measure, looking at what was happening in europe last week when denmark and norway and austria were the first european countries to temporarily suspend the roll—out of the vaccine following the number of people who reported to be having blood clots after being inoculated. but we've seen countries like nigeria, senegal and even kenya, where the government in these countries have come out and said that the vaccine is still safe for use because echoing what has been said by the who, the africa cdc and even the european medical agency, the benefits outweigh the risks that are currently being reported right now. so, looking at how the oxford astrazeneca vaccine is one that has been touted as one that's safe for the continent. they're advising people to still use it because the situation right now is we're better off using it than not using it. it's good to mention that africa is not looking at the rolling out of vaccines as a sprinting approach. we are rolling it out into phases, even though critics have cited that the continent will not have a problem in rolling out vaccines because of the mass vaccination campaigns like measles and polio that it used to carry out all year. through so many countries, once they receive the vaccine, they take about two to three days to see how they're going to roll it out, and this has also helped african countries to know how they are going to distribute the vaccines across other parts of countries. the uk has announced that it will shift its focus towards indo—pacific countries as part of a post—brexit foreign policy overhaul. the review also includes efforts to increase britain's stockpile of nuclear weapons by the middle of the decade and to do more on what is described as the "systemic challenge" of china. this report by our diplomatic correspondent james landale includes some flash photography. for years britain's place in the world was defined by its relationship with the european union and the united states. but brexit changed that. now the government's promising a new approach to foreign affairs. one the prime minister said would keep people safe at home. for us there are no far away countries of which we know little. global britain is not a reflection of old obligations, still less a vainglorious gesture but a necessity for the safety and prosperity of the british people in the decades ahead. one new idea is for britain to focus more on the indo pacific, boosting ties with growing economies like india, where borisjohnson will travel next month. new partnerships with regional groups of south—east asian countries and membership of a trans—pacific free trade agreement and the new aircraft carrier hms elizabeth visiting the region later this year. to hold joint operations with allies, and show britain can project force overseas. but will it be enough? there will be some questions, i think, about the details. what will this actually mean for uk presence on the ground, for the resources it is willing to deploy in the region and to some extent, how much it is willing to listen to demand signals from the region as well? but what will this mean for britain's relationship with china? the report says the uk should pursue a positive relationship with beijing on trade and climate change but still says it presents a systemic challenge to britain. china represents the generational threat and the reason for that is that the idea that china will become more like us as it got richer or as its economy matured is clearly for the birds. the question for any new foreign policy is not what people at the foreign office think, but whether it changes people's lives. will this new focus on asia make people safer and more prosperous or will it neglect britain's interests closer to home? the report insists britain's commitment to euro atlantic security is unequivocal with nato at its heart but there is little about cooperation with europe on regional threats. like russia, which after the salisbury poison attack the report says remains the most acute threat to britain's security. the review rightly identifies russia as the number one threat that we face, both at home and abroad, but there was no strategy to work with our european partners to try to deal with that challenge, there was no strategy to repair our defences at home. to help tackle new threats there will be a white house—style situation room near downing street, and a new counter—terrorism operation centre and the cap on britain's stockpile of nuclear warheads will be lifted because of what the report says is the evolving security environment. an old school weapon for what is supposed to be a new strategy. james landale, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. president biden has embarked on a series of visits across the united states to promote the covid relief plan he signed into law last week. his first stop was pennsylvania, where he visited a small business. the $1.9 trillion programme is popular with most americans, despite the fact that no republicans in congress voted in favour. reports from niger say more than fifty people have been killed during attacks near the border with mali. in one incident, gunmen shot passengers on a bus before setting it alight. an islamist insurgency has spread across the sahel in recent years. russia will reportedly block twitter in one month if the social media giant fails to remove content moscow has banned. russia said last week it was slowing down the speed of twitter and it threatened to block the us platform outright, escalating a growing stand—off between russian authorities and us social media firms. the finnish telecoms giant nokia is cutting up to 10,000 jobs globally by 2023. the move comes as nokia aims to lower its costs by more than $700 million. the company currently has 90,000 employees around the world. scientists believe they've found out what happened to the water that flowed across the surface of mars billions of years ago. writing in the journal science, they say vast quantities of liquid became trapped in minerals below the planet's crust. researchers have been trying to solve the mystery for decades. the evidence comes from rovers on the martian surface and orbiting spacecraft. there is a crisis on america's southern border — a surge of unaccompanied children trying to get into america from mexico. from mid february to mid march us border agents picked up some 400 children every day. now they are stuck in detention facilities — in scenes we remember all too well from just a few years ago. the reason for the dramatic increase in numbers is a change of policy. under president biden kids with no guardians are allowed to stay in america while their claims are being processed. some of the children grew up in mexico, many of them were simply passing through. they began theirjournies in places like honduras, el salvador, and guatemala. the bbc�*s central america correspondent will grant explains. unaccompanied minors come from what's known as the northern triangle in central america. that's honduras, guatemala and el salvador. and this latest push, surge, obviously there is language we want to avoid of ways ——waves and things like this. but certainly there's large number of people arriving at the border, unaccompanied minors are often from those parts of the region. but increasingly they are from mexico too. why? partly because of the covid pandemic and the restrictions and the economic downturn across this region. things are extremely ugly in central america right now. this is no exaggeration to talk about a crisis in guatemala, in honduras too. but i've always been struck by the unaccompanied migrants i've met on the road. and i was speaking to one a few years ago about 15 in guatemala and hejust set off on his own. that's really where he was carrying the economic hopes of his family is a pretty standard story. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: from woodwind to woodwork — how thousands of performers have changed roles since uk theatres closed — a year ago. today, we have closed the book on apartheid, and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision. all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself. was on a pedestal in the middle - of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand - now that the search for it has i become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... the eu's medical regulator remains "convinced" astrazeneca's vaccine is safe — despite more countries suspending roll— out of the covid jab. borisjohnson sets out his plan for reshaping the uk's foreign policy — including big spending on defence and a tilt towards asia. from wednesday, more than 70,000 uber drivers across the uk will be classified as workers, instead of being self employed. it's a far—reaching change, following a ruling in the uk supreme court, which gives the drivers the right to holiday pay, a pension and the minimum wage. uber had tried to limit the changes to those who were involved in the court case but that's now changed. the ruling could have huge implications for the so—called gig economy, the part of the service industry mostly involving freelance or temporary positions. our transport correspondent caroline davies has the story. it was the company that shook up the system, but today the system seems to have caught up with uber. after last month's verdict by the supreme court, it's announced that from tomorrow, all of its drivers will be classed as workers. for years, politicians and unions have said that you have been playing fast and loose with employment rights. does this not prove that they were right all along? i think the situation for employment in the uk has been ambiguous for some time. you've taken advantage of those ambiguities, haven't you? we have worked as hard as we can to try and provide drivers with a good way of earning, the flexibility that they want and the protections that they have. but we can now go further than we've gone before because of the clarity that the supreme court ruling brings us. drivers will still be able to work when and where they want, the company's minimum wage only applies once a driver accepts a ride. this will be costly to you? we are not expecting to rise prices and we want to remain price competitive. this will come out of the driver's income instead? our expectation is that we can grow the business by treating drivers well and bringing drivers onto the platform, and also by growing with cities as they unlock. tonight one drive union was pleased with that i wish they had done this years ago. this is a tremendous victory for working people in this country. this decision could have implications across the gig economy. uber is probably the most- well— known and potentially the biggest player- of the gig economy. and other players will look closely l at this and thinking well, after six - years of litigation uber had to give into the inevitable and agreed _ that their drivers are workers. so we probably need. to be doing the same. this move is a fundamental change and its one that will be closely watched around the world. caroline davies, bbc news. instagram is introducing safety measures designed to stop adults sending unwanted messages to teenagers. under eighteens will only be able to receive private messages from older users they already follow. teenagers will also be sent alerts telling them to be cautious in their conversations with adults. the measures only work if users don't lie about their age. but instagram says it's developing artificial intelligence to improve age verification. the duke of edinburgh is back home at windsor castle, having left hospital this morning, after a month—long stay. prince philip, who's 99, has been treated for an unspecified infection and a heart condition. his stay coincided with the controversial interview given by duke and duchess of sussex, when allegations of racism and a lack of mental health support were levelled at the royal family. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. shielded by a screen, a patient, evidently in a wheelchair, was brought out from the king edward vii hospital to a waiting vehicle. moments later, the vehicle left with the duke of edinburgh safely aboard. as the car drove away, photographers caught sight of him sitting in the rear of the vehicle. little has been said by the palace about the reasons for his hospital stay other than he had been suffering from an infection and an unspecified pre—existing heart condition. but the treatment, evidently having been successful, he was on his way to be reunited with the queen at windsor. for the royalfamily, it was welcome news. the prince of wales was visiting a vaccination clinic at finsbury park mosque in north london when the news about his father was confirmed. and had he had a chance to speak to his father? the queen has continued with her official programme throughout her husband's stay in hospital, marking commonwealth day among other things, as well as coping with the fallout from the us television interview given by the sussexes. gayle, you spoke with the couple over the weekend. let's break some news. what did they say? on that, the aftermath of the sussex interview, one of meghan�*s friends, a us breakfast tv presenter has been sharing with her viewers what the couple told her at the weekend. i did actually call them to see how they were feeling, and it is true that harry has talked to his brother and his father too. the word i was given was that those conversations were not productive, but they are glad that they have at least started the conversation. fanfare. here the family's focus is firmly on the duke of edinburgh. in less than 90 days it will be his 100th birthday, and it will be a matter of reassurance to his family that his four weeks in hospital are now over and that doctors have decided he is well enough to return home. nicholas witchell, bbc news. the former first lady michelle obama has shared her thoughts on the harry and meghan oprah interview with nbc nightly news. when you watched meghan markle speak out, what went through your mind? public service is a bright, sharp hot spotlight and most people don't understand it, nor should they. the thing i always keep in mind is that none of this is about us in public service. it's about the people we serve. i always tried to push the light back out and focus it on the folks that we are actually here to serve. but what about when she talked about the fact she experienced racism? i feel that was heartbreaking to hear that she felt like she was in her own family, her own family thought differently of her. race isn't a new construct in this world for people of colour so it wasn't a complete surprise to hear her feelings and to have them articulated, i think. the thing that i hope for and i think about is that this first and foremost is a family and i pray forforgiveness and healing for them so that they can use this as a teachable moment for us all. a year ago today, performances were abandoned and works in production were halted as theatres in england closed their doors at the start of the restrictions which came into force. in that time, the theatre world has lost income of around £200 million. many theatre workers are freelancers, and a quarter of them have gone out of business. our arts editor will gompertz has spoken to four performers who've had to change jobs to make ends meet. music: there's no business like showbusiness theatre, one of the great success stories of britain's creative industries but this time last year the bright lights of the west end went dark. theatreland's professionals suddenly found themselves unemployed and needing a plan b. i am a freelance and as well as the show, i also do a range of other kinds of playing such as concerts and recording sessions and tours and things like that. as well as the show closing, all of that went up in smoke. so all of your income has disappeared? yes, exactly. these guys here were looking for an extra pair of hands and they kindly agreed to take me on. in fact it's actually something i find really satisfactory. i'm enjoying the work. i like working with my hands. and even learning skills i would like to develop in my own time perhaps alongside music. # i'm patiently waiting, passionately smashing every expectation... my mum actually originally she bought me a canvasjust before the lockdown because she knew i would be by myself for some time. i started doing mandalas. i had a lot of support from friends and people saying i should sell this artwork. are you making an equivalent amount of money? no, nowhere near an equivalent amount to what i would. it's a small business, so supporting small businesses is important for so many people in our industry. immediately, i needed a job so i started looking and i started i looking at supermarkets . and i couldn't even get past the online interview, - so i've been selling flowers. and i love flowers. so you have got my fair lady, eliza doolittle - so i have turned i into eliza doolittle. i get very tempted to say, "go on, . buy a flower from a poor girl." # one more day before the storm myself and my fiance actually applied for 26jobs. i reached out to my best friend and he said look, i can help you out and get you working. so i have been qualified as a sparky�*s mate and we're building commercial and domestic work up and down from sussex up to london. the government's current road map out of lockdown anticipates allowing theatres to fully reopen again injune, which if it happens, is likely to put a smile on a lot of people's faces. will gompertz, bbc news. let's hope they open soon. and before we go, if you've been feeling lonely during this past year — one german farmer has a suggestion: try hugging a sheep. lexa voss is allowing vistors to book an appointment to cuddle with the loveable livestock. a great chance for people to perhaps spend some time with shapes they don't actually see in the flesh butjust normally see on supermarket shelves. more and all those stories on the website. for me and the team bye—bye. hello. tuesday brought us a very mild day across the uk. in fact, for wales and scotland, it was the warmest day of the year so far, and widely, we had temperatures in the mid to high teens. this is how we ended the day in north somerset. the warmeest spot was in worchestershired where temperatures gotjust shy of 18 celsius. now, it won't be quite as mild as we look through the course of wednesday, but another largely dry settled day for many of us. there will be some spells of sunshine around on wednesday, still a few spots of showery rain, mainly for parts of eastern england. high—pressure is dominating our weather at the moment, but we have got a couple of weather fronts that will be working their way south down the north sea over the next couple of days. so, for wednesday morning, then, we start off on a chilly note, some mist and some4 fog patches possible for parts of midlands, perhaps wales as well. through the day, the cloud will thicken bringing a few splashes of rain, particularly for parts of east anglia, the southeast, but there could be a few showers towards the east midlands as well. now, these northerly winds in the east are blowing over fairly cold sea surface temperatures, only about 6 celsius in the north sea at the moment. so where you are exposed to that wind coming off the chilly sea, temperatures only about 9—10 celsius around that east coast, but away from the east coast, most of us up to about 111—15 celsius. so, anotherfairly mild day. fast forward into thursday, a fairly similar story once again, quite cloudy skies, but there will be some sunshine breaking through. and again, it's across parts of eastern england that we we'll have a few showers. those fairly cool northerly winds keeping temperatures here around 9—10 celsius, but elsewhere, 13—14 celsius once again on thursday. now, as we look towards the end of the week, we have that high—pressure still out towards the west with the winds rotating. they're going to start to come in from a northeasterly direction. you can see those blue colours just pushing in across parts of southern and eastern england, so a bit of a change as we look towards the end of the week, a change in wind direction draws that colder air in across really the southeastern third of the uk. but elsewhere, we have still got a fair amount of cloud, quite a lot of dry weather, we could see temperatures about 13 degrees for the likes of glasgow, but for norwich, stuck at only around about 8 celsius. and it's going to be a southeast—northwest split into the weekend too, where you are exposed to that northerly breeze, it's going to feel quite chilly for the likes of dover, for instance, but it's looking mild or towards the northwest with highs of around 11 celsius. bye for now. this is bbc news, the headlines. the world health organization has urged african governments not to lose faith in the astrazeneca vaccine — after more than a dozen european nations suspended theirjab roll—out — over a health scare. the eu's medical regulator says they remain "convinced" the vaccine is safe. the british prime minister, has outlined his vision for the uk's post—brexit foreign policy. borisjohnson told mps there would be a focus on strengthening ties with indo—pacific countries — and the strategy will also pave the way for the uk's nuclear weapons stockpile to be increased. aid agencies say a crisis is unfolding on america's southern border — as a surge of unaccompanied children try to get into the us from mexico. the dramatic increase in numbers is due to a change of policy under president biden which allows children to stay in america while their claims are being processed. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.