as italy faces a third covid wave — we ask why europe is struggling with vaccinations. cheaper and more frequent — the government unveils a £3 billion plan to improve bus services in england. the grammy goes to beyonce! and beyonce makes grammys history — breaking the record for the most awards ever won by a woman, and there's british success for harry styles and dua lipa. and coming up on bbc news, disappointment for one of the favourites — altior — twice winner of the queen mother champion chase at cheltenham is ruled out of the festival which starts tomorrow. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister has said the country is united in shock and grief at the killing of sarah everard. borisjohnson said her death had unleashed a wave of feeling about the safety of women in britain, and insisted the government would work to ensure that women had confidence in the justice system. following strong criticism of the police's handling of saturday's vigil in london, mrjohnson said he continued to back the metropolitan police chief, cressida dick, and said there would be an investigation into what happened. here's our correspondent, richard galpin. the kidnap and murder of sarah everard has triggered both anger and fear. but also a determination amongst many women to speak out and take action. this video at the weekend going ahead despite being banned for covid reasons. and later on, the police moved in, prompting criticism they had been heavy—handed in their approach to those taking part. figs in their approach to those taking art. �* , ., in their approach to those taking -art. a ., ., ~ part. as it got darker, we were standin: part. as it got darker, we were standing further _ part. as it got darker, we were standing further back- part. as it got darker, we were standing further back to - part. as it got darker, we were standing further back to find i part. as it got darker, we were standing further back to find a | standing further back to find a place to light my candle and i could see groups of police officers, groups of fluorescent yellow dotted around and as it got darker, that's when they formed lines and made their move in. and there was no other change in atmosphere, it was purely from them. it was purely that they provoked it.— they provoked it. there have been calls for the _ they provoked it. there have been calls for the metropolitan - they provoked it. there have been calls for the metropolitan police . calls for the metropolitan police commissioner dame cressida dick to resign in the wake of what's happened. but she has rejected this. and has defended the way police have handled the situation. an independent inquiry has been set up. we have to see the context of the difficult situation police find themselves in. we need to know more about saturday night and obviously, this independent review will look into that. but you know, cressida dick is an officer of superlative achievement in her life and she's been close to some incredibly successful investigations and i know she is very dedicated and committed to this issue of dealing with violence against women and girls in an assertive way as we possibly can. the crime and justice task force will meet this afternoon, the meeting will look into what further action can be taken to ensure women are safe on the streets of this country. are safe on the streets of this count . ~ �* ., ., are safe on the streets of this count .~ �* ., ., , ., country. we've got to recognise that the tragedy. — country. we've got to recognise that the tragedy. the _ country. we've got to recognise that the tragedy, the horrific— country. we've got to recognise that the tragedy, the horrific crime - country. we've got to recognise that the tragedy, the horrific crime that i the tragedy, the horrific crime that we've seen in the case of sarah everard has triggered, unleashed a wave of feeling from people, from women above all, who worry about their safety at night. in women above all, who worry about their safety at night.— their safety at night. in parliament toda , their safety at night. in parliament today. mps — their safety at night. in parliament today. mps will— their safety at night. in parliament today, mps will discuss _ their safety at night. in parliament today, mps will discuss the - their safety at night. in parliament today, mps will discuss the police | today, mps will discuss the police crime and sentencing and courts bill which critics say could lead to further restrictions on people's right to protest. but there is nothing about the safety of women, despite what has happened. we nothing about the safety of women, despite what has happened.- despite what has happened. we are votin: despite what has happened. we are voting against _ despite what has happened. we are voting against it, _ despite what has happened. we are voting against it, the _ despite what has happened. we are voting against it, the step - despite what has happened. we are voting against it, the step in - voting against it, the step in reading, which is the stage at the moment and we want to try and improve it in committee and there are some things in their we've been campaigning forfor a long time are some things in their we've been campaigning for for a long time and there are some things in there we like the look of but we think we can improve but no mention of women in a bill of this kind after what's happened is unacceptable. find bill of this kind after what's happened is unacceptable. and that means the pressure _ happened is unacceptable. and that means the pressure on _ happened is unacceptable. and that means the pressure on the - happened is unacceptable. and that means the pressure on the police i happened is unacceptable. and that i means the pressure on the police and the government to act decisively after what has happened is only likely to increase. richard galpin, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent, damian grammaticas, in westminster. the prime minister and home secretary have expressed concern, but are they under some pressure too? and they are backing the metropolitan police chief? absolutely, they save what they saw, the images from the policing of it, those images of women being arrested, women being held to the ground and the prime minister today said he understood people were concerned but the message we have also heard from them is to say that the police, they believe are doing a very difficultjob and that is partly because the police are enforcing regulations brought in by the government during this pandemic period. so what borisjohnson said very directly when he was asked today if the metropolitan police commissioner had his full confidence, he said, yes she did but at the same time, it was important there was an inquiry because he said it was important that women had confidence and they knew if they made a serious complaint it would be addressed. the labour leader sir keir starmer, he too declined to call for dame cressida to go, he went a little further and said the scenes on saturday were deeply disturbing, the police response was wrong but he was also critical of the government for this bill that is being debated today in parliament. the police and crime bill, in which he said, because he said in that, it talks a lot about starches, almost nothing about dealing with violence against women and girls. and that is because it increases effectively the penalties if you deface or do something to a statue, a war memorial and the like. the prime minister said there will be measures to strengthen sentences for rate this and measures against domestic violence as well. that is likely to be a pretty heated debate that will be a pretty heated debate that will be around that bill as it comes to parliament. be around that bill as it comes to parliament-— we can speak now to our correspondent, dominic casciani. lots of anger over the scenes at the weekend, but where does the law stand on this? just picking up from what damien said, this point where ministers are saying they recognise the police are in a difficult place, martin hewitt, the president of the national police chiefs council, has called for clarity around a lot and the reason why he made that call is quite simply police chiefs feel they haven't had it for the past year. the big issue with coronavirus regulations since last march is in various forms, they have banned gatherings in a public place but there is a separate, an overarching right to the freedom of protest, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and it's the balancing act between those that officers have found very difficult. last summer during black lives matter they took a softly softly approach, they were criticised for that, since then, ministers have put them under enormous pressure to deal with covid breaking parties, they feel the pressure to break up gatherings which could become super spreaders, there was a degree of inevitability on friday night into saturday that something could potentially go wrong at clapham common because clearly people wanted to turn up and make their voices heard, for sarah everard �*s death, and the police knew they had to stop it because as far as they were concerned it was potentially dangerous from a health perspective. very difficult situation and lots of critics say these new proposals coming before parliament could make the situation even worse. dominic, thank you. in a separate development — campaigners who mounted a legal challenge against the crown prosecution service over its handling of serious sexual offences have lost their case in the court of appeal. they had claimed that a change of policy had meant rape victims were being let down, and that the number of prosecutions had �*collapsed.’ but the cps said there'd been no recent change in their approach. the netherlands is the latest country to suspend the use of the oxford—astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine, over concerns about possible side—effects. some people have developed blood clots after having the jabs, but european regulators and the world health organization say there's no evidence they're linked to the vaccine. about 17 million people in europe and the uk have received the astrazeneca vaccine, and the company says fewer than a0 have had clots. anna collinson reports. vaccines are seen as the single most effective way to reduce coronavirus deaths and severe illness, but a growing number of mostly european countries have suspended using the oxford—astrazeneca jab after concerns around cases of blood clots. it's seen by many as a surprising move during a pandemic based on no clear evidence. i think we're right in this country to press on. we will keep monitoring this and if there is any safety signals we are concerned about we would let the public know straight away. but at the moment the message is absolutely clear, go and get your vaccine if offered. the netherlands is the latest country to announce a suspension, calling it precautionary after last week's reports of possible side—effects emerged from norway and denmark. but astrazeneca has pushed back, saying more than 17 million people in the european union and the uk have received its jab, and fewer than a0 cases of blood clots been reported. this number may be higher, as not all cases are recorded and there will be thousands of patients who will have had clots after their jab just by chance. but the uk and the european medical regulators insist there is no evidence suggesting the vaccine poses an increased risk and are reviewing the data. it's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk, known risk of covid, against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators, no signal of a problem. after a brief pause, thailand has confirmed it will once again start using the astrazeneca vaccine from tomorrow, with its prime ministerfirst in line. while the dutch government says it can't allow any doubt, scientists have called the suspensions super cautious and questioned whether it is a disproportionate response. anna collinson, bbc news. well, our medical editor fergus walsh is here — what are we to make of this? the safety of vaccines has to be absolutely paramount but there is no evidence that the astrazeneca vaccine is causing blood clots, indeed astrazeneca has done an analysis of over 10 million jabs and it's found that you are more likely to have a clot in the general population than if you had the jab because clots are quite common, they can be very dangerous if they go to the lungs and cause a clot there, a pulmonary embolism, and they can also be serious if you get one in your leg, a deep vein thrombosis. this all links into a rather chequered history of the astrazeneca oxford vaccine in europe, they were slow to adopt the vaccine, several countries restricted it initially, only for younger people, president macro and even called it quasi ineffective in other people and now, reversed that decision, indeed france and germany are two of the big countries which are carrying on an out with the astrazeneca vaccine. i have had my vaccine yesterday, it was the astrazeneca and when i was down there, people were happily rolling up their sleeves and having the jab. and maintaining public confidence in the whole vaccination programme is absolutely vital. fergus, thank you. businesses, shops and schools are closing across much of italy — as the country battles a third wave of coronavirus. it's one of several european countries suffering a new rise in infections, amid delays to their vaccination programme. restrictions will extend across the whole country over easter, as mark lowen reports. the beautiful blue skies of milan belie the dark clouds of covid gathering yet again, because, just over a year since italy became the first country in the world to impose a national lockdown, it is shutting its doors once again. this region, lombardy, the original epicentre of the first wave, is now one of 11 regions in italy, over half the country, in which schools, shops, restaurants are closing as part of a red zone, and for three days across the easter holiday, the whole of italy will become a red zone, so there will be closures right across the country. italy is now in a third wave of the virus, with infections likely to peak in six or seven days, and while some here support the tightening of the measures, for many, well, they feel at the end of their tether. we know that it is necessary but we are very tired, so i hope that this is the last one. we feel pretty dreadful. it is like back to square one after a year. it is incredible that the schools haven't had a chance to think about an alternative. we look at israel, we look at the us, and we look at the uk thinking, well, things are working there, yeah. and here? not really. italy's vaccinations have indeed been sluggish, partly due to supply problems, but from today they have pledged to almost double daily shots in a mass national mobilisation, a gradual relief to a nation that has suffered so much. i was worried about her, yes, because a lot of people died, especially in lombardy so now i am happy to receive the vaccine. this hospital alone has gone from administering 200 vaccines a day injanuary, to 1300 a day now. but with a slow start and with cases still rising here, italy is racing to get to the point at which daily vaccines outweigh new infections. it has got some catching up to do. the situation, one vaccine centre in milan but the government has pledged to ramp up the vaccination programme, given 170,000 doses at the moment come up to 300,000 from today and up to 500,000 every day from mid april. but there is growing frustration here at the slowness of the vaccine roll—out programme. it is partly of course down to the supply problems, the italian government says it was expecting 16 million doses to be received by the end of march, its only had 8 million. that problem with supply and of course rise in cases as well is mirrored in much of the rest of the european union as well. in poland, cases there have gone up by 75% on last week, in germany intensive care doctors have called for an immediate national lockdown saying the country is in the grip of a third wave and in france, intensive care occupancy is at its highest for the last three months with patients being flung right across the country to find beds. here in italy they are hoping the peak of this third wave will be felt within a week and they are saying 80% of the population will be vaccinated by the middle of september. this exhausted country is asked once again to follow the rules, hoping that this mightjust be the last national sacrifice that they are being told to make. mark lowen reporting. our top story this lunchtime. the prime minister has said the country is united in shock and grief at the killing of sarah everard, and insisted the government would work to ensure that women had confidence in the justice system. still to come. a year after thousands packed the cheltenham festival, defying warnings over coronavirus, we speak to some of the people who were there. coming up on bbc news: former cyclist bradley wiggins calls for a fresh investigation into the dr freeman affair but does not believe the testosterone the doctor ordered was to dope a rider. a new £3 billion bus strategy has been announced for england, aimed at making them cheaper, and more frequent. there are plans for hundreds of miles of bus lanes, contactless payments and fare caps. the prime minister says he wants buses to be people's first choice of transport, but labour has warned his strategy doesn't go far enough. theo leggett reports. for many people without cars, especially in rural areas, buses are vital but campaigners have been saying for years that services simply aren't good enough. now the government is promising what it is calling the most ambitious shake—up of the bus sector in a generation. on a visit to this depot in coventry, the prime minister explained his thinking. i coventry, the prime minister explained his thinking. i think bosses are — explained his thinking. i think bosses are great _ explained his thinking. i think bosses are great for - explained his thinking. i think bosses are great for people's| explained his thinking. i think- bosses are great for people's lives, a good bus route can be really trans yourjob prospects. but the buses themselves are going to be made in this country, and notjust the buses, but the hydrogen and the battery technology as well in due time will be made in this country. there are plans for simpler fares, more services, is your contactless payments and more bus lanes. 4000 electric or hydrogen powered buses will be brought into service and £3 billion of public money will be available to make it happen. the government wants bus companies and local authorities to work together to ensure that bus services in future will be so frequent you won't even need a timetable. but the reality is we are a long way from that at the moment in many areas. at this bus stop, for example, the next service isn't due for another hour. according to the campaign for better transport, more than 3000 local bus routes have been lost or cut back since 2009. but today the group gave the government's plan a cautious welcome. ., , . , welcome. the ob'ective is the government— welcome. the ob'ective is the government set — welcome. the objective is the government set out _ welcome. the objective is the government set out are - welcome. the objective is the | government set out are hugely welcome but we want to see how they are actually going to pay for these and how they will make sure the services they have promised will actually happen on the ground. but i don't want to be churlish in any way, this is a very g