new covid infections in england and wales hit a record daily high, as the government defends its decision not to introduce further restrictions in england before january. we want to party all night long! members of the hospitality industry welcome the move, calling it a "lifeline". protests outside court, as the kremlin bans one of russia's oldest and best known human rights organisations. right, those are our headlights. i will be back with more in half an hour. now on bbc news, our world. six years ago, amsha escaped from captivity in northern iraq, after being held by is militants. today, she is risking her life to clear her homeland of unexploded mines. in the summer of 2014, is militants swept across northern iraq. gunfire in sinjar, they would go on to commit a massacre, taking thousands of young women like amsha captive. almost seven years later, much of the region remains in ruins and thousands remain missing. despite everything, amsha chose to remain in sinjar. now every day, she confronts the deadly legacy left hidden by herformer captors. on the 3rd of august 2014, is militants

in terms of any sunshine on sunday, notjust the higher ground in scotland, northern england and wales venturing into the hills you're most likely to see some sunshine through the valleys below, may well be stuck underneath cloud. and overall, it is trending cooler on sunday and getting colder still as we go into the new week. now, high pressure will eventually give way as we go deeper through the week. but then the big question mark about how quickly these weather systems from the atlantic, or indeed if they will at all, move in and provide a change to more unsettled weather in time for christmas. so, colderfor a time next week, more widespread overnight frost. but if you're looking at your app and the forecast online, yes, it may look as if it turns unsettled just before christmas, but there's still a lot to play for in the details. this is bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: concern across europe as extra measures are announced to combat the growing threat of the omicron variant. as cases jump sharply in the us, the country's top health official warns of the risks of not ge

it is a touch milder, especially in england and wales. that is a trend that continues as we go towards the end of the year. we will see several areas of low pressure coming our way with spells of wind and rain, drier and brighter moments in between, but all the while we will be pumping mild air northwards across the uk, and temperatures in south—east england for a time midweek may be approaching 17 celsius. but all areas will turn much milder, but wet at times, and the mild weather continuing into the start of the new year. this is bbc news. the headlines. queen elizabeth speaks about her personal grief over the death of her husband prince philip in her christmas day message, saying there was "one familiar laugh missing", amid the continuing impact of the pandemic. a 19—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of trespassing windsor castle grounds, the official residence of queen elizabeth. members of the royal family have been informed. in his christmas message, pope francis highlighted the tragedies in yemen and syria which he

especially in england and wales, also for northern ireland. that is a trend that continues as we go through the end of the year. we are going to see several areas of low pressure coming our way. drier, brighter moments in between. all the while with these areas of low pressure, we will be pumping mild, even very mild air, northwards across the uk. temperatures in south—east thing and for a time may be approaching 17 celsius. all areas are going to turn much milder. wet at times. mild weather continuing into the start of the new year. this is bbc news, the headlines... queen elizabeth speaks about her personal grief over the death of her husband prince philip in her christmas day message, saying there was "one familiar laugh missing" amid the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. in his christmas message pope francis highlighted the tragedies in yemen and syria which he said are being passed over in silence. and lift off. the world's most powerful telescope has blasted into space, soon to offer unprecedented images of the universe. c

or —5 across parts of england and wales. it will all depend on exactly how much cloud clears, but either way, there is more cloud waiting in the wings for the rest of the week. this area of low pressure is starting to edge closer and it'll have an influence on the temperature to start with in northern ireland, temperatures lifting by the morning, but cloud, outbreaks of rain spreading in which will eventually push into parts of western central scotland, isle of man, western parts of wales for the day. furhter east, you'll stay dry, but after the morning sunshine and frost, the cloud amounts will increase, sunshine turns hazy, but it stays cold compared to the 8—10 celsius we'll see across western areas. and it's that milder air which will win out, pushing its way northwards, butjust grinds to a halt in northern scotland and fizzles. could be some snow for a time across the higher ground here. and then the next weather front pushes in for thursday. so for thursday, outbreaks of rain, maybe a little bit more across the south

rain coming in across the south—west could well fall as snow on the tops of the hills in north—west wales. mild in the south but still cold in the north and windy wherever you are. hello and welcome to bbc news — i'll bring you all the latest headlines when we're joined by viewers on bbc one in just a few minutes but before that our top story this lunchtime: 1.74 million people in the uk had coronavirus on 19 december, according to a survey by the office for national statistics. that's up by more than 400,000 people on the figure three days earlier. this equates to one in 35 people or 2.7% of the population of the united kingdom. it comes amid news of "a glimmer of christmas hope" from the uk health security agency's drjenny harries who says new cononavirus data suggests that the omicron variant may be less likely to lead to serious illness than the delta variant. but dr harries cautions that more information is needed,

a year ago, of drug deaths in england and wales a yearago, and of drug deaths in england and wales a year ago, and they also say that around £100 million has been taken out of programmes, rehabilitation programmes, that might well have made a difference. so they are going to very much draw dividing lines with the government on this this afternoon when the new drug strategy debated. what the government says it is now beginning at least to tackle something notjust as a short—term fix but for the longer term too. in watson, thank you. iain watson, our political correspondent. —— iain watson. one of the scientists who created the oxford astrazeneca covid vaccine has warned that a future pandemic could be even more lethal than this one. professor dame sarah gilbert says funding is needed to make sure we don't lose the advances made in the last two years in how to prepare for a pandemic. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has this report. the leader of the opposition this morning doing his bit to boost boosterjabs seen as the best way to protect people from both the delta an

and almost a million people using cocaine every year in england and wales. many crimes are drug—related, including more than half of burglary and shoplifting offences, and costs around £20 billion a year in england alone. our home editor mark easton reports. this report contains some flashing images. as officers conducted raids against suspected drug dealers in liverpool this morning, the prime minister put on a police beanie, the visual message being that enforcement remains at the heart of his drugs strategy, getting tough with the estimated 300,000 heroin and cocaine addicts, but boris johnson also hinted at a huge financial announcement to come. we are financial announcement to come. - are going to do two things at once. we will be tougher on the county lines gangs, we'll be tougher on the criminals who are doing it, but you've also got to make sure that you've also got to make sure that you find those 300,000 people and you find those 300,000 people and you help them. you can't simply arrest them time after time and put them back in prison again and

scotland, england and east wales especially. but down southwest, the first signs of barra are in the average sea coasts and could cause travel and disruption with rain and snow on the hills in parts of ireland and wales. brightens up later but in the gales in the rain and hills will transfer of their way north and eastwards across the rest of england. through across the rest of england. the pen nines and acros parts through the pen nines and across parts of eastern and southern scotland, blizzards that take us through to the start of the evening rush orfor some and i through to the start of the evening rush or for some and i would then become confined to the ground to the night but to remain monday and wednesday with skills potentially causing some further issues. this is bbc news, the headlines... there have been more cases of omicron around the world. new york has issued a vaccine mandate for private—sector workers to come into effect after christmas. it's aimed at stemming rising covid cases as the new omicron variant gains

wales and in towards the south—west. here it's going to be mild, it's looking a bit cooler further north. for monday, we start the new week off on a bright note across the northern half of the country, here we will have some blustery showers, wintry on the hills, england and wales will be plagued by this weather front so it could be quite cloudy and quite wet in parts of wales and into northern england, i think the south—east quadrant could be a bit drier, perhaps a little bit brighter. very mild here, a bit fresherfurther north. that weather front clears away from england and wales into tuesday, we start to see high pressure building in the south, but you will notice low pressure to the north of the uk. that will bring wet and windy weather for a time, but after wednesday, certainly thursday and friday, it looks like that area of high pressure will win out, push northwards and clear the wet and windy weather away from the uk, and we will all be in the mild air. this upcoming week is looking pretty mild for this time o

they will bring some fairly erratic outbreaks of rain at times, light and patchy in england and wales, heavier bursts potentially in northern ireland, scotland and north—east england. still that cold air in place but behind it, northern ireland, england and wales, a noticeable difference to the weather. for christmas eve, it looks like we will start with a fair amount of cloud and more wet weather pushing into the far south—west. the best sunshine for christmas eve in eastern scotland and north—east england, still chilly, but double figures down into the south—west. here comes the complication for christmas day. as the milder air bumps into the colder air, where they meet, the potential for some sleet and snow, so some of us mightjust about see a white christmas. most likely to be across northern england, the north pennines, down into the midlands, albeit fairly light and patchy, as this weather front drifts steadily north and east. the best of the drier, sunny weather on christmas day likely to be scotland and north—east england. take care. we'll have more sport for you lat

elsewhere, there will be quite a few heavy showers moving on through northern ireland, wales and england, but brightening up towards the south—west on through the afternoon, and temperatures, well, a little bit higher, but still feeling colder because of the wind. and here is a look at boxing day evening. some clearer spells down to the south and south—west, but you can see elsewhere a lot of cloud, still some showers or outbreaks of rain around. now we have had a battle between the mild and cold air for christmas weekend, beyond that, though, it is very clear it's the mild air that wins, with areas of low pressure coming in, bringing spells of wind and rain, but pushing mild air, even very mild air in places this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. the world's most powerful telescope begins its journey to offer unprecedented images of the universe. queen elizabeth is expected to give a very personal christmas message this year — her first since the death of her husband prince philip. christmas day boosterjabs in england — thousands of p

and parts of england and wales means that some of us will see some sunshine. but a windy day, especially with exposure in wales and the english channel. through this evening and overnight, there will be quite a bit of clear sky around, so especially in scotland, parts of northern england, we are looking at a touch of frost before this next system swings in bringing its rain from the south—west. so tomorrow, we start off with all that rain spreading from the south west steadily northwards and eastwards, behind it, there will be some residual cloud, there will still be some dampness in the air, but for some, it should start to brighten up, particularly so for north—east england and also parts of northern ireland. temperatures tomorrow ranging from seven to 16. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... the hospitality sector welcomes the decision not to impose further covid restrictions in england before the new year, describing it as a lifeline, but ministers say further restrictions hinges on the number of hospitalisations. the french government call their n

scotland, wales and northern _ an hour call. scotland, wales and northern ireland - an hour call. scotland, wales and northern ireland had - and northern ireland had already advised staff to work remotely wherever possible. 30% of workers in england did some work from home. that had an impact on city centres and even though many people are yet to go back to the office full—time in the last week in november seven intended travel to work at least once. in sheffield, this restaurant has already been affected by plan b. we lost about — been affected by plan b. we lost about 100 _ been affected by plan b. - lost about 100 covers. we foresee more, not to mention the walk in trade over christmas and new year. this is a really devastating blow. the auestion a really devastating blow. the question in — a really devastating blow. the question in many _ a really devastating blow. the question in many peoples minds as they make their morning coffee and commute to the laptop, how long will they be working from home? but how will these measures affect an economy still recovering from the

when bad wolf first started in wales, it was quite empty. you know, there was bad wolf and we were kind of, "we're here, come on, everyone comejoin us." and now, you know, you can't get a spot in the car park. and the growth looks set to continue. amazon is moving production of the lord of the rings tv series from new zealand to the uk. britain's studios are reaping the benefits from a multi—billion—dollar battle between the streaming giants. david sillito, bbc news, cardiff. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. hello. it has been a cloudy day for many parts of the country today, sunshine has been hard

tighter restrictions remained in wales, scotland and northern ireland. and in december, england reintroduced some rules, moving into its so—called plan b. and as 0micron cases began to rise, so did cancellations. many hospitality firms reported a slump in christmas bookings, as fears of a new wave of infection convinced customers to stay at home. michael represents the night—time industries — bars and music venues and nightclubs — and he told me firms had learned to adapt, but many struggled to stay open. there were so many confusing guidelines and rules, even things where the local authorities and police were really struggling to interpret. so for an industry that had been somewhat beleaguered, it was a very difficult time, especially economically, they were struggling. but in terms of the culture side of things and venues and nightclubs, once they were given the opportunity, they were out of the blocks because some of those youngsters were starved of those social environments and they can go out and enjoy. 850,000 new 18—year—olds came of a

for wales and the midlands and lincolnshire. best of any sunshine for scotland, northern ireland and northern england. a bit cooler here than i will be on sunday as temperatures return to average and still being mild in the south. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... days before a likely backbench rebellion, uk prime minister borisjohson faces fresh questions about christmas gatherings at downing street a year ago — after a photo emerges of him taking part in a quiz. the nhs in england is extending its vaccination programme as it tries to get on top of the omicron variant — 30 to 39 year olds can book a virus booster jab from tomorrow. g7 foreign ministers warn iran that �*time is running out�* to rescue the nuclear deal. emergency teams search for survivors in six us states after more than 70 people die in the largest outbreaks of tornadoes in us history. and the battle for the chequered flag as max verstappen starts on pole position to take on lewis hamilton in the formula one title decider in abu dhabi. now on bbc

that's the situation in wales, let's cross over to glasgow to hear from wales, let's cross over to glasgow to hearfrom lorna gordon. the scottish cabinet has been meeting this morning to discuss next steps in dealing with covid in scotland, the bbc understands ministers have been looking at whether to introduce further restrictions on big events or indeed whether to cancel them altogether. i think the concerns are the type of events that rely on back—up from emergency services like the ambulance service or police and the ambulance service or police and the movement of people to and from these events and the queueing that might take place for them to get into the events. if changes are announced i think it could affect big sporting fixtures like football matches and of course hogmanay street celebrations. the biggest of those new year parties is always in edinburgh. this year its plan for a reduced capacity of 30,000 people, all of them would have to present a lateral flow test before being allowed in. nicola sturgeon has already said in scotland that christmas gatherings can go ahead. sh

the seas have been chucking them onto the coastline of west wales. you know the seas are pretty angry when they throw brick sized lumps of rocks at you. there is barra, it continues to feel it's getting less intense. we do have a window of slightly clearer weather that's set to come in during thursday. that means we'll see these showers that we got at the moment fading away over the next few hours. but it's going to be quite chilly for those heading out across northern england and scotland, temperatures as low as —2, —3 c as you perhaps head outside the door first thing in the morning. but for many, a fine start to the day. in fact for some of you, it should be a lovely sunrise. the early rising sun illuminating this lump of cloud, the next weather system not taking long to move its way in and bringing rain back to northern ireland, west england and wales. but also eventually bringing some milder air into the southwest where temperatures reach around 11 through the afternoon. still for most of us, it's another fairly chilly run with 6 or 7 c, mor

we hold on to the cloud for large parts of england and wales. we'll continue with this persistent rain as well for parts of wales and the midlands, into northern england, some areas pretty wet all day. brightest weather will be across scotland and northern ireland. a few blustery showers, wintry on the hills, will be milder across the south. single figures across the north. that weather front for england and wales clears away into tuesday. high pressure begins to build in here. it stays unsettled over the northern half of the country — lots of isobars and weather fronts. so windy for scotland and northern ireland and some rain, particularly for the north and west of scotland. england and wales, though, closer to that area of high pressure should be largely dry, some cloud around but also some good spells of sunshine. those temperatures will be around orjust a little above the seasonal norm. so as we head out of tuesday into wednesday, we continue with that area of high pressure across the south of the country so here, settled with light winds.

a little bit chilly again across northern parts of scotland, very mild down towards wales and the south west of england. and for wednesday, that band of rain associated with the frontal system will continue to journey its way north—eastwards, so we will see some wet weather for a time on wednesday. clearing many areas quite quickly. that rain lingering, though, for a good part of the afternoon in northern scotland. behind it, there will be some spells of sunshine, some areas of cloud, too. but some increasingly mild conditions, 15—16 degrees in the south, 13 there for belfast, ten in glasgow. the milder air is journeying northwards. it will continue to do so on thursday. quite a cloudy day for many, some mist and murk, some rain especially in the west. best chance of any sunshine in eastern parts, but highs of 16 or maybe 17 degrees. but even northern scotland will be up into double digits by this stage. another quite windy day in prospect. for friday, new year's eve, a lot of cloud around, some rain, especially in the west. best of any sunshine in the east, and still milder than it

the northern ireland, central and southern england and wales outbreaks of rain and drizzle and heavier burst in the afternoon. towards the south—west thatis afternoon. towards the south—west that is where we have got the mildest of the air but the wind coming in from the east and north—easterly direction shows that even though it is for five celsius on the thermometer it will feel much, much colder than that. it will feel sub—0 across much of scotland and northern parts of england. wrap up and northern parts of england. wrap up well if you are going for a christmas walk later on. tonight, with the cold wind coming in from the east, clashing with the outbreaks of rain pushing away northwards across most parts, be prepared across the hills of northern england into lower levels for some, northern england into lower levels forsome, central northern england into lower levels for some, central scotland for some snow to take us into boxing day morning. it will be a cold one as we sat the day. a widespread frost away from those eastern coasts. look in the south, eight, 9 degrees, the m

wales and in towards the south—west. here is going to be mild, it is looking a bit cooler further north. for monday, we start the new week off on a bright note across the northern half of the country, here we will have some blustery showers, wintry on the hills, england and wales will be played by this weather front so it could be quite cloudy and quite wet in parts of wales and into northern england, i think the south—east quadrant could be a bit drier, perhaps a little bit brighter. very mild here, a bit fresherfurther north. but weather front clears away from england and wales on tuesday, we start to see high pressure building on the south, but you will notice low pressure to the north of the uk. that will bring wet and windy weather for a uk. that will bring wet and windy weatherfor a time, uk. that will bring wet and windy weather for a time, but after wednesday, certainly thursday and friday, it looks like that area of high pressure will wind out, push northwards and clear the wet and windy weather away from the

the far south of wales and much of southern england, a lot of the day is going to be dry. it's blustery wherever you are — these are average speeds. some stronger gusts around particularly western coasts — 40—45 mph or so, so a risk of gales here — so it will feel colder than these temperatures might suggest, which are already down compared with what we had on friday. saturday evening and night, its central and eastern parts of england with outbreaks of rain. some snow to the higher parts of the pennines and peak district. a few showers in the west but some clear spells, too, and where you have the clear spells, a greater chance of a frost going into sunday morning, especially in the countryside. and on sunday, well, the low pressure�*s here. for many, it's far enough away to allow a drier day but close to that across especially eastern parts of england, there'll be some outbreaks of rain around. they may just fringe into eastern scotland at times and also push a little further west towards the midlands. much of scotland, northern ireland, wales and the western s

but tighter restrictions are now in force in wales, northern ireland and in scotland, which has seen a record rise in numbers. emergency talks between the government and the uk's energy industry, amid warnings that bills could go up by 50% next year, unless the government intervenes. england's hopes of an ashes comeback are fading rapidly, in a dramatic second day of the third test in melbourne. and missing for almost a week — a happy ending for the search and rescue dog, who got lost herself, in norfolk, as she's

but from december 27th, all nightclubs in wales will be closed. social distancing in offices and shops will be reintroduced. there'll also be a two—metre rule in workplaces and one—way systems in shops. face masks are still required in most places and on public transport. hywel griffith is in abergavenny. sophie, there is plenty of festive cheer here but for businesses, it is all tinged with some jangling nerves. today they learnt the new rules for december the 27 onwards, but there is an expectation that more measures could soon follow and even before we get to that date, people are being advised to limit their social interactions, families once again having to make tough decisions and scale back their celebrations. christmas isn't cancelled, itjust got a lot smaller. the welsh government wants people to minimise their mixing, trim back the festive timetable. and that's before the new rules come in on december the 27th. it's a shame, because last christmas was small, and we were hoping this christmas with a new baby and the children we would

and eastwards, and overnight, as it bumps into that cold air, we could see a bit of snow for north wales on the hills first, and then into northern england, central, southern scotland, mainly over the pennines, across the southern uplands and the higher ground of central scotland. quite a covering here, maybe even some down to lower levels for a time. you can see it's going to be another cold night here, less so further south and west. so, some places on boxing day starting off with that snowfall, across the north pennines, into the southern uplands, perhaps into central scotland, but through the day, any snowfall will become reserved to the hills of northern scotland as the milder air begins to push its way northwards. quite a lot of cloud generally across the country. we could see some brightness, a few showers pushing into northern ireland, wales and the south—west quadrant of england, where it'll be mild again. but still chilly across the far north east. then, as we move out of boxing day to the run—up to new year's eve, we can see some really mild air starts to move in, and righ

england's plan b looks a lot like wales' planai. facemasks have remained mandatory in public spaces. the advice to work from home was never removed. covid pass is work introduced here almost two months ago. initially in nightclubs and venues, theatres and cinemas, so what has the impact been? concerns about large queues have largely dissipated. in fact the complaint now is that parties are often seen but not scanned. covid case numbers in wales have been falling over the last two months, but the rates have remained above those in england, which calls into question how effective these measures have been. there has been no recent change in the rules in scotland. face coverings are required in all indoors public spaces, in public transport and in pubs and restaurants if people are moving around. you need a vaccine certificate if you want to go to a nightclub or to a larger live event. and to get one, you need to be fully vaccinated or to have a recent negative lateral flow test. recently, the first minister, nicola sturgeon, has been e

of central scotland, perhaps the north of england, the pennines for instance, into western parts of wales as well. central and eastern areas stay murky through the course of the day and into this evening and overnight, not changing in a hurry. there could be some more frost and fog as well, particularly across parts of scotland and the north of england, that is where temperatures will fall lowest, so a frosty start here, but milder under the blanket of the cloud in the south. asimilar a similar data today, really, tomorrow again, mostly cloudy, dry, some sunshine for scotland, western parts of england and wales and northern ireland, and highs of five to ten. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the world health organization says the omicron coronavirus variant has now been identified in 89 countries. uk government scientific advisers warn that tougher covid restrictions are needed "very soon" to prevent a big rise in hospital admissions in england. shopping centres and football stadiums are among nearly 3000 venues in england offering booster jabs this weekend. some will open round—t

in the uk — northern ireland and wales are cutting the isolation period for people with covid from ten days to seven, bringing them into line with england. the change will take effect tomorrow. and afghanistan's former president defends his decision to flee the countryjust before the taliban take—over, saying he did it to prevent the destruction of kabul. now on bbc news, it's time foryourworld: life at 50 degrees centigrade. in episode four, we see how lives have been dramatically altered in mexico and australia by global warming. surface temperatures at the moment, somewhere between 87 and 95 degrees. so many people don't think that climate change is real. itjust was extremely hot, and everyone was starting to get worried, day by day, until it happened. temperatures will climb well into the 40s, making conditions even worse on our fire grounds. the footage that i took of the fire was shot on the gopro that i had actually got for christmas five days before the event. it was on a very hot day to begin with, so that made the fire, i think, a lot more aggressive. in the afternoon, i go

statement and that responses from the leader of deposition and the first ministers of scotland and wales are also broadcasts this week and bbc spokesperson also told us. 0n last week's programme, we were talking about distressing details of six—year—old arthur and of the recent murder cases should have been shown before the watershed on the early evening news was of the early evening news was about to be continued after the news at six reported on another highly upsetting case, the death of starr hobson. murder when she was a 16 months old. they should've loved her and care for her but they were responsible for her but they were responsible for her but they were responsible for her death and were sentenced for the crime. these two colours did not think the level of detail is included in their report was appropriate for an audience of six o'clock. ., ., o'clock. the murder of a little tirl, o'clock. the murder of a little girl. just _ o'clock. the murder of a little girl, just wanted _ o'clock. the murder of a little girl, just wanted to _ o'clock. the murder of a little girl, just wa

patch of heavy, maybe thundery showers, working eastwards through england and wales. another very mild night for the most part, although the far north of scotland will be a bit full of. here, we've got some sunshine to start new year's eve. southern scotland, northern ireland, far north of england, fairly cloudy, outbreaks of rain, heaviest in the morning. lighter in the afternoon. better chance of some sunshine across the rest of england and wales, and that bit of sunshine will lift temperatures again close to 16-17, lift temperatures again close to 16—17, potentially making it the warmest new year's eve on record. hello. if you've already been out this morning, you will already be aware that it's another very mild morning out there, exceptionally mild across the country, as it will be for a few days yet. tempered a little bit at times by quite a blustery wind. that is at its strongest today to the south and the west of the country, but it's coming in from a south—westerly direction, all the way from the mid—atlantic, madeira, the azores, towards our shores. wh

the seas have been chucking them onto the coastline of west wales. you know the seas are pretty angry when they throw brick—sized lumps of rocks at you. there is barra, it continues to feel it's getting less intense. we do have a window of slightly clearer weather that's set to come in during thursday. that means we'll see these showers that we got at the moment fading away over the next few hours. but it's going to be quite chilly for those heading out across northern england and scotland, temperatures as low as —2, —3 degrees celsius as you perhaps head outside the door first thing in the morning. but for many, a fine start to the day. in fact for some of you, it should be a lovely sunrise. the early rising sun illuminating this lump of cloud, the next weather system not taking long to move its way in and bringing rain back to northern ireland, west england and wales. but also eventually bringing some milder air into the south—west where temperatures reach around 11 degrees through the afternoon. still for most of us, it's another fairly ch

a chilly day for most, turning milderfor wales. a chilly day for most, turning milder for southern wales south—west england. into next week, rapidly deepening area of low pressure swinging its way of the atlantic. this will bring gale force winds is becoming come into tuesday for some. we also might see some further mountain snow. that is today's weather. this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world... the parents of a us teenager accused of killing four students, have been arrested after going on the run. south african scientists say the new coronavirus variant 0micron appears to be spreading more than twice as fast as the delta variant. unvaccinated british mums who were severely ill with coronavirus, encourage pregnant women to get their covid jab in the uk. president biden says he does not accept moscow's demands over ukraine, as russian troops mass on the border. britain is witnessing a record spike in anti—semitism — we have a special report on what's behind the rise in attacks on the

a total ban on spectators in wales from now on. china's birth rate continues to plummet despite ending its one and two—child policy,— we have a special report on the mother trying to encourage larger families. hello and welcome to bbc news. to watch the festive rugby derby, they will now have to watch from home. a total ban on spectators of sporting and large events a friend of nelson mandela, he was awarded the nobel peace prize in 1984 for his role in ending white minority rule. the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, said the death marked another chapter in the nation's farewell to a "generation of outstanding south africans". 0ur africa correspondent, andrew harding, looks back at his life. raise our hands and we say, we will be free! , , ., .,, ., ., ., be free! desmond tutu was a man of ho e. a be free! desmond tutu was a man of hepe- a south _ be free! desmond tutu was a man of hope. a south african _ be free! desmond tutu was a man of hope. a south african priest - be free! desmond tutu was a man of hope. a south

ministers in wales and northern ireland meet today to consider a range of new covid measures. new restrictions were announced for scotland yesterday. in other news , nearly 400 people are now thought to have died, with hundreds of thousands more displaced, in the philippines after last week's typhoon. now on bbc news, it's time for click. this week: getting set for the metaverse, but what should we wear? where should we go? what are the latest specs? and how far and how high could we get? the victoria and albert museum in london is a treasure trove of beautiful artworks. some three—dimensional wonders and some masterpieces so realistic, you could walk into them. which is precisely what's about to happen in the painting gallery where, in amongst the turners and the constables, a kelly and a lewington are about to get stuck into some very modern art. there's a dancer and she is wearing pyjamas? or is that fashion these days? spencer chuckles. that's the fashion. that's the fashion? don't you know — don't you know about fashion? why aren't you wearing that? i've got three set

it says there are a few available in scotland and all available in wales. this does happen and i think the advice is to keep checking. just to give you a heads up if you're trying to get a test booked at the moment, none available but keep checking. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. the weather over the next few days and nights is going to be unseasonably mild. after a cold start in the north we've got this band of rain continuing to push steadily north. behind it, it will brighten up, though there will still be areas of cloud and one or two showers, and the wind will pick up as well. temperatures ranging from seven to possibly 17 degrees somewhere in the south—east. the average at this time of year is roughly about 6—8 north to south. this evening the rain clears away from the northern isles. we've got two new bands of rain coming in from the waist and once again a lot of cloud and quite breezy. overnight lows, though, 7—13. they'd be pretty good temperatures by day at this time of year. tomorrow we start off w

as with it to england, wales and northern ireland it is cloud, mist and fog of rain and this is where temperatures will be staying. maybe a few spots in the finals in england could see temperatures close to freezing the touch of frost. for christmas day scotland has a cold frosty start seeing some sunshine. northern ireland, england, wales with cloud and outbreaks of rain, turning right and outbreaks of rain, turning right and northern ireland. it could well see snow developing in the peak district later in the day. it is mild in the far south—west. chilly elsewhere with a freshening breeze. 0ldest elsewhere with a freshening breeze. oldest in scotland despite the sunshine. two saturday night into boxing day this wet weather pushes north and needs holder and particularly northern england and southern scotland and especially the higher ground we get some snow out of that. this is where we have clearly got the coldest weather going into boxing day. now that snow may be relatively low start off on boxing day with a higher accumulations hills and what is left of this mercy hills no othe

new coronavirus restrictions come into force in scotland, wales and northern ireland — to try to limit the spread of the omicron variant. now on bbc news, it's time for our world — which was filmed in november, in the week before barbados removed the queen as its head of state and became the world's newest republic. british—barbadian daniel henry returned to his ancestral home to find out what islanders make of the move. for nearly 400 years, the british royal family has reigned over barbados. but next week, the islands will replace queen elizabeth with a president. my family is british and barbadian. so they have some big questions about it all. change is good. you can't stay the same all the time. i don't accept it. a history of slavery and colonial rule mean some are keen to move on from the past. it was a feudal system. daniel, you must compose yourself. you look as if you are ready to cry. and now the politicians have had their say, i am here to ask barbadians what it means, and why now. some people would say, why should we have an allegiance to the uk when in our hour of need

quite wet for england and wales into the evening with skies clearing. some isolated showers for scotland and northern ireland. the temperature is holding up ireland. the temperature is holding up above freezing aside from the sheltered glens of scotland. lows in the north six or 7 degrees and very mild to the south of this band of rain. overnight lows of 11 or 12 because we are pulling up some warm airfrom because we are pulling up some warm air from south of the atlantic. almost right the uk, a bit like a warm blanket through the course of sunday and we do so as this whether front comes up from the south. early rain for north wales, the midlands and through the afternoon for northern england and northern ireland. later in the day we see that rain in southern scotland but temperatures to the south up to 15 degrees in a couple of spots. quite a lot of cloud around but a few brighter spells. sunday night into monday, looks like it could be very windy to the north—west of the uk as we see the centre of this area of low pressure pushing through. gales for

we will see the cloud thickening to bring some rain back into the south west into wales, perhaps the west midlands. ahead of that, though, could be some sunshine for eastern scotland and the northeast of england. quite a windy day again during tomorrow, very mild, of course, much milder than today across northern scotland where it's also going to be drier than it's been today as well. we will see rain pushing northwards and eastwards overnight. that should be tending to move away during friday. could lingerfor a while in southern scotland and the northeast of england, but the trend is for it to become drier and brighter on friday, and the winds will start to ease down as well. still very mild, not quite as mild, perhaps, in scotland on friday, but 16—17 celsius towards the southeast and east anglia. why is it so mild? it's because the air is coming all the way from the tropics, these southerly winds bringing in higher temperatures, a lot of cloud, ahead of these weather fronts, an area of low pressure that's focusing the wet weather more towards the northwest of the uk. you are goi

and there will be some brightness for northern ireland, wales, the south—west. winds light here but still strong and gusty further north, closer to that weather front. and again, it's going to another cold day across northern areas, particularly where we have any lying snow over the hills, versus something much milder across the south and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weather front in the north begins to fizzle out, taking the rain and the hill snow with it. elsewhere, a lot of dry weather, lighter winds, clear spells — a recipe for some mist and fog — but further south, into the south—west, we've got a new weather front working its way in. so some milder, wetter, windier weather arriving here. instead, a cold night to come across the north. so here it is, this new area of low pressure is a weather front swiping the south—west and then the south of the country as we move through the day. i think most of the impact will be felt across france, but we'll still have enough wind and rain for it to be noticeable. initially, south wales, sout

but we start wednesday with a widespread frost in scotland, england and wales. some early sunshine, but it clouds over from the west. the wind starts to pick up. we've got this band of rain mainly affecting northern ireland, pushing into wales and southwest england and then into parts of scotland later on, bringing in some milder airfor western areas. but for many parts of the country, it's still another chilly day. that band of wet weather moves northwards and eastwards overnight, and then with low pressure still out to the west, another band of rain sweeps around that as well. so we're going to find some wet weather moving northwards and eastwards again during thursday. could stay wet for most of the day across the northern half of scotland. elsewhere, that rain does clear through. we get some sunshine following on behind. and with a south—westerly wind, just look at what it does for the temperatures — widely in double figures across northern ireland, england and wales. as the winds fall light, though, overnight, and if you're going to be travelling into c

western parts of england of wales and northern ireland and highs of io celsius. hello this is bbc news with luxmy gopal. the headlines... government scientific advisors warn tougher covid restrictions may be needed �*very soon�* in england — to avoid a steep rise in hospital admissions as omicron cases surge london's mayor declares a "major incident" — meaning the capital's nhs bodies, councils and emergency services can work closer together to limit the impact of the spread of omicron. football stadiums and shopping centres are among nearly 3000 venues in england offering booster jabs this weekend. some are open round—the—clock. a woman arrested after a fire at sutton in south london, in which four young boys died, has been bailed. the 27—year—old, who was arrested on suspicion of child neglect, will return to a south london police station in mid—january. now on bbc news it's time for click. this week: getting set for the metaverse, but what should we wear? where should we go? what are the latest specs? and how far and how high could we get? th

and there will be some brightness for northern ireland, wales, the south—west. winds light here but still strong and gusty further north, closer to that weather front. and again, it's going to another cold day across northern areas, particularly where we have any lying snow over the hills, versus something much milder across the south and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weather front in the north begins to fizzle out, taking the rain and the hill snow with it. elsewhere, a lot of dry weather, lighter winds, clear spells — a recipe for some mist and fog — but further south, into the south—west, we've got a new weather front working its way in. so some milder, wetter, windier weather arriving here. instead, a cold night to come across the north. so here it is, this new area of low pressure is a weather front swiping the south—west and then the south of the country as we move through the day. i think most of the impact will be felt across france, but we'll still have enough wind and rain for it to be noticeable. initially, south wales, sout

today's announcement is the third in wales in less than a week. and even more measures could follow. if we need to do more, the welsh government will not stand back. we never have. these are difficult decisions. they are not always popular decisions. but if the evidence says to us that more has to be done to prevent unnecessary deaths and avoidable harm, then that is what we will do. it's a warning which stirs strong feelings in the hospitality industry. nick runs five pubs. going back to the rule of six with table service and mandatory masks leaves him with one question. we just don't understand why. there is no evidence _ about transmission of the virus within hospitality. in fact we are amongst the safest sectors you can find. _ which direction wales takes next feels very uncertain. but now the focus is just on getting to the new year. after a long afternoon of talks, the devolved government here at stormont has announced new restrictions just in the last half hour or so. as in wales, the main measures tend to affect the hospitality industry, s

we hold on to the cloud for large parts of england and wales. we'll continue with this persistent rain as well for parts of wales, the midlands, into northern england. some areas pretty wet all day. brightest weather will be across scotland and northern ireland. a few blustery showers, wintry on the hills, it will be milder, though, across the south. single figures across the north. that weather front for england and wales clears away into tuesday. high pressure begins to build in here. it stays unsettled over the northern half of the country — lots of isobars and weather fronts. so windy for scotland and northern ireland and some rain, particularly for the north and the west of scotland. england and wales, though, closer to that area of high pressure, should be largely dry. some cloud around but also some good spells of sunshine. those temperatures will be around orjust a little above the seasonal norm. so as we head out of tuesday into wednesday, we continue with that area of high pressure across the south of the country so here, settled wit

he's willing to crop the dog's ears and send the pup to wales. when we ask, the breeder, flavian vargas, says he can also provide fraudulent passports. the price is £250. there's even a discount if we buy five or more. it's got all the vaccination stickers, a vet's stamp in all the right places, but otherwise, it's completely blank. dodgy pet passports aren't just useful for covering up ear cropping. they can be used to bring in dogs that are legally too young to travel. we've got three puppies here, they're given a passport — sadly the information in the passport is falsified, so they're declared to be older than they actually are, and the journeys they undertake are awful. you know, great lengths, in excess of 2a hours, often no food, very little water, no stops. there were actually four puppies in this group that were seized, and sadly one passed away. so sometimes we do see that. paula is that tougher importation rules will only work if someone actually looks at the animals at the border. currently, there's no requirement to do so. the che

the first minister has put regulations in place that will come in on boxing day in wales. they mostly involve the hospitality sector, the rules of six will come into force again in restaurants, in cinemas and theatres as well. and table service will be required in licensed premises. the two metre social—distancing rule will also come back in and that will dictate how many people can attend weddings and funerals from boxing day. when it comes to household mixing, this is the thing the welsh government cabinets were wrestling over in the last few days, they have issued guidance, not regulation. but they have said to people to limit the amount of people they mix with in their homes and to change who they mix with on different days as well. and what they have also said it is although that is guidance, there is a ban on groups of 30 or more inside. and these rules are in addition to the rules already announced this week in that nightclubs will close on boxing day and no spectators at sporting events as well. the northern ireland executive is meeting now to consider a range of

in wales, the situation was particularly dire. some hospitals have adequate quantities of ppe but others are just down to a few days�* worth of supplies. clandeboye agencies offered to supply some. within just a week of making contact, welsh officials had agreed an £8a0,000 contract with the sweet company. you will recall that last week i indicated that fluid resistant gowns were a particular worry area for us where we had less than a full week's supply left. i can confirm we are expecting a flight to land at cardiff airport this afternoon carrying 200,000 fluid—resistant gowns. the sweet company had ridden to the rescue. its gowns were rolled out to hospitals across wales — with some being rushed to intensive care units for immediate use. in england, a shortage of gowns had become so critical that northern ireland sent 250,000 of its own to protect front line workers. officials at the department of health and social care, or the dhsc, in whitehall, were working flat out to plug the ppe gap — and so, they too looked to th