and coming up on the bbc news channel... he has his work permit, but ralf rangnick won't be in the dugout for manchester united against arsenal tonight. instead michael carrick takes charge for the last time.

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news, the headlines: in the last few minutes uk government scientific advisers are recommending children aged 5—11, who are clinically vulnerable, should be offered a low dose of covid vaccine. the welsh government introduces new measures from boxing day, groups of no more than six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants. germany and portugal announce more post—christmas curbs. france warns daily cases could pass 100,000 very soon. 13 million people are put into covid lockdown — in one chinese city — just weeks ahead of the winter olympics. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. many of us have an inclination to categorise artists. it's an easy, maybe a lazy way, of signalling where we think they fit in the creative universe. but my guest today defies labels. nitin sawhney�*s creative output is dizzying. he's a musician brought up in an indian family in britain who fuses different music

news channel. that is about it here from the sportsday team this evening, but before we go let's just bring you right up to date with that formula 1 action we have had at the saudi arabia grand prix, which has ended in victory for lewis hamilton, but that was only part of the story. it was such a dramatic grand prix, so now him and his title rival, max verstappen, the red bull driver, they are both heading into the final race in the season in dubai level on points. max verstappen has won more races, so that would put him ahead, but there was so much controversy, incident, penalties, crashes, the whole lot, from that race in saudi arabia. you can get all the latest news and reaction to that on the bbc sport website and also on radio 5 live there will be a pod cast coming out from the formula 1 team you might well want to listen to, but from me of the sports, the sportsday team, have a lovely evening, goodbye. hello there. it's been quite a cold start to december. it felt chilly over the weekend and

this week on the bbc world news channel also showed domestically on the news website cost a bit of a storm. broaching the subject of tensile culture around comedy with the actor and comedian. while racist behaviour was couched as a bit of banter, is that acceptable in your view as a joke? i think it's a very poor question. i think it's a very poor question. would like think it's a very poor question. i would like you to answer it. it's| would like you to answer it. it's hard because _ would like you to answer it. it's hard because it's so scattered and has so _ hard because it's so scattered and has so many different ideas and it that it _ has so many different ideas and it that it has — has so many different ideas and it that it has very little to answer it. i that it has very little to answer it. ., ., ., a that it has very little to answer it. i want to ask about your opinions — it. i want to ask about your opinions and _ it. i want to ask about your opinions and another - it. i want to ask about your - opinions and another comedian, who faced a huge backlash. taste opinions a

coming up on the bbc news channel... the football supporters' association urges fans to find out how they'll be impacted by a change in covid rules if they want to attend games from next week. a bbc investigation has found british household waste is being shipped and dumped in romania. it's illegal to send abroad rubbish that cannot be recycled, but tonnes ofjunk is being exported as it's cheaper than properly disposing of it at home. once there, broken electrical goods are often burned to extract valuable metals, polluting the land. the uk government has pledged to introduce tougher controls on illegal waste exports. angus crawford reports. british household waste, a long way from home. tonnes and tonnes of it discovered by customs officers at a port in romania. there's a microwave. environmental police say it's worthless junk which can't be recycled — illegal to export, but cheaper to send here than disposing of it properly in the uk. this is rubbish. translation: this made me feel that i romania is the landfill of e

joe wilson, bbc news. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 5.15. bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel. more now on the top story this hour — health officials in the uk have renewed their appeal for everyone eligible, to come forward for a coronavirus boosterjab — after research showed it significantly reduced the chance of developing symptoms, from the omicron variant. earlier professor peter openshaw from imperial college london explained how vaccines work with a person's immune response. the immune response that you get to vaccinations is not an all or none thing, it is a bit of a sort of sliding scale, you know, the more of a response you get, the more protection you get. it is relatively easy to protect against the very serious forms of disease and i think that is an important message, that even if you do not have enough immunity to stop you getting infected, these vaccinations are probably going to be very effective at preventing you from getting serious disease and ending up in hosp

and coming up in the sport, on the bbc news channel... all eyes on goodison park as everton host arsenal, desperate for an improved performance in the premier league. good evening. a ten—year strategy for dealing with drug abuse in england and wales has been announced by borisjohnson. he said the focus would be on supporting the rehabiliation of drug addicts, doing more to discourage the recreational use of drugs and punishing those involved in drug gangs. the biggest share — £780 million — will be spent on improving treatment services. all local authorities in england will receive new money. £300 million will be spent in england and wales on breaking up supply lines, including thousands of drug gangs. in england alone there are thought to be more than a quarter of a million people addicted to heroin. and its estimated that nearly one million people use cocaine every year in england and wales. the home office says crimes associated with drugs — including burglary and shoplifting — cost society nearly £20 billion a year in eng

and coming up on the bbc news channel: big changes at yorkshire county cricket as 16 members of staff, including the director of cricket, leave in the wake of the racism scandal. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. british scientists studying seven covid—19 vaccines have found that pfizer and moderna are the most effective to use as boosterjabs. it's the first study of how well boosters work, and the researchers found promising signs that a third jab also protects against illness and death from the new omicron variant. our health correspondent dominic hughes has the details. amid the uncertainty around the omicron variant, some good news. further confirmation the boosterjab is being used in the uk are safe and effective. a study involving nearly 3000 adults saw booster is given about three months after second doses of astrazeneca or pfizer and seven vaccines were studied in all but the two used for boosters in the uk, pfizerand but the two used for boosters in the uk, pfizer and moderna where the best. we uk, pfizer and moderna where the best. ~ , ., best. we saw very

coming in the sport later in the hour on bbc news channel: tottenham are dealing with a covid outbreak in their squad and that could affect their match in europe this thursday. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. "dysfunctional and chaotic" — that's the damning verdict of a foreign office whistle—blower on the way it handled the evacuation of people from afghanistan after the taliban took over in august. raphael marshall — who resigned from hisjob in september — has told mps it's clear some of those left behind have since been murdered by the taliban. he says thousands of emails pleading for british help went unread, and that the foreign secretary at the time — dominic raab — was slow to make decisions. mr raab has denied the claims. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. this was kabul airport last summer, as thousands sought to flee the advancing taliban. amid chaotic scenes, britain and other western powers tried to evacuate those it could but according to a whistle—blower, there was chaos in london too. the foreign office crisis centre was

it pointed out that the bbc news channel showed reaction from other parties following the prime minister's statement, and that responses from the leader of the opposition and the first ministers of scotland and wales were also broadcast this week. and a bbc spokesperson also told us: on last week's programme we discussed whether distressing details of the death of six—year—old arthur labinjo—hughes and other recent murder cases should have been shown before the watershed on the early evening news. that debate continued this week after the news at six reported on another highly upsetting case, the death of the 16—month—old star hobson. star hobson was murdered when she was just 16 months old. today the two people who should have loved and cared for her, but instead were responsible for her death, was sentenced for their crimes. these two callers to our phone line did not think the level of detail included in that report was appropriate for an audience at six o'clock. with regards to the murder of the little girl, i just wanted to say that i think the bbc has got this really wrong.

and coming up on the bbc news channel. she was the first british woman to reach an wimbledon semifinal in 39 year, butjohanna konta has announced her retirement from tennis. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the health secretary, sajid javid, says there's no need for people to change plans they have made for christmas because of the omicron variant. but he said it would be sensible for people to take a lateral flow test before going to anywhere likely to be crowded. at prime minister's questions — the labour leader keir starmer asked borisjohnson whether a christmas party was thrown in downing street during lockdown last december. the prime minister said "all guidance was followed completely at number 10." meanwhile — in leaked documents seen by the bbc — scientists who advise the government say the impact of the omicron varient is �*highly uncertain, but may require a �*very stringent response.�* our health correspondent jim reed reports. pharmacies are leading the winter push for vaccines. th

and coming up in the sport later in the hour on the bbc news channel: we'll have the latest from abu dhabi ahead of the climax to the formula one season, we've had first practice. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. in the last hour, an inquest has concluded that police mistakes probably contributed to the death of three young men who were killed by a serial killer. the jury found that errors and omissions made by detectives after stephen port killed his first victim meant that he was free to kill three other young men before being caught. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has this report. four lives cruelly cut short by a serial killer. fashion student anthony walgate from hull, gabriel kovari from slovakia, young chef daniel whitworth from kent and forklift driverjack taylor from dagenham. all murdered with the date rape drug ghb. but the police could have stopped the killing. the men's bodies had all been discovered in the same small area of barking in east london over a period of less than a year and a quarter. but detectives simply didn'tjoin the dots

you're watching the bbc news channel. let's get more now on our top story, and the problems facing the prime minister, a picture of borisjohnson hosting a christmas quiz last year has raised "serious questions" that need answered, according to the leader of the scottish conservatives. speaking to bbc scotland, douglas ross said the picture, obtained by the sunday mirror, was just one still image, but that downing street must clarify what happened. he added would not defend the prime minister if it transpired a party was held in breach of covid restrictions. this causes me no difficulty at all to comb out irresponsible behaviour. it potentially causes a huge impact in terms of compliance by the rest of the public to follow government advice that is one still picture. we need to get more information but if, as it betrays, there was a party in downing street and the prime minister tended then i'm not going to defend that. it is absolutely the wrong thing to do when everyone else here in scotland and across the uk were not ha

coming up in the sport later on the hour on the bbc news channel: the ioc speaks to peng shuai for a second time but that's unlikely to change the wta decision to suspend all its tournaments in china. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the government has ordered an extra 114 million covid vaccine doses for booster programmes over the next two years. ministers say the deals — for both pfizer and moderna jabs — will �*future proof�* the uk's vaccination programme. the deals include access to modified vaccines if they are needed to combat omicron and other variants that may arise. our health correspondent katherine da costa reports. a year ago today the uk became the first in the world to approve the pfizer covid vaccine. days later margaret keenan was the first person outside clinical trials to get it. since then, 150 millionjabs have been administered in the biggest vaccination effort in uk history. now more than 100 million extra doses of pfizer and moderna have been secured for the next couple of years. figs been secured for the next couple of ears. �* , .

and coming up on the bbc news channel: as the premier league records a record amount of coronavirus cases, manchester united's game at brentford tonight is called off after an outbreak at the club. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. a woman has been found guilty of murdering her partner's 16—month—old child. star hobson endured months of assaults and also psychological harm, before suffering what was described as "utterly catastrophic" injuries in her home. they were inflicted by savannah brockhill, the partner of star's mother, frankie smith. she was cleared of murder and manslaughter at bradford crown court — but convicted of causing or allowing the toddler's death. live now to our correspondent, danny savage, who's outside the court. star hobson was a happy child for the first few months of her life, but then her mother started a new relationship and everything changed. star was treated horrifically, her widerfamily star was treated horrifically, her wider family raised concerns star was treated horrifically, her widerfamily raised concerns but she was never taken

and coming up on the bbc news channel... another bad day at the ashes for england. good evening, and welcome to the bbc news at six. the number of new covid infections across the uk hasjumped again to a new record — more than 88,000 cases in the past 2a hours — 10,000 more than yesterday. as the 0micron wave accelerates, the uk's chief medical adviser, professor chris whitty, has told mps that he expects the peak to come "incredibly fast" but subside more quickly than previous variants because of the boosterjabs. more than 745,000 people had their booster yesterday — a new record — as the long queues continue. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. what do you want for christmas? for millions it is a booster. these people in newcastle today were prepared to wait for hours or a covid vaccination bus. it was a record day for boosterjabs, but also covid cases. boosters offer the best protection against 0micron, but there is huge uncertainty whether they will blunt it enough to keep hospital admissions below last january's peak. hospital admissions below last j

and coming up on the bbc news channel... new covid measures mean football fans in england will need to be double—jabbed or have a negative test to get into games with a crowd of more than 10,000. good evening and welcome to bbc news at six. the prime minister is facing yet more scrutiny today over claims of other christmas parties and now fresh questions over whether he misled an investigation into how refurbishments to his downing street flat were paid for. the conservative party has been fined nearly £18,000 for failing to keep accurate records of a donation. it comes as the investigation by the cabinet secretary into a party in downing street last december is being widened to look at two other gatherings. labour has called for the prime minister to resign if he is found to have misled mps about the parties. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg, and a warning, laura's report contains flashing images. nightmares on downing street. behind every window, a different dilemma. what is the truth about last year's chri

jo currie, bbc news. you can see more on all of today�*s stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at the earlier than usual time of 4.55. bye for now. hello, i�*m sarah mulkerrins at the bbc sport centre. now it might be the start of december but it�*s the women�*s fa cup final, as the conclusion of last season�*s tournament was delayed by the pandemic. around 49,000 people are expected at wembley to see london rivals arsenal and chelsa battle it out for the title. our reporter rhia chohan is there for us ahead of kick off at 2pm. these are a couple of phenomenal teams at the moment and we are set for a really big and entertaining battle. ., �* , for a really big and entertaining battle. . �* , ~ , ., for a really big and entertaining battle. . �*, ~ , ., ., battle. that's right. arsenal going for their 15th — battle. that's right. arsenal going for their 15th title _ battle. that's right. arsenal going for their 15th title but _ battle. that's right. arsenal going for their 15th title but it's - battle. that's right. arsenal going for t

coming up on the bbc news channel. england's test cricket captain, joe root, still has some key decisions to make, including whether to play ben stokes, before he announces his starting xi for the first ashes test against australia. the finances of some of the uk's biggest care home companies should be investigated, according to the former health and social care secretary, jeremy hunt. he wants the competitions watchdog to look at whether big care providers are operating in the interests of consumers. it comes after a bbc panorama programme on the complicated structures and debt of some care companies that are backed by private equity firms. here's our social affairs editor, alison holt. what was it like growing up here? lovely, everybody knew everybody. tess grew up in cannock in staffordshire. her mum died when she was young so her dad mick was at the heart of the family. it's more than a year since he died in a care home nearby, and she's been left with many questions about the care he received and the company that

and coming up on the bbc news channel, manchester united against paris saint—germain, the highlight of the champions league last 16 draw. it will provide another chapter of ronaldo against messi in the spring. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister says at least one person has now died in the uk with the new omicron variant of coronavirus. the government says omicron is spreading at "phenomenal" speed. last night, borisjohnson ramped up the vaccination booster programme to combat the variant, offering the jab to all over—18s in england by the end of this month. well, so far, 40% of people eligible for the vaccine in the uk have received their booster. like england, scotland is aiming to offer all adults a third vaccine by the end of december, while wales has set a target of the end of january. in northern ireland, people over 30 are currently being offered third doses. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports on how the government now hopes to jab a million people a day. the race between the virus and the vaccine has intensified once again. at a

coming up on the bbc news channel, no fans at sporting events in wales from boxing day as the welsh government tries to control the spread of the virus. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has announced there'll be more than a billion pounds worth of financial support to help struggling businesses and the arts sector cope with the spread of the 0micron variant of coronavirus. after days of pressure from business leaders fearing some firms might not survive without help, the treasury says there'll support grants for hospitality companies in the uk and the reintroduction of a statutory sick pay rebate scheme for small and medium sized firms. there will also be an extra £30—million to support theatres and museums in england. the chancellor says he's "confident the measures will help hundreds of thousands of businesses and the millions of people they employ." here's our consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smith. with no customers and only a handful of shoppers, it doesn't feel like the final countdown to christmas. but after days of pressure from

coming up on the bbc news channel. england bowler mark wood says it is still possible to turn things around and head of the third test in melbourne. england are 2—0 down and must win if they are to have any hope of regaining the ashes. it's nearly a week since the philippines were hit by a typhoon — the strongest they've had this year. at least 375 people were killed and hundreds of thousands have been left without shelter. the red cross says there is "carnage" in many areas, with no power, no communications and very little water. one of the worst affected areas was the popular tourist island of siargao. from there, our correspondent howard johnson sent this report. devastation as far as the eye can see. super typhoon rai first made landfall here last thursday, packing winds in excess of 150 miles an hour and dumping huge quantities of rainfall. this footage captured the moment a sports hall doubling as an evacuation centre was torn to shreds. it evacuation centre was torn to shreds. . , evacuation centre was torn

and in sportsday at 6:30 on the bbc news channel... england endure another difficult day in the ashes, with victory in the second test looking increasingly unlikely. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. borisjohnson says he takes personal responsibility for the conservatives' crushing defeat in the north shropshire by—election. the liberal democrats overturned a huge conservative majority of almost 23,000 and won by nearly 6,000 votes. the shock result follows a torrid week for the prime minister, who has faced criticism over downing street parties and a rebellion by his own mps over covid measures. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports. three, two, one! they might not do subtle... three, two, one! they might not do subtle--- it— three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns _ three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out _ three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out that _ three, two, one! they might not do subtle... it turns out that if - three, two, one! they might not do sub

you're watching the bbc news channel with... it is 12 past 12. more now on the russian troop build up on ukraine's border. president biden has said he does not accept moscow's demands over ukraine. mr putin wants guarantees that nato won't expand any further to the east or deploy weapons systems near russian territory. earlier i spoke to james nixey, director of chatham house's russia and europe programmes and asked him why russia troops had been deployed there. they are making a statement. they are getting our attention, of course. the fact of the matter is that although president biden and putin met injune in geneva, it was cordial and useful perhaps, it couldn't overcome the fact that the two sides have fundamental differences about how the world should work and specifically about whether there should be this buffer state between russia and nato countries, if you like. there's no real getting over that and the russians have decided to up the anti with a specific proposal that nato should not be expanded to any further. obviously, the west disa

we'll have more throughout the evening, for now it's finding a forever family on the bbc news channel. exploring why so many children are being left in the care system. if that's it from us for the moment. shall we go to the park? adoption changes children's lives. just gets funnier, cuter. she's a proper little person. oh, yeah. it rewrites their futures. our role is really important in getting those children theirforeverfamily. but adoption numbers have fallen dramatically. we need to be doing much, much more to find homes for these children. but why are more and more kids waiting to be adopted? we're going to be catching up with three families who've all taken on so—called hard—to—place children. and they're all stories of love and of hope. when adoption goes well, it can look like this. it looks like a family because it is. getting brothers and sisters, sibling groups adopted into the same family is one of the problems. but cara and gordon were up for it. we decided we wanted to adopt siblings. yes. so we knew that straight away... they'd already agreed to adopt their two bo

and coming up on the bbc news channel: captainjoe root leads england's fightback in the opening ashes test. they are 220—2 going into the fourth day in brisbane. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the government is warning of a deeply concerning situation as new data confirms that the new omicron variant in the uk is growing rapidly in all regions, and could be the dominant strain here within the next week. the uk health security agency is suggesting that vaccine protection against mild symptoms has been substantially reduced, but that boosters are effective. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. the omicron variant is spreading incredibly fast, despite our highly immunised population. the growth rate is higher than last christmas, when very few had been vaccinated and the alpha variant hit. new data shows that if you have had two doses of vaccine more than three months ago, it is unlikely to prevent you getting infected with omicron or stop you from passing it on. but if you had a booster, it is likely to give 75% protection against a mild infection with omicron. th

and coming up on the bbc news channel... he has his work permit, but ralf rangnick won't be in the dugout for manchester united against arsenal tonight. instead michael carrick takes charge for the last time. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. covid jabs could be needed every year — with the government confirming that it's ordered 114 million more doses from pfizer and moderna, to be delivered over the next two years. the deal allows for vaccines to be modified to tackle new variants of coronavirus, if necessary. the government says the order "future—proofs" the country's vaccination programme. cases of the 0micron variant have now been confirmed in at least 2a countries, including ten in the uk — with germany tonight announcing sweeping new restrictions for anyone who's not been vaccinated. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. booster after booster, the uk has just ordered enough vaccines for repeat doses next year and in 2023 should they be needed. all are the so—called mrna vaccines, from pfizer a

coming up on the bbc news channel, mercedes drop their plans to appeal the outcome of the abu dhabi grand prix, after the controversial ending to the season cost lewis hamilton a record eighth title. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the uk's chief medical adviser has warned that the previous maximum daily number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus could be exceeded. that was 4,500 seen injanuary. speaking to mp5, professor chris whitty said that the present wave of the omicron variant was likely to peak quite fast — but that it could go down more quickly than previous peaks. health officials have warned that nhs services may be badly affected by staff illness as omicron spreads rapidly — and that they are trying to keep routine hospital services going as much as possible. here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. with the number of new covid—19 infection is surging, how will the nhs and social care cope? with a highly infectious new variant, one of the biggest concerns is what will happen when large numbers of staff fall ill, while at the same tim

and coming up on the bbc news channel, sport or show? the fallout continues in formula i with mercedes considering an appeal after losing to max verstappen and red bull. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. there have been long queues outside vaccination centres today after the booster programme was extended to all over 18s in england, scotland and wales by the end of this month. in northern ireland, boosters are currently only being offered to people over 30. huge demand meant the nhs england website crashed as people tried to book booster appointments and the website ran out of lateral flow tests. it's been confirmed that at least one person has now died in the uk with the new omicron variant of coronavirus and it's thought at least ten people are in hospital with it. it's spreading fast — within the next 48 hours, its expected to be the dominant variant in london. here's our health editor, hugh pym. they were queueing for boosters in plymouth this morning and there were lines of people hoping to getjabs in solihull. in h

and coming up on sport in the bbc news channel. action from the gabba where it was the same old story for england, bowled out for 147 by australia on the opening day of the first ashes test in brisbane. a mobile phone signal and access to high speed broadband is something that most of us take for granted, but in rural areas across the uk it's something that many can only dream of. the rise of home—working and distance—learning during the pandemic has put even more pressure on communities already struggling with connectivity. our correspondent, danny savage, reports from coverdale in north yorkshire. in this picturesque part of yorkshire, the quality of life is rich. but technologically, it is poor. it is a problem. we have a lot of complaints from customers. at this smart restaurant and wedding venue, they struggle with one modern facility nearly everyone expects. there is no mobile phone signal. probably the biggest reaction is a walk—out. somebody had booked a cottage for a whole weekend, they were up here, they were also d

coming up on sportsday later in the coming up on sportsday later in the are on the bbc news channel: its neck and neck in the formula 1 title race between hamilton and verstappen, but will it be a clean fight in the final race of the season? coming up on sportsday in the next good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the goverment will tonight set out a ten year strategy for dealing with drugs in england and wales. the prime minister says the focus will be on supporting the rehabiliation of drug addicts, doing more to discourage recreational users, and coming down hard on drug gangs. £780 million will be spent on improving treatment services over the next three years. £300m has been pledged to crack down on drug gangs. it's thought there are more than 260,000 heroin addicts in england. 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 flashi

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. back in control. after nearly 20 years of conflict, thousands of lives lost and trillions of dollars spent, the taliban has seen off the us, nato and their afghan allies. a stunning success for them and another superpower humbled in the streets and fields of afghanistan. but to understand these events and the origins of the taliban, we need to go back to the cold war. the bloody aftermath of the soviet occupation set the ground for a new force to emerge. they were really seen as angels, these young angels who had arrived to save the country. on december 27th, 1979, soviet special forces stormed the presidential palace in kabul. the president, hafizullah amin, was killed. this was the start of the soviet invasion of afghanistan. the soviets had invaded to shore up the communist government. afghanistan's communists had taken power in a coup in 1978, but opposition to the radical modernisation programme, together with internal communist party squabbling, had resulted in crisis. moscow ran out of patience

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news, the headlines: a key witness speaks publicly after ghislaine maxwell was found guilty of grooming underage girls to be abused byjeffrey epstein the number of daily covid admissions to hospital in england has nearly doubled in a week — from just over a thousand a week ago to more than 2 thousand. europe looks to build its defences against a new wave of covid infections, as the number of cases continues to surge. days after launching into orbit — it's the "make or break" moment for the james webb space telescope — as it starts to unfold its tennis court—sized sunshield. my my name is andy. it's a journey that did not start when i found out what the word transgender was. honestly it started when i was born. coming to terms with my identity felt like trying to deny a part of myself that i thought would never be reality. i kind of felt like if someone put a cap on a volcano and i was just sitting on top of that volcano not trying to let that l. but in the end the

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news, the headlines... australia has welcomed in 2022 with a firework display in sydney harbour. but around the world, many new year's celebrations are cancelled or scaled back due to concerns over covid infections. one in 30 people in the uk were estimated to have tested positive for covid heading into christmas — a new record high for infections. new data suggests the risk of hospitalisation with the omicron coronavirus variant is about one third that of the delta variant. the british study also showed that vaccines can work well against omicron, reducing the need for hospital treatment. now on bbc news, curtain up on coventry. this summer, coventry�*s streets were transformed into a giant stage as it finally got to celebrate the start of a covid—delayed year as uk city of culture 2021. radio: good morning. happy saturday. - this is rachel cusk. i hope you have had some caffeine in you already because today is going to be a very big day. the start of a summer weekend in coventry. but this is no ordi

we'll have more throughout the evening, for now it's finding a forever family on the bbc news channel. exploring why so many children are being left in the care system.

you can watch witness history every month on the bbc news channel or you can catch up on all our films with more than a thousand radio programmes and our online archives which is set for bbc witness history. our next eyewitness story takes us to the 1980s and hugely controversial operation by us law enforcement. in may 1985, police in philadelphia dropped a bomb on a residential street to end the standoff with the radical black activists. 11 people died, five for children. the former philadelphia reporter remembers that tragic day. the siege had been under way for 36 hours when the police, who had put sharpshooters in a nearby rooftops decided to bring an air power. the bomb was dropped with the aim of blowing a hole through the roof. it's a slow—motion sequence shows, there was a devastating miscalculation. watching that fire burn the way you did in knowing that there were people in that house and children in that house, it was just an extraordinary sense of rage. you wanted to do something, but there was nothing that you could do. what happened on may 13, 1985 is the most horrific

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news. the headlines... the government is being urged to set out plans to tackle surging coronavirus cases. a virtual cabinet meeting is taking place, with the bbc told three options have been set out by civil servants. it's as the prime minister comes under pressure again after a photo emerges of him and others with wine and cheese in the number 10 garden during lockdown. ministers say no rules were broken. european stock markets fall as investors eye new restrictions. the netherlands goes into national lockdown with switzerland, france, denmark and ireland bringing in stricter measures. the premier league has decided to carry on with the christmas fixtures and not of any pause, despite the ongoing issues around coronavirus. the chinese tennis star peng shuai retracts an accusation of sexual assault against a former top communist party official — but critics still fear she may have been speaking under duress. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, from new york. i'm steph

there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. hello there. earlier this morning, we had enormous temperature contrasts in scotland. in braemar, we had temperatures of —9 celsius but it was 16 degrees warmer than that over the tops of the scottish mountains in cairnwell. the only difference was elevation. cairnwell is nearly a kilometre higher in the atmosphere, and with high pressure in charge at the moment, air sinks down through the atmosphere and as that happens, it warms up. this layer of warm air, the sunny conditions, pretty widespread across upland areas of the country, whereas lower down, we are stuck under a lot of cloud and mist and that's what many of us have experienced today. overnight tonight, we'll keep those conditions. clearer skies across parts of scotland where it will turn cold. some deeper valleys may get down to —8. with the cloud elsewhere in most parts, it's frost free, but it may be misty and foggy for some as we start monday morning. mond

joe wilson, bbc news. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. the run up to the new year is going to be really exceptionally mild, near record breaking in fact. and notjust on one or two days but really quite a prolonged spell of very mild weather, some four days or so. it's not really going to cool off until around the third or ltth of january. but this is the map showing the warmth in the atmosphere. if you look at the subtropical atlantic here, just to the west of the canaries, south of the azores, there is a current of warm air that is spreading in our direction and spread across western parts of europe and then deeper into more central and eastern parts of europe. in england, for example, this is how mild or warm it could actually get, 17 degrees. compare that to the average of eight celsius. now, at the moment, it's not quite so mild. in fact, in scotland with the clear skies in some eastern areas quite a nippy start to the day and not desperately cold for this time of the year.

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news. the headlines... the government is being urged to set out plans to tackle surging coronavirus cases. a virtual cabinet meeting is taking place, with the bbc told three options have been set out by civil servants. it's as the prime minister comes under pressure again after a photo emerges of him and others with wine and cheese in the number 10 garden during lockdown. ministers say no rules were broken. european stock markets fall as investors eye new restrictions. the netherlands goes into national lockdown with switzerland, france, denmark and ireland bringing in stricter measures.

we�*ll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news, the headlines... australia has welcomed in 2022 with a firework display in sydney harbour. but around the world, many new year�*s celebrations are cancelled or scaled back due to concerns over covid infections. one in 30 people in the uk were estimated to have tested positive for covid heading into christmas — a new record high for infections. new data suggests the risk of hospitalisation with the omicron coronavirus variant is about one third that of the delta variant. the british study also showed that vaccines can work well against omicron, reducing the need for hospital treatment. now on bbc news, curtain up on coventry. this summer, coventry�*s streets were transformed into a giant stage as it finally got to celebrate

you can watch witness history every month on the bbc news channel, or you can catch up on all our films, with more than a thousand radio programmes, and our online archives. search for for bbc witness history. our next eyewitness story takes us to the 1980s and hugely controversial operation by us law enforcement. in may 1985, police in philadelphia dropped a bomb on a residential street to end the stand—off with radical black activists. 11 people died, five were children. the former philadelphia reporter lyn washington remembers that tragic day. the siege had been under way for 36 hours when the police, where put sharpshooters on nearby rooftops, decided to bring in air power. the bomb was dropped with the aim of blowing a hole through the cult headquarters roof. as the slow—motion sequence shows, there was a devastating miscalculation. watching that fire burn the way you did and knowing that there were people in that house and children in that house, it was just an extraordinary sense of rage. you wanted to do something, but there was nothing that you could do. what happened on ma

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news. the headlines — countries around the world are seeing in the new year with scaled—back celebrations as the omicron variant continues to drive up covid infections. entire neighbourhoods in the us state of colorado have been engulfed by flames as wildfires force tens of thousands to leave their homes. the nhs warns of significant pressure in the coming weeks as covid infections in the uk reach a new high. the stuff that artwork will be doing more to finish carrying and covering for their callings and starting early and finishing

coming up later in the hour on the bbc news channel: arsenal, the only british side left in the competition, have found out who they are going to face in the women's champions league quarterfinals. good evening. the prime minister has ruled out bringing in new covid restrictions in england for now, but said the government wouldn't hesitate to take further action to protect the public if needed. borisjohnson said the data on covid was being monitored hour by hour, as the omicron variant continues to spread with speed across the country. he was speaking after chairing an emergency cabinet meeting this afternoon, amid reports of splits among senior ministers over whether to tighten the rules. earlier, the deputy prime minister dominic raab refused to rule out a christmas lockdown, saying it wasn't possible to make �*hard, fast guarantees.�* the labour leader sir keir starmer accused the government of �*a vacuum of leadership.�* here's our deputy political editor vicki young. the decorations are up, and some of the presents are wrapped. the streets of bristol were busy today, but christ

coming up on the bbc news channel... rafa nadal tests positive for covid—19 after an exhibition event in abu dhabi. the 20—time grand slam champion was making his comeback from injury ahead of the australian open next month. police in the philippines say the number of people who've died after typhoon rai hit last week has risen to more than 350. the red cross says it's "carnage" in many areas, with no power, no communications, and very little water. thousands of military, coastguard and fire service personnel have been deployed, to help in the relief operation. with the latest from the capital manila, here's howard johnson. four days on from super typhoon rai's first landfall in the philippines the extent of the damage it caused is finally becoming clear. nine different islands separated by a distance of more than 800 kilometres all experienced sustained ferocious winds and heavy rain, flattening thousands of homes and flooding vast tracts of land. translation: we appeal for at least some small i help to come to us.

the next news on bbc one is at a 5.15. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel. now let's get more on the spread of 0micron. earlier i spoke to professor lawrence young, a virologist at the university of warwick. he said infections are more or less doubling every couple of days. there is always a lag between getting test results through, so we just expect it will be hundreds of thousands of cases of 0micron all over the country, and it's clearly able to outcompete the delta variant. what do you think is the approach to dealing with that? it is difficult, the key issue is 0micron will result in serious disease and there is a lag between getting infected, getting the test, getting results. this will become clear over the next week or so but we do not have the luxury of waiting and that's the problem. what we have to do now to be really sure we can protect ourselves in the nhs is plan for the worst whilst we are hoping for the best. what would the planning look like as far as you are concerned? it really is difficult, but a circuit break over christmas would be a re

nesta mcgregor, bbc news. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. a mummified body of an ancient eyptian pharaoh has been examined for the first time after being digitally unwrapped using high—tech scanners. dr sahar saleem is the lead author of the study and radiologist at the egyptian mummy project. she's been telling my colleague, ros atkins, how they were able to gain insights about the mummification and burial of the king. the money was or actually is for a great king, a king who lived and ruled egypt 3500 years ago. he ruled for 21 years, and he was even worshiped as god after his death. so, this is how great the owner of the mummy is, first of all. and tell us about the technology you used to see him. this mummy is the only mummy from the royal kings of ancient egypt, of the new kingdom, that has not been unwrapped in the modern times, so the mummy is totally wrapped with the wrappings put on it 3000 years ago. so, we didn't want to disturb t

we'll have more sport for you later on the bbc news channel. this is bbc news, the headlines: a key witness speaks publicly after ghislaine maxwell was found guilty of grooming underage girls to be abused byjeffrey epstein the number of daily covid admissions to hospital in england has nearly doubled in a week — from just over a thousand a week ago to more than 2 thousand. europe looks to build its defences against a new wave of covid infections, as the number of cases continues to surge. days after launching into orbit — it's the "make or break" moment for the james webb space telescope — as it starts to unfold its tennis court—sized sunshield.

adam wild, bbc news. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news at 10 o'clock. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. now on bbc news, as part of the bbc�*s 100 women series, nomia iqbal speaks to the actress, rebel wilson about life in hollywood and how the pandemic has made the australian change her outlook on life. trying to make your name in hollywood isn't easy, especially if you're a female actress who doesn't look a stereotypical way. enter rebel wilson, who has defied convention to become one of the most famous faces in the industry. she's been a part of some of the biggest comedy films in recent years, including the pitch perfect franchise and bridesmaids. but like many of us during the pandemic, she's been reassessing her life. i've come here to la, where rebel is now based, for this bbc 100 women interview. we talk about why she lost weight, her challenges with fertility, and how she's balancing that with her professional move into becoming a director, and she talks to me about how she's ho

we'll have more sport for you later here on the bbc news channel. but it's goodbye for now. this is bbc news, the headlines... new studies suggest the omicron variant could be milder than previous variants, with fewer people needing hospital treatment. but there are warnings huge numbers of new infections could still overwhelm hospitals. president putin has again insisted that the west must give russia guarantees that nato won't expand eastwards to admit ukraine. mr putin says he's initiated high—level talks with the us to avoid the risk of war with ukraine. a statue commemorating the deaths of students protesting in beijing's tiananmen square has been removed from the university of hong kong. the work known as the "pillar of shame" was created by the danish sculptor. new south wales has proposed to charge unvaccinated people for covid medical costs. the australian state has come under widespread criticism, with the australian medical association says it's unethical and members of the federal government are also sceptical. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk, with zeinab badawi