fergus - walsh, self-isolating at home, thank walsh, self—isolating at home, thank you. wales and northern ireland have followed scotland in announcing new restrictions from boxing day. in wales the rule of six will be applied again in pubs, cinemas and restaurants. and events will be limited to 50 outdoors, or 30 indoors. and this is legally binding — it's not advice. in northern ireland nightclubs will close on the 26th of december. people will have to remain seated in hospitality venues with a limit of six people at each table. find hospitality venues with a limit of six people at each table. and people will be advised _ six people at each table. and people will be advised to _ six people at each table. and people will be advised to limit _ six people at each table. and people will be advised to limit meeting - will be advised to limit meeting inside private homes to three households. in a moment we'll be hearing from chris page in belfast, but first hywel griffith is in cardiff. normally people count down the days until christmas. in wales, businesses are now tryi

secretary walsh, we are out of time. thank you so much for coming back to washington post live. >> thanks for having me. next testimony from fema and administrator diane chris well on recovery efforts after hurricane ida and climate change. she spoke before the house oversight and reform committee. >> the committee will come to order. without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess of the committee at any time. i now recognize myself with opening statement. the committee is holding this hearing to address the serious and growing crisis posed by natural disaster and extreme weather events, driven by climate change. between august 29th and september 1st, hurricane ida

. -- mike fergus walsh, thank. you. —— mike fergus walsh, thank you. the bank of england has announced an unexpected increase in its main interest rate, to a quarter of i%. the move surprised many economists, and will add to the costs of homeowners with tracker or standard variable rate mortgages. here's our economics correspondent, andy verity. with gas bills up by 28%, inflation is catching fire. electricity bills are up i9%, petrol�*s at a record high of £1.45.8 a litre, and goods prices are rising faster than they have in 30 years, up 6.5%. the bank of england has decided it is now time to act to try to stop inflation getting out of control. since the bank of england's monetary policy committee first slashed interest rates to emergency lows in the wake of the financial crisis, they've had well over 100 meetings and they've only raised interest rates in three of them. there's a straightforward reason why they're doing it now — they're predicting that inflation will get up to 6% next april, that would be the highest it's been since 1992. we are

fergus walsh, bbc news. fergus walsh, bbc news. tonight's announcement on boosters by the prime minister was only in relation to england, but borisjohnson said the uk government will provide additional support to accelerate vaccinations in scotland, wales and northern ireland. in a moment we'll be hearing from hywel griffith in cardiff and chris page who's in belfast, but first let's go to catrina renton who's in glasgow for us tonight. from tomorrow the over 30s here in scotland will also be able to start booking appointments for their boosters and later in the week the over eighteens will be able to do so as well. in a statement this evening the first minister said that urgent efforts are being made to set up the pace of offering booster vaccinations with the aim that every eligible adults in scotland will be offered a booster by the end of the year if possible. you will remember on friday the first minister predicted a potential tsunami of cases over the weekend. the scottish government has been discussing whether further restri

fergus walsh, our medical editor. in wales, the first minister mark drakeford said they were facing a very serious situation as he announced a series of new restrictions to take effect from boxing day. the rule of six will be applied again meaning that groups no larger than six people can meet in pubs, restaurants and cinemas. events will be limited to 50 people outdoors or 30 indoors. mr drakeford said the decision was in response to the �*sharp rise' in cases of the 0micron variant. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. be bold, or tread carefully. once again the welsh government has chosen the most careful path through the pandemic. raising the alert level as a precaution before really knowing where 0micron will lead us. from boxing day, there are limits on how many people can meet to eat, drink, or go to the cinema. families are advised, but not bound by law, to limit how much they mix in each other�*s homes. for the parsons family, it all feels last—minute, giving people dilemmas over who to choos

here is matt walsh, host of the matt walsh show. first we have to knows wallace -- walnut -- walrus awareness week is happening, so the meteoric rise is well times. why is this being gobbled up? >> we didn't try to coincide with walrus awareness week which was fated to be in a lot of ways. i think people are buying the book because we need a little bit of sanity in our culture especially in children's books which any parent, we know if you go to the children section at barnes & noble and look at the titles it is like being at an antifa rally with all of the left-wing propaganda and to have something that is a response to that is resonating with people. i should mention amazon listed it as an lgbt book and currently the last few days i have a top-selling book on amazon, the top-selling lgbt book so i'm an lgbt author and one of the leading lgbt voices in the country according to amazon. laura: what is an lgbt book? is that an author who is lgbt or book that touches on lgbt resident combo? >> i don't know. my book is about a walrus. w

going to try to tease that out for secretary walsh. not blunt at all. tom: i am already into my nap by the time you are talking to secure walsh. jonathan: thanks, tom. i think you are live on air at bloomberg radio at the same time. but you are half-asleep. [laughter] coming up on the program, bank of america, they've got a call year-end on the s&p of 4600 for next year. the high on the street, 5300. the low, 4400. we will talk about the guesses for next year and just a moment. this is bloomberg. ♪ this is bloomberg. ♪ >> the messaging from the curve is very pessimistic. >> a lot of what is going on in the market now is pure risk management. >> i hope that someday in my career we focus on valuations. >> for now, corporate profitability looks pretty good. >> this is "bloomberg surveillance" with tom keene, jonathan ferro, and lisa abramowicz. tom: good morning, everyone. jobs day on radio and television , across america, around the world. it is an omicron jobs

fergus walsh our medical— get louder. sure, 0k. fergus walsh our medical editor— get louder. sure, 0k. fergus walsh our medical editor there. _ it's been announced that the former high courtjudge, baroness hallett, will chair the covid inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic. the crossbench peer presided over the inquests into the deaths from the 7/7 terror attacks. bereaved relatives who lost family members during the pandemic have urged baroness hallett to put them at the heart of her inquiry, which is due to begin next spring. scotland, wales and northern ireland already have covid passports and from today, all adults in england must prove they're now fully vaccinated or have a negative covid test within the last 48 hours to get into large venues such as nightclubs and stadiums. proof can be in the form of an nhs covid pass, or a text or emailfrom nhs test and trace. entry to indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people, outdoor unseated venues with more than 4,000 people, or any venue with more than 10,000 people will also require proof of vaccination o

well, at the heart of the bbc�*s reporting over the past week has been its medical editor, fergus walsh, and hejoins me now. thank you for coming on newswatch. there has, of course, been a lot of coverage of omicron over the past week. some viewers, as you have heard, think it's excessive and alarmist. how would you respond to them? well, i would say don't shoot the messenger. what we are seeing is science in real time. it's absolutely remarkable. it's only been identified, omicron, about ten days ago. it only got a name — omicron — last friday. so incredibly early, very good research from the south african authorities, and as a result of that, we have seen this very swift action. and we have been reporting not only on what the scientists have said, and they are genuinely concerned that this could be the worst variant yet — but you also have to look at what governments have done. the uk government imposing travel restrictions, dramatically changing the booster programme from the over 40s getting a booster now down to everybody over the age of 18, and in england, the aim to offer e

fergus walsh, our medical editor— the weeks ahead. fergus walsh, our medical editor thank— the weeks ahead. fergus walsh, our medical editor thank you. _ and the bbc has launched an nhs tracker, so you can find out how your local services are coping in england, wales and scotland. it'll run throughout the winter. you can find out more at bbc.co.uk/nhstracker. russia's president has again insisted that the west must give russia guarantees that nato won't expand eastwards and admit ukraine as a member. vladimir putin rejected accusations that russia is preparing to invade ukraine, after amassing thousands of troops on the border between the two countries. during his annual press conference, he said any expansion by nato would be a threat to russia's long—term security. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. it's the most wonderful time of the year, if you happen to like long news conferences. vladimir putin's end of year press briefing is always a marathon affair. forfour end of year press briefing is always a marathon af

well, fergus walsh, thank you so much for keeping going with the story. we appreciate it. and thank you for coming on newswatch. before we leave omicron, here is another aspect of the coverage which irritated some viewers this week. fix, irritated some viewers this week. big challenge ahead with the roll—out of these boosters. what impact will these restrictions have anyone in the run up to christmas? the health tech that neck secretary says there — the health tech that neck secretary says there is no need to cancel your christmas arrangements. as preparations for christmas go ahead, some _ preparations for christmas go ahead, some doctors— preparations for christmas go ahead, some doctors say— preparations for christmas go ahead, some doctors say it's _ preparations for christmas go ahead, some doctors say it's best _ preparations for christmas go ahead, some doctors say it's best to - preparations for christmas go ahead, some doctors say it's best to avoid . some doctors say it's best to avoid large _ some doctors say it's best to avoid large gatherings. _ some

here now is matt walsh, host of "the matt walsh show." first we have to note that wall stomach walrus awareness is happening now. it's really well-timed. why is this being gobbled up? >> it was fated to be in a lot of ways. people are buying the book because we need a little sanity and our world and children's books. any parent, i'm a parent, would go to the children's section at barnes & noble's and it is like being at an antifa rally with the propaganda in the response to that. i should mention that amazon did this on their own. they listed it as an lgbt book and right now currently for the last few days i've had the top-selling, not just one of the top-selling book, but the top-selling lgbt book so i'm an lgbt author and one of the leading lgbt voices right now according to amazon and i embrace that. >> laura: what is an lgbt book? an author that is lgbt or a book that touches on lgbt subjects or is it a combo? >> i don't know. speak i don't know, who knows how they decide these things. >> laura: the children's book publishing i can sa

secretary walsh, we are out of time. the committee will come to order. without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the committee at any time. i recognize myself an opening statement. the committee is holding this hearing to address the growing crisis posed by natural disasters and extreme weather events driven by climate change. between august 20 ninth and september 1, hurricane ida

secretary walsh, we are out of time. thank you so mu

fergus walsh, bbc news. fergus walsh, bbc news. health officials say on average, one person with covid is now spreading it to between three and five other people. the uk's latest covid figures show there were 88,376 new cases in the latest 24—hour period, nearly 10,000 more than yesterday. the average over the past week is now more than 63,000 new cases every day. the number of people in hospital with covid is 7,579. 146 deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test. 115 covid—related deaths were recorded on average every day in the past week. 0n vaccinations just over 537,000 people a day had boosters on average in the past seven days, bringing the total to more than 25.4 million people. london is currently being hit hardest by the wave of new infections. case rates in the capital are the highest and rising the fastest. hospital admissions are also on the rise too. with so many people becoming infected at the same time, there are concerns about staffing levels, not least in the nhs. our heal

here's more from president biden. >> i see marty walsh, my labor secretary. marty, you've done a hell of a job, pal, cutting the red tape so that companies can set up, registered apprenticeships for truck drivers in two days instead of two months, which it was before you took over. these apprenticeships are going to help new drivers get trained better and faster and help companies retain drivers in a field that has a lot of turnover. >> joining us now is president biden's labor secretary, marty walsh. thank you very much for joining us tonight, mr. secretary. really appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. great to be on the night before christmas eve. >> so a month ago and beyond that there were a tremendous amount of fear-based reports about christmas gifts not arriving on time, shelves being empty in stores because of the supply chain. you responded to those fears in the administration, but what did you found to be the reality of the supply chain and what you needed to do to make sure that the christmas deliveries were working well? >> certainly, you know,

labor secretary marty walsh. all the data shows that our economy is doing well, but this new number is clearly a miss. what happened? >> i don't know if it's a miss. i mean, every month that i've been standing here, the forecast has been either higher or lower. and there have been different -- i think at the end of the day, when you look at the story here during president biden's administration, we're seeing a lot of success. we're seeing a recovery that's working, nearly 6 million jobs added to the economy, we're seeing nearly two points dropped off the unemployment number. we're seeing people in manufacturing, construction, in those areas that quite honestly have been underperforming even pre-pandemic or doing well. we certainly have work to do. there's no question about it. but i would say, we have to look at the whole picture and not just month-to-month snapshots. >> given all of that and add in the biggest ceos in this country are saying the supply chain issues are improving, the price of gas is dropping, co

matt walsh is the host of "the matt walsh show" and he joins us now. muffin mandate in the windy city. what is going to happen next? >> that is what the science says, if you're eating a pastry there is a greater probability of spreading covid. i guess that is just science. you touched on it and this is what it comes down to, i think, is that we know now that the vaccine does not stop the spread of b30 and even the people who were selling it one way are now basically admitting that. if it doesn't stop the spread of covid than these vaccine mandates make no rational sense at all. even leaving aside the constitutional and moral problems, if you can leave that aside which the powers that be have, it doesn't make any rational sense because no matter if you are vaccinated or not we are all a bunch of unclean super spreaders, it turns out. they told us early in the pandemic, they say now even we are all in this together and we know this is bogus and the way that they made it. but it turns out in a certain sense it is true. we are all in this together in that

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after that marty walsh is speaking with a host who has a british accent at 9:30 a.m. and president biden is ready to comment at 10:15 a.m. i am curious to watch marty walsh with our own jonathan ferro, just to see how he talks about the shift the power to labor pop --, how do we talk about the increases we have seen in wages that are not keeping pace with base consumer inflation but are running at some the past -- fastest pace as we have seen. at 10:00 a.m., the u.s. ism data for november. we will see the momentum in the services sector into the potential new variants of covid, which may or may not have lasting power. i want to see what the momentum is light. we were already dealing with the delta variant. we need to shift from buying goods to services. jonathan: just going to have some commentary from the bank of england saying "omicron is a key consideration for a december rate decision. that coming on december 16 and he says we likely need a rate height -- hike and if we move quicker those moves can be limited. you have to imagine that would be the case three or tw

matt walsh is the host of "the matt walsh show" and he joins us now. muffin mandate in the windy city. what is going to happen next? >> that is what the science says, if you're eating a pastry there is a greater probability of spreading covid. i guess that is just science. you touched on it and this is what it comes down to, i think is that we know now that the vaccine does not stop the spread of b30 and even the people who were selling it one way are now basically admitting that. if it doesn't stop the spread of covid than these vaccine mandates make no rational sense at all. even leaving aside the constitutional and moral problems, if you can leave that aside which the powers that be have, it doesn't make any rational sense because no matter if you arere vaccinated or not e are all a bunch of unclean super spreaders, it turns out. they told us early in the pandemic, they say now even we are all in this together and we know this is bogus and the way that they made it. a but it turns out in a certain sense it is true. we are all in this together in tha

. >> reporter: hey, philip, we're at the port of los angeles where secretary la lor marty walsh is making his first visit ever at ships like this coming into port it's coming from tacoma, washington it's taken about 40 days to get here that's what we want to ask him in ouric exclusive interview when is this supply chain crisis going to be over for the first time, labor secretary marty walsh filling the port of los angeles, filled with aiding container ships. >> i would say they're not work 24/7 but at a higher capacity. >> reporter: when do you think the supply chain will get back to normal in. >> i don't think it's been normal, there have been ups and downs. >> reporter: the port of l.a. says it's dropped 37% since late october. fed chief jerome powell laying out new fears. >> great concern about the virus may reduce people's willingness to work in person, which would slow the labor market and intensify supply chain disruptions. >>> >> reporter: how are you going to intensify people to go back to work >> i think as we figure out the new variant, we need to stress people getting vaccinate

fergus walsh, bbc news. well, earlier, i spoke to saad omer, who is director of yale institute for global health. i asked if he agreed that we will need to accept having to take vaccine booster shots indefinitely. expert is sure is the pfizer ceo, and people are looking at emerging data from a new variant, but also, i think there is a bit of uncertainty about the longevity of response after the third dose through brewster. i think there is some uncertainty around that —— booster. i wouldn't be so sure to start predicting that we will definitely need a booster every few months.— every few months. that has dealt with _ every few months. that has dealt with the _ every few months. that has dealt with the booster. - every few months. that has dealt with the booster. in i dealt with the booster. in terms of the immediate reaction to the omicron variant and the travel restrictions, to think thatis travel restrictions, to think that is the right way to go about things through mark well, no. �* , . no. and i

our medical editor fergus walsh reports. between 13 and 1a, these are the ages of some of the people fighting for their lives on a covid ward. not one of them has been vaccinated. a powerful illustration of the dangers facing the unvaccinated and the pressure on nhs staff, filmed in the intensive care unit of royal liverpool hospital where four out of five covid patients are notjabbed. the intensive care society said at least two—thirds of covid patients were unvaccinated in 12 out of 16 critical care units it contacted in england. it's not for us to judge people who haven't been vaccinated, it's for us to look after them as well as we can, but it's very sad when people come into hospital who haven't been vaccinated. they're very unwell and they ask to have the vaccine then, which of course they can't, because you have to get better from covid before you can be vaccinated. evidence that omicron causes milder disease has been reinforced by preliminary analysis from the uk health security agency. it suggests that someone inf

our medical editor fergus walsh has more. queueing round the block for their booster, you will see a lot more of this in the coming days. from tomorrow, the over—30s in england and scotland will be able to book their booster, and the over—18s from later in the week. good evening. over the past year... addressing the nation tonight, the prime minister said the country was facing an emergency in its battle against omicron. there is a tidal wave of omicron coming, and i am afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need. a wave of omicron through a population that was not boosted would risk a level of hospitalisation that could overwhelm our nhs and lead, sadly, to very many deaths. so, we must act now. the original target was to offer a booster to all over—18s by the end of january. that has now been brought forward to the end of the month. it will require one million jabs in arms a day, double what is being achieved now. this huge push on boosters comes a

fergus walsh, bbc news. let's get a little more detail on those preliminary studies which suggest that the 0micron variant could be milder than first feared. professor aziz sheikh is the lead author of the edinburgh university study. he explained the findings. in essence, we've got three core findings here. and we've been in the fortunate position of really being able to track the entire scottish population. so, the first is that we've seen 0micron just run through scotland incredibly rapidly. the first case was towards the end of november, november the 23rd, and then in the three to four weeks subsequently, we've seen that it's become the dominant variant in scotland. so, it's basically swept through the population very rapidly. the second issue and a big unanswered question that we've been grappling with is what's the risk of severe outcomes? and by that we mean covid hospitalisations or deaths. what we've been able to show when we do analyses adjusted for all sorts of other situations such as age, sex, un

fergus walsh, bbc news. covid infections are surging across europe — with both the uk and france reporting new, single—day records on thursday. italy and spain are the latest countries to introduce increased restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. our europe correspondent nick beake has this report. the festive message to spaniards this year — wear a mask, even outside. across europe, governments are issuing health warnings rather than glad tidings. at a time when families come together, the advice is to keep your distance. belgium is now inviting children as young as five to get vaccinated. covid cases here have been falling for the past ten days, but cinemas and theatres are set to close, although pubs will stay open. it's really a political choice that is not really supported by scientific. i feel like there are rules, but no—one really cares. it helps me to study that - all the nightclubs are closed! exhausted doctors and nurses are pleading with the public to follow the rule

fergus walsh, bbc news. well, boosters are set to be offered to all adults over the age of 18, and the gap between second and third doses has been halved from six to three months. but some people are being turned away at vaccine hubs. as our health editor hugh pym reports, the plans to significantly ramp up the vaccination programme may not happen for another week in england. vaccination centres including this one in hertfordshire are getting busier, as people are invited to come forward for theirjabs. but the message to the public is — there's a need to be patient, as big changes to the booster programme announced this week haven't yet been introduced. people will be notified. they've been notified previously either through text or through letters, so i'm expecting it to be the same again. so please wait for those notifications. but staff say they've had problems with some who arrive thinking they can now get a booster. so, some people are just, you know, demanding to want to come in at a particular time

joe walsh invites fans into his home for his fifth annual vets. it's going to be streaming live from his basement studio at 8:00 p.m. and featuring performances by joe walsh and special guests. it's for a great cause. you can grab tickets from vetsaid.org. something he was inspired by losing his dad and sadly a gold star family. you are watching "morning joe," we'll be right back. e watching we'll be right back. biden: this is the challenge of our collective lifetime. and every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases. we have the ability to invest in ourselves and build an equitable, clean energy future, and in the process, create millions of good-paying jobs and opportunities around the world. there's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves. so let this be the moment that we answer history's call. find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. ray loves vacations. but his diabetes ne

fergus walsh, bbc news. the foreign secretary liz truss will take responsibility for the uk's post—brexit negotiations with the eu, following the abrupt resignation of lord frost last night. lord frost said he was unhappy with the direction of borisjohnson's government, and urged the prime minister not to impose what he called the "coercive" covid measures seen in some other countries. any new restrictions in england would have to be approved by the house of commons and that would mean bringing mps back to westminster from their christmas break. our political correspondent damian grammaticas looks at the challenges for the prime minister in the coming days. lord frost. i'm from the bbc. can i ask you a few questions, please? no. can i ask why you've resigned from the government, lord frost? do you believe that boris is still fit to lead? he wasn't answering today but lord frost's resignation came at a terrible time for the prime minister. on borisjohnson's behalf, he'd been at the forefront of the ongoing

fergus walsh, bbc news. some countries across europe have already taken steps to try to prevent 0micron cases rising. france and germany have closed their borders to most british travellers, denmark has closed theatres, cinemas and amusement parks for the next month, and the netherlands has gone into lockdown. anna holligan reports from the hague. virtually silent high streets. it's online and window shopping only this year. last christmas, the dutch thought the pandemic would be over by now. instead, the netherlands has become the first country in europe to shut down in response to the rapidly spreading 0micron variant. now, it feels like it's starting all over again, to be isolated and, yeah... it feels really bad. because we're used to going to the cafe, to a bar, and with this lockdown, it's impacted me a bit. so, yeah, it's going to be difficult. george is a chef. so, tomorrow, i'm working just to throw away a lot - of fresh food, lots of... basically, everything - that we can't sell any more. so, that'

fergus walsh, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we'll tell you why people in more than 100 polish towns and cities have taken to the streets in protest. the world of music has been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon says it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. in its place, the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, i over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, _ nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane _ eight storeys high, i a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a c

fergus walsh, bbc news. we can now speak to dr craig spencer who's director of global health in emergency medicine at columbia university medical center in new york. very medical center in new york. good to have you with this very good to have you with us. this idea of limiting the movement of people were not vaccinated where the glum — where they can glum public spaces, this is quite a leap in terms of public policy, isn't it? �* ., , , ., it? but we have seen is that, the vaccines _ it? but we have seen is that, the vaccines to _ it? but we have seen is that, the vaccines to health - it? but we have seen is that, | the vaccines to health experts have been saying, they reduce your likelihood of getting sick and dramatically reduce your likelihood of ending up in the hospital or dying from covid—i9. people know we're in the middle of a pandemic we have this new and worrisome variant that can make things worse for months or years more and we know that one of the best ways out of this is going to be gett

fergus walsh, bbc news, coventry. if you want to get in touch with me i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a new chancellor, and a new era for germany, as olaf scholz takes over from angela merkel. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building, in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president i of the philippines, hasi gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated i at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from bucki

fergus walsh, bbc news. still on 0micron, and of course the concern remains even if it is milder, the sheer number of cases could overwhelm hospitals. the variant is spreading rapidly across europe and around the world as tanya dendrinos reports. a silver lining just in time for christmas. but while preliminary studies suggest the 0micron variant appears to be milder, its rate of transmission is another story altogether. 0micron is already the dominant strain in a number of countries, including the uk, portugal and denmark, and according to the world health organization, that will soon be the case right across europe. there is no doubt that europe once again is the epicentre of the global pandemic. the top ten countries with the highest mortality are in europe and central asia. in spain, the variant is believed to account for almost half of all infections. in response to the rapid rise, prime minister pedro sanchez has announced plans to reintroduce mandatory face coverings outdoors. still, there's a hint of

fergus walsh, bbc news, coventry. dr sumit chanda is an infectious disease researcher at scripps research. i began by asking if booster shots were the way forward against omicron. isa is a preliminary data these are experiments that have been done outside of the human body and using essentially a test tube to determine this results and the definitive data will be looking at hospitalisations and deaths across europe in the us and comparing those versus those with two. but the data is suggesting that a third shot is significantly more protective and optimal than the two shot regiment. irate and optimal than the two shot reuiment. ~ . , and optimal than the two shot regiment-— regiment. we are “ust seeing the regiment. we are 'ust seeing the research _ regiment. we are 'ust seeing the research from]— regiment. we are just seeing the research from pfizer- regiment. we are just seeing the research from pfizer at i the research from pfizer at this point in time, but what about my dharna, astrazeneca. what are you hear

fergus walsh, bbc news. the white house says presidentjoe biden is "very concerned" by the supreme court's decision to leave in place a ban on most abortions in texas. it follows a ruling by the court on friday that abortion providers can pursue legal challenges to a controversial law that bans the procedure in the state of texas after the first six weeks of pregnancy. but the court also ruled that the legislation will remain in place for now. the law has been sharply criticised by doctors, women's rights groups and the biden administration. julie f kay is an attorney and author of the book controlling women. she helped litigate the first direct challenge to ireland's absolute abortion ban before the european court of human rights. she's been explaining what this supreme court ruling does. this ruling was really more procedural at this point. as we all know, by now, the law in texas has been in effect for 100 days. it has almost ground abortion to a halt in texas and the supreme court has been ok with that a

fergus walsh, bbc news. let's get a little more detail on those preliminary studies which suggest that the 0micron variant could be milder than first feared. professor aziz sheikh is the lead author of the edinburgh university study. he explained the findings. so, in essence, we've got three core findings here. and we've been in the fortunate position of really being able to track the entire scottish population. so, the first is that we've seen 0micron just run through scotland incredibly rapidly. the first case was towards the end of november, november the 23rd, and then in the three to four weeks subsequently, we've seen that it's become the dominant variant in scotland. so, it's basically swept through the population very rapidly. the second issue and a big unanswered question that we've been grappling with is what's the risk of severe outcomes? and by that we mean covid—19 hospitalisations or deaths. what we've been able to show when we do analyses adjusted for all sorts of other situations such as age

fergus walsh, bbc news. meanwhile in south africa — the new coronavirus variant omicron has now become dominant and is driving a sharp increase in new infections. over the last week the daily number of new covid cases has increased fourfold, from less than 3,000 to more than 11,500 — three quarters of which are omicron. still — deaths and hospitalisations are rising at a lower rate. our africa correspondent andrew harding has more. it's summer time here in south africa, but a shadow looms over the beaches and holiday season. a fourth wave of covid infections is spreading fast, driven by the new variant. are you worried about this new variant, omicron? the new one, i am worried. i'm worried. we don't know what the new variant's like. what the symptoms are, how bad the symptoms are. how it could affect us now and it makes you really scared. at their laboratory here in durban the scientists who first identified the omicron variant are racing to unlock its secrets, and now the first hints are emerging of w

fergus walsh, bbc news. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma your concerns about the 0micron variant for instance, i am looking forward to hearing from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: max verstappen clinches his first formula 1 world championship on the last lap of the final grand prix of the season. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes, but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict — conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. the foreign audience of world leaders, the presidents of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border- was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off - from the outside world in order to prevent the details - of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life — the lewinsky affair tonight guaran

fergus walsh, bbc news. the government's latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were over 58,000 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, over 19,000 cases were reported per day in the last week. close to 7,500 people were in hospital with covid as of yesterday. there were 120 deaths — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, which means the average number of deaths over the past seven days was 119. the total number of people who've died with covid now stands at 146,255. on vaccinations, 89% of people aged 12 and over have now received a first dose. and 81% have been double jabbed. and more than 22 million people have received their boosterjab. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has expressed deep alarm at the growth of the omicron variant, saying they face a tsunami of cases. she said that from tomorrow all household contacts of any covid cases should isolate for ten days, regardless of vaccination status and even if they initially get a nega

fergus walsh, bbc news. let's get more now on those preliminary studies which suggest that the 0micron variant could be milder than first feared. professor aziz sheikh is the lead author of the edinburgh university study. he explained the findings. in essence, we've got three core findings here. and we've been in the fortunate position of really being able to track the entire scottish population. so, the first is that we've seen 0micron just run through scotland incredibly rapidly. the first case was towards the end of november, november the 23rd, and then in the three to four weeks subsequently, we've seen that it's become the dominant variant in scotland. so, it's basically swept through the population very rapidly. the second issue and a big unanswered question that we've been grappling with is what's the risk of severe outcomes? and by that we mean covid hospitalisations or deaths. what we've been able to show when we do analyses adjusted for all sorts of other situations such as age, sex, underlying com

fergus walsh, bbc news. ecuador is to make the covid—i9 vaccine mandatory for most people over the age of five. those with a medical justification will be exempt. the government says it's necessary because of a rise in infections and the spread of variants such as omicron. the country suffered a crippling first wave of the virus in 2020 with dead bodies left on the streets as hospitals and mortuaries were overwhelmed. the former south korean president, park geun—hye, who was jailed for 22 years on corruption charges, is to be granted a pardon by the government. miss park was impeached and removed from office in march 2017 after widespread protests in south korea. as laura bicker explains, the current president, moonjae—in, had previously ruled out a pardon. earlier this year he ruled out a pardon saying it was premature. remember, this is a liberal president who would be pardoning a conservative, a far—right conservative president. in fact, conservatives in this country see her as their princess. she

fergus walsh, bbc news. meanwhile in south africa, the new coronavirus variant omicron has now become dominant and is driving a sharp increase in new infections. over the last week the daily number of new covid cases has increased fourfold, from less than 3,000 to more than 11,500 — three quarters of which are omicron. still — deaths and hospitalisations are rising at a lower rate. our africa correspondent andrew harding has more. it's summer time here in south africa, but a shadow looms over the beaches and holiday season. a fourth wave of covid infections is spreading fast, driven by the new variant. are you worried about this new variant, omicron? the new one, i am worried. i'm worried. we don't know what the new variant's like. what the symptoms are, how bad the symptoms are. how it could affect us now and it makes you really scared. at their laboratory here in durban the scientists who first identified the omicron variant are racing to unlock its secrets, and now the first hints are emerging of what

our medical editor, fergus walsh, reports. amid the gloom over omicron and its potential threat, some encouraging news. it was back in the summer that nearly 3,000 uk volunteers got one of seven different covid vaccines as a booster shot, three months after their second dose. thank you very much, everybody. for those boosted with pfizer after two doses of astrazeneca, their antibody levels were 25 times higher than a control group after one month. when pfizer was given after two pfizer shots, antibody levels rose eight fold, but from a much higher initial level. moderna and other combinations also worked well. the study didn't look at omicron. it has mutations in the spike protein, which may make antibodies less able to bind on to it and prevent infection, but the bigger the antibody army the better. t—cells, another part of the immune system, were also significantly boosted. these can spot and destroy infected cells. the study showed boosters worked well against beta and delta variants, so it's likely they will also protect

fergus walsh, bbc news. the number of people waiting for nonurgent medical treatment in england has hit its highest level since records began. almost six million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of october and more than 10,500 people had to wait more than 12 hours in a&e before a bed was found last month. but ambulance response times have improved slightly. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports from newcastle's royal victoria infirmary. is she quite sick? does she need any respiratory support? the pressure rarely eases. it's all the running around we do. record numbers of patients are coming through the doors. here, they believe there's been a fundamental change in people's health needs. i think it's the pent—up demand in health care that has exploded, and our system isjust being overwhelmed at every point. yeah, it was a bit concerning, sitting waiting. tricia had to wait two hours for an ambulance. she's had heart attacks before and feared she was having another one, but doctors reassured

fergus walsh, bbc news. the wikileaks founder julian assange can be extradited to the us to stand trial, the uk's high court has ruled. assange faces charges in the states of publishing classified documents. his extradition was blocked injanuary because of concerns about his mental health, but nowjudges have said that assurances given about mr assange�*s treatment allow the move to go ahead. dominic casciani has this report. free, freejulian assange! a day ofjudgment, but is it the end of the road in washington for a man who has been wanted for a decade? today, the high court ruled julian assange should go on trial in the us for disclosing state secrets. his supporters say he'll kill himself injail, the americans say they'll treat him humanely. mr assange�*s partner says those assurances are worthless. the high court decided againstjulian on this occasion on the basis of political assurances. amnesty international has analysed these assurances and has said that they are inherently unreliable. it's taken

our medical editor fergus walsh has the latest. # driving home for christmas... this christmas, the hot ticket for many is not to see a football match, but to get a boosterjab. wembley stadium had 10,000 vaccines available today and many were keen to get them before heading home to see family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i've got an elderly grandfather who's 90 years old, so i want to be able to see him. i'm getting booster vaccinations and my family members have already got their vaccinations, but i think it's best to be as contained as possible. so, it's the booster versus the variant. omicron infections are thought to be doubling every 2—3 days. the epidemic is growing so fast, the health secretary could not rule out fresh restrictions before christmas. there are no guarantees in this pandemic, i don't think. at this point, we just have to keep everything under review. he urged people across the country to be cautious in the days ahead. if i'm going to see my mum, for example, who's elderly, like most very old people, she's more vulnerab

fergus walsh, bbc news. still on 0micron and, of course, the concern remains even if it is milder, the sheer number of cases could overwhelm hospitals. the variant is spreading rapidly across europe and around the world as tanya dendrinos reports. a silver lining just in time for christmas. but while preliminary studies suggest the 0micron variant appears to be milder, its rate of transmission is another story altogether. 0micron is already the dominant strain in a number of countries, including the uk, portugal and denmark, and according to the world health organization, that will soon be the case right across europe. there is no doubt that europe once again is the epicentre of the global pandemic. the top ten countries with the highest mortality are in europe and central asia. in spain, the variant is believed to account for almost half of all infections. in response to the rapid rise, prime minister pedro sanchez has announced plans to reintroduce mandatory face coverings outdoors. still, there is a hint

fergus walsh, bbc news. ecuador is to make the covid—i9 vaccine mandatory for most people over the age of five. those with a medical justification will be exempt. the government says it's necessary because of a rise in infections and the spread of variants such as 0micron. the country suffered a crippling first wave of the virus in 2020, with dead bodies left on the streets as hospitals and mortuaries were overwhelmed. joan didion, who chronicled 1960s and �*70s american culture, with screenwriting credits including the film a star is born, has died at the age of 87. her award—winning book on grief, the year of magical thinking, was inspired by the deaths of her husband and daughter. earlier i spoke to the author and book critic adam dalva, who teaches didion�*s writing to university students. i asked him what her work means to him. i think she represents several things to every american writer. didion herself said, "i have already lost touch with a couple of the people i used to be." so the two thin