this is bbc news with the latest headlines. warnings over the five days of christmas. leaders of the four uk nations come together and urge caution over the relaxation of covid restrictions, but scientists say easing the rules could cause a fresh spike. effectively, what this would be doing is throwing fuel on the covid fire. i think it will lead to increased transmission that is likely to lead to a third wave of infection with hospitals overrun. whether it is safe, three, four, five households, most people are going to try and meet up no matter how many households they come from. lam how many households they come from. i am really against it, i don't think it should be happening. they should have kept us locked down.

and at 9:30, we'll be answering your questions on the relaxed christmas rules. get in touch on @annita—mcveigh #bbcyourquestions. meghan, the duchess of sussex, reveals she has had a miscarriage. the chancellor prepares to set out the government's spending plans for the coming year. the spending review will give a boost to the nhs, but expect a sting in the tail for public sector workers and private pensions. the spending watchdog says ppe stockpiles in england were inadequate for the covid pandemic, with a surge in price costing the taxpayer around £10 billion. and coming up this hour, shut for the first time in a century — how the closure of a village hall in rural wiltshire has affected a whole community during the pandemic.

hello, good morning, welcome to bbc news. we begin with some news that has just news. we begin with some news that hasjust emerged in news. we begin with some news that has just emerged in the last few minutes, which we brought to you in the headlines. the duchess of sussex has revealed she has had a miscarriage in an article she has written for the new york times. she says that she miscarried in july, and her article for the new york times begins, it began as an ordinaryjuly morning, as ordinary as any other day, making breakfast, feeding her dogs, taking vitamins, finding a missing sock, picking up a rogue crayon that rolled under the table. she describes how she picked up table. she describes how she picked up her baby son archie from his cot

and then she felt a sharp cramp. it is an incredibly intimate portrayal of what happened by meghan, the duchess of sussex. she says she dropped to the floor with him in her arms, humming a lullaby to keep them both calm. the cheerful tune, she wrote, a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right. she said, i knew as i clutched my first born child that i was losing my second. archie mountbatten—windsor was born in may last year, just under a year after she and the duke of sussex were married at st george's chapel in windsor. later on in the article, she writes how the experience brought them to realise quite how many women go through the trauma of losing a child through

miscarriage. the duchess revealing in this article that she miscarried injuly. we will be talking to our royal correspondent sarah campbell in the next few minutes is that very sad news emerges this morning. the leaders of all four uk nations are urging us all to think carefully as virus restrictions are relaxed over christmas. it comes as scientists warn the relaxation will cause a spike in infections. the changes will begin on the 22nd of december in northern ireland, and a day later elsewhere. people from three different households will be allowed to spend time together indoors for five days. and travel restrictions will be eased. but a formed christmas bubble must be exclusive and would not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together. the prime minister and leaders of scotland, wales and northern ireland urged people meeting over christmas to be "mindful of the risks to themselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable." this report from keith doyle.

the 12 days of christmas have been reduced to five. restrictions on travel and mixing will be lifted from the 23rd to december 27th, after leaders across all four uk nations agreed on a common plan to allow families and friends to meet each other. but it's not going to be a christmas as normal this year. this year, christmas will be different. many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends, irrespective of our faith or background, and yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind. the virus doesn't know it's christmas, and we must all be careful. the christmas rules are up to three households will be able to meet up during this five—day festive period. and while people can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, they can't visit pubs and restaurants together. and the three—household christmas bubble you make must be exclusive. that means no chopping and changing — your christmas bubble will stay

the same throughout. whether it's say, three households, four households, five households, i think extended families are mostly going to try and meet up, no matter how many households they come from. i'm really against it. i really don't think it should be happening. i think they should have locked us down, keep us locked down, because we all want to get back to normal. further details for scotland and wales will be published tomorrow. but even with the relaxed rules, people are being asked to make a personaljudgment about the risks they take over the festive period, for themselves and those vulnerable around them. the virus is not going to be taking christmas off. so although we want to give a little bit of flexibility for christmas, we are still urging people to be very cautious and to use this flexibility responsibly and only if you think it is necessary. northern ireland has an extra day either side of the five days to allow for travel. across the uk, these measures will give people more of a christmas than might have been.

but it will still be far from the christmas most would wish for. keith doyle, bbc news. we are going to continue, in a few moments, to look at that relaxation of rules are made all those warnings from scientists, but first let's return to the news emerging this morning that the duchess of sussex has revealed she's had a miscarriage injuly. we has revealed she's had a miscarriage in july. we can has revealed she's had a miscarriage injuly. we can speak now to our royal correspondent sarah campbell. sarah, the duchess has written about this in the new york times, and i am struck by the detail, what an intimate, i think, struck by the detail, what an intimate, ithink, is struck by the detail, what an intimate, i think, is the word, portrayal of what happened to her. yes, absolutely, morning, annita, this article published today in the new york times, an attempt to you piece going into detail about a miscarriage that she suffered. —— an

op—ed piece. going through the article it is, as you say, quite a detailed piece about that comment the trauma that she felt earlier this year. she said, after changing his diaper, of course talking about archie, she said ifelt his diaper, of course talking about archie, she said i felt a sharp cramp. i dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm. the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right, and she says very starkly, i knew, as i clutched my first born child that i was losing my second. so there news that meghan, the duchess of sussex, prince harry's wife, suffered a miscarriage earlier this year. and she goes on to talk in very great detail about the upset that she and her husband suffered, they distressed that they went through, and it is an article that is obviously about the miscarriage, but it is also a much wider article. it

is entitled the losses we share, and she talks to delight about the path to healing, about what a traumatic year it has been for so many people, relating that to what has happened in her own personal experience. and, sarah, you mentioned archie born in may of last year, just under a year after the couple were married at st george's chapel in windsor, i guess reflecting that although that seems to be very uncomplicated pregnancy, that many women who have gone through miscarriage will realise that doesn't necessarily mean that following pregnancies will follow the same cause. well, indeed, and i think it is worth pointing out, of course, as we know, that meghan harry have kept details such as the birth very private, so i don't know if we can say with any certainty that it was a particularly easy pregnancy necessarily, but certainly, within the text, she does go on to talk about the pain and

loss of our loss, my husband and i discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10—20 will have suffered from miscarriage, and she talks about the fa cts , miscarriage, and she talks about the facts, that despite the fact that this is a regularly common, the conversation remains taboo. so clearly some hope that talking about what she has gone through in private might help others to talk about what they have gone through, because as we know, miscarriage is all too common for so many women. sarah, thank you very much, sarah campbell. let's return now to discussions around christmas as the four uk nations came to an agreement over a relaxation of those restrictions for a period around christmas itself. let's talk now to our political correspondentjess parker, let's talk now to our political correspondent jess parker, who let's talk now to our political correspondentjess parker, who was in westminster. good morning to you, jess. first of all, how much of a political compromise has there had to be between the four nations over this plan? well, there has to be a

political compromise, because as we have seen through the crisis, the four nation sometimes taking different paths and how they deal with covid, but the reality is that lots of people across the country will want to see loved ones this christmas, particularly this christmas, particularly this christmas after such a difficult year, and there might be people living in scotland who will want to come to england, people living in wales who want to go to england, or people from england wanting to go to northern ireland, so they had to come up with some sort of compromise, and what they have come up compromise, and what they have come up with is this idea of a temporary christmas bubble between the 23rd — 27th december, with three households can mix indoors and stay overnight. they can also go to places of worship together, go outdoors, be in the garden, and for northern ireland to the window was slightly longer because of travel, 22nd — 28. but i think there is a recognition that doing this will have consequences, because mixing indoors is particularly white coronavirus can

thrive, and one of those people, one of the scientist to have been warning of the consequences as professor andrew hayward. effectively, what this would be doing is throwing fuel on the covid fire. i think it will definitely lead to increased transmission that is likely to lead to a third wave of infection, with hospitals being overrun and more unnecessary deaths. covid is a disease that thrives on social contact, especially the sort of close proximity, long duration contact that you have in relaxed circumstances within a household. i wonder how difficult it is politically, because i don't think we have seen a scientist was not warning about the risks that come with this plan, or do the politicians feel that by issuing the warning, alongside the announcement of relaxing the rules, is really all they could do in the circumstances? the politicians are certainly not sing, from any of the four nations,

here is a relaxation of the rules, go for your life. what they are saying is pleased to think about your personal risks, so you don't necessarily have to take up the offer of a relaxation over christmas. they are urging people to think about their loved ones, think about their personal situations, and decide for themselves and what they wa nt to decide for themselves and what they want to do. i think they are still urging people to be cautious where possible, but one of the political concerns was that if they didn't come up with some sort of formula across the four nations, then some people would just go ahead and see their loved ones anyway, so they had to come up with a plan that would allow a limited relaxation of the rules over that christmas period. but i think certainly all leaders are still urging caution, because, as borisjohnson are still urging caution, because, as boris johnson put are still urging caution, because, as borisjohnson put it last night, he said the virus will not gonna break over the festive period. reminder that coming up at 9:30am, we are going to be answering your

questions on the relaxation of the rules around those five days over christmas, and the risks involved meeting indoors. evenif even if you haven't got a question but you have a plan for christmas, you have decided you are going to form a christmas bubble with two other households, or you are deciding it is not worth the risk in your opinion, i would love to hear what you are thinking, we will try to read out your comments as well. the chancellor, rishi sunak, will set out later how he hopes to protectjobs in the uk, and help the economy recover from the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. his spending review will announce money for the coming year for the nhs, schools, and for devolved nations. but he is speaking against a backdrop of record borrowing

and mounting debt, and forecasts from the office for budget responsibility will today indicate how long the economic pain is expected to last. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity reports. we promise to level up with new roads, railways, broadband and homes! this budget gets it done! in march, when coronavirus was coming but no lockdown had yet been announced, the new chancellor, rishi sunak, promised a comprehensive review of government spending byjuly. but long before then, he had embarked on the biggest spending spree in peacetime, almost all of it funded by borrowing. at the march budget, the official forecast was the chancellor would have to borrow £55 billion this financial year. by august, the huge cost of the government's coronavirus policies meant he was expected to borrow nearly seven times that figure, £372 billion. now, in the midst of a second wave of renewed support measures, that figure's expected to jump even higher. that doesn't mean now

is the time for cuts. with renewed restrictions pushing down consumer spending and few businesses investing, it's only higher government spending that's preventing the double dip we are in getting even deeper. the government's already promised to spend £4 billion a year extra on defence and about £1 billion a year on a restart scheme to help unemployed people find work. and it's under pressure to prevent millions slipping into poverty by extending a £20 a week boost to benefits beyond march. to try to show it can rein back spending, the government's floated the idea of cutting overseas aid and freezing or capping the pay rises of 5 million public sector workers outside the nhs. that's prompted unions to accuse the government of a return to the same austerity it promised one year ago to end. but with the pandemic still set to last months and the shape of a brexit deal still unknown, any forecasts for government spending remain deeply uncertain. andy verity, bbc news.

carl emmerson is deputy director of the institute for fiscal studies. hejoins me now. very good to have you with us, i spending review normally sense out plans for three yea rs, normally sense out plans for three years, possibly more, we are getting a one—year plan because of the level of uncertainty, so how difficult you think it is for the chancellor to plan, given the pandemic, given that we don't know whether or not there will be a deal for the end we don't know whether or not there will be a dealfor the end of we don't know whether or not there will be a deal for the end of the brexit transition period? there is certainly huge amounts of uncertainty, and even in normal times our forecasts are wrong, undoubtedly they will be more wrong than usual this time, so the chancellor is right not to try and set further spending plans for three yea rs — set further spending plans for three years — just setting them for next years — just setting them for next year will be hard enough, he doesn't know what path the virus will take over coming months, whether lockdown will be needed, whether he might have to announce more support for households and businesses and businesses and public services. so

remaining nimble is the right thing to do, a one—year spending plan makes a lot of sense, as andy verity said in his report, once we're through this, with more of an idea of how strongly the economy can bounce back, that is when we will need to think about cutting spending or perhaps very likely increase in taxes to try to get government borrowing back control. is now not the time, given the fact that we are talking about a short spending review, for the chancellor to be ambitious, especially since we seem to have vaccines for covid—19 insight? the challenges we don't know how fully the economy is going to recover, there will be strong economic growth once the virus is behind us and parts of the economy can behind us and parts of the economy ca n fully behind us and parts of the economy can fully reopen, but getting a com plete can fully reopen, but getting a complete bounce back is unlikely. it is likely to be the case that sadly viable businesses will have gone under, people will have lost their jobs, those leaving school will find it harder to get into as good a job

as they would have done. it will ta ke as they would have done. it will take a long while for the economy to recover and a long while for tax reve nu es to recover and a long while for tax revenues to recover. that is the difficulty were trying to set out plans over a longer period. that said, on the investment side, there is more of an argument for the government thinking further ahead, making investments to boost the economy and leave us in a better place in a few years' time. the case for that is strengthened by the fact that the government can borrow incredibly cheaply. if it can do investments now is a good time to do them. do you think a public sector pay freeze, not taking into that front line nhs workers, who will not be affected by it, do you think it isa be affected by it, do you think it is a mistake that could come back to bite for government? it is a very difficultjudgment to bite for government? it is a very difficult judgment to make. bite for government? it is a very difficultjudgment to make. 0ver bite for government? it is a very difficultjudgment to make. over the last year, wages and the private sector have done much worse than wages in the public sector, and that is what happens in recessions, but it is important to remember that we have had a decade of very tight

public sector pay restraints, and on average public sector workers are paid average public sector workers are pa id less average public sector workers are paid less than they were in 2010. so the fear is if you go too far in squeezing public sector pay, you will have difficulties recruiting and retaining and motivating the high quality staff the public sector needs. 0k, carl emmerson, thank you very much for your time, deputy director of the institute for fiscal studies. sima kotecha is in the studio, hi, tell us kotecha is in the studio, hi, tell us what we can expect today, and are we going to hear anything about how this will be paid back, or is that a discussion for way down the line?l lot of what is going to be set has been well publicised in the papers over the last two days, for example the 3 billion extra for the nhs, the 16.5 billion that will be given to the ministry of defence, and as you are talking to carl, that controversial pay freeze affecting 4 million public sector workers — teachers, soldiers, nurses and doctors. in terms of tax rises, it

is inevitable that at some point taxes will have to go up to pay for all of this. i mean, if you look at the level of government borrowing, it is expected that by the end of this year it will have borrowed £350 billion. that is an obscene amount of money, and the government has already said that at some point they are going to have to balance the books. now, a budget is due in march after the spending review, and it is likely that is when rishi sunak will outline what tax cuts are needed. we know that tax revenues have been very low, things like income tax, vat, fewer people working, fewer people buying things, so they have had less income coming in, so when income goes down, borrowing goes up, spending goes up, they are in an incredibly tricky situation... collide briefly, by that point, not the full picture, of course but a better idea of the impact of the end

of the brexit transition and what is happening with vaccines and the impact that will hopefully have on the economy and live getting back to normal, fingers crossed! yes, absolutely, that vaccine could be the stimulus that everybody is looking for. i mean, that is going to increase consumer confidence when it comes around. i think, annita, eyes will be on the 0br today and i forecast, because so much of the detailfrom the spending forecast, because so much of the detail from the spending review is already out there. i know economist and analysts will be keen to see what the office for budgetary responsibility says, the official forecaster. —— the office for budget responsibility. we can expect eye watering stats from them on unemployment and the economy, we know the economy is 10% smaller that it was pre—pandemic, borrowing at 350 billion by the end of this year, and we haven't had a forecast from them since march. as we know, so much money has been borrowed and spent since then. eye watering

stats, 0k, we will be looking out for those inevitably. sima kotecha, our business presenter, thank you very much. we will bring you live coverage on the bbc news channel of the chancellor's spending review, when it gets under way at 12:30pm, approximately, followed by interviews and analysis throughout the afternoon, so do join us for that. an inadequate stockpile of personal protective equipment in england before the pandemic and a surge in price because of a boom in global demand has cost the taxpayer around £10 billion. that's the findings of a report by the public spending watchdog, the national audit office. it says there was a particular shortage of gloves and aprons, and two orders for 75 million facemasks could not be used as they did not current pass safety standards. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. as nurses and doctors risked their lives to save others, they should have been protected. but a shortage of personal protective equipment left many feeling vulnerable.

the report from the spending watchdog found in the early months of the pandemic, not enough ppe, huge increases in prices, and orders that failed to meet specifications. at the start of the pandemic, the government hadn't built the stockpile up enough. there were only nine days' worth of goggles, seven days' worth of protective aprons, and not enough gowns to even last a day. so they were forced to buy as prices rocketed. the cost of body bags and gowns went up by more than 1000%. gloves went up by 500%. more than £12 billion was spent buying ppe. if it had been bought at the prices a year before, £10 billion could have been saved. your masks and your two boxes. dan archer runs an in—home care company in sheffield. the report highlights how care companies came close to running out of ppe. i run a care business.

we support vulnerably placed adults in the community. i'm not a procurement expert, but we were finding ourselves in a position, with a little bit of work, a little bit of desk research, where we were able to find these face masks for better value than we were being offered by government sanctioned providers. in august, the bbc revealed 150 million facemasks with ear loops, supplied by ayanda capital, couldn't be used in the nhs. and similar masks from pestfix also didn't meet the safety specifications. pestfix agreed to supply other ppe instead. ayanda said it had met the requirements at the time. the report says there could be millions of other items of ppe, totalling hundreds of millions of pounds, that are potentially unsuitable. we're suggesting that there is a comprehensive lessons learned exercise that should be undertaken, that should involve local stakeholders, staff, representatives and care providers, to look at how we prepare for future emergency pandemics, orjust emergencies generally.

the department of health said during this unprecedented pandemic, all the nhs providers audited were always able to get what they needed in time, thanks to the herculean effort of government, nhs, armed forces, civil servants and industry. at the start of the pandemic, huge effort was made, but prices were high and supplies were low. lucy manning, bbc news. albert sanchez—graells is a professor of economic law at the university of bristol. thank you very much forjoining us this morning. i think, as you look at this report, one of the first questions that occurs is, although the government are saying that the report recognises it did eventually get ppe supplies, coded to be reasonably said that they should have acted sooner? absolutely. i

think one would expect an organisation like the nhs supply chain would have been able to react quicker once arrangements were in place. it is also quite surprising to read in the report how long they left it until they realised the strategic stockpile was not fit for purpose, and also the possibility of using existing organisations to create more capacity to buy ppe, and having to treat these parallel supply chains, effectively put in place overnight at a very high cost. and the cost of that has not been com pletely and the cost of that has not been completely explored. and supply and demand naturally drove up the prices of those various pieces of ppe, which, as people look at the spending review today, look at phrases in certain sectors, cuts in others, it is a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that that money, had the equipment been bought

earlier, could have been saved? absolutely, but maybe there is also something else to say, that the equipment could have been bought under different types of contracts, instead of just under different types of contracts, instead ofjust accepting fixed contracts, and there have been reports of specific individuals receiving consultancy fees north of £20 millionjust for receiving consultancy fees north of £20 million just for having put in contact the parallel supply chain, the eventual provider of the ppe. so the eventual provider of the ppe. so the role of intermediaries and how much money has been funnelled out of the nhs is also something that deserves further scrutiny, may be by the nag deserves further scrutiny, may be by the nao or other parliamentary entities. you began that answer by talking about lessons learned, i would like to explore that a little bit more with you. what advice would you give to the government in terms of procurement of stocks, whether it is ppe orfor some other sector of government? there must be lessons learned from this, surely. absolutely, there is a lot to learn. the first thing is to look very hard at how the nhs supply chain, in very

complicated outsourcing arrangements, underlines how they are not working in stressful times, and even to wonder whether they are working properly in regular times. but the other thing is to think about the importance of information, and that is another thing the nao has stressed quite highly, in that in the beginning nobody had information of what existed in local stockpiles or what was the need from local health care organisations, and i think that the first approach should be to try to create that data and architecture of knowledge that allows a quicker reaction on the basis of evidence, notjust on the basis of evidence, notjust on the basis of evidence, notjust on the basis of estimates or guesses, which is what the government was doing at the beginning of the pandemic. perhaps the final thing to say is that in terms of lessons learned, also look at the very difficult centralisation of all these processes for a system that is absolutely atomised, particularly for care homes, and maybe rethink the very strong push for centralisation on the back of savings, which has been driving

changes in the nhs supply since 2015. rethink the modelling and maybe think about whether we have pushed too hard in that line, maybe we need to go back to think about resilience, commercial capability and supply chain management, which seems to have somehow been overlooked or insufficiently addressed. the government, in response to the nao report, as i reflected a second ago, said that the report recognised that nhs providers had been able to get what they needed in time. i think we have certainly done interviews with people saying that they were really concerned that they didn't have what they needed, or they were certainly fea rful they needed, or they were certainly fearful that they were about to run out imminently. the government also says the department for health and social care, only 0.49% of all purchased ppe had not been fit for purpose. i guess this really stays more into the morals of all of this, do you think that front line health providers should be put in a position where, you know, it is cut

as fine as that? it is not only a moral commitment the government should mange the front line. purely operational. i can't imagine how difficult it is to organise things and keep them running, i think that is why the worry should not be on the stock, the worry should be on the treatment of the patient and on trying to learn the complications of the new challenges of the virus, in this case, but also, i think the government may bejust case, but also, i think the government may be just relying on sheer luck, because every trust was scrambling for ppe themselves and evenin scrambling for ppe themselves and even in the end things were well, which is disputable, this is not because the measures put in place by government were satisfactory, so i don't think that in this case, the end result can justify the absolutely clear shortcomings of the way that result was achieved. thank you very much. thank you.

now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. we have a band of rain moving eastwards across england but increasingly through the day, you will find it will turn that bit lighter, and patchier in nature. a cold front, behind it we are in cooler condition, quite a bit of sunshine but showers, and some the showers across western scotland and northern ireland could be heavy. we will see a few of those getting in north—west england through the day. temperatures generally eight to 11, but that bit milder under the cloud and the patchy rain in the south—east. we will hangathon as we we go through the course of the night. showers, so it will be a cooler night for most, than the nightjust gone, cooler night for most, than the night just gone, and cooler night for most, than the nightjust gone, and more of us will see. so frost, and we will have patchy mist and frost forming. tomorrow, there will be dry weather around, fewer showers and still a weather front in southern area,

temperatures cooler, seven to about ten, but where we

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. meghan, the duchess of sussex reveals she has had a miscarriage — writing in an article of feeling "an unbearable grief. " warnings over the five days of christmas. leaders of the four uk nations come together and urge caution over the relaxation of covid restrictions, but scientists say easing the rules could cause a fresh spike. effectively, what this would be doing is throwing fuel on the covid fire. i think it will be definitely lead to increased transmission, it is likely to lead to a third wave of infection, with hospitals being overrun and more unnecessary deaths. the chancellor prepares to set out the government's spending plans for the coming year. the spending review will give a boost to the nhs — but expect a sting in the tail for public sector workers and private pensions.

the spending watchdog says ppe stockpiles in england were inadequate for the covid pandemic — with a surge in price costing the taxpayer around £10 billion. sport, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. how are you? very well. manchester united on the brink of reaching the knockout stage of the champions league after a 4—1 win over istabnbul bashaksher. a point from united's two remaining games will see them qualify. chelsea meanwhile beat rennes 2—1 to reach the last sixteen. here's ben croucher. liverpool and manchester city could join them. rennes couldn't quite grasp it. they're heading for the champions league exit. for chelsea, safe passage with a couple of games still to play. the win in north—west france

was made in chelsea, as academy products mason mount and callum hudson—0doi combined for their opener. going down and out, but not without a fight, rennes made a game of it, but 0livier giroud rose from the bench, leapt above the defence and powered frank lampard's side into the last 16. a busy schedule coming up, and the way we play means i will rely on players, so thankfully for me the player that always keeps the right attitude if he's not playing regularly, and i know when i call upon him he comes in as he did today. speaking of relying on players, bruno fernandes has become quite the hit for manchester united. what an unbelievable hit from bruno fernandes! score over the spectacular and the simple. mert gunok will not want to see this one again. but we'll show you any way. it set united on the way to a 4—1 win over istanbul bashaksher, rounded off by danjames in stoppage time. just a point now from their last two games — should be enough to join chelsea

in the knock out stages. ben croucher, bbc news. a new study by the university of east anglia has found the risk of dementia could be greater in female footballers than men. physical and physiological differences could be behind the increased chance of developing the illness, but more female players are required to help with the study. earlier i spoke to former england goalkeeper rachel brown—finnis, who has put herself forward to help with teh research. to help with the research. i lived in the states and the study has been drawn between head injury, concussions but further down the line dementia and alzheimer's from american footballers has, there has been research into that and that has been research into that and that has been accepted by the sport, that thatis been accepted by the sport, that that is a real problem and i think we will be coming to the same conclusions in our sport and it is no different from men to women, we have all, whoever you are, playing football, growing up as a youngster, repetitive element of that, and it is disconcerting to hear that women

are more prone to this disease in the long run. january's australian open — the first tennis grand slam of the year — is likely to be delayed by at least a week, a government spokesman has said. the tournament is due to start on the 18th january, but with players unable to enter the state of victoria until the first of the month — and then having to quarantine for two weeks — that's affecting warm up events and the players‘ ability to train and prepare. martin pakula, the state's sports minister, suggesting it will be a delay of a week or two. a lot of the players are coming from you know, very cold climatesjust now, to then go and ask, you know, you know, players to go and play in 35, 36 degree heat with no match preparation, itjust increases the risk of you know, injuries, possibly the quality of tennis probably not going to be that high, so, yeah, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me,

it makes it a little bit tougher. a deal breakerfor me, it makes it a little bit tougher. the women's big bash tournament out in australia has reached the semi final stage, and there's plenty of english interest in terms of those taking part in the first game out in sydney. perth scorchers were put in by the melbourne stars, and there was disappointment for england's amyjones who could only make six for perth. katherine brunt and nat sciver are both in the melbourne team, and sciver made a breakthrough to reduce perth to 82 for five. a few moments ago they were 111—7. talking of cricket, before we go, we have a moment of magic from the former england captain kevin pietersen. here he is during a round of golf in south africa. and, off the second tee, he produced a hole in one. very unlike pieterson to boast, but safe to say he was rather pleased with himself.

that's all the sport for now. up up to three households will be allowed to stay together and form a chris palace bubble from the 23rd 2027th december. many of us have questions about it many of us have questions about it and here to answer all your questions, we're joined by professor sian griffiths, epidemic specialist and epidemiologist at the chinese unicersity of hong kong, and professorjonathan ball professor of molecular virology at the university of nottingham.

jonathan and sian, welcome to you, tha you for for jonathan and sian, welcome to you, tha you forfor agreeing jonathan and sian, welcome to you, tha you for for agreeing to answer our viewers' questions again, i will begin with you jonathan, an important question from ian, could you clarify if the rule of three households getting together over christmas means you have to stick to the same three households, or you can have different ones or other days? it is very, it is very clear the guidance is that once you have decided that three households that you wish to socialise with and over that five day period you have to stick to those same households. there is no leeway there, you can't suddenly change your mind and think, you know i wish i had chosen auntty mabel and uncle fred, you have to stick with the original choice. 0k, christmas bubble, very clear. karen asks sian this question for you, i have two sons away at university, one in york and one in brighton, they each share a house with five other, as they are away from the majority of any year it is

considered their university housemates are their family and each son is considered one of the three families we can mix with over the festive season. they are hoping to return home round mid—december defending on travel restrictions in the areas they live in. i have an elderly father who will want to spend time with us and my husband is high risk and has previously been shielding. i hope you can clarify this for mow asks karen. thank you karen. let me start with your sons, the general guidance is that once students get hole and they will come home from university during the first week of december if they have tested negative, once students are home they are considered part of their home households, with their parents, because there are lots of questions about, this so your sons become part of your household, if your father is living alone, and there is a capacity to have him within your bubble, any way, because

the bubbles still exist, the bubbles that exist within the tier system, so that exist within the tier system, so your father can be with you. and your husband, i am not sure whether he is clinically very vulnerable in that smaller group or was vulnerable and shielded because the rules on vulnerability and shielding changed when the tier system came in initially. it is felt that as long as people take extra precautions, just careful, then they don need to be in the shielded group any more, it is only a smaller group. so within your complex hold you have been such as your husband and your father who are at increased risk so you can all gather together but you obviously need to think about you know, social distancing, hygiene, keep the windows open some of the time if it is not difficult, reduce the risks internally, in the household, in your bubble, and i hope you a nice christmas like that. and to clarify so the two sons two

different universities once they are home that doesn't count as three household has is one. that is as i understand it. the student also be tested before they leave or there is capacity for them to be tested, there is a sort of travel corridor for students who are coming home from university earlier, so they should by 23rd december have been cleared of covid and so going into the bubble with other people is ok, so, ithink the bubble with other people is ok, so, i think that is part of the tier system. and jonathan you are nodding to that. jonathan, a similar question from marian, a dilemma with three adult children, one returning from university, is it two households or three? i don't know if the child that coming back will count at my household, how can i choose which children come? i can't. the returning child, the child returning from university will be pa rt returning from university will be part of her household, one household, is that right? yes, that is absolutely right. the guidance is

very clear, that any student returning from university, as soon as they arrive back home, they are immediately part of that household, andi immediately part of that household, and i think as sian rightly pointed out, it is really important for stu d e nts out, it is really important for students up and down the country, will is massive amount of effort being put in to offer them coronavirus testing before they leave, there is a lot of inhouse testing in various university but also the government have invested in lateral flow, they may be, lack the sensitive of some the other ones but they should gif a good indication as to whether north that student coronavirus free, if they have the test and they are negative, they are encouraged to leave as quickly as possible. but, you know, always bear in mind it is not guaranteed to you know prove you are negative, always be aware so if you develop symptoms when you return from university a lwa ys when you return from university always ensure you get tested, but, you know, again, have an enjoyable

and safe christmas. i will put this one to you from mary. i am wondering about schools, i run a private kindergartens we return on 11th january. is this wise after the mixing between the 23rd and 28th december. should i stay closed for another week so it is closer to 1a days after the event. do you know if the government is looking at this?” don't know whether the government are looking at that particular approach to minimise risk of transmission in the education school setting, at the moment they are clear they don't want to interrupt education, whether that is schools, nursery, they think it is important for children to continue as normal an education as possible, so i would be surprised if they do encourage additional closures, but, you know, let's see how the advice and the guidance evolves because there are still some areas that maybe lack sufficient clarity and no doubt we

will get more guidance over the next few days. 0k. now this question for you sian, from someone who says why is the government do undoing good work by allowing the public to carry the virus, eid and diwali were cancelled, can't we do the same?” think he is talking, is expressing the view of a few people who are very anxious about the fact that, that the christmas bubbles will cause mixing and spread across the country, a, the four countries and so country, a, the four countries and so there is an anxiety but i think the judgment was made that some people would break the rules of the tiers, the tier based rules any way, and it was better to have an agreement and this is an agreement between the four countries that allows some mixing, and i think there has been an emphasis it is not

just about the christian christmas, this is about giving people the opportunity to come together, after a pretty hard year, and probably ahead of a pretty hard winter once january comes. obviously a lot of stu d e nts january comes. obviously a lot of students just by virtue of the timetable, a lot of students on the move that the time and hoping to get home. well, the students are coming home. well, the students are coming home earlier, so that will help, that will hopefully help to decrease the pressure on the public transport system, and grant shapps has asked people to plan theirjourneys and to try not to go by train. that is not easy to say, i know but there is a general awareness that this is a high risk strategy, but it was one that was deemed necessary, because the rules would be broken any way, and this helps to reduce that risk and this helps to reduce that risk and also gives everyone a bit of a lift because people are, are you know fairly worn down, the covid fatigued by the situation, from a purely scientific.of view it would be better not to have the christmas

bubbles, from a social and economic point of view, it is preferable we do have them, and so this is a compromise decision within a complicated environment, and if we all play our part and take the hands face space rules seriously, and try to stick to the rules we have been givenl to stick to the rules we have been given i think we will find that that will mitigate the risks although i am sure unfortunately we will see increased cases come january. 0k, a couple of questions about mini holidays over christmas. tracey says is there any guidance on holidays over christmas we have booked to go toa over christmas we have booked to go to a holiday park with friends, is that deemed hospitality and therefore we cannot go and stay in therefore we cannot go and stay in the lodge booked as chrises in bubble but we could stay in our own home and have them tom stay with us, can my childcare bubblejoin us half way through the five days bubble break and she offers her thanks in advance in the hope of finding some

a nswe rs advance in the hope of finding some answers jonathan. we are advance in the hope of finding some answersjonathan. we are try doing that for you tracey. that is a complicated set of scenarios. u nfortu nately, complicated set of scenarios. unfortunately, you know, ithink complicated set of scenarios. unfortunately, you know, i think the reality is at the moment, the guidance is very much focussed on what we can do in our homes. and i think it is less clear whether or not that you know, encompasses a holiday homes, sarah case destinations. —— vacation destination, if, if you think about the risks though, if i look at this asa the risks though, if i look at this as a virology jacqui the risks though, if i look at this as a virologyjacqui smith, and the risks though, if i look at this as a virology jacqui smith, and what it means —— virologist, and what it means in the potential risk of transmission of the virus it wouldn't matter whether three households met in somebody‘s house or holiday accommodation, particularly a kind, a single holiday unit, like a cabin or something like that, you know, the risks are the same. it is three households mixing, so i think you know, from that perspective, it wouldn't make much difference, but

of course at the moment we need to see what the guidance specifically says. in terms of childcare bubbles, we do know that he children, you know, childcare is a primary importance and so that is the focus of most of the considerations that we have when you lock at the legislation and when you look at the guidance in detail, that the welfare and care of children is paramount and care of children is paramount and therefore, children have, there isa and therefore, children have, there is a bit more flexibility about children and childcare bubbles. but it should be just the children, it should be just the children though, not the parents of the children. should be just the children though, not the parents of the childrenm is not an excuse, absolutely, it is not an excuse for adults to suddenly start socialising, it is all about supporting and caring for children. 0k. on supporting and caring for children. 0k. 0na supporting and caring for children. 0k. on a similar theme, at least in terms of going away, sian, tony says he has a dilemma, my family are planning to stay in a private collage starting on 27th december forfour night,

collage starting on 27th december for four night, this will involve three households meeting up, parly within the christmas relaxation period and partly outside it. what should we do? well, that is tricky, because it will depend on a set of factors round the tier system s and of course we don't know which tiers we are in, but if, if you are for example ina we are in, but if, if you are for example in a tier 3 areas, then you are encouraged to stay home, and not travel, so, think which need to wait until we hear more about the tiers tomorrow, which tier you are in, and then, obviously, if you are in tier 3, you can, you are not supposed or allowed to have people staying overnight within your house, in fact you are not allowed people into your house at all and that would apply i would presume to the holiday cottage and the holiday cottage it will depend where it si and the holiday cottage it will depend where it s i am afraid lit depend where it s i am afraid lit depend on the tier, the rules that are set for the tiers and we will have to wait until tomorrow until we

know what they are, but in general, your tier know what they are, but in general, yourtier is, know what they are, but in general, your tier is, you have the tiers about where you live, which will tell you whether or not you should travel and then you have the tiers of the place you are going to, which where the conditions apply, once you are at that place. ok and we are hearing, we are checking this out for a bit more detail, we are seeing the government is say you can't meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part of your household or your christmas bubble. tony does refer to three households so i guess he is thinking, in the terms of a christmas bubble here. yes, i think your christmas bubble can't transfer to the 27th december. yes, 0k. and the other thing is, can't transfer to the 27th december. yes, 0k. and the otherthing is, on the tiers which you mentioned, tony, news on those being announced tomorrow. so hopefully that might become clearer. jonathan neville asks i want to know if the experts think what the government is doing

isa think what the government is doing is a good idea. december is cold, people drink alcohol, this is a recipe for disaster he says.” people drink alcohol, this is a recipe for disaster he says. i think tonyis recipe for disaster he says. i think tony is pointing out some stark realities there, that you know, bottom line is the virus hasn't gone away, the amount of virus circulation, the number of cases is still very high, and also, you know, lets not just focus still very high, and also, you know, lets notjust focus on the christmas period, the five day period, up to then we have a few weeks, when we will be coming out of lockdown, and we will be going back into the tiered system, we don't know yet what that tiered system will look like but you can guarantee that on the whole, what will it will allow is for us to mix more freely, go to various recreational places potentially, lit allow us to go shopping more freely, all of these things will allow the virus to start to gatherer pace again, and then of course we go into the christmas five day period there will be further

relaxation, all of this gives the virus a chance to start to spread more vigorously and therefore we will inevitably see an increase in cases, particularly in the sort of january period, and this is as sian pointed out, this is about compromise and trying to come up with some kind of sensible framework in which people can operate, i think what the government have done is really shifted the own news on individuals, to make their own decisions about what are acceptable risks for them. if it is three households over christmas, who are mixing and are all relatively young healthy fit people they may feel for them there is minimal risk, that doesn't mean it won't impact on virus transmission, if you a christmas that is usually visited by vulnerable people you may have a more difficult decision to make and this is going to be a very difficult time for people to understand what is do for the best. we are. will out of time. sian. a broad question from

alan, can you travel abroad this christmas? lots of question marks over that, i guess? lots of question marks because it depends where you are going for a start. we are still waiting to hear from other countries in europe, for example, i know that there is a lot of questions about skiing, which the ski slopes probably won't be open, it dedepends where you are travelling to and what their regulations are, but grant shapps was positive yesterday when he was talking about increasing our opportunities to travel, so, just think about the whole journey, and the quarantine, either end of the journey, you know, getting tested before you go, when you get there you may have to quarantine, see how long it is for and then, when you come back, you will have to quarantine as well, so you have to think of the whole set of issues when you travel abroad. ok. thank you both very much for your time. appreciate that as ever, answering

those questions and thank you to you for sevening them in. more than a foot not, this is important, these rules, round christmas bubbles are going to become law, so, you know, if you don't abide by them, you are basically breaking the law, a few of you though sending me in tweets saying, code ninja, how is anybody going to police the christmas regulation? i am going to police the christmas regulation? iam not going to police the christmas regulation? i am not expert but i am sure it is 100% impossible. do keep those comments in. now here is the weather with carol. ? those comments in. now here is the weatherwith carol. ? hello. currently we have a band of rain moving west to east out of wales and across england and as it does so the rain on it is weakening all the time. as it clears away we will see sunshine and showers behind it, and it isa sunshine and showers behind it, and it is a cooler feeling day today for most of us than yesterday, yesterday's top temperature was in rhyl, reached 15ees, so this is the cold front, which is producing the cloud and rain. as you can see from

the isobars it won't be a windy day, gentle breezing really and a lot of dry weather, so as we go through the afternoon here is the cloud and and the rain, increasingly light and patchy, moving into the south—east corner, as well as the channel islands, behind it a lot of sunshine but a good perpetratoring of showers, northern and western scotla nd showers, northern and western scotland and northern ireland getting into north—west england through the afternoon, some of those could be sharp. temperature—wise, widely around about eight to 11 but where we have the cloud we are looking at something higher. now this evening and overnight we will have this cloud still, and some patchy rain in the channel island and south—east england. still a few showers dotted round here as there. some coming down the east coast but a lot of clear skies so it will be a cold night in prospect. more widely colder, than it was last night. so more of us likely to see frost and as well as that, there will be patchy mist and frost forming which tomorrow will be slow to clear, some

listing —— lifting into low cloud. some lingering all day. the weather fronts across southern areas producing spots of rain and a fair bit of cloud. really there won't be that many showers round tomorrow, just a few, there will be more dry conditions than wet, and temperatures, well the lower temperatures, well the lower temperatures infiltrating further south, but where we have a weather front still hanging on there in st helier 12 degrees. first thing friday morning widespread fog, that will be dense, and frost to watch out for. like the coming days the fog will be slow to lift. for some it will lift into low cloud and linger. we will see some brightness development a few showers affecting eastern counties. these are the temperatures so going down again in the south, 11 in st helier.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. meghan, the duchess of sussex reveals she's had a miscarriage, writing in an article of feeling "an unbearable grief". warnings over the five days of christmas. leaders of the four uk nations come together and urge caution over the relaxation of covid restrictions, but scientists say easing the rules could cause a fresh spike. effectively, what this would be doing is throwing fuel on the covid fire. i think it will lead to increased transmission that is likely to lead to a third wave of infection with hospitals overrun. whether it is safe, three, four, five households, most people are going to try and meet up no matter how many households they come from. i am really against it, i don't think it should be happening.