this is bbc news with the latest headlines. a computer glitch means 11,000 positive covid test results are left off the most recent figures in wales, meaning case numbers could be twice as high as previously thought. the welsh first minister says the authorities had always been aware of the issue. we know that the numbers were being underreported but we had said that all along. every day this week we have been saying that and been saying that once the update was com plete saying that once the update was complete those numbers would be added into the data. millions of people living across england will find out this morning if they'll be moved into a different tier of coronavirus restrictions. we'd love to hear your thoughts on the tier review. are you hoping your area is moved down a tier?

what effect would moving up a tier have on you? should the government be reviewing the tiers at all? do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read out some of your comments. across europe, governments are imposing stricter measures following a surge in covid cases. we'll be getting the latest from our correspondents across the continent. 32 years after the lockerbie bombing, authorities in the us are understood to be preparing fresh charges. and toy shops face stock shortages beause of delays at uk ports. some orders will now miss christmas, costing business thousands of pounds in sales.

coronavirus appears to be spreading even more rapidly in wales than previously thought. it's emerged that thousands of positive test results have been left out from official figures. 11,000 covid test results were missing from official figures because of a computer problem with a system recording lab results which had been undergoing routine maintenance. it means the total number of cases from the last week could be twice as high as previously thought. meanwhile, at 11:30am, millions of people across england will find out if a change to their local coronavirus restrictions is on the way, when the health secretary addresses mps. simonjones reports. just over a week until christmas. the decorations are up, but for many businesses what sort of festive period

they will have remains unclear. this hotel in burnley is fully booked for the big day, but unless the area goes from tier 3, the highest level of restrictions, into tier 2, nobody will get to stay and it will remain closed. we've probably lost 7 million in sales this year and the problem is we have no certainty that we can start to trade again in january, february or march. many areas of northern england believe infection rates have come down enough to justify easing restrictions, but hospital trusts are warning that they are still treating a high number of coronavirus patients. in hornsea on the yorkshire coast, opinion is divided on whether the area should move down into tier 2. no, stay in tier 3. tier 3. safe for everybody, without a doubt. a coastal area like this, people keep their distance like everyone else is doing, i hope and pray we do go into tier 2 for the economy and industry, really. the red areas on the map show

the places that have been in tier 3 since the last lockdown ended. already this week, london, large parts of essex in parts of hertfordshire have been added and towns like hastings on the south coast, where infection rates have risen by 1a0% in the past week, fear they are heading the same way. tier 1 was manageable. we could actually manage to work with that, where people could meet up and be sociable, but in a controlled way. but tier 2 has been very difficult and tier 3 will be awful, but at least we will know what we are doing. government officials met last night to decide. their conclusions will be revealed today. simon jones, bbc news. as we heard, 11,000 positive covid tests are missing from the latest official figures in wales. the discovery means that cases in the last week could be double the number previously thought.

public health wales has blamed the error on "planned maintenance" of some it systems but the first minister of wales, mark drakeford, said it isn't down to a "computer problem". one point to make, if i could — this isn't a computer problem. this was planned upgrading of the computer system. none of the data is missing. everybody who had a positive test was told that in wales last week. everything was uploaded onto our tpp system, but the figures do indeed demonstrate just how serious the position here in wales has become and underlines why we made the decisions yesterday, both in the lead up to christmas, during christmas and once christmas is over. the welsh government was aware that there were tests that had been carried out which were not being loaded onto the system because that is what we had already announced. we were getting information through our tpp system every day, so we knew that the numbers were being underreported but we had

said that all along. every day this week we have been saying that. and every day this week we have been saying that once the upgrade was complete those numbers would be added into the data, so it's no surprise to us and, as i say, the decisions we made yesterday to strengthen restrictions leading up to christmas, to reduce the number of households that can meet in wales over christmas to two and to go into a full level 4 set of restrictions immediately after christmas, that decision was driven by the numbers we are seeing here, the number of people in hospital beds, the number of people needing critical care in wales — all of which demonstrates the seriousness of the position we are facing. well, as we heard the first minister mark drakeford say, the rules for christmas have been tightened in wales, as covid cases there rise. 0ur correspondent cemlyn davies explained what exactly has changed. the first minister says he is completely committed

to the four nations statement that was issued yesterday, calling on people across the uk to have a smaller, safer christmas. but here in wales, there will be one big difference compared to other parts of the uk, because here it will be illegal for three households to come together over the festive period. by law, only two households and one person living alone will be allowed to spend time together over christmas. now initially, it had appeared that would only be guidance but then mark drakeford said he was making it law in order to bring the rules into line with what he was asking people to do. 0pposition parties have accused him of some confused messaging in the way he went about it. in the meantime, we now also know that wales will go into a full national lockdown on the 28th of december, although nonessential shops will close on christmas eve and hospitality businesses will close at 6pm on christmas day. the health secretary matt hancock

is due to announce any changes to the tiered system in england at 11.30 this morning in the house of commons. let's talk to our political correspondent, helen catt. given correspondent, helen catt. what the prime ministe say given what the prime minister had to say yesterday, asking people to think very carefully about what they are doing at christmas, to keep prisoners short and small, he given the health has secretary much wiggle room to change tears? it is unlikely we will see any major changes downwards. we might see some areas going into tier 3. there have been calls for some leaders in the north of england seeing we have been in these restrictions for many months. we believe some areas have met the criteria to be moved down to tier 2. we will have to see if any of those are but the expectation is we will not see a huge amount of movement downwards because all the messaging that has been coming from government has been about caution and the fact

rates have started to rise very rapidly in recent days in some areas and we saw the government move ahead of this review to put london and parts of hertfordshire and essex into tier 3 this week so the expectation will be they will not be huge amounts of movement downwards and the tiers that are set today will be the tiers that are in place over christmas for england. there will be a relaxation to allow three households to form a bubble over the five days of christmas but the other restrictions will stay in place so if you are in an area that is in tier 3 pubs will stay closed over christmas and the home secretary priti patel spoke earlier about the importance of the clearing system. tiering is here for a reason and of course in the light of christmas, the regulations and laws, we would absolutely advise people to stick within their tier. do not travel across tiers. you know, be very respectful of the guidance that has come from government around tiering.

the other thing to watch out for related as there have been calls for some areas to the most, smaller areas to be moved out of the counties in which they are set. the government was resistant to that last time but it has done that with parts of essex and hertfordshire which have been split off from the rest of the county. it will be interesting to see if we get more of those later today. thank you very much. authorities in the united states are believed to be close to filing charges against a libyan man suspected of making the bomb that blew up pan am flight 103 over lockerbie in 1988. us media says prosecutors will soon press for the extradition of abu agila mohammad, who is reportedly being held in libya. here's our washington correspondent lebo diseko. 270 people were killed in a terror attack over the scottish town which took days place before

christmas and all 259 people on the flight were killed, most of them americans returning home for the christmas holidays. a large section of the plane's fuselage fell to the ground, destroying homes and killing a further 11 people. the suspect is said to be a libyan intelligence officer by the name of abu agila mohammmad masood. he is alleged to have helped build the bomb that brought the plane down. the victims‘ families have found themselves caught up in one of the world's longest and most sprawling terrorism investigations. masood is a long—time suspect in the case and is said to have been the subject of discussions among us and foreign officials since at least 2015. it is not clear what the likelihood is of him being brought to the us for trial. neither the us justice department or the libyan authorities have publicly commented on the issue. so far only one man, the libyan abdel basset ali al—megrahi, has been sent to prison for the bombing. he was convicted in 2001 but subsequently allowed to return home after it emerged that he had terminal cancer.

he died in 2012. drjim swire's daughter flora died in the lockerbie disaster. he has long been sceptical that mr megrahi was guilty of involvement in the bombing, and — as he told bbc breakfast this morning — remains to be convinced about mr masud's involvement. i can't see how a connection can be made to the lockerbie bombing with this guy, but it's quite possible there may be because one of the things that has made life even more difficult than the life of bereavement might otherwise have been has been the fact our own government in this country has been sequestering files concerning lockerbie out of reach of public information requests so that we are denied what knowledge our own government may have about this particular case.

new research has revealed that millions of people across the uk have missed out on medical scans because of the pandemic. in england, at least 4.4 million fewer scans were performed between april and september this year compared to the same period in 2019. cancer charities are worried about patients who have been diagnosed late, or are still waiting for a scan. one in seven people are still waiting more than three months, but nhs england says some services are now back to the same levels as last year. police in bristol are urgently looking for an eight—year—old girl, who officers fear may have been abducted. tiolah — also known as tillie — was declared missing last night after being taken to a mcdonald's in bedminster with a family friend and a second individual yesterday afternoon. she was expected home within an hour, but didn't return. with christmas fast approaching, governments around europe are having to make tough decisions

on whether to ease coronavirus restrictions in time for the holiday period. germany has started a hard lockdown after a surge in infections, whilst the netherlands and italy have both imposed stricter measures. in a moment we will speak to anna holligan in the hague and mark lowen in lombardy. first tojenny hill in berlin. some really tough measures in place in germany. walk to the authorities think this is going to mean for the christmas period itself, christmas eve, christmas day and so on, and into the new year? the authorities are hoping to reverse what is increasingly a serious situation in germany. the figures speak for themselves, nearly 700 deaths and 27,000 cases in the last 2a hours. germany is in lockdown. we are allowed to go out and about here but in addition to buyers and

restau ra nts in addition to buyers and restaurants which closed six weeks ago, shops, schools and hairdressers are closed. i do not think any german expected to enjoy the trappings of a traditional christmas given the situation, but the current restrictions mean that festivities will need to be limited to the very small family gathering. at the moment you are allowed to get together with one other household, a maximum of five people excluding children. 0ver maximum of five people excluding children. over the three days of christmas. german celebrate christmas. german celebrate christmas on what we see as christmas on what we see as christmas eve. you are allowed to invite an additional four people to that gathering but they must be close family members. it is going to bea close family members. it is going to be a very different christmas for people here. some scientists are really worried that even that small relaxation of restrictions might see a spike over christmas itself. very different this year. one of the things most germans will miss the most are the pop—up mulled wine

stores which at this time of year are very commonplace, you just nip out and health and mulled wine under the stars. there is a ban on consumption of alcohol outdoors. we can go to the netherlands and speak to my colleague. the message in the netherlands is stay at home and work from home. until a netherlands is stay at home and work from home. untila few netherlands is stay at home and work from home. until a few days ago city centres were packed while infection rates were surging so perhaps not surprising we are looking at this crackdown. nature beyond what this country has experienced before. nonessential stores closed. it is interesting to see how the dutch are interpreting that because other local florist, the bike repair shop, the off—licence, delicatessen, are open, but the toy and clothes shops are closed. restaurants, cave's can keep on serving takeaways. things like museums, swimming pools,

amusement parks, that parents might enjoy doing with their children over the extended christmas break, are also closed for five weeks. schools, primary and secondary, are closed until the 19th of january primary and secondary, are closed until the 19th ofjanuary and in terms of the christmas bubble here it is slightly different so the dutch are encouraging a pick and mix syste m dutch are encouraging a pick and mix system with family and friends so you can have a maximum of three tests a day for the three days over christmas and travel —wise the government has advised against booking any foreign excursions until at least march 2021. we can go to my colleague in italy. here in italy the government is still deciding exactly what restrictions to impose over the christmas period. we already know there will be a ban on movement between regions from the

sunday the 21st of december until the 6th of january. anybody coming into italy from abroad will be subject to a two—week quarantine. ski resorts are closed and the christmas mass on christmas eve will be brought forward from to earlier in the day so as to comply with the night—time curfew, but the government has been locked in meetings over the last couple of days with coalition partners to try to agree on tightening restrictions. they will probably impose a national lockdown between the 24th in the 27th of december and the 31st of december in the 3rd ofjanuary, causing shops, restaurants and banning nonessential movement. they we re banning nonessential movement. they were trying to avoid that. italy was the first country in the world to impose a nationwide lockdown in march during the first wave and they we re march during the first wave and they were trying a regional tiered approach this time to try to salvage the economy but the infection rate is still too high. it is not coming down quickly enough and even though

new infections are down by 17% in the last week they feel they need to tighten restrictions even more and we will probably get an announcement on that later today. it has been a very tough year in italy, the first country in the west to be crushed by the virus, the highest death toll in europe, over 66,000. they are hoping with compliance with the christmas measures that they will have a happier and easier 2021. thank you very much. let's return to the news now that tens of millions of people across england will find out this morning if a change to local coronavirus restrictions is on the way. several areas in the north are hoping to move down from the strictest tier 3 measures to tier 2, because of a significant drop in infection rates. one area hoping to make the move down from tier 3 to 2, is greater manchester. let's speak to the region's

mayor, andy burnham. good morning. thank you forjoining us. good morning. thank you forjoining us. you did yesterday morning as well. i wondered since we spoke have you been given any indication as to whether greater manchester will be moving down a tear. no, i haven't. i am still waiting to hear like everybody else. i guess i am becoming a little less hopeful, particularly with the messages around christmas yesterday, and i have to say it looks a bit of a mess all of that and i am worried it will ove i’cott‘i pensate all of that and i am worried it will overcompensate by being cautious about the tiers. i honestly don't know where we will end up at the end of the day. the evidence would say that we are in a tier to possession 01’ that we are in a tier to possession or parts of greater manchester are not possession but we are waiting to hear. across the ten boroughs, the average rate is 150 cases per 100,000, which is below the england

average of 194 cases per 100,000, and as you explained yesterday two parrots are a bit earlier but the other eight are lower. give us a sense of the case you have need to government. how have you done that? have you spoken directly to the health secretary? not this week but idid health secretary? not this week but i did have some contact with him last week. the figures speak for themselves and the appeal i have made to the government is to have an evidence decision so it is notjust on the cases where we have improved their position, also in hospitals we have seen their position, also in hospitals we have seen pressure their position, also in hospitals we have seen pressure reducing. what i would say is let's not take one position for the country because things have got worse in london. i do not wish tearfully on anybody down there but throughout this year the north we had restrictions when we had higher cases and i would hope that what would happen as the whole country goes into a more cautious position because we are seeing more

cases in london. look at the evidence and treat all areas fairly and the truth of the matter is large parts of the north including greater manchester have been under restrictions for food and a half months and that has to be taken into account as well. you cannot be in restrictions that long and did not have a genuine impact on people's lives. i had a tweet from someone who lives in trafford a few minutes ago and she writes, we have been in tier 3 for several months however i do not feel that now is the right time to move down a tier with christmas coming and a worse time for the nhs following. it doesn't feel right. what have people been saying to you about whether they should move down or not? 0bviously there is the economic is to make, questions of mental health, but the many people share elizabeth's feeling that it might not feel right to move down at this point?|j understand what elizabeth is saying andi

understand what elizabeth is saying and i think there are an nexus of perspectives on this. my personal view is i do not think there is a huge difference between tier 2 and tier 3 from a health point of view. because if areas are in tier 3 i think it creates a very big incentive, particularly at this time of year, for more gatherings in the home, particularly over the new year period, so from controlling the virus point of view i am not sure that your two or tearfully is going to make a massive difference. it is the possession of retail that is driving the change in cases across the country and that stays the same and tier 2 the country and that stays the same and tier2and the country and that stays the same and tier 2 and tier 3. the problem with tier 3 is it is devastating from an economic point of view and thatis from an economic point of view and that is what we have said to the government. if they are going to keep places in tier 3 today then there has to be much more financial support. we have seen big supermarkets returning many hundreds of millions of pounds to the treasury. the government should use

some of that to help hospitality and those people who have been excluded from public support. the economic damages multiplying and if there is no decision to left tier 3 today we are looking at the realistically before any change will be made. many pubs and restaurants will not recover if they have to wait that long without more support. you are making the economic case and see the intelligence you have from hospitals are seeing the ad in a better position than they were a number of months ago, but do you believe that, given that the prime minister has stuck with a plan to relax the rules for five days over christmas, that he actually hasn't given the health secretary any room to make some changes to the tier system today?” think that is the problem. the national mood has changed i think because of what has been happening in london, so that creates a context

thatis in london, so that creates a context that is different for these teething decisions. the problem all the way through this has been the christmas period was too much to allow five days of mixing. i personally do not know any family that would not take all of those five days but the message they can remains the problem. notwithstanding what was said yesterday. i would have preferred a steadier approach. tier 2 for large parts of greater manchester through december and a much tighter window for mixing through the christmas period. i also feel that if greater manchester is in tier3 on feel that if greater manchester is in tier 3 on new year's eve with no weight open then there is a real risk of gatherings in the home and i do not think that helps from a spread of the virus point of view so i think the government hasn't got the balance right. we needed a steadier approach and nevertheless i still see please be fair, please look at the evidence and whatever the decision is today i agree with

the decision is today i agree with the mayor of london and west midlands, businesses are going to need more support to through this. andy burnham, thank you for your time. we will watch with interest later this morning to find out what the news is for your area. toy shops say delays at british ports and across the international supply chain means thousands of gifts might not arrive in time for christmas. retailers and food manufacturers want mps to urgently investigate the disruption — which has been blamed on a number of issues, including brexit stockpiling. our business presenter sima kotecha has more. i was listening to an interview with a toy shop owner earlier who was explaining that a week of lost trade at this time of the year is equivalent to several weeks worth of trade at any other time of the year so trade at any other time of the year so you have that business concern and of course worries about disappointed children. yes, it is

really bad timing for these toys shop owners. we have heard for several weeks about congestion and disruption at uk ports and it is down to several reasons. brexit stockpiling, workers working during coronavirus are having to work differently and social distancing and in some cases an it failure that has exacerbated that situation. some toy shop owners say they have made owners several weeks ago and are still stuck at customs and some vessels we have been told are being sent to european ports and they are being directed to go to those rather than come to the uk because there is no capacity to take on the produce. some toy shop owners are seeing it is costing them tens of thousands of pounds, things like lego and puzzles are pounds, things like lego and puzzles a re really pounds, things like lego and puzzles are really arduous to get at the moment because of this. the

industry's lobby group are calling on the government to do more to ease best congestion and of course there is real concern about going forward once the uk has left the eu. there could potentially be more delays as additional red tape is added at customs checkpoints, potentially queues of lorries, potentially vessels not being able to drop off their shipment, and all of that could worsen the situation. you may have heard of the popular train toy company hornby and they have said they are stopping all exports from they are stopping all exports from the uk until the 4th of january because of this destruction, so just an idea of how all this destruction to the supply chain, all this congestion, is contributing to decision makers within companies. thank you very much.

it's very rare to find new plants and funghi in the uk, but a humble toadstool growing by heathrow has topped the list of kew gardens' discoveries from across the world. most new species are from remote parts of the rainforest, but this toadstool was discovered by chance on a walk by the airport. other highlights on the list include this orchid — dubbed the ugliest in the world — which was found in madagascar. not that one, that one is rather pretty. the other one looked rather scary! now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. today is going to be much drier for most of us than it was yesterday. yes, there are still some showers in the forecast, most of which are in the west, but more of us will see some sunshine with just breezy conditions. however, through the afternoon, the cloud thickens out towards the west and we will start to see the winds strengthen as a weather front brings in some showery outbreaks of rain. temperatures today ranging from eight to about 12 or 13 degrees.

if we pick up this rain in the west, through the evening it moves eastwards. gusty winds, especially through the irish sea and areas adjacent and the winds will pick up inland as well. some of the rain will be heavy and there will be some hill fog in some western areas and also in southern scotland. one thing you will notice is it is going to be very mild overnight for the time of year. tomorrow we start off on a cloudy, murky, damp note, then we have the next band of heavy rain, you can tell from the greens and yellows, moving in and it arcs up across scotland, too. ahead of it, a lot of cloud and some drizzle but very mild. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. a computer issue means 11,000 positive covid test results are left off the most recent figures in wales, meaning case numbers could be twice as high as previously thought. the welsh first minister says the authorities had always been aware of the issue. we knew that the numbers were being

underreported but we said that all along. every day this week we have been saying that and every day this week we have been saying once the upgrade was complete, those numbers would be added into the data. millions of people living across england will find out this morning if they'll be moved into a different tier of coronavirus restrictions. 32 years after the lockerbie bombing, authorities in the us are understood to be preparing fresh charges. and toy shops face stock shortages beause of delays at uk ports. some orders will now miss christmas, costing business thousands of pounds in sales. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike bushell. good morning. we'll start with what was the biggest game of the premier league season so far as liverpool leap—frogged tottentham to go top of the table,

thanks to a late goal at anfield. joe lynskey reports. cheering. in tier 2 liverpool, they let 2,000 fans in. put most in one stand and they still make a noise. they had just seen a late winner that could kick—start a title charge. this time, anfield could see it. liverpool's manager had called spurs a results machine. sometimes you need good fortune to get through them. mo salah's shot found the corner for 1—0 but it took a huge deflection. nothing the spurs keeper could do to keep it out. famously this season, though, spurs wait for the breaks and then look up for son. just seven minutes later, they were level. son is in, son has run through to score. spurs on the counter. liverpool had three quarters of the possession but spurs the better chances. the reds have not lost at home for three years but steven bergwijn and then harry kane might have stopped them. as it ticked towards full time, spurs were made to pay. headed in!

thundered in by roberto firmino. and this feels like a statement win. the two managers at the end had a word in the ear. jose mourinho's most provocative in defeat, especially when he thinks they should have won. we did not play for a point, we played to win. we were the team that had the biggest chances to win it. i feel it is very undeserved but that is football. what a game against a counterattacking monster, and with the possession we had, it isjust incredible... we did incredibly well, i have to say. it is a massively deserved three points and i'm very happy. at the top, liverpool are now three points clear. this season is unique in many ways but at anfield, it is starting to look familiar. joe lynskey, bbc news. plenty more goals elsewhere last night. arsenal ended their recent losing streak. they'd lost four home games in a row, but this goalfrom captain pierre—emerick aubameyang gave them a 1—1 draw against southampton.

arsenal are still way down in 15th place in the league. there was a brilliant game at elland road where leeds scored three goals in ten minutes to beat newcastle 5—2. this wonder strike from jack harrison the pick of the goals. and there was another brilliant goal at the london stadium. sebastian haller with an overhead kick for west ham in their 1—1 draw with crystal palace. elsewhere last night, everton beat leicester, and fulham drew with brighton. there was a big shock in scotland, as rangers' 27—game unbeaten start to the season was ended by saint mirren. an injury—time winner from connor mccarthy dumped steven gerrard's side out of the scottish league cup and earned st mirren their first semifinal appearance in the competition since 2013. football clubs will be allowed to trial the use of concussion substitutes from next month. it means that teams will be allowed to make extra substitutions when a player gets a head injury. the plan is for it to be trialled in the third round of the fa cup, which starts in early january, and the idea is expected to be discussed at a premier

league meeting today. daniel parslow is a former york city defender, and was forced to retire from football last year after suffering a head injury in a match. lots of concussion injuries are delayed and in my circumstances, it was exactly that. i felt fine, i passed all the initial checks and it was not until two, three, four minutes later that the nausea, dizziness, unease on my feet and it was at that stage that we knew it was at that stage that we knew it was very serious. exeter‘s champions cup match against toulouse on sunday has been cancelled because of a covid—19 outbreak at the chiefs. exeter played glasgow warriors last weekend, so that means that their game against lyon is also off, as players self—isolate. the season is really congested, so it's unlikely that either game will be re—arranged. that means competition bosses are going to have to decide the results instead. more sports have been deciding their shedules for 2021. the start of the australian open tennis has been delayed

because of the pandemic. the first grand slam event of the year was supposed to start in melboune on the 18th january. it'll now begin three weeks later, on 8th february, and that will allow the players to complete a two—week quarantine period which is currently required in australia. and get ready for the longest formula 1 season in history. there will be 23 races next year, starting in australia on 21st march and running right though to abu dhabi on 6th december. all the details are on the bbc sport website and app. that's all the sport for now. more from us throughout the day. some news just some newsjust in in the some news just in in the last few moments. the french president emanuel macron has tested positive for covid, he was tested at the first appearance of symptoms and the statement for the elysee palace says

he will isolate for seven days and work remotely. news just in that the french president emanuel macron has tested positive for covid. let's return to the growing pressure from doctors and scientists to abandon the relaxation of covid restrictions over christmas. the four nations of the united kingdom have broadly agreed to stick to plans to allow some household mixing over the festive period. with the number of infections rising sharply, leaders say people should show "extreme caution". the rules initially agreed for all of the uk between the 23rd and 27th december allow three households in a "christmas bubble" to mix indoors and to stay overnight, but only if that's unavoidable. wales now wants to limit the mixing to two households, but those households can be joined by a single person who lives alone. that is going to be written into law. nonessential shops will close on christmas eve, and all of wales will return to a form of lockdown on 28th december.

scotland is urging that any interaction with other households should ideally be outdoors, and that contact should be limited to one day. in a moment we'll talk to our correspondent alexandra mckenzie in glasgow. first to chris page in belfast. we already have the announcement of bubbles for christmas in northern ireland so we are looking for the day —— over the details in what will happen in the period after christmas, i'll be expecting something on that today? christmas, i'll be expecting something on that today7m christmas, i'll be expecting something on that today? it is a strong possibility. there is a particularly important meeting of ministers in the devolved government today. the health minister robert swa n today. the health minister robert swan has said he is going to put forward proposals for new restrictions. he has not said exactly what they are but he has said they will be extreme and robust. it feels unlikely that there will be any significant certainly tightening of the rules around the christmas period itself, that five—day bubble period which is

allowed, a maximum of three households can get together and there is no upper limits here on the number of people that can be involved in that. also in northern ireland, basically because of the simple fact of geography, people going elsewhere in the uk, it might ta ke going elsewhere in the uk, it might take a bit longer to get there than people living in england, scotland or the 22nd in december and 28, the days either side have been set aside as travel days. you can travel to the place you are spending christmas but you can't go into your christmas bubble i deal the 23rd and by the 27th, you have to be out of the christmas bubble. —— on the 23rd. the big question is what happens in the days after christmas. things seem the days after christmas. things seem to be pointing towards certainly a strong possibility that new restrictions could be brought in that will apply some time between christmas and new year period. there has been a very alarming series of figures this week in connection with the coronavirus, for example yesterday, more than 500 new cases we re yesterday, more than 500 new cases were recorded, so for a place with

the population of northern ireland, thatis the population of northern ireland, that is a very big number and also we have seen signs on the pressure of the health service. earlier this week at one hospital, the antrim area hospital, 17 ambulances were parked outside the main doors and doctors and nurses were treating patients inside them because there we re patients inside them because there were no beds left in the hospital. there certainly seems to be a consensus that new restrictions are needed to curb the spread of the virus. nonessential shops, pubs needed to curb the spread of the virus. nonessentialshops, pubs and restau ra nts, virus. nonessentialshops, pubs and restaurants, hotels, hairdressers, beauticians, all reopened just last friday after a two—week lockdown and there is certainly an expectation that come the period between christmas and new year, we could be looking at more closures but it is all down to what politicians decide. they will be hearing from their scientific advisers at the meeting and then an announcement is not guaranteed today but it is understood that certainly, people in the devolved government in stormont recognise the importance of reaching a decision quickly and communicating it clearly. chris page in belfast,

thank you. now alexandra in glasgow. so restrictions for christmas tightening in scotland, alexandra, tell us more? that is right, the guidance has been tightened already. people are being advised just to spend christmas within their own home and not to be mixing with other households. but obviously, that is very difficult for a lot of people. it has been acknowledged by many people and the first minister that loneliness is an issue and some people just don't want to be alone at christmas. some people don't want their friends and family to be alone at christmas. so legally, you can still have a christmas bubble of three households, but that is not being recommended. that is to be seen as being recommended. that is to be seen as the absolute maximum, and the recommendation is two households but even that, the first minister has said, only if that is essential.

legally, you can have a christmas bubble of up to eight people over 12 but again, that is not being recommended. the advice is to keep your bubble as small as possible and in terms of the five days, the advice is very strong not to go and spend five days in someone's house over christmas. the advice is possibly to spend one day at the most but it would be preferable to spend that day outside if you were meeting up with friends and family. and the advice is not to spend an overnight with another family unless it is absolutely necessary but there also travel advice. the advice is not to travel very far and not to travel from an area like glasgow, where there are many cases, into an area where there are fewer cases, like the highlands or orkney, shetland. so yes, very strong advice

from scotland's first minister. she did say it was a very difficult decision to make, to give that advice, with only a few days to go until christmas, when people may have already made plans and are in that difficult dilemma of wondering whether they have made the right decision or whether they should actually be changing their plans now withjust a few actually be changing their plans now with just a few days to go. alexander, thank you very much for that update, alexandra mackenzie in glasgow. meanwhile in england, there are a number of regions currently in tier 3 — the highest alert level — that are hoping to be moved down to tier 2 and see their restrictions eased from saturday. let's take a look at some of the numbers that are taken into consideration when making these decisions. stratford—upon—avon in the midlands was at one point considering legal action against the government after being placed into tier 3.

it has one of the lowest covid infection rates in england, with its latest seven—day figure rate of 87.6 per 100,000. compare that to stratford in newham, east london, which untiljust this week was in tier 2 until yesterday when it was moved to tier 3, and it has a an infection rate of 372.4 per 100,000 — one of the highest in the capital. greater manchester's mayor andy burnham has been arguing the case for manchester to be taken out of tier 3. it has an infection rate of 178.5 per 100,000. that is the average across the ten boroughs. i think just that is the average across the ten boroughs. i thinkjust updating those figures, these perhaps are not average rates we are seeing on the screen right now. until yesterday, the south and west of essex had been in tier 2 and has since moved to tier 3. the coastal town of southend—on—sea has an infection rate of 331.5 per 100,000, significantly higher than manchester.

west yorkshire is expected to remain under tier 3 restrictions, despite big cities such as leeds having an infection rate of 136.8 per 100,000. compare to the north london borough of enfield, which only got put into tier 3 yesterday, despite having a much higher infection rate of 387.7 per 100,000. very interesting to look at all of the figures. we can speak now to the conservative mp andrew bridgen. his north west leicestershire constituency is currently in tier 3, and has lobbied for it to be decoupled from the city of leicester, which has a higher infection rate. thank you forjoining us. what are your hopes that you will be moving in your constituency to adhere to today? well, the infection figures

for north west leicestershire would have put us in tier to two weeks ago had we not been linked with leicester, the city, as you know, has been troubled throughout the pandemic. they were the first city to go into local lockdown and their hospitality businesses unfortunately have not been out of lockdown since march. iam not have not been out of lockdown since march. i am not now full of hope. i bumped into michael gove this morning, i presume on his way to the meeting to decide the tiers and i can't say my interaction with him gave me confidence. i think the government are very worried with the christmas break coming up that infection rates are rising and i think they will be very reluctant to release anybody from tier 3, although the figures in my constituency certainly would support that... you sound very like what andy burnham was saying to me a short while ago. he thought that perhaps today in the decision—making process , perhaps today in the decision—making process, the government might overcompensate, was his word, for

the fact that they are allowing people still to get together at christmas over a period of five days, certainly at least in england. is that what you believe?” days, certainly at least in england. is that what you believe? i am afraid that is my concern as well. i mean, ido afraid that is my concern as well. i mean, i do have deeper concerns about the lockdown and how we are effectively shutting down the hospitality industry. people i have seen hospitality industry. people i have seenin hospitality industry. people i have seen in the hospitality industry have gone to huge lengths to make their businesses go that macro compliant. they are cleaning down, socially distancing and i honestly believe that what these measures are doing is encouraging people to break the rules and have interactions in their homes where they are drinking alcohol and i believe that is where the virus is now spreading. that is interesting. again, very similar to what andy burnham has been saying to us as what andy burnham has been saying to us as well. he thinks it would be safer in some areas to come out of tier 3, to encourage people to gather socially if that is what they wa nt to gather socially if that is what they want to do in the hospitality setting and with the hospitality

industry rather to gather private —— than gathering privately at home. when we look at what doctors and scientists have been saying, given that 612 people died yesterday, or rather, 612 deaths were recorded for people who had tested positive for covid in the previous 28 days, should anyone be asking to move to fewer restrictions at this point? well, i wish the science was stronger, what the chief medical officer says is there is no science behind closing hospitality. it is a hunch. obviously, that does not fill me with confidence. i came back to my point earlier, i think that hospitality businesses have invested so hospitality businesses have invested so much time and money in ensuring that their businesses were fully covid compliant and effectively now we are going to have bubbles in people's houses where they will interact where there are not those measures and that is not going to be a recipe for suppressing the virus. so is the tier system simply not working as far as you are concerned? you voted against it initially,

didn't you? i voted against it, i think the system can work but we need a scientist to demonstrate and give the public confidence in those measures. the reason i voted against the tier system being introduced was it was going to link my constituency of north west leicestershire with leicester which meant there was never any hope of getting my constituency, whatever we do in suppressing the virus and we have done it very successfully, out of tier 3 while we are linked to leicester, who have got an appalling track record in dealing with the pandemic, despite having millions and millions of pounds of support from public health england, the department of health, the nhs, as are many, many months, they have never got theirfigures are many, many months, they have never got their figures down to get out of tier 3. well, a lot of places have been asking for the test and tray system to be run locally, for example, and it is run centrally, isn't it? —— the test and trace system. picking up on the point... it does not help when the mayor of leicester and all of his deputies are caught out breaking the rules and flouting the rules themselves on social media, video, on a regular

basis. it does not send out the right message to the people of leicester. their hospitality businesses have not been out of lockdown since march. many of them will never reopen. and now my hospitality businesses are dependent on the actions of the labour administration in leicester and that is not fair. well, you know, clearly political leaders have to set an example, don't they but i am just making the point that it is a conservative government and a centrally run test and trace system. but to pick up on the point you are making about people in your constituency, how concerned are you that if people there, you know, don't see any sign they can get out of tier 3, that they are going to start to lose the motivation if you like to stick with the restrictions? 0rdo you like to stick with the restrictions? or do you think people will continue to be sensible? i am sure most will continue to be sensible but clearly there's going to be a feeling that it is out of our hands, we are going to stay in tier 3 and if people lose hope, hope sustains, you know that and if they lose hope, i would be

really disappointed if we lost the discipline we have shown throughout the pandemic which has been a great source of pride to me and i am sure thatis source of pride to me and i am sure that is true across many constituencies, if they think they are condemned to tier 3 until the vaccine is completely rolled out, people may lose hope. 0k, we will watch closely to see what the decision is for your area as well. andrew bridgen, thank you for joining us, the mp for north west leicestershire. theatres would normally be bursting with life at this time of the year — oh, that that was the case — but the pandemic has forced many to close their doors. now a group of out—of—work west end performers have found a new use for their skills this christmas, putting on virtual concerts for care homes across the uk. and fittingly, the premiere has been held in a home for retired singers and actors. fiona lamdin has more. # snow is falling (snow is falling) # all around me (all around me) # children playing. ..# these actors would normally be centre stage in the west end. steph parry has starred in 42nd street, billy elliot and mamma mia! but lockdown has changed everything.

so i left the theatre in march. i left my dressing room kind of ready to come back a few days later and carry on the show. and that was eight months ago. the last eight months have been different. they've been barren. and with many theatres still closed, rehearsals like these are rare. it's been the hardest year of my life. i've seen my whole industry decimated. i've been on the phone to, from actors to producers to lighting designers, who simply cannot pay their mortgage, erm, people worrying about their families. so this is your first time back in a rehearsalfor nine months. what's it like? eerily familiar to hear young performers, seasoned professionals, just singing together for the first time. it really did feel a bit like coming home.

# time for parties and celebrations # people dancing all night long...# and these stars are now using their talents to create a christmas concert for every care home across the country. # time for singing christmas songs.# this is particularly close to my heart because we lost my nan this year. she was in a care home and obviously towards the end we weren't able to go and see her. # rudolph the red—nosed reindeer # had a very shiny nose...# i've seen what impact music can have on people living in homes with alzheimer's and dementia. # chestnuts roasting on an open fire...# and where better to preview it than at brinsworth house, a nursing home for those who've served in the entertainment industry. she sings

rosario and josephine were both performers. and now i sing in my dressing room or my bedroom, along the corridor and in the loo. i couldn't sing the carols because i don't sing carols in english. i only sing carols in spain. i do enjoy watching good shows done by great people. it feels like the most christmassy thing i've ever done in my career. we can do something good for somebody else. and how christmassy is that? # we wish you a merry christmas # and a happy new year.# fiona lamdin, bbc news. the united nations has added the north african dish couscous to its list of the world's intangible cultural heritage. tunisia, algeria, morocco, and mauritania submitted couscous to unesco together, in a joint bid.

their arab maghreb union, which also includes libya, has not met since 1994. a unesco statement describes the listing as part of its efforts to bring peoples and cultures closer together. a chinese spacecraft has returned to earth with the first samples from the moon in more than 40 years. the chung'e 5 spent three weeks in space, sampling rocks and soil and touched down in the northern region of inner mongolia on thursday. tanya dendrinos reports. a return from the moon carrying precious lunar cargo. chang'e—5‘s descent to earth captured on infrared cameras. landing them on thursday. —— in inner mongolia on thursday. the flag promptly planted as china submitted itself as a key

player in the space race. this is a pretty big dealfor china, they have been catching up on space and this is the biggest mission they have done. they ran a whole rehearsal for this in 2014 so they have been preparing for this moment for a long time and the fact that it went off so successfully is going to give them confidence to do even more ambitious missions in future. the mission was launched at the end of november, a probe sent into orbit around the moon. part of it landing to drill and dig up samples, with around two kilograms expected to have been collected. you can do a tremendous amount with a very small amount of material, so they don't need tons of material to do a lot of science. these samples are also very interesting because they are from a different spot where apollo went and the lunar probes from the soviet union went and it is also what we believe is a younger spot, maybe about 1 billion years old instead of

3—4 billion years old. and while the samples will offer scientists an opportunity to discover more about the evolution of earth and the solar system, it is also a significant marker for the new era of deep space missions. there is a maturity of those programmes, we are also seeing the return of an asteroid sample from a japanese probe. we are seeing a united arab emirates probe heading to mars so deep space is becoming much more international, as well. a global take on unlocking the secrets of the planets beyond. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. after yesterday's rain, today is much quieter weather—wise. more of us having a dry day and seeing some sunshine with the showers. bright and breezy sums it up quite nicely. what is happening is, we are between two weather fronts. there is one in the north sea and one at the atlantic and in between, as you can see from the slight bump in the isobars, we have a transient ridge of high pressure so that is keeping things settled until the fronts arrive from the atlantic later. quite a bit of sunshine

around today. fewer showers than yesterday although there are some showers around and breezy. through the afternoon, we will see the clouds thicken up towards the west and the arrival of some showery outbreaks of rain. the wind will also start to strengthen. temperatures today, eight in aberdeen, 12 in plymouth and st helier. through this evening and overnight, here comes the rain and the wind strengthening. it will be very gusty through the irish sea and areas adjacent to it and the rain sweeps across, some of it heavy across south—west england and also wales. there will be a lot of cloud and hill fog as well across the moors, into wales, cumbria and the southern uplands. it is going to be a very mild night, nine to about 13 degrees the overnight lows, similar to the maximum temperature today. tomorrow, the weather front moves from the west towards the east. it is still going to be a windy day. gusts wherever you are. we start off on a fairly cloudy note with some fog and then

here comes the rain. you can see this arc of it, wherever you see greens and yellows, it's telling you there will be some heavy bursts. these are the wind gusts. wherever you are, you will notice them. this cloud in the south—east will be thick enough to produce some drizzle from time to time. temperatures, 10—13 degrees but we could see 14 or indeed 15 for example across north—east wales, way above average for the time of year. as we move on through the weekend, friday into saturday and sunday, we have an array of weather fronts crossing us, connected to low pressure and also an array of isobars. after a very mild day on friday for the time of year, things start to cool off a touch on saturday and sunday, with temperatures returning to roughly where they should be at this stage in december. as for the weather on saturday and sunday, well, sunshine and showers, with a lot of the showers in the west.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. coronavirus cases are rapidly rising in some parts of the uk. in wales a computer issue means case numbers last week could be twice as high as previously thought. the welsh first minister says the authorities had always been aware of the issue. we know that the numbers were being underreported but we had said that all along. every day this week we have been saying that and been saying that once the update was complete those numbers would be added into the data. millions of people living across england will find out this morning if they'll be moved into a different tier of coronavirus restrictions.