this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: italy imposes a nationwide lockdown over christmas and new year as it tries to halt the sharp rise in coronavirus infections. we must intervene. but i assure you, this is not an easy decision. a warning from doctors in the uk as the spread of covid—i9 accelerates with the crucial r number now back above one. more than 300 schoolboys freed from their kidnappers in nigeria are now reunited with theirfamilies. a us senate report finds that boeing officials "inappropriately coached" test pilots during a review of the 737 max aircraft after two fatal crashes. sony halts the worldwide sale of one of the most highly anticipated video games

of all time, cyberpunk 2077, as it keeps crashing and freezing. hello and welcome to bbc news. italy is imposing a nationwide lockdown over much of the christmas and new year period — a measure aimed at reducing the sharp rise in coronavirus infections. italians will only be allowed to travel for work, health, or emergency reasons on a limited number of days. with brief exceptions, all but essential shops will remain closed. italy follows countries like the netherlands and germany, which have imposed lockdowns until january. translation: we must intervene but i assure you this is not an

easy decision. it is difficult to reinforce a series of necessary measures to better face the upcoming holidays and protect ourselves against of the resumption of work activities in january. with me is our news reporter paul hawkins. paul, right across europe then, we will want things are going to get worse and of course in winter it looks like they are. yeah, starting with italy and as you say following the netherlands and germany in introducing a national lockdown over the festive period. what does it entail? it means italians are only allowed to travel for work, health or emergency reasons from the 24th of the 27th of december, 31st of the 27th of december, 31st of december to the third of january and the fifth to the sixth of january. 0nly essential shops will remain open and italians can only have a maximum of two people in their homes so much tighter restrictions over the festive period, italy trying to avoid the third wave. and what about the third wave. and what about the uk? trying to do the same

as well, the infection rate is rising in england, wales and scotland. 0ne rising in england, wales and scotland. one in 90 to one in 100 people are infected in those three nations in the uk. infection rates though static in northern ireland that one in 215 people they're having it, wales and northern ireland both locking down over the christmas period. england, no national lockdown planned yet but there are big worries, big worries, because 90% of hospital beds in england are occupied. the nhs almost at capacity has this hospital doctor explained. we are now at a really dangerous point where we could tip into finding it incredibly difficult to manage. now we have got crowded departments with covid as the additional burden which isa as the additional burden which is a really scary and challenging place to be. and you can see this as we are increasingly getting ambulances queueing outside departments. but is the uk, let's have a

look at sweden now. big u-turn from sweden, one of the few countries in the world to go against the world health organisation's advice on face mask and the who recommends wearing them and sweetens as well, you don't have to wear them in public. and it kind of undermined social distancing —— and sweden said well. people feel more secure if they so less likely to social distance. they have done a u—turn on that and they say on public our —— on public transport in rush hour they have to wear face masks and they are introducing remote learning for 13—16 —year—olds, announced earlier this table numbers in restau ra nts a nd this table numbers in restaurants and a cup to a maximum of four people and the authorities are not stopping there. translation: a maximum number of customers will be introduced in shops, shopping centres and gyms. if this does not have the planned effect, the government will also plan to close these activities. lastly, taking a quick look at

france. france, in the middle ofa france. france, in the middle of a lockdown at the moment, a manual macron currently, there has been pictures published of him ina has been pictures published of him in a fetching polo neck while he isolates after testing positive for covid —— emmanuel macron. he has been attending a lot of sites around europe in recent times and also questions raised about whether he was following the guidelines on social distancing at these public events but at the moment, he is in isolation. thank you for that, paul. you are watching bbc news. the us vice—president mike pence has become the first senior figure in the trump administration to get a coronavirus vaccine, which he called "a medical miracle". and he did so in a very public way — in front of cameras at the white house, along with his wife and the us surgeon general. the move comes as officials are mounting campaigns to quash scepticism about the record—fast development of the vaccine. mr pence said he wanted to assure the american people that while they'd cut red tape, they'd cut no corners.

history will record that this week was the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic. but with cases rising across the country, with hospitalisations rising across the country, we have a ways to go. and i want to assure the american people that we're going to continue to make sure that our healthcare providers have all the support and resources they need to meet this moment. but vigilance and the vaccine is our way through, and building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning. let's get some of the day's other news. some breaking news now out of the us, sticking with that idea of vaccines we heard mike pence talking about, and that is a second vaccine in the us has been given authorisation. we just have this from reuters, moderna's coronavirus vaccine on friday became the second to receive emergency use

authorisation. the us food and drug administration welcomed news “— drug administration welcomed news —— but was welcome news to a nation and of course the covid—19 death toll there over 307,000 lives lost but use of the second vaccine receiving approval, the moderna vaccine there in the us. 0k, some of there in the us. 0k, some of the day's other news. the us house of representatives has passed a two—day extension of federal funding to prevent a partial government shutdown this weekend. the legislation now has to be approved by the senate. the interim measure would give more time for negotiations on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. at least ten people have been killed in a suicide attack at a stadium in the somali city of galkayo. the blast occurred shortly before the prime minister mohamed hussein roble was due to speak there. the islamist group al—shabaab has said it carried out the attack. the british prime minister has warned that things are "looking difficult" as talks about a post—brexit trade deal

go into the final weekend before christmas. the uk and eu are trying to resolve the remaining issues before the transition period ends on new year's eve. the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier says the process has reached the "moment of truth". more than 300 schoolboys who were abducted in northern nigeria a week ago are expected to be reunited with their families shortly. officials in katsina state, said the boys were found —— officials in katsina state said the boys were found in a forest in neighbouring zamfara, where they'd been left by their kidnappers. victoria uwonkunda reports. the schoolboys were taken by bus to the state capital, katsina. some were still wearing their school uniforms, others clutched blankets, and some looked clearly distressed and confused. the boys were flanked by armed police as they walked to meet the governor. 0ne told reporters that the kidnappers had

barely fed them. at a news conference, the state governor thanked security forces. i also use this opportunity to praise and thank the efforts made by the entire security apparatus of the state, of the country, for what they did. more than 340 schoolboys were kidnapped on december 11 after an attack on the school in kankara town. the islamist militant group boko haram claimed responsibility. however, authorities say bandits were behind the attack. the government insists no ransom was paid, but that the boys were released after negotiations with the kidnappers. security has been an issue in north—eastern nigeria in recent years and the recent kidnapping has echoes of the attack on a school

in chibok in 2014, where almost 300 schoolgirls were abducted by boko haram. while many questions remain and the circumstances of the boys' release is still unclear, their immediate ordeal is over. the next step — reunion with their parents and families. victoria uwonkunda, bbc news. us senators have just published a damning report alleging that boeing officials "inappropriately coached" test pilots during the process to recertify the 737 max plane. the aircraft was grounded worldwide in march last year following two deadly crashes. let's get the latest from our correspondent in washington, lebo diseko. soa so a pretty critical report, this? really scathing, essentially saying that boeing and the faa, the regulator,

worked together to manipulate the outcomes and results of these tests. and these other tests that led to the plane being given the all clear to fly again. now, in 2019 a series of tests were done that looked a pilot reaction times to the faulty software that was blamed for the two deadly crashes and what the senators on this committee have found we re on this committee have found were that one, boeing improperly influenced at least one of those tests, that two, the faa and boeing went into those tests having decided what they the outcome to be and, you said, pilots were coached as they were doing this test to try to achieve a certain result. it's less than one month since the faa told americans that this plane was safe to fly again, boeing is well so they stood behind it, and at the time many of the families of people that died in those two crashes were very upset and said that they did not feel that the plane was indeed safe at all. there has

been a statement from boeing, up been a statement from boeing, up on their website, that says they are looking at the faa report, the senator's report, and they take safety very, very seriously. the faa reportedly in us media said the same, that they are looking at the report and they will respond in due course. thank you, lebo. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: italy imposes a nationwide lockdown over christmas and new year as it tries to halt the sharp rise in coronavirus infections. more than 300 schoolboys freed from their kidnappers in nigeria are reunited with theirfamilies. around 200,000 people in the uk are thought to be suffering from so—called long covid — persistent health problems up to three months after they were infected with the virus. for some, like 38—year—old, natalie, the effects of long covid on her body have been devastating. emerging problem as new guidelines were published for doctors on how to diagnose and treat long covid. 0ur medical editor

fergus walsh reports. natalie has worked as a frontline doctor during several deadly epidemics, including ebola in africa. but it's covid which has left its mark on her. just over a year ago, i biked up the hill and now, now i can't even get on a bike. the 38—year—old was never admitted to hospital but now has long covid and is so physically weak, she can't go to work. i was fit, i was active, i could run, i could walk any distance i wanted to, really. and now, i can walk 200 metres. i've asked my contractor to put a bannister on my stairs because i can't get up to the top of my stairs sometimes. so you're fitting out your home for someone with disabilities? at my age, yes. i thought this is what i would be doing, when i was, you know, in my 70s or 80s.

mri scans have revealed damage to nathalie's spinal cord. you 0k, nathalie? butjust how a covid infection has done this is not fully understood. uclh trust in london has opened a long covid clinic for patients with neurological problems. they come from all over the uk with a wide variety of symptoms. they may complain of fatigue or dizziness, light—headedness, palpitations or a fast heart rate. sometimes, patients complain of pins and needles or numbness. they often describe memory problems, so they may have difficulty focussing or concentrating. they may have difficulty remembering words or getting words out. there i was, ten weeks ago, i couldn't get out of bed. eli, who is sa, has lost nearly all his strength. covid has affected his memory, brain function, even his vision. but after enduring five months in hospital, and being so close to death, he feels fortunate.

i call myself ‘the miracle boy'. i've been through something which i've survived. i survived by a very thin line. god flicked the switch and decided "0k, give him another chance. hhe's got something do in this world, come back." what about those legs? how fatigued do they feel? one in ten people with covid still has lingering symptoms after 12 weeks. most make a gradual recovery. nathalie says the disease won't hold her back and she is determined to see patients face to face once more. fergus walsh, bbc news. now, like so many regions of the world, central america has been hit hard by the pandemic. and the damage by hurricanes in november has left many there homeless. these hardships have helped fuel the mass departures of migrants from honduras

in recent days, as people hope to get to the united states. 0ur central america correspondent will grant reports. it's an all too familiar sight — a few hundred impoverished central american migrants travelling together before dawn, carrying only their children, a few possessions and hopes for a better life up north. certainly, they say, it can't be any worse than the one they're leaving behind. translation: we ask the new president of the united states to help us. we can't live here anymore. they lost everything to eta and iota, the two hurricanes which battered central america in just two weeks in november. the two storms hit with phenomenalforce, causing flooding across swathes of the region. and when the floodwaters receded, the extent of the devastation was laid bare. entire communities were ravaged, family members lost, homes destroyed, livelihoods gone.

huge areas of crops and agricultural land have been ruined, too, with many harvests completely washed away. the un warns climate change is driving more and more central americans from their homes, exacerbating an already dire situation created by drug gang violence and the economic downturn from covid—19. people don't flee because they want to. people flee because they have to. because they find no other option, they find no other recourse in their communities or in their countries to, you know, to live, to get by. so it's really a matter of being forced to flee. the challenge facing central america's politicians is huge, both in providing short—term humanitarian aid following the storms and in finding longer—term solutions to global issues of poverty, violence and climate change. translation: if we do not want hordes of central americans seeking to go to other countries where there

are better living conditions, we have to create walls of prosperity in central america. it's a sentiment echoed by many such leaders over the years, yet little changes for those facing the hardest of choices. remain in the region at the mercy of the elements, the gangs and the collapsing economy, or leave their land for a distant shot at prosperity in united states. after hurricanes eta and iota, many more will risk the latter. will grant, bbc news, mexico. a major shake—up of how 0lympic sports are funded by the government. swimming and rowing are among those taking a hit. sports new to the olympics like skating and climbing will gain funding. here is our sports editor dan rowan.

commentator: it's gold for laura trott and for great britain! for two decades, team gb's established itself as an olympic and paralympic powerhouse, but amid mounting concern that medals were all that mattered, today came an apparent shift, with a wider range of sports funded, and an emphasis on winning in the right way. there's a chance that some of the medals will be affected, but we still believe actually the efficiency is made, we will still be able to deliver great results. because this system is still about winning, it really is still about great success. how that success is delivered is important. we'll have more sports, and we'll have every sport doing it better. among the winners in today's funding plan was basketball, given more than £1 million after previous cuts despite its popularity. new 0lympic additions like climbing and surfing among 43 sports also given support. skateboarding will also feature for the first time in tokyo, and is another rewarded for its potential to increase participation and reach young audiences. today at this renowned skate park in salford, the man entrusted with growing the sport told me it was a major boost. for us, that's an absolute game—changer for skateboarding, because it means that we can

build the foundations to create a talent and world—class performance programme. the other thing that it does is it enables us to just give the gift of skateboarding to more people, which for us is phenomenal. but some of britain's most successful sports were handed cuts to their budgets for paris 2024, with canoeing facing a £4 million drop to 12 million. rowing, one of the best funded sports, losing £2.4 million, and swimming also down more than £2 million. another traditional sport, modern pentathlon, said it was disappointed by a 20% cut, and will appeal. it is a massive cut. trying to like, invest in and help those future athletes is going to be that much more difficult, and it's going to be really challenging to support everyone for the next cycle. today marks a departure from uk sport's so—called no compromise approach that's brought great medal success, but which has also been blamed for recent athlete welfare scandals. the hope is that by investing in sports like this,

a team can be created that's more reflective of modern britain. amid financial uncertainty, olympic and paralympic athletes were today assured that their funding for next year's games was secure, but with just seven months to go until tokyo, the focus seems to be on more than just medals. dan roan, bbc news. sony has halted the worldwide sale of one of the most highly—anticipated video games of all timejust days after its release. customers complained that cyberpunk 2077 — which broke sales records with more than 8 million pre—orders — kept crashing and freezing, despite developers spending almost ten years working on it. in the past few hours, microsoft has announced it is offering refunds to anyone who bought the game, though it's not pulled it from its xbox stores. here's what the game is about — as explained by actor keanu reeves, talking to bbc sounds. motion capture, baby! johnny silverhand. cyberpunk 2077

ta kes pla ce silverhand. cyberpunk 2077 takes place in a dystopian future. now, despite a rising number of covid infections, up to three households will be allowed to mix across england, scotland and northern ireland next weekend, with slightly tighter rules in wales. our home editor, mark easton, has been talking to people from all walks of life about their plans and whether they're now thinking of changing them. ‘tis the season to be jolly careful, says the prime minister. so, how will britons celebrate christmas in this strangest of years? and what's people's reaction to the decision to relax

the regulations on festive get—togethers just as the pandemic threatens to overwhelm parts of the nhs? with the help of analysts britain thinks, we've assembled a focus group of people across the uk. well, season's greetings to you all. i'm interested to know how your christmas plans have changed, and specifically, how many people will you be sitting down with at christmas dinner? there will be seven. there will be six of us. six. five. four of us. by myself, so one. i work in the nhs, so i don't really want to put anybody at risk, so for that pure reason, i've decided that i want to spend christmas alone. that's very noble, i have to say. this year, there willjust be the two of us, and there's no point in getting a turkey for two, so we'll probably just have chicken. we're actually planning to have our christmas dinner outside, hoping that it doesn't rain. what, in the garden?!

yes, so, our plan is to have two little tables outside, distanced, and have lots of blankets and maybe a little fire. what do you all think about the government's plans to relax the restrictions so that family and friends can come together, albeit with this warning to be especially careful? i don't think it's a good thing. i think we will pay the price for it come january. natalie, you're nodding, i can see. i think they should have just left it down on lockdown through the whole of the christmas period, and then start up, like, 2021, a fresh year. if there had been a lockdown christmas, people would have just said, "no, to hell with it, it's christmas." at least this way, there's guidance. the vast majority of people will be responsible and mature about it, but you'll get that minority who think, "well, i can, so i'm going to." and if there were no rules in place, it would be anarchy. this just seems like potentially another massive super spreader event that's been endorsed by the government.

they don't want to be the people who cancel christmas. i think it's a big mistake. part of me's really looking forward to christmas, because i'm a big kid and i love christmas. i'm buzzing for it. honestly, the one thing that has been getting me through this entire year is, christmas is coming. well, thank you to all of you for your time and your opinions. however you celebrate, i wish you a peaceful, a merry, and of course, a safe christmas. that is it from me. you can get me any time on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. hello. friday brought us another wet and windy day. the rainfall was particularly heavy and persistent in the west. river levels have been rising across parts of wales, south—west england, scotland, too. this was the picture in ceredigion. we've had plenty of flood warnings around, and there could still be a bit

of disruption with flooding as we head into the weekend because there's a bit more rain in the forecast. it won't be persistent. there will be scattered showers and some sunshine in between as well. so, friday's rainfall was courtesy of this cold front, which is going to be clearing away towards the east. low pressure to the north—west of the uk, so showers rotating around that area of low pressure. and the winds coming in from a slightly cooler direction, so the bluer colours returning to the map. still mild for the time of year, but not as mild as it has been. so we start saturday, then, the early hours, some rain across eastern england which slowly pushes out of the way, and then a return to sunnier skies and plenty of scattered, blustery showers blowing in. always most frequent in the west and along the south coast as well. gusts of wind around about 30—40 mph for some of us, perhaps touching 50 mph around those exposed coasts in the south—west. a blustery sort of day. again, mild but not as mild as it has been, with temperatures about 10—11 degrees for most of us, could see 12 celsius there down towards the south—east. there could be some hail and some thunder mixed in with some of the scattered, blustery showers as they rattle through on that brisk breeze. they're going to continue overnight, so clear spells and scattered showers moving through into sunday.

it is going to be a slightly cooler night than we've seen recently, still frost—free, really, across the board with temperatures getting down to around about 5—7 degrees first thing sunday morning. through the day on sunday, pretty similar to what we'll see on saturday. again, some sunshine, some scattered showers, perhaps fewer showers compared to saturday and it looks like they will tend to fade away later on in the afternoon. a touch cooler as well, temperatures around about 8—11 degrees on sunday. the next patch of rain waiting there in the wings. moving on into monday, looks like this area of rain, a low pressure system, will move its way in from the west. some uncertainty about exactly how far north that gets as we head into the middle part of the coming week, but it is looking unsettled to start this coming week, certainly some rain, some blustery conditions to come around about wednesday. headed towards christmas eve and christmas day, things turn a little bit drier and a little bit cooler, too. there could be a bit more flooding for the first part of this coming week, and then cooler and drier conditions by the time we get to christmas. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: italy is imposing a nationwide lockdown over christmas and new year as it tries to halt the sharp rise in coronavirus infections. italians will only be allowed to travel for work, health, or emergency reasons on a limited number of days. all but essential shops will remain closed. the us vice—president mike pence has received his coronavirus vaccine shot on live tv to encourage people to have the injection. mr pence said he wanted to reassure the public, calling the vaccine "a medical miracle". it's confirmed that president—electjoe biden will receive his jab on monday. a damning report has just been published by the us senate, saying boeing officials "inappropriately coached" test

pilots during re—certification tests after two fatal boeing 737 max crashes. the report also says boeing officials sought to cover up "importa nt information" that contributed to the crashes. now on bbc news, click. this week, electric rails. kitten tales. and football fails. spencer and hugh, you can barely kick the ball without falling over. in that way, you can fish or keep your jobs. —— you can for