this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 8pm: parents in england should send their children to primary school tomorrow, the prime minister says, but warns restrictions may have to be tightened in the coming weeks in order to suppress the virus. president trump is recorded on tape asking an election official to find him extra votes in georgia. # walk on, walk on... gerry marsden, singer of you'll never walk alone, has died at the age of 78 after a short illness.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the uk prime minister has warned that coronavirus restrictions in england may need to be tightened over the next few weeks to cut the rising numbers of infections. there've been another 55,000 positive cases recorded in the uk in the latest 2a hour period, and a further a54 people have died. here's our political correspondent, chris mason. arriving in a hurry to deliver a difficult message. the prime minister gave his first interview of the year today. he warned that coronavirus restrctions in england are likely to get worse before they get better. it may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts

of the country. i don't... i mean, i'm fully, fully reconciled to that and i bet the people of this country are fully reconciled to that. the prime minister's analysis of this pandemic from the very start has often contained splashes of optimism, but today felt different. vaccines and testing offer hope, but borisjohnson struck a sombre tone as he lent on downbeat language about the need to be realistic about the very difficult period ahead. but most primary schools in england are expected to reopen this week. in secondaries, there'll be a staggered start to the new term, with pupils expecting exams in the summer going back first. mrjohnson insisted schools in england must stay open where ever possible. schools are safe — very, very important to stress that. the threat, the risk to kids, to young people, is really very,

very, very small indeed, as the scientists continually attest. the risk to staff is very small. and, of course, the benefits of education are so huge. but the signs of everyday life, like these in high wycombe, in buckinghamshire, are here to stay and labour this afternoon have gone a step further, calling for another england—wide lockdown. it is inevitable that more schools are going to close, many will be closed tomorrow morning but the more important thing, in a way, is the national restrictions need to come in — in the next 24—hours. let's not have the prime ministersaying, "i'm going to do it but not yet". that's the problem he's made so many times. and so, 2021 begins as 2020 ended, shrouded in worry and uncertainty. the vaccines will allow us to turn a corner in tackling this pandemic but the rest of winter looks bleak. chris mason, bbc news.

there's a new revelation aboutjust how far president trump is prepared to go with his attempts to overturn the presidential election. it's reported that he phoned georgia's top election official and tried to persuade him to "find" enough votes to reverse the outcome in the state. a recording of the conversation has been published by the washington post. joining me now is our correspondent in washington, lebo diseko. tell us about these tapes? this conversation, it is just jaw—dropping, i listen to it with my mouth open and i did not think i could be shocked any more about what has been happening in terms of donald trump's attempt to overturn joe biden‘s election win. this is a four half minute made a cutdown of what was around an hour—long

conversation and donald trump can be heard repeatedly saying to the top election official, the secretary of state in georgia, that he needs his extra votes and at one point he even says exactly how many, i think 11,780, just one more thanjoe biden‘s election win. at other points he sent quite threatening, talking about the threat of criminal proceedings. also on the call is brad raffensperger‘s legal counsel, who is backing off allegations donald trump is making about electoral fraud, donald trump is making about electoralfraud, reputations of donald trump is making about electoral fraud, reputations of some of the wildest allegations we have heard, none of which have been stood up heard, none of which have been stood up andi heard, none of which have been stood up and i have been taken to court and rejected numerous times across the country. it is extraordinary and the country. it is extraordinary and the thing that was in my mind as i was listening to it is that you and i have reported on elections in other parts of the world, taking in

the african continent. if this was an african country and the president was on tape telling election officials to do something about the results of the elections, what would the world say? the fallout will be interesting, and certainly interesting, and certainly interesting to see what happens now in congress because we have those republican senators saying they will challenge the vote, and joe biden‘s right to be president later this week. does that change than doing this? it is very serious what you have heard on that tape? look, the effort by the republicans in congress to try to challenge the certification and conquest of the electoral college votes is almost certain to fail, both chambers of the house would help to uphold any challenges and the democrats will not do that. but the key thing is

those two senate run—off in georgia on tuesday, how do republicans get their voters to cast their votes when the president and his allies are undermining the credibility of the election? we will talk to you about that later, thank you very much, lebo diseko with the latest from washington. you are watching bbc news, do not correlate. —— do not go away. the number of people with coronavirus in nhs hospitals in england continues to rise, with nearly 25,000 beds occupied. london, the east of england and the south—east continue to be the areas hardest hit by the new variant, with all three seeing nearly a 60% increase in patient admissions in the past week. chris hopson is the chief executive of nhs providers — which represents hospitals trusts in england. hejoins me now. thank you for joining us on bbc news. in your own

words, just how bad are things? you can see the pressure is rising very quickly. looking back to christmas day, just eight days ago, on christmas day we had 17,700 covid patients in hospitals, we now have 25,000, an increase of 40% in eight days. what is particularly worrying you might argue is that any increases we are seeing. since yesterday that it another 11100 patients we have seen come into hospital with covid, equivalent to effectively filling up three whole hospitals in one day. i think the other day you did not mention in your introduction which i think it's really worrying it we had seen an 8% increase in terms of the number of covid in patients in the north—west. exactly as you said, up to now it

has been really focused in london, the southeast and east of england, driven by this new variant, and what we are all really worried about is if that new variant starts to spread across the country, it will be a real issue, partly because all of those trusts in the north—west, the north—east and yorkshire have already got very significant numbers of inpatients in their hospitals as a result of the second search we saw in october and november so their ability to deal with increases we have seen in london on the south—east over the last three days, it will be a real struggle. you threw a lot of numbers at me and the dealers, you can translate those to what will actually happen on the ground. if you can lay it out for us, if the numbers continue to rise, the trend you have pointed out in the trend you have pointed out in the north west, dh percent increase

in patients, what will happen? how close is the nhs to breaking point? —— that close is the nhs to breaking point? -- that 8% close is the nhs to breaking point? —— that 8% increase. close is the nhs to breaking point? -- that 896 increase. the nhs is here to provide care for everybody who needsit to provide care for everybody who needs it and what we had in place are very carefully laid plans of how to increase capacity when you get extra demand, we have been working really ha rd that extra demand, we have been working really hard that this over the summer, making a whole bunch of adaptations to ensure that we try to increase the amount of capacity we have when you get very high levels of demand, but what we are seeing in places that are under real pressure is we are seeing people having to wait longer, we are having to ask staff to basically put off leave, to work extra shifts, wherever you looking, particularly in london and the south—east and in the east of england but now increasingly other parts of the country, you are seeing very significant pressure that has

an adverse impact for both staff and importantly patients. so when you heard prime minister borisjohnson today speaking about restrictions probably set to get tougher, when would you like that to come in in order to support the nhs and your staff? we have always had the government needs to make these decisions, they have all of the detailed information on by other ones that have to make the trade—offs really difficult things like the economy, the future of businesses etc, but in the nhs we are very clear about the fact that if you want to save lives, minimise patient harm and give the nhs the best possible chance to treat all the patients it needs, the government has to think very quickly about what to do to respond to these very rapidly escalating numbers. there are two things they need to think carefully about, should we be

going into a full national lockdown? and if you look at the epidemiological data it shows very clearly that children are people, a group of the population, who definitely spread this disease. the good news is that it does not impact them in terms of making them as ill as people who for example are 80 and over, by and large, particularly at the day—to—day are people who are responsible for spreading this virus and therefore there is a really important question about should be extend what has happened in london where the schools going back will be delayed, should we be extending that ona delayed, should we be extending that on a much more systematic basis? i thought it was fascinating today, the fact that senior leaders in liverpool were all saying, political leaders, saying they wanted government to think very carefully about going into a national lockdown as quickly as possible. these are

very important questions on the data today really shows the government needs to think about this very carefully, but crucially really quickly. you are referring to the acting mayor of liverpool. going back to increasing capacity the nhs, the nightingale house, we saw some of those closing down, what motive the nhs needs? -- the nightingale hospitals. we have hospitals in london and the south—east and east of england literally turning wards that are currently for other types of patient into wards for covid patients, where effectively they can be provided with oxygen through the machine is needed so that we can support them and you are also seen hospitals doing extraordinary things to double if not in some cases triple that critical care capacity. in the nhs we talk a lot about

numbers of beds but clearly the issue involved is also numbers of staff and one of the particular issues people face, who has high levels of covid, is a double money in that in the areas they are seeing increased patient numbers but because the staff live in the area they reflect the higher rates of covid transmission so usually much higher levels of staff absence, so not only are you dealing with higher levels of covid patient but you have even started with them, which is why the nhs is under real pressure. there is concern about the figures we had seen today as it is notjust the very large increases in east of england, 5%, 8% in london, the southwest has gone up by 7% overnight and the north—west by 8%, the number of covid—19 patients in hospital beds. those are really big increases and a single day and that is very worrying. chris hopson, as

ever, it has been a pleasure to get your insight, thank you very much. thanks. we heard mention school. —— we heard chris hopson mention school. well, with some schools reopening tomorrow after the christmas break, there are concerns there won't be enough teaching staff because of worries over the new variant of coronavirus. the biggest teaching union, the neu, is advising members only to hold classes for the children of key workers or those from vulnerable backgrounds. with more, here's our education correspondent, dan johnson. can the virus be controlled if these classrooms fill up again? it's a huge question, with all kinds of complications and implications. i've had two parents already contact me over the weekend to say that they've got concerns about bringing their children back to school. in 0xford, some parents are making their own decisions and primary school head teachers like lynn are grappling with tricky issues ahead of children coming back here on tuesday. yes, the government are continually

reviewing the situation but, actually, i want someone to say, no, we are going to close for two weeks you're going to do something really well to make sure the children learn and that, to my mind, would be far more effective than just having this constant anxiety behind everyone's feelings. are we going to close, are we not going to close? but staying closed would mean childcare. it would mean learning from home and the risk that some kids miss out and fall behind. since he's started, he's learned to read and write. we wouldn't have been able to teach him that at home, so it's amazing he's had that opportunity, so i want it to continue. i hope the teachers are prioritised for vaccinations, so that there is some element of safety in returning to schools, as it will benefit everyone, especially the young children. at the moment, i think it would be better if we didn't. i think it would be better if all the schools were closed, just till we got over this peak. there's pressure from teaching unions, councils and some local public health directors. some have already told their schools to stay closed. so, the number of children who actually return

from tomorrow isn't entirely in the government's hands now. some further closures do look inevitable, whether that's through decisions made by councils or the government having no other option and that could well last beyond these first two weeks. so, the priority has always been to keep schools open as much as possible, but there's an argument that taking some action now could help avoid further disruption in future. bradford's schools are in tier 3 but staff here, like others, could vote with their feet after some teaching unions declared classrooms unsafe. whether we open or not depends on the number of staff that we have and it's notjust teachers, there are other members of staff who have real genuine concerns as well, including kitchen staff. obviously, we would need to feed the children at lunchtime and if we haven't got kitchen staff in school because of their concerns, then that's another issue that i need to take into account when we make a decision. wales and northern ireland have

delayed the return another week. scotland's schools won't fill up until the middle of the month. 20% of england's primary pupils already face a fortnight of home learning and other areas are now saying their schools should join them. danjohnson, bbc news, 0xford. the latest official figures show there were nearly 55,000 new coronavirus infections, recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 52,348. there were a54 deaths reported, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, but today's figures don't include scotland. that means on average in the past week, 604 deaths were announced every day, taking the total across the uk, to 75,024.

from tomorrow doctors across the uk will begin the roll out of half a million doses of the oxford coronavirus vaccine. but there are questions over the speed at which those most at risk across the country will receive theirjabs, and concerns over the government's decision to delay offering the public second doses of both the oxford and pfizer vaccines. here's our science editor, david shukman. it began with a blaze of publicity and now the vaccination programme moves up a gear, to try to protect tens of millions of people now that a second type of vaccine is about to be deployed. i hearfrom particularly my general practice colleagues up and down the country that they are raring to go. they're really, really busy but they also know that this is the best thing that they can do to protect their patients. so, as supply allows, more sites will be able to offer the vaccine and that's exactly what we need to aim for. the big hope is the oxford

astrazeneca vaccine is easy to handle. it doesn't need to be stored in extreme cold and the first doses are due to be given tomorrow. so, in the coming months, how will this mass programme take shape? the government's ambition is that by easter, that's april 4th, to have reached something like 30 million people. they're the most at risk — over 50s, health and care workers and adults with vulnerabilities. that involves 2 million injections every week and for many people, that will be their first dose only. all of this depends on two key factors. production, can it be ramped up sufficiently? also delivery, will it be smooth in this massive operation? this comes as government advisers say it's better to delay giving second doses so that more people can quickly get a first dose and at least have some protection. but pfizer says this idea hasn't been tested for its vaccine

and some leading scientists want more research. i think it's so important that with this decision that's been made that there are actually scientific studies that go on to look at the effect of delaying the second dose. i personally think that it may well produce as good or better an immune response but we really need to study it. sites like this offer hope of a way out of the pandemic. the challenge now is making sure the vaccines get used as effectively as possible. david shukman, bbc news. and we'll find out how the coronavirus — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. our guests joining ben bland tonight are the journalist and broadcaster caroline frost, and the parliamentary journalist tony grew. islamist militants have attacked two villages in the west

african state of niger, killing at least 70 people. reports say the gunmen arrived on motorbikes. special forces have now been sent to the area, in the tillaberi region. there've been a number ofjihadist attacks there in recent months, by groups based across the border in mali. rescue workers have uncovered a fourth body after a landslide buried homes in norway. six other people are still missing. the hillside collapse happened in the town of ask, about 15 miles from the capital, 0slo, on wednesday. frankie mccamley reports. candles lit to remember those who died in the landslide earlier this week, as rescue teams refuse to extinguish hope of finding more survivors. translation: we have to stick to the hope provided by the rescuers that it could still be possible to find someone alive, but it is, of course, terribly painful for the people close to it and for the relatives. for everyone affected

by the situation. emergency workers continue to battle freezing temperatures in gjerdrum, a town around 45 kilometres north—east of oslo. six people are still missing, believed to include women and children. —— men, women and children. four have now been found dead. translation: it is, of course, with great sorrow we received this information about another death in relation to the tragedy. the hillside collapsed in the early hours of wednesday morning, destroying more than 30 homes, with others left teetering on the edge. as many houses remain unsafe to return to and workers try to restore power to the area, questions are being raised over how and why this happened. frankie mccamley, bbc news. the gerry and the pacemakers singer gerry marsden has died at the age of 78. he's perhaps best known for his hit you'll never walk alone,

which has been sung by liverpool football fans for decades. daniela relph looks back at his life. # walk on, walk on...#. gerry marsden... # with hope in your heart...#. ..with one unforgettable anthem. # and you'll never walk...#. he was as much a part of liverpool's story as the mersey ferry and the anfield kop. # alone...#. girls scream. born in toxteth, his career began at the legendary cavern club in the early ‘60s. gerry and his band, the pacemakers, were spotted by beatles manager, brian epstein. he gave them a song that had been turned down by the fab four and adam faith. # how do you do what you to me...#. how do you do it was a huge hit on both sides of the atlantic. we'd never heard ourselves on tape before and it got to number one and we were very pleased. the beatles were upset

and so was adam, i think. he chuckles. newsreel archive: the girls are at the top of their screaming form, if the reception they give to gerry and the pacemakers is anything to go by. # i like it, i like it...#. more followed, as the mersey beat swept the world. # the funny feeling being here with you. # and i like it more with every day. # and i like it always hearing you say you're liking it too...#. # so, ferry, cross the mersey...#. but it was as a singer of gentle ballads for which he'll be remembered. ferry across the mersey was a nostalgic expression of his love for liverpool. # walk on, walk on...#. and then, with a song from a rodgers and hammerstein musical, gerry marsden struck a chord with fans at his beloved anfield. the band may have split up in 1966, but as he proved nearly half a century later,

at the 25th anniversary of the hillsborough disaster, musically and emotionally, he'll always be a part of the heart and soul of the club. gerry marsden, who's died at the age of 78. china is celebrating a successful year of breeding pandas — and they've released some new footage of the animals at play. we love these! 44 giant pandas were bred in captivity in china in 2020, bringing the country's total panda population to 633. these were filmed at the wolong national nature reserve in sichuan province in south—west china. 0h, oh, look at them! aren't they cute?!

it looks rather snowy. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. hello. if you're waiting for the weather to turn a little bit milder, well, i think you'll be waiting a while. no sign of any end to this current cold spell, certainly not in the week ahead. it is going to stay pretty chilly, with some rain, sleet and snow at times, but also some spells of sunshine. we've got high pressure to the north, low pressure to the south. that is driving quite a brisk north—easterly wind across the british isles. it feels really chilly in that wind and the breeze also bringing quite a few showers in across eastern and central areas particularly. those falling as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. certainly through tonight, there's the potentialfor some ice across parts of north—east england and eastern scotland. some more general cloud and rain. i think this will mainly be rain pushing into east anglia and the south—east later in the night. a little bit milder here, temperatures just above freezing, whereas for northern ireland, and particularly scotland, we'll see temperatures well below freezing. then into tomorrow, northern ireland

and scotland seeing the best of the sunshine but there will be some wintry showers here as well. for england and wales, quite a lot of cloud around, particularly the further south and east you are and through parts of essex, into kent and sussex and also the channel islands. here, we're likely to see outbreaks of rain continuing for a good part of the day. the winds pretty gusty, particularly across england and wales. so, when you look at top temperatures of just four or five degrees and you factor in the strength of the wind, well, it's going to feel pretty cold out there. through monday night, we will see further showers drifting in from the north—east. still that persistent rain across parts of south—east england into the channel islands. that line of wet weather sticking around for a good part of tuesday, as well. further north, it's another sunshine and showers day. quite a few showers, i think, across eastern and north—eastern parts. some of those showers, again, will be wintry and temperatures pegged back to between 3—6 degrees. now, a subtle change as we move out of tuesday into wednesday. 0ur area of high pressure starts to slip away westwards and this low up to the north is going to start

to take a bit more control of our weather. most places on wednesday still seeing some spells of sunshine. one or two wintry showers, not as windy by this stage, but cloud, rain and snow will move into the north west of scotland as the day wears on. that is likely to push south—eastwards towards the end of the week, so the chance of some sleet and snow just about anywhere. some sunshine as well, but it will stay on the cold side. hello, this is bbc news with lu kwesa burak. the headlines... borisjohnson warns covid restrictions in england could get tougher in the coming weeks — but labour says action is needed immediately. it may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many

parts of the country. i don't... i mean, i'm fully, fully reconciled to that. there is no good the prime minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week or two or three. that delay has been the source of so many problems. so i say bring in those restrictions now, national restrictions within the next 24 hours. gerry marsden, singer of you'll never walk alone, has died at the age of 78 after a short illness. next, amol rajan takes a close look at a year dominated by covid—19 — and how it accelerated underlying trends and created new ones, in the media year.

hello.