what can you tell us? huw, leeds and the wider yorkshire and humber area are in tier3 the wider yorkshire and humber area are in tier 3 at the moment, but it feels as though lockdown has already begun. we are just across the road from the main bus station, services have been coming and going, we haven't seen a single passenger on any one of them. it is less than a week since large parts of northern england were down in tier 2, places like north yorkshire and cumbria, and in cumbria the infection rate has taken off over the last week or so. has taken off over the last week or so. two of the three main hospitals on the highest state of alert. the director of public health called for primary schools not to open, but 2a hours later. the latest figures for northern england look pretty dire, to be honest. they have been

analysed this evening, and areas which is seeing the biggest rise in the number of coronavirus cases are clustering in the north of england at the moment. this area it looks as though it is going to be hit very ha rd by though it is going to be hit very hard by the new variant in the coming week or two, huw. many thanks, danny savage in leeds. and for details of the rules and restrictions where you live, head to the bbc news website, that's bbc.co.uk/news, where you can follow all the links. let's take a look at some of today's other news. french authorities have defended the roll—out of the vaccination programme there, after criticism it was going too slowly. only 516 jabs were dispensed in the first week. a spokesman said the delay was because clinicians had to enter care homes and get a resident's permission before administering the injection.

germany is expected to extend its lockdown untiljanuary 31st to curb the spread of coronavirus. tight restrictions have been in place since the middle of december but have so far had little effect. last week, the country reported a record number of daily deaths, over 1,000, and ballooning infection rates. the health secretary for england, matt hancock, has said he's "very worried" about the new south african variant of coronavirus. there are fears it may be even more tra nsmissable than the new uk variant. in order to stop the spread of the south african variant, flights to the uk from the country have been banned since christmas eve. 0ur correspondent andrew harding reports from johannesburg. move! a strict new lockdown across south africa, complete with a night—time curfew with a total ban on the sale of alcohol. the authorities here are struggling

to contain an aggressive new variant of the virus. that variant, just like the one in britain, has made covid—19 far easier to catch and to transmit. you see how short of breath you are, eh? the result — hospitals are filling up fast, and precious oxygen supplies are running low. early evidence suggests the virus here is probably no more transmissible or more deadly than the british variant. but that's still being tested. so the jury is still out, we still don't have a definitive answer, but generally viruses evolve to become more transmissible but less virulent. hopefully, this virus will obey that same dictum. say ah... but there is another worry. while britain's virus has one significant mutation, south africa's has three, including one that might make the virus more resistant to current vaccines.

the concern in south africa is that a variant that has been identified has got at least three mutations, which could potentially impact on the antibody that is induced by the vaccine to neutralise the virus. so it's a serious concern. i think it is a theoretical concern at this point in time, and hopefully over the course of the next few weeks we'll have a clearer answer. the good news is that south african scientists are now working fast to get that answer. the bad news is that there is a significant risk that the virus here has changed to give itself at least a partial resistance to the current vaccines. still, experts say adjusting those vaccines should be relatively easy. in the meantime, a second wave of infections continues to spread fast across south africa. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg.

a judge at the old bailey has ruled that the wikileaks founder, julian assange, can't be extradited to the united states to face trial for the release of tens of thousands of confidential military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. she said his mental—health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale has the story. free julian assange! julian assange has long attracted loyal supporters, and this was their reaction outside the old bailey as they heard the news. no extradition — yeah! for more than a decade, the wikilea ks founder has resisted extradition, spending seven years holed up in the ecuadorian embassy in london, before being removed almost two years ago and detained in belmarsh prison. the us authorities want him to face 18 charges, mostly of espionage, relating to his alleged role in the leaking of thousands of secret military documents. many focused on the wars in afghanistan and iraq,

including this video appearing to show a us helicopter firing on civilians in baghdad. to some, mr assange is a champion of free speech who revealed war crimes. to others, a law breaker who endangered the lives of us agents. and today, after years of legal battles, he was driven into court to hear his fate. from the dock, he listened as districtjudge vanessa baraitser dismissed his defence that the us charges were political and a threat to media freedom. but when it came to his mental health and depression, she ruled that, in a us high—security prison, "the risk that mr assange will commit suicide is a substantial one, and as such it would be oppressive to extradite him to the united states." 0n hearing the ruling, mr assange simply wiped his brow. his partner and mother of his two sons, stella morris, burst into tears. we are pleased that the court

has recognised the seriousness and inhumanity of what he has endured and what he faces. but let's not forget the indictment in the us has not been dropped. the us department ofjustice said it was extremely disappointed and would appeal against the ruling. mr assange was remanded in custody ahead of a bail application later this week. james landale, bbc news. back to our main story, and the new restrictions announced today. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is here. it is worth reminding viewers at this point, before these come into force, what has led to this, the state of affairs that has led to this. well, huw, the uk's four chief medical officers have made it clear that without some sort of action, the nhs, in the woods, would be

overwhelmed in three weeks' time. —— in their words. the figures underline that message. in england, we don't have figures for other parts of the uk for today, more than 26,500 people are in hospitals in england with covid—i9, up 3000 in just three days, up nearly a third ina just three days, up nearly a third in a week. remember, these are people who first got the virus may be two weeks ago, and then u nfortu nately for be two weeks ago, and then unfortunately for them have ended up seriously ill in hospital. the current case increases we are seeing, newly reported cases, up by 50% week on week. some of them will become seriously ill, but that will not come through into hospitals for a couple of weeks, that is the pressure already on the system, and lockdowns will take a little time to ta ke lockdowns will take a little time to take effect. so hopefully, as last year, march, april, lockdown will bring down the case numbers, but with this new variant, some experts are saying we can't be totally sure how long that will take. many

thanks, hugh pym, our health editor, with a final word with what has been going on today. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. good evening, i'm sonja jessup. so, we're going back into lockdown. everyone told to stay at home except for permitted reasons and all schools closed from tomorrow until the middle hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are caroline wheeler, deputy political editor of the sunday times, and broadcaster and authorjohn kampfner. tomorrow's front pages starting with. .. the guardian reports that england will enter its toughest nationwide lockdown since march, with schools closed until mid—february, as borisjohnson warned the weeks ahead "will be the hardest yet". the daily mail says the measures will be reviewed in six weeks but last a minimum of seven, with the prime minister hinting they could remain in place until at least march.

the metro says borisjohnson has put england back into a third total coronavirus lockdown in a huge u—turn that includes shutting all schools — hours after he reopened them, assuring families they were safe. the daily telegraph highlights the prime minister's promise that 13 million vaccinations will ensure it is "the last phase of the struggle" against covid. and according to the ‘i' — borisjohnson has bowed to scientific advisers — and it adds he believes that by mid—february "‘if things go well‘ all care home residents, carers, over—705, front line medics, social care workers and clinically vulnerable people should be vaccinated. so let's begin... when i look at this first paper, the metro, the headline to a lockdown number three, i'm reminded metro, the headline to a lockdown numberthree, i'm reminded of something. sequels always worse than the original. and that's exactly what the prime minister is saying. it's going to be, he warned commit that address the nation this evening, that there was going to be some of the hardest times we've seen

ahead of us, and that actually this is going to be worse than the other lockdowns we have faced, and i think we also appreciate why that might be. notjust we also appreciate why that might be. not just because we also appreciate why that might be. notjust because we have done it all before and we've been through this before but also not doing in the dead of winter. so as we've had that lockdown in spring, the spectacular spring last year, we are not doing it in the dark and gloomy times where the sun barely comes up for a few hours, and it's wet and rainy out there. i think also because we seen so much that there is hope ahead and that will be over by october and by christmas, and now yet again we are being told it's not going to be over really until the spring again, and possibly not until easter. i think there's a real sense of managing expectations here and saying there's one more heave, and that vaccination which is being rolled out as of today is really the

only hope we have got of getting out of this. a real problem for today of this terrible and lockdown but also a ray of light that will be out of this ina a ray of light that will be out of this in a few months yet. to people believe that one more heave idea? as you go to the headlines in the different papers come you'll see that burst as it has been, so far, in this third round, being given a pretty easy ride. i do scratch my head, because at every step of the way he has been behind the curve where they may have been benign, but full of wishful thinking which is not what a government or a prime minister is supposed to do. i will save your christmas, he was saying only at the weekend that we are not going to shut schools. this constant you turning cover this constant sense of utter chaos over and above

what would be an incredibly difficult situation for any national leader, it does beg belief that he is still given by certain papers the benefit of the doubt, and to your question it's going to be incredibly difficult, as caroline says, it's notjust the difficult, as caroline says, it's not just the weather. it's a sense of exhaustion, huge amounts of mental health problems in the country. loneliness, medical staff absolutely at their wits end, people grieving. this is incredibly difficult not to mention the economic effects of people who have lost theirjobs or her fear they will have nothing to go back to when and if things to return to relative normal. look at the guardian next, picture poor shots on the front page walking away after having delivered his speech. pm imposes new lockdown

and warns the worse you get to come, i'd like to pick a syringejohn was saying there about newspapers giving mrjohnson the benefit of the doubt, is that with the sunday times your paper, does or not because you know i don't see that as our particular job, i think we have to hold the government up to scrutiny and of course our front page last week was really exposing one of the big issues that i think lots of people have faced across the country which is around the postcode lottery around vaccines, i think we've all seen and heard stories of one relative in one part of the country that fits into that top priority category and getting the vaccine and others may be even older or more vulnerable not being given access or like to think that the sunday times we try to really scrutinise the policies and give the government as much attention as we can in terms of the policies they are delivering to expose those weaknesses. but i think it's difficult at the moment, because one of the things that boris

johnson has gotten his favour in terms of imposing this lockdown is that we are not alone. we seen nicola sturgeon to explain very similarup in scotland nicola sturgeon to explain very similar up in scotland today and also if you look at those nhs statistics they really are quite terrifying. i think that the one that stuck out for me today was that actually the number of people being treated in hospital now is actually 40% higher than it was during the peak of that first wave back in march. and that's a significant strain on the nhs, and when the argument is being made that actually this lockdown is needed because it needs to protect the nhs to make sure that everybody that needs medical help that they can access it whether it's because they are suffering from coronavirus or some other critical illness, i think that people have a degree of sympathy for that but i think that as we go through this newspaper review you will see perhaps some newspapers to bea will see perhaps some newspapers to be a particular the daily mail, has

been anti—lockdown as has