to grandparents, with baby expected to shield in anyway, but that is personalfor shield in anyway, but that is personal for them. "can i go for a work —— go for a walk with friends?" in england you can meet one friend for exercise, in scotland you can meet one point to socialise, and well he cannot meet any friends and the northern ireland you can still meet up to 15 people outside. —— in wales you cannot meet any change. a meeting might change things about northern ireland. " will motor vehicle mot centres remain open?"m looks like they will remain open across the uk, yes. thank you, sophie. and the prime minister will hold a press conference in downing street this afternoon — there'll be live coverage on bbc one from ii.30pm. and the leader of the opposition, sir keir starmer, will respond to news of the new lockdown in england, with a statement on bbc1 at 7pm. time for a look at the weather — here's matt taylor.

high, for those of you not enjoying your outdoor time with the winter chill at the moment, i might not be able to offer you something drastically warmer in the days ahead but i can show you where temperatures will rise. we switch when the band into a more westerly direction, bringing in less cold air off the atlantic. the plume of cold air continues at the moment, added wind—chill for england's answer when she showers. eastern scotland into eastern england, a slight dusting of snow over the pennines and pinocchio" rain towards east anglia, the far south—east and the channel islands, fairly relentless. over the last day also. 4 degrees into the evening, temperatures dropping below freezing in western scotland. felt patches could form around the clyde valley into tonight, wintry showers continue, icy conditions possible,

rain showers towards the east of the channel islands, many of you try and largely clear, —5 —6 in central scotland, “4 in northern ireland. the isobars open, shifting wind direction and little means that showers across east anglia and the south—east will be more confined to coastal areas. some wintry showers elsewhere across the country but most will be dry tomorrow, but pretty cold where any fog lingers. cloud and rain later in the day turns to snow across parts of mainland scotland, lifting temperatures a little, but quite an icy night. a colder night across northern and western parts of england and wales, temperatures of -6 -7. in england and wales, temperatures of —6 —7. in the west of england and wales we conceded ten spoke patches, some of which could linger. many will have a dry and bright day. the

sliti mexico scotland and northern ireland will clear from any, but snow showers in scotland later. some outbreaks of rain and snow in the far north of england, drifting south into friday, it could give a centimetre or two anywhere in england and wales on friday but nothing too significant. largely try for many into the weekend and next week, the exception is the west of scotland, temperatures may be rising but that means rain is likely to be what is falling from the sky. a reminder of our top story... with the whole of the uk facing lockdown — a financial lifeline for business as the chancellor offers new grants of up to £9000 per business to help them cope. that's all from the bbc news at one, so it's goodbye from me, hello, i'm jane dougall with your latest sports news.

england's cricketers and the rest of the touring party in sri lanka have all been tested again for coronavirus. all being well, they hope to train for the first time tomorrow afternoon. until then, they have to stay in their rooms. we reported yesterday that moeen ali had tested positive and he will be leaving the england base today and heading to the quarantine hotel near galle, where the two test matches will be played. sri lanka are not in the best of form right now. they've just lost their two—match test series against south africa 2—0 earlier today. south africa comfortably winning the second test on day three by ten wickets. new zealand captain kane williamson showed why he is the world's top—ranked test batsman, with a masterful double—century against pakistan in christchurch. he batted for 9.5 hours, in a mammoth 369—run partnership with henry nicholls, as they took control of the second test. the black caps are closing

in on a 2—0 series sweep. they declared on 659—6, giving them a lead of 354 at stumps on the third day. the health and leisure industry has called on the government for urgent financial support to safeguard "the physical and mental wellbeing of people across the uk". all indoor and outdoor facilities have been forced to close again, under the latest coronavirus restictions. the lawn tennis association will be asking the government to allow outdoor tennis to resume as soon as possible. they say it is a naturally socially—distanced sport that is safe to play and it's important for people's physical and mental health. tottenham host brentford in the league cup semifinal this evening, while tomorrow, in the other match, it's the manchester derby at old trafford. manchester united manager ole gunnar solskjaer says he knows that watching sport is keeping fans going during these difficult times. we are privileged to be able to play football and with the protocols

that we are working under, hopefully, we can continue. i think mentally, for many, it would be a release to watch games now, especially when we are in full lockdown again. so hopefully we can continue, but we know that we have to work hard to stay within the rules and guidelines and we are doing our best to keep the show on the road. the first race of the formula one season, the australian grand prix, is in doubt because of covid restrictions in the country. it's due to take place in melbourne from 19th to 21st of march. the organisers are in talks with the australian government and f1 bosses, with the governement insisting it will prioritise public health. australia continues to maintain strict quarantine rules on international arrivals. last year's race was called off just hours before first practice was due to start, when a mclaren team member tested positive for coronavirus. the leeds rhinos' captain,

stevie ward, has been forced to retire at the age of 27 due the the after—effects of concussions. he suffered two last year and says he struggles with symptoms every day, including migraines, dizziness, short—term memory loss and slurred speech. ward has called on the sport to become more proactive in how it protects players to avoid another generation from becoming "guinea pigs" in research. world number one novak djokovic will lead the field at next month's atp cup, ahead of the australian open. djokovic and the serbia team are the defending champions, with the event halved in size and reduced to 12 teams because of the coronavirus. it will take place in the first five days of february and it has been moved to melbourne so players can stay in a covid—safe bubble before the australian open starts on the eighth. there's more on the bbc sport website, including discussions on the potential impact of covid—i9 on this summer's british and irish lions series in south africa.

if fans aren't allowed to travel, it could be switched to the uk. that's all the sport for now. some news about travel within england. trains will be cut during this period of national lockdown. train services will be reduced during the course of the lockdown. the extent of the cuts has not been confirmed by government, but some industry analysts are anticipating reductions between 50%—60% of normal service. since march last year, the government has spent billions of pounds covering the fall in ticket revenue. in march, services were reduced to 50%. some analysts are expecting a similar sort of service, a sunday plus service will run for the next few months. the changes could take between ten days in two

weeks to implement because of the process of adjusting the timetable, it isa process of adjusting the timetable, it is a complex one and it is likely to delay the introduction of any cation in services. we will speak to oui’ cation in services. we will speak to our transport correspondent about that later on bbc news. scotland has entered tough new lockdown restrictions forbidding people from leaving home for non—essential reasons which have come into force across the scottish mainland. these rules will be reviewed later this month. speaking at her press conference today, first minister nicola sturgeon said the situation in scotland is extremely grave. firstly, just to reiterate that the current situation we face now and the pandemic is, in my view, more serious than it has been at any time since this spring. that is because this new more transmissible variant of covid is becoming increasingly common. as a result of that, cases are rising much more steeply and

rapidly than they had been in the latter parts of last year. as a result of that, more people are likely to become ill and the health service will become —— will come under more pressure. that of course is the negative, the worrying position we face and i don't say for exaggeration, i say it because we must take that seriously. of course, there is a difference between now and last spring and that is a positive difference, that of course is that vaccines have been approved for use in the uk, and vaccines, as we know, it does offer the way out of this pandemic. more than 100,000 people in scotland have already been vaccinated and as i set out in parliament yesterday, we expect, although these timetables are still tentative, that by the month of may more than 2.5 million people will have received vaccination, at least the first dose of the vaccination.

that includes everyone what is on the priority list, everyone over the age of 50, and under 50 who have specific underlying health conditions. we will do everything we can to speed that up to deliver vaccines as quickly as possible. we will set out what your expectations are around that as the certainty we have on the flow of supplies becomes much firmer, i hope, in the days and weeks to come. in the race we currently face, and i am describing it deliberately has a race between the vaccine at the virus, because thatis the vaccine at the virus, because that is in essence what it is. we can't rely solely on speeding up vaccination. that is really important, because this new variant is spreading so much more quickly, we must also act as we vaccinate more people to slow the virus down, so that the vaccination can get ahead and ultimately be in a position where it wins the race. the new variant, because it is easier to

transmit, and spreads more quickly, it means that slowing it down is more difficult. to achieve that ta kes more difficult. to achieve that takes much stricter restrictions that the ones that have been in place over the past few months. that is why we got to the position yesterday of announcing what is effectively a new lockdown. the key message we want to convey very strongly is a simple message, not simple to abide by, but simple for me to communicate. it is a similar message to the one i communicated for much of last year. that is stay—at—home. staying at home, whenever possible, is the best way of protecting ourselves, protecting each other, protecting the nhs and ultimately saving lives. buckingham palace has announced that garden parties, normally stage at buckingham palace and at holyrood housein buckingham palace and at holyrood house in edinburgh have been

cancelled this year. the spokesman saying that the decision has been taken that garden parties will not ta ke taken that garden parties will not take place in 2021. you are watching bbc news. you are watching bbc news. france's health minister has promised more vaccination centres and faster deliveries of vaccine doses amid criticism of the country's immunisation programme. only a few hundred people were given the jab in the first week, despite half a million doses being available. courtney bembridge reports. front—page news and front of people's minds as the health minister visited a vaccination centre in paris. he was stopped by a doctor who told him her elderly patients were waiting to be vaccinated. translation: you can tell them it is soon. for the moment you are getting vaccinated because you have priority but soon it will be their turn and you will be able to protect them. france has been slow off the mark. in the first week of the vaccination campaign, just over 500 people had the jab. regional leaders say there is too much red tape. translation: all the doctors

write to me and tell me they are available, even on weekends, but we still do not have the directives to set up these logistics. the health minister says vaccinations have been ramped up this week and thousands more have now had the vaccine. translation: we are multiplying the number of centres by four, which means that there will be about 100 hospitals that will offer vaccination. but the numbers are still low compared to more than a million in the uk and more than 200,000 in germany. the sluggish start has irritated president emmanuel macron. one newspaper quoted him as saying the pace was like a family stroll which was not worthy of the moment, nor of the french. emmanuel macron‘s target is a million people vaccinated by the end of january, and the government says that many doses will be available by the end of the week. but the vaccine will not be mandatory and france is one of the most vaccine—sceptical countries in the world.

a recent survey showed just 40% of french citizens would get the vaccine if it were available. translation: the french population has always been anti—vaccinations. we see that here when we do the flu jabs. every year it is a mess. it is up to us as doctors to convince them that here the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. that is clear. but some do not need any convincing. translation: have you just been vaccinated? translation: yes, i have been vaccinated. translation: how did it go? translation: very, very well. translation: i'll get the vaccination as soon as possible. i work in the health sector, i am an ambulance driver and so i would like to be vaccinated. france is among europe's hardest hit countries. its death toll is above 65,000, just behind italy in the uk. and with an election looming next year, the stakes could not be higher for emmanuel macron. the headlines on bbc news: stay at home! people in england enter a third national lockdown

as the government tries to reduce the spread of coronavirus. a lockdown came into force at midnight on the scottish mainland and the isle of skye. it will last at least until the end of the month. the chancellor announces one—off top—up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 to help companies through the latest lockdown. as most of the uk tries to come to terms with another period of lockdown, we've had many questions sent in about how the new rules will work. to answer them, martine croxall spoke to professor linda bauld, a public health expert from the university of edinburgh, in your questions answered. you've been sending it lots of questions about the new lockdown rules. here's to try and answer some of them is professor linda bauld, a public health expert from the university of edinburgh.

thank you very much forjoining us. people understandably are trying to make sense of the latest announcements, the first question is from vanessa jones. she asked, can my son return to his shared accommodation for university? i am conscious that different parts of the uk may have different answers to that question. it is a good question from vanessa and one that i am acutely aware of working in the university sector. i would say that not all universities have been very quick at communicating with their students. what we know generally across the uk is that students who are studying courses where some face—to—face teaching is essential, like medicine, veterinary medicine, allied health professions, social work, they are permitted to return to campus and there will be some courses that will be provided. for the vast majority of other students, they should stay where they are at the moment because the teaching will be online. that is certainly the case for most of my students.

what i would say to vanessa's son, it is important that if he has a place in halls he talks directly with the university and accommodation provider to make cherry has the latest accommodation and to make sure there isn't a penalty associated with him not returning. peter white asks, can estate agents stay open and still visit properties during lockdown? the buying and selling of homes is still permitted across the uk during this period. estate agents are being advised to work from home, and most will be. viewings will still be permitted. i think most will be looking at homes online on the estate agent websites, and for the viewings that are permitted, there is clear guidance around those of physical distancing etc. but the buying and selling of homes continues.

peter asked, does the one person i can meet each day for exercise have to be the same one? no, it doesn't. we are allowed to meet... two in scotland, there are two people your like to meet outdoors. for england, one person outdoors and that does not need to be in your bubble. if you're exercising with them can be a different person on a monday and tuesday, but it is really important that that physical distancing is maintained when you're exercising with someone not in your household, which can be tricky sometimes. the question i would ask is, this is probably not the time to be meeting a different friend every day of the week for a jog, but it is important that we get outside for exercise. remember, we have to keep our distance if they are not in our household. there are lots of questions about support bubbles and who we can and can't meet. alice asks, i am in a support bubble with my partner but we are in a long—distance relationship. can we see each other if we travel by car and take all the necessary precautions? this is a question lots

of people will be asking. i am particularly concerned about our young people and them maintaining their relationships. support bubbles do continue. if alex and his partner meet all the criteria for an existing support bubbles, that is fine. they can also meet legally, even if they live further apart. we are being advised very clearly across the uk to stay local. the question i would ask alex is to try to think very carefully about not doing that in the normal way, but i do recognise the importance of maintaining these relationships. other people are also asking, if you have a support bubble can you then meet someone else from outside that support bubble because you have choose household and support bubble. can you make that extra person from another household? itjust makes the group bigger and bigger and bigger if you're not careful. in terms of indoors, we should only be sticking with the support bubbles

and childcare bubbles for indoors. if you want to see other people you keep doing it outdoors and those limits we just talked about in relation to exercise apply. stephen asked, we have my late mother was maxime funeral this thursday in up until last night we could have had 30 people attending. what are the rules now? funerals are still going ahead. in england are really still that 30 people can attend the funeral in an covid—secure venue or an outdoor venue with physical distancing. in scotland, the guidance has been updated for 20 people. i haven't had a chance to check the numbers in wales and northern ireland, so depending on where you are in the country check your devolved government's guidance. 3o can go ahead, and 20 in scotland. charlotte as we have a holiday booked for disneyland paris for my daughter's my birthday, will be still be

still be able to go? it sounds like a brilliant family occasion but if it was for example next week, the advice would be no. there are two points there. the first one is that with the new restrictions we are all facing, we are only allowed to leave our homes for essential purposes and going on holiday is not one of those. in relation to international travel, we are being strongly advised not to travel internationally, and there are being strongly advised not to travel internationally, and their only restriction restrictions that had been introduced recently because of the new variants. in relation to france, nobody from the uk should be going to france at all except for essential purposes up to the 6th of january. given that we are looking at mid—february, things of course may change, but if that trip was occurring soon it definitely wouldn't be going ahead, unfortunately. we will have to wait a little while longer to see if it can go ahead. clive says, my partner is clinically vulnerable and is now shielding, i work in a different house each day, or different houses each day,

but my work is regarded as nonessential, what should i do? that is really tricky. if you look at the guidance it is not clear. there are a number of things to consider there. if it is nonessential work, clearly for your income, you need to maintain that. is there an opportunity you could shift some of that work to working from home? if you are worried about your partner going into lots of other people's houses is not ideal. it is more of a personal decision for you. you are allowed to leave your home for work, but you have to think about the health and well—being of your partner. i don't have a straightforward answer from the guidance, it is more aboutjudgment. i would say with any householder where you have a person who is clinically vulnerable, to speak to your gp, the person caring for your loved one to get the advice. jennifer asked whether her husband who is a builder can still carry on working in people's ohms? jennifer, the guidance is clear on that. obviously, we don't want to be faced

with the situation during this period were somebody has a leaking roof damage and repairs that need done to their home, so it is absolutely clear that trades people, including builders, are able to continue to work, able to go other houses and provide services. ellie asks, i have been staying with my parents just before the site is into tier 3. we are now in lockdown but they still need to get back to my home in sheffield. will i be fined for taking a train? public transport continues. i think it will probably be reduced across the uk during this period, but you are able to leave the place where you are for essential purposes. let's imagine that ellie is returning to sheffield because she has to return to education or employment. that is entirely allowed within the guidance. have a look again at what your circumstances are, but it sounds like you are going back to your main life and activities in sheffield and that is certainly not outside what is permitted. bob has succumbed to what a lot of people have done during lockdown

and he is getting a puppy. he is supposed to be collecting it on the 15th of january. is this allowed as it is just a handover? a couple of things to think about there. we had questions on this earlier in the pandemic. people are allowed to leave their house for pet care, for visiting the vet orfor animal welfare. that is permitted. however, collecting a puppy at the moment i don't think it is viewed as essential. clearly, you are allowed to meet another person outdoors so if it could be done locally that way, if you are going into the property of a breeder, that doesn't seem to me, for my reading of the guidance, is in the spirit of what is being encouraged at the moment. maybe one person.

this is horrible for people, to have to understand these restrictions again, but they are for a very good reason. a final one from brian, will there be an mot extension? i am 7a and my mot runs out next week. i had to look this one up. my understanding is the mot is extended until the 20th of august, but during these new restrictions garages are permitted to remain open, mots can continue. unfortunately for brian, it doesn't look like he will be able to get an mot extension. better to keep that car on the road if it is really needed. professor linda bauld, thank you for all of your research and for answering all of our very many questions, thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt.

if you have had enough of the wintry chill, i can't offer you a big warm—up, but i can offer you something a little bit less cold by the end of the week. the winds will shift round, bringing slightly milder air off the atlantic. before that arrives we are stuck with the cold easterly winds. there will be a wintry mix across eastern parts of the country. rain, sleet and snow showers across parts of eastern scotland and england. mainly rain towards east anglia and the south—east and the channel islands, but even here at the old flake of snow could be mixed in. temperatures today a degree or so up on yesterday, but it will still be cold. turning very chilly quite quickly as we head into tonight. it could be icy with the snow showers continuing across parts of northern england and south to scotland. the rain showers continue in the south—east and channel islands. it will be a particularly cold night with widespread frost,

—5 or —6 in central scotland, “11 in the south—west of northern ireland. heading into wednesday, there are some changes, the winds will fall a bit lighter. as the wind changes direction, expect to showers in the south—east to be limited to parts of the coast, continuing across the channel islands. some dense fog patches in scotland. late in the day, rain preceded by sleet and snow are pushing to parts of scotland and northern ireland, lifting temperatures up here into the start of thursday morning. wednesday night, very cold ,—7 in parts of scotland. there will be dense patches to start thursday morning. some of that will linger all day long. the rain, sleet, snow makes across scotland and northern ireland will ease to something sunnier, but more snow flurries in scotland later.

the weather front bringing this will move its way southwards. anywhere across england and wales could see a slight flurry of snow to the extent of friday. frosty and icy. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those

this is bbc news i'm simon mccoy. the headlines: stay at home! people around the uk enter lockdown again in measures aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus. the chancellor announces one—off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 to help companies through the latest lockdown we've acted decisively in the face of new information and we have had now to grapple with a new variant of the virus and that's caused an uptake in cases, hospitalisation and deaths, as the prime minister set out and it was right that we acted. remote learning has returned for millions of school pupils. but questions remain about the assesment of those facing exams. more pressure on the nhs. a daunting task ahead — the vaccine rollout ramps up as the government pledges to vaccinate 13 million people by mid february.