this is bbc world news, i'm simon pusey. our top stories: a new covid strain found in southern africa is classed a "variant of concern" by the world health organisation over fears it may be more infectious and more resistant to vaccines. this variant has a large number of mutations, and some of these mutations have some worrying characteristics. the us is the latest country to impose travel restrictions to affected southern african countries to slow the spread — but south africa says it's the wrong approach. stopping travel from one country or even a small group of countries very soon becomes superfluous. it's really not the solution. french president emmanuel macron accuses the uk of not being serious about dealing with the migrant crisis,

as the diplomatic row deepens. ukraine's president claims a plan to overthrow his government involving russia is imminent, as a russian troop buildup sparks fear of an invasion. # there are bugs on her dugs # there are flies in her eyes... one of the most influential figures in musical theatre, the legendary american songwriter stephen sondheim, has died at 91. hello and welcome to bbc news. the world health organization says that preliminary evidence suggests the new covid variant first reported in south africa carries a higher risk of infection than other strains.

the united states has joined britain, the eu, and japan in announcing travel restrictions on several southern african countries, to try to slow the spread of the variant, now officially named omicron. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. after months of opening up, the newly named omicron variant means travel restrictions are back. at heathrow, the last flights from south africa arrived this morning. i feel extremely relieved because, yeah, who knows how long this is going to last, yeah? we've been told we have to — we have to isolate at home, so that shouldn't be too bad. from sunday, only uk and irish residents will be allowed in from six southern african countries, and they'll have to pay to quarantine in a hotel. the travel restrictions mean catherine will miss her niece�*s wedding in south africa. and it's devastating. they've held back this wedding for two years for us, so we were all going to be together,

which is really important. and, literally, we were off, you know, on the ninth, and now we're not. madam deputy speaker... the health secretary said the new variant may pose a substantial risk to public health, so the restrictions we re necessary. i want to reassure this house that there are no detected cases of this variant in the uk at this time, but this new variant is of huge international concern. several coronavirus mutations have already made the covid pandemic worse. the alpha variant, identified in kent, drove a huge wave of hospital admissions and deaths here last winter. the delta variant, first detected in india, was even more transmissible, and is currently the dominant strain worldwide. on paper, the new variant looks worrying, with twice the number of mutations found on delta. around 30 of these are in the spike protein —

the key the virus uses to unlock our cells — and these changes may help it evade our body's defences. but so far, we don't know whether the variant causes more severe disease, whether vaccines will be less effective or drugs won't work. it's the sheer number and type of mutations that has scientists here troubled. some of them have never been seen in a combination like this before. many of them we've seen in various variants of concern so far, but it's the complexity of the mutations that we're seeing today and the effects that it may have on both the immune response and transmissibility that are a huge concern. with belgium recording europe's first case of the omicron variant, the european commission in brussels called for a suspension of air travel to affected african countries. we do know that mutations could lead to the emergence

and spread of even more concerning variants of the virus that could spread worldwide within a few months. it is now important that all of us in europe act very swiftly, decisively and united. vaccine companies say they can prepare updated versions of theirjabs, perhaps within 100 days, if the omicron variant is found to evade immunity. fergus walsh, bbc news. health authorities in the netherlands say that initial test results appear to show that dozens of people who arrived on two flights from south africa to amsterdam on friday are likely to be infected with covid—19. the passengers have been kept isolated from other travellers at schiphol airport because of concerns about the new variant. meanwhile, peaceful protests are continuing in the netherlands, after the dutch prime minister, mark rutte, announced that bars, restaurants and most shops in the country must close from 5pm to 5am from sunday. he said the tougher restrictions were needed

to prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed. david soberman is the canadian national chair of strategic marketing at the university of toronto. he says it's too early to know how bad the variant�*s economic impact will be. well, we will try and get mrs overman up a little later. —— mr doberman. let's get some of the day's other news. three people have been killed in anti—government protests in the solomon islands. the violence began on wednesday when protestors stormed parliament in a bid to topple the prime minister. a night—time curfew has been extended after crowds defied

a lockdown and set fire to government buildings, a police station and businesses in the pacific island nation. two teenagers and a bus driver have died after a gunman opened fire on a school coach in kosovo. it happened near the town of decani, about 90 kilometres from the capital, pristina. a police spokesman said the gunman is believed to have acted alone. local media said it could have been part of a conflict between rival bus companies. the ethiopian government has banned reporting of any military movements or updates from the battlefield in its more than year—long war with tigrayan rebels, unless the information is approved by the government. meanwhile, state media have shown this footage of the prime minister, abiy ahmed, in a rural location wearing a military uniform. earlier this week the prime minister said he'd head to the frontline to direct the conflict, as tigrayan rebels reportedly advance towards the capital. the french president emmanuel macron has accused britain of not being serious about dealing with the migrant crisis in the channel. european ministers will meet on sunday to discuss

the situation, after 27 people drowned on wednesday trying to reach the uk — but britain won't be at the table. lucy williamson reports from calais. the road between paris and london is getting colder, the political distance a little wider each day. here in the migrant camps, caught between the two governments, they know what it takes to bridge the channel and what the risks are if you fail. two days ago, a boat capsized, killing 27 people. tonight, the first victim was named as 24—year—old maryam nuri mohamed amin from iraqi kurdistan. herfiance said he was messaging her as the dinghy began to lose air. herfather, mourning her death in erbil, in northern iraq, spoke to the bbc. translation: from germany, she went to france, _ and in france, she got into this slaughterhouse. the whole world talks about europe as a place that is calm, that is pleasant.

is this what "calm" means — around 30 people dying in the middle of the sea? this is a sin to put people through this. this tragedy has put pressure on paris and london to mend their rift over how to tackle the channel crossings. macron says you aren't serious. is he right, prime minister? meeting the polish prime minister today, mrjohnson said cooperation between european partners was the way to solve the migrant crisis. ..and, of course, that, again, underlines that this is a problem that we have to fix together. but france has accused the prime minister of doublespeak. last night, in a series of tweets, mrjohnson said he'd written to the french president, emmanuel macron, with some proposals. he tweeted the letter too, calling forjoint patrols of french gendarmes and uk border force, and suggesting that all illegal migrants who cross the channel

be returned to france. this, he said, would "break the business model" of the criminal gangs. france is irritated by mrjohnson�*s style of diplomacy, and it shows. translation: i'm surprised when things are not done seriously. - we don't communicate between leaders on these issues via tweets or publish letters. we're not whistle—blowers. come on! the ministers will work seriously to settle a serious issue with serious people. the tensions between france and the uk, built up over a range of issues, are becoming increasingly public. the home secretary, priti patel, was due here in calais this weekend to discuss migration, but since mrjohnson�*s tweets last night, she's been disinvited — though uk officials are in paris today to discuss the issue. no invitations needed here, though. through it all, migrants plan

their next crossing attempts. like moez from sudan, among those we met queueing at a food distribution truck. he's undeterred by the deaths of 27 people in the channel this week. would he stop trying if he thought he'd be sent straight back to france? this, my dream, go to uk. if come back to france, again, i go to uk. never not to stop. not to stop, not to stop, never. neither disaster nor diplomacy has stopped the rhythm of these crossings. an alternative to the promises of people smugglers can feel as remote here as the elysee palace or downing street. lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. despite the obvious perils, people have still been attempting to cross the channel in the days since wednesday's tragedy, with smuggling gangs trying to convince them that the journey is safe. from france, fergal keane reports.

from paris, all routes lead north. the city that is a hub for information, for contacts. many of those en route to the uk have often arrived here first. after what's happened, a lot of the smugglers are lying low. but we've been given a phone number for a man who's offering to get migrants across the channel to the uk still. i'm going to team up with a colleague to try and get in touch with this man. i meet our arabic—speaking colleague in a paris suburb. because of his continuing work investigating the gangs, he doesn't want to be identified. he's now ready to make contact with the smuggler. an automatic message came out saying, "thanks for the communication. souza the iraqi at your service." so i'm going to ask him the possibilities to cross from france to uk.

soon after, driving towards calais, there's a message from the man calling himself souza the iraqi. so now he's back writing to me and his response was, "walaikum assalam, darling." and he wrote also 2,000 euros each person. and, unprompted, he sends us video after video. migrants being rescued by border force, on an english beach, shouting his praises. the arabic text reads, "reached britain, thank god, souza the iraqi." so i will write now, "i'll come to calais today. is it really safe after what has happened?" so he wrote, "no, it's not true, nothing happened. it's safe." later, when we revealed we were from the bbc, souza the iraqi wouldn't talk

about his operations. over years i've followed the smuggling journey, from turkey where traffic threatened us with a gun... i have a gun on my belly, and i will take it out and shoot you. so let's go on. ..to athens where we confronted a gang selling fake passports to migrants. they denied it. from bbc news. we'd like to know why you are selling false identity papers to people. and calais, so often the final departure point. as far back as 2013, we secretly filmed smugglers' middlemen here. global crime worth billions. this french policeman has worked for years around calais. he asked that we protect his identity, and spoke of the frustration of finding the smugglers. ——fighting the smugglers. translation: it's very difficult, - because as soon

as we arrest one, another one pops up. the market provides a lot of money to these people, so there is always a replacement. for 20 years, the police have had the feeling that they're emptying the sea with a small spoon. in calais tonight there are still many willing to risk dangerous journeys, driven by poverty, conflict into the clutches of ruthless men. fergal keane, bbc news, calais. this is bbc news. the headlines: a new covid strain found in southern africa is classed a variant of concern by the world health organization over fears it may be more infectious and more resistant to vaccines. french president emmanuel macron is accusing the uk of not being serious about dealing with the migrant crisis as the diplomatic row deepens. president biden has expressed concern about russia's troop build—up near the ukrainian border. he said he was likely to discuss the situation with both countries' leaders. earlier, ukraine's president said russian "representatives" are planning to overthrow his government next week

but the kremlin insists russia has no plans to get involved. mark lobel reports. ukrainians living in the rebel—held east survey recent damage amidst a war of words with russia as western and ukrainian officials speak of a build—up of russian forces on the country's borders with ukraine. ukraine's president, addressing the media on friday, suggested his country could come under attack as early as next week. translation: we've received information that in our state . there will be a coup d'etat in the first days of december. then, citing secret recordings, he names the country's richest man, a mining and media tycoon — and critic of his — being lured into the plot. —— being lured into the alleged plot. i can say that we have not only intelligence information, we even have audio information

where, let's say, representatives from ukraine and, let's say, representatives of russia, discussed rinat akhmetov�*s participation in the coup d'etat in ukraine. but in response, mr akhmetov said he was "outraged by the spread of this lie", adding he "will continue to defend a free ukraine". the kremlin accuses kyiv of provocations with pro—russian separatists in the country's east and, in response to allegations of an imminent invasion, a spokesperson said russia never does such things. but president zelensky says he's received promises of support from western partners should russia take action. if russia uses force against that will have costs, —— if russia uses force against ukraine, that will have costs, that will have consequences and therefore, we continue to call on russia to de—escalate. now, as residents hold their breath as tensions mount, president biden says he will,

in all probability, have talks with his ukrainian and russian counterparts as ukraine's president calls on president putin to state publicly that an invasion is not being planned. mark lobel, bbc news. the canadian prime minister justin trudeau is in the western province of british columbia on his first visit since torrential rain caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides. mr trudeau has been touring the city of abbotsford, east of vancouver, which has been hit particularly hard by the floods. road and rail links have been cut. more storms are forecast for this weekend, with up to i20mm of rain predicted. travel has been restricted. mr trudeau announced that a committee will be set up to deal with the flood recovery effort. the met office says storm arwen has brought winds of almost 100 mph hour to the east coast of the uk.

—— mph to the east coast of the uk. gusts of 98 mph were recorded in northumberland. a red weather warning has expired but amber and yellow warnings remain, with more strong winds expected. one man died when his car was hit by a falling tree. our correspondent lorna gordon is in stonehaven on the north—east coast of scotland. she gave this update. a huge sweep of the east coast is being battered by this storm with this red warning for wind, which means there's a potential dangerfor life in place from north of aberdeen to middlesbrough, in the north—east of england. and the conditions really are brutal — there's driving rain, dropping temperatures, and winds are forecast to potentially gust up to 90 mph. 25,000 homes, primarily in aberdeenshire, have been left without power tonight, the conditions on the roads are described as treacherous, police are warning people not to travel, and there's significant disruption on the rail network, as well — many services are cancelled — and there are reports of people stuck on trains because fallen

trees blocking the lines. network rail says they're sending staff to help, but that it could take some time. of course, because the worst of this storm is hitting overnight, we won't know the full extent of any damage caused until the morning. that was lorna gordon speaking earlier. the legendary composer of broadway musicals, stephen sondheim, has died at his home in connecticut. he was 91. daniella relph looks back on his career. # isn't it bliss? # don't you approve? # one who keeps tearing around. # one who can't move... send in the clowns from the musical a little night music. # send in the clowns. it was stephen sondheim's only hit song — remarkably, because this was the man who revolutionised the american musical.

as a young man, he learned his trade from oscar hammerstein — the lyricist who wrote shows like oklahoma and the sound of music. sondheim, too, started by doing the words, notably for leonard bernstein's music in west side story. # i like to be in america! # ok by me in america! soon he was writing his own music as well. # for a small fee in america! most of the shows that followed were hits. and then, in 1970, he came up with a new idea — a musical that didn't follow an obvious plot. # phone rings, door chimes. # in comes company! company was a series of vignettes featuring a dozen central characters. no two sondheim musicals were the same. i don't want to get bored writing and, you know, it's — when you hit a chord that you've hit before, or a technique of using a song that you've done before — or when i do, i get very nervous and i think "i've written that. "i mustn't do that again — somebody will catch me up on it," so to speak. it's as if somebody�*s

saying, "wait a minute — you did that in that show!" into the woods was based on fairy stories like jack and the beanstalk. sondheim's music was rhythmically complicated and harmonically sophisticated. # we've no time to sit and dither. # while her withers wither with her. # and no—one keeps a cow for a friend! # artists are bizarre. # fixed. # cold. # that's you, georges — you're bizarre! one of his cleverest creations was sunday in the park with george, about the painter georges seurat, whose most famous painting was recreated by the characters on stage. and i've heard people say, "oh, so—and—so is so talented," as if all they had to do was get up in the morning and the painting was made or the song was written. and they don't understand that it's exactly as much hard work — and maybe harder — than making a shoe or anything that you make out of nothing.

# i thought that you'd want what i want. # sorry, my dear... for his admirers, stephen sondheim produced some of the most sophisticated and thoughtful musicals ever written. # quick, send in the clowns. # don't bother, they're here. stephen sondheim, who's died at the age of 91. well, tributes have been coming in to the musical legend. huthackman said that stephen sondheim fundamentally shifted an entire art form. broadway star idina menzel said actors would spend the rest of their lives trying to make him proud while star of stage and screen harvey fierstein said: broadway star sierra boggess played cinderella in

sondheim's into the woods and shared her memories of the composer a little earlier. first of all, thank you for having me. it is a cathartic experience for me right now because we all, just in this broadway community and all over the world, have heard this news, so it is just beyond but that's that is one of my favourite things about a stephen sondheim musical is the material that you learn is some of the most complex series of notes put together that you can learn, and so you feel such a sense of accomplishment when you've arrived at that place of realising, "i have got it. "i have figured out how to sing this song, sing this beautiful phrase that he wrote." his melodies are so complex and they may not be easy always on the ear, but they are some of my favourite things to sing.

as a singer, as a musician — it requires all of you. he redefined the musical. he sort of upped the ante of what we could do. no—one had ever written like him before. it is why you study him at school if you are studying to get a degree in musical theatre or a theatre student. you know that when you are learning music, you have to learn a sondheim because it elevates you, and that is what he did for all of musicals. he changed the way that we listen, he changed the way — he never made it easy, ifeel like, for either the performer or the audience. he required you to listen. he required you to — it is like the best thing for going and seeing a show, because then you discussion afterwards of "what the heck did that mean? !" you know, it is so complex and so — he gave words, i feel like he articulated

things like love and loss and regret in ways that i would never be able to, and that most of us wouldn't ever be able to. that's it from us. stay tuned right here to bbc news. storm arwen has been buffeting the uk over recent hours. so far, the strongest wind gusts that i've seen have been across coastal regions of aberdeenshire. inverbervie picking up a top gust of 78mph. not too far behind, northumberland — a 7k mph gust of wind here. those wind gusts strong enough to bring down some trees. no doubt some transport disruption out and about as we head into saturday. the peak red weather warning lapses, though, during the early hours of saturday and as our low pressure moves southwards, we'll be left with two regions of strong winds — one affecting eastern areas of scotland and north east england, and anotherfor wales and south west england. both of these areas will see gusts of wind around about 60—70 mph, so still strong enough to bring

down some trees. we could see some further disruption and as well as that, we've got some rain, some heavy snow over high ground, particularly the southern uplands into the highlands and over the high parts of the pennines. the cheviots as well could see some disruptive falls of snow high up. even low down, you might see a little bit of snowjust for a time as we head into the first part of saturday morning — and, of course, it will be a very blustery and cold start to the day on saturday as well with those gusts well up, even inland very blustery, indeed. now, through the rest of saturday, we'll have this zone of rain, still a bit of sleet and snow mixed in with that, although anything accumulating — well, that's not really likely to happen — anything that falls is just going to melt back to rain, really, as the day goes by. but we'll keep those strong winds all day and it will feel very, very cold — temperatures around 3—4 degrees celsius quite widely, but factor in those winds, it will feel bitter. now, for the second half of the weekend, arwen continues to work away from the uk, it's filling, it's dying, but we've still got these

fairly strong northerly winds and those northerly winds won't be feeling any warmer at all. sunday will be a day, really, of sunshine and showers. these showers ok, most frequent across northern and eastern areas, but i think there'll be a whole raft of showers working into the north—west as well, so nowhere's immune from seeing an odd downpour. and those showers still having a wintry flavour — bit of hail, bit of sleet mixed in with some of those. temperatures around 2 degrees celsius or so in newcastle, maybe a 4 in london, but again, feeling cold. now, into next week, we'll see a sharpjump upwards in temperatures. turns much, much milder by tuesday, but rain and some strong winds in the week ahead. that's your latest weather.

fergal keane, bbc news, calais.

this is bbc news, the headlines: a new covid strain found in southern africa is classed a "variant of concern" by the world health organization over fears it may be more infectious and more resistant to vaccines. the us is the latest country to impose travel restrictions to the affected countries to slow the spread. french president emmanuel macron is accusing the uk of not being serious about dealing with the migrant crisis as the diplomatic row deepens. 27 people drowned on wednesday trying to reach the uk — european ministers will meet on sunday, but the uk is not invited to the talks. one of the most influential figures in musical theatre, the legendary composer of broadway musicals stephen sondheim, has died at his home in connecticut. he was 91. he composed and wrote lyrics for a vast number of musicals including west side story, sweeney todd and follies.

now on bbc news, it's the travel show with lucy hedges.