tonight at ten, every adult in england is to be offered a booster vaccination by the end of january. faced with the uncertainty posed by omicron, the new coronavirus variant, the booster programme is to be scaled up significantly. today our position is, and always will be, immeasurably better than it was a year ago.

what we're doing is taking some proportionate precautionary measures while our scientists crack the omicron code. but in the hospitality business, there's more uncertainty ahead of the christmas and new year period. the phone started ringing on monday morning with cancellations for this week already, and ifear there's going to be more to come. but the prime minister insists there's no need for people to cancel their christmas events. also tonight... a special report from yemen on the human cost of the ongoing conflict. jeremy bowen is there. the way this war ends is not in the hands of yemenis, because big regional powers have intervened. the people here are suffering because of the fault lines that run right through the middle east. five days after storm arwen, tens of thousands of people in parts of scotland and the north of england are still without electricity.

and in paris, the singer and activist josephine baker becomes the first black woman to be honoured at the pantheon. and later, sports day on the bbc news channel with all the features from the bbc sport centre. good evening. every adult in england is to be offered a booster vaccination by the end of january, according to borisjohnson. people will be approached by age group and will be informed when it's their turn. faced with the uncertainty posed by omicron, the new coronavirus variant, one government expert advised people not to socialise unnecessarily ahead of christmas, but borisjohnson appeared to contradict that advice, telling people not to cancel their concerts and nativity plays.

in england, boosters will be offered to the most vulnerable first, with m million people eligible in all. everyone who is able to have a booster should have been offered a jab by the end of january. some 400 military personnel will help out at 1,500 vaccine sites across england to deliver the booster programme. the prime minister said these were precautionary measures while scientists worked hard to gain a full understanding of the omicron variant. our health editor hugh pym reports. there's new urgency to the boosterjab campaign. this is one of the centres which is having to gear up for a faster roll—out, with all adults becoming eligible and the gap between second doses and boosters halved to three months. it's certainly a major logistical challenge. we will need to obviously expand our capacity both

here and in the gp vaccination centres, the local vaccination centres. and we will need to get more staff back in. do you think the nhs can handle it? yes, i do think we can. i think we have demonstrated over the last two years that we can do an enormous amount in very short timescales. local health officials say take—up of boosters had been disappointing until the middle of last week, but since thursday, when news of the variant emerged, they say more people have been coming in, and forfirst or second doses as well as boosters. beverley was one of them. she already qualified for a booster and booked in after she first heard the news about omicron. it was on the back of my mind because i knew the date was coming up that i would be eligible for my booster. but with the news, it really did push me. and what did you think when you heard the news? here we go again. and the prime minister explained how the new booster plan would be

delivered in england. there'll be temporary vaccination centres popping up like christmas trees, and we'll deploy at least 400 military personnel to assist the efforts of our nhs alongside, of course, the fantastic jabs army of volunteers. the head of nhs england called on people to enlist in that jabs army. if you are able to help, then please do apply or volunteer. your help can help us protect more people and save more lives. i am confident that with public support, the can—do spirit of the nhs will once again win through. she added that those who are eligible for boosters should wait to be invited. and then inevitably, a question about christmas. just on your point about christmas parties and nativity plays, we don't want people to cancel such events. in northern ireland, meanwhile, which has the lowest uptake of the booster shot in the uk, more vaccination clinics have been set up to meet demand.

ministers said the aim was to give boosters to all eligible age groups as quickly as possible. and scotland's first minister, in an update on new variant cases, said none so far had needed hospital treatment. health protection teams have established that all nine cases are linked. they all trace back to a single private event on 20th november. indeed, we fully expect that there will be more cases identified over the coming days that are also linked to this event. in wales, the requirement for face coverings has been extended across all education settings and more generally, ministers urged people to act with caution and take the new situation seriously. still not clear is how effective vaccines will be against the variant. the boss of moderna was downbeat but the regulator, the european medicines agency, said they would provide protection.

however much that protection might amount to, officials are urging people to get theirjabs and at this vaccine bus in colchester today, there was no shortage of takers as the vaccination programme starts to accelerate again. hugh pym, bbc news. our political correspondent chris mason is at westminster. can we talk about this run—up to christmas? is there any concern in downing street that the messaging today has been a little confused? there was a straightforward contradiction today between one of the government's most senior health advisers and subsequently what ministers had to say. drjenny harries was talking to the bbc this morning, suggesting that in england, we should be cautious about socialising, something that deeply irritated a good number of conservative mps. downing street was forced to point out that advisers advise and ministers decide. the government and the prime minister were at pains to point out repeatedly today that they don't want people to gold—plate or over

interpret these regulations and start cancelling plans they have between now and christmas or indeed over christmas. they say instead, stick to these rules of wearing face masks in shops and on transport and self—isolation rules as well, but there is no need to do anything else. there was overwhelming support in the commons for the government measures, over 400 mps backing the government and just a couple of dozen opposed, labour pretty much on board with where the government is. but the challenge for the prime minister is, he hopes he has got the balance right, but has he? we don't know, because we don't know the exact effect of the variant. uncertainty stalks us again. chris mason, uncertainty stalks us again. chris mason. with _ uncertainty stalks us again. chris mason, with the _ uncertainty stalks us again. chris mason, with the latest _ uncertainty stalks us again. chris mason, with the latest at - mason, with the latest at westminster. as we heard, borisjohnson insisted the extra measures introduced today in england were proportionate. as well as mandatory face coverings in shops and on public transport in england, there have also been changes to the rules

on international travel. anyone arriving in the uk must take a pcr test within two days and isolate until they get their result. but the labour leader sir keir starmer thinks the travel rules should go further and urged the prime minster to introduce pre—departure tests for anyone coming into the country. our transport correspondent katy austin reports. they are a familiar sight and once again, passengers must wearface coverings on public transport in england or risk a fine, unless they�* re exempt. the rule applies in shops, too. i think you do it out of respect and dignity to others. an overreaction, basically. doesn't make me or anybody else any safer. this brings england in line with scotland, wales and northern ireland, where masks are already mandatory on public transport and in many indoor areas. also landing today, the requirement for all international travellers to pay for a pcr test within 48 hours of coming into the uk and self—isolate until they get a negative result. for this couple who have just arrived from spain, it's a race against time.

well, it means everything to me, because it's my son's wedding. if i'm not there, he's going to be heartbroken. he's not going to get married again and he's been planning it for years. so you've taken a pcr test and you have to wait for the result? yeah, wait for the results by ten o'clock tomorrow night. so, we should be ok. hopefully, they'll be back in time. previously, a cheaper, quicker lateral flow test was enough. this is one of the drive—in sites where people can come and have their pre—booked covid pcr tests done. over the past couple of days, the company which runs this place has been converting lots of bookings for antigen lateral flow tests into the pcr that people now need. they can't currently offer an option which gives a result in just three hours because, with the new variant around, the test standard has been raised. the government have set very exacting standards for day two in terms of specificity and sensitivity, which is wholly appropriate.

we're looking to modify our rapid tests so that we are able to do a rapid pcr on day two. this will take a few days to sort out. one airline says some customers are choosing to postpone imminent holidays. i think that isjust because people are taking the opportunity to perhaps rebook in the early part of next year, but it's too early to tell what this will stabilise at. it's not the same drop—off in the bookings we have seen from previous times when restrictions have been introduced. business travel was ramping up again. the new rules could change that. i myself have travelled a few times recently. people have been coming here. we've seen already, either for short trips, because people don't want to have to quarantine for a couple of days. and longer trips, it's thrown a degree of uncertainty notjust over travel changes in the uk but travel changes in the home markets, as well. much uncertainty still surrounds the omicron variant. for now, whether you're taking the bus, train or plane, caution is the direction of travel. katy austin, bbc news.

as we discussed earlier, the prime minister was challenged repeatedly today about guidance on socialising in the run—up to christmas. the hospitality sector is worried about the potential impact over the next few weeks, as our business correspondent emma simpson has been finding out. they're all ready for the christmas season at this small wine bar and restaurant, but on monday, the phone started ringing. we've lost, in the last 24 hours, about £8,500 worth of business. we had a group booking for today cancelled, a group booking for an event out of house at their offices cancelled tonight, and a further three groups later in the week. on paper, nothing's changed for hospitality today. it should be business as usual. but there's a bit of a chill wind starting to blow through this sector, with some customers getting cold feet. but there are also plenty who have no intention of cancelling any big christmas nights out. we're going to one a week on saturday, and we're not pulling out.

absolutely not. you need to do it sensibly. as long as you do it sensibly, i it's nice to have some fun again. definitely think twice before i go to christmas parties. no cancellations? no, never. why would we? not just yet. party on. paul runs three pubs in yorkshire and is worried. he's had lots of cancellations, too, at what should be the busiest time of year. so important to have christmas to boost the coffers and get you through into march. without that, we really are looking... it's not looking good. there's a huge amount of uncertainty about this new variant, but that's the last thing that this hard—hit sector needs as it tries to get back on its feet. emma simpson, bbc news.

time to look at the latest official data on the pandemic in the uk. the latest coronavirus figures in the uk show there were just under 40,000 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, there were nearly 43,000 new cases reported per day in the last week. the latest figures show there were over 7,500 people in hospital being treated for coronavirus yesterday. 159 deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. on average in the past week, 119 covid—related deaths were recorded every day. on vaccinations, 18.2 million people have now had a boosterjab. the head of britain's secret intelligence service, m16, says that his team's main preoccupation at present is the threat posed by china. at present is the threat in a rare public appearance, richard moore warned that china had the capability to "harvest data from around the world"

and to use money to "get people on the hook." he added that these traps threatened to erode sovereignty, and that they have already prompted defensive measures. our security correspondent gordon corera has the story. m16's mission is to work in secret, gathering intelligence from around the world, but today its head ventured out to detail the threats he sees. china, he said, was now his top priority. its desire to take the island of taiwan posed a serious challenge to peace, and its drive to master technology and control data risked giving it too much leverage over our lives, he argued. china is controlled by an authoritarian regime. they don't share our values and often their interests clash with ours, and so i think what i'm saying is that we need to be very robust in fighting our corner. today's rare interview came just ahead of the chief of m16's first major speech. going public is about trying to build support for the secret service,

including trying to get businesses, especially in the tech sector, to help, something that's vital in the competition with china. meanwhile, russia remains an acute threat, its aggressive activity as seen in the salisbury poisonings on an upward trend, he argues. a troop build—up on the border of ukraine has led to fears of a full—out invasion, leading to the latest of a series of warnings. moscow should be in no doubt of our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, including crimea. and when it comes to terrorism, the speed of the taliban takeover in afghanistan caught everyone, including the spies, by surprise, and the fear is now that terror groups could once again find a safe haven to attack the west. i won't soft—soap it. the threat we face will likely grow now we have left afghanistan.

al-qaeda and daesh will seek to increase their foothold and to rebuild their ability to strike western targets. it's the job of m16 to peer into the darker world of threats, and today its chief used this unusual appearance to warn that the world looks more dangerous than ever. gordon corera, bbc news. in yemen, houthi rebels are pressing hard to capture the key city of mareb, the last stronghold of the internationally recognised government, and at the heart of yemen's oilfields. the fall of mareb would be a major—turning point in the conflict. saudi arabia, backed by the us and uk, intervened in yemen in 2015, after the houthis ousted the government from the capital, sanaa. since then, yemen has suffered the world's worst humanitarian crisis. all sides of the conflict have been accused of killing civilians and of other abuses.

at least 800,000 people displaced by the war have fled to mareb — and more are on their way. our middle east editorjeremy bowen, cameraman dave bull, and producer cara swift, have made their way to the city and sent this special report. the plains outside mareb are not much of a refuge, but it's all there is for more than 45,000 people who have fled the houthi offensive in the last three months. at this camp, the newest arrivals are in flimsy tents with little food and salty water. children don't have schools. in the desert, the nights are cold. they've lost almost everything, except enough trauma for a lifetime. between them, these two women have fled the fighting with their families 11 times in four years.

this woman said her six children freeze in the ripped tent. translation: e witnessed everything. fear and panic every time. the kids are terrified when they hear missiles or shooting. so, she was wounded? her daughter was badly hurt in a houthi attack. her two—month—old son was killed. these are pictures of dead people. she gets them to draw theirfrightening memories. he's lost his leg. translation: my kids saw bodies blown to pieces. - in the evening my seven—year—old says he sees ghosts. they are haunted by the people they saw killed. they blame the houthis. mostly women and children are in the camps. the men, the un says, are dead orfighting. what lies beneath all

of this is the war. war kills people, war makes people move, war creates the crisis, and the way this war ends is not in the hands of yemenis, because big regional powers have intervened. the people here are suffering because of the fault lines that run right through the middle east. they sing government soldiers took us to the front line. mareb has become the key battlefield of the war but it's about more than yemenis fighting for strategic, oil—rich territory. the houthis, the other side, started a push at the beginning of the year around here, it's really intensified since about september. gunfire these were government forces later that evening. they're backed by saudi arabia who hoped for a quick victory when they intervened in 2015. machine gun fire

and now can't find a way out. they're shooting at houthi fighters who believe they are winning, despite losing almost 15,000 dead sincejune. their big ally is iran. the strategic divide between the saudis and iranians and their allies, that runs through this valley, continues across the middle east. these government soldiers have been pushed back by the houthis. their commander says that doesn't mean they are losing. translation: it's true _ that there are advances by the enemy but war is like this. it's a normal thing in war. however, our men are resisting because they are protecting their country. but at mareb hospital the pain inflicted by the houthi offensive is clear in the operating theatres and the wards. most of the patients i saw

were wounded government soldiers. this is an important part of the whole procedure. a team of british surgeons from manchester is here, bringing expertise and equipment the hospitaljust doesn't have. there is a lack of doctors and the local doctors are exhausted. they are doing long shifts, and the injuries they are getting are quite complex, so they are providing the minimum treatment with the basic equipment they have. as soon as they are fit again, these men will be rushed back to fight the houthi advance. the grinding battle for mareb is being watched closely by influential yemeni tribes. they will make a deal with the winners. and among the wounded, some defiance. you will fight again afterwards? you have got one arm.

the war pushes into every life. mareb, a city of more than 2 million, has two malnutrition centres, each with 11 beds. two others were in areas captured by the houthis. of every 100 children, ten have malnutrition, and of those ten, two are severely malnourished. this baby, six months old, weighs 2.5 kilos. less than many newborns. in ten days of treatment she's gained 100g. this is what war does. it destroys lives. notjust babies. for everyone. jeremy bowen, bbc news, mareb.

the terrible human cost there of the conflict in yemen. in new york, testimonies have begun at ghislaine maxwell's criminal trial. the first alleged accuser, known as �*jane', has said that she was 14 years old when she had her first �*sexual contact�* withjeffrey epstein, for whom maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming underage girls. she denies the charges. our north america correspondent nada tawfik is following the trial. tell us more about the testimony today. tell us more about the testimony toda . ,, ., ., ., , today. she laid out how she met jeffrey epstein — today. she laid out how she met jeffrey epstein and _ today. she laid out how she met jeffrey epstein and ghislaine - jeffrey epstein and ghislaine maxwell when her father had just died and herfamily were maxwell when her father had just died and her family were struggling financially and she said they befriended her. at first she looked at ghislaine maxwell as an older sister figure at ghislaine maxwell as an older sisterfigure but at ghislaine maxwell as an older sister figure but then she said she started talking about six and started talking about six and started appearing topless in front of her. she said that is when the alleged abuse began, and she said it

happened for years, at least once or twice a week, and she talked about being frozen in fear, terrified, ashamed, disgusted, the abuse. she said ghislaine maxwell also allegedly arranged for her to travel to epstein�*s properties in new york and new mexico. the defence has accused jane of changing her story many times and ghislaine maxwell has pleaded not guilty and sat there listening attentively as the woman spoke. listening attentively as the woman soke. a , listening attentively as the woman soke. , ., ., ., , the conservative mp, sir geoffrey cox, has told the bbc that he will not face a formal investigation into claims that he used his commons office for paid legal work. he was seen in september in a virtual meeting representing the british virgin islands goverment from what appeared to be his commons office. labour reported him to the standards commissioner,

but it's understood she decided there was insufficient evidence to justify an inquiry. barbados has become the world's newest republic with a president as head of state instead of the queen. in a speech to mark the occasion, the prince of wales acknowledged that british history had forever been stained by the atrocity of slavery. the musician and entrepreneur rihanna was honoured by prime minister mia mottley at an event marking the island's new status. tens of thousands of people in parts of scotland and the north of england are still without electricity — five days after storm arwen caused what's being described as "unprecedented damage" to the power network. strong winds snapped telegraph poles and knocked out supplies on friday. the north—east of england, and regions of scotland, have been particularly affected. our correspondent lorna gordon reports from aberdeenshire. it has been relentless. for days now, hundreds of engineers

have been working to restore supplies to thousands of homes, and some customers still have no idea when their power will be back on. patrick and debbiejamieson say they've been struggling for reliable updates and are now hunkering down for another night without mains power. it was friday, saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday now. without power? without power and temperatures have been between —5 and —10 in the evenings. what have you been doing for heating? just wrapping up very warm, trying to keep close together. i remember the �*70s and the power cuts very well, but not as bad as this. this is the worst it's ever been. across aberdeenshire, people have been grappling with the aftermath of storm arwen. they've been checking on neighbours, offering food. how are you doing? surviving? it's a nightmare, isn't it? it is. i've got three layers on and i'm freezing. all thse houses around here are granite, so when they get cold, they get really, really cold.

in areas right along the east coast, power was lost and communities have been pulling together. but here in rothbury in northumberland, they're now asking why more help has not been forthcoming. i've got residents in the area that i'm aware of that are taking water from the river or streams near their properties to actually wash. i have to ask the question why, maybe, the emergency services and local authority haven't declared a major incident by now. and patience is wearing thin. it's getting to breaking point. like, it's hard, especially when you've got a little one in the house, and not knowing or getting a straight answer. fallen trees bringing down lines, and hampering access in restoring supplies. many communities are feeling cut off and wondering what choices they have the longer this continues. lorna gordon, bbc news.

football, and ellen white has become england women's record goalscorer after she scored a hat—trick tonight, taking her to 48 goals for her country. the lionesses recorded their biggest ever win, against latvia, 20—0, and white was one of four players to score a hat—trick at the doncaster rovers' stadium. the former arsenal and liverpool footballer, ray kennedy, has died at the age of 70. commentator: what a marvelous goal! with liverpool he won three european cups and five league titles between 1974 and 1982. kennedy also made 17 appearances for england. he was diagnosed with parkinson's disease in 1984. josephine baker, the american—born singer and activist, who settled in france in the 1920s has been honoured at the pantheon, the burial place of some of france's greatest heroes. president macron praised her commitment to civil rights

and her role in the resistance during the second world war. josephine baker is the first black woman to be granted such an honour by the french authorities as our correspondent lucy williamson reports. idealist and idol, singer and spy. josephine baker, adored by paris a century ago, was the star of france again today. her symbolic coffin made its way towards the pantheon carrying handfuls of earth from the four corners of her life — paris, missouri, monaco, where she's buried, and the village in france where she raised her children. | translation: you're entering our| pantheon because you loved france and you showed the way. born american, at heart, there's no—one more french than you. baker crossed the atlantic to escape segregation. in paris, she found fame with audiences hungry for american idols, using her celebrity to fight racism and pass messages