this is bbc news with the latest headlines. a new way of life — the government secures 3 deal for an extra 114 million doses of covid vaccines which could combat new variants for next winter and beyond. a year after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the pfizer vaccine, the company's boss calls for children as young as five to be vaccinated. there is no doubt in my mind that the benefits completely, completely are in favour of doing it. scientists believe they have found "the trigger" that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine. counting the cost of soaring energy bills... another hike next year could mean gas bills double —

with a warning millions will struggle to afford to heat their homes. a judgement is expected this morning in the appeal by associated newspapers in its ongoing privacy dispute with meghan markle, the duchess of sussex. an emotional alec baldwin outlines the events that led to the death of cinematographer, halyna hutchins, on a movie set. the trigger wasn't pulled — i didn't pull the trigger. so you never pulled the trigger? no, no, no, no, no, no. i would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them — never. we enter the art installation of a traditional irish pub which has won this year's turner prize. good morning. the uk has ordered millions

of additional covid vaccines to "future proof" the coronavirus booster programme, as fears grow over the spread of the omicron variant around the world. an additional 114 million doses of covid—19 vaccines have been secured by the uk government. the health secretary sajid javid said he wanted to ensure britain had what it needed for the long—term. omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant of covid—19 in south africa according to health officials, as the first case of the variant is reported in the us. scientists believe they have found the trigger that leads to extremely rare blood clots in some people who are given the oxford—astrazeneca covid vaccine. and the chief executive of pfizer, albert bourla, said 5—11 year olds should getjabbed too, and he believes that annual vaccinations would be required to maintain a high level of protection. this report from simonjones. relax your arm, slight scratch. all done.

the government has promised to offer a boosterjab to all eligible adults in england by the end ofjanuary. but it's also looking further ahead, to a time when boosters may be needed again and again, so it's secured an additional 60 million doses of the moderna vaccine, and 5a million doses of the pfizer jab. they will be the latest vaccines that they will have, because as we're seeing right now, there's a new variant, there's potentially new variants in the future. we know that covid is going to be around for a while. we have to learn to live with it, and one of the ways to learn to live with it is to make sure we've got the vaccines that we need, and that they're future proof. it's exactly a year since this happened. we have some breaking news for you this morning, because in the last few minutes we've heard that the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. that was the pfizer vaccine. 12 months on, more than 150 million first, second and boosterjabs of the different vaccines, have been administered across the uk. at present, children aged between 12

and 15 are offered a vaccine. the boss of pfizer, in an interview with the bbc, says five to 11—year—olds should getjabbed too. i think that covid in schools is thriving. i believe that this is disturbing significantly the education system. and there are kids that will have severe symptoms. so, there is no doubt in my mind that the benefits completely, completely are in favour of doing it. while the vaccines continue to roll off the production line, pfizer has already started work on an updated omicron version of its jab, should it be needed. the world health organization says early signs suggest that most cases of the new variant are mild. scientists say they still need a few more days to determine its potential threat. simon jones, bbc news.

south africa has reported a big increase in cases. the new variant may be fuelling the surge although it is not clear how many of the new cases it accounts for. the 8500 covid infections have been registered in south africa in the last 2a hours. officials say omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant after south africa became the first to detect the highly mutated new variant last week. since then, omicron has been identified in two dozen countries. the animated states identified its first case and they are looking at a number of other potential cases. in europe, portugal has at least 13 omicron cases. the united case leek kingdom has 20. spain, germany and austria have fewer than ten cases between them but as in the united states, them but as in the united states, the expectation is there a far more omicron cases that have yet to be

identified. the european union says it is now considering mandatory vaccination to combat covid and the omicron variant. on the one hand you have the virus and the variants and on the other hand, we have vaccination and boosters and i want the second part to win. it is understandable and appropriate to lead this discussion now — how we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the european union. this needs discussion. the dutch health authorities say that more than half of passengers held in quarantine since they tested positive for covid—19 after flying from south africa six days ago will be allowed to leave today. of 62 passengers who tested positive, 44 had been held inisolation in a hotel near schiphol airport, while some dutch citizens have been in quarantine at home. health officials said that those released from quarantine had subsequently tested negative.

let's get more from our chief political correspondent adam fleming. the messaging coming out of government, yesterday borisjohnson saying no christmas parties should be cancelled. this morning, the science minister says he has cancelled his work christmas party in favour of a zoom up one. and therese coffey says if you do go to uncover no snogging under the mistletoe. uncover no snogging under the mistletoe-— uncover no snogging under the mistletoe. ,, ., , , ., . , mistletoe. serious news “ournalism and an mistletoe. serious news “ournalism andanopportunity_ mistletoe. serious news “ournalism and an opportunity to _ mistletoe. serious news journalism and an opportunity to use - mistletoe. serious news journalism and an opportunity to use the - mistletoe. serious news journalism and an opportunity to use the word | and an opportunity to use the word "snogging". they were talking last night about what is the government advice. up until now, the government has been prepared to say about all this that christmas party should not be cancelled. if you do go to a christmas party, think about doing a lateral flow test before you go and only go if you are negative. then when you are there, take sensible precautions like making sure the room is well ventilated. that is the official script. room is well ventilated. that is the officialscript. however room is well ventilated. that is the official script. however what's happening now as ministers are being asked questions and they are going

off script and to some people that will be muddying the waters. also giving people a little bit of a chuckle as therese coffey did last night. i chuckle as therese coffey did last niuht. ., �* ~' , ., , night. i don't think there should be much snagging _ night. i don't think there should be much snogging under _ night. i don't think there should be much snogging under the - night. i don't think there should be l much snogging under the mistletoe. you don't _ much snogging under the mistletoe. you don't need to do things like that! _ you don't need to do things like that! but — you don't need to do things like that! but i — you don't need to do things like that! but i think we should all be trying _ that! but i think we should all be trying to— that! but i think we should all be trying to enjoy the christmas ahead of us _ trying to enjoy the christmas ahead of us and _ trying to enjoy the christmas ahead of us and that is why we are working so hard _ of us and that is why we are working so hard to— of us and that is why we are working so hard to get the deployment of as many— so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible. gk, so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible.- many vaccines as possible. 0k, we will be saying _ many vaccines as possible. 0k, we will be saying snogging _ many vaccines as possible. 0k, we will be saying snogging a _ many vaccines as possible. 0k, we will be saying snogging a lot - many vaccines as possible. 0k, we will be saying snogging a lot more | throughout the day no doubt, adam. talking of christmas parties, is the ghost of christmas parties passed at downing street still haunting downing street still haunting downing street? fix, downing street still haunting downing street?— downing street still haunting downing street? downing street still haunting downin: street? �* , downing street still haunting downin~street? , ., downing street? a very good way of ”uttin it. downing street? a very good way of putting it- we _ downing street? a very good way of putting it. we have _ downing street? a very good way of putting it. we have been _ downing street? a very good way of putting it. we have been talking - putting it. we have been talking about what may or may not have happened in downing street in november and december last year, when you will remember that england and london were at various points under quite strict covid per restrictions. the mirror newspaper has been reporting for two days now on what it describes as boozy bashes in number ten downing st to stop the

bbc has spoken to a source that was at downing street in december who said at least on one occasion there was booze, there was food and there were party games and it went on until past midnight. the government is sticking to this line and has reiterated it again today and the prime minister said it at prime ministers questions yesterday that at all points in that place the rules were followed. what is interesting, though, is a downing street source this morning did not repeat to me the phrase they used yesterday when they explicitly said there were no parties. so that language has changed slightly. i have to say, though, i do not sense a westminster press pack in full flow trying to track down pictures of other witnesses who may have gone to these parties are not parties depend on how they are defined. so i wonder if this story might fade from the headlines now. i mean, not quick enough to stop people coming to a view about it but i wonder if it will disappear in a few days. thank ou, will disappear in a few days. thank

you. adam- _ as you've been hearing, the current booster shot campaign is being significantly ramped up — with a plan to offer it to all eligible adults in england by the end of january. let's find out how the rollout is going. dr emily ball is a gp in liverpool. welcome and thank you very much for joining us. it is nearly a week since borisjohnson said it would be rolled out to under 40s. where are things now? it seems like it's not been completelyjoined up with gps. i think it is the usual story, isn't it? the average gp found out that we would be doing this on the news that the same time as everybody else and i think that has been a frustration that has been a hallmark of the entire mismanagement of the pandemic, which is people are being asked to do things that they are not being consulted about how that can being consulted about how that can be made to happen. so at the moment, obviously we are still working under extreme pressures as a result of covid. already being responsible for helping with the vaccines that have

been delivered. and now we are being told in the middle of winter pressures that we now need to do even more. i think the lack of communication coupled with the very public lack of support and in fact active denigration of the profession, is making gps lives' even harder. all of this i think was entirely predictable. the moment that we had... told people were not needing to wear masks or socially distance, it was enough to keep their numbers high enough to keep pressure on the nhs but not push it into crisis. so we have never really had a chance to do any of the catching up i think has been expected of us. i think furthermore, the fact that we are now at panic stations over an entirely predictable variant, you had dealt, we know viruses mutate, that is the entire point of the annual flu campaign. the fact this has not been planned for and not been anticipated is kind of depressing, actually. as

i say, the lack of communication where we are finding out at the same time as everybody else... 50m; where we are finding out at the same time as everybody else. . ._ time as everybody else... sorry for cominu time as everybody else... sorry for coming in. — time as everybody else... sorry for coming in. what — time as everybody else... sorry for coming in, what your _ time as everybody else... sorry for coming in, what your patients - time as everybody else... sorry for coming in, what your patients and | coming in, what your patients and anyone around the country waiting for a booster wants to know is when am i going to be eligible? can you, do you, what is your understanding? like everything else, that doesn't actually come from gps. i think this is the problem, we get lots of phone calls from patients saying when will we have our booster? they will be contacted by the central nhs system, it does not come from your individual gps. i would love to be able to tell them when they are going to get it but that very much depends on the number of gps and professions allied to medicine who can deliver these, that can be released from the dayjob. because as it stands, there is very much information about what we won't have to do in order to be freed to do this. ~ . ., to do in order to be freed to do this. ~ ~ ., ., to do in order to be freed to do this. ~ _, ., ., , ., this. welcome on that, there is a re ort this. welcome on that, there is a report this _ this. welcome on that, there is a report this morning _ this. welcome on that, there is a report this morning that - this. welcome on that, there is a report this morning that gps - this. welcome on that, there is a report this morning that gps may this. welcome on that, there is a i report this morning that gps may be allowed to stop monitoring millions

of vulnerable patients in order to prioritise covid vaccinations. what would your thoughts be on that? i would your thoughts be on that? i would say two things. number one, a bit late and that news should have come out at the same time. i think the other thing is that they are telling us this at this point in the year, when we have probably already done a considerable amount of it... sorry, can you just explain, it sounds if you are a vulnerable patient and being told he will stop being monitored in order to make way for the covid vaccination it might sound quite worrying. can you explain what the monitoring is and how much work that is for the average gp and how important it is for the patients?— for the patients? certainly. so basically the _ for the patients? certainly. so basically the monitoring - for the patients? certainly. so basically the monitoring they l for the patients? certainly. so i basically the monitoring they are referring to is what they called the quality outcome framework scheme, which is how gps are actually paid quite a lot of their money. the actual amount we are given as standard is relatively small per patient. it is less than you would spend on the insurance for your pet. so the rest of it is based on the

quality outcome framework. this is around having lists of patients who are diabetic, lists of patients who are diabetic, lists of patients who are having asthma, copd etc and there is a list of things those people need to have done every year in order to monitor their condition. now the problem of course is that for some cases, for quite a number of cases, that is a fairly arbitrary thing to be doing. they have been well—controlled for many years, they have probably already had it done anyway but it needs formalising. patients who input because they are unwell will always get that, regardless of whether there is a framework in place that year or not. the issue is about the amount of unnecessary work, in terms of patient benefit, that goes on with that. so obviously, as i say, anybody you need input will always get that, regardless of whether they are... whether this is something we

are... whether this is something we are being explicitly paid for, whether it is something that is part of a governmental framework is sort of a governmental framework is sort of irrelevant because always the patient comes first. so if the patient comes first. so if the patient needs sorting out, the patient needs sorting out, the patient will be sorted out. it's more about removing the hoops to be jumped through in orderfor gps to keep the lights on and continue to employ their staff. idr keep the lights on and continue to employ their staff.— employ their staff. dr emily ball, thank yom _ scientists believe they have found what causes extremely rare blood clots in a small number of people who have had the astrazeneca covid vaccine. the team — based in cardiff and the us — has discovered that a protein in the blood is attracted to a key component of the vaccine, causing a chain reaction. astrazeneca says it's considering how to apply the findings to adapt future jabs. concerns about clotting led to under 40s in the uk being offered alternatives. professor alan parker of cardiff university is one of the authors of the study looking into the clots. we can talk to him now. welcome, thank you forjoining us. this

sounds like a very significant development. can you just explain for us in very late terms, if that's possible, what the trigger is? yes. possible, what the trigger is? yes, aood possible, what the trigger is? yes, good morning- _ possible, what the trigger is? yes, good morning. so _ possible, what the trigger is? yes, good morning. so what _ possible, what the trigger is? yes good morning. so what we have been studying is the nature of how the two key components that seem to trigger this chain reaction may be interacts with each other. what we have known for some while, since these very rare cases started imagine, is this seemed to firstly be something that was only associated with the astrazeneca vaccines. and the patients presenting these blood clots presented with the characteristic antibody in their blood which targets ps4. when you add were implicated in ps4 was implicated and we are looking at the molecular nature as to how those two components can and do interact with each other which might kick—start this chain reaction. it is

each other which might kick-start this chain reaction.— this chain reaction. it is very rare, this chain reaction. it is very rare. why — this chain reaction. it is very rare. why is _ this chain reaction. it is very rare, why is it _ this chain reaction. it is very rare, why is it that - this chain reaction. it is very rare, why is it that it - this chain reaction. it is very rare, why is it that it only i this chain reaction. it is very - rare, why is it that it only happens very occasionally in some patients? it is very rare because we think there is a multistep process. we have just examined one there is a multistep process. we havejust examined one part there is a multistep process. we have just examined one part of that multistep process. for this to occur, what we think has to happen is first of all the virus vaccine has to be leaked to a small extent into the bloodstream, where it may or may not then interact with this key protein called pf4. that is the crux of the paper. we discuss and show how that can occur. following on from that, there is a significant number of other steps which have to happen before blood clots happen. that complex, you have to have a misplaced immune response within your immune system. when those anti—pf4 antibodies are produced they may or may not introduce blood clotting. there is a whole series of events and we have studied just one part of that process, one of the very early initial triggers which

may induce this blood clotting syndrome. may induce this blood clotting syndrome-— syndrome. sounds like it is impossible to predict who i impossible to predict who it might happen to and when. so i mentioned that this discovery might lead to the vaccines being tweaked in a way going forward that protects against theirs. is that the only way to stop this happening? i theirs. is that the only way to stop this happening?— this happening? i think there is a number of _ this happening? i think there is a number of things _ this happening? i think there is a number of things to _ this happening? i think there is a number of things to say - this happening? i think there is a number of things to say there. i this happening? i think there is a i number of things to say there. the first thing that is really important is we now recognise and can treat this condition when it occurs much more effectively than we could six months ago. so the frequency with which we are seeing fatal events resulting from there so much lower now than they were. secondly, i think it's really important to say you are much more likely to experience a potentially fatal blood clots if you are not vaccinated and developed covid—19. so the vaccines are very effective and safe and prevent against that. what we hope this research will enable us to do is wear their possibly exist a tiny

sliver of risk in the whole risk—benefit analysis of a vaccine, that we can reduce that risk even further by using this information to potentially stop that critical trevor event right at the beginning of the series of things that can result ultimately in blood clotting. thank you for explaining all of that. professoralan thank you for explaining all of that. professor alan parker. the uk drug regulator has approved a new antibody treatment for covid—19. the treatment, formulated by glaxo smithkline and vir biotechnology, is for people with mild—to—moderate covid who are at high risk of developing severe disease. gsk says early analysis also shows it works against the omicron variant. let's go back to the christmas parties, how risky is it having a christmas party this year? there are in—depth explanations of this and how harmful omicron could be compared to other covid—19 viants on the bbc news website. the address is bbc.co.uk/news.

let me know what you are thinking about christmas parties this year. you can get in touch with me directly on twitter. the headlines on bbc news... the government secures a deal for an extra 114 million doses of covid vaccines which could combat new variants for next winter and beyond. a year after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the pfizer vaccine — the company's boss calls for children as young as five to be vaccinated. scientists believe they have found "the trigger" that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the oxford—astrazeneca covid vaccine. there's been a warning that householders face more steep increases in gas bills this winter. the charity, national energy action, estimates that domestic bills will have doubled in 18 months when prices rise again in april. will have doubled in 18 months it's warning the higher costs

will add to the financial pressures on people with low incomes. for more on this, here's our business presenter ben thompson. what is behind a massive rise in prices? the wholesale gas price, that has reached an all—time high. the wholesale gas price has gone up by 250% since january. energy providers have inevitably been passing that cost on to us as customers doesn't usually at this point, and we have said it before, we would normally recommend that you shop around to find a cheaper deal on price comparison sites. the problem is right now there are very few of those deals available. that is in part down to the fact that many smaller energy firms, the ones that were competing with cheaper prices, they have already gone bust. 20 firms have gone out of business so far this year. the latest was zog energy which collapsed yesterday. the only real tip for people now of

course is to keep your house well insulated and do what you can to use less energy, maybe turn off the lights, spend a bit less time in the shower, shorter and colder washing machine cycles. filth. shower, shorter and colder washing machine cycles.— machine cycles. oh, sorry! that ended before _ machine cycles. oh, sorry! that ended before i _ machine cycles. oh, sorry! that ended before i was _ expecting it. ithink expecting it. i think we can talk more about that with grace from this is money. thank you forjoining me, is money. thank you forjoining me, i wasjust having a quick sip of water. those predictions that gas bills will double in april up from a typical... is there anything anyone can do any more in terms of shopping around or is that now gone? unfortunately, there are not many great deals left on the market. however it is important people check they are still on the cheapest tariff. while there are some comparison website still running deals, you can look on there. it's worth talking to your energy supplier to see if they can put you

on a cheaper tariff. while it is absolutely really difficult at the moment to find something less than almost £2000 in some cases, it is definitely worth shopping around when you can. other things people can do are things like changing their appliances. whilst it might be a bit more expensive in the short term, it will be cheaper in the long run. so if you have a fridge freezer and it is rated energy rating c, if you can move it up to a a you could save money in the long run, as well as if you can draught proof and insulate your home. so that is something everyone can do, closing gaps around windows and doors, making sure your energy is in ticks gaping, the heat is not escaping from your home. insulation whilst it might be a bit pricier is something that can save you money in the long run if we see this crisis continue. obviously replacing your fridge freezer is an expensive outlay as are some of those ways of insulating

your home but there are cheaper options as well. do you think ultimately it's likely people will try to cut down on use?- try to cut down on use? yes, absolutely _ try to cut down on use? yes, absolutely. and _ try to cut down on use? yes, absolutely. and things - try to cut down on use? yes, absolutely. and things you . try to cut down on use? yes, i absolutely. and things you can try to cut down on use? yes, - absolutely. and things you can do include for example turning off your appliances at the socket rather than leaving them on standby. if you want to dry your clothes, do them on the line or within the home rather than using the dryer. you can turn off the lights in your home when you are not using them. they are all small things but they could all add up to quite a big saving on the long run. so i think people should really take steps to see if they can make these smaller changes. whilst as i say it might not seem like the world's biggest difference, this is one of the things you could do at the moment to save a bit of money. in terms of how it works, the increase in the gas price, we are talking about gas prices doubling, which is obviously enormous. but the wholesale gas price has gone up 250%. how does that relate with what we are paying?— we are paying? unfortunately,

because help _ we are paying? unfortunately, because help right _ we are paying? unfortunately, because help right -- - we are paying? unfortunately, i because help right -- wholesale because help right —— wholesale prices are going up they have to pay more. if you are on a default tariff where the price cap is in place, this means energy supplies are actually in some cases buying the energy for more money than they are selling it for. therefore, they are not making any profit and unfortunately as we have seen, many are now failing. i think there is now 25 since august which have collapsed, which is a huge amount. where the cars can be passed on, for example those on fixed tariffs, they are being passed on. as i mentioned earlier, some people when they are looking online are finding that when they come off their existing fixed contract are moving on to a new one, they are going to be paying hundreds of pounds more. some people estimated to pay over £2000 a year, which is an awful lot of money. where as if you are on a default tariff, you are currently at the moment protected, so you won't be paying any more than £1277. at the

time when ofgem introduced that cap, it's the biggestjump on record since it started injanuary 2019. since it started in january 2019. however, if you are since it started injanuary 2019. however, if you are on since it started in january 2019. however, if you are on those tariffs, you are actually in the best position at the moment for that you will probably be on the best deal you can be. just you will probably be on the best dealyou can be.— you will probably be on the best dealyou can be. deal you can be. just on the price ca - , that deal you can be. just on the price cap. that is _ deal you can be. just on the price cap. that is the — deal you can be. just on the price cap, that is the dual _ deal you can be. just on the price cap, that is the dual fuel, - deal you can be. just on the price cap, that is the dual fuel, isn't i cap, that is the dual fuel, isn't it? that it is gas that is going up? not electricity. how does it work... if you have your gas and your electricity with separate suppliers, are you going to be potentially exempt from the protection of that dual fuel tariff when it comes to your gas bill? if dual fuel tariff when it comes to your gas bill?— your gas bill? if you are on dual fuel, because _ your gas bill? if you are on dual fuel, because gas _ your gas bill? if you are on dual fuel, because gas prices - your gas bill? if you are on dual fuel, because gas prices are - your gas bill? if you are on dual i fuel, because gas prices are going up, you're going to see your overall bills going up. yes, electricity still can probably find a better deal at the moment, however we are seeing due to inflation rising costs across the board. so it is notjust down to the gas as it is. however thatis down to the gas as it is. however that is where we are seeing the

biggest of increases but the cost of living over all is going up. inflation is going up, so people are paying a lot more on their bills everywhere, unfortunately. is it ossible everywhere, unfortunately. is it possible to _ everywhere, unfortunately. is it possible to predict how long we will be in this situation?— be in this situation? difficult to sa but be in this situation? difficult to say but unfortunately - be in this situation? difficult to say but unfortunately when - be in this situation? difficult to say but unfortunately when the be in this situation? difficult to - say but unfortunately when the price cap is revealed in april nick sayer lots of experts and alley nests say they expected to grow by hundreds of pounds are going to stop so i think evenin pounds are going to stop so i think even in the next six or seven months, may be the next year, we will still see an increase in prices. we know things can change quite quickly but i think the next few months are going to be difficult for a lot of people, unfortunately. thank you. a judgement is expected this morning in the appeal by associated newspapers in its ongoing privacy dispute with meghan, duchess of sussex. the group — which publishes the mail on sunday — is appealing against the ruling not to hold a full trial, after the paper reproduced parts of a handwritten letter from the duchess to her father,

thomas markle, in 2019. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. it began with a letter written by the duchess of sussex just three months after her wedding to prince harry, and sent in august 2018 to her father thomas. their relationship at the time was difficult. on the 9th of february 2019, the mail on sunday published lengthy extracts from the letter, which had been given to the newspaper by mr markle. meghan, strongly supported by her husband, brought a civil action against associated newspapers, publishers of the mail on sunday, claiming that her privacy had been breached. she said the letter had disclosed intimate thoughts and feelings. in february of this year, a judge at the high court ruled in meghan's favour. he said the disclosures in the newspaper had been manifestly excessive, and were hence unlawful. he said the issues were so clear—cut there was no need for a full trial. associated newspapers appealed and produced evidence

that they hoped would show the issues were not as clear—cut as had been thought. they produced a witness statement from meghan's former communications secretary, jason knauf, which indicated that meghan had written the letter to her father knowing it might be leaked, and meghan had authorised cooperation with the authors of a book about her and her husband, something she'd previously denied. today's court decision will decide whether meghan's privacy case should, after all, go to a full trial. if that were to happen, there would be the prospect of meghan and her estranged father giving evidence against each other in court. nicholas witchell, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather, let's cross the newsroom to sarah keith—lucas. it is another cold and wintry feeling day out there today. some sleet and snow showers around this morning that have left some icy stretches on untreated services. through the rest of the day, plenty

of dry weather with some wintry sunshine around but also a few showers. particularly in the far east and the far west, brisk northerly winds driving and more snow showers to eastern scotland, some rain, sleet and snow across the east of england, with temperatures three or 4 degrees in the east with a cold northerly wind, and 6—8 further west. milder a cold northerly wind, and 6—8 furtherwest. milderairworking a cold northerly wind, and 6—8 further west. milder air working in through this evening and overnight, bringing outbreaks of rain across much of the uk. that will be preceded for a time with a bit more snow to come, even to quite low levels, but things are turning milder as we head through to the early hours of friday morning. a milder day tomorrow with some rain initially for southern and eastern england and then quite a bit of dry weather, more rain in the south—west later, some heavy showers in the north—west, not feeling particularly one with highs of 6—12. —— particularly warm. hello this is bbc news with mejoanna gosling. the headlines. a new way of life —

the government secures a deal for an extra 114 million doses of covid vaccines which could combat new variants for next winter and beyond. a year after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the pfizer vaccine, the company's boss calls for children as young as five to be vaccinated. scientists believe they have found "the trigger" that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the oxford—astrazeneca covid vaccine. counting the cost of soaring energy bills. another hike next year could mean gas bills double, with a warning millions will struggle to afford to heat their homes. a judgment is expected this morning in the appeal by associated newspapers in its ongoing privacy dispute with meghan markle, the duchess of sussex. an emotional alec baldwin outlines the events that led to the death of cinematographer halyna hutchins on a movie set, insisting he didn't fire the gun that killed her. we enter the art installation of a traditional irish pub which has won this year's turner prize.

sport now and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike bushell. good morning. the premier league's top three maintained their runaway lead at the top of the table, all winning away from hime. chelsea are still top thanks to their 2—1 win at watford, while manchester city were victorious by the same scoreline at aston villa. the result of the night, though, came at goodison as liverpool piled on the misery for their former manager rafa benitez, by thumping everton 4—1, asjoe lynskey reports. the gap on merseyside is clear. two teams from the same city are now so far apart. liverpool seem unstoppable, and everton can't halt their slide down the league. even nine minutes in, the first goal had been coming, but then the biggest match in town belonged to one of the biggest players in the world. salah! finds the net! of course he does. that's just how he likes it.

already this game was drifting beyond everton but they did not help themselves. salah was seventh at this week's ballon d'or, but in the premier league's rankings, he's by far the top scorer. right now, he rarely misses. that made it 3—1, and with diogojota's fourth, everton were at a modern low. their worst home loss in this match since the �*80s. their coach was once liverpool's manager. it is still the reds fans who sing his name. after these kind of games, it's not easy, but i have to believe we will do it well, so i'm convinced in the second part of the league, we will do well, but we have to start winning. i like what i see. this was by far the best performance we've shown here at goodison since i was at liverpool and it's a very important moment. the top of the premier league as relentless. as teams around them keep winning, chelsea stay top. they found a way

through at watford, 2—1. waiting for a slip—up are manchester city, who did this to aston villa. it's an absolutely fantastic goal. city are one point behind chelsea and one above liverpool. the gap is tight, but there are three clubs at the top who push each other on. england women's record goal—scorer ellen white admitted to being emotional after she broke kelly smith's previous record on tuesday night. england hammered latvia 20—0 in doncastor in a world cup qualifier. white scored three of those to take her to 48 international goals. yeah, obviously, i'm not afraid to admit, yeah, that i did cry, because, you know, ifeel like it's been spoken about a lot. obviously, kelly smith has held the record for a long time and she is someone that i really look up to so it felt really emotional to finally surpass her and break that record and to be surrounded by my team—mates. yeah, it was really special

to have my family in the crowd. so yeah, i felt really emotional but really proud at the same time. the ongoing concern over the freedom and safety of chinese tennis star peng shuai means the women's tennis association has now suspended all tournaments in china. peng disappeared from public view for three weeks last month, after accusing a top chinese official of sexual assault. since then chinese state media has released photos and videos appearing to show peng, and the player did say in a video call with the international olympic committee president that she was safe and well. but the wta have said the video was "insufficient evidence" of her freedom and safety, and have now decided to pull tournaments out of china, because they say peng's case is "bigger than the business". this is something we simply cannot walk away from. if we walk away from what we have requested, and as you reflected it is a domestic abuse issue, what we are telling the world then is that not addressing sexual assault with the respect

and seriousness that it requires, because it is difficult, is ok. and it is not. some of the top players have been showing their support for that stance as well. that is all this but for now. back to you. thanks, mike. today marks one year since the uk became the first country in the world to approve the pfizer—biontech coronavirus jab, paving the way for mass vaccination. a week later, in a moment most of us will remember, the first dose was administered to margaret keenan in coventry. let's remind ourselves of those events. good morning, you're watching bbc breakfast, and we have some breaking news for you this morning because in the last few minutes, we have heard that the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. this has been manufactured by the us pharmaceutical company pfizer and it partner, biontech. help is on its way. when this vaccine is rolled out, things will get better and we will start that process next week.

good morning, it is tuesday the 8th of december. our top story. in the last few minutes, the uk's mass vaccination programme against coronavirus has begun. this is margaret keenan, who you can see there. she is 90, 91 next week, actually. she was the first person to receive the pfizer—biontech job at the university college hospital, coventry. the prime minister has called it a huge step forward in the fight against the disease. a year on, our medical editor fergus walsh has been speaking to pfizer's chief executive, albert bourla. in the interview, which took place before the omicron variant was identified, fergus began by asking him where the world would be without covid vaccines. i think we would be in a very, very difficult position. i think the fundamental structure of our society would be threatened. i think we would be counting trillions of economic losses.

i think we would have challenged in human relationships. i think we would have seen things that we have only see in movies. in october the fda, the american regulator, approved your vaccine for five to 11—year—olds after successful trials. do you think immunising that age group is likely to happen in the uk and europe? i believe it's a very good idea. i think that covid in schools is thriving and i believe that this is disturbing significantly the educational system and there are kids who will have severe symptoms, so there's no doubt in my mind that the benefits completely, completely are in favour of doing it. you are also doing trials in the underfives. do you think eventually we will see the under fives being immunised? we will wait to see the studies. we are using very, very small doses, so we want to make sure that

we are perfectly safe. the question is, are we going to be effective in those low doses? and this is what we are waiting to see. if the studies prove that these very low doses are effective in these kids, i think it's a very good way to utilise those vaccines to protect them. half the world's population, roughly, has now received at least one dose of covid vaccine, but in the poorest nations it is something like one in 20 people. is it fair to say that the rich nations have grabbed most of the vaccine doses and you, in a sense, have helped them? i think it is fair to say that the richer nations utilised first the vaccine. in fact, the poor countries we gave from day one at cost. and there are countries where we gave them at the cost of a takeaway meal, so the price was not an issue. but the availability

was limited and the rich countries placed orders, like the uk, very early. how do you think anti—vaxx stories that appear should best be countered? there are a number of people who are afraid of the vaccine. others are afraid of covid, they are afraid more of the vaccine. and they are not going to be convinced with scientific arguments. i think, for those who are just afraid, the only emotion of human beings that is stronger than fear is love. so i am using always this argument that the decision to get or not a vaccine is not going to influence only your health, it's going to affect the health of others, and particularly the health of the people you love the most because they are the ones that you interact with. so, take the courage to overcome your fears and do the right thing. a victim of a school shooting in michigan has died in hospital,

bringing the number killed in tuesday's shooting to four. seven others were injured. the authorities in michigan have charged a 15—year—old with first—degree murder following the gun attack. ethan crumbley opened fire at oxford high school with a semi—automatic handgun, which his father had purchased four days earlier. prosecutors say ethan crumbley will be charged as an adult and will also face a charge of terrorism causing death. i want to explain why we are charging the suspect as an adult in this case. first, the seriousness of the crime this person committed under michigan law. there are crimes that the legislature has said are so serious that a person who commits them can automatically be charged as an adult. first—degree murder is the most serious of all of those crimes. second, there are facts leading up to the shooting that suggest this was notjust an impulsive act. those are facts... those facts are not appropriate for discussion right now because it could affect the prosecution of this case.

lastly, charging this person as an adult is necessary to achieve justice and protect the public. any other option would put all of us at risk of this person because they could be released and still a threat. here, pressures in the social care system are leaving thousands of disabled people struggling to recruit personal assistants, who help them live independently. pas can help out with day—to—day tasks, but with more than 100,000 vacancies in the sector, many people with disabilities are finding it difficult to get the support they need. our disability affairs correspondent nikki fox reports. hello, guys! hello. sam and alex study media at college and are both working towards a career in tv. we have like, a double act. we bounce off each other. ..and finish each other�*s... ..sentences. the 16—year—old twins have spinal muscular atrophy. and for them to be as independent as everyone else, they need a team of personal assistants, or pas. we've only got one at the minute.

we've had a struggle with getting carers. so, i think we're still putting out advertisements for getting someone. i mean, if you just put our faces on the advertisement... yeah. — that would help, yeah. "hello, look at us!" "aren't we gorgeous?! want to get us dressed every morning? ring here." the twins' mum sarah has a budget from the council, and uses it to directly employ pas to support her boys for 50 hours a week. but at the moment she can only find someone who does 15 hours, leaving her to do the rest. being on my own with them the majority of the time, it is difficult, it is hard work. i am literally running out of ideas of where to get some help. what has the response been like from all your efforts? it's been very, very limited. and the family aren't alone. with100,000 vacancies in the care sector, disabled people are finding it almost impossible to recruit.

a shortage of workers from abroad, the pandemic and vaccine hesitancy have all played a part. i've heard some really bad stories. people terrified that they're going to lose theirjobs. i've even heard people contemplating suicide, because they can't face the thought of going back to literallyjust existing. katie runs a recruitment website to help find pas. she believes the wages disabled people are able to offer, a figure often set by the local authority, is also a problem. everyone that gets a care budget has no control over how much they get to pay a pa. and in particular i've noticed a massive rise in wage requests from british nationals. it needs to be looked at, increasing people's care funding, so that they can employ the pa and the support that they need. the government says it is the local authority's responsibility to play a key role in supporting disabled

people recruit and retain staff in their area. and it's investing an additional £5.4 billion into social care. we always wanted to be in tv. as a comedy duo. for sam and alex, they want their future career success to be determined on whether they're good enough to make it, not on whether they have someone to help them get up and ready for work in the morning. nikki fox, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. the government secures a deal for an extra 114 million doses of covid vaccines which could combat new variants for next winter and beyond. a year after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the pfizer vaccine — the company's boss calls for children as young as five to be vaccinated. counting the cost of soaring energy bills. another hike next year could mean gas bills double, with a warning millions will struggle to afford to heat their homes.

there are still thousands of people waking up this morning in freezing cold homes after losing power six days ago, when storm arwen caused widespread damage. welfare centres and hot food are being provided in some places, with energy companies working with emergency services, local councils and the british red cross. tim muffett reports. no power, no water. linda and paul from aberdeenshire have had a grim five days. as time has gone on, i think we have become more ragged and exhausted. no lighting. so it's really been a struggle. slowly this granite building is getting colder and colder. in upper teesdale in county durham, malcolm and sondra are also feeling the strain. i'm riddled with arthritis. i've had two heart attacks.

obviously the medication. no heating, no water, no sanitary. we have had to put snow into the pans. community spirit is no substitute for electricity and water, but volunteers are trying to plug the gap. since the power went off last week, we have been out distributing camping stoves, warm clothes, porridge, hot soup, water, and basically, checking on people. as the days have gone on, you know, people are cold and tired. business and energy minister greg hands visited county durham yesterday. the communications from some of the companies early on, i'll be frank, was not as good as it could have been. that will be one of the lessons we will be looking to learn from this. but the reaction from some residents was blunt. you're an mp, i want to hear from you that you are going to go back and, bluntly, kick ass.

what i would expect from my government is to go back and say, right, where did it go wrong and how do we know it went wrong? it makes no difference to us, does it really? we need people who are going to do something, not people are going to walk around the village, have a chat and move on. electricity might be elusive, but hot food and drink is on offerfrom some power companies. bloody cold. to be honest, it's been very cold. by sunday night we had run out of candles. our camping gas cylinders gave out. we had one that was a dud. so after, we cooked our meal on a frying pan on an open log fire. boiling water in a pan on an open log fire. challenging, that was! it worked. it did work. we're not dead. we haven't starved. it's nearly a week since storm arwen struck. yet many communities are still struggling. tim muffett, bbc news.

joining me now is david wallis and robbie bartington who own the woodfield animal sanctuary on the gower. thank you forjoining us. i know you did not lose power but you have been affected by the storm so tell us the impact? affected by the storm so tell us the im act? . , ., affected by the storm so tell us the imact? . , ., ., impact? the impact, first of all, we have never— impact? the impact, first of all, we have never seen _ impact? the impact, first of all, we have never seen wind _ impact? the impact, first of all, we have never seen wind like - impact? the impact, first of all, we have never seen wind like it. - impact? the impact, first of all, we have never seen wind like it. the i have never seen wind like it. the impact was that we were... we had roof panels taken off the stable block. we had a tiled roof on a building which contain cheap and the roof was half stripped. —— contained sheep. we have also been flooded out in our yard completely, it is a complete field of mud at the moment. we have also lost a cow shed, cow shelter, rather, which was out in a

field. that was just lifted shelter, rather, which was out in a field. that wasjust lifted up shelter, rather, which was out in a field. that was just lifted up and smashed into the ground, you know, injust smashed into the ground, you know, in just pieces. smashed into the ground, you know, injust pieces. and to replace smashed into the ground, you know, in just pieces. and to replace that alone is going to cost several thousand pounds. it alone is going to cost several thousand pounds.— alone is going to cost several thousand pounds. it must be quite demoralising? _ thousand pounds. it must be quite demoralising? completely! - thousand pounds. it must be quite demoralising? completely! i- thousand pounds. it must be quite| demoralising? completely! i mean, thousand pounds. it must be quite i demoralising? completely! i mean, it is hard enough _ demoralising? completely! i mean, it is hard enough at _ demoralising? completely! i mean, it is hard enough at this _ demoralising? completely! i mean, it is hard enough at this time _ demoralising? completely! i mean, it is hard enough at this time of- demoralising? completely! i mean, it is hard enough at this time of year. is hard enough at this time of year anyway with all our animals now in stables and barns, we have over 70 horses, 100 sheep, cattle. we have even got an alpaca. they all need extra bedding, feed, hay, h, and it is difficult at this time of year anyway but to deal with that and then the terrible storm, it really is demoralising and very hard work. yes, how are you going to be able to fix it all? do you have insurance? know... ., , �* .,

know... no, it isn't. so we are auoin know... no, it isn't. so we are going to _ know... no, it isn't. so we are going to have _ know... no, it isn't. so we are going to have to _ know... no, it isn't. so we are going to have to try _ know... no, it isn't. so we are going to have to try to - know... no, it isn't. so we are going to have to try to do i know... no, it isn't. so we are| going to have to try to do some extra fundraising to try to replace them. but fundraising isn't easy, as you can appreciate, for the last two years, it has been its to difficult due to the pandemic. but that is what we are going to have to do. —— it has been extremely difficult. we hope we can do it. tell it has been extremely difficult. we hope we can do it.— hope we can do it. tell us a bit about the _ hope we can do it. tell us a bit about the animals _ hope we can do it. tell us a bit about the animals you - hope we can do it. tell us a bit about the animals you have i hope we can do it. tell us a bit about the animals you have on j hope we can do it. tell us a bit i about the animals you have on the century, how many, you mentioned some of the different types of animals, but what is the scope of it? ~ animals, but what is the scope of it? . ., animals, but what is the scope of it? ~ ., ., i: , animals, but what is the scope of it? ., ., i: , ., it? well, we have over 70 pony and horses are- — it? well, we have over 70 pony and horses are. they _ it? well, we have over 70 pony and horses are. they are _ it? well, we have over 70 pony and horses are. they are all— it? well, we have over 70 pony and horses are. they are all rescues. i horses are. they are all rescues. rescued- — horses are. they are all rescues. rescued. since _ horses are. they are all rescues. rescued. since we _ horses are. they are all rescues. rescued. since we have - horses are. they are all rescues. rescued. since we have been i horses are. they are all rescues. i rescued. since we have been here, we have rehomed over 300 to various different— have rehomed over 300 to various different places, and we now have 75 left, most _ different places, and we now have 75 left, most of them are too old to be rehomed _ left, most of them are too old to be rehomed or— left, most of them are too old to be rehomed or were injured left, most of them are too old to be rehomed orwere injured in left, most of them are too old to be

rehomed or were injured in road accidents— rehomed or were injured in road accidents or they are in little family— accidents or they are in little family groups so we can't really rehome — family groups so we can't really rehome them. we have rescued dogs in the past, _ rehome them. we have rescued dogs in the past, although we are not at all set up _ the past, although we are not at all set up for— the past, although we are not at all set up for that. so whenever we have rescued _ set up for that. so whenever we have rescued groups of dogs, we have either_ rescued groups of dogs, we have either had — rescued groups of dogs, we have either had to have them in the house or in the _ either had to have them in the house or in the stables which is not really— or in the stables which is not really ideal. but it is mostly ponies _ really ideal. but it is mostly ponies and horses are. and really ideal. but it is mostly ponies and horses are. and we have a flock of 100 — ponies and horses are. and we have a flock of 100 sheep _ ponies and horses are. and we have a flock of 100 sheep which _ ponies and horses are. and we have a flock of 100 sheep which have - ponies and horses are. and we have a flock of 100 sheep which have been i flock of 100 sheep which have been built up over the last few years, they have all been rescued and brought to us as lambs and they have all been bottle—fed and of course during the winter they need extra feed and hay and they need shelter. it sounds like you have got a lot on your hands. you mentioned there that some of the animals that come to you get rehomed elsewhere but the ones that are currently there, it sounds like you feel like you are not in a position to do that. so how are you

going to keep going with this? are you going to have to make some tough decisions at some point? what are your options? i decisions at some point? what are your options?— your options? i don't know that tou~h your options? i don't know that tough decisions _ your options? i don't know that tough decisions is _ your options? i don't know that tough decisions is how- your options? i don't know that tough decisions is how i - your options? i don't know that tough decisions is how i wouldl tough decisions is how i would describe — tough decisions is how i would describe it. we have between six and ten section— describe it. we have between six and ten section a — describe it. we have between six and ten section a ponies rescued, which are all— ten section a ponies rescued, which are all gelded, and they could be rehomed — are all gelded, and they could be rehomed because they are individual ponies, _ rehomed because they are individual ponies, coming on nicely, they are young _ ponies, coming on nicely, they are young but— ponies, coming on nicely, they are young but of course the other ones, we had _ young but of course the other ones, we had two — young but of course the other ones, we had two 47—year—olds arrive two weeks _ we had two 47—year—olds arrive two weeks ago — we had two 47—year—olds arrive two weeks ago in — we had two 47—year—olds arrive two weeks ago in poor health. we have had a _ weeks ago in poor health. we have had a 32—year—old and a 22—year—old shetland _ had a 32—year—old and a 22—year—old shetland pony coming from north wales _ shetland pony coming from north wales. people, when they have these older horses, for one reason or another, — older horses, for one reason or another, can't cope or they move, and so _ another, can't cope or they move, and so we — another, can't cope or they move, and so we do _ another, can't cope or they move, and so we do take them in. we take

inanimats— and so we do take them in. we take in animals that have no other chance — in animals that have no other chance. ,., ~ ., chance. the point i think we are t in: to chance. the point i think we are trying to make _ chance. the point i think we are trying to make is _ chance. the point i think we are trying to make is that _ chance. the point i think we are trying to make is that we - chance. the point i think we are trying to make is that we do i chance. the point i think we are i trying to make is that we do rehome where we can. it is difficult, rehoming, because you have got to make sure the home they are going to is the right one. but as many as we rehome, we are all the time getting new animals, rescues, brought into the sanctuary. so we're not really reducing the numbers. we the sanctuary. so we're not really reducing the numbers.— reducing the numbers. we have a waitin: reducing the numbers. we have a waiting list _ reducing the numbers. we have a waiting list as _ reducing the numbers. we have a waiting list as well, _ reducing the numbers. we have a waiting list as well, and - reducing the numbers. we have a waiting list as well, and these i reducing the numbers. we have a| waiting list as well, and these two very elderly horses, the 47—year—old horses, _ very elderly horses, the 47—year—old horses, came — very elderly horses, the 47—year—old horses, came in from the waiting list. horses, came in from the waiting list i_ horses, came in from the waiting list i would _ horses, came in from the waiting list. i would just like to say of the 300 — list. i would just like to say of the 300 that we have rehomed, i would _ the 300 that we have rehomed, i would say— the 300 that we have rehomed, i would say over 200 of those, well over 200, — would say over 200 of those, well over 200, went to the hillside animal— over 200, went to the hillside animal sanctuary. in over 200, went to the hillside animal sanctuary.— animal sanctuary. in norfolk. because they _ animal sanctuary. in norfolk. because they have _ animal sanctuary. in norfolk. because they have a - animal sanctuary. in norfolk. because they have a lot i animal sanctuary. in norfolk. | because they have a lot more facilities _ because they have a lot more facilities there.— facilities there. yes, and it is obvious from _ facilities there. yes, and it is obvious from what _ facilities there. yes, and it is obvious from what you i facilities there. yes, and it is obvious from what you are i facilities there. yes, and it is i obvious from what you are saying that these animals really need looking after. thank you forjoining

us. i hope that you manage to rebuild the various structures that have been damaged and good luck with all of the animals. thank you. thank ou ve all of the animals. thank you. thank you very much- _ all of the animals. thank you. thank you very much. thank— all of the animals. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. - an art installation of a traditional irish pub has been unveiled as the winner of this year's turner prize. the piece, put together by the belfast—based array collective, features photos, memorabilia and videos, some of them representing hidden political messages about sexuality and identity. our media and arts correspondent david sillito was at the awards ceremony in coventry. the winner of the turner prize 2021... and it is, array collective. array collective, a group of artists and activists from northern ireland, whose artwork is a shebeen. this artwork though is more than just a pub. it is a symbolic place of good—natured debate and sanctuary from sectarian conflict. this is your shebeen, your pub, but it's more than that — it's got almost a political overtone

to it, hasn't it? we don't all agree on everything and we don't, the communities that we are within and represent don't agree on everything. but we still agree to have a laugh together. array collective's origins lie in liberal and progressive political campaigns, creating banners and costumes for street protests and rallies, an attempt to use art to bring a less combative mood to the street theatre of northern ireland politics. we come at it from a point of view, it's better to come from a humorous point of view than an aggressive point of view. and i think you can start to challenge the conversation through humour rather than do it through aggression. bringing a bit of civility to the debate? absolutely. and a human connection. and a human connection, definitely. this then, is more than just a little drinking den. it's a desire to bring to our politics some of the gentle warmth and conviviality of a friendly pub. david sillito, bbc news, coventry.

i will be back in a few minutes with the latest. first, a time for a look at the weather with sarah. it was certainly a cold and icy start, a widespread frost with temperatures below freezing and some wintry showers around as well. they are tending to fade away for most areas so quite a lot of dry weather for the rest of the day with some wintry sunshine on offer but still one or two showers lingering, particularly close to the east coast of scotland and eastern england as well. it is here that we have got the wind coming in from a northerly direction, driving in further showers. low pressure setting out towards the east, higher pressure in the west and that combination means we have got northerly winds that you can trace all the way back to the arctic, pushing the cold air right across the uk. so it is cold but it is clear, fresh air for most of us and lots of blue sky and sunshine. heavy showers containing across the far east of scotland and they will tend to ease a bit and down the east coast of england, further showers today with a cold northerly wind in the east, temperatures three or 4 degrees. furtherwest, the east, temperatures three or 4 degrees. further west, we are likely

to see 6—8. it will cloud over from the west later ahead of some rain moving into northern ireland and scotland, preceded by some snow, even to low levels, there will be to —— a bit of snow of the leading edge of that system but it is turning back to rain through the early hours of friday. not as cold tomorrow as it was first thing. a bit of a mile the day to come tomorrow, we are between weather fronts, the first one breaks up a range of the south and east and then another wave in front moving into the south west later in the day. some rain to start things off for southern and eastern england, quite a bit of dry weather on the cards but later in the afternoon, this next area of rain moves in from the south—west and we have further heavy showers across the west of scotland. temperatures for scotland, only about six in aberdeen but further south, 12 celsius in plymouth, a really different feeling day compared to today but the milder day does not last long. just one day into the weekend. things once again feeling chilly with some showers around. saturday, a north—westerly wind and thatis saturday, a north—westerly wind and that is driving in a mix of some

sunshine but also some showers. they will be a bit wintry over the higher ground of northern ireland, wales, scotland as well. driest during the afternoon in the south and east and temperature is about 5—9 on saturday but feeling a bit colder where you are exposed to the north—westerly breeze. into sunday and a northerly wind bringing another day of sunshine and a few showers. most of the showers on sunday probably close to the east coast once again. top temperatures between 559 on sunday but again, we have got that wind—chill so it is not going to feel particularly warm, despite the sunshine on offer. —— between five and nine on sunday. things going down in terms of temperature in the weekend.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. growing global concerns over the spread of the omicron variant, as the number of covid cases in south africa doubles in just a few days. here — the uk government secures a deal for an extra 114 million doses of covid vaccines to try to combat new variants. a year after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the pfizer vaccine, the company's boss calls for children as young as five to be vaccinated. there is no doubt in that the benefits, completely, completely, are in favour of doing it. ajudgement is expected in the appeal by associated newspapers in its ongoing privacy dispute with meghan markle, the duchess of sussex.

an emotional alec baldwin outlines the events that led