this is bbc news. the headlines at 5pm: doctors�* leaders welcome moves to ease the workload of gps in england so they can focus on the covid booster roll—out — but some patients�* groups say postponing services could be dangerous. dozens of troops have been deployed to northumberland to help people whose homes are still without power eight days after storm arwen. the parents of a teenager accused of the fatal shooting of four us high school students using a gun bought by his father appear in court, where they have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges. and coming up at 5.30: as part of the bbc�*s 100 women series, nomia iqbal speaks to the actress rebel wilson about life in hollywood and how the pandemic has made the australian change her outlook on life.

gps in england have been told they can defer some of the services they provide to patients so doctors can focus on delivering covid booster jabs instead. routine health checks for the over—75s and minor surgery could be affected. 75 new cases of the omicron variant have been identified in england, that brings the total number in the uk to 134. the government has also launched a new campaign urging all unvaccinated pregnant women to come forward and receive their jab. so, while there's been concern about temporarily suspending some health checks,

the royal college of gps spokesperson dr steve mowle told me earlier that anyone needing treatment would still be able to see their gp. we need more capacity to help with this critical booster campaign, which we are sure is the right thing to do for the country. but when you look at what has happened since the last outbreak of coronavirus and the country went into lockdown, many of the procedures that the nhs were scheduled to give were then not given, and then we have been dealing with this massive backlog. is there not a danger that could happen again if gps are made to focus just on vaccinations? i think there undoubtedly is a backlog from the pandemic. there are, i think, small risks associated with this. at the end of the day, we're talking about routine health checks, which are there to help patients who have long—term

conditions or patients who are maybe new to practice, who have moved into the area, having a check at the point of registration. but aren't routine health checks where gps sometimes find more serious problems that patients need attentive treatment to? well, the patients coming for routine health checks are not necessarily sick when they come for their routine health check. postponing them for two or three months is unlikely to have any significant impact on the patient�*s overall health. someone whose blood pressure isjust a little bit suboptimal, leaving that for maybe two months is unlikely to have a major impact on their health going forward. so, what would you say to that 75—year—old person who is watching now who has diabetes and is waiting for their regular check and is now going to be told that you are not going to be having that check? i think any patient approaching their gps for a check will still go

ahead with that check, it's just that we wouldn't necessarily be proactively inviting people. furthermore, any patient who is sick or has concerns about the health such as any sign of serious conditions such as cancer or their diabetic control is less well controlled, it's important that they contact their gp. gps are here to care for patients, just as they have done throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so. the metropolitan police say they'll consider correspondence asking them to investigate a claim that christmas parties were held in downing street last year in breach of covid rules. the force responded to the complaint by some labour mps by saying it wasn't their policy to routinely examine retrospective breaches of covid rules. earlier, i spoke to our political correspondent ione wells. they are responding to the fact that two labour mps have written to the metropolitan police asking them to investigate reports

that we have seen over the last couple of days that this time last year there was a party held in downing street on the 18th of december attended by downing street staff and aides where we have been told there were games played, that food was served, drinks were served, at a time when london was in tier 3 restrictions so social gatherings were not allowed at the time. the metropolitan police havevsaid it is not really their routine policy to retrospectively look at and investigate alleged breaches of covid restrictions but said it would consider the correspondence they have had from these mps. have you had any more intel from mps or ministers about actually what happened that day? some people are saying there were games, there was alcohol, food, others are saying it was a just a gathering. so far, what we know and what sources have been telling the bbc is that there were several dozen people in attendance at this party, that food was served, drinks were served, that games

were played, a gathering of sorts around the christmas period. number ten have stressed that all rules were followed at all times, something the prime minister has said as well, but what they haven't done is clarify how exactly people attending this event were following the rules, given the restrictions we know were in place at the time. i think the anger this has attracted is apparent among the labour mps who have decided to write to the police about this. their argument is that they don't see a way this could have been following the guidance at the time and want the police to investigate. but at the moment the police don't seem to have any plans to do so but they did certainly say they would consider the letters they have received. people in around 9,000 homes are facing a second weekend without power in parts of scotland and northern england, following storm arwen. those affected are now bracing themselves for almost freezing temperatures forecast over the next 2a hours, and the army and the british red cross have been distributing emergency aid

in some areas. scores of military personnel have arrived in northumberland to provide emergency assistance to people who've been without powerfor eight days. steven bridgett is an independent councillor for rothbury, in northumberland. at the moment, in our area, we have about 160 properties that are still off—line. these properties are the most difficult ones to reach, they're in very remote, isolated locations and they have gone eight days without any electricity. some of them, we know, will be heading into their ninth day without it. northern power grid are working in the area but it's pretty daunting knowing you are going to be going into day nine without any power as well. the parents of a teenager accused of killing four of his fellow students have appeared in court charged with involuntary manslaughter. james and jennifer crumbley both pleaded not guilty to all charges.

prosecutors say 15—year—old ethan crumbley carried out the shooting at his school on tuesday with a semi—automatic pistol which had been bought by his father. it's highly unusual for parents to be charged in connection with a school shooting. aruna iyengar has more. i'm jennifer crumbley. i'm james crumbley. ethan crumbley�*s parents, james and jennifer, were found in a warehouse in detroit hours after going on the run. a reward of $10,000 had been offered for information leading to their arrests. their lawyer says they fled for their own safety. the pair, seen here earlier following their son's arrest, face charges of involuntary manslaughter. prosecutors say they ignored warning signs before their 15—year—old son, ethan crumbley, allegedly used his father's gun to shoot classmates in oxford, michigan — killing four and wounding seven. james crumbley bought a gun and made it available to his son. at school, a teacher spotted ethan searching online for ammunition and alerted his mother.

prosecutors say she later sent text messages to her son saying, "lol, i'm not mad at you. you have to learn not to get caught." then, on the morning of the killings, teachers contacted the parents over a note ethan had drawn. the note contained the following — a drawing of a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words, "the thoughts won't stop, help me." in another section of the note was a drawing of a bullet with the following words above that bullet, "blood everywhere." but some question whether the parents really can be held responsible for the actions of their teenage son. i think it is actually highly unusual. it is opening the door for a very large slippery slope. and so that is kind of where i'm having trouble saying that the parents committed manslaughter, meaning they were aware that this was going to happen. bell chimes.

at a candlelit vigil in oxford last night, the community came together to honour the four teenagers. four minutes of bell ringing, one minute for each victim. ethan crumbley is being charged as an adult and is accused of terrorism charges and first—degree murder. the killing of two young women in england — sarah everard and sabina nessa — brought to public focus the safety of women on uk streets. their deaths have prompted a group of women to set up a movement to help walkers feel safe going out after dark. safety in numbers now has nearly 100 members, as emily anderson reports. a cold winter's night but already it is very dark and tonight the group is walking up beacon hill together. safety in numbers was set up by dog walker katie hopkinson just less than one month ago. she is passionate about making women

feel safe enough to go out when it is dark. it is so important for our mental health to get out in the countryside and enjoy the benefits of the countryside but doing it in a way that does not leave you feeling really anxious i think certainly with high—profile cases such as sarah everard, i think it touched a lot of women's hearts and made them feel like being in alone in the dark is not an option. we areat the top of beacon hill now, which is the second highest point in leicestershire at 248 metres. ok, so you don't get those beautiful panoramic views of leicestershire that you would get in the day, but i tell you what you do get — a real sense of achievement getting to this peak in the dark. i've been here a million times but never at this time of night, and never up here, so this is a first for me. so, do you feel safe when you're out with this group? absolutely, yeah, no anxiety at all, and sometimes, that does creep up

on you when you're walking on your own and somewhere remote. you sort of think "i should not be here. "this is not very clever." but here i do it with the group and i have not thought about the fact. it does not even occur to you. overwhelmingly what would feel really terrifying on your own - is a sort of a primitive fear, isn't it? - when we are in a group, there is no fear, we arei laughing and having fun. it's, you know, it's turned out to be a real buzz. - the group hope what started as an idea on social media will expand into a network of safety in numbers walking groups. the pope has arrived in athens at the start of his two—day visit to greece. speaking in athens, the birthplace of democracy, he warned that the principle is in retreat across much of the world in the face of authoritarian and populist movements. his holiness said parts of europe had fallen prey

to nationalist self—interest. it's the first papal visit to the greek capital in 20 years. on sunday, he's due to travel to the greek island of lesbos, which hosts a large number of migrants. when he travelled there five years ago, pope francis returned to italy with three families of syrian asylum seekers. cat microchipping is to be made compulsory in the uk under new government rules. owners will have to microchip their cats by the time their pets are 20 weeks old, or risk incurring a £500 fine. it's aimed at ensuring that the cats can be returned home if they stray or are stolen. fiona lamdin reports. seven—year—old scarab went missing in truro just days after his owner moved house. scarab just completely disappeared, so i was quite concerned, and i was really worried for him because, yeah, it was

nearly a whole year. if it was not for the microchip, i would never have got him home. but 11 months later, the pair were reunited, as luckily he had been microchipped as a kitten. with the microchip they found out i was his owner and got him home to me. i burst into tears when i got the call, ijust couldn't believe it. he was so thrilled to come home, he wouldn't leave me alone for 2h hours, he was constantly rubbing his face on me and fussing at me. now there are plans in the coming year to get all pet cats chipped. it is going to be mandatory that all owners chip their cats once they are 20 weeks of age. we really, really welcome the idea. we get a lot of stray or injured cats that are brought in by members of the public. about half the time they are chipped, which means we can reunite them really quickly with their owners. and for those who don't, they could face a fine. if you are checked by an authorised person and found not to have a microchip, then you will be given 21 days to rectify that,

and we would strongly advise for all the good reasons, you know, getting your animal microchipped and we know the average cost of that is about £17, well worth doing, otherwise, after 21 days, it procedes to become a criminal offence. so, what does the procedure which costs about £20 involve? it is really simple, theyjust come in and we can do it in a consultation. it isjust an injection underneath the scruff of their neck. it is done really quickly and often doesn't cause them any discomfort at all and it is over very, very quickly. each chip has a unique serial number which will link to a pet database there are thought to be 10.8 million cats in the uk, and while scarab and jane had a happy reunion, for the other 2.8 million who are currently unchipped, the ending is not always a happy one. it was a wet start for tourists in saint mark's square in venice that was flooded on saturday morning after high tides swept through the city.

the one—metre high tide left the square submerged. but you can see, that did not stop many going for a stroll. the high tide, though, was not enough to activate the mose flood barriers, which were launched last year. venice is increasingly vulnerable to flooding due to land subsidence and rising sea levels. martine croxall is coming up next with all the latest national news, but in the mean time let's take a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, again. it feels quite chilly out there at the moment. quite a keen north—westerly wind blowing, and some more wet weather around, too. it's moving southwards. the wintry mix continues for a while across south—eastern scotland, northern england — some snow mainly over the hills. some of that wetter weather moves further south across england. further west, it should be clearer with a few showers. but enough of a wind blowing to keep temperatures generally above freezing. into tomorrow, an improvement from many parts of the country, but we've got some wet weather to begin with across parts of england and wales. it does become drier in most areas.

across western parts of england and wales, we get some sunshine coming through. the best of the sunshine for scotland and northern ireland away from the south—east of scotland. the winds won't be as strong either, so it's going to feel more pleasant. temperatures a degree or two higher than today. i'm going to move quickly onto tuesday and into wednesday. we've got another deep area of low pressure heading our way. that could bring some damaging winds. at the moment, that's most likely across western areas.

good afternoon. gps in england have been told they can defer some of the services they provide to patients, in order to allow doctors to deliver covid booster jabs instead. routine health checks for the over—75s and minor surgery could be affected. the move by nhs england comes as the government launched a new campaign urging all unvaccinated pregnant women to come forward and receive theirjab. megan paterson reports. more than 90 million covid booster jabs or third doses have been given in the uk so far. as the roll—out continues, demand on gp surgeries grows. we were doing over 30,000 booster vaccinations in september. we get about 800 people come in as walk—ins in addition to people coming as appointments. to meet the growth in uptake, new measures mean gps across england will now be allowed to defer some of the services they provide to patients, like routine health

checks for the over 75s, to allow doctors to focus on covid boosterjabs. we are struggling to meet the increased demand, of day—to—day work, our own backlog and also the backlog from the hospitals, but at the same time, we do understand the importance of trying to vaccinate the population. but there is concern from some patient groups. they warn the measure will disadvantage older people and lead to early warning signs of illness being missed. this is a clear case of age discrimination. it's another example of when people reach a certain age, their health is not valued as much as the health of younger people and it feeds into this narrative of care homes not being protected. the british medical association insists all patients will still receive the care they need. these measures aim to relieve pressure on gps and increase the capacity of the vaccination programme, keeping people well and out of hospital beds. it comes as the government starts a new campaign encouraging expectant

mums to take the jab. 98% of pregnant women seriously ill in hospital with covid are unvaccinated. one in five women need to be delivered preterm. one in five babies need to go to the neonatal unit. so it's really clear that covid—19 infection has got serious implications for the woman and the baby. but we now have evermore data to say the vaccines are safe in pregnancy and are very strongly recommended by everyone. as all nations push to encourage jab and booster uptake, nicola sturgeon added her arm to the fully dosed total. another case of the 0micron variant has been discovered in scotland today, once again renewing the significance of vaccination programmes across the country. megan paterson, bbc news. the government's latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were 42,8118 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. however in scotland,

the authorities are investigating the figures there as the case numbers are lower than expected. on average, 45,104 cases were reported per day in the last week. there were 127 deaths, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, which means the average number of deaths over the past seven days was 118. and more than 19.8 million people have received their boosterjab. people in around 9,000 homes are facing a second weekend without power in parts of scotland and northern england, following storm arwen. those affected are now bracing themselves for almost freezing temperatures forecast in some areas over the next 24 hours. meanwhile the energy regulator, 0fgem, says the cap on the maximum amount of compensation customers people can claim from suppliers has been lifted. 0ur correspondent peter harris is in rothbury in northumberland. peter, how is the

situation improving? despite the weather here tonight, this is a slowly improving situation so across scotland and northern england, you are now down to 5000 houses in all that don't have power at the moment. what we have seen here in northumberland is the army out in rural communities. this is in response to yesterday's announcement that northumberland county council had declared storm arwen a major incident. it's become quite sporadic now, so it's difficult, they are going up ruralfarm tracks looking for that odd house still without power even though the wider area around it is much improved. they are offering supplies as well as moral support. we are not out of the woods here, certainly in north—east england. powerhouse grid say it could be the middle of next week until they get people connected again simply because of the number of repairs still needed and there is that warning off gem that they may

take enforcement action if they didn't restore power quickly enough. birmingham city and millwall fans have remembered arthur labinjo—hughes, the boy who died at the hands of his stepmother and father. when a picture of the six—year—old city fan appeared on screen in the sixth minute of the match this afternoon, supporters applauded. players and crowds at other games across the country have paid similar tributes. police in the us state of michigan say they've arrested the parents of a teenager accused of killing four fellow students. prosecutors say fifteen year old ethan crumbley carried out the shooting at his school on tuesday with a semi—automatic pistol, which had been bought by his father. it's an unusual move for prosecutors to implicate the parents of a child's alleged crime. aru na iyengar reports. james and jennifer crumbley in oakland county court as prosecutors

announced manslaughter charges against them. earlier police found the couple after receiving a tip off. they were hiding in a warehouse in detroit i was after going on the run. , ., . ., . ., run. they were in a commercial buildin: run. they were in a commercial building in _ run. they were in a commercial building in a — run. they were in a commercial building in a room. _ run. they were in a commercial building in a room. we - run. they were in a commercial building in a room. we were . run. they were in a commercial i building in a room. we were able run. they were in a commercial - building in a room. we were able to take them into custody without incident, howeverthey take them into custody without incident, however they were very distressed. fix, incident, however they were very distressed-— incident, however they were very distressed. �* ., ., ”f: 11:11: ., distressed. a reward of $10,000 had been offered — distressed. a reward of $10,000 had been offered for _ distressed. a reward of $10,000 had been offered for information - distressed. a reward of $10,000 had been offered for information leading | been offered for information leading to their arrest. their lawyers say they fled for their own safety. prosecutors say they ignored warning signs before their 15—year—old son ethan crumbley allegedly used his father's gun to shoot classmates in oxford, michigan, killing fourand 0xford, michigan, killing fourand wounding seven. james crumbley bought a gun and made it available to his son. at school a teacher spotted ethan searching online for ammunition and alerted his mother. prosecutors say she later sent text messages to her son saying, lol, i'm not mad at you, you have to learn not mad at you, you have to learn not to get caught. then on the morning of the killings, teachers

contacted the parents over a note ethan had drawn. the contacted the parents over a note ethan had drawn.— contacted the parents over a note ethan had drawn. the note contained the following. _ ethan had drawn. the note contained the following. a _ ethan had drawn. the note contained the following, a drawing _ ethan had drawn. the note contained the following, a drawing of _ ethan had drawn. the note contained the following, a drawing of a - the following, a drawing of a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words quote, the thoughts won't help stop me. in another section of the note was a drawing of a bullet with the following words above that, quote, blood everywhere. but with the following words above that, quote, blood everywhere.— quote, blood everywhere. but some auestion quote, blood everywhere. but some question whether _ quote, blood everywhere. but some question whether the _ quote, blood everywhere. but some question whether the parents - quote, blood everywhere. but some question whether the parents really| question whether the parents really can be held responsible for the actions of their teenage son. it’s actions of their teenage son. it's hi . hl actions of their teenage son. it�*s highly unusual. it is opening the doorfor a very large highly unusual. it is opening the door for a very large slippery slope and so that is where i am having trouble saying that the parents committed manslaughter, meaning they were aware that this was going to happen. fist were aware that this was going to ha en. �* . were aware that this was going to ha en, �* ., .., were aware that this was going to ha en, �* ., ., happen. at a candlelit video in oxford last — happen. at a candlelit video in oxford last night, _ happen. at a candlelit video in oxford last night, the - happen. at a candlelit video in i oxford last night, the community 0xford last night, the community came together to honour the four teenagers, four minutes of bell—ringing, one minute for each victim. ethan crumbley is being

charged as an adult and is accused of terrorism charges and first—degree murder. aruna iyengar, bbc news. one person has been killed and nearly 50 others have suffered burns after a volcano erupted on the indonesian island ofjava. airlines were warned after a cloud of ash rose up to 50,000 feet from mount semeru. villages nearby have been covered in debris. smoke was so thick, light from the sun was blotted out. the world's oldest test cricketer, eileen ash, has died at the age of 110. eileen ash, here ringing the bell at the 2017 women's world cup final at lord's, made her england debut as a bowler in 1937 and played seven tests either side of the second world war, before retiring in 1949. football and liverpool have moved to the top of the premier league after they beat wolves with an injury time winner. it was made possible after league leaders chelsea earlier lost 3—2 to london rivals west ham.

here's our sports reporter adam wild. it is a sign of how far west ham have come that they welcomed the european champions with a note of optimism and a song from the start. there isn't much between these cross capital rivals, geographically or otherwise. it took chelsea's thiago silva to putjust a little distance between them. leading the way in the premier league, but at the back here, chelsea suddenly in all of a muddle. a needless penalty. manuel lanzini seeing it away with a confidence his side's seasoners rightly afforded. much of the half—time chat though would be about what mason mount managed. the cross to him was sublime. his volley something else. commentator: that is one of the goals of the season! i still, back came west ham once more. jarrod bowen bringing the sides level for a second time. for teams so close it would take something special to separate them once and for all. it's gone in! it came from arthur masuaku. a winner for west ham as bizarre as it was brilliant.

and those west ham songs of optimism are getting louder.