but your love for trinity, it is a love story at its heart, this movie. yeah, i agree, i agree. and matrix resurrections, you know, that's one of the primary stories. this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the us supreme court leaves a controversial texas law banning most abortions in place — president biden says he's "very concerned" the us announces sanctions on a chinese tech company, amid concerns about the treatment of ethnic uyghurs in xinjiang province. of ethnic uyghurs a warning that the omicron variant could be the dominant strain in the uk within a week — a senior government minister says the situation is seriously worrying the wikileaks founder julian assange can be extradited to stand trial in the us, according to the latest legal ruling in britain. and mike nesmith — singer and guitarist with the sixties band the monkees — has died at the age of 78.

welcome if you have just welcome if you havejustjoined us. very good to have your company. we begin this are in the united states. the white house says presidentjoe biden is "very concerned" by the supreme court's decision to leave inplace a ban on most abortions in texas. it follows a ruling by the court on friday that abortion providers can pursue legal challenges to a controversial law that bans the procedure in the state of texas after the first six weeks of pregnancy. but the court also ruled that the legislation will remain in place for now. the law has been sharply criticised by doctors, women's rights groups and the biden administration. the president is very concerned by the supreme sourt�*s decision —— the president is very concerned by the supreme court's decision to allow sb8 to remain in effect,

given the consequences that law has for women in texas and around the country and for the rule of law. i know you noted this, but i would just like to reiterate that the president is deeply committed to the constitutional right recognising roe v wade, and he has argued and advocated in the past for codifying roe through passing the women's health protection act, and the ruling this morning is a reminder of how much these rights are at risk. it is a minor victory for abortion providers because it removes an obstacle. the texas lot has an unusual enforcement mechanism which was deliberately designed to prevent legal challenges. we are definitely seeing an impact. since the state is not enforcing it,

that state has with that is unacceptable. it's created a path for the invoicing clinics to bring their lawsuits, although it's a narrow one. abortion rights activists are particularly dismayed the justices have not blocked the law in the meantime. president biden as well has that he is very concerned that it is still in effect. anti—abortion rights activists are celebrating that it remains in effect, but they are frustrated that the abortion clinics will be allowed to proceed with their lawsuits. a lot has had quite an effect in texas. many women seeking abortion now have to leave the state to get one, sometimes they even have to go to neighbouring states to get them, and their concern is broader than texas, because the supreme court is looking at another case, a separate case involving mississippi, and in that case, the conservative justices on the bench have indicated they may be prepared to roll back established abortion rights. barbara platt usher, and a little bit later in this hour, we will hear from campaigners concerned about the impact of that announcement by the supreme court.

the united states has placed financial sanctions on a chinese software company and two political leaders in the xinjiang region over the persecution of the uyghur population. the us treasury said facial recognition software designed by the firm, sensetime, was intended to be used against the uyghurs and other muslims. our correspondent nomia iqbaljoins us now from washington. tell us what lies behind the sanction. tell us what lies behind the sanction-— tell us what lies behind the sanction. , , �* sanction. yes, well, president biden wants to show _ sanction. yes, well, president biden wants to show that _ sanction. yes, well, president biden wants to show that democracies - sanction. yes, well, president biden i wants to show that democracies work. this is all part of his summit which started yesterday, which is called the summit for democracy. this is one of his big things. he believes that if the world is going are going to move forward in its democracies that should lead the way. not authoritarian countries, not even authoritarian countries, not even authoritarian capitalist countries like china, for example, so he believes leaders like vladimir putin and the president of china undermined democracies, of course,

both men are... i might add. international human rights day as well at all coincides at that. just to remind, sanctions are designed to hurt countries, economically and financially. on most of us lower cost lower risk rights of action between diplomacy and were designed to make countries change their behaviour through pain and pressure. as you mentioned there, he has put the sanction on china, this is an investment ban on this company, just reading here, they are accused of developing the spatial recognition technology which targets uighur muslims. a few others, he's imposed sanctions on north korea, the first time in the biden administration against pyongyang's prosecution office, also sanctions against individuals associated with the police force in bangladesh accused of extrajudicial killings, and also

against the military in emr. they are accused of rounding up individuals and killing them in the uk and canada alsojoined in on that sanction. —— myanmar. a wide—ranging list that he is introduced today. the president set on the first day of his democracy summit thursday in a speech that this was a defining challenge of the age and presumably by implication of his administration. he's pretty much made clear that the americans where never sending in troops either to defend taiwan against china or india to defend ukraine against russia. other people in washington concerned about the overall impression that is left of an administration that will use financial weapons but not military ones? i use financial weapons but not military ones?— use financial weapons but not milita ones? ~ ., , military ones? i think ultimately, there is support _ military ones? i think ultimately, there is support for _ military ones? i think ultimately, there is support for those - military ones? i think ultimately, there is support for those in - military ones? i think ultimately, there is support for those in his l there is support for those in his democratic party for showing this sort of leadership, and it is as you mentioned there thought of as one of his main objectives here. it's worth mentioning that when he's introduced a sort of new sanctions before china

has had back in imposed its own sanctions they had expelled us diplomats, so it will be interesting to see what the reaction is, for a lot of those countries, they look at america as, wait a minute, what's happening in your own back garden? right now is a very fragile moment in some ways for america's on democracy, which is something president biden has said. if the former president donald trump who is still wrongfully believing that the election was stolen from him. there is some concern in the white house that you have trump and his allies trying to install state election officials to try and influence the midterm elections and ultimately the presidential elections in 2024, but america is the superpower, he doesn't want to lose its status or influence in the world. in washington, good to talk to you, thank you very much. the british government is warning of a deeply concerning situation, as new data confirms that the omicron variant in the uk is growing rapidly in all regions,

and could be the dominant strain here within the next week. the uk health security agency is suggesting that vaccine protection against mild symptoms has been substantially reduced, but that boosters are effective. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. the omicron variant is spreading incredibly fast, despite our highly immunised population. the growth rate is higher than last christmas, when very few had been vaccinated and the alpha variant hit. new data shows that if you have had two doses of vaccine more than three months ago, it is unlikely to prevent you getting infected with omicron or stop you from passing it on. but if you had a booster, it is likely to give 75% protection against a mild infection with omicron. that booster should give even greater immunity against severe disease. but it is the sheer growth rate of omicron which is worrying scientists. it may produce the biggest wave of

infections so far in this pandemic. if we continue to double at this rate, i would expect that, without mitigations, we could have 100,000 or 200,000 cases, or even more, by the end of the month in the case numbers that we see everyday. if those cases then translate into hospitalisation s, you can look at a ratio of how many cases could turn into hospitalisations. we don't know if it would be i% or 0.5%, and we have to wait and get the data to raise the concern any further. ——a huge wave of infection here could still result in a sudden peak of hospital admissions within a matter of weeks. the government is not ruling out further measures beyond plan b to control omicron, but no one yet is using the l word — lockdown. we absolutely do need to keep

everything under review. i think the approach that we're taking is proportionate, we recognise the importance of balancing people's ability to get on with their lives with the need to protect them against this virus, but action is absolutely required, and as new data comes in, we will consider what action we do require to take in the face of that data. care homes were especially hard—hit in earlier covid waves. under new guidance, residents in england will be allowed a maximum of three visitors, and more vaccination teams will be deployed to offer boosters. the omicron puzzle is still being pieced together. for now, it remains unclearjust how big and how serious it will prove. fergus walsh, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news... ghana is introducing some of the world's strictest covid travel rules, by banning any adult who has not been vaccinated from flying in with effect from monday. there is no option to self—isolate. ghanaian citizens and residents abroad are exempt for up to two

weeks, but will be required to get jabbed upon landing at the airport. there's been a huge explosion at a palestinian camp in the city of tyre in southern lebanon. state media say an ammunition depot belonging to the palestinian militant group hamas at a refugee camp in the city blew up. they say a number of people have been killed and wounded. a lorry has overturned in southern mexico killing 53 people and injuring dozens more. over a 100 people, said to be migrants from central america heading to the us border, had been crammed into the lorry�*s trailer. the authorities say the truck hit a pedestrian bridge on a highway outside the city of tusklus gut—earez. the wikileaks founder julian assange can be extradited to the us to stand trial, the uk's high court has ruled. assange faces charges in the states of publishing classified documents. his extradition was blocked injanuary because of concerns about his mental health, but nowjudges have said that assurances given about mr assange's treatment allow the move to go ahead.

dominic casciani has this report. free, freejulian assange! a day ofjudgment, but is it the end of the road in washington for a man who has been wanted for a decade? today, the high court ruled julian assange should go on trial in the us for disclosing state secrets. his supporters say he'll kill himself injail, the americans say they'll treat him humanely. mr assange's partner says those assurances are worthless. the high court decided againstjulian on this occasion on the basis of political assurances. amnesty international has analysed these assurances and has said that they are inherently unreliable. it's taken 11 years to get here. in 2010, julian assange's wikileaks posted video of iraqi civilians killed by us forces. just one of thousands of us secrets. two years later, he flees into the ecuadorian embassy in london.

in 2018, the us begins preparing a prosecution. the next year, assange is removed from the embassy, and he's been in a britishjail cell ever since. for his supporters, julian assange is a warrior for truth and justice, but our extradition law says he must stand trial for his alleged crimes. his lawyers will try to get the case into the supreme court to overturn this judgment, but that's not guaranteed. time is running out. if he can't launch a final appeal, one of the most controversial figures of the internet age will be on his way to trial in america. dominic casciani, bbc news, at the high court. stay with us on news, still to come: we'll be remembering mike nesmith — the guitarist with the sixties band the monkees — who's died aged 78

john lennon was shot at the entrance of the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing and putting on a silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city. witnesses say that the shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. the widow of the former president of the philippines has _ gone on trial in manila. i she is facing seven charges of taxl evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines... the us supreme court leaves a controversial texas law banning most abortions in place — president biden says he's very concerned by the decision the wikileaks founder, julian assange, can be extradited to the us on criminal charges, according to the latest ruling by the uk courts. let's return to our top story. the us supreme court has ruled that abortion providers can challenge a controversial law that bans the procedure in texas after the first six weeks of pregnancy. so what are some of the mains points of this law that makes it so controversial? well the texas heartbeat act is the most restrictive legislation passed in the us since abortion was made a constitutional right five decades ago. the law, which came into effect in september, prohibits all abortions after six weeks

of being pregnant. the legislation does make an exception in the case of a medical emergency, although patients would need written proof from a doctor. but — it does not make any exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. i'm joined now by alina salganicoff, director of women's health policy at kaiser family foundation. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. it's good to happy talking to us on a day which must be rather frustrating for organisations like your own. first, can you tell us in the limited amount of time that this law has been in for organisations like your own. first, can you tell us in the limited amount of time that this law has beenin amount of time that this law has been in force, maybe nearly 12 weeks now, but perhaps slightly less, what effect hasn't had in texas? the effect hasn't had in texas? the effect has _ effect hasn't had in texas? the effect has been _ effect hasn't had in texas? tue: effect has been dramatic. effect hasn't had in texas? tte: effect has been dramatic. it's effect hasn't had in texas? tt2 effect has been dramatic. it's in september one when the law took

effect. research has shown that about half of the abortions that would've typically happened in texas did not, so the vast majority of abortions are not happening in the state. women are either opting not to get abortions or are going out of state. ,, , ., ~ ., ., state. the supreme court, we know of course is known _ state. the supreme court, we know of course is known as _ state. the supreme court, we know of course is known as having _ state. the supreme court, we know of course is known as having a _ state. the supreme court, we know of course is known as having a now- course is known as having a now conservative leaning to it in the nine justices thanks to the justices that have been appointed under president trump. we had oral hearings last week on some of the detail of the legislation. notjust this law, but the mississippi law and the more broader debate about rather roe v wade survives as a constitutional precedent. justices seem to be think that the basic constitutional rights as established by that president is intact, and yet giving discretion to the states whether or not they enforce that right. do you understand the kind of legality of that? and does not open up legality of that? and does not open

up any grounds for you to challenge in federal courts how this law in texasis in federal courts how this law in texas is working?— in federal courts how this law in texas is working? well, it can be very confusing — texas is working? well, it can be very confusing because _ texas is working? well, it can be very confusing because there - texas is working? well, it can be very confusing because there are j very confusing because there are actually two cases. today, the court ruled about the case in texas, december one, just last week, they had oral arguments for a mississippi band. the texas case is very different in terms of the enforcement mechanism, and what the judges ruled today is that the law cannot be blocked while the case goes through that decision in the lower court. the context right now nationally in the united states, many are questioning whether the constitutional right to abortion that was established by robie bade —— roe v wade will continue to exist, give and the conservative nature of the new bench. in exist, give and the conservative nature of the new bench. in terms of the texas law. _ nature of the new bench. in terms of the texas law, one _ nature of the new bench. in terms of the texas law, one of _ nature of the new bench. in terms of the texas law, one of its _ the texas law, one of its peculiarities somewhat say deliberate when is that effectively,

well, does two things. it relies on other citizens to effectively confess that their neighbour is getting an abortion and get a reward for that. getting an abortion and get a reward forthat. it getting an abortion and get a reward for that. it also seems to be an attempt to protect officials of the state from any kind of legal action. do you derive any help from the judgement today that that might come up judgement today that that might come up some legal leeway for you potentially to challenge how this law is applied?— potentially to challenge how this law is applied? well, the way this law is applied? well, the way this law was crafted _ law is applied? well, the way this law was crafted was _ law is applied? well, the way this law was crafted was intentionally | law was crafted was intentionally crafted in a way to actually evade federal scrutiny hair because the individuals are the ones, as we said, who are the ones who are filing civil lawsuits against anyone who aids into beds and abortion. so it's very possible that, well, it is likely, this is likely now the

clinic will go back to the lower report and challenge this, but the way that the supreme court ruled todayis way that the supreme court ruled today is very narrow in the ability of the clinic to challenge this live moving forward. at of the clinic to challenge this live moving forward.— of the clinic to challenge this live moving forward. at the kaiser family foundation, thank _ moving forward. at the kaiser family foundation, thank you _ moving forward. at the kaiser family foundation, thank you so _ moving forward. at the kaiser family foundation, thank you so much - moving forward. at the kaiser family foundation, thank you so much for. foundation, thank you so much for joining us from berkeley california on bbc news this friday. i should just say that presidentjoe biden issued a statement earlier today saying that he was encouraged that the lawsuit is open to be continued but is deeply committed to protecting roe v wade, that legal ruling that permits abortion in the first place. uk prime minister borisjohnson continues to face questions over a gathering held last december when covid restrictions were in place. it has emerged thatjohnson's director of communications, jack doyle, spoke at the event, which is now under official investigation. two sources have told the bbc mr doyle offered his resignation, but that mrjohnson would not accept it. however number ten denied that he offered to quit. i asked tim bale, professor of politics at queen mary university of london, just how big a crisis

this is for mrjohnson. i think accepting borisjohnson coming down with covid himself and going into intensive care is probably the biggest crisis he's faced, at least politically. there are so many problems seeming to pile up over the last week that it is, i think, making tory mps, as ben wright said, miserable, even if they are not necessarily neatness right now. i expect that he and they will hope to limp on until christmas and then hope something turns up in the new year, but certainly at the moment, he is in crisis mode. and is this about his leadership, or his, if you like, judgement in the people he aeroplanes and the people he accepts reassurances from? well, to be honest, i think there is always a tendency for people to blame the evil advisers, if you like, rather than the king himself. that goes right back

to mediaeval times, and it's no different nowadays. i would've thought that most tory mps in their heart of hearts know that the problem stems right from the top, rather than those around boris johnson. nevertheless, it has to be said that of course when they picked him as leader, they knew about some of his faults. and i guess hoped that if he had a good team around him some of those faults could be minimised. that doesn't seem to have been the case. david goc, the former conservative cabinet minister obviously fell out with mrjohnson over brexit, but i think it's probably fair to say he is broadly still conservative in his outlook, i don't know if he is a member of the conservative party any longer, that's a matterfor him, but he was saying, look, he was concerned that he always knew borisjohnson was perhaps a bit shaky on detail, that he didn't necessarily always have, you know, a wholly consistent relationship with the facts, famously, of course, he didn't tell

the truth to michael howard, which is why he sacked him over, i think that was over an extramarital affair, when misterjohnson was on that shadow bench, that was years ago, but on that basis, it would be rather unfair, wooden debts, of tories to turn on him if, say, he decides actually he cannot stay in hisjob because he doesn't think the prime minister was wholly disclosed all the evidence and information about the flat refurbishment. yes, but i think there is a difference between choosing someone as a leader who has, let's say a difficult relationship with the truth. michael nesmith, singer and guitarist with 1960s pop group the monkees, has died at the age of 78. the quartet rose to fame with a string of hit songs the quartet rose to fame with a string of hit songs and starred in their own popular tv sitcom.in a statement to us media, michael nesmith's family said he "passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes". our media and arts correspondent david sillito told me he was a big

fan of the monkees growing up. mike, i grew up watching the monkees thinking it was the most fantastic tv programme i'd ever seen, and it is hard how popular they were in their peak, and there is a fantastic audition tape of him back in 1966, i think it is, 65, and there he is in the woolly hat, the deadpan drawl style there from the very beginning, absolutely crucial parts of the monkees magic. and he was already by this point a singer—songwriter. he had songs, one of his songs was being sung by linda ronstadt, but of course, famously, the monkees weren't allowed to play on their first records, and they were very much a made—for—tv band. but they had great talent, and... and he did insist that they write and record their own music. absolutely. and he was very discouraged, very discouraged that they weren't allowed to play his songs, and one of the last songs is listen to the band, which is absolutely fantastic song, right at the end of the monkees career.

then he goes on, well, he goes on and creates, he is one of the creators of country rock, the first national band, not very successful, but they are great songs. then he moves on, he does a song called rio in the late �*70s and decides "i'm going to do a pop video for that," quite sort out their pop video and thinks, i like this idea, i'm going put this together, maybe into like a tv programme that people could watch, and he sells the idea to warners, then they go on and take that idea and create mtv. he is very much the architect of mtv. and — happy to be heading back to sea — two turtles have been released back into the mediterranean after months recovering from an injury. they got their toes wet at habonim beach near israel's northern city of haifa. they were injured during a fishing incident earlier this year — but were given treatment by a group of animal rescue experts. and now after a full recovery the time came to wave goodbye. are kind of flip, flap, flap goodbye, i guess. we can't... we

can't ever be psyched to see them go, can we? that's at. i hope you are not sorry to see us go. this has been bbc world news. hello. a big change in the feel of the weather through this weekend with some milder air spreading from the west. but with that, a fair amount of cloud, some mist and murk and hill fog and some outbreaks of rain at times. on the earlier satellite picture, a slice of clear sky, and where that clear sky remains, quite a cold start to saturday morning. the coldest weather of the whole weekend, in fact. out west, more cloud, and with that some milder weather, which is slowly but surely going to crawl its way eastwards through the day. so, temperatures in eastern parts starts below freezing, western areas well above.

belfast at six, plymouth at eight degrees and as we go through the day the milder but cloudier and wetter conditions will work eastwards. so early sunshine in eastern scotland, eastern england, that won't last long, things will tend to cloud over. briefly a bit of sleet and snow over high ground in scotland. but as you can see, it will turn back to rain because as this wet weather continues to track eastwards it will introduce ever milder conditions. so 12 degrees for belfast, for cardiff, for plymouth, just six in aberdeen, seven in norwich. but chilly, as we go through saturday night we will bring that milder weather further eastwards. whereas we normally expect temperatures to drop through the night, they won't across some eastern parts of england, for example ending the night at 10 degrees in norwich and hull, five there in aberdeen, very mild out towards the west. all the while some cloud, outbreaks of rain, some clear spells across the northern half of the country. through sunday, again, there's going to be quite a lot of cloud. that cloud producing some outbreaks of rain at times, especially through northwest england, northern ireland, up into scotland. some bright or glimpses here and there and a very, very mild afternoon, eight to 14 degrres.

we have to keep a close eye on developments during sunday night, because this small but potent weather feature is expected to pass closer to the far northwest a deepening area of low pressure. that is set to bring some very strong winds across parts of northern ireland, but perhaps most especially in exposed parts of western and northern scotland, particularly for the western and northern isles, there could be some really quite stormy weather for a time. we will keep you posted on that one throughout the weekend. into next week, it stays relatively mild. a bit of rain around for a time, perhaps settling down later in the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines. president biden says he's very concerned by a supreme court decision to leave strict new abortion laws in place in texas. the new rules ban abortions from six weeks of pregnancy. they're being challenged by abortion providers. the uk health security agency says the country could have more than a million omicron cases by the end of the month — and that two doses provides little protection against the new variant. the high court in london has ruled thatjulian assange should be extradited to stand trial in the united states. the wikileaks founder faces charges linked to the leaking of classified military documents. ghana is introducing some of the world's strictest covid travel rules, by banning any adult who has not been vaccinated from flying in with effect from monday. ghanaian citizens and residents abroad are exempt for up to two weeks.