this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. days before a likely backbench rebellion — uk prime minister, borisjohnson faces fresh questions about christmas gatherings at downing street a year ago — after a photo emerges of him taking part in a quiz. he can't deliver the leadership that this country needs. we have got a very important vote coming up next weekend he can't even discharge the basic functions. the worst possible lead at the worst possible time. they can now make their mind up when they see him on a virtual screen, or a zoom call thanking his team who are in the building because they have to be to respond to a national emergency.

the nhs in england is extending its vaccination programme — as it tries to get on top of the omicron variant. 30 to 39 year olds can now book a virus boosterjab from tomorrow. g7 foreign ministers warn iran that �*time is running out�* to rescue the nuclear deal. there is still time for a man to agree the steel and it is the last chance, as i said,. emergency teams search for survivors in 6 us states, after more than 70 people die in the largest outbreaks of tornadoes in us history. and the battle for the chequered flag as max verstappen starts on pole — to take on lewis hamilton in the fi title decider in abu dhabi.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. new covid restrictions are expected to become law this week as labour leader sir keir starmer confirmed his party will be supporting the uk government in tuesday's vote. it comes as borisjohnson could potentially be facing the largest rebellion of his premiership, with more than 60 conservative mps said to be against the imposition of further restrictive measures. meanwhile mrjohnson has come under fire for taking part in a christmas quiz sitting between two colleagues in no 10 last year — while indoor household mixing was banned in london. the sunday mirror has obtained

a photo of the quiz — showing the prime minister with two people sat next to him. downing street has acknowledged mrjohnson was involved, but says the event was held virtually. earlier, i spoke to our political correspondent helen catt about the growing criticism. since that picture was published this morning on the sunday mirror's first page there is of course, as you would expect, been political reaction to that, opposition coming forward and saying borisjohnson is unfit to lead and we have also had some conservative mps who have come forward and been critical and said, look, the prime minister needs to sort of stop this sort of drip, drip, drip of pictures of claims that we are seeing coming out about what happened around christmas number ten last year. the labour leader was asked this morning about this and he was asked if he thought borisjohnson had broken the law with this. it looks as though he was anti—must have known those other groups were in other rooms

in his own building. you know, this is very important. he is now so a week, his party are so divided he can't deliver the leadership that this and we have got a very important vote coming up next week and he can't even discharge the basic functions. he is the worst possible leader at the worst possible time. you heard in the piece earlier, downing street is saying this piece was virtual, the prime minister popped in to host one band appeared virtually. the education minister was defending it earlier. my e—mail box is full of people thinking that he was sort of, i you know, parties with guests - and all sorts of things happening. actually, they can now make their | mind up and they see the picture| when they see the picture of the premised _

on a virtual screen, and as_ you call thanking his team who are in the building - because they have to respond to a national emergency, - then they can make their mind up. just to say on this, i am not taking away anything from this, - the prime minister said that the cabinet - secretary will investigate _ all alleged events including another department and will report back. it is isn't it? because we have also got this by—election north shropshire coming up and their threat off the back of that of a possible vote of no confidence. there is a lot of unhappiness within the conservative party by the way this has vaulted over the last couple of weeks and a lot of frustration when you talk to tory mps about the sort of perceived failure of downing street to get a grip on this story and for these details to stop coming out quite like this and it is, as you said, big week electorally for the conservative party. there is a by—election north shropshire which

should in normal times be a safe conservative seat so any change there would be a huge shock. it is also really be quick because the mps will vote on these public health measures that we have been talking about. these new restrictions. that comes on tuesday and even though labour is going to back them so they are likely to pass and become law, they are about 60 conservative mps over who had said that they will not support them so you can expect a lot more sort of internal argument as this week progresses. people in england aged between 30 and 39 can book their booster jab from tomorrow. the acceleration of the vaccination programme comes as scientists warn that the uk could face record levels of infection, without further restrictions. cases of the 0micron variant are now doubling every two and a half days. she said she expects the omicron

variant is better unvaccinated people. variant is better unvaccinated --eole. ~ . variant is better unvaccinated eo le, . ., ., , variant is better unvaccinated --eole.~ . ., , variant is better unvaccinated --eole. . ., , ., people. we have in the early days of understanding _ people. we have in the early days of understanding of _ people. we have in the early days of understanding of cron _ people. we have in the early days of understanding of cron and _ people. we have in the early days of understanding of cron and how- people. we have in the early days of understanding of cron and how it - understanding of cron and how it affects people. secondly, clearly, if you have had a prior infection or you've had vaccination, we would expect you to have less serious disease. however, the sheer weight of numbers that look like they're coming towards us with the 0micron infection means that it will find those people who are unvaccinated or who have had a poor response to the vaccine for their underlying immune condition and that will mean that we will still see individuals in hospital. in the confirmed cases in the uk at the moment, we have only had a very small number over the age of 70, who are the people we see with the most severe disease in hospital, so i think it is early days for us to tell. in south africa, even although they are reporting that there is a lot of mild disease and a lot of people are coming into hospital with covid rather than because of covid, it is still causing a rapidly increasing number of beds over the last ten days.

the g7 summit in liverpool in the northwest of england is into its second day — with iran the main issue on the agenda. negotiators are trying to revive the international agreement signed in 2015, which lifted sanctions on iran, in return for limits on tehran's nuclear ambitions. the uk foreign secretary, liz truss, who's chairing the g7 meeting, had this warning for iran. this is the last chance for iran to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution to this issue which has to be agreeing the terms of theirjc poa. this is the last chance and it is vital that they do so. we will not allow iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and it is

vital that they come to the table and are serious about the negotiations. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale has more. her remarks arejust her remarks are just the latest stage of western leaders and ministers trying to put a little bit more pressure on iranjust to ministers trying to put a little bit more pressure on iran just to say, look, the situation as it is currently cannot continue forever. there are talks taking place in vienna with negotiators on both sides still talking, still holding lots of meetings but they are not negotiating over detailed texts yet and that is because there is a disagreement over where they should start. essentially, the west, britain, france, germany, the other signatories to the initial agreement, china and russia, are all saying these negotiations you pick up saying these negotiations you pick up where they left off injune where

they were suspended after elections were held in the new government said it wanted time to be assessed. iran says it is serious about having a deal and negotiating a deal but iranian negotiators have come back saying we are happy to talk about the june text saying we are happy to talk about thejune text but saying we are happy to talk about the june text but we want to saying we are happy to talk about thejune text but we want to make our own additions to them. they say it is impossible because if you're going to make substantive changes you have been negotiating from the start of that would take months and months and there simply isn't the time because the rate at which iran is currently developing into nuclear capabilities so there is a sort of impasse in vienna and what she is doing here in liverpool is trying to inject a degree of urgency, and send that message to teheran to say, look, this situation cannot continue forever. emergency teams in six us states are continuing to search for survivors following one of the largest outbreaks of tornadoes in us history. more than 70 people died in kentucky, including dozens in a candle factory,

and the death toll is expected to rise above 100. the state's governor said it would be a miracle if anyone else was found alive. there've been reports of deaths too in arkansas, missouri, tennessee and illinois, where six amazon workers have been confirmed dead, after the roof of their warehouse collapsed. the tornadoes also ripped through the state of missouri. taylor holt is a reporter for kmov based in st louis. any time that you're in a tornado or in a severe storm like that, the aftermath is just devastating and that's what we saw here as well. a lot of debris is still around that amazon warehouse where now six people have been confirmed dead. you know, the emergency responders there are working through a lot of unstable conditions.

so there's still a lot of downed trees there, concrete there. it's still more than 20 for our search and rescue effort that's going on there. so, you know, just a lot of unstability to work through. and at the same time, like i said, it's a search and rescue effort going on there. and so you have to be careful with that and you have to watch out for their own safety. they have to, you know, save lives. and so it is a risky thing that they're putting themselves in and, you know, the conditions that they have to work around. so definitely still a lot of devastation that they're working through this morning. afghanistan is responsible for the vast majority of the world's heroin supply — and now it's also emerged as a major manufacturer of crystal meth. as the country faces economic collapse since the taliban's rise to power, the drug trade there is booming. a warning, there is distressing content in this report by our afghanistan correspondent,

secunder kermani. they are one of afghanistan's most lucrative exports. but these drugs are destroying lives here and abroad. first heroin, and increasingly now, crystal meth. this, an exclusive look at where the met is coming from. these drugs in southern afghanistan will be smuggled to countries as far away as australia. the amount in this room alone would sell there for around £2 million. this is how it is made. makeshift open—air labs in the desert under the noses of the taliban. these tracks are full of a

key ingredient. traffickers here have discovered a common wild plant can be used to produce method cheaply. last week the taliban banned farmers from picking it but they are not shutting down the meth labs. this man has links to the trade. when the taliban announced their barn and this plant, they tell me, the wholesale price of meth doubled and there are still warehouses full of it. it is another dangerous drug, heroin, from opium poppies like these most commonly associated with afghanistan. before the taliban takeover, opium trade is paid of corrupt officials and so would the black paced secretly. now, they have been allowed to open up stalls and markets. we are driving through a bazaar where opium is being sold openly. much of it is then going to be

processed into heroin. the taliban are not stopping drug production — in fact, they've been taxing it for years. they don't want journalists to see it being traded. that is why we are filming from inside the car. you call yourselves an islamic government but you are allowing drug production. isn't that hypocritical? translation: under the islamic emirate, before 2001, the growing and selling of opium dropped to zero. right now we're to find alternatives. we cannot take this away from people without offering them something else. eradicating this is good for us in the international community, so the world should help too. for years, poorfarmers have relied on opium to provide for theirfamilies. now, as afghanistan's economy collapses without international support, and water levels continue to drop, many see it has the safest crop to grow. 0pium destroys a lot of people's lives.

the taliban regularly haul these addicts off to rehab centres. but many end up straight back here. for now, more drugs look set to hit the streets, both in afghanistan and across the world. secunder kermani, bbc news, afghanistan. it's a national mission, the health secretary says, to getjabs into arms as quickly as possible. one of the most thrilling formula one seasons comes to a climax today. lewis hamilton will race max verstappen in the abu dhabi grand prix. the pair are currently level on points, but vertsappen starts in pole position. fi journalist inga stracke told me about the atmosphere ahead of the race. at the moment i'm standing in front

of the entrance to the race track. there are people coming in, everybody wants to go here. spaces are been sold out. people are begging for passes and it is going to be amazing. what is this going to come down to? skill or the car? maybe luck, who knows. it is going to be a sunset race and i'm really proud of being here, being part of formula i, 22 races this year. at the beginning of the pandemic alert people did not think it could happen, and it has come to even points for the two contenders and i really hope that they both make it to the finish line, and the race will be decided at the finish line and may the best man win. tell us about the temperaments of the two drivers we will all be watching.

0bviously, lewis has gone through his moments and then you've got the young verstappen as well. you couldn't write a movie script better. this is real life, this is formula i. and this is brilliant for the fans. you have sarah lewis hamilton coming from a non—moneyed background who worked his way up and is probably ahead of his eighth world championship title. you've got verstappen son of a racing driver and go kart driver mum, who has grown up wanting to become world champion. mercedes, the top car producer and red bull, an energy drink who formed formula i team. it could not be any more different. and the characters cannot be any more different but they have one thing in common. and when the lights go off it is pure racing and hopefully no politics.

residents of a seaside village in norfolk have been told to avoid the beach, after a substantial landslide earlier this week. it's the third cliff—fall of its kind on the same stretch of coastline, in just two years. 0ur reporter ian barmer has the story. if you needed reminding how vulnerable parts of our coast are becoming, this is the example. people woke to find the sea defences and much of the beach covered. in 2019, a huge cliff fall was filmed as it happened. last year, it happened again. very tired, you know, thinking about it all. going to have to move, i reckon, now. it was under two years ago, i think. that could happen here. it has already started and it is the start of the season for this weather and am now very nervous and agitated about it any further.

lives along much of the coast are vulnerable for one important reason. they are made up largely of sand and soil which soaks up rainfall and can then sheer away. you've just gotta be careful with our cliffs, you know. in other parts of the country you get rock whether clubs are very careful but because of how hours are made up of sand and soil, they are always vulnerable. but this time of year, lots of rain, it makes it worse. the coastguards want people to stay away from the beach, and say the landslide is so big it could leave people cut off at high tide — and the top of the cliff is still potentially very unstable. a new form of robotic surgery is being pioneered in the uk which aims to speed up recovery times and help patients spend less time in hospital. at guy's and thomas's hospital in london surgeons have already used robotic arms to conduct proceedures and the technology is expected to be rolled out across the country in the coming years.

frankie mccamley reports. i wanted to get rid of it and this is the basis of how the operation came to be. he is the basis of how the operation came to be-_ came to be. he was asked if he wanted to _ came to be. he was asked if he wanted to be _ came to be. he was asked if he wanted to be the _ came to be. he was asked if he wanted to be the first - came to be. he was asked if he wanted to be the first person . came to be. he was asked if hej wanted to be the first person in came to be. he was asked if he - wanted to be the first person in the uk to have his prostate gland removed by a new robotic system. it is nice to be part of something new within the medical field. is nice to be part of something new within the medicalfield. that, in future, may contribute effectiveness, a lot of service to the community. and, therefore, i had no doubt about it.— no doubt about it. using 3d hd cameras and — no doubt about it. using 3d hd cameras and remote _ no doubt about it. using 3d hd cameras and remote arms - no doubt about it. using 3d hd cameras and remote arms a i no doubt about it. using 3d hd| cameras and remote arms a few no doubt about it. using 3d hd - cameras and remote arms a few metres away from the patient, surgeons

control robotic arms in order to carry out complicated operations. this hospital has the largest robotic surgery program in the country with six robots carrying out operations on all the different parts of the body from lungs to tonsils, surgeons here are pioneering new techniques that could soon be used across the uk. in fine soon be used across the uk. in five orten soon be used across the uk. in five or ten years _ soon be used across the uk. in five or ten years time _ soon be used across the uk. in five or ten years time most _ soon be used across the uk. in five or ten years time most keyhole - or ten years time most keyhole surgery— or ten years time most keyhole surgery in— or ten years time most keyhole surgery in this country is going to be done — surgery in this country is going to be done with robotic assistants and it has_ be done with robotic assistants and it has been— be done with robotic assistants and it has been a slow growth over the last ten_ it has been a slow growth over the last ten years or so but we are now at the _ last ten years or so but we are now at the stage — last ten years or so but we are now at the stage where these robots are so adaptable they can help with so many _ so adaptable they can help with so many different types of operations. the patients responded?— the patients responded? patients have been fantastic. _ the patients responded? patients have been fantastic. they've - the patients responded? patients| have been fantastic. they've been positive _ have been fantastic. they've been positive and thankfully the results so far— positive and thankfully the results so far have been good. in positive and thankfully the results so far have been good.— positive and thankfully the results so far have been good. in his case, the results — so far have been good. in his case, the results were _ so far have been good. in his case, the results were everything - so far have been good. in his case, the results were everything he - so far have been good. in his case, the results were everything he and| the results were everything he and his family hoped for. he is now cancer free his family hoped for. he is now cancerfree and making every his family hoped for. he is now cancer free and making every day count. space — it's the final frontier. but now, it's also a family business.

yesterday, the daughter of the first american astronaut followed in her fathers footsteps — blasting off to the edge of space sixty years after he made history. laura shepard churchley took off on board a commercial aircraft — named after her dad — alan shepard. mark lobel reports. three, two, one. from rural texas to the edge of space. laura shepard—churchley following in her father's footsteps 60 years after his pioneering flight is the first american to make the journey. in a spacecraft named after him. mission control has confirmed new shepard has cleared the tower and is on its way to space. it was a once—in—a—lifetime ride on board this fully autonomous six—storey tall commercial flight reaching an altitude of over 100 kilometres during a thrilling 10—minute trip. long enough to experience zero gravity, though.

whoa! never seen anything like this. this tops an unforgettable year for human space flight, with private space companies aplenty, including space x and virgin galactic. blue 0rigin launched its first crewed space flight injuly, carrying its founder, amazon's jeff bezos. captain kirk himself! star trek�*s william shatner, the oldest person to make it into space, followed in october. this third flight is blue 0rigin's first full capacity one with six people on board which descended safely back to earth. the 74—year—old's verdict? awesome! awesome, she says. and following in her father's footsteps?

i thought about daddy coming down, and gosh, he didn't even get to enjoy anything i enjoyed. he was working. he was all business. right, he had to do it himself. i went on for the ride. have you seen how small his capsule was? he wasn't doing somersaults, he didn't have your windows. the only way he knew he was weightless was his straps were flying. right, because he was strapped in. underlining just how remarkably space travel has changed since 1961. how it will evolve in 2022 and beyond for the next generation, well, that's anyone's guess. mark lobel, bbc news. some latest lines regarding the

referendum in new caledonia which has overwhelmingly rejected the idea of independence from france. president macron said it will remain for a but will remain divided. more coming up here on bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with 0wain. hello, hello, everyone. i hope you're doing all right. now, for many of us, it's a much milder day across the uk. we are importing mild air from the south, but coupled with that, quite a lot of cloud around. it's not going to be a gorgeous, kind of sunny, mild day. we do also have some rain around. let's have a look at the big picture. first off, then, this is the main feature of our weather today. really, we have an area of low pressure here and this weather front will bring clouds and some rain in the low pressure, bringing some stormy conditions to northern parts later. but it's also the vehicle which is helping draw up this much milder air from the south. and i think many of us will feel that as we head through the day. that is the weather front perched across northern ireland

into the north of england, then moving northwards into scotland as we head through the day. further south, areas that saw quite a lot of rain in places yesterday should be drier, a bit of brightness as well. some mist and fog lingering for a time across parts of wales and southern parts, i think. but we could see some hail, fog elsewhere, top temperatures, a bit of a contrast, 13 or 1a celsius for many of us whilst further north, the very far north of scotland and the northern ireland, about 7—8 celsius. let's return to the pressure chart. and there's that area of low pressure that i was talking about earlier on. now, this is likely to bring some very unsettled conditions across western parts of scotland and the north of scotland as we head through tonight. gale force winds gusts up to 80, potentially higher, miles per hour, as we head through tonight behind this and blustery showers, some of these potentially turning wintry. and then we have this feature moving into southern and southwestern parts. lows tonight, however, 11 or 12 celsius, not a cold one, everyone, but it will be cooler further north. now as we head through

the day tomorrow this weather front is likely to stall. it'll just sort of lose interest and what really want to go anywhere. and as a result, it could bring quite a bit of rainfall across parts of wales into the north of england and some central parts as well. this is also a bit of a boundary — areas to the north of this drier, brighter, northern ireland, seeing quite a bit of sunshine, hopefully, but it will be colder. these showers continuing across parts of scotland, whereas further south, cloudy, murky with some rain, but also milder, 12 or 13 celsius our highs. now, this area of high pressure tries to build. as we head through this week, a few weather front skirting northern parts. but under the high pressure, quite a bit of cloud cover, quite misty and murky at times. we'll keep you posted. stay safe. see you soon.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. days before a likely backbench rebellion, uk prime minister borisjohson faces fresh questions about christmas gatherings at downing street a year ago — after a photo emerges of him taking part in a quiz. the nhs in england is extending its vaccination programme as it tries to get on top of the 0micron variant — 30 to 39 year olds can book a virus booster jab from tomorrow. g7 foreign ministers warn iran that "time is running out" to rescue the nuclear deal. emergency teams search for survivors in six us states after more than seventy people die in the largest outbreaks of tornadoes in us history. and the battle for the chequered flag as max verstappen starts on pole

position to take on lewis hamilton