this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. new covid infections in the uk hit a record daily high — as the british government defends its decision not to introduce further restrictions in england. the us halves the covid isolation period for people without symptoms, to five days. protests outside court — as the kremlin bans one of russia's oldest and best known human rights organisations. a huge increase in the number of young children having to work on the streets in afghanistan. we have a special report from kabul. translation: my dad lost his job.

no—one else at home was working, so i started shoe—shining. the uk government has defended its decision to hold off on introducing new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year, saying it will monitor the situation closely. there are restrictions on socialising in the other nations that form the uk: wales, scotland and northern ireland. the latest data shows that there have again been record numbers of cases across the country. elsewhere in europe, france has also seen record high cases — and the country has announced tighter restrictions to try and get the spike in numbers — caused by the omicron variant

— under control. and there have been demonstrations in eastern germany against new restrictions. first let's get more on the situation here in the uk from our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. a vaccination centre in lambeth in london. among the boroughs worst affected areas by omicron in the uk. the staff here say there is no shortage of demand for the jabs. i'm a schoolteacher, i've got to go back. there's zero mitigation in class. i don't want to get sick. i'm 57, so i'm quite frightened of that and i don't want to pass it on to my loved ones. it's really important because i'm a recently retired senior head of education at university college so i preach it to my staff so i have to jolly well do it as well! unlike the rest of the uk which has increased restrictions,

the government in england is relying on vaccinations to get the country through the latest wave of covid. we do watch carefully all of the data and we have had some good news that it seems to be a bit milder in terms of severity but we do watch the hospitalisations and watc the number of people in hospitals all the time. the data that the government in england are monitoring in particular are the hospitalisations which are increasing, but are still far from the peak of previous waves. and in london, which has been worst hit by omicron, the number of patients in icu beds at hospitals like this and others are still well below worrying thresholds. despite the latest figures showing record high infections in the uk relating to the christmas period, some scientists say that the spread of the virus in england seems to be slowing. cases are still rising. i think suggestions a few days ago that we might have peaked, i think that was maybe not borne out yesterday, but on the other hand cases are not increasing as rapidly

as a week ago and i think we can be fairly certain that they're not doubling every couple of days now. but the virus in wales is now growing exponentially, mirroring what happened over the last few weeks in england. our rates were quite stable, around the 500 per 100,000 mark until a week or ten days ago but it's now heading towards the 1,000 per 100,000 mark. this data we've published today isjust before christmas so we still have to watch and see what the christmas mixing and new year mixing is going to produce. back in england the decision not to add further restrictions has been described as a lifeline for pubs, bars and clubs by the hospitality sector. it also says allowing people to go

out on new year's eve signals better times ahead. it's notjust about new year's eve for us, it's bigger than that. it's the start of a recovery and we believe that we've created a safe environment for people to come out and socialise and we think it's the best scenario, given the fact that if we'd closed potentially we would have seen more house parties and illegal events which would have been counter—productive. but there are concerns about the wider impact of omicron on the nhs. hospital leaders say while many people are coming in to hospital with covid but not because of covid, staff are also getting infected. it's very clear that as soon as you get omicron circulating significantly amongst the community, of course it will be circulating amongst nhs staff. we are now having to redeploy staff to fill the gaps being left in critical and essential services by staff who are off with covid—related absences. along with vaccinations, the government in england is urging people to remain cautious and if possible to celebrate

outside on new year's eve. it will assess whether more restrictions are needed injanuary. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. so — a different approach to covid restrictions, depending on which nation in the uk people live in. our uk political correspondent, jonathan blake, explains. i think there is a confidence in downing street and the government of westminster as a whole at the moment that they can, now, i think it's a cautious confidence, and they say, "at every possibility, we're keeping an eye on the data the focus is very much on the boosterjab programme to keep the the omicron variant at bay. the true test of that strategy won't come until we know the severity of it for sure and see how many people it puts in hospital and in turn how the nhs

can cope. if you can't and boris johnson decides for their measures are necessary, then a true test of his political authority will also come, because there will be conservative mps lining up in big numbers to oppose and vote against any move of that nature. so the prime minister will be hoping that date doesn't come he will also be hoping that his advice to come out and celebrate albeit cautiously this new year's eve won't come back to content. one other thing to watch, the availability of lateral well —— lateral flow tests now a key part of the government's message to take one before you go out and socialise can it's been patchy in places, sources in whitehall except that there is a hugely increased demand that officials seem confident that supply is there to cope with that. france has reported a record high number of new confirmed coronavirus cases on tuesday. nearly 180,000 new cases have been reported in the last 2a hour period — the highest since the pandemic began. it comes as the french government

has announced that it will introduce tighter restrictions amid concerns over the omicron variant. from three january, remote working will become compulsory for those who can, and public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people for indoor events. and there have been demonstrations in eastern germany, against new coronavirus restrictions. they include a limit on private gatherings to ten vaccinated people and the closure of night clubs. students of all ages will have to wear masks in school, and sports competitions will be held behind closed doors. unvaccinated people are already banned from much of public life and only two people are allowed to meet in private. us health authorities have halved the recommended isolation period for people who test positive for covid but don't exhibit symptoms.

they've previously warned of a half a million cases a day in the coming weeks as the omicron variant takes hold. that isolation time goes from ten to five days. officials insist this is being guided by the science. here's our north america correspondent aleem maqbool with the details. the centers for disease control says people are at their most infectious the centre for disease control says that people at their most infectious a couple of days before the exhibit symptoms and for that three days after they start to exhibit symptoms, and that's why they say it is right to advise people who test positive that they only need to now i sleep for five days as long as on that fifth day, they are not exhibiting any symptoms of cold dead or if their fevers have gone and the other symptoms are resolving themselves. but they have changed other guidance as well, they have said that for those

who are unvaccinated and feel they have come into contact with someone who's tested positive, they also on need to isolate for five days, after which theyjust have to be careful and should try to test themselves. for those who are vaccinated and have had the boosterjab as well, if they feel they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for covid, they don't have to isolate at all. again, they have just been advised to wear masks and they get tested days after that point. this is in recognition of the fact that we have seen a huge surge in cases, it is of a variant that may be more infectious but appears to be leading to milder symptoms and those there's a large proportion of the population vaccinated the health care sector said,

we can't have all these staff of isolating, but also other sectors including the airline industry say the us secretary of state antony blinken has called for a ban on arms sales to the military in myanmar following an attack that killed that killed at least 30 civilians, last week. mr blinken said the burmese military had to be held accountable. the charity save the children has confirmed that two of its staff members, were among the bodies found in a burned out vehicle in kayah state. it's urged the un security council to take action. the supreme court in russia has banned one of the country's best known and oldest human rights organisations, memorial, accusing it of violating a law requiring groups to register as foreign agents. it comes at the end of a year in which the kremlin has cracked down vigorously on its critics. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. more and more, it feels as if russia

is turning the clock back. "liquidate," the judge says, as she orders one of russia's oldest civil rights groups, international memorial, to shut down. the ngo was found to have broken russia's draconian foreign agents law. "disgraceful decision," the reaction from the gallery. it's 100% a political thing. and the substance of this political decision isjust one more step from authoritarian regime to totalitarian. for more than 30 years, memorial has been shining a light on one of the darkest chapters of russian history, what became known as the great terror. it's been painstakingly cataloguing the victims ofjosef stalin's mass repressions.

up to 20 million soviet citizens are believed to have been sent to the gulag, to stalin's prison camps. hundreds of thousands were executed. memorial was set up to keep their memory alive. the founding of memorial in the late 1980s was a symbol, a symbol of the soviet union opening up and facing up to its past, to the crimes ofjosef stalin. the shutting down of memorial is a symbol, too, of how in russia today the past is being reshaped, rewritten, and how civil society is under attack. vladimir putin has been using history to try to foster patriotism, so he focuses on the glories of russia's past, like the victory in world war ii. through this annual reading of names of the victims of political repression,

memorial has tried to remind russians of their tragic past. now, though, it's being silenced. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's get some of the day's other news. turkish authorities have detained 16 people, on suspicion of operating a religious book store linked to islamic state. there were clashes with police as they tried to shut the store down — it was accused of operating without a licence. an investigation is under way after a private jet crashed in a residential area near san diego in california. confirmed how many people died, or their identities. local reports say there could have been four fatalities. at least one home was damaged, and several others lost their power supplies. a huge operation is under way on the island of la palma, in spain's canary islands, to remove the lava which flowed from a volcanic eruption. activity at the cumbre vieja volcano has now stopped —

as you can see, just in time for some of these buildings in la laguna cross. young doctors at public hospitals in india have threatened to shut down medical services, accusing the police of excessive force during protests on monday. they say they were thrashed, dragged and detained by authorities in delhi when they were demonstrating against a one year delay in the induction of thousands of new graduate doctors. nitin srivastava reports. chanting. the peaceful march eventually turning ugly. hundreds of protesting doctors are now blaming the police of india's capital, delhi, for using force without any provocation. on social media, we know that there was a brutality being done on doctors,

and that is a bad day in the history of medical brutality. a lot of female doctors have been manhandled and manhandled by theirforces. chatning: we wantjustice! resident doctors, mostly in government hospitals, want authorities to resume admission for higher courses. results of a nationwide selection process remain unannounced after being challenged in india's top court on grounds of ensuring more jobs for the economically weaker sections. but protesters claim medical services, including emergency, is presently short—staffed by almost 115,000 doctors across the country, having seen a terrible shortage of medical facilities in dealing with the covid virus. they all are resident doctors. they want to specialise, and they say for at least a year, the admission process has been stuck. they say all this is actually going to make situation worse in hospitals, especially government hospitals, where most of these are employed.

because of 4.5 years, - no new first year residents have been admitted in government hospitals anywhere all over. india, so we are already| extremely understaffed. and we are demanding that new doctors join us. - that is what we're demanding. our demand is not for us, it's also for the patient's in our country, i because if new doctors don't join, we won't be able to _ handle the current wave. delhi police have denied using brutal force against the doctors and claim their own staff were injured during the clash. meanwhile, bad press over handling the issue and a spike in covid cases seem to have propelled the government to make a quick appeal. translation: | regret| if our protesting doctors were mistreated by the police. while supporting them, we also appeal to doctors to return to work due to the ongoing covid crisis. the government plans to submit our report in the supreme court before the hearing next week so that the admission

process can resume. it's over to the young doctors for now, but one thing is certain, they are deeply hurt by the way their protest has been handled by the government. nitin srivastava, bbc news, delhi. as the humanitarian crisis in afghanistan deepens this winter, many families are turning to their children to try to make ends meet— by sending them out to earn money on the streets. our correspondent secunder kermani and camera journalist malik mudassir sent this report from kabul. wherever you go in this city, you see children working. wafting incense into cars. picking through rubbish. even when billions were pouring into this country, many children had to help provide for theirfamilies.

now amidst an economic collapse, the number is growing. coughing. it's 8am and this 13—year—old is getting ready for work. he and his young cousins only started polishing shoes in the last few months. his father spends his days waiting for work as a labourer on the corner of the road. in the past, he earned just enough to get by. translation: i come here every day but do not earn enough to afford - a piece of bread for lunch. it's the same for everyone here.

translation: i do not feel good that my child is working - but the situation is bad. we have no choice but to send them to work. pervez and his cousins walk the streets and stick together in case other boys start fights with them. business is slow. with no customers, the boys take a break at a playground in the centre of kabul. they still have big dreams for the future. what do you want to do when you're older? when school starts again, will you go back to school or carry on working? the boys walk past

the city's kebab vendors. and the displays on kabul�*s flower street. as well as civil servants demanding unpaid salaries. and huge queues outside banks. international funding was cut off after the taliban takeover. afghanistan's foreign reserves frozen and sanctions imposed. now the economy is in free—fall. have you had lunch today? why? so what will you do now? eventually they buy a single piece of bread to share between them. soon after, they find a customer. translation: even though i had my

shoes shined in the morning, - i let them do itjust to help them. have you ever seen it this bad in afghanistan, economically? translation: from morning - to evening, most of those coming to my shop want to shine shoes orare begging. 150 people like that come here every day. the money pervez earns will help feed his family today. but food prices are rising. and the rent is overdue. are you happy you're helping yourfamily? secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. there's a rich heritage of music from french—speaking african countries — and there's no better person to learn about it from than binetou sylla. she owns the paris—based music company, syllart records — which was founded by her father in 1981. here's her story.

translation: i am a music producer and director. — translation: i am a music producer and director. i — translation: i am a music producer and director, i live _ translation: i am a music producer and director, i live in _ translation: i am a music producer and director, i live in paris— translation: i am a music producer and director, i live in paris and - translation: i am a music producer and director, i live in paris and i- and director, i live in paris and i am of the senegalese and malian origin. my record label is an independent label founded by my father. discovering so many artists early in their careers and producing theirfirst albums is early in their careers and producing their first albums is extremely rare in the music history. around 1000—1200 albums were recorded over four decades. around 1000—1200 albums were recorded overfour decades. the huge challenge was to transition from the existing musical heritage in the form of vinyls, cd or cassette. and

make it accessible to the younger generation and also become a source of income for artists. i archived, digitalized and remastered all this musical heritage to be enjoyed on today's most well—known musical platforms. my mother had been with with my father since the beginning, she has been in indispensable support. she helped me transition the artists from working to my father to working with me. in the artists from working to my father to working with me. in 1987, i think during the _ father to working with me. in 1987, i think during the recording - father to working with me. in 1987, i think during the recording of... i i think during the recording of... we t00k— i think during the recording of... we took the whole family there. paris _ we took the whole family there. paris is — we took the whole family there. paris is a — we took the whole family there. paris is a great cosmopolitan european city. it could be much better in terms of african social and cultural life, because in the 19805, it

and cultural life, because in the 1980s, it was a very significant place for the black diaspora. when i leave home, i put on my headphones. i'm always listening to music. i really like the live performances. it really moves me. i take my records to an urban radio station to talk about african history, music with young artists. i talk about african history, music with young artists.— with young artists. i think it's important — with young artists. i think it's important to _ with young artists. i think it's important to give _ with young artists. i think it's important to give all- with young artists. i think it's important to give all of- with young artists. i think it's important to give all of these j important to give all of these knowledge to the new generations and make them listen to songs and know about— make them listen to songs and know about that _ make them listen to songs and know about that history, african music, everyone — about that history, african music, everyone should know about it, especially us because we grew up in france _ especially us because we grew up in france we _ especially us because we grew up in france we have to know about our history _ france we have to know about our history we — france we have to know about our histo . ~ ., ,.., france we have to know about our histo .~ ., ., ,, history. we went to discover artists who reflect — history. we went to discover artists who reflect today's _ history. we went to discover artists who reflect today's music _ history. we went to discover artists who reflect today's music i - history. we went to discover artists who reflect today's music i want. history. we went to discover artists who reflect today's music i want to | who reflect today's music i want to make sure that the story of the records continues. that means

quality african popular music made by africans for africans, but which touches everyone. you by africans for africans, but which touches everyone.— by africans for africans, but which touches everyone. you are watching bbc news. the run up to the new year is going to be really exceptionally mild, near record breaking in fact. and notjust on one or two days but really quite a prolonged spell of very mild weather, some four days or so. it's not really going to cool off until around the third or 4th of january. but this is the map showing the warmth in the atmosphere. if you look at the subtropical atlantic here, just to the west of the canaries, south of the azores, there is a current of warm air that is spreading in our direction and spread across western parts of europe and then deeper into more central and eastern parts of europe. in england, for example, this is how mild or warm it could actually get, 17 degrees.

compare that to the average of eight celsius. now, at the moment, it's not quite so mild. in fact, in scotland with the clear skies in some eastern areas quite a nippy start to the day and not desperately cold for this time of the year. but still temperatures, i think, around freezing or below in some of the glenns, five degrees and some of the eastern parts of england. but 1a degrees in plymouth at 6am, so that's the mild air which is following this warm front here which will be moving across the uk bringing a spell of rainy weather for many of us. then that weather front will clear to the north, the skies should also brighten up a little bit. and temperatures mid teens, mid teens widely across england, wales, a little bit fresher in the north, but they could max out at around 17 celsius in the southeast of the country on wednesday and also on thursday. now here's another weather front that's coming in from the south, some wet weather particularly reaching parts of wales. in fact, that warmer weather moves further north too. we are talking about 16 degrees in hull, 17 degrees in the east

and the southeast of the country. now, here's new year's eve, and it does look as though we are on track for one of the mildest new year's eves on record. i mean, it remains to be seen how mild it will be, but by day, we are talking around 15—16 degrees. you get the sense that it's notjust the one day that's going to be mild. we are talking about multiple days here with mid teens across many parts of the country. so a new record—breaking, i think, new year's eve on the way. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines.

new covid infections in england and wales have hit a record daily high, as the british government defends its decision not to introduce further restrictions in england before january. greater restrictions have come into force in scotland, wales and northern ireland. a record number of covid infections in france as well — almost one hundred and eighty thousand in a single day. the french government has already announced new measures there. in the united states, people without covid symptoms can end their self—isolation period earlier — after 5 days rather than 10, amid a surge in cases. critics of the change say they're concerned testing wasn't recommened to end isolation. russia's supreme court has banned one of the country's oldest human rights organisations. the court ruled that memorial must be disbanded for breaking the law on foreign agents.