welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... tennis champion novak djokovic is denied entry to australia to compete in the australian open amid a controversy over his covid vaccine exemption. the president of kazakhstan appeals for help from russia and neighbouring countries as protesters seize the international airport and several government buildings. as omicron infections continue to surge in europe, the french president says he intends to make life difficult for the unvaccinated. and investigating the capitol riots, nearly one year on. we have a special report on the conspiracy theories that helped spark the insurrection.

live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's seven in the morning in singapore and ten in the morning in melbourne, where world tennis champion novak djokovic has been denied entry to australia to compete in the australian open, following a controversy over his covid vaccine exemption. there had been huge criticism that he was receiving special treatment. the state government in victoria now says it will noy now says it will not support his visa application. citing the country's strict border policies, australian prime minister scott morrison said "rules are rules, and no—one is above them." our sports correspondent, natalie pirks, has more. it's the story that has gripped australia. access denied, an extraordinary visa

bungle sees novak djokovic for hours under armed guard at melbourne airport... this was no mere bungle. in the last hour, the defending champion has been told his visa has been revoked and he will be deported. mrjokovic has failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to australia and his visa has been cancelled. his team had been patiently waiting for answers. his coach posted this picture saying, "mot the most saying, "not the most "usual trip down under." you can say that again. it's his choice not to be vaccinated, which is fine, and i think the government here has made the choice of, you should be vaccinated. he might even get booed when he gets onto the court. you have someone coming - from overseas and all of a sudden he has been exempt, i think it's

an absolute disgrace _ and i won't be watching it. officials had denied prioritising djokovic, who's on record as being against the covid vaccine. they said only a handful of exemptions were granted following a robust review involving independent medical panels. a recent covid infection was the most common reason. but the djokovic incident soon became a diplomatic one. earlier, the serbian president said the country was doing everything to see that harassment of novak djokovic is brought to an end immediately. but while the player was flying earlier, the australian leader was clear, tennis australia might have found him to be exempt, but he still had to prove his case at the border. we await his presentation and what evidence he provides to support that. if that evidence is insufficient, then he won't be treated any different to anyone else and he'll be on the next plane home. there should be no special rules for novak djokovic at all, none whatsoever. another win in melbourne would have moved djokovic clear of rafael nadal and roger federer with a record 21 grand slams, but instead

of giving up for a shot at history, he is working on an injunction to prevent his at history, he's working on an injunction to prevent his deportation tonight. natalie pirks, bbc news. our correspondent phil mercer joins me now from sydney. for the latest on these developments. great to have you on the programme. at this point, what do we know about why novak djokovic was denied entry into australian what his status is stopped although he was detained by border force at the airport for several hours while they poured over details of his visa application. we're not aware of the moment of exactly what transgression are alleging around his visa applications, but anyone granted a

medical exemption to enter australia must provide evidence at the border to support that waiver. so, you have to support that waiver. so, you have to presume there was something amiss in that visa application. novak djokovic could well appeal against this decision to the federal court in australia. if that happens, he's likely to be taken to a quarantine or government facility while that takes place. but clearly, not the ideal preparation for the world's number one tennis player, who is aiming to win his tenth australian open. aiming to win his tenth australian 0 en. ., , , aiming to win his tenth australian 0 en. . , , ., ., open. indeed. there has been a lot of negative — open. indeed. there has been a lot of negative reaction _ open. indeed. there has been a lot of negative reaction and _ open. indeed. there has been a lot of negative reaction and australia. | of negative reaction and australia. he was granted a medical exemption. do we know the background to how he managed to get that exemption in the first instance?— first instance? tennis australia is the governing — first instance? tennis australia is the governing body _

first instance? tennis australia is the governing body of _ first instance? tennis australia is the governing body of the - first instance? tennis australia is the governing body of the sport l first instance? tennis australia is . the governing body of the sport here and it's responsible for the australian open at melbourne part. it's as a small number of players have applied for a medical exemption —— park. these applications are anonymous, and reviewed by two independent panels of experts, and apparently, those experts don't know whose applications they are processing. so, they wouldn't have known, for example, that they were reviewing novak djokovic�*s bid to come into australia with a medical exemption. there has been a furious reaction among many australians. we had more record numbers of covid—i9 cases being reported, so novak djokovic trying to come into the country at a critical part of the pandemic for australia. phil mercer, thank ou pandemic for australia. phil mercer, thank you for— pandemic for australia. phil mercer, thank you forjoining _ pandemic for australia. phil mercer, thank you forjoining us _ pandemic for australia. phil mercer, thank you forjoining us on - pandemic for australia. phil mercer, | thank you forjoining us on newsday.

a state of emergency has been declared in kazakhstan, where protests sparked by surging fuel prices have broadened into unrest over corruption and authoritarian rule. in the country's largest city, almaty, demonstrators seized the airport and stormed government buildings. the kazakh president says there will be a "tough" response to the protests. our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams, has the story. explosions. across this vast country, scenes of tension and turmoil. people shout. in almaty, running battles lasted on into the night. the police struggled to maintain control in this, kazakhstan's biggest city. this is the fourth day of protests. what began as demonstrations over energy prices, now morphing into something more serious. "they said kazakhstan wouldn't take to the streets," says rafik, "but we've grown tired

and we've had enough." earlier, protesters stormed city hall, security forces responding with tear gas and stun grenades. president tokayev said terrorist gangs were trying to take over parts of the country. in an address to the nation, he threatened tough action and declared a state of emergency. he's called on neighbours including russia for help. far to the west, in the port city of aktau, more crowds on the streets where it all began at the weekend. a sudden jump in the price of liquefied natural gas, used to power cars, caused fury. but the protests have now tapped into other, long—standing grievances, corruption and economic hardship. some vent their anger on the country's former leader nursultan nazarbayev, who remains powerful. "old man, leave," they chant. in another city, a crowd tries

to pull his statue down. the us has urged the authorities to show restraint, but back in almaty, some policemen were simply giving up. the government says eight officers and national guardsmen have been killed. chaos is spreading. paul adams, bbc news. for more on this, i'm joined now by an expert on central asia — erica marat, who is an associate professor at the college of international security affairs in washington. it's wonderful to have you on the programme. ijust want it's wonderful to have you on the programme. i just want to ask you, as we heard and paul's report, the long—standing issues behind these protests, how do you see the situation being resolved? it is very hard to see — situation being resolved? it is very hard to see how— situation being resolved? it is very hard to see how the _ situation being resolved? it is very hard to see how the situation - situation being resolved? it is very hard to see how the situation will. hard to see how the situation will be resolved, especially given the mistakes that the government is making at this point. i am appalled at how naive the government is to

think that by using police force, they would be able to suppress protesters and somehow result grievances. i think the only plausible way for the government to come to some sense of normality is to promise a deep political change in kazakhstan that the government, the regime will be more inclusive. constitutional change, new elections, anything — a sign of government listening to the grievances and trying to repair itself. however, idon't grievances and trying to repair itself. however, i don't think this is the course of action the government will be taking based on the reports. government will be taking based on the re orts. government will be taking based on the reorts. �*, the reports. indeed, erica. it's uuite the reports. indeed, erica. it's quite difficult _ the reports. indeed, erica. it's quite difficult to _ the reports. indeed, erica. it's quite difficult to get _ the reports. indeed, erica. it's quite difficult to get a - the reports. indeed, erica. it's quite difficult to get a clear . quite difficult to get a clear picture of what is happening at the moment. the government has released figures for casualties amongst

security forces. but do we have a sense of how many injuries or deaths there have been amongst protesters? we don't really have any clear data on that. what we know is that numerous protesters were arrested. some of them were beaten. but the specific number, we don't know. kazakhstan has been under internet shutdown for the last day of the —— and i have. ithink we shutdown for the last day of the —— and i have. i think we will be getting more information on the incentive casualties —— and a half. unfortunately, kazakhstan feeling... by unfortunately, kazakhstan feeling... by russia to send help deal with its own people and try to disperse

crowds. u, a, ., ., ~ crowds. indeed. erica marat, thank ou for crowds. indeed. erica marat, thank you forjoining _ crowds. indeed. erica marat, thank you forjoining us — crowds. indeed. erica marat, thank you forjoining us on _ crowds. indeed. erica marat, thank you forjoining us on newsday. - crowds. indeed. erica marat, thank. you forjoining us on newsday. from the college of international security affairs. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme — one year after the capitol riots in washington, we have a special report on the conspiracy theories that helped spark the insurrection. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief — after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups.

they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. around the world, people have been paying tribute to the iconic - rock star david bowie, who sold 140 million l albums in a career that| spanned half a century. his family announced i overnight that he died of cancer at the age of 69. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... tennis champion novak djokovic is denied entry to australia to compete in the australian open amid a controversy over his covid vaccine exemption. the president of kazakhstan appeals for help from russia and neighbouring

countries as protesters seize the international airport and several government buildings. it's been another day of record covid cases across europe. france has registered more than 335 thousand cases in a single day — a new european record. italy has been meeting to discuss whether to make vaccines mandatory for all workers and people over the age of 50. in a newspaper article, french president emmanuel macron used controversial and strong language, threatening to ban all those who refuse a jab from most public life. mark lowen has more. bravissimo! the youngest to be armed in the endless battle against covid. five—year—old eduardo gets his first jab as italy steps up vaccinations for children. maybe too small to grasp at

the pandemic has change their world. but, say parents, they, too, must fight it. why did you want to vaccinate your son? because i love him. his father and i really love him and want him and all his little friends to go back to a normal life. so this is the least we can do. respect science and respect our children. it was ok, says eduardo. did it hurt, i asked. just a little bit. they do their best here to soften the experience, with certificates of bravery, a rite of passage for the pandemic generation. you can see the smile on their face when they ask to you, "now i can see my friend?" you can say yes, you can play with them and everything, because now the vaccine the covid—19 is so important for everything. when italy became the first country in the west to fall to the virus in 2020,

it was the first in the world to impose a nationwide lockdown. but today, despite record cases, its streets are once again busy as it, like much of europe, tightens vaccine rules instead to some resistance. in france, heated debate in parliament over mandatory vaccination for restaurants and trains were suspended amid opposition protests over an interview with president macron. he told a newspaper he aims to bar the unvaccinated from social activities, using the slang word "emmerder," or "to piss them off." on the streets of paris, mixed views on the colourful language. to piss people off, i think that's a bit out of place for a president to say. the message is that he wants to improve things, but his form of words wasn't great. at the vaccine centre, they're ramping up shots before schools resume next week, hoping to stem the omicron surge.

among the messages, "my biggest dream is that covid ends." sometimes children just put it best. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. british prime minister borisjohnson insists the current level of covid restrictions in england is "helping tak the edge off the omicron wave," and that the government is taking a "balanced approach". but new figures highlight the scale of the challenge. the latest research shows that one every in 15 people across the uk had covid in the run—up to new year's eve. with more details, here's our deputy political editor, vicki young. a new year, a familiar problem. are you gambling with - the nhs, prime minister? england has fewer restrictions than many other countries. borisjohnson says his plan b — which is more masks, covid passports and working from home — will stay in place but that's it for now. in the commons, he was bullish

about the strategy. this is the balanced and the proportionate approach that we've taken to covid. we've been able to keep this country open, keep our economy moving — more open than any other comparable economy in europe, and they know it, mr speaker. with a huge rise in cases, the testing system has been under strain, so today, a change in england and wales. if you don't have covid symptoms and your lateral flow test is positive, you'll still have to isolate but won't have to confirm the result with a pcr. staff shortages, though, remain a major problem. in hospitals and other sectors, services are being cancelled or delayed because so many are in isolation. the labour leader is one of them, after testing positive for the second time. his deputy stood in. doctors, nurses, carers, teachers and pupils can't get the tests they need now to do two tests a week. emergency workers are reportedly stuck in isolation

because they can't get their hands on a test — the government has been asleep at the wheel, mr speaker, and the result is total shambles. before christmas, the prime minister was under huge pressure after his own mps defied him and he had to rely on labour votes to get his covid plans through. borisjohnson is the kind of politician who instinctively prefers to let people make their own decisions. but even if he wanted to introduce tighter restrictions, that would mean another damaging fight with his own mps. so for now, he's leaving things as they are, while admitting parts of the nhs might feel overwhelmed. theresa may. today, tory mps were more supportive, but are now pushing for an exit plan. it is not in the national interest to partially or wholly shut down sectors of our economy every time we see a new variant. so will my right honourable friend to take this opportunity to inform the house as to whether and how

the government will be changing its approach when new variants arrive? we have got to have a plan to live with this virus — like normal — forever. when is he going to set that plan out? for now, though, mrjohnson is watching and waiting to see the full effects of this latest covid wave. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. japan and south korea have reacted angrily to what north korea has claimed to be the test firing of a hypersonic missile. the launch is the first of the new year for pyongyang. at a meeting of the ruling party last week, north korea's leader kim jong un vowed to continue building up the country's military capabilities. lawyers for convicted sex offender, ghislaine maxwell, claim that comments made by one of the 12 jurors to the media are grounds for a fresh trial. in several interviews, the juror revealed he was a victim of child sexual abuse. maxwell was convicted of grooming and trafficking underage

girls for her partner, the convicted sex offender, jeffrey epstein. the annual grammy awards, due to take place at the end of this month, has been postponed amid concerns over the omicron variant of coronavirus. organisers say after consulting authorities, health experts and artists, the event was considered too risky. a new date will be announced in due course. and this month's sundance film festival due to take place in utah will be rescheduled and moved to online. it's been nearly one year since a huge, violent mob in washington nearly brought the us congress to its knees. a short while ago, the us attorney general said no—one involved in the attack is beyond the reach ofjustice. in the aftermath of the attack, the justice department began its work on what has become one of the largest, most complex and most resource intensive investigations in our history. only a small number of

perpetrators were arrested in the tumult ofjanuary perpetrators were arrested in the tumult of january the 6th itself. every day since, we have work to identify, investigate and apprehend defendants from across the country. the people who broke into capitol hill onjanuary 6th of last year were made up of a coalition of extremist groups, but the qanon conspiracy played a vital role in spreading the election lie that rallied them. bbc reporter stephanie hegarty first reported on the rise of qanon during the pandemic, and now she's been back to the us to see what's changed for some of those caught up in the conspiracy theory. it's a powerful conspiracy theory that spread paranoia and distrust and contributed so much to this infamous day. but are people still held in oanon's grip? the pandemic wasn't real and the race war isn't real. reporting on qanon back in 2020, i first met nick natoli on the internet. this time, i had a chance to meet him face—to—face.

when everything unfolded onjanuary 6th, what were you thinking? get us off national television. what are we doing? is that the capitol? is that a shaman? things have changed, though, a bit. yeah, they definitely have. i don't want to believe in some of these nefarious, terrible things. the information that i've researched has led me there. so, when the information that i research has not let me to there, and president trump is not the president and joe biden's our president, then yeah, i'm going to be a realist and say this isn't what i thought would happen. a lot of people were supposed to get arrested — that didn't happen. believers claim that a cabal of satan—worshiping elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control politics and the media. donald trump, they say, is fighting the cabal. a poll by ipsos mori, seen exclusively by the bbc, found that 7% of americans believe that this is true — that's down from i7% a year ago. but one in three americans still say they don't know

if it's true or false. nick says he's having doubts, but i spoke to many others who still believe. sacrifices, children and babies being sacrificed. the dark entities that - were with our governments. a grandmother of 13, a copywriter, and a dog groomer. rachel bernstein has been treating families torn apart by the conspiracy. while i'm noticing that there are fewer new members, which is a really good thing, still, the cases i get — they are very difficult. there's still so much hostility and aggression. it is just as toxic for certain people that it exists in their system like a poison. as we spend time together, nick and i sat down to watch some videos from qanon conference in las vegas. videos from a qanon conference in las vegas. oh, my god, jim caviezel was there?! watching a hollywood actor speak about the conspiracy

theory energised nick. the fact that he's talking about this stuff is just actually amazing, because ofjust who he is, because he's a huge hollywood actor. i'm with my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. "defiance of tyranny. " that's what this is about. here was a glimpse into just how easily he and millions of others could potentially get pulled back into all this. dammit, i wish i was there for that! and i'll be honest with you right now, in this moment, stephanie, i do believe wholeheartedly. stephanie hegarty, bbc news. tomorrow at 2100 gmt, there's a special programme on the bbc news channel and bbc world news about the us capitol attack. my colleague christian fraser will be speaking to some of the people who organised rallies that day, and he'll look at the the profound divisions left across the united states. due to den for that show. thanks for

joining us. that's it for us. hard to believe we were starting the morning in the mid teens a few days ago. temperatures in the city centres below freezing, but it's into the countryside we see temperatures and minus double business. —— mike did digits. we got clouds filling in. some hills hill snow was happening because our weather system is pushing eastwards. plenty of sunshine across central and eastern areas, but outbreaks of rain, he'll sleep which spreads its

way into western parts, also in the lake district, is covering of snow in places. winds could touch 60 to 70 mph. the southeast will stay dry. evenif 70 mph. the southeast will stay dry. even if it does cloud over, across many eastern areas, still a cold day. just three celsius, may be up to 8 or 9 in the west. finish the day with sunshine. any showers into the evening to take us through into friday, those showers turning into... there could be some frost around as well. temperatures nowhere nearas around as well. temperatures nowhere near as they will be to start thursday. another cool day on friday. almost between one system clearing and another pushing in. we've got winds coming in from north northwesterly direction. that will bring frequent showers across western scotland, northern ireland, northwest england in north wales.

for some, northwest england in north wales. forsome, it's northwest england in north wales. for some, it's arena and hail, but we have to watch this system as well. even a bit of sleet and snow. a cold day in the wind. something milder as we go through saturday. this next weather system pushes its way and. more extensive than the one we've seen on thursday, so more in the way of rainfall. gussie is winds in the south. colder to end the day. touch of frost before more rain arrives in the west. —— gusty.

this is bbc news, with ben brown, the headlines... the world's number one men's tennis player, novak djokovic, has been denied entry to australia to compete in the australian open after the authorities cancelled his visa. the president of kazakhstan is seeking help from a russian—led regional military alliance to quell nationwide protests. on wednesday, demonstrators seized the airport and several government buildings in the main city almaty. france has just recorded 335,000 new covid cases — a new daily record for europe, with other european countries also seeing records broken. french president emmauel macron has warned he intends to make life difficult for unvaccinated people in france. and the us attorney general has promised to hold accountable all those involved in the deadly attack on congress in washington a year ago.