this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. novak djokovic will have to wait until monday to find out whether he'll avoid deportation from australia after a vaccine exemption backlash. on the issue of mr djokovic, rules are rules — and there are no special cases. police in kazakhstan�*s main city, almaty, say they've killed dozens of people who attempted to storm the police headquarters and other administrative buildings. a new report says plans to tackle record health service waiting lists in england could be derailed by demands for emergency care and a lack of staff. are you or your loved ones waiting for nhs treatment?

what's been your experience? we'd like to hearfrom you — do get in touch on twitter at @bbcjoannag. new covid vaccination rules for the over—50s in italy. they must all be vaccinated from february — with fines for those who refuse. one year on from the riots which rocked the us capitol — we'll be looking at what role the qanon conspiracy played in those events. and the british army physio who is believed to have become the first woman of colour to trek solo across antarctica. be speaking to her in herfirst interview a bit later. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the world's top—ranked tennis player, novak djokovic,

will have to wait until monday to find out whether he is able to stay in australia and defend his title in the first grand slam of the year. he is facing deportation from australia after having his visa revoked when he arrived in melbourne. there was a public outcry when he was given a medical exemption from strict vaccine rules to defend his australian open title. tournament organisers said djokovic�*s medical exemption had been granted by two independent medical panels organised by tennis australia and victoria state. but border officials said he had "failed to provide appropriate evidence" for entry after arriving on wednesday from dubai. the decision is now with the courts and the austrlian pm, scott morrison, said no one was being singled out and rules are rules. djokovic�*s father, srdjan djokovic, said his son had been held in a room guarded by police at the airport and that, "this is not just a fight for novak, but a fight for the whole world."

rafael nadal had little sympathy for long—time rival novak djokovic, saying "the world has suffered enough" and that he must face the consequences for not being vaccinated against coronavirus. the serbian player has not spoken about his vaccination status, but last year he said he was "opposed to vaccination." with the latest, here's our correspondent phil mercer. the tennis world number one has been taken to a government detention hoteljust hours after arriving in melbourne. he was expecting to defend his australian open title, believing he was exempted from vaccination rules. novak djokovic had been detained at melbourne airport before border force officials announced that he had not met immigration regulations and would be deported. his father claimed the grand slam champion was being held captive. the serbian president, aleksandar vucic, said he was a victim of harassment.

novak djokovic has been the king of melbourne park, but the government says he's no longer welcome. on the issue of mr djokovic, rules are rules — and there are no special cases. rules are rules. that's what i said to you yesterday, and that's the policy of the government and it has been our government's strong border protection policies and particularly in relation to the pandemic that has ensured that australia has one of the lowest death rates from covid anywhere in the world. djokovic�*s lawyers are challenging the deportation order in court. he could potentially apply for a new visa. the 34—year—old star hasn't publicly confirmed his covid—19 vaccination status. he flew to australia after being granted a controversial medical exemption. tennis authorities said he'd not received any special treatment. but many australians, who've lived under some the world's toughest coronavirus restrictions,

felt djokovic had abused the system. his defence of his australian open title could be over — even before the tournament begins. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. our correspondent shaimaa khalil is outside novak djokovic�*s hotel in melbourne — she gave us the latest. we don't know if he has to stay on to the hotel until monday. we do know he is allowed to stay in australia until monday because the hearing from his legal team challenging the decision by the australian authorities to deport him has been adjourned until monday. the judge said to both sides they need to prepare their arguments, they need to submit evidence. but through the weekend and then this case will resume on monday morning. whether he's going to stay here where we believe he is being held or is going to be moved somewhere else,

presumably with some facilities so he can train, we don't know yet. but we do know he's landed in the middle of a controversy that just kept getting bigger and more confusing. he was held for hours in melbourne airport, questioned by the border force about his visa application and the exemption from the vaccine and thenit the exemption from the vaccine and then it was decided that he didn't meet the rules to enter and that he was to be deported. this is now being questioned and we are hoping to hear a decision on monday. in the meantime, his supporters had gathered outside the hotel four hours, more are coming in. many have told me how frustrated they are, how angry they are that he was allowed to come all the way over here, then to come all the way over here, then to be potentially sent back over a technicality. this is really now gone beyond tennis. it is in the middle of a political tussle between state and federal authorities. the

victorian state government says he should be allowed to compete because he now has an exemption but the federal government, scott morrison's government, is at pains to make a point, especially with the pressure they are under over the way they've handled covid and the rise in cases that no one will get preferential treatment, that the rules are the rules. what decision will be made on monday, we don't know. but we do know that novak djokovic has arrived in australia to defend his title in a tournament that he has dominated and now this is very much in doubt. there appears to be little sympathy for djokovic's stance among his fellow competitors — here's his rival rafa nadal. it's normal that the people here in australia get very i frustrated with the case j because they have been going through a lot - of very hard lockdowns. a lot of people were not able to come back. - the people say we need to get vaccinated, - we need to get the vaccine. for me, i think if you are i vaccinated, you can play in the australian open and everywhere.

sasha ozmo is a sports journalist in serbia. hejoins us now from belgrade. what are your thoughts on this? thank you for having me. my thoughts are quite similarto thank you for having me. my thoughts are quite similar to some of the previous people. i think, to put it mildly, it's been not the best handling of the situation because djokovic was granted a medical exemption, he was under the impression he would be allowed to enter australia and play at the australian open only to travel across the world and find out that basically the same people that have granted him the exemption are now not letting him come into the country. i know it's not the same level of government but i feel it's been a huge misalignment between levels of power in australia and it's something thatjust cannot

happen at this level. if you're organising one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world, if you're hosting so many high—profile figures including the world number one, you have to be well aligned. you cannot allow him to board a plane thinking he has done all he needs to do in order to enter australia and then only to have him isolated in a room and stay overnight at an airport because of some mix—up. i would be completely fine if his request was rejected all the rules stated that only vaccinated players can play with no exemptions and that would be fine with me but this was a public humiliation for djokovic and i don't think anyone deserves that, let alone someone who has said and lots of nice things about australia and won the title nine times in melbourne.— won the title nine times in melbourne. ., . ., , won the title nine times in melbourne. ., .

melbourne. how much has he actually said about his — melbourne. how much has he actually said about his vaccination _ melbourne. how much has he actually said about his vaccination status? - said about his vaccination status? he hasn't said much, he didn't say anything but my guess is if he applied for a medical exemption then he is not vaccinated at the moment. i think that's a jump we can make. obviously, we're going to have to hear from obviously, we're going to have to hearfrom him buti obviously, we're going to have to hearfrom him but i don't know how much he'll be willing to disclose, particularly with everything that has happened in the past 2a hours. so, we'lljust have to wait and see. but i agree but at this moment the vaccination at least for a brief period of time, it's not the issue. the issue is how he's been treated and misled, in my opinion. i don't think you werejust and misled, in my opinion. i don't think you were just board a plane going into the unknown. he thought that he played by the rules and it's not novak djokovic you came up with

the rules, it's the australian government and from what i've been reading and hearing, there was a report that three other players have entered australia on the same type of these are that djokovic applied for and the director of the tournament stated there are several players with medical exemptions and nobody is talking about any of them. i understand that djokovic is high—profile but it only leads me to believe that this has more to do with politics and public health at this point. with politics and public health at this oint. ., ., i. �* this point. from what you're saying, our this point. from what you're saying, your frustration _ this point. from what you're saying, your frustration rests _ this point. from what you're saying, your frustration rests with _ this point. from what you're saying, your frustration rests with the - this point. from what you're saying, your frustration rests with the fact l your frustration rests with the fact there has been this, the way this has been handled, but if they had set from the outset he couldn't get in because he's not vaccinated and didn't have the right to an exemption, he would accept that. what is the rider in serbia? —— the wider view in serbia? its what is the rider in serbia? -- the wider view in serbia?—

wider view in serbia? its huge disappointment. _ wider view in serbia? its huge disappointment. not - wider view in serbia? its huge disappointment. not only - wider view in serbia? its huge - disappointment. not only because djokovic has millions of fans around the world. they made their peace with him not being part of the australian open this year because it led that way. and when he announced he was granted an exemption and was going to play at the australian open, that sort of got people's hopes up. only for them to do a u—turn at the airport, that obviously brings a huge disappointment to everyone. how ainful will disappointment to everyone. how painful will it _ disappointment to everyone. how painful will it be _ disappointment to everyone. how painful will it be for _ disappointment to everyone. how painful will it be for him not to play or defend his title if that's the way the decision goes? he rolled the way the decision goes? he rolled the dice and — the way the decision goes? he rolled the dice and obviously _ the way the decision goes? he rolled the dice and obviously it's _ the way the decision goes? he rolled the dice and obviously it's going - the way the decision goes? he rolled the dice and obviously it's going to l the dice and obviously it's going to be painful i guess but he knew the risks. if he doesn't get vaccinated, that the exemption can happen but might not happen. but, look, this is a guy who has been through nato bombings in his life, has played

against the crowd for most of his life, he said the public against him for most of the time. so, i don't think a couple of days in quarantine is going to do him much damage in the long run. is going to do him much damage in the long run-— is going to do him much damage in the long run— the long run. thank you very much indeed for — the long run. thank you very much indeed forjoining _ the long run. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. _ police in kazakhstan's main city, almaty, say they've killed dozens of people who attempted to storm the police headquarters and other administrative buildings. the health ministry says more than 1,000 people have been wounded in the days of unrest. it comes after security forces moved in to clear anti—government protestors from almaty�*s main square. police described them as "extremist forces". the protests were sparked by soaring fuel prices but have broadened to include other grievances. a russian—led regional military alliance has agreed to send peacekeeping troops after a plea from the president. here's our correspondent rayhan demytrie from tbilisi in nearby georgia. well, the latest is this official confirmation on potentially quite

a large number of civilian deaths. dozens was quoted by the spokesperson from the almaty police department. and also the latest is the footage we've seen about an ongoing military operation that looked like a military operation in the streets of almaty, with the use of armoured vehicles and lots of military personnel on the ground. the internet is down in kazakhstan, so we're unfortunately not getting information from social media users, from ordinary citizens. we've been getting this information earlier on wednesday, and that really helped to piece together the picture about what's been happening in kazakhstan. but with the internet outage, of course it's very difficult to follow what's been happening. what we know is that the protests are still ongoing in other parts of kazakhstan,

in western kazakhstan, and there those protests appear to be largely peaceful. plans to tackle record waiting lists in england could be derailed by demands for emergency care and a lack of staff, according to a new report. there are nearly six million people waiting for nhs treatment, but mps on the health and social care committee say this could grow unless more people are recruited. our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson has this report. the number of people caught up in delays for nhs treatment in england is by far the worst ever recorded. patients have been forced to wait while hospitals focus on emergency care for those with the virus. tackling the backlog is an unquantifiable challenge, according to the health select committee. its report sets out the scale of the problem. in september, 5.8 million people were waiting for planned care. 300,000 had waited more than a year for treatment, and 12,000 had waited more than two years.

keith makepeace, a keen marathon runner with a family hotel business, in devon, was being treated for stage iv bowel cancer when the pandemic hit. his chemotherapy, which had been going well, was then delayed for six months. so the national health and cancer care, as far as i can see, completely fell apart. and by the time i did then see my oncologist, basically, my cancer had increased and spread to such a degree that they said i was no longer eligible for some of the drugs. nhs leaders have said workforce shortages are the key limiting factor and that funding new doctors and nurses is absolutely critical in order to clear the backlog. mps are now calling for the government to tackle staff shortages.

my concern is, that unless you make some long term reform, in particular making sure that we are doing enough to train new doctors, we will lose the workforce that we currently have. they will give up in despair and we are already seeing that happening in general practice. and so i think doctors and nurses on the front line know that you can't solve these problems overnight, but what they want to know is that there is a plan for the future. that it's worth them staying in the profession. and that's why a massive overhaul of our workforce planning, which is frankly broken at the moment, is a top priority that we recommend. the committee is also urging the government to publish an independent assessment of projected staff numbers every two years. the government has said it has committed billions of pounds to tackling the backlog and is planning to recruit an extra 50,000 nurses by the end of the parliament. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. earlier i spoke to dr layla mccay who is the director of policy

at the nhs confederation. she says it's an incredible challenge that is facing all parts of the nhs. it is an incredible challenge that is facing all parts of the nhs. we hear a lot about elective backlogs, that's people who have planned care in acute hospitals, usually for all sorts of different reasons. but there's also gp backlogs. there's mental health backlogs. there's community health care backlogs. everyone is facing this really big challenge because of the disruption that covid has caused to the health service over the past two years. and alongside that and obviously quite enmeshed with that challenge are the staff vacancies and staff absences that are affecting people's ability to get on and deliver that care. so, how does the nhs get ahead of that? because those vacancies,

93,000 nhs vacancies, what can be done to turbo—charge getting the vacancies filled and getting the backlogs reduced? absolutely. a multi—pronged approach is going to be needed here, because this is a long—standing challenge that has existed before covid and has only been exacerbated by covid. so, there needs to be first and foremost independently audited assessments at regular intervals of the nhs's actual workforce requirements so that we can make sure the plans that are being put in place are meeting those needs. there needs to be all sorts of focus on recruitment, bringing in a pipeline of people and of course being able to retain those people by focusing on appropriate staff well—being and conditions.

so, there are clearly short—term challenges which we need to address here and looking forward we need to manage this so that in the long term this does not continue to be a challenge. you know, we speak to our members across the whole of the nhs well, almost nine in ten health care leaders have recently told us that a lack of staffing in the nhs is putting patient safety and care at risk. this needs to be a priority. the italian government is bringing in new laws making it compulsory for everyone over the age of 50 to have a coronavirus vaccine. the measures come into force on the 15th of february, with fines for those that refuse to have theirjabs. let's speak to our correspondent in rome, mark lowen. what reaction has there been to this? ., , , , ,., this? on the whole, there is support for the government _ this? on the whole, there is support for the government in _ this? on the whole, there is support for the government in pushing - for the government in pushing forward with these measures. there

has been from the beginning because remember italy was the first country in the west to be overwhelmed by the pandemic in 2020 and so by being hit first and hardest, the italians have those extremely traumatic memories of the early stages. i think that has been behind the general support for the government. that said, there is an anti—vax movement, it's smaller than in many other countries, and there has been opposition from right—wing parties to the plans to make vaccination is compulsory across the board. that was watered down, it's now compulsory for the over 50s and also people will have to take tests or show a negative test or show proof of recovery in order to go to shops now, to go to the hairdresser, to go to banks as well. so, italy has gone

further and faster than many countries but given the fact that it has these traumatic memories from the early stages, that explains the government strategy on this. thank ou. a 32—year—old army officer has become the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to the south pole. captain preet chandi trekked 700 miles in a0 days, pulling her equipment in a sledge. she faced temperatures of minus 50 degrees celsius and said she wanted "encourage people to push boundaries and believe in themselves." let's speak to her now — live from the union glacier base in antarctica. welcome. how are you feeling? it feels a bit surreal at the moment but i'm feeling pretty good. i'm glad i completed it and, like i said, it feels surreal that it's actually finished. it’s

said, it feels surreal that it's actually finished.— actually finished. it's an extraordinary _ actually finished. it's an - extraordinary achievement. when actually finished. it's an _ extraordinary achievement. when did you first decide to do it and why? over two years ago i knew that i wanted to do something big, ijust didn't know what that was going to be and i knew that it would be something that was, something that pushes my boundaries so hopefully would encourage others to push theirs. the reason i chose antarctica was because i didn't know anything about it and i thought it would be quite incredible to do something to show that you don't have to be born into that world to be able to do something. i started on google, literally. i didn't know where to start and then i met my expedition manager who is a polar explorer and learnt a lot from him and then took one step at a time. trained in norway, trained in greenland and iceland before coming. and then this is basically phase

one, i actually want to do a crossing of antarctica, so phase one has gone well and now our start training for phase two.- has gone well and now our start training for phase two. there is no sto -|n~ training for phase two. there is no stopping you! _ training for phase two. there is no stopping you! i— training for phase two. there is no stopping you! i love _ training for phase two. there is no stopping you! i love what - training for phase two. there is no stopping you! i love what you - training for phase two. there is no stopping you! i love what you say| stopping you! i love what you say about the fact he picked it because it was something you knew nothing about. i imagine when you started to find out about the world and speaking to people about what you are planning to do, you might have met some resistance. did you experience that?— experience that? yes, i did. i remember— experience that? yes, i did. i remember people _ experience that? yes, i did. i remember people saying, - experience that? yes, i did. i | remember people saying, you experience that? yes, i did. i - remember people saying, you don't really look like a polar explorer. the polar world were great, to be honest and everyone from this community has been super helpful. but i think people outside of that, you know, when they were like, what you know, when they were like, what you know, when they were like, what you know about it? and i was like, not much at the moment. i think i

wasn't necessarily the image that people expected. but that in itself is quite powerful and i'm saying to people that whatever it is, and it doesn't have to have anything to do with antarctica, but it's ok, everybody starts somewhere, you don't have to know people that have done this. we live especially now as well, we get so much info from the internet. just over two years ago i started following anybody and anyone who had done anything in antarctica and learnt so much from that. you've absolutely and _ and learnt so much from that. you've absolutely and respect _ and learnt so much from that. you've absolutely and respect and _ and learnt so much from that. you've absolutely and respect and you're - and learnt so much from that. you've absolutely and respect and you're in l absolutely and respect and you're in the position of knowing pretty much everything there is to know. tell us more about the expedition itself. temperatures of —50. what were the biggest challenges you encountered?

so, it was difficult being there on my own. i've never done anything to this extent completely alone. obviously, i trained for it but it's quite difficult, i think the longest i've been alone in training probably about three orfour days. i've been alone in training probably about three or four days. even i've been alone in training probably about three orfour days. even in the uk i do hikes on my own and you always come across people. so, that was definitely a challenge. the weather and the conditions, 100%, there were some really, really difficult days. it'sjust there were some really, really difficult days. it's just when it's so, so windy and cold and there's a lot of, you know, it's not flat as well, it's a gradual uphill and there's a lot of things around that can be a few metres high, so i fell a few times. nothing serious but i

rememberfalling and a few times. nothing serious but i remember falling and sitting there for a minute remember falling and sitting there fora minute and remember falling and sitting there for a minute and having a bit of shelterfrom for a minute and having a bit of shelter from the winter. there were moments when i was like, why am i here? when i put the tent back up i reminded myself why i'm here and why i'm doing this and the amount of people... i don't have internet here so i'm a bit cut off from the outside world but the amount to people that are hopefully seeing what i'm doing and hopefully thinking, if she can do that without knowing much about it at the start, maybe i can do whatever i want to do. so, ithink maybe i can do whatever i want to do. so, i think there is a mixture really. in terms of the conditions, it was pretty tough and then the longer it went on and being completely alone out there, i had

little things to keep me going. i had my friends and family send me voice notes on my phone and when i had a tough day i would listen to them and i felt that really helped me along as well. in terms of being alone, you get used to it pretty quickly, actually. luckilyi alone, you get used to it pretty quickly, actually. luckily i like my own company, so that's helpful. what own company, so that's helpful. what ha--ens own company, so that's helpful. what ha - ens to own company, so that's helpful. what happens to your _ own company, so that's helpful. what happens to your mind? _ own company, so that's helpful. what happens to your mind? from what you're describing, you're pretty much in survival mode, focusing on the task in hand but there must be moments when you describe that you fell, you get a bit of a knock, does your mind wanderand fell, you get a bit of a knock, does your mind wander and when you are just sort of in the flow of tracking on a nice flat bit where it all seems to be going relatively straightforward, what are you thinking at that point? 50. straightforward, what are you thinking at that point?- straightforward, what are you thinking at that point? so, i had, sa , thinking at that point? so, i had, say. there _ thinking at that point? so, i had, say, there were _ thinking at that point? so, i had, say, there were some _ thinking at that point? so, i had, say, there were some days - thinking at that point? so, i had, say, there were some days when j thinking at that point? so, i had, l say, there were some days when i didn't listen to anything and then i

had a load of audiobooks as well which were really great. sometimes i would just daydream. you think about anything, really. ithink would just daydream. you think about anything, really. i think about what people are doing back home, i think about myjourney here as well. i think i would remind myself as well about myjourney here. people i think a lot of the time look at the end result. but, yeah, she's gone to the south pole, she's an army officer than looking at how i got here. i didn't walk into the army, i remember i saw an advert when i was 19, i didn't tell anybody i had joined. as an asian woman it wasn't the expected career choice for me to get into. i remember how hard i worked to actually become an officer and i think, you know, and how hard

i worked to get here as well. and i think, sometimes that would help drive me as well because it wasn't a walk in the park to get here. even to the start line. and those tough moments that i had, you know, once i put the tent up and i was sheltered a bit from the conditions and i had some food, yeah, it was a tough day but i got through that tough day and now i'm going to focus on the next day. and also, i tried to just focus on what i could control. i know that's easier said than done, especially when the wind was howling but i can't control the weather, i can't control when it's a white out. it's like travelling in a marshmallow and that was quite difficult. you just cannot see anything and you would get motion sickness. i had a bit of diarrhoea and vomiting at one point, which is always fun as well. so, that could

be quite difficult at times. but again, one signing the tent, i said to myself, i'm a day closer. and also, i'm in antarctica which is so surreal, not having known anything about this place a few years ago and it's been incredible that i'm here. i don't know if you're desperate to leave but i've heard the pilot who is supposed to be bringing you home has got covid and is isolating, so you can't leave at the moment, is that right? not at the moment. at the moment, we just get updates in terms of how soon we can leave. but i am being treated well, so that is nice. i am in a tent which is bigger than my own and i am being fed well, so i

don't have any complaints. so you said this is — don't have any complaints. so you said this is part _ don't have any complaints. so you said this is part one _ don't have any complaints. so you said this is part one of _ don't have any complaints. so you said this is part one of a _ don't have any complaints. so you said this is part one of a two - don't have any complaints. so you said this is part one of a two part. said this is part one of a two part journey for you and crossing antarctica is next. how would you describe yourself now? you are heading into the territory of being able to be called an adventurer, and explorer? it’s able to be called an adventurer, and exlorer? �* , , able to be called an adventurer, and exlorer? h , , �* explorer? it's interesting, isn't it? i explorer? it's interesting, isn't it? i guess _ explorer? it's interesting, isn't it? i guess it— explorer? it's interesting, isn't it? i guess it is _ explorer? it's interesting, isn't it? i guess it is an _ explorer? it's interesting, isn't it? i guess it is an adventurer. | it? i guess it is an adventurer. that sounds about right. i have always thought the more you do, the more you realise you are capable of. and that seems to be getting bigger and bigger. i rememberwhen i and that seems to be getting bigger and bigger. i remember when i was thinking about doing something big, i did marathon of 156 miles in the desert in morocco in slightly different conditions. but in my mind, i said to myself, if i can do that, i can start planning their

next big thing in antarctica. and i did it and i started planning this. then i wanted to do a crossing, and the logistics can be tricky. they said, you haven't been to antarctica yet, you have to do something else. i was suggested some guided trips but i wanted to do something big solo that was still relatively big. so i decided on this expedition, and it went well. i was tired at the end, but i felt decent, and now i am on to the next. at the moment, i will be the first female to do a solo unsupported crossing, which means i will have a resupply is en route. that is exciting. you means i will have a resupply is en route. that is exciting.— route. that is exciting. you said ou want route. that is exciting. you said you want to _ route. that is exciting. you said you want to encourage - route. that is exciting. you said you want to encourage people l route. that is exciting. you said | you want to encourage people to route. that is exciting. you said - you want to encourage people to push boundaries, and you said you felt

that people have looked at you and gone, she is not the sort of person you would expect to do this, whether it was going into the army or doing this challenge. how do you feel about being a role model? it’s about being a role model? it's re about being a role model? it�*s pretty exciting. i want to say that people that anyone can be a role model. i rememberat people that anyone can be a role model. i remember at times when people have said it to me, i thought, am i really? ijust want to do a bit more, and then a bit more. anybody can do that. anybody can be a role model. pushing your boundaries can be anything. people often ask me what inspires me. it can be anybody, it doesn't have to be the biggest challenge. it could be the biggest challenge. it could be a person who has never run before and is working their way towards doing a 5k. i have a close relationship with my ten—year—old

niece, and we often do very different adventures like camping in the garden or going horse riding or taking her skiing. the garden or going horse riding or taking herskiing. i don't the garden or going horse riding or taking her skiing. i don't buy her birthday presents, we just go on little adventures. that is now her norm, which is incredible. camping in the garden might seem very normal for people but the first time i ever went camping, i was 19 years old in the army reserve. so that is pushing boundaries. it could be anything. i said in one of my blogs that people don't have to relate to what i'm doing in antarctica. this is a big challenge and it has taken two years to train to get here. but it could be anything. i often say i wish i had this confidence ten years ago, because i am only now realising how

much i incapable of. a lot of the time, it can be those closest to us who hold us back, because you want to do something that is out of the normal different to what they know. and that can be quite difficult. so it is just saying to people that there is a whole world out there and not to limit themselves.— not to limit themselves. gosh, i can literally feel — not to limit themselves. gosh, i can literally feel people _ not to limit themselves. gosh, i can literally feel people watching - not to limit themselves. gosh, i can literally feel people watching you i literally feel people watching you at home thinking, what am i going to do? how can i prove to people who are telling me i can't do something wrong? you have gone out and your world has expanded enormously at a time when for so many of us, because of covid in particular, the world has shrunk. what do you say to people who are thinking, yes, it's amazing what you have achieved, but i can't see how to grow my world right now?— i can't see how to grow my world riaht now? ., ~ ., ., , �* ., right now? you know, it doesn't have to be a big step. _ right now? you know, it doesn't have to be a big step. it — right now? you know, it doesn't have to be a big step, it could _ right now? you know, it doesn't have to be a big step, it could be - to be a big step, it could be anything. my first step was going

online and look at how to get to antarctica. it was my social media, creating the website, sitting at home. it was difficult, i completely understand, with covid. like everybody else, i couldn't get out of the country to train. i didn't know if it was even going to go ahead until the last minute. so the first step doesn't have to be something huge. it could just be doing some research. it could be writing down a goal on a whiteboard or in your diary. you writing down a goal on a whiteboard or in your diary-— or in your diary. you are so positive. — or in your diary. you are so positive, and _ or in your diary. you are so positive, and you - or in your diary. you are so positive, and you make - or in your diary. you are so positive, and you make it | or in your diary. you are so - positive, and you make it sound relatively easy. obviously, it wasn't. when have you really had to dig deep, and how have you done that? , that? oh, there were definitely times i that? oh, there were definitely times i had _ that? oh, there were definitely times i had to _ that? oh, there were definitely times i had to dig _ that? oh, there were definitely times i had to dig deep. - that? oh, there were definitely times i had to dig deep. after. times i had to dig deep. after

halfway, there were really difficult sections. it definitely got heard. —— it got hard. i had a book to get me going, and it was taking it one bit at a time. i don't think it was less difficult, i don't think i did anything to make it easierfor myself. ijust took it one day at anything to make it easierfor myself. i just took it one day at a time. and when that one tough day was over, ijust went time. and when that one tough day was over, i just went to the time. and when that one tough day was over, ijust went to the next one. every now and again, the weather got down on me and the sun was out. once or twice, i had an unbelievably amazing day when there was minimal wind and the sun was out and i was like, this is amazing. but every time i had a day like that, it was like the calm before the storm

because then i would have a terrible day. with difficult situations, and this applies to a lot of things as well, you take it one step at a time. that is the best way to do it. it is a relatively big trip, 720 miles. it is like when you do a race and it has got extra mileage at the end. so i took it one day at a time. i think my mental resilience has built over the years as well, due to different challenges i have done. so for me, if you really want something, you will do anything to get there. i really did put in everything for this. one of my training chips was last year —— one

of my training chips was last year when we could travel for a short time. i spent so much money and all of my life savings on that trip and it took me over six months to pay it back, and that was hard. i didn't have sponsors at the time and it was a tough trip anyway. it took every penny i had. i put everything into it, but it paid off. that helped me. congratulations. it's a joy to talk to you. well done, and i look forward to seeing the next adventure.— forward to seeing the next adventure. ., ., ., the headlines on bbc news... novak djokovic will have to wait until monday to find out whether he'll avoid deportation from australia after a vaccine exemption backlash.

on the issue of mr djokovic, rules are rules — and there are no special cases. police in kazakhstan's main city, almaty, say they've killed dozens of people who attempted to storm the police headquarters and other administrative buildings. a new report says plans to tackle record health service waiting lists in england could be derailed by demands for emergency care and a lack of staff. new covid vaccination rules for the over—50s in italy. they must all be vaccinated from february — with fines for those who refuse. the people who broke into capitol hill onjanuary 6th last year were made up of a coalition of extremist groups, but the unfounded qanon conspiracy theory played a vital role in spreading the election lie that rallied them. bbc population 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 nittoli 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 17% 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're 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 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. and you can see the full documentary, qanon: after the storm? on bbc world news this weekend. joining me now is mallory newall, the vice president of ipsos mori, the market research company which did the poll discussed in stephanie hegarty�*s piece there. tell us more about what you found about qanon and conspiracy theories? i think this poll is illuminating for a number of reasons. we are one year out today from the assault on the us capitol last year, and we found that the american public is overwhelmingly concerned about the spread of misinformation throughout society. and yet we are seeing that some of these conspiracies or

threads of misinformation are still permeating through certain groups of the american public. 50 permeating through certain groups of the american public.— the american public. so are there different perceptions _ the american public. so are there different perceptions of— the american public. so are there different perceptions of what - different perceptions of what misinformation is? ~ , ,., , , misinformation is? absolutely. this oll shows misinformation is? absolutely. this poll shows that _ misinformation is? absolutely. this poll shows that there _ misinformation is? absolutely. this poll shows that there are _ misinformation is? absolutely. this poll shows that there are two - misinformation is? absolutely. thisj poll shows that there are two pretty divergent realities here, and that is based on your partisan affiliation. what i mean by that is that democrats and republicans are looking notjust at that democrats and republicans are looking not just at these conspiracies, but also who is the legitimate winner of the presidential election, who is the legitimate president right now? information about covid—19. there are these two very distinct and divergent realities based on whether you identify as a democrat or a republican. you identify as a democrat or a republican-— you identify as a democrat or a reublican. ., , ,, ., , republican. that sounds like it goes ve wide republican. that sounds like it goes very wide and _ republican. that sounds like it goes very wide and deep, _ republican. that sounds like it goes very wide and deep, but _ republican. that sounds like it goes very wide and deep, but going - republican. that sounds like it goes very wide and deep, but going back| very wide and deep, but going back to the first thing you said was that you identified that the american public are overwhelmingly concerned

about the spread of conspiracy theories. how do you square this? i think it is a really interesting finding of this poll. if we took writ large, americans are concerned about the spread of misinformation. it tops the list of issues they are concerned about, and that is true for democrats and republicans alike. however, we are seeing that when you ask about specific conspiracies or specific threats of misinformation, certain groups, mainly republicans in some instances, are continuing to believe conspiracies about covid, about the presidential election and about the presidential election and about january the 6th. so despite that concern, it is still something that concern, it is still something thatis that concern, it is still something that is permeating the consciousness for some americans. 50 that is permeating the consciousness for some americans.— that is permeating the consciousness for some americans. so where do you end u- for some americans. so where do you end up after— for some americans. so where do you end up after carrying _ for some americans. so where do you end up after carrying out _ for some americans. so where do you end up after carrying out that - end up after carrying out that research in terms of your understanding of how things go forward from here?—

understanding of how things go forward from here? well, this poll doesnt forward from here? well, this poll doesn't necessarily _ forward from here? well, this poll doesn't necessarily talk _ forward from here? well, this poll doesn't necessarily talk about - forward from here? well, this poll doesn't necessarily talk about how to move forward from here, but i think it's important to step back and look at what else we know. right now for the american public, trust in institutions, politicians, the media and other institutions is at an all—time low and has been declining notjust over the past year, but before. so until we are able to do a couple of things, firstly restore trust in institutions, mainly political institutions, mainly political institutions and the media, and secondly, once we are able to not have partisans look at things through such a distinct lens, those are the two questions for me in terms of how to move forward from here and how we repair some of these deep fractures and the spread of misinformation in our society. mallory newall, thank you very much. we will have special coverage of the first anniversary

of the 6th of january riot at 2100 gmt, later on thursday, here on bbc news. the european court of human rights has dismissed a legal challenge in a long—running dispute with a gay rights activist in northern ireland. the court ruled that action brought by gareth lee, who claims that he was discriminated against back in 2014 when the christian owners of a belfast bakery refused to make him a cake iced with the slogan "support gay marriage" was inadmissible. our ireland correspondent chris page gave us the background into the case. never before, you could say, has a cake been so controversial. this started in 2014, when gareth lee, a gay rights activist, walked into a branch of ashers baking company in belfast city centre and placed an orderfor a cake bearing the slogan "support gay marriage". at the time, same—sex couples were not able to get married in northern ireland. the law finally changed in 2020.

gay marriage was legalised then. but eight years ago, it was a major political debate going on. there was a big campaign going on, so mr lee wanted the slogan endorsing that campaign. however, he got a phone call from the bakery owners saying that they were not going to bake the cake because they thought the message on it was at odds with their christian beliefs. mr lee took legal action. he was supported by the northern ireland equality watchdog in doing so. he alleged he had been discriminated against on the grounds of his sexuality. he won his case at the high court here in belfast and then at the northern ireland court of appeal. but then it went to the uk supreme court and it overturned the previous verdicts. judges in london ruled in favour of the bakers, saying their objection to making the cake was on the basis of the political message that they disagreed with, and not mr lee's sexuality. mr lee then took the case further

to strasbourg, to the european court of human rights, and that court enforces and interprets the european convention on human rights, which is an international treaty signed by the uk and 46 other european states. this morning, in a written judgment, thejudges in strasbourg have said the case brought by mr lee was inadmissible and therefore have dismissed it. they said that at no point in the proceedings in the uk courts did mr lee invoke his rights under the european convention and therefore, to quote directly, by relying solely on domestic law, mr lee had deprived the domestic courts of the opportunity to address any convention issues raised, instead asking the european court to usurp the role of the domestic courts. judges say mr lee failed to exhaust domestic remedies, so the application was inadmissible. having successfully unfolded its sun shield,

the james webb space telescope is now manoeuvring its primary mirror into position. at 6.5 metres wide, it's a massive bit of kit — and crucial to the telescope working for years to come. the mirror�*s great size will enable it to gather the faintest signals in the most minute detail. our science editor, rebecca morelle, explains. travelling through space and getting ready for its mission to begin. the james webb space telescope successfully launched nearly two weeks ago. it's a successor to hubble and will revolutionise our view of the universe. webb has the potential to blow people away, even people who are used to hubble. and i know that's hard to imagine, but the instruments are so powerful, the telescope is so powerful, almost anywhere we look, we're going to be breaking new ground in a huge way. the telescope is so big that to get into space, it had to be folded up like origami.

it's been busy unfurling, first its sun shield, which is the size of a tennis court. but now a vital stage of the process is beginning. the mirror is the most important part of the telescope. its two folded sides open up and lock into place at 6.5 metres wide. it's so big that it consists of 18 separate hexagonal segments. they're made from beryllium, a stiff and lightweight metal that can withstand the extreme temperatures of space. the whole thing is covered in gold so thin that the entire coating coating weighsjust 50g, the weight of a golf ball. although it's made of segments, each one has to line up perfectly for it to act as a single huge mirror. each one of those mirrors, which is very lightweight, they have motors on the back which can move them up and down, tip them sideways, rotate them and even slightly bend them to make sure that they have exactly the right focus. the telescope will be hunting for the most distant stars and galaxies. but to do this, it doesn't

use visible light like the hubble space telescope. it uses a kind of light we can't see, infrared light. our universe is expanding, and as the universe expands, everything in it expands as well, including light. when we talk about galaxies that are incredibly far away, the expansion of the universe has expanded the wavelengths of the light and moved the light into the red areas, the infrared. this is an image of the pillars of creation taken by hubble. it's a place where stars are born. but because james webb uses infrared light, it will be able to see through this dust, showing us the multitude of stars that lie beyond. but all of this rests on getting the mirror fully opened and then aligned. nothing this complex has been tried in space before. but if it works, by the summer, the first images should be sent back, and scientists say they will be spectacular.

a dog called north has saved the life of a mountaineer after he fell 150 metres while climbing in croatia on new year's day. the eight—month—old alaskan malamute, who fell without injuries, curled up and kept the mountaineer�*s body warm while he lay in a ravine for 13 hours. the croatian mountain rescue service say the dog's loyalty didn't even stop when rescuers arrived, adding that north "can teach us all about caring for each other". and new research suggests dogs are able to detect speech and distinguish between languages. the research involved training dogs to lay motionless in a brain scanner, where they were played speech excerpts of the little prince in both spanish and hungarian.

this is thought to be the first demonstration that a non—human brain can differentiate two languages. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. we've had a cold start to the day this morning with some frost around and we've also had some rain, some strong winds and snow. that scenario is going to continue. what's happening is that this warm front is bumping into the cold air and producing snow on its leading edge. less cold air follows behind, but then we have a cold front, so the air will turn colder behind that cold front. still some sunshine around, but it won't last long because as our weatherfront pushes from the west to the east, we'll see some rain or some snow, snow at low levels, sea level, in fact, in scotland and northern england, possibly for a time in the midlands. but behind that as we get into the less cold air, it will rapidly turn back to rain.

these black circles represent wind gusts. it's going to be windy wherever you are, but getting to gale force, especially across the west and north—west. that could well mean we have some blizzards and snow drifts across parts of the higher routes in scotland and northern england. wherever you are today, it's going to feel cold. through this evening and overnight, here is the weatherfront, moving away, leaving a of wintry showers coming behind it, some of those getting down to lower levels. but not all of us will see showers. a lot of dry weather as well and it's going to be a cold night. not as cold as last night but still cold enough for some frost and the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. as we head into tomorrow, we are in between weather systems. this one is coming our way. it's going to bring wet and windy conditions across southern areas as we go through the day, and some hill snow and some sleet connected with it as well.

we have a gust to gale force across the south—west and the english channel. moving north of that, we are back into sunshine and showers. some of those showers will be wintry, even at lower levels, and you could have the rumble of thunder mixed in with them as well. as we head from friday into saturday, we say goodbye to this little weatherfront, but then we have another couple of weatherfronts coming our way, bringing wet and windy weather with them and also some hill snow in the north. so saturday is looking pretty windy, especially across the south—west and english channel. we have got this weatherfront moving from the west to the east. behind it, a return to sunshine and showers, but some of those showers will be wintry, especially on high ground. as we head into sunday, a dry start before we see some rain later, but turning milder on monday.

this is bbc news, i'm annita mcveigh. the headlines at 11am... in court, not on court. novak djokovic will have to wait until monday to find out whether he'll avoid deportation from australia after a vaccine exemption backlash. on the issue of mr djokovic, rules are rules. and there are no special cases. there's little sympathy from his fellow tennis players, here's his rival rafa nadal. if the people say that we need to -et if the people say that we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine _ a new report says plans to tackle record health service waiting lists in england could be derailed by demands for emergency care and a lack of staff. covid testing rules for international arrivals

to england are being eased from tomorrow. the transport secretary says it's time to change them. having introduced these temporary measures but now seeing omicron is everywhere, omicron testing is out of use and therefore we do not keep things in place when there is no longer any point to having them. presidentjoe biden will blame donald trump for the us capitol riot as he marks the one year anniversary of the attack in a speech later. a picture of life as lived in 1921 — a hundred years after it was first collected, the 1921 census of england and wales opens up to the public for the first time today. and following in the footsteps of adele, celeste and sam smith, this year's winner of the bbc sound of prize is the singer pinkpantheress.

welcome to bbc news. the world's top—ranked male tennis player, novak djokovic, will have to wait until monday to find out whether he is able to stay in australia and defend his title in the first grand slam of the year. he's facing deportation from the country after having his visa revoked when he arrived in melbourne. there was a public outcry when he was given a medical exemption from strict vaccine rules to defend his australian open title. tournament organisers said djokovic's medical exemption had been granted by two independent medical panels organised by tennis australia and victoria state. but border officials said he had failed to provide appropriate evidence for entry after arriving on wednesday from dubai. the decision is now with the courts, and the austrlian pm

scott morrison said no one was being singled out, and rules are rules. djokovic's father, srdjan djokovic, said his son was being held in a room guarded by police at the airport and said that "this is notjust a fight for novak, but a fight for the whole world." rafael nadal had little sympathy for his long—time rival, saying the world has suffered enough and that djokovic must face the consequences for not being vaccinated against coronavirus. the serbian player has not spoken about his vaccination status, but last year he said he was opposed to vaccination. with the latest, here's our correspondent phil mercer. the tennis world number one has been taken to a government detention hoteljust hours after arriving in melbourne. he was expecting to defend his australian open title, believing he was exempted from vaccination rules. novak djokovic had been detained at melbourne airport before

border force officials announced that he had not met immigration regulations and would be deported. his father claimed the grand slam champion was being held captive. the serbian president, aleksandar vucic, said he was a victim of harassment. novak djokovic has been the king of melbourne park, but the government says he's no longer welcome. on the issue of mr djokovic, rules are rules — and there are no special cases. rules are rules. that's what i said to you yesterday, and that's the policy of the government, and it has been our government's strong border protection policies and particularly in relation to the pandemic that has ensured that australia has one of the lowest death rates from covid anywhere in the world. djokovic's lawyers are challenging the deportation order in court. he could potentially apply for a new visa. the 34—year—old star hasn't publicly confirmed his covid—19

vaccination status. he flew to australia after being granted a controversial medical exemption. tennis authorities said he'd not received any special treatment. but many australians, who've lived under some the world's toughest coronavirus restrictions, felt djokovic had abused the system. his defence of his australian open title could be over — even before the tournament begins. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. our australia correspondent shaimaa khalil in melbourne. she gave us the latest. we don't know if he has to stay in the hotel until monday. we do know he is allowed to stay in australia until monday, because the hearing from his legal team challenging the decision by the australian authorities to deport him has been adjourned until monday. the judge said to both sides they

need to prepare their arguments, they need to submit evidence through the weekend, and then this case will resume on monday morning. whether he's going to stay here where we believe he is being held or is going to be moved somewhere else, presumably with some facilities so he can train, we don't know yet. but we do know he's landed in the middle of a controversy that just kept getting bigger and more confusing. he was held for hours in melbourne airport, questioned by the border force about his visa application and the exemption from the vaccine, and then it was decided that he didn't meet the rules to enter and that he was to be deported. this is now being questioned, and we are hoping to hear a decision on monday. in the meantime, his supporters have gathered outside the hotel for hours, more are coming in. many have told me how frustrated they are, how angry they are that he was allowed to come all the way over here,

then to be potentially sent back over a technicality. this has really now gone beyond tennis. it's in the middle of a political tussle between state and federal authorities. the victorian state government says he should be allowed to compete because he now has an exemption, but the federal government, scott morrison's government, is at pains to make a point, especially with the pressure they are under over the way they've handled covid and the rise in cases, that no one will get preferential treatment — that the rules are the rules. what decision will be made on monday, we don't know. but we do know that novak djokovic has arrived in australia to defend his title in a tournament that he has dominated — and now this is very much in doubt. scott spits is sports reporter for the age newspaper in melbourne. hello to you. we are used to drum on

the court with novak djokovic, not this drum off the court. what is the latest you are hearing about the situation? there is an awful lot we don't know. situation? there is an awful lot we don't know— situation? there is an awful lot we don't know. , ., ., , , don't know. things have moved pretty ruickl . it don't know. things have moved pretty quickly- it is — don't know. things have moved pretty quickly- it is a — don't know. things have moved pretty quickly. it is a complex _ don't know. things have moved pretty quickly. it is a complex situation, - quickly. it is a complex situation, obviously we just heard that novak is in the detention hotel for another three days until monday at least, so he would be able to play until then. the key question now is are there other players coming to australia under the same criteria, and we are hearing they are being investigated by australian border force officials. for the same reason that djokovic, these are players in similar situations. they should be

knocked back as well. one key part is that there might be a question around the detail, the amount of paperwork that tempt you match —— djokovic submitted. time will tell, we will keep looking. i djokovic submitted. time will tell, we will keep looking.— djokovic submitted. time will tell, we will keep looking. i wonder if he had not posted _ we will keep looking. i wonder if he had not posted that _ we will keep looking. i wonder if he had not posted that happy - we will keep looking. i wonder if he had not posted that happy new- had not posted that happy new year tweet and talking about his medical exemption, drawing attention to himself in that way and of course provoking a huge backlash from the public, whether he would be in this situation right now. that public, whether he would be in this situation right now.— situation right now. that is a very aood situation right now. that is a very good question- — situation right now. that is a very good question. it _ situation right now. that is a very good question. it was _ situation right now. that is a very good question. it was a _ situation right now. that is a very good question. it was a full - situation right now. that is a very i good question. it was a full 24-hour good question. it was a full 24—hour as before he landed in melbourne. it gave government officials a chance to prepare what they would do, wednesday night in australia. so it is a fair point. there is an element of the machinations between the and state governments, whether or not

this has been taken by the australian government to take a point to gain as much politically from a complex situation. and point to gain as much politically from a complex situation. and how do ou think from a complex situation. and how do you think things _ from a complex situation. and how do you think things will _ from a complex situation. and how do you think things will pan _ from a complex situation. and how do you think things will pan out _ from a complex situation. and how do you think things will pan out on - you think things will pan out on monday? what is your hunch in all of this? and if he is allowed to stay, how would that go for the tournament?— how would that go for the tournament? , ., ., , , tournament? there is a massive community _ tournament? there is a massive community unrest _ tournament? there is a massive community unrest about - tournament? there is a massive community unrest about the - tournament? there is a massive| community unrest about the fact tournament? there is a massive . community unrest about the fact he has been able to come in under what is almost certainly a medical exemption criteria. i think if he is able to play the tournament, there will be hostility. i'm convinced he will be hostility. i'm convinced he will be hostility. i'm convinced he will be booed more than once. whether or not people will choose to continue with a boycott of the tournament, i'm not sure and time will tell. my best bet at the moment is he probably will still be forced to go home, that there has been so many twists in this case in 48 hours, i don't want to commit to a firm prediction. brute hours, i don't want to commit to a firm prediction.— firm prediction. we may well be talkin: firm prediction. we may well be talking about — firm prediction. we may well be talking about this _ firm prediction. we may well be talking about this at _ firm prediction. we may well be talking about this at the - firm prediction. we may well be i talking about this at the beginning of next week. for the moment, thank you very much. the sports reporter for the age newspaper in melbourne. we can speak now to the australian immigration lawyer, zefy souvlakis. asi as i was reflecting with our last guest, there is a huge amount of confusion around this? the reason for the medical exemption is not known at this stage, how did novak

djokovic get a visa to come to australia then be told he had not met the rules. many questions. thanks for having me. it is definitely a very complex issue. based on what we know and what scott mentioned before, it is a situation which is multilayer. the requirements entering the country at the moment are vaccination are quite strict. based on what we know from the australian border force as well as the prime minister's statements, it appears that the visa was cancelled mainly on the basis of a medical exemption or insufficient documentation relating to an exemption at federal level. tennis australia and the victorian state government were providing those exemptions, sufficient documentation

was presented at the airport which was presented at the airport which was presented at the airport which was presented to the australian border force officials cancelling the visa and detaining mr djokovic. we wait to see on monday whether he provides further documentation. do you expect at that hearing on monday that we will get more details about the reason the medical exemption and so on? ., ., , , ., so on? potentially. it is quite a comlex so on? potentially. it is quite a complex area. _ so on? potentially. it is quite a complex area, and _ so on? potentially. it is quite a complex area, and it _ so on? potentially. it is quite a complex area, and it really - so on? potentially. it is quite a - complex area, and it really depends on what grounds his visa was initially cancelled. if he is able, and my understanding is mr djokovic's lawyers will be providing documents over the course of the weekend, if there is sufficient information in the documents to challenge the cancellation, it could very well be the case that we will know more about the medical exemptions. i know more about the medical exemptions-—

know more about the medical exemtions. ~ ., ., , exemptions. i know you have been workin: exemptions. i know you have been working with _ exemptions. i know you have been working with lots _ exemptions. i know you have been working with lots of _ exemptions. i know you have been working with lots of australian - working with lots of australian citizens and permanent residents who have been trying to get back into australia over the last couple of years. give us a bit of perspective in that sense about the feeling around this particular case. and do you think novak djokovic has got a strong case to argue here or not? there is definitely a public outcry, there is a not... the people of victoria and the nation in general have been through quite a lot, and understandably the sentiment is quite strong when it comes to this particular exemption. there are individuals who are not able to work as a result of insufficient, a lack of vaccination itself documentation relating to it, as well as on a higher level the fact that australians and others have been separated from families for many

months during very challenging times. i think understandably it is definitely provocative as a position to be in. as far as what we can expect, it is a matter of time, and we will know more in the next few days. we will know more in the next few da s. . ~ we will know more in the next few da s. ., ,, , ., , . we will know more in the next few da s. . , . ., days. ok, thank you very much for our days. ok, thank you very much for your thoughts _ days. ok, thank you very much for your thoughts on _ days. ok, thank you very much for your thoughts on all— days. ok, thank you very much for your thoughts on all of _ days. ok, thank you very much for your thoughts on all of that. - plans to tackle record waiting lists in england could be derailed by demands for emergency care and a lack of staff, according to a new report. there are nearly six million people waiting for nhs treatment, but mps on the health and social care committee say this could grow unless more people are recruited. chris hopson is the chief executive of nhs providers which represents hospital trusts in england. thank you very much for your time. first of all, does this report capture the scale of the problem, in your opinion? i

capture the scale of the problem, in your opinion?— your opinion? i think it captures the scale of _ your opinion? i think it captures the scale of the _ your opinion? i think it captures the scale of the problem - your opinion? i think it captures the scale of the problem as - your opinion? i think it captures the scale of the problem as it i the scale of the problem as it currently exists. the issue is we are not absolutely sure how big this problem is going to be for two reasons. first of all, we still know there are people coming forward having delayed coming forward over the last 18 months. we still don't know if we are going to see more of those. secondly, we are in the middle of an incredible period of pressure for the nhs which started about one month or one and a half months ago. it will probably last for another month or month and a half. that by definition is going to have an impact in terms of the size of this problem, because we know there are already trust who at this very moment are, despite the very best efforts, they are having to a planned care. we don't know exactly what the size of this problem is at this point. what the size of this problem is at this oint. ., ., ., ., this point. the health foundation think tank says _ this point. the health foundation think tank says the _ this point. the health foundation think tank says the nhs - this point. the health foundation think tank says the nhs in - this point. the health foundation l think tank says the nhs in england needs 19,000 more nurses, 4000 plus

more doctors. this report from the committee says existing staff will quit unless they see light at the end of the tunnel of more staff coming. how big an issue, this is really at the root of all of this? the staff to carry out the treatments? it the staff to carry out the treatments? ., , ,., , , treatments? it absolutely is. i think all of— treatments? it absolutely is. i think all of us _ treatments? it absolutely is. i think all of us in _ treatments? it absolutely is. i think all of us in the _ treatments? it absolutely is. i think all of us in the nhs - treatments? it absolutely is. ij think all of us in the nhs have treatments? it absolutely is. i- think all of us in the nhs have been saying for some time that where we currently are is completely unsustainable, which as we do not have enough capacity or staff inside the nhs. we have been through a decade of the longest and deepest financial squeeze on nhs history where we have not been able to grow our capacity to match growing demand. we have been trying to close the gap by asking our staff to work harder and harder. and then came covid. that is basically having a huge impact in terms of how much extra we have had to ask for from our staff. extra we have had to ask for from ourstaff. untilwe extra we have had to ask for from our staff. until we get to a point, this is a point the report makes very powerfully, we have a proper, regular, sustainable approach to

long—term workforce planning, then i really do worry that we are not going to get out of the very difficult position we are currently in where we have 93,000 vacancies and exactly as you say, we have staff who are basically saying "i don't know how much longer i can put up don't know how much longer i can put up with this degree of pressure and how many times you keep asking us day after day after day to do the impossible." we are very clear about the fact the government has to address this issue of long—term workforce planning. the address this issue of long-term workforce planning.— workforce planning. the health secretary had _ workforce planning. the health secretary had said _ workforce planning. the health secretary had said there - workforce planning. the health secretary had said there would | workforce planning. the health i secretary had said there would be workforce planning. the health - secretary had said there would be a plan published in november about how to meet the workforce requirements, that has not been published yet. the committee wants the government to draw up a recovery plan for services by april. what should have that consist of? let's talk about the immediate future, what would make the biggest difference in the shortest amount of time? we were workin: shortest amount of time? we were working on — shortest amount of time? we were working on a _ shortest amount of time? we were working on a really _ shortest amount of time? we were working on a really pretty - shortest amount of time? we were working on a really pretty detailed| working on a really pretty detailed

and i think a very good emerging plan to deal with these care backlogs just before christmas. we were quite close to announcing it, but as you might expect, given the needs of the current omicron wave, that has had to be put on hold. i think we will need to go back around to identify what changes we need to make, given what is happening over these three months. what we know is we will need to do about three or four things long—term, so at the staffing issue, but we also know we will need to grow capacity. we also know we need to change, we need to use technology much more effectively. we also know that we need organisations working together more closely so that, for example, you could combine the patient waiting lists of hospitals in a broader area so that you can make best use of capacity. there is a whole bunch of things that we in the nhs know that we need to do to get through these backlogs as quickly as possible. what i think is really important for your viewers to know,

and i know there will be people watching this programme, because i have been e—mailed by them who are really worried about the amount of time they are having to wait and the degree of pain that they are in. i want everybody to realise that all of us in the nhs realise that this is a very important issue. it is our moral obligation, and i use that word very deliberately, to basically ensure we get through these backlogs absolutely as quickly as we can. i would not want anybody to think that this is not absolutely very high up the list of priorities. brute this is not absolutely very high up the list of priorities.— the list of priorities. we 'ust have time for h the list of priorities. we 'ust have time for one more _ the list of priorities. we just have time for one more briefly, - the list of priorities. we just have time for one more briefly, if - the list of priorities. we just have time for one more briefly, if i - the list of priorities. we just have i time for one more briefly, ifi may. time for one more briefly, if i may. the government response to all of this is to talk about £5.9 billion to help deal with the backlog it is investing, 36 million over three years on checks and scans of patients. they say there are more nurses in the nhs in england compared to last year. how far does that go towards tackling the problem that go towards tackling the problem that you have sent out? it is that go towards tackling the problem that you have sent out?— that you have sent out? it is a hel , that you have sent out? it is a help. because _

that you have sent out? it is a help, because more _ that you have sent out? it is a help, because more money i that you have sent out? it is a - help, because more money always is. the bit we just need to recognise in terms of throwing around these very big numbers is that what we are doing after that decade of the longest and deepest financial squeeze in nhs history, we are going back to the amount of money that the nhs sees in terms of annual increases that we have seen every year since 1948 until 2010. just going back to the normal. the thing that was unusual was this 2010—2020 decade what we saw increases that were about one third of what we normally saw. going back to normal, that will take us a lot of time and effort. and i suspect longer term more funding to basically get over these issues. recognising of course that in terms of what is happening next year, in april this year on taxpayers will have to put more money in. we recognise that. thank ou ve money in. we recognise that. thank you very much _ money in. we recognise that. thank you very much for — money in. we recognise that. thank you very much for your— money in. we recognise that. thank you very much for your time - money in. we recognise that. thank you very much for your time today. | you very much for your time today. chief executive of nhs providers.

the bbc has announced that deborah turness has been appointed as ceo of bbc news and current affairs. deborah willjoin the bbc from itn, where she is ceo. we can cross now to our media editor, amol rajan. tell us more about this story and what the challenges will be deborah hast to do when she arrives. deborah turn s is a hast to do when she arrives. deborah turn sis a very _ hast to do when she arrives. deborah turn s is a very considerable - turn s is a very considerable figure, an editorial heavyweight who is the current ceo at itn. she has had a long career in international journalism, she was posted to washington during the clinton years, she covered the balkans war from bosnia. she was the youngest ever editor at itv news. a few years ago, she became the first ever britain at nbc. she has this international and commercial background which was then strengthened by her time at itn. i think she is considerably having a

strong reputation, she is considered to have done a good job where she has been, that is why she is a contender for this has been, that is why she is a contenderfor thisjob. has been, that is why she is a contenderforthisjob. she has been, that is why she is a contenderfor thisjob. she has a very strong record on impartiality, i don't think there have been any particular complaints about her track record. like tim davie who is the current director—general of the bbc, she has this commercial and global outlook, which i think are some of the things which recommended her to tim davey and those making the appointment. but she is coming in to do a difficultjob. thejob of director of bbc news or ceo as it is now being renamed with not the american and commercial background of hers, it is probably the most importantjob in britishjournalism, important job in british journalism, certainly importantjob in britishjournalism, certainly british broadcast journalism because of the sheer number of people that bbc news still reaches. it still is the main source of news for people in britain. it reaches nearly half a billion people globally. she will be in charge of

6000 journalists and she will be responsible for their decisions. it is a difficult time to be doing that job. i think one of the things about being the boss of bbc news is that everyone who does it, it is a slightly harder than the person who came before. there is a time when there is huge polarisation, social media has created new challenges for people in charge were big news organisation. she will need to uphold impartiality, she will need to manage the bbc�*s transition from being a linear broadcaster to bring a mostly digital service, mostly a mobile service. the bbc news website is going to be a top priority for her. she will have to manage lots of stuff, break lots of big stories and camp under momentous political pressure. the scrutiny and amount of attention and close focus on every on the bbc�*s editorial decisions at bbc news is as never before. that is the stuff she knows about. one of the stuff she knows about. one of the things about being part of the big media organisation, especially

one as important as bbc news, is you are constantly surprised by things you could have foreseen, you are constantly surprised by crises you did know are coming around the corner. it is a hellishly difficult job. she is a very considerable figure with a strong international pedigree, but i think it will be very tough for her. i’m pedigree, but i think it will be very tough for her.— pedigree, but i think it will be very tough for her. i'm not sure how difficult we — very tough for her. i'm not sure how difficult we will _ very tough for her. i'm not sure how difficult we will all _ very tough for her. i'm not sure how difficult we will all be, _ very tough for her. i'm not sure how difficult we will all be, but _ very tough for her. i'm not sure how difficult we will all be, but let's - difficult we will all be, but let's see. you mentioned briefly that the title ceo, what is the significance of that? tell us more about that as opposed to director of use. tim dave is opposed to director of use. tim davey is the — opposed to director of use. t “n davey is the director—general of the bbc and he is from a commercial background, someone are used on bbc studios which is the commercial of the bbc. he has a global outlook with bbc studios which is the department which sold bbc programmes or brands throughout the world through distribution deals. the thing about deborah turness is, like tim davey, she has this international pedigree, she ran nbc news international which is a huge american network which was lauded

for her work there. as she was breaking lots of stories at itn and itv news. the thing about the time at nbc is it is an american network and the title ceo is a bit more common than a managing director which is a slightly more british thing. it is also about the fact that apart from having an international back row, she wants the bbc to emphasise its global reach. bbc news is the main provider of news for most people in britain. as i mentioned, it reaches nearly half a billion people around the world. i know that tim davey�*s priority for the bbc over the next few weeks will be the new licence fee settled with the government. i know his priority is that the bbc has to make the most of the fact it is a huge global brand for britain, it has this huge potential market around the world, and it has to persuade people around the world in those international markets that it is hugely relevant and it is worth paying for. i think the switch from

director of news, which is a british or english way of putting it, to ceo is both a nod to deborah turness's nod tajo global outlook and tim davey the director—general who is global and commercial in his outlook too. who is global and commercial in his outlook too-— outlook too. thank you very much. our outlook too. thank you very much. 0ur media — outlook too. thank you very much. our media editor. _ from tomorrow, travel rules for arrivals into england will be relaxed. it comes as the prime minister reiterated that the current plan b measures will stay for now — and will be reviewed by mps in another three weeks. let's take a look at the changes to the coronavirus measures across the uk. from 4am tomorrow morning, double—vaccinated people will no longer need to take pre—departure tests when coming to england. they will also not have to self—isolate while waiting for their day two test. and from sunday, that can be a cheaper lateral flow test rather than a pcr.

and across the uk, people who test positive with a lateral flow test do not need to order a follow—up pcr test if they do not have symptoms. anyone who has symptoms will still need to take a pcr test regardless, and anyone who tests positive with any test must self—isolate. the change is now in force in scotland, wales and northern ireland, and from 11 january in england. here's the transport secretary grant shapps on those changes to the travel rules. if you take a lateral flow test and you get the result immediately rather than waiting a day or sometimes more, then you can act faster on it. and the action is immediately to then have a pcr test. in some senses, we will get to knowing that result quicker, people won't be necessarily waiting for a second day and they will get the results straightaway. we will still keep a very close tags on this. i would say to you that i think we have to get away from the idea that somehow within the uk we are all safe, that somehow a safe haven but the rest of the world is dangerous out there. that is not the case.

omicron is everywhere, we have very large numbers here. there are large numbers of cases elsewhere. we are an international country, we need to be able to travel and travel to sometimes see family or do business. and keep the economy going. i think it is absolutely right that having introduced to these temporary measures and we are now seeing that omicron is everywhere, omicron testing has outlived its usefulness and therefore we do not keep things in place when there is no longer any point to having them. let's speak now to doctor stephen griffin who's a virologist at the university of leeds. the transport secretary they're saying the current covid testing system with people travelling to england has outlived its usefulness. what do you think of that statement? i think it is a lot to do with our situation in the uk at the moment. we have cases completely out of control, the mitigations in place at the moment are not able to keep

control of infections at the moment. so, really, determining whether or not somebody is infected coming into our country when we already have such a large level of infection does feel a little bit pointless at the moment. i understand what he is saying. if things were different and we were in control, then we would want to know the infections in people more. using lateralflow tests for asymptomatic cases are sensible, but i think it is mainly due to the fact our pcr testing system is very much under strain at the moment. i5 system is very much under strain at the moment-— the moment. is there a risk, a calculated _ the moment. is there a risk, a calculated risk _ the moment. is there a risk, a calculated risk possibly, - the moment. is there a risk, a calculated risk possibly, in - calculated risk possibly, in allowing people to come into england, albeit double vaccinated without that predeparture test? yes. without that predeparture test? yes, there is always _ without that predeparture test? yes, there is always a _ without that predeparture test? yes, there is always a risk _ without that predeparture test? ya: there is always a risk with that. i think it is more a question of what we are able to do with that information when we have it. i think as things stand, what we need to try and do is get control of our epidemic in the country again

somehow. let epidemic in the country again somehow-— epidemic in the country again somehow. , ., ., ., somehow. let me get you on that oint, somehow. let me get you on that point. you — somehow. let me get you on that point. you say _ somehow. let me get you on that point. you say get _ somehow. let me get you on that point, you say get control - somehow. let me get you on that point, you say get control of - somehow. let me get you on that point, you say get control of it - point, you say get control of it somehow. that somehow is built up of lots of different sorts of measures. some people might be saying this is not the time to be giving up on testing like this. i not the time to be giving up on testing like this.— testing like this. i agree in principle. _ testing like this. i agree in principle. we _ testing like this. i agree in principle, we should - testing like this. i agree in principle, we should be . testing like this. i agree in - principle, we should be stopping testing —— should not be stopping testing. the information we get from testing. the information we get from testing as a system becomes overwhelmed is limited. what we need to be doing is hopefully having acted previously to this, it is too late to do that now, but we find ourselves again in this situation where we have not acted in a timely fashion, despite the reporting of the parliamentary committees last year. we have not acted plaintively and allow the infections to run out of control. this is why the systems we have available are not able to function properly. we are really a victim of our own circumstance. there is a lot riding on the success of the vaccination and booster programme, isn't there? there's but

we hope