this is bbc news with the latest headlines... the education secretary for england backs reducing the covid isolation period — from seven days to five. the australian government did not give assurances to novak djokovic that he could enter the country without a vaccination — according to documents filed before tomorrow's court hearing. morrisons becomes the first supermarket to scrap �*use by�* dates on its milk — encouraging consumers to reduce waste by using the �*sniff test�* instead. and coming up shortly, it's qanon: after the storm — looking at the us conspiracy theorists who nearly brought democracy to its knees, a year on from the attack on the capitol in washington dc.

the education secretary has said shortening the covid isolation period in england would be helpful in dealing with staffing shortages. nadhim zahawi said any decision would be made on the basis of advice from the uk health security agency — and said absences among teachers would rise now that schools are back. the us recently shortened isolation for those testing positive for covid from seven days to five. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. the good news is that booster jabs are holding fast against the omicron wave. even as new cases have surged, hospital admissions remain a long way off the peak seen this time last year. but hundreds of thousands of people are currently isolating for at least seven days, so now there's a suggestion that — in england, at least — that period could be cut to five days instead.

i think if the experts, and i have to defer to the uk health and security agency, deem it appropriate that you can have two negative tests on consecutive days, as we do now with day six and seven, then it's a good thing to keep under review. some experts agree a five—day isolation period could be safely introduced. you're generally infectious for about two days before you develop symptoms to about three, maybe four days afterwards, so limiting the cut—off point to five days wouldn't really substantially increased risk. so you think the advantages outweigh any possible risks? that would have considerable benefits in terms of staffing without significantly increasing the risk of disease transmission, so i think we should do that. lateral flow tests have played a vital role in this current stage of the pandemic, so mr zahawi was quick to deny reports the government was planning to start charging for them, and labour's shadow chancellor says people need to be able to test regularly to stop passing

on the virus. lateral flow tests are absolutely essential to keeping us protected and to keep our economy open. there is another potential threat to staffing levels on the horizon. all health care workers in england with direct contact with patients need to have had two covid jabs by the end of march or they risk losing theirjobs. one nhs boss acknowledges that could affect around 10% of his workforce. we have approximately 1a,000 staff at king's... so you could lose more than 1,000 staff? it's an extreme position. but i am confident, and we're already seeing a number of staff choosing to be vaccinated. the push on vaccinations and boosters, notjust for nhs staff but all of us, continues. but even though the omicron wave is not yet over, ministers are clearly thinking about what comes next and how we live in covid in the months to come. dominic hughes, bbc news.

and now to the latest official figures on the virus, which show iai,472 new infections in the latest 24—hour period into sunday. in the same period, 97 deaths were reported — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test result. that means the total number of people who've died with covid now stands at 150,151; since march 2020. on vaccinations, 35.5 million people have had a boosterjab, which means more than 61% of those aged 12 and over have now had three vaccine doses. to australia were on the backjog which will earn and if you are us time and weather has appeal has been successful.

—— to australia where novak djokovic will learn whether his appeal has been successful. novak djokovic�*s appeal against deportation from australia begins in a few hours — with a court hearing. the men's tennis number one has been held in a hotel in melbourne since he arrived in the country — the australian government says he is not exempt from the requirement for visiting foreigners to be vaccinated. from melbourne, shaimaa khalil reports. a day before challenging his deportation in court, novak djokovic is still held at the immigration detention hotel, and his supporters are still outside, calling on the government to let him out. oh, mate, i haven't slept since he's come off the plane. we're all sick to the stomach. it's a very unfortunate situation for australia. it's becoming very embarrassing. chanting: novak, novak! the world number one is now in the middle of a political and diplomatic storm that has provoked anger in his home country of serbia. this was djokovic arriving on wednesday. his legal team say he was granted a vaccine exemption from tennis australia because he tested positive

for covid—i9 on the 16th of december. that was also the day when these pictures were taken, showing the tennis player maskless at a ceremony in serbia, where he was honoured with his own postage stamp. it's unclear at which point he took the pcr test, and when he knew he had covid—i9. djokovic�*s lawyers has said that on january the ist he received a document from home affairs telling him his travel declaration responses indicated he met the requirements for a quarantine—free arrival into australia. but in its court submission, released a few hours before the hearing, the government said it had not given the tennis star an assurance about his vaccine waiver, adding that an e—mail from the home affairs department was not a guarantee that his so—called medical exemption would be accepted. the court document also challenged djokovic�*s claim for a medical exemption on the basis that he contracted covid—i9 in mid—december, saying there was no suggestion that he had acute major medical illness.

just a week before the australian open begins, a judge will now decide whether the nine—time champion will be able to defend his title. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, melbourne. more now on how people in serbia might serbia feel about the situation. the supermarket chain morrisons is to scrap �*use by�* dates on most of its milk, in a move it says will stop millions of pints being poured down the sink. instead, the retailer will display �*best before�* dates on 90% of its own—brand milk products. the recycling charity �*wrap�* says morrisons will be the first retailer to make the move. the change will happen later this month. richard swannell is from the charity, wrap, which supports people and businesses to reduce waste. we do welcome this and what is interesting is about 490 million pints of wasted every single year and we know that one of the causes of that is actually a misunderstanding around use by dates and throwing away milk too early so one of the causes of throwing away milk, and milk is actually the third item we throw away, the third most

significant item we throw every single year, so tackling milk is a real priority. single year, so tackling milk is a real priority-— single year, so tackling milk is a realriori .~., �* , , _ real priority. wouldn't it be simply ossible real priority. wouldn't it be simply possible to — real priority. wouldn't it be simply possible to make _ real priority. wouldn't it be simply possible to make the _ real priority. wouldn't it be simply possible to make the use - real priority. wouldn't it be simply possible to make the use by - real priority. wouldn't it be simply possible to make the use by date | possible to make the use by date later? is there a... is it defined legally that you cannot do that? absolutely. the use by date is strictly for food safety measures so you can use food right up until midnight on the use by date and then either discard after that what you can do is freeze up to the use by date for most products, in other words it's not safe up until after that date but the best before means it is perfectly fine to consume it after the best before date. this in the sense phil— after the best before date. this in the sense phil that _ after the best before date. this in the sense phil that achieve - after the best before date. this in the sense phil that achieve the i the sense phil that achieve the objective but you cannot diet for health and safety reasons, that

makes sense. but most milk is in recyclable containers, plastic containers or in some cases still bottles. you have on people throwing away milk, which is a bad thing, i accept that, they are recycling... usually recycling the containers they come in anyway so won't make much difference on that side of things? much difference on that side of thins? ~ , ., ~' much difference on that side of thins? ~ i. ~ ., things? when you think that the whole of the _ things? when you think that the whole of the uk, _ things? when you think that the whole of the uk, we _ things? when you think that the whole of the uk, we throw- things? when you think that the whole of the uk, we throw a - things? when you think that the - whole of the uk, we throw a million tonnes of food every single year and 6.6 million of that is in the home, 70% of that is in the home, and that has a huge environmental impact both in terms ofjust tonnes of waste going down the sink will be food breaks down and produces methane which is a much more significant greenhouse gas and it's interesting, milk particularly is a priority because it is a high carbon product and actually it's the top item that we throw away when you look at it from carbon emissions perspectives and there really is... and actually

also often milk particularly, there is more carbon in food than in packaging. i5 is more carbon in food than in packaging-— is more carbon in food than in wackain_ ,., , , packaging. is a very interesting oint. packaging. is a very interesting point- the _ packaging. is a very interesting point- the key _ packaging. is a very interesting point. the key thing _ packaging. is a very interesting point. the key thing is - packaging. is a very interesting point. the key thing is do - packaging. is a very interesting point. the key thing is do not l packaging. is a very interesting - point. the key thing is do not waste milk and recycle _ point. the key thing is do not waste milk and recycle your— point. the key thing is do not waste milk and recycle your plastic - point. the key thing is do not waste milk and recycle your plastic bottle | milk and recycle your plastic bottle or use your glass bottle, which you have. , , ., ,., or use your glass bottle, which you have. , i. ,., , ., ~ have. let me bring you some breaking news from new _ have. let me bring you some breaking news from new york. _ have. let me bring you some breaking news from new york. new _ have. let me bring you some breaking news from new york. new york - have. let me bring you some breaking news from new york. new york city i news from new york. new york city fire department reporting people seriously injured and fatalities in a 19 story apartment building fire in the bronx. at least 32 people have been taken to at least five hospitals with life threatening injuries and the mayor of new york has confirmed that 19 people are deadin has confirmed that 19 people are dead in a fire in a new york city apartment block. more on that story at the top of the hour at nine. i would back with the papers but now it's been a year since a conspiracy theory nearly brought american democracy to its knees. a year on from the attack on the capitol in washington, the bbc�*s stephanie hegarty has travelled to the united

states to meet some of