welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... a court hearing is about to open in melbourne as tennis world number one novak djokovic will fight to overturn the cancellation of his visa by the australian government. at least 19 people are dead — including nine children in a fire in the bronx area of new york city. shortening coronavirus isolation in england — a minister says if approved — it would ease staff shortages and cut the isolation period from seven days to five. live from our studio in singapore...

this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 7am in singapore, and 10am in melbourne where a court hearing is just getting underway — to decide on novak djokovic�*s appeal against deportation from australia. the men's tennis number one has been holed up in a government detention hotel in melbourne since he arrived in the country on wednesday.the australian government says he is not exempt from the requirement for visiting foreigners to be vaccinated. from melbourne, shaimaa khalil reports. for days, they've been showing their solidarity on the streets of melbourne. no court appearance for novak djokovic, who is still in an immigration detention hotel six days after flying in. oh, man, 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.

the prospect of djokovic�*s deportation has sparked a sporting and diplomatic storm, and today, former wimbledon champion andy murray weighed in, saying the row is really not good for tennis at all. the anger continues in his home country of serbia, with another day of protests in the capital, belgrade, and fury from his family. his mother, dijana, criticised the living conditions where he's being kept. translation: they locked him up, because it is a prison, _ the place he is in right now. it's not a detention facility, it is a prison. they are not giving him breakfast. he only gets lunch and dinner. for breakfast, nothing. 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—19 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 stamps. it's unclear at which point he took the pcr test and when he knew he had covid. djokovic�*s lawyers have said that onjanuary 1st he received a document from the government's home affairs department telling him his travel declaration responses indicated he met the requirements for a quarantine—free arrival into australia. but in its court submission, released 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 legal document also challenged djokovic�*s claim for a medical exemption on the basis he contracted covid—19 in mid—december, saying there was no suggestion 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. and shaimaa khaliljoins me now live from melbourne. great to have you on newsday. i can see there that lots of people behind you. talk us through what the mood is where you are right now. i can show you — is where you are right now. i can show you the — is where you are right now. i can show you the mood. _ is where you are right now. i can show you the mood. if i - is where you are right now. i can show you the mood. if i move i is where you are right now. i can | show you the mood. if i move out of the shot just for show you the mood. if i move out of the shotjust for a second, novak checked the veg's supporters have been out here all morning. as you can probably hear, they are chanting the world number one's name. also saying let him play. they have been protesting for days now calling on the government to allow novak

checked the veg to take part in the australian open and defend his title. thejudge will australian open and defend his title. the judge will imminently be hearing arguments on both sides. the lawyers argued that he had every reason to believe that he was allowed into the country and was allowed into the country and was allowed to compete because he'd received an exemption from tennis australia and the victorian government. also a document from the home affairs department that his travel declaration and answers met that he met the requirements for entry into australia. the government in submitting their presentation to the court, they did that hours before the hearing was sacked, given no guarantees about his exemption and that an e—mail from the no guarantees about his exemption and that an e—mailfrom the home affairs department doesn't mean that it was going to be accepted. this is what thejudge will it was going to be accepted. this is what the judge will hear in detail today, and this is what he has to way. novak checked the veg will not

be at the correct. he will probably be at the correct. he will probably be following this from the immigration detention hotel where he's been held since he arrived here in melbourne. just he's been held since he arrived here in melbourne-— in melbourne. just to say that that strenath of in melbourne. just to say that that strength of feeling _ in melbourne. just to say that that strength of feeling very _ in melbourne. just to say that that strength of feeling very evident i strength of feeling very evident with the people behind you, and how they are trying to make their voices heard. just talk us through that, about the controversy that this case has had an australian with people they are. has had an australian with people the are. ., ,., has had an australian with people the are. ., ., , has had an australian with people the are. ., ., i, ., , they are. there are so many strands to this story- _ they are. there are so many strands to this story- it _ they are. there are so many strands to this story. it started _ they are. there are so many strands to this story. it started off _ they are. there are so many strands to this story. it started off as - to this story. it started off as straightforward. the initial anger happened when novak check the veg announced on social media that he was being given an exemption and that he was flying down under. australians who have been under the most stringent covid—i9 rules who have been urged by politicians for months now were given the vaccine were angry that he was public about

his reluctance to get the vaccine, but when he arrived and it was revealed that his visa was going to get revoked and that he faced deportation, his supporters came out in anger asking why he was told that he could come all the way to australia to then be turned back. fascinating stuff they who will be watching that story for us on bbc news all day. thank you forjoining us on newsday. you just heard but the scene is outside the court. let's speak to sports journalist scott spits from the age newspaper. hejoins me live from melbourne. such wonderful to have you on the programme, scott. we've been talk to some of the aspects of the legal case that we are likely to hear in the next hour or so, but what is likely to happen either way in your view? what are the possible outcomes of the hearing today? there view? what are the possible outcomes of the hearing today?—

of the hearing today? there are a ranue of the hearing today? there are a ranae of of the hearing today? there are a range of outcomes _ of the hearing today? there are a range of outcomes that _ of the hearing today? there are a range of outcomes that could - of the hearing today? there are a - range of outcomes that could happen. my best_ range of outcomes that could happen. my best bet right now is that deportation order will probably be stand _ deportation order will probably be stand. what was released from both sides on_ stand. what was released from both sides on sunday was that home affairs — sides on sunday was that home affairs our— sides on sunday was that home affairs our federal government have flagged _ affairs our federal government have flagged that the prospect of detaining him again should the appeal— detaining him again should the appeal be successful. they deportation order will stand. it is likel to deportation order will stand. it is likely to have _ deportation order will stand. it is likely to have a _ deportation orderwill stand. it 3 likely to have a huge impact on his career going forward. what is at stake for him as a tennis player? it's enormous. the timing of his career— it's enormous. the timing of his career is — it's enormous. the timing of his career is fascinating. he's time winner— career is fascinating. he's time winner irr— career is fascinating. he's time winner in australia, going for number— winner in australia, going for number ten remarkably. the prospect of him _ number ten remarkably. the prospect of him being forest out of the first grand _ of him being forest out of the first grand slam of 2022 is significant. he went — grand slam of 2022 is significant. he went so — grand slam of 2022 is significant. he went so close last year. should

he nriss— he went so close last year. should he nriss the — he went so close last year. should he miss the australian open, this is his first _ he miss the australian open, this is his first chance to win another major — his first chance to win another major. what happens beyond that in tennis— major. what happens beyond that in tennis remains to be seen, but a lot to play— tennis remains to be seen, but a lot to play first — tennis remains to be seen, but a lot to play first l. we tennis remains to be seen, but a lot to play first l— to play first l. we have 'ust seen those fl to play first l. we have 'ust seen those scenes outside _ to play first l. we have just seen those scenes outside that - to play first l. we have just seen - those scenes outside that courtroom where our correspondent has been the strength of support for novak check the veg. is that your sense of how the veg. is that your sense of how the narrative is changing in australia on this story? perhaps to some degree- _ australia on this story? perhaps to some degree. as _ australia on this story? perhaps to some degree. as mentioned, - australia on this story? perhaps to| some degree. as mentioned, when australia on this story? perhaps to - some degree. as mentioned, when he flagged _ some degree. as mentioned, when he flagged on— some degree. as mentioned, when he flagged on social media that he was on his— flagged on social media that he was on his way— flagged on social media that he was on his way to australia, that he received — on his way to australia, that he received an— on his way to australia, that he received an exemption, the outcry, the negativity around that was overwhelming. i suspect there is a little _ overwhelming. i suspect there is a little sympathy for his situation now in — little sympathy for his situation now in this dark and the exact circumstances he's in, staying at hotels, — circumstances he's in, staying at hotels, been there for four nights, overwhelmingly the majority believe in fairness _ overwhelmingly the majority believe in fairness and international world

number— in fairness and international world number one tennis player shouldn't be given— number one tennis player shouldn't be given what some say is favourable treatnrent _ be given what some say is favourable treatment in order to enter the country — treatment in order to enter the count . . ~ treatment in order to enter the count . ., ,, i. treatment in order to enter the count . ., ,, . treatment in order to enter the count . ., . ., country. thank you so much for “oininr country. thank you so much for joining us _ country. thank you so much for joining us on — country. thank you so much for joining us on newsday - country. thank you so much for joining us on newsday on - country. thank you so much for joining us on newsday on that i country. thank you so much for - joining us on newsday on that story. 19 people — including nine children — have been killed in a fire that's being called the worst for 30 years in new york. it happened in a 19 floor apartment building in the bronx. it's thought to have been caused by a portable electric heater. our correspondent nada tawfik has more. it is the worst fire at the city has seen in decades, as this high rise building in the bronx went up in flames, and no part was spared. firefighters arrived within three minutes after a blaze broke out in a duplex apartment. the crews found victims on each floor, some in cardiac and respiratory arrest. in those terrifying moments residents were rescued from their windows and in smoke—filled hallways. i had to grab my dogs and one got

stuck on the steps and i had to let the firemen come past because he had a kid with no shoes on. dozens are in hospital with life—threatening injuries. tragically, among the dead are children. this is horrific, horrific, painful moment for the city of new york. and the impact of this fire is going to really bring a level ofjust pain and despair. the true extent of the devastation is still unknown. well, in the last hour the commissioner of the city's fire department, dan nigro, has been giving more details about what led to the fire. the fire began in an apartment that spans two floors, on the second and third floor of the building. it started in a malfunctioning

electric space heater. that was the cause of the fire. the fire consumed that apartment that is on two floors and part of the hallway. the door to the apartment, unfortunately, once the residents left, was left open. it did not close by itself. the smoke spread throughout the building. thus, the tremendous loss of life and other people fighting for their lives right now in hospitals all over the bronx. let's speak to our north america correspondent, nomia iqbal, in washington. really horrific scenes that we are seeing emerging from the scene of where all of this happened. what more can you tell us about what happened and how? this more can you tell us about what happened and how?— happened and how? this is one of those situations _ happened and how? this is one of those situations which _ happened and how? this is one of those situations which is - happened and how? this is one of those situations which is just - happened and how? this is one of those situations which isjust a - those situations which is just a nightmare situation. we are hearing so many awful stories already people have been on social media talking about how they try to escape with

their children, with their pet animals. one american media outlets spoke and said she saw people from her childhood dying. she saw women crying, losing their children, really horrific stories. as we heard there from the commissioner, they think they've discovered what the source of this is. authorities always said from the beginning they didn't think this was suspicious. this fire had broken out in a particular floor, this fire had broken out in a particularfloor, particular apartment. the smoke had just extended to the entire building, this high—rise black. as we have been hearing there, this is the worst fire in decades. the last fire of this nature you could say was in the bronx was back in march, that social club followed the happy land social club followed the happy land social club followed the happy land social club in the bronx, and that fire was started intentionally, 87

people died. we heard that from eric adams, the mayor, on thejob for nine days saying that this is a really painful moment moment for the city. really painful moment moment for the ci . .., ., really painful moment moment for the ci . .. ., ., city. indeed. i can imagine that the cominu city. indeed. i can imagine that the coming days _ city. indeed. i can imagine that the coming days as _ city. indeed. i can imagine that the coming days as well _ city. indeed. i can imagine that the coming days as well will _ city. indeed. i can imagine that the coming days as well will be - city. indeed. i can imagine that the| coming days as well will be focused into notjust an investigation but also figuring out exactly how many people have been caught up in this. what's your sense at this point of how that investigation might pan out. ~ ., ., ,, ., out. well, at the moment, we know that the death _ out. well, at the moment, we know that the death toll— out. well, at the moment, we know that the death toll is _ out. well, at the moment, we know that the death toll is at _ out. well, at the moment, we know that the death toll is at least - that the death toll is at least 19 people and there are fears by the authorities that the numbers could rise because this was a 19 floor building, a tall building in the bronx where you have many families living in apartment buildings, that's one of the concerns. i know the members are constantly changing, but more than two people are in

hospital, firefighters have said that most of those injuries they think are a result from breathing in the smoke. he mentioned there in the reports about how many of those people were having cardiac arrest in the stairwell. some have stopped breathing. the mayor said the impact of this is really, really going to last for some time as that investigation gets under way. thank ou so investigation gets under way. thank you so much — investigation gets under way. thank you so much for— investigation gets under way. thank you so much forjoining _ investigation gets under way. thank you so much forjoining us - investigation gets under way. thank you so much forjoining us on - investigation gets under way. thank you so much forjoining us on the i you so much forjoining us on the programme. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... it's should be one of the biggest nights in hollywood but this year — there will be no celebrities to collect the awards and the ceremony won't even be shown on tv. we'll explain why in a moment. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects

when it was announced he was dead. good grief — after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. around the world, people have been paying tribute to the iconic - rock star david bowie, who sold 140 million l albums in a career that| spanned half a century. his family announced i overnight that he died of cancer at the age of 69. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals.

i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... ——a stay at home order has been issued to the entire population of the chinese port city of tianjin: ia million people. it comes as health officials conduct mass testing following at least twenty cases of covid. tianjin is only 150 kilometres from beijing, where the winter olympics will be held next month. the bbc�*s asia pacific editor celia hatton reports. is the situation in chinese leaders had hoped to avoid. people living in the centre of one of china's busiest port cities lining up for covid testing following the discovery of the omicron variant fair. translation: after screening the focus groups, a total of 18| coronavirus infections were detected among the close contacts in tianjin, and all of them have been transferred to designated hospitals for treatment and quarantine. technically, the city of tianjin isn't under lockdown, but some districts have already

been sealed off. the residents inside have been told they must get tested quickly if they want to leave. the prospect of a full omicron outbreak in tianjin will raise alarm bells in beijing. tianjin isjust 150 kilometres from china's capital, in less than a month's time. and the lunar new year travel season is also due to start soon. it's usually the biggest holiday of the year. several chinese cities have already instituted strict lockdown is as they attempt to eliminate covid. the northern city of xi'an has been dealing with the biggest outbreak of the virus since it first emerged in the city of wuhan, marking the start of the global pandemic. officials there say they've stopped the spread, but there's no talk of lockdown lifting yet. some are still struggling with their illness. translation: these patientsl are still mainly with respiratory symptoms such as a cough, and some patients also have shortness of breath. the city of yuzhou is also under

lockdown, with more thani million confined indoors after three cases of the virus were found. like xi'an, some are reporting they have little food at home, leaving the authorities are scrambling to provide the necessities. translation: we usually get what we need after we tell- the head of the community. we understand that everybody in this city is very busy, and that's forcing health officials to move quickly, and still, the chinese government is sticking with its zero covid strategy. and that's forcing health officials to move quickly, especially in tianjin. the virus was only confirmed in the city on friday evening, but they aim to test all of tianjin's ia million residents within 48 hours. some on chinese social media platforms are already predicting stricter measures ahead. just before chinese new year, many say it feels like there's little to celebrate. in the uk, the education secretary

has said shortening the isolation period in england, for people who test positive for coronavirus, would be helpful in dealing with staffing shortages. nadhim zahawi said, any decision would be made on the basis of advice from the uk's health security agency — and said absences among teachers would rise, now that schools had returned. the us recently shortened isolation for those testing positive for covidi9 from 7 days to 5. the bbc�*s 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 ia,ooo 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.

away now from stories from covid. i want to talk about the golden globes. it's usually one of the biggest nights in hollywood but sunday's golden globes ceremony in la will take place with none of the nominees present and behind closed doors. that's because much of the film industry has decided to boycott the event, and the broadcaster that usually shows the ceremony has dropped the event from its schedule. colin paterson explains why. # it all began tonight... tonight, west side story is one of the big favourites to win at the golden globes. but none of its stars or its director, steven spielberg, will be there. the same goes for belfast, which is tied for the most nominations — seven. we're looking to cleanse the community. you wouldn't want to be the odd one out in this street. touch my family and i'll kill you. it is based on the childhood of its director, sir kenneth branagh, who has never won a golden globe. if he does tonight, the way

he will find out is on his computer. it is doubtful that he will even care. the golden globes are normally a star—studded event, but they have been beset with problems for the past year. an los angeles times expose revealed that they have not had a single black voter for almost two decades, and there are accusations of unethical practices. this prompted tom cruise to send back the three golden globes he had won. the rights holders, nbc, said they would not broadcast the ceremony, and despite radical changes being introduced, hollywood en masse decided to boycott the event. this week, the golden globes announced that the ceremony at the beverly hilton hotel in los angeles will be a private event and will not be live—streamed, with winners simply being announced on social media. this prompted us talk show host conan o'brien to ask: and ricky gervais, who has hosted the golden globes

five times, has even suggested there is a chance this could be the last time they are held. you're the number one topic ahead of tater tots, and the pope followed you... as to who could win, when it comes to the tv categories, there could be a procession for succession. the media family drama series has the most nominations, with five. is he going to watch? could we make a note in the minutes that he is watching us? but with no—one able to watch the globes and with things as they are, it is fully expected that tonight's winners will not even acknowledge that they have won. i'm a good guy. i'm betterthan you. before we end the programme, i want to bring you the news that we are getting from our team in australia on that top story that we where telling you about. the novak check

the veg game has been delayed because of issues from the live stream. we will bring you details of that when we can. that's it for newsday. thanks for watching. hello again. sunday brought us a mixed picture of weather. there was a bit of rain across northern areas. we had some lovely winter sunshine across parts of the midlands, east anglia, southern england, parts of wales for a time as well. but towards the end of the day, we did rather lose the bright skies in wales, replaced it with some thicker cloud and started to lose the visibility as well. now, right now, we're seeing cloud increase from the west. there's a warm front that begins to push its way in. that is starting to push a bit of patchy light rain and drizzle in across these western areas, but temperatures are rising hour by hour, so it is increasingly turning mild. heading into the first part of monday morning, 10 degrees there in plymouth, but cold in rural aberdeenshire. in some of the deeper valleys, about —5 degrees or so. through monday, this area of milder

air is going to slowly creep its way a little bit further eastwards. with that, there could be an odd spit of drizzle just about anywhere through the day, but it will be mainly focused across the west. some heavier rain, though, for western scotland, with strengthening winds here during the course of the afternoon. it is for these western areas that the temperatures will be at their highest — 13 degrees in belfast. further east, not quite so high temperatures, but they're still above average. highs of 7 to 9 degrees. through monday night and into tuesday, our warm front gets chased down by this cold front. behind the cold front, we get the colder air moving back in. so for tuesday, the murky weather will be across the south — mist and hill fog patches, a bit of light rain or drizzle from that system. further north, a fair bit of sunshine, northern ireland, northern england, wales, the midlands too. a few showers, though,

for the northwest of scotland. the temperatures just dropping away again across most parts of the uk, but mild in the south this time. from wednesday onwards, high pressure builds to the south of the uk. and with this high pressure, winds are going to be coming around that from quite a long way south. the mildest air will be heading in across these northern areas. but there will be quite a lot of cloud around, thick enough to give some spots of drizzle. no great amounts, but it could be quite damp at times for the highlands and the western isles, perhaps the northern isles as well. but it's here where we'll see temperatures in double figures. after a frosty start elsewhere, should be some sunny spells. but as the week goes by, a lot of quiet weather. there will probably be some dense patches of fog around as well across parts of england and wales later in the week. that's your latest weather.

this is bbc news. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment. first, though, the headlines: in new york, at least 19 people

are dead after a fire ripped through an apartment building in the bronx area of the city. the education secretary for england backs reducing the covid isolation period — from seven days to five. a hearing is about to get under way in australia over the fate of novak djokovic. the australian government has denied it gave him permission to enter without having been vaccinated for covid. 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 an afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal is reunited with relatives. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow.

with me are aletha adu, political correspondent