mark drakeford has had to defend the decision— mark drakeford has had to defend the decision in— mark now— this afternoon, being asked if this is now a _ this afternoon, being asked if this is now a u—turn, had they made a mistake _ is now a u—turn, had they made a mistake putting restrictions in place — mistake putting restrictions in place when there was a different decision— place when there was a different decision over the border in england. he has— decision over the border in england. he has defended the decision saying that having not put this in place things— that having not put this in place things would be far worse here. today. — things would be far worse here. today. the _ things would be far worse here. today, the ons figures suggest the figures _ today, the ons figures suggest the figures have gone up until the 6th ofjanuary— figures have gone up until the 6th ofjanuary although figures have gone up until the 6th of january although those figures have gone up until the 6th ofjanuary although those going into hospital— ofjanuary although those going into hospital have dec

it is less than a week since mark drakeford was talking about wales being in the grip of an omicron stormeen quite a sudden shift in outlook to something far more optimistic driven by the data which suggests actually that the peak of the wave here in wales may have passed at the beginning of january. tomorrow we expect him to set out that plan to start easing restrictions that were imposed back on boxing day. they could start as soon as this weekend with the end of the limit for outdoor activity, so park runs for example could operate in wales with more than 50 runners and later crowds could return to sports stadiums for football and rugby matches. the rule of six could be scrapped in bars and restaurants and eventually nightclubs could open once again here in wales. all caveats and with the fact that if there is a spike in cases, we could go back up the alert system and the other caveat is that the data has changed and the number of people who have to take pcr test in wales has changed, but if that is the message from mark drakeford tomorrow, it will be welcomed by most people here in wa

strong words from mark drakeford today, hywel?ve, he is notjust first minister of wales but leader of the welsh labour party so never afraid of criticising borisjohnson�*s decisions when they differ from his own. he claimed the uk government had failed to protect people in england and was politically paralysed in decisions over restrictions, making it different of course to scotland, northern ireland and wales. when the restrictions were introduced here on boxing day that meant closing night clubs, limiting numbers on people in pubs, bars and restaurants, playing major sporting fixtures behind closed doors. but since then the covid case rate in wales has risen sharply and by some measures is now above england and scotland. one thing is for certain, those measures are likely to stay for another fortnight with mr drakeford warning that the peakis with mr drakeford warning that the peak is not expected for some 14 days and if they are extended even further there is concern that wales's home rugby internationals in february could pote

wales' first minister, mark drakeford, has said he believes wales has passed the peak of the omicronwales as well as northern ireland from today. in a moment we'll hear from emma vardy in belfast, but first, here's tomos morgan in cardiff. yes, the easing today was around outdoor activities. the first being that the limit on sporting activities outdoors, spectators, essentially, has been scrapped meaning the principality stadium behind me can welcome a maximum capacity crowd for the six nations next month. secondly, the rule of six and outdoor social distancing on hospitality has now come to an end. similar restrictions on indoor hospitality and nightclubs are closed, they maybe scrapped next friday, all being well, according to the first minister. mark drakeford said today that the number of people who have covid as declined faster in wales than any other part of the uk. at the moment covid passes and facemasks will be needed on public transport. the next review here is due on the 10th of february. political leaders here in northern ireland _ political leaders here in northern irela

mark drakeford has said they have been able to ease the restrictions because the peak of the omicrone and the number of cases has been reducing more rapidly than the rest of the uk. the next review into the covid measures into masks and passes will be on the 10th of february.— be on the 10th of february. thank ou. scientists have warned the government that allowing large numbers of people in lower—income countries to go unvaccinated is "reckless" and could lead to new covid variants. more than 320 experts have written to the prime minister, calling for urgent action. they say more than 3 billion people globally have not had a first dose. tensions over ukraine remain high, with russia's foreign minister this morning saying his country's interests couldn't be ignored, while insisting moscow did not want war. earlier, presidentjoe biden warned there is a "distinct possibility" that russia might invade ukraine next month. it comes as uk businesses and organisations are being urged to boost their their defences in case cyber attacks linked to the conflict over ukraine have an impact here.

. - wales is now in the grip of an omicron "storm", according to the first minister mark drakeford.— but has not announced changes to restrictions. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith is in cardiff. he has been talking in the last hour, bring it up to date? yes, during that press _ hour, bring it up to date? yes, during that press conference, l hour, bring it up to date? 1a: during that press conference, as you said, he described wales as being in the middle of a storm. his forecast for the future was equally gloomy, saying the peak of omicron cases isn't expected for another ten to 14 days. the rate here is already above 2000 per 100,000 members of the public. at the moment, that is a higher rate nationally than in england. so the inevitable question was, why keep restrictions in wales if they don't seem to be having an impact? mark drakeford's answer was that they are having an impact and he doesn't see a case for slackening those restrictions for at least another two weeks. that means the rule of six will stay in pubs, bars and cafes. it means nightclubs in wales will remain c

and that you maybe didn't agree with labour's mark drakeford in wales, who did say you could only gooups were six max, that nightclubs would have to close, that there would be no fans at live sporting events. is there a bit of you that says, "actually, labour uk—wide doesn't have to agree with labour in wales?" and the other way around. but i, actually, i don't criticise mark drakeford one bit and i think one of the reasons labour did well in the last welsh senedd elections is because of mark's leadership in the pandemic. i think i did recognise that these were finely balanced judgement — and difficult judgement calls. we never called for restrictions in england for christmas. we listened to what the scientists were saying and we listened to the mood music coming out of government, which was, "we're going to do restrictions after christmas" and so, at that point, i was saying, "if you're going to do restrictions after christmas, let people know before, so they can plan." now, in the end, we've got into the new year without the need for further restrictions. i hope we can keep it that

but actually, i don't criticise mark drakeford one bit. the last welsh senedd elections is because of mark's leadership in the pandemic. i think i did recognise that these were finely balanced judgment and difficult judgment calls. we never called for restrictions in england for christmas. we listened to what the scientists were saying and we listened to the mood music coming out of government, which was, "we're going to do restrictions after christmas." so, at that point, i was saying, "if you're going to do restrictions after christmas, let people know before so they can plan." in the end, we've got into the new year without the need for further restrictions. i hope we can keep it that way. if you do get a shot at being health secretary, you will hope, we will all hope, that by the time that happens the pandemic is receding, even if it's not over. you'll probably face, if you do become health secretary, massive waiting lists. now, this has happened before. when alan milburn was health secretary under tony blair — huge waiting lists. now,

this comes on a day mark drakeford saying that the number of people who have covid is declining fastere on 10 february. well, political leaders here in northern ireland say the relaxations today are a reflection too of the fact that they believe here, as well, that peak is now past in terms of the number of cases and hospitalisations. so from today, and just in time for friday night drinks, that mandatory table service rule in pubs and restaurants has been dropped, the limit of six people to a table has also now ended. and in terms of households being able to meet up in private homes indoors, the limit of three — that rule has also ended today, too. there's another significant change coming here in northern ireland next week, because from wednesday, you'll no longer need vaccine passports to get into pubs and restaurants, and cinemas, too. now as you can imagine, that's all been very much welcomed here by the hospitality industry — but ministers say their message to the public is, yes, there are relaxations, but they still want people to take their own precautions. the republic of irel

i don't criticise mark drakeford one bit. welsh elections is because of mark's leadership in the pandemic. i think i did recognise that these were finely balanced judgment and difficult calls. we never called for restrictions in england for christmas. we listened to what the scientists were saying and we listened to the mood music coming out of government, which was that they were going to do restrictions after christmas. we thought that if they were doing restrictions after christmas they should let people know so they could plan. i hope we can keep it that way. if know so they could plan. i hope we can keep it that way.— can keep it that way. if you do get a shot at being — can keep it that way. if you do get a shot at being health _ can keep it that way. if you do get a shot at being health secretary, | a shot at being health secretary, you will hope, we will all hope, that by the time that happens the pandemic is receding even if it is not over. you will probably face, if you do, a massive waiting list. this has happened

positivity rates hit astronomically high levels but mark drakeford astronomically high levels but markas last year 'ust before christmas i increasing. i was last year 'ust before christmas and i increasing. i was last yearjust before christmas and since - increasing. i was last yearjust i before christmas and since then increasing. i was last yearjust - before christmas and since then the public health situation in wales has changed dramatically. at that time the omicron variant was still an approaching storm coming towards us on the horizon. today that storm is fully upon us. omicron is now the dominant form of the virus here in wales and cases are rising rapidly and every day. the outcome of this week�*s review means we will be staying at alert level two. there are no new changes to introduce this week. over the past days we have made some changes to the testing regime and the self isolation rules. because cases of coronavirus are so because cases of coronavirus are so high because cases of coronavirus are so high in the community at the moment, we no longer need routinely to take a

we must remember mark drakeford is just first minister wales, mark drakeford is just first ministerwalesster wales, he is leader of the welsh labour government, so there is political point scoring going on, but certainly people in wales are very conscious of the fact that there are more restrictions here than over the border, and harassed some cases of people we know going over the border to enjoy themselves and nightclubs, something you are not likely to do here in wales for a few weeks yet. and you can check how your local nhs services are coping using the bbc nhs tracker for emergency treatment. it allows you to find out how your local services are coping this winter, and how that compares to the situation before the pandemic. the president of kazakhstan has ordered security forces to �*fire without warning', during a violent crackdown on anti—government protests. the president blamed what he called �*foreign—trained terrorists' for demonstrations which have been going on since sunday in the main city of almaty; the unrest was sparked by a big increase in the price of fuel. at least 2

mark drakeford _ that it finds itself in. mark drakeford also _ that it finds itself in.rants will be lifted, — in pubs and restaurants will be lifted, and it will no longer be table — lifted, and it will no longer be table service only in bars and restaurants if you want to queue for a drink— restaurants if you want to queue for a drink so— restaurants if you want to queue for a drink so you can. if you want to have _ a drink so you can. if you want to have people _ a drink so you can. if you want to have people around your home you have people around your home you have the _ have people around your home you have the green light to do that. the guidance _ have the green light to do that. the guidance is — have the green light to do that. the guidance is that no more than three households— guidance is that no more than three households should socialise together indoors _ households should socialise together indoors presently but that recommendation is being removed. the next big _ recommendation is being removed. the next big day— recommendation is being removed. the next

first minister mark drakeford has said they have been able to ease the restrictions because the peakidly than the rest of the uk. the next review into the covid measures, into masks and vaccination passes, will be on the 10th of february. thomas morgan reporting there. british sign language is a step closer to becoming a legally recognised language in england, after a bill proposing the changes was backed in the house of commons. the measures were included in a private member's bill which has the backing of strictly come dancing champion and eastenders actress rose ayling—ellis. the bill was introduced by the labour backbencher rosie cooper. clearly, much of this is because of strictly. deaf people can do anything, my dad always said, even be impossible, such as winning strictly when you can't hear the music. that ten second claims she gave into the hearing world, she gave into the hearing world, she gave the hearing world into deafness when the music stopped was truly momentous. people became aware and interested in bsl like never before. i know we have much support across the house

the first minister mark drakeford has outlined the road map out of alert level to back to alert levelalert level zero. they will be no social distancing requirements and no need for six hospitality and no need for a people to work from home and there will still be guidance for people to do so when they can. this is a huge boost for the economy and south wales and in cardiff. the stadium the home of the six nations wales team do to host the first game on the 12th of february against scotland. such a big boost because this city is in the centre of cardiffjust ten, 20 metres away, bars and restaurants will be able to welcome people and be full as well here in night clubs can be open on the 28th having lost out over the festive period and lost out the last six nations it will be a huge head for the economy here in south wales and cardiff. the first minister has coming to some criticism over whether or not this is a u—turn by the welsh government and they did not need to put these restrictions in place and he defended them and said they were necessary and had they not been put in place tha

mark drakeford has said they have been able to ease the restrictions because the peak of the omicronmore rapidly than the rest of the uk. the next review into the covid measures, into masks and passes, will be on the 10th of february. scientists have warned the government that allowing large numbers of people in lower—income countries to go unvaccinated is "reckless" and could lead to new covid variants. more than 320 experts have written to the prime minister, calling for urgent action. they say more than three billion people globally have not had a first dose. tensions over ukraine remain high with russia's foreign minister this morning saying his country's interests couldn't be ignored, while insisting moscow did not want war. earlier, presidentjoe biden warned there is a "distinct possibility" that russia might invade ukraine next month. it comes as uk businesses and organisations are being urged to boost their defences in case cyber attacks linked to the conflict over ukraine have an impact here. our diplomatic correspondentjames landale explains the situation. the russian forei

interesting to see what mark drakeford interesting to see what mark dra keford says interesting to see conference but certainly i would not expect to see easing of restrictions and i probably would not expect to see any restrictions for the time being because he is getting some heat from the hospitality sector which is calling for more money to help their industry which they say has been severely dampened having not been able to operate at max capacity over the christmas period and also they want to get back to normal as quickly as possible. {iii normal as quickly as possible. of course the decision in england not to introduce further restrictions as applying pressure trip first ministers in the rest of the uk. you have been looking at schools. give is a sense of the pressure and other parts of the system. the health system and so forth in wales. yesterday the head of nhs wales said its some nhs health trust, there was a 50% of staff of with covid. the rules did change like in england when it came to self isolation so thatis when it came to self isolation so that is down to seven days.

speaking this morning, mark drakeford praised the people of wales for enabling these restrictions to to say that the situation has improved significantly. we can say confidently today that we have passed this peak of the omicron wave, and the incredibly high levels of infection we have seen across wales. it is all your hard work, and the success of our vaccination programme, that has helped us through this challenging period. i wanted to be gained by showing you the most up—to—date versions of the two slides that we saw last week. they show just how two slides that we saw last week. they showjust how quickly two slides that we saw last week. they show just how quickly the omicron wave has moved through wales. here is the slide that shows just how quickly the cases of coronavirus rows in wales around christmas, peking, as you can see there, just below 2500 cases —— reaching as you can see just below 2500 cases, early injanuary. since then, as the model that swansea university create for as would have suggested, we have seen an equally swift decline in the numbers, as we saw in that sw

on friday mark drakeford, her equivalent in wales, said all restrictions there will be lifted by thenth. in the uk, western europe and north america, there is a relief that omicron has proved generally less serious and certainly less fatal than the covid variant which preceded it. hang on, though — is that because the virus is weakening? or immune systems are strengthening? or because of vaccination? the secretary—general at who pointed out this week that 85% of people in africa have yet to receive a single vaccine dose. never mind the three injected into many of us. in terms of the impact of omicron, it was first identified in southern africa, even there we are told it was comparatively mild. what is it then that he is particularly worried about? i think it's this broader question about inequality. vaccine inequality. and huge differences in uptake in different countries with the developed, richer nations moving ahead with boosters and first and second doses in some countries really not being available to anything like the majority of the population or they have not been jabbed so f

the first minister, mark drakeford, says there are signs wales faced with what we knew and we were seeing level two measures on boxing day to keep as many people safe and as many businesses as possible open and prevent the nhs in wales from being overwhelmed. those measures combined with the christmas and new year holidays have acted as and new year holidays have acted as a many firebreak and flattened the curve of infections and given us more time to get people vaccinated. because of the crisis we moved inside the welsh government to a weekly review of the measures so we could make sure they were always proportionate to the public health risk. now in this week's review the cabinet has agreed to a plan to take us back step—by—step to alert level zero. provided, and that word f is a big word here always, if we continue to see the public health situation continue to improve over the next few weeks. we will do it in that careful phrase the way as we have throughout the pandemic and this will allow us to make sure that the early signs of improvement from this week continue as we look to make

the first minister of wales, mark drakeford, says he wouldn't rule out recruiting nhs workers from englandeaking to radio 4's broadcasting house programme, mr drakeford said a "vast majority" of care sector staff had also taken the "protections that vaccination offers". we're not going to make vaccinations mandatory in our nhs, we haven't in our social care services, because we have succeeded by persuasion in getting the vast majority of people who work in our services to do the right thing and to take up the protections that vaccination offers. so will you recruit actively in england? no, i don't expect us to go looking for people who haven't been vaccinated. no. but if people apply, then they will be interviewed _ in the normal way. we'd look to see what lay behind their decision. we wouldn't rule them out, but we certainly wouldn't be going out there looking for them. the first minister of wales talking about the consequences of mandatory vaccination. and new zealand's prime minister has cancelled her wedding after announcing new covid—19 restrictions there. jacinda ardern says the enti

the first minister of wales mark drakeford says he wouldn�*t rule out recruiting nhs workers from england programme, mr drakeford said a "vast majority" of care sector staff had also taken the "protections that vaccination offers". we aren�*t going to make vaccinations mandatory in our nhs, we haven�*t in our social care services, because we have succeeded by persuasion in getting the vast majority of people who work in our services to do the right thing and to take up the protections that vaccination offers. so, will you recruit actively in england? no, i don�*t expect us to go looking for people who have not been vaccinated, but if people apply, then they will be interviewed in the normal way. we would look to see what lay behind their decision. we wouldn�*t rule them out, but we certainly wouldn�*t be going out there looking for them. scotland�*s first minister nicola sturgeon has said the impact of covid restrictions on business and hospitality there have been "worth it." she was speaking to my colleague sophie raworth this morning. is scotland in a better position now than we were pr

this lunchtime, the first minister mark drakeford has outlined the right man out of alert level to backoor activities, and from the 28th all hospitality and from the 28th all hospitality and indoor restrictions will come to and indoor restrictions will come to an end, which means wellesley back at alert level zero. there will be no social distancing requirements, no social distancing requirements, no rule of six in hospitality, no need legally for people to work from home. there can still be guidance for people to do so when they can. this is a boost for the economy in south wales and cardiff. this stadium, home of the six nations wales team, due to host against scotland. this stadium is right in the centre of cardiff, just ten or 20 metres away there are bars and restaurants they will now be able to welcome people and be full. nightclubs can also reopen on the 28th, having lost out over the festive period and the last six nations, this will be huge for the economy here in south wales and cardiff. the first minister has come under criticism over whether or not this is actually a u—turn

and earlier today the first minister of wales, mark drakeford, said he would't rule out recruiting nhsination policy. vaccines are not compulsory for nhs staff in wales. speaking to radio 4's broadcasting house programme, mr drakeford said a "vast majority" of care sector staff had also taken the "protections that vaccination offers". we are not going to make vaccinations mandatory in our nhs, we haven't in our social care services, because we have succeeded by persuasion in getting the vast majority of people who work in our services to do the right thing and to take up the protections that vaccination offers. so, will you recruit actively in england? no, i do not expect us to go looking for people who have not been vaccinated, but if people apply, then they will be interviewed in the normal way. we would look to see what lay behind their decision, we would not rule them out but we certainly would not be going out there looking for them. them out, but we certainly would not be going out there looking for them. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has said the impact of covid re

however, first minister mark drakeford says wild infections are falling, there is still no for complacency again. the closure of night clubs forced heidi's to delay its grand opening, forcing the business to move their focus elsewhere. we planned to open injanuary. obviously, the restrictions came in. we had to move our investment into england, where businesses were trading, and get some income and revenue generated. now you will not be open in time for when the restrictions easing? we will not be open in time, but we want to make sure it is perfect for when it does arrive. from the 28th, the night—time and hospitality industry will be able to fully operate without any restrictions in wales once again. and from next week, capacity crowds will be welcome inside stadiums, just in time for the six nations. the location of the principality stadium is fairly unique in cardiff, because literallyjust a stone's throw away are the welsh capital's main bars, clubs and restaurants. and from the 28th of january, they will all be able to operate without any measures in place. the six nations brings in

however the first minister, mark drakeford, says that while infections are falling, there's no room forles correspondent, tomos morgon, has more. piece by piece, wales is building its way back to normality once again. the closure of night clubs forced heidi is to delay its grand opening, forcing the business to focus elsewhere. we opening, forcing the business to focus elsewhere.— opening, forcing the business to focus elsewhere. we plan to open in january then — focus elsewhere. we plan to open in january then the _ focus elsewhere. we plan to open in january then the restrictions - focus elsewhere. we plan to open in january then the restrictions came i january then the restrictions came in. we had to move our investment into england where businesses were trading and get some income and revenue generated. haifa trading and get some income and revenue generated.— trading and get some income and revenue generated. now you will not be 0 en in revenue generated. now you will not be open in times _ revenue generated. now you will not be open in times for— revenue generated. now you will no

we'll hear from first minister mark drakeford live.nned indoor mixing. the events, first reported by the telegraph, took place on 16 april 2021 and went on until the early hours. borisjohnson was not at either party, but the gatherings raise further questions about a culture of rule—breaking at number 10. the event on the 16th april was a leaving party for the prime minister's then director of communications james slack. yesterday, backbencher andrew bridgen became the fifth conservative mp to publicly say they had submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister. it takes 5a mps to trigger a leadership contest. the prime minister has continued to urge mps to wait for the outcome of an investigation into lockdown parties at number 10 by senior civil servant sue gray, which is expected as early as next week. it will now include these two latest incidents. here is the foreign secretary liz truss speaking this morning. when i heard about this, i was of course very, very concerned, and i understand that people across the country a

mark drakeford enjoys a pretty high approval rate, do you think it was the right thing to remove planthe prime minister oath has suggested people stilly that in crowded indoor space, without the mandate is there a risk we could go a step backwards in trying to deal with this virus? itruieiiii trying to deal with this virus? well if the signs — trying to deal with this virus? -ii if the signs support it all these measures stack up, because it is important that the science is followed but no government can keep these in place on people's civil liberties and a sense of normality. we have built up huge debt thes and the economic consequences as well as the economic consequences as well as the health consequence, it is vital as liam fox was saying we get the economy firing on all cylinders so we can start tackling the huge waiting list, today in wales we are getting the latest waiting list, where one in five people were on a waiting list, that is one in five of the whole population, it is a similarfigure in england would have to be between 12 and 13 million people on a waiting list, that i

first minister mark drakeford has been speaking to the bbc about the decision to lift restrictions nowong abandoned any sense that it is following the science. it is a government desperately mired in difficulties of its own making and is forever on the lookout for a headline that will distract people's attention from the awful mess that it finds itself in. rhian nowell—phillips is a wales rugby fan from caerphilly and is the creator of the rugby chat and banter facebook forum. welcome, thank you. how excited are you to be able to get back into stadiums?— stadiums? oh, it is absolutely brilliant news. _ stadiums? oh, it is absolutely brilliant news. last _ stadiums? oh, it is absolutely brilliant news. last year - stadiums? oh, it is absolutely brilliant news. last year it - stadiums? oh, it is absolutelyj brilliant news. last year it was stadiums? oh, it is absolutely i brilliant news. last year it was all played behind locked doors, we thought we would be the only nation playing again behind locked doors this year, but it is really great news, and it will make such a difference to tha

we are hearing from mark dra keford, drakeford, the dra keford, the first drakeford, the first ministerhere, that the change will need people are unvaccinated and have cases of positive cases and a self isolating for ten days should now take a lateral flow test on days two and eight instead they pcr test. that is an immediate change. and then secondly, which is going to come into effect from tomorrow... they have agreed that if a person showing no symptoms has a positive lateral flow test they are no longer advised to have a follow—up pcr test to confirm that result unless they are in a clinically vulnerable group, which may need early access to treatment, of course. they hope this means that there will be something like an easing of demand by 5—15% for pcr tests. so that is what wales have just decided. we have more figures from the office of national statistics and to talk to us about them is ahead of statistics, robert cuffe. tell us what weeks these apply to? cuffe. tell us what weeks these a - -l to? , ., cuffe. tell us what weeks these a . .l to? , ., , cuffe. tell us what weeks t

first minister mark drakeford has been speaking to the bbc about the decision to lift restrictions nowndoned any sense that it is following the science. it is a government desperately mired in difficulties of its own making and is forever on the lookout for a headline that will distract people's attention from the awful mess that it finds itself in. covid restrictions are being relaxed in northern ireland, where the rule of six will be dropped at hospitality venues. coronavirus passes will be scrapped at pubs, restaurants and cinemas from next wednesday, and nightclubs will also reopen. the headlines on bbc news: talks have begun between the us and russian foreign ministers, overfears russia could be about to invade ukraine. both sides say they don't expect a diplomatic breakthrough today. meat loaf, the rock star whose hits included bat out of hell, has died at the age of 74. he sold more than 100 million albums across a six decade career. adele has postponed her 24—show residency at the caesar's palace hotel in las vegas — a day before it was due to begin. in a tearful message posted