michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich. the time is 1:17 pm. our top story this lunchtime...prime minister announces the first death in the uk with the new omicron variant. and hotter than the sun — how nuclearfusion is being recreated on an industrial estate in the south of england. coming up on the bbc news channel, we'll tell you how positive coronavirus tests could affect a full round of premier league fixtures this week, after manchester united send a number of players home from training ahead of their game against brentford. when india's second wave of coronavirus infections hit earlier this year, hospitals were quickly overrun and many died because they couldn't get medical care. now india has dozens of cases of the new omicron variant, and the country is preparing for a third wave of the virus. more than half of india's adult population is fully vaccinated, but that leaves hundreds of millions still at risk. our india correspondent yogita limaye has this report. seven months since covid ripped through this country, these moments of relief now appear temporary. the vir

michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich. disrupted or ruined by the ongoing public health crisis. our corespondent andrew plant has been talking to a range of people about their hopes for christmas and how they've been adapting. sherie and kate's first christmas together in their new home. merry christmas. but any party plans have gone on hold after both tested positive for covid. we are in isolation until... till the day after boxing day, so we can't go anywhere, so we're going to enjoy it here. it's been a confusing build—up to christmas. less organised this year than i was last year. kate mccarey�*s plans are up in the air, unsure if she'll see her grandchildren, due to fly over from america on thursday. if they come, how much we will be able to do? because we don't know what's going to happen immediately after christmas, and therefore, whether it's worth them taking the risk. it has been busy here today with shoppers and day—trippers, but most people have said they've taken a cautious approach to this christmas, not maki

michael buchanan, bbc news, tipton in the west midlands.isolated in their rooms. for one home in bristol, reflecting on the past year brings back painful memories — they lost ten residents to covid. as they look forward to this year's celebrations, our reporter fiona lamdin has been to catch up with them. we lost peggy on christmas day, then we lost michael, nigel, roger, anne, pat, trudy, john, joyce and, lastly, jean. the covid outbreak at linden house in somerset last christmas claimed the lives of ten elderly residents in less than three weeks. we were clear for so long and then itjust hit us and with that, one by one, all of our staff were going, it was long, it was tiring. it was scary. head chef nic has worked here for three decades. she and her team did 12—hour shifts in the kitchen, sending meals on trays as the residents isolated alone in their rooms. we would facetime residents or sometimes you would run past their windows and just wave at them. and just sort of, like, let them know, you know, we are still here. i have made ginge

michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich.ll have played a role in bringing the story to the screen. the industry here is enjoying something of a golden age. a record £4 billion was spent making tv shows in the uk in the past year — almost double the figure before the pandemic. here's our media correspondent, david sillito. i do suppose if i were forced to take a wife, you would be the least objectionable option. is that meant to be a compliment? bridgerton. 0utlander. thank you for returning lady bolton safely. - game of thrones — all made in the uk. this is bad wolf in cardiff, just one of a number of new studios to have opened up in south wales. the tv industry is absolutely booming at the moment. there has been a fourfold increase in drama production in the uk over the last seven or eight years. which means that if you tot it all up, spending has gone from around £400 million in 2013 to 4 billion — a tenfold increase. tv drama now employs more people than the steel and coal industry. this is a story about across the whole

michael buchanan, bbc news, tipton in the west midlands.rating the 30th birthday of their hero. louis was the oldest member of the superband one direction when it was founded back in 2010 and is the first to hit the 30 milestone. he's since launched a solo career, and has a sold out world tour coming up in 2022. let's have a listen to a song from his debut album, walls. # i can ease the pain # just a little taste, babe # and you won't let go of your hold on me # you kill my mind # raise my body back to life # and i don't know what i'd do without you now # you kill my mind # raise my body back to life # and i don't know what i'd do without you now # kept me living # from the last time # from a prison of a past life well, louis' fandom is said to be really unique in its devotion and protectiveness to the singer—songwriter and we can talk now to a superfan, alessia dellavedova, whojoins us from milan. thanks forjoining us. why are you such a big fan of this young man? when one direction came out they were pretty big but i have always stuck wit

michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich.dent, andrew plant, has been finding out, in bath. cherie and kate's first christmas together in their new home. merry christmas. but any party plans have gone on hold after both tested positive for covid. we are in isolation until... till the day after boxing day, so we can't go anywhere, so we're going to enjoy it here. it's been a confusing build—up to christmas. less organised this year than i was last year. kate mccarey�*s plans are up in the air, unsure if she'll see her grandchildren, due to fly over from america on thursday. if they come, how much we will be able to do, because we don't know what's going to happen immediately after christmas, and therefore, whether it's worth them taking the risk. it has been busy here today with shoppers and day—trippers, but most people have said they've taken a cautious approach to this christmas, not making any big plans in the first place, just in case they have to cancel. we are worried to go away in case something happens and we can't ge

michael buchanan, bbc news, sussex.8000155 998. a man has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after he was found responsible for the death of a 93—year—old fellow resident at a care home. alexander rawson, who was suffering from mental health issues, beat eileen dean to death with a walking stick at the home in south east london. the court heard rawson will be detained in a secure psychiatric unit, possibly for the rest of his life. us prosecutors have described ghislaine maxwell as a "sophisticated predator", during closing arguments in her criminal trial. the 59—year—old has denied grooming underage girls for abuse by the late paedophilejeffrey epstein between 1994 and 200a. she faces up to 70 years in prison, if convicted on sex trafficking and perjury charges. the sandwich and coffee shop chain, pret a manger, has received thousands of complaints over its drinks subscription service, with customers saying popular beverages, like fruit smoothies and milkshakes, frequently run out, or have been removed from

michael buchanan, bbc news, sussex. old bailey for us. remind us of the background to this case. alexander rawson was in a mental health unit this time last year, underthe mental health unit this time last year, under the care of the south london and maudsley nhs trust. during his time in the mental health unit he had threatened staff with a knife and scissors but this time last year in the run—up to christmas, it was decided he should be moved into a care home in catford in south—east london. once in the home he was very distressed and he frightened a member of staff and then in the first week of the new year, he attacked eileen dean, a 93—year—old lady who was in the room next door. he beat her with his walking stick and a member of staff who found her said she appeared to mouth the word help. eileen dean suffered catastrophic injuries to her head and body and died some hours later in hospital. alexander rawson was deemed unfit to stand trial here at the old bailey last month. instead, ajury trial here at the old bail

michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich. reactor there is fired up. fusion reactions power the sun and scientists have been trying for decades to recreate them here on earth to try to generate low carbon electricity. our climate editor justin rowlatt reports. in this nondescript warehouse building they have constructed a state—of—the—art reactor, designed to recreate the fusion forces that power the sun itself. nuclear fusion is the holy grail of low—carbon energy because it has the potential to generate so much power. industrial—scale fusion would crack the energy challenge. we could solve climate change and transform the world economy. but harnessing the sun's power here on earth is not easy. it involves fusing atoms of hydrogen to fuse together, creating helium along with huge amounts of energy. it means heating hydrogen to incredible temperatures while using super powerful magnets to hold the reaction in place. the technology is improving and investment money is pouring into private fusion projects like this all around t

our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan has the details.endal court after applying for emergency housing in brighton. a mature student, she was deemed vulnerable due to mental health problems which deteriorated at kendal court. just three weeks after being placed in the block, she took her own life. i don't think she really wanted to die. i read her facebook messages. in one of them, she said, "i don't want to die, ijust don't know how to live." it's not suitable, certainly for anyone who is vulnerable, who needs access to out—of—hours emergency mental health services. they should recognise that some people need more help than just a bed. at least ten kendal court residents have died since 2016, the most recent earlier this month. the people there often have complex needs, psychiatric or drug and alcohol problems. once you're put there and you get to see the people that are here and what goes on, it's like it's a dumping ground. leon rose has lived here for 18 months after being released from prison. while he is grateful for the accommodati

michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich. the headlines on bbc news...to create a look popular on social media. cropping a dog's ears is illegal in the uk — but "bbc wales investigates" has found fraudulent pet passports being offered to help hide the origin of illegally mutilated dogs. wyre davies reports. good boy, griff. you've been such a good boy. lockdown has been boom time for the dogs business. so these are what are known as micro bullies. the whole purpose of the breed is to try and make them as small and stocky as possible. these dogs were seized from a cardiff—based breeder. christopher may liked to show off and advertise his dogs online. he was recentlyjailed for breeding without a licence. he was also convicted of another crime — cutting off their ears. sadly, there is a demand for dogs with their ears mutilated. this is what he should look like, look. it's purely an aesthetic, to achieve a certain look that some people think is attractive. it's illegal to cut a dog's ears like this in the uk. but at the moment you can import one with its ea

michael buchanan, bbc news, tipton in the west midlands. there's a lot going on.. good morning from bbc london and bbc south east today. a sussex homeless charity says the number of people needing help has soared this winter. sussex homeless support has been providing food and other essentials for more than 2,000 people this year — up from 500 in 2020. the government has spent millions of pounds to move homeless people off the street during the pandemic. but the charity said it was helping more and more people who are living in temporary accommodation or sofa surfing. the homeless numbers are growing nonstop. nothing has changed. it is just that where the homeless are being accommodated, whether it is a street or refugee camps, or whether it is in hotel accommodation, wherever it is, that has not changed. it is just where they are as changed. but the numbers clearly have to be quadrupled on last winter. the government is expected to announce how it will roll out booster jabs to teenagers, and vaccinations for vulnerable children. scientists have recommended a low—

michael buchanan, bbc news. i'm a celebrity get me out of here. let's take a look at the big moment. and the first—ever king of the castle is... danny! emmerdale actor danny miller emerged victorious after three weeks of challenges in north wales. he beat fellow finalists simon gregson and frankie bridge to the title. i still can't believe louise didn't make the final three. i i still can't believe louise didn't make the final three.— make the final three. i don't understand _ make the final three. i don't understand what _ make the final three. i don't understand what happened. | make the final three. i don't| understand what happened. i make the final three. i don't - understand what happened. i thought she was guaranteed _ understand what happened. i thought she was guaranteed victory. - understand what happened. i thought she was guaranteed victory. she - understand what happened. i thought she was guaranteed victory. she is i she was guaranteed victory. she is our queen of _ she was guaranteed victory. she