president ramaphosa speak a short time ago — freedom. a short time ago and _ freedom. president ramaphosa speak a short time ago and addressing - freedom. president ramaphosa speak a short time ago and addressing the - short time ago and addressing the nation. us presidentjoe biden and first ladyjill biden said they were "heartbroken" to discover archbishop tutu had died. in a statement, they said... earlier, i spoke with former uk prime minister gordon brown, who gave me his reaction to the death of archbishop desmond tutu. he was one of the greatest people i've ever met. he and nelson mandela are the two leaders who ended apartheid. but, you know, he was a teacher, he was a moral leader, he was a campaigner. when he walked into the room he radiated joy and light, and yet he was one of the most modest and humble and unassuming people you could also meet. so he leaves behind a legacy, one of the last of the generation of people who told us that apartheid was wrong and stood up for human rights everywhere, and he never stopped doing that

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, has posted on twitter saying...dia, narenda modi, said... and the uk prime minister, borisjohnson said... let's get more now from our nomsa maseko whojoins us live from soweto, outside desmond tutu's home. i should imagine that there is no great surprise in his death. he withdrawn from public life, he had just turned 90, but the loss of such a good figure, a revered figure, and an controversially powerful figure must be felt very deeply in the community. it must be felt very deeply in the community-— must be felt very deeply in the communi . , . ., , community. it is a great loss here in south africa. _ community. it is a great loss here in south africa. many _ community. it is a great loss here in south africa. many people - community. it is a great loss here in south africa. many people are. in south africa. many people are saying that the sun had set on south africa. desmond tutu was a powerful figure came a unifying figure who often laughed in the face of adversity, but even at times it risked his own life to en

the south african president cyril ramaphosa has tested positive for covid—19, though his symptoms arey, mr ramaphosa delivered a eulogy at a memorial service for fw de klerk, the last leader of south africa's white minority government. the 69—year—old president, who's fully vaccinated, is now self—isolating in cape town. let's turn now to the uk — where there's to be a rapid acceleration of the booster programme, with prime minister borisjohnson warning of a "tidal wave" of infections from the new omicron variant. he said that thousands of extra volunteers and military planners would be brought in so that. —— so —— so that they can help. it's understood that could mean up to 18 million jabs in just 19 days. the announcement came as the uk's covid alert level was increased from level three to level four. our medical editor fergus walsh has more. queueing round the block for their booster, you will see a lot more of this in the coming days. from tomorrow, the over—30s in england and scotland will be able to book their booster, and the over—18s from later in the week. good evening. over

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, said "the passing of archbishop emeritus desmond tutuewell to a generation of outstanding south africans who have bequeathed us a liberated south africa." and the uk prime minister, borisjohnson said he was "deeply saddened to hear of the death of archbishop desmond tutu. he was a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and in the struggle to create a new south africa — and will be remembered for his spiritual leadership and irrepressible good humour." in other news... new covid restrictions have come into force in scotland, wales and northern ireland as they try to halt the surge in infections of the 0micron variant. all three have introduced curbs on the hospitality and leisure industry, brought back social distancing rules and put limits on the size of gatherings. the prime minister borisjohnson hasn't announced any further restrictions in england. tomas morgan has this report. another winter and another set of restrictions. social life will be curtailed yet again in wales, scotland, and northern ireland as the devolved governm

the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, has tested positive for covid—19, though his symptoms arece for fw de klerk, the last leader of south africa's white minority government. the 69—year—old president, who's fully vaccinated, is now self—isolating in cape town. now, a special report for you on afghanisatan. amid an economic collapse there, the country's drug trade looks to be booming. afghanistan has long been behind the vast majority of the world's heroin, now it's emerged as a major manufacturer of crystal meth, too. the taliban say, for the moment, they can't outlaw drug production without being able to offer alternative sources of income to poor farmers. secunder kermani and cameraman malik mudassir have travelled from kabul, across southern afghanistan for this report. they are one of afghanistan's most lucrative exports, but these drugs are destroying lives here and abroad. there is heroin and, increasingly now, crystal meth. this, an exclusive look at where the meth is coming from. these drugs in southern afghanistan will be smuggled to countries as far away as australia

south africa's president cyril ramaphosa described him as a "patriot without equal".us president barack obama said he had been a "mentor, friend and moral compass." current us presidentjoe biden said he was �*heartbroken�*. our africa correspondent, andrew harding, looks back at his life. raise our hands and we say, we will be free! desmond tutu was a man of hope. a south african priest who became one of the world's great moral voices. it was during south africa's long and violent struggle against white minority rule that desmond tutu rose to prominence. a diminutive priest, defying the apartheid government, comparing them to the nazis. the system of this country, apartheid, is immoral! the system of this country is evil! while nelson mandela was imprisoned for decades, tutu became the face and voice of south africa's liberation movement. desmond tutu was somebody at the height of the anti—apartheid struggle who, when nelson mandela and his leadership comrades in the freedom struggle were locked up on robben island, roused the faithful, inspired people. tutu was fearl

ramaphosa says flags will be flown at half-staff in south africa and that diplomatic missions around the world. information on the archbishop's funeral service will be announced in the coming days. all right. let's bring in our larry madowo now. he joins us live from nairobi, kenya. larry, so many notable figures coming out to pay their tributes to this human rights icon. a real reflection of his status around the world. >> reporter: and that's what president ramaphosa of south africa said. that south africa -- really global bereavement and you see tributes coming from kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents, and royalty. and everyone in between, from the dalai lama to the pope to the queen of england, prince harry and meg meghan. and prime ministers, president of kenya, africa. all these people are mourning who they consider one of the greatest africans to have lived. a tireless, tireless voice for the voiceless and somebody who spoke out against injustice wherever they saw it and that is why you saw these people. president obama described him as his moral compass and a friend. t

the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, has tested positive for covid—19, though his symptoms are at a memorial service for fw de klerk, the last leader of south africa's white minority government. the 69—year—old president — who's fully vaccinated — is now self—isolating in cape town. the chinese e—commerce giant alibaba has sacked a woman who accused her boss and a client of sexually assaulting her. the dismissal letter said she'd spread falsehoods and damaged the company's reputation. one of mexico's most revered singers, vicente fernandez, has died at the age of 81. vicente fernandez was known as the king of mexico's traditional ranchera music and had a career spanning more than five decades. his songs became an essential part of mexican culture. he'd spent four months in hospital following a fall at his ranch. let's turn now to the uk, where there's to be a rapid acceleration of the booster programme, with prime minister borisjohnson warning of a "tidal wave" of infections from the new 0micron variant. he said that thousands of extra volunteers and military planners would be

south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, hasjust africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, has just testedd to be experiencing only mild symptoms. as for the travel bans imposed so quickly by britain and other nations, calls for a rethink are getting louder. ., , ., ., louder. over a period of time this is going _ louder. over a period of time this is going to _ louder. over a period of time this is going to have - louder. over a period of time this is going to have a - this is going to have a devastating impact on business, on the whole of the airline industry, and it is going to be hugely difficult to recover from this if this goes on much longer. from this if this goes on much loner. , ., ., from this if this goes on much loner. , . ., ., longer. only a quarter of south africans have _ longer. only a quarter of south africans have been _ longer. only a quarter of south africans have been fully - africans have been fully vaccinated. omicron may help change that. what is clear is that people are taking this new variant in their stride. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. another count

the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, said the death marked another chapter in the nation's farewellation of outstanding south africans". 0ur africa correspondent, andrew harding, looks back at his life. raise our hands and we say, we will be free! desmond tutu was a man of hope. a south african priest who became one of the world two great moral voices. it was during south africa's long private struggle against white minority rule that desmond tutu rose to prominence. a diminutive priest, defying the apartheid government, comparing them to the nazis. the system of this country, apartheid, is immoral! the system of this country is evil! while nelson mandela was imprisoned for decades, desmond tutu became the face and voice of south africa two liberation movement. iam warning i am warning you, i am warning you that we will pray as we prayed for the downfall of the apartheid government, we will pray for the downfall of a government that misrepresents us.— downfall of a government that misrepresents us. africa macro was that rare thing. _ misrepresents us. africa macro was that rare thin

the south african president cyril ramaphosa has tested positive for covid—19. isolation for the time being. mr ramaphosa said his infection served as a warning to all south africans of the importance of getting vaccinated and being vigilant against the virus. with the unprecedented surge in demand for dogs during lockdown, a bbc investigation has found networks of breeders are offering to arrange cutting or mutilation of the ears of puppies for purely cosmetic reasons. the cropping of dogs' ears is illegal in the uk from bbc wales investigates has found that unlicensed breeders were offering to sell fraudulent foreign pet passports, to hide the identity of illegally—mutilated dogs. wyre davies reports. good boy, you have been such a good boy. lockdown has been boomtime for the dogs business, especially so—called designer breeds like these american bullies. 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. charities are taking on more animals, often confiscated from criminals cashin

president cyril ramaphosa visited with his family in cape town, and afterwards, this is what he had to was one person who really promoted social cohesion, it was archbishop desmond tutu. a lot of great things can be said about him. his global status, the love that he is being showered with from across the various countries in the world just speaks volumes of what he stood for. >> reporter: because of that love that president ramaphosa talks about, south africans have been encouraged not to travel to cape town for the funeral service. instead, memorial services are being held this week all across the nation in parishes and cathedrals. the body of archbishop desmond tutu will also lie in state at st. george's cathedral in cape town on friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to allow people to pay their respects. beyond the tributes from kings and queens and royalty and leaders from around the world, ordinary people are also remembering him on social media. if you're neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. that is why this south african national treasure, afr

ramaphosa said in a statement his infection serves as a caution to everyone in the country to get vaccinated vigilant against exposure. >>> meanwhile, some pretty sobering numbers for the u.s. in the covid crisis. according to data from johns hopkins university, the u.s. is now approaching 50 million cases and ticking closer to 800,000 deaths. nearly 61% of the country is now fully vaccinated. that's according to the cdc. and just under 27% of that group has received a booster. now, meanwhile, the omicron variant has been found in at least 29 u.s. states and the district of columbia. experts say vaccinations and booster shots of course are still the best protection against the variant. >> preliminary data show that when you get a booster, for example, the third shot of an mrna, it raises the level of protection high enough that it then does do well against the omicron, which is again another reason to encourage people who are not vaccinated to get vaccinated, but particularly those who are vaccinated to get boostered because that diminution in protection seems to go way back up again. so tha

in international news, south african president cyril ramaphosa has tested positive for covid-19. he is receiving treatment and has shown mild symptoms. he reported feeling unwell after leaving a memorial service for in former president fw de klerk in cape town sunday. ramaphosa's office said in a statement -- "vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness and hospitalization." the world bank and the world health organization said more than half a billion people around the world were pushed into extreme poverty last year due to healthcare costs. thpandemic disrupted health services and triggered the worst economic crisis since the 1930's. the who called on all governments to work towards a universal healthcare system. the supreme court ruled friday abortion providers in texas can challenge the state's near-total ban on abortions. but the law will remain in place while legal challenges play out. the court also limited lawsuits to just certain state licensing officials. chief justice john roberts said texas' ban undermined previous supreme court rulings, including r

but the early figures indicate, according to cyril ramaphosa, that this omicron variant does not leade of hospitalization, the president says, is not increasing at an alarming rate. he did say that there's still more research and testing necessary to be able to say that definitively, but this could be a promising sign in an otherwise grim situation. we're coming to you from johannesburg. this is in howtang center which is the epicenter of the new surge in south africa. at the beginning of the week, south africa was averaging about 4,000 cases daily. now it's over 16,000. and the positivity rate is somewhere about 23.8%. yesterday, 24.3%. the day before. so quite a significant figure. and the concern here from health authorities is that many of those people were not vaccinated and that could increase, because some of them have just not been exposed yet, and if they're exposed because they're unvaccinated. they're likely to turn positive. >> so larry, in the intro, i mentioned that the president said that he was accusing the west, basically, of hoarding vaccines, but in south africa, at

the president of south africa cyril ramaphosa held a briefing earlier this week in which he urged moreto get vaccinated, and also insinuated that there could soon be compulsory vaccinations if people want access to places like restaurants and bars and other activities, and also buildings around the country. he also urged people to stay away from mass gatherings, particularly funerals where new infections are seen, where cluster outbreaks have been seen taking place. south africa at this stage is at a level one lockdown which means gatherings of up to 7000 people outside, 2000 people outside rather is still allowed. 750 indoors, depending on how big the venue is, is still permissible. with the holiday coming up, there are bound to be loads of gatherings. there is an expectation that the government will hold another briefing in which the lockdown regulations will probably be made stricter. ros: omicron is on every continent bar antarctica. in the last 24 hours, two people in the southern state of india have been confirmed as infected. they recently traveled from south africa. officials a

these are pictures of south africa's president cyril ramaphosa, arriving at the archbishop's residencefer condolences. our correspondent is in cape town outside st. george's cathedral. she told me what people had been saying to her about desmond tutu. >> people are reflecting about archbishop desmond tutu as a man who was small in stature, but one who had a big heart. after all, he was the man chosen by nelson mandela to head the reconciliation process here in 1994, when south africa became a democracy. a lot of people speak about the man who played a prominent role in ensuring that south africa indeed becomes a democracy. he was not just respected here in this country, but all over the world, with world leaders having paid theiown tribute, speaking about the man, describing desmond tutu as a moral compass, not just for south africa but for them in their respective countries. jane: we are looking at archive footage of the man, but as i look at you, i can see children coming up behind you. children coming to pay their respects, as well as adults. these people would know little about him

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, has said that the passing of desmond tutu is anotherhapter of bereavement in south africa's "farewell to a generation of outstanding people who have bequeathed us a liberated country." new coronavirus restrictions come into force in scotland, wales and northern ireland — as the uk's devolved administrations try to limit the spread of the omicron variant. uk ministers have proposed that pubs in england and wales should be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours nextjune, during a special bank holiday weekend to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. after 70 yea rs after 70 years on the british throne. thank you. now on bbc news it is the travel show with a look back at 2021. hello and welcome to the travel show. there is no denying that 2021 will not go down as a great year for travel. hotels, airlines, tour operators and all of us that wanted to get away have had to cope with ever—changing rules and restrictions to do what we simply took for granted two years ago before the pandemic struck. so this week on the show, we are looking at 2

south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, has just tested positive, but is said to be experiencing only so quickly by britain and other nations, calls for a rethink are getting louder. over a period of time, this is going to have a devastating impact on business, on the whole of the airline industry, and it's going to be hugely difficult to recoverfrom this if this goes on much longer. only a quarter of south africans have been fully vaccinated. omicron may help change that. but what is clear for now is that people here are taking this new variant in their stride. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. staying with the pandemic. california is to bring back a statewide mandate to wear masks because of climbing rates of coronavirus infection due to the omicron variant. officials say rules on face coverings in all indoor public spaces will come into force on wednesday and will last for at least a month. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: nominations are out for the golden globe awards. we look at how the ceremony faces a boycott over of a lack of diversity in the organisation which

here are the pictures from earlier today of south african president cyril ramaphosa arriving at the archbishop'shis widow leah and the other family members. 0ur correspondent nomsa maseko is in cape town, outside st george's cathedral. earlier, she described what people have been saying to her about desmond tutu. people are reflecting about archbishop desmond tutu as a man who was small in stature but had a big heart. after all, he was the man who was chosen by nelson mandela to head the reconciliation process here back in 1994, when south africa became a democracy. a lot of people speak about the man who played a prominent role in ensuring that south africa does indeed become a democracy. so he wasn'tjust respected here in this country, but all over the world, and also with world leaders having paid their own tribute, speaking about the man, describing desmond tutu as a moral compass not just for south africa, but also for them in their respective countries. as hollywood box—office takings continue to tumble — we examine if this means the end of going out to the cinema? the most ambitious finan

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, has said that the passing of desmond tutu is anotherhapter of bereavement in south africa's "farewell to a generation of outstanding people who have bequeathed us a liberated country". new coronavirus restrictions have come into force in scotland, wales and northern ireland — to try to limit the spread of the omicron variant. omicron is causing chaos for travellers — 7,000 flights have been cancelled around the world over the christmas weekend. uk ministers have proposed that pubs in england and wales should be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours nextjune, during a special bank holiday weekend to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. the plans will go out to a public consultation. thank you for your company during the course of today. now on bbc news, review 2021, the business year. ben thompson reflects on how the uk economy, businesses and jobs have changed amidst the coronavirus pandemic and in the wake of brexit. 2021 has, for many people, been a long and difficult year. a year of change and uncertainty. and worry about lives a

south africa's president cyril ramaphosa has just tested positive, but is said to be experiencing onlyms. as for the travel bans, imposed so quickly by britain and other nations, calls for a rethink are getting louder. over a period of time, this is going to have a devastating impact on business, on the whole of the airline industry, and it's going to be, you know, hugely difficult to recover from this if this goes on much longer. only a quarter of south africans have been fully vaccinated. omicron may help change that. but what's clear for now is that people here are taking this new variant in their stride. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. another country where the omicron variant is spreading rapidly — is the uk. according to the government there are now an estimated 2 hundred thousand new infections every day. and that's set to keep rising. the response? widening the availability of a third, booster vaccine, to everyone over 30. our health editor hugh pym has the story. they were queueing for boosters in plymouth this morning, and there were lines of people hoping to getjabs

first identified by doctors in south africa, president ramaphosa told his countrymen that in one provincead risen from 500 per day to 1600. he, like the leaders across the globe has to announce restrictions latest on friday evening came from ireland with nightclubs not being closed and people being restricted in the number of families that are in their households a one time. how would you characterise the global response to this latest, only believe latest variant of covid—19? everyone is panicking and the market has tanked and i was a sign of the real panic. the reality is we have very little real walk data to cause this panic. yes, there are reports coming out of south africa that are worrisome and particularly, the ones that showed the rate of reinfection for those who had covid—19 previously is higher with omicron them with delta. in case numbers are shooting up in south africa but it is hard to extrapolate from that, south africa has a relatively young population in the low vaccination rate stop on a positive side, vaccinations have not shot up as much as doctors thought they would.

and these pictures are of south african president cyril ramaphosa arriving at the archbishop's residence widow and other family members. 0ur correspondent nomsa maseko is in cape town — outside st george's cathedral. she told me what people had been saying to her about desmond tutu. people are reflecting about archbishop desmond tutu as a man who was small in stature but had a big heart. after all, he was the man who was chosen by nelson mandela to head the reconciliation process here back in 1994 when south africa became a democracy, a lot of people speak about the man who played a prominant role in ensuring that south africa does indeed become a democracy. so he wasn'tjust respected here in this country, but all over the world, and also with world leaders having paid their own tribute, speaking about the man, describing desmond tutu as a moral compass, not just for south africa, but also for than in their respective countries. we are looking at archived footage of the man, but as i look at you, where you are there, i can see children coming up behind you, there are children coming to p

and these pictures are of south african president cyril ramaphosa arriving at the archbishop's residence our correspondent nomsa maseko is outside st george's cathedral in cape town. the first full day of mourning. just give us a sense of what people are saying to you, what people's reflections are.— reflections are. people are reflecting _ reflections are. people are reflecting about _ reflections are. people are | reflecting about archbishop reflections are. people are _ reflecting about archbishop desmond tutu as a man who is small in stature but had a big heart. after all, he was the man who is chosen by nelson mandela to head the reconciliation process here back in 1994 when south africa became a democracy, a lot of people speak about the man who played a permanent role in ensuring that south africa does indeed become a democracy. so he wasn't just does indeed become a democracy. so he wasn'tjust respected here in this country, but all over the world and also with world leaders having paid their own tribute, speaking about the man, describing desmond tutu as a moral compass, notjust

i think president ramaphosa also gives us hope that he stands for something that he stands for somethingething that is better than his predecessor did, much better, so let's hope that south africa works its way through to what those who worked so hard for a free south africa most aspire. indeed. helen clark, thank you very much for sharing your views on the of desmond tutu. —— passing of desmond tutu. let's get some of the day's other news. israel's government has approved a $300 million plan to consolidate its control of the golan heights. this area is regarded by most of the world as occupied territory. it was captured from syria during the six—day war more than half a century ago and later annexed. the israeli prime minister, naftali bennett, told a special cabinet meeting held in the golan that the aim was to double thejewish population there to nearly fifty thousand within the next few years. translation: first, it must be said, the golan heights - are israel's. there is no doubt about it. israeli law has been applied here since 1981. it's beyond all debate. trump administration fir

south african president cyril ramaphosa arriving at the archbishop's residence to to offer condolencesrs. peter storey was president of the south african council of churches at the time when desmond tutu was the general secretary. he shared some of his recollections of theirfriendship. my first experience of him was, if you like, characteristic of his whole life. i was in nairobi for a conference and sharing a room with some delegates. and when i woke up at four in the morning, somebody else had joined the room. and i saw an apparition, a sort of white apparition in the corner. it was somebody that had covered himself with a sheet and who was praying in the muslim way, with his face right down on the floor. and the next morning, i discovered that it was desmond tutu. i said to him, "you gave me one heck of a fright last night." and he cackled the tutu cackle. and he said, "i'm desmond tutu." that first moment of seeing him at prayer was characteristic of his whole life and our relationship together. whether we were travelling in dangerous places, on aircraft, in airports, when the time

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, has said that the passing of desmond tutu is anotherer of bereavement in south africa's "farewell to a generation of outstanding people who have bequeathed us a liberated country". new coronavirus restrictions have come into force in scotland, wales and northern ireland — to try to limit the spread of the omicron variant. omicron is causing chaos for travellers — 7,000 flights have been cancelled around the world over the christmas weekend. now on bbc news, click celebrates christmas in style, with a host of christmas—related gadgets and a look back at some of their highlights of the year. it is clickmas! and here comes a festive feast of fun. we have games, music, drinks and gifts. and we will even help you clean up afterwards. # merry clickmas, everybody.# welcome to clickmas 2021, which is already looking more expensive than clickmas 2020. at least it is not a virtual party. but have we got a clickmas for you! i say it looks more expensive — it will do once we switch on the clickmas lights. would you care to do the honours? i've alwa

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, has posted on twitter saying...aking to drjohn sentamu, the former archbishop of york — who knew desmond tutu well. i asked him what made desmond tutu such an effective campaigner against apartheid. i think it will be what he himself would say, that his feet were firmly on the ground, but always looking to the horizon of hope. he was like a bird. when birds fly, they take off, always the feet are pointing downwards. that's why they are able to land properly. and for him, he was so rooted in christ that he feared nothing. he always had this amazing faith, and a monk in south africa, tutu's mother was the housekeeper, and as he said as a young boy he could not understand why a white man, every time his mother came into the house, he would take off his cap and doff it to her. and one day he asked him, "why do you do this?" because no other person does it in south africa. and he said, "because your mother is walking on holy ground." and that was a tremendous influence on him because he had seen that not all white people

first identified by doctors in south africa, president cyril ramaphosa told his countrymen at the weekend one province new cases had risen from 500 a day to1,600. stephanie, the message from the white house at least earlier in the week from joe biden was "don't panic", but then he, like leaders across the globe, has had to announce restrictions, the latest on friday evening came from ireland where for example nightclubs are now being closed and people are being restricted in the number of families that can be in their households at one time. how would you characterise the global response to this latest, only the latest variant of covid? well everyone is panicking. the markets tanked and that was a sign of the real panic. the reality is we have very little real—world data to cause us panic. yes, there are reports coming out of south africa that are worrisome, in particular the reports today that shows the rate of reinfection for people who had covid previously is higher with omicron than with delta and that case numbers are shooting up in south africa but i think it is hard to extrapolate

here are the pictures from earlier today of south african president cyril ramaphosa arriving at the archbishop'sg to her about desmond tutu. people are reflecting about archbishop desmond tutu as a man who was small in stature but had a big heart. after all, he was the man who was chosen by nelson mandela to head the reconciliation process here back in 1994, when south africa became a democracy. a lot of people speak about the man who played a prominent role in ensuring that south africa does indeed become a democracy. so he wasn'tjust respected here in this country, but all over the world, and also with world leaders having paid their own tribute, speaking about the man, describing desmond tutu as a moral compass not just for south africa, but also for them in their respective countries. one of the world's most prominent naturalists and conservationists, the american scientist e0 wilson, has died at the age of 92. professor wilson, a biologist who specialised in the study of ants, has been described as darwin's natural heir. he conducted pioneering work into the biological underpinnings of soci

the president of south africa, cyril ramaphosa, has posted on twitter saying "the passing of archbishopd tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding south africans who have bequeathed us a liberated south africa." the prime minister of india, narenda modi, said "archbishop emeritus desmond tutu was a guiding light for countless people globally. his emphasis on human dignity and equality will be forever remembered. his emphasis on human dignity and equality will be forever remembered. i am deeply saddened by his demise, and extend my heartfelt condolences to all his admirers. may his soul rest in peace." let's get more reaction now from people in south africa to the archbishop�*s death. it is actually very sad and not only for south africa but for africa as a continent. we have lost a great icon, a father, a human who was there notjust for the south african people but for africa as a nation, africa as a unit, africa as one. i africa as a nation, africa as a unit, africa as one.— africa as a nation, africa as a unit, africa as one. i feel

south africa's president cyril ramaphosa has just tested positive, but is said to be experiencing onlyr nations, calls for a rethink are getting louder. over a period of time, this is going to have a devastating impact on business, on the whole of the airline industry, and it's going to be, you know, hugely difficult to recover from this if this goes on much longer. only a quarter of south africans have been fully vaccinated. omicron may help change that. but what's clear for now is that people here are taking this new variant in their stride. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. let's ta ke take stock with our medical editor fergus walsh. we have the booster programme exhilarating, infections going up, what is your reading of where are?— going up, what is your reading of where are? . ., , , , ., ., where are? omicron is spreading far faster than any _ where are? omicron is spreading far faster than any previous _ where are? omicron is spreading far faster than any previous variant, - faster than any previous variant, the uk health security agency has done some modelling and estimat

south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, described him as a "patriot without equal". former us president barack obama said he had been a "mentor, friend and moral compass". president biden said he was "heartbroken". his funeral will be held on 1st january. the bbc�*s nomsa maseko reports from soweto. paying their last respects, people from all walks of life dropped off flowers here at desmond tutu's soweto home, demonstrating what the 90—year—old stood for. he was the voice of reason, the face of reconciliation and south africa's moral compass. archbishop desmond tutu was one of our nation toss finest patriots. he was a man of unwavering courage, of principal, conviction and whose life was spent in the service of others. he in many ways embodied the essence of our humanity. he to us is south african because he is the light and the icon of this country. he used to be a father to us. his wife used to be a mother to us. it was desmond tutu, known affectionately as the arch, coined the phrase rainbow nation to describe south africa's ethnic diversity, often preaching peac

south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, described him as a "patriot without equal". former us president barack obama said he had been a "mentor, friend and moral compass." president biden said he was "heartbroken". nomsa maseko reports from soweto. paying their last respects, people from all walks of life dropped off flowers here at desmond tutu's soweto home, demonstrating what the 90—year—old stood for. he was the voice of reason, the face of reconciliation and south africa's moral compass. it's a dark day to us, south africans, because he is he in many ways embodied the essence of our humanity. he he in many ways embodied the essence of our humanity-— of our humanity. he to us is south african because _ of our humanity. he to us is south african because he _ of our humanity. he to us is south african because he is _ of our humanity. he to us is south african because he is the - of our humanity. he to us is south african because he is the light - of our humanity. he to us is south african because he is the light and the icon_ african because he is the light and the

that truly is why you see what president ramaphosa calls a global bereavement. >> in terms of the southfrican story, he's one of the last, arguably the last icon of that big movement. is there concern about keeping that legacy alive? what's the idea that the likes of mandela and himself, how do you keep that alive and keep people reminded of what they went through? >> the arch, as many called him, was one of the last of the mandela generation who fought against apartheid and lived to see democracy. even when he became critical of some of the people he was in power with. so for many in south africa who are seen as one of that last generation, they hope that there's the lessons and the teachings will live on in the hearts and minds of south africans. there will be a new generation that will take that democratic spirit. he coined the term the rainbow nation. it is post apartheid south africa. mix of ethnicities and races together. those are some of the things people are remembering about him and what he lived behind and i guess throughout this week you'll be hearing a lot from people who a