that of the mayor sadiq khan, is that enough? what in your mind will that enough?r— that do to slow down omicron? ti 3 has been clear that this is a highly infectious variant, but remember that this variant is growing is on the back of ongoing high levels of delta variant spread, and of course many of the hospitalisations at the moment are with delta and that has caused problems. what ever the severity and as you have just heard from the previous speaker, we are yet to fully understand the risk to life with this variant, this is on the back of ongoing delta covid spread and hospitalisation, and we know how this virus is spread, whether it is omicron or delta or any other variant, to predominantly in indoor spaces with people in close proximity, and that is the cornerstone of how we should prevent further spread. that is why certainly are group independent sage issued a statement last week asking for government to implement a much stricter social distancing, in order in fact that around christmas and new year, that people could meet, families could meet, but now we

the mayo the mayor of london, sadiq khan.s to grow. covid—related absences in acute nhs trusts in england went up by more than 40% during christmas week. an average of more than 25,000 health workers were off sick or isolating each day. london was again the worst hit, with about 4% of staff in acute trusts absent, up by nearly 60% on the week before. 0ur health correspondent anna collinson reports. while most of us are looking forward to celebrating this new year's eve, it's a different story for nhs workers, with winter pressures intensifying, made worse by staff sickness. the staff that are at work will be caring for more patients, trying to do more to cover for their missing colleagues, working extra hours, starting early, finishing late. the pressure will be immense. staff absences are already leading to cancelled appointments and longer waiting times. now, new data shows more than 25,000 hospital staff in england were absent each day due to covid during the christmas week — a 42% increase on the previous seven days. at t

i’m in the studio, the mayor of london, sadiq con. i'm very grateful— london, sadiq con. grateful for you to sending me all those — grateful for you to sending me all those letters. _ grateful for you to sending me all those letters. i'm - grateful for you to sending me all those letters. i'm finally. all those letters. i'm finally in these _ all those letters. i'm finally in these studios _ all those letters. i'm finally in these studios — - all those letters. i'm finally in these studios — mike i all those letters. i'm finallyl in these studios — mike your studio _ in these studios — mike your studio. thank— in these studios — mike your studio. thank you _ in these studios — mike your studio. thank you for- in these studios — mike youri studio. thank you for putting in a — studio. thank you for putting in a word _ studio. thank you for putting in a word. thank— studio. thank you for putting in a word. thank you - studio. thank you for putting in a word. thank you for- in a word. thank you for having me _ in a word. thank you for having me. , in a word. thank you for hav

that was the mayor of london, sadiq khan.ean mackenzie is in trafalgar square.in central so, the mayor telling us a bit about what we can expect tonight. yeah as we've been — what we can expect tonight. yeah as we've been hearing, _ what we can expect tonight. yeah as we've been hearing, for— what we can expect tonight. yeah as we've been hearing, for the - what we can expect tonight. yeah as we've been hearing, for the second. we've been hearing, for the second yearin we've been hearing, for the second year in a row, the huge public fireworks display on the river thames has been cancelled. the plan instead was to have a more intimate celebration here in trafalgar square, a party for key workers and members of the public but ultimately the omicron cases started to go up and the mayor of london sadiq khan decided that this was also too risky so they cancelled that and they've closed the whole of trafalgar square off to stop people even being able to congregate here and instead they are holding a light show that is going to be

rising concern about the rapid spread of the omicron variant in london has prompted the mayor, sadiqnews, as demand and prices soar for dogs, bbc wales investigates the hidden world

let's hear a little more of what sadiq khan has had to say.e last few days on a daily basis with colleagues across the city, from the nhs to councils, from the fire service to the police. we are incredibly concerned by the huge surge in the 0micron variant. over the last 2a hors we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began, more than 26,000, hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. so i've taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to declare a major incident today. it's a statement of how serious things are, but also it means that rather than different public authorities working separately, we will be working together through both the london resilience forum, but also throughout the strategic coordination group. it's really important londoners understand how serious things are. the best thing londoners can do is to get both vaccines and the booster, they provide extra layers of protection. the really bad news is those in hospital, the vast, vast majority are

, omicron is already driving a huge wave of infections prompting this announcement from the mayor, sadiqibly concerned by the huge surge in the omicron variant. over the last 2a hours, we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began — more than 26,000. hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. so, i've taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to declare a major incident today. it means that coordination between key public services will now be stepped up and enable london to seek further support from central government to address the pressures facing the city. it comes as scientific advisers on the sage committee suggest without further stringent measures very soon, we could see i,000—2,000 hospital admissions a day in england in a fortnight, up from around 800 a day now, and there could be a peak of 3000 admissions a day or more, similar to levels injanuary. when it comes to extra measures, sage government advisers say the earlier they're introduced, the less time they may be needed. they argue the bigges

let's hear a little more of what mayor sadiq khan had to say.y the huge surge in the 0micron variant. over the last 2a hours we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began, more than 26,000, hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. so i've taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to declare a major incident today. it's a statement of how serious things are, but also it means that rather than different public authorities working separately, we will be working together through both the london resilience forum, but also throughout the strategic coordination group. it's really important londoners understand how serious things are. earlier i spoke with the deputy chief executive of nhs providers, saffron cordery who told me about the driving force behind the major incident in london. i think we have got two things coming together here. it is the number of covid cases and that rapid spread and increase in people being admitted to hospital. the second thing is the num

the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has declared a major incident because of concerns that emergency workersh rapidly rising cases. it is really important that citizens of london understand how serious things are. the best thing they can do is get both vaccines and the booster. they provide extra protection. they provide extra protection. the really bad news is those in hospital, the vast majority are unvaccinated, which is why it is so important to get the vaccines and the boosterjab. hundreds of demonstrators gathered in barcelona and bilbao in spain to protest against covid—19 passes that are now required to enter bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes. with a nationwide vaccination rate of nearly 80%, spain has been largely spared the latest wave sweeping across europe. elsewhere in europe, hundreds gathered in the italian city of turin against the extension of a covid—19 state of emergency which runs to the end of march next year, and the so—called green pass certificates. in other news, the acclaimed british architect richard rogers has died at his home in london. he was 88. born in th

rising concern about the rapid spread of the 0micron variant in london has prompted mayor sadiq khan in the capital. he said "the 0micron variant has quickly become dominant, with cases increasing rapidly and the number of patients in our hospitals on the rise again." in the past seven days, the number of covid patients in london hospitals has gone up by 29%. a major incident is described as an event or situtaion with a range of serious consequences and is "beyond the scope of business—as—usual operations". it's an event which requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responders. we are incredibly concerned in the huge surge of omicron. we have had the biggest number of new cases, 26,000 hospital admissions are going up, and staff absences are going up by a massive level so i have taken a decision in consultation with our partners to take a major incident today. ratherthan partners to take a major incident today. rather than different public authorities working separately, we will work together through the london resilience forum but also through the st

in london, the mayor, sadiq khan, has urged people to stay home or to exercise caution if they do headht. it's really important, if you've not got a lateral flow test at home and you're not vaccinated, you think very, very carefully about whether you go out tonight. it's possible to get a lateral flow test today from local pharmacists, from libraries. i checked this morning. there were a lateral flow tests available in some local pharmacies where i live, and also, my local library was providing tests this morning. check, if you've not got a flow test, where you can get one, from your local pharmacy today before you go out. if you are going out, please do a lateral flow test before you go out because you may have the virus and not show symptoms. how would you feel if you went out and passed on the virus or you brought it home? when you come home, if not tonight and tomorrow, do another lateral flow test, because you may have caught the virus. it's really important we recognise this variant is spreading very, very fast and it's doubling at exponential rates. 0k, and for people at home wa

sadiq khan says he's concerned about the spread of the omicron variant in the capital and the impactvices. it comes as government's scientific advisors warn that more stringent measures could be needed this year to prevent a wave of hospitalisations. here's our health correspondent katherine da costa. some vaccine centres like this one in north london are now open 2a hours a day as staff go all out to getjabs into arms. but the acceleration of boosters can't compete with a variant that is doubling every two days. in london omicron is already driving a huge wave of infections prompting this announcement from the mayor sadiq khan. we are incredibly concerned by the huge surge in the omicron variant. over the last 2a hours we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began — more than 26,000. hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. so i've taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to public services will now be stepped up and unable london to seek further support from central government to assess governmen

in london, the mayor sadiq khan has declared a major incident.t negotiations, has resigned from borisjohnson�*s government, according the mail on sunday newspaper. at least 31 people have died and many remain missing in the philippines after typhoon rai hit the country on thursday. the storm, which affected the country's southern provinces, packed sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour and dumped heavy rain, triggering flash flooding and landslides. from manila, howard johnson reports. typhoon rai, the strongest storm to hit the philippines this year, destroyed homes, uprooted trees and toppled power lines — leaving more than 3 million filipinos without electricity, according to the government. but what made this storm so significant is the power it sustained, as it inundated nine different islands with ferocious winds and heavy rain. river banks burst and storm surges wrecked coastal areas. more than 300,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. the philippine red cross and the national coastguard lead the relief efforts, handing out

the mayor of london sadiq khan has declared a major incident to help authorities cope with rising caseent, katharine da costa. there's no time to lose — jabs are now available 2a hours a day at this vaccine centre in north london, as nhs staff and volunteers across the country strive to reach one million jabs a day. in london the mayor has declared a major incident. over the last 2a hours we've had two large number of new cases since the pandemic began. more than 26 thousand, hospital admissions are going up and staff absences are going up by a massive level so i have taking the decision in consultation with our partners to declare a major incident today. it means coordination arrangements between key public services will now be stepped up and enable london to seek further support from government to address the pressures facing the city. latest government figures show there have been an extra 10,000 confirmed cases of the omicron variant in the uk, bringing the total to nearly 25,000, but experts say that just the tip of the expect is that the true number is likely to be significantly

let's talk to the mayor of london, sadiq khan. your reaction to those numbers?just been on a call with colleagues. i'm afraid, in london, since the start of this, we have seen an increase in the number of positive cases by more than 250%. in relation to hospital admissions, an increase of almost 70% since the start of december. and the number of positive cases is only going in one direction. and he real concern we have, the immediate concern, is the impact that has on staff absences from the nhs, hospitals, ambulances, gps, but also the police, fire service, councils. that is why it is so important that anybody watching get the vaccines, the boosters, speak to your friends, family, members, encourage them to get the vaccines in the boosters as well. several points there, one of them the impact of hospital and staffing. i am just going to put a graphic on our screens that show is exactly what you are talking about. this is data from last week, but you can see london staff absences from hospitals, 1900 on sunday the 12th. that is jumped to a700 by thursday, decemb

let's hear a little more of what mayor sadiq khan had to say. in the 0micron variant. over the last 24 hours we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began, more than 26,000, hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. so i've taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to declare a major incident today. it's a statement of how serious things are, but also it means that rather than different public authorities working separately, we will be working together through both the london resilience forum, but also throughout the strategic coordination group. it's really important londoners understand how serious things are. let's talk to our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. so what does this mean and what will it look like for people living in the city? i it look like for people living in the ci ? ~ �* , ., it look like for people living in the ci ? ~ �*, ., ., the city? i think it's a real warning — the city? i think it's a real warning signal— the city? i thin

tonight, mayor sadiq khan, part of efforts to try to probate the health care system here. meanwhile makes across europe are implementing restrictions including tightening borders, while the netherlands has just announced it's going through trick lock down over christmas. holiday shoppers were only given a few hours warning before all nonessential shops will have to shut until after january. the government is continuing with its rapid booster program to try to prevent the spread of omicron. meg. >> thank you. while omicron rips across europe, new york city is racing to contraa dangerous surge. elise. >> reporter: good evening meg, new york city, radio city music hall, difficult decision for fans ever the rockettes. >> turned off the lights. the rockettes cancelled the christmas spectacular through the end of the season. while on broadway -- >> we were so excited to see hamilton. we flew a long way to get here. >> some performances are cancelled because of outbreaks among cast members. >> we get here and there's a closed sign on the door. >> covid testing sites are swamped f

rising concern about the rapid spread of the omicron variant in london has prompted the mayor, sadiqhan, to declare a major incident in the capital. the latest daily figures show the uk recorded another 90,000 coronavirus cases and 125 deaths in the latest 24—hour period. now on bbc news, as demand and prices soar for dogs, bbc wales investigates the hidden world of designer dog breeding. good boy, griff. you've been such a good boy! so, these are what are known as micro bullies. they've been bred to be really, really small. these were all seized from a breeder. there were reports of unlicensed breeding. hey, griff! that's a boy! meet griff, lined up to become a stud dog by his owner. he's actually got spinal deformity. he's dragging his hind legs, falls over probably every four or five steps. the vet report that we've got from the specialist vet said he shouldn't be bred from. the whole purpose of the breed is to try and make them as small and stocky as possible. lots of muscle and bone into a very, very small frame. their legs are splayed out, they're so muscly. it's cruelty breedi

the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has declared a "major incident" because of concerns that emergency workerslly important londoners understand how serious things are. the best thing londoners can do is to get both vaccines and the booster. they provide extra layers of protection. the really bad news is those in hospital — the vast, vast majority are unvaccinated. that's why it's so important to get the vaccines and the booster jab. the british prime minister, borisjohnson has been dealt another blow, just days after the conservatives were beaten in a by—election, with the resignation of the brexit minister lord frost. he said he was stepping down with immediate effect after becoming concerned at covid restrictions and tax rises. our political correspondent, damian grammaticas reports. this resignation of lord frost is without doubt another blow to borisjohnson, delivered right at the time the prime minister is at his weakest since coming to office. lord frost, a one—time diplomat, was brought in to negotiate boris johnson's brexit deal. he sparred with michel barnier, shuttling back and fort

rising concern about the rapid spread of the omicron variant in london has prompted the mayor, sadiqn, to declare a major incident in the capital. the latest daily figures show the uk recorded another 90,000 coronavirus cases and 125 deaths in the latest 24—hour period. brexit minister lord frost has resigned with immediate effect. he said in a letter to the prime minister that he had concerns about the government's direction of travel, and was sad that the unlocking of covid restrictions had not been as irreversible as promised. retailers have been hoping for a last—minute increase in sales on the last weekend before christmas. however, some figures released suggest the number of customers in london and large city centres has fallen by between 8 and 15 per cent yesterday, following fears about the 0micron variant. local high streets fared slightly better. here's our business correspondent caroline davies. # peace on earth and mercy mild... it's the weekend before christmas, the crescendo of present shopping. will worries about 0micron dampen buying? mustapha's chocolates are selling

the mayor of london, sadiq khan, says more restrictions are now �*inevitable'., wales and northern ireland in their fight against 0micron. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has the latest. # driving home for christmas...#. this christmas, the hot ticket for many is not to see a football match but to get a boosterjab. wembley stadium had 10,000 vaccines available today, and many were keen to get them before heading home to see family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i've got an elderly grandfather who is 90 years old, so i want to be able to see him. i'm getting booster vaccinations and my family members have already got their vaccinations. but i think it's best to be as contained as possible. so, it's the booster versus the variant. 0micron infections are thought to be doubling every 2—3 days. the epidemic is growing so fast, the health secretary could not rule out fresh restrictions before christmas. there are no guarantees in this pandemic, i don't think. at this point, we just have to keep everything under review. he urged people across the cou

the mayor of london, labour's sadiq khan, says in his view, more restrictions such as social distancing and limits on household mixing are now "inevitable". extra money has been announced tonight for scotland, wales and northern ireland in their fight against omicron. our medical editor fergus walsh has the latest. # driving home for christmas...#. this christmas, the hot ticket for many is not to see a football match but to get a boosterjab. wembley stadium had 10,000 vaccines available today, and many were keen to get them before heading home to see family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i've got an elderly grandfather who is 90 years old, so i want to be able to see him. i am getting booster vaccinations and my family members have already got their vaccinations. but i think it is best to be as contained as possible. so it is the booster versus the variant. omicron infections are thought to be doubling every 2—3 days. the epidemic is growing so fast, the health secretary could not rule out fresh restrictions before christmas. there are no guarantees in this pandemic,

mayor sadiq khan announced tonight it will be canceled to reduce the spread of the virus.> brennan: roxana, thank you. well, the signature piece of president biden's legislative agenda, the sweeping $2 trillion spending bill, is now on life support. he does not have enough votes from senate democrats to pass it, and, tonight, his own party is playing the blame game. we get the latest from cbs' ed o'keefe at the white house. >> reporter: the white house tonight refusing to give up on the president's top legislative priority... >> we are going to continue to take steps and work like hell to get it done. >> reporter: ...after key democratic senator joe manchin dashed any hopes for its passage on sunday. >> i cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. i jst can't. >> reporter: the decision stunned the white house. they called it a breech of his commitments to the president, but manchin has always been concerned with the size and scope of the president's plan. today, the senator blamed white house staff without offering details. >> tax the rich! >> reporter: and th

i think the only british politician who has is sadiq khan.ameron about that very apology which didn't happen. he said, "in the end..." i think this was in 2013. "..i do not think the right thing to do is reach back into history and seek out things that we should apologise for." the thing is we have apologised for certain things. we apologised for the great potato famine as part of the good friday agreement. we apologised when the mau mau in kenya sued the british government and won. so, we are capable of it. and also, i think in both of those cases, it led to healing, and i think the same can happen for indian history and african history. you say it leads to healing. what if it leads to resentment? i'm very taken with something that's just happened in sheffield in the north of england, where the city council, which is a labour city council, lots of sort of progressive ideas within that council, it's just decided not to remove street names that, quote unquote, "perpetuate racist or outdated messages because" — again quote — "of the strong feel

. >> reporter: mayor sadiq khan urging londoners to get their booster shots. tonight, wembley stadium opening its doors as a mass vaccination center. >> as soon as i heard that they have an event here and they are giving the boosters out, so i decided to book one immediately. >> reporter: but the rolling out of new restrictions and vaccine passports for nightclubs and large venues sparking angry protesters on the streets. the uk's spiraling surge prompting its closest neighbors to take drastic measures. germany announcing travel bans on most visitors from the uk. france too. paris also cancelling its iconic new year's fireworks display. and the netherlands locking down for christmas. shutting down non-essential shops, bars, and restaurants until mid-january at least. the government here is mulling further restrictions as case numbers continue to climb. meanwhile, late word tonight that israel is considering banning all travel to and from the united states starting midnight wednesday due to soaring cases. cecilia? >> concerning numbers. julia, thank you. >>> an

now we have our guest in the studio, the mayor of london, sadiq khan.ateful- for you to sending me all those letters. i'm finally in these studios, adam. thank you for putting in a word. _ thank you for having me. chris, back to the cupboards. i noticed you are quite multilayered when you came in. i was just in trafalgar. square with the mayor, we switched on the christmas lights. i will not have a beastly word said about the - christmas tree from norway. they give it to us every year. it's a wonderful event. if you compare it with downing street? it looks like the prime minister. the norwegians like . their trees differently. the way they like their trees, the lights going down. - don't mean to be obsessed, it does seem to have lost needles, what does it look like — on new year's eve? stunning. i think in the norwegians were there and the londoners think| it's a fantastic gift. i think some of the needles coming off as _ i think some of the needles coming off as a _ i think some of the needles coming off as a small— i think some of the needles coming o

huge concern about the 0micron variant and particularly, as we have heard from the mayor of london sadiq khan today, and increase in hospital admissions and huge pressure on the health service and emergency services there as well. does that mean we are on the break of any new interventions or new restrictions? not necessarily, but it does mean that ministers are keeping a very close eye on the data. so there is huge pressure on the government over that, in terms of its response to the pandemic, and it comes at a time of acute political pressure on boris johnson as well so he will be weighing his move is perhaps more carefully than ever. development in the last 2a hours, the investigation into alleged christmas parties in downing street last christmas, the cabinet secretary simon case removed from his role, stepping aside, and silver service in —— another civil servant in his place, sue gray. but questions being raised about the independent credibility of that, labour saying she has a hugejob independent credibility of that, labour saying she has a huge job to do to restore public trust.

here is sadiq khan speaking a short time ago about the situation in the capital.s is only going in one direction, and the real concern we have which is the immediate concern is the impact it has on staff absences from the nhs, think hospitals, ambulances, gps, after consulting with colleagues in the nhs, the fire service, and the met police service, we realise that if it where to go on the same trajectory, the graph, we would have many public services collapsing. we remove all the silos and have a strategic, and control in the centre and speaking all the time about what each part of the london ecosystem is doing and how we help each other. last year, we had fire fighters helping the ambulance service drive ambulances. but you will be aware of the course of the next few weeks, we need to make sure becky's is collected. we need to make sure ambulances can continue to work. that's why it's important to keep an eye on staff absences, because what we don't want us any part of the system collapsing. we are on the cusp of certain parts of the furniture in london which lo

in london, the mayor sadiq khan has declared a major incident, warning the nhs in the capital was atvaccination centres are now open 2a hours a day as the arms race against 0micron hits new records, but the new variant is still doubling case numbers every two days. we're incredibly concerned by the huge surge in the 0micron variant. over the last 2a hours we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began, more than 26,000. hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels, so i have taken the decision in consultation with our partners to declare a major incident. it means more co—ordination between public services and more support from central government, but scientific advisers suggest without tougher rules we could see 2,000 hospital admissions every day in england in a fortnight. the move towards some sorts of further restrictions on movement and mixing probably will come about, because the problem, really, is how high this peak will go. if it goes very high, then the health service will substantially come under pressure.

the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has issued this statement, saying...erdicts in her sex trafficking trial in new york. she now faces a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted for grooming underage girls to be abused by the disgraced financier, jeffrey epstein. her family are backing an appeal against her conviction. simonjones has this report. described in court as partners in crime, running a pyramid scheme of abuse, the british former socialite ghislaine maxwell would groom underage girls for american financierjeffrey epstein. he killed himself injail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. she could spend the rest of her life behind bars, to the relief of their victims. we have a lot of work to do in this country in terms of holding people accountable, and educating about things like grooming. i didn't know when i was 16. i had no idea, i'd never heard that term — i didn't understand what was happening to me, this combination of being given gifts and positive attention and also having this abuse and these boundary violations. ghislaine

half of london's west end theatres have cancelled some performances and the mayor of london sadiq khanthis year's new year's celebration in the capital because of public safety fears. well, earlier today cabinet minister stephen barclay said the chancellor had met business leaders who are calling for more financial support. he told the bbc the government would "say more about this later today". more on it in a moment, but first this report from our political correspondent damian grammaticas. under the microscope now, not the virus, but the government's approach to tackling it. where many were hoping for clarity ahead of christmas, there is instead uncertainty. covid cases are surging and borisjohnson and his cabinet met yesterday, but they have yet to decide on any of the key questions. are new covid measures required for england? if so, how soon and how severe? we agreed we should keep the data from now on under constant review, keep following it hour by hour. and unfortunately i must say to people we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public.

in london, the mayor, sadiq khan, has urged people to stay home — or to exercise caution if they do headit's like there. oi give us a sense of what it's like there. . ., , , give us a sense of what it's like there. , , , , . there. of course the big public celebrations _ there. of course the big public celebrations here _ there. of course the big public celebrations here in _ there. of course the big public celebrations here in london i there. of course the big public. celebrations here in london have been cancelled this evening so the fireworks that you normally have along the river thames, plans or celebration in trafalgar square but just a week ago the mayor of london decided that with covid cases where they were that was still too risky. but none of this and stop people coming up to central london tonight to celebrate the streets are busy. they are getting busier getting busier and busier the closer to midnight we gaveled up and were talking to people who come from all across the country to be in central london this evening. people were surprised to learn that there is no public cele

mayor sadiq khan announced tonight it will be canceled to reduce the spread of the virus. margaret?roxana, thank you. >>> well, the signature piece of president biden's legislative agenda, the sweeping $2 trillion spending bill, is now on life support. he does not have enough votes from senate democrats to pass it, and tonight his own party is playing the blame game. we get the latest from cbs's ed o'keefe at the white house. >> reporter: the white house tonight refusing to give up on the president's top legislative priority. >> we are going to continue to take steps, work like hell to get it done. >> reporter: after key democratic senator joe manchin dashed any hopes for its passage on sunday. >> i cannot vote to continue i just can't. >> reporter: the decision stunned the white house. they called it a breach of his commitments to the president. but manchin has always been concerned with the size and scope of the president's plan. today the senator blamed white house staff without offering details. >> they drove some things and they put some things out that were absolutely inexcusa

london's mayor sadiq khan has been speaking in the past hour... i'm incredibly worried. ago, london had the fewest cases of covid in the country, now we are the region with the largest number of cases. omicron is now the dominant variant, but over the last 2a hours we've had 27,000 new cases of covid, those are the ones that have been tested, and over the last week that figure is above 70,000. i'm incredibly concerned about the number of londoners with this variant but also the impact on our hospitals, hospital admissions are now going up as well. despite this kind of - facilities, the latest figures show something like one in three londoners still hasn't even had a first vaccine dose. how has that happens? what has gone wrong? the brilliant news is more than 15.4 million vaccines have been given out the nhs in england says boosterjabs will be available at nearly 3000 locations across the country this weekend, in response to the spread of the omicron variant. our reporter, ben boulos, is at a vaccination centre in north london which is staying open for 2h hours. here at

they're calling for a police investigation, including london mayor sadiq khan, although the metropolitance has said that it's taken a look at k correspondence and at the video and at this stapge, there isn't enough evidence. but as the government is looking to bring back those tougher covid restrictions, including mandatory mask wearing in public transport, cinemas, and shops as well as encouraging people to work from home from monday, there are concerns that the government won't be able to convince members of the public to stick to these rules, given that boris johnson's own staff members in downing street and members of the government clearly weren't adhering to the rules as prescribed to the government last year during the height of the pandemic. so there are some serious concerns there. but really, a real call for the government to be held to account over this alleged breach of covid regulations. kim? >> yeah, so many twists and turns to this story. thanks so much for the update, nadia bashir, in london. >>> still ahead, g-7 foreign administerses are hoping to deter possible russian

london mayor sadiq khan declaring covid a major doesn't saturday. >> over the last 24 hours, we've had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began more than 26,000 hospital admissions are going up, but also absences are going up by a massive levels. >> reporter: with cases rapidly increasing there's a push to get more people tested and vaccinated. the uk vaccine minister helping distribute covid tests at a center saturday. the government aiming to get 900,000 a day shipped directly to homes across the uk. long lineups at a booster clinic northeast of london, many hoping to avoid another possible lockdown by getting a shot. >> another lockdown to me does seem a bit extreme. i think everyone needs to be careful, go where you need to go and then go home. >> reporter: some vaccine clinics opening 24 hour jab a thons. in new england one pharmacy opened for 36 hours straight. worldwide there's a push to get young people vaccinated. santa claus and his helpers visiting kids in portugal. germany and france giving shots to 5 to 11 year olds saturday, putting a damper on shopping b

london mayor sadiq khan announced in a tweet last week that the annual event in trafalgar square is canceledying the safety of londoners must come first. some 6,500 people were expected to attend. british prime minister boris johnson decided against tougher covid restrictions but cautioned that people should be smart about how they ring in the new year. >> i think everybody should enjoy new year but in a cautious and sensible way. take a test. ventilation. think about others. but above all, get a booster. >> reporter: in paris, the traditional fireworks display over the champs-elysees has been called off, and officials have implemented a mask-wearing policy in outdoor public spaces starting friday. and in atlanta, the new year's eve's peach drop has been canceled for the third year in a row as positive cases are on the rise in georgia's capital city. but to the delight of many, the fireworks in sydney will go on as scheduled. attendees are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated and boosted and an indoor mask mandate is also in effect in new south wales for those over the age of 12. in ne

london mayor sadiq khan declaring covid a major incident saturday. >> over the last 24 hours we've hadhe largest number of new cases since this pandemic began. more than 26,000. hospital admissions are going up but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. >> reporter: with cases rapidly increasing there's a push to get more people tested and vaccinated. uk vaccine minister helping distribute cove ifd tests at a sorting center saturday. the government aiming to get 900,000 a day shipped directly to homes across the uk. and long line-ups at a booster clinic northeast of london. many hoping to avoid another possible lockdown by getting a shot. >> another lockdown to me does seem a bit extreme. i think everyone just needs to be careful, go where you need to go and then go home. >> reporter: some vaccine clinics opening 24-hour jab-a-thons. in northern england one pharmacy opened for 36 hours straight. worldwide there's a push to get young people vaccinated. santa claus and his helpers visiting kids in portugal. germany and france also giving shots to 5 to 11-year-olds saturday.

over the weekend of course the mayor of london, mayor sadiq khan, putting this city in a state of emergency to the rise of omicron cases. several days in a row records were broken. records that had not been broken since the start of this pandemic in terms of case numbers. 90,000 cases on a single day on friday. high concern over the rate of hospitalizations which is increasing. of course there's a lag between positive cases and hospitalizations. so health officials concerned we're going to see really this wave of positive cases, potentially a proportion of them show up in hospitals in a couple of weeks' time. scientific advisers now telling the government that more restrictions might be needed. and prime minister boris johnson and his administration insistent for now that there will be no more rules, that as long as the booster program goes ahead that we will have that layer of protection that's required. but today this morning i do hear a changing of the tune. dominic araab, this morning on the breakfast shows saying there's no hard and fast guarantees there will be no more restrictions fo

mayor sadiq khan says infections are at record levels and people's health must be protected.o let's go live now to london and cnn's nada bashir. what sort of restrictions is the prime minister considering right now, and just how bad are these infections and hospitalizations? >> reporter: well, you mentioned the figures, rosemary. it really speaks for itself. we are seeing those rising number of coronavirus cases and in particular, a rising number of the omicron variant. that has really stoked concerns here in the uk. but in terms of the restrictions, we saw the prime minister, boris johnson, meeting with his cabinet ministers yesterday in downing street to get an update on those figures to discuss the government's response to the pandemic, and there were expectations that further restrictions would be enforced. now, at this stage, the government is sticking to its plan b restrictions. so what we've seen already in force at this stage is mandatory mask wearing in shops and on public transport, the introduction of a covid nhs pass to enter places like theaters and restaurants a

in london the mayor, sadiq khan, has declared a major incident, warning the nhs in the capital was atlmed. dan johnson reports. some vaccination centres are now open 2a hours a day as the arms race against 0micron hits new records, but the new variant is still doubling case numbers every two days. we doubling case numbers every two da s. ~ . doubling case numbers every two da 5. ~ . . , , doubling case numbers every two das. . . _ days. we are incredibly concerned by the hue days. we are incredibly concerned by the huge surge _ days. we are incredibly concerned by the huge surge in — days. we are incredibly concerned by the huge surge in the _ days. we are incredibly concerned by the huge surge in the omicron - the huge surge in the 0micron variant over the last 2a hours, we have had the largest number of new cases since this pandemic began, more than 26,000 hospital admissions are going up, but also staff absences are going up by massive levels. so i have taken the decision in consultation with our partners to declare a major incident. it in consultation with our partners to declare