simonjones, bbc news.be talking to our correspondents in scotland and northern ireland, about the latest restrictions there, but first, let's talk to our political correspondent ione wells. does the fact the prime minister has not recalled parliament give some encouraging signs about the picture for now? i encouraging signs about the picture for now? ~ , ., _ for now? i think it is right to say for now? i think it is right to say for now, for now? i think it is right to say for new. it _ for now? i think it is right to say for new. it is — for now? i think it is right to say for now, it is a _ for now? i think it is right to say for now, it is a sign _ for now? i think it is right to say for now, it is a sign of _ for now? i think it is right to say for now, it is a sign of no - for now? i think it is right to say - for now, it is a sign of no movement just yet on any restrictions in england. he has made the promised to mps he would get a say on any other regulations in england. he said it would issue furt

here's our correspondent simonjones.tmas festivities, tough decisions. borisjohnson will be poring over the latest covid data to see if he thinks new measures are needed in england, though no new restrictions are expected to be announced today. at this bar in bristol, they say they need clarity as they look ahead to the new year. he needs to get on with it, he needs to get on with it now, and he needs to help people now. people need to know now. they have got staff that they need to put in place, they have security that they need to book, they have stock that they need to order. he needs to tell people now, right now, so they know what they are doing. a key consideration is going to be hospital admissions, whether 0micron infections could lead to the nhs being overwhelmed. downing street said before christmas that it would not hesitate to act if necessary. but borisjohnson will face a battle to convince some of his mps that changes are needed. my view is that the government is going to sit tight and wait for more informa

simonjones has this report.me 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 maxwell's victims say her conviction shows perpetrators of sexual abuse will face justice no matter how much power and privilege they have. in an interview with the bbc, her brother said the maxwell family supports an appeal against her conviction. no, i'm not saying that they are lying. i mean, it may well be they were victims ofjeffrey epste

here's our correspondent simonjones. after the christmas festivities, tough decisions.ernment has been poring over the latest covid data to see if it thinks new measures are needed in england. but this afternoon, this decision... there will be no further measures before the new year. we won't be taking any further measures. of course, people should remain cautious as we approach new year celebrations and, you know, take a lateralflow test, that makes sense, celebrate outside if you can. have some ventilation indoors if you can. please, remain cautious. at this bar in bristol, they say many customers have decided of their own accord to stay away. we've already lost a very, very big trading period already, a really key trading period. next month, it will have little impact because it's a quiet time of year anyway. the government will continue to look at hospital admissions, although, early findings last week suggested people with omicron were less likely to be admitted, along with staff absences and whether the nhs faces being overwhelmed. covid is having a significant im

simonjones reports. arthur, are you going to play for england? a football mad six—year—old.nd his partner. arthur's short life will be remembered by birmingham city, the team he supported. they previously held tributes to him. today, away at millwall, there will be applause in the sixth minute of the game. midlands clubs wolves and aston villa will do the same this weekend. they say, "our thoughts are with all who loved arthur." and next week, birmingham city fans will unveil a flag of remembrance. the whole situation is horrible and i wanted to just try to do my bit for him just to show that he was loved and he will be remembered by people, even if people did not know him. these are arthur's killers, branded spiteful and sadistic in court. emma tustin, described as his wicked stepmother, given a life sentence with a minimum term of 29 years for murder. and arthur's father, thomas hughes, given a 21—year sentence for manslaughter. arthur was told to sit on the thinking step. arthur's put himself all over the floor, he's banged his head on the radiator, he has hit me, kicked

our reporter, simonjones, has more details.spirit at this care home in norwich, but the shadow of omicron looms. the home, though, says it's determined not to close to visitors. i'd be very sad if that was to happen. our main goal is, is that our doors will remain open. and we've listened to the families. we've listened to our residents. and what they really missed was, it was that contact. and what we've done is that we're still allowing the visitors to come. we have robust procedures in place and it's been transformational. but things are changing — under new guidance from the department of health, care home residents in england will only be permitted to receive visits from three people, plus one essential care worker. staff will have to take three lateral flow tests a week, as well as a weekly pcr test. and there will be a £300 million fund to recruit and retain care workers. as well as the extra testing for staff vaccination teams will be deployed to homes to make sure all residents and workers get theirjabs. here at the de

simonjones reports.pposed to be caring for him. emma tustin, described in court as a manipulative liar, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 29 years for murder. arthur's father, thomas hughes, branded pitiless, got 21 years for manslaughter. the judge, mrjustice mark wall, said it had been, "without doubt, "one of the most distressing and disturbing cases "i have had to deal with." i've just laid flowers at the shrine for young arthur... but the solihull mp on social media said the sentences were too lenient. there's a palpable sense of real loss and tragedy over this and also, frankly, a sense of anger and questions as to how this was allowed to happen, how these monsters were allowed to inflict this horrible torture on this young defenseless boy. a spokesperson for the attorney general�*s office said, "the attorney general�*s thoughts are with those who loved arthur. "i can confirm that the sentences given to emma tustin "and thomas hughes have been referred to the attorney general "for a

here's our correspondent simonjones. scotla nd scotland wales all restrictions...re is pressure in westminster to make it clear that there is pressure in westminster to make it clear tha— make it clear that england would follow. make it clear that england would follow for _ make it clear that england would follow. for the _ make it clear that england would follow. for the time _ make it clear that england would follow. for the time being, - make it clear that england would follow. for the time being, it - make it clear that england would i follow. for the time being, it won't come in for the remainder of 2021, the message will be caution, not to compulsion. the message will be caution, not to compulsion-— the message will be caution, not to compulsion. there will be no further measures before _ compulsion. there will be no further measures before the _ compulsion. there will be no further measures before the new— compulsion. there will be no further measures before the new year. - compulsion. there will be no further measures before the new year. we l measures befo

our reporter simonjones has been gauging reation from theatre—goers in london.am in theatreland in the heart of london, and many shows have been asking audiences to wear masks. people attending the performance here told me pretty much everyone was doing that, but from friday in england, it will become compulsory for people attending shows, unless they have an exemption. so we asked you to go was what they made of that. there was no problems at all. we did it and i was comfortable with it, it made me feel safer. it needs to be done.— it needs to be done. what can we do? it _ it needs to be done. what can we do? it is — it needs to be done. what can we do? it is what _ it needs to be done. what can we do? it is what it _ it needs to be done. what can we do? it is what it is. - it needs to be done. what can we do? it is what it is. will. we do? it is what it is. will it get— we do? it is what it is. will it get worse? it will not get batten _ it get worse? it will not get better. ., . , , better. kind of necessary because _ better. kind of necessary because it _ be

simonjones has this report.ibed in court as partners in crime, running a pyramid scheme of abuse, the british former socialite ghislaine maxwell would groom underage girls for american financier jeffrey 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 the 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 maxwell's victims say her conviction shows perpetrators of sexual abuse will face justice no matter how much power and privilege they have. in an interview with the bbc, her brother said the maxwell family supports an appeal against her conviction. i'm not saying that they are lying. i m

our reporter simonjones has more.it is a national mission, the health secretary says, to getjabs into arms as quickly as possible. 22 million booster vaccinations have already been administered in the uk. it is important to get vaccinated so we can get back to our normal, semi— normal life at the moment. it is normal life at the moment. it is basically because _ normal life at the moment. it is basically because of— normal life at the moment. it is basically because of this new come, it is more _ basically because of this new come, it is more worrying, i think, because _ it is more worrying, i think, because we don't know exactly what is going _ because we don't know exactly what is going to _ because we don't know exactly what is going to happen. so it is better 'ust is going to happen. so it is better just to _ is going to happen. so it is better just to be — is going to happen. so it is better just to be safe. fist is going to happen. so it is better just to be safe.— just to be safe. at the end of today i've not ju

simonjones reports. this, the government says, is the best response to the new variant.rive to deliver more booster jabs. a team at the university of southampton says there are promising signs that boosters could handle omicron, and would still offer good protection against illness. experts though believe it's too early to say whether omicron will be more dangerous than other variants. we have some reason to believe it could be serious, but what that means in terms of the consequences for the pandemic, and the potential need for additional control measures, is not yet known. i think we've done the most important thing, which is accelerate boosters. in south africa, the scientists who first identified omicron are racing to unlock its secrets. over the last week, the daily number of new covid infections has increased fourfold. it seems those who have already had other variants of coronavirus may not be protected against omicron. hospital admissions are up slightly, mainly among the unvaccinated. i'm joined by dr margaret harris, spokesperson for the world health organisati

simonjones, bbc news.are being urged to get their booster jabs as scientists warn that two doses of a covid vaccine do not offer enough protection against the omicron variant. early analysis shows that a third jab prevents around 75% of people from getting any covid symptoms. here's our health editor fergus walsh. it is remarkable just how fast the omicron variant is spreading through our highly unionised population. new evidence suggests two doses of vaccine offer little protection from infection, while a booster cuts your risk of getting a mild illness by three quarters. but vaccination should offer much higher protection against severe disease. what scientists urgently need to know is what proportion of those infected will need hospital treatment. there are early signs from south africa that omicron may mostly because milder illness than delta. but even a small proportion of a huge omicron wave could result in sudden and sustained pressure on an already stretched nhs. the public are being urged to recog

here's simonjones. just over two weeks to go until the big day.more than two million people have had a boosterjab in scotland, but public health officials say we still need to learn more about the severity of the disease caused by omicron and the effectiveness of the vaccines. speaking before the plea to postpone parties, scotland's national clinical director said there are important steps people can take to protect themselves and their families. i will be lateral flow testing before i do any dinners or if i go out. or if i have my family round. and my family will be doing lateral flow tests before they come for christmas dinner — i won't be checking my mum's certificate at the door. but my mum will be lateral flow tested before she comes and she's fully vaccinated. so that seems to me to be a small price to pay to be able to have a family christmas. the scottish government says it's urging everyone to follow the advice of public health scotland, but it remains advice, not a legal ban. the hospitality sector, though, says the christmas and hogmana

here's simonjones. just over two weeks to go until the big day. season would normally be in full swing, but in scotland, people are being asked to think again. dr nick fynn, the medical director of public health scotland, said, more than two million people have had a boosterjab in scotland, but public health officials say we still need to learn more about the severity of the disease caused by 0micron and the effectiveness of the vaccines. speaking before the plea to postpone parties, scotland's national clinical director said there are important steps people can take to protect themselves and their families. i will be lateral flow testing before i do any dinners or if i go out. or if i have my family round. my family will be doing lateral flow tests before they come for christmas, i won't be checking my mum's certificate at the door. but my mum will be lateral flow tested before she comes and she's fully vaccinated. so that seems to me to be a small price to pay to be able to have a family christmas. the scottish government says it's urging everyo

simonjones is outside a hospital in central london.taff under right now? yes, the mayor of london is warning that hospitals like this one are going under massive pressure. now, he has been looking at the latest statistics that show that yesterday london recorded its highest ever number of covid—19 cases, currently around 1500 patients in london's hospitals who have covid—19. that is putting pressure on the staff caring for that number of patients, and also an increasing number of staff are having to come off work because they have developed covid—19 themselves. that is adding to this pressure. that is why the mayor has declared a major incident. what does that mean? well, it partly shows the seriousness of the situation, but it also means that the emergency services such as the nhs, the police, also the fire brigade, have to come together each and every day for a number of meetings to co—ordinate how best they can deal with this. what happens here in london is often reflected in other parts of the country in the following weeks. now, t

this report from simonjones. relax your arm, slight scratch. all done.promised to offer a boosterjab to all eligible adults in england by the end ofjanuary. but it's also looking further ahead, to a time when boosters may be needed again and again, so it's secured an additional 60 million doses of the moderna vaccine, and 5a million doses of the pfizer jab. they will be the latest vaccines that they will have, because as we're seeing right now, there's a new variant, there's potentially new variants in the future. we know that covid is going to be around for a while. we have to learn to live with it, and one of the ways to learn to live with it is to make sure we've got the vaccines that we need, and that they're future proof. it's exactly a year since this happened. we have some breaking news for you this morning, because in the last few minutes we've heard that the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. that was the pfizer vaccine. 12 months on, more than 150 million first, second and boosterjabs of the different vaccines, have

simonjones has this report. this, the government says, is the best response to the new variant.niversity of southampton says there are promising sign that boosters could handle 0micron, and would still offer good protection against illness. experts now believe it's too early to say whether 0micron will be more dangerous than other variants. we have some reason to believe it could be serious, but what that means in terms of the consequences of the pandemic, and the potential need for additional control measures, is not yet known. i think we've done the most important thing, which is accelerate boosters. in south africa, the scientists who first identified 0micron are racing to unlock its secrets. over the last week, the daily number of new covid infections has increased fourfold. it seems those who have already had other variants of coronavirus may not be protected against 0micron. hospital admissions are up slightly, mainly among the unvaccinated. the new variant has now been detected in at least 24 countries, according to the world health organization, including in several stat

simonjones reports. relax your arm, light scratch. all done.ernment has promised to offer a boosterjab to all eligible adults in england by the end ofjanuary. but it's also looking further ahead, to a time when boosters may be needed again and again, so it's secured an additional 60 million doses of the moderna vaccine, and 5a million doses of the pfizer jab. they will be the latest vaccines that they will have, because as we're seeing right now, there's a new variant, there's potentially new variants in the future. we know that covid is going to be around for a while. we have to learn to live with it, and one of the ways to learn to live with it is to make sure we got of the vaccines that we need, and that they're future proof. it's exactly a year since this happened. we have some breaking news for you this morning, because in the last few minutes we've heard that the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. that was the pfizer vaccine. 12 months on, more than 150 million first, second and boosterjabs of the different vac

simonjones reports. arthur, are you going to play for england? you going to play for encland? �* ., england? a football mad six-year-old. _ england? a football mad six-year-old. after - england? a football mad six-year-old. after i - england? a football mad | six-year-old. afterl play england? a football mad - six-year-old. after i play for liverpool! — six-year-old. after i play for liverpool! subjected - six-year-old. after i play for liverpool! subjected to - six-year-old. after i play for| liverpool! subjected to cruel, liverpool! sub'ected to cruel, manipulative— liverpool! subjected to cruel, manipulative and _ liverpool! subjected to cruel, manipulative and pitiless - liverpool! subjected to cruel, - manipulative and pitiless treatment by his father and his partner. arthur's short life will be remembered by birmingham city comedy team he supported. they previously held tributes to him. today, away at millwall, they will be applause in the six minute of the game. aston villa will do the same as we can. they say, our thoughts are with all wh

simonjones, bbc news.to have died after a volcano erupted on the island ofjava. officials on the island say dozens more have been injured, with many suffering severe burns from the huge ash cloud which escaped mount semeru. the volcano has been in a state of near constant eruption for decades. a blast of wintry weather is sweeping across parts of scotland and northern england today, where nearly 5,000 homes are still without electricity, nine days after the damage caused by storm arwen. business secretary kwasi kwarteng will visit bishop auckland later today, and army troops will continue supporting residents in remote areas. mark mcalindon sent this report from northumberland. on saturday, royal artillery troops arrived at the west hartford fire station near cramlington to be briefed on battle plans of an unfamiliar kind. we briefed on battle plans of an unfamiliar kind.— unfamiliar kind. we are very flexible organisation. - unfamiliar kind. we are very flexible organisation. we i unfamiliar kind. we are

this report from simonjones. relax your arm, slight scratch. all done.re. we know that covid is going to be around for a while. we have to learn to live with it, and one of the ways to learn to live with it is to make sure we've got the vaccines that we need, and that they're future proof. it's exactly a year since this happened. we have some breaking news for you this morning, because in the last few minutes we've heard that the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. that was the pfizer vaccine. 12 months on, more than 150 million first, second and boosterjabs of the different vaccines, have been administered across the uk. at present, children aged between 12 and 15 are offered a vaccine. the boss of pfizer, in an interview with the bbc, says five to 11—year—olds should getjabbed too. i think that covid in schools is thriving. i believe that this is disturbing significantly the education system. and there are kids that will have severe symptoms. so, there is no doubt in my mind that the benefits completely, completely are in fav