let's start with this from the world health organisation.arly days in terms of our understanding of this variant, and again, we are grateful for the information that's coming in daily. there is a possibility, we don't have all the information yet on transmission in terms of if there is a fitness advantage, if it's more transmissible. there is some suggestion of that, but, again, it's early days. we expect to have more information on transmission within days, not necessarily weeks, but in days. while they wait for that information — governments around the world are ramping up their responses. the us has just the us hasjust announced the us has just announced their first case. the individual is a traveller who returned on november the 22nd. the paint has not been detected in 25 countries including saudi arabia, south korea and nigeria. the authorities in nigeria are now enforcing mandatory vaccinations for all civil servants. enforcing mandatory vaccinations for all civilservants. in enforcing mandatory vaccinations for all civil servants. in

that's the warning from the world health organisation.s against the backdrop of rapidly rising infection levels in europe. the uk has registered its highest daily figure since january. and in the netherlands, prime minister mark rutte has announced that schools will close at the end of this week. he said bars, theatres and gyms will have to continue to observe the current early evening closing time rules until mid— january. set against that, new evidence from pfizer that covid vaccines are still very effective against the omicron variant. so everything taken together — where are we now in the pandemic? i'm joined now by melissa nolan, assistant professor of epidemiology at the university of south carolina. wonderful to have you on the program. i imagine, many in the audience are wondering the same thing as i am, we've been through the delta wave, where are now at the beginning of the omicron variant, are we going to see similar rates of infection, that kind of wave in countries across the world? thank ou for countries across the world? th

don't hoard the vaccines to fight omicron — a warning to rich countries by the world health organisationd bringing some cheer to children evacuated from the indonesian volcano — but what are they laughing at? hello and welcome to bbc news to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in london — where an unofficial tribunal — investigating china's treatment of the uyghur minority — has found evidence of crimes against humanity and genocide. the findings detail systematic human rights abuses — including forced labour and torture. the chair of the tribunal, sir geoffrey nice, explained how women were sterilised without their consent, and families deliberately separated. witness statements also described rapes and assaults in detention camps. pressure is growing on beijing, after both the us and other countries announced diplomatic boycotts of the winter olympics in beijing. the us house of representatives has also approved legislation, banning imports from xinjiang. human rights groups believe china has detained more than one million uyghurs over the past few years. here's the chair

present in a sample taken in the netherlands five days before it was first reported to the world health organisatione boss of one of the biggest covid—vaccine producing companies has warned that he doesn't think the currentjabs will be as effective against the new strain as they have been against the previous ones. sara monetta reports. as the omicron strain continues to spread around the world, with cases detected across europe, in canada, and now injapan, the question being asked is, how effective will the existing vaccines be against it? the answer, according to the boss of moderna, which produces one of the most widely used jabs, is not as effective. stephane bancel told reporters... he added... that could take weeks, or even months. in the meantime, several major vaccine manufacturers have said they are ready to tweak their shots if needed. and china, which produces its own vaccines, is taking similar steps. translation: it is stilll currently unclear if these mutations in the omicron variant can lead to vaccines being less effective. however, china has already made the technological preparatio

thanks very much. - this afternoon, the world health organisation have been giving an update on the newemergencies programme, said there is no evidence that he knows of, that giving boosters to whole populations will provide greater protection. the primary objective, i think, of all governments now must be in the face of delta and omicron is to ensure that all vulnerable individuals, people of older age, people with underlying conditions are immediately offered the vaccine to ensure that everyone has had at least a primary course of vaccine. they may have a better answer than me regarding the benefits of a booster regarding other variants, but right now, there is no evidence that i'm aware of that would suggest that boosting the entire population is going to necessarily provide any greater protection for otherwise healthy individuals against hospitalisation or debt. ——against hospitalisation or death. the real risk of severe disease, hospitalisation and death lies in particularly at risk and vulnerable individuals who do require protection against all variants of covid—19. i'm joined by

here's the world health organisation's chief scientist with what we know so far.viously vaccinated people who are the first to be reported. but however, the fact that they are not getting sick, we have to wait and see, but they develop only mild illness are still providing protection. the uk is among several countries offering covid boosterjabs, which will mean some adults receiving three doses of the vaccines. british health chiefs have chosen to use the moderna and pfizer shots, and trials suggest they give the best overall response. researchers also said there were good signs that the vaccines still protect against the omicron variant. our medical editor, fergus walsh, reports. amid gloom over omicron and its potential threat, some encouraging news. it was back in the summer that nearly 3,000 uk volunteers got one of seven different covid vaccines as a booster shot, three months after their second dose. thank you, everybody. for those boosted with pfizer after two doses of astrazeneca, their antibody levels were 25 times higher than a control group after one mo

it's eight in the morning in singapore, and midnight in geneva where the head of world health organisation issued a new warning about the omicron variant of coronavirus. he said it was spreading far more quickly than any other variant. and he told countries around the world — underestimate it — at your peril. here's more from him — just a few hours ago: omicron is spreading a rate we have not seen with any other previous variant. we are concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild. surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. even if omicron does cause less severe diseases, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems. that's the warning from the world health organisation. and it comes against the backdrop of rapidly rising infection levels in europe. the uk has registered its highest daily figure since january. and in the netherlands, prime minister mark rutte has announced that schools will close at the end of this week. he said bars, theatres and gyms will have to continue to observe the current early evening clo

and the world health organisation in europe has this warning.accination are an absolute _ last resort and only applicable when all other feasible options to improve vaccination uptakel have been exhausted. evidently, some countries believe they've reached that point, and the polling suggests the public in some western countries may be onside. take germany. a survey published by the news weekly der spiegel last month found 72% of germans in favour of compulsory vaccines, 20% were against. but even if governments mandate vaccines, even if the public is persuaded, even if the court battles are overcome, this can only be part of the equation for the us and europe, because once again, we need to play that famous phrase from dr tedros. none of us are safe until all of us are safe. and this is where the issue gets even more complicated because those in the west criticizing people who won't get the jab are also benefiting from governments who prioritize them, getting three jabs over some in the world getting any. so, yes, the number of unvaccinated peop

but that's not actually what the world health _ that's not actually what the world health organisationd disease to severe _ macomb that go from mild disease to severe disease. and some are presented with mild disease but it still very— presented with mild disease but it still very early days. actually, the message — still very early days. actually, the message there was a lot more nuanced and kind _ message there was a lot more nuanced and kind of— message there was a lot more nuanced and kind of saying, look, we just don't _ and kind of saying, look, we just don't know— and kind of saying, look, we just don't know at this point. that's what _ don't know at this point. that's what the — don't know at this point. that's what the government is admitting as well. what the government is admitting as well sav— what the government is admitting as well. say we don't know therefore we are reintroducing some precautionary measures— are reintroducing some precautionary measures like mask wearing, this kind of— measures like mask wearing, this kind of thing and take eight lateral flow test— kind

as omicron spreads across europe, a fresh warning from the world health organisation. a fresh warningby now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. in the uk, a blow to prime minister borisjohnson's authority as fellow conservatives rebel against covid restrictions. two close friends who lost their lives in the english channel migrant tragedy — we visit the town in iraqi kurdistan to hear from their grieving family and friends. and calling time on the wild west online — british mps want big tech

as record infections rates are also reported across europe and the us — the world health organisationthat omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases.

don't hoard the vaccines to fight omicron — a warning to rich countries by the world health organisation

the head of the world health organisation has warned world leaders that no country can boost its wayut of the pandemic — and they should divert supply to countries where there are vaccine shortages. more than 13 million people in the chinese city of shay—an have been ordered to stay at home as authorities attempt to tackle a covid outbreak there. china has a strict zero—covid strategy, using mass testing and lockdown to stop outbreaks. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me is the deputy political editor for the mail on sunday, anna mikhailova. and we're also joined by the presenter and broadcaster, penny smith. tomorrow's front pages, they haven't been out yet despite the imminence of christmas. the guardian with the studies into the 0micron variant — which says that a possibility of a hospital stay is 40% lower. the telegraph also leads with good news from studies into the 0micron variant — which says the risk of hospitalisation is two thirds lower. same story on the front page of the i — which also mentions the uk recording

as europe and the us also report record covid infection rates, the head of the world health organisationa to suspend the shutdown of the country's oldest human rights group — memorial international. and, the life of archbishop desmond tutu has been celebrated at memorial services outside his home injohannesburg, and at an interfaith ceremony in cape town.

the head of the world health organisation has warned world leaders that no country can boost its wayut of the pandemic — and they should divert supply to countries where there are vaccine shortages. meanwhile, israel looks set to be the first country to give the over 60s and medical staff would be the first in line. rescuers in myanmar have called off the search for dozens of people missing after a landslide at a jade mine because of poor light. they say they'll resume thursday morning when the fog and mist clears. now on bbc news, overfour days in may the footballing world, with support from across sport, used its voice — by staying silent on social media. the boycott was the latest attempt at tackling the racist abuse suffered by black and asian players. nesta mcgregor spoke to victims, social media companies and those charged with cleaning up the sport. this was his report first broadcast back in the spring. this programme contains racist language and content some may find offensive. they are not fans, they are racists. it makes you feel very dehumanised. you feel like nothing. th

as europe and the us also report record covid infection rates, the head of the world health organisationthe virus is straining health care systems and staff around the world. the european court of human rights, has urged russia to suspend the shutdown of the country's oldest human rights group — memorial international. and, the life of archbishop desmond tutu has been celebrated at memorial services outside his home injohannesburg, and at an interfaith ceremony in cape town. now on bbc news, it's time for weather world. sarah keith—lucas and nick miller find out how climate change is affecting the scottish ski industry and look back at 2021's biggest storms. this time on weather world, i'm in scotland, the country that hosted the 2021 cop climate summit. and even though i've come to one of the coldest and snowiest parts of the country, the cairngorms ski area, it faces its own challenges as our world warms. i'll be talking to the people whose livelihoods depend on winter snow here, even if sometimes they have to make it themselves. the factory produces four tonnes an hour, so in just und

but the world health organisation has expressed concern, that wealthy countries will start to hoard coronavirus reduction approach, but their healthcare workers who are literally dying on the job in workers who are literally dying on thejob in other workers who are literally dying on the job in other countries because there has not been access to vaccines. they are not going to get out of this unless we actually have true vaccine equity and distribution of vaccines in a timely fashion to every country around the world and i think this latest example of omicron puts a fine point on that. new research has found — that india's capital delhi, has alarmingly high levels of indoor air pollution. the study by the — energy policy institute at the university of chicago — found that the levels of pm2.5, the lung—damaging tiny particles in the air — indoors were "substantially higher" than those found on the nearest outdoor monitors. but despite that, most households have been unwilling to adopt defence measures. delhi routinely tops the list of "world's most polluted capitals". our correspondent there, r

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: a fresh warning from the world health organisation thatading at an unprecedented rate. in the uk, a blow to prime minister boris johnson's authority as dozens of his fellow mp vote against covid restrictions. some breaking news now. us house of representatives has voted to seek criminal contempt of charges against mark meadows, donald trump's former chief of staff over that attack on capitol hill onjanuary six. the vote was largely along party lines, with 222 votes to 208. just two republicans voted for it. it has also been recommended he faces federal charges. we hope to have more on this story on the likely punishment he might face and the ramifications for donald trump a bit later in the programme. the arctic is among the fastest warming regions in the world, heating at more than twice the global average. on tuesday, the world meteorological organization recognised a new arctic temperature record, after the russian town of verkhoyansk hit 38 degrees celsius in june 2020. professor randy cerveny is the rapporteur on extreme records at th

the world health organisation says the omicron variant of covid is spreading more quickly than the delta — and is causing infections in people who have already had covid or been vaccinated. the uk's prime minister boris johnson says his government is not introducing any new measures to stop the spread of omicron covid. but — he said he was reserving the possibility of taking more action, if the number of infections and hospitalisationsjustified it. the jury in in ghislaine maxwell's trial on sex trafficking charges in new york has begun its deliberations. her defence says the women who accused her are not credible — the prosecution said she was a predator who knew what she was doing. rebel tigrayan forces fighting the ethiopian government say they are withdrawing immediately from neighbouring regions. it comes after pro—government forces made significant military gains. the rebels say they are hoping there will now be a ceasefire. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. we'rejoined by the broadcaster and psychotherapist, lucy beresford. an

i'm joined by dr margaret harris, spokesperson for the world health organisation in geneva. the who.— from the who. good morning. it reall is from the who. good morning. it really is the _ from the who. good morning. it really is the same. _ from the who. good morning. it really is the same. that - from the who. good morning. it really is the same. that this - from the who. good morning. it really is the same. that this is i from the who. good morning. it really is the same. that this is a | really is the same. that this is a virus that has now spread to all continents. we have seen in south africa that there has been a very big rise in numbers, we are also seeing a big rise in test positivity for omicron so we are seeing it is certainly effectively transmitting in south africa. we still need to watch all other communities to understand what it means. and remember, the early cases that are spreading around the world are in travellers so they tend to be a young, fit group so that does not necessarily tell us what is the nature of the virus, and its ability to make us sick unt

the head of the world health organisation has warned world leaders that no country can boost its wayortages. meanwhile, israel looks set to be the first country to give the over 60s and medical staff would be the first in line. rescuers in myanmar have called off the search for dozens of people missing after a landslide at a jade mine because of poor light. they say they'll resume thursday morning when the fog and mist clears. now on bbc news, overfour days in may the footballing world,

the world health organisation has expressed concern that wealthy countries will hoard covid vaccines,n response to the rapid spread of omicron. rich nations have accelerated the roll out of booster shots. new research has found that india's capital delhi has alarmingly high levels of indoor air pollution. levels of pm2.5, the lung—damaging tiny particles in the air — were substantially higher indoors than on monitors outdoors. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are rachel cunliffe, deputy online editor at the new statesman and katy balls, deputy political editor at the spectator. tomorrow's front pages, starting with... the metro leads on a picture of boris and carriejohnson, with the headline �*mum's the word' after the pm's wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl as mrjohnson continues to face a difficult week. the telegraph is reporting that the pm's standards adviser, lord geidt, is on the verge of quitting, after accusations borisjohnson misled him over the refurbishment of his downing street flat. the i newspaper talks

earlier, we spoke to dr catherine smallwood, senior emergency officer for the world health organisationnt is causing a surge of cases in western europe, but it may not be as severe. we are seeing a very rapid increase in the number of new covid—19 cases. of course we expected that anyway because of the holiday season, but with the rapid spread of 0micron we are seeing that very much accelerated, and that is especially in western europe, where we are seeing countries like the united kingdom, france, denmark, portugal, spain, italy, all seeing cases now outstripping what they have seen at any previous time during the pandemic. and it's early days yet, but that's significantly going to put health systems under pressure and lead to a lot of people being hospitalised, and it is going to lead to a lot of disruption. away from the pandemic, european countries will face new legal efforts next year, to try to make sure that global leaders stick to the promises they made at the cop26 climate summit in glasgow. the deal struck — which includes further reducing carbon emissions and using less coal

the world health organisation says the omicron variant of covid is spreading more quickly than the deltad. the uk's prime minister boris johnson says his government is not introducing any new measures to stop the spread of omicron covid. but — he said he was reserving the possibility of taking more action, if the number of infections and hospitalisationsjustified it. the jury in in ghislaine maxwell's trial on sex trafficking charges in new york has begun its deliberations. her defence says the women who accused her are not credible — the prosecution said she was a predator who knew what she was doing. rebel tigrayan forces fighting the ethiopian government say they are withdrawing immediately from neighbouring regions. it comes after pro—government forces made significant military gains. the rebels say they are hoping there will now be a ceasefire.

here's the world health organisation's chief scientist with what we know so far.n variant is able to overcome and cause infections, even in previously vaccinated people — we are seeing that now with a lot of previously vaccinated people who are the first to be reported with omicron. however, the fact that they are not getting sick — and again, we have to waitand see — but if they develop only mild illness, that means that the vaccines are still providing protection. here in the uk, the decision to offerjust the pfizer or moderna vaccines as a covid booster appears to have paid off, after trials showed that they give the best overall response. seven differentjabs were tested — researchers also said there were good signs that the vaccines still protect against the omicron variant. our medical editor fergus walsh reports. amid the gloom over omicron and its potential threat, some encouraging news. it was back in the summer that nearly 3,000 uk volunteers got one of seven different covid vaccines as a booster shot three months after their second dose. thank you very m

the world health organisation says the omicron variant of covid is spreading more quickly than the deltays his government is not introducing any new measures to stop the spread of omicron covid. but — he said he was reserving the possibility of taking more action, if the number of infections and hospitalisationsjustified it. the jury in in ghislaine maxwell's trial on sex trafficking charges in new york has begun its deliberations. her defence says the women who accused her are not credible — the prosecution said she was a predator who knew what she was doing. the chinese tennis star pung shwy has told a reporter that she never claimed a former leading official in beijing sexually assaulted her. the womens' tennis association says it is still concerned she is being censored by the state.

here's the world health organisation's chief scientist with what we know so far.le that the omicron variant can cause infections, even in previously vaccinated people — we are seeing that now with previously vaccinated people who are the first to be reported with omicron. however, the fact that they are not getting sick — and again, we have to wait and see — but if they develop only mild illness, that means that the vaccines are still providing protection. let's get some of the day's other news. pakistan's prime minister has condemned what he called "a horrific vigilante attack" on a sri lankan man who was lynched after being accused of blasphemy. imran khan said the burning alive of priyantha kumara after he was beaten by an angry mob was a day of shame for pakistan. the us economy created far fewerjobs than expected in november. employers in the world's largest economy added just 210,000 jobs for the month — that's less than half the figure for october. the number of people in work is now 3.9 million below the peak of february 2020. european diplomats at talks t

the world health organisation has expressed concern that wealthy countries will hoard covid vaccines,hots. new research has found that india's capital delhi has alarmingly high levels of indoor air pollution. levels of pm2.5, the lung—damaging tiny particles in the air — were substantially higher indoors than on monitors outdoors.

the world health organisation has issued the emergency approval of a new coronavirus vaccine in indiate of india. it's part of the covax portfolio, an initative to vaccinate more people in lower—income countries. russia says it is extremely disappointed with signals coming from the united states and nato, in response to its demands for security guarantees from the alliance. russia's long list of requests include asking nato to commit to end its expansion. the white house press secretary said there would be no talks with russia on european security without european allies. talks in vienna aimed at salvaging a two—thousand—and—fifteen nuclear deal with iran have been adjourned at tehran�*s request. they are not expected to resume until after christmas. european negotiators have now called on iran to reach a deal as quickly as possible — when discussions restart. diplomats from france, britain and germany reiterated that the negotiations aimed at salvaging the nuclear deal with iran were �*rapidly reaching the end of the road.�* the defence team in the trial of ghislaine maxwell, the bri

the uk has announced record covid infection figures for the second day in a row — as the world health organisationnew strain — omicron — is spreading at an unprecedented rate. more than 75 countries have omicron cases. a top uk health official says the variant is probably the most significant threat we've had since the start of the pandemic. meanwhile in the last hour presidentjoe biden has said that the omicron variant has now arrived in the united states. our medical editor fergus walsh starts our coverage. what do you want for christmas? for millions it is a booster. these people in newcastle today were prepared to wait for hours for a covid vaccination bus. it was a record day for booster jabs, but also covid cases. boosters offer the best protection against omicron, but there is huge uncertainty whether they will blunt it enough to keep hospital admissions below last january's peak. even if it is milder, because it is concentrated over a short period of time, you could end up with a higher number going into hospital on a single day. that is certainly possible. the numbers of confirmed omicron

the head of the world health organisation has warned world leaders that no country can boost its waye are vaccine shortages. more than 13 million people in the chinese city of shay—an have been ordered to stay at home as authorities attempt to tackle a covid outbreak there. china has a strict zero—covid strategy, using mass testing and lockdown to stop outbreaks.

there is much uncertainty over the weeks ahead, but the world health organisation has at least said thate about the new variants within days. —— the new variant. hugh pym, bbc news. let's get more of a sense of this. in a moment we'll get the view from emma vardy in belfast and lisa summers in edinburgh, but first let's talk to our wales health correspondent owain clarke. hejoins me in the he joins me in the studio hejoins me in the studio in cardiff. we have talked a lot in the last 18 months about the huge pressure on the health service all about the uk but especially in wales. do you think there is a fear in the welsh government that what is going on with its booster programme is too ambitious? you saying the welsh nhs is under huge strain not only dealing with the present covid situation the backlogs caused by previous weights. health minister eluned told me she is asking people to go above and beyond in the health service during its toughest ever winter. the welsh government has not yet adopted the target of offering the boosters by the end of january, target of offering the booster

the world health organisation has issued the emergency approval of a new coronavirus vaccine in indiate of india. it's part of the covax portfolio, an initative to vaccinate more people in lower—income countries. a popular tourist island is among areas left devastated after a powerful typhoon ripped through the southern philippines. super typhoon rai made landfall on the holiday island of shargow bringing high winds and heavy rainfall. the tropical storm flattened homes displacing hundreds of thousands of people. so far 12 people are confirmed to have died and the un says some 13 million people may be affected. russia says it is extremely disappointed with signals coming from the united states and nato, in response to its demands for security guarantees from the alliance. russia's long list of requests include asking nato to commit to end its expansion. the white house press secretary said there would be no talks with russia on european security without european allies. the defence team in the trial of ghislaine maxwell, the british socialite and alleged accomplice of the disgraced la

the latest headlines: a fresh warning from the world health organisation that the new coronavirus variantw to prime minister borisjohnson�*s authority as dozens of his fellow mp vote against covid restrictions. the arctic is among the fastest warming regions in the world, heating at more than twice the global average. on tuesday, the world meteorological organisation recognised a new arctic temperature record, after the russian town of verkhoyansk hit 38 degrees celsius in june 2020. professor randy cerveny is the rapporteur on extreme records at the world meteorological organisation and was part of the team that worked to verify this temperature in the arctic. hejoins me live now from phoenix arizona. why did it take so long to verify a record that was produced injune verify a record that was produced in june 2020? verify a record that was produced injune 2020? in verify a record that was produced in june 2020? in order to make sure — produced in june 2020? in order to make sure that _ produced in june 2020? in order to make sure that our _ produced in june 2020? in order to make sure th

doubling in one and a half to three days in areas with community transmission, according to the world health organisationve urged fresh measures to fight the surge in the 0micron variant. ireland, switzerland and denmark are all stepping up restrictions. there have been protests, however, with belgium, spain and italy among the countries seeing demonstrations. our first report is from anna holligan on the start of the netherlands lockdown. virtually silent high streets. it's online and window shopping only this year. last christmas, the dutch thought the pandemic would be over by now. instead, the netherlands has become the first country in europe to shut down in response to the rapidly spreading 0micron variant. now, it feels like it's starting all over again, to be isolated and, yeah... it feels really bad. because we're used to going to the cafe, to a bar, and with this lockdown, it's impacted me a bit. so, yeah, it's going to be difficult. george is a chef. so, tomorrow, i'm working just to throw away a lot - of fresh food, lots of... basically, everything - that we can't sell any more. so, that's...

as record infections rates are also reported across europe and the us — the world health organisationns of a huge strain on global health services. i'm highly concerned that omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases. the european court of human rights, urges russia to suspend the shutdown of the country's oldest human rights group. prayers and thanksgiving — as south africa holds a week of special events celebrating the life of archbishop desmond tutu. good evening to viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk prime minister borisjohnson has urged everyone in the uk to get their boosterjab. he says 90% of people currently in intensive care beds with covid had not received their third vaccine. new figures show more than 10,000 people are in hospital in england with covid — the highest number since march. meanwhile, some uk doctors and pharmacists are warning they are running short of covid tests — because of high demand. officials say more are on the way. pressure is coming from a surge in cases — the latest data show

let's talk to dr margaret harris from the world health organisation. a very good morning to you. you. good morning, rebecca. _ a very good morning to you. good morning, rebecca. the _ a very good morning to you. good morning, rebecca. the head - a very good morning to you. good morning, rebecca. the head of. a very good morning to you. good | morning, rebecca. the head of the world health _ morning, rebecca. the head of the world health organization - morning, rebecca. the head of the world health organization saying i morning, rebecca. the head of the| world health organization saying an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled, what is your advice? it's the world health organization urging us to cancel christmas? certainly not cancel christmas but have a careful christmas so you can have a careful christmas so you can have notjust a happy new year but many happy new year's. the head was actually referring to a perception that we have postponed over and over again forjournalists, we have a get—together with journalists and we have not been able to have fun now for two yea

omicron covid strain may have spread around the world before it was first reported to the world health organisation by south africa. over a dozen countries and territories have detected cases, giving a clearer picture of how long the variant has been circulating. mark meadows, donald trump's former chief of staff, has agreed to make a deposition before the congressional investigation into the assault on the capitol. the committee says mr meadows has already provided records on the incident. former president trump has urged his associates to ignore the probe. entertainerjosephine baker has been honoured with a place in the pantheon in paris. she's the first black woman to be inducted, and is recognised for her contribution to the performing arts, civil rights activism, and her work as a french resistance agent during the second world war. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk, with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i am stephen sackur. what kind of republican party will be fighting for control of the us congress in 2022 and attempting to regain the white house in 2024? in to regain the white house in 20

world health organization has just started a briefing about this new variant. let's hear a little from the infectious disease epidemiologist at the world health organisation. 's early days and we expect to have more information on transmission within days, not necessarily weeks, but within days. in terms of the severity profile, we have seen reports of cases with omicron that go from mild disease all the way to severe disease and there is some indication that some of the patients presenting with mild disease, but again it's early days and we do have again it's early days and we do have a surveillance bias in terms of the cases that are being detected. there is also a suggestion of increased hospitalisations across south africa but that could be a factor that we have more cases and if you have more cases, you have more hospitalisations. so with regards to severity, there are studies under way looking at hospitalisations, looking at those individuals who are hospitalised and whether or not they have this variant or not and we are also getting a picture of some of the cases that are detected in other countries, so as the director—general mentioned, there are r

the world health organisation is saying they expect to know within days whether this new variant cannvicted of raping her in 1981 has his sentence overturned. we'll hear from the lawyers who helped clear his name. a big moment for the us supreme court — which is hearing a case that could overturn women's constitutional rights to abortion — an issue largely divided along party lines.

the world health organisation has expressed concern that wealthy countries will hoard covid vaccines,n response to the rapid spread of omicron. rich nations have accelerated the roll out of booster shots. a chicagojury has found the actor justin smollett guily of staging a hate crime against himself. prosecutors said smollett, who is black and openly gay, lied to police when he told them that he was accosted on a darkchicago street by two masked strangers. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are rachel cunliffe, deputy online editor at the new statesman and katy balls, deputy political editor at the spectator. just to bring you at home at the date on the front pages... another tough day for borisjohnson on the front of tomorrow's papers. a yougov poll for the times suggests the conservatives have slumped to their worst rating in 11 months. another day — another lie is the headline on the front of the mirror. the paper says the pm is accused of being untruthful over how refurb costs of his downing street flat was paid for. st

here's the concern of the world health organisation in africa.in covid—19 infections. it should be noted that it is mostly in southern africa. while new covid—19 cases are rising in southern africa, they have dropped in all other subregions during the past week from the previous week. omicron is now in every continent — bar antactica. 2a countries have confirmed cases, india is one of them. in the past 2a hours, two people in the southern state of karnataka are infected, they had recently travelled from south africa. officials are worried about a repeat of this, the second devastating wave of delta in april and may. cases reached 400,000 a day, pushing the health system close to collapse. here's yotiga limaye on the government's response to omicron. people have been arriving to other parts of the world in south africa have tested positive for covid—19, they have also been sent in for genome sequencing. from wednesday, the government has introduced restrictions for people arriving in at risk countries, which include nations like the uk, south afri

as the variant spreads globally, the world health organisation urges caution over the festive seasonple are now known to have died. a court in london has ordered the ruler of dubai, sheikh mohammed, to pay his ex—wife around 550 million pounds. it's thought to be the largest divorce settlement in british history. and how about this for a creepy—crawly nightmare? fossil evidence of the eight—foot long millipede that weighed 50 kg and was the size of a car. let's return to our top story, and the call from the entertainment and hospitality industries for more support for businesses impacted by uncertainty around the introduction of further coronavirus restrictions. later this afternoon we're due to hear from the chancellor rishi sunak on financial support for business. the call for more support from government is backed by the institute for fiscal studies. its director, pauljohnson, outlined what measures it would like to see from the chancellor, given that the restrictions impacting many businesses haven't been mandated by the government. that makes it much more difficult than it was i

. _ let's speak now to doctor catherine smallwood, senior emergencies officer for the world health organisation's where the take—up is not as high as the government would like but also very tough restrictions for those who are not vaccinated?- very tough restrictions for those who are not vaccinated? thank you and aood who are not vaccinated? thank you and good evening. _ who are not vaccinated? thank you and good evening. i _ who are not vaccinated? thank you and good evening. ithink- who are not vaccinated? thank you and good evening. i think it - who are not vaccinated? thank you and good evening. i think it is - and good evening. i think it is important to note that the national level is a very similar uptake of covid—19 vaccination is the uk is decided to have a problem and its decided to have a problem and its decided to have a problem and its decided to take a rather difficult route one in which our previous correspondence said which angela merkel noted, they hoped they would not have to take any think who would favour for people to volunteer to get vaccinated and realising that is really