this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: save the children condemns the military in myanmar, for the deaths of 38 people found in burnt—out vehicles in kayah state. queen elizabeth speaks about her memories of prince philip in herfirst christmas day message since his death. that mischievous enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as it was when i first set eyes on him. the pope uses his christmas message to highlight the tragedies in yemen and syria, which he says are being passed over in silence. ..and lift off. the world's most powerful telescope is launched into space — to offer unprecedented images of the universe. and after three months of spewing lava and ash, the volcanic eruption on la palma, finally comes to an end. hello and welcome to bbc news. the international charity, save the children, has condemned what it called an attack by the burmese military that killed at least 38 people, including women and children. the charity said the military had reportedly forced people fro

hugh pym, bbc news. cases are also rising sharply in the us, by over 40% to a 7—day average of 123,000 new recorded infections a day. hospitalisations due to covid have also jumped by 45% in the last month. the us infectious diseases expert dr anthony fauci says the high transmissibility of the 0micron variant means it could cause many additional deaths and he's leading calls for americans to get their booster shots. we are in the situation where we are now facing a very important delta surge and we're looking over our shoulder at an oncoming 0micron surge. clearly, unvaccinated individuals are really at a higher risk of serious involvement, including hospitalisation. the fully vaccinated are doing much better off. the optimum protection is fully vaccinated plus a boost. so the bottom line of what we have been telling you all along, it is critical to get vaccinated. if you are vaccinated, it is critical for optimum protection to get boosted. the british socialite ghislaine maxwell, who's facing sex tra

and is it strictly necessary to feature bbc celebrity dancing show on bbc news? notwithstanding which looks increasingly like a health emergency over the omicron variant of covid—19, the government has faced a legion of difficulties this week. on tuesday night, there was the biggest backbench rebellion of boris johnson's premiership of the covid—19 regulations. the conservatives lost the by election with the seat that they've held for more than 20 years of the majority of 23,000. and details of parties around westminster last december continued to swirl around. here is hell and reporting on sunday with the latest revelations about what went on in downing street a year ago. it's the christmas quiz the downing street said was virtual but it's not opposing very real questions for the prime minister. pictured here in hosting a round of the 15th of december last year. on the 15th of december last year. on the video call, number ten staff, some dialling in from home and others apparently gathered in groups elsewhere in the building. at the time, and/or socialising

drew savage, bbc news. to be talked about, savage, bbc news. to be talked about. you _ savage, bbc news. to be talked about, you know, _ savage, bbc news. to be talked about, you know, i— savage, bbc news. to be talked about, you know, i chance - savage, bbc news. to be talked about, you know, i chance at. savage, bbc news. to be talked | about, you know, i chance at the savage, bbc news. to be talked - about, you know, i chance at the top four, it's a big turnaround for us. look, we have got a long way to go, we have got to try to maintain it. we have to get our standards back from our performances are not close to where they should be, but hopefully we can get ready and be like the good teams and get better in the second half of the season. crystal palace's second win in four games has taken them into the top ten... a place the team they beat can only dream of. 0dsonne edouard had given palace the lead against norwich from a penalty, before two further goals before half time from jean—philippe mateta and jeffrey schlupp gave them a comfor

fergus walsh, bbc news. covid infections are surging across europe — with both the uk and france reporting new, single—day records on thursday. italy and spain are the latest countries to introduce increased restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. our europe correspondent nick beake has this report. the festive message to spaniards this year — wear a mask, even outside. across europe, governments are issuing health warnings rather than glad tidings. at a time when families come together, the advice is to keep your distance. belgium is now inviting children as young as five to get vaccinated. covid cases here have been falling for the past ten days, but cinemas and theatres are set to close, although pubs will stay open. it's really a political choice that is not really supported by scientific. i feel like there are rules, but no—one really cares. it helps me to study that - all the nightclubs are closed! exhausted doctors and nurses are pleading with the public to follow the rule

tim muffett, bbc news. you are watching bbc news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lukwesaburak goodbye. the run up to the new year is going to be really exceptionally mild, near record breaking in fact. and notjust on one or two days but really quite a prolonged spell of very mild weather, some four days or so. it's not really going to cool off until around the third or 4th of january. but this is the map showing the warmth in the atmosphere. if you look at the subtropical atlantic here, just to the west of the canaries, south of the azores, there is a current of warm air that is spreading in our direction and spread across western parts of europe and then deeper into more central and eastern parts of europe. in england, for example, this is how mild or warm it could actually get, 17 degrees. compare that to the average of eight celsius. now, at the moment, it's not quite so mild. in fact, in scotland with the clear skies in some eastern areas quite a nippy start to the day and not desperately cold for this time of the year. but

hugh pym, bbc news. the uk government is relaxing immigration rules so that social care workers from abroad can help to alleviate staff shortages in britain. the temporary measures are expected to take effect in the new year and will be in place for at least 12 months. care providers are experiencing high vacancy rates and turnover, and pressure on staffing is being made worse by the recent spread of 0micron. of course the uk isn't the only country where omicron is spreading fast. on thursday, france reported a new record high in the number of daily infections. and in spain, where the wearing of facemasks outdoors is compulsory again, the 73,000 cases recorded on thursday represented the third consecutive high in as many days. so a curfew will be in force from tonight in catalonia in northeastern spain, where residents are banned from leaving their homes between one o'clock and six in the morning. dr quique bassat is a research professor at the barcelona institute for global health, with more on what the

hugh pym, bbc news. and earlier, hugh explained whether england would follow the other uk nations into tighter restrictions after the festive period. there are two directions of travel at the moment for the data, which makes it really hard to read the overall picture. first of all, as we've been hearing, cases arising — there was a surge picked up by the 0ns at the end of last week and into the weekend, described as "sobering" by the head of the 0ns. really quite a sharp increase there. but then, as we've been hearing through this week, various pieces of research pointed to the fact that it's less severe in terms of the number of people who end up in hospital than delta. now it seems that in government, the picture is very much "leave it till early next week" — no decisions yet about meetings or whether there needs to be any further announcements about restrictions. nothing has been ruled out, they need the data — that is actually why the office for national statistics is updating its very authorit

sanchia berg, bbc news. if borisjohnson does decide to go for more restrictions, he could face considerable opposition to them from within his own party. his chief brexit negotiator, lord frost, has resigned from the government — and among the reasons given were his opposition to vaccine passports and further restrictions. here's our political correspondent, charlotte rose. the reaction to news of the chief brexit negotiator, lord frost's resignation came quickly, with members in a whatsapp group of 100 tory mps describing it as a very worrying and a disaster. in the images of the messages first broadcast by sky news, the culture secretary, nadine dorries, steps in to defend the prime minister, telling mps to show a bit of loyalty to the person who won an 83—seat majority and delivered brexit. the response — she is removed from the whatsapp group by senior brexiteer steve baker, who says enough is enough. reacting to the news this morning, the health secretary paid tribute to lord frost. i'm sorry to s

mark lobel, bbc news. a blast of wintry weather is sweeping across parts of scotland and northern england, where nearly 5,000 homes are still without electricity, nine days after the damage caused by storm arwen. army troops will continue to support 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're a very flexible organisation. we're trained and prepared for a range of tasks, um, be it abroad or at home. and, in this case, you know, in this period of goodwill, what better... what more rewarding task could there be than, you know, providing support and comfort to our local towns and villages? here to meet them was the mp for the enormous berwick—on—tweed constituency, where many have endured more than a week without power. these are very unusual events. and what we need to make sure is that when and if they do happen, that

theo leggett, bbc news. rescue teams are still searching for survivors of the wave of tornadoes that hit parts of the united states on friday, killing at least 94 people. there are fears the death toll could rise. presidentjoe biden has called it one of the largest storms in american history, and has declared a majorfederal disaster in kentucky, the state that's been worst affected. lebo diseko has this report. picking up the pieces of their lives. homes, businesses and whole towns reduced to rubble. it's horrible, it's the definition of hell on earth. i can't... people have lost everything and it's just, it's terrible, it's horrible. this is what was left of one home. its owner says it tookjust four minutes to do this. everything stopped. i stuck my head out and looked up with my flashlight to the edge of the house and i noticed there was no wall there and that's when i told my wife, i said, i'm going to tell you right now, i'm warning you, when we go up there, i don't think the house is there, it's gone. k

this is bbc news. our top stories: the british socialite ghislaine maxwell is found guilty on five counts of grooming and trafficking teenage girls for abuse by a jury in new york. maxwell procured the girls for the financier and convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein. she faces the rest of her life behind bars. no matter who you are, no matter what kinds of circles you travel in, no matter how much money you have, no matter how many years have passed since the sexual abuse, justice is still possible. we'll be looking at the implications of the verdict for prince andrew, who is named in a lawsuit brought by a woman who says she was groomed by maxwell and abused by the prince. and record numbers of covid infections are recorded across europe and the us driven by the omicron variant. the world health organization warns of huge strains on health systems. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a jury in new york has found the british socialite ghislaine maxwell guilty of having helpe

nicholas witchell, bbc news. stay with us here on bbc news. still more to come including 50 years after the classic christmas joni mitchell 50 years after the classic christmasjoni mitchell song the video is finally released. the world of music's been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle| was hastily taken away. m its place. — the russian flag was hoisted over what is now— no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. | day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet

sophie hutchinson, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the james webb space telescope begins to unfold its sun shield in a complex process involving hundreds of moving parts. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today. and then we'll be in france and, again, it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his 0xfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic! that's better! big ben bongs this is bbc news. our top story this hour: more than 500 homes have been destroyed and thousands of people evacuated as wildfires spread through colorado. these are live pictures from boulder county. a woman who gave key evidence in the trial of ghislaine maxwell has spoken publicl

this is bbc news. the headlines — a former police officer who killed a black man in a routine traffic stop has been found guilty of manslaughter at her trial in minneapolis. kimberley potter mistook her handgun for a taser when she shot daunte wright. a uk government study has shown that people who get infected with the omicron strain of covid are far less likely to end up in hospital. but there is concern the boosterjab protection begins to wane after ten weeks. ecuador has made it compulsory for everyone aged five or over to get the coronavirus vaccine in response to the increase in covid infections. only those with a medical justification will be exempt. president putin has asked for an immediate response to his demand for nato to stop expanding to the east to ukraine. he also said he'd initiated high—level talks with the us. now on bbc news, hardtalk�*s review of 2021.

caroline davies, bbc news. details of a series of brutal mass killings of civilians by the military in myanmar have been uncovered by the bbc. the united nations says the military�*s actions point to crimes against humanity. it's thought the killings were a collective punishment for attacks by militia groups in the region demanding a return to democracy following a coup in february. earlier this year, four villages in kenee township in central myanmar were targeted over a period of a few weeks injuly. this report by rebecca henschke contains some distressing images and details from the very beginning. shouting dog barks, child screams this girl is grieving over her grandfather's body. it's distressing to see. there are clear signs of torture. when the myanmar military entered their village in the kenee township, she fled. her grandfather stayed, believing his age would protect him. more bodies were uncovered close to where her grandfather was found. 12 in total. some were buried in shallow mass graves. the mi

alison holt, bbc news. tens of thousands of people in the north of england are preparing to spend a sixth night without electricity after storm arwen left infrastructure badly damaged. energy networks say at present there are around 30,000 households still without power. 15,500 of those are in the north—east of england, 7,000 in the north—west, and 7,500 in different regions of scotland. power has now been restored to almost every home in wales, as our correspondent fiona trott reports. another day and another problem. if we can move all this here... engineers from across england trying to restore power in northumberland. we've been without power since about, oh, seven o'clock on friday night, and we've coped, but boy am i glad to see these people, and apparently they're from bedford as well. in neighbouring county durham, a visit from the energy minister, greg hands. but when you've been without energy for six days the frustration starts to show. the government has said - we will stand behind assistanc

fergus walsh, bbc news. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has warned the country is facing a "potential tsunami" of new covid infections. she said the spread of the omicron variant of the virus scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has warned there could be a "tsunami" of omicron coronavirus cases within days. she announced that from tomorrow, all household contacts of anyone who tests positive will need to isolate for ten days — regardless of their vaccination status or a negative pcr test. ms sturgeon also urged people to cancel work christmas parties. our scotland correspondent alexandra mckenzie reports from glasgow. another christmas overshadowed by uncertainty. with a sharp increase in daily covid cases, the scottish government said the omicron variant is likely to be the dominant strain within days. to be blunt, because of the much greater and faster transmissibility of this new variant, we may be facing, indeed we may be starting to experience a potential tsunami of infections. while

marc cieslak, bbc news. dame maureen lipman, one of britain's most distinguished actors, says the fear of being �*cancelled' has left comedy on the verge of being wiped out, with comedians staying away from controversial subjects for fear of not being booked again. and that fear is notjust evident among comedians a poll shared with bbc news suggests that more than half of those surveyed stopped themselves from expressing their views for fear of getting a negative reaction. our culture editor katie razzall has been investigating. i'm depressed and suicidal. guess where i'm working? it's stand—up comedy night in manchester. new act faizan is telling jokes that some could find offensive. i was working at manchester airport in aviation security... laughter. a depressed, suicidal muslim at the airport... but who decides what's funny, and what will offend? and is this tension a reflection of what's happening in wider society, too? comedians are very paranoid that they might word something the wrong way and the

tim allman, bbc news. finally, let's bring you some cricket news, and it's been an intriguing first day of the boxing day test in melbourne as england try to fight back in the ashes. they didn't make the best start — losing three wickets before lunch. they've steadied the ship a little in the afternoon, withjoe root scoring 50 — before he was caught off starc. but the crucial wicket of ben stokes fell a few minutes ago. england are 125 for five. australia lead the series 2—0. that's about it from me. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @sipusey. you can also go to our website, bbc.com/news. thank you for watching. to stay with us. ——do. hello, there, and a very merry christmas to you. we've been seeing a band of rain and hill snow working its way northwards across the country to end christmas day and into the early hours of boxing day. most of that rain and hill snow will become confined to the north of the country, certainly across scotland through the day, and then we'll see something a little bit

you are watching bbc news. the latest headlines on bbc news... the queen is expected to give a very personal christmas message this year — her first since the death of her husband prince philip. and lift off. a rocket carrying a space telescope that could transform our understanding of the unified mac universe has launched from the european space centre. let's get more on our top story... queen elizabeth will spend christmas day at windsor castle with a smaller group of family members than in previous years. charlotte gallagher reports from windsor castle. merry christmas here from windsor where the queen will be spending christmas. she wanted to have sand ring him —— she want to be at sandringham having her big traditional christmas, but last week that was cancelled and the decision was made to stay here because of the omicron variant. we think there are a couple of reasons behind that firstly, she always wants to be seen doing the right thing and setting an example and perhaps having a large family gathering, plus the crowds that come to

tomos morgan, bbc news. well despite many countries avoiding lockdowns over the holidays, cases of the virus are surging around the world. let's take a look at some countries reaching a record number of cases. in france, health officials have registered more than 100,000 daily infections. that's a new record for three consecutive days. italy has registered more than 50,000 daily cases, their highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. and in australia, a new record of cases forced testing clinics to close, as more than 9,000 were reported on christmas day. the surge has disrupted holiday plans for many families, some even having to spend christmas isolating. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. positive covid tests, travel restrictions and flight cancellations — for some this is not the merriest holiday season. many governments have insisted christmas is not cancelled this year but with the omicron very spreading and cases of coronavirus on the rise, many have been forced to spend christmas in isol

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: pope francis warns europe against "narrow self—interest" over the treatment of migrants as he pays a visit to the greek island of lesbos. more than 20 countries join an urgent demand for the taliban leadership in afghanistan to honour its promises over the safety of state workers and soldiers. japan is one of the world's biggest users of coal even though it has no coal reserves of its own — only china imports more — and japan is also still building new coal—powered power stations. at the same time, the tokyo government is promising to reach net carbon zero by 2050. and it appears to see hydrogen as one of the key ways to do that. but how do they produce the hydrogen? rupert wingfield hayes has been finding out. i would say that's a totaljoke. that's just ridiculous. takao sakai and his fellow activists are furious. the reason — this giant new coal—fired power station being built in their home town. i'm totally against the burning of fossilfuels becaus

this is bbc news. the headlines: the uk's health security agency says the country could have more than a million omicron cases by the end of the month and that two doses provides little protection against the new variant. a senior government minister has described the situation is seriously worrying. the white house says president biden is very concerned by a supreme court decision to leave strict new abortion laws in place in texas. the controversial new law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. the legislation is being challenged by abortion providers. the high court in london has ruled thatjulian assange should be extradited to stand trial in the united states, following assurances from washington about the way he'll be treated. the wikileaks founder faces charges linked to the leaking of classified military documents. his supporters say the us could not be trusted. now on bbc news, it's time for click. this week, what will it take to keep us all safe? will

this is bbc news. our top stories: american prosecutors charge the parents of a teenager accused of a massacre at a school, saying they share responsibility. i will reiterate today that gun ownership is a right and with that right comes great responsibility. the first data on the omicron variant of covid suggests vaccines are less effective at stopping it spreading, but they do make the symptoms less serious. it's possible that the omicron variant is able to overcome and cause infections even in previously vaccinated people. however, if they develop only mild illness, that means that the vaccines are still providing protection. scientist say they can now use gene—editing technology to determine the sex of mice, creating female or male—only litters. pope francis uses his visit to cyprus to liken the fate of people fleeing war and poverty to slavery and torture. hello, and welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we begin in the us state of michigan where, in a rare move, prosec

this is bbc news i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 8: the couple who killed 6 year old arthur labinyo—hughes have been jailed. arthur's father faces 21 years in prison — his girlfriend life in prison, with a minimum term of 29 years. he judge said the couple's actions were �*spiteful and sadistic,�* and that arthur was subjected to the �*most unimaginable suffering'. child preotection agencies say lessons must be learned. we are all still struggling to come to terms with what arthur and gary before he was killed and the sentencing marks the end of the states in achieving some sort of justice for arthur. the chaos at wembley during the euro 2020 final — an inquiry says lives were put at risk as ticketless fans stormed into the england italy final. a booster shot of pfizer or moderna — the best all round protection from covid — according to the latest trials. the energy regulator ofgem launches a review into the response to storm arwen — as repair works continue, one week on. a woman has beenjailed for

this is bbc news. the headlines — the number of new covid infections across britain has reached a record high for the second day running. more than 88,000 new cases have been confirmed. it follows warnings about the speed of the new strain�*s spread. turkey has cut its interest rate for the fourth time in as many months, sending its currency tumbling to new lows. president erdogan said turkey's destiny would not be determined by speculators. the defence in the sex abuse trial of ghislaine maxwell in new york has called its first witness. cimberly espinosa, a former assistant to the british socialite, described her as fair but demanding. thousands of people are seeking refuge from a super typhoon which is battering the southern philippines. the red cross said it was one of the strongest typhoons this year and warned that climate change was making storms more ferocious.

tom duncan, bbc news. nada: before we go, you might want to put the kids in another room for this one because it involves santa. a bishop in italy is on the naughty list telling a bunch of children that santa do not exist. the bishop reportedly went even further, sitting in a recent religious festival that santa's famous red suit was just a marketing ploy by the coca-cola company. the roman catholic diocese in sicily has had to apologize to outraged parents, as you can imagine. apparently, the bishop was try to underline the true meaning of christmas and showing generosity to the poor come up clearly missed the mark. those parents are going to have real trouble trying to re-convince their kids. thank you for watching "bbc world news america." have a great weekend. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing sol

anna holligan, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: last minute checks and tests as the countdown to new year celebrations begins. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today. and then we'll be in france and, again, it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his 0xfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic! that's better! big ben bongs this is bbc news. the latest headlines: more than 500 homes have been destroyed and thousands of people evacuated as wildfires spread through colorado. president biden has again told russia's president putin that the us will "respond decisively" if russia invades ukraine. israeli officials have approved a fourth dose of t

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: one of the most senior members of donald trump's inner circle is being referred for criminal contempt of congress charges over the us capitol riots. hundreds of us national guard troopsjoin the search for survivors of the devastating tornadoes, with 100 people are missing in kentucky alone. family members of ia civilians who were killed by the indian army earlier this month have rejected government compensation. the civilians were killed in nagaland, a remote region bordering myanmar where there has been a long running insurgency against indian rule. the families want the soldiers prosecuted and a controversial law giving the indian army huge powers to be overturned. the bbc�*s nitin srivastava reports. a bride of ten days mourns the loss of her husband. promises made to each other now only in memories. translation: iwaited up until midnight for him - to return home. i messaged, hoping that he was alive. there was no reply so i phoned. his friend picked up and

adam wild, bbc news. there's much more on the bbc sport website, including a 13th consecutive win for leicester tigers — this time in europe's champions cup. but that's the sport. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. hello there. earlier this morning, we had enormous temperature contrasts in scotland. in braemar, we had temperatures of —9 celsius but it was 16 degrees warmer than that over the tops of the scottish mountains in cairnwell. the only difference was elevation. cairnwell is nearly a kilometre higher in the atmosphere, and with high pressure in charge at the moment, air sinks down through the atmosphere and as that happens, it warms up. this layer of warm air, the sunny conditions, pretty widespread across upland areas of the country, whereas lower down, we are stuck under a lot of cloud and mist and that's what many of us have experienced today. overnight tonight, we'll keep those conditions. clearer skie

fergus walsh, bbc news. south africa, which recorded some of the earliest cases of the omicron variant, is seeing a major increase in cases. over the last week the daily number of new covid cases has increased fourfold, from less than 3,000 to more than 11,500 — three quarters of which are omicron. so far hospital admissions remain low and symptoms of the new variant are reported to be mild, but early figures suggest an increase in the number of people who have had the virus becoming reinfected. our africa correspondent andrew harding has more. it's summer time here in south africa, but a shadow looms over the beaches and holiday season. a fourth wave of covid infections is spreading fast, driven by the new variant. are you worried about this new variant, omicron? the new one, i am worried. i'm worried. we don't know what the new variant's like. what the symptoms are, i how bad the symptoms are. how it could affect us now and it makes you really scared. at their laboratory here in durban the scientists who

this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. the women's tennis association has announced the immediate suspension of all tournaments in china. it said it had taken the decision because the chinese authorities had failed to address sexual assault allegations made by the doubles star peng shuai against a former vice premier of the country. with the latest, here's courtney bembridge. it's been a month since peng shuai posted on social media accusing a top chinese official of sexual assault. the post was quickly taken down and she disappeared from public view. photos and videos like this released by chinese state media were supposed to show her safe and free, but did little to allay concerns for her safety. and now, the women's tennis association has pulled the plug on lucrative tournaments in china. its chief, steve simon, says... and he added... china is a key market for women's tennis, and the decision could cost the wta hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcasting and sponsor

this is bbc news. our top stories: free covid tests for all americans — president biden tries to stop the spread of the omicron variant, urging people to get vaccinated. let me say again and again and again and again, please get vaccinated. it's the only responsible thing to do. israel becomes the first country in the world to make a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine available. new covid guidance comes into force across england — with quarantine for infected people being reduced from ten days, to seven. london's high court orders the ruler of dubai to pay more than $700 million in a divorce settlement to his ex—wife — princess haya ofjordan. and: a text back in time — the first ever text message has just been sold for $120,000. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we start with the one issue that is on the minds of so many around the world at the moment — how to deal with the rapid spread of the 0micron variant. we still don't really know if the rise in cases

this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. millions of travellers face disruption over christmas, as the world—wide record surge in omicron cases means cancelled flights and staff shortages. i'm worried about the variant, omicron and all that. at the same time i'm just — let's get back to living our lives a little bit. a christmas midnight mass at the church of the nativity in bethlehem. and a message from the pope calling for more solidarity with the poor. the queen is expected to give a very personal christmas message this year — her first since the death of her husband prince philip. final preparations are under way for the launch of a space telescope that could transform our understanding of the universe. and, provided you've been good, father christmas is coming to a chimney near you. hello and welcome to the programme. for much of the world christmas day has begun, but the shadow of the omicron variant continues to loom large. in

this is bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: concern across europe as extra measures are announced to combat the growing threat of the omicron variant. as cases jump sharply in the us, the country's top health official warns of the risks of not getting jabbed. clearly, unvaccinated individuals are really at a higher risk of serious involvement, including hospitalisation. british socialite ghislaine maxwell, who's on trial on sex trafficking charges, tells the us court she won't be giving evidence. more pressure on borisjohnson, the man appointed to investigate whether government christmas parties were held during lockdown last christmas has stepped down from the role after it emerged a party was held in his own department. hundreds of thousands displaced and at least 12 dead

this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: 500 homes destroyed, thousands evacuated as wildfires rip through parts of colorado. we know that there are structures, both homes and businesses, but have been burned and lost. we are speaking about hundreds of structures.— speaking about hundreds of structures. this is the scene live in boulder _ structures. this is the scene live in boulder county. - structures. this is the scene live in boulder county. we l structures. this is the scene i live in boulder county. we will speak to a meteorologist in colorado for the very latest. a key witness speaks publicly after ghislaine maxwell is found guilty of grooming underage girls to be abused byjeffrey epstein. diplomacy or deterrence: president biden�*s phone call to president putin laying out the us position over ukraine. and after the launch, it's the make—or—break moment for the space telescope as it unfolds its super—sized sunshield. hello and welcome to bbc news. wildfires in the american

news.— talk to us on bbc news. thanks for havin: talk to us on bbc news. thanks for having me- — israel has become the first country in the world to make a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine widely available. it'll be offered first to people over the age of 60 and medical workers. last week, the who was critical of many countries offering a third dose of the vaccine when many countries haven't even rolled out their first. our correspondent tom bateman is injerusalem. this was israel's pandemic expert committee, who had met around the same time as its coronavirus cabinet, including the prime minister, naftali bennett, last night. came out with this recommendation and said that they were advising a fourth vaccine shot, a booster shot, for everyone aged over 60, as well as people with compromised immune systems and health workers. this was immediately welcomed by the prime minister, naftali bennett. he had previously said he was impatient for the green light to be given for this. he described it as wonderful new

rebecca morelle, bbc news. and the author and astronomer tom kerss has been explaining the significance of the significance of the telescope and its expensive price tag.. it started way back in the 90s, it started way back in the 90s, i have been following this mission my entire professional life and as a student. it has taken a long time to get here. it is a red letter day for astronomy. yes, it is expensive but it's a highly capable platform for astronomy and it will provide as much as ten years of absolutely cutting edge astronomical observations. when you look at for example the success of something like hubble than the price tag seems a bit more reasonable. these things are worth paying for because they make a tremendous contribution to the scientific community. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... residents on the spanish island of la palma, breathe a sigh of relief as the volcanic eruption finally comes to an end after three months. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. queen elizabeth speaks abo

catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, madagascar. now to the bbc�*s 100 women series, and an investigation for the bbc has found almost 90% of female members of afghanistan�*s last parliament have left the country. just a handful of the sixty nine elected female officials remain and many of those are in hiding, living in fear. tom donkin reports. following a path with no destination, as a young member of afghanistan�*s parliament, serena was once a vocal defender of women�*s rights. she is now a refugee living in a camp. it is hard to fathom how quickly life has changed. she doesn�*t know where her family are headed next. translation: ., , ., ., translation: three months ago i couldn't imagine _ translation: three months ago i couldn't imagine at _ translation: three months ago i couldn't imagine at all _ translation: three months ago i couldn't imagine at all i _ translation: three months ago i couldn't imagine at all i could - couldn�*t imagine at all i could be a refugee. i have suffered a lock. ifeel pain. i have been

nina nanji, bbc news. that is bbc news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbc david eades hello again. well, we're going to see some changes in our weather pattern through wednesday as this area of cloud that's just out in the atlantic starts to encroach. that will eventually bring some rain, particularly into western areas, with milder southerly winds spreading in as well. before we get there, though, it's a chilly start to the day with some patches of frost for central and eastern areas of the country. in some of the deeper valleys in scotland, we're seeing temperatures of, what, —9, —10 degrees, so a very cold start here. now, through wednesday, as i say, this area of rain is on the way, and it's going to be arriving pretty quickly in northern ireland accompanied by those strengthening southerly winds. so, it will be turning progressively milder here pretty quickly through the day. elsewhere, a few brighter spells across central and eastern england, perhaps for northern scotland, too, but generally a lot of cloud

this is bbc news. the headlines. the queues forjabs continue — almost three quarters of a million people had their boosters yesterday — a record number hospital admissions are rising slowly but in london — where cases are rising the fastest — hospital staff in this icu are feeling the pressure the chancellor is cutting short his us trip and is held talks with leaders in the uk about the solution for hospitality and other affected sectors. �* ,., for hospitality and other affected sectors. ~ ., ., ., ' sectors. about a quarter of £1 billion of— sectors. about a quarter of £1 billion of cash _ sectors. about a quarter of £1 billion of cash sitting - sectors. about a quarter of £1 billion of cash sitting with - sectors. about a quarter of £1. billion of cash sitting with local authorities that is been provided by government to support those businesses who need it in my immediate to make sure that that money gets to those businesses as quickly as possible. the omicron wave has prompted france to shut its

this is bbc news. our top stories: the human cost of the war in yemen — our middle east editor jeremy bowen sends a special report. the way this war ends is not in the hands of yemenis because big regional powers have intervened. the people here are suffering because of the fault lines that run right through the middle east. test results from the netherlands suggest omicron had spread globally before it was identified. mark meadows, donald trump's former chief of staff, agrees to appear at the investigation into the assault on the capitol building. we have a rare interview with britain's spy chief, who says china is his agency's top priority. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe we start in yemen — where houthi rebels are pressing hard to capture the key city of mareb. it's the last stronghold of the internationally recognised government — and at the heart of yemen's oilfields. the fall of mareb would be a major turning point in the conflict that's been going on for years

tom symonds, bbc news. the education secretary, nadhim zahawi, will make a statement to mps today after announcing a national review into the death of six—year—old arthur labinjo—hughes. arthur was tortured and killed by his father and stepmother after social workers found "no safeguarding concerns". anisa kadri reports. remembering a little boy killed during lockdown by the people who were supposed to take care of him. a vigil over the weekend took place near the house in the west midlands where arthur labinjo—hughes was tortured by his stepmum and father. neighbours have expressed their shock and sadness. i'm a mother and a grandmother, and i would go to the ends of the earth for my children and my grandchildren. i'd never ever let anything happen to them. and i think a lot needs to be done still to protect vulnerable children. after �*s stepmum emma tustin was jailed 29 years for his murder and his father thomas hughes got 21 years for manslaughter. the government has now announced an urgent in

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: millions of travellers are facing disruption over christmas, as the world—wide record surge in 0micron cases means cancelled flights and staff shortages. a christmas midnight mass at the church of the nativity in bethlehem. and a message from the pope calling for more solidarity with the poor. the queen is expected to give a very personal christmas message later. herfirst since the death of her husband, prince philip. she'll speak beside a framed photograph of the couple taken during their diamond wedding anniversary in 2007 and she'll wear the same sapphire brooch that she wore on her honeymoon. there are some flashing images in this report from our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. rehearsing at windsor for their part in the queen's christmas broadcast, the central band of the royal british legion will play the national anthem which begins the broadcast. this year's christmas message — a still from which has been issued by buckingham palace — will b

this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughanjones with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. lord frost, the man in charge of the uk's brexit negotiations, resigns citing concerns over the "direction" of borisjohnson�*s government. the dutch prime minister puts his country into a tough new lockdown, as the latest coronavirus variant spreads. translation: the netherlands are going to lockdown _ again from tomorrow. the netherlands is again shutting down. that is unavoidable because of the fifth wave that is coming with the omicron variant. another 90,000 covid cases are reported across the uk, as the mayor of london declares a major incident in the capital. and british holidaymakers are forced to cancel trips, as france imposes tight travel restrictions on those arriving from the uk. hello and welcome to the programme. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has come under huge political pressure for its handling of coronavirus. now lord frost, the chief brexit negotiator, has resi