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

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

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

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

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

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

fergus walsh, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we'll tell you why people in more than 100 polish towns and cities have taken to the streets in protest. the world of music has 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 says 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. in 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, i 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, i a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a c

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

this is bbc news. our top stories: new covid rules have been announced for england, but the prime minister's accused of trying to deflect attention from a political scandal. pharmaceutical giant pfizer says a 3—jab course of their covid vaccine is effective against the omicron variant. the beijing boycott grows — now canada and britain say they won't be sending officials to the winter olympics. and the japanese billionaire who's become the latest space tourist. hello. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. there are increasing doubts about the new coronavirus restrictions announced by britain's prime minister, borisjohnson, amid public anger over allegations his staff held parties in breach of lockdown rules last year. the new restrictions include that from monday people in england will be encouraged to work from home wherever possible. but more immediately, from friday, face masks will have to be worn in most public indoor venues. and the nhs covid pass will now be mandator

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

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 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

tim allman, bbc news. before we 90, tim allman, bbc news. before we go, we go to south america, and in colombia, an ngo is using pedal power to tackle exclusion in society. te llevamos — "we take you" — ensures that people with disabilities, and the elderly, can enjoy a bike ride round envigado, near the city of medellin. the ngo custom—makes the bikes to accomodate wheelchairs and walkers, and volunteers accompany the cyclists round the bicycle lanes on a sunday evening. this one — a special christmas event. that is it from us for the time being. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @richpreston. hello. scotland and northern ireland have the lion's share of friday's sunshine, even these areas are likely to turn cloudier as we go on through the weekend. a weekend which will for most places, bring plenty of cloud. despite that, it will be dry, it will gradually turn cooler as that weekend goes on, as well. there is an area of high pressure right across the united kingdom giving plenty of settled weather as we go through the weekend. but t

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

jim reed, bbc news. the maternal grandfather of six—year—old arthur labinjo—hughes has said his killers should never be freed. peter halcrow also said someone should have stepped in when "alarm bells" were ringing. arthur was killed in solihull last year by his father, thomas hughes, who was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter, and his partner, emma tustin, who was jailed for life for his murder. their sentences are being examined to consider whether they were too lenient. first storm arwen wreacked havoc on large parts of the uk. now, storm barra is sweeping in from the atlantic. there are weather warnings for snow and strong winds in some areas. several hundred homes are still without power, 11 days after arwen hit. in a moment we'll speak to danny savage in county durham but first chris page, who's in newcastle in county down. chris, what are conditions like there? , . ., chris, what are conditions like there? , ,, ., . chris, what are conditions like there? , ,,., ., ,, there? yes, storm bar

this is bbc news. the headlines... new figures show that covid—related absences in acute nhs trusts in england went up by more than a0 % during christmas week. in his new year's message, borisjohnson has urged people in the uk to take a covid test before celebrating tonight. and the party is already under way in new zealand — this is the scene in auckland as it sees in the new year. in other news — firefighters are battling one of the most destructive ever wildfires in the us state of colorado — more than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate. the ymca has been offering shelter to families left homeless. it is hundreds and hundreds of people that have come through and that number is now about 600 homes destroyed in this area. "relieved and grateful" — the victims of ghislaine maxwell have been speaking after she was convicted of grooming girls to be abused byjeffery epstein — her family say they can't accept the verdict. joe biden has again told president vladimir putin that the us and its allies will

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a bbc investigation has revealed the details of a series of brutal mass killings of civilians by the myanmar military. —— by the myanmar military. voters in chile have elected the country's youngest ever president. gabriel boric, a left wing former student activist, is 35. britain's health secretary sajid javid has said he can't rule out more covid restrictions being imposed in england before christmas. many scientists have said it would be better for the government to act sooner rather than later because, without intervention, there could soon be at least 3,000 hospital admissions every day with the omicron variant. our medical editor fergus walsh has the latest. # driving home for christmas... this christmas, the hot ticket for many is not to see a football match, but to get a boosterjab. wembley stadium had 10,000 vaccines available today and many were keen to get them before heading home to see family. i would prefer to have it done before christmas. i've

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a fresh warning from the world health organisation that the new coronavirus variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate. in the uk, a blow 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 mak

gordon corera, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: accorded her place next to french national icons, legendary singer and activist josephine baker is inducted into the pantheon in paris. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. we feel so helpless. the children are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles. at 11 o'clock this morning, just half a metre of- rock separated britain i from continental europe. it took the drills just i a few moments to cut through the final obstacle, - then philippe cossette, a miner from calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags _ with his opposite . number from dover. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the results of covid tests from the netherlands suggest the new omicron variant was already spreading round the world befo

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.

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. the 0micron variant is spreading fast in parts of europe. as we heard a little earlier, 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 is in force in catalonia in northeastern spain, where residents are banned from leaving their homes between one o'clock and 6 in the morning. dr quique bassat is a research professor at the barcelona institute for global health and has with more o

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

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

mark easton, bbc news. an independent review has described the chaotic scenes at wembley stadium during the euro 2020 final this summer as a "source of national shame". around 2,000 people without tickets managed to get into the stadium as england took on italy. the report's author, baroness louise casey, said the behaviour of a minority of england supporters was notjust disgraceful, but also recklessly endangered lives. 0ur sports editor, dan roan, reports. "appalling disorder, on a day of national shame" — the damning findings of the investigation into the scenes that marred england's biggest match since 1966. many fans left terrified, after being caught up in the chaos. today, the woman whose report lays bare the gravity of the mayhem at wembley told me it was fortunate that no—one died. well, i think what happened was a very near miss, and that near miss would be a significant loss of life, or injuries — probably on a scale that, sadly, we saw at hillsborough. so, i think the benefit of it being a

this is bbc news.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us congress votes to file criminal charges against donald trump's former chief of staff mark meadows. borisjohnson faces more questions of his leadership after a revolt of his mps and revelations of more lockdown gatherings. the number of people who've died from coronavirus in the united states has passed 800,000, as the country prepares for the impact of the 0micron variant. it comes as the head of the world health organization has issued a new warning about omicron, saying it is spreading far more quickly than any other to date. he told countries around the world — underestimate it at your peril. stephanie prentice reports. it's been three weeks since the first detection of the omicron mutation, but it's likely to be in most countries by now. that's according to the world health organization, who are pushing for increased vaccination, enforced mask wearing, and further social distancing as the new variant moves swiftly around the world. omicron is spreadi

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

hugh pym, bbc news. around the world, governments have been reacting to the increase in omicron cases. as we've mentioned, south africa has recorded its highest number of covid cases in 2a hours since the start of the pandemic. and in europe, a vaccination drive for children under 12 has begun. louisa pilbeam reports. as omicron spreads, countries in europe are trying to stop it by vaccinating young children. with children accounting the majority of cases in germany, spain, denmark and the netherlands, a handful of eu countries have approved vaccines for under 12s. in spain, the country's health minister said the take—up had been extraordinary. translation: the response has been extraordinary - and we are convinced that it will continue like this. as you know, 1.3 million doses arrived in our country on monday. we have about 3.3 million children in this group between 5 and 11 years of age. while children rarely get severely ill or die, infections spread quickly among young people. in hungary, 38,000 pa

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

mark lobel, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we meet the designers of a new safety app helping to combat the rise in taxi kidnappings in the democratic republic of congo. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i am feeling so helpless that the childrens are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson - is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate - and at least six other. people in los angeles. at 11:00 this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle. then philippe cozette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags with robert fagg, his opposite numberfrom dover. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: german leaders say covid jabs could become mandatory from february and have announced tough restrictions on the unvaccinated. south africa, whi

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 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