in reaction to the rapid spread of the omicron covid variant. in the netherlands, the prime minister has announced a stringent lockdown. all non—essential shops and stores will close until at least mid—january as well as schools and colleges. the brexit minister lord frost has resigned with immediate effect. he said in a letter to the prime minister that he had concerns about the government's "direction of travel," and was sad that the unlocking of covid restrictions had not been as irreversible as promised. the award winning architect, richard rogers has died at the age of 88. he was best known for his work on the pompidou centre in paris, the lloyd's building and millennium dome both in london, as well as the european court of human rights building in strasbourg. now on bbc news, saeeda mahmood, born and brought up