back 18 months, to be frank, restrictions on social contact were the only way that we could counter this disease. vaccines are now a very important line of defence and therefore the decision the government has to make about when to introduce those restrictions on social contact are different, so i absolutely recognise that the government needs to make a difficult decision, if it is going to reintroduce those restrictions, but if the number of hospitalisations keeps going up at the rate they are, you can see why they would need to change their mind. new customs rules on goods imported into the uk from the european union have come into force. there will be border checks, and importers will have to make a full customs declaration. the checks had been due to take affect six months ago but were delayed because businesses said they needed more time to prepare. a new law banning plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables comes into effect in france today. cucumbers, lemons and oranges are
from being wrapped in plastic. larger packs as well as chopped or processed fruit will be exempt. president emmanuel macron called the ban a real revolution and said it showed the country s commitment to phase out single use plastics by 2040. now, park lane stables is a facility in london which helps children with disabilities. 2021 was a year full of ups and downs starting with it being under threat of closure, only to survive after a huge fundraising effort led by natalie o rourke. all all her hard work has now been acknowledged with an mbe. fiona lamdin has been to see natalie and herfamily. guy s, i have got something to tell you. i have got this letter, and i can t quite believe i m saying this, but i have got a special award from the queen. are you proud of mummy? yes. do you want to have a look at the letter? yes. there you go.
imported into the uk from the european union have come into force. there will be border checks, and importers will have to make a full customs declaration. the checks had been due to take affect six months ago but were delayed because businesses said they needed more time to prepare. a new law banning plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables comes into effect in france with cucumbers, lemons and oranges are among the 30 varieties banned from being wrapped in plastic. larger packs as well as chopped or processed fruit will be exempt. president emmanuel macron called the ban a real revolution and said it showed the country s commitment to phase out single use plastics by 2040. new year celebrations were more low key this year because of the pandemic. edinburgh s hogmanay event was cancelled, and london kept the location of its firework display under wraps, to avoid crowds forming. danjohnson reports on the celebrations a warning, his report does contain flashing images.
president emmanuel macron called the ban a real revolution and said it showed the country s commitment to phase out single use plastics by 2040. people around the world have been welcoming the new year with many countries holding scaled back celebrations due to coronavirus restrictions. in the last few hours, there has been a shower of fireworks at copacabana beach in rio de janeiro, while celebrations in new york centred on times square, with its famous ball drop. here in the uk the public firework display in london was moved to a secret location to deter crowds. lasers, fireworks and drones lit up the sky over the thames while edinburgh s hogmanay celebrations were cancelled and there were restrictions on gatherings in wales. louisa pilbeam reports. light after another dark year of the pandemic. the uk s new year s eve
from being wrapped in plastic. larger packs as well as chopped or processed fruit will be exempt. president emmanuel macron called the ban a real revolution and said it showed the country s commitment to phase out single use plastics by 2040. new year celebrations were more low key this year because of the pandemic. edinburgh s hogmanay event was cancelled, and london kept the location of its firework display under wraps, to avoid crowds forming. danjohnson reports on the celebrations a warning, his report does contain flashing images. big ben bongs after another difficult year, it wasn t even clear there would be fireworks. but london didn t disappoint, welcoming 2022. the message was stay at home and watch on tv, even though there were no official restrictions.