concerns about safety. paramedics and support staff are taking further action in their dispute over pay and conditions. they say the current situation is not sustainable. we don t meet minimum levels now on a day to day basis. i cannot stress enough how difficult it is for us to be able to deliver that care to patients. here at westminster, the government not was planning ahead. it wants to change the law to force unions to offer emergency cover during strikes. labour say that is insulting to workers. we ll have the latest on the series of disputes in different public sectors and the likelihood of resolution any time soon. also tonight. 2022 was a year of climate extremes, weather experts say. europe and the polar regions were hardest hit by global warming. the latest on the fighting in eastern ukraine, where the mining town of soledar is reported to be under russian control. and the popularity of gaming helps boost the uk s home entertainment industry to record levels. and s
welcome to bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in china where authorities have stopped issuing short term visas to individuals from south korea and japan, in retaliation for covid restrictions imposed on chinese travellers. inside the country, state media are downplaying risks from the virus. officials from several major cities and provinces have said the infection rates are past their peak and officials in beijing say it s discriminatory to single out chinese travellers. translation: regrettably, some countries disregard science and their own covid situation, they are bent on imposing restrictions on china. china firmly reject this and will take reciprocal measures, we called the relevant countries to base their measures on facts and science and take proportionate measures and not use this to engage in political manipulations. we can now speak to the travel writer and blogger, steve rohan, who worked in china for six years. he joins
money payments to stormy daniels. remember that? now, that could come back to haunt him. his former attorney and fixer, michael cohen, says trump can t hide from the paper trail. calling the new grand jury convened by the manhattan d.a. his biggest legal threat yet. and there are many. meanwhile, the former president is suing journalist bob woodward for $50 million. we ll explain what that is all about. plus, more fallout and firings in the aftermath of tyre nichols death. we ll go live to memphis for the latest in that case. for the second time in three years, lawmakers on capitol hill are talking about police reform following a high-profile murder case involving officers. we ll look at whether these discussions have a real chance at being successful. and president joe biden announces a major policy shift on covid in response to strong opposition from house republicans. good morning. welcome to morning joe. it is tuesday, january 31st. joe will be back tomorrow.
fierce fighting in the eastern ukrainian town of soledar ukrainian forces battle to keep the russian mercenary wagner group back. cardinal george pell, the former treasurer of the vatican, who was acquitted of sexual abuse charges has died aged 81. we ll get the latest reaction from australia. the first big awards ceremony of the year takes place in the next few hours the 80th golden globes awards ceremony in los angeles. light from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. live from our studio in singapore. it s newsday. it s 8am in singapore, 4pm in california where at least 15 people have been killed following heavy rainfall that started on sunday. nearly 50,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as the rain keeps falling, the rivers rise and fears of landslides grow. 10,000 people living in the celebrity coastal town of montecito near santa barbara have been ordered to leave. warnings of flooding and high winds are in place, across much of california, with mor