this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk as england reports another record number of daily coronavirus cases health officials warn the days ahead will be crucial as hospitalisations continue to rise. the government needs to make a difficult decision if it s going to introduce those restrictions, but if the number of hospitalisations keep going up at the rate they are than you could see why wit they would need to change their mind. new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. darling, you don t need that. i am your mirror. darling, you don t need that. i am your mirror-
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. in france a new law banning plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables comes into effect in france today. 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. it s almost a quarter past seven. the latest headlines on bbc news. as england reports another record number of daily coronavirus cases health officials warn the days ahead will be crucial as hospitalisations continue to rise. new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. the president of south africa pays tribute to desmond tutu as the spiritual father
ready to introduce further restrictions at pace. what we re trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game. with most days now bringing record numbers of infections, as the virus spreads rapidly amongst us, the health secretary in england has warned of a big increase in hospitalisations this month, which is likely to test the limits of the nhs. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. well, due to the holiday period, the government s latest coronavirus figures aren t complete, but there were a record 162,572 new infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period in england alone, and 154 deaths, that s of people who died within 28 days of a positive test. the funeral service for archbishop desmond tutu has taken place in cape town. he was a key figure in south africa s anti apartheid movement
as england reports another record number of daily coronavirus cases health officials warn the days ahead will be crucial as hospitalisations continue to rise. the government needs to make a difficult decision if it cannot reintroduce restrictions for the part of the number of hospitalisations keep going up at the rate at they are that you can see why they would need to change their mind. new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. in sport, husband and wife jason and laura kenny are made a knight and a dame for services to cycling. the president of south africa pays tribute to desmond tutu as the spiritual father of our new nation and the archbishop s daughter speaks movingly at his funeral:
the way it works, each year they go to windsor castle for a shindig and they wear a lot of velvet and indeed some ostrich feathers and they proceed through a procession through windsor and they have lunch. it is the most senior title that can be offered by the queen. former prime minister tony blair having to wait 15 years almost, since standing down in 2007. his predecessorjohn major had to wait around eight years, so often people are kept waiting, although few as long as tony blair. chris mason, there. the latest headlines on bbc news.. as england reports another record number of daily coronavirus cases health officials warn the days ahead will be crucial as hospitalisations continue to rise.