power after storm arwen. a memorial service for police sergeant matt ratana, shot dead in a custody centre in croydon last year. and the british socialite ghislaine maxwell, a close associate of the convicted paedophile jeffrey epstein, goes on trial in new york for sex trafficking. and coming up on the bbc news channel, it is official, the new man in charge at old trafford is ralf rangnick, as he is announced as the new interim boss of manchester united. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news at one. six cases of the omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in scotland, taking the total to nine so far in the uk. the scottish and welsh first ministers have written to borisjohnson calling for tougher travel restrictions. meanwhile, approval is expected to be given by the uk's vaccine advisory body later today for all adults to have boosterjabs. they're currently being offered to the over 40s, front line health and social workers, and those with certain health issues. from tomorrow, face masks will be required in shops and on public transport in england to combat the new variant. our first report is from our health correspondent dominic hughes. testing correspondent dominic hughes. is the key to moni�* spread testing is the key to monitoring the spread of the new omicron variant. casesin spread of the new omicron variant. cases in england and now scotland have already been identified and more are bound to follow. this morning, scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon was urging caution and calling for tougher rules on self isolation and travel and working from home where possible. firstly, get vaccinated. it is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourselves and each other. secondly, test for covert maker regularly. as i said, we will be increasing testing in areas where the new variant has been identified. but for all of us, wherever we are, evenif but for all of us, wherever we are, even if we are feeling fine, regular lateral flow testing is a really important way of finding out if we might have the virus. in important way of finding out if we might have the virus.— important way of finding out if we might have the virus. in england, so far, three cases _ might have the virus. in england, so far, three cases have _ might have the virus. in england, so far, three cases have been - might have the virus. in england, so far, three cases have been found, i might have the virus. in england, so far, three cases have been found, in nottingham, brentwood in essex and central london. in scotland, four cases have been identified, in lanarkshire and two in the greater glasgow and clyde area, not all related to foreign travel, all close contacts of suspected cases will be advised to self—isolate for ten days regardless of their vaccination status. there is a lot we still don't know about the new variant, what protection the existing vaccines can offer, how contagious it is and the extent to which it makes people sicker. experts say it will take some time before those questions can be answered. we may start to get — questions can be answered. we may start to get an _ questions can be answered. we may start to get an indication _ questions can be answered. we may start to get an indication from - start to get an indication from south africa of whether the increase in cases is leading to an increase in cases is leading to an increase in deaths but we won't really have the kind of detailed information that we developed for delta and alpha. that only became available when it was widespread in the uk. concerns about the new variant led the government in england to reintroduce our measures. from tomorrow, facemasks will be compulsory in shops and on public transport, bringing england into line with the rest of britain. masks are also required in pubs and restaurants in scotland and northern ireland. staff and secondary school pupils, in year seven and above are also being advised to wear masks in communal areas. also being advised to wear masks in communalareas. in also being advised to wear masks in communal areas. in scotland, that rule applies in class as well. the? rule applies in class as well. they are proportionate _ rule applies in class as well. they are proportionate and _ rule applies in class as well. tie are proportionate and balanced measures which will hopefully bias the time by slowing down the seeding and the spreading of this new variant to give our scientists time to understand exactly how it behaves. is it more transmissible? is it more dangerous? how does it interact with the vaccine? we hope to understand that in the next few weeks a lot more clearly. so what next? the — weeks a lot more clearly. so what next? the independent _ weeks a lot more clearly. so what next? the independent panel- weeks a lot more clearly. so whati next? the independent panel that advises the government on the vaccine roll—out is expected to make an announcement on whether it will recommend an expansion of the booster programme. that could mean cutting the time between the second vaccine jab and boosters and extending the programme to the under 40s. ., , , extending the programme to the under 405. . , , , ., , 40s. inevitably, everyone will be offered a boost _ 40s. inevitably, everyone will be offered a boost about _ 40s. inevitably, everyone will be offered a boost about what - 40s. inevitably, everyone will be offered a boost about what we i 40s. inevitably, everyone will be i offered a boost about what we want to do is make sure it is done insensible order, so that those that are most vulnerable from infection can get boosted and then natural immunity levels can go up. this miaht immunity levels can go up. this might feel _ immunity levels can go up. this might feel like _ immunity levels can go up. this might feel like familiar territory, when the alpha or kent variant started to spread this time last year. but the really important questions overjust how severe an illness the new variant can cause and whether the vaccines keep on working. those answers will dictate how the next few weeks and months pan out. dominic hughes, bbc news. our medical editor fergus walsh is here. dominic hughes at the end raising important questions about whether or not the vaccines are going to be able to deal with omicron and so on. more cases found in scotland, likely to be more across the uk. how concerned should we'll be about this? i concerned should we'll be about this? ., concerned should we'll be about this? . ., ., ~' concerned should we'll be about this? . ., ., ~ ., this? i am going to sound like a scratched _ this? i am going to sound like a scratched record _ this? i am going to sound like a scratched record for _ this? i am going to sound like a scratched record for the - this? i am going to sound like a scratched record for the next i this? i am going to sound like a - scratched record for the next couple of weeks i'm afraid, clive. we don't know and all the action that is being taken, both in the uk and globally at the moment, is precautionary because the south african authorities moved so fast and this so quickly. on paper, this variant looks like the worst we have seen, it has got lots of mutations in the spike protein which is a bit of the virus upon which all of the vaccines create immunity. but all of the vaccines are also based on that original wuhan strain, the vaccines are also based on that originaquhan strain, and the vaccines are also based on that original wuhan strain, and despite the alpha, beta, gamma, delta variants, they all still work really well. so although it is possible that this particular variant might evade the immune system and allow infections, the idea that it would completely trash the vaccines is very unlikely. and vaccines should give the best protection, especially against severe illness. but, clive, it is going to be a couple of weeks before the lab experiments and real—world data starts emerging, before we will have a really strong idea of where we stand.— before we will have a really strong idea of where we stand. many thanks, fer us idea of where we stand. many thanks, fergus walsh. — idea of where we stand. many thanks, fergus walsh, there. _ our political correspondent nick eardley is in glasgow. the first minister's virtual snp conference slightly derailed by having to deal with omicron? yes. conference slightly derailed by having to deal with omicron? yes, a lot of the politics _ having to deal with omicron? yes, a lot of the politics today _ having to deal with omicron? yes, a lot of the politics today clive - having to deal with omicron? yes, a lot of the politics today clive has - lot of the politics today clive has been overshadowed by that confirmation of six cases in scotland which came early this morning. it is worth bearing in mind that some of the rules here are already tighter than the ones that were announced for england over the weekend, for example, face coverings are required here in hospitality settings. people are still being urged to work from home where possible. but one of the things that is concerning some of the scottish government is the fact that a couple of the cases confirmed here are people who have not travelled abroad and have no connection to southern africa. they think that means that these cases have been transmitted in these cases have been transmitted in the community and that could continue to happen, although at the moment, it is not widespread. so the message from nicola sturgeon in her snp conference address and in a briefing she gave this morning was two up compliance, to think extra hard about some of the restrictions that are already in place to try and avoid the need for new ones over the coming weeks. one thing that the scottish government and the welsh government are both concerned about is that the travel rules which were implemented over the weekend don't go far enough. they want people returning to the uk to have to isolate for eight days, to test themselves on day two and day eight and only if both of those tests are negative would they be able to break their isolation. at the moment, there is no sign at all of downing street are going to that.- there is no sign at all of downing street are going to that. thanks for that, nick eardley _ street are going to that. thanks for that, nick eardley in _ street are going to that. thanks for that, nick eardley in glasgow. - the head of the world health organization says the emergence of the omicron variant shows the global pandemic remains the most acute health crisis in a century. japan is the latest country to reinstate travel restrictions for foreigners. more new cases are the variant have been detected across europe. here's naomi grimley. there is an eerie quiet at johannesburg airport. south africa first raised the alarm about the omicron variant but is now finding itself increasingly cut off from the rest of the world. meanwhile, on the ground, there is a big push to get vaccines into arms. only 23% of the south african population is fully vaccinated. we still don't know yet whether this version of covid is more severe than previous ones. one of those on the front line is reassured by what she has seen so far in her patients. for reassured by what she has seen so far in her patients.— reassured by what she has seen so far in her patients. for now, we are seeinu far in her patients. for now, we are seeing patients _ far in her patients. for now, we are seeing patients with _ far in her patients. for now, we are seeing patients with mild _ far in her patients. for now, we are| seeing patients with mild symptoms that we can treat at home, that would most probably not require intensive care or hospital admission.— intensive care or hospital admission. �* , ., , ., ., admission. amsterdam is one of the world city is — admission. amsterdam is one of the world city is now _ admission. amsterdam is one of the world city is now discovering - admission. amsterdam is one of the world city is now discovering cases. | world city is now discovering cases. 13 people were found to have it after flying 13 people were found to have it afterflying in 13 people were found to have it after flying in from 13 people were found to have it afterflying in from south 13 people were found to have it after flying in from south africa. the police even had to arrest a couple who tried to escape from a quarantine hotel. portugal has also announced it has got 13 cases, all involve a local football club where one of its players had recently returned from a south african trip. many countries don't want to take any chances at all. switzerland has toughened its quarantine requirements. britain is entering the country must produce a negative test and quarantine for ten days. morocco is stopping all international flights and japan, where covid infections are low, is doing something similar. translation: we doing something similar. translation:— doing something similar. translation: ~ ., , translation: we will ban all entries are foreian translation: we will ban all entries are foreign nationals _ translation: we will ban all entries are foreign nationals from _ translation: we will ban all entries are foreign nationals from all - translation: we will ban all entries are foreign nationals from all over- are foreign nationals from all over the world as of november 30. the head of the _ the world as of november 30. the head of the world health organization has been saying for months that better vaccine coverage everywhere is the only way to get out of this global emergency. his frustration is now more obvious than ever. irate frustration is now more obvious than ever. ~ , ., ., ., ., ever. we should not need another wake-u ever. we should not need another wake-up call- _ ever. we should not need another wake-up call. we _ ever. we should not need another wake-up call. we should - ever. we should not need another wake-up call. we should all- ever. we should not need another wake-up call. we should all be i ever. we should not need another. wake-up call. we should all be wide wake—up call. we should all be wide awake to the threat of this virus. but omicron's very emergence is another reminder that although many of us might think we are done with covid—i9, it is not done with us. there is no doubt the world has reacted quicker than it did with the delta variant which emerged in india earlier this year. the uk is chairing a g7 meeting of health ministers today to work out what concerted action is needed. but whatever their variant involved, everybody knows this crisis is a long way from over. naomi grimley, bbc news. our transport correspondent katy austin is here. many were looking forward to an easier time travelling but all the progress seems to have stopped now. yes, the big change coming in tomorrow is that from fourie, anyone arriving in the uk will have to take arriving in the uk will have to take a pcr test on or before the second day of their arrival into this country. airlines say the government should be providing them free of charge because they are saying it is really difficult for a lot of people, especially those currently abroad, to arrange this extra testing very quickly, because previously, they would only have had to take a lateral flow test. if you are planning on going anywhere from the uk anytime soon, it is worth checking the rules at your destination because as we have been hearing, an increasing number of countries has been increasing their restrictions, for example, from wednesday, spain is saying that anyone arriving into spain from the uk, who is over 12 will have to prove they have been vaccinated. switzerland is going further. uk arrivals will have to self—isolate for ten days. meanwhile, some brits are still trying to get home from the southern african countries which are now on the uk's red list. some of them have been saying they are struggling to book into government approved hotel quarantine facilities on the day their flight arrives. the government is advising travellers to keep checking back regularly or try to book for a different date. it says it will be increasing the capacity available for hotel quarantine.— capacity available for hotel uuarantine. ., ~ ., ., quarantine. thank you for “oining us. katy austin, �* quarantine. thank you for “oining us. katy austin, ourh quarantine. thank you forjoining us. katy austin, our transport i us. katy austin, ourtransport corresponded, there. there's more analysis and the very latest developments on our website. just go to bbc.co.uk/news and follow the links. tens of thousands of people have spent another night without power as temperatures dropped to as low as —6 in some parts of the uk. yellow ice warnings remain in place for much of scotland, england and wales, with some schools closed and rail services cancelled. luxmy gopal reports. the impact of storm arwen continues. snow, ice and gusts of up to 100 mph caused severe damage with thousands of people facing a fourth day without power. worst hit is the north—east of scotland, where a major incident was declared. your viewers will remember the beast from the east in 2018. this is three times worse than that and probably some of the worst conditions we've seen for the electricity network in about 15 years. hundreds of thousands of homes across the country were without electricity for much of the weekend. it's been tough. we've got a couple of kids, one nine, one six, so it's been quite hard work. luckily my father—in—law lives about half a mile down the road, so we've been able to camp out down at his and have a few cups of tea and things like that. but, yeah, a bit of a nightmare not having any lights and no heating. it's been freezing and i've got two young kids, so we've had nothingl to do and nowhere to go. it's been really cold and awful. it's warned pockets of aberdeenshire could potentially be without power until wednesday. vaccination clinics in the area have been cancelled today and schools are closed today and tomorrow. northern powergrid said north—east england's network experienced its worst damage in 20 years. following heavy snowfall, more than 60 customers and an oasis tribute band have been trapped at a pub in the yorkshire dales since friday night, when the only road in and out was blocked. to be honest, they've been absolutely lovely. and the cliche i've been saying is, they came as strangers and a lot of them are leaving as friends. and we are talking about a reunion next year. last night was the coldest of this season so far. temperatures fell as low as around —9 celsius, recorded in cumbria. gritters were out in the early hours. it's been the busiest weekend so far of the season. the road temperatures got down to “4 degrees last night. our drivers have been out this morning since four o'clock treating the network, the roads and the cycleways and the footways across the city of york. the gritters are back after what's been a busy morning. in fact, for many teams, it was the busiest weekend of the season so far, as a result of the drop in temperatures and the conditions brought by storm arwen. while the worst of the storm has passed, authorities in aberdeenshire say it's left worse damage than first feared — and recovery will take longer than expected. luxmy gopal, bbc news. ben philip is in torpins in aberdeenshire for us. is it getting any easier there? well, people in the north—east of scotland are still feeling the after—effects of storm arwen, which batted the area on friday and into saturday. over the weekend a major incident was declared due to this storm impact. today school and vaccination centres across aberdeenshire are closed and thousands are without power, internet, running water and heating. here in the village of torphins, locals are facing a third day without power. a stall has been set “p without power. a stall has been set up by without power. a stall has been set up by a nearby cafe to provide essential supplies including hot food and drinks and bottled water. a few of the locals are here around the fire pit to try and get a bit of wants. one person we spoke to who received a bacon sandwich said it was like winning the lottery. the energy provider ssen said the storm has caused catastrophic damage and engineers are working to try and get people back online. 2a,000 customers are still without power and some people have been told it could be late in the week before that is restored. ., ~ , ., a teenager has been remanded in secure accommodation charged with the murder of a 12—year—old girl. ava white was stabbed in liverpool city centre on thursday. she was out with friends to watch the christmas lights being switched on when she was attacked. the boy, who's14, cannot be named because of his age. he's due to appear at liverpool crown court on wednesday. a man accused of murdering the police community support officer, julia james, will face trial in may. ms james, who was 53, was found with fatal head injuries by a wood near dover in april. 21—year—old callum wheeler denies murder. the trial will be heard at canterbury crown court. the labour leader sir keir starmer is carrying out a reshuffle of his front bench team. our political correspondent chris mason is in westminster. a bit of drama, quite some thing this morning. angela rayner was giving a speech mid morning about parliamentary standards, her attempt to weaponise this row over the last couple of weeks and pin it on what she sees as conservative corruption. within minutes of her standing up and starting that speech, rumours started flying around on social media that there was a reshuffle under way on labour's front bench. i asked angela rayner about that, she was clearly not particularly aware of what was going on. here was her reply. of what was going on. here was her re .l _ ., ., “ of what was going on. here was her rel, .,�* of what was going on. here was her rel. .,�* ~ ., reply. look, i don't know the details of _ reply. look, i don't know the details of any _ reply. look, i don't know the details of any reshuffle. i'vel reply. look, i don't know the i details of any reshuffle. i've been concentrating on the job i'm doing at hand _ concentrating on the job i'm doing at hand and i think that's really important. the labour party, the challenge — important. the labour party, the challenge to us is to show we are a government— challenge to us is to show we are a government in waiting and i think thrat's— government in waiting and i think that's what the public expect. that was her answer _ that's what the public expect. that was her answer to _ that's what the public expect. “trust was her answer to one of the questions coming from journalists. there were repeated questions, what do you make of this reshuffle? the answer was that she didn't know about it. afterwards we learnt they had had a conversation, angela rayner and keir starmer this morning, but that didn't really amount to being consulted as far as she was concerned. yet again, transparently and publicly dysfunction between the leader of the labour party and his directly elected deputy. it's not a post that keir starmer can sack angela rayner from. there's tension is very evident. what about the reshuffle? we don't know a great deal about it, will probably learn more this afternoon. thank you. our top story this lunchtime. six cases of the new omicron variant of coronavirus, have been identified in scotland. nicola sturgeon says she won't shy away from difficult decisions to keep people safe. and also, at a memorial service, tributes to the met officer matt ratana, killed in croydon last year. coming up on the bbc news channel, arsenal's reluctant star. vivianne miedema is named bbc women's footballer of the year. the netherlands and women's super league all—time leading goal—scorer says the fans voting for this award makes it extra special. the trial of ghislaine maxwell on charges linked to her relationship with the convicted sex—offenderjeffrey epstein will shortly open in new york. she denies trafficking and grooming under—age girls. ms maxwell, who's 59, is the youngest daughter of the disgraced media tycoon and former mp robert maxwell. nada tawfik reports from new york. ghislaine maxwell and jeffrey epstein attracted friends in high places, increasing the intrigue around the duo. his death in 2019 under unusual circumstances only raised more questions, leaving behind a dark cloud of mystery. the fallen heiress's trial may yet provide the most explicit details to date. in this indictment, ghislaine maxwell is charged with sex trafficking and recruiting and grooming four underage girls for epstein to abuse from 1994—2004. the jury here in new york will have to decide whether she's being made a scapegoat for epstein, or if she was his chief enabler. that abuse included sexualised massages. these sexualised massages developed into sexual encounters for which maxwell, in some instances, was present and participated. ghislaine maxwell's life before she met epstein was very different, but not without its own drama. she was the youngest child of the late disgraced newspaper baron robert maxwell. part of her appeal to epstein was her circle of rich and famous friends, including prince andrew. her trial comes at a very inconvenient time for the royal, as he fights off his own separate civil lawsuit by one of epstein's most outspoken accusers, virginia guiffre. ghislaine tells me that i have to do for andrew what i do forjeffrey. and that made me sick. i just didn't expect it from royalty. she said epstein and ghislaine maxwell forced her to have sex with the duke of york when she was just 17, in london, new york, and the us virgin islands. prince andrew has previously denied all of the allegations. but his attempts to put the scandal behind him have so farfailed. ian maxwell says at least one sibling will be present every day of his sister's trial. it is impossible for me to think that she would have been engaged in these really horrendous charges that she's now facing. it doesn't stack up in any single way. all those people who do not know her but who have some regard for the system ofjustice that operates in the united states, they should suspend theirjudgment. her case is expected to last six weeks, after which herfate is in the hands of the jury. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. our correspondent michele fleury is outside the courthouse in new york where the trial will take place. what are we expecting today? well, initially when _ what are we expecting today? well, initially when it _ what are we expecting today? well, initially when it gets _ what are we expecting today? well, initially when it gets under - what are we expecting today? -tt initially when it gets under where will be a few points of law to get through before we hear opening arguments. we have some idea of what that will be in filings that have been done in the weeks leading up to this case. the prosecution will argue that ghislaine maxwell helped to recruit and groom under age girls, girls as young as 1a. defending them, taking them shopping, encouraging them to take part in acts involved injeffrey epstein's and alleged crimes. he died injailtwo epstein's and alleged crimes. he died injail two years epstein's and alleged crimes. he died in jail two years ago, committing suicide before he ever went to trial on six trafficking charges. for many of his victims, this is the trial he never had. it has all the ingredients of a high—stakes drama from six, power, money and fame. for killing bats well, this is the fight for her life because if found guilty she faces up to 70 years injail. because if found guilty she faces up to 70 years in jail.— new figures show more than 17 million people in the uk have now used a buy now, pay later company to make an online purchase. the schemes allow consumers to manage spending, either by postponing their bill for a short while, or splitting it into more manageable payments over time with no interest. but critics say users too easily end up in debt and tougher rules are needed. child payments in scotland will increase to £20 per week from april. nicola sturgeon made the announcement in her keynote address at the snp virtual conference. the first minister said more than 100,000 children under the age of six would benefit and said the move was "the boldest and most ambitious anti—poverty measure anywhere in the uk". and then there's the doubling, yes, the doubling of state funded early years education and childcare. every three and four—year—olds and two—year—olds from the most vulnerable backgrounds are now entitled to the same number of hours in earlier settings as older children get in school. this policy saves parents thousands of pounds a year, but much, much more importantly, it gives children the best start in education. a memorial service has been held for police sergeant matt ratana, shot dead in a custody centre in croydon last year. his colleagues in the metropolitan police remember him as a unique, larger than life man, who loved rugby and motorbikes and whose best asset was his ability to talk to anyone. here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. on a crisp london morning, walking along the silent streets lined by police officers, sergeant matt ratana's partner, sue bushby, accompanied by the commissioner, cressida dick, and the home secretary, priti patel. on their way into the memorial service in the guards�* chapel, they met police dogs from the ratana litter, named after the custody sergeant killed on duty last year. a new zealander and a keen rugby player, sergeant ratana and shot dead inside croydon custody centre in south london. a man has been charged with murder. # may the lord bless you and keep you...#. inside the chapel, hundreds of officers were there to remember a larger than life colleague and a good friend. # to shine upon you and be gracious unto you #. matt was a leader, a coach, a mentor, an inspiration. human, compassionate, decent. kind, fun, generous. a brilliant team—mate and a brilliant partner. sergeant rata na's partner then read a poignant poem. i thank you for the love that you have shown, but now it is time i travel on alone. so grieve for me a while, if grieve you must. then let your grief be comforted by trust. some of sergeant ratana's closest colleagues recalled their time with him in the force. there are still those people that when you open the door and walk in the custody suite or walk in the office, you think, today is going to be a good one, and matt was top of the list of those people. if you worked with matt, you felt safe. he had that... i can't put it into words but he had the ability to make police officers and the publicjust feel safe purely by his presence. if the world was full of matt ratanas, the world would be a better place. he is a tragic loss to the service. people could not help but like him, | even if they were anti—police, they| would love matt ratana. the questions about how he came to be shot dead inside a police station are yet to be resolved, but today was about remembering sergeant matt rata na. daniel sandford, bbc news. prince charles has arrived in barbados for a ceremony marking the removal of the queen as head of state. from midnight tonight, the island nation will formally become the world's newest republic. the governor general sandra mason will be inaugurated as the first president, but barbados will remain in the commonwealth. a lot warmer than it is in barbados thanit a lot warmer than it is in barbados than it is here!— than it is here! yes, storm arwen may have — than it is here! yes, storm arwen may have cleared _ than it is here! yes, storm arwen may have cleared at _ than it is here! yes, storm arwen may have cleared at the - than it is here! yes, storm arwen may have cleared at the weekendj than it is here! yes, storm arwen i may have cleared at the weekend but we are still quite literally feeling the legacy of that storm. take a look at this, —9 in cumbria this morning. a bitterly cold start. quite a warmerfront morning. a bitterly cold start. quite a warmer front moving morning. a bitterly cold start. quite a warmerfront moving in, and actually this colder air, as the wind direction changes to westerly riding in milderair, is going wind direction changes to westerly riding in milder air, is going to move steadily east. quite a dramatic rise in the temperatures through the day—to—day and overnight tonight. temperatures are going to climb. first thing tomorrow morning, we are