correspondingjim corresponding jim reed correspondingjim reed is here. what are we expecting from the prime minister? what should we read into it? , ., ., , it? this covid alert level is different _ it? this covid alert level is different. there _ it? this covid alert level is different. there are - it? this covid alert level is different. there are five i it? this covid alert level is - different. there are five levels and it is decided by the chief medical officers of the four nations of the uk and within the last hour they have increased it from level three to level four. that would signal that rather than the virus circulating generally in the population we have now moved to a situation where transmission is at a high or is rising exponentially. as for what that means, we are not at level five and that is the top level and that would suggest the nhs has come under unsustainable pressure and could be overwhelmed. we are not at that point and that is when you would imagine lockdown restrictions would imagine lockdown restrictions would be brought in. we will have that address from the prime minister at atm this evening and we are told it is an update to the booster programme. we understand no new restrictions at this point in england. also speaking today was john swinney, and a similar message in scotland, there is no justification for measures in scotland like closing bars and restaurants, but he said all options are on the table. jim restaurants, but he said all options are on the table.— are on the table. jim reed, our health correspondence. - the labour leader, sir keir starmer, says borisjohnson appears to have broken the law when he took part in a christmas quiz at downing street last year. at the time, coronavirus restrictions meant social mixing between households was banned. the sunday mirror has published a photo of the quiz, showing the prime minister seated next to two people. downing street has described the quiz as a "virtual" event. our political correspondent, chris mason, has more details. it is the christmas quiz a year ago that downing street says it was virtual, but where two of the prime minister's colleagues are sitting next to him, one with tinsel wrapped around his neck, and a source tells the bbc others were there in person sitting in groups of six. this at a time when social mixing was banned in london. so, question one. was he breakin: in london. so, question one. was he breaking the — in london. so, question one. was he breaking the law? _ in london. so, question one. was he breaking the law? it _ in london. so, question one. was he breaking the law? it looks _ in london. so, question one. was he breaking the law? it looks as - in london. so, question one. was he breaking the law? it looks as though| breaking the law? it looks as though he was and he must have known those other groups were in other rooms in his own building. this is very important because he has damaged his authority. he is now so weak and his party is so divided they cannot deliver the leadership that this country needs. it is the worst possible leader at the worst possible leader at the worst possible time. no person may participate... what is the government was my explanation for this? ~ ., ., i. the government was my explanation for this? ~ ., ., , ~ for this? what do you see? a prime minister in — for this? what do you see? a prime minister in his _ for this? what do you see? a prime minister in his office _ for this? what do you see? a prime minister in his office with _ for this? what do you see? a prime minister in his office with two - for this? what do you see? a prime minister in his office with two of- minister in his office with two of his staff— minister in his office with two of his staff next to him and there are no drinks — his staff next to him and there are no drinks. my e—mail box is full of people _ no drinks. my e—mail box is full of people thinking there are parties with guests and all sorts of things and they— with guests and all sorts of things and they can now make their mind up when_ and they can now make their mind up whenthey— and they can now make their mind up when they see this picture of the prime _ when they see this picture of the prime minister on a virtual screen, thanking _ prime minister on a virtual screen, thanking his — prime minister on a virtual screen, thanking his team who are in the building — thanking his team who are in the building because they have to respond — building because they have to respond to a national emergency. then_ respond to a national emergency. then they— respond to a national emergency. then they can make their minds up. he did say it was right that the country's most senior civil servant is looking into three other get togethers, including a party at number ten a few days after the quiz. day after day the prime minister and his team have tried to brush off reports of a party or get—togethers around government, including in there, when social mixing was banned a year ago. yet this is the latest in a torrent of stories which rather suggest otherwise about what was actually going on and has left plenty of people incredibly angry. people i re - resent people incredibly angry. people i represent here _ people incredibly angry. people i represent here in _ people incredibly angry. people i represent here in the _ people incredibly angry. people i represent here in the highlands. people incredibly angry. people i i represent here in the highlands and islands followed that guidance to the letter of the law because they were told to do it in the national interest. if the people telling them to do that could not follow that guidance, we are right to be angry at them. .,, h guidance, we are right to be angry at them. .,, �*, ., ., at them. people's irritation with what happened _ at them. people's irritation with what happened in _ at them. people's irritation with what happened in government i at them. people's irritation with | what happened in government a at them. people's irritation with - what happened in government a year ago collides with the reality of now, another winter where those who are leaders are shaping the rules and the collective response to a resurgence of the virus. chris mason, bbc news, westminster. chris mason, bbc news, westminster. in america, at least 94 people have died and dozens are missing after the devastating wave of tornados that hit several south—eastern states on friday. a desperate search for survivors is under way across the region, as rescuers comb through debris. our correspondent nomia iqbal sent this report from mayfield in kentucky. there were more than 30 tornadoes that ripped through six states, but one hurtled down a single track of more than 200 miles. it is thought to be the longest path ever taken by a tornado in us history. it flat in many homes, whilst leaving others untouched. in an instant this small town of mayfield has been almost entirely wiped out. flattened homes are now buried in their own debris, toys and she was scattered amongst the twisted metal and shredded trees by a swarm of tornadoes that no one had prepared for. dini by a swarm of tornadoes that no one had prepared for.— had prepared for. dini is looking for her cousin _ had prepared for. dini is looking for her cousin who _ had prepared for. dini is looking for her cousin who lives - had prepared for. dini is looking i for her cousin who lives downtown. everybody�*s cell phone is down and i got up early and i was so nervous i could not sleep. i could not get to her yesterday and i saw the school bus and everything over there is destroyed, it isjust bus and everything over there is destroyed, it is just heartbreaking. minutes from the church a huge rescue operation is still under way to a candle factory. more than 100 workers were on christmas shifts when the tornado tore through. a0 people made it out. in the state of illinois another factory is looking for its missing employees. the tornado destroyed an amazon distribution factory. amazon founder jeff baze is pledged to offer support. the governor here in kentucky says this is the deadliest tornado event the state has ever had. president biden has signed a federal emergency disaster declaration to help this state and others ravaged by the storms. an 11—year—old girl has died after being found unresponsive in an east london building in which a quantity of chemicals were found. the girl died shortly after being taken to hospital. the condition of three others who were taken to hospital is unknown. police said the chemicals are believed to have been used for pest control and other residents have been moved out as a precaution. max verstappen is the new formula one world champion after a thrilling and controversial end to the final race of the season in abu dhabi. the 2a—year—old dutchman beat britain's lewis hamilton on the last lap to win his first title, denying hamilton an 8th championship. but the final result is being challenged by hamilton's mercedes team. our sports correspondent, natalie pirks, reports from abu dhabi. it was billed as the decider in the desert and in the afternoon heat of abu dhabi fans were split firmly into two camps. hamilton supporters were confident he was about to leave an indelible mark on the sport. there is no one else like us. he will definitely be the greatest of all time — will definitely be the greatest of all time. �* ., ., .,, will definitely be the greatest of all time. �* ., ., , all time. but hamilton was up auainst all time. but hamilton was up against an _ all time. but hamilton was up against an orange _ all time. but hamilton was up against an orange wall. - all time. but hamilton was up against an orange wall. what| all time. but hamilton was up - against an orange wall. what would it mean to you to have a dutch world champion? brilliant. red bull had the pole position, but mercedes had the pole position, but mercedes had the faster car. a dream start, but max verstappen was hot on his tail with a late lunge forcing hamilton wide. hamilton gained time. the stewart said this was fair. by lap 13 verstappen's soft tyres were struggling, so he pitted, leaving his red bull team—mate to try and hold hamilton up. but then a virtual safety car allowed max verstappen to sweep into the pits and on fresh tyres he chased the gap. red bull knew it would _ tyres he chased the gap. red bull knew it would be _ tyres he chased the gap. red bull knew it would be tough. - tyres he chased the gap. red bull knew it would be tough. we - tyres he chased the gap. red bull knew it would be tough. we need| tyres he chased the gap. red bull. knew it would be tough. we need a miracle _ knew it would be tough. we need a miracle 0r— knew it would be tough. we need a miracle. ., knew it would be tough. we need a miracle. . _, ., _ miracle. or a huge controversy. another crash _ miracle. or a huge controversy. another crash man _ miracle. or a huge controversy. another crash man a _ miracle. or a huge controversy. another crash man a safety - miracle. or a huge controversy. another crash man a safety car| miracle. or a huge controversy. . another crash man a safety car and yet more fresh tyres for the dutch man, but when the governing body ruled that all the lapped cars would be allowed to overtake the safety car it gave max verstappen one last lap, one last shot. he car it gave max verstappen one last lap, one last shot.— lap, one last shot. he takes the lead in the _ lap, one last shot. he takes the lead in the race. _ lap, one last shot. he takes the lead in the race. in _ lap, one last shot. he takes the lead in the race. in truth - lap, one last shot. he takes the lead in the race. in truth this i lap, one last shot. he takes the l lead in the race. in truth this epic endin: lead in the race. in truth this epic ending was _ lead in the race. in truth this epic ending was everything _ lead in the race. in truth this epic ending was everything this - lead in the race. in truth this epic| ending was everything this season deserved. both drivers were in tears for different reasons. max verstappen is champion. that was truly unbelievable. lewis hamilton has every reason to feel frustrated tonight, but red bull and max verstappen absolutely nailed it. he is the new world champion. it is is the new world champion. it is unbelievable. _ is the new world champion. it 3 unbelievable. throughout the whole race i kept fighting and i had an opportunity in the last lap, it is insane. ., ., ., ., , ., ., insane. congratulations to max and his team. insane. congratulations to max and his team- in _ insane. congratulations to max and his team. in the _ insane. congratulations to max and his team. in the last _ insane. congratulations to max and his team. in the last part _ insane. congratulations to max and his team. in the last part of - insane. congratulations to max and his team. in the last part of the - his team. in the last part of the season— his team. in the last part of the season we _ his team. in the last part of the season we gave it everything and never _ season we gave it everything and never gave up. season we gave it everything and never gave lip-— season we gave it everything and never gave up. fans back home at silverstone _ never gave up. fans back home at silverstone were _ never gave up. fans back home at silverstone were getting - never gave up. fans back home at silverstone were getting ready - never gave up. fans back home at silverstone were getting ready to | silverstone were getting ready to celebrate by were left disappointed. i am shocked. i believe that when were stolen from lewis. the championship should not have been decided that way. it championship should not have been decided that way.— championship should not have been decided that way. it was meant to be lewis's. decided that way. it was meant to be lewis's- he — decided that way. it was meant to be lewis's- he is— decided that way. it was meant to be lewis's. he is the _ decided that way. it was meant to be lewis's. he is the cleaner _ decided that way. it was meant to be lewis's. he is the cleaner and - lewis's. he is the cleaner and better— lewis's. he is the cleaner and better driver. no lewis's. he is the cleaner and better driver.— lewis's. he is the cleaner and better driver. no sooner had the cork pepped _ better driver. no sooner had the cork pepped than _ better driver. no sooner had the cork popped than two _ better driver. no sooner had the cork popped than two protest. better driver. no sooner had the i cork popped than two protest were lodged by mercedes. they believed lewis hamilton, and not this 2a—year—old drinking in his big moment, is the true world champion. we are outside red bull right now and the reason they have protested is regulation say any and lap cars and you have to wait until the safety car has gone until you go again. neither of those things happen tonight and hamilton was a sitting duck on old tires for a one lap shoot out. with all eyes on formula 1 tonight this is not the ending they wanted. that's it. i'll be back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. hello. this is bbc news. let's get more on the breaking news in the last hour or so — the prime minister is to make a televised address at eight o'clock this evening, to deliver an update on the covid—19 booster programme. the chief medical officers for all four nations of the uk are recommending that the coronavirus alert level is raised from 3 to a , which indicates that covid is spreading fast , but it's understood there'll be no new restrictions. well, before the news broke that we are going to alert level a, i spoke to alex dean, a conservative commentator and former chief of staff to david cameron. he told us that there may be a reluctance for the government to hold the vote which is due on tuesday about implementing further coronavirus restrictions...(tx sot. just purely on the numbers that we're looking at now, it means that if he wants to pass his bill, he'll have to depend on the labour party to get it through the house of commons. there's never a good situation a prime minister to be in and there is i think a growing school of thought now among tories in the parliamentary party, both front bench and back bench, both supportive of the government and hostile, who say, let us be pragmatic here and pull this vote because there is no way the government is going to come out of it well. if you lose, you look terrible and if you win, you will have done it depending on keir starmer. the pm can't win. you think they want to pull the vote on tuesday? i think there is a significant | chance that the government will not table the vote. if you look at the situation now, where on the one hand, you get it through the house of commons but you only do it with labour supporting you, that harms the prime minister. 0n the other hand, if you run for it and you don't get labour party support, and you lose, it also hurts the government. the pragmatic way is to put your head down, get through christmas, hope the criticism dies down and start 2022 in a slightly more positive state of mind. what does that say about public health messaging? what does that do to public health messaging because labour have said they will support it on public health grounds. it would go through. i think there two things that mean that that's potentially a plausible path, jane. first, it looks like the vaccines are working, boosters are working and if you've been asked to have your booster, go and have one. it looks like the scheme that we have taken up as a country is working. the second one is the positive news that we have been hearing from south africa, which indicates that 0micron, whilst of course it needs to be taken seriously, is not hospitalising people are killing people in the kind of numbers that would mean that we would have to have terrible alarm bells sounding. early days but it does indicate that the public health situation is under control and the solution that we have been aiming at, the plan a, which is a lot of vaccinations, is working. but on the day that ministers should have been out reminding and talking about that message, the importance of the boosters and everything we know about in scientific terms, everyone was focusing on the prime minister's adviser who had resigned and why she had resigned and all of the messaging got lost. what does that say about boris johnson's authority as well? jane, i don't think anyone can maintain that the situation has been handled well. the government has basically conceded that. the apology the prime minister offered was right and it was right that he made that apology. i would also say this, i think that you belie the real cause when you watch the interview that you had with keir starmer which was very revealing, in the end, theyjust hate the pm and they are out to get him and they will go with whatever tools that are offered to them to do it. the prime minister had a zoom quiz, come on. i am not sympathetic when people say it was ok for number ten to have parties or whatever. like many people, members of my family had a horrible time last christmas and i look at that situation with real criticism but when you say you had a zoom quiz, how dare you, how outrageous! i think when they said a party, most of us were imagining raucous celebrations. a rather miserable affair, in which the prime minister looks at a camera socially distant from people, and result questions, labour has overcooked it on this one. i'm all open for an inquiry as to what happened with social occasions. but they are not going to rain on this one, are they? shabir madhi is a professor of vaccinology in south africa from vits university inj0hannesburg — where the 0micron variant was first detected — and she said that while the number of cases in the country were continuing to rise rapidly — as far as he could determine — they weren't seeing a correlation with a rise in mortality rates. so the epicentre of this outbreak was in a province known as gauteng, which is the most densely populated province in south africa and i think it is bestjust to sort of reflect on what is happening in this province. currently, we have been identifying in the region of 9000—10,000 new cases per day but that seems to have plateaued in the last few days and 95% of those cases are 0micron. to put that into context, south africa is about 13 times less number of tests per capita compared with what happens in the uk. so the 10,000 we have been reporting is the tip of the iceberg in that scenario, relative to what you would have identified in the uk, it should have been a similar sort of outbreak. now, the next important thing is right now, what we are experiencing is that the total number of deaths across the country reported yesterday as an example, it was about 50 people that died of covid—19, and probably about two thirds of that was in gauteng province. at the time when we were experiencing a similar rate per 100,000 of population of cases during the course of the delta variant, the equivalent number of people that were dying of covid—19 in south africa was in the region of 250 per day, so it is about a tenth of what was experienced compared with what we had experienced during the course of the delta variant. when it comes to hospitalisation, the vast majority of people that are actually testing positive, as you had alluded to, are actually coincidental infections, including as an example, pregnant women coming in to deliver their babies, who are routinely screened and they turn out to be positive. in some settings in gauteng, as many as 30—a0% of pregnant women that are delivering are actually testing positive. so overall, what appears to be happening is that despite an unprecedented rapid rise in cases in this particular wave compared to the past three waves, there seems to be significant attenuation in the clinical course of this event, with very few cases, relatively few cases ending up in hospital with severe covid or dying from covid. emergency teams in six us states are continuing to search for survivors after one of the most devastating tornado events in us history. more than 80 people are known to have died in kentucky —, but that number is expected to rise to 100 — with the number of dead increasing every hour. the state's governor has said it would be a miracle if anyone else was found alive. at least six states were hit by tornadoes, including illinois, where six amazon workers have been confirmed dead, after the roof of their warehouse collapsed. many mayfield residents are struggling to come to terms with the extent of the destruction. barbara patterson had lived in her now ruined house for 37 years: a home and tell last night. i was told by a friend at the courthouse was down and it was heading towards my house but i never dreamed this. i just thought maybe a shingle too and i lost it when they brought me here. we had good times in and we've had bad. my mum died in there. she lived with me. if just so many good and bad memories, but the hardest thing i think is having to leave tonight, walk out of here. afghanistan is responsible for the vast majority of the world's heroin supply — and now it's also emerged as a major manufacturer of crystal meth. as the country faces economic collapse since the taliban's rise to power, the drug trade there is booming. 0ur afghanistan correspondent, secunder kermani has this report. they are one of afghanistan's most lucrative exports. but these drugs are destroying lives here and abroad. first heroin, and increasingly now, crystal meth. around 80% of the world's heroin supply originates from here. afghanistan's opium poppy fields. this, an exclusive look at where the meth is coming from. these drugs in southern afghanistan will be smuggled to countries as far away as australia. the amount in this room alone would sell there for around £2 million. this is how it is made. makeshift open—air labs in the desert under the noses of the taliban. these tracks are full of a key ingredient. traffickers here have discovered a common wild plant can be used to produce meth cheaply. last week the taliban banned farmers from picking it but they are not shutting down the meth labs. this man has links to the trade. when the taliban announced their ban on this plant, they tell me, the wholesale price of meth doubled and there are still warehouses full of it. it is another dangerous drug, heroin, from opium poppies like these most commonly associated with afghanistan. before the taliban takeover, opium trade is paid of corrupt officials and so would the black paced secretly. now, they have been allowed to open up stalls and markets. around 80% of the world's heroin supply originates from here. we are driving through a bazaar where opium is being sold openly. much of it is then going to be processed into heroin. the taliban are not stopping drug production — in fact, they've been taxing it for years. they don't want journalists to see it being traded. that is why we are filming from inside the car. you call yourselves an islamic government but you are allowing drug production. isn't that hypocritical? translation: under the islamic emirate, before 2001, the growing and selling of opium dropped to zero. right now we're to find alternatives. we cannot take this away from people without offering them something else. foryears, poorfarmers have relied on opium to provide for their families. now, as afghanistan's economy collapses without international support, and water levels continue to drop, many see it has the safest crop to grow. opium destroys a lot of people's lives. the taliban regularly haul these addicts off to rehab centres. but many end up straight back here. for now, more drugs look set to hit the streets, both in afghanistan and across the world. secunder kermani, bbc news, afghanistan. if you needed reminding just how vulnerable parts one of the stars of this season's strictly come dancing is rose ayling—ellis, who has won over audiences and the judges with her performances week after week alongside her dancing partner giovanni. but as the first deaf contestant on the programme she's also a role model for other people with hearing impairments, as nadia gyane's been finding out. strictly theme plays. it's the sound of a good saturday night for millions watching strictly. for front room fans like scarlett... oh, my god! ..she gets to watch her favourite. it shows that you really can be who you are, even... because you have a hearing loss, like, you don't have to be a certain way in order to be yourself. you can be yourself with your disability. scarlett doesn't have an outer ear, so she uses bone anchored hearing aids, and during lockdown, picked up a new hobby. dancing and expressing myself through music in kind of a new way, and i kind of liked the way of doing that. what can others do to kind of communicate and who want to, you know, find out more about the deaf community? i feel like you kind ofjust have to ask. i feel like a lot of the time, people think they are being rude to ask you but i feel like really, you just need to ask. i would rather you just tell me and then i can educate you in an easier way instead of using google. and it is one of the reasons why ella, who lost her hearing at 11, wrote about it to share her experience. and it is the same with rose, she can bridge that gap between the deaf community and the hearing community. on monday morning, i came to school and my friends were like, "oh, my goodness, have you seen it? did you see it?" they sat me down with their phones and so i watched the dance. because i couldn't hear the music, iwas like, "oh, itjust looks like a dance." "no, the music's gone, the music's gone!" and it was amazing but... i think, you know, the way that they link the signing and the choreography and the dancing, i think, you know, the way that they have recognised her deafness through dance i think has been really inspirational. and this recognition has brought a lot more interest in people wanting to learn how to sign and inspiring a younger generation. often, deaf children are the only person in their family who is deaf and they might be the only person in their school or college who is deaf so it is a lack of role models. and it isjust i think really inspiring for them to see rose do so well. most importantly, do you think rose can win it? of course she'll win! she has to! hello. mild air has been pushing its way northwards across the uk through sunday. it's following on behind a weather front — this band of cloud you see here on the satellite picture. that is tied in with an area of low pressure that will get very close to the north—west of the uk overnight tonight. so a very mild evening, increasingly breezy, very windy overnight for the western and norrthern isles of scotland — stormy conditions with widespread gales here. further showers for western scotland, clearer skies to the south of that. then underneath the weather front, a lot of cloud, obviously, and some rain for wales and the south—west, but very mild, temperatures in double figures here. overnight lows further north — seven, eight degrees. a frost—free start to the new week. through monday, quite cloudy across southern england and wales. some rain through the day possible for wales, the midlands, perhaps lincolnshire. the best of any sunshine for scotland, northern ireland and northern england. a little cooler here than it will be on sunday. temperatures return to average values. still looking pretty mild further south. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the uk covid alert level has been increased to level a, meaning there's widespread pressure on health services