hello, and welcome. we begin with breaking news — in the last hour, the house of representatives has voted to hold donald trump's former chief of staff mark meadow in criminal contempt of congress. mr meadows had refused to comply with a subpoena from a congressional committee investigating the insurrection at the us capitol on january the 6th. rioting that day delayed the certification of joe biden�*s election victory, left five dead and dozens more injured, and sent lawmakers running for their lives. two republicans voted with democrats to hold mr meadows accountable. professor kimberly wehle from the university of baltimore school of law explains what's likely to happen next. the recommendation goes to thejustice department, that will then make a decision as to whether to actually indict him for contempt as recommended by the house of representatives. this exercise happened recently with former donald trump aide stephen bannon, and he was indicted and his trial is injuly. the factual circumstances are a little bit different. mr meadows did co—operate to some degree, he turned over 9,000 documents, records, including texts and emails that people are now talking about a lot. so there is no way to predict necessarily what will happen at the justice department, but the next step is a possible criminal indictment which could trigger up to one year in jail. donald trump did famously speak about his opponent at the time, he was the chief of staff. he is the top person closest to the president and he is managing the president's affairs, managing the white house, and we know that he was sort of the centrepiece of communication for many people in the republican party, in the far—right, trump—supporting republican party, including prominent figures at fox news, who were literally begging mark meadows to get donald trump to make an announcement or to do something to stop the carnage at the capitol, and as house of representatives member liz cheney of wyoming said today, it was 187 minutes that donald trump did nothing. and multiple lives were lost, property was damaged, and american democracy almost fell. and there's no guarantee it won't for the next round. that, i think, is why there is an urgency around what happened onjanuary 6. it's not so much backward—looking, it's also forward—looking, because the forces of tyranny are very much at work in the united states government right now. borisjohnson faces more questions about his leadership following tuesday's huge rebellion by conservative mps over his plans to introiduce new restrictions to stop the spread of the 0mnicron variant. the plans were passed, but only with the support of the opposition. the rebellion is the latest in a series of problems for the prime minister who also faces more allegations that othe rleading conservatives held christmas parties last year during lockdown. here's our political correspondent ben wright. the ayes to the right, 369. the noes to the left, 126. the scale of the rebellion produced grasps in the commons. the government won the vote to produce covid pastors in england for crowd —— crowded events, but 99 conservative mps voted against the policy, the biggest revolt of boris johnson's premiership. the measure only passed because of labour's support. this measure only passed because of labour's support.— labour's support. this is a very significant _ labour's support. this is a very significant blow - labour's support. this is a very significant blow to . labour's support. this is a| very significant blow to the already damaged authority of the prime minister. it confirms that he is too weak to discharge the basic functions of government. these public health measures would not have gone through if labour hadn't shown the leadership that the prime ministerfailed to shown the leadership that the prime minister failed to show. so from today, nhs covid pastors showing a recent negative test awful vaccination be shown to get into many larger venues, be shown to get into many largervenues, including nightclubs. —— covid passes. this was the measure that both —— most angered conservative rebels. forthem, it was —— most angered conservative rebels. for them, it was a step too far, and they wanted to send borisjohnson a message. this was a bridge too far, vaccine passports today, what tomorrow or a week down the road? so i think they were putting a market down. and it has been proven in scotland vaccine passports don't work, they don't prevent infection. so i think it was a cry of pain from the conservative party. ministers warned mps detract from 0micron variant �*s grave. they have predicted a surge in hospitalisations in the coming weeks, which is why these new protections have been put in place. {iii protections have been put in lace. u, , protections have been put in lace, . ., , , place. of course it is difficult. _ place. of course it is difficult. every - place. of course it is i difficult. every decision place. of course it is - difficult. every decision we make as cost, has consequences. everybody is waiting those up all the time, my colleagues are weighing those up all the time. but we have decided we need to buy time, we really do need to slow down this unbelievably transmittable virus so we can get everybody vaccinated. vaccines remain the bedrock of the government's strategy for tackling the new variant, and accelerating the access to boosters has produced a surge in demand. england's chief medical officer, professor chris witty, made his own plea in a video released last night. get your covid—i9 booster vaccine to strengthen your protection. please get boosted now. ., , ., , , protection. please get boosted now. ., , , ., now. conservative rebels want this to be _ now. conservative rebels want this to be the _ now. conservative rebels want this to be the final— now. conservative rebels want this to be the final time - now. conservative rebels want this to be the final time the i this to be the final time the prime minister asks the commons to tighten restrictions. but with covid surging there is no guarantee. then wright, bbc news, westminster. —— ben wright. 11 countries, including south africa, nigeria and zimbabwe, have been removed from the uk's travel red list this morning. the red list was reintroduced in late november as a precaution after the emergence of the 0micron variant. but health secretary sajid javid said it had spread so widely the rules no longer had much purpose. 0ur transport correspondent katy austin reports. as of this morning, no—one has to enter hotel quarantine when they return to the uk. the red list is blank again, just over two weeks after it was revived. ministers no longer think it was effective now that the 0micron variant has spread. it is welcome news to many affected travellers, but there is frustration from some who have already paid to spend time in the government approved hotels. �* . , in the government approved hotels. �* ., hotels. i'm really annoyed we have to come _ hotels. i'm really annoyed we have to come home _ hotels. i'm really annoyed we have to come home and - hotels. i'm really annoyed we have to come home and had i hotels. i'm really annoyed we l have to come home and had to quarantine, because when the band was put in, it was a knee—jerk reaction by the government, they gave us 48 hours to get back. it ruined our holiday. i shouldn't be sitting here in quarantine. i should be sitting at home now, or i should still be in south africa to enjoy the time with my family who i went to see, not seen them for two years. travel businesses want the government to also remove the wider requirement for passengers coming to the uk to take covid tests before departing and after arriving. they say those in test put many off travelling, but those rules are staying. they will be reviewed again injanuary. katy austin, bbc news. international students and skilled migrants can once again enter australia as the country's tough border policy softens slightly after more than 18 months. fully vaccinated japanese and south korean tourists are also being re—welcomed. the partial international border reopening was delayed by two weeks because of the emergence of the 0micron variant. all visitors will still have to self—isolate for 72 hours upon arrival and will only be allowed into states and territories already taking international arrivals. the australian prime minister, scott morrison, said it was important that the country began opening up. there has had to be a curtailment of what we can do during the course of a global pandemic. the virus doesn't respect ideology, it doesn't respect ideology, it doesn't respect any of these things. it's just a virus. and we have to deal with it. australians get that. but equally, they also know there has to be a plan out. there is a plan out, and we need to move forward with that plan.— with that plan. well, let's get some of the _ with that plan. well, let's get some of the day's _ with that plan. well, let's get some of the day's avenues i with that plan. well, let's get i some of the day's avenues now. —— other news. haiti has begun three days of national mouring following the fuel tanker explosion that claimed the lives of at least 60 people. the truck was reportedly involved in a crash and people were thought to be trying to get the fuel that was leaking when it exploded. prime minsiter ariel herny has said the entire caribbean nation is grieveing nine years after they helped malian troops recapture timbktu from islamist insurgents, french military forces have left the city. france is gradually reducing its counter—insurgency operation in northern mali, despite a continuing threat from jihadists. relations with mali's government have soured since a military coup last year. scientists on the canary islands say the cumbre vieja volcano has stopped erupting for 24 hours for the first time since september. but they've warned it isn't the end of the danger. previous pauses in the eruptions have been follwoed by renewed activity. the volcano has destroyed nearly three thousand buildings on the island of la palma and devastated its banana plantations. malta's parliament has passed legislation to permit the cultivation and personal use of cannabis. it's the first country in europe to do so, although several others have similar plans. some countries already tolerate cannabis use in certain circumstances. but opponents have called for the president to veto the law. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. archive: in some mysterious way, the illusions of the drug | state seem to fashion their waking life. it is a debate that goes back decades — is cannabis and essentially harmless recreational substance, certainly no more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, or is it the gateway drug that can have long—term damaging effects, particularly on the young? the answer, at least for lawmakers in malta seems to be the former rather than the latter. they have voted to legalise the drug, allowing adults to carry seven grams and growth up to four plants at home. we have put an end to the criminalization of we are not criminals. secondly, we are going to give, to curb drug trafficking and other trafficking by making sure that people who make use of cannabis now have a safe and regularised way from where they can obtaining cannabis. several countries have already legalised cannabis. canada among them. it allowed recreational use in 2018. and then there are nations that effectively turn a blind eye. the netherlands is famous for its coffee shops where the drug can be openly sold. but malta will be the first country in europe to legalise cannabis, at least in small amounts. i think it is a great idea because it helps people... girl giggling in background. ..with pain and depression. i personally did not agree with it for the simple reason that i think it's going to make us lazier as a society but i do not agree that anyone that is using it for personal use should be jailed. the main opposition party opposed the plan, warning it will normalise and increase drug abuse, but where malta leads, others may follow. luxembourg and germany are also promising changes in the law. tim allman, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: war is over, but a new threat emerges as parents struggled to get help for their malnourished children. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes, but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict — conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border- was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off - from the outside world in order to prevent the details - of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life — the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us congress votes to file criminal charges against donald trump's former chief of staff mark meadows. borisjohnson faces more questions of his leadership after a revolt of his mps and revelations of more lockdown gatherings. the number of people who've died from coronavirus in the united states has passed 800,000, as the country prepares for the impact of the 0micron variant. it comes as the head of the world health organization has issued a new warning about omicron, saying it is spreading far more quickly than any other to date. he told countries around the world — underestimate it at your peril. stephanie prentice reports. it's been three weeks since the first detection of the omicron mutation, but it's likely to be in most countries by now. that's according to the world health organization, who are pushing for increased vaccination, enforced mask wearing, and further social distancing as the new variant moves swiftly around the world. omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. we're concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild. surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could, once again, overwhelm unprepared health systems. 77 countries are now reporting omicron cases with manyjolting into action. the uk has rolled out its plan b measures. and in the netherlands, primary schools are closing early for the holidays. christmas there will once again roll out with less sparkle as a night—time lockdown is extended, limiting house guests to four over christmas and new year's eve. translation: there's a lot we don't know - about omicron yet. more information will be revealed in the coming days and weeks. for example, we do not know yet how sickening this variant is, but what we do know by now is enough to worry us. early data had suggested omicron may be resistant to vaccines, with many countries fearful of hospitals being overwhelmed, but some experts are more optimistic. we're so thankful we're not seeing the same kind of rate of mortality that we did with delta or even the high numbers of overall viral load, which tells us that omicron, fortunately, should be less pathogenic, but that doesn't mean if you're unvaccinated that you should be unworried about it, we still would encourage you certainly to get the vaccine, get your booster. get the vaccine — the sentiment echoed by the who, but with a nod to vaccine inequality in poorer nations. reiterating the fact that when it comes to battling variants, the world is only as strong as its least vaccinated population. stephanie prentice, bbc news. it is four months now since kabul fell to the taliban and they retook control of afghanistan. during that time, the economy has been in freefall and a beleaguered medical system has struggled to cope with the spread of covid. the bbc�*s secunder kermani has been to a hospital in ghor province that's in dire need of supplies for children who are malnourished — some suffering from measles. a nation struggling to survive. a nation struggling to survive. a hospital struggling to cope. their war is over in afghanistan, but hunger is the new threat. these mothers desperately waiting for nutrition packs for their malnourished babies. a million children are at risk of starvation. with international funding cut off following the taliban takeover, afghanistan's a dependent economy is collapsing. life for many here has always been hard, but with food prices and unemployment rising more families than ever recorded are going hungry. we have come to the remote province of ghor, is a ten hour drive to the nearest big city. the snow here picturesque, but there is no less than usual. drought is adding to the crisis. we are visiting the province's only hospital. staff have been paid for the first time in five months after the international committee of the red cross stepped in. but most patients have to buy their own medicines and supplies are so low. ~ ., �* ., medicines and supplies are so low. ~ .,�* ., ._ medicines and supplies are so low. ~ ., �* ., ., , ., low. we don't have anything. no medicines- _ low. we don't have anything. no medicines. how _ low. we don't have anything. no medicines. how difficult - low. we don't have anything. no medicines. how difficult is - low. we don't have anything. no medicines. how difficult is it - medicines. how difficult is it for ou medicines. how difficult is it for you as — medicines. how difficult is it for you as the _ medicines. how difficult is it for you as the doctor? - medicines. how difficult is it for you as the doctor? we i medicines. how difficult is it. for you as the doctor? we are suffering- _ for you as the doctor? we are suffering. sometimes - for you as the doctor? we are suffering. sometimes crying. | for you as the doctor? we are l suffering. sometimes crying. if you want to get an idea of how dysfunctional things he can be, this is a child malnutrition ward. temperatures here can drop to —10 celsius at night, even low at times, they have only got enough wood in this heater to last a couple of hours. it's not just hunger they it's notjust hunger they are battling here. with the onset of winter cases of severe pneumonia are on the rise. a new life born into an uncertain world. even when billions of dollars of international support were coming in, hospitals who were badly under resourced. now staff are doing what they can, but they say they need help. secunder kermani, bbc news, ghor province. time for all the latest sports news. hello, i'm tulsen tollett, and this is your sports news. where we start with football and manchester city have moved four points clear at the top of the premier league after a thumping 7—0 win over leeds united. kevin de bruyne scored two goals coming either side of half—time — his second was an absolute stunnerfrom distance on a night pep guardiola saw his team score for the 500th time under him in the premier league. we play really well as a team. you know, ithink we play really well as a team. you know, i think we started really well. and at the right times without the openings to attack when you score the goals and punish them it gets hard for them. obviously it has been a great game for us. a lot of different guys scored a goal so it gives confidence to everybody. arsenal will play west ham later on wednesday minus their former captain pierre—emerick aubameyang who's been stripped of the armband. the 32—year—old was removed as skipper after his latest disciplinary breach and won't feature in the squad. you accepted the decision. and i think they know because they have committed to it and demanded that we want to take our culture, our demands, and we want to be as a club and how we want to be as a club and how we want to represent this club to a different level and when those standards are not met you know that you cannot participate in the basics. bayern munich�*s lead at the top of the german bundesliga now stands at nine points after they thrashed stuttgart 5—0. four of the goals came in the second half with robert lewandowski claiming his second and bayern�*s fourth of the night, before serge gnabry completed his hatrick with the final goal of the game as his club chase down a 10th successive title. golden state warriors star steph curry became the nba's all time three point scorer when he overtook ray allen's previous mark of 2973 against the new york knicks in the last few hours. the 33—year—old surpassed the mark in the opening quarter at madison square garden and it all came to a standstill as the three—time champion and two—time league mvp, was immediately embraced by his team—mates, coaches, and father before the game continued. after beating phoenix suns on monday, the la clippers will now look to get one over on the utahjazz when they tip off later. victory over the jazz in salt lake city would keep them in touch in the play off places. england head into the second ashes test against australia in adelaide full of belief that they can turn the series around following a comprehensive defeat in brisbane. joe root�*s side lost by nine wickets at the gabba, but with the second game in the five—match series a day—night affair, the captain is optimistic. without turning to cliche, the worst things we just have to do for longer than we could be looking at a very different scoreline. that is the sort of confidence you have to take forward. and i think that's why it doesn't feel like previous tours, leaving brisbane, where we have been absolutely battered and completely on the wrong end of the result. i think we are living there from a slightly different perspective. australia are already in a strong position, although they'll be without the injured josh hazelwood, while travis head will be looking to build on his lightning fast century in the first contest. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, tulsen tollett, and the rest of the team that's your sports news for now. a reminder of our breaking news this hour. the house of representatives has voted to hold donald trump's former chief of staff mark meadow in criminal contempt of congress. mr meadows had refused to comply with a subpoena from a congressional committee investigating the insurrection at the us capitol on january the 6th. more on that strain everything we have covered on our website. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @bbcbaxter. we always love to hear from you. for now, thanks for watching. do stay with us. hello. well, the key message in the weather forecast is that the weather is going to be very settled over the next few days. a big area of high pressure is going to establish itself across the uk, and that means settled conditions, i think, in the run—up to christmas. and on the satellite picture, you can see that area of high pressure across spain, portugal and france. it's building here and it's extending northwards. and as it extends northwards, it's going to push the fronts away to the north as well. but for the time being, we still have quite a few isobars — these pressure lines — so a stronger wind and a weather front close to northern ireland and across western parts of scotland and the north, as well, during the course of wednesday. so, here, it will be at times cloudy, but it's mild with that cloudy, rainy weather, around 8—9 degrees celsius. to the south of that, very mild, too. ten degrees, but it is dry. now, the cloud cover on wednesday will vary considerably across the uk. we still have that weakening weather front in the north west here, so dribs and drabs of rain. and at the very least, it will be cloudy, but plenty of bright if not even sunny weather around merseyside, parts of the midlands, lincolnshire, also northern and eastern parts of scotland. in the south, we have thicker cloud because it's drifting in from the southern climes here. now, this high pressure really will be in place across the uk by thursday. you can see the weather fronts have been pushed to the north, so that means it's drying out right across the uk. still a little bit of rain maybe early in the morning, flirting with the very far north—west of scotland and the northern isles, but you can see the bulk of the country is dry on thursday. and again, a lot of variation in the cloud cover, but wherever you will be on thursday, i think the temperature will be more or less the same, around 10—12 degrees celsius. now, this is what we call a blocking high, and this happens when the jet stream sort of wraps around it in the shape of the greek letter omega. so, you can just about make out that omega shape. when that happens in the atmosphere, things don't tend to move around an awful lot. they get sort of locked in, so that's why that high pressure will lock itself in, across this part of the world, across our shores. so, very little change is expected as we head through friday, through the weekend and into next week as well. that's it from me. this is bbc news, with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. historic highs for us producer prices, but is that enough to push the fed to move faster to curb inflation? and after prices in the uk rose at the highest rate for 10 years in october, today we'll get the november numbers. and nightclubbing just became harder as england requires a covid pass for entry to the dancing. what do the night—time entertainment industry think about that?