but critics still fear she's speaking under duress. first and foremost i must emphasise that i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. switzerland is the latest country to impose restrictions as the omicron variant spreads through europe. the netherlands, france, denmark and ireland have already introduced measures. the british cabinet has also met to discuss a range of possible restrictions. here's borisjohnson. we should keep the data from now on under constant review and keep pulling it hour by hour and unfortunately in the city we would have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public and to protect public health and protect our nhs and we won't hesitate to take that action. in the us, covid cases in new york rose by 60% last week. here's the mayor of new york, bill de blasio. we do know omicron moves very fast and it's very transmissible and it moves fast and we have to move faster. that's why we are focusing even more on vaccination and redo no vaccination helps ijust omicron. so, bottom line, fast spreading variance we are going to see a surge in cases for a few weeks and we think we're going to see it start to trail off. the answer is vaccination. the key question for scientists is still how severe omicron is. here's the head of the eu's infectious diseases agency. in reports that we have are on the i% hospitalisation. nobody in acu or fatalities but it's also take some time as the disease develop so we have to allow for some more time for bed better assessment of mixed blood right now most of the reported cases are either asymptomatic or have mild disease. we still think because of the increased transmissibility and so many people potentially going to be infected that it omicron will still lead to an increased burden on the health care system. let's turn to how countries are responding to omicron. in a moment, we'll hear from our correspondents gary o'donoghue in washington, and andrew harding injohannesburg, but first here's imogen foulkes near the swiss captial bern. across europe, governments are rushing in new covid—i9 restrictions in the netherlands. there is a lockdown. that mark is thinking about a curfew and here in switzerland, doors are closed to the unvaccinated. to get into a bar or restaurant or theatre or museum a football match, or your local gym, you will need their covid—i9 certificate. it shows that you are vaccinated while at that you have recovered from covid—i9. a negative test will not get you in. it is the swiss government's and said to a vaccine hesitancy. a third of the population here still has not had a first vaccine. and infection rates are rising fast. they are far higher than sex—ed and's neighbours friends or entity. but, like last year, this sentiment will not close its ski slopes. they stay open including for now for british tourists but to enjoy any of the skiing everyone will need to covid—i9 certificate. here in north america omicron has been found in almost every state and people now fording our names to get tested ahead of the holidays. scientists whine of a viable blizzard hit the country. average daily covid—i9 infections are running at 160000 and daily covid—19 infections are running at 160000 and that is more than double what they were in early november. vaccination rates are not going up by anything like what the white house wants to see. 0n the half the vaccines are being given today compared to april. in some states, in the south and west, fewer than 50% of eligible adults are double vaccinated. sports and entertainment venues are closing down and in a country that seeing 800,000 covid-19 down and in a country that seeing 800,000 covid—19 baths, president biden will try to seek to persuade the doubters that its masks and vaccines that will stop at number from rising further. in years here in south africa continues to be encouraging. the death rate and hospital admissions are still significantly lower than they were at similar stages of previous waves of the pandemic. there also some encouraging signs that the number of infections which was so genetic here has already began to take off. does that mean that omicron is less severe? that is not clear. for a start the population here is far younger than in britain. and also while vaccination rates here are low, most people have some immunity because of prior infections. it's worth pointing out that masks here continue to be compulsory in public and most people abide by that. the government is not yet imposing any other significant restrictions to handle omicron. anna petherick is co—principal investigator of the oxford university covid government response tracker, which has been tracking how closely people have followed covid rules since 2020.— how has adherence to covid rules changed? it is reassuring. when we started looking at this question we were worried about that idea of pandemic fatigue and behaviour that people simply get sick and tired of putting all of these difficult protective behaviours. and what we found is that yes, there is a drop off from initial adherence for the physical distancing behaviours but we actually saw the opposite trend for mass clearing. and so we try to think about the logic of why this might be the case. in physical distancing is doing difficult things at the gym and each gets harder. it's cost accumulating buts mask wearing is habituating it's like wearing is habituating it's like wearing a seat belt, you get used to it. it wearing a seat belt, you get used to it. , ., wearing a seat belt, you get used to it. , . , ., ., it. it is an understanding of the rules of factor _ it. it is an understanding of the rules of factor here? _ it. it is an understanding of the rules of factor here? the - it. it is an understanding of the rules of factor here? the rules| it. it is an understanding of the - rules of factor here? the rules keep changing them to people he managed to keep track of what they are? $5 to keep track of what they are? is someone who to keep track of what they are? sis someone who co—leads a project where you have a thousand volunteers day after day sometimes it's hard for us to understand government policies. this is a really important part because e—mail messaging and goal orientated messaging help people to stick to the protective behaviours so if i can give you an example there is a study in a tell that compares parts of the country when there was not a clear goal, just keep beating the bees behaviours in another part of the country with a clearly defined goals, when we achieve this and again it's like giving press ups. you just keep giving press ups. you just keep giving them people will not appear as much as if you say it we will do 20 and calm you down.— as much as if you say it we will do 20 and calm you down. what about the behaviour of — 20 and calm you down. what about the behaviour of our _ 20 and calm you down. what about the behaviour of our political _ 20 and calm you down. what about the behaviour of our political leaders? - behaviour of our political leaders? there's a huge amount of attention on what happened a westminster last december and do you think that will have an impact on peoples adherence? i think trust in government is important and we don't actually have brilliant studies on this right now because a would trust data does not keep up with how much things are changing. i'm typically social scientists would say trust in government changes quickly but covid—19 is so relevant to peoples lives that that might not be the case. i think what the payment minister says in terms of clarity and messaging is incredibly important. as the behaviour of all visuals. . ,_ important. as the behaviour of all visuals. . . ., visuals. can we say certain companies _ visuals. can we say certain companies are _ visuals. can we say certain companies are better - visuals. can we say certain companies are better at i visuals. can we say certain - companies are better at following the rules than others? {line companies are better at following the rules than others?— the rules than others? one clear outcome we _ the rules than others? one clear outcome we found _ the rules than others? one clear outcome we found is _ the rules than others? one clear outcome we found is that - the rules than others? one clear. outcome we found is that countries that have high trust in others in society are much better and sticking with the policies and it's the most difficult to stick to policy and to stay at homes and the ones that cost you personally and we think this is because in a certain sense of simple logic and it's only going to create the outcome you want to know infection rate if you believe people you don't know are also doing the same thing and if you don't believe that valuations you be behind individual costs. the bbc has found evidence of atrocities by myanmar�*s military — including torture and mass killings of civilians. map)four villages in kani township in central myanmar were targeted four villages in kani township in central myanmar were targeted over a period of weeks injuly. the united nations says the military�*s oppression points to crimes against humanity. this report by rebecca henschke contains some distressing images from the start. barking. this girl is grieving over her grandfather's body. it's distressing to see. there are clear signs of torture. when the myanmar military entered their village in the kani township, she fled. her grandfather stayed, believing his age would protect him. more bodies were uncovered, close to where her grandfather was found. 12 in total. some were buried in shallow mass graves. the military carried out the mass killings in four villages in kani township. a region that has been a stronghold of opposition to the military regime. in this village,14 people were killed. we have blurred their bodies, as they are too gruesome to show. the man filming finds people he knows. at great risk, our team interviewed a number of eyewitnesses. for their safety, we are hiding their identity. their stories are all similar. translation: they split us - into groups of men and women. men were tied up with ropes and beaten up. i we couldn't stand to watch it, so we kept| our heads down, crying. we begged them not to. they didn't care. they took away everything from us. they asked the women, - "is your husband among them? "if he is, do your last rites." this man managed to escape. translation: 11 others were arrested with me. | they were tied up, beaten with stones and rifle butsl and tortured all day. i told them, made brother cannot even _ i told them, made brother cannot even handle — i told them, made brother cannot even handle a _ i told them, made brother cannot even handle a cattle _ i told them, made brother cannot even handle a cattle pot - i told them, made brother cannot even handle a cattle pot and - i told them, made brother cannot even handle a cattle pot and theyj even handle a cattle pot and they said don't— even handle a cattle pot and they said don't say— even handle a cattle pot and they said don't say anything, - even handle a cattle pot and they said don't say anything, we - even handle a cattle pot and they said don't say anything, we are l said don't say anything, we are tired. _ said don't say anything, we are tired. he — said don't say anything, we are tired, he will— said don't say anything, we are tired, he will kill— said don't say anything, we are tired, he will kill you. - this book to numerous witnesses that described the same thing. they tortured them for hours until their death. �* ., , ., ., . death. and not been made an incident such as this — death. and not been made an incident such as this could _ death. and not been made an incident such as this could happen. _ death. and not been made an incident such as this could happen. it - death. and not been made an incident such as this could happen. it can - such as this could happen. it can happen. we follow our rules with regards to engagement. when they treat us as enemies and open fire on us, we have the right to defend ourselves. the united nations is investigating the mass killings in the hope that future generations, those left behind, will get some kind ofjustice. rebecca henschke, bbc news. let's recap. myanmar has been in turmoil since february first. that's when the military seized power and detained the de facto leader aung san suu kyi, following her party's victory in general elections. protests against the coup were immediate. they started out peaceful, but that wouldn't last. within a week, this was the scene. there was a brutal crackdown, which continues today. rights groups say over 1,000 protesters have died in the past ten months, though that figure is likely to be much higher. soe win than is the head of the bbc�*s burmese service — he has more context on the latest atrocities. unfortunately these are not isolated incidents any more than we have seen and heard from people across myanmar especially in those areas that we just heard in the northwest region where the intense fighting is going on between the military and the local defence forces. when the army troops are under attack by local trips to the military will sending the military will send in reinforcement and large number of troops with heavy weapons and they would scour the area and rounded up many people and these kinds of killings are taking place. just as recently as early this month on the 7th of december we also have reports that ten young men were killed and we have found charred bodies by the local people and we spoke to the witnesses and there was an attack nearby and military sent in reinforcement troops and they rounded up the people and the young people working in the fields and tortured and killed. unfortunately like i said these are not isolated incidents and it's become commonplace. tom andrews is the un special rapporteur on myanmar. this is his reaction. i heard several reports of this kind of brutality. it's very systematic and this is the stock in trade and very often they will surround the village and attack it and separate men and women and very often not on will they torture people but they will force people to watch family members to watch their family being tortured and killed. this is part of a systematic way of terrorising the country and instilling fear and by fear trying to wrestle control of the country but it's having the opposite effect and it's outraging the country and stealing the resolve of those who are opposed to this horrific treatment of the people of myanmar. the defence and prosecution have been making their closing arguments in the trial of ghislaine maxwell. the prosecuction today described her as "partner in crime" tojeffrey epstein. ghislaine maxwell is accused of procuring underage girls for epstein to abuse in the late 90s and early 2000s. for the prosecution us attorney alison said ghislaine maxwell's presence made epstein's approaches to the girls "seem legitimate" — and her acting like his behaviour towards them was normal "lured them into a trap". this is ghislaine maxwell's defence attorney laura menninger arriving at court earlier. four women made allegations against her client during the trial. she said their "memories have been manipulated in aid of the money" — and that ghislaine maxwell was innocent. barbara plett usher is in new york(0s dtl barbara plett usher is in new york help us understand what we heard in court today. this help us understand what we heard in court today-— court today. this was the last time that both sides _ court today. this was the last time that both sides had _ court today. this was the last time that both sides had a _ court today. this was the last time that both sides had a chance - court today. this was the last time that both sides had a chance to tryj that both sides had a chance to try to convince the jurors of their cases before jury retires to decide on a verdict. the prosecution emphasised that glenn maxwell was a person of power and jeffrey epstein's house and she said she was the master of the house and randy's properties and was intimately of what went on and she was involved in this aspect of them. they said she was crucial for the operation because she provided the smiling age appropriate coverfor because she provided the smiling age appropriate cover forjeffrey epstein's creepy behaviour and he went to and recap the testimonies of the four accusers as i wait to illustrate what they said was a playbook by which she and mr epstein operated to recruit and query them these teenagers for sexual abuse by jeffrey epstein and she ended by saying to the jurors if you believe the testimonies of these women and max let his guilty and she went on to talk about the race their testimony had been corroborated by various witnesses and documents and the defence he had been hearing is again repeating that argument that maxwell is a scapegoat forjeffrey epstein who committed suicide in prison and they said after that happened the government pivoted to maxwell and she's being basically charged for his crimes but epstein is not maxwell, the lawyer said and she went on to again undermine the testimony and credibility of the four accusers which has been a very big part of the case. ind four accusers which has been a very big part of the case.— big part of the case. and now the defence in _ big part of the case. and now the defence in the _ big part of the case. and now the defence in the prosecution - big part of the case. and now the defence in the prosecution have i big part of the case. and now the - defence in the prosecution have made their arguments and now awaits? yes. their arguments and now awaits? yes, we thou~ht their arguments and now awaits? yes, we thought this _ their arguments and now awaits? yes, we thought this trial _ their arguments and now awaits? yes we thought this trial is going to take six weeks and did not. there were 12 beings for the court to hear the cases from both sides and after the closing arguments and, the judge is going to be giving instruction forjurors and he will retire to consider the verdict and it's possible that he may get a verdict before christmas. the courts shut down for christmas on thursday and the jurors may come to a conclusion by then. if they do not they will need to come back on monday to consider. police in the philippines say, the number of people who've died after a super typhoon hit last week, has risen to more than 375. the red cross says, it's "carnage" in many areas, with no power, no communications, and very little water. thousands of military, coast guard and fire service personnel, have been deployed, to help in the relief operation. with the latest from the capital manila, here's howard johnson. four days on from super typhoon rai's first landfall in the philippines the extent of the damage it caused is finally becoming clear. nine different islands separated by a distance of more than 800 kilometres all experienced sustained ferocious winds and heavy rain, flattening thousands of homes and flooding vast tracts of land. translation: we appeal for at least some small help to come to us. now is the time we need - a government, a government that is ready to help us| in our current situation. we are waiting for whoever has a kind heart. _ i hope they will help us. the breadth of the destruction and the lack of communication lines, is causing logistical delays in humanitarian support. food, water, fuel and electricity are in limited supply on numerous islands. today, the british government committed nearly $1 million to an appeal by the international federation of the red cross to help the relief effort. the ifrc are hoping to raise a total of more than $20 million. howard johnson, bbc news, manila. some breaking news here in the uk — buckingham palace has announced that the queen has decided to celebrate christmas at windsor, and will not travel to sandringham, where the royal family usually spend christmas. nick witchell is our royal correspondent. do we have any more details on the reason why? i think it would have looked at and felt all wrong at a time when concern about the omicron variance is increasing quite considerably both here in the uk and other countries. for britain's head of state to be seem to have been engaging and taking part in any normal large family gathering and that's how norfolk has stated intention them. the cream makes the field she's in tune with what's happening across the country and she likes to be bad examples on that we are told this is a personal decision after careful consideration and it reflects a precautionary approach by her and we had told downing street was informed by the been consulted so the cream will remain at windsor. now, this would have been herfirst christmas at sandringham surrounded by her family of course since the death of her husband could see the vendor of this year but now as happened last year when as well because of the covid—19 pandemic she was at windsor accompanied by her husband and she will remain at windsor castle and we are told they will be other members of the royal family there so she will not be on her own. , ., , , family there so she will not be on her own. , . , , , her own. presumably if the queens lans her own. presumably if the queens plans change. _ her own. presumably if the queens plans change, quite _ her own. presumably if the queens plans change, quite a _ her own. presumably if the queens plans change, quite a few - her own. presumably if the queens plans change, quite a few other. plans change, quite a few other peoples plans change. i plans change, quite a few other peoples plans change.- peoples plans change. i think it would be taken _ peoples plans change. i think it would be taken as _ peoples plans change. i think it would be taken as indicative. i peoples plans change. i think it i would be taken as indicative. this is as we are led to believe a personalisation and it's not for the cream to be declaring what other people should do but i think the fact that she has taken this decision not to have a family gathering but to have a much smaller christmas gathering at windsor castle and some members of the family will be there with her. many people will follow that example and feet and another indication of how this christmas should be approached. there is still no firm patterns from downing street on that other than the need to be ultra—cautious and it is that precautionary approach that we see evidence in this decision by the queen and buckingham palace. thank you. you can find more reports from me and the team, elsewhere on the bbc. if you're in the uk search for my name on iplayer — in the news category. you can listen to audio versions each week on the bbc sounds app — and on your smart speaker. our videos are on the bbc news website, as well. you can subscribe and listen. or wherever you are in the world you can get over short videos on the website. that is it for the first half of this addition. see you in a few minutes. hello. it's certainly been a pretty chilly and rather murky start in the run—up to christmas. but there will be some changes for a while this week as we see milder air push in from midweek — with it, some wet weather at times, too. but could cold air fight back for christmas, maybe bring a little bit of winteriness? i'll have more on that in just a short while. out there at the moment, though, plenty of cloud in place, but we are seeing a few breaks here and they are, chiefly in the west and on the hills of wales, northern england, scotland — the blue colours indicating these are the areas most likely to see frost — but even with the clouds in place, temperatures still only 1—2 degrees above freezing. so it will be a cold and rather murky start to tomorrow, the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year — so a little bit of positivity there that from this point onwards, the days will start to draw out again, just five hours, 49 minutes of daylight in lowick. but at least for the winter solstice, with a little bit more breeze to the south and the west, optimistic that some more of that cloud will break up — so a bit more sunshine returning across parts of wales, west, maybe southern england, and a bit more sunshine at times in the very far north of scotland. but here, there'll be 1—2 showers for orkney, shetland, also across lewis. another chilly day, 4—8 celsius the high. and that will be followed by a cold night — exception being across ireland, where temperatures actually rise through the night, cloud and rain spreads its way in. but through scotland, england, and wales, widespread blue on the chart — coldest morning of the week with a widespread frost to greet the morning commuters. and then, into wednesday itself, got high pressurejust about holding on, but these weather front starting to bring about that change to something milder — mainly across ireland initially during the morning, northern ireland seeing rain on and off through the day, spreading in across parts of southern scotland into the isle of man, wales, and through western parts of england before the day is out. much of england staying dry, a good part of northern scotland will stay dry. still chilly in these areas, but 9—10 celsius as that mild air pushes in through wednesday afternoon. into thursday, the mild air�*s just about with us all, could be a bit of snow for a time across the scottish mountains, but it'll be rain on thursday as that becomes confined to scotland through the day. turning drier and brighter across the rest of the country through thursday, and notice the temperatures — 12—13 celsius in the south, only 6—7 celsius in the north. and it'll be that battle towards the end of the week, christmas eve and christmas day. cold air trying to push in from the north, mild air from the south — the greatest chance of a white christmas is, for some, in parts of scotland. no guarantees, but that dividing line could be crucial. and we'll keep you up—to—date as we go through the week. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. switzerland has become the latest country to introduce new covert max restrictions, including a mandatory order to work from home. this is as the omicron variant spreads through europe. the uk continues to report new numbers of infections, but boris johnson decided against tighter rules for england for the moment. unfortunately, i must say to people we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public. the possibility of taking further action to protect the public.— possibility of taking further action to protect the public. the bbc has been reporting — to protect the public. the bbc has been reporting on _ to protect the public. the bbc has been reporting on the _ to protect the public. the bbc has been reporting on the deadly - been reporting on the deadly repression of civilians being carried out in myanmar after the military seized power. also, the chinese tennis star peng shuai has retracted an accusation of sexual assault, but critics still say they fear she is speaking under duress. translation: first fear she is speaking under duress. translation:— fear she is speaking under duress. translation: first and foremost, i must emphasise _ translation: first and foremost, i must emphasise i _ translation: first and foremost, i must emphasise i have _ translation: first and foremost, i must emphasise i have never - translation: first and foremost, i must emphasise i have never said i translation: first and foremost, | | must emphasise i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. let's turn to covid in the uk. borisjohnson says he won't hesitate to introduce further covid measures in england as cases of the omicron variant continue to surge. he is saying he will not introduce those measures yet. ministers are considering three options for covid options. let's begin by curing from the prime minister. we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, nd to protect apublic health, protect our nhs. and we won't hesitate to take that action. but in the meantime, but i would say to everybody is, please exercise caution as you go about your lives. please think of the guidance, and think of protecting yourself and your loved ones. and please get a booster — please get a vaccination! borisjohnson is facing considerable opposition from within his own party. this is the conservative mp mark harper. he says... then there's borisjohnson's brexit former minister, lord frost, who resigned at the weekend. he spoke to reporters earlier. i left the government because, as i think is well known, i couldn't support certain policies — most recently on the covid restrictions, and plan b. and if you're a minister, you have the support collective responsibility, you have to support decisions of the government — and i couldn't, so that's why i had to leave. then, there's this photo. taken in may 2020 during the first lockdown, it shows mrjohnson, his wife, and 17 staff members in the downing street garden with bottles of wine and a cheese board. borisjohnson was asked about this earlier. those were people at work — those were meeting with people at work, talking about this is where i live and where i work. those were meetings with people at work, talking about work. and i really think it's vital that we focus, if we can, on the messages we're trying to get across today. bbc reality check tells us what the rules were at the time... the law at the time did not mention socialising with colleagues. so if this was a work meeting, it wasn't breaking the rules. here's the view of the leader of the opposition, keir starmer. everybody will have looked at that photograph. - and to suggest that that is a work meeting is a bit of a stretch - by anybody's analysis. so i think there are very serious questions to be answered — - but just look at the photo and ask yourself, "is that _ a work meeting going on, or is that a social event?" and i think the answer is pretty obvious. - on friday, a conservative mp told the financial times... damian grammaticas is in westminster. i guess picking up on that last point, whether this picture shows a breaking of the rules or otherwise, it feeds into a broader perception that's growing of how borisjohnson and his colleagues have adhered to the rules? i and his colleagues have adhered to the rules? ., and his colleagues have adhered to the rules? ~ ., �*, the rules? i think that's the significance _ the rules? i think that's the significance of _ the rules? i think that's the significance of it, _ the rules? i think that's the i significance of it, absolutely, because the rules are sort of complicated, and technically this was a private garden, therefore not covered by the rules about the fact you could only meet one person in a public space. that makes it all much more difficult. but that doesn't change the fact that what people see when they look at this picture, at a time when they faced restrictions and what you see here are people here in downing street standing around, sitting around, bottles of wine and cheese — and that, as you say, focuses again on this issue that has been so damaging to the prime minister, which is about the actions of his own staff and his own actions, and whether rules have been broken, whether they have been telling the country one thing and doing something different. so questions of leadership, of one rule for them, questions of leadership, of one rule forthem, one questions of leadership, of one rule for them, one rule for us, and questions of integrity — and all of that, of course, right at the moment when he is looking at bringing in and discussing what to do, potentially bringing in new restrictions and what to do with this new variant. so a very, very difficult moment, and that picture added to it. difficult moment, and that picture added to it-_ difficult moment, and that picture added to it. . ., ., ., added to it. where have we gotten to with the investigation _ added to it. where have we gotten to with the investigation whether - added to it. where have we gotten to with the investigation whether rules i with the investigation whether rules were broken and downing street last year? because the man in charge of it as had to recuse himself — is that right? it as had to recuse himself - is that right?— it as had to recuse himself - is thatriuht? , , that right? yes, embarrassingly, the man ut in that right? yes, embarrassingly, the man put in charge — that right? yes, embarrassingly, the man put in charge of _ that right? yes, embarrassingly, the man put in charge of it, _ that right? yes, embarrassingly, the man put in charge of it, the - that right? yes, embarrassingly, the man put in charge of it, the top - man put in charge of it, the top civil servant in the government — it emerged there had been a party in his own office, and he therefore had to step down. that party had included invitations sent out to the christmas party, as it was titled. we understand he was aware of it, he was actually around at the time — he may not have really taken part, but he said he'd at least look in on what was going on. so that put them in a pretty difficult position, and questions too about why he had not raised this earlier and recused himself, saying "i can't do this." he's now had to step outside, and another civil servant is looking into this, which of course opposition parties have cried foul about, saying, "this is a junior now looking into the actions of a senior and other people in the same office," and they want someone like a judge or someone to look into it. at the moment, that civil servant is investigating. it's all got very complicated and delayed. thanks for takin: us complicated and delayed. thanks for taking us through _ complicated and delayed. thanks for taking us through it. _ england's premier league says it will carry on with fixtures as planned — despite covid forcing six out of ten matches to be cancelled this weekend. the christmas period is one of the busiest times of the football season, with 30 matches scheduled. here's olly foster from bbc sport. the premier league says, "look, we carry on. if you have 13 fit players, including a goalkeeper, as well, you will have to fulfil that fixture." there were some managers and clubs wanting this circuit break, clubs who have been hit very hard by covid in their squads over the last fortnight or so, especially over the weekend, wanting the circuit break of a couple of weeks. the trouble is, you mentioned these festive fixtures that we've got coming up — it's a traditional thing in england, the league does not stop, and many clubs will be playing at least 3—4 a week over the next week—and—a—half. i spoke to a colleague in germany, and they are looking at what's happening in england with some surprise. it's very handy that a lot of the major european leagues are going into a natural circuit break, they have their winter breaks coming up. but some of them, and certainly the perspective from germany, as they cannot believe the premier league is carrying on, especially in front of sometimes full houses with fans being allowed in, as well. the hospitality industry in the uk has warned that financial support chile's currency has plummeted to its lowest level on record, 2a hours after presidential elections shifted the country to the left. on sunday, chileans elected their youngest ever leader, gabriel boric — he defeated a far—right rival in a race between very different political visions. mr boric is 35. he claimed victory with this promise. translation: we are going to expand social rights, and we will do it - with fiscal responsibility. we will do it while taking care of our macroeconomy. we will do it well, and that will allow us to improve pensions and health without having to go backwards afterwards. and we will have a balanced congress — that is already a reality, which means both an invitation and an obligation to dialogue. this was the result. gabriel boric received 56% of the vote. ultra conservative, jose antonio kast, received 44%. he'd conceded even before the final result was known. and santiago erupted in celebrations. tens of thousands lined the capital. many of them carrying pro—boric signs. the bbc�*s katy watson was there. people here are coming in droves to celebrate the victory of gabriel boric. now this is a new era for chile, a new kind of president — a 35—year—old former student leader who is now the leader of his own country. and many people feel this is a natural conclusion of the past two years — first, protests, huge demands for change in this country that has traditionally been very economically stable, yet hugely unequal. and then, a push for a new constitution — chileans voted last year overwhelmingly to rip up the old dictatorship—era constitution and, instead, draught a more modern, more representative one. and of course, now a new leader, a man who has risen from those demands for change. but his big challenge will be to unite those millions of chileans who voted for the other side. these elections have been deeply polarised — a far—right candidate, a man who was likened to brazil's jair bolsonaro to donald trump, a man who praised the country's dictatorship. that caused huge divisions in this country. he has, of course, congratulated gabriel boric saying that he demands respect and collaboration, and the first, most important thing is, of course, chile. celebrations continued into the night. gabriel boric is celebrating many firsts. at 35, he's chile's youngest president. he's the first to be elected from outside the political mainstream. he's also the first to win the second round of voting after losing the first round. and one of his first promises is addressing growing inequality in chile. this was one of the catalysts for huge protests over the past two years. chile, once one of the most stable economies in latin america, has one of the world's largest income gaps. according to the un, just 1% of the population own a quarter of the country's wealth. jorge garreton is a chilean journalist and joins me from vina del mar city. thank you very much for your time. help us to understand the policies that will be pursued by the new president, what will he do to address inequality? president, what will he do to address ineuuali ? . , , address inequality? inequality needs to be addressed _ address inequality? inequality needs to be addressed by _ address inequality? inequality needs to be addressed by increasing - to be addressed by increasing taxation, by increasing taxation of companies, royalties charged two of the large mining conglomerates that basically take the wealth of chile basically take the wealth of chile basically tax—free. those are some of the major things that need to be implemented asap, increased taxation level to about 25% currently, just around 20% of gdp. so increasing the taxation level, increasing royalty levels are some of the elements that gabriel boric�*s government will implement for the social agenda. but let's also not forget that chile has some $20 billion overseas in trust funds that could be repatriated to implement the recovery of the economy. implement the recovery of the economy-— implement the recovery of the econom. ., ., ., , economy. now that is an ambitious arenda - economy. now that is an ambitious agenda - will— economy. now that is an ambitious agenda - will have _ economy. now that is an ambitious agenda - will have enough - economy. now that is an ambitious agenda - will have enough power l economy. now that is an ambitious| agenda - will have enough power as agenda — will have enough power as president to do it? i imagine there'll be some in chilean society and big corporations who don't want those policies. {iii and big corporations who don't want those policies.— those policies. of course not, and that will be _ those policies. of course not, and that will be difficult _ those policies. of course not, and that will be difficult in _ those policies. of course not, and that will be difficult in congress. i that will be difficult in congress. right now it is a tight congress, particularly in the senate which is divided 50—50 between incoming right—wing coalition and the centreleft, i wouldn't say coalition, but parties that are part of the centreleft that will work with the new government on a similar agenda, of introducing taxation systems, into using social welfare, increasing the health education and pension funds. increasing the health education and pension funds-— pension funds. finally, iwas mentioning _ pension funds. finally, iwas mentioning the _ pension funds. finally, iwas mentioning the defeated - pension funds. finally, iwas mentioning the defeated far| pension funds. finally, i was - mentioning the defeated far right candidate got 44%, so still a significant vote. are we looking at a polarised country at the moment? let's not forget that in 1990, during the referendum to affirm or dismiss pinot shea, the chilean dictator, the same 44% voted for him to remain until 1997. the right wing here in chile is strong and solid, but it's never been a strong, he had not been rekindled until they were able to bring together as they were during the last campaign. thank you ve much during the last campaign. thank you very much for— during the last campaign. thank you very much for your _ during the last campaign. thank you very much for your help. _ stay with us on outside source. still to come: a high—profile chinese social media influencer has been fined $210 million for tax evasion. in ethiopia, to grand forces say they've withdrawn all their troops from major democrat neighbouring reasons and hope this will lead to a cease—fire. the civil war has killed thousands of civilians and left 9 million people in need of food aid. here's the latest from the bbc. this is hardly a surrise latest from the bbc. this is hardly a surprise because _ latest from the bbc. this is hardly a surprise because in _ latest from the bbc. this is hardly a surprise because in the - latest from the bbc. this is hardly a surprise because in the last - latest from the bbc. this is hardly a surprise because in the last few| a surprise because in the last few weeks, we've been seeing government forces making significant advances, managing to recapture most of the major cities. at the time, that the grand forces were making strategic adjustments. but it seemed that the government forces were pushing them back. so now, they are saying that they've withdrawn all these troops from neighbouring regions and to give peace a chance, and to allow an immediate cease—fire and possibly to continue peace talks. so this is coming as yet another development, and other deterrent in this conflict that's been marked by different twists since november last year. there's not been any substantial reaction from the government, but what they've been saying in the last weeks as they want to clear them away from the areas... but you must remember that as early as last november, to grand forces were saying that they were ready to advance on audi sababa, the talks are not necessarily because of the government collapsing. now it seems it is the government's turned to respond to these settlements, and so far we've not heard any official statements from the government. but we will have to wait and see how things end up in the next couple days. this is outside source, live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... switzerland is the latest country to introduce new covid restrictions as the omicron variant spreads through europe. we bring you the biggest stories from around the world on outside source. the chinese tennis star, peng shuai, appears to have retracted an accusation of sexual assaul that she made against a former chinese vice premier. here she is in the video interview. translation: first and foremost, j i must emphasise i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. that's a very important point. the weibo post is my own personal issue. i know there are many misunderstandings, but there is no distorted interpretation. in a statement, the women's tennis association said it was "good to see' her in �*a public setting', but said these appearances do not alleviate their "significant concerns about her well—being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion." the wta says it still wants a "full, fair and transparent investigation" into her allegation of sexual assault. the bbc�*s robin brant is in beijing. the most interesting thing is that she said, during the interview, that her story wasn't true. she recanted what she'd appeared to say back in that post on weibo, which is like china's twitter, back in the beginning of november. she said in this interview the other day, "i have never said nor written that anyone had sexually assaulted me." now back in that posting, originally in chinese but translated into english in the first few days of november — she said that a man named zhang gaoli, a senior chinese communist party official here, had forced her to have sex with him before they had a consensual relationship. so this isn'tjust her claiming that things were untrue or inaccurate, this was a recanting of the story. just to recap — peng shuai is a former world number one in the women's tennis doubles. in november she put this post on social media on weibo, alleging that a former senior official in the chinese government had sexually assaulted her. and not just any senior official. zhang gaoli is a former vice premier — he had been one of seven people on the politburo standing committee who run china. after that, ms peng vanished from public life for three weeks and there was worldwide concern about her safety. the international olympics committee also spoke to ms peng twice in video calls in which she reportedly said she was safe and well. the wta spearheaded calls for an investigation into her claims. the wta has challenged the veracity of the email and suspended all of its tournaments in china. here's robin brant again. this event in shanghai was clearly managed event. she appeared alongside a handful of other sports personalities, gave this apparent interview, then she was gone. we've seen her at a handful of other events in beijing a couple of weeks ago that were also managed events — a tennis tournament, she appeared at a restaurant, as well — and then, as you said, we saw that still of her zoom, essentially, with the ioc president. so they are managed events, and there are ongoing concerns about her safety, or security and, crucially here in china in particular, her ability to speak freely. staying with china — a top chinese live—streamer has been fined $210 million for tax evasion. huang wei, known as viya, is famous for her ability to sell "anything" by livestreaming on the taobao live platform — from noodles to a commercial rocket launch. viya has more than 80 million followers on taobao, and another 18 million on weibo. she was fined for hiding personal income and other offences in 2019 and 2020. let's bring in the bbc�*s china media analyst kerry allen. tell us more about what viya is doing to generate those figures. irate doing to generate those figures. 7 cannot underestimate how much of a star viya is in china. china has a huge life streaming industry of more than 400 million people. she was very much known as china's life streaming queen. she could sell literally anything online, and she was growing very rapidly. she also did a lot last year with reviving wuhan's economy, back at the beginning of the covid—19 pandemic. this was literally when she sold this rocket launch. so she was able to bring loads of money for wuhan, she's appeared on state tv constantly. yet there were signals that life streaming, the whole industry was coming under scrutiny from china becausejust in general, there were these earlier finds targeting other life streamers, and earlier this month there was one of her companies that she owned suddenly closed, so people were asking, could she be under suspicion of tax evasion herself? ijust asking, could she be under suspicion of tax evasion herself?— of tax evasion herself? i 'ust need to understand * of tax evasion herself? i 'ust need to understand how_ of tax evasion herself? i 'ust need to understand how this _ of tax evasion herself? ijust need to understand how this works - i of tax evasion herself? ijust need to understand how this works - a l to understand how this works — a live stream or has followers, companies approach them and ask if they could help sell the products? very much so, or she co—operates with local media. in a way, it's china's answer to platforms like instagram live, where people can go live on video platforms or appear on e—commerce platforms doing live streams. she's brought in tens of millions of viewers to her lifestream, so they are extreme and popular, more popular than some tv shows. literally she generates his huge audience, works with local companies to market products. almost like an online auction, people will start to buy these products and she generates quite a lot of money for companies, but also herself. evidently so. stay with us. this is part of beijing's widespread crackdown on celebrity culture, which has included banning celebrities from showing off their wealth on social media. this is zheng shuang, one of china's top tv actresses. she was fined £34 million by beijing authorities, and and tv producers were ordered not to cast her in future roles. there have been others, too. what is the reason that celebrities are being clamped down on in a way they were not previously? iii are being clamped down on in a way they were not previously?— they were not previously? if you think in general— they were not previously? if you think in general in _ they were not previously? if you think in general in china, - they were not previously? if you think in general in china, it's - they were not previously? if you think in general in china, it's a l think in general in china, it's a communist country, and life streaming is this new lucrative way of being able to influence how people spend their money. so someone like viya, who has this huge following and literally can attract young audiences and encourage them how to stay there that spend their money, it puts companies and positive lights and the influence that comes off the back of that that the government isn't too impressed with, and it wants to make sure that stars like this, much across the whole celebrity industry as a whole, are socially responsible. so some people are asking, was she getting too popular and too influential, and could that be a problem with? horror could that be a problem with? now she's been hit _ could that be a problem with? now she's been hit with _ could that be a problem with? now she's been hit with a very large tax bill — is at the end of her life streaming career, or can she simply settle the bill and continue making lots of money? she settle the bill and continue making lots of money?— settle the bill and continue making lots of money? she could settle the bill, she's lots of money? she could settle the bill. she's got _ lots of money? she could settle the bill. she's got a _ lots of money? she could settle the bill, she's got a deadline _ lots of money? she could settle the bill, she's got a deadline to - lots of money? she could settle the bill, she's got a deadline to be - bill, she's got a deadline to be able to do so. but at the same time, her weibo account has now gone off—line, yet her account has been dash the account has been cancelled. china has a big cancel culture, so if there's one scandal behind this celebrity, they could quickly fall out of the limelight. but she's almost china's equivalent of someone like kyliejenner, kim kardashian. thank you very much, always good to have you on outside source. a quick reminder before we wrap up this hour of the programme with our lead story: new covid resurgence surgeons have come into force in a number of different european countries, all connected with the spread of omicron. in switzerland, authorities have implement it a mandatory work from home and barring people from sharing spaces. in ireland, 8pm curfew for all bars and restaurants, and in the netherlands, it's had its first working day under strict lockdown. we should say boris johnson says he's not ruled out taking further action, but at the moment, new restrictions are not coming in. thanks very much for watching, see you soon, bye—bye. hello. it's certainly been a pretty chilly and rather murky start in the run—up to christmas. but there will be some changes for a while this week as we see milder air push in from midweek — with it, some wet weather at times, too. but could cold air fight back for christmas, maybe bring a little bit of winteriness? i'll have more on that in just a short while. out there at the moment, though, plenty of cloud in place, but we are seeing a few breaks here and they are, chiefly in the west and on the hills of wales, northern england, scotland — the blue colours indicating these are the areas most likely to see frost — but even with the clouds in place, temperatures still only 1—2 degrees above freezing. so it will be a cold and rather murky start to tomorrow, the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year — so a little bit of positivity there that from this point onwards, the days will start to draw out again, just five hours, 49 minutes of daylight in lowick. but at least for the winter solstice, with a little bit more breeze to the south and the west, optimistic that some more of that cloud will break up — so a bit more sunshine returning across parts of wales, west, maybe southern england, and a bit more sunshine at times in the very far north of scotland. but here, there'll be 1—2 showers for orkney, shetland, also across lewis. another chilly day, 4—8 celsius the high. and that will be followed by a cold night — exception being across ireland, where temperatures actually rise through the night, cloud and rain spreads its way in. but through scotland, england, and wales, widespread blue on the chart — coldest morning of the week with a widespread frost to greet the morning commuters. and then, into wednesday itself, got high pressurejust about holding on, but these weather front starting to bring about that change to something milder — mainly across ireland initially during the morning, northern ireland seeing rain on and off through the day, spreading in across parts of southern scotland into the isle of man, wales, and through western parts of england before the day is out. much of england staying dry, a good part of northern scotland will stay dry. still chilly in these areas, but 9—10 celsius as that mild air pushes in through wednesday afternoon. into thursday, the mild air�*s just about with us all, could be a bit of snow for a time across the scottish mountains, but it'll be rain on thursday as that becomes confined to scotland through the day. turning drier and brighter across the rest of the country through thursday, and notice the temperatures — 12—13 celsius in the south, only 6—7 celsius in the north. and it'll be that battle towards the end of the week, christmas eve and christmas day. cold air trying to push in from the north, mild air from the south — the greatest chance of a white christmas is, for some, in parts of scotland. no guarantees, but that dividing line could be crucial. and we'll keep you up—to—date as we go through the week. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. switzerland is the latest country to introduce new covid restrictions, including a mandatory order to work from home, as the omicron variant spreads through europe. the uk continues to report record numbers of new infections — but borisjohnson decides against tighter rules for the moment. i must say to people we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public. we have a special report on the deadly repression of civilians carried out in myanmar — after the miiltary seized power. the chinese tennis star peng shuai retracts an accusation of sexual assault — but critics still fear she's speaking under duress. first and foremost i must emphasise that i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. we can bring you an update on the pandemic from lots of different countries. switzerland is the latest country to impose restrictions as the omicron variant spreads through europe. the netherlands, france, denmark and ireland have already introduced measures. the british cabinet has also met to discuss a range of possible restrictions. here's borisjohnson. we agreed we should keep the data from now on under constant review, keep following it hour by hour, and, unfortunately, i must say to people we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public and to protect public health, to protect our nhs, and we won't hesitate to take that action. in the us, covid cases in new york rose by 60% last week. here's the mayor of new york, bill de blasio. we do know that omicron moves very fast, it is very transmissible. it moves fast, we have to move faster, that is why we are focusing even more on vaccination, and we do know that vaccination helps address omicron. so, bottom line, fast breading variant, we are going to see a surge so, bottom line, fast spreading variant, we are going to see a surge in cases for a few weeks, then we think we are going to see it start to trail off. the answer is vaccination. the key question for scientists is still how severe omicron is. here's the head of the eu's infectious diseases agency. in reports that we have are on the 1% hospitalisation. nobody in icu orfatalities but it also takes some time as the disease develops so we have to allow for some more time for better assessment of that. right now, most of the reported cases are either asymptomatic or have mild disease. we still think because of the increased transmissibility and so many people potentially going to be infected, that omicron will still lead to an increased burden on the health care system. let's turn to how countries are responding to omicron. in a moment, we'll hear from our correspondents gary o'donoghue in washington, and andrew harding injohannesburg, but first here's imogen foulkes near the swiss captial bern. across europe, governments are rushing in new covid restrictions. in the netherlands, there is a lockdown, denmark is thinking about a curfew, and here in switzerland, doors are closed to the unvaccinated. to get into a bar or restaurant, a theatre or a museum, a football match or your gym, you will need the covid certificate. it shows whether you are vaccinated or whether you've recovered from covid. a negative test won't get you in. it's the swiss government's answer to the vaccine hesitancy. a third of the population here still hasn't had a firstjab, and infection rates are rising fast. they are far higher than switzerland's neighbours france or italy, but like last year, switzerland went — won't close its ski slopes. they are closed now including for british tourists, but to enjoy any of the apres ski, people will need that certificate. here in north america, omicron has been found in almost every state, with people forming long queues to get tested, ahead of the holidays. scientists are warning of a viral blizzard hitting the country but vaccination rates are not going up by anything like what the white house wants to see. only half the jabs are being given compared to april. in some states, in the south and west, fewer than 50% of eligible adults are double jabbed. sporting and entertainment venues are closing down, and in a country that has seen 800,000 covid deaths, president biden will try this week to persuade the doubters that it is masks and vaccines that will stop that number rising further. the news here in south africa continues to be encouraging. the death rate and hospital admissions are still significantly lower than they were at similar stages of previous waves of the pandemic. there are also some encouraging signs that the number of infections, which rose so dramatically here, is already beginning to tail off. does that mean that omicron is less severe? that is not clear. for a start, the population here is far younger than say in britain, and also, while vaccination rates here are low, most people have some immunity because of prior infections. it is worth pointing out that masks here continue to be compulsory in public, and most people abide by that. the government however is not yet imposing any other significant restrictions to handle omicron. anna petherick is part of a group at oxford university which has been tracking how closely people have followed covid rules since 2020. she told me how she's seen that change during the pandemic. it's quite reassuring, actually, in some ways. when we started looking at this question we were worried about the idea of pandemic fatigue. the idea people would simply get sick and tired of following all of these difficult protective behaviours. what we found is, yes, there is a drop off from initial adherents for the physical distance and behaviours. these are individually quite costly. but we saw the opposite trend for mask wearing. we tried to think about the logic of why this might be the case. physical distancing is kind of like doing difficult things at the gym, each press up is harder, discussed accumulating. but mask wearing is habituated, like wearing a seat belt or a helmet or something, you get used to it. ., �* , or a helmet or something, you get used to it. . �* , , used to it. that's interesting. i must ask _ used to it. that's interesting. i must ask you. _ used to it. that's interesting. i must ask you, is _ used to it. that's interesting. i must ask you, is an _ used to it. that's interesting. i - must ask you, is an understanding of the rule is a factor? as the rules keep changing our people tracking them? i keep changing our people tracking them? . ., keep changing our people tracking them? .., , keep changing our people tracking them? , ., ., them? i can say is someone who co-leads a _ them? i can say is someone who co-leads a project _ them? i can say is someone who co-leads a project where - them? i can say is someone who co-leads a project where we - them? i can say is someone who | co-leads a project where we have co—leads a project where we have 1000 volunteers day after day coding public policy, sometimes it is hard for us to understand. this is an important point. we know that clear messaging and goal orientated messaging and goal orientated messaging helps people to stick to the behaviours. if i can give you an example quickly, there is a study in italy that compares part of the country where there wasn't a clear goal, just keep doing all of these behaviours, where another part of the country had clearly defined goals. again, it is kind of like doing press ups. if you say keep doing press ups. if you say keep doing them, people don't adhere nearly as much compared with, we will do 20 and countdown. ltirel’hat nearly as much compared with, we will do 20 and countdown. what about the behaviour— will do 20 and countdown. what about the behaviour of _ will do 20 and countdown. what about the behaviour of our _ will do 20 and countdown. what about the behaviour of our political - the behaviour of our political leaders? there is a lot of attention of what —— on what happened in westminster last december. do you think that will have an impact on peoples adherents? i think that will have an impact on peoples adherents?— think that will have an impact on peoples adherents? i think trust in government _ peoples adherents? i think trust in government is _ peoples adherents? i think trust in government is important. - peoples adherents? i think trust in government is important. we - peoples adherents? i think trust in | government is important. we don't have brilliant studies on this right now because a lot of our trust data doesn't keep up with how much things are changing. typically, social scientists would say that trust in government doesn't change quickly. but i think covid is so relevant to peoples lives that that might not be the case. i do think what the prime minister says in terms of clarity and messaging is incredibly important, as is the behaviour of all leaders around the world. let’s all leaders around the world. let's brin: ou all leaders around the world. let's bring you more — all leaders around the world. let's bring you more on _ all leaders around the world. let's bring you more on the _ all leaders around the world. let's bring you more on the uk - all leaders around the world. let's bring you more on the uk and covid. in the uk, borisjohnson says he won't hesitate to introduce further covid measures in england as cases of the omicron variant continue to surge. the bbc has been told that ministers are considering three options for covid restrictions, ranging in severity. here is the prime minister. we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, and to protect public health, and to protect public health, and to protect our nhs. we won't hesitate to take that action. in the meantime, what i would say to everybody is please exercise caution as you go about your lives. please think of the guidance. protecting yourself and your loved ones. please get a booster. please get in vaccination.— get a booster. please get in vaccination. , vaccination. boris johnson is facing considerable _ vaccination. boris johnson is facing considerable opposition _ vaccination. boris johnson is facing considerable opposition within - vaccination. boris johnson is facing considerable opposition within hisl considerable opposition within his own party. then there's boris johnson's brexit former minister lord frost, who resigned at the weekend. he spoke to reporters earlier. i left the government because, as i think is well known, i couldn't support certain policies — most recently on the covid restrictions, and plan b. and if you're a minister, you have the support collective responsibility, you have to support decisions of the government — and i couldn't, so that's why i had to leave. —— and if you're a minister, you have to support collective responsibility, you have to support decisions of the government — and i couldn't, so that's why i had to leave. then, there's this photo. taken in may 2020 during the first lockdown, it shows mrjohnson, his wife and 17 staff members in the downing street garden with bottles of wine and a cheese board. borisjohnson was asked about this earlier. those were people at work. this is where i live and where i work. those were meetings at work talking about work. i think it is vital that we focus, if we can, the messages we are trying to get across today. bbc reality check tells us what the rules were at the time , the law at the time did not mention socialising with colleagues. so, if this was a work meeting, it wasn't breaking the rules. here's the view of the leader of the opposition, keir starmer. everybody will have looked at that photograph. and to suggest that that is a work meeting is a bit of a stretch by anybody's analysis. so i think there are very serious questions to be answered — but just look at the photo and ask yourself, "is that a work meeting going on, or is that a social event?" and i think the answer is pretty obvious. this follows multiple controversies over events at downing street during the pandemic. here's our westminster correspondent damian grammaticas the rules, you were explaining there, are sort of complicated and technically this was a private garden and therefore not covered by the rules that you could only meet one person in a public space, that makes it all much more difficult, but that doesn't change the fact that what people see when they look at this picture is a time when they faced restrictions and what you see here are people in downing street standing around, sitting around, with bottles of wine and cheese. that, as you say, focuses, again, on this issue that has been so damaging for the prime minister, which is about the actions of his own staff and his own downing street and his own actions and whether rules have been broken, whether they have been telling the country one thing and doing something different. so questions of leadership, questions of one rule for them, one rule for us, questions of integrity and all of that, of course, right at the moment when he is looking at bringing in and discussing what to do and bringing in potential new restrictions telling people what they have to do with this new variant, so very, very difficult moment, and that picture adding to it. we will talk about the trial of ghislaine maxwell as there were closing arguments today in new york. buckingham palace has announced that the queen has decided to celebrate christmas at windsor — and will not travel to sandringham, where the royal family usually spend christmas. here's nicolas witchell on the reasons why. to put it quite plainly, it would have looked and felt all wrong at a time when concern about the omicron variant is increasing quite considerably both here in the united kingdom and in other countries for britain's head of state to be seen to have been engaging and taking part in her normal large family gathering at her norfolk estate in sandringham. now, the queen always likes to feel that she is in tune with what is happening across the country, she likes to lead by example, so now we are told that this was a personal decision after careful consideration, it reflects a precautionary approach by her. we are told that downing street was informed rather than consulted. so the queen will remain at windsor. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. switzerland is the latest country to introduce new covid restrictions as the omicron variant spreads through europe. the bbc has found evidence of atrocities by myanmar�*s military — including torture and mass killings of civilians. four villages in kani township in central myanmar were targeted over a period of weeks injuly. the united nations says the military�*s oppression points to crimes against humanity. this report by rebecca henschke contains some distressing images from the start. barking this girl is grieving over her grandfather's body. it's distressing to see. there are clear signs of torture. when the myanmar military entered their village in the kani township, she fled. her grandfather stayed, believing his age would protect him. more bodies were uncovered, close to where her grandfather was found. 12 in total. some were buried in shallow mass graves. the military carried out the mass killings in four villages in kani township. a region that has been a stronghold of opposition to the military regime. in this village, 14 people were killed. we have blurred their bodies, as they are too gruesome to show. the man filming finds people he knows. at great risk, our team interviewed a number of eyewitnesses. for their safety, we are hiding their identity. their stories are all similar. translation: they split us into groups of men and women. men were tied up with - ropes and beaten up. we couldn't stand to watch it, so we kept| our heads down, crying. we begged them not to. they didn't care. they took away everything from us. they asked the women, - "is your husband among them? "if he is, do your last rites." this man managed to escape. translation: 11 others were arrested with me. they were tied up, beaten with stones and rifle butsl and tortured all day. i put our evidence to the military�*s spokesperson. translation: i'm not denying that incidents | such as this can happen. it can happen. _ when they treat us as enemies and open fire on us, _ we have the right. to defend ourselves. the united nations is investigating the mass killings in the hope that future generations, those left behind, will get some kind ofjustice. rebecca henschke, bbc news. myanmar has been in turmoil since february 1st. that's when the military seized power and detained the de facto leader aung san suu kyi, following her party's victory in general elections. protests against the coup were immediate. they started out peaceful. but that wouldn't last. within a week — this was the scene. there was a brutal crackdown, which continues today. rights groups say over 1,000 protesters have died in the past ten months, though that figure is likely to be much higher. soe win than is the head of the bbc�*s burmese service, he has more context on the latest atrocities. unfortunately these are not isolated incidents any more than we have seen and heard from people across myanmar especially in those areas that we just heard in the northwest region where the intense fighting is going on between the military and the local defence forces. when the army troops are under attack by local troops to the military will send in reinforcement and large number of troops with heavy weapons and they would scour the area and rounded up many people and these kinds of killings are taking place. just as recently as early this month on the 7th of december we also have reports that ten young men were killed and we have found charred bodies by the local people and we spoke to the witnesses and there was an attack nearby and military sent in reinforcement troops and they rounded up the people and the young people working in the fields and tortured and killed. unfortunately like i said these are not isolated incidents and it's become commonplace. tom andrews is the un special rapporteur on myanmar. this is his reaction. i have heard several reports of this kind of brutality. it is very systematic. this is their stock in trade. very often they will surround a village, they will attack it, they will separate men and women and then very often not only will they torture people but they will force people to watch, family members, to watch their family being tortured and killed. this is part of a systematic way of terrorising a country and instilling fear and, by fear, trying to wrestle control of the country, but it is having absolutely the opposite effect. it is outraging the country, it is stealing the resolve of those who are opposed to this horrific, horrific treatment of the people of myanmar. the defence and prosecution have been making their closing arguments in the trial of ghislaine maxwell. the prosecuction today described her as "partner in crime" tojeffrey epstein. ghislaine maxwell is accused of procuring underage girls for epstein to abuse in the late 90s and early 2000s. for the prosecution — u.s. attorney alison moe said ghislaine maxwell's presence made epstein's approaches to the girls "seem legitimate" — into a trap." this is ghislaine maxwell's defence attorney laura menninger arriving at court earlier. four women made allegations against her client during the trial. she said their "memories have been manipulated in aid of the money" — and that ghislaine maxwell was innocent. he barbara plett usher is in new york on what else happened in court. this was the last time that both sides had a chance to try to convince the jurors of their cases before the jury retires to decide on a verdict. the prosecution emphasised that ghislaine maxwell was a person of power injeffrey epstein's house. they said she was the master of the house, she ran his properties, she was intimately aware of what went on in them and she was involved in this aspect of them. they said she was crucial for the operation, actually, because she provided the sort of smiling, posh, age—appropriate cover for mr epstein's creepy behaviour. and then they went through, they recapped the testimonies of the four accusers, as a way to illustrate what they said was a playbook by which she and mr epstein operated to recruit and then groomed these teenagers for sexual abuse by mr epstein, and she ended by saying to the jurors, "if you believe the testimonies of these women, then ghislaine maxwell is guilty." and she went on to talk about the ways that their testimony had been corroborated by various witnesses and documents. the defence we have been hearing is again repeating the argument that ms maxwell is a scapegoat forjeffrey epstein who committed suicide in prison. they said after that happened, the government pivoted to ms maxwell and she is being basically charged and blamed for his crimes butjeffrey epstein is not ghislaine maxwell, the lawyer said. then she went on to, again, undermine the testimony and credibility of the four accusers, which has been a very big part of the case. the chinese tennis star, pung shwai appears to have retracted an accusation of sexual assaul that she made against a former chinese vice premier. here she is in the video interview filmed by the newspaper lee—en her ssow bow. translation: first and foremost, j i must emphasise i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. that's a very important point. the weibo post is my own personal issue. i know there are many misunderstandings, but there is no distorted interpretation. in a statement the women's tennis association said it was �*good to see' her in �*a public setting', but said these appearances do not alleviate their "significant concerns about her well—being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion. the bbc�*s robin brant is in beijing. the most interesting thing is that she said, during the interview, that her story wasn't true. she recanted what she'd appeared to say back in that post on weibo, which is like china's twitter, back in the beginning of november. she said in this interview the other day, "i have never said nor written that anyone had sexually assaulted me." now back in that posting, originally in chinese but translated into english in the first few days of november — she said that a man named zhang gaoli, a senior chinese communist party official here, had forced her to have sex with him before they had a consensual relationship. so this isn'tjust her claiming that things were untrue or inaccurate, this was a recanting of the story. thatis that is the end of the programme. thanks for watching. i will see you tomorrow. goodbye. hello. it's certainly been a pretty chilly and rather murky start in the run—up to christmas. but there will be some changes for a while this week as we see milder air push in from midweek — with it, some wet weather at times, too. but could cold air fight back for christmas, maybe bring a little bit of winteriness? i'll have more on that in just a short while. out there at the moment, though, plenty of cloud in place, but we are seeing a few breaks here and there, but chiefly in the west and on the hills of wales, northern england, scotland — the blue colours indicating these are the areas most likely to see frost — but even with the clouds in place, temperatures still only 1—2 degrees above freezing. so, it will be a cold and rather murky start to tomorrow, the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year — so a little bit of positivity there that from this point onwards, the days will start to draw out again, just five hours, 49 minutes of daylight in lowick. —— 49 minutes of daylight in lerick. but at least for the winter solstice, with a little bit more breeze to the south and the west, optimistic that some more of that cloud will break up — so a bit more sunshine returning across parts of wales, west, maybe southern england, and a bit more sunshine at times in the very far north of scotland. but here, there'll be 1—2 showers for orkney, shetland, also across lewis. another chilly day, 4—8 celsius the high. and that will be followed by a cold night — exception being across ireland, where temperatures actually rise through the night, cloud and rain spreads its way in. but through scotland, england, and wales, widespread blue on the chart — coldest morning of the week with a widespread frost to greet the morning commuters. and then, into wednesday itself, got high pressurejust about holding on, but these weather front starting to bring about that change to something milder — mainly across ireland initially during the morning, northern ireland seeing rain on and off through the day, spreading in across parts of southern scotland into the isle of man, wales, and through western parts of england before the day is out. much of england staying dry, a good part of northern scotland will stay dry. still chilly in these areas, but 9—10 celsius as that mild air pushes in through wednesday afternoon. into thursday, the mild air�*s just about with us all, could be a bit of snow for a time across the scottish mountains, but it'll be rain on thursday as that becomes confined to scotland through the day. turning drier and brighter across the rest of the country through thursday, and notice the temperatures — 12—13 celsius in the south, only 6—7 celsius in the north. and it'll be that battle towards the end of the week, christmas eve and christmas day. cold air trying to push in from the north, mild air from the south — the greatest chance of a white christmas is, for some, in parts of scotland. no guarantees, but that dividing line could be crucial. and we'll keep you up—to—date as we go through the week. the headlines on the bbc world news. the headlines on the bbc world news. the world health organization says the omicron variant is spreading more quickly than the delta variant and causing infections in people who have already had covid all been vaccinated. have already had covid all been vaccinated-— have already had covid all been vaccinated. ~ , vaccinated. the uk prime minister sa s his vaccinated. the uk prime minister says his government _ vaccinated. the uk prime minister says his government is _ vaccinated. the uk prime minister says his government is not - says his government is not introducing new measures to stop the spread of omicron but he says he is reserving the possibility of taking more action if the number of infections and hospitalisations justifies it. lawyers for the prosecution and defence have been summing up in ghislaine maxwell's trial on six trafficking charges in new york. the accounts of the women who accused her are not credible, ms maxwell said. and the tennis star has told a reporter that she never claimed a former official assaulted her. those are the headlines here on bbc world news. in overfour in over four days

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