hello, wherever you are in the world or in the uk. it is lovely to have your company. for the first time since the beginning of this pandemic. the uk has recorded more than 100,000 new cases of coronavirus in a single 2a hours. many people are being forced to self—isolate as a result. on wednesday, the health secretary sajid javid announced that the quarantine period for people who are infected in england is being cut from ten days to seven days from today. you don't have to quarantine after that as long as you test negative in lateral flow tests conducted on day six and day seven those tests must be taken a minimum of 2a hours apart. it's hoped the move will give more people the chance to spend time with their families over christmas. it may also help ease the pressure on the economy. staffing levels are being hit hard in many sectors. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. the festive getaway has begun. and there was an early christmas present for many who thought they'd be isolating on the 25th, after the rules in england cut the quarantine period from ten to seven days. lee is already anticipating heading home. his lateral flow on day six was negative this morning. if tomorrow's is clear, he's free. well, it's saved christmas for me. i thought i was kind of here until midnight on boxing day in self—isolation, so i can go back to the family home now and see my young daughter. people ending isolation early are urged to be cautious and not visit crowded or poorly ventilated places, because even after a week, it's still possible to be carrying the virus and it not show up on lateral flow tests. most of the transmissions occur right at the beginning of the incubation period, even before people have symptoms. so shortening that isn't such a bad idea. shortening it and adding the added security of doing a couple of tests that are actually quite good at detecting whether someone is infectious or not — that's what the lateral flow tests do — this seems reasonable to me. more than 51 million people aged over 12 in the uk have had at least one covid vaccine — nearly 31,000,003 doses. now all 16 and 17—year—olds will be eligible for a booster. and those in line for firstjabs is to get even younger. in the united states and several european countries, all 5—to—11—year—olds are being offered covid jabs. in texas, these therapy dogs provided a useful distraction. here, only 5—to—iis in at—risk groups will be eligible for now. they'll get two shots eight weeks apart, each one a third of the adult dose. we know these vaccines are effective at preventing serious disease, that's the one thing that they do do reliably, and so it makes absolute sense that we offer those children that are at high risk the benefit of protection, now that the vaccine�*s available for the age group. new treatments are continuing to be rolled out, such as anti—viral pills like molnupiravir, which should keep many of the most vulnerable from falling seriously ill. jenny davies, a transplant patient, has covid but has received an inclusion of a new antibody drug. people who are immunosuppressed like me were genuinely feeling that there would be not much hope for us — not much hope in avoiding hospitalisation, anyway, if we caught covid. but this now, it's a really positive change. i could see the excitement in the doctors and nurses at the hospital, so i think it's going to be a great thing for us immunosuppressed people going forward. the key question is, how bad will the 0micron wave get? london, which has the uk's highest infection rate, now has over 2,000 covid patients in hospital. it's doubled in four weeks but is still about a quarter of the level seen in january. fergus walsh, bbc news. wales, northern ireland and scotland have all announced restrictions coming into effect on boxing day. they're aimed at slowing the spread of the new variant. but what about england? i'm joined now by helen catt, our political correspondent in westminster. helen, have the british government given any clear clarity as to why they don't think it is necessary to announce now the moves that are coming into force so soon after christmas in other parts of the uk? there's been no formal announcement this evening, but sources at number 10 suggest that at the moment, they stood on the beaded is quite fair to justify more restrictions. we know the prime minister has had earlier in the week that he will not bring it restrictions before christmas. thinking this evening in westminster is that we are problematical to hear anything more before christmas about what might happen afterwards, although the big caveat to all of this is that they are watching the data constantly, to see if anything changes and ministers have said that if they think they need to act and bring in more restrictions, and they will do that. so it is a sort of watching and waiting at the moment, but at the moment they just don't think they did is there to bring them in yet a. the think they did is there to bring them in yet a.— them in yet a. the dilemma, i sunspose. _ them in yet a. the dilemma, i sunspose. is — them in yet a. the dilemma, i suppose, is this _ them in yet a. the dilemma, i suppose, is this can _ them in yet a. the dilemma, i suppose, is this can all- them in yet a. the dilemma, i suppose, is this can all move | suppose, is this can all move very fast and it can move over the christmas period as well. how agile is the british government able to be if it comes necessary? are there indications the state is going watched quite closely over the coming days? —— this data is going to be? coming days? -- this data is going to be? ., , coming days? -- this data is going to be? . , ., coming days? -- this data is going tobe? . , , , to be? certainly, a close eye is aood we to be? certainly, a close eye is good we watched _ to be? certainly, a close eye is good we watched tell - to be? certainly, a close eye is good we watched tell captain l to be? certainly, a close eye is- good we watched tell captain what happens. —— going to be watched. they have the ability to bring in parliament. you need to get all the mps back in westminster to be able to do it. that's the promise they have made. having said that, ministers have said they would not fail to act if they need to. at the moment, it is still a little been up in the air, but for the moment, and certainly we have been told is nothing the side of christmas. the prime minister was saying that yesterday. the government is bringing in —— the government bringing in restrictions is not a no—cost option. in the parliament, on the conservative back benches, there's quite a resistance to bringing new restrictions, so the government will need to convince them or rely on labour, so there's a lot of things. the key they were expecting... i do not think the rising cases is necessarily going to be coming as a surprise to the government in westminster. sajid javid at the beginning of the month was saying they were expecting to see rising cases by the end of the month. 0ne cases by the end of the month. one of the key things they are watching is, firstly, the severity, and secondly, hospitalisations, and i think that is going to be the really key figure they are going be watching over the coming days. helen catt in westminster, _ watching over the coming days. helen catt in westminster, thank— watching over the coming days. helen catt in westminster, thank you. the nhs is coming under pressure from multiple directions right now. not only are more people likely to be hospitalised as 0micron spreads, but the health service's own staff numbers are also under strain. according to the royal college of physicians, 10.5% of its members across the uk were absent from work in recent days. in london, the figure reached 14% in the three days to tuesaday. the college says the figure is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. i'm joined now by dr andrew goddard, president of the royal college of physicians. he is in derby. good to speak to you. thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news. let me ask you first of all hub what impression are you getting above these absences? are they 0micron? are they delta? are they a significant number of days or is this a relatively brief period along for the fact people have to isolate until they can be sure that they are no longer at risk of spreading this to someone else? figs no longer at risk of spreading this to someone else?— no longer at risk of spreading this to someone else? ~ , i. _ ~ ., to someone else? as you say, we know that at the moment, _ to someone else? as you say, we know that at the moment, in _ to someone else? as you say, we know that at the moment, in the _ to someone else? as you say, we know that at the moment, in the whole - to someone else? as you say, we know that at the moment, in the whole of. that at the moment, in the whole of the uk, about 10.5% of people are off and we know that if you drive down, about 4% are off because of covid, it is our doctors working in the nhs. in london, that figure goes up the nhs. in london, that figure goes up to 7.5% off with covid, so that is one in 13 doctors off with covid. we know from the questions asked in the survey about half of this people are off with covid because they have got covid them selves or to suspected our half are off because they are having to sell cicely because they have had contacted. in terms of impact, we have primary health care involved in attempts to get people to have the boosters, to actually do the job in the arms of people coming and —— the jabbing. presumably, that has had one effect on primary careful soreness is causing the strain on primary care and emergency care? you causing the strain on primary care and emergency care?— and emergency care? you have to remember — and emergency care? you have to remember we're _ and emergency care? you have to remember we're in _ and emergency care? you have to remember we're in winter, - and emergency care? you have to remember we're in winter, and i remember we're in winter, and normally at this time of year, it is the busiest time for the nhs and for primary care and secondary care. we know the easiest day for the nhs is new year's eevv and january one. —— new year's eevv and january one. —— new year's eevv and january one. —— new year's eve. the difference between now and 2020 is we had stop doing the normal work we you do at the nhs to handle the pandemic for stoploss it is spring. we are now in the middle of winter. there is a resilience of the system to large number as people off sick with covid, really under strain. what number as people off sick with covid, really under strain. what you make of the — covid, really under strain. what you make of the survey _ covid, really under strain. what you make of the survey evidence - covid, really under strain. what you make of the survey evidence that i covid, really under strain. what you | make of the survey evidence that has been presented today that suggests, and one can ever put it any stronger than that, this early in this new variant�*s life, but it suggests that the infection, wellspring rapidly, may be generally be less severe —— while spreading rapidly? this may be generally be less severe -- while spreading rapidly?— while spreading rapidly? this is work from _ while spreading rapidly? this is work from imperial _ while spreading rapidly? this is work from imperial college - while spreading rapidly? this is work from imperial college in l work from imperial college in london, who have worked at hospital admissions and cases of covid in the first two weeks of december, and what they have shown was when it comes to hospitalisations, that is having to be in hospitalfor a day or more, for 0micron, it seems there is a 40—45% reduction in that the picture delta, the traditional covid we've been dealing with —— compared to delta. that is really good news. that's against 0micron causes a milderform of that's against 0micron causes a milder form of disease. that's against 0micron causes a milderform of disease. however, and is a really big however, we know that 0micron is much more transmissible, and it may well be that that bonus that we have got, this is a less severe infection, will easily be outweighed by the fact that it will get many, many more cases because it is more transmissible, and to put that into some context, if you had the same virus that was just a third more transmissible compared to another one, it would cost four times as many deaths, and therefore transmit ability already —— christmas ability always trumps the severe nese of infection. dr andrew got art, thanks for speaking with us. —— dr andrew goddard. the northern chinese city of xi'an has gone into strict lockdown. all 13 million residents have been ordered to stay home. with beijing preparing to host the 2022 winter olympics in february, china is on high alert as it fights local outbreaks in several cities. xi'an reported 52 new coronavirus cases on wednesday, bringing the total to 143 since december 9. there've only been dozens of cases, new cases today, but as an indication of the preparedness of the authorities to stamp out any outbreak, we are seeing a citywide strict lockdown in xi'an, 13 million people told to stay at home. the way it's going to work is that each household will be allowed to have one person go outside every two days to buy essential supplies, long—distance bus stations, in fact, all nonessential services have been closed. nobody�*s being allowed to leave that city without special permission from officials. and it's interesting, because, until recently, chinese officials have been able to control these outbreaks of the coronavirus with quite targeted lockdowns — so neighbourhoods and the like — and we haven't seen an entire large city lock down for quite some time here in china. and i think the proximity of the olympics might have something to do with it. i mean, xi'an is not that far to the west of beijing, and they've seen 0micron taking off in other parts of the world, and itjust shows what china is prepared to do with it's still sticking to this back to zero covid strategy. there have been some cases of 0micron here, but not, it seems, in the general population. it might be now. we haven't been told. but for example, there had been 0micron cases at the airport, but these are people who ended up going into a quarantine—type situation. but like i say, already, there are quite strict measures in place for moving from one city to another in china in the run—up to the olympics. beijing is a difficult place to come into. you have to do checks and things like thatjust to board trains, to come into this city, and so seeing an outbreak like this, i think they believe by cracking down very quickly, they can stamp it out. that doesn't mean that, for the long run, they will be locked down there. it could well be that after mass testing of millions of people, and the chinese officials have shown that they can do this, that within a relatively short time, they can ease up on those quite tough restrictions. but for the moment, if you're living in xi'an, you are staying at home. stephen mcdonell there, reporting from beijing. it's nearly a week since typhoon rai hit the philippines, killing at least 375 people and leaving hundreds of thousands without shelter. one of the worst affected areas was the popular tourist island of siargao. from there, our correspondent howard johnson sent this report. devastation as far as the eye can see. super typhoon rai first made landfall here last thursday, packing winds in excess of 150 miles an hour and dumping huge quantities of rainfall. this dramatic footage captured the moment a new sports hall doubling as an evacuation centre was torn to shreds. there was no protection, there was no roof, there was no wall. we was literally lying down there. and the entire force of nature was bashing on us with full power, with full force. we had nothing there. the governor of the island estimates that 90% of buildings have been damaged. this is my house... this man shows me to where his home and convenience store once stood. i'm scared because my children, there's no more food, and my house is broken from the typhoon. i don't know how i'm going to start again my store and my home. this is a scene that we have seen many times. the roof has been ripped off like a can of sardines. the metal�*s been torn back. glass has smashed up there. and you can see the roof in tatters down here. and so many people are without shelter at the moment, and people here are calling for more support. they need more aid, they need more water, more food. and at the moment, the supplies are coming through, but they're not getting through quickly enough. prices for filtered bottled water have doubled in the last week, forcing some to find other sources. this family are drawing water from an old well, but it isn't clean. diarrhoea cases are on the rise here. it's bad for the stomach, but we don't have a choice. we need to drink. we don't have safe water to drink. at the island's badly damaged airport, aid is getting through but in limited quantities. 0utside, residents have been waiting for up to three days for a flight off the island. it's leading to a sense of panic. there's nothing. there's no system. we have to figure it out ourselves. that's it. the real pandemic is not having a system. sorry. as night falls, a newly arrived philippine red cross team help islanders to speak with loved ones using their satellite phone. help is on hand here, but there needs to be a lot, lot more. howard johnson, bbc news, siargao island. terrible sites there. zimbabwe has begun paying out us dollars bonuses to government workers as a cushion against the effects of price increases and a falling local currency. when the public began rejecting the inflation—hit zimbabwe dollar, authorities effectively abandoned it, in favour of international currencies like the us dollar. the bbc�*s shingai nyoka reports from harare. long lines form outside a foreign—exchange bureau. some spent the night here, a recent government policy allows those who earn local currency to exchange it for up to 200 us dollars in cash. translation: , ., , translation: everything i was char: ed translation: everything i was charred in translation: everything i was charged in us— translation: everything i was charged in us dollars. - translation: everything i was charged in us dollars. i- translation: everything i was charged in us dollars. i rent - translation: everything | wasj charged in us dollars. i rent the goods and many shops and even schools are now to many us dollars. translation: the schools are now to many us dollars. translation:— translation: the exchange rate offered here _ translation: the exchange rate offered here better _ translation: the exchange rate offered here better compared - translation: the exchange rate offered here better compared to l translation: the exchange rate i offered here better compared to the black market rates that we found in the street — black market rates that we found in the street. which killed our ability to provide — the street. which killed our ability to provide for our families. it is why— to provide for our families. it is why we — to provide for our families. it is why we are _ to provide for our families. it is why we are here like this. that the 'll why we are here like this. that they'll make — why we are here like this. that they'll make the _ why we are here like this. twat they'll make the zimbabwe dollar, reduced in 2019, has devalued by 25% in the last three months and it's slowly being rejected. the first for us dollars is everywhere. people here are awaiting to collect us dollars sent by their relatives living abroad. authorities say a lot of it will end up on the black market, a market it blames for the collapsing local currency. the size of zimbabwe's currency black market is staggering. everywhere, illegal currency traders sell us dollars individuals and importers at double the official rate. last year, the government began auctioning to businesses to kill the black market. inflation tumbled. it has been welcomed by big business. iaruiith welcomed by big business. with experience _ welcomed by big business. with experience in — welcomed by big business. with experience in giving _ welcomed by big business. ti experience in giving and welcomed by big business. ii�*u experience in giving and growth in the first and second quarters of 2021 of the currency issue present a risk to the growth already experienced. we also presents a risk to the growth that is anticipated. but with the central bank only supplying about 30% of companies needs, the black market is in resurgence. a tacit admission the currency is feeling it again, government workers are being paid their year—end bonuses in us dollars. this author earns 29,000 local dollars a month. it dollars. this author earns 29,000 local dollars a month.— local dollars a month. it was a bit more than _ local dollars a month. it was a bit more than $200 _ local dollars a month. it was a bit more than $200 a _ local dollars a month. it was a bit more than $200 a few— local dollars a month. it was a bit more than $200 a few months i local dollars a month. it was a bit l more than $200 a few months ago, local dollars a month. it was a bit i more than $200 a few months ago, so the effective bout... i havret to think —— i need to take about it. with most franchises shops charging us with most franchises shops charging u ~ ., ., , with most franchises shops charging us dollars, an open defiance of the lock on the — us dollars, an open defiance of the lock on the fears _ us dollars, an open defiance of the lock on the fears that's _ us dollars, an open defiance of the lock on the fears that's in bob i us dollars, an open defiance of the lock on the fears that's in bob lens| lock on the fears that's in bob lens could one day reject their currency just as they did in 2009 —— citizens of zimbabwe. shingai nyoka, bbc news, harare. elephant seal colonies are very loud places but researchers in california have found that the mother seals can recognise the cries of their own pups within two days. just to give you an idea of the difficulty of doing just that, here are three different pups. see if you can spot the difference. i thought there were only two in there, i have to say, but clearly would not be very effective! only a sound a mother could love! but can they really identify those? it's thought this ability helps the pups and their mothers survive during a precarious time. let's speak to one of the people behind the research, dr caroline casey from the university of california santa cruz. dr casey, thank you so much for being with us on bbc news. let me ask you first of all, what exactly research found?— ask you first of all, what exactly research found? yeah, so it was research found? yeah, so it was pretty amazing- _ research found? yeah, so it was pretty amazing. we _ research found? yeah, so it was pretty amazing. we looked i research found? yeah, so it was pretty amazing. we looked at i research found? yeah, so it was l pretty amazing. we looked at how capable female elephant seals are and recognise their own offspring, as you mentioned, they can reckon is the call produced by their pups within one to two days of being born, so rapidly, and then throughout the entire lactation period, which is about 27 days, and so they are very capable of recognising their offspring. home so they are very capable of recognising their offspring. how did ou recognising their offspring. how did you measure _ recognising their offspring. how did you measure that? _ recognising their offspring. how did you measure that? yeah, _ recognising their offspring. how did you measure that? yeah, so - recognising their offspring. how did you measure that? yeah, so we i you measure that? yeah, so we recorded the — you measure that? yeah, so we recorded the pups, _ you measure that? yeah, so we recorded the pups, the - you measure that? yeah, so we recorded the pups, the sounds. you measure that? yeah, so we i recorded the pups, the sounds that you played are examples of those types of calls, and then we did what is called payback experiments were you present a particular call to the mother and see how she responds, and in these tests, presented her with a call of her own pop and then the call of her own pop and then the call of her own pop and then the call of an unknown pup, and we asked whether or not she showed a differential response to the call types, and she did. shatley reacted much more on average across all the females we tested —— she actually. to her own offspring. females we tested -- she actually. to her own offspring.— to her own offspring. seals were hunted near— to her own offspring. seals were hunted near to _ to her own offspring. seals were hunted near to extinction - to her own offspring. seals were hunted near to extinction at i to her own offspring. seals were hunted near to extinction at one| hunted near to extinction at one point. has that had an impact perhaps on the willingness of mothers to nurture other females pubs, ratherthanjust mothers to nurture other females pubs, rather than just that one that ate enough eyes their own?- ate enough eyes their own? yeah, it's a really — ate enough eyes their own? yeah, it's a really good _ ate enough eyes their own? yeah, it's a really good question. - ate enough eyes their own? yeah, it's a really good question. as i ate enough eyes their own? yeah, it's a really good question. as you | it's a really good question. as you mentioned elephant seals are incredibly inbred and as a result are more or less all distant cousins from one another, and what we find in the species is that is very high rate of females nursing those that don't belong to them, and monday hypotheses was, maybe they don't recognise their own offspring, which we showed not to be true, but other alternative hypotheses include, maybe their nursing pups they are closely related to, which would have some inclusive benefits in addition to several other potential hypotheses. aha, to several other potential hypotheses. to several other potential h otheses. ., ., ., ., hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and _ hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and a _ hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and a lot _ hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and a lot of— hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and a lot of fun _ hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and a lot of fun to - hypotheses. a fascinating animal to research and a lot of fun to be i research and a lot of fun to be around, i must imagine, although i can imagine you need earplugs once in a while! caroline casey, thank you so much for being with us and talking to us. you so much for being with us and talking to us— talking to us. yeah, thank you for havin: talking to us. yeah, thank you for having me- _ talking to us. yeah, thank you for having me. fascinating _ talking to us. yeah, thank you for having me. fascinating stuff- talking to us. yeah, thank you for. having me. fascinating stuff you're on bbc world _ having me. fascinating stuff you're on bbc world news. _ having me. fascinating stuff you're on bbc world news. do _ having me. fascinating stuff you're on bbc world news. do stay i having me. fascinating stuff you're on bbc world news. do stay with l having me. fascinating stuff you're l on bbc world news. do stay with us. we will you back after these announcements. thank you very much for your company. good evening. as we head towards the christmas weekend, the weather theme is on the change and we can see that with the feel of the weather. first thing on wednesday morning, the coldest start of the winter so far, with temperatures down as low as —10. quite widespread, the cold, in actual fact. and it was frosty with it. fast forward to thursday morning and what a difference. in some places a good 10 degrees milder and that is because of a southerly wind that is associated with this weather front that will drive some milder air across the country. for a time as it bumps into the colder air during the early hours we could have some icy stretches across eastern scotland and north—east england. some heavy rain are pushing into northern ireland as well, as we go through the day. it will be a chilly start for some but nowhere near as cold as wednesday morning. double digits out to the west, 11—12. on thursday, then we will see some rain, some of it heavy through northern ireland, northern england, into the scottish borders, and to the south of that we keep the milder air, so temperatures 5—9, further south double digits quite widely expected, may be peaking at 13 degrees in the far south—west. slightly above where they should be really for this time of year. there could be a spell of snow in the far north of scotland for a time before that weather front eases awake by christmas eve for a time before that weather front eases away, but christmas eve on the whole will start with some light, patchy rain, some snow to higher ground into scotland. south of that, we've got some drier but cloudier conditions and the weather front starts to show its hand in the south—west of england and also into wales. in terms of the feel of the weather, we are still keeping double figures down to the south—west, we are still on the chilly side in the far north—east with just a maximum of 4—5. and it is where these two air masses meet that could potentially cause a bit of a headache for christmas day, because that is the dividing line between the mixture of rain, sleet and snow, so there could be a wintry mix into northern ireland, northern england, north wales, maybe the midlands for a time, and the best of the sunshine on christmas day is likely to be across the far north—east of scotland. wetter but milder conditions continue into northern ireland, wales and south—west england. that weather front will continue to push its way steadily north and east, a bit of wintriness perhaps in scotland through the night but that eases away, and on the whole boxing day quieter. this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. daily cases of coronavirus have topped 100,000 in britain for the first time, as the omicron strain continues its rapid spread. taking a toll — as the pandemic lurches on, concerns are raised over the impact on children's mental health. the un security council approves an american proposal to get aid to the 23 million afghans said to be in desperate need of help. plus, how one of the world's deadliest snakes has been found on an industrial estate in north west england. the pandemic has left children falling behind academically. but parents fear their kids' mental health is suffering, too. this month, a mckinsey report found nearly a third of parents in the us are worried about their child's mental health. those concerns are higher among black, hispanic and asian families. laura trevelyan went to meet one mother and her daughter in new york city to find out how they're dealing with the pandemic. a festive outing forjackie and her daughter, jordan. for the first grader, it's exciting to be in town. jackie worries about her six—year—old who developed anxiety during the pandemic, after her preschool classes ended abruptly. i came out of the pandemic with some anxiety myself, so i'm passing on the skills i picked up to cope with my own anxiety to her. we have a bedtime routine where before she goes to sleep, i'll sit with her, in the dark sometimes, we'll talk about the day, things that bothered her. she's really good at communicating herfeelings when she has a safe space. so, we do that, we talk. anxiety is something that carmen is dealing with in the classroom. it's really interesting to see how children are processing even the way that they treat each other. she teaches kindergarten and first grade in east harlem, which was hit hard by the pandemic and families lost loved ones and livelihoods. for me, the most telling is a separation anxiety. if there is a staff member absent, there is a lot of anxiety around that. "is so—and—so going to be back? why aren't they here?" at the beginning of the school year, we saw that separation anxiety from families lasts a little longer than it usually does. usually after day two or three, the crying has subsided when we're saying goodbye to our grown—up. but it's certainly lasted a little longer. the effect of the pandemic on education is still unfolding. but one thing's clear in new york city — enrolment is down, as parents either don't feel safe sending their kids back to school, or they've left the city altogether. i spoke to bruce fuller, a sociologist who studies early childhood, about the effects of all this pandemic anxiety on how kids learn. we've long known that it's social, emotional comfort and motivation children feel that provides the foundation for cognitive growth and pre—literacy development, oral language development. so if kids are feeling anxious, wearing masks in pre—k, they don't have that immediate social interaction and base—level confidence upon which learning occurs. jordan's preschool and kindergarten years were upended by the pandemic, yet she's doing well at school academically and learning to deal with her anxiety. we do breathing, she does breath work. we do some meditation music that helps settle her in the evening. so, we're coping, it's getting better. just as kids get back on track, parents are hoping the omicron variant doesn't mean a return to remote learning this winter. the unknown is yet another source of anxiety. laura trevelyan, bbc news, new york. i'm joined now by dr breanna winder—patel, a psychologist at uc davis medical centre. shejoins me from el dorado hills, in california. thank you very much for being with us on the programme. let's try and be positive about this, what are some of the coping strategies that help children who may be feeling this anxiety? may be parents who aren't themselves getting anxious, precisely because they are worrying about the child internalising all this tough stuff going on at the moment? ,, .,. ., ., ., moment? sure, we teach a lot of coin: moment? sure, we teach a lot of coping strategies _ moment? sure, we teach a lot of coping strategies when _ moment? sure, we teach a lot of coping strategies when we i moment? sure, we teach a lot of coping strategies when we do i coping strategies when we do cognitive behavioural therapy with children, and they work for adults, too. they're the same for all of us. one big part of anxiety is, behind it, we believe it is difficulty with tolerating uncertainty. and if you think about the pandemic and all the other things in the world the past couple years, there's been a lot uncertainty. so the way that we teach them as we think about some of the things we can control and some things we can't — and the things that we can control, we can do some problem—solving. teaching young children, 2—3 years thinking about, if i have this problem, instead of yelling at mum to fix it, is there a way i can think about solving it? usually if we solve a problem we think we have, our anxiety goes down. if we can't do problem solving, one strategy, if you're having anxiety, if you don't know if it's realistic or excessive, if it's too much for the current situation, is to look for proof. if you have a thought, what if my parent goes to work today and they get the virus and get sick?" we would want to encourage that child to look for proof. do we have proof that mum is more at risk for getting this virus? do we have proof that — are there things in place to try and prevent that? then we have other strategies, like the other mum mentioned, to teach relaxation and deep breathing, and we teach kids to really think about how to challenge the thoughts they're having and find ways to cope with them. {line they're having and find ways to cope with them. , ., , ., ., ., with them. one strategy that a lot of --eole with them. one strategy that a lot of people use _ with them. one strategy that a lot of people use in — with them. one strategy that a lot of people use in their— with them. one strategy that a lot of people use in their lives, i with them. one strategy that a lot of people use in their lives, goodl of people use in their lives, good or ill, when they are stressed or anxious as to avoid it. presumably there is a terrible temptation that children, they don't want to talk about covid or the possibility that grandma may get it, and maybe she'll die— presumably avoiding it won't solve the problem, because you don't actually know if the child is still thinking about it when you're avoiding it?— thinking about it when you're avoidin: it? ., �*, . ., ., avoiding it? that's right. we have a tendency to — avoiding it? that's right. we have a tendency to say _ avoiding it? that's right. we have a tendency to say to _ avoiding it? that's right. we have a tendency to say to kids, _ avoiding it? that's right. we have a tendency to say to kids, "don't i tendency to say to kids, "don't worry about that, that's not something you need to be concerned about." but they are in their mind — so avoiding talking about things or facing things that make them anxious is actually what perpetuates anxiety. so if your child is bringing a worry up to you and you tell them not to worry about it, it won't happen, they might think, how do you know, how can you prove that? this is something that hasn't happened yet. a response that might be helpful is to say, "do we have proof right now that this is happening?" because often, anxiety is telling us there a present when there isn't — and with the kids, you have to tell them that's teach them if it's lying to them or telling them the truth. that goes in terms of avoidance as well. if we get anxious and avoid something, we have anxious and avoid something, we have a brief relief and that anxiety — for example, a child going back to school who hasn't been there for a long time with a lock down and wants to talk to a new child. if they go up and are getting ready to talk to them, and they think they can't do that so they avoid, then they feel good, they feel that relief at first, but then every time they go back to talk to the child, they'll be in this roller coaster of anxiety, avoid, anxiety, avoid. something different that we teach is how to face the fears in small steps — we call this exposure and exposure therapy. instead of avoiding, we would say, "what's one thing you could do that would be really brave and wouldn't make the anxiety make you avoid?" could you wave to that kid today instead of going up and having a full conversation? so avoidance really makes a anxiety persist, but exposure, in small steps over time, makes anxiety go down completely over time.- steps over time, makes anxiety go down completely over time. thank you so much, down completely over time. thank you so much. it's — down completely over time. thank you so much. it's it — down completely over time. thank you so much, it's it really _ down completely over time. thank you so much, it's it really valuable - so much, it's it really valuable work and we are grateful for you to talk to us on bbc news.— talk to us on bbc news. thanks for havin: talk to us on bbc news. thanks for having me- — israel has become the first country in the world to make a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine widely available. it'll be offered first to people over the age of 60 and medical workers. last week, the who was critical of many countries offering a third dose of the vaccine when many countries haven't even rolled out their first. our correspondent tom bateman is injerusalem. this was israel's pandemic expert committee, who had met around the same time as its coronavirus cabinet, including the prime minister, naftali bennett, last night. came out with this recommendation and said that they were advising a fourth vaccine shot, a booster shot, for everyone aged over 60, as well as people with compromised immune systems and health workers. this was immediately welcomed by the prime minister, naftali bennett. he had previously said he was impatient for the green light to be given for this. he described it as wonderful news and immediately started preparations for that fourth shot to be given to those people. there is still a bit of rubber stamping to do by the health ministry, but it looks like it will go ahead. now, the issue here, as you say, is very much about data. what is the data behind this? we simply don't know, because the expert committee have not published the evidential basis for all of this. and one of the experts involved in the decision was on the radio in israel saying that they simply do not have the information, they don't have the numbers yet for whether or not immunity wanes after the third vaccine, and if it does, how long it takes, and by how much. she described that has quite a complex decision, and said, nevertheless, when you look at the way that omicron is spreading, its infectiousness elsewhere in the world, she described that as particularly frightening. i think that is what this decision was based on. there is politics around all of this. you mentioned that there is always calls when booster shots are administered by rich countries, there is a lack of supply in poorer countries in the world, that debate is always around. naftali bennett, he has staked his reputation on keeping the economy open, keeping schools open for kids, and he is very much of the school of thought of trying to intervene with the vaccines, rather than shutting down the economy. the un security council has unanimously approved an american proposal to get humanitarian aid to the 23 million afghans said to be in desperate need of help. the resolution allows aid to flow into afghanistan for one year without violating international sanctions aimed at isolating the taliban, who seized power in august. let's bring in the bbc�*s nomia iqbal. there have been those particularly among aid organisations who have been highly critical of the attitude of some western countries, including the us, saying it's fine to occupy the us, saying it's fine to occupy the moral high ground and say "we won't do anything to benefit the taliban regime," but if it means people are at risk of starvation, thenit people are at risk of starvation, then it doesn't look like you're on then it doesn't look like you're on the high ground.— then it doesn't look like you're on the high ground. there's been huge ressure the high ground. there's been huge pressure on — the high ground. there's been huge pressure on the _ the high ground. there's been huge pressure on the biden _ the high ground. there's been huge. pressure on the biden administration to do something. it's been several months now since the taliban swept to power, and there's been pressure on president biden to help the people of afghanistan — and that's come from lawmakers, age groups, former officials. last week there were three us military commanders in afghanistan, forformer ambassadors afghanistan, for former ambassadors to kabul who afghanistan, forformer ambassadors to kabul who called on the biden and ministration to ease on its policies. a reminder that when the tele— band came to power, america immediately isolated billions and billions of dollars worth of aid, cutting off the tallow band, but the impact of the country because people had not been getting paid, and as a result, families have been forced to make awful decisions to make ends meet. now there's this us proposal which is about trying to get aid into the country for at least a year. un agencies, red cross, regional development banks providing food and educational services will all be allowed to get in. but that aid will be monitored every six months to make sure it is getting to the right destination, because biden wants to help people, but they still wants to help people, but they still want to keep up the pressure on the taliban. ., ., , taliban. you said it would be monitored every _ taliban. you said it would be monitored every six - taliban. you said it would be j monitored every six months, taliban. you said it would be i monitored every six months, that's quite a lot of time for money to be diversified. the reality is that actual implementation on the ground absent these agencies will require the taliban to be cooperative. that's right, and there an argument to say, what do you do after six months once the money has gone to certain places? how do you reverse that. but i think that the us will be looking at this as an opportunity to test the taliban. anthony lincoln said earlier this week that the international community still has huge expectations of the taliban when it comes to expert democrat respecting human rights and women's rights, not reprising attacks on its so—called perceived inch democrat enemies. i imagine that this will be a way of america testing the taliban. the taliban have said it's not the same taliban that it was 20 years ago, he has changed and it is a more modernised version. so i imagine this will be seen as both sides sizing each other up. but perhaps it's being seen as a riskier strategy. but there's been huge pressure on president biden's and ministration to act, and they are doing so now. ministration to act, and they are doing so now-— ministration to act, and they are doing so now._ -- i ministration to act, and they are i doing so now._ -- biden doing so now. thank you. -- biden administration. _ stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we go inside the uk's only treatment centre for people who've become addicted to gaming. in southern china, a dinosaur embryo has been discovered. researcher dr fion waisum ma described it as "the best dinosaur embryo everfound in history". scientists have announced that the perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo, discovered in ganzhou, was preparing to hatch from its egg, just like a chicken. it is believed to be a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptorosaur, and has been named baby yingliang. i've been studying dinosaurs for a few decades now, and i have to say this is the most gorgeous fossil of a dinosaur that i've ever seen. it's exquisitely preserved baby dinosaur still inside of each tank. it was captured not too long before it was attached which is kind of sad. but this gives us this window into how dinosaurs reproduce. and in a way it's like an ultrasound photo of this baby dinosaur in its egg not too long before it would have been born. how was it found? it was found in southern china about two decades ago and i don't know exactly how it was fun, but i worked a lot in southern china and there has been incredible construction in the area. so very commonly, when people are digging foundations for buildings or laying new roads, construction workers are cutting through rocks from the cretaceous period and last few million years from the age of dinosaurs they�* re full of fossils and i believe this egg was discovered that way and i know it found its way to a museum in southern china, and that's how i was invited onto this project with the person who led the project and he invited me to help me study this fossil and am grateful. this is one of the most incredible dinosaur fossils i've ever seen. welcome back. if you have teenagers, you'll knowjust how hard it can be to prise them away from their screens. for most, it's just fun. but for some, it can become an addiction. our technology correspondent marc cieslak has been allowed into the uk's only treatment facility for people who are addicted to video games. having people around, you do feel a degree of embarrassment sometimes for the duration of the visit. he'll be just upstairs gaming all the time and he'll be shouting and cursing. stephen and louise are describing life with their 16—year—old son, who suffers from gaming disorder. those aren't their real names, we're protecting their identities. it's a controversial condition defined by the world health organization by three characteristics — impaired control when gaming, prioritising gaming over other interests, and escalation of gaming, despite negative consequences. the games industry and some psychologists question the evidence used to define the disorder. until quite recently in the uk, help for problems like this could only be sought via private health care. the nhs has created a specialist clinic for treatment of the condition via therapy. hello, national centre for gaming disorder. based in west london, it's part of the national centre for behavioural addictions. this is the first time cameras have been allowed to film inside the gaming clinic. we know that gaming disorder is quite a rare condition. so the symptoms of gaming disorder can be really quite severe, which has surprised us. so they can struggle with anger, anxiety and low mood. often, they also experience physical symptoms, in terms of loss of sleep, and that's often because people will be gaming at night to connect with gamers abroad. yeah. so, we need to think- about the groups that we're going to start in the new year. this is the only nhs clinic in the uk treating gaming disorder. its patients are spread out across england and wales and are often treated via video chat. a recent study amongst gamers concluded that, broadly speaking, playing video games is good for well—being, and that playing games has helped lots of people get through the pandemic. so, we're not saying that gaming's bad at all. we completely accept that for a lot of people, it's a really positive thing in their life. we are really talking about that small percentage of people who are having a massive problem with it, and it's genuinely affecting their quality—of—life and their ability to interact and their ability to function. we opened our doors at the end of 2019. we've had well over 300 referrals since then, 200 just in 2021. it's very strongly weighted in favour of male, so we've seen 89% of people have been male. stephen and louise's16—year—old son has recently been diagnosed with autism. they referred him to the gaming disorder clinic themselves, but he hasn't engaged with the treatment. what was most helpful for us is talking to other parents. i they made a special support group i for parents who have the same gaming needs, or addiction, - whatever you want to call it. we meet once a fortnight on zoom to discuss how we're doing. - more than anything else, i think the greatest thing about that, in terms of benefit, is to realise that you're not alone. there's loads of other people up and down the country and all across the world that are going through the exact same situation. what do you think the future looks like for your son, and what do you think the future looks like for you as a family? i feel optimistic because . on facebook, i follow a lot of people who are very like our son, but they're adults now, _ and i follow them because they're i hugely insightful, but also reallyl helps me feel he will find his way. marc cieslak, bbc news. dame maureen lipman, one of britain's most distinguished actors, says the fear of being "cancelled" has left comedy on the verge of being wiped out — with comedians staying away from controversial subjects for fear of not being booked again. our culture editor katie razzall reports. i'm depressed and suicidal. guess where i'm working? it's stand—up comedy night in manchester. new act faizan is telling jokes that some could find offensive. i was working at manchester airport in aviation security... laughter a depressed, suicidal muslim at the airport... but who decides what's funny, and what will offend? and is this tension a reflection of what's happening in wider society, too? comedians are very paranoid that they might word something the wrong way, and then that is out there forever. and then they are cancelled and will never work again. is this your idea of a joke, then? maureen lipman, starring in coronation street right now, has a dramatic prediction. i think it's a revolution. something has to be forbidden to make your really laugh. to make you really belly laugh. it's when you shouldn't be laughing. this cancelling, this punishment is everywhere, punishment, and iforan eye. "you said that, therefore you must never work again." we are, literally, we are on the cusp of wiping out comedy. so, i'm not trying to offend anyone, but... comedian russell kane says comedy is, in fact, in rude health. i was good at dungeons and dragons, so... i don't think anyone is saying we can't be offended. no one is saying that. there has been a massive, much—needed shift in the conversation around gender, around men's attitudes to women, around consent, blah blah blah. the sort of ironic, lad humour of, "yeah, she's up for it" — which at the time i'm pretty sure was delivered with irony by 99.9% of the people, but now, irony or not, not appropriate. a poll suggests in normal life, people are stopping themselves from saying what they really think on certain subjects forfear of being judged. 57% of those asked said they self—censor on topics including immigration and transgender rights, particularly if their opinions are seen as less politically correct. perhaps it is obvious that they don't speak openly with people they have just met. nearly half say they don't. but 40% keep views quiet at work and nearly a third don't tell friends their real views on these subjects either. i'm not worried about being judged. i would just far rather not say something because i don't think it's right. at the end of the day, making offensive remarks is bullying. 0k, could you tell me the last time you are weighed, - what was your weight? eight pounds, four ounces... what's happening on the comedy stage and in real life is a sign outdated views are being weeded out. or a worrying assault on free speech, depending on your perspective. culture often leads the way on the big issues of our time, as we all navigate what we can say, and what it's best not to. katie razzell, bbc news, manchester. you've heard of snakes on a plane — the 2006 blockbuster about an aircraft overrun by serpents mid—flight. but what about snakes on a shipping container? what you're looking at here is a saw—scaled viper — discovered by a forklift driver in salford in north west england in a shipment of bricks. the species had apparently survived the 4,000—mile journey from pakistan — and is one of the deadliest reptiles in the world. let's hope it wasn't hungry after thatjourney. the rspca was called to the scene and rescued the viper. hello. the weather story is on the change as we head towards the christmas weekend, particularly with the feel of the weather. now, first thing on wednesday morning, it was our coldest morning of the winter period so far, with temperatures down as low as —10 celsius, but fast—forward 2a hours, thursday, what a gear change. yes, it was considerably milder, and the reason for that is a southerly wind driving in some milderair across the country. it's been pushing its way steadily in. now, the only exception is the far north and east of scotland, clinging onto that cold air. that could mean an icy start, where we've got some rain around first thing, some heavier rain pushing into northern ireland and northern england. across central and southern england and wales, however, it will be light and patchy. quite a lot of cloud around. but what a difference to the feel of the weather throughout the day — 11—12 celsius to the south of that front. never really getting rid of that colder air across the northern isles and the far north—east of scotland. so as we move out of thursday, we could see a spell of snow for a time, and then as we head into christmas eve, that rain will weaken offjust a touch and we'll start christmas eve still on the chilly note, but not as cold as it has been in scotland, but noticeably milder further south. we continue 8—10 celsius first thing in the morning. so this area of low pressure the dominant feature. circulating around the low we've got these weather fronts. that's going to continue to bring some outbreaks of light, patchy rain on christmas eve across scotland, maybe a bit of wintriness to higher ground. a lot of cloud elsewhere, and then down to the far south—west, more heavy and persistent rain moving in by the end of the day. double figures for most of england and wales, still cold but crisper with some sunshine into aberdeenshire. that cold air sitting in places could be an issue as we go into christmas day. the mild air still desperately trying to squeeze in, and where the two meet, the dividing line between the combination of rain, sleet and snow across northern ireland, northern england, perhaps to the north midlands and north wales for a time. best of any sunshine on christmas day across the far north—east of scotland, some wetter but milder weather continuing into northern ireland, south—west england and wales. fast—forward to boxing day. that frontal system continues to drift north. again, there could be a spell of snow, perhaps at lower levels for a time before it eases away, and then we are likely to see those temperatures again on the cool side in the north, double figures sitting down to the south. there's another substantial low pressure likely as we move out of boxing day into monday. that is going to bring some wet weather with it. it's going to drift its way steadily eastwards, potentially lingering across england and wales, and not making its presence felt for much of scotland and northern england. here, it will be a cloudy affair with some brightness, the wet weather will continue to be a feature on monday, moving its way south and east during the afternoon. still, those temperatures may be up as high as 10 celsius, still around 5—6 further north. so that's the story as we head into monday. looking further ahead, that low pressure will then drift off into the near continent, a little ridge of high pressure builds for a time, but you can see further lows waiting out in the wings, the isobars squeezing together, the winds potentially remaining a feature. so, as we head towards new year, it does look likely that it will stay potentially quite unsettled, with spells of heavy rain to come and windy at times. the best of any drier weather perhaps down to the south. take care. tonight at ten. for the first time since the start of the pandemic the uk records more than 100 thousand new cases of coronavirus in one day. it's the highest number of cases since mass testing began as infections have stayed at record levels in recent days. despite that, the latest evidence from several studies suggests that fewer people are going to hospital with the new variant omicron. i don't think i've ever known a time during that whole pandemic when data is being scrutinised so carefully on a day—to—day basis, where there is so much uncertainty and yet big decisions have to be made. in wales and northern ireland, extra covid measures are announced including the rule of six in hospitality venues. we'll have the latest analysis on the threat posed by the omicron variant. also tonight...