give us guarantees. - you must do it immediately, now. hello, and wherever you're joining us, hello, and wherever you'rejoining us, in the uk or around the world, thank you forjoining us this hour. i'm shaun ley. a former police officer in minnesota has been found guilty of manslaughter, following the killing of a black motorist, daunte wright. kimberley potter says she mistook her handgun for a taser during a routine traffic stop. the prosecution argued she'd shown culpable negligence during the incident, which led to several nights of intense protests. the jury was shown bodycam footage of the traffic stop, stopping short of the moment when daunte wright died. kimberly potter says she thought she was drawing her taser, rather than her handgun, when she shot daunte wright in the chest. the incident occurred at a very sensitive time, not far from the court where white police officer derek chauvin was standing trial for the murder of a black man george floyd. let's have a listen to kimberly potter's tearful evidence in court. i remember yelling, "taser, taser, taser!" and nothing happened. and then he told me i shot him. this is the moment judge regina chu read the verdict. we the jury, on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree while committing a misdemeanour, on or about april 11, 2021, in hennepin county, state of minnesota, find the defendant guilty. i'm joined now by minnesota attorney and socialjustice activist nikema levy armstrong. nikema, thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. we've spoken you —— to you about this case and others. the issue with this case, it was not delivered act, says the prosecution, negligence — she made a mistake, she clearly was not intending to kill daunte wright. nonetheless he lay dead moments later. �* , ,., , nonetheless he lay dead moments later. �* , , ., nonetheless he lay dead moments later. �* , , . ~' nonetheless he lay dead moments later. �* , , . ~ ., later. absolutely, and i think what is important _ later. absolutely, and i think what is important for _ later. absolutely, and i think what is important for viewers _ later. absolutely, and i think what is important for viewers to - is important for viewers to understand is none of us had to happen. it's always the result of racial profiling of daunte wright for having an air freshener hanging on his mirror and having an expired licence tag. one of the issues we raise with the police chief, elected officials, in brooklyn center is, why was it a priority to pull someone over in the mist of a global pandemic for something so petty? and instead of treating daunte wright like a human being, we saw that he was gunned down, ultimately, by kim potter. i think the jury made the right decision in this case and we are elevating that there will be a cut —— celebrating that there will be accountability, yet morning for the family of daunte wright, who will have a empty chair at the holidays. for the second year, this will be a powerful reminder, won't it? at least it has come before the seasonal break, so that people can mark that over the weekend and that terrible loss. when you sent was racial profiling and the stopping of this vehicle, did the defence offer any explanation as to why the vehicle was stopped at this point, or is your suspicion that they were just clocking up numbers, number of stops, recording number of stops, to meet some kind of target? the stops, recording number of stops, to meet some kind of target?— meet some kind of target? the issue did come up — meet some kind of target? the issue did come up during _ meet some kind of target? the issue did come up during the _ meet some kind of target? the issue did come up during the trial, - did come up during the trial, through the testimony of officer lucky. he was a trainee with the brooklyn center police department, so essentially a rookie, who decided on a hunch to pull over daunte wright, which is what he testified about, and then we heard when kim potter took the stand that she said she would not have even pulled the car over had she been the officer in charge of the situation, but because she was a supervisor, overseeing the conduct of officer lucky, she too was responsible for everything that happened from the initial traffic stop of daunte wright all the way to his demise, which included a car accident that injured an elderly couple as well as the woman who was in the car with daunte wright, so this was reckless conduct on the part of kim potter and the brooklyn center police department, and this was an unnecessary tragedy that did not need to happen in the first place. not need to happen in the first lace. ~ ., not need to happen in the first lace, ~ ., ., , , not need to happen in the first lace. ~ ., , not need to happen in the first lacef ., , , place. what was puzzling about this, notwithstanding _ place. what was puzzling about this, notwithstanding the _ place. what was puzzling about this, notwithstanding the prosecution - notwithstanding the prosecution excepted it was a mistake, with no intention to kill daunte wright, or even to injure him, perhaps to the -- his —— his power that... what was odd about this was officer potter, she then was, at a quarter of a century spirits as a police officer and had only undergone updated taser training within recent months? absolutely, she was a 26 year veteran of the force as well as a field training officer, and she took multiple training opportunities to learn about the taser that she was using as well as the difference between a glock and a taser also this was a mistake that never should have happened. i believe that the jury have happened. i believe that the jury saw that her explanation did not hold a lot of weight, because she never even went into detail about why she drew her gun as opposed to her taser, given that her taser was on her nondominant side and her glock was on her dominant side, which was her right side of it so it made no sense, she did not take the time to clearly explain how the mix—up even happened, and ultimately, we have a young man dead without any just because ultimately, we have a young man dead without anyjust because under the law. without any 'ust because under the law. ~ ., , without any 'ust because under the law. ~ . y~ without any 'ust because under the law, ~ ., y~ a, law. nikema levy armstong, thank you ve much law. nikema levy armstong, thank you very much for— law. nikema levy armstong, thank you very much for being _ law. nikema levy armstong, thank you very much for being with _ law. nikema levy armstong, thank you very much for being with us _ law. nikema levy armstong, thank you very much for being with us on - law. nikema levy armstong, thank you very much for being with us on bbc- very much for being with us on bbc news —— nikema levy armstrong. the bbc�*s nomia iqbal has been following the case and joins us now from washington. this has had a great deal of attention. it had a lot of attention attention. it had a lot of attention at the time it happened because it happened only short distance, in the brooklyn center suburb of minneapolis, premier derek chauvin was on trialfor the minneapolis, premier derek chauvin was on trial for the murder of george floyd a. ilias, and tensions were high as a result —— from where derek chauvin was. that were high as a result -- from where derek chauvin was.— were high as a result -- from where derek chauvin was. that came off the back of summer _ derek chauvin was. that came off the back of summer of _ derek chauvin was. that came off the back of summer of coast-to-coast - back of summer of coast—to—coast protests by many americans who feel that the police treat people of colour very differently in this country. the other thing worth mentioning about this case is that it is pretty rare for police officers to be convicted in this way, the sort of criminal charges, and there's lots of reasons for that. a lot of it is because you get laws to protection officer's right to use force, backed by powerful police unions. also, juries tend to not want to second—guess the actions of a police officer who is on the front line, ina in a hostile situation. police officer i've spoken to in the usa say they are dealing, theirjobs involving being out on the streets where you have many civilians who are armed as well, so it is quite rare for that to it was interesting. the minnesota attorney general spoke outside court once the court will was delivered today, saying, we hold you high, but we hold you to a high standard, and said to them, please do not be discouraged by this. so it is one of those rare moments of as well, i think in america, what's happened today. well, i think in america, what's happened today-— well, i think in america, what's happened today. nomia iqbal in washington. — happened today. nomia iqbal in washington, thank _ happened today. nomia iqbal in washington, thank you. - it's the first official piece of data from the british government on the impact of the omicron variant. almost one month after the first omicron cases were confirmed, preliminary research suggests a person infected with the omicron variant rather than delta varient of covid is between 31 and 45% less likely to attend an accident and emergency department, and between 50 and 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital. there is concern, though, about how long the boosterjab provides extra protection against omicron. these early findings suggest the effect of the boosterjab begins to wane after ten weeks, giving about 15 to 25% less protection. our medical editor fergus walsh reports. a powerful illustration of the dangers facing the unvaccinated and the pressure on nhs staff, filmed in the intensive care unit of royal liverpool hospital, where four out of five covid patients are notjabbed. the intensive care society said at least two thirds of covid patients were unvaccinated in 12 out of 16 critical care units it contacted in england. it's not for us to judge people who haven't been vaccinated, it's for us to look after them as well as we can, but it's very sad when people come into hospital who haven't been vaccinated. they're very unwell and they ask to have the vaccine then, which of course they can't, because you have to get better from covid before you can be vaccinated. evidence that omicron causes milder disease has been reinforced by preliminary analysis from the uk health security agency. it suggests that someone infected with omicron is 30 to 45% less likely to attend a&e, compared to a delta patient, and between 50 and 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital. but the extra protection that the boosterjab gives against the infection does wane more rapidly against omicron than delta, being about 15 to 25% lower ten weeks after the boosterjab. it shows that people with omicron have a reduced risk of hospitalisation compared to delta. now, it's very early days, only a small number of individuals, about 100 were admitted to hospital with omicron in this period, but nonetheless, it is the first signs of cautious optimism we can have for a while. as daily cases hit another new record, uk researchers estimate that half of people with cold—like symptoms actually have coronavirus. the number of nhs staff off work because of covid has risen by more than 50% in the past week in england to nearly 19,000. in london, the epicentre of the omicron outbreak, it's more than doubled to nearly 4,000. |the nhs workforce was already underj pressure before omicron came along, there's increased pressure, as we're seeing in many- workforces at the moment, especially if someone needs to isolate _ if they have a positive case. but some of the recent moves - we've had, from moving from ten—day to seven—day isolation, - if you take tests in the last two days, i think all of this will help. but the ten—day isolation rule is to remain in wales. the welsh government said it wanted to put the brakes on omicron as much as possible. scotland and northern ireland are also keeping ten—day quarantine for now. nightclubs in scotland are to close for at least three weeks from 27th december, after fresh restrictions were put on large events and hospitality venues earlier this week. in wales, nightclubs will close on boxing day, and no more than six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants. no new measures have been announced for england, but the prime minister has said he can't rule out further restrictions after christmas. fergus walsh, bbc news. italy and spain are the latest european countries to introduce increased restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. governments across the region are struggling to cope with the strain placed on health services and medical staff as infections rise. our europe correspondent nick beake has this report. the festive message to spaniards this year — wear a mask, even outside. across europe, governments are issuing health warnings rather than glad tidings. at a time when families come together, the advice is to keep your distance. belgium is now inviting children as young as five to get vaccinated. covid cases here have been falling for the past ten days, but cinemas and theatres are set to close, although pubs will stay open. it's really a political choice that is not really supported by scientific. i feel like there are rules, but no—one really cares. it helps me to study that - all the nightclubs are closed! exhausted doctors and nurses are pleading with the public to follow the rules. the measures have their effect, and they permit us professionals to continue in our hospitals to take care of all kinds of patients and not only patients having covid. so, really, i know the measures are weighing on all of us, but they are so important to be able to keep our health system standing up. medical staff here and across europe are unanimous that getting more people boosted is vital in the fight against the new variant, but what we don't yet know is how the early studies coming from the uk suggesting omicron is milder will affect the decision—making of individual european countries in the coming days and weeks. covid rates across the continent have been spiralling. denmark has the highest, followed by the uk. but france, spain and italy have all seen a surge, as well as germany. and there's been anger in munich at tighter controls which have targeted the unvaccinated. police kept order at a time when most uk visitors are being kept out of the country. but travel bans, which france has also introduced and scuppered british getaways, won't work, according to the world health organization. it argues specific local measures, such as those introduced in spain and italy today on face coverings, are much better. as ever, the politics of the pandemic can take some navigating. as the last—minute shoppers venture out, the general message from europe's leaders — we wish you a cautious christmas and a reined—in new year. nick beake, bbc news, brussels. the us is no doubt keeping a close eye on what's going on in europe. in the last hour, new york city has announced it has modified its plans for its fully vaccinated new year's eve celebration in times square, limiting the crowd to roughly 15,000 people. that decision comes as the omicron variant sweeps through america. let's speak to michael george from cbs news, who's in new york for us now. michael, looks like there is plenty of activity behind you. it will be disappointed the celebrations will be scaled but at least they are going ahead. it be scaled but at least they are going ahead-— going ahead. it is not entirely unexpected. _ going ahead. it is not entirely unexpected, especially - going ahead. it is not entirely unexpected, especially since | going ahead. it is not entirely i unexpected, especially since we going ahead. it is not entirely - unexpected, especially since we have seen cases here in new york explode over the last week and a half. most of those cases, 90% in new york, believed to be linked to that omicron variance, so we did expect there would be a scaling back of times square events, that said, the city is just now seeing this resurgence of tourism it has not seems in the beacon of the pandemic, so there was the feeling to preserve the present in some capacity —— it has seen since the beginning of it. it is going to drop from about 58,000 people to 15,000 people. also, all of those participants will need to show proof of vaccination, they will need to remain masked and, one other change from previous years, they will only be allowed in the times square area for about 3pm. traditionally, people camped out for hours, even days, to get a spot in the times square area. nothing won't be allowed to until 3pm. lats the times square area. nothing won't be allowed to until 3pm.— be allowed to until 3pm. lots of people make — be allowed to until 3pm. lots of people make their— be allowed to until 3pm. lots of people make theirjourney - be allowed to until 3pm. lots of people make theirjourney from | be allowed to until 3pm. lots of. people make theirjourney from the airport to downtown manhattan. what is the picture looking like? is there a great getaway at laguardia and newark and at kennedy? yeah. and newark and at kennedy? yeah, there's a lot — and newark and at kennedy? yeah, there's a lot of _ and newark and at kennedy? yeah, there's a lot of concern _ and newark and at kennedy? yeah, there's a lot of concern right - and newark and at kennedy? yeah, there's a lot of concern right now i there's a lot of concern right now about omicron, about covid. we have seen cases explode notjust here in new york but across the country in the last three days, 670,000 new cases across america, so there is tremendous concern right now, and thatis tremendous concern right now, and that is why we are also seeing a terminus effort to increase vaccinations, testing has become a big concern. there are long lines in new york, lines more than 90 minutes just to get a covid test. a lot of people try to get tested before they return home for the holidays, but there also seems to be sentiments to continue with christmas, to visit family despite the rising number of cases, so the concern right now is with testing and with vaccinations. michael george, cbs news in new york, thank you so much for being with us and giving us that update. now to russia, where vladimir putin has again insisted that the west give russia guarantees that nato won't expand eastwards and admit ukraine is a member. vladimir putin rejected accusations that russia is preparing to invade ukraine, after amassing thousands of troops on the border between the two countries. during his annual press conference, he said any expansion by nato would be a threat to russia's long—term security. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. it's the most wonderful time of the year, if you happen to like long news conferences. vladimir putin's end—of—year press briefing is always a marathon affair. forfour hours, the kremlin leaderfielded questions, and he used the event to vent his resentment at how nato enlarged after the fall of the soviet union. translation: "we won't move one inch towards the east," - they told us in the 1990s, and what happened? they deceived us. they brazenly tricked us. there were five waves of nato expansion, and now missile systems are appearing in romania and poland. is this russia's response? a build—up of russian troops near ukraine's border. the kremlin denies it plans to invade, but this is pressure, and on the west, too, as moscow demands an end to nato enlargement and nato military activity in eastern europe, what it calls security guarantees. translation: you must give us guarantees. - you must do it immediately, now. we won't be palmed off with decades of idle chatter about the need of security for all while the other side carries out its own plans. vladimir putin spoke for a long time, but gave little away about his intentions regarding ukraine, about whether, as the west fears, he's planning a large—scale military operation there. but what we do know now is that next month, us and russian officials will sit down to discuss the security guarantees that moscow is demanding, so there's still hope for a diplomatic resolution. vladimir putin has done 17 of these press conferences now as president. you need plenty of stamina to do this and to listen to it, and since all main tv channels in russia show it live, it's wall—to—wall putin, a reminder, as if russians didn't know it, of who's in charge here. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. right, let's pick up on the negotiations between us and russian officials, due to start in the new year. let's bring in dr domitilla sagramoso. she's an expert on russian foreign and security policy from king's college london. dr sagramoso, the rigour to speak to you on bbc news. thank you very much for talking to us. i won't ask you a detail about a very, very long news conference, but in a sense president putin has achieved something and getting nato members and president biden to agree that this kind of talk could take place at all, because presumably they would say, it's a matter of the sovereignty of the individual country, nothing to do with russia.— do with russia. yes, i think from that point _ do with russia. yes, i think from that point of— do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, _ do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, putin - do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, putin has - do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, putin has got| that point of view, putin has got the attention of the west, the united states and nato allies, this has to be resolved in some way and that this tension cannot continue forever. there's a lot of concern in the west that russia might use force and invade ukraine, so i think it is a positive step that they're going to beat these talks held in that there is some kind of improvement in there is some kind of improvement in the understanding on both sides, on what they really are worried about and what they would like to do to reduce tensions in the area, but of course talking and sitting up in negotiation tables does not mean that west is going to accept or agree to any of the conditions that have been put forward by the kremlin, many of which are totally on a comfortable, for example the condition that there should not be any additional troops deployed to nato states near the russian border. this is something that the west is not going to agree to, nor is the west going to probably say, now we are going to agree that ukraine is never going to become a member of nato, so i think we are going to see these negotiations taking place, but not necessarily resulting in an outcome, and here is when the situation can become tense again. putin feels that negotiations will be going on, but not much is achieved out of it, but of course this is a positive step and it might reduce a bit of attention we've witness to stop what the sceptics, though, may suppose of whether this is a case of buying— is a case of buying time, potentially _ is a case of buying time, potentially building - is a case of buying time, potentially building up . is a case of buying time, | potentially building up on is a case of buying time, - potentially building up on the border, or indeed buying time to prepare for people to be deployed into ukraine. as agent provocateurs, which is the criticism that was made against russia at the time eastern ukraine ended up becoming detached and crimea being taken by russia. i don't think russia wants to buy more time, i think russia is pretty much ready if they wanted to launch an assault. i think what it shows, my suspicion has always been that this was russia placing itself in front of the west with a very strong negotiating position, so sending the message that if nothing changes, we are going to be invading or we are ready to use military force, so it is a starting point for them, but this is very risky, because if russia does not get what it expects, thenit russia does not get what it expects, then it might feel that it is forced to do something about it or to invade in some way or other, because it has not achieved what it desired and... taste it has not achieved what it desired and... ~ ., ., ., ., and... we are going to leave it there. domitilla _ and... we are going to leave it there. domitilla sagramoso, . and... we are going to leave it - there. domitilla sagramoso, thank you very much for talking to us. the duke and duchess of sussex have issued the first photograph of their daughter lilibet on their festive card. the image shows meghan raising lilibet in the air as she sits alongside prince harry, who is holding their two—year—old son archie on his knee. it's the first time lilibet, who was born injune. and named, of course, after the queen's childhood name. the photo was taken at their home in santa barbara, california. hello there. you'll have to rely on morecambe and wise, i'm afraid, to bring the sunshine this christmas period. there's going to be a lot of cloud around, so that rules out a white christmas for most of us. however, there is a possibility across the pennines and through the higher ground of scotland, we could wake up to a light dusting of snow over the next couple of days. but for most of us, the talking point will be how mild it is, particularly across england and wales — temperatures into double figures. it's not the warmest we've seen over the christmas period. these are the christmas day records across the country over the years, so we have to be close orjust above 15 degrees to break that, and that's not going to happen. but the mild weather is responsible by these weather fronts that continue to move their way steadily northwards. that south—westerly flow continues to drive that mild air across the country, but it really is struggling to displace that cold air across the far north of scotland. that means tonight, as the rain pushes into the cold air, we could see some snow for a time. mist and fog will be a problem across england and wales as well. that'll be slow to lift first thing, but it will be a mild start to our christmas eve, particularly across england and wales. so, early morning mist and fog lifting to low cloud across england and wales. early morning cloud and drizzly rain slowly easing in scotland. hopefully across aberdeenshire, we'll get some sunshine into the afternoon. but later on into the day across southwest england, wales and into northern ireland, we'll see some wet and windy weather arriving. so, we keep that colder air up into the north. furthersouth, however, it stays on the mild side — temperatures widely into double figures across the country. so, that's christmas eve. as we move out of christmas eve towards christmas day, that weather front still making progress across northern england into the scottish borders. still bumping into that cold air that's sitting anchored to the northeast of scotland. so, we could have, again, a few flurries of rain, sleet and snow, the snow obviously on higher ground to start off on christmas day. that eases away quite quickly. a lot of cloud for most of us on christmas day with the exception of northeast scotland, and some increasingly wet and windy weather pushing into northern ireland, wales and southwest england by the end of the afternoon. that divide in the temperatures, double—digit down to the south, cooler up into the north. still some rain around, unfortunately, on boxing day, but mild for most. take care. this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. guilty of manslaughter: the police officer who shot dead a black man during a traffic stop faces years behind bars. the omicron variant picks up the pace in the united states. it now accounts for three in four cases of covid. a new us law requires companies to prove that goods from the chinese province of xinjiang were not produced with forced labour. and the ultimate cookery programme experience, japan develops a tv with a lickable screen. the omicron variant is now in every state in the us, and is spreading faster than any of the previous iterations of the virus. the cdc says omicron now accounts for 73% of all us cases, though the vast majority of the 1,300 daily deaths are still caused by the delta variant, because deaths lag a few weeks behind infections. the highly contagious nature of omicron means an unprecedented number of cases across the country is likely in the coming days and weeks. as it stands, the daily us covid case count is already higher than the peak of the delta wave. what's less clear is what that this all means for hospitalisations. let's bring in dr payal patel , she's an infectious diseases physician in ann arbor, michigan. good to have you with us on bbc news. what's your reading of these statistics? ., ,., , news. what's your reading of these statistics? ., ._ ., , ., statistics? yeah i will say that you know, statistics? yeah i will say that you know. here _ statistics? yeah i will say that you know. here in _ statistics? yeah i will say that you know, here in the _ statistics? yeah i will say that you know, here in the hospital, - statistics? yeah i will say that you know, here in the hospital, we've| know, here in the hospital, we've been seeing now for a few weeks more and more patients that have been coming in, primarily the folks coming in, primarily the folks coming into the hospital are unvaccinated. so, seeing the data that are out there, i'd say we are cautious about going into the holidays, especially knowing that many people are going to be travelling, you know, spending more time with people they don't normally spend time with, indoors, so i think we are going to see infections rising and we already beginning to see that in some big urban centres in the us. ., i. ., ., , ., in the us. have you already had cases of people _ in the us. have you already had cases of people hospitalised - in the us. have you already had l cases of people hospitalised with amiee conn? —— with omicron. i cases of people hospitalised with amiee conn? -- with omicron. i think we do. amiee conn? -- with omicron. i think we do- the — amiee conn? -- with omicron. i think we do. the testing _ amiee conn? -- with omicron. i think we do. the testing we _ amiee conn? -- with omicron. i think we do. the testing we do _ amiee conn? -- with omicron. i think we do. the testing we do sometimesl we do. the testing we do sometimes lags behind what's really happening. sure. 50 lags behind what's really happening. sure. ~' lags behind what's really happening. sure. ~ ., , sure. so i think there are patients in patients — sure. so i think there are patients in patients who _ sure. so i think there are patients in patients who have _ sure. so i think there are patients in patients who have the - sure. so i think there are patients in patients who have the new - in patients who have the new variant. it's difficult because we don't do that testing and every patient who comes in. it's more of a sampling of the community so it's hard to know at this moment in time. but i believe it's possible that some of our patients do have that variant right now. you some of our patients do have that variant right now.— variant right now. you talk about the numbers _ variant right now. you talk about the numbers going _ variant right now. you talk about the numbers going up, - variant right now. you talk about the numbers going up, are - variant right now. you talk about the numbers going up, are you l variant right now. you talk about - the numbers going up, are you seeing it among hospital staff as well, among physicians and nurses and those working in the community? yeah, great question. it's been a tough two years for health workers. that's one of the reasons why many hospitals have been the first two really mandate the vaccines. so we're not really seeing as many infections. i think we are going to see even in vaccinated folks, mild infections are going to be an issue going into the new year. so we're kind of waiting on further guidance right now. people still stay at home for quite a while and we're trying to distinguish what happens if you're vaccinated and you get a infection, when can you go back into work and if you're unvaccinated. that's a different scenario. share work and if you're unvaccinated. that's a different scenario. are you able to persuade _ that's a different scenario. are you able to persuade some _ that's a different scenario. are you able to persuade some of - that's a different scenario. are you able to persuade some of your- able to persuade some of your patience and some of those with them, when they come in poorly, that they should still get vaccinated if they should still get vaccinated if they possibly can?— they possibly can? yeah i'll say that, you _ they possibly can? yeah i'll say that, you know, _ they possibly can? yeah i'll say that, you know, it's _ they possibly can? yeah i'll say that, you know, it's really - they possibly can? yeah i'll say that, you know, it's really the i that, you know, it's really the folks who have to go through being in the hospital, being in the icu for several weeks, often they change their mind after they've been through that. but you know, to avoid that altogether, i'd tell people to talk to their families, anyone they know who is still on the edge. you really want to avoid that fate if you can. really want to avoid that fate if ou can. ., , ., �* , really want to avoid that fate if oucan. ._ ,, you can. finally, what's the best advice you _ you can. finally, what's the best advice you would _ you can. finally, what's the best advice you would offer— you can. finally, what's the best advice you would offer friends, | advice you would offer friends, acquaintances you have, as we approach the holiday season? yeah, definitel . approach the holiday season? yeah, definitely- i— approach the holiday season? yeah, definitely. i think _ approach the holiday season? yeah, definitely. i think we _ approach the holiday season? yeah, definitely. i think we are _ approach the holiday season? yeah, definitely. i think we are in - approach the holiday season? yeah, definitely. i think we are in a - definitely. i think we are in a different place than we were one year ago. different place than we were one yearago. many different place than we were one year ago. many of us our vaccinated which is wonderful. if you're on the fence about getting a booster, definitely get the booster, encourage older people, really everyone in your family to get the booster. that's going to be a safe thing to do and if you're going to be getting together, testing before you get together with folks you haven't seen in a long time is a goodidea haven't seen in a long time is a good idea and if it's positive i wouldn't get together with your family. wouldn't get together with your famil . ~ �* ., ., ., family. we're so grateful to you for aaivin u- family. we're so grateful to you for giving up some _ family. we're so grateful to you for giving up some of— family. we're so grateful to you for giving up some of your _ family. we're so grateful to you for giving up some of your very - family. we're so grateful to you for giving up some of your very busy i giving up some of your very busy time to talk to on bbc news. i hope you have a good, safe and relatively trouble—free holiday season. thanks for everything you're doing for the folks. ., ~' for everything you're doing for the folks. ., ~ , ., president biden has signed into a law a bill that requires all companies to prove that goods imported from china's xinjiang region were not produced with forced labour. washington says genocide is being committed against the uyghur muslim minority there; an assertion china denies. us firms doing business in xinjiang, including coca—cola, nike, and apple have criticised the legislation. our north america business correspondent samira hussain joins us now for more. let me ask you first of all, what's been the objection from the business community to enforcing this legislation?— community to enforcing this legislation? community to enforcing this le . islation? , ., ., community to enforcing this leaislation? , ., ., , legislation? remember that china is the bi est legislation? remember that china is the biggest market _ legislation? remember that china is the biggest market for _ legislation? remember that china is the biggest market for many - the biggest market for many multinational corporations and so if their ability to do business in china is hampered in anyway, it really costs them. look at the retail sector and you see that some of these retail companies like h&m and zara who have spoken out against some of the treatment of the uighur people in china, and they've suffered quite a bit of pushback. if you look at how much money they've lost in terms of revenue, it's about 25% in a quarter. so, that's why they're very worried about this because the chinese government obviously objects to any of these classifications that they are committing any kind of genocide or any kind of slavery with regard to the people in the uighur province. but for companies to say, you cannot supply, none of our suppliers can source materials from that region unless you can prove, with certainty that no forced labour was used, that actually is putting corporations into a position where they have to take more of a political stance. taste take more of a political stance. we ended up with one company actually apologising today for this policy and saying look, is not ourfault, blame the us government. and saying look, is not our fault, blame the us government. right. intel, the multinational— blame the us government. right. intel, the multinational chip - intel, the multinational chip manufacturer who we've been talking about because there's such a chip shortage, they put out a earlier this week saying to their suppliers, look, no one can use any raw materials or any finished goods coming from the xinjiang province. then they had to walk back those comments because there was such an outcry from so many people within china, including the chinese government and even chinese pop stars. in their comments on thursday they had to say, well, look, we were taking a particular stance. all we want to do is to be able to comply with us law and in fact some of the pressures they�* re with us law and in fact some of the pressures they're feeling from other international governance. fin pressures they're feeling from other international governance.— international governance. on the . uestion international governance. on the question of— international governance. on the question of the _ international governance. on the question of the pressures, - international governance. on the question of the pressures, are i international governance. on the . question of the pressures, are there many incentives for doing your best with this law? clearly you have to obey the law but presumably you can make a lot of effort or you can make the minimum possible effort. weill. make a lot of effort or you can make the minimum possible effort. well, i mean, the minimum possible effort. well, i mean. look. — the minimum possible effort. well, i mean, look, right— the minimum possible effort. well, i mean, look, right now— the minimum possible effort. well, i mean, look, right now there - the minimum possible effort. well, i mean, look, right now there is - the minimum possible effort. well, i mean, look, right now there is still. mean, look, right now there is still about 90 days before the full effect of the law goes into effect which means before companies start facing any kind of penalties. i think this is a way for governments to try and exert pressure on to the chinese government. no diplomatic moves are going to help in this way. trade is really the big issue. so, this is a way for governments to put pressure on countries and with regard to china you clearly see that because we've heard from beijing, they've said they really hoped to be able to cooperate with the us on more trade issues, a clear sign that they know that this is going to ultimately hurt them. that this is going to ultimately hurt them-— let's look at some of the day's other news. ecuador has made it obligatory for people to get the coronavirus vaccine, following the arrival of the omicron variant. ministers of belgium's multiparty government have decided to close the country's two nuclear power plants and their seven reactors by 2025. the decision could leave belgium with an electricity shortfall if alternative generating capacity is not brought on stream. ministers have, however, pledged funds for research into other forms of nuclear power. the croatian government has approved a plan to pay citizens up to $30,000 if they return from abroad and set up a business. croatia's population has been falling steadily since it joined the european union. eu figures suggest that 15% of working age croats live in other countries in the bloc. joan didion, a literary icon who chronicled 60s and 70s us culture, with screenwriting credits including 1976 film a star is born, has died aged 87. the novelist and essayist examined the fragmentation of us life in books like slouching towards bethlehem and the white album. her award—winning book on grief, the year of magical thinking was inspired by the death of her husband. in other pandemic news... former british prime minister gordon brown says the failure to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries is a "stain on our global soul". he said people were realising the virus would "come back to haunt" every country, without a push to get the whole world vaccinated next year. naomi grimley reports. at a clinic in kenya, they're doing their bit for the biggest vaccination campaign in human history. 2021 was the year more than 8 billion covid vaccines were administered across the world, but the vast majority have been given in richer countries. this chart shows the huge disparity between the percentage who've been double—vaccinated in developed nations compared to poorer countries. nigeria, the most populous country in africa, has particularly low coverage. and, so far, only one in four african health care workers have been vaccinated — a fact the former prime minister gordon brown thinks should shame us all. it's really a stain on our global soul, because we've had a surplus of vaccines created in one part of the world — and, indeed, stockpiling — and we've got a severe shortage in the other part of the world where only 3% have been vaccinated in low—income countries. and it affects us all because i think people are starting to realise that if we allow the disease to spread in poor countries and then mutate, it comes back and it haunts even the fully vaccinated. it was at this g7 summer summit in st ives when world leaders pledged a billion vaccines would be distributed worldwide by next year. but campaigners say the donations have been erratic, and often included doses which are near to their expiry dates. the uk has so far delivered a quarter of what it promised by mid—2022. getting the vaccines to those who need them most in all countries must be a priority for every single government, notjust some. we need to also be able to use tools to drive transmission down, because if we don't, we will continue to see the virus change and the virus threaten us in ways that will bring us closer to the beginning rather than closer to the end. 2022 will see us enter the third year of the pandemic, but will it also be the year that vaccines finally become available everywhere they're needed? naomi grimley, bbc news. the pandemic has also been a disaster for many businesses. lockdowns and restrictions have taken away their customers and some have been forced to close. but, through these hardships people have been reevaluating what's important to them, particularly in their local neighbourhoods. one magazine shop in new york managed to survive thanks to patrons and a community of well—wishers. we have nearly 3,000 titles. what is the best part, i think this selection, these two guys, who are amazing. sometimes we fight but we work together! in pandemic we wanted to work on but because the city can reopen, they said yes, you can open when you have a newspaper and magazines. after 15 days police came, we are not essential and we were forced to shutdown for more than a month. when casa closed, one establishment that really helped us is two doors down. as soon as casa shut down unexpectedly, they took all our deliveries, anything we needed, and they had a gofundme. as soon as we saw there go find me people started asking me about casa's gofundme. it was amazing how the gofundme really helped each other. it reminded me that these are two places that are entitled to your community. one of our customers got permission from the city so they open. because of instagram, we have more customers, more people and even the usa, new york— and all over the world. she's doing a very good job and every magazine we have got in this place, and next she put on instagram and people follow. we find out about each other, how your day, how you're doing and my day is good, you know. hopefully we can stay in business a long time. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: no place like home. we talk to the polish families who settled in the uk but have now decided to go back home. the last few years have seen a boom in the popularity of e—scooters. but if you're thinking of getting one for christmas, make sure you know the rules. police forces across the uk are reminding people that while it's legal to buy one, it's illegal to ride it on public land, and they have the right to seize and destroy them. if you're thinking of buying someone their own e—scooter this christmas, this is where it could end up if they're caught riding in the wrong place. the only e—scooters allowed on public highways are the rental scooters from approved operators taking part in a government trial across england. privately owned ones can only be used on private land, with the landowner's consent. on a e—scooter scooter operation with police in birmingham we meet stephen crowley. £600, totalling £1200 for the two of them. i think they're brilliant. he's bought his own e—scooter and he is pushing it so he isn't doing anything wrong on this occasion. when you bought it were you told about where you could use it? not really. we didn't enquire. we weren't interested. what gets me a bit, finding this out, they shouldn't sell something you can't use. james holbrook from bristol dislocated his shoulder when two primary school age children riding a private e—scooter crashed into him as he was cycling home. calls to legalise private e—scooters are growing and a decision maybe taken by the government next year. the department for transport says safety is a top priority and that rental trials across england will allow an understanding of the benefits and impact of this new form of transport. many say that e—scooters provide a fun, convenient, greeer way to travel. but if you misuse a privately owned one, it could in the and be a very expensive journey. welcome back. footage has been released of two babies being pulled from the wreckage of a tornado last week in the us state of kentucky. the children's grandmother tucked them into a bath with a blanket and a bible. the bath was ripped from the house by the force of the storm and ended up in the garden. this is the moment rescue teams found them. 329, can you get down here? we need help. there is someone under this debris. in the bathtub. hang on. 15 months old. hey, baby. oh, my god. come here. is she ok? he. 0k. both of them are ok. 0h, praise god! lord jesus, i love you. thank you, jesus. here's the little one. i told you we'd get them! a well—known statue commemorating the deaths of students protesting in beijing's tiananmen square has been removed from a university campus in hong kong. it was one of the few remaining public memorials in the semi—autonomous region. tanya dendrinos reports. an iconic piece that stood tall in hong kong for decades, the pillar of shame commemorates the tiananmen square massacre, speaking volumes with bodies piled to represent the pro—democracy protesters killed by the chinese authorities in 1989. it had been at the forefront of annual vigils, but it too, has been silenced. i don't think people expected this thing would happen in the university so—called with the most freedom of expression or freedom of speech. and they try to become the first one to remove every history, or parts of history, inside the campus. under cover of darkness, construction workers dismantled the eight—metre statue. the university of hong kong ordered its removal in october, saying the decision was based on external legal advice and risk assessment in the best interests of the university. i would ask, if they don't give me the sculpture, i will sue them. because they have destroyed an artist's product in hong kong, they have kept it for 25 years and now destroyed. of course, they must give it to me, even in pieces. so i want to take it back to denmark and put it together and make an exhibition. this pillar was one of the few remaining public memorials to tiananmen square in hong kong, where the anniversary was marked annually until being banned by the authorities in 2020. they cited covid measures as the reason, but with china forbidding any public recognition of the massacre, questions have been raised over attempts to erase history in this semi—autonomous region. tanya dendrinos, bbc news. close to1 million polish people left their homeland in search of higher wages and a better life in the uk after it opened its labour market in 200a. many have settled here — but a combination of brexit, the pandemic and the pull of theirfamilies has persuaded others to return. our correspondent in poland adam easton has been talking to some. i feel safe here. that's something i didn't have in the uk. this cosmetics student is talking about that secure feeling that being nearfamily and close friends often brings. and that's her sister and grandmother... a law graduate she lived in the uk for 12 years doing a variety ofjobs. injanuary, she rushed back to her home city of lodzjust in time to say goodbye to her dying grandmother. i grew up here in this flat and my nana used to teach me how to skate. granddad used to teach me how to cycle. so, yeah, all sorts of wonderful memories. since 2004, hundreds of thousands of people here have left for the uk seeking better paid jobs. since then, we've had brexit, the covid pandemic and people are missing theirfamilies and are returning home. the number of poles living in the uk now is at its lowest for eight years. this couple had well—paid jobs in london for more than six years. they love the city. their children were born there. but the high cost of raising a family there persuaded them to come home to warsaw. and i was sure that in poland i could easily find a nice nursery where i canjust send them and, you know, spend like five, six hours at home working. and in london, actually, we were not able to find, like, a nice nursery. professor isabella grabovski has interviewed hundreds of poles who have recently returned. most want to stay, but some, after years abroad, now feel uncomfortable in their homeland. one third out of our 500 returnee sample said that we do consider. return to the uk or to other. countries because they do not feel at home any more. in recent months, poland has seen a surge in the number of mostly middle eastern people trying to enter the eu illegally from belarus. most poles support the government's refusal to let them in. but this woman says her years living in britain has affected the way she sees migrants. living abroad, being a migrant myself, gave me that feeling, kind of an empathy for the people who are now on the border with belarus. they're in terrible conditions. we should treat those people equally. after years of living abroad, these poles are bringing with them new skills and life experiences that may shape the country's economy and its politics. adam easton, bbc news, warsaw. have you ever watched a cooking show and thought, "mm, that looks delicious, bet it tastes good"? well, soon, you might be able to find out if it is. ajapanese professor has developed a prototype lickable tv screen that can imitate food flavours. the device, called taste the tv, uses 10 different flavour canisters that spray in combination to create the taste of a particular food. the flavour sample then rolls on hygienic film over a tv screen for the viewer to try. professor homei miyashita from meiji university in tokyo says he built the prototype himself over the past year and that a commercial version would cost just under $900 to make. i wonder what news readers would taste off? hello there. the most common weather phrase you'll hear this christmas period is "cloudy and mild". in fact, the only snow we are likely to see will be to the tops of higher ground of northern england — across the pennines, maybe — and through the far north of scotland as well. the reason why it's going to stay mild is the wind source — it's this south—westerly flow driving in the milder air mass that's pushing across the country. it is, however, struggling to displace that colder air that's sitting across the far north—east. it means that on christmas eve in scotland, it may well start off quite drab and dreary, with some light, showery rain. early morning fog will lift across england and wales to some brighter spells, before rain pushes into south—west england, wales and northern ireland, accompanied by a strong wind. here, it will stay mild, with temperatures peaking at 12 or 13 degrees. some sunshine late afternoon into aberdeenshire, but cool with it — 4 degrees — and a breeze coming in off the cold north sea. now, as we go through christmas eve towards christmas day, this first weather front is going to continue to push its way steadily north, with showers packing in behind. over higher ground, we might see a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow, but you can see how relatively mild it is in towns and city centres. so a mild but cloudy, damp start, i'm afraid, to christmas day. perhaps that's the best conditions for staying indoors and indulging a little. the mild air sitting across northern ireland, england and wales, the colder air still into scotland. but that is potentially where we'll see the best of the sunshine once again on christmas day. some showery outbreaks of rain through northern england, down into norfolk and suffolk. a few sharp showers across the south—west as well. milder to the south, cooler conditions continuing up into the north. now, as we move out of christmas day towards boxing day, that frontal system once again pushing its way steadily north and east, bringing outbreaks of rain through the night and, again, on the leading edge, that's when we could see some wintriness across the pennines and the southern uplands as well, as it's bumping into that colder air. we still keep the milder air source down to the south. and, as the rain continues to push its way steadily northwards, we'll have to keep close eye to higher ground as to how much snow we're likely to see. behind it, quite a clearance on boxing day for england and wales. dry with some sunny spells coming through and here, again, we'll see 11 to 12 degrees as a high. moving further ahead, it looks likely that we'll continue on monday to see some showers or longer spells of rain. but, again, that mild story is set to stay with us. and then, as we move out of monday into tuesday, low pressure is never too far away. frontal systems coming in off the atlantic, particularly into the north—west, as we head towards tuesday, will bring further spells of wet and windy weather. so some heavy rain moving into scotland, to northern ireland, gradually pushing its way into north—west england and wales. perhaps east of the pennines clinging onto the best of the sunshine on tuesday, before that rain arrives after dark. a little bit less cold in scotland. we're looking at around 7 or 8 degrees under the cloud and rain. highest values once again, down to the south, of 12 degrees. now, looking further ahead, for the first few days of january, the low pressure out in the atlantic really influencing the story. just look how many isobars are circulating around the low. winds will be a feature. gales potentially at times. the wind direction always coming from a south—westerly, so always a mild source. so it does look likely for the beginning ofjanuary, it will stay mild, but unfortunately it's often going to be wet and, at times, pretty windy. that's it. take care. i'm nada tawfik in new york, and this is bbc world news america. in russia, president putin insists on immediate guarantees that nato will not expand further to the east. here in the us, a jury has found former police officer kim potter guilty of manslaughter over the shooting of daunte wright. in hong kong, a statue commemorating the deaths of protesters in beijing's tiananmen square has been removed from a university campus. it was one of the few remaining memorials in the city. health officials are encouraging people to get booster shots in the face of omicron. but in many countries, people are still struggling to get an initial vaccine. we have a special report. and during the pandemic, many people relocated to be closer to their families. but for many in europe, that meant moving to a whole other country.