and rescue dog, who got lost herself, in norfolk, as she's reunited today with her owner. good evening. the health secretary sajid javid has ruled out any new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year, despite a record number of new infections in england, almost "4,000 on christmas day. today, the prime minister met his scientific advisors the uk health secretary sajid javid has ruled out introducing any new covid restrictions in england before the new year. ministers had been under pressure to respond to rising infection levels after the devolved administrations in scotland, wales and northern ireland all implemented measures to stem the spread of the omicron variant. scotland has seen its highest ever number of cases this christmas period, 11,030 were recorded on boxing day, and today, there were just over 10,500. meanwhile england confirmed 98,515 cases in the past day. the health secretary said 90% of covid cases in england are now thought to be the 0micron variant and he urged people to remain cautious when celebrating new year's eve, saying the government won't hesitate to act in the future if necessary. here's our correspondent simonjones. scotla nd scotland wales all restrictions... there is pressure in westminster to make it clear that there is pressure in westminster to make it clear tha— make it clear that england would follow. make it clear that england would follow for _ make it clear that england would follow. for the _ make it clear that england would follow. for the time _ make it clear that england would follow. for the time being, - make it clear that england would follow. for the time being, it - make it clear that england would i follow. for the time being, it won't come in for the remainder of 2021, the message will be caution, not to compulsion. the message will be caution, not to compulsion-— the message will be caution, not to compulsion. there will be no further measures before _ compulsion. there will be no further measures before the _ compulsion. there will be no further measures before the new— compulsion. there will be no further measures before the new year. - compulsion. there will be no further measures before the new year. we l measures before the new year. we will not be taking any further measures, of course, people should remain cautious as we approach new year's celebrations and take a lateral flow test, celebrate outside if you can, have some ventilation indoors if you can. please remain cautious. , , , ,, , ~ cautious. many businesses will drink to that. cautious. many businesses will drink to that this — cautious. many businesses will drink to that. this pub _ cautious. many businesses will drink to that. this pub in _ cautious. many businesses will drink to that. this pub in bristol— cautious. many businesses will drink to that. this pub in bristol says - to that. this pub in bristol says even existing restrictions have hit them hard. we even existing restrictions have hit them hard-— even existing restrictions have hit them hard. . ., ., , ., them hard. we have already lost a ve bi them hard. we have already lost a very big trading — them hard. we have already lost a very big trading period _ them hard. we have already lost a very big trading period already, i l very big trading period already, i really keep trading period. next month it will have little impact because it's a quiet time of year an a . h, , , because it's a quiet time of year an a . , , ., anyway. government ministers are still riaht anyway. government ministers are still right about _ anyway. government ministers are still right about the _ anyway. government ministers are still right about the effect - anyway. government ministers are still right about the effect of - anyway. government ministers are still right about the effect of self i still right about the effect of self isolation as well as sickness on staffing levels in the nhs which is one of the reasons they haven't completely ruled out new measures in 2022. £371 completely ruled out new measures in 2022. , ., ., , u, 2022. of it is having a significant im act on 2022. of it is having a significant impact on staffing _ 2022. of it is having a significant impact on staffing and _ 2022. of it is having a significant impact on staffing and our - 2022. of it is having a significant - impact on staffing and our emergency department. the most common steak at coming back are the departments are reporting 20—25% of the staff because of covid related regions at the moment. that is a really, really big dealfor emergency the moment. that is a really, really big deal for emergency departments. westminster is now in a very divergent path from the administrations and other parts of the uk. government ministers say they are analysing the data in england, not ignoring it. the prime minister was briefed by a scientific and medical adviser today, downing street says they saw nothing in the data that would force them to push the red button on further restrictions in england. had he done so, then mps would've been brought back here to vote on them. that's now been ruled out. he can see why borisjohnson might have been quite keen to avoid that. the boris johnson might have been quite keen to avoid that.— keen to avoid that. the eyes to the ri . ht, keen to avoid that. the eyes to the right. 369. — keen to avoid that. the eyes to the right, 369. earlier— keen to avoid that. the eyes to the right, 369. earlier this _ keen to avoid that. the eyes to the right, 369. earlier this month, - keen to avoid that. the eyes to the right, 369. earlier this month, 100 i right, 369. earlier this month, 100 of his own mps _ right, 369. earlier this month, 100 of his own mps rebelled _ right, 369. earlier this month, 100 of his own mps rebelled against. right, 369. earlier this month, 100| of his own mps rebelled against the introduction of covid passes, and he may have faced even greater resistance to any new measures before new year. the resistance to any new measures before new year.— resistance to any new measures before new year. the prime minister as well a way — before new year. the prime minister as well a way of— before new year. the prime minister as well a way of the _ before new year. the prime minister as well a way of the sentiment - before new year. the prime minister as well a way of the sentiment on i as well a way of the sentiment on the conservative back benches. it was a massive rebellion without hard data support to any further lockdown measures. the rebellion would only be larger. measures. the rebellion would only be laruer. ., , ., ., be larger. labour is going to the government _ be larger. labour is going to the government not _ be larger. labour is going to the government not to _ be larger. labour is going to the government not to publish i be larger. labour is going to the government not to publish all i government not to publish all relevant data and scientific advice, they say, to reassure the public that boris johnson they say, to reassure the public that borisjohnson isn'tjust capitulating to his own party. it's often been a spirit of goodwill during the covid crisis, but you cannot entirely keep politics out of the pandemic. more now on the data from scotland, which has published its figures for the last three days. they haven't yet been included in the uk totals. catriona renton has more. new restrictions for hospitality and public indoor venues were introduced here in scotland today, just as those new figures for covid cases were released for the last three days. now, the provisionalfigures peaked at 11,030 positive cases reported on boxing day. now, the figures reported for christmas day and today were also higher than at any other time of the pandemic, and the first minister is warning that that's likely to be an underestimate, due to the lag in reporting, and that the actual number of covid cases is likely to be still higher. now, nicola sturgeon said the expected wave of cases fuelled by the 0micron variant was materialising, and this is what the scottish government said could happen, when the first minister predicted a potential for a tsunami of cases. now, the new restrictions introduced today and yesterday include distancing of a metre in indoor public venues and pubs, restaurants, gyms, cinemas and theatres, and table service in pubs, as well, and restrictions have also been introduced into outside gatherings of up to 500 people, meaning that the big public hogmanay events that we expect here in scotland will be cancelled this year. we'll have more on restrictions imposed elsewhere in europe shortly. but right now, to some breaking news from the us, which has also seen a spike in the number of cases. in the past half hour, the cdc — the body which is overseeing america's response — has said it's shortening the recommended isolation period for people who have asymptomatic covid from ten days to five. it also recommends that those who have been given a booster shot do not need to quarantine if they are exposed to covid, but should wear a mask for ten days. that comes after president biden warned that some us hospitals could be "overrun". speaking during a virtual meeting with state governors, he said the us is reasonably well prepared to meet the surge of 0micron cases and its citizens need not panic. but like other world leaders, he has been urging americans to get their booster shots. because we have had so many vaccinated and boosted, we are not seeing hospitalisations rise as sharply as we did in march of 2020 or even this past fall. america made progress. things are better, but we do know that with the rising cases, we still had tens of millions of unvaccinated people and we are seeing hospitalisations rise. these are hospitals in some places that will get overrun, but in terms of equipment and staff. in new york, it's now mandatory for everyone aged 12 and above to be fully vaccinated against covid in order to access indoor entertainment and sports activities. new york is also the first us city to mandate vaccines for private sector workers. they were already mandatory for state employees. new york city's mayor explained why the measures were being taken now. we make history in new york city. and we lead the nation with the strongest vaccine mandate anywhere, private sector vaccine mandate, reaching hundreds of thousands of businesses. and we put this mandate into action as 0micron was coming, but we had no idea it would be quite this intense, but we knew, with 0micron coming, with cold weather, it was time to do more. well, thank god we did, because these mandates have been absolutely necessary to keep this city going. the reason the city keeps going, the reason we are open when some other places are shut down, is because of our focus on vaccination, because we used mandates and incentives. we got to double down, because one thing we can all agree, and i've talked to a lot of business leaders about this, covid is bad for humans, it's bad for our health, but it's also bad for business. an israeli hospital is giving people a fourth shot of the vaccine as part of a clinical trial to determine whether if might stem the further spread of the virus. the trial in tel aviv includes 150 healthcare workers who received their third shot no later than august this year. israel is considering a fourth dose, a second booster, for vulnerable people. the infections have been surging in recent weeks despite the comprehensive vaccination programme. there have been more covid—related flight cancellations, today with more than 2800 flights cancelled around the world. destinations in the united states and china have been the worst hit, with us airlines saying the disruption is due to crews testing positive or isolating. in all, since christmas eve, approaching 10,000 flights have been grounded. let's take a look at some of the other global stories making the news... talks aimed at salvaging the 2015 iran nuclear deal have resumed in vienna. negotiations restarted in november after a five—month hiatus following the election of iran's new ultra—conservative president ebrahim raisi. the hope is to bring the us back into the fold after it withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then president donald trump. geologists in iceland are warning that a series of tremors near the capital reykjavik could signal that a new volcanic eruption is on the way. thousands of mini—quakes have been recorded in recent days. experts say the cause is magma moving beneath the earth's surface. the cost of global shipping has risen dramatically this year as supply chains around the world battle with the impact of the covid pandemic. it's led to frustrating delays for businesses struggling to meet consumer demand, but also to tens of billions of dollars of profits for shipping companies. our global trade correspondent chris morris reports. on a misty morning in leeds just before christmas, at long last, a container arrives, all the way from china. cheering this family—run business develops and designs fun gifts, and this is the busiest time of year. 90% of their stock is made in china. it helps keep consumer prices down. but nearly all deliveries in 2021 have been late. several containers, full of christmas gifts, won't get here untiljanuary. if we don't get this stock to them today, the order�*s gone. it's been a year of good business, but increasing delays and rising costs. it was delayed three weeks getting out of china. it was delayed another month on the sea. so you can see there that we've lost, for a seasonal business... you know, this is stock that people can't buy, until the last minute. it really hurts for a small business like ours. this is where the container came from, ningbo, nearshanghai. the trouble is, there aren't enough empty containers in china to meet the demand for sending goods around the world. covid shutdowns and delays have put global supply chains out of kilter. we already know it's a sensitive system. the evergiven, the ship that blocked the suez canal for six days in march, caused massive backlogs, but it's covid that's done the real damage. container lines are run like train lines. they have schedules, and they're meant to call at fixed times for fixed durations, and that'sjust not happening, because they can't. and the of sending shipping containers by sea has risen dramatically. it has absolutely gone crazy this year. so if you're looking at short—term freight rates from asia to europe, you're looking at a 366% increase. longer—term rates, locked in 12 months in advance, have gone up even more. the shipping container industry is on course to make vast record profits this year. ports are working longer hours to keep trade moving. more ships are on order. but it will take time for things to settle down. the huge disruption caused by covid—19 has exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains. in some ways, they've held up remarkably well, given the scale of the pandemic, but it's been a reminder for all of us of how dependent we've become on getting shipping containers delivered around the world on schedule. one option is to increase local production. they're starting to do a bit of that here in leeds. but don't expect globalisation to retreat any time soon. this is still a hyper connected world, and now 0micron is creating more challenges for the supply chains we take for granted. chris morris, bbc news. well, let's return to the covid situation in england. we can cross to westminster and our political correspondent iain watson. cell, the uk health secretary same today no new restrictions for england before the new year. we saw in your report a few moments ago that northern ireland, scotland and wales introduced new restrictions on boxing day, so some viewers will think, well, this is a real patchwork of restrictions within the uk. it patchwork of restrictions within the uk. , . ., ., , uk. it is commanded will be confusing — uk. it is commanded will be confusing for _ uk. it is commanded will be confusing for some - uk. it is commanded will be confusing for some people | uk. it is commanded will be i confusing for some people that uk. it is commanded will be - confusing for some people that are travelling between the different nations of the uk, especially since we are seeing the same of similar data, what we are seeing is a diversion to purge between the politicians here at westminster and the government here at westminster and the administrations elsewhere in the uk. they would say they are taking a precautionary approach with covid cases remaining high. they are trying to act now to prevent hospitalisations following suit. different approach has been adopted by the prime minister when it comes to england. many of his own mps have been pretty sceptical about the imposition of even the current restrictions, for example, 100 of them voted against a covid pass being introduced to get access to some venues. i'm told there will be even greater resistance at the prime minister tries to push ahead with further restrictions without really having solid hard and fast evidence from the national health service in england being faced with the prospect of being overwhelmed, so long as that data doesn't exist, then many in his own party would say he is right to not try to deluge the economy in the short term. he hasn't ruled out, of course, restrictions in due course, but what remains of this year, we will perhaps be able to see what this divergent drought in scotland and northern ireland would have divergent results, so there is a political gamble on boris johnson comes of it manages to keep the economy open, he will receive plaudits from members of his own conservative party more widely from businesses and indeed the wider public of the of that new year's celebrations have been saved. however, if hospitalisations do rise sharply early in the new year, then his political opponents will be saying he is prepared to put politics ahead of public health. many thanks. 0ur political correspondent reporting from westminster there. 0ne further statistic which indicates just how fast the 0micron variant is spreading is the rate of infection per hundred thousand people. and in the uk, it is now 1095. there's a similar level of infection in spain, although they have been reporting even higher figures over the christmas period. currently, they have 1,206 cases per 100,000 people. it's the first time that figure has gone above a 1000. it is their highest on record. the french government has announced new measures to deal with the spike in covid infections. the government says where possible, people should be working from home at least three days a week. schools will open on schedule in the first week of january. and as yet, there are no plans to impose an evening curfew, but there will be limits on the size of audiences allowed into indoor and outdoor events. joining us now is our correspondent hugh schofield. how would you characterise these new restrictions in terms of their severity?— restrictions in terms of their severi ? ., ., , �* . severity? cautious. but reflecting the hue severity? cautious. but reflecting the huge scale — severity? cautious. but reflecting the huge scale of _ severity? cautious. but reflecting the huge scale of the _ severity? cautious. but reflecting the huge scale of the infection i severity? cautious. but reflecting l the huge scale of the infection that we are expecting. they are talking about now are rate of 250,000, quarter of a million infections every day and a couple of weeks from now. if you look at the spread ability of omicron, it is far more contagious than its previous variants, and even though it's less harmful, it seems, nonetheless, it is spreading rapidly, and there is the same fear of hospitals being overtaken and overwhelmed if it is allowed to spread at a full rate. if there isn't some pressure put on it, so that is why they are acting in this way, but as in britain, there is a balance to be struck, as he say, there were people calling for a ban on government and new year's eve, there were people calling for a delay to the school reopening, that won't happen, schools will reopen. 0n won't happen, schools will reopen. on top of that, the government is talking about bringing down the amount of confinement that you if you are contact case, because the numbers simply are so huge. if everyone is confining themselves for what can be 17 days if they are contact case of omicron, then that will rapidly transform itself into an economy that grinds to a halt. there is a balance to be struck here. there are measures chemically the government is trying to press on people that they need to take this new way very seriously. we have got compulsory home working out for three days a week, that means there is going to be a big return to home working, which is beginning to tail off, we have no standing service at bars and restaurants which was around earlier on, and it's coming back. you can only get served if you are seated. then these new limits on the amount of people you can gather inside or outside. so a balanced approach, but as in britain, as in other countries in europe, everyone watching the numbers and expecting, you know, an unprecedented spike and the days ahead on the mitigated by the days ahead on the mitigated by the knowledge that so far, doesn't look like it's having the same kind of massive impact on hospitals as delta, for example, had, but no one knows how this is going to pan out. and just briefly, in terms of public opinion, how far are members of the public accepting that restrictions are necessary?— public accepting that restrictions are necessa ? ~ ., , ., are necessary? well, from the start of all of this, _ are necessary? well, from the start of all of this, people _ are necessary? well, from the start of all of this, people have _ are necessary? well, from the start of all of this, people have been i of all of this, people have been predicting, you know, and mass insurrection against government, it's never happened, it hasn't happened. most people are not vaccinated, the programme has gone very well, there are people in the libertarian side who are angry about the health pass fail have to have which has been converted into vaccination past, in the past, you could also have a negative test in order to get into venues like bars and restaurants and so on. you have to be vaccinated now to get into those menus. and people grumble, but so far there is no sign of any missed getting.— so far there is no sign of any missed cuettin. . , ., south africa has begun a week of events to commemorate the life of archbishop desmond tutu. the anti—apartheid leader died on sunday aged 90. the bells of cape town's st george's cathedral, where he was archbishop for ten years, will toll for ten minutes every day at noon until friday. table mountain and the city hall in cape town will be lit up in purple every night ahead of his funeral on the 1st of january. purple to represent the colour of his clerical robes. here are the pictures from earlier today of south african president cyril ramaphosa arriving at the archbishop's residence to offer condolences to his widow leah and the other family members. 0ur correspondent nomsa maseko is in cape town outside st george's cathedral. earlier she described what people have been saying to her about desmond tutu. people are reflecting about archbishop desmond tutu as a man who was small in stature, but one who had a big heart. because, after all, he was the man who was chosen by nelson mandela to head the reconciliation process here back in 1994 when south africa became a democracy. a lot of people speak about the man who played a prominent role in ensuring that south africa does indeed become a democracy. so he wasn'tjust respected here in this country, but all over the world, and also with world leaders having paid their own tribute, speaking about the man, describing desmond tutu as a moral compass not just for south africa, but also for them in their respective countries. a specialist search—and—rescue dog that's been missing for nearly a week was today found safe and well. juno was last seen during a walk near great yarmouth in norfolk. mike liggins was there to see the reunion with her owner: belong to you, ian? she does belong to ian and he'd almost given up hope. but this is the momentjuno and her own ian danks were reunited. i've just been incredibly emotional back there, as you probably got on camera. but, you know, i'm just totally humbled by what people are willing to do for people in the community. and that's what lowland rescue is all about. juno is a short—haired german pointer and has been trained as a search and rescue dog. six days ago, she went missing on a family walk at fritton near great yarmouth, and despite social media appeals and searches, there was no news. tell me about christmas without her. i'd rather not, to be honest. it's obviously been really tough on you. yeah. yeah, it's the little things. it's a quiet house, her bed's empty. today, search and rescue teams from across the countryjoined the search and news came through thatjuno had been spotted by one of the team's drone pilots. they think they found her. flying along the river bank, and there she was, she had appeared, yellowjacket. stopped, zoomed in, brought the drone down a little bit and she just sat up and she looked over at the drone, and she's alive because she's moving. so that was it. she gets a good meal now? we've got lots of leftover turkey, so, yeah, that's what we're going to do, after a quick trip to the vets! juno has lost weight, around five kilos, but is doing well and is now at home, resting in front of the fire. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm @reetacbbc. hello there. the big weather story for the rest of this week, and of course that means the rest of this year, is all about exceptionally high temperatures. this chart shows the temperature compared with the average. as these deep red colours spread northwards across the chart, that shows that temperatures will be significantly higher than we'd expect them to be at this time of year. daytime highs of 16—17 degrees, some very mild nights. there will be some rain at times as well, and during tuesday, it's this area of low pressure responsible for bringing some wet weather. and on the southern flank of that low, also some quite windy weather. so, as our area of low pressure slides eastwards, we will see outbreaks of rain through the morning across parts of england and wales. a lot of mist and murk and low cloud around as well. should brighten up from the west. northern ireland and scotland certainly turning brighter by the afternoon. 0nce any early fog has lifted, there should be quite a lot of sunshine around. relatively light winds in the north, but down towards the south, particularly for western and southern coasts, we're likely to see gusts of 40—50, maybe 55 mph. and still quite a split in temperatures for the time being. 5—6 degrees in northern scotland, 12—13 in southern england. then as we head through tuesday night into the early part of wednesday, a drier, quieter interlude before another band of rain swings its way in from the west. a little bit chilly again across northern parts of scotland, very mild down towards wales and the south west of england. and for wednesday, that band of rain associated with the frontal system will continue to journey its way north—eastwards, so we will see some wet weather for a time on wednesday. clearing many areas quite quickly. that rain lingering, though, for a good part of the afternoon in northern scotland. behind it, there will be some spells of sunshine, some areas of cloud, too. but some increasingly mild conditions, 15—16 degrees in the south, 13 there for belfast, ten in glasgow. the milder air is journeying northwards. it will continue to do so on thursday. quite a cloudy day for many, so mist and murk, some rain especially in the west. best chance of any sunshine in eastern parts, but highs of 16 or maybe 17 degrees. but even northern scotland will be up into double digits by this stage. another quite windy day in prospect. for friday, new year's eve, a lot of cloud around, some rain, especially in the west. best of any sunshine in the east, and still milder than it should be for the end of december. highs of 11—16 degrees. this is bbc news. the headlines — the uk health secretary has ruled out any new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year despite a record number of new infections. it comes as tighter restrictions have come into effect today in northern ireland and scotland. as covid cases increase rapidly in france, new covid restrictions are being introduced to combat an anticipated surge in 0micron variant infections, but the authorities have stopped short of imposing a curfew or lockdown. new york city has made it compulsory for everyone aged 12 and above to be fully vaccinated against covid. it has also become the first us city to require vaccines for all workers. south africa has begun a week of events to commemorate the life of archbishop desmond tutu. the anti—apartheid leader died on sunday aged 90.