and causing travel chaos. also, tributes to the ant man — e 0 wilson, one of the world's leading conservationists, dies, aged 92. and as hollywood box office takings continue to tumble, we ask if it's because of covid, the films, or the movie—goers themselves? hello. thank you very much for joining us. 0micron infections continue to soar in many parts of the world, and that is triggering some very different responses from governments and authorities. after seeing a record high of more than 100,000 new cases on saturday, france has announced tougher restrictions — remote working is now compulsory and public gatherings have been cut to 2,000 people for indoor events. in contrast, in the uk, with cases also reaching record highs, the health secretary sajid javid has said there will be "no further measures before the new year, but of course people should remain cautious." and in the us, wherejoe biden�*s top medical advisor, dr anthony fauci, has warned that there could easily be 500,000 cases a day in the coming weeks, the centers for disease control has halved the recommended isolation time for people with asymptomatic infections from 10 to five days. we'll have the details on that change in the us and the science behind it in a minute — but first we start with the new measures in france. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. with the festivities over and memories made, france is now snapping back to the reality of the pandemic. president macron convened a remote cabinet meeting to review the latest data on the 0micron variant. and his government's verdict is clear — cases are surging, and more restrictions are needed, at least for the next three weeks. starting on monday, all public gatherings will be limited to 2000 people for indoor events, and 5000 for outdoor ones. all spectators will have to be seated at concerts. food and drinks can only be consumed while seated at bars and restaurants. and they will be banned on all public transport as well as cinemas. working from home will be mandatory three days a week, where possible. and masks will be compulsory in outdoor city centres in addition to public transport. france's prime minister said he knows this all sounds like a film without an ending. translation: i know these measures can sometimes i make people feel fed up, but since the start of the crisis, the president, like his government, has sought only to protect you. the government is preparing for a huge wave of cases, having already hit a record number in the last few days, registering more than 100,000 positive cases for the very first time, which is why france is offering a third booster shot after three months instead of four. but there is a fear that hospitals could buckle under the pressure, and that more measures will be needed. translation: with the omicron variant, continuing to expand - would not only put pressure on hospitals but especially pressure on all of society, because there will be up to 1.5 million people who would have to self—isolate each day. the government has warned it will introduce passes that will make vaccines mandatory for certain activities by january 15th, if parliament approves. but it did stop short of imposing a full lockdown on new year's eve. a silver lining, as france prepares for a fifth wave of the pandemic. that is the perspective from one european country. let's get back to the situation in the us, then come up where isolation for asymptomatic covid—19 patients has been halved from ten days to five. dr peter chin—hong is an infectious disease specialist and a professor of medicine at the university of california in san francisco. i asked him for his thoughts on the new recommendations. we don't have a lot of time to wait for the best data. i know a lot of people are sceptical at this shortening of the isolation period for the economy. in a large sense it is driven by the workforce, if you think about health care and airlines, they all have a common denominator. if you were positive under the old rules, and people were asymptomatic, you had a covid prison sentence for ten days, and i think that was wreaking havoc on all facets of life, frankly. the trouble is, our assumption was you needed ten days to be shot of it. can you explain a little bit about the infection period and how long we might still harbour it? yes, so i think there are several reasons that went into this recommendation. first, overall, we are not in the same place as we were in the fall of 2020, when these guidelines were last updated. we have had vaccines since then, more therapeutics. so if you think about that timeline when you are infected and when you are most likely to transmit, if you think about alpha, that's said to be about five days, delta four days, and 0micron is thought to be three days, much of that data comes from the oslo event when scores of people were infected with 0micron. so i think that is the thinking — two days before, three days after. we'll call it five, and you wear a mask for the additional five days, we think the probability of transmission then is low. and even if you do get transmission, we have antibodies and increasing oral options that will be available. we are more comfortable with treating covid. as a vaccinated person, we know you are very unlikely to get serious disease, hospitalisation and death, very different from november 2020. does it bother you, at all, this new regime, if you like? i appreciate there is an economic call for it, a business sense to it, but you, as a medical man and a scientist, are you anxious? i am a little anxious, to be honest, david, and that's because we don't quite have the amount of data we had in the previous version. you know, we know, for example, if i call up the old data, you can take up to 11.5 days for everyone to sort of transmit, if they are going to transmit from an initial infection. so i guess the tail end is what makes me nervous. i am nervous about whether or not folks are going to wear masks after those five days, because you are not out of the woods just because you are in society, it doesn't mean you are not capable of transmission. and are you going to wear the right mask? cloth masks are not going to be enough for 0micron we think, and you need something better, at least a well fitted surgical mask if not an n—95 mask. that is the professor of medicine dr peter chin—hong speaking with me earlier. let's get some of the day's other news. 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 says — experts say the cause is magma moving beneath the earth's surface. they're warning tourists to stay away — although it's not clear if and when a quake might happen. two football teams in france have been thrown out of the french cup because of fan violence. lyon and paris fc were punished after crowd trouble forced the abandonment of their french cup match earlier this month. both clubs can appeal against the decision. bushfires are raging in southern chile, burning up more than 12,000 hectares so far. the largest fire has destroyed homes in the nuble region, leaving behind only metal rooftops. planes and helicopters have been mobilised to try to contain the fires. record amounts of snow are falling in western and northern japan, blocking roads and railways and disrupting flights. thousands of homes are without power. forecasters say the amount of snow this season is twice that of an average year. daniel wittenberg has this. a white christmas the nightmare afterwards. japan's freezing weather has generated an amount of snow this went out that in the worst affected places is twice that of an average year. the heaviest snowfall started on christmas day. in this city of hikone, east of kyoto, 21mm fell. more than 3000 households were left without power. for those on the move, piles of powder have caused a standstill. traffic lights and motorway signs hide from the celtic scenes after a truck driver lost control on the road, and dozens of flights have been grounded, with holiday travel plans disrupted. planes shiver on the tarmac. and almost 200 passengers had to spend the night on stranded planes. there is no letup in sight. more snow is forecast along the coast of the japan sea and residents are being asked to stay at home with whether officials warning of potential avalanches. a pretty, festive picture perhaps, but for many, a frustrating one. daniel wittenberg, bbc news. yes, not a lot better in the us. heavy storms have battered western regions, leaving thousands without power there as well. almost 30 inches of snow fell in california at the weekend causing makor disruption and road closures. 0ther other western us states continue to be battered by heavy snowstorms, including the state of washington. we checked in with fox 13 seattle meteorologist abby acone for the latest. what is happening this winter, it is part of this big picture thatis it is part of this big picture that is happening, and that is bringing the jetstream directly over the west coast. we have been pummelled by heavy rain, significant mountain snow, so there is a degree of normalcy here. we see this kind of winter weather. here. we see this kind of winterweather. but here. we see this kind of winter weather. but this extreme snow, especially of what we're seeing in california, oregon, and washington. we expect that will continue into the great plains and the rockies as well. what im act and the rockies as well. what impact are — and the rockies as well. what impact are you _ and the rockies as well. what impact are you seeing - and the rockies as well. what impact are you seeing again i impact are you seeing again across the country as well? how badly is it affecting you all? for example, here in seattle, we only averaged about six inches of snow a year. we got that in about the span of one day. some places got more than a foot this year. typically in the seattle area we do not have the seattle area we do not have the resources to clear roads quickly and so in a lot of ways, this stopped traffic on a busy holiday weekend. we are hearing about closures to interstate 80, the foothills, then about a state line. a lot of people completely stranded and honestly not able to finish up and honestly not able to finish up that holiday travel. that and honestly not able to finish up that holiday travel.- up that holiday travel. that is not fun. up that holiday travel. that is not fun- we _ up that holiday travel. that is not fun. we understand - up that holiday travel. that is not fun. we understand that. | not fun. we understand that. i'm looking at you, and there is no underground, so it is obviously cold. but i was reading, abby that in some parts of the country, temperatures and windchill is falling as low as —55 fahrenheit. is that possible? right. you know what, david? those numbers should be illegal because that is extreme, dangerous goal. that is significant for us here in seattle. we dropped to 70 fahrenheit today. that is 91 degrees colder than the triple digits that we had injune. we have a high of 108 injune, the third consecutive day of that stretch in triple digits. that would have been 42 celsius. this is the biggest temperatures when we have seen in seattle at least in recorded history. in seattle at least in recorded histo . ., , in seattle at least in recorded histo. . , in seattle at least in recorded histo. . ., history. that is abby acone, an extraordinary _ history. that is abby acone, an extraordinary differential - extraordinary differential between their hot and cold there. to stay with us on bbc news. to come in a moment: the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland they are going to use money that we picked up in belgium today and then we will be in france and again it will be the same money. it has got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering - in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. - a 33—year—old man from - liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicionj of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic. that's better. big ben bongs. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: america's leading health body halves the isolation period for patients with asymptomatic covid, from ten days to five. france gets tougher on covid restrictions, with working from home becoming compulsory, as infection rates exceed 100,000 a day. the us has said the attempted suspension of somali prime minister mohammed hussein roble was alarming, and it supports his efforts for rapid and credible elections in somalia. on monday, president mohamed abdullahi farmajo suspended the prime minister. but, mohamed hussein roble refused to step aside, and accused the head of state of trying to stage a coup. the president's term officially ended in february but was extended because of disagreements about how to choose a successoi’. mark fathi massoud is a law professor and a scholar of religion and law in somalia and somaliland. hejoins me now from santa cruz. thanks very much indeed for your time. thanks very much indeed for yourtime. it thanks very much indeed for your time. it is clear the americans are uncomfortable about this. what exactly is happening here? is the president asserting himself? it seems like all parties are asserting themselves at all times in somali politics. somali politics is unlike the uk or the us where there are two primary parties vying for authority in somalia, there are many parties, many of whom have relationships with what anthropologists and others in somalia called plans, tribal or can networks and all of these have been at play ever since the last real elections that somalia has had back in 1969. we are seeing this year not elections but rather a selection process where elders are getting together, trying to put lawmakers into power who then will vote for a new president but as you said, the president but as you said, the president has extended his term, the prime minister, there are corruption allegations against him, coup attempts, delayed elections, corruption allegations, these are not new in a place like somalia.- in a place like somalia. given all ou in a place like somalia. given all you said — in a place like somalia. given all you said there, _ all you said there, particularly your reference to the clans that are operating in any case, maybe this is a semantic question for you, does the president have the right or the president have the right or the power to suspend the prime minister? it the power to suspend the prime minister? , ~ . minister? it is unclear if the president — minister? it is unclear if the president has _ minister? it is unclear if the president has that - minister? it is unclear if the president has that power, l minister? it is unclear if thej president has that power, it seems that power would reside with lawmakers. there is a constitution that people should be abiding by that was drafted in 2012, it is unclear, as i've said that the president has that power but that said, the president did do what the president did do what the president did do what the president did and the prime minister's office has said they are continuing to work, they put out a video saying they are continuing to work and the president has overstepped his legal authority but this is where we are at in terms of, you know, in the midst of this lengthy, lengthy selection process for a new president, we've reached this sort of impasse between the prime minister and the president but meanwhile the people are sort of still living there day to day lives as they are, amidst all the exhaustion that people are feeling covid. {iii all the exhaustion that people are feeling covid.— are feeling covid. of course, it is a challenge _ are feeling covid. of course, it is a challenge isn't - are feeling covid. of course, it is a challenge isn't it? - are feeling covid. of course, it is a challenge isn't it? the| it is a challenge isn't it? the state department describes this situation as alarming. it would only say that presumably because there is a genuine fear there will be violent follow? i hate to say it this way, but there is always off and on violence. even here in america we had january six where there was an insurrection around election processes, they are generally not stable things and when they drag on like they have been dragging on in somalia it is dreamily unstable and the instabilityjust and the instability just continues and the instabilityjust continues to play a role in people's lives and in the relationship between the prime minister and the president, so it is unsurprising that the eu, the us had a number of other countries got together and said, calling for dialogue but it is hard to get dialogue when it's not really between the two people, it is also many, many people, it is also many, many people beneath them and many clans that need to have dialogue. clans that need to have dialogue-— clans that need to have dialogue. clans that need to have dialouue. , , , . dialogue. very complex picture. mark, dialogue. very complex picture. mark. thank— dialogue. very complex picture. mark, thank you _ dialogue. very complex picture. mark, thank you very _ dialogue. very complex picture. mark, thank you very much - mark, thank you very much indeed. tributes have paid to e0 wilson one of the world's leading naturalists and conservationists, who's died aged 92. wilson was an award—winning biologist and professor at harvard and duke universities and earned the nickname of the natural heir to charles darwin. he specialised in studying ants and ecosystems, and campaigned to halt the rapid global decline in biodiversity. i've been speaking to his close friend steven pinker, who's a cognitive scientist at harvard university. and he told why he thought e0 wilson was so special. he was a superb biologist. he had said most children go through a bug phase, he never left his. he was truly an expert on everything to do with insects, particularly ants. beyond that, he formulated laws and tested them on biodiversity, how many species are in a given region, what causes there to be a diversity of species or a small number, does it depend on area, does it depend on migration inward and outward, but he was a great synthesiser. he probably came to most people's attention when he wrote a book called sociobiology which attempted to formulate laws of behaviour, rooted in darwin's theory of natural selection. rooted in darwin's theory of naturalselection. he rooted in darwin's theory of natural selection. he had chapters on insects, reptiles, on fish, on primates and then he thought he would add, the fun of it, a chapter on one particular species, a parochial interest to many of his readers, namely homo sapiens and that is when it really a fan. ., ., fan. you said he did it for the fun of it- _ fan. you said he did it for the fun of it. he _ fan. you said he did it for the fun of it. he said _ fan. you said he did it for the fun of it. he said all- fan. you said he did it for the fun of it. he said all human l fun of it. he said all human behaviour was a product of predetermination, essentially thatis predetermination, essentially that is what he was saying. did you agree with them? i that is what he was saying. did you agree with them?— you agree with them? i don't think he would _ you agree with them? i don't think he would have - you agree with them? i don't think he would have said - you agree with them? i don't. think he would have said that, i think he would have said we can understand what is traditionally called human nature, namely our drives, our motives, our learning abilities, that human nature had to have come from somewhere, it came from the process of biological evolution unless the ura creationist which means that the kind of forces which lead certain emotions, certain desires to become installed and asked could be explained by how they enhance the reproductive abilities of our ancestors. that is the core of the nugget of natural selection.— of natural selection. steven pinker on — of natural selection. steven pinker on e0 _ of natural selection. steven pinker on e0 wilson - of natural selection. steven pinker on e0 wilson who i of natural selection. steven l pinker on e0 wilson who has died at the age of 92. as we reach the end of the year hollywood is counting its box office losses as the pandemic continues to prevent large sections of the audience returning to the cinema. so far only one film has grossed more than $1 billion across the world, that is spider—man no way home. you can compare that to nine films that did that in 2019. so is fear of covid stopping audiences setting out to the local mutliplex, or has the rise of streaming and on demand changed the way we consume movies for ever? paul dergarabedian is a senior media analyst at comscore and gave me his opinion. an incredible year and a half, almost two years, really, for the movie theatres in particular. movie theatres shutting down essentially in march 2020, and since then, it's been a real roller—coaster ride at the box office. like you said, the takings seem impressive at 20 billion globally expected, 4.4 billion in north america, which is around half, and in the case of north america, less than half of what we earned in 2019, but it is double what we earned in 2020 on both counts, so kind of a good news/bad news scenario. considering where we were a year ago, we are in a pretty good spot, especially with spider—man doing $1 billion of business. and obviously the success of streaming, partly a covid success in a strange sort of way, that brings in its own revenues which don't count in the box office sense, but does it signal a change forever? or will we get back to those packed cinemas? i think we are going to get back to the packed cinemas, but it will take a little longer than we expected. considering the proliferation of streaming, how great to have it at home, that is wonderful for people who don't want to go out, but the fact spider—man did as well and it did, venom, some of the other big blockbusters like that, generally those films which have youth appeal have done very well. the films that opened in theatres first did better, they actually performed better in theatres, because that was the only place you could see them. and then when they hit the small screen, they are more coveted and desired, films have a greater prestige when they go into the movie theatre first. but definitely the industry is learning how all the new dynamics are coming to bear in terms of the box office and streaming. you make an interesting point about the youth element, they are happy to go to the movies and still take it on board. perhaps different generations are that much more anxious, and that will be a hard nut to crack. i think that is really the case here. if you look at the big franchise films that have done well, the super girl films, against the more adult—oriented —— the superhero films, against the more adult—oriented films, like west side story for example, which many hoped would do much better because it is a great movie. but if the demographic, the mature demographic, is still reticent to go to the movie theatre, that is going to be a problem, i don't think forever, but right now the big blockbusters will help the theatres to weather the storm and get through this tough period and get on their feet for next year. and that is bbc news, thanks for being with us. the big weather story for the rest of this we and 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, shows that temperatures will be significantly higher than we would expect them to be at this time 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, some 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 us health authorities have halved the recommended isolation period for people who test positive for covid 19, without exhibiting symptoms. the centers for disease control now says that infected but asymptomatic people should stay home for five days and wear a mask around others for a further five. france has become the latest european country to tighten covid restrictions, in the face of rapidly rising cases. although the government has stopped short of imposing a curfew despite daily infection rates exceeding 100,000. employees have been told to work from home for three days a week, where possible. a powerful storm has struck the western united states, leaving thousands of people without electricity and causing travel chaos. nearly a metre of snow fell on parts of california, seattle and oregon in less than 2a hours. state authorities say it may take days to repair power lines.