hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. across europe and the north america, countries are experiencing record numbers of covid infections, as health authorities struggle to contain the omicron variant. in france, the highest figure for daily cases was recorded on tuesday — and the government has announced it'll introduce tighter restrictions from next week, including compulsory remote working for those who can. let's take a look at the figures. france recorded nearly 180,000 new infections in the last 24—hour period, the highest number in europe. but france isn't alone in breaking daily records. in europe, the uk, greece, italy and portugal all have reported record highs too. the us has also set a single—day record of new infections, with over 440,000 new cases on monday, according to the centers for disease control. but while the numbers of people testing positive are at all—time highs — the number of people needing hospital treatment for coronavirus isn't reaching record levels. peter chin—hong is a professor of medicine at the university of california. he says that despite the high infection rates, authorities are determined not to impose onerous restrictions on daily life. the us is really marked by wanting to continue with the economy. full force forward and not imposing any lockdowns. i think they are trying a multimodal approach with vaccines, testing, masks and limiting gatherings, but on more of an honour system, optional encouragement, gentle persuasion. i think that traditionally speaking the biden administration was critiqued for putting all their eggs in the vaccine basket, so with not enough testing and not enough of this preparation, it's like you're having a hurricane, the roof is leaking and you're trying to repair the roof while the rain is pouring. the authorities in the indian capital delhi have declared a yellow alert is due, and they're bringing in new restrictions from today. prime minister narendra modi is also due to chair a meeting of his cabinet to discuss the spike in cases. professor srinath reddy is the president of the public health foundation of india in delhi. he gave us his assessment of the omicron surge in the country. we are now seeing a rise in cases, particularly being documented from the large cities, 70% increase in cases in mumbai, a 50%jump in cases in delhi. and it is likely that other places will record a rise in cases as 0micron is beginning to spread. we know it is a very infectious variant, it has entered india, it has been reported initially mostly in travellers returning from abroad but it has also seen infections in people who have not had a travel history. so we are anticipating a rise but at the moment there is no rush on hospitals. most of the cases that have been infected are reported to have only mild symptoms and therefore that is the reassuring feature. at the moment we are still seeing the presence of delta in some places, which was receding, in fact, and it was reassuring at the beginning of november that we may actually see in the new year without much of a variant wider stretched, however the advent of 0micron has seen 0micron rising fast, it might replace delta, we still do not have a large enough number of cases of 0micron to suggest is the dominant virus yet but the likelihood is there that it may replace delta, and if it is as mild as being reported, that may be actually a turn for the good. the scottish parliament will be recalled this afternoon as first minister nicola sturgeon delivers an update on rising coronavirus infections. a record number of cases were also recorded in england, but there are still no plans to bring in new restrictions before the new year. meanwhile, the uk health security agency has said it's doubled the number of lateral flow tests available, after a group representing thousands of independent pharmacies across the uk claimed the supply was "patchy". james reynolds reports. this month in scotland, there have been long queues for booster shots. but the newlyjabbed won't all be able to get together for a post—booster celebration. restrictions on large gatherings are now back in place. we need to do it, but to shut everything down at once is a wee bit hard, as well. we can go out, but not to nightclubs. i feel like now that we've got all of our vaccines, _ there is not actually. another step forward. that's all we can do. across scotland, it is table service only in pubs and bars, and no more than three households in every group. the new set of rules that have come in have just pushed everything a further step backwards. there is so much uncertainty going on. people don't know if they have jobs to come back to, or when we are going to get back to any normality. if these restrictions are to stay in scotland, someone is going to have to find furlough, because that is going to be the only way to protectjobs. we are all going to have desperately uncomfortable conversations if there is not a way of plugging the wage bill gap. wales has also imposed restrictions of its own. events are limited to 30 people indoors, or 50 outdoors, and nightclubs have closed. in northern ireland, pubs, cafes and restaurants are providing table service only and no more than six people from different households will be allowed to sit together. by contrast, england has not imposed new restrictions. the health secretary said people should be cautious and, if possible, celebrate new year's eve in the open air. earlier this month, the prime minister promised that every adult in england would have the chance to get their booster shot before the new year. the nhs is now messaging hundreds of thousands more people this week, urging them to get their shot and enjoy what officials call a "jabby" new year. james reynolds, bbc news. martin mckee is professor of european public health at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. we have been hearing about the record cases in the us and parts of europe. are there places where we have passed the 0micron peak yet? i have passed the omicron peak yet? i don't think so but we have to be cautious because we have just come through the christmas period and there have been real issues about testing capacity in many countries, processing tests and so on, so i think the data we are looking at presently, over the last few days, needs to be taken with a great deal of caution. irate needs to be taken with a great deal of caution. ~ ., , ., , of caution. we have seen a very different approach _ of caution. we have seen a very different approach to _ of caution. we have seen a very different approach to covid - of caution. we have seen a very - different approach to covid measures and restrictions across the world. in some places they are bringing in new restrictions, like france, whereas in the uk they are holding off on that. which do you think is the right approach? is france being too strict or the uk not strict enough? too strict or the uk not strict enou~h? ~ ., ., too strict or the uk not strict enough?— too strict or the uk not strict enough? too strict or the uk not strict enou~h?~ ., ., ., ., enough? we have to go back to basics. enough? we have to go back to basics- this _ enough? we have to go back to basics. this is _ enough? we have to go back to basics. this is a _ enough? we have to go back to basics. this is a virus _ enough? we have to go back to i basics. this is a virus transmitted in enclosed indoor spaces and of course the impact is mitigated by vaccination so any strategy needs to have a combination of measures that reduce the opportunities for transmission, from mixing, increasing vaccination coverage and that can be backed up by testing. which particular mixture you take is a matter that is to a large extent determined by politicians but we know we need all of them together to bring the numbers down. we have seen that work very well. some european countries which had a large wave of delta, like austria, slovenia, have really brought the numbers right down. and the czech republic, although they are inching up a bit at the moment. a couple of weeks ago we spoke of the very low rates in austria and now it has some of the lowest rates in europe.— lowest rates in europe. from what ou're lowest rates in europe. from what you're saying _ lowest rates in europe. from what you're saying it — lowest rates in europe. from what you're saying it sounds _ lowest rates in europe. from what you're saying it sounds like - lowest rates in europe. from what| you're saying it sounds like austria has the right approach with tougher, tighter restrictions. is that something the rest of the world should be looking at? first something the rest of the world should be looking at?— something the rest of the world should be looking at? first of all i think nobody _ should be looking at? first of all i think nobody wants _ should be looking at? first of all i think nobody wants restrictions i think nobody wants restrictions unless we absolutely have to and if you put them in place you need to make sure they are backed up by support for people because people will lose incomes and be inconvenienced so it is notjust a matter of putting restrictions in place but having the entire package of support that goes with that. we need to look at the date at the moment, the numbers are going up rapidly in the uk, very rapidly in france, so it seems logical you will need to do more than depend on vaccines which will have time to take an impact, that won't be instantaneous. the other thing we need to take into account is that people are adapting their behaviour anyway so for example in the uk there is no ban on going to football matches at the moment but the matches at the moment but the matches are not taking place because so many footballers are unable to play. so many footballers are unable to .la , ~ ., so many footballers are unable to .la , . ., ., so many footballers are unable to play. what do you think about the us cuttin: their play. what do you think about the us cutting their isolation _ play. what do you think about the us cutting their isolation period - play. what do you think about the us cutting their isolation period to - cutting their isolation period to five days, should other countries follow that? ida five days, should other countries follow that?— five days, should other countries follow that? ., ., ~ follow that? no mac and i think we need to see _ follow that? no mac and i think we need to see the _ follow that? no mac and i think we need to see the evidence - follow that? no mac and i think we need to see the evidence at - follow that? no mac and i think we need to see the evidence at the . need to see the evidence at the moment. there was criticism of that in the us. in the uk the period of isolation has been reduced but backed up by lateral flow tests. we have to see how that works because although the lateral flow tests argued against omicron and delta, the amount you have to have of omicron to spread to someone else is much lower. nobody has seen the solid evidence to justify the american position and there is concern among the public health community there that this is primarily being done to open up the economy. but that is not necessarily going to work because we have seen the us having large numbers of flight crews, flights being cancelled, people are not going to be going to work if they are feeling ill. nobody wants someone coughing and sneezing around them at a time like this. you can do these things but it is not clear how much of an impact they will have.— but it is not clear how much of an impact they will have. the hong kong pro—democracy media outlet stand news has said it's shutting down, after hundreds of national security police raided its offices. seven former and current employees were arrested, for publishing what police described as "seditious publications". stand news, set up in 2014 was the most prominent remaining pro—democracy publication in hong kong. its closure raises further concerns about media freedoms in the former british colony, which returned to chinese rule in 1997 with the promise that a wide range of individual rights would be protected. our correspondent danny vincent is there. i'm standing outside the offices of stand news here. this news outlet is considered one of the last pro—democratic publications in hong kong. earlier in the year, apple daily, perhaps the most popular tabloid newspaper in the city, was raided, several times. many of their executives were arrested and it seems that something similar has happened here at stand news today. former and current members of staff from stand news were arrested. one individual, also the chairman of the hong kong journalists association, has been released. there are a number of stand news journalists currently inside the stand news office. earlier they were speaking to lawyers and trying to decide what would happen next. they are not currently speaking to the media but there are journalists here, still outside here, trying to get a glimpse inside this news organisation and trying to speak to people when they come out. there was a large media scrum after the police arrived in the early hours of the morning. we heard there were more than 200 police officers raiding the premises, they took boxes of what the described as journalistic material out of the office. many of the journalists here definitely feel that this is once again seen as another attack in the city against the freedom that the press should have. a memorial service will be held in cape town today in honour of the anti—apartheid leader archbishop desmond tutu, who died on boxing day. the service is one of many that have been encouraged by the anglican church in south africa, to stop large crowds gathering because of covid. attendance at his state funeral on new year's day is being capped at 100 because of coronavirus restrictions. to tell us more i'm joined by nomsa maseko who is in cape town. there will be another memorial service notjust here in cape town but also midday in omicron outside the home of desmond tutu. —— also at midday in soweto. and that there cape town city hall and there is a public viewing area for those unable to make it inside the city hall because of covid regulations. given the restrictions, _ because of covid regulations. given the restrictions, it _ because of covid regulations. given the restrictions, it is _ because of covid regulations. given the restrictions, it is still— the restrictions, it is still important people have a chance to remember the life of the great archbishop so how is the balance being maintained?— archbishop so how is the balance being maintained? there is a wall of my remembrance _ being maintained? there is a wall of my remembrance outside _ being maintained? there is a wall of my remembrance outside the - being maintained? there is a wall of. my remembrance outside the cathedral where the archbishop served as south africa's first black archbishop, a portrait, and also people have been allowed to bring flowers, and also they are messages, and there is a book of condolence book, placed in many public areas around the country where people have been signing those books, and there are also public viewing areas, notjust here in cape town but other parts of the country, to ensure people who want to pay their respects can do so. haifa to ensure people who want to pay their respects can do so.- to ensure people who want to pay their respects can do so. how do the services reflect _ their respects can do so. how do the services reflect the _ their respects can do so. how do the services reflect the character - their respects can do so. how do the services reflect the character of - services reflect the character of the great man himself? i services reflect the character of the great man himself?- services reflect the character of the great man himself? i think from the great man himself? i think from the beginning _ the great man himself? i think from the beginning many— the great man himself? i think from the beginning many years _ the great man himself? i think from the beginning many years ago - the great man himself? i think from the beginning many years ago when j the beginning many years ago when desmond tutu was playing a prominent role planning his own funeral speaks of the kind of person he was. there are lots of things he said he did not want as part of his funeral, chief amongst those was he didn't want any lavish spending. he said he wanted a cheap coffin and only one bouquet of carnations at the saint georges cathedral, and all of those wishes are being followed to the letter, even though this is officially a state funeral which will obviously be held by the government, but he also said he did not want a military parade, and the government is ensuring his wishes are granted. {line government is ensuring his wishes are granted-— are granted. one of the things --eole are granted. one of the things people remember— are granted. one of the things people remember about - are granted. one of the things people remember about him l are granted. one of the things| people remember about him is are granted. one of the things - people remember about him is his great sense of humour and distinctive laugh so how much is there going to be a sense of celebrating the joy of his life as well and notjust morning? it is celebrating the joy of his life as well and notjust morning? well and not 'ust morning? it is not 'ust his well and notjust morning? it is not just his fantastic _ well and notjust morning? it is not just his fantastic sense _ well and notjust morning? it is not just his fantastic sense of _ well and notjust morning? it is not just his fantastic sense of humour l just his fantastic sense of humour about people talking about his dance moves, many saying he was an old man with a lot of rhythm. there will be lots of those kind of memories that have already been shared. people going as far as trying to emulate the way he danced as well. thank you for aaivin the way he danced as well. thank you for giving us — the way he danced as well. thank you for giving us an _ the way he danced as well. thank you for giving us an overview _ the way he danced as well. thank you for giving us an overview of _ the way he danced as well. thank you for giving us an overview of the - for giving us an overview of the services and commemorations. the england and manchester city striker raheem sterling has said society must never let its guard down over racism in the game. sterling said the country tended to address racist abuse when it happened, but then "brushed it under the carpet". he's also been speaking to the england manager gareth southgate about how they dealt with the abuse suffered by some england players had after they lost the final of the euros. it's a game of huge stakes, you know. people are probably intoxicated a lot of the times, say and do things that are, you know, try to... sometimes, when i'm angry, i try to do the utmost thing at one person that i can try to insult them as much as possible. just trying to be horrible because you want to get a reaction out of that person or you want to get a reaction because you are angry. at the same time, you know, we can't let that, you know, disrespect or belittle another human being, what their skin tone is. so i feel on that aspect, that's the really disappointing thing. you know, it's frustrating being it, you being frustrated shouldn't result in negative comments for someone's skin colour. i think what hurt me was that this was a group of players who had brought everybody together for 30 days or whatever it was on a brilliantjourney, and then, the first time we ever set back and the defeat, now, all of a sudden, we are going to allow this division to happen. i was not happy about that at all. and what i was really pleased, actually, although there was a horrible reaction that night from, you know, too many people, but still a minority, i thought it was a brilliant counter reaction where the majority of the fans and public were saying, actually, we are not having this. we are with bukayo and marcus and jadon, so, you know, everybody else can go and do their thing, really, it's sad we have to live through that, you know, to make it feel that way. lawyers for prince andrew have filed papers to try to stop a us civil case in which he's accused of sexual assault. the documents question whether the woman making the allegation, virginia giuffre, can bring the case in new york, saying she lives in australia rather than in the united states. prince andrew has denied all the allegations against him. a merseyside police officer has been sacked for gross misconduct after it emerged he'd shared racist and homophobic pictures. the guardian, which broke the story, also reports that he took selfies at a murder scene. an anti—corruption inquiry into the behaviour of ryan connolly uncovered several years of misdemeanours. merseyside police said connolly's behaviour was "deplorable" and his dismissal sent a "clear message" that any abuse of office would not be tolerated. it's almost a year since changes to eu—uk trade came into effect and imports remain below pre—brexit and pre—pandemic levels, according to the office for national statistics. our political correspondentjessica parker has been to visit three companies based in the netherlands, who do business with britain, to see how the changes have impacted them. warmed under led lights, millions of flowers from this dutch grower go to britain each year. extra paperwork after brexit has meant extra costs. more checks are coming but there is no stopping them here. the uk is an important market for us and when we stop exporting to the uk, we lose about 20% of our market so we cannot sell those flowers to other places and we don't want to because these people are flower minded. at an onion factory, this batch is off to honduras. first a thorough physical inspection. uk bound produce will also face new controls, delayed by the british government. from 2022, we expect that we have to do physical inspections on the onions, which gives us also more paperwork. what will this mean for your business? customers now, they know the flexibility of the dutch onion packing houses and they order for example 11 o'clock this morning, and the truck will leave around three o'clock. if between 11 and three you have to pack it and you have to order an agent to do a physical check, that's quite challenging. covid has of course disrupted global trade but this firm is also committed to the uk market. this company exports onions to 75 countries across the world. they are used to dealing with checks and paperwork. for smallerfirms it can be a different picture. it's kind of hard for especially small businesses. they usually sell and export within the eu and do not have to do any customs declarations, formalities, so now they figure they have to be involved with this for the first time. that's kind of a problem. edith makes experience tables. they are used in libraries and elderly care homes to help people with dementia. she says exporting to britain was a dream come true but now plans to do so less. i am not totally convinced that i will conquer all those extra difficulties that will come for us to export to the uk, because of the extra rules and extra customs rules or extra forms you have to fill in. businesses must choose their markets, and a fuller picture will take time to emerge. brexit is still in motion. # come on, baby, let's do the twist #. jessica parker, bbc news. record amounts of snow has fallen in western and northern japan, blocking roads and railways and disrupting flights. thousands of homes are without power — and the situation may get worse before it gets better as more snowfall is forecast along the japan sea coast. rupert wingfield—hayes has more. in a normal december, this town in centraljapan might get a sprinkling of snow — a few centimetres at most. but on monday and tuesday, it was blanketed by 68cm of snow. the little town became completely gridlocked. people in this part ofjapan just don't expect this much snow and they are not really prepared for it. further north, in what japanese people call snow country, it's a different story. here, people know all about how to deal with the white stuff. but even so, the amounts that have fallen in the last few days are pretty extreme, especially for december. meteorologists say the huge snowfall has been caused by a large and extremely unstable air mass sitting over the sea ofjapan. they say there is plenty more to come over the new year. that is bad news for those about to hit the roads and railways and planes. japan is about to shut down for its biggest holiday of the year. millions of people will flood out of tokyo and other big cities heading for their ancestral home towns. this year, they may be heading into more big snowstorms, with half a metre or more of snowfall forecast in the next two days over the mountains and along the sea of japan coast. president biden has led tributes to the former us senator harry reid, who has died at the age of 82. the president called him a "giant of our history". reid rose from humble beginnings to lead the democrats in the senate for 12 years including taking most of the significant legislation of the obama administration through congress. in a letter released on tuesday president obama said he would not have been president without harry reid. in the last few minutes the prime minister has been speaking about the rising number of cases in the uk. the omicron variant continues to cause real problems. we are seeing cases arising in hospitals but it is obviously milder than the delta variant and we are able to proceed in the way that we are, but that is one reason and one reason only why we are able to do that and that is because such a huge proportion of the british public have come forward to get vaccinated and particularly to get vaccinated and particularly to get vaccinated and particularly to get boosted. we have done about 32.5 million, may be more booster jabs now and it allows us to go ahead with new year in the cautious way that we are. but i cannot stress too much how vital it is for everybody to get that booster, particularly the 2.4 million people who have had to jabs but not yet to their booster, they have had their jobs more than six or seven months ago so they are eligible but they have not come forward yet. come forward and get it, is a fantastic thing to do, it makes a huge amount of difference to you, you protect you. i am sorry to say this but the overwhelming majority of people ending up in intensive care in our hospitals are people who are not boosted. i have spoken to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90% of people in intensive care are not boosted. if you are not vaccinated your eight times more likely to go into hospital altogether. it is a great thing to do and it is very important. get boosted for yourself and enjoy new year celebrations cautiously. with; year celebrations cautiously. why have ou year celebrations cautiously. why have you acted — year celebrations cautiously. why have you acted different from the other devolved nations. we have you acted different from the other devolved nations.— other devolved nations. we have looked at the _ other devolved nations. we have looked at the balance _ other devolved nations. we have looked at the balance of- other devolved nations. we have looked at the balance of risks, . other devolved nations. we have l looked at the balance of risks, we generally consult our strategies together, we see the data that, yes, cases are rising and hospitalisation is rising but what is making a huge difference is the level of booster resistance, the level of vaccine induced resistance in the population. what we need to do now is really finish off that work. i have no doubt at all that by january the 1st, by the new year, everybody, every adult in the country will have been offered the booster. they will been offered the booster. they will be given a slot to get one. are we getting people coming forward to take advantage of those slots? there is talk of people _ take advantage of those slots? there is talk of people going _ take advantage of those slots? there is talk of people going over _ take advantage of those slots? there is talk of people going over the borderfrom is talk of people going over the border from wales is talk of people going over the borderfrom wales and is talk of people going over the border from wales and scotland to england in the new year. everybody should enjoy — england in the new year. everybody should enjoy new— england in the new year. everybody should enjoy new year _ england in the new year. everybody should enjoy new year but - england in the new year. everybody should enjoy new year but in - england in the new year. everybody should enjoy new year but in a - should enjoy new year but in a cautious and sensible way. take a test, ventilation, think about others, but above all get a booster. what have you seen that they have not? ~ ., ., ., ~' what have you seen that they have not? ~ ., ., ., ~ ., ., ., what have you seen that they have not? ~ ., ., ., ., ., not? we are looking at the data and what we are — not? we are looking at the data and what we are seeing _ not? we are looking at the data and what we are seeing is _ not? we are looking at the data and what we are seeing is where - not? we are looking at the data and what we are seeing is where have i not? we are looking at the data and. what we are seeing is where have got cases, certainly going up, a lot of cases, certainly going up, a lot of cases of omicron, but on the other hand we can see the data about the relative mildness of omicron, and we can also see the very clear effect of getting those boosters in particular, and that is making a huge difference. according to some of the surveys i've seen, 90% of the patients in i c are people who are not boosted. think about that. think about the risk you are running with your own health you fail to get a booster. ~ ., , ., , ., booster. where have you been for the last ten days? — booster. where have you been for the last ten days? i've _ booster. where have you been for the last ten days? i've been _ booster. where have you been for the last ten days? i've been in _ booster. where have you been for the last ten days? i've been in this - last ten days? i've been in this count . last ten days? i've been in this country. where _ last ten days? i've been in this country. where do _ last ten days? i've been in this country. where do you - last ten days? i've been in this country. where do you think? | last ten days? i've been in this - country. where do you think? thank you. country. where do you think? thank ou. �* ., , country. where do you think? thank ou. ., ., ., ., you. boris johnson at a vaccination clinic this morning. _ you. boris johnson at a vaccination clinic this morning. we _ you. boris johnson at a vaccination clinic this morning. we want - you. boris johnson at a vaccination clinic this morning. we want to - clinic this morning. we want to bring you something to let you know something about the covid testing government website if you have been trying to book a test or get a home test delivered but at the moment on the website it says there are no tests available for pretty much all of england. there are no home tests