and the kenyan anthropologist and conservationist richard leakey — renowned for his extensive fossil discoveries that shed light on human evolution — has died aged 77. hello and welcome to bbc news. secondary schools in england have been told that children should wear face coverings in classrooms — to help stop the omicron covid—19 variant from disrupting the new term. the move brings england into line with the rest of the uk. unions have welcomed the advice, while also warning that staff shortages could once again lead to some children being taught at home. sanchia berg reports. in scotland, pupils have been wearing masks as they learn with the windows open for the last few months. the picture is similar now in northern ireland and wales. next week, english secondary students will follow suit as the government tries to reduce the spread of covid in schools. around half of children over 12 have been double—jabbed, not enough to keep the virus out. the face coverings is very much a short—term measure, simply to the 26th of january, when it will be reviewed because we recognise it is not something many children will want to wear. it recognises the priority of ensuring face—to—face education is made available, that's our number one priority. some are worried that this could affect children's learning, which has been so disrupted for the last two years. thank goodness, there's very low risk to children so i'm very wary, i will listen to what the government says, but i am very wary about imposing masks on children in schools because i worry about their well—being, anxiety and mental health, which has already suffered because of school closures during lockdown. but it's backed, for now, by the teaching unions. if this is a short—term fix, as the government says, and one of a number of different measures, including ventilation, and moving ofsted to the sidelines, if that's going to do what we all want and keep young people in their school or college, then that will, i think, be a price worth paying. so what difference will it make to transmission in the classroom? masks work in several ways. first of all, they trap the virus, if you are infected and don't know it. they protect you from incoming virus if you are not infected and don't know that you're talking to someone who is infected. but also, the masks, if you wear them, stop you from picking your nose, scratching and picking your lip and self—inoculating that way. so the masks have several benefits and also if you are wearing a mask, it is actually, people tend to be more careful. but being more careful can come at a price for education. it's helpfulfor some parts and it's not helpful because when you're asked a question and the teacher doesn't understand what you're saying, they're going to have to tell you to repeat and repeat, until the point where you have to take your mask off and repeat it, and then they'll understand. but it's helpful because the covid is spreading a lot and affecting a lot of people in the uk. nobody wants another lockdown, where even with support from schools children fall behind with their lessons, become vulnerable, isolated, even put at risk. but across england, head teachers are looking at contingency plans. they will only know next week whether to put them into effect when they can see how many staff and pupils are absent with omicron. sanchia berg, bbc news. joining me now from south london is natalie perera, ceo at the education policy institute, a think tank. natalie, thank you very much for your time this evening. how do you feel about the fact that england is just introducing or reintroducing this measure now, when northern ireland, scotland and wales have already been requiring secondary school pupils to wear masks in classrooms?— school pupils to wear masks in classrooms? ~ ~ �* , classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government _ classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government is _ classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government is now - classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government is now taking | that the government is now taking this step to prioritise keeping schools open, and it is important that as far as possible we can do everything to keep schools open for three reasons. firstly because we know that over the course of the pandemic there has been considerable learning loss amongst pupils, particularly those in secondary, and particularly those in secondary, and particularly those in secondary, and particularly those from disadvantaged families. we also know that keeping schools open is important for young people's well—being, which has fallen over the course of the pandemic, and also to keep eyes on vulnerable pupils who are otherwise at risk of slipping through the net if they are not able to go to school and have day—to—day contact with their teachers. and face coverings are one mitigation that the government is taking to reduce the risk of transmission, and ideally to reduce pupil and teacher absence from school, and that's important because we saw those absence rates increase quite significantly in december, as the new variant began to take hold. yeah, we don't know how much the christmas holidays will have acted as a firebreak, given how transmissible omicron is, but obviously most schools, if they are getting their pupils and on the first couple of days of term to do lateral flow tests in school, will hopefully be able to establish who is negative, who is positive, and therefore to try to curb cases rising right from the outset. how concerned are you, though, especially for those people and exam years, years 11 and 13, about the possible impact on their futures? incredibly concerned. the government is still planning to go ahead with exams for year 11 and year 13s at the moment and we think that's the right decision, with some adjustments being made. but if we do end up with a situation where there are increasingly higher rates of pupil absence or indeed full school closures, then they may need to review that decision. i think what's really important is the government also looks again at its overall education recovery package. they've so far made available just under £5 billion for education recovery, which is not insignificant, but it is very short of what we think is required, which is closer to about 13.5 billion, in order to get education back on track. [30 13.5 billion, in order to get education back on track. do you think it will _ education back on track. do you think it will be _ education back on track. do you think it will be potentially - think it will be potentially difficult for some schools, in some instances, to manage this, to manage the task of making sure that their pupils do wear masks? obviously at secondary school age the majority of these children will be able to fully understand why a mask wearing is being asked of them but did you think it nonetheless might be difficult for some schools to manage this? i difficult for some schools to manage this? ~' , , . this? i think it will be difficult. it is another _ this? i think it will be difficult. it is another measure - this? i think it will be difficult. it is another measure that - this? i think it will be difficult. - it is another measure that schools are having to now introduce, alongside making sure pupils are tested and staff are testing frequently and managing both people and staff absences, but what we've seen over the course of the pandemic is that schools and school leaders have been incredibly resilient, and have been incredibly resilient, and have adapted really well to everything that has been thrown at them, and, as i say, the introduction of face coverings in classrooms in england, it's not ideal, but if it means that schools can for the most part stay open, and we can avoid more school closures andindeed we can avoid more school closures and indeed a return to online learning, then i think that's a measure that's worth being implemented.— measure that's worth being imlemented. �* , ., , , implemented. and will you see this measure as — implemented. and will you see this measure as a _ implemented. and will you see this measure as a lesser— implemented. and will you see this measure as a lesser evil, _ implemented. and will you see this measure as a lesser evil, if - implemented. and will you see this measure as a lesser evil, if i - implemented. and will you see this measure as a lesser evil, if i can i measure as a lesser evil, if i can call it that, than that possibility of lost learning, the lost opportunities to socialise and see their friends etc?— opportunities to socialise and see their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. ho efull their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. hepefully this _ their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. hopefully this will _ their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. hopefully this will be _ their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. hopefully this will be a _ their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. hopefully this will be a fixed - their friends etc? yeah, absolutely. hopefully this will be a fixed term l hopefully this will be a fixed term measure and won't be required for the longer term, but, as i say, if it can keep schools open, can keep young people learning, particularly in those important exam years, then it's likely to be worth it.— it's likely to be worth it. thank ou. well, due to the holiday period, the government's latest coronavirus figures aren't complete, but there were 137,583 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period in england and wales alone. 73 deaths were recorded — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test in england and wales. scotland and northern ireland will give their updates after the holidays. public sector leaders have been told to prepare for the worst case scenario of up to a quarter of their staff being off work because of covid. the uk has seen record numbers of daily cases over the festive period. ministers have been tasked with developing "robust contingency pla ns" for workplace absences. here's our business correspondent, katie prescott. this cumbria care firm has been short—staffed and finding it tough to recruit for a while. bosses say they've got enough work for at least another a0 people. now omicron has decimated their rotas. it's going to be difficult. we may be in a position as a care sector where not everybody is going to get the care they need. that's the unfortunate truth, we are not going to be able to provide care for everybody that needs it, and that's obviously a major worry. this lack of carers has a knock—on impact on hospitals too, as people are unable to be sent back home once they are well enough. it is what happening there that's a real worry. to try and keep vital services, like hospitals, open, public sector leaders are being asked to make contingency plans for having ten, 20 or even up to 25% of their staff off at any one time. solutions to that could include drawing on pools of former workers, former teachers in schools for example, or prioritising certain services. shortages are also hitting the hospitality industry. this popular italian restaurant had to shut before christmas as staff fell ill. we got to a point at the end of the first week where we were very short—staffed but we managed to work a rota and managed to get remaining staff to pick up shifts. but around the 22nd we finally reached the critical mass of casualties and of 2a staff we ended up with just five who were negative, me included. when it comes to businesses, such as restaurants and bars, ministers across the uk are being asked to look atjust how bad things could get and to work out what they need to keep going through this time. labour says this announcement shows the government is leaving contingency planning to the very last moment. the most recent restrictions in england, set out in the government's plan b earlier in december, are expected to be reviewed this week. katie prescott, bbc news. a little earlier, our political correspondent damian grammaticas explained to me how the government is likely to respond to the warnings that there could be a quarter of public sector staff off because of covid. what we are seeing is basically the government saying they are looking at the situation day by day, at the data as it comes out. and what they are saying at the minute, the minister saying today, the health minister saying there is nothing in the data that indicated a need for new restrictions. and that is important, that word "restrictions". but they continue to look at that. but at the same time, they are obviously concerned because, as we see, they are bringing measures in in schools. and inside the heart of government, in the cabinet office, they have instructed all departments to look at these scenarios, so, as you say, 25% workforce absence, but also 10% and 20%. so that 25 is the worst case. and that is in order to be prepared for what could come as we see the impact of the mixing over christmas, mixing over new year, everybody out and about. how is that going to impact on the spread of omicron? there are real worries there, even if they are saying there is no need for new restrictions. what could these robust contingency plans be, then? even if you take the lesser of those scenarios, 10% of the workforce off, if there simply aren't not enough spare people around to fill those positions, what might those robust plans look like? it's a good question, because, already, we know before christmas, and in the last few days, there were problems. there were problems in schools with teachers. there have been problems with the health service. already, health service leaders saying that they are under real pressure. problems in things like train drivers and transport. examples of what they could do, we know today the department for education has written to schools suggesting things that they could do are things like combining classes if they are short of teachers, combining classrooms together, bringing in support staff or ancillary staff to help out in schools and even possibly having to do some teaching at home. so looking at ways to draw on other areas, but it's a very difficult question because there's a huge range of scenarios, and even 10% of staff being off would be a very, very difficult proposition for many organisations to have. the latest headlines on bbc news: secondary school pupils in england are being asked to wear facemasks in classrooms to reduce the spread of omicron. unions welcome the move. warnings of a worst—case scenario of a quarter of staff in the public sector being off work because of covid. government ministers say there's nothing in the current covid data to suggest more restrictions are required in england. south africa's houses of parliament in cape town have been severely damaged by a fire, which tore through the building after the it's sprinkler system failed to activate. it was described as a "terrible, devastating event" by the country's president, cyril ramaphosa. an investigation is under way and a 49—year—old man has been held for questioning. our southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko sent this report. an historic building on fire. plumes of smoke engulfing south africa's parliament. sirens. more than 60 firefighters battling to extinguish the blaze. the fire started on the third floor offices and quickly spread to the national assembly chamber. the damage is extensive and there are fears some parts of the structure built in the late 1800s could collapse. the entire parliamentary complex and severely damaged. is severely damaged. waterlogged and smoke damaged. there is going to be damage extensively. the roof above the old assembly chamber, assembly hall, is completely gone. many high profile south african politicians including president cyril ramaphosa were in cape town for the funeral of archbishop desmond tutu, which took place at st george's cathedral, a block away from the parliamentary precinct. this is devastating news, a terrible and devastating event, particularly after we gave the archbishop what i would call the best send—off yesterday. the minister responsible for government infrastructure say for government infrastructure said firefighters managed to contain the blaze from spreading further. this is a very sad day for our democracy because parliament is the home of our democracy. parliament is also a strategic key point. no injuries have been reported and there is no indication of what may have started it. fire and rescue service officials have said it could take longer to put it out completely due to carpets and wooden floors. the world—renowned kenyan fossil hunter, dr richard leakey, whose discoveries helped prove that humans evolved in africa, has died at the age of 77. he led a team that found an almost complete homo erectus skeleton in 1984, and fronted the landmark, seven—part bbc series "the making of mankind". in a statement this evening, kenyan president uhuru kenyatta said: "mr leakey had served his country with distinction, not only "his distinguished career in public service" but also, "his prominent role in kenya's vibrant civil society where he ran a number of institutions. " a wildlife conservationist who heads wildlife direct so she was meant toward buying richard leakey as had many other young kenyans, and pay tribute saying he was very courageous, he was a person who stood for integrity, whether it was in wildlife conservation, whether it was related to archaeological and palaeoanthropology call research of museums, or whether it was related to politics. richard leakey has served as the head of the civil service from 1999 through to march 2001. richard leakey, who has died at the age of 77. ajudge in the united states has thrown out prince andrew's attempt to halt proceedings in a civil lawsuit against him. the duke of york's lawyers had argued that virginia giuffre, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, lives in australia, so is not a us resident. prince andrew has consistently denied the allegations. aruna iyengar has this report. seen here at the age of 17, virginia roberts, now giuffre, with prince andrew on the left, and ghislaine maxwell in the background. ms giuffre has accused prince andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager at the homes ofjeffrey epstein, the convicted child sex offender, and ghislaine maxwell. prince andrew has consistently denied the allegations. the civil lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. two efforts to stall the case were blocked on saturday. us federaljudge lewis a kaplan told the prince's lawyers they must hand over key legal documents before a crucial court hearing in new york on tuesday. he also rejected arguments by the prince's lawyer, andrew brettler, that the lawsuit should be dismissed because ms giuffre, a us citizen, no longer lives in the us. this comes after ghislaine maxwell was convicted this week of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be sexually abused by her boyfriend, the late american financier jeffrey epstein, between 1994 and 200a. on tuesday, judge kaplan will hear oral arguments to decide whether virginia giuffre's lawsuit against prince andrew will proceed. aruna iyengar, bbc news. a second 15—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, following a stabbing in south london. zaian aimable—lina — who was also 15 — died after being stabbed in the heart at ashburton park in croydon on thursday. another 15—year—old boy who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. 20 conservative mps and peers have called on the prime minister to tackle the spiralling cost of living. five ex—ministers are among those who have written to the sunday telegraph arguing for a cut in environmental levies and the removal of energy taxes. their call follows big rises in wholesale gas prices. the government says it is meeting suppliers and the regulator regularly to work out how to help consumers. denmark says it hopes to end the use of fossil fuels on domestic flights by 2030. the danish prime minister says flying must be made green but acknowledged the target would be hard to meet. denmark had already announced plans to reduce carbon emissions by 70% of 1990 levels by 2030. how do you get to become a film stuntman? before you jump off tall buildings, or take part in high—speed car chases, you have to pass a series of gruelling tests. our reporter talia slack has been to meet a group of aspiring stuntmen during their training. what do a free—runner, personal trainer and a tiktok star all have in common? let's do the stunt man thing. i will do diving in heels any day. chuck a stiletto on me and i'll do any of the sports in stilettos. i'll try it, i like to push that boundary. these men are all training to become stuntmen. very rarely you'll be diving in speedos. you will be diving in whatever the, if you're doubling, the actor would be wearing. they are all at various stages in their stuntman journey. it's my second session. a lot of this for me, i think, is faith, and trusting coaches. in order to qualify for the british stunt register, they need to pass tests in six different disciplines. i'm here today because i'm training the high diving. training in the high diving. curtis tolbert has already done his martial arts. ticked that one off. i've done gymnastics in trampolining. i'm doing rock climbing, swimming. it's really tough. louis is 18. he's wanted to be a stuntman since he was 11. obviously, everyone my age was going to uni and doing the whole school thing, but i was watching the james bond films and i thought, well, i want to do that. the dream is to have fun, do the crazy stuff, travel the world and get paid. phil passed his diving skills test but still needs to train. i've completed all of the six requirements and ijust submitted for the stunt register, so then it goes to the committee and they decide whether i've made it onto the register or i need to come back and look at other skills. so i'm just waiting to find out whether i'm on the register or not. the stuntmen have to train in a different way to traditional divers. they are just trying to land on their head and pass the skill to qualify to be a stuntman. whereas when i'm teaching to dive, you're obviously looking at the pretty stuff like the pointed toes, the straight legs, the tummy tight, the posture. make it look nice! so it is very different in terms of technique. charlie is part of the group because he loves diving. i think it's probably my favourite thing now. it's one thing i'm quite passionate about now. and i don't know what i would be without it. he often likes to serenade his fellow divers by playing the violin. when he came to me for the first time he was really nervous, and he struggled a lot, so he gave me a piece of paper and it said, my name's charlie. and you fast forward to now, we have good conversations, he plays the violin for me. the group love him, he's such a good energy. the whole crew hopes to end up in a major blockbuster film, or perhaps stand in for a famous fashion designer. i want to be a stunt double for donatella versace. i think that's like my true goal. just get the long hair and just walk out. just get the long hair and just walk out i'd _ just get the long hair and just walk out. i'd love that. that would be the best. that's what i would love to do. that was talia slack reporting there. time for a look at the weather, with tomasz schafernaker. hello. it is still very mild out there. we also had quite a few showers today, so a damp picture, head and overnight. it will be colder, colder compared to what we have right now. so the current of mild air from the southern climes, the azores, coast of portugal and france, that air still very much over us. it has spread right across europe into belarus and ukraine and southern parts of scandinavia, but here in the north, noticed that colder weather setting in, and it is preceded by this weather front here, which will be arriving in northern scotland through the course of tonight. to the south of that, noticed the wind. it is still blowing in from the west, south—west, so mild air, a really mild morning, eight or 9 degrees for many of us. the north of scotland here in stornoway, three degrees. this weather front will bring some sleet and snow to the mountains particularly, some hills as well, maybe one or two towns or cities but it will be a slow process, so it will be moving slowly south through the course of monday. so on monday, yes, it is a bit colder in scotland, seven in aberdeen, nine in glasgow and edinburgh, still above the average, but double figure temperatures across england and wales. that weather front will continue to make its wayjourney further south, again a bit of winter in sa, particularly across the southern absence but here's another look at that weather front, the air mass graphic showing the temperature, the atmosphere higher “p temperature, the atmosphere higher up can you see the cold air settling in, pushing that mild air to the south. so buy early on tuesday morning, so this is the following night, you could see a frost setting and early on tuesday across more than northern parts of the country whereas further south we are still hanging on to some of that mild weather. so here is a weather map for tuesday. weather. so here is a weather map fortuesday. i weather. so here is a weather map for tuesday. i think cold winds across scotland, and bringing some wintry showers, particularly to the hills, but not exclusively. some coastal areas as well, a real wind chill for scotland on tuesday, 5 degrees in aberdeen, in glasgow, and closer to the seasonal normal, bang on actually come across the south of the country, 8 degrees in london is the country, 8 degrees in london is the average this time of year. on wednesday, we are between weather systems, a weather front approaching out of the west. we are ahead a bit, so think calm weather, lighter winds and some sunshine, i think on wednesday overall a fine, crisp day on the way. hello, this is bbc news with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines: secondary school pupils in england are being asked to wear facemasks in classrooms to reduce the spread of omicron. unions welcome the move. if that is going to do what we all want and keep young people in their school or in their college, then that will i think be a price worth paying. warnings of a worst—case scenario of quarter of staff in the public sector being off work because of covid. government ministers say there's nothing in the current covid data to suggest more restrictions are required in england. fire engulfs the parliament building in south africa after its sprinkler system failed. and the kenyan anthropologist and conservationist richard leakey — renowned for his extensive fossil discoveries that shed light on human evolution — has died aged 77. now on bbc news, review 2021: the coronavirus pandemic. our health editor hugh pym has the story of the coronavirus pandemic across the year and its impact on so many different aspects of people's lives. hospitals under pressure.