in kazakhstan, as police use tear gas and stun grenades to stop a wave of protests over rising fuel prices. tennis star novak djokovic sparks anger as he's allowed to defend his australian open title, without being vaccinated. president biden has said there's no excuse for americans to be unvaccinated, after the us set a global record for new covid cases recorded in a single day. over one million americans were registered as new infections on tuesday, almost double their previous peak president macron followed suit — pledging to �*hassle�* france's unvaccinated population — with the country leading europe in raw positive cases. the spread of omicron has seen the uk beat its own national daily covid record, with almost 220,000 new cases reported — but it at present has no additional restrictions planned. fears of the new strain and a possible third wave in india has lead authorities in dehli to once again ramp up restrictions there — most recently ordering people to stay at home in the coming weekends. nowhere however have restrictions more severe than in china. beijing has put all one point two million residents of the city of yuzhou in lockdown after the discovery of just three asymptomatic cases. another city, xi'an, with a population of 13 million, has been under lockdown for two weeks. our correspondent, robin brant, sent this report. this is extreme, even by china's standards. a city shut down because ofjust three new cases with no symptoms. "everyone is prohibited from leaving the city," the sign says. a million—plus people are now in lockdown in yuzhou, the latest proof that china is very committed to its zero—covid strategy. translation: it doesn't bother me to do a covid test at midnight. it's for our own safety. 300 miles away and two weeks ahead of yuzhou is xi'an, a city famed for its terracotta warriors, where 13 million people have now been locked down since before christmas. what started out a fortnight ago with the late—night army of officials welding gates shut has led to this. some people banned from leaving their tower blocks have taken to bartering with their neighbours. cigarettes for vegetables, other goods for sanitary towels. this is what most of china looks like. it's busy. yes, you have to have a mask when you get on the metro and there's a temperature check, but the government says its zero—covid strategy has achieved this for about 18 months now. and that's a strategy that includes things like this — pop—up tents where you can get a booster on the way home and win prizes as well. but it also includes very, very harsh measures that can be imposed on a city in a matter of hours. harsh measures, brutal enforcement. it's been part of china's covid containment since the beginning. just last month, some cities were parading covid—spreading offenders in public. keeping cases at near zero is now even more important as china prepares to host another olympics. the winter games in beijing is just a month away. china's president, xijinping, saw for himself the final preparations on tuesday. on the brink of a third term in power, he wants and needs a smooth ride at the games. zero covid is central to that. robin brant, bbc news, shanghai. let's go live to beijing now and speak to our correspondent stephen mcdonell. the point was made there that the winter olympics, hosting that, a huge global event, is probably driving a lot of this strict enforcement of restrictions.- strict enforcement of restrictions. , . , restrictions. yes. certainly some peeple _ restrictions. yes. certainly some people think- restrictions. yes. certainly some people think that, l some people think that, especially in the case of this city. xi'an is a bigger city with a lot of infections. official numbers have been in the hundred but in this other city, only three asymptomatic cases, people who do not even have a temperature, resulting in the whole city being shut down. that is either because the official figures are not reflecting what is going on in the ground there or some zealous local officials are determined to make sure that their city does not stand out as one of the places with infections in just three cases with no symptoms and an entire city of 1.2 million people lock down does seem extreme. itrier? down does seem extreme. very extreme when _ down does seem extreme. very extreme when we _ down does seem extreme. very extreme when we watch - down does seem extreme. very extreme when we watch from the uk and elsewhere in the world where we see exponential numbers in terms of rising cases and there are no new restrictions being put in force. �* , ., restrictions being put in force. �* ~ ., , ., force. and, you know, i should add that it _ force. and, you know, i should add that it does _ force. and, you know, i should add that it does seem - force. and, you know, i should add that it does seem to - force. and, you know, i should add that it does seem to workl add that it does seem to work here, at least it has up until now. and in xi'an, the first of the two lockdown cities we are seeing the first signs that it could be improving there. so the numbers are hovering every year around 150, 160, along those lines. today, only 35 new cases. 90 yesterday. i know people will be saying how can you trust those figures but the thing that has been important here when looking at these official numbers is that generally speaking the curve has matched reality. so while the infection number is doing up the infection number is doing up and who knows real number, be ten times as many that in a senseit be ten times as many that in a sense it does not matter because as infection spread the number go up. as infections go down the numbers have also dropped so if we are down to 35 official infections in that city today, new infections, it could be that we are seeing that that big lockdown, that strict lockdown with everybody being kept indoors for weeks now could be improving the situation. mind you, it would take at least a week or more, maybe two weeks for them to ease up on that and get down to zero or cases for many days in a row. ., ~' zero or cases for many days in a row. . ~ ,, zero or cases for many days in a row. . ~ i. zero or cases for many days in arow. . ~ . ., a row. thank you so much for the latest _ a row. thank you so much for the latest on _ a row. thank you so much for the latest on that. _ a row. thank you so much for the latest on that. later - a row. thank you so much for the latest on that. later in i the latest on that. later in our coverage we will be discussing the economic effect of this on the worlds second biggest economy. here, borisjohnson will urge the cabinet to back his decision not to impose any further covid restrictions in england — even though hospital admissions are going up. he told a news conference at downing street yesterday that the booster vaccine roll—out — together with the current measures — gave a chance to "ride out" the omicron wave. but he acknowledged that the health service was under "huge pressure". jon donnison reports. hereford hospital in plymouth is one of a growing number to declare a critical incident because of omicron pressures on staffing levels as well as the growing burden of those needing care. hospitals in black, norfolk wilshire morecambe bay and lincoln have also raised the alarm. in plymouth they are warning that the situation is increasingly complex. we have atients increasingly complex. we have patients coming _ increasingly complex. we have patients coming in _ increasingly complex. we have patients coming in who - increasingly complex. we have patients coming in who are - patients coming in who are absolutely covid positive and they need to be in a designated area of the hospital and those numbers are increasing and then we have patients in hospital who have tested negative on admission but then do not have symptoms and develop symptoms and are now testing positive. and in manchester last night, 17 hospitals put a pause on nonurgent surgery of covid—19 and staff absence of around 15%. .,, and staff absence of around 15%. , .,, and staff absence of around 15%. , ., , ., 15%. those hospitals are under ressure 15%. those hospitals are under pressure not — 15%. those hospitals are under pressure not just _ 15%. those hospitals are under pressure notjust because - 15%. those hospitals are under pressure notjust because of i pressure notjust because of coming in with covid but also because, unfortunately, many of our staff are now isolating because they themselves have covid as well did it and it is those two pressures, patients coming in and the reduction of staffing available that is having the impact at present. although pressure on intensive care may be less severe than in previous waves, the omicron variant is so transmissible it is seeing the numbers with covid in hospital in england alone double in under a fortnight. the prime minister is not thinking of more restrictions at the moment but he admits the next three weeks will be hard.— will be hard. there will be a difficult period _ will be hard. there will be a difficult period for— will be hard. there will be a difficult period for our- difficult period for our wonderful nhs for the next few weeks because of omicron. i just think that we have to get through it as best as we possibly can. we give the nhs all the support that we can but in the meantime the thing we have to do is responsible members of the public is follow the guidance, try to stop transmission as much as we can and be boosted.— and be boosted. there is some evidence that _ and be boosted. there is some evidence that cases _ and be boosted. there is some evidence that cases in - and be boosted. there is some evidence that cases in younger| evidence that cases in younger adults may be flattening off but the worry now is that older adults are becoming infected adding even more to the strain on the nhs. that is why government advisers are warning that hospital admissions could be going up for quite some time. let's get some of the day's other news. ajudge in new york is considering whether to dismiss a civil case accusing prince andrew of sexual assault. he's said he'll reveal his decision "pretty soon". lawyers for the prince argued that a previous half a million dollar settlement between his accuser — virginia giuffre — and his formerfriend, the disgraced financer jeffrey epstein, barred her from bringing the civil case. prince andrew has consistently denied all the allegations. south korea has reported the launch of what it called an unspecified projectile from north korea's east coast. the launch is the first of the new year for pyongyang. at a meeting of the north's ruling party last week, its leader kim jong—un vowed to continue to build up north korea's military capabilities, despite the impact of international sanctions. severe weather in the us state of virginia has led to drivers being stuck in their cars for more than 2a hours. aerial footage showed endless lines of cars and trucks, bumper to bumper, that had been stranded overnight. the highway was covered in a mixture of sheet ice and snow forcing motorists to either abandon their vehicles or stay in them for hours. last year, the world watched stunned as trump supporters stormed the capitol building in washington. it was soon clear an insurrection was under way. questions about donald trump's exact role in how far he encouraged the protestors have hounded the former president ever since. he's appealed to the supreme court to block his white house records at the time from a congressional committee investiating his conduct. the congressional panel investigating the attack says it wants to speak to the fox tv host sean hannity about text messages he sent to mr trump. mark lobel examines the state of both the criminal and congressional investigations so far. one yearon one year on since this brutal attempt to overturnjoe biden �*s win in which five people died and dozens in law enforcement were injured, hundreds have been charged and many are behind bars where some politicians think at least two of donald trump �*s allies belong. and america remains a divided country. a criminal investigation is ongoing. the 725 arrested with over 70 sentenced so far have come from right across america. an npr study show that most charged have no links to extremist groups and 13% have ties to military or law enforcement. suggesting extremist ideologies have moved into the mainstream. a democrat lead investigator committee has amassed tens of thousands of documents and interviewed over 300 witnesses. summoning over 50. the committee is recommending criminal contempt charges for two of trump's former aides for refusing to appear. steve bannon is due in court later this year and mark meadows, with the justice department considering charges against. an aide so close to the president his text messages revealed trump's son sought his help in getting through to his dad on the day. getting through to his dad on the da . ., , getting through to his dad on theda. ., _ ., the day. donald trump junior texted again _ the day. donald trump junior texted again and _ the day. donald trump junior texted again and again - the day. donald trump junior| texted again and again urging action by the president, quote" we need an oval office address. he has to lead now. it has gone too far and gotten out of hand. " the committee is now seeking to speak to fox news host sean kennedy who is said to have texted donald trump �*steam on january five that he was very worried about the next 48 hours. the committee is under pressure to deliver before the midterms in november when they could be dissolved if the republicans do well. as they ask federal and state officials if they were put under pressure to change election results, and question whether the president really did consider using emergency powers to get the national guard to dojust emergency powers to get the national guard to do just that. despite the shocking scenes from last year, this remains far from from last year, this remains farfrom a one—sided from last year, this remains far from a one—sided story. recent polling shows that 26% of republicans think the protesters who entered the capital were mostly violent compared to 78% of democrats. 72% of republicans say that donald trump does not really bear responsibility for what happened. compared to 60% of americans who say he bears a great deal, or a good amount. a year on from urging his followers to fight like health after a rigged election, donald trump maintains he has done nothing wrong. that he has just cancelled a news conference scheduled forjanuary six, claiming total bias and dishonesty of what he called the january six unselect committee and fake news media. one reading of which is that the pressure may be starting to bite. mark labelle, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll tell you why tennis star novak djokovic has come under fire for being allowed to play at the australian open. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief. after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of- south africa tomorrow in spite of protests and violence - from some black activist groups. i they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa _ until majority rule is established. . around the world, people have been paying tribute to the iconic rock star david bowie, who sold 140 million albums in a career that spanned half a century. his family announced overnight that he died of cancer at the age of 69. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: a chinese city of more than 1 million people is under lockdown after three reported cases — under the government's zero covid strategy. the congressional panel investigating last year's attack on the capitol says it wants to question a us tv host about text messages he sent to donald trump. the president of kazakhstan has sacked the country's cabinet, as he tries to stop a wave of protests over fuel price rises. police used tear gas and stun grenades to control the demonstrations — arresting around 200 people — and a two—week state of emergency has been declared. sylvia lennan—spence reports. this is not a site you often see on the streets of almaty. protesters voicing their angry in the centre of the capital. protesters don't normally storm them our�*s office but that is exactly what these people are doing. it didn't take the authorities long to react. police moved in and move the protesters out of the main square with tear gas and stun grenades. the protest started in provinces. here, demonstrators took to the streets after the authorities lifted price vehicle fuel, causing prices to surge. since then there have been big demonstrations in several cities and towns of. internet services are down in the country stopping the president went on television with this warning. translation: those calls to attack _ warning. translation: those calls to attack the _ warning. translation: those calls to attack the government| calls to attack the government and military buildings are completely illegal. this is a crime that could be followed by punishment. the government will not fall but we want mutual trust and dialogue rather than conflict. �* ., , conflict. but mutual trust seems a _ conflict. but mutual trust seems a long _ conflict. but mutual trust seems a long way - conflict. but mutual trust seems a long way off - conflict. but mutual trust l seems a long way off here, although the president has now ordered the government to regulate the price of your land other important good. increases in fuel costs are likely to affect the price of food which has already seen steep increases since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. tennis now, and the men's world number one — novak djokovic — has received a medical exemption to enter australia, bypassing the strict rules that only allow people vaccinated against covid—19 to enter the country. the news means that djokovic — who has been critical of mandatory vacinations — can now compete in the australian open, which he is bidding to win for a record tenth time. on tuesday he tweeted this picture on the airport tarmac, bags packed. with the caption "happy new year... today i'm heading down under with an exemption permission. let's go 2022!" craig gabriel, who's an australian tennis commentator said it was still not clear why the authorities granted the exemption. we don't know what the reason is for the medical exemption. what he applied for, what the ailment could be, whatever it is. so we are in the dark and we will only know about that if novak himself decides to release it or make an announcement or divulge what process he used to seek medical exemption. how is this being viewed in australia by tennis fans and people who perhaps were looking forward to him coming to play? my gut feeling over the last few months was that he would not turn up and now he gets an exemption. it has been incredibly negative since the news broke. twitter and other social media platforms have been going absolutely crazy on the negative side although there has been a humourous take that australians tend to have, and one person said "well, if he is coming, he better bloody well bring 22 million rapid antigen tests with him" because there is a shortage. so, you know, we will see what happens when he arrives in australia when he takes to the court for the first time on what the actual reaction is but right now it is incredibly negative across social media platforms as well as on talkback radio. i know it is impossible to speculate what and now the rest of the sports news. hello, i'm gavin ramjuan with your wednesday sports news. bangladesh's cricketers have made history by winning the first test against new zealand by eight wickets in mount maunganui, giving them their first ever victory in the country, across all formats. ebadot hussain was the star of the show, for bangladesh in the field. he took six wickets, to help limit the black caps in their second innings. it left bangladesh with a simple target of 40 before lunch on the final day, mushfiqur rahim with the winning runs, to spark the celebrations. meanwhile the defending women's champion naomi osaka says her main goal this year, is to enjoy tennis again. osaka took a break from the sport last year to focus on her mental health, after pulling out of the french open. she also sat out wimbledon, then returned for the tokyo olympics, where she lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony. after her opening win at a tournament in melbourne, osaka said she'd set herself one major aim for 2022. for me, i'd just want to feel like every time i step on the court, i'm having fun and i can walk off the court knowing that evenif walk off the court knowing that even if i lost, i tried as hard as i could and i'd just need to find a way to enjoy the game again because that is the reason i was playing in the first place. chelsea striker romelu lukaku has apologised to his teammates, and is back in the squad for their english league cup semi—final tie against tottenham on wednesday the belgian was dropped for weekend's clash with liverpool, over an interview where he was saying he wasn't happy under manager thomas tuchel, and he'd like to return to inter in the future. tuchel feels it's now time to move on. for me the most important thing was to understand and to clearly understand and believe that it was not intentional, he did not do this intentionally to create this kind of noise in front of a big game and it was the very first time. there was never the slightest behaviour against the team and these are very important points to understand, to stay calm and to understand, to stay calm and to understand that it's not that big. liverpool have requested that their league cup semi—final first leg against arsenal this thursday at the emirates be postponed. the club says that is due to further covid—19 cases and player availability issues since their draw with chelsea at the weekend. liverpool had to cancel training on tuesday. newcastle united have agreed a $16 million fee with atletico madrid for england full—back kieran trippier. trippier is set to be newcastle's first signing under their new saudi owners, and the first for new manager eddie howe since he took charge in november. trippier will be reunited with howe, who signed the defender while he was at burnley. hejoined the spanish side in 2019. a reminder, you can get all the latest sports news at our website, bbc.com/sport, including the latest from the fourth ashes test, between australia and england in sydney. but from me, and the rest of the sport team, we'll see you soon. we will, and our thanks to gavin and the team. thailand has reopened maya bay, a white sandy beach made famous by the film "the beach" starring leonardo dicaprio. the authorities closed down the picturesque area more than three years ago to allow its ecosystem to recover from the impact of thousands of daily visitors. the beach lies on an island in the andaman sea, and is only accessible by boats. under strict covid—19 conditions, visitor numbers are limited to no more than 375 at one time and no swimming is allowed in the bay. all the top business stories right here next. i will see you soon. hello there. winter has certainly staged a return after the very mild start we had to this year. temperatures over the last couple of days have been dropping, and some places have seen a covering of snow. so, where we have snow on the ground and where we've seen wintry showers, there's the potential for ice to take us into wednesday morning. and with this little ridge of high pressure temporarily building in, well, that means wednesday actually is going to bring a lot of fine and dry weather. the greatest risk of ice will be across northern scotland and northern ireland through the first part of the morning. we will continue to see some wintry showers here, a few too into wales, the southwest of england, and a few grazing the east coast of england as well. but for most places, as we go through the day and the showers become fewer and further between, we will see more in the way of sunshine, the winds will slowly ease — but it won't be a warm day by any stretch, top temperatures between 3—9 celsius. now, as we go through wednesday evening, still some showers grazing the east coast, some out west for a time. but things generally will be dry with long, clear spells. cloud tending to increase across northern ireland later in the night — that'll lift the temperatures here just a little, but for most places, a very cold night, —8 likely in some sheltered rural spots in scotland. but after that cold start, we bring in this frontal system from the west on thursday. there is, associated with this, going to be a very narrow wedge of milder air. so, what we will see as this front moves in is initially a spell of snow, even to quite low levels across parts of scotland and northern england seeing the rain run into the cold air. some snow over high ground in wales, perhaps into the midlands as well. but any wintry weather tends to turn back to wet weather as we go through the day, as that little wedge of milder air starts to work its way in. and then, cold air will return from the west later. it will be windy, gusts of 50—60 mph or more in some exposed western spots. and temperatures still stuck between 4—9 celsius for the most part. and then, into friday, we're back into cold air again. we will see some sunshine, but we will see some showers, too, these falling as a wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow. it'll be a fairly breezy day in many places — and top temperatures again between 3—9 celsius. that's all from me, bye for now. the pressure may be starting to bite. mark labelle, bbc news. this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the big absence. as the uk reports it's highest number of daily infections since the pandemic began staff shortages is becoming a major problem, both in healthcare and industry. and rising wholesale energy prices means big problems for consumers as well as energy companies, but can, and will, the government help? and what does 2022 have in store for social media — we'll get an expert view on the most important trends.