and thanks the russian president for sending troops. england battle back on the third day of the fourth ashes test as jonny bairstow hits a century. hello and welcome to bbc news. 200 members of the armed forces are being drafted in to help hospitals in london struggling to deal with covid—related staff shortages. the royal college of nursing said the government could no longer deny there was a "staffing crisis" in the nhs. pressure on london hospitals has increased over the past month, with 4,000 patients currently in hospital with covid compared with 1,100 in december. meanwhile, outside of london, hospitalisations have also been ticking upwards with almost 18,000 patients currently in hospital with covid. as of thursday afternoon, 17 hospital trusts in england were experiencing critical incidents — concerned they might not be able to provide core priority services, such as emergency care. it means they can get extra help and draft staff in from other duties. health secretary sajid javid urged people to get their vaccinations to help cut the pressure on the nhs, as he welcomed support from the military. more from our health correspondent, katharine da costa. the nhs is on a warfooting, and it's calling out for reinforcements. london's hospitals have been hit hardest by covid—related absences — more than 5,000 staff in acute trusts were absent in the week up to boxing day. the nhs is on a warfooting, and it's calling out it's led to the armed forces once again being called on for support over the next three weeks. a0 military medics will assist with patient care. 160 personnel will carry out tasks including checking in patients and basic checks. separately, 32 military co—respondents will also be deployed to support south central ambulance service in the thames valley. this winter there is extraordinary pressure on our nhs. we are honoured, it is our duty to be a sticking plasterfor the nhs to help get through a time of extraordinary crisis. in normal times, the nhs doesn't need our help because there are incredible people who do extraordinary work in that organisation every single day. but right now they do need our help, and it's our great privilege to offer it. from distributing ppe and assisting paramedics, to bolstering teams at testing sites and vaccination centres — the armed forces have been called upon throughout the pandemic. while this latest support�*s being welcomed, some say it highlights the staffing crisis within the nhs. the prime minister has said that the nhs will cope. this is a clear indication that the nhs is not coping. this is too little, too late — it certainly does not go far enough to support the nhs in all the ways it needs at the moment. it will help, but it won't solve the problem. nearly 2,000 military personnel have already been deployed across the uk. a further 7,000 are on standby. in scotland, 90 personnel are preparing to assist three health boards, as the nhs braces itself for yet another winter wave of admissions. katharine da costa, bbc news. air commodorejohn lyle, who's responsible for the military�*s civil contingency operations in the uk, told us what the public will see and that expects to see more deployments in the coming weeks. throughout london what we've done is we've broken our personnel down into smaller teams. so, we have a mix of defence medics and what we call general duties personnel, and the medics are obviously more highly trained to deliver clinical care, whereas the general duty personnel can assist in tasks such as logistics, moving oxygen around, assisting members to call their family or helping with meal times. all of that allows the highly skilled clinicians to focus their care where it's needed most. so, what they're likely to see is primarily an nhs workforce with support people wearing pretty much what i'm wearing now but with the relevant protective equipment, just assisting as part of that wider effort. we can't really forecast too far ahead, but certainly throughout this current surge, we know it is particularly difficult in london at the minute, but we are aware that this is impacting all across the united kingdom. so we remain in discussions and there are a number of areas where we're looking at the potential for more assistance. so over the coming weeks and months, i think we will learn a lot from how the progress is made through london and potentially there could be further military support required in other areas. you can check how your local nhs services are coping using the bbc nhs tracker which will run throughout winter and shows you the latest data on waiting times for emergency treatment where you live. labour has said the prime minister has "serious questions to answer" following an investigation into the refurbishment of his downing street flat. messages between borisjohnson and lord brownlow — who helped pay for the rennovation of the flat — were published yesterday. they appear to show the prime minister offering support for the plans for a "great exhibition" — a proposal backed by lord brownlow. let's get more from our political correspondent damian grammaticas. this is a row that has been rumbling on for ages but this is a new twist, isn't it, the angle of the great exhibition, explain about that. the row about exhibition, explain about that. tue: row about the exhibition, explain about that. tte: row about the flood has been going on for over a year or so. it was all about how borisjohnson was funding the work for the flat, he was trying to get donors to do it possibly through a blind trust and that whole issue had been looked into and part of those enquiries has thrown up these whatsapp messages, the first thing is that borisjohnson had to apologise yesterday because he did not release them to the man overseeing the inquiry last year and so that was already a sticky point for the prime minister but now in the messages, you have borisjohnson needing tens of thousands of pounds for his flat, a tory donor overseeing how that will be arranged and wanting this project, this great exhibition type thing, that is what he wants and in those exchanges it becomes clear borisjohnson says, send a whatsapp message to lord brownlow saying i am keen to get on, my flat is a tip. ps, on the great exhibition plan, will revert. and what labour has seized on there is they say this appears to be clearly a quid pro quo, the prime minister offering a favour in return for sorting out his money issues. what downing street have said is well, no, this was probably dealt with, it was passed on to the culture secretary who then never went through with this plan but i think under pressure, borisjohnson is under pressure, borisjohnson is under pressure, borisjohnson is under pressure here because he did pass it on and so labour are then saying this needs to be looked into and calling for the parliamentary commissionerfor and calling for the parliamentary commissioner for standards katherine stone to have an inquiry into this. but they say there are very serious issues here that need to be addressed. fist issues here that need to be addressed.— issues here that need to be addressed. �* ., ., , , ., addressed. at the end of last year boris johnson _ addressed. at the end of last year boris johnson was _ addressed. at the end of last year boris johnson was dogged - addressed. at the end of last year boris johnson was dogged by - addressed. at the end of last year boris johnson was dogged by so i addressed. at the end of last year - boris johnson was dogged by so many borisjohnson was dogged by so many problems and even tory mps questioning his leadership of the party. i am sure he hoped the new year will bring a new start but he still being dogged by some of those old problems? t’m still being dogged by some of those old problems?— old problems? i'm sure he did and i think everyone _ old problems? i'm sure he did and i think everyone hoped _ old problems? i'm sure he did and i think everyone hoped it _ old problems? i'm sure he did and i think everyone hoped it would - old problems? i'm sure he did and i think everyone hoped it would bring a new start but this has come to light again, it was clear these messages around from just before christmas and now we know what was in them but i think one thing for the prime minister that he will be a bit relieved about is on the basic questions, his adviser on ministerial standards lord geidt had cleared him last year of saying there was no sort of conflict of interest over the funding. he clearly was angry yesterday that he had not seen the messages and said they might have raised more questions about what boris johnson knew where the money was coming from because in these messages, the donor lord brownlow says to borisjohnson, there is no trust, i am hoping it will come injanuary but i know for the money is coming from so that is a bit of a tricky point but yesterday lord geidt did not fundamentally revise his questions were borisjohnson or seek to take this any further. the difficulty for borisjohnson still lies in whether the parliamentary commissioner for standards will now also take this up and whether therefore there will be another sort of inquiry into it. and whether this thing will drag on and on. . ~' whether this thing will drag on and on. . ~ , ., one of the changes announced earlier this week to covid testing rules, for people travelling to the uk from abroad, has come into effect. pre—departure tests are no longer needed for those who are fully vaccinated. people are also no longer required to self—isolate while they wait for the result of their test taken within two days of arriving. from sunday, post—arrival pcr tests are being replaced by lateral flow tests. a teachers�* union is warning that schools are �*teetering on the edge', with significant staff absences recorded in english primary schools on the first day of term. the department for education says it's supporting schools to keep pupils in the classroom by encouraging former teachers to step in, along with extending the covid workforce fund for those facing the greatest staffing pressures. some older pupils in england are refusing to take lateral flow tests and wear face coverings in classrooms as they head back to school — according to both parents and children. charities say they are worried about the effects on vulnerable students of this advice being ignored. however, other parents say masks impact on their children's learning. julie mcculloch is the director of policy at the association of school and college leaders — shejoins me now. what is the evidence on mask wearing in schools is it being followed and is it effective?— in schools is it being followed and is it effective? good morning. i am from an organisation _ is it effective? good morning. i am from an organisation that - is it effective? good morning. i am i from an organisation that represents 21,000 school and college leaders around the uk, we've been really clear throughout the last two years that we and our members are experts in education, not experts in public health and so our view has always been we need to follow what the health experts are saying in terms of medications for schools. it certainly seems there is a pity incontrovertible bank of evidence for the beneficial impacts of face coverings and reducing transmission of the virus in general and i think we are now seeing more evidence that unsurprisingly, that is also the case in schools and classrooms. it is not an easy position to make, we know there are clear downsides to wearing face coverings in classrooms, it's difficult to communicate, they are uncomfortable to wear for communicate, they are uncomfortable to wearfor any communicate, they are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. there is always that balance to be made at any point through the pandemic between the beneficial impact on transmission and the downside on education and i think it's right that the government is looking regularly at that decision and changing the guidance is necessary. tt’s and changing the guidance is necessary-— and changing the guidance is necessa . �* , , �* , necessary. it's interesting, there's been one scientific _ necessary. it's interesting, there's been one scientific study - necessary. it's interesting, there's| been one scientific study published by the department for education which is saying there's been a mixed results on the effectiveness of face coverings in educational settings. in other words, the evidence is inconclusive. in other words, the evidence is inconclusive-— in other words, the evidence is inconclusive. , ., , ,., inconclusive. yes, there was some evidence published _ inconclusive. yes, there was some evidence published just _ inconclusive. yes, there was some evidence published just yesterday | inconclusive. yes, there was some l evidence published just yesterday by the department for education, it was a very small study in the autumn term, i think it's important to remember that was before omicron, it was based on transmission of the delta variant and it showed a relatively small number of schools that were looked at as part of the study, there was a small benefit in terms of transmission in wearing face coverings, that did require face coverings, that did require face coverings, that did require face coverings at that point, they had slightly less transmission than other schools. that evidence, as i say, based on a fairly small sample, but i think given the broader evidence that we know about the impact of face coverings, i think it feeds into the evidence to suggest when transmission is high, face coverings can be a sensible mitigation. coverings can be a sensible mitigation-— coverings can be a sensible mitiaation. �* ., ., mitigation. ahead of the new term, there were concerns _ mitigation. ahead of the new term, there were concerns about - mitigation. ahead of the new term, there were concerns about staff- there were concerns about staff shortages, staff shortages across the country, of course, in all sorts of walks of life but in school settings in particular, that was a real concern that we might end up with remote learning again because there just aren't enough teachers. absolutely, that continues to be a huge concern. very early on, most schools have only been back a couple of days so it's hard to get a clear sense of what staff shortages are looking up at what we hear from our members as they are having significant numbers of staff who have contracted covid over christmas and new year and they are having to self—isolate. it is hard to pinpoint exact numbers but we know all public services have been advised to prepare for up to 25% absence, schools are trying to do their best to prepare for this, it has a massive impact on how they operate. they are trying their very best and we all want children to be in school if they can be, face—to—face education is hugely important. but we can only do that if we have staff in schools for those children to be safe and at the moment it is a big unknown but i don't think it is going to be an easy few weeks. julie, thank you. kazakhstan's president says that "constitutional order" has mostly been restored following another night of violence as protests erupted after steep rises in the price of energy. speaking this morning, he said 20,000 "bandits" had attacked the capital and that security forces had been authorised to open fire without warning on protestors. he added that those who don't give themselves up will be "destroyed." intense gunfire could be heard through the night in almaty — the country's largest city. russian troops are now assisting the kazakh regime as it attempts to maintain control. a little earlier, the interior ministry issued a statement on the unrest — saying 26 people, which it calls "armed criminals," have been "liquidated." it says a further 3,000 people have been detained, and claims 18 police and security personnel have also been killed. 0ur correspondent rayhan demytrie is in the georgian capital tbilisi. the president claiming it is all but over and? the president claiming it is all but overand? it the president claiming it is all but over and? it seems there has been pretty heavy loss of life? that over and? it seems there has been pretty heavy loss of life?— pretty heavy loss of life? that is riuht. we pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't _ pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't know— pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't know the - pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't know the full- right. we don't know the full picture yet. because so far there's been total blackout, internet blackout. and the government is totally controlling the narrative of any information coming from kazakhstan. quite a harsh worded statement from the presidentjust half an hour ago in which he said he gave in order to his security services to open fire without warning against any armed rebels, as he described. that will come as a surprise, i think, he described. that will come as a surprise, ithink, too he described. that will come as a surprise, i think, too many kazakhstan nice to hear what the president had to say about these 20,000 rebels and bandits which the president said specifically trained to attack kazakhstan �*s largest city almaty. it is true there has been quite a significant destruction in almaty, looting, administrative buildings set on fire. as we understand, gunfire is still ongoing, the fighting is still ongoing, the fighting is still ongoing in the streets of almaty. and the president said the rebels have not laid their arms yet. he also had some words of gratitude towards leaders of the russian led security blog that have agreed to send their troops to kazakhstan and a special words of gratitude to president vladimir putin, thanking him for reacting in a friendly and swift manner by sending the russian troops to help stabilise the situation in kazakhstan. that is interesting. — situation in kazakhstan. that is interesting, the _ situation in kazakhstan. that is interesting, the russian - situation in kazakhstan. that is interesting, the russian anglel situation in kazakhstan. that is l interesting, the russian angle on this. the fact he has thanked vladimir putin for sending troops because the bigger geopolitical picture i suppose is mr putin does not like unrest in what he would see as his backyard, kazakhstan. he does not like popular unrest and he wanted to see it put down? that is riuht. wanted to see it put down? that is right. kazakhstan _ wanted to see it put down? that is right. kazakhstan borders - wanted to see it put down? that is right. kazakhstan borders russia. | right. kazakhstan borders russia. there is a large ethnic russian population in kazakhstan but it came as a surprise how quickly russia has decided to send its troops because this organisation, the sea sto was formed some 30 years ago and it is the first time article four, similar to nato article five, attack against one state is an attack against all members, how quickly the article was invoked,it members, how quickly the article was invoked, it was not invoked ten years ago when there was bloody fighting in pakistan, one of the member countries, it was not invoked last year in the war between armenia and azerbaijan, armenia is a signatory to this military bloc. thank you. the ministry of defence says a royal navy ship, hms northumberland, came into contact with a russian submarine in late 2020. it said the point of contact was the ship's towed array sonar — a long cable carrying hundreds of microphones designed to detect quiet enemy subs. the ministry's statement came after a report in the sun newspaper, but gave no further details. there's no suggestion that the action was deliberate or there was any confrontation between the two vessels. a study says the number of adults in the world with dementia could nearly triple within 30 years. researchers writing in the lancet public health journal say more than 153 million people could be living with the condition by 2050. in the uk, the number of dementia cases is projected to rise by three—quarters in the same period, to 1.6—million. with me now is our health correspondent michelle roberts. quite alarming projected increases in dementia, what are the root causes? ., .., , in dementia, what are the root causes? ., , , ., causes? the forecast is looking at the thin . s causes? the forecast is looking at the things that _ causes? the forecast is looking at the things that can _ causes? the forecast is looking at the things that can contribute - causes? the forecast is looking at the things that can contribute to l the things that can contribute to dementia. we know some of it is set in stone, some of it is genetic, many different risk factors but some things are modifiable. things like smoking, obesity, diabetes are contributing factors that can be modified. and they are saying those are things that countries should be looking at but then obviously things like population growth and ageing, an ageing population which the uk has and many other countries do as well, those are trickier to manage but obviously, investment in new treatments and research will help. this is a challenge not only in this country but around the world. and a challenge notjust country but around the world. and a challenge not just for country but around the world. and a challenge notjust for the health service but for individuals about what they do, how they behave in their lives?— their lives? part of it is education so the study _ their lives? part of it is education so the study looked _ their lives? part of it is education so the study looked at _ their lives? part of it is education so the study looked at nearly - their lives? part of it is education | so the study looked at nearly 200 countries and looked at the different factors that might impact stop they were saying better education, so healthier lifestyles, public health measures like that, could actually lower the toll by up to 6 million. 0ver could actually lower the toll by up to 6 million. over the next 30 or so years. t5 to 6 million. over the next 30 or so ears. , . ., , ., , years. is the evidence that people are changing _ years. is the evidence that people are changing their _ years. is the evidence that people are changing their behaviour- years. is the evidence that people are changing their behaviour in . years. is the evidence that people l are changing their behaviour in any of these key areas, for example, smoking and obesity and so on? we have smoking and obesity and so on? - have seen various patterns around the world, we note smoking, many developed countries now are taking measures to try and reduce the number of people who smoke but then in other countries, we see rising numbers. there is a mixed picture here in the research, i mean it is all modelling, or casting, so we don't know whether this will play out but in developing countries, there seems to be a larger projected increase in terms of the population numbers that they have got, a lot of that was due to population growth. at some of it is also adopting different lifestyle habits that have been seen in the past as western, world problems, obesity, lots of sugarin world problems, obesity, lots of sugar in the diet, those types of things have been seen as a richer nation problem but there is a stark warning there for the whole globe. thank you. two more tennis players or officials are being investigated for breaking australia's covid vaccination rules. it comes as officials have insisted that novak djokovic isn't being held captive, and can leave the country whenever he wants. the world number one spent his first night in an immigration detention hotel after his visa was revoked for failing to meet covid vaccination requirements. his appeal will be held on monday. shaimaa khalil reports. there was dancing and music but also anger and frustration. as novak djokovic �*s supporters gathered outside the immigration detention hotel where he spent the night. it's unclear whether the tennis star is going to remain here until monday. but this is a story that has now divided the country. novak djokovic is waiting for a court decision on whether he will be able to stay and compete in the australian open or be deported. whatever happens, this has gone way beyond tennis. the world number one now finds himself in the middle of a political and diplomatic row. yesterday, his mother said her son was being kept like a prisoner. but the australian home affairs minister karen andrews, said there was nothing stopping the tennis star from leaving the country. mr d'okovic from leaving the country. tj�*i' djokovic is from leaving the country. tj�*i djokovic is not from leaving the country. ti djokovic is not being from leaving the country. m djokovic is not being held captive in australia. he is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and borderforce any time that he chooses to do so and border force will actually facilitate that.— and border force will actually facilitate that. ., .,~ . facilitate that. novak d'okovic has reviousl facilitate that. novak d'okovic has previously made h facilitate that. novak d'okovic has previously made clear_ facilitate that. novak djokovic has previously made clear his - facilitate that. novak djokovic has i previously made clear his opposition to getting the vaccine. he came to the country with an exemption granted by tennis australia and the state of victoria. the federal government says his visa application has not met the rules of entry and that no one was above the rules. a point scott morrison and his government have been hammering home since the controversy began. politicians wanted to prove they could control who comes in and out of the country but in doing so, they lost control of the narrative. it's an embarrassing situation for australia which ever way you look at it. well, as well as the support from fans, djokovic's family have also been making theirfeelings clear over his detention. 0vernight, on social media, his wife, jelena djokovic said: "thank you, dear people, all around the world for using your voice to send love to my husband." joining me now from melbourne, where he's covering the australian open, is tennis journalist ben rothenberg. first of all, what do you think will happen would have to win a successful appeal to prove the ruling that was made at melbourne to deny him entry to the airport was incorrect. it deny him entry to the airport was incorrect. , ., . ., ., incorrect. it is not clear that he didn't have _ incorrect. it is not clear that he didn't have documentation - incorrect. it is not clear that he didn't have documentation to l incorrect. it is not clear that he i didn't have documentation to that effect. he got on a plane thinking that he did but it was pretty clear from a federal response that the government, he clearly got in with an exemption. they weren't going to be seen as being soft on someone who the public viewed as trying to get around the rules, someone who is above the law so he would need to summon something pretty convincing that he did not on his initial and pretty long attempt at melbourne airport, and he was questioned for around eight hours. let’s airport, and he was questioned for around eight hours.— around eight hours. let's clear up whether he _ around eight hours. let's clear up whether he is _ around eight hours. let's clear up whether he is being _ around eight hours. let's clear up whether he is being detained - around eight hours. let's clear up whether he is being detained or. around eight hours. let's clear up i whether he is being detained or not. his family and fans say he is a captive in australia, effectively a prisoner. the government there says he is not, it is only because he is appealing and if he were not appealing and if he were not appealing against his decision, he could leave on the next flight. yes. could leave on the next flight. yes, in most definitions _ could leave on the next flight. yes, in most definitions of _ could leave on the next flight. yes, in most definitions of a _ could leave on the next flight. i'eis in most definitions of a prisoner could leave on the next flight. ieis in most definitions of a prisoner do not include people who are free to go to the next international airport and fly away. but he is, while he is contesting an appeal, he got an injunction against his immediate deportation, he would have been on a plane last night out of australia if he had not got the injunction and while this injunction is in effect he will have to stay in this government mandated detention centre stock that can feel confining but it is and he did have a choice to leave the country which would have meant abandoning his ambitions for competing in the australian open. this is a story bigger than tennis and sport. it is about australian politics, mystically, but also global politics, a huge row between serbia and australia, the serbian president saying australia has ill treated their greatest sporting store. it treated their greatest sporting store. , ., ., , store. it should not be underestimated - store. it should not be underestimated how l store. it should not be - underestimated how much store. it should not be _ underestimated how much djokovic is a national symbol of serbia, he is the personification of everything that serbia wants to be, a world champion, resilience, the country trying to get on its feet after decades and a difficult history, djokovic is seen as a guiding light out of the darkness. he can do no wrong. any slight on him is a real national slight and it has been taken that way in serbian politics. if the feelings of serbia are important to australia, serbia is drawing a contrast ofjust how important it djokovic is in serbia and how important australia wants to make it clear they find their own individual demands when it comes to getting around the law that everyone else is trying to follow. we getting around the law that everyone else is trying to follow.— else is trying to follow. we know he wants to participate _ else is trying to follow. we know he wants to participate in _ else is trying to follow. we know he wants to participate in the - else is trying to follow. we know he wants to participate in the open - wants to participate in the open because he wants to win his 21st grand slam and become a record—holder in terms of grand slams but he could have made this a lot simpler by having the vaccine, he has been against the vaccine, we do not know his status but he has come out in the past against the vaccine. ~ ., ., , , , come out in the past against the vaccine. . ., ., , , , , vaccine. whatever happens in terms of bureaucratic _ vaccine. whatever happens in terms of bureaucratic entanglement - vaccine. whatever happens in terms of bureaucratic entanglement and i of bureaucratic entanglement and miscommunication is between tennis and state and federal governments in australia, novak djokovic put himself on a difficult path by choosing not to be vaccinated and putting himself in a minority of tennis players who are doing that. last we heard there is 95 of the top 100 in the atp have been vaccinated, it's a small handful and not as relevant as novak djokovic trying to get around the rules and rafael nadal said yesterday pretty much the same thing, he ultimately faces the consequences for his own actions and there was an easier way had he just got vaccinated like so many australians have done in so many of his peers on the tennis tour. ehjagr his peers on the tennis tour. en'oy the tournament. d his peers on the tennis tour. en'oy the tournament. thank �* his peers on the tennis tour. en'oy the tournament. thank you i his peers on the tennis tour. en'oy the tournament. thank you for h the tournament. thank you for joining us and for your thoughts and analysis. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. snow continues to cause issues. this was the view in south lanarkshire. lots of problems on the roads and across the pennines. batches of showers working further south now. these ones moving towards dumfries and galloway. the m71t is going to be difficult. elsewhere, sunny spells for eastern areas. a cold start. heavy rain moving into south wales and south—western england, also affecting the channel islands. the breeze coming in from the west will make it feel chilly today across most parts of the country, feeling colder. into this evening and overnight, temperatures will drop briefly very quickly. widespread frost but that will disappear later on. cloud and rain spells giving us a wet start to saturday, slowly turning drier and brighter across western areas through the