labour says the prime minister still has serious questions to answer over the refurbishment of his downing street flat. england battle back on the third day of the fourth ashes test asjonny bairstow hits an unbeaten century in sydney. a letter has made its way to a care worker in northern ireland without having his actual address on it — itjust contained his life story instead. we'll hear more from the letter�*s recipient. hello and welcome to bbc news. new figures reveal a sharp leap in covid—related absences in the nhs in england. according to the latest data, on average over 35,000 staff at acute nhs trusts in england were off due to covid during the week ending two january. this is an increase of al% on the previous week, but some regional authorities showed much higher absences than the national average. north—west england reported an 85% week—on—week increase in absences — in the last few minutes it has been announced the army will help the ambulance service in the north west. cases are rising everywhere but london. in the capital, where cases are slowing down, staff absences are less severe, with 4% of staff absent. the armed forces have sent 200 personnel into nhs hospitals across london to plug staff shortages. 16 hospital trusts in england are reported to be in critical incident status — meaning they face concerns over providing core care. 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. 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. let's speak now to the retired british army major general tim cross — who previously commanded a brigade that included medical regiments, including running medical services. what difference do you believe military personnel can make to the nhs appoints it best? i military personnel can make to the nhs appoints it best?— military personnel can make to the nhs appoints it best? i think we can certainly be — nhs appoints it best? i think we can certainly be helpful. _ nhs appoints it best? i think we can certainly be helpful. it _ nhs appoints it best? i think we can certainly be helpful. it has _ nhs appoints it best? i think we can certainly be helpful. it has to - nhs appoints it best? i think we can certainly be helpful. it has to be - certainly be helpful. it has to be said, many other people commented 200 personnel in the scale of the nhs and the size and shape of the nhs and the size and shape of the nhs is not going to revolutionise everything, but the people we are talking about deploying from within the military wings of the civilian hospitals in places like sussex and peterborough in places like that where we have military wings and civilian hospitals, and medical regiments in the medicalfield hospitals, they will bring skills and capabilities. but i'm not sure what exactly they will do, but some of them may well be carrying out operations that are being delayed as a result of cover and some of the others will be helping support the nhs staff and fill the gaps. what nhs staff and fill the gaps. what are the differences _ nhs staff and fill the gaps. what are the differences in _ nhs staff and fill the gaps. what are the differences in the - nhs staff and fill the gaps. what are the differences in the way they will have to work in a civilian operation rather than military? it won't make any difference, is the answer. we used to have purely military hospitals, and many years ago they will all close down with some regret for some, including me. we replace them with military wings of civilian hospitals. at frimley park, not very far from where i am, there is a military wing staffed by military personnel, but they work throughout the hospital, so they are helping in the a&e, helping conduct operations amongst the civilian community in this region and they do the same in peterborough. they are used to dealing with the nhs on a regular basis and dealing with civilian patients in all sorts of capacities, everything from a&e to scans, mri and conducting operations. and being on the wards with the nursing staff and so on. for the guys and girls concern with this, this is any sense no different to what they are doing day to day. there may be others who come in from the medical regiments, which are purely military, and indeed the medicalfield hospitals, which are purely military, but most of them i suspect will be a mixture of both. to what extent would patients realise they are being treated by military personnel? the? realise they are being treated by military personnel? they probably would not realise _ military personnel? they probably would not realise at _ military personnel? they probably would not realise at all. _ military personnel? they probably would not realise at all. certainlyl would not realise at all. certainly if they were surgeons they would not realise. i don't know whether these guys will be in uniform or not. the doctors mostly are in the military wings, so there may be some in uniform and obviously they would be recognised as such, but that is not necessarily the case. we understand from peeple — necessarily the case. we understand from people we've _ necessarily the case. we understand from people we've spoken _ necessarily the case. we understand from people we've spoken to - necessarily the case. we understand l from people we've spoken to morning that the public and nhs staff are delighted to have the sort of back—up. how did military personnel themselves feel about it? back-up. how did military personnel themselves feel about it?— themselves feel about it? equally deli . hted. themselves feel about it? equally delighted. the _ themselves feel about it? equally delighted. the bottom _ themselves feel about it? equally delighted. the bottom line - themselves feel about it? equally delighted. the bottom line is - themselves feel about it? equally l delighted. the bottom line is there is a process for bringing the military into of poor, all sorts of issues within the civilian environment. bringing military people to help with floods, fire strikes, present rates, fuel strikes, present rates, fuel strikes, all sorts of things over my years of service, and we have obviously used military personnel in the current covid situation with nightingale hospitals, inoculation centres and so on. the military are very happy to do this. i think it's a good thing as a nation that we bring the military and when we need support. it has to be said the military is a lot smaller than when i firstjoined, military is a lot smaller than when ifirstjoined, we are military is a lot smaller than when i firstjoined, we are talking about on our brain out of about 75,000, nearforce of about on our brain out of about 75,000, near force of about 35 thousand, we have not got huge resources in that sense, and we must remember the military�*s primary purpose is to conduct operations around the world and support government policy in terms of foreign policy, defence policy etc. but for day—to—day business, the military people involved in supporting the nhs in london for example will find no different to where they have been working today in many cases and they will genuinely enjoy being able to help and make a difference. thank ou ve help and make a difference. thank you very much _ help and make a difference. thank you very much for _ help and make a difference. thank you very much for talking - help and make a difference. thank you very much for talking to - help and make a difference. thank you very much for talking to us. i help and make a difference. thank. you very much for talking to us. you are very welcome. _ and you can check how your local nhs services are coping using the bbc nhs tracker for emergency treatment. it allows you to find out how your local services are coping this winter, and how that compares to the situation before the pandemic. 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. let's talk to becky arnold. she's the head of framingham earl high schooljust south of norwich. thank you forjoining us. have you got anyone in your school who is questioning, at least, whether masks are really necessary and whether they need to take lateral flow tests? , ~ ., ,. tests? yes, like all schools we absolutely _ tests? yes, like all schools we absolutely do. _ tests? yes, like all schools we absolutely do. we _ tests? yes, like all schools we absolutely do. we have - tests? yes, like all schools we absolutely do. we have somel tests? yes, like all schools we - absolutely do. we have some parents and families who do not feel lateral flow tester something they want to engage with as a family, we have severalfamilies who engage with as a family, we have several families who don't wish to engage with mask wearing. some for very genuine reasons, children who are visually impaired for example, they find it really difficult one or there appears our wedding face coverings for them to engage in the usual conversation at school —— when their peers and teachers are wearing face coverings. it is about accommodating differences in opinion, being clearabout accommodating differences in opinion, being clear about the reason we are doing it. the reason we are doing is to keep us safe, just keep schools open, we absolutely believe here that having children in school is the best possible way for them to learn, by interacting with their teachers and peers. we are sharing that opinion, thatis peers. we are sharing that opinion, that is why we are doing it, but keeping us safe, being asked to do the same things in school is when you choose to go to the theatre or cinema or going to the shops and it's about reminding people that children can be vulnerable as well as adults, so i think sometimes people think it is just the older generation who are vulnerable to covid and forget there are young people who have cancer and are in school, or have other vulnerabilities that mean covid for them would be really dangerous. what them would be really dangerous. what do ou do if them would be really dangerous. what do you do if someone refuses? if there is an absolute dissent? if we have young — there is an absolute dissent? if we have young people _ there is an absolute dissent? if we have young people that _ there is an absolute dissent? if fine: have young people that refuse, the first thing we normally take them away from an audience, they may come into my office here and have a conversation with me, and it is a dish due to a medical exemption then i will speak to parents, we will have the three—way conversation on the phone and talk about it. if the parents agree there is a medical exemption, due to a level of anxiety or a level of nervousness around wearing a mask, then we will accept a child does not have to wait a mask, but quite often the parents will say we agree with the school policy, you should be wearing a mask, and the child will wear a mask, and the child will wear a mask, we have plenty that we are able to give out to the children to wear. , , ., , . wear. there is this latest evidence that is inconclusive _ wear. there is this latest evidence that is inconclusive on _ wear. there is this latest evidence that is inconclusive on whether- that is inconclusive on whether masks really work, so how do you face or address a parent who is putting that to you? i face or address a parent who is putting that to you?— face or address a parent who is putting that to you? i 'ust have to no with putting that to you? i 'ust have to go with what h putting that to you? i 'ust have to go with what the _ putting that to you? i just have to go with what the government - putting that to you? i just have to - go with what the government advises. i am not a scientist, i'm not someone who is an expert on viruses and how viruses transmit. ijust have to trust the evidence that is out there and we do know that as a community when we have been waiting masks are transmission rates have been much lower. and it has kept us safe, kept classes open and children in school. so we can only share the evidence that we have, and that is what we have been saying. if people do want to have their child not wearing their mask in school, as a parent that is their right and we have to accept that, but we can definitely very strongly share our opinion of why it is we feel waiting masks in school is the right thing at this time to be doing while we are at this moment of having lots and lots of cases.— and lots of cases. thank you very much for talking _ and lots of cases. thank you very much for talking to _ and lots of cases. thank you very much for talking to us. _ the information sent out earlier in the week has been confirmed, of the amount of people that have coronavirus in the uk in the week to new year's eve, but by about 1.4 million on the week before, and what they put out todayjust reaffirms that very rapid growth we saw in the run—up to the new year. they have not advanced it much more but we have had data coming from the nhs earlier this morning that told us what the consequences of those infections are and looks at the number of people who are out of hospital, our staff are missing shifts at hospital. we now know the ambulance service in the north west of england will need help from army personnel as well, but there are big variations across the country. the headline figures that we get are not representative as averages, they cannot be, of the best and the worst? absolutely not, we are seeing real chefs both in infections and in their consequences. london which led their consequences. london which led the omicron wave is starting to flatten. that is what the infections are saying. in the staff absence that we are seeing that pattern as well. in london in the week to the 2nd ofjanuary, staff absences well. in london in the week to the 2nd of january, staff absences from the nhs for people who are isolating or were sick due to covid, that was flat, but if you want to do north—west and north—east of yorkshire that number almost went up by about 75% in that week and we are seeing big rises in where the omicron wave is taking off and it's flattening in the parts of the country like london where it took off a while ago and it is now starting to flatten out. when you miss that altogether you get an overall picture that staff absences are probably up... that is reflecting one area where it is 0%. in a moment we are going to be speaking to dr claire steves, scientist on the zoe covid study app, which helps gather research on the spread of the virus as well as its symptoms, but first let's take a quick look at the latest data from zoe. the zoe covid data team estimated there are currently over 208 thousand new symptomatic cases of covid in the uk. meanwhile in the official government data, a further 179,756 new cases were confirmed in the latest data. zoe also suggest that an average of1 in 25 people in the uk currently have symptomatic covid. dr claire steves from kings college london is part of the team behind the zoe covid study app which is tracking covid infections across the uk. tell us what sort of trends you are looking at. i tell us what sort of trends you are looking at— looking at. i think what you have 'ust said looking at. i think what you have just said with — looking at. i think what you have just said with the _ looking at. i think what you have just said with the other - looking at. i think what you have just said with the other person i looking at. i think what you havej just said with the other person is exactly what we see within the covid data from this is the day. in london we see quite a sharp decline in the number of symptomatic cases but in other areas things are still going up. as well as regional differences we see really big age differences. in the younger generations, in children and in young adults the rates are now coming down. at the moment. whereas in older adults who may be at higher risk of hospitalisation things are starting to increase. that is why we cannot be sure at the moment we are out of the woods even in places like london. remember, schools are going back now so infection rates in young adults and children may go up as well. ~ . , adults and children may go up as well. . ., , , ., . ., ., well. what is the reproduction rate of covid? in _ well. what is the reproduction rate of covid? in previous _ well. what is the reproduction rate of covid? in previous parts - well. what is the reproduction rate of covid? in previous parts of - well. what is the reproduction rate of covid? in previous parts of the l of covid? in previous parts of the pandemic we have talked about that a lot but that seemed to slip down the priority list. lot but that seemed to slip down the riori list. . �* , lot but that seemed to slip down the riori list. ., �* , , priority list. that's interesting. within the _ priority list. that's interesting. within the study _ priority list. that's interesting. within the study we _ priority list. that's interesting. within the study we have - priority list. that's interesting. within the study we have been j within the study we have been estimating for a long time and we see the art is about one to 1.3 at the moment depending on different regions, and anyway the r value has not reflected the sharp prices we have seen over the last omicron wave so i think that's probably why there has been focus on. um? so i think that's probably why there has been focus on.— has been focus on. why wouldn't it be hither has been focus on. why wouldn't it be higher if— has been focus on. why wouldn't it be higher if we _ has been focus on. why wouldn't it be higher if we are _ has been focus on. why wouldn't it be higher if we are seeing - has been focus on. why wouldn't it be higher if we are seeing such - has been focus on. why wouldn't it be higher if we are seeing such a i be higher if we are seeing such a large number of cases? i be higher if we are seeing such a large number of cases?- large number of cases? i think clearly what — large number of cases? i think clearly what they _ large number of cases? i think clearly what they are - large number of cases? i think clearly what they are number i clearly what they are number reflects is the number of people that an individual passes on the virus to and when things are rising exponentially and you see the rate going, as things may be stabilising, thatis going, as things may be stabilising, that is why the r rate is not very high. in that is why the r rate is not very hi . h. , that is why the r rate is not very hiuh. , ., that is why the r rate is not very hiuh. _ ,., , that is why the r rate is not very hiuh. , , �* high. in terms of symptoms, we've talked about _ high. in terms of symptoms, we've talked about this _ high. in terms of symptoms, we've talked about this before _ high. in terms of symptoms, we've talked about this before but - high. in terms of symptoms, we've talked about this before but when i talked about this before but when everything first started you were asked to look for a cough and fever. we know now the list of symptoms is much longer than that. are there new symptoms you are adding to delist all the time? last symptoms you are adding to delist all the time?— symptoms you are adding to delist all the time? �* ., ., , all the time? at the moment the top five symptoms _ all the time? at the moment the top five symptoms really _ all the time? at the moment the top five symptoms really are _ all the time? at the moment the top five symptoms really are symptomsl all the time? at the moment the top | five symptoms really are symptoms of a cold. the symptom that we really never saw associated with covid before people were vaccinated to something like sneezing, runny nose was not a common sentiment beginning but if there is a common symptom now, in the top five. we do see fatigue and headache up there as well and sore throat, so those are in the top five symptoms. things like cough is there, about number six. anosmia, that really interesting new complaint we saw, thatis interesting new complaint we saw, that is no longer a chorus symptom. where you lose your sense of taste and smell?— and smell? exactly. that was something — and smell? exactly. that was something we _ and smell? exactly. that was something we picked - and smell? exactly. that was something we picked up - and smell? exactly. that was something we picked up at i and smell? exactly. that was. something we picked up at the beginning of the pandemic and then it was introduced as one of the three core symptoms but now we are not saying that as a key feature, so you cannot rely on your sense of taste and smell to be able to tell you whether you have got covid. you have any symptoms or the cold at all you really do need to get a test to make sure you stay away from other people while your results. —— while getting your results. 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. sport and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's austin halewood. good afternoon. we start with cricket, becausejonny bairstow gave some respectability to england's batting overnight, after he scored their first century of this ashes series. it looked like they were hurtling for defeat at one point on day 3 in sydney, with england 36—4. but a crucial partnership between bairstow and ben stokes, who made 66 himself, steadied the ship for england and kept them alive in this 4th test. however, australia are still in pole position, with a lead of a hundred and 58 runs at the close of play. so a brilliant innings from bairstow. however, he and jos buttler both picked up hand injuries on day three. so wicket—keeper sam billings has been added to the squad as cover. bairstow though, is still hoping he can add more runs to his first century in more than three years. iam i am absolutely over the moon, to be honest with you. it is the hardest one so far, i think. as you say, with the circumstances. butjust to put the graft in and obviously that partnership with ben was a big one, yeah. it was tough out there. i'm really delighted with it. another tennis player has had their visa cancelled by australian authorities. czech renata voracova joins novak djokovic in being denied entry into the country, because of their vaccination status, with the visas of other players being investigated too. well, fans have been protesting outside the hotel they are confined to in melbourne, where they had been hoping to play in the australian open later this month. djokovic's appeal against the decision won't be heard until monday. and fellow tennis player marin cilic says it's hard to beleive that all this is happening to the world number one. it's difficult to constructively say something objectively whether the australian government should have or should have not decided this earlier or not. that's on their own decision. but looking at the situation, it's definitely incredible that this happened the way it did, especially to novak, that he got here, that this is still going on. definitely feeling very sorry for him. hope that this is going to be resolved very soon. now, phillippe coutinho is back in the premier legaue. the brazilian midfielder hasjoined aston villa from barcelona, on loan until the end of the season, and there's an option to buy, too. coutinhojoined barcelona in a £142 million move from liverpool in 2018. he was brilliant at anfield, but struggled to make the same impact in spain, however he's reuniting with villa boss steven gerrard, who was his captain at liverpool. and newcastle have been busy, too. they've confirmed their first signing since their new owners took over. england full—back kieran tripper has joined from atletico madrid. he's played for boss eddie howe before at burnley and joins for £12 million. but newcastle fans will be hoping he's the first of many to come and help the club battle against relegation from the premier league. he's a player i know really well from our time early together. i know he will bring a huge amount on and off the pitch, his leadership quality, winning mentality, he is driven to succeed and i think all his experiences he has accumulated in the game will help us in our current position. on the pitch i think he is an outstanding technical player who will attack very well and bring a level of calm to our play on the ball, and he is a top defender as well. we are delighted with the signing. that's all the sport for now. as you heard there in our sport bulletin australian officials have cancelled the visa of another tennis player. it's after authorities said they were reassessing the entrance documents of two people following the drama involving novak djokovic. 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 starfrom leaving the country. mr djokovic is not being held captive in australia. he is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and border force will actually facilitate that. novak djokovic has 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. as well as the support from fans, djokovic's family have also been making theirfeelings clear over his detention. overnight, 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". she added "the only law that we should all respect "across every single border is love and respect for another human being" 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. our correspondent abdujalil abdurasulov is kazakhstan�*s abdurasulov is in kazakhstan�*s largest city, almaty. some of the biggest clashes took place here at the former presidential residence and the mayor�*s office, the buildings were burnt out and you can see these cars were also set on fire. banging you can hear the shots, maybe it is the military and police officers firing into the air to warn people not to approach the square, because they closed the square in order to prevent people from gathering. it is still not clear who those people who clashed with police forces are. protesters say that their movement is peaceful, and it was the authorities who provoked violence. but many people now hope that the order can be restored very quickly. we have not seen any signs of protest taking place in almaty today but we cannot say it is quiet because we heard shooting and some explosions. earlier today when we drove past we saw some dead bodies inside cars. maybe these people tried to storm in and drive through the police cordon during clashes or maybe they were simply caught up during the stand—off. now it�*s time for a look at the weather, here�*s ben rich. give us some good news. it is looking rather white. snow has brought some beautiful scenes for some parts of the uk already today but has cost one or two problems, some icy conditions as well. the radar picture shows where we have had wintry showers. a mixture of hail, sleet and snow. across wales and the southwest a more widespread rain but even some of that turning wintry of the high ground. some sunny spells in between. it is windy and it is called this afternoon, 4-8 . and it is called this afternoon, 4—8 . tonight, under clear skies across eastern areas it will turn very cold indeed. however, things change through the night, cloud and rain spinning in from the west and with that some much milder air. eight for belfast, ten for plymouth by the end of the night. the milder air tied up by the end of the night. the milder airtied up with by the end of the night. the milder air tied up with the cloud, under a rain pushing eastwards, a band of heavy downpours sliding eastwards. sunny spells and showers following on behind, squally gusty wind is common 50 miles an hour or more in some western areas and turning colder, temperatures between 5—10 . hello this is bbc news. the headlines... nhs hospital staff covid—related absences in england are up by more than 40 percent in the space of a week according to the latest figures. meanwhile the armed forces have sent personnel into hospitals across london and the north west to help with staff shortages. the president of kazakhstan addresses the nation after days of unrest — saying protesters who don�*t give themselves up will be destroyed — and thanks the russian president for sending troops. the australian government deny claims they�*re holding tennis star novak djokovic captive, after he failed to meet vaccine entry requirements: they say he can leave whenever he wants. mr djokovic is not being held captive in australia, he is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and border force will actually facilitate that. a letter has made its way to a care worker in northern ireland without having his actual address on it — itjust contained his life story instead. we�*ll be speaking to the letter�*s recipient. we have had some news about the downing street flat refurbishment story, it hasjust downing street flat refurbishment story, it has just come downing street flat refurbishment story, it hasjust come into my inbox so i will try to pick my way safely through it. downing street says a meeting between the conservative party donor lord brownlow who arranged funding for the refurbishment of the downing street flat, and the culture secretary oliver dowden, was arranged through the usual official channels. there was some suggestion that those usual channels had somehow been circumvented and that lord brownlow had somehow gained access to the secretary via the prime minister. the prime minister�*s deputy official spokesman said they regularly have a range of policies put to them and it is usual practice for departments to look at them and take a decision. it says the meeting happened in the royal albert hall, for which lord brownlow is a trustee, after the prime minister referred to the donor�*s idea of a great exhibition in the message exchange about the refurbishment of the downing street flat. these were text messages which were not brought to the attention of their independent adviser on ministers interests who has been looking at whether any rules were broken in how the flat refurbishment was paid for. i hope you are keeping up. asked about the process for arranging this meeting between lord brownlow and oliver dowden, the spokesman said it will have been to refer the idea to the relevant government department which is the usual process adding in this case it was decided once the meeting happened between lord brownlow and oliver dowden in the royal albert hall they were not going to take his idea any further, the idea of a modern great exhibition, although there is going to be some sort of festival of the uk instead. regarding further powers for the independent adviser on ministers interests, a spokesman for downing street said the prime minister wanted any changes to be in place by the end of march at the latest, the suggestion being that the independent adviser needs more powers. 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. earlier i discussed these figures with hilary evans, chief executive of alzheimer�*s research uk. i think this reallyjust confirms that dementia is one of our biggest long—term health challenges. this shows what the projection looks like if there are no interventions, so what we need are treatments and what we need are better education and awareness about the things we can do to reduce our risk of dementia, so as you said, ageing is a risk factor, age is often the biggest and as a global population we are ageing and are going to see a greater number of people with dementia but also greater numbers unless some of the public health messaging about what we can do to reduce our risk of dementia really starts to get through, as well as actually finding those treatments that can stop this disease in the tracks that we don�*t currently have. in some ways it sounds as if it is a consequence of our own success in being able to live longer because of other health advances, so how can we make sure we reduce our risk? what is the education and preventative message? i think one point that is clear to make here is this is not an inevitable part of ageing. dementia is caused by disease, and there are particular diseases that cause dementia. alzheimer�*s disease is often the one that people know a little bit more about. and there are things we can do to reduce our risk of dementia. so these are some of the things that are good for our heart health, so cutting down on smoking, cutting down on drinking, keeping our weight in check, blood pressure in check, eating a healthy diet, all of these things have a really positive impact on reducing risk of being able to develop dementia. there is a huge amount of information on the website about brain health campaigns so i would urge viewers to go and have a look and see what they can do to reduce their risk of dementia. but we also need to see a concerted effort from the uk government and global governments, and i think this is a real red flag for all of us globally as to what we need to do to ensure that we don�*t triple the numbers of people living with dementia. this isn�*t something that�*s inevitable, we can do something about this, and with a better understanding, more funded research, we will find those treatments and have something that will intervene and stop people developing dementia. what is looking promising in that respect? i think certainly in the last 5—10 years we have seen greater investment in dementia research but will still have some way to go, but what the research is showing as we need to intervene earlier. we are currently trying to treat the symptoms of dementia much too late into the disease. it is like trying to treat late stage cancer, and all we can do help people live a little better with it. what we need to do is to be able to diagnose these diseases much earlier, probably 15—20 years before we are now, stop the disease in its tracks and allow people to live a healthy, longer life into their 70s, 80s and 90s without developing these diseases. the ministry of defence has confirmed that a royal navy ship came into contact with a russian submarine in the north atlantic. hms northumberland hit it with sonar equipment, a long cable carrying hundreds of microphones designed to detect enemy subs. i spoke to our defence correspondentjonathan beale and started by asking him if this collision deliberate. the ocean is pretty murky out there anyway and for a russian sub with limited visibility to hit a cable, dragged behind a british warship hms northumberland, and anti—submarine worship, to hunt down an essentially russian submarines, that is why it was there, having this long cable on the back to listen out for submarines well away from its own engine noises, it picks up the sound of the russian submarine, we believe it was a hunter killer submarine not a ballistic submarine, there is a difference, and then it did briefly see a periscope which disappeared so the submarine dived, and then it manoeuvred and hit the cable, so i think it is unlikely, not impossible but unlikely that it deliberately did that and, of course, if it did the it probably would have caused some damage to itself, we don�*t know what damage, but as for the royal navy frigate hms northumberland, they had to go back to port to replace the sonar array, essentially lots of microphones listening underwater for submarines. it is extraordinary — underwater for submarines. it is extraordinary how _ underwater for submarines. it is extraordinary how high—tech these things are and yet an accident like this could occur. what is the diplomatic damage?- this could occur. what is the diplomatic damage? this could occur. what is the dilomatic damaue? ., . ., �* diplomatic damage? none. we wouldn't have heard about _ diplomatic damage? none. we wouldn't have heard about this _ diplomatic damage? none. we wouldn't have heard about this if _ diplomatic damage? none. we wouldn't have heard about this if there _ have heard about this if there wasn�*t a documentary crew on the ship at the time filming at all. they hear of the crew say what the hell was that and a few other choice words when the incident happens, but there was no diplomatic fallout. what we should say is that we know from what ministers and senior navy officers have said that there has been a significant increase in russian submarine activity in recent years, back from the cold war hero when these sorts of incidents probably did happen more regularly than now, i don�*t think an incident like this has happened since the cold war but clearly there is much more activity and they are listening out much more of a russian submarines because they think russia has a more aggressive posture. it is worth remembering it is notjust an anti—submarine frigate that is listening out for these russian submarines, there are probably, if you can put on the back of a ship, there are probably anchored hydrophone is listening for a russian submarine activity that will give them indication of what is going on, and particularly in that gap in the north atlantic between iceland and greenland and the uk, they are listening out, not least because they want to keep undersea cables safe. the welsh first minister mark drakeford confirms there will not be any changes to the coronavirus roles. positivity rates hit astronomically high levels but mark drakeford astronomically high levels but mark dra keford says astronomically high levels but mark drakeford says now isn�*t the time to make changes with case rates increasing. i make changes with case rates increasing-— make changes with case rates increasing. i was last year 'ust before christmas i increasing. i was last year 'ust before christmas and i increasing. i was last yearjust before christmas and since - increasing. i was last yearjust i before christmas and since then increasing. i was last yearjust - before christmas and since then the public health situation in wales has changed dramatically. at that time the omicron variant was still an approaching storm coming towards us on the horizon. today that storm is fully upon us. omicron is now the dominant form of the virus here in wales and cases are rising rapidly and every day. the outcome of this week�*s review means we will be staying at alert level two. there are no new changes to introduce this week. over the past days we have made some changes to the testing regime and the self isolation rules. because cases of coronavirus are so because cases of coronavirus are so high because cases of coronavirus are so high in the community at the moment, we no longer need routinely to take a follow—up pcr test after a positive lateral flow test result. a candlelit vigil on the steps of the capitol building in washington has marked the end of a day of remembering a year since the invasion of the us capitol. earlier the president, joe biden, said those who had stormed the capitol had held a "dagger" to america�*s throat". our washington correspondent, nomia iqbal, reports. prayer vigils were held in the dark for people to remember a day of shock and resilience. lawmakers spent the anniversary sharing testimonials about where they were in those chaotic hours that shocked the world. you'll never take back our country with weakness. . you have to show strength. stop the steal! last year�*s riots are still staggering to see. people loyal to donald trump try to overthrow the election he lost. his supporters marched from his rally and made their way inside the capitol, as congress was in session to confirm joe biden�*s victory. the attack lasted for hours. five people died, including a police officer. nearly 140 security officials were injured. a year on, and a minute�*s silence was held inside the same building that came under attack. president biden gave an impassioned speech, saying the mob held a dagger at the throat of american democracy, due to the lies spread by donald trump. they didn�*t come here out of patriotism or principle. they came here in rage. not in service of america, but rather in service of one man. throughout his presidency, he has avoided talking about mr trump — but not this time. though he never used his name. because he sees his own interests as more important than his country�*s interests and america�*s interests. and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution. he can�*t accept he lost. since that day, hundreds of people have been arrested, and a commission is under way to get to the bottom of what happened. but rather than a crisis pulling the nation together, the divisions have deepened. senior republicans condemned the attack at the time, but most refused to impeach donald trump for it when they had the chance. many still see his support as invaluable for upcoming elections — even on the anniversary only two republicans showed up for the minute�*s silence. what happened here onjanuary the 6th last year has pushed americans even further apart. the majority of republican voters still falsely believe the election was stolen. president biden�*s big theme has always been unity, but it rings hollow in a country that disagrees on how to define an attack that almost broke its democracy. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. the duchess of cambridge will celebrate her 40th birthday on sunday. it is now more than 10 years since kate middleton married into the royal family and took on the role of future queen. but how has her public role and image changed in that time. our royal correspondent, daniela relph, reports. it is a landmark birthday. the duchess of cambridge at 40. a time to reflect on what has been achieved more than a decade after official royal life began. and that royal public life started here on anglesea. then, still kate middleton, this was her first official engagement. the naming of a new lifeboat. the move from private, contained kate middleton to a public royal duchess of cambridge has had its challenges. adjusting to the attention, coping with the scrutiny and finding her voice. this was the duchess�* first ever speech in 2012. you have all made me feel so welcome. i feel hugely honoured to be here to see this wonderful centre. almost ten years later, the confidence has grown. the words more powerful. addiction is not a choice. no—one chooses to become an addict. but it can happen to any one of us. the speech she gave last year was a landmark for us to have somebody in the royal family with credibility saying exactly those same messages takes it out to a much wider audience. supporting families and staff. east anglia�*s children�*s hospices have been a long—term commitment. work that has been demanding and rewarding for all involved. the duchess of cambridge has had to learn on—the—job. in the glare of publicity, knowing there is an even bigger role ahead. i think she hasjust grown up. now she has a certain gravitas, she certainly has got a stature within the royal family. now you look at her and she walks into a room and she holds the room, and she must be aware that she is going to be a future queen. when you are photographed and filmed this often, what you wear matters. years in the fashion spotlight has brought change. she has taken a few more risks over the last few years and has really realised that if she makes a statement with her clothes, that can really help elevate her position. i think one of kate�*s recent fashion successes was thejenny packham dress that she wore to the james bond premiere. she looked better than any bond girl. that picture really confirmed to us that kate knows when to step up and how to do it. and there will be more stepping up in the decade ahead. striking that balance between a public and private life, for the duchess who will one day be queen. daniela relph, bbc news. usually you need an address to post a letter — but one that made its way to a county antrim care workerjust needed his life story instead. feargal lynn, from cushendall, said he was amazed to find an envelope scrawled with a 57—word mini—biography instead of a street address had found its way to him. well let�*s find out some more from the man himself... feargal lynn joins us from cushendall. appropriately enough just over the road from the post office. what did it say on the front of this letter? the front of the envelope was my biography from my youth. it began, you used to live across the road from the spa, his father�*s name is joseph, mother�*s mary, they used to own it, got married and moved to waterfoot, plays guitar, used to do discos in the 1980s in the local hole and hoteljust across the road, and his friends with the guy who owns the butchers in waterfoot, cushendall, and that�*s all it said. it was a friend of mine who would travel to the village in the summer for years. we who would travel to the village in the summerfor years. we met last summer and we were chatting about the challenges of the pandemic and our respective jobs and i said i the challenges of the pandemic and our respectivejobs and i said i had been influenced by a song by a singer in london who wrote about writing letters and rejuvenating the art of the handwritten letter and i told her i was doing that to help deal with the stress of the pandemic and she said, well, write me one, so i wrote her one but i didn�*t want it to be the standard how is everything, family, holidays, i wanted to be different. i knew she was a vegetarian and a skilful cook so i asked her if she knew anything about coleslaw. she replied with an extensive coleslaw recipe and she didn�*t know my new address because i didn�*t know my new address because i didn�*t put the address on the letter. she could have realistically contacted me some other way through friends but i think her motive was to help everybody�*s mental health in the current climate, including my own, to give everybody a laugh, so i think she went a long way to doing that by addressing the envelope like she did. she that by addressing the envelope like she did. . . , that by addressing the envelope like she did. ,, ., , ., that by addressing the envelope like she did. ,, .,, ., ,., that by addressing the envelope like she did. ,, .,, ., y., ., that by addressing the envelope like she did. ,, ., ., , ., she did. she has made you a bit of an international _ she did. she has made you a bit of an international star _ she did. she has made you a bit of an international star on _ she did. she has made you a bit of an international star on social - an international star on social media. you got to the letter but it is thanks to your local postman and village life that this got to you at all. local knowledge. absolutely. the postman _ all. local knowledge. absolutely. the postman and _ all. local knowledge. absolutely. the postman and i _ all. local knowledge. absolutely. the postman and i were - all. local knowledge. absolutely. the postman and i were friends l all. local knowledge. absolutely. | the postman and i were friends in primary school and we have remained friends and he talked about going into work yesterday morning in the main sorting office and the staff had the letter separate from all the other post because they didn�*t really know where to go with it until they met the local postman, and the asked if he knew this chap and the asked if he knew this chap and he knew straightaway who was and the sorting staff said the feel as if they know him too. find the sorting staff said the feel as if they know him too.— the sorting staff said the feel as if they know him too. and it is at fer us if they know him too. and it is at fergus mcallister, _ if they know him too. and it is at fergus mcallister, the _ if they know him too. and it is at fergus mcallister, the man - if they know him too. and it is at fergus mcallister, the man in i fergus mcallister, the man in question?— fergus mcallister, the man in question?_ he i fergus mcallister, the man in question?_ he did| fergus mcallister, the man in | question?_ he did a fergus mcallister, the man in i question?_ he did a great question? that's him. he did a great 'ob. question? that's him. he did a great “oh. i question? that's him. he did a great job- i hope — question? that's him. he did a great job- i hope you _ question? that's him. he did a great job- i hope you keep _ question? that's him. he did a great job. i hope you keep writing - question? that's him. he did a great job. i hope you keep writing letters i job. i hope you keep writing letters but may be make it a bit easier next time and put your address in. lesson learned! the first week of the new year and many of us will be thinking of making some changes. but one family from tetney in lincolnshire has already made the biggest change imaginable. the lingards have sold their home — all their belongings — and have spent the last year on the road, travelling around europe. rocked by several bereavements, they decided life was simply too short. this is their story. we literally lost my dad and my stepmum within 24 hours of each other and then six weeks later my mum passed away, all to cancer, so we realised that life�*s to short and you�*ve got to take these chances while you�*ve got them. we�*ve got three beautiful kids and we decided we were going to sell everything we own and go and live everyday like it�*s our last. i am nat. lam ben. i'm henry. i�*m millie. and who are you? and this is bree. i'm ben. she�*s not ben, she is bree. so in the last eight months, we've done 13 countries. 13. around europe. tell you what, switzerland, stunning. it's definitely given us the opportunity to all spend that time together every day, and watching the kids grow on a daily basis rather than just little snapshots. we are at disneyland! millie, what�*s yourfavourite place that you�*ve been to so far? france. i why france? because you like eating frogs legs? no! — pain au chocolat. henry, what�*s yourfavourite place you�*ve been to so far? wales, easy. wales, easy? so of all the places we�*ve been to it�*s wales. why is that? because we climbed mount snowdon. we did climb mount snowdon. that was quite an achievement, wasn�*t it, as a family? you know, to go from the stability, regular income, a house, kids being in school, all that kind of thing, to then selling everything we own, furniture, house, the lot, home—schooling, that was pretty scary, the prospect of that, as exciting as it was, it was also terrifying. it is experiences, it is living our life to the best way for our family, like what we feel is the right thing to do. a stolen dog has been reunited with her owners, eight years after she taken from the garden. sussex police were able to return cassie the cocker spaniel following a series of raids last year. police footage of the first moment cassie�*s owners saw her again has been released. and cassie wasn�*t alone — she was accompanied by three puppies that are believed to be hers. let�*s take a look. how are you doing? i said who was going to be first, me or these guys? ok, so i think i should probably explain that she is not the cassie that you remember when she was tiny. oh, bless. hello. oh, my god. two boys and a little girl. this one... let me get this on camera. in a moment, the bbc news at one with jane hill, but now it�*s time for a look at the weather with ben rich. a wintry look and feel to the weather across many parts of the uk. snow has been causing problems for some, particularly in parts of scotland but also bringing some beautiful scenes. this shower cloud has been bringing some quite significant snow in places. this cloud has brought some widespread rain and hill snow into the southern half of wales, moving across the south—west of england. sunny spells but one or two showers becoming fewer and further between as we go towards the end of the afternoon. top temperatures between three and 8 degrees. quite windy as well. into the evening, the showers will fade. it will turn very cold under clear skies for a time, may be —8 briefly in eastern scotland, but through the second half of the night cloud and rain with some snow for a time will come in from the west and things will start to turn milder, eight for belfast, ten for plymouth by the first part of saturday morning. this frontal system makes the weather for saturday, bringing outbreaks of rain and a zone of milder air between these two weather fronts. but we return to something colder from the west is the day goes on. outbreaks of rain pushing east through the day, some heavy bursts with the odd flash of lightning or a rumble of thunder mixed in. the rain clears to leave sunny spells but with a scattering of showers turning wintry again over high ground in the west. a windy day, gusts of 50 mph or more in exposed spots. temperatures, by the middle of the afternoon they are going to fall away again as the colder air returns from the west. saturday night into sunday, this very week but of high pressure comes in cooling off some of the showers, although some will continue into sunday. some of those could be wintry. many places will see a fair amount of dry weather with some sunshine before a band of cloud and rain pushes back in from the west. sunday afternoon temperatures, 4 degrees in aberdeen, ten is the high in cardiff. high pressure will then build from the south, still a bit of rain in the north, quite windy often, it growing covid pressures are making hospital care unsafe, warn nursing leaders. staff absences in the nhs in england have risen 40% in a week. nurses can�*t stop helping their patients, so what�*s happening instead is that they find themselves being spread thinner and thinner. but they can�*t keep doing that indefinitely. the armed forces are being deployed to support hospitals in london, we�*ll have the latest. also this lunchtime: the president of kazakhstan orders security forces to fire without warning — and blames foreign—trained terrorists for days of anti—government protests. novak djokovic remains in this australian hotel, awaiting a court decision on his entry to the country — a government minister says the grand slam champion is free