england and australia in the fourth ashes test. england trail three—nil in the series, with one test to play. the education secretary, nadhim zahawi, has backed cutting the covid isolation period in england from seven to five days. he said if there's evidence it's safe, the change could reduce staffing pressures on schools, hospitals and other important sectors. the uk health security agency is reviewing thelength of the isolation period. mr zahawi said ministers are doing all they can to make sure the health service can operate during what he called "a rocky few weeks". our political correspondent jonathan blake is with me. tell us what nadhim zahawi he is not saying we should do this and do it now but he has illustrated the benefits of reducing the isolation period from seven days as it was recently reduced from ten days until five. it was recently reduced from ten days untilfive. he it was recently reduced from ten days until five. he said beware of comparisons with united states with the rules are slightly different and it begins with a positive test rather than symptoms but it says it would undoubtedly ease pressure on the nhs but other sectors of the economy where we are seeing huge issues with staff absences down to the sheer numbers of people isolating with covid. and another point of pressure on the government conservative ministers itching for an exit strategy from the pandemic and are sick of restrictions on our lives under looking forward to a stage of seeing coronavirus is endemic rather than a pandemic, something we deal with on an ongoing basis. but on isolation he outlined his thoughts. the important things to remember is we start isolating from when you get symptoms and the united states have been isolating when you get a positive test. the caveat is the uk health and security agency says if you cut it down to below seven days you cut it down to below seven days you might see a higher spike but the reason i think it is important we keep it under review is because it would help with staff absenteeism, hence why i think if the experts, and i have to defer to the uk health and i have to defer to the uk health and security agency, deem it appropriate you can have two negative tests on separate days as we do now with day six and seven it is a thing to keep under review and thatis is a thing to keep under review and that is exactly what they're doing. what did you say about the prospect of free lateral flow tests coming an end? there has been speculation about this in some of the newspapers this morning. quickly opposed to by labour and others and the shadow health secretary saying it would be the wrong move at the wrong time and nadhim zahawi pretty firmly stamped on those reports saying the government has no plans to remove free lateral flow tests at the moment and it does not recognise that possession and asked if they would continue to be free he said absolutely. labour have an announcement when the energy cap is predicted to grow up later this year combined with the rise in the gust of living in general this is something labour are keen to seize the political ground on put pressure on the government. they are calling for in the short term a cut in vat which the short term a cut in vat which the prime minister said would be a blunt instrument are not necessarily help those in need and an increase in winter homes payment. the shadow chancellor rachel reeves has been talking about this. we need to address the _ has been talking about this. we need to address the huge _ has been talking about this. we need to address the huge spike _ has been talking about this. we need to address the huge spike and - has been talking about this. we need to address the huge spike and we - has been talking about this. we need to address the huge spike and we are also too reliant on the russians for our basic gas needs and we need to wind a self off that by investing in renewables and hydrogen and nuclear and it is notjust about short—term fixes which is why in the package of measures i have set out today, £200 of bills for everybody and an additional £400 for those who need it most paid for by a windfall tax on the north sea oil and gas companies but recognising they have got to sort out the problems in our energy murky with —— markets. also energy murky with -- markets. also announced — energy murky with -- markets. also announced a — energy murky with -- markets. also announced a rise _ energy murky with -- markets. also announced a rise in _ energy murky with —— markets. also announced a rise in national insurance contributions saying the government still has the right time to do the right thing earlier i spoke to thorrun govind chair of the royal pharmaceutical society in england. i asked her if she was reassured by nadhim zahawi's comments that lateral flow tests would stay free for the public. we have been getting abuse from members of the public over supplies and over christmas and new year there was only one distributor but we are seeing a second distributor and it is our health themes on the front line bearing the brunt of decisions made higher up. are you are not short of lateral flow tests right now? we are not short of lateral flow tests right now?— are not short of lateral flow tests riaht now? ~ . , , right now? we are still struggling to net right now? we are still struggling to get their _ right now? we are still struggling to get their men _ right now? we are still struggling to get their men and _ right now? we are still struggling to get their men and are - right now? we are still struggling to get their men and are only - to get their men and are only allowed to order one box into the pharmacy per day which is about 56 tests. �* , ., pharmacy per day which is about 56 tests. �* ,, _ pharmacy per day which is about 56 tests. �* , ., _ ., pharmacy per day which is about 56 tests. �* ,, _ ., , pharmacy per day which is about 56 tests. �* ., , ., tests. are you saying that is not enou~h? tests. are you saying that is not enough? that — tests. are you saying that is not enough? that is _ tests. are you saying that is not enough? that is not _ tests. are you saying that is not enough? that is not enough - tests. are you saying that is not enough? that is not enough to l tests. are you saying that is not - enough? that is not enough to meet demand. enough? that is not enough to meet demand- their _ enough? that is not enough to meet demand. they are _ enough? that is not enough to meet demand. they are going _ enough? that is not enough to meet demand. they are going straight - enough? that is not enough to meet demand. they are going straight outi demand. they are going straight out the door and patients are coming in and have been told they can collect them and that is an issue as well, them and that is an issue as well, the collection court does not mean there is one waiting for you at the pharmacy, not a click and collect like at the supermarket so we need more lateral flow tests into the final and within the government to support health care professionals who are doing their utmost to support the public. new changes to covid travel testing rules have come into force in england. from today the day two test for international arrivals in england can now be a privately bought lateral flow test rather than a more expensive pcr one. the move applies to fully vaccinated people and those aged under 18. lawyers for the tennis champion novak djokovic are preparing for the next round of their legal fight to overturn the cancellation of his australian visa. the tennis world number one is currently being held in a detention centre — as he waits to see whether he can play in the australian open amid a row about his covid vaccination status. his team released documents yesterday saying he had coronavirus last month. djokovic�*s case will be back in court on monday. his case has caused a huge outcry in australia and made headlines around the world. simonjones reports. serbian music plays. supporters of novak djokovic gather outside the immigration detention centre in melbourne where he's staying. they want to see him on the tennis court. 0h, mate, i haven't slept since he came off the plane, we're all sick to the stomach. it's a very unfortunate situation for australia. it's becoming very embarrassing. this was djokovic arriving on wednesday. his legal team said he had received a vaccine exemption to enter the country from tennis australia, because he had tested positive for covid on december 16th. that was the day on which these pictures were taken, showing djokovic maskless at a ceremony in his home country of serbia, in which he was honoured with his own postage stamps in recognition of his achievements. it's unclear whether he had taken a test at this stage. the following day, serbian media says he was pictured handing out awards to young players. it is unclear whether he knew he had covid. his motherjoined a protest against his treatment in belgrade where it is the orthodox christmas weekend. just imagine if you have a son and he is spending christmas, our christmas, orthodox church, in prison. this is prison, this is not like an immigration hotel, this is prison. another player, renata voracova, from the czech republic, has now left the hotel and the country after her visa was cancelled. djokovic had been asked to move to somewhere he could train ahead of the open. it looks unlikely, but he has been given exercise equipment and gluten—free food. 0ne former australian foreign minister is not sympathetic. there's no way you can give him an exemption when exemptions have not been given to people who've wanted to go to australia to see dying parents, and, you know, injured relatives. there are all sorts of heart—rending stories about people not being able to see their relatives in australia, but those people are not famous, so they don't get an exemption. but it will now be up to a judge to decide, just a week before the australian open begins. simon jones, bbc news. people in serbia's capital, belgrade, have also been holding daily rallies in support of mr djokovic. 0ur balkans correspondent, guy de launey is following he is enormously popular in belgrade and they— he is enormously popular in belgrade and they are holding rallies every day in _ and they are holding rallies every day in front of the national assembly. and his family say they will continue doing this until their son is_ will continue doing this until their son is released from his quarantine hotel_ son is released from his quarantine hotel in_ son is released from his quarantine hotel in melbourne. this isn't the kind of rally that is normally associated with the world's best male tennis player, but for supporters of novak djokovic, these are anything but normal times. this event outside serbia's national assembly reflects the widely felt outrage about their champion's plight. instead of serving up a warm welcome for the nine—times australian open winner, the host nation found fault with his papers. that has left novak djokovic cooling his heels in quarantine instead of warming up for the tournament. these people are showing their support for serbia's number one sporting star. they have come to express their disapproval for what is happening to him in australia and to listen to the family of novak djokovic explain how they feel about their son spending 0rthodox christmas weekend in a quarantine hotel in melbourne. just imagine. just imagine if you have a son and he's spending christmas, our christmas, 0rthodox, in prison. this is for me a prison. this is not like an immigration hotel, this is prison, because they don't allow him to go out. belgrade's novak tennis centre is where you will find the next generation of champions. klara vaja is targeting victory at wimbledon 2024, when she will be 18. she credits novak djokovic for supporting her development at his tennis centre, and she says she was happy to return the favour at the family rally. i think he deserves all of that, and he deserves our support. he is our man, he is playing for our country. so even if we can't help that much, we are there to support him at least. belgrade's main coronavirus vaccination centre could do with a similar level of support. serbia's overall vaccination rate is languishing below 50%, and novak djokovic's ambivalent stance towards inoculation hasn't helped, so not all serbians sympathise with his current situation. translation: i would say that there are some double standards, as on the one hand we are constantly being told that we should get vaccinated, and then when it comes to a person like novak djokovic, we see that there are exceptions. at least the church has given its blessing. patriarch porfirije said that millions of 0rthodox serbs would remember novak djokovic in their christmas prayers, and they will be hoping that monday's judgment in melbourne will bring deliverance for their sporting icon. the serbian media are full of supportive articles talking about his detention and seeing that australia is on its knees ahead of the court hearing and are obviously taking an optimistic view. his supporters will be out again this afternoon in front of the national assembly and it looks like a decent day of weather so expect a strong turnout of support for novak djokovic. this is bbc news, a reminder of the headlines this hour. england's education secretary becomes the first uk cabinet minister to back reducing covid isolation down from seven days to five. novak djokovic prepares for a court hearing — after saying he has a vaccine exemption to enter australia — because he had covid last month. the afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal is reunited with relatives. dozens of people have been killed, thousands have been detained and public buildings have been torched in the worst violence kazakhstan has seen since the 1990s. protests began a week ago in response to petrol prices being doubled — but have become a broader movement against the russian—backed government. kazakhstan's former intelligence chief has been arrested on suspicion of treason. gareth barlow reports. these khazak residents aren't gathering to protest, they're gathering outside the city morgue, waiting to find news of their loved ones killed when proesters clashed with security forces. even here, soldiers stand guard and guns are drawn. elsewhere in ekibastuz, the country's biggest city, people queue for bread and fuel as an uneasy calm returns to kazakhstan. calm, in part, imported from its nearest neighbours. contingents of peacekeeping troops requested by the president of kazakhstan continue to arrive from russia and belarus, heavy weaponry in response to unrest that began over a hike in fuel prices but now seems to have developed into an internal political power struggle within this former soviet state. on saturday, the former head of domestic intelligence was arrested on suspicion of high treason, fueling expectation of strife within the ruling party. despite the deaths and the devastation, many citizens, though, remain defiant. translation: | think. the people have awoken. there won't be another president reigning for 30 years. there have been positive things about it but also negative things. i would like the authorities to listen to what we're saying because this has all been going on for too long. what's next for kazakhstan remains unclear. the unrest has drawn in neighbouring armed forces and president tokayev�*s orders for troops to shoot to kill without warning may see ordinary khazaks be subdued, or possibly in time may stoke simmering tensions. a baby boy separated from his parents during the chaotic american evacuation of afghanistan in august last year, has been reunited with relatives. sohail ahmadi, only two months old at the time, was handed to a us soldier as his parents struggled to get into the airport. while most of the family managed to fly out of the country, the little boy was left behind in kabul. he was taken in by a 29—year —ld taxi driver, —— he was taken in by a 29—year—old taxi driver, hamid safi, who has now handed the boy over to his grandfather. 0ur correspondent quentin somerville is in kabul and has more. this is the story of the ahmadi family who were part of that deluge of people who fled towards kabul airport after the taliban made it into the city in august. they were moments away from salvation, a flight to the united states, but they got caught in a crush at the gates of the airport and in the panic they handed their two—month—old baby, sohail, to a us soldier. he was handed over the fence. when the family then got inside they couldn't find the baby. they were then evacuated after searching the airport, they were evacuated from kabul, made it to the united states, still kept looking for the baby in the united states in the hope that he had been put on a flight, that he had made it there somehow, and they found nothing. after months of searching and a campaign by an afghan refugee group and then a story by the reuters news agency, sohail was found and he was found here in kabul alive and well. he had been picked up by a 29—year—old taxi driver, mr safi, who took the baby to raise him as his own. it seems mr safi was reluctant to give the child back but after pleads from the family and negotiation with the family and a negotiations with the family and a short span of time in taliban detention he has now handed over the baby to his grandfather and other relatives here in kabul. he is alive and well and the expectation is he willjoin the rest of the family, his four brothers and sisters, in texas where they will be resettled in the united states. the port city of tianjin in northern china has asked its 14 million residents to stay at home while health officials conduct mass testing following at least twenty cases of covid. two other chinese cities are in lockdown. tianjin is about 100 miles from beijing, where the winter olympics are due to open in a few weeks' time. the biggest, most powerful telescope nasa has ever launched has successfully been assembled in space — two weeks after its christmas day take—off. it's hoped the james webb telescope will teach astronomers about the history of the cosmos, as well as search for signs of life on other planets. alice key reports. mission control: we have reached the end of deployment and we are preloading into the launch pad. cheering and applause. celebrations from mission control in baltimore as the final piece of the telescope puzzle slots into place. there are no cameras on board so this live animation was the only way to see the final mirrored wing of the world's largest space telescope unfold. mission control: and we have a fully deployed jws webb observatory. all right. talking to staff afterwards, nasa's director of science praised them for making history. i want to tell you just how excited and emotional i am right now. we have a deployed telescope in orbit. a magnificent telescope, the likes of which the world has never seen. so how does it feel to make history, everybody? you just did it! the new observatory will look deeper into space than ever before. infrared technology will allow it to see the first stars and galaxies formed a 13.5 billion years ago. it's also going to be able to look into the really dusty environments around where stars grow up and where new planets are forming. that's one of the places that will help slightly closer to home as well as at the beginning of the universe. and lift off! 20 years in the making, it was successfully launched on christmas day, but it was so big it had to be flat—packed inside a rocket to make it into orbit. over the past two weeks it's been slowly unfurling as it travels nearly one million miles away from earth to circle the sun. but for it to send back images, each segment now has to line up perfectly to act as a single huge mirror. so each one of those mirrors, which is very lightweight, have motors on the back which can move them up and down, tip them sideways, rotate them and even slightly bend them to make sure they have exactly the right focus. nothing this complex has ever been tried in space before, but if it works, by the summer, it should be sending back its first images and scientists say they could revolutionise the way we see our universe. alice key, bbc news. it's usually one of the biggest nights in hollywood, but this evening's golden globes ceremony will be held without a—list stars — or a red carpet. the event is being boycotted after it emerged that the organising committee had not had a single black member for more than 20 years. the awards will be announced via social media, as our entertainment correspondent colin paterson reports. # it all began tonight... tonight, west side story is one of the big favourites to win at the golden globes. but none of its stars or its director, steven spielberg, will be there. the same goes for belfast, which is tied for the most nominations — seven. music: everlasting love by the love affair. we're looking to cleanse the community. you wouldn't want to be the odd one out in this street. touch my family and i'll kill you. it is based on the childhood of its director, sir kenneth branagh, who has never won a golden globe. if he does tonight, the way he will find out is on his computer. it is doubtful that he will even care. the golden globes are normally a star—studded event, but they have been beset with problems for the last year. an la times expose revealed that they have not had a single black voter for almost two decades, and there are accusations of unethical practices. this prompted tom cruise to send back the three golden globes he had won. the rights holders, nbc, said they would not broadcast the ceremony, and despite radical changes being introduced, hollywood en masse decided to boycott the event. this week, the golden globes announced that the ceremony at the beverly hilton hotel in los angeles will be a private event and will not be live—streamed, with winners simply being announced on social media. this prompted us talk show host conan o'brien to ask: and ricky gervais, who has hosted the golden globes five times, has even suggested there is a chance this could be the last time they are held. you're the number—one trending topic ahead of tater tots, and the pope followed you... as to who could win, when it comes to the tv categories, there could be a procession for succession. the media family drama series has the most nominations, with five. is he going to watch? could we make a note in the minutes that he is watching us? but with no—one able to watch the globes and with things as they are, it is fully expected that tonight's winners will not even acknowledge that they have won. i'm a good guy. i'm better than you. three new photos of the duchess of cambridge have been released to mark her 40th birthday. the portraits, taken by fashion photographer paolo roversi, will go on display this year in three places which have a special meaning to her royal highness: berkshire, st andrews and anglesey — all places she has lived. they will then be housed in the permanent collection of the national portrait gallery. if you want to get in touch with me you are very welcome. hello. compared to yesterday, it's been a much drier and brighter day so far for most of you. bit of a chilly start, admittedly, but lots of sunshine across southern and eastern areas at present. there are a few showers, though, particularly in the west. they've become more widespread across parts of southern scotland and northern ireland, and through the afternoon they will push into northern england, increasing the cloud here. showers are mainly of rain, but a little bit of hail, sleet or a little snow in some spots. the north of it will see sunshine continue in northern scotland. southern scotland should brighten up a little bit. much of wales, the midlands, east anglia and the south—east dry with sunny spells, any showers very few and far between, but the channel islands down towards the far south—west of england, devon, cornwall and south—west wales, will see cloud increase. milder air trying to push in, but with it some rain or drizzle, and that will continue through this evening and overnight, pushing into western areas. showers in northern england push through the east midlands, east anglia and fade. cold middle part of the night across parts of eastern uk, maybe —6 in eastern scotland for a time, and there is still a little bit of frost for one or two into the morning, but actually temperatures rise through the second half of the night, and by the start of tomorrow, 8—10 degrees in the west, that's because you will be in this little slice of milder air sandwiched between these two weather fronts. the first one just bringing increased amounts of cloud, patchy drizzle, the second one bringing some heavier bursts of rain in northern scotland and strengthening winds. that will touch gale force later in the day. hazy sunshine, though, will continue through monday across some eastern areas, but you can just see how the cloud thickens up. there's some light rain or drizzle on it pushing its way eastwards, lying somewhere from yorkshire through the midlands towards the isle of wight during the afternoon. west of that we will see extensive mist, low cloud around some of the coast, but 12 or 13 degrees. before that weather front arrives, 8 or 9 in the east. that weather front then pushes away southwards as we go through into tuesday. milder start in the south, the cloud, occasional rain or drizzle, particularly to the south—east during the day. much brighter conditions further north, with sunny spells. a few showers continue in scotland, strong to gale force winds, as well. temperatures drop relative to monday, but they're still a degree or two above where we would normally expect in this stage of the year, and they will climb a little bit further for some as we go through this coming week. through wednesday in the second half of the week, high pressure builds in across the south. closer to that area of high pressure, so, southern parts of england and wales, this is where we could see some overnight frost and fog. that could linger through the day, so, for one or two, temperatures mid—single figures at best during the second half of the week. further north, with more breeze, some breaks in the cloud, up to around 10 or 11 celsius. this is bbc news. the headlines: england's education secretary becomes the first uk cabinet minister to back reducing covid isolation down from seven days to five. novak djokovic prepares for a court hearing — after saying he has a vaccine exemption to enter australia — because he had covid last month. russian troops arrive in kazakhstan as order is restored following six days of violence. the afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal is reunited with relatives. the duchess of cambridge at 40 — three new portraits will go on display in english towns where kate has lived to celebrate her birthday. now on bbc news it's time for some political thinking with nick robinson. "i should've been in prison, not in parliament," my guest on political thinking this week says. that is a reflection not just of the fact he was brought up in real poverty in london's east end, but that his grandfather was a convicted bank robber. wes streeting has been on quite a journey, not least this year when he had a diagnosis at the age ofjust 38 of cancer and was warned that his kidney would have to be removed. once he recovered, keir starmer told him he was the man that the labour leader wanted to be the next health secretary if labour win the election. already, he has shifted the party's approach to the covid pandemic, saying that this is the year in which the country has to learn to live well with the virus. wes streeting, welcome to political thinking. hi, nick.