groups and women rights groups in norway in an attempt to access bounce at all is frozen in us backs. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk are around the world. united states has said it's too soon to impose sanctions on russia for its hostile towards ukraine. it comes as a former ukrainian mp who britain says could be installed as the head of a russian puppet government in kyiv has said his country would need new political leaders but dismissed the allegations urging people to stop dividing ukrainians into pro—russian or pro—western camps. an adviser to the reguilon president said the british allegation needed to be taken seriously, but downplayed the status within the country's poulso single in full stop here is our diplomatic correspondent... in california, fresh supplies of american weapons destined for ukraine. others including britain are also sending equipment. hardly enough to defeat an invading russian army, but the message to moscow is clear, if you do this, it will come at a price. but now the foreign office has said it is seen signs of a russian plan to install a puppet government in kyiv, after an invasion, and washington made similar claims and thursday. pro—russian politicians both stay in contact with russian intelligence officers involved in planning the attack. it officers involved in planning the attack. ., , officers involved in planning the attack. ., ., , attack. it was totally unacceptable, contra to attack. it was totally unacceptable, contrary to international _ attack. it was totally unacceptable, contrary to international law, - attack. it was totally unacceptable, contrary to international law, the i contrary to international law, the international committee as a whole needs to step up, one of the things seeing and the foreign secretary is doing a very good job, making it clear what is at stake, so other countries can support the realities. is that we are expecting to happen, and invasion? element there is a cynical risk. you form ukrainian mp is being considered as a future reader by the kremlin, ukrainian virtual him well. sign ahki is building up, not is what he's to do. they still believe the soviet union and russia is the best way for ukrainians to develop. it is highly unusualfor ukrainians to develop. it is highly unusual for intelligence of this kind to be put into the public domain in such a brief and abrupt manner, a reflection of the extreme anxiety about what vladimir putin may be planning. a way of saying to the kremlin we see what you are doing. and at a time when the government is being accused by some of not having its eye on the ball, it is also a way of saying we are doing everything we can. russia says it is all nonsense. releasing pictures of its latest drills close to ukraine's border, still saying it has no intention to attack. but after freddie's talks in geneva, diplomacy continues. washington promising a written reply within days to rush a's expansive demands. downing street says it plans to ramp up downing street says it plans to ramp up pressure on russia, the defence secretary likely to visit moscow soon. the omicron variant has moved the coronavirus pandemic into a new phase and could bring it to an end in europe — that's according to the world health organization. its europe director hans kluge said it was plausible the region is moving towards a �*kind of endgame'. his colleague dr maria van kerkhove spoke to the bbc a little earlier. this is a very different virus and it's evolving differently. in a sense where we have a lead time in terms of our ability to develop the vaccines and make these educated guesses about how the vaccine composition should be, so we could prepare. this virus is not giving us that opportunity. this virus is spreading really intensely. i think what is the challenge as we move into this next phase is, how do we get the balance right with the measures that are needed to reduce the spread? masks are widely available now. they were not at the beginning of the pandemic. we are asking people to be very cautious. this pandemic will end. we will not be in this cycle forever. riot police in belgium have been using water cannon and tear gas to try to disperse a group of protesters in brussels, after a demonstration against coronavirus restrictions turned violent. officers had been pelted with rocks and pieces of pavement. the entrance to the offices of the european union's diplomatic service was damaged. earlier, a much larger crowd had marched peacefully, holding placards condemning what they called vaccine dictatorship. belgium has seen a surge in infections, but with a high level of vaccinations, the health system has not been overwhelmed. here in britain the health secretary, sajid javid, has added his voice to calls for an investigation into claims by a fellow conservative mp that her muslim faith had been raised as a reason why she was sacked as a minister. the tory whip, mark spencer, who spoke to nusrat ghani about her dismissal in 2020, has strongly denied making the comments. here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. on the eve of a crucial week for him, this is a new dispute borisjohnson has been drawn into. what are you hoping to hear today? nus ghani is now a senior backbencher and was the first muslim woman minister to speak in the commons — a moment she described as importance and she has continued to speak out against the islamic state group and the taliban. as a muslim woman, i will stand with people of all faiths who abhor this ideology, their rhetoric and their actions. she told the sunday times when asked in 2020 for an explanation from party whips, which is why she had lost in a realjob, she was told her muslim faith was issued in reshuffle discussions and her status was making colleagues uncomfortable, and if she persisted in raising the issue she would be ostracised by colleagues and her career and reputation destroyed. the chief whip, mark spencer, last night took the unusual step of outing himself as the person who talked to her, and said that these accusations are completely false. adding... someone was trying to bully her if she what she is saying is true. you have two scenarios, parliamentarian a saying something, and b saying something, and we need to get to the bottom. we need to establish the truth. the allegations have caused shock. the education secretary said ms ghani was a brilliant mp and there was no place for any form of racism in the conservative party and the health secretary, sajid javid, today said... he called for an investigation into the party three years ago and found that anti—muslim sentiment was a problem, but islamophobia was not institutional. it didn't refer to ms ghani's claims. i believe at times like this, it shouldn't happen, and they should make the complaint formally. that's when procedures kick in and to be clear about this, that advice was given to nus back in 2020. now downing street has stepped in to say borisjohnson met ms ghani at the time and invited her to begin a formal complaint process about her extremely serious claim but she did not, and the party does not tolerate prejudice of any kind. but she has fired back, saying she made clear an internal party investigation was not appropriate and this was government business and all she wants is for the government to investigate properly. so, as borisjohnson waits for the results on a vote in the party that could decide his fate, he's now under pressure to launch another. damian grammaticas, bbc news. representatives of the taliban have held talks with afghan civil society activists in oslo as part of a three—day meeting to discuss the humanitarian crisis in the country. a taliban leader described the talks as comprehensive and constructive. the islamist group wants access to billions of dollars that are frozen in us banks. but a small group of afghans held a protest in oslo and other european capitals against the taliban. our south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan told us more about the talks. it's the first meeting of its kind for the taliban, they are coming to europe for the first time after they seized power in kabul last august, and for the last five months, they have been running the show there. now, the west wants to engage with the taliban. you may remember the taliban has not been recognised by the world community yet and giving aid to a country where the government is not recognised, and many of these taliban ministers, they are on the un sanctions list, so it is a complicated process to give aid to afghanistan. at the same time, after the war ended, there are millions of people waiting for food aid and almost all activity has come to a standstill in afghanistan and people are running short of food and there is a shortage of currency, so that's why the west wants to send aid into afghanistan but they want to engage with the taliban, and that's why they have invited them to oslo for these three—day talks. at the same time, they do not want to give moneyjust like that. they want the taliban to respect what they had promised earlier, for example you know, opening schools, reopening schools for teenage girls and also allowing women in employment in other sectors and also respecting human rights. so, they want to emphasise these things for the taliban when they talk — that is on monday and tuesday. on the first day, the afghan women activists and civil society activists, they are having these face—to—face talks, and then they are finding out what the taliban can offer. the authorities in burkina faso have declared an overnight curfew after a dramatic day which began with gunfire from angry soldiers. protesters came out in support of the mutineers, burning down the headquarters of the ruling mpp party. the soldiers are demanding the replacement of military chiefs and more help in their campaign against an intensifying islamist insurgency. parts of the capital, wagadoogoo, have been sealed off. the president is coming under growing pressure from civilians and the military who say his government is incapable of dealing with the islamists. the government has acknowledged the shooting but says the military are not trying to seize power. and it's denying claims the president has been detained. here's burkina faso's defence minister. translation: early this morning, shots were fired across our city, and this situation is at present being investigated so we can determine the true reasons for those shots which were heard. i deny any claims that the head of state was arrested. they were not. our reporter lalla see has been monitoring the situation from neigbouring ivory coast. there is a curfew from eight o'clock, eight p m2 530 in the morning and that this until further notice, and the population has been asked not to move around in the city. we heard a statement from the french ambassador that has asked the same to the french community, and also schools are going to be closed tomorrow, so that is what we have so far. �* . , .. , tomorrow, so that is what we have so far. �* . , , ., far. and what is the cause of the sundress? _ far. and what is the cause of the sundress? the _ far. and what is the cause of the sundress? the cause _ far. and what is the cause of the sundress? the cause of - far. and what is the cause of the sundress? the cause of this - far. and what is the cause of the i sundress? the cause of this unrest is the overall— sundress? the cause of this unrest is the overall insecurity _ sundress? the cause of this unrest is the overall insecurity -- - sundress? the cause of this unrest is the overall insecurity -- with - is the overall insecurity —— with the increasing attacks against civilians and soldiers in the north and the east of the country. that is probably why the mutineers reportedly demanded more troops to fight the islamic insurgency. they demanded also more food in the front, the change of the military hierarchy and more assistance for the families of those injured or killed in the violence attributed to armed groups. so they are clearly overwhelmed by these armed groups, which also threaten neighbouring niger and mali. a similar insurgency in raleigh led to a coup last year and a takeover by the army. historical partner and former colonial power france decided to reduce the number of french troops in the country, to fight this islamic insurgency, so it is becoming a bigger challenge and many fear that the armed groups will take advantage of the situation to harm more people. it is advantage of the situation to harm more maple-— more people. it is certainly precarious- _ more people. it is certainly precarious. where - more people. it is certainly precarious. where does - more people. it is certainly precarious. where does all| more people. it is certainly - precarious. where does all this leave the president? we precarious. where does all this leave the president?— precarious. where does all this leave the president? we have not heard, we have _ leave the president? we have not heard, we have not _ leave the president? we have not heard, we have not seen - leave the president? we have not heard, we have not seen him, - leave the president? we have not| heard, we have not seen him, but leave the president? we have not l heard, we have not seen him, but a tweet was posted from his twitter account, only wishing good luck to the football team facing gabon this afternoon during the african cup of nations, so this was described or perceived as a little bit of arrogance, the feeling that he is not showing enough care for the situation. the headlines on bbc news... a former ukrainian mp has denied british claims he could be installed by moscow as head of a puppet government, but says his country needs new leadership. the world health organization's european director says it's plausible that the region is moving towards a �*kind of pandemic endgame' time for sport. an entertaining game at stamford bridge, and even first half in which spurs had a goal disallowed, chelsea came alive after the break, and a spectacularfinish came alive after the break, and a spectacular finish before thiago silva made it 2—0. chelsea stay third behind liverpool and runaway leaders manchester city. we third behind liverpool and runaway leaders manchester city.— leaders manchester city. we had a aood leaders manchester city. we had a good atmosphere, _ leaders manchester city. we had a good atmosphere, good _ leaders manchester city. we had a good atmosphere, good quality i leaders manchester city. we had a l good atmosphere, good quality and training, and when we arrived this morning i could feel that everybody was excited to play it. it is one thing to be excited and full of expectations to play and then to play it, because it was tough. and it was physically tough. full credit, we deserved and the effort was excellent. i’m tough. full credit, we deserved and the effort was excellent.— the effort was excellent. i'm proud of my players _ the effort was excellent. i'm proud of my players because _ the effort was excellent. i'm proud of my players because we - the effort was excellent. i'm proud of my players because we made i the effort was excellent. i'm proud of my players because we made a l the effort was excellent. i'm proud i of my players because we made a big effort _ of my players because we made a big effort and _ of my players because we made a big effort. and to try and get a good result_ effort. and to try and get a good result today. sometimes that is not enough. _ result today. sometimes that is not enough. to— result today. sometimes that is not enough, to give 100%, because when they play— enough, to give 100%, because when they play against a team and the squad _ they play against a team and the squad like this, it is not simple. liverpool beat crystal palace 3—1 at selhurst park. virgil van dijk, alex oxlade chamberlain and fabinho the scorers for liverpoolwho are now nine points behind leaders manchester city with a game in hand. two other results in the premier league, arsenal were held to a goalless draw at home to bottom side burnley. and leicester v brighton was 1—1. next, to a big shock in the africa cup of nations, because after winning all of their group games, the three—time winners nigeria are out — losing in the last 16 to tunisia who beat them i—0 — the goal coming from youssef msakni in the second half. burkina faso were the first team to reach the quarter finals. they beat gabon on penalties after it finished 1—1 after extra time. gabon scored an injury time equaliser but burkina faso managed to edge through with a 7—6 shoot—out win. in women's football, barcelona are celebrating as they won the spanish super cup — beating atletico madrid 7—0 in the final. but the match will be remembered for the return of atletico's midfielder virginia torrecilla — who made herfirst appearance since having surgery following a brain tumour. this was the reception the barcelona players gave her post match — with the midfielder playing for the catalan side between 2012 and 2015. the quarterfinal line up at the australian open is beginning to take shape. ash barty, the world number one, is through as she looks to become the first home champion in melbourne in 44 years, as is rafael nadal who survived the longer tie break of his career to come through in straight sets against adrian mannarino. next up for him is the canadian denis shapovalov who stunned the third seed alexander zverev if he is able to keep improving, he will be a multi—grand slam winner. he has a lot of amazing things of his game and his results say that. when he is playing well, it is very difficult to stop him. south africa have completed a series whitewash over india who's dismal tour ended in a final defeat. chasing 288 to win, india had looked on course for victory — needing just ten runs from 17 balls. but south africa removed deepak chahar for 5h and they couldn't get over the line — bowled out for 283 — falling five runs short of their target. the victory sealed the 3—0 odi series win for south africa. belgium's thomas pieters won golf�*s abu dhabi championship — as the leader of the first three rounds — scott jamieson fell apart on the final day. peters hit an even—par final round of 72 to finish ten under overall — a shot clear of spain's rafa cabrera—bello and india's shubhankar sharma. that's all the sport for now. the government of tonga says it's facing a long programme of rebuilding and reconstruction — just over a week after it was devastated by a volcanic eruption and a tsunami. foreign aid is arriving, but strict coronavirus—prevention rules are hampering humanitarian efforts, as the local authorities try to keep the virus out of the country. tonga is made up of a group of islands in the south pacific. entire villages were destroyed in the tsunami and some are still without basic neccessities, like clean water. much of the relief effort for tonga is being coordinated in neighbouring fiji from where our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports... aid has arrived in tonga, and a lot of it is being coordinated from here in fiji. countries like australia, new zealand, japan and britain have sent everything from water supplies to shelter kits, generator, even sweeping machines as well. the concern now is that this is going to be a slow process. getting aid and distributing it to people who need it the most is very, very tricky on any occasion — add the fear of a covid—i9 outbreak to that equation and you see how complex this is. the tongan government has insisted that the aid should be contactless. theyjust do not want a covid—i9 case in the country. they don't want to be dealing with a covid—i9 outbreak as they're dealing with the devastation, which means that supplies are there on the ground, but aid workers are not. so, essentially, it's up to people in tonga to distribute that aid, whether it be volunteers or other aid workers inside the country. the concern now is how fast the aid is going to get to people and how far it can get, especially to far—flung places. there are also, of course, health concerns, the quality of the air, the quality of the water. they have been compromised by the ash in the atmosphere, not just the thick ash that you see, the fine particles that could be inhaled and can cause respiratory diseases. there are high levels of sulphur in the water, and these also can cause waterborne diseases. so, apart from the aid distribution, the physical destruction all around tonga, there are also the health risks. and un officials have said that the country, the pacific nation, will rely on food aid for a long time to come because the crops have been destroyed, farmers have lost their livelihoods, they've lost their homes. and one of the tongan officials have also said that the road to recovery for this pacific nation is going to be long and hard. so, in the days to come, as this destruction reveals itself, as the extent of it becomes clearer, the challenges facing tonga are also being revealed. heavy fighting is taking place in north—eastern syria, between islamic state militants, and kurdish forces backed by us war planes. the fighting began on thursday when the extremists attacked a prison in the city of hasaka, and attempted to free thousands of is prisoners, as mark lobel reports. scenes syrians never wanted to see again. jihadists attacking a prison containing thousands of militants on thursday. there was a swift and determined fight back by kurdish—led forces guarding the area. taking on islamic state fighters in one of the group's biggest operations since their self—declared caliphate was defeated almost three years ago. from above, us—led coalition aircraft supported the syrian defense forces. many prisoners were recaptured with troops in pursuit of other fugitives that had fled to surrounding houses. families moved to safety in fear of their lives. translation: there's been shelling and killing since yesterday. - the jihadists killed four orfive people in our neighbourhood, liquidated them. while this was playing out, across the border in iraq, is claimed responsibility for an ambush on a military post in which 11 soldiers were killed. in syria, it's claimed the prison is largely under control. however, is claim they're holding hostages. the kurdish authorities had long warned that they did not have the capacity to hold, let alone put on trial, many of the suspected fighters under their watch. there's also a concern that this much—feared jihadist group is ramping up once again. mark lobel, bbc news. a british man has been killed in thailand. it's reported he was attacked in the town of kan—chanaburi, in the west of the country. the foreign office says another briton was injured and is being treated in hospital. matt graveling has more details. hours earlier, this crime scene in the west of thailand saw two british men sharing a drink. but then, thai police say at around 3am, a row with another man saw one friend killed and the other taken to hospital. local reports suggest the argument began over music being played too loudly and ended in a deadly attack. police recovered a sickle at the scene. police have named the victim as 49—year—old marcus evans from weston—super—mare, who officers say had lived in thailand for three years. his friend, shaun dagnan, suffered a serious injury. his partner says he has a wound to his head, but is doing well in hospital, where he gave a statement. today, police held a press conference expressing their condolences for the region's tourists and promising to bring justice. a thai man in his early—20s with a history of mental health issues was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. he remains in custody and is due to appear in court tomorrow. matt graveling, bbc news. queen elizabeth has travelled to sandringham a month after cancelling her christmas plans in norfolk due to the rise in cases of the conronavirus omicron variant. her majesty flew by helicopter from windsor castle. she's expected to spend a few weeks in sandringham. prior to the pandemic, the queen had spent 32 consecutives christmases at her norfolk home with family members. it was the 95—year—old monarch�*s first christmas without the duke of edinburgh, prince philip, her husband of more than 73 years. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight arejonathan walker, political editor at the birmingham post & newcastle chronicle and henry zeffman, chief political correspondent at the times. now it's time for a look at the weather. sunshine in short supply today, little across the south—west of england. this predominantly cloudy weather will prevail through the evening, overnight and into monday. it is dry for the most part, away from this weather front, but slipping across the northern and western isles into the north—west highlands of scotland. we do have breaks elsewhere, and will see patchy fog, frost, neither will be widespread. the fog can take a while at this time of year to clear, could be a little frosty, but by and large will be another gloomy day, albeit dry in southern parts and cold. 4-5 . could see a few breaks in the cloud, but later more likely across the north of scotland, behind the weak weather front, the odd spot of rain as it drifts its way southwards. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: a former ukrainian mp linked by britain to an alleged russian plot to take control of ukraine says his country needs new political leaders. ukraine's ambassador to britain urges allies to stand with them. that is our message to international parties — if you would like to help us and you can find the nerve at this point, we are fighting ourselves anyways. the world health organization's european director says it's plausible that the region is moving towards a "kind of pandemic endgame". former british conservative party government minister nusrat ghani says she was sacked from herjob because of her muslim faith. the government chief whip says the claims are false. the taliban meet civil society groups and women's rights activists in norway, in an attempt to access billions of dollars frozen in us banks. now on bbc news, it's time for our world. sophie long travels to mississippi and texas to look at america's new abortion battle. this film contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. can't stop! all: ., �* won't stop! all: ~ j , abortion is... all: ., , unstoppable! all: , it is a matter of life and death. the woman's life is sacred, but it's not more sacred than the baby's.