the vatican says benedict s condition has worsened in recent hours. and a powerful winter storm in north america has claimed more lives in new york state. we ll speak to a recovery worker in buffalo, one of the worst hit cities. for you watching in the uk, on pbs in the us and around the globe, welcome to bbc news. america has become the latest country to impose mandatory covid tests on chinese tourists, after beijing announced it would reopen its borders next week. it comes as china s covid cases surge. tighter measures have also been imposed by italy, japan, malaysia, taiwan and india. our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. from the world s most populous nation, alarming scenes china s hospitals overwhelmed, covid infections soaring. the country s abrupt decision to dismantle much of its strict covid regime apparently yielding worrying results. wards full of desperately ill people. outside this hospital in chengdu, a queue for emergency services. government offi