in formula 1 max verstappen takes the world title, in a nail biting race that came down to the final lap. and coming up later this hour, ros atkins examines the ethical arguments around vaccine mandates. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. in the past few minutes the uk s covid alert level has been increased. the four chief medical officers have recommended the move from level 3, which means the epidemic is in general circulation, to level 4, which means transmission is high and direct. at 8pm the prime minister will give an update on the booster vaccination programme. we understand no new restrictions will be announced. you can watch it here on bbc news. meanwhile health officials say the first people in the uk have been hospitalised with the omicron variant of coronavirus, with the uk facing an inevitable large wave of infections. ministers say the uk is in a race to get the covid booster to as many eligible people, as quickly as possible, with bookings opening to e
culture is riven with division? well, my guest today is the great american novelist, new york resident, paul auster. if america is experiencing a culture war, is he ready to fight? paul auster, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it s a pleasure to be in your home, your writing study is just below us, the floor below. just tell me, does it matter to you when you are writing what is going on in the world outside yourfront door? does it affect your writing? well, it depends on what you mean. if there is a fire engine screeching in front of my door, it will interrupt my concentration, and i might go out and see what s going on. but if there is a distant war going on in another place and i know about it, i m not going to read about it while i m doing my work for the day. but i certainly will inform myself about it later. you talk of distant wars. i m thinking of wars much closer to home. you write a lot about your take on american politics. you ve talked about your feelings through t
at 95, is looking back at his eventful life. eight in the morning and 7pm in washington where the white house has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 winter olympics in beijing. it s is no official government delegation would be sent to the games because of concerns about china possible human rights record is. the pinnacle of sport is no stranger to politics. with two months remaining, the us has announced a diplomatic boycott saying it will not contribute to the fanfare or continue it is business as usual in front of china s egregious human rights record. of china s egregious human rights record. there were not send any rights record. there were not send any diplomatic- rights record. there were not send any diplomatic or - rights record. there were not send any diplomatic or visual| send any diplomatic or visual representation to the beijing 2022 olympics and paralympic games given the prc s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity genocide and crimes against
welcome to hardtalk from new york. i m stephen sackur. this city has always had an outsize influence on american culture. the buzz in this nation comes from right here in terms of the arts, entertainment, publishing, the media, but what happens in new york when america s political culture is riven with division? well, my guest today is the great american novelist, new york resident, paul auster. if america is experiencing a culture war, is he ready to fight? paul auster, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is a pleasure to be in your home, your writing study is just below us, the floor below. just tell me, does it matter to you when you are writing what is going on in the world outside yourfront door? does it affect your writing? well, it depends on what you mean. if there s a fire engine screeching in front of my door, it will interrupt my concentration, and i might go out and see what s going on. but if there s a distant war going on in another place and i know about it, i m
this is bbc news. we will have all the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the r as newsday continues straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk from new york. i m stephen sackur. this city has always had an outsize influence on american culture. the buzz in this nation comes from right here in terms of the arts, entertainment, publishing, the media, but what happens in new york when america had s political culture is riven with division? well, my guest today is the great american novelist, new york resident, paul auster. if america is experiencing a culture war, is he ready to fight? paul auster, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it s a pleasure to be in your home, your writing study is just below us, the floor below. just tell me, does it matter to you when you are writing what is going on in the world outside yourfront door? does it affect your writing? well, it depends on what you mean. if there is a fire engine screeching in front of my door, it