ECDC follows WHO in threat assessment of new variant; countries bar foreign nationals from several southern African nations; UK sees most new infections for a month

• First European case of new Covid variant detected in Belgium
• B.1.1.529 variant amost worrying weave seena, says UK medical adviser
• What do we know about the new aworst evera Covid variant?
• Tell us: how are you affected by the southern Africa travel restrictions?

Hungary needs to increase the number of people taking booster shots against COVID-19 to curb infections, Prime Minister Viktor OrbA!n told state radio this morning.

Reuters report that OrbA!n said the government would extend a special campaign making vaccinations available without any prior registration to next week following a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Experts stress importance of delaying import of new Covid variant to UK to avoid Christmas mixing

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As an alarming new Covid variant spread to Europe on Friday, scientists warned that it would inevitably reach Britain, while ministers faced calls to urgently speed up the vaccination programme.

Thousands of travellers were left stranded or with their plans in disarray after flight bans were introduced targeting countries across southern Africa, where the variant was discovered. Hotel quarantine and enhanced testing would be brought in across the UK, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, said.

Analysis: From the red list to winter plan B, scientists consider what tools are best to counter B.1.1.529

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Despite the UKas much-vaunted vaccination programme, and scientistsa ever-growing understanding of Covid-19, Britain and the rest of the world face the challenge of a new, potentially more transmissible variant just a month before Christmas.

While Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced the red-listing of six southern African countries and said awe must act with cautiona, he ruled out immediate new Covid measures including triggering winter plan B a which would involve working from home, mask-wearing and Covid passports.

Experts say demand for wellness and calming products for animal companions have surged since Australiaas restrictions lifted

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When Melburnian Anni OaDonnell used to arrive home from work, her sausage dog, Ziggy, would be excited to see her. Since lockdown, though, ahe cries and wiggles his body for a good five minutesa.

aHe even does it for short periods of time, like a five-minute pop to the shops,a OaDonnell said.

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French president says: aWe do not communicate on these issues by tweetsa after PM issues five-point plan via Twitter

President Emmanuel Macron has told Boris Johnson to aget seriousa or remain locked out of discussions over how to curb the flow of people escaping war and poverty across the Channel.

In a further sign of an escalating diplomatic crisis since the deaths of 27 people on Wednesday, the French leader criticised the UKas decision to issue a five-point plan via Twitter instead of conducting bilateral talks.

Scoring his first big hit with West Side Story at 27, the US composer and lyricist raised the art formas status with moving and funny masterpieces including Follies and Company

aHis songs are like a fabulous steaka: an all-star toast to Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim, the master craftsman of the American musical, has died at the age of 91. His death, at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on Friday has prompted tributes throughout the entertainment industry and beyond. Andrew Lloyd Webber called him athe musical theatre giant of our times, an inspiration not just to two but to three generations [whose] contribution to theatre will never be equalleda. Cameron Mackintosh said: aThe theatre has lost one of its greatest geniuses and the world has lost one of its greatest and most original writers. Sadly, there is now a giant in the sky. But the brilliance of Stephen Sondheim will still be here as his legendary songs and shows will be performed for evermore.a

Over the course of a celebrated career spanning more than 60 years, Sondheim co-created Broadway theatre classics such as West Side Story, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, all of which also became hit movies. His intricate and dazzlingly clever songs pushed the boundaries of the art form and he made moving and funny masterpieces from unlikely subject matters, including a murderous barber (Sweeney Todd), the Roman comedies of Plautus (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and a pointillist painting by Georges Seurat (Sunday in the Park With George).

The badly burnt victims were discovered in a building in Chinatown in Honiara after days of rioting

The bodies of three people have been discovered in a burnt-out building in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara, the first reported deaths after days of rioting.

The charred bodies were discovered in a store in the Chinatown district of Honiara, police said on Saturday.

Maximum alert for wind from 3pm Friday to 2am Saturday on east coast in northern England and Scotland as first winter storm rolls in

The Met Office has issued a rare areda weather alert, warning of gusts in excess of 80mph in parts of northern England and Scotland as Storm Arwen sweeps in this weekend, bringing high winds and disruption to much of the UK.

A man in Northern Ireland was killed after his car was hit by a falling tree in Antrim on Friday.

Four boys arrested on suspicion of murder after Ava White suffered acatastrophic injuriesa in Liverpool

Police are trawling hundreds of hours of CCTV and camera phone footage to piece together how a 12-year-old girl was stabbed to death in a busy shopping street in Liverpool.

Ava White, an aincredibly populara girl who had been made an apeace ambassadora in 2019, died after suffering acatastrophic injuriesa on Church Street in the city centre on Thursday evening.

Former chancellor to face no action despite official ruling against his use of government connections

Labour has accused the government of not being serious about tackling sleaze after ministers declined to punish or reprimand the Conservative former chancellor Philip Hammond for using his government connections to help a bank he is paid to advise.

Labouras deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said the government had amuzzled its own watchdoga after it emerged that no action would be taken against Hammond despite an official ruling that his actions had not been ain keeping with the letter or the spirita of rules for ex-ministers.

Cody James Ackland, 24, appeared before magistrates in connection with McLeodas disappearance from bus stop in Devon

A 24-year-old rock musician has appeared before magistrates charged with the murder of 18-year-old Bobbi-Anne McLeod, who disappeared from a bus stop in Devon.

Cody James Ackland, who lives in the Southway area of Plymouth, appeared in court dressed in a grey sweatshirt and grey trousers, flanked by two custody officers.

Investigators believe blaze at Michelin-starred pub in North Yorkshire was started deliberately

A fire that reduced a Michelin-starred restaurant in North Yorkshire to aashesa is being treated as arson.

Investigators believe the blaze at the thatched, 14th-century the Star Inn at Harome on the edge of the North York Moors was started deliberately on Wednesday evening.

Material Focus says tech superseded by purchases on Black Friday and beyond can be donated or recycled

Black Friday and pre-Christmas spending sprees will create an e-waste mountain as 5m unwanted electrical items are binned or put in storage in Britain, a campaign group has warned.

The end-of-November sales event triggers the commercial run-up to Christmas and is followed days later by the Cyber Monday e-commerce frenzy, with retailers offering cut-price deals on a range of goods from mobile phones to laptops and smart speakers.

Damien Bendall, 31, is alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett, 11, as well as killing three others

A man accused of murdering a mother and three children has also been charged with raping one of the victims, who was 11.

Damien Bendall, 31, is now alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett. He was previously charged with killing her and her brother, John Paul Bennett, 13, their mother, Terri Harris, 35, and Laceyas friend, Connie Gent, 11.

The American composer and lyricist, who has died aged 91, shaped the musical artform with his wise, witty and extravagantly clever work

Stephen Sondheim achieved such acclaim a for deepening the content and extending the lyrical ingenuity of musical theatre a that, from the age of 50, each major birthday was celebrated with tribute concerts in London, New York or both.

Watching the composer-lyricist of Sweeney Todd and Follies at such events a taking a bow, with his wry smile a it was impossible not to reflect on our luck in coinciding with the life of someone who would clearly stand in the history of the genre alongside such geniuses as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.

Scientists have carefully collected spawn bundles by moonlight in a bid to help save the reef

Itas nearing 10pm, and Dr Kate Quigley is still waiting. Using red lights to minimise disruption to the animalsa behaviour, she is inspecting corals.

Quigley, who studies reef restoration at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, is looking for alittle red dots all over the surfacea. A pimply appearance is a hallmark sign that a coral is about to spawn, releasing sperm and eggs in bundles resembling small bubbles.

With its punchy scripts and feminist gaze, the subversive period drama has become a word-of-mouth hit. As it returns, stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult talk racy Russians, randy frogs a and the weird things theyave robbed off the set

At the top of the stairs in his Los Angeles home, a portrait of Nicholas Hoult in military regalia hangs on the wall. aThatas very, very normal,a the actor deadpans, before breaking into a laugh. Gladly it isnat some kind of big-headed shrine to himself, but rather a prop he took from the set of The Great, the gory and garish TV show in which he stars as the Russian emperor Peter III. His co-star Elle Fanning giggles as she admits pinching a sculpture of herself made of butter (aI receive a lifesize version in the show, but I just took the little onea). In fact, as they recall other decorations a a babyas teddy bear said to be amade from a real beara, and the mummified remains of Houltas onscreen mother, wheeled around in a glass case a the portrait and sculpture start to sound normal, even mundane, by comparison.

Created by Tony McNamara a co-writer of the Oscar-winning film The Favourite a The Great isnat your average period drama. A racy, raucous and not-at-all historically accurate comedy-drama shot through with feminist revisionism, it tweaks and embellishes the story of how Catherine the Great (Fanning) overthrew Houltas Peter to become Russiaas longest serving female leader. Hoult, 31, was cast after nailing the aflamboyant, cruel egotist in a wiga role of the Earl of Oxford in The Favourite. Meanwhile, Hollywood star Fanning is perfectly cast as Catherine, appearing much older than her 23 years, but always with an air of youthful mischief.

Analysis: thereas fury at Johnson tweeting out a letter to Macron a and some of the PMas suggested five steps are inflammatory

France has reacted furiously to what officials variously called a amediocre, unacceptable and wholly inappropriatea letter from Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron about the migrant Channel crossings.

The French interior minister cancelled a planned top-level meeting with the home secretary, Priti Patel,, while government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said France was asick and tireda of Britainas adoubletalk and outsourcing of problemsa.

Listening to the women who alleged abuse, and fighting to get their stories heard, helped change the treatment of victims by the media and the justice system. By Poppy Sebag-Montefiore

Shocked mourners leave flowers and cards near scene where 12-year-old was stabbed on Thursday night

The news of 12-year-old Ava Whiteas death spread slowly across Liverpool on Friday morning. Christmas shoppers, unaware of her killing, came into the city centre to be greeted by police cordons closing off much of Church Street and surrounding areas where the stabbing took place on Thursday night.

aShe was everyoneas baby. It could have been anyoneas child,a said 51-year-old Hayley Hughes, who came to pay her respects at a small flower memorial near the crime scene. Hughes said that, while she had heard of stabbings in Liverpool before, she did not expect something like this to happen in the city centre to such a young child. aShe only came in to see the lights switched on,a she said.

Gamers are making millions by playing in front of audiences on platforms like Twitch. But when fame and money counts on you always being on, can you ever switch off?

It is June 2018, and I am sitting at a table in a needlessly fancy restaurant in LA with a bunch of teenagers. Well, some of them must be over 21 as they are able to order alcohol, but most are sticking to Coke or sparkling water with their overpriced steaks. These are some of the up-and-coming stars of Twitch, the livestreaming platform that now broadcasts about 2bn hours per month from more than 9m channels, most of which involve people filming themselves and chatting while playing video games. Later, there will be a lavish party in a similarly extravagant club, where the streamers with the most views and subscribers will be treated like celebrities in the VIP area.

And, well, they are celebrities. They have millions of followers. They are stopped in the street or at airports by people wanting a selfie and an autograph. Unlike pro gamers, whose job is to be good enough at video games to win tournaments, a streameras job is to be entertaining enough a while playing anything from first person shooters to racing games a to win fans. Back in 2018, streaming was already a huge deal; now, bolstered by the pandemic and an ever-growing audience that boosted Twitchas viewership by 70% in 2020, it is even bigger. To draw a comparison that makes me feel about 4,000 years old, they are their generationas rock stars.

Itas all about your partner, your son, your dad, your friends. But you need to find a way to include your own needs in whatever you decide

I am 62 years old and semi-retired. Iave worked hard all my life. In my 30s I had a son; it was just the two of us for a long time. My son had mental health issues in his teens and has autism; I am still friends with my sonas father, and they have a good relationship.

Ten years ago I met a lovely man and we moved in together. My son went to uni; the expectation was head move out once head graduated. Heas now 27 and still living with us.

Manchester United enlisting one of the traiblazers of hard pressing adds spice to a meeting with his thriving protege

Ed Woodward always gets his man. Or at least, Ed Woodward always gets a man. Give Manchester Unitedas chief executive his due. People definitely keep turning up.

There is probably some kind of method in the decision to replace Ole Gunnar SolskjA|r with Ralf Rangnick: the leap from a managerial style based around vibes, DNA and warm feelings to Europeas most unforgiving 63-year-old process trainer.

Though shying away from admitting structural racism, English cricket has admitted it needs wholesale reform. Itas a start

There is a maxim in modern, systemic approaches to leading organisations through change: aThey say that, if youare not part of the solution, youare part of the problem. The truth is that, if you donat acknowledge youare part of the problem, you can never effectively become part of the solution.a

In the run-up to last weekas hastily convened meeting of cricketing bodies at the Oval, it seemed that the protagonists were preparing to point fingers rather than look in the mirror. Thatas why, in an open letter, I stressed that, for me and I believe many others, the only acceptable outcome from the meeting was aA credible statement a with evidence behind it a that you are prepared to acknowledge that the game you love is deeply flawed, and that youare willing to be held individually and collectively accountable for fixing ita.

• Russian flag banned in buildup to showdown in Dubai
• Defending champion Carlsen says he awas a little bit shakya

Simmering tension on the board, unexpected drama off it. Magnus Carlsenas defence of his world chess title in Dubai began with a 45-move draw against his Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi a and a surprise intervention by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The first game of the 14-match encounter, which has a prize fund of a!2m, was eagerly followed by hundreds of thousands of spectators online a another sign of the chess boom that accelerated at the start of the pandemic and again after the Netflix series The Queenas Gambit.

• Chances missed to stop Bob Higgins abusing schoolboy players
• Club apologise over abuse there from mid-70s to late 80s

A string of missed opportunities allowed the predatory paedophile Bob Higgins to sexually abuse scores of schoolboy footballers while he worked as a coach at Southampton, a damning report by the childrenas charity Barnardoas has concluded.

Higgins, regarded as a agod-likea star-maker by youngsters who dreamed of a career in football, was able to operate aseemingly undetecteda at Southampton from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s and continued to work elsewhere in the sport until 2016.

World lightweight champion says he has found a new ain-looka before facing challenger George Kambosos on Saturday

Just hours after he became a father, TeA3fimo LA3pez, the most charismatic fighter on the planet and one of the best pound-for-pound boxers at work today, leans back in his car in Las Vegas and talks about joy and adversity, babies and tattoos, depression and love. The roof of his car is rolled open and sunshine lights up his face despite the shadows of the past.

Early on 17 November 2021, and describing the birth of baby TeA3fimo the night before, the world lightweight champion brims with happiness. His family history is traumatic but his son, TeA3fimo LA3pez V, does more than continue a tangled lineage stretching from Spain to Honduras to the US. The arrival of the youngest LA3pez gives the new father a fresh start after a year in which he contemplated ending his life. This low was a worrying echo of the acrimony, volatility and tragedy linking one LA3pez generation to another.

• Bath 16-23 Exeter
• Chiefs eke out hard-fought victory over struggling hosts

The Gallagher Premiership season is more than three months old and a despondent Bath still cannot buy a win. They came agonisingly close here but ultimately could not quite seal the deal, a well-taken 77th-minute try from their number eight Sam Simmonds securing Exeter a scrappy, hard-earned victory.

Bath are now up to eight games without a win and trail the field by eight points with their fixture list offering little prospect of quick relief. Next weekend they must travel to Northampton, 36-20 winners just down the A4 at Bristol, with question marks still hanging over their ability to turn youthful promise and occasional moments of attacking potential into the all-important currency of precious league points.