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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 04:55 09 Dec 2021
- Covid passports 'devastating' for nightclubs
[6 hours old]: An industry body says nightclubs and bars should not be "thrown under the bus" by the government.

. What are the travel rules for France, the US, and other popular destinations?
[34 hours old]: What you need to know about visiting France, Spain, Italy, US, Ireland, Germany and Greece.

. Omicron: What Covid tests do I need if I travel abroad?
[40 hours old]: There are now pre- and post-arrival tests for travellers to the UK.

. Omicron: Do travel bans work against new Covid variants?
[65 hours old]: Is there evidence that travel restrictions help stop the spread of coronavirus?

. Covid travel: Omicron hitting holiday bookings, says Tui
[17 hours old]: Winter bookings especially are slowing down as Omicron variant spreads, holiday giant says.

. Japanese billionaire blasts off to International Space Station
[18 hours old]: Yusaku Maezawa will spend 12 days at the International Space Station before returning to Earth.

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and in other news ...

- Covid: England braces for Plan B rule changes amid Omicron fears
[2 hours old]: The new measures, some of which start from Friday, include Covid passes and tougher mask rules.

- Downing Street party: Police will not investigate due to 'lack of evidence'
[2 hours old]: The prime minister has come under pressure over a No 10 event that took place amid Covid restrictions.

- UK chief vet warns avian flu at 'phenomenal level' in UK
[4 hours old]: The risk to humans is low but diseased birds should not be touched, officials say.

- Ghislaine Maxwell: Ex-boyfriend of Maxwell accuser backs up statement
[6 hours old]: The accuser, known in court as Carolyn, alleged she had sex with Jeffrey Epstein from age 14 to 18.

- Robbie Shakespeare, influential Sly and Robbie bassist, dies aged 68
[2 hours old]: The acclaimed Sly and Robbie bassist is credited with revolutionising the sound of reggae and dancehall.

* Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai convicted for taking part in Tiananmen vigil
[0 hours old]: Jimmy Lai and other prominent activists were convicted for taking part in the unauthorised event.

- Netherlands to buy Rembrandt Standard Bearer self-portrait
[7 hours old]: The Dutch government puts aside €150m for the 1636 work, currently owned by the Rothschild family.

* New Zealand to ban cigarettes for future generations
[0 hours old]: No New Zealander born after 2008 will be able to buy tobacco under proposed new health laws.

- Big rise in students asking for hardship cash
[4 hours old]: Requests for hardship funds doubled in 25% of English universities in the second and third lockdowns.

- Delhi pollution: Indoor air worse than outside, says study
[1 hours old]: India's capital routinely tops the list of the world's most polluted cities.

- Russia Ukraine: Sending US troops not on table - Biden
[10 hours old]: The US president says a Western response to a Russian invasion would not include boots on the ground.

- Barnaby Joyce: Australia deputy PM tests positive for Covid after UK visit
[4 hours old]: Barnaby Joyce met with UK cabinet ministers in London and is now isolating in the US.

- The Papers: 'One rule for them, new rules for the rest of us'
[5 hours old]: The return of work-from-home request and masks in more places in England leads most of Thursday's papers.

- Ros Atkins on... the No 10 Christmas party fallout
[4 hours old]: The PM says he’s ‘furious’ about the video and has launched an investigation into whether rules were broken.

- China's detention camps: Held in chains for using WhatsApp
[4 hours old]: Erbakit Otarbay, an ethnic Kazakh, was imprisoned as part of a mass incarceration programme in China.

- Growing up in Iran: Every morning we had to chant ‘Death to America’
[4 hours old]: Iranian Rana Rahimpour moved to the UK as a young journalist and is now unable to return home for fear of arrest.

- Downing Street Christmas Party: Public react to leaked video
[10 hours old]: Yesterday a video was leaked of No 10 staff joking about holding a Christmas party.

- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: ‘I want to say what I think’
[4 hours old]: The Nigerian writer shares her experience of grief and her thoughts on "cancel culture" and trans rights.

- Don't Look Up: Mixed reviews for Leonardo DiCaprio satire
[11 hours old]: Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio's film has been called "ambitious" but lacking in comedy.

- Covid: Bereaved family angry at No 10 lockdown party
[13 hours old]: Mavis Doreen D'Arcy died alone in hospital in Hull, with her family given a single hospital visit.

- Sir Phil Redmond calls for soaps to 'tackle the real social issues'
[7 hours old]: The creator of Brookside and Grange Hill calls for more gritty soap storylines as he is knighted.

- Myanmar coup: The women abused and tortured in detention
[4 hours old]: Women held for protesting against a military takeover say they were sexually assaulted and tortured.

- Downing Street party: What were the Covid rules at the time?
[10 hours old]: Any party at Downing Street would have breached the government's guidelines at the time.

- Afghan women: Secret diaries of changing lives
[4 hours old]: Five women's secret diary posts, sent to the BBC, reveal how deeply the Taliban takeover has affected them.

- Robin Robin: How Gillian Anderson found her inner feline
[4 hours old]: The actress on the challenges of voicing a menacing cat in the Aardman short Robin Robin.

- Max Verstappen: Formula 1's 'bull fighter' & the family that shaped him
[4 hours old]: Max Verstappen was born to be an F1 driver - both his parents were racers. But his father effectively programmed him as one, too.

- 'I thought I'd forever regret not taking the opportunity'
[4 hours old]: A growing number of people are deciding to switch to a career that has a positive impact.

- Covid vaccines: Why is Nigeria unable to use its supply?
[11 hours old]: It's reported that up to one million doses of Covid vaccine in Nigeria have expired and are to be destroyed.

- Covid-19: Vaccinating a city where uptake is low
[14 hours old]: Almost a third of the population of Peterborough have not received their first Covid-19 jab.

- Barcelona out of Champions League after emphatic defeat against Bayern
[6 hours old]: Barcelona lose to Bayern Munich to miss out on a Champions League last-16 place and drop down into the Europa League.

- Chelsea denied top spot in group by Zenit's added-time equaliser
[6 hours old]: Chelsea finish second in their Champions League group after a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser for Zenit St Petersburg in Russia.

- Man Utd 1-1 Young Boys: Youthful United side held in final Champions League group game
[6 hours old]: Manchester United's second string are held to a Champions League draw by Swiss side Young Boys, but the Old Trafford club had already secured top spot.

- Champions League last-16 draw - the teams, seeds and permutations
[6 hours old]: Holders Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all into the Champions League last 16 - who could they face and when is the draw?

- Spurs game against Rennes called off after 13 Covid cases at club
[5 hours old]: Tottenham's Europa Conference League match against Rennes on Thursday is off after 13 positive Covid-19 tests at the club.

- Chelsea still need point to advance in Women's Champions League after Juventus stalemate
[5 hours old]: Chelsea need at least a draw in their final Women's Champions League group game to progress to the quarter-finals after being held by Juventus.

- 'Vaccine pass' or negative test now needed to attend large sports events in England
[8 hours old]: Fans will need to show proof of double vaccination or a negative test to attend sporting events with crowds of more than 10,000 people in England under new Covid-19 rules.

- What are the new Plan B rules for England?
[9 hours old]: Covid rules are being strengthened in response to the Omicron variant

- Omicron: What are England's mask rules now?
[9 hours old]: Face coverings will become compulsory in more places in England from Friday.

- Where will I need Covid passport and how do I get one?
[6 hours old]: England has introduced a Covid passport scheme for entry to some venues.

- Covid: Should I be working from home now?
[10 hours old]: People across the UK are now being advised to work at home where possible.

- Omicron: How will Plan B affect the economy?
[4 hours old]: Nightclubs, restaurants and shops could be hit by new Covid curbs, but many firms are well placed to cope.

- Allegra Stratton quits: Watch her tearful apology after No 10 Christmas party video
[12 hours old]: Watch as PM adviser Allegra Stratton offers her "profound apologies" after the leaked video of party remarks.

- New home working order another blow for small firms
[10 hours old]: New guidance to work from home is greeted with dismay by firms that thrive when workers are in offices.

- Downing Street party: Who is Allegra Stratton and why has she quit?
[10 hours old]: A profile of the woman who has resigned over unguarded comments about a No 10 lockdown party in a video.

- Covid: Who can have a booster jab and how can you get one?
[13 hours old]: All UK adults will be offered a Covid booster, and 12-15-year-olds will be offered a second jab.

- Laura Kuenssberg challenges PM over new restrictions
[10 hours old]: Amid the fallout from the Christmas party row, Boris Johnson is asked how he can tell people they must now follow new instructions.

- Covid-19 in the UK: How many coronavirus cases are there in my area?
[11 hours old]: Explore the data on coronavirus in the UK and find out how many cases there are in your area.

- Omicron: How are pupils being kept Covid-safe?
[13 hours old]: The number of pupils absent from school due to Covid has risen across the UK in recent weeks.

- 'Don't live a champagne life on a lemonade budget'
[4 hours old]: A man facing decades of debt repayments echoes charities' pleas for those in financial trouble to seek help.

* Global supply chain: Lego to build bn factory in Vietnam
[0 hours old]: It will be the toymaker's second manufacturing plant in Asia after it opened one in China in 2016.

- Boss says sorry for 'blundered' Zoom firing of 900 staff
[12 hours old]: Vishal Garg says he "is deeply sorry" for sacking 900 staff in an online meeting.

- Elizabeth Holmes testifies she 'never' misled investors
[8 hours old]: Holmes' defence team rested their case after seven days of testimony from the Theranos founder.

- Tesco depot staff suspend pre-Christmas pay strikes
[12 hours old]: Up to 1,200 workers across four sites have halted walkouts over pay, the Unite union says.

- Jailed banker 'shocked' and 'disappointed' at appeal decision
[14 hours old]: Jailed banker Tom Hayes has been refused the chance to take his case back to the courts.

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and in other older news ...

. 100 Women: The former child refugee helping Afghan asylum seekers
[28 hours old]: Former child refugee Rehana Popal now helps Afghans with asylum applications.

. Omicron: What are the Covid self-isolation rules now?
[41 hours old]: The rules around self-isolation have been changed across the UK because of the Omicron variant.

. Omicron: How do you detect it?
[16 hours old]: Swabs from PCR tests can help identify omicron, but genetic analysis is needed to confirm it.

. What are the Covid variants and will vaccines still work?
[67 hours old]: A new Covid variant has emerged that looks worryingly different to the one vaccines were designed to fight.

. Covid: What are the social distancing rules across the UK?
[133 hours old]: Some companies are cancelling Christmas parties over Omicron fears, but what do the rules say?

. Coronavirus treatments: What progress is being made?
[135 hours old]: Medical teams around the world are learning which medicines work best against Covid.

. Is Omicron more harmful than other Covid variants? And other questions
[183 hours old]: Covid rules have been strengthened in response to concern over the newly-identified Omicron variant.

. Covid vaccine: How many people are vaccinated in the UK?
[107 hours old]: A look at the progress made in vaccinating the country's population, as more than 51 million people have received at least one dose.

. New Omicron variant: Are low vaccination rates in South Africa a factor?
[130 hours old]: Has the slow rollout of vaccines in southern Africa allowed coronavirus mutations to develop?

. Covid vaccine: Can US troops be punished for refusing the jabs?
[268 hours old]: The US military has said that America's 2.1 million soldiers and sailors must all get the vaccine.

. The ‘gals’ behind Samoa’s first woman PM
[27 hours old]: Samoa's first woman prime minister has been supported throughout her career by a group of powerful female friends.

. Juan Jose Florian: Colombia's Para-cycling 'superhero' and his dramatic life story
[52 hours old]: Juan Jose Florian was forced into armed conflict on the opposite side to family. When a bomb nearly killed him, sport helped heal.

. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: A life cut short by cruelty
[156 hours old]: The six-year-old was beaten, starved and isolated by his father and stepmother before he was killed.

. ‘It’s like hell in here’: The struggle to save Afghanistan's starving babies
[172 hours old]: Doctors in Afghanistan’s crisis-hit hospitals are caring for their patients in almost impossible conditions.

. Stanley Menzo: Ajax's former goalkeeper on dealing with racism in Dutch game
[172 hours old]: Stanley Menzo would encounter racism almost every week on the football pitch. When a young man abused him to his face, he struck back.

. Call centre staff being stalked and abused, says bank boss
[17 hours old]: First Direct is one of 50 firms warning of a rise in abuse by customer in the run-up to Christmas.

. TikTok jumps on online shopping bandwagon
[20 hours old]: Social media app TikTok is producing its first live shopping and entertainment event in the UK.

. Evergrande: China property developer debt default fears grow
[17 hours old]: Evergrande has not yet made payments to bond holders that were due on Monday, the BBC understands.

. CEO Secrets: 'Call centre work trained me to be a CEO'
[28 hours old]: Steven Bartlett, the 29-year-old co-founder of Social Chain, shares his business advice.

. Africa's patchy transport network gets a tech boost
[52 hours old]: The first year of a free trade deal in Africa has spurred investment, but more needs to be done.

. Hong Kong Covid: The Cathay pilots stuck in 'perpetual quarantine'
[52 hours old]: One Cathay Pacific pilot said he had spent almost 150 days in quarantine this year alone.

. The tech helping shops - and Santa - deliver this Christmas
[76 hours old]: A number of tech solutions are out there to help retailers optimise sending out our presents.

. Would you give 10% of your salary to charity?
[172 hours old]: A growing number of people are deciding to give up a substantial chunk of their wages.

. Duolingo boss: 'Develop your social skills'
[196 hours old]: Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of language-learning app Duolingo, shares his business advice.

. Jack Dorsey: What's next for Twitter's co-founder?
[217 hours old]: The last time the tech visionary left Twitter, he set up another company now worth 0bn.

. Labour shortage: Is Santa Claus coming to town this year?
[221 hours old]: With fewer Santas donning their suits and more demand for holiday cheer, Santa will be in short supply.

. Why broken African phones are shipped to Europe
[220 hours old]: A lack of recycling facilities in Africa has spurred one Dutch company to import broken phones.