Omicron variant: Reaction from South Africa

We go to South Africa, where the new coronavirus variant Omicron was first discovered, to hear how people there - including doctors and those working in the tourist industry - feel about travel bans imposed against their country. President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he is "deeply disappointed" by the move. Our health experts explain what we know about the variant and how concerned we should be.

Also, we speak to our colleague in northern Iraq, where many of the people who died in the English Channel while trying to cross into the UK are thought to have come from. We find out what we know about the victims, what news their families are receiving and how the events are being covered in Kurdish media.

And we hear about protests taking plan in the Iranian city of Isfahan over water shortages. Our correspondent tells us what we know and why some people are blaming authorities.

(Photo: A healthcare worker collects a swab from a passenger for a PCR test before traveling to Uganda, amidst the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Credit: Reuters/Sumaya Hisham)