Countries shut borders over Omicron variant fears

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More countries including Japan have closed their borders over Omicron Covid variant fears. We explore to what extent travel restrictions work in preventing the spread of viruses with Keith Neal emeritus professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham. And we get a sense of the likely economic impact of restrictions on South Africa from George Glynos, who is head of research at ETM Analytics. Also in the programme, we hear about the global semiconductor shortage and its impact on carmakers from Makoto Uchida, chief executive of Nissan. An episode of cartoon The Simpsons which refers to Tiananmen Square does not appear on the Disney+ video streaming platform in Hong Kong. Tom Grundy is editor in chief of the Hong Kong Free Press and explains the background. Plus, labour shortages plaguing many companies around the world appear to extend all the way to the North Pole. The BBC's Samira Hussain in New York reports on a shortage of Santas this festive season. Today's edition is presented by Rob Young and produced by Joshua Thorpe and Sara Parry. (Picture: Empty departure gates at Tokyo airport. Picture credit: Getty Images.)