time of year, still cool in the north—east. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... christmas may become a little more normal for thousands of people, as new covid rules mean you can stop self—isolating up to three days early in england, if you're testing negative. but widespread disruption to rail and other public services is blamed on covid staff sickness and self—isolation. ministers in wales and northern ireland meet today to consider a range of new covid measures. new restrictions were announced for scotland yesterday. in other news , nearly 400 people are now thought to have died, with hundreds of thousands more displaced, in the philippines after last week's typhoon. now on bbc news, it's time for click. this week: getting set for the metaverse,