Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has issued a legal order demanding a London council withdraw its advice to schools to close early for Christmas. Greenwich Council had told heads to switch to online learning from Tuesday given the surge in infections in the capital, and two other boroughs had followed suit. Nevertheless, Mr Williamson said the move was not in the best interests of children, and therefore he had to act.
His intervention comes as the whole of Greater London, parts of Essex and South Hertfordshire are set to enter the highest level of coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday. Level three - explained in detail - means the closure of pubs, restaurants and cafes except for takeaway and delivery, and a ban on households mixing except in public outdoor spaces. Why is it being done? Ministers cite an "exponential" rise in infections - our charts show what that means, area by area. Experts believe a new strain of the virus may be linked to the spike - here we explain more about that.
Why does this matter if you don't live in London or its environs? Well, a big economic hit to the capital ultimately hurts us all. But more importantly, in just over a week restrictions are set to be relaxed UK-wide for Christmas, and people from areas of most concern can travel wherever they want. Scientists are very worried they'll take the virus with them, and pressure is beginning to build on the government to review the five-day window. No 10 says it has no plans to do that, although the health secretary has urged people to be "extremely careful".

Joe Biden has been formally certified as the next US president after his victory was confirmed by the country's Electoral College. What's that? Let us explain. In a speech after the announcement, Mr Biden said US democracy had been "pushed, tested and threatened" and "proved to be resilient, true and strong". He's set to be sworn in on 20 January.
His vanquished opponent has not commented. Our North America reporter Anthony Zurcher says Donald Trump will doubtless continue with legal challenges and public protestations, but in reality, his chances of overturning the result sit squarely at zero. Where might the Republican Party go from here? We've looked closely.

It's a busy day for tech news. The EU is set to unveil what's expected to be the biggest overhaul of rules around the digital market for 20 years. It'll focus on competition and making platforms like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube responsible for hosted content, including illegal and harmful material.
In the UK, media watchdog Ofcom is set to gain more powers over digital content. It'll be able to levy fines and block access to apps if firms fail to do enough to protect vulnerable users from the likes of bullying, grooming and terrorist content. However, the proposed law wouldn't introduce criminal prosecutions, or target online scammers. This will disappoint campaigners, who had called for the inclusion of both.
Finally, in the US, regulators have opened privacy probes into nine tech companies including Amazon, Facebook and TikTok. They're being ordered to hand over information to help officials understand the firms' use of data.

Will the rise in coronavirus cases in southern England put "Christmas in jeopardy?" asks the Daily Mail. That's a question many papers are posing this morning. The i also suggests the prime minister is being "urged to rethink the Christmas bubbles". The Daily Mirror feels the health secretary's call for extra vigilance at Christmas "smacks of buck-passing when his government is encouraging mixing by easing restrictions". Other headlines focus on the new coronavirus strain - dubbed "Mutant Covid" by the Metro - which is causing what the Sun calls the "nightmare before Christmas". The Times reports that the variant originated from Kent and says some scientists have suggested masks should be worn on London's busy shopping streets, as proposed by Mayor Sadiq Khan. But the paper questions the science around face coverings, arguing any decisions about them are purely political. Elsewhere, Brexit is also discussed. The Daily Telegraph reports that a "fishing trade-off" is key to reaching a trade deal. The Guardian carries a similar story, suggesting agreement is possible "after Boris Johnson made a crucial concession" over competition rules.

Santosh Shah has made it all the way from a tiny village in Nepal to the MasterChef final. We find out how he's dealing with the pressure. Elsewhere, plantations for palm oil are blamed for rainforest destruction, but now the biotech industry says it has come up with a solution - a synthetic alternative. And finally, street dancer Jamal Sterrett, who's on the autistic spectrum, tells us why he believes performing in front of strangers helps him communicate.

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