Omicron leading to global staff shortages

Omicron is having an impact on the global workforce. To try and tackle the problem in the US, health authorities have halved the recommended isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19, but don't exhibit symptoms. Joshua Hausman of the University of Michigan recently wrote an article for the Atlantic about the wider impact of the pandemic on workers in the US, and gives us his thoughts on how long the effect might last. Also in the programme, China's foreign ministry has accused the United States of putting astronauts in danger by ignoring obligations under treaties on outer space. In this context, the BBC's Jane Wakefield looks at the issue of space junk in an extended report. And finally, we look at the first film to earn over a billion dollars in the pandemic early. We ask film critic Caroline Front: is it a sign that audiences are ready to come back to the cinema?