katy austin, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: a glimpse of some of the rarest birds in the world — how careful conservation may save the spoon—billed sandpiper. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today. and then we'll be in france and again, it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. reporter: it was just good? no, fantastic. that's better. big ben bongs this is bbc news. the latest headlines: at least 76 people are reported to have been killed by a car bomb during morning rush hour in somalia's capital. the president has blamed al shabab militants for the attack. democratic presidential contender joe biden has said

this is bbc news. the headlines: the somali president has condemned a massive bomb attack in the capital mogadishu, which killed more than 70 people. he believes al—sha bab, a group of islamist militants, are to blame, but said they wouldn't succeed in demoralising the somali people. the us democratic presidential hopeful, joe biden, has tried to clarify comments in which he appeared to rule out testifying at donald trump's impeachment trial. mr biden told reporters that he had always complied with legitimate requests from congress. riot police have made arrests and fired pepper spray in a hong kong border town after about 100 masked demonstrators gathered in a shopping centre. they were protesting against shoppers from mainland china. demonstrators have been targeting shopping centres across hong kong all week. more protests are planned leading up to january 1st. now on bbc news, it's time for dateline london's look

andy swiss, bbc news. retail firms are under pressure to put less packaging around their online deliveries. and now there‘s a new initiative to make sure the box fits the size of the item — helping to cut waste and carbon emissions. our correspondent emma simpson reports. it‘s the time of year when the online deliveries are coming thick and fast. how many of us have had this? an online purchase in an oversized box. it drives us mad and it‘s bad for the environment. all this wasted space means more delivery vans in our towns and cities, and the bigger the parcel the bigger the cost for retailers — so what can be done? we‘ve come to france to see a new machine that can produce a box to fit the product. well, this machine can take a standard sheet of cardboard and can make 10 million different varieties of box to make sure we have no wasted space at all around the product that somebody is trying to send in the post to a customer. so, let‘s put it to the test. i‘ve got my christmas decoration a

that's all at bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we meet the father of the modern wind turbine — a true pioneer in the fight against climate change. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i am feeling so helpless, that the childrens are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. this charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles. at 11am this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle. then philippe cozette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands with and exchanging flags with robert fagg, his opposite number from dover. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: a political row has broken out in britain after it emerged that the perpetrator of the london bridge attack had been released early from a prison sentence. malta's pri

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us defence secretary orders a review of screening procedures for all foreign personnel in the wake of friday's deadly shooting at a navy base in florida. police in india have arrested the owner of a building in delhi which caught fire, killing at least 43 people. northern ethiopia lies in one of the semi—arid regions which it is feared will bear some of the worst effects of climate change. the land there has lost most of its trees, making it vulnerable to longer droughts and intense bursts of rain. but now, the people there have restored woodland to 1.5 million hectares, capturing co2 and boosting food production in the process. for the last in our series climate defenders, alongside the major un climate conference, justin rowlatt travelled to tigray province to meet a woman at the centre of the restoration. there is a stark beauty here. 100 years ago, trees covered a third of ethiopia. now, it is less than 5%. and without trees, there is nothing to protect

faisal islam, bbc news. the former welsh secretary, alun cairns, has been cleared of breaking the ministerial code in connection with a former aide's role in the collapse of a rape trial. mr cairns — on the left — had been accused of knowing about the role of former aide ross england — here on the right — in the collapse of the trial. but a government investigation found there was "no direct evidence" to suggest the cabinet minister had been told. australia s prime minister, scott morrison, has apologised for going on holiday while worsening bushfires rage across the country. he cut short a family trip to hawaii after two volunteer firefighters died while tackling a huge blaze near sydney. fires are raging across australia amid a heatwave which has produced the nation's two hottest days on record. a funeral and a memorial service have taken place today for the two victims of the london bridge attack. jack merritt and saskia jones were stabbed to death by the convicted terrorist usman khan when they a

jon donnison, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we look back at one of the most extraordinary operations of the korean war — to save hundreds of thousands trapped in a north korean port. the world of music‘s been paying tribute to george michael who‘s died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon says it's failed in its principle objective — to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. in its place, the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am‘s maid of the seas, nose down in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christm

katy austin, bbc news. the lawyer representing the family of a british father and his two children — who drowned in a hotel swimming pool in spain — says a more in—depth investigation into their deaths is needed. the hotel has insisted the pool was working normally helena wilkinson reports. this is gabriel diya with his nine—year—old daughter, comfort. they both died, as did her brother, praise emmanuel. mr diya's wife and the children's mother, 0lubunmi diya, says all three could swim and suggested there was something wrong with the pool. police say there was nothing wrong with it, but the family lawyer has questioned that. translation: if the spanish police can give us a possible cause for this tragic incident, we might do a parallel investigation with experts to find out what happened. it's very rare for three people to die in the centre of a swimming pool, especially in the case of a tall, hefty man. earlier, the resort where the family was staying, issued a new statement, disputing mrs diya's

freya cole, bbc news. and next week on climate defenders we'll see how restoring trees to barren, degraded land can fight both the causes and effects of climate change, so watch out for that. a retired journalist who founded a campaign to preserve the correct use of the apostrophe is bowing out because he says "ignorance has won." the apostrophe protection society was started byjohn richards in 2001 to tackle misuse of the punctuation mark. as you can see from this rogues' gallery over the years, the struggle has been real. retired journalistjohn richards, who's now 96 years old, says he is shutting down the group, as the english language is changing and fewer people seem to care. i spoke to dennis baron. he's emeritus professor of linguistics at the university of illinois, and is known as dr grammar. i asked him if for teachers, sub—editors, and all round pedants, this was a sad day. he said no. i would suggest most of these people have never heard of the apostrophe protection society to begin with, and

this is bbc news. the headlines start mike the man who bought out the london bridge attacker with a buyer extinguisher says that he was prepared to die. voting is under way across the country, in the general election. it is the first to be held in december in the area century. teams are new zealand prepare she would achieve the bodies of those killed by the white island volcano. there has been quite a bit about panic activity in the area, toxic gases, ash, tremor forces and of course the risk of another eruption. the disgraced film producer harvey weinstein agrees a settle m e nt producer harvey weinstein agrees a settlement of around $25 million with dozens of women who accuse him of sexual assault. ina in a moment it is going to be time for sports day, but first let us ta ke for sports day, but first let us take a look what is coming up this evening. coming up in beyond the hundred days, after seven, we have all the latest on the potential impeachment of president trump. after angry hearings on capit

steve rosenberg, bbc news. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. well, the long—awaited big screen version of andrew lloyd webber‘s hit stage musical cats has finally arrived. it's been years in the making, cost tens of millions of pounds and has a cast of stars which includes taylor swift, damejudi dench and idris elba. but the reviews haven't exactly been overwhelming — as our arts editor will gompertz tells us. this is the trailer for the big screen, big budget adaptation of cats. it caused a social media storm when it was posted the summer. what's your name? cat got your tongue? people were freaked out by the uncanny furry faces of the all—star cast, sporting body—hugging onesies, revealing distinctly human curves. interview requests from the media, that would normally be lapped up, were declined. tom hooper, its oscar—winning director who was behind the kings speech, made some changes, working right up to its release this week... ..and a blizzard of bad reviews. the guardian called it a "purr—fectly dreadful adaptation" in its on

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the australian prime minister cuts short his holiday as devastating bushfires continue to rage across three states. martin peters, one of the all—time greats of english football, and one of the goal scorers in the world cup—winning side of 1966, has died at the age of 76. peters won 67 caps for england and made over 700 appearances for clubs throughout his career. west ham, the club he first joined as a 15—year—old, said he passed away peacefully after "a long and courageous battle with illness". our sports correspondent natalie pirks reports. with all eyes on hurst, the danger from martin peters went unnoticed. commentator: and a chance on goal! peters! little wonder they called him "the ghost." there's martin peters, the man who scored the goal which could well win the world cup for england. it didn't, of course. geoff hurst claimed that accolade. but though many called peters' strike the forgotten goal, he had a different take. if i hadn't scored, we w

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: pope francis celebrates midnight mass at the vatican, calling on the faithful not to abandon god's love at christmas because of the church's failings. russian and turkish officials say they're trying to stop the escalation of fighting in the syrian province of idlib but the number of dead keeps on rising. president trump has kept his promise to reduce the numbers of people being given asylum in the us. but his opponents, including the mexican government, say his new measures may be putting asylum seekers at risk. those who apply often face a wait in mexico for months and even then, their chances are slim. for an increasing number fleeing persecution in their own countries and unable to return, the crackdown has led them to desperate measures. ana gabriela rojas reports from matamoros, on the mexico—texas border. as winter approaches, this corner of the world becomes even more hostile to those seeking safety and security. fernanda is too scared to go home to hon

welcome to bbc news. our top stories: somalia's president says his country will not be demoralised after a bomb attack kills more than 70 people. translation: you will never succeed in discouraging the somali people and their government and you will never stop us from achieving our goals in developing and rebuilding our country. thousands of volunteer firefighters are to be offered compensation for loss of earnings after battling the australian bushfires for weeks. democratic presidential contender joe biden says there's no legal basis to force him to testify at donald trump's impeachment trial. "we bought a zoo." a french crowd—funding plan which aims to return a zoo full of animals back to the wild. the president of somalia has blamed al—shabaab militants for a deadly bomb attack but said they wouldn't succeed in demoralising the somali people. 70 people died and many more were injured in the capital mogadishu. our africa correspondent andrew harding reports. moments after the blast, an eyewitness f

courtney bembridge, bbc news. chile's president sebastian pinera has set a referendum for the 26 of april, to decide whether or not the country's constitution should be changed. he's agreed to the vote after more than two months of anti—government protests, which have taken their toll on the economy and on chile's reputation as one of latin america's most stable nations. here's the bbc‘s cecilia barria. a warning, her report contains distressing images. sirens weeks of violence have scarred santiago. the main square is called ground zero, the metro system is burnt and the human cost of this crisis is clear. translation: we can't go out on the streets so i come home crying. i live a block away from the main square and see the destruction at night. it's dark, there's no lights, it's terrible. graffiti is used to express anger. people feel the police are targeting them but many, like this young man, are scared to show their face and speak out. translation: they grabbed me and squeezed my testicles. i was punched

tolu adeoye, bbc news. it's just gone it'sjust gone a it's just gone a quarter past seven, the headlines on bbc news. three and a half yea rs the headlines on bbc news. three and a half years after that you referendum, mps finally back at brexit —— back—up rex to deal with the majority of 124. the duke of edinburgh hasn't been admitted to hospital in london for treatment for what buckingham palace described as a pre—existing condition. the death of harry dunn. the teenage motorcyclist hit by a car in august, 110w motorcyclist hit by a car in august, now extradition proceedings begin after an american woman is charged with causing his death by dangerous driving. well, five days before christmas, and there are already big discounts in the shops as retailers try to make the most of the last—minute rush. after a tough year for the high streets, stories are doing everything they can to attract customers. including a record number of pre—christmas discounts. emma simpson reports now from nottingham. #

welcome to bbc news. police in texas have praised members of a church congregation, who shot dead a gunman after he opened fire during a service. the attacker killed two people. the authorities in fort worth say they're still trying to determine the attacker‘s motives. gareth barlow has the latest. grief grips fort worth, texas. two of their own killed when a gunman began shooting at west freeway church of christ, before parishioners returned fire. today evil walked boldly among us. but let me remind you, good people raised up and stopped it before it got worse. members of the congregation dived for cover as the gunman began shooting. in footage seen online, as the church service was streamed on youtube, three shots ring out. he entered the church and sat down with parishioners. he got up from that position, pulled out a shotgun and fired it at a parishioner. that parishioner is deceased. there was a security team inside the church and they eliminated the threat. tragically, like i said, there are two p

yogita limaye, bbc news, uttar pradesh. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: why drink driving risks more than merely blurred vision — on the streets of paris. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today. and then we'll be in france and again, it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. reporter: it was just good? no, fantastic. that's better. big ben bongs this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the un says parts of idlib province in syria are almost deserted, where nearly a quarter of a million people have fled from a government offensive. russia puts into service strategic missiles which it claims can travel 27 times the speed of sound. britain has b

this is bbc news. the top stories this hour: firefighters in australia are struggling to control raging bushfires. more than 100 are still burning in new south wales. the premier league match between chelsea and tottenham has been marred by alleged racist behaviour. chelsea defender antonio rudiger says he was targeted by monkey chanting. the home secretary has met the father of harry dunn, the 19—year—old who died in a car crash outside an raf base in northamptonshire in august. priti patel said she wanted to reassure the family, who want to see the driver charged over the crash, anne sacoolas, to be extradited from the united states. duncan kennedy reports the home secretary arrived in harry dunn's home village to brief his family in person. hello, nice to meet you. thank you. inside, harry's dad, tim, said he welcomed the gesture. this is a good opportunity and thank you for coming to listen to what we need to say, and hopefully we can move forward and up and help other people if they ever get i

this is bbc news. i'm aaron safir. our top stories: 12 people are killed as a passengerjet crashes into a building in kazakhstan. dozens of people have survived. they all started screaming, kids we re they all started screaming, kids were crying and the lights were on in the plane but there was no sound, no instructions from the crew. the un says parts of idlib province in syria are almost deserted, as nearly a quarter of a milion people flee from a government offensive. as chile's president gives in to one of the key demands of anti—government protesters, we have a special report on how months of unrest have changed what was once one of latin america's most stable nations. ben stokes, hero of the cricket world cup, is among those named in the new year's honours list. hello and welcome to bbc news. dozens of passengers have survived a plane crash in kazakhstan in which 12 people lost their lives. the crash took place in heavy fog, although the cause isn't yet known. the khazak company, bek air, operated the plane, an

steve rosenberg, bbc news, siberia. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: reversing america's urban decline. how mexican immigrants brought a ghost town back to life. after eight months on the run, saddam hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes, but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life, the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: critics have attacked a compromise

shiamaa khalil, bbc news, in sydney. the headlines on bbc news. the queen has delivered her annual christmas message, highlighting the need for reconciliation, in what's being seen as a nod to the divisions caused by brexit. the spanish resort where a british man and this two children were found dead in a swimming pool say there were "no concerns relating to the pool or procedures in place". at the vatican, pope francis says "god loves everyone, "even the worst of us", thought to be a reference to abuse scandals in the catholic church. russian and turkish officials say they have been trying to stop an escalation of fighting in the syrian province of idlib. syrian government forces, backed by russian planes, have been mounting an offensive against militia in the province. one of the latest attacks killed eight people, including five children, who were taking shelter in a school. gareth barlow reports: this is the moment an air strike hit buildings in idlib province. members of the white helmets volunteer rescue force search through the dust and rub

why is bbc news pandering to them? we are not. these are just pictures that audiences see all the time. they are well able to judge how important these things are. they have to be put up against the huge amount of information that is on our online site. the rest of the package, these are all tiny little bits. i think the point about these allegations around the bbc, these are things that are on air for a matter of seconds. we produce hundreds of hours of election campaign coverage — really serious, really in—depth, really holding our political leaders up to account. of course, you can take tiny clips of a second here or a second there, but that doesn't reflect our overall election coverage. it is interesting you say that because viewers say that it adds up. it is a fact that the bbc hasn't had a good election. it has had to apologise for a couple of stories mentioned there. the explanation for the editing off of the question time audience laughter — it was concerning. it didn't actually save time and there was something edit

ferdinand omondi, bbc news, nairobi. this is bbc news. the headlines: marathon climate talks in madrid have been extended into the night because of disagreements between delegates. some countries are concerned that commitments on cutting carbon emissions are not ambitious enough. borisjohnson has visited the north of england to greet his new mps, elected in former labour strongholds. the prime minister promised to repay the trust placed in him by people who had voted conservative for the first time. we heard earlier about efforts to reach a deal at the latest climate summit in madrid. parts of australia are bracing for an extreme heatwave which could break records dating back to the 1960s. the weather is causing headaches for firefighters, who are now dealing with a bushfire emergency in western australia. freya cole has more. western australia is known for its pristine beaches, butjust two weeks into summer, parts have been inundated by fire and thick smoke. strong winds are fuelling the flames, which are proving difficult for firefighte

just go to bbc dot com slash news — or download the bbc news app. more now on our top story — and it's been confirmed that the licence conditions of every convicted terrorist released from prison in england and wales are to be reviewed, following the latest london bridge attack. here's our political correspondent, jessica parker. hello, how are you doing? visiting the scene earlier, the prime minister, alongside the met police chief, cressida dick, as people try to take in what has happened and understand what lessons can be learned. from borisjohnson, a call for tougher sentencing. i have said for a long time now that i think that the practice of automatic early release, where you cut a sentence in half and let really serious violent offenders out early, simply isn't working and i think you have had some very good evidence of how that isn't working, i am afraid, with this case. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has said that while criminality cannot be excused, he believed police cuts under the conservative and coalition governments have had conse

that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me and, on bbc one, we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello. this is big bbc news. our headlines. the summit marking 70 yea rs of headlines. the summit marking 70 years of nato alliance. ends with borisjohnson insisting discussions we re borisjohnson insisting discussions were practical and harmonious, despite reported divisions. meanwhile, video images apparently showing leaders talking about donald trump. us president hits back at candida's prime minister. well, he's two—faced. honestly, with trudeau, he's a nice guy, ifind him to bea trudeau, he's a nice guy, ifind him to be a very nice guy, but you know, the truth is, i called him on the fa ct the truth is, i called him on the fact that he is only paying 2%, and i guess he's not very happy about it. and on the other side of the impeachment inquiry into president removes up a gear, as impeachment inquiry into president removes up a gear, as the us house judiciary committee considers charges that lawmakers will vote on. here, in quest of the victims of the london

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: typhoon phanfone is causing major floods and destruction in the philippines, where tens of thousands of people are stranded. pope francis uses his traditional christmas message at the vatican to draw attention to the suffering of people on the move around the world. a post—christmas heatwave is forecast in parts of australia where bushfires continue to devastate the country. the australian prime minister scott morrison has praised firefighters, many of them volunteers, in his christmas message. the public have also been showing their gratitude to the fire service. in a moment, we'll hearfrom one family who've lost their home but first, this report from our correspondent shaimaa khalil. taking a brief christmas break before heading back to the fire front lines. many of these firefighters have been working non—stop for weeks. despite a lull in the weather, with cooling temperatures and predicted rain in some areas, the risk is not over as teams brace themselves

dominic hughes, bbc news. a record number of cattle were slaughtered last year because of bovine tuberculosis — nearly 45,000. and the disease is considered a significant animal health problem for the uk. a record number of cattle were slaughtered last year now one farmer on the west coast of wales is fighting back, by trialling a new test that could help spot infected cows that are being missed by the current checks. more details from our science correspondent, richard westcott. it may look idyllic, but there's a shadow hanging over this welsh dairy farm. injust three years, more than half the herd — that's 320 animals — have been slaughtered because of bovine tuberculosis. it's been quite astonishing, the... do i use the word devastation, that it's caused my business. no one likes getting onto a sinking ship every morning, and that's how it feels, because, you know, we're constantly losing animals, 25 to 35 animals every test. in a bid to save his farm, chris and his vet, rob, have been given governmen

gareth barlow, bbc news. a volcanic eruption in new zealand has left a dozen people injured — some with critical injuries. the eruption happened on whakaari or white island. experts say they consider it to be a moderate eruption. the new zealand herald says up to 20 people were on or near the island at the time of the eruption. the island is uninhabited but tourists do visit it regularly. the volcano is new zealand's only active marine volcano and the nation's most active with regular eruptions since 2012. let us go live now to listen to jacinda ardern talking about the latest eruption. 0k, jacinda ardern talking about the latest eruption. ok, i am afraid we do not have jacinda ardern that i can tell you that the latest we have on this eruption is that apparently, according to the latest, around 100 people could have been in the vicinity, leaving some unaccounted for. that is according to the prime minister, jacinda ardern. the volcano erupting on white island. there are fears that many people have been inj

this is bbc news. i'm samantha simmonds. our top stories: hundreds of families are spending christmas day in emergency shelters as australia's bushfires continue to burn out of control. communities rally round those fighting the flames. christmas shopping or anything for my daughter. just about the 11th. just thank you. thank you very much. police in hong kong clash with pro—democracy protesters during demonstrations in shopping centres popular with christmas tourists. reports say five children are among the dead after a week—long offensive by syrian government forces in the mainly rebel—held province of idlib. bells toll. pilgrims from around the world join locals in bethlehem to celebrate christmas in the holy land. hello and welcome to bbc news. it's christmas morning in australia but hundreds of families are spending the day in emergency shelters, unable to celebrate in their homes, as the country battles one of its worst bushfire disasters in years. figures released by firefighters in new so

this is bbc news. more on the news that gavin and stacey was the most—watched christmas day tv in more than a decade. an average of 11.6 million people watched it on bbc one last night. earlier i spoke to tv critic emma bullimore who says the audience will now be wondering if there are more gavin and stacey episodes to come. i'm so happy to be talking about properly brilliant figures because sometimes at christmas we have to sort of get excited and say welcome a 6 million is really good these days but these were properly good figures, a peak of over 12 million and that's just on the night. once you have consolidated figures once everyone has watched on iplayer you're going to be looking at 1a or 15 million. that's a proper christmas special. that's something that people have planned their evening around and have been genuinely excited about watching. that's really significant because lots of people say now i've got netflix, no one sits around together as a family and watches anything, everyone is doi

helena wilkinson, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... calls for an independent inquiry after the new years‘ honours data leak — in which the addresses of celebrities, politicians and police officers were published online. five people are injured in a knife attack in new york during hanukkah celebrations at the home of a rabbi. a quarter of a million people sign a petition calling for sydney's new year's eve fireworks to be cancelled and the money spent fighting nearby bushfires instead. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's jane dougall. england are chasing a target of 376 to win their first test against south africa. if they do it they'll make history — it would be their highest successful run chase in test matches. they did look like they were chipping away at the runs but they've just lost a third wicket — ben stokes forjust 1a. in the morning session england had only added 18 runs before rory burns fell for 8h. then joe denly went for 31 lbw off the bowling of dwane pretorious. and in the last few m

martin bashir, bbc news. the australian prime minister, scott morrison, has praised his country's firefighters in his christmas message. hundreds of firefighters — many of them volunteers — have been battling bush fires in new south wales which began in september. the public too have been showing their gratitude to the fire service, as shiamaa khalil reports from australia. taking a brief christmas break before heading back to the fire front lines. many of these firefighters have been working nonstop for weeks. despite a lull in the weather, with cooling temperatures and predicted rain in some areas, the risk is not over. teams brace themselves for hot conditions later in the week. the new south wales rural fire service is the world's largest volunteer organisation, with more than 70,000 members. most are local volunteers who have taken on the task to project the rural communities. and many have been overwhelmed by how people responded to their work. just overwhelming support, like. obviously all the pres

rich preston, bbc news. firefighting teams in australia are bracing themselves for more heatwave conditions as recent cooler weather gives way to higher temperatures. since september, close to 3000 firefighters have been out nearly every day battling blazes. almost 90% of those on the ground are unpaid volunteers. many families in new south wales are spending the holiday season in shelters — their villages and towns still smouldering from last week's fires. 0ur correspondent, phil mercer, is in bilpin, about 80 kilometres north west of sydney. this is bilpin, very famous in australia for its apple production but all the way up this is the bells line of road, the main road going through the area from sydney. it is only recently been opened. when you drive through this area you see vast areas of bushland that have been left in this terrible scorched way and the air is thick with smoke and ash and for quite a long time, it was deemed to be too dangerous for residents and visitors to use this road. you can und

joe tidy, bbc news. official figures suggest the uk economy grew at its slowest annual rate in more than seven years in october. output was 0.7% higher than a year before — the weakest growth since march 2012. in the three months to october, growth was flat. the civil aviation authority has apologised for its failure to complete refunds for all of thomas cook's passengers. it had originally promised that all valid claims made on the first day of its refund programme would be paid by last friday. it estimates it still has about 50,000 refunds to process. the pub chainjd wetherspoon says it's planning to create 10,000 newjobs in the uk and the republic of ireland over the next four years. the company is investing millions of pounds in new pubs and hotels. our consumer affairs correspondent, colletta smith, is in salford. good news? more jobs? good news? morejobs? what is behind it? this is a very significant investment for the chain across the uk and ireland, they had said it will result in more than 60

that's all from the bbc news at six. on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

now on bbc news:

nikki fox, bbc news. thousands of mixed—sex couples in england and wales are expected to enter into civil partnerships from today. it comes after a long battle against a law that had previously only permitted same—sex couples to become civil partners. daniela relph's report contains flash photography. cheering finally, civil partners. something they had always wanted, but until today, had been legally impossible. rebecca steinfeld, charles keaton, and their two young daughters, mark the occasion at chelsea registry office in london. i love you. this wasn't a wedding. they didn't even call it a ceremony. it was the registration of a civil partnership. giving the family the legal and financial protection that a marriage provides. there are lots of reasons why people don't want to get married. they might have had a previous bad experience of marriage, their own parents marriage, they might have feminist objections like we do. and we feel thrilled and honoured that we have opened up the institution of civ

this is bbc news. the headlines: typhoon phanfone has caused major floods and destruction in the philippines. the storm, known as ursula in the philippines, has killed 16 and left tens of thousands stranded, spending the night in improvised shelters. homes have been wrecked and roads littered with fallen trees. more details have emerged of the insurgent attack in burkina faso that left dozens dead and the west african country in two days of mourning. a security source says up to 200 insurgents attacked, many on motorbikes, but were pushed back by the armed forces. pope francis has called for protection for migrants and refugees, who he said face "walls of indifference" and an end to injustice in the world. in his christmas message, he also prayed for people in conflict zones. in her festive message to the commonwealth, queen elizabeth spoke of the value of reconciliation. now on bbc news, it's the clickmas special with bags of seasonal tech fun.

this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: police in texas praise members of a church congregation who shot dead a gunman who'd opened fire during a sunday service. today, evil walked boldly among us. but let me remind you — good people raised up and stopped it before it got worse. a man is charged with five counts of attempted murder following a knife attack at the home of a rabbi in new york state. the us military carries out air strikes against iranian—backed paramilitaries in western iraq, killing at least 18 fighters. tens of thousands of people in the australian state of victoria are told to leave their homes as bushfires intensify. and by day, he's a teacher who doubles as a warrior knight. we meet china's medieval combat champion. police in texas have praised members of a church congregation who shot dead a gunman after he opened fire during a service. the attacker killed two people. the authorities in fort worth say

hello and welcome to bbc news. the australian government says thousands of volunteer firefighters in new south wales will be compensated for loss of earnings during the bushfires. more than a hundred are still burning in southern australia — and conditions are expected to worsen. meanwhile, sydney's mayor has insisted the new year's eve fireworks display will go ahead — despite calls to redirect funds to the firefighting efforts. briony sowden reports. for those living on the edge of the fires, this is now the new normal. more than 100 fires are continuing to burn across new south wales, the biggest one threatening the country's most populated city, sydney, and with temperatures forecast to reach a0 degrees over the coming days, there appears to be no reprieve in sight. for weeks on end, firefighters have been out on the front lines. many of them are volunteers who have given up their own pay to fight the blazes. it is now taking its toll. when your brigade is tired and going out again and again and you're doin

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, whakatane. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: iceland issues its first ever severe storm warning, and the country hunkers down for a wild ride. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: in the united states, l

gareth barlow, bbc news. president trump has urged americans to come together to fight anti—semitism, after five people were injured in a knife attack at a rabbi's home in new york state. the suspected attacker, grafton thomas, has appeared in court. he denies five counts of attempted murder. the state governor, andrew cuomo, called for tougher domestic terrorism laws and said anti—jewish sentiment had become an "american cancer". chris buckler reports from washington. members of new york's largejewish community had gathered to celebrate their religion, only to be attacked because of it. they were at the home of a rabbi, in monsey, to mark hanukkah, when a man forced his way into house and started stabbing the people, in some cases multiple times. he pulled it out from the thing and he started to run into the big room, which was on the left side. i threw tables and chairs at him, that he should get out of here. grafton thomas was arrested 30 miles away in manhattan. reporter: mr thomas, why did you do it?

this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump has hit back at democrats in the house of representatives, who have announced articles of impeachment against him. mr trump said they were crazy and he would win a trial in the senate, which is republican—controlled. the leading democrat, nancy pelosi, said her party had been left with no choice. one of the world's biggest cases of cyber theft has been unearthed by british and american police. two russian nationals are accused of using malicious software to steal millions of dollars in more than a0 countries. us authorities called it "the worst computer hacking and bank fraud scheme of the past decade." police and demonstrators have clashed during one of the biggest strikes in france for decades. officers fired tear gas in the capital, arresting at least 80 people. the protest centres on plans to reform state pensions and is likely to continue on friday.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: boeing has sacked its chief executive as the company struggles to deal with the impact of two deadly plane crashes blamed on the firm's computer software. there's criticism of saudi arabia after five people were sentenced to death for the murder of journalist jamal khashoggi. the un says the masterminds have gone free. on saturday, fires devastated australia's adelaide hills — sweeping through an area renowned for its vineyards and fine wine. the wine industry is talking of, potentially, a third of vineyards in the region wiped out. and it's not over yet — there are still fires burning uncontrolled, and temperatures look set to go still higher at the weekend. let's get more on this now, live from the adelaide hills. we can talk to andrew nugent, owner of the bird in hand winery. andrew, good to talk to you. thanks for giving us your time it was must be very difficult time. i gather i'm interrupting your christmas meal as bird in hand well? -- christmas meal a