Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240713

Where hundreds face chrstimas out of their homes after last months flooding. The professional footballers assocation has called for a government inquiry into racism in the sport, after the chelsea player, antonio rudiger, complained of hearing monkey noises from the crowd during yesterdays premier league match at tottenham. Our sports correspondent, joe wilson, is at tottenhams stadium. The stadium behind me is a gleaming addition to the british sporting landscape in itself, an advertisement to the power and wealth of the premier league. But, farfrom futuristic, what happened here yesterday seems to be another worrying indication that in fact things are going backwards. Professional footballer telling the referee, telling the world, he has heard monkey chants. Not on a distant football pitch in eastern europe, this was Chelseas Antonio Rudiger, at Tottenham Hotspur, in englands capital city. Famed, theoretically, for its diversity. Rudiger himself posted several tweets expressing his dismay at the incident, but also stressing the importance of talking publicly about racism. So, that it is not just forgotten about, as he suggests, always happens. Rudiger also points out that, in a modern ground like Tottenham Hotspurs, with so many cameras in place, it should be possible to both isolate and punish the offender. Racist behaviour amongst spectators is interfering with the game. Please remember in football there is no place for racism. A warning was made over the loudspeaker three times at the game, but there was no move to take the players off. A somewhat confused application of footballs racism protocol. The pfa, which represents professional footballers, now calls for more. It wants a government inquiry into racism in british football. At the moment, most decent people in this country, i think thats the majority, are being tarnished by the actions of a minority and all the great things we stood for in 2012, with the olympics and all that inclusivity and tolerance, its been eroded slowly and we cant allow that to happen. When englands footballers faced racist chants and nazi salutes in bulgaria, englands manager always stressed there were problems at home to address. Well, he was right. This month there was racial abuse at manchester citys game with Manchester United and now rudigers experience at tottenham. These are just the high profile examples. But these are the images the world sees. Now, the police have told us they made six arrests during the match here yesterday. They say none of those was related directly to the rudiger incident which they are still investigating, but they say one arrest was for a racially aggravated public order offence, which suggest to us, there was more than one isolated incident. Earlier i spoke to George Starkey midha from the kick it out organisation. He told me what he thought should happen now. It is incumbent on the entire football industry to step up now and start to tackle this problem with the vigour that it deserves. I think perhaps for a long time there were people who did not appreciate the seriousness of the issue and thought it was perhaps, because we were not in the bad old days of the 1980s, this problem had moved on but if you speak to black, asian and minority ethnic communities, they will tell you this is a problem that never went away and it is about time we treated it in the serious manner it deserves. It is notjust a problem in football, how much can football realistically do against that backdrop . It is clearly a societal issue, that is not new football cannot do its utmost to ensure that stadiums and grassroot pictures are safe areas free from racism and abuse and i think we have to be aware, we have to collaborate with people outside of football, it is important, very important, the government and politicians take a lead too. We can improve reporting procedures and the level of education, the collaborative approach to be taken in football to really try and make in the issue that we are not doing at the moment. You mention the government. They said they will not rule out taking further steps if they feel it is necessary , further steps if they feel it is necessary, would you like them to do that straightaway . Absolutely. And if so, what should the steps be . At the pfd proposed a government enquiry andi the pfd proposed a government enquiry and i can see the value in that in the sense that it is important to government are there and taking an activist interest in theissue and taking an activist interest in the issue but i think what is important is that any enquiry does not just lead to important is that any enquiry does notjust lead to more talking because i think a lot of the evidence and conclusions would not be surprised to see it be stuff that we are very aware of and communities who are targeted by abuse already know is happening, so i think if thatis know is happening, so i think if that is going to lead to more action like increased funding for charities like increased funding for charities like taking a lead, it is also very important our leading politicians are mindful of their own language and actions that has a tangible impact on people who are targets of abuse in our society. Until relatively recently, there was a belief, may be a naive belief, that this had to a large extent gone away and people would point to other parts of europe and you can see the problem much more obviously. Where they want to think that at the time . Absolutely. I think again you have to go back to, we work every day with people, black asian and minority ethnic people, people from underrepresented communities, for whom this problem never went away. Maybe in the last few years what were seeing is, we think were living a time of increased division and increased rising level of hatred across the uk, and europe and the world, and because of that, there is a heightened focus on it which is encouraging people to report but this was not a problem that had been solved in 2005 or 2010, this problem had never gone away and there are people who unfortunately were naive and decided to turn away from that and decided to turn away from that and ina and decided to turn away from that and in a way it is positive that at the very least we are talking about this more seriously as an issue now. Boeing has announced that its chief executive Dennis Muilenberg is stepping down. Mr muilenberg has faced serious criticism in the aftermath of two major accidents involving boeings new 737 max planes in which a total of 346 people died. Last week, the Company Announced it was halting production of the aircraft. In a statement, the company said a change of leadership was needed to restore confidence. Our Business Correspondent theo leggett gave us some background a little earlier. He presided over an era where boeing came out with its flagship aircraft which we now know contained a flaw, which should never have got past regulators, and it was allowed to continue flying after the first of those two catastrophic accidents involving a lion air plane off indonesia. The plane was allowed to keep flying and another one crashed a few months later in ethiopia. Mr muilenburg has come underfire for presiding over an era where arguably the company put production rates and the pursuit of profits over its safety. Boeing insists safety is its number one priority, it always has done, but there has been a lot of criticism of mr muilenburgs response and his attempts to spread blame and say the accidents were part of a chain of events, even when trying to say we own this. So i think mr muilenburgs departure was inevitable. The fact it happened now has been triggered by the announcement last week that boeing was going to have to close down its renton plant in Washington State where it makes the 737 max. Boeing has been saying all year it wanted this aircraft are flying again by the end of the year, that is clearly not going to happen. A court in saudi arabia has sentenced five people to death and jailed three others, for the murder of the journalist and prominent saudi critic, jamal khashoggi. He was killed, inside the saudi consulate in istanbul, by a team of saudi agents, in 2018. The saudi Public Prosecutor said, it was the result of a rogue operation, but a un expert has called for the saudi, crown prince to be investigated over the killing. Martin patience reports. He was the journalist who criticised the Saudi Crown Prince. And it cost him his life. Jamal khashoggi was a government insider until going into exile, where he wrote columns, highlighting saudi arabias crackdown on dissent. When he entered the saudi consulate in istanbul, he was never seen again. Murdered, in what saudi arabia called a rogue operation. a saudi prosecutor said he was drugged, his body dismembered, and then disposed of by a local collaborator. Despite a un expert calling for the Saudi Crown Prince to be investigated for the killing, Mohammed Bin Salman has always denied involvement and murder. With these prosecutions, saudi arabia will be hoping to put an end to its worst diplomatic crisis in years. Five men have been sentenced to death, others given lengthy prison sentences. But critics will see it as a whitewash which absolves the crown prince of any blame. If the murder wasnt premeditated, why did the team have the tools to cut upjamal khashoggis body . That is just one of the many Unanswered Questions of this dark affair. The presenter of the itv show love island, Caroline Flack, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting her boyfriend at herflat in north london. Helena wilkinson was in court and she updated us a little earlier. Caroline flack, the Television Presenter, went into court in front of the magistrate today, she was accompanied by a Police Officer as she went into the dock, past a very packed Public Gallery and in that Public Gallery, her boyfriend, the man she is accused of assaulting, on december the 12th. Now, she spoke very briefly, confirmed her name and date of birth, her address, then she was asked to enter a plea and she pleaded not guilty to that one charge. But the court heard from the prosecution during the hearing. Its alleged Caroline Flack hit her boyfriend over the head with a lamp while he was asleep, because she feared he was cheating on her, and the court also heard from the prosecution, who said when police turned up to herflat, the door was opened by Caroline Flack and her boyfriend. Its alleged they were both covered in blood and one Police Officer described it as if it was like a horror movie. Now, we also heard from Caroline Flacks defence solicitor who said that her boyfriend had given a statement which was read out in court. And her boyfriend does not support the prosecution case. He said he has never supported the prosecution case and he also says he is not a victim, but the prosecution say they are going to continue with this case. She has pleaded not guilty, so it will go to trial back here in Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on march the 4th. There are bail conditions that she has to keep, one of which is she is not allowed to contact her boyfriend. When she was told that in court, she burst into tears. So, trial date set for the Television Presenter Caroline Flack on march the 11th back here in this court. There have been calls for a government inquiry into racism in football, after a premier league match is stopped for the first time, because of allegations of racist abuse from the stands. Boeings chief executive, Dennis Muilenberg, has resigned after serious criticism, following two major accidents in which 346 people died. Five people are sentenced to death in saudi arabia for the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi. There are growing signs that the Islamic State group is re organising in iraq, two years after it lost the last of its territory there. Kurdish and western intelligence officials have told the bbc that is in iraq are now more skilled and more dangerous than alqaeda. Kurdish Security Forces are warning that history is in danger of repeating itself, as 0rla guerin reports. From a hilltop in northern iraq, a sweeping view of territory reclaimed from the Islamic State group. The kurdish peshmerga, who helped drive them out, tell us now they are making a comeback. The militants are exploiting an area of no mans land, disputed terrain between kurdish and iraqi forces. Looking at this territory here now right in front of us, do isis have free rein here now . Yes, i can say, yes. Especially between, the delta between the great zab and tigris river, they are permanent there. Are you worried . Of course. Of course im worried, because they are a really big threat. Day by day, we can see the movement of isis, the activities, they reorganise themselves. Is has done that an hours drive away in hawija, which was their last stronghold in iraq. The authorities have planted theirflag, but the militants are hunting local officials. Like the father of these children. He was a mukhtar, a village chief, who monitors comings and goings and informs the police. The youngest keep asking when daddys coming home. His mother is overwhelmed by grief. At the loss of her bright eyed boy, shot dead in october. She tells me he was their breadwinner, their guide and their shepherd. It is by night that is emerge, spreading their terror as before. This chilling propaganda video shows a mukhtar being led away to his death. Nine have been killed in hawija alone. The area is tense. We have to travel with an armed escort. Iraqi forces are facing an enemy that is close but hard to find. Well, is cant hold territory here any more, but they can still strike. Theyve been carrying out deadly attacks here, and they can still create fear among the local population. Many in the area are too frightened to speak. Militia fighters in hawija are on alert. One of their checkpoints was targeted earlier this month. Hussein hamada survived, but saw two of his friends killed. Translation its very difficult. I still cannot sleep and i go to a psychologist. They were my guys. We would eat and drink and sleep together. They were my brothers. Since the caliphate crumbled, is has been driven underground to caves and tunnels beneath these mountains. But iraq has seen terror grow from these beginnings before. And the fear is a new threat is coming, for the region and the west. 0rla guerin, bbc news, northern iraq. Prince charles is visiting people affected by flooding last month in the village of fishlake in south yorkshire. Our correspondent dan johnson has spent the day in fishlake. He has had quite a warm reception in fishlake, today. You might think people have Better Things to be worrying about, facing christmas not even in their homes, most of them. Hundreds of people in this area, notjust in this village, but they were pleased to see the prince, they were welcoming his visit and the attention it brings. The fact that someone is prepared to take the time to see what they are suffering. Because the level of damage is really intense and we are now seven weeks on from when the flood hit this village and others along the river don and in north nottinghamshire and derbyshire, as well. Fair to say lots of areas, thousands of people across those three counties, were affected. The prince came to meet some people here in fishlake, he toured some of the houses, he saw the Community Centre and the church that acted as a refuge for the village in the middle of the floods, and he heard some of the frustrations people have about the flood protection that is in place for this village, the work that has been done further upstream, that they feel has maybe sacrificed their village, and frustrations that people have had getting pay outs on insurance, because there has been a real problem of people not having insurance or insurers not paying out, and the inefficiency of that, the amount of time it has taken to get things moving in some places. People know this is notjust a clear up that is going to disrupt christmas, this is going to take months, if not years. There are still teams going around the village clearing up bits of rubble left from the floods that hit at the start of november. The duke of edinburgh has spent a third night in hospital, where hes being treated for what officials describe as a pre existing condition. He remains at the King Edward Viis hospital in Central London, having travelled there on friday as a precautionary measure. Buckingham palace say the admission was for observation and treatment. Earlier, during a visit to south yorkshire, Prince Charles was asked about his father by a member of the public. John mcmanus is outside the hospital in Central London. What is the news . He said the prince has been here for three nights, if he does not leave this evening it will be henceforth night in hospital here at the hospital in Central London where as you say he was taken on friday from the queens private residence in sandringham. The prince did not need an ambulance, he was taken here by staff and was able to walk in. What he is doing in the hospital we simply dont know. The palace see it as a precautionary measure but wont say what the precaution is against. Thejoke has been slowing down over the last few yea rs been slowing down over the last few years and certainly given up his royal duties. He stopped them in 2017 and is rarely seen in public. For a 2017 and is rarely seen in public. Fora man 2017 and is rarely seen in public. For a man his age, perhaps it is not surprising there are some health issues. They have not been any visits from members of his family but the prince of wales on the visit to fishlake but the prince of wales on the visit to fishla ke in but the prince of wales on the visit to fishlake in yorkshire was asked about his father was not conditioned bya about his father was not conditioned by a member of the public hello, sir, hows your father . Hes all right. Once you get to age, things dont work. Not giving very much away about the dukes condition or why he is in hospital but being very honest, things start to stop working when you get to that age. He has beenin when you get to that age. He has been in hospital a few times over the last few years, hip replacement therapy, Abdominal Surgery and a bladder infection. A few things he has had to be treated for, we do not know what the purpose of this visit is, iam know what the purpose of this visit is, i am sure royal officials are keeping a very close eye on what is happening, probably keeping a very co nsta nt happening, probably keeping a very Constant Contact with the doctors here as the duke is being treated, the fourth night in hospitalfor him. In washington, new evidence has emerged, suggesting the Trump Administration sought to freeze aid to ukraine, after ajuly phone call between the us president and his ukranian counterpart, volodymyr zelensky. Last week, President Trump was impeached by the house of representatives ahead of a trial in the senate if two thirds of senators vote to convict the president , he will be removed from office. The july phone call, is key to the abuse of power charge, on which donald trump is alleged to have leveraged funds to the country, in return for ukraine investigating a political rival. Its a charge President Trump vehemently denies. But now, an emailfrom a senior white house official, has been revealed, asking the pentagon to hold off on sending aid to the country, just 91 minutes after the two leaders spoke. Lets talk to our north america correspondent, aleem maqbool. Where does this take things . Where does this take things7m certainly appears to be very damning. It is an e mail obtained through the freedom of information request by something called the centre for public integrity. And it shows that white house officials contacted the pentagon, the department of defence and said to withhold that military aid and dont tell anyone that you are withholding that military aid, keep it quiet, only let those who need to know know that this is going to be withheld. I did not say why but of course the central accusation here is that donald trump told ukraine they had to start investigations intojoe biden and his son, otherwise this aid would be withheld. That is the accusation and we have had this 25th ofjuly phone call, we have seen transcripts of it, where he talks about ukraine doing him a favour. And then 91 minutes later, that e mail was sent. So it appears to be very damning but we have had these public hearings in the impeachment hearings in the house of representatives over the last couple of months, there was a lot of compelling evidence given there as well. Does it change things . Going forward now that donald trump has been formally impeached . Forward now that donald trump has been formally impeached . Probably not. Because in spite of all of the evidence, in spite of of this e mail, the senate as you now is a majority republican, and there needs to bea majority republican, and there needs to be a two thirds majority for donald trump to be removed and it simply doesnt appear that is going to happen. Presumably the white house is yet to react to this specific e mail or have the said something thus far . What has been said by officials over the weekend when this e mail emerged as that this was all a plan that had been devised, a strategy, that had been devised, a strategy, that had been devised a week earlier. It was nothing to do with Donald Trumps phone call, it was nothing to do with the fact that he had been asking for this investigation to be started, it was just what they had decided the strategy would be. This aid would be withheld and it is coincidence that it happened to happen, this e mail saying the pentagon had to withhold this military aid from ukraine, just happen to be an hour and a half after that phone, between the two leaders. That is their line, in the end, most americans have made their mind up already about all of this as to whether he has done something wrong or not. And as i say, practically, it does not change things for a senate trial it is unlikely to. Thanks very much. The australian prime minister, scott morrison, has restated his support of the coal industry, despite conceding that Climate Change is a factor in the extreme hot weather fuelling the countrys bushfires. Despite the heat easing today, more than 100 fires continue to burn across the state of new south wales. Phil mercer has more. The fires that have incinerated the land and left communities in ruins have been called monsters and beasts. Lives have been lost and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. A long drought has made the ground bone dry. Hot and windy weather has conspired to raise the threat level in parts of australia in recent days to catastrophic. Scott Morrisons Centre right government is an Ardent Supporter of the coal industry. It generates much of australias electricity and pumps billions into the economy. To some of his critics, he is a climate criminal. Mr morrison concedes there is a link between Global Warming and the bushfires, but he says there is no need to panic and impose new Carbon Emissions targets, which he calls reckless and job destroying. You dont run government on sentiment. You run government on the facts, and you run government on what you need to do to protect our environment, and its sustainability for the future, to protect our economy and the jobs and livelihoods that australians depend upon. 100 blazes still burn in new south wales. Some are so big theyll only be extinguished by heavy rain that might be months away. This is a national crisis. Fires are menacing communities in the states of South Australia and victoria. Western australia and queensland have had dangerous days, too. Bushfires have always been part of the australian story, but this fire season has not only started earlier than usual, it is far more intense and could get worse. Phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. Now its time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. Quite a mixed bag as we head through the christmas week. Starting off with sunshine and showers in the run up to the big day and then a bridge of High Pressure will bring cooler conditions were plenty of sunshine Christmas Day itself. Went in 24 boxing day. This feature moving from the south west as we head through tonight is going to bring rain to parts of england and wales and will arrive this evening across the far south west and move northwards and eastwards. A few heavy bursts, behind it a bit clearer but blustery showers. To the north, much of scotland quite chilly, particularly northeast, one or two showers around that lengthy clear spells too. This is a picture as we head into Christmas Eve, slow pressure into the north sea, this overnight rain will be slow to clear from the north and east and it will but then we look to the south and west, it will be a day of sunshine and cherish, some heavy for wales, south west and the midlands, southern england may be thunder and lightning. 11 or 12 degrees in the south, further north, cooler. The showers continue for the latter part of Christmas Eve but through the night. To fizzle out, many places will turn drier and colder. That is because we have got this ridge of High Pressure i mentioned building in across the country as we head on into Christmas Day. A cold start to Christmas Day, better frost into Christmas Day. A cold start to Christmas Day, betterfrost and mist and fog, that might make you feel a bit festive but that is it because it is going to be blue skies pretty much an sunshine, light winds and will be killed, temperatures in single figures for most. Sunshine cranny hazy are out west later, as the weather system gets closer. More wet and windy by the end of the night across the west, dense fog patches may develop across eastern parts of the country, here it will be called further west as the wind and rain arrives, slowly turning milder, 5 9d. That system will continue to push west, close isobars could see gusts of 40 or 50 miles an hourin could see gusts of 40 or 50 miles an hour in the irish sea. Heavy rain will slowly spread east, the fog should lift as things pick up, some snow on the hills of Northern England and settling snow over the scottish mountains. Temperatures rising all the while across the south west of the country, ten or 11 degrees, a bit more cruel further north. Hello this is bbc news. The headlines there have been calls for a government inquiry into racism in football, after chelseas rudiger said he heard monkey noises during yesterdays match against tottenham. Boeings chief executive, Dennis Muilenberg, has been sacked after serious criticism following two major accidents in which 346 people died. Five people are sentenced to death in saudi arabia for the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi. The former love island presenter Caroline Flack has pleaded not guilty to assaulting her boyfriend at herflat in london. The prince of wales has visited fishlake in south yorkshire, where hundreds face chrstimas out of their homes after last months flooding. Sport, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, heres olly foster. The government say that the football authorities need to do more to tackle racism in football. White like they say they might they say they might take further steps. Police are looking to identify any individuals involved after Chelseas Antonio Rudiger claimed that he was targeted with abuse during their win at tottenham yesterday. The professional Footballers Association has called for a governement enquiry into racism and hate crime in the game. Facing the media today ahead of the boxing day fixtures, some premier League Managers have been asked about the issue. Do we need help . Yes, but Society Needs help. We need to eradicate any form of discrimination, and in this case we are speaking about racism. And yes, football needs help, but Society Needs help. Its not about one club, one person, it is more vision, because every game, every week, every day, and a lot of action helps. It is a battle we have to fight every day, in schools, especially in families at home, to do better in the future, the new generation. Green like i always thought it was society, but if you are sitting next to someone doing it, out then, out to the people next to you. Be brave and police your own foot ball to you. Be brave and police your own football ground. Tottenham will appeal against the red card shown to son hyung min during the match. He tangled with rudiger and appeared to kick the chelsea defenders midriff. It was after that incident that rudiger was allegedly abused. This was sons third red card of the year, and hes the first player to achieve that in the premier league since Lee Cattermole was sent off three times in 2010. Everton have a new manager for christmas in carlo ancellotti, and they have revealed their final design for their new stadium on liverpools waterfront. The club will submit a Detailed Planning application today for the 52,000 capacity venue, which will cost an estimated £500 million. Everton hope to move in by 2023 and re develop their current goodison park home for the community. Next Months International Netball Tournament in london, nottingham and birmingham has had record ticket sales. The nations cup will see the england play the world champions, new zealand, south africa and jamaica. The roses squad was named today and goal attack George Fisher is looking forawrd to their opening game against the best team in the world really excited, obviously, like the last time we played them was at the world cup, so sort of like, itll be exciting to just get on the court, really go for it, and im sure the crowd will be there. I dont know what else to say but really excited, so what else to say but really excited, so privileged to be given the opportunity. You train super hard, then to be able to go to the sort of things is like, yeah, it is starting to pay off, so really good. Charles leclerc has extended his contract with ferrari until the end of 2024. The formula one star won back to back races in belgium and italy and secured 7 pole positions in his first season this year. The 22 year old finished fourth in the overall driver standings ahead of team mate sebastian vettel. The statue of sweden star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been vandalised yet again. This time, fans of malmo, where the statue stands, have sawn off his nose. As you can see, the nose is gone, with a gaping hole, and its been covered in silver paint. Vandals previously tried to saw through one of its legs and put a toilet seat around its neck. The statue was unveiled in his hometown in october, but last month, ibrahimovic invested in rival team hammarby, and malmo fans have taken out their anger on the statue. Chopping off his bits, his nose. Well have more for you in sportsday at half past six. His nose, that was sufficient it is one of his bits. You are right. Tens of thousands of people in the uk use british sign language. Now a scientist from Leeds University is helping to update it, creating signs for describing the latest discoveries in the world of astronomy. This report, by our science correspondent victoria gill, will be translated simultaneously into bsl. So far, we have looked at some simple terms, such as the moon, sun, Northern Lights and some of the planets like saturn and jupiter, but we definitely need more new signs. Explaining the mysteries of our universe is tricky in any language, but in british sign language for many of the latest discoveries in the astrophysical world there simply are no words, so those words, new astronomical signs, are being created. The planets that you will find in protoplanetary discs are not the same as the extra planets that we observe in planetary systems. Teaming up with british sign language linguists, one astrophysicist is helping to develop signs to encourage deaf astronomers, students and enthusiasts, to join the celestial conversation. It is a field of science that is rapidly advancing and it needs new language to be able to communicate these new discoveries. Ifind personally its really so exciting that i could actually design a sign myself together with them, i could input into what the sign would be and it would be there forever in the british sign language, so, wow, i find that amazing. Ok, so it is not implying an orbit. It is more than 20 years since the discovery of the first planet outside of our solar system, the first known exoplanet. Exoplanet. Today in this small workshop that discovery is finally being given a sign. For some of these complicated concepts there are foundations in language that already exist, so there is a sign for planet, but there is no sign for exoplanet, so that could be a planet that is far away. So it is about building on the foundations that already exist as well as visualising the science. Once the new sign has been decided on it is added to a video dictionary. This project has made me realise how useful it is. Ive been involved in astronomy for a while but ive realised how valuable these new terms are going to be for members of the deaf community. Actually, its increased my interest as well and given open access for other people. So i think its very important and i think its important that this happens across a range of science subjects. So beyond just looking at the stars, the hope is that more people will feel empowered to talk about and really see the latest discoveries about the universe. Victoria gill, bbc news. The former labour leader ed miliband is to take part in a review examining the partys heavy defeat in the general election. The activist group Labour Together is setting up a commission tasked with mapping out a route back to power. The review will be led by the former shadow education secretary, lucy powell. I spoke to lucy powell a little earlier on, she explained what the review was trying to achieve. The answers dont lie in the past to this. The answers lie in the future. We had to learn the lessons from the past and everybody has something to contribute in learning those lessons but i suppose what i would say in response to that, if people think the answers only lie in winning an election 22 years ago, before the Global Financial crisis, before brexit, before mps expenses, before we had some of the wars and humanitarian crises, i think they would be just as wrong as well. The answer to this lie in the future. The Electoral Coalition that the labour party now needs to win back is a very different electoral challenge, the one that tony blair faced, when he was standing as labour leader. You could bank on dozens of returning labour mps in scotland where we now have one, in wales where we have lost many and right across the north and midlands, seats that have been labour for 100 years that are no longer labour and some of those trends are notjust about this one election or just about this one or one particular leader. These are trends that have been coming for a while as well a major search operation is under way in east sussex to look for a firefighter who hasnt been seen since friday. Anthony knott, whos a father of four from orpington, went missing during a night out in lewes with friends and colleagues. Our correspondentjuliette parkin is in lewes and gave us this update. Well, the search here today has been extensive. We have seen Emergency Services vehicles coming and going from here all day. Now, search and rescue teams have even been out searching the alleyways and various back streets of lewes and going from place to place, asking for cctv. Lewes sits on the river ouse, and specialist teams have been out searching the various waterways around this town. Anthony knott is a london firefighter, but colleagues from the London Fire Service have been down here helping the local crews. Theyve also been helping the police and the coast guard with this search. This is what the fire service told us earlier today about the extent of this search and rescue operation. They were at the lamb inn, and what we know is that anthony was there and needed to step outside, either to take a phone call or to take a breath of fresh air, and the last acknowledgement of his whereabouts then was around quarter past seven on friday. We understand that Anthony Knott had come down here for a christmas night out with work colleagues. He had arrived in lewes late afternoon, had been to various pubs and then gone onto the lamb at around 7 30pm. We understand, as you heard there, that he stepped outside to use his phone and then he lost contact with the group, who then moved on without him. It is believed he hasnt used his phone or his bank card since friday evening. And what is the advice to members of the public who want to help with this search . Volunteers turned up at the fire station here in lewes this morning, wanting to help out in some way with this search operation. They were given these flyers and told to take them around the town, showing them to people. Weve also seen a number of these flyers put up in local shops and businesses. Now, they can help in that way, they can help by calling the police if theyve seen any sightings at all of Anthony Knott. What the public are being asked, though, not to do is go and search any local waterways. There has been a lot of rainfall in this area in the last few days, and some areas are dangerously flooded. Now, we understand that Anthony Knott has young children, and we believe that his partner is currently here, speaking to police at this local Police Station here in lewes. Obviously, she and everybody involved in this search operation is very keen to find him as soon as possible. A backlog of hundreds of tonnes of clinical and human waste piled up in a North Tyneside warehouse will finally be cleared after a delay of a year. Healthcare Environmental Services stopped trading last december, leaving waste piled up at their benton site. But as mark denten reports a new operator has finally been appointed to start the clear up. The Environment Agency has regularly carried out inspections to make sure the site is secure but finally there isa the site is secure but finally there is a more permanent solution. The liquidator says a licence has been agreed with a Company Based in glasgow, which will operate the site and two more in other parts of the country. The nhs in scotland has paid out millions of pounds in emergency payments this year to ensure hospitals could still dispose of clinical waste even after the colla pse of clinical waste even after the collapse of hds. A Scottish Government spokesman. Hds has a lwa ys government spokesman. Hds has always denied any wrongdoing. Dozens of former thomas cook employees say theyre struggling to access benefits and pay their bills, three months after the travel chain collapsed. Some of those affected say theyve received just £50 in 12 weeks. The government has apologised, saying its dedicated staff have helped thousands of people. Simon browning reports. Disbelief. Pilots and cabin crew, their dreams over. The collapse of thomas cook has left a devastating legacy that three months on, many still cant comprehend. Being a stewardess for thomas cook defined me, and thats gone now. That feeling of loss, you know, wheres my career gone . I couldnt even get dressed. I couldnt face the world. Now, as christmas approaches, scores of former staff like betty and ian, whove waited months for benefits, say theyve been badly let down. You realise youre just a number. It doesnt matter what you have contributed or done. You are made to feel that it all doesnt matter, these are the rules, thats what they do and that is the end of it. Ex employees say they were given conflicting advice as to whether they were entitled to job seekers allowance or universal credit. Some cases have been closed and some have still not received £50 in 12 weeks. I had to wait five weeks for my first payment to come through, which was fine, but the day before the payment was due they closed my claim and basically told me because ive made too much money, but the money i had was my redundancy money from thomas cook but i havent claimed anything so im living off savings now. The job centre there. Ian, a pilot for four decades, admits hes had a better time at hisjob centre in chorley. We were looked after and given a lot of help, but speaking to my colleagues, i know some of them were treated pretty appallingly. Within the last week, i have spoken to dozens of former thomas cook employees from across the country. While some have managed to find work, others have had a much tougher time and they claim its because thejob centre has poorly advised them and many are not willing to speak on camera in case it damages their prospects even further. I spoke to my friends a few days ago and they havent got any otherjob yet because they cant face going to an interview, cant face going out of the house and theyre still really struggling. One of our friends, she ended up with her partner using her redundancy to live in a hotel, in a b b, and she was declared homeless. The government has apologised if some people have experienced delays to claims. They told us their dedicated staff have helped thousands and they urge people to stay in contact with theirjob centres so they can urgently fix their claims. For almost two centuries, thomas cook brought holiday makers sunshine and fun but its demise continues to cast a shadow over its former staff. Simon browning, bbc news. A man has been charged after a number of fatal attacks on cats in the brighton area. 52 year old steve bouquet has been charged in relation to attacks on 16 cats, nine of which were killed and seven seriously hurt. The spate of alleged incidents occured between october 2018 and june 2019. In november 2018, this cat, samson, had two Emergency Operations to save his life, after he appeared to have been stabbed through the stomach in the centre of brighton. The headlines on bbc news there have been calls for a government inquiry into racism in football, after chelseas rudiger said he heard monkey noises during yesterdays match against tottenham. Boeings chief executive, Dennis Muilenberg, has resigned after serious criticism following two major accidents in which 346 people died. Five people are sentenced to death in saudi arabia for the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi. For many, christmas wouldn t be christmas if you didn t raise a toast with friends and family in the pub. But in less than 20 years the number of small pubs in the uk has halved. This week the government pledged more than a Million Pounds to Community Action groups working to rescue or reopen their locals. Our Rural Affairs correspondent Claire Marshall visited two villages where pub goers have clubbed together to try to stop them closing for good. There is no cosy christmas cheer at the rising sunth, just a ghost of a pub. It closed nine years ago, the last wisp of the Community Soul of the village of woodcraft, which had already lost its post office and shop. Jerry, in his 80s, has lived here for more than 40 years. Most of my evenings are spent alone, appear. People call in, which is nice, but they are not here in the evenings like, so you spent quite a lot of time on your own, where you could be spending it down the pub having a game of darts or something. He joined the group trying to save it. Remember coming over the hill and people sitting there. You couldnt wait to park your car. You would just walk in and have a chat. White like the forest of Dean District Council could be about to forcibly buy it back from the developer. You have one like the battle but not the war. We are winning all these battles, and hopefully now we are going to win the war. Fingers crossed. We are going to drive across the border to see a pub that has been saved by the locals. White like they had to raise £1 million to do it. This is the packhorse in, trading for more than 150 years and then sold by a big pub company to a property developer. Where festive drinks are being brewed, there were nearly office desks, but more than 500 locals chipped in to save it. Across the countryside, six pubs a week are closing. The team he says the powerful pub companies, hungry for profit, are to blame, and planning rules must be changed. This would be worth more money as a house than as a pub. Pubs can be closed and turned into offices or houses, so and turned into offices or houses, so people are going to be tempted to cash in and get the money. But Community Pubs are helping to fill the void, and so far, not a single one has gone bust. White like we have been talking about racism at the tottenham game. We have been talking. They have watched cct to cctv footage and they have engaged lip readers. The police are actively involved in that process. They also talk about the protocols in terms of what is supposed to happen at a game when an incident like this occurs. They say, when the incident was conveyed to the referee, he took the decision to call for the implementation of stage one of the uefa Protocol Rather than the premier league protocol and ask foran the premier league protocol and ask for an announcement to be made as well as requesting a further announcement which they say created announcement which they say created a misconception that any issue was ongoing. They say they have asked that the premier league clarify the use of these protocols to all stakeholders going forward. That statement from Tottenham Hotspur in the last little while. Remember Harry Billinge . Hes the d day veteran who inspired us all after raising tens of thousands of pounds for a memorial to his fallen comrades in normandy. Harrys made a quite an impact this year and his fellow Armed Service veterans wanted to throw him a party to say thank you. Tim muffett went along to join them. Music well meet again by vera lynn. Please welcome harry applause thank you very much. Hello, sir. Nice to see you, old boy. Thank you for your service, sweetheart. Without people like harry, we wouldnt be here today. He is an absolute hero in my eyes. Harry set out to raise just over £22,000 for a memorial in normandy. £1 for every soldier under british command killed there during the d day landings. Hes exceeded his target. When he appeared on breakfast, the impact was huge. Dont say im a hero, im no hero. I was lucky im here. All the heroes are dead, and ill never forget them as long as i live. Have you been surprised by how much money youve raised . I have. Ive been deeply moved to tears sometimes with people. If you look at this big screen over here, we can show you whats been done so far. You came into the studio, didnt you, and you saw the work that had already been done . What was that like . Oh, my god, i choked for once in my life, i was speechless. Marvellous. Im very grateful to everybody thats been so kind in giving a donation, even to the kids. They saved their pocket money, believe it or not. So will you please say hello. Thank you for your service. If it wasnt for people like you, i wouldnt been able tojoin up myself. Sheila, whats it been like this year seeing harry become globally famous and raise lots of money . Very hectic. How proud have you felt seeing harry raise all that money . Tremendously proud of him. Its marvellous. He sat down one day and said, i know what im going to do collect the money for the boys. Weve been married 65 years, believe it or not. Were one person. Shes lovely. I cant describe her any different from that. Wed like to give this to you and sheila just as a little token. Thats very kind of you, im overwhelmed. Thats very good of you. Christmas is a very important time for the armed forces and veterans breakfast clubs. There are now more than 300 of them. A lot of banter, friendships are formed. If theres anyone on their own, they know theres somewhere to come. In our eyes, its a brotherhood and harry is one of those brothers. We are brothers in arms. The new year, 2020, are you going to carry on fundraising . Ill keep going on until i drop, because if you stop, you rust. On behalf of the breakfast club, we thank you and we salute you. Thank you very much, most kind. Overwhelmed. An extraordinary year for a remarkable man. Tim muffett, bbc news. Now, its time for a look at the weather. The christmas week looks mixed. By Christmas Day, there should be High Pressure which will bring plenty of sunshine. It turns milder, wetter and windier towards the end of the week. This feature will bring more persistent rain to england and wales through tonight, starting in South West Wales and moving north and east. Close will skies will clear behind it overnight. There will be one or two showers which will be one or two showers which will be one or two showers which will be wintry on the hills. On Christmas Eve, the rain will clear, and this feature will enhance the shower activity in the south west. The grey and damp start across north east england, but that will clear away and we will see thunderstorms pushing into south wales, South West England and the midlands. There will be sunshine for the north, one ought to two showers, variable cloud and single digit temperatures. As we head through the latter part of Christmas Eve, fairly showery in the north and west of the country, but the showers will continue to ease down as we head through Christmas Eve night and into Christmas Day. That is because this ridge of High Pressure will be building. That will settle things down, and it will start chile with a touch of frost around, perhaps some mist and fog, which will make it feel fairly festive. Mist and fog, which will make it feelfairly festive. Barely mist and fog, which will make it feel fairly festive. Barely a cloud in the sky. Temperatures are in single figures and for most it will bea single figures and for most it will be a cool day. On boxing day, wet and windy in the west, further east, dense fog patches developing, and a chilly night in the north and east. Milderair chilly night in the north and east. Milder air stops to push into the we st milder air stops to push into the west along with strong winds and heavy rain. You can see that system working east as we head through boxing day, quite a squeeze on the isobars, so we could see gusts of 40 or 50 miles isobars, so we could see gusts of 40 or50 miles an isobars, so we could see gusts of 40 or 50 miles an hour around irish sea coast. Some of the rain will be heavy, and there will be snow on high ground. Some accumulating snow over the scottish mountains. Cool in the north east, but milder in the south and the west. This is bbc news. The headlines at 6. Calls for a government inquiry into racism in football, after chelseas rudiger said he heard monkey noises during yesterdays match against tottenham. Its not the fact that football is doing something specifically wrong there are always things we can do better but part of the opportunity here is to use football as a vehicle to look closely about what society is doing. Five people are sentenced to death in saudi arabia for the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi. Boeings chief executive, Dennis Muilenberg, is sacked after serious criticism following two major plane accidents, which killed 346 people. The prince of wales visits fishlake in south yorkshire, where hundreds face chrstimas out of their homes after