good morning. for england and wales we are looking at rain at times, some hill snow that even some of that getting to lower levels at times. and the risk of ice. the scotland and northern ireland, some wintry showers, drierand scotland and northern ireland, some wintry showers, drier and brighter in the west, but wherever you are it will be blustery and cold. i will have all the details later. it's monday the 4th of december. our main story. israel says its ground offensive has now expanded to every part of the gaza strip following days of intense bombardment. the united nations says palestinians are being squeezed into a corner of the territory — worsening the already dire humanitarian conditions. yolande knell has this report. ominous warnings — the israeli flairs that hang in the night sky over gaza are followed by the thuds of explosions. rumbling explosion. and on the ground, israel's military says its offensive has now expanded to every part of the palestinian territory. it said its operations here will be of no less strength than those that have devastated the north. explosions, shouting. israel's already ordered more evacuations in the south of gaza, crowded with displaced people who were told to move here for their safety. a un official on the spot told the bbc that palestinians are running out of places to go. hundreds of thousands of people on the move, probably for the third orfourth time. some cannot because there's not enough transport to move them. many are well aware that they are moving to a place with no water, no shelter. it's cold, starting to rain. no... no sanitation. memories of a truce have faded fast, with a return to these all—too—familiar scenes of frantic searches in the rubble left by israeli air strikes. in khan younis, civilian casualties are overwhelming the local hospitals. israel says it will now carry on fighting here until its goals are met. one is to remove hamas from power. while hamas says it will only talk about releasing further israeli hostages it holds if that's tied to a permanent ceasefire. meanwhile, this war — now nearly two months old — continues to take a terrible toll. meanwhile a british—owned ship was one of three vessels hit by missiles in the red sea by iranian—backed rebels on sunday in what us central command said represented a "direct threat" to maritime security. let's get more on this now with yolande, who's injerusalem. yolande, with yolande, who's injerusalem. good morning. \ know yolande, good morning. what do we know about these attacks?— know about these attacks? yeah, i mean, know about these attacks? yeah, i mean. these _ know about these attacks? yeah, i mean, these attacks _ know about these attacks? yeah, i mean, these attacks have - know about these attacks? yeah, i mean, these attacks have really i mean, these attacks have really heightened fears of the conflict sort of spreading more widely, something we have raised repeatedly over the past few weeks. but these were missiles fired by yemen's hoof it revels, it seems, and they hit three commercial vessels and americans have said that one of their warships was responding to a distress call and also shut down, it says, three drones in self defence. a serious escalation we are seeing in the red sea. the houthis have claimed at least two of the attacks and say it was in response to what is happening in gaza, basically, and they claimed the ships were linked to israel. the israeli military has come out saying that is completely not the case. and we have had other maritime attacks linked to the war thatis maritime attacks linked to the war that is going on, but really this is the most dramatic one we have seen so far. the us is now saying it will consider all appropriate responses, that this is actually a big threat to international commerce and maritime security.— to international commerce and maritime security. yolande knell, thank yom _ maritime security. yolande knell, thank you. yolande _ maritime security. yolande knell, thank you. yolande in _ maritime security. yolande knell, thank you. yolande in jerusalem. | maritime security. yolande knell, - thank you. yolande in jerusalem. the thank you. yolande injerusalem. the rest of the news, it is over tojon. thank you. british lawyers could be stationed in rwandan courts as part of a treaty designed to get the policy of sending some asylum seekers to the african country off the ground. a deal is expected to be announced in the coming days. let's speak now to our chief political correspondent henry zeffman. it has chopped and changed and been checked, this rwandan plan. will this aspect of it be enough to satisfy the critics, do you think? well, that is a whole other question. the first thing the government needs to get is something that satisfies the rwandan government, and that is what it seems to be that they are making some progress on now. we are told that this treaty that the government has been discussing with their rwandan counterparts since the supreme court ruling a few weeks ago said that as it stands the rwanda policy is not legal. we are told that treaty could signed within days, and one of the crucial aspects which might have unlocked those negotiations is the uk government are suggesting it would send government lawyers to rwanda to help rwandanjudges make government lawyers to rwanda to help rwandan judges make decisions government lawyers to rwanda to help rwandanjudges make decisions on asylum claims, and that is important because one of the key reasons that the supreme court ruled against the plan as it stands was it said basically it didn't have confidence in that rwandan legal system to make fair decisions which did not leave asylum seekers at risk of being transferred out of rwanda to other countries. if rishi sunak can get this treaty agreed with rwandan government this week, i think that would reassure conservative mps who are very anxious about how he has handled the issue of migration. but of course that is just illegal migration. there's also the question of legal migration, which also lots of legal migration, which also lots of conservative mps are very uneasy about. last week we saw figures showing the number of legal migrations and net migrant numbers more than trebled since brexit. again there, i am told, we can expect a movement within a few days. whether what rishi sunak potentially is edging towards will satisfy some of his conservative mps, because his party is very split on this, i don't know, but i think we might see rishi sunak tipping his hand on that internal debate that has been raging internal debate that has been raging in his party. so i think lots to come this week on migration, both illegal and legal. ok. come this week on migration, both illegal and legal.— illegal and legal. 0k, henry, for now, illegal and legal. 0k, henry, for now. thank— illegal and legal. 0k, henry, for now, thank you _ illegal and legal. 0k, henry, for now, thank you very _ illegal and legal. 0k, henry, for now, thank you very much - illegal and legal. 0k, henry, for. now, thank you very much indeed. parts of the uk could be facing "ice rink monday" today — after the weekend's snow froze overnight, the rac has warned. the met office has issued yellow weather warnings for ice for much of the north of england. there are separate warnings of snow in higher parts of wales and the peak district, as well as for both snow and ice in eastern scotland. a friend who rang me at lunchtime yesterday said he couldn't get home and said, "can i come round to your house for lunch? " so he came at 12:00 yesterday, and he left at 10:00 this morning! he stayed with us last night. there was lots of people stuck and people putting people up and...just doing what we can to help. sir keir starmer is to warn there'd be no big increase in government spending under a future labour government — saying ministers would face "huge constraints" because of high debt and inflation. he'll say the economic backdrop now is worse than in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008. he's due to give a speech at the launch of a report by the resolution foundation thinktank, which claims prosperity in the uk has fallen substantially behind that of comparable countries. the government is facing a possible defeat in the commons later today, after dozens of conservative mps supported calls for a new body to be set up to compensate victims of the infected blood scandal of the 19705 and �*80s. it's thought 30,000 nhs patients were infected with hiv and hepatitis c after being given a blood transfusion or treatment for the blood disorder haemophilia. a couple unwittingly lived with an unexploded bomb in their garden for more than four decades because they assumed it was a garden ornament. sian and jeffrey edwards from milford haven, thought it was a "dummy" bomb with no charge. it's now been detonated by a bomb—disposal team. you might remember last week we told you about the uk's only two giant pandas getting ready to leave edinburgh zoo, where they've lived for the last 12 years. well, today yang guang and tian tian are heading back to china. here's our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie. a final farewell. edinburgh zoo has been home to the pandas for more than a decade. at the weekend, staff helped them to acclimatise to these crates, which will be used to help transport the animals back to china. staff at the zoo became attached to the giant pandas and their very different personalities, and say their departure will be emotional. some have looked after them since they arrived, and will travel with them on their return plane journey. there's been ups and downs, there's been stressful times over the past 12 years, but we've all taken to it in very good spirits. we've all had a great time doing it. i think it'll be such a change to our lives, to our day without them being here, and it will definitely be sad and definitely some getting used to kind of fitting into what our new normal is without them being here. while in scotland, there were eight attempts at artificial insemination between the pair, but yang guang and tian tian return home having failed to produce a cub. staff say they will be closely monitored while aboard the plane. during the flight, i'm not expecting to have major challenges. yang guang and tian tian are healthy, so my plan is to feed them plenty of bamboo throughout the flight. i will monitor them very closely, of course, and they will also have one of their favourite keepers with them, so they should be happy. the official handover of the two pandas will take place halfway between scotland and china. a zookeeper will hand over the keys to the crates, officially ending their time at edinburgh zoo. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news. you have a lot of questions. i am feelin: you have a lot of questions. i am feeling rather _ you have a lot of questions. i am feeling rather sad _ you have a lot of questions. i am feeling rather sad about - you have a lot of questions. i —n feeling rather sad about saying goodbye to the pandas. it is really sad, do goodbye to the pandas. it is really sad. do you _ goodbye to the pandas. it is really sad, do you think _ goodbye to the pandas. it is really sad, do you think they _ goodbye to the pandas. it is really sad, do you think they will- goodbye to the pandas. it is really sad, do you think they will be - goodbye to the pandas. it is really i sad, do you think they will be aware they have had 12 years in scotland and now they are going to china? it is really sad. i and now they are going to china? it is really sad-— is really sad. i think not. we will miss them- _ is really sad. i think not. we will miss them. it _ is really sad. i think not. we will miss them. it is _ is really sad. i think not. we will miss them. it is more _ is really sad. i think not. we will miss them. it is more a - is really sad. i think not. we will miss them. it is more a poll- is really sad. i think not. we will. miss them. it is more a poll about whether and pandas, isn't it? good morning. very good, you are not far off the truth. what we are looking at is a real mixture of weather. rain, snow, blustery winds and it will feel cold. there will be and it will feel cold. there will be a wind chill around today. low pressure is dominating our weather, producing all this rain across england and wales. some hill snow across north wales, the pennines and the cumbrian fells at times, some of the cumbrian fells at times, some of the heavier bursts will get to lower levels. with we have a second system coming from southwest, producing rain later across the midlands, pushing out of the south—west. we could see some snow across the welsh marches. blustery it wherever you are, the strongest winds around the south—west and the channel islands. 50 to 55 mph gusts. for scotland as northern ireland, we start with some wintry showers, but as we go through the day we will see more snow coming in across the southern uplands, the brightest conditions will be out towards the west. some snow on the tops of the hills in northern ireland and first thing this morning to watch out for ice on untreated surfaces. as we head through the evening and overnight, the low pressure bringing all this rain and snow will continue to drift further northwards. there will still be snow in it from the hills of southern scotland, for example, and to the north, under clear skies, scotland, for example, and to the north, under clearskies, it will scotland, for example, and to the north, under clear skies, it will be a cold night. where we have lying snow, temperatures could fall away to -71 -8. a snow, temperatures could fall away to —71 —8. a frosty start to the day in scotland as northern ireland, once again with the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. further south, it is not as cold temperatures of 4 or 5, you will notice that if you are hanging around waiting for public transport first thing in the morning. as we head through tuesday, you can see how the low pressure starts to pull away to the near continent. still a lot of cloud behind it, showery outbreaks of rain. out the west, drier and brighter but once again it will feel cold wherever you are. towards the end of the week it turns milder, better and windier. said with a smile. thank you very much. see you later. almost three million smart meters in england, scotland and wales still aren't working properly, according to latest figures from the department for energy. ben's been taking a look at this and the ongoing impact it's having on customers. we looked at this early in the year and with this latest update we found things haven't got much better in terms of the number of smart meters that are just not working properly. let me explain in detail. yes, having a faulty smart meter can cause problems with your energy bill, meaning you could end up paying too much or too little for your gas and electricity. a smart meter sends your meter readings to your energy supplier automatically. so, in principle, your bills should be more accurate than lets say when you submit your own meter readings manually, and you should never get an estimated bill. as it stands, over 33 million have been fitted. that's 58% of all homes and businesses in britain have one installed. and the government's target is to have smart meters in 80% of homes by the end of 2025. saying this is crucial to making homes more energy—efficient. the rollout�*s not all been plain sailing, though. latest figures show almost three million still aren't working properly, and that's leading to customers being charged the wrong amount for their energy bills. it's something that's happened to paula and sharlene. our business correspondent marc ashdown has more on their story and the things you need to look out for. mum—of—two paula lives in east yorkshire. she says she's had problems with her smart meter pretty much from day one. there were constant issues with the readings, which led to her being told she was nearly £1,000 in debt. her supplier, edf, twice took lump sums out of her bank account — she says without warning. it was on a friday and it was the weekend. so i couldn't, like, get food, petrol, nothing, because they'd completely cleared my account out. so they then refunded that — so it was an error, so they refunded it twice and put it back into my account on the monday. but one of the times, it took seven days — so that's a whole week with, like, no money. £200 a month for a very, very small house, when over last winter i never put the heating on once so we were absolutely freezing. i didn't dare put it on. edf has apologised, and acknowledged it fell short in finding a solution for paula. it said it had made various attempts to fix the issues, which have so far been unsuccessful. sharlene is also an edf customer. she actually asked for a smart meter, as a high—energy household — she has 11 children. at first it worked ok, helping her budget her energy use — but both her gas and electricity smart meters then developed problems. her direct debit payments were suddenly recalculated from £200 a month to just £2 a month, leaving her completely in the dark as to how much energy the family was using. i've been able to do absolutely nothing at all. we've been helpless, completely and utterly helpless through it all. initially, i could take manual reads, which was giving me some idea of what i was using, but then all the screens on my smart meters have just stopped working altogether now. again, edf has apologised and said it has booked another appointment with sharlene to try to fix the problem. the charity citizens advice is concerned about the number of people having problems with their smart meters. there are three things which need to be working properly. there's the actual meter itself — on the wall - or maybe in the cupboard. then there's the in—home display that you get given when you get a new smart meter, i although more people will now use an app to understand what they're using. l then there's the communication between the smart meter itselfl and the central system, | which collects the meter readings and gives them to your energy supplier. | if any one of those three things isn't working, then people - won't have the information that they need. _ both the regulator — ofgem — and uk energy, the trade association, said the onus is on energy companies to look into smart—meter issues quickly, and put billing errors right as soon as possible. they stress that people can still fall back on manual readings, but urged anyone with an unresolved issue to contact the ombudsman for help. marc ashdown, bbc news. some useful advice, there. there are various things you can do if you're struggling to pay your energy bill. check your direct debit. your monthly payment is based on your estimated energy use for the year. your supplier can reduce your bill if your actual usage is less than the estimation. try to pay what you can. if you can't meet your direct debit or quarterly payments, ask your supplier for an "able—to—pay plan" based on what you can afford. and remember to claim the benefits you're entitled to. there are many more tips like that and details with on our cost of living: tackling it together page online. just search for that on the bbc news website. we want to hear from you this morning. have you experienced something similar to paula and sharlene? do get in touch with us. you can send us a message on whatsapp, by email, and on twitter as well. thank you. a big issue affecting a lot of people. thank you. a big issue affecting a lot of maple-— thank you. a big issue affecting a lot of people. especially now when ou have lot of people. especially now when you have the _ lot of people. especially now when you have the christmas _ lot of people. especially now when you