Isa this is bbc news. The headlines at 6 00 bushfires have killed at least eight people in south eastern australia since monday and destroyed more than 200 homes. At the moment, we have a couple of isolated communities where the reports of injuries to members of the public. We havent been able to get a ccess the public. We havent been able to get access to the roads or aircraft. Two men and a woman who all worked for British Airways are killed after a lorry collides with a car in stanwell in surrey on new years eve. The mother of the british teenager found guilty of lying about being raped in cyprus backs calls for tourists to boycott the country. In their new year messages, the Prime Minister says brexit will mark a new chapter
for the uk, while the archbishop of canterbury urges people to heal the divisions of recent years. Coming up the thousands round the uk braving the bracing sea on New Years Day. And in half an hour, sportsday will bring you all the latest from todays premier league matches. The bushfire crisis in australia shows no sign of easing, with nine people losing their lives in the past 2a hours, the worst loss of life since fires began in september, and more people missing. The government says more military personnel are on the way, to the south east of the country, to try to protect isolated communities. Many are cut off without power,
and some are running out of water. Our correspondent phil mercer sent this report. These are extraordinary times in australia. The bushfires have brought terror into the lives of ordinary people. They are devastating and deadly. More lives have been lost and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. You walk around a bit of your house and you go, that was the bedroom, that was where my antiques were from my family history. All of my baby memories from the kids and just everything, just gone. I dont know what im going home to, so. Ijust hope for the best. Its upsetting to lose your memories, thats very upsetting. But you cant dwell on it, you know . If you dwell on it, youd just be upset all the time and that doesnt get you anywhere. Youve got to move on. Help is yet to reach some residents whove reportedly suffered burns. The Authorities Say its been too
dangerous to send in rescue teams by road or by air. We have a very real challenge at the moment with a couple of isolated communities, where weve got reports of injuries and burn injuries to members of the public. We havent been able to get access via roads or via aircraft, its been socked in or too dangerous and we simply cant access, nor can the people in these areas get out. Conditions on New Years Day have eased, but the danger remains. Dozens of fires continue to burn across several states. Bushfires have always been part of the australian story, but Officials Say this crisis is unprecedented. Dry and windy weather is forecast for saturday and australia will once again brace itself for another onslaught. Phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. Two men and a woman all in their 20s have died in a car accident in surrey. Their car collided with a lorry at stanwell near Heathrow Airport last night. Another woman was seriously injured. Our correspondent tolu adeoye sent this update from the scene. Horrendous news for the start of 2020. It was at about 11 40 last night, new years eve, when this accident happened, involving a lorry and a car carrying four young people. In the early hours of this morning, Surrey Police confirmed that three people were killed, two men aged 23 and 25, and a woman, who was 20 years old. We also know that a second woman was taken to a london hospital, where she is being treated for serious injuries. Now, if we look behind me, the scene has now been cleared, but you can see where trees have been flattened there. We understand the lorry ended up on the other side of the road, in the longford road river, which is just over that bank. And what is known
about the lorry driver . Well, we understand the lorry driver wasnt injured in the accident, but was taken to hospital as a precaution. This afternoon, we have had it confirmed that that lorry belonged to the air Services Provider dnata. This area is an Industrial Area close to Heathrow Airport, and the Company Actually has a base just a couple of hundred metres further down the road. No arrests have yet been made in relation to the collision. Police are very much still investigating. We know the next of kin of the victims have been informed about what has happened, but their identities have not yet been revealed. She mentioned the identity of the victims there, there is a little bit more information now, courtesy of two tweets. Three members of our British Airways family as it says on the street here. This helps, 15,000 people over the last three years, helping people who are nervous flyers get a bit more accustomed to the experience of actually going up in an aeroplane. They are saying that last night, we tragically lost three members of our British Airways family. As you can see there, their thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families during this difficult time. The reference there is to a British Airways pilot ambassador, who reveal the identity of those three people who died in that crash. Senior legalfigures in cyprus have called for a british woman to be treated leniently, after she was convicted of lying about being raped by 12 men in a hotel room. The womans mother has called for tourists to boycott cyprus. She told the bbc that ayia napa, where her daughter had been on a working holiday, was unsafe. 0ur correspondent katharine da costa reports. Instead katharine da costa reports. Of celebrating the new with instead of celebrating the new year with friends and family, the british teenager is detained in cyprus, and faces up to a year in prison. Her supporters claim the case against her is deeply flawed, and her lawyers are planning to appeal. Her mother says she has suffered both mentally and physically over the last five months. She is suffering from ptsd. She spends a lot of time with hypersomnia at the moment. That means she is sleeping an awful lot of the game. She sleeps probably 18 01 of the game. She sleeps probably 18 or 20 hours a day. She is also quite withdrawn, which is very sad for me to see, and she also experiences hallucinations. She needs to get back to the uk to get back treated. That is my primary focus. These are the young israeli tourists who
originally faced accusations that they raped the young woman. They both read and allowed to fly home after she retracted the allegation, but she said she only did that because she was put under huge pressure by Police Questioning when she was vulnerable. The foreign 0ffice she was vulnerable. The Foreign Office says it has serious concerns about how this case has been handled. It has now raised the issue with the cypriot authorities. Today, we have learned a number of senior legal figures we have learned a number of senior legalfigures in we have learned a number of senior legal figures in cyprus are calling for the british woman to be given a lenient sentence, saying the teenager has already suffered enough. Now the british womans mother is supporting a call for tourists to boycott the country. This is not an isolated incident. The place isnt safe. It is absolutely not safe. If you go and report something that has happened to you, you are either laughed at, 01 to you, you are either laughed at, or in the worst case, Something Like what has happened to my daughter may happen. The cypriot government says it has full confidence in its
justice system and courts. Derbyshire police have begun a double Murder Investigation after two people were found dead. Officers were called to a property in duffield at about 4 oclock this morning, where they discovered the bodies of a man and woman. A man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody. Detectives say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. A man has died and four people have suffered serious injuries in a car crash in manchester. Police say they were called at 3 30 this morning to a collision between a black mercedes and a Skoda Octavia in the fallowfield area of the city. The 59 year old driver of the skoda died in hospital a short time later, while five other men were taken to hospital. Four have serious injuries, including one who is in a serious condition. Paramilitary groups who have been protesting against us air strikes in iraq have withdrawn from the perimeter of the American Embassy in baghdad. The demonstration took place
amid anger over us air strikes that killed 25 members of the militia that was in response to attacks on American Military targets. Jonathan josephs reports. The bitter struggle between the us and iran has again been played out on the streets of iraq. A sizeable crowd of protesters and iranian backed militia set fire to the Iranian Embassy in baghdad for a second day. Us troops have used tear and stun grenades to them back. Just some of the thousands of troops it has in the country. Translation this is not the first time the us have hit us. We will never move from here, i swear on god and on my life, until they leave here. Translation we are holding a setting for the
salt of our martyrs, until the american occupiers leave. Iraqs military say the protesters have now withdrawn, and they are securing the perimeter. That will be welcomed by President Trump, who was urging the government to take a tough line. Nonetheless, around 750 additional soldiers have been deployed to the region, and despite reinforcements being sent in, the us embassy has suspended all public consular operations. And it is new year celebrations, President Trump said he wouldnt allow a repeat of the 2012 storming of the us consulate in the libyan city, where four americans were killed. We had some great warriors coming and do a fantasticjob great warriors coming and do a fantastic job when they great warriors coming and do a fantasticjob when they were there, instantaneously, as soon as we had. Use the word immediately, they can and it is a great it is in great
shape, as you know. This will not be the same. President trump blames. A contractor at an Iraqi Military base last week. At the weekend, 25 people were killed. That is with strong condemnation from around the supreme strong condemnation from around the supreme leader, who said President Trumps threats were hollow. Translation if the Islamic Republic decides to challenge and fight a country, it will do so unequivocally. We are strongly committed to our countrys interest and our peace. We are strongly committed to the dignity of our country. These protests come into the us and iran relationship that has deteriorated since washington pulled out of the Nuclear Weapons deal in 2018. And all the while, iraq finds itself stuck in the middle, trying to help the usc of
the so called Islamic State group, but at the same time, trying to protect its relationship with neighbouring iran. Police in hong kong have clashed with pro democracy protesters during a New Years Day march. Organisers of the demonstration say that more than a Million People took part. Though the gathering was largely peaceful, violence broke out in some areas and police fired tear gas. Some protestors responded by throwing petrol bombs. Todays demonstations follow clashes with riot police as the new decade began. Police say around 400 people were arrested over protests at the turn of the new year. Pro democracy demonstrations have gripped hong kong for much of last year. Our correspondentjonathan head was there during the protests. He explains what he witnessed. This barricade that is blocking one of the main streets through wan chai in Central Hong Kong is whats left of the first day of protests in the new year, and we saw, well, a big rally filling the streets just
a few hours ago, organised by leaders of the protest movement whove really been behind the Anti Government rallies for the last six or seven months and they wanted a big turnout here on the first day of the new year. Those people filled the streets ahead, we saw a rally including a Broad Spectrum of hong kongs population. There were old people, there were families and as that rally went on, after three or four hours, the police then withdrew their permission and declared it no longer legal. At that point, we saw the ha rd core protesters, the young men and women with their black face masks, coming up and taking up positions and building barricades like this. Inevitably, at that point, we saw the Police Coming to clear them out. There were a few confrontations, we have had a little bit of tear gas today, probably a few arrests, all very much in keeping with what we have seen, really, for the last seven months and it is an indication that nothing really has changed in hong kong. The protest movement wanted to remind the government that they still have momentum behind
them, they still have a large part of the population that backs their goals. From the government, weve heard very little this new year apart from yet another expression of regret from chief executive carrie lam and another promise that she will listen, but no sign of any concessions and, so, hong kong starts 2020 very much the same way that it ended 2019. This protest Movement Goes on and we are expecting to see probably a great deal more of this through the rest of the year. The headlines on bbc news bushfires have killed at least eight people in south eastern australia since monday and destroyed more than 200 homes. Two men and a woman who all worked for British Airways are killed after a lorry collides with a car in stanwell in surrey on new years eve. The mother of the british teenager found guilty of lying about being raped in cyprus backs calls for tourists to boycott the country. The arrival of the new year has brought appeals for divisions to be healed, after the political turbulence of the past few years. As millions celebrated the dawn of 2020 in towns and cities across the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister, borisjohnson, whos on holiday in the caribbean, said the uk was beginning a new chapter. For the archbishop of canterbury, the start of the new year should be the time for individuals and communities to come together, as our correspondent Helena Wilkinson reports. Three two one big ben chimes fireworks in london. To welcome in the new year and the new decade. Tens of thousands watched from the banks of the river, as the capitals skyline burst into colour. In his new years message, the Prime Minister, who is on holiday in the caribbean, said, we can start a new chapter in the history of our country, in which we come together and move forward,
united, unleashing the enormous potential of the british people. And he also called for unity, saying, i will be a Prime Ministerfor everyone, not just those who voted for me. I know that you love this country no less, simply because you voted for another party or wanted to remain. We want out and its brexit which has caused Much Division and uncertainty. Today, there have been calls for reconciliation. This open letter has been signed by leaders of prominent british organisations, including both those on the remain and leave sides of the brexit debate. The organisation set up in memory of the mp, jo cox, who was murdered in the run up to the 2016 referendum, is one of the signatories. There are amazing people out there and communities who are bringing people together, tackling issues around loneliness and knife crime, Mental Health and all of those problems that we do face. And we have to be realistic
about those problems, but i think we have to be optimistic that we can all do our bit to help tackle them as well. So what we need to do. This lifeboat rescue crew, based in dover, is made up of volunteers from all walks of life, helping others. The archbishop of canterbury joined them to deliver his new years message, as our shared commitment to serve others. And justin welby urged us all to try to heal divisions. Lets go for a heroic new years resolution. Lets resolve to reconnect, to reach out to just one person we dont know, or from whom we have drifted apart. Make that connection. Lets begin cementing our unity, one brick at a time. In scotland, they celebrated the new year in the most traditional way. A new decade, a time to reflect on the past, but also a time to work out how the United Kingdom will move
forward. Helena wilkinson, bbc news. The pope has used his first message of the year to defend the rights of women. Speaking at a packed mass at st peters basilica, the pope denounced the abuse of women in modern society and defended womens rights to migrate in search of a Better Future for their family. Before celebrating mass, the pope confessed that he had lost patience with a woman who grabbed his hand on saint Peters Square on tuesday. He apologised for what he said was the bad example he gave when he slapped the womans hand twice to break free from her grip. He said we lose patience many times it happens to me too. North koreas leader, kim jong un, has suggested the country could restart nuclear and long range missile tests. He said nor