richard lister reports. effect on your life chances but the gap could be getting bigger. gap could be getting bigger. they leave was mentioned in this report. report. worst access to high performing schools. schools. is retaining high—quality teachers in schools with problems. in schools with problems. easier for better schools to recruit better teachers. better teachers. as parts of the north have been less successful at doing that. successful at doing that. that can also haven't impact on child outcomes. child outcomes. focused investment in areas with particular problems. particular problems. fewest thai performing schools aren't getting the help they need. aren't getting the help they need. ways to bring good schools to all communities. attack lastjune has pleaded not guilty to murder. guilty to murder. accused of driving a hired van in north london. one man was killed. meghan markle have been released by kensington palace. kensington palace. they were taken at 0gmore house in windsor. at 0gmore house in windsor. what's more on our website. more on our website. let's get all the

richard lister reports. five, four, three, two, one... once again, sydney set the standard for new year's fireworks. 1.5 million people lined the harbour front for a dazzling, deafening celebration. the rainbow theme was a tribute to australia's legalisation of same—sex marriage. two hours earlier, auckland, new zealand, was the first major city to celebrate 2018, its sky tower lit up like a giant roman candle. excited korean voiceover that is the unmistakable sound of north korea joining the celebrations, with what else but a display of rocket power? while midnight swept around the world, new york was gearing up for its celebrations, one of several cities with unprecedented security this year. parts of china have had a day of festivities, even though they'll mark the new year in february. music: "auld lang syne" but hong kong may have outdazzled sydney. fireworks exploded across victoria harbour to a tune most of us will be singing later. richard lister, bbc news. well, here preparations are under way around the country. big crowds are

richard lister, bbc news, beaconsfield. across northern europe heavy snow and sub—zero temperatures grounded hundreds of flights. germany's busiest airport, frankfurt, was one of the worst affected. despite the attempt to clear the runway and de—ice aircraft, 330 flights were cancelled, stranding hundreds of passengers. from the air it looked magical. this is utrecht in the netherlands, blanketed by a thick layer of snow. but it also meant problems on the railways. some services were suspended. and on the roads, there was more disruption and delays. this motorist described driving conditions as exhausting. even in switzerland, a country used to heavy snow in the mountains, it was a bumper to bumper. and it was strong winds that were the problem in spain and france, knocking out power to some homes. that didn't stop these surfers from venturing out though. and it made for perfect skiing conditions over in northern italy. thousands of skiers hit the slopes, with more snow than usual for this time of year. forecasters have

richard lister, bbc news. the christmas party season is in full swing, many of you might be buying new outfits for the festive celebrations. but how many times will you actually wear those outfits again? well, recent research has found just how disposable clothing is. three quarters of those surveyed in australia and singapore had thrown out clothing in the last year. in china that figure was 85%. many respondents threw away clothes after just one wear. in australia that figure was two in ten people, three in ten in singapore and in china four in ten. millennials, in all three countries had the highest proportion of new clothing. 30—a0% of people purchased at least half of the clothes they own in the past year alone. earlier, singapore—based fashion writer wing yin came into out studio. i asked her if she thought the younger generation was mainly responsible for this throw—away trend. i don't exactly think it's a generational thing, i don't exactly think it's a generationalthing, but, like, they will be

richard lister, bbc news, beaconsfield. across northern europe heavy snow and sub 02 bridges grounded hundreds of flights. jimmy's busiest airport, frankfurt, was one of the worst affected —— germany's busiest airport. despite the attempt to clear the runway and the ice aircraft, 300 flights were cancelled, stranding hundreds of passengers. from the airy look magical. this is in the netherlands. blanketed by a thick low of snow. —— layer of snow. it meant problems on the railways. some services were suspended. and on the roads, there was more disruption and delays. this motorist described driving conditions as exhausting. even in switzerland, a country used to heavy snow in the mountains, it was a bumper to bumper. and it was strong winds that were the problem in spain and france, knocking out power to some homes. that didn't stop these surfers from venturing out though. and it made for perfect skiing conditions over in northern italy. thousands of skiers hit the slopes, with more snow than usual for this time of ye

richard lister reporting there. on the line is matthew cole, a bbc political reporter who is currently stuck inside a plane on the tarmac at heathrow, after it landed over two hours ago. he is still waiting for his bags. tell us what happened. we eventually arrived and then waited on the tarmac for an hour and a half and we still haven't got our bags. we are already 7.5 hours late, and no bags at all. it must be frustrating. what are you being told? nothing. we were advised that the bags would arrive on the carousel, that was about 15 minutes ago. no bags at all. we then had to wait to be able to depart the plane and wait at the steps, and then we had to wait for the bags. you get the impression that it is more about making money at the airport than dealing with snow, dealing with de—icing planes, dealing with de—icing planes, dealing with de—icing planes, dealing with customers. another passenger spoke to us who has experienced the same problems as you. they said there was a knock—on effect, that flights we

richard lister, bbc news. a brand new, state—of—the—art, medical facility has opened its doors in dubai. we're talking about an exclusive hospital — with only a select number of patients. the unusual thing is that all these patients are camels. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. in this part of the world, camel racing can be a popular and highly lucrative sport. so taking care of your athletes is a top priority. hence the dubai camel hospital, now open to business, treating camels at nothing but camels. translation: this hospital is considered the first of its kind in the world. because there aren't any hospital that are specialised in treating camels. you must care for camels as pa rt camels. you must care for camels as part of our heritage, not only by breeding and racing them but also by being able to medically treat them using the latest technology. the hospital costs nearly $11 million to set up and can treat 20 animals at a time. of course, when you're patient weighs anything up to 1000 kilos, movi

richard lister, bbc news, beaconsfield. across northern europe heavy snow and sub—zero temperatures grounded hundreds of flights. germany‘s busiest airport, frankfurt, was one of the worst affected. despite the attempt to clear the runway and de—ice aircraft, 330 flights were cancelled, stranding hundreds of passengers. from the air it looked magical. this is utrecht in the netherlands, blanketed by a thick layer of snow. but it also meant problems on the railways. some services were suspended. and on the roads, there was more disruption and delays. this motorist described driving conditions as exhausting. even in switzerland, a country used to heavy snow in the mountains, it was a bumper to bumper. and it was strong winds that were the problem in spain and france, knocking out power to some homes. that didn‘t stop these surfers from venturing out though. and it made for perfect skiing conditions over in northern italy. thousands of skiers hit the slopes, with more snow than usual for this time of year. forecasters

richard, thank you. richard lister in beaconsfield in buckinghamshire. the foreign secretary borisjohnson has held talks with the iranian president in a bid to secure the freedom of citizens with dual nationality currently being held in iranianjails. they include nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who's accused of spying. mrjohnson described his visit to tehran as "worthwhile". today, mrs zaghari—ratcliffe's husband said he hoped his wife would be home for christmas. our diplomatic correspondent james robbins reports. borisjohnson spent nearly an hour with iran's president, hassan rouhani, that access itself seen as a good sign as improving relations. the foreign office says both sides spoke forthrightly about obstacles in the relationship and the need to make progress. once again, boris johnson raised the case of dual nationals in iranian prisons, including nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe. we now know the foreign secretary met some of nazanin‘s family in tehran. in london, her husband richard is much happier today, showing me pictures of his iranian family an

richard lister, bbc news. the scottish government is expected to announce its major changes to tax bands since power was awarded to holyrood last year. it is thought higher tax bands are likely to help raise funds for public services. it could mean some people in scotland will pay more tax and those earning the same salary elsewhere in the uk. catriona renton reports. free university tuition fees, free prescriptions, free personal care for the elderly and free childcare, just some of the services on offer to people in scotland. but it now seems some scottish taxpayers are going to pay more than people elsewhere in the uk. the snp government at holyrood is facing a shortfall in its day—to—day budget of hundreds of millions of pounds. the government has already pledged to increase spending on the nhs and has promised to lift the cap on public sector pay. local councils in scotla nd public sector pay. local councils in scotland say they need more money to help provide services. to raise the extra cash, the sc

richard lister, bbc news. as we've been hearing, survivors of the grenfell tower fire have attended a memorial service at st paul's cathedral today, alongside members of the royal family and the prime minister, theresa may. the service, six months since the disaster, also gave thanks to all those who assisted at the time of the fire and in the weeks and months since. our reporter, ashleyjohn baptiste has met some of the survivors to hear how the grenfell tragedy turned their lives upside down. my my name's paul menacer. i lived in a flat 33 grenfell tower on the sixth floor. and i was living and caring for my sick uncle. my name is raksumu mamudu, i lived in grenfell tower. with my grandson. i'd definitely say life wasn't amazing, but i'd say life was ok. definitely say life wasn't amazing, but i'd say life was oki definitely say life wasn't amazing, but i'd say life was ok. i never felt i lacked anything in that tower. i was happy. felt i lacked anything in that tower. iwas happy. iwas felt i lacked anything

richard lister reports on the impact here in the uk. much of britain looked like a christmas card today. scotland and northern england had been expecting snow, but this was buckinghamshire, and on the ground, it wasn't pretty. breakdowns and blizzards on the m25 near gerrards cross made for slow going, in slippery conditions. 0n the asa near newbury, two stuck lorries meant the southbound carriageway had to be closed. but in wales, some smaller communities were cut off entirely and thousands of people lost power. this was llangollen today. this is by far the worst i've ever seen. it's probably the worst snow i've ever seen, to be honest. it's certainly about a foot deep around. in the midlands, they'd hoped gritters would be enough to keep the roads safe, but in redditch, they needed snowploughs. it's been a long day for breakdown services like the rac, which has been getting five calls a minute. i had problems starting it. i tried starting it last night and this morning. itjust won't have it. mark says everything he's dealt with today

meteorologists say it's the heaviest snowfall to hit the affected areas in four years, as richard lister reports. much of britain looked like a christmas card today. scotland and northern england had been expecting snow, but this was buckinghamshire, and it wasn't pretty. breakdowns and blizzard conditions on the m25 near gerard's cross made for slow going. 0n the asa near newbury — two stuck lorries, and the southbound carriageway had to be closed. in wales, some smaller communities were cut off entirely and thousands of people had lost power. this is by far the worst i have ever seen. it's probably the worst snow i've ever seen, to be honest. it's about a foot deep. in the midlands, they had hoped gritters would keep the roads safe, but needed snowploughs in redditch. it's been a long day for breakdown services like the rac, which is getting five calls a minute. i had problems starting it. i tried starting it last night and this morning. mark says everything he's dealt with today has been weather—related. only travel if you have to. if you are going to travel, make sure you have a

lister had a sneak preview. this is what $1 billion looks like. the new us embassy in london is said to be the most expensive in the world and almost a decade in the making. inside, there's a garden of american desert flora. it's all designed to be airy and welcoming, not words usually associated with embassies. i think this is a country of great dignity and it birthed the united states, and this building should be not some pop icon but certainly a building of great dignity and serenity. this embassy is also a fortress, it even has a moat, although they prefer we call it a pond. some of the glass is six inches thick, a reminder that the embassy is the only place where one nation intersects with the other. for decades that's been here, grosvenor square. the old embassy‘s been sold to become a hotel but it's a place now associated with american triumphs and tragedies. archive: at grosvenor square, police warned to expect trouble waiting. it was where british people repeatedly protested against the vietnam war. a

richard lister reports on the impact here in the uk. much of britain looked like a christmas cloud today. scotland and northern england had been expecting snow. this was bucks. 0n the ground it was not pretty. —— notts. brea kd owns it was not pretty. —— notts. breakdowns and blizzards on the m25 kneejerk cross made false low blow —— growing in slippery conditions. 0n the eighth betty ford near newbury, two stuck lorries meant the southbound carriageway had to be closed. but in wales, some smaller communities were cut off entirely. thousands of people lost power. this is by far the worst i have ever seen. probably the worst snow i have ever seen, to be honest. it is about a foot deep around. in the midlands, they thought grit would be enough to keep the road say. in redditch they needed snowploughs. —— safe. it has been a long day for breakdown services like the rac which has been getting five cold per minute. services like the rac which has been getting five cold per minutelj tried starting at last night. and tried star

the forecast is of freezing conditions. 0ur correspondent richard lister reports from beaconsfield, in buckinghamshire. much of britain looked like a christmas card today. scotland and northern england had been expecting snow, but this was buckinghamshire, and on the ground, it wasn't pretty. breakdowns and blizzards on the m25 near gerrards cross made for slow going, in slippery conditions. 0n the asa near newbury, two stuck lorries meant the southbound carriageway had to be closed. but in wales, some smaller communities were cut off entirely and thousands of people lost power. this was llangollen today. this is by far the worst i've ever seen. it's probably the worst snow i've ever seen, to be honest. it's certainly about a foot deep. in the midlands, they'd hoped gritters would be enough to keep the roads safe, but in redditch, they needed snowploughs. it's been a long day for breakdown services like the rac, which has been getting five calls a minute. i had problems starting it. i tried starting it last night and this morning. mark says everything he's dealt with today has been wea

with all the latest now on the impact the bad weather is our correspondent richard lister. few people this far south had expected to see snow when they woke up expected to see snow when they woke up and they expected proroguing did not expect it to hang around as long as it did. the roads are slushy and pavements are slippery. getting anywhere where it has snowed has been something of a treacherous ordealfor many. been something of a treacherous ordeal for many. of course, that has been the story for millions of people around the country. much of britain look like a christmas card today. scotland and northern england had been expecting snow, but this was bucks and it wasn't pretty. breakdowns and blizzard conditions on the m25 near gerard ‘s cross made for slow going. 0n the asa meant two stuck lorries meant the southbound carriageway is had to be close. in wales, some small communities were cut off and thousands lost power. this is the worst i have ever seen. it is probably the worst snow i have ever seen, it is certainly about a foot deep. in the midlands they hoped gri

richard lister reports. it is no secret that where you live can have a big impact on your life chances. but this new report says regional differences in education are getting bigger. the new study looks at secondary schools ranked in the top third for how much progress their pupils make before they leave. it found that of the top 20 such schools, 16 are in london, while high—performing schools in the north and the midlands are getting fewer, with children in blackpool and hartlepool having the worst access to high—performing schools. one of the biggest issues is retaining high—quality teachers in schools with problems. it is easier for better schools to recruit better teachers. london has been particularly successful in doing that, and that has contributed to its success over the last few years, whereas parts of the north have been less successful in doing that. and there are localised issues like poverty and isolation that can have an impact on child outcomes. the education secretary, here visiting he

richard lister reports. this is what $1 billion looks like. the new us embassy in london is said to be the most expensive in the world and almost a decade in the making. inside there's a garden of american desert flora. it's all designed to be airy and welcoming, not words usually associated with embassies. i think this is a country of great dignity and it birthed the united states. and this building should be not some pop icon, but certainly a building of great dignity and serenity. but this embassy is also a fortress. it even has a moat, though they'd prefer we call it a pond. some of the glass is six inches thick, a reminder that an embassy is the only place where one nation intersects with another. for decades that's been here, grosvenor square. the old embassy has been sold to become a hotel. but it's a place now associated with american triumphs and tragedies. archive: at grosvenor square police warned to expect trouble waiting. it was where british people repeatedly protested against the vietnam war. archive: a huge crowd waited for the

this report is from richard lister. 0h oh my god... voiceover: march this year, a suicide bomber hasjust blown himself up in manchester arena, killing 22 people, one of five attacks this year which prompted questions about the effectiveness of the police and security services. the suicide bomber in manchester, salman abedi, someone bomber in manchester, salman abedi, someone who mi5 were aware of, and had received new information about but not acted on in time. it is conceivable, says the report today, that he could have been stopped. conceivable, says the report today, that he could have been stoppedm hindsight it is quite obvious, that having received that intelligence, mis having received that intelligence, mi5 should have opened an investigation, who knows what that investigation, who knows what that investigation would have found, the fa ct investigation would have found, the fact is, they did not, they did not interpret the intelligence that way, the opportunity was missed. very sadly, the attack got through. mi5 says it is still

richard lister is that gerard ‘s cross in buckinghamshire. clive, few people this far south expected snow when they woke up this morning, they did not expected to hang around as long as it has, the roads are slushy, the pavements slippery, getting from a to b anywhere where it has snowed has been a treacherous ordeal for many. that has been the story for millions of people around the country. much of people around the country. much of britain looked like a christmas ca rd of britain looked like a christmas card today. scotland and northern england had been expecting snow but this was buckinghamshire. and it was not pretty. breakdowns and blizzard conditions on the m25 near gerard ‘s cross made for slow going. on the a34 cross made for slow going. on the a31; near newbury two stuck lorries and the southbound carriageway is ha rd to and the southbound carriageway is hard to be closed. but in wales some smaller communities were cut off entirely and thousands of people lost power, this was the llangollen today. this is by far the worst i've eve

richard lister, bbc news. now to a family mystery which has taken one man more than 70 years to solve. in 1943, a box was abandoned on the steps of the bbc in london. it was found by a studio manager called trevor hill, who at first thought it was a bomb. but it turned out the box actually contained a baby — robin king. now 74, mr king says he's spent most of his life wondering who abandoned him, and why. but thanks to dna, and some dogged detective work, he finally has some answers. and he's been reunited with the bbc man who found him all those years ago, as steve knibbs reports. amazing, incredible. you're the baby! a reunion, 74 years apart, as trevor hill meets the contents of the box he discovered outside the bbc in 1943. that today is 74—year—old robin king. you wouldn't fit into that little box now. in 1943 bbc broadcasting house had been bombed, so the overseas service was set up in the peter robinson department store on oxford street, and one morning, as trevor turned up for work, he found a bo

richard lister reports. do you want to tell me what you are working on? a physics lesson at saint peters secondary school in huntington. is that ofsted‘s chief inspector of schools. last year, ofsted displayed this school to be inadequate and put it on special measures. today it is ranked as good overall, which reflects the current trend. with nearly 2 million more children in good schools now than in 2010. today‘s ofsted report covers 21,000 state schools in england. it says 90% of primary is an almost 80% of secondaries are good or outstanding. but 130 schools have not earned a good rating in more than a decade. for 12 years now they have not been good in any point, so a child‘s time in a typical secondary school, five years, so a third generation through those schools who have never experienced being ina schools who have never experienced being in a good school, and we should not be happy with that. saint peters was turned around quickly but ofsted says other places can be too willing to blame local poverty for school stagnation. teachers say too

heather lister and richard drake, an old couple who have had a flat, they‘ve had more than 100 homeless people come and stay in their spare bed over the past ten years, even when they moved toa past ten years, even when they moved to a retirement flat two years ago, a two—bedroom flat, they used a bed for a homeless person from a charity called night stop, and basically, it ta kes called night stop, and basically, it takes people who are just about to be thrown out or have run out of sofas to surf or whatever, white night stop finds a permanent place people like heather and richard take them into their home for two or three nights and just provide a bed and a room with a telly and some books. it‘s just an extraordinary act of generosity. heather was the lady involved, just saying that in amongst the good they‘re doing, she just said it helps keep them young. it keeps them alive. they get loads out of it as well she says that you get stuck in your ways as you get older, having young people in the house, homeless people from different backgrounds is good for them. i think it‘s goo

richard lister reports. it is no secret that way you live can have a big impact on your life chances. but this new report says regional differences in education are getting bigger. the new study looks at secondary schools ranked in the top third for how much progress their pupils make before they leave. it found that, of the top 20 such schools, 16 are in london, while high performing schools in the north and the midlands are getting fewer, with children in blackpool and hartlepool having the worst access to high performing schools. 0ne hartlepool having the worst access to high performing schools. one of the biggest issues is retaining high—quality teachers in schools with problems. it is easierfor better schools to recruit better teachers. london has been particularly successful in doing that, and that has contributed to its success over the last few years, whereas parts of the north have been less successful at in doing that. the education secretary, here visiting her old school in rotherham, has alread