tim allman, bbc news. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has announced around 2.4 billion dollars worth of benefits for farmers amid mounting pressure on his government to scrap controversial reforms. mr modi has today been addressing millions of farmers across the country virtually, accusing his political opposition for misleading them over contentious new laws that will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm items. 0ur south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan is in delhi. the government here of prime minister modi has been trying to reach out to various sections of the reformers highlighting points regarding the new agrarian reforms which were passed in september this year, one of them has been inviting more foreign investment, private investment in agriculture and second thing is they want to abolish antiquated procedures like people are using some of the agents to sell their produce, which means farmers they have to pay money so these agents will be removed from the system and

tim allman, bbc news. jane: in his christmas message, pope francis has urged worlds lead share coronavirus vaccines, saying that walls of nationalism shouldn't be built, but would inhibit the fight against a pandemic that knows no borders. he called for generosity and support for victims of the pandemic. more from our rome corresndent, mark lowen. mark: this time last year, there were 50,000 people in st. peter's square, watching the pope's christmas message from the balcony of st. peter's basilica. cordoned off the police, in thes middle of a christmas lockdown, and the pe spoke from inside the apostolic palace. the world has changed, and manpe le's faith has been shaken. coronavirus was very much at the christmashe pope's message. he called on people to carean fr to offer generosity to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to cooperate so that there he said, we cannot erect walls,r perhaps a message to the outgoiad donald trump nistration there. interesting he singled out among the

tim allman, bbc news. in his christmas message, pope francis has urged world leaders to share coronavirus vaccines, saying walls of nationalism should not be built to inhibit the fight against a pandemic that knows no borders. he called for generosity and support for victims of the pandemic. our rome correspondent mark lowen has been following the story. this time last year, there were 50,000 people in st peter's square watching the pope's christmas urbi et orbi — "to the city and the world" — christmas message from the balcony of st peter's basilica. this year the square is completely cordoned off by police, we are in the middle of a christmas lockdown, and the pope spoke from inside the apostolic palace. the world has changed, and many people's faith has been shaken and coronavirus was very much at the heart of the pope's christmas message. he called on people to care for and to offer generosity to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to co—operate, so that there should be a

the bbc‘s tim allman explains. so renowned and so respected is pianist igor levit... ..he can sometimes be found in the studios of the bbc. here he is rehearsing for an appearance on bbc news in 2017. a very different kind of performance, though, taking place in the wilds of central germany. a rendition of danny boy in memory of the dannenroder forest, some of which is being torn down for a road extension. translation: even though the occasion is very sad, i'm doing a rehearsal, i feel like i'm playing a swansong for something that leaves us, i'm still thankful, happy and content to be here with you. protests have been going on here for more than a year. environmental groups, trying to preserve the country's habitat. the authorities, determined to allow lawful construction work to go ahead. "what is happening here is quickly "reduced to a conflict between activists and the police," this protester says. "this is an attempt to defend and protect ecosystems "and our livelihoods so that we can survive." something almos

tim allman, bbc news. really important news on the bulletin, for the boys and girls in the world who may be concerned about the health of sa nta concerned about the health of santa claus. the world health organization is confirmed that father christmas will be able to make his present deliveries. world leaders are making a special exemption own quarantine rules. social distancing will be enforced but the mask is reliable because sa nta cla us the mask is reliable because santa claus is not this double two covid. i understand the concern for santa claus, because he is one of the older age groups but santa claus is immune to this virus and we had a brief chat with him, and he is doing very well. mrs santa claus is doing very well and they are busy right now. that's they are busy right now. that's the official word from the world health organization. much more on the bbc website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. hello. tuesday will be one of the quieter weather days of the wee

tim allman, bbc news. in the united states, the willingness of people to get vaccinated against covid—19 appears to have increased since the first two vaccines were authorized by the fda, and health care workers and nursing home residents began to receive the shots. fresh surveys suggest attitudes have shifted, and a clear majority are now eager to be vaccinated, although resistance has not entirely vanished. mohamed younis, editor—in—chief of gallup, told us more. as of our poll that ended in november, 63% of americans are now willing to take a vaccine at no cost approved by the fda. we saw with the astrazeneca trials slowdown where one of the participants had an adverse reaction back in september, that number dropped down to 50% of americans. so at this point most are willing to take the vaccine at no cost and it is a backup essentially to where we started injuly with 66% of americans. although there are interesting political differences. what drove some of the original scepticism towards the vacci

tim allman, bbc news. that is all for now. you can reach me on twitter. from all of us here at the bbc, until next time. hello. the weather is taking on a decidedly wintry complexion as we head through the final days of 2020. the satellite picture shows this big stripe of cloud that brought very wet and windy weather through the early parts of sunday courtesy of storm bella, but now we've got these speckled clouds working in from the north, some shower clouds, those showers turning wintry as well with some really cold air digging its way down. and we stick with this northerly air flow right through the coming week. so, yes, it will be cold by day and by night. there will be a mixture of rain, sleet and snow at times, amidst all of that, some spells of sunshine. certainly a very chilly start to monday morning with temperatures widely below freezing, several degrees below freezing in places. that could well give rise to some icy stretches, and also notice this area of rain, sleet and snow across parts of wales, the midlands, down into southern england. this

tim allman — bbc news. some live pictures coming in from barcelona. the vaccination programme is under way there. a number of european countries starting to give the pfizer vaccine, hope for those countries that they will be able to turn a were corner on the restrictions they have imposed in the last few months and that 2021 will... nurses and medical staff applauding one of their patients who has got the new vaccine, one of the very first patients to get the jab. maybe the first actually, i'm not sure. the first in the czech republic is none other than the prime minister. the czech prime minister, andrej babis, has become the first person in his country to be vaccinated. mr babis received the pfizer—biontech vaccine at prague's central military hospital. he previously said he wasn't sure he could be vaccinated as he had his spleen removed as a teenager. he also walked back on an earlier claim that he would personally oversee the vaccination programme, after his former health minister turned down the role. the plan is to inoculate around 70% of the

tim allman — bbc news. in the italian capital, rome, health workers received their first doses of the pfizer—biontech vaccine. a medical officer and a senior professor were among the first three to get the jab at italy's national institute of infectious diseases. italy was the first western country hit by the virus and has reported more than 70,909 deaths since its outbreak in february, the highest toll in europe and the fifth—highest in the world. let's get the latest on the roll out of the vaccine. our correspondent, damien mcguinness, is in berlin. welcome news across europe that this roll—out is finally beginning this weekend. yes. that's right. i met a former airport. this close down a few months ago. it's now being used as one of the many mass vaccination centres in germany. there are 400 in total. they are set up in concert halls, stadiums, and an airport. they are purpose built specifically for people to go in there, to follow a track round, and to get the vaccine. that hasn't started yet toda

the bbc‘s tim allman has more. like a carefully planned military operation, the rescue team began their work. the first priority? find a giraffe. wading through the floodwaters of longicharo island, soon enough, they did. meet asiwa, said to be the most vulnerable of the animal stranded here. they are known as rothschild giraffes — an endangered species only reintroduced to this area 10 years ago. there believed to be only 3,000 of them left in africa and about 800 of them in kenya. once she was subdued, she was led onto a barge so she could be transported to the mainland. this had once been a peninsula but the rising levels of lake baringo meant that it was now in island. these giraffes need space, hence the need for this rather picturesque rescue. one very important passenger who seemed perfectly content to watch the world go by. back on dry land, asiwa was released to her new home. so far two giraffes have been rescued. another six will be moved in the coming months. a big day for asiwa — a moment of triumph

tim allman, bbc news. much of the uk has spent the day getting used to tougher coronavirus restrictions. millions of people are now in the highest tier in england, tier 4, and there are, in effect, lockdowns in wales, mainland scotland, and northern ireland. here's daniela relph. harsher restrictions have returned and it shows. with christmas day done, the centre of southampton is empty as new areas of southern and eastern england now find their lives restricted by even tighter rules. it's very, very quiet. it's unusual for this time of year. it would be nice if it would all come to an end and we could all go back to normal. but elsewhere there is a familiar look to boxing day. the prime minister want people to think carefully and avoid sales crowds. in leeds, still in tier 3, the prospects of a bargain drew some people out. i always go to the sales on boxing day for the bargains and i don't like doing it online so i want to support the shops and enjoying it so far but just a shame we cannot go for a coffe

tim allman, bbc news. in the united states, the willingness of people to get vaccinated against covid—i9 appears to have increased since the first two vaccines were authorised by the fda, and healthcare workers and nursing home residents began to receive the shots. fresh surveys suggest attitudes have shifted, and a clear majority are now eager to be vaccinated — although resistance has not entirely vanished. mohamed younis, editor in chief of gallup, told us more. as of our poll that ended in november, 63% of americans are now willing to take a vaccine at no cost approved by the fda. we saw with the astrazeneca trials slowdown where one of the participants had an adverse reaction back in september, that number dropped down to 50% of americans. so at this point most are willing to take the vaccine at no cost and it is a backup essentially to where we started injuly with 66% of americans. although there are interesting political differences. what drove some of the original scepticism towards the vaccine

tim allman, bbc news. sydney has further tightened restrictions on its new year's eve fireworks and celebrations — as the australian city battles an outbreak of coronavirus in its northern suburbs. the new south wales state premier has banned most people from coming to sydney harbour and has limited outdoor gatherings to 50 people. she said she didn't want super spreader events on new year's eve to ruin the coming year. people are being encouraged to watch the world—famous fireworks on television. heavy snow has hit parts of the uk, including in the west midlands and the cotswolds. there were reports of snow falling in counties such as worcestershire and staffordshire as well as in birmingham, stourbridge and gloucestershire, and lighter dustings as far south as devon. police have warned people to take care on the roads, saying the weather is likely to cause travel disruption. thanks so much for being with us. you're watching bbc news. a cold and bright day for many of us, but for others a winter wonde

tim allman, bbc news. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has announced around two—point—four billion dollars worth of benefits for farmers amid mounting pressure on his government to scrap controversial reforms. mr modi has today been addressing millions of farmers across the country virtually, accusing his political opposition for misleading them over contentious new laws that will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm items. 0ur south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan is in delhi. those forced to remain at home, so the the government here of the prime minister has been trying to reach out to various sections of the highlighting the reforms that were passed in september this year, one of them has been inviting more foreign investment, private investment in agriculture and second thing is they want to establish antiquated procedures like people are using some of the agents to sell their produce, which means farmers they have to pay money so these agents will be removed from t

tim allman, bbc news. thank you for being with us. until next time. hello. the weather is taking on a decidedly wintry complexion as we head through the final days of 2020. the satellite picture shows this big stripe of cloud that brought very wet and windy weather through the early parts of sunday courtesy of storm bella, but now we've got these speckled clouds working in from the north, some shower clouds, those showers turning wintry as well with some really cold air digging its way down. and we stick with this northerly air flow right through the coming week. so, yes, it will be cold by day and by night. there will be a mixture of rain, sleet and snow at times, amidst all of that, some spells of sunshine. certainly a very chilly start to monday morning with temperatures widely below freezing, several degrees below freezing in places. that could well give rise to some icy stretches, and also notice this area of rain, sleet and snow across parts of wales, the midlands, down into southern england. this is going to be moving very slowly through the day, he c

tim allman, bbc news. from a schoolboy skiffle group to becoming the undisputed kings of disco, the bee gees enjoyed phenomenal global success — but those famous smiles were often hiding dark and difficult times. the sibling rivalry, drug abuse and tragedy which dogged the band are all explored in a new feature—length documentary. 0ur entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been speaking to the only surviving brother, sir barry gibb. this film contains flashing images. ladies and gentlemen, will you welcome the bee gees? the bee gees! once again, the fabulous bee gees! # oh, you can tell by the way i use my walk. the most exciting sound in the world! the biggest grossing album in the history of music. how can you mend a broken heart looks at every aspect of the bee gees‘ career, including theirfirst number one in 1967... # and the lights all went down in massachusetts. ..and the phenomenon that was saturday night fever. has it changed your lives, the enormous success of it? yes, i can safely s

tim allman, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news — still to come: the power of setting a good example — why some world leaders are determined to have their vaccine jab in public. the world of music has been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon says it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. in its place, the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christmas h

the bbc‘s tim allman reports. a grim and grizzly tail reaching its conclusion in a courthouse in saint petersburg. 0leg sokolov, a once respected historian, now can fit it of murder. also present the pa rents of murder. also present the parents of the young woman he killed, that to witness some justice at last. translation: this person is used to avoiding responsibility. he has high—ranking friends and connections. i am glad the court heard us and did not allow the defence to discredit the murdered girl. the murdered girl was anastasia yeshchenko, a postgraduate student who lived with 0leg sokolov for more than three years. he claimed she attacked him with an knife. he then shot her four times with a shotgun before dismembering her body. you can see me on cctv camera dumping objects into the river. those objects into the river. those objects are believed to be the remains of anastasia yeshchenko. 0leg sokolov was a renowned authority on the life and legacy of napoleon bonaparte, even missing up to ta ke bonapart

tim allman, bbc news. before we leave you, the most important news of the bulletin, and for the boys and girls of the world, and it might be concerned over the health of sa nta concerned over the health of santa claus. but confirmation of the christmas will be able to make his all—important present delivery. the leaders have made a special exemption on quarantine rules. children are reminded physical distancing will remain in force. however centre will not be susceptible to covid—19.” understand the concern for sa nta understand the concern for santa because he is of old age in one of the older age groups but i can tell you that santa claus is immune to this virus and we had a brief chat with him and he is doing very well. mrs clause is doing very well and they are very busy right now. that is the official word from the world health organization stop joe biden from the world health organization stopjoe biden has been formally certified as the next president of the united states. results from electora

the bbc‘s tim allman reports. a grim and grizzly tale reaching its conclusion in a courthouse in st petersburg. 0leg sokolov, a once—respected historian, now convicted of murder. also present, the parents of the young woman he killed, there to witness some justice at last. translation: this person is used to avoiding responsibility. he has high—ranking friends and connections. i'm very glad that the court heard us and did not allow the defence to discredit the murdered girl. the murdered girl was anastasia yeshchenko, a postgraduate student who had lived with sokolov for more than three years. in november last year, he claimed they had a blazing row at the flat they shared. she attacked him with a knife. he then shot her four times with a shotgun before dismembering her body. you can see him here on cctv cameras dumping objects into the river. those objects were believed to be the remains of anastasia yeshchenko. 0leg sokolov was a renowned authority on the life and legacy of napoleon bonaparte, even dressing

tim allman, bbc news. now, before we go, let's show you some pictures of a violent confrontation took ice in a zoo in russia. on one side, this pounder, called ru yi, and on the other side, a snowman. zookeepers in moscow used it as a test for the animals, for some reason, placing carrots and branches in its body. ru yi used his formidable martial a rts used his formidable martial arts to destroy the snowman, and then was unable to eat his dinner. there we go. right, a quick reminder of the top story now. world health organization says it is in contact with british officials over the emergence of a new variant of coronavirus, thought to be up to 70% more infectious. the british government says the mutation is now the dominant strain in london. it has imposed stringent new lockdown measures on the capital and surrounding areas. it plans to relax covid rules over christmas have largely been reversed. that's about it from me as always. there's plenty more online on the website, bbc .com, and if you are online

the bbc‘s tim allman has more. like a carefully planned military operation, the rescue team began their work. the first priority? find a giraffe. wading through the floodwaters of longicharo island, soon enough, they did. meet asiwa, said to be the most vulnerable of the animal stranded here. they are known as rothschild giraffes — an endangered species only reintroduced to this area 10 years ago. there believed to be only 3,000 of them left in africa and about 800 of them in kenya. once she was subdued, she was led onto a barge so she could be transported to the mainland. this had once been a peninsula but the rising levels of lake baringo meant that it was now in island. these giraffes need space, hence the need for this rather picturesque rescue. one very important passenger who seemed perfectly content to watch the world go by. back on dry land, asiwa was released to her new home. so far two giraffes have been rescued. another six will be moved in the coming months. a big day for asiwa — a moment of triumph

tim allman, bbc news. a teacherfrom india, ranjit disale, has won this year's global teacher prize for his work transforming the life chances of young girls in a rural village. his win was announced virtually by stephen fry from london's natural history museum in the annual competition which is run by the varkey foundation, in partnership with unesco. mark lobel reports. from over 12,000 teachers nominated from more than 140 countries for this prestigious prize, top of the class went to... ranjit disale, from india. oh, and look, there's your whole extended family now. it's wonderful. oh my dear fellow. i can see how moved you are. thank you, i'm receiving this honour on behalf of millions and millions of students, teachers, those who are working hard in these hard times of covid. ranjit went to incredible lengths for over a decade, turning around this girls‘ school in maharashtra state in western india. textbooks were translated into the local language. qr codes were inserted to open up a world of poems

tim allman, bbc news. a song released 26 years ago, a beloved christmas favourite, has finally reached number one in the charts here in the uk. # all i want for christmas is you! carey's all i want for christmas was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back in 1994. but now it's knocked ariana grande off the top spot. mariah carey's fans have had a crucial role in this success. earlier i spoke to one of them, jeff ingold, who's been campaigning to get the song to number one in the uk. he told me how he's done it. lots of tweets, lots of instagram stories, lots of telling all my friends. it was a lot of work but very worth it because it happened — earlier than i thought it would. and she's been retweeting you. she did, yeah. she tweeted me on sunday, you know, showing her support. it was amazing. my heart stopped when it happened. i couldn't believe it. right, let's get down to it. what is it about this song which you like so much? i think it is, when you hear it, and you hear those first

tim allman, bbc news. in the united states, the willingness of people to get vaccinated against covid—i9 appears to have increased since the first two vaccines were authorised by the fda and healthcare workers and nursing home residents began to receive the shots. fresh surveys suggest attitudes have shifted and a clear majority are now eager to be vaccinated, although resistance has not entirely vanished. mohamed younis, editor in chief of gallup, told us more. as of our poll that ended in november, 63% of americans are now willing to take a vaccine at no cost approved by the fda. we saw with the astrazeneca trials slowdown where one of the participants had an adverse reaction, back in september, that number dropped down to 50% of americans. so at this point most are willing to take the vaccine at no cost and it is a backup essentially to where we started injuly with 66% of americans. although there are interesting political differences. what drove some of the original scepticism towards the vaccine? i

tim allman points. so renowned and so respected is pianist igor levit... ..he can sometimes be found in the studios of the bbc. here he is rehearsing for an appearance on bbc news in 2017. a very different kind of performance, though, taking place in the wilds of central germany. a rendition of danny boy in memory of the dannenroder forest, some of which is being torn down for a road extension. translation: even though the occasion is very sad, i'm doing a rehearsal, i feel like i'm playing a swansong for something that leaves us, i'm still thankful, happy and content to be here with you. protests have been going on here for more than a year. environmental groups, trying to preserve the country's habitat. the authorities, determined to allow lawful construction work to go ahead. "what is happening here is quickly "reduced to a conflict between activists and the police," this protester says. "this is an attempt to defend and protect ecosystems "and our livelihoods so that we can survive." something almos

tim allman, bbc news. that's it from us for the time being. from me and the team, thanks for your company. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @richpreston. hello. the weather is taking on a decidedly wintry complexion as we head through the final days of 2020. the satellite picture shows this big stripe of cloud that brought very wet and windy weather through the early parts of sunday courtesy of storm bella, but now we've got these speckled clouds working in from the north, some shower clouds, those showers turning wintry as well with some really cold air digging its way down. and we stick with this northerly air flow right through the coming week. so, yes, it will be cold by day and by night. there will be a mixture of rain, sleet and snow at times, amidst all of that, some spells of sunshine. certainly a very chilly start to monday morning with temperatures widely below freezing, several degrees below freezing in places. that could well give rise to some icy stretches, and also notice this area of rain, sleet and snow across parts of wales, t

tim allman — bbc news. the czech prime minister has become the first person there to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as their programme gets under way. lets talk more about the vaccination programme rolling out across europe. we can speak to dr hajo zeeb a german epidemiologist at the leibniz institute for prevention, research, and epidemiology. thank you for being with us. the roll—out of the vaccine beginning in germany, that must be very welcome news? it is certainly an exciting sunday for us as the vaccine is coming in. as of today, as you heard yesterday, it has already started in one place. it's good news. we hope the logistics are good, that'll be the logistics are good, that'll be the challenge for the next few weeks to get the vaccine to the people. what are the logistical challenges you are facing? a big country, we are 80 million people, we want to this moving fast. all of these centres this moving fast. all of these ce ntres ha d this moving fast. all of these centres had to be establish

tim allman, bbc news. this is bbc news — the main story this hour: possible human remains are found near the debris of a large explosion in the centre of the us city of nashville. more now on that story. joey degraw owns a bar in downtown nashville, close to the explosion site. he gave us his account to what happened in the early hours of christmas day. there was a bomb that went off, it turns out, and very close to, half a block from our place called nashville underground, right on broadway, we're the largest bar—restaura nt and onlyjust a half a block so it was pretty devastating. nashville does not see stuff like this much. can you tell us a little bit about what you felt or what you heard? yeah, i can tell you a lot about it. my brother, gavin, and i live on the same floor in a high—rise building just a couple of blocks away from the bar — it literally knocked us out of bed. i thought it was an earthquake. and we panicked. i put my pants on, ran out in the hallway and tried to figure out what w

tim allman, bbc news. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has announced around 2.a billion dollars worth of benefits for farmers amid mounting pressure on his government to scrap controversial reforms. mr modi has today been addressing millions of farmers across the country virtually, accusing his political opposition for misleading them over contentious new laws that will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm items. 0ur south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan, is in delhi. the government here of prime minister modi has been trying to reach out to various sections of the highlighting regarding the new agrarian reforms which were passed in september this year, one of them has been inviting more foreign investment, private investment in agriculture and second thing is they want to abolish antiquated procedures like people are using some of the agents to sell their produce, which means farmers they have to pay money so these agents will be removed from the system and then the farmers

tim allman, bbc news. and before we leave you — some important news for the boys and girls of the world, who might be a little concerned about the health of santa claus. the world health organization has confrimed father christmas will be able to make his all important present deliveries, with world leaders making a special exemption on quarantine rules. all children have of course been reminded physical distancing will be strictly enforced but the good news is santa isn't susceptible to covid—19. here's some of what the who had to say. joe biden has been formally certified the next president of the united states with results from electoral colleges in all but one american state, giving him in total 302 votes, over the 270 needed to win. that's it for now, thank you so much for watching. hello. tuesday will be one of the quieter weather days of the week. there'll still be some showers around, but fewer than we had on monday. more places staying dry and getting to see some occasional sunshine. still win

tim allman, bbc news. what a year it's been for captain sir tom moore, the former british army officer known for his achievements raising tens of millions of pounds for charity in the run—up to his 100th birthday during the covid—19 pandemic. john maguire has been back to meet him. it's been a year like no otherfor all of us. but for captain sir tom moore, 2020 has seen him catapulted from his back garden to worldwide adoration, and to a specially convened ceremony where he was knighted by her majesty the queen. december‘s always a time to look forward, but also back to boyhood christmases during the 1920s. you got up at six o'clock in the morning to see what father christmas had left overnight. when we were small boys, or small children, we didn't get a stocking, we got a pillowcase. you knew there'd be an orange at the bottom of it somewhere. but not a lump of coal? no! and later, as a young officer in the british army during the second world war. all the officers gave all the other ranks their chr

tim allman, bbc news. and before we leave you, some important news for the boys and girls of the world, who might be a little concerned about the health of santa claus. the world health organization has confrimed the world health organization has confirmed father christmas will be able to make his all important present deliveries, with world leaders making a special exemption on quarantine rules. all children have of course been reminded physical distancing will be strictly enforced but the good news is santa isn't susceptible to covid—19. japan for the first time will cancel its annual winter festival because of a surge of the covid—19 virus. it usually a tt ra cts the covid—19 virus. it usually attracts up to 2 million visitors. its main event is an ice sculpture contest with sculptures up to 15 metres high. the sculpting will now be streamed online. and the menus again,joe streamed online. and the menus again, joe biden has been formally certified as the next president of the united states. result

tim allman explains. this year, perhaps more than any other year, people could do with a little luck in their lives. hundreds of people queuing up for hours at this kiosk in madrid. it's considered the luckiest kiosk in the country, selling lottery tickets for more than a century. translation: it's a dream for the end of this year. people want to leave misery behind, poverty, i don't know. everybody has a different wish. someone to house, some help the family or whatever. el gordo dates back more than 200 years. the prize is big — more than 2 billion euros — but there are usually lots and lots of winners. hence the long queues, although the shadow of coronavirus still hangs over the proceedings. translation: i've been waiting in line for two hours and the security measures were respected a lot less at the end, a bit more at the start. the truth is there were no police or security personnel to ensure social distancing. like many countries in europe, infection numbers are rising and restrictions are bei

tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of our top story. president trump has approved a $2 trillion government spending and coronavirus stimulus package days after objecting to elements of the bell. the new law will not only support people and businesses threatened by the pandemic, it will also ensure the government remains open. that's it for me for now. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @richpreston. the weather is taking on a decidedly wintry complexion as we head through the final days of 2020. the satellite picture shows this big stripe of cloud that brought very wet and windy weather through the early parts of sunday courtesy of storm bella, but now we've got these speckled clouds working in from the north, some shower clouds, those showers turning wintry as well with some really cold air digging its way down. and we stick with this northerly air flow right through the coming week. so, yes, it will be cold by day and by night. there will be a mixture of rain, sleet and snow at times, amidst all of that, some spells of sunshine. certain

tim allman, bbc news. as we heard in tim's report, much of the uk has spent the day getting used to tougher coronavirus restrictions. millions of people are now in the highest english tier — tier 4 — and there are, in effect, lockdowns in wales, mainland scotland and northern ireland. here's daniela relph. harsher restrictions have returned, and it shows. with christmas day done, the centre of southampton is empty, as new areas of southern and eastern england now find their lives restricted by even tighter rules. it's very, very quiet. it is unusual at this time of the year. it'd be nice if it could all come to an end and we could all be back to normal. but elsewhere, there is a familiar look to boxing day. the prime minister had warned people to think carefully and avoid sales crowds. in leeds, though, still in tier 3, the prospect of a bargain drew some people out. i always go to the sales on boxing day for bargains. and i don't like doing online and i wanted to support the shops as well. enjoying it

tim allman, bbc news. in his christmas message, pope francis has urged world leaders to share coronavirus vaccines, saying walls of nationalism should not be built to inhibit the fight against a pandemic that knows no borders. he called for generosity and support for victims of the pandemic. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen has been following the story. this time last year, there were 50,000 people in st peter's square watching the pope's christmas urbi et 0rbi — "to the city and the world" — christmas message from the balcony of st peter's basilica. this year the square is completely cordoned off by police, we are in the middle of a christmas lockdown, and the pope spoke from inside the apostolic palace. the world has changed, and many people's faith has been shaken and coronavirus was very much at the heart of the pope's christmas message. he called on people to care for and to offer generosity to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to co—operate, so that there should be a

tim allman, bbc news. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has announced around two point four billion dollars worth of benefits for farmers amid mounting pressure on his government to scrap controversial reforms. mr modi has today been addressing millions of farmers across the country virtually, accusing his political opposition for misleading them over contentious new laws that will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm products. our south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan is in delhi. the government here of prime minister modi has been trying to reach out to various sections of the reformers highlighting points regarding the new agrarian reforms which were passed in september this year, one of them has been inviting more foreign investment, private investment in agriculture and second thing is they want to abolish antiquated procedures like people are using some of the agents to sell their produce, which means farmers they have to pay money so these agents will be removed from t

tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of our top story. the mayor of san francisco along with political leaders across the bay area i'm posing new lockdown orders and business restrictions to try and contain the surge of covid infections. you can get me on social media any time on twitter at @lvaugha njones. social media any time on twitter at @lvaughanjones. i am lewis vaughan jones and twitter at @lvaughanjones. i am lewis vaughanjones and this is bbc news. hello there. it's been a wintry scene for many parts of the uk. we started with some widespread snow in scotland. that then turned to rain and most of any snow that's falling right now is really over the higher ground. but, more recently, there has been some snow through the midlands, and particularly again over the peak district. but it's been a messy picture because we've had these bands of cloud bringing wet weather swirling around an area of low pressure together with some stronger winds. that low pressure, though, will tend to move down into france, so, for a start, the winds wil

tim allman, bbc news. warehouse workers are packing the new moderna vaccine across thousand of sites across the us. general gustave perna has apologised for state governors saying he made an error estimating the number of doses cleared for shipping. this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughn jones. hello. there's some more rain in the forecast over the next few days. that rain coming on top of what we already had over the last week or so. we've had so much rain that in some places flood warnings are in force. you can check the bbc websites to see if flood warnings are affecting your area. we've got low pressure in charge at the moment, sitting up to the north and feeding showers in from the west. some of these showers continue to be pretty heavy through the day on sunday, really focusing in across western areas. further east through eastern scotland and england, not as many showers. showers will become fewer and further in between for a time during sunday afternoon. at the same time this band of heavy rain will sw

tim allman, bbc news. in his christmas message, pope francis has urged world leaders to share coronavirus vaccines, saying walls of nationalism should not be built to inhibit the fight against a pandemic that knows no borders. he called for generosity and support for victims of the pandemic. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen has been following the story. this time last year, there were 50,000 people in st peter's square watching the pope's christmas urbi et 0rbi to city and the world christmas message from the balcony of st peter's basilica. this year the square is completely cordoned off by police, we are in the middle of a christmas lockdown, and the pope spoke from inside the palace. the world has changed, and many people's faith has been shaken and coronavirus was very much at the heart of the pope's christmas message. he called on people to care for and to offer generosity to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to co—operate, so that there should be access to vaccines for al

tim allman, bbc news. at least nine coronavirus patients have been killed by a fire ina patients have been killed by a fire in a hospital in southern turkey. the blaze in an intensive care ward in a hospital has been triggered by the explosion of an oxygen tank. turkey has recorded almost 18,000 deaths since the pandemic began. before we go some pictures of a confrontation that took place ina zoo confrontation that took place in a zoo in russia. on one side was a panda on a mac and the other was a snowman. zookeepers in moscow used it as a test for the animal, placing carrots and treats in the body, and the panda used its its extensive martial arts to destroy the snowman and eat it then a. —— eat it's dinner. a reminder of our top story. new covid restrictions have come into effect in london and surrounding areas — nearly 18 million people are affected. you can find plenty more online andi you can find plenty more online and i will be back with the headlines in a couple of minutes time. you can reach

tim allman, bbc news. a song released 26 years ago, a beloved christmas favourite, has finally reached number one in the charts here in the uk. # all i want for christmas is you! mariah carey's all i want for christmas was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back in 1994. but now it's knocked ariana grande off the top spot. mariah carey's fans have had a crucial role in this success. earlier i spoke to one of them, jeff ingold, who's been campaigning to get the song to number one in the uk. he told me how he's done it. lots of tweets, lots of instagram stories, lots of telling all my friends. it was a lot of work but very worth it because it happened — earlier than i thought it would. and she's been retweeting you. she did, yeah. she tweeted me on sunday, you know, showing her support. it was amazing. my heart stopped when it happened. i couldn't believe it. right, let's get down to it. what is it about this song which you like so much? i think it is, when you hear it, and you hear those

tim allman, bbc news. a song released 26 years ago — a beloved christmas favourite — has finally reached number one in the charts here in the uk. # i just want you for my own. # more than you could ever know. # make my wish come true. # all i want for christmas is you, yeah. mariah carey's all i want for christmas was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back “119911. but now it's knocked ariana grande off the top spot. mariah carey's fans have had a crucial role in this success. earlier i spoke to one of them, jeff ingold, who's been campaigning to get the song to number one in the uk. he told me how he's done it. lots of tweets, lots of instagram stories, lots of telling all my friends. it was a lot of work but very worth it because it happened — earlier than i thought it would. and she's been retweeting you. she did, yeah. she tweeted me on sunday, you know, showing her support. it was amazing. my heart stopped when it happened. i couldn't believe it. right, let's get down to it.

tim allman, bbc news. and that vaccine mentioned in tim allman‘s report, developed by oxford university and astrazeneca will be rolled out from the 4th of january, that's according to a report in the sunday telegraph. the british government hopes to give the first dose of either the oxford or the pfizer/biontech vaccine to 2 million people over the next two weeks, the newspaper says. the oxford vaccine is expected to be approved by medical regulators in next few days. political commentator jo phillips says the plan is a very wlecome news. we all need a bit of good news and this is encouraging. it should be available from january the fourth and the government wants to million people vaccinated within a fortnight. this is a much easier drug, if you like, because it does not have to be kept at such low temperatures. as far as kept at such low temperatures. as farasi kept at such low temperatures. as far as i know, i think you only need one of these so hopefully, if this comes online as soon asjanuary hopefu

tim allman explains. this year, perhaps more than any other year, people could do with a little luck in their lives. hundreds of people queueing up for hours at this kiosk in madrid. it is considered the luckiest kiosk in the country, selling lottery tickets for more than a century. translation: it's a dream for the end of this year. people want to leave misery behind, poverty. i don't know, everyone has a different wish, something for the family, or whatever. el gordo dates back more than 200 years. the prizes big more than two billion euros. but there are usually lots and lots of winners. hence the long queues, although the shadow of coronavirus still hangs over the proceedings. translation: i've been waiting in line for two hours and the security measures were respected a lot less at the end, a bit more at the start. there were no police or security personnel to ensure social distancing. like many countries in europe, infection numbers are rising, restrictions are being tightened. but despite it all, e

tim allman, bbc news. a song released 26 years ago — a beloved christmas favourite — has finally reached number one in the charts here in the uk(upsot six seconds "xmas is you")mariah carey's "all i want for christmas" was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back in 1994. but now it's knocked ariana grande off the top spot. she had —— in the uk. mariah carey's "all i want for christmas" was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back in 1994. but now it's knocked ariana grande off the top spot. mariah carey's fans have had a crucial role in this success. earlier i spoke to one of them, jeff ingold, who's been campaigning to get the song to number one in the uk. he told me how he's done it. lots of tweets, lots of instagram stories, lots of telling all my friends. it was a lot of work but very worth it because it happened — earlier than i thought it would. and she's been retweeting you. she did, yeah. she tweeted me on sunday, you know, showing her support. it was am

the bbc‘s tim allman has more. like a carefully planned military operation, the rescue tea m military operation, the rescue team began their work to stop the first priority — find a d raft. the first priority — find a draft. —— giraffe. waiting through the floodwaters of the soon through the floodwaters of the soon enough, they did. if this giraffe, said to be the most vulnerable of the animal stranded here. they are known as ros childs giraffe, an endangered species only reintroduce this area only 10 yea rs reintroduce this area only 10 years ago. there are left to be only 3000 of them left in africa and about 800 damage in africa and about 800 damage in africa at about 800 mand canuel. once she was subdued, she was led onto a barge so she could be transported to the mainland. this had once been a peninsula but the rising levels in the lake meant that it was now in ireland. these giraffes need space, hence the need for this rather interest rescue. one very important passenger who seems perfectly content to

tim allman, bbc news. the israeli prime minister has been vaccinated against covid—19 live on television. it comes as his government begins the rollout of the pfizer biontech vaccine. he was joined by the israeli health minister in the tv appearance, and is believed to have been the country? first vaccinated citizen. afterwards he spoke to reporters. no, i wasn't nervous, and i thought it was a important to make a personal exa m ples important to make a personal examples is that all israelis will vaccinate themselves, because if we do this together, we will be the coronavirus, sooner we will be the coronavirus, sooner than people expect. before we go, let's show you some pictures of a violent confrontation that took place at a zoo in russia. on one side was a panda called ru yi, on the other was a snowman. zoo keepers in moscow used it as a test for the animal, placing carrots and branches in its body. ru yi used his formidable martial arts to destroy the snowman, and was then able to eat his dinner. tha

the bbc‘s tim allman has more. like a carefully planned military operation, the rescue team began their work. first priority — find a giraffe. wading through the flood waters of longicharo island, soon enough, they did. meet asiwa, said to be the most vulnerable of the animals stranded here. they are known as rothschild giraffes, an endangered species that was only reintroduced to this area ten years ago. there are believed to be only 3,000 of them left in africa and around 800 in kenya. 0nce asiwa was subdued, she was led onto a barge so she could be transported to the mainland. this had once been a peninsula, but the rising levels of lake baringo meant it was now an island. these giraffes need space, hence the need for this rather picturesque rescue. one very important passenger who seemed perfectly content to watch the world go by. back on dry land, asiwa was released to her new home. so far, two giraffes have been rescued, another six will be moved in the coming months. a big day for asiwa. a moment of triump