lucy williamson, our| a great deal. lucy williamson, our correspondent _ a great deal. lucy williamson, our correspondent who _ a great deal. lucy williamson, our correspondent who is _ a great deal. lucy williamson, our correspondent who is monitoring l correspondent who is monitoring events in calais. only yesterday, the home secretary priti patel said further talks were taking place between the uk and france to try to stop the crossings. so far this year, an estimated 25,600 migrants have crossed the channel to the uk, more than three times last year's figure. our home editor mark easton reports. the lucky ones made it, dozens of migrants, men, women and children reached the coast of kent today, oblivious to the tragedy in their wake. this year has seen record numbers crossing the channel in small boats, more than 20 5000, three times the number in 2020. there aren't more asylum seekers asking for sanctuary in britain, it isjust asking for sanctuary in britain, it is just that increased security and covid have combined to make traditional routes by road, rail and air

laura: lucy williamson, thank you. now to germany where three political parties have struck a deal to form the next government, putting the environment at center stage. social democrats, greens and free democrats have unveiled their agreement, which marks the end of the chancellor angela merkel era. damien mcginnis has the latest from berlin. damien: the end of an era in germany. ft's -- after 16 years of conservative government under angela merkel, germany's new leaders are younger and more radical, and they want to modernize the country. it is unusual alliance, a left-wing social docrat chancellor olaf scholz in government with the greens and business friendly liberals. in germany, it is called a traffic light coalition after the colors of each party. mr. scholz drew parallels between the incoming coalition and germany's first ever traffic light in berlin in 1924. >> my aspiration as chancellor is to make sure that this traffic light coalition can play a groundbreaking role in germany. daen: the climate change measur

laura: lucy williamson, thank you. now to germany where three political parties have struck a deal to form the next government, putting the environment at center stage. social democrats, greens and free democrats have unveiled their agreement, which marks the end of the chancellor angela merkel era. damien mcginnis has the latest from berlin. damien: the end of an era in germany. ft's -- after 16 years of conservative government under angela merkel, germany's new leaders are younger and more radical, and they want to modernize the country. it is unusual alliance, a left-wing social docrat chancellor olaf scholz in government with the greens and business friendly liberals. in gerny, it is called a traffic light coalition after the colors of each party. mr. scholz drew parallels between the incoming coalition and germany's first ever traffic light in berlin in 1924. >> my aspiration as chancellor is to make sure that this traffic light coalition can play a groundbreaking role in germany. daen: the climate change measures

lucy williamson reports. lucy: it is getting colder. the political distance a little wider each day. here in the migrantamps, caught between the two governnts, they know about barriers in communication. >> macklin says you are not serious. is he right, prime minister? >> mr. johnson said cooperation between european partners was the way to solve the migrant crisis. p.m. johnson: that again underlies the problem we have to fix. lucy: boris johnson is accused by france of using the migrant crisis for his own little ends. johnson sent out a series of twts, saying he will listen to emmanuel macron with a number of proposals. he tweeted, calling for u.k. border officers and suggesting that all illegal migrants who cross the channel be returned to france. this, he said, would break the business model of the gangs. france is irritated by mr. johnson's style of diplomacy, and it shows. >> i am surprised when things are not done seriously. we don't communicate between leaders on this issue, but weeks of published letters. >> come on, the ministe

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. >> a fitting final resting place. before we go, here is a new hobby for the extremely intrepid. how about jumping out of a plane into a volcano? sebastian alvarez has done it. he's a well-known wing suit flyer, and spent a year getting ready for the stunt, which took place in his home country of chile. he had to wait for perfect weather conditions to make sure his descent into one of chile's most dangerous volcanoes was safe, or as safe as it could be. definitely not one for me. don't know about you. thanks f narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. captioning sponsored by newshourroductions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy wood

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. police hunting the killer of 12—year—old ava white say they want a van driver who may have witnessed something "vital" to come forward. the silver enterprise van was in central liverpool on thursday evening. merseyside police say the occupants of the vehicle are in no way suspected of involvement in the schoolgirl�*s death — and they continue to question four boys arrested on suspicion of murder. there have been numerous tributes from across the world of musical theatre to the composer and lyricist stephen sondheim, who's died at the age of 91. he wrote the lyrics for west side story and the scores for many of the 20th century's most successful musicals, including a little night music and sweeney todd. stephen sondheim, described as a genius of musical theatre, who's died at the age, of 91. england's women footballers maintained their winning run in qualification for the 2023 world cup. they beat austria 1—0, with ellen white scoring the only goal on her 100th international

lucy williamson, bbc news. one of the young women who died on board that boat on wednesday has been named — maryam nuri mohamed amin from kurdistan. the family heard the news from two other people who were on board the boat. they are waiting for her body to be flown home to kurdistan. still to come. bargain hunt black friday but can supply keep up with demand? president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disasterfor the whole free ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. ofjohn kennedy is a disasterfor the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world. the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader_ margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of— margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime _ leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving to number— prime minister. before leaving to number ten to prime minister. before leaving to numberten to see pri

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. next, to the us. president biden has hailed the verdict of a court in the us state of georgia, which found three white men guilty of murdering a young black man, ahmaud arbery, while he was outjogging. the three men claimed they were defending themselves while trying to perform a citizens�* arrest on mr arbery who they said "looked like a burglar." our correspondent aleem maqbool has been following the trial in georgia. 0-4-3-3. there have been times when this moment seemed a very distant prospect. we the jury find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. 0h, woo! the shout of relief came from the father of ahmaud arbery, who was shot dead in february of last year. two others were also found guilty of murder. they'd all seen 25—year—old ahmaud running through their neighbourhood and claimed he'd fitted the description of a crime suspect. they chased him and killed him. during the trial, the man who fired the fatal shots, travis mcmichael, was the only one of the three to take to the witness stan

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. despite the obvious perils, people have still been attempting to cross the channel in the days since wednesday's tragedy, with smuggling gangs trying to convince them that the journey is safe. from france, fergal keane reports. from paris, all routes lead north. the city that is a hub for information, for contacts. many of those en route to the uk have often arrived here first. after what's happened, a lot of the smugglers are lying low. but we've been given a phone number for a man who's offering to get migrants across the channel to the uk still. i'm going to team up with a colleague to try and get in touch with this man. i meet our arabic—speaking colleague in a paris suburb. because of his continuing work investigating the gangs, he doesn't want to be identified. he's now ready to make contact with the smuggler. an automatic message came out saying, "thanks for the communication. souza the iraqi at your service." so i'm going to ask him the possibilities to cross from france to

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with us are jane merrick, policy editorfor the i newspaper, and jamie njoku—goodwin, chief executive of uk music and former special adviser to the department of health and social care. so we are in good hands for the papers tonight! let's take a look at tomorrow's front pages, then. the expansions of the government's covid booster programme dominates the front pages. the is lead focuses on the pledge by the prime minister that everyone over the age of 18 in england will be offered a booster by the end of january. the army will be mobilized to ramp up the roll—out, says the metro, with 400 troops helping to administer half a millionjabs a day. the telegraph focuses on the tightening of covid restrictions, including a 10—day isolation for anyone who comes into contact with someone who tests positive for the omicron variant remaining in place until march next year. the guard

our paris correspondent, lucy williamson, reports. idealist and idol, singer and spy. josephine baker, adored by paris a century ago, was the star of france again today. her symbolic coffin made its way towards the pantheon carrying handfuls of earth from the four corners of her life — paris, missouri, monaco, where she's buried, and the village in france where she raised her children. translation: you're entering our pantheon because you loved - france and you showed the way. born american, at heart, there's no—one more french than you. baker crossed the atlantic to escape segregation. in paris, she found fame with audiences hungry for american idols, using her celebrity to fight racism and pass messages for the french resistance during the second world war. this is one of the greatest honours france can bestow — a seat in the resting place of its national heroes. josephine baker is the first black woman to be honoured here, a member of france's wartime resistance movement and a lifelong campaigner against racism. that campaign shaped her family too. baker adopt

lucy williamson, bbc news. one of the young women who died on board that boat on wednesday has been named — maryam nuri mohamed amin from kurdistan. the family heard the news from two other people who were on board the boat. they are waiting for her body to be flown home to kurdistan. love it or hate it, the annual shopping extravaganza black friday is under way. it's no longerjust a day, some retailers have been offering deals since the start of the month. this weekend, shoppers here in the uk are expected to spend over £9 billion — that's over 12 billion dollars. but it's the first big test for retailers as they prepare for the christmas rush. our correspondent emma simpson reports. it wouldn't be black friday without big tvs, gadgets, and appliances flying off the shelves. this vast distribution hub in newark is home to britain's biggest electrical retailer. it's their most important time of the year, but the pressure's really on. it truly has been a perfect storm of shortages across the board, so we've

lucy williamson reports from calais. the road between paris and london is getting colder, the political distance a little wider each day. here in the migrant camps, caught between the two governments, they know what it takes to bridge the channel and what the risks are if you fail. two days ago, a boat capsized, killing 27 people. tonight, the first victim was named as 24—year—old maryam nuri mohamed amin from iraqi kurdistan. herfiance said he was messaging her as the dinghy began to lose air. herfather, mourning her death in erbil, in northern iraq, spoke to the bbc. translation: from germany, she went to france, _ and in france, she got into this slaughterhouse. the whole world talks about europe is a place that is calm, that is pleasant. is this what "calm" means? around 30 people dying in the middle of the sea? this is a sin to put people through this. this tragedy has put pressure on paris and london to mend their rift over how to tackle the channel crossings. macron says you aren't serious. is he right, prime

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. more than 30 years after the lockerbie bombing, libya is considering extraditing a man wanted by the united states in connection with the attack. 270 people died when a pan am plane was brought downjust before christmas 1988 — it remains the worst terrorist attack on british soil. in 2003, libya accepted responsibility, and now the libyan foreign minister has told the bbc that it is very open to collaborating on the question of extradition. from tripoli, orla guerin reports. when something like this happens, you have a close member of your family who you love dearly, getting murdered, you're handed down a life sentence yourself. my brother was a typical 20—year—old. he, you know, loved life, he loved sports, he loved politics, he loved his friends. he was the best big brother and the worst big brother at the same time. on this dark night in 1988, the town of lockerbie was engulfed in flames and horror. the wreckage of pan am 103 crashed to earth. almost 33 years on, the us is pu

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. three people have reportedly died in the unrest in the solomon islands. the political crisis in the country is deepening, with protesters surrounding the prime minister's home for a third day, and police firing warning shots and tear gas to disperse crowds outside his residence. a building near the compound has been set alight. protesters caused further destruction in the chinatown district of the capital city, honiara. a night—time curfew has been extended. you are watching bbc news. a reminder of our top stories... a new covid strain found in southern africa is classed a "variant of concern" by the world health organisation over fears it may be more infectious and more resistant to vaccines. french president emmanuel macron is accusing the uk of not being serious about dealing with the migrant crisis as the diplomatic row deepens. the legendary composer of broadway musicals, stephen sonheim, has died at his home in connecticut. he was 91. sondheim composed and wrote lyrics for a v

lucy williamson reports from calais. the road between paris and london is getting colder, the political distance a little wider each day. here in the migrant camps, caught between the two governments, they know what it takes to bridge the channel and what the risks are if you fail. two days ago, a boat capsized, killing 27 people. tonight, the first victim was named as 24—year—old maryam nuri mohamed amin from iraqi kurdistan. her fiance said he was messaging her as the dinghy began to lose air. herfather, mourning her death in erbil, in northern iraq, spoke to the bbc. translation: from germany, she went to france and in - france, she got into this slaughterhouse. the whole world talks about europe is a place that is calm, that is pleasant. is this what "calm" means? around 30 people dying in the middle of the sea? this is a sin to put people through this. this tragedy has put pressure on paris and london to amend their rift over how to tackle the channel crossings. reporter: macron says you aren't serious. - is he

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. one of musical theatre's most revered composers and lyricists, stephen sondheim, has died at the age of 91. he created some of broadway's best known musicals and wrote the lyrics for west side story. he also had a hit with the song "send in the clowns," from the musical a little night music. daniela relph looks back at his career. # send in the clowns... it was stephen sondheim's only hit song, remarkably, because this was a man who revolutionised the american musical. as a young man, he learnt his trade from 0scar hammerstein, the lyricist who wrote shows like oklahoma and the sound of music. sondheim, too, started by doing the words, notably for leonard bernstein's music in west side story. # i like to be in america # 0k by me in america... soon, he was writing his own music as well. most of the shows that followed were hits and then in 1970 he came up with a new idea. a musical that didn't follow an obvious plot. "company" was a series of vignettes featuring a dozen central charact

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. let's get some of the day's other news. the women �*s tennis association says it remains concerned about chinese tennis star peng shuai �*s ability to communicate freely, and directly. she disappeared for three weeks after accusing the form vice premiere of a sexual assault. on saturday the ceo said he would not engage in further e—mail communications with her, because it was clear her comments were influenced up in the wta chairman says he remains deeply concerned that she is not free from censorship or coercion and has decided not to reengage until he was satisfied her responses were her own and not those of her senses. we have a senior researcher on china for human rights, and i asked her what she meant of the current situation. based on the wta assessment, i don't think she is free, even though she appear on those videos and pictures. chinese history of silencing critics, disappear them, and making them reappear on some videos, saying they are not doing that well. this fits

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. let's get some of the day's other news. hundreds of environmental protesters in serbia have blocked roads in the capital, belgrade, and several other towns. they're angry about government plans to offer the mining giant, rio tinto, the rights to extract lithium in the town of loznitza. lithium is a crucial component of electric car batteries. the protesters say its extraction would pollute land and water supplies. a young child has been injured in burkina faso as police fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting against the government's failure to stem a rise in islamist violence. two journalists were hurt in the protests, which had been banned by the authorities in the capital, ouagadougou. angry youths set up makeshift barricades and burned tyres in several neighbourhoods, including in front of the ruling party headquarters. the australian government is to introduce anti—troll legislation to make social media services, such as facebook and instagram, liable for hurtful comments published on their platforms. the new law

lucy williamson in calais. forecasters are warning tonight could be the coldest of the season — with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 10 degrees in parts of the uk. in eastern scotland and the east of england weather warnings remain in place following storm arwen — and tens of thousands of homes are still without power. here's our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie. storm arwen brought winds of over 90 mph. the damage caused was extensive. scottish power said it was the worst in many years — like here in lockerbie. trees were blown onto power lines. in the town of kintore in aberdeenshire, people are doing what they can to stay warm and fed. but they don't know when their electricity will be restored. we've had no power since friday night, when some big trees took down the cables beside our house. so we've got my 97—year—old dad in the village, so he's got power now, thankfully. but it doesn't look as though we'll be getting any power any time soon. thousands of people in wales are als

lucy williamson reports. detained a week ago for entering french waters without permission, captainjondy ward and his crew tonight got permission to leave. it'll not take us long to get ready to go to sea. half an hour, kind of notice will get the engine fired up and we'll get out of here. arriving back at his boat from a court hearing in le havre, today captain ward told the bbc in his first broadcast interview that he didn't understand why the cornelis gert jan was missing from the eu register. we had all our documents on the bridges, all in order, we have our licence to fish, everything like this, but i don't know if it was a clerical error or what caused it. does he think he's been caught up in a wider political row, my colleague asked him? the fishing row? definitely. i think we're kind of caught in the middle of this. fishing licenses have been a sensitive topic for months. under the brexit deal, french boats can still fish in british coastal waters, if they can prove they fished there before. the uk sa

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. when the taliban swept to power in afghanistan, they inherited an economy which was heavily reliant on foreign aid — large parts of the health service were entirely funded by the world bank. all of that has now changed. the bbc�*s world affairs editor, john simpson, travelled to a clinic in the hills south of kabul. the clinic here in musayyib is typical of the local health care system that was built up in the last 20 years with foreign help. not much to look at maybe, but highly effective. and then the taliban got back into power. instantly, the world bank, which had been paying for almost the whole of afghanistan's health care, cut off the flow of cash to the country. this is the result. up to nine million people could be on the verge of famine. unicef was saying up to one million children could die of malnutrition. it's a humanitarian catastrophe is what it is. with no international money coming in, clinics like this are in dire trouble. this is the pharmacy. normally, the cupb

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. tens of thousands of homes and businesses in scotland and northern england are still without power in the wake of storm arwen — with some being warned they may not be reconnected "for several days". all schools in aberdeenshire will remains closed until wednesday at the earliest. parts of wales and the midlands have also been badly affected — alexandra mackenzie reports storm arwen brought winds of over 90 mph. the damage caused was extensive. scottish power said it was the worst in many years — like here in lockerbie. trees were blown onto power lines. in the town of kintore in aberdeenshire, people are doing what they can to stay warm and fed. but they don't know when their electricity will be restored. we've had no power since friday night, when some big trees took down the cables beside our house. so we've got my 97—year—old dad, he's is in the village, so he's got power now, thankfully. but it doesn't look as though we'll be getting any power any time soon. thousands of

lucy williamson reports. it is a face that will haunt both sides of the channel. 24—year—old maryam nuri mohamed amin from northern iraq was crossing to the uk to meet her fiance. he told the bbc she had been messaging him when the boat began to lose air. in her last message she tried to reassure him that help was coming. in iraqi kurdistan herfamily�*s anger showed through their grief. translation: going to britain is very difficult. l she tried to go legally twice, she went to the embassy but the process was delayed. she was forced to go the way she did. one of her friends has also been speaking about her death. her humanity was so good, always advising me. she was like someone i looked up to for advice, so no one should try this, no one, no one deserves to die this way. this disaster has changed little in the minds of people living in migrant camps here. they are just waiting for the right weather conditions to make the same journey. take the same risks. there's been lots of finger pointing across th

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. let's get some of the day's other news. hundreds of environmental protesters in serbia have blocked roads in the capital, belgrade, and several other towns. they're angry about government plans to offer the mining giant, rio tinto, the rights to extract lithium in the town of loznitza. lithium is a crucial component of electric car batteries. the protesters say its extraction would pollute land and water supplies. a young child has been injured in burkina faso as police fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting against the government's failure to stem a rise in islamist violence. two journalists were hurt in the protests, which had been banned by the authorities in the capital, ouagadougou. angry youths set up makeshift barricades and burned tyres in several neighbourhoods, including in front of the ruling party headquarters. the women's tennis association says it remains concerned about chinese tennis star peng shuai's ability to communicate freely, openly, and directly. ms peng disappeared from public view for three week

lucy williamson reports from calais. the road between paris and london is getting colder, the political distance a little wider each day. here in the migrant camps, caught between the two governments, they know what it takes to bridge the channel and what the risks are if you fail. two days ago, a boat capsized, killing 27 people. tonight, the first victim was named as 24—year—old maryam nuri mohamed amin from iraqi kurdistan. her fiance said he was messaging her as the dinghy began to lose air. herfather, mourning her death in irbil, in northern iraq, spoke to the bbc. translation: from germany, she went to france and in - france, she got into this slaughterhouse. the whole world talks about europe is a place that is calm, that is pleasant. is this what "calm" means? around 30 people dying in the middle of the sea? this is a sin to put people through this. this tragedy has put pressure on paris and london to amend their rift over how to tackle the channel crossings. macron says you aren't serious. is he right, prime

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. joe exotic became a household name in march 2020 after the netflix docu—series, �*tiger king' became a cultural phenomenon. he's currently serving a 22—year prison sentence in texas after being found guilty of multiple charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire. on wednesday, joe exotic, took to social media announcing a biopsy has revealed he's suffering from an aggressive form of cancer and called for supporters to be his voice to be released. for more on this i'm joined byjoe exotic�*s lawyer, john phillips. just explained to me what he is arguing for, compassionate release because of this prostate cancer? release because of this rostate cancer? , ., prostate cancer? right, so joe is due a recent _ prostate cancer? right, so joe is due a recent thing _ prostate cancer? right, so joe is due a recent thing hearing l is due a recent thing hearing and justice in america it's very slow so we want to expedite that process obviously because of his cancer b

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. let's look at some other stories in brief. hundreds of environmental protesters in serbia have blocked roads in the capital, belgrade, and several other towns. they're angry about government plans to offer the mining giant, rio tinto, the rights to extract lithium in the town of loznitza. lithium is a crucial component of electric car batteries. the protesters say its extraction would pollute land and water supplies. polish border guards say a group of more than a hundred migrants tried overnight to force their way into poland from belarus helped by belarusian soldiers. officials say the belarusian forces blinded their polish counterparts with strobe lights and lasers. a young child has been injured in burkina faso as police fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting against the government's failure to stem a rise in islamist violence. two journalists were hurt in the protests, which had been banned by the authorities in the capital, ouagadougou. angry youths set up makeshift barricades and burned tyres in several neighbourhoo

lucy williamson reports from calais. the road between paris and london is getting colder, the political distance a little wider each day. here in the migrant camps, caught between the two governments, they know what it takes to bridge the channel and what the risks are if you fail. two days ago, a boat capsized, killing 27 people. tonight, the first victim was named as 24—year—old maryam nuri mohamed amin from iraqi kurdistan. herfiance said he was messaging her as the dinghy began to lose air. herfather, mourning her death in erbil, in northern iraq, spoke to the bbc. translation: from germany, she went to france, _ and in france, she got into this slaughterhouse. the whole world talks about europe as a place that is calm, that is pleasant. is this what "calm" means — around 30 people dying in the middle of the sea? this is a sin to put people through this. this tragedy has put pressure on paris and london to mend their rift over how to tackle the channel crossings. macron says you aren't serious. is he right, pri

lucy williamson reporting there. the leaders of france and britain have discussed the channel deaths by phone, agreeing to set up efforts to prevent migrant crossings. a spokesman for prime minister boris johnson said he and president emmanuel macron were clear the business model of the criminal gangs involved had to be broken. let's move now to the us state of georgia — where a jury has found three white men guilty in the killing of ahmaud arbery. he was a young black man shot dead whilejogging, in february 2020. a leaked video of his shooting became a rallying point in the black lives matter protests. the defendants in this case claimed they were acting in self defence — while the prosecution said the men were dangerous vigilantes who cornered armaud arbery. aleem maqbool has the latest from georgia. there have been times when this moment seemed a very distant prospect. we the jury find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. oh, woo! the shout of relief came from the father of ahmaud arbery, who was shot dead

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. a popular indian stand—up comedian has indicated he won't perform any more after hindu fundamentalists forced organisers to cancel several of his shows. munawar faruqui says 12 shows have been cancelled in the past two months following threats by vigilante groups to the artist and the promoters. mr faruqui — who is one of only a few muslim comics in india — says hate has won and the artist has lost. earlier this year, he spent a month in jail on charges of insulting hindu gods during a rehearsal. his lawyers say he was arrested forjokes he didn't make. the women's tennis association says it remains concerned about chinese tennis star peng shuai's ability to communicate freely, openly, and directly. peng shuai disappeared from public view for three weeks after accusing a top government official of sexual assault. the association's chairman steve simon says he won't engage in further email communications with her because it's �*clear her responses were influenced by others.�*

our correspondent lucy williamson reports from calais. waters that claimed at least 27 lives lay still today. their empty beaches a battleground between smugglers and police. translation: yesterday the tragedy hit calais, - it was a tragedy that was dreaded, that was foreseen, and we have sounded the alarm on this several times, saying that the smugglers are becoming more and more careless. this tragedy stopped two nations in their tracks. but on the channel today, it was business as usual. arrivals in kent this morning were loaded into a british double—decker bus. fearjust isn't enough to slow a trade greased by profit and fuelled by hope. the boats they came in on as flimsy and dangerous as the one that capsized yesterday. any puncture on boats like this can be fatal. the one found yesterday had deflated, the french interior minister said, like a child's paddling pool. there are questions here now about whether it may have been hit by a container ship. this is where the boat is thought to have set off from on its journey to the uk yes

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. despite the obvious perils of the channel crossing, people have still been attempting it in the days since the tragedy, with smuggling gangs trying to convince them that the journey is safe. from france, fergal keane reports. from paris, all routes lead north. the city that is a hub for information, for contacts. many of those en route to the uk have often arrived here first. after what's happened, a lot of the smugglers are lying low. but we've been given a phone number for a man who's offering to get migrants across the channel to the uk still. i'm going to team up with a colleague to try and get in touch with this man. i meet our arabic—speaking colleague in a paris suburb. because of his continuing work investigating the gangs, he doesn't want to be identified. he's now ready to make contact with the smuggler. an automatic message came out saying, "thanks for the communication. souza the iraqi at your service." so i'm going to ask him the possibilities to cross from france to uk

lucy williamson, bbc news. at 7.30pm, it's dateline london. but first, a full round up — from the bbc sport centre. i bet you are glad you are not in the studio with me tonight. i wish you well and i do feel for you. good evening. the draw for the play—offs for next year's world cup in qatar were made this afternoon, and the headlines for british fans are that if both scotland and wales win their semi—finals, then they will play each other in their final — which means only one of them can reach the tournament. scotland are at home to ukraine whilst wales will play austria in cardiff. but there are some very good sides in the play—offs including italy and portual who could also play each other in their final. there are three finals so three teams will go through. the games will take place the end of march. wales are bidding to reach their first world cup in 64 years, while scotland have waited 2a years. if we got wales in the semifinal will be a battle of britain but one of the countries is not going to make it, so it's a tough game a

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. this morning, home secretary priti patel spoke to her counterpart in the netherlands, minister for migration ankie broekers—knol, about the ongoing migration crisis and deadly crossings in the channel. both agree a returns agreement is needed to break up the criminal gangs. the headlines on bbc news... the uk government promises it will be christmas as normal despite the discovery of the 0micron variant of coronavirus. from tuesday, people in england will once again have to wear masks in shops and on public transport. the netherlands confirms that 13 people with covid on a flight that arrived at amsterdam�*s schipol airport from south africa on friday arrived at amsterdam�*s schiphol airport from south africa on friday have the new variant of covid—19. nearly 100,000 homes across the uk remain without power a this afternoon after gale force winds created by storm arwen. properties in parts of scotland, wales and northern england are affected. power companies say they hope to r

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the brilliantjosephine baker. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. good afternoon. it started cold this week but it is much milder today. the contrast in temperatures this morning to yesterday morning, you will see why. there was a solid, cold, frosty, white

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. us fashion designer, virgil abloh, the artistic director of louis vuitton's menswear collection, has died of cancer aged a1. a statement from his family on his instagram page described him as a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend. it added... " for over two years, virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma. "he chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis "in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, "all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art and culture." now it's time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins. hello, we've had an area of rain, sleet and snow moving its way southwards through scotland and england today. clearing away from the south coast through this evening, we'll keep a few wintry showers going along some eastern coasts but for many, clear skies that's going to lead to frost and ice before cloud pushes back in to the north and west of scotland and nor

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. sir frank williams, the founder of the williams formula i team, has died at the age of 79. during his time the team won nine constructors' championships and seven drivers�* titles — and dominated much of the 1980s and 1990s. lizzie greenwood hughes looks back at his life. in a sport so dominated by global big business, frank williams made formula i a family affair. the former salesman was a pioneer, building up his motor racing team from nothing, starting in an empty carpet warehouse in oxfordshire and going on to become the best in the world. seven wins for frank williams�* team. up to the chequered flag and passed it goes alanjones. i have had a wonderful life, i wouldn't change anything, truthfully. an exciting business with something to worry about. which can be quite healthy, actually. it's been very good to me. in total, williams racing won 9 constructors world titles and seven drivers titles. mansell finishes and he is world champion. and damon hill wins the japanese gran

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. to the us now. president biden has hailed the verdict of a court in the us state of georgia, which found three white men guilty of murdering a young black man, ahmaud arbery, while he was outjogging. the three men claimed they were defending themselves while trying to perform a citizens�* arrest on mr arbery who they said "looked like a burglar." our correspondent aleem maqbool has been following the trial in georgia. 0-4-3-3. there have been times when this moment seemed a very distant prospect. we, thejury, find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. 0h, woo! the shout of relief came from the father of ahmaud arbery, who was shot dead in february of last year. two others were also found guilty of murder. they'd all seen 25—year—old ahmaud running through their neighbourhood and claimed he'd fitted the description of a crime suspect. they chased him and killed him. during the trial, the man who fired the fatal shots, travis mcmichael, was the only one of the three to take to the witness sta

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. benedicte paviot is france 24's uk correspondent. we know that relations between the uk and france have been pretty poor for quite a while, but this must be a new low, rock bottom, do have a british minister dis— invited from a meeting like this? british minister dis- invited from a meeting like this?— meeting like this? yes, this is a new low. _ meeting like this? yes, this is a new low. but — meeting like this? yes, this is a new low, but coming _ meeting like this? yes, this is a new low, but coming on - meeting like this? yes, this is a new low, but coming on top - meeting like this? yes, this is a new low, but coming on top of. meeting like this? yes, this is a i new low, but coming on top of the fisheries dispute, the lack of resolution over the northern ireland protocol, the threat since july of an revocation of article 16 by the united kingdom, full suspension are only part of the brexit agreement negotiated, signed by this prime minister and this government, eight tweets on thursday night, a public letter and what is a

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. we are going to take you back to cop26 now in glasgow which was due to finish yesterday but has been put back it has been awhile since alok sharma asked residents to take their seats, some have but there are still many seats to be filled. we are expecting a short speech after that which will give us some sort of clue as to whether they are all moving together in the same direction. in whether they are all moving together in the same direction.— in the same direction. in other words whether _ in the same direction. in other words whether they _ in the same direction. in other words whether they are - in the same direction. in other| words whether they are getting in the same direction. in other- words whether they are getting any closer of signing up into a deal might the latest version of that draft agreement was published earlier today but still some consternation over parts of it. let me bring in my colleague now chris morris. what points at this stage, chris? morris. what points

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at five o'clock. bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel with ben brown. the news channel with ben brown. time is ten past on sport and time for a full round up from the bbc sport centre. here's holly hamilton. good afternoon. great britain are under pressure in their second match in the davis cup finals in austria. after beating france yesterday, dan evans was a heavy favourite to win his opening match against tomas machac — a player ranked over 100 places below him. but a frustrated evans lost in straight sets with machac winning 6—2, 7—5, coming back from 5—2 down to win the second set. that means cameron norrie had to win his match againstjiri lehecka. it went to a deciding third set but the british number one prevailed winning 6—1 in the final set. the upcoming doubles match featuring joe salisbury and neal skupski will decide the tie. emma raducanu is playin

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. much of europe is facing a surge in coronavirus cases and measures are being reimposed across the continent. the netherlands will begin a 3—week partial lockdown on saturday night ? non—essential shops, cafes, bars and nightclubs will have to close early, there will be no crowds at football matches and social distancing will be enforced. courtney bembridge reports. all chant: vrijdom! vrijheid! fury on the streets of the hague after the announcement that restrictions are back for at least three weeks. protesters threw fireworks and smoke bombs and were met with water cannons. others spent the night soaking up the nightlife while they could. cases have been steadily rising over the past two months and hospitals are once again under pressure — that's despite the country's relatively high vaccination rate. authorities say more than two thirds of the patients in intensive care are unvaccinated, but the waning effectiveness of vaccines over time is also playing a part, particularly i

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. the women's tennis association says it remains concerned about chinese tennis star peng shuai's ability to communicate freely, openly, and directly. ms peng disappeared from public view for three weeks after accusing the former vice—premier zhang gaoli of sexual assault. on saturday, wta chairman and ceo steve simon, said he would not engage in further email communications with her because it was �*clear her responses were influenced by others.�* in a statement regarding the comments, the wta said: "he remains deeply concerned that peng is not free from censorship or coercion and decided not to re—engage via email until he was satisfied her responses were her own, and not those of her censors." yaqiu wang is a senior researcher on china for human rights watch, shejoins me live now from new york. thank you forjoining us. based on your knowledge and research, what is your view of what is happening to peng shuai? based on the wta _ happening to peng shuai? based on the wta assess

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. this is bbc news — our main headlines... the new omicron strain of coronavirus is detected across europe — with cases confirmed in germany, italy, belgium, the czech republic and the uk — prompting new measures. more now on our main story — dr marc van ranst is a member of the belgian government's scientific committee on coronavirus. he gave me his assessment of the concerns surrounding the new omicron strain. well, when you look at the situation in south africa, the johannesburg beach and, this omicron variant has very successfully managed to replace the already extremely transmissible delta variant. so if they can do that, if the omicron variant can do that, thenjohannesburg can do that all over the world. so you are going to replace them, a very transmissible virus, with an extremely transmissible virus, and that by itself, it is wary some. ., , ., some. so, that is where a some, but is there _ some. so, that is where a some, but is there a _ some. so, that is where a some, but is there a balance? _ some. so, that i

lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the dutch government has announced a three—week partial lockdown to try to control surging coronavirus infections. the netherlands is one of the european countries worst affected by a fourth wave of the virus, but the restrictions have sparked violents protests. anna holligan has more from the hague. these were the people enjoying some final late night drinks before the lockdown kicked in and most people here have accepted these measures as a necessary sacrifice, a temporary sacrifice for the greater good. but you know that society is divided not farfrom here, there were protests. police had to use water cannons to disperse the anti—lockdown, anti—vaccine protesters, who believe these rules are an unnecessary infringement of their freedoms, and actually, the dutch were initially seen as relatively relaxed. they were one of the last countries in the world to make facemasks mandatory, one of the last in europe to roll—out their vaccination programme, and yet here we are. the int

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. and in calais today, i've talked to local people who seem resigned to this happening night after night on their doorstep, who have little faith the situation — and the smugglers — can be controlled. and i've talked to some of those who have travelled thousands of miles to get here and hope to make it across to the uk. our europe correspondent nick beake has been inside a makeshift camp near dunkirk — to hear about their journey. beside an abandoned train track in northern france, families desperate to resume their own journey to the uk, despite the horror of the past 2a hours. for now, more than 500 people call this camp home. among them, new arrivals, this family from iraq. their family has grown in the three years they've been on the road, trudging through more than half a dozen countries to get here. romania, after hungary, after france, after the uk. but tonight, all six will sleep in this tent, and every night, until they risk the english channel. would you still be prepare

lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. we can speak now to dr shannon pfohman from the charity caritas europa. they provide help for people in migrant camps in calais. they also lobby european politicians about issues that affect them. thank you for being with us. what is the latest situation, would you say, in the calais area in terms of migrants, still wanting, despite those terrible drownings last week to get across the channel to the uk? thank you for having me. the situation in calais remains very difficult. and has been for years. previously there were the jungle camps with makeshift centres or places for people to sleep. members of our charity have been actively trying to support those people in need, providing basic resources such as food and warm clothing, especially during the cold season now. it's untenable. and with the spread of covid—19, it is really not able to maintain hygienic standards to protect people also and so, hopefully, more can be done to protect these people in need. we step in where we can but