rebecca morelle, bbc news. and here in the uk, the charity campaigners, ladbaby, have claimed the christmas number one spot for a record—breaking fourth year in a row. sausage rolls for everyone, the duo's collaboration with ed sheeran and sir eltonjohn, hit the top spot on friday. ladbaby have now surpassed the beatles and the spice girls as the act with the most consecutive christmas number ones. coming up next, pasties at christmas. that is next year. it is just it isjust a it is just a suggestion. in the queen's christmas day broadcast, a short while ago, she has spoken for the first time in some detail about the loss of her husband, prince philip, who died in april. the monarch poignantly reflected on a year of personal grief saying there was "one familiar laugh missing" amid the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. she remarked how his "mischievous, enquiring twinkle" was as bright at the end as when she first set eyes on him, as she empathised with families who had lost loved ones this year.

rebecca morelle bbc news. let's just remind you of that breaking news in the past half hour — that britons will be able to travel through france to other eu countries. there was some confusion when eurotunnel suggested british citizens had been banned from driving across france to homes in other european union countries. eurotunnel have now said that they are �*delighted that the french government has responded positively to its requests for flexibility in travel rules for passengers transiting france to return home to other european countries during the holiday period'. they say it should be completed by the 28th of december. this is bbc news. thank you for watching. it has been very mild again today and it could be the warmest new year's eve and new year's day on record. we will stick with the exceptionally mild air in the uk, blustery winds with that bit where winds come from is significant because it is the warm winds bringing warmth up from madeira and heading northwards and bringing lots of cloud. th

rebecca morelle, bbc news. spanish officials say the volcanic eruption in the canary islands has finally come to an end after three months. no one was injured during the 85 day ordeal on the island of la palma. but the volcano destroyed properties and submerged hundreds of hectares of land, as jack surfleet reports. it was the first eruption on la palma since 1971. the cumbre vieja volcano burst into action on the 19th of september, flowing down the mountain, through villages, and spanning up to 600 metres wide. in its path were 1,300 homes, churches and schools, all of which were destroyed. rescue teams helped to relocate more than 7,000 people from their homes. many have lost almost everything they own. an exclusion zone was set up around the flow, including in the sea, where the molten rock boiled seawater, released poisonous gases and increased the size of the island. there had been no earth tremors since the 13th of december — the longest period without any activity since the eruption began — but autho

rebecca morelle, bbc news. and the author and astronomer tom kerss has been explaining the significance of the significance of the telescope and its expensive price tag.. it started way back in the 90s, it started way back in the 90s, i have been following this mission my entire professional life and as a student. it has taken a long time to get here. it is a red letter day for astronomy. yes, it is expensive but it's a highly capable platform for astronomy and it will provide as much as ten years of absolutely cutting edge astronomical observations. when you look at for example the success of something like hubble than the price tag seems a bit more reasonable. these things are worth paying for because they make a tremendous contribution to the scientific community. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... residents on the spanish island of la palma, breathe a sigh of relief as the volcanic eruption finally comes to an end after three months. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. queen elizabeth speaks abo

rebecca morelle, bbc news. in the final premier league match of 2021, manchester united have been playing burnley at old trafford. 0ur sports correspondent andy swiss has been watching the game. 0n the eve of sir alex ferguson's 80th birthday, could the current manchester united give him the perfect present? well, just seven minutes in against burnley and scott mctominay obliged. he certainly enjoyed it, and he wasn't alone. and burnley�*s night soon got even worse. first jadon sancho's deflected effort doubled united's lead and when mctominay�*s shot rebounded to cristiano ronaldo, it was 3—0 and it will surely game over. not quite, as aaron lennon pulled one back for burnley at the end of a breathless first half. after the break, though, it was united that threatened once more. burnley keeper wayne hennessey denying first mctominay and then edinson cavani. his brilliance matched only by his bravery. but united held on for a 3—1victory which moves them up to sixth, and which ended the year on a winning

rebecca morelle, bbc news. it may be a scaled—back welcome to 2022, thanks once again to the pandemic, but it simply wouldn't be new year's eve without some age—old traditions. tanya dendrinos has more. anticipation for the year ahead. traditional rituals were performed by peruvian shaman is in lima as they made their predictions for 2022. from local politics to geopolitics, there was plenty being visualised. including, of course, football. translation: the peruvian national team, we consider they are going to the world cup. consider they are going to the world cop-— consider they are going to the world cup. albeit another year of more subdued _ world cup. albeit another year of more subdued celebrations, the global welcoming committee is ready. holidaymakers were lining the shore of copacabana beachin lining the shore of copacabana beach in brazil while in new york, the iconic times square ball drop was tested.- york, the iconic times square ball drop was tested. those 60 seconds when _ ball drop was tes

rebecca morelle, bbc news. fingers crossed that goes smoothly. we will keep you up—to—date with all things going on in outer space as well as on earth. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones hello there. it's been very mild today, like yesterday. temperatures reached 16 degrees, this time around cambridge, helped by a bit of sunshine. we stay in this very mild airfor the next few days into the new year. it'll be accompanied by some blustery winds, mind you. the winds are coming from a long way south, all the way from the azores and madeira, bringing that mild air up to the uk, bringing in a lot of moisture in the form of cloud, and there's still some rain around as well. we've got some wet weather into this evening across northern england and northern ireland. 0vernight, that pushes up into central, southern scotland, and we'll see a band of rain sweeping eastwards across other parts of england and wales. that'll be helped along by some blustery winds, which will keep it mild. temperat

rebecca morelle, bbc news. we can speak now to dr renske smit, an astronomer and astrophysicist at liverpooljohn moores university. thank you forjoining us. how do you think this is going? we are hearing a lot about looking back at how galaxies were formed on the formation of stars.— galaxies were formed on the formation of stars. yes, so for the mission is — formation of stars. yes, so for the mission is going — formation of stars. yes, so for the mission is going well— formation of stars. yes, so for the mission is going well but - formation of stars. yes, so for the mission is going well but the - formation of stars. yes, so for the mission is going well but the next| mission is going well but the next two days are going to be nerve—wracking. it is crucial that it works and we will not be getting end date for this happening. who; it works and we will not be getting end date for this happening. why is it so important _ end date for this happening. why is it so important that _ end date for this happ

rebecca morelle, bbc news. the former england and yorkshire cricket captain ray illingworth has died. he was 89 and had been suffering from cancer. our sport correspondent, joe wilson, looks back on his life. backin back in 1971 he was the captain of the test team. raymond illingworth, batsman, bowler, leader, a cricketer for all seasons. he began his career in the 1950s. it must be out. he finally stopped playing in the 1980s. just think, when he became england captain in 1969, they wondered then if he was too old. some people said this is too old to start being captain of england? yes, well obviously it's not a ten year policy or anything like that, but i think i am still as on the ball as i have ever been. i don't think it makes any difference. in sydney in 1971, during a fractious ashes test, he led his players off the field when beer cans were thrown from the stands. yes, he is out. the end of the match. his team—mates carried him off when england won the match and the series. this must surely be the gre

rebecca morelle, bbc news. security forces in the sudanese capital, khartoum, have fired tear gas in an effort to disperse the latest pro democracy protests. the demonstrators converged on the presidential palace for the second time in a week, but were met by a heavy security presence. earlier, the military government restricted phone and internet services and blocked roads leading to the city. at least 48 protestors have been killed since a coup in october. the latest headlines on bbc news... queen elizabeth speaks about her personal grief over the death of her husband, prince philip, in her christmas day message, saying there was "one familiar laugh missing", amid the continuing impact of the pandemic. a 19—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of trespassing in the grounds of windsor castle, the official residence of queen elizabeth. members of the royal family have been informed. in his christmas message, pope francis highlighted the tragedies in yemen and syria, which he said are being passed ove

rebecca morelle, bbc news. the duchess of cambridge has performed at her own christmas carol event, taking to the piano at a special service from westminster abbey broadcast on christmas eve in the uk. # round the table banter flows # round the table banter flows # praying no—one... . kate hosted the carol service as a thank you to people who supported their communities during the pandemic. she accompanied tom walker on the piano during a performance of �*for those who can't be here'. the singer described kate as an �*amazing musician', and said the pair got together for top—secret rehearsals in a recording studio ahead of the concert. and now for a christmas treat, see if you can guess this famous holiday track. music plays. well the instrumental is, of course, jingle bells , from joni mitchell's classic �*river�*. the song first appeared on her landmark album �*blue�* back in 1971 —, and 50 years later, it's gotten its first music video in time for christmas. let's have a listen. # cutting d

rebecca morelle, bbc news. it may be a scaled—back welcome to 2022, thanks once again to the pandemic, but it simply wouldn't be new year's eve without some age—old traditions. but even the most familiar ways to welcome in the new year need a bit of practice, as tanya dendrinos reports. anticipation for the year ahead. traditional rituals were performed by peruvian shamans in lima as they made their predictions for 2022. from local politics to geopolitics, there was plenty being visualised — including, of course, football. translation: the peruvian national team, we can see i that they are going to the world cup. albeit another year of more subdued celebrations, the global welcoming committee is ready. holidaymakers were lining the shore of copacabana beach in brazil, while in new york, the iconic times square ball drop was tested. those 60 seconds, when the entire world is watching that ball behind me, we're all counting down together in unison, filled with joy — it's truly this thunderstruck moment wh

rebecca morelle, bbc news. i'm joined now by author and astrologer tom kerss. he joins us live from mount dora in florida. thank you forjoining us. this is pretty exciting stuff, isn't it? quite a hefty price tag, though, $9.7 billion, having started at $500 million. , , ., $9.7 billion, having started at $500 million. , , . . ~ million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, — million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, i — million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, l have _ million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, i have been _ million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, i have been following i the 1990s, i have been following this mission my entire professional life and as a student so it has taken a long time to get here. it is a red letter day for astronomy. yes, it is expensive but it is a highly capable platform for astronomy and it is going to provide as much as ten years of absolutely cutting—edge astronomical observations and when you look at the success or something like the hubble telescope, and the price tag seems a bit mo

rebecca morelle, bbc news. and a short while ago i spoke to the author and astronomer tom kerss. i'v e i've been following the submission for all of my life and as a student and so, it is taking a long time to get here, a red letter day for astronomy and yes, it is expensive, but it is a highly capable platform for astronomy is going to provide as much is ten years of absolute cutting hedge astronomical observations because the success of something like, this, these things are with paying for because they are invaluable to the scientific community. as astronomers, we are the closest you can get the time travellers. we look into the real past, catching light that left before any of us or anyone that we can name was born and in the case of webb, we are talking about looking back to a time before any galaxies were born. back to when the first stars formed when the universe was just a tiny fraction of 1% of the age that it is now. it is really astonishing to think about seeing things that have never been seen before and indeed building an instrument, building this giant in space that

rebecca morelle, bbc news. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some that's it, this has been bbc news. hello. the unusually mild weather is set to stick with us as we see out the end of 2021. we had temperatures up to 16 degrees on thursday, about eight degrees above average, and for the next few days, it stays exceptionally mild and quite blustery, too. the winds coming in from the south or the south—west and drawing in the air right from the subtropics, from the canary isles right up towards the uk and actually across much of central europe as well. so, to start off your friday morning first thing on new year's eve, we've got temperatures already well in double figures, some places not falling below about 13 degrees. now, through the day, then, new year's eve this is, we're looking for a bit of rain around. it's going to clear out of northern ireland into parts of central and southern scotland. also rain clearing away from the east coast. and actually much of england, wales and northern ireland sh

rebecca morelle, bbc news. tom kerss is an astronomer and author — he explains the significance of the telescope and its price tag. it started back in the 90s and it started back in the 90s and i have been following this mission for my entire professional life and as a student so it has taken a long time to get here and it is a red letter day for astronomy. yes, it is expensive but it is a highly capable platform for astronomy and it will provide astronomy and it will provide as much as ten years of absolutely cutting—edge astronomical observations. and when you look at the success of something like hubble, well, the pricetag seems a bit more reasonable. these things are worth paying for because they make a tremendous contribution to the scientific community. as astronomers have the closest you can get to time travel as we look back into the real past, catching the light that left, in most cases before any of us were born and in the case of us were born and in the case of james of us were born and in the ca

rebecca morelle bbc news. you're watching bbc news. this is the latest from the bbc sports centre. manchester united are on course for their third win in four league games. 3—1 up against burnley at old trafford, scott mctominay got them off to a great start, united with three before half—time, ben mee's own goal deflected off a sancho effort and ronaldo putting them out offside before aaron lennon pulled one back. still 3—1 and into the second half. leicester might be relieved somewhat to learn their match on new year's day against norwich is off due to covid cases. the foxes have jamie vardy to add to the injury list, his top scorer this season suffered a hamstring injury in their win over liverpool on tuesday and faces one month on the sidelines. the leicester bus says the actor demands placed on players in the festive period played a big part in his setback. west ham manager david moyes says unlike some of his fellow premier league managers, he won't complain about fixture congestion. west ham have played three times in the week and are set to play again on new year's day

our science editor, rebecca morelle, has the story. and lift off! the moment of launch for an astronomy mission like no other, as the james webb space telescope blasted off. then the rocket casing opened up, and the telescope was released into the darkness of space, with a million mile journey ahead. but, as it travels, it has a fiendishly difficult task to do — unfolding. it's so big, we didn't have any rocket that's big enough to launch it, you know, fully deployed. so, we had to build this telescope to be folded up, to fit inside the rocket. this is really, really difficult engineering. but, you know, nasa has never shied away from doing hard things. and so i have full confidence that it's going to work. unfurling the sun shield is the most difficult part of this process. it's enormous, the size of a tennis court. first, its two halves are lowered into position. then the booms are deployed. the operation involves 400 pulleys, 400 metres of cabling and more than 100 release mechanisms that have to fire at exactly the right time. finally, the mat

rebecca morelle, bbc news. matt taylor has the weather. hello. the only thing that is tempering the exceptionally mild conditions today is the breeze. quite blustery across some southern and western areas. there will be outbreaks of rain, heaviest in the afternoon in these areas. north of that, we will have some sunny spells and one or two showers. temperatures, a fair few degrees above normal. but to the south, even with some patchy drizzle and cloud, we could hit 16—17. and that very mild story continues tonight. some heavy showers working their way eastwards. a little bit cooler to the north of that, but another exceptionally mild night and exceptionally mild today, potentially a record—breaking day on new year's eve, one of the warmest warmest on record. to the south of this rain band tomorrow, some sunny spells, a bit more than we will see today. a bit cooler further north. but overall, into the midnight hour, it will be exceptionally mild.

rebecca morelle, bbc news. that is it from us. wishing you were very happy new year. goodbye for now. hello, this is your update from the bbc sport centre. manchester united are looking to move up to sixth in the premier league table tonight, with a win over burnley. the game at old trafford kicks off in less than an hour. they're unbeaten since interim boss ralf rangnick took over at the start of the month, but they've scored just once in each of their last three league games — against crystal palace, norwich, and most recently newcastle on tuesday. i spoke to our reporter simon stone, who's at the game later, and he told me united's tactics and ideas under rangnick are yet to bed in. manchester united are run on unbeaten run, which is their best of this season. if they manage to avoid defeat against burnley tonight, that will take them to eight, obviously, and that will be as good as they have managed since the middle of last season. i think there is a bit of head scratching going on about what he has brought to the table, given that there has been a couple of unc

our science editor rebecca morelle has the story. and lift off! the moment of launch for an astronomy mission like no other, as the james webb space telescope blasted off. then the rocket casing opened up, and the telescope was released into the darkness of space, with a million mile journey ahead. but, as it travels, it has a fiendishly difficult task to do — unfolding. it's so big, we didn't have any rocket that's big enough to launch it, you know, fully deployed. so, we had to build this telescope to be folded up, to fit inside the rocket. this is really, really difficult engineering. but, you know, nasa has never shied away from doing hard things. and so i have full confidence that it's going to work. unfurling the sun shield is the most difficult part of this process. it's enormous, the size of a tennis court. first, its two halves are lowered into position. then the booms are deployed. the operation involves 400 pulleys, 400 metres of cabling and more than 100 release mechanisms that have to fire at exactly the right time. finally, the mat

rebecca morelle, bbc news. the arduous reconstruction process is underway on the spanish island of la palma where a volcano erupted in september. excavators are digging their way through the solidified lava flows while engineers are working to ensure conditions are safe. the eruption of the volcano was declared over on christmas day, after three long months of spewing ash and molten rock over the island. more than 3,000 buildings were destroyed along with hundreds of acres of farmland, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. that is just about it from us. stay tuned on bbc news. in 04 watching and see you soon. —— thank you for watching. hello. the unusually mild weather is set to stick with us as we see out the end of 2021. we had temperatures up to 16 degrees on thursday, about eight degrees above average, and for the next few days, it stays exceptionally mild the winds coming in from the south or the south—west and drawing in the air right from the subtropics, from the canary isles right up t

rebecca morelle, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: residents on the spanish island of la palma, breathe a sigh of relief as the volcanic eruption finally comes to an end after three months. the world of music's 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 said 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. m 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 fr

rebecca morelle, bbc news. astronomer professor garth illingworth has been involved in the webb project at various stages — he was at mission control and told me more about what it was like to watch we have a it up. we are going to have an incredibly cold telescope and we are going to work in a regime which is invisible to us from our eyes and practically impossible to work from the earth. then we are going to look back through essentially all of time to when the very first stars and galaxies formed, and how they grew into the magnificent galaxies like our milky way. but it is notjust that. we are going to be exploring planets around nearby stars to try and understand their origins. and whether they have a lie. and so this is an amazing telescope. hobble on steroids. 0ur science correspondent jonathan amosjoins me now. jonathan, you heard his experience of this. you are a science journalist. you have been following this project, or at least aware of it, for years. what is your assessment of it?- it, for years

rebecca morelle, bbc news. a reminder of our top story: after a phone conversation between the presidents of russia and the united states which centred on ukraine, the white house said president biden urged russia to de—escalate tensions over the concentration of thousands of russian troops on ukraine's border. he urged russia to pursue a diplomatic solution, but made it clear that the united states and its allies would respond decisively if russia futher invades ukraine. stay tuned right here on bbc news. hello. the unusually mild weather is set to stick with us as we see out the end of 2021. we had temperatures up to 16 degrees on thursday, about eight degrees above average, and for the next few days, it stays exceptionally mild and quite blustery, too. the winds coming in from the south or the south—west and drawing in the air right from the subtropics, from the canary isles right up towards the uk and actually across much of central europe as well. so, to start off your friday morning first thing on new

rebecca morelle, bbc news. with me to talk us through the launch and the importance of the mission is european space agency instrument scientist dr sarah kendrew, who is part of the team behind the miri infrared apparatus on webb. she is at the launch site — waiting for the rocket to go up. thank you so much. what an extraordinary day this is for you, christmas day and a rocket launch, who could ask for more? what has your role been in this project? i have been part of the team that helped get miri ready for launch. for over ten years now, first in europe and for about six years i've been based in baltimore. in the last few years that has been a lot of practising for today and the next few months. it is quite surreal that all the things that we've been working for are about to happen. you have to have — working for are about to happen. you have to have a certain amount of patients to work on a project like this, don't you? your heart must be in your mouth waiting for this to happen because so many things th

rebecca morelle, bbc news. astronomer professor garth illingworth has been involved in the webb project at various stages. he was at mission control and told me more about what it was like to watch the launch. we have scaled it up. we are going to have an incredibly cold telescope and we are going to work in a regime which is invisible to us from our eyes and practically impossible to work from from the earth. and then we are going to look back through essentially all of time to when the very first stars granny galaxies formed, and how they grew into the magnificent galaxies like our milky way and draw mother today. we are also going to be exploring planets around nearby stars to try to understand their origins. and whether they have a life. and so this is an amazing telescope. and as you say, hubble on steroids, it definitely is. i you say, hubble on steroids, it definitely is.— you say, hubble on steroids, it definitely is. i was only quoting his own words _ definitely is. i was only quoting his own words b

rebecca morelle, bbc news. we are an hour and a half away from the launch of the james webb telescope. that is what we are seeing live where the launch will take place. our science correspondentjonathan amos joins me now. looks like you had a wallpaper stripper out. that's a very barren room. very festive and thank you for going to the trouble. i room. very festive and thank you for going to the trouble.— going to the trouble. i have cleared m mind going to the trouble. i have cleared my mind as — going to the trouble. i have cleared my mind as well, _ going to the trouble. i have cleared my mind as well, martin,. - going to the trouble. i have cleared my mind as well, martin,. my - going to the trouble. i have cleared | my mind as well, martin,. my palms are sweating, my palms are sweating. they have waited 30 years for this thing and that's how long they have been designing and building this. $10 billion. that is the price ticket on this mission and in under two hours, they are going to put it on top as a

rebecca morelle, bbc news. just two and a half hours before the telescope is thrust into space and will bring that live here on bbc news. christmas celebrations have taken place in bethlehem, including an annual procession led by the head of the roman catholic church in the region. the events culminated in a mass at the church of the nativity, built on the spot where it's believed thatjesus was born. but for a second year running, the celebrations were without their usual international crowds because of a ban on foreign visitors, due to covid—i9. much more from us in the hours ahead. stay with us on bbc news. a very good morning to you. christmas morning has been all right so far. weather—wise we have had a lot under the christmas tree, it's a fairly cloudy, damp, drizzly and fairly mild, but in the north and east it has been chilly and i has a cold wind has been a feature as we go through the day but for those of you wanting a white christmas, many disappointed but we have had some and from the shetland an

rebecca morelle, bbc news. finally, if you were dreaming of a white christmas, you need to be in scotland or the yorkshire dales. this is how things are looking in braemar and aboyne, in aberdeenshire. perthshire, the shetlands and parts of yorkshire are also enjoying festive weather. for the rest of us, it's something more traditional — rain. that's it from the newsroom for now. the queen's speech is on bbc one at 3pm. the next news on bbc one is at ten to midnight. enjoy the rest of your day. you're watching bbc news. pope francis has called for more dialogue and warned against a tendency to withdraw during the coronavirus pandemic. here's the pope addressing a crowd at saint peter's sqaure during his christmas day speech. translation: sister and brothers, what would our _ translation: sister and brothers, what would our record _ translation: sister and brothers, what would our record of— translation: sister and brothers, what would our record of the - translation: sister and brothers, what would our reco

rebecca morelle bbc news. that's it for now. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. you're watching bbc news. a coroner has given a verdict at the inquest into the death of the liverpool women's hospital bomber, emad al swealmeen. a narrative conclusion was reached that al swealmean died in a taxi in front of the hospital, from an explosion and subsequent fire, caused by an improvised explosive device which he had carried into the vehicle. it said that he'd manufactured the device with "murderous intent". our correspondent, yunnus mulla, gave us the latest from outside the coroners' court. emad al swealmeen died in a taxi in front of liverpool women's hospital on remembrance sunday. today, an inquest was held here at liverpool and wirral coroner's court. he died as a result of an explosion and the subsequent fire caused by an improvised explosive device that was built at his flat in liverpool, described as a bomb—making factory. the senior coroner said it is clear from the evidence, even beyond the balan

rebecca morelle, bbc news. france has broken its daily record for covid infections. the country saw over 100,000 cases reported in the last 24 hours, with the 0micron variant making up for the majority. president biden has commended americans for their strength in the face of the covid—19 pandemic, urging "hope and renewal" during the holiday season. in his first christmas address as president, mr biden praised "the enormous courage, character, resilience, and resolve" of those who serve "in ways big and small." the message comes as the us continues to be rocked by deep political divisions and record inflation. the eruption of the cumbre vieja volcano in the canary islands has finally come to an end, three months after it began spewing ash and lava. no one was injured during the 85—day ordeal on the spanish island of la palma. but the volcano destroyed more than 1,300 homes, churches, and schools, and submerged hundreds of hectares of farmland. the canary islands regional security chiefjulio perez expressed relief and hope as he broke the news. translation: what

rebecca morelle, bbc news. two more members of the k—pop boy band bts have tested positive for covid—19 after returning to south korea from a concert tour in the us. they had returned to south korea from a concert tour in the us. three members of the 7—member group have become infected. australian k—pop presenter and expert andy trieu told me more. the boys tested positive on returning from the us, where they had these massive concerts. the agency confirmed suga was diagnosed with covid, rm andjin, but rm and suga received their positive tests while they were in self—quarantine after arriving home and — whilejin was released from quarantine after testing negative and received a positive test later on. and how are the fans reacting, because obviously, bts are massive. well, fans have spread the internet with words of encouragement for the boys, even trending that the words �*get the hell out of here covid', and that trended worldwide on twitter, so basically, fans are completely devastated by this

morelle — reports. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images. butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than ever before to 13 and a

rebecca morelle, bbc news. joining me from baltimore — where mission control is — astronomer, professor garth illingworth. he has been involved in the webb project at various stages. he describes the new telescope as, "hubble on steroids". professor, welcome. thatjust tells us about your enthusiasm for this project. why does it mean so much to you? project. why does it mean so much to ou? �* . ., , project. why does it mean so much to ou? �* .. , ., , project. why does it mean so much to ou? �* , ., , ., 4' you? because we have been working over 30 years _ you? because we have been working over 30 years on _ you? because we have been working over 30 years on this. _ you? because we have been working over 30 years on this. and _ you? because we have been working over 30 years on this. and now - you? because we have been working over 30 years on this. and now we i over 30 years on this. and now we are at the moment we are going to launch this and have it deploy out and start in six months revealing the

morelle has more. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images. butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than ever before to 13 and a

our science editor rebecca morelle reports. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now, the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch, to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but, you know, i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, you know, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images, butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions, like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than

our science editor rebecca morelle reports. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now, the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but, you know, i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, you know, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images, butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions, like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than

morelle reports. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images. butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than ever before to 13 and a

rebecca morelle bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. you're taking us to the seaside? why not go it is almost that sort of weather. it is exceptionally mild. it may be the mildest ever new year's eve and new year's day across the uk. we are keeping this very mild air. blustery wind, but it is where the wind is coming from that is important, coming all the way from sirs, from madeira, from the south, bringing the warmth northwards into the uk, bringing a lot of cloud. the cloud has been dinner across eastern parts of the uk, so there has been weak winter sunshine around. much more cloudy out to the west, where we have seen some rain. this rain is really gathering pace across wales, heading to the north west of england. that could push into parts of northern ireland on the south—west of scotland by the end of the day. a very mild, though. those temperatures are 12 to 15 degrees once again today. through this evening and overnight, the rain continues northwards, getting up into the central belt of scotland. some heavier rain for northern

our science editor rebecca morelle reports. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images. butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than ever before to 13.5 bil

our science editor, rebecca morelle has more. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now the james webb space telescope is finally ready to launch to begin the most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted. this telescope is absolutely the biggest and most complex and most powerful telescope that we've ever attempted to send to space. all of us astronomers are extremely eager to get this telescope into space. but i think it's going to work and i think it's going to, again, just completely revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. the telescope is a successor to hubble, which has given us amazing images. butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we've never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than ever before to 13 and a

rebecca morelle, bbc news. back down on earth, let's talk about the cricket. england face a daunting task in melbourne tonight as they face australia for the third ashes test. england are 2—0 down. they go into the famous boxing day test and to win the ashes, the team needs to win the remaining three games in the series. the actor tom hardy is spreading some festive cheer today by continuing the tradition of reading the cbeebies bedtime story tonight with his french bulldog blue by his side. merry christmas. i'm tom. this is blue. i hope you've had a magical christmas day and that your christmas day and that your christmas tree has been shining brightly all day long. he's become one of their most popular readers and his stories have been requested 1.4 million times on bbc iplayer. this evening, he will be reading the christmas pine byjulia donaldson. it is 11 minutes past six. for the last year on breakfast, we've been following the journey of friends hughie and freddie as they've raised more than 230,000 pou

rebecca morelle, bbc news. so much to talk about. let's find out more about this with drjenifer millard, an astronomer and host of the awesome astronomy podcast. good morning. hi, there. there is so much to talk— good morning. hi, there. there is so much to talk about. _ good morning. hi, there. there is so much to talk about. we _ good morning. hi, there. there is so much to talk about. we will- good morning. hi, there. there is so much to talk about. we will get i good morning. hi, there. there is so much to talk about. we will get to i much to talk about. we will get to the actual machinery in a moment, but what is it going to look at? it's going to look at are basically everything. so it is going to be looking — everything. so it is going to be looking at— everything. so it is going to be looking at the outer planets in the solar _ looking at the outer planets in the solar system, from mars, jupiter, saturn, _ solar system, from mars, jupiter, saturn, neptune, some of the icy moons _ saturn, neptune, some of the icy moons a

our science editor rebecca morelle takes a look back at some of the biggest stories. in 2021, the red planet was the destination for a trio of missions, starting with the united arab emirates making history by becoming the first arab nation to put a spacecraft into orbit around mars. it is like a weight of seven years has been lifted from my shoulders on arriving to mars. i am truly looking forward to the scientific discoveries and it is really hoped this mission will impact an entire generation to strive to things that are even bigger. there was a first for china, too, who set a rover down on the martian terrain. nasa filmed its own dramatic landing, capturing an out of this world view of mars as its rover, called perseverance, made it to the surface. safely on the surface of mars. we cannot test it on earth. this is the first time we have had a chance, as engineers, to actually see what we designed. it is hard for me to expressjust how emotional it was and how exciting it was. this mission is all about finding signs of ancient life, but new tech is being tested, too

morelle reports. and to lift off. the moment of launch for an astronomy mission like no other as the james webb space telescope blasted off. then the rocket casing opened up and the telescope was released into the darkness of space with a 1 million mile journey darkness of space with a 1 million milejourney ahead. but darkness of space with a 1 million mile journey ahead. but as it travels, it has a fiendishly difficult task to do, unfolding. it is so big. we did not have any rocket big enough to launch it, fully deployed, so we had to build this telescope to be folded up to fit inside the rocket. this is a really difficult piece of engineering. nasa has never shied away from doing hard things so i have full confidence it will work. unfurling the sun shield is the most difficult part of this process. it is enormous, the size of a tennis court. first, it is two halves and they are lowered into position. then they are lowered into position. then the booms are deployed. the operation involves 400 police,