the prime minsiter says he takes the issue very seriously. the labour leader says she shouldn't be in the house of lords. the oil giant bp suspends shipping through the red sea after attacks on vessels by rebels in yemen sparked by the war in gaza. hundreds of thousands of menopausal women could see an end to hot flushes and night sweats after a new drug is approved. it's just a revelation, as far as i was concerned, for me and the future of women with the menopause. and a kiss for this wallaby after it's rescued from record floods in northern australia. and coming up on bbc news. the champions league draw is made — with premier league leaders arsenal taking on porto, in the last 16. champions manchester city face copenhagen. arsenal fc, the finalists 2006/07,

so you can go ahead, good evening. the prime minister has said he takes "extremely seriously" the allegations against the former conservative peer, baroness mone. he said the government was taking legal action against the company run by her husband — ppe medpro. in an interview with the bbc, michelle mone admitted lying about her links to the medical clothing company and confirmed she and her family stand to benefit from the £60 million profit made during the pandemic. the couple apologised for denying their role in the deal for more than three years. and today baroness mone has hit back at rishi sunak, saying she was "honest" with the government over the contracts. 0ur poltical editor chris mason is in westminster this evening. it was an extraordinary interview. you can watch or listen to yourself on the iplayer or bbc sounds. it was

the story of an emergency. human foibles, taxpayers�* money, making money, truth and lying. a pandemic strikes. suddenly, gowns and masks, personal protective equipment, ppe is at a premium. the country needs it and needs it fast. at the time, rishi sunak held the purse strings as chancellor. covid contracts signed in a rush, and worth millions, big questions still being asked now. we take all these things incredibly seriously and that is why the government is taking legal action, and because there is a criminal action ongoing i can�*t comment any further. do you think it is ok for a former conservative peer to lie about these things and to admit about lying? as i say, what i would say is the government takes these things incredibly seriously, which is why they are pursuing legal action against the company concerned in these matters. this row is about this couple.

baroness mone, given a seat in the house of lords by the conservatives, and her husband doug barrowman. they have admitted lying about their role in the company that made millions from a ppe contract with the government, which is now being sued by the department of health, and is under investigation by the national crime agency. we should have told the press straight up, straightaway, nothing to hide, and again i am sorry for that. but i wasn�*t trying to pull the wool over anyone�*s eyes. and this afternoon michelle mone hit back at the prime minister�*s remarks this morning, asking: "what is rishi sunak talking about? "i was honest with the cabinet office, the government and the nhs, "in my dealings with them, they all knew about my involvement "from the very beginning." and look at this. the former health minister, lord bethel, is going for it. "michelle mone wasn�*t honest about her financial interests to me. "she didn�*t explain from the very beginning about her financial

involvement, it wasn�*t in her registry of interest as you would expect it, rishi sunak is right to take this very seriously." but there are serious questions for the government too, because michelle mone�*s connections mattered. i made the call to michael gove. what did you say to him? ijust said, we can help, and we want to help, and he was like, "oh my goodness, this is amazing." mr gove, why didn't you call out baroness mone's lies? no answers from michael gove today. i think this is a shocking disgrace from top to bottom, and as every day goes past there are more questions that need to be answered. covid connections and contracts. a company being sued by the government, and a police investigation ongoing. we�*ve not heard the last of this. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. the energy giant bp has suspended its shipping operations through the red sea because cargo vessels

are being attacked by huthi rebels from yemen — in a show of solidarity with hamas. this british—owned ship the galaxy leader was seized by militants last month. this is the route taken by around 12% of world shipping, which then passes through the suez canal. several major freight companies have stopped passing through here and are now taking the much longer route round africa instead — adding costs and delays. here�*s james landale. the threat to shipping in the red sea is very real. this was an attack by iranian—backed houthi fighters last month, storming a cargo ship registered in britain. the militia from yemen claiming that any vessels owned by allies of israel were legitimate targets. so intense have the attacks become, two vessels were hit by drones today, that some of

the big shipping companies are pulling out of the red sea, sending their huge vessels around southern africa instead. today, the oil giant bp announced that it too would not send its tankers through the sea way that links asia with europe. the united states, britain and other western allies do have warships in the region and have shot down some houthi drones and missiles. but lloyd austin, the us secretary of defence, visiting israel, said he wanted other nations to do more to protect shipping. wanted other nations to do more to protect shipping-— protect shipping. these attacks are reckless, dangerous, _ protect shipping. these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and - protect shipping. these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and they - reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law. so we are taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat. i would remind you that this threat. i would remind you that this is notjust a us issue, this is an international problem, and it deserves an international response. and he is right. the seaway between the suez canal in the north and the

straight in the south is crucial for world trade. and the consumer goods we order blithely online. it is about protecting _ we order blithely online. it is about protecting the supply chains because _ about protecting the supply chains because so much global trade goes through— because so much global trade goes through the suez canal, about 12% of the total— through the suez canal, about 12% of the total global trade volume. that is a huge _ the total global trade volume. that is a huge amount. the the total global trade volume. that is a huge amount.— the total global trade volume. that is a huge amount. the impact of this work is now— is a huge amount. the impact of this work is now being _ is a huge amount. the impact of this work is now being held _ is a huge amount. the impact of this work is now being held outside its i work is now being held outside its borders, diverting ships, damaging trade. the risks of escalation still very much present. james landale, bbc news. our business editor simonjack is here. will this impact energy prices? that shipping route that links the mediterranean into the suez canal, through the red sea into the iranian golf and onwards is a massive short cut from east to west. the alternative is going all the way around the southern tip of africa. that adds 3500 miles and about one or two weeks. it definitely adds cost and fuel is about 60% of shipping costs, insurance premiums, lloyds who enters a lot of the ships

says they will have to pick that up. higher costs equals higher prices. however, the shipping costs are stilljust a fraction of however, the shipping costs are still just a fraction of the however, the shipping costs are stilljust a fraction of the value of the cargo, particularly if it is oil, which is incredibly valuable. and the price of oil has actually been declining in recent weeks as the world economy has begun to slow down. they edged up today on the basis of this and bp�*s news, but they are still slightly muted. the overall economic impact of this will depend on how many other companies, like bp and others, join them in going the long way around, and for how long that lasts.— how long that lasts. simon jack, thank you- _ the prime minister, rishi sunak, says too many innocent lives have been lost in gaza, adding to growing pressure on israel for a "sustainable ceasefire". it comes after the former defence secretary ben wallace warned that the conflict risks radicalising young muslims. hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the uk government, says at least 110 palestinians were killed in israeli air strikes yesterday at the jabalia refugee

camp in northern gaza. it�*s an area where, since the early days of the war, israel has warned people to leave. there�*s been no direct response from israel, but it says it�*s targeting terrorist infrastructure. today the hamas—run health ministry said almost 19,500 people have been killed in the conflict. lucy williamsom reports from jerusalem. they say there�*s nowhere safe in gaza. the children�*s unit at nasser hospital hit by a shell yesterday. doctors and parents who once raced to get wounded children in here now scrambling to get them out. the epicenter of the dust and panic, a children�*s bedroom on the second floor. translation: we were seated - on the bed when something exploded and all the ceiling fell on us. i couldn�*t do anything. debris fell on us and we couldn�*t see anything. ijust grabbed my

daughter and escaped. i don�*t know what happened to the others. this was 13—year—old dunia�*s bed. she was sitting here when an unexploded shell punched through the ceiling. and then the wall. it killed her without ever exploding. her leg had been amputated after a previous attack that also killed her parents. i lost my family, she said last month, and i lost my leg. my dream is to become a doctor and treat children. strikes overnight on the jabalia and nuseirat refugee camps killed more than 100 people, according to hamas government officials. today, a senior hamas figure pointed to growing international calls for a ceasefire and said the us was responsible for deaths in gaza. the united states administration

is totally responsible of those massacres and violation taking place at the hand of the israeli occupation army in gaza through the us unconditional delivery of the weapons to kill palestinians without any form of accountability. america�*s defense chief has been meeting israel�*s government today. the us stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, but says it�*s keen to bring the current heavy fighting to an end. america's commitment to israel is unwavering. and no individual group or state should test our resolve. we'll continue to provide israel with the equipment that you need to defend your country, mr prime minister, including critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defense systems. israel�*s troops were reminded by their boss yesterday of the rules of war — when to fire, when to stop. orders for soldiers. questions for politicians.

lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. the bbc understands that russell brand has been questioned by police for a second time investigating allegations of sexual offences. 0ur correspondent helena wilkinson is here. helena, what more do we know? sophie, this news emerged in the last couple of hours. russell brand is believed to have been interviewed under caution by detectives from the metropolitan police last thursday. it is understood it is the second time the actor and comedian has been interviewed under caution. this time interviewed under caution. this time in relation to a further six allegations of historical six mac offences put up back in september, the investigation by the times newspaper and channel 4 dispatches when russell brand was accused of rape and sexual assault, and also emotional abuse, which he strongly denied, the metropolitan police later opened an investigation into historical alleged sexual offences.

today in a statement the met said a man in his 40s attended a police station in south london on december 14. he station in south london on december 1a. he was first questioned by police last month over three claims, the met has also said the man has now been questioned in relation to nine alleged offences.— a new type of drug that prevents hot flushes and night sweats has been approved for use in the uk. and crucially it�*s not hrt — hermone replacement therapy. it�*s called veoza and it could benefit hundreds of thousands of women going through the menopause. our medical editor fergus walsh is here to explain. a hot flash is when you get a feeling from your toes right the way up your body, to the top of your head, of heat. it�*s very uncomfortable and you feel very hot and sweaty. elaine barker, who is 68, used to have hot flashes day and night until shejoined a medical trial of a new, non—hormonal, menopause drug. the daily tablets worked.

my symptoms improved immensely and it�*s great, a great feeling. notjust for me, for the future for us women who suffer with it. up to 80% of women going through the menopause experience hot flushes and night sweats which can have a significant impact on daily life. the new drug veoza, also known as fezolinetant, works by blocking a protein in the brain called neurokinin b which plays a key role in regulating body temperature. it�*s likely to be an option for women who can�*t take hrt, such as those with a history of cancer or blood clots. but it�*s worth stressing that it won�*t control other menopause symptoms listed here. now, like all drugs, it can have side effects. the most common are diarrhoea and insomnia. veoza is now licensed in the uk, but not approved for use by the nhs. the health body nice is not expected

to assess it until next summer. in the us, the list price is £430 a month. so it�*s far from clear when other women will be it�*s —— so it�*s farfrom clear when other women will be able to benefit like elaine. for now, the drug would only be available privately . fergus walsh, bbc news our top story this evening. after michelle mone admits she lied over her involvement with ppe contracts during covid, the prime minsiter says he takes the issue very seriously. coming up. long or short here. the unexpected controversy sparked by the winner of the 2020 for miss france pageant. coming up on bbc news. it�*s one of the most gruelling endurance events on the planet — we speak of one of the favourites for the dakar rally — sam sunderland — on his hopes for a third title in the desert.

the possibility of devolution being restored in northern ireland before christmas has been ruled out, with the long running political deadlock looking set to continue. the democratic unionist party began the boycot in early 2022. they took that position in protest at post—brexit trading rules, which they believe undermines northern ireland�*s place in the uk. more recently, there have been talks about a £2.5 billion financial offer from the uk government — who were hoping that could help push an agreement on power—sharing over the line before parliamentary recess tomorrow. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page is in belfast now at stormont. well we are into another christmas negotiation and this is something of a seasonal tradition in northern ireland, during political crises a seasonal tradition in northern ireland, during political crises of

the past the 25th december has often become a sort of unofficial deadline for agreements, become a sort of unofficial deadline foragreements, now become a sort of unofficial deadline for agreements, now the westminster government had hoped that tomorrow the last day of parliament before the last day of parliament before the christmas break they would be able to bring forward legislation to help deal with the democratic unionist party concerns about brexit trading arranges. and that would pave the way for a swift restoration of the devolved government but today the dup had made clear that it won�*t be lifting its veto on the formation of a o —— power—sharing coalition this week. the other main parties have expressed strong frustration, including sinn fein, the irish nationalist group which stands to take the first minister ice position for the first time, if devolution does return. while there hasn�*t been a breakthrough in this process, there hasn�*t been a break down either, local politicians are currently in negotiations with westminster government officials here at hillsborough castle about financialer support for northern ireland. in the morning they will be

back round the table with chris heaton harris and he will be under pressure to spell out his next steps as this process looks like it is going to role into 2024. chris page with the latest there. chris page with the latest there. so what impact is it all having on public services in northern ireland? 0ur ireland correspondent sara girvin has been finding out. four stories, four lives in northern ireland. the chokehold that is over this country, everything has just ground to a halt. i live with chronic pain, _ and i have been told that i have got a waiting list of three years. i have been teaching l forjust over 35 years. the system is crumbling. i would just love as to be i in a place where there is no child that goes without. hospital waiting lists in northern ireland are the worst in the united kingdom. hazel lives with chronic pain, but has been told she will be waiting up to three years for help. on a good day, my pain levels are an eight out of ten. on a bad day, they are an 11 out of ten.

it is as if somebody is injecting acid into you. she wants politicians to prioritise waiting lists. i feel like i have been left on a shelf is probably - the best way to describe it. you are just left, and we will deal with you when we get round to it. teachers in northern ireland will strike next month in a long—running dispute over pay and conditions. teachers, classroom assistants, school leaders are demoralised in northern ireland. we don't have the support we need, our children are not getting the education they deserve. 0ur politicians have been at fault for this, so they need to take action now. they need to get back to work. antrim�*s baby bank supplies basic items to new parents. demand has doubled over the past few months alone. i have seen more people come, more people who are working, | more people who would normally feel like they could make it themselves. so many people are struggling to make ends meet. sharon has this message for politicians.

parents should always be at the forefront of thinking because i think it is very important that not a single child goes without their basic essentials. emma is a university lecturer. she and partner alison pay nearly £2000 a month in child care for twins ivy and jonah. last month i ran out of money. my father had to help pay for me to get the train to work. it is embarrassing to have to do that, but that is literally where i am at. ijust have no money. if i struggle in my profession and my line of work, i actually don't bear to think about how other people cope. earlier this year, prime minister rishi sunak announced an expansion of free childcare, but that wasn�*t implemented in northern ireland. emma hopes a new executive will change that. you are voted in by people and you're letting us down. i hope that when they do get back up

and running that they can see from stories like us what it is really like to be a citizen here. sarah girvin, bbc news, in county antrim. now a look at some other stories making the news today. a body found in a river has been formally identified as that of missing mother—of—three, gaynor lord. ms lord disappeared after leaving work in norwich on 8th december. specialist divers retrieved her body from the river wensum on friday. norfolk police said there is no evidence of third—party involvement. cash—strapped councils will get a funding increase of 6.5% as part of a new settlement for local government. levelling up secretary michael gove announced the rise for the next financial year. the local government association said the settlement is �*unthinkable�* and that it would not be enough to meet demand for services. residents in bristol who were evacuated from their homes after urgent structural safety concerns were raised have been told they will be able to return to the city�*s oldest tower block.

the 1500 residents will be able to move back some time after new year, once essential work is carried out to make barton house safe. at least 4,000 american bully xl owners have applied for exemption from the ban which comes in on 1st february. it will then be illegal to own a bully xl in england and wales. 0wners who do not wish to keep their dogs can have them euthanised and those on the exempt list will have to be neutered and microchipped. independent retailers say they are worried about a big spike in shoplifting over christmas and new year. the british independent retailers association says any increase could send some shops under and it says many of its members feel abandoned by the police. the national police chiefs�* council says it is "committed to tackling offenders and supporting retailers in reducing shoplifting". jim connolly reports> jim connolly reports. he was walking down towards my

counter, where i have got my pokemon cards. shop owner lisa says the man is using his child as a decoy. his arm will go backwards in a minute and grab another lot of cards. she says over £200 worth of cards were taken. yeah, it took me a long time to sleep better at night after this. lisa says she reported it, but no one was arrested. west yorkshire police told us they carried out facial recognition work, but neither this or a public appeal identified the suspect. lisa and more than 80 businesses in this leeds suburb have come together to create their own early warning system on whatsapp. if a potential thief has been in a shop, they will put on immediately, "watch out for this person." just down the road, rachel worries she could face more shoplifting this festive period. i am spending more on staff wages to have eyes absolutely everywhere. she is not alone. the british independent retailers association told us it to viewers a rise in theft this christmas and worries some businesses may go under. in london, annie wants to pass her 70—year—old family business down to her daughter, katie, but fears shoplifting is making that difficult. even the slightest little thing will impact as,

and it means more staff, and we can�*t afford to keep more staff. we do report it to the police, but again, they are not going to do anything, it is not worth it for them. the national police chiefs�* council told us local forces deploy resources where they can be most effective in catching offenders and keeping people safe. to tackle the problem, katie started uploading photos of suspected shoplifters to facebook. you would not believe how many messages we get saying, "this is the person's name, address." i will send a letter, i will post it, because a stamp is worth getting my £25 back of the stock you stole. do you sometimes worry about a sort of vigilante element to it, that you could be encouraging other people to act on your behalf. we will not post anyone unless we are adamant that we can see them physically pick it up, take it out, and there

was no question is that they were trying to... they are trying to dodge cameras. they look at the cameras nine times out of ten. everyone we have met says shoplifting has put a strain on their business, but what is striking as they have all taken strength from the communities around them to fight back. jim connolly, bbc news. emergency services in northern australia have rescued hundreds of people trapped by flooding, after record levels of rain over the past week. in the state of queensland, people were stuck on roofs as rising waters cut off entire areas. tourists in cairns were also left stranded after their flights were cancelled. this was the airport in cairns where, for the first time, floodwaters left aircraft semi submerged, after more than two metres of rain in the past week. the torrents of water have flushed all kind of things through residential streets, including crocodiles. this one captured by wildlife officers, after it was spotted near a petrol station.

it�*s important that people recognise that any of the drains and estuaries around the place, with the amount of floodwater we have had, could contain an estuarine crocodile in it. and it�*s notjust crocodiles that disorientated. kayakers went to the rescue of this cold and exhausted wallaby... atta boy. ..spotted in a flooded field. it had been searching for dry land. they managed to scoop it up and carry it to shore. a quick kiss, before they say it hopped away to safety. it was strictly come dancing that got the big tv ratings in the uk this weekend. across the channel, it was the miss france pageant that they were all tuning in to watch. and it has not been short on controversy — that�*s because it�*s the first time

ever that a woman with short hair has won it. just like strictly, there was a public vote. they chose another winner, but the judges had the final say and they chose someone else, asjon donnison reports. say bonjour to the new miss france. you might think that in 2023, showing a beauty contest on prime time tv is controversial enough. but this year, a new talking point seems to have been talked up. "the crown sits nicely on my short hair," quips 20—year—old eve gille. and in interviews, she�*s persistently reminded that she�*s the first ever winner with cropped locks. translation: i don't want to be known just as a miss _ with the short hair. it�*s always been that to be a miss, you have to fit in a certain box, but not at all. you just have to be yourself.

but eve�*s coiffure has not pleased everyone, and the fact she didn�*t win the public vote, but was only the first choice of the judges, has led a small number of people on social media to accuse the organizers of wokeism for not choosing a woman with long hair. but on the champs—elysees today, nobody we spoke to agreed with that. it�*s very mean, but i, ifind her super pretty. i don't agree at all with people, with what people are saying. i don't understand why they're like body shaming her, because she won. here in the uk, beauty contests on mainstream tv have long been consigned to history. and perhaps the real question is why more than seven million people in france chose to tune in at all. john donnison, bbc news.

financial support for northern now the weather. lots of people are asking us if it is going to be a white christmas, there a lot of weather to get through before we start to talk about that. i am starting off with this lovely damp looking christmas tree, this is pictured in cumbria this afternoon, we have colder air sinking southwards. something to bearin sinking southwards. something to bear in mind this week, if you are travelling, then there will some rain round, tricky travelling conditions, it will turn windy on thursday and friday and there is the chance of snow. a few wintry showers, they will be driving into north—west scotland there but really tonight�*s weather is about the south of england and wales where we are seeing this heavy rain spread further eastwards, very mild with temperatures not dropping below 11, but colder further north, particularly where we see the clear

skies across eastern areas, loads of 2 celsius here. that rain will gif us a soggy start tomorrow, but it will eventually clear, still a legacy of cloud across the far south and east. it is blustery through the channel but we draw in more of a north—westerly wind behind that weather front, north—westerly wind behind that weatherfront, there north—westerly wind behind that weather front, there will be a lot of sunshine around for many, some showers still out to the north and the west. temperatures dropping through the day, but it is only a brief cold day, really because then it turns warmer again on wednesday, with a warm front work, its way eastwards, this will bring rain across north—west areas of scotland. more westerly winds and temperatures climbing back up into double figures again ten or 11 degrees celsius, but thenit again ten or 11 degrees celsius, but then it is all change again into thursday, with more of a north—westerly wind, and that will driving wintry showers across scotland, a very strong gusty wind towards the north of scotland with gales possible here, maybe a coastal surge for north sea facing costs, strong gusty winds here too. it is about the winds on thursday, a few

showers, some of the showers could be wintry to