in 13 years. rescue efforts are being hampered by sub zero temperatures. protecting commerical ships in the red sea — the us is to lead a taskforce of ten countries to counter attacks by yemen's houthi rebels. schools in england are to receive government guidance telling them that they should generally tell parents if their child wants to change gender. now, let's focus on the middle east. the united states is leading a new international taskforce of ten countries to protect commercial ships in the red sea from attacks by houthi rebels. the iranian backed group says they are in response to israel's attacks on gaza. the group targeted two more vessels on monday. the us defence secretary, lloyd austin, called it reckless and dangerous behaviour. the attacks are beginning to disrupt global maritime trade. this is the route taken by around 12% of world shipping which then passes through the suez canal. but several major freight companies

have stopped passing through here and are now taking the much longer route all the way around africa instead — adding costs and delays. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. the threats 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. shouting. there have also been drone and missile attacks — so many that shipping companies are pulling out of the red sea, sending their vessels around southern africa instead. in response, the us secretary of defence, who's visiting the middle east, has formed an international military coalition to protect ships and ensure freedom of navigation. these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and they violate

international law. and so, we're taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat. and i would remind you that this is notjust a us issue, this is an international problem and it deserves an international response. the coalition called operation prosperity guardian is made up of ten countries — including the us, the uk, canada, france, italy, and bahrain — some of whom already have warships in the region. what's not clear yet is how far they're prepared to go to defend commercial shipping. the sea way between the suez canal in the north and the bab—el—mandeb strait in the south carries about 12% of world trade — including many of the consumer goods we order blithely online. here at london's insurance markets, premiums for shipping are already going up. the price of fuel could rise, and some consumer goods could take a little longer to arrive. but much will depend on how many

shipping firms join this red sea boycott and for how long. so, the impact of this war is now being felt outside its borders — diverting ships, damaging trade. the risks of escalation still very present. james landale, bbc news. let's get more of the day's news. the united nations migration organisation has said at least 250,000 people have fled fighting on a new front in sudan as the parliamentary rapid support forces fighting the army advanced into a city south of khartoum. in mexico, the president has called for the resignation of the state prosecutor over the state's high levels of violence. 0n over the state's high levels of violence. on sunday, gunmen killed 12 people at a holiday party. the state has long had the highest numbers of murders in the country. the governor of the us state of

texas has signed a law that will, for the first time, give the state office of the authority to arrest suspected illegal migrants crossing from mexico. border enforcement is normally reserved for federal agents and prosecutors. the bill is controversial. nasa has said a high definition cat video from deep space —— has said. it uses state—of—the—art laser communication on a spaceship 31 million kilometres away from earth. the reason is to demonstrate it is possible to transmit the higher data rate communications needed to support complex missions such as sending humans to mars. the scottish government's tax and spending plans will be announced later today. economists are warning that ministers are grappling with a black hole in the budget amounting to one and a half billion pounds. 0ur scotland editorjames cook has the report. in nearly a quarter of a century of devolution, the scottish state has expanded. university tuition, prescriptions, personal care

for the elderly and much more are all free here at the point of use. but every year comes the question, how to pay the bills and balance the books. the scottish government has a limited ability to borrow money. it can cut spending and has already warned of public sectorjob losses and it can set the levels of various taxes, including income tax. so, that's the kind of pricing model that we've got. and a tax rise for higher earners does seem to be on the menu for the finance secretary. we are... we need to land as a country at recognising the needs of household budgets, absolutely. and we don't take any decisions lightly around tax, of course we don't. but also the needs of public services and our values are around making sure we have sustainable public services. but why are the public finances so tight? one reason is inflation. rising prices and rising wages do mean the government takes more in tax, they also make governing costlier. not much she can do about that.

but a lot of pressure on the budget is a result of decisions taken by the scottish government. for example, increasing welfare payments to tackle poverty and putting up pay for public sector workers to avoid strikes. the snp's decision to freeze council tax is also costly because it means finding more money to fund local authorities. maintaining the more generous public service provision in scotland and these new, more generous benefits will become increasingly difficult without substantial tax rises. more than half of the scottish government's budget comes from here — london. is now the right time for tax cuts, chancellor? it would be larger if the conservatives were spending more on public services and less on tax cuts. but the prime minister still insists it's a great deal. the uk government has provided a record amount of funding to the scottish government through the barnett formula, a record amount of funding. so, they are ultimately responsible for the finances in scot... here in scotland.

but i can tell you what we're doing in the uk is controlling spending and cutting people's taxes. soon we'll find out if the gap between scotland and other parts of the uk will widen. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. the actorjonathan majors has been dropped by marvel studios after he was found guilty, by a court in new york, of assaulting his ex girlfriend. the 34—year—old was know for playing the villain kang. jericka duncan, from cbs our us partner broadcaster, reports. jonathan majors walked out of court with heavy security after being found guilty of assault and harassment. he was acquitted of two other charges that required prosecutors to show majors intentionally committed those acts. do you think your son got a fair trial? the 34—year—old star has dimmed since he was arrested in march after a fight with his ex—girlfriend, gracejabari. he played roles in marvel films and creed 3,

but it was his performance in the tv series lovecraft country that made hollywood take notice. during deliberations, thejury asked to rewatch surveillance video from the incident in slow motion, where it appears major shoves jabari into a black escalade. another video shows jabari running after majors following the incident. he testified she grabbed major's phone after seeing a text message from another woman. in a criminal complaint, jabari accused majors of assaulting her, leaving a cut behind her ear and fracturing her finger. majors and his family didn't say anything to the media when they left court. grace jabari was not in the courtroom when the verdict was reached. she did send a statement saying she was gratified to see justice served. majors faces up to a year behind bars. he's scheduled to be sentenced on february 6th.

to australia next. the military has been deployed to queensland's far north in a race against time. tropical cyclone jasper has unleashed unprecedented floods, isolating towns and leaving residents without power, food, and clean water. in cairns, a vital gateway to the great barrier reef, 150,000 residents are restricted to emergency water usage. as major roads, railways, and the region's airport remain submerged. live now to our reporter in sydney, phil mercer. was there any sense that the rains is easing? was there any sense that the rains is easin: ? , . was there any sense that the rains is easinu? , . is easing? very much so. it illustrates _ is easing? very much so. it illustrates the _ is easing? very much so. it illustrates the capricious i is easing? very much so. it - illustrates the capricious nature of australia's climate and the weather in that in the last 2a hours, we had very serious inundation in places such as cairns and other communities across far northern queensland, in north—eastern australia. today, the emergency services say that those flood waters are receding in many places and that torrential rain is coming to an end. of course, as the

floods recede, they reveal the damage and the devastation left behind. we are also hearing stories of great heroism of individuals rescuing people from the floods. there was one man flying solo in a small helicopter who reportedly rescued more than a dozen people, one at a time, who were stuck on the roof of a pub in pouring rain. this is a story of resilient recovery and that recovery will take months if not years, you would imagine. there are still peeple _ not years, you would imagine. there are still people waiting _ not years, you would imagine. there are still people waiting to _ not years, you would imagine. there are still people waiting to be - are still people waiting to be rescued, aren't there? we've seen ictures rescued, aren't there? we've seen pictures of— rescued, aren't there? we've seen pictures of the _ rescued, aren't there? we've seen pictures of the aboriginal- rescued, aren't there? we've seen l pictures of the aboriginal community of wujal wujal, about 2000 kilometres to the north of the city of brisbane. military chinook helicopters have begun landing in wujal wujal and there is an evacuation orderfor wujal wujal and there is an evacuation order for the entire town. the people of wujal wujal, about 300 of them, will be airlifted

to safety in a place called cooktown about 80 kilometres away. when you look at the response to these sorts of emergencies in australia, on the one hand, you have the authorities and the military, who come in with helicopters, with navy assets, the police and other official emergency agencies and on the other side, you have individuals in boats, cars, and private helicopters used on farms to join the rescue effort. it all adds up join the rescue effort. it all adds up to a monumental effort. as far as we know, there are no reports of deaths or serious injuries. that is, in large part, down to this two stranded emergency response, if you like. ., , stranded emergency response, if you like. . , . ~ . like. thanks very much, phil mercer, our reporter — like. thanks very much, phil mercer, our reporter in _ like. thanks very much, phil mercer, our reporter in sydney. _ like. thanks very much, phil mercer, our reporter in sydney. thank- like. thanks very much, phil mercer, our reporter in sydney. thank you. . our reporter in sydney. thank you. christmas is days away and this is normally the busiest time in

bethlehem, where tourists and religious pilgrims gathered to remember the birth ofjesus. due to the war in gaza, things haven't quite been the same. fin gaza, things haven't quite been the same. , , ., �* same. on the streets of bethlehem and outside — same. on the streets of bethlehem and outside the _ same. on the streets of bethlehem and outside the church _ same. on the streets of bethlehem and outside the church of— same. on the streets of bethlehem and outside the church of the - and outside the church of the nativity, throngs of tourists join pilgrims and rub shoulders with costumed santas and palestinian marching bands. you can see them here. these scenes aren't from this year. the quiet streets of bethlehem are markedly different. this year. bethlehem is actually sad, no peopie. — bethlehem is actually sad, no people, no locals, actually, even, no tourists— people, no locals, actually, even, no tourists and no decorations, no any kind _ no tourists and no decorations, no any kind of— no tourists and no decorations, no any kind of festivals.— any kind of festivals. there is normally _ any kind of festivals. there is normally a — any kind of festivals. there is normally a huge _ any kind of festivals. there is normally a huge fir— any kind of festivals. there is normally a huge fir tree - any kind of festivals. there is normally a huge fir tree that l any kind of festivals. there is i normally a huge fir tree that sits outside the church of nativity built on the spot where christian teachings sayjesus was born. there as a bombardment of gaza continues to some 60 miles away, church leaders injerusalem and bethlehem city took the decision to cancel

what they called a necessary christmas celebrations. access to the city have also been restricted with additional security at israeli checkpoints restricting movement into the occupied west bank where bethlehem plays.— bethlehem plays. bethlehem is completely _ bethlehem plays. bethlehem is completely closed _ bethlehem plays. bethlehem is completely closed from - bethlehem plays. bethlehem is completely closed from all - completely closed from all direction, checkpoints. even no local_ direction, checkpoints. even no local people, especially the community from galilee, nazareth, is coming _ community from galilee, nazareth, is coming to— community from galilee, nazareth, is coming to bethlehem. the community from galilee, nazareth, is coming to bethlehem.— coming to bethlehem. the story of bab jesus coming to bethlehem. the story of baby jesus in _ coming to bethlehem. the story of baby jesus in his _ coming to bethlehem. the story of baby jesus in his manger _ coming to bethlehem. the story of baby jesus in his manger is - coming to bethlehem. the story of baby jesus in his manger is a - babyjesus in his manger is a familiar one to many. but, in bethlehem, this figurine lay in the rubble and what the church of nativity says is a message to the world. �* ., ., ., world. around the world and across the uk, this — world. around the world and across the uk, this is— world. around the world and across the uk, this is 33c— world. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. - well, it all started with the dream of producing the food that i was happily eating, but also, a real strong connection to the natural world. because it started just with a few sows?

it did. and it was at a time when you could do that, because farmers markets were popping up everywhere. it allowed me to start on a very rough patch of land, get some sows, get some fattening pigs, set up a little tiny butcher and go straight to market. what's in the field behind you, jim? we got some gloucester 0ld spots, we've got some large blacks, 0xford sandy and blacks, and some saddlebacks. and i know along the way that you have become a bit of a campaigner, really. i mean, you care about the politics and all of this, don't you? in all of this, don't you? completely. 0ur farmers are so important, not only in terms of food production, but also dealing with the crisis we find ourselves in with the climate. we only have to look at the war in ukraine, and how important producing your own food is. let's return to the israel—gaza war. you may remember that 23 thai hostages were released last month.

0ur south east asia correspondent, jonathan head, has been to meet one of them, a farmworker. it turns out he was abducted and held with three young israeli men who were mistakenly shot dead by the israel defense force last week. he's been giving a picture of what their captivity was like. giving thanks for his escape. he's one of 23 thai hostages released by hamas last month. he was held in tunnels under gaza for 51 days, after being captured where hundreds of others, including most of his fellow thai farm workers, were killed. translation: i crouched down like this and shouted, _ "thailand, thailand, thailand", but he kept beating me. all i could do was keep my face down. another guy trampled on me, i crawled under the bed to hide.

i was about to text my wife to say i was being taken but then, they dragged me out by my leg. then began his long ordeal underground. made worse by the fact that he speaks no english and couldn't understand his captors or his fellow hostages. translation: during the first i two weeks, i was like a madman, there was no—one to talk to. to be honest, i started talking to myself. i did a lot of thinking. i wanted to ask questions but i couldn't communicate with anyone. the only way i got through this was by thinking of the faces of my children, my wife, and my mother. i was hungry all the time because we only got one meal a day and i had to sip the water, they give us one large bottle, which had to last four to five days or one small bottle which had to last two days. he was finally freed

on the 26th of november. throughout his captivity, he was held with three israelis, who he now realises were the same three young men mistakenly shot dead by israeli forces last friday. translation: my foreign friends and i always tried l to support each other. every day, we would shake hands and do fists bumps and they would cheer me up by hugging me and patting my shoulder but we could only communicate by using our hands. he has come back to the industrial suburbs south of bangkok where his wife still works in a factory. he also needs a job here to pay off the loans which funded his trip to israel. he'd only been there ten days. but he's grateful to be back with family and friends again and to enjoy proper food, knowing how many more hostages have yet to be freed.

millions of us will be driving long distances over the festive season but if you think a few hours on the motorway is nothing but that is nothing compared to what chris and julie ramsay have done. they drove 18,000 miles from the north pole to the south pole, in an electric car — using charging points and even their own solar panels to keep on moving. ben philip has the details. a moment years in the planning. a first of its kind adventure driving pole to pole in an electric car. it's such a relief to finish this expedition. six years in the planning, six years in the making, and we're finally here. it's a bit surreal to be in antarctica and to have been at the south pole, right? it's exactly that. imean, what? we've been on the road ten months and, as chris says, huge sense of relief. we can't believe we've made history and it's just absolutely amazing.

chris and julie's expedition started in march on arctic sea ice. the 18,000—mile journey took them through 17 countries from north to south america. their car, powered by charging points along the way or portable solar panels. adventure wasn't in short supply, but at times their relationship was put to the test. 0h, it'sjust a twig. it wasn't a twig. it was a twig. it wasn't a twig. and our mission is to show how exciting and capable electric vehicles are and to debunk all those myths out there that are currently surrounding electric vehicles. can they work in the cold? can the batteries work in the cold? can they drive in the snow? so many, so many questions. modifications to the car were kept to a minimum, but bigger tyres were added to help cope with harsh terrain. the story has been seen by thousands around the world. this is a messagel forjulie and chris. you are crazy! so, you go to the north pole, to the south pole, _ and i think you're going to do it. sow _ and after you have to - come here to manchester and explain me the experience.

nearly a year on the road is a long time, so a few home comforts kept them going. so, we have some irn bru, which has been chilled by the arctic sea ice. we have the tunnock's caramel wafer. 0ther scottish products are available. chris and julie are looking forward to a rest over christmas, but they haven't ruled out more adventures in the future. ben philip, bbc news. don't forget, plenty more on all of the stories we are covering on the bbc website, some particular good pictures on the page about the volcano will stop you can see the helicopter hovering above the lava. you can see it right now if i press here. check it out online. you are watching bbc news.

thousands of rough sleepers are not only dealing with the freezing weather at this time of of year — they're also facing the very real threat of violence from strangers. the homelessness charity crisis says nine out of ten rough sleepers have been attacked by members of the public. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan has the story. that's where i first started sleeping when i was homeless, in there. you started sleeping in there? in the tunnel bit, i used climb up. was it safe in there? sometimes. but then i would get loads of other homeless people climbing in, pinching me stuff, taking me stuff. john campbell has seen it all during a decade of rough sleeping. it would get that cold that you couldn't sleep. it gets into your bones, doesn't it? aye, you get that cold and you can't sleep whatsoever. that's why you end up smoking, taking drugs, to warm yourself up. i've been urinated on. like, in a doorway. ijumped up and ended up fighting with the lad who done it. what, deliberately? deliberately. he'd seen you on the floor? he'd seen us lying there in the sleeping bag, come over and started ripping his bits out

and weeing all over. i said, "what are you doing, man? what are you doing?" he was like, "well, what does it look like?" i ended up fighting with him. iwent, "mate, you're disgusting, like." one of my tents caught fire along here. down here, one of your tents got set on fire? there, like. all me stuff was burnt out. everything. there was not one thing left in the tent. one of my tents got set on fire. there was nothing left whatsoever. i've had two tents set on fire. but i was in one of them. i was fast asleep in it when the lad set the fire. i have the rip the back of the tent open, the back bit, to get out. how did you realise there was a fire? did the flames start coming in? i was asleep and i felt something hot at the bottom of my foot. i woke up and it was fully on blaze, the full tent. i went to hospital and that. rough sleeping is on the rise and the more that sleep outside, the more people there are to abuse.

in recent weeks, this man had his belongings soaked by a security guard, these tents were binned in a police operation, and in this birmingham underpass a man was set alight. a survey from crisis suggests 90% of rough sleepers have faced some form of abuse. there seriously is a problem with a small section of society that feels like people who are sleeping rough are somehow kind of easy prey for the most horrific crimes. what's happening? how are you doing? for years, john's life spiralled downwards. kicked out by his mother for taking drugs, being attacked. i'll show you. right out the side the cashpoint, i got myjaw broke. just here. sitting right here. i got booted straight in the face. booted in the face and knocked cleaned out. i was knocked out. woke up in the hospital. you woke up in the hospital? in the hospital. i ended up having to get my jaw plated and wired. so your tent was burnt down twice? burnt down twice.

you were urinated on... urinated on. and i got myjaw broken. myjaw was broken in clayton street. all done by members of the public? all done by members of the public. sometimes i would self—harm and stuff, as well. ijumped in the tyne not so long ago. back then i couldn't care. if i went to sleep tomorrow and didn't wake up, i wouldn't care. i couldn't care. are you all right, josie? what's happening? what's happening, bro? the 30—year—old has now been living in a flat for two years and has some contact with his seven—year—old daughter. this is why i came out and done this today, to help other homeless people. tell them, "look, ithought i would never come off "everything and i did". i've come off it completely. how long have you been clean? clean now nearly two year. two and a bit. that's fantastic. two year or something. how's life looking now?

now, i couldn't wish nothing better. michael buchanan, bbc news, newcastle. the sight of 200 tractors winding their way along a narrow country lane is not one that would normally gladden the heart — especially if you're stuck behind them. but that changes when you add a bit of christmas magic. these twinkly tractors were taking part in a festive parade through pembrokeshire, lighting up various villages on the way to haverfordwest, where they gathered on the showground. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello, again. the weather is going to remain fairly changeable all the way through the rest of this week and even into christmas day. we're looking at rain at times. it's also going to become very windy, especially so on thursday. and there's the chance of snow for some. a lot of that will be on the hills in the north. now, you can see the cooler blues today, but then we've got the milder yellows and ambers during the course

of wednesday and thursday. but on thursday and friday, some colder air tries to push in from the north, but the milder air wins out from the south for many of us as we head in towards the weekend. but into this afternoon, we've got the dregs of this morning's rain continuing to pull away from the south and the east. a lot of dry weather behind, a fair bit of sunshine, but all these showers coming in on the brisk winds across the north and the west. strongest winds will be in the north and west, but it will be picking up across the south western approaches and also the english channel. now, temperatures will go down following on behind that band of rain. and as we head on through the evening and overnight, there will be some clear skies for a time. we hang on to all these showers in the west, the winds are going to strengthen and then a weather front, a warm front, arrives. temperatures three in lerwick to about nine in plymouth. now that warm front is quite salient because this means the temperature is going to change through the course of tomorrow. so there is a front moving from the west to the east, taking the rain with it.

behind it, there's a lot of cloud, low cloud mist, murk, dank conditions, especially in western areas and the hills and the coasts. 0ut towards the south, something a bit drier. but the cloud building through the course of the day. and these are our temperatures widely11s and 12s. so, milderairfollowing on behind the warm front. but then it changes on thursday. this potent area of low pressure is crossing us. look at all those isobars. it's going to be windy wherever you are. the strongest winds likely to be in the north of scotland, particularly shetland. here we could have gusts 70 or 80 miles an hour, but widely 50 to 60 miles an hour. so, a windy day. we've also got a plethora of showers. most of them will be of rain. in the highlands, it will be of sleet and snow in the hills. but that will come down to lower levels for a time. and you can see the colder air trying to filter further south, but the south itself hanging on to the milder conditions. looks like it's still going to be pretty windy, but not as on friday. and temperatures going down in the north. and the jury's still out for christmas day. there could be some snow, though, in the hills in the north.

live from london, this is bbc news.

a volcano erupts in iceland after weeks of intense seismic activity. this is the scene live in iceland — as jets of molten lava spew from the ground. more than 100 people are killed in china's deadliest earthquake in 13 years. rescue efforts are being hampered by sub zero temperatures. rescue efforts are being hampered by sub—zero temperatures. calls grow for a ceasefire in the israel—gaza war and pressure grows for a new resolution from the un. schools in england are to receive government guidance telling them that they should generally tell parents if their child wants to change gender. hello, i'm lucy grey. we begin in iceland, where a volcano has erupted, after weeks of intense earthquake activity. this is the moment of the eruption captured on webcam by the icelandic broadcaster ruv. you can see the red hot

lava start to erupt from the ground like a fountain.