it's been spewing out lava from a crack in the earth that is more than two miles long. also — guidance at last for england's teachers on how to support young people questioning their gender identity. dame esther rantzen, who has lung cancer, says she's considering the option of assisted dying. we'll have the latest on the big budget cuts in wales and scotland announced today. and i'm here on the red carpet as the stars arrived for the coming up on sportsday later in the hour on bbc news... there has been another premier league sacking, steve cooper has lost his job at struggling nottingham forest.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. after weeks of intense earthquake activity in the south—west of iceland, this volcano finally erupted late last night. the length of the crack you can see here is more than two miles long. the eruption is close to the fishing town of grindavik, which was evacuated last month, though so far the lava seems to be flowing away from it. for now, the eruption is not expected to halt international air travel as it did in 2010. our correspondent nick beake joins us from near the town of vogar at the edge of the exclusion zone now. sophie, it's absolutely freezing here, but you can see that the volcano tonight is illuminated, and all through the day, we got a glimpse of the power of this force of nature. as you say, there is no

immediate risk to life. that is certainly what the authorities are saying here today, and the direction of the lava seems to be moving away from the built—up areas, but certainly they are not taking anything for granted here. fountains of gold... ..lakes of lava. iceland's own breathtaking winter illuminations. the fieryjets reaching up more than 100 metres, after blasting through the surface of the volcano. creating a rupture more than two miles long. all this, the result of a series of small underground shakes on the reykjanes peninsula. i'm very excited to be here in this place, in this time, just being able to see this natural phenomenon happen, just seeing lava emerge from the ground, even if it's in a particular content such as this, it's just fascinating to see nature and action. i just... it'sjust like something from a movie! these dutch tourists

said they were in awe. our b8b hosts, they sent us a message that the volcano erupted, so, of course, we came here to go see, because its — a once—in—a—lifetime for us. crucially, the lava has been flowing away from the nearest town. grindavik, a fishing community, home to 4000 people, was evacuated last month when the volcano first showed signs it could blow. translation: this is a huge eruption. | we've yet to see how it will develop throughout the day. in the meantime, i can say that lava seems to be flowing in that convenient direction, but we also know the flow of lava can change the surrounding landscape, so this can change with short notice. the power of the eruption has been evident, away from the lava, for the authorities, this is the fourth eruption in the past three years. we have cleared the town and the area and now we are just

securing the area and closing every road to the area. that'sjust in process now, but... then we are just trying to manage the situation here. experts worry the gases that continue to spurt out are polluting the air, but they say there won't be a giant ash cloud like 13 years ago, which grounded more than 10,000 flights. that's because this volcano system is not trapped under glaciers. it may be that the most memorable part of this christmas performance is over, but they are not letting down their guard here. nick beake, bbc news, iceland. teachers should inform parents if their child wants to change gender at school. that is what the long—awaited draft guidance from the government says for schools in england. it goes on to say that schools don't have a general duty to allow children to change their gender identity. and it urges schools

to preserve single—sex toilets and changing rooms. here's our lgbt and identity correspondent, lauren moss. you don't want being trans to kind of be at the forefront of your mind every time you go to school. caleb was 16 when he told his teachers he's transgender. it can be a difficult subject for schools to navigate, and caleb says his got it wrong. i wanted to change my, like, ask for my pronouns to be changed, you know, referred to by a different name. it was just met with so much resistance when i said to them, you know, "i am questioning my gender identity." five years after it was first promised, the government has now published guidance for teachers in england, advising them they don't have to allow a pupil to socially transition, which can include changing names, pronouns or uniforms, and to act with extra caution when it comes to primary school children. it follows concerns that if children socially transition, it could lead to them making permanent changes later in life. there is no general duty

to socially transition a child. a lot of schools think that this is something they have to do or should be doing, and we are making clear what the law says and what they should do where they are uncertain about how to handle the situation. if a child does want to make changes at school, teachers are advised they should always inform parents, except in rare circumstances where a child could be at risk of harm. these are two of the most contentious areas of the guidance, which even parents of children who've questioned their gender identity don't agree on. she asked that she could be called by a different name and pronouns and the school went along with it, apparently with no questions asked, and they actively hid it from me for about four months. i want the schools to make sure that parents are included in whatever is going on with their children. if they are in a household where they won't be accepted, where it could lead to all sorts of issues, extending even perhaps

as far as abuse of the child, then there should be no pressure for that child to have to come out. teacher unions have cautiously welcomed the guidance and say schools work hard to be sensitive and responsive to a student questioning their gender identity. there are concerns, though, that this could leave some head teachers still having to make difficult decisions about what is in a pupil's best interest. it's important to understand that all schools are very, very different, and the resources they have and the facilities they have will dictate how this guidance is interpreted. and if a child says, "i don't want you to tell my parents about this." what would you do? i think we have to be really honest, it's like all safeguarding, we have to say, we can't guarantee confidentiality. that's the basic safeguarding. but i'm not going to put a child at risk. northern ireland and scotland have their own guidance, and wales will open a consultation in the new year. in england, the guidance has come just days before the end of term. it will now go out for a public consultation where teachers

and parents can have their say before it's finalised next year. lauren moss, bbc news. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreys, is in leeds. this guidance is long awaited — what has the reaction been? this guidance is long awaited - what has the reaction been?— has the reaction been? well, broadl , has the reaction been? well, broadly, head _ has the reaction been? well, broadly, head teachers - has the reaction been? well, | broadly, head teachers unions has the reaction been? well, - broadly, head teachers unions and the education unions have welcomed the education unions have welcomed the fact that there is some guidance because it has been an incredibly long wait, and schools have been muddling through four years. clarity tonight for schools and for all parents about some issues, like toilets and changing rooms, but it's also clear that some of the hardest decisions will still rest with schools under these guidelines. what are the exceptional circumstances where they don't tell a parent? what are the very few cases where they might decide to allow a child to use

a different pronoun? it's still a long way from the clarity that some will want. and others will feel it leans too far towards simply reinforcing the idea that biological sex has primacy. in this heated and contested debate, a lot has changed in the last five years, but even once these guidelines are adopted, there is still a strong chance that he could face challenges in the courts. the broadcaster dame esther rantzen says she is considering the option of assisted dying if her lung cancer doesn't respond to medical treatement. the 83—year—old, who revealed in may that her cancer had spread, says she has joined the swiss clinic dignitas. she also called for a free vote on legalising assisted dying. helena wilkinson reports. if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times. and i don't want that to happen.

dame esther rantzen is best known for presenting the bbc show that's life. injanuary, she revealed she'd been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and is currently undergoing what she describes as "a miracle treatment". but if that doesn't work, dame esther says she might go to dignitas, an assisted dying clinic in switzerland. it's an idea that's supported by her daughter, rebecca. she doesn't want us to see her have an awful, painful death. she wants us to remember her as she is now, which is epically wonderful. but rebecca fears she could be prosecuted if she helps her mother travel to dignitas. i wouldn't be able to go with her. my husband would go nuts if he thought i was going to go with her. i'm looking after two kids. i'm trying to work. i can't go to prison. i can't go through a court case at the worst point in my life. when i've lost my person, i'm suddenly being prosecuted with her death.

this latest call for change concerns a law which sharply divides opinion. campaigners say assisted dying would give people suffering with terminal illness greater control over how and when they die. 0pponents argue a change in the law would threaten vulnerable people. some people are proposing taking doctors away from providing care, making things even worse for people who are waiting for treatment and having them be the gatekeepers on whether people get given lethal drugs are not. ——given lethal drugs or not. last december, an inquiry was launched to examine different perspectives in the debate around assisted suicide. the health and social care committee is due to publish its report. for now, dame esther says she's looking forward to christmas — one that she didn't expect to have with her family. helena wilkinson, bbc news.

and you can hear the full interview with dame esther rantzen on bbc sounds. it's on the most recent episode of radio 4's today podcast. the housing secretary, michael gove, has warned councils in england against �*dragging their feet�* when it comes to building new homes. he announced measures to make sure local authorities deliver enough housing, while stressing the importance of preserving the green belt. 0ur north of england correspondent danny savage reports from north yorkshire, where plans for thousands of new homes still hang in the balance after years of wrangling. for more than a decade, there have been arguments about where to build houses on the a59 corridor between york and harrogate. planners finally settled on this site, midway between the two. 4,000 new homes are proposed in the fields around these villages. they chant. local people have long objected to the plans, as so often happens in these cases. so this will be a new town centre, mainly houses, probably some flats.

alex smith lives here. are you a nimby? build the right houses in the right places, i'm nota nimby, no. town centres are in decline, and yet we are continuing to build out in the green fields. surely it's much better that we concentrate sympathetic improvement to town centres and build housing that people want to live in, in those areas, rather than out in the green fields. part of the attraction of building here is this railway station. it has the makings of a sustainable transport plan. but a failure to agree on buying the land needed has led to the council considering a compulsory purchase order to push this development through. the uncertainty has caused a lot of problems and anxiety here. arnold is a councillor and says there is a reason these things take time. because there's a consultation process to make sure that the people that are going to be affected by it are given a voice and that voice is listen to, and it goes to public inquiry and then it comes back and it goes to another public inquiry. a consultation takes place again.

it's a process that needs to take place, it does, for clarity, forjurisdiction, for governance, for transparency, for all those reasons, it needs to take place. this is just a snapshot of house—building far from westminster. locals believe homes will eventually be built here as part of what the council says is a 30—year vision. the government wants to get houses up more quickly. that would certainly be a big change to the current situation. danny savage, bbc news, north yorkshire. 0ur political correspondent ione wells is with me. a snapshot there, as dannyjust said, but will what michael gove has said, but will what michael gove has said today lead to more houses being built? it said today lead to more houses being built? , , ., ~ . ., built? it is up for debate. michael gove hepes _ built? it is up for debate. michael gove hepes so. — built? it is up for debate. michael gove hopes so, and _ built? it is up for debate. michael gove hopes so, and he _ built? it is up for debate. michael gove hopes so, and he has- built? it is up for debate. michael l gove hopes so, and he has outlined today a couple of ways in which he hopes that will happen, one of which is saying that councils must provide robust evidence if they reject housing developments, they must do everything they can to identify other land to build on if they do. he also said the government would

introduce league tables to essentially name and shame councils not doing enough, in their view, to meet housing in the area. he named seven councils that he said have to come up with housing plans in the next 12 weeks or they could face interventions. in extreme cases, even having planning powers stripped off then. he also said that councils will not have to meet local housing targets, they won't be forced to build on green belt land, or to build on green belt land, or to build houses that could change the character of the area, and that has been criticised by some housing campaigners, including the housing federation, who see that this will lead to fewer homes being built. this is where there is a key political dividing line grabbing here, because labour have said that they would need to override the opposition, for example, of local mps, to build more homes and, in their words, mps, to build more homes and, in theirwords, bulldoze mps, to build more homes and, in their words, bulldoze the planning system to make that happen. thank ou. the number of people sleeping rough in the uk is rising, according to charities like crisis,

which says many people sleeping on the street have experienced violence or abuse, most often from members of the public. michael buchanan has been speaking to two homeless people who've been affected. and just a warning — you may find some details of his report upsetting. well, ijust thought in there will be a safer place than being on the street. eve monk slept under blackpool's north pierfor several months last year. she lost herjob after becoming ill. couldn't pay her rent and was evicted. i was terrified. ijust sat there and cried all night. that your life had come to this? that my life had come to this. and i didn't want to be here. the 38—year—old wasn't as hidden as she hoped. a stranger spotted eve and approached the ledge where she was resting. i literally just fell asleep. and a guyjust came up and... hejust...raped me.

and i was trying to tell him to go away. i thought it was a dream and i was just kicking and shouting and telling him to go away from me. and hejust put his hand on me mouth and just kept going. eve didn't report the rape to police as she couldn't provide any details of her attacker. according to the charity crisis, rough sleepers are regularly attacked. right outside the cashpoint, i got myjaw broke, booted in the face and knocked clean out. i was knocked out, and when i got to hospital, i ended up having to get me jaw plated and wired. john campbell spent a decade rough sleeping in newcastle, having fallen out with his mother as a teenager. as well as being beaten, he's had two tents set on fire. but i was in one of them. the one in byker, i was in. what?! fast asleep and they set it on fire. there was nothing. i had to rip the back of the tent open like at the back to get out. now 30, john has been living in his own flat for two years, but what he went

through will be recognised by many rough sleepers. so your tent was burnt down twice. burnt down twice. you were urinated on. urinated on. and i got myjaw broken. and you got yourjaw broken? me jaw was broken on clayton street. all done by members of the public? all done by members of the public. for eve monks, the salvation army has been of huge help in recovering from the worst experience of her life. it's not a nice feeling when you're on the streets. especially when you have nothing. no sleeping bag, no nothing. it was a horrible time. it really was. eve, ending that report by michael buchanan. and details of organisations offering information and support with hardship and homelessness, or sexual abuse, are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. the time is 6.20pm. our top story this evening:

a volcano in iceland erupts, spewing out lava from a crack in the earth that is more than two miles long. coming up: an incredible near miss for this woman and child. coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news... we will be at all three of tonight's league cup quarterfinals, including the tie between chelsea and newcastle united at stamford bridge. the scottish govenrment has announced that higher earners will pay more income tax from next year, with some paying more tax than anywhere else in the uk. a new rate of 45 pence in the pound will be introduced for those earning between £75,000 and just over £125,000. and scotland's top rate of tax for those earning more than £125,000 rises from 47 to 48 pence in the pound.

the changes are designed to plug an estimated £1.5 billion funding shortfall. the changes mean scotland will have six income tax bands while the rest of the uk has three. from edinburgh, our scotland editorjames cook reports. scotland's first minister and finance secretary have been grappling with a big problem, not enough money to pay for all their promises. presiding officer, it is an enormous privilege to present my first budget. but shora robertson now has an answer — higher taxes on higher earners. this is government committed to equality through tackling poverty and protecting people from harm. at the heart of this budget is our social contract with the people of scotland, where those with the broadest shoulders are asked to contribute a little more, where everyone can have access to universal services and entitlements and those in need of an extra helping hand will receive

targeted additional support. what that means is, take home more than £29,000 a year in scotland and you'll pay more tax than you would elsewhere in the uk. we recognise that we cannot address the financial challenges before us through tax alone or by delivering public services in traditional ways. our approach must be investment and reform. what that means is public sector job cuts. although ms robison didn't say how many and promised to avoid compulsory redundancies. labour called it chaos. if scotland's economy had kept pace with other parts of the uk, it would now be £8.5 billion larger. and the failure of this government over 16 years to focus on the priorities of country rather than party means they now need the taxpayers to bail them out as a result. ministers have failed - to improve public services. they have failed to undertake the public sector reform, - which economists and analysts have been warning about for years. -

i and they have failed miserably to. grow the economy, thereby starving scotland of much—needed revenue required to close the gap - on the huge bills for public expenditure. i but is the snp in tune with scottish voters? we asked shoppers in glasgow's princes square about the jump in taxes. 45% . i don't think those people are going to be very happy about that at all. not at all. but i'm 0k. i do feel that they are very highly taxed, but i know they've got to get the money from somewhere. excellent. all for it. if you can afford to pay more tax, you should pay more taxes. - but some retailers are angry that they won't get the same support with business rates on offer in england. and some local authorities say a freeze in council tax will lead to cuts. but the scottish government

says its priority is spending more on the nhs. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. this budget continues a trend of scotland under the snp moving away from england under the conservatives in term of tax, and there are other big differences. scotland funds a more generous welfare system and provides more in the way of state funded benefits, although there are questions about the affordability of the so—called social contract in the long term. the welsh government has announced a series of spending cuts it says are needed to protect the nhs. budgets for farming, arts and the climate change department will all be hit next year and business rates will rise. 0pposition parties say the budget fails to plan for the future. 0ur wales correspondent, hywel griffith, takes a look at the pressures on public spending. its medieval walls stand strong. but conroy in north wales is a place in need of fortification. it councillors warned of bankruptcy.

the local health board is chasing savings as well. this is the mill gate. if you are welsh, you are not allowed to live in the town. residents like amanda see the strain on public services. it's definitely firefighting with no slack for anything. and of course, while you're trying to keep up, nobody has got time for looking a bit to the future and how we can sort it out long—term, because you're just trying to cope with crisis day—to—day. today's budget sets out spending for more than £23 billion worth of public money, around half of which will go to health and social services. adjusted for inflation, that's at 2.6% increase for health next year. but it's funded by raiding other budgets, like ruralaffairs, cut by more than 10%. and the department that deals with transport, housing and climate change, down almost 5% in real terms. are you eat in or takeaways?

business rates will also go up at 0wls cafe. they're concerned. the money's not trickled down to those small local communities enough. there's not enough support for people in homes and small businesses. but there is consensus that the nhs needs help. two months ago my dad had to go to bangor. the wait for seeing a doctor was 18 hours and then it was a bank holiday, which was even worse. and i've never seen a waiting room so busy. those on the front lines share the frustration. but years of extra funding haven't solved delays. it doesn't appear that things are getting any better any time soon. the problem hasjust remained for years and years and years, and there doesn't seem to be any improvement. and it's always the same conversation day in, day out. 0ur resources are all stuck outside a&e. today's budget means almost every public service in wales now faces cuts downstream in the hope of keeping the nhs afloat. hywel griffith, bbc news cymru.

israeli president isaac herzog says his country is ready for another humanitarian pause in gaza in exchange for the release of more hostages and more aid deliveries. it comes as the united nations security council is preparing to vote again tonight on a new ceasefire resolution for the war in gaza. the vote has been further delayed as efforts continue to come up with wording that would avoid another veto by the united states. the language of the un resolution has reportedly been watered down to call for a "suspension" rather than a "cessation" of hostilities in order to get us backing. have a look at this mother and child, who had the most extraordinary lucky escape on saturday afternoon. incredible, isn't it? neither mother nor child was hurt in the crash in solihull. the woman driving the car just suffered cuts. a man who witnessed the crash described how the mother

reacted afterwards. she can't believe what happens. it was another life almost. but i see, i see she was very scared, very scared. i'm shocked, totally shocked. scared. i'm shocked, totally shocked-— scared. i'm shocked, totally shocked. , , scared. i'm shocked, totally shocked. ., shocked. properly shocked, you would be. the stars of the sporting world are gathering in salford for the 70th bbc sports personality of the year awards ceremony. there are six contenders for the main award, which is voted for by the public. andy swiss is on the red carpet... yes, welcome to salford and what a night we have in store. 0ver yes, welcome to salford and what a night we have in store. over the last hour or so some of the biggest names in sport have been arriving here on the red carpet, and the big question on everybody�*s lips is who will be the bbc sports personality of the year. for some seven decades, it's been one of sport's biggest awards, won by some

of its biggest stars. last year, by footballer beth mead. and so after a few final rehearsals for what is its 70th edition tonight, who will be the next to lift that famous trophy? well, there are six contenders. cricketer stuart broad, jockey frankie dettori, footballer mary earps, wheelchair tennis player alfie hewett, athlete katarina johnson—thompson and golfer rory mcilroy. and, as one former winner knows, it's now up to the public to decide. it was kind of a surreal moment to be stood up there, winning sports personality of the year and 20 years before that, watching at home with my mum and dad, thinking one day i would love to do that. the people that are deciding who wins it are the great british public and that makes it special. we do already know one winner tonight. liverpool and scotland legend

sir kenny dalglish will receive the lifetime achievement award, but the main honour is still to be decided. and as the stars arrive on the red carpet, one final victory of 2023 is still up for grabs. andy swiss, bbc news, salford. you can watch it live on bbc one at 7pm. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. we will show you a bit more of the extraordinary images, the live pictures from the volcano in south—west iceland where, apparently, the lava flow is reducing slightly, although you wouldn't say it from those images, but scientists are saying it could go on for weeks if not months. spectacular. a little quieter here, ben. is spectacular. a little quieter here, ben. �* ., ., ben. a little quieter, nothing that spectacular. _ ben. a little quieter, nothing that spectacular, although _ ben. a little quieter, nothing that spectacular, although things - ben. a little quieter, nothing that spectacular, although things are i spectacular, although things are chopping and changing quite a lot at the moment. a lot of cloud, rain and

mild weather across the south of the uk today but further north we have seen clear skies, albeit with a scattering of showers and there is a cloud and rain and mild weather and there is the window of clearer skies are behind me is another mass of cloud, and it will be cloudy, mild and increasingly windy later in the week, so a lot of weather to get through. through tonight, showers racing in on a brisk breeze and clear spells as well and we will see cloudy and wet weather spreading from the west by the end of the night. a little bit chilly for a while, but things will be turning milder out west by tomorrow morning and as we see cloud and outbreaks of rain spilling in across northern ireland and scotland, then clouding over across england and wales. it will turn really quite murky around the coasts and hills towards the west and bits and pieces of rain will make it quite windy. temperatures coming up again, between nine and 12 degrees through the afternoon and then as we head into thursday the deep area of low

pressure is set to pass to the north