christmas travel disruption in parts of the uk, as storm pia brings strong winds of up to 80mph. europe's top court rules it was illegal to block the controversial plans for a european football super league. # last christmas, i gave you my heart _ # but the very next day... battle of the old and the new — the race for this year's christmas number one. and a seasonal sighting in the skies over utah. they couldn't be reindeer, could they? and coming up on bbc news, ahead of playing arsenal, liverpool managerjurgen klopp criticises the atmosphere in parts coming up on bbc news, head of playing anfield, liverpool manager consists, criticises his side's

performance ahead of europe league cups match. there are growing hopes of another truce in gaza with the potential release of more israeli hostages. the united states says serious negotiations are taking place to secure a pause in the fighting between israel and hamas, designated a terror organisation by the uk government. the british foreign secretary, lord cameron, is in egypt today, calling for what he calls a "sustainable ceasefire". meanwhile, israeli forces say they've uncovered of hamas tunnels in the heart of gaza city with entrances connected to the homes of the organastion�*s leaders. here's our middle east correspondent yolande knell, and just a warning that you may find some of her report upsetting. in khan younis, drones and shelling are the soundtrack of this war. a new day in gaza brings no escape

from the relentless bombardment. for little riyan, the attacks have taken a cruel toll. her uncle now cares for her in a local hospital. when herfamily�*s home was hit by an israeli strike last month, she lost her parents and her brother and sister. she was crushed and has had a brain haemorrhage. "her situation�*s very difficult, he" says. "she really needs to be taken abroad for treatment, but so far we've not managed to send her out." deep in gaza, israeli troops take on hamas fighters in fierce urban battles. israel says the war here won't end until hamas is toppled from power — and eliminated. it believes hamas leaders are now probably hiding in tunnels like these. this footage shows an underground network connecting places where they used to live in gaza city, the israeli army says. we can't independently verify these images, but they appear to show passages

with blast doors and electricity. this israeli officer says new extensions were being built. deep down. a tunnel which was built for the last few months. you can see here the lift, heavy—duty lift. with such immense suffering in gaza, there are new international calls for at least a humanitarian pause that could see more aid going in and the release of more israeli hostages. hamas is insisting on a full ceasefire. britain says it's pushing for a new un resolution. everything that can be done must be done to get aid into gaza to help people in the desperate situation they're in, and on that level we've been talking about the united nations security council resolution, where we are very keen to see consensus arrived at. more than 20,000 people have been killed in gaza in the past two and a half months, local health officials say.

as diplomatic efforts wind on, that number is continuing to grow. yolande joins us now. went into the diplomatic efforts, where are we with these talks aimed at securing another truth? weill. at securing another truth? well, there is a lot _ at securing another truth? well, there is a lot going _ at securing another truth? well, there is a lot going on _ there is a lot going on diplomatically. if we look first of all to the un security council, where there have been repeated delays in getting a draft resolution through this week, we are now expecting voting perhaps to take place later on safe and unhindered access to gaza, humanitarian access, thatis access to gaza, humanitarian access, that is something that is being called for. the usus watered down the language, calling for a suspension of hostilities. meanwhile, we have a chip saying it is continuing its talks with hamas

leaders and that next week it will meet leaders of islamichhad as well. —— egypt. the stated position of these armed factions is that they will not release more israeli hostages unless there is a permanent ceasefire, something that israel has completely ruled out at this stage. but in israel there is so much domestic pressure that we are seeing too to try to bring more of those 100 plus israeli hostages home, with theirfamilies having 100 plus israeli hostages home, with their families having constant demonstrations and really appealing to get their loved ones back. thank ou ve to get their loved ones back. thank you very much. _ to get their loved ones back. thank you very much, yolande _ to get their loved ones back. thank you very much, yolande knell- to get their loved ones back. thank you very much, yolande knell in i you very much, yolande knell in jerusalem. ajudge has ruled that the media can name the two i6—year—olds who killed the transgender teenager brianna ghey, when they are sentenced early next year. they were both found guilty yesterday of murdering brianna in a park in cheshire. let's get more from our north of england correspondentjudith moritz, who's at manchester crown court. judith, what did the judge say?

well, we heard from thejudge well, we heard from the judge about the two defendants, you will remember they have been kept anonymous throughout this case because of their age, and i also have additional vulnerabilities, both of them are autistic, and the boy involved also has selective mutism, so there were special measures put into place for the trial. today, having heard the verdict yesterday, the court reconvened, because members of the media had applied for the restrictions, the anonymity in this case, to be lifted, and thejudge had to weigh up to things — the public interest in this case, which she accepted has been exceptional, but also the age and the vulnerabilities of those children. we heard the professionals working with the children had urged the court not to lift the anonymity restriction. we have also heard that theirfamilies have

restriction. we have also heard that their families have received restriction. we have also heard that theirfamilies have received death threats and harassment. but the judge said that the order which protect their anonymity is not designed to protect their families, and she also said that, you know, within two use the i6—year—olds will become adults, and at that stage they will be named anyway. so she had the two thing is to balance up. she ultimately made the decision to say we will, in due course, be allowed to name the two defendants, but not until they are sentenced. in terms of any kind of harassment of theirfamilies, she said terms of any kind of harassment of their families, she said that she had seen brianna's own mother speaking outside court yesterday, she said that was eloquent, very moving, and she had called for restraint from the community around these families, and the families of these families, and the families of the two defendants and said that anybody who was minded to go against that would be going against the wishes of brianna's own mother. but she has given us some time before we

can report those identities, so that support can be put in place for the youngsters who are guilty of brianna's murder. they will be sentenced here in the 2nd of february, and that is the point at which their identities will become known. now, in the run—up to christmas, millions of travellers are facing disruption caused by storm pia. there's a yellow weather warning in place for strong winds in scotland, northern ireland and northern parts of wales and england. delays and cancellations are expected on some rail services, while in shetland all schools are closed and ferry services are likely to be disrupted. ellie price has the latest. the weather outside is frightful, in large swathes of the northern part of the uk. a young boy was in his bedroom when this 60 tonne tree fell on it in stanley, derbyshire. don't worry, he wasn't hurt. ijust heard what i thought was an earthquake. we both ran in, grabbed him as quick as we could. 0bviously his bedroom hasjust been destroyed, really, so he is very lucky he wasn't

injured in any way. storm pia, who was christened by the danish meteorological institute, is passing to the north of scotland, resulting in these strong winds across the uk. through the early hours of this morning there were gusts that widely reached 60—80 mph. in shetland, schools were closed. ferries were cancelled. in england, many people in the midlands faced power cuts this morning. there's been a knock—on to travel too. ba has grounded two dozen flights, planes here at birmingham airport were finding take—off and landing challenging. 0n the roads, a lorry on the barton bridge on the m60 was blown over. happily again, no—one was injured. the rac has told people to be extra vigilant about trees coming down. the aa has issued its own amber traffic warning for tomorrow and saturday, with more than 16 million carjourneys expected on both days, as people do their driving home for christmas. and on the trains, scotrail,

transpennine express and avanti services have all been affected. so the old adage, check before you travel, is back in play. it applies to all of us, though father christmas will always find a way. aside from the strong winds, storm pia has also brought the right atmospheric conditions for this rainbow—like phenomenon. every cloud... europe's highest court has ruled that football authorities were wrong to block controversial plans for a new european super league two years ago. the project would have included six top english clubs, but it was hastily withdrawn after a backlash from fans and politicians. but now the european court ofjustice has said both fifa and uefa acted illegally in preventing the super league project. more now from our sports correspondent andy swiss. andy, what does this ruling mean? could the super league idea now be revived?

well, ben, it is certainly a big development. football fans probably thought they had heard the last of the european super league after that huge backlash to the original idea two years ago, and one of the reasons it fell apart so quickly was that fifa and uefa said any clubs who joined the league would be banned from their competitions, but today the european court ofjustice that was illegal, they said those rules making new football project subject to their prior approval, such as a super league, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions are unlawful. now, the group behind the european super league side this is a big victory for them, in fact earlier this morning they were already announcing plans for a new revamped competition involving 64 clubs. but in the last half hour, manchester united, one of the clubs originally involved in the first proposal, have issued a statement saying they remain fully committed

to participation in uefa competitions. and there are still plenty of other obstacles to a super league. as we saw two years ago, fans are overwhelmingly against the idea, the government said the new football regulator would stop any clubs joining a football regulator would stop any clubsjoining a breakaway football regulator would stop any clubs joining a breakaway league, and a european court says in its ruling it doesn't mean a new breakaway league would be necessarily approved, but certainly this does potentially open the door to new european competitions, ben. we will see what happens, andy, thank you very much. andrews was there. —— andy swiss there. british and french border officials are claiming some success in cutting the number of small boats crossing the channel by over a third this year. britain has pledged hundreds of millions of pounds to help the french stop illegal migration to england. but tens of thousands of people are still attempting the dangerous journey. andrew harding reports from calais. a cold, clear night on a beach south of calais. french police on patrol. a beefed—up force looking to block small boats with migrants

from setting off across the channel. so here's the inflatable. we're told it's just been abandoned. in fact, you can see here where the police have already slashed it to make sure that the migrants can't use it again. we're told about 50 people were trying to get into the water just a few yards away. these are the inner tubes that they were going to use instead of life jackets. extraordinary to think, 50 people cramming inside this flimsy thing, trying to get across to england. nearby, just before dawn, we find two families who failed to cross tonight huddled at a bus stop. the boat was broken and not going. the water was up. the waves get bigger. so you had to come back? yeah. this is 17—year—old faiza from iraq. i have no place to go.

are you very sad? yeah, very sad. we have no chance. what will happen to you? i have no idea. just sitting, unsure how my life is. bad, bad, bad. you've got one of the waiting areas over behind. daytime, up the coast in calais, french police talk tactics with their british counterparts, a sign of growing cooperation. britain is now providing france almost £500 mllion for equipment like drones and to double the manpower to tackle the smugglers. so, is it making a difference? we have seen significant improvements in prevention of small boat launches. we've seen a reduction in the number of arriving individuals this year in this way by over one third, and we've also seen the number of boats reduce

by 45%, year to date. it is a big drop and yet in a muddy clearing near calais, the crowds keep coming — from afghanistan, from sudan, ready to risk death in the channel and ignoring warnings that britain may send them to rwanda. it worries you, but it's not stopping you? not stopping us. i'm still trying to go to uk but hope they don't send us to rwanda. suddenly, a rush to leave as the smugglers usher one group away for another attempted crossing tonight. if they can sneak past the extra french police here and cross a dangerous stretch of water, england awaits, tantalisingly close. andrew harding, bbc news in northern france. the post office has said it expects to pay out only half of the compensation it set aside for branch managers who were wrongly convicted of theft and false accounting.

our business correspondent theo leggett is here. what reason has been given for this? these figures come from the post office's annual accounts and it's an estimate of how much the company expects to have to pay out based on the number of claims coming through and the figure has gone down from £487 million last year to £244 million this year. the obvious conclusion being is that fewer victims are coming forward than expected. now, just to remind you, this was one of the biggest miscarriages ofjustice in british corporate history, some 700 post office branch managers were convicted of crimes in bold such as false accounting and theft over a 16 year period and that was at least in part based on evidence from a computer accounting system called horizon which has been thoroughly discredited, so that's what we're looking at, but of those 700 only 93 convictions have so far been overturned and only 27 people

involved in that have agreed final financial settlement, so the whole process has been very, very slow. an advisory board overseeing the compensation scheme wrote to the government this month and said it was partly because evidence had been lost or destroyed by the post office, partly because victims were 0ffice, partly because victims were reluctant to appeal their convictions because they'd lost trust in authority which is understandable in the circumstances and they faced a number of legal obstacle so the board called for all of the 700 convictions to be overturned. the post office itself says it does urge people who think they were wrongly convicted for any reason to consider an appeal and the boss of the organisation has said any suggestion that today's post office is deliberately putting obstacles in the way of that outcome is wholly misplaced. theo obstacles in the way of that outcome is wholly misplaced.— is wholly misplaced. theo leggett, thank ou, is wholly misplaced. theo leggett, thank you, business _ is wholly misplaced. theo leggett, i thank you, business correspondence. it's 1:18pm. our top story this afternoon... talks are taking place aimed at securing another temporary truce in gaza and the release of more israeli hostages.

# it's time...# and coming up — will it be a golden oldie or a new—born festive anthem as this year's christmas number one? and coming up on bbc news — a night to rememberfor 16—year—old luke littler, making his debut and into round two of the pdc world darts championship, after beating a player ranked over 70 places higher than him. from bucks fizz with your christmas breakfast to brandy with your christmas pudding — it's that time of year where we often consume much more alcohol than we probably should. but the data shows that sales of non—alcoholic drinks are on the rise. for example, 87% of pubs now serve non—alcoholic beer. it's because going sober — or at least cutting back on the booze — has become ever more popular, as jim connolly reports.

# 0oh, yeah i don't want a lot for christmas. ..# it's very heavily celebrated around alcohol. every activity — i mean, you have buck�*s fizz for breakfast on christmas morning. it's quite hard to avoid. but not at this christmas party. this one is booze—free. for us, it's about community and bringing people together, especially at the time of year because the sobriety journey can feel so isolating. we want to make sure that everyone feels included, seen, heard and celebrated. we are at the iconic nightclub ministry of sound and it's soft drinks all the way. this event is aimed at women, which matches wider sobriety trends. the latest nhs figures show 67% of men drink alcohol at least once a week, compared to 43% of women. -- 5796 -- 57% of —— 57% of men drink alcohol at least once a week. usually, i drink alcohol over christmas.

it might be a little bit harder but, yeah, i'm wanting to do no alcohol. and then, one, two, three, four, five glasses. in hampshire, 0ctavia is also trying sobriety this christmas. pop! whee! and that means a first sober christmas do. i'm not a shy person and i don't need a drink to have a good time, providing i'm with the right people, and, you know, in the right mood, then i can definitely have a great time. i think there's so many amazing nonalcoholic alternatives now, as well, which has made a massive difference, and it's been really fun trying them all out. i was talking to my best friend, and she said, "you don't need "a drink to be happy and you don't need a drink to be fun," and, actually, that's a really lovely realisation. she's part of a wider trend for going sober, and suppliers are matching that in what's on offer. new figures from the british beer and pub association show 87% of pubs now serve non— or low—alcoholic beer but for some battling addiction, this is more thanjust a lifestyle choice. i think christmas can be a really challenging time of year if you're early into your recovery from an issue.

and from our point of view, we would say go and talk to your friends and family about what's going on for you. really think about planning ahead, and try and think about nice activities that you can do that can kind of fill up some of the space that alcohol might previously have been playing in your life. back at dry disco, what tips do people have for anyone going sober or cutting back this year? it's harder for me i think being younger, with the family being like, "0h, are you not having a drink? are you not having a drink?" but it's one of them things, that i think an open conversation, being honest, that would be my advice. i know when to leave now and i'm fine with leaving at a certain time because nothing good happens after 12 o'clock. # all i want for christmas is you.# jim connelly, bbc news. junior doctors in england are on strike for the second day of a three—day walk—out over pay. patients are being warned to expect further disruption in england, with some a&e services affected and many appointments

cancelled or postponed. but today, the health secretary has claimed that the british joining me now is our health editor hugh pym. we have heard today the health secretary claiming that the british medical association, the bma, does not representjunior doctors. is not represent junior doctors. is that not representjunior doctors. is that a stepping up of the rhetoric from the government? it that a stepping up of the rhetoric from the government?— that a stepping up of the rhetoric from the government? it looks that wa . from the government? it looks that way- there's _ from the government? it looks that way. there's clearly _ from the government? it looks that way. there's clearly a _ from the government? it looks that way. there's clearly a lot _ from the government? it looks that way. there's clearly a lot of - way. there's clearly a lot of frustration at the top of government and amongst nhs leaders in england about the fact that this first strike as happened just before christmas, it's a really difficult time particularly trying to discharge patients, get them home in time for the festive season, and that process they say is being delayed because of a lack ofjunior doctors on shift. victoria atkins, up doctors on shift. victoria atkins, up until now, has seemed to offer a fairly conciliatory tone, but it was quite noteworthy that she chose on a bbc interview this morning to suggest that the bma really didn't represent whatjunior suggest that the bma really didn't represent what junior doctors generally were thinking. here is what she had to say.

there will be many, many doctors listening to this who feel deeply uncomfortable that their committee has called these strikes at this time and i would encourage anyone who feels like that quietly to consider whether this committee is in fact representing their views. the bma response to that is that they are disappointed with those comments and they say that there was a 98% vote in favour of industrial action with the ballot result announced in august, and more than 15,000 more doctors havejoined the bma, but it certainly seems as if there is a war of words going on and there is a war of words going on and the prospect of the strike planned for early january, the prospect of the strike planned for earlyjanuary, six the prospect of the strike planned for early january, six days the prospect of the strike planned for earlyjanuary, six days in england from the third, the prospect of that being called off seems increasingly unlikely, with talks if they are going to happen, government has said they will not happen unless all strikes are off the table. hugh . m, all strikes are off the table. hugh ' m, our all strikes are off the table. hugh pym. our health _ all strikes are off the table. hugh pym, our health editor, - all strikes are off the table. hugh pym, our health editor, thank - all strikes are off the table. hugh pym, our health editor, thank you.

now a look at some other stories making the news today. luton captain tom lockyer has been discharged from hospital. he collapsed in saturday's premier league match against bournemouth after suffering a cardiac arrest. it meant the game was abandoned. shoppers ordering cheap christmas presents from the chinese—owned online marketplace temu risk buying items made using forced labour — that's according to the chair of the commons foreign affairs committee, alicia kearns. temu says it "strictly prohibits" the use of forced, penal, or child labour. british sign language will be taught as a gcse in england from 2025. the government says bsl will be open to all pupils, who will learn around 1,000 signs on the course. a group of mps has called on the premier league and other sporting bodies to cut what it calls the "bombardment" of gambling advertisements in stadiums. a report by the culture, media and sport committee welcomed a planned move to withdraw gambling sponsorship on the front of shirts,

but said there are many other adverts to address. frances read reports. from day one of the premier league season, it's on the shirts and in the stadiums. those watching see thousands of gambling ads across multiple games. mps say the bombardment, particularly for kids, is too much. and while gambling sponsorship on the front of premier league shirts will eventually go, the cross—party culture, media and sport committee says it won't be enough. mps have recommended a new gambling sponsorship code of conduct to be developed by the government and with sports governing bodies, and that a high proportion of ads should promote safer gambling. the report also supported extra online protection for young adults and for the introduction of a levy to be paid by gambling operators to fund addiction prevention and treatment. children are obviously, you know, go to football matches with their parents. it's a sort of standard

family, wonderful outing. but there, there is a lot of exposure to gambling advertising. it's on the front of shirts, it's on the side of shirts, it's in the stadium in terms of the banners. it's also on the various sort of leaflets that are handed around. and what that does, and we've seen through this report where it talks about 7,000 gambling messages across six football matches, that means that children see gambling is normalised. the betting and gaming council said that a sports sponsorship code should be published without delay to drive up standards and that rules already ensure advertising is responsible. the government said that proposed new measures would also deliver greater protections. but some charities have said it doesn't touch the sides and that gambling ads should be removed from sports like football entirely. frances read, bbc news. tomorrow we'll find out who's won the race to be this year's christmas number one, and today is the final day for sales and streams to count.

it's a pretty open contest, with festive contenders such as sam ryder taking on golden oldies from wham and mariah carey. here's our music correspondent, mark savage. # it's time #. once a year mariah carey defrosts... # snow is falling all around me #. ..and the charts face an avalanche of christmas songs. # i wish it could be christmas every day #. there's no escape. 28 of the songs in this week's top 40 are christmas—themed. # rocking around the christmas tree at the christmas party hop #. come on, then. and for the first time in five years, there's no sign of this guy. ignore the cameraman. # we built this city on sausage rolls #. without ladbaby and their food—based charity singles, the race for christmas number one is the most

open it's been for years. # what a special time of year # full ofjoy and festive cheer #. one of the main contenders is sam ryder, and he's been working hard to boost the chances of his single, you're christmas to me. we've been going up and down, all around the country. we've done 26 performances in the last six days, doing everything we possibly can to make this christmas miracle come true, because it's not often you find yourself in a chart race against the almighty wham, but, you know, with massive respect to those absolute legends there's always room for new music and new artists coming through and grassroots sort of attempts at putting new christmas music out there. as sam suggests, with 24 hours to go, wham's last christmas is the song to beat. # last christmas i gave you my heart #. in fact, it's been in the charts every year since 2008 —

pretty soon after downloads started being counted towards the top 40. # i'll give it to someone special #. streaming is all—importa nt. wham's last christmas is at the top of dozens of playlists like this, which means any time someone asks their phone or their smart speaker to play christmas music, that's the track that comes out first, and each of those streams counts towards the charts. # santa tell me if you're really there #. there have been some new additions to the christmas canon in the 21st—century, but they take time to emerge. hits like ariana grande's santa tell me are now charting even higher than when they were first released. # if he won't be here #. # snow is falling #. so wham may take the crown on friday, but in ten years' time we could be nostalgic for something completely different. # must be santa, santa claus #. bob dylan, anyone?

mark savage, bbc news. you can't beat wham, in my opinion. now, just to get you in the festive mood, take a look at this — in the skies over the us state of utah. not santa's reindeer on an early visit, i'm afraid — these were actually deer being airlifted for an annual medical check. biologists capture around 1,200 of them every year and fit them with gps monitors, before re—releasing them back into the wild. the idea is to help the deer cope with encroaching urbanisation, disease, predators, wildfires and severe weather. talking of the weather, here is chris fawkes and we were reporting earlier on storm pia. storm pia has been causing disruption across the country. this truck toppled over