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tv   BBC News at Six  BBC News  December 22, 2023 6:00pm-6:31pm GMT

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the end result is undoubtedly a compromise, but it has been passed, and for many that is the significance. and finally finding its voice. —— and finally finding its voice. —— and finally finding its voice. the 17—year—old who returned to the uk after going missing for six years gives his first interview, about his life abroad. i was safe and i was always healthy, but no social life, no meeting people my own age, kind of always being isolated. police bodycam footage shows officers searching for the prague gunman who carried out the country's worst mass shooting. the great christmas getaway — we'll bring you the latest as millions of people move across the uk for the holidays. which runs for the first ever time in the history of this
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and which festive favourite is the christmas number one? and coming up on bbc news... we'll be at villa park where sheffield united are the visitors on a night when victory can take aston villa top of the premier league. hello and welcome to the bbc news at six. in the last hour, the united nations security council has passed a resolution to address the continuing conflict in gaza and the appalling conditions faced by around 2 million people there. it follows days of argument at the un in new york. the resolution calls on asians to create the conditions for the cessation of hostilities and the unhindered delivery of assistance to gaza —— calls on nations.
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the resolution the uae has put in blue this morning responds to the calls for a sustainable cessation of hostilities and a massive scale up of humanitarian aid. often in diplomacy, the challenge is meeting the moment in the world we live, not in the world that we want, and we will never tire in pushing for a full humanitarian ceasefire. in a dramatic intervention, russia had attempted to amend the wording again — by reverting back to a call for an immediate ceasefire. something supported by most nations. the ship was not un ambassador said the call to simply create conditions for a ceasefire would continue to give israel even hand. by by signing off on this, because council would essentially be giving sherry armed forces freedom of movement of the clearing of the gaza strip and anyone who votes in favour of the text would responsibility for that. essentially becoming complicit in the destruction of gaza. but
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after that, in the destruction of gaza. but afterthat, in in the destruction of gaza. but after that, in russia for an immediate ceasefire was vetoed by the united states anti—green resolution was passed abstaining. john sudworth is at the white house. john, what impact will this have? —— in practical terms, to be frank, on the ground, you have to say very little immediate sense. this was a compromise resolution, a reflection of the world at the end rather than you would want, one diplomat said ahead of the vote. america is angry that he resolution that contain explicit condemnation of hamas. the russians, as you say, were angry that there was not this call for an immediate ceasefire rather than a line which eventually passed, working towards a ceasefire, the conditions for a ceasefire. both of those countries abstained, but they were not vetoes, it has gone through. i think that is the significance. after weeks of intense
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negotiations, we have been ps standing behind, if nothing else, an expression of intent, a recognition of the planetary increases and as, the beginnings, many people hope, of the beginnings, many people hope, of the exploration of methods to get a win to address it. when uncle tom, thank you. the fault of that scene was the time. —— more on that. police have launched a criminal investigation into the child abduction of alex batty, who went missing from his home in oldham at the age of ii. officers from greater manchester have interviewed the teenager, who's now 17, after he was found walking in southern france ten days ago. speaking publically for the first time to the sun newspaper, alex batty says he grew tired of living an alternative lifestyle with his mother and grandfather. judith moritz reports. alex batty is still taking in the oldham skyline. after six years away, he can't get enough of his new surroundings, which couldn't be more different
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from where he was before. alex was last in the french pyrenees and has lived a nomadic life in several countries since the age of ii, but he's wanted to come home for a long time. i decided to come back to england when i was around 14, to be honest. i started weighing up the pros and cons from each lifestyle, and after a couple of months of contemplation, i realised england was definitely the way forward. alex had been taken out of the uk by his mum and granddad, though neither was his legal guardian. last week, he left them behind to return to his grandma in oldham. it was a normal day and i just decided, ok, it's time to leave. my next thought process was, "what do i need to pack? "don't show any sort of indication that i'm leaving." my thought was to write a note,
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so i wrote a note to my mum, told her how much i loved her. alex wrote, "i'm sure you won't get found." and ended, "don't be too mad with me." he then walked away, and after being picked up by a van driver, he got in touch with his grandma and was brought back. when alex returned here to oldham, the police said they needed to take a statement from him so that his responses could direct the nature of their investigation. today, they've told me that officers have now interviewed the teenager, and as a result, their work has changed status from a missing persons inquiry to a criminal investigation into child abduction. i know that their decision to take me was what they thought was best for me and for my future. i know it came from love, i know it came from a place of protection, but no social life, no meeting people my own age,
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kind of always being isolated... ..becomes boring, to say the least, really. alex will be 18 in two months and has big plans for adulthood. he wants to go to college, working computing and make his own decisions about life. judith moritz, bbc news, oldham. czech police say a gunman who killed 14 people at a university in prague yesterday shot himself as they were closing in on him. david kozak, who was a student there, is thought to have acted alone in what was the worst mass shooting in the country's history. police have released bodycam footage showing armed officers responding to the attack as they tried to secure the building. our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford reports from prague. hunting for a killer. this is the moment when armed police burst into a prague university to stop the gunman who was stalking
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the corridors and shooting students. an officer's body cam footage was released today by police. frenzied images of a horrifying attack. in a classroom, they shout for stretchers and tourniquets to treat students with terrible injuries. others had barricaded themselves into lecture halls, hiding until they could be evacuated by police. they first put us on the floor, they searched everyone and then it was all hands up. we werejust taken outside the building. as we was going down the stairs, i saw lots of blood on the stairs. the blood splashed all over the place. the whole attack was over in minutes. the gunman isolated on the roof. he had killed his father before telling a friend he planned to kill himself, then heading for the city centre, heavily armed.
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today the interior minister defended the police response. i don't want to speak about the number of weapons, but it... he had more than one and he was really ready to kill much more people. so it could have been a lot worse. much worse. this city is now dotted with shrines. the man who caused such suffering had no criminal record. his guns were bought some time ago legally. no—one saw this coming. there is a real sense of sadness here today as people remember those who were killed in this attack. but there's also a sense of shock that this has happened here in prague where people say they felt safe until now, but where that sense of safety has been shattered. what has happened here
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is heartbreaking and unbelievable. sorry. among those he shot were two teachers. this is lenka hlavkova. police now know the gunman had killed before. —— police now think the gunman had killed before. he murdered a man and his babyjust last week, but he wasn't caught. perhaps this pain could have been avoided. interior minister was very clear when we spoke, saying that police had not acted too slowly, they had not missed any clues, and what they did do about it a much greater tragedy. the authorities have a second teacher who was killed in this plastic sheeting, a teacher of finnish literature. the student was back pains have been revealed. there are flags and official buildings, at half past. in some buildings, black flags flying as this country
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prepares for the model which has an official beer of across the czech republic. —— prepares for tomorrow, an official day of mourning. sarah rainsford, bbc news, prague. millions of people are on the move across the uk as the christmas getaway begins. there have been queues at the port of dover after a surge in demand for ferries caused by yesterday's eurotunnel strike in france. and road and rail travel is also heavy, with more than 13 millionjourneys predicted between today and sunday. here's our transport correspondent katy austin. the christmas getaway is in full swing after a very bumpy start. train services have been recovering after yesterday's severe disruption. these passengers at leeds were travelling hopefully. i was glad i wasn't going back last night, so i had friends that were going from euston and everything was kind of chaotic. a little bit stressed, because see if these trains get cancelled, not sure if they are going to be cancelled or not, so. now that i've looked, it's all right. there have been long queues at dover's ferry ports, partly cut down to a higher demand after a strike at eurotunnel
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yesterday, which also affected eurostar. in northern ireland, the latest in a series of strikes has brought public transport to a halt. across the country, millions of people are driving to visit friends and family today and tomorrow. predicting saturday will be the busiest day for travel over the christmas period. if you plan on driving longer than you usually do, it's always good advice to check your vehicle over before you set off. and have essentials in the car as well should the worst happen. drivers got a musical welcome at this service station in gloucestershire. at another on the mi in west yorkshire, people's journeys had mostly been smooth. all right, yeah. halfway, so... it's a bit windy, - but relatively clear. sheffield was a bit busy, there were roadworks. l off to see the family for christmas, and i thought i'd rather go today than tomorrow when there will be more traffic. where are you guys off to? scarborough. and who are you seeing
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in scarborough? nana! on the railway, engineering work and upgrades mean some disruption over the next week or so. for example, there will be no trains in or out of london paddington station between christmas eve and the 27th of december. however you are getting about, the traditional advice stands, check before you travel. katie austin, bbc news. ministers have downplayed the seriousness of new figures about economic growth which suggest the uk economy shrank slightly in the three months to october. the value of all goods and services — gross domestic product — fell by 0.1%. the next set of figures, due in february, will reveal whether the uk is in a recession. here's our economics editor, faisal islam. it's one of the last shopping days before christmas, and it doesn't look like a recession, but the ring of tills and the beep of card machines is accompanied by the signs that show retailers have had to slash prices to tempt in last—minute bargain seekers.
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i mean, pending recession is always worrying for everyone, for consumers and for retailers. we are not technically in a recession yet because we haven't had two quarters of gdp decline, but i think what we're seeing is consumers adopting a recessionary behaviour. so they are much more cautious in their approach. the overall economy numbers over the summer have been revised down, now showing a shrinking economy. that reflects weak consumer demand for kitchens, for example. as manufacturers in particular, we were not particularly shocked. whilst if the uk does produce a recession this year, it is unlikely to deter the activity of manufacturers who do believe that at least in the near future or long term will be better than it is right now. it's been a run of sluggish numbers over the past couple of years, but today's revisions have taken down even the sparse growth that was recorded over the last six months, with a dip in the third quarter raising the possibility that britain is in a recession. the bank of england is now predicting no growth in the current quarter and through the whole of next year too.
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a recession isn't certain. if it did come, it would be a mild one, and the economy is not drastically different after this revision than before. but the bigger economic picture is an economy with zero growth, stagnant, flatlining, and that can come as little surprise after that series of interest rate rises over the past couple of years. this could up the pressure on the bank of england for faster rate cuts next year. but it also casted doubt on it when exactly the economy will take off again. at this birmingham food market, it is falling commercial energy prices that is causing some optimism. before we were breaking even, barely, you know, all of a sudden now we are back in profit, which is what we wanted. but those little fluctuations of energy costs make a load of difference to us. i wouldn't say pleased, but not pulling my hair out like i probably was 12 months ago.
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but as the year ends, the economy not in a deep freeze, but not heating up either. faisal islam, bbc news. the time is 60 minutes past six. our top story this 3 60 minutes past six. evening. the united nations passes a resolution aimed at getting more aid into gaza, but stops short of calling for an immediate ceasefire. and still to come — what are the chances of a white christmas this year? coming up in sport on bbc news... making his christmas wishes come true — 16 year old luke littler continues his fairtytale run at the pdc world championship — as he makes it into the third round of the competition. researchers who've been following people with dementia — who live in a pioneering dementia—friendly village — say early results suggest the residents are happier and healthier than those in standard care homes. the village was set up in 2020
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in south west france. and it appears that the people who live there have avoided the accelerated decline in the condition which is often experienced in the first year of entering a care home. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson went to find out more. this is a village with a difference. here, all the villagers have dementia. this shop in the main square supplies simple groceries, like the all—important baguette. and to reduce stress, it doesn't take money, so no one has to remember their wallet. next door is the restaurant and the social heart of the village, where i meet francis, a formerfarmer. what was it like when the doctor said you had alzheimer's? translation: very hard. he tells me that his father also had alzheimer's, but he says he is not afraid. translation: i'm not afraid of dying
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because that will happen one day. - meanwhile, i will live my life despite the disease. i am here to live, even though it is not the same. and for this couple, dementia has reunited them. philippe came first and then vivianne. it is, of course, bittersweet, but here they live as normal a life as they are able. what do you do here? translation: we go on walks. we walk. i have the feeling that you are very happy. yes, we feel good here. truly. they say time passes differently here. there are no set hours for appointments, shopping, or washing imposed on residents. there isjust a gentle rhythm, a coaxing and cajoling, with the aim of giving these villagers as much freedom as possible. this dementia village is being closely monitored. early results suggest its specially
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adapted environment is actually influencing the course of the disease. what we used to see when people enter institution — that is an accelerated cognitive decline — is not observed in this institution. so this could be a question about, can you actually extend people's lives? yeah, yeah, yeah. that is an important question. but can we extend people's life in good conditions? and researchers say there is also a drastic reduction in families' feelings of guilt and concern. translation: i have peace of mind because i know she has peace - of mind and is safe. when i leave her, i am relieved. when i arrive, it is like i am just at her house. i am at home with my mum. but villages like this come at a price. while running costs are similar to an average care home, it costs £17 million to set up. despite that, the village attracts huge worldwide interest from those
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looking for a solution to the predicted exponential growth in dementia. because there is a cruel inevitability, there is no cure. but while this may be the winter of these villagers' lives, staff here believe it comes more slowly and that there is more joy along the way. sophie hutchinson, bbc news, south—west france. attacks by xl bully dogs haven't been far from the headlines this year. in response, tough restrictions on the breed come into force in england and wales at the end of the month. owners will have to register, insure and neuter their pet, and it the changes have led some people to send their dogs to scotland where the rules aren't as strict. richard forbes reports from edinburgh — and a warning his report does contain some distressing images. if this xl bully puppy had remained in liverpool, he would be on the dangerous dogs list next week. instead, he's found a new home in edinburgh, but is the latest xl
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bully to beat the ban that's been introduced in england and wales at the end of the month. angie reached out to offer the popular new home north the puppy a new home north of the border. sadly, come the 1st ofjanuary, these poor dogs might not be with us, and it's all due to being judged for how they look. and i'm in a position to have been able to rescue and luckily have rescued this little one today. the transfer was coordinated by the all bully rescue charity after english owners started looking to scotland for help. but absolutely, inundated, there's just too many messages, emails, phone calls. that's a lot of people that are seeing their housing accounts. all the landlords have told them categorically that they need to rehome the dog or lose tenancy.
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the ban has been introduced in england and wales, following a rise in the number of attacks by xl bullies, including this one in birmingham in september. i've asked ministers to convene a group together, including the police and experts in this field so that they can firstly define the breed and then using the powers under the dangerous dogs act, we will ban this breed with new laws in place by the end of the year. the reason these dogs can have a future in scotland is because the government here is taking a different approach. the scottish government says it already has regulations to prevent dog attacks. these regulations apply to all types of dogs and any changes to the regulations must be evidence based. in a statement, campaign group bully watch uk said scotland's indecision has provided a legal loophole. the scottish government has consulted on dangerous dogs for over three years and has not lifted a finger. we are baffled that they have decided not to act. good boy. animal organisations, including the sspca, told me that a ban
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on the bullies wouldn't work. other charities say the focus should be on the owners rather than the dogs themselves. as more xl bully dogs are brought from england to scotland. debate about the law continues. richard forbes, bbc news. previously private details from the first full year of the king's reign, including behind the scenes rehearsals of his coronation, have been revealed in a bbc documentary. for the first time, the princess royal talks about the death of the queen, and the discussions she had with her mother about where she would spend the last days of her life. the programme will air on boxing day. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is with me. what more do we learn in this? the late queen. — what more do we learn in this? the late queen. i _ what more do we learn in this? tie: late queen, i believe, was completely at peace with the knowledge that she would in all probability end her days and her
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long reign amid the tranquillity of her beloved bill morrow. that is what she wanted. there has been discussion within the family about this and then this documentary princess anne, the princess royal, who just happened to be at balmoral on the day of her mother's death speaks briefly about it and says there was a moment that she felt it would be more difficult if she died at balmoral. we did try to persuade her that it shouldn't be part of the decision—making process. there is no hint as to when that discussion took place. the late queen of course remained at balmoral and died just after three o'clock on the 8th of september last year. that triggered the many events we saw unfolding over the next ten days which culminated in the state funeral and then the smaller service at st george's chapel in windsor, at the end of which an official remove the instruments of state from the coffin and princess anne says this. he
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takes the crown of the coffin. i rather weirdly felt a sense of relief. somehow, that's it, finished. that responsibility being moved on. charles iii the coronation year is on bbc one on boxing day. sam ryder, the pogues, or wham — who gets your vote for the christmas number one? or maybe you secretly love that mariah carey song. there's been quite the battle this year to take the top spot in the charts, and the result has been revealed in the last hour. our music correspondent mark savage reports on the festive first place. for the first time in the history of this song, last christmas is your official christmas number one today! # last christmas i gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away... 13 million. that's how many
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times last christmas was streamed over the last seven days. and that is why it is christmas number one, for the first time since it was released 39 years ago.- released 39 years ago. i am delighted- _ released 39 years ago. i am delighted. n _ released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has _ released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has been - released 39 years ago. i am delighted. it has been a - released 39 years ago. i am | delighted. it has been a long released 39 years ago. t:n delighted. it has been a long wait in many respects but it was a song george wrote with the intention of being a number one, and to finally achieve that goal, it is humbling. top of the pile is a great place to be. ~ ., ., top of the pile is a great place to be. ~ . ., , ., top of the pile is a great place to be. ~ . ., i. “ top of the pile is a great place to be. ~ ., ~ , ., be. what do you think george would make of it going _ be. what do you think george would make of it going to _ be. what do you think george would make of it going to christmas - be. what do you think george would | make of it going to christmas number one after all this time? you make of it going to christmas number one after all this time?— one after all this time? you would be absolutely _ one after all this time? you would be absolutely over _ one after all this time? you would be absolutely over the _ one after all this time? you would be absolutely over the man. - one after all this time? you would be absolutely over the man. he i be absolutely over the man. he wouldn't have cared for the amount of time it took to get there but better late than never. wham's classic fended _ better late than never. wham's classic fended off _ better late than never. wham's classic fended off a _ better late than never. wham's classic fended off a challenge l better late than never. wham's . classic fended off a challenge from eurovision star sam ryder his song, your christmas to me, took second
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place. while mariah carey came third. after shane mcgowan�*s death last month, there had been a campaign to get the pogues's fairytale of new york to number one, but in a busy week it had to make do with sixth place. christmas is the peak sales period for the music industry which is why you see records like this back on the shelves and in the charts every december, and for the artists, it is still an honour to be christmas number one. it still an honour to be christmas number one-— still an honour to be christmas number one. . . . number one. it is the best thing, i keep saying _ number one. it is the best thing, i keep saying to _ number one. it is the best thing, i keep saying to people _ number one. it is the best thing, i keep saying to people this - number one. it is the best thing, i keep saying to people this is - number one. it is the best thing, i keep saying to people this is my l keep saying to people this is my version — keep saying to people this is my version of— keep saying to people this is my version of the world cup final, it is that_ version of the world cup final, it is that big — version of the world cup final, it is that big for us here on the officiai— is that big for us here on the official chart, the christmas number one. official chart, the christmas number one it _ official chart, the christmas number one. it doesn't get bigger than this _ one. it doesn't get bigger than this. . one. it doesn't get bigger than this. , ., , , .,. this. outside of the singles race, the rolling _
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this. outside of the singles race, the rolling stones _ this. outside of the singles race, the rolling stones top _ this. outside of the singles race, the rolling stones top to - this. outside of the singles race, the rolling stones top to the - this. outside of the singles race, - the rolling stones top to the albums chart with hackney diamonds, a late birthday present for guitarist keith richards who turned 80 on monday. now, bing crosby dreamt of it, and christmas cards — and children — make the most of it. so what are the chances of a white christmas this year? our weather presenter matt taylor has been finding out. just like the ones we used to know. but it only takes a single snowflake to fall for it to be officially declared a white christmas. the last time we saw classic christmas snow scenes was in 2010 when over 80% of the country was blanketed, but that was one ofjust four times it has happened in the last 60 years. the other years being in �*81, �*95, and 2009. why does a white christmas have such a hold on our imagination? well, it is down to one
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much loved writer. this guy, charles dickens, writer of a christmas carol. he was born in 1812, at the end of what was known as the little ice age. this was a period of low output from the sun, and that caused global temperatures to plummet, giving us some pretty harsh and snowy winters. in london, the thames often froze over, and frost fairs were held on the ice. these days, we are more likely to see snow in the uk between january and march, rather than december. we will still see some snow events, but the overall trend is decreasing. it is getting warmer due to climate change. you know, our winters are warming up. six of the top ten warmest winters on record have occurred since 2007. and it is notjust here where chances of festive snow is being effected by a warming climate. a recent study by the university of helsinki showed a 20—50% reduction of lying snow at christmas across europe since 1950. increasingly for lots of us,
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any dreams of a white christmas in the future will be just that — dreams. matt taylor, bbc news. and that takes us to the weather prospects. here's louise lear. i suspect that the only white christmas most of us will see will be from cloud cover. rather gray on christmas day. scotland could see a few flakes of snow. today has been quite cloudy and grey with outbreaks of light rain. snow showers into the northern isles which is where we have the colder air at the moment. this weather frontally dividing line between the very mild air which is driving in south—westerly winds at the moment. we have reign some of it heavy pushing into western scotland. as it bumps into that coal there we will see snow through the night. 2-10 will see snow through the night. 2—10 centimetres possible. the temperature here at the ground one

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