live from london, this is bbc news. luke littler, at 16 years old, is battling to become the youngest ever winner. welcome to bbc news, and lewis vaughanjones. it's been a tense night at alexandra palace, i'm going to bring you the very latest score in the darts championship final therebetween luke littler and luke humphreys, luke littlerjust 16 humphreys, luke littler just 16 years humphreys, luke littlerjust 16 years old, what a fairy tale story it would be. he's been behind at the moment for — six, luke humphreys leads. it's the first of seven, so it luke humphreys on the brink of

spoiling the party, that fairy tale story. it has been a pretty close match, back and forth, nip and tuck. he would be of course the youngest player — he's the youngest player to reach the final at 16, but let's get the latest on what's been happening there, let's head to our bbc sport centre. drama they are?— there, let's head to our bbc sport centre. drama they are? yes, plenty of drama and — centre. drama they are? yes, plenty of drama and it _ centre. drama they are? yes, plenty of drama and it could _ centre. drama they are? yes, plenty of drama and it could be _ centre. drama they are? yes, plenty of drama and it could be reaching . of drama and it could be reaching its climax in a metal of seconds because luke humphreys is on a finish, the world number one could be about to claim the world title. it's been a dramatic night at alexandra palace. although it build up alexandra palace. although it build up in conversation prior to this was the focus and attention on luke littler, the 16—year—old who is now just about to potentially take it, he's going for a 88 to win the world title. the focus was on luke

littler, and i can tell you that humphreys hasjust littler, and i can tell you that humphreys has just beaten the 16—year—old. let's recap how the drama unfolded, it all began unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago, the 16—year—old bursting onto the scene, what a raw talent he has been over the last couple weeks. he's been imperious on the route to the final, all the focusing attention has been on him over the last week or so. has been on him over the last week orso. but has been on him over the last week or so. but the roll number one, luke humphries, is the matter came into this final bizarrely with all the attention on his 16—year—old opponent. it started with some nerves, perhaps luke littler managed 89 in the first set, it was quite close, then luke littler 13 sets in a row, but it was a big moment where luke littler had a double two — he

was unable to take that double two, then luke humphries rattled off five sets in a row in the end to take the title 7-4 sets in a row in the end to take the title 7—4 in the last couple minutes, he's very emotional on the stage in alexandra palace, i mention he's won 19 matches in a row. his victory in the semifinal yesterday means that he went into the final as the roll number one. despite that, he's never been in the world final, so this is his first big title, the one he's been dreaming about. he says getting to role number one you can last a couple months, but being world champion will last forever. luke humphries is the world darts champion. just luke humphries is the world darts chamion., , , , luke humphries is the world darts chamion. , , , , , champion. just briefly, because we've only _ champion. just briefly, because we've only got _ champion. just briefly, because we've only got 30 _ champion. just briefly, because we've only got 30 seconds - champion. just briefly, because we've only got 30 seconds or. we've only got 30 seconds or so, less than that, just talk about the attitude of luke littler, he seemed

so relaxed going into this.— so relaxed going into this. that's exactly it. _ so relaxed going into this. that's exactly it. he _ so relaxed going into this. that's exactly it, he was _ so relaxed going into this. that's exactly it, he was calm _ so relaxed going into this. that's exactly it, he was calm and - so relaxed going into this. that's i exactly it, he was calm and unfazed ljy exactly it, he was calm and unfazed by the whole fortnight he was thrust into the spotlight, there's been media attention on his home, personal and school life, and everything that's come with it. he's dealt with it and taken everything in his stride, he's thrown some great darts over the course of the fortnight at alexandra palace. but itjust fortnight at alexandra palace. but it just wasn't meant to be itjust wasn't meant to be this evening, luke humphries is the world champion, he's on stage getting the plaudits and celebrations as we speak right now. the world number one is the world champion. great to talk to you. — one is the world champion. great to talk to you, thank _ one is the world champion. great to talk to you, thank you _ one is the world champion. great to talk to you, thank you very much i one is the world champion. great to | talk to you, thank you very much for talking us through those final few seconds, so expertly — it wasn't to be, the fairy tale just one game short they are of actually taking the role championship. it's been some ride for the 16—year—old luke littler, a big future for him.

that's it from me, clive myrie is coming up. this is bbc news. thousands ofjunior doctors man picket lines in england. there'll be six days of industrial action. some parts of the nhs in england have already declared critical incidents. we'll have the very latest. our other top story tonight... the ascension is complete! the teenager luke littler, who captured the hearts of a nation, in the last few minutes, loses his quest to win the title. in iran, the supreme leader promises a harsh response after nearly a hundred people are killed in bomb attacks. and the mediaeval cemetery unearthed near cardiff, yielding new secrets from 1,500 years ago. and stay with us here on bbc news for continuing coverage in analysis from our team of correspondents

in the uk and around the world. good evening. the longest planned strike in nhs history has seen thousands ofjunior doctors man picket lines in england on the first of six days of industrial action. it's the result of the long—running and acrimonious dispute over pay. thousands of routine appointments and operations have been postponed as hospitals focus on emergency care, and some parts of the nhs in england have declared critical incidents, which means there's concern that they may not be able to provide critical services. the strike began at 7am this morning, and is due to end at 7am next tuesday, january 9th. doctors in wales will also go on strike for three days, from january 15th.

a pay increase of 8.8% has been awarded by the government and an extra 3% on top has been offered. but the doctors' union, the british medical association, says that still doesn't reflect the rise in inflation. ministers argue that the union's demands are unrealistic. in scotland, doctors have already agreed to a 12.4% pay rise. our health editor hugh pym has more from university college hospital in london. facing up to the first day of strike action, ben, the lead consultant in the emergency department. morning, everyone. good morning. how was your night? we were handed 15... 15 patients waiting. that's a lot more than we normally have. junior doctors who've been on overnight hand over to the consultants who'll take over. and aphra is supporting the strike action. i'm only two years into being a doctor, so knowing the longevity of the career and seeing how many of my friends have already left

go to australia, i think on balance, it's an issue about retention rather than pay. and the hospital, along with others in north london, is coming under pressure. we're seeing high numbers of attendances in emergency departments, in nearby hospitals. we're having lots of ambulances coming both to uclh and also to the other hospitals. 0k. so we could do with a few more discharges, guys. it's 9.30 and a key planning meeting has to work out how to free up more beds for new patients. not the best position to be in, particularly with the junior doctor industrial action going on. so we all know what we need to do. we'll try and get you home today. we'll try and get everything sorted. and louisa, who's a matron, is hoping danny can be discharged after an operation. but hopefully, third time lucky. because of the doctors' strikes, her ward has to take in some emergency patients as well as those recovering after surgery. it has been frustrating. i think it's, we want the best for our patients. so it's feeling for the patients and also for the nurses,

because the nurses want to give that expert care. and when you're looking after patients that aren't your speciality, you're not necessarily doing that. and i think that's always something that they struggle with. hi. i'm calling you because we need to reschedule your— appointment due to strikes. here's a part of a hospital you rarely see — staff who have to call patients with bad news about cancellations on strike days and try to rebook them. they are in pain. so i understand that they can be |aggressive, although i'm tryingl to calm them down and i'm trying to find a new date. _ i'm trying to make things right. that's what we aim for. every bed you see here has a patient in it. it's the middle of the day and the emergency department's filling up. ben's a consultant helping cover the strike. he'll be working nearly 70 hours over the six days. it's so tiring to do this 24/7 cover. we can't do it for much longer than the six days we're going to attempt to do. but how does six days feel?

i enjoy my work, but it's going to be busy and it's going to be hard. and after the sixth day, i'm going to be pretty exhausted. the message today is that the hospital's extremely busy but safe, though they are nervous about the next five days. the view from university college hospital there, the view from university college hospitalthere, but the view from university college hospital there, but how have nhs trusts around england been coping with this today? in a trusts around england been coping with this today?— with this today? in a small number of cases, with this today? in a small number of cases. nhs _ with this today? in a small number of cases, nhs organisations - with this today? in a small number of cases, nhs organisations in - of cases, nhs organisations in england have declared critical incidents, sending a message to their local public that they are full and that a&e waits are extremely long and also a message to partners in their area for support required. be clear, this sort of thing does happen in the winterfrom time to time, particularly this time of year, when there is so much pressure out there. but clearly, it's harder to manage whenjunior doctors are on strike. tonight a row has blown up between the british medical association, the doctors'

union, and nhs leaders over a system called derogations. that is allowing trust managers in extreme circumstances to call striking doctors of picket lines if they can show that there are extreme circumstances and safety is really under threat and that there are no other sources of staffing. the bma alleges that this system is being misused. not enough evidence is being provided by trust managers and, of 20 requests made in the last day or so, almost all have been rejected. nhs england has responded that strong evidence is being provided in a robust system and that local medical leaders will occasionally need to call in this sort of support. but the whole thing just shows how fraught relations are on this, just the first day of the strike. on this, 'ust the first day of the strike. , ., ., ., iran's supreme leader says there'll be a harsh response after nearly a hundred people were killed by two explosions in the south eastern city of kerman. the blasts were near the saheb al—zaman mosque, where thousands of people had

gathered to mark the anniversary of the death, of a senior general who was killed in a us drone strike in 2020. caroline hawley reports. the roads leading to the cemetery were packed with people who had gone to pay their respects to qasem soleimani. officials say the bombs had been planted in bags and were apparently set off by remote control. whoever did this was clearly aiming to cause mass casualties. the iranian red crescent said their efforts to evacuate the injured were complicated by the size of the crowds. the first bomb was followed swiftly by a second, more deadly explosion. it comes four years to the day since qasem soleimani was killed himself in an american drone attack while on a visit to iraq. general soleimani was a huge figure in iran, commander of the powerful revolutionary guards, responsible for arming its proxy militias in the middle east, including hezbollah in lebanon, and for funding hamas.

he had a devoted following among supporters of the iranian regime. his funeral was attended, according to estimates, by more than1 million mourners. so who would have wanted to attack the commemoration of his death, and why? the most telling thing here is that this attack in kerman does not fit any modus operandi of what the israelis have traditionally done. they are looking for specific individuals, not for large events with lots of people. there are at least two groups that have a history of doing just this type of thing in iran. there's sunni jihadist groups on whom suspicion for this is likely to fall, although no group has yet claimed to have carried it out. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei, said there would be a harsh response. it is the deadliest attack in the country in decades.

whoever was responsible, they have heightened tensions in a region that is already a tinderbox. caroline hawley, bbc news. britain and the united states and ten other countries have warned houthi rebels in yemen to stop attacking commercial shipping in the red sea. the un security council has met to discuss the crisis, which is disrupting international trade. james landale is with me. james, is there now a threat of this situation escalating? concern is certainly growing, clive, because since november, these houthi rebels, the iranian—backed fighters in yemen, have attacked commercial ships in the red sea no fewer than 20 times. they have used drones, missiles, fast boats, even helicopters on occasion. they claim, often falsely, that the shipping is somehow linked to israel. there have been international warnings not to do this. us and uk warships have shut down some of the missiles. a naval alliance has been formed to try and protect some of the shipping, but largely to no avail. the attacks have continued, so now

12 countries, the us, uk and a lot of european countries and some others have formally warned the houthi that there will be consequences if these attacks continue. that is widely interpreted as a threat of military action against targets in yemen, where these missiles are stored and launched from. so that is causing concern. the reason this matters is because 15% of world trade passes through the red sea. already, many container ships, through the red sea. already, many containerships, oiltankers are container ships, oil tankers are passing containerships, oiltankers are passing through under south africa instead that there are fears that this could cause an increase in fuel costs, supplying chain damage. we may find it hard to get our consumer goods. this evening there was a big debate at the un security council about it and yes, there was widespread condemnation of the houthi attacks, but there were also warnings against escalation. what is not clear tonight is how iran might respond if there were to be western air strikes against their yemeni allies. , ., , ., ., air strikes against their yemeni allies. , ., ., ., allies. james landale, our diplomatic— allies. james landale, our diplomatic correspondent. now, he'd captured the hearts

of the nation, even those not remotely interested in darts. but it wasn't to be for luke littler from cheshire, aged just 16 and beaten tonight in the final of the world darts championships in london. in the last few minutes, he lost to luke humphries in a tense, gripping final. from alexandra palace, here's natalie pirks. christmas may be done and dusted, but there was just enough time for one more tilt at the dressing up box. luke littler! and despite being up box. luke littler! and despite being up against the pretournament favourite and world number one, there was only one name on fans�* lips. who do we think is going to win tonight?— lips. who do we think is going to win tonight?_ why? | lips. who do we think is going to win tonight?_ why? win tonight? luke littler! why? he is amazing- — win tonight? luke littler! why? he is amazing- 16 _ win tonight? luke littler! why? he is amazing. 16 years _ win tonight? luke littler! why? he is amazing. 16 years old, _ win tonight? luke littler! why? he is amazing. 16 years old, doing - win tonight? luke littler! why? he. is amazing. 16 years old, doing what he is doing, we are loving it. youngster, hope he is going to win it. , , _, ., youngster, hope he is going to win it. he is 'ust so confident for his ace. he it. he isjust so confident for his age- he is _ it. he isjust so confident for his age- he is 16. — it. he isjust so confident for his age- he is 16. it— it. he isjust so confident for his age. he is 16, it is— it. he isjust so confident for his age. he is 16, it is incredible. i age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's not — age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's not only— age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's not only the _ age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's not only the smell- age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's not only the smell of- age. he is 16, it is incredible. it's not only the smell of two| it's not only the smell of two weeks' worth of beer —soaked carpet thatis weeks' worth of beer —soaked carpet that is in the air tonight, is also the sweet smell of anticipation,

because a certain 16—year—old could become the youngest world champion in darts history here tonight. 0h, in darts history here tonight. oh, and he would be half £1 million better off too. luke littler! the big build—up, the long walk, the teen sensation has lit up the palace. but his namesake luke humphries is 12 years his senior and he made every year of experience count to take the first set comfortably. littler needed to settle. he has big dreams. he nails big finishes. but they don't call humphrey's cool hand luke for nothing. this match was ebbing and flowing, neither giving an inch. but on the smallest of margins, tides can change. littler was up, but only just. but you know what they say — good things always come to an end. the teenage dream is over. but

mistakes were being punished and humphries was calling it back in spectacularfashion, winning humphries was calling it back in spectacular fashion, winning four sets on the spin. littler had been on a roller—coaster. he had taken us all along for the ride. well, luke littler had pretty much strolled into this final, steam—rolling from a champions on the way. not this time. the 16—year—old had taken a 11—2 set lead, but humphrey started playing some wonderful stuff. he hauled himself back into the match. he won five sets on the spin, punishing littler�*s mistakes and making him look very ordinary indeed. everyone in the arena were singing for him, but in the end, some of the composure that had been more mark of this fairy tale run seemed to desert him and he fell at the final hurdle. still, he leaves £200,000 richer and at the start of what could be a wonderful career. back down to earth tomorrow, though, he has a match in the runcorn darts league for his team, the bogie flickers, in case you needed a reminder that he's

stilljust you needed a reminder that he's still just a you needed a reminder that he's stilljust a teenager. pirks, ally pally. nick garnett is at the st helens darts academy, where luke littler has trained since he was a boy. must have been quite an atmosphere. even though he just fell short, nick? even though he 'ust fell short, nick? ~ , even though he 'ust fell short, nick? ~ ., , ., , ., nick? absolute nailbiter from start to finish. there _ nick? absolute nailbiter from start to finish. there were _ nick? absolute nailbiter from start to finish. there were cheers, i nick? absolute nailbiter from start to finish. there were cheers, there were tears and there were one or two beers. every single that that has gonein beers. every single that that has gone in was followed by the crowd here. over 150 in this small room and every time there was a break in play, all the kids run over behind me to the dart boards to start practising to try and be a bit like their hero. remember, luke littler isjust 16. their hero. remember, luke littler isjust16. he is still at their hero. remember, luke littler is just 16. he is still at school. he can't even learn to drive yet and he can't even go and buy himself a pointer to commiserate tonight. but he still the youngest player in the final in the game's history. but the real legacy is what he has done to the game. he has brought new people in, but he has also brought in the

people here. there are more members here than they have ever had before, 90 or so children coming every week to play and to try and be like their real hero. ~ ., ., to play and to try and be like their real hero. ~ . . ., _ .~' real hero. what a legacy. nick garnett in _ real hero. what a legacy. nick garnett in st _ real hero. what a legacy. nick garnett in st helens. - a long list of people associated with the late sex offender jeffrey epstein is expected to be made public shortly after a judge in america ordered court documents to be unsealed. the disclosures could throw new light on the sex trafficking network directed by epstein, who died in 2019. the disgraced millionaire mixed with high—profile figures from the worlds of politics, business and royalty. gary o'donoghue is in washington for us. gary, what are we expecting from these documents? taste gary, what are we expecting from these documents?— gary, what are we expecting from these documents? we are looking at somethin: these documents? we are looking at something like _ these documents? we are looking at something like 170 _ these documents? we are looking at something like 170 names _ these documents? we are looking at something like 170 names that i these documents? we are looking at something like 170 names that will i something like 170 names that will be released, maybe even more, the people who were associated with epstein and a whole bunch of documents. this is from a court case, a civil case brought by one of his victims against ghislaine

maxwell who was an associate of epstein and is now serving 20 years in prison here in the us for assisting him. the mere presence of these names and the documents will not mean they have done anything wrong, they could be purely peripheral, it does not suggest they were involved but people will be poring over them for new names in particular and any documents that give any kind of clear indication about their involvement. of course, we already know some famous names associated with him, president bill clinton flew on his private jet, donald trump and detained him at mar—a—lago and of course prince andrew's royal career ended because of his associations withjeffrey epstein and he ended up paying out to one of epstein's victims in a civil case in 2022, although he denied all the accusations against him. these women have been campaigning for these documents to be released but of course they have been denied the thing they really wanted, to see epstein on trial, because he took his life in 2019

before he could go to trial. gary, thank you. _ before he could go to trial. gary, thank you. gary _ before he could go to trial. gary, thank you, gary o'donoghue i before he could go to trial. gary, thank you, gary o'donoghue in l thank you, gary o'donoghue in washington. a 15—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenager was stabbed to death on new year's eve. harry pitman, who was 16, died following an altercation on primrose hill in north london just before midnight, when people had gathered to watch a fireworks display. an 18—year—old man has also been arrested on suspicion of affray. mortgage holders coming off fixed rates may not be paying quite as much as they thought, as a string of lenders slash the cost of borrowing. the uk's biggest, the halifax, has cut some interest rates by close to one percentage point, while hsbc will reduce the cost of new fixed deals tomorrow. a motorist has been killed after a tree fell on his car during storm henk, that swept across large parts of the uk. high winds caused widespread travel disruption and thousands of homes lost power. flood warnings are still in place in england, scotland and wales due to heavy rain.

phil mackie has the latest. it's not looking good for ian harris. this is the fifth big flood since he moved in in 2016. this level of flooding used to be called a 50—year event. now it's happening annually. it's becoming pretty frequent. it never used to be like this. it is getting worse and worse. the expected peak in worcester tomorrow will get very close to the record set four years ago. sometimes you get a sharp peak and it drops very quickly and it can go off in a day or so. other times it can really stretch out over one or two weeks. this looks like a longer stretched out one. it's not going to go down quick, i don't think. ian's well prepared. he's lived here for a while. paul wasn't so lucky. he hasjust moved here and that is his car. it's probably a write—off. we have got flooding alarm systems that i've now learned. i have just recently moved into a new block of flats, just over here. it went off on sunday evening. so i moved the car, this is where i was advised to move it.

i kept an eye on it over the course of yesterday. as you can see, overnight, it has got worse. this was all caused by storm henk which has cost one life, a man whose car was hit by a tree in gloucestershire, though there were many lucky escapes and brave rescues, too. a three—year—old and her mum. like this one in birmingham. he's going to fall under the bridge. "please, get my baby out of the car. get my baby out of the car, she is only three or two", i don't know what she was shouting or babbling. i'm a father, i've got kids. it wasjust instinct. i had to do something. there are still hundreds of flood warnings in place and a severe one on the river ritec near tenby in pembrokeshire. an earlier severe warning in the river nene in northamptonshire has been removed. back in worcester they are dealing with the fourth flood since october. there are lots of flood defences along the severn, but many have had to do the work for themselves.

this family built their own flood wall, and it is working well. this is becoming a familiar scene for people in worcester, but too familiar? these sorts of big floods didn't used to happen nearly as often, and now they seem to be happening nearly every year. the expected peak here isn't until tomorrow night, by which time the river may come close to the record high from four years ago. for those trying to keep water out, it will be a worrying 2a hours. phil mackie, bbc news, worcester. the owners of pontins in southport have confirmed they're to close the holiday park for good. they'd just hosted a new year's eve party for families, but since then it's been shut due to flooding. it's the third of the company's holiday parks to close since november. sefton council, the landowner in southport, says it hasn't been informed of the closure. with a general election almost certain, it could be a momentous year in politics. mps return to westminster next week, but it's a couple of the smaller

parties, who've kicked off the politicaljamboree for 2024 and chris is here with more details. good evening, clive. let's talk quickly about the liberal democrats and reform uk. politics is waking from its christmassy slumber. i know what you're thinking ? tell us when the general election is going to be. well, i would if i could, but i can't, because we don't know for sure. plenty think the autumn is most likely. the liberal democrats are chipper. they have 15 mps at the moment, out of 650 in total. they don't really do subtlety in their campaigning ? leader ed davey pretended to be a removal man today. their strategy is to ruthlessly focus on 30 to a0 places where they think they can win, including a handful of places in surrey he visited today, including guildford. here in surrey, if you want to beat the conservatives, you vote liberal democrat, but in large parts of the south of england and the south—west, in other parts of the country,

liberal democrats are the powerful vote if you want to unseat the conservative mp. that is why today i have launched ed davey�*s tory removal service! also out and about today, reform uk. they have no mps and winning any seats will be incredibly difficult. but they do scare some conservatives. they used to be called the brexit party, led by one nigel farage ? now back from his lucrative critter—munching escapades on i'm a celebrity. reform, though, is led by this man, richard tice. he is categoric, his party will stand in every seat in england, scotland and wales. they want a big cut in income tax and much tighter immigration restrictions. some wondered if nigel farage would turn up at a reform news conference today. but he didn't. so i asked mr tice, where is he? nigel is enjoying himself, having got back from the jungle, and he is assessing how much help, what is the best way that he can help. did he have a better appointment

this morning than coming here? you can absolutely be assured nigel is giving very serious... and i'm very clear — the more help, the better. because it's a big job, running an election... he's not turned up. he has got to work out exactly what role he wants to play and a good poker player doesn't show their hand too early. the scottish national party, plaid cymru, the green party, the northern ireland parties and others are also limbering up for an election campaign year, as are the prime minister and the labour leader, keir starmer. we'll hear from both of them tomorrow. clive. chris, thank you. chris mason. injapan, there are warnings of possible landslides due to heavy rain, hampering rescue efforts after the devastating earthquake on new year's eve. the province of noto was worst hit by the powerful tremor. many are thought to be still trapped under the rubble of flattened buildings. at least 73 people are now known to have died. jean mackenzie is one of the first journalists to reach the town of wajima,

close to the epicentre of the quake. wajima is burnt and broken. it's taken us two days to reach this city, closest to the epicentre. these are the remnants of the town's market, which was filled with small wooden stalls. but when the earthquake hit, a fire broke out and spread instantly, wiping out this entire site, and firefighters are still having to comb through this smoldering rubble to check that the flames are fully extinguished. the town is devoid of people. the sound of alarms, crushed and activated in the quake, adds to the eeriness. it's not known if people are trapped inside these splintered homes. rescue teams have struggled to get here. these search dogs only

arrived here this morning. there has been a huge delay in searching for survivors, and the teams are now going one by one to each of these collapsed wooden houses to search for them. but they don't know if anyone is inside here. their searches aren't based on any information, they've told us. this resident has come to tell the rescuers she thinks her husband's aunt is inside. translation: she's 95 and can't move much. l we've looked in all the evacuation centres but can't find her. but the dog can't get far enough in. the team must move on. time is too critical. here, some certainty — there is a woman inside, but alive? they don't know. the window to find people is closing. jean mackenzie, bbc news, and wajima injapan.

and the japanese authorities say a coastguard aircraft involved