this is bbc news. the headlines at 3:00pm. israel condemns as "shameful" a un security council vote calling for an end to settlements on occupied palestinian land. a "terrorist cell" linked to anis amri, who carried out the deadly attack on a christmas market in berlin, is uncovered, according to the tunisian authorities. a spokeswoman for the queen's granddaughter, zara tindall, and her husband mike, say the couple have lost their baby. rail passengers face delays, diversions and cancellations as work starts on a record number of engineering upgrades of the network. theresa may calls for britain to come together as it prepares to leave the eu, in her christmas message. also, big sam is back in a job, this time at crystal palace. the former england manager, sam allardyce, signs a two and a half year deal at selhurst park following the sacking of alan pardew. and it's a festive click with digital jumpers, hatched technology and star wars drones. that's all in half an hour here on bbc news. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. israel has condemned a vote by the un security council calling for an end tojewish settlements on occupied palestinian land. the us abstained rather than vetoing the resolution as it usually does. donald trump has tweeted things will be "different" when he takes over. here's our middle east correspondent, yolande knell. these israeli homes are on land that the palestinians want for their promised future state. there are now some 600,000 israelis living in the occupied west bank in eastjerusalem, and numbers are growing. in a rare show of unity, the un security council passed its judgment

on thejewish settlements. translation: 14 votes in favour. describing them as a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to any peace deal with the palestinians. crucially, the united states did not use its veto power in israel's favour as it usually does. it is because this resolution reflects the facts on the ground and it is consistent with us policy across administrations throughout the history of the state of israel that the united states did not veto it. israel disagrees that settlements built on land captured in the 1967 middle east war are illegal. at the un, it felt betrayed by its closest ally and was especially angry about criticism of building in eastjerusalem. who gave you the right to issue to such a degree of our eternal right to be injerusalem. the bible contains 3,000 years

of history of thejewish people in the land of israel. no one, no one can change this history. officially, israel rejects the resolution and says it looks forward to working with us president—elect, donald trump. on twitter, he said things would be different when he is in office. here in bethlehem, palestinians gathering for their annual christmas parade feel they have something extra to celebrate. they are calling this resolution a victory and hoping it will help them in international calls. but israel says it will not change policies on settlements with me is james sorene from the british—israel group bicom.

i think the reason israel is reacting this way, because they saw this as a very one—sided resolution, it's condemned israeli settlement building and obligated israel to do all kinds of things, but did not really condemn the palestinians or obligate the palestinian authority to do anything and it doesn't necessarily take us back to where we want to get to, which is the creation of a palestinian state, a two—state solution negotiated between the parties. what this resolution does is say that settlements on the issue, maybe the only issue, but it doesn't get us closer to a solution. samantha power said, "one cannot simultaneously champion expanding settlements and champion a two state solution that would end the conflict." in other words, you can't keep doing one thing you know antagonises the people you ultimately have to do business with. israelis and palestinians in the past got close

to a final peace deal, and in those negotiations, israel has made very big sacrifices that it has put on the table to say it will evacuate large numbers settlements. so it is true if it is building more homes in the that it creates a problem for israel in the future because there will have to evacuate more, but it is an issue for the palestinians. but the resolution did not acknowledge just how far israelis and palestinians have got in reaching an agreement in the past. and the palestinians have accepted that, so it takes us back really into the past. the reason today this has been such a big talking point is because of what the us government has decided to do. shouldn't it give the israeli government pause for thought

that there were other were 14 other countries he and i all agreed with this resolution, there was no hint of them abstaining, they'll run with a 100%. this is a serious rebuke for israel of the un and they must examine carefully. it shows that despite what has been agreed in negotiations between israel and palestine, the community has been strict insane these are illegal and must stop. but for the us, there is a particular sting in the tail, it is a one minute to midnight move by the 0bama administration. if they wanted to get involved they should've done a better in the past. so the israelis think trump will be different? he wants to be, but what he will do, we do not know. the two—state solution is still, we are told, ultimately is what most parties are aiming for. surely the palestinian reservation must now be that there'd been so many new settlements and the expansion of so many existing ones that when that state if it ever happens is created, it will be a patchwork quilt of areas where the israel still have control?

there haven't been any new settlements for quite some time. there is a natural growth for some of these communities, but a lot of that is in areas that in negotiations between israel is an palestinians they have agreed to stay in israel. we are talking more about the outlying ones. the real issue here is, i think, the parties need to talk and get back to where they were a few years ago. for israel, it doesn't get them closer, but the palestinians get closer to condemning israeli international institutions, but that doesn't help either. the authorities in tunisia have arrested three people suspected of being part of terror cell connected to the berlin market attacker, anis amri. 0fficials claim the cell consisted of individuals aged between 18 and 27. one of them is thought to be amri's nephew, who communicated with his uncle through encrypted messages, and who also pledged allegiance to islamic state.

i spoke to our correspondent in berlin who has more details. 0n the interior ministry website, tunisian officials say they have arrested these three people and one, they say, is the nephew and the bbc has spoken to anis amri's family in tunisia and they've confirmed the arrest of the nephew. we are told that anis amri had sent his nephew money so he could come and join him in germany. but what we don't know is whether there is a link between these three people arrested in tunisia and the specific attack on the berlin christmas market. we are still waiting to see whether that is the case. we have also heard from officials in tunis saying there has so far been no request by germany for these three people to be extradited. the expectation is they would stay in tunisia for now, but that official said they were keen to cooperate with

german authorities. one factor at this stage is how big a cell may be that had some sort of connection with anis amri? certainly, one of the focuses of the german investigation at the moment is whether or not anis amri had helpers here in germany, whether he had helpers in italy, which is of course where he was shot dead by a police officer in milan yesterday. was there a wider circle here in europe? we don't know at the moment whether these three people who have been arrested in tunisia had anything to do with this specific attack. there are other questions for the authorities here in germany. how was he able to leave the country? to cross into france and then to italy? so, many, many questions for them, and they are continuing their work over the christmas period here in germany. a word about the politics

in germany since these events. angela merkel obviously feeling to an extent vulnerable as a result of what has happened. what more on that has emerged? certainly she is under pressure to come up with some results here. she has asked for a detailed analysis of this case and said they will review the security set up to make sure things like this don't happen in the future. there is the pressure from her sister party in bavaria and also from the anti—migrant party, which want to see the whole security regime here tightened up very much indeed. the anti—migrant party have accused her of bringing in everyone. 0ther germans say no, we mustn't react in too much of a panic,

we have to wait and see what kind of balance we can strike between our security needs on one hand and our free society and freedom of movement on the other. the queen's granddaughter zara tindall and her husband mike tindall have lost their baby, a spokeswoman for the couple has confirmed. equestrian champion zara and former england rugby player tindall announced at the end of november they were expecting their second child. in a statement the spokeswoman said... "very sadly, zara and mike tindall have lost their baby. "at this difficult time, we ask that everyone "respects their privacy." extensive railway engineering works are starting across britain today, with 200 different projects being carried out over the christmas break. passengers in london, manchester and cardiff are expected to be the hardest hit by the work. one of the biggest stations in the capital, paddington, is closed, with passengers being told to go to ealing broadway and our correspondent, smitha mundasad has been there.

here at ealing broadway, we've seen a steady stream of passengers coming into the station with their bikes and christmas presents and inside, there are queues. lots of people asking questions. this is not thejourney they would have expected to make. they would have gone from paddington. there is disruption across the uk in manchester and cardiff. network rail says that this is the best time to carry out this huge range of improvement works. they say that around this time, only half the passengers you would expect travel on trains, so there will be less disruption. they also say the improvements are needed, because we have a victorian era rail system, and that over time, passengers will see better capacity and better reliability of trains. many people wouldn't argue with that, but some will say surely there is a better time to be carrying out these improvement works, when they are making significant journeys home over christmas. now, the advice is to check

the train times, the train details, before you set off today. some breaking news. the guitarist in status quo rick parfitt has died in hospital in spain. no further details are available at this point in time. simply this announcement from his manager, rick parfitt, status quo guitarist, has died in hospital in spain. best known for being a singer songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band status quo. he was born in woking in surrey and first learnt to play the guitar

at the age of ii. and first learnt to play the guitar at the age of 11. sad news that rick parfitt has died in hospital in spain. let's cross live to bethlehem because that is where crowds have flocked on christmas eve to manger square. we will see celebrations taking place there and they will culminate with midnight mass. this is the site where christians believe thatjesus was born. these are the scenes in manger square, bethlehem, at the moment. theresa may has urged britain to "unite and move forward" in herfirst christmas message as prime minister. mrs may said the vote to leave the eu would offer britain the opportunity to carve out a bold new role in the world. in his christmas message, the labour leader, jeremy corbyn promised to do more for people sleeping on the streets. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. the people have spoken

and the answer is we're out. the eu referendum divided not just politicians but communities and families. so, against this backdrop, it's perhaps not surprising that in her christmas message, the prime minister appeals for unity. in a separate message recorded for the armed forces, theresa may tells them that the government is on their side. because i want you and all your families to know that this government is on your side. jeremy corbyn says his thoughts are with those experiencing loneliness and despair at this time of year. he recently visited a homelessness charity in london and uses his christmas message to repeat the promise he gave them. labour has pledged to put an end to rough sleeping in our first term of government.

we would do that by doubling the number of homes available for people who have been sleeping on the street. lib dem leader tim farron filmed his message at a centre for child refugees in france and he called for more tolerance. the least traditional message was from the greens. they say 2016 was rubbish, or words to that effect, and they hoped next year is better. but there's one thing most politicians can agree on and that is to wish their voters a happy christmas. iain watson, bbc news. let's return to that news that the status quo guitarist rick parfitt has died in hospital in spain. this is according to his manager who has made that public, a man who has suffered substantial ill health in recent times. we can look back at rick parfitt's life. rock music

i've got to where i wanted to go, to become a pop star or a rock star. to status quo fans he was easy to spot, the bobbing blonde head. he was responsible for some of rock music's greatest riffs. from 1972 there was a status quo album in the top ten every year for a status quo album in the top ten every yearfor 16 years. a status quo album in the top ten every year for 16 years. 38 top 20 singles. no other heavy rock band came close. it all began at butlins. rick parfitt met francis rossi when they were teenagers. their first single was a bit of 60s psychedelia. but their passion was something a

bit more raw. a hit making rock formula. all our records sound alike, of course they do, because it is status quo. they are going to sound like us, who are we supposed to sound like? who did you get to open this thing? as soon as i had the idea i couldn't think of anyone better. rock music. when it came to sex, drugs and rock vnv when it came to sex, drugs and rock ‘n‘ roll, rick parfitt did it all. this rift arose from the consequence ofa this rift arose from the consequence of a huge dose of vitamins. i'd just had this riff i wanted to do. good night, rick, see you in a minute! guitar riffs.

icame i came back in the morning and he was there. i said, you're up early! he said, i haven't been to bed yet. too much speed the previous day. he married three times. he has a particular type of woman, blondes! even when he was recovering from heart surgery he was still smoking and drinking. i was smoking and drinking. and drinking. it was the rock and roll lifestyle. when it came to turning rock into hit songs, he was one of the best. rick parfitt's death has just been announced. a statement has come in from his family. it reads "we are truly devastated to have two announced the status quo guitarist rick parfitt has passed away. he

died in hospital in spain as a result of a severe infection having been admitted to hospital on thursday evening. this followed complications to a shoulder injury incurred by a previous fall... this tragic news comes at a time when he was hugely looking forward to launching a solo career with an album and an autobiography planned for 2017, following his departure from touring activities on medical advice. he will be sorely missed by his family, friends, fellow band members, management and crew, and his dedicated legion of fans from throughout the world gained after 50 yea rs of throughout the world gained after 50 years of monumental success with status quo. rick is survived by his wife lindsey, they're twins and his aduu wife lindsey, they're twins and his adult children." the headlines on bbc news. israel condemns a un security council vote calling for an end to settlements on occupied palestinian land. the nephew of anis amri and two

other men have been arrested linked to the terrorist attack on a burning christmas market. —— berlin christmas market. —— berlin christmas market. a spokeswoman for the queen's granddaughter and her husband said the couple have lost their baby. celtic remain 1a points clear of their rivals after a 3—1win at hamilton. rangers beat inverness 1-0. hamilton. rangers beat inverness 1—0. three matches in the rugby union premiership. wasps are beating bath 34-111. union premiership. wasps are beating bath 34—14. christian weight has scored a hat—trick of tries. saracens are also winning against newcastle. some bad news for the england rugby union team and saracens, they could be without mako

vunipola for the six nations. he has suspected ligament damage in his left knee. his brother billy is already ruled out of the tournament. an update in the next hour. the star wars actress carrie fisher is in intensive care in hospital in los angeles, after suffering what's believed to have been a heart attack on a flight from london. she fell ill, minutes before the plane landed. her condition isn't clear. angus crawford reports. come on, we've got to get out of here! it is the role that made carrie fisher a star. beautiful, resourceful, tough. princess leia. she played the part in the first star wars films and again in the force awakens, released last year. here she is just a fortnight ago on the graham norton show, promoting her new book based on her teenage diaries. we brought all these things

up, writing it down, thinking it's funny. that didn't happen. we now know she boarded a plane from heathrow to los angeles yesterday. 15 minutes before landing, she was taken ill with a suspected heart attack. off—duty medical staff and cabin crew came to her help. paramedics transferred her by ambulance to the intensive care unit here. initial reports suggested she was stable, but current medical condition is unknown. how're you feeling? good! ish! the last two years have been a steady round of publicising her latest memoir and films. in the past, she has been candid about her health problems. co—stars have taken to social media to wish her well. peter mayhew wrote, thoughts

and prayers from all our friends for everyone's favourite princess. mark hamill wrote, as if 2016 could get any worse. sending all our love to carrie fisher. the president of nigeria, says the army has captured a key base of the islamist militant group boko haram. muhammadu buhari said the camp in the sambisa forest in the northeast nigeria was taken to days ago. he said the group now had nowhere to hide after being forced out of what he called its last enclave in what was a key stronghold. bbc africa editorjames copnall said today's announcement was unlikely to mean the end of boko haram in nigeria. you may recall that last year the president of nigeria said the war have been technically won against boko haram, but they have been able to carry out attacks, including suicide bombings over

the last year or so. what is clear, and we don't have any specific details on this latest announcement, but what is clear is over the last year and in the last few months, boko haram have been forced out of the areas and territory they controlled. so they are on the run, as it were. but they have still been able carry out attacks in cameroon and various neighbouring countries. it has become more of the regional threat than the nigeria—specific one. the wait is almost over for fans of sherlock, which has been described by writers at the darkest year, begins on new year's day. rumours of possible storylines have been flying granny into night that the show‘s stars and crew have managed to keep it a secret. tim went along to the set to see if he could tease anything out of the cast. the roads we walk have demons

beneath, and yours have been waiting for a very long beneath, and yours have been waiting fora very long time... when you see a sherlock script for the first time, what happens? firstly you notice how imaginative it is. then you start picking up other details that relate to the original stories and then just beautiful character arcs. some remarkably long term in their planning, so we get payoffs in this series that are to do with how this began. it must feel very different. sorry, what? all you do is clean—up a baby's mess and pat them on the head. there are crowds outside the set. does that affect the production? we have a respectful group of core fans who understand

we are there to do a job, and essentially, it is like they are in our version of an office. whilst the first series was a hit in the uk, no one predicted quite what a global phenomenon sherlock would become. in china, at least 90 million people are thought to have seen the last series. the show gets a reaction unlike anything i've ever seen or been in. i've been involved in a few big things, but nothing like this. we die you are a dad, now. how will that affect the character? the stakes get higher in a different area in his life. we agreed we would never bring her out on a case. it wouldn't be quite so much of a show if it was just about domestic bliss. mary is better than me? of course she's better. so the bromance is not going to be broken up? not at all.

there is no way this show could operate without that friendship, no. i'm supposed tojust go home now? shall we take him with us? it is much darker, this series. in what way? it is very intense. and when we read the three episodes we went, oh, my god! what is it like when you're writing it and also in it? how does it play out your mind when you're putting these ideas down on the page? more lines! bigger lines! it's not true. there are certain clues or plot points all or spoilers that we literally never write down in case they get out. i'm often the one who says them.

ijust say it on the day, so they are never present in the script. there is no danger of them being leaked. what's the very worst thing you can do to your very best friends? tell them your darkest secret. the fourth series of sherlock begins on new year's day at 8:30pm on bbc one. temperatures in the north pole during november and december have been a record—breaking five degrees higher than average. climate scientists say these unseasonably warm weather patterns in the arctic region are directly linked to man—made climate change. it follows a summer during which arctic sea ice reached the second—lowest extent ever recorded by satellites. now let's check on the weather a little closer to home. a bit of everything for the next 48 hours.

nothing quite as chilly as you've just shown there from the arctic. you can't get much further north than scotland and it is ludicrously early to get dark, but when it looks like that. further south, early to get dark, but when it looks like that. furthersouth, it early to get dark, but when it looks like that. further south, it stay mild throughout the night and that's the way we start the new day, christmas day, of course, 11 to 1a celsius should cover it. there will be dribs and drabs of rain across parts of england and wales especially in the western facing slopes and hills. this weather front tumbles down across scotland and northern ireland. and that is the boundary between all of that warm