this is bbc news. the headlines at eight. us—israeli relations sour as prime minister netanyahu accuses us secretary of statejohn kerry of bias against israel over the expansion ofjewish settlements. five—time olympic champion and tour de france winner sir bradley wiggins announces his retirement from cycling, aged 36. one woman has died and several people have been injured, after a series of crashes in ice and fog on the aao in oxfordshire. also in the next hour... health officials warn of a "middle—aged health crisis" in england. people aged between a0 and 60 are advised to change their lifestyles, as eight in 10 are overweight, inactive or drinking too much. harrison ford has led tributes to star wars co—star carrie fisher, who has died at the age of 60, calling her "one of a kind". in halfan

in half an hour, i will be looking back at a momentous year in science, which saw tim peake returning to earth after a six—month stay in space. that's coming up in half and oui’. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the american secretary of state, john kerry, has mounted a passionate defence of the decision by the obama administration to allow the un security council to pass last week's resolution declaring israeli settlements illegal. he said the move was aimed at preserving the possibility of a two—state solution, which he warned was in serious jeopardy. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, said the speech was biased against israel and focused obsessively on settlements. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reports from jerusalem.

another bitter row between outgoing and incoming us presidents, this time over israel. donald trump complaining the country is being treated with total disdain and disrespect, but telling it to stay strong till 20th january, when he takes office. it was the idea of the speech by us secretary of state john kerry that angered the president elect. he said chances of peace with the palestinians were slipping away. the truth is that trends on the ground — violence, terrorism, incitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, they are combining to destroy hopes for piece on both sides. this follows last week's un security council resolution calling for a total halt to settlement building on occupied land. the us did not use its veto power to

protect israel, as it normally does. the obama administration has just three weeks left, but it's still trying to make a difference in the middle east, knowing that when donald trump takes over he will be more supportive of israel and its position on settlements and jerusalem. the secretary of state complains that settlers are defining the future of israel. a member of the coalition was quick to give his response. it was a good speech but totally unconnected to reality. john kerry is leaving behind a middle east in flames, genocide syria, iran dashing towards a nuclear weapon and now, throwing israel under the bus. there were two rounds of peace talks between israel and the palestinians in president 0bama's years, both of which broke down acrimoniously. the white house would like to advance peace efforts in the coming day, but the danger

is it is too little, too late. in the past hour, the israeli prime minister has angrily dismissed mr kerry's speech. he said he hoped the bilateral relationship with the us would survive what he called the "profound disagreements" with the obama administration. in a speech ostensibly about peace between israelis and palestinians, secretary kerry paid lip service to the unremitting campaign of terrorism that has been waged by the palestinians against the jewish state for nearly a century. what he did was to spend most of his speech blaming israel for the lack of peace by passionately condemning a policy of enabling jews to live in their historic homeland and in their eternal capital, jerusalem. 0ur correspondent laura bicker says mr kerry wanted to state his views on the peace process before he leaves office next month. we do understand that this is a

speech whichjohn kerry had wanted to make for some time, but the white house had held it back. they were worried about prime minister netanyahu's worried about prime minister neta nyahu's response, worried about prime minister netanyahu's response, which we have seen, they may have been right to have been worried. they felt it may have been worried. they felt it may have poisoned any peace process. whatjohn kerry have poisoned any peace process. what john kerry has have poisoned any peace process. whatjohn kerry has done done today is to lay down a road map of what he would have liked to have seen happen, this kind of two—state solution which he has been pushing for, but for which he said the conditions on the ground were not right at this moment. so what we haveis right at this moment. so what we have is a road map by an outgoing us secretary of state, which he will have no time to implement, and witticism coming from israel against an administration which is no longer one they will have to deal with. what they will have to look forward to is donald trump. and already, mr trump is saying, i will be your friend, israel. has condemned america's policies towards israel in

tweets. he said that they have shown total disdain for israel within the last few weeks, and he said, stay strong, israel, iwill last few weeks, and he said, stay strong, israel, i will be taking power on the 20th of january. let's speak now to brigadier general michael herzog, a former chief of staff to the israeli defence minister, and someone with extensive experience of negotiations between israel, jordan and the palestinians. hejoins us from tel aviv via webcam. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. cani thank you very much for being with us. can i ask you first of all, what is your reaction to whatjohn kerry has been saying? are you surprised by the strength of his remarks? well, i was not surprised. we were all waiting for a parting shot from the us administration, and we got it in the un security council resolution, and now, with thejohn kerry speech, part of the obama administrations legacy. we know how they feel about the issue. i would

say that it was a bit late in the day to lay out parameters. we negotiated these parameters two yea rs negotiated these parameters two years ago as part of these negotiations. and the question is, does it matter really what this administration says with a administration says with a administration about to settle in with a totally different policy? so, while i share the secretary's concern about the future of the two—state solution, i'm not sure he accurately captured the full picture, the nuanced picture of this highly complicated conflict and what to do about it. he singled out one element, which is parameters, but on the horizon there are many other dimension is. he singled out one element on the ground, which is

settlements, but i think it is much more complicated than that. he did, he said, building settlements on palestinian land threatens israel's very future as a democracy. well, i am nota very future as a democracy. well, i am not a supporter of settlement activities in the west bank. but i would say that the reason why we have not broken through to a solution is much more complex than that. we have had more than 20 years of negotiations, including far—reaching proposals by the israeli government. and i think it isa israeli government. and i think it is a multidimensional picture. it is not just about certain is a multidimensional picture. it is notjust about certain activities. personally i believe that the windows to a solution is still open, but i am concerned that if nothing is done, then perhaps in a few yea rs, is done, then perhaps in a few years, it will be closed. many people believe the idea of a two—state solution is effectively

dead — is that the way you see it or not? no, i don't think so. ithink it is in danger but i do not think it is in danger but i do not think it is in danger but i do not think it is dead. if you take what's happening on the ground, it is still possible. it's becoming increasingly difficult, it's also becoming more difficult, it's also becoming more difficult in the sense that more people on both sides are despairing of the two—state solution. if you follow opinion polls in both israel and in the palestinian authority, you will see them see that there was a majority in favour of the two—state solution for but as kerrey said, it is theoretical in the sense that they cannot see how to achieve it. the more there is a stalemate and the more there is no progress towards peace, the more people will despair of that solution and the more difficult it will become. that is certainly a concern for me, as someone is certainly a concern for me, as someone who believes in a two—state solution and has spent over two decades of his life negotiating

peace with the palestinians. what do you expect of donald trump when he comes into the white house? has been tweeting that israels should stand strong, stay strong and wait for him to come into the white house — it's obviously going to be a very different relationship between the united states and israel? well, donald trump's policy is a big unknown. we all speculate about it. i assume that basically, his policies will be closer to israel, andi policies will be closer to israel, and i assume he will not surprise israel with initiatives. and if israel with initiatives. and if israel comes up with a reasonable initiative, who will support it. for i'm not sure how high an priority the israeli—palestinian conflict will be on his agenda. i'm not sure how much political capital he will be willing to invest in it. and i'm not sure sure exactly what will be his policies. it is one thing to

make a general statement, it is another thing when you are president and you have to decide policies. yes, even the far right in israel are very helpful that there will be an umbrella for some policies of annexation. i would an umbrella for some policies of annexation. iwould be an umbrella for some policies of annexation. i would be very careful about predicting exactly what his policies will be. we willjust have to wait and see. thank you very much for being with us, brigadier general michael herzog, former chief of staff to the israeli fence minister. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10.45 and 11.30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are laura hughes, political correspondent at the daily telegraph and tom bergin, business correspondent at reuters. britain's most decorated 0lympian and tour de france winner

sir bradley wiggins has announced his retirement from cycling. in a statement this afternoon, he said he had been lucky enough to live a dream and make a career out of a sport he fell in love with when he was 12. it ends a stunning career which also brought him world championships and many other honours. but it follows questions about medical treatments he received in training. this report from our sports news correspondent richard conway. 0n the road and on the track, sir bradley wiggins dominated his sport like few others recall gold medallist and olympic champion, bradley wiggins! he's the uk's most decorated 0lympian, winning eight medals over 16 years. in 2012, he became the first briton to claim the tour de france title, achievements which took him on a path to the palace. but after so much success

over the years, sir bradley wiggins' remarkable career has finally rolled toa remarkable career has finally rolled to a halt, saying he has fulfilled all his childhood dreams and aspirations. it is easy sitting now with all of the glory, or do it all again, but when you're out there, at any moment... i always wanted to go out on top and it has been an incredible year. wiggins kindled his love of cycling at his local club in south london. at the age of 12, he knew what he wanted to achieve, telling his teachers that one day he would be 0lympic telling his teachers that one day he would be olympic champion. he delivered on that promise, winning his first gold at the 2004 athens games. all at a time when british cycling success was far from the norm. and his personality intertwined with a love of modern culture, helped him to transcend and popularise his sport. his retirement

comes at a time of heightened scrutiny into his career, though. earlier this year, russian hackers revealed wiggins had been given powerful steroid injections before three key races, including his 2012 tour de france win. the substance involved is banned under normal circumstances, as it can be performance enhancing. but wiggins legally and legitimately applied for a medical exemption, he says, to treat hay fever. this was not about trying to find a way to gain an unfair advantage. this was about putting myself back on a level playing field in order to compete at the highest level. one of britain's brightest sporting careers is now at an end. but it was one that was coloured throughout by gold and yellow. a woman has died after up to 20 vehicles were involved in a series of collisions on the a40 near witney in oxfordshire. the crashes stretched for more than half a mile and took place in fog this morning.

sangita myska sent this report from the scene. photographs taken minutes after this mornings crash show in chilling detail the mangled wreckage of at least 20 vehicles. eyewitnesses described seeing cars skidding across the road through thick fog, smashing into one another, spilling debris into two lanes of the a40. i was justjoining the a40 when i saw the brake lights and the hazard lights, so i came to a stop and then i got out of the vehicle and saw the carnage ahead and the carnage behind. the emotions were very high, people were obviously scared. it was a bit like a movie scene, really. a lot of havoc, people injured, a lot of destruction. this afternoon, recovery vehicles continue to clear the wreckage in an attempt to reopen a road that links london to wales. it has been several hours since the accident happened this morning and there are still about a dozen vehicles yet to be cleared from this part of the a40. that is still a thick fog over this area of road. visibility now is probably

about 200 metres. but police officers here tell me that this morning, when the crashes happened, drivers could see no further than about 15 metres ahead, and that there was black ice on this road. one woman in her 50s died at this scene of the crash. two other people remain in a serious condition in hospital. as families continue to crisscross britain this holiday, police are urging travellers to check weather conditions and drive with caution. police are appealing for help tracing two young sisters who have gone missing from their west midlands home. 10—year—old naiyesha murrain and her 11—year—old sister ashanti marshall were last seen yesterday evening in aston, in birmingham. police were called three hours later when family members found that the siblings had gone. middle—aged people are putting themselves at risk of serious health problems unless they take action to change their lifestyles, according to health officials.

public health england says 80% of 40—60—year—olds 80% of 40— to 60—year—olds are overweight, drinking too much and not getting enough exercise. it says "modern life" is putting middle—aged people at a greater risk of developing diseases like type 2 diabetes. here's our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. this is the trim new look of lee parker since exercising and changing his diet. just a few months ago, he weighed 22 stone. now, he can fit into one of his old trouser legs. the wake—up call came when his seven—year—old son told that he loved him, even though he was fat. it was a case ofjust, "shall we order a pizza tonight?" we had food in, but couldn't be bothered cooking it. you just become a bit lazy and drawn out with the daily grind of routine. figures show worrying trends.

almost 80% of women aged 40 to 60 are either overweight, obese, physically inactive or drinking more beneficial guidelines and almost 90% than official guidelines. and almost 90% of men fall into the same category. amongst the health risks is diabetes, it has doubled in this age group in the past 20 years and treatment costs the nhs in england an estimated £14 billion a year. the reason we're seeing these increases in chronic diseases like cancer, stroke and heart disease is in a large part because of behaviours adopted during the 40 to 60 age period, so for example still smoking, not taking enough physical activity or drinking too much alcohol. and public health england is offering some help. this is the online health quiz that government officials want 40— to 60—year olds to take part in. it is on the one you website and asks question about whether you are a man or woman and why you might want to become more healthy.

it looks pretty straightforward, but the question is, will it help to tackle the health crisis for middle—aged people? it is extremely hard, i have no willpower whatsoever and life is too good and we have too much choice. i lead a very unhealthy lifestyle. fatty food, smoking, drinking, no exercise. there's too much temptation, it's too easy to go to the supermarket and buy a ready meal and put it in the microwave. it's not that difficult to be healthy if you put your mind to it. the government is hoping to nudge people into following the example of lee, with a tax on sugary drinks expected to help when it comes in in 2018, but many health professionals and campaigners are concerned that measures still do not go far enough. 0ur our main headlines...

sir bradley wiggins has retired from cycling, saying he has been lucky enough to fulfil his childhood aspiration. public health england warn 80% of middle aged men and women are at risk of becoming diabetic because of their sedentary lifestyle. sport now, and time for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. there's one match tonight in the premier league. tottenham are at southampton, and spurs in fifth, are 13 points behind the leaders chelsea. mauricio pochettino is returning to his former club at st mary's, of course. they got off to a terrible start

when virgil van dijk scored after just over a minute. but spurs equalised about quarter of an hour later. in scotland, celtic are drawing with ross county, although they have a 14 point lead at the top already. looking good for another title there. rangers are currently drawing 1—1 away at stjohnstone. and partick thistle have scored the only other goal of the evening so far, leading dundee 1—0. swa nsea swansea city hope to have a new manager in place soon, following the sacking of bob bradley. ryan giggs has been linked with swansea before. ryan giggs was interviewed for the job when bradley was appointed in 0ctober. so he was overlooked on that occasion, but we do understand that occasion, but we do understand that swansea are still keen on the manchester united legend. he has not managed at all in his career yet,

but has some coaching experience with man united. the other candidates, wales manager chris coleman, former leicester boss nigel pearson and ex—birmingham manager gary rowett. quite a few names in the frame, but ryan giggs is the early favourite. sir bradley wiggins has retired from professional cycling after more than 20 years on the saddle. he won the tour de france back in 2012 — the first briton to do so and also britain's most decorated 0lympian with eight 0lympic medals — including five golds. all that, plus seven world titles — across track and road cycling, explains the 36—year—old's statement on facebook this afternoon, saying... "i have been lucky enough to live a dream and fulfil my childhood aspiration of making a living and a career out of the sport i fell in love with at the age of 12." he went on to say — "i have worked with the world's best coaches and managers, who i will always be grateful to for their support." it transpired earlier this year

congo sir bradley wiggins along with many other athletes, had his medical pass fact, that he had used to these exemptions, ahead of some major races in 3012, and 2011 and 2013. british cycling and the world governing body approved it. the reason sir bradley wiggins came out and decided to defend himself, the reason he gave was that he said he had suffered from asthma for most of his career, for all of his career, since he was a child, and he was suffering breathing problems at the time. well, brendan gallagher helped wiggins write his autobiography, in pursuit of glory. and says he has a unique personality. a little bit jekyll s. a little bitjekyll & hyde. he can bea a little bitjekyll & hyde. he can be a wonderfully liquid guide to interview, full of wit. he can also stonewall, he can be a dreamer, very much a stonewall, he can be a dreamer, very mucha dream, stonewall, he can be a dreamer, very much a dream, and you could sense that in his statement. so, he was an

endlessly interesting guide to write about and report on. and i think that translated itself to the public during the glory years. this was not your archetypal one track sportsman, there were many dimensions to him. and another high—profile retirement in the world of sport this evening, with tennis player ana ivanovic ending her career at age 29. the serbian won the french open in 2008, and after struggling to repeat that success, she mounted a comeback last year and reached the semi—final at roland garros again. she married manchester united's bastian schweinsteiger this summer. that's all the sport for now. the coastguard in kent has called off an extensive search for the night after a fishing boat sank around 17 miles off ramsgate. one person has died and another was found clinging to the upturned hull early this morning and was airlifted to hospital. 0ur correspondent

simon jones has more. capsized. it's believed the fishing boat from belgium overturned at 11 o'clock last night. but it wasn't until first light some eight hours later that one of the crew members was spotted by another boat, clinging to the hull. lucky to be alive? absolutely, yeah. i mean at this time of year, in the southern north sea, water temperature about 9.5 degrees and the air temperature less than that. so, yes, a significant risk in terms of hypothermia. but yeah, he's in the proper care of the hospital authorities at present. he was able to tell his rescuers that two of his fellow crew members were missing. prompting a major response. two lifeboats from ramsgate have been taking part in the search, which has also involved two divers and a doctor being flown in from belgium. the huge operation taking place around 17 miles off the coast from here. after several hours, a second crew member was found, showing signs of life —

but later died in hospital. the search for the third man has now been called off for the day. although the coastguard says it's possible for people to survive in the water at this time of year for 15 hours, hope is now fading. harrison ford has led tributes to carrie fisher, who has died at the age of 60, calling her "one of a kind". the actress, best known for her role as princess leia in star wars, had been in hospital since suffering a cardiac arrest on a flight from london to los angeles last friday. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba looks back at her life. clever and confident... what the hell are you doing?! somebody has to save our skins. ..occasionally caustic... will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way? carrie fisher's leia wasn't your typical princess waiting to be rescued. for luck. what appealed to me was that george lucas, who wrote it and directed it,

didn't want a damsel in distress, didn't want your stereotypical princess, you know. the galactic princess grew up hollywood royalty, the daughter of ‘50s movie legend debbie reynolds. throughout her acting career, she battled drug addiction and mental illness. writing about it was a form of therapy for her. people used to ask me, you know, right after i got sober, initially they'd say, so, are you happy now? i would say, among other things, happy is one of the many things, the many emotions i will go through in a day. i love you. an instantly recognisable face after star wars, from time to time there were appearances in other films, like when harry met sally. her mother has led tributes, saying... her star wars co—star mark hamill tweeted. .. harrison ford said in a statement...

0n initially meeting carrie, i didn't see carrie fisher the actress, i saw princess leia before me. that's really who she was for a large part of the filming for me, i was a huge star wars fan. that was initially how i met her but i got to know what a kind and fun person she was to be around. in 2015 she reprised to her role as princess leia in star wars: the force awakens, and that's how millions will remember her. let's have a

look at the weather. some hazardous weather as we head into the night, andindeed weather as we head into the night, and indeed for tomorrow. some freezing fog across the heart of england, into wales. scotland and northern ireland for the most part getting away with it. first thing in the morning it does not look pretty across many parts. inland, if you're on the move, expect some of that freezing fog. some i see surfaces as well, with warnings out from the met 0ffice. well, with warnings out from the met office. the odd pocket of frost across eastern scotland, but generally milder. 0therwise across eastern scotland, but generally milder. otherwise for northern ireland and scotland, some brightness at times. inland, that fog will be loath to lift. hello.

this is bbc news — the headlines: the palestinian president says he is ready to resume peace efforts with israel if it stops settlement construction, after the us secretary of statejohn kerry warned israel they were putting any prospect of a deal in jeopardy. britain's most decorated 0lympian sir bradley wiggins has announced his retirement from professional cycling. the 36 year—old has won eight 0lympic medals, five of them gold, as well as the tour de france in 2012. a woman has been killed and a dozen people have been hurt this morning after a number of collisions in ice and fog on the a40 in oxfordshire.