this is bbc news. the headlines at 2pm: a manhunt is underway in turkey for the gunman responsible for killing at least 39 people in a packed nightclub in istanbul. this is the scene live outside the club this afternoon. the turkish president has called it a heinous attack. police in oldham are looking for a hit—and—run driver who killed 12—year—old helina kotlarova and seriously injured her 11—year—old cousin. they were holding hands together. they were holding hands together. they were holding hands together. they were crossing the road, and the car was, they were crossing the road, and the carwas, like, they were crossing the road, and the car was, like, driving they were crossing the road, and the carwas, like, driving too they were crossing the road, and the car was, like, driving too fast. the royal family have attended a new year's day church service in sandringham, but without the queen, who still has a heavy cold. also in the next hour: hull officially becomes the uk's city of culture. the year—long arts festival gets underway with a huge fireworks display over the humber estuary later. and in half an hour, we will be

looking back on a momentous year in sport. which included an incredible 12 months for andy murray. that is the year in sport with me, jessica crichton and adam wild. good afternoon, and welcome to bbc news. a huge police operation is underway in istanbul to find a gunman who shot dead 39 people at a nightclub. the man opened fire at the reina club at around 1:30am local time. dozens of injured remain in hospital. 15 foreigners, from israel, saudi arabia and morocco, were among the dead. our turkey correspondent selin gerit has just sent this report. one of the most famous

nightclubs in istanbul, reina, is packed with a jubilant crowd, ready to welcome in the new year. five, four, three, two... they are counting down to what they hope will be a fresh new start. but then this happens. a man armed with a long—barrelled weapon opens fire outside the venue. he kills a policeman and another civilian as he rushes his way in. the club immediately turns into the scene of a massacre. as the attacker fires on the people partying inside. dozens are killed and wounded. survivors still in shock of what they have been through. translation: i had my back turned. my husband suddenly told me to get on the floor, a man ran inside, two or three people started firing and then there was a fog. i fainted at that moment until special forces took us out of there. they shot randomly. there were bodies lying on the floor.

there has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. this man was a security guard at the club last night. he said he heard gunfire and ran away. everyone is nervous at the moment, he said, the attacker still remains at large. translation: the security forces say the assailant was alone rather than there being many attackers. he was wearing a jacket and trousers when he opened fire, but there is separate information that he tried to leave wearing a different set of clothes. the nightclub area remains sealed off this morning, heavily armed police block the street leading to reina club. crime scene investigators were inside searching for evidence. this is as close as we can get to the scene of the attack that shook istanbul last night. in a span of 18 months, more than 500 people have been killed in this country in similar attacks.

now, civilians got hit on a night of hope and joy. this already feels like it is going to be yet another difficult year for this country. turkey faces the islamic state threat, a renewed conflict with the kurdish rebels in the south—east and across the border in syria and iraq, and big cities like istanbulfeel increasingly vulnerable these days. the 12—year—old girl who was killed in a hit—and—run incident in greater manchester has been named as helina kotlarova. helina, seen on the left, was crossing the road holding hands with her 11—year—old cousin when they were hit by a car last night in oldham. the second girl, zaneta krokova, seen here on the right, is in a critical condition in hospital. police want to trace the driver of a black volkswagen golf. a short while ago, her sister spoke to the bbc and recounted what she witnessed last night when her sister was struck. they went to the shop.

and when they came back they were crossing the road. they were holding their hands together. and when they were crossing the road, the car was, like, driving too fast and he just crashed... smashed into them. yeah. when we went there, she was on the floor and she had blood over her face. i was touching her, seeing if she was going to breathe or something, but she couldn't breathe or nothing. and i've seen herface. it was all bleeding. there was nothing to do. we will be talking to our correspondent in oldham shortly for the latest on the investigation. five people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died in a fall at flats in a seaside resort early on new year's day. the victim died after falling through a utility room ceiling at a flat in st leonards—on—sea, near hastings in east sussex, in the early hours of the morning.

the queen was absent from the annual new year's day church service in sandringham this morning because of a lingering heavy cold. she also missed the christmas day service at her norfolk estate because she was unwell. buckingham palace says the queen has been up and about in recent days, but is still recuperating, as our royal correspondent peter hunt reports. for a second time during the holiday season, the royals headed to church. and for a second time, the queen was a notable absentee. her 95—year—old husband, who has also been ill, did attend. he was described by one observer as "chipper". during these security conscious times, the windsors are an attraction for the dedicated, and despite the weather, they gathered outside the sandringham church.

but once again the monarch was not on display. a little disappointed that the queen was not there, but that is understandable at 90 years of age. she's in the best place, and i wish her all the best for 2017. she's not well, and we do not want to see her out in this weather. at christmas, our attention is drawn to the birth of a baby some 2000 years ago. the queen recorded her christmas message early in december and will not have taken the decision to miss church likely. the supreme governor of the church of england has a deep faith. but on the advice of her doctor she is exercising caution in the face of a heavy cold she's had for nearly two weeks. the queen has been laid low and left feeling pretty miserable at the end of another significant year in her long reign. as well as celebrating her landmark birthday, she's started to acknowledge her advancing age and reduce her workload. just last month, the queen severed her links with 25 organisations she had been patron of for many decades. palace officials insist the queen

has been up and about, and she hasn't been the hospital or had passed. —— had tests. as head of state she continues to deal with the government documents she receives. and she is clearly doing all she can to get rid of a lingering cold, rather than make it worse. peter hunt, bbc news, buckingham palace. theresa may has called for 2017 to be a year of "unity and opportunity" following the eu referendum, which she says has exposed the divisions in britain. in her new year message, the prime minister said she would work to secure a brexit deal for everyone, whether they'd voted to leave or remain. we are no longer the 52% who voted leave and the 48% who voted remain, but one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. with me is our political correspondent, chris mason. interesting towards the end of that message she talked about looking ahead to eu of unity and opportunity. that is certainly

aspirational. but is it a stretch, is it wishful thinking, given the year that we have had? she has a huge come as you challenge. some have suggested it is one of the biggest political challenges due good faith in peace time, the business of extracting the uk from the eu. -- business of extracting the uk from the eu. —— elliptical challenges you could have in peace time. there is an acknowledgement it will take time. she has used the phrase bumps in the road along the way. there is likely to be a hiatus in the early months of the year prior to triggering article 50, the start of the process of disentangling, the divorced from the eu. she reflects in this video, which is dominated by the theme of brexit, she wants to be the theme of brexit, she wants to be the prime minister that can unite the prime minister that can unite the 48 and the 52, in other words, talked of the whole country. but of course it was a referendum that was very divisive. and accommodating the wishes of a country that remains divided on this issue is by definition going to be very, very difficult. that is before the whole

business of the nitty—gritty of a consecrated negotiation. of course, protection from terrorism remains a key focus for the government as well. in the last day or so we have been talking about the enhanced security measures around the new year celebrations, thinking particularly of the lorry attacks in nice and paris, but the security minister, ben wallace, has been writing in the sunday times, saying that so—called islamic state also has an aspiration to use chemical weapons in the uk. he has been interviewed in the sunday times today, talking about this aspiration today, talking about this aspiration to use chemical weapons in the uk. he says, look, they are in the business of trying to kill as many people as possible. they have no moral objection, he says, to using chemical weapons. a couple of other striking phrases he uses. he says that the insider threat, as we would call it, is real. he says there are traces, we have to be on our guard to the enemy within. he says those

countries and groups that would want to see ill for the uk, if they can't get through the front door to do that, they will try and recruit by the back door. recruiting traitors, that's the word he uses, to be able to work within government or businesses to try and undermine the uk. he also says that there is a growing threat is in the uk. almost counterintuitively, as the territory in the middle east shrinks. because a good number of brits have gone abroad to fight for is, as that territory shrinks, they make decide to return home, or be frustrated in their desire to go out there and fight on behalf of is abroad. so he says, as the territories bring so much rings, the threat to the uk could actually increase —— as that territory shrinks. let's return to the hit and run in oldham which has killed a 12—year—old girl and left her 11—year—old cousin in a serious condition in hospital. we can go to oldham and talk to our correspondent

damage using. danny, what can you toss about the conditions of 11—year—old zaneta and what the people are saying about the search for the driver of the car? well, at the moment we understand that the 11—year—old is in a critical condition in hospital. police or obviously conducting an extensive search for the driver of the black vw, which was seen here atjust after 7:15pm last night. now, we understand that the girls were with a bigger group of cousins and friends. they had gone over to a shopjust friends. they had gone over to a shop just across the road. they were getting ready for a new year party, to be spent with friends and family. the bigger group had already crossed the road, but the two girls, the two cousins, the 11 and 12—year—old, had stayed behind to get something from the shop. theyjoined hands and crossed the road. and the friends and family watched as they were struck by the vw car. of yearsley as

you've mentioned, a large number of witnesses. —— obviously as you've mentioned. do the police have any useful beads or lines of inquiry the following at the moment? we are expecting a press conference from greater manchester police force within the next hour or so. we have seen within the next hour or so. we have seen a within the next hour or so. we have seen a number of officers going door—to—door. obviously this entire area was cordoned off for a large amount of time yesterday evening. but at the moment we don't know a great deal more about the hunt for the driver of that vw golf. we do know that many people have already turned out here today. they have left flower tributes for the young 12—year—old who was cold, and for the 11—year—old fighting for her life in hospital. thank you, damage using in oldham. the headlines... a manhunt is under

way in turkey for the gunmen responsible for killing at least 39 people in a packed istanbul nightclub. police in oldham are looking for a hit—and—run driver who killed 12—year—old helina kotlarova, and seriously injured her 11—year—old cousin. the royal family have attended a new year's day church service at sandringham, but without the queen, who still has a heavy cold. the london ambulance service says technical problems in the early hours of this morning meant staff in the control room were forced to log emergency calls by hand. the computer difficulties on what is usually the busiest night of the year meant that response times of hundreds of calls and treatment were delayed. our news correspondent jon ironmonger is outside the headquarters for the london ambulance service. watmore is being said at this stage about why these technical problems happened, and what sort of impact it had? well, an investigation has been

carried out into the cause of the technical problems which happened last night, as you say, from 12:30am. the computer system is now back online, but it has been a troubled night, as you can imagine,. working here. who, in the face of great difficulty, had to cope with the huge amount of pressure, and inflated number of calls for members of the public. i'm grateful to be joined now by peter mckenna, who is the deputy director of operations here at london ambulance service. perhaps you can give us a better idea of the tackle what happened, peter? i'm pleased to say that the services of running and has been running normally since 5:30am this morning. we did have some technical difficulties in the night, and we reverted back to using pen and paper. this is a system that our staff in the control rooms are well versed in and are trained in throughout the year. but it must have come as a shock to everybody working here when the computer

system suddenly went down, and what is historically the busiest night of the year for use top law we had planned to have extra staff on duty. knowing that it would be the busiest night of the year, we did have staffing. the staff are trained in dealing with issues such as this. we do fall back throughout the year and the running and pen and paper, and the running and pen and paper, and the staff are trained in dealing with that. can the system work as effectively and pen and paper? surely calls are lost in the process ? surely calls are lost in the process? it can't be as well organised as when it is on a computer. obviously it will take as long to attend to some of these calls, but as always we would prioritise our most seriously ill and critical patients to be seen first. are you confident that all of the people, all of the emergency calls you received last night, all of the patients who attended to, received the best care, given the circumstances? we do have tests were

we do move back to pen and paper. and the staff are trained in doing that. so the staff did do that overnight. peter, tell me about what the mood was like in there when the computer system went down? was it a state of panic? the staff knew it was going to be a busy night. we had extra staff in to help us cope with that. and when the system would go down, we automatically move into a tried and tested system, and the staff automatically move over to working with pen and paper. it's not that long ago that we've got some staff in the room that that was the normal operating process. so there we re normal operating process. so there were some staff in the room that have worked in that system for many years. just finally, it's not the first time this computer system has gone down. is this a worry that it seems to happen a lot? we plan for all eventualities. one of the eventuality is we do plan for is the syste m eventuality is we do plan for is the system going down, which is why we

automatically work and pen and paper. lovely, thank you, peter. in the last hour or so, unison, which represents workers for la as, has released a statement. they say that staff members worked hard under extreme pressure to do so so might deliver a first class service to members of the public when the in need —— under extreme pressure to deliver. thank you, jon ironmonger. that's like return the main story, the attack on the nightclub in istanbul overnight. with me is our correspondent from the bbc‘s turkish service. you have been looking at what turkish media has been saying. what is the latest on the manhunt? we recently, the prime minister has made a statement, and he said the gunman, he left his weapons at the scene and fled by taking advantage of the chaotic situation. he implied that the turkish police are looking for an unarmed attacker. still we don't

have any information about his identity. and what we know so far, it isa identity. and what we know so far, it is a single gunman. and he fled the scene, and the manhunt is still underway. and the motivations for this attack, what are the bolts on that? we still don't know. but in the local media, the turkish media, the local media, the turkish media, the reports that officials, authorities are focusing on potential, the so—called islamic state, and inspired attack. but they do not rule out on those rare or an al-qaeda connection as well —— and al—nusra connection. al-qaeda connection as well —— and al-nusra connection. one dimension coming out in the media coverage as well is that there is not a sense of the country coming together, united in condemnation of this in the wake there has been for other attacks like paris, berlin etc. turkish decided has been highly polarised. before the new year is, we had seen some campaigns by the conservatives urging people not to celebrate new

year. or christmas, because it is not compatible with the islamic values. but the secular is also, they celebrate new year every year. so in that sense, some people, the conservatives, they blamed those who went to this nightclub, just to have fun. they say this attack happened because these people went there. and the seculars, or the other group, they say it is a result of an increasing conservativism in turkish society. the white are terrorists exploiting this division? why are we seeing attacks like this happening in turkey? you know, turkey is located in one of the hotspots in the world. and it is not only the islamic militants which is a spill—overfrom the islamic militants which is a spill—over from the syrian civil war, which is right next door. it also has been the target of kurdish

militants. so there are many groups who target turkey for various reasons. and it might be, it might be true to say they are exploiting this polarisation and these divisions within turkish society. thank you. the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, has urged people to use 2017 to heal divisions caused by the eu referendum. in his new year message, recorded in coventry, the leader of the church of england praised the efforts of refugees who have made their home in the uk. our religious affairs correspondent, martin bashir, reports. surrendering to the demands of television lighting, the archbishop of canterbury prepares to deliver his new year's message in a familiar setting. justin welby returned to coventry, the city where he started out as a clergyman. a city whose wartime suffering and forgiveness, he says, serves as an example to the nation. the story of this city says so much that is true

about britain at its best — about our courage, standing up to tyranny, how we stand alongside the suffering and defeated, how we stand for human dignity and hope. the archbishop visited a drop—in centre for refugees, people he called a blessing to our way of life. and he drew his message to a close by focusing on an issue that has divided so many parts of the country. the eu referendum was a tough campaign, and it has left division. but i know that if we look at our roots, our history and our culture in the christian tradition, if we reach back into what is best in this country, we will find a path towards reconciling the differences that have divided us. from coventry to canterbury, the archbishop believes that looking back will only help us prepare for the future. hull has started its year

as the uk city of culture. £32 million has been spent on a year—long programme. colin paterson is in hull for us. i'm sure there is a lot of excitement there today? absolutely. it is just over excitement there today? absolutely. it isjust over 1.5 excitement there today? absolutely. it is just over 1.5 hours until the first official event starts at 4pm. it is called made in hull, and it changes eight buildings around the city into giant screens, which will have nor beess history put on them —— will have hull's history on them. this arena tonight is going to have 25,000 people crammed in to watch a musical fireworks display. and 25,000 people crammed in to watch a musicalfireworks display. and it will all be to a soundtrack of some of hull's most famous musical acts. if we don't hear the housemartins, i

will two people who are going to be watching it got audrey and clark, mother and daughter. you are even wearing sweatshirts! you are volu nteers wearing sweatshirts! you are volunteers to help out. what made you want to do that? i come from hull, and i wanted to give something back, because they have given me 70 years of back, because they have given me 70 yea rs of love back, because they have given me 70 years of love and friendship in the city. it's a bit like the gamesmakers at the olympics. this tea m gamesmakers at the olympics. this team of volunteers. what passed are you going to have to do, claire? we are going to do meet and greet. tonight there will be people collecting, checking everyone's tickets for the night. there is all sorts of things going on. there is a hub where we are guiding people from the train station to hear the night. there is all sorts going on. audrey, isa there is all sorts going on. audrey, is a whole year of programmes, what are you hoping to get to go and see? i want to see as much as i can, and

help people. i've got a friend coming from cambridgeshire tonight to see the fireworks. travelling that far? yes, she came up for new year. and she is coming specially tonight to see the fireworks before she goes back. that's what the organisers are saying, they are hoping 1 million extra people will come to hull this year. can that really be achieved? hopefully, fingers crossed, it will put hull on the map. because we need all of this publicity. and the people are so, so friendly. they will make everybody welcome. which event in the entire year you most looking forward to? i'd like to go in ce l0. but the tickets have gone. but you can still get tickets for paul heaton? i'm hoping that i can volunteer for that night. this is why you volunteered,

audrey! you've worked out its way to get into the events that are sold out! i've sussed you! i'm going to be art gallery, i'm helping out the next week. i want to go and see as much of the artwork is possible. enjoy your dear of full and hearing in hull. i hope you get to see the fireworks tonight. —— enjoy your year of volunteering. they will be taking place at 2017 the night, 70 minutes past eight, to celebrate the fa ct minutes past eight, to celebrate the fact that 2017 is hull's year of capital of culture. what will the weather be like the night in hull? i hope staff will have the answer. we are seeing some showers moving in, lengthy clear spells around and also some showers. if i show you on the

satellite page, you can see how much sunshine there has been across the northern half of the uk, the weather front clearing the hull area. a few showers waiting in the wings which will come piling in. the there will be clear spells as well, it could be lucky, and stay dry for the fireworks display. across the south, the rain eventually clears away. a dry night across the south of england, but it will be told, a touch of frost and ice, showers will continue across the north and east. these will be winter it across the higher ground, accumulations of snow. in the monday, lovely sunshine across the board. a lovely afternoon as well. still a few showers across the east and the north, showers will continue to be wintry on the high ground. single figures, much colder if you are on the strong northerly wind. for the next few days it stays cold, frosty nights, fog around and cloud, the decree in the north—west, on thursday. hello. this is bbc news. there's been widespread condemnation of the massacre at a nightclub

in istanbul in which 39 people were shot dead. police are still searching for the gunman who struck in the early hours of this morning. police in oldham are looking for a hit and run driver who killed 12—year—old helina kotlarova and seriously injured her 11—year—old cousin. there were holding hands, and the car was driving too fast. he just crashed into them. five people have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who died at a flat in st leonards—on—sea near hastings in east sussex early this morning. the royal family has attended a church service in sandringham this morning, but the queen wasn't with them because of a heavy cold. theresa may has called for unity in her new year message to the country and said last year's eu referendum was divisive. now on bbc news, it's been

a busy year in sport, from the olympics and euro 2016 to andy murray reaching the top of the tennis ranking. adam wild and jess creighton take us on a trip through the year's sporting highlights in review 2016: the year in sport. hello and welcome to salford, the home of bbc sport. with the olympics, the paralympics, football's european championship, and a whole host of other major sporting events, 2016 was a year that began full of optimism, and it did not disappoint.