i told you to poison the red apple! i did poison the red apple. the great muslim panto will tour six cities across the country and is expected to raise thousands of pounds for charity. shabnam mahmood, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. as storm caroline arrived? yes, and she is influencing the weather story, but not you would think, because we have storm force winds across the north of scotland and an amber weather warning in force but, once this frontal system plays away, it's going to open floodgates for bitterly cold arctic airto push floodgates for bitterly cold arctic air to push right across the country. it will feel pretty miserable out there for the next couple of days, a really wintry flavour to the weather. for now, we've still got some rain in the far south—east to tearaway. behind it, some brightness and sunshine coming

through before a cluster shells develops, some of them heavy and sundry with some hail and eventually smoke as we go through the end of the day. it will be a miserable end to the day across scotland, blizzard like conditions here with the snow and feeling bitterly cold. we've seen the warmest of the weather, believe it or not, across england and wales this morning, but the cold air starting to filter down from the north, and that will continue to exacerbate the shower through the night, falling as snow across scotland, into northern ireland, through the cheshire gap towards wales as well. a cold start to friday, with temperatures hover ring either side of freezing. if you are roads early on with some snow showers, lying snow a possibility, and some ice on the road but it's worth tuning in to your bbc local radio stations for travel and traffic updates. look how widespread the showers are at 8am, blown in by gale force winds. a miserable start

for much of scotland and northern ireland, running down through the isle of man, through the cheshire gap and towards the north midlands and wales, which is where we are likely to see the most frequent showers in the early morning. a cold start elsewhere, but a dry one, with some glimpses of sunshine for some, particularly eastern england. the north—westerly wind always driving in the showers, chiefly to north and west facing coasts, but some of those will filter inland, so we could see some accumulations by the end of the afternoon, five to ten centimetres across england and wales, ten to 20 centimetres across scotland, and it will feel raw at fair. you will need to wrap up warm. 0n fair. you will need to wrap up warm. on friday and saturday, a cold and frosty start, a few showers but not as frequent and a quieter day, with some sunshine, but bitterly cold. 0n sunday, you will need to keep abreast of the forecasts if you've got outdoor plans, because this weather system as it comes in is

going to bump into the cold air and on the leading edge there will be some show, on the leading edge there will be some snow, but there is a great deal of uncertainty about that. a reminder of our main story this lunchtime: tear gas and water cannons are used as violence breaks out in the palestinian west bank following president trump's recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital. that's all from the bbc news at one, so it's goodbye from me. 0n bbc one, we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. have a good afternoon. good afternoon. here is a look at the day's sport. premier league clu bs the day's sport. premier league clubs have created champions league history, with five of unqualified for the knockout stages of europe's premier competition. chelsea,

liverpool, manchester city, manchester united and tottenham have all progressed, making london first country to have five teams in the top 16. it is not a big surprise to everyone. iam not everyone. i am not actually surprised that the five premier league teams getting through, purely because they have underachieved for a period of time andi underachieved for a period of time and i think it is overdue. these teams are stronger now. there was a transition period for the likes of manchester city and even manchester united wenzhou is a cayman. however, they have got good players, plenty of money, and top coaches. that is the thing, the coaches are really doing the business, making sure these teams are getting into this area of the champions league. this is how liverpool made it through, with a 7—0 demolition of spartak moscow at anfield last night, including a hat—trick for the league 2 tignous, and another couple of goals for sadio mane. they avoid the likes of paris st germain, barcelona and roma in the tour, but they could still get barcelona, juventus or real madrid.

they are not the only strong side, but this year, it is quite special. i don't think you can really face bayern munich and paris st germain very often in the last 16 if you win the group. and all the others. so thatis the group. and all the others. so that is quite interesting. after defeats in the first two ashes test and criticism over a lack of fighting spirit, england —— what england wouldn't give to see ben stokes out in the field with them. that is unlikely, but he has been named in the one—day series in the new year. and the swiss has more from adelaide. england now know they have a mountain to climb if they are to retain the ashes. they have a two—day warm up game in perth this weekend before the third test gets underway next week, and they know that if australia win that test, they will regain the ashes, and just to make it even more daunting, england have not won in perth since

1978. one man who is not here with england is ben stokes, currently playing domestic cricket in new zealand. we have had the news that ben stokes has been named in england's's one—day squad for their series here injanuary. he is waiting to find out at the moment whether he will be charged over an incident in bristol in september, despite being named in this squad, he is currently still unavailable for selection until the crown prosecution service decide whether to charge him, and until the england and wales cricket board decide whether to take any disciplinary action. so as things stand at the moment, ben stokes is still unavailable for play. let's ta ke unavailable for play. let's take a look at the england squad for their warm up match with the australia 11. it starts on saturday. moeen ali will captain, the only man from the team beaten in the only man from the team beaten in the second ashes test to feature in this match. mark wood has a chance to claim a place for the third test

selectors may gamble on extra pace, with the quicker surface at perth. the us ambassador to the un has suggested there is some doubt over whether american athletes will attend the winter olympics in south korea. nikki haley said their participation was still an open question due to the heightened tensions in the area. the relationship between the us and north korea is increasingly poor, which could raise questions as to how safe it is for americans to compete in neighbouring south korea in january. that is all the sport for now. more on all of those stories on our website, and more from the fourth round of the uk snooker championship as well. world number six shaun murphy currently leading by 1—0. also available on bbc two, and i will be back with more in the next hour. thank you, hugh. the european commission has set a new deadline of sunday night for a deal to be reached, allowing brexit negotiations to move onto trade. downing street insists the two sides are "close to an agreement", but there are still issues to resolve regarding

the northern irish border. well, the parliamentary committee that is overseeing and scrutinising the brexit process has been meeting northern ireland officials in the town of armagh, which is close to the border. the committee chair, hilary benn, has been speaking about what they've learnt. i think we have learned about the importance of cooperation that there is between the police service, hmrc, and across the border, with the irish republic, in terms of dealing with security, the terrorist threat, smuggling, and other things. but we are here to get a real feel for the importance of maintaining no border, ata importance of maintaining no border, at a crucial time for the negotiations, because of the next 2-3 negotiations, because of the next 2—3 days, we will discover when we can move on as a country. it is a deal inside? depends on the prime minister being able to form a form of words and agreement which has the support both of the irish government and the dup. i think it is

significant that in the last few days, the government has begun to talk about regulatory alignment for the whole of the uk. that seems to provide a way forward. so that is the answer kim and i think it is the potential route out of this. it is very significant url. it is very significant. is this thing about the kind of market and access relationship we will have when we get on. unless an agreement is reached, and we had another european council where the word is there is not sufficient progress. there are 11 months to go in this negotiation, a hill load of issues that have not been addressed, and time is not on anyone's side. your party leader yesterday described this as a shambles. is that helpful? i think what happened earlier in the week, that is a pretty fair description. if you're going to put your foot on a bridge to cross over it is generally a good idea to check whether the

foundations are sound in the first place. that had not happened, but i am sure the prime minister is now working very hard to get that agreement, because all of us now know what it is to go on to face to negotiations. it is not a good way to start. will you had this deadline of next week? is on that remains to be seen, and the onusis that remains to be seen, and the onus is on the government. we said it in our report last week, we currently did not say how it is possible to reconcile that with the objective that everybody shares, the irish and british governments, all of the political parties, which is to maintain no border, no infrastructure, not to put it risk the whole progress that has been made as a result of the good friday agreement. why are we talking about this at this late stage? did people not cotton on a long, long time ago that the border was always going to bea that the border was always going to be a fundamental issue, and therefore there needed to be fundamental answers? i think it was recognised at the beginning. that is why, when the eu

decided to set out the negotiations in the way that they have, they said, we have tojoke in the way that they have, they said, we have to joke about money, citizens, and the border. so i think it has been clear from the start that this was a problem. the government has been trying to set out arrangements to square the circle, and it is quite clear that that has not persuaded either the uk government or the eu. that is why when it is coming down to the wire, we need to find a way forward. the chair of the parliamentary brexit committee, hilary benn. the electoral commission is investigating whether the campaign group momentum has breached campaign finance rules. momentum is a strong backer of the labour leader, jeremy corbyn. the investigation relates to spending during the general election in june. well, our political correspondent iain watson explained what's behind this development. the electoral and say they are investigating momentum, a campaign group supportive ofjeremy corbyn, about what they were doing during the general election. —— the

electoral commission. it is a group which is allowed to campaign and call for support for political parties, but there are strict spending limits. that is around £39,000 uk wide. the electoral commission is questioning whether momentum really did stay inside those limits. today, they say there may have been some accounting errors. they say they will cooperate fully with the investigation, but they believe this is something that can be resolved. 0ur correspondent ian watson. former british soldier nick dunn, one of the so—called chennai six, has arrived back in the uk, after more than four years after being jailed in india on weapons charges. mr dunn along with five other british men, had been guards on a ship to combat piracy in the indian ocean, but were jailed in october 2013 after being charged with carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition. after years of campaigning, they won an appeal against their convictions last week and were given permission to leave india. well our correspondent fiona trott was at the airport when he arrived well, here he is, nick dunn. finally

back home afterfour well, here he is, nick dunn. finally back home after four years in an indian prison. here he is at newcastle airport, hugging his sister lisa. his mother margaret, he is hugging. hasn't seen herforfour yea rs. is hugging. hasn't seen herforfour years. my goodness. look how emotional his family are. we remember nick dunn always said he wouldn't really feel like this ordeal was over until he walked through those doors here of the arrivals hall at newcastle airport. well, here he is. he has been dreaming about that for a long time. when he got the news he would be released from prison, it was like a

dream after being through a nightmare forfour dream after being through a nightmare for four years. he could not wait to come back and see his family, spend christmas with them, just do normal things that, of course, we take for granted. he said he wanted a nice hot bath and a nice cup of tea. so he hasjust he wanted a nice hot bath and a nice cup of tea. so he has just arrived back from that connecting flight from dubai. as soon as he came through those doors there, he just dropped his suitcase, came over, and hugged his sister lisa, who you can see here in the beigejumper. she has really spearheaded this campaign to get him freed. they even took a 400,000 signature petition to downing street to get him freed a couple of months ago, to get politicians to work hard to secure his release. and of course, we got that news ten days ago that all six men including nick dunn, former servicemen, were being released from prison.

the voice of our correspondent fiona trott. in a moment a summary, of the business news this hour but first, the headlines on bbc news. protests in the west bank as the militant group hamas calls for a new intifada in response to president trump's recognition ofjerusalem as the israeli capital. the number of long a&e waits across the uk more than doubles over four years as hospitals struggle to cope with demand. a final report into a tram crash in croydon in south east london, which killed seven passengers, has concluded that the driver probably fell asleep. i'm susannah streeter. in the business news: the uk's largest high street bookmarker ladbrokes coral is in detailed talks over a takeover by gvc, the owner of foxy bingo. the offer on the table from gvc holdings could value the bookmaker at £3.9 billion. the final price will depend on the outcome of the government's review of gaming machines. general electric is planning

to cut more than 1,000 jobs from its uk power business, mainly affecting stafford and rugby. the cuts are part of a wider programme to remove 12,000 jobs by the us company. ge says it remains commited to the uk, which would continue to be a "strategic market". the growth in uk house prices is continuing to slow, according to the country's largest lender, the halifax. it said average prices rose by 3.9% in the year to the end of november. that is down from 4.5% in october. and it warned that growth is likely to slow further in the longer term. expensive, complicated, and inconvenient. that is how the boss of global bank standard chartered has described contingency planning for brexit. he has said he is concerned that young people from outside the uk are already being put

offa outside the uk are already being put off a career in london, as he explained to our business editor. we have already had some setbacks for the talent pool in london through the restrictions on student visas. that is already a problem. i think some of the best talent we can have in the uk marketplace comes from people who have studied here and stayed for some period afterwards. have you noticed that impact already? we have noticed that impact already? we have noticed that impact already, more, in a sense, from non—uk residents orforeigners, though the uk might not be a welcoming place any more. it is more psychological than contractual, in a sense. the uk has been successful because it has been a welcoming place for talent from any part of the world. i know when i have listened to the government's spokespeople, the intention is that that will continue. unfortunately, not all of the body language and references to support the rhetoric. the boss of standard chartered. the weaker sterling over the past

year has made a lot of items imported, made of imported materials, more expensive. what is different here is that 1000 businesses surveyed, said cost would continue rising. the head of trade policy explains more. what is striking about the findings with american express is that companies, despite the fact that they have been facing pressures from they have been facing pressures from the fall in sterling over the entire past year, as you noted, have not been hedging against currency risk, although there are a number of things they could be doing to protect themselves. almost half of the firms we survey, despite higher cost, not hedged against this risk. this is due to lack of information, but also companies not being proactive enough in terms of protecting themselves. there are so many things that they could do. they could take out insurance against

currency risk. they could sign contracts in order to lock in particular exchange rate, but many of them are waiting, and while are waiting, they see their costs rise, so they need to take action to protect themselves. just time to check in with the financial markets. london's 100 share index rose has risen for the second session in a row led by financial stocks. it has dipped back down since. markets across europe followed asian stocks higher. let's check in with the price of ladbroke coral‘s shares. following that offer from online rival gvc, up by around 30% now. the pound is holding steady near an eight—day low as investors paused to monitor developments in britain's tense negotiations over leaving the european union. that's all the business news. thank you. a volt wagon executive who pleaded guilty in the us for his role in the

company's emissions guilty in the us for his role in the compa ny‘s emissions cheating guilty in the us for his role in the company's emissions cheating scandal has been sentenced to seven years in prison. 0liver schmidt is the second of the compa ny‘s prison. 0liver schmidt is the second of the company's former employees to be jailed after millions of diesel vehicles were fitted with devices that allow them to deceive customers and the rest of the industry into believing their cars were cleaner than they were. 0liver schmidt, once one vault like an's top employees, now sentenced to seven an's top employees, now sentenced to seve n yea rs an's top employees, now sentenced to seven years in prison. a car manufacturer in a competitive market, vw admitted fitting around 11 million diesel cars with what is called a defeat device, meaning the ca rs called a defeat device, meaning the cars could sense when they were running in the uniform conditions of a testing lab and automatically reduce their emissions, cheating test the vehicles should never have passed. it meant that schmid was able to certify that vw diesels comply with strict american standards, which meant boosting sales targeting environmentally

conscious customers with supposedly cleaner cars. the scandal came to light in 2015. oliver schmidt is the second employee sent to prison. a vetera n vw second employee sent to prison. a veteran vw employee was given 40 months in august. schmidt was arrested on holiday in miami, but five more of the company's employees are wanted in the us but remain in germany. it is a scandal which has already cost boxlike and an estimated $30 million. the company has since announced a big investment into electric vehicles and d riverless into electric vehicles and driverless cars, saying it plans to become a world leader in the field by 2025. from the snowman to scrooge, some of the most popular christmas characters originated in a book. but are these classics still on childrens' christmas lists? research suggests books on hobbies are three times more popular, but does it really matter what young people are reading? tim muffett has been finding out. ‘twas the night before christmas, when all through the house not

a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. clicking. all: shhhh! the stockings were hung... gadgets and books. not always a great mix. at the discover children's story centre in east london, we're looking at the impact of devices and gaming on reading and story telling. when you play gadgets, it's more like a waste of time that you can use for something else. i always like reading more because you can just sit down and relax and read a book, and it's quite nice tojust sit down and read a book. a lot of parents tend to put kids in front of their devices very young because it frees up their time. my son loves the mr men books on the tablet — is that a bad thing? i don't know. i see the sleigh. you can see the sleigh. today's storyteller is liz pichon, author of the hugely popular tom gates children's books. she's reading a festive classic. and out on the lawn there arose such a clatter... ‘twas the night before christmas was first published in 1823.

..to see what was the matter! there are some things thatjust don't date and you can't replace having a physical book. it's the rhyming as well. ..and laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose. book trust is a charity that wants kids to read. gadgets for many are more appealing indeed. in its survey, a quarter of all parents said the same, if they give kids a book, they'd rather play a game. we're really worried that the temptation is that parents just let their kids stay on digital and tablets because that's what they say they want first go. they don't make the effort to find a good book which their child would want to read. the charity found that a fifth of parents suspected books bought as christmas presents wouldn't actually be read, but even authors can see why. when i was younger, if digital devices were around then i'd be picking them up and using them. i mean, i can remember my dad moaning about me watching tv all the time. last christmas, children's printed

book sales exceeded £100 million, according to nielsen bookscan, which analyses the market. the biggest seller was the midnight gang by david walliams, but four of the top 20 were books about pokemon or minecraft. does it matter if a child wants to read a book about gaming? no. the most important thing is we encourage children to get reading and to like reading. for these children, the message has already got through. if you go on a gadget, you've got to be absolute, you'll be too tempted to, like, play a game. it's peace and quiet and you don't have bright shining at you. this christmas big sales are expected for philip pullman and david walliams, and jeff kinney, author of diary of a wimpy kid. but some christmas stories remain timeless. merry christmas to all and to all a good night. time for a look at the weather.

storm caroline continues to dominate. bitterly cold air continues to come down from the arctic, and a wintry theme looks likely over the next few days. before that, let's take a look at the rain in the south—east at the moment. some of that is quite heavy, with decent spells of sunshine behind across wales and northern ireland, a rash of showers continuing through scotland and northern ireland, turning increasingly wintry as we go through the latter stages of the day. temperatures fall away. storm force winds ease, but it will be gale force gusts through the night, and that will blow some of the snow around, so blizzard conditions likely in scotland, northern ireland, down through the gesture gap in parts of wales. such a key

driving conditions there's been tomorrow morning. not necessarily because of the show, —— snow, but because of the show, —— snow, but because of the show, —— snow, but because of some ice as well. it is certainly worth tuning in to your local radio station before you travel. this is how widespread the showers are likely to be at 8am. across scotland, through northern ireland, filtering down through the irish sea and the cheshire gap towards wales and may the north midlands. we could even see some wet sleet and snow perhaps to the north of london as well for a time. a cold start to the day, and as we go on, blustery winds will continue to filter in. plenty of showers along north and west facing coasts. some of those pushing inland. elsewhere, decent spells of sunshine, but those showers will be a little bit of a nuisance. we could see 5—10 centimetres through wales and north—west england, and as much as ten to 20 centimetres perhaps for scotla nd ten to 20 centimetres perhaps for scotland for a time. another strength of the winds, cold day whatever you are doing and wherever you are, you will need a couple of layers. moving into saturday, a

slightly quieter day with weather. we could see if you scattered showers down the west coast, and here is where the coldest weather is likely to be. the weather front is likely to be. the weather front is likely to be. the weather front is likely to threaten on sunday. as this front bumps into the cold air we have sitting across the country, potential for some sleet and snow. you will need to keep watching the forecast of you have outdoor plans on sunday. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. today at 2pm... anger, despair and violence on the streets as donald trump is warned his stance onjerusalem will destroy the middle east peace process. the government says it's "optimistic" about an irish border agreement but is warned time really is running out to move brexit talks on to trade. 0ne shares a name — the queen commissions britain's new £3 billion carrier hms queen

elizabeth. coming up on afternoon live all the sport with hugh. we have tried english teams in the champions league. we have, for the first time, a record so good news for english football with five teams