w-wz see 13 or m degrees but even 11—12 is above see 13 or 1a degrees but even 11—12 is above where it should be for the time of year. christmas eve night, we'll see the rain still hanging around from northern ireland and scotland. by the time we get to christmas day it's starting to progress a bit further south. we can see the winds turning further north. the uncertainty is how quickly this will clear away and how much cold airwilldig in behind. will clear away and how much cold airwill dig in behind. perhaps will clear away and how much cold air will dig in behind. perhaps as we enter boxing day we can see some snow in the north. in fact a cold snap by the time we get a boxing day. be milder atlantic air is slipping away temporarily. that could bring some wintry weather. more especially across the north and perhaps eastern coastal counties. it will fill different on boxing day. only 4—8dc. this will be an interesting system as well. it's got some snow on its northern edge. hello, this is bbc news

with martine croxall. our latest headlines: nearly 200 people have died in a tropical storm in the southern philippines. many others are missing after flash floods and landslides. a man has appeared at york magistrates‘ court charged with the murder ofjodie willsher at an aldi supermarket in skipton. he's been remanded in custody and will appear at leeds crown court next thursday. london zoo will reopen tomorrow after a majorfire this morning in which a number of animals died. some members of staff were treated

for smoke inhalation and shock. the prime minister has released a christmas message thanking the armed forces. theresa may says british troops are making the world safer by combating terrorism at home and abroad. now on bbc news, sportsday. welcome to the programme. it's a blue, blue christmas. have manchester city already wrapped up the title? they've won again. exeter chiefs are also top of their premiership tree. all the days rugby union results are coming up and festive cheer may be lacking in the england camp, but the man in charge says

the current crop of cricketers have what it takes to salvage some pride from this ashes series. nine premier league fixtures today. let's get to the results. lots of movement at the bottom but it's a blue star on top of the tree at christmas. 14 1a points clear for manchester city, beating bournemouth for —— four nil.

two goals and an assist. totally dominated, 17 wins in a row. they could break the european record for wins ina could break the european record for wins in a row during this festive period. the best way we do this season is to focus on the next one. nothing too far away. football is unpredictable and when you think that is going to happen, it doesn't happen. city closing in perhaps on the title but last year's title winners chelsea could only manage a goalless draw against everton. for everton, another point.

a resurgence under sam allardyce continues. chelsea had won their previous meetings with everton this season but this time they were facing a side unbeaten under new boss sam alla rdyce. they were missing wayne rooney through illness and faced early pressure, but the captain kept them in the game. for all their dominance, chelsea couldn't find that opening goal. pedro tried, but couldn't get pastjordan pickford. pickford kept out hazzard, the england manager watching on. but after an almost perfect defensive display, pickford was beaten by his own player, the crossbar providing relief for ashley williams. chelsea were running out of time and things could have got worse with moments to go.

michael keane's header was just over. despite having no shots on target, sam allardyce‘s unbeaten run stretches to six while antonio conte will view this as two points dropped for the reigning champions. maybe two points dropped for chelsea but a much—needed point for everton. sam allardyce seems to have really made a difference since he arrived a few weeks ago. he has lived up to his reputation as someone who makes his teams more solid. five unbeaten under his management. 25 shots for chelsea without scoring. let's hear from the man of the moment, sam allardyce. i'm delighted with the players‘ application and attitude to defending, there's no doubt about that. to see that they have drawn and only lost one in the last ten, it's a terrific result,

a terrific point for us. a much—needed win for stoke who beat west brom 3—0. only their second win in nine games and the owner of stoke had hinted in the local press that this was make or break. stokes sto kes got stokes got a good vision. marcuse was booed last week, remember. a big relief for him. —— mark hughes. the support is important and i thank him for that. and i thank them for that. i would like to think

we have rewarded them today but there is a lot of work to be done, we store the games coming thick and fast but that support is vital. maybe people from outside the stoke area and with an affiliation to stoke were jumping on the bandwagon you little bit. then the club we are strong and we always will be. there was a 1—1 draw between swansea and crystal palace. swa nsea swansea are still at the bottom. it was a fantastic equaliser. they sacked their manager paul clement, they have leon brittan in charge temporarily. he looks the part and he did get a performance out of his players. i worry about the lack of chances they created. crystal palace scored a penalty who had a lot of chances. they were certainly behind leon brittan, he is a legend there as a player and i think the players respect him. a decent day for leon

brittan, would have loved the win but it's a decent point. i think we showed great character. it showed that the players were giving everything out there, for myself on the football club. for myself and the football club. i'm very proud of the effort they put in. being 1—0 down, we could have easily gone under but they showed great character and great spirit and towards the end, if one team is pushing for a goal, it was up to us to get the winner. elsewhere, west ham were beaten by newcastle 2—1 and a first win in ten games for newcastle. maybe things are looking up. newcastle were in a slump. benitez was struggling to get performances out of the players. two assists. the crucial third goal. west ham mr pannell take —— missed a penalty.

before this, it was one point in nine games saw a huge game for benito ‘s and newcastle united. in the past 20 minutes, the 5:30pm kick—off, burley against tottenham hotspur, tottenham came out on top, 3-0. hotspur, tottenham came out on top, 3—0. harry caine was the start of the show, scoring his seventh hat—trick for 20 17th, his 36th goal of the year and it draws him equal with alan shearer‘s premier league record of goals scored in a calendar year. turfmoor has been a fortress for burnley this season. they have only lost twice at home, keeping them in the hunt for a champions league place. both defeats have been toa league place. both defeats have been to a solitary goal some of tottenham also in hand for a place in the top four, this was some encounter. he

was booked for this but the referee's makes decision went his way. harry kane put tottenham ahead with his 13th premier league goal this season. confidence in football asa this season. confidence in football as a precious commodity and it seemed the early goal wrecked burnley. the england striker had to be patient but it was to be his day. an hour passed before his next clear—cut chance but he was ready to pounce when it came and how about this for resilience? harry kane clattered in the build—up but he was $0011 clattered in the build—up but he was soon back on his feet. the ball was in the back of the neck and his to ta ke in the back of the neck and his to take home —— back of the net. no arguments as to which of these two sides is the more likely to be challenging for a place in the top four come the end of the season. harry kane making his way off the pitch with the match ball after that hat—trick, his tenth for spurs, and what a year he's had. to match alan

shearer and break it against southampton, his last game of the year, super. did he died? watch it and make up your own mind. the authorities have a new diving panel. she could get a ban if they think it was a dive. that is the story to watch over the next few days but a great win for tottenham, a tough place to go this season, turfmoor. burnley have done remarkably. let's look at the other results. a couple of results to bring you. brighton beat watford 1—0. a1-1 a1—1 draw a1—1drawfor a 1—1 draw for southampton. just three points above relegation, southampton. huddersfield, only one

defeat in the last four games. a huge win for brighton as well. watford have lost the last four. marco is a great head coach but watford are in a slump with a disappointing defeat. at the bottom of the table, that is when the movement has been this afternoon. swa nsea movement has been this afternoon. swansea are still rooted to the bottom but they did get that point, which will give them confidence, but southampton in danger here, just three points above the relegation places. crystal palace have slipped as well, and so have stoke this afternoon. west ham united were unbeaten in three before today, still in a lot of danger. bournemouth slipping to the bottom and swansea risked being adrift, they have a tough festive period. at the top of the table,

manchester city in front but manchester city in front but manchester united will be about five minutes away from kick—off. the players just going onto the pitch now, they need to win to keep this title race alive. a lot of people think it is all over but they need to get the gap back to 11 points. it won't be easy for manchester united. they are experiencing injuries so it is an interesting team, i wonder how they will cope without some players. john, thank you for bringing us up to date. one more to bring you later when manchester united and leicester are finished. all the results on our website as well as the rest of the day's sports news on the bbc website. that's all the football for now. we had a full round—up of matches

in the scottish premiership today celtic have stretched their lead, rangers could have moved up to to second with graeme murty now in charge fulltime until the end of the season but they lost 2—1 at kilmarnock. vicki—jane edwards reports. it has been a december to remember for kilmarnock, going into the game for matches unbeaten this month. away from home, rangers have been impressive themselves and with a manager until the end of the season started, good to go. sorted, they're good to go. but it was kimnarnock who casued the most problems in the first half until a strike allowed him to celebrate his first permanent contract with rangers in style. blink and you'll miss it, two goals in two minutes, who else but kris boyd giving kilmarnock what they deserve against his former club?

it tough first game for graeme murty‘s first game as manager, a double celebration for kris boyd. celtic‘s lead is up to eight points after beating second placed aberdeen 3—0. fourth—placed hibs beat ross county who slip to the bottom of the table after partick won at home to hamilton. motherwell drew 1—1 against dundee. stjohnston and hearts was goalless. barcelona have stretched their lead at the top of la liga and what better way to do that than against real madrid in el clasico. they won 3—0 at the bernabeu. barca are nine points clear at the top heading in to their winter break. real are now surely out of the title race, 1a points behind alex gulrajani was watching this one. over half a billion people focused in on this corner of madrid. the demand was so great to see the world's best, kick—off was moved to lunchtime in spain with the asian tv audience in mind. theirfirst glimpse was uncharacteristic from ronaldo but before long

he was back within range. this el clasico was one that real madrid needed to win. already 11 points behind rivals, the gap wouldn't get closer today. luis suarez with the opening goal. then barcelona flourished, real madrid under siege with the ball ending up in the back of the net but the referee wasn't happy. danny used his hands, red card. penalty for barcelona, the outcome, lionel messi adding to real madrid's woes. it didn't stop him setting up alex vidal for barcelona's third, a victory that sets them a world apart at the top of la liga. exeter also have a commanding lead at the top of the rugby union premiership. the chiefs were far too strong for northampton saints

at franklin's gardens. exeter ran in four tries for a bonus point 35—14 victory. the reigning champs are now 11 points clear at the top. with just one win from their last 11 games, franklins gardens are looking bleak. after more than a decade with jim allender at the helm, it's the start of a new year for northampton saints. changes don't happen overnight, though. exeter took an early lead. then proof that there is life at the gardens yet, northampton were brought to within a point with this move. but it will take more than that move to tame the chiefs who are thriving this season, eight points clear before the match and turning the screw, sam simmons with his ninth of the season. another try from thomas waldron followed before a quick thinking gave the scoreline

some respectability. in the final play of the match, jack crossed the line for exeter, sealing a bonus point win for the chiefs while northampton‘s worst premiership run far six years continues. and here are the rest of today's premiership results for you. newcastle edged a win by a point against harlequins. three tries for sale sharks saw them beat bath 32—9. while second—place wasps went over six times, beating gloucester 49—21; and they are up to second. there are three matches in the pro 1a today. edinburgh and glasgow play each other twice over the next week. both can't to the 1872 cup between the scottish rivals. today's match is at murrayfield. glasgow took the lead with a converted try from centre hugh jones. edinburgh went down to 1a men. simon burgin was shown a red card for using his boot at the breakdown.

edinburgh won in the final minute of the game. earlier, benetton beat zebre 27—111. they are nearing the end of the first—half in ireland. connacht lead ulster 12—0. it's been a difficult winter so far for english cricket fans. they'd have been hoping to be able to look forward to the boxing day ashes test, but australia have already wrapped up the series. plenty of questions have been asked on the topic of where england go from here. our man in melbourne is patrick gearey. in the days since the defeat in perth in the third test when england lost the ashes, the question has been, where do they go now? the answer, geographically at least, is melbourne, the mcg, this cathedral of australian sport ahead of the boxing day test.

there has also been debate around the reasons behind this ashes defeat. england have lost eight test matches in a row on these shores. some blame country cricket for a lack of fast bowlers and spinners and some say there needs to be widespread changes in management. the manager faced a few bounces from the media but said there is no need for revolution just yet. we have a young captain doing a greatjob and i've been very impressed with him privately and publicly about how he is approaching his captaincy. we have new players who have come into the fold and stepped up to the plate. it has just been disappointing that in the key moments of the key matches, we haven't been able to turn the screw to get on top of the australians. let's see if we can do that over the next two test matches. harrison was also asked, inevitably, about ben stokes, the england all—rounder missing

from this tour after an incident outside a bristol bar for which he is waiting to see if he will be charged. stokes returned home from new zealand where he was playing cricket for canterbury to spend time with his family over christmas and harrison said the game had been damaged by that incident. we have built up a lot of trust with the public over the last two or three years with the way in which the team had played and were connecting with the public, the way they were becoming very accessible, and some of that is impacted things off the field like what happened in bristol, which was a shocking day for the game, but we will rebuild that trust and we will get back to a situation where the public feel very connected to the england team as they have recently. another area of criticism has come from an unsurprising source, ricky ponting, the former australia skipper. he has turned his fire onjoe root, the england captain, saying he looks like a boy and he has been soft.

root was defended by johnny bairstow, his wicketkeeper. everyone is going to have an opinion. he is doing a good job as captain with the tactics he is showing with the ball and you learn by doing it and we forget that he has only been in the job for a year so let's not forget that, it's a learning process. there is very little time for rest over the christmas period if you're an england cricketer. they‘ re preparing right through the festive season and on boxing day they will walk out whether batting of on the field at this place. it will be packed to the rafters and incredibly noisy and i think we will find out one or two things about england's character. at the pdc world darts championships, 16—time world champion phil the power taylor is back at the oche tonight, looking to book his place in the third round. former electrician rob voltage.

tense stuff. now, christmas morning can mean an early start in many households. but what about rising at 5am to start work in the dark, in freezing weather, for a wage which might not reach £8 an hour? that's what thousands of people will be doing on monday and britain's horse racing industry depends on them. but respect for the stable groom, has become a major issue in british racing in 2017, asjoe wilson reports. 6am, cotswold morning, creeping daylight in the yard reveals the unsung human heroes of christmas sport. for thousands of grooms like jacob and lily, christmas day will always be another working day. start off anywhere between 5:00 and 6:30. i muck out five horses. they don't know it's christmas time or anything like that, they still expect their food.

we ride them out, and put christmas hats on and stuff. i don't know if they know, but they might enjoy it! obviously, yeah, we love the animals, and myself and lily, we obviously have a goal of eventually one day riding. my dream would be to be a professional jockey. boxing day is very important for british horse—racing because there are eight meetings around the country on december 26th. in total in britain, there are some 111,000 race horses in training, and all of them need their day—to—day care and attention from a professional. it's what ken dooley did. he died in october looking after a horse at kempton race course. the fundraising page in his honour reflects the shock at his death, and respect for his life. racing simply relies on the grooms. the boss of this yard knows it. it's hard work, it's cold weather, they're coming in in the dark, they're going home in the dark.

i did it myself for a few years, so i know what it's like. it's where i started as a lad. and it is, it's hard work for not a lot of money. it is a way of life, and that's all you can describe it as. they do it for the love of the job. this is reward, on icy hillsides, grooms riding out, exercising the horses and imagining winners that may come their way on this and future boxing days. joe wilson, bbc news, gloucestershire. the score between leicester and manchester united is still 0—0. that's all from sportsday. bye— bye. the weather has been benign, just

grey and murky. we had some fog, which was quite persistent today, not just which was quite persistent today, notjust in st helens but other areas and where we have had the brea ks areas and where we have had the breaks on cloud, it will be faulty through this evening and overnight. the other big change tonight is more rain. heavy rain as well for the highlands of scotland and the islands here. just to the far north, it turns chilly but for most of us under the blanket cloud, it will be a mild night if anything, under the blanket cloud, it will be a mild night ifanything, my under the blanket cloud, it will be a mild night if anything, my other than last night. the reason, i steadily —— are rest, —— our southwesterly wind. it may come during the christmas period. it will

bea during the christmas period. it will be a grey and disley starred for many. there will be low fog to watch out for but where that is and where that lists during the morning, we will see sunshine potentially —— lifts. through the day, the weather front will produce a0 to 60 millimetres for western and northwest got up and an slipped so far at it into northern ireland. for northern ireland and scotland, far fewer breaks in the cloud than today. i fairly brisk wind will dry the rain southwards and it is persistent for much of the afternoon for northern ireland, itjust goes on for scotland and into cumbria. one ofa on for scotland and into cumbria. one of a further for there side and it could be more cloud for cheshire, the midlands, east of the pennines but it is mild at 11 or 12 celsius except for the far north. through the evening tomorrow, rain to come and strengthening wind so be aware. by and strengthening wind so be aware. by christmas day, possibly a little bit further south and it is behind

that we have cold air so it looks rather grey and mild for many on christmas day. quite wet potentially. the cold in 11 starts to again so hence the chance of something a little bit more winter alike through the christmas period. into boxing day, the cold a syncs across into boxing day, the cold a syncs a cross m ost into boxing day, the cold a syncs across most of the uk which means it will turn to snow round the back of this here of rain. we could see snow over higher ground of northern england and scotland for a time and it is brighter on boxing day but cold up. an interesting system into the south and west. more on that later. this is bbc news. the headlines.

nearly 200 people are known to have died after a tropical storm triggers flash floods and landslides in the southern philippines. a man has appeared in court at york magistrates charged with the murder ofjodie willsher at a supermarket in skipton. london zoo is to reopen tomorrow after a major fire in skipton. london zoo is to reopen tomorrow after a majorfire in in skipton. london zoo is to reopen tomorrow after a major fire in which an aardvark and four meerkats are thought to have died. theresa may pays tribute to british troops at home and abroad in a christmas message. in california, the deadly wildfire that has destroyed hundreds of homes is now the largest in state history. the thomas blaze has sovereigned —— has scorched an area greater than new york city, brussels and paris combined.