this is bbc news. i'm christian fraser. the headlines at nine. 200 people are thought to have been killed and 150 are missing after a tropical storm in the southern philippines. rescue teams have yet to reach some of the affected areas. 70,000 people have been displaced from their homes. the mao northbound in 0xfordshire reopens. six people were injured in a crash involving five vehicles. new guidelines on anti—social behaviour orders, amid concerns that some councils are adopting a "busybody" approach to the homeless and dog owners. also — britain's political leaders use their annual christmas messages to praise those who help others. theresa may thanks the armed forces and emergency services. labour'sjeremy corbyn urged people to think of the lonely and those in conflict zones. and in half an hour, we will take a look back at an incredible year in hull, the uk city of culture. from the royal ballet to world—class theatre and the most talked about artists, we will have all the highlights. good morning and

welcome to bbc news. a relief operation is under way in the philippines, where almost 200 people are known to have died in flash flooding and mudslides. the president of the philippines will today visit communities devastated by tropical storm tembin. sarah corker reports. in the raging floodwaters, rescue efforts are frantic and dangerous. ropes are all these villagers have to pull each other to safety. storm tembin tore through mindanao, the philippines‘ second largest island and home to 20 million people. flash floods and landslides have cut off entire communities and washed away homes. and with more than 100 people

missing, the death toll may rise. the remote village of dalama has been buried. use their bare hands to search for bodies. translation: there used to be 103 houses here, but when the flash flood happened everything was washed out. all their homes and livelihoods gone. tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes. blocked roads and power cuts are hampering the rescue effort. the authorities say too many people ignored warnings to leave. the call for people to evacuate in good time, before the storm, actually did not have an effect. the storm passed over some of the absolute poorest areas in the whole philippines, and people live in hard to reach areas. this disaster comes just a week after another tropical storm hit the central philippines. the resources of this disaster—prone nation are under strain.

the un says it is ready to step in and help. sarah corker, bbc news. the mao northbound in 0xfordshire has reopened. five vehicles were involved in a crashjust before midnight last night which shut the motorway in both directions for about three hours. six people have been taken to hospital and an investigation is under way. our correspondent caroline daviesjoins me. five ambulance crews on the scene at one point. what happened? we know this was on the m40, which connects london and birmingham, near banbury, junction ten and 11, the crash happened on the northbound carriageway but we know from highways england that some of the debris ended up on the other carriageway which met the whole motorway was initially closed. it has been described as a serious accident by highways england, we

don't know how serious at the moment, as you mentioned, six people we re moment, as you mentioned, six people were injured, and treated, four taken to hospital, we don't know the extent of the injuries at the moment but we believe one vehicle has been overturned, we're waiting for confirmation of that. in terms of emergency vehicles, as you say, five crews from south central ambulance service, we know fire crews were sent from bicester and banbury. and we know the motorway was closed for some while. it has reopened and as you say, they are now starting an investigation. thank you forjoining us. north korea has described the latest un sanctions imposed on the country as an "act of war". on friday, the united nations voted for measures that include limiting the country's petrol imports by up to 90%. the sanctions were in response to pyongyang's ballistic missile tests. new guidance on how local authorities combat anti—social behaviour has been issued by the government, following concerns that some councils are misusing the measures. critics say so—called

public spaces protection orders have been used inapproriately to target groups such as rough sleepers and dog—owners. andy moore reports. some charities working with the homeless say the new powers can be used indiscriminately against rough sleepers. others say so—called public spaces protection orders, which can cover large areas, are being used to target groups like buskers or dog walkers. but councils argue they are working with their communities to crack down on serious problems. the manifesto group campaigns against what they call the over—regulation of ordinary life. it says hundreds of these orders have been issued, making a wide range of activities a criminal offence. the group claims, for example, that as part of a crackdown on begging, blackpool wanted to ban loitering around cash machines and shop entrances. doncaster wanted to ban groups of three or more people causing nuisance or annoyance to people in the town centre. brighton wanted to stop anyone and sleeping in a car, caravan or tent in the town. fines of up to £100 can be issued for any breaches of these orders.

the local government association says it will work constructively with the government to introduce the new guidelines. public spaces protection orders are used for the really serious end of anti—social behaviour and councils don't choose to do this on their own. residents will come to us, businesses will come to us, and say there might be some aggressive begging, daytime drinking or even street racing. that is the sort of things that these orders are used for. the revised guidelines say councils must focus on specific problems rather than blanket bans of behaviour that are not in themselves anti—social. and they must make sure they consult the public before the regulations are introduced. andy moore, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. more children from vulnerable backgrounds in england will get the chance to attend some

of the country's top boarding schools. as part of a government scheme, local authorities work with children's charities to put forward pupils for bursaries and scholarships. ministers believe going to boarding school can provide children in care with greater stability. london zoo will reopen today, after a fire left a number of animals dead and several members of staff needing medical attention. a nine—year—old aardvark died in the blaze and four meerkats are also believed to have been killed. an investigation is under way into the cause of the fire, which broke out in the zoo's children's area, before spreading to a shop. plans to scrap the army's crest and the slogan "be the best" have been halted by the defence secretary, gavin williamson. according to the mail on sunday, a leaked internal army document suggested the slogan was regarded as dated and elitist. the mod says mr williamson believes the army to be "the best of the best" and has put the proposals on hold. britain's political leaders have used their annual christmas messages to pay tribute to those

who help others. they also urge people to support those in need over the festive season. our political correspondent eleanor garnier has more. wishing everyone a happy christmas, the prime minister thanked those who help others during the festive period, like volunteers at faith projects and international aid workers. theresa may highlighted the courage and dedication of the emergency services who went to the grenfell tower tragedy and terrorist attacks in manchester and london. and she thanked the country's armed forces. this christmas, as people across the uk celebrate this special time of year with family and friends, we will do so secure in the knowledge that the valiant hearts of our service men and women, many far away from their own loved ones at this special time of year, are working to keep us safe. in his second christmas message as labour leader, jeremy corbyn called britain a compassionate nation,

urging people to think of those who may be lonely at this time of year. many older citizens, to whom we owe so much, will be spending what should be a time ofjoy alone. we think of others such as carers who look after loved ones and people with disabilities or dementia. and abroad, we think of those living in nations such as yemen, syria and libya, in fear of bombs and bullets, of injury and death. snp first minister nicola sturgeon paid tribute to those working over the holidays and visited a community cafe in glasgow to thank volunteers. this cafe and the volunteers here are among thousands of organisations and individuals throughout scotland who do so much for our local communities not just at christmas but all throughout the year. the lib dem leader vince cable used his message to highlight the issue of homelessness. community has always been

at the heart of liberalism. this is a time of year to make that commitment real. that is why i am asking you to take out some time this christmas and help with a local charity near you. the party leaders' festive messages were shared on social media to wish voters a merry christmas but also remind people to spare a thought for those in need. eleanor garnier, bbc news. rail passengers are being warned they could face disruption as network rail carries out its biggest ever christmas engineering programme. 260 projects across england, scotland and wales will lead to numerous station closures over the festive period. many of britain's mainline routes will also be shut or running reduced services over the coming days. let's get more on the delays with simon calder who's at paddington station for us now. good morning. does not look very

busy behind you. have people decided not to travel? well, there are no trains in and out of paddington until thursday. the only people i have seen so far have been a trickle of foreign tourists turning up hoping to get the express service to heathrow airport. this is one of those 260 projects, £160 million worth of investment going in and network rail say they have to do it over christmas and new year because the number of is basically half the normal 5 million or so that he would see on a daily basis. no trains at all coming in and out of the west of england and south wales today. similaron england and south wales today. similar on the other side of the capital, liverpool street station, the line to shenfield and suffolk and norfolk is closed. south of

london, the main terminal stations at cannon street, charing cross and london bridge are closed as well. many of these are carrying on right through to the new year, for example, southampton central, going north on the mainline, that has been closed, the west coast main line between preston and lancaster is also closed for much of the time. of course, even if you are hoping to travel on one of the 95% of the network which remains open, trains start running down from late afternoon, early evening, the last train going north from glasgow to inverness just after 6pm and south from leeds to londonjust inverness just after 6pm and south from leeds to london just after 7pm. i suppose the repairs have to be done at some point but it will frustrate some people because christmas eve is a getaway day, most people are travelling the family. why do they do it on christmas eve? it is simply a matter of what is going to impact the lowest number of people. that is the very

straightforward calculation. they carried out an independent review last year and they said christmas and easter and bank holidays are the times to do all of these big projects and the idea is that afterwards, you have more capacity, better trained and more reliable services. but i must say, what a lot of people are saying about the areas of people are saying about the areas of the railway where there are no engineering works which is most of them is why are we closing down these trains every year on christmas day and boxing day? it certainly does not happen in any other major european country i know of, if you wa nt to european country i know of, if you want to travel from calais to paris tomorrow, there is a train every hour, and similarly from frankfurt to munich and so on. they are normal services with a few local services cut back. increasingly, the coach services are running lots and lots of buses, national express, 50% more services tomorrow, particularly to

and from airports, most of the big airports have got busy programmes tomorrow and mega bass are doing more buses than ever, london to bristol, for example, which you can't do today or until next thursday on the train, you will be able to do it every two hours tomorrow, there's a bus service running. clearly plenty of demand for travel but no trains at the moment from here until thursday and if you are planning to go anywhere by train today or indeed between now and the end of the year, watch out for strikes, cross country staff on strike today and then we have a series of strikes, gabi to anglia, south—western railway, they are happening before the end of the year, too. good luck everyone! check with your operator. the headlines on bbc news: 200 people are thought to have been killed and 150 are missing after a tropical storm in the southern philippines. the mao northbound in

0xfordshire reopens. six people were injured ina 0xfordshire reopens. six people were injured in a crash involving five vehicles. new guidelines on anti—social behaviour orders are being introduced. there are concerns that some councils are adopting a busybody approach to the homeless and dog owners. russians will go to the polls in a presidential election next march with vladimir putin seeking a fourth term in office. mr putin has dominated russian politics since the beginning of the century. opposition parties have also announced their candidates for the spring election as georgina smyth reports. taking on challenges of a different kind in red square. russian president vladimir putin was given a clear play at goal in the ice rink, but for the goal of re—election next march, the competition might not be so friendly. among those standing in his way, a surprise candidate for the russian communist party, pavel grudinin. the party, which does back putin, dropped a veteran leader,

in favour of the new face in what many believe is an attempt to widen voter appeal. translation: i can tell you that our victory may be stolen. we have seen such things multiple times, but we know for sure that we are on the right side, and victory will be ours. in another corner, calling herself an alternative to mainstream politics, is russian tv personality ksenia sobchak. the daughter of a former mayor of st petersburg, with connections to putin, she named protection of civil rights among her priorities, while presenting her programme for russia's civil initiative party. translation: if sacred processions and many street prayers are allowed, opposition rallies should also be allowed as well as the atheist rallies, carnivals and gay pride. announcer: vladimir vladimirovich putin. the sport—minded putin does not mind a contest and that was certainly the message to attendees at the 17th congress of the united russia party.

translation: we should respect a capable and responsible opposition. it means not only having a desire, a readiness to argue with the authorities or accuse them of all mortal sins. russia goes to the polls on march 18. georgina smyth, bbc news. a busy christmas programme in the sport. richard is that the sportscenter. manchester city are 13 points clear at the top of the premier league after their 17th win in a row. city beat bournemouth a—o which took them over the 100 goal mark for 2017, making them the first english side to do that since 1982. two goals from sergio aguero and one each from sterling and danilo saw the blues win conformtably at the etihad stadium. and the manager was more than happy with his side. second goal was so important for our

calm, to have the tempo to pay and especially in the last 20, 25 minutes, when they played with two strikers, we found more spaces but we have to learn, to improve, to attack these kind of defences. we have to try it and i think it is going to happen. city's nearest rivals manchester united could only draw 2—2 against ten—man leicester at the king power stadium. jamie vardy gave the home side the early lead butjuan mata struck back, scoring twice to give united a 2—1 advantage. leicester never gave up though, with harry maguire scoring this 9ath—minute equaliser to snatch a draw, a serious dent to united's title challenge. if the top teams perform, it is very difficult for them to have the same dream orto difficult for them to have the same dream or to reach the same incredible title. but i think they

are doing well, they are in a co mforta ble are doing well, they are in a comfortable position, no dramas, no fears. can they fight to reach the europa league spot? yes, they can. tottenham's harry kane equalled alan shearer‘s record for the most premier league goals scored in a calendar year, with a hat—trick in a 3—0 win at burnley. the england striker‘s third made it 36 in 2017. kane is also the joint top scorer in the premier league with 15 so far in the current campaign. spurs go up to fifth in the table. for us, we are in a good position 110w. for us, we are in a good position now. we are fighting for the top four. that victory showed everyone that we are there. yes, now we need to be solid and consistent in our performance. today was a good point, a platform to go up. elsewhere,

chelsea lost ground at the top, drawing 0—0 with everton, continuing sam allardyce's drawing 0—0 with everton, continuing sam alla rdyce's unbeaten drawing 0—0 with everton, continuing sam allardyce's unbeaten run as everton manager. relief or under pressure stoke manager mark hughes as they beat west brom 3—1. managerless as they beat west brom 3—1. ma nagerless swa nsea as they beat west brom 3—1. managerless swansea drew 1—1 with crystal palace. newcastle won away at west ham 3—2 in another bottom of the table clash and brighton beat watford1—o. southampton drew 1—1 with huddersfield but the result was not the talking point, this challenge from charlie austin left huddersfield goalkeeperjonas lossl with a suspected broken nose. huddersfield manager david wagner accused austin of deliberately kicking his player and the striker may now face retrospective action from the football association. in the scottish premiership, celtic are eight points clear after beating second placed aberdeen 3—0. kilmarnock came from behind to beat rangers for the first time since february 2012.

kris boyd scoring twice in three minutes against his former club to secure a 2—1victory. elsewhere, wins for hibs and partick thistle, motherwell drew 1—1 with dundee and it was goalless between stjohnstone and hearts. there's some injury news out of both the australian and england camps this morning ahead of the boxing day ashes test in melbourne. australia's fast bowler mitchell starc will miss out with a heel injury, while england bowler craig overton also misses out because of a broken rib. the ashes of course have already been lost with england trailing 3—0 in the series. there's been plenty of talk about sledging but australian bastman david warner says their success has quietened the tourists down. it's test cricket, you know, it's hard—fought out there. sometimes you pick times when you want to go at people, and sometimes you go in your shell like a turtle. you know, we've probably shut them up a little bit at the moment. hopefully this gets them up and going, and firing some barbs, because i love that.

i love whenever we're in a contest, and i feel like they were quite flat in wa, that's for sure. phil "the power" taylor is into the third round of the pdc world darts championship at alexandra palace. the power breezed through his second round match againstjustin pipe a—o. this will be the 16—time world champion‘s last appearance on the oche. he's retiring after the tournament. in the aviva premiership yesterday, there were wins for wasps, sale and exeter. while harlequins narrowly lost 11—10 away at newcastle. and there's no sitting back and relaxing for the quins players over the christmas break. the end of the year is one of the busiest times for the team who will be back training on boxing day ahead of their next game with northampton at twickenham stadium on saturday. sara orchard went to find out about a quins christmas. while most of us indulge, harlequins

do this. they play a special home match at twickenham in front of 80,000 fans and this year it is against northampton saints, who have just sacked their director of rugby, jim mallinder. in times of strife, that they have probably found themselves in, the group rallies together a bit more so obviously, sad news to seejim leaving the club. i'm sure the players will be up club. i'm sure the players will be upfor club. i'm sure the players will be up for it, none more than a big game at twickenham in front of 82,000 to try to kick—start your season again. it is what it says on the tin, a big game. it is the tenth time quins have taken their christmas fixture to the home of english rugby but first there's the matter of christmas to be enjoyed. the average daily intake of calories for a woman is 2000. for men, it is 2500. but it is 2000. for men, it is 2500. but it is thought that on christmas day, we all slightly indulge, tending to ta ke all slightly indulge, tending to take in around 5000 calories. but

what happens when you are a professional rugby player? i'm all right, so i can pile on the pounds over christmas. treat yourself to some pigs in blankets and so forth. we are lucky as backs, we can eat quite heavily on christmas day and burn it. the front rows have got to look after themselves more. be honest, i've got a big sweet tooth so honest, i've got a big sweet tooth so any pudding, i will enjoy that. harlequins against northampton kicks off at apm on the 30th of december. sara orchard, bbc news. that is all the sport. i will have another update in an hour. just one line of news we have had in the studio that three terrorism suspects who were arrested in sheffield and chesterfield on the 19th of december, police have been given extra time to question them. you might remember that the bomb squad was brought in in chesterfield during one of the arrests. a

22—year—old man and a 36—year—old man from sheffield and 31—year—old from chesterfield remain in custody and police have been given more to question them. now to bethlehem, where pilgrims are arriving in the city ahead of a midnight mass this evening to see in christmas. this year's celebrations, however, are taking place amid rising tensions in the region, following the us decision to recognisejerusalem as israel's capital earlier this month. our correspondent tom bateman is there for us in bethlehem. it certainly looks very christmassy behind you. absolutely, very festive so behind you. absolutely, very festive so far this morning, we have been having the palestinians scout troops warming up the crowds already. to give you a sense of the layout in manger square, you can see the big christmas tree and behind that is the church of the nativity, which was built on the spot where it is believed jesus was born. that basilica has been there for the best pa rt

basilica has been there for the best part of 1500 years. as you say, the crowds have been gathering since first thing this morning in their hundreds now. they are here because in the next couple of hours, we expect the arrival of one of the most senior roman catholic clergy in the middle east, the archbishop who makes his way from jerusalem to bethlehem, a shortjourney, six or seven miles, following the traditional route, making his way at three points through israel's separation barrier. he will deliver a christmas message before he takes a christmas message before he takes a route followed by the palestinian scout troops and people greeting him on the streets of bethlehem, following the processional route which is believed to be that taken byjoseph and mary 2000 years ago. we have seen byjoseph and mary 2000 years ago. we have seen scenes on byjoseph and mary 2000 years ago. we have seen scenes on friday in the west ba n k we have seen scenes on friday in the west bank and gaza and i believe in bethlehem as well, quite violent scenes, stand—offs between palestinians and israeli police. that is right because as you

mentioned earlier this month, donald trump's official recognition of jerusalem as the capital of israel, which led to serious clashes in the west ba n k which led to serious clashes in the west bank and in gaza. really, for many, it has dampened the mood amongst palestinians in the run—up to these festivities. the archbishop dimension said it has diverted attention around the joy of christmas. of course, for israelis, it has been a move that has been widely praised, they see this as simply recognition of reality as far as they are concerned but i suspect as they are concerned but i suspect as they are concerned but i suspect as the palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas arrives for midnight mass tonight, there will be another message from the palestinians of the fact that they do not welcome what the us has done and moreover, he has said they won't access and moreover, he has said they won't a ccess a ny and moreover, he has said they won't access any us peace plan for the region. tom bateman, thank you very much, in bethlehem. the headlines shortly but let's get the weather with louise. i like the

backdrop of the christmas music, we will try that next year because it isa will try that next year because it is a great, bland story, i'm afraid, if you were hoping for snow, nothing significant but there will be a few fla kes significant but there will be a few flakes potentially. this is what we've got at the moment, rather grey, damp and grisly across much of england and wales, heavy and persistent rain in scotland, we could get as much as two or three inches before the rain clears and the wind has been gusting close to gale force. the rain is rattling through at quite a base and then it will sit across northern ireland and into north—west england by the end of the day. it is staying cloudy but mild for all, double digits across the board, ten or 12 degrees the expected high. as we move into the overnight period, it looks likely the rain will reinvigorate itself a it through the night. the northern ireland, into scotland, eventually seeing heavy rain moving through the borders. elsewhere, cloudy but mild start, winds picking up, gales unexposed west coast and eventually

into christmas day, it looks as though we could see some contrasting weather pushing in from the west. some of the rain will be heavy across south—west england and wales by the end of the afternoon. ahead of it, showreel bits and pieces with again, still mild weather, 9—12 not out of the question. some rain in the isle of man andrew northern ireland, then easing but colder weather starting to kick in and this is where we could technically get a white christmas because we could see some flakes of snow across chiefly the higher ground of scotland. i don't suspect we will get anywhere near the record—breaking snowfall we had in 1981 just shy of half a metre in perthshire. for those of you who wa nt in perthshire. for those of you who want more white stuff, we could see a bit more as the rain eases away, some heavy, as it pushes through england and wales. behind it, cold air starting to kick in and showers turning increasingly wintry. the wind direction is north—westerly so boxing day will be colder, quieter in terms of rain, some rain

eventually into the south—west but look at the feel, for 5 degrees the maximum in the far north. the cold airwill maximum in the far north. the cold air will push back across the country. so really, anything from boxing day will turn considerably colder. some rain around over the next couple of days, colder with it from boxing day onwards and then we could see the potential for some snow and windy at times. back in half an hour. this is bbc news, our latest headlines. 200 people are thought to have been killed — and 150 are missing — after a tropical storm in the southern philippines. rescue teams have yet to reach some of the affected areas, 70,000 people have been displaced from their homes. the mao in 0xfordshire reopens, six people were injured in a crash involving five vehicles.