this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 4.00pm: north korea says the latest un sanctions are an "act of war," as they amount to a complete economic blockade. rescuers are searching for victims of a tropical storm in the southern philippines — more than 200 people have died in mudslides and flash floods. emergency services have yet to reach some of the affected areas. 70,000 people have been displaced from their homes. two men have been killed and four people injured, following a multiple vehicle crash on the mao in 0xfordshire. the motorway has now reopened. 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 the most desirable gadgets and gizmos from 2017 — that's all with the click team, in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. north korea has described the latest united nations sanctions as an act of war, and tantamount to a complete economic blockade. the un security council imposed the us—drafted measures on friday in response to pyongyang's ballistic missile tests. north korea has vowed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent to frustrate america. sophie long sent this report from the south korean capital seoul. an act of war that violates peace and stability on the korean peninsula. that was north korea's reaction to the latest and toughest round of sanctions to be imposed on pyongyang.

the us—drafted resolution was agreed by all members of the un security council, including china, north korea's main ally and trading partner, who called again for all parties to show restraint. i'm grateful to my colleagues for the serious measures we have enacted on behalf of the north korean people and i ask you keep them in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season, as we continue to fight against this, the most tragic example of evil in the modern world. the new sanctions include a ban on the import of nearly 90% of all oil supplies to north korea. vital to its missile and nuclear programmes. they also require the repatriation of north koreans working abroad. it's believed pyongyang uses their earnings to help fund its weapons development. the sanctions come in response to this, the firing of pyongyang's most powerful missile yet, one it said could reach us soil. they're intended to push pyongyang

to the negotiating table and towards a diplomatic solution. but today's response indicates kim jong—un has little desire to give up his nuclear ambitions. sophie long, bbc news, seoul. rescuers are searching for victims of a tropical storm in the southern philippines, where more than 200 people have died in mudslides and flash floods. the thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes — as howard johnson, our correspondent in manila, explains. high winds and heavy rain have battered mindanao for the last three days, as tropical storm tembin made its way across the country. rivers burst their banks, inundating towns, while a number of villages were buried under landslides. a spokesperson for the united nations children's fund said conditions on the island are dire and that many are without clean

water or electricity. there were 103 houses here. when the flood happened, it swept them all away. the philippines' national disaster council is spearheading the relief effort, providing meals and shelter to thousands of people displaced by the storm. the call for people to evacuate in good time before the storm actually didn't have an effect. the storm passed over some of the absolute poorest areas in the whole of the philippines, and people live in hard—to—reach areas. the philippines is hit by around 20 typhoons every year, bringing misery to some of the poorest communities in the country. storm tembin has now passed the philippines and has strengthened to typhoon status. it's now over the south china sea. it's expected to hit vietnam in the coming days. howard johnson, bbc news, manila, in the philippines. two men have died after a crash

on the mao involving a number of vehicles. four people were injured, one seriously. police and paramedics were called to the scene on the northbound stretch of the motorway in 0xfordshire just before midnight. officers from thames valley police are calling for witnesses. london zoo has reopened today after a fire on saturday killed several animals, and some staff had to be treated for smoke inhalation. in a statement london zoo said: 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. 0ur 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 their families and friends, we will do so secure in the knowledge that the valiant hearts of our servicemen 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, who should be spending this time withjoy, are alone. we think of others such as carers 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. the 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 local our communities all throughout the year, not just at christmas but all throughout the year. the lib dems leader vince cable used his christmas 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. 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 0rders 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 0rders, 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. and brighton wanted to stop anyone 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 0rders 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. police have been granted more time to question three terrorism suspects arrested on tuesday in sheffield and chesterfield. the three men were detained on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. plans to ditch the army's slogan "be the best" have been halted by the new defence secretary, gavin williamson. £500,000 has been spent on a rebranding exercise that would have got rid of the slogan, because it was deemed elitist. the ministry of defence said the british army is the "best of the best" and that the proposals were now "on hold." earlier i talked to colonel richard kemp, a former commander of british forces in afghanistan, and first asked about his view about general sir nick carter's plan. i was a bit disappointed with this idea, because i can understand why the general wanted to do it, which was of course partly to do

with tackling the army's horrendous recruitment crisis that it faces, but i think it is an error ofjudgment to suggest that the army is not elitist and that we should not aim to have the best. i mean, i know that wasn't really what he had in mind, but i think the slogan be the best typifies and exemplifies the army. the army should and needs to be the best, better than any of its enemies or potential enemies, and it is a very appropriate slogan to have. do you really think the british people do see, because this was part of market research carried out, do people really see the army or that slogan as elitist? what is it about the army? well, the army is elitist and should be elitist, but i am pretty confident myself, and i have met many people, particularly people thinking aboutjoining the army from all sorts of backgrounds including ethnic minorities, and not one has ever said to me that he or she is put off by the fact there is a slogan that is be the best. people want to join

something that is the best — it is a great aspiration for many people. with the join something that suggest it is not the best? particularly an army, which suggests it could well be defeated and people could end up becoming casualties as a consequence. do you think it was the secretary's place to step in and intervene? well, i don't really understand quite what happened here, and i think we have to be careful about what the spin actually says. i have no doubt that if a decision was taken it was in consultation between the defence secretary and the chief of the general staff. i would have thought it would have been better coming from the chief of the general staff, if he had decided to do it, that he should decide to withdraw it, but i don't know exactly what happened and i think we have to be careful of what is being spun here. do you think the army needs a face—lift? and let's say it was to have a rebrand,

what would you do? i would not even think about rebranding the army. the army doesn't need a brand — it is what it is. it's capabilities speak for itself, its performance in northern ireland, in the balkans, in afghanistan, in iraq, soldiers today deployed in places like cyprus by my own regiment, the royal anglican regiment, and they are also of course still in afghanistan. the track record of the british army speaks for itself, and any message we should be delivering should be aimed at our enemies or potential enemies, and that message needs to be that we are a very strong army and we have political will behind us to use it if we need to, and that is what helps to deter and prevent wars. in terms of the message to our own population at home in terms of recruitment, what we need to do — we don't need to rebrand but we need to sort out the recruiting mechanism, which is broken. most people i speak to who want to join the army run up against brick wall called capita, which the army's recruiting agency, outsourced to capita, which needs to be sorted out. the government really needs to stop hammering away at armed forces and eroding its strength.

it is the reduction, the constant reduction in the capability of the armed forces, through defence cuts and deprivation of resources which, if anything, undermines confidence in the armed forces. i was looking through some of the chat boards of the british services, and in response to this particular story, what came across was despair, lack of morale, anger at low pay, conditions, they feel forgotten. one of the slogans put forward was "army, forgotten." it is really not a happy ship, and you have alluded to this slightly, but what should the top brass be doing instead of rebranding? i think the people who need to take action here are not so much the top brass but the politicians, the chancellor of the exchequer and the defence secretary and the prime minister, who need to start taking the army and the armed forces and the defence of this country more seriously. they need to allocate it more resources. the army cannot be a happy ship,

the armed forces cannot be a happy ship, without enough money or people to do thejob, and without enough equipment. that is the first thing that needs to be addressed, but another thing i think is problematic, and we are notjust talking about equipment but also the quality of life of soldiers. they are poorly paid and receive a bad remuneration package, they're having their quality of life constantly eroded by the forces been deprived of funds by the politicians. i know that the generals in the army working very hard to do as best they can with the resources they have got so it is a decision for the politicians. but the other problematic area i think is the extent to which british soldiers and other members of the forces, even going back to the 1970s, are being hounded through the courts, subjected to thousands of investigations and inquiries. you have old age pensioners now being dragged up in court in northern ireland for so—called offences they were exonerated from decades ago. this sort of thing is what has to stop.

it is not in the interests ofjustice but in the interests of a very undesirable political message. colonel richard kemp speaking on. the time is 4:16. —— speaking to me earlier on. the headlines on bbc news: north korean state tv describes as an ‘act of war‘ new economic sanctions imposed by the united nations. pyongyang has vowed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent. rescuers are searching for 150 missing people, after a tropical storm in the philippines left another 200 dead. two people have been killed and four injured following a multiple vehicle crash on the m40 in 0xfordshire — the motorway has now reopened. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. hello, lu kwesa. a

hello, lukwesa. a quiet day so far but one game in that arena premiership. leicesterfought but one game in that arena premiership. leicester fought back in front of a crowd of 23,000, mathew tait's try helping reduce the deficit to 17—10, after they were down 10—0. but saracens havejust scored a second—half penalty and now lead 20—10. serena williams is set for a busy christmas — she's expected to make a return to competitve action on saturday at an exhibition match in abu dhabi, four months after giving birth. the 23—time grand slam champion will play the french open winnerjelena 0stapenko, as part of her preparation to defend her australian open title. the last time she played was in melbourne last january, when she won the title while eight weeks pregnant. sheffield wednesday and middlesbrough are both looking for new managers after the two teams met at hillsbrough yesterday. wednesday confirmed a short time ago that carlos carvalhal has left the club after yesterday's 2—1 defeat — they're currently 15th in the championship. wednesday released a statement earlier saying: "both parties believe the time is right

to go our separate ways." carvalhal had been in charge for two and a half years. meanwhile middlesbrough parted company with monk only a few hours after they'd beaten wednesday yesterday. monk leaves just six months after he was appointed with the club ninth in the league. southampton‘s charlie austin has been charged with violent conduct by the football association after yesterday's 1—1 draw against huddersfield. this challenge on huddersfield goalkeeperjonas lossl left him with a suspected broken nose. the incident wasn't seen by the match officials but was caught on camera. austin could now face a three—match ban. it looks very ugly from my point of view. i was a striker, and even when i wasn't with the quality we have seen here in the premier league, but i know exactly... jonas was so early on the ball, and what you have to do, do not touch, and to be fair it looks very nasty and ugly.

this is something that usually should not happen. to cricket now, and even though the ashes have already been regained by australia there's been plenty of verbal sparring ahead of the fourth test on boxing day. both england and australia will be without key bowlers in melbourne. england's craig 0verton because of a rib injury. and australia's mitchel stark with a heel problem. here's patrick gearey. melbourne is a city which reaches for the skies. there are more tall buildings here than in london or in beijing — a reminder to england of their now impossible climb. 3—0 down, the ashes gone, surrounded by criticism and jibes from the aussies, now england have to come here. and in this place, it's very easy to feel lost. it's happened before. the last england test team to come to the mcg were 3—0 down and ended up losing the series 5—0. so how are this side any different? the morale in the group is still really high and, you know, no one's — there's no bickering,

there's no, you know, separation within the group. it's good that we've all stuck together. you know, i wasn't here on that previous ashes tour but, by all accounts, there was differences within the camp back then. and, yeah, it definitely doesn't feel like that here. everyone's working hard to try and win this test match. if there's hope, maybe it's in a damaged heel belonging to mitchell starc, the top wicket taker in the series. he'll miss the test, to be replaced byjackson bird. some in the england camp have claimed australia's bowling back—ups aren't up to the standard of the front line. he'll miss the test, to be replaced byjackson bird. some in the england camp have claimed australia's bowling back—ups aren't up to the standard of the front line. in response, starc can't bowl actual bouncers, but here's a verbal one. the it's quite humorous, actually. erm, they haven't taken 20 wickets yet in the series so... and we have, and then they're having a crack at our depth. so i think they've got bigger things to worry about than the depth of australian fast bowlers. so, as i said, hopefully jacko takes five. he still bowls quick enough. i'm pretty sure he still bowls quicker than the pom bowlers as well, so... laughter. maybe in adversity, england will find their true character,

but australia is planning to celebrate and humiliate. and around here, one thing preoccupies them more than anything. patrick gearey, bbc news, in melbourne. we will find out how that goes on boxing day when that fourth test begins. that's all the sport for now. more sport in an hour. see you then, lukwesa. thank you, katherine. opponents of president putin have held a series of mass rallies in cities across russia. alexei navalny, who's beenjailed in the past after persistent criticism of the president, told supporters he would stand against mr putin. however, it's not yet certain if officials will let him run. sarah rainsford is following developments in moscow for us. in this huge tent on a river beach on the outskirts of moscow there are hundreds of people who have been queueing for some hours now to show their support for alexei navalny, the anti—corru ption activist who wants to be president of russia. now, he says that russians have had

enough of vladimir putin, that they've had enough of corruption, and that russia needs to change, and he argues that he's the man to do that. these people here agree — they've been coming to sign up to nominate him as their official candidate. it's the beginning of the official process for registration. the problem is that alexei navalny has already heard from the electoral authorities here that because of a criminal conviction, which he says is politically motivated, he won't be allowed to register. i think that he's the only real candidate for president who can change something. i do not want to live in a corrupt country, and i have hope only for this man, navalny. this is the moment when everyone here is raising their red card to show that they support the nomination of alexei navalny for president. everyone here in this room is obviously backing him. translation: we are ready to win this election, and we will win. i say this without irony. this year, we've seen that putin does not have mass support anywhere,

even with all his resources, even with all the constant lies on television, he has no support. there is just melancholy and emptiness. alexei navalny now has to bring those signatures of his supporters here, to russia's central electoral commission. if they reject his candidacy he says he's determined to go on fighting. he has talked about a boycott of the election, he has talked about protest, he has talked about a strike. he wants to prove that he is a viable alternative to vladimir putin, and what happens here over the next few days will be the first real test of that. that was sarah rainsford in russia. pilgrims are gathering in the west bank town of bethlehem ahead the traditional christmas midnight mass. palestinian scouts have been playing drums and bagpipes outside the church of the nativity in manger square, which is thought

to be the place where jesus christ was born. the numbers of people there appear to be lower than in recent years, which local officials say is due to the tensions which flared up after president trump decided to recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel. protests have been continuing over the weekend, including this one on saturday in bethlehem. as our religious affairs editor martin bashir reports, many are worried that the tension could lead to bigger problems for the region. in a town famous for a miraculous birth, bethlehem is praying for a new miracle — the appearance of tourists. the fragile peace in this holy place has been shaken by president trump's announcement earlier this month that america would officially recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel. the threat of violence immediately affected businesses in bethlehem, like the 5—starjacir palace hotel, where there are now plenty of rooms at the inn. every year we are fully booked

at christmas and new year. this year, we had before, it was overbooking. but when the uprising started, everything cancelled. and is this because of what donald trump said? of course, of course. because the uprising, what he said, the uprising started, and we lose everything. and it's notjust tourists who are looking elsewhere. jalal is a successful body—builder and palestinian christian. while he will celebrate christmas here, he sees no future for himself in bethlehem. it's very hard to live here. we have many crises, you know. the future is not here, because there are many problems around us. many borders, you could say.

i can go, i can do many things. that's why, this is a big problem. it is in this place, where borders and walls fortify a sense of identity and religious separation, that the christian church is seeking to spread its message of peace and goodwill at christmas. leaders of all the main denominations came together in an attempt to change the narrative from discord to peace. being a palestinian christian, growing up with this message that the angels sang here in bethlehem 2000 years ago, glory to god in the highest, peace on earth — this is our message. what we celebrate is actually peace, that was clearly demonstrated in the little babyjesus. in the church of the nativity, where christians believe christ was born, the light shines in the darkness, and they are praying that, for the next 24 hours at least,

the darkness will not overcome it. martin bashir, bbc news, in bethlehem. not a white christmas but let's find out what the weather will be doing with tomasz. fairly confident it will not be a wet christmas. for some of us it will be very wet and it will even be heavily across western parts of the uk. this is where the rain is coming from the south —— it will be raining heavily. ahead of this at the mild they are, not just across the ahead of this at the mild they are, notjust across the uk but much of europe and into southern parts of scandinavia as well. this is what the evening looks like. temperatures into double figures across the uk with temperatures starting to drop in the far north of scotland as the weather front moves to. let's look at the evening hours. still mild, very mild south—westerly ‘s across

the uk, rain for northern ireland, much of western scotland and the la ke much of western scotland and the lake district as well. a very wet period on the way. through the early hours of christmas day you can see the front this southwards into the west of the uk saw it will be raining in the tips of cornwall, quite windy as well during the afternoon. across much of the midlands and into yorkshire as well it is just cloudy and damp with a bit of brightness as well. the heaviest of the rain through belfast there, that of snow for the southern uplands and you will notice the temperatures are a lot more across scotland, down to three degrees. that is a hint of things to come, slightly colder weather on the way so this is christmas day during the course of the evening. then as we head into boxing day you notice a bit of snow across the highlands of scotland, the southern uplands as well. that colder here starts to push into the uk, not quite reaching us. it will take time. this is boxing day, early hours of the morning. a weatherfront boxing day, early hours of the morning. a weather front pulls away

and we are in between systems so that means it starts off bright for many of us but wintry showers will fall and carry on these northerly winds across scotland and you notice the temperatures are into single figures across the uk. so things will turn a little colder and then boxing day evening, the temperatures drop rapidly, and otherfront and low pressure drop rapidly, and otherfront and low pressure moves sweeps drop rapidly, and otherfront and low pressure moves sweeps across the south of the uk and a hint of snow across the welsh mountains, maybe the cotswolds and chilterns as well. ina word, the cotswolds and chilterns as well. in a word, christmas day itself will be mild.