this is bbc news. the headlines at six: north korea condemns the latest round of un sanctions and vows to strengthen its nuclear deterrent. rescuers are searching for victims of a tropical storm in the southern philippines — more than 200 people have died in mudslides and flash floods. two men have been killed and four people injured following a multiple vehicle crash on the mao in oxfordshire — the motorway has now reopened. be the best — plans to scrap the army's slogan and crest for being too elitist have been ditched. 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 look back at the year for hull. we will have all the highlights from the city of culture. good evening 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 measures drafted by the us 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. north korean state television broadcast the first reaction to the sanctions. it described the un resolution as an act of war that violates peace and stability on the korean peninsula. please raise their hand. pyongyang promised to punish those that voted for the us—drafted resolution. that includes china, north korea's main ally and trading partner. beijing urged restraint on all sides. it's previously called for an end to joint us—south korean military drills, like this one, in exchange for a halt to north korea's weapons programme. a so—called freeze for freeze. there is little hope either side will agree to that. instead, the toughest sanctions yet. the americans had wanted to go further, but they were pleased with the support they got. i am 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 oil supplies to north korea, vital to its missile and nuclear programmes. they demand the deportation of north koreans working abroad, to stop them funding the regime. there will also be a ban on exports of some north korean goods. the sanctions come in response to this. pyongyang's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at the end of november. one, it said, could reach the us mainland. the resolution is intended to push pyongyang to the negotiating table and towards a diplomatic solution. but instead, it's vowed to strengthen its nuclear capability, and it's got form. this is the third set of un sanctions to be imposed on north korea this year.

within weeks of the previous two rounds, it carried out its biggest nuclear test and fired its most powerful missile. today's response shows little sign it is willing to stop now. sophie long, bbc news, seoul. tens of thousands of people have been left homeless after a tropical storm in the philippines that's left more than two hundred dead and dozens missing. authorities are trying to provide food and shelter to those who've been displaced — with rescue teams struggling to reach some of the affected areas. our world affairs correspondent richard galpin reports. at last, some aid now getting to those most in need, after this latest storm to hit the philippines begins to subside. troops helping deliver supplies here in the southern region of mindanao, which lay right in the path of the storm. reaching these impoverished areas has not been easy. they were hit by a landslide,

landslides, caused by an inordinate amount of rainfall that caused the ground to move and killed people innocently. it swept people out of their homes and killed many others as well. the speed with which the rivers were turned into lethal torrents over the weekend caught people here by surprise. many drowning in their own homes, others buried under mudslides, including children. the call for people to evacuate in good time before the storm didn't have an effect. the storm passed over some of the poorest areas in the whole philippines. at least 200 people are known to have died. large numbers are still missing, and tens of thousands have been forced to move away, in search of emergency shelter.

in rome today, pope francis offered prayers for the people of mindanao in his weekly blessing to the crowd on st peter's square. translation: merciful lord, take in the souls of the dead and comfort those who are suffering as a result of this calamity. let's pray for these people. at least tropical storm tembin has now been moving away from the philippines. it's currently over the south china sea, where it's picking up strength again and has been categorised as a typhoon. it's expected to hit vietnam later this week. meanwhile, the people of the southern philippines continue the search for loved ones. they will be hoping for much more help to reach them in the coming days. to add to the philippines' woes

at least 37 people have died in a fire at a shopping mall in the in the southern city of davao. firefighters battled for hours to extinguish the blaze that started on the third floor and spread to the floor above, trapping call centre employees. the city's vice—mayor says the chance of any survivors is "zero". two men have died in a crash involving five vehicles that closed part of the mao in oxfordshire for several hours last night. one vehicle is thought to have overturned in the incident — which happened between junctions io and 11 near banbury. jo kent reports from the scene. this northbound stretch of the mao opened again this morning and is running freely now. there is no trace of the terrible crash which happened here last night. it was a very different scene last night, as members of all of the emergency

services raced here to try to help after this multi—vehicle crash. five vehicles were involved and we know that two men sadly died. they were a 60—year—old man from oxfordshire and a 29—year—old man from warwickshire. one of men died at the scene. the other was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died later. a third man has been treated in hospitalfor third man has been treated in hospital for serious leg injury and a further three people sustained minor injuries. the police have said that their thoughts are with the families of the who men who died and those families are being supported by specially trained officers. police are appealing for witnesses. they are being asked to get in touch with thames valley police so they can try to piece together what caused this terrible crash. london zoo reopened today

after yesterday's fire, in which number of staff were injured and a number of animals died. the cause of the blaze — which broke out in the children's section of the zoo — remains unclear. the husband of the jailed british—iranian woman, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, says he thinks it's "very likely" she will be released within a fortnight. mrs zaghari—ratcliffe has spent more than six hundred days in detention in tehran on spying charges, which she denies. earlier today, iran'sjudiciary spokesman said there had been no new decision on mrs zaghari—ratcliffe‘s sentence, but that her release from prison was a possibility, providing she did not face new charges. emma north reports. there had been hopes for her release by christmas, but the husband of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe says he is trying to keep a level head whale his wife's fate —— while his

fatli kes his wife's fate —— while his fatlikes as uncertainty as ever. there hasn't been any substance, she won't be home for christmas eve, but christmas day possible, boxing day. i'm not gearing up to do more. i'm hoping and fingers crossed. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is being held in iran on spying charges, which she denies. her daughter who is now three is being raised in iran. these latest pictures show her wearing a dress her mother knitted for her in prison. her law has told her to ignore reports in the media of fresh charges or an early release. we had a second court charges or an early release. we had a second court case charges or an early release. we had a second court case that was mooted before that the foreign secretary went over to iran and it fell away. only last week the court case was cancelled by the court and it has been revived again. so it is hard to know what is going on. it is hard not to get too up or down. nazanin

zaghari—ratcliffe's case was taken up zaghari—ratcliffe's case was taken up by zaghari—ratcliffe's case was taken up by boris johnson. zaghari—ratcliffe's case was taken up by borisjohnson. he apologised for a gaffe saying she was not on holiday. both sides are said to want to resolve the case. 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. police have been given until new year's day to decide whether to charge three men over a suspected christmas terror plot. four men were originally being held after raids on tuesday in chesterfield and sheffield but police said one of them,

a ai—year—old, had been released without charge. plans to ditch the army's slogan, ‘be the best', have been stopped by the new defence secretary, gavin williamson. half a million pounds had been spent on a re—branding exercise that would have got rid of the slogan because it was felt to be elitist. andy moore reports. it's a well—known slogan at the heart of army recruiting for more than two decades. it is not clear when the new defence secretary saw the plans for a rebrand, but he didn't like them. the research reportedly showed that the be the best slogan was dated,

elitist and non—inclusive. these plans were well advanced at the mod, then there was a sudden about turn. a statement was issued last night saying the defence secretary believes the british army is the best of the best and the proposals have been put on hold. colonel richard kemp commanded british troops in afghanistan. he said a lot could be improved in the process, but there is nothing wrong with the slogan. if the army is not an elite it will hardly beat our enemies. it has to be the best. young people thinking aboutjoining has to be the best. young people thinking about joining want has to be the best. young people thinking aboutjoining want to join the best, they don't want to join anything that is second rate. this rebranding exercise was said to have the support of army's most senior officer, but now his authority has been undermined by the defence secretary. whatever the argument on

tactics, the crisis in recruiting remains. the owner of an oxfordshire fishery, which displayed a sign banning polish and eastern european says it's been taken down after his family was threatened. bill evans of field farm fisheries near bicester, said the sign was put up after he'd caught anglers stealing fish. he's now considering closing the lake to the public. the equality and human rights commission had called the sign unlawful, and threatened to take enforcement action to have it removed. 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. 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. 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 iso 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 mao in oxfordshire — the motorway has now reopened. sport now and we cross to the sports centre and catherine has all the sporting news. good evening. saracens are up to second in the english premiership after they won 29—17 at leicester. saracens, who began the day fourth in the table, took the early initiative and led

i7—o after this jamie george try was converted. leicester fought back in front of a crowd of more than 23,000 at welford road — mathew tait's try helped reduce the deficit to seven points at half time. but the visitors pulled away after the break, thanks to the boot of england fly—half owen farrell. 29—17 it finished to saracens, with farrell having kicked 19 points. 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—times grand slam champion will play the french open winnerjelena ostapenko, 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 that carlos carvalho 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." carvalho had been in charge for two and a half years. 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. 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 overton because of a rib injury. australia's mitchel stark

with a heel problem. here's patrick geary. 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. in response, starc can't bowl actual bouncers, but here's a verbal one. it's quite humorous, actually. erm, they haven't taken 20 wickets yet in the series so... erm, 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, erm, 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. erm... 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. that's all the sport for now. have a very merry christmas. thank

you. 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 has more. 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 have 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 have been coming to sign up to nominate him as their official candidate as the beginning of the official process for registration. but the problem is, that alexei navalny has already heard from the electoral authorities

here that because of a criminal convictions, which he says is politically motivated, he won't be allowed to register. i think that he is the only real candidate for president who can change something. i do not want to live in corruption country, and i have hope only for this man alexei navalny. this is the moment when everyone here is raising their red card to show 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 have seen that putin does not have much support anywhere. even with all his resources, even with all the constant lies on television, he has no support. there is just melacholy 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 is determined to go on fighting. he has talked about a boycott of the election, he has talked about protests, he has talked about a strike. he wants to prove he is a viable alternative to vladimir putin. what happens here over the next few days will be the first real test of that. pilgrims are arriving in bethlehem ahead of midnight mass this evening. but this year's celebrations take place amid rising tensions in the region, following the us decision to recognisejerusalem as israel's capital earlier this month. from bethlehem, our religion editor martin bashir reports. 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 five—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, we lose everything. and it's notjust tourists who are looking elsewhere. jalal al shayeb is a successful body—builder and palestinian christian. while he'll 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 can see. i can't go, i can't do many things, you know? that's why. this is a big problem, you know? 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 angel sang here in bethlehem 2,000 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 that christ was born, the light shines in the darkness, and they are praying that, for the next 2a hours at least, the darkness does not overcome it. martin bashir, bbc news, bethlehem. for one little boy, christmas came early following an international man—hunt for his toy monkey mac. 0h, oh, yes! it was on the arrivals board. are you happy finn. thank you so board. are you happy finn. thank you so much. he is so happy. board. are you happy finn. thank you so much. he is so happylj board. are you happy finn. thank you so much. he is so happy. i love mack. you love mack. finn regan—alexander left the cuddly

toy on an aer lingus plane after the family flew from gatwick to knock to visit relatives last tuesday. when his mother louise put out a tweet appealing for help to find him, sightings of the monkey were reported in pubs, planes and even in glasgow. luckily the real mac was found by the airline and returned to finn yesterday, just in time for christmas. and it was love all over again. now the weather. good evening. it is chris mat eve and hopefully you have done the last minute preparation and are sitting home in the warm. out there things are not looking particularly cold. we have mild conditions. some rain in the west. and further south it is dry, but mild and cloudy into christmas day. we have a front bring rain across

northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland. later pushing into western parts of wales and the south west of england. to the south—east a lot of dry, breezily and mild weather. we could see some hill snow in parts of scotland later and the highest ground of northern england. a fresher start to the day on boxing day with some frost and the odd icy stretch. a different feel, more sunshine and it will feel cold we are some wintry showers in scotland. further rain moving into the south—west later on. this is bbc news, our latest headlines.

north korea says the latest un sanctions are an "act of war", as they amount to a complete economic blockade. pyongyang has vowed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent. 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. two men have died after a multiple vehicle crash on mao in oxfordshire. four people were injured, one seriously. the motorway is now reopen. controversial plans to scrap the army slogan "be the best", because it was felt to be elitist, have been stopped by the new defence secretary, gavin williamson.