tonight at 10pm, the met office issues 15 weather warnings, as snow and ice cause problems in most parts of the uk. it's been a day of disruption, with dangerous conditions on the roads, and drivers left queuing for several hours. we're stationary here on the a14 not going anywhere. i've been here forfive hours... ...and so have these. and the runway at stansted airport was closed twice, with some passengers spending hours on planes before take off, we'll have the latest. also tonight, in syria, aid workers have started to move critically—ill children from a rebel—held suburb near the capital, damascus. the former us president, barack obama, tells prince harry that irresponsible use of social media is spreading misinformation, and reinforcing bias. de bruyne. sterling. manchester city

have found the breakthrough on the half—hour mark. and another win for manchester city to give them a 15—point lead in the premier league. good evening. the met office has issued 15 snow or ice warnings tonight, covering northern ireland, all of wales, and most areas of england and scotland. it follows a day of disruption in much of the uk, with dangerous conditions on major roads, and the rac warning that things could get worse. the runway at stansted airport was closed twice during the day, with a number of flights cancelled. and thousands of homes have been left without power, as our correspondent phil mackie reports. horn blasts. the motorway at a standstill. it's always busy here anyway, but throw in five centimetres

of snow and you've got chaos. on the a14 things were even worse. this lorry span out of control, leaving drivers stranded. good morning. it's just gone past ten o'clock in the morning. as you can see, we're stationary here on the a14, not going anywhere. i've been here for five hours, and... so have these! my name is tara, i'm on the a14 trying to go eastbound to northampton. i set off from my house in hinckley at 6am this morning, i've been on the a14 for three hours now. as you can see, there's nothing going in the other direction. i'm a bit cross, i'm canadian so i'm used to this kind of weather. i know you guys aren't. in the end, they were stuck for seven hours before the road was cleared. and it wasn'tjust the roads. stansted airport had to close twice to clear snow from the runway. birmingham airport had to do the same for a short while too. and the weather kept ground crews busy, as planes had to be constantly de—iced.

a swathe of central and southern england was worst affected, from gloucestershire, to warwickshire, to the chilterns. and it didn'tjust lead to hazardous driving conditions. thousands of homes lost power, too. obviously the snow came in, it settles on our overhead conductor. then, with the cold wind chill, that freezes into ice and therefore that takes the conductors down. likewise, it's the same with tree branches. normally they would not be near the line but they've taken our conductors down. as the snow started to melt, there was a new danger... flood warnings followed the thaw as streams became swollen and rivers started to rise. that meant more hazards to negotiate, and not everyone made it... it's really been a difficult day. here in warwickshire they've had flooding, snow and power cuts. to get around, you've really needed a specialist vehicle. and tonight, there's another warning as temperatures have fallen, the snow and slush has begun to freeze. phil mackie, bbc news, warwickshire.

the met office warnings apply to most parts of the uk, including the south—east of, our correspondent wyre davies is in hendon in north london. with the latest on the conditions and what they are saying there. these are the kind of wintry weather conditions that might make scots and scandinavians scoff. but as we saw in phil mackie‘s report, it wasn't that a lot of snow fell in one particular base but huge swathes of the country, central and southern england and parts of wales were affected by subzero temperatures and it had an effect on much of the transport networks. roads, railand in particular airports. there's icy conditions are set to continue through most of the country, those 15 weather warnings issued by the met office tonight. much of the uk

will experience those subzero temperatures. this is one of the main arteries out of london tonight, the m1. it seems many drivers have heeded the advice of the rac and police to take extreme caution and care. if you're out driving tonight and tomorrow morning. the good news is ever get better by the end of the week but be careful if you're on the road tonight. be careful if walking on icy footpads. wyre, thank you for the latest in hendon, north london. in syria, aid workers have started to move critically—ill children from a rebel—held suburb, near the capital, damascus. four patients were taken out of ghouta overnight. another 25 are expected to be moved in the coming days, although hundreds more are in urgent need of treatment. some 400,000 residents have been under siege by government forces since 2013. from beirut, our correspondent martin patience sent this report. seven—year—old imjy is preparing for a shortjourney, and it will almost certainly end up saving her life. she is suffering from haemophilia,

but last night she was among four critically—ill patients to be evacuated to damascus for life—saving treatment. this is what she's leaving behind. eastern ghouta is one of the last remaining rebel strongholds, fighting the government of bashar al—assad. it's been bombed and besieged for four years, with fighting intensifing in recent weeks. i think it's a combination of everybody‘s efforts, that at this really low time in syria there is a ray of light, and it's the children. it's the children who are missing growing up in syria — we must sort them out, to give syria a chance of a prosperous and peaceful future. but food is hard to come by. malnutrition is now widespread. human rights groups accuse the syrian government of trying to starve the rebels into submission. this evacuation may have the appearances of a humanitarian gesture, but that's simply not the case. we've been told by two sources

that the syrian government only agreed to it as part of a prisoner exchange. the main rebel faction in eastern ghouta agreed to free 29 syrian government hostages, and in return the same number of critically ill patients are being allowed to receive urgent medical care. but the united nations says hundreds of others need to be evacuated. among them, three—month—old karim, who was injured by government shelling. he lost his left eye. his mother was killed. despite a prominent social media campaign, he is not being allowed to leave eastern ghouta. translation: karim is injured, he's going to lose his sight. here in the ghouta he can't get treated. the doctor wants to perform an operation, so that he doesn't lose the sight in his other eye. for some there is now hope,

but for most, help is not coming any time soon. martin patience, bbc news, beirut. let's have a brief look at some of the day's other news stories now. the ukrainian government and russian—backed rebels have completed the biggest prisoner exchange, since the conflict began nearly four years ago. the red cross says more than 230 people have now crossed a checkpoint, back to rebel—held territory. the kensington and chelsea tenant management organisation, which was heavily criticised after the grenfell tower fire, will hand over responsibility for almost 10,000 homes to the local council by the end of january. a consultation into the future management of the properties will take place soon. 61—year—old lorraine stephenson and 41 year—old pc dave fields have been named as the two people who died following a crash

in sheffield on christmas day. the officer's family said they were devastated and heartbroken by their loss. the former us president, barack obama, in one of his few interviews since leaving office last january, has warned about the irresponsible use of social media. he said social media was, in some cases, distorting people's understanding of complex issues, spreading misinformation, and reinforcing people's bias. mr obama was interviewed by prince harry, in his capacity as guest editor of radio 4's today programme, as our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. prince harry, first of all. you are very welcome to our studio. good morning. joining the today programme for the day had been a big learning curve, harry said, but he had enjoyed being the interviewer rather than the interviewed. it was quite fun, especially interviewing president obama. his principal scoop had been to persuade barack obama to give his first interview since standing down as us president. the word "trump" was never mentioned but may have been in mr obama's mind

when he warned about the use of social media. all of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a common space on the internet. one of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. they can be just cocooned in the information that reinforces their current biases. been on climate change. the issue prince charles has championed for decades and for which he was sometimes derided. maybe now, some years later, they are beginning to realise that what i was trying to say may not have been quite as dotty as they thought. i mean, the issue really that has to go on being focused on, big time, which now, whether we like it or not, is the biggest threat multiplier we face. and then, at the end

of the programme, it was time to face questions rather than ask them. first about his fiancee, meghan markle, and herfirst christmas at sandringham. she really enjoyed it. the family loved having her there. and yeah, it's. .. there's always that family part of christmas. work element as well and i think, you know, together we have an amazing time. great fun, staying with my brother and sister in law. harry's commitment to issues he cares about like the armed forces and mental health had come through strongly. so how does he see his future? part of my role and part of myjob is to shine a spotlight on issues that need that spotlight, whether it's people, whether its causes, whether its issues, whatever it is. so i will continue to play my part in society and do myjob to the best of my ability, so i can wake up in the morning and feel energised, and go to bed hopefully knowing i've done the best that i can. not so long ago, harry admitted to having doubts about a royal role.

clearly no longer. nicholas witchell, bbc news. for decades, conservationists in africa have struggled to preserve the continent's elephant, using a variety of techniques and methods, to prevent poaching. now, an organisation that manages national parks across nine african countries, is using military tactics, to try to deal with the poachers. one of their big success stories has been in chad, at the zakouma national park, where 90% of elephants were lost over four decades. when african parks took over there were fewer than 500 left. our correspondent alastair leithead travelled to the remote region where the elephant population is finally recovering. they were the herd heading for extinction. but the elephants of zakouma national park have made a dramatic recovery. translation: before, there used to be elephant carcasses everywhere . so what has been the difference,

since african parks took over? translation: since african parks arrived here, we no longer see carcasses of elephants in the park. across the continent, a private, not—for—profit conservation group called african parks believes it has the answer to saving africa's disappearing wildlife. and it's controversial. they are arming rangers and giving them military—style training. in some places, it's become a war against poachers. adoum allam is a sniper with fast response unit mamba number two. his father was killed by poachers in this park. he jumped at the chance to join. "it's a very dangerous job but i love doing it", he said. it's a good income. but it's also personal. this was zakouma, ten years ago. decades of poaching killed 90% of the park's elephants

and many rangers as well. but, today, it's a much healthier picture. they haven't lost an elephant in two years or a ranger since 2012. and last year, the population started to grow again. there were more than 20,000 elephants in this parkjust 40 years ago, but now there arejust over 500. what's encouraging, though, is that they've now got babies, they're reproducing, their numbers are starting to go up. and if the poachers can be kept at bay, the population is going to recover. this is the best way to counter raids from the heavily armed sudanese horsemen. the main perpetrators who've been poaching ivory here for centuries. but now, both sides have automatic weapons. and local communities are a key to success. schools are being built, kids are learning about conservation. villagers now often tip off the rangers, if poachers are seen nearby.

african parks take on delegated management of protected areas in africa. normally where public sector has failed, african parks will step in and, with donorfunding, will then manage protected areas. but eventually it should pay for itself. zakouma national park is now attracting high—end adventure tourists who cover one third of the park's budget. other, marginal reserves in africa will never make money. animals have to be worth more alive than dead, notjust to rich westerners, but to local people as well. alastair leithead, bbc news, zakouma national park, in chad. time to catch up today's sports news, so let's join marc edwards at the bbc sport centre. another day, another record for pep

guardiola's manchester city. they beat newcastle 1—0 at st park for an unprecedented 18th straight win in the premier league. they are 15 points clear at the top. natalie pirks was watching this one us. a huddle for luck. newcastle united would need it. they haven't beaten manchester city in the league since 2005 and this is all conquering swaggering city. delightful delivery. rob elliott with lightning reflexes to avert danger. the newcastle game plan was clear but with the talent of kevin de bruyne, their bus couldn't stay parked for long. the belgian‘s pinpoint pass to raheem sterling, something to behold. manchester city have found the breakthrough. out of nowhere a chance when kyle walker slipped. nicolas otamendi's athleticism all that stood between newcastle and most unlikely equaliser. so newcastle were hanging in there. could they steal an undeserved

point? no. theirfifth straight home defeat was city's 18th point? no. theirfifth straight home defeat was city's18th straight win. they are 15 unclear in the league. mind the gap? more like a chasm. natalie pirks, bbc news. the edinburgh derby finished 0—0. this is the moment hibs should have gone ahead. no goal—line technology in scottish football currently. much to the frustration of neil lennon, replays showed the ball had crossed the line. there were wins for aberdeen and rangers in the other matches. liverpool will break the world record transfer fee for a defender after agreeing to sign southampton‘s virgil van dijkfor £75 million. the dutch international was expected to make the switch to anfield last summer when he handed in a transfer request but will now complete the move when the transfer window reopens on the 1st of january. finally a bit of christmas cheer for england's cricketers as former captain alastair cook made his first ashes century for almost seven years. the visitors finishing on top

after day 2 of the fourth test. patrick gearey is in melbourne for us. mercury rising at the mcg. health advice in such heat, stay in the shade, conserve energy, under no circumstances tried to bowl at steve smith. the australian captain knocked out in tests here for three yea rs. knocked out in tests here for three years. was this a mirage? tom curran‘s first test wicket a rare and valuable one. this might look like a replay but it's not, it's mitchell marsh falling to chris woa kes in mitchell marsh falling to chris woakes in exactly the same way. the old reliable stuart broad and jimmy anderson did the rest, australia all out for 327 only 83 more than they started the day with. the temperature is over 30 degrees and england's bowlers will be pleased they are back in the shade of the pavilion. they have their side back into this, now what can the batsmen do? they made 35 before mark stoneman ran into the goat. short for greatest of all time, a nickname

extended to nathan lion. england could cheer the revival of a reassuring presence. alastair cook, with more than 11,000 test runs to his name, knows the value of luck. so rarely does steve smith like these escape. cook was 166. questions have been asked about his appetite for batting but look at the reaction when he went to his hundred in the last over of the day. his a nswer to in the last over of the day. his answer to those who doubted him. this may be seen as too little too late, but at least, at last, england have had their day in the sun. england'sjob is have had their day in the sun. england's job is to turn a good position into a match—winning one. they've had chances before in this series and not taken them. some will question why the senior players couldn't have produced this performance earlier. they are at least showing some spirit. that's it from me but to keep up—to—date with all the latest sports news, head to the bbc sport

website. you can see more on today's stories on the bbc news channel. but that's all from us, now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. good night. hello. this is bbc news. aid workers have begun to move critically—ill children from a rebel—held suburb near the syrian capital, damascus. four patients were taken out of ghouta overnight. another 25 are expected to be moved in the coming days although hundreds more are in urgent need of treatment. some 400,000 residents have been under siege by government forces since 2013. earlier i spoke to ahmad tarakji, the president of the syrian american american medical society, who said there was now hope for many more people. i agree with you. it's a good day for some

of the patients, now they have hope that they can be treated. unfortunately as you described, there are hundreds in urgent need of medical treatment and evacuation. unfortunately they are waiting for the unknown. as you highlighted, the working paper and position for the humanitarian needs began several months ago and was shared with the un. unfortunately despite the hope that's been received today, the hope and progress hasn't followed the humanitarian orders and we are afraid that the armed groups and the syrian regime will try and score points, utilising the humanitarian needs of the people. how would they do that? we know that over the last three and a half years the syrian regime has besieged ghouta, a few months after the famous chemical attack. and they are trying to put the pressure on humanitarian workers

and communities to collapse. recently we have increased starvation and malnutrition and children, reported by the un and other agencies. we are seeing a lot of pressure on the humanitarian workers. we are seeing pressure on the workers. unfortunately we feel we are left alone. not the un agencies, not the international agencies are supporting our humanitarian position. many international agencies are pulling out of ghouta, putting pressure on the workers inside ghouta right now. many of them are unsupported and cannot provide services. so civilians are being used as weapons of war, that's a war crime, isn't it?

it's actually a war crime. our needs as workers and of the people are being weaponised. we don't want that. we want an independent humanitarian operation and we want to address the need of the people throughout syria. unfortunately we don't have a platform to do that and we ask for support to do this through syria. this siege as has been going for quite a few years now. how much worse do you think it can get? i think it can get worse. when we started this process four months ago, the position paper we negotiated with the un included patients in urgent need of evacuation. now the list has grown to more than 600 people in need of urgent evacuation. most are women and children.

the need has increased over six months. the siege of ghouta is very tight right now. only limited flights are available to certain people in need. we continue to see people dying unfortunately from being underserved. they could have been saved easily provided we could get them some antibiotics and basic medical supplies. the un convoys are not able to deliver that and medical supplies are completely blocked. that's the most blocked agent or item from any un convoy, medical provisions and antibiotics. what are the reasons being given for not allowing urgent medical supplies to get to civilians who are not caught up in the war? what is the reasoning? we've seen that throughout syria unfortunately. we saw it last year in the city of aleppo.

we know that every town is besieged and they have either the kneel or starve approach. that has been taken by the syria regime. we know that in every town, including ghouta, when the health system collapses, the community will surrender. not just that. that's one part. our part is the displacement of those people. you are forcing people against their will out of their towns and you're using their medical needs to force a policy on them. as you say, that's a war crime. time for a look at the weather with ben rich. if you are stepping outside during tonight or tomorrow morning, prepare for some slippery conditions because we've had some

wintry weather today, some snow here close to aberdeen and as we've gone into the evening the skies have been mainly clear overhead. with clear skies we'll see a widespread frost and potentially some icy stretches as well. ice may form just about anywhere but especially where we keep wintry showers, northern scotland and northern ireland down into wales and the midlands and also where we had a lot of rain and snow in the south east. widely temperatures below freezing, some spots, even where we have snow cover, will get well below freezing. thursday starting on a cold note. there may be some freezing fog over northern ireland and if they formed they could be very persistent and stubborn to clear into the afternoon. northern scotland will see some wintry showers, sunshine is the main story. temperatures struggling to get over freezing and if the fog lingers in northern ireland,

temperatures will struggle to get above freezing as well. england and wales, sunshine but 2—5d is your lot. in the far south—west, more cloud and some rain. this is quite a week weather system, it will bring little bits of rain. into the early hours of friday a more active system is coming in from the atlantic bringing rain but snow over northern ireland, wales, the midlands, initially on high ground but over northern england and southern scotland the potential for snow accumulating to low levels. a lot of uncertainty about how disruptive it will be. friday, cold in the north but climbing temperatures in the south. it is the story of climbing temperatures that takes us into the weekend. friday night will bring another frontal system that may bring some snow in northern areas but with these south—westerly winds, strong winds, temperatures

will climb especially in the south where saturday will bring a high of 13 degrees. a mixture of sunshine and rain. still cold in the north but even here, temperatures climbing. not a bad day, a lot of dry weather and spells of sunshine. manchester city make it 18 straight league wins with victory at newcastle, as they go 15 points clear at the top. liverpool finally land their man. southampton‘s virgil van dijk is heading to anfield, in a £75 million record fee for a defender. and some joy for england down under at last. alastair cook hits an unbeaten century as the tourists fight back