bye bye. this is bbc news, the headlines at midday. motorists are warned of treacherous driving conditions gci’oss treacherous driving conditions across large parts of the uk, the cold est across large parts of the uk, the coldest night of the year predicted tonight with further snow to follow. hundreds spend the night at stansted airport after flights were cancelled or delayed. used as "bargaining chips" — the un's special envoy to syria speaks out about the children who desperately need to leave a rebel—held area of damascus. also... the health secretary tells bbc news he would like nhs funding in england to be planned much more in advance. if we could have a workforce funding settle m e nt if we could have a workforce funding settlement perhaps lasting ten years rather than three or four years i think that would make things a lot easierfor people in think that would make things a lot easier for people in the system. a record breaking day for alastair cook in melbourne —— with a double century

and his highest ever score against australia in the fourth ashes test. and, desperately seeking a man called mariusz, who lost his £600 wage packet in a london pub. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. drivers are being warned of treacherous driving conditions, as sub—zero temperatures cause disruption for a second day across large parts of the uk. hundreds of people spent the night at stansted airport after flights were cancelled or delayed. the met office has issued four weather warnings. andy moore reports. the snow had long gone by the time these images were taken

at stansted airport, but the disruption it caused has lasted into another day. the airport said up to 300 people were staying in the terminal overnight. it said it was handing out beds and blankets, though some passengers said they saw little sign of them. many people complained of chaotic scenes as they tried to get their luggage back from cancelled flights. this was the scene that greeted passengers returning to luton airport yesterday. no significant snow is forecast today, but the airport is warning there could again be delays because aircraft will have to be de—iced. 0vernight there were warnings of ice and especially black ice in many areas as the snow and slush from yesterday refroze. at the height of the bad weather yesterday, more than 70,000 homes were without power, but by this morning the vast majority were back online. flooding in many places yesterday brought more problems, though not for all vehicles.

there are still flood warnings in some locations, but in most places water levels have gone down. driving conditions are likely to remain difficult in many places this morning and the wintry weather is not over yet. there's a met office warning of snow showers across northern england and southern scotland tomorrow morning. andy moore, bbc news. 0ur correspondent anisa kadri is at stansted airport. you can still see the ice here that caused so many problems for hundreds of people who were hoping to get out of the uk quite frankly and get their flights from sta nsted airport. we have met some of them in the last few minutes and they are still here. one of the girls has managed to rebook but she won't be leaving until tomorrow. she hoped to leave last night. you only need to go and social media to see what people have been through. one person on twitter described it

as the worst flight experience ever. another described it as a shambles. flights were cancelled or delayed. they were queues for information and queues for luggage. the airport said they handed out blankets and beds and obviously they couldn't do anything about the wintry conditions as such, the weather comes and it causes problems in the uk. the advice today from stansted airport, there may still be delays but things are getting back to normal and the advice is to check the status of your flight if you are planning to fly. meanwhile a yellow ice warning remains in place for most of the uk with treacherous conditions on the roads. 0ur correspondent jayne mccubbin is at the catthorpe interchange in leicestershire. it has been really bad. it looks gorgeous now, snowy field behind me. motorway is moving freely this morning. this is a famous spot, it is where the mi meets

the m6, meets the a14. yesterday all three lanes were blocked when a lorry jackknifed, as blizzard conditions very quickly came in. clear now but you can see behind me conditions on the roads around me are still really bad away from where the motorway has been gritted. look down at my feet and you will see the problem today is that all the soft snow from yesterday is completely iced over, completely iced over. we have got these yellow severe ice warnings in from the met office across the country as well as snow warnings up in scotland and northern england as well. the met office say people really need to be careful and take care as they go out. as well as the traffic chaos in the midlands the other story yesterday was of power outages, not just here but across the country. 500 homes in the midlands still without power today. power has been restored to 70,000 homes in other areas. you can keep up—to—date with all the

developments and weather affecting where you are today on the bbc website and we will keep you up—to—date here on bbc news. the un's special envoy to syria, jan egeland, says he fears children who desperately need to leave a rebel—held area of the capital, damascus, are being used as "bargaining chips." last night 12 people were allowed out of eastern ghouta — a further 13 are due to leave today. mr egeland said he understood that rebels had agreed to release captured government workers, in exchange for the safe passage of critically—ill children. he believes that kind of deal violates the youngsters‘ rights. if it has been an exchange, i find it problematic. it is wonderful for the families, wonderful for these children that

have had their life saved, but it is not good if they have become bargaining chips in some kind of exchange with detainees. it has been all along an issue here that medical evacuations that should happen in any war at any time, where civilians have the right to be evacuated out of harm's way, have been part of another negotiation. the president of the syria american medical society said he too is suspicious that there may be other deals being made involving the children. some of them that are being evacuated, they are happy that there is hope for the future. having said that, we're talking about 29 total out of hundreds of patients who are in dire need, and they are at risk of death from treatable conditions. so that does not make

sense that this is not a humanitarian deal, so to speak. unfortunately, we have seen many elements that undermined the humanitarian need, and there are people we need to treat in eastern ghouta at this time. four months ago we started to reach out to the un security members and leadership, we provided a list of 29 patients back then, those were the ones in urgent need. since then the list grew to 500 plus, and now we are seeing those 29 being approved, but not just that, now starvation is going up in eastern ghouta but also even the evacuation process itself, the draft that is being shared is different to what we proposed. it has many violations of international humanitarian laws, and that is what makes a suspicious that another deal is in place using humanitarian needs as a bargaining chip or some deal to negotiate a better

political position. at least a0 people have been killed and more than 30 others injured in a bomb attack in afghanistan. it happened at a shia cultural centre, west of the capital kabul. a spokesman for the afghan government said the suicide bomb was followed by two other explosions in the area. the united nations says children have suffered shocking levels of violence in war zones around the world, during the past year. in a new report, the un's children's agency, unicef, describes how children have been killed, maimed, used as human shields, or recruited to fight. it's calling on warring factions to abide by international law, and end such violations. a group of british doctors, nurses and firefighters are preparing to fly out

to bangladesh to help treat a deadly diphtheria virus outbreak in some of the world's largest refugee camps. they are home to more than 600,000 rohingya men, women and children, who have been forced to flee neighbouring myanmar. richard main reports. the united nations has called it the world's fastest growing refugee crisis. more than 600,000 rohingya muslims have fled persecution by the myanmar military. most, settling here in the vast camps around the bangladeshi city of cox's bazar. crowded, squalid living conditions, inadequate water supplies, and a lack of sanitation facilities has led to waves of disease, including diphtheria, a potentially fatal illness long forgotten in most parts of the world thanks to increasing rates of vaccination. more than 2,000 cases have been reported here since the start of november. most of the patients are between five and iii—years—old. over the next two days, a0 british doctors, nurses,

and firefighters travel to bangladesh to lead an urgent vaccination programme. they're members of the uk's emergency medical team, a group of volunteers from the nhs and emergency services, ready to respond at short notice to humanitarian disasters. it's the team's first deployment since it was certified by the world health organization last year. but with warnings that cholera and tuberculosis may also be on the rise, this could just be the start of a long campaign against disease in these vast refugee camps. richard main, bbc news. we spoke to one of the british medical team, before he set off to help try to combat the outbreak of diptheria and asked him if his team would be equipped to deal with the disease. i don't think anyone worldwide these days is used to taking on diphtheria itself. one of the problems with it especially in children is that it

restricts the airways, so we have epidemiologists and experts such as ourselves, my experiences in airway management and emergency care, and that is the challenge of doing this job. there are over 600,000 in one camp, maybe 150,000 in one of the other camps that we're going to be mainly working in. at the minute there are 22 recorded deaths of children from diphtheria, but it is a treatable disease, within 48 hours with the right treatment, lives can be saved. so by getting teams in there like ourselves, this can make a difference. we are going for a six—week deployment, but that will be

extended if who and other organisations require us to, so that could be an ongoing deployment as required, basically. a 44—year—old man accused of stabbing an aldi supermarket worker to death has appeared at leeds crown court. neville hord was pinned down by customers after he attacked 30—year—old jodie willsher at the aldi in skipton in north yorkshire last week. 0ur correspondent cathy killick was at leeds crown court and sent this update. neville hord appeared in the dock flanked by two security guards. he was wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms and remained impassive throughout the eight—minute hearing. he spoke only twice to confirm his name and date of birth. it is his second court appearance in connection with the death of 30—year—old jodie willsher,

who was attacked while working at the aldi supermarket in skipton on 21 december. there was no application for bail. neville hord was remanded in custody until the case reconvenes in bradford crown court on 26 january. the health secretary, jeremy hunt, has told the bbc he'd like funding for the nhs in england to be planned much further ahead. if implemented, it could mean budgets spanning periods longer than individual governments. but mr hunt says it would make things easier for those working in the health service. if i was going to do things differently, well, i would like the nhs to move to a system where we had a longer time horizon for planning, instead ofjust the cycle of spending reviews. if we could have a workforce plan, a funding settlement, that perhaps lasted ten years rather than three or four years, i think that would people, uh, make things, a little easier

for people in the system. it is 12:15pm. these are the latest headlines. motorists are being warned of treacherous driving conditions across large parts of the uk, with subzero temperatures in some places. hundreds of people have had to spend the night at stansted airport after flights were cancelled 01’ airport after flights were cancelled or delayed. united nations special envoy to syria says he fears children who desperately need to leave a rebel held area of damascus are being used as bargaining chips. and here's the health secretary has told bbc news he would like nhs funding in england to be planned much further in advance. jeremy hunt said ten years spending reviews would be better for said ten years spending reviews would be betterfor people said ten years spending reviews would be better for people who work

in the nhs. new research suggests nearly half of people in england and wales haven't seen a uniformed police or community support officer walking the beat in their area over the last year. a report by her majesty's inspectorate of constabulary also found that three in ten people consider crime and anti—social behaviour to be a problem in their area. chi chi izundu reports. it was once a very common sight on british streets, the bobby on the beat, high—profile and reassuring. but a new survey suggests that uniformed police and community support officers are becoming much less visible. i think a presence does make a difference. i think if you see the police on the streets, people are more wary and think more about what they are doing. to be fair, i think the police are doing all right. i think the budget is not enough, but they are doing all they can do. they are doing a good job. the survey by her majesty's inspectorate of constabulary

and fire and rescue services found four—fifths of people asked in england and wales thought it was important to have a regular police presence in their area. but in the last year, 44% of people had not seen a uniformed police officer patrolling their streets, while a quarter said they felt the service provided by local police was getting worse. budget cuts, police numbers are at their worst since 1985, and a shift in resources to focus on things like terrorism and cybercrime are just some of the reasons police chiefs say they are not walking the beat as often anymore. in a statement, the home office said it was announcing an increase of police funding by up to £450 million for local, national and counterterrorism policing next year. chi chi izundu, bbc news. there's a warning that an increased use of robots

in the workplace could widen the gap between rich and poor. a report by the think tank the institute for public policy research says new technology could boost productivity but have an impact on low skilled jobs. the government says it is committed to making automation work for everyone. train users could see an end to phones cutting out in tunnels and a big improvement to wi—fi on trains if new plans to improve britain's railways get the go ahead. the government is proposing that fibre optic cables and mobile masts be rolled out alongside rail tracks, to improve connectivity for passengers on all mainline routes by 2025. what really matters is making sure people can get that connection, whether through the wi—fi or the mobile phone signal because there's nothing more frustrating than being stuck on a train unable to connect if you need to just tell somebody what time you are going to be getting there or if you want to work or stream video and make

the time go faster. record—breaking snow is continuing to affect the us city of erie in pennsylvania, where more than 1.5 metres of snow has fallen in 48 hours. the arctic cold—snap is bringing sub—zero temperatures to large parts of north—east america and canada, and ice has created deadly conditions in several us states. georgina smyth has more. the white stuff coming in thick and fast. this time—lapse of storm—hit erie, pennsylvania captures the intensity of the record snow that hit this week. more than 65 inches, 1.6 metres, has fallen in the city and while the snow is easing, this is the reality still facing many residents in the northern states, where the conditions have been deadly consequences in several states. snowploughs and diggers are working

overtime but it is slow work moving the snow that fell so fast. we are all in it together. but for the young at heart it is about making the most of the extraordinary snowfall while it lasts. we haven't had a winter like this since we were little kids and it feels good to be out here playing again. we haven't even got to our yard. there is no end to the fun to be had in this amount of snow. frozen waterfalls, frozen lakes and even an open drawbridge frozen in position, attest to the temperatures across the north of the united states. that cold air feeding down from the arctic is set to continue over the next few days. snow will continue to fall but none so heavy as what has been seen. you are watching bbc news.

now a heart warming christmas tale of how an envelope of hard earned cash was found in a london pub and following a social media campaign was reunited with its overjoyed owner. to hear the full story let's speak to the pub manager mick dore. and his wife sarah who join and his wife sarah whojoin me and his wife sarah who join me from wimbledon in south—west london. hello, good afternoon to you. happy christmas. mick, explain what happened. i was in here on thursday night and happened. i was in here on thursday nightandi happened. i was in here on thursday night and i think he probably had a few beers. at the into the night, we

found a wage packet underneath one of the chairs, it appeared to be that, sealed in an envelope, all it had on it was the first name, mariusz. it. full of cash, nothing else. we started a twitter campaign to find him, we thought it took ten minutes but it took a bit longer and we needed some help from famous people to get it going. yesterday he came in and he gave him this christmas money. so many things about this are remarkable. we are looking at a photograph of the two of you the chap looking fairly happy but perhaps also somewhat bemused. it is interesting you say you thought you would find him very quickly because some of your tweets explaining what had happened, they we re explaining what had happened, they were retweeted big people with as many were retweeted big people with as ma ny followers were retweeted big people with as many followers as jk rowling. were retweeted big people with as many followers asjk rowling. that is millions of people. sarah,

explain what happened once you went on to twitter and what response you thought you might get. we thought we would try and get some local people who might know about it, but we were astounded by how far reached. it was amazing. we were a little bit bemused as to why we couldn't find him. it was worldwide. we were hoping we would find him before christmas but we found him shortly after. we were chasing him everywhere. it turned out he had gone back to poland for christmas. when we saw him yesterday the best but i think was he said he didn't tell his wife because he didn't want the hassle of christmas. he didn't tell his wife he had lost hundreds of pounds right before christmas. he in fact doesn't even new social media but it was his son who mercifully spotted your tweet. yes, somebody somewhere retweeted that

we re somebody somewhere retweeted that were shaded or whatever it is you do, somebody somewhere so it and shared it and his son saw it and thatis shared it and his son saw it and that is how he is said to him, that mariusz, is that you? and that is how he found it. fantastic result, but there will be people watching this thinking anyone could come back to europe pub and say my name is —— your pub. they could say my name is mariusz and get the money. how are you happy that it is definitely his money? there were photos taken with him on the night, a pre—christmas drink after work. we also located him on cctv so we were 100% satisfied it was definitely the right man. the definitely the right

quy- right man. the definitely the right guy. he was a lovely fella. don't think he appreciates that the whole world was looking for him, but he was a smashing guy, a lovely bloke. lovely for you as well to know that you have honest members of staff who didn't think they would hold on to a little bonus right before christmas, 01’ little bonus right before christmas, ora little bonus right before christmas, or a member of the public had picked it up. it was a member of staff. as iam sure it up. it was a member of staff. as i am sure you are it up. it was a member of staff. as i am sure you are aware, for someone to work here, for someone to find an envelope stuffed with cash, three days before christmas, we are hugely proud of him. the real story is about him because it is his honesty, without that there would be no story and he is an incredible guide. mariusz himself i guess what was his

emotion when you said, we have still got every penny and don't worry, we have kept it safe? he was a happy man. he wandered in and said i mariusz, they think you have got my money. he wasn't as emotional as we were, we had gone, but he was pretty happy. lovely. mick and sarah, it is lovely to tokyo. a big shout out to andrew, a member of staff and a dead—end. a lovely story. very happy new year to all of you there. thank you very much. that has made me a bit emotional as well, just as they work, a lovely story, a pub in wimbledon in south—west london, and did well for everyone. in this job you don't get very many happy stories. it is 12:26pm. let's turn

our attention is to something rather different. a story we haven't had chance to touch on yet. the uk is on course for its greenest year ever in electricity generation, national grid figures reveal. 13 clean energy records have been broken in 2017 thanks to the rise of renewable energy. for the first time — thisjune — wind, nuclear and solar power generated more of the uk's energy than gas and coal combined. since 2012, britain has halved carbon emissions in the electricity sector and now provides the fourth cleanest power system in europe. let's discuss them withjonathan ba rtley who let's discuss them withjonathan bartley who has joined let's discuss them withjonathan bartley who hasjoined me here this christmas, co—leader of the green party. good afternoon. i am quite struck by those statistics and a lot of people watching will be quite surprised, why are we at the forefront, explain a little more

about the background. you'd expect us about the background. you'd expect us to be doing than last year because this is a growth industry, something becoming cheaper by the month, something that makes sense for local communities, we are an island so there is massive potential from offshore renewables and offshore wind is no cheaper than nuclear which is a 30 fantastic. but at the same time the government could be doing more and that a disappointing. probably one of the dirtiest budgets, we will be pursuing offshore tidal energy, generating huge amounts very cheaply, that is the future, it is going forfracking, cheaply, that is the future, it is going for fracking, another dirty thing which would help us meet climate change commitments. it is pulling the rug from under the solar industry. we could be doing so much better and exporting this technology around the world. we are primed to do so well but we could be doing so much better. i read out all those stats and records at good news, that is perhaps how people would perceive

it. you are saying i think that actually we were coming from a relatively low base, it is a positive things are getting better but you are saying we as a country could be doing even better. in a senseit could be doing even better. in a sense it is a no—brainer. you about this amazing unlimited supply of energy from wind, sun, these things will not run out. we should be harnessing them and we know that prices are coming down but we're not seeing the leadership from the government that we should be seen. this is happening in spite of the government is doing rather than because. where are we in proportion? what percentage of all of this country's needs and demands can and is coming from wind energy for example? it is still small figures isn't it? comparatively, but it is increasing. it depends on what energy you're measuring. you measuring purely electricity or other energy? heating in our houses,

predominantly still dependent on gas and that is why we have to not only capital that supply side but the demand side as well. we need to have the super insulation opposed to bring down our energy demand because we had tackled your property, poverty, decarbonising the heating system. so much of heat is dependent on gas, dirty, it will be expensive. we need to be looking at investment for the future as we desperately need to. jonathan buckley, thank you for coming in this christmas. good to see you. bartley. it's catch up on the sport. thank you. some breaking news. premier league's bottom breaking news. premier league's botto m clu b breaking news. premier league's bottom club swansea have appointed the former sheffield wednesday boss as their new manager until the end of the season. he was sacked by wednesday on christmas eve and he ta kes wednesday on christmas eve and he takes over from temporary player manager leon brittan. he was holding the position after the dismissal of

ball clement the week ago. carlos left wednesday with the club 15th in the championship but he becomes swansea's that the championship but he becomes swa nsea's that permanent the championship but he becomes swansea's that permanent manager in two years. alastair cook has admitted to doubts about his place in the team after a poor run of form but he put any negative thoughts firmly behind him today as he made a record—breaking double century that put england in a strong position on day three of the fourth ashes test at the start they were 491-9, a ashes test at the start they were 491—9, a lead of 164. cook himself was 244 not out. patrick geary reports from melbourne. before this test many were asking whether alastair cook had the ability and desire to keep scoring test runs for england. this was his answer. 244 not out. impressive even for a man with nearly 12,000 test runs to his name. in truth england needed him. they had seemed untroubled untiljoe root helped pat cummins into the hands of nathan lyon

but that prompted a familiar wobble. dawid malan lbw, johnny bairstow caught behind. moeen ali came out determined to slog his cares away and ended up being caught off lyon. cook took over the management of the innings, batting with the lower order to build a lead. he was dropped by steve smith for the second time. he found an able lieutenant in stuart broad, despised by the australians but brave in the face of the short ball and increasingly bold when he went on. he made 50 of his own. cook passed 200 and became the highest run scorer of any visiting batsmen in tests at this ground. he batted for ten and a half hours, a tribute to his fitness, concentration and resilience and how england needed him. they should now avoid a whitewash. they might even be able to get a first victory of this ashes series. what did he think of it? did you ever doubt yourself going into this match? 100%, i have doubted myself for 12 years and probably will continue to. but the longer it goes the harder it becomes.

i suppose that is why i can be quite proud of last night, going to the well again and delivering a performance like that was pleasing. it is a shame it is four weeks too late. his team—mates applauded alastair cook as he went back into the dressing room. manchester city are 15 points clear at the top of the premier league after their 1—0 win over newcastle last night. tonight, sixth placed arsenal travel to crystal palace. ahead of the game, the arsenal manager arsene wenger says having to cope with having less money to spend than his rivals is nothing to complain about. it follows jose mourinho's comments earlier this week that he didn't have the resources to challenge manchester city. what is the most important is that you deal with your own situation as well as you can. and yes, manchester

city is richer than us, yes, chelsea is richer than us, manchester united are richer than us but i still believe we have to find a way to be successful. rafael nadal‘s ongoing knee injury has forced him to pull out of the brisbane international, the traditional warm up event for the australian open. the spaniard hasn't played since withdrawing from the world tour finals in london last month and pulled out of an exhibition event this weekend. however nadal does still hope that he will be fit in time to play at the australian open. that's next month. that's all the sport for now. now it's time for meet the author. sophie kinsella's new novel is called my my not so perfect life, which gives you a clue. it's about a woman in her 20s who leads an apparently glamorous life in london, although the truth is much more prosaic, and who has to move back home to the country when she is sacked, to work for her father. but the life she finds there is not quite what she expected. sophie kinsella has written a string

of worldwide bestsellers, including the confessions of a shopaholic series, picked up by hollywood. and if you are wondering — well, she does not mind the term "chick—lit", but she much prefers what one book shop called her novels, "wit—lit". welcome. you are talking in the book, introducing us to a metropolitan life. it's not quite what it seems. do you think that that is the truth about the way that people live these days, particularly in london? i think that all of us are suckered into projecting the perfect life. i think that social media has not helped this tendency, which i think was always in us. i mean, back in the day you would have your portrait painted, wouldn't you ?

speak for yourself! you'd make sure you looked alluring...well, 100 years ago. but i think my forebears would have aimed to look as rich and prosperous and happy and wonderful as they possibly could. then, the portrait would be hung on the wall and you could go about your everyday life. i think now what we do is constantly throw out portraits of ourselves through social media, and also through our professional demeanour, just this sort of image. then we look at other people. although we know that it is invented, we sort of believe it anyway. this book seems very much of the moment, in that this picture which is built up, say, on instagram, which really is a construction

which is quite fake. she goes back and lives in a wee little one room place, although when she is out and about, she looks quite glamorous. this really is a bit of a problem for us, not for us all, but a problem of our time? i think it is. it is sort of accelerating. i mean, social media has exploded, certainly in my lifetime, from not existing to almost being a planet that we have discovered, and now we live on! we have colonised it and had to make it work for us as humans and i think it brings out the best and the worst. i love the connection but this measuring and judging is not good. you write about women with particular feeling, notjust women, but particularly for young girls, teenage girls, and so on. this world that they are introduced to, you talk about measuring, testing, living up to expectations. whether it is the way you look, your sexual experience, whatever — it is the sort of thing where, in your young life and my young life, didn't exist. absolutely didn't exist, you had your own teenage struggles. perhaps you would tell your diary about them, and a few close friends. you spent a lot of time on the phone with one person, whose voice you could hear, by the way. as humans, we respond to so many signals. voice, touch, eyes.

and on social media, there is a barrier. there is a visual construct and this wretched "liking" which everyone gets addicted to, and a sort of validation that we have all got hooked on. it is not good. where can it end? it can only lead to a kind of addictive reliance on it. we should not give the idea that the book is a meditation on contemporary society! it is not. it is a story. but that's the theme, really. when you get an idea like that, does it gnaw away at you until you've written the book? yeah, i think i go around the world with a sort of radar. and whatever i see goes into my stories. so, when i see people shopping too much, that goes in. and when i see people projecting lives and feeling anxious because they are not living up to some sort of measure of success, then that goes into a story. but what i try to do, as you say, i try to make people laugh, whip over the pages, see what is coming next. it's not a treatise, not a thesis, the thesis is sort of there between the jokes.

what do you think you have got that makes you a good storyteller? i think from what my readers say, they relate to my characters. they sort of see themselves in the characters, they see those flaws and foibles. they think, ah, i have done that. in everyday life? in everyday life. but then what i do is push it to the nth degree, whether it is getting into ridiculous situations... i love a bit of farce, silly situations, and quite intricate plots. i'm a real geeky plotter. but you start off with somebody that you relate to. so you go with them through the story. it is the old story, isn't it, that if the reader doesn't care about the character, not necessarily total affection, but doesn't care in the sense that is not interested in... then, the thing is a dead duck? i completely agree. you can have an anti—heroine, but you need someone that is interesting. all my sophie kinsella novels i have written in the first person. which i think makes them quite intimate.

there is a connection. what is the advantage of writing in the first person? i find an instant intimacy with the character. i know these characters so well, and i did used to write in the third person. and there was a slight level of detachment. you were moving chess pieces around. now, it is like method acting. you are in one person's head? i live these plots, and actually my husband can tell when things are going badly for my character, they go badly for me! and i weep, i laugh... you know, it is quite an emotionaljourney. and when you're in the throes of a story, once you have got the idea, you think that you are there as a character who has begun to form in your mind? you just go at it, hammer and tongs? i do, i do. i'm a real planner in terms of plot. i love a plot, i love structure. i spend quite a lot of time working things out, turning points and getting it all clear in my mind. also working out what i want to say, because you can have an idea

for a story but you're not sure what you are trying to say about the world. 0nce i've got that, i'm impatient. i want to see how it turns out. what do you want to say about the world? i think all of my books want to say, look at us, we are human! aren't we ridiculous? look at the pickles we get ourselves into... it is about absurdity? it really is. and, by the way, we are all like this, but never mind. let's notjudge ourselves. are you one of those writers who goes around either literally with a notebook in the pocket, where you scribble down things. or, at least a notebook in your head, and you spot somebody in a coffee shop or somewhere and you say, right, i've got her...? i do, and i think i do it all the time. i've got you, right now! well, good luck! i never have the right person for the right chapter. if i could go to a coffee shop and find the perfect character and put them in now, that would be very handy. it doesn't work like that? it never works. but you store them up, or store up a little facet of something you've heard, and it comes back to you later. do you think about your readers when you are doing this? you have got a vast army of readers out there,

do you ever think about it and what they want? i connect with them, and when i meet them, interestingly it is the same wherever i go. they have a sort of human... what do they ask you, what kind of questions do they ask? they want to know what is happening next with my characters. i know that they love to laugh, but to be honest, i don't visualise they want to know what is happening next with my characters. i know that they love to laugh, but to be honest, i don't visualise them when i am writing. i think that would freak me out. so i write the book that would please me as a reader. what would i love to read? i'd love a plot, some comedy and something to think about. what about endings? have you thought of... you know, a really tragic ending? well, i sometimes think, you know what? i should do that sort of... because you haven't, have you? gut—wrenching. .. no, i haven't, i haven't done the gut—wrenching tragedy where you just think, "why?" as you turn the final page. so far i've not been ballsy enough to do it. maybe someday? bit of resolution. maybe one day. sophie kinsella, thank you very much. thank you. a suicide bomber kills

dozens of people in the afghan capital kabul. more than 80 people were injured in the attack in kabul which so—called islamic state claims to have carried out. hundreds of people spend the night at stansted airport after flights are cancelled due to bad weather. down the ground, beautiful from alistair cooke! and a double century from alastair cook helps england take control of the fourth ashes test in melbourne. good afternoon. at least 40 people have

been killed and 80 injured in a suicide bomb attack in afghanistan. it happened at a cultural centre in the west of the capital kabul. an interior ministry spokesman said the main explosion was followed by two other blasts. so called islamic state has said it was behind the attack. helena lee has the latest. the force of the explosion is clear to see. among the rubble, relatives desperately search for their loved ones. but there was little left behind. the bomb went off inside this building, a cultural centre and also home to an afghan news agency. students had been marking the 38th anniversary of the soviet invasion of afghanistan. translation: i saw many dead in the area. i was looking for my cousin but i couldn't find his body. not sure what happened to him. the number of dead

people has increased. after the explosion, ambulances took the injured to nearby hospitals. this man, one of dozens badly hurt in the explosion, some of the wounded were taken in for surgery. translation: a total of 35 dead were registered here and 20 others wounded. there are men, women and children among the injured. for some waiting outside for news, it was all too much for them. back in the area to the west of the capital where the bomb went off, armed guards patrolled. the initial blast was followed by two other explosions, but no—one was hurt in those. so, who was behind the attack? so—called islamic state has claimed responsibility, saying it targeted the centre with a suicide bomber and other bombs. it's been behind a number of other attacks on shia targets across the country in recent months.

this latest attack has left more than 40 people dead and more than 80 injured. the president called it an unpardonable crime against humanity, and pledged to destroy terrorists. helena lee, bbc news. ice and below zero temperatures have been causing more disruption. stansted airport had to provide beds for hundreds of passengers who were left stranded in the terminal overnight, after flights were cancelled due to the bad weather. anisa kadri has spent the morning there and sent this report. hanging around fora hanging around for a flight longer than you expected, it is not much fun, especially when the queues are just getting longer, you find your site is not just just getting longer, you find your site is notjust delayed, it is cancelled. 12 hours after sarah's flight cancelled. 12 hours after sarah's flight to stockholm was meant to

ta ke flight to stockholm was meant to take off, she was still here and will fly tomorrow. i only found out literally three hours after my flight was meant to lead that it was cancelled, there we re lead that it was cancelled, there were no boards to tell us it was delayed. it was literally going backwards and forwards between personnel. i ended up lining up for ten hours to get a new flight. did you get any sleep? no, i had been awake 25 hours. today, stansted safe sites are operating as normal but minor delays are likely because of the weather. the weather has been causing problems elsewhere, in the cairngorms, three climbers were rescued after getting lost in blizzards. the rescue took five hours. the wintry weather is not going away as we are told to make sure our vehicles are safe for the roads. check your tyres, make sure you have

good tread, they are well inflated, they will keep you safe on the road, and pack accordingly. have your winter break down kit with plenty of spare dry and warm clothing, a flask, snacks, a shovel, a fully charged mobile phone. more snow is forecast to scotland today and icy conditions will continue across the uk. you can see theice continue across the uk. you can see the ice which caused so any problems at sta nsted the ice which caused so any problems at stansted airport, well into the afternoon. you only had to go on to social media to see the chaos it caused. one person said their experience was the worst flight experience ever, another said it was a shambles. sta nsted say another said it was a shambles. stansted say their another said it was a shambles. sta nsted say their flights another said it was a shambles. stansted say their flights have returned to normal although there may be some delays because of the weather. this morning we understand 100 people were still waiting to

rebook although the allies have dealt with them now. the bigger picture, tonight could be the cold est we picture, tonight could be the coldest we have seen so far, we are being told, there is snow expected this week in east midlands, the north of england and also scotland. a 44—year—old man accused of stabbing a woman to death in a supermarket in skipton has appeared at leeds crown court. neville hord was pinned down by customers afterjodie wilsher, a 30—year—old supermarket worker, was attacked at the aldi store. nhs hospitals in england made a record £174 million from car parking charges in the last financial year. it's a 6% rise on the previous 12 months. the department of health says nhs organisations are locally responsible for the methods used to charge. it wants the hospitals to come up with flexible options that put patients and their families first.

now, when was the last time you saw a police officer out on the beat? a new survey suggests more than 40 per cent of us haven't seen a uniformed officer or community support officer out and about in the last year in england and wales. the survey of over 12,000 people was carried out to judge perceptions of crime and local policing. chi chi izundu reports. it was once a very common sight on british streets, the bobby on the beat, high—profile and reassuring. but a new survey suggests that uniformed police and community support officers are becoming much less visible. i think a presence does make a difference. i think if you see the police on the streets, people are more wary and think more about what they are doing. to be fair, i think the police are doing all right. i think the budget is not enough, but they are doing all they can do. they are doing a good job. the survey by her majesty's

inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services found four—fifths of people asked in england and wales felt it was important to have a regular police presence in their area. but, in the last year, 44% of people had not seen a uniformed police officer patrolling their streets, while a quarter said they felt the service provided by local police was getting worse. it was found 53% were satisfied with the police and with five terror attacks in the uk alone this year, more than half were very or fairly confident the police could handle any terror—related incidents. budget cuts, police numbers at their worst since 1985, and a shift in resources to focus on things like terrorism and cybercrime are just some of the reasons police chiefs say they are not walking the beat as often any more. in a statement, the home office said this. local policing is more than aboutjust being visible with crime increasingly taking place behind closed doors and online. earlier this month, it announced

an increase in police funding by up to £450 million for local, national and counter—terrorism policing next year. chi chi izundu, bbc news. the united nations special envoy to syria has warned children could be being used as bargaining chips, as medical evacuations continue from rebel—held areas of damascus. more evacuations have been continuing today after 12 people were allowed to leave eastern ghouta. the concern is the those released, including critically ill children, are being exchanged for captured government workers. a british medical team is flying to bangladesh to help rohingya refugees who've fled their home country of myanmar. hundreds of thousands of rohingya muslims are living in refugee camps, following persecution in their home country. more than 40 doctors, nurses and fire fighters, from the uk, will spend six weeks in bangladesh tackling an outbreak of diptheria in the camps, as claire fallon reports. british medics heading for

bangladesh. now, another threat, diphtheria. the makeshift home to thousands of rohingya muslims, this is the refugee camp. those living in left myanmar and refugee camp. those living in left myanmarand a refugee camp. those living in left myanmar and a situation described by the un as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. 6000 people have been killed, a figure denied by the government in myanmar. among the 40 plus staff, sent by britain, becky, a children's nurse at watford general. i know from my experience as a paediatric nurse and as a mother families will be feeling desperate. i know there are loads of children involved, 75% of the people affected

by dip theirarea involved, 75% of the people affected by dip their area are under the age of 15. we need to act fast. when the team arrives, medics will be working in tough conditions. diphtheria has been spreading rapidly, up to 160 new cases reported every day. it will be tough, 40 of us going out in its first tranche, more people coming later. we will be working with other organisations, not just 40 of us. this is the uk response, one of the fastest because of the critical nature of the emergency and the speed at which the disease can spread, because of the need to do something very quickly. the situation facing the rohingya people has been described as the fastest growing refugee crisis. with equipment and expertise, the british medics hope they will make a difference, and save lives. cricket. an unbeaten 244 by alastair cook

helped england take control of the fourth ashes test. they finished day three on 491—9, a lead of 164 over australia. cook's double century was the highest score by a visiting batsman at the melbourne cricket ground. he's now sixth in the all—time list of leading test run—scorers. here's patrick geary. for england, finally, belatedly, serenity at the mcg but those who have followed them here are always wary of a wave around the corner. followed by unwelcome ducks. imagine the ripples caused byjoe root‘s misplaced hook. 61, out, missed out. malan's error was even stranger, given lbw, he chose not to review. the hotspot showed he had hit it, a lifeline ignored. jonny bairstow came and went, then moeen ali under pressure, trying to be carefree and ended up careless. in contrast to the muddled minds, the clarity of alastair cook. beyond 150, fortunately

just beyond steve smith, the second time he dropped him. cook took over the management of the innings, driving england into a lead, pushing onto a remarkable double century. he found a loyal lieutenant in stuart broad, first brave and bold, making a 50 that infuriated the aussies. by close, their total was nearly 500, cook had scored more than any visiting test batsmen and had been at the crease in the melbourne heat for 10.5 hours. surrounded by doubts about his future. do you ever doubt yourself going into the match? 100%. for 12 years. i continue to doubt myself. the longer it goes, the harder it becomes. i suppose that is why i am quite proud of last night going in against and delivering a performance like that was pleasing. it is a shame it is four weeks too late. afterwards we heard england's players applaud cook

in the dressing room, a tribute to his resilience, fitness and concentration. on day four, over to the bowlers to turn this tireless effort into a first victory of this ashes series. patrick geary, bbc news, melbourne. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. this is bbc news. the headlines... motorists are warned of treacherous driving conditions across large parts of the uk — as the coldest night of the year is predicted tonight, with further snow to follow. hundreds spend the night at stansted airport after flights were cancelled or delayed. used as "bargaining chips" — the un's special envoy to syria speaks out about the children who desperately need to leave a rebel—held area of damascus. 40 people are dead and many others are wounded in kabul. the so—called islamic state group says it was behind the attack.

also... a record breaking day for alastair cook in melbourne —— with a double century and his highest ever score against australia in the fourth ashes test.