this is bbc news. i'm julian worricker. the headlines at 2.00. a beatle, 3 bee gee and a ballerina. ringo starr and barry gibb are knighted in the new year honours — strictly judge darcey bussell is made a dame. the labour peer lord adonis, who's quit as the government's infrastructure adviser, claims brexit is infecting the entire conduct of government. and one of the really depressing things about the government at the moment, which i think is unfortunately a reflection of the brexit malaise which is sweeping whitehall, is the government has become hyper—sensitive to any criticism. thousands of iranians take to the streets of tehran in a show of support for the government, after two days of opposition protests. millennials will enjoy the biggest "inheritance boom" of any post—war generation — but not until they're into their 60s, a report says. captain steve smith scores yet another century, as australia bats out the final day to save the fourth ashes test against england in melbourne. and coming up, mark kermode looks

back at 2017's big film releases — including the sequel to blade runner, that's the year in film in half an hour. the beatles drummer ringo starr and the last surviving member of the bee gees, barry gibb, are among those who have been knighted in the new year honours. the ex—deputy prime minister, nick clegg, is also knighted, and the former ballerina turned strictly come dancing judge, darcy bussell, becomes a dame. this report from our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba. # twist and shout! # twist and shout. more than 50 years after beatlemania, the fab four‘s drummer

has been honoured with a knighthood... # what would you do if i sang... ..recognising ringo starr's half—a—century—long contribution to music. # i get by with a little help from my friends. # tragedy! former bee gee barry gibb said he was humbled and very proud to be made sir barry. # with no—one to love you, you're going nowhere. war horse author and one—time children's laureate michael morpurgo, who too has been made a knight, hopes his award highlights the importance of literature for young people. reading is a great bastion against stupidity and bigotry and ignorance. it is the greatest weapon we have, really. and the greatest assistance we can

give them is to make them readers. strictlyjudge darcey bussell, who has occasionally performed on the programme too, is to be made a dame for services to dance. i'm dickie roper. i'm the night manager. those being made cbes, the next highest level of award, include actor hugh laurie for services to drama. are you english, pine? and best—selling riders authorjilly cooper. absolutely knocked out. knocked out — i was thrilled. i couldn't believe it. i mean, suddenly to get a letter, you know, and one thinks "0h, god, it's a bill, a gas bill or something". and it's this heavenly thing, saying "you're a cbe". it's wonderful. # i've got to run away. singer and campaigner marc almond is made an 0be for services to arts and culture. musician and producer wiley, known as the "godfather of grime", is made an mbe. commentator: pass to warburton.

brilliant catch by the captain! in the world of sport, sam warburton, who has captained wales and the british and irish lions, is made an 0be. most of those being honoured are ordinary people doing extraordinary work, like efe ezekiel, who acts as a mentorfor young people. of course, young people are everything to me. i'm passionate about them and passionate their life, their well—being and their welfare, so for me to be recognised for my passion is one of the greatest honours ever, so i'm in complete gratitude and appreciation. the majority of honours do go to people who are not in the public eye but who have given exceptional service. and in 2018, the honours committee say they will be looking to particularly recognise individuals who were involved in the response to, and the aftermath of, the london and manchester terror attacks, and the fire at grenfell tower. lizo mzimba, bbc news, buckingham palace. in iran, thousands of people are attending pro—government

rallies, following two days of street protests against the authorities. state television has shown crowds of people in the capital tehran. the anti—government protests — in several parts of the country — saw people demonstrating against what they say is corruption and falling living standards. 0ur persian service correspondent, kasra naji, reports. the third day of anti—government protests in iran. this one in central tehran, around the main university campus. here they are shouting a slogan against iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei. "shame on you", they say. "let go of the country and leave." small protests, but significant, and there are reports of more demonstrations elsewhere in the country. not far away, in north tehran, this is a government—sponsored rally, planned before the latest wave of anti—government protests of the last three days. the authorities hope the nationwide rallies will be a show of force,

a way of claiming back the streets. the focus of this rally is to show support for the supreme leader. the anti—government protests broke out on thursday with what was supposed to be a small demonstration against rising prices and continuing unemployment. this man is urging the ruling clerics to give him a job. demonstrators have a favourite slogan that says, "the young are sitting idle, while the mullahs are sitting in palaces." many are angry that the authorities are using iran's money on war efforts abroad in places like syria, iraq and yemen, instead of spending it at home. clearly there is seething discontent. scenes we have not seen in iran for several years. kasra naji, bbc news.

the government is giving broadcasters an extra £60 million to help them make more home—grown children's programmes. the fund will target commercial channels, including itv, channel 4 and channel 5, as well as other free channels and streaming services, to more british—made programming for younger viewers. culture secretary karen bradley said it would give the children's tv sector the boost it needs to make "innovative content" that "would otherwise not be made". we're joined now by greg childs, director of the children's media foundation. good afternoon. i'm assuming you're pleased. what difference will this make? this is a boost. we've been campaigning for this for the last ten years. we came up with the idea ten years. we came up with the idea ten yea rs ten years. we came up with the idea ten years ago as a foundation, and it took awhile for the politicians

to become really aware of what is essentially market failure with children's programmes. the main commissioner, practically the sole commissioner, practically the sole commissioner of tv for kids, the bbc. they put a fair bit of money into it. they can't do everything. so there is a need to stimulate the marketplace to create british content marketplace to create british co nte nt for marketplace to create british content for british kids. to pick up karen bradley's point, programmes that would not otherwise be made. what sort of programmes are we talking about? there are very few programmes made for children over the age of ten. despite cbbc, there are still limited programmes for children between eight and ten. we would like to see more done for those groups. there is a bbc plan to cover that in part. channel 4 was supposed to cover that, but sort of reneges on its commitment to do so.

0bviously, reneges on its commitment to do so. obviously, the big competitor out there for children's time is youtube and the other streaming services, netflix and amazon. most of that content is international, which is mainly american. and a lot of animated cartoons as well. yes. we are hoping that a lot of this money will go to programming that gives children of all ages a sense of where they live, hear their own voices, experience their own stories. the sort of thing the bbc is doing well, but there could be a lot more of. the sort of things children watch on the channels they have of repeats. how likely are children to sit down in front of the tv and watch a programme? it's still there, if you look at the off com reports. they are still watching television. 0lder reports. they are still watching television. older children are

watching less, but the interesting thing is, saying they are on the internet doesn't mean they are not watching tv, they are just watching it on watching tv, they are just watching itona watching tv, they are just watching it on a different device in a different way. there is evidence that shorter forms of narrative are becoming popular, and are easierfor children to cope with. i'm hoping some of this money will go towards some of this money will go towards some of this money will go towards some of that. for young teenagers, they often thrive on really short form drama, the sort of thing they pick up on youtube. thank you very much for coming in. lord adonis, who resigned last night as the government's infrastructure adviser, has accused ministers of becoming "hypersensitive to any criticism". the former labour cabinet minister says brexit has "infected" the entire conduct of whitehall. supporters of brexit have responded angrily to the resignation, with the former conservative leader, iain duncan smith, accusing him of "pontificating."

i have a right to give my opinion. i was actually appointed as a government adviser to give independent advice. 0ne government adviser to give independent advice. one of my great regrets is that the government, who said it wanted my advice, decided it didn't like my advice, which was truly independent. and that is part of the malaise that is sweeping whitehall — a hypersensitive government, with its back against the wall in terms of its handling of brexit. there is more than a whiff of partisan shipping what you are writing, it says. your resignation says, you feel duty bound to oppose it relentlessly from the labour benches. you say what the country needsis benches. you say what the country needs is a radical reform, government in the aptly mould. this

isa government in the aptly mould. this is a labour propaganda exercise, isn't it? all of those opinions you have just read out would have been held by mainstream conservatives until two years ago. they are not much different to what david cameron was saying as to why we should stay in the european union in the referendum campaign. conservatives of the generation of michael heseltine, john major and kenneth clarke, this is precisely what they we re clarke, this is precisely what they were saying. whenjohn major was prime minister, he said his policy was for britain to be at the heart of europe. but theresa may's policy is to rent us out of every institution with europe in the title. this isn't partisan, unless being sensible is being partisan, and being lunatic is somehow being loyal to the true cause. lord adonis there. picking up that point. this isa there. picking up that point. this is a labour politician criticising a

conservative government. how much does this matter? exactly. the government was quick to lessen the impact of his resignation by briefing the media by saying that he would have been sacked had he not resign. he's been very outspoken on brexit, making attacks on the government. you could say that by a labour peer resigning it's the second such resignation in a month. we had the head of the social mobility commission resign recently. you could say theresa may is struggling to create a centre ground consensus with cross—party working. but some would say that his resignation was overdue. what of the point he raises about the fact that the civil service is having to concentrate a great deal on brexit related policy? presumably his argument is that he could be doing other, more important things. yes, and he's not the first person to

make that point, that brexit is sucking up all the political energy, time and space on the airwaves, and it's difficult to focus on other things. theresa may has said similar herself. but it is difficult at the moment because brexit is so dominating. the eu withdrawal bill is one of the biggest, most significant pieces of legislation ever to go through. this isn't the last we have seen of lord adonis. he will continue to be a thorn in the government's side, saying he will relentlessly oppose the eu withdrawal bill when it gets to the lords next year. where does this leave infrastructure planning? nu chair of the commission will need to be appointed. there are big projects, like hs2, that he was a big spokesman on. these have taken a bit of a back—seat to brexit, so the government will have to consider who

will need to fill those shoes, and all the members of the social mobility commission resigned last month. 0ne mobility commission resigned last month. one of their key complaints was that they had to take a back—seat, and that brexit was sucking up all the energy and leaving other causes underfunded and under—resourced. leaving other causes underfunded and under-resourced. thank you very much indeed. a man has been arrested in sheffield on suspicion of a terror related plot. 0ur correspondent has sent us this update. counterterror police say they arrested a man at about iipm yesterday in the city. he's 21, he's from an area nearby, and he was arrested on suspicion of the preparation or instigation of acts

of terrorism. two properties were searched by police today, one a residential address and another business. people in the area have said that they have seen a police presence in the area. all this comes after four earlier arrests in connection with this investigation. two people appeared in court yesterday charged with terror offences. another was released without charge just before christmas and another remains in custody. south yorkshire police say all this will be causing concern in the local community, and they say their priority is to work with counterterror police and to keep the public safe. they say anyone suspicious of similar activity in the area should contact police. thank you. the headlines on bbc news: performers, writers, politicians and local activists are among hundreds of people recognised in the new year honours list. the labour peer lord adonis says attempts to silence his criticism of the government forced him to step

down as it's infrastructure adviser. and thousands of iranian government supporters attend officially—sponsored rallies across the country, after two days of anti—establishment protests. younger people will enjoy the biggest "inheritance boom" of any post—war generation — that's according to the think tank the resolution foundation, which analyses living standards. those born in the 80s and early 90s, known as millennials, will inherit more wealth than previous generations — there's one snag though — they'll be in their 60s, on average, before they can enjoy the windfall, as our business correspondent, joe lynam, explains. we've long been told that millennials, aged between 17 and 35, face major financial challenges. they are paid less than their parents, they won't have generous pensions, and they can't get on the housing ladder. but there may be some good news for them. so we know there's a big generational wealth divide. millennials are accumulating wealth

at a far slower rate than the baby boomers before them did. we have looked at whether inheritances are going to solve that problem for them. and they will play a really big role. there will be lots more money coming down in the coming decades. and it will be a bit more widely spread because of high homeownership among the parents. but this isn't the silver bullet for millennials' living standards woes. according to the resolution foundation, the value of inheritances is set to double over the next 20 years, thanks to baby boomers aged between 50 and 70 leaving behind expensive property and investments. but the think tank says the average age someone inherits is 61, meaning too late for many of today's house hunters. soaring property prices, especially in the south—east, lie behind the expected surge in inheritances in the future. so if you're in your 30s or younger, and your parents own property, then you can expect to inherit something substantial. but if your parents don't own any major assets, then your future wealth prospects don't look as good.

joe lynam, bbc news. nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including mount everest. the new safety regulations also prevent double amputee and blind climbers from attempting to reach the summit of the world's highest peak. the government says the law has been revised to make mountaineering safer and reduce the number of accidents and deaths. for the past couple of months, millions of people have been enjoying blue planet two — the latest landmark series from the bbc‘s natural history unit. the department is currently celebrating 60 years of bringing viewers wildlife from some of the most remote locations on earth — asjohn maguire has been finding out. i spend several days wandering around the station, looking for animals. then one day, i was lucky. it is 1957, and a youthful david attenborough is in the rainforest of what is now

papua new guinea, in search of new species. this is a marsupial, like the kangaroo and wannabe. these were pioneers, going to places where very few people had gone into, taking filming equipment to record it, and going on proper adventures. colinjackson is one of the natural history unit's most experienced producers. he says these seminal days of the nhu and the exploits of david attenborough were revolutionary. he used to ask the bbc for a large chunk of money and he would go off and film for months. he was getting these amazing stories, these amazing adventures, and he would come back three months later and it would all be in the bag, and nobody would have heard from him, apart from the occasional letter, because that was the only way back then. i could see they were parrots, but i wasn't sure what kind. the unit was officially formed in bristol in 1957, although radio had been covering

wildlife for more than ten years by then. for the first time, what had always been the preserve of amateur cameramen was showcased on the fledgeling medium of television. here are the pelicans, here we are filming them. now, let's watch the dive. this is the naturalist peter scott, exploring the caribbean. this time in slow motion. as we open these things up, this goes back decades, there are rows and rows like this. some of these were shot decades ago, some more recently. over the decades the planet has changed hugely, but the man who runs the unit today says its ethos remains the same. everything about what we do now is the same as it was then. it is about trying to get close to something. we are seeing what technology is available, how we can innovate that technology, how we can get our audiences even closer to the natural world. you know, to liberate those stories that science is pointing us towards. at this time, the mother develops a pouch beneath her chin, which will hold about seven eggs or young.

as technology advanced, the nhu was able to bring the vivid colours of the natural world into our living rooms. technology is a wonderful enabler, but without the ambition, without understanding how the wildlife behaviour is getting on and how we can go about filming that, that's what the power is, people's imagination, people thinking they want to share this with the rest of the world, and discovering little things. blue planet, discovering behaviours even science hadn't seen before. but what will future projects find? the next 60 years will be all about the big stories around our relationship with the natural world. species lost, abundance loss, and the kind of footprint of humankind on the world. but also the heroes that are bringing it back. because we have to bring it back. a sobering tale, perhaps, but one the nhu is determined to keep on telling. john maguire, bbc news, bristol.

now to a group of school children from kidderminster, who have become pen pals with elderly residents living at a nearby care home. after five months of correspondence, the children have been able to put faces to the people behind the letters. 0ur reporter ali fortescue went along to meet them. signed, sealed, and this time it's being hand delivered. we are going to see our penpals and i am really excited. it is an unlikely friendship, but with just one mile and 80 years between them, jasmine and her school friends are finally making the trip up to barchester care home to meet their penpals for the very first time. are you jasmine? that is very nice, isn't it? that is lovely. have you got something to give, james? did you do these? we have been writing to the residents here sincejuly

now, and the children have been loving receiving replies as well as writing about events that have happened in their lives. more than 400 letters have been sent between the school and the care home, but as well as offering the chance to hand over a christmas card, it is an opportunity for the children to show off their musical talents. #jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way... i thought we would just sing the carols, not really speak to them and then go home, but it wasn't like that. we got to speak to all the residents. there is a big age gap but it doesn't matter. i gave her a christmas card, a poem, and a card that year one has done. what is it like meeting jasmine who has been writing you these letters? it is lovely, isn't it? you are a lovely girl. many of the residents here have dementia, but their carers say

receiving the children's letters has lifted their spirits. i think it's just having that connection again, letting them share their stories with people and children in particular. what it was like living back in the olden days, and the residents get to learn what it is like living now with the children and all their new technology. i loved seeing the children with us. it is a great honour to us. and also, we hope they learn a little too. this has gone so well that schools up and down the country, and as far away as australia, are starting similar penpal projects. but there's only one thing left to say for now. merry christmas! ali fortescue, bbc news. a giant panda who was born and raised in captivity and released into the wild, has been recaptured in south west china. tao tao, who was bred artificially to increase china's

population of pandas, has been brought back to the liziping nature reserve to monitor his physical condition. nichola carroll has the story. recaptured in the wild. one of china's most famous giant pandas has been found again. a rare glimpse of conservation effort to save the endangered species in the mountains of china. his tracker collar scanned and id checked, tao tao is found to be in good health, weighing in at 115 kilograms. translation: it is all quite good. we didn't find any external parasites. he is very clean and very pretty. there's not much abrasion on his teeth. he was born in captivity in 2010. but he was raised by his mother without human contact in the hope it would improve his chances of survival and improve his fighting skills. his good physical condition

indicates he is living a healthy and independent life in the wild. tao tao will continue to be monitored. but there doesn't seem to be any doubt that this giant pandas living well in the wild. nicola carroll, bbc news. now, can waterfalls freeze? some canadians predict that niagara falls may freeze this winter, as the temperature continues to fall in what has been an unusually cold winterfor what has been an unusually cold winter for the country. a what has been an unusually cold winterfor the country. a polar vortex has brought arctic temperatures to some parts of canada. in toronto, temperatures have reached —22 degrees, smashing the previous record set 57 years ago. nothing like that here, i hope! now for the weather. it is actually ridiculously mild.

temperatures have reached 1a degrees in places. in the south—west, some rain pushing in here. in the north of scotland, a mix of rain and snow. pretty cold there. but much milder further south. some rain quite heavy and the south—west for a while. rain moving northwards and eastwards and the wind will pick up. as it moves up, a bit more snow for the scottish hills, and some ice the northern scotland. the biggest impact can come from the strength of the wind. we have an amber warning from the met office for wind, as storm dylan sta rts met office for wind, as storm dylan starts to move in. pretty windy elsewhere across the southern scotland, but the winds do ease down in the afternoon. some sunshine for a while before we see the bands of

showers coming in, some of which will be quite heavy. a chilly day again for scotland, but much milder further south. this is bbc news, our latest headlines. more than 1,100 people are recognised in the new year honours with knighthoods for the beatles drummer, ringo starr, bee gees singer, barry gibb and strictly come dancing judge, darcey bussell is made a dame. the labour peer, lord adonis, says attempts to silence his criticism of the government forced him to step down as it's infrastructure adviser. he quit yesterday suggesting whitehall had been "infected" by brexit. thousands of iranian government supporters are attend officially—sponsored rallies across the country, after two days of anti—establishment protests. millennials will enjoy the biggest inheritance boom of any post—war generation but not until they are into their 60s, according to