this is bbc news. i'm julian worricker. the headlines at 4: 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. 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 in the shadow of red october, how russians view the 1917 revolution. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news.

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! 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 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 obe for services to arts and culture. musician and producer wiley, known as the "godfather of grime", is made an mbe. commentator: the 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 obe. 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. helen sharman was the first briton to go in to space when she travelled to the mir space station in 1991, for that she was given an obe, and this year she's been appointed a companion of the order of st michael and st george. it is such a pleasure. it really is a great honour, and i am thrilled.

an obe in 1993, for services to space, and this is for services to science and technology, educational outreach. i am really happy because it isa outreach. i am really happy because it is a recognition of what i have been doing since myspace, is —— since my space flight. rather than the flight itself, which is 26 years ago. 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. our persian service correspondent, kasra naji, reports. a 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 past 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. he is with me now. bring us up to date. what is the latest? more demonstrations, the third day of anti—government demonstrations, and we're getting reports of demonstrations in at least nine cities, provincial centres across the country, up and as well as tehran. in tehran, there were demonstrations in and around the university, which is right in the centre the city. there were small skirmishes between the police and the demonstrators, and plainclothes

security services. the unrest there was basically a couple of kilometres from where a government sponsored rally was taking place. that rally had been planned many weeks ago, so it was not anything new, but it happened after these protests of the last three days, and the idea was that the government forces and government supporters wanted to make it as government supporters wanted to make itasa government supporters wanted to make it as a show of force, a reclaim in of the streets, which they did not seem to have done, because apparently, after the rally, they just disbursed. is it clear what people are protesting about? there seem people are protesting about? there seem to be a number of different theories about that? the whole thing started three days ago in the

north—east of iran, a big city. a p pa re ntly north—east of iran, a big city. apparently a small demonstration, encouraged by the hardliners, against the government of president hassan rouhani, particularly against rising prices and widespread unemployment, but that demonstration quickly got out of control, it became a big demonstration, and it took elliptical character, it became anti—regime. that spread yesterday to many other provincial centres in the country, and today they continue. as i said, the character of the demonstrations have changed, the protests, and now they are pretty much political, i think, and the demand is very political. they wa nt the demand is very political. they wantan end the demand is very political. they want an end to clerical rule. they wa nt want an end to clerical rule. they want iran's supreme leader to step

down, they want the freeing of political prisoners, so all these things are no longer economic demands, and hardship issues, but political. and they are a big demand is, demands which they are unlikely to receive? yes. also, do not forget, these demonstrations, although there are widespread throughout the country, and significant, because we do not get them every day in iran, anti—government demonstrations, they are small, 3000 year, 5000, 10,000 there. these demonstrations are anti—government demonstrations but small, but spread throughout the country. they seem to be persistent, we have had them for the last three days, and we might get them in the days, and we might get them in the days to come. thank you meri blatch indeed for that update. —— thank you very much indeed for that update. egypt's former president

mohamed morsi has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined over half a million dollars for insulting the judiciary. 17 other defendants will also be jailed. they were all accused of inciting demonstrations, defaming judicial personnel, and attempting to topple the state using twitter accounts. mr morsi is already serving a life sentence for allegedly conspiring to commit terrorist acts. a fifth man has been arrested and properties are being searched in sheffield as part of an investigation into an alleged terror attack plot. four men were arrested last week by counter terrorism officers involved in the same operation which is being described as "intelligence led". 0ur correspondent corinne wheatley has sent us this update. well, counterterror police say they arrested a man at about 11 o'clock last night here in the firth park area of the city. he is 21, he is from nearby fir vale, and he was detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. we know that two properties were searched by police today. one was a residential address, and another was a business. people in this area have reported

seeing police activity today and we know that police csos have been maintaining a visible presence to try and reassure the local community today. all this comes after those four earlier arrests this month 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 have said today that they know that all this will be causing some concern in the local community, and they say their priority is to work with counter terror police and to keep the public safe. they say that anybody with concerns about suspicious activity in their area should contact police. 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 unless they can produce a medical certificate

proving their fitness. the government says the law has been revised to make mountaineering safer and reduce the number of accidents and deaths. 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 home ownership 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. 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 its infrastructure adviser. and thousands of iranian government supporters attend officially—sponsored rallies across the country, after two days of anti—establishment protests. the final old firm match of the year was goalless at southwark park, with chances for both sides to win the match, it leaves celtic nine points clear of aberdeen, they are playing right now. england's cricketers have avoided and as is whitewash, the fourth test ended in a draw. a century from steve smith's southern through to the close. tae kwon do,

and a fantastic victory in china sees her complete a clean sweep in the grand slam series. a quick update on the seven premier league matches under way, bournemouth are winning, chelsea are winning, liverpool had equalised against leicester, watford are beating swa nsea. leicester, watford are beating swansea. i will have a full update in the next hour. see you then. new york city's fire department says the fire at an apartment block in the bronx, which killed 12 people, seems to have been caused by a child left alone, playing with a stove. a vigil has been held for the 12 victims — four of whom were children themselves. peter simmonds reports. a candlelit vigil for the 12 victims of the bronx apartment fire, bringing together friends and neighbours, united in grief. four of those killed were children — the youngestjust one year old. itjust devastates me to think that there are children, and that there's a baby who will never get to enjoy

the things that all of us take for granted. and that's the tragedy. the first indications are that the fire was started by a three—year—old child, who was playing unsupervised with a stove. their mother's efforts to save them unwittingly created the circumstances for a disaster. she exited her apartment with her two—year—old and three—year—old, and left the door open, so this fire quickly spread up the stairs. fire travels up. the stairway acted like a chimney. it took the fire so quickly upstairs that people had very little time to react. they couldn't get back down the stairs. those that tried, a few of them perished. and this is what remains of the century—old building. this footage filmed by firefighters gives an idea of how ferociously the flames swept through the apartment block. the stairwell was still dripping with the water used to extinguish the fire. the building is now being investigated, as the scene of the dealiest fire in new york city for more than a quarter of a century.

questions are being asked whether better fire safety awareness could have prevented the tragedy in the bronx. those who were at the vigil say they hope lessons could be learned, so that lives were not lost in vain. peter simmonds, bbc news. several families left homeless by the grenfell tower fire have not received extra money promised to them by the council to help cover the cost of christmas. the royal borough of kensington and chelsea has apologised saying it made a mistake, after nearly 20 households promised the relief payments missed out. if the cold weather has got you thinking about summer sunshine, there's a warning today from the consumer group which? that holiday firms may be misleading consumers. many tour operators promote money—off deals, providing travellers book by a certain date. but a study found that half the holidays advertised were the same price —or even cheaper — after the offer expired. the firms involved have all denied misleading their customers. 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 spent 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 wallaby. 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 of communicating 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 the wildlife behaviour going 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 deliver a christmas card, it is an opportunity for the children to show off their musical talents. #jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way # oh what fun it is to ride...# 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. after 12 months holding the prestigious title, the northern english city of hull is coming to the end of its time as uk city of culture. £32 million have been spent on a year—long programme of cultural events — with much of the money coming from local business. the aim was to change perceptions of the city, so there were visits from the turner prize, the royal ballet and katy perry, to name a few. our own entertainment correspondent colin paterson has also been a regular visitor — and he couldn't resist going back one last time. hull started its year as city of culture with a bang, a musical firework display

on january the first. the crowd told me just how thrilled they were. honestly, you put some money into that, makes london look like noddy. the opening event, made in hull, turned buildings into giant screens, showing the history of the city. come on, come to hull. they were off. at least one cultural event took place every day, and now, at the end of the year, people don't want it to be over. i have lived in hull for 73 years. has there ever been a year like this? no, never. people coming from out of town are saying, it is not like we thought it would be, it is brilliant. blade, blade was the most exciting. we went from here to there, fabulous. yes, more than1 million people saw the blade, a giant wind turbine turned into a 75 metre sculpture, so popular a permanent home has been found for it. i wish to communicate with you, transformed the thornton housing estate into a work of art. and katy perry visited for radio 1's big weekend.

there is always something entertaining about a huge american star saying hello to somewhere unlikely. let's go hull! she did not disappoint. hull's aim was to attract more than 1 million visitors, but 3 million came. it feels like a more confident city, you can see it in the redevelopment. the amount of people that have come to hull for the first time, having opinions about art and getting involved in it, it makes the case for culture again. culture is the lifeblood of our cities. the turner prize was held in hull and bbc breakfast enlisted the local primary school as art critics. it looks like a potato... it is not as cold as it was this time yesterday. it was a year that put hull on the map, literally. the bbc director general tony hall ordered that every time a weather map appeared that hull was on it, and that will continue. there are those that think chances

have been missed and worry about the future of grass roots art in the city. spoken word events above pubs, community theatre groups and the like, they feel slightly overlooked. the massive amount of money that was spent on gigantic events, it is perfectlyjustified, they are brilliant events, but some of that could've been set aside and trickled down. so, where does hull go from here? to try and build on the momentum the company who ran 2017 will continue to put on events. we still want to be ambitious and ground breaking and do things that attract national and international media. we will do fewer things, but not any less significant. hull had always been a city at the end of the line.

2017 it became a destination of choice. colin paterson, bbc news, hull. let's take a moment to check in on the harbin ice festival, which is under way in china at the moment. the long—lasting sub—zero conditions are perfect for the display, which this year includes a record amount of ice — more than 180—thousand cubic metres of it. it's been used to sculpt various landmarks from around the world< — see if you can recognise any of them. the lighting effect is created using led bulbs — and it will be on display until the end of february, weather permitting. now — can waterfalls freeze? well, some canadians predict that niagara falls may freeze this winter as the temperature continues to fall in what's been an unusually cold winter for the country. a polar vortex has brought arctic temperatures to some parts of canada. in toronto the mercury fell to minus 22 degrees — smashing the previous record set 57 years ago. the fourth named storm of the season

is set to arrive on the last day of 2017. this is storm dillon, it will develop out of this deepening area of cloud thickening and spilling our way, turning wet in the south—west. it could be quite heavy. winds pick up it could be quite heavy. winds pick up and you will blow that wetter weather north and east, hitting the cold air in scotland, it is in a cold air in scotland, it is in a cold de gea, with more snow over the hills and icy conditions across the northern half of the country. further failed only northern half of the country. furtherfailed only much milder. bigger impaction come from the strength of the wind. this is storm dillon, named by the irish net service. a deepening area of low pressure, close to northern ireland, eventually across scotland. the met office has issued an amber wind warning with the strongest of the winds more likely to be across the northern half of northern ireland in