this? programme contains scenes of repetitive flashing images. mobile phone meltdown for millions of 02 customers as technical problems leave them unable to access the internet. 02 has apologised to its customers and says its teams are working hard to restore services that have been cut off all day. unable to use our mobile systems, to contact unable to use our mobile systems, to co nta ct a ny unable to use our mobile systems, to contact any engineers at all. so everybody has had to down tools. a lot of money lost. we'll have the latest on 02's data failure. also tonight... 5,4,3,2,1. some festive respite ahead of next week's brexit vote — as theresa may signals mps could get the power to decide on the controversial backstop arrangement for the irish border. the helicopter crash which killed leicester city's owner and four others is blamed on a mechnical fault — the pilots pedals became disconnected from the tail rotor blades. britain's biggest gambling companies agree to stop advertising on television while live sport is being broadcast.

more than a third of britain's children aren't doing enough sport — we look at the initiatives to keep kids active. it makes me push myself even more to the higher limits. because when my hands are red and sore, i still have to give it a try, because i know that i like this club and i don't want to leave it any time soon. coming up on bbc news, liverpool defenderjoe gomez is expected to miss six weeks after fracturing his leg in their premier league win at burnley last night. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. millions of people across the uk have been unable to access the internet all day from their smartphones after the 02 network was hit by technical problems this morning. many have also been unable

to make or receive calls. 02 has 25 million customers. it also provides services for other networks including sky and tesco. a software issue has been blamed for the problems. 02 has apologised and says its engineers are working extremely hard to restore services. our technology correspondent, rory cellan—jones, reports on how it's affected customers. iruna i run a plumbing and heating company out of tunbridge wells. it has just been impossible to get through to any of my customers. i am an insulin—dependent diabetic, i am in a wheelchair and i can't contact anybody if i have a full. it has been difficult. i have had beds today, i can't do them. i have lost those bids. the breakdown started in

the early hours and soon customers across the country found they couldn't connect. in manchester's christmas markets, people and businesses faced issues. i've got no data and i can't make calls. this store's card payment machine wasn't working. we have people with cash on them, but we are going to lose a bit of custom, i expect. it is hard to say how much at this stage. but it is therefore a reason people to use it. hey, siri. these days, when we expect to be connected to the internet 24—7, any interruption can be very frustrating. but there are all sorts of services that are dependent on mobile networks and they are also affected. the london bus arrival screen uses 02 and was out of action. uber drivers and other workers dependent on mobile apps have lost money today. besieged by angry customers, 02 put up a

message online, saying all technical teams are waiting closely with third—party suppliers, who have identified a global software issue with their system which has impacted data services. it later emerged that the third party was the swedish telecoms firm ericsson, and other mobile operators around the world work affected. it is a digital catastrophe of the 21st century. we are out of internet, out of services, out of loved ones nearby, out of capacity of payments, calling a taxi, and uber, out of everything. hugging, like rivals, promises a world where we are seamlessly connected to the internet. when that goes wrong, it becomes obvious how dependent we are on the mobile computers we carry everywhere. extraordinary, it has been out all day. any sign that is coming back on soon? i have seen these things happening before, it is extraordinary it has lasted all day.

we have heard from mark evans, from telefonica, the parent company of 02. he admits it has been a dreadful day for the company and a dreadful day for the company and a dreadful day for the company and a dreadful day for customers. laying an apology is quite thick. he is very much putting it at the door of ericsson, the swedish telecoms company whose softwa re the swedish telecoms company whose software appears to have gone wrong. ericsson have assured him that things should be fully restored by tomorrow morning. huge damage done tomorrow morning. huge damage done to the reputation of the company, with customers that expect to be connected 24—7 today. the prime minister has indicated that mps could be given a say on whether to extend the transition period after brexit — or activate the so—called backstop arrangements, designed to stop the return of physical checks on the irish border, if no trade deal is agreed. but opponents within her own party fear the measure could tie the uk to the eu indefinitely. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg — and her report does

contain flash photography. is there a compromise coming on the backstop? they need more than a wink to get this to work. we will see, says the attorney general. the brexit dealers unpopular, even with this loss, because of a so—called backstop, the promise that avoids a ha rd backstop, the promise that avoids a hard border in northern ireland if there isn't a trade deal. the prime minister arrived on the radio studio this morning, with a compromise. minister arrived on the radio studio this morning, with a compromiselj recognise this morning, with a compromise.” recognise there are concerns from collea g u es recognise there are concerns from colleagues about the role of parliament, the sovereignty of the uk in relation to that issue. i'm talking to colleagues about how parliament might have, and we can look at parliament having a role, going into that, if you like, and coming out. she might give mps an extra vote to choose whether to keep the status quo, the so—called transition period, or parliament having to re—knew the backstop every year. the fuss is all about the

backstop, the guarantee of no hard border on the island of ireland, that would leave northern ireland more closely tied to the eu than the rest of us. that is what is putting off so many tory backbenchers from backing the prime minister's compromise. so what number 10 is trying to do now is wave around an olive branch that could give this place more say over how it works. at the eu is sceptical, and for now it's not winning many people around. it isa it's not winning many people around. it is a red herring. however superficially attractive it might seem, it will have no force whatsoever in this context. can there be a change of heart?” whatsoever in this context. can there be a change of heart? i doubt it very much, but you never know. dozens and dozens of the prime minister's own mps are set against their compromise. so the government has invited them to meetings to speu has invited them to meetings to spell out what might happen if we leave the eu with no deal at all. but listen to the influential chair

of the tory backbenchers, who thinks the pm might have to delay the vote if she cannot sort out the backstop. if that question can be answered in the course of the next few days, all well and good. if it can't, i certainly would welcome the vote being deferred until such time as we can answer that question. three, two, one! number 10 can answer that question. three, two, one! number10 will not be moved right now, from the countdown to the vote on tuesday. her party seems set to sink her deal. and that might even bring down her government. have you got a christmas wish, prime minister?” government. have you got a christmas wish, prime minister? iwish everybody a very happy and peaceful christmas. theresa may's wish for a happy and peaceful christmas seems unlikely to come to pass. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the government has promised to overhaul laws on detaining people with mental health problems in england and wales after an independent review described existing legislation as outdated.

the review called for an end to the use of police cells to detain patients and for police vehicles to be used less frequently to transport them. it also wants more rights for patients over the choice of their treatment. here's our health editor hugh pym. i've had to be put in the back of a police van on my road to recovery from mental health. the small beds in the small rooms, the small sinks, the small bathrooms. it was like being in prison. two voices, two experiences of being detained under the mental health act. an independent review wants to end what is said to be injustice for some people in a mental health crisis. ijust kept on thinking, like, please don't throw me in jail, please, ijust need some help. like, you don't have to do this. i've not even done a crime. i kept on screaming that as well. like, what crime did i commit? this man was 22 when he was sectioned as traumatic episode

involving the police. and presumably, being in a police vehicle didn't help. it would have been better if you'd been in an ambulance. yes, being in the back of a police van with officers who have literally carried you down the stairs... like, carried, like... it wasn't a nice experience with the whole of your neighbourhood watching, and you're explaining to them that this is not necessary — i just need help. the chair of the review said it was time to update a law which hasn't changed in two decades. the last time we changed the mental health act, the prevailing view was very much about public safety after some terrible incidents. now the public view i think is very much more about caring and getting more compassionate care for those with these most severe illnesses. the review covers england and wales. the government says it now wants to amend the law. in scotland, legislation in 2003 improved patients' rights. northern ireland passed new legislation in 2016,

but it hasn't yet been implemented. patients need to have a voice. dele was treated for schizophrenia. he says he was well cared for but he feels, when patients are detained, more should be done to involve them in key decisions. we should be allowed to speak out for the way we feel inside of us. we should be allowed to talk about treatment through our diagnosis. we should have the opportunity to talk and show a psychiatrist how we are feeling and what we want to get out of their services. the review addresses these concerns but it says the nhs will have to invest more in the right sort of care. the proposals are really welcome. however, what we have got to see is crisis care provided in new settings and that's going to cost money and we don't know where that money is going to come from. these people have put their experiences behind them. they back any moves towards more sympathetic care and more dignity for others going through a mental health crisis.

hugh pym, bbc news. an investigation into the helicopter crash at leicester city's stadium in october has found that the pilot's pedals became disconnected from the aircraft's tail rotor — causing it to spin out of control. the club's owner was among five people killed in the crash. duncan kennedy is in guilford where a memorialfor the pilot and his partner has been taking place today. so, what caused the crash? well, it is just over five weeks since the crash itself, in which those five people died. as you said, including the leicester owner, vichai srivaddhanaprabha. that led to an outpouring of grief by leicester fans, who wanted to know exactly what had caused the crash. well, we we re what had caused the crash. well, we were given a taste of what happened today by the air accident investigators. they say it was a mechanical disconnect between the pilot's pedal and the rear rotor blade. it is pointing to what looks like a mechanical fault,

blade. it is pointing to what looks like a mechanicalfault, rather than pilot error. by coincidence, there was a memorial service for the pilot, eric swaffer, and his girlfriend and co—pilot, izabela lechowicz, the cathedral today, in front of 1000 or so friends and family. his mother, deborah, described him as a fun, kind and loving man. some of britain's leading gambling companies have agreed to a ban on television advertising during live sports broadcasts. the remote gambling association took the decision in response to political pressure about the high level of betting ads on tv. antigambling campaign say it contributes to the rising problem gamblers. think fast, act faster, in play! the worlds of betting and sport have long been intertwined, but that relationship has always been controversial. now britain's biggest bookmakers have agreed a whistle—to—whistle ban on tv ads around live sport, with the industry seemingly listening political pressure

led by the labour party. when adults — and children, now — feel that they need a financial stake in the outcome of a football game to feel that they're real fans, that's a problem, and that's what the marketing, the advertising, the bombardment of these ads has done. the current debate has echoes of the total ban on tobacco sponsorship in sport. gambling companies have been increasingly minded to self—regulate though and promote responsible betting, something the government supports. i welcome industry stepping up, thinking about who is consuming this, thinking about our youngsters, and making sure that there is fun in it, but we are dealing with the potential harms. shirt, league and cup sponsorship, together with perimeter advertising are all unaffected under these new proposals. it used to be that if you wanted to bet on sports, you'd have to come down to your local bookmakers, fill out a slip and cross your fingers.

these days, it's more of a mobile proposition. a few taps on a screen is all it now takes. and with over 400,000 people in the uk identified as having gambling problems, charities believe betting's move online is more significant. five times the amount of money that has been spent on ads is being spent on gambling related marketing online. the fact that children between 11 and 16 are reported to be following gambling companies on social media is very concerning. this new deal should be rubber—stamped in the coming days, and in place for the new football season next august. but such is the co—dependence between the gambling and sports industries, the stakes are high in the quest to find a winning formula. richard conway, bbc news. our top story this evening: mobile phone meltdown for millions of 02 customers, as technical problems leave them unable to access the internet. an hour of activity a day keeps

kids healthy and happy, but new research says millions are not doing anywhere near that. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... is there a sea change happening in scotland? we take a look at kilmarnock, who currently lead the titans of celtic and rangers in the scottish premiership table. youtube has deleted thousands of videos in the wake of a bbc investigation into how essay—writing companies are promoting and advertising academic cheating on social media platforms. writing essays for cash isn't illegal, but students who submit work that's not their own face serious penalties. a higher education watchdog has written to facebook and google to ask them to stop accepting paid advertising from essay writing companies. 0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. yeah, i know what's goin' down. they're entertainers, digital stars. youtubers, followed by millions.

they will write your essay for you. writing isjust easier with edubirdie. pushing companies writing essays for cash. stress—free! the grossest, ugliest slime... let's go. nick was asked by edubirdie to shout out in slime videos. they're popular with young children. i know an amazing website which helps you at school. two have now been taken down. by the way, it's a secret. it's morally wrong, and i'm not sad that my videos got deleted. i think it was just awful that they asked someone like me, not knowing what their real intentions were, to promote this to such a young and gullible audience. after our investigation seven months ago, thousands of videos were deleted. then they tell you about a company called edubirdie. but edubirdie and 13 other companies are still placing ads. edubirdie!

on youtube, snapchat. .. and i also don't condone cheating in any sort of way. but... swipe up, right now, they help you do essays. and we've learned facebook and google are making money from selling essay ads. facebook has deleted those we drew to their attention. if you wash your hair too much, your scalp starts to overcompensate. more than! million people follow joe's channel. no wonder edubirdie wanted him. joe, what was your initial reaction when you got the approach from edubirdie? it was really simple to me. i wasn't about to take on a sponsorship that was clearly promoting cheating even if it was more so in the definition, the way it was described. the company told us its essays were just for reference. ghostwriting for the digital age. these companies are reaching onto campuses, messaging students direct. imagine i get a first—class, you get a first—class, i did my own work, myself, and i got a first—class.

i can prove that. but what if i paid? what if you paid, how would you be if to prove that? would you be able to prove that? you could get expelled from the university. so, at coventry, the students union is campaigning, warning some students here have been blackmailed for £5,000. since we told youtube a few days ago, thousands more videos have been removed. they've got a moral and a public responsibility to step up. but the degree standards regulator says it's not enough. what worries me is that companies might take action just to get the bbc off their back. these are key influencers. and for the benefit of society, they need to take responsibilities. youtube and snapchat say users should report these ads. google didn't respond about paid adverts. the youtubers, they told us their videos were a parody, not condoning plagiarism, and a mistake.

branwen jeffreys, bbc news. two former directors of tesco have been cleared of committing a £250 million fraud after their eight—week trial collapsed because of a lack of evidence. they were accused of orchestrating a false accounting scandal, which saw the supermarket chain overstate its profits four years ago. one of the directors charged said it should never have gone to court. andy verity reports. mr scouler, you must be relieved? i haven't got any comment. john scouler, former head of commercial food at tesco, emerging from southwark crown court, where a judge threw out the case against him. can you say anything about the sfo? i've nothing further to say, thank you very much. so that'sjohn scouler. he's just been through four years of hell, being prosecuted for a fraud in a case that a judge has now ruled should never have been brought, and the court of appeal has upheld that. in september 2014, tesco revealed it had overstated its profits by a quarter of a billion pounds, and its share price plummeted.

tesco was due to get income over five years from suppliers in exchange for stocking and promoting their goods on its shelves, but it had been pulling forward that future income as if it had all been paid in year one. the pressure to do that came from the top, according to thejudge. he found there was insufficient evidence to show chris bush, seen here, and john scouler, knew it was improper and unlawful. to reach this stage, four years of his life with this hanging over him, is a terrible ordeal. for a judge to recognise at the end of that period that there was not enough evidence to bring this prosecution. the serious fraud office said, "we were content there was sufficient evidence to proceed and that the public interest was met in doing so." tesco, the firm, has admitted responsibility for false accounting and paid a fine of more than £120 million, but today it is far from clear who was to blame. andy verity, bbc news.

mark drakeford has been named as the new leader of welsh labour and is set to become the next first minister of wales. the 64—year—old, who's currently finance secretary, won the leadership election to succeed carwyn jones. 0ur wales correspondent sian lloyd reports. three hopefuls for the top job in welsh labour and the prize of being wales' first minister within their sights. mark drakeford is duly elected as the next leader of welsh labour and our candidate for first minister of wales. mark drakeford was the front runner, currently finance secretary in the welsh government. a left—winger and a supporter ofjeremy corbyn. he'd appealed to the pa rty‘s grassroots. together, we create a welsh labour party and a wales which is a beacon of hope in a darkening world. there were congratulations from the man he'll succeed. carwynjones announced in april that he was stepping down

after nine years in charge. it was another former first minister, rhodri morgan, who helped shape mark drakeford's political career. he started out as mr morgan's policy adviser and has described him as his mentor. although his roots in welsh labour run deep, thisjob takes him out of the relative shadows and into the political spotlight. how are you going to get your name out there to the wider public and get that recognition factor? there is a challenge in wales. i've been in welsh politics for a long time. i've done the highest profile job outside being first minister.s of course, we want to make sure that we take our message out to everybody in wales, that people understand what the assembly does. but commentators say his challenges extend beyond the assembly. he has to establish some kind of real authority at probably the most difficult and problematic part of the brexit process. it's been many years since there's been a change at the top of welsh labour,

coming at a time of unprecedented challenges. to be healthy and happy, children should be doing at least an hour of activity a day, according to the government's chief medical officer. but new research shows that a third of children in britain are doing nowhere near that. the survey by sport england, the first of its kind, found that more than two million children are doing less than 30 minutes a day. the sports minister says that's simply not acceptable. ashley john—ba ptiste reports. what will the sport play in the life ofa what will the sport play in the life of a child? there's no doubt about the benefits of sport and physical activity can have. for these girls, it's very important. this survey found that black girls aged nine and over are less active than other children. but a secondary school in east london hopes to change that. it makes me push myself even more

to the higher limits because when my hands are red and sore, i still have to give it a try. rowing has taught me to be myself and step outside my comfort zone. the playground never changes. there's always going to be stuff that you have to deal with, people you don't like, and just building team skills is really important. their teacher yvette believes it is notjust about physical fitness. sport can take them out of themselves, it can give them a new confidence, it builds their self—esteem. they can continue on to the water and from there they can go on to university or other clubs and teams that they wouldn't normally have perhaps had the experience of. it is that confidence that is important for children if they are going to improve their chances in life. i'm not normally sweaty at school but now i'm boxing and having fun. i would rather be coming here, playing around and boxing than be sat doing nothing. plus i've always wanted to do boxing. there is a will to get more children into sport, but money is an issue. the report says that children

from poorfamilies are more likely to do less physical activity than children from the most affluent ones. when i started out playing football and boxing, you had like minimum weekly subs you paid. if you couldn't pay it, your coach would kind of say, "all right, carry on," whereas now there's like direct debits people have to pay monthly. there's no doubt that most children enjoy sport, but without the funding and facilities, many still lack the opportunity to take part. ashleyjohn—baptiste, bbc news. time for a look at the weather... here's ben rich. today has brought rain to many of us but tomorrow we can add strong winds into the mix bringing the potential for travel disruption over the next 24—hour is. always worth staying tuned to your local bbc radio

station. see how this is starting to form into a hook. this shows an area of low pressure is deepening and heading our way. there is perhaps enough rain to cause localised flooding in the south—west of england. it will be an increasingly windy night, particularly across the north—west. look at the white lines on the chart, the isobars, squashing together across northern ireland scotla nd together across northern ireland scotland tomorrow morning. some very strong winds, inland close to 80 mph. though strong winds bringing big waves crashing into the coastline of western scotland, combined with the heavy rain there certainly could be some travel issues. in east anglia and the south—east, here it is a soggy start. blustery showers, turning chillier as the they goes on. a lot

going on on friday. starts —— again it will be windy on saturday with the brisk westerly winds across the country. 13 degrees in london. summing things up for the coming weekend, it will be windy, a lot of showers around on saturday, perhaps a bit drier by sunday but at this stage turning chillier. there are warnings for the next 2a hours from the met office and you can check those on the bbc website. tank you, that's hello, this is bbc news, the headlines. millions of smartphone

users have lost access to data services, after the 02 network was hit by a technical problem. the company say they hope all services will return by morning. investigators have revealed that the leicester city helicopter, which crashed and killed five people, span out of control after the pilot's pedals became disconnected from the tail rotor. also, the government has promised an overhaul of mental health services, following a review, which found format it and damaging treatment of patients. and as the prime minister continues, crucial brexit talks, a senior tory mp says he would welcome a delay if the northern ireland issue is