this is bbc news. the headlines: japan is to resume commercial whaling next year and leave the organisation that aims to protect whales, in defiance of a global ban. retailers pin their hopes on boxing day sales, with bigger discounts expected, as shops try to make up for weak trading in the lead up to christmas. i live in oxford street as boxing day sales have got under way with job boards expected to spend £5 billion in stores and online. an earthquake around mount etna in sicily. several people have been injured and buildings damaged. a new way to see cancer. scientists develop a virtual reality 3d model of the disease to help in the search for new treatments. join us for weather world from the uk's biggest onshore wind farm as we

explore how her ever present wind is fuelling the everett banding wind energy industry. japan has confirmed it will resume commercial whale hunting nextjuly, and is withdrawing from the international whaling commission. a government spokesman told reporters whaling would be restricted to japanese territorial waters and its exclusive economic zone. japan will be joining iceland and norway, openly defying the international ban on commercial whaling. a warning: there are images in this report that some viewers may find upsetting. kim gittleson has the story. although japanese ships hunted whales for decades, the bloody business has been officially banned for nearly 30 years. ships like this one only

catch and kill whales through what the japanese authorities claimed were research purposes. but japan has long wanted to commercially hunt species like the minke whale, which is protected by the international whaling commission, though not endangered. the japanese withdrawal from the international whaling commission means the country will resume commercial whaling byjuly 2019. according to a spokesperson, whale hunting will be restricted to japan's territorial waters and economic zones. other countries like australia and new zealand have opposed the move. greenpeace said it was out of step and called on the japanese government to focus on conservation. in withdrawing from the agreement, japan will officially join norway and iceland in resuming a business that has long been controversial.

it's thought 18 million people will hit the shops today, with some analysts predicting bigger—than—usual discounts in the boxing day sales. retailers will be looking to make up for weak trading in the lead—up to christmas. research from barclaycard claims men will be the biggest spenders, shelling out 50% more than women. our correspondent katy austin is on oxford street in central london for us this morning. it is getting busier every time we join you. it is busier and busier on oxford street with lots of traditional high street shops and well—known department stores. customers have changed their habits over the years but black friday was big and boxing day is still bigger with twice the spend on boxing day per head than black friday. today we are expecting nearly £5 billion to

be spent by customers in stores and online and we are expecting 18 million people to be heading out onto the streets to grab a bargain in person. on oxford street some of the shop started opening as early as 6am and there are still some barriers left over from the crowd control they had to introduce because hundreds of people were queuing as early as 2am. later in the morning we spoke to some shoppers it had been out and about and asked them how they have got on. i can see what i am buying for the children. online it takes ages for you to get what you want. i get up early anyway. it is getting up half an hour earlier. i almost purchased these the day before christmas, but i waited and so i got a better deal. if you had been shopping in the

run—up to christmas you would have seen heavy discounts going on with shops trying to tempt people learn by their christmas presents. it has been an incredibly tough year for retailers across the country. it is thought the run—up to christmas, a few days before the big day, were much better than those in the preceding weeks. shops will be hoping the boxing day sales can provide that reliable push they need at the end of the year. according to ba rclayca rd at the end of the year. according to barclaycard shoppers will spend an average of £188 each today with men spending more than women. reports from italy say ten people have been injured when an earthquake hit the area around mount etna in sicily. several buildings were damaged by the 4.8 magnitude quake, which struck at 3am near the city of catania. more than 150 tremors have been felt since europe's most active volcano erupted on christmas eve. the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt,

has ordered a review looking at the way britain could help persecuted christians around the world. the review, led by the bishop of truro, will look at government efforts to help some of the 215 million christians who faced discrimination and violence last year. there are people in very poor countries, themselves very poor, who can suffer terribly for no other reason than their faith, and when that faith is christianity, that is not a reason to do nothing. we need to do something, just as we would if they were muslim or buddhist and being persecuted for the same reason. the french authorities say there's been another operation to rescue a migrant boat overnight. it comes after authorities on both sides of the channel picked up a0 migrants yesterday. they were trying to cross to britain. four boats were intercepted and several people were discovered by british officials in folkstone. aid organisations in indonesia are urging people in the sunda strait area to move to higher ground, amid fears of more tsunamis caused

by volcanic activity in the region. at least a29 people died and 150 are still missing after a giant wave struck beach front areas at the weekend. the bbc‘s sameer hashmi gave us this update from banten in western java. the rescue efforts have been going on forfour days since the tsunami struck indonesia. it has been affected by bad weather. we travelled with one team yesterday from one beach to another. the biggest challenge they face is the bad weather. there has been a lot of rain and strong waves and it has been very windy, which has made thejob difficult. there are still quite a few people missing. over 100 people still missing. most of the people being rescued have been put in temporary camps across the region. and there is still a tsunami warning in place. this morning we heard three

volcanic explosions and we moved away from the beach. the reason is that the government authorities are not sure as to when and how the next tsunami will hit. that is why they have advised people to stay away from the beach area or the coast. i visited a couple of aid centres where agencies are collecting things like food, clothing and medicines, and trying to take them to people who have been displaced. a lot of international agencies have also come in. the red cross are trying to help on the ground. they are deploying more people. what happened in the first few days is the scale of devastation was so high the focus was on evacuating people to safer places. now they have turned their attention to providing them with relief. international donations are helping them. a man's died after being hit

by a police car in liverpool on christmas night. the victim — who has yet to be identified — was knocked down on scotland road shortly before 7 o'clock. the merseyside force has reported the incident to the police watchdog, the independent office for police conduct. let's return to our main story. japan has confirmed it will resume commercial whale hunting nextjuly, and is withdrawing from the international whaling commission. japan will join iceland and norway in openly defying the international ban on commercial whaling. joining me is mark simmonds, who is a senior marine scientist with the animal protection group humane society international. what is your reaction to this decision? it is an extraordinary development. we saw forewarning of this at the last whaling commission meeting which was in september when japan threatened deviously to leave but it is still a very surprising and very historic development. japan

says that when the agreement was put in place the decision that the commercial whaling should be stopped was seen as a commercial whaling should be stopped was seen as a temporary solution while ways of looking for a sustainable plan were sought and that just has not sustainable plan were sought and thatjust has not happened. is that a third perspective to say they did not intend to sign up to a permanent band? in 1882 when the ban was agreed, the moratorium on commercial whaling, the countries of the world realised there was no way they could manage whaling to make it sustainable. efforts have been made to try to find a way to introduce sustainability to this but it is really very difficult to achieve and effo rts really very difficult to achieve and efforts for exa m ple to really very difficult to achieve and efforts for example to agree any management system for whaling have failed. japan is stepping away essentially because it is not getting what it wants from the

whaling commission and it makes a series of claims about the way the commission is dysfunctional which just do not work. what is the impact of the ban in terms of protecting stocks? when it came in in intimate is fixed some species had been driven almost to extinction. how much of that picture changed? the good news is that the moratorium can be seen as a big conservation success. we prefer to call them populations rather than stocks but the populations of some of the wheels that would hugely depleted by whaling have increased and that is good. that does not mean we are a situation where we can simply click oui’ situation where we can simply click our fingers situation where we can simply click ourfingers and situation where we can simply click our fingers and bring whaling situation where we can simply click ourfingers and bring whaling back into play. japan knows that. there's a lot of spin on the wayjapan is putting out its statement on its change of heart about the whaling commission. the whaling commission as they collect international legal body to oversee whale conservation

and whaling and japan knows that. the concern is that other countries might follow suit. what do you think the impact will be specifically of japan seeing it will fish on its own waters? it will not hand in antarctic waters and the southern hemisphere but it will do commercial whaling in its own territorial waters and economic zones, and many wales potentially could that impact? it isa wales potentially could that impact? it is a complicated message. we can say we are very pleased to hear that japan is going to leave antarctica. that is quite good news as long as they stay away. the thing about japan orany they stay away. the thing about japan or any other country talking about simply whale killing in its own territorial waters and exclusion

zone is that the wales do not abide by those boundaries. they do not know those boundaries are drawn over and they and their populations move through the waters and if japan establishes that president for a management of whaling activity at could be very bad news is much more widely. i was wondering whether whales might change where they inhabit if there is a clear threat ina certain inhabit if there is a clear threat in a certain area, might they change their migration patterns? in a certain area, might they change their migration pattern57m in a certain area, might they change their migration patterns? it would be nice to think so! what we have seen be nice to think so! what we have seen is that the past tremendous pleasure from whaling in the previous century for example wiped out wales from whole sea areas of the many cases they never returned. ido the many cases they never returned. i do not think we will see populations trying to avoid japan although it would be nice to think

they would. i do not think that is going to happen. maybe that was a silly question! it was a nice idea. thank you. scientists in cambridge have created a 3d digital model of a cancer. the tumour sample — taken from a patient — can be studied using virtual reality. researchers hope it will provide new insights into how cancers spread. our medical correspondent fergus walsh reports. this is 21st—century pathology. on a conveyor belt is a wafer thin slice taken from a human tumour. multiple slices, each just one cell thick, are analysed to reveal all the characteristics of the cancer. then, the sample is reassembled digitally so it can be studied, using virtual reality. we are on the bleeding edge of nearly every technology. greg hannon, director of cancer research uk's cambridge institute, showed me round his virtual lab, where we are transformed into avatars.

this giant multicoloured cloud of bubbles is the virtual tumour. the tissue sample it came from was the size of a pinhead. the purpose of this project is to understand how each of these cell types influences each other. what messages do they send to each other and how does that influence their behaviour? this shows how the incredible diversity of cancer cell types interact in order to evade the body's defences. now that knowledge may ultimately help in the search for new treatments. at this point, we decided to go and explore the tumour in more detail. i think you can really start to appreciate its structure. i'm noticing something interesting here. we willjust move around. it looks to me like there are sets of tumour cells that are floating above the structures, almost as if they are streaming out.

it is when those cells leave the duct to become invasive disease is when they become really dangerous. so here, are you capturing potentially the moment when this cancer begins to spread? yes. i think that is what is really remarkable here because i think unless we're looking at the tumour in this detail, this resolution, in this many cells in this dimension, we would never be able to find such an event. researchers at the crick institute in london say that the virtual tumour will help explain how cancers interact with healthy cells and eventually spread. it is a huge step forward. it is so much more dynamic and real than what we've been able to do in the past by looking at very static analyses of what is happening in essentially two dimensions. this virtual pathology lab can be accessed by researchers anywhere in the world, helping scientists share knowledge in the fight against cancer.

the headlines on bbc news: japan is to restart commercial whaling next year — conservation groups warn the move will have serious consequences. almost a third of people in britain are expected to head to the boxing day sales today as retailers attempt to make up for weak pre—christmas trading. several people have been injured and buildings collapsed, as an earthquake hits close to the erupting mount etna in sicily. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike bushell. good morning. it's the busiest day of the footballing year, and leaders liverpool, are hoping to protect their lead, at the top of the premier league. jurgen klopp's men are 4 points clear of manchester city, in second and the liverpool boss has urged the anfield crowd to create

a special atmosphere, at home to newcastle, but says he and the team, cannot let the festive spirit, affect them. everybody is in the christmas mood apart from others. you are not in a christmas mood on the 26th. you have to give all what you have because we need again an exceptional atmosphere to beat a very difficult to beat team. take nothing for granted. if you think because you have that amount of point and they have that amount of point and they have that amount of point and they have that amount of points that is when things go wrong. elsewhere today, manchester city are at leicester and will be looking to bounce back from that shock home defeat to crystal palace, 3rd—placed tottenham host bournemouth and ole gunnar solskjaer‘s first home game as manchester united boss, will be against struggling huddersfield. you can hear commentary of fulham v wolves, brighton v arsenal and chelsea v watford all on bbc radio 5 live today. celtic will be aiming to stay top of the scottish premiership, when they travel to aberdeen this afternoon. brendan rodgers's side are currently

one point clear at the top but a win for the dons would take them level on points. if celtic fail to win, second—placed rangers could go above them with victory over hibernian at ibrox. india took early control of the third test against australia in melbourne. the tourists won the toss and decided to bat first. australia only took two wickets, both thanks to pat cummins. debuta nt mayank agarwal and cheteshwar pujara both made half centuries to take india's total to 215—2 at the close with pujara not out on 68. the series is tied at one test all. it's been a year dominated down under by the ball tampering scandal and now cameron bancroft has revealed that david warner was the one to suggest he should tamper with the ball, during australia's test match in south africa. bancroft was caught on camera trying to manipulate the ball,

with sandpaper, and was later suspended for 9 months. now he's told former australia wicketkeeper adam gilchrist on fox sports that warner had asked him to manipulate the ball and he had readily agreed. bancroft says he did not know any better, and just wanted to fit in, and feel valued. warner and australia test captain steve smith received 12 month suspensions. rarely has a horse been more suitably named than waiting patiently. the seven—year—old is making his comeback at boxing day's big race, the king george the sixth chase, at kempton. he's not raced since he beat cue card at ascot in february. but he's now got his chance to finally compete again. brian hughes will be on board, trying to guide him to victory, over the horse's first attempt at the three mile distance. the big favourites though will be former winners thistlecrack, and might bite, and the cheltenham gold cup hero, native river. the race gets under wayjust after 3pm. finally, most footballers had to train on christmas day ahead of today's games, but some still found time to party. the tunes were turned up in paul pogba's house as he and his brothers danced around the kitchen. he shared this clip

on social media, keeping up the fitness levels ahead of the game this afternoon, while his manager will also hope he's saved some of his energy. that's all the sport for now. you can keep up—to—date with all today's action on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. the beauty and personal care market in the uk is booming — fuelled by sales of perfume, aftershave and make up. it's grown by nearly a fifth over the past five years, and is worth more than £13 billion. the boom is attributed to the influence of celebrities online. radio 4's consumer reporter samantha fenwick has been finding out more. i do like to add a lot of highlighter. highlighter that is going to blind you, basically. that is what i like to go for. mitchell is a social

media influencer. originally he was a make—up artist, but his dramatic look quickly got him attention, and now he has more than 800,000 followers on instagram. i think if you're going to slap it on at any time of year, christmas is the time to do it. as his followers have grown, so has his appeal to cosmetic brands. he gets sent loads of free make—up and the companies hope he will use it in some of his online films. hi guys, so it is mitchell from the instagram page... the more followers you get, the more doors open, and to me, thatjust gives me more incentive and more motivation to keep building my brand and keep on growing my social media. give me thatj lo glow. social media has taken a little guy like me and made him huge and all around the world kind of known, it is a really crazy feeling. there is a huge uplift in sales when a key influencer talks about our products and brands, we can see that product sell out

within hours of the post. customers will come in, they will be showing us instagram stories or posts that they have seen for that product, so it is amazing how quick the uptake is. this is very different to five years ago, isn't it? the beauty industry was one of the first industries to latch onto influencers. it was in the press, it was all around print media, and now everyone is investing in influencers online and in building those relationships. the thing with social media influencers is that they become your friend. you might watch them for hours online doing make—up tutorials. the problem is you don't always know when they are being impartial, and research for radio 4 suggests 82% of shoppers aren't clear about when a social media influencer has been paid to promote products. before youtube, i didn't really know how to do my make—up and stuff. i thought this was really helpful,

watching a make—up tutorial. i find it useful when they suggest products, you can just go out and buy them. do you ever think about whether they are being paid to promote those products? i have not actually thought about that. i know some of them are being paid. when we look at it, we think oh, it's nice. we never really think about the background of it, we think it is nice and we would like to get it, yeah. this issue of trust is a matter of concern to the uk's advertising watchdog. one of our key advertising rules is that none of us should have to play detective when we are working out whether what we are seeing is advertising. we are clamping down when people get it wrong. mitchell says he works hard to build up trust and not mislead his followers. and now, final look, guys. but if you are unsure, then look out for the hash tag #ad or gifted at the bottom of posts. how do you feel? i feel amazing, i love it.

samantha fenwick, bbc news. a group of endangered brown bears who were living in a small cage injapan were rehomed in doncaster over the summer. they'd never seen soil or grass before and had a pretty extraordinary journey, traveling over 5,000 miles to yorkshire wildlife park. their keepers wanted to make sure this christmas they got a proper treat. fiona lamdin has more. this is what life looks like now for riku and kai, two brown bears living in yorkshire. acres to explore and lakes to swim in. but, just four months ago, it was a very different story. they were two of four brown bears living in a japanese museum, in cages so small they could only take a few steps, and this had been their home for almost 20 years. but relocating them across the world was quite some mission. the eldest bear is sedated by vets, and despite prods from his next—door neighbour he remained asleep.

huge sheets of ice, fans and watermelon kept the bears cool in 43—degree heat. two flights later, they arrived in the uk. i met them on their first day in yorkshire. they had never seen grass before, taken a bath, or eaten anything other than rice. so how are the bears finding this slightly chilly weather? well, luckily for us, japan had a very similar winter climate, so... it is four months on, and i'm going back to see how they're adapting to their new life. they will venture out, but only if there's food at the end of it. and at the end, they're very happy to sleep the day away. they have been separate their whole lives. they have still been able to see and smell each other, but they have never made physical contact. and i don't think they can quite believe it themselves — my goodness, i can touch you. they have taught themselves how to swim out here, which is amazing.

they have never had access to water. so this is our fruit chiller. and one of the biggest changes is their diet. the bears will now eat almost anything. they have each put on six stone. bears like eggs, do they? bears like eggs. they're omnivorous, so they'll eat anything, pretty much. sweet potato? they will have one of those each. they prefer steamed — they've got a bit precious. cauliflower? never tried the cauliflower, if you want to try it with a cauliflower. the veg is chopped and steamed but the real treat is next door. so this is our meat prep room. and when they first came here, had they ever eaten fish before? never seen fish in their lives. and when we offered whole foods, like meat and fish, they generally just kicked it around the floor. they didn't really know what to do with it. if you have ever wondered what to give a brown bear

for christmas, apparently this is it — christmas dinner, complete with all the trimmings, packed and ready for delivery. so this is a very different christmas they are having from last year, and it is devoured in a matter of minutes. for these bears, now settled into their home, the new year promises to be their happiest yet. the seven—year—old american girl, whose phone call with president trump on christmas eve went viral, has insisted her belief in santa claus remains unshaken. mr trump caused outrage in the us, after he appeared to question the existence of father christmas in a conversation with collman lloyd, just hours before santa was scheduled

to begin his deliveries. are you still a believer in santa? because at seven, it's marginal, right? well, the girl on the other end of that call has been speaking about the conversation from her home in lexington, south carolina. according to the post and courier newspaper, collman lloyd admitted she was left confused by the president's use of the term marginal. let's have a listen to her side of the conversation. probably put out some cookies, and then we're hanging out with our friends, so that's pretty much all. well, that is very good. well, you just have a good time. yes, sir. are you still a believer in santa? yes, sir. because at seven, it's marginal, right? yes, sir. you got to say hi to mr president. collman told the paper she was glad to have spoken with the president at christmas. she also confirmed she had left cookies and milk out

for santa, and when she woke the following morning, they were gone. hello again. for many it has been a cloudy, damp and misty start. as we go through the afternoon we will start to see some breaks in the cloud. rain in northern and western scotland. some brighter and sunny spells developing in north—east of scotland, parts of the central lowlands, north—east england, north east wales and southern counties. mild for this stage in december. tens, 11s and possibly 12s. rain turning light and patchy as it sinks south. patchy mist and fog and potentially some frost in sheltered part of the south of england.