we would hope that we will have as much as possible, the instruments they currently have something very similaras they currently have something very similar as quickly as possible in order to be able to keep our public safe. new data suggests four in ten nhs hospitals put up their seats in the last year. in an effort to reduce the use of plastic, a government says the price of a carrier bag will double to £10. black and minority workers in britain lose £3.2 billion a year in ethnic pay gap according to a new report. a british cruise ship going overboard on christmas day. and a festive edition of click gives is the latest in gadgets and technology. britain's most senior police

officer, cressida dick, has warned that a no—deal brexit could put the public at risk. speaking to the bbc‘s today programme on radio 4, the metropolitan police commissioner said the force, which is the country's largest and has responsibility for the national counter—terrorism unit, has been making contingency plans. we work very closely with our european colleagues through a variety of legal instruments at the moment. if we came out without immediately obvious replacements for those instruments, that will undoubtedly mean we have to work incredibly hard on a bilateral basis of countries to try and get to a place some kind of way. are you doing that already? talking to colleagues. are you doing a no deal safety net unit reported in the guardian? we set up an eu coordination unit, absolutely, which is to help local forces understand how to work most effectively throughout europe at we exit the european union under whatever circumstances. we would hope that we will have about as much as possible the instruments we currently

have or something very similar as quickly as possible in order to keep our country safe at the same cost. the consequences of having those things is we will be less safe? it is that we will have to replace them and if there was a no deal scenario, that would be difficult in the short—term, replace the things we currently use. we will do that as effectively as we can which will be more costly undoubtedly and slower as well but it will potentially put the public at risk. but i understand this is one of many things that those politicians who are deciding what to do next have to think about. do you have time in the time remaining to do enough bilateral deals to make those replaces proper? we can talk about how they might happen but of course whilst so much is unknown, nothing can be put in place and it would be improper to do so but they can talk with our colleagues and i and my senior colleagues are doing that at all times.

we can talk about how they might happen but of course whilst so much is unknown, nothing can be put in place and it would be improper to do so but they can talk with our colleagues and i and my senior colleagues are doing that at all times. 0ur correspondent, keith doyle, is with me. it is seeking a comprehensive agreement which would include data sharing and extradition, and theresa may said to brexit deal protects security although there are many mps do not agree with that. last month it was interesting that the security ministry did that minister said a no—deal brexit would hit uk— eu

security ties and have a real impact on protecting the public will not close corporation was at the heart of effective security and some of the things she's talking about there, the british police, uk police, might lose access to. there are currently around 41 force and tools that are shared with the rest of the eu like the schengen information system, and intelligence database that was used over 500 million times last year by registered the british and 42 up records. there is also the european colonel records information system and again that was used nearly 200,000 times last year by the uk and another system that is used to fight serious and organised crime. she's not saying we'll lose access to all these but these are the types of things that could be at risk that

worried about. the 5p cost for single—use plastic carrier bags in england will be doubled to 10p, and will extend to all shops, under plans set out by the environment secretary. the change is contained in a government consultation aimed at further reducing the plastic used by consumers and could come into effect in january 2020. smaller retailers, who are exempt from the current levy, supply an estimated 3.6 billion single—use bags annually. president trump and the first lady have arrived back in the us after their unannounced christmas visit to troops in iraq. it was the president's first visit to the region, and he used it to defend his decision to withdraw us forces from syria. he said he had no plans to pull troops out of iraq. earlier this month, his defence secretary, jim mattis, quit over mr trump's strategy in the region. earlier i spent to tom hanson who sent the visiting dad been well received. the response was overall a warm reception.

for both the president and the first lady, this was a surprise trip catching many people off guard physically there and catching washington off—guard as well. president trump made a speech, making it clear he wants to put an end to broad—scale us involvement overseas saying america should not do the fighting for every nation on earth. during the trip, he took photos, signed autographs with soldiers who were serving in iraq. overall, a warm reception and a smooth trip, something that was completely secret and call the united states off—guard. this decision to pull us troops out of syria, how do troops respond to that because many of them will feel that it's job and that is what we do. a mixed reaction. on one end, pulling troops out of any

war zone is viewed favourably by the population but it also provides a complicated situation. with regards to syria, pulling out those troops, president trump said he could maintain a troop presence in neighbouring iraq which allows him to hedge here is the situation in syria devolves back into a full—fledged warzone where isis is taking over swaths of land. it also allowed the present to claim victory over isis within syria which he takes is a big victory. the former defence secretary did step down over this so there is a lot of military personnel who do not necessarily agree with the troop removal to not think that syria is fully stable in order to fend for itself when it comes to the fight against the islamic state.

the defence secretary, gavin williamson, has said he has "grave concerns" about the chinese technology firm huawei, being involved in upgrading the uk's mobile network. australia, new zealand and the us have all restricted the use of huawei technology in new 5g networks because of security fears. mr williamson told the times newspaper it was something the government would have to look at "very closely". around 20 people have ina in a living in italy. at least 20 people have been hurt in italy where an earthquake

has hit the area around mount etna in sicily. several buildings were damaged by the quake, which measured a four—point—eight magnitude, and struck in the early hours of the morning. good afternoon. more than a third of nhs hospitals in england have raised the cost of parking over the past year, with some patients and staff now paying double the price. several trusts have defended the higher costs, saying some or all of the money went back into patient care or maintaining car parks. car park charges have been abolished in wales and most of scotland, but still remain in england and northern ireland. duncan kennedy reports. hospital car parks, a place for health all well? that is the question posed by today's figures showing many hospitals have raised their prices over the last year. this one in guildford tops the list in england, one of dozens of hospitals who made a total of over

£226 million from parking fees. the hospital here says the money goes to front—line care and maintenance for all of the car parks, but what about visitors? what do you think about the parking charges here? they are expensive but like everywhere else, you have to pay it. the system is complicated and you don't come here through choice. you know this is the most expensive hospital that there is in terms of parking? yes, typical surrey. 4396 of hospitals admitted prices have gone up over the past yearfor prices have gone up over the past year for visitors prices have gone up over the past yearfor visitors or prices have gone up over the past year for visitors or staff or both. the royal surrey county hospital is already charging for stay of one hour making it the most expensive in england. the airedale nhs foundation trust in west yorkshire saw the cost ofa trust in west yorkshire saw the cost of a 24—hour stay more than doubled

to £8, something locals have strong views about. i think it's atrocious. i have been into... my friend's mother is dying, i have been into drop some stuff off and it has cost me three quid. it does work out expensive it be £10 per day. are there charges fair? i don't think so. there charges fair? i don't think so. they should be free because people turning up to the car parks cannot necessarily defraud it. the department of health today said it is very clear that patients, their families and hard—working staff should not be subject to want their parking charges. the charges have been abolished in most of wales and scotla nd been abolished in most of wales and scotland but they remain in england bringing in additional pain that many people come into hospital would rather do without. this particular hospital is one of those that didn't raise its prices and it says the money it did raise went to pay for the equivalent of

something like 14 nurses, and also says it has to maintain these car parks and that costs as well. there are three main objections from the public on this. firstly it is expensive, secondly the public say they have no choice. if you come to they have no choice. if you come to the hospital, you have got to bring your car, the hospital, you have got to bring yourcar, and the hospital, you have got to bring your car, and thirdly there is almost a moral objection — the idea that a place that raises money can also be connected to help so you get these public reactions we had today, whereas the hospitals themselves say they have no choice, they have got to keep charging these fees, even though in wales, northern ireland and scotland the fees are not in place. duncan kennedy, thank you very much. the cost of plastic bags provided by some shops in england could double to ten pence under new government proposals. under the plans, the charge could be extended to smaller retailers, who are currently exempt. schools are also being urged to end the consumption of single—use plastics by 2022. theo leggett has more details and joins me now. what is the background to this?

charges on single use plastic bags we re charges on single use plastic bags were introduced firstly in wales, scotla nd were introduced firstly in wales, scotland and northern ireland before coming to england in october 2015, and they were introduced for a reason — plastic bags were contaminating the environment. those charges were not popular but they have proved effective. the government says as a result 15 billion plastic bags have been taken out of circulation. if you look at the big supermarkets, they say the number of bags may have been handing out has gone down by 85% so it has made a substantial impact, and now the government says it wants to go a step further. maybe partly because there's a lot more awareness of how much harm plastics do in the environment, but there does seem to be that increasing awareness so now the government wants to increase the

charge to 10p and also to expand it to cover small retailers because in england small retailers don't have to introduce that charge at the moment, and that means 3.6 billion bags are being handed out by small retailers alone so these proposals would cover that too. thank you. another nine people have been handed over to immigration officials in kent after crossing the channel from northern france. two lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter were launched shortly after midnight to intercept two small boats. the french authorities say they intercepted another group trying to reach the uk in an inflatable boat. britain's most senior police officer has said a no—deal brexit would be costly for her force and could potentially put the public at risk. the metropolitan police commissioner, cressida dick, said the scenario would be very difficult in the short term as changes are made to databases and the extradition process. it's been a turbulent year for the high street, prompting renewed concern about the future for many town centres already struggling with decline. a growing number of local councils

have been buying shopping centres to try to revitalise their towns. since 2016, 26 shopping centres have been bought by local authorities, at a total cost of more than £800 million. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. wigan‘s galleries shopping centre, once worth £83 million in 2006, but it went for £8 million this year. sold to the local council. there are three shopping centres in shrewsbury worth 119 million pre—recession. they went for less than half that price, sold to shropshire council. and here in bolton's crompton place, once valued at nearly 80 million, it went for £14 million in the summer, sold to the local authority. sounds like a knock—down price but no—one else would have bought this right now, given the state that retail is in. it's huge, and slap bang in the middle of town, but this shopping centre has

seen better days. there is a gradual decline that's taking place and clearly, as a council, we've taken the decision to do something about it. not half! the council has bought it as part of a big plan to regenerate bolton. do you think this is the best use of £14 million? this £14 million is a temporary investment, and we are very confident we will get the money back. this will be a game changer. it will be transformational. you might be wondering, where has the £14 million come from to buy this? well, it's not from council tax or existing projects which have been slashed. councils can access cheap loans, and over the last few years they have been pouring money into commercial property to generate an income to help fund services. there are better ways to make money then buying shops. here in camberley, the council not only bought this mall but also the house of fraser building right

next to it, not long before the retailer collapsed. they could have bought it for a lot less now. there is risk attached to local authorities intervening, and if they are simply doing it to try and make a quick profit, then that's the wrong motivation, but if it's being done in order to regenerate the towns, then that absolutely is the right thing. because no—one else is going to do it. the private sector can't take that long—term view, it's not viable. it used to be so easy attracting people into our town centres. it's a real problem today though, but bolton council's bold purchase is kick—starting crucial private investment to help make this place fit for the future. emma simpson, bbc news, bolton. the search is continuing for a 20—year—old british cruise ship entertainer, who went overboard in the caribbean on christmas day. the us coastguard was alerted

after arron hough didn't turn up for his shift on "harmony of the seas". royal caribbean, which operates the ship, said it was supporting mr hough's family. a man has been killed following an explosion which destroyed a house in hampshire. the blast happened in the early hours of this morning in andover, police and firefighters said. rescuers are continuing to search the area and a number of neighbouring properties have been evacuated. police are investigating after a double decker bus crashed into a house in south london. the bus travelling between morden and brixton ploughed through a fence and hit the building on streatham vale late last night. three people have been treated for minor injuries. police say no—one has been arrested, but they're continuing to investigate the circumstances behind the crash. there are 1.8 million single—parent households in the uk, and for a long time it was believed that, if a child was in one, it had a negative impact on their life. new research suggests otherwise. frankie mccamley has been to meet a group of single parents to hear how perceptions about them have changed. a cup of tea and a friendly ear for these single mums in kent

who get together regularly to share their concerns when it comes to bringing up children on their own. the women are just a handful of the 1.8 million single parent—headed households in the uk, but for some, the prospect of being a single parent was daunting. when i first became single, i thought, "that's it, life is over. how am i going to cope? i can't cope with this. how am i going to pay the bills? how am i going to look after my kids?" it's clear this group are determined to overcome any negativity. my son started doing his a—level and he was doing sociology. he came one day and he said, "mum, can you believe this? ijust read in a study that said if you are from a single parent and you are a little black boy, you're not going to do well. how dare they?" he was so angry, you know. i said, "so, what are you going to do about it?" he said, "i'm going to show them that i'm going to do my best." and the positives, they say, are priceless. they help me at work, they help me at home. we just literally...

i know that if there's any problems they can come and tell me and they really are my best friends, so that's been the best part of being a single parent. and their experiences may be more common than previously thought. typically, surveys suggest that one in four families with children are headed by a single parent at any one time. this latest data suggests that it is more likely to be one in three families. and despite the concerns these mums have, researchers didn't find evidence of a negative impact on children who live in a single—parent household. in fact, the researchers believe children who are living or have lived in single—parent families score as highly or higher than those in two—parent families when it comes to things like life satisfaction, relationships and family life, which some historians say is a complete u—turn to what people thought in the past. i think a lot of people feel uncomfortable when people behave unconventionally, as they see it, that they want

everyone to have rather similar lives, and there's a notion that it's normal to live in a long—lasting marriage and bring up secure children. but for these ladies and many other men and women across the country, their single—parent family is the norm and it will not stop them from living full and happy lives. the defence secretary has reportedly said he has very deep concerns about chinese firm huawei being involved in upgrading the uk's mobile network. gavin williamson's comments came after some nations restricted use of the firm's products in 5g networks over security concerns. jonathan marcusjoins me now. what is behind this concern? fundamentally it's a concern about espionage, the closeness of huawei

to the chinese government and its dominant role means there could possibly be back doors and its equipment, ways in which chinese espionage agencies could siphon off 01’ espionage agencies could siphon off or harvest huge amounts of data. that is the principal concern. it's not just words, it's that is the principal concern. it's notjust words, it's also actions. companies such as bt earlier this month pulled a lot of huawei equipment from an emergency cue me —— communications network. 0ther companies have concerns too. if you look at this in the round, it is an element... china has very advanced technology and it is part and parcel of china's rise to global dominance. china is a country with which the world will have to contend notjust in marketplaces but strategic issues as well. i hate to bring in brexit but it is a factor there too.

britain alone trying to do trade deals with china but also trying to keep some of its technology at arm ‘s reach. it is going to be a difficult and problematic thing. thank you very much. a french adventurer has set off to cross the atlantic in a barrel—shaped orange capsule, using ocean currents alone to propel him. 71—year—old jean—jacques savin left el hierro in spain's canary islands and hopes to reach the caribbean within three months. he will drop markers on his 3,000—mile journey to help oceanographers study atlantic currents. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. huw edwards will be here with the tea—time news at 6:30pm. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. no great dramas to report in the

weather. really quite cloudy for the most pa rt weather. really quite cloudy for the most part and the situation not really changing too much because there is high pressure that has an effect on the british weather that means we do see the first signs of a weather front starting on friday for some of us but for the rest of the day onto the evening, a firm of cloud not producing very much in the way of rain at all, the less than the brightness as the north—east of scotland, one of two parts of the southern counties doing nicely as well. not much anyway agrees. some of the damages may be locked in single figures but you will feel every bit of that. elsewhere, single figures amount. not a great change three evening, a crowd begins to

thicken up later on tonight across northern ireland, the western side of scotland, bringing the first signs of scenario rain at times across the western hills of scotland. but with the crowd just grouping in from the atlantic, i think that will help keep the temperatures up but if it breaks cover you may well find on friday morning innovative fall down the line of the a—1, southern counties of england and risk was friday once the rain has pulled away, if you see any at all, it'll be a decent day. better chance of some temperatures responding, nine, ten, 11 celsius. really not too bad for the time of year. here are an end into the weekend. the soul and heart still benefiting from the high pressure that further north, not enough influence to keep the atlantic front at bay. some rain spreads to scotland, northern ireland for a time to the western pennines as well. the further south you are, steady as she goes. 11—12dc banks a

very mild run with all part of the british isles feeling it. as far ahead as sunday, initial rain across northern ireland and in mainland scotland, it will be a decent day. 0ne scotland, it will be a decent day. one of two patches of fog. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines... britain's most senior police officer, cressida dick, has suggested a no—deal brexit could put the public at risk if security cooperation with the eu is weakened. four in ten nhs hospitals in england have put up their parking fees in the last year — the new data shows that in some places, charges have doubled. in an effort to reduce the use of plastic, the government has set out plans to increase the price of a single—use carrier bag in england to 10p and extend the policy to all shops. black and minority workers in britain are losing £3.2 billion a year in an ethnic pay gap, according to analysis by

the resolution foundation thinktank. now it's time for the latest in technology and gadgets with a festive flavour. it's our clickmas special. this week, it's a festive feast of fun with music, magic and. . . meditation. yes, it's clickmas! it's the 2018 clickmas special. the gang is all here. hello! welcome, welcome.

spence, i've got your first christmas present and what a corker it is. this is the world's first flexible phone. look at that! you can have it on this way or around here and itjust flips, it knows which way you are holding it and it's built on android. this is a brand—new operating system on top of it called water and it's built by a small chinese firm called royale, you might not have heard of it. it is the first phone they're released. there you go. the idea is you have a tablet you can use 01’ you can