this is bbc world news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: the senate stands adjourned until 10am on monday, december 31. the partial us government shutdown goes on after congress meets and adjourns within minutes — it will now continue into next week. calls for extra patrols in the english channel as more migrants than ever are attempting to cross one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. a huge hunt is launched in austria after 5 monks are attacked during a robbery at a vienna church. ringing out a warning about climate change — the bells commemorating the victims of hurricane katrina. hello and welcome to bbc news.

hello. the us senate and house of representatives have adjourned without taking steps to resolve a damaging shutdown of parts of the government which is now into its sixth day. both chambers convened for only a few minutes. this was the scene in the senate. in my capacity as a senator from kansas, there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the senate stands adjourned until 10am on monday, december 31. gavel at the heart of the disagreement is the $5 billion that president trump wants added to the federal budget, to pay for a wall along the us border with mexico. here's our washington correspondent, chris buckler with the latest. i think you got a brief sense from that very, very brief meeting of congress that the two parties are fundamentally not coming to any agreement at the moment over what is essentially a funding deal, it's funding for 20, 25% of government programmes.

in practical terms, it is important for a lot of people because there are around 800,000 federal employees who are affected by this. half of them are told that they will have to go on unpaid leave, the other half simply do not know when they will get paid. but while the politicians need to take this seriously, they know there is a danger of this backfiring and them being blamed for this, the truth is that here in washington many politicians just didn't turn up at capitol hill today. it was an empty chamber for that very brief few minutes that both the house of representatives and the senate met. there does not seem to be any suggestion at this point that there is a way through this, and the whole funding stand—off is about donald trump's demand for $5 billion to build a border war between america and mexico. he says he won't agree to any government funding deal without that,

the democrats say that isn't going to happen. as a result, we're now looking at a stand—off that will likely continue into the new year. a short time ago i spoke to brett bruen, who worked in the white house with the 0bama administration and i asked him how big an impact the shutdown was having on people's lives. well, the shutdown is like a slow burn. you don't notice it much at first, but as the days go on, it becomes more and more bothersome, and ifear, as we now head into january, it will become a big issue for a lot of americans. 0nto the politics then, the president, donald trump, said he would own this shutdown a few days ago, now he's tweeting and blaming the democrats. what's going on? well, i think he's realising that political gravity also applies to him. he doesn't want to bear the brunt of the force of frustration that americans are feeling. on top of that, i think he's trying to play a political game. he wants the new democratic house of representatives to be the bad guy

in this situation, which is part of the reason that they're delaying untiljanuary. and what are the risks on both sides here? well, i think on the president's side, quite frankly, he's playing with fire, and this isn't the only fire that he has to worry about. there are a number of investigations, there are other political challenges that he is confronting. so he is in hot water, if you will, because of all of those flames. 0n the democratic side, this disrupts plans that nancy pelosi, the new speaker of the house, will have to set the agenda and she is going to struggle to try to navigate these waters. brett, can i put you on the spot here? what do you think is going to happen? how will we get out of this? at the end of the day, i think the democrats will give more than they want. donald trump is going to claim victory, whatever happens, as he inevitably will do in these

kids of circumstances, and i think, quite frankly, the american people will be the ones left footing the bill. there are calls for patrols of the english channel to be stepped up — after a surge in the number of migrants arriving off the kent coast in small boats. sixty—six people have reached the uk in the past three days. butjust one of the five cutters owned by the border force is currently patrolling the channel between dover and the french coast. the national crime agency is warning that more attempts are likely. simonjones reports. risking their lives, attempting to ci’oss risking their lives, attempting to cross the busiest shipping lane in the world. despite warnings, attem pts the world. despite warnings, attempts continue. this, one of four small boats used in the channel by migrants yesterday. it is totally unprecedented what has happened over the last few days. perhaps it is

understandable. it is a long dark night, the weather has been relatively mild, there has only been a gentle breeze blowing and the first few boats that made a success of it, the message gets back to the camp and then more and more people try. 23 migrants reached canberra on thursday. that is in addition to a0 on christmas day. in total, at least 209 people have arrived by small boats since november. just one of the five cutters of is operating in the five cutters of is operating in the channel along with two coastal patrol vessels. the former head of border force says that more resources a re border force says that more resources are needed. and the dover mp charlie has called on britain to get a group. the home office says that the border force's deployments are under review but bringing back a cutter from the mediterranean could encourage more people to make the perilous journey as it may be seen asa perilous journey as it may be seen as a rescue rather than a patrol

boat. those who support migrants say they should not be demonised.. small number may be want to come here because there is a community they wish tojoin here because there is a community they wish to join because they already have english as a language but many more migrants are seeking asylu m but many more migrants are seeking asylum in countries such as germany. the national crime agency blames traffickers, organised criminals with the complete lack of regard for human life. it insists that by working with the french, a good number of crossings have been prevented but it warns that more of these types of attempts to reach the uk are likely. many believe that if they continue, it is only a matter of time before there is a tragedy. police in iceland are investigating whether humidity caused a people carrier to crash, killing three british tourists. the crash happened on a bridge in a popular tourist area in the south—east of the island. four other people in the vehicle were critically injured, as ben ando reports. the two families were in a toyota land cruiser, which crashed through railings

and fell around 20 feet onto a dry riverbed below. first on the scene were the police and a local tour guide, who did all he could to help. i tried to talk a little bit to the driver to calm him down. he was trapped inside the car. i was trying to tell him to save his energy and try to be patient, we will try to get him out of there. it was a very difficult situation. two adults and the child died at the scene, before others, including two children aged seven and nine, were airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. translation: it was immediately clear that this was a very serious accident. a car had careered off the bridge so immediately all available responders and resources were immobilised. -- mobilised. it is understood that those involved come from two families and are british citizens

of indian origin. for survivors, two men and two children are being treated in hospital and spoke to doctors and nurses there. the bridge is a single track and is on the south—east section iceland's national ring road, in an area known for its spectacular waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers. this morning, investigations into the cause will continue although icelandic media reports that this bridge is a known accident danger spot and is not meet the latest safety sta nda rds. let's get some of the day's other news. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, will travel to colombia next week to discuss the economic crisis in neighbouring venezuela. more than two million venezuelans have left the country over the past three years as the crisis has worsened. about half of them have crossed the border into colombia. saudi arabia's king salman has announced the creation of a space agency to be led by his son, prince sultan bin salman.

the 62—year—old prince is better known as being the first arab and muslim astronaut to travel to space in 1985, helping to deploy a satellite with nasa. his appointment was announced as part of king salman's first major reshuffle of leadership positions, after the killing of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi in istanbul in october. at least eight people have been killed and more than two dozen injured after a bus crashed into a ravine in peru. the bus was carrying 55 passengers when it went off a highway and turned over, early on thursday. emergency workers rushed survivors to nearby hospitals. according to local media the vehicle was travelling to the capital lima. five monks have been attacked during a church robbery in the austrian capital vienna. the assailants reportedly entered the catholic church with a gun, forcing the monks to the ground and assaulting them before fleeing the scene.

bethany bell has more. police have sealed off the catholic church of maria immaculata in vienna, where five monks were violently attacked. on thursday afternoon, assailants entered the church brandishing a gun. they forced a monk to the ground, tied him up, and kicked and repeatedly beat him with metal tools. he suffered serious head injuries. four other monks, who entered the church a little later, were also set upon, beaten, and tied up with cables and rope. they were discovered more than three hours later. police say they don't believe it was a terrorist attack. translation: the exact motive is unclear, but i think we can rule out terrorism. there is a large spectrum of possible motives. it might be a robbery, an act of violence, or perhaps an act of revenge. a large manhunt is under way.

the injured monks are being treated in hospital. the head of the austrian catholic church, cardinal christoph schonborn, said he was deeply shocked by the attack. churches, he said, should be places of peace. bethany bell, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: sprucing up the times square ball — new crystals for new york's iconic new year's tradition. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got underway with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today and then we'll be in france, and again, it'll be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle,

is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his 0xfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it looks good. just good? no, fantastic. that's better. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the shutdown of parts of the us government will continue at least into next week after both houses of congress met briefly then adjourned without taking action. there are growing calls for more

patrols in the english channel as increasing numbers of migrants are trying to make the crossing from france. there are reports from nigeria that two military bases in the north—east of the country have been overrun by militants from boko haram. a government spokeman says after a fierce battle, jihadists took control of a base in the town of baga, that's home to a multinational joint task force, set up to tackle the regional boko haram insurgency. despite a delay to elections in the east of the democratic republic of congo, millions of people from the rest of the country will cast their vote to elect a new president. it's an event that could mark the country's first democratic transfer of power since independence. the bbc‘s louise dewast looks back at presidentjoseph kabila's legacy and how it could influence the country's future. presidentjoseph kabila was only 29

when he first came to power it in 2009. there was a lot of hope it would bring a change. he held a negotiated peace deal after africa's worst regional war. re—elected twice, he promised ambitious reforms, from improving roads to creating jobs. many in the capital say they are still waiting for those promises to be the field. translation: he was not able to do what he was mandated to do. he has failed completely. translation: there are roads which are abandoned. we are suffering in our own country. translation: he has subjected us to fighting corruption and looting. why all this anger? because of this country could be one of the richest in the world. your smartphones,

la pto ps, in the world. your smartphones, laptops, even electric cars or all made with one of the many minerals that make up this country's wealth but decades of conflict and rampant corruption during presidentjoseph kabila's kenya means of the population is not benefiting here. public services have been largely left in the hands of ngo. translation: they are meant to improve the situation at nothing is implemented. this rubbish dump is out of hand. imagine the situation in the rest of the country. it is a big challenge. the average daily income isjust one big challenge. the average daily income is just one dollar per day. the challenge is now left for the next president to address. if the ruling party's next president to address. if the ruling pa rty‘s candidate next president to address. if the ruling party's candidate emmanuel ramazani shadary wins, many believe

joseph kabila could play a role. emmanuel ramazani shadary would be a puppet on the string and joseph kabila would be pulling the strings. that is the reality. he will not ta ke that is the reality. he will not take any decision against the interests ofjoseph kabila. take any decision against the interests of joseph kabila. joseph kabila as walks away from office minister spent he will not be absent for long. the number of illegal knives seized at the uk's borders has more than doubled in a year. official figures show officers took possesion of more than 7,600 weapons. it comes as knife crime in england and wales reaches an eight—year high. adam woods reports. seized at britain's borders, thousands of deadly and illegal weapons. knives and swords destined for the streets. betweenjanuary

weapons. knives and swords destined for the streets. between january and the tamba this year, border force staff confiscated more than 7600 lathes, double the number seized the previous year. the figures also show a big rise in other weapons found by officers, including batons and knuckledusters. and this is why police are so concerned. my crime in england and wales is at its highest for eight years. this month, 18—year—oldj for eight years. this month, 18—year—old j became for eight years. this month, 18—year—oldj became the latest victim in london. 17 people stabbed to death in the capital this year alone, many teenagers. in the west midlands, with the huge rise in violent crime, amnesties have been set up to take weapons off the street. at the tally of those killed and injured increases, how best to deal with knife crime remains a challenge? the home office is

tackling illegal smuggling of weapons into the country is a key priority. a care home in the english city of liverpool is trialling a new scheme to promote improved wellbeing among residents living with dementia. exercise bikes and videos are used to enable those affected to go on virtual cycling trips to locations around the world. let's take a look. what do i get out of this? companionship for one thing and the fa ct companionship for one thing and the fact is i have been able to do it andi fact is i have been able to do it and i am still there the next day. 9o aiti 90 ait i think something. 81. i don't know. i am 99.

i love the cycling. i like the cycling because i feel as though i am in charge, you see. cycling because i feel as though i am in charge, you seelj cycling because i feel as though i am in charge, you see. i have been cycling. it takes your mind off other things. it feels like the body is in charge again. that is how i look at it. i am in june, 90. it is very difficult. but... i certainly enjoyed it. the main benefits of the cycle project have been psychological.

there are obvious physical effects but i think the well—being and happiness of participants is significantly increase. to see people having so much fun, the whole i’ooiti people having so much fun, the whole room is involved. the united states' oldest man, and last world war two veteran, has died at the age of 112. richard 0verton served in the south pacific from 19a0 to 19a5, and would later say he had landed on more beaches underfire than he could remember. he was honoured on veterans day in 2013 by president 0bama. the veteran always said he owed his long life to god's grace, cigars and whiskey. what do you get if you take a climate physicist, an artist and a musician and put them to work on a project? hurricane bells merges science and art to commemorate the lives

lost in hurricane katrina and to warn future generations of the hazards of climate change. 0livia crellin has been finding out more. hurricane been finding out more. katrina, one of the most infamous hurricane katrina, one of the most infamous storms of modern days. urging you to go to it roared through the gulf of texaco, killing over 1000 8000 people and leaving communities devastated. now, at team of artists and scientists are coming together to shape the origin of that tragedy into art in the form of five girls. uk artist peter told me why it they were out for a message about extreme weather events. bells have been used in historyjust as a way to bring people together, to pray or

to bring people together, to pray or to rejoice and we need that as well for climate change. these are not ordinary, looking more like the surface of an alien planet, they are both instrument and sculpture and their shape comes from the hurricane itself. 3-d distribution of winfield and by connecting all these points we could create a surface and we could look at how this shape was involved. they were made in a studio near a significant landmark. earlier this year, a team took the bells to be run by those effect by the store.

there are so many that remember it. it is still a tragedy. it doesn't mean you do not have to get past but to remember those that lost their lives. the bells are on the move again, in the custody of a london jazz musician charged with composing a suite of pieces to reflect the journey of the stomp and the impact it has had on a very musical community. you will -- newlands was the centre of music and having that base their is almost like bringing that joy and experience base their is almost like bringing thatjoy and experience back to new 0 rlea ns, thatjoy and experience back to new 0rleans, a thatjoy and experience back to new 0rlea ns, a place thatjoy and experience back to new 0rleans, a place that has given the world so much. it's an icon of new year's celebrations and the theme for ny ball has been revealed — harnessing the spirit of the holiday season. 0rganisers say the gift of harmony seeks to unite people amid the events of the world for the betterment of all. the ball is covered with thousands

of crystal pieces and has been getting a touch—up ahead of the big day. they are also working with the committee to protectjournalists. look back at the past year, to look forward but also celebrate the things we value most and that is why we are honouring the committee to protect journalists and we are honouring the committee to protectjournalists and also journalism and the free press in general because it is so important to our society and the world to have a full and functioning free press. you're watching bbc world news. and don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm @l vaughan jones. you are watching bbc world news. hello there.

nothing particularly dramatic in this weather forecast. it stays pretty quite over the next few days but that is not to say there will not be some contrasts. take a look back at thursday and you can see that across county down we've had some sunshine and temperatures up to 13 degrees whereas parts of the west country got stuck under fog and temperatures in some areas of somerset did not get above four degrees. and looking ahead to friday's weather, we're going to start off with quite a lot of cloud, mist and fog. it should then turn a little bit brighter for some of us later on and there is a bit of rain around as well through the morning, particularly across scotland — that'll be travelling its way eastwards. now, after such a cloudy, murky, foggy start across some southern areas, it is going to struggle to brighten up here. but we should see some brightness for the midlands and wales, for northern england and certainly for northern ireland and scotland some decent spells of sunshine expected by the afternoon. those temperatures 9—11 degrees,

not bad for the time of year. but bear in mind, any lingering fog towards the south—west could hold those temperatures back once again. then as we go through friday night into the early hours of saturday, it's that mixture of mist and murk and low cloud but another batch of wet weather sliding in across northern ireland and scotland as the night wears on. temperatures typically between three and eight degrees. so saturday starts off with a frontal system starting across northern areas. but high pressure still holding on down to the south. so it is a day of split fortunes on saturday, but one thing that we will all experience is this mild west or south—westerly wind. quite a brisk wind actually at times across the northern half of the uk. outbreaks of rain drifting eastwards as we go through saturday morning. clearing from scotland through the afternoon, something brighter developing and it will stay quite windy here as it will across parts of northern england. generally further south, more in the way of cloud, a lot of dry weather but those temperatures for the time of year pretty impressive, 12 or 13 degrees. as we look ahead to sunday, again, there could be a little bit of patchy rain around in northern areas. that could lingerfor a good part of the day across the northern isles. eleswhere, largely dry

but largely cloudy. the best chance of any brightness and some shelter from the westerly winds, maybe to the east of the pennines, the eastern side of scotland, and again, those temperatures 11 or 12 degrees. and then for the final day of the year, new year's eve, again high pressure in charge. a lot of cloud and some fog trapped underneath the high. and we stick with that theme as we go into monday night. so if you are planning to be out and about celebrating at midnight, the weather doesn't look particularly dramatic, it should be mostly dry, but there's likely to be a bit of cloud and some fog patches as well. this is bbc news. the headlines: the us government shutdown is to continue until at least monday after the senate was adjourned until new year's eve. president trump blames the democrats for blocking his amendment to the budget bill, which would add $5 billion to build a wall along the border with mexico. there are growing calls for the uk border force to deploy

more vessels in the english channel to deal with the rise in migrants arriving on the british coast. 66 people have reached the uk in the past three days. austrian police say that five monks were attacked during a church robbery in a suburb of vienna. the assailants reportedly entered the catholic church with a gun. the monks were beaten and tied up. the suspects fled the scene, after demanding cash and valuables. now on bbc news — this year the royal air force celebrated its centenary.