welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: president trump threatens to close the us—mexico border unless congress agrees to fund his wall. a roadside bomb has killed four people and injured 12 others on a tourist bus near the giza pyramids in egypt. the rising number of migrants trying to cross the english channel is declared a ‘major incident‘ by the british home secretary. satellite images reveal anak krakatau has lost over two thirds of its height and volume since it exploded last week killing more than 400 people. and monty python's michael palin and model twiggy are among the stars recognised in the new year's honours list. hello, and welcome to bbc news.

president trump has threatened to close the border with mexico, if the us congress refuses to fund his proposed wall. he was speaking after nearly a week of deadlock about the federal budget, which has caused a partial government shutdown. chris buckler has the latest from washington. securing the long border between mexico and america has become the priority for president trump. he wants $5 billion to build a huge barrier, that's not so easy to climb. but he needs democrats to approve the funding for that long—promised border wall, and they're refusing, leading him to make a new threat. during a long series of tweets warning about the dangers of illegal immigration, mrtrump said, "we will be forced to close the southern border entirely if the obstructionist democrats do not give us the money to finish the wall." the president and his opponents are in a stand—off, that has already ended funding for about a quarter of government programmes. some national parks, federal buildings, and even the national christmas tree have faced closure as a result of the shutdown, leaving hundreds

of thousands of government workers either on unpaid leave or not knowing when they will get paid. we made an offer last saturday night, they told us that they'd get back to us by the end of the week, they got back to us last night and said, "we're leaving. that's it, no more discussions." so, the discussions have broken down, we do expect this to go on for a while, we do expect to manage it. a small number of politicians did return to washington immediately after the christmas break to discuss the shutdown. but despite some shouted objections, congress only ended up meeting for a matter of minutes. the house stands adjourned until 10am on monday december 31, 2018. i was hoping the republicans were hearing what i was hearing back home from my constituents during the christmas holiday, which is, you know, you guys need to get back to washington and reopen the government. i mean, 800,000 federal workers don't know whether they're getting

paid or not — that's a big deal. despite the practical difficulties, the white house insists the threat to close the border with mexico is real. and if anything, the political divide many miles away from here in washington only seems to be growing. chris buckler, bbc news. a tourist bus has hit a roadside bomb in egypt, killing three vietnamese tourists and a local tour guide. the attack happened near the giza pyramids, on the outskirts of cairo. there were no immediate reports of any group saying it was behind the bombing. laura westbrook reports. this is the aftermath of the explosion. the force of the blast shattered windows, leaving just a blackened shell. the bus, carrying mostly vietnamese tourists, had been travelling to the pyramids in giza. investigators at the scene said an improvised explosive device was hidden beside a wall, and went off as the bus drove past. prime minister mostafa madbouly visited the injured in hospital.

translation: we're in touch with the vietnamese authorities. we offer our deepest condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident. he also told local media the bus deviated from the planned route, approved by security forces. the pyramids of giza are egypt's most famous landmark, with buses filled with tourists travelling there from cairo every day. tourism is a lifeline for egypt, and only recently started to recover. this latest attack will have many on edge as the country prepares for more christmas celebrations next month. laura westbrook, bbc news. there's plenty more on our website, including detailed analysis of that

attack and the impact it's likely to have on tourism in egypt. just go to bbc.com/news. or you can download the bbc news app. let's get some of the day's other news. the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, has called for sunday's presidential election in the democratic republic of congo to be free of violence so voters can peacefully cast their ballots. on friday, protesters blocked roads in a number of eastern cities as unrest continued over the postponement of the election in three areas. the us environmental protection agency has said it will look at relaxing the limits on dangerous emissions from coal and oil—burning power plants, saying the costs to the industry are too high. environmentalists fear looser rules will favour the coal industry at the expense of public health. the italian government is expected to call a confidence vote later, in a bid to approve its controversial 2019 budget. the document, which had to be changed in accordance

to the european bloc‘s fiscal rules, needs to be approved by the end of the year to take effect on january the 1st. the acclaimed israeli author, amos oz, has died at the age of 79. his daughter confirmed his death on twitter, saying he had cancer and suffered a rapid decline. over a 50—year career, amos 0z chronicled his country's rise from the ashes of the holocaust and internal struggles among jews and arabs. a major incident‘s been declared over the rising number of migrants trying to cross the english channel in small boats. the british government believes it's only a matter of time before lives are lost. almost 80 migrants are known to have arrived in the past four days. the latest were intercepted on friday morning. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy has been following the story. it's been another flat, calm day in the channel here behind me, which is why we've seen yet more crossings. two more today.

two boats with a total of 12 men on board. that brings the total to about 220 migrants who've made this crossing just since november. which is why tonight, the home secretary, sajid javid, has declared this a major incident. huddled in life jackets, these were some of today's arrivals off the coast of dover. two boats, with 12 more men, in what's becoming something of a surge in the numbers of migrants crossing the channel. they'd managed to make it despite the presence of this border force cutter, that we filmed off folkestone today. the boat is currently the only one available to patrol this part of the channel. tony smith, who once ran border force, says it isn't enough to stop a disaster at sea. out on the channel, we do need more capacity to enable us notjust to spot these small boats, but also to intercept them. and i think it needs an international effort, really, in collaboration with the french law enforcement

agencies, to prevent them from coming in the first place. the government says that although this is the only border force cutter currently patrolling off the coast of kent, they don't want to put more resources into this, for fear of attracting more migrants. the argument being that if the migrants and smugglers in france get wind that it's safer to cross the channel, then they'll be tempted to make the crossing. tonight, the home secretary, sajid javid, declared these crossings a major incident, and said he is considering whether to bring in another patrol vessel. so why is the government reacting now? well, in addition to today's 12 migrants, there were 23 people who crossed yesterday, and a0 more on christmas day — making a total of around 220 people since november. really what we need to do is to stop people making these journeys in the first place, so more patrol boats is part of the answer,

but it's also having the resources on the ground we need, and working in partnership with the french to identify the gangs and stop them making the crossings in the first place. but refugee groups say until any new measures are brought in, we have a duty to let migrants land safely. these people have an absolute right to claim asylum here, they know that — there's no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker, these people have a right to come and seek asylum here. we want the government to be making it easier for them to do that, so they don't have to risk their lives. the intervention of the home secretary puts these channel crossings onto a higher level of government priority. but with the calm weather and a limited number of physical options to change things quickly, we're likely to see more migrants trying to make it to our shores. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in dover. scientists say the volcanic eruption which triggered the tsunami in indonesia last week was so powerful that it destroyed two thirds of the volcano's

height and volume. the giant wave devastated nearby coastal areas, killing more than 400 people. here's our science correspondent, jonathan amos. there is little doubt now that the cause of the tsunami was a sudden catastrophic failure of the western flank of anak krakatau. europe's sentinel and radar satellites have been able to pierce the ash and cloud in the area to allow researchers to see what remains of the volcanic cone, and make some initial measurements — and the data is sobering. what was once a volcano reaching 340 metres high is now little more than 100 metres tall. something in the order of 160 million cubic metres of rock and ash have gone, says indonesia's center of volcanology and geological hazard mitigation. not all of this would have entered the sunda strait in one go, but it certainly explains the volume of seawater that must have been displaced to generate so destructive a set of waves at nearby coasts. jonathan amos, bbc news.

drjanine krippner is a volcanologist. she told me more about these satellite images and what they show. it is impressive. the majority of the point above the sea level is actually gone now, and that is clearly the cause of the tsunami that occurred. how unusual is it to get that level, that scale of collapse? these collapse events are relatively rare. if we think of mt st helen's in 1980, that was a magnitude larger than this collapse. and is it still at risk? we have seen the images there, and the scale of what has gone, but is there more to go, as it were? is it still a risky area? there is still a risk. but with a smaller amount of material it is in much

smaller risk now. does that mean people in the area need to not worry so much about that one, but obviously look elsewhere at what other potential risk sites there are? they should still be aware of whatever news is coming from the government, but people need to know that there might not be warnings of localised tsunamis like this. people have to be very aware of their surroundings and if they see anything unusual in the ocean, evacuate. yes, this points to a kind of restriction on the warning system, that you cannot get enough warning time if the event is so close to the shoreline. exactly. the normal tsunami warning systems are not designed for tsunamis triggered this close to shore. what is the answer, then? are we just in a situation where we are stuck having to put up with these natural disasters that have these devastating consequences? we just don't have any scientific way of trying to reduce the risk? at the moment we are quite limited

by the technology we have. most tsunamis are triggered further out at sea, so that is what the tsunami warning systems are designed to do. to warn people of these more severe and more common sin armies. but as far as these close to shore tsunami events go, we just have to know what to do in case something happens. is there any kind of hope? is there more investment? is their research going into specific areas? what is the future look like? there is a lot of research going on into tsunami warning systems. i am honestly not sure about these close to shore systems, it is very difficult and technologically limited. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: how the rarest bird in the world, a duck from madagascar, is being saved from the brink of extinction. 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: president trump has threatened to close the us—mexico border unless congress provides the funding for his wall. there's been an explosion on a tourist bus in egypt close to the giza pyramids. four people have been killed and several others injured. a troubling trend of rape videos going viral in india has led many to believe that smartphones and easy access to violent porn could fuel sexual violence. but is banning pornography the answer? many believe the lack of sex education is fuelling the appetite for violent and misogynistic videos. as part of our 100 women season — divya arya has this special report young indian men are watching porn online like never before. pornhub, considered the world's biggest porn website, says india is its fastest growing market.

and now it's third largest consumer after the us and the uk. it has changed everything... one man decided to find out about the impact this porn viewing was having on young indian men. he wrote a book inspired in part by his own story. i was dating this girl who was very attractive but at one point i stopped feeling... i stopped getting aroused by her, and i would still get aroused very easily by porn. and that's when it hit me that there was something seriously wrong with me. this was a turning point for him but the research for his book threw up some other startling revelations. specifically about india, if you search for indian porn, again, just google it, and what will come up is a real life porn film filmed from phones or webcams, and more often than not it is done without consent. rape videos and rape pornography is huge. a few months back, i got a video in my smartphone.

it was filmed here. about a dozen young men molesting a 16—year—old girl, and one of them filming it. the video was shared with millions of indians via social messaging apps like whatsapp, youtube and facebook. the video is too distressing to show. but we are using the audio. the girl cries out in hindi begging the boys, whom she calls brothers, to stop. we are in bihar, one of india's poorer states. like many parts of rural conservative india, low—cost smartphones and cheap data have made sexually explicit content suddenly accessible here. translation: smartphones have become very popular over the past two years. the internet is having a bad influence on our children. 0nly10% are using it for information.

everyone else is just watching films on it. the indian government is trying to ban some porn sites. it says such content promotes sexual assault. but some, like the equal community foundation, believe that change can only come by talking to young men about sex and consent. translation: even leering at a girl from a distance and making sexually explicit remarks is harassment. india has a sex education programme. but with patchy implementation it is still a long way to go in changing attitudes towards women. divya arya, bbc news, india. i want to bring you a bitter breaking news we are getting at the

bbc, from reuters, reports of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hitting off the philippines. specifically saying it is hitting off the southern island of mindanao, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and tsunami waves are possible. that comes from the pacific tsunami warning centre. but so pacific tsunami warning centre. but so far no reports of any damage or casualties, of course we will keep you right up to speed on this with any news as we get it. we know a 7.2 magnitude earthquake has hit off the philippines. one of the world's rarest birds — a species of duck called the madagascar pochard — has been given a new home. a team of conservationists have released a small group at a lake in the north of madagascar. as our science correspondent victoria gill reports — it's the first step in the recovery of the species. 0n the brink of extinction.

the madagascar pochard was thought to have been wiped out completely, but a tiny group of the birds was rediscovered just 12 years ago, at one remote lake. wetland habitats here have been so polluted and damaged that the birds were forced into a last untouched area. but as pristine as it looks, this final refuge is actually too deep and too cold for the pochards to thrive. they are clinging onto existence in a place that isn't really suited to them. the threats that they face across the rest of madagascar — which is why they've been wiped out so extensively — are vast and range from sedimentation, invasive species, pollution, poor agricultural practices. a whole suite of different things that combine to make the perfect storm that really make it hard for a species like the madagascar pochard to survive. so conservationists embarked on a painstaking rescue mission. after bringing a few birds into captivity to start a breeding

programme, the researchers scoured madagascar for the best possible site to bring them back to the wild. lake sofia, in the north of madagascar, will be the pochards‘ new home. and for the world's rarest birds, the team has developed an extra level of protection. well, it might be bit of a different climate here in gloucestershire compared to madagascar, but the team at the wetlands here have been able to develop this floating aviary. the idea is, it'll keep the birds safe and get them accustomed to their new lake. there they go, swimming off, swimming off... the doors to their floating aviary have now been opened and the pochards are venturing out to explore. it's a small — but significant — step, conservationists say, in saving one species from extinction and in protecting madagascar‘s threatened wetlands. victoria gill, bbc news. the monty python star michael palin has been knighted and model twiggy has been made a dame in the new year honours list. more than a thousand people have been recognised, including british divers who helped

save a youth football team trapped inside a flooded cave in thailand. lizo mzimba has all the details. do you want me to what? you want me to go round the world? michael palin says he's immensely grateful to receive a knighthood for services to travel, culture, and geography. i'm very surprised. i've done lot of things in my life. none of which i felt was totally worthy of such recognition. but maybe the cumulative effect is one of some kind of achievement. the world's top fashion cover girl was taking the german city by storm. leading fashion figure lesley lawson, better known as twiggy, has been honoured for her work in the arts, charity, and fashion. this honour is huge for me. i didn't expect it. it was completely out of the blue, a shock. but the nicest shock in the world. who wouldn't want to be dame twiggy? how many of of you?

13? 13, brilliant. british divers involved in this year's thai cave rescue have received awards for their bravery and expertise. some of our team received letters a little while ago. we were asked if we would be prepared to accept some awards, which we very graciously said thank you, thank you for. it's nice for the team to be recognised. must be the happiest englishman in the british isles tonight. in the world of sport, england rugby figure bill beaumont has received a knighthood. a knighthood too for record—breaking batsman alistair cooke. following the world cup, england football manager gareth southgate becomes an 0be. captain harry kane, an mbe. and made an 0be, welsh tour de france winner geraint thomas. when it comes to creatures like otters, it's not always terribly productive... in the world of entertainment, presenter chris packham becomes a cbe for his work in nature conservation. while westworld actress thandie newton becomes an 0be for her film and charity work.

as does downton abbey star jim carter, for services to drama. as in previous years, the majority of honours have gone to people who aren't in the public eye, and who never expected this kind of recognition. andrea aviet has been recognised for her work campaigning against domestic abuse. it will always be, until the day i die, i'm going to continue with this cause. but, definitely, getting an award like this means the world to me, because, you know, it just shows others. she's just one of the many people being honoured for exceptional work that's made a real difference. lizo mzimba, bbc news. britain's royal mail has apologised after a stamp design it planned to issue, commemorating the d—day landings 75 years ago — showed the wrong image. the design in fact showed us troops landing in what was dutch new guinea — today's indonesia — thousands of kilometres from france. the stamp was due to be released as part of a best of british collection.

just before i go i want to bring about breaking news again. we have news from reuters news agency of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake off the philippines, specifically off the southern island of mindanao. a tsunami wave as a result of this earthquake are a possibility within 300 kilometres of this site, that is according to the civics in army warning centre. although so far, i should say, we have had no reports of any damage or casualties. —— pacific tsunami warning center. we will keep you up—to—date on that. you're watching bbc news — do stick with us. and don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones. ali back with the headline are

shortly. bye—bye. —— i will be back. hello there. here comes your weather forecast for the rest of this year and i have to say, for many of us, it doesn't bring any huge changes. it's going to stay pretty mild through the next few days. mostly dry as well although northern parts of the uk are going to see some bursts of rain and some brisk winds at times as well and that's certainly the case during saturday. this little area of low pressure moving across northern scotland. providing wet weather through the first part of the day. some windy weather too and the wind for all of us coming from the south—west, bringing this mild air in our direction. so we start off saturday morning with outbreaks of rain in parts of scotland but the worst of it looks likely to have cleared away by the time it gets light. still a few hefty showers through the morning and also some gusty winds.

the black arrows here show wind gusts in excess of 40mp, might get close to 50mph on high ground but northern ireland and england, perhaps the north midlands and wales will see some extra cloud, maybe the old spot of brain around. but the south, mainly dry and rather cloudy and murky to the day and as we had deeper into saturday, many areas will brighten up, particularly across scotland, sunshine across northern ireland and northern england and perhaps the midlands later in the day. should brighten up nicely. further south, or more in the way of cloud and we keep that mild feel in the south, temperatures coming down as the weather gets on in the norther half of the uk. we move out of saturday to sunday and we do it all again. we bring more wind across northern areas of scotland and england, much of it clear by the end of the night, the further south you go mostly dry. mild air returning once again from the south—west. sunday looks like this, some patchy rain. it'll mostly clear, but could linger for a good part of the day across the northern isles and largely dry, a lot of cloud in the west. best of brightness for northern scotland, north—east england. those temperature is still pretty impressive for this time of year. into the last day of the year, monday, new year's eve, it's looking like another largely dry day.

areas of cloud, mist and fog and patchy rain at times. again, those temperatures in double digits. if you're out celebrating in the evening, this is the weather set—up. high pressure in charge, a weak frontal system in the north, so patchy rain and here we have the high pressure, still a lot of cloud trapped underneath it stood midnight, i'm expecting it should be dry but rather cloudy and a bit murky as well. this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump has repeated his threat to shut the us border with mexico unless congress agrees to fund his controversial plan to build a wall between the two countries. the dispute, prompted by illegal immigration, has caused the partial shutdown of the us government. a tourist bus in egypt has been hit by a roadside bomb,

near the giza pyramids, killing three vietnamese tourists and a local guide. the authorities say 12 other people were injured. two of them are in a critical condition. the british home secretary has declared a "major incident" after a surge in the number of migrants trying to cross the english channel in small boats. 75 people have reached the uk in the past three days and at least 221 people have attempted the crossing since the start of november. now on bbc news, it would be an understatement to say tensions have been high between russia and the uk in 2018. but what do younger russians really think of their british counterparts?