welcome to bbc news. i'm martin stanford. our top stories: houthi rebels in yemen say they're beginning to pull back from a key port as part of a un—backed ceasefire deal aimed at delivering vitalfood aid. on the eve of a critical presidential election, candidates fail to agree over how to avoid polling day violence in the democratic republic of congo. with more than 200 people arriving in the past two months, the uk government defends it's handling of the increase in migrants crossing the channel. after the christmas chaos at gatwick, sussex police say some of the drones seen over the british airport may have belonged to their own force. the actress damejune whitfield, best known for her roles in the british sitcoms terry and june and absolutely fabulous, has died at the age of 93. yemen's houthi rebels say they have begun to withdraw from the key

stretegic port of hodeidah as part of a ceasefire to allow in urgently needed food aid. the houthis control most districts of hodeidah, including the port, through which most food and humanitarian aid enters yemen. a un team arrived in the city last week to oversee the ceasefire. here's our arab affairs editor sebastian usher with more. it isa it is a small sign of hope in yemen. the apparent implementation of the first stage of a hard—won deal on hodeida, agreed to let un sponsored talks earlier this month. houthi rebels say they are pulling back from the port, which is the key lifeline for some 1a million you

many is —— yemenis. houthi spokesman said control of the port was being handed to the coastguard in line with an agreement reached in sweden. the houthis now expect the pro—government site to site its redeployment away from areas of the city of hodeida its forces have taken in their recent offensive. the man leading the un mission monitoring the ceasefire was on hand. he is due to hold a meeting on new year's day with representatives from both sides, to discuss the next age. —— stage. the security situation in hodeida remains shaky. sporadic firing from both sides has marred the truth came effect earlier this month. the city is functioning. in the countryside, some have taken refuge in makeshift camps, doing their best to ward off the threat of famine, just like many millions of their fellow famine, just like many millions of theirfellow yemenis. it famine, just like many millions of their fellow yemenis. it is yet another sign of how vital it is for the hodeida deal to work and give momentum towards a wider resolution of the conflict.

i spoke earlier to hisham al—omeisy, a yemen analyst, and asked him whether the ceasefire was holding. it is. there have been a few violations, but it has been largely holding up, the ceasefire. and does that mean that the flow of aid and food can reach all parts of yemen, as it should? not necessarily. it is as it should? not necessarily. it is a little bit more complicated on the ground. you have to remember, there are also seizures in yemen. in terms of the blockade, it is notjust about the saudis, it is within yemen with the houthi. they are besieging other places. when you talk about the aid flowing into the country there are a lot of hindering factors. you have people manning checkpoints from various factions, it is not just checkpoints from various factions, it is notjust the houthis hindering the flow of aid. sebastian earlier mentioned about the flow of aid through hodeida, he is right, it is

not just a matter of through hodeida, he is right, it is notjust a matter of getting it through the harbour, it is also about distributing it across the country. there are lots of other issues when it comes to distributing it across the country. you have various militias, notjust the houthis. and they are also taxing that aid, wherever it goes. so when you go from hodeida to the capital, sanaa, there are checkpoints which will tax the aid. so although the aid does get through it trickles down to the people. and there is only a very token force, it forces the right word, from the un, representatives, really, there to make sure that the two sides keep to the terms of the ceasefire in sweden. do you think they can be effective? they can be effective. i have started working around hodeida. —— they have started. there is an issue there, because lots of people are employed from within hodeida, and within hodeida the houthis a very strong control. so you end up

handing the port to people from hodeida who are largely houthis to begin with. so for now, for instance, the government are accusing the houthis, saying they are trying to shift control from one faction to another faction which also belongs to the houthis. so you have this mistrust issue, and the redeployment of forces around hodeida, the un needs to step in and say, ok, although there will still be houthis controlling infrastructure, it will be asked of the un, who have the final call. it is asked who will be running the port. because there is mistrust 20 many factions. that is why the un is in there in the middle to manage the port. —— mistrust between two many factions. let's get some of the day's other news. egypt says it has killed a0 people it accuses of planning attacks against tourist sites and state institutions. the country's interior ministry says it happened on hideouts in giza and north sinai after it received intelligence that attacks were being planned. police launched the raids a day after the deadly bombing of a tourist bus near the pyramids outside cairo. flights at germany's hannover

airport have resumed after they were suspended when a man drove a car onto the tarmac. police were able to overpower the man and stop the car. police say there's no evidence of a terrorist motive. italy's parliament has approved a revised budget for the next year amid complaints from the opposition that it was dictated by the european union. the budget proposals were passed with 327 votes in favour and 228 against. the new budget watered down earlier big—spending measures to avoid disapprovalfrom the european union. security forces in bangladesh are on high alert as the country prepares to go to vote in general elections. more than 600,000 security personnel have been deployed. the prime minister, sheikh hasina, is seeking a third successive term. her main rival is in prison for corruption. the campaign was marred by opposition complaints of intimidation and violence. the head of the electoral commission in the democratic republic of congo

has said that rival candidates in sunday's presidential elections have refused to sign a statement which spells out terms to avoid violence during the polling. during talks held in the capital, kinshasa, emmanuel ramazani shadary, candidate of the ruling coalition, told journalists he had put his name to paper to avoid bloodshed. but opposition figures said they would not endorse the peace pact, because officials had rejected changes they had suggested to the text. the run—up to the election has been marred by violence, particularly after the postponement of the election in three areas. the vote is already two years late and has been forced on presidentjoseph kabila, in power since 2001, by popular and international pressure. the country currently has the largest deployment of un peacekeepers in the world, and the bbc‘s reality check team has been investigating why they are there. the democratic republic of congo is

one of the largest united nations peacekeeping missions in the world. —— has one of the largest. 0ver 15,500 soldiers and police, as well as civilians, are involved. as the country holds long delayed national elections across this vast, unstable nation, we ask, why are peacekeepers there? and when will they leave. millions have died in the country's civil conflicts over many decades, ina civil conflicts over many decades, in a country with continued instability and a broken infrastructure. un peacekeepers were first deployed in 2000, to help maintaina first deployed in 2000, to help maintain a fragile ceasefire between rival factions. maintain a fragile ceasefire between rivalfactions. since then, as maintain a fragile ceasefire between rival factions. since then, as their mandate has grown, they have greatly helped the peace process in the country. but despite this, violent incidents continue. the cost of the peacekeeping mission has also risen dramatically, and currently stands

at well over $1 billion a year. it is also costing the lives of peacekeepers. in order to fully understand what's going on in the country, though, you have to look below the surface. the drc is a country rich in natural resources worth trillions of us dollars, and much of the conflict is centred around mining areas. both government and rebel forces seek to maintain control of the most lucrative areas. and foreign mining operations extracting minerals seek stability and protection. un forces operate in these unstable regions, maintaining a fragile peace. so, with the violence still continuing and rebel groups still operating, when might the peacekeepers be able to leave? groups still operating, when might the peacekeepers be able to leave ?|j don't the peacekeepers be able to leave?” don't think the un mission will wrap up don't think the un mission will wrap up any time soon. i think it will probably wrap up in the next decade and a half, and that is because you

have instability in the eastern part, but also the issue of security throughout the drc is very volatile. many congolese people are disappointed by the un mission because despite their presence, security has far from improved. the drc government has also repeatedly said the mission should leave our 2020. and a new un resolution this year called for all parties to form an exit strategy. pressure is building for a withdrawal of the un forces, but it is far from clear what impact their departure will have on the fractured country. the 2—year—old boy whose yemeni mother fought for a us visa to visit him in hospital, has died. abdullah hassan was on life support by the time his mother was granted a us visa to visit him. she was initially prohibited from traveling to the us because of president trump's ban that restricts yemeni nationals from entering the country. a street of cars has been set alight in paris as the so—called yellow vest movement enters its seventh week.

the vehicles were set alight near the le parisien newspaper building in the capital, where some demonstrators were gathering. a number of roads across the country were blocked on saturday as thousands of demonstrators marched on city centres, with some protests turning violent. turnout for the movement has dropped with organisers blaming the festive season for the slump in numbers. the uk government has insisted that it's working "very effectively" with france, to tackle an increase in the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. more than 200 people have arrived since the start of november and there have been calls for more patrol boats off dover. earlier the immigration minister held talks with border force officials. richard lister reports. you're iranian? you have to be desperate to make this journey. these migrants were picked up crossing the channel earlier this month. 0thers arrived yesterday — part of a growing number using ill—equipped boats to flee war zones, persecution and poverty.

in dover today, the immigration minister met border force officials to consider their response. the home secretary, sajid javid, cut short his christmas holiday to tackle what he is declared a major incident. the government says french cooperation is vital. what we want to make sure is that we continue to work with the french, so that people are prevented from leaving beaches in northern france, to make sure that we are providing joint operations, both in terms of intelligence and policing. the number of migrants heading for these shores is minuscule compared to the million or so who tried to cross the mediterranean three years ago. but the figure is rising — up from about a dozen or so who successfully crossed the channel last year to more than 220 who have made the crossing since the beginning of november alone. so why the sudden surge? in the autumn, french police intensified efforts to clear migrant camps around dunkirk and calais,

leaving large numbers of people looking for ways to leave france. secret filming by the bbc a few weeks ago revealed that people smugglers have now become increasingly organised in helping migrants cross the channel. translation: a boat, it will cost you £3,000—4,000. it is border force vessels like this one that have to intercept them. there is only one on active patrol here at the moment, and some say there should be more. there is no resilience within border force. we've got no spare capacity to increase and put resources into trying to stop this, trying to deal with these large numbers as they arrive. we are stripped to our bare bones. there is nothing more that border force has got to give. the government is weighing up whether deploying more patrol boats would deter migrants and save lives, or if it would give these desperate people more of an incentive to make the crossing. richard lister, bbc news, dover. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come, the heartwarming tale of how a puppy — who had become trapped in a frozen lake — was rescued by a turkish police diver. 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 news. the latest headlines: houthi rebels in yemen say they're beginning to pull back from a key port as part of a un—backed ceasefire deal aimed at delivering vitalfood aid. 0n the eve of a critical presidential election, in the democratic republic of congo, the candidates fail to agree over how to avoid polling day violence. the comedy actress, damejune whitfield, has died. she was 93. she was best known for her roles in the bbc comedies absolutely fabulous and terry and june as well as starring in a number of carry on films.

her career began in the 1940s and she was still working up until a couple of years ago. sarah campbell now looks back on her life in entertainment. kiss me, kiss me, bite me! bite me! i can't, dear, i'm a vegetarian! in a career spanning seven decades, june whitfield played alongside some of british comedy‘s greatest talents. what's it like, living in the jungle? well, it's... drums play. it's rather dull and boring, really. i realised very early on that i was never going to play the glamorous, you know, leading lady roles. and serious roles, i always thought, ooh, i'd better not do that. they might laugh at me. and laugh they did.

as a comedy performer, she first found fame on the radio in the 1950s, appearing in take it from here oppositejimmy edwards. but june whitfield's ability to conjure characters seemingly at the drop of a hat saw her become a foilfor benny hill and frankie howerd. in the 1970s she teamed up with her regular comedy partner, terry scott, in terry and june. hello, darling. i'm having awful trouble deciding what to give you tonight. well, you can start on an explanation. i'm talking about food. what about eating out? what about the garage? 0h, i'd much prefera restaurant. it was gentle, undemanding comedy, hugely popular, and ran for eight years. # wheels on fire. but, to younger audiences, june whitfield will be best known as edina's mother in ab fab.

inside of me, there is a thin person just screaming to get out. just the one, dear? and, even in old age, she continued to delight audiences on programmes like radio's news huddlines. a versatile and reliable performer to the end. dame june whitfield, who'd died at the age of 93. british police have acknowledged that some of the sightings of drones over london's gatwick airport may have been devices belonging to the force. an estimated 140,000 people had their travel plans ruined as experts tried to find the illegal drone operators between december 19th and 21st. police say they have not yet found the drone that caused the runway closure. gatwick airport is offering a large reward for any information leading to the arrest of those responsible. 0ur correspondent andy moore has been following the story. last weekend, police said they found

a damaged drone near the perimeter of gatwick airport and they thought this may well have been the drone that caused problems for about 140,000 people. well, today giles york said that, in fact, two drones had been found near the airport but he was ruling both of them out of police enquiries. again, last weekend, a senior officer from the force said there was a possibility there were no drones over gatwick. mr york said today that was not the case. he said, "i'm absolutely certain that there was a drone flying throughout the period that the airport was closed." he also said for the first time, i believe, that police drones were used to search the area and search for suspects and that they could have caused some confusion. 115 sightings of this rogue drone, at least 93 of them credible, say police, but no video footage. thousands of people have marched through the serbian capital, belgrade, in the latest mass protest against president aleksandar vucic and his governing serbian progressive party. 0pposition groups accuse mr vucic of being autocratic and establishing

total control over the media. the protests against him began after an opposition leader was beaten before a political gathering in central serbia last month. authorities in the peruvian capital, lima have destroyed a mausoleum housing the remains of eight left—wing shining path rebel fighters. the local mayor said the bodies of the rebels who were killed in a prison uprising in 1986 were relocated within the cemetary before the mausoleum was destroyed. siberia may be the last place you'd expect to find cutting—edge cryptocurrency mining, but conditions in the remote russian region are ideal and when our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford travelled to irkutsk she discovered some surprising characters involved in mining for bitcoins. meet marina — a babushka who mines for bitcoins on her siberian porch. "here's the machines that make

a noise and make me money", she tells me. as those machines whir and mine for virtual currency, marina has been converting that to real cash to top up her pension. it's no wonder she takes care of the things, she's travelled all over europe on the money. translation: they said to me, "marina, why don't you buy some mining machines?" i said "ok", and i don't regret it. the machines paid for themselves in eight or nine months. and marina's been putting the hot air from the machines to good use. "you can dry the washing here and make dry tomatoes, like in italy", she says. "the dried pumpkin was pretty tasty too." and she's not the only miner in irkutsk. you might not immediately think of siberia as a high—tech hub, but the conditions here are ideal

for mining bitcoins. there's cheap power from a hydroelectric plantjust up the river here, and there's the harsh climate itself, it can drop to —40 here in the depths of winter — perfect for cooling all those mining machines. that's why when yuri's karaoke bar was struggling, his family got into bitcoins in a big way. they are cryptocurrency pioneers here. that includes yuri's mother, valeria. irkutsk, it's a crypto capital of russia. for this business, you don't need to be a great specialist because it's an easy system. you only put your computers on electricity and the internet. valeria's miner is here at the family farm. there are gaps in the racks now, where clients removed their machines when the bitcoin‘s value crashed, but valeria hasn't abandoned her dream.

translation: i want some money i've earned myself, and i want a lot of money. when the bitcoin is worth1 million, like my son say, then i'll be able to leave my grandchildren a very large inheritance. it is a dream drawn big here, of a new gold rush, this one for virtual cash, and the babushkas of siberia are leading the charge. sarah rainsford, bbc news, irkutsk. a puppy has been saved from a frozen lake by a police diver in turkey. the rescuer feared the worse but said it was miracle that she survived. lets take a look. ‘s new year's eve is fast approaching ‘s and one of the biggest celebrations is in new york where they've been rehearsing. is flying right out of time square.

no, it's coming back! confetti blew across the crowds in times square, but it was just a practice run for the big bash itself — and the confetti went everywhere. let's hope the strong winds subside before the real thing! thank you for watching bbc news. we have had some quiet weather over recent days with high—pressure mostly in charge. it has been a bit wet and windy across northern parts of the uk. but this picture was taken on of the uk. but this picture was ta ken on saturday of the uk. but this picture was taken on saturday by one of our weather watchers in sterling. as we head through the next couple of days and last few days of 2018, are mostly dry theme will continue. cloudy, certainly mild. there will bea cloudy, certainly mild. there will be a bit of rain, especially across

the northern half of the uk, particularly scotland over the next few days. we had a weather front pushing west to east over parts of scotla nd pushing west to east over parts of scotland and england but it is high—pressure largely dominating. atley actually start where we have clear skies for longest overnight. we start with a lot of clarke. —— a chilly start. best of the sunshine will be eastern scotland and eastern england. further west, thicker cloud will bring drizzle and perhaps some low cloud miffed over the hills in the west, too. temperatures 10— 12 degrees, still relatively mild for this time of year. we keep that reasonably mild and largely dry theme through the course of sunday evening and overnight. still a bit of light rain and patchy drizzle for northern and western parts. clearer skies for a time towards the east. monday morning, this is the dawn on new year's eve, we should be largely

frost free conditions but perhaps some fairly chilly weather across some fairly chilly weather across some eastern areas where there are clear spells. high—pressure well and truly in the driving seat on monday. weather fronts to the far north—west and tighter isobars here. breezy conditions with patchy rain. much of the uk, new year's eve monday is looking pretty much the same as the last few days. largely dry, a fair amount of cloud and the best of any sunny spells will be eastern counties of england and scotland. temperatures ten or 11 degrees for new year's eve on monday. if you have plans to see in the new year overnight, most of us should stay dry. fairly cloudy conditions but a spot or two of rain in scotland and perhaps northern ireland. this is courtesy of this weak weather front slowly slipping south as we head into new year's day but for most of us, high—pressure still in charge of the weather. our largely dry still

mild picture on new year's day but things are turning colder and a little bill wintry as we look ahead into the first week of 2019. this is bbc news, the headlines: houthi rebels in yemen say they have begun to withdraw from the key stretegic port of hodeidah. the move is in line with a un—backed ceasefire aimed at delivering urgently needed food aid. the houthis control most districts of the city, through which the majority of aid enters yemen. on the eve of the presidential election in the democratic republic of congo, opposition candidates have refused to sign an agreement aimed at preventing violence. they say officials failed to make changes in the text that they'd requested. tensions have increased after the electoral commission postponed polls in several regions. the uk government has insisted it's working "very effectively" with france, to tackle an increase in the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. more than 200 people have arrived since the start of november. local politicians have called for more coast guard boat patrols. now on bbc news,

some of the world's most important news stories in 2018 have been brought to us by freelance journalists, often working