a company with no record of doing business is given millions of pounds to transport goods in the event of a no—deal brexit. seaborne freight claims its ferries will carry lorries from a port in ramsgate that hasn't been used in five years. why use a company that's never moved a single truck in their entire history, and give them £14 million? the department for transport insists the company was carefully vetted. also tonight: more migrants arrive in kent as the home secretary cuts short his christmas holiday to deal with the rising number of channel crossings. violence and claims of vote—rigging in bangladesh's general election, as the governing party is returned to power. and bath battle back to beat leicester in rugby union's premiership. good evening.

the department for transport has defended its decision to award a contract worth nearly £14 million to a shipping company that's never done any business. as part of the government's preparation for a no—deal brexit, seaborne freight has been contracted to transport goods vehicles between ramsgate and ostend in belgium. a bbc investigation has found that the company, which was formed less than two years old, has no trading record and no significant assets. this report by our business correspondentjoe miller does contain some flashing images. these are the large ferries that will carry dozens of lorries across the channel to relieve congestion at dover in the event of a no—deal brexit, as soon as march. —— thousands of lorries. but while two large international shipping firms have been awarded contracts to provide extra crossings from locations like portsmouth

and plymouth, one british business has been handed millions of pounds by the department for transport on the promise of providing this terminal with a regular route to belgium. ramsgate‘s commercial port has been dormant for the best part of five years. currently, no large ferries depart from here. but the government has given almost £14 million to a firm called seaborne freight, which has never sailed a vessel and has no significant assets, to get a regular service up and running injust three months. as of a couple of months ago, the compa ny‘s total share capital was valued at £66. and this is seaborne freight‘s website, which says it serves the needs of cross—channel freight traffic, and claims that freight ferry services operate between ramsgate and ostend, even though there is as yet no such service in operation. one local councillor told me he believes seaborne is in no position to provide any service. as a conservative, ifeel that as a shell company,

which is a company that exists just on paper, it is a complete waste of money, £14 million of taxpayers‘ money, to provide what will be an unsustainable service across the channel here at ramsgate. the department for transport acknowledges that seaborne freight, which was set up by seasoned shipping industry figures, is just a start—up, but insists it was carefully vetted. and the company's chief executive is adamant it will have ships to provide a service in time for brexit day on the 29th of march. but when we asked them to name the vessels it would use on the route, the company declined to do so. a campaigner who opposes the use of ramsgate as a commercial port had a simple question in response. if you have ships, you can name them. everybody in the industry does not believe that seaborne freight has any access to ships at the moment. the government hopes it will not have to resort to contingency plans. it prefers a negotiated exit from the eu. but regardless of whether

seaborne‘s services are ever needed, it could keep some taxpayers‘ money. another example, say critics, of a failure to plan properly for a no—deal brexit. joejoins me in the studio now. do we know any more about the process behind the department for transport giving this company a multi—million—pound contract? well, we know that for some time, the government is believed that in other no no—deal brexit, it will need extra capacity at ports other than dover to prevent congestion on roads down to the coast and to make sure vital supplies get through extra customs checks in times. but it's only in the past few weeks that the department for transport has started issuing contracts to shipping firms, two contracts to establish international firms were significantly to onto this small british company with no track record to speak of. the department didn't seem keen to publicise this

contract, putting them online with no great fanfare on christmas eve. it is also worth noting that without this £14 million contract to seaborne freight, the contracts would have gone only to two eu firms, one danish and one french, and they would have been the biggest beneficiaries of the contingency plans for a no—deal brexit. plans for a no-deal brexit. thank you very much. the home secretary has said britain and france will step up action to deal with the growing number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. sajid javid, who has returned early from his christmas break, said he'd discussed the situation with his french counterpart. more than 200 migrants have made the journey in the past two months. today, six iranian men were found at kingsdown in kent. from there, alexandra mackenzie reports. cold, wet and exhausted — iranian nationals on a beach in kent. they arrived on an inflatable boat this morning. they received medical assessments and were questioned by immigration officials. this afternoon, the beach was busy with locals. it is fairly calm today,

it is quite mild, but that's just not a crossing that people should be making. the home secretary has spoken to france's interior minister. in a statement, he said... these are the shores that migrants are desperate to reach. but what happens next depends partly on how the problem is tackled across the water in france. here in dunkirk, volunteers help the migrants. it is thought government attempts to clear camps has led to organised crime gangs encouraging many to leave france. in boulogne, locals say boats have been stolen to aid these journeys. translation: here it is very easy

to get a boat to go to england. to steal a boat is easier than stealing a car. if you use a professional fishing boat, the maritime authorities think it is a fisherman going fishing. back in kent, the coastguard helicopter surveys the shoreline, as many other migrants are expected to risk their lives on this perilous journey. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, kingsdown. our political correspondent alex forsyth is here. how significant is it that the home secretary cut short his holiday to deal with this, and how much pressure is he under? there has been criticism of how the home office has handled this, including within the conservative party. that is why sajid javid has come back to try and show he has a grip. today he had a phone call with the french interior minister, i'm told it was significant and

productive. there will be increased patrols and extra surveillance. tomorrow he will chair a meeting of whitehall officials. he has declared this a major incident already. there are some people who have pointed out that in the context of the global refugee crisis, the number of migrants trying to reach the uk is still relatively small. some say that sajid javid, who is tipped as a potential future conservative leader, should use this to brandish his own political credentials. he has given an interview to the daily telegraph in which he says there are no easy answers, but he will take action, and as the number of migrants increases so does the pressure on how the home secretary handles this. in bangladesh, the party of prime minister sheikh hasina has been declared the winner of the country's general election. but the main opposition parties have condemned the result and demanded a new vote, amid accusations of vote—rigging. at least 18 people have been killed in violent clashes. our correspondent yogita limaye is in the capital, dhaka. her report does contain some flashing images. clashes outside a polling centre in dhaka.

they spot a reporter and try to stop him from filming. it was just one of the many violent incidents in bangladesh on election day. others were more deadly. but in large parts, polling did go off peacefully. bangladesh's prime minister, sheikh hasina, has been in powerfor ten years, but she is confident she will be back. tonight the election commission declared yet another victory for her. she's been credited with bringing development to the country and tackling islamist militancy. but her government has also been accused of cracking down on the opposition. two days before the polls, i asked her to respond. look, all the allegations they are making, but they couldn't prove it. on the one hand, they are placing allegations and on the other hand, they are attacking our party workers and leaders. the opposition has now called for a fresh election. people have been killed,

people are being arrested, candidates have been arrested. it is unprecedented. unprecedented. these are workers from prime minister sheikh hasina's awami league standing outside a polling booth, and this is something we have seen across the city of dhaka today. behind me, the political posters you can see are also from the same party. in contrast, the presence of the opposition on the streets is really hard to find. translation: i was a bit worried that my vote might have been stolen, but i did get to vote. translation: all the parties did not get equal opportunities to campaign. that is why i did not cast my vote. in one part of bangladesh, the bbc saw ballot boxes which had been filled even before polling began. now those and all the other boxes are being opened and counted. it victory, but also a controversial

one. yogita limaye, bbc news, dhaka. a man who died after a minibus overturned in the scottish borders yesterday has been named by police. rossjones barker was 59 and came from port seton in east lothian. the group had been on their way to kelso races. our correspondent david cowan sent this report. some of the men who survived this said they felt lucky to be alive. 23 of them were on board a private minibus heading from midlothian to the kelso races. the tarmac showed where it's worked off the road. a group of men who had been on the minibus gathered today at a bowling club, some of them clearly still in a state of shock, none of them would be interviewed but they wanted to thank two groups of people, members of the public who stopped here and offered first aid, blankets and cups offered first aid, blankets and cups of tea. and the emergencies —— emergency services who dealt with the aftermath and ferried them to

hospital. aged between 24 and 75, many of the group were regulars at this community run pub in the village of newtongrange.” this community run pub in the village of newtongrange. i know my neighbour across the road, he got out hospital last night with concussion. his father—in—law was under the bus. very serious. these are people i know. 59-year-old ross jones barker was pronounced dead at the scene. six other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. all are said to be in a stable condition. david cowan reporting there. new year's eve travel on some of the country's busiest rail routes is likely to be disrupted by another strike in the long—running dispute over guards on trains. members of the rmt union on south western railway will walk out for 24 hours. long queues and broken voting machines have disrupted voting in the democratic republic of congo's presidential election. voters have been choosing a successor to presidentjoseph kabila, who's been in office for 17 years. the election is expected

to bring the country's first democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960. from kinshasa, louise dewast sent this report — it contains some flashing images. elections are under way and they are chaotic. these people came to vote, but were turned away. this polling station wasn't ready, yet the country's electoral commission has had two years to prepare. presidentjoseph kabila himself was able to vote. people desperately want change. in kinshasa, a sprawling city of 12 million people, most live with no electricity or water, despite the country's immense mineral wealth. the election means the future to me, so i have voted for the candidate who will bring for us a bright future. as he promised us to fight the poverty and to bring back the justice in the country.

people here are very aware that this election could be flawed, that the vote could be rigged in favour of the ruling party's candidate. presidentjoseph kabila has repeatedly said that these elections will be free and fair, but not many here believe him. the fear is that president kabila wants his chosen successor to be in power so he can keep pulling the strings behind the scenes, and then run again in the next elections. translation: we have always been afraid of vote—rigging, but we don't have a choice. we come to vote, but i really don't know if my voice will count or not. if these long—awaited elections are not seen as credible, this could trigger violence, and ultimately worsen the humanitarian situation in this conflict—ridden country. a lack of stability here could destabilise the entire region. louise dewast, bbc news, kinshasa.

200 years ago, around a third of argentina's population were black. but today, very few people admit to being of african descent. despite their huge and historical influence on society, black argentinians still face racial discrimination and are often treated as foreigners in their own country. our correspondent celestina olulode reports from buenos aires. there is nothing more argentine than the tango, but many are unaware that its roots are african. for the afro—argentines whose families descended from the slave trade, they often feel like they've been written out of history, and invisible to fellow argentines. mistaken as foreigners,

these are the people who face racism today. translation: i belong to an ethnicity that has been systematically denied. it hurts. it's deep, and it remains with you throughout your time. translation: it makes me feel angry to have to explain that i'm argentine, because my ancestors did a lot for this country. argentines are always trying to be white and european, and this is why they feel that everything black is bad. jose delfin acosta died whilst in police custody 22 years ago. his brother, angel, who is of mixed heritage, sastose was beaten to death

by racist police. the government says the case is being investigated. it's also been referred to an international court. translation: racism didn't end with the death of my brother. racism is still around. and ifeel very lonely when i'm defending my brother, because the organisations don't do anything. 200 years ago, a third of the people in this city were black. now, official estimates claim that argentines of african descent make up less than 1% of the population of this country. although many people dispute this, something i put to the government. how can you do yourjob effectively when so many people here that i've spoken to say that there are no afro—argentines here? translation: for a long time, society was not educated or informed, and did not value the contribution of afro—argentines. we are changing this trend. we need to recognise

we come from this history. it's a hard task, but one which will help this country redefine its true national identity and celebrate its african heritage. celestina olulode, bbc news, buenos aires. now with all the sport, we're joined by reshmin chowdhury at the bbc sport centre. good evening. another busy day in the premier league. match of the day 2 has the action after the news, but if you want the scores now, here they come. manchester city ended a two—game losing run with a 3—1win over southampton at st mary's. the victory keeps the champions in touch with league leaders liverpool, who they face next. elsewhere, burnley won their first match in four, beating west ham. chelsea beat crystal palace. and manchester united got their third win in three under temporary manager ole gunnar solskjaer, beating bournemouth at old trafford. manchester city's win puts them seven points behind liverpool

going into the new year, ahead of that crunch match at the etihad on thursday. while chelsea have opened up a five—point gap in the table over fifth—placed arsenal. the woman who'd been announced as the next chief executive of the premier league has told the organisation she's no longer taking up the position. susanna dinnage had been due to start one of the most powerful roles in british sport in 2019, succeeding richard scudamore, who is stepping down after 19 years. bbc sport understands dinnage has decided to stay in broadcasting at discovery, where she is global president of the animal planet channel. russia could face new sanctions, as it's set to miss tomorrow's deadline to hand over data from its anti—doping laboratory, bbc sport has learned. in september, the world anti—doping agency?lifted a three—year ban on the country for state—sponsored doping — on the condition that samples from its moscow lab were transferred by the 31st of december. ?

but senior wada officials now privately accept that the deadline will lapse — and the country could be banned once again from sporting events. ? bath and leicester used to dominate english rugby union. but the tigers are enduring their toughest season in the premiership and things didn't improve when they travelled to the west country to face their old rivals. while in the pro 14 there was a rare welsh derby win for dragons, as andy swiss reports. they were once the giants of english by, they were once the giants of english rugby, but of recent times have been tough for bath, they have however been easy for their opponents. leicester are enduring one of their worst seasons ever, although the might not have guessed it from this. jonny may racing through to give the visitors an early lead. but that was about as good as it got for them, as bath bulldozed back. leicester bobby has stopped jamie roberts but they hadn't. and that try was soon followed by an eagle muscular second. putting the hosts on top at

the break. after it, they sealed victory with the pick of the bunch. rory mcconnachie with a burst of individual brilliance. at 23—16 win for bath and no shortage of celebration. but the try of the day surely came at newport where dragons won a welsh derby match in the pro 14 for the first time in four years. and how! this length of the picture special as dragons beat ospreys 23-22. special as dragons beat ospreys 23—22. for them and for him, not a bad day's work. there's more on the bbc sport website — including an unspectacular return for the australian cricketer cameron bancroft, after a nine—month ban for ball—tampering. back to you. that's it from me and the team, have a very good night. this is bbc news. a british couple whose son was murdered by his chinese wife have won custody of one of their grandchildren after a long legal battle. ian and linda simpson are due to return to the uk later this week after reaching a deal during a court

hearing over christmas in china. but they've been forced to leave their other grandchild behind. laura westbrook reports. eight—year—old jack and six—year—old alice have been at the centre of a long international custody battle. their british father, michael, seen here with them, was stabbed to death in his apartment in shanghai by his estranged chinese wife last year. weiwei fu is now serving a life sentence for murder. since their dad's death, jack and alice have been living with their chinese grandparents. they haven't been told what's happened to their parents. their english grandparents want to raise them in the uk. in a heartbreaking decision, they agreed to a custody deal to bring just their granddaughter alice back to the uk, leaving jack with his chinese family back in china. they will also have to pay them £10,000. ian simpson says bringing both of the children to the uk is what his son would have wanted. michael raised them very much in a western style. they spent a lot of time, they spent

two visits a year over here. they speak english and... they were already talking about a divorce, weiwei, and she was... weiwei was happy that the children would go with michael. because he was the real carer. so as far as we're concerned, that's where they should be. he's told the bbc that their campaign to have both of their grandchildren back in the uk will continue, but for now, these two siblings will live thousands of miles apart. now, from tuition fees, technical education, apprenticeships, to mental health in young people. 2019 is set to be an interesting year in education. our education correspondent has been looking ahead at some of the stories that could dominate the year. it is going to be a busy and

interesting year for education. the government is trying to work out what to do about tuition fees. an independent panel is looking at how we should pay for education after the age of 18, and they are due to report back as early as february. now, we know that already one of the ideas they are considering is variable tuition fees — different fees for different types of courses. but what they say about technical and vocational education could be just as important. many colleges are also struggling with their finances. the government might have to act on apprenticeships. the new apprenticeships. the new apprenticeship levy isn't working out quite as expected. the number of apprenticeships to start has fallen bya apprenticeships to start has fallen by a third and the budget is already overspent. money, money, money is also what schools are worrying about. the government says school spending in england is at its

highest level ever. but many head teachers say it doesn't feel like that on the ground. so you can expect them to continue campaigning. pa rents expect them to continue campaigning. parents with children with special needs or disabilities also face challenges. the government has just given an extra £250 million over the next two years to councils in england but councils say thatjust doesn't go far enough and parents are beginning to bring court challenges. and mental health and well—being of young people is also top of the list for many parents and also for schools. there is growing concern about an epidemic of anxiety and self—harm, so you can expect to hear a lot more about what schools can or should be doing to help build resilience in young people. many of us will be thinking about what new years resolutions we would like to stick to in 2019, with

exercise being one of the most popular things people want to do more. but there's not much more one particular 90—year—old can actually fit into his current regime. i'd like you to meetjohn carter. he is the back flipping daredevil who loves baseball, skiing and even diving. i just love his presence and positivity, how he's lived his life, so ijust wanted to share that story with you. the unstoppable john carter. the unstoppablejohn carter. time for a look at the weather. the final weekend of 2018 has been mild and this was the scene in hereford earlier