this is bbc news, i'm vicki young. the headlines at two: happy new year, all of you. the home secretary chairs a meeting with the border force and other agencies, as he attempts to deal with the rising number of migrants trying to cross the channel. 39 people are arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a stabbing in west london. the uk's political leaders deliver their new year messages — with a focus on britain's departure from the eu. and new zealand, samoa and australia welcome in 2019. huge crowds gathered around sydney harbour an hour ago to see in the new year with a spectacular display of fireworks. and in half an hour i will look back at the momentous year for royal family — including a memorable royal wedding. that is review 2018, the royal year. the home secretary,

sajid javid, has held a meeting with the border force and the national crime agency to decide how to tackle the growing number of migrants attempting to cross the english channel. more than 200 people have attempted the crossing since november — many of them iranian citizens. in the latest incident, twelve migrants — including a child — were found by border officials this morning near dungeness in kent. 0ur report from simon jones contains flash photography. back on the beach, the police and border force were called this morning, after another group of migrants arrived on the kent coast. just as the home secretary returns to the country amid a barrage of criticism that the home office has failed to get a grip on the situation. sajid javid says he is deeply

concerned about the number crossing the channel by small boat. more than 200 people have arrived in the past two months. he's been meeting officials from the home office and border force, but he's warning there are no easy answers. he's pledged to increasejoint patrols with the french. writing in the telegraph, he said the reason behind the increased crossings were complicated and often outside our control. he said the problem was being fuelled by instability in the middle east. conditions in the channel remain very calm. there is very little wind. it is mild for the end of december, so it seems inevitable in the coming days there will be more attempts to get across the channel in small boats. but there is also a growing clamour for something to be done to stop it. the mp for dover wants the home secretary to come to the town to see for himself what they are facing. i hope sajid javid will come to visit dover and see how things are here at the dover front line, and look to create a modern dover patrol force with the french to make sure any craft found in the channel, whatever side of the line they are, are helped back safely and soundly

to the french coast. one group which supports migrants in kent says they shouldn't be demonised. we have to hold onto the fact that these people, however desperate they are, are our brothers and sisters in humanity. that's what we need to keep reminding people about. and they're refugees unless proved otherwise. but while the number arriving continues to grow, so does the pressure on the home secretary. simonjones, bbc news, dover. well simon sent us this update, about the most recent migrants who were rescued this morning off the coast of kent. well people are concerned, there seems to be no end in sight to migrants trying to cross the channel this small boats. this morning police were called at about 8.30 to great stone. there was a group of migrants who had arrived. the home

0ffice have not confirmed exactly how many were in the group, but someone how many were in the group, but someone who saw the border force and police on the beach seizing the boat said they thought they saw seven or eight, including possibly a child. the dover mp wants the home secretary to come to the town. he believes there should be more cutters in the channel and he believes all boats in the channel should be sent back to france. now that would require a new agreement with france, because at the moment, if they're found in british waters, the migrants have to be brought back here. there is talk of closer co—operation with the french, but the home secretary, perhaps, has not raised that idea yet, but they're talking of more joint patrols raised that idea yet, but they're talking of morejoint patrols in raised that idea yet, but they're talking of more joint patrols in the coming days. 0ur political reporter jessica parker is at the home office where, sajid javid is chairing his meeting, she gave us this update. he started chairing this meeting at

around 11am, involving borders force officials, national crime agency officials and other departments. but we have been hearing from the prime minister's spokesman who said theresa may supports the work sajid javid is doing to tackle the problem. this issue of cut e the specialist patrol boats and the claims too few have been deployed, that came up, but no ten said it is a matter for that came up, but no ten said it is a matterfor the home office. but it isa a matterfor the home office. but it is a matter that is under review. reports that theresa may asked even instructed sajid javid to come home from his holiday in south africa have been discussed today and no ten said that is not the case and sajid javid returned of his own volition. but it is clear the political pressure is being directed towards no ten on to sajid javid on this issue. theresa may has a few matters of her own to deal with and we understand she has been speaking to

her european counter parts as she tries to deal with brexit. 39 people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an argument in a shop in west london led to a man being chased and stabbed. the victim — who's in his 30s — was found with life—threatening injuries in the early hours of this morning. 0ur correspondent keith doyle is in hammersmith. u nfortu nately unfortunately stabbings in london are not uncommon. there has been a big increase in knife—related crime this year and on this, the last day of the year, this another victim fighting for his life. what is notable in this is case was the police response and the number of arrests. it started off as a minor argument according to the police and ended up with one man seriously and 39 people arrested. the man was

stabbed after being chased by a group of men and women following an argument. the suspects then went into a party at a near by flat. these are all policeman. this video shows the police arriving. the police said because those at the party would not co—operate, they decided to arrest them all. each person is lined up and arrested. about 50 police officers marched down down the reed and brought into the house and brought 30 or 40 people and they were arrested and we re people and they were arrested and were ta ken away. people and they were arrested and were taken away. the police admit making so many arrests at this early stage of an investigation is unusual. but they said because of a lack of co—operation and the necessity to secure essential evidence, it was appropriate to bring so many people into custody at this stage. two knives were

recovered close to the scene. those arrested are being questioned at a number of police stations in london. within the last few hours we have seen within the last few hours we have seen forensic teams working at the scene of the crime, just behind us here on the top of the road here. the party took place in a flatjust here to the side of me. so the police forensic teams have been scouring the area and taking essential evidence. they have also recovered two knives. there has been a huge increase in knife crime this year, over 40,000 knife—related crimes in london in the last year that figures have been available and the mayor has promised to crackdown on this and we saw last night a huge police response and as far as we know, still 39 people in custody this afternoon. that is keith doyle reporting from london. political leaders have

focused on brexit in their traditional new year messages. jeremy corbyn accused the government of making a mess of britain's departure from the eu. in a video released by the labour party, mr corbyn says his party is ready to deliver a radical but fairer alternative to mrs may's deal. i'd like to wish everyone a very happy new year. there is so much talent across britain but we are being held back by a system that for too long has only served a privileged few. now the conservatives have plunged the country into crisis, over the complete mess they have made of brexit, trying to drive through a bad deal and letting people down all across the country, whether they voted leave or remain. eight years of damaging tory failure has left us with a divided country where millions are struggling to make ends meet. where so many can't afford a home to call their own. where older people are deprived of the dignity they deserve, and far too many are working low paid and insecure jobs. we cannot go on like this.

labour is ready to deliver a radical alternative, to rebuild and transform our country. we will stand up to the powerful few so that the wealth you create is shared fairly, not hoarded by a privileged elite. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, used her message to say her government would seek to keep scotland at the heart of europe. she said european union workers would always be welcome, regardless of what happens in the next few months. in the yearahead, the scottish government will continue to do everything we can to protect scotland's place at the heart of europe. however, whatever the outcome of brexit, scotland will always offer a warm welcome to the world. in fact, our reputation for being an open, warm—hearted, hospitable country has never been more important. i want to make that especially clear to the hundreds of thousands of nationals from other european union countries who have done us the honour of choosing scotland as their home. i know that this is a deeply

uncertain time for you, but i also want you to know that your contribution to our national life, to our economy, communities and society, is hugely valued. you will always be welcome here. of course, 2019 will not simply be about brexit. we will also keep on with the day to day business of government. we will redouble our efforts to support and invest in our key public services such as the nhs and our education system. we will continue our expansion of childcare and press ahead with our new scottish system of social security, making life fairer and helping those most in need. we'll bring you the prime minister's new year message, which we're told will be released tonight. the us ambassador to the uk, woodyjohnson, has cast doubt on britain being able to negotiate

a wide—ranging free trade deal with america if the brexit agreement put forward by theresa may is approved. president trump has previously said that mrs may's proposals "sounded like a good deal for the eu". mrjohnson told the bbc that america was watching events closely. in bangladesh, prime minister sheikh hasina has won a landslide victory in the general election — securing her third consecutive term. her ruling party and its allies won nearly all the seats in parliament. the opposition — who won just seven seats — has rejected the result saying the it was rigged and has demanded a new vote. the russian president vladimir putin has visited the site of a devastating gas explosion in the central russian city of magnitogorsk. rescuers are searching for survivors after the blast in a block of flats which has killed at least four people, with a further 70 unaccounted for.

national television said some 50 people could be trapped under the rubble including seven children. more than 100 people live in the building and two more sections of the soviet—era high—rise are in danger of collapsing. the headlines on bbc news: the home secretary is chairing a meeting with the border force and other agencies, as he attempts to deal with the rising number of migrants trying to cross the channel. 39 people are arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a stabbing in west london. the uk's political leaders deliver their new year messages — with a focus on britain's departure from the eu. almost two thirds of councils in england didn't prosecute a single driver for misusing a disabled parking permit over the past year according to figures from the department of transport. during that time more than four thousand blue badges were stolen.

the organisation representing local authorities said tough decisions had to be made about enforcing the system when resources were limited. john mcmanus reports. they're a lifeline for around 2.4 million motorists who have some form of disability. blue badges allow holders to park free of charge in pay—and—display bays, and for up to three hours on yellow lines. that makes them potentially very valuable, and the number of badges reported as stolen rose to more than 4,000 last year. yet data from the department for transport shows that most councils in england, including middlesbrough, nottingham and shropshire, failed to take action against a single motorist for misusing the permits over the last 12 months. of those that did, the largest number of prosecutions were in three boroughs — hammersmith & fulham, and newham in london, and leeds. the body representing english local authorities has said tight finances are a problem but prosecutions have almost doubles over the last four years and that some help

from a vigilant public is welcome. not all people that use blue badges have a disability that is visible. so, sometimes people misunderstand why somebody might have a blue badge. but it's best for the council to investigate. almost every one of the 1200 prosecutions last year involved drivers who were using someone else's blue badge. blue badges are a lifeline, they are not a luxury. they enable people who might have certain impairment conditions to get closer to a building, to get around more easily. there have been disabled parking permits in the uk since 1970. since that time their colour has changed from orange to blue and they have become widely accepted by the motoring public. charities say for that to continue, police and councils must crack down on this abuse. john mcmanus, bbc news. investors will be glad to see the back of 2018 after many global stock markets suffered their worst

year in a decade. the ftse 100's traditional early new year's eve close saw it end the year down 12%. big european and asian markets faced similar losses in 2018. i'm joined now by justin urquhart—stewart, co—founder and director of seven investment management. thank you for coming in. first, looking back on the year, why the fall? why the 12% down for the ftse? what you have seen, the ftse is a very international index. it is not just uk. about 70% of the 100 companies are not in sterling. there isa uk companies are not in sterling. there is a uk index and that was doing even worse. that was down about 20%. you have seen a reflection of what has happened around the world. particularly the ftse100, the mining and oil companies and the oil

companies have been suffering as the oil price has been coming down unexpectedly. the us doing better than us, but they're market was down, some 8%. not as bad as china, which was down by 25%. really the worst was turkey, down 39%. so com pletely worst was turkey, down 39%. so completely the opposite to what we saw last year, where everything had been going up. the reason for that is it anything to do with the trade wa rs is it anything to do with the trade wars that we have been hearing about? there is a series of things, the trade war has an impact notjust on trade, but the outlook, stock markets are supposed to discount what will happen 18 months ahead. the idea that global trade will be affected and is being affected and it is not just affected and is being affected and it is notjust impacting on china, but affecting american, because of the goods they're importing. this impacts on global trade and it

affected china and america and has an over all effect on the word. we heard of the donald trump and the miracle he is working with the american economy. has it been good? it has been good to be jobs? american economy. has it been good? it has been good to be jobs7m american economy. has it been good? it has been good to be jobs? it has been good forjobs. the economy has done well and is probably on a sugar rush at the moment. most of the recovery was courtesy of the 0bama administration. he has come on the coat tails of it and added a push with tax cuts that companies have benefitted from and they hope that investment will go into new plants. most of it seems to have gone into executive share options and they're at it again. the americans are doing well and the fed, their version of the bank of england, have been raising rates, on the basis that rates are going up, because the economy is doing well and they're concerned for inflation, but more to

the point when the economy slows, they can't cut the rates. this annoyed the president, who doesn't seem annoyed the president, who doesn't seem to know much about economics. saying that the fed is wrong and they should understand and feel the market. not sure what he means by that. but they have been trying to anticipate problems in the future and they'll probably happen next year. but we will see a turn in the markets. we have had a long bull markets. we have had a long bull market and it doesn't mean it ends in recession, but the good times of growth will end and you will see a level of pull back. this is what you have been seeing this year. now the eurozone. how have they been doing, brexit has dominated their object. is it brexit has dominated their object. isita brexit has dominated their object. is it a mixed bag. the eurozone had been picking up but germany's economy has started to go into a slightry verse. ry —— slight reverse. angela merkel, the leader for so many years, that everyone has

relid on, we has handed over power, to whom? we don't know. and we have italy just to whom? we don't know. and we have italyjust agreeing to whom? we don't know. and we have italy just agreeing its to whom? we don't know. and we have italyjust agreeing its budget. a perverse government of right—wingers and left—wingers in the same regime that you wouldn't expect at all. so there is a word made up, quit—italy. would italy quit? 0f there is a word made up, quit—italy. would italy quit? of course they won't. and france have has been in a mess with people in yellow vests. economies don't like instant, in germany the change of leader you would think wouldn't affect the economy. it is a matter of confidence. that is the one word that runs the economy. if we we don't have confidence people don't spend or invest. what ever your views on brexit, the fact that we haven't made up our minds that is

the worst thing and you have seen investment going elsewhere. i know of two american companies that said they wanted to invest in britain light and that turned out to be dublin. dublin is now nicknamed ca nary dwarf, because dublin. dublin is now nicknamed canary dwarf, because they're taking invest that would have gone to london. now looking ahead, for the uk, brexit will be a huge impact on the economy here. what do you think? the good news is and you have to start with with some good news, the global economy is doing well. it is never a headline that people seek, it is growing at 3.5%. it will be slowing down a bit. considering where we were ten years ago with the largest financial explosion that is not bad. we will see growth, but it will be lower and slower. markets

will be lower and slower. markets will look forward to see is there going to be a us recession or will the economy be going on to the lower level. you will still be seeing some growth there. particularly bearing in mind companies paying dividends and for investors that is the figure, the compounding of returns. notjust figure, the compounding of returns. not just where the figure, the compounding of returns. notjust where the stock market ends up. we will hold you to your predictions this time next year. nhs emergency services across cities and towns in england are preparing themselves for what's expected to be their busiest night of the year. many ambulance services come under extra pressure dealing with new year revellers who need urgent medical care. last year for example north west ambulance service saw a 50% increase in emergency calls on the night of new year's eve (ani) and a dramatic 170 per cent increase in calls to assaults — that was compared to an average saturday evening last year. to tackle the extra work load, they say they'll have 30% more staff working tonight. and an extra 79

ambulances on the road nhs england announced before christmas it was pledging up to three hundred thousand pounds to fund so—called "drunk tanks" over the festive period. the supervised units are places where party—goers who have overindulged can be checked and allowed to sleep it off. the chair of the alcohol health alliance, sir ian gilmore, said that anything which helps to relieve the pressure on the nhs was welcome, but it was merely a sticking plaster. the government does need to tackle the underlying cause, which is alcohol. and it is not people getting drunk out in the streets on a new year's eve, it is getting drunk at home and then going out causing trouble. until government falls into line with scotland, ireland etc with plans for a minimum

unit price this will continue. you think this the main answer, minimum alcohol pricing to get the message across, we hear a lot of health advise about drinking, is that message not getting through?‘ advise about drinking, is that message not getting through? a key driver of how many people drink and how much harm we see is the price, availability and marketing. the government has failed to tackle those. we need to treat those that do get into trouble and these drunk ta nks do get into trouble and these drunk tanks are one way. this is perhaps unproven, its may take some pressure off emergency departments in hospitals. but it not tackling the underlying problem. the severn bridge was closed temporarily this morning following reports that someone had climbed one of the towers and was flying a drone from it. police say a man in his

twenties has been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance. the road was closed in both directions while officers dealt with the incident. the equalities watchdog is suing nhs england for failing to offer fertility treatment to all transgender patients. when a person changes their gender they are often left infertile but the freezing of eggs or sperm before treatment gives them the chance to start a family later in life. a bbc investigation found that around a quarter of local nhs areas in england freely offer fertility treatment to transgender patients. ashley john—ba ptiste reports. cruella is 22 and a transgender woman. she transitioned from a male at the age of 16. back then she couldn't get her sperm frozen for free. i essentially can't be a biological parent and i do believe it's unfair that transgender women and men aren't given the opportunity like anybody else would. to bea

to be a parent. because i feel like everybody deserves that. that opportunity to have a child and to have a family, no matter what their situation is. according to this fertility specialist, nhs cutbacks means other patient groups may also miss out on treatment. you have things like cancer patients, young people with other fertility threatening therapies, who may also not get fertility treatment. we asked nhs england for an interview. they declined, but gave us this reply: max is 22 and works at this indoor sky—diving centre in manchester. marks was born a boy, but identifies as neither male nor female, but what is known as non—binary. two years ago when max began transitioning, they weren't offered the option to freeze their sperm, so did it privately. max prefers the pronouns

"they" and "their". i want kids some day, so i was asking if i would be able to get that covered on the nhs and my gp told me that i wouldn't be able to. the choice between a family and going on hormones is not something that people should have to make. i have been on testosterone gel now for four months. jackson is a transgender man from leeds. he was offered fertility treatment, but rejected it. i feel that we get enough to start with through the nhs and we get a lot, you know, surgeries, the medication that we need, but then also have like after care, we have a gender clinic to go to. there is that many now transgenders out there, male and female, who are going through the process. during the time of cutbacks, many might question whether the nhs can afford this treatment. but for many transgender activists, this is about equality. many people around the world

have already welcomed 2019 in various cities — where dazzling fireworks displays have taken place. in new zealand, thousands gathered by auckland's sky tower to see in the new year. and this was the scene at sydney harbour bridge — where millions gathered to watch what was said to be the city's biggest fire works display ever. 0ne one and a half million people watched the display from the harbour and 1.1 billion people were watching that globally. so quite a sight there. everyone looking ahead to

celebrations in the uk later. particularly of course london and edinburgh. now they may have just brought in the new year in sydney but that's not the only amazing sights to be seen down under. this is a group of cane toads hitching a ride on the back of a python in western austrailia — apparently as a means of escaping flood waters. this might look dangerous for the toads — but they carry a poison on their skin that could be deadly to the snake — who was wise enough not to take a bite. i think we will stick to the fireworks. now time for the weather. no problems in the run up to new year. midnight hour. we do still have a lot of cloud across the uk. that is the way the weather will

stay. just a few breaks in scotland and to the east of the pennines. wherever you are, it is mild. temperatures up to 13 across some eastern areas of scotland. in the north—west of scotland, a cold front brings rain that will push south. then it gets windy behind the front. gusts up to 75mph in shetland. blustery conditions spread into the mainland. to the south in england and wales for the run up to new year, midnight hour, it is a cloudy affairand mild at year, midnight hour, it is a cloudy affair and mild at around seven celsius. the cold front pushes southwards, just a few spots of rain on that. as it clears into new yea r‘s on that. as it clears into new year's day, more sunshine for scotla nd year's day, more sunshine for scotland and across much of england. but as the sunshine comes out