this is bbc news. the headlines: the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has won the support of the house of commons for a second reading of his brexit bill. the vote brings britain nearer to departing from the eu at the end of january. this is bbc news, i'm reged ahmed. parliament, now dominated by the conservatives, our top stories: britain is on course passed the bill with to exit the european union, as parliament votes in favour of borisjohnson‘s brexit bill. a large majority. now is the time to act together, as one reinvigorated nation, one united kingdom. at least six people have been killed in india as police tried to contain a further day of protests about a new citizenship law. at least six people die in northern police used tear gas and batons, india during another day of big but denied firing on demonstrators. the law allows fast—track protests against the country's new citizenship law. citizenship for religious refugees from neighbouring countries the duke of edinburgh is admitted to hospital for what buckingham palace describes as treatment but excludes muslims. for a pre—existing condition. and stuck in orbit. why boeing's mission to launch to the international space station there are more catastrophic fire didn't quite go as planned. warnings in australia for saturday in three parts of new south wales, with temperatures set to hit the mid—40s celsius. the australian prime minister, scott morrison, has apologised for going on a family holiday to hawaii while his country was dealing with the

bushfire emergency. the british parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of legislation that marks a huge stride towards britain leaving the european union, after nearly half a century. eight days after its sweeping election victory, borisjohnson‘s conservative party smashed through the stalemate that followed the referendum in 2016. the withdrawal agreement now approved in principle by mps says the uk will leave the eu on 31 january. it imposes a transition period until the end of 2020, during which britain will still abide by eu rules. it says the uk will pay the eu a divorce bill of around £33 billion, and it sets out a plan for dealing with the northern irish border, with a possible customs border down the irish sea. here is our deputy political editorjohn pienaar.

we're leaving — we're through the looking glass. everything looks the same, but nothing will be the same again. the last, lonely protester was there, fighting a cause that today became officially lost. the ayes to the right — 358. the noes to the left — 234. cheering. a thumping victory for borisjohnson‘s eu divorce deal. but from the start, today, his big win was guaranteed. he came with an appeal for unity, on his terms, to seek reconciliation in tones of triumph. this is the time when we move on, and discard the old labels of leave and remain. in fact, the very words seem tired to me. and so now is the moment to come together and write a new and exciting chapter in our national story, to forge a new partnership with our european friends,

to stand tall in the world, to begin the healing. this moment in history was his. 3.5 years after the referendum, the new pm felt strong enough to declare britain after brexit would set its own rules and standards, not follow the eu's. the very essence of the opportunity of brexit is that we will no longer outsource these decisions. with renewed national self—confidence, we will take them ourselves. and that is what worried his beaten rival. we warned before the general election the prime minister's brexit deal was a terrible deal for our country, and we still believe it's a terrible deal today. this deal will be used as a battering ram to drive us down the path of yet more deregulation, and towards a toxic deal with donald trump, and... what is new in the withdrawal agreement bill? the pledge to match eu workers' rights, like other earlier compromises, has gone.

ministers now say a new uk law will guarantee those rights. 0n child migrants, no eu obligation now to take in unaccompanied minors with british relatives, but the pm says the uk will go on taking them in. and no extended brexit transition. the law will require the uk is clear of eu rules by december 2020, with or without a deal. so the pm winning the brexit war doesn't mean peace. the snp sees brexit as a spur to independence. the people of scotland must have their say over their future, rather than the broken brexit britain that he wishes to impose upon us. the election and brexit has left a bitter legacy, wounded brexiteers feeling vindicated, remainers defiant on their pro—european values. those values are now under threat from this trumpian, populist government, from right—wing populism, and bigots everywhere.

we were told we were fascists, we were nazis, we're extremists. and what did we want? all we wanted was to honour the referendum. brexiteer ministerjacob rees—mogg kept a low profile during the election. not today. at last, we've got the result that we need. we will now get brexit, a majority of 124, and the sun is metaphorically shining. and look at this at the bottom of your screen — the uk's celebrity pm signing autographs for tory mps. so reason for celebration in government tonight. we will leave the eu by 31 january at the latest. but defining and negotiating britain's future relationship with the eu, and the world, could be tougher and take longer than boris johnson predicts. no doubt who is in charge now, or whosejob it is to make brexit work. there have been more mass protests in india over a controversial new citizenship law. at least six people have been killed in the demonstrations. critics say the legislation

discriminates against the country's 200 million—strong muslim population, with many fearing they could become stateless. but the move by prime minister narendra modi is popular with his hindu supporters. from delhi, here is rajini vaidyanathan. is this a moment of reckoning for the world's largest democracy? as anger over a controversial citizenship law intensifies, scenes of defiance, protesters ignoring cu rfews, police accused of heavy—handed tactics. hundreds of thousands across this vast and diverse nation have taken to the streets to oppose a law they say discriminates against muslims. it offers fast—track citizenship for illegal immigrants from three neighbouring countries, except muslims. the government says it is to protect religious

minorities fleeing persecution. india prides itself on its secular principles. the right to equality for all citizens. but many fear that, by making religion a condition of citizenship, that core fundamental principle is now at stake. muslims say they are living in fear. the government is planning to publish a nationwide register of citizens, in which everyone would have to prove they are indian. those who can't would be considered illegal immigrants, with only non—muslims afforded protection under the new citizenship law. "i don't trust the government," she tells me. "if they don't accept my documents which prove i'm indian, then what will i do?" pressure is mounting on indian‘s prime minister narendra modi,

but he still has huge support for his hindu nationalist agenda. tonight in delhi, a group of his supporters came out to defend the citizenship act. a lot of people are saying that it is against muslims, but it is not against muslims. it is only against — it is only for. it is not against anyone. it is for minorities in three neighbouring countries, pakistan, afghanistan and bangladesh, where islam is the state religion. this week's large—scale protest represents the first real dissent against mr modi's government. some fear the country is inching closer to becoming a hindu state. and worry that india's secular soul is at stake. the international criminal court's chief prosecutor says she believes war crimes have been committed in the israeli—occupied palestinian territories. fatou bensouda says she wants to launch an investigation, but needs the court to establish first if they have authority over these areas. kevinjon heller is a professor of international law

at the university of amsterdam. he says that the icc investigation will look at the behaviour of all forces in the conflict, notjust the israelis. that's the basic operating method of the court. it doesn't look at individual sides or specific individuals. it always tries to look at both sides of any particular conflict. and here, of course, that's not just israel, conflict. and here, of course, that's notjust israel, it's also hamas and other palestinian armed groups. do you think the court is likely to proceed with this, is likely to proceed with this, is likely to proceed with this, is likely to decide that it does have jurisdiction and it is going to go ahead? i do. i think it jurisdiction and it is going to go ahead? i do. ithink it would jurisdiction and it is going to go ahead? i do. i think it would be very surprising if the judges said that there was no jurisdiction here. palestine acceded to the rome statute more than four years ago. it

has been functioning as a state party at the icc since then. it's probably a little bit too late for thejudges to say, probably a little bit too late for the judges to say, oh, you've probably a little bit too late for thejudges to say, oh, you've been treating them wrongly for the last four years, you have to kick them out of the court. the icc, should it proceed and find fault with both the israeli government and hamas, what can it really do? well, it can certainly issue arrest warrants for the individuals that it believes are responsible for international crimes in palestine. now, whether it can actually obtain the suspects, whether it can obtain the evidence, that of course is very much a different story. it's probably unlikely, particularly on the

israeli side, that they would ever actually get their hands on somebody they wanted to prosecute, and that's a major problem for them going forward with the investigation. 0bviously forward with the investigation. obviously we have heard from israel on this. they are extremely unhappy that this is proceeding. could this have any impact on the conflict on the ground between israelis and palestinians? i don't think it will have that much of an impact on the ground. it may have some deterrent value for both the palestinians in terms of future crimes, perhaps in terms of future crimes, perhaps in terms of future crimes, perhaps in terms of the kind of ongoing violence towards protesters in gaza, but israel has made its position very clear on this issue for a long time. so i have a hard time seeing this latest development really having that much of an impact. this latest development really having that much of an impactm that's the case, why does the icc feel that it has to proceed in this way? well, it's been looking at the situation for five years, and there is no question that it is the most —— one of the most high—profile, controversial conflicts in the world today. there is no question that serious crimes have been committed

by both sides. i think it was very careful. it has taken its sweet time in getting here today. but i think it has finally realised that there just isn't any alternative but to open this investigation and hope that it turns out for the best. let's get some of the day's other news: officials in russia say they have established the identity of the gunman who opened fire at the headquarters of the country's main security agency, the fsb. 0ne fsb officer was killed on thursday, while a second has died from his wounds in the last few hours. another four people were wounded. the motive for the attack remains unclear. poland's parliament has passed a law that makes it easier for the government to fire judges, despite a plea from the european commission to wait. under the new legislation, judges can be dismissed, fined or demoted for dissent, including questioning the legitimacy of newjudges chosen by a government—controlled body. a pioneer of international development who founded the world's largest ngo has died. sir fazle hasan abed was 83. he founded the bangladesh rural advancement committee, also known as brac, in 1972. now operating in 11 asian and african countries, brac is said to have lifted 150 million people out of poverty. arsenal has formally signed mikel arteta as its new manager. the spaniard played for arsenal for five years, including a stint as club captain. he says he has to change the energy

at the club after a run of poor results. queen elizabeth's husband, prince philip, has been admitted to hospital in london. buckingham palace says the 98—year—old duke is being treated for a pre—existing condition. here is our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. nepalis says this is a precautionary measure. there is clearly concerned. he is 98 years old —— the palace. but i don't detect alarm. it is, though, reported tonight that he was brought from norfolk by helicopter. the palace is not confirming or denying those reports. that would suggest, of course, a degree of urgency, but we are told that he was

able to walk into the hospital. certainly the queen was showing no outward sign of concern, as the duke was being brought from norfolk to london, she was setting off by london, she was setting off by london —— from london by train to travel from sandringham to norfolk at the start of her christmas break, and certainly when she arrived at king's lynn station, there was no outward sign of particular concern. and other measures of the —— members of the royal family are continuing with their holiday plans. so now, what might this pre—existing condition be? the palace, again, saying nothing about that. we recall

that a little more than 1.5 years ago he had a hip replacement operation. six years ago he was treated for abdominal surgery. eight yea rs treated for abdominal surgery. eight years ago, the most serious health the pentagon said it has failed in its principal object of to capture manuel noriega and take him to the united states to face drug charges. a hammerand united states to face drug charges. a hammer and sickle was hastily taken a hammer and sickle was hastily ta ken away. in a hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. in its place, a russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. they broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cot bit of pan am's maid of the seas nosedown india. you can see

what happens a plane eight stories high underfoot pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist band lasting more than 20 years. dozens went to midnight mass in the town of skodjra weather anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: british members of parliament have backed the plan by the prime minister, borisjohnson, for britain to leave the european union at the end of next month. at least six people have died in northern india during another day of big protests against the country's new citizenship law. there are more catastrophic fire warnings in australia, with temperatures set to hit the mid—40s in parts of new south wales on saturday. prime minister, scott morrison, has apologised for being on holiday as the bushfire crisis worsens. this report from phil mercer. there's no end in sight to australia's brutal summer. many of the bush fires are unstoppable.

they are easily started and spread quickly. more lives have been lost and houses destroyed. in new south wales, 100 fires are burning, and the emergency services are stretched to the limit. the firefighting effort is a military—style operation. a squadron of water—bombing helicopters is supporting hundreds of boots on the ground. this is a giant air crane — a helicopter that is flying in to suck water out of the dam, to be used on the main fire front that's just over the ridge. and this sort of operation is happening time and time again. two volunteer firefighters were killed when a tree fell on theirfire engines south of sidney. —— sydney. the tragedy prompted australia's prime minister to cut short a holiday in hawaii. scott morrison has apologised

for going overseas during a time of crisis. it's just unfortunate that it's come at such an awful time, particularly for those living in and around sydney and new south wales. and it's just devastating to be here and seeing what's happening there, so i'm pleased to be returning. as the debate over the prime minister's leadership rages, so do the fires. for those on the front line, it's exhausting and dangerous work. it was scary. and, er, when you see flames come over the top of you, and it's that hot that you can feel the burning through protective clothing and masks, where you're actually breathing hot air and the air‘s hurting the back of your throat, it is hot. in south australia, a catastrophic warning has been issued, and emergency crews are battling 120 fires. parts of new south wales are bracing for similar conditions on saturday. officials say it would be a miracle if more homes weren't lost.

residents in vulnerable areas have been told to leave — while they can. phil mercer, bbc news, bago, new south wales. prosecutors in the uk have charged the wife of a us diplomat with causing the death by dangerous driving of a teenage motorcyclist in a road crash. after harry dunn died, anne sacoolas flew back to the united states under diplomatic immunity. extradition proceedings are now under way, but mrs sacoolas says she will not return voluntarily to the uk. duncan kennedy reports. ijust hope and hope that it's going to be the right choice today. harry's parents, charlotte and tim, travelled to london not knowing what today would bring. but, at the cps headquarters, they were told the main suspect was being charged with dangerous driving. harry's family have spent four months waiting to see if charges would be brought in his case.

we really do feel it's one huge step towards that promise to harry, and that in itself is one hell of an achievement, us as a family, to have. and, as parents, we can't be any more satisfied with ourselves. harry's dad, tim, was also moved by today's events. bit speechless at the minute. i'm still in shock from the meeting, and, uh... i'm sorry. anne sacoolas, here on her wedding day, has been interviewed by british police. she has been staying at a house outside washington. although there was no one in today, her lawyers said...

today's decision to charge anne sacoolas comes nearly four months after harry died, here on this road in northamptonshire. in statements through her lawyers, she has already admitted driving on the wrong side of the road. now, harry's family say it is time for her to return to britain. it was near this american air base the accident happened. harry was killed last august. two weeks later, anne sacoolas left the uk, claiming diplomatic immunity. last month, the family launched legal action against the foreign office for its handling of the case. they were so upset, they went to washington to plead for anne sacoolas to return. but the americans seemed reluctant, with the state department today expressing its disappointment over the dangerous driving charge. yet british lawyers say extradition is possible. i think they're extremely positive, because as far as i can see, every request that has been sent

by the united kingdom to the us has been successful. harry dunn's family and their supporters have fought this case together, and have been told the home office will launch extradition proceedings in the next week. his parents say they will now put up a christmas tree for the son they refuse to give up on. duncan kennedy, bbc news. two cruise ships have collided in the port of mexico's resort of cozamel. the ships belong to the luxury cruise operator carnival corp, who said the stern of a 290m—long vessel was crushed when it hit a second cruise ship of a similar size. one person was slightly injured while evacuating a dining room, but the operator has said the seaworthiness of both vessels has not been affected. america's progress towards being able to return to putting its own people into space has hit a hurdle. nasa hopes the boeing starliner could be used to ferry passengers to and from the international space

station — but a test flight in florida failed to go as planned. jonathan amos reports. and lift off for the starliner, a new era in human space flight. a new era perhaps, but notjust yet. boeing launched its starliner capsule on time from cape canaveral in florida, but the automated ship then failed to carry out its commands properly. when it came off the top of the rocket, it was supposed to fire its engines to increase its height. it did, but at the wrong time and for too long. the starliner put itself in the wrong part of the sky. it can no longer reach the space station and will have to come home. the american space agency has been overseeing the development of the capsule. nasa has provided milestone payments to help boeing bring the vehicle into operation. and despite the setback, the agency is staying positive.

if we would've had crew in there, number one, they would have been safe. to be very clear, our crew would have been safe. and in fact, had they been in there, we very well may have been orbiting or docking with the international space station tomorrow had they been in the spacecraft. so a lot of things went right today, and i want to be really clear, a lot of things went right and this is why we test and because we are now in orbit and because in fact elevating our orbit, we are going to get a lot more data and a lot more information in the coming days. so this is all very positive. nasa has not been able to launch its own astronauts to orbit nearly nine years. when it retired the shuttles in 2011, it ceased to operate space vehicles. and it bought seats to the space station in russian capsules instead. nasa would rather spend its money handling rides on american—built space taxi services. another enterprise, the california space—x company, has already completed a test flight of its astronaut capsule. the dragon craft made a flawless trip to the orbiting lab in march. space—x looks set to start flying astronauts for real in the next few months.

quite how far behind today's events put boeing is unclear. engineers will need to inspect the starliner when they get it back on earth. nasa is determined that it should have a choice of capsules in the future. boeing is certain to try again. jonathan amos, bbc news. before we go, let's remind you of the top story this hour. doris johnson's pledged to take the uk out of the eu at the end of next month has passed a significant milestone. that is after mps approved his withdrawal bill with a convincing majority. he said the country was 110w majority. he said the country was now one step closer to getting brexit done. don't forget, you can

get all the details of that withdrawal bill on our website. you can also get details by tom eddington about brexit and what the transition period will be like. good morning. what a miserable week of weather it has been for many of us, with some relentless rain, and that has brought a localised flooding. in fact, that has brought a localised flooding. infact, friday that has brought a localised flooding. in fact, friday afternoon, these were fairly typical weather watch pictures across parts of central and southern england in particular. in fact, central and southern england in particular. infact, by central and southern england in particular. in fact, by close of play on friday, there were over 90 flood warnings in force, with more rain to come through the weekend. welcome to the bbc weather website for the latest updates on the flood warnings and also any met office warnings and also any met office warnings as well. 0ver warnings and also any met office warnings as well. over the next few hours we've got this miniature weather front which will enhance some showers, weather front which will enhance some showers, some weather front which will enhance some showers, some of them heavy, with hail and thunder. windy conditions following on behind, before another weather front makes

its presence felt by the end of the day on saturday. saturday morning, we start off with a few sharp showers remaining. they are easing away. the best of the sunshine perhaps on saturday, likely to be for the far north of scotland. slowly brightening up as well across parts of england and wales for a brief time, before yet more wet weather starts to push into the south—west by the end of the day. a cooler feeling in scotland, south—west by the end of the day. a coolerfeeling in scotland, five south—west by the end of the day. a cooler feeling in scotland, five or six. double digits quite widely, further south. that rain will continue to drift steadily east, but it is going to clear off into the near continent through the early hours of saturday night into sunday morning. behind that, with some clear skies, it will be a chilly start and sheltered eastern areas of scotland, maybe a touch of light frost. too much cloud further south into much of a breeze for any issue. and still some bits and pieces of rain first thing on sunday morning. sunday will be quieter for many. it isa sunday will be quieter for many. it is a case of sunny spells and a few isolated showers. still quite windy

across the exposed coasts under the south. 40—50 miles an hour gusts of wind is not out of the question. cooler again scotland, five or six, highest values of nine or ten further south. it looks as though that quieter venus get to continue for a time. showers will ease away on monday and by tuesday, christmas eve, it will be drier and quieter. what on earth is happening, you may ask? it looks as though father christmas might be granting us our wish and giving us a brief lull in the weather story at the moment, with high pressure building on christmas eve into christmas day, which were quite things down quite nicely. it means the chance of a white christmas is very remote indeed. but it does mean a good deal of dry weather in the forecast. so our christmas week looks like this. i shall restart, drying up nicely on christmas eve and christmas day. the potential for more christmas eve and christmas day. the potentialfor more rain christmas eve and christmas day. the potential for more rain arriving 00:28:48,910 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 late in the week.