welcome to bbc news. my my name is mike embley. our top stories: israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu retains the leadership of his likud party and will lead it into march's general election. blocked roads and widespread flooding hamper rescue efforts in the philippines where a typhoon has killed at least 16 people. 15 years after the indian ocean tsunami, how ready are communities if disaster strikes again? and is this a way to save the world's coral from climate change? scientists are trying to grow new reefs in the seychelles.

hello to you. for a leaderfacing criminal charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust it was a big test of his hold on power. but the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has retained control of the governing likud party, in an internal election, and will now lead israel into its third national election within a year. it is due in march. mr netanyahu has tweeted that he's achieved a huge win, and his rival, gideon sa'ar, has admitted defeat. rich preston reports. this was the first serious challenge to benjamin netanyahu's leadership are ten years. but he seemed to still have the support of party loyalists, winning more than 70% of the votes. a huge win, mr netanyahu tweeted shortly after polls closed. thank you to someone members for their love, support and trust. confidence in israel's longest serving prime minister had been shaken after two failed general

elections and an indictment on corruption charges, accused of accepting gifts in exchange for political favours and doing accepting gifts in exchange for politicalfavours and doing deals accepting gifts in exchange for political favours and doing deals to get good press coverage. charges he denies, calling the whole thing a witch—hunt. his challenger and a leadership contest was former cabinet minister gideon sa'ar. translation act i feel a great sense of awakening, people understand there is a need for change. translation: the likud party needs a change, we had two rounds of elections without clear results, so maybe the change should come from within the party. mr netanyahu may sleep easy tonight after being of his opponent, but it won't be an easy road ahead. after september's general election, where no party won a majority, guess what? there will bea a majority, guess what? there will be a third vote in three months' time. will mr netanyahu, buoyed by his victory in his leadership

challenge finally win the majority he needs? or will it be three strikes and you're out, and another failed attempt by israel's longest serving prime minister to lead the country with the largest military in the middle east? rich preston, bbc news. guy ziv is a professor at the american university in washington and the author of ‘why hawks become doves: shimon peres and foreign policy change in israel'. professor, thank you for giving us your time. i guess whatever anyone thinks of his policies of the direction he has led, mr netanyahu is an amazing political survivor. you can never write him off. you can't. it was widely assumed he was going to prevail in today was my primary challenge but not by this margin. i mean, he won with nearly 73% of the vote. this was a knockout, and it definitely attests to neta nyahu's knockout, and it definitely attests to netanyahu's political powers. he aamaca to netanyahu's political powers. he a a mac a valiant politician, he has

a a mac a valiant politician, he has a strong survival instinct and is a great campaigner. he crisscrossed the country in the last several weeks despite his front runner‘s status, and he went for the jugular. he's not afraid to play dirty. what does that tell you about what might be coming next? i think it tells you that he is strong within his own party. he has a lock on his party, the base is still with him despite being indicted forfraud the base is still with him despite being indicted for fraud and the base is still with him despite being indicted forfraud and breach of trust, bribery in three separate cases, with bribery being especially egregious. neta nyahu cases, with bribery being especially egregious. netanyahu is by no means assured of victory in the forthcoming third round, i think there is a certain fatigue and we may see soft rate voters jumping ship, the momentum at the moment seems to be with the centrist blue and white alliance of three former idf chiefs of staff and a popular

politician. what are the chances of him avoiding a criminal case?|j think the next step will be to get an immunity deal. he is going to be fighting this tooth and nail, he is not going to go quietly, he is not going to retire. he will try to exploit his strength within his party and within his camp by getting some sort of an immunity deal that will allow him to remain prime minister despite his legal challenges and hopefully from his perspective prevail in the next election and be able to assemble a coalition under his leadership. and whether he does he doesn't, you have a sense of what all this means for israel as a country? well i think the country is obviously very divided. it is divided along many lines. neta nyahu divided. it is divided along many lines. netanyahu is perhaps the ultimate divisive figure here, i

don't think the country's ever been quite this divided. he's played a very big role in fomenting this kind of polarisation we have seen. i think one of the key challenges of his successor, assuming it will be, for example, benny gantz, who leads the blue and white alliance, is to unite the country, to try to unify the country and lower the volume. that is something that we haven't seen that is something that we haven't seenin that is something that we haven't seen ina that is something that we haven't seen in a while. netanyahu has essentially been the longest running prime minister in israel's history, but he's become much more of a polarising figure than he was when he started out. even when he started out he was controversial, but i think in the current atmosphere of populist nationalism, he has been able to take it a step further. there are a lot of parallels being made today with trump and some of the same rhetoric that trump users,

netanyahu the same rhetoric that trump users, neta nyahu uses the same rhetoric that trump users, netanyahu uses it as well including deep state and fake news. professor guy's live, thank you for your insights —— guy ziv. recovery operations are beginning in the philippines, where typhoon phanfone has left at least 16 people dead on islands in the centre of the country. winds up to i90—kilometres—an—hour stranded tens of thousands at ports, many unable to join their families for christmas. james waterhouse reports. typhoon phanfone first arrived on tuesday night. with it came winds of almost 120mph, causing devastation and fear. (screaming) the storm then worked its way over the islands of the central philippines. only today is there a sense of the damage caused. buildings were torn apart, roofs blown off.

whole villages were devastated as the typhoon swept through, leaving residents to pick through the debris left behind. it was so powerful, even large boats were overturned. the philippines is no stranger to tropical storms and typhoons, with around 20 arriving each year. the most powerful one to hit land ever in the world, typhoon haiyan, struck in 2013, leaving more than 6,000 people dead. today, as a country rebuilds, the red cross warns it could take weeks to bring back power and running water. not only that, many people are still missing. james waterhouse, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news: rescue workers in austria and switzerland have been searching for possible victims of avalanches that hit two ski resorts in the alps. swiss police say several people were freed from the snow on a piste in andermatt. seven people have died and 64 were rescued after a boat carrying

migrants from south asia sank off the turkish coast. it capsized near bitlis on the northern shores of lake van. firefighting teams in australia have had some respite over the past few days, with lower temperatures, but that's about to end as the intense heat returns. since september, close to 3,000 firefighters have been out nearly every day battling blazes. almost 90% are unpaid volunteers. many families in new south wales are spending the holiday season in shelters, their villages and towns still smouldering from last week's fires. our correspondent, phil mercer, is in bilpin, about 75 kilometres north—west of sydney. the physical, financial and emotional cost of these fires has been immense. communities across australia have been terrorised by giant walls of flames. here in bilpin, we have been talking to simon tadrosse. he's originally from lebanon, but has lived here for more than 30 years. he owns an orchard that

was very badly damaged. he joined the firefighting effort and almost lost his life. we thought we were safe, at two, three o'clock in the afternoon, it past us, we thought, "oh, good, it didn't impact us" and then the southerly came in at five o'clock and turned the fire around and it just came straight towards us. what was the most frightening bit for you? um, facing it, driving towards it in the tractor, and couldn't sort of really get out of it, that was the frightening thing. bit obviously, i made it through, but scary, very scary. for simon and his family, there has been an enormous financial cost. 40% of his farm has been lost. cooler conditions today here in new south wales are helping the firefighting effort but more dangerous days do lie ahead. here, in australia's most populous state, more than 70 blazes are still burning but this is a nationwide crisis. there are still active fires

in the states of victoria and south australia. phil mercer, bbc news, in bilpin, the blue mountains. ben shepherd from the new south wales rural fire service told us how they are preparing for yet another heatwave. many of our volunteers have been out there on the fire line trying to get some level of containment on these fires before we see the onset of another heatwave, unfortunately, where we are expecting temperatures to climb into the a0 degrees and coupled with strong westerly winds, dry winds, from the centre of the continent which tend to drive these fires. so they are doing what they can. they understand this is going to be still another difficult time and the real thing that we obviously need is rain and there is just none of that really on the horizon so it's going to be a difficult few days and a difficult few weeks, while we continue to deal with more than 70 fires burning across new south wales. we are fortunate at this time

of year, many of our members do take leave but they're using that leave to go out on the fire ground and actually assist where they can. but the community response this year has been amazing as well. to see people actually preparing their own homes, ensuring they are well prepared for any impact of fire makes ourjob easier as firefighters but, look, we have had the support of fire rescue, national parks and also from other states but, with this heatwave now gripping a number of states across australia, that assistance from interstate is going to start to diminish a little bit. but, look, as i said, they are in good spirits, they continue to throw up their hand to go help, but we have a long way to go before this fire season is finally over. ben shepherd from the rural fire service in new south wales. the seychelles off the coast of east africa is setting itself up as a hub for marine preservation. at least half the world's reefs have already been lost to rising sea temperatures, so could this tiny archipelago help save some from extinction?

catherine byaru hanga, from bbc africa, has been finding out. they're called the reef rescuers. atina and chloe work in the indian ocean trying to find ways of saving the world's dying coral. today, they're checking on their nursery. it's a man—made coralfarm and one of the biggest in the world. this is a large—scale coral reef restoration project. the nursery that we use is a rope nursery. so, our coral fragments are actually placed inside a rope and then they are hung mid—water. over half the world's reefs have already been lost because of climate change. coral gets its colour and its energy from the algae which live inside it. as the water gets warmer, though, the algae becomes toxic, so the coral evicts it. this is called bleaching. with its food source expelled, the coral often die. from the nursery, the small coral are brought down and cemented to the ocean floor.

within minutes, fish swim to what the reef rescuers call super coral. our coral gardening methodology identifies resilient colonies by visiting reefs shortly after bleaching events and looking at which colonies have survived, and have some level of confidence that they are resilient and will make our restoration site resilient forfurther climate change events. the nursery is also an open water classroom. from the surface, i can see hundreds of coral beneath me. scientists have come from all over the world to learn how it's done here. this technique has already been taken to countries like colombia and the maldives, and next are kenya, tanzania and mauritius. the reef rescuers' project was born here on cousin island, a thriving world—class nature reserve. cousin island was

the desired prize... it was set up by nirmal shah. he's been running conservation projects here for over three decades and he's already thinking about the next big idea. so, all these experiences we've learned from scratch, ok? we know the entire technique now. so the next step is to grow corals on land, tinker around with them until they become resilient to climate change and plant them back. scientists predict most of the world's coral will be gone by 2050. innovation might be the only way to preserve them. catherine byaru hanga, bbc news, the seychelles.

a team of so to mysterious swallowtail. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way 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 will 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 oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. reporter: it was just good? no, fantastic. that's better. big ben bongs

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has retained his leadership of the governing likud party and will lead it in the next general election due in march. rescue and repair operations are continuing in the philippines after a powerful typhoon left at least 16 people dead and tens of thousands stranded. fifteen years ago today, more than 230,000 people died in a massive tsunami along the coast of the indian ocean — triggered by an earthquake, magnitude 9.1, off northern sumatra. there've been memorial services in indonesia, thailand and sri lanka — some of the worst—affected countries. since then money has been spent to improve systems, to give better warning of a similar disaster. olivia crellin reports.

15 years and the images of devastation brought by the indian ocean tsunami are no less shocking. waves as high as 17 metres, killing more than 200 and that thousand people and displacing more than 2 million. while the physical landscape has recovered, and development has returned to thailand and sri lanka and indonesia, among other areas affected, the psychological trauma remains. suwannee maliwan lost both parents and five other relatives in that —— when the tsunami hit the thai province.

i'm still scared, very scared. i want to live somewhere else but is not possible because i was born here. i grew up in. father and mother died here so i must remain and live here. sometimes i dream that a wave is coming. i'm still scared, it's an image that scares me when the wave was coming. i can still remember. the disaster was indiscriminate. hitting families from the small fishing village of benmanken, where an interfaith memorial was being held. foreign tourists holidaying and even the country's royalty. officials remembered the king's nephew, who was last seen jetskiing off the coast when the tsunami hit. many bodies were never recovered. many people have contributed to building seismic centres, but doubts remain about how many countries are ready for a giant wave. if we encounter it again, i'm not confident we can handle it. anyway, thais are always ready when it comes to volunteering

in a crisis. those killed in 2004 received no warming of the approaching waves and were left with no chance to escape. those still living with the threat of a similar disaster hope that by now lessons have been learnt. it's two years since the military—led crackdown in myanmar that saw hundreds of thousands of rohinya muslims flee to bangladesh. programmes that support both refugees and their host communities were a big topic of discussion at the global refugee forum, a high—level meeting held in geneva earlier this month. one clinic in south—east bangladesh has been trying to do just that. but is it working? catherine karelli reports. it's it's the only facility of its kind in the area. the physiotherapy

clinic in south—east bangladesh welcomes not only refugees but also their bangladesh hosts. this is a woman that suffers from chronic pain and isa woman that suffers from chronic pain and is a regular visitor to the clinic. when i recover in the name of allah, i will go to the mosque andi of allah, i will go to the mosque and i will cook beef and provide food for the children. the clinic was set up by the un's refugee agency last year, hundreds of thousands of people have visited since the last open. it employs to physiotherapist and all treatment provided free. but it's about more than just provided free. but it's about more thanjust medical care. provided free. but it's about more than just medical care. the doctors here see themselves as a bridge between two communities. most of the patients here have lower back pain 01’ patients here have lower back pain or paralysis or knee pain, that is a

case for most of our patients from both the brain and host communities. providing services to both groups makes us feel good. in 2017, bangladesh took on 750,000, who were expeued bangladesh took on 750,000, who were expelled from yarn mile in military crackdown. bangladesh is one of the most populated countries in the world. the strain on resources has led to simmering tensions between bangladesh locals and members of the athlete was a minority. but here refugees and locals alike are treated side—by—side. over 1000 people have received treatment for ailments ranging from back pain due paralysis. and for some moguls, it is one map showing solidarity with those fleeing persecution. they have made their temporary home here, they're making made their temporary home here, they‘ re making home made their temporary home here, they're making home here. ifeel good about that. bosoms will come to the aid of other bosoms. —— muslims will come to the aid. mexico is threatening to take bolivia to the international court ofjustice over what it calls

harassment of its diplomatic mission in la paz. the bolivian government is demanding that mexico deny asylum to nine bolivian officials who've taken refuge at the mexican embassy. the two countries have been in a diplomatic spat since mexico granted asylum to the former bolivian president evo morales, when he resigned in the face of mass protests. we have 10,000 mexican men and women living in bolivia that we need to protect. also at embassy now nine people are seeking asylum and don't didn't -- people are seeking asylum and don't didn't —— under international law so we're not going to our staff. —— we're not going to our staff. —— we're not going to our staff. —— we're not going to withdraw our staff. the african giant swallowtail is one of the world's most mysterious insects. it's a butterfly that is almost completely unknown to science. it's never been seen in its caterpillar or chrysalis state. now, a team of french explorers has headed out to the central african republic to see if they can find out more

about this elusive creature. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. you have to admit the scenery here is pretty spectacular. the opportunities for discovery even more so. opportunities for discovery even more so. hidden away somewhere in this forest are butterflies, but not just any butterfly, these men are looking for africa's largest. and the search is exhausted. we use different techniques. we have a look at on the banks of the river, on top of the trees, searching for the host plant with the botanists. in searching for the host plant with the drone. so far this is as close as that of god. an illustration by the expedition‘s in—house draughtsman. the african giant swallowtail with its distinctive orange brown wings and dark markings. the team want to learn more about it's early stages, crucial in understanding its

development and longevity. that's easier said than done. we find ourselves in a forest that is relative i said, in which there is mining activities which means it doesn't make things easy. the animals are looking forward, the big ones and the smallest. the search has so far been unsuccessful but no—one is in any mood to give up. this forest is keeping its secrets, these men will keep trying to unlock them. we will let you know if they do. a brief reminder of the main news again. israel's prime minister has defeated his rivalfor the leadership of the governing party. he will now lead them into the country's general election due in march, the third within a year. the contest has been a test for his hold on power. he faces criminal charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. much more on the website, you

can reach me at most of the team on twitter. hello there. after the dry and often bright weather of christmas day, boxing day brought a return to something wetter for many of us. this was the scene for a weather watcher at southport on merseyside, quite a lot of rain here. but it wasn't like that everywhere, parts of northern scotland had the lion's share of the bright and dry weather. and i think more of us will get to see some dry weather over the next few days. a lot of cloud around, and with that it is going to feel milder. this is what's going on as we start friday. this warm front moving its way north eastwards, taking a bit of rain with it, but also as the name suggests, introducing some warmer, or at least milder air, which will be wafting its way up from the south. particularly, i think, western areas feeling the effect of that as we go through the day ahead. so, we start the morning with a outbreaks of rain drifting across scotland, some of that rain

getting into northern england as well, pushing its way eastwards. anotherfrontal system bringing rain back into western scotland and northern ireland through the day. elsewhere, generally a lot of cloud around but generally it will be dry. some glimmers of brightness here and there, top temperatures in single digits across eastern areas of england, but further west, 12 degrees for belfast, stornoway and plymouth. quite windy across the north—west of the uk, particularly western scotland. then as we got the friday night, we will see another pulse of rain putting back across northern ireland, northwards across scotland. for england and wales it's predominantly dry. some clear spells, generally a lot of cloud on what will be quite a mild night. i think the vast majority will stay frost—free. so, the saturday morning then, still frontal systems running up towards the north—west, so there will be positive rain at times, but high pressure close to the east and south of the uk keeping things fine and dry here. but still, rather cloudy for many of us on saturday,

some glimmers of brightness again developing, i think particularly across the south of england and south of wales through the afternoon. but for northern ireland, for scotland, we will again see some outbreaks of rain, some of that will be heavy over hills in the west but notice that mild theme, temperatures of 9—12, maybe 13 degrees. and it stays mild into sunday and at this stage we're likely to bring some slightly drier air up from the near continent. so more sunshine to come across england and wales, northern ireland and also the south and east of scotland. still some rain to the north—west of scotland, but with those southerly winds, those temperatures up to 11, 12, 13, maybe for the moray firth for example, could see around 1a degrees. and then we head into the last couple of days of 2019, we stick with that relatively mild theme, a lot of dry weather, still some rain up towards the north—west.

this is bbc news. the headlines: israel's prime minister benjamin neta nyahu has defeated his rival gideon sa'ar for the leadership of the governing likud party. he will now lead likud into israel's third general election within a year, despite facing criminal charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. a rescue and recovery operation is under way in the philippines, hit by typhoon phanphone on christmas day. authorities say the storm killed at least 16 people and cut a swathe of destruction through the centre of the country. many more people are missing. firefighters in australia are bracing for a new test with a new intense heatwave expected in parts of the country. close on 3,000 firefighters have been out nearly every day since september. there are still 72 bushfires in new south wales, about half of them burning out of control.