this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at 4pm... the mayor of sydney says the new year fireworks display will go ahead as planned, despite a petition calling for it to be cancelled because of nearby bushfires. five people have been stabbed in new york state during hanukkah celebrations at the home of an orthodox rabbi. this is domestic terrorism. of an orthodox rabbi. these are people who intend to create mass harm, mass violence, generate fear. calls for an independent inquiry after the new year honours data leak, in which the addresses of celebrities, politicians and police officers were published online. restoration work on big ben

will pause for one night only, so its famous bongs can ring in the new decade in london. coming up in half an hour... us soccer star megan rapinoe speaks to bbc sport about winning the world cup and being an outspoken voice on equal pay, lgbt rights and politics. the mayor of sydney says the city's famous new year's eve fireworks display will go ahead, despite a call for the event to be cancelled because of the bushfire crisis affecting parts of australia. more than a quarter of a million people have signed a petition urging the authorities to spend the money on fighting the blazes instead. more than 80 fires are

still raging across large areas of new south wales. a warning — this report from phil mercer in sydney contains flashing images. it's arguably the world's most dazzling fireworks display, but thousands of people want sydney to scrap its new year's eve spectacular. they say it would be an insult and could traumatise some of those affected by the bushfire crisis. sydney's lord mayor, clover moore, said she shared the deep sympathies of those who'd signed the petition, but stressed that the fireworks were planned months in advance and most of the budget had already been spent. so, barring catastrophic fire conditions in sydney on new year's eve, the event seems certain to go ahead. in between now and then, the authorities are warning of severe—to—extreme fire dangers across much of south—eastern australia, much of the heavily

populated parts of australia. that includes south australia, victoria, tasmania and new south wales, where more than 80 fires continue to burn. volunteers are a vital part of the emergency effort. many have been fighting the flames for weeks. the government says they'll be able to apply for about £3,000 in compensation, for taking time off work to battle the blazes. good morning, ladies and gentlemen. this is a very prolonged fire season. this is putting additional demands on ourfirefighters in particular, and it means that the turnouts and the callouts have been far more extensive than in previous years, going well and beyond and above what is normally expected of those who are engaged in volunteer service. the money and the gesture from the government are broadly welcomed by the volunteers on the front line. it's tough. the payment isjust a recognition of what we're doing.

it doesn't compensate us for what we're losing, but it's recognition. when your brigade is tired and exhausted and you're seeing people going out again and again and again, and you're doing 12—hour shifts and it's really strenuous, hard work, you really do feel like you want to be helping, and you really do feel like you're obliged to do that. so, like, for me, it means i use my annual leave. their work is far from over. dangerous fire conditions and extreme heat are forecast for south—eastern australia from tomorrow. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. two people are in a critical condition in hospital in new york state after a man wielding a machete attacked people attending hanukkah celebrations. three others are also being treated for stab wounds. eyewitnesses said the attacker entered the home of a rabbi in monsey, with his face covered, and began stabbing people. leigh milner has this report.

it was supposed to be a night of celebration at this rabbi's house in monsey, just north of new york city. then this happened. someone came in, face covered with a scarf, started stabbing people. five people in total were stabbed. two of them were taken from the scene in critical condition, including one of them, a senior, in very critical condition. according to the 0rthodoxjewish public affairs council, one of the victims was stabbed at least six times. it comes just a day after new york city police said officers were stepping up patrols in heavily jewish districts like monsey after a spate of anti—semitic threats and attacks. we were scared but we were not surprised because this is not the first incident in new york. this is not the first incident in rockland county. it's horrible. you know, my parents were survivors of the concentration camps and they told me how fearful

it was to be jews and they always said we can't let it happen again and i'm scared that it's happening again. shortly after the attack, the suspect fled but was later taken into custody by the police. his motive is not yet clear. leigh milner, bbc news. this afternoon, the governor of new york state, andrew cuomo, described the attack as domestic terrorism. if anyone thinks that something poisonous is not going on in this country, then they are in denial, frankly. how many incidents do you have to see from coast—to—coast? hostility based on religion, based on race, based on creed, based on immigration status. it's all across the country. it is an american cancer

that is spreading in the body politic, an american cancer, turning one cell of the body against the other. once we become intolerant of differences, then we are intolerant with america. i also believe the situation has gotten so bad, frankly, that we have to increase our legal enforcement, notjust with more police, but we have to change the laws to call this what it is. this is terrorism. it is domestic terrorism. these are people who intend to create mass harm, mass violence, generate fear, based on race, colour, creed. that is the definition of terrorism.

and just because they don't come from another country doesn't mean they are not terrorists, and they should be prosecuted as domestic terrorists, because that is what they are, and i want this state to be the first state to have a domestic terrorism law. 0ur correspondent chris buckler gave us this update from washington. andrew cuomo spoke surrounded by members of law enforcement, as well as members of thejewish community, and there is a real anger inside the jewish community because, as was mentioned, there have been a spate of anti—semitic attacks. there was a real concern in new york in particular about the number of attacks on members of thejewish community and a real feeling they need to be protection. it must be said that new york police had stepped up patrols, the new york city mayor, bill de blasio, had

talked at length about his concerns and want people more need to be done, but ultimately the jewish community feels that it is not being protected in the way it should do, and this area has got a very large, ultraorthodox population, and they feel that more still could be done, and andrew cuomo believes more could be done, talking about the idea that potentially there could even be a domestic terrorism state law of some sort put in in new york, in an attempt to tackle these problems. if you look at the last year, we had an attack just over 12 you look at the last year, we had an attackjust over 12 months ago in pittsburgh in a synagogue, and earlier this year an attack in san diego in a synagogue, which led to deaths. there is a feeling that this needs to be addressed, that hate is a real problem in america at the moment and that something needs to be done. i noted that andrew cuomo was broadening the debate in that press c0 nfe re nce , was broadening the debate in that press conference, talking about attacks on lg btq

press conference, talking about attacks on lgbtq communities, and saying it was notjust a case of anti—semitism, but talking about an american cancer of intolerance of other people and other peoples views. he is a democrat, and i was waiting for a more political point which didn't come in the bit i heard, but i wonder if there has been a response from the white house? not as yet, and andrew cuomo only spoke a short time ago, but there is no doubt that it was to an extent a political statement as well asa extent a political statement as well as a reaction to the attack, and there is a concern about division inside america which goes right to the white house and some of what president trump has said. for example, some critics have attacked him for at times appearing to suggest that there was an equivalence involving white nationalism, that was a famous moment in which president trump appeared to, as critics would say and he would deny, flirt with white nationalism. the white house would argue that they have done their very best to tackle anti—semitism, and earlier this month there was an

executive order signed specifically to try and tackle anti—semitism on couege to try and tackle anti—semitism on college campuses in the united states, and that is a recognition by the administration but there is a problem, that they are trying to do something, as people keep on saying. but i think that pressure is only going to grow, particularly when you hear the testimony of some of those who were inside that house. it was a religious ceremony, there to celebrate chanukah, with their friends and fellow members of the jewish community, and then they were subjected to something that was just horrific, an attack in which some people were stabbed multiple times, they are still in hospital, and the suspect will be charged with five cou nts suspect will be charged with five counts of attempted murder. he was not named in that news conference, but he will be charged with five cou nts but he will be charged with five counts of attempted murder. but among those people who witnessed it,

and some have talked of seeing blood and some have talked of seeing blood and seen people being seriously injured, it will scar that community for some time. there are calls for an independent inquiry after a data breach which saw the addresses of more than a thousand people on the new year honours list made publicly available online. the files included the details of celebrities, senior police officers and politicians. one of those affected, iain duncan smith, called the leak a "complete disaster". katharine da costa reports. more than 1,000 people will be honoured, among them celebrities, sport stars, and politicians, including musician sir eltonjohn, cricketer ben stokes, former tory party leader iain duncan smith, and former director of public prosecutions alison saunders. there are also security, counter—terror and justice personnel, as well as chief co nsta bles. but a list containing their home addresses was accidentally published by the government on friday evening. iain duncan smith, who is due to be

knighted, described the data breach as a "complete disaster". he told the sunday times... new data protection laws were brought in last year, giving regulators more power to penalise those who fail to protect personal data. the cabinet office confirmed the list was only visible for an hour. in a statement, it said... the former head of the civil service, lord kerslake, is leading calls for an independent enquiry. the cabinet office says it has report the matter to the information commissioner's office and is looking into how this happened. but privacy campaigners have

expressed concern at what they say is an inexcusable mistake. data experts warn the government could face legal action, notjust from the data watchdog, but from those who've seen their personal details leaked, information many may have wanted to keep private. katharine da costa, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to our correspondent, katy austin, and asked what the reaction to the leak has been. reaction has reflected the seriousness of the incident. there are several things to think about here. it is not just that there are celebrities who want their privacy protected, there are also security figures, senior policing figures, and their address in the wrong hands would really pose a security risk. we have heard iain duncan smith, who is being knighted, calling this a complete disaster and saying very serious questions need answering, and also lord kerslake, the former head of the civil service, has expressed shock

at this, and he says that is because the honours process is a well—worn process, it happens every year, it's very well established, so the fact a mistake has been made looks bad and has serious consequences. what do you think the implications are for the cabinet office, who oversee this? when we contacted them yesterday, they acknowledged it had happened and apologised and they said they had tried to take it down as soon as possible, so the list with the addresses on was only up for around an hour, perhaps less. the cabinet office also says it is contacting everybody affected, although that will not happen immediately, because there are lots of people on the list and maybe they are being prioritised. tae kwon do starjadejones told the bbc last night she had not been contacted yet. there is also the fact that data protection regulation has been tightened very recently, with gdpr coming in, which many viewers will have heard of,

and we know the information regulator will be making enquiries. that's the information commissioner's office, which has powers including being able to levy a fine. we can await the outcome of their investigation, but many experts say, if a fine is levied, it would not be stratospheric levels, like millions, because although this is a serious breach because of the nature of those involved, the scale of it is relatively small, so we will have to see what happens. whatever happens with the ico enquiry, questions are being raised because we live in an era where the importance of data protection is very high in everyone's awareness, so how this got onto the internet for even a short time is the key question. the headlines on bbc news... a quarter of a million people sign a petition calling for sydney's new year's eve fireworks to be cancelled and the money spent fighting nearby bushfires instead.

five people are injured in a knife attack in new york state during hanukkah celebrations at the home of a rabbi. calls for an independent inquiry after the new year honours data leak, in which the addresses of celebrities, politicians and police officers were published online. sport now and, for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's ben rich. england's cricketers saw out 2019 as they have done quite a few test matches this year — with more disappointment with the bat. they lost their last seven wickets for 64 runs to lose the first test against south africa by 107 runs. with much of the squad battling illness, captainjoe root described it as a tough week. jo currie reports. ina yearfull of in a year full of special moments for england cricketers, could they squeeze in one more high before the end of 2019 is to mock 376 runs

would be england's highest ever successful run chase, and joe denly set about putting a dent in it. but the man that south africa really wanted, rory burns, they were not farfrom wanted, rory burns, they were not far from getting wanted, rory burns, they were not farfrom getting him. his innings yesterday had given england a chance but with a swipe and a grab he was out. no century, but still a valuable 8a. like a lot of his team, joe root has been struggling with illness, he looked on the road to recovery. he was about to lose his fellowjoe, joe denly, trapped lbw by dwaine pretorius. that meant the arrival of dwayne stokes —— ben stokes, but what was left in the tank? it turns outjust fumes. from the reaction of the south africans, and stokes himself, it shows how crucial this was. jonny bairstow following, it was starting to be like south africa's day. joe root‘s

dismissal only made that feeling stronger. with the captain gone, england put up little resistance. a difficult week on and off field for the captain. we had to deal with a lot of things about the game itself, but we stood up, especially in the last two days, and really come up and shown a lot of character. it's very frustrating it's all we've got to ta ke very frustrating it's all we've got to take from the game. england move on to cape town for the second test on to cape town for the second test on friday. 2010 was the last time rangers won an old firm derby at celtic park — before today, that is. their 2—1 victory has breathed fresh life into the scottish premiership title race, with steven gerrard's side heading into the winter break just two points behind their glasgow rivals with a game in hand, after a predictably lively encounter. it was watched by lydia campbell. it's been nearly a decade of domination for celtic but their eight titles in a row mean nothing

on derby day. rangers are here to keep a hold on their own title bid, but instead make a copy took a hold of christopherjullien, penalty to celtic. up stepped ryan christie and injumped allan celtic. up stepped ryan christie and in jumped allan mcgregor to celtic. up stepped ryan christie and injumped allan mcgregor to make celtic. up stepped ryan christie and in jumped allan mcgregor to make the save. minutes later, ryan kent made celtic play, guiding his shot in. celtic play, guiding his shot in. celtic levelled shortly after, but it took a helping hand from 0dsonne edouard to guide callum mcgregor‘s shot home. celtic boss predominance of scottish football showing cracks. alfredo morelos had a quiet game by his standards, but that changed in the final seconds, shown his second yellow for diving. but that will only be a subplot, with rangers winning at celtic for the first time in ten years. elsewhere, hearts' 1—1 draw against aberdeen means they'll be bottom for the winter break.

chris long gave third—placed motherwell the lead at home to hamilton. liverpool can extend their lead in the premier league back to 13 points with victory over wolves this afternoon. that one kicks off in about ten minutes. mikel arteta is still looking for his first win as arsenal manager. they threw away a 1—0 lead to lose 2—1 to chelsea at the emirates stadium. bernd leno's howler gifted jorginho the equaliser, before tammy abraham scored the winner three minutes from time. arsenal remain in the bottom half of the table. manchester city host sheffield united at 6pm. that's all the sport for now. more later in the afternoon. at least five people have been killed by an explosion at a military cctv footage which appears to show a missing firefighter on the night he disappeared has been released by police. 33—year—old anthony knott went missing during a work night out in lewes in east sussex,

on the 20th of december. sussex police are hoping the footage — showing his distinctive walk — may help them to track his movements before he disappeared. iran has said a british—australian woman who's reported to have gone on hunger strike in prison must serve her sentence. kylie moore—gilbert, who was jailed for spying, is being held in the same prison as the british—iranian woman nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe and two french academics. a group of former labour mps who lost their seats in the election have called for "fundamental change" at the top of the party. in a letter to the observer, the group — which includes former mp for wakefield mary creagh — said "cronyism" in the party and labour's "unwillingness" to stand up to anti—semitism were repeatedly raised as issues on the doorstep, and that issue "shamed the traditional values" of the labour party. at least five people have been

killed by an explosion at a military graduation parade in yemen. authorities say the blast happened in the southern town of al—dhalea. no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. for more on this, i've been speaking to our world service middle east analyst, alan johnston. this attack coming in a town north of the port city of aden, al—dhalea. this is territory where a powerful military organisation called the security belt forces likes to recruit young men into its ranks, and this attack happened during a parade that was celebrating the passing out of the latest batch of recruits to the security belt forces. images we have coming from the scene showing a crater and the blast having gone off near a stand where guests would have been watching the parade as it unfolded, although we understand the parade had finished just moments before this attack.

security belt forces are backed by the united arab emirates, but they are very much part of the yemeni government's coalition that confronts the houthi rebels, who are based in the north, and soon after this attack security belt forces personnel blamed this attack on the houthi rebels, saying that it was a missile strike, and saying they had arrested some people close to the scene who were linked with the houthis, suggesting that these people may have been coordinating the strike in some way. denmark will start using live video to help people who call the emergency services in and around the capital, copenhagen. anyone with a camera phone will be able to stream video direct from the scene to call handlers without installing an app. there's been a year—long trial, which the authorities say was successful. karl riley reports. denmark's main emergency call centre where dispatchers give critical advice to callers as ambulances make their way to the scene.

from the start of 2020, callers here may be asked to share live video as a trial of the technology becomes permanent. translation: it makes a big difference. we find we use the video calls a lot where there is a lot of panic or when people are having difficulty understanding the instructions that we're giving over the phone. in the year—long trial of 700 video calls, more than 40% of the emergencies were re—categorised once dispatchers could see the scene live. so, how does it work? operators can send an sms to mobile callers with a link that opens up their camera and shares video from their device, but only if there's another person at the scene to administer the first aid. translation: it's a way to guide the patient since we can monitor the situation. so, someone can help put an unconscious person in position. if it's a cardiac arrest, are you pumping the right place at the chest? are you pumping deep enough?

all this happens when the ambulance is on its way, as fast as possible. the scheme has already been credited with saving one life. the person has a heart attack and was helped by colleagues on a video call. he's welcomed the roll—out, saying he's sure it will help many others. karl riley, bbc news. boats carrying 31 migrants have been picked up as they attempted to cross the english channel. two have been taken by french authorities to france and the british borderforce intercepted a third. all of those found, including a pregnant woman, are thought to be in a safe condition. police in london are investigating a racially motivated hate crime in the hampstead area during thejewish festival of hannukah. it follows the appearance of offensive graffiti in a number of locations in north london, including a synagogue and shop fronts. the images include a reference to 9/11 and an anti—semitic conspiracy theory over the new york attack. the conservative councillor

for hampstead, oliver cooper, said he was sickened to find such anti—semitism in his neighbourhood. no arrests have been made. the family and friends of a british man and his two children who drowned in a spanish resort‘s swimming pool have expressed their devastation at the news. gabriel diya, 52, his daughter comfort, nine, and his son praise—emmanuel, aged 16, died on christmas eve. spanish police believe the deaths happened after they got out of their depth, but mr diya's wife, olubunmi, says all three could swim, and she believes there was a fault with the pool. people who know the family have been speaking to the bbc. it's very devastating, because ijust broke the news to my older sister this morning. she has made a u—turn from where she was going and she is coming to see her as well. the family is upset. my mother is 92 years old. i can't tell my mum.

we are in a devastated state at the moment, very devastated. i saw the name diya and it didn't immediately register that it was my friend. i saw the name diya and i said, ok, this has to be a nigerian family, most likely a british minority family, so i went to look for gabriel diya on google, and then i saw the twitter account, and when i clicked on the twitter account, i saw this picture and i saw my friend right beside him, and immediately i was just broken. i was broken, i was upset, i was sad, i was weeping. and i was angry. i was really angry, no, this can't be happening to someone so close to home.

the scottish author and artist alasdair gray has died, aged 85, following a short illness. a graduate of the glasgow school of art, his murals feature in many public buildings in glasgow, while his debut book, lanark, has been described as one of the masterpieces of 20th century fiction. the first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, paid tribute to him as one of scotland's literary giants. it's been more than two years since big ben's famous bongs were paused to allow for essential maintenance work to be carried out. but new year's eve just wouldn't feel right without those iconic chimes. so, for one night only, they will return to ring in the new decade in london. tim muffett reports. it's one of the world's most familiar and regularly misnamed buildings. but, for two years, the elizabeth tower, which houses the giant bell, big ben, has been surrounded by scaffolding.

repairs that have left big ben itself largely silent. here it is, big ben. here it is, big ben, yes, indeed, all 13 tons of it. it's been quiet largely for the last few years. feels a bit odd? it does feel very odd. it's been way too quiet for my liking. this is, what, the biggest refurbishment project that's ever ta ken place since it was first built. so, the clock mechanics are taking apart every single small piece and then putting it all back together, which hasn't been done before. so, a massive challenge for them. it's that clock mechanism which, for more than 150 years, activated the hammer that strikes big ben. so, for special occasions during the repairs, such as remembrance sunday and new year's eve, a new device has been needed. what we've got here is a tolling — automatic electric tolling motor, which obviously wouldn't have been available when this was first built. this produces the power needed to then lift the big ben hammer, which is, as i say, very heavy, 300, 400 kilograms, and strike it 12 times.