let's go over now and see the celebrations now as they welcome in the new year.

i could tell you about the 0.5 tonnes of fireworks, the 3500 effects, two tonnes of equipment and 14 kilometres of cabling involved of all this... but you just want to look at the pictures, so we will just look at this for a little while longer.

auckland in new zealand, the first major city to welcome in 2020. we will now return to 2019, as we bring you bbc news from london. we are awaiting the ceremony in sydney, huge controversy because devastating bushfires across large parts of australia have claimed two more lives. the latest victims, a 63 year old man and his 29 year old son died in new south wales. in the neighbouring state of victoria, thousands of people were forced to seek refuge on beaches and boats after becoming trapped by advancing bushfires. residents and holidaymakers in mallacoota in east gippsland described how the morning sky was turned black by clouds of ash and embers. phil mercer reports. stuck in a nightmare.

the sky in mallacoota turned a grotesque red, as strong winds pushed out of control bushfires towards the popular seaside town about 500 kilometres east of melbourne. thousands of people were trapped and sought shelter on the beach. some waded into the water to escape red hot embers that rained down. 0thers fled by boat, but most waited patiently for the danger to pass, or for help to arrive. it's still a dynamic and dangerous situation, so we've got embers going into mallacoota at the moment. we've got 4,000 people on the beach there, that are being very well protected by our firefighters. the australian navy could be brought in to provide food, water, and power to communities isolated by the fires. once again, very hot temperatures and gusty winds have combined to make this another dangerous and destructive day.

at least two people have died and several others are missing, as dozens of blazes rage in south—eastern australia. the authorities say that many houses have been lost. the new south wales rural fire service commissioner, shane fitzsimmons, says this is the state's worst bushfire season on record. the crisis shows no sign of ending. for many australians, the new year will bring more anxiety and fear. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. well, this is the shocking moment a fire and rescue truck was overrun by a bushfire burning in new south wales, with the crew being forced to shelter as the fire passed through. left, left, left! radio chatter copy.

fires on the road already. jasper? jasper, put the blanket up. that is bravery. earlier, i spoke to david jeffery. he runs the wave 0cean b&b in mallacoota and had to seek refuge on the beach when the fires struck. i asked him what the situation was like now. well, it's evening

now, so things are... ..people are settling a little bit. behind us, there's still active fire. that there is fire trucks filling up from the inland here, a bit of salt water and everything, still trying to douse the fires. occasionally, another house goes, unfortunately. notjust houses but people we love and care about and it's their dreams going up in smoke. this is a beautiful, beautiful part of the world. we know the dangers when we live out in these areas. yes, it's been dry, but these are eucalyptus forests. they've been selected by fires over many centuries. they're the only ones that survive, everything else has gone over those many centuries. so, we know the dangers, but the reality is we might know it but we don't really know it. when it goes off today, it's horrendous. i'm just thinking, i don't

want to ever go through this again. i think i'll go and live... i think i'll go and live in that time again. nothing prepares you for that bearing down of a fire front charging at a community. we're talking massive walls of fire, coming straight at you. we had 4,000 people... let me show you. all along here, along the wall, along here, everyone ready to dive into the water if it got here. it didn't. thank god we didn't get the fire balls hitting us here because we would have had mass casualties. but, yeah, thank god. it was answered, the prayer. thank you, jesus, you really answered us. even though it might not look like he has, there could have been hundreds killed, if not more than that. we are lucky and thankful we've had a little bit of rain. we've got the authorities, here doing their bit, the government doing things with the militaryjust off here. they've been feeding us with pies and all sorts of things.

but it's still going on. some people are trying to go back out there to their homes, i'm tempted to too, because miraculously our b&b is still standing, i don't know if you can see in the distance. i thought i was watching it burn to the ground today. we would have if i'd had to, but i was finding it hard, emotionally, watching other peoples homes. people i know and care about and love. in small communities, when you have a thousand people... you get that anywhere, there is love and care. it is gut—wrenching to go through. i don't know how i can look these people in the eye, that my home survives and theirs doesn't. i just feel terrible. iraqi security forces have fired tear gas at thousands of militiamen protesting at the us embassy in baghdad. the us ambassador and embassy staff are reported to have been evacuated from the building. the protesters gathered outside the embassy to condemn air strikes

carried out by the us on iranian—backed militia bases in iraq on sunday. the former head of the renault—nissan car company, carlos ghosn, has flown to lebanon, saying he could not get justice in japan. mr ghosn, who's spent 9 months under house arrest on charges of financial misconduct, is believed to have arrived in beirut by private jet. in a statement, he described his treatment in japan as "political persecution", and said he would no longer be "held hostage" by what he called a "rigged japanese justice system". gareth barlow has more. carlos ghosn shouldn't have been able to leave japan. he'd surrendered his passport and was supposed to ask for a court's permission to travel. so when he unexpectedly arrived in lebanon, japanese authorities were stunned and left scrambling for answers. in a statement, mr ghosn said... it's a marked turnaround for a man once revered in japan.

carlos ghosn was one of the great tycoons of the car industry. at one point, nissan, renault and mitsubishi were all under his control. he was a very powerful car executive who was particularly known for his efficient cost cutting, which saved nissan in essence, yeah, so a hard—nosed businessman, who seemed to have a very good touch in turning companies around. but all that changed in november 2018. following accusations of significant acts of misconduct, including under—reporting his pay, and the personal use of company

assets, ghosn was arrested and faces trial injapan. the former nissan boss denies wrongdoing. his lawyers accuse the japanese government of conspiring against him, calling the prosecution's case politically motivated. nissan workers gave their reaction to the news he'd gone to lebanon. translation: i've seen a few media reports. there are some things that ghosn did that i didn't understand. i think he fled because he did something. whoever escapes, wins. i envy people with money. translation: as ordinary japanese citizens, we want ghosn to reveal the truth. we want him to appear in an appropriate place and speak with his own words. after decades of corporate success and a year of sensational headlines, carlos ghosn‘s story has taken a dramatic turn. where it will end remains unknown. gareth barlow, bbc news.

the headlines on bbc news... military aircraft and naval ships are deployed in australia to help people affected by the worsening bushfires. former nissan boss carlos ghosn flees to lebanon, despite being under house arrest in tokyo on financial misconduct charges. auckland is the first major city to welcome in the new year 2020 with a huge fireworks display. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. there's a boost for england in their preparations ahead of the second test with south africa — batsmen 0llie pope says he's "ready to go" having recovered from the illness which has affected england's preparations. he along with chris woakes and jack leach sat out the first test defeat. they're three of eleven players who've been hit by the sickness bug in the camp. could not have come at a worse

timing really with the test match. luckily, feeling all right now. been feeling good for the last few days, so feeling good for the last few days, soiam on feeling good for the last few days, so i am on the mend and ready to go. i was more feverish, for the first two days i stayed in bed really. i think probably cottage of the guys -- it think probably cottage of the guys —— it off the guys who missed some games. it has swept the whole camp so games. it has swept the whole camp so there is not much we could have done. 0le gunnar solskjaer says money is available forjanuary reinforcements when the transfer window opens. the manchester united manager says he's happy with his attacking options, mason greenwood's development compensating for the loss of romelu lukaku to inter milan in the summer. iam i am optimistic we can keep players fit. if the right ones become available we do have the resources. and i do have the backing from the board but it is also about getting

the right ones, it has to be, there is no point suddenly thinking, bringing someone else in there just for the sake of three or four months. if that can disrupt any... not good feeling in the group, but the chemistry in the group because the chemistry in the group because the chemistry in the group because the chemistry is really good. peter wright was labelled ‘out of order‘ by gerywyn thomas, the man he beat in the semi finals of the pdc world darts championship. ‘snakebite' wright took the first set of this heated contest at ally pally, and seemed to revel in reminding his opponent who was on top. but price got his own back winning the second set. the pair almost coming together. it was wright though who kept his cool to win it. no handshakes at the end as he booked his spot in the final. he will face the reigning champion, michael van gerwen who is one match

away from successfully defending his title.the world number one beat nathan aspinall 6 sets to 3. van gerwen's attempting to win the title for a fourth time. rhys webb's signed a two—year deal to rejoin the 0spreys from next season which could see him return to the wales international side. the scrum half's returning to wales after toulon agreed to release him from the final year of his contract for family reasons. he left 0spreys in 2018 to join the french side for three years which ruled him out of test selection for his country but his return will make him available to new wales coach wayne pivac. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. let's ta ke let's take you to baghdad, iraqi security forces have been firing tear gas at militiamen, these are the pictures live. we are told a us

ambassador had embassy staff evacuated from the building, protesters have been gathering to condemn air strikes carried out by the us on a rainy and backed militia bases on sunday. —— iranians. better time and mass protests are challenging iraq's entire political system. the attack on sunday was in response to the killing of an american civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an iraqi military base. foreign military officials quoted as saying the us ambassador and other staff had left but we are told some embassy staff remain. the earlier scenes of tear gas and

protests as some people are reported to be climbing walls, it is clearly calmer now, we will keep you up—to—date. the government has announced that the national living wage will go up in april for workers over the age of 25. rising by 6.2%, the living wage from april will be £8.72 an hour. that's an increase of 51 pence an hour on the current rate. there's also a rise to the minimum wage for 21 to 2a years — going up to £8.20 — an increase of 6.5%. earlier, i spoke to neil carberry from the low pay commission, an independent body that advises the government on wage growth. he says he is confident the country can afford this increase. george osborne made a big commitment in 2015 to a political commitment to raise the rate of the living wage to 60% of average earnings by 2020. this rate today does that. 0ur role as the lpc isn't to crystal ball gaze but tojudge

whether the economy can afford that and the conclusion we reached is, while there have been some minor impacts of raising the wage, particularly for some part—time workers in rural and coastal towns, largely there's been very little employment impact, so far. last year saw the strongest wage growth we have seen in the uk for a decade. the employment rates are high, so while growth was a little lower maybe than it had been in previous years, we thought it was an affordable step. when you say little impact so far there are smaller businesses who may struggle with this? i think that is absolutely a concern we on the lpc hear. in fact, we spend a lot of time talking to organisations like the fsb. two things that we would say. firstly, it's really important that as we look to the future path of the minimum wage, we understand affordability for business really matters. the chancellor set out a plan for raising the minimum wage to 66% of average earnings or about £10.50 by 202a.

i think politicians need to understand that that kind of rise doesn't come forfree. and they will need to be looking at the kind of supportive policies around that that will help businesses, particularly looking at things like tax policies, ir35, employment tax, national insurance but also things like business rates and the apprenticeship levies, so small firms can afford rises going forward. i think everyone agrees we want the minimum wage to rise but it has to do so sustainably. it's a difficult balance if you are a small company, if your wage bill goes up, you'll likely employ fewer people? so far, as i say, we have not seen large scale evidence of that. in fact, where we have seen evidence, it tends to be people maybe getting a few less hours a week but they are getting more money for the hours they do work. so the impact so far has been quite minimal. as i said earlier, itjustifies taking the step that we have recommended to the government today. the government says it will raise concerns with the authorities

in cyprus about the fairness of a trial of a british woman convicted of lying about being gang raped. lawyers for the nineteen—year—old insist she was pressured by police into changing her story. they say she wasn't given a fair trial, and they plan to appeal. katy austin has been following the story. the young british woman at the heart of this case hasn't been able to leave cyprus sincejuly. yesterday, she was found guilty of making a false statement about a crime the country's law says was imaginary. her lawyers insist both the police investigation and the court process were flawed. they plan to appeal. the young israeli tourists who were originally accused of raping the young woman, were freed and allowed to fly home after she retracted the allegation. she says she only did that because she was put under huge pressure by police questioning when she was vulnerable. unusually, the british foreign office has made a public intervention. a spokesperson said the uk was seriously concerned about the fair trial guarantees

in what it called the deeply distressing case. it said it would be speaking to the cypriot authorities about it. we're glad the foreign office is finally assisting with the case. the foreign office should, we say, help british people when they get in trouble at a much earlier stage, but we do welcome the support of the foreign office with this case. women's rights activists demonstrated outside court. they argue that the young woman is a victim, not a criminal. she told the sun newspaper the judgment was not a surprise, but she would fight it, saying one moment she was the victim, the next the accused. sentencing is due on the 7th of january. ajail term of up to a year is a possibility. katy austin, bbc news. more than 800 sightings of whales, dolphins and seals have been recorded in british waters this year. the wildlife trusts' review of the uk's marine environment

reveals that thousands of people volunteered to clean beaches, amid growing concern over wildlife, climate change and pollution. forty one new marine conservation zones around england 41 new marine conservation zones around england were also announced. joan edwards is the director of living seas at the wildlife trusts and was involved in the count. i spoke to her a little earlier and she told me about a seal making an extraordinary commute. it left the isle of man and was then seen in cornwall. nobody expected it to travel that far, so it's quite amazing, really. and some good news in what is, how would you describe the general theme of the report, is it positive? it's positive, it's about people taking part. over 5000 wildlife trust volunteers took part in surveys of the shore, they were looking out for unusual sightings and they also cleared several tonnes of plastic litter from the beach. but it's fantastic that people are wanting to do their part

and actually being on the coast or in the countryside is really good for your well—being, as well. plastic, you can hear the groans around the country, but we really are alive to this problem now, aren't we? yes, but it hasn't gone away. yesterday i was kayaking in plymouth on the sound and you just looked into the water and there was lots of plastic there. there is a very large gannet colony on alderney, the largest in england, and it is devastating when you go to see the chicks there, because the nests are literally made of plastic. what tends to happen is some of those chicks get caught up in the plastic and die. talking about the increasing numbers of volunteers. we heard from yesterday from greta thunberg saying we need to be more in touch with wildlife and its impact on us. do you think we are getting that message? i think a lot more people now realise they can get involved. anyone around the country can contact their local wildlife trust and volunteer. you don't have to just volunteer at the coast, you can take part in river cleans,

you can go out onto nature reserves and help manage the nature reserves. so, there's lots of opportunities. as i said and as greta said yesterday, it is good for you. it is really good to get out and experience the wildlife we have in this country. many of us don't think of marine life and yet it is a huge contribution and sightings of whales and dolphins of the yorkshire coast are a thing to behold, aren't they? it's amazing, i think people think of blue planet as somewhere else but we have our own blue planet. we have 27 different species of dolphins and whales. we have seals, we have basking sharks. we have blue sharks. we even have corals, so there's some amazing things to see. if you join your wildlife trust or volunteer for the wildlife trust, we can help you actually appreciate some of these things. joan edwards there. all trains should be fully accessible for disabled users from tomorrow, but some rail companies will still be operating services that break the new legislation.

around ten firms have been forced to apply for temporary exclusions because of delays in adapting old carriages and getting new ones. 0ur disability news correspondent nikki fox reports. do you need a ramp? yeah, ido. my wheelchair space is taken up by a catering trolley. apparently a train straight out of your depot doesn't have a wheelchair carriage on it. just some of the situations disabled people find themselves in, when travelling by train. but it's supposed to get easier, because in 2020, by law, all trains should be fully accessible. except they won't be. around 1200 noncompliant carriages will continue to operate into the new year. it's not like we're asking for special treatment. we are asking to have something approaching the level of access to public transport that non—disabled people take for granted. the simple right to go to the toilet on a several hourjourney to morecambe, for example. this is not new legislation.

it was passed back in 1995. which is why disability campaigners can't understand why the deadline has been missed. so, who is to blame? late delivery of new accessible trains, like these, delays modifying existing stock and late decisions by government arejust some of the reasons. i think they call it a system failure, because there are so many people involved. politicians who initially did not see it as theirjob because it would be so far down the line and then train companies struggling to get some permission to go ahead. and maybe even people within the companies initially not seeing how important this change of regulations is. the rail industry says it is rolling out 8000 new carriages and upgrading hundreds of others. but ten companies have been forced to apply for temporary exemptions, to run stock which does not comply. the government says it is disappointed that the rail firms will fail to meet the deadlines. but even when there is a fully accessible fleet, there

will still be a need for manual assistance at many stations and there is currently no deadline for that. nikki fox, bbc news. thousands of heterosexual couples in england and wales are expected to enter into civil partnerships from today. it comes after a long legal battle agaist the law that had previously only permitted same—sex couples to become civil partners. our legal correspondent clive coleman reports. rebecca steinfeld and charles keidan won their legal bid at the supreme court in 2018 for the right to have a civil partnership — and in the last hour they've become civil partners... 0ur personal wish to form a civil partnership was greeted in our desire to formalise our relationship ina more desire to formalise our relationship in a more modern way. focus on equality and mutual respect. today isa equality and mutual respect. today is a moment we have been able to affirm our love and commitment