today at 5pm — mps debate escalating tensions in iran, following the killing of the top commander qassem soleimani. the defence secretary ben wallace appeals for calm, saying further conflict is in no one's interests. the labour leader questioned the legality of the killing. this government is engaged in a full diplomatic effort at all levels to seek to de—escalate the tensions that have grown in the region. whatever the record of any state official, the principal and the law is that we don't go around assassinating foreign leaders without the clear demonstration of an immediate threat. it is illegal. it came as scores of people were killed in a stampede, as iranians flocked to suleimani's funeral in his hometown of kerman.

we'll have all the latest on the us—iranian tensions and we'll be talking to a state department spokesperson. the other main stories on bbc news at 5. on her way home — the 19—year—old british woman convicted of lying about being raped in cyprus is allowed to fly back to the uk after receiving a four month suspended sentence. a teenager admits killing andrew harper, a police officer who was a newlywed, in berkshire last summer joker leads the pack — this year's bafta film nominations are published — but there's criticism of the lack of diversity. and coming up — england has won the second test against south africa by 189 runs. ben stokes took three wickets in the final hour.

it's 5:00pm. our main story — this afternoon the house of commons has been debating the escalating tensions between iran and the us following the killing of the top commander qassem soleimani in a us drone strike. the defence secretary ben wallace repeated the uk government's calls for calm. tonight, thousands of mourners are in soleimani's home town of kerman in iran as his burial takes place. the ceremony was delayed from earlier today after at least 50 people were crushed to death as huge crowds gathered to pay their respects. our chief political correspondent, vicki young is at westminster. all eyes on the defence secretary, ben wallace, this afternoon. yeah, people are waiting to hear what the responses from the british government. this was not boris johnson, the prime minister, doing all of this. it was the defence secretary. interestingly, he stayed clear about talking about the legality of what the americans did.

there was no outright condemnation of age, and in fact, there was no outright condemnation of age, and infact, ben there was no outright condemnation of age, and in fact, ben wallace was saying there was a case of self—defense, he talked about the fa ct self—defense, he talked about the fact that there had been several attacks on targets in iraq over the months, and say that actually america had shown restraint up until now. but the really clear message from the uk government is that they really wa nt from the uk government is that they really want to try and calm the situation down, and of course, remember the british were not told in advance by the americans that this was going to happen, even though there are british troops in iraq. this government is engaged in a full diplomatic effort at all levels to seek to de—escalate the tensions that have grown in the region. indeed, not only at the united nations, but in leader to leader defence—sec and foreign—sec, and all other levers we have come broader thanjust in the region, to seek efforts to make sure that both iran and does not retaliate in any way that would escalate the situation and indeed that our friends and allies do not escalate the situation either.

the call that this government is making is to make sure that we pause, that we focus on the safety of the people's of that region and seek a way out both for iran and for indeed for its neighbours. now, ben wallace said that the prime minister had been speaking to other world leaders throughout all of this, and that's come after some criticism from labour, who are asking why it wasn't borisjohnson himself who came to the house of commons today. jeremy corbyn from the labour leader saying what could be more important for the prime minister than this particularly difficult situation? this was the labour leader. this is not a question of soleimani's actions or record on the region. whatever the record of any state official, the principal and the law is that we don't go around assassinating foreign leaders. assassinating foreign leaders without the clear demonstration of an immediate threat, it is illegal.

let's speak now to the conservative mp, time to can hotz, who was the chair of the foreign affairs select committee and the last parliament. there's been some criticism of boris johnson for not coming here today and making the statement himself, given it is in incredibly dangerous situation. welcome i think the most important thing to focus on is what we are doing about it, and that, for me, is about getting out and talking to allies, friends, partners in the region, and actually round the world. now, we have started by speaking to germany and france, and i know that the defence secretary told us he was speaking to saudi arabia. i hope, urging calm. and i hope he is going to be reaching out in the foreign secretary will be reaching out to qatar and kuwait is welcome into the energy hungry countries that rely on persian gulf so countries that rely on persian gulf so much. countries like indonesia and china. this is notjust a an american and iranian issue. it's

also an issue for the whole world, and soi also an issue for the whole world, and so i hope that we will be working together to make sure we de—escalate and find that this is the lowest point in a relationship that grows from here, with this having been a moment when everybody realises that the cost is too high. who though is speaking to the american president. we know that borisjohnson has a good relationship with him. is he going to use that to try and persuade the americans to step back and not to repeat this kind of action. welcome i think having a good relationship with the us president is important, so with the us president is important, so i'm pleased that our prime minister does, but it's notjust our prime minister who has to speak to him. there many countries around the world, i mentioned a few of them just now, i would very much hope that countries like saudi arabia are pointing out the dangers to them, and people at the prime minister of israel are doing the same, because what we really need to do here is de—escalate. we need to make sure that this is the lowest point in a very difficult relationship that we've had for the best part of 40 years with iran. and that we do not go down from here, but instead come

up. because the cost of this war has been huge. the cost of this proxy work, rather than a live one has been huge. not just work, rather than a live one has been huge. notjust to us, although, we know for example in 2007, five hostages taken by iranian backed militias in iraq, four of them were executed. we know about the charges that killed so many of my comrades in afghanistan and iraq. much of the technology, much of the training came from militias trained by soleimani's forces. so we know that this has cost us, but it mostly costs people in their own country. first of all in iran, the mass repression that we are seeing and have seen for the last 40 years, and in countries like syria and iraq, hundreds of thousands killed in wars either started by or supported by fuelled by maker to cosmic forces and the iranian regime. are you concerned that the americans did not speak to the british before they took this action? well, there are

moments when governments decide they have to act quickly, and sadly, they don't always inform their allies. i wish they had come of course i do, given that we have forces in the region. i think it's important that allies speak to each other, after all, the purpose of an alliance is to surprise your enemies not your friends. but i do understand that this happens occasionally. it happened in 2003, even when the relationship between george bush and tony blair was very close. thank you very much indeed. i think of the whole relationship between the british government, of course, and the americans in the coming weeks, months, years will be crucial, and it will be interesting to see which world leader it is, really, that is leading the approach to all of this and the strategy particularly when it comes to european countries. vicki young at westminster, thank you very much, and we will be hearing from vicki again a little later in this hour. a british teenager who was convicted of lying about being raped by a group of israeli men in cyprus

lastjuly has been given a four month suspended sentence. the 19—year—old insists she only withdrew the allegation because she was heavily pressurised by police to do so. her lawyer says she will appeal — she's now thought to on her way home. gavin lee sent this report. backin back ina back in a separate court this morning, guilty of falsely claiming rape and awaiting her sentence. the 19—year—old from derbyshire a bit shaky and hesitant as she arrived. welcome to outside court by dozens of women's rights activists from cyprus and israel to shouting their support. in this controversial case, with the spotlight on whether the teenager have the right to a fair trial. in the past few minutes, a separatejudge has trial. in the past few minutes, a separate judge has handed trial. in the past few minutes, a separatejudge has handed down a four month suspended sentence to the british teenager found guilty of making false rape claims. now awaiting for her family to come out, they have said this morning they're going to try to get her back to the uk, and this is an international controversial case, with the whole question of a right to a fair trial

was put in the spotlight. speaking outside the courts, the teenager's mother who says she's happy to be identified spoke briefly to the waiting activists. ijust want identified spoke briefly to the waiting activists. i just want to thank each and every one of you for turning up today, having believed, having faith, making sure that we getjustice. thank having faith, making sure that we get justice. thank you having faith, making sure that we getjustice. thank you all of you for turning up. it is so appreciated. we can't thank you enough. thank you. applause met the family lawyer, lewes powell, claimed this case has been full of flaws from the outside. clearly, there has been to this point in time still a deficit in the provision of her, protocol, and safeguarding. in this case, there was a failure which led to a catastrophic situation with the victim finding herself as the accused. all sites here acknowledge there were problems with this case, in which 12 israeli youths were arrested for alleged rape in a hotel room and released after the teenager

changed her statement. she says she was forced into it. but local politicians who are amongst the protesters outside court today deny suggestions that there are institutional flaws in the separate justice system. there can be no doubt that the legal system of cyprus, they should go into details about this case, as the judge said before, to see it as a special case, and see what didn't work correct. the foreign secretary dominic raab said he was relieved that the teenager's returning, but said there we re teenager's returning, but said there were wider questions about the security of british tourists in cyprus. after six months on the island from the teenager is expected to be back in derbyshire this evening, her passport returned, but her reputation damaged. she said to have posttraumatic stress disorder and will seek treatment in the uk. herfamily say and will seek treatment in the uk. her family say they will continue to appeal against the decision. gavin lee, bbc news, cyprus.

let's speak now to bracha barad, executive director of kulan, an organisation fighting victim blaming in israel, and was outside the court for today's sentencing. she joins us from larnaca. thank you very much for being with us on thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. let me ask you first of all, do you think the courts in the end has made the right call in and giving hera the end has made the right call in and giving her a suspended sentence? well, first of all, i think it's the least the court to do is let her go home. i thinkjustice was not done in this case. she was abused by the system for over six months, and all she wanted to do was, you know, what every sexual assault victim wants to do, is to getjustice and to protect other people. at the end of the day, justice was not done for her. she was abused and i don't think that's nearly enough. i think she deserves an apology from it many people. we are going to see an appeal, and we will see how that works out in cyprus in the coming months, what about in israel? has there been a change in perceptions of this case

over the last few months? well, i think we've slightly been able to convince the public in israel that this case isn't cut clear, because the first few weeks in israel, all the first few weeks in israel, all the reports we received on the case where attached to the teens lawyers, and afterwards, we started receiving different reports from people inside cyprus, from people in britain, i think we were able to change slightly the opinions of people, but the problem of blaming the victim and accusing the women of being the problem in a sexual assault situation, it's not unique to cyprus. we see it in israel, and it's a very difficult struggle. you see it in the uk as well, it's by no need do look back means a problem we have dealt with successfully in our own legal system. i mean, have dealt with successfully in our own legalsystem. i mean, one have dealt with successfully in our own legal system. i mean, one of the difficulties appears to be here in cyprus where you are is that some of the expectations about how people who say they have been attacked in this way are treated, that we might

have come to expect in this country have come to expect in this country have been met. do you get any sense in the time that you have been out there that there is any prospect of that changing in cyprus because of this case? i am actually not very into what's going on in cyprus, we have been here for a little bit over 24 hours, but i can tell you that this problem, it's not in cyprus, it's not in britain, it's not in israel, it's all over the world. sexual assault victims are being blamed, they are being targeted in the system does not give them justice. we are, i think, the system does not give them justice. we are, ithink, i know a lot of feminists all over the world are fighting this thing, but we have are fighting this thing, but we have a very long way to go. thank you so much forjoining us, the executive director of who are in, have a safe journey home. thank you. a teenage neo—nazi, the youngest person to be convicted of planning a terrorist attack in the uk, has been jailed for over six years. the seventeen—year—old boy had written a list of possible targets in his home city of durham, including post offices, schools and banks. he'd also made a list of guns

he'd like to acquire. the judge described the six offences he was found guilty of as being of the, "utmost seriousness". a teenager has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a police officer who was dragged along a road by a van in berkshire last summer. pc andrew harper, who was 28, was responding to reports of a break—in at the time. our correspondent daniella relph was at the old bailey. 18—year—old henry long from mortimer, near reading, appeared before a judge here at court 12 of the old bailey via a video link from a marsh via a video link from bellmarsh prison, where he is in custody. he was asked for his plea to the charge of manslaughter, to which he replied, "i plead guilty, guilty." now the death of police constable andrew harper last august caused an outpouring of public sympathy. he died just four weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart, and shortly before the couple were due to go on honeymoon. now, he was called out with another colleague,

due to a call for reports of a break—in at a property in the village of sullinstead in rural berkshire. when pc harper got there, he got caught under the wheels of the vehicle. he was dragged along the road. he suffered multiple injuries and died. but what is important, with developments here in court today, is that henry long has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. but he has pleaded not guilty to murder, and he and two others are due to face trial for murder here at the old bailey in march. the headlines on bbc news... mps debate the escalating tensions in iran, following the killing of the top commander qassem soleimani. on her way home — the 19—year—old british woman convicted of lying about being raped in cyprus is allowed to fly back to the uk after receiving a four month suspended sentence. a teenager admits killing newlywed pc andrew harper in berkshire last summer.

in sports, ben stokes leads england toa in sports, ben stokes leads england to a memorable victory in the second test against south africa, and the shadow business secretary, rebecca long bailey, has become the sixth candidate in the race to become the next labour leader. she said the party needed a proud socialist to succeed jeremy corbyn and stay true to his radical vision. she joins sir keir starmer, emily thornberry, clive lewis, lisa nandy and jess phillips in the contest. registered supporters — who are not full party members — will have 48 hours from 14—16 january to secure a vote by paying £25. the ballot will be open from 21st

february to the 2nd of april, with the results announced two days later on the 4th. speaking earlier today, rebecca long bailey pitched herself all. manchester united have won it, and if invisibly or audibly supporting manchester city held r threatening p.m. jeremy corbyn had to suffered —— jeremy had suffered unprecedented levels of criticism and attack against his own personal character, and he was very resilient throughout. i supported jeremy. i still supportjeremy because i felt that he was the right man with the right moral integrity to lead the party... he lost catastrophically, didn't he? doesn't he accept responsibility for that? of course he does. any leader who leads us into a general election defeat needs to take ultimate responsibility. but he also set out a radical platform for policy development that involved the grassroots in our trade unions and developed some of the most exciting and innovative policies that we've seen in a generation. i think he'll go down in history as being remembered

as the leader who has done that. police say further potential victims of the uk's most prolific serial rapist have come forward following his sentencing. reynhard sinaga was convicted of drugging and assaulting 48 men, but police say they have evidence he targeted at least 190 victims and that many have not been identified. multiple calls have been made to a dedicated incident room for reporting sexual abuse since it was made public yesterday. mps have begun debating the government's brexit bill in the house of commons. ministers are seeking to win parliamentary approval in the next few weeks to allow the uk to leave the european union at the end of the month, but opposition parties are pressing for changes. the brexit secretary, stephen barclay opened the debate. this bill implements the withdrawal agreement negotiated by the prime minister. it fulfills the will of the british people, and will set the stage for

oui’ people, and will set the stage for our bright future outside of the european union. it lets us take back control of our lives, money, borders, and i trade policy. this bill delivers on the overwhelming mandate given to us by the british people to get brexit done by the end of january. people to get brexit done by the end ofjanuary. stephen barclay. more than a thousand homes have been lost to the bushfires, firefighters have a memorial in sydney for andrew o'dwyer who died battling the fires late last month. at the moment, firefighters are taking advantage of milder weather to create fire breaks while they can, but the temperatures are forecasted for later this week, this could form a mega blaze, our correspondent katie watson has been meeting people in victoria. out to pasture but unable to graze. farmer scott has had to rely on

donated feed to keep his animals alive after 80% of his land was destroyed by fire. and when you see pictures like this, it's amazing they did survive. this was his town of buchan, when the fire swept throughjust of buchan, when the fire swept through just before new year's eve, firmly and burned out buildings were destroyed, and a community is now isolated. scott's family chose to stay and defend their property, all of that land is yours? back from all of that land is yours? back from all of that land is yours? back from all of that black land out in the distance there. when you are told they are winning saying you need to get out you wouldn't go? no, i plan a lwa ys get out you wouldn't go? no, i plan always to stay here. yeah, we've proved at this time, we will do the same again next time. these past few days of cooler temperatures have helped authorities here regroup and start recovery. but the fear is of what is to come. bushfires are new, they happen every year, but look at they happen every year, but look at the scale and intensity of the fires

these past few weeks has taken everybody here in victoria by surprise. but, of course, brush fire season surprise. but, of course, brush fire seasonis surprise. but, of course, brush fire season is only just surprise. but, of course, brush fire season is onlyjust getting started. we make everything that's traded on this map is currently a fire activity or burned area. the fire monitoring centres are flat out they are not able to contain the fires that are currently burning, the next few days are expected to bring more. in any normal year, we would probably be dealing with a fire about that size, and that would be a very very significant fire. there is a very real possibility that in the coming months, the fire will cover an area which is larger than scotland. the community is still hurting, volunteers are helping people who have lost everything to pick up supplies and get them back on their feet. terrible, horrendous, they have lost everything. every single thing they own, they've lost. so they come to the front door, they break down in tears. the amount of hugs and tears

we've said in these last weeks, it's very emotional. someone who is soaking up those hugs is lexi, drafted in by the local ambulance service to put a smile on people's faces. it seems to be working. katie watson, bbc news, eastern victoria. more now on our top story. this afternoon, the us secretary of state mike pompeo defended a us drone strike that killed a leading iranian commander. mr pompeo blamed qasem soleimani for masterminding what he called a "terror campaign" in the middle east. we could see clearly that not only had soleimani done all of the things that we have recounted, right? like hundreds of thousands, a massacre in syria, enormous destruction of countries like lebanon and iraq where they have denied them sovereignty, and the iranians have really denied the people in those two countries what it is they want, right? sovereignty, independence and freedom. this is all soleimani's handiwork, and then we would watch as he was continuing the terror campaign in the region.

mike pompeo speaking a little bit earlier, to washington now, the spokesperson for the us state department, morgan ortagus. thank you very much for being with us on thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. we are in the uk debating what happened in the last few days and i ran. the british defence secretary has said it's a matter for the us to defend itself as it sees fit, and the british will support that. it's also an obligation on you now to provide some evidence for the decision that was taken before the president authorised the killing of soleimani. will you be providing more evidence? so, first of all, thank you for having me. let mejust say so, first of all, thank you for having me. let me just say it, that oui’ having me. let me just say it, that our relationship with the uk, both the foreign ministries in the defence department is closer than ever. we work with the united kingdom around the world on a variety of issues, especially on things like the deicers campaign in the middle east in which the united kingdom has been a crucial ally. we also have foreign minister dominic raab meeting with secretary pompeo

injusta raab meeting with secretary pompeo injust a few raab meeting with secretary pompeo in just a few days, and we will be talking about this issue and many. secretary pompeo was at her estate podium talking but what you just referred to. i thank you showed some of his clips, one of the things of course that he stressed is that if you are looking forward to understand the threat that soleimani post, you can look into the past 40 yea rs of post, you can look into the past 40 years of the regime in the past 20 yea rs years of the regime in the past 20 years where soleimani has been at the head of it, but you can see the past week, leading up to soleimani's death, we, unfortunately, had a loss ofan death, we, unfortunately, had a loss of an american citizen because of the attacks that iran sponsored. we also have injured american service members. a few days later, we had iranians sponsored attacks on our us embassy, and except for the grace of god in the united states marine corps, we would have lost, or had more americans harmed because of these attacks. so what we started to see, again, i could go through at least 20 things that iran has done to the united states. least 20 things that iran has done to the united stateslj least 20 things that iran has done to the united states. i wish we had the time to do that, and forgive me

for interrupting you, butjust to clarify the timeline. you are quite right, american civilians were killed, america then bombed a group and killed 25 and injured about 50 others, now, to then go on and do the further thing is the question that has been raised, and your defence was that you had a legitimate reason for doing so because he feared it was in imminent threats from another british are saying is that given our troops are potentially also in danger for any conflict that escalates because british troops are also in iraq, there is also there for a threat to them, and that may be a reason why we are concerned to know what that evidences. sure. the intelligence committees in the united states and the uk work very closely together on these issues. they are well aware of these issues. they are well aware of the threats. as a number of things that will be, may have made public oi’ that will be, may have made public or may have not been made public, but i think the one thing i think we are getting wrong in this discussion is that there is assumptions that there is one piece of intelligence thatis there is one piece of intelligence that is presented to the president and then he makes a decision. instead, you look at the intelligence to show is soleimani

going to further the attacks? what are they saying publicly? what are their actions? and we are also referring to the statements of the i rgc made after soleimani's death in which they admitted he was travelling in order to plan more attacks. if you look at the head of, who was also killed the straight, he has said very publicly that they we re has said very publicly that they were planning on attacking americans. so you don't even have to declassify intelligence to know the i rgc has both sides publicly that they were planning more attacks. there is no dispute about that. the iraqi parliament has voted that us and other foreign troops should leave, the defence secretary said in the course of the afternoon that if that were the case, then the british, however much they would like to persuade it to be otherwise, would accept that request. will the us comply with that request also? so i think there are a few things to remember about this. first of all, the iraqi parliament did not pass a law, they passed a resolution, we often pass resolutions in the united states congress that don't have any

legal effect. there's also a debate about whether there was a full quorum, many members of parliament who were not president —— present for that vote, further, we have the prime minister resigning in a wreck, he is in acting per minister, a ca reta ker he is in acting per minister, a caretaker government. we are focusing on what we believe is working with the iraqi government, and what we think is a really important and crucial american presence in iraq, and that's on the deicers campaign. the iraq he secured he forces have been able to help us decimate the physical caliphate of isis, but it does remaina caliphate of isis, but it does remain a threats command that's why we are there, and we believe that ultimately cooler heads will prevail, and they will see the importance of having an american coalition presence, becausejust as you pointed out, it's notjust the american presence that's at risk amidst the british and the other members of the coalition, their presence is at risk at well —— as well. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. thank you for having me.

now it's time for a look at the weather. plenty of other to speak of today. it's turned out pretty much is forecasted. but it's been very much one of those days across northern and western britain. the wind a real future, destructively so, and that continues on into tonight. travel has been affected, particularly the fairies down in the iris he is welcome and not quite done yet they are. the range of the gusts says we expect to see them through the rest of the evening, 40—60 mph plus as we move towards the northern parts of scotland. through the evening and overnight, we will drag the weather front out of scotland, but should ever further towards the south, that will confine the mild air of today across the southern counties of england and wales. further north, cold enough for the snow to lay a couple of centimetres across the higher ground of scotland above 2-300 higher ground of scotland above 2—300 metres, wednesday it's off to of cloud across the south, it stays mild here, a bright blustery day across particularly the north of scotland, the wind is still a future. at some sunshine to speak

of, it does nothing for the temperatures in the north, it stays in double figures across the south. this is bbc news. the headlines: mps debate the escalating tensions in iran. the defence secretary appeals for calm in the region, but the labour leader questions the legality of the killing. this government is engaged in a full diplomatic effort at all levels

to seek to de—escalate the tensions that have grown in the region. whatever the record of any state official, the principle and the law is that we don't go around assassinating foreign leaders. without the clear demonstration of an immediate threat, it is illegal. it came as scores of people were killed in a stampede as iranians flocked to suleimani's funeral in his hometown of kerman. on her way home — the 19—year—old british woman convicted of lying about being raped in cyprus is allowed to fly back to the uk after receiving a four—month suspended sentence. a teenager admits killing newlywed pc andrew harper in berkshire last summer. joker leads the pack in this year's bafta film nominations, but there's criticism of the lack of diversity.

good afternoon. enlgand have won the second test against south africa on the final day in cape town. it was a fascinating evening session from england's bowlers. ben stokes was the man of the moment grabbing the final three wickets as the touring side won by 189 runs. england had a decent start to the day, taking three wickets, including that of captain faf du plessis and pieter malan, who had frustrated england on his way to 84. it was the wicket of quinton de kock that sent england on their way to victory, part—time spinnerjoe denley with the breakthrough. a fantastic catch from zak crawley meant england needed just one more wicket and ben stokes, despite looking exhausted, got his third wicket to finish off the south african tail and give england victory. series perfectly poised at 1—1. afterwards, the england

captain, joe root, paid tribute to his star man. he is born for this stage, the big moments. he is someone that never backs down from a challenge. you put him in difficult situations and he will never shy away from them. all the special things he has done over the special things he has done over the last year, a previous world cup final in calcutta, he put himself in that situation, he has been through both sides of it and still very keen to deliver for england. both sides of it and still very keen to deliverfor england. he is a great example to a young group of players. manchester united have warned that they will eject any fan visibly or audibly supporting manchester city in the home sections of old trafford during their league cup semifinal first leg tonight. both clubs have agreed to limit the number of tickets available for away fans in both matches as a security measure, but the match isn't sold out and there are concerns that city fans could buy tickets in the home ends because they've

gone on general sale. after united got the better of city in the league last month, pep guardiola says his task when he came to manchester was not just to better his local rivals. iam sure i am sure i did not come herejust to beat united. that was not the target. it is to play good, win the title, we did in the last two seasons, this season we won one, in the community shield, so now we have the community shield, so now we have the challenge to get another final, so we will wait for that. and there is full coverage of that league cup semifinal first leg between manchester united and manchester city is on bbc radio 5 live from 7pm. archery and shooting could be included in the 2022 commonwealth games, only not in birmingham but thousands of miles away in delhi. the sports had been dropped to make way for other events. india were unhappy and had threatened to boycott the games. they have proposed hosting the events four months earlier and pay for the cost

of staging them. the medals would count for the final medal table and is to be considered by organisers following intervention from the british government. organisers of this month's australian open say they do not expect any delays to the start of the tournament despite the ongoing bushfires. reigning men's champion novak djokovic had suggested that the start could be put back because of the air quality in melbourne, which has been rated as very unhealthy. tournament officials say the health of fans, players and staff is their priority at all times, and the weather forecast is good for the main draw in a fortnight. staying with tennis in australia, and great britain have topped their group at the atp cup and will meet the hosts in the last eight. jamie murray and joe salisbury won their final group game against moldova in sydney, but they needed belgium to beat bulgaria, which they did. the quarterfinal against australia will start tomorrow night. i'll have more for you in sportsday at half past six.

awards season is well underway with the golden globes yesterday and bafta nominations announced today. the ee rising star award is the one category that members of the public can vote for and acknowledges new emerging talent in the film industry. past winners have included tom hardy, john boyega and letitia wright, and i'm pleased to say one of this year's nominees, jack lowden, is with me. let's have a look at him in action in the comedy fighting with my family. am i speaking to zak and britani? yeah. my name is hutch morgan. i'm calling from wwe. we were very impressed by your tape. in april, we're bringing smackdown to the 02 in london, and we'd like both of you to come down and try out for us. hello? they'd be very happy to accept. good. and we already have a britani, so just think of an alternative name. yeah, sure, ok. thank you so much! yeah, yeah. thank you. thank you very much, sir. they whoop and yell.

oh, my god! they want us! i told you! it was a given. sorry, what is the wwe? say what? and jack joins me now. congratulations, jack. what did you think when you heard? you hear a month before. and you're not allowed to tell anyone? you are sworn to secrecy but i heard on an e—mail. you have beaming at people for no obvious reason! just smiling at passers—by and looking like a crazy person. it was really quite nice. it is flattering when anything like this comes your way. what do you make of the choice? you are one of

five actors, two women, three guys, and it's not just five actors, two women, three guys, and it's notjust about that five actors, two women, three guys, and it's not just about that film presumably but about a lot of things you have done. i think that is the idea behind the award. it is that 12 months, the body of work that the five of us have done. it is quite nice for it to be multiple jobs and things like that and the breadth of work across the five nominees is hugely different. i have not seen all of it, but those that i have seen, they are a very talented bunch. i think they would say the same about you, i hope. one of the criticisms at bafta awards is it is not diverse enough by which they mean it is all white men and women. here we have a us actress who is south korean and chinese in origin, us black actor, two women, scottish

actor. joking aside, when the big awards still seem to be dominated by white performers? it is obviously just continuing to be frustrating, but speaking about this of bought in particular, what is quite good to point out is that this is the only award that is actually nominated by award that is actually nominated by a very small group from itself and the other awards, the six or 7000,... the same the other awards, the six or 7000, . .. the same criticism the other awards, the six or 7000,... the same criticism made by the oscars. baftas is a well intentioned body, i know they are making a lot of move in the right direction, but it would take a lot longer with a wider group. but there are other notable people that are

not involved in the nominations, like greta, who should be included not just because like greta, who should be included notjust because she's a woman but she directed one the best films of the year, which is quite sad. but what is quite great is that when this reaction happens to award ceremonies, what it does do is prompt the industry to react, making the projects made diverse. there are more female led films. and you are doing a bit of producing yourself. in the back of your mind will you think about this? it depends on the project but i do not want to go for traditional casting? it is there because my generation is very aware of it. and the film that i was in and produced has a female lead, a black female lead, and fiona shaw.

but they were picked because i worked with tamara before she is one of the best actors around and so is fiona shaw. that is the reason they we re fiona shaw. that is the reason they were picked. but it is a very tricky thing, but it can be very simple. the key thing about this award is it is the newcomer award which means people can vote on the ee website so if they love you in any of your performance they can put their money where their mouth is. or if they are just into me in any fashion, they can put their money where their mouth is. that does make a difference. it gives it an extra, from your point of view, if you win that, you will say, i want because the audience value what i do as well as people in the industry. absolutely. making movies, the goal is multifaceted, the two things they are measured against our awards or

box office, and it is the box office thatis box office, and it is the box office that is the public. so it would be flattering. but it is a very tough competition. it is high standard. what lies ahead for you ? competition. it is high standard. what lies ahead for you? a month of waiting to see what happens with this, and! waiting to see what happens with this, and i start a job waiting to see what happens with this, and i startajob in waiting to see what happens with this, and i start a job in march but i can't talk about yet but i am very excited about and another one in may. i will direct a short film as well. lots of options, so who knows? you will be back as a director nominee at some point in the future? pleasure to meet you, congratulations for being nominated and best of luck for baftas night. let's look at the bafta nominations in a bit more detail now, and the film joker leads the way, being recognised in 11 categories. it's competing against sam mendes' war epic, 1917, for both best film and best director. but all the nominees in the acting categories are white and the best director shortlist is all male. the head of bafta says

she is very disappointed by the lack of diversity. lizo mzimba reports. when you bring me out, can you introduce me asjoker? some things are changing at the baftas — a few years ago it would perhaps have been unheard of forjoker, a comic book movie, to even get a best film nomination, let alone to be leading the way with 11 nominations, including best actor forjoaquin phoenix. but there is understandable concern that all the nominated performances this year come from white actors and actresses. two of them even had double nominations — scarlett joha nsson recognised for relationship drama marriage story and dark comedyjojo rabbit. i may be like my father, but i am not like my mother. i don't want to be on tv, i don't want to be on fox. and margot robbie was nominated twice, for comedy drama once upon a time in hollywood and the #metoo story bombshell. the reasons for what has been called #baftasowhite may not be straightforward.

in recent years, performers like viola davis, mahershala ali and octavia spencer have notjust been nominated but have won acting baftas. as have the trio barkhad abdi, dev patel and chiwetel ejiofor, who all won at bafta but failed to win at the oscars. it emphasises the need for wider progress outside the awards. i think if bafta is going to move forward in the future they really need to big up the important work they are already doing in encouraging film makers from different backgrounds and ethnicities, and to encourage a new wave of talent coming through. i think that is reflected in the ee rising star award, it has a very diverse line—up, very exciting young talent coming through. hello. is that frank? yes. hiya, frank, this isjimmy hoffa. among the established talent recognised was the team involved with the irishman — director martin scorsese's epic crime drama was just behind joker with ten nominations.

what's the matter, partner? it is official, old buddy. i'm a has—been. also with ten nominations, director quentin tara ntino's once upon a time in hollywood, with leonardo dicaprio and brad pitt both nominated. what is encouraging from a diversity point of view is that parasite, a social drama with an all south korean cast, received nominations for best director and best film. lizo mzimba, bbc news. and film criticjason solomons is with me now. people think it is about black or brown faces but it's not, for me

diversity is about opening us up up to the world. we saw a clip from parasite there which has been nominated in the best movie one. the photos on british audience were not against foreign languages or foreigners orfilms against foreign languages or foreigners or films that come from a different planet, that is what the ba ftas different planet, that is what the baftas should lead the world in, london as i diverse place in a global hub. we look at the oscars in america they are behind us but actually we have the same problems. the embarrassing hashtag was oscars so white and today was baftas so white. you do not want to detract from anyone who has been nominated, it's a fantastic achievement, and we should celebrate that film culture, but it moves voters to think twice and think, what are my voting for? i'm not going for the old monolithic

films, the irishman or once upon a time in hollywood, great films as they are and i like them both very much, but there are other works out there that reflect greater things like blue story. imagine if you were a young black man from a housing estate on baftas night, you cannot really tu ne estate on baftas night, you cannot really tune in and support black story. but that would have been great for future cinemagoers and future film goers and makers, just encourage it. what about the awards that people look at the best film, best director? it is a pretty strong field. it is very strong here so of course some films will fall between the acts, i loved little women, for example, a real treat with a great

cast, not diverse, but again, it could not muscle the heavyweights out of the way. is it because there is not enough noise about it? there is not enough noise about it? there isa is not enough noise about it? there is a female directing issue, there is a female directing issue, there is an issue in the supporting female actors, they are all female, but they are all white on blonde! and they are all white on blonde! and they are all white on blonde! and they are multiplying. it is baffling. women don'tjust look like that in the world. as jack was saying, he is a rising star and is nominated for a range of things he has done over the year. you could have done the same with a leading roles as well, saying, we will not have two nominations for the same actor, we would just say, they have done two great performances. there are done two great performances. there a re lots of done two great performances. there are lots of ways you can load the dice. they do have a new category

this yearfor dice. they do have a new category this year for the casting director which is a great achievement and that will bring in the lot female representation. that also raises the question of what they did with the craft awards where they let craft craftspeople nominate. they do chapter voting. the experts vote on the experts and then they open up to the experts and then they open up to the wider body but the casting director award this year is particularly interesting because sara crowe is nominated for her casting of david copperfield which did colour—blind casting which put traditional roles, white rose, given to asian and black actors dev patel. —— white roles. to asian and black actors dev patel. -- white roles. theyjust look at the performance. let me ask you about the best film. joker leads the pack. but that film is an obvious

box office appeal but it is also regarded as having a bit more. box office appeal but it is also regarded as having a bit morem was a controversial film. regarded as having a bit morem was a controversialfilm. i regarded as having a bit morem was a controversial film. i was there at its premiere, the loudest cheer i have heard for many years for that film. i found cheer i have heard for many years for that film. ifound it cheer i have heard for many years for that film. i found it an unsettling and dangerous film. todd phillips is nominated as director andi phillips is nominated as director and i thought he lost control of it, it's a wild performance. it starts at 11 and goes up to 25. i found it uncontrolled and uncertain for people like that, it reflects the nervousness of our times, people have read a lot into it, it's a hugely successful and popular film. ido hugely successful and popular film. i do not think it will have 11 wins. how far i do not think it will have 11 wins. howfardid i do not think it will have 11 wins. how far did the baftas if a tool given we have already had the golden globes influence will contribute to the debate in the run—up to oscar nominations? they are very much part of the conversation now since they have moved to the calendar but what

iam seeing have moved to the calendar but what i am seeing now is that the baftas have a chance to change that conversation and move it along a bit and in that staging post, given they have a massive influence on oscar voters, let's change up a bit and make other people think about film culture in a different way, the way that they would want it to be seen, the way that globally it wants to be perceived, and they do a lot of work around the year that is notjust about the awards but about diversity and encouraging young film—makers and encouraging young film—makers and widening our world view to cinema. i would love to see that reflected in the wards themselves. anyone else or anything else you would like to pick up and say i am so glad that isn't there?|j would like to pick up and say i am so glad that isn't there? i am delighted about the documentary made bya delighted about the documentary made by a woman who has been nominated four times, the most nominated person. the most nominated people at these baftas are two people from

korea and syria. they are both great films. having said all of this they could end up the big winners on the night and could end up the big winners on the nightandi could end up the big winners on the night and i will look stupid, but happy! stupid but happy, good combination! and jason will be live on the bafta red carpet with my colleague, jane hill, and fashion designer maria graschvogel and all the stars. that's live on the bbc news channel on the 2nd february at 5:15pm. wi—fi enabled litter boxes for cats and a rotating tv specifically designed for use by the tiktok generation — that's just some of the new technology on display at the world's biggest consumer tech showcase in las vegas. it's a chance for aspiring start—ups and established brands to show off their latest gadgets. our reporter, zoe kleinmann, has been to find out what's creating a buzz. it looks like pork and it's supposed to taste like it too, but this is a new meat—free alternative.

the impossible sausage is by the same company who gave us fake burgers last year. it might be veganuary in the uk, but pork is a perennial favourite, particularly in china. is this an attempt to attract a lucrative market of meat eaters? there are a lot of meat eaters in asia and china. we were just there in shanghai serving at ciee, 25,000 versions of our locally—inspired cuisine, and i think you'll see us eventually be everywhere, every major market where the meat—eater demands great product. there's not an animal in sight in the making of this, but the question is does it past the taste test? well, this is a challenge i'm going to enjoy. here we go. so what i would say about it is it's spicy! what i would say about it is it's got a very light texture. it's sort of lighter than you would expect from something like a pork sausage. apparently, it's got half

the calories and i think you can sort of feel that. it's definitely less fatty. does it beat the sausage? well, i'm not sure about that. that's just one of the products on display here at the world's largest tech fest, ces in las vegas, where 180,000 people have flocked to see, not just the new tech trends of the year, but of the decade. furniture that moves itself to you. robots to suit your every need. driverless vehicles of all shapes and sizes. and screens everywhere. screens that are paper—thin, screens that fold, screens that roll up into the ceiling. that one, by the way, could be yours forjust £45,000. ces is always a smorgasbord of the weird, the wonderful and potentially quite useful. what will catch on and what will disappear without even a digital trace, well, ultimately, that's up to the consumer. zoe kleinman, bbc news, las vegas. let's take a look at some the the day's other main stories.

hackers are holding foreign exchange company travelex to ransom after a cyber attack that s forced the firm to turn off all computer systems. on new years eve hackers infiltrated parts of their network forcing the firm to take down its websites. hackers are now demanding payment in exchange for either restoring the computer systems or preserving customer data. britain's fourth biggest supermarket chain, morrisons, has reported a fall in sales over the christmas period. it's blamed what it calls unusually challenging conditions. sales fell by 1.7 percent in like—for—like sales for the 22 weeks up to january 5th. shares however rose 3 percent as the sales decline was not as bad as feared. a train operator is offering to compensate its season ticket holders hit by recent delays and cancellations. transpennine express will refund 3% of the annual cost of season tickets to customers who email them to claim the rebate. a new timetable caused widespread disruption, which the company has acknowledged was unacceptable.

the duke and duchess of sussex have begun their first royal engagement of the new decade, visiting canadians to thank them for the warm hospitality of their homeland. harry and meghan have recently returned from an extended private break in canada with their eight—month—old son, archie, and wanted to express their gratitude to the commonwealth nation and its people. time for a look at the weather. this was part of the mix today but it was a real mixed bag right across the british isles. the further south and east we were the dry and your day was for a time because you that much further away from the action. a lot of isobars on the chart and the weather front adding to that mystery. disrupted travel today. we we re mystery. disrupted travel today. we were all swayed with those mild airs but you will notice as we take you

one through into wednesday a change in the way to something cooler. in the short term, we will have further disruption to your travel plans and particularly so across the north of britain because that's the sort of profile that will continue to experience for the greater part of the night. that has been half the weather story today. we have also had temperatures widely from scotla nd had temperatures widely from scotland down into the south—west of england well above what we would expect for the time of year. that is a statement of fact. the weather front gradually tumbling its way ever further towards the south during the course of the evening and overnight. what it will do is retain the warmth of the day across southern counties. further north, cold enough to change the showers from rain to snow. some of you will wa ke from rain to snow. some of you will wake up to a couple of centimetres of snow in the north—western corner of snow in the north—western corner of scotland. this is the set up for wednesday, that front never getting

away from the southern counties of england and wales. that is where we have that cloudy mud stop. further north wind is still a feature across the northern half of scotland. sunshine to speak of, sunshine also for northern ireland in the north of england. later in the day, there will be rain because it stays mild there. on thursday, a lot of doubt. we have low pressure tracking its way across the heart of the british isles. if it is deeper than what i am showing you, the wind will be a feature so that could be disruptive and then come friday we are into a ridge of high pressure so things are settling nicely albeit briefly. you have seen what is new meaning for the weekend. thursday, a deal of uncertainty. there will be rain, just how windy, not sure, but friday isa just how windy, not sure, but friday is a quieter piece, a chilly start with a frost but in the short term watch out for wind and then

thursday's went. —— wind.

flying home to the uk — the teenager convicted of lying about being gang raped in cyprus last summer is given a suspected sentence. the 19—year—old had claimed she was attacked by a group of israeli tourists. her family says she was then forced under police pressure to change her statement. i just want to thank each and every one of you for turning up today, having belief, having faith, making sure that we getjustice. the family says they will now appeal her conviction. also on the programme tonight. more than 50 people are killed in a stampede as tens of thousands turn out for the burial of the iranian military commander assassinated by the us. a teenager pleads guilty to killing pc andrew harper, the police officer died last summer as he investigated a burglary in berkshire.