this is bbc news. the headlines at 5: after days of denial, iran admits shooting down a ukrainian passenger plane over tehran on wednesday, killing 176 people, including four britons. in ukraine, questions over why the plane was allowed to take off from tehran. anger over iran's initial denials. the northern ireland assembly resumes for the first time since the collapse of power—sharing three years ago. sir keir starmer, the shadow brexit secretary, officially launches his bid to become the next labour leader, saying the country needs radical policies to fight inequality.

hello and welcome to bbc news. borisjohnson has said that iran's admission that it shot down by mistake a ukrainian passenger plane over tehran is an "important first step". four britons were among the 176 people killed in wednesday's crash. a senior iranian military official said the airliner was misidentified as a cruise missile. iran's president rouhani has called the downing of the jet an "unforgiveable mista ke". our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has more. this is the moment iran made a catastrophic error, firing a missile into a passenger plane, killing everyone on board. for three days, in the face of mounting evidence, iran adamantly denied it was responsible.

but this morning brought an extraordinary about—face. on state—run television, a senior commander of the powerful revolutionary guards came out, on the orders of the supreme leader, to come clean. he explained that iran's air defences had been on alert. they thought american cruise missiles had been fired. a quick decision was taken and it was wrong. translation: in these very difficult circumstances, i am here before you to explain what happened. but before that, i have to say that we accept all the responsibility for the accident and we lay our fate into our higher officials' hands. there's anger that the plane was allowed to take offjust after iran had fired missiles at american bases in iraq, and when the country was braced for a response. the disaster has piled pressure on the regime, both from within iran and from the outside world. it clearly calculated it could no longer hide the truth. ukrainian investigators on the ground in tehran had discovered damage from shrapnel.

translation: if you're playing war, then you can play whatever you want, but there are normal people around who you should preserve and save, and if they're hitting any kind of targets, they have to close the airport. they should have closed the airport. canada, mourning its 57 dead, says it now expects full co—operation from tehran and has warned that the world is watching. caroline hawley, bbc news, beirut. the prime minister, borisjohnson, has released a statement. it says...

our correspondent in kiev, jonah fisher, has been talking me through the ukrainian reaction. there were similar words this morning from ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky, talking in broad terms in a similar way as borisjohnsonjust did, talking about a legal requirement that justice be done for the 176 people who were on board, that compensation should be paid, and that those responsible be brought to justice. perhaps more interesting, this morning i spent a significant period of time with the top security official here in ukraine, a man called oleksiy danilov, and he basically laid out the evidence with which the team of ukrainian investigators had been gathering in tehran over the last few days, pretty comprehensive stuff, pictures of the cockpit with the bottom half of it having been blown away. pictures of parts of the side of the aircraft with pockmarks on which seem to suggest

an anti—aircraft hit and basically he said we had effectively gathered enough evidence to prove it was a missile that brought down this plane and quite possibly that was the reason that iran made this extraordinary u—turn last night, going from saying it was a technical mistake, to admitting that their guys had shot it down. i thought there was an interesting line in the statement, i quote, we insist on a full admission of guilt. do you feel that ukraine is developing a stiffer resolve now around this? yes, for the last few days, ukraine has been very careful not to say anything that might upset the iranians. i think, with the benefit of hindsight, that is because they had their team on the ground and they really wanted that team to have a chance to gather a decent amount of evidence and they were worried that if they seemed to take any sort of position that it mightjeopardise the work they were doing on the ground. when they talk about full responsibility and iran taking full responsibility,

because that is one of the things that the president said here this morning, well, that is a reference to what iran put out in their statements overnight, in part blaming the united states for creating a tense atmosphere in which this accident might happen. ukraine is signalling that iran has accepted responsibility but we are now hoping it means full responsibility, they will not be trying to shift any of the blame elsewhere. what about the question of why this plane was flying in this part of the world at a time of such tension? is that something ukraine will have to address? it is something ukraine will have to address. it is dealing with it now. there were emotional scenes at press conferences over the last few days held by ukrainian international airlines. it is a valid question. why, on a night when iran was launching ballistic missiles at military bases across the border into iraq, when tensions were extremely high

in relation to the united states, and iran was possibly anticipating retaliatory strikes from the united states, why passenger jets were flying? this was not the only plane leaving in the early hours of wednesday morning, there were others but with the benefit of hindsight it was a pretty catastrophically bad decision for that plane to fly. the majority of the passengers on the flight were headed for canada. earlier, i spoke to our north america correspondent aleem maqbool, from toronto. over the last few days, we have been going to vigils. quite a large iranian diaspora here, really coming together, but a lot of non—iranian canadians also coming to vigils and coming to pay tribute to those killed. originally a lot of despair and dismay at what happened, and then all this confusion over the last couple of days as to how it all happened,

and some sense, for example from community leaders in edmonton, where a lot of the victims came from, that this is a step in the right direction, to help some of those families and the friends of those who died, get some sense of closure. we have heard from the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, who said the focus remains that there needs to be a full investigation and there needs to be justice for these families and that hasn't changed with this admission. the iranians have admitted that this was a mistake, but there is the wider context that this began with the killing of general soleimani by the united states. how much is america being blamed for what happened ? it is interesting, and among those we have spoken to here, relatives and friends of the victims, they did not want to cast aspersions as to who was to blame for what happened.

they were reluctant, to some extent, to criticise the iranian regime even though they are here in canada, even though they have suffered such massive loss, they are worried about the repercussions that could potentially have for relatives back in iran, that is what they were telling us. we have heard from the iranian foreign minister saying this happened because of american adventurism, but people here will be struck, as many around the world, at how wholly the iranian military have taken responsibility for the crash.

good evening. after days of denial, iran has admitted shooting down a ukrainian passenger plane over tehran on wednesday — killing all 176 people on board including four britons. a senior iranian military official said the airliner was mistaken for a cruise missile. iran's president rouhani has called

the error "unforgivable". this report from our diplomatic correspondent james landale contains flashing images. almost from the moment the ukrainian airliner crashed early on wednesday morning, officials in tehran furiously rejected the growing video and intelligence evidence suggesting that it had been hit by an iranian missile. then today, an abrupt about turn. ina missile. then today, an abrupt about turn. in a flurry of social media postings, iran's president spoke of a disastrous mistake. the foreign minister talked of human error. the ambassador in london apologised for misleading the media with wrong findings. on state tv, a senior revolutionary guard commander explained that iran's air defences had been on high alert after the attack on us bases in iraq. the aircraft was misidentified as an american missile and the wrong decision was made. he said he wished he could die. translation: we are

sorry. we share the sorrow with victims' families. we regret the incident, but this was the price we paid for the tensions and us activities in the region. in tehran, people gathered on the streets not just to mourn some of the 176 dead, but also to voice their anger at the government, shouting, death to liars. because british yupeng's national security secretary told my colleaguejonah national security secretary told my colleague jonah fisher how national security secretary told my colleaguejonah fisher how iran could simply no longer deny the evidence. translation: this photo shows us the first part of the plane where a rocket hit. it hit the cockpit from underneath. we think this is proof, and it explains why we didn't hear anything from the pilots. they died immediately from the first hit. the question now is whether iran's u—turn means international investigators will get full access to data from the black

box and the crash site. boris johnson said iran's admission was an important first step, but he and his canadian and swedish counterparts all demanded a transparent inquiry and full cooperation. james landale, bbc news. we can speak to our correspondent jonah fisher now, who's is in the ukranian capital kyiv — what's the reaction there? there is a sense that iran simply had nowhere to go on this. in the three days since this plane crash on wednesday morning, it has not produced any evidence to support the idea that it was brought down by technical failure. idea that it was brought down by technicalfailure. and as idea that it was brought down by technical failure. and as you just saw in that report, ukraine has had people on the ground gathering evidence which strongly supported the idea that the plane had been brought down by a missile strike. i was shown pictures by the intelligence chief of the cockpit, only the top part of the cockpit is intact, parts of the shell of the plane with pockmarks on them which

clearly suggest that there had been a missile strike underneath the cockpit and that was the reason the plane had come down. i think it is likely that iran knew what the ukrainians had managed to gather and they took the decision late last night that they could no longer continue to deny that they were responsible. ukraine's president has been speaking this morning. his emphasis now seems to be to get iran to a cce pt emphasis now seems to be to get iran to accept full responsibility and to pay compensation to all 176 of the people who were on board that plane. jana fischer, thank you very much. ——jonah jana fischer, thank you very much. —— jonah fisher. politicians have returned to northern ireland's stormont assembly following the deal between the two main parties, the dup and sinn fein, to restore power sharing. it brings to an end three years of deadlock and the prime minister has hailed it as a "momentous day". our ireland correspondent chris page is at stormont. chris, talk us through what's happened this afternoon? for more than 1008, northern ireland has been in the remarkable position of not having elected government.

but that changed a couple of hours ago. this parliament building is now ago. this parliament building is now a place of power once again. the new administration will be headed by the leader of the democratic unionist party, arlene foster and the vice—president of sinn fein, michele o'neil. they have been appointed as first minister and deputy first minister respectively. in their speeches to the assembly, they both spoke of the need to leave behind the years of division and disagreement and look towards a future where the parties build common ground. most of the ministries in the stormont executive have gone to the two largest parties. but three others are involved as well, the ulster unionist party, and the nationalist sdlp and the job ofjustice minister, always a sensitive one given the legacy of the long conflict, that has gone to the leader of the cross community alliance party naomi long. in the deal to restore these institutions, there was a lot of emphasis on plans to reform public services. you can read it as a move to bring politics

in northern ireland away from identity issues and more towards health, education and the economy, but there is no doubt that in the opening weeks of the new power—sharing coalition, the priority will be simply rebuilding those relationships. chris page reporting. let's take a look at some of today's other news. a man and a woman have appeared in court charged with the murder of a two—year—old boy in doncaster. martin currie, who's 36, and sarah o'brien, who's 32, are accused of murdering keegan o'brien, who died in hospital from head injuries on thursday. tens of thousands of supporters of scottish independence have been marching in glasgow in the first of a series of protests planned for the coming year. a rally that was due to be held afterwards was cancelled because of bad weather. in taiwan, president tsai ing—wen has been re—elected with a record eight million votes, in what is being seen as a sharp rebuke to china's growing influence in the region. in her victory speech, she told china to abandon its threat to take back taiwan by force.

debenhams has begun closing 19 of its stores as part of plans to try to secure its future. in another blow to the high street, mothercare will stop trading tomorrow, with the loss of 2,800 jobs. our business correspondent, emma simpson has the details. from kirkcaldy in fife and wolverhampton to walton upon thames in surrey, debenhams is pulling out. not much left for bargain hunters, though. 50 stores are to go, the first wave this month, the rest in 2021, a restructuring to save the rest of the business. this is altrincham, one of six to close today. will you miss it? no. i'll be honest. i don't ever go in, really, no. everything's online. once our generation has gone, in another 30 years there'll be no shops. this town was named england's best

high street after its successful regeneration, but it has now got a big gap to fill. whilst we'd be happy to speak to any retailer who was interested in the site, there are other things you can do as well. we've done a cinema on the high street. there are restaurants in the high street as well, so it's about having the control to say we could do something different. there's optimism here, but as these big anchor stores disappear, along with the other closures still to come, it's clear that many of our high streets in town centres will have to make some big changes to survive. for mothercare, the challenges were too great. it's been closing its remaining 79 stores all week. i just feel sorry for the people who are going to lose theirjobs and have to find new ones. here are some of them, heading home for the last time in norwich.

another household name that will disappear after more than half a century on the high street. emma simpson, bbc news. football, and in england s premier league the spoils were shared in the early london derby. it finished 1—1 between crystal palace and arsenal, and once again var proved the main talking point, as patrick gearey reports. nestling in south london's streets, selhurst park's a reminder of football as it was — intimate or claustrophobic, depending on your view. the kind of place arsenal might find uncomfortable, but under new manager mikel arteta, there are signs of a new energy that flowed through pierre—emerick aubameyang's early goal. after such a breathless start, arsenal slowly exhaled. palace gradually forced them back untiljordan ayew tried his luck, an equaliser in slow motion that owed much to a deflection. arsenal now became too keen. initially, aubameyang's tackle was seen as a yellow card, but it proved to be a video nasty. var was checking.

aubameyang had gone from scorer to suspect, awaiting the inevitable sentence. now a man up, palace might soon have gone a goal up too. james tomkins was denied by sokratis at the last moment. but arsenal hadn't settled on survival. nicolas pepe saw an opportunity to win it. vicente guaita in the palace goal refused to be beaten. in that moment, as in the match, arsenal's chance had passed. patrick gearey, bbc news. elsewhere, there were wins for chelsea and everton and a victory for manchester united. but leicester s pursuit of liverpool at the top of the table suffered a setback when they were beaten 2—1 by southampton. liverpool kick off at tottenham in the next few minutes. we're back with the late news at 10.15. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye.

hello, this is bbc news. labour leadership contender sir keir starmer launched his official campaign to become the next party leader in manchester. speaking earlier, he said that "factionalism has to go" and that the party must unite. he promised to defend the party's radical values. we cannot be a divided party any more. we need to end the factionalism. being a very, very strong opposition up against borisjohnson and forging that path to victory. what i meant by retaining our radical values is we shouldn't throw away everything in the last four years. we are now the party of anti—austerity, we are the party that believes in investing in our public services and common ownership. we should retain that. the manifesto i am focused on is the next manifesto, not the last manifesto. but we shouldn't throw away what we have achieved in the last four years. one of the biggest sellers of train

tickets in britain is the latest to offer its customers what's called split ticketing. the trainline says using this method, rail travellers could between them save more than 300 million pounds this year. could between them save more than £300 million this year. split ticketing is when travellers buy multiple tickets for a journey instead of a single end—to—end ticket. it can be used to lower the overall cost, sometimes by more than half the originaljourney cost. with split ticketing, your tickets must cover the whole journey and the train must stop at every station where your tickets are split, but you don't have to get off. the rail industry is calling for tickets to be simplified and a government review is underway. earlier, i spoke to robert nisbet, regional director for the rail delivery group, about whether rail companies have been effectively ripping off customers by not charging a split fare, if that's the lowest fare on offer. no, i would not accept that. in effect, what happens

at the moment is that fare levels are set by the government, primarily, the half of the tickets that are regulated fares, so that is 45%, they set the level and at the moment that is set according to the rpi level of inflation, and the rest are set by the railway companies but are dependent on how much they pay into government. and we have been saying that we understand that the system is creaking at the seams. there are 55 million different fare combinations in the fare computer, which means it isjust confusing and it allows for these kind of anomalies that split ticketing is taking advantage of. we welcome this, in that it is an innovation and if it makes it easier for people to travel on the trains, then that is great but we think that in effect this is just applying polyfilla when the entire wall needs plastering. we need to change the fares system in this country. but making it easier for passengers to travel is not the same, is it, robert, as making it cheaper? i wonder, if you get what you say you want,

which is a simpler ticketing and fares structure, will that necessarily mean that prices will fall? again, that is a question for government because that is about fare levels. what has happened with successive governments in this country is that they have swung the responsibility of paying for the railways onto the passenger away from the taxpayer. we are the least subsidised railway in western europe, but we want more people to travel. already 5 million people are travelling every day. since the ‘90s, the number of people using our trains has doubled, but we think there is still more capacity in the network, to make people'sjourneys more comfortable and more enjoyable so what we would like to see is working with the government to make the system easier, so instead of regulating these fare bundles, you are creating or regulating fare levels. we think that is much better and it

would allow for, say, pay—as—you—go, that london commuters can benefit from, with a weekly cap, but also season tickets. not all of us live a monday to friday, 9—5 life any more but the ticketing system does not accept that, so we think it needs to be broken down and built back up again and we are very encouraged that the government has started fares trials on lner and has set up a fares fund to pay for these trials, and also on gtr in the south—east as well, looking at part—time working so we need to rebuild the system rather than apply a sticking plaster when it needs major surgery. a family have set up a new way of helping the homeless in bristol, in memory of the person who thought of the idea. billy abernethy—hope designed a plastic chip which can be swapped for food, drink and shelter, as an alternative to donating cash. sadly, the 20 year—old was killed in a motorbike accident in thailand

in 2018, so didn't see his idea become a reality. his relatives have launched the ‘billy chip' in his name. john maguire has been finding out how it works. billy was the most incredible energy. he would light up a room as he walked in and everybody kind of knew the night had started when billy had turned up but he, on the flip side, for a 20—year—old, was also incredibly caring. he was an incredible person and i am so lucky to be able to say that he was my little brother, because nobody else gets the privilege of saying that. an ambulance driver and care worker, he had always tried to help people and a conversation with his father about loose change spawned an idea — one that his family has turned into reality in his name. the billy chip. so, this is how it works. the businesses supporting the scheme have a sticker in the window. simply come in. hi, morning, havea black coffee, please. and a billy chip as well. one of those will cost you £2. you can then hand it

to a homeless person. they can bring it back and exchange it for a cup of tea, a coffee or a sandwich or whatever. it is a brilliant, simple but effective idea. we can tell people about billy that never met him but also for his friends, i think it is really important, but also for people who never met him, it is to let them know that somebody who yes, is no longer here, he cared that much about them and actually, there is plenty of people behind the billy forefront that care about you, too. sleeping rough can be cold, dangerous and stressful, with help in short supply. what are people like? do they help you? are they kind to you? no, many people do not care. people like the public don't give support, don't give support, from the public, i don't make money. often passers—by feel conflicted about giving money directly to homeless people so this provides an option.

this man runs a charity that cooks home—made meals for homeless people and believes the billy chip is an effective way to help. it is the best way for the local businesses to engage the homeless people, which is another issue, they find it difficult and sometimes they find it disturbing, so this would be a nice way to have that relationship, where they have something to give and in turn, the business can provide them with a hot drink and support and a sandwich. that's part of the reason why this cafe is one of the first to sign up. we like it here and obviously, the homeless community is part of that and we know them and we meet them all the time and we feel for them, you create relationships and to give back to the community makes sense if you are part of the fabric of it. it gives back to you as well. on the back of the chip are the words billy wrote in an impromptu mother's day card... "you are fabulous and do not forget it". in death as in life, really continues to help those most in need.

john maguire, bbc news, bristol. a 100—year—old giant tortoise, credited with virtually saving his species from extinction, is being released back into the wild. the male tortoise, diego, is believed to have fathered around 800 baby tortoise, after he was recruited onto a captive breeding programme in the galapagos islands. the park service believes he was taken from the galapagos 80 years ago by a scientific expedition. diego is currently in quarantine before his return in march. time for a look at the weather with mel coles. today is a taste of what we can expect through the coming week, wet and windy conditions dominating the story. here dominating the story. it will be an improving story through here it will be an improving story through the rest of the day. not only is it wet and windy but temperatures are above—average for

the time of year because we are drawing up this mild air and strong south—westerly wind, the strongest in the warm sector, particularly over the hills as we head through the afternoon. the wind for northern ireland and far north of scotland will start to ease as this band of clear south and eastwards. still some heavy bursts over the hills of cumbria and snowdonia. ahead of the rain, essentially dry. behind it, pressure conditions move on. some showers which could be wintry over health. for much of the uk, double—dip! did you temperatures. our band of rain continues, behind it the wind starts to fade, some showers, closer to freezing, the chance of some icy stretches first thing on sunday morning. where we keep the wind, rain, temperatures not dropping away as far. sunday is a clearing update. we then have another band of rain stretching through wales, the midlands and out through wales, the midlands and out

through lincolnshire as the day goes on. a few showers across scotland which could be wintry over the hills but there will be a good deal of sunshine around. starting to feel a little fresher from the north as we head through the day. temperatures will be back into mid single figures at best. fairly mild towards the far south and east. heading into the start of the new week, all eyes on this area of low pressure. it looks as if it will bring some disruption. monday starts off fine, good spells of sunshine around, particularly the further east you are. then this rain sta rts further east you are. then this rain starts to edge its way in, some heavy bursts, maybe something wintry over the hills of scotland for a time. it will be accompanied by strong winds. perhaps severe gales for some western spots. making the evening commute fairly tricky. temperature, they are still above—average, particularly down towards the south and east where we are still in double figures. the week ahead looks unsettled, at times it will be stormy with strong wind, spells of rain which could be heavy, leading to some travel disruption on the roads and ferries.

hello. this is bbc news with rebecca jones. the headlines: iran admits shooting down the ukranian passenger plane, saying they mistook it for a cruise missile. british prime minister, borisjohnson, calls the admission "an important first step". in ukraine, questions over why the plane was allowed to take off from tehran. anger over iran's initial denials. translation: the iran representative instructed our crew in clear words and a calm voice to take off and the crew followed the orders. in the current climate, it would be stupid to try to hide something. power—sharing is restored in northern ireland, as key ministers are appointed at the first assembly meeting for three years. it is time to renew and rekindle a political environment of reconciliation and respect, and deliver on the promise of a new approach to politics in this decade.

the shadow brexit secretary, sir keir starmer, has launched his campaign for the labour leadership, saying the party needs to put an end to factional disputes. the moral fight against injustice and poverty and homelessness isjust as big a moralfight now as it was in that general election. sport and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. good evening. a very busy day. the big game in the premier league isjust kicking off in north london as tottenham host unbeaten and runaway leaders liverpool. let's show you what's been going on in the six games to have already finished today. crystal palace and arsenal played out a 1—1 draw in the lunchtime kick—off with arsenal's pierre emerick abaumeyang scoring and getting a red card. abaumeyang slotted arsenal ahead after they controlled the opening exchanges at selhurst park. his 14th league goal this season.

jordan ayew‘s shot deflected off david luiz to draw palace level as the home side grew in confidence through the second half. arsenal had to hold on in the end after abaumeyang was sent off for this tackle on max mayer by the video assistant referee. neither manager had any complaints about the decision. ido i do not think for one minute aubameyang was determined to make a bad tackle. he did not want to endure max meyer but i knew it was a bad challenge. it is only when i have come in and seen it on the video that i realised quite what a bad challenge it was, and i suppose the only surprise at the end of the day was it took them so long to decide because the moment i saw it on the video, it is a no—brainer for a red card, unfortunately. there is no intention to make such a file or injure the player, but it is the referee's decision and we have to accept it. we will lose him for

three games. we have other players and we will put them on and find solutions. liverpool's closest challengers leicester had a day to forget at home to southampton. despite winning the reverse fixture 9—0 earlier in the season, leicester were stunned 2—1 at the king power stadium. they took the lead but goals from stuart armstrong and danny ings gained some semblance of revenge for october's game. brendan rodgers' side remain 13 points behind liverpool having played two games more. you know, iset you know, i set it over a week ago, the likes of the newcastle game in this game would be tough games for us this game would be tough games for us because of the manner in which we w011 us because of the manner in which we won the first game. so yes, we were fully aware of what to expect, but like i say, the players are giving so like i say, the players are giving so much over this period. this brings us a little bit of respite, to go away, analyse, recover during the week and get ready for the big game next week. frank lampard's chelsea consolodated fourth spot with a comfortable 3—0 win over struggling burnley. ajorginho penalty, tammy abraham

and calum hudson odoi's first premier league goal maintains their five point advantage over manchester united. ole gunnar solksjaer‘s men picked up their first win of the year by seeing off bottom side norwich 3—0. by seeing off bottom side norwich 4—0. two from marcus rashford and one from anthony martial and mason greenwood have taken them back up to fifth. everton are up to 11th after a 1—0 win over brighton. wolves and newcastle drew 1—1. currently goalless in the late kick—off between spurs and liverpool. a liverpool win will send them 16 points clear at the top. exeter chiefs have qualified for the quarterfinals of the european champions cup after an incredible game with glasgow with a remarkable finish. it finished 31—31. glasgow started the strongest at scotstoun with scottish internationals tommy seymour and hquones scoring. the premiership leaders capitalised on glasgow's ill—discpline to take a 22—17 lead whilst the warriors were shorthanded. glasgow twice levelled the match

to create a tense finale. exeter almost won it when former glasgow fullback stuart hogg launched a long range penalty with the clock dead only to see it hit the crossbar. glasgow's qualification prospects look all but over. saracens boosted their chances of reaching the quarterfinals, beating ospreys 22—15 in swansea. they had to do it the hard way too after welsh prop rhys carre was sent off afterjust five minutes for a high, shoulder led tackle. with a further man in the sin bin, dan evans, the victim of that tackle, then scored a try either side of half—time, as the ospreys made the most of their numerical advantage. alex lewington‘s try restored sarries' lead and 17 points from 19—year—old manu vunipola, cousin of england forwards billy and mako, moved the defending champions up to second with a game to play. ulster will have to wait to secure their spot in the last eight after losing 29—13 to clermont auvergne. tries from alivereti raka, george moala and nine points from the boot of morgan parra helped

secure victory for the french side. ulster can still qualify for the last eight with a win against bath next weekend. it'll be either rafa nadal‘s spain or novak djokovic's serbia who'll win the inaugural atp cup after both won through their semifinals. nadal was pushed hard by australian hotshot alex de minaur. after losing the first set, nadal took the next two to send spain into the final after roberto bautista agut had beaten nick kyrgios earlier. equally hard fought for djokovic as well against russia's danill medvedev. the world number two is unbeaten at the tournament so far as he continues his preparation for the defence of his australian open title a week on monday. serena williams is warming up nicely for melbourne too. she's into the final of the auckland international with a 6—1, 6—1win over amanda anisimova. she'll play unseeded american jessica pegula in a bid to end a long wait for a piece of silverware.

she has not won a grand slam since she won the australian open in 2017 but she has come mighty close. excellent practice for her, reaching the final in auckland. if she wins the final in auckland. if she wins the final in auckland. if she wins the final on sunday, it will be the first title she has won since the australian open at 2079 within the run of five consecutive final defeats and that will clearly do her no harm at all as she chases that record equalling 24th grand slam singles title in melbourne. meanwhile, us open champion bianca andreescu will miss the aussie open as she recovers from a knee injury. the world number six said the tournament came too soon in her rehab. 18 months ago, bobby madley was living out a boyhood dream. a premier league referee, he was officiating on some of the country's and europe's top fixtures. but after sending a video to a friend mocking a disabled person, he was sacked and his career and reuputation was in ruins. he's since moved to norway in a bid to rebuild his life and he's opened up about how tough the last year

or so has been. mentally, i struggled for 18 months. it has really taken a toll on me. i saw professional just it has really taken a toll on me. i saw professionaljust over a month ago and he was brilliant and he said, put it out there, what have you got to lose? if i googled my name, at that time, everything that came up name, at that time, everything that came up was name, at that time, everything that came up was disastrous in terms of reputation. i have gone 18 months without employment. that is tough. nothing? nothing. i paid the mortgage on my kids' house, i could not do that any more. my kids lost their house. and the winter youth olympic games are under way in lausanne and tomorrow britain s theo collins will become the nation s first athlete for 28 years to compete in an olympic long—track speed skating event. the 16—year—old hasn't had the easiest ofjourneys though, with the sport receiving no funding in the uk. bbc olympic sports reporter nick hope is in switzerland. st moritz is one of the most iconic

winter sport venues in the world. but while its frozen lake may be beautiful, it can be brutal, too. because the ice is moving, cracks develop and it is quite scary skating around and seeing big cracks, which is not ideal. but you know, it is an exciting experience. st moritz is an incredible place with a lot of history. and it is great to be competing here. people in the uk will have heard of short track speed skating, this is long track speed skating so tell us how it is different and what you love about it? short track speed skating is done on a 111 metre rink. you've got four to six people skating against each other in a race. long track is on a 400 metres rink and there two people skating just to get the fastest time and overall, the three fastest times will be the people on the podium. the top ones get up to speeds of 35 miles an hour which is really impressive. yeah, it's great fun. 1992 was the last time great britain had an olympic competitor in a long track speed skating event so theo collins is making history simply by being here. but his path towards his ultimate career goal, the senior games,

could be challenging with his sport currently unfunded, he has to travel abroad just to train. there is no 400 metre rink in the uk so once every two months or so i go to the netherlands to train on the weekends. it's not ideal, you know, everyone from the uk for long track is self—funded. there's not really any backing. my parents helped me a lot paying for travel and things like that. in the future having a programme of funding would be huge for everyone in the sport. hopefully by being here other people will see the sport and then want to take part as well. collins hopes to inspire but also impress and he sees these games as a first step towards his dream of skating success at a senior olympics. nick hope, bbc news, in switzerland. best of luck to him. it is still goalless in the football between spurs and liverpool. that's all the sport for now. before we go, just to point you to the nfl play—offs

which enters the divisional round this weekend. the final eight teams. you can get all the preview on the bbc sport website and app. we will also have more on that and all the day's sports news in sportsday at 6:30. but that's all the sport for now. now on bbc news, it is time for the film review. hello and a very warm welcome to the film review on bbc news. to take us through this week's cinema releases, mark kermode is back. i can say happy new year. happy new year! we are in award season, so we have a very good selection of movies because it's all the sort of big contenders. so, coming up this week, we have uncut gems, which a new film by the safdie brothers, starring adam sandler. we have 1917, a war movie directed by sam mendes, constructed in one shot. and seberg, the biopic starring kristin stewart. yeah, quite a variety!

there's lots around, as you say. yeah, so let's begin with uncut gems. so, adam sandler is a kind of difficult character to talk about as an actor because i have not liked a lot of his comedies. i love that you are already smiling! but he made a movie called punch—drunk love with paul thomas anderson which i absolutely loved, and i always thought "that's it. "if you can make a film like that brilliant, "it means you know the difference between a brilliant film "and a not—great film." this is him back on form, working with the safdie brothers, who made good time with robert pattinson, heaven knows what before that. it is the most anxiety—inducing drama i've seen recently. he stars as a new york diamond district sort of bling jeweller whose life is unravelling in spectacularfashion. he's in debt. he thinks he can get out of it by selling the uncut gem — the black opal that he has smuggled into the us. but time is running out on his business, his personal life and his marriage. here's a clip. i'm begging you, just...

..just give me another shot. you know what, howard? say yes. what? i think you are the most annoying person i have ever met. i hate being with you, i hate looking at you and if i had my way, i would never see you again. that's cos you're mad. you're mad, and it makes sense. you can punch me if you want. 0h, thanks. hey, i was ready for it. commotion. i don't even want to touch you. 0h! that's going well, then! the genius of it is that all those things that she says, you know, "you are the most annoying person i have ever met" — that is actually at the centre of the film and yet, you are completely riveted by this character as his life unspools in spectacularfashion. the thing that the safdie brothers do is manage to make a movie that actually has the same kind of dramatic format as abel ferrara's, film bad lieutenant, which is set over a fixed period of time in which everything goes wrong

sort of sequentially. you stay with adam sandler‘s character all the way through it as he makes bad decision after bad decision. he is addicted to gambling, he is a liar, he is a cheat, but he believes that there is a way out of this situation — it's always just one step ahead of him. i thought he was absolutely terrific and it reminded me of how much i sat there watching punch—drunk love thinking, "i cannot believe this "is the man who has made so many comedies that i've never found "funny" because the genius of this is is that what it is it taps into the fact that there is something about adam sandler that is deeply unsettling. there is something about him that is kind of, you know, worrying and anxiety—ridden, and this really, really captures that. i think the safdie brothers are really extraordinary film—makers. their film—making is experiential. at the end of this movie, you will have to lie down. you know, it kind of felt like a claustrophobic panic attack — and i say that in a good way. in a good way! chuckles. but it's absolutely not for everyone. it's not the kind of thing where you say "it's friday night.

let's go and relax. let's go watch uncut gems." because you will come out of this like, you know, you're digging your nails into the palms of your hand. but i think that it should be nominated in all the awards. i think he should be up for best actor. it is a really terrific cinematic experience. wow. but it is, as i said, it is like having a panic attack for two hours. i am slightly stressed just listening to that! i am really sorry. that's. .. so, 1917. i'm going to see that this weekend. yes. so, am i infora treat? you are. i mean, again, experiential cinema. so sam mendes, world war one picture. the story is very, very simple. at the beginning, the two lance corporals are told that what they have to do is to take a message across enemy lines to a distant troop to say there's an attack that is going to happen and you need to call off the attack. that is basically the plot. the camera then follows them in what appears to be real—time, because it appears to play out in a single shot. it doesn't — it's actually a number of shots, you know, sequentially put together, but it gives you the impression that you're just watching the action unfold absolutely before you without edit. it is brilliantly constructed and choreographed, fantastically

shot by roger deakins. it has at its heart a central performance by george mackay, who i have talked about on this show before. i said he is a real, i think he is a real talent and he is perfectly cast at the centre of this movie because his face has this mixture of innocence but also world—weariness. we really get a sense through watching him that he is somebody who has been made old before his time. as a theatrical experience, there are three moments, at least, in which ijumped almost out of my chair. and yet, the real — i think the real strength of the film is it makes you care about the characters. obviously what you're seeing here is edited footage, but bear in mind when you see the film in the cinema, those edits are not in there — the camera appears to be following them as they go on this mission against all the odds, and we discover the landscape as they discover it. yes! it is very, very immersive, terrific soundtrack, and i think you'll — i think you'll find it — i mean, enjoyable is not quite the right word... sure. but its huge... ..but i think you'll find it very, very powerful.

yeah, absorbing and, yeah, definitely one to see. seberg. yes. so, kristen stewart — huge fan of kristin stewart. both her and robert pattinson, who starred together in the twilight movies. remember all that, years ago, when critics were sniffy about those movies? well, look how wrong they turned out to be. so here, she plastean seberg, who's a famous actress, was in nouvelle vague a bout de souffle, and then came back to hollywood and became investigated by and spied upon by the fbi in a covert operation to discredit her because of her affiliation, because of her support for the black panthers and her affiliation with hakim jamal. and in the clip we see here, together — its two of them together reading a script she has been given which is both referring to the script and to stuff which is happening in their personal life. here's a clip. you don't know me, mr rumson. but there's not a woman on this earth who will make you a better wife. you ought to. i paid enough for you. i may be paid for,

but i'm not your property. you grab me unwanted like that again and i'll shoot you down like a dog. where'd you get that? a woman has her secrets. now put that down or neither of us will have much of a wedding night. two great performances. actually, there's another great performance in the film by jack o'connell who plays the fbi agent who is sent in to basically spy on and discredit her, who starts to wrestle with his own conscience. the film is interesting. the director has a background in theatre and i think it occasionally seems a little bit theatrical, a little bit stagey, but it is a really, really interesting story about this horrible counter—surveillance operation, you know, spying on somebody, lying about them, trying to discredit them because of their political beliefs. and at the centre of it is a very, very edgy, nervy, kind of electrifying performance by kristin stewart, who captures that quality that makes, you know — firstly, why it was that this person became a star, but also captures the vulnerability

that they experience as they become paranoid about everyone's watching them, everyone's spying on them — and the truth is, they are. so, although i think the film itself is slightly flawed, i think the performances are really good and i think the story itself still bears retelling — and as i said, once again, great to see kristin stewart taking on a role that is challenging and difficult and different to — you know, it's almost as like both her and pattinson have gone out of their way to pursue projects that are admirable and artistically based, and good for them! and best out this week... 0h! ..you have selected little women. yeah, it came out on boxing day and i just love it. have you seen it yet? yes. did you like it? i did not love it as much as i thought i was going to. oh,jane! what did you not like? sorry. i thought it got better, but i thought the first hour could do with some subbing and it was slow and dark and then, suddenly it sort of burst into light.

0k. i'm taken aback... i'm afraid. i love saoirse ronan. i thought she was terrific. she's great. you didn't think — because greta gerwig, who wrote and directed it, who i thought did a brilliantjob — i thought she would've been nominated recently as best director for it. i — did you not get it — i felt sucked into the world, i believed in the house and the environment and the landscape and the characters and the way in which she has reordered the time frame of the source so that we start further on and we come back. yes... i don't know. oh, dear! no, no, it's... i feel i'm letting the side down. no, no — not... i didn't dislike it. 0k. i felt — its two and a quarter hours. i felt it would have benefited from being two, for example. i could have had it three. i could have had four. i could've had a miniseries. i just loved it. i loved it. but there we go — diversity of opinion is a wonderful thing! thejoy of film. yes! 0k. i didn't love it, i didn't hate it. no, 0k. but they're not putting

that on the poster. no. dvd. dvd, what's out? yes. just very briefly, the by the grace of god, which is a true—life drama directed by francois ozon about a real—life case of a group of men who got together to take action against a priest who had molested them in younger life. what's interesting about it is because the subject matter is so factually based, it is almost as if ozon, who is a kind of, you know, famous auteur, he has put aside any style and has just made the film as straightforwardly and as simply and as, you know, a matter of factly as possible because the story itself is very strong, very powerful, very controversial and it's almost like the film—maker's saying "i do not need to embellish this at all. this is how it plays out." and i thought actually, it was a very smart move because i thought it — the matter—of—fact quality made it all the more powerful. mmm. all right. mark, thank you very much. you have to see little women again! you have to see it again! i'm very busy watching sam mendes' latest this weekend. thank you very much, mark. see you next time and enjoy your cinema—going, whatever you choose todayis

today is a taster of what we can expect as we head through the coming week. it is wet and it is windy. we have already seen strong wind and rain through northern ireland but here it will be an improving story through the rest of the day. not only is it wet and windy but temperatures are above average for the time of year because we are drawing up this inner, the strongest in the warm sector particularly over the hills as we head through the afternoon. the wind for northern ireland and far north of scotland will start to ease as this pandering continues to clear south and eastwards. still some heavy bursts over the hills of snowdonia. essentially dry, violet fresher conditions move in. widely for much of the uk, double—digit temperatures. this evening and the band of rain continues south and east behind it, the wind starts to ease. a few showers were feeding and because temperatures will drop closer to freezing there's a chance of some 80 stretches first thing on

sunday morning. we keep the wind and outbreaks of rain, temperatures not dropping away as for. through sunday, a clearing update. clear down towards the south and east. then another band of rain stretching through wales, the midlands and out through wales, the midlands and out through lincolnshire as a day goes on. a few showers across scotland which could be wintry of the hills but there will be a great deal of sunshine around. pressure from the north as we head through the day. temperatures will be pegged back into mid single figures are best. style mild towards the far south and east. the sort of a new week and all eyes on this area of low pressure. it looks as if it will bring some disruption. monday starts off on fine dry notes, some good spells of sunshine around particularly the further east you are. then this rain sta rts further east you are. then this rain starts to edge its way in, some heavy bursts, maybe something wintry over the hills of scotland, accompanied by strong wind. gales, perhaps severe, for some western spots making the evening commute

fairly tricky. temperature wise, above—average, particularly towards the south and east where we are still in double digits. the week ahead looks unsettled. at times, strongly with strong wind, spells of rain which could be heavy leading to some travel disruption on the roads and ferries.

this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines at 6: after days of denial, iran admits shooting down a ukrainian passenger plane over tehran on wednesday, killing 176 people, including four britons. in ukraine, questions over why the plane was allowed to take off from tehran. anger over iran's initial denials. translation: the iran representative instructed our crew in clear words and a calm voice to take off and the crew followed the orders. in the current climate, it would be stupid to try to hide something. the northern ireland assembly resumes for the first time since the collapse of power—sharing three years ago. it is time to renew and rekindle a