this is bbc news. the headlines at midday. the queen attends church at sandringham after reaching an agreement with prince harry and meghan over their future. the couple will no longer use their hrh titles and will give up all royal duties from the spring. in other news, powers come into force this week to stop stalkers from contacting or approaching their victims while police investigate allegations against them. the conflict in libya, key world powers begin a conference in berlin aimed at bringing an end to nearly nine years of factionalfighting. moving the house of lords out of london. the chair of the conservative party confirms it's an option being looked at. and we look at the battle for self

driving car supremacy between the united states and china. that's in click in half an hour. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. it's business as usual for the queen today as she attends church at sandringham after she agreed a deal on the future of the duke and duchess of sussex. here she is, arriving earlier this morning. she has now left the church. last night buckingham palace said prince harry and his wife meghan will no longer receive public funds, and will pay back taxpayers‘ money spent on renovating their home

in windsor as they step down as working royals in the spring. the bbc spoke to some of the corwd gathered at sandringham to greet the bbc spoke to some of the crowd gathered at sandringham to greet the queen as she arrived for church. leigh milner is sandringham. i think families will always have problems and i think she has dealt with it incredibly well. and i am very happy that harry and meghan are going to go off and do what they wa nt to going to go off and do what they want to do because we live in a free society. i feel really sorry for the queen. it is her grandson and great—grandson, so... butl queen. it is her grandson and great—grandson, so... but i respect it is their wishes. i think it is a great shame. it is a great shame. just here to support her really. . for the queen. i as long as we're not paying for the lifestyle they hope to live, i don't have a with

that. i have been talking to the royal editor, at vanity fair. she says the new arrangement is effectively an application in all but name. this is a seismic transition for the royal family, but name. this is a seismic transition for the royalfamily, we have not seen anything like this, it comes months after prince andrew was pretty much forced to step down. this is voluntarily stepping down, this is we want new is, we want to begin this new chapter. i think probably the couple would have preferred to keep that hrh status, not least because their whole new charitable forum is a sussex royal. will it continue to be sussex royal when they are not essentially hrh royal any more? it is important to make distinction. prince harry remains line to the phone, he is still a member of the royalfamily but they can't use those titles. i think that is the queen sending a very clear and decisive message, you are either in this family, working in representing me or you are out

and meghan and harry have chosen out. as i have said, it is pretty seismic. the queens statement about them was very warm, wasn't it? seismic. the queens statement about them was very warm, wasn't mm was incredibly warm. the second statement we have seen in, i have lost track of the days, six days are whatever it has been. unusual in that personal tone. i think deliberately so. i don't think we have seen anything this personal from the queen since the death of the princess of wales when she spoke asa the princess of wales when she spoke as a grandmother and again she is speaking as a grandmother, she is talking about a love within the family, towards harry and meghan, wishing them the best in this next chapter. the second statement from p°ppin9 chapter. the second statement from popping buckingham palace is obviously more formal in the tone and making the agreement, spelling it out quite clearly in robust and formal language but i think we have to ta ke formal language but i think we have to take our hats off to the queen, yes she is speaking as a grandmother but has acted decisively as a monarch, she swept in and took action when she saw this spiralling

out of control. she wanted the decision within days, we offer that was ambitious, involving heads of government here and in canada and members of the royal family. government here and in canada and members of the royalfamily. this is an agreement, we are told discussions were friendly. i do wonder how prince harry has woken up this morning, this is a new life. this is a prince who has told me before he wish she hadn't been born a prince, he wish she was normal. he might well have done it. this is a new chapter and certainly for the couple at least this is a very exciting new chapter and they could go on to become incredibly wealthy in their own right now. and try a few u na nswered in their own right now. and try a few unanswered questions on that, the extent to which they will be able to carry out commercial activities and also the extent to which they will have to pay for some of their security, we don't really know about who exactly is paying for that security. in terms of the actual moneymaking they are free to go and cut deals. they are able to do this and become financially independent which was at the crux of all of this. they are going to have

to do so within royal consensus we would have to be respectful to the queen and the brand because that is the brand that counts to the royal family, not the sussex royal, it is hm q. in terms of the security aspect we are not getting updates on that because it is a private matter. i suspect that while they are here and in canada it will be the british taxpayer picking up that cost. they have tight to placate the public, paying back the funds the public spent on refurbishing the cottage, perhaps it might go towards part of their personal protection, particularly out of the uk. we will be back at sandringham in a few minutes with our correspondence. the queen has now left the church service at sandringham after that agreement that has been arranged with harry and meghan. new measures to protect victims of stalking will come into force in england and wales from tomorrow. police officers will have the power

to issue "stalking protection orders" which ban alleged offenders from contacting or approaching their victims while a complaint is under investigation. andy moore reports. the ministerfor women, visiting a stalking helpline whose staff are in the front line of dealing with the problem. what's your experience of the first phone call? it's believed one in five women and one in ten men will have to deal with stalking at some stage in their lives. these new protection orders will give police extra powers to stop offenders in their tracks, while further investigations are being carried out. these are really ground—breaking orders that the police will be able to apply for, to protect victims of stalking, but also, to make sure that the perpetrators are getting the treatment programmes they need to break this cycle of abuse or stalking. to break their cycle of abuse or stalking. a protection order will usually stay in place for a minimum of two years. anyone who breaches it

could face five years in jail. campaigners have welcomed this initiative, saying the orders are a powerful new tool to stop stalking, but they are warning anyone who breaches an order must be arrested immediately. andy moore, bbc news. here's professorjane monckton smith who specialises in researching homicide, stalking and coercive control explaining how much difference the new stalking protection orders will make. i think stocking protection orders are i think stocking protection orders a re really i think stocking protection orders are really good tool for the police andi are really good tool for the police and i think they may give victims hope that this is taking, being taken seriously. and i think as long as the protection orders are used and acted upon, and especially that the breaches of these orders are taken seriously, then they may be a very powerful tool. taken seriously, then they may be a very powerfultool. give us an

taken seriously, then they may be a very powerful tool. give us an idea, and insight, into the mind of a stalker. because they are, i suppose by definition, obsessive people. who won't stop, even when they are being investigated. absolutely. being obsessive is one of the characteristics of being a stalker which means that they will go on and on until they are forced to stop usually. one thing we know is that the earlier we can get in, the earlier we can disrupt what they are doing, and may be determined them from carrying on, the more likely that intervention is going to be successful and these stocking protection orders allow the police to get in at the very earliest opportunity. and for the victims, i suppose because police investigation can take quite a considerable period of time, it is important these protection orders are in place for that duration? yes, it is.

sometimes, stocking can be incredibly damaging to victims. they are constantly on call, wondering when the next contact is going to be from their stalker. and they do need some respite from that. but like i said, they are only going to get that respite if these stocking orders are properly implemented and the breaches, which are somewhat inevitable in some cases, are taken very seriously. do you think, in a way, we are only now beginning to come to terms with the crime of stalking and for the authorities, only now really taking it very seriously? i think the problem has been that the biggest category of stock are by far is a former intimate partner and —— biggest category of stalker, it is taking a long time to recognise stalkers are not always strangers and the intimate partner stalkers are in

fa ct intimate partner stalkers are in fact the most dangerous. if we look at past cases that have been very high profile, they have been intimate partners and it has been treated as this is just a heartbroken person, they will stop ina minute heartbroken person, they will stop in a minute if wejust heartbroken person, they will stop in a minute if we just leave heartbroken person, they will stop in a minute if wejust leave it, it will work its way out. but that does not happen. and i think that is one of the bigger messages that we need to be taking. that professorjane monckton smith. that was professor jane monckton smith. leaders of libya's warring sides and severalforeign powers have been arriving in berlin for a summit to discuss ways to end the fighting in the north african country. the meeting comes amid warnings that libya is in danger of becoming a second syria. let's go to our correspondent jenny hill in berlin. first of all, talk us through the background to this and the long yea rs of background to this and the long years of warfare that have just gone on and on in libya. if you think back to the end of the colonel

gaddafi regime back in 2011, after that, libya descended into chaos with all sorts of factions vying for control of this oil—rich country. at the moment, you have the man recognised by the unr is the libyan prime minister in tripoli besieged underfire by prime minister in tripoli besieged under fire by wardlaw has fought his way over the last nine months or so to tripoli. the two sides are locked in this conflict which has seen more than 2000 people killed and more than 2000 people killed and more than 100,000 people displaced. chaos, violence and what has exacerbated the conflict is the involvement of foreign powers like russia, turkey, the united emirates, who sent money, troops and weapons into the country. the situation is considered so volatile and complex that here in berlin, the people organising the summit consider it quite an achievement to have simply

brought the key players together. in berlin today, we have those two men at the heart of the conflict but also many of those foreign powers who were backing the rival factions. they are here for these talks and the summit‘s aims are relatively simple. they hope to eventually achieve a lasting ceasefire. there isa achieve a lasting ceasefire. there is a ceasefire in place at the moment, temporarily, they want a lasting ceasefire but in order to do so, officials in berlin say it is crucial. the flow of money, troops, weapons going into libya and making the conflict so much worse.|j suppose in a way, small steps with these talks in berlin. what hopes are there, how optimistic are people there that you have been talking to that these talks can ultimately be successful? they are not particularly high, i have to say. i think the organisers of the summit are deliberately trying to manage expectations. the so—called berlin process as they are calling it is right at the beginning, they say

they want to create a framework. there is a document that will be on the table today what they are not expecting very much the, out of this first initial meeting. one official here said the aim is to freeze the current situation, what we can't afford is it for it to get any more unstable. your‘s involvement here is very interesting and it is starting to become a pressing concern because as the fighting continues, if the instability gets worse, the fear is in many european capitals that a lot of people will start trying to seek refuge in europe. libya of course has been a real gateway across the mediterranean for people trying to seek asylum in europe. there are a lot of refugees actually currently in libya themselves, just waiting there in camps. some of them have come under attack from the conflict. there is also concern here in berlin about the effect of the rest of that particular region, they are worried

about the situation exacerbating islamist terrorism and that is a concern for europe as well. a lot at sta ke, concern for europe as well. a lot at stake, bearing in mind all these foreign powers have their own interests in trying to gain influence and territory over libya which produces a great deal of oil, turkey is particularly interested because it sees a way to gain influence in the region so there are a lot of competing interests here. asi a lot of competing interests here. as i say, the organisers of the summit will be pleased that everyone is in town and in particular the general who was at a meeting in moscow, earlier in the week. he walked out, with refusing to sign a document that would have guaranteed the current ceasefire. he is said to have agreed to the ceasefire but did not want to sign the document. he met with the german foreign minister at couple of days ago saying he is broadly supportive of the ceasefire but you can see just how many threads there are for the organiser of the summit to pull together so his want to be a very difficulty for

everybody in the rooms. and at the tables. we have to see what happens. asi tables. we have to see what happens. as i say, organisers are trying to keep expectations low but as a first step they will be very pleased to have been able to get those key players around the table. thank you for that. the headlines on bbc news... the queen attends church at sandringham after reaching an agreement with prince harry and meghan over their future. (00v)the couple will no longer use their hrh titles and will give up all royal duties from the spring. the couple will no longer use their hrh titles and will give in other news, powers come into force this week to stop stalkers from contacting or approaching their victims — while police investigate allegations against them. sport and for a full round up,

from the bbc sport centre, holly. england's progress in the third test against south africa has again been halted by rain, after they made a stunning start to day four in port elizabeth. they removed south africa's last four wickets for just one run, inside 25 minutes. that left them 290 runs behind, so they were forced to follow on — and they were 15 without loss when the rain started — still a long way off england's first innings score of 499. they've just resumed. saracens have apologised for mistakes made in relation to the salary cap regulations after the club was relegated from rugby union's premiership. in a statement, they said they understood that the decision was made "in the wider interests of the premiership and english rugby". exeter chiefs chief executive tony rowe is among those who've criticised the way in which the club has dealt with it and says they have more to hide. here's our rugby union correspondent chris jones. according to tony rowe, saracens had the choice of putting it all out in the open, going back years.

clearly if he is correct, they have more to hide and relegation is the more palatable option. this also throws into question the salary cap governance which is being investigated, the governance of premiership rugby in itself, and we keep going back to november. what would have happened if saracens, then, at the time of the initial sanction, had got their house in order, tried to get some players off their books, tried to get players to take pay cuts, rather they kicked it into the long grass for a few months and it is badly costing. there are two games in the premier league today. leicester travel to burnley before runaway leaders liverpool welcome old rivals manchester united to anfield. jurgen klopp's side will move 16 points clear with a victory. it's the first time solskjaer has taken his side to liverpool as manager and both he and klopp say they're well aware of how important this game is. you have to look forward to these games, it is a great challenge for

ever players again to play against the leaders of the league. we have done well against in the last couple of times but has you say, away at anfield is another matter. it is a game that you... you can make sure you enjoy it but it can also be an intimidating place. it isa it is a very important football game. very important. like games against much all opponents. that is how it is. i think we have to learn. dealing with games like this, in the right manner, so we have none not been bad in the past but we can still improve. after more than a year out, conor mcgregor made his return to the ufc and it lasted all of forty seconds. it was one of the most highly anticipated comebacks with the irishman fighting donald cowboy cerrone in the early hours of this morning in las vegas —

but after mcgregor landed a series of blows in the first round the american quite simply failed to recover. despite, his speedy win, he says he still has some things he needs to work on. that opening might have been my main rush so to speak because a little bit too eager and when i knocked him down, i may have rushed the opening shots and then i controlled to the head, landing the stoppage close so that would be what being out of the cage for 15 months looks like, there is still work to be done, we move and correct and move on. ali carter will be playing in today's final at the masters snooker, after making it through for the first time. he beat shaun murphy 6—3, closing out the match with a break of 97. twice a world championship finallist, he was only invited to play when ronnie o'sullivan decided to give the tounament a miss this year. he'll face stuart bingham for the title — its live on bbc two from 1pm.

that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. this is the prime minister boris johnson reacting to the news. the whole country will want to join in wishing them the very best for the future. i said wishing them the very best for the future. isaid before wishing them the very best for the future. i said before that i was sure that the royal family has been around a very long time and will find a way forward and i am sure it well. that was the prime minister, let's look to our correspondence at sandringham because the queen has been attending church there today. she looked like she was smiling as she arrived at the church although it has been a very difficult few weeks for her? you could say she was

putting on a brave face after such a turbulent week for the royal family. she arrived just before 11am this morning, to the structure behind me which is the st mary's the virgin church here in hillington which is a quaint little village, not too far away from the sandringham estate where the royals spend their time during the christmas period. as she got out the car, she was welcomed by 100 or so well—wishers and instead of quite out friendly warm approach, she normally gives the crowd a wave and a smile, she didn't do that so much this time, she kind of walked straight into the church, straight to the service so perhaps a telling sign that it has been a turbulent week because of course this will be a time of sadness perhaps for the queen after after the decision from meghan and harry. i have been speaking to a few of the well—wishers and they seem to agree

that it well—wishers and they seem to agree thatitis well—wishers and they seem to agree that it is definitely a time of sadness, they don't want to see meghan and harry leave because at the end of the day, they wanted to step back but it seems as though in fa ct step back but it seems as though in fact they are stepping away. a lot of people speculating about this agreement and it seems like quite a clea n b rea k agreement and it seems like quite a clean break really, for meghan and harry? i think clean break is the best solution, i think that is what they have been negotiating over the past couple of months. when i was speaking to a few of the well—wishers, they said they did not wa nt well—wishers, they said they did not want meghan and harry to rush this decision, but it is worth reminding them that negotiations have been happening over the past couple of months. it has not been a decision made overnight and this is clearly the best solution for meghan and harry to live the life that they have desperately been wanting to live with that sense of freedom and this has been carefully chosen by the queen herself and she wants the best for meghan and harry and she

has given her blessing for them to do so. thank you very much indeed. the queen attending church this morning after a very difficult few days. the conservative party chairman, james cleverly has confirmed that the government is considering moving the house of lords outside london, as part of a range of options to try and connect the whole of uk with politics. speaking this morning, mr cleverly said such ideas demonstrated ministers were thinking differently. it's one of a range of things that we are looking into. but fundamentally, what this is about is it is about demonstrating to people that we're going to do things differently. the labour party lost millions of voters because they failed listen. i've been speaking to our correspondent pete saull who explained more

about the potential relocation. it is something they are at least looking at. this follows on from a report in the sunday times this morning which suggests they have already identified york as a potential location for the second chamber to move up there in a matter of years. birmingham is apparently also in consideration. the report goes as far as to suggest that they have identified a site next to york railway station for house of lords. i think this is very early stages, logistically, a lot of hurdles would have to be overcome. it suits conservatives in government to be talking about this because they now represent a lot of constituencies in the midlands and north of england that they did not before and this is part of what they called the levelling up agenda. as james cleverly was saying, they want to be a government of the people, they have to be closer to the people. there is an acknowledgement

across political parties that people feel there is a real disconnect between westminster and voters lives. it was seen through the brexit vote, subsequent elections too. so a lot of politicians have been talking about this, conservatives have already talked about moving their headquarters out of london or at least part of the operations out of the capital and one of the labour leadership contenders, lisa nandy, has talked about in her view labour moving their headquarters out of london too. so, this idea of bringing politics a bit closer to voters lives is one that i think we will hear an awful lot more of in the coming years. the bodies of some of the passengers and crew members of the ukrainian passenger jet that was brought down by a missile in tehran earlier this month have been repatriated. a special ceremony was held this morning, east of the capital kyiv for the arrival of the bodies. 11 of the 176 victims

were from ukraine. iran has admitted the plane was brought down by a missile fired in error amid tensions between tehran and washington. that's around a0 million pounds in aid to the country's tourism the australian government has promised $76 million, that's around a0 million pounds in aid to the country's tourism industry to help it recover from the impact of the bushfires. scott morrison's announcement comes golfball sized hailstones have hit parts of the state of victoria. recent heavy rains have dampened many of the country's bushfires, but forecasters have warned of severe storms in victoria, which could lead to flooding. phil mercer is in sydney and has more on the extreme weather changes. the weather here is so capricious, so changeable and unpredictable and extreme, so we have had some very heavy rain in the last couple of days, in parts of eastern and

southern australia. parts of queensland have received more than 300 millimetres of rain, so it is a welcome relief for a country in the grip notjust of a bushfire crisis, but of a very serious drought as well. some of the fire affected regions haven't received as much rain as the authorities would have liked. but for the first time in a very long time, less than 100 fires continue to burn in south—eastern australia. as you sound, with all this rain, given that the land is so dry, the is an expectation we will have. roads have been closed and also the threat of contamination too. that all the ash from some of those bushfires could flow into rivers and contaminate water sources. so australia's weather, australia climate is always complicated and often extreme. and all of this, the government, scott morrison, the prime minister in particular, very heavily criticised

for his handling of the crisis but has now announced this financial aid for the country's tourism sector?l lot of money, millions of pounds will be pumped into australia's tourist industry sector, most or all of it will go into trying to convince australians to try and continue their holidays in these bushfire affected parts and other parts of the showers well because there are media reports here in australia that many australians have cancelled their holidays because they would presumably feel unsafe going to certain parts of the country and certainly anecdotally speaking, international visitors also starting to cancel their holidays and you can understand why all around the world these pictures of these ferocious fires have been broadcast on television and online for weeks and weeks now, so australia, the australian government, is very keen to try to repair some of that reputational

damage. but given the scale of this disaster, more than 10 million hectares of land has been scorched, it will be a very tough job, i think, for australia to rehabilitate its international reputation. as a safe and welcoming and prosperous place to come. outside of that, plenty of sunshine to come although that could turn a little more hazy in scotland and northern ireland at the far north—west, we have got some thicker cloud on a stronger atlantic breeze so it is more mild here. 6—8d in the sunshine, more cold weather that persists unlikely to thicken up during this evening, probably