tonight at 6:00pm, on land at last — britons held for over two weeks on a cruise ship offjapan because of coronavirus are finally allowed to disembark. back on firm ground, those who've tested negative for the virus are preparing to fly back to the uk. we are coming home. we are seeing our family, and we can't wait. but also, in a way, it's strange. it feels like it has been our home for all that time. we'll have all the latest from our correspondent in japan. also tonight... tributes to those killed by a far—right gunman in germany. security is stepped up at vulnerable sites. from next year, wet wood and coal for domestic fires will be phased out in england to help tackle air pollution. this is my diazepam for this morning. that's valium. the misery of addiction

to prescription drugs. we have a special report. dearjurgen klopp. my name is daragh. i'm ten years old... and what happened when a young manchester united fan asked liverpool's manager to lose a few games? coming up on sportsday later in the hour on bbc news, we are in cardiff ahead of another six nations weekend. the welsh have had a shaky start to their title defence. can they beat the french here tomorrow? good evening. british passengers who've been quarantined onboard a cruise ship off japan for over two weeks because of coronavirus have

finally been allowed to disembark. the diamond princess was carrying 78 britons when it was held in yokohama. some are thought to be crew members who could be staying on the ship, others who've tested positive for the virus are being treated injapan and some have already been evacuated to hong kong. around 35 britons who've tested negative are expected to be on an evacuation flight tonight back to the uk. the group are expected to land in wiltshire before being quarantined at arrowe park hospital in wirral. let's join our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes who's in yokohama for us now. behind me you can see the diamond princess cruise ship. there are about 1000 people left on board. but the overwhelming majority of those are crew and almost all the passengers have now left. the americans left way back last sunday night. the australians left on wednesday. there has been some criticism of the british government for the length of time it has taken

to get to the british passengers off the ship, but i can tell you about one and a half hours ago at 1:30am local time that operation finally got under way. they've had to wait longer than almost anyone else to get off the diamond princess, but tonight, finally, after 17 days of isolation, the british passengers were loaded onto buses and began their long journey home. on board one of these buses, elaine spencer and her husband. before they left their cabin, they recorded this thank you message. thank you to the government for deciding to bring us home. we are coming home, we are seeing ourfamily, and we can't wait. but also, in a way, it's strange. it feels like it has been our home for all that time. thank you. and hopefully we are going to be home and i will see my family, or ourfamilies, in the next couple of weeks. bye— bye. bye — bye. nearby, in his cabin, alan sanford told me he and his wife

are feeling the strain of such a long confinement. we haven't stepped out of this cabin since we were quarantined on the 4th february. it's now, sort of, the 215t. even though the quarantine on the ship is over, we are going to go on an aeroplane, get to the wirral and do another 14 days quarantine. that's going to make about 31 days quarantine altogether. we are going to have to deal with it. there's a lot of people that suffer worse than that in the world, but, wow, the thought we are only halfway through it... it may seem a little unfair that the british passengers leaving the ship tonight are now going to have to spend another 1a days in quarantine when they get back to the uk. having spent two weeks or more shut in their cabins on board the ship. but what we've seen with the americans and now the australians is that some of the passengers who tested negative for the virus when they left the ship, are now testing positive when they've got back home. 164 australians flew back to darwin on wednesday.

two of them have now tested positive for the virus and have been sent to hospital. as you know, we carefully screened everybody before they left the ship, before they got on the plane and during the flight. as people also know there has been ongoing detection of infection on the diamond princess cruise ship over the last few days, so it's not unexpected that some people might have been incubating the virus. meanwhile, in south korea, the number of cases of the virus has leapt by 100 in the last 2a hours, and a second death has been reported. the outbreak is thought to have begun at this church in the city of daegu. the streets of the city are now empty and a massive disinfecting operation is under way. at tokyo's haneda airport this evening, canadian evacuees have been boarding this charter flight. the british evacuees should soon follow. their next stop, raf

boscombe down in wiltshire. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news in yokohama. a woman who supported the banned islamic state terror group has admitted plotting to blow herself up in an attack on st paul's cathedral. safiyya shaikh — a 36—year—old muslim convert from hayes in west london — pleaded guilty to preparing an act of terrorism, by asking an undercover police officer to supply bombs. extra police have been deployed across germany to protect mosques, railway stations, airports and other sensitive sites, after nine people were shot dead on wednesday. many of those killed were kurdish immigrants. the country's home minister says the threat from far—right extremists remains very high, as gavin lee reports. outside the arena shisha bar this morning, the raw heartache and grief of families visiting the site where they lost their loved ones. six people died at this bar. six families devastated as they try to understand what happened here.

35—year—old mercedes kierpacz had gone out that night for a pizza with friends when she was shot dead. herfather filip tells me his world has fallen apart. translation: she was a lovely person. a lovely person. she's got two children that she's left behind. now she's dead, i don't really know what to do any more. filip says his family have sinti roma polish roots and moved here a0 years ago, where his daughters have grown up. translation: what goes on in someone's head to do this? to go into the city and shoot people at close range, then come here, shoot two people in the head in a car, then go into this kiosk and shoot some more? all young people, without any reason. barbara has come to lay flowers for the friends of her son, peter, who survived after being shot and wounded, she said.

translation: he started shooting at everyone. every single one of them. everyone who moved, he shot. he hid on the floor with his friends and the guy kept shooting and shooting. he is the only one who had the chance to survive. all his friends who were next to him are now dead. in an alleyway, one local resident, yousef, shows me some old graffiti on the wall. a sign that the suspect may have long planned an attack here. he tells me the attacker‘s website was up on this wall. police painted over it yesterday. people are continuing to gather here into the night at both sites in the town where the attack took place. german authorities say they are on high alert for the risk from right—wing extremists and have deployed officers at mosques, train stations and airports. and some people here have told us they are reluctant to leave their homes tonight as investigators work out whether the suspect acted alone or had support. gavin lee, bbc news, hanau.

prince charles has visited pontypridd in south wales this afternoon to meet residents and businesses affected by severe flooding following storm dennis. elsewhere, heavy rain today caused flash flooding in parts of scotland. this was scene earlier in paisley. the uk is bracing itself for another weekend of rain, with the met office issuing a yellow weather warning for parts of northern england and scotland. now, if you own a wood burner or a stove or an open fire, from next year in england you'll no longer be able to buy wet wood or coal to burn in them. the ban, which will be rolled out, is part of the government's efforts to cut air pollution. ministers want people to move instead to cleaner alternatives. katy austin reports. cozy and relaxing. the fire in ted's front room in buckinghamshire heats most of his cottage. it's very important. it's the only heating we got, really. he uses smokeless coal and dried out, seasoned wood, the less

polluting options. but burning wood and coal in the uk'si.5 but burning wood and coal in the uk's 1.5 million but burning wood and coal in the uk's1.5 million open fires and stoves contributes 38% of harmful fine particle emissions will stop for example, a wood burner churns out 6.7 grams per hour. by comparison, a modern htv emitsjust 0.5 grams and a modern diesel car even less at 0.17 g. the wood on this pub fire is dry and seasoned so it should be a bit better for the environment but it is the most polluting types of fuel that the government will ban in england, the wet wood often found in bundles a bit cheaper that you find in a petrol forecourt or garden centre. selling traditional house coal will also be phased out with local authorities in charge of enforcement. the estimates have been we can achieve about a 50% reduction in emissions if we switch from wet wood, which can have up to a point of water, a kilogram of water, into

probably dry and seasoned wood in domestic combustion. this is where ted and the pub get their dry wood from. the log supplier keith supports the upcoming ban but doesn't believe everyone will comply. this pile here is ready to be cut, it is well seasoned, has been here nearly two years. do you think the problem will be solved with this ban? not immediately because they've got nobody to e nforce because they've got nobody to enforce it. while people are offering cheap wood, people will buy it and this is the trouble. concerns have been raised about the impact on rural communities and stretched local authorities say they need enough funding for the extra responsibilities, but the government insists the move is necessary to address the burning issue of air quality. katy austin, bbc news. now, with her trademark headscarf and cigarette in hand, dot cotton is one of the most recognisable characters on tv. butjune brown, the 93—year—old

actor who's played herfor more than three decades, says she's left eastenders for good. here's our entertainment correspondent colin paterson. 0h, he's a devil. but men, even religious men who collect bibles, can only think of the one thing. the gossiping, the meddling, the smoking. dot cotton, part of the eastenders dna. but, at the end of 93, june brown has revealed in a podcast interview that she has quit albert square, unhappy with recent storylines. i've left, left for good. i have sent myself off to ireland, and that's where she will stay! i have loved eastenders. this is to tell you that i'm off to ireland. which means this was the rather underwhelming final appearance. a recording on a tape. and john altman, who played her son nick thinks it's a sad ending for a much loved character. merry christmas.

she moaned about a few things to me about it. i didn't take much notice but i woke up this morning and it's all over the news. would have been nice to see her make more of a dramatic and exciting exit. this is wherejune dramatic and exciting exit. this is where june brown dramatic and exciting exit. this is wherejune brown started on eastenders 35 years ago. it is still made right over there, however she says she has now filmed herfinal ever seen. the show insists the door is always open if the right story arises and she wants to come back. fans outside, some of whom recently met her, were shocked. fans outside, some of whom recently met her, were shockedlj fans outside, some of whom recently met her, were shocked. i didn't expect her just to met her, were shocked. i didn't expect herjust to go. i thought she would have a final leaving scene. expect herjust to go. i thought she would have a final leaving scenelj think would have a final leaving scene.” think she will be sorely missed because she's a character, with that cigarette hanging out her mouth. everybody knows her. give me some tea, love. 0ne everybody knows her. give me some tea, love. one thing will not change, eastenders say they will keep her dressing room just the way

it is in the hopejune brown will change her mind. colin paterson, bbc news, elstree studios. our top story this evening... britons held for over two weeks on a cruise ship offjapan because of coronavirus are finally allowed to disembark. and still to come. coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news, we will look ahead to another six nations weekend. and also the big fight in las vegas, the world heavyweight title rematch between tyson fury and deontay wilder. people trying to kick their dependency on prescription drugs need much more dedicated support — that's the call from experts and campaigners. almost a million people on prescribed medication — including tranquillisers, drugs for insomnia, and nervous disorders — have been taking them for at least three years. of those, more than half a million are on strong painkillers known as opioids, even though there's no evidence that they help after 90 days.

in the worst—affected parts of the uk, the nhs is now running campaigns to urge those affected to seek help. but as jeremy cooke reports, many are still struggling to find the right services. this is my diazepam for this morning. that's valium. jim has a problem. what's next? antidepressant. a drug problem. citalopram, carbocisteine, 0ndansetron. this is montelu kast, to help me breathe. all of these, all on prescription, several times a day. nitrazepam, which is a benzo psychoactive. his life is dominated by his total dependency on prescription drugs. morphine, which i take three times a day. i just... including powerful opioid painkillers. is this too much? this would probably overdose most people. are you addicted? yeah. jim was badly burned when he was eight. the pain meant prescription painkillers. and he's still on them.

35 years, i've been taking these every day. do they work for you? i'll be honest, i don't know what works and what doesn't work any more. this pain map of britain shows thatjim is not alone. there's a very clear north—south divide. manchester university research reveals prescription painkiller hotspots in our poorest communities. and patients staying on the drugs often for way too long. we are seeing an increasing amount of patients using opioids for long term. but using for long term, there is no evidence to prove they work. all i could think about was the pain and the medication and it consumes your life. jazz is 23 and already with a ten year history of using prescription painkillers. her hip dysplasia brought serious, chronic pain. her doctors knew that opioids, pregabalins and other drugs could relieve the agony. but forjazz, there was a heavy price to pay.

i was a child that got put on this through no fault of my own. and now i've got to go through all of this. coming off the medication was a million times harder than any of the surgery stuff. she'd become hooked, and with no nhs service available, the best on offer was a place at a centre for street drug heroin addicts. it was suggested for me to go on methadone to get off my prescribed medication. what did you make of that? ijust thought it was a bit ridiculous, treating an opioid with an opioid. it'sjust another thing to get addicted to. jazz is now getting help from her gp and campaigning to stop others getting hooked. in sunderland, that campaign is being piloted on the streets — an indication that things are changing. the government now requires addiction warning labels on prescription opioids. but those advising mps want structured, comprehensive support for all of those at risk. we need a helpline so people can get hold of information,

get hold of help. we need a referral service so gps can refer you to an expert who can help you. and we need doctors to have access to alternatives so people don't have to be put on the drugs in the first place. just morphine in a patch. so i've got one on each arm. specialist help is whatjim could use. he's tried hard to come off his medication, but the withdrawal has made him too sick. if i took heroin, there's about 20 services i could use. with this... where's the service? there's none. because these things will ruin your life. it is hard forjim to accept he will be on drugs for the rest of his life. harder still to accept the series of medical decisions that led him here, to all of this. jeremy cooke, bbc news. if you've been affected by any of the issues raised injeremy‘s report, details of organisations offering information and support with addiction are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. or you can call for free,

at any time to hear recorded information on 08000155 947. a man who was stabbed inside the central london mosque yesterday during afternoon prayers has been speaking about his ordeal. rafaat maglad had just led the call to prayer when he was attacked. a 29—year—old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. mr maglad says he forgives his attacker. 0ur religion editor martin bashir reports. morning. worshippers arrive at the london central mosque, responding to friday's call to prayer, which on this occasion is not delivered by the man who has been doing so for the last 25 years. how are you feeling? nursing his wounds, 72—year—old raafat maglad arrived after worshippers had taken their places in the very hall where just 24 hours ago

he had been attacked. a man in red, seemingly part of the congregation, pulled a knife. mr maglad joined the congregation and was following the lead of an imam. so, the imam said, "allahu akbar." he lifted up his head. i was halfway, when i felt something like somebody hitting you with a brick. something very... it is not the stab that i... i can't even... you know, all my body shook. and i recognised that the blood started to flow. a 29—year—old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. and mr maglad was taken to nearby st mary's hospital, where his injuries were assessed. they have four stitches. and he referred me to mri. and the mri detects the nerve, because if it is damaged then i can't move my arm. my arm is very heavy.

the mosque's leadership team says that while it advises all worshippers to remain vigilant, it doesn't want to turn a sacred space into a fortress. and, despite yesterday's attacks, its doors remain firmly open. it's being billed as the biggest heavyweight boxing match in almost 20 years. in the early hours of sunday morning, the american deontay wilder will take on britain's tyson fury in their long—awaited rematch. after their press conference earlier this week turned violent, tonight they will weigh in separately. 0ur sports editor dan roan reports from las vegas. it wouldn't be fight week in vegas without the posturing, the posing and the promotion. but when push comes to shove, in a city built on hype, there's a real sense that tyson fury‘s rematch against deontay wilder could just live up to the billing. 14 months ago, the first meeting produced an epic. fury, out—boxing his opponent

and somehow surviving a ferocious 12th round knock—down, before a controversial draw. now these two unbeaten heavyweights have got it on again. i think it's just the biggest fight in the last 50 years. i've got his number, because he put me down and he couldn't keep me down. and that must be playing on his mind. because everybody else, he's knocked out, apart from the gypsy king. so, yeah, i'm coming foryou, baby. but the bronze bomber is known as one of the hardest hitters in boxing history, remarkably, 41 of the american's 43 victories coming by way of knockout. and now wilder wants to cement his status as the dominant force in the division. this is the moment in time that we have all been waiting for. the biggest fight of both of our lives. unfinished business, as i call it. and i can't wait. not since the great lennox lewis beat evander holyfield here in vegas, some 21 years ago, has there been such anticipation ahead of a heavyweight rematch. and now another british fighter will hope he can deliver on the grandest stage of all.

i think it's going to be an unbelievable fight. i think if tyson fury comes out there and says he wants to try and knock him out in the first couple of rounds, he will probably try it. you know, he's that type of guy to do that. but if that doesn't work for him, then he will resort back to his boxing, and then we'll see, you know, tyson fury moving around, doing all kinds of different things. and may be leading with the jab a bit more. here in the boxing capital of the world, there are hopes fury—wilder 2 could break all pay—per—view records, and return of this division to the status it enjoyed during its glory days. this, a rivalry breathing new life into the sport. we are told fury and so no deontay wilder will be kept apart when they meet at the way in and a few hours' time in las vegas, an event open to the public, after the rather ugly scenes you saw where there was some shoving and pushing at a press

conference. at this fighter doesn't need any kind of stunt to promote it. this is a sporting occasion to really savour. 0ne it. this is a sporting occasion to really savour. one of those rare sports occasions where two great fighters, in their prime, and at their peak, come head to head in a rematch. this really should be a boxing occasion. it doesn't get much bigger than this. as liverpool continue to dominate the premier league, one young manchester united fan decided to take matters into his own hands. ten—year—old darragh cu rley wrote to the liverpool managerjurgen klopp, asking if it would be possible for his team to lose a few games. as emma vardy reports, no—one was more surprised than darragh when klopp actually wrote back. dearjurgen klopp, my name is daragh. during a letter writing project, most of the daragh's class were composing fanmail. but his tactics were different. i support man united and the reason i'm writing is to complain. liverpool are winning too many games.

channelling the frustrations of millions of fans, he had a sincere request. the next time liverpool play, please make them lose. you should just let the other team score. i hope i have convinced you to not win the league or a match, ever again. i thought if i wrote to 0le gunner solskjaer, that wouldn't really make a difference. so, i thought i had a better chance of writing tojurgen klopp to stop him winning. the plea was received by liverpool boss, jurgen klopp, a man who's transformed the club's fortunes. at his press conference today, he said he liked daragh's letter, even though daragh was not on his side. it wasjust nice. it was nice, it was cheeky. i was happy we had time that day. so, i read the letter and i replied. "unfortu nately, on this occasion," he wrote, "i cannot grant your request, not through choice anyway."

before i opened it, i thought it might be jurgen klopp, before i opened it, i thought it might bejurgen klopp, because it had royal mail on the stand. my mum said it wasn't. but all to daragh's disappointment, liverpool are still on course for premier league glory. he has probably done more interviews today than mr klopp himself which, like football, shows you how unpredictable things can be. emma vardy, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. well, i've not had any letters asking me if it will stop raining, but i suppose it is a matter of time. we still have some flood warnings out at the moment. you can see the floodwaters just beyond gloucester. two severe flood warnings. they are currently around hampton bishop, on stretches of the

river lugg and stretches of the river wye. we have heavy rain and a number of warnings, for example in tayside, and through the last few hours we are starting to see the weather front to slip southwards. it is still going to be wet for the next few hours for northern ireland and northern england, before the rain continue southwards overnight, to the midlands, and eventually to southern counties of england. it will be mild across england and wales. colder air moving and further north. in scotland, that means the showers will turn to snow across the high ground with significant accumulations and strong wind around. that equals blizzards, which will continue to blow into saturday, with further significant accumulations of snow and icy conditions on untreated roads. further south, the rain eases two showers and brighter spells. it stays mild across southern areas on saturday. in the north, a cold day. temperatures, 5 degrees in edinburgh. factor in the window and it will feel colder than that. saturday night, rain are set to return. this time it will be moving

across wales, the midlands. these areas, the ground completely saturated. we could see more localised flooding impact from that, rather than the large—scale problems we have seen over recent days. sunday, the rain gradually trickles southwards. it will probably stay joined up, even into the afternoon in the south. dry in the north, but wintry over the high ground in scotland. temperature about 6 degrees. then the next storm system comes in. this for sunday night and monday. strong wind, 70 mph gusts, heavy rain. for a time, heavy snow across the hills of northern england and scotland. that could set the scene for some potentially disruptive weather, as we head into monday morning's rush hour across the northern areas. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. dozens of britons held for over two weeks on the cruise ship ofjapan for over two weeks on the cruise ship of japan because for over two weeks on the cruise ship ofjapan because of for over two weeks on the cruise ship of japan because of coronavirus are finally allowed to disembark. we are finally allowed to disembark. we are coming home. we can't wait to see ourfamily, are coming home. we can't wait to see our family, but also are coming home. we can't wait to see ourfamily, but also in a way, it's strange. it feels like it has been our home for all that time. tribute to those killed by a far right gunmen in germany. security is stepped up at vulnerable sites. next year, stepped up at vulnerable sites. next yea r, wet stepped up at vulnerable sites. next year, wet wood and cold for domestic fires will be phased out in england to help tackle air pollution. the misery of addiction to prescription painkillers. experts say people need

more support to give up