this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the mother of daunte wright — shot dead by a former minnesota police officer — has been giving her reaction to the guilty verdict against the woman who killed her son. the moment that we heard "guilty" on manslaughter one — emotions, every single emotion that you could imaginejust running through your body at that moment. japan says it will not be sending government officials to the beijing winter olympics in protest at china's human rights record. the us brings in a law requiring companies to prove they're not using uyghur muslim forced labour. but does it go far enough? south korea's former president park geun—hye, who was jailed on corruption

charges, is to be pardoned by the government. and the renowned american journalist and author, joan didion, dies at the age of 87. hello and welcome. a jury in the american state of minnesota has found a white former police officer guilty of manslaughter for having shot dead an unarmed black motorist. during the trial kim potter said she had mistaken her handgun for a taser when she killed daunte wright in april. he had been pulled over in a routine traffic stop, as david willis reports. it was a routine traffic stop on a sunday afternoon in april, police in a minneapolis suburb ordered 20—year—old daunte wright from his car, and were attempting to arrest him when

things went terribly wrong. as daunte wright tried to escape, the officer wearing the body camera threatened to but only once she pulled the trigger did she realise she had mistaken her gun for a taser. kimberley potter was arrested three days after daunte wright died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. the killing occurred just a few miles from where another minneapolis police officer, derek chauvin, was standing trial, and sparked fresh unrest from the city still reeling from the death of a man that derek chauvin was later convicted of murdering, george floyd. kimberley potter told the court that daunte wright's death amounted to an innocent mistake. i wright's death amounted to an innocent mistake.— innocent mistake. i remember ellin: , innocent mistake. i remember yelling. taser. _ innocent mistake. i remember yelling, taser, taser, - innocent mistake. i remember yelling, taser, taser, taser. l yelling, taser, taser, taser. and nothing happened. and then,

he told me i shot him. yet. he told me i shot him. yet, while neither— he told me i shot him. yet, while neither side - he told me i shot him. yet, while neither side disputed | he told me i shot him. yet, while neither side disputed she didn't intend to kill daunte wright, thejury decided didn't intend to kill daunte wright, the jury decided she acted recklessly on the day in question. acted recklessly on the day in cuestion. ~ acted recklessly on the day in question-— question. we the “my on the charue question. we the “my on the charge of h question. we the jury on the charge of manslaughter- question. we the jury on the charge of manslaughter in i question. we the jury on the l charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while committing a misdemeanour on or about april 11, 2021, a misdemeanour on or about april”, 2021, in the a misdemeanour on or about april 11, 2021, in the state of minnesota, find the defendant guilty. minnesota, find the defendant uuil . , ., , , guilty. they found kimberley potter guilty _ guilty. they found kimberley potter guilty of _ guilty. they found kimberley potter guilty of two - guilty. they found kimberley potter guilty of two charges l guilty. they found kimberley l potter guilty of two charges of manslaughter. cheering to the delight of demonstrators outside the court, many of whom feel such verdicts also speak for the many others, african—americans in particular, who have suffered racism and brutality at the hands of the police.

i kind let out a yelp. it was built up, in the anticipation of what was to come, while we were awaiting the last few days. now, we've been able to process it. fix, days. now, we've been able to process it— process it. a request by kimberley _ process it. a request by kimberley potter's - process it. a request by i kimberley potter's lawyers process it. a request by - kimberley potter's lawyers for her to be granted bail over christmas was denied by the judge. she's due to be sentenced in february, and faces the possibility of up to 15 years behind bars. the former south korean president park guen—hye, who was jailed for 22 years on corruption charges, is to be granted a pardon by the government. miss park was impeached and removed from office in march 2017 after widespread protests in south korea. as laura bicker explains, the current president moonjae—in had previously ruled out a pardon. earlier this year, he ruled out a pardon, saying it was premature. remember, this is a liberal president who would be pardoning a conservative, a far—right conservative president. in fact, conservatives in this country see her as their princess.

she was jailed back in march 2017 after being impeached and removed from office and she was sentenced to 22 years. the entire scandal ignited protests right across south korea. it's hard to put into words the kind of ire, the anger on the streets as the links between big business, wealthy family—owned conglomerates and the presidential palace were revealed. and when it came to her sentencing, certainly, many people felt that it was the right thing to do in the circumstances, and it showed that justice could be served. she was the first president to be impeached in this way and president moonjae—in, the current president, ran to office on the — kind of ticket of saying that he would rule out corruption. so that is why it has come as such a surprise. but i would like to just give you a statement

from the blue house, from the presidential palace, and from president moon, which has just been released. he says he hopes "it is time for south korea to step forward "from the painful past to a new era, "we need to gather our strengths "to courageously face the future together, "rather than fighting by being buried in the past." there is a note saying that, "in the case of former "president park, they have considered her heavy health "decline caused by almost five years in prison." she is said to be in rather ill health. yeah, obviously, health playing a big part. you have talked about the process and the controversy about this over the years — i know this has happened pretty recently, it is breaking news — but what is the reaction likely to be like amongst the public? well, i think i've already seen a number of liberals who are extremely upset at this announcement. they're saying that perhaps it's being done by humanitarian grounds, but they do not understand the decision. conservatives have obviously welcomed the news. in fact, there are a number of protests being organised as we speak, saying that not only should she be released

immediately, notjust on new year's day, when the pardon will be granted, but also that she should be reinstated as president. it must be said that far—right conservatives have always held a vigil in the centre of seoul in gyeonggi, where they have been calling for her release for many years. so they have welcomed this news. but i think we will see over the next few hours the ramifications of this decision. some breaking news to bring you: japan says it will not send government officials to the beijing winter olympics in february but it's stopped short ofjoining the diplomatic boycott of the games initiated by the united states in protest at china's human rights record. those human rights concerns relate to what is happening in china's north—western region of xinjiang. china has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the uyghur population and other mostly—muslim ethnic groups there. now president biden has signed

a law requiring proof that goods imported from xinjiang were not produced by forced labour. china has accused the united states of spreading lies and us firms doing business in xinjiang, including coca—cola, nike, and apple, have criticised the legislation. dr erkin sidick is president of the uyghur projects foundation in los angeles. he said the us sanction is a start but more needs to be done. the reason is the father, mother, and children, they all separated from each other, and the mothers can only go home once a week to see their kids. so this is a horrible situation, now this bill may force some of those companies to close down. if that happens, some of the people will get — be free, so that's a big victory for us. the bbc�*s robin brant is in shanghai for us. can you get your reaction to

the news from japan this won't send officials. i don't think we have robin... struggling to hear ou we have robin... struggling to hear you but... _ we have robin... struggling to hear you but... go _ we have robin... struggling to hear you but... go for - we have robin... struggling to hear you but... go for it, - hear you but... go for it, robin- — hear you but... go for it, robin. let's _ hear you but... go for it, robin. let's address - hear you but... go for it, robin. let's address two | hear you but... go for it, i robin. let's address two of hear you but... go for it, - robin. let's address two of the issues there. _ robin. let's address two of the issues there. yeah, _ robin. let's address two of the issues there. yeah, sorry - robin. let's address two of the | issues there. yeah, sorry about that. we issues there. yeah, sorry about that we are — issues there. yeah, sorry about that. we are getting _ issues there. yeah, sorry about that. we are getting a - issues there. yeah, sorry about that. we are getting a few- that. we are getting a few technical difficulties. we'll try to get robin back to talk to us about the breaking news in japan and to us about the breaking news injapan and the story in xinjiang. at least thirty people have been killed when a packed ferry caught fire in southern bangladesh. it happened in the early morning near the town othalakati. the ferry had sailed from capital dhaka bound for southern town of barguna with hundreds of passengers on board. dozens of people are being treated for serious burns in hospital — rescuers warn the death toll may rise. let's get some of the day's other news. the actorjames franco, has admitted having sex with students from his acting school, almost four years after allegations were made against him. the 43—year—old agreed to pay over $2 million injuly,

after being sued for engaging in, quote, "sexually—charged behaviour towards female students". but he said he didn't start the school to lure women for sexual purposes. the belgian government has decided to close the country's two nuclear power plants and their seven reactors by 2025. the decision could leave belgium with an electricity shortfall, if alternative generating capacity is not brought on stream. ministers have, however, pledged funds for research into other forms of nuclear power. tiktok is now the world's most popular online destination, getting even more hits than google. that's according to it security company, cloudfare. one of the reasons is thought to be the covid pandemic, as lockdowns meant people were stuck at home and looking for entertainment on the social media platform. russia's president has again insisted that the west must give russia guarantees that nato won't expand eastwards and admit ukraine as a member.

vladimir putin rejected accusations that russia is preparing to invade ukraine, after amassing thousands of troops on the border between the two countries. 0ur moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. musical sting it's the most wonderful time of the year — if you happen to like long news conferences. vladimir putin's end—of—year press briefing is always a marathon affair. forfour hours, the kremlin leaderfielded questions and he used the event to vent his resentment at how nato enlarged after the fall of the soviet union. translation: "we won't move one inch towards the east," _ they told us in the 1990s, and what happened? they deceived us. they brazenly tricked us. there were five waves of nato expansion, and now missile systems are appearing in romania and poland. is this russia's response?

a build—up of russian troops near ukraine's border. the kremlin denies it plans to invade, but this is pressure — and on the west, too — as moscow demands an end to nato enlargement and nato military activity in eastern europe, what it calls �*security guarantees'. you must give us guarantees. you must do it, immediately, now. we won't be palmed off with decades of idle chatter about the need of security for all while the other side carries out its own plans. vladimir putin spoke for a long time but gave little away about his intentions regarding ukraine, about whether, as the west fears, he's planning a large—scale military operation there. but what we do know now is that next month, us and russian officials will sit down to discuss the security guarantees that moscow is demanding, so there's still hope for a diplomatic resolution. vladimir putin has done 17

of these press conferences now as president. you need plenty of stamina to do this, and to listen to it, and since all main tv channels in russia show it live, it's wall—to—wall putin — a reminder, as if russians didn't know it, of who's in charge here. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: with christmas just around the corner, we take a look at the man preparing for his busiest night of the year. the world of music's been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states

to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle| was hastily taken away. m its place. — the russian flag was hoisted over what is now— no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. | day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town of shkoder where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: kimberly potter, a former minnesota police officer, has been found guilty of manslaughter for killing daunte wright during a traffic check. japan says it will not be sending government officials to the beijing winter olympics in a protest against china's

human rights record. a study from the british government offers hope that the 0micron variant of coronavirus is less likely to cause severe disease than delta, the previously dominant strain. earlier studies from the uk and south africa also suggest that 0micron is causing a more mild version of the disease, although the sheer number of cases could still overwhelm health systems. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh reports. between 30 and 40, these are the ages of some of the people fighting for their lives on a covid ward. not one of them has been vaccinated against covid—i9. a powerful illustration of the dangers facing the unvaccinated and the pressure on nhs staff, filmed in the intensive care unit of royal liverpool hospital where four out of five covid patients are notjabbed. the intensive care society said

at least two—thirds of covid patients were unvaccinated in 12 out of 16 critical care units it contacted in england. it's not for us to judge people who haven't been vaccinated, it's for us to look after them as well as we can, but it's very sad when people come into hospital who haven't been vaccinated. they're very unwell and they ask to have the vaccine then, which of course they can't, because you have to get better from covid before you can be vaccinated. evidence that 0micron causes milder disease has been reinforced by preliminary analysis from the uk health security agency. it suggests that someone infected with 0micron is 30 to 45% less likely to attend a&e compared to a delta patient, and between 50 and 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital. but the extra protection that the boosterjab gives against infection does wane more rapidly against 0micron than delta, being about 15 to 25% lower ten weeks after the booster jab. it shows that people

with 0micron have a reduced risk of hospitalisation compared to delta. now, it's very early days, only a small number of individuals, about 100 were admitted to hospital with 0micron in this period, but nonetheless, it is first signs of cautious optimism we can have for a while. as daily cases hit another new record, uk researchers estimate that half of people with cold—like symptoms actually have coronavirus. fergus walsh, bbc news. ecuador is to make the covid—i9 vaccine mandatory for most people over the age of five. those with a medical justification will be exempt. the government says it's necessary because of a rise

in infections and the spread of variants such as 0micron. the country suffered a crippling first wave of the virus in 2020, with dead bodies left on the streets as hospitals and mortuaries were overwhelmed. joan didion, who chronicled 1960s and �*70s american culture, with screenwriting credits including the film a star is born, has died at the age of 87. her award—winning book on grief, the year of magical thinking, was inspired by the deaths of her husband and daughter. earlier i spoke to the author and book critic adam dalva, who teaches didion�*s writing to university students. i asked him what her work means to him. i think she represents several things to every american writer. didion herself said, "i have already lost touch with a couple of the people i used to be." so the two things i think she is most remarkable for is her use of creative fiction and the personal essay, which totally changed the genre. there are dozens and dozens of writers today showing that she was not only their favourite writer and they would not have known how to write without that.

and, as you said, her writing in grief later on in her life is some of the most fabulous elegiac writing that we have. and you teach students her work, obviously, goodbye to all that, how do they react to pieces like that? well, you know, goodbye to all that, which is on of the first leaving new york essays. it's the story about a young didion coming to new york and having a kind of mythical experience but also puncturing that mythical experience because she's aware of it. just today i had a student e—mail me about an hour before i went on to say thank you for teaching me that essay. and for a student in 2020, an 18—year—old, to say that about an essay written in 1968, speaks to how fresh and contemporary didion feels. she teaches students so much about how much to describe things and how to show personal vulnerability in a limited perspective. the book that focuses on grief, a lot of people in social media today saying that that really helped them in times of trouble. is that something you agree with and can understand? 100%. it is such a challenging book because it is so painful and sad.

but i think anyone going through a difficult situation or even perhaps anticipating a difficult situation will see themselves in the magical thinking that didion is talking about, which is essentially leaving a pair of shoes so that her late husband can come back to them. these ideas of... americans don't handle grief very well, as i'm sure you might know, and didion really captures how it feels. it's a remarkable book. alongside that she was also a pretty cool character, right? yes, actually, there is a tote bag with her on it that was the hottest item in new york in 2017. she had the cigarettes and the sunglasses. a young harrison ford was her carpenter in the 1970s in california. she threw amazing parties, she hung out with the doors. she could not have weighed more than 80 lbs and chain—smoked cigarettes. and this idea, i think, of the writer as a character really helped her in her writing and we all loved her. she was a prickly presence

and that made her really fun. i gather you have one passage in particular that means a lot you. would you mind reading that out for us? i would be honoured. thank you, simon. this is the very end of the year of magical thinking and she is writing about her late husband. "i think about swimming with him into the cave portuguese bend. the tide had to be just right. we had to be in the water at the very moment the tide was right. we could have only done this a half—dozen times at most during the two years we lived there but it was what i remember. each time we did i was afraid of missing the swell, hanging back, timing is wrong. john never was. you had to feel the swell change. you had to go with the change. he told me that. no eyes on the sparrow. but he did tell me that." that was adam dalva reading the ending of joan didion�*s book the year of magical thinking. the duke and duchess of sussex have issued the first photograph of their daughter lilibet on their festive card. the image shows meghan raising

lilibet in the air as she sits alongside prince harry, who is holding their two—year—old son archie on his knee. it's the first time lilibet, who was born injune, has been seen in a publicly—released image. the photo was taken at their home in santa barbara, california. have you ever watched a cooking show and thought, "mm, that looks delicious, bet it tastes good?" well soon you might be able to find out if it is. japanese professor has developed a prototype lickable tv screen that can imitate food flavours. the device, called taste the tv, uses 10 different flavour canisters that spray in combination to create the taste of a particular food. the flavour sample then rolls on hygienic film over a tv screen for the viewer to try. professor homei miyashita from meiji university in tokyo says he built the prototype himself over the past year and that a commercial version would costjust under 900 dollars to make. it's very nearly here —

the big day itself. all around the world people are making final preparations for christmas. last—minute presents are still being bought, food and drink is already being consumed. but for one man in particular, the next day or two are going to be quite a challenge, as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. be it delta or 0micron, nothing stands in the way of a man on a mission. # 0n the road again. # just can't wait to get on the road again. from his home in lapland, father christmas sets off for what will be a very, very long journey. let's give time to children and young people and do something together. let's make this christmas happy and unforgettable for everyone. christmas is about hearts full of hope. of course, he did have time to carry out a few errands before he left. this was santa — really, honestly — going for a dip in an aquarium in paris.

like you do. apparently it's an annual tradition around here. it certainly impressed the local children. both speak french "it was nice," said sisters lena and kenza. "he played his part well, he swam well. "we thought it was good." once he dried out, he headed to italy to descend down the outside of a chimney at this hospital in rome, then he handed out presents to the young patients inside. a quick pop across the atlantic and father christmas was giving out food parcels rather than toys. they were queuing up at this favela in rio dejaneiro, grateful for any help they can get. translation: i'm very happy because today, l all the people here in the community are satisfied that our christmas will be a happy one. ho, ho, ho, ho! and since he was in the area, he paid a quick trip to the amazon to hand out a few pressies there as well. so, how does he get to so many places in such a short space of time, you might wonder? it must be the magic of christmas — probably. tim allman, bbc news.

he isa he is a busy man. crowds on the medieval charles bridge in prague have been enjoying a performance of czech christmas mass. singing bethlehem a choir gathered below the bridge to sing carols, including those written by composerjakubjan ryba more than 200 years ago. organisers say an organist and four singers were recruited for the event. other musicians and members of the public joined without any rehearsal. that is just about it from me for now. you get more news on our website. you can follow me on twitter. for now, from me

and the rest of the team, thanks for watching. do stay tuned here to bbc news. hello there. snow has been falling across the hills of scotland through the night. that will continue, although it is tending to peter out. we could have several centimetres lying towards morning. and also, fog is going to be an issue for those travellers on friday morning — quite thick patches in places reducing the visibility — and that's because we've had a lot of mild and moist air move northwards during the day on thursday. still with us friday, but so too that cold air and where those weather fronts bump into the cold air, as i say, across scotland at the moment is where we are likely to see the snow, but that boundary may come

further southwards into christmas day. so, several centimetres over the hills, relatively low levels — that's 100m or so. some fog, though, under the clearer skies further south where it's at least milder, but it's the light winds that we've got an issue with here. so, going through the day on friday, we've got that mild air with us, the fog issue slow to clear, and then our rain starts to sweep into the south—west across wales later. some drier weather — just drizzly rain for northern ireland. our weather front petering out across scotland and northern england. the best of the sunshine will be in the far north here after a frosty start with some fog patches here too. but it's here where we keep that cold air through the day, whilst for most, because we've still got that legacy of atlantic air, it is a little bit milder — 9, 10, 11 degrees. but that cold air looks like it may well be on the move, so as we head through friday night, christmas eve into christmas day, that may well push a little bit further southwards. our weather fronts still with us coming into that cold air. so the likes of the pennines, possibly the hills of north wales just might see a smattering of sleet or snow but it looks like some good spells of sunshine across the north and perhaps northern england, and then further south on christmas day, we've got some more wetter —

some more rain to come in. so, again, we will have the contrast, still that mild air across western areas but perhaps a crisp start in northern and eastern parts. a little bit of wintriness, as i say, over the hills. so we are not going to beat the records. these are the records of christmas day across the four nations. they are not going to be that high, the temperatures, as i say — more likely 4—5s in the north, 11—12 in the south — but the next few days, we are most likely to see, if we see snow, it will be over the high ground of the northern part of the country — from north wales northwards. at lower levels, most likely we'll see some rain. so for boxing day, still that cold air around with us and you can see we've got some unsettled weather as well.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: a former police officer who killed a black man in a routine traffic stop has been found guilty of manslaughter at her trial in minneapolis. kimberley potter mistook her handgun for a taser when she shot daunte wright. japan says it will not be sending government officials to the beijing winter olympics but it's stopped short ofjoining the diplomatic boycott of the games, initiated by the united states in protest at china's human rights record. the former south korean president park guen—hye is to be granted a pardon by the government. ms park was impeached and removed from office in 2017, and jailed for 22 years on corruption charges. the renowned american author, joan didion, has died at the age of 87. in an illustrious career she chronicled contemporary us life in the 1960s and �*70s. didion worked as a novelist, screenwriter and journalist.