welcome to bbc news. i'm monika plaha. our top stories: chanting. thousands take to the streets of chinese cities to protest against the strict covid restrictions with some openly calling for president xi to stand down. the government seems to have drastically underestimated popular discontent. yet, for the moment, has no easy way out. protests take place in london, too, as many gather outside the chinese embassy. at least seven people are killed in a landslide triggered by torrential rain on the italian island of ischia. buildings and homes have been swept away. while a crane and a whole team are needed to liftjust one vehicle, the mudslide hurled

so many of them with its force. when the torrent of debris and earth came hurtling down here, little could withstand it. is this the goal that keeps germany in the world cup? we have the latest on the action in qatar. and the british singer dua lipa says she's honoured to receive albanian citizenship in a ceremony hosted by the president in tirana. protests in china against the government's strict covid measures have intensified with some of those taking part openly calling for the country's leader xi jinping to stand down. these recent demonstrations have been prompted by a deadly fire in the western region of xinjiang last week.

it's thought rescue efforts were hindered by coronavirus restrictions — a claim the authorities have rejected. many demonstrators have been holding up blank banners as a mark of protest. they gathered in the streets of some of the biggest cities, including shanghai, wuhan and beijing. from there, stephen mcdonell reports. chanting. it's not unusual to see acts of defiance in china, but this was something different. chanting. a crowd of protesters in shanghai chanted, calling for the country's leader xijinping to stand down and for the communist party to give up power. a fire which killed ten residents in xinjiang last week has prompted widespread anger in china. zero covid restrictions have been blamed for hampering people's escape and slowing the access for fire crews.

whether this is true or not, it sparked waves of protests in the regional capital urumqi. chanting. this has now spread to other cities and university campuses as spontaneous memorial services for those who died in the fire have transformed into demonstrations, calling for an end to lockdowns. translation: it's all too chaotic. - the implementation is so messy. it's been three years already. translation: the pandemic policy is prolonging our - suffering. this policy is neither sustainable nor scientific. this policy won't change, unless we speak up. people are also blaming xi jinping personally for not changing the zero covid approach, which is forcing business after business to shut down. the policy is tied to something that really hits people in their everyday lives. the question of whether or not

they can get on with going to work, that's where these restrictions have really come up against the idea that it's the leadership that is forcing these policies. protests have been building in china all year with people here increasingly sick of zero covid restrictions. the government seems to have drastically underestimated popular discontent, yet, for the moment, has no easy way out of the zero covid corner it's painted itself into. officially, china's goal is to return each outbreak to zero new infections using strict stay—at—home orders, travel restrictions, and mass testing. but it's been criticised for not prioritising vaccination amongst high—risk groups and not stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing.

i'm joined now by professor yanzhong huang, seniorfellow for global health at the council on foreign relations. he's in newjersey. thank you so much forjoining us. public anger has really grown in china. when was the last time you've seen protest on this level? i last time you've seen protest on this level?— on this level? i think we've seen protests _ on this level? i think we've seen protests on _ on this level? i think we've seen protests on this - on this level? i think we've seen protests on this scale j seen protests on this scale previously, even after 1989, but those protests of civil obedience basically tends to be isolated and focused on personal grievances or life foot issues and an automatic local governments. —— inaudible local governments. —— inaudible local governments. —— inaudible local governments. truth? local governments. -- inaudible local governments.— local governments. why do you think china _ local governments. why do you think china is _ local governments. why do you think china is so _ local governments. why do you think china is so determined i local governments. why do you think china is so determined to | think china is so determined to proceed with its zero coba

policy? —— covid policy. i think the reason to secure the zero covid approach is to secure the achievements they have made in 2020. it seemed to be very successful in an automatic mentality level but weighing that issue is whether the disease left to be tend inaudible between competition between two political systems and also could potentially give china, take a u—turn, could undermine president xi's professional statute. undermine president xi's professionalstatute. i undermine president xi's professional statute. i think theissue professional statute. i think the issue has become politicised and makes it difficult for china to reverse the strategy. difficult for china to reverse the strategy-— difficult for china to reverse the strategy. you mentioned vaccines and _ the strategy. you mentioned vaccines and there _ the strategy. you mentioned vaccines and there seems i the strategy. you mentioned vaccines and there seems to | the strategy. you mentioned i vaccines and there seems to be

this lack of trust in vaccines in china. is there not that push for vaccinations? well, that is not — push for vaccinations? well, that is not something - push for vaccinations? well, that is not something new. push for vaccinations? well, l that is not something new and from the very beginning we saw despite the high vaccination rates, close to 90% to dose vaccination rate, there's always this concern about the low vaccination rate among the elderly. especially those aged 80 and over. i think it is this inaudible at risk population that really we have not seen a major progress in terms of increasing their vaccination rates, especially over the past three months. professor ya nzhong huang. thank you so much for your time. thanks forjoining us on bbc news. time. thanks for “oining us on sac news._ hundreds of people have also been demonstrating outside the chinese embassy in london where flowers were laid and a vigil was held. the bbc�*s greg mckenzie has been speaking to the protestors and sent us this report.

the protesters came from all over the capital. they say they are here to show solidarity with protesters in china who are taking to the streets after nearly three years of strict covid measures and snap lockdowns.— covid measures and snap lockdowns. , ., covid measures and snap lockdowns. ~ , ., , ., ., lockdowns. we should stand out for fighting _ lockdowns. we should stand out for fighting the _ lockdowns. we should stand out for fighting the dictatorship - for fighting the dictatorship because everyone has the right, we only care about who is under suppressed, who is under unfair treatment, because during the covid zero policies, many chinese people are in a living hell. chinese people are in a living hell, . chinese people are in a living hell. ., ., , ., hell. some laid flowers and lit candles in _ hell. some laid flowers and lit candles in memory _ hell. some laid flowers and lit candles in memory of- hell. some laid flowers and lit candles in memory of the - candles in memory of the victims who died in an apartment block fire in the western city of arangio. earlier this week. microphone ronke. �* , ., ., ronke. because of the zero covid lockdown, _ ronke. because of the zero covid lockdown, the - ronke. because of the zero covid lockdown, the fire - covid lockdown, the fire engines could not get to put up

a fire and as a result many people died and also for example the fire exits were sealed as part of this brutal zero covid policy.— zero covid policy. despite bein: zero covid policy. despite being here _ zero covid policy. despite being here in _ zero covid policy. despite being here in london, - zero covid policy. despite i being here in london, many zero covid policy. despite - being here in london, many kept theirfaces covered for being here in london, many kept their faces covered for fear of retaliation. some say they will return to support those who they claim are being repressed. greg mckenzie, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. in an online video, the niece of iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei, has called on all foreign governments to cut ties with tehran. activists say farideh moradkhani was arrested last wednesday. her brother, who is based in france, posted the video. anti—government protests have swept across iran for more than two months. human rights groups say at least a50 people have been killed. thousands of people from the kurdish community in north—east syria have been protesting against turkish

cross border air strikes. demonstrators in the city of qamishli held up photos of some of the nearly 60 people killed in the attacks. the air strikes on the semi autonomous kurdish zones began a week ago in response to a bombing in istanbul this month. more than 100,000 people have taken part in a march in mexico's capital in support of the president, andres manuel lopez 0brador. the march comes two weeks after tens of thousands of opponents of the president rallied in the city. a huge landslide on the italian island of ischia is now known to have killed seven people. about five others are still missing after homes and vehicles were buried by a torrent of mud on saturday morning. 0ur correspondent mark lowen travelled to the island, which is just off the coast of naples, and sent this report. rescuing the fragments

of once tranquil ischia. divers picked out what they could after the mudslide that cascaded through this island, tossing what lay in its path into the ocean or into each other. some cars battered beyond recognition as torrents of mud poured down here. they scoured the seas for wreckage and bodies. with the number of deaths growing and reports of islanders still missing, the fear is that as more areas are reached, other victims will be found. it began before dawn on saturday after torrential rain — the deepest and most sudden on record here — unleashing the chaos that tore down the hills. from above, the destruction was clear with houses buried, many of them illegally built and unable to withstand the mud. what lay in its wake swept into the sea. well, this just shows the weakness of man against nature. while a crane and a whole team are needed to liftjust one vehicle, the mudslide hurled

so many of them with its force. when the torrent of debris and earth came hurtling down here, little could withstand it. up the hill, the desolation deepens — a whole square under mud, desperate attempts to save what they can. we found raffaella, devastated by the destruction of her shop that rents motorbikes to tourists. translation: my son has shut himself indoors - because he doesn't want to see any of this. he feels ill because he's seeing all of our sacrifices were worthless. i hope someone will help us. i'm speechless. with rescue teams inundated, her husband and elderly father have had to step in to help clear the mud. translation: i feel destroyed for my daughter, of course. - we'll try and see if someone will help because we've worked all our lives to build this and all of a sudden, it disappeared.

supplies have been brought for dozens evacuated from their homes, put up in hotels — guests on their own island. larysa, from ukraine, has lived here for 20 years. translation: i came out, shouting to my husband . that our neighbours had lost their daughter and her baby. i was back in ukraine during the war, then i came here, and our houses are destroyed and people are missing. how could this happen? then, a mass to bring solace to those seeking answers in tragedy. their minds turned to the moment the earth broke away and engulfed their lives — an island overwhelmed by itself. mark lowen, bbc news, ischia. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we'll have the story behind this world cup picture and we'll tell you who's in and who's out of the tournament.

it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i'm feeling so helpless that the childrens are dying in front of me, and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles. at 11 o'clock this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle. then, philippe cozette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags with robert fagg, his opposite numberfrom dover.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines — thousands have taken to the streets of chinese cities to protest against the strict covid restrictions with some openly calling for president xi to stand down. at least seven people have been killed in a landslide triggered by torrential rain on the italian island of ischia. buildings and homes have been swept away. snow is falling in kyiv and temperatures are hovering around freezing— as ukraine battles to cope with power cuts after a barrage of russian missile strikes targeting ukraine's energy grid. the cold weather is pushing up energy needs even as repair workers fix wrecked power facilities. jessica parker reports from kyiv.

it's almost a novelty — the lights come on. the water, too. ludmilla, who lives on her own, had, like millions, been without power for days. these outages could keep happening again and again this winter. is it bearable? translation: it's impossible to live in the city _ without electricity and water. the radiators don't work, the water is cold, it's cold everywhere. only one hope remains — that we will win. we'd found her here the night before, in a tent by a main road, one of the many public refuges springing up across ukraine. it's a lifeline for everyday contact, but also emergencies. irena, who's nine months pregnant, wants to know she can call for help just in case. we come here because we need extra call to 911, for emergencies, because i am pregnant,

and after today, i am... and after today i'm... due? yes, i am due. here there is heat, a chance to work, or play. some just sit in silence. this war could be a long wait. volodymyr and his mother are here to get hot water for his child, who's unwell. 0lga says the strain of it all is getting to her. translation: it was already very difficult for me, - i used to hold on, but now, my nervous system can't cope with this load. it's so hard. this morning, i could barely get up. slava ukraini. winter brings few guarantees, except the cold, and fears

russia will keep targeting ukraine's energy system, driving people here to shelter from their own homes. jessica parker, bbc news, in kyiv. one of the global effects of the war in ukraine has been wheat becoming more scarce and more expensive in many countries — because of the disruption to grain from ukraine. but there's also a need for new types of wheat —better able to cope with disease and climate change. but might 0ld types be a good place to start? rebecca morelle has more. archive: wheat. in britain, the most momentous harvest of all time. it's a crop we've long relied on. wheat being harvested in 19116. it was the start of a farming revolution, growing only a few varieties chosen to produce as much

grain as possible. every ear counts. it's led to a lack of diversity. and today's wheat is coming under intense pressure could contain a solution. there are 12,000 specimens of wheat and its relatives stored here, and they date back to the 1700s and come from every continent apart from antarctica. and the hope is that looking back into the past can help us to produce the crops of the future. this specimen, which was collected on captain cook's first voyage to australia... oh, wow, you can see the dates, can't you? every wheat specimen is painstakingly examined and photographed, and 1,500 of them will have their genomes sequenced. because the collection spans also across time, across 300 years, we have specimens that are from before

the introduction of various agricultural techniques, so they can tell us something about how wheat was growing wild, or before things like artificial fertilisers. the project will take months to complete. ah, so here we are. at thejohn innes centre in norwich, they're also shining a light on the past. i wanted to show you these old herbarium sheets. their samples go back 100 years and they're looking to cross—breed these older plants with today's varieties. and what we want to do is look for new and useful genetic variation. so disease resistance, stress resistance, increased yield. they've already started some field trials. it's essential to find solutions. climate change and the extreme weather it brings is reducing the amount we can grow globally. and pests and diseases are a big problem, too. 0ne fifth of the projected yield is lost to them each year. there's a very important disease of wheat, which is a global problem called yellow rust,

and that has been increasingly difficult to control and defend wheat against. within this collection of old wheat, there are new resistances to that disease which stand up against this disease. and they're being deployed by breeders right now to defend this really important threat to wheat production. the wheat we grow is going to have to change. looking back into our past and rediscovering lost varieties could be the best way to move forward. rebecca morelle, bbc news. in the football world cup now there were 4 matches in the group stages on sunday. there was another upset with morocco beating one of the pre—tournament favourites belgium —and a dramatic draw between spain and germany. rhia chohan is in doha. it was the headline match in the group stages, and spain were looking for that win to send them straight through after that emphatic

victory over costa rica, the 7—0 win. and it was, as you mentioned, a great finish for alvaro morata in the 62nd minute, putting them ahead. but even more was riding on it for germany — and that was because they wanted to avoid a second group stage exit in successive world cups. and it was germany's best player on the night, jamal musiala, that did set up that crucial equaliser. nicholas fullkrug making it a draw, germany clenching it with that one point that they crucially needed. so if you talk about permutations now, germany still need to win the final game against costa rica. and it will come down to the goal difference betweenjapan and germany. and it's spain that do playjapan. now back to that sensational result from morocco — as the team defeated belgium 2—nil. morocco's win marks their

first world cup victory since 1998 — moving them above belgium in their group. and in the following game, croatia made easy work of canada — with a a—1victory. that means canada is out of the world cup there have been riots in several belgian and dutch cities after morocco's surprise 2—0 win against belgium in qatar. (00v)a dozen people were arrested in the belgian —— in qatar. a dozen people were arrested in the belgian capital brussels and eight more in antwerp. riot police were deployed in the dutch capital amsterdam after hundreds of fans gathered, setting off fireworks and starting several fires. there were also incidents in rotterdam and the hague. both countries have a significant moroccan population. dua lipa has received albanian citizenship in a ceremony hosted by the albanian president in tirana. the singer was born in london,

but her roots go back to kosovo. wendy urquhart reports. # i got you, moonlight. # you're my starlight... dua lipa is famous all over the world, and her disco—pop songs have won her a clutch of awards, and six brit awards. her family are kosovan—albanians but dua lipa has never forgotten her roots. on sunday, she was welcomed to tirana by the president, who presented her with albanian citizenship and said she had made her country proud. translation: it is a special pleasure today in the - presidency to welcome the greatest artist, dua lipa, and herfamily. i say a great artist, a simple girl whose fame is known all over the world. she has given us

the greatest pride. dua lipa grew up listening to david bowie, bob dylan, radiohead and the police — mainly thanks to her dad, who's also a singer—songwriter. and she was inspired by madonna, gwen stefani, and blondie. but getting her albanian citizenship clearly a precious moment for the singer. translation: it is a great honour for me and my family to have an opportunity to represent my country and people. this girl is no wallflower — she has frequently spoken out against sexism in the music industry, and is an avid supporter of the lg btq community. dua lipa has clearly found her potion for success — she's top of the charts all over the world, modelled for several top fashion countries, featured on the cover of numerous magazines, and even designed her own clothes. now she's officially albanian too.

wendy urquhart, bbc news. good news for dua lipa. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @monikaplaha. you're watching bbc news. november has been very mild, it's also been very wet. but as we head towards december, the weather pattern will change over the week ahead. it's going to be turning drier. it's also going to be turning colder. there may well be some mist and fog around, as well. we've got a few patches of that developing already, particularly across north—east england. it will be a colder start, i think, to monday morning. temperatures could be 3—4 celsius. there'll be a few showers around it as well. mist and fog will slowly lift during the morning. we'll see the showers fading away from scotland and northern ireland. sunshine around here. a few more showers coming in off the irish sea into west wales, south west england, and the odd one in the afternoon through the midlands and southern england. but large parts of the uk in the afternoon will be

dry with some sunshine. the winds will be lighter. it may be a touch cooler though, although still temperatures reaching 10—11 celsius, which is on the mild side for this time of the year. but things are going to get colder. we're going to find the showers are fading away and skies will clear overnight as this ridge of high pressure builds in in time for tuesday morning. and where the skies do remain clear, there may well be a risk of frost, particularly across parts of scotland. but given all the moisture after all that rain, we're more likely to find some mist and fog forming, particularly through the midlands, perhaps even into the central belt of scotland. and that fog could linger in a few places, keeping it particularly cold. where the fog does tend to lift in across large parts of the country, there will be some sunshine coming through, and we still could see temperatures reaching 9 celsius in belfast. where it stays grey and murky, though, with that mist and low cloud, temperatures will be near 6—7 celsius. weather fronts are trying to push in from the atlantic,

not making a great deal of progress. we've got the weather blocked off by that high pressure extending from scandinavia. there's still a lot of cloud on the scene on wednesday, but the fog signal is much reduced because there's maybe a little bit more of a breeze. and some places will see some sunshine. for many, though, still cloudy and those temperatures only around 7—8 celsius. the mild atlantic air that we've had through much of november really not making much progress in the uk. there's going to be a lot of cloud through the week ahead by the end of the week, maybe a few showers as we pick up an easterly wind.

this is bbc news, the headlines: thousands have taken to the streets of chinese cities to protest against the strict covid restrictions, with some openly calling for president xi to stand down. the demonstrations follow a fire in xinjiang last week, where it's thought rescue efforts were hindered by coronavirus restrictions. at least seven people have been killed in a landslide triggered by torrential rain on the italian island of ischia. five others are still missing. some residents say they've been digging mud from shops and houses without official help, because the rescue operation has been overwhelmed. the niece of iran's supreme leader has called on all foreign governments to cut ties with tehran.

anti—government protests have swept across iran for more than two months.