welcome to bbc news, i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories: buckingham palace issues a formal apology, after a senior member of the royal household is accused of making racist remarks, to a black, british, reception guest. china's former leader, jiang zemin, has died, as the country faces some of the most serious protests since he came to power after the tiananmen square massacre. democrat, hakeem jeffries is elected to succeed nancy pelosi, becoming the first black american to lead a major party in the us congress. music musicians and fans pay tribute to christine mcvie, the hugely successful singer—songwriter with fleetwood mac, who's died at the age of 79.

and, the best thing since sliced bread, the humble french baguette is awarded unesco cultural heritage status. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a member of the buckingham palace household has resigned and apologised after she repeatedly asked a domestic abuse campaigner where she "really came from". ngozi fulani, who's black, says her conversation with lady susan hussey, during a reception hosted by the queen consort was a "violation". lady susan had served as a lady in waiting for queen elizabeth, for more than 60 years, and has now stepped aside with immediate effect. nicholas witchell reports,

and a warning there is some flash photography coming up. buckingham palace yesterday afternoon, a reception concerning violence against women hosted by the queen consort. standing next to camilla here and with her back to the camera is ngozi fulani, chief executive of sister space and a prominent advocate for survivors of domestic abuse. also at the reception was lady susan hussey, on the left here. she was a lady in waiting to the late queen elizabeth for more than 60 years, and a senior member of the royal household. according to ms fulani, the following conversation took place between the two women.

another guest at the reception heard the exchange. it made us feel like, perhaps we are not welcome, perhaps we do not belong here. and you can be pretty sure that a white woman would not have been on the receiving end of a line of questioning like that. buckingham palace said it took the whole incident extremely seriously. it went on, "in this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made. the individual concerned would like to express our profound apologies for the hurt caused, and has stepped aside from her honorary role

with immediate effect." lady susan hussey has worked at buckingham palace for much of her adult life. she is godmother to prince william. she has said nothing further about the incident. ngozi fulani, seen here talking to the queen consort yesterday has accused buckingham palace of being institutionally racist. it all amounts to an uncomfortable reminder at the start of the us visit about the comments on racist on racist attitudes. well as we've just seen, the prince and princess of wales have arrived in boston for the start of their first visit to the usa for eight years. our royal correspondent daniella relph has the latest from outside thejfk

presidential library museum. it has not been an ideal start to the prince and princess of wales�* trip here to boston. it has been embarrassing and distracting. this was supposed to be a trip about environmental innovation, about optimism for the future and meeting a wide range of communities here in boston but instead, the couple's spokesman has had to issue that statement condemning racism describing yesterday's comments as "unacceptable". but, in issuing that statement very early, right at the start of the trip, william and catherine have made theirfeelings and their position on this matter explicitly clear. they will now try to concentrate on the trip itself, which now includes a brief meeting with president biden on friday. they are going to try to concentrate on the things they say that matter to them here. diversity, representation, sustainability — they are the big themes of this week and we can expect to see them on show in the kind

of engagements the couple undertake here in boston over the coming days. 60 years ago presidentjohn f. kennedy's moonshot speech laid down a challenge to american innovation and ingenuity. we choose to go to the moon, he said. not cause it is easy, but because it is hard. it was that moonshot speech that inspired me to launch the earth shot prize with the aim of doing the same for climate change as president kennedy did for the space race. to china now, where the former chinese leader, jiang zemin has died in shanghai. he was 96. he took over from deng

xiaoping in the aftermath of the tiananmen square massacre in 1989. for more than a decade he presided over china's extraordinary rise in prosperity and global influence, though it was also a period of increased religious repression, corruption and environmental degradation. steve mcdonell reports from beijing. jiang zemin will be remembered as the leader of china when his country rejoined the global community. a time of opening up and high—speed growth. he is also known as a powerbroker, economic reformer and something of an eccentric. after the bloody 1989 crackdown on protesters in and around tiananmen square, china was ostracised internationally. in the aftermath, jiang zemin was chosen as a compromise leader in the hope that he would unify hardliners and more liberal elements. he prioritised market forces, giving china the highest level of per capita growth

of any major country. but political reforms were put to one side. and he's been criticised for the mass detention of falun gong practitioners who were seen as a threat to the party. he was at the helm for the hong kong handover, when china joined the world trade organisation, and when it was awarded the 2008 summer olympics. whether it be playing ping—pong... singing... 0r showing off his hawaiian guitar skills... ..jiang zemin was a showman, in sharp contrast to the leaders who have followed him. exciting! too simple. sometimes naive! he famously gave hong kong journalists a public dressing down in english, and his images have become gifs and emojis, still flying around chinese social media with a mixture of affection and hilarity. at a press conference

with former us president bill clinton, there was debating and light—hearted banter. it's hard to imagine this happening now. cbs news asked if he was running a developmental dictatorship. am i wrong? of course. this is a big mistake. big mistake. of course. in his elderly years, there was still talk of him retaining a factional power base, as he survived rumour after rumour that he had passed away. yet his final public appearance in 2019 showed that evenjiang zemin had to slow down some time. the former chinese leader who has died each 96. democratic party members in the us house of representatives have elected hakeem jeffries as their new leader. he will take over from nancy pelosi injanuary. mrjefferies will be the first

black american to hold such a high—ranking position in congress. what an incredible lesson to be able to continue to rely on the life experiences, the wisdom, the leadership instincts, the skills comedy talent and ability of speaker pelosi, letter lawyer and jim kleiman. it is a blessing we stand on their shoulders and continue to get things done. —— the skills, talent. thousands of ambulance workers have voted to go on strike

together in a show of strength, some of the biggest unions involved in industrial action, representing rail workers, 25,000 ambulance workers who are members of the gmb and unison have voted to strike across england and wales in all of these ten areas. have increased by only 7%. those figures are just unsustainable, and the pressure on ambulance workers and health workers has been building and building and building. the royal college of nursing is also walking out over two days in december.

action of the 1970s, the so—called winter of discontent, so how does that compare? well, betweenjune and september this year, 741,000 days were lost to strike action. lost compared to the 1970s, well, this year's spike over here is tiny in comparison. 29 million days were lost in strikes.

at only eight out of 250 nhs trusts looming this winter, and there will be more union votes over industrial action in the new year. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: mass which have sprung up around the factory. i'm feeling so helpless that the children are dying in front of me

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, this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: buckingham palace issues a formal apology — as a senior member of the royal household is accused of making racist remarks, to a black british, reception guest. the former chinese leader, jiang zemin, who stepped in after the tiananmen square massacre,

has died. it comes at a time when the nation is once again gripped by protests. christine mcvie, the hugely successful singer and songwriter who was part of the rock band fleetwood mac, has died at the age of 79. the band sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful groups ever. christine mcvie was born in cumbria but spent most of her life in the us, as our correspondent david sillito reports. christine mcvie was born in cumbria but spent most of her life in the us, as our correspondent david sillito reports. fleetwood mac and don't stop. the song bill clinton chose as his campaign anthem. #just think what tomorrow will do # don't stop thinking about tomorrow # don't stop because it will soon be here # it'll be here

better than before # yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone #. and the songwriter, christine mcvie. she'd been part of the british blues scene in the �*60s with the band chicken shack and also as a solo artist before joining mick fleetwood and her husband, john mcvie. she had a gift for writing hits. # tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies #. little lies, everywhere, you make loving fun, many of the band's best known songs were her work but she tired of the endless touring. # you can go your own way # go your own way # you can call it...#. there was a long break but she rejoined the band in 2014. # and i love you, i love you, i love you # like never before #. fleetwood mac has had many ups and downs but their success owed much to

the songwriting skill of christine mcvie. in a statement the band said, we were so lucky to have a life with her. fleetwood mac's christine mcvie who's died at the age of 79. let's go to new york now where we can speak to music journalistjim farber. jim, great happy with us. just a kind of take a look at this extraordinary life to music. what is about christine mcvie that very much stood out for you? that very much stood out for ou? . , ., that very much stood out for ou? ., ,., ., , , you? there are so many things. first of all. _ you? there are so many things. first of all, she _ you? there are so many things. first of all, she was _ you? there are so many things. first of all, she was a _ you? there are so many things. first of all, she was a triple - first of all, she was a triple threat, a master songwriter, a distinct singer with a timbre and tone like no—one else and

she is a great musician, great keyboardist, she brought a sound of the group, she changed the group from what had originally been a blues group to a much broader based pop and folk crop kind of group when they started breaking in american the 1970s. and it's important to note that at the band was mcpeek in the 1970s, the most famous part, when they were generating hit after hit, and there were three songwriters in the group, also stevie nicks and lindsey buckingham at that time and she was generating more hits than any of them. if you look at the greatest hits package with 16 songs, eight of the eight of the songs are written or co—written by christine. i or co—written by christine. i saw as well she wrote songbird which is one of my favourites. in 13 minutes, which boggles the mind, that it is now part of music history. but also that they had such a tumultuous time in the band. they say they were higherfor a lot of in the band. they say they were higher for a lot of the making of it yet it turns out one of

these albums that i think many people would agree is one of the best albums ever written. definitely. i mean, this was an album that famously came out of incredible turmoil, all the relationships in the group were breaking down, and yet they usedit breaking down, and yet they used it for fuel. breaking down, and yet they used it forfuel. mick fleetwood has talked about it that he was almost a coach is saying, yes, we had these horrible things happen but let's use it, let's use it as our inspiration to write songs at a level because as you know, very often when you are in pain, it can bring out wonderful things in creative people, it can bring them to a new level of their talent. find new level of their talent. and what about — new level of their talent. and what about her, _ new level of their talent. and what about her, if— new level of their talent. and what about her, if we - new level of their talent. and what about her, if we can think about christine as well, away from fleetwood mac, what sort of person was she? i know she was working up until in the past few years as well, continuing the pushing musically tells a bit more

about her life.— musically tells a bit more about her life. she was a very modest person, _ about her life. she was a very modest person, i— about her life. she was a very modest person, i met - about her life. she was a very modest person, i met her - about her life. she was a very modest person, i met her a l about her life. she was a very l modest person, i met her a few times, but other people who knew her quite better, run talks about the fact that she was not particularly in pressed by fame but also not annoying about it. somehow sometimes people when they run from fame, they get really snotty but she never seemed like that, she was very down—to—earth. she someone you could say never really sought the spotlight per se but the spotlight came and found her, there was no way she was not going to be in the spotlight, given her talent. shejust spotlight, given her talent. she just wanted to make spotlight, given her talent. shejust wanted to make music, she didn't necessarily want to be famous. she didn't necessarily want to be famous— she didn't necessarily want to be famoue— she didn't necessarily want to be famous. and it was a short illness that _ be famous. and it was a short illness that she _ be famous. and it was a short illness that she suffered? - be famous. and it was a short illness that she suffered? i i illness that she suffered? i don't know anything more. there was an interview she gave in the last year that to rolling stone where she talked about some terrible pain in her back. it has been reported yet specifically what led to her death. , . ~ specifically what led to her death. , ., ~ , ., specifically what led to her death. , ., ~ i. specifically what led to her

death. . ~' . death. jim, thank you so much. your article _ death. jim, thank you so much. your article was _ death. jim, thank you so much. your article was great, - death. jim, thank you so much. your article was great, i - death. jim, thank you so much. your article was great, i will. your article was great, i will retweeted as i mentioned, all about christine, the hit maker for fleetwood has died at 79. in the world cup — argentina and poland will progress to the last 16 from their group. australia are also through to the knock—out stage for the first time in sixteen years, alongside the current champions, france. lucy hockings is in doha. what a spectacle we've had here in doha. as we watched all the twists and turns as group d reorganised itself over the course ofjust over 90 minutes. because we knew that france were always going to go through to the final 16. they essentially fielded a reserve team to give them some match time. and also giving some of their star players a rest. so in that match it was tunisia who triumphed, 1—0.

it was a nice consolation for tunisia. lots of praise for the australian team, as well. the socceroos. they really dug in deep. they showed grit and determination in their match to beat denmark. who were the favourites in their match. 1-0. it was a stunning goal from matthew leckie. in the 60th minute. incredible scenes in the early hours in melbourne. as fans celebrated the result in federation square in the centre of the city. so the socceroos are through to the knockout stages. and that's something the only achieved once before. that was back in 2006. let's look ahead to thursday. we have some great matchups happening. with croatia versus belgium. and canada and morocco in group f. and the late games are group e games. japan versus spain and costa rica go up against germany. but the world's attention will also be focused on the all—female refereeing trio. there is history being made at this world cup because they'll take charge for the first time in a men's world cup match.

it's referee stephanie frappart who will be joined by assistants, neuza back and karen diaz. something to look forward to. something to celebrate as well as some fantastic football too. there are arguably few things more quintessentially french than the baguette. and yet, the loaf has been in decline in recent years, with many traditional bakeries struggling to stay afloat. but now there's something to celebrate, as unesco has added the baguette to it "intangible cultural heritage" list. tom brada reports. the humble french baguette, a towering icon among continental baked goods, is currently the toast of the town. the crusty loaf was voted onto a prestigious unesco's list under the title artisanal know how and culture of baguette bread. and to this day, it remains a key part of french identity. translation: you buy bread,

you talk to someone, you meet people. all of this creates a social link at a time when the world is increasingly virtual without contact. baguettes take their place on the intangible cultural heritage list alongside other important traditions like truffle hunting in italy and handmade christmas tree decorations in the czech republic. the exact origins of the lengthy loaf aren't known. some say the bread was ordered by napoleon because it would be easier for soldiers to carry. that can't be proven. but the baguette, as we know it today, was only officially named in 1920. it was then that strict rules about what classed as a baguette were put in place, standardised at 80 centimetres long and 250 grams translation: shaping, the touch of the dough by the baker. all that is a skill that you've been learning for years.

the bread sings when it comes out of the oven. the baguette has struggled in recent times with hundreds of artisanal bakeries closing down each year. but unesco's decision has struck a chord with french society. president macron captured the mood of the nation, posting this picture along with a simple message — "250 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives." tom brada, bbc news. let us turn to trees now, the president and the first lady braved the cold determine the lights of the 100 nuttall national christmas tree in the white house in the united states for the first time in two years. that's quite the display. and seeing the white fur that is decorated as you can see, with thousands of light, and entertainment including music performances by

shania twain and others. in the ceremony dates back to christmas eve in 1923 when president calvin coolidge lit up president calvin coolidge lit up a christmas tree. hello again. wednesday brought us some big weather contrast, once again. now we have some fog that lingered all day around the scottish borders and where that happened, temperatures in places actually stayed below freezing all day, whereas across the south west of england we had some pleasant sunshine. it was quite mild. 12 degrees in cornwall, 13 in the isles of scilly. right now, fog is becoming our next concern. we've got quite dense patches of fog across southern areas of england with the risk of some fog developing across wales, midlands, east anglia and for a time as well, northeast england. so, it might be worth allowing a little bit of extra time for your commute to work

during the first part of thursday, because i think some of that fog is going to be quite dense with visibility down to 100 metres or so. and some of the fog willjust lift into low cloud and mist and could loiter all day in one or two spots. otherwise, a lot of dry weather across england and wales with some sunny spells developing, some damp weather to start the day across eastern scotland. but the rain then tends to move into northern scotland later in the day. and for northern ireland it brightens up notice again. the mildest weather will be across the north—west of the country, 12 degrees in stornoway, whereas across england, wales typically temperatures around about 7 to 9 degrees. we've got a similar mix of weather around on friday again with some mist and fog patches to start the day. and then again it's a day where we'll see quite a bit of cloud, but some sunny spells developing here and there. our temperatures not really changing too much across england and wales. again, about 7 to 9, still mild for northern ireland and western scotland.

now taking a check on the weather picture into this weekend. easterly winds are going to start to strengthen and what that will do is bring us some thicker areas of cloud and we'll see some patches of mostly light rain moving in. so you could see some damp weather just about anywhere, but it's the winds that you'll notice and it will start to feel a little bit colder as well. however, into next week, that's when we're expecting the weather to turn much colder. still, you see an area of high pressure is going to develop in greenland. and what that's going to do is it's going to shove these northerly winds southwards with polar air moving its way across the uk, really dumping the temperatures. and for some, particularly over the hills, you may all be looking at the first sign of winter. yes, there is the potential for some winter snowfall into next week. still some way off will be firming upon the details over the next few days.

this is bbc news, the headline. one of after she repeatedly asked a domestic abuse campaign where she really came from. ngozi fulani, who is black, said her conversation with lady susan hussey during a reception left her feeling violated. former chinese leaderjiang zemin has died at the age of 96. he took power after the tiananmen square massacre in 1989. has death has coincided with nationwide protests in china demanding an end to the government's strict covid measures. the democratic

politician hakeem jeffries has been elected to succeed