welcome to bbc news — i'm monika plaha. our top stories: german police carry out their largest ever anti—terrorism operation. against an alleged right—wing plot to overthrow the government. these people were well connected and are trying these people were well to recruit other security services, army, police personnel in order to stage a violent coup. peru's left—wing president pedro castillo is held by police after trying and failing to suspend the country's congress. harry and meghans tell—all documentary goes to air in a few hours. we look at what secrets it might spill about the british royal family.

it will be on the side of harry and meghan and think well, or you will think that the royal family came out of it better. and a sculptor whose art honours the windrush generation of people who came to uk from the caribbean has won the prestigious turner prize. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. an aristocrat, an ex—paratrooper and a former politician are among 25 people who have been arrested in germany on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. police say the group were preparing an armed attack on the reichstag building. more details from our berlin correspondent, jenny hill. before first light, a plot uncovered. officers interrupting

what investigators believe was a terror cell preparing to overthrow the german government. its members, they say, were prepared to kill to achieve their aim. translation: according to our findings, the association has - set itself the goal of eliminating the existing state order in germany. the free, democratic, basic order using force and military means. this german aristocrat is believed to be one of the ringleaders. it is thought heinrich viii, prince reuss, planned to install himself as head of a new german government, and had even chosen a cabinet of ministers. the plot was reportedly hatched here at his hunting lodge. it sounds extraordinary — fantastical. but prosecutors say the group were serious, and extremely dangerous. they had set up a military arm, attempting to recruit from the german police force and army. most of those arrested today are believed to be part

of the so—called reichsburger movement. the citizens of the reich is a loose grouping of conspiracy theorists who refuse to recognise the modern german state and reject the authority of its government. the authorities here believe there are 21,000 of them scattered across the country, and estimate that 10% are potentially violent. the reichsburger have protested alongside covid—deniers, anti—vaxxers and followers of qanon. they were there two years ago when a mob tried to storm the german parliament. politicians here were already worried. conspiracy theories — including those espoused by the reichsburger — have proliferated here in recent years, particularly during the pandemic. that has already led to violence. today, driving home once againjust how potentially dangerous such disinformation can be. people here used to dismiss, deride the reichsburger. germany is learning they are far from harmless. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin.

the bbc�*s damien mcguinness in berlin gave us more details. the idea of a 71—year—old minor aristocrat trying to overthrow the modern german state and become its new monarch might seem outlandish but in fact, that has sparked the largest anti—terror operation and modern germany has ever seen. that is because the people behind this plot are seen as a real threat and capable of committing serious violence. 25 people have been arrested including the former mp and the federal parliament was serving as a judge until her arrest and a number of serving and former army personnel and that is the real worry. that these people were well connected or trying to recruit other security services army police personnel in order this is all part of what is known as the reichsbuerger to stage of violent coup.

this is all part of what is known as the reichsbuerger movement. these guys are known as citizens of the right and they have been around for decades since the 80s. but until recently, there have been viewed as relatively harmless, rather eccentric, they did not believe in the modern german state and they wanted to go back to a pre—world war i germany. and until recently, they have just been seen as people who refuse to pay taxes. but we have seen over the past few years as they coalesce together with other conspiracy theorists, such as anti—vaxxers or covid deniers and these people are coming together in saying they do not believe that the modern german state is legitimate and in this latest plot, they are prepared to stage violence in order to overthrow modern germany. let's get some of the day's other news. hundreds of thousands of people flying in or out of the uk's airports over christmas are likely to face long delays. this is after border force announced they're going on strike for eight days at the end of december. around a thousand staff

will walk out in the dispute over pay, pensions and jobs. the mayor of kyiv has warned that ukraine's capital could face what he called an "apocalyptic" scenario, if russian air strikes continue. the city is already facing severe power cuts because of the attacks on energy infrastructure, but vitali klitschko said it could reach the point where no heating at all was available. ajudge in california has sentenced the former president of a failed medical technology firm to nearly 13 years in prison. ramesh balwani was convicted injuly of defrauding investors and patients by claiming the company theranos had developed a kit to diagnose multiple health conditions from just a few drops of blood. the northern ireland assembly was recalled on wednesday — the fifth time since elections in may.

but they failed again to agree to a power sharing arrangement. northern ireland has now been without a fully functioning devolved government since february. the democratic unionist party decided to boycott the power sharing framework. that's because of objections to the trading arrangements signed by boris johnson's government. peru has been plunged into a new political crisis. the president, pedro castillo, was detained by security forces after congress voted to impeach him. earlier the left—wing president declared a state of emergency in an attempt to try to avoid getting impeached. he made a televised address to the nation in which he announced that he was dissolving congress and would rule by decree. translation: i am temporarily dissolving congress _ and establishing an emergency government. i will call for new elections as soon as possible for a new congress with

constitutional powers to draft a new constitution within a period of no more than nine months. meanwhile, president castillo's former vice president dina boluarte has been sworn in as the country's new president. she is the first woman to lead peru. addressing congress, she called for a political truce to form a government of national unity and that she would govern untiljuly 2026. which is when mr castillo's presidency would have come to an end. well, has the political disturbance in peru settled or will there be more unrest? here's localjournalist simeon tegel who has been following the story on the ground. what a dramatic day. but things have calmed down quite a bit the constitutional order has been re—established after pedro castillo attempted to break it with this completely

unconstitutional attempt to dissolve congress, which he had no constitutional authority but also no political support. he is now in custody and has been arrested. i think he is going to be facing a very long list of charges. even before today, he was facing the possibility of being impeached for corruption. he is alleged to have taken bribes and sold jobs in the public bureaucracy. and we now have a constitutional president once again, dina boluarte, the vice president, who has been sworn in by congress. peru has been going through some severe political turbulence, really going back to 2016 but climaxed in 2020 and again now. there's a real problem, a structural problem with peruvian politics which is that the system that we have here and the parties are not representing ordinary peruvians and their needs. peru has the highest covid—i9 mortality rate in the world, for example. the politicians are not addressing that, they are not fixing the health care

system and peru's vaccination rate has declined. peruvians are suffering from food insecurity, but we have this constant political bickering between congress and the president and most critics or commentators, independent commentators consider both congress and pedro castillo as being quite corrupt and really not addressing the basic needs that many peruvians have. indonesia has released on parole one of the people responsible for the bali bombing twenty years ago. umar patek had been released early from prison for good behaviour, having served around half of his original 20—year sentence. he was granted early release in august prompting strong criticism of the indonesian authorities from the families of the victims. phil mercer has more from australia where 88 of the victims came from.

it was the largest loss of australian life due to an act of terror and we have been hearing from various government ministers today. the energy minister chris bowen said that australians would have every right to be disappointed and concerned at the early release of umar patek. mr bowen did stress however that australians had to understand and respect differences in the indonesian justice system. survivors of the bali bombing have been giving their reaction too. one man saying it was fanciful to think that this man, umar patek, who was a leading figure in thejemaah islamiyah militant organisation linked to al qaeda had been reformed in prison. so the consequences, the trauma and the grief of these attacks more than 20 years ago still linger here in australia and the release of this man will be felt very keenly by many people whose lives were affected by it. he is being released early on parole because of good

behaviour. indonesian prison authorities say that umar patek, who is in his mid—50s, has participated in various anti—radicalisation activities and they are hoping that he will help to steer other younger people away from a life of extremism. as far as the indonesians are concerned he has been given remission for good behaviour and also the system of giving prisoners time off from the sentence is to do with independence day, another public event. so indonesia believes that this man has been reformed and is ready for the outside world. but australia was lobbying hard to have the man kept behind bars, given that he has been released after just serving around half of his original 20 year sentence. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll reveal how frozen dna found in greenland shows the ice—covered nation was once

home to thick forests. cheering and singing. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict, conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world, in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for

his political life, the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteeing bill clinton his place in history, as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: a german aristocrat is among 25 people arrested over an alleged plot to storm the reichstag parliament and overthrow the government. peru's president pedro castillo has been arrested after trying — and failing — to suspend the country's congress. the first three episodes of a new netflix documentary about harry and meghan will be released later. the royal couple say it will give them a chance to tell their story. in the trailer, they've already raised allegations about the leaking and planting of stories to the press. a warning this report

from our royal correspondent sarah campbell has flash photography. arriving at this glitzy awards ceremony in new york... "do you have a message for yourfamily?" harry was asked. not last night. on stage, the chat was light—hearted. i actually thought we were going on date night so i found it quite weird that we're sharing the room with 1500 people! we don't get out much because our kids are so small and young... with them, kerry kennedy, who presented them with a human rights award named after her father, robert f kennedy. you know, we're so proud of their work on racialjustice and on mental health parity and awareness, and the multitude of things that they have done. what they have done, since meeting six years ago, is now the subject of a netflix series. i realised they're never going to protect you. it is hotly anticipated, and most people will have an opinion. i didn't want history to repeat itself.

the series will be pored over, dissected and commented on, just as these trailers have been, with the context in which some of these images have been used open to question. from a pr perspective, there are risks. as much as someone might want to go and tell their story and their truth, someone else might have a different recollection and a different perspective on what happened. and people will then start questioning your truth, picking holes in it, and if there is evidence to the contrary, suddenly the narrative can switch. there is a hierarchy of the family. this producer likens the series to the reality tv she has won numerous awards for. a bit like big brother, it's sort of, who wins? you decide. you will watch that series and think, "the royal family need looking after, "they've come out of it better." or you will be on the side of harry and meghan and think, "wow, they had to put up with a lot "and i'm on their side." but this isn't reality tv — it's real life.

today, the king celebrated best business practice in westminster. tomorrow, he knows his family may well be a global story once again. at what point, if at all, do they decide to answer back? sarah campbell, bbc news. carolyn harris is a historian, author and royal commentator. she joins us now from toronto. thank you so much for speaking to us. first of all, one has been the general reaction to this netflix documentary? some have come underfire this netflix documentary? some have come under fire for being misleading?— misleading? there has been a variety of _ misleading? there has been a variety of different _ misleading? there has been a j variety of different responses. there are those who argue that harry and meghan have every right to share their side of the story and we have seen other instances of harry and meghan speaking about their personal experiences, most notably the oprah interview last year but we have seen

scrutiny of the preview for this documentary series, noting that some of the images displayed there are not events where harry and meghan were present. some are royal history, some are of other prominent people. the trailer is designed to bring in audiences so we will see what the documentary itself has to say about harry and meghan�*s experiences. h0 say about harry and meghan's experiences.— say about harry and meghan's experiences. no doubt a lot of --eole experiences. no doubt a lot of peeple will _ experiences. no doubt a lot of peeple will be _ experiences. no doubt a lot of people will be tuning - experiences. no doubt a lot of people will be tuning in. - experiences. no doubt a lot of people will be tuning in. what| people will be tuning in. what impact do you think this documentary will have on the british royal family? i documentary will have on the british royal family?- british royal family? i think it depends _ british royal family? i think it depends on _ british royal family? i think it depends on the _ british royal family? i think it depends on the approach | british royal family? i think- it depends on the approach that harry and meghan take anything documentary. if the focus is on critiquing the royal household and how it operates and how various people employed by the royal family interact with the press, that may start a wider discussion regarding whether there should be more diversity

and he was hired by the palace and he was hired by the palace and what is the relationship with the press. that could lead to a wider discussion. but if harry and meghan focus on critiquing members of the royal family, we have seen there has been a big wave of sympathy for king charles iii in the context of losing his mother, queen elizabeth ii, succeeding into the throne into those difficult circumstances. they were critics and how the future charles iii was betrayed in the crown on netflix and if this continues to focus on family rather than institutional monarchy, there will be or they may be sympathy for the king. why do you think harry and meghan have decided to release the netflix documentary now? well, i think they have had a long—standing relationship with

netflix. and they are currently in the public eye as in they were recently in the united kingdom for the platinum jubilee earlier this year. queen elizabeth ii's funeral as well. so there has been a lot of risk coverage of harry and meghan both in the united kingdom and the wider commonwealth in recent months and they seem to be determined to be part of that conversation themselves rather than simply being written about by the press. being written about by the ress. ., ~' being written about by the ress. ., ~ ,, being written about by the ress. . ~ ,, ,., being written about by the ress. . ~ ,, . press. thank you ever so much for our press. thank you ever so much for your time — press. thank you ever so much for your time on _ press. thank you ever so much for your time on bbc _ press. thank you ever so much for your time on bbc news. . scientists have identified the most ancient dna yet, buried in ice age sediment in northern greenland. the dna is two million years old and it's twice the age of the previous record. the study also found that the area which today is covered in snow and ice, was once a rich forest. tom brada reports.

a bitterly cold and inhospitable climate, today large parts of north greenland are harsh polar desert but a new discovery suggests it has not always been so bleak. scientists have been able to turn back the clock to million years to be precise and have found evidence of thriving life. 2 found evidence of thriving life. ., , ., , found evidence of thriving life. ., , ., ., life. 2 million years ago we had this — life. 2 million years ago we had this forest _ life. 2 million years ago we had this forest with - life. 2 million years ago we - had this forest with mastodons and ranges and has running around and the landscape, together with a lot of plant species. together with a lot of plant secies. , ., . together with a lot of plant secies. , . . ., , species. the research was carried out _ species. the research was carried out in _ species. the research was carried out in the - species. the research was| carried out in the northern most part of greenland in an area cold the kap koebenhavn formation. often scientists rely on animal fossils to rely for a glimpse into the past but here instead they turn to environmental dna. this is genetic material shed from plants and animals like skin cells or droppings which build up cells or droppings which build

up in the surroundings. we are breakin: up in the surroundings. we are breaking the — up in the surroundings. we are breaking the barrier _ up in the surroundings. we are breaking the barrier of - up in the surroundings. we are breaking the barrier of what i up in the surroundings. we are | breaking the barrier of what we thought we could reach in terms of genetic studies. so, it wasn't long thought that 1 million years was this boundary, the barrier of dna survival but now we are twice as old. ., , survival but now we are twice as old. . , ., y as old. the agents are offered u . as old. the agents are offered u- some as old. the agents are offered up some unexpected - as old. the agents are offered up some unexpected results. | as old. the agents are offered| up some unexpected results. 2 million years ago, for example, north greenland was much warmer thanit north greenland was much warmer than it is now. in fact, the average temperatures annually 11- 19 average temperatures annually 11— 19 degrees hotter and the mastodons presence of dna was of a particular surprise since no—one had found the elephant like creatures before. the ancient world could offer clues about how to adjust to contemporary dangers of climate change. tom brada, bbc news. the sculptor veronica ryan, who made the uk's first permanent public artwork to honour the windrush generation, has been awarded

this year's turner prize. thejudges praised her �*poetic and evocative' work. the windrush generation arrived in the uk from caribbean countries after the second world war, to help rebuild britain. our culture editor katy razzall was at the awards ceremony. the winner... ..veronica ryan. cheering and applause. veronica ryan is the oldest ever turner winner. power! visibility! the prize for innovation in british contemporary art, awarded to a sculptor born in 1956 in montserrat in the caribbean who moved to the uk as a toddler. it is tremendous as an older artist to win a turner prize and to be visible and to send a message to younger artists. you have to make your work because it is important to you. her sculptures often make reference

to her caribbean childhood — mysterious works focused on seeds, fruit pits, pods, sometimes held in thread pouches crocheted by the artist. thejudges praised her for poetic works, transforming items that are often lost or thrown away. has it been a struggle to get to 66 before the proper recognition started to come? yeah, i mean, it has been an incredible struggle. there were 20 years almost where no one was paying attention to my work. but i think because i grew up in a family where you recycled and you made use of things around you, i have always been, i think — you just use what you have. before this prize, ryan was best known for the first permanent work in the uk honouring the windrush generation — her sculptures of caribbean fruit unveiled in east london last year. she beat three other artists

to this year's prize. heather phillipson explored our relationship with nature in an eerie, apocalyptic world. nonbinary artist sin wai kin looked at issues of identity through a boy band in which the artist played all four members. and ingrid pollard examined racism in the uk, in part by looking at pubs named the black boy. artists are undervalued, i think, so this is a chance to get out there, to have a look at what artists are doing now, to bring it to public attention and to really try to engage the public in debate about their response to the work. liverpool played host to the turner prize tonight for the first time in 15 years, a celebration of contemporary art in a city at the of british cultural life. katie razzall, bbc news, liverpool. well done to the sculptor, veronica ryan. you're watching bbc news. you can reach me on twitter —

i'm @monikaplaha thank you very much forjoining me. hello. we're already seeing the snow piling up across some parts of northern scotland here, for example, aberdeenshire. so no wonder there are snow warnings out, notjust for northern scotland, but snow showers elsewhere. but with the widespread frost, of course, ice is a real concern, particularly where the showers have been, but not exclusively. and this cold air sitting upon us at the moment is here to stay. you can trace its origin right the way back up to the arctic, and it will, in fact, engulf many parts of northern europe. so although the chance of snow is low inland, it's certainly not without the realms of possibility, because most of the showers that fall — as we head through the rest of the week — could fall as snow, most likely in western and eastern areas, and particularly across northern and northern scotland, where that snow will continue to blow around

in the strong wind. as much as ten centimetres forecast here. but perhaps a few more of those showers drifting southwards during the day on thursday. a few more showers as well for wales, the southwest, northern ireland. and it will be a cold start this thursday morning. widely frosty, which means that where we have got some dampness around and particularly the showers, it is going to be icy. that's one of the main hazards this morning as well as some locally freezing fog around. but we've got that snow risk as well for the north continuing. perhaps a few more wintry flurries coming down across scotland to the north eastern areas through the day. as i've already mentioned, a few more showers for northern ireland, wales and the southwest, and sunshine in between. a lot of dry weather elsewhere, but it's cold — colder than it was yesterday and feeling colder still when you add on the strength of that wind. and that wind will continue to blow those showers further south, through this evening and overnight. so perhaps a few wintry flurries, notjust in the southwest but also pushing across the midlands, east anglia, towards the south and east — not amounting to a great deal, but potentially our first

wintry flurries, sleet and snow flurries of the season. and certainly another cold night on the cards this coming night as well as this morning. so scraping the ice off the cars, once again at real risk of ice again on friday. and wintry showers around, temperatures about 2—5 celsius, perhaps not quite as cold as those during the day ahead, but it gets colder still over the weekend because we start to see patchy, freezing fog lingering. so in that case, temperatures won't get above freezing for much of the day and over the snowfields. now, if you do want to stay across what's happening regionally and temperature by day and night, the apps a great place to get that info — the warnings online.

this is bbc news, the headlines police in germany have arrested 25 people in connection with a suspected plot to try to overthrow the government. the group, made up of far—right and ex—military people, allegedly planned to storm the reichstag parliament building. prosecutors say their plans were already at an advanced stage. the left—wing president of peru, pedro castillo, has been detained by the security forces, and charged with rebellion. it comes after he tried to dissolve the parliament. his vice—president dina boluarte has been sworn into office. the us says it welcomes the appointment. australia says it is disappointed and concerned after indonesia released one of the bali bombers early from prison. indonesia says umar patek no longer poses a threat