this is bbc news. the headlines: the killer of london law graduate zara aleena is sentenced to life in jail, with a minimum term of 38 years. the judge sastordan mcsweeney has "no spine" after he refuses to go to court to hear his sentence. the decision of the defendant not to come up from the sale is to hear the devastating impact of this crime shows that the man who took her life has no spine whatsoever. four people have died and 43 others have been rescued, after a boat carrying migrants got into difficulties, in the channel. crossing the channel in unseaworthy vessels is a lethally dangerous endeavour. it is for this reason

above all that we are working so hard to destroy the business model of the people smugglers. evil organised criminals who treat human beings as cargo. organised criminals who treat human beings as came-— organised criminals who treat human beings as targe— beings as cargo. those gangs have created a multi-million _ beings as cargo. those gangs have created a multi-million pound - created a multi—million pound criminai— created a multi—million pound criminal industry with lives at stake — criminal industry with lives at stake and _ criminal industry with lives at stake and the action against those gangs _ stake and the action against those gangs has — stake and the action against those gangs has been two—week. inflation has eased slightly, but the cost of living still remains close to a ito—year high. industrial action escalates across the uk, as royal mail staff go on strike, joining rail workers already on picket lines. china has removed six diplomats including the consul generalfrom the uk, following an incident at its consular grounds in october. at the world cup, high hopes for the atlas lions, as morocco take on the french in the semi—finals.

the man who pleaded guilty to killing zara aleena has been sentenced. this sentencing is taking place at the old bailey and we can listen into zara aleena's ants. there are lessons to be learnt and changes to be made. zara's life was brutally crushed. zara's life was brutally crushed. zara was the light, the warmth, the bird song, the laughter in our

family. we live with the profound loss each day and each day we are destroyed a little more. we are deeply touched by the kindness we have felt from so many and this is testament to the power of zara's spirits. thank you. cani can i begin by expressing my deepest sympathies to zara's loved ones? by paying _ sympathies to zara's loved ones? by paying tribute to their strength and resolve _ paying tribute to their strength and resolve and by thanking her family for asking — resolve and by thanking her family for asking me to make this statement today~ _ for asking me to make this statement today they— for asking me to make this statement today. they have suffered a trauma no one _ today. they have suffered a trauma no one should ever be forced to endure — no one should ever be forced to endure. how many of us can say that

we too _ endure. how many of us can say that we too would — endure. how many of us can say that we too would have carried ourselves with the _ we too would have carried ourselves with the same grace and dignity in the face _ with the same grace and dignity in the face of— with the same grace and dignity in the face of such unbearable pain? today. _ the face of such unbearable pain? today. yet— the face of such unbearable pain? today, yet another violent man has been _ today, yet another violent man has been sentenced for the horrific murder— been sentenced for the horrific murder of— been sentenced for the horrific murder of yet another innocent woman — murder of yet another innocent woman. zara aleena's future was stolen _ woman. zara aleena's future was stolen by— woman. zara aleena's future was stolen by someone with no regard for her life _ stolen by someone with no regard for her life or— stolen by someone with no regard for her life or the laws of our lands. she spent— her life or the laws of our lands. she spent her days working to uphold — she spent her days working to uphold. we don't know what motivated this terrible _ uphold. we don't know what motivated this terrible and senseless act of violence. — this terrible and senseless act of violence, but we know the cost. our young, _ violence, but we know the cost. our young, bright women's hopes will never_ young, bright women's hopes will never be — young, bright women's hopes will never be realised. her family and friends's — never be realised. her family and friends's lives forever altered and more _ friends's lives forever altered and more and — friends's lives forever altered and more and more women feeling less safe as _ more and more women feeling less safe as they go about their daily

lives _ safe as they go about their daily lives. zara's loss is a tragedy in every— lives. zara's loss is a tragedy in every sense, for her family, friends and community who are left bereft, for our— and community who are left bereft, for our city— and community who are left bereft, for our city which is deprived of a talented — for our city which is deprived of a talented and dedicated public servants. i am acutely aware of the question— servants. i am acutely aware of the question being asked across our city i’ili'it question being asked across our city right now _ question being asked across our city right now. after bieber and nicole, after sarah, after sabina, after zara _ after sarah, after sabina, after zara and— after sarah, after sabina, after zara and after the many other women whose _ zara and after the many other women whose lives— zara and after the many other women whose lives have been brutally cut short _ whose lives have been brutally cut short at _ whose lives have been brutally cut short at the hands of men, when is this going — short at the hands of men, when is this going to end? there is an epidemic— this going to end? there is an epidemic of violence against women and girls— epidemic of violence against women and girls and in the uk are man kilts— and girls and in the uk are man kittsa— and girls and in the uk are man killsa woman and girls and in the uk are man kills a woman every three days. as

mayor, _ kills a woman every three days. as mayor, i_ kills a woman every three days. as mayor, iarn — kills a woman every three days. as mayor, i am determined to break this sickening _ mayor, i am determined to break this sickening cycle of violence, condemnation and in action. because women _ condemnation and in action. because women do _ condemnation and in action. because women do to be safe, they have the i’ili'it women do to be safe, they have the right to _ women do to be safe, they have the right to be _ women do to be safe, they have the right to be safe. we have made tackling — right to be safe. we have made tackling violence against women and -irls tackling violence against women and girls a _ tackling violence against women and girls a priority in london with initiatives _ girls a priority in london with initiatives and investment, but i know— initiatives and investment, but i know it — initiatives and investment, but i know it isn't enough. we wouldn't be here if— know it isn't enough. we wouldn't be here if it _ know it isn't enough. we wouldn't be here if it was. our city and our society— here if it was. our city and our society must change. i am determined to work— society must change. i am determined to work with _ society must change. i am determined to work with partners to do everything we can to lead the way. my promise to zara's loved ones, to women _ my promise to zara's loved ones, to women and — my promise to zara's loved ones, to women and to all londoners is that as mayor, — women and to all londoners is that as mayor, city hall stands with you. we will _ as mayor, city hall stands with you. we will not — as mayor, city hall stands with you. we will not rest until our city becomes— we will not rest until our city becomes a place where no woman or lii'l becomes a place where no woman or girl ever— becomes a place where no woman or girl ever fears for becomes a place where no woman or girl everfears fortheir becomes a place where no woman or girl ever fears for their safety in their— girl ever fears for their safety in their home or on our streets. thank

you _ their home or on our streets. thank you |_ their home or on our streets. thank ou. ., ., , their home or on our streets. thank ou. ., ,~ ., you. i want to be absolutely clear that zara's _ you. i want to be absolutely clear that zara's name _ you. i want to be absolutely clear that zara's name will— you. i want to be absolutely clear that zara's name will live - you. i want to be absolutely clear that zara's name will live on - you. i want to be absolutely clear that zara's name will live on in i that zara's name will live on in ilford south. every family across london, across britain that fears for their daughter, because this should not have happened and there will be questions that need to be asked aboutjordan mcsweeney and why he was still on the streets of ilford able to commit this heinous crime. i welcome wholeheartedly such a tough sentence for someone who has showed absolutely no remorse and didn't even have the guts to come to court and face the justice he got today. i will be working over months and weeks to come with the families of many groups that believe that any woman walking from a pub that i've drunk it many times myself along the streets of ilford should never have to fear for their life, let alone to be harassed or face to fear for their life, let alone to be harassed orface danger. i will

be harassed orface danger. i will be supporting the mayor of london in all of his endeavours to ensure that this is something that is changed and that our government begins to take this seriously. our capital should not have streets that are unsafe for anyone at any time of night or day. we will work tirelessly to ensure that the legacy of zara is that women in the future in london will be able to go about their business, enjoy their lives and achieve the things that they deserve to achieve, the bright heart and hopes that were in zara and her family for herfuture and hopes that were in zara and her family for her future snuffed out, stolen, taken away in such a relentless and remorseless way. that should never be something that any family has to face at any point in the future. we will demand their resources that are capital deserves, we will demand the resources that are groups and campaign groups

deserve because this is britain in the 21st—century. this is not acceptable and we will make it our cause and because of the party that this will be entered for good. well, we are hearing reaction to the sentencing ofjordan mcsweeney for the murder of zara aleena. thejudge said that he was a man with no spine whatsoever, who refused to come up from the cells and appear in the courtroom at the old bailey for the sentencing. it is a life term. he was expecting to have handed down and the judge said that he should receive 38 years as a minimum term. we werejust hearing

receive 38 years as a minimum term. we were just hearing there from sam atari, the mp for ilford south. within the last hour it fell to the judge to deliver her verdict at the old bailey. after taking into consideration all of the evidence. overall, my conclusion is that the defendant is entitled to less than the maximum discount on the murder count and i would allow one eighth, although given the length of the term i will impose the maximum discount alloy can be five years. considering all of these features, after a trial of the minimum term would have been 43 years. i allow five years as i have said for the plea of guilty indicated via council on the 16th of november, a few weeks before trial. a sentence of four years concurrent is imposed for sexual assault. the sentence for the brutal sexually motivated murder of

zara aleena is imprisonment for life. the defendant will serve 38 years as the minimum term. our correspondent helena wilkinson has the background to this case. this isjordan mcsweeney in the hours before he murdered zara aleena. he staggers across a busy road after being thrown out of a bar in east london. what follows is disturbing behaviour. this cctv footage captures him following the first of multiple women that night. he followed herfor 20 minutes. look at how close he gets to her. he follows her into a shop, then loiter is outside, waiting for her to emerge. the woman then makes a run for it down this side street. mcsweeney isn't far behind. soon after, he follows another woman who had a lucky escape. in the end, it was zara aleena who he became fixated on. the law graduate who had dreams of becoming a solicitor. zara aleena had been with friends here in ilford in east london. mcsweeney spotted her as she walked

home alone in the early hours. when zara aleena reached this road she was being followed by mcsweeney. he dragged her onto a driveway, forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. he kicked her and stamped on her repeatedly, leaving her struggling to breathe. after he murdered the 35—year—old, mcsweeney returned to this nearby fair ground where he had been working. jordan mcsweeney, you are under arrest for rape and murder of a female in cranbrook road. police found him asleep in a caravan at the fairground. we are going to search you now. officers recovered a bag that you can see mcsweeney carrying which contained bloodstained clothing and shoes which he had worn the night of the attack. he can only be described as a danger to women. he is somebody who we really cannot allow out on the streets.

that said, his level of previous offending didn't lead to us thinking that he was capable of this extreme violence. last month, at the old bailey, mcsweeney pleaded guilty to zara aleena's murder and guilty to sexually assaulting her. mcsweeney has 28 previous convictions. when he murdered zara aleena he was out on licence having been released from prison nine days earlier. he was going to be recalled. police had gone to an address to arrest him the day before the attack for breaching his licence conditions, but he wasn't there. the ministry ofjustice said a review is now under way. today, zara's family and friends will perhaps find some closure that the man who took them from her will be off the streets for a very long time. helena wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey.

four people have died and 43 others have been rescued, after a small boat carrying migrants got into difficulty in the channel. more than 30 of those rescued had to be pulled from the freezing water, off the kent coast, near dungeness. there are distressing images from the start in celestina olulode's report. a desperate struggle to safety in the early hours of this morning. in these bitterly cold waters, time is running out for these people to reach safety. the small boat ran into difficulties whilst crossing the english channel shortly after 3am this morning. a coordinated rescue effort between britain and france is still ongoing. home secretary suella braverman described the incident as a terrible tragedy. mr speaker, these are the days that we dread. crossing the channel in unseaworthy vessels is a lethally dangerous endeavour. it is for this reason above all that we are working

so hard to destroy the business model of the people smugglers. evil, organised criminals who treat human beings as cargo. 43 people were rescued after the boat started sinking off the coast of dungeness. refugee charities say tragedies like this are inevitable. we don't look at the reasons people come to the uk. the reasons they are fleeing their countries of origin in the first place and how we can get people here safely, i'm really sorry to say i don't think this will be the last tragedy that we see involving small boats at sea. at least 27 migrants died in november last year when a dinghy sank while heading to the uk from france. nearly 16,000 people have made the dangerous journey across the channel so far this year. today's incident is a reminder of

what can go wrong in these waters. our correspondent simonjones is in dover. we know the risks that people take and it shows how deadly this crossing can be.— and it shows how deadly this crossing can be. and it shows how deadly this crossin: can be. , ., , ., crossing can be. yes, and proof of that is, as — crossing can be. yes, and proof of that is, as well _ crossing can be. yes, and proof of that is, as well as _ crossing can be. yes, and proof of that is, as well as this _ crossing can be. yes, and proof of that is, as well as this book - crossing can be. yes, and proof of that is, as well as this book they l that is, as well as this book they got into difficulty, around six other boats have made the crossing today, making it halfway across the channel and they were picked up by the lifeboat and border force and brought here to dover. this evening, the light has now gone. it is bitterly cold. despite that, the search operation is continuing out there in the channel. i understand that will continue to around nine o'clock this evening. this is no longer a rescue operation, because the chances of finding anyone else

in life are pretty much zero. at this time of year the temperature at sea is around 10 degrees in the water, so anyone in that water would only be able to survive for 5—10 minutes, perhaps even less if they are panicking. so far we know that four bodies have been recovered, four bodies have been recovered, four people confirmed dead, but i understand the authorities think that potentially there could be three or four other bodies that need to be recovered from the sea. that hasn't been confirmed officially, but they are still carrying out the search operation. it will potentially resume tomorrow. picture shows the dangers. a short while ago, around lunchtime, i was here as the lifeboat brought in one of the bodyis the lifeboat brought in one of the body is arriving back at shower. we saw a body bag being taken of the lifeboat, really hitting home the dangers and the rest that people are taking out there in the world's

busiest shipping lane.- taking out there in the world's busiest shipping lane. simon, thank ou ve busiest shipping lane. simon, thank you very much- _ inflation, the rate at which prices rise, fell slightly in november, but the cost of living still remains close to a ao—year high. figures from the office for national statistics, show inflation eased to 10.7% last month, down from ii.i%. food prices however continue to rise at a much higher rate. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. at this edinburgh refuge for homeless pets, they are getting the food in for the winter. with pet food up by 14.5% and the country going through the worst drop in real incomes since the 1940s, more and more dog and cat owners are leaving their pets here because they can simply no longer afford to look after them. we know that this crisis is still to deepen. we know that things are going to get worse. in the last month alone, we've had 75 calls from people very distressed needing our help and saying, "i don't know if i can keep my dog or my cat with me." since the spring, they've taken in an extra 100 animals, up by 40% on last year.

it's getting worse. to keep the pets well, they have to keep them well fed and warm. this year, they are facing an estimated £330,000 of increased costs. people coming to us seven days a week with heartbreaking phone calls, situations people are being forced into, and we are having to meet that demand further and further out into the community. and all of those costs from veterinary drugs to cat litter, to even everything that keeps the lights on, all of that's gone up. the consumer prices index in the year to november rose by 10.7%. the second highest rate in 41 years. within that, goods prices, largely driven by global forces, were up 14% while services more closely connected to domestic wages rose by 6.3%. within that, food price inflation has continued to hit new highs, up by 16.5%. milk, cheese and eggs are up 27%. and oils and fats up 29%. despite government subsidies, electricity is up 65% on a year ago

and gas has more than doubled. but petrol prices have fallen sharply since the summer and other global inflationary pressures such as container shipping costs have plummeted as far more containers have come back on stream which may be one of the reasons inflation has fallen back from 11.1% last month. some economists think it may now be past its peak. i think the best guess is we have seen the peak. i think that was probably last month. we've seen prices sort of around, global commodity prices around the world, starting to fall. oil prices, things like that. and that is starting to feed through into the uk economy. and so, i think the likelihood is we have reached a peak, yes. the bank of england interest rate setters are meeting today to decide how big the next rate hike will be. slow inflation in the united states has taken the pressure off policymakers there to raise rates as fast as they might have done. in the city, the markets are now expecting uk rates to rise tomorrow by half a percentage point. andy verity, bbc news.

china has removed six diplomats from the uk, including the consul general, after the government asked beijing to suspend diplomatic immunity so they could be questioned by greater manchester police. it follows an incident involving a protester at its consular grounds in october. here's more from the foreign secretary, james cleverly. we all saw the disturbing footage outside the chinese consulate in manchester. in response to that, we initiated a process based on our adherence to the rule of law. greater manchester police initiated investigations. as part of that investigations. as part of that investigation requested that six chinese officials we have diplomatic immunity so they could be questions. we informed the chinese embassy of that and be set a deadline which expired today, making it clear that

we expected them to take action. in response to our request, the chinese government have now removed from the uk those officials, including the consul general himself. this demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents has had an effect, and we will continue on the world stage and domestically to abide by the rule of law and we expect others to do likewise. during this protest a group of men left the consulate gates and i started kicking down, tearing down trying to remove the posters and placards. a violent melee ensued. during that process, one of the protesters was dragged inside the

gates of the consulate and attacked. this was all filmed. there were police on the scene. police, some of them stepped inside the premises, dragged the protester back. he was hurt and things calmed down after that. what happened was greater manchester police investigated the incident and they said they wanted to question the six diplomats involved. the foreign office then requested the chinese to waive their diplomatic immunity. the chinese choose not to do that. they chose simply to remove the six men, including the consul general, the boss, to go back to china. we are lookin: boss, to go back to china. we are looking at — boss, to go back to china. we are looking at images _ boss, to go back to china. we are looking at images of— boss, to go back to china. we are looking at images of what - boss, to go back to china. we are i looking at images of what happened. as you indicated, very violent and pretty aggressive. to be clear, the police, having seen all this, would have wanted to prosecute, no question. have wanted to prosecute, no question-— have wanted to prosecute, no cuestion. ~ �* , , question. well, i can't pre-empt what the police _ question. well, i can't pre-empt what the police might _ question. well, i can't pre-empt what the police might have - question. well, i can't pre-empt what the police might have done question. well, i can't pre-empt - what the police might have done but they certainly wanted to

investigate. if you want to investigate, you need to question. you can question diplomats because they have diplomatic immunity. they can voluntarily give up immunity. the chinese choose not to do that. what was made clear to the chinese is if they did not put themselves up for questioning and if they did not kick them out themselves, then the british would formally declare them persona non grata and expel them formally. what the chinese have chosen to do here is take the route of least resistance which is to remove all six men straight out of the country so that they remove the need for further tit—for—tat. if the british have been forced to expel the sets that could have been consequences for british diplomats in beijing. consequences for british diplomats in bei'inu. , . , consequences for british diplomats in bei'inu. �* ., , ., ., morocco will become the first african football team, and the first arab nation, to play in a world cup semi—final today. they take on the reigning

champions, france, in qatar. at stake is a place in sunday's final against argentina, who beat croatia last night, 3—0. shaimaa khalil has more. moroccan fans had dreamt of this moment. and now it's actually happened. their site is now the first arab and african team to make it to the world cup semifinals. we are excited. we are making history, guys. yes, we are happy for our country and all the people in morocco, here and around the world. it is a win for morocco, it is a win for africa. we feel really confident, this team has _ accomplished something that has never been done or seen by any. african or arab country. it is a huge sporting moment for morocco but it goes beyond football. you can sense the collective feeling ofjoy and pride across the arab world and africa. i was speaking to a moroccan fan who said i will tell my children and grandchildren i was here when my team made history. the support has been phenomenal. it has felt very much like a home game for the atlas lions in loja, many have travelled

from around the region. morocco's coach understands the heft of this match, but remains confident. translation: you might think i'm crazy, but we want to get _ to the final of the world cup. we are notjust going through the motions, we are notjust satisfied with reaching the semifinal and being the first african team to do that. we want to go further than that and that is why my players are ready to give everything. the moroccan squad had beaten the odds and some of football's giants to get here, but now they face france, the world champions, here to defend their title. translation: i'm french by nationality but it - is take tribute to my father—in—law who is moroccan i couldn't come. it will be beautiful either way, france or morocco. but honestly, i prefer france. this is great news, we will be able to go much further in this world cup and it will be really great. i cannot wait to see the final. win or lose, morocco have proved themselves a

formidable force against the powerhouses of this game. it has been really cold once again today and we have frosty and potentially icy conditions overnight. we stay in cold air over the next few days or so. friday could see some significant snow in central and southern parts of scotland, whereas at the moment and through the rest of the night most of the snow is in the northern part of the snow is in the northern part of scotland. icy conditions in northern ireland and we could see further showers putting into north—eastern parts of england later. icy conditions here. the mist in low cloud in the cycle get pushed away. clear skies overnight. temperatures down to —7 quite widely. for many, it may well be dry tomorrow with winter sunshine, but

one or two wintry showers for northern parts of northern ireland. snow for north—east england. the wintry showers driving down towards norfolk. more snow showers in the north of scotland. it won't be as windy here as it has been, before all of us, another cold day.

tonight: four people die, after a small boat carrying migrants sinks in freezing water in the channel. over 30 were hauled to safety by members of a fishing boat in the sea between kent and france — the boat owner praised the crew. the skipper was absolutely fantastic and the crew. piled him in the shower, hot water on him, tried to warn him up. clothes on, you know, our crew's clothes on him, which is amazing, and fed him. iam in i am in dover, where the search for victims of the migrant tragedy continues tonight. and the other main stories on the programme this evening... inflation eases slightly in time for christmas, but overall prices are still going up at their fastest

pace in a0 years. the sexual assault and murder of law graduate zara aleena in london last year — a man is jailed for life, with a minimum term of 38 years. and the generosity of bbc news viewers — gifting free school meals to this primary school in bradford. and on bbc london: and coming up on the bbc news channel... will bbc news channel... be live here at the albot stadium for will be live here at the albot stadium for france against morocco with the winter facing argentina in the world cup final. good evening. four people have died after a small boat carrying migrants capsized while crossing the channel from france in freezing conditions. more than a0 people were rescued, in a joint air—and—sea operation by the british and french navies

and coastguards, who were searching in the area circled. over 30 people were pulled from the water by the crew of a fishing boat. some of the survivors were then airlifted to hospital near dover. today's incident comes a day after the prime minister, rishi sunak, announced new measures to stop illegal crossings from france. our home editor, mark easton, reports — and there are distressing images from the start. the mayday call came around 3am — dark and below freezing, an extraordinary rescue effort to save the lives of dozens of migrants in a sinking dinghy in the middle of the english channel. a fishing boat first on the scene, pulling people from the stricken inflatable. men, women and children screaming for help. rnli lifeboats, the royal navy, french navy and coastguard helicopterjoined the operation. with daybreak, the search for survivors intensified, rescue teams trying to spot anyone in the cold waters of the channel.

but within a few hours, it became clear the search was for bodies. and later, one of those who didn't make it was brought ashore at dover. lifeboat crews tried to resuscitate some survivors on the quayside. a helicopter took one adult victim to the william harvey hospital, in ashford, where he later died. another adult also received treatment and is thought to have since been discharged. 450,000 people... in the house of commons, the home secretary reflected the mood of shock at what had happened in uk waters, just off the kent coast. these are the days that we dread. crossing the channel in unseaworthy vessels is a lethally dangerous endeavour. it is for this reason, above all, that we are working so hard to destroy the business model of the people smugglers. evil, organised criminals, who treat human beings as cargo.

migrants from other dinghies have been brought ashore in dover during the course of the day. almost 16,000 have now crossed this year, despite the risks and the costs. those rescued today said they'd paid people traffickers £5,000 for a place on a flimsy dinghy and the promise of a better life in britain. the sea, flat, calm, when they set off from the french coast in the early hours, but with a two—metre swell in the middle of the channel. how do we stop people making these perilous journeys? there are opposing strategies. refugee agencies say the answer is to make it easier for asylum seekers to seek refuge in the uk, so they don't have to make the crossings in the first place. the government is intent on making it much more difficult, criminalising and swiftly deporting anyone who arrives by an irregular route. by adopting an approach which is all about punishment and control, it doesn't stop the crossings. we need an approach which is about compassion above control, and which recognises the reasons people have to flee. the owner of the fishing

vessel which first arrived on the scene spoke of his pride at the crew's actions. horrific incident but, you know, our guys there, we're proud that they did a cracking job, you know, rescuing 3i of those guys, yeah. it's just over a year since 27 people lost their lives in the channel, a tragedy that prompted both uk and french governments to say they were stepping up efforts to defeat the people smugglers. but since then, the criminal gangs have expanded their operations, while the desperation of those who would buy their services appears undiminished. in the past few years, the number of people arriving in the uk in small boats has increased rapidly. five years ago, it was fewer than 300. now, nearly 16,000 people have made the crossing this year alone. markjoins us now from dover. the government announced new measures to stop small

boats, would they have prevented today's tragedy? welcome at the prime minister said that this business of small boat crossings is among his top priorities in government and as you say, yesterday, an announcement that he's going to introduce new legislation that would make it unambiguous to anyone arriving a small boat would not be able to claim asylum. part of a raft of measures designed to convince people that they really would be no point in paying people smugglers because you are going to get sent straight back to where you came from or a third country like rwanda. but quite how those government plans fit with the uk's legal commitments under the un refugee convention and the european convention on human rights, thatis european convention on human rights, that is unclear. and it does look likely that the government is going to find itself continuing to have to argue its case in the courts. mark, thank you- — mark easton.

as we all know, the price of pretty much everything has been soaring over the course of this year, but there are signs that the rate by which prices are rising — known as inflation — might be slowing down. in the year to november, prices rose by 10.7%. that's down from 11.1% in the year to october. so it could be that inflation has peaked, but even with that slight drop, it does remain at an almost ao—year high. our economics editor, faisal islam, has been speaking to people about the soaring cost of living and how it's affecting them going into the festive season. the cost—of—living crisis hits charities as well as households and businesses. even if inflation has reached its peak, the full effect of the existing surge in energy prices is hitting home at this edinburgh centre for dogs and cats. we would before have had around £30,000 for our gas and electricity every year. it's gone up to £130,000 every year. this was astronomical.

a 576% increase on gas. it's not something as an organisation you expect, or should have to receive. and this is basic care for dogs and cats, and our staff as well. heating and lighting is not something that's a luxury product. and horrible choices for many of their customers. people, through no fault of their own, are being forced into positions which is absolutely terrible, and they are having to make horrible decisions between either feeding themselves or feeding their pet. we get... a really common one for us is single mum, two kids and a dog. the kids will eat, the dog will eat, the mum won't. after two years hit by the pandemic, full festive celebrations such as reading's winter wonderland are back on, and they matter for the economy. they also require a lot of energy. the fuel this last 12 months, the fuel has doubled straightaway, but that's slowly creeping down. gas prices have nearly tripled and that's not, there is no sign of that coming down at the moment.

the food, that is staying sky—high at the moment. that's still increasing, really. if the diesel price is come down, then i can't see a problem why other fuels like gas and even the food should start to come down. we should now have had the peak in inflation. it should continue to decline from here. butjust how quickly depends on events around the world and notjust in economics. but it may not feel like that in the real world, at a time of extraordinary energy bills and the cold snap biting. and on top of that, a big decision for the bank of england tomorrow. interest rates are set to rise again. all that comes at a time when food and drink prices went up in the year to november by 16.5% — the highest rate for 45 years. weekly shops, i know back at home as well, it used to cost £20 per person and now, for the two

of us, we're spending, like, £60 per week. it's bad. i think it is the main thing people are about at the moment, the prices. inflation is now on the way down, but it will remain sky—high for the coming months and feel that way for even longer. faisal islam, bbc news. with inflation remaining high, we're seeing a wave of strike action across many different sectors, as people seek more pay to keep up with rising prices, as well as better working conditions. among them are postal workers, who've begun a two—day walkout, with another two strike days planned for the 23rd and 24th december — some of the busiest days, of course, for pre—christmas deliveries. a second day of strikes by rail workers is causing severe disruption across the network. industrial action continues this weekend, with more days scheduled for christmas eve to december 27th, and also in early january. and tomorrow, for the first time in their 106—year history, nurses in england, wales and northern ireland will go on strike in many trusts and health boards.

and another day is scheduled for next week. there will still be emergency care, but routine services are already being affected. nurses in scotland won't be on strike, as fresh talks have prevented a walkout, for now. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. two nurses, both preparing to go on strike. they say they've had enough. it will be a very strange day. it will be a very sad day, from that point of view. it's not what i wanted to do when i came into nursing. nurses were clapped for over the last couple of years, out on the street, everybody was out there clapping, thinking how wonderful we all are, but claps don't pay our bills. good boy. sit down. for vicky, who's been a paediatric nurse for 11 years, it's the stress and workplace pressure which has brought nurses to this point. i have my colleagues in with me on a near—daily basis crying and overwhelmed and burnt out by the pressure and the stress that we're being faced with.

what do you say to some patients who will miss out on planned treatment and appointments and will be very disappointed? i would say that we're sorry that the patients are going through that but, unfortunately, that's already happening every day and patients are already being cancelled for their surgery because there's not enough staff to look after them. some have made the point there are other workers who haven't had the same pay rises as nurses. jonathan has a blunt response to them. throughout my career, i've been punched and kicked and scratched and bitten and throttled. so, yeah, come and have a day in our shoes and then see what they think about how many percent we're worth. david has had his operation tomorrow cancelled because of the strike. he has a heart condition and was due to have a pacemaker put in. he's happy with his care, but is against the nurses striking. it isn'tjust the date, - it's the whole of the years that have come together to a point

where you're actually- going to hopefully feel better. i have sympathy with their financial situation, but if you're _ in a profession where lives are at risk, i feel- it's wrong to strike. emergency care in hospitals will continue. there have been warnings, though, that some cancer care may be affected. but at this hospital, they're doing as much as they can. so, we're pretty confident that we will be able to run a normalfull service for both our chemotherapy and radiotherapy tomorrow. we hope to run operating lists for what you call time—sensitive cancer surgery, but we are still just working through with our local rcn strike committee exactly what that will look like. we have to stand up for our patients and stand up for ourselves, and make ourselves heard. some patients won't get the treatment they wanted, but there are hospitals not affected by strikes. the advice is to check on the nhs website. hugh pym, bbc news.

and for details on who is strike and how industrial action could affect you, do visit the bbc news website. and also, by using the bbc news app. another five formal complaints about the conduct of the deputy prime minister, dominic raab, are being investigated. the allegations relate to mr raab's previous role asjustice secretary. three other complaints of bullying are already being looked into by a senior lawyer. mr raab has denied wrongdoing. our political correspondent ione wells is in westminster. how much pressure does this put on dominic raab, and also on the prime minister? well, it is significant because it means there are now eight complaints about dominic raab being investigated from his stints at three different government departments. now, he strongly denies bullying allegations and says that is the reason he wanted these complaints to be investigated. but

the sheer number of them has heaped fresh pressure on both him and the prime minister. opposition parties say that he should not remain in a government position while this investigation is ongoing. the government argue that it is right that an independent process takes place and that a lawyer will produce findings, hand the report to the prime minister, who will then make an ultimatejudgment prime minister, who will then make an ultimate judgment about whether or not dominic raab broke the rules that ministers have to follow and should be sacked. but that is where this could get really difficult for the prime minister at a time when he is trying to turn people's attention away from a period of scandal back to policy, he will soon very have to make a comment on both his and his deputy�*sjudgment. make a comment on both his and his deputy'sjudgment-_ deputy's 'udgment. thank you very much, deputy'sjudgment. thank you very much. lone — deputy'sjudgment. thank you very much, ione wells _ deputy'sjudgment. thank you very much, ione wells reporting - deputy'sjudgment. thank you very much, ione wells reporting from i much, ione wells reporting from westminster. china has removed six diplomats from britain, after an incident in october, when they were involved in a violent scuffle with pro—democracy protestors outside the country's consulate in manchester. the officials — including the most senior, the consul—general — refused to waive their diplomatic immunity and be questioned by police. here's our diplomatic

correspondent, james landale. manchester last october, and pro—democracy campaigners from hong kong gather outside of china's consulate. but then some men come out of the gate. they kick down posters, remove others. a violent scuffle ensues. as a senior diplomat looks on, one of the protesters is dragged inside the gates and is attacked. police have to enter the consulate to drag him clear. the foreign office asked for six of these men to have their diplomatic immunity waived so they could be questioned by detectives. instead, china has called them home, including the consul—general, the most senior diplomat, mr zheng xiyuan. the foreign secretary, james cleverly, said he was disappointed the men would not facejustice but... this demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents

has had an effect. the protester who was attacked told the bbc this solved a complicated diplomatic problem. what happened on 16th of october 2022 was unacceptable and illegal. and the withdrawal of these chinese diplomats gives me a sense of closure. officials here at the foreign office say that china was aware that if the diplomats did not waive their immunity, then they would be declared persona non grata and expelled. instead, china choose to pre—empt either option in a way that avoids further escalation. a chinese embassy spokesman said its staff had been the victims of the violence and the consul—general had simply completed his term of office. james landale, bbc news. our top story this evening. four people die after a small boat carrying migrants sinks in freezing

water in the channel. over 30 people were rescued by a fishing boat. and morocco, the first african and arab nation to play in a world cup semifinal, take on france this evening in qatar. coming up in sportsday, on the bbc news channel: with just 20% of black children in england regular swimmers, we find out how one association is trying to help more people from black and asian communities take the plunge. a heartwarming response to a bbc report about school dinners shows that people remain caring and generous, even when money is tight. last month we reported on concerns that the rising cost of living is leaving some families struggling to pay for school dinners. eight—year—old alishah's school in bradford, which we featured, was inundated with letters and donations from viewers, and, incredibly, it's collected nearly £50,000.

our education editor, branwen jeffreys, has the story. a hot school lunch here costs just £2.10. at this primary two weeks ago, we heard some families were cutting back. don't forget to take some salad. the head was worried that working parents were struggling. like ali and his daughter alishah, who had school lunch just one day a week. their story prompted hundreds of donations. "shocking to hear that not all schoolchildren have access to a hot meal every day and we hope our contribution will help towards alishah and her school friends." "yesterday, my nieces asked me not to buy them christmas presents this year. in view of this, i would like to donate £42..." "i would like to offer a small piece of help over the festive time. my children are all grown up now..." it's unbelievable, really that in this day and age, in a country that is full of riches, that children are still living in this situation. we are talking about working

families really struggling. it has just blown us away, really, the generosity of people. it is absolutely amazing and we really, genuinely, cannot thank you enough. one of the many who contacted the school is rick, who i spoke to today. it's very relatable, the situation. the very fact that there is a hard—working parent that clearly loves his daughter, couldn't even afford £2.10 for a meal, in this day and age, that's just really resonated. b, e, d, bed! bed! the youngest already get free government funded meals. only one in five older pupils here qualify for free school meals, which means a family income of less than £7,400. thanks to our bbc audiences, the children at this school will get hot food every day, all the way through to next summer. but there are so many other schools where working families are struggling

with money this winter. for eight—year—old alishah and her dad, a further surprise — two donors paying for a hot lunch every day until she leaves primary school. as the nativity story plays out in schools across the land, a reminder that kindness crosses the boundaries of faith and place. branwenjeffreys, bbc news, bradford. the man who killed 35—year—old law graduate zara aleena lastjune has been jailed for life and must serve at least 38 years in prison. jordan mcsweeney did not know ms aleena when he murdered and sexually assaulted her in east london. her grandmother sobbed as she told the court she feels "completely broken" by her death. helena wilkinson was in court and sent this report. this isjordan mcsweeney in the hours before

he murdered zara aleena. he staggers across a busy road after being thrown out of a bar in east london. what follows is disturbing behaviour. this cctv footage captures him following the first of multiple women that night. he followed herfor 20 minutes. he follows her into a shop, then loiters outside, waiting for her to emerge. the woman then makes a run for it. mcsweeney isn't far behind. soon after, he follows another woman, who had a lucky escape. in the end, it was zara aleena who he became fixated on, zara had been with friends here in ilford in east london. mcsweeney spotted her as she walked home alone in the early hours. when zara aleena reached this road, she was being followed by mcsweeney. he dragged her onto a driveway, forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. he kicked her and stamped on her repeatedly, leaving her

struggling to breath. after he murdered the 35—year—old, mcsweeney returned to this nearby fairground where he had been working. jordan mcsweeney? you are under arrest for rape and murder police found him asleep in a caravan at the fairground. mcsweeney has 28 previous convictions. when he murdered zara aleena, he was out on licence, having been released from prison nine days earlier. he was going to be recalled. police had gone to an address to arrest him the day before the attack for breaching his licence conditions, but he wasn't there. the ministry ofjustice said a review is now under way. sentencing mcsweeney today, the judge said he was behaving like a coward. de judge said he was behaving like a coward. , ., �* , judge said he was behaving like a coward. , ., �*, . , ., ., coward. de defendant's decision not to come no — coward. de defendant's decision not to come no from _ coward. de defendant's decision not to come up from the _ coward. de defendant's decision not to come up from the cells _ coward. de defendant's decision not to come up from the cells to - coward. de defendant's decision not to come up from the cells to court l to come up from the cells to court to come up from the cells to court to hear the devastating impact of his crimes shows the man who took

zara's life has no spine whatsoever. mcsweeney will spend at least 38 years behind bars for the murder of zara. helena wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. the presenter of top gear freddie flintoff is still in hospital after being hurt in an accident while filming for the bbc show. it happened at the programme's test track at dunsfold park aerodrome in surrey. his injuries are not thought to be life—threatening. the bbc has said all health and safety procedures were followed on site. it is understood the accident did not happen at high speed. in just over an hour's time, morocco will become the first african football team, and the first arab nation, to play in a world cup semifinal. they take on the reigning champions, france, in qatar. the winners willjoin argentina in the final on sunday. our sports editor, dan roan, is pitch side for the match at the al bayt stadium just outside

doha. morocco have lit up this world cup. arguably the greatest underdog story in the 92 year history of the tournament. they may have only been ranked 22nd in the world but have already been able to beat the likes of belgium, spain and portugal and are now facing arguably the greatest test, france. in doing those feats they have inspired huge pride not only in moroccan communities across europe including in france of course, but also across both north africa and indeed the entire arab world, which is incredibly fitting given this is the first world cup to be staged in the middle east. as mayenijones reports be staged in the middle east. as mayeni jones reports from casablanca, their achievements have also inspired huge excitement back home. brimming with anticipation. football fans here are pouring into local cafes ahead of tonight's match. the atlas lions, the moroccan team

are here in the semifinals thanks to the coach, walid regragui, his philosophy, the winning spirit he has given to the boys and he is always talking about winning and he is doing it right. the moroccan football federation has invested millions into its national team, inspiring fans here. that investment now appears to be paying off. translation: i will be watching and hoping. i we can win but it is in the hands of god. france has a better team. —— —— a the technical game. what would it mean for moroccans? what will you feel? well, i feel that we are the best in the world! so you feel proud of the team? yes, i feel proud. i am very, very happy for my country. translation: even the old ladies |who don't often come to the cafes| have been coming out| with their headscarves and they are cheering j on our national team.

this is a watershed moment, not just for moroccan football fans, but for lovers of the game across africa and the arab world. speaking to some of them here in casablanca, they say that they hope this team has broken a glass ceiling for african teams, and they want to see many more of them proceed to the final stages of the competition. moroccans are hoping today's stormy weather isn't a bad omen. and praying their team can defeat reigning champions france. mayenijones, bbc news, casablanca. morocco already the first country from africa and the arab world to reach the semifinals, and tonight they will try to go one better against a country of course from which they recently gained independence in the 1950s and because of that shared history and

colonial links, this feels like more than just colonial links, this feels like more thanjust a mere colonial links, this feels like more than just a mere football match. it should be axed for the atmosphere this evening, given the level of support morocco enjoyed here in qatar, with tens of thousands of fans making the journey, qatar, with tens of thousands of fans making thejourney, but qatar, with tens of thousands of fans making the journey, but it will be no easy task. france of course bidding to become the first team in 60 years to retain the title, conquerors of because of england and they have in their ranks that might of kylian mbappe in many people's mines, the greatest player in the world. thank you very much. very cold weather continues to affect many of us this week, and for some, there's more to come. this was the scene in shetland earlier, where the worst snow in 20 years has led to authorities declaring a "major incident", after nearly 3,000 homes were left without electricity. it could take several days to get power back. freezing weather can also form beautiful images. ice pancakes have been spotted on a river in glasgow

of the days of subzero temperatures. they are a rare sight in uk, normally seen in the baltic, the us and canada and around akhtar to get they are formed when foam on the surface of the water freezes and chunks bump into each other, forming circles like here a park in the city. and with a closer look at what's to come, here's ben rich with the weather. having the all that, you might wonder if there is an end in sight. there is but notjust yet. for the time being, we are stuck in the deep freeze with this northerly wind bringing really cold air across the uk but going through the rest of the week and at the weekend and at the start of next week, the blue colours are replaced by oranges. south—westerly winds surging across the country and for the start of next week it will bring a very different feeling. the next couple of days, two or three degrees at best, south—west england by monday

could see 16 degrees, believe it or not put up with that there will be some wind and rain. but right now the temperatures are dropping like a stone, in the highlands, —9, —7 in gloucestershire. most places are below freezing and temperatures will continue to fall. we have some snow falling, some wintry showers in northern ireland, the east coast of england, especially in northern scotland and the snowfall here might become more widespread for a time going through tonight. where we have the showers, and obviously temperatures dropping, ice is likely to be an issue. temperatures widely of —6 or —7 but some places are already colder than that and easily we will get to —10 somewhere tonight. tomorrow for many, a lot of crisp winter sunshine and showers in northern ireland and the west of wales, wintry in nature. we will see some further undulations of snow in places. arguably a bit less cold

thanit places. arguably a bit less cold than it has been, most of us should