and personal turmoil evaporated. there was more than a touch of personal triumph in herfinal dances — this really was one of those strictly journeys. you put faith in me that i didn't have. for molly rainford, a final rhumba, and a strictly thank you to her partner, carlos. i'm so lucky i got to be your first partner. if i could give him the glitterball in his first year, that would honestly be the best thing in the world. the night, though, belonged to hamza yassin. 11 years ago, he was living in his car in scotland with hopes of being a wildlife cameraman. born in sudan, he arrived in the uk aged eight, and in his 20s moved to the highlands of scotland. when he began, he was more used to rugby than dancing but by the end the judges in the crowd

were all on theirfeet. cheering the lifts went higher, your turns were spot on. there was a freedom to this dance you didn't have when you first did it. choreography to absolutely die for. how you did that with all of that hair is beyond me. brilliant! it is like you are watching music on the dance floor in your body. well done! cheering there were a few shaky moments along the way, but by the end, cbeebies ranger hamza had won over both thejudges... cheering ..and the public. hamza and jowita! cheering hamza yassin, cameraman, wildlife presenter, and now a winner of strictly come dancing. david sillito, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt.

hello. we're heading into the big thaw. but before we get there, the rest of today, the mixture of snow, ice and freezing rain, particularly in northern england. the met office have issued an amber weather warning here. very dangerous travelling conditions through this afternoon. potential for power disruption as well. ice could be the main thing, but there'll be some snow in the hills that also extends into southern and central parts of scotland through the afternoon and even a temporary little bit of ice across some eastern parts of england. it will turn back to rain, some heavy rain at times in the south, easing off in the west where temperatures will be around 11 to 13 degrees as we finish the day, but much colder in the north and the east of the country. now, as we go into this evening and overnight, the snow that's there for northern scotland to begin with turns back to rain, strengthening southerly winds, touching gale force in the west. but notice these temperatures for the monday morning commute, 8 to 14 celsius, incredibly mild compared to what we've been to. a mild day in store, but a windy one. lots of cloud, limited amounts of sunshine and rain at times, especially in the south and the west. and with temperatures like that, the thaw will continue.

good afternoon. ahead of the world cup final, the football association has confirmed gareth southgate will stay on as england manager until 202a. it follows speculation about his future after the team were knocked out in the quarter—finals in qatar. injust over an hour, france will face argentina in the final of the competition. our sports editor dan roan is at the lusail stadium ahead of kick off.

u nfortu nately, we unfortunately, we couldn't hear dan, joss there, but nestor mcgregor has been out following all of the developments. he has this report. messi! mbappe receives it beautifully. argentina versus france, a world cup final of blockbuster proportions, the spotlight brightest on two leading men, kylian mbappe and lionel messi, club team—mates divided by international duty. mbappe... mbappe! their last meeting in this setting at russia 2018, the french 4—3 winners. messi gets through... fast forward four years, messi is out for redemption. now aged 35, some say it's destiny for the striker to lift the trophy in what could be his last game for his country. i played with messi and i know how good he is, and when messi is in a good mood, that makes everything a lot easier for the

team. i think everyone is playing, of course, for the argentina shirt, but also they are playing for messi. meanwhile, atjust 23, kylian mbappe is trying to win back—to—back world cups, a rare feat which would put him in the same company as the likes of pele. is this kylian mbappe�*s chance to say, i am the future? well, he has already said it, and he is the future because he is special. yeah, he has announced himself to the world. if he hadn't already, people watching this tournament now know. so often compared to, messi can emulate the late diego maradona's triumph of 1986. the world's greatest player receives the world's most important football prize. around lusail stadium, and likely inside it, too, the argentinians far outnumber the french. we spent $2400 each ticket. france, three, argentina, one.

no! the streets of doha will be painted a shade of blue, whatever the result. will messi or mbappe provide the stroke of genius to claim victory? nestor mcgregor, bbc news. this is a very special french side, bidding to become the first team in 60 years, since brazil, to win back—to—back world cup titles, and as lucy williamson now reports from paris, excitement and expectation is high. for french footballers, team loyalty is a way to win matches. for french fans, it's a way of life. for guillaume, practising his game near paris this week, not even argentina can shake his faith in the national side. nothing, because i know that we have the best team in the world and that will never change. argentina's star player, lionel messi, already knows how the french play football. his dayjob is scoring goals for this french club.

this match will pit two of france's footballing heroes against each other. kylian mbappe and lionel messi usually both play for the paris club paris saint—germain, but today they'll be facing each other on opposing sides, mbappe as france's star striker, messi as argentina's. in the bar next to the paris ground, there is anxiety ahead of today's game. the french know how messi plays football, too. i'm super tense because we saw what argentina did, and they have a mission, it's to win. france has a mission too, it's to win twice. so, does france have what it takes? translation: of course, kylian mbappe, for sure. l he younger, he's faster, everything is possible. the baguette is winning, the baguette is winning!| french pride and confidence have grown with

every win in this tournament. the chant ringing across paris after their semifinal win, we are in the final. 0ne game now stands between france and glory, 11 men who carried the hopes of this nation to qatar are within sight of carrying the trophy back home. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. tens of thousands of argentina fans here in doha, plus i think it's fair to say, the majority of the millions watching on, the neutrals around the world, will hope that lionel messi delivers on this date with destiny. what is the mood like back home? katy watson is with us in buenos aires. if you look here in buenos aires, it's almost as if argentina have already won stop this is a personal crusade for argentina. it's not

about winning after 36 years another title, it's about winning it for messi, because it's his last world people here as well feel that it's more important than other years because argentina has gone through such a difficult time in the past few years, huge inflation rates, people are struggling to get by. i spoke to one woman who burst into floods of tears, saying argentina needs to win this, it's not a question of wanting it, it is a need, because they want to feel happy and this world cup, a victory would make them. there is everything to live for, everything to lose, it's going to be a really big day here in buenos aires. thanks, katie. well, this is a tantalising prospect, a mouthwatering final to look forward to. the symmetry is perfect. both these countries have two world cup titles each. messi and mbappe are both team—mates at qatar owned paris

saint—germain. they have scored five goals each. the play are known as the best in the world up against the man who many believe is the heir to his crown. it is very hard to call, but it should be quite an occasion. frankie, back to you. thanks, dan. in other news. the cabinet minister with responsibility for strike contingency planning has urged health workers to call off their walk—outs in the run—up to christmas. speaking ahead of next week's industrial action by nurses, ambulance staff, and borderforce officers, 0liver dowden said their pay demands were unaffordable. the royal college of nursing is calling for a pay rise of i9%, but their leader pat cullen said any new offer would be put to their members. jonathan blake reports. in the week before christmas, more strikes seem certain. nurses will again walk out, and ambulance workers in england are due to take action too. their unions are demanding pay

rises above inflation, but the government is not budging on its offer. i know things are challenging but we are trying to be reasonable throughout all this. i would urge the unions to be reasonable. i have to say, we will be resolute in response to this because it would be irresponsible to allow public sector pay and inflation to get out of control. on tuesday, nurses in england, wales and northern ireland are due to hold a second day of strikes. then ambulance staff in england will strike on wednesday, with another walk—out planned on the 28th of december. ministers say they are ready to talk, but not it seems about pay, so unions are holding firm as well. we started this year with a request to government to sit down and work with us to find ways to stop people leaving jobs in the nhs. they had been stubbornly ignoring us. members of the armed forces are being draughted in to drive

ambulances and fill in for border force staff. but britain's top military officer, admiral sir tony radakin, has warned the armed forces are not spare capacity for striking workers. there's politicalpressure on ministers too, with a handful of conservative mps saying they should reconsider. i think there is a real merit in having another look at the negotiations and seeing where they can get to. if that doesn't happen, unions have warned they will hold more strikes in the new year. jonathan blake, bbc news. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is straight after the world cup final.

hello. you're watching the bbc news channel. china is seeing a sharp rise in positive covid cases, just 10 days after suddenly easing its strict lockdown measures following a wave of protests — with the capital beijing being one of the worst affected areas. in china's largest city, shanghai, officials have ordered most of its schools to take classes online — as covid cases soar. 0ur reporter ijoema ndukwe reports. cars bearing the dead line the driveway of this crematorium assigned for covid—i9 deaths. it is among dozens of such facilities across the capital, beijing, struggling to meet a spike in demand days after china began to relax its pandemic protocols. workers and drivers at funeral homes have been calling in sick, as the disease spreads across the city, adding to a shortage of labour. the number of covid cases has not been confirmed,

but according to an informal survey by chinese search engine baidu, 70% of beijing, a city of 22 million people, is infected. they have stopped counting asymptomatic infections, and there has been test that are not taken to the lavatory, and they are done at home. sojust like the issues the lavatory, and they are done at home. so just like the issues we have an united states and globally, when you switch to antigen tests come you don't have the awareness. so we need to be understanding what is in hospitals. meanwhile, in china's largest city, shanghai, officials have ordered most schools to take classes online as covid cases soar. nurseries and childcare centres will close from monday, according to the education bureau. the authorities have stepped up vaccinations, including the option of inhalable boosters to speed up distribution. however, a past emphasis on lockdowns, rather than vaccinations, means that

older people are at risk. sufficiently vaccinated is the question, and unfortunately that is a relatively low percentage, particularly with elderly people. and, you know, to understand why, i think in the time of severe lockdowns, we have had nearly three years of china being severely locked down and that was the containment measure, so people had a sort of false sense of security. this there are concerns that china's health infrastructure is not equipped to deal with the rapid rise in patients. analysts say chaos and confusion have followed the country's abrupt decision to drop its controversial zero covid policy. and it is still unclear how authorities will get to grips with this current surge in infections. ijoema ndukwe, bbc news. many of us will know how hard it is to find an nhs dentist at the moment — but that problem is particularly stressful for pregnant

women and new mothers. they're entitled to free dental care because pregnancy can be bad for the teeth — but first they need to find a practice who'll have them, as anne marie tasker reports. since she became pregnant with her baby, stephanie has been entitled to free nhs dental care. the trouble is, she can't find a dentist who will provide it. her dentist is moving their patients over to private care and although she's tried every dentist in the area, she cannot find another that will take her on as an nhs patient. i have asked, "can i be seen for the duration of my entitlement?" and it is still a firm "no." i am on statutory maternity pay at the moment so it is a little bit scary thinking about, can i afford it? what if something needs to be done to my teeth that's expensive?

yeah, it's just an entitlement that you're given and you can't even use. pregnant women are entitled to free dental care for up to 12 months after their baby is born, and for good reason. morning sickness can cause tooth erosion, a baby needs lots of calcium, which the body can pull from places like your teeth, and hormonal changes can loosen the bones and tissue that keep teeth in place. but stephanie's dental practice cannot provide that post—natal care. in bridlington, the town's last solely nhs dentist is closing at the end of month. neil sinclair has been unable to recruit a successor, and that leaves just two dental practices for the entire town. i have lived here for six years now and i can't get a dentist. it is awful, people need to go further afield, and some can't even travel. dentistry has taken a real dive over the last few years, bearing in mind it should be a health service.

but for new mums, the lack of nhs dentists is a real issue, meaning stephanie and many of her friends can't get the free dental care they are entitled to when they really need it. that was anne marie tasker reporting. it'll be christmas morning a week today — but the cost of living crisis means millions of families are scaling back the celebrations, to some extent. jodi law's been speaking to the residents of one street in nottinghamshire to hear how their festive plans have been affected. welcome to stanton hill in ashfield. like many others across the east midlands, people on the street are preparing for a very different kind of christmas this year, because of the rising cost of living. and we're here to meet them. he served his country and served the queen as well. and we just don't get no help at all.

i know a lot of nurses are concerned about just being able to afford this christmas at all. it isjust tough on everyone at the moment. we manage, we get by every month but there is nothing left. _ we don't have things like savings, we don't have things extra. - there's no extras in our life. i've spent a couple of days speaking to people in this area, going house to house to find out how they're feeling about their financial situation in the run—up to christmas. roy and joan have been married for over 50 years, more than 30 of them have been spent here in their rented home. christmas this year isn't going to be full of festive fun for the couple, because of the cost of living. we won't enjoy it at all. we are going to do nothing. i mean, i mostly decorate my window and put lights outside. but i don't think i can afford at this year to put them up. electric. what are you cutting back on this christmas? everything.

food. clothing. booze. cost of living. can't afford it. could you live on £228 a week? you couldn't, could you? their financial situation is only taken a toll on them. i cannot live normal, do you understand me? it's upsetting. and, sometimes, i'll sit down here when i'm on my own, andjoan's in bed, and i'm on my own, and i will just sit there and cry. ijust feel, is it worth it? is that because of the financial strain? yeah, yeah, yeah. if it hadn't been, how can i put it, my neighbours, helping me out, in more ways than one, i'm not saying how, because... i'm sorry.

while roy and joan have lived here for over three decades, francine, a critical care nurse at kingsmill hospital moved in three months ago, after buying a house here. she is budgeting £25 per person to buy gifts for seven people in her family. it's just trying to figure out what i can afford, really. because ijust moved into the house, i've got lots to do as well. so i've got that, on top of my budgeting concerns. it is just really taking a hard look at what i can afford to give. you have just bought this house. yes. how are you feeling about being able to afford everything? i mean, the house is livable. it'sjust, you know, the cosmetics stuff. i can live with it being covered in plaster, it is clean, warm, it locks at night, so it'lljust be long process. next door is shannon, who lives with her partner tom, who works full time, and their two children. they have decided to not buy presents for each other this year. all of our money will go

towards the boys, if we can have a nice christmas dinner then we will, but if not we will dial it back. the presents, the boys, luckily, they have been sorted. but that has been saving through the yea just trying to dial back and everything to make sure that we stay afloat. last year, covid ruined their christmas day and they spent it in bed poorly. shannon is hoping there will be able to celebrate properly this year. just to be healthy and happy, and not be stuck in bed with covid, will make such a difference to us, so things like the materialistic don't matter to us. because we are happy and we have everything here and we need. we have got a family that help us. we have got healthy, happy boys. that is the biggest gift that we could have. following on with the christmas theme. and, all around the world billions of people will be celebrating. before then — final preparations are under way.

and it should be an especially busy time for some — as tim allman explains. engines roar you'd think, what with the big day rapidly approaching, father christmas might be otherwise engaged. but here in the bulgarian capital, sofia, santa or at least a lot of people looking quite like him were out for a ride. this is an annual event where dozens dress up for the occasion... ..and then bike around the city, raising money for a local orphanage. translation: we are on the eve of christmas and what could - be better than seeing the smiles of children? we have prepared gifts for them, so i think it will be a nice event. in the vietnamese capital, hanoi, father christmas is just a passenger. he is also a dog.

13 of them, in fact, all rescue animals travelling on this converted tuk—tuk. for their owner, they are her christmas chums. translation: to me, the dogs are like friends, true friends. i they help relieve the sadness, the hardships of life, the worries. they made me let go of everything — hate, greed and delusion. ifind my life is more peaceful. whooping it's a little less peaceful here in geneva, where the festive period seems to bring out the hardiest of souls. 4,000 amateur and professional swimmers taking part in the traditional christmas cup. dating back to 193a, it involves fancy dress and a freezing cold lake. apparently there is already a waiting list for next year. tim allman, bbc news.

now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. good afternoon to you. some big changes to the weather as we go through the course of the day. it's been so cold for so long now, but milder, wetter weather is coming from the south. as it bumps into the cold air, we are likely to see a transient spell of ice, freezing rain and even some hell snow for a while. blanket yellow ice warning remains in force for much of england and wales, but we have an amber warning and phase to bid for wide swathe of northern england, dangerous travel conditions likely. potentially even power cuts and is from rain falling on frozen services. this is the recent radar. you can see it is mostly rain across the south—west, much milder here. hills over wales, the pennines and “p hills over wales, the pennines and up towards scotland. slowly, you can see the white disappearing under turning back to blue, because the milder air is moving northwards and it is returning back to rain. still

an ice risk for much of the central and northern areas to the afternoon coming to the early part of the evening. do bear that in mind if you have to head out. this is the weekend before christmas. another cold day across northern and eastern areas when you factor in the wind, but very mild across the end of the day. so, today, watch out for the freezing rain, transient snow, icy conditions for a while, before it all turns back to rain on the ice, which diminishes as we head into the overnight period. the mild air will have reached even scotland by first thing monday morning. a mild starting monday. a frost free one, something we haven't seen in a while. eight, or maybe 30 or a0 degrees in the south. but it will be a outbreak of rain. that is because we are on an invigorated jet stream in an area of low pressure sitting close to our shores. lots of isobars to test out the new working week. it

will be very mild, rather cloudy, breaks of rain in the south—west. we could see localised flooding for the rain, combined with ice snow melt. up rain, combined with ice snow melt. up to 13 or ia degrees in some of the mildest spots. double figures into scotland as well. very, very mild, compared to what it has been of late. low pressure to the west of the uk for tuesday, even into wednesday, the area of low pressure moves in across the country. this is thursday's area of low pressure, another one ready to move in for friday. a very unsettled week coming up, for the friday. a very unsettled week coming up, forthe run—up friday. a very unsettled week coming up, for the run—up to christmas. it stays wet and windy at times. generally on the mild side. these are above the seasonal norm. there is a chance as we are heading into the christmas period, it could turn colder in the north.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the world cup final kicks off in a hour — messi versus mbappe, as argentina take on france. for the fans in buenos aires and paris, the wait is almost over. a man has been charged with facilitating attempted illegal entry to the uk after four people died when a migrant boat capsized in the channel on wednesday. 1200 members of the armed forces — and 1,000 civil servants — will be drafted in to cover striking ambulance and border force staff over christmas. the iranian actor taraneh alidoosti is arrested after she supported anti—government protestors.