a very warm welcome to bbc news. i'm mark lobel. let's get the latest headlines for viewers here in the uk and around the world. on top of the world. argentina celebrates winning the world cup, beating france in possibly the event's greatest ever final. it's one big party in buenos aires, as thousands celebrate argentina and lionel messi's world cup triumph. people tell me these past few weeks have offered the opportunity to dream again, to smile and be united. yes, this is a footballing nation, but this win means so much more. as the uk's high court prepares to rule on whether it's legal to send asylum—seekers to rwanda, we report from kigali. britain's winter of discontent continues, with more strikes

due to begin, and ministers saying they won't budge over pgy- lydia is many things... and hitting the right note. why her role as a conductor in a male—dominated world may help cate blanchett win another oscar. hello and welcome to the program. chances are if you live in argentina you may be waking up with a bit of a sore head this morning. that's because the country is celebrating winning the world cup. the team beat france 4—2 on penalties in the final it was a personal triumph for lionel messi, who's now

confirmed his place as one of the game's greatest ever players. the bbc�*s tim allman watched the action. don't cry for me, argentina, unless they are tears of joy. these were the scenes in doha after the south american team won the world cup for the third time. but despite the celebrations, they know it hadn't been easy. translation: lionel messi and our goalkeeper did - all the work, and we leave happy. it cost us a lot to come here. it has cost us blood, sweat and tears, but we did it and we got the victory, so we could not be happier. translation: a great joy. we deserve to be champions because of the way we played in this final. we deserve to be here. translation: i'm very happy, apart from the way we won. . it seemed like it got away i

from us twice, but in the end we did it. things started well enough for argentina after they won a penalty midway through the first half. up stepped that man, messi, who did what he always does. a little more than ten minutes later, it was 2—0, angel di maria finishing off a well—worked team goal. and that seemed to be that until ten minutes before the end, when france got a penalty of their own. kylian mbappe, competing with messi for the golden boot, converted from the spot. a minute later it was 2—2 — mbappe again, with his second of the match. argentina had to pick themselves up off the floor, and in extra time they were ahead again — lionel messi again. but france are defending champions for a reason, and with a couple of minutes left, they got another penalty. mbappe becoming the first player to score a hat—trick in a world cup final

since 1966. so to the dreaded penalty shoot—out, and the pendulum swung back in argentina's favour. it all came down to this, gonzalo montiel scoring the decisive spot kick. glory for argentina, glory for lionel messi. is he now the greatest player of all time? well, pele says he deserves to win the world cup, so he must be pretty good. tim allman, bbc news. it is argentina's third world cup win, but their first since 1986, and katy watson is in buenos aires for the historic victory. celebration and relief after an epic final game. the joy people shared in the first half, the hope that argentina could win this easily, quickly turned to stress in the second. many were unable to watch the penalties by the end.

this has been a personal crusade for argentinians — wanting to win a third world cup, yes, but wanting to win it for lionel messi, the finaljewel in the crown for their footballing legend after a glittering career. translation: i've worn - the world cupjersey every year that i can remember. this year i decided not to wear one. this year i wanted to wait until they won so i could buy the new shirt with the third star. let's go, argentina! translation: i'm - feeling very emotional. my dad told me what it was like when we won in '86, and now i'm living this victory! this year has captured the imagination of millions of argentinians. this is a country that has been battered by economic crisis, but time and again, people tell me these last few weeks have offered them the chance to dream again, to smile and be united. this is a footballing nation, but the win means so much more.

let's now speak to tancredi palmeri, a sports commentator joining us live from doha in qatar. was from doha in qatar. an unforgettable night of football, was an unforgettable night of football, so i suppose instead of who greatest player of all, what is the greatest world cup in august model what i like to be there? you can probably ship to the discussion as to whether this was the greatest game ever. in the past century, italy, germany, at the semi—final of mexico 1970, that deserved that title that is outside of the mexico city stadium, signs here will display the match of the century, where we can say this was the match of the 21st century. i was there, and i have to tell you, up until minutes 78 it was the worst final avatar. laughs.

theyjust didn't laughs. they just didn't show laughs. theyjust didn't show up until minutes 78. they simply had one chance and it wasn't a big one. they didn't show up. inaudible whatever we saw, every kind of emotion that a football game can result for people, really, this is challenging to be the greatest game ever. being there felt like you can't believe the time here, and i am witnessing this, considering that in the mix i had luck or super enough to raise my hand and touch the carpet while messi was passing by, that felt given warlock. i notice you are the only italian who had the chance to touch that, but i wanted to tell you about italy's occurs later, but yes, you touch the world cup as messi wild past, of course, you shared that

honour with rhianna from 2014, but it wasn't just honour with rhianna from 2014, but it wasn'tjust messi, we have seen the age of mbappe, france's striker? no, really from the hand of messi to the hand of mbappe, it doesn't matter who won, it has just been the difference of one penalty, but only another player was able to score a hat—trick in the final that was english isjust hat—trick in the final that was english is just unbelievable to think that he be able to score in the tournament, eight goals, eight! a world champion. mbappe has been outstanding. he was even able to dug out of well, france, ten minutes, still the end, the second goal was amazing but all of the accident

time as well, they really look like — it looked like a movie where the goalkeeperjust gives one punch more, one punch more until there is the last one standing. that is a very good way to sum it up, a rocky movie. if we summed up the world cup it had a lot of controversy. lionel messi left the carpet in a traditional arab robe, it was put on him. some people say it was a welcome coronation, others think it was a more controversial controlling of the image, how has that reaction of that image gone down in doha? when i was at stadium it was very surprising because it felt like that is going to go down in the history, that image, so at first it sounded like, i would say, cultural appropriation very close

getting your foot inside the picture that is going down in history, and at the same time though it felt like not... and this is tradition and if we are in qatar and they are hosting the world cup, a meeting of different cultures, then why not then? why not? are not the only qatar, but when we go to other countries? why couldn't we, like, showing the culture in front of the world? hopefully it will continue to inspire. at the same time, the same thing could be sinful to another point of view. it is great to get your point of view. thank you forjoining us. my pleasure. on monday, the high court in london is expected to rule on the legality of the uk

government's plans to send some asylum seekers to rwanda to have their claims processed, and possibly to be resettled there. ministers say it's a way of discouraging people from risking their lives with people smuggling gangs. but opponents say rwanda's human rights record means it is not a safe destination, particularly for members of the lgbtq+ community. our correspondent leo diseko has been to the capital, kigali, and she sent us this report. a familiar sunday scene in a church that is unique in rwanda, welcoming worshippers from the lgbt community. hallelujah! unlike in neighbouring countries, homosexuality is not illegal here, yet many people still face challenges. if you hide your identity, they can give you a job. but if they know your identity after, they say, "go, go. "we can't work with you". "this is not good."

i think they don't know many things about us in this country. charities argue asylum seekers could be targeted because of their sexuality. the un says the system for assessing refugees here in rwanda isn't fair or efficient. it told the high court people could be sent back to their countries, where they could face torture. and, injune, they said it can take years for people to get a decision on their case. this asylum seeker was too scared to show his face or share his name. a year after arriving from ethiopia, he says he still can't work legally because his claim has not been processed. translation: they say we're poor and that rwanda can't i keep poor people. i'm fighting to survive. i try to work. i don't want to stay in rwanda. i want to go to canada or australia. in a statement, rwanda's government said:

it questioned why the government still sends asylum seekers to rwanda, adding that its his criticism seems inconsistent and many of the allegations are simply untrue. one refugee who has been successful here is teklay. he is originally from eritrea and built a supermarket chain after arriving nearly 25 years ago. unlike many refugees, he had the money to start up his business. still, he says, rwanda offers opportunities as long as you play by the rules. coming here is not something difficult. coming here is a blessing to me, honestly speaking. there is no restriction, there is no barrier. you can do whatever you want here. and to those people who may be a little bit afraid, what do you say? i don't know why they are afraid of rwanda, but i don't see anything to be afraid of here. this is a country that runs with enviable efficiency,

but many say that just beneath the surface is a quiet sense of fear. the question for british judges is whether that fear is warranted. leo diseko, bbc news, kigali. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the netherlands prepares to say sorry for its role in slavery, but some say it's not doing enough to atone for its colonial past. the world of music has been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it's failed in its principle objective — to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle| was hastily taken away.

in its place, the russian flag - was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth i of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town of shkodra, where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: argentina have beaten france in the world cup final in qatar, becoming champions for the third time. thousands of people have taken to the streets of buenos aires to honour the players. it's the first time argentina

have won the event since 1986. to the uk now, which is being hit by a wave of strikes. the cabinet minister with responsibility for strike contingency planning has said unions should call off action scheduled for the coming days and that the government will be resolute over pay. on tuesday, nurses in some trusts in england as well as in wales and northern ireland are due to hold a second strike, followed on wednesday by 10,000 ambulance and 999 staff in england and wales. from friday, border force staff will go on strike for several days, with significant disruption expected at major airports. here is our political correspondent iain watson. what is the address of the emergency? on our visit to an emergency call centre in essex, the health secretary concerns about the strike by ambulance crews in england and wales. he said

they need to provide greater clarity about what level of cover they will provide on strike days. is cover they will provide on strike days.— strike days. is absolutely essential _ strike days. is absolutely essential that _ strike days. is absolutely essential that in - strike days. is absolutely essential that in terms i strike days. is absolutelyj essential that in terms of strike days. is absolutely - essential that in terms of the ambulance strikes next week, we get the confirmation from the trade unions that they will prioritise emergency calls, life—threatening calls, and ensure that there is sufficient coverfor ensure that there is sufficient cover for those to protect patient safety.— cover for those to protect patient safety. the unions say the will respond _ patient safety. the unions say the will respond to _ the will respond to life—threatening emergency and are discussing detailed plans for cover with ambulance trusts. they also say the strikes could be stopped if the government was willing to talk about pay. when the health secretary was asked if he would consider giving nurses a 1—off payment that had been blocked by downing street, he tried to remain tightlipped, but this didn't exactly sound like a denial. ~ ., , didn't exactly sound like a denial. ., , ., , denial. well, of course any discussions _ denial. well, of course any discussions between - denial. well, of course any discussions between the i discussions between the department and the centre is private as part of those regular discussions. health unions say _ regular discussions. health unions say unless - regular discussions. health | unions say unless ministers move on pay there will be more strikes in january and move on pay there will be more

strikes injanuary and more hospitals will be affected. further strike days will be announced, that those will cover longer time periods, will involve wider groups of staff. christmas is traditionally a time of hope, but the prospect of avoiding this week's multiple disputes seems to be every bit as bleak as the winter weather. let's get some of the day's other news: officials in the ukrainian southern city of kherson, which was recapatured from russian forces in november, say the area was shelled 12 times on sunday, resulting in the deaths of two people. meanwhile, several loud blasts have been heard in the capital, kyiv, early on monday. kyiv�*s military administration said nine iranian—made shahed drones were shot down in the latest attack by russia. at least nine police officers have been killed in a bomb and gun attack in northern iraq. the bomb struck the police's convoy near the city of kirkuk on sunday. the group calling itself islamic state says it carried out the attack. peru's president, dina boluarte, insists her cabinet

reshuffle will go ahead this week. the country has been hit by a stream of protests since she replaced pedro castillo earlier this month. amongst those to be replaced in the reshuffle will be the prime minister, the former state prosecutor pedro angulo. like many european countries, the netherlands has a history which involved both colonialism and slavery. more than 600,000 people, mostly from africa and asia, were trafficked by dutch merchants between the 17th and 19th centuries. on monday the dutch prime minister will publicly apologise for what happened, but some campaigners say that merely confronting the events of the past is an insufficient gesture for the descendants of slaves living in the netherlands today. anna holligan reports. generations have been waiting to hear this word, but the dutch government's approach to saying sorry for slavery has reignited

a sense of exclusion and distrust. the question — you have to talk about the slavery with people from the destination and people here, and we don't accept 19 december. instead, many within the affected communities want an apology scheduled for 1 july next year, to tie in with what will be the 160th anniversary of the dutch emancipation act. within dutch society, support for a formal apology has been growing, with 38% of people now in favour. but almost half the population is still opposed. one far—right leader told me his party doesn't believe in such gestures. quincy gario argues it's essential to come together to understand the realities and impact of the past. how exactly do you heal,

and how do you repair the — not just the psychic terror of the past, but also the material inequalities that have come from that? words are fine, but what are actions? well, according to various leaks, the dutch government's apology will not lead to reparations for the enslaved people. instead, 200 million euros will be invested in awareness raising projects and another 27 million dedicated to a new resume to highlight and explore this darker side of dutch history. it has been a busy time for linda. she has been involved in the negotiations with the government. from 20 december, we can work together to fight against everything that that is about racism, and it gives me hope that we can do this in this country. formal apologies don't always lead to acceptance or acknowledgement, and in this

already polarised society there are fears of a backlash from those who wish to whitewash and glorify this history. with other countries currently considering their colonial pasts, an official apology from the dutch may encourage other nations to recognise and make efforts to remedy historic and contemporary inequalities in a meaningful way. anna holligan, bbc news, amsterdam. the actress cate blanchett�*s latest film sees her play a conductor, a woman working in a male—dominated world, who is celebrated but flawed. with the film awards season under way, tar has already won some awards, been nominated for golden globes and could be in line for oscar nominations too. our culture editor katie razzall has been talking to its director, todd field, and cate blanchett. lydia tar is many things. tar is very much cate blanchett�*s movie.

written specifically for her, the actor is being tipped for another oscar for her role as fictional conductor and composer lydia tar. it was such a joy to open the door to music again. ijust really lapped it up. trumpets play. the film is a portrait of a high—achieving creative genius unravelling as she is accused of misconduct. oh, no. in this #metoo story, told from the perspective of the alleged perpetrator, writer—director todd field asked questions about cancel culture and society's rush tojudgement. ajudgement is something that is final and absolute and shut down, and there's no discussion possible. is there a way to step in someone else's shoes and walk around for a little bit, and have a messier conversation? and we may find something within that conversation that allows us to just change the way we think, just a tick, which... you understand a different perspective. yeah.

we met at london's famous abbey road studio, where the tar team were recording an album with the london symphony orchestra, with musician and actress sophie kauer playing elgar�*s cello concerto. it's got to be, like, a — just one person singing their heart out. i asked blanchett if she saw her character as a predator. the word "predator," i mean, it's a — even by the choice of that word... is a judgement. ..we're framing the conversation. i'm so excited for an audience to see it. will they gravitate towards the fact that she is a woman leading one of the world's greatest orchestras? "oh, ok, it's a movie about a woman in a patriarchal structure! " or are they going to look at her past transgressions

and realise, in fact, that you can't outrun yourself? it's not like you two are in a relationship. whether straight actors can play gay roles is a question for our times. in tar, blanchett�*s conductor is a lesbian. it's a texture of the movie. it is not what the film is about. you know, i've played a psychic. i'm not a psychic. so i didn't think twice about that. but could there be a conversation where people say i shouldn't be playing that role? there may well be, and i think that conversation is an important conversation to have. trumpet plays. important, too, are the issues raised by this film — a challenging watch with a commanding performance at its heart. katie razzall, bbc news. now, if you like edible art around christmas, then feast your eyes on this. it's a competitive exhibition of creations based on gingerbread, the sweet—tasting biscuit, in the swedish capital, stockholm. on display — cottages, robots, and even a gingerbread pac—man, as well as some more traditional efforts. the competition was won

by a design based on the pippi longstocking series of books — the house known as villa villakulla. if you would like to get your teeth into that, you will have to wait untiljanuary when the exhibition ends. hello. a completely different feel to the weather for the start of the new week. after a lengthy cold spell, things have been turning considerably milder. mild and windy through the day on monday, with some outbreaks of rain. some of that rain will be on the heavy side at times. but starting temperatures for monday morning — eight degrees in aberdeen, 14 degrees in plymouth, waking up to a completely different feel. but we will see a lot of cloud through the day and some outbreaks of rain moving sporadically eastwards. it may be that the skies clear in northern ireland just in time to bring some sunshine before the sun goes down. a few brighter spells elsewhere but it's going to be windy, particularly around western coasts.

gusts of 40, 50, maybe 60 mph in the most exposed spots and temperatures in double digits for just about all of us, and it's quite a while since we've been able to say that. now, as we go through monday night, we will see further outbreaks of rain, particularly down towards the south. as the rain piles up in some southern parts, well, there is the risk of some flooding. clearer spells further north and west, some showers pushing into northern ireland and western scotland. still mild — not quite as mild for tuesday morning, but still a lot milder than it has been. so, for tuesday, this frontal system may linger across the south—east of england for a little while. still low pressure in charge up to the north—west, so that will bring further showers, but there'll also be some spells of sunshine. so where that weather front lingers close to south—east england, it could mean that cloud and rain clings on for a little while. and then we will see sunny spells. showers most plentiful across northern ireland and the western side of scotland, where it will be really quite windy. temperatures north to south 8—12 degrees. that is a touch above what we'd expect at this time of year.

now, for the rest of the week, we see weather systems lining up in the atlantic and taking aim, bringing further rain at times. it is looking quite unsettled through the week ahead. now, for the most part, it is going to stay mild, but we are going to see some colder air close to the north of scotland. and as we head through the weekend, the christmas weekend, it may be that that cold air sinks a little further southwards for a time. there's a lot of uncertainty about that. but generally speaking the week ahead will be mild. there'll be some rain at times, but it may turn just a little colderfor some of us over the weekend.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines, for viewers in the uk and around the world. it couldn't happen at a worse time. the cold transport of food and pharmaceuticals gets hit by a double whammy of rising costs of living and widespread strikes in the uk, at its busiest time of the year. let's try and try again. the eu reconvenes to try to reach an agreement on a price cap on russian gas. plus, a chinese conglomerate has big ambitions for lanvin group. we take a look at fosun international�*s plans for the french fashion house.