this is bbc news. the headlines: the first sitting of the new us house of representatives has been full of drama. three attempts to elect republican kevin mccarthy as speaker of the house have failed. it's the first time in a hundred years that a speaker hasn't been elected in the opening round of voting. the chinese government says that travel restrictions imposed by several countries on chinese arrivals are politically motivated and has warned that it may retaliate. some countries have already introduced their own measures. an eu—wide decision is expected shortly. the legendary football icon, pele, has been laid to rest in santos, the brazilian city where he spent most of his life. in a family ceremony, pele�*s coffin was placed in his tomb overlooking the city. tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets to say their goodbyes.

now on bbc news — charles�*s kingdom. born a prince, he grew up in the public eye, the man who would be king. with the queen's passing, the responsibility for the united kingdom and the wider commonwealth now rests with king charles iii. amidst the pomp

and circumstance, the royal family's private grief has been on very public display. but once the wave of sadness and sympathy subsides, what will the future hold? as the latest census underlines and the clamour for scottish independence continues, we ask — can the monarch keep his kingdom united? it's one o'clock in the morning in southeast london and there's no time to lose. hearing rumours the uk's longest queue might soon be closed to new arrivals, this group of friends, straight off the plane from belfast, hurry along.

they've passed the point of no return that kathryn beggs and her companions pause to explain their extraordinary late—night pilgrimage. i just think this is a really historic moment. of history, and ijust think that the palace of westminster built after william the conqueror, we teach about that in year 8 in school and we're still talking about him 1,000 years later and i think we will be still talking about this queen for many generations to come. i think the crowd will carry us through. there's eight of us here and we're in it together and, in the end, it is to pay respect to the queen that served for over 70 years. so i think this is the least we can do. kathryn, good luck, good luck with the rest of the trip. this is by no means the only group from northern ireland joining this queue. a number of the aeroplanes that have been going across tonight

have been packed with people who are intent on waiting all night in order to see the queen lying in state. it's been the longest apprenticeship in british royal history. charles receives the coronet, sword and mantle that go with his role as the prince of wales. i, charles, prince of wales, do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship. and faith and truth i will bear unto thee to live and die against all manner of folks. more than a half century would pass before he assumed his new title — king charles iii. i have to say i have been really pleasantly surprised. i think he has done everybody proud. i know talking to people at home

we've all sort of felt the same way. that he's stepped up, so hopefully he will do her proud. charles�*s job will be to push them through to the 21st century. i mean, the queen did a greatjob over her reign, transitioning from the empire to the commonwealth. i think him and william have got a lot on their plate with the transition to the modern day. as a prince, charles iii's relationship with ireland was marked by tragedy and trauma, as well as gestures of friendship and reconciliation. his ceremonial role as head of the parachute regiment made him a target for republican protests when he visited londonderry. he himself suffered first—hand with the loss of his favourite great uncle, lord mountbatten, murdered by the ira

more than a0 years ago. at the time, i could not imagine how we would come to terms with the anguish of such a deep loss since, for me, lord mountbatten represented the grandfather i never had. through this dreadful experience, though, i now understand in a profound way the agonies borne by so many others in these islands. charles shared his mother's determination to build bridges, travelling to dublin in 1995 16 years before the queen's historic state visit. i think it is great to see him here. he is very welcome. good relations between two countries. in a sense, his visit paved the way for her visit and he is a frequent visitor to ireland, along with camilla. and he has, in fact, said

and you must give him ten out of ten for effort. when he comes here he does things like he, you know, would have a go at an irish sport and so on. i don't know if he's quite reached the heights that his mother did in her 2011 visit, which was a really landmark visit. a uachtarain agus a chairde. applause like his mother, charles held out the hand of friendship to irish republicans. it must have been very difficult for her late majesty and our new king to engage with sinn fein figures, having suffered that very real personal loss. i mean, it seems clear that they were both very close to lord mountbatten, and losing him and his grandson,

and others in that tragedy, you know, makes them definitely... i mean, they fall, ithink, within the victim of the northern ireland troubles. so, when charles iii made his first visit to northern ireland as king, few could have been surprised by his diplomatic approach to politicians across the spectrum here. nevertheless, the king's encounter with stormont�*s sinn fein speaker was striking. ba mhaith liom comhbhron a dheanadh leat ag an am crua seo. i would like to sympathise with you at this difficult time. we are thankful for queen elizabeth's commitment and encouragement to building peace and reconciliation across these islands and indeed for all of those who seek to keep us moving towards that goal. there certainly was, for me anyway, a moment of watching the king and alex maskey at hillsborough thinking this is really an extraordinary evolution of history. but i think if you'd ask most historians with the best of crystal balls to gaze into 20 years ago, that would have been unthinkable.

it would have seemed like something out of a work of hopefulfiction. it was really fascinating seeing that interaction my own experience is that this is something that republicans were — is something that republicans were comfortable with. 50 years ago, in the wake of bloody sunday, the british embassy in dublin was burned down. in the days after the queen's death, a small number of floral tributes were laid at the embassy gates. i think there's huge potential for king charles to continue the work his mother championed, as trying to unify people and support reconciliation. throughout his life,

he's been enormously positive about his mother's work. so i would be optimistic that he would be able to follow in those footsteps. but his room for manoeuvre could be limited by the souring of relations between london and dublin in the wake of brexit. i think the post—brexit scenario does make things very difficult for king charles. 0bviously relations between britain and ireland now at a government level are not good, in fact, probably the worst in recent memory at least. prince charles obviously will be trying to remain above all that, but it's a difficult situation. what is really interesting is that there is an opportunity to get brexit sorted in some way, in some workable way. and i think in parallel with that, king charles can probably reach out the hand of friendship to ireland again. i don't think we'll see the high water mark that we saw under queen elizabeth on her really groundbreaking state visit. but it can be better

than it is, because it's pretty bad at the moment. certainly, he can't do anything that is seen to undermine his own government. he can't be seen to contradict their policy. but i think given what we know about the king's personality, it wouldn't surprise me if that was another flashpoint in this brexit process. back in the queue, 12 hours after they set out, the friends from tyrone are tired, but elated. they have just had a royal morale booster. the end is in sight. it's been unbelievable. we've done very well together, encouraging each other along the way. but there was a bit of a surprise. tell me what happened. we were just coming down to lambeth bridge there and we saw the car with the royal standard on it. and word got round that charles and william were both arriving. so i got to shake

both their hands. i said to william that him and his father have been doing such a greatjob with such a difficult time this past week. and he just said, "thank you very much." fantasticjob. good luck with the queue. three cheers for the king! hip—hip hooray! when queen elizabeth acceded to the throne 70 years ago, no—one could have predicted all the political, economic and social turmoil that played out during the course of her reign. equally, no—one knows quite how long king charles will rule or what the world will look like when his time draws to a close. however, it's safe to assume that the monarchy will face more of this kind of thing. commonwealth countries like barbados deciding to jettison the crown in favour of their own elected head of state.

godspeed, barbados. may your journey be long, fruitful and bright. and may your sons and daughters all flourish. there's no question that - there will be fewer monarchies in the commonwealth l within five to ten years, i mean, that's almost a given. we've seen a ground swell- to stay in the commonwealth, but not to remain tied to the monarchy- with a head of state i from the royal family. his royal highness, the prince of wales, prince charles. charles wants to govern with the broad consent of the people, and wants to be seen as a modern monarch. so in some ways, perhaps, being seen as the midwife of a new age of a transition to republican government politically might play well for the king at home. because what's the alternative? you are seen as someone who wants to reign from afar over countries where a majority of people

are of other ethnic backgrounds. and that sits uneasily with a lot of people in the 2020s. whatever happens throughout the commonwealth, king charles�*s reign could witness big changes closer to home within the uk. here in scotland, the snp is pushing for a split from england, but, crucially, it wants to leave the new king in place. at no point have the snp been critical of the monarchy, indeed, been critical of the king. it has been stressing that their policy was always that they would maintain the crown in an independent scotland. just even the visuals of seeing nicola sturgeon at that proclamation ceremony, at one stage singing god save the king, that is something that i think a lot of scottish people and other people in the uk and around the world

haven't seen before. and it's a fascinating insight into what the snp actually believe in a way that will surprise many people. i think this wave of pro—uk, pro—monarchy sentiment is going to have a big effect on scottish independence for a while. when the scottish last got to vote on independence, queen elizabeth urged them to consider their future very carefully. the general assumption is that buckingham palace would like to keep its kingdom united. but with the snp supporting a continuation of the monarchy, that's an issue king charles will have to handle with extreme care. the queen passed away on her scottish estate at balmoral. there's been speculation that the affection expressed for her across scotland may bolster support for the country staying in the uk. i think it is going to have an impact, most definitely.

i think, you know, a lot of people will reassess and rethink things. and if it's going to do anything, it's going to give people probably a push to think again, and i hope it does. i love the queen and i love princess anne, but i'm still a yes. i think we could make it a lot better with independence. so i would probably stick with being a yes, i don't think this has impacted my decision at all. i think the political thing is different from the royal thing, you know. with the royal thing, i think sort of we've got an affinity to the queen and the royal house, but politically, with what's been going on under boris johnson and the rest of it, i don't know about liz truss being any different, that might be a stumbling block. and that might be why people want to go independent. as for me, i'm on the fence a bit. how soon the impact of recent events will be tested remains uncertain as london continues

to resist edinburgh's demands for a fresh referendum. one question that we really need to ask ourselves for the next few months, especially with a view to a potential referendum in 2023, as nicola sturgeon has promised, is, have people been monarchists, or have they been elizabethists? is it actually support for queen elizabeth that has felt like support for the institution of the monarchy and does that dissipate under king charles? i think we've got to be a bit careful about thinking that therefore, that monarch is a glue that holds the country together. if scotland goes it alone, albeit with a monarchy, what will the future hold for the rest of charles�*s kingdom? it would be very, very difficult for charles to, you know, continue to say he was the king of the united kingdom because the kingdom would no

longer be united. there are risks around the union at the moment, and i think it is crucial for everyone, you know, who believes in the union to make a really positive case for it. and i think we also need to sort of engage the wider business communities, the civil society. of course it's important for those of us in elected office, to explain that unity and working together has tremendous advantages. it's the most successful political union in history. i wouldn't be able to make any kind of a prediction about whether or not northern ireland will be breaking away from the union anytime soon, but if the opinion polls are to be believed and sinn fein does win the next election and lead the next government in dublin, certainly you will hear talk of a desire for a united ireland ramping up a good few notches. whatever happens in scotland, census results show the underlying picture here is also in flux.

when queen elizabeth took the throne in the 1950s, more than 6 out of 10 people here were protestant and there was no doubt a clear majority of northern ireland's population — roughly two thirds — favoured the union. the latest census reveals, though, that for the first time people here from a catholic background outnumber their neighbours from the protestant community. it's important, of course, not to equate someone's religion with their politics. however, taken together, the findings on religion and national identity show that the northern ireland king charles reigns over today is a very different place from the one his mother inherited 70 years ago. i wouldn't take the census in isolation. i think that it is an example out of many, which shows that we are living in a society that has changed. we are living in a society that will continue to change. i think the results from the census show that there is a momentum and a trajectory to further

change on this island. there is a conversation around constitutional change, and i do think it's inevitable that the question will be put to the people on this island, north and south. unionists reject the notion a united ireland is inevitable. some believe the monarchy�*s popularity here will shore up the argument for staying in the uk. undoubtedly, demographic change means that it's more important than ever for those of us who believe in the union to make a positive case for it. you know, i absolutely don't think that attitudes to the union have to split down sectarian lines. i feel sure that our new king and the royal family will continue to provide an important symbol of unity for our country, which i hope will be part of this continuing positive advocacy for keeping our nation together.

do you believe that king charles iii will be the last monarch to reign over this part of the world? well, i don't know. but what i do say is that i do think constitutional change will be coming to this island. that's open for debate. but if an independent scotland would keep the monarch in place, what role, if any, might the king play in the event of a united ireland? northern ireland is different. if, as is likely, sinn fein becomes the largest political party and achieves power in the republic of ireland, and prioritises its unity agenda, would they be open to the idea of ireland rejoining the commonwealth? given that they will be under pressure to emphasise what they are prepared to compromise on when it comes to their relationship with unionists? could the commonwealth be a part of that story? if you were to achieve a united ireland, would there be any symbolic role that you could envisage king charles or his successors

continuing to play? well, i'm an irish republican. i'm not a monarchist. but what i would say is that the shape of a new ireland is for all of us to have input into. everything needs to be on the table for conversation. in terms of a cultural emotional tie to unionism, the monarchy is an extraordinary force. i think we would be naive, there's no possibility i think we would be naive, there's no possibility if there's a border poll that there will be any role for the monarchy in the island of ireland politically or from a head of state role afterwards. but i think the strength of royalist enthusiasm within the loyalist or unionist community would last for quite some time after any border poll, potentially for at least two, three, four generations. of course, charles�*s kingdom isn't just about lines ona map.

it's also about what the public think and whether they remain content with the traditions of a constitutional monarchy. you only have to look at these queues to appreciate the enormous levels of affection felt for the queen. but in the future, will the people be content for the royal family to continue as if nothing has changed, or will they want a more cost—efficient streamlined monarchy? i think we will end up, within 10 years, maybe within 5, of being closer to the model used by the danish monarchy, which is slimmed down. certainly, they have been pretty efficient about making sure that queen margaret ii doesn't include all the grandchildren or even all her children in hrh duties, for want of a better word. so i think the british monarchy will go down that route where it is smaller in its composition. reign, so one would expect that to continue. it is an institution that's shown itself again and again ready to adapt to new circumstances, so i suspect we are likely to see some

changes from our new king. polling carried out after the queen's death indicated that, across the uk, 67% of the public supported a continuation of the monarchy, with only 20% backing an elected presidency. in the polling for my own newspaper, the times, by yougov, you see for the first time in living memory, a majority of people saying they think king charles would make a good king. the difficulty is, as time goes on, will questions over whether this king is the right person to shepherd the institution into a new age rear their head again? over the years, charles�*s popularity has waxed and waned. back home in county tyrone,

kathryn and herfriends relive the moment their 1a hours waiting in line came to an end, culminating in walking into the grand surroundings of westminster hall. as we walked up the steps, there was just a real wave of emotion. it was worth it. just to be a part of history and to have had that opportunity was amazing. what are your hopes for king charles in terms of filling his mother's shoes? well, i think he's had a long time to learn the ropes, if you like. so i think that's been a good learning curve for him. the nation is trying to come to terms with the loss of a queen of 70 years, and so i think that we just would quite like a bit of steadiness and consistency. you know, there's changes within government as well so, hopefully, king charles will sort of continue on and maintain the high standard that his mother has set. he may not get as long as his mother to make his mark. but king charles iii's reign could yet turn out to be one of the most decisive and eventful eras in his kingdom's long constitutional history.

hello there. wednesday morning will be getting off to an exceptionally mild start given we are in earlyjanuary. mild is a feature of the weather through the rest of this week. it will also be windy, and there will be spells of rain because on the satellite picture we can see various weather systems heading in our direction, various areas of cloud moving our way to bring further rain at times. a very mild start to the morning. double—digit temperatures first thing in many places, even in the north of scotland, where tuesday was quite cold, wednesday will dawn on a slightly milder note. some outbreaks of rain here, also some rain in the southeast corner.

that tending to clear, then it's really a sunshine and showers day. most of the showers will be found across northern ireland, southern scotland and the far north of england. cloud will thicken in the far south west of england later with some spots of rain, and it will be quite windy, but temperatures north to south, 7—14 celsius. through the night, we will continue to see some showers through northern ireland, southern scotland and the far north of england. and a bank of cloud will be rolling its way in from the southwest with some spots of patchy light rain and drizzle. clear spells elsewhere, overnight lows, 2—10 celsius. now into thursday, we'll start off under the influence of this very weak ridge of high pressure. so a decent amount of dry weather around first thing, low pressure, though, you'll notice approaching from the west, that low actually deepening as it approaches our shores. so we'll see a lot of cloud rolling north eastwards through the day. some patchy rain for england and wales, some heavier rain getting into northern ireland and western scotland through the afternoon with a strengthening wind. but, again, it will be

mild, 8—13 celsius. now as our area of low pressure passes to the north west of scotland, as we go through thursday night, see the white lines, the isobars squeezing together, a swathe of gales likely to affect western parts of scotland, could turn very windy through the central belt for a time on friday morning. still some showers around on friday, but this is a window of somewhat drier weather, some spells of sunshine, perhaps a little less mild, but only a little. still seeing highs between 8—12 celsius. and then for the weekend, saturday will bring outbreaks of rain eastwards. further showers on sunday. it will remain quite windy throughout the weekend.

this is bbc news. i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: chaos and confusion: the us house of representatives fails to elect a speaker in its opening session for the first time in a century. plans to restrict travellers from china to europe after a surge in covid cases: beijing threatens to retaliate. a woman who falsely claimed she was raped and trafficked by an asian grooming gang is found guilty of perverting the course ofjustice. and the fans say goodbye: tens of thousands line the streets for the funeral of brazilian football legend pele.