this is the israel—gaza border this morning as israel comes under growing international pressure over civilian casualties. hamas health officials say 110 palestinians were killed in a day in the jabalia refugee camp. tight security outside the court in hong kong, as media tycoon and pro—democracy campaignerjimmy lai in australia, record rainfall caused by a tropical cyclone has led to widespread flooding in the state of queensland. and here in the uk, independent shops say they fear a big spike in thefts over the festive and new year period. the bbc understands that the dup has ruled out the prospect of a deal to restore devolution in northern ireland before christmas, the bbc understands. it's been boycotting stormont since early 2022 in protest over post—brexit trade rules. the government was hoping

to restore devolution before the parliamentary recess on tuesday. live now to our correspondent, charlotte gallagher, who's in belfast. talk us through what each side once. what are the sticking points? i don't think charlotte can hear us, or maybe she has frozen. anyway, we will see if we can come back to her in a moment. we can speak to the leader of the sdlp, the social democratic and labour party. thanks for coming on talking to us. as i said in the intro, we are hearing the dup saying it does not look hopeful before christmas now. what do you make of that? things have been looking a bit more promising towards the end of last week, haven't they? figs towards the end of last week, haven't they?— towards the end of last week, haven't they? as far as we are concerned. — haven't they? as far as we are concerned, the _ haven't they? as far as we are concerned, the deal _ haven't they? as far as we are concerned, the deal is - haven't they? as far as we are concerned, the deal is almost| haven't they? as far as we are - concerned, the deal is almost done, and all it needs now is a decision from the dup. we have been waiting for nearly two years for a decision

from the dup. they have gotten a lot out of the negotiations. what we have had instead is rising waiting lists in the health service, public sector workers on strike because they haven't been paid properly. and all because we don't have a government. there really is no reason to wait any longer. the people are bored of all of this and they are quite angry that politicians who are being paid to go to work aren't going to work. i suppose they are saying they are not led by calendar, they are led by the issues, so whatever it takes in terms of the timings of this. in terms of the timings of this. in terms of the impact this has had over the last two years on things in northern ireland, can you just talk us through what it's been? presumably the civil service has picked up as much as it possibly can, but there have been limits to that, haven't they?— can, but there have been limits to that, haven't they? absolutely, the civil service — that, haven't they? absolutely, the civil service can't _ that, haven't they? absolutely, the civil service can't take _ that, haven't they? absolutely, the civil service can't take political- civil service can't take political decisions. what we have been left with is public sector pay not being able to be increased, we'd be left with waiting lists that would embarrass a third world country in the health service. the health

service is at the point of collapse, right across public services there are major problems. it takes political leaders to get in there, who have been elected, by the way, get in there and do theirjob and make some of these decisions. but i actually don't believe any more time will give any more concessions to the dup. i think it is more about optics than anything else. i don't think they want to look as if they are getting bought off by a big financial settlement. are getting bought off by a big financialsettlement. i are getting bought off by a big financial settlement. i just don't think leaving it over christmas will help. i think the strains added will make it even more difficult for the dup to do a deal after christmas. it is a {2.5 billion package, this. is a £2.5 billion package, this. just explain what is being offered by the government. i think the offer will actually be improved, because there is a significant debt in the northern ireland public purse that needs to be wiped away. we think that northern ireland has not been paid properly from the central treasury pot, and that can all be

improved. i think there will be a significant improved offer from the british government, that should be enough for anybody to get back into government. but this was never supposed to be about money. the dup said it was about something else, about creating a relationship between britain and northern ireland because of brexit. i think all of thoseissues because of brexit. i think all of those issues have been largely resolved. businesses are telling us that things are working smoothly and working well. we that things are working smoothly and working well-— working well. we have a unique opportunity _ working well. we have a unique opportunity in _ working well. we have a unique opportunity in northern - working well. we have a unique l opportunity in northern ireland to trade into the british market and the european market and encumbered, an advantage that other places in britain don't have. i really don't know what the dup are waiting for. thanks for talking to us. we are joined by robbie butler, the deputy leader of the ulster unionist party. i don't know how much you heard from the sdlp, but in terms of the deal not looking like it is going to

happen today or tomorrow, according to the dup at least, what do you make of that?— to the dup at least, what do you make of that? obviously it is the dup we are _ make of that? obviously it is the dup we are waiting _ make of that? obviously it is the dup we are waiting for— make of that? obviously it is the dup we are waiting for to - make of that? obviously it is the dup we are waiting for to make | make of that? obviously it is the | dup we are waiting for to make a decision, in northern ireland politics we are used to deadline points, and there have been instances in the past where at the very last minute it looked like the light was going out on the light came on. i would ask my dup colleagues to put people first. they said they are not going to be calendar led, they are going to be looking at the issues, but there is no greater issue than the cost of living impact on hard pressed workers in northern ireland. whether that be nurses, junior doctors, teachers or support staff, transport staff, who find themselves paid less than most of their counterparts across the uk. any self—respecting unionist must understand that people are the union and people need to be put first. the are the union and people need to be ut first. .., are the union and people need to be ut first. ,., ._ put first. the government saying this package. —

put first. the government saying this package, they _ put first. the government saying this package, they said - put first. the government saying this package, they said they - put first. the government saying i this package, they said they might even improve on the 2.5 billion, but they say it is fair and generous in terms of the package. in terms of your understanding of the sticking point for the dup, what is it holding out for? i point for the dup, what is it holding out for?— point for the dup, what is it holding out for? i think what has ha--ened holding out for? i think what has happened over _ holding out for? i think what has happened over the _ holding out for? i think what has happened over the past - holding out for? i think what has happened over the past week . holding out for? i think what has happened over the past week or| holding out for? i think what has - happened over the past week or two, commentators have coupled the issues together and they need to be decoupled. we don't have a stalemate because of dup opposition to the framework, which all unionists, including my party share, by the way, wejust including my party share, by the way, we just have a different tactic as to how we would see those changes. the piece of work around the fiscal contribution by his majesty's government is, after the hard work put in by all of those parties, convincing the head of civil service i'm getting the british government to accept that northern ireland has been historically underfunded. and i think colin might have been misquoted, when he talked about the level of debt, we don't accept there is a debt. the treasury accepted

that northern ireland had been underfunded for a number of years. that is not debt, it needs to be written off because we were not getting the fiscal amount right over the last two years, and then we need to look at the stability. but the last two years, and then we need to look at the stability.— to look at the stability. but is it realistic for _ to look at the stability. but is it realistic for that _ to look at the stability. but is it realistic for that to _ to look at the stability. but is it realistic for that to be - to look at the stability. but is it realistic for that to be written l realistic for that to be written off? it realistic for that to be written off? ., , , realistic for that to be written off? . , ,., , , realistic for that to be written off? ., , , ., , , ~' off? it absolutely is. i think the treasury and — off? it absolutely is. i think the treasury and the _ off? it absolutely is. i think the treasury and the prime - off? it absolutely is. i think the | treasury and the prime minister off? it absolutely is. i think the - treasury and the prime minister have already made that point, insofar as they have said that northern ireland has been underfunded. if they accept that presence, it is not a debt, it is quite simple, it's not even an argument that anybody with any fiscal responsibility could be making. if we have been underfunded, it is not a debt.— it is not a debt. thanks very much for talking — it is not a debt. thanks very much for talking to _ it is not a debt. thanks very much for talking to us, _ it is not a debt. thanks very much for talking to us, i _ it is not a debt. thanks very much for talking to us, i appreciate - it is not a debt. thanks very much| for talking to us, i appreciate your time. robbie butler, the deputy leader of the ulster unionist party. let's have another go at talking to charlotte gallagher, she might be able to hear is now. yes, thanks very much. i able to hear is now. yes, thanks very much-— able to hear is now. yes, thanks| very much-_ very very much. i am here, lucy! very nood, i very much. i am here, lucy! very good. i said _ very much. i am here, lucy! very good. i said you _ very much. i am here, lucy! very good, i said you were _ very much. i am here, lucy! very good, i said you were frozen, - very much. i am here, lucy! very i good, i said you were frozen, maybe in other senses. good to have you on. we were hearing from the sdlp

and the ulster unionist party, saying everybody was waiting for the dup but they say they will not be held to a calendar before christmas. can you talk us through what the dup are saying on this? the can you talk us through what the dup are saying on this?— are saying on this? the real issue for the dup _ are saying on this? the real issue forthe dup is— are saying on this? the real issue for the dup is brexit, _ are saying on this? the real issuej for the dup is brexit, essentially. and the post—brexit trading arrangements. it is important to say that the dup supported brexit, but the decisions afterwards they are not happy with. essentially, when goods are coming in from other parts of the united kingdom into northern ireland, they have to undergo checks. the dup says that is meaning they are treated differently to england, scotland and wales, and they feel that their place in the union, which is very important to them, is at stake, and they are incredibly unhappy. i would say for the dup, the issue is not so much about money going into northern ireland, but these trade tracks. the thing is, all of these decisions have to be agreed with the european union and the british government. there have been tweaks already to the trade agreements with the

european union, but it would be inconceivable for the eu to say that it's coming to northern ireland have to undergo no checks. that is the situation for the dup, and we have heard from them that it seems very unlikely that they are now going to do any sort of deal before christmas. there was a lot of optimism last week, the dup said they were approaching the time for a decision. overthe they were approaching the time for a decision. over the weekend, the leader, sirjeffrey donaldson, sent an e—mail to leader, sirjeffrey donaldson, sent an e—mailto party leader, sirjeffrey donaldson, sent an e—mail to party members saying there was more work to be done. we thought that there could be a decision made today, devolution could come back to northern ireland, that £2.5 billion could be pumped into public services like health care, education, things that need the attention of politicians. because it's been civil servants running those things for nearly two years. big decisions that need to be made by politicians just haven't happened. it now looks incredibly unlikely that there will be any sort of deal done to return to devolution in northern ireland. what that means

is, if this continues, we could be facing another election before anyone sat in the government since the last one. it is a very stressful situation for a lot of people in northern ireland to say we just need things done here. it's unfairfor us to be held in this limbo, essentially, but the dup say we are not going to be calendar led, we are going to be issue led. they are not happy until they get some kind of deal on trading arrangements. thanks ve much, deal on trading arrangements. thanks very much. good _ deal on trading arrangements. thanks very much. good to — deal on trading arrangements. thanks very much, good to get _ deal on trading arrangements. thanks very much, good to get you _ deal on trading arrangements. thanks very much, good to get you on, - deal on trading arrangements. thanks very much, good to get you on, in - very much, good to get you on, in the end. overseas care home staff have told the bbc they feel exploited and trapped, by the firm that brought them to the uk to work. an undercover investigation into a residential and nursing home near newcastle also saw low staffing levels, which health professionals say was putting vulnerable residents at risk. prestwick care — the company that operates the home — denies any suggestion of systematic bad practice. the home office has since revoked its licence to recruit overseas. here's our social affairs editor alison holt. an undercover panorama reporter spent eight weeks working as a care assistant here at addison court residential and nursing homejust

outside newcastle. more than 50 residents live here, paying an average of £1,100 a week. the reporter is soon told they're short of nurses. when they booked me, they told me there would be two nurses. we're short staffed, short staffed, short staffed all the time. prestwick care, which runs the home, says one nurse on duty is adequate as they're backed up by a team of care staff. but this nurse is struggling. she's from india and says she needs the visa, which is sponsored by prestwick care. and panorama has seen evidence of why some overseas staff might feel trapped. this contract from a nurse who used to work at the home shows he was told he'd have to pay more than £4,000 if he left, including home office and legal fees.

the government says employers should pay this. prestwick care says it is reviewing repayment clauses in staff contracts. analysis of the accounts of the home's parent company suggests it's making high profits from its 15 care homes, but has a lower number of staff per bed than some of its competitors. aesthetically, addison court was beautiful, but the care wasn't. tracey�*s 79—year—old mother, joyce bird, used to live at the home. there had been concerns about unexplained bruises. she had alzheimer's and died last may. althouthoyce was meant to have one—to—one care, a postmortem concluded she was alone when she died. the social worker would always say to me your mum should never have a single bruise on her. so my thoughts were that there were numerous times that she had been left unattended and that's why she was falling as much as she did. katie is an nhs nurse who used

to train staff at the home weekly. over two years, she made 33 safeguarding alerts, including about unexplained bruises and injuries to residents. families think their loved ones go into 24—hour care. because they get around the clock care and they're getting looked after. and that's not what i witnessed. prestwick care is run by bunty malhotra. at a meeting for his indian staff, he makes it clear loyalty is two—way. all nurses have to be registered with the nursing and midwifery council. it's known as their pin. and if you work for an english company, if you work for nhs, one mistake — reported to nmc straightaway. in here in 37 years, touch wood, not a single nurse has lost pin. not one. you think you don't make mistakes, you don't make mistakes, you don't make mistakes. but we will always protect our staff.

this isn't allowed outside. oh, my god. he's almost justifying that if you make mistakes, we're going to cover it up. prestwick care says any suggestion of systematic wrongdoing or bad practice would be unfair and inaccurate, and that the safety and wellbeing of staff and residents is paramount. alison holt, bbc news. you can see the full story of care workers under pressure — on panorama tonight, at 7pm on bbc one. independent retailers say they fear there may be a big spike in shoplifting over the christmas and new year period. the british independent retailers association worries any increase could put some shops out of business. many stores have reported feeling abandoned by the police. our reporterjim connolly has more. he's walking down towards my counter, where i've got my pokemon cards. he's got his young son with him. shop owner lisa says the man is using his child as a decoy. here, he's dipping in the cards. he'll go around here, pop them in a pocket

or something like that. his arm will go backwards in a minute and grab another lot of cards while he's talking to his son. she says over £200 worth of cards were taken. yeah, it took me a long time to sleep better at night after this. lisa says she reported it, but no one was arrested. she says theft like this is hard to handle. it can mean the difference between me paying myself that week, and not paying myself that week. west yorkshire police told us they carried out facial recognition work, but neither this or a public appeal identified the suspect. lisa and more than 80 businesses in this leeds suburb have come together to create their own early warning system on whatsapp. if a potential thief has been in a shop, they'll put on immediately, "watch out for this person". often they'll take a still from the cctv so we know exactly what this person looks like. just down the road, rachel worries she could face more shoplifting this festive period.

i'm spending more on staff wages to have eyes absolutely everywhere. what's the point of me being really, really busy to then realise that's missing, that's missing, that's missing? she's not alone, according to the british independent retailers association. there is a fear, a real fear, among large and small retailers . that this problem could get bigger towards the end of the year. there's a real lack of confidence in police actions on this. - and we're not blaming the police, they are stretched. _ but over the years, - they've ignored this trend of of people taking from shops. it's been treated as a low priority. and now we're paying the penalty for that. i we work very hard and we do struggle, especially now, with the cost of living and all that. in london, annie wants to pass her 70—year—old family business down to her daughter katie, but fears shoplifting is making that difficult. even the slightest little thing will impact us. abd it means more staff and we can't afford to keep more staff. and it means more staff and we can't afford to keep more staff. we do report it to the police,

but, again, they're not going to do anything. it's not worth it for them. the national police chiefs' council told us local forces deploy resources where they can be most effective in catching offenders and keeping people safe. to tackle the problem, katie started uploading photos of suspected shoplifters to facebook. itjust came to my head, i've got the picture on my phone — why don't ijust share it? although there's no comments under the videos, you would not believe how many messages we get saying, "oh, this is the person's name, address." i'll send literally a letter, i'll post it, because a stamp's worth getting my £25 back of stock you stole. do you sometimes worry about a sort of a vigilante element to it, that you could be encouraging other people to act on your behalf? we won't post anyone unless we're adamant that we can see them physically pick it up, take it out the door, and there was no question that they were trying dodge cameras. they look at the cameras, nine times out of ten. everyone we've met says shoplifting has put a strain on their business. but what's striking is they've all taken strength from the communities around them to fight back. jim connolly, bbc news.

the us has condemned the latest testing of a north korean missile. the united nations leader also condemned the launch. it is the fifth long—range test carried out by pyongyang this year. tokyo said the missiles capable of reaching anywhere in the united states, and flew for 73 minutes before crashing into the sea. the chief executive of a nuclear site in cumbria, has disputed reports that the computer systems have been hacked. euan hutton told the bbc there was no evidence of sellafield's it networks having been targeted by groups linked to foreign governments — and rejected allegations of serious safety failings at the plant. our international business correspondent theo leggett reports. sellafield is europe's most

hazardous nuclear site, a sprawling complex of ageing facilities. large quantities of highly radioactive wastes are stored here, as well as plutonium, a toxic material that could be used to make weapons. security is intense, so allegations that its it systems have been hacked are extremely serious. the chief executive insists they're entirely unfounded. we've got absolutely no evidence to suggest that our systems have been hacked in the fashion that you've mentioned there, and indeed was mentioned in the paper, by a state actor at all. you say there's been no evidence of a hack in the way mentioned by the newspaper. is there any evidence of a hack full stop? no. we've got very robust, multi—layer protection systems that would indicate if anything like that had happened. that isn't the only accusation being fired at sellafield. it's also alleged that crumbling and decaying old facilities like this are simply unsafe and could present a risk to the public, or even

trigger a nuclear disaster. this vast, open—air pond contains hundreds of tonnes of used nuclear fuel and radioactive sludge that's accumulated over decades. the challenge now is to keep it safe, because it's an old facility, while at the same time carrying out the long process of decommissioning it. the question is, is that process being done fast enough? sellafield insists it is. work to clean and empty the pond is well under way, using a variety of robot submarines. this building, meanwhile, is a rubbish dump for decades' worth of nuclear scrap. but a leakl unseen and inaccessiblel is letting radioactive fluids seep into the ground. this mechanical grab is being used to retrieve the waste for storage elsewhere. but it's a process that will take years. sellafield denies it's a problem that's been swept under the carpet. we are straining every sinew to accelerate, safely, what we have to do to stop the leak.

and the best way to do that is to remove the waste safely so we can get there as soon as we can. 70 years of the nuclear industry have left sellafield with a difficult and dangerous legacy. bosses here insist they have nothing to hide. but the latest controversy illustrates one of its biggest problems — a sore lack of public trust. theo leggett, bbc news. when it opened back in 1989, doncaster dome was the largest leisure centre in europe — now it's entering the history books once again. it's been awarded protected status, for its striking architecture and geometric design — meaning it will be preserved for decades to come. our reporter, heidi tomlinson can tell us more. from the outside, you wouldn't imagine doncaster dome to be of historical importance. but this leisure centre built in the 1980s is now grade ii listed due to its striking architecture and bold geometric shapes. it's called post—modernist architecture and it fits in nicely with the leisure use,

because it's about giving the architect freedom to design individual bits and to take people back to a different time in age. so we're approaching the atrium, the actual dome here, david, and there are some very interesting features that you might not notice unless they're pointed out. that's right. the whole idea is to pull you through into this area and to have the illusion that you're looking at a classical column. but you've got some interesting features at the top of the column. you've got the steelwork, which supports the atrium. it's all very exposed. and you can see what your what the building's made of. walking through the crowds i in the six—pool swimming hall, the princess joked about feeling overdressed for the occasion. i opened in 1989 by princess diana, the venue was commissioned to drive economic regeneration. then, it was the largest

leisure centre in europe with the longest water flumes. for 3a years, families have headed to the dome for fun days out. and to this day, this is the only split—level ice rink in the country. and at this time of year, thousands of people come here to feel festive orjust glide around awkwardly and nearly fall on their backsides like i'm about to do. oh, i should have got that snowman, shouldn't i, after all? the architecture has rather fallen flat on visitors over the years. so why is it now listed? it's designed by a firm of architects who were the pioneers and specialists in leisure—centre design and it's one of their best, as well. and it's just epitomises the era. it's that transition from a normal sports centre, with more kind of formal sports, to what effectively is like a pleasure palace. the reason it's listed is because of its geometric design and its striking architecture.

i can agree with that, yeah. there's nothing else around here that looks remotely like it. i think the dome's like a thing people from outside _ of doncaster come here for. it's very modern—looking but it's moved with the times. it's looking a little bit tatty. you know, these buildings don't really stand the test of time, do they? a refresh is imminent, with 2.4 million ready to replace the dome's glazing. so this officially historic building can shine with pride. heidi tomlinson, bbc news. to start at the box office for wonka, about the famous chocolatey. it was the number one movie in the opening weekend in north america. it made $39 million, adding to the $110 million it has made globally. we will leave you in a festive mood

with three mass santa runs. first, kosovo, thousands of santas have joined, taking part in the event that raises money for families joined, taking part in the event that raises money forfamilies in need and a local children's hospital. next, mexico city, where 2500 runners and 250 petsjogged through the mexican capital. the organisers say it is their love for christmas that is their motivation. and finally, caracas in venezuela, where young and old took part in a festive race there. with a lack of real snow, festive race there. with a lack of realsnow, organisers festive race there. with a lack of real snow, organisers deployed foam to celebrate. it'sjust real snow, organisers deployed foam to celebrate. it's just not as good as the real thing, is it? now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets. hello. it was a cloudy and mild start to the day for many, there's hope of some sunshine coming through, particularly across the north. but as we head through the week,

there will be further rain at times, there'll be some particularly windy weather mid week onwards and behind that it turns colder. so this is the weather front for today, introducing that cloud and rain across much of england, wales, more coming into the north west of scotland as well. but for the meantime, we've got the south—westerly winds, a fairly brisk south—westerly wind, keeping it mild, keeping it rather grey as well. the heavier rain, i think, arriving across parts of wales and north west england through into the afternoon. any brightness in the east limited, it's more likely across parts of scotland and northern ireland after a rather grey and drizzly start. but there's more rain waiting in the wings up in the north west of scotland and temperatures actually a little lower for scotland and northern ireland compared with the weekend. so, a little bit chillier. and a chillier night to come as that weather front slips southwards. but not for england, wales and northern ireland. some really heavy rain for a time. some of these showers following into the north and west could be a little bit wintry over the hills. temperatures getting down to frost levels, at least in the glens of scotland. but we are then confronted with yet more rain as we go through the night

and into tuesday morning. so that will take its time to clear from wales, from northern england, but should have cleared northern ireland and scotland by the morning and eventually it clears the far south and east into the afternoon. so most places will see some brightness, more than today, as we get through into tomorrow afternoon. but it's a chillier day. temperatures dipping away as the day goes on and these showers pestering the north and west will be falling as hail, some thunder and some sleet and snow, particularly on the hills. by wednesday, we're into a brisk west north—westerly wind and yet more cloud piles in. so after a chilly start and a bright start, the sunshine will disappear, mostlyjust light rain and drizzle in southern areas, but something a little bit more persistent coming to the north and west and with it bringing back some slightly milder air. 11 or 12 degrees celsius the high. but that windy weather as this low pressure passes close to the north of scotland, giving us severe gale force winds. and as they come down from the northwest, introducing some cooler air to all parts by the end of thursday. not particularly cold, but cold enough for those wintry showers in the north to turn to snow even at lower levels, particularly by friday. as ever, you can keep

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this is bbc news. this is the israel—gaza border this morning. the hamas—run health ministry says israeli strikes on the jabalia refugee camp killed 110 palestinians. us defence secretary lloyd austin lands in israel, as international pressure for a ceasefire in gaza intensifies. heavy security outside a hong kong court, for the trial of pro—democracy campaigner, jimmy lai. his son says the hearing is just for show. the bbc understands northern ireland's democratic unionist party has ruled out any deal to restore devolution before christmas. a tropical cyclone causes record rainfall and widespread flooding in the australian state of queensland. hello, i'm lucy grey.

there are growing