john prescott — the former deputy prime minister — has died at the age of 86. a towering figure in new labour, he's being remembered as an influential — and sometimes controversial — keystone of british politics. he was loyal, committed and an enormous help to me, and he had a fantastic gut instinct about politics. also on the programme... the family of captain sir tom moore is criticised by the charity commission for personally profiting from the foundation set up in his name. ukraine accuses russia of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile — it would mark the first time such a powerful weapon had been used in the war. special services in birmingham remember the victims of the city's pub bombings exactly 50 years on. the double olympic triathlon champion alistair brownlee announces his retirement

at the age of 36. and coming up on bbc news, 11 games, 11 wins for chelsea boss sonia bompastor as her side progress to the quarterfinals of the women's champions league. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the former deputy prime minister, john prescott, has died at the age of 86. first elected to parliament in hull in 1970, he went on to serve in tony blair's government for a decade. the prime minister, sir keir starmer, described him as a "true giant" of the labour movement. our political correspondent, harry farley, has been looking back at his life. a boxer in his youth, john prescott�*s infamous punch in the 2001 election campaign cemented his

image as a political bruiser. he laterjoked he was connecting with the electorate. then prime minister tony blair responded saying, john is john. prime minister. this morning, sir keir starmer paid tribute. figs sir keir starmer paid tribute. as one of the key architects of a labour — one of the key architects of a labour government, john achieved that rare _ labour government, john achieved that rare thing singo that he changed people's lives and he set the path — changed people's lives and he set the path for us all to follow, and i will always— the path for us all to follow, and i will always be grateful to him for that _ will always be grateful to him for that and — will always be grateful to him for that. and mr speaker, he did it all in his— that. and mr speaker, he did it all in his own — that. and mr speaker, he did it all in his own way, with humour, with pride, _ in his own way, with humour, with pride, passion and total conviction. he truly— pride, passion and total conviction. he truly was— pride, passion and total conviction. he truly was a one—off. a pride, passion and total conviction. he truly was a one-off.— he truly was a one-off. a towering illar of he truly was a one-off. a towering pillar of new— he truly was a one-off. a towering pillar of new labour, _ he truly was a one-off. a towering pillar of new labour, john - he truly was a one-off. a towering i pillar of new labour, john prescott spent ten years as deputy prime minister under blair. he oversaw a sprawling department covering the environment, transport and the regions. it was a long way from his

birthplace in prestatyn, north wales. he failed the 11 plus, which wanted him through his life. at 15, he left school to become a ship's steward. he wasn't new labour's slickest politician.— slickest politician. those five - led . es slickest politician. those five pledges are essential. - slickest politician. those five i pledges are essential. you can slickest politician. those five - pledges are essential. you can see i can't find them.— can't find them. with his union background — can't find them. with his union background and _ can't find them. with his union background and working - can't find them. with his union background and working classl can't find them. with his union - background and working class roots, he was the glue holding blair's movement together. 1 he was the glue holding blair's movement together.— he was the glue holding blair's movement together. i can't use the boards of old _ movement together. i can't use the boards of old labour, _ movement together. i can't use the boards of old labour, i _ movement together. i can't use the boards of old labour, i have - movement together. i can't use the boards of old labour, i have to - movement together. i can't use the boards of old labour, i have to use| boards of old labour, i have to use the old ways. he boards of old labour, i have to use the old ways-_ the old ways. he was highly intelligent. _ the old ways. he was highly intelligent. that _ the old ways. he was highly intelligent. that was - the old ways. he was highly - intelligent. that was sometimes masked by people he used to make fun of his speeches and his use of the english language, but he was an incredibly direct communicator. and evenif incredibly direct communicator. and even if the syntax never quite made sense, the sentiment was very powerful and made complete sense, and ifound him, you know, we had our disagreements from time to time, but he was loyal, committed and an enormous help to me and he had a fantastic gut instinct about politics. as well as a bridge between new and old labour, he was

also a councillor holding together the increasingly level of partnership between blair and gordon brown. he remained one of labour's best communicators, despite the occasional mistake. can we do that again? sorry, we are live at the moment, mr prescott. will you agree to do that? he often didn't see eye to do that? he often didn't see eye to eye with others in labour's hierarchy, such as peter mandelson. he is called peter. this hierarchy, such as peter mandelson. he is called peter.— he is called peter. this year, after many years _ he is called peter. this year, after many years of _ he is called peter. this year, after many years of not _ he is called peter. this year, after many years of not having - he is called peter. this year, after many years of not having been - he is called peter. this year, after many years of not having been in l many years of not having been in contact, — many years of not having been in contact, he — many years of not having been in contact, he comes onto my phone one sunday— contact, he comes onto my phone one sunday morning on facetime and says, is that— sunday morning on facetime and says, is that you. _ sunday morning on facetime and says, is that you, peter? i said yes, john, — is that you, peter? i said yes, john, it — is that you, peter? i said yes, john, it is, _ is that you, peter? i said yes, john, it is, how are you? he said, i warit— john, it is, how are you? he said, i warrtto— john, it is, how are you? he said, i want to tell— john, it is, how are you? he said, i want to tell you i forgive you. i said. _ want to tell you i forgive you. i said. what— want to tell you i forgive you. i said, what are you for giving me for, said, what are you for giving me for. john? — said, what are you for giving me for, john? he said, well, you were treated _ for, john? he said, well, you were treated hot— for, john? he said, well, you were treated not well. you weather meet in the _ treated not well. you weather meet in the you _ treated not well. you weather meet in the you always got a good kicking. _

in the you always got a good kicking, and i want you to know i forgive _ kicking, and i want you to know i forgive you _ kicking, and i want you to know i forgive you. i said, do you mean forgive _ forgive you. i said, do you mean forgive me — forgive you. i said, do you mean forgive me sympathise with me? he said yes, _ forgive me sympathise with me? he said yes, that as well. and we talked — said yes, that as well. and we talked for— said yes, that as well. and we talked for another ten minutes or so and then— talked for another ten minutes or so and then he — talked for another ten minutes or so and then he was off, and that was 'ust and then he was off, and that was just this _ and then he was off, and that was just this year, it was lovely. by the end just this year, it was lovely. the end of just this year, it was lovely. err; the end of his decade as just this year, it was lovely. by the end of his decade as blair's deputy, prescod's influence was diminished after revelations about an affair with his secretary. this -a has an affair with his secretary. this party has given _ an affair with his secretary. this party has given me _ an affair with his secretary. ti 3 party has given me everything and i tried to give it everything i have got. i know in the last year, i let myself down. i let you down. so conference, ijust want myself down. i let you down. so conference, i just want to say sorry. conference, i 'ust want to say sor . �* ., �* , conference, i 'ust want to say sor .�* ., �*, sorry. behind john prescott's son livin: sorry. behind john prescott's son living image _ sorry. behind john prescott's son living image was _ sorry. behind john prescott's son living image was a _ sorry. behind john prescott's son living image was a political - living image was a political heavyweight, labourto living image was a political heavyweight, labour to the end with a unique ability to connect. our yorkshire political editor, tim iredale, is in the cityjohn prescott helped to represent in parliament. tim, how will the people

of hull remember him? i think people here will remember him as one of their own. john prescott wasn't born and bred here in hull, this was very much his adopted home city, but it was somewhere he represented in parliament for four decades. as we have heard today, he was flawed in some ways. he wasn't perfect. he could be short tempered. he had a short fuse was that he certainly spoke his mind and he didn't suffer fools gladly. i remember one of the last occasions i covered a political visit here. he came to a northern transport summit in hull which was organised under the last conservative government and he came in and sat down and listen for a while and about halfway through, he stood up and stormed out. he said, this is a disgrace. that wasjohn prescott. you can't imagine politicians from the era of spin and

the importance of being on message, you can't imagine many of them doing that. but across the globe, he was mr hull. wherever he went, he would speak to world leaders, diplomats, famous faces and they would have an open invite to come back here with the city and see for themselves what it was like. this area of east hull is somewhere that benefited from regeneration money during his time as deputy prime minister. he was outspoken, but he spoke his mind and he was a politician that certainly didn't pull any punches. tim. he was a politician that certainly didn't pull any punches. tim, thank ou. a highly critical report by the charity commission says the family of captain sir tom moore damaged public trust in charities by refusing to donate any of the £11; million they received from his book deal. the watchdog says the war veteran's daughter, hannah ingram—moore, and her husband colin "repeatedly benefited" from the foundation set up in his name. it found there were repeated instances of a "blurring of boundaries between private

and charitable interests". and it concluded their actions amounted to misconduct, mismanagement or both. our investigations correspondentjoe pike reports. he was an international fundraising sensation who provided hope at the height of the pandemic. # happy birthday, captain tom, daddy, grandpa...# and by his side throughout, the daughter we now know financially benefited from the captain tom foundation, including with a publishing dealfor three books. there was a £11; million book deal where, because of the marketing around it, and also because of captain sir tom's own words in the foreword, the public would have expected some of that money to go to charity, and it didn't. it went directly to the ingram—moores. what is your message to the ingram—moores? follow through on the commitment that was made, and donate a substantial amount to the charity.

i'm delighted to be here at ashton vale club for young people to give them the third virgin media 02 captain tom foundation connector award. the regulator also criticised hannah ingram—moore for earning £18,000 forjudging an award scheme in the charity's name, while already being paid as its chief executive — a story first reported by the bbc. the charity was given £2,000. she says she was there in a personal capacity and in her own time. the actions of hannah and her husband, colin, a trustee of the charity, was, the regulator said, misconduct or mismanagement — or both. this report is damning. the figures involved are eye—watering and we understand the captain tom charity is now considering taking legal action against the family to try and recover some of that money. the ingram—moores have said the charity commission has treated them unfairly, the process was unjust and excessive and the regulator had

a predetermined agenda. the astonishing £39 million captain sir tom moore raised all went to charity, but the actions of his family seem to have tarnished that legacy. and you can watch a new documentary on the bbc iplayer captain tom — what went wrong is available now. and on bbc sounds, the captain tom story explores how he became became a global sensation, and the controversy that followed. the international criminal court has issued arrest warrants ukraine has claimed the city of dnipro has been targeted by a russian intercontinental ballistic missile. russia hasn't confirmed it, and officials in the us say it wasn't an intercontinental missile. it's raised debate about whether the kremlin had decided to use more powerful weapons, days after ukraine has fired long—range missiles, supplied by the us and the uk, to strike targets inside russia. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has the latest.

russian troops in eastern ukraine, discussing their targets, as they launch artillery shells in the donetsk region. these pictures were released by russia's defence ministry today, as kyiv claimed that russia had, for the first time in the war, fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at ukrainian territory. though western officials have questioned this. drone footage shows the impact of the artillery shells, though we're not sure where. we do know that the conflict is now escalating, with both sides determined to make whatever gains they can before donald trump takes office injanuary. these are the long—range storm shadow missiles sent to ukraine by the uk. yesterday, we learned that they'd been fired for the first time into russian territory. it came a day after ukraine launched similar american missiles at russia, with the kremlin accusing the west

of pouring fuel on the fire. for 1,000 days of war, 1,000 days of ukrainian bravery and sacrifice, i am clear that we must double down in our support. we will not be deterred or distracted by reckless threats. over the past few months, with devastating effect, russia has gained large amounts of territory, several times as much this year as last. the uk and other western allies want to help strengthen ukraine and weaken russia as much as they can before donald trump becomes president, but it's a difficult battle. defence intelligence will reveal today that the front line is now less stable than at any time since the early days of the full—scale russian invasion in february �*22. and we've seen in recent weeks a very clear escalation from putin and his forces. images from the city of dnipro show the damage done in the early hours

of the morning by one of russia's later strikes. this a medical rehabilitation centre where disabled children came for treatment. the vast human cost of this war growing every day. caroline hawley, bbc news. the international criminal court has issued arrest warrants against israel's prime minister and former defence minister. the court's chief prosecutor karim khan filed the applications in may against benjamin netanyahu and yoav gallant, as well as senior members of hamas. our middle east correspondent yolande knell is injerusalem. yolande, what more can you tell us? this is a very dramatic development this lunchtime. the top international court, based in the hague, has issued these arrest warrants. it says there are reasonable grounds to believe that israel's prime minister and its former defence minister emitted war crimes in gaza during the war. in

particular, it talks about using starvation as a method of warfare, intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population. the court said israel's acceptance of its jurisdiction court said israel's acceptance of itsjurisdiction is court said israel's acceptance of its jurisdiction is not court said israel's acceptance of itsjurisdiction is not something thatis itsjurisdiction is not something that is required. israel of course denies carrying out war crimes in gaza. we have not yet had an official response from the israeli prime minister, but we have had a lot of condemnation of this move from israeli politicians. the president, isaac herzog, has said this is a dark day forjustice, a dark day for humanity in may, when the icc chief prosecutor said he was seeking these warrants, back then mr netanyahu said this was outrageous, a moral outrage of historic proportions. you may remember that back then, the court was also seeking arrest warrants for three senior figures seeking arrest warrants for three seniorfigures in hamas. those men, including the masterminds of the 7th of october attacks, are now thought, all of them, to have been killed.

but the evidence from the head of the military wing of hamas is not so strong, so there is still an arrest warrant for him. what does this mean in practical terms? i think that internationally, this will be seen as criticism of the conduct of the war in gaza by israel, but the israeli prime minister is going to seek to paint this as an attack on israel, an attack on him, and he will get a lot of public sympathy among israelis for that. in practical terms, among israelis for that. in practicalterms, it among israelis for that. in practical terms, it is also going to have an impact and it will certainly limit his travel plans.— limit his travel plans. thanks, yolande knell. _ nine water companies will be blocked from using customers' bill payments to fund bonuses for their bosses. the regulator, ofwat, has used new powers to force shareholders at the companies to finance the payments. our business editor, simonjack, can tell us more. simon, water bills are due to rise again soon — the companies say they need extra money to improve infrastructure — so where does today's news sit in all of that? i think it dense trust in the

industry yet further. there has been widespread public outrage against sewage incidents we have reported on very forcibly. as you say, nine companies were told they could not take the pot of money that customers pay into to pay out bonuses. six of the nine companies identified voluntarily did this, so the owners rather than customers footed the bill for these bonuses. but three of them, thames water, yorkshire water and welsh water did pay that money out of the customer part and that will have to be repaid from the money they are going to get in the future when we get this new settlement which they are working on now. obviously it is not a great prelude to the fact that the regulator ofwat is about to announce some very eye watering rises to water bills, saying there has been underinvestment for too long and we will see some very substantial water bill rises above inflation over the next five years. they are locked in these negotiations right now. we will get a decision on that on

december the 19th but i think it's fair to say that of what themselves admitted that public faith and trust in the industry and indeed the regulator has never been lower and therefore these big, big bill rises coming down the track are going to be very hard for many people to swallow. . ~ be very hard for many people to swallow. ., ,, , ., ,, ., the time is 1:17. our top story this afternoon: tributes are paid to the former deputy prime ministerjohn prescott after his death at the age of 86. and the double olympic champion alistair brownlee has announced his retirement from triathlon. coming up on bbc news, formula 1 heads to las vegas, but lando norris's bid to win the drivers�* championship could be over as max verstappen closes in on retaining his crown with three races left. australia has started plans to bans under—16s from using social media, by introducing them in its parliament.

the country's prime minister has called it �*world leading legislation', that will protect children at a critical stage in their development. our sydney correspondent katy watson reports explains. school's out and so are the phones. but, if australia's government has its way, for most children, checking their social media accounts will become a thing of the past. the new legislation means anyone under the age of 16 will be banned from platforms like instagram and tiktok. there'll be no exceptions, not even if they have parental consent. this is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know we're in their corner when it comes to supporting their children's health and wellbeing. initially, it won't apply to messaging apps, online gaming or platforms used for health and education purposes, and the onus will be on the companies, not parents or users, to comply — with fines of as much as £26 million if they don't. i think it's a great idea because peer pressure and digitally

being bullying and without anyone knowing about it, it's actually a bad thing. honestly, i think it's a good thing. there's a lot of really terrible influences online, more so than good ones. just as gel nail polish that you can paint spray on. 15—year—old lucas lane is known as glossy boys online, sharing tips for boys who like wearing nail polish. he started atjust12 and has grown a community, as well as a business. he thinks the plan is badly thought out. it's just angry old people like, "oh, ban social media!" but now this is becoming a threat. this only affects me, not the people making this law. not at all. you're taking choices away from young people, and these are choices that they have grown up with, that they understand, that they navigate quicker and better than anyone. so how is it going to work in practice? well, the government says that it's up to the companies to find ways of keeping the children off their platforms. age verification has been talked about a lot, but that could mean

everyone having to upload personal details. it's not infallible either. many kids will find ways around it, so the companies now have some time to come up with solutions. australia's touting it as a world—first ban. who will be next? but perhaps more importantly, how will the platforms step up to the restrictions? katy watson, bbc news in sydney. a volcano in iceland has erupted for the seventh time this year, forcing people living nearby to evacuate. there was just 45 minutes' warning ahead of the eruption on the reykjanes peninsula overnight. icelandic authorities are warning that harmful gas emissions could affect the southwest of the country in the coming days. the us government has proposed breaking up google's monopoly over online searches by making it sell its chrome search engine. it's part of a series of proposals from the us department ofjustice amid growing concerns over a lack of competition. google says the department is pushing an "interventionist agenda."

a banana duct—taped to a wall has been sold for nearly £5 million. the artwork by italian maurizio cattelan raised four times more than pre—sale estimates, and was bought by a chinese entreprenuer, who claims he will eat the fruit as part of a unique artistic experience. government borrowing was much higher than expected in october — after public sector pay rises and record high interest payments on the national debt. the total figure stood at £17.4 billion last month. our chief economics correspondent, dharshini david, joins us now. dharshini, take us through the significance of these figures. indeed, when you talk about public borrowing it might something for the whitehall bean counters but this effect all our public services and indeed our tax bills. as you mentioned, the government spent £171; billion more than it took in last month and there are two reasons

why that deficit is bigger than analysts expected. the first is to do with spending on things like wages because remember, we saw the chancellor rachel reeves approving higher pay rises but the likes of nurses and police officers so we saw a public sector wage bill topping £18 billion last month. we have also seen an increase in the amount of interest the government pays on its debt. so that title, £9 billion, thatis debt. so that title, £9 billion, that is the highest for any october on record. those of you who can do sums quickly in your head know it is half the size of the entire public sector pay bill. the government is putting a brave face on this figure saying our budget has put the public finances on a firm footing but they will be disappointing that the chancellor because economists say if she wants to go ahead with her spending priorities there is a risk that the tax rises we saw last month may not be the last and they could be more in store.— be more in store. thank you, does

david. the bbc children in need chairwoman has quit after reports she protested to the chief executive of the charity about grants paid to an lgbt group. in her resignation letter, seen by the times, rosie millard accused the charity of "institutional failure". lgbt youth scotland said that children in need's investigations into its work found nothing to report. our culture reporter noor nanji joins us now. noor, what more do we know? rosie millard was in her post for six years. she has now quit that role. we have not seen her resignation letter, it is quoted in the times but according to the newspaper she was sharply critical of the organisation after it handed £460,000 to a group called lgbt youth scotland. rosie millard criticised the organisation's chief executive simon antrobus for what she called dithering in his response to historical child sex abuse allegations regarding people involved with the group. he has not

publicly commented but a children in need spokesperson said its board of trustees has full confidence in the actions taken by the ceo and senior leadership and stand by the decisions that were made. one individual named in the letter was the former chief executive of lgbt youth scotland who was convicted in 2009 other child sex assault. that the seven months before children in need gave any money to the group. another individual concerned in the allegations was a young man whose views formed part of a guide published by the charity 15 years ago and he was convicted this year for sharing indecent images of children. in her letter, rosie millard said the chief executive of children in need had not responded with the necessary level of seriousness to the rebel evasions. the children in need spokesperson said when the allegations were made, the grant was immediately suspended and a review was launched on that review took time in order to be

thorough and fair and culminated in the decision to withdraw funding earlier this year. lgbt youth scotland said rosie millard's resignation letter was astonishing and demonstrates the ideological driven nature of her attacks. she said the allegations she raised were proven to have no link to the charity or its work. we have tried to reach out to rosie millard and told she is not available for comment but in a statement on wednesday night she said it had been an honour and wednesday night she said it had been an honourand a wednesday night she said it had been an honour and a privilege to serve as chair of bbc children in need. it should not be forgotten all of this is taking place after the annual and your broadcasting event which raised millions of pounds that goes to helping disadvantaged young people and their families across the uk. helping disadvantaged young people and theirfamilies across the uk. in and theirfamilies across the uk. in a statement, tim davie, the director—general of the bbc, said he wanted to express his gratitude to rosie millard for her leadership over the last six years.- rosie millard for her leadership over the last six years. thank you, noon matt hancock, has defended his actions as health secreatary as he continues to give evidence

to the covid inquiry. our health editor, hugh pym, is there. hugh, bring us up to date. well, some of the families, the bereaved, have gathered just outside the inquiry because we are in the brake over lunchtime and they have been saying to us about how triggering and difficult to the evidence was this morning because it involved a lot of questions around policies inside hospitals, about which patients got intensive care and which didn't and the use of do not resuscitate notices. so a very difficult series of issues there. matt hancock always maintained the nhs was not overwhelmed but was challenged by that and said if patients were not getting vital cancer care because it was postponed or they couldn't get intensive care treatment, surely in their view the nhs was overwhelmed. mr hancock

became quite animated at that point. here is a bit of what he had to say earlier today. you sent me endless evidence showing that the nhs was under incredible pressure as if i didn't — as if i wasn't there. but i was on... i visited as often as i could. i talked to the doctors. of course i relied on the official advice that i was getting, but i went to see it and i spoke to people regularly, as did my senior advisers. we were... we were emotionally engaged in trying to stop this from being, from getting worse, frankly. mr hancock will give more evidence this afternoon and tomorrow morning. this phase of the inquiry, on the nhs during the pandemic, will end next week. next up in the new year, the inquiry will be looking at the vaccine roll—out and issues around vaccinations. vaccine roll-out and issues around vaccinations— snow has caused disruption across parts of scotland

and south—west england, shutting schools and causing delays to road and rail travel. these were the scenes in the south west of england, where commuters in exeter and cornwall have seen disruption on the roads. and school closures as well. and in scotland thousands have got the day off after 60 schools were shut in aberdeenshire, moray and the highlands. our reporter louise hosie is in insch in aberdeenshire. louise, what are conditions like there? their wintry weather has been affecting this part of scotland all week and today, snow, low temperatures and dice are continuing to cause problems. more than 100 schools in the highlands are currently closed including most in inverness and 30 schools here in aberdeenshire and around 12 in moray. travel is also affected. some bus services cancelled and some train services in the highlands. there has also been reports of some

cars stuck in snow for a while and fallen trees. yellow warnings for snow and ice remain in place across scotland until at least tomorrow morning. the met office saying that ten centimetres of snow is expected in some places and up to 20 centimetres on higher ground. as the weekend approaches, we also have the second named storm of the year which brings with it a severe amber warning for parts of tayside, fife and the highlands, so it's clear that this weather is set to stay for some time. that this weather is set to stay for some time-— the double olympic triathlon champion alistair brownlee is retiring from the sport at the age of 36. he won gold at london 2012 and successfully defended his title in rio dejaneiro four years later. he's said today that triathlon had "profoundly shaped" his life. our sport correspondent, andy swiss, has been looking back at his career. alistair brownlee! it was one of british sport's most gloriously familiar sights.

at london 2012 and rio 2016, alistair brownlee swam, cycled and sprinted his way to triathlon glory. the olympic triathlon champion for the second time! but at 36, he says his career has now reached the finish line. triathlon was very literally a childhood dream for me to be a professional athlete, and i definitely achieved way beyond anything i could imagine, so i'm old! i'm 36 and i've done it for a long time and there's a load of other things i want to do with my life. a baby—faced brownlee was just 21 when he first became world champion. he went on to win every title in his sport. but he did it all alongside his younger brotherjonny, training together in yorkshire and soon sharing olympic podiums together, an entire sport dominated by one family. indeed, who could forget this,

alistair helping his exhausted brother across the line at a race in 2016. what an incredible conclusion here! the ultimate brothers in arms, and one of sport's most remarkable images. alistair brownlee. in 2016, he was also runner—up in the bbc sports personality of the year, but it was a rare second place. brownlee says he's now looking forward to a slightly slower pace of life at the end of a truly glittering career. andy swiss, bbc news. a reminder of our top headline this afternoon. political headline this afternoon. colleagues remember the former political colleagues remember the former deputy prime ministerjohn prescott after his death at the age of 86. special services in birmingham remember the victims of the city's pub bombings exactly 50 years on. we ll have a full forecast in the next half hour, but it's time now for a quick look at the weather.

here's darren. thank you very much indeed. big changes on the way for this weekend out in the atlantic and area of low pressure is undergoing explosive cycle of genesis. it will become storm birch and sweet wet and windy weather across the uk and eventually mild weather as well. but on saturday before the mild weather arrives, we have this amber snow and ice morning from the met office. this part of scotland could be particularly snowy and icy that even before we see the significant changes over the weekend, before then we still have cold air in place, so more snow showers, more icy conditions. i will have more later on. thank you, darren. the rate at which primary school pupils are being suspended from state schools in england has more than doubled in a decade. new by the bbc also shows that permanent exclusion rates have gone up by 70% over the same period. our education correspondent elaine dunkley has more. hey, good to see you, cooper.

this is perryfields primary. teddy! come on then, lovely. it's a pupil referral unit in worcester. 0h... it's ok, keep nice hands. all of the children here have been suspended from their primary schools, and some have been permanently excluded because of their behaviour. he came in angry, but actually told us the reason why. every morning starts with a staff meeting to understand the challenges and achievements of the pupils. do you want to see what's outside? there are 24 places here. cooper is on a six—week placement. so this is the playground. the hope is he'll eventually return back to his school full—time. when i got angry, i threw chairs. that's not going to happen at this school. tried to hit teachers. bad idea. 0h...god! all of the children here have complex needs.

freddy loves football and reading, but since the age of five, he's struggled in mainstream schools. because i was at a mainstream, like, not specialist at all, they weren't right for me because sometimes i have... i don't know what it's called, but i have my little moments. and then it goes wrong. freddy has been here for nearly a year. soon, he'll be leaving to go to a special school. when i was struggling a little bit before, but they've kind of boosted me up a little bit. you've read, you've calmed, beautiful. they're saying "well done" because i didn't feel that great about myself before. small class sizes help teachers quickly de—escalate problems and behaviours. can i show elaine your art sketchbook? there is time for the children to reflect and learn new strategies to cope when they're struggling. absolutely brilliant. achieving this in mainstream schools with large class sizes is a big challenge.

what we see in the schools we support is quite often some quite extreme behaviours. it might be a physical assault on another child, it might be a physical assault against adults or serious damage to property and classrooms. the complexity of needs of the children that i've seen is growing and growing and growing. the age of the children that we're working with are getting younger and younger. that's very much the case that i've seen locally and nationally in the work that we've been doing. first word is "describe". 90% of permanent exclusions from primary schools in england involve a child with special educational needs. the pandemic has made things worse. trauma, parenting and poverty can also be factors. in a statement, the department for education says it will invest £1 billion into special educational needs and will go further to support teachers. today is a big day for mum jo and her son, jacob. jacob's having his asd assessment, which we've been waiting for two and a half years. and finally, today is the day.

jacob has adhd and an education health and care plan outlining the support he needs. he'll now be assessed for autism. jacob has been permanently excluded from his previous school and it's pushed this family to their limits. reception was tough, and of course then we had covid for two years and that was in and out. i mean, we never did a week at school. when it's too noisy, just tell me what happens to you. ijust, like, get, like, angry and ijust walk out of a class. what would have made it better? understanding kids with special needs. because they mostly need help. for the children who come here, perryfields is a calm, nurturing environment — a special place that feels safe. you're smiling. elaine dunkley, bbc news... oh, that smells really nice. ..in worcester. i'm going to have a really nice cake.

still to come on today's programme... it was supposed to help children learn to code — but the bbc has learned that the mini computer, raspberry pi, is now being used in russian—made drones. we'll find out why shortly. first it's time to join our colleagues with the news where you are. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm gavin ramjaun. 11 wins in a row — is there any stopping sonia bompastor and her chelsea side, as they make quarters of the women's champions league? alistair brownlee retires from triathlon — the two—time olympic champion says he achieved far more than he ever imagined. and as formula one decends on las vegas, lando norris' title hopes could be over in sin city with three races left.

hello and welcome along to sportsday. it really is a case of who can stop this chelsea women's side at the moment. sonia bompastor, since taking overfrom emma hayes, has continued in that succcessul vein of form. the frenchwoman has won 11 successive games, after victory last night over celtic secured their spot in the champions league quarterfinals. the side also sit top of the women's super league, and few would argue with them defending their title again this season. craig templeton reports. it has been quite the start for life as chelsea manager for sonia bompastor, 11 wins in a row and league knockout reach with two games to spare. similarly, it was quite the static and celtic last night. lucy bronze's volley opening the scoring with a minute on the clock. they would go on to score twice more and ease their way out of the group and ease their way out of the group and into the quarterfinals.

everything was not perfect, but in terms of a result, we are in a good place. that is good because it brings a lot of confidence and also it is important for us to continue our run. , ., ., our run. things are going well domestically _ our run. things are going well domestically as _ our run. things are going well domestically as well. - our run. things are going well domestically as well. victory l domestically as well. victory against manchester city last weekend, and two points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand. it is more like an evelyn. sonia bompastor took over a chelsea side that dominated under emma hayes, she won the past five league titles before leaving. irate hayes, she won the past five league titles before leaving.— titles before leaving. we want to win, so i think _ titles before leaving. we want to win, so i think they _ titles before leaving. we want to win, so i think they have - titles before leaving. we want to win, so i think they have that. win, so i think they have that winning mentality. the win, so i think they have that winning mentality.— win, so i think they have that winning mentality. the one that got awa for winning mentality. the one that got away for hayes _ winning mentality. the one that got away for hayes is _ winning mentality. the one that got away for hayes is a _ winning mentality. the one that got away for hayes is a champions - away for hayes is a champions league, the trophy that for nine years has only been won by barcelona, who beat chelsea in 2031,

and leon, who sonia bompastor won it with the following year. she will have to wait until february to see if chelsea draw either of those sides. the women's champions league action continues this evening. arsenal — unbeaten under interim boss renee slegers — hostjuventus. the gunners have won five out of their six matches under slegers after former bossjonas eidevall handed in his resignation, and arsenal defender emily fox was asked if she'd like to see slegers stick around. yes, i think renee has been showing us what she can do. but i think we are all focused, and why have we have done so well is being focused on the present. with that, after tomorrow and then the international break, we will all disperse and regroup and see where we are at.

manchester city are also in action tonight — away at swedish side hammarby. city won the reverse fixture 2—0 last week. follow them, and the rest of tonight's games, over on the bbc sport website the former northern ireland player kyle lafferty has revealed that he feigned injury to avoid playing for his country when he was younger. he hasn't been selected since receiving a ten—game ban for a sectarian comment he made on social media in 2022. lafferty has also revealed he recently suffered a relapse into his gambling addiction. he's been speaking to stephen watson. kyle lafferty is one of northern ireland's best—known players. his goals propelled the country to the euros in 2016. but he feels remorseful about errors ofjudgment remorseful about errors of judgment he remorseful about errors ofjudgment he made. remorseful about errors of 'udgment he made. ., , , remorseful about errors of 'udgment he made. ., , remorseful about errors of 'udgment he made. .,,.,_ ., , ., , he made. probably early on in my career, i didn't _ he made. probably early on in my career, i didn't turn _ he made. probably early on in my career, i didn't turn up _ he made. probably early on in my career, i didn't turn up at - he made. probably early on in my career, i didn't turn up at times i career, i didn't turn up at times when i should have. i decided to go on holiday rather than playing for my country may be feigning an injury

if it meant getting a few days off. you won't injured? i wasn't. daft stuff that you look back and think, it is so stupid of me. his international— it is so stupid of me. his international career - it is so stupid of me. his international career was ultimately ended after he hit the headlines for a sectarian comment made on a social media video. i a sectarian comment made on a social media video-— media video. i won't sit here and blame anyone — media video. i won't sit here and blame anyone else, _ media video. i won't sit here and blame anyone else, the - media video. i won't sit here and blame anyone else, the words i media video. i won't sit here and i blame anyone else, the words came out of my mouth. it could have been handled better, maybe. ithinki out of my mouth. it could have been handled better, maybe. i think i was flung under the bus, maybe. it is what it is, you make mistakes and you have to live with them. the 37-year-old from _ you have to live with them. the 37—year—old from enniskillen also continues to battle a gambling addiction. i continues to battle a gambling addiction. . , continues to battle a gambling addiction. ., , .g ., continues to battle a gambling addiction. ., , ., ., continues to battle a gambling addiction. ., ., g; addiction. i was off of it for 3.5 ears. i addiction. i was off of it for 3.5 years- i fell — addiction. i was off of it for 3.5

years. i fell back— addiction. i was off of it for 3.5 years. i fell back into - addiction. i was off of it for 3.5 years. i fell back into it - addiction. i was off of it for 3.5 years. i fell back into it and - addiction. i was off of it for 3.5 l years. i fell back into it and went and got the proper help and now i'm coming up to six months clean again. he tasted success in his club career, including two spells and rangers, but feels unfulfilled. three titles for rangers, four cup medals, 89 caps. played with and against some of the world's best players. but i do have massive regrets. but it was all down to me. so lafferty is rueful, but he told me that for the first time in years, he is content. i me that for the first time in years, he is content-— he is content. i was happy on the itch, i he is content. i was happy on the pitch. i was _ he is content. i was happy on the pitch, i was probably _ he is content. i was happy on the pitch, i was probably gambling i he is content. i was happy on the| pitch, i was probably gambling or doing something else off it, so to be able to take all of the right boxes and enjoy it now, it is a good place to be. double olympic triathlon champion alistair brownlee says he fulfiled his childhood dream as he announced his retirement. the british athlete

won gold at london 2012 before defending his title in rio four years later. he was also a double world champion in 2009 and 2011 and has competed with his brother, jonny, on the biggest stages. alistair — who's 36 — says he's achieved far more than he ever dared to imagine as he announced his retirement on social media ultimately, it just ultimately, itjust feels really right. i know that is a wishy—washy thing to say, but it does, and i'm happy with it. i have been doing it for a long time. there are so many other things in sport that i want to be able to do, i want to do all sorts of endurance challenges, remain fit and healthy and be involved in sport into my old age. olympic heptathlon silver medallist katarina johnson thompson says she's backing herself to compete at the next summer olympic games, where she'll be 35 when they take place in la. johnson—thompson won silver at the paris olympics, which she says made up for the anguish she felt at pulling out of

the toyko 2020 games. speaking on bbc breakfast she spoke about that moment, and how she felt after breaking down on the track. after the olympics, i just after the olympics, ijust thought, you know— after the olympics, ijust thought, you know what? i think enough is enough _ you know what? i think enough is enough this point. i had a rupture which _ enough this point. i had a rupture which i _ enough this point. i had a rupture which i came back from and did the olympics. — which i came back from and did the olympics, but i thought i was done trying _ olympics, but i thought i was done trying with— olympics, but i thought i was done trying with this sport, because my body— trying with this sport, because my body couldn't take it. formula one is back this weekend, fittingly at a city that knows how to party — las vegas — as the formula one world championship could be decided there. max verstappen's on the verge of a fourth successive driver's title — he holds a huge lead over lando norris with three races to go. so all eyes are on vegas for the grand prix which could settle things. the sphere venue, as well as others are the centre of attention, and focus very much on the street circuit after problems last year. among them, a valve cover popped off a manhole during the first practice session and

nearly destroyed carlos sainz�*s car. lando norris has bigger problems though, after he could only finish 6th in brazil and verstappen romped to victory. i had a tough week because things didn't go my way and my fight for the championship was slimmed by the biggest margin of almost the whole year. a tricky one, but it doesn't change my approach. my approach has been correct, my approach has been the right approach for the last few weekends. i have been performing well and doing a good job, so from my side, i won't change anything, but i can probably go out and enjoy it a little bit more. and the fixtures for the new super league season have been released. super league champions wigan warriors will start the 2025 season at home against leigh. see all of those over on the bbc sport website and app.

that's where you can get all the latest sports news, including more build—up to the return of the premier league this weekend. but that's all from sportsday. time to hand you back to anna and the bbc news at one. of the birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people and injured another 220. explosions tore through the mulberry bush and the tavern in the town on november the 21st 1974, after a vague warning from the ira didn't give people enough time to evacuate. our midlands correspondent, phil mackie, has the story. everything from the grainy news footage to the uniforms, the vehicles and even the haircuts makes it seem like a different world.

but even today, the bombings and their impact resonate in birmingham. the carnage caused at the mulberry bush and the tavern in the town left 21 dead and more than 200 hurt — many with life—changing injuries. it was like a nightmare, i must admit. i was under this rubble and i was trying to get out and i thought i would be trapped there, you know? and my legs were trapped. but my boyfriend eventually managed to get all the rubble off me, and then we managed to clamber upstairs. although a warning had been telephoned through to a local newspaper, it had been vague and there hadn't been enough time in a pre—digital age to get the message out. the first bomb went off in the mulberry bush, killing ten people, including maxine hambleton. i can remember 50 years ago, virtually to the evening, what happened. it's just etched in my mind and it will be forever. dropping my sister off and watching herjust walk

away from me waving. so... a few minutes later, a second bomb exploded at the tavern in the town. another 11 lost their lives. i had one thought, which was to get out. i could hear screams. i could see what i know is probably residue of the bomb. it was like a war movie in my head. all the beams were crisscrossed. for years, they thought the bombers had been caught. six men were sent to jail in 1975, but they were wrongfully imprisoned and, in 1991, their convictions were quashed. what are thought to be the names of the real bombers have been circulating ever since, but no new arrests have ever been made. i recognise the symbolic nature of the anniversary, 50 years on from the events of that night, and the pain and the loss that has been felt by victims, the survivors and the family.

i understand that we've added to that pain as a result of the inability to bring offenders to justice through the failed investigations. and so that's something that we absolutely understand and we regret. there will be two services to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bombings — one in the cathedral and one here at the memorial to the 21 victims who died. they'll be hoping for better weather. and people will be travelling from all over the world to get here — from as far afield as the united states and even from australia. brian hambleton and his sister, julie, now lead the campaign group, justice 4 the 21. after successfully getting inquests into their victims�* deaths held, they now think the only way they�*ll ever find out exactly what happened is a public inquiry. the people who were there on the night, and the families of those who died, have never been able to forget what happened. i�*m a survivor from that terrible

night, and i know many were not so lucky, but it hasn�*t left me without scars — psychological scars — which have impeded my life at quite a few turns. i�*m a survivor with scars. i had just seen robin along with brian and jullien so many other relatives of victims and survivors from those two bombs that went off 50 years ago tonight and there are hundreds of people here for the service which is about to begin. there is a second one in the cathedral later today. there will be wreath—laying, prayer said in a minute�*s silence at around two o�*clock today. there are vips as well, every emergency service represented, politicians and the duchess of edinburgh. i think one of

the reasons they want today to go really well is notjust the reasons they want today to go really well is not just about that commemoration of what happened and the impact that it has had on birmingham 50 years on, but also to give it more impetus to the campaign that we referred to in that piece, to try and get a public inquiry. the families, victims, survivors, everybody involved in that campaign believes the only way they will ever get the full answers to what happened on that night won�*t be through any new criminal trial, that is almost impossible, but through a statutory public inquiry. the new government said last month they would be looking at one would make a decision at the earliest thank you. a british mini—computer that was originally created to help schoolchildren learn to code, is now being used in russian—made drones. the bbc has seen customs documents that suggest the link. but how has a piece of kit meant for the classroom, ended up on the battlefield? our correspondent, angus crawford, has more. small, powerful, easy to use and assembled in wales.

the raspberry pi minicomputer, launched in 2012, to give children a taste of coding. but now, according to the ukrainian military, being found inside russian drones. weapons used to deadly effect on the battlefield, targeting troops... bleep. and our bbc colleagues. that was a drone attack, against our car. the company that makes these says it�*s shocked by the trade and is doing everything it can to shut it down. but that�*s really difficult, because it�*s run by middlemen in places like this. 4,000 miles away from the uk, bishkek, the capital of kyrgyzstan, a former soviet state and now one of the many back doors into russia. we�*ve scoured customs documents and found tens of thousands of pounds of raspberry pis went to moscow through a company based here.

we set out to track down the person behind it. and here she is, 25—year—old valeria baigascina — her socials full of posts from glamorous places. for now, she�*s in belarus, unreachable for us, so we call her. we have customs documents showing equipment going through your company to russia for the military. but the documents tell a different story and suggest her company did make regular exports to moscow. although it�*s true she doesn�*t own it any more, she sold it to her best friend angelina. she is also out of the country, so we get her on a video call, but she denies any wrongdoing. we have evidence that the company

has been used to send equipment to russia to companies connected to the military. it�*s now ended, right? yeah, call failed, gone. so she blocked us. she�*s now typing. the company doesn�*t supply any prohibitions. and any other information is false. and don�*t bother me again about this. thank you, please. so she's saying the company doesn't break any kyrgyz law. . .— ..hasn't broken any laws... yes. ..and we shouldn�*t call her again. the british government knows about kyrgyzstan�*s problem with enforcing sanctions. earlier this year, david cameron, the then foreign secretary, urged the authorities to do more. russian drones bring death to civilians and soldiers alike in ukraine. campaigners say gaps in the sanctions regime are partly to blame.

it�*s important for those companies and those nations to understand that we are not in a peaceful time any more. it�*s not about calculators for kids any more, because we are in real danger, where there are real missiles flying across the european continent. sanctions broken in the shadows, turning computers for kids into weapons of war. angus crawford, bbc news, bishkek. now the weather with darren. thank you very much. another cold day for us today. typical temperatures only 2—3, a bit colder than yesterday for england and wales. the snow we had in the bar south of england is moving away but it will turn icy overnight. overnight, more snow showers into scotland, wintry showers in northern ireland, heading into wales, north—west england and a dusting of snow in the midlands towards east

anglia. so a lot of icy stretches around overnight. maybe not quite as cold as it was last night, away from scotland, but still a widespread frost, so a cold start to friday. windy weather to begin with naughty ghosts. many eastern areas will be dry with sunshine tomorrow. it is out to the west we have showers. the snow over the hills, snow levels rising tomorrow because we get a westerly breeze and the temperature is beginning to pick up by a few degrees but the more significant changes come in over the weekend. this deepening area of low pressure heading towards the north—west of the uk, this is storm bert commerce sweeping wet and windy weather across the uk but bumping into the cold air which is why we have this amber snow and ice warning that this part of scotland for saturday. it could be very treacherous here. other parts of scotland and northern england seeing some snow early on saturday but as the wet weather sweeps northwards and eastwards, the snow levels rise on the mountains and it will be rain in many areas,

some heavy rain with the risk of localised flooding towards the west. on top of that, very windy, gusts of 60-70 on top of that, very windy, gusts of 60—70 mph through the irish sea and into the north—west of the uk. those wins drawing in milder air and into the north—west of the uk. those wins drawing in milderairand in the south—west, temperatures could be 14 on saturday afternoon, very different from what we are seeing at the moment. storm bert will be sitting to the north—west of the uk throughout the weekend, keeping it very windy. we have this band of rain becoming confined to the south—east on sunday afternoon. around the centre of the storm, really strong winds, lots of showers around as well. in between the two areas of wet weather, a lot drier. still mild but not as mild for many, with the highest temperatures in the south—east of 15 celsius. thank you, darren. that�*s all from today�*s bbc news at one. enjoy your afternoon. goodbye.

live from london. this is bbc news. the international criminal court issues arrest warrants for israel�*s prime minister benjamin netanyahu, former defence minister yoav gallant, and hamas�*s military leader mohammed deif over alleged war crimes in gaza. there are conflicting reports over whether a russian weapon which hit dnipro in ukraine was an intercontinental ballistic missile. it comes as russia says it brought down two british made storm shadow cruise missiles, following reports they�*re being used by ukraine. john prescott — former deputy prime minister of the uk and a towering labourfigure — has died at the age of 86. and these are pictures from iceland where lava is spewing from this volcano near the capital for the tenth time in three years.