this is bbc news, the headlines... three million people in wales and the south west of england are urged to stay at home as storm darragh hits. syria rebels say they have begun �*encircling the capital damascus�*, with reports druze militias are just 10 kilometres from the city. a vote by mps in south korea to impeach the president for his declaration of martial law has failed.

it fell short by a handful of votes and crowds demand that he step down. five years after it was devastated, notre dame cathedral opens later today. a rare red weather warning in areas of wales man has died after a tree fell man has died after a tree fell on his van. the man was on his van. the man was pronounced dead at the scene. pronounced dead at the scene. are without power and travel you'll have much more on that you'll have much more on that as soon as we have it here on as soon as we the news. a rare red weather warning in areas of wales warning in areas of wales and southwest england has and southwest england has ended but amber warnings ended but amber warnings are still in place, meaning are still in place, meaning a possible risk to life. a possible risk to life.

tens of thousands of homes tens of thousands of homes are without power and travel is being disrupted across the whole country. in parts of wales, winds reached 93 miles per hour, with heavy rains. cardiff airport has closed its runway and both rail and coach services have been disrupted. sports fixtures are also hit, including the merseyside derby. tomos morgan reports from penarth in south wales. the wind may have dropped that the impact of storm darragh is still clear to see overnight, there were gusts of over 90 miles an hour in parts of north wales, we've seen fallen trees around the country a few

wales, we've seen fallen trees around the country a 1 but now people during the day but now really attention is turning to the rainfall that is expected over the next 12 or so hours. there are 21 flood warnings in different corners of the country as i speak and this is concerning because the ground is already saturated following heavy rain so natural resources rate wales warning that floods could follow the debris in the rivers and could bring risks as well. the impact of stored dara is likely to be with us for hours potentially days ahead. let's go to weston—super—mare now and speak to nickjohnson. tell us what the situation is like there. that red weather warning meaning in danger to life has now expired that an amber warning the strong wind is still in place for weston—super—mare where i am and up and down the somerset

coast in the south—west. that weather warning is in place until nine o'clock this evening. he mentioned the number of properties in wales there, out of power, here in there, out of power, here in the south—west, the national grid says around 12,000 properties are currently without power is in bristol and it says it's working for those people back online. it is still extremely windy here along the seafront at weston—super—mare, businesses which should have been open, bars, restaurants and even the pier, have been closed and look to remain so for the rest of the day. just driving up and down the seafront you can see tiles that has been ripped off roofs and trees, daybreak, all over the side of the road, and just behind the camera is a ice rink and the tarpaulin roof has been partially ripped off. now,

inevitably, with that level of wind, comes travel disruption, people trying to get trains from weston—super—mare and other parts of the south—west are struggling, many of them are struggling, many of them are delayed and cancelled. the operator gwr is urging people not to travel. if they need to travel, to try and rearrange their plans. to build in flexibility into their journeys. we had the bristol airport as well is facing significant disruptions and many cancellations to flex there, the eppleton said that if you're planning to fly from bristol to get in touch with your airline. we are expecting these gusty winds to continue, at least for the rest of the day, and possibly into tomorrow as well. . ~ day, and possibly into tomorrow as well. ., ~ , ., day, and possibly into tomorrow as well. ., ~ ., �*, ., as well. thank you. that's our correspondence. _ as well. thank you. that's our correspondence. travel - as well. thank you. that's our correspondence. travel has i as well. thank you. that's our i correspondence. travel has been seriously affected by storm

darragh, simon williams has the latest. good morning, the impact of the storm on drivers isn't too bad in many ways because lots of drivers are heeding the warnings is not heading out and that is the kind of thing to do in these situations, only drive if it is essential and from our point of view we normally do 7000 plus breakdowns a day in the week but the weekends tend to be quieter because of lack of commuter traffic and many sporting events have been cancelled and people are rightly staying at home, so we will probably have a slower day today in many ways in terms of breakdowns, but of course we are out there in all conditions ready to help should anyone have a problem. we are hearing of trees being felled or trees falling on a rose, how easy is it to clean up after the impact of a storm like this? this will take some clearing up, it is obviously a major storm as lots of trees down,

i am just outside bristol, extremely windy here, reports of trees down, we know the asa has been affected down near winchester, and if anyone is on the road they need to be very careful, keep two hands on the wheel, slow down, give plenty of space and watch out the debris. then of course you have the danger of water on the roads, we are hearing reports now certainly in wales of lots of heavy rain, so we have the issue of flooding. also aquaplaning could be an issue where a sheet of water on the road affects the wheels when you are driving a little too quickly perhaps and you lose a grip on the roads and that can be very dangerous, so if you can stay at home, that is the message, postpone at your journey until the worst passes. the red weather warning is nearly over here in bristol and south wales and the welsh coast, so it is starting

to come down but if you can stay at home i think that is the message today. you mentioned people are heeding these warnings, do you think we are getting much better at responding to these warnings from the met office? we only had storm thatjust a few weeks ago comedy think that is impacting how we respond? i think people are getting the alert and that is definitely the best course of action and people are taking it on board, people realise how serious this is. we note driving in this country is essential but certainly at the weekend this is a good time for it to hit in many ways because people can stay warm and dry at homes and not be on the roads. simon williams, spokesperson for the rac, thank you forjoining us. for the bigger weather picture here's chris fawkes from the bbc weather centre. that came up at 11 o'clock

so that means the worst of the winds are past us, and i've seen that. the absolute peak wind strength is now behind us. but, we still have our amber weather warning in force and we are talking about a gust of wind over the next, well, over the rest of today so 80 mph. so, that is why we are still majoring on the disruption potential for the strong winds. actually, we've heard lots about the transport disruption, the disruption to airports, roads, railways, across the board with had problems. however, homes have been significantly problematic as well, and they've been increasing. the latest figures that i've been totting up is

138,000 without power with northern ireland fully at thousands. so, it's across this kind of area where it remains in force. we are going to see further transport disruption, further transport disruption, further power cuts, as the amber warning comes in. they will bring down a few tree branches down and that will bring localised disruption even away from the amber wind warning areas. the rain is not a concern, it brought that severe flooding to south wales, and this really nasty scenes from ponty from a couple of weeks ago. we are looking at rain accumulation at the met office also have a amber office also have a amber warning out. we are expecting flooding so that's another problem to look out for. just exlain problem to look out for. just explain what _ problem to look out for. just explain what the _ problem to look out for. just explain what the next few days look like. figs explain what the next few days look like. �* , , ,

look like. as the system continues _ look like. as the system continues to _ look like. as the system continues to batter - look like. as the system continues to batter the l look like. as the system i continues to batter the uk, look like. as the system - continues to batter the uk, it will gradually push eastward starting to work into europe as we head through tonight and into tomorrow but even tomorrow, there are still yellow weather warnings out in force for the strong wind so they're still going to be the case of localised disruption with branches potentially being brought down and all of the rain we've seen, that still needs to work into the catchments and natural environment wales, natural resource wales, they still expect flooding to be a problem into tomorrow across some river catchment so that's one area of concern even after the last drops of rain stopped falling, the seller is the potential for flooding to get worse. i've also been speaking to the water safety manager at the rnli, ross macleod. he explained what he is witnessing at the moment. the conditions, as has been well reported, are pretty treacherous all around the coast at the moment with the red, orange and yellow wind and rain warnings, so it's definitely a weekend for putting up the christmas

decorations, spending time with family and certainly not taking any unnecessary risks around the coast. there's big seas out there, so people are at risk of getting swept into the water and at this time of year the water can be quite treacherous, so we're really encouraging people to avoid the coastline for the next 48 hours or so, but also if you do find yourself down there and you do find yourself in difficulty, there's a couple of key things to remember. the first of which is if you find yourself in difficulty in the water, remember to float to live. so this is where you tilt your head back in the water, put your ears in the water and just rest and relax as best you can, to try and relax your breathing and either float until help arrives or you feel you can self—rescue. and the other thing is to call 999 and ask the coastguard if you see somebody else in trouble. and whilst of course we don't want to put our volunteer lifeboat crew in danger to rescue others, they will be there all week in case of emergency. and just tell us, how have you been preparing ahead of storm darragh? of course, we have seen those red weather warnings in some coastal areas.

so, the rnli is the charity that saves lives at sea, so for us, we are ready 21w, 365 days a year, but with the predicted bad weather, obviously our volunteer crew will be slightly more ready and primed ready to go. but of course prevention is far better than curing these situations, so again just encouraging people to do what they can to prevent that accident from happening and if they are going to be making trips or spending any time anywhere near the coast, it's taking the right precautions, and i'm sure not many people are thinking of going to sea over the next few days but if you are, things like wearing a life jacket like i'm wearing today here at the survival centre in poole is a really sensible move and making sure that you've got a means of calling for help, so you can get that call into the coastguard should something go wrong. our environment correspondent, matt mcgrath is in cardiff and explained why we are seeing so many storms. it's very complicated in relation to climate change, we know that there may be some impact on the jet stream, we know that the oceans of the world are getting warmer.

but in the uk, there is no real compelling trends in terms of storming us, there are no storms as there is not enough evidence to make that known yet but we do know that rainfall associated with storms is much more intense than it used to be. we had a light winter from october to march, one of the wettest on record, and could be fairly said the rainfall we got last year, as a result of climate change. in the stormiest is, that rain was 20% more content so that one of the things that will be in the back of peoples mind now is the storm moves across the uk when the rain accompanying it will be more intense and more deadly as a result. just give us a sense of what could be happening in the next few months. could we be seeing scenes like this again? that's very possible. we heard the most named storms that whether or not there are increasing

as a result of climate change or whether there are other factors at play were not sure but we know that when we get these compound events we get one storm following another. the difficulty, the real difficulty, is that the land and the soil doesn't recover in time to that water tends to flood, tends to build up, and we saw that the compounding nature of the storms when they come one after another is extremely difficult to deal with. we don't know what will come but we know that if storms do come, climate change is likely to make it associated with them much worse. let's just show you these life pictures coming in from prestatyn and of course we are hearing that wales is badly affected. just to remind you of

the breaking is that they had in the past half an hour or so, and it is that a man has died after a tree fell on his than during storm darragh and the man was then pronounced dead at the scene. he was driving his van on the 859 dual carriageway in lancashire. we will follow developments there on that story and storm darragh. bring it to you here on bbc news. it reduced part of the building to ashes, and clouds of smoke filled the streets as firefighters searched for casualties. it broke out at fit 6/15 morning. there was no immediate indication of the cause. learner drivers are now waiting almost 5 months to take their driving test, and the backlog has been steadily increasing since february. the transport select committee

heard from learner drivers earlier this week — who said they're frustrated and the problem is only getting worse. the driver and vehicle standards agency has apologised and says its "top priority" is to address the issue. 0ur reporter sara smith has more. so, what do you do? yeah. however good a teacher tony is, emily hughes is keen to throw away the l plates and part company. it's notjust the call of the open road, but the needs of her two—year—old, delilah. i have a daughter that was premature, she was a 24—weeker, and we have a lot of appointments, so obviously i need to be able to get to the appointments and i need to be able to drive. get your white lines set in... but getting a test was far from straightforward. the huge backlog means pupils and teachers have to play the system. i had to originally book it in loughborough and then i paid for a cancellation app that i managed to get one in then for folkestone, and then tony has a group chat that has cancellations for the local area there, so i managed to get one

forjanuary there, but if not without that i would have been waiting until 2026. tony, a driving instructor for 35 years, can see the pressure it's putting on his pupils. with the pass rate being about 50%, they're trying really hard to pass it the first time, they have extra lessons to try and get up to that standard, but then they're under such pressure on the test that it doesn't always go well for them. the driving test backlog built up during covid. in parliament, the transport select committee heard from those frustrated that it's only getting worse. before covid, it was a six—week wait. we're now looking at a national average of 19, which, given the length of time that has lapsed since covid, i think does suggest that the dvsa is not managing to effectively take the right action. here to face the music, the head of the driver standards agency, responsible for sorting out tests. she said they were

trying everything to find more examiners. i'd hate anyone to be under the misapprehension that we don't desperately care about getting this sorted out. at dvsa, it is the top, top topic of our management attention and we have worked tirelessly over the last four years to try to address this situation. learners are also losing out to bots, buying up tests and selling them on for a huge profit. we have seen some for around £180. now, bearing in mind the legitimate tests can be purchased for £62, £180 is a huge mark—up. learners are left with a choice, pay up or wait, and wait for the chance to get your licence. sarah smith, bbc news. the princess of wales has hosted her annual christmas carol service at westminster abbey — the biggest event in her return to royal duties since finishing chemotherapy treatment.

the candle—lit event included a mix of traditional carols, music and readings. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph has more. it was a family affair. for a princess who has spent much of the year out of the public eye, with her husband and three children, she hosted her annual carol service in westminster abbey. she met some of those performing at the service, she acknowledged it had been a difficult few months. i didn't know this — difficult few months. i didn't know this year _ difficult few months. i didn't know this year was - difficult few months. i didn't know this year was going - difficult few months. i didn't know this year was going to | difficult few months. i didn't i know this year was going to be the year... know this year was going to be the year- - -_ the year... and planned exactly- _ the year... and planned exactly. before - the year... and planned exactly. before the - the year... and planned i exactly. before the service started, she spent time with guests. 1600 were invited to the abbey including sir chris hoy. the theme of the service was love, empathy, and kindness. every person here was invited because they had supported their community in some way or faced their own challenges. 18—year—old 0livia bowditch helps a charity that sends letters of support

to cancer patients. earlier this year, she wrote to the princess of wales. in a world where we see the royal family from a distance, it's really important to remember that these are just people and so i said, "i really hope you're ok, "i understand this is a really difficult time for you, "and i hope you can take the quiet that you need to spend "time with your family, your children and your husband". for the princess of wales, this carol service was both a public duty and something more personal. she was here notjust as a member of the royal family, but as somebody who has overcome her own struggles this year, like so many of the guests. for lindsey burrow, this will be her first christmas without her husband, rob. the rugby league player died injune from motor neurone disease. her invitation to the carol service — a recognition of her courage. it's those tough times that kind of bring people together and i think particularly at this time of year, for many families it's a difficult time, so to be here surrounded by so much kindness, which is what the service was about, was truly special. the royalfamily has much to reflect on this christmas

after a turbulent 202a. this carol service was a celebration of those people around us who help us through the darkest of times. daniela relph, bbc news, westminster abbey. let's get an update on our top story... with me is our reporter meghan 0wen — what's the latest on the fallout from this storm? very sadly in the last image separates there is the first fatality of the storm, and man was killed as a tree fell onto his van in high wind so so far one fatality butjust his van in high wind so so far one fatality but just a reminder of how dangerous that storm was and is still at the moment. but in terms of other updates, we know that part of wales are now experiencing flooding, due to that heavy rain, the met office isjust issuing a further yellow

warning for tomorrow into tomorrow for england and wales. as periods of heavy rain are expected, to continue, and of course we've seen quite a lot of travel trails, leasing trains and buses and roads closed but also we've seen thousands of homes without power particularly in wales where 35,000 homes did not have power this morning. but also, we've seen a number of events cancelled including sports events but also christmas events but also christmas events and this is one of the busiest saturdays ahead of christmas, loosing christmas markets closed, we've seen royal parks close including hyde park so widespread disruption across the uk. even lookin: disruption across the uk. even looking at _ disruption across the uk. even looking at some _ disruption across the uk. even looking at some of _ disruption across the uk. even looking at some of the - disruption across the uk. even looking at some of the images that we have coming into the newsroom of some of the damage following storm darragh, talk is through them. this following storm darragh, talk is through them.— is through them. as in some strikin: is through them. as in some striking images _