the five remaining members of the so—called bali nine drug ring have been freed and flown back to australia — after almost 20 years in an indonesian prison for their roles in a heroin smuggling plot. comedian chris mccausland, strictly come dancing's first blind contestant, has been crowned this year's winner. chris beatjls singerjb gill, actress sarah hadland and former love islander tasha ghouri to lift the glitterball trophy in saturday's live final. hello. nearly 13,500 migrants, who did not have the right to stay in the uk, have been returned to their home countries since the election, according to the government. but, new figures are expected to reveal more than 35,000 people have arrived in britain in small boats this year — a number the home secretary yvette cooper says is "far too high".

she's been speaking to laura kuenssberg this morning. when can our viewers expect to see the number of people making small boat crossings, putting their lives at risk, trying to get to the uk? when can they expect that to come down? so of course we want to continue to see progress. of course we want to see the boat crossings come down as rapidly as possible. what we're not going to do is do this by slogans. so, you know, rishi sunak did say he said it's not about slogans. this is not about slogans. when it comes to something like waiting lists. and in the nhs the government's very happy to put targets publicly on that and say measure us by whether we hit those. when it comes to kids education, the government's been very happy to put a target on that, saying, judge us by this measure. when it comes to this issue,

you won't give us a yardstick by when we could know when people can actually expect there'll be a significant difference. why not? because it makes it feel like it's not a priority to the government in the way that some other issues are. well, quite the opposite. we've made clear that the border security is actually one of the foundational issues before you even get to any of the missions. it's one of the big foundations. and we've been clear we need to reduce both legal and illegal migration and illegal migration that we need to be. it's a clear priority for the government in terms of tackling these dangerous boat crossings. there is a history of home secretaries and prime ministers making grand promises, but never actually having a proper plan. the approach we're taking to this is really step by step. we are putting in place the things that we need, the agreements with other countries, the stronger returns arrangements, the much stronger law enforcement, the operations with germany to go after the smugglers — supply chains, the operations with italy to go after the illicit finance. but you're asking people to be patient then with the existing situation. well, i think we're being kind of very clear and straight with people about the complexity of this, because the gimmicks

did not work. what we had previously was a whole lot of gimmicks. everybody promised it was going to solve it immediately. and what we're doing is the very serious action. we've already substantially increased... we've had over 25% increase in terms of the returns. we're having over 30% increase in enforcement raids, so we're already increasing step—by—step. but of course this is complex. and of course this takes time. what you call gimmicks, other people call strong deterrents. now we know that you ditched the conservatives�* rwanda plan. and frankly, our viewers know no one can tell whether it worked or not because it didn't happen. conservatives say it would have had an effect. you say it was a disaster and it never would have done. it ran for two and a half years. but we will never know. £700 million. we'll never know.

i mean, that isjust a totalfailing scheme. we'll never know because it didn't happen. however, you said on our programme a while ago that you were interested in the idea of using another country, maybe for processing claims. italy, where we're speaking today, has started not with huge success, but to use albania to process people. are you still, in principle, open to the idea of using other countries as sites where people who want to live in the uk could have their claims looked at and processed, to use the jargon? are you still interested in that? so we will look at whatever works. clearly, everything has to meet proper international standards. clearly, something has to be effective and has to deliver results. the interesting thing about the italy—albania arrangement and you're right, that hasn't fully started yet. the interesting thing about that is that at the heart of it is a plan to effectively fast—track cases from predominantly safe countries. we are interested in doing that in the uk — is to fast track decisions for people arriving from countries

that are predominantly safe, where we should be able to take those decisions very swiftly and also be able to return people very swiftly. that hasn't happened in the past, so we are interested to develop that in the uk. we think that's an important principle. potentially you might still be interested in looking at other countries for processing. we will look at whatever works. but i think the key thing is to be just really practical. and that's why we've been focusing on the law enforcement, on being able to take out some of the criminal gangs, but also to be able to fast—track those decisions and returns. 0n the flip side, though, if you speak to refugee groups or someone like your old colleague david miliband, they would say, actually, this is about a historic movement of peoples desperate for a better life. and the only way to deal with this properly is to open up more safe routes, where people can come more easily to the uk or other western countries. but you won't look at that. why not? well, we have always had different kinds of safe ways for resettlement and for support for refugees. that will always continue to be the case, because whether that be around

ukraine, whether that be around the work that we have done on afghanistan, whether that be on hong kong, all of that's important. so all countries should do their bit to help those who have fled persecution and conflict. but whatever you do on that side, unless you go after the criminal gangs, then this kind of smuggling and trafficking will continue. because the gangs have a criminal industry, they will just advertise for more places. so therefore, that's why i think you've got to go after the criminal gangs. there's a warning that disabled people are being failed by the planning system because of a lack of suitable new housing. the district councils network, which represents 169 councils across england, wants housing authorities to be given new powers to ensure developers build more accessible homes. nikki fox reports.

daniel has a physics degree. he's a photographer, writes code and has worked alongside nasa. he's done much of this from his bedroom. he has had to because the home he has lived in with his mum julia for more than 30 years isn't accessible or adaptable. this is daniel's room. the ceiling hoist isn't right for daniel. we have to move the bed every time we want to get daniel out. we have to get him in the sling and hoist him up over to the chair, then he moves out the way so we can move other things out the way. that is a tight squeeze for him to get around and not take the gate with him. daniel says he has been on the housing waiting list for seven years. next year he will finally move into his new home

with his mum, but it's still not ideal. the rest of the property isn't totally accessible. yeah, better than where you are at the moment. yes, yeah. hopefully it will be at some point. two years ago the previous government promised that all new homes would be built to the new adaptable standard, meaning they don't have steps and are more spacious. but that hasn't happened, and there are growing calls for labour to make this a priority. there's certainly not enough quality accessible accommodation available for them, and that is something that urgently needs to be reviewed and addressed. so we would be looking for commitments of around 8—10% of homes being built

that are accessible. there's no way of really knowing just how many new accessible homes are being built in england because the government doesn't collect that data. the district councils' network says one of the problems is that homes may start out as being accessible, but then the features that help disabled people live independently are then removed. emma was on the housing registerfor eight years before she moved here. her bungalow wasn't built to the adaptable home standard, but it works, and it has changed her and her partner's life. i've got so much more independence, you know, we are stronger as a couple, we have been able to foster a dog, we've been able to... i've been able to do a bit more voluntary work. it's not just the fact that we live together, it is all, you know, all aspects, really. emma and daniel both

say it took years to find their new homes because of a lack of accessible options. you have applied for a few of those? yeah. 50 or 60? and is that because the others just aren't suitable? it is, yes, basically. daniel's local authority says it took over the management of housing in order to build and deliver more affordable and social rented homes, including those better suited to disabled people. it says it's a national issue and strongly relies on increased and more urgent support from government. the government says it is providing a range of safe and suitable accessible housing of part of its ambitions to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years and it will set out its policies shortly. nikki fox, bbc news.

adam gabsi — a disability rights campaigner and chair of inclusion london — joins me now. just how big is the shortage of accessible housing at the moment. accessible housing at the moment-— accessible housing at the moment. ., ., moment. hello, good morning. currently there _ moment. hello, good morning. currently there are _ moment. hello, good morning. currently there are 14.6 - currently there are 111.6 million disabled people in the uk. ifeel the qualities million disabled people in the uk. i feel the qualities do million disabled people in the uk. ifeel the qualities do not reflect this. going forward we have an ageing population. housing is a massive issue. the policies do not reflect this at all. people are isolated, unable to live safely. we are in a housing crisis but i would say it is also a human rights crisis. ~ . , ., , ., ,, crisis. what is it that stops new developments - crisis. what is it that stops new developments being l crisis. what is it that stops . new developments being built accessibly? is it about space?

is that the issue? i accessibly? is it about space? is that the issue?— is that the issue? i would say there needs _ is that the issue? i would say there needs to _ is that the issue? i would say there needs to be _ is that the issue? i would say there needs to be a - is that the issue? i would say| there needs to be a standard. disabled people have faced 1a years of cuts and we need the new government to come in and set a standard for all new builds to be made accessible. i don't necessarily think it is a spaceissue, don't necessarily think it is a space issue, it is a design issue and things need to be made better.— issue and things need to be made better. ., ., ., ., made better. you are not asking for them all _ made better. you are not asking for them all to _ made better. you are not asking for them all to be _ made better. you are not asking for them all to be built - made better. you are not asking for them all to be built so - for them all to be built so that they can be totally accessible, it is that they could be adapted in the future. there is as standard, and 42, and we would want that to be a standard for all new builds. that means they are adaptable or accessible. that means they are adaptable oraccessible. if that means they are adaptable or accessible. if you were to become disabled and need to access,it become disabled and need to access, it could be adapted. in terms of what the government has been saying, you had a nap

he is quoting the government plan saying they would be providing a range of suitable land accessible housing they would set out, something like 1.5 million homes that will be accessible over the next few years. does that fill you with confidence? i years. does that fill you with confidence?— confidence? i am quite sceptical _ confidence? i am quite sceptical of _ confidence? i am quite i sceptical of governments, generally. after 1a years of cuts it is hard to be confident. i do remain hopeful that the government will do the right thing and make accessible housing going forward and make m42 their standard, so all new—build homes are accessible or adaptable. new-build homes are accessible or adaptable-— or adaptable. thank you very much for _ or adaptable. thank you very much for your _ or adaptable. thank you very much for your time. - or adaptable. thank you very much for your time. good . or adaptable. thank you very much for your time. good to | much for your time. good to talk to you. thanks.- much for your time. good to talk to you. thanks. one person is critically ill in hospital and seven others have been injured after a bus crashed into a railway bridge in glasgow. part of the roof of the double decker vehicle was torn off.

it's the second such accident at the bridge in the last two years. 0ur reporter simonjones has more. the bus wedged under the railway bridge, part of its roof ripped off. the crash happened at about six o'clock yesterday evening. this footage was taken shortly afterwards, showing shocked onlookers. the cause is now under investigation. one of the passengers, who was sitting near the front of the bus, said he believed it had taken a wrong turn. he said another passenger was left with a huge cut to his head, there was a lot of blood, while a woman looked like she was suffering from concussion. five people were taken straight to queen elizabeth university hospital for treatment. three others were assessed at the scene, then taken to hospital. the double—decker is from a company called first bus. it said it was cooperating with police scotland, adding its thoughts were with everyone affected. there are signs leading up to the bridge which show only vehicles under 3.8m can get under it, but it's not the first crash here. in may last year, ten people

were taken to hospital after a bus hit the same bridge. that also involved a vehicle from first bus. last night's crash led to several road closures, with police asking drivers to avoid the area, and scotrail said it had been forced to shut a number of lines, leading to delays and cancellations while the structural safety of the bridge is assessed. simon jones, bbc news. an animal charity in east yorkshire says it's struggling to cope with the number of cruelty cases being brought in. the rspca team in hull are concerned the problem could get worse due to financial hardship at christmas. it comes as the charity has seen a 25% rise in pet neglect compared to last year across the uk. 0ur repoter kate sweeting has more. starved, isolated and neglected. these are just some of the hundreds of animals rescued in the last year. there definitely is more

cruelty cases, unintended cruelty cases, i may add, from covid. and we've seen a lot more families relying on ourfood banks for animals. cruelty is around the animal's behaviour, cruelty for being left alone. that's separation anxiety. it's sad to see those behaviours coming through in this generation of animals. beautiful. bella and george came in needing urgent care that their owner couldn't afford. and the rspca says across the country, animals bought in lockdown are being rescued because their owners no longer have the time or money for them. animals are falling victim to people having less disposable income. unfortunately, people tend not to seek early advice and support and so all too often we're called when things have come into crisis and it's all too late. new animals are arriving here almost every day, and in fact, this site has

taken in almost 300 abused or neglected animals in the last year, and it would have taken more, except that the number of people adopting animals has gone down by 30%, which means it simply doesn't have room. it's cost of living, and everybody thinks that when they come to the rspca, they want healthy animals. but these animals have experienced some trauma, some form of cruelty. they might have ongoing medical concerns. and then you've obviously got the vet bills, vet insurance and things like that. so ijust think, yeah, the way the world is changing out there, animals, you know, unfortunately less and less adopted. bella and george are now up for adoption, but their current carers say the chances of finding them a new home are more unlikely than ever. a lawyer for rapperjay—z has asked a court to dismiss

a lawsuit accusing him, along with sean "diddy" combs, of raping a 13—year—old girl in 2000, after inconsistencies emerged in her allegation. an alabama woman has accused the musicians of drugging and attacking her at a house party following the mtv video music awards. in an interview with nbc, the woman acknowledged making "some mistakes" in her accusation, but said she stood by her claim. jay—z�*s attorney told the bbc it was "stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press." after 13 weeks of glitz and glamour, this year's winner of strictly come dancing has been crowned. the comedian, chris mccausland, was the show�*s first blind contestant — he beat three other contestants to lift the glitterball trophy. noor nanji has more. time to announce your strictly come dancing champions... the moment history was made. chris and dianne! and after weeks of tangos, salsas and foxtrots, chris mccausland and his dance partner dianne buswell finally got their hands on the coveted

glitterball trophy. this is for her, and it's for everyone out there that just thought. .. ..they got told they couldn't do something or thought they couldn't do it, and itjust shows with opportunity and support and just determination, just anything can happen. chris was the bookies' favourite and is strictly�*s first—ever blind winner. he and dianne performed three dances on the night, including one recreating their blackout dance moment, which went viral earlier in the season. but they faced stiff competition from the other finalists. the first top scores of the night went tojls singer jb gill and his partner lauren 0akley for their viennese waltz. also in the mix was love islander tasha ghouri and her dance partner aljaz skorjanec, who danced their couples' choice to what about us by pink. # i can feel my spirit rising.... last but not least,

it was actress sarah hadland. she and partner vito coppola did an american smooth, scoring them 39 out of a0 despite a wardrobe malfunction. are you 0k, vito? we have a wardrobe issue. yeah. # tears come falling. # i scream. # yes, baby, baby, you can go ahead~~~#_ other highlights included a performance by rey. the full cast of 2024 also came back for one more routine. this year's series came after a number of former contestants spoke up about their experiences on the show. the bbc apologised to amanda abbington and upheld some of her complaints against her dance partner, giovanni pernice, but cleared him of the most serious claims. before the show began, the bbc introduced new duty of care measures, including putting chaperones in rehearsals. overall, this latest series has

been largely scandal—free and those behind it will be hoping that this draws a line under a difficult period in the show�*s 20—year history. let's have a look at our final leaderboard. last night, though, it was all about the finalists. the leaderboard placed jb and lauren top and chris and dianne last. congratulations. for one final time to our wonderful... but in the end it came down to the public vote, and it was chris and dianne who had stolen the most hearts. noor nanji, bbc news. let's speak to lucy proctor, executive principal of the royal national college for the blind, which was chris former college. hello to you. morning. did you have a strictly _ hello to you. morning. did you have a strictly party _ hello to you. morning. did you have a strictly party last - have a strictly party last night? have a strictly party last niuht? . , have a strictly party last niuht? ., , ., have a strictly party last niuht? ., ., ., ., night? there was a lot of celebrating _ night? there was a lot of celebrating last - night? there was a lot of celebrating last night. i night? there was a lot of| celebrating last night. he night? there was a lot of - celebrating last night. he was the bookies' _ celebrating last night. he was the bookies' favourite. - celebrating last night. he was the bookies' favourite. was i celebrating last night. he was the bookies' favourite. was it| the bookies' favourite. was it everin the bookies' favourite. was it ever in doubt for you? i do not

think you _ ever in doubt for you? i do not think you can _ ever in doubt for you? i do not think you can take _ ever in doubt for you? i do not think you can take anything . ever in doubt for you? i do notj think you can take anything for granted. 0nline television anything can go wrong. there was a huge amount of support for chris every step of the way. when he came onto the dance floor for the first time in thought he was already a winner. , , , ~ in thought he was already a winner. , , , . .,, in thought he was already a winner. ,,, . ., , winner. his speech was really movin: winner. his speech was really moving saying _ winner. his speech was really moving saying it _ winner. his speech was really moving saying it is for - moving saying it is for everyone out there he was told they couldn't do something or thought they could not do it. explain how much it means to people. it explain how much it means to --eole. , people. it is huge. representation . people. it is huge. - representation always people. it is huge. _ representation always matters. something else chris said a few weeks ago that being an inspiration, it is not about being an inspiration for visually impaired community. students are inspired by him that they already know they are capable of greater things. the wider public needs to take a step back and think, why am i making these assumptions? it doesn't mean they are not intelligent and determined.

with opportunities and support and determination it shows what is possible. it is an inspiration for everyone to think differently about visual impairmentand think differently about visual impairment and disability. in terms of inspiring people to take up dancing, would that be something for people with visual impairment? absolutely. we have students _ visual impairment? absolutely. we have students who - visual impairment? absolutely. we have students who are - visual impairment? absolutely. | we have students who are doing dance recreationally already on a wednesday afternoon. i know it has given them a really strong incentive to stick with it and think about how he is learning and how they can translate that into their own experiences and experience the sheer joy of experiences and experience the sheerjoy of moving around the dance floor.— dance floor. also dance teachers _ dance floor. also dance teachers under - dance floor. also dance teachers under the - dance floor. also dance - teachers under the influence it might have on them, how difficult it might be to teach someone to dance if you cannot show them a routine or whatever. maybe this might change attitudes of dance teachers. it change attitudes of dance teachers-— change attitudes of dance teachers. , ., , teachers. it has been really powerful — teachers. it has been really

powerful hearing _ teachers. it has been really powerful hearing chris - teachers. it has been really powerful hearing chris talk| powerful hearing chris talk about the fact he cannot see himself in the mirror when he is training or watch playback, how can i do it differently and learn from this? it is notjust about visual impairment, everyone benefits from asking the other person, what can i do to make it an enjoyable experience and get the most out of it? ., ~ , ., experience and get the most out of it? ., ~ i. experience and get the most out ofit? ., ~ . of it? ok. thank you so much for talking — of it? ok. thank you so much for talking to _ of it? ok. thank you so much for talking to us. _ of it? ok. thank you so much for talking to us. lovely - of it? ok. thank you so much for talking to us. lovely to . for talking to us. lovely to hear so many of your college have been behind him, cheering him on. thank you very much for talking to us. thank you. a spectacular meteor shower has been lighting up the night sky. the meteors associated with the geminids are some of the brightest and most abundant in the skies. whilst most meteor showers are associated with comets, the geminids are very different, because they are caused by debris from an asteroid. the good news is that these meteors will be visible to the naked eye. you don't need any specialist equipment such as telescopes or binoculars.

we just have some time to very quickly show you the pope. he is visiting corsica today, the first time a pope has visited the island. he will be holding a mass and meeting the french president, emmanuel macron met later and giving two speeches. that is the pope visiting corsica on the first papal visit. spending the day in corsica. now, it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. a different looking week of weather heading our way. certainly compared with last week, we will be much, much milder to begin with. chillier air will return though later in the week. but to get there, we're going to see some windy weather at times and certainly more rainfall around. now, some of the wettest conditions will be to the northwest of the country. and, as our chart shows for the next three days, rainfall amounts are greatest here. and it's around the western highlands where up to 150mm of rain to take us through to tuesday,

coupled with snow melt, could lead to flooding, because we've got a conveyor belt of moisture set to pile its way and focus in this part of the country throughout. that same conveyor belt, though, pushing lots of cloud across the country today. there will be some low cloud towards the west of england and wales, northern ireland, some light rain or drizzle here. but many places will be dry. some breaks, even a little bit of sunshine, best of which to the east of high ground in scotland. but that wet weather there in the northwest becomes heavy. persistent gales developing too. for all, temperatures well above the late december average, some around 7 or 8 degrees warmer than it should be. 1a or 15 possible in eastern scotland and northeast england. now, into tonight, the rain continues to fall across some parts of the western highlands. to the north of it, we'll see some clearer skies, something a little bit cooler, a few showers. to the south of it, another mild night with temperatures 9 or 10 degrees into the start of monday morning. as for monday, rain continues to pile in across the western highlands, also the western isles. 0rkney, shetland, a little bit brighter with sunshine and showers. a bit more cloud to northeastern scotland though compared with today. but southern scotland, northern ireland, england and wales, a few more cloud breaks around. greater chance of some

sunshine at times. the odd shower can't be ruled out, more especially through the english channel. temperatures down on today, but still pretty mild. and the run of mild air continues into tuesday. but as this area of low pressure pushes in towards the west of us, we're going to see the wind strengthen to gale force across some western areas later in the day. outbreaks of rain becoming more widespread here into the afternoon and evening. a wet day to the north and west of scotland too, but the further east you are, you might stay that little bit drier. temperatures here around 10, 11 degrees. but 13 in the west. a very mild day to come on wednesday, as this next batch of low pressure pushes through, bringing rain more widely. but as it clears through into thursday, we're back to northerly winds. so still some wet and mild weather midweek. but, beyond that, turning cooler with a mixture of sunshine and, for some, wintry showers.

live from london. this is bbc news. syria's de—facto leader condemns israel for continued air strikes — saying they threaten unwarranted escalation. here, the government says over 13,000 migrants have been removed from the uk since labour took power, but admits the rate of illegal channel crossings is still too high. fourteen people are reported to have died after a cyclone

tears through the indian ocean territory of mayotte as the storm makes landfall in mozambique. and we hear from a bollywood superstar — who's dreaming of an oscar for his new film. hello. we start with the latest on syria a week after the fall of the assad regime. syria's de—facto leader, ahmed al—sharaa, has condemned israel for its continued airstrikes on his mr al—sharaa, who was previously known as abu mohammed al—jolani, said the strikes an unwarranted escalation in the region. israel says it wants to prevent syrian weapons falling into the hands of its enemies. it comes as the united states has made "direct with the rebel group, hts, which now controls the country the country

the us currently still designates the rebel group