he's climbed the alborz mountains to do geological research. thank you for being with us. ving me. these are very much for having me. these a re really not very much for having me. these are really not technical mountains, but they are very easily accessible from tehran, quite steep, high relief, basically, you very quickly get to about 4000 metres above sea level, so the alborz mountains area level, so the alborz mountains are a relatively young mountain range, $0 are a relatively young mountain range, so they are very steep, the southside has very little vegetation, so if you have unprecedented snowfall, there is nothing holding back the snowpack, so you could have avalanches. this sounds relatively accessible. other quite popular with locals and visitors? they are really quite popular, so they have a ski area on top, there is an aerial tramway that goes to the top, very popular with hikers, backcountry skiers, limited slope, medium slopes for skiers, they are on the outskirts of northern tehran, the station for the aerial tramway is northern to run itself, so very easy a

more than a dozen others were rescued from the alborz mountain range, north of tehran.instructor. a search operation is continuing for other survivors. authorities in the us are investigating whether a campervan explosion in the city of nashville on christmas day was a suicide bombing. three people were injured in the blast and dna tests are now being carried out after human remains were found near the site of the blast. elections in the central african republic are under way after a campaign marred by violence between government and rebel forces. three un peacekeepers were killed by unidentified assailants during two separate attacks ahead of the vote. it's the first election in the country since a peace deal was struck in february 2019. gusts of more than 100mph have been recorded as storm bella continues to bring heavy rain to large parts of the uk. the needles on the isle of wight saw winds that reached 106mph with a number of train operators reporting delays across the south of england. the met office has also issued yellow warnings for snow and ice — meaning disru

the alborz mountain range rises above tehran and hosts several ski resorts.in the uk face tougher covid restrictions as rule changes come into force. as the uk grapples with the new strain of coronavirus, there are now confirmed cases in france, spain and sweden. former mi6 officer and soviet spy george blake has died aged 98 in moscow. parts of central england have experienced their highest river levels for more than a decade, causing widespread flooding, as storm bella approaches the uk. more than a thousand people in bedfordshire have already been advised to evacuate their homes, and the met office is warning of severe gales and more heavy rain to come. people have had a terrible time. we have had all of the measures in place to protect people from the virus. it is christmas day yesterday, boxing day the next day obviously. and our heartsjust yesterday, boxing day the next day obviously. and our hearts just go out to people that have now come up with all that going on, now have had some of the highest level flights for over 20 years thrown at them. south k

more than a dozen others were rescued from the alborz mountain range, north of tehran. mountaineering instructor. a search operation is continuing for other survivors. insecurity has prevented many people from voting in the general election in the central african republic, with rebels warning those in some areas not to vote. officials said violence meant thousands of people did not receive their voter cards. security was tight in the capital bangui with armoured vehicles stationed outside some polling booths. it's the first election in the country since a peace deal was struck in february 2019. millions of americans have lost unemployment benefits as a consequence of president trump failing to sign a massive covid relief bill into law by a deadline of midnight. president—elect, joe biden, has warned of devastating consequences for the people who would have been helped by the bill, which passed overwhelmingly in congress. the relief package aimed to provide a $1.1; trillion federal budget, agreed by both sides of the house. it also proposed one—off payments of $600 dolla

more than a dozen others were rescued from the alborz mountain range, north of tehran.g instructor. a search operation is continuing for other survivors. gusts of more than 100mph have been recorded as storm bella continues to bring heavy rain to large parts of the uk. the needles, on the isle of wight, saw winds that reached 106 mph with a number of train operators reporting delays across the south of england. the met office has also issued yellow warnings for snow and ice — meaning disruption is likely for parts of wales, north—west england, scotland and the whole of northern ireland. chi chi izundu reports. storm bella making her presence known on british shores. winds of up to 106 miles an hour have been recorded on the isle of wight, bringing down trees, including on this car, and huts alongside brighton beachfront. train operators have issued warnings about delays and cancellations because of debris and flooding on the railway lines. but parts of the uk are still reeling from heavy rains over christmas, like cirencester in gloucestershire. residents trying to adap

the alborz mountain range rises above tehran hosts several ski resorts.ring, in northern ireland a six week lockdown has begun with non essential shops forced to close. hair salons must also shut while pubs, cafes and restaurants are restricted to takeaway and delivery services. the measures will be reviewed in four weeks' time. here's our ireland correspondent chris page. as soon as christmas day ended, the lockdown began. there are no seasonal sporting events in northern ireland on this 26th of december. racecourses and stadiums are silent. shoppers and sales are absent too. instead, belfast city centre is shuttered down. 0ne festive tradition that is allowed, though, is a brisk and breezy boxing day walk. people said tighter restrictions were for the best. oh, i think it's very necessary. it's a good thing and anything to keep us safe. i think it'sjust best everybody stays safe. had to happen, unfortunately. but we just have to do it. i think it's ok. the lockdown‘s in place from today until early february. and for the first week, the rules will be mor

more than a dozen others were rescued from the alborz mountain range, north of tehran.r other survivors. elections in the central african republic are under way, after a campaign marred by violence between government and rebel forces. three un peacekeepers were killed by unidentified assailants during two separate attacks ahead of the vote. it's the first election in the country since a peace deal was struck in february 2019. lots of different coronavirus restrictions remain in place across the world, as countries try to keep the pandemic under control. cases are rising in russia, but president vladimir putin says he won't impose a new national lockdown as he tries to protect the economy. 0ur moscow correspondent sarah rainsford reports. red square is at its picture—postcard best. no sign here of covid—19 cancelling christmas, despite the spiralling infection rate. there are precautions and many things have been scaled back this year, but there's no lockdown, and people told me they are fine with that. translation: i think there is enough restrictions. lots of people we

winter weather has killed at least eight climbers in the mountains outside the iranian capital, tehran. at least seven others are missing in the alborzted by the red crescent has rescued 14 people but been halted until the morning. among those who died are a political activist, an academic, a doctor and a mountaineering instructor. the uk's new trade deal with the eu marks "a moment of national renewal", according to boris johnson's chief brexit negotiator. lord frost says it's "one of the biggest and broadest agreements ever." parliament is being recalled on wednesday to debate and vote on the document, which runs to more than 1,000 pages. pro—brexit lawyers will be scrutinising its contents over the next few days. georgina wright is an associate at the institute for government. she explained some of the main points of the agreement. clearly there is the ability now for the uk to david's where it wants but that will come at a price. you see that throughout the whole of the agreement, there are a lot of things that businesses in great britain will need to do now to be able to continue to keep exporting to the eu. they will have to fi