it is, really, because england a 2— you're down in this ashes series.ow that if australia win, they will regain the ashes. it is a huge day to them. the aim is to push on towards a big score. setting up a potentially match— winning total. still a long way to go in this match but england have given themselves a chance. and he will keep us updated throughout the day two of that ashes test. as the english premier league heads towards its busy festive period — one team seems to have the title race almost wrapped up. manchester city extended their top flight record to 15 games unbeaten after crushing swansea four nil on wednesday. but how does their winning streak rank in the history books? our football reporterjohn bennett has been looking back through the records. these players have a lot to smile about, must be great to be a manchester city player or manager or fan. they can't stop winning. 15 premier league wins in a row. they beat the likes of manchester united and arsenal and chelsea and liverpool, 49 goals in those 15 games, conceding just ten goals.

cricket, and australia remain in command of the second ashes test in adelaide, despite a fight back byland. australia bowled england out for 227 but were then reduced to 53—4 at the end of the third day. our correspondent, andy swiss, reports from adelaide. when it comes to batting, adelaide has seen the best. the home of the great sir donald bradman. but the fans descending on the oval were about to see how not to do it, as england threw away their wickets, their hopes and perhaps the ashes. james vince and joe root both went tamely — hardly the captain's innings he'd hoped for. and when alastair cook served up yet more catching practice, england were staring at humiliation. but if they were brittle, australia were brilliant. nathan lyon's dazzling caught and bowled followed by an even better one — mitchell starc showing the reflexes of a juggler, as australia tightened their grip. by the time the final wicket fell, england were still a massive 215 behind. game surely over. but then a twist. australia could have made the visitors bat again, but decided not to. bad choice. under the fl

england resume their quest to keep the ashes series alive. they are 305—4.sh flat racing's most successful female jockey suspended for three months for breaking betting rules. and he can do this in his sleep, ronnie finds time between naps to ease into the last 16 of the scottish open. good evening — finally england are in control of a test match in the current ashes series. middlesex batsman dawid malan hit his maiden test century, as england built a big first innings total in the 3rd test in perth. malan‘s partnership of 174 withjonny bairstow helped england close on 305 for 4 — they must avoid defeat to have any chance of retaining the urn. andy swiss reports from the waca. just when they needed it most england have produced their best day of this ashes series so far, they are ina of this ashes series so far, they are in a strong position now going in today two. it didn't begin well for them, they won the toss, chose to bat, alastair cook was out early for seven. is bad form continues. joe root the captain went for 20. mark stoneman batted well, showed a

this is the last ever ashes test at the waca.y will be playing at a new stadium in person. england will hope to spoil the farewell party and keep this ashes series alive. what a testable beaver england. —— test it will be for england. well, at one stage, england hoped to have steve finn as part of their bowling attack in australia. he hopes to have recovered from his knee injury for england's tour of new zealand next year, but in the meantime, he's been winning the hearts and minds of some young people where he grew up, asjoe wilson reports. it was too icy to be outside here that the school in watford today but what excitement for your six. a supply teacher. supplied in fact by the chance to shine charity, which seeks to link cricket in the classroom. and through this watford wall, this was what steven finn once used as a wicket. good morning, everyone. good morning, mr flynn. as a teacher, it was a chance to demonstrate that england cricketers are responsible citizens. joe root scored 82 runs. how many more runs does he need to

ingram's cricket team began their second ashes test. the lost their second ashes test.rst test and have had a trouble—free build—up to this one either. and haven't had a trouble—free build up to this one either... with the fitness of all—rounder moeen ali in doubt. he suffered a cut finger in his side's 10—wicket defeat in brisbane. but there are perhaps some reasons for optimism in adelaide — as andy swiss reports. under the spotlight in every sense. adelaide prepares for a day night match england are preparing for revenge. the defeat in the first test was marked by australia's targeting ofjonny test was marked by australia's targeting of jonny bairstow test was marked by australia's targeting ofjonny bairstow after an incident in a bar. afterwards, steven smith words in tears of laughter and the england skipper was unimpressed. if that's not motivation for getting the lads up for this week don't know what is. i'd like to think it was about the situation, i don't know steve that well bad like to think he has a bit more respect for our team than to be mocking us. in cri

now, this is the last ever ashes test here at the waca.in perth. england, though, will be hoping that they can spoil the farewell party and keep this ashes series alive. the international cricket council is investigating claims that indian bookmakers offered to fix the third ashes test in perth. the sun newspaper in britain says a gang, working with an australian called ‘the silent man', was charging up to $185,000 to influence the match, which begins in a few hours' time. no england players were named as being involved, but the gang claimed to have recruited one former australian player. in a statement, the icc said "these are serious allegations, and of grave concern. we welcome the sun's offer to share the information they have, so we can instigate a full investigation and, where appropriate, involve law enforcement agencies, and this process is already underway." stand—in captain rohit sharma hit his third double—century in one—day internationals, to give india a comprehensive 1a1—run victory over sri lanka. sharma was 208 not—out, as

michael vaughan says he has really been missed this ashes series.ield, england are very quiet. they don't have that natural character to generate the buzz and energy required in the field. ben stokes would do that. so he isa field. ben stokes would do that. so he is a massive loss, but i still don't think he would have changed the course of the result. we are well on the way to a 5—0 whitewash, but with ben stokes on the team, it would not have been that. let's look at some of the social media reaction to australia's victory. we start with kevin pietersen, the former england batsman. he is calling for joe root to mix things up in the next two tests. and here is the reaction from darren lehmann, the australia coach. but michael vaughan says england need to make a change if they are to remain competitive. says england need to make a change if they are to remain competitivelj look if they are to remain competitive.” look at moeen ali on the side and i think at the minute, he would not get in as a batsman in these conditions, and he certainly doesn't ge

so please enjoy ashe and beyonce. >> dance, ashe. >> no. >> yes.es. ♪ >> seth: when we come back the meyers family is going to clear the air. thanks for being with us, everybody! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ what are you doing? i don't need all this. mucinex fast-max can handle pretty much every symptom. name one. how about nine? even... yea, i can read. we're done here. mucinex fast-max. 9 symptoms. 1 dose. max strength. let's end this. resolution #1: binge more. join the un-carrier, and get four unlimited lines for only forty bucks each. plus, netflix for the whole family. on us. so, they get their shows... let's go, girl! you're gonna love this bit! and you get yours. watch however you want. on your phone, tablet, or tv. for just forty bucks per line. with no extra charges. let's rock this joint! all on america's best unlimited network, t-mobile. it all comes down to this. the energizer bunny™ gets the snap! he's still going! [crowd cheering] nothing outlasts energizer® ultimate lithium™. ...studying to be a dentist and she gave me advice. she said

this is the last ever ashes test here at the waca.n perth. england will be hoping they can spoil the farewell party and keep this ashes series alive. what a test that will be for england. and just to recap on our top story this evening — the four—time tour de france winner chris froome says he hopes his legacy won't be tainted after he returned an "adverse" drugs test at this year's la vuelta. just to recap on the top story this evening, the four time tour de france winner chris froome has told the bbc his —— here's hoping his record would be tainted as the received an adverse drugs test following the vuelta. that's all from sportsday. coming up in a moment, the papers. hello, and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me arejessica elgot, political reporter at the guardian and steve hawkes, deputy political editor at the sun. good to see you both, no fisticuffs. never. i don't want any violence tonight. it will be good-natured. the times devotes its front page to the tory rebellion. the te

the headlines this evening: can england finally get an ashes test win?for alastair cook has given them a great chance to do so at melbourne. 3—point arsenal at crystal palace in the evening premier league match. and phil taylor powers his way into the quarter—finals of the pdc world darts championship. good evening. in less than an hour's time alastair cook will return to the crease in melbourne on 244 not out. it's a double century that's given england the upper hand in the fourth ashes test, and a chance to restore some much needed pride. the tourists are 491—9. that's a first innings lead of 164. there's still of course plenty of work for england to do, and having lost the first three tests they won't be taking anything for granted. let's cross live to melbourne and speak to our reporter patrick gearey. good morning. is this a winning lead? the australia coach darren lehmann in his press conference last night admitted if not a winning lead it's certainly a position he doesn't think england will lose from. australia will not complete a second straight

more than 90,000 will be here on boxing day to pick over the ashes leftovers.bc news, in melbourne. let's get the weather, with tomasz shaferneker. it is forecast not a flake of snow. it will be turning tonight and later on tonight across the southern uplands of scotland, maybe the highlands there could be a bit of snow, maybe two to five centimetres possibly even the welsh hills, but this will be really right up there in the hills. for most of us, a chilly night on the way, there will be showers round, maybe some windy weather to foretime in the south, and the south—west, by the end of the night temperatures there two or three degrees above freezing. watch out for icy patches on boxing day. boxing day, a lot of sunshine for much of the country, but quickly through the morning the weather will go downhill in the south—west, the winds will strengthen, on the hills in wales there might be snow too, best of the weather throughout boxing day will be in northern and eastern area, watch what happens during the evening. it looks as though we could have snow on the wel

and out of the ashes — england have their best day on toy yet.can level the series in adelaide with another good day. tonight's football results are coming up. our tonight's football results are coming up. 0urtop tonight's football results are coming up. our top story this evening — russia has been banned from taking part in the winter 0lympics from taking part in the winter olympics in south korea next february. the international olympic committee has ta ken february. the international olympic committee has taken action after the findings of its own investigation revealed the extent of state—sponsored systematic doping of russian athletes. the report clearly lays out an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the olympic games and sport. the report includes in particular the manipulation of the anti—doping laboratory at the 0lympic winter games in sochi 201a. the ioc executive board, after following due process, has issued proportional sanctions for this systemic manipulation while protecting clean athletes. let's get more on this from our spor

one more, and their ashes hopes will have turned to dust. andy swiss, bbc news, adelaide.one—day squad to face australia in the new year and is still waiting —— waiting to hear if he will face charges for an incident outside a bristol nightclub in september. he is currently playing for canterbury in new zealand. alex hales has also been included in the squad who was with ben stokes at the time that the incident in bristol and although he will not face any police charges, he may face an ecb disciplinary hearing also also back in the mix is fast bowler mark wood who has returned from injury. six members of the test squad are in the including captain joe members of the test squad are in the including captainjoe root. eoin morgan will skippy the team —— skipper the team. vladimir putin has called the decision of the ioc to ban russia from the winter olympics politically motivated. but he has not called a boycott to stop clean russians competing at the games as neutral athletes which they are allowed to do. former british heptathlete kelly sotherton is set to be given a bronze

could the day night match in adelaide provide england's best chance of winning an ashes test?loudy skies, chilly temperatures... it's almost like being at home. and then it's australia against england part two... in the rugby league world cup final. england's first in 22 years against the hosts and defending champions. hello again. the consensus seems to be the world cup draw for russia 2018 has been kind to england — more best case than worst case that's for sure. it all begins for them on june 18 against tunisia, before then matches against panama, and belgium, who are the seeded team in the group. 0ur sports news correspondent richard conway gave me his assessment of group g from the draw in moscow. it has been perceived that yes, this has gone pretty well for gareth southgate and the england team. belgian will know lots about those players, lots of them playing them trade in the premier league. premier —— panama making their debut at the world cup and then tunisia, gareth southgate will know a thing or two about tunisia, he played against them back in the 1998 france world

so a huge day for england in the ashes coming up tomorrow.of today's premier league, lizzie is with our football reporter john bennett. the game at the weekend, top of the table manchester city playing totte n ha m. table manchester city playing tottenham. manchester city going for what would be their 16th straight league win. they are winning1—0 at half—time. if it stays like this, 16 wins ina half—time. if it stays like this, 16 wins in a row. closing in on a european record which is 19 in a row. bayern munich, also managed by pep guardiola. let's look at the only goal of the game, gundogan, terrible defending by tottenham. 0ne of the smallest players on the pitch managed to head the ball into the back of the net. manchester city have been all over tottenham. totte n ha m have been all over tottenham. tottenham had a decent start to the game, first five minutes, but since then they have had enough of the ball to create anything. harry kane had a shot wide but they have hardly had a shot wide but they have hardly had any shots on target. man

it is basically raining or snowing ash around here. a couple of months ago towards the end when they are just chewing up the last part of the landscape and dropped the water on them. the ash in the air is just brutal air quality. firefighters making some significant headway. within 230,000 acres destroyed by the thomas fire which is the last active fire this tape right now. damaged nearly 200 others and their 6000 fire personnel on this fire. you can't see it behind me. today is really seen a ton of hand crews that are run good

the 100 in many ways was my favourite because i've played in a few ashes series now and to score an ashes—— eluded. a heap of emotions came running through. bit of a light—hearted fun wasn't it with everything that has gone on, exactly the way it should be taken. as australia, they will feel right back in this. guzman khawaja, one of their key men, a battling half—century turn things round. afterwards he said he was surprised by the speed of the england batting collapse. never an easy place to bat. particularly as a tail—ender. we knew if we got one wicket we'd have a chance. the boys bowled well to get 6—450 —— — 40.. good day for australia, you sense steve smith is the key man. 92 not out going into day three. if he gets a big century australia will still be hopeful of securing a first—innings lead and potentially a match—winning and ashes winning position. andy swiss reporting for us.

england are finally in control of an ashes test.alan‘s century helps them on the way to a big first innings total in perth. and i will be here with all the reaction from the whitecaps as england enjoy their best day of the ashes so far. is it all down to the pep talk? we break down the facts and figures behind manchester city's record—breaking run. and on the six month anniversary of the grenfell tower disaster we look at what's happened to the boxing club based at the bottom of the building that is once again producing champions. good evening. finally, england are in control of a test match in the current ashes series. middlesex batsman dawid malan hit his maiden test century, as england built a big first innings total in the third test in perth. malan‘s partnership of 174 withjonny bairstow helped england close on 305—4. they must avoid defeat to have any chance of retaining the urn. andy swiss reports from the waca. just when they needed it most, england have produced their best day of the ashes so far, and are in a strong positi

cricket, and england's attempt to win the fourth ashes test in melbourne have been frustrated by the rain. at stumps on day four, australia were 103—2 in their second innings, trailing england's first innings total by 61 runs. with more from melbourne, here's patrick gearey. at last for england, some hope, a chance to cheer without lurking fear, to read and not weep. why isn't alastair cook on the front cover? that score remained correct. cook's third day of batting lasted one ball. he watched it, jimmy anderson hit it, cameron bancroft caught it. cook carried his bat unbeaten — a lesson in focus and patience. england needed to bowl in a similarfashion. waiting worked initially. they removed cameron bancroft, then produced enough movement to tempt usman khawaja. england were still nearly 100 ahead and making the best of a wearing ball. they, like australia, were warned about scuffing the ball on the pitch, but some on australian television made more serious accusations — to england's obvious irritation. as soon as i saw the headlines, i raced into the umpires, and that was their word

i have played in a few ashes series and to score 100 in the ashes series and to score 100 in the ashesou dream about asa kid. ashes are something you dream about as a kid. it has eluded me until now and there were many emotions that came through and it was light—hearted fun with everything that has been going on. australia will feel they are right back in this. will usman khawaja had a half—ce ntu ry this. will usman khawaja had a half—century that turned things around. he said afterwards he was surprised at the speed. it is not an easy place to bat, particularly as the tail end of. we knew we got one wicket we would be a chance but the boys bowled quite well to restrict england to 400 and i think that was a good effort. a good day for australia. steve smith is very much the key man. 92 not out going into day three. if he gets a big century, australia will still be hopeful of securing a first—innings lead and a chance to win the match. the walls are now seven points clear after defeating sheffield wednesday. this terrific strike was enough to seal the win. he showed why he is the most

on the front it's quite simply god save the ashes and that the rivalry is dead.t page of the west australian it says "we've ‘urned' it," as the ashes are regained, while the sydney morning herald caption it as "long may we reign over them." that is quite catchy. while in britain, the daily mail haven't held back by saying "how easy was that?" with former captain, nasser hussain, claiming moeen ali hasn't been up to it, while in the times another former captain michael atherton says england's lack of fast bowlers is holdfing them back with the headline "too skilful, too ferocious." and in the daily express, it blames captainjoe root and former skipper, alastair cook, with a simple phrase of blown away. now to the nfl, and carolina panthers owner, jerry richardson, has put the franchise up for sale, as he faces allegations of workplace misconduct. richardson has been the team's only owner since it formed in 1993 and says he will sell up at the end of the season and the current coach has been paying tribute. he helped put the carolinas on the map. for me personally,

england now know they have a mountain to climb if they are to retain the ashes.end before the third test gets under way next week and they a bit of australia win that test, they will regain the ashes and just to make it even more daunting, england haven't won in perth since 1978. one man who is not here with england is ben stokes, currently playing domestic cricket in new zealand. and we've had news that ben stokes has been named in england's1— day squad forjanuary. he is waiting to find out whether he will be charged over an incident in bristol in september and despite being named in this squad, he is currently unavailable for selection until the crown prosecution service decides whether to charge him and until the england and wales cricket board decides whether to take any disciplinary action so as things stand at the moment, ben stokes is still unavailable to play. mo farah is being tipped to become the fastest european marathon runner in the next 12 months by the man who currently holds that title. sondre norstad moen, who broke the european men's marathon re

what next for england after the ashes are lost?t deserved a special letter of congratulations from the queen — but new figures show that one in eight people in the uk is projected to live to at least 100. that's around 8.5 million people. it's part of a global trend. but how do we make sure more of us remain healthy — becoming so—called "super—agers". becoming so—called "super—agers" ? in the first of a series of reports, our medical correspondent fergus walsh has been to california, a centre for research into ageing. on your marks... to me, i don't think about age as being a handicap. set... it's just a process. you live, you die. so, why not live? irene 0'bera is 84. she makes old age look like an irrelevance. irene's been breaking world records for four decades. it takes effort. when she's not training at this track near san francisco, she's in the gym. her philosophy is simple. live the life you love, and love the life you lead. and a quitter never wins, and a winner never quits. and i want to be a winner. we're living in an ag

coming up: england's cricketers endure another tough day in the second ashes test in adelaide.anchester city again leave it late as their winning run continues against west ham. and history for hewett, he's the first british singles champion at the wheelchair masters. lots to come this sunday evening, including the latest on tiger woods‘ comeback. but cricket first, england had another difficult day in adelaide. joe root‘s decision to bowl first was again under scrutiny, as australia declared on a42 for 8 on day two of the 2nd ashes test. england, who are already one down in the series, closed on 29 for 1. our sports correspondent andy swiss has more. a strange solution to many, but as he completed a brilliant essentially, it suddenly made sense. was £5? was éétheéf "si n ”7—7 7777 ‘ii 5; %%;'%'f'z' “54“~;*l; fzia gaggle —7————~» 7 ,, play $7757};- -&4«—;*l; 7:77 7:43.47 7—7—777 7 7 play for the day and we the indian play for the day and we the visitors fixing a huge batting challenge. —— facing a huge batting challenge. it's not impossible to score runs. there's a lot of time

but first, the ashes.rth. and it looked like the weather might have saved things, but what happened?- you say, it was a dramatic and slightly unusual start to the day. we had torrential rain overnight in perth and some of that rain had lea ked perth and some of that rain had leaked through the covers on the pitch and had left some damp patches on the pitch, which meant it was unplayable at the start of play. we had the slightly surreal sight of ground staff with leaf blower is trying to dry the damp patches on the pitch. it took them three hours but eventually they did it. and when play started, england did not play particularly well, unfortunately, jonny bairstow out to his first ball of the day, a ball which seemed to keep suspiciously low. it has been doing all sorts of strange things, bouncing off cracks in the pitch at right angles. it has not been easy for batting. they have also lost the second wicket in the last 45 minutes orso, second wicket in the last 45 minutes or so, moeen ali lbw for 11. so e

alastair cook deals with the many question marks around england's ashes tour down under.ood evening. there's a full round of premier league games this midweek, with some significant results already tonight. chelsea bounced back in style following that defeat only west ham at the weekend with a comfortable 3—1win away at huddersfield. it was watched by patrick gearey. a wet tuesday night, still a party night in huddersfield. an energy that fuels the football. according to the manager, they are workers, not dreamers. but a moment's dozing against chelsea, and you are soon spectators. helpless as noya ba kayoko but you are soon spectators. helpless as noya bakayoko but the champions in front. antonio conte says the title has now slipped away, but there seems to be no black of note, motivation, —— no lack of motivation. the locals will have noticed the cold. five minutes into the second half, they were frozen out of this for good. pedro, 3—0. the damaging, sobering defeat to west ham left far behind. the only surprise was that they did not score more. huddersfield and climb t

these are our headlines tonight: england are on the back—foot in the second ashes test in adelaide.hester city, but the winning run continues with another late show, this time against the hammers. and history for hewett, he's the first british singles champion at the wheelchair masters. some late goals, a late try and ronnie 0'sullivan coming up but we'll start with another difficult day for england's cricketers. joe root‘s decision to bowl first was made to look even more foolhardy on the second day in adelaide as australia declared on a42 for 8 in the 2nd ashes test. england, who are already one down in the series, closed on 29 for 1. here's our sports correspondent andy swiss. shaun marsh has had a stop start career. he seemed shaun marsh has had a stop start career. he seemed a shaun marsh has had a stop start career. he seemed a strange selection to many but as he completed a brilliant thing today, it suddenly made sense. in the kitchen for him and euphoria for this pretty much summed up england's today. a moment they would rather forget. a symbol of england balls struggles as

one more and their ashes hopes will have turned to dust. andy swiss, bbc news, adelaide.d they estimate the fossilized remains are more than three million years old. andrew harding reports from johannesburg. so these are the sterkfontein caves, west ofjohannesburg. they have become a real treasure trove for scientists trying to find the origins of modern humans. a huge number of skeletons, some intact, some partial, have been found in this cave system in recent years. what‘s being revealed today is the complete, nearly complete skeleton of little foot. now the theory goes that nearly 4 million years ago a small ape—like creature fell through the cracks here, down into this cave system, was covered in sediment which hardened into rock. and then in the 19805 and then the 1990s, in a series of extraordinary coincidences, scientists managed to find the bits of little foot, put her back together. and over the last 20 years what we‘ve had is this painstaking process with scientists slowly reconstructing this tiny ape—like creature. although this is all about science, about our

fresh winds are driving smoke and ash into santa barbara towards the pacific coast.an and now cover almost 400 square miles. a firefighter has died tackling the flames, north of los angeles. 0ur correspondent james cook sent this report from the town of fillmore. 12 days on, and still it burns. more than 8,000 men and women are now battling this blaze, saving homes one by one. not far from here, the fire claimed the life of 32—year—old cory iverson, a firefighter, a father and a husband. he is survived by his wife ashley, his two—year—old daughter evie. cory and ashley are expecting a second daughter this spring. the fire has destroyed homes, too. more than 700 of them and another 18,000 buildings remain at risk. this is one of five homes in this tiny neighbourhood which was destroyed when the flames swept through here so fast that firefighters had to abandon the area. which ones survived and which were destroyed was a matter of pure luck. aaron lawson and his family were among the lucky ones. their home was scorched, but it survived, thanks in part to neighbours who

the ashes are slipping away from england. person people saw when they met him was the person we knew at home. his sense of humour, his curiosities, his and easy oven. that was our father. —— curiosities, his and easy oven. that was ourfather. —— his and easy curiosities, his and easy oven. that was our father. —— his and easy as. australia captain steve smith hits a double century, as his side takes complete control of the third test in perth. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. police investigating the deaths of a 75—year—old canadian billionaire and his wife say the circumstances appear suspicious. barry sherman — who founded a major pharmaceutical company — was found dead with his wife honey at their mansion in toronto. reports say there was no sign of forced entry. angus crawford reports. one of toronto's richest suburbs, a house for sale. in the basement, a discovery, two bodies, a man and a woman. barry sherman and his wife, honey, one of the richest couples in the country. police cannot yet say what happened. the c

and things are finely balanced in the third ashes test.a century from jonny bairstow, which has helped england into a 200—run lead. however, the australia captain steve smith is doing his best to reduce the arrears. our correspondent andy swiss is watching a delicately balanced match in perth. at first, dyfed milan and jonny ba i rstow at first, dyfed milan and jonny bairstow continued their marathon partnership. bairstow reaching his century. he celebrated by head—butting his helmet, a reference to that now infamous incident in a bar in perth. but when dawid malan went finally for m0, the rest of england's batting collapsed pretty horribly. they lost their last six wickets for just 35 runs, 403 horribly. they lost their last six wickets forjust 35 runs, 403 all out. they will feel as if they should have got a lot more than that. but england's bolus set about repairing the damage, two wickets for craig 0verton. but then, a half—ce ntu ry for craig 0verton. but then, a half—century from usman khawaja, a 92 not out from captain steve smith,

captain steve smith scores yet another century as australia bats out the final day to save the fourth ashesainst england in melbourne. and in half an hour here on bbc news, the very best bits of click from 2017 — including tech for cats, haunting holograms and trigger happy trekkers. good afternoon. welcome to bbc news. the former beatles drummer ringo starr, barry gibb of the bee gees, and the former deputy prime minister, nick clegg, have all been knighted in the new year honours list. starr said it was "great" to be acknowledged for his music, while gibb said the knighthood was as much his brothers‘ "as it is mine". stars from the world of sport who are recognised include the wales and lions rugby union captain, sam warburton, and the world cup winning england cricket captain heather knight, who both receive an obe. lizo mzimba has more details. # twist and shout! # twist and shout. more than 50 years after beatlemania, the fab four‘s drummer has been honoured with a knighthood... # what would you do if i sang... recognising ringo starr's half—a—century—long contribution to music. # i ge

ashes series can numb as well as inflict pain.ly, won back the urn, which was the objective at the start of the series, and we've now got an opportunity to keep winning. that's been my message to the boys. don't worry about 5—0 at this stage, you've got to win this one first. even on christmas morning, even with the series decided, they come to watch practise in melbourne. more than 90,000 will be here on boxing day to pick over the ashes leftovers. patrick gearey, bbc news, in melbourne. the case of a british woman who appeared in court today accused of smuggling drugs into egypt has been adjourned. laura plummer‘s sister says the hearing has been put back 2a hours after the defendant became visibly upset. the 33—year—old shop worker from hull was arrested in october when she was found with 290 tramadol tablets in her suitcase. the painkiller is legal in the uk, but not in egypt. christmas is meant to be a time of giving for all — but one family from west yorkshire has gone further than most with their seasonal goodwill. the clar

patrick gearey at the ashes.ess, has died at the age of eighty. he's best known for a photograph in 1984 which pictured him flying above earth with a jetpack. mr mccandless also served as the mission control capsule communicator when neil armstrong first walked on the moon in 1969. let's take a quick look back at what he achieved —— let's take a quick look back at what he achieved. roger, copy that, bruce. to finish, let's hear the sound of the czech christmas mass. hundreds of singers turned out in prague to perform that together. it's a tradition which began in 1989 after the fall of communism in what was then czechoslovakia. in the first year, a few people gathered on the steps of the bridge. since then it's become an altogether bigger affair with the crowd led by professional conductors and soloists with the main train station also turned into a concert hall for the occasion. let's hear some more. all sing. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm @benmbland. also plenty

and we're going to take the ashes. of some of our f friends and drop them on the steps the white house. every day somebody is. we thought we were gonna have about eighty people's ashes. but. when yeah we publicized where they have meeting place was. and you know another eight people showed up. includining a grandmother fm ththe midwest you g got on . mean travel l across the cocountry. to bring our grandsons ashe. so they could be. but other white house lawn because he was so infuriated that nothing. that to save her grandson's life. when we marched through. the edge of the call. you know we started chatting probably will. image of the street joy. going. people discarded. for you. i know that the quilt. to draw have perception. it'll has recommended. food and drug. new drug called thehe most imimporta. york which has the highest number of aids. three. shown a dramatic. the number of. thirty percent drop. distinguished guests. i'm going to be very blunt. i'm here to sound a wake u p call to everyone attending this call.

more than 90,000 will be here on boxing day to pick over the ashes leftovers.at your dreams of a white christmas didn't come true? well, a group of five british women have got more than their fair share of snow. they're on a historical journey of a lifetime, using ski power alone to cross the antarctic unaided. earlier today my colleague christian fraser spoke to expedition leader major natalie taylor, who told us more about their journey. oh, well, we have 2a hours of daylight currently in antarctica. there are six women from the british army. at the moment we've done eight hours of skiing today. it was —20 when we started, and it's about —25 with wind chill. but we've been really blessed with beautiful sunshine, if not a little bit cold and draughty when we're skiing. we're currently in the tents now, melting snow, having our christmas dinner, which for me is mashed potato and chicken which has been dehydrated and rehydrated with water. oh, that sounds very appetising! tell us what's gone right and what's gone wrong so far on the expedition. oh, well, day two

england once again whacked at the waca, whacked at the waca, again faced with ashes failure. haven't been blown away, we have not been completely outplayed. we have put up some really good performances, just not long enough, simple as that. again, the scoreboard in perth makes sorry reading for english cricket. to lose the ashes after three matches will be a crushing disappointment but this is a team with problems on and off the pitch. their star player ben stokes didn't even travel after an incident outside a nightclub. other big names like stuart broad and alistair cooke have struggled. england were the underdogs here. as it turned out, with good reason. i have not been surprised with what i have seen. if you look at the england tool box they have arrived with, they were missing a spanner, screwdriver, no one with real pace. not having their best player in ben stokes would always be a big issue. the challenge now for england is a grim one, to avoid the dreaded whitewash, after being outbatted, outbowled and outclassed, and it could be a long few weeks. andy swiss, bbc news,

they were hoping to see a first dramatic victory of this ashes series.d steve smith got in the way, batting australia through for a draw and scored another century. it was an anti—climactic end for england. morning has broken, but would the australians? with the weather kinder after the rain yesterday, england were up against vanishing time and two batsmen in anything but a hurry. when david warner shuffled to his 50 he had been at the crease for more than three hours. joe root had been given a puzzle for his birthday. he decided he might be the answer and he came on to bowl, warner took the bait and james vince took the cash. stuart broad's accuracy and the agility ofjonny bairstow removed shaun marsh. the other marsh was bogged down initially but mitchell escaped. steve smith was still there as he had been all day, as he always seems to be. with england getting no help from the pitch and even less from the australian captain, all that was left was for smith to complete his century and secured the draw. england could not shift him, whatever their effort

to come, we'll cast our eye over this year's sports personality contenders and take a look at the ashesceltic‘s 69—game domestic unbeaten run has come to a dramatic end, after being hammered 4—0 by hearts in the scottish premiership. the last time celtic lost in the league was a incredible 585 days ago. holly hamilton has more. it's been a long time since anyone got the better of celtic in scotland. they travelled to tynecastle unbeaten in a record—breaking 69 domestic games. but records are made to be broken. after 26 minutes, a schoolboy error led to harry cochrane firing hearts into the lead. no champagne celebrations for him. minutes later craig gordon prevented the hopes of making it a double, but only a temporary reprieve, as kyle lafferty drove in this shot. after the break milinkovic capitalised on more poor celtic defending to make it 3—0. new territory for brendan rodgers' side. the french winger compounded the visitors' misery, slotting home a late penalty as their invincible streak came to a grinding halt. celtic top the table byjust two points. time for the champions to reg

ashes series can numb as well as inflict pain.iously won back the urn, which was the objective at the start of the series, and we've got an opportunity to keep winning. that's been my message to the boys. don't worry about 5—0 at this stage, you have to win this one first. even on christmas morning, even with the series decided, they come to watch practise in melbourne. more than 90,000 will be here on boxing day to pick over the ashes left overs. patrick gearey, bbc news, in melbourne. it's the strictly come dancing christmas special tonight. joe mcfadden might have been crowned this year's champion, but today it's the turn of former contestants to waltz their way onto the dancefloor. tim muffett caught up with the dancers and celebrities in rehearsals. well, they have me doing a viennese waltz with brendan, which is lovely. it's just nice she's finally got a decent partner to dance with, instead of that anton fella. it didn't take long. about 45 seconds. merry christmas, anton! a bit of a royal theme this year, isn't it? you hav

ashes series can numb as well as inflict pain. 0bviously won back the urn which was the objective at the start of the series, and we've got an opportunity to keep winning. that's been my message to the boys. don't worry about 5—0 at this stage, you have to win this one first. even on christmas morning, even with the series decided, they come to watch practise in melbourne. more than 90,000 will be here on boxing day to pick over the ashes left overs. patrick gearey, bbc news in melbourne. you've heard of recycyling — but these days the new buzzword is upcycling — transforming rubbish into objects of desire. a non—profit workshop in austria — supported by the city government — is working with the long—term unemployed to make furniture, ornaments and jewellery out of old household appliances. bethany bell reports from vienna. it's beautiful, but it is actually all made from rubbish. the process starts here at this workshop. workers remove hazardous substances from old computers and appliances. the leftovers are sent either for recyc

the ashes gone and still they come. there is a reason the fan are called the barmy army.they are playing it. they have called up mr root, his brother billy who has had to watch joe lose the urn with everyone else he will enjoy the challenge of it. there will be times when he is frustrated. i think it is the sort of thing he will enjoy taking on at the tough challenge like this. challenge is an understatement. comment and criticism comes with cricket in australia, in the past week root has had to watch the ashes go and had to listen to his captaincy be described as soft and child like by former australian skipper ricky ponting he doesn't spend any time in the dressing room 01’ spend any time in the dressing room or round the squad, so i don't think i would go about things as a little boy for sure i have my own way of doing things. it is important you are not trying to be something you are not trying to be something you are not. boxing day in melbourne is national occasion notjust a sporting one. australian values of competition mean there will be be no going easy. this is

ashes series can numb as well as inflict pain.. 0bviously won back the urn which was the objective at the start of the series, and we've got an opportunity to keep winning. that's been my message to the boys. don't worry about 5—0 at this stage, you have to win this one first. even on christmas morning, even with the series decided, they come to watch practise in melbourne. more than 90,000 will be here on boxing day to pick over the ashes left overs. patrick gearey, bbc news in melbourne. if you're disappointed that your dreams of a white christmas didn't come true, spare a thought for a gi’oup come true, spare a thought for a group of five british women who have got more than their fair share of snow. they are on a historical journey of a lifetime, using ski power alone to cross the antarctic unaided. natalie taylor is a british army major with the four other women. i think she's on the phone. can you hear us? hello, i can hear you clearly. happy christmas. merry christmas to you. you are out there on one of the harshest environ

the waca is where so many ashes dreams have died.ch and in turmoil off it know they need something extraordinary. it's an opportunity to create history. it's a real chance to flip the dynamics of this series on its head and if we do come away 2—1 from this game, then it does blow the series wide open. well, for england over the years the waca has normally lived up to its name. they've lost their last seven tests here and have arrived for this one with notjust their cricket but their conduct under the spotlight. the latest barroom incident, in which bowlerjimmy anderson had a drink poured over him, has given australia's headline writers another field day. and some believe the culture of the team needs to change. they do behave like students. you know, when they go out they think they're students. they are not, they're england cricketers. the perception is that they drink too much. in terms of everything that's happened to the team, the performance levels, the off field antics, i would be staggered if england got a victory this week. a

an unbeaten 244 by alastair cook helped england take control of the fourth ashes test.icket ground. he's now sixth in the all—time list of leading test run—scorers. here's patrick geary. for england, finally, belatedly, serenity at the mcg but those who have followed them here are always wary of a wave around the corner. followed by unwelcome ducks. imagine the ripples caused byjoe root‘s misplaced hook. 61, out, missed out. malan's error was even stranger, given lbw, he chose not to review. the hotspot showed he had hit it, a lifeline ignored. jonny bairstow came and went, then moeen ali under pressure, trying to be carefree and ended up careless. in contrast to the muddled minds, the clarity of alastair cook. beyond 150, fortunately just beyond steve smith, the second time he dropped him. cook took over the management of the innings, driving england into a lead, pushing onto a remarkable double century. he found a loyal lieutenant in stuart broad, first brave and bold, making a 50 that infuriated the aussies. by close, their total was nearly 500, cook had scored more

and a second defeat in the ashes for england.the met office across northern scotland where we will see the strongest of the winds. there could be disruption to travel as well as power cuts too. i will bring you the details later on. also coming up, thousands of people flee from the path of wildfires in california. hello. this is afternoon live. i‘m martine croxall. a lot can hinge on a phone call, not least the one this morning between the prime minister and the leader of the dup, arlene foster. it‘s the first time they‘ve spoken since a deal to move brexit talks on to the next stage stalled in brussels on monday. the dup rejected the text of an agreement between the uk and the european union on the future of northern ireland‘s border. but in the commons this lunchtime, the prime minister insisted that very good progress has been made in the brexit negotiations. our political correspondent leila nathoo reports. reporter: have you won over the dup, yet, prime minister? back from brussels without the deal she wanted. she knows she