james ransley, bbc news.ions in the himalayas. they're called the ‘kung fu nuns‘ and for the next month, they're swapping their religious robes for bike wear. virginia langeberg reports. what started as a lesson in self—defence became part of their meditational focus and now, martial arts is ingrained in their identity. in the mountains of kathmandu, these buddhist nuns, of the drukpa lineage, call themselves ‘the kung fu nuns'. they are hailed by some as heroes of the himalayas for breaking down gender roles. now, more than 200 of them are leaving their mountain nunnery in nepal and swapping their maroon robes for lycra leggings. they are taking their message of female empowerment to the road, cycling through nepal and india to promote gender equality. we are starting our fifth cycle yatra today and our main mission is about giving awareness about women empowerment, eco—friendly environment, and human trafficking. nepal is still struggling to recover from the 2015 earthquake, and modern—day slavery is a grow

james ransley, bbc news. this is bbc news — the main headline.loods and landslides triggered by a tropical storm. many more are missing. let's get more on that story. earlier i spoke with lotta sylwander, country representative for unicef philippines. she gave us an update on the situation. close to 200 dead. if we look at the whole area of the typhoon. they could be more, we don't know yet. as day has broken, the rescue mission can start looking for missing people. we know a number of children have either drowned or gone missing. of course, i think the bulk is adults trying to stay with their homes and trying to save their possessions. we are seeing pictures of some of the devastation. very, very difficult for you and some of the other authorities to reach the communities affected. definitely. roads have been blocked because of landslides. electricity is down because the electricity poles have fallen and so on. it is a really dire situation and the most important thing right now is really to get to people and start with life—saving inputs. make

james ransley, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news.to effect in south sudan — the latest attempt to end the civil war that has engulfed the country for four years. earlier cessations of hostilities have failed, and over a million south sudanese have fled their country. this ceasefire is meant to be just the first step; negotiations will follow and if progress is made, eventually fresh elections will be held. the former president of peru, alberto fujimori, has been taken from prison to a hospital suffering from low blood pressure and an irregular heart beat. the 79—year—old is serving a lengthy prison sentence for corruption and human rights violations committed during his government's fight against left—wing guerrillas in the 1990s. a candlelit vigil has been held in the lebanese capital, beirut, to mourn the recent murders of four women. women's rights activists laid white roses on pictures of the victims: two lebanese women, a syrian who was pregnant, and a british embassy worker, rebecca dykes. since her death last saturday, women h

james ransley, bbc news.some of the other stories making the news: a ceasefire has started come into effect in south sudan, the latest attempt to end the civil war that has engulfed the country for four years. earlier cessations of hostilities have failed, and over a million south sudanese have fled their country. this ceasefire is meant to be just the first step. negotiations will follow, and if progress is made, eventually fresh elections will be held. 32 people have been killed in a bus crash in rajasthan, in india. officials say the driver lost control of the vehicle, which broke through a guardrail and fell 30 metres from a bridge. most of the bodies have been retrieved, and the injured taken to local hospitals. it was carrying passengers to the ramdevji hindu temple. the president of ukraine says the weapons that the united states has agreed to supply his forces, facing pro—russia separatists in the east, will only be used for defensive purposes. petro poroshenko said the arms would help ukraine respond

as james ransley reports the political instability isn't bringing down catalonia's christmas spirit.e facing a political crisis but it has not dampened the holiday it shares of some locals. translation: people are in christmas mood because one thing has nothing to do with the other. people will discuss politics but nothing will happen. so what next for catalonia? that is what everyone in the region is one drink after the elections which gave pro— independence party a majority once again. now the separatist leader, carles puidgemont, wants to return from self—imposed exile. puidgemont, wants to return from self-imposed exile. transaction mac iam the self-imposed exile. transaction mac i am the president and i have not stopped being it even though they sacked me by the creek by the spanish government which has failed in catalonia. carles puidgemont who is threatened with arrest in spain has called for dialogue with the spanish government, even if it falls short of independence. translation: what i say is let's talk. let's talk about everything but above all about what catalans about ev