nesta mcgregor, bbc news.streaks of light are visible, depending on the weather where you are. in perfect conditions, you could spot up to dozens an hour. pallab ghosh has been star gazing for us. blink and you'll miss it. meteors hurtle through the skies of northumbria earlier this year. tiny fragments of space dust burning up in the earth's atmosphere. and these pictures from last night are the start of the biggest media shower of the year. meteor shower of the year. we can see if we look up now... it's cloudy in most parts of the country tonight. but astronomers say it's still worth looking up at the skies as the storm starts to peak. so it's not too bad, is it? it's not bad and there are clear patches, and frankly, that's what i'd be looking at. if you go outside, have a look in a clear patch, see if you can see some meteors. any techniques, any suggestions?

nesta mcgregor, bbc news.ristmas number one has finally come true. wham's last christmas is — at last — in the top spot. here's mark savage. for the first ever time in the history of this song, wham and last christmas is your official christmas number one today! # last christmas, i gave you my heart # but the very next day, you gave it away... 13 million. that's how many times last christmas was streamed over the last seven days. and that's why it's christmas number one, for the first time since it was released 39 years ago. # but the very next day, you gave it away. i'm delighted. it has been a long wait in many respects, but it was a song george wrote with the intention of being a number one, and to finally achieve that goal, it's humbling. top of the pile is a great place to be. what do you think george would make of it going to christmas number one after all this time? he'd be absolutely over the moon. he wouldn't have cared for the amount of time it's taken to get there, but better late than never. # got

nesta mcgregor, - watch. good news for licence fee payers. nesta mcgregor, thank. watch.adlines. manchester city have been charged by the fa for failing to control their players after several surrounded referee simon hooper during yesterday's match against tottenham. city have until thursday to respond to the charge. sheffield united manager paul heckingbottom is expected to be dismissed from hisjob. his side are bottom of the premier league after being beaten 5—0 at burnley on saturday. former manager chris wilder is among the leading contenders to take over. the club postponed today's press conference ahead of wednesday's match against liverpool. the government says it will back all recommendations made in the women's football review, led by former england midfielder karen carney. the report calls for the top two women's tiers in england to become fully professional and a new regular broadcast slot to be made available. rugby referee tom foley says he's taking a break from the international game because of what he calls the "torrent of criticism and abuse" he received a

nesta mcgregor, thank you.and they are being transported upright as the vehicles squeeze past buildings, trees and lamp posts. it's a quite a sight. they are being taken to a wind farm eight miles south of the town. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. a very wet day for many of us, with long spells of rain towards the north and east and some beefy showers across much of the south. heavy and thundery in nature, such as here in plymouth, but also some rather lovely clad skates coming through from our weather watchers. it will look more like this tomorrow, blue sky and sunshine, an improving picture from the west, but it will be feeling colder, with a chilly northerly wind blowing. the low pressure is moving slowly towards the near continent, all of these showers swirling around the low. still rain feeding into north—east england as we head through the rest of the night. it's been very wet here, the rain slowly sinking southwards. the rain continues across much of england and wales, lots of c

where we can join our correspodnent nesta mcgregor. may well need something specalfrom united tonight. yes, very special indeed to get past the german champions. they might be facing german opposition but it's facing german opposition but its two french words that spring to mind when thinking about manchester united and they are deja view. talk about manchester united needing a result. number one is to have any chance of reaching the last 16 of the champions league. number two to appease fans who are annoyed at the inconsistency and number three the rumours about erik ten hag's future. bayern munich are a huge club, they have been struggling a bit which might mean the cop is a bit of a skip for them and as we mentioned, harry kane, football has await of writing his own script and he could have joined manchester united. speaking of which, former premier league winner chris sutton will be commentating on the game for the bbc and he says manchester united have a tough night ahead. if and he says manchester united have a tough night ahead.

our correspondent nesta mcgregor has more. the referee, by the way, sam allison.ean anything to you? sam allison? no. not to me, it don't. yeah. first black referee after 15 years. it should not be shocking. why does it matter? as _ it should not be shocking. why does it matter? as long _ it should not be shocking. why does it matter? as long as _ it should not be shocking. why does it matter? as long as he _ it should not be shocking. why does it matter? as long as he is - it should not be shocking. why does it matter? as long as he is good. i the league's first black referee was uriah rennie, from 1997 to 2008. back then, ian wright was one of the stars of the league, scoring goals rather than analysing them. he says he's surprised at the lack of progress 15 years on. i think that referees are a species that's in trouble. you know, when you look at what they go through at grassroots level. so the conveyor belt of people coming through, you know, asian and black referees are out there. we need to find out where the blockage is. rodney heinz is the co—founder of t

nesta mcgregor reports. manchester city fc, club champions of the world.cooley and alvarez in the right place, right time.— cooley and alvarez in the right place, right time. but a piece of improvisation. _ place, right time. but a piece of improvisation. the _ place, right time. but a piece of improvisation. the champions i place, right time. but a piece of| improvisation. the champions of south america _ improvisation. the champions of south america trailing _ improvisation. the champions of south america trailing the - improvisation. the champions of - south america trailing the champions of europe, and soon it would be by two goals. a deflection from this phil foden cross, the keeper unable to react. by the break, the england international made his mark on the game once again. city cruising, though victory came at a cost— rodri, or could be their most influential player this season, limping off following this tackle. shortly after alvarez added a fourth ceiling dominant win, manchester city fc, the talk of england, europe, and now the world. nesta mcgr

0ur sports correspondent nesta mcgregor has more. to inject some excitement into what is a long, long and be a campaign. we are talking 82 games and if you are a team with no chance of winning the title, there had been occasions where teams appear to be going through the motions but this, the nba cup seems to have changed all of that. the format, the teams are split into groups but the results also counts towards the overall season record and it seems that the fans the players are brought into it. it has created an atmosphere and a competitiveness usually seen in the end of season and playoffs. the finals has been held in las vegas and a half $1 million for each winning players probably also helps. saturday's final will be be between lebronjames's saturday's final will be be between lebron james's aliev saturday's final will be be between lebronjames's aliev makers and the indiana pacers. and lebronjames's status is one of the great at the game and indisputably the last thing he produced another standout performance. if you have a lo

has been some reaction from the man united legend gary neville: well, our sports correspondent, nesta mcgregorens next. they have agreed a deal but the premier league must still sign this off. the 71—year—old will be subject to the owners and directors test which normally takes 6—8 weeks. they want to know if he has the money and where he got it from. 0nce that's done, maybe fans can fully celebrate and get to thinking about the glory days that gary neville�*s tweet has mentioned because united are 8th and are out of european competition. sirjim ratcliffe�*s 25% stake comes with a £200,000 cash injection, some of which will be spent on refurbishing 0ld trafford but more importantly ineos and sirjim ratcliffe will be in charge of footballing operations, meaning the signing and selling of players and the hiring and firing of managers as well. let's not sugar—coat this, because the glazers are still in total control but many fans are unhappy with how the american family have been running the club since 2005 and will see sir jim's place on the board as a step in the right direction. gaza's health

live now to old trafford — our sports correspondent, nesta mcgregor, has the latest.

nesta mcgregor was watching.king off at lunchtime, liverpool knew a win would see them top the table, if only for a few hours. although crystal palace started brightest, forcing alisson to be at his best. it appeared the home side had an even better chance to take the lead soon after, a penalty, but var a foul by hughes earlier. the game was no blockbuster. after the break, palace had another penalty appeal, this time it was given. mateta won and converted the spot kick. liverpool chasing the game received help from their hosts. they were reduced to ten men, jordan ayew given the early bath. from the resulting free kick, mo salah, a huge deflection and a huge milestone, the egyptian�*s 200th goal for liverpool, and more delight for the visitors, harvey elliott with a finish worthy of being a game winner. liverpool with three points and top of the table to show for it. so another late show from liverpool — 1a goals in the last 15 minutes of matches this season. the 18 points they have taken from losing positions i

social media platform x: live now to manchester old trafford arena, our sports correspondent nesta mcgregormy what happens next? they have aareed a my what happens next? they have agreed a deal _ my what happens next? they have agreed a deal but _ my what happens next? they have agreed a deal but the _ my what happens next? they have agreed a deal but the premier- my what happens next? they have i agreed a deal but the premier league must still sign this off. the 71—year—old will be subject to the owner and directors test which normally takes 6—8 weeks. they want to know if he has the money and where he got it from. 0nce that's done, maybe fans can fully celebrate and get to thinking about the glory days that gary neville's twitter post has mentioned because of united are out of european competition. sir jim ratcliffe's 25% stake comes with a cash injection, some of which will be spent on refurbishing 0ld be spent on refurbishing old trafford but more importantly ineos and sirjim ratcliffe will be in charge of footballing operations, meaning the signing and selling of players and the hiring

our sports correspondent nesta mcgregor gave me latest from old trafford.otentially, let's call it 13 months in the making and there were times where we've been told it's imminent, there were times we were told it would happen a week from now, two weeks from now and it hasn't done so. so perhaps a surprise but not a surprise at the same time. to go into the details of the deal, sirjim ratcliffe, one of the richest men in britain, a boyhood manchester united fan, has acquired a 25% minority share in the club, just north of £1 billion and i think the important part of the statement is that the ineos group will be in charge of footballing operations and will be key for many manchester united fans watching this. the glazers have been in charge of the club since 2005. 13 months ago they said they were looking at potential investment and there were two serious bids, from a qatari businessman and from sirjim ratcliffe. both wanted to take total control of the club at the glazers decided against that. earlier this year, sirjim ratcliffe put in a bid to own a portio

live now to old trafford — our sports correspondent, nesta mcgregor, has the latest.been waiting for this for a long time. how much of a surprise as this? i for a long time. how much of a surprise as this?— for a long time. how much of a surprise as this? i think that this is the christmas _ surprise as this? i think that this is the christmas present - surprise as this? i think that this is the christmas present that - surprise as this? i think that this| is the christmas present that lots of manchester united fans would have wanted. you pose the question how big of a surprise. this deal has been potentially 13 months in the making, there have been times we have been told it was imminent, that would happen a week from now, two weeks from now, and it hasn't done so. so perhaps a surprise and not as a prize at the same time. sarahjim ratcliffe, one of the richest men in britain, a boyhood manchester united fan, has acquired a 25% minority share in the club. i think the important part of the statement is that his ineos group will be in charge of footballing operations.

nesta mcgregor reports.rking in health care to taking care of top—flight football in england, rebecca welch, history maker. having already been part of a matchday team, when the ao—year—old former administrator takes charge of full of versus burnley on december 23, shall become the first woman to referee of premier league match. we've got some really talented female officials both in the men's game and the women's game. rebecca is leading that. really confident that she'll deliver again in the premier league and possibly be a really good role model for women and girls who may be my think refereeing is for them. there's quality in all communities. we're working hard to show that refereeing is for all, increasing our diversity, which has not been good enough.— increasing our diversity, which has not been good enough. other sports have already — not been good enough. other sports have already paid _ not been good enough. other sports have already paid the _ not been good enough. other sports have already paid t

nesta mcgregor, bbc news. now, a meteor shower, known as the geminids, is peaking in skies around the world tonight. the multicoloured streaks of light are visible, depending on the weather where you are. in perfect conditions, you could spot up to dozens an hour. pallab ghosh has been star gazing for us. blink and you'll miss it. meteors hurtle through the skies of northumbria earlier this year. tiny fragments of space dust burning up in the earth's atmosphere. and these pictures from last night are the start of the biggest media shower of the year. meteor shower of the year. we can see if we look up now... it's cloudy in most parts of the country tonight. but astronomers say it's still worth looking up at the skies as the storm starts to peak. so it's not too bad, is it? it's not bad and there are clear patches, and frankly, that's what i'd be looking at. if you go outside, have a look in a clear patch, see if you can see some meteors. any techniques, any suggestions? get a big, wide field of the sky in your

nesta mcgregor, bbc news.nd pakistan in melbourne. pakistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat first — reaching 114—2 before the bad weather set in. australia lead the three match series 1—0. that's all the sport for now. i will be back later. i will have the headlines for you at seven o'clock. time now for all the highlights from this year's sporting calendar with review 2023 — the year in sport. 2023 was a remarkable year for sport. up here, an historic treble. down under, a women's world cup. england and australia couldn't be separated in the ashes, whilst cricket, rugby union and netball all had world cups of their own. golf came togetherfor the solheim and ryder cups. but the start of this sporting year was, for some, less a beginning and more a resumption. football had onlyjust returned after its unprecedented winter world cup break. also resuming, returning, the australian open once more welcomed novak djokovic, a year on from his deportation over his covid vaccination status. still no vax for nova

nesta mcgregor reports. manchester city, champions of the world.seconds into it, too. julian alvarez, the argentine, right place, right time. and what a piece of improvisation! the champions of south america trailing the champions of europe and soon, it would be by two goals. a deflection from this phil foden cross. the keeper unable to react. and after the break, the england international made his mark on the game once again. phil foden rubs it in! city cruising, although victory came at a cost — rodri, arguably their most influential player this season, limping off following this tackle. shortly after, alvarez added a fourth, sealing a dominant win. manchester city the talk of england, europe and now the world. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. so, that�*s manchester city�*s fifth piece of silverware of 2023. they�*ve won the domestic treble of the premier league, fa cup and champions league and the uefa super cup in august. you might wonder where they go from here? it sounds like pep guardiola�*s almost wondering that himself. i have the feeling that we

nesta mcgregor reports.ts head! if the first half was evenly contested, the second was anything but. after a powerful maul a few metres from the line, it was tom dunn who lunged over. then a huge turning point in the game — ulster went a man down, bath took full advantage. three unanswered tries as the home side tired. a win and a bonus point — it finished bath 37—1li. elsewhere, england's henry slade was given an injury time opportunity to decide the game. henry slade, you decide! this ranks high! his exeter chiefs squeezing past toulouse. the first weekend of the champions cup living up to its billing. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. in the women's premiership, merryn doidge scored a hat—trick as the exeter chiefs beat harlequins 52—27. the chiefs led by 22 points at the break before taking total control in the second period to make it three wins from three and keep up the pressure on saracens at the top of the table. england's men have lost their one—day series with west indies after falling to a four—wicket de

sense of manchester united re—establishing itself amongst europe's elite is a long way off as nesta mcgregore memorable european nights, and another would be needed if manchester united were to remain in the champions league. german giants bayern munich waltzed into town confident — their attack led by england captain harry kane. and there was little surprise. the striker had the first significant chance, albeit easily saved. as for the home side, defender luke shaw's efforts had all the required power but was straight at the bayern keeper. united not only needed a win, but for other results to go their way. with 20 minutes to go, their hopes were dealt a huge blow. here's a chance for bayern munich. 1-0. kingsley coman the scorer, kane the provider. bayern munich bouncing. erik ten hag, meanwhile, deflated — his team frustrated. at the final whistle, the 1—0 defeat meant manchester united finished bottom of the group and were out of european competition. another low point for the club in what's been an already frustrating season by their very high standards. for some manchester united fans,