rebecca morelle, bbc news.pace editor at the science and tech website arz technica. really good to heavy on the programme during this close approach, the spacecraft is out of communication for several days, so the nasa team face a nervous wait over christmas before they can finally discover the secrets of our star. rebecca morelle, bbc news. i'm joined now by eric berger, senior space editor at the science and tech website arz technica. really good to heavy on the programme thank you forjoining us. it feels suspicious to be talking about a star for christmas day for me at least christmas day for me at least christmas eve for you, clearly the mission is very significant what is the most important thing about it for you? it is “ust thing about it for you? it is 'ust the thing about it for you? it is just the fact _ thing about it for you? it is just the fact we _ thing about it for you? it is just the fact we have - thing about it for you? it 3 just the fact we have never really gotten this insight into the star,

rebecca morelle, bbc news.. communities around the grampians, in the state's west have been evacuated amid warnings from authorities that conditions there in the days ahead could be the worst since australia's most severe fire season on record five years ago which killed more than 30 people. we can get more now from our reporter emer mccarthy. tell us more but what the conditions will be like. win conditions will be like. will be a nervous _ conditions will be like. will be a nervous few— conditions will be like. ll be a nervous few days for the residents of 1538 00:20:11,781 --> 0

rebecca morelle, bbc news. extraordinary pictures there.wards of more than a—hundred thousand dollars for the arrest of six pro—democracy activists living abroad. it brings to 19 the number of bounties placed on people who've fled china's crackdown on rights and freedoms. one of the founders of medellin cartel has returned to colombia after serving more than 20 years injail in the united states for drug trafficking. who've fled china's crackdown on rights and freedoms. one of the founders of medellin cartel has returned to colombia after serving more than 20 years injail in the united states for drug trafficking. fabio 0choa, who's 67, was once a senior member in the gang led by pablo escobar. he was arrested by the colombian police in the 1999 and extradited to the us two years later. south korea has become what the un describes as a �*super—aged society', with 20% of the population now over 65. newly released figures show there are just over ten million elderly south koreans out of a total of 50 million. to the uk now where a consultation

rebecca morelle, bbc news, bannau brycheiniog.ide if you want to try and see this star. the number one chess player, magnus carlsen, has said he will return to the world rapid and blitz chess championships in new york after the sport's governing body agreed to relax the dress code. the norwegian walked out on friday when he was told he couldn't wear jeans. the president of the international chess federation said he'd decided to try out giving officials more flexibility in judgements about attire. carlsen will now return for the blitz championship, which starts on tuesday. he's said he will be wearing jeans. hello. another big week of travel out there this week and potentially some more disruptive weather. not fog this time, turn quieter but strengthening winds for the next three days to take us into wednesday — new year's day, of course. also heavy rain and even a little bit of snow for some, before things turn quieter, sunnier, but also much colder later in the week. it is this stripe of cloud which extends to the mid—atlantic wh

rebecca morelle, bbc news.spacejournalist and blogger on the site space upclose. so good to talk to you and thank you for being here. tell me a bit about the launch at the 2080 because you are there! yes, take you for having me. a merry christmas to all of your viewers around the world —— in 2018. viewers around the world -- in 2018. i viewers around the world -- in 2018- i was — viewers around the world -- in 2018. i was there _ viewers around the world -- in 2018. i was there in _ viewers around the world -- in 2018. i was there in august of| 2018. i was there in august of 2018. i was there in august of 2018 and parker _ 2018. i was there in august of 2018 and parker who - 2018. i was there in august of 2018 and parker who the - 2018. i was there in august of| 2018 and parker who the probe was named after was there and i got to meet him so it was very exciting. this mission will kiss the sun as your reporter said and has a way to measure and capture particles and determine their elemental composition, to look

rebecca morelle, bbc news, bannau brycheiniog. let's hope there is no fog to cloud the view. have now been lifted. they say that a small number of flights have been cancelled today but the good news is if you are planning a flight out of gatwick, those restrictions that were there because of fog have now been lifted. now who wouldn't want to be a millionaire. well here in the uk, the national lottery created 383 millionaires this year — that's more than one each day. the operators said in total, the winners shared £848 million this year also included the uk's third biggest—ever win, a £177—million euromillions jackpot. sadly i haven't won. a reminder of the main use today tributes have been coming in forjimmy carter who has died at the age of 100. tributes have called him an extraordinary statement and humanitarian. let me show you the pictures from the white house where it is coming up to seven o'clock in the morning. the flag is flying at half past. —— half—mast. hello. another big week of travel out there this week and potentially some more disruptive weather. not fog this

rebecca morelle, bbc news.onnect each other at christmas. in a personal message, recorded for her carol service the princess also encouraged the world to turn to love, not fear. 0ur senior royal correspondent daniela relph has more. the princess of wales came to this year's carol service after a challenging year, like so many others whojoined her here. with her children and husband at her side, she described christmas as a moment to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all. she's recorded some of the voiceover being used in tonight's broadcast. join me this christmas eve for a special carol service to celebrate all those who've shown love, empathy, and kindness in their communities this year. this is a very personal project for the princess of wales, and supporting her, particularly with the music, has been lady gabriella windsor. earlier this year, lady gabriella's husband thomas kingston took his own life. the princess said she was incredibly grateful for lady gabriella's contribution. #

rebecca morelle, bbc news. absolutely extraordinary.ally know where a doctor who got those sounds from. the corona itself, what is your understanding as to why it is just so incredibly hot, and as we heard there in rebecca's report, there will be an agonising few days for the nasa scientists? will this little probe make it?— scientists? will this little robe make it? ., probe make it? good morning. yes, i think— probe make it? good morning. yes, | think it _ probe make it? good morning. yes, i think it is _ probe make it? good morning. yes, i think it is really - yes, i think it is really impressive that they are sending this thing towards the sun with, like, this measly little heat shield which is built to withstand just 1300 celsius temperatures. like we heard in the speech previously, the corona reaches temperatures of millions of degrees celsius, so, so much hotter than what you would expect the heat shield to be able to withstand. but there are not many particles there are, it is very thin, so it is kind of like you know you can pu

rebecca morelle, bbc news.r christmas there and to the decorations again, much more modest around the church of the nativity which is revered of the birthplace ofjesus by birthplace of jesus by christians, birthplace ofjesus by christians, but there are those who are still trying to celebrate at the missed all of the difficulties in the region. good evening. christmas eve ushered in some calmer weather after the wet and windy weather that we had at the weekend. you can see the remnants still sitting by the side of the road in northern ireland. blue sky and sunshine here, though. however, it was a slightly different story in newquay and cornwall. a lot of low cloud, damp, misty, murky. it didn't deter some from taking an afternoon walk on the beach. and that cloudy, murky story will continue into christmas day for many of us. but it will also continue to stay mild for this time of year. and that's because we're under this influence of high pressure. the wind direction is south—westerly, feeding in that cloud fro

rebecca morelle, bbc news.athedral in central london. tonight's service will be followed by masses on christmas day itself at the cathedral — which is the seat of the archbishop of westminster and notre dame cathedral in paris is hosting its first midnight mass since reopening five and a half years after a catastrophic fire nearly destroyed the historic landmark, decimating its spire and roof. 840 million euros were donated from all over the world for the five—year long restoration work, according to french president emmanuel macron�*s office.the archbishop of paris is presiding over the service this evening as the world celebrates christmas — santa is busy delivering gifts. the us north american aerospace command has repositioned its radars and satellites to track santa claus travelling around the world. norad, a joint operation between the us and canadian militaries, is responsible for guarding the skies over north america. right now santa is over the south america and has already given out about five billion

rebecca morelle, bbc news. a lot to discuss. let's join...probe make it?— make it? always a good question. _ make it? always a good question, it _ make it? always a good question, it has - make it? always a good question, it has never l make it? always a good - question, it has never been this close in before so there is always a chance it will encounter something new but it has been very close on a number of occasions before and it is proven to be a very, very robust little spacecraft. when i say little, it is about 600 kilos so less then a small car. when it comes into contact with that magical area, that corona area, what kind of data are you hoping for and how will it be fed back to earth?— fed back to earth? well, the robe fed back to earth? well, the probe goes _ fed back to earth? well, the probe goes so _ fed back to earth? well, the probe goes so close - fed back to earth? well, the probe goes so close to - fed back to earth? well, the probe goes so close to the l fed back to earth? well, the i probe goes so close to the sun that it

rebecca morelle, bbc news.resent if that works. let's speak to drjenifer millard, an astronomer and managing editor at software company fifth star labs. just explain to us the conditions that this little probe has to get through. it is extraordinary _ probe has to get through. it 3 extraordinary what this probe has to get through. it 1 extraordinary what this probe has to survive after we are talking temperatures of well over 1000 degrees, it is being blasted by radiation from the sun, also particles from the sun, also particles from the sun, it is being bombarded by dust as well, cosmic dust. it is really the most extreme environment we have ever sent a spacecraft to, but it is well—prepared, it has its shield, its cooling system, so it should survive.— it should survive. should it survive. — it should survive. should it survive, fingers _ it should survive. should it survive, fingers crossed i it should survive. should it survive, fingers crossed it| survive, fingers crossed it should, what kind of informatio

rebecca morelle, bbc news.at the science and tech website arz technica. he told me more about the significance of this mission. it is just the fact we have never really gotten this insight into the star, this is what brings us life, brings us all the energy we rely on, we are subject to solar flares and things like that which create aurora. really having a much better fundamental understanding of the sun and how it works and the type of space weather it produces is very important to understanding our place in the solar system and predicting better, potentially negative outcomes like solar flares. yes, when it comes to these kinds of missions, there is the science and then there are the commercial aspects nowadays, aren't there? elon musk is going to have a very big role in the donald trump administration by the looks of things, but he is also ceo of spacex. how worried are people at nasa about elon musk having so much power over space policy? there is a lot of trepidation, he will be not be dictating space poli

rebecca morelle, bbc news, bannau brycheiniog.as said he'll return to the world rapid and blitz chess championships in new york, after the sport's governing body agreed to relax the dress code. the norwegian walked out on friday when he was told he couldn't wear jeans. the president of the international chess federation said he'd decided to try out giving officials more flexibility in judgements about attire. carlsen will now return for the blitz championship which starts on tuesday. he's said he'll be wearing jeans. let me take you to hawaii, where the kilauea volcano continues to erupt. one of the world's most active volcanoes, it sprang back into life a week ago, spewing columns of lava 80 metres above hawaii. enormous fissures have appeared on the flanks of kilauea, on hawaii's big island, spraying jets of molten rock into the air. first signs of rain pushing into northern ireland and southern scotland, very windy across the tops of the trans pennine routes. to the south of that we have some brightness and temperature is aroun

rebecca morelle, bbc news.to me what an incredible feat this could be. i think it is really impressive that they are sending this thing towards the sun with, like, this measly little heat shield which is built to withstand just 1300 celsius temperatures. like we heard in the speech previously, the corona reaches temperatures of millions of degrees celsius, so, so much hotter than what you would expect the heat shield to be able to withstand. but there are not many particles there, it is very thin, so it is kind of like you know you can put your hand in an oven and pull it straight out, but not be burned by the 100 degrees or 200 degrees temperature in your oven, because there are not many particles actually hitting your hand, it is not until you touch a hot pan that it actually hurts because that is something solid. i think in particular, it is even more impressive, because we are right now at the end of an 11—year solar cycle, so the sun goes through 11—year cycles of activity. every 11 years, it gets really,

rebecca morelle, bbc news.nd journalists during a media conference to announce the reopening of the country's biggest public hospital. at least two people have been killed and many others injured. journalists were waiting for the arrival of the health minister at the general hospital in the capital, port—au—prince, when the shooting began. the site had been recaptured by haiti's government injuly, after being occupied and destroyed by violent gangs that control much of the city. a russia missile has struck the ukrainian city of krivyi rih, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others. the strike on president zelensky�*s hometown came as his christmas message was being broadcast. local authorities say the ballistic missile hit a four—storey residential building. videos posted online showed rescuers pulling injured people from the rubble. standing before kyiv�*s saint sofia cathedral, mr zelensky said ukrainians wanted to see a christmas star shining in the skies, not russian missiles and drones. pope

our science editor rebecca morelle explains.anning the skies. they're eagerly awaiting a once in a lifetime event to see a celestial explosion, revealing a star that's normally too faint for us to see. so i've got the telescope pointed at corona borealis, and that's the constellation that this star is in. the star she's looking for is called t coronae borealis or t cor borfor short. t cor bor is dim? t cor bor is dim at the minute. so it's about magnitudes ten normally. and that is well below what you can see with the naked eye. but that could all be about to change. every 80 years or so, t cor bor is predicted to light up the sky, but not for long. it's only going to be visible to the naked eye for a couple of days. of course, if you've got a small pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you'll be able to see it for a little bit longer because you've got that magnifying tool. but i do think that its short stint in the sky makes it really special. t cor bor is actually two stars orbiting around each other, a small white dwarf w

rebecca morelle, bbc news.ery special part of its history is being uncovered for the very first time. a photo album documenting the social lives of the hidden bletchley spies has gone on display, showcasing some of the only photographs of the codebreakers in existance. 0ur reporter graham satchell has been to have a look. we've got dances, amateur dramatics. you've got marriages, weddings. it'sjust a really unique collection that's almost irreplaceable. deepin that's almost irreplaceable. deep in the archives of gchq, a remarkable piece of wartime history. the photo album full of hundreds and hundreds of pictures of the code breakers, who worked at bletchley park. what is fascinating about it, the intimate of some of these pictures. you see group photographs. it's almost like a team photo. photographs. it's almost like a team photo-— team photo. that's right. the work was _ team photo. that's right. the work was hard, _ team photo. that's right. the work was hard, monotonous, j work was hard, monotonous, tediou

rebecca morelle reports. astronomers are scanning the skies to see a celestial explosion revealing a star that is normally too faint for us to see. it is dim at the minute. it is about magnitudes 10 normally, well below what you could see with the naked eye. that could all be about to change. every 80 years or so, the star is predicted to light up the sky, but not for long. >> it will be visible to the naked eye for a couple days. if you have a small pair of binoculars or telescope, you will be able to see it from longer because you have that magnifying tool. i think it is a short stint in the sky that makes it special. reporter: it is actually two stars orbiting around each other. a small white dwarf, a dead star, and a much larger red giant. the white dwarf has an immense gravitational pull, and it is consistently dragging material away from the red giant. over time, this material builds up, until it explodes, releasing a huge amount of energy. this makes the star briefly appear much brighter in the night s

our science editor, rebecca morelle, has more. i spoke to an astronomer earlier.be. explain a little bit more what you are hoping to learn from this park solar spacecraft particular the impact of the sun's solar arrays and other cosmic phenomena right here on earth? —— parker solar. we phenomena right here on earth? -- parker solar.— -- parker solar. we are under the umbrella _ -- parker solar. we are under the umbrella of— -- parker solar. we are under the umbrella of space - -- parker solar. we are underl the umbrella of space weather. it can effect space and our power grid. a lot of the research is to find out how the sun produces these kinds of storms in one of the conveyor belt is of the solar wind which was originally kind of discovered, if you will, back in the 1950s by eugene parker who did some of the mathematics that explain how it behaves. but it has been something of a mystery how this wind which travels at 400 kilometres per second manages to get accelerated and ejected into space. it comes from the upper part of the solar corona which look fairly wel

rebecca morelle, bbc news.ct scientist for nasa's parker solar probe mission. it is so good to get you on the show and thank you for taking the time to be here. how exciting! can you explain why the secrets of the sun are so important for us to discover? thank you for having me. understanding our star, the sun, is so crucial for us to live in harmony with the centre of our solar system. the sun is very active. we are now the solar maximum and the magnetic activity in the form of flares says whether it can affect us on earth like in may or october where we had big storms and our atmosphere. so the sun can impact our gps or atmosphere and effect astronauts when they are out of the earth's atmosphere. so understanding hours sun is extremely important for our existence and our progress going for it. —— understanding our son. h0??? our progress going for it. -- understanding our son. how do ou feel understanding our son. how do you feel that — understanding our son. how do you feel that the _ understanding our son.

our science editor rebecca morelle explains. jenifer millard and asked her more about the celestial event. the last time we witnessed this was 80 years ago, almost. and you know, back then we were in the very infancy of astrophotography. so it hasn't actually been captured properly before, and certainly not with all of the modern developments that we have in astronomy these days, especially across the multi—wavelength spectrum. and so to be able to examine this system at all different wavelengths and have all different pictures and spectra, so we can look at chemical compositions and things like that is going to be extraordinary, but we don't know exactly when it's going to go. we arejust waiting for this thing to pop. well, this thing to pop. so tell us more about this thing. what exactly is this phenomenon? why does it happen? why does it happen so rarely? so t coronae borealis is actually two stars. it's not just one. it's two stars that are in a binary system. so they're orbiting each other. one of them is a red giant. so th