Dateline london looks back at a turbulent 2017 in europe, america and the middle east. Good evening and welcome to bbc news. North korea has described the latest United Nations sanctions as an act of war and tantamount to a complete economic blockade. The Un Security Council imposed the measures drafted by the us on friday in response to pyongyangs Ballistic Missile tests. North korea has vowed to strengthen its Nuclear Deterrent to frustrate america. Sophie long sent this report from the south korean capital seoul. North Korean State Television broadcast the first reaction to the sanctions. It described the Un Resolution as an act of war that violates peace and stability on the korean peninsula. Please raise their hand. Pyongyang promised to punish those that voted for the us drafted resolution. That includes china, north koreas main ally and trading partner. Beijing urged restraint on all sides. Its previously called for an end to joint us south Korean Military drills, like this one, in exchange for a halt to north koreas weapons programme. A so called freeze for freeze. There is little hope either side will agree to that. Instead, the toughest sanctions yet. The americans had wanted to go further, but they were pleased with the support they got. I am grateful to my colleagues for the serious measures we have enacted on behalf of the north korean people, and i ask you keep them in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season, as we continue to fight against this, the most tragic example of evil in the modern world. The new sanctions include a ban on the import of nearly 90 of oil supplies to north korea, vital to its missile and nuclear programmes. They demand the deportation of North Koreans working abroad, to stop them funding the regime. There will also be a ban on exports of some north korean goods. The sanctions come in response to this. Pyongyangs launch of an intercontinental Ballistic Missile at the end of november. One, it said, could reach the us mainland. The resolution is intended to push pyongyang to the negotiating table and towards a diplomatic solution. But instead, its vowed to strengthen its nuclear capability, and its got form. This is the third set of un sanctions to be imposed on north korea this year. Within weeks of the previous two rounds, it carried out its Biggest Nuclear test and fired its most powerful missile. Todays response shows little sign it is willing to stop now. Sophie long, bbc news, seoul. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless after a Tropical Storm in the philippines thats left more than two hundred dead and dozens missing. Authorities are trying to provide food and shelter to those whove been displaced with rescue teams struggling to reach some of the affected areas. Our World Affairs correspondent Richard Galpin reports. At last, some aid now getting to those most in need, after this latest storm to hit the philippines begins to subside. Troops helping deliver supplies here in the Southern Region of mindanao, which lay right in the path of the storm. Reaching these impoverished areas has not been easy. They were hit by a landslide, mudslides, caused by an inordinate amount of rainfall that caused the ground to move and killed people innocently. It swept people out of their homes and killed many others as well. The speed with which the rivers were turned into lethal torrents over the weekend caught people here by surprise. Many drowning in their own homes, others buried under mudslides, including children. The call for people to evacuate in good time before the storm didnt have an effect. The storm passed over some of the poorest areas in the whole philippines. At least 200 people are known to have died. Large numbers are still missing, and tens of thousands have been forced to move away, in search of emergency shelter. In rome today, pope francis offered prayers for the people of mindanao in his weekly blessing to the crowd on st peters square. Translation merciful lord, take in the souls of the dead and comfort those who are suffering as a result of this calamity. Lets pray for these people. At least Tropical Storm tembin has now been moving away from the philippines. Its currently over the south china sea, where its picking up strength again and has been categorised as a typhoon. Its expected to hit vietnam later this week. Meanwhile, the people of the southern philippines continue the search for loved ones. They will be hoping for much more help to reach them in the coming days. To add to the philippines woes at least 37 people have died in a fire at a Shopping Mall in the in the Southern City of davao. Firefighters battled for hours to extinguish the blaze that started on the third floor and spread to the floor above, trapping call centre employees. The citys vice mayor says the chance of any survivors is zero. Two men have died in a crash involving five vehicles that closed part of the mao in oxfordshire for several hours last night. One vehicle is thought to have overturned in the incident which happened between junctions io and 11 near banbury. Jo kent reports from the scene. This northbound stretch of the mao opened again this morning and is running freely now. There is no trace of the terrible crash which happened here last night. It was a very different scene last night, as members of all of the Emergency Services raced here to try to help after this multi vehicle crash. Five vehicles were involved and we know that two men sadly died. They were a 60 year old man from oxfordshire and a 29 year old man from warwickshire. One of those men died at the scene. The other was taken to hospital in a Critical Condition and died later. A third man has been treated in hospital for serious leg injuries and a further three people sustained minor injuries. The police have said that their thoughts are with the families of the two men who died and those families are being supported by specially trained officers. Police are appealing for witnesses. They are being asked to get in touch with Thames Valley police so they can try to piece together what caused this terrible crash. There are reports that the british iranian woman held in iran could face further charges. She is facing a five years sentence for spying, which she denies. There had been hopes for her release by christmas, but the husband of Nazanin Zaghari ratcliffe says he is trying to keep a level head whale his wifes fate while his wifes is as uncertainty as ever. There hasnt been any substance, she wont be home for christmas eve, but Christmas Day possible, boxing day. Im not gearing up to do more. Im hoping and fingers crossed. Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe is being held in iran on spying charges, which she denies. Her daughter, who is now three, is being raised in iran. These latest pictures show her wearing a dress her mother knitted for her in prison. In the iranian media of fresh charges or an early release. We had a second court case that was mooted before that the foreign secretary went over to iran and it fell away. Only last week the court case was cancelled by the court and it has been revived again. So it is hard to know what is going on. It is hard not to get too up or down. Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffes case was taken up by boris johnson. He apologised for a gaffe saying she was not on holiday. The Foreign Office delegation reportedly left iran sensing both sides wanted to resolve the situation. The iranian judiciary sides wanted to resolve the situation. The iranianjudiciary is expected to speak later. The family are expected to speak later. The family a re left expected to speak later. The family are left with with a mixture of bewilderment and hope. Rail passengers are being warned they could face disruption as network rail carries out its biggest ever christmas engineering programme. 260 projects across england, scotland and wales will lead to numerous station closures over the festive period. Many of britains mainline routes will also be shut or running reduced services over the coming days. Police have been given until new years day to decide whether to charge three men over a suspected christmas terror plot. Four men were originally being held after raids on tuesday in chesterfield and sheffield but police said one of them, a iii year old, had been released without charge. Plans to ditch the armys slogan, be the best, have been stopped by the new defence secretary, gavin williamson. Half a Million Pounds had been spent on a re branding exercise that would have got rid of the slogan because it was felt to be elitist. Andy moore reports. It isa it is a well known slogan that has been at the heart of recruiting for two decades. The army spent more than £500,000 on research and found that message wasnt getting through to many in its target audience. It is not clear when the new defence secretary saw the plans for the rebrand, but he clearly didnt like them. The research reportedly showed that t be the them. The research reportedly showed thatt be the best them. The research reportedly showed that t be the best slogan was dated, elitist and non inclusive. These plans were well advanced at a seen your level at the ministry of defence and there was a about turn. A statement was issued last night saying the defence sectsly believes the british army is defence sect rip believes the british army is the best of the best and the proposal have been put on the hold. Richard kemp said a lot could be improved in the recruitment process, but there is nothing wrong the slogan. the recruitment process, but there is nothing wrong the slogan. If the army is not an elite it is not going to beat our enemies. If it is not better than our enemies it wont win. Young people thinking of joining want to join the best. They dont want to join anything that is second rated. The rebranding was said to have the support of the armys most senior office, but his authority has been undermined by the defence secretary. The crisis in recruiting however remains. For seven recruiting however remains. For seve n years recruiting however remains. For seven years more soldiers have left the army than signed up. Britains political leaders have used their annual christmas messages to pay tribute to those who help others. They also urge people to support those in need over the festive season. Our political correspondent, eleanor garnier, has more. Wishing everyone a happy christmas, the Prime Minister thanked those who help others during the festive period, like volunteers at faith projects and International Aid workers. Theresa may highlighted the courage and dedication of the Emergency Services who went to the Grenfell Tower tragedy and terrorist attacks in manchester and london. And she thanked the countrys armed forces. This christmas, as people across the uk celebrate this special time of year with family and friends, we will do so secure in the knowledge that the valiant hearts of our service men and women, many far away from their own loved ones at this special time of year, are working to keep us safe. In his second christmas message as labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn called britain a compassionate nation, urging people to think of those who may be lonely at this time of year. Many older citizens, to whom we owe so much, will be spending what should be a time ofjoy alone. We think of others such as carers who look after loved ones and people with disabilities or dementia. And abroad, we think of those living in nations such as yemen, syria and libya, in fear of bombs and bullets, of injury and death. Snp first minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to those working over the holidays and visited a Community Cafe in glasgow to thank volunteers. This cafe and the volunteers here are among thousands of organisations and individuals throughout scotland who do so much for our local communities not just at christmas but all throughout the year. The lib dem leader vince cable used his message to highlight the issue of homelessness. Community has always been at the heart of liberalism. This is a time of year to make that commitment. That is why i am asking you to take out some time this christmas and help with a local charity near you. The Party Leaders festive messages were shared on social media to wish voters a Merry Christmas but also remind people to spare a thought for those in need. Eleanor garnier, bbc news. The owner of an oxfordshire fishery, which displayed a sign banning polish and Eastern European says its been taken down after his family was threatened. Bill evans of field farm fisheries near bicester, said the sign was put up after hed caught anglers stealing fish. Hes now considering closing the lake to the public. The equality and Human Rights Commission had called the sign unlawful, and threatened to take enforcement action to have it removed. The headlines on bbc news north korean state tv describes as an act of war new economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations. Pyongyang has vowed to strengthen its Nuclear Deterrent. Rescuers are searching for 150 missing people after a Tropical Storm in the philippines left another 200 dead. Two people have been killed and four injured following a multiple vehicle crash on the mao in oxfordshire the motorway has now reopened. Opponents of president putin have held a series of mass rallies in cities across russia. Alexei navalny, whos beenjailed in the past after persistent criticism of the president , told supporters he would stand against mr putin. However, its not yet certain if officials will let him run. Sarah rainsford has more. In this huge tent on a river beach on the outskirts of moscow, there are hundreds of people who have been queueing for some hours now, to show their support for Alexei Navalny, the anti corru ption activist who wants to be president of russia. Now he says that russians have had enough of vladimir putin, that they have had enough of corruption and that russia needs to change, and he argues that hes the man to do that. These people here agree, they have been coming to sign up to nominate him as their official candidate as the beginning of the official process for registration. But the problem is that Alexei Navalny has already heard from the electoral authorities here that, because of a criminal convictions, which he says is politically motivated, he wont be allowed to register. I think that he is the only real candidate for president who can change something. I do not want to live in corruption country, and i have hope only for this man Alexei Navalny. This is the moment when everyone here is raising their red card to show they support the nomination of Alexei Navalny for president. Everyone here in this room is obviously backing him. Translation we are ready to win this election and we will win. I say this without irony. This year we have seen that putin does not have much support anywhere. Even with all his resources, even with all the constant lies on television, he has no support. There is just melacholy and emptiness. Alexei navalny now has to bring those signatures of his supporters here to russias central electoral commission, if they reject his candidacy, he says he is determined to go on fighting. He has talked about a boycott of the election, he has talked about protests, he has talked about a strike. He wants to prove he is a viable alternative to vladimir putin. What happens here over the next few days will be the first real test of that. Cricket and england are preparing for the ath ashes test which starts tomorrow in melbourne. England already 3 0 down in the series will want to do everything they can to avoid a whitewash. Patrick gearey has been examining their prospects. Melbourne is a city which reaches for the skies. There are more Tall Buildings here than in london or in beijing a reminder to england of their now impossible climb. 3 0 down, the ashes gone, surrounded by criticism and jibes from the aussies, now england have to come here. And in this place, its very easy to feel lost. Its happened before. The last England Test Team to come to the mcg were 3 0 down and ended up losing the series 5 0. So how are this side any different . The morale in the group is still really high, and, you know, no ones. Theres no bickering. Theres no, you know, separation within the group. Its good that weve all stuck together. You know, i wasnt here on that previous ashes tour but, by all accounts, there was differences within the camp back then. And, yeah, it definitely doesnt feel like that here. Everyones working hard to try and win this test match. If theres hope, maybe its in a damaged heel belonging to mitchell starc, the top wicket taker in the series. Hell miss the test, to be replaced byjackson bird. Some in the england camp have claimed australias bowling back ups arent up to the standard of the front line. In response, starc cant bowl actual bouncers, but heres a verbal one. Its quite humorous, actually. Erm, they havent taken 20 wickets yet in the series so. Erm, and we have, and then theyre having a crack at our depth. So, i think theyve got bigger things to worry about than the depth of australian fast bowlers. So, erm, as i said, hopefully jacko takes five. He still bowls quick enough. Im pretty sure he still bowls quicker than the pom bowlers as well, so. Laughter. Erm. Maybe in adversity, england will find their true character, but australia is planning to celebrate and humiliate. And around here, one thing preoccupies them more than anything. Patrick gearey, bbc news, in melbourne. Pilgrims are arriving in bethlehem ahead of Midnight Mass this evening. But this years celebrations take place amid rising tensions in the region, following the us decision to recognisejerusalem as israels capital earlier this month. From bethlehem, our religion editor Martin Bashir reports. In a town famous for a miraculous birth, bethlehem is praying for a new miracle, the appearance of tourists. The fragile peace in this holy place has been shaken by president trumps announcement earlier this month that america would officially recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel. The threat of violence immediately affected businesses in bethlehem, like the five starjacir palace hotel, where there are now plenty of rooms at the inn. Every year, we are fully booked at christmas and new year. This year, we had before, it was overbooking, but when the uprising started, everything cancelled. And is this because of what donald trump said . Of course, of course, because the uprising. What he said, the uprising started, we lose everything. And its notjust tourists who are looking elsewhere. Jalal al shayeb is a successful body builder and palestinian christian. While hell celebrate christmas here, he sees no future for himself in bethlehem. Its very hard to live here. We have many crises, you know . The future is not here, because there are many problems around us, many borders you can see. I cant go, i cant do many things, you know . Thats why. This is a big problem, you know . It is in this place, where borders and walls fortify a sense of identity and religious separation, that the Christian Church is seeking to spread its message of peace and goodwill at christmas. Leaders of all the main denominations came together in an attempt to change the narrative from discord to peace. Being a palestinian christian, growing up with this message that the angel sang here in bethlehem 2,000 years ago, glory to god in the highest, peace on earth this is our message. What we celebrate is actually peace. That was clearly demonstrated in the little babyjesus. In the church of the nativity, where christians believe that christ was born, the light shines in the darkness, and they are praying that, for the next 2a hours at least, the darkness does not overcome it. Martin bashir, bbc news, bethlehem. For one little boy, christmas came early following an International Man hunt for his toy monkey mac. Oh, yes it was on the arrivals board. Are you happy, finn. Thank you so much. He is so happy. I love mac. You love mac. Finn Regan Alexander left the cuddly toy on an aer lingus plane after the family flew from gatwick to knock to visit relatives last tuesday. When his mother louise put out a tweet appealing for help to find him, sightings of the monkey were reported in pubs, planes and even in glasgow. Luckily the real mac was found by the airline and returned to finn yesterday, just in time for christmas. The best cuddle of all not glasgow. Now animals regularly find a way to make the news. Here is a look back at some of the best animal stories of the year. This does not look like a walk in the park, dog walkers in california have hit the waves in the Second Annual dogs surfing champions. There is style, confidence, the size of wave. Some have very big waves. There is a lot of style and technique. It is interesting. The competitors main challenge is to stay afloat on the the board. But there are prizes for the best dressed and tandem surfing dogs. The winner of course being crowned top dog. That is a shame, we have run out of pictures cheese cheese that was a good one. Never get tired of watching simon mccoy losing the will to live, do you. Now the weather. It is chris tmas eve and hopefully youre at home in the warm. Out there things are not looking particularly cold. We have mild conditions. Some rain in the north west tonight. Further south dry but mild and cloudy. During Christmas Day we have a front bringing rain to northern ireland, Northern England and southern scotland. Later pushing into western parts of wales and the south west of england. To the south east a lot of dry, breezy and mild weather. Colder conditions in the north later on with some hill snow over northern scotla nd with some hill snow over northern scotland and Northern England. Boxing day a fresher start, with some frost and perhaps the odd icy stretch. During boxing day, a different feel, more sunshine and it will feel colder. A few scattered showers, wintry in scotland. Heavy rain moves into the south west in the afternoon. This is bbc news, our latest headlines. North korea says the latest un sanctions are an act of war, as they amount to a complete economic blockade. Pyongyang has vowed to strengthen its Nuclear Deterrent. Rescuers are searching for victims of a Tropical Storm in the southern philippines, more than 200 people have died in mudslides and flash floods. Emergency services have yet to reach some of the affected areas. Two men have died after a multiple vehicle crash on mao in oxfordshire. Four people were injured, one seriously. The motorway is now reopen. Controversial plans to scrap the army slogan be the best, because it was felt to be elitist, have been stopped by the new defence secretary, gavin williamson. Next on bbc news dateline london looks back at the political stories that shaped 2oi7. Hello and a warm welcome to dateline london. Im jane hill. Today were taking time to reflect on 2017 as it draws to a close the highs and lows in europe, america and the middle east. Lets find out what my guests have made of a turbulent year. With me, the british political commentator and columnist steve richards, the American Writer and broadcaster jef mcallister, marc roche from frances le point magazine and also belgiums le soir, and the arab affairs qriter abdel bari atwan