Area of low pressure linked with the low pressure area of low pressure linked with the low pressure across area of low pressure linked with the low pressure across iceland, giving some exceptional weather, potentially two metres of snow and hurricane full swings. It is very wet and windy, severe gales are probably the top for us. You can see a band of rain, a cold weatherfront which will enhance the rain through the rest of the afternoon. Winds gusting widely to a0 or 50 mph, a steady gale, another to bring down some trees and affect high sided vehicles. Those gusty winds along the weather fronts combine, making some pretty atrocious conditions through the rest of the afternoon and evening. A consolation prize is it is relatively mild, but a brief relatively mild period, because this cold weather front has colder air behind it, so the rain plays this evening and overnight, showers into the north and west in particular, the north and west in particular, the winter enough to prevent a first in many towns and cities but in the suburbs it will turn chilly with a touch of frost and a real risk of ice across scotland overnight, a different feel to the day tomorrow, but with a bit of sunshine between the showers it will occasionally feel pleasant, showers coming through thick and fast across scotland, northern ireland, there could be snow across the northern half of the country. Hail and thunder as well, very squally winds near the showers, not the steady strong winds we have today but very squally. And colder, it will feel chilly if you are out tomorrow. A chilly if you are out tomorrow. A chilly night, wednesday night into thursday, a brief ridge of high pressure. We are watching this next area of low pressure, some uncertainty on its timing but it could be with gale full swings pushing new rain across northern ireland, england and wales. A bit of snow as it arrives across the hills of Northern England temporarily. A showery picture across the north of scotland. Either way, feeling cold, particularly if it is pouring with rain and you have strong and gusty winds. That ruling pushes to sunshine and showers through friday and saturday between now and then we had some unsettled weather. There are warnings out on the website, please stay tuned. Thank you. Our main story. Six people are now known to have died and yesterdays volcano eruption in new zealand. Thats all from us, goodbye from me and wejoin thats all from us, goodbye from me and we join the news team is where you are. Good afternoon. The head of the Anti Doping Agency says the four year ban given to russia isnt strong enough. Russia have been banned from all major sporting competitions, but that doesnt cover an event such as the European Championship next year. And athlete to prove they are clean can compete under a neutral flag. Athlete to prove they are clean can compete under a neutralflag. So they could appear a years 0lympics in turkey on the world cup in 2022. The question is, are we going to just stick our head in the sand and try and turn the page . It appears thatis try and turn the page . It appears that is exactly what the ioc, that is what they have done since 2016 simply trying to put this in the rear view mirror. It is a terrible outcome for clean athletes who have been robbed, but a terrible outcome for any other country who might be tempted to do the same thing the russians did. If you look at the example, you get caught red handed pulling off the biggest fraud in 0lympic history, nothing will happen to you and you can still send a full delegation of athletes to the 0lympic delegation of athletes to the Olympic Games to continue to win medals. You know, that is a system that simply cannot survive. Its only six months since liverpool won the Champions League but theyre in danger of going out at the group stage of this years competition. They need a point away at red bull salzburg, to be sure of making the last 16. Its tight at the top of their group a win would take them through as leaders. But they cant afford to slip up. We will fight in each challenge, 100 . What salzburg did at anfield. We played really well at the beginning, but then we opened the door for the game. They used it because they are talented, strong. Jesses doing an incrediblejob. So its just a football game, like it always is. Chelsea also have work to do. 0nly only by munich and tottenham have more Champions League goals than them this season. Watch out for the teenage sensation. They know a win tonight at home to lille will see them go through. But they could get away with a draw, if other results go their way. I was fortunate enough to have big nights as a player and they are the ones that stick in your mind. It is opportunity now for the team, particularly the young boys, to make a mark. Ithink particularly the young boys, to make a mark. I think it is good, i like the pressure of this game being a knockout and were all talking about that if we are going to do anything good here, we need lots of these nights. Pakistan have continued to play International Cricket but not at home after eight people were killed and six players injured when gunmen ambushed a bus in lahore. Pakistan have hosted the International Matches in the middle east for the past six years. The concerns that people had by pakistan we re concerns that people had by pakistan were certainly, for the last year or two, not what the reality is. We have had to struggle to convince people to come. So what we did was, keep telling people pakistan is safe, it would make no difference. So we have got people from the other cricket boards to come and visit pakistan. We have always had a very Good Relationship with the sri lankan cricket board and the very fa ct lankan cricket board and the very fact they came and they played their t20 matches was a very strong signal. Thats all the sport for now. You can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. Thank you. Brexit Party Leader Nigel farage has said he will spoil his ballot at the general election on thursday. In mr farages home constituency, the brexit party is not standing a candidate against the incumbent conservative. He told a News Conference in westminster that because the Prime Minister is backing what mrjohnson calls his oven ready deal rather than a super canada plus trade agreement, he would spoil his paper on thursday. Helen catt has spent the morning at the brexit partys event today. She joins us live now. This was the last Big Press Conference nigel farage says he plans to give before polling day and he used it to double down on the strategy he has had at the selection of targeting labour held seats with large amounts of leave voters predominantly in the north. There has been criticism of his decision to stand out in 317 seats which were won by conservatives last time. This morning he defended that saying it was putting the country first. He believed it would stop the liberal democrats. He said he felt there was a geographical divide, he believed the brexit party would be more likely to take conservative votes in the south and in london as opposed to leave voting areas in the north. He particularly spoke about 130 seats, he put a number on it, that he says have no history in living memory of voting anything but labour. We dont have a full list of those so i cannot independently tell you what those are, but he wants the voters to vote tactically and backed his party. He believes he can get some of his candidates over the line. Does this mean he is a convert to Boris Johnsons line. Does this mean he is a convert to borisjohnsons brexit deal . As you suggested, no it absolutely does not. This is what he had to say about it. Get brexit done. If it means this oven ready deal, it is untrue. If it means it is a tempting slogan for a public that have waited three and a half years to have this result delivered upon, i am afraid this would not be the way they should all end. If you think the la st should all end. If you think the last three years have been bad, you wait for the next three years of agonising negotiations, if we go through with this amended. He said he believed borisjohnson had, despite borisjohnson he believed borisjohnson had, despite Boris Johnson has he believed borisjohnson had, despite borisjohnson has been talking about this deal from the start of the campaign, he believed her midway through he was talking about this more of a canada style trade deal and Boris Johnson about this more of a canada style trade deal and borisjohnson had stepped back from that in recent days and that is why, as he suggested, spoil his ballot this week. That was his rationale for that and he said as an mep he would not vote for Boris Johnsons brexit deal should it make it to the european parliament. He was questioned about one of his candidates, rhys wilkes, who said last night he would not be asking voters to vote for him on thursday. Instead he would be backing the conservative candidate. In response to that, nigel farage said he can only imagine the pressure the candidate would have been under. He talked about other candidates receiving pressure, that he said verged on intimidation and abuse. But he was very much doubling down on the strategy of trying to target those labour areas in the north. Thank you. Lets go to tom simons wherejo swinson will be meeting supporters and we are expecting her shortly . Swinson will be meeting supporters and we are expecting her shortly7m and we are expecting her shortly7m a bit. She is a bit late because of an issue on the train out of london. She was not on the liberal democrat boss which we arrived on. But her supporters are here waiting for her to address this rally before going out in the terrible weather to do more canvassing. This part of bath is not marginalfor the liberal democrats, majority of about 5000 for the liberal democrat candidates. That is what theyre trying chase. They are saying we will hear the core messages, which for the liberal democrats is about stopping brexit and that has been the mantra for the lib dems, the top line she has put out throughout this long campaign. During that campaign, at the polls have been on the sly, it is fair to say. The campaign has seen her change her message subtly, starting off talking about her as a potential Prime Minister candidate, talking about revoking article 50 should the liberal democrats when power with her as Prime Minister. She now accepts, jo swinson, that is not very likely to happen. She is now talking about how she will push through the voting patterns in the commons if there is a Hung Parliament to make sure britain has, as quickly as possible, a second referendum on brexit. She is hoping that will cut through with liberal democrat, potential backers who want to see an end to brexit. 0n democrat, potential backers who want to see an end to brexit. On top of that, we are going to stop brexit position, they are talking about a £50 million, £50 billion remain bonus, the amount of money the party says it will get extra in taxes because the economy will do better should be not leave the eu. She is due here within the hour and then out on the road in the rain to try to win some more votes. We will be back to you when she arrives, thank you. The economy has been a key issue for the Political Parties throughout their election campaigns, but have their claims stacked up . 0ur economics correspondent Dharshini David has been examining the main parties biggest promises. Well, brexit may be grabbing the headlines, but a decade after the financial crisis, the economy continues to be a key factor when deciding how to vote. Whatever happens remain, borisjohnsons deal, a no deal brexit the major parties have set out plans that will shape our prosperity. Under their current plans, both labour and the conservatives want to push up the living wage and, both claim to be turning the page on austerity. In fact, all the major parties want to invest more in the fabric of the country and spend more on Public Services like health and education. But the gap between their plans is the biggest in living memory. Lets take a closer look at some of their manifestos. For example, when you look at the conservative manifesto, their spending promise on schools, hospitals, childcare plus tax cuts adds up to £6 billion per year by 202a. Meanwhile, if we take a look at labours manifesto, they also want to scrap tuition fees, make changes to welfare, meaning a bill thats set to top £80 billion by 202a. On top of that, their plans to compensate the so called waspi women those who lost out when the pension age was raised. Plus Nationalising Industries such as the railways, water and energy. It would make the state the largest proportion of gdp since the second world war. What about the lib dems . Well, this is what theyve got planned more money for spending on things like schools and also in work poverty, infrastructure and they tap on a fund of £50 billion, what theyre calling a brexit bonus, which they claim would be delivered by faster growth if the uk remained in the eu. A lot of money then, but can people afford these big spending pledges . The big three parties want to raise more tax from companies. Labour also wants to tax higher earners more too. But the institute for fiscal studies say neither labour nor the conservatives plans are actually credible. We know that the conservatives over the last two electoral cycles have ended up spending and borrowing a lot more than they said they would in their manifestos. I think that will happen again, because theyre suggesting essentially nothing in the way of additional spending this time around, beyond whats already announced. Labour has got an enormous manifesto, vast spending increases and tax increases, which probably cant be delivered within a single parliament. So, all the major parties have set out their priorities on what they think is the key to our living standards. The question for voters is how big a role the state should play and who can manage our finances the best . And you can find out more on what all the parties are pledging on this issue and other policy areas by going to our online guide at bbc. Co. Uk news. The headlines on bbc news. Up to 1a people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. The countrys Prime Minister says questions must be asked in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a Hung Parliament if voters dont support the conservatives. Labour promises a relentless focus on the nhs if they come into power. The Shadow Health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was joshing around when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election in a secretly recorded phone conversation. Senior democrats in the United States are due to hold a News Conference in the next hour to reveal the articles of impeachment against president trump. These will, in effect, be the charges that will be voted on in the house of representatives, where the democrats are in the majority. If passed, they would then go to the republican led senate, where the president would be put on trial. Laura trevelyan reports. Raise your right hand. The impeachment enquiry is hurtling forward. But today, the Judiciary Committee was centre stage. Lawyers for democrats and republicans were sworn in and immediately the arguments began. I will not recognise the parliamentary enquiry at this time. Is this when we just hear staff ask questions of other staff and the members get dealt out of this whole hearing . The gentleman will not yell out. He will not attempt to disrupt the proceedings. This hearing is the chance for the democrats to present the evidence they have gathered before the family produce their articles of impeachment against president trump. The evidence shows that donaldj trump, president of the United States has put himself before his country. He has violated his most basic responsibilities to the people. He has broken his oath. Democrats are facing criticism for rushing to impeach the president and trying to subpoena key witnesses from the white house. Their response is they cannot wait. President trumps persistent continuing effort to coerce a foreign country, to help him cheat to win an election is a clear and present danger to our free and Fair Elections and to our national security. Republicans say democrats are trying to rerun the 2016 election and the case against mr trump is nonexistent. To impeach a president who 63 Million People voted for, over eight lines, any Court Transcript is baloney. As this argument was raging, a long awaited report into the origins of the Russian Investigation into mr trump was released. The Inspector General did not find evidence that political bias affected how the fbi conducted that investigation and said officials had sufficient evidence to open their enquiry. There was a sharp criticism of how the fbi handled an application for a wiretap targeting a former trump adviser carter page. Something the president seized on. This was an overthrow of government this was an attempted overthrow and a lot of people were in on it. And they got caught. They got caught red handed. Democrats say they could be a vote on articles on impeachment against the president later this week. The stage is set for a partisan battle royale. A man in the Czech Republic has shot dead six people and injured three others at a hospital in the northeastern city of 0strava. The a2 year old shot his victims in a waiting room before fleeing in a car. He then killed himself. The motive for the attack is unclear. Australias biggest city, sydney, is in the grip of a thick blanket of smog, caused by bush fires burning out of control in surrounding areas. Health warnings are in place and there are fears the worse is to come. 0ur correspondent phil mercer sent this report. Sydney is again a hostage to a thick, toxic haze thats been blown in from nearby bushfires. This is Sydney Harbour, people come here to get married and to enjoy glittering views of one of the most picturesque harbours in the world. But some of australias most recognisable landmarks, the the opera house and the Sydney Harbour bridge have disappeared into this smog. Health authorities are warning of hazardous air quality levels. Ship fog horns sound. The noise, as you can hear, are the ships sounding their fog horns because visibility is so bad. Residents are being urged to stay indoors and officials say, a combination of the heat and the smoke is a recipe for severe illness. Now, ive never smoked a cigarette in my life, but i now imagine what it feels like to be a heavy smoker. Clearly, you can smell the smoke, you can taste it and you can feel it on your chest. From today, the people of sydney are subjected to the toughest water restrictions seen here in ten years because of a very serious drought. Its that long, dry spell thats making the fires here in eastern australia far, far worse. Today could well be another dangerous day for firefighters. There are 2,000 of them on the ground here in new south wales. Later today, there are thunderstorms and lightening forecast that could well exacerbate existing fires and start new ones. Australia is bracing for what could well be a brutal summer. Phil mercer, bbc news, on Sydney Harbour. The ethiopian Prime Minister abiy ahmed, has received the laureate of the nobel peace prize. Abiy ahmed won the coveted award at a ceremony in the norwegian capital 0slo where he received a standing ovation. He was given the prize for his efforts to achieve peace and International Cooperation by ending the 20 year military stalemate with neighbouring eritrea. When i became Prime Minister about 18 months ago, ifelt in my heart that ending the uncertainty was necessary. My believed peace between ethiopia and eritrea was within reach. I was convinced that the imaginary wall separating our two countries for too long needed to be torn down. And in its place, a bridge of friendship, collaboration and goodwill has to be built to last. Thats how i approached the task of building peace. A peace bridge with my partner. We were both ready to allow peace to flourish and shine through. The singer in the band, roxette, marie fredriksson, has died at the age of 61. The swedish star achieved global success in the 1990s with hits including the look, joyride and it must have been love, which featured in the film pretty woman. A statement said the singer had died today following a 17 year long battle with cancer. Her bandmate per gessle paid tribute, saying, you were the most wonderful friend for over a0 years, things will never be the same. Christmas trees can be a controversial topic at this time of year, whether to get one or not, real or fake, or the decision to chop one down versus getting one in a pot that can be re planted, all in the name of sustainability. A National Park in the netherlands is encouraging people to come and help themselves to a free tree . All in the name of the environment. Rich preston has the story. The rangers in this park are desperate for you to come and take the trees away. So says the sign. Christmas market, cut your own tree. They will not charge you a penny. Turn up, grab a saw and start cutting. That is because the scots pine is an Invasive Species here and is threatening to take over the natural heathland habitat. For example in this area we have several lizards, crickets, lichen, and they are rare, they are on the european rare list, so when this area becomes a forest, all these rare species disappear. The rangers have been struggling to control the spread of the trees. They say transport fumes and over fertilisation of farmland has boosted nitrogen levels. The nitrogen has an effect of the growing of plants. At the same time, we saw that the total area with the forest becomes bigger. So, also, the influence from all the pine trees became much bigger. Fortunately, at this time of year, there are plenty of people happy to help themselves to a free christmas tree. And it has been made all the more easy knowing they are also helping the local habitat. It isnt a complete free for all, however. Trees are limited to one per visitor. Richard preston, bbc news. Now, its time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. Hello. Good afternoon. Its all tied in with a deep area of low pressure, which is producing exceptional weather across iceland. Two of snow in the next a8 hours and Hurricane Force winds. Across our shores, severe gales and gusts of around 60 70mph. We have had a bout of rain move through and this is the next one heading in. A cold front and ahead of that the winds escalate. Squally winds for a time and it has been windy all day. 50, 60, 70 miles winds for a time and it has been windy all day. 50, 60,70 miles an hour which is enough to disrupt high sided vehicles and knocked down trees as well. It is relatively mild compared with yesterday but it is just a small window of mild weather. Behind this front, this cold weather front, we are back into the clearer, arctic airand front, we are back into the clearer, arctic air and that means more showers, wintry over the hills and a chilly night. There should be enough when continuing so it will be a windy night, to prevent frost in many locations but in the countryside there will be a frost and in the glens of scotland there could be ice around because the showers are coming in thick and fast. By wednesday, we are into the cold airand it fast. By wednesday, we are into the cold air and it will feel for all of us, cold again. Despite more sunshine there will be showers and squally winds near the shower so hailand squally winds near the shower so hail and thunder just about anywhere. 0ver hail and thunder just about anywhere. Over the hills in the north we could see sleet and snow as well. Dominated by low pressure to the north, giving severe gales across the far north and the blustery day elsewhere. Showers will ease a little bit as we go through wednesday night into thursday. We will start the day with a touch of frost but these are the next weather fronts and it is associated with low pressure coming in for thursday and it looks like we could have more wet weather, particularly across england, wales and northern ireland. But as it comes into the cold air, we will see snow across the pennines, cumbrian fells and southern uplands. But it will stay cold across scotland and temperatures will be slow to rise further south. Because we could have strong to go false winds, it will feel cold. Showery on friday and saturday but between now and then plenty of warnings in force, all on our website. Hello, youre watching afternoon live im ben brown. Today at 2. Six people are now known to have died and eight are missing after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. Rescuers say the scene was devastating. Everything was just blanketed in ash. It was quite an overwhelming feeling. The penultimate day of campaigning as Party Leaders criss cross the uk in a last ditch attempt to persuade the undecided. Jonathan ashworth, insists he was joshing around when he told