And coming up in sport. Manchester city have the chance to go above leicester and into second place in the premier league with a win at wolves hello and welcome to world news today. Dozens of passengers have survived a plane crash in kazakhstan in which 12 people lost their lives. The crash took place in heavy fog, although the cause isnt yet known. The khazak company bek air operated the plane, and it crashed shortly after taking off from kazakhstans largest city almaty. It was en route to the capital nur sultan with 100 passengers and crew on board. Of those, at least 60 people are being treated in hospital, as our correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports. Rescued from the wreckage, a baby boy is rushed to safety. He was discovered in the arms of his injured mother after their flight crash landed. Moments after take off, the plane had rammed into a building. It broke into pieces on impact. But there were survivors. And some even walked away from this unharmed. I was sitting next to an emergency exit. Just hours later, Aslan Nazaraliyev managed to tell me what happened. He had posted this photo on social media, showing his seat on the flight from almaty. He thinks most in front of him were badly hurt or killed. The plane starts swaying, like a boat. Very intensively. Everybody starts screaming, kids are crying. And the lights were on in the plane. But there was no sound, there was no instructions from the crew. There was only the sound of people panicking in the plane. The businessman says it took at least 15 minutes for rescuers to arrive. So he and other survivors began pulling people to safety. It was dark, at the same time. We were lighting with cell phone lights, so helping out each other. So all of the guys were trying to take out people. But there was a high risk of a fire. What were you thinking when this was happening . I was thinking about my family. Yeah, thats only what i was thinking. And helping people, that a fire should not kill who survived. The plane was a fokker 100, operated by the low cost carrier bek air. Its entire fleet has now been grounded, whilst the crash is investigated. Kazakhstans government says the planes tail hit the runway twice during take off. The flight had barely got off the ground before it came crashing back down, with terrible consequences that could have been even worse. For more on what might have caused the crash i spoke to the aviation expert, sally gethin. From what we already know, i would be more concerned about ice on the wing, which can have a catastrophic effect when an aircraft is taking off in a cold climate. So, although, for all intents and purposes, fog could be a complicating factor, it would only be, if, for example, there was loss of visibility, there was instrument failure on the flight deck, which would mean that the pilot would really need to rely on those instruments to have this ability. And, in any case, if the fog had been too heavy, then the control to hold off taking to do the take off. Tower would have given the pilot instructions to hold off taking to do the take off. I suppose, to an extent, what we are saying is that at this stage, it could be any number of things, and it may take some time for us to know exactly why this is happened. Thats correct. Why this is happened. So everything is speculation. Why this is happened. So, when i said about the ice on the wing, thats also speculation. Having said that, this is an older aircraft type, that is no longer in production. Therefore, maintaining those aircraft that are older, it does require high standards in maintenance and technical support. So, one hopes that that has been maintained to the correct standard with this aircraft, which date back to the 1980s in terms of its heyday in manufacturing and production. Weve seen the death toll of 12, although, perhaps that could go up. But quite interestingly, more people surviving the undying in this crash. Than dying in this crash. How common is that . So, it is survivability is increasing, and that is due to the crashworthiness tests that are done on air framers these days. So, we are seeing that aircraft accidents are coming down, despite the concerns and, you know, despite the headlines occasionally, they are, in general, coming down. Aircraft are becoming safer, theres more stress testing done on the fuselage itself, and also, the cabin interior, in terms of protecting passengers. It looks, in this case, as if the vast majority of that fuselage, the interior did maintain its structure. And it was the forward part of the airframe that actually collapsed and therefore caused the fatalities that weve seen. That was the aviation expert. The United Nations estimates that nearly a quarter of a Million People have fled syrias Idlib Province in the past three weeks. The government and Russian Forces are intensifying their attacks there as its the rebels last stronghold. The un says the Maaret Al Numan region in Southern Idlib is now almost empty. The newly displaced are taking shelter in mosques and other public buildings. David swanson is from the United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. Hes been telling me more about the conditions many displaced displaced people are facing. Sadly, the humanitarian situation in northwest syria, in particular idlib, continues to deteriorate as we speak. What we have, essentially, now is a crisis within a crisis. Between the first of this month and christmas day, more than 243,000 people have been displaced. The vast majority, upwards of 80 of them, women and children, fleeing northward to urban areas and to idp camps in the north of the area. What about the kind of conditions that people are fleeing, what are people telling you and your workers on the ground about that . Well, the situation on the ground was already dire, as you are well aware. At the end of april, we had a major insurgent displacement. At the end of april, we had a major surge and displacement. From the end of april until the end of august, we had more than 400,000 people displaced at that time. So, the latest displacement figures comes on top of that. So what we have is when crisis compounding another. Now, fighting in the area has escalated in recent weeks. I mean, how does that complicate the work that your organisation and other organisations do to provide relief . Well, i think whats quite challenging is to understand the context of idlib is specific. Its about twice the size of luxembourg in landmass, but about five times the size of the population. So, at the moment, it is extremely densely populated. So you have large populations moving northward, and many of the aid workers and ngos that were working in the south, they themselves have begun being displaced. Theirfamilies have been displaced. So it makes it a particularly difficult and challenging Work Environment for the humanitarian community to respond appropriately. And, of course, david in that part of the world, it is winter. And i wonder what kind of complications that cold weather brings, and how difficult it makes it for the people fleeing. Well, a lot of people dont realise how cold it can actually get. It can drop below zero at night time in this part of the country. So its an incredibly difficult time. So, obviously, shelter is a major concern for us. Not to mention, winterization, which is urgently needed as we speak. David swanson from the United Nations speaking to me there. Firefighters in australia are bracing themselves for more extreme heat as they continue to tackle uncontrolled bushfires. Temperatures above a0 degrees celsius are expected in several bushfire affected states including New South Wales, South Australia and victoria in the coming days. Deadly bushfires have destroyed more than four million hectares in five australian states since september. Courtney bembridge reports. Almost 3,000 firefighters have been working around the clock since the bushfire crisis started in september. Many of them are volunteers whove given up their christmas break to try to contain the fires and to save homes. Sporadic rain over parts of eastern australia has done little to help extinguish the flames, but firefighters have taken advantage of cooler temperatures in recent days to try and contain fire fronts. But the cool change wont last long. This is the forecast for monday, temperatures building up to 38 celsius or higher across most of the country. So that will elevate fire dangers and we know the winds will start turning the west northwest, which is why so much work has been going on over this last week, while conditions more mild. The crucial work involves strengthening containment lines to stop the fire spreading. And controlled back burning of dry grass, which acts as a fire fuel. Thats seen as a last resort, an indication of how desperate the situation is getting. In New South Wales, there are more than 100 fires burning, the largest to the west of sydney. Fires are also burning across South Australia. In parts of the state, temperatures rose above a0 celsius, marking the start of a new wave of heat in the continent south. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of people in South Australia have needed medical attention for heat related illnesses. Were encouraging people to make sure that they look out for the signs and symptoms that are generally associated with dehydration, and that includes headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and ultimately, potentially, collapse. Authorities in New South Wales are also worried about protecting water infrastructure, which could be damaged or contaminated by ash, including the dam, which supplies the majority of sydneys water. A city home to 5 million residents. What that means, when it rains again, what sort of runoff will there be, what sort of siltation will there be . Ash soil, all of that stuff getting into the waterway. The situation is also affecting tourism. Visitors to a famous rock formation in the Blue Mountains took photographs in front of the sign, after the real thing was obscured by smoke. Ive always wanted to see the Blue Mountains, so in such a shame that when weve come, it looks like this. A bit disappointed, we came into sydney, the first couple of days, there was a lot of smoke and smoke haze. It made us cough a little bit, especially at night. Trade is way, way down, and im doing about a third of what i would normally do at this time of year. I think that is the same for everyone. This is usually the busiest time of year for australias tourism industry. And despite the hot conditions and smoke in sydney, more than1 Million People are expected to attend the infamous fireworks display for new years eve. Courtney bembridge, bbc news. Lets take a look at some of the other stories making the news. The israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has won a clear victory in a leadership contest for the likud governing party. Hell now lead the party into ageneral election in march, israels third within a year. Building contractors hired to refurbish the headquarters of the British Secret service m16 in london, have had their contract terminated, after losing a set of floor plans. The documents held Sensitive Information on the buildings layout. The building firm, Balfour Beatty says most of the documents were recovered. The music streaming platform, spotify, says it will temporarily stop carrying political adverts from early next year. Spotify said it did not have the necessary level of robustness in its systems to responsibly review the content. The move comes ahead of the president ial election in the United States next year. Stay with us on bbc world news, still to come. A special moment for a critically endangered species a new baby black rhino, born in michigan on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow in holland, we will use money we picked up in belgium today, and then we will be in france, and it will be the same money. Its got to be the way to go. George harrison, the former beatle is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his 0xfordshire home. At 33 year old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. I think it was good. Just good . No, fantastic. Thats better. This is bbc world news today. The latest headlines. A passenger plane has crashed in kazakhstan, killing 12 people. Most of the 100 people on board survived. The un says parts of Idlib Province in syria are almost deserted, where nearly a quarter of a Million People have fled from a government offensive. Iran, china and russia are the new triangle of power in the sea according to tehran, as the three countries start four days of naval drills in the indian ocean and the gulf of oman. The joint exercises come at a time of heightened tensions following a us decision to withdraw from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with iran last year. Washington has itself built up its military presence in the gulf. Valeriy akimenko is an expert on the Russian Armed forces. He says this exercise is more about politics than military preparedness. The political significance is in the fa ct the political significance is in the fact that we will have three nations that are fundamentally the rivals of the United States. Iran, china, and the United States. Iran, china, and the Russian Federation. This kind of joining of forces for this particular manoeuvre is really quite a political statement, to say that we are united in a way. It is a show of support for iran in a way. It is also a show of. Trilateral solidarity in the face of the United States. We often hear accusations from iran about us hegemony. We often hear accusations from the Russian Federation about us unilateralism, organisations can be heard. That really is the political component of the manoeuvres. What is it about that pa rt manoeuvres. What is it about that part of the world that draws in the armed forces of countries from right around the world, what is the significance of that part of the world . Significance of that part of the world . I think as an oilproducing region it probably is that single factor that drives the militaries of the world to either be present in the world to either be present in the region, as is the case of the United States, or to exercise in the region as is the case of china and russia stop what youve mentioned its quite a small scale military drill, and that is as much a political thing or more political thing. , ished does that mean we shouldnt be expecting were dressed like this in the future, or does could this be the start of something deep . Are less than six months of planning to prepare for the exercise and to hold it. It should also be noticed at around about the same timei noticed at around about the same time i rans may be cheaper visited russia, there was also mention of. In effect, an agreement that would call for further cooperation between iran and russia, be it naval, or in other sectors. So, yes, iran and russia, be it naval, or in othersectors. So, yes, it iran and russia, be it naval, or in other sectors. So, yes, it could be the start of something broader than just these manoeuvres. We are going to sierra leone now, where more than 80 of girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation. Thats according to a United Nations estimate. While there are some in the country who support the practice, seeing it is a way of preserving their culture, others are now successfully challenging it for the first time. Umaru fofana sent us this report. An atmosphere of celebration is in the air. Young and old come to market the tradition of adolescence to adulthood. This two week long process , to adulthood. This two week long process, used to include the widespread practice of female genital mutilation, this is a partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. Partial or total removal of the externalfemale genitalia. For partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. For the first time ever, its been excluded from the process. An alternative rite of passage is taking place, and its been well received by the locals. We know the effects, and if i am to be part of the society and being the first generation, first set of people to be part of this process, i am very pleased. They are practising over half of all the countries in africa, and according to the United Nations, at least four out of five women in sierra leone have endured the procedure, which can cause Serious Health complications and even death. The initiation is right behind me here, it is their home for the next two weeks, this is a watershed moment, if this is a success , watershed moment, if this is a success, it will be replicated throughout sierra leone. Here, activists are screening a documentary much to the distress of these young women. They believe that by focusing on the women of the society and working together to educate them about the harmful consequences, a lasting change of culture is impossible is possible. Translation we realised that the things we come from girls as god given, and its there for a purpose. God gave me mine, but tradition took it away. Now we have realised that education isa now we have realised that education is a key, and we are now aware. Despite the celebrations which will continue into the new year, there are those who remain supportive, clinging to tradition. But with it no longer part of the initiation practice, its hoped that these young women pain free journey into adulthood might be the first of many more to come. Katie has all the sport. Katie, good night for manchester city. Hello and thanks forjoining us. Manchester city have the chance to go above leicester and into second in the premier league with a win at wolves tonight a team they lost to at the etihad earlier in the season. Less tha n less than 20 minutes to go, and there has been plenty of drama already. Currently 2 1, city are down to ten men. Goalkeeper utterson was showing a straight red card in the 12 minute for a professional foul. Sterling with both of cities goals, pulling back for the wolves. Some transfer news to bring you, as the former Manchester United and sweden striker, Zlatan Ibra Himovic has returned to ac milan on a short term deal until the end of the season. The 38 year old was a free agent after leaving la galaxy. He spent two seasons at milan from 20 10 and will have his medical on the 2nd january. But, the seven Time Champions League winners are having a poor season. They are currently 11th in the table after losing their last match 5 nil at atlanta. England midfielder, Izzy Christiansen will return to the Womens Super League after annoucing that shesjoined everton. Christiansen moves to merseyside from the european champions lyon on an 18 month deal. She scored 5 goals in 26 games for the french side since making the move from manchester city. Christiansen actually began her career at everton, before moving to birmingham 10 years ago. To boxing, as tyson fury and Deontay Wilder have finally confirmed the date of their much anticipated rematch. It has been confirmed that the fight will take place in las vegas on the 22nd of february next year with wilders wbc world heavyweight title on the line. The last meeting between the pair in los angeles 12 months ago ended in a draw. Anthonyjoshua is the one that holds the other three major heavyweight titles. There was another england batting collapse on day two of the first test in centurion, butjofra archers taken a couple of wickets as south africa were reduced to 72 for 4 at stumps. James anderson struck again its the first time in his career hes taken a wicket in the first over of both innings Aiden Markram gone for. Aiden markram gone for two. Earlierjoe denley hit a half century as england found themselves 142 for 3 in reply to south africas first innings total of 284. But they collapsed after denly was gone, Jonny Bairstow out for1 as england lost their last 7 wickets for 39 runs. They trail by 175 runs going into day three. Australia are in control after day two of their second test against new zealand in melbourne, thanks to a century from travis head and the early dismissal of black caps captain, kane williamson. Australia were bowled out for 467 having been sent into bat at the mcg. Head making 114, and captain tim paine out for 79. The hosts then took two early wickets, including that of williamson for nine, as the tourists closed on 44 for two. And well leave you with this, as Cristiano Ronaldo has received plenty of praise for an impressive towering headerforjuventus. And, thatjump hasnt go unnoticed by the 16 time grand slam champion novak djokovic, who decided to get some tips as the pair trained together in the gym. Looks like ronaldo narrowly won that one. Thats all the sport for now. Thank you. A michigan zoo has been celebrating a special gift that arrived just in time for christmas the birth of a rare baby black rhino. The new arrival is particularly precious because the species is critically endangered due to poaching fuelled by the rising demand for rhino horn. Kathryn armstrong has more. Only a day old and already finding his feet. The black baby rhino, a welcome first ever addition to Potter Park Zoo in michigan. The calf, still yet to be named, is the first for new mum, doppsee. Dad, phineas, was moved from a texas zoo in 2017 in order to breed with her. The Christmas Eve birth was broadcasted live on the zoos facebook page. Black rhinos are an endangered species. 0nly around 5000 of them are left in the world today. The zoo says that fewer than two black rhino calves are born into human care every year, as part of a Species Survival plan. British soldiers recently had to move a group of black rhinos from south africa to malawi to protect them against poaching. While the new mum and her baby are currently bounding behind the scenes, they will likely make their first public appearance in a few months. Kathryn armstrong, bbc news. Lovely story. Stay with us. Good evening. Theres been a shortage of festive cheer from the weather today, many spots have stayed grey and gloomy. But as we head through this coming weekend, it should start to turn a little brighter, slowly, but surely. It will be modelled as well, there will always be some rain sometimes to the north and west. 0n the sadly picture, you can see we have been bringing a lot of clutter in ourdirection, have been bringing a lot of clutter in our direction, moist south westerly flow heading our way. The thicker cloud up to the northwest still bringing some outbreaks of rain. Through this evening into night, we will continue to see rain moving out of ireland into scotland, in northern england, even to the south of fact, there will be the odd spot of drizzle, and generally, some very cloudy, misty, murky conditions. A mild night, these are the temperatures to start saturday morning. Double digits in the west end in the north. As we go into tomorrow, we will still have frontal systems plaguing the northwest of the uk, still a lot of cloud and a south westerly flow, High Pressure to the east, many spots will be largely drive. Certainly across england and wales, looking like a predominantly dry day, limited brightness, could see cloud breaking across northeast rails in northeast england. Northern ireland, and certainly western scotla nd ireland, and certainly western scotland seeing it rain at times, conversely coming to the northeast of scotland, some shelter from the breeze, every chance we will see a little bit of sunshine, temperatures here may be up to 13 14d. More widely in double digits, even where you keep the cloud. It looks like sunday could be warmer still, because through saturday night, we start to import this plume of even milderairto start to import this plume of even milder air to the north of the uk. At the same time, we have got to try to tap into this drier clear error down here across the near continent, soa down here across the near continent, so a better chance during sunday that will break the cloud up a little bit. So, perhaps more in the way of sunny spells on sunday, i think there will still be fairly large areas of cloud, still rain plaguing the northwest of scotland as well, with a south westerly when, where you get some shelter, the north coast of northern ireland, the murray coast of scotland, 14 15d as possible. Way above the average for the time of year. Now, as we head into the last two days of 2019, there are signs that things will start to turn cooler again, particularly in the north of the uk, 67d. Particularly in the north of the uk, 6 7d. Further south, it particularly in the north of the uk, 6 7d. Furthersouth, it turns particularly in the north of the uk, 6 7d. Further south, it turns cooler as well. But wherever you look across the country, it is going to be predominantly dry. That dry theme ta kes be predominantly dry. That dry theme takes us into the night time on new years eve. It will be quite chilly though, and there could be some patches of fog. A passengerjet a passenger jet has a passengerjet has crashed in kaza khsta n a passengerjet has crashed in kazakhstan killing at least 12 people believing dozens of survivors. The aeroplane was flying to the capital when it smashed into a building just after take off. The United Nations estimates that nearly a quarter of a Million People have fled syria in the past three weeks. The government and Russian Forces are intensifying their attacks there as it is the rebel last stronghold. A destroyer bracing for heat wave that could escalate conditions for bushfires across the country. There are more than 100 fires burning the largest to the west of sydney. The michigan zoo has been celebrating a special gift that arrived just in time for christmas, the
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