This is bbc news. The headlines at 7 00 bushfires have killed at least eight people in south eastern australia since monday and destroyed more than 200 homes. We have a very real challenge at the moment with a couple of isolated communities, where weve got reports of injuries and burn injuries to members of the public. We havent been able to get access via roads or via aircraft. The mother of the british teenager found guilty of lying about being raped in cyprus backs calls for tourists to boycott the country. Two men and a woman who all worked for British Airways are killed after a lorry collides with a car in stanwell in surrey on new years eve. In their new year messages, the Prime Minister says brexit will mark a new chapter for the uk, while the archbishop of canterbury urges people to heal
the divisions of recent years. For the first time, more than 100 billion music tracks are streamed online in the uk in a single year. Coming up the thousands round the uk braving the bracing sea on New Years Day. And a special edition of witness history hears the personal stories of some extraordinary moments in space exploration. Thats in half an hour, here on bbc news. The bushfire crisis in australia shows no sign of easing, with nine people losing their lives
in the past 2a hours, the worst loss of life since fires began in september. Many more are people missing. The government says more military personnel are on the way to the south east of the country to try to protect isolated communities. Many are cut off without power, and some are running out of water. 0ur correspondent phil mercer sent this report. These are extraordinary times in australia. The bushfires have brought terror into the lives of ordinary people. They are devastating and deadly. More lives have been lost and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. You walk around a bit of your house and you go, that was the bedroom, that was where my antiques were from my family history. All of my baby memories from the kids and just everything, just gone. I dont know what im going home to, so. Ijust hope for the best. Its upsetting to lose your memories, thats very upsetting. But you cant dwell on it, you know . If you dwell on it, youd just be upset all the time and that doesnt get you anywhere. Youve got to move on. Help is yet to reach some residents whove reportedly suffered burns. The Authorities Say its been too dangerous to send in rescue teams by road or by air. We have a very real challenge at the moment with a couple of isolated communities, where weve got reports of injuries and burn injuries to members of the public. We havent been able to get access via roads or via aircraft, its been socked in or too dangerous and we simply cant access, nor can the people in these areas get out. Conditions on New Years Day have eased, but the danger remains. Dozens of fires continue to burn across several states. Bushfires have always been part of the australian story, but Officials Say this crisis is unprecedented. Dry and windy weather is forecast for saturday and australia will once again brace itself for another onslaught. Phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. 0ur correspondent Shaimaa Khalil is in New South Wales she says thousands of people whose homes have been ravaged by the fires are trapped and unable to move from the area. This part of the princes highway is the only access in and out of the devastated areas on the Southern Coast of New South Wales. Its been completely cut off, this is as close as we can get. We are told there is a bushfire further down the road and firefighters are trying to control it, prevent it from coming closer and covering more bushland. What that means, though, is that thousands of people in the areas that have been ravaged by the blazes are still trapped there, unable to move. For example, in the coastal town of batemans bay, people there have been encircled by a ring of fire and they are unable to move anywhere. There are water shortages, food shortages, telecoms are down, power is down. They are unable to communicate with relatives and we saw family a members on our way here that were really worried and trying to get in but are unable to do so. Now, the real challenge now is not just to control this huge fire front but also to get people out safely. Senior legalfigures in cyprus have called for a british woman to be treated leniently, after she was convicted of lying about being raped by 12 men in a hotel room. The womans mother has called for tourists to boycott cyprus. She told the bbc that ayia napa, where her daughter had been on a working holiday, was unsafe. 0ur correspondent katharine da costa reports. Instead of celebrating the new year with friends and family, the british teenager is detained in cyprus, and faces up to a year in prison. Her supporters claim the case against her is deeply flawed, and her lawyers are planning to appeal. Her mother says
she has suffered both mentally and physically over the last five months. She is suffering from ptsd. She spends a lot of time with hypersomnia at the moment. That means she is sleeping an awful lot of the day. She sleeps probably 18 or 20 hours a day. She is also quite withdrawn, which is very sad for me to see, and she also experiences hallucinations. And she needs to get back to the uk to get that treated. That is my absolute primary focus. These are the young israeli tourists who originally faced accusations that they raped the young woman. They were freed and allowed to fly home after she retracted the allegation, but she said she only did that because she was put under huge pressure by Police Questioning when she was vulnerable. The Foreign Office says it has serious concerns about how this case has been handled. It has now raised the issue with the cypriot authorities. Today, we have learned a number of senior legal figures in cyprus are calling for the british woman to be given a
lenient sentence, saying the teenager has already suffered enough. Now the british womans mother is supporting a call for tourists to boycott the country. This is not an isolated incident. The place isnt safe. It is absolutely not safe. If you go and report something that has happened to you, you are either laughed at, as far as i can tell, or in the worst case, Something Like what has happened to my daughter may happen. The cypriot government says it has full confidence in its Justice System and courts. Katharine da costa, bbc news. Three British Airways cabin crew members died in a crash involving a lorry and a car outside Heathrow Airport last night. Their car collided with a lorry in stanwell. The two men and a woman, all in their 20s, were killed, and another woman was seriously injured. British airways says its deeply saddened to hear of the deaths of its staff, and its thoughts are with their family and friends. A double Murder Investigation has been launched after two people were found dead at a house in derbyshire. Officers were called to a property in duffield at about 4 oclock this morning, where they discovered the bodies of a man and woman. A man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody. Detectives say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. A british man has been killed in an accident with a firework at a new Years Eve Party in thailand. Local police say 50 year old gary mclaren, from northamptonshire seen here with his fiancee died in the seaside town of pattaya, when a firework he was trying to light exploded. A Foreign Office spokesperson says its supporting the mans family. Police in hong kong have clashed with pro democracy protesters during a New Years Day march. 0rganisers of the demonstration say that more than a Million People took part. Though the gathering was largely peaceful, violence broke out in some areas and police fired tear gas. Some protestors responded
by throwing petrol bombs. Todays demonstations follow clashes with riot police as the new decade began. Police say around 400 people were arrested over protests at the turn of the new year. Pro democracy demonstrations have gripped hong kong for much of last year. 0ur correspondentjonathan head was there during the protests. He explains what he witnessed. This barricade that is blocking one of the main streets through wan chai in Central Hong Kong is whats left of the first day of protests in the new year, and we saw, well, a big rally filling the streets just a few hours ago, organised by leaders of the protest movement whove really been behind the Anti Government rallies for the last six or seven months and they wanted a big turnout here on the first day of the new year. Those people filled the streets ahead, we saw a rally including a Broad Spectrum of hong kongs population. There were old people, there were families and as that rally went on, after three or four hours, the police then
withdrew their permission and declared it no longer legal. At that point, we saw the ha rd core protesters, the young men and women with their black face masks, coming up and taking up positions and building barricades like this. Inevitably, at that point, we saw the Police Coming to clear them out. There were a few confrontations, we have had a little bit of tear gas today, probably a few arrests, all very much in keeping with what we have seen, really, for the last seven months and it is an indication that nothing really has changed in hong kong. The protest movement wanted to remind the government that they still have momentum behind them, they still have a large part of the population that backs their goals. From the government, weve heard very little this new year apart from yet another expression of regret from chief executive carrie lam and another promise that she will listen, but no sign of any concessions and, so, hong kong starts 2020 very much the same way that it ended 2019. This protest Movement Goes on and we are expecting to see
probably a great deal more of this through the rest of the year. The arrival of the new year has brought appeals for divisions to be healed, after the political turbulence of the past few years. As millions celebrated the dawn of 2020, in towns and cities across the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister, borisjohnson, whos on holiday in the caribbean, said the uk was beginning a new chapter. For the archbishop of canterbury, the start of the new year should be the time for individuals and communities to come together, as our correspondent Helena Wilkinson reports. Three two 0ne big ben chimes fireworks in london. To welcome in the new year and the new decade. Tens of thousands watched from the banks of the river, as the capitals skyline burst into colour. In his new years message, the Prime Minister, who is on holiday in the caribbean, said, we can start a new chapter in the history of our country, in which we
come together and move forward, united, unleashing the enormous potential of the british people. And he also called for unity, saying, i will be a Prime Ministerfor everyone, not just those who voted for me. I know that you love this country no less, simply because you voted for another party or wanted to remain. We want out and its brexit which has caused Much Division and uncertainty. Today, there have been calls for reconciliation. This open letter has been signed by leaders of prominent british organisations, including both those on the remain and leave sides of the brexit debate. The organisation set up in memory of the mp, jo cox, who was murdered in the run up to the 2016 referendum, is one of the signatories. There are amazing people out there and communities who are bringing people together, tackling issues around loneliness and knife crime, Mental Health and all of those problems that we do face. And we have to be realistic about those problems, but i think we have to be optimistic that we can all do our bit to help tackle them as well. So what we need to do. This lifeboat rescue crew, based in dover, is made up of volunteers from all walks of life, helping others. The archbishop of canterbury joined them to deliver his new years message, as our shared commitment to serve others. And justin welby urged us all to try to heal divisions. Lets go for a heroic new years resolution. Lets resolve to reconnect, to reach out to just one person we dont know, or from whom we have drifted apart. Make that connection. Lets begin cementing our unity, one brick at a time. In scotland, they celebrated the new year in the most traditional a new decade, a time to reflect on the past, but also a time to work out how the United Kingdom will move
forward. Helena wilkinson, bbc news. The headlines on bbc news. Bushfires have killed at least eight people in south eastern australia since monday and destroyed more than 200 homes. The mother of the british teenager found guilty of lying about being raped in cyprus backs calls for tourists to boycott the country. Two men and a woman who all worked for British Airways are killed after a lorry collides with a car in stanwell in surrey on new years eve. Paramilitary groups who have been protesting against us air strikes in iraq have withdrawn from the perimeter of the American Embassy in baghdad. The demonstration took place amid anger over us air strikes that killed 25 members of the militia that was in response to attacks on American Military targets. Jonathan josephs reports. The bitter struggle between the us
and iran is once again playing out on the streets of iraq. Protesters and iranian backed militias setting fire to the American Embassy in baghdad as they attacked it for a second day. Again, theyve been pushed back with tear gas and stun grenades. Just some of the thousands of troops it has in the country. Translation this is not the first time the us have hit us. We will never move from here. I swear on god and my life, until they leave here. Translation we are holding a sit in for the souls of our martyrs until the departure of the american occupiers. Iraqis military says the protesters have now withdrawn, and it has com pletely have now withdrawn, and it has completely secured the embassys perimeter. That will be welcomed by
President Trump, who has urged them to ta ke President Trump, who has urged them to take a tough line. Around 750 additional soldiers have been deployed to the region. The us embassy has suspended all and that his new year celebrations, President Trump warmed he wouldnt allow a repeat of what happened before. The marines came in, we had some great warriors come in and do a fantasticjob and they were there instantaneously, as soon as we heard. I use the word immediately, they came immediately and its in great shape, as you know, this will not be a benghazi. Benghazi should never have happened. This will never ever be a benghazi. President trump blames iran for the death of an American Contractor at an Iraqi Military base last week. He responded with these air strikes against the iranian backed militia, kataib hezbollah, at the weekend. 25 people were killed. Thats drawn strong condemnation from irans Supreme Leader ayatollah ali khamenei, who said President Trumps threats were hollow. Translation if the Islamic Republic decides to challenge and fight a country, it will do so unequivocally. We are strongly committed to our countrys interest and our peace. We are strongly committed to the dignity of our country. These protests come into the us and iran relationship that has deteriorated since washington pulled out of the Nuclear Weapons deal in 2018. And all the while, iraq finds itself stuck in the middle, trying to help the us see off the so called Islamic State group, but at the same time, trying to protect its relationship with neighbouring iran. North koreas leader kimjong un has suggested the country could restart nuclear and long range missile tests. He said north korea was no longer obliged to suspend those tests,
as had been agreed during talks with the us. Mr kim made the announcement at a government meeting two days ago but appears to have cancelled his traditional new years speech. Paul adams reports. Is kim jong un losing patience with diplomacy . No traditional new years address this time. Instead, state television detailed the contents of a speech two days ago in which the north Korean Leader threatened to unveil a new strategic weapon. North korea, he said, was no longer bound by its promises to halt nuclear and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile tests. Sanctions have not been lifted, that they are no longer testing or improving their strategic weapons as much as they would like and so this is, in part, a signal to the United States that they dont plan to continue waiting. On top of renewed tensions with iran, its a new years challenge for President Trump. He did sign a contract, he did sign an agreement, talking about denuclearisation, and that was signed, number one sentence, denuclearisation, that was done in singapore and i think hes a man of his word, so were going to find out, but i think hes a man of his word. The president has made much of his relationship with the leader he used to call little rocket man, flattering and praising the north korean dictator over the course of three face to face encounters. Lastjuly, mr trump became the first us president to set foot inside north korea. It seemed to herald progress. In 2017, the world looked on with dismay as north korea tested a succession of ballistic missiles, each more powerful than the last. When kim jong un said he would stop, mr trump said the crisis was over, but talks have gone nowhere. Mr kim wants america to lift its crippling sanctions. He said he wanted concessions by the end of the year. He hasnt got them. As the north korean capital saw in the new year, the threat of confrontation loomed once more. Mr kim has warned at what he calls shocking actual action and says the United States will pay for the pain sustained by his people. Could another test be imminent . Paul adams, bbc news. Pope francis has confessed that he lost his patience with an admirer who grabbed his hand on saint Peters Square yesterday evening. Hed been greeting pilgrims when he admonished a woman for grabbing his hand. Hes since apologised for the bad example he gave when he slapped the womans hand twice to break free from her grip. Translation the salvation ofjesus is not magic, but it is patient. It entails the patience of love, because it is love that makes us patient. Many times, you lose
patience, myself included, and i apologise for the bad example i gave yesterday. As a new decade arrives, businesses around the world are under pressure to improve their sustainable credentials to consumers and the fashion industry is no different. Globalfashion production produces 1. 2 billion tonnes of carbon per year, more than all International Flights and maritime shipping combined. How can an industry of mass consumerism change . Could swapping rather than selling help . Simon browning reports. A new style of shopping for a new decade. They call it a swap shop. Bring the stuff you no longer wear and exchange it for something else. I really like the idea of, like, exchanging with people, and, like, recycling. Society is shifting and it is changing into something that is more conscientious. Jade and lucy set up their clothes swap business, lonehood, because they were horrified as the sheer volume of clothes they saw every day while working in the modelling industry. I would choose some a0 to sometimes 70 outfits a day. It was overwhelming to think how many clothes are being produced. Most stuff is brand new. It is quite shameful on our part. One of the first to arrive at the swap was samantha and her family. So much stuff that we do not wear. And even him, he got given things when he was born that he hasnt worn and i just thought this is such a great way to get rid of the things that we dont want and then get new things but without buying more junk. Bags and bags and bags of clothes for swapping pour in. For each item, you receive a token. The team then make this east end nightclub into a shop. Then it is time to ready, steady, swap. The fashion industry is facing a huge challenge as it is built on mass consumerism, but every single garment made has an environmental impact. Take a pair ofjeans 10,000 litres of water to make one pair. And it is leading to serious
questions for retailers, manufacturers and suppliers about what changes they need to make. Theres the mens stuff. Great shirts. Jade and lucy believe we have the power. I definitely think that the more we shout about what we want, and we want it to be more sustainable, then businesses will then listen. But last summer, those businesses were accused of not listening or acting fast enough, when Extinction Rebellion protesters tried to stop London Fashion week. The environmentalists believe fast fashion is one of the worlds worst polluters. This woman runs a Parliamentary Group on fashion. She brought the protesters and industry bosses together. She says big behavioural changes are needed. We have all got to stop thinking that buying seven bags of clothes on a friday is a good idea, whether it is something from primark or something from prada, do you really need it . Are you going to wear it at least 30 times . We asked six big retailers for an interview no one was available. Sustainability means producing
and buying less to reduce our impact on resources but, for shops who want to sell, that is a profit problem and a big business challenge. But here, pre loved and reworn. A little sustainability just one swap at a time. Simon browning, bbc news. The Pacific Island nation of palau has become the first country to ban sun cream which is harmful to coral and sea life. The ban covers the sale and use of lotion containing any of ten common ingredients. Several other countries have also announced plans to ban the pollutants. For the first time, more than a hundred billion music tracks have been streamed online in the uk, in a single year. It comes at the end of a decade that saw many more of us abandoning the cd, and embracing the digital streaming and downloads. 0ur entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson has more details. These are the moments that im going to remember most, yeah. Oh, how a decade has changed how we consume music. 2010 started withjoe mcelderrys the climb at number one. At that stage, cd singles were being phased out, as paid for downloads dominated. Theres always going to be another mountain im always gonna wanna make it move. Fast forward to the end of the decade. 2019, the first year in uk history when more than 100 billion tracks were streamed. I was getting kind of used to being someone you loved. The most listened to song, Lewis Capaldis someone you loved, which was streamed more than 228 million times. Thats the equivalent of every person in the uk playing it three and a half times. There has been a huge shift from analogue and physical product through to streaming and digital, although weve reached a point now where were enjoying the best of all worlds, where we tend to go online and we stream and 75 of us now stream for our day to day needs
and access to music and discovery. Sales of vinyl lps increased for a 12th consecutive year, with liam gallaghers why me . Why not, topping the year end charts, but to put that in context, it only shifted 29,000 copies on vinyl. Christmas time, christmas time, merry christmas. And a happy new year. And then theres the cassette revival. Sales have increased by 600 in the last three years, with acts such as Robbie Williams choosing to release on their favourite 80s format. So here it is, merry christmas. The rather large caveat cassette sales account for 0. 1 of overall recorded music. Colin paterson, bbc news. Thousands of people across the uk have defied the chill of the sea to take part in annual New Years Day dips around our coastline. Some people took to the water in fancy dress, while other brave souls opted for swimwear, with many using the opportunity to raise money for charities. Hope bolger reports taking the plunge. Hundreds of people gathered to race into the water this morning. At this time of year, the water is just a few degrees above freezing, giving this lot a bracing start to 2020. It is just a really good way to start the new year, like a refreshing challenge to get you going. It is really good fun, so that is the main reason i wanted to do it. This guy didnt fancy it though. Not at all. A bit too cold. Maybe next year. In north somerset, the dip is proving more popular than ever, attracting regulars, new people and if few onlookers. Very bracing, but so good. Its a shock to the system but so good. It didnt seem as good an idea as it did on Christmas Day when i thought
it was a good idea glad i did it, though. The first time we came, it was shocking, wasnt it . But once you get into it and come out, you just feel great. Bagpipes in east yorkshire, as close to 200 swimmers continue their tradition of diving into the north sea at hornsea with money raised going to the local in shore rescue. Absolutely fantastic, the weather has been brilliant and the crowds have been fantastic. Its been brilliant, the best turnout weve had for a New Years Day swim. Further along the east coast, crowds gathered at whitley bay, dressed up and ready to go and despite the dip no longer having an official organiser. The time honoured tradition continued on the isle of man this morning. In penzance it was the first New Years Day dip at thejubilee pool. Fabulous to see so many people down, getting cold, getting rid of the hangover and having a splash and some fun. Its really special, the start of the new year, everyone swimming and enjoying
themselves and lets hope it goes on like this the pool because its a fabulous iconic pool. A chance to reboot, shake off the cobwebs and get the endorphins pumping. For many, a New Years Day dip is a perfect start to the new decade. Coming up after the weather on bbc news, witness history looks back at some of the highlights of the series from 2019, including the story of the first african in the arctic, and the birth of communism in china. Now its time for a look at the weather with louise lear. It was a beautiful sunset, as depicted by this person from north yorkshire. As we go through tonight, the isobars are set to squeeze
together. The winds will increase before the arrival of these weather fronts, which will gradually bring in some rain. Maybe cloud will be thick enough for the odd spot of drizzle, a touch on the chilly side into eastern scotland, but generally a mild start to thursday morning. But the winds will continue to strengthen. We are sitting across the milder airfor the time being, the milder airfor the time being, the cold air waiting in the wings. It is going to slip in as these weather fronts seep in east. To start the day, some rain abound in scotla nd start the day, some rain abound in scotland and northern ireland. 0nce the weather front to sweep its way south east, it will be replaced by. For the middle of the afternoon, winds gusting in excess of 60 miles an hour across this coast, and some showery outbreaks of rain in the north west, that weather front slipping south out of the Scottish Borders into north wales. It states cloudy and blustery, into the north and west. That said, a mild afternoon, with temperatures
ten to