and fay weldon, the writer best known for her 1983 novel, the life and loves of a she devil has died at the age of 91. the prime minister, rishi sunak, has set out his programme for the year ahead, outlining five promises he says he wants the public tojudge his premiership on. they are halving inflation to ease the cost of living whilst also growing the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunities across the country. he wants to ensure the national debt is falling to secure the future of public services whilst also cutting nhs waiting lists so that people get the care they need more quickly and passing new laws to stop small boats crossing the channel. he asked voters to judge his premiership on whether the goals were achieved. on the current wave of strikes in britain, he said he hugely valued public service employees and wants a reasonable discussion on what is fair for the country . let s have a listen to some of the prime minister s speech. i want to make five
the sound of artillery fire. you can tell every minute that this is a city that is being intensely fought over. we start here in the uk, where the prime minister rishi sunak has set out his priorities for 2023 in his first major speech of the year. let s have a listen to some of what he had to say. first, we will have inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security. second, we will grow the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the country. third, we will make sure our national debt is falling so that we can secure the future of public services. fourth, nhs waiting lists will fall, and people will get the kjaer they need more quickly. fifth, we will pass new laws to stop small boats, sunak making sure that if you come to this country sunak illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed. rishi sunak spent the first few weeks of his premiership last autumn trying to restore stability after the turmoil of liz truss go
welcome to bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in america where there are now two special counsels investigating whether two us presidents broke the law in their handling of classified records. after a second set of classified documents were found atjoe biden s home, the us attorney general has appointed robert hur to investigate whether any crimes have been committed. former president donald rrump is also facing a criminal investigation for taking classified papers to his mar a lago estate. here s our north america editor, sarah smith. after admitting he was keeping classified documents at his delaware home, stored in the garage alongside his vintage sports car, president biden has a lot of explaining to do. classified materials next to your corvette, what were you thinking? my corvette s in a locked garage, ok, so it s not like it s sitting out in the street. people know i take classified documents and classified materials seriously.
and we celebrate a0 years of christmas classic, the snowman, and its iconic soundtrack, walking in the air. good morning. it s christmas eve. our top story. around 250 million people in the us and canada are under severe weather warnings, as an unprecedented winter storm sweeps across north america. from alaska to texas, bone chilling temperatures, blizzards and icy winds have caused widespread disruption and left more than a million homes and businesses without power. at least 12 deaths have been linked to the conditions. tom brada reports. once ina once in a generation whether out of the worst possible time. ice, wind, rain and extreme cold are wreaking havocin rain and extreme cold are wreaking havoc in the build up to christmas. trees have been ripped from the ground and power lines have been knocked out across the country. from maine to texas, more than i million people are without electricity. people are very frustrated because we pay our bills. all day it has been goin