i wasn t trying to pull the wool over anyone s eyes, and i regret, and i am sorry, for not saying straight out, yes i am involved. i will be representing the uk at the eurovision song contest! pop star and actor olly alexander is announced as the united kingdom s entry for next year s eurovision song contest. hello, i m rajini vaidyanathan. britain and germany are calling for an urgent sustainable ceasefire in gaza. last week both countries abstained on a united nations resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. but in a change of tone which echoes a shift in the us, the foreign ministers of both countries say too many civilians have been killed in israel s war against hamas and the sooner a truce comes the better. france meanwhile has also called for an immediate and durable ceasefire. israel s prime minister benjamin netanyahu has strongly reiterated his opposition to a ceasefire. speaking before a cabinet meeting, he insisted they will fight till the end to
reasons but obviously you don t get anything forjust having a positive point. we re going to take on the next four mixed games, tough games they re all tough games. but that s the performance level we ve got to keep working on and keep working to, and then add the details and eradicate some of the negative details, but keep adding the quality details. so, you know, finding that balance. but i was pleased with tonight, other than the fact we didn t get the three points. staying with the relegation battle, leeds are set to sack managerjavi gracia and they re hoping to replace him with former england boss sam allardyce, who will have four games to steer them clear of relegation. director of football victor orta has also left the club. leeds are currently 17th in the premier league, above the relegation zone only on goal difference. three games in la liga on tuesday too with barcelona and real madrid in action. barca face osasuna looking to extend their lead at the top th
the bbc football commentator john motson, who has died at the age of 77. also coming up in the programme. australia hold their nerve to reach their seventh consecutive women s t20 world cup final with a tense five run win over india. hello and welcome to sportsday. we start today s programme with news that a new independent regulator of men s football in england is to be established for the first time. the announcement follows a recommendation by a fan led review last year. the main purposes of the proposed new regulator will be stopping english clubs from joining european breakaway leagues, preventing financial failings at clubs, introducing more stringent owners and directors tests, giving fans more power and ensuring a fairer distribution of money down the english football pyramid. the significant move aims to protect english football s cultural heritage. here s just some of the reaction to the proposals starting with the premier league chief executive richard masters. w
for humanitarian agencies, after five major non governmental organisations suspend their work in afghanistan. we ll have a look at the front page of the papers in a moment but first, some other stories to bring you. police say a tenth person has died as a result of a huge explosion at a block of flats injersey early this month. kathleen mcguinness, who was 73, lived next to the building in st helier which was destroyed in the blast. about 3 billion litres of water are lost every day through leaks in england and wales, according to the latest figures from the industry regulator. now to help tackle the problem, scientists have developed miniature robots that crawl through pipes to patrol our water supply network. our science correspondent, victoria gill, reports. the water company here in essex has detected a leak, but to find its location and fix it, they will need to dig through a complex maze of pipes. basically, we have a nine inch cast iron water main that runs down the
to mark the 40th day of mourning since a nine year old boy was killed during anti government protests. you re watching bbc news. now it s time for sportsday. hello. thanks forjoining us for this boxing day sportsday. i m ben croucher. these are your headlines. welcome back, premier league. well, maybe not the return that spurs wanted, but they salvage a point at brentford. no stopping newcastle powering past leicester and up to second the news from today s seven games on the way. and boxing day horse racing is a brave man s game as the 11 4 shot battles to victory in the king george. it s been 43 days, but the wait is over. the premier league is back. seven games on boxing day, a new team in second, and at the bottom. it all kicked off at lunchtime at the brentford community stadium. a cracking game it was, too. brentford were on course for a fine victory against tottenham, only for the visitors to salvage a point, on a poignant day for english football. patrick gearey re