of the central philippines. only today is there a sense of the damage caused. as buildings were reduced to rubble, 16,000 people were moved to shelters. thousands more were stranded as they tried to get home for christmas. coastal villages have been devastated. the typhoon was so powerful, large boats were overturned. the philippines is no stranger to tropical storms and typhoons, with around 20 arriving each year. the most powerful one to hit land ever in the world, typhoon haiyan, struck in 2013, leaving more than 6,000 people dead. today, as a country rebuilds, the red cross warns it could take weeks to bring back power and running water. not only that, many filipinos are still missing. james waterhouse, bbc news. spanish police have named a british holiday—maker and his two children who drowned in a swimming pool on christmas eve. gabriel diya had been staying with his family at a resort on the costa del sol. police say the pool appears to have been working normally at the time. emily unia reports. according to spanish police, gabriel diya, who was 52, died trying to rescue his nine—year—old daughter comfort after she got into difficulties in this hotel swimming pool. his 16—year—old son tried to help and also died. postmortem examinations confirmed that all three drowned. a 14—year—old girl, the children's sister, survived. a british tourist who's staying at the resort told the bbc she spoke to the children's mother. i noticed a woman was walking towards where i was. she looked really distraught. when she came closer, she was just saying, "help me, help me. please help me. my children are drowning." it was horrible. i didn't sleep. i can't even begin to tell you how distraught i feel. i don't want to imagine what the mum is going through. after the incident, police divers retrieved the girl's swimming hat from the pool pump but couldn't find anything wrong with the filtration and pump systems. the pool, which doesn't have lifeguards on duty, has now reopened to the public. emily unia, bbc news. firefighters in australia are bracing themselves for a return to heatwave conditions, replacing recent cooler weather. there are currently 72 bushfires in the state of new south wales, about half of them burning out of control. 0ur correspondent phil mercer has travelled to the town of bilpin to meet one of those affected. simon tadrossa lost 40% of his orchards when the fires tore through. the emotional and financial toll has been immense. he stayed to defend his property in the blue mountains against flames a0 metres high and he almost died. what was the most frightening bit for you? um, facing it, driving towards it in the tractor and you couldn't sort of really get out of it. that was the frightening thing. but obviously i made it through, but scary, very scary. what was it like looking into that beast of a fire thinking you might not make it? it's worrying, very worrying. yeah, look, you can't bring a life back, you only get one chance, and if you lose a life that's the end of it. your trees, your houses, your buildings, you can always rebuild. communities have been traumatised by the fires, and recovering from devastation like this could take years. cooler conditions today in new south wales are helping the firefighting effort, but more dangerous days do lie ahead. here in australia's most populous state, more than 70 blazes are still burning, but this is a nationwide crisis. there are still active fires in the states of victoria and south australia. phil mercer, bbc news, in bilpin, the blue mountains. this week marks the century of women being accepted into the legal profession. during that time, the number of women practising law has increased. however, figures show that they still hold less than 25% of the top jobs. sian lloyd has been finding out about some of the changes that have taken place. and i'm introduced to somebody very charming, very pleasant, and they'll say, "what do you do?" and i'll say, "well, i'm a judge," and quick as a flash, they'll say, "do you work in family?" it tells you a lot, doesn't it, about subconscious assumptions that are still being made that we need to battle against. this piece of art is an emblem of how the change has happened and how the future has got to be different because law has to reflect the world that we live in, and it's getting there. the first—ever artwork commissioned to celebrate women's contribution to the legal profession, marking the centenary of them being allowed to practise law. unveiled in the supreme court, a legacy to those who paved the way, part of a campaign to inspire future generations. i think it will give the courtroom a different feel, an altogether different atmosphere. a new atmosphere of a more egalitarian and modern approach. this is how it looked 100 years ago — not a woman in sight. times have changed. mrsjustice carr has recently been promoted to the court of appeal. she wants to see more women get the top jobs. my own personal experience at the top levels, certainly in terms of the judiciary, is everybody is willing you to succeed. and we've got this far, we've almost done the hard stuff. the hard stuff comes in the 30s to 40s. that's when you see the numbers drop for all the obvious reasons. so i think the work has to come right from the bottom — schools, universities, getting women in, giving them confidence, then creating the right working environments to encourage women to break through the ranks in those middle years, and then encouraging them to carry on. all rise. and these are the lawyers of the future. as long as we raise our sons and daughters to believe in women as equal and then we pass that on, we've got to break the mold. it looks a bit like a dream... to say, like, "i'm going to become a judge one day." but i think it's step by step. marking a new chapter as the first 100 years draw to a close. sian lloyd, bbc news. there are reports that a number of people have been rescued trying to cross the channel to the uk. the coastguard said it had been co—ordinating several search and rescue operations, involving border force officers and the rnli, off the kent coast near dover. a helicopter and plane were also involved. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, is facing a vote for his leadership of the likud party today. the challenge from long—time rival gideon saar is said to be the biggest mr netanyahu has faced in his 20 year—rule of the party. yesterday evening a rocket fired from the gaza strip, interrupting a likud party rally in the border town of ashkelon. the prime minister and his wife were escorted from the stage, after sirens went off. the seychelles off the coast of east africa is setting itself up as a hub for marine preservation. the first—ever large—scale coral reef restoration project was set up there and now they are transplanting what they call "super coral". with over half of the world's reefs already lost because of rising sea temperatures, there's hope this tiny chain of islands could hold the key to saving these animals from extinction. catherine byaruhanga has more. they're called the reef rescuers. tina and chloe work in the indian ocean trying to find ways of saving the world's dying coral. today, they're checking on their nursery. it's a manmade coralfarm and one of the biggest in the world. so this is a large—scale coral reef restoration project. the nursery that we use is a rope nursery. so our coral fragments are actually placed inside a rope and then they are hung mid—water. over half the world's reefs have already been lost because of climate change. coral gets its colour and its energy from the algae which live inside it. as the water gets warmer, though, the algae becomes toxic, so the coral evicts it. this is called bleaching. with its food source expelled, the coral often die. from the nursery, the small coral are brought down and cemented to the ocean floor. within minutes, fish swim to what the reef rescuers call super coral. 0ur coral gardening methodology identifies resilient colonies by visiting reefs shortly after bleaching events and looking at which colonies have survived, and have some level of confidence that they are resilient and will make our restoration site resilient forfurther climate change events. the nursery is also an open water classroom. from the surface, i can see hundreds of coral beneath me. scientists have come from all over the world to learn how it's done here. this technique has already been taken to countries like colombia and the maldives and next are kenya, tanzania and mauritius. the reef rescuers‘ project was born here on cousin island, a thriving world class nature reserve. cousin island was the desired prize... it was set up by nirmal shah. he's been running conservation projects here for over three decades and he's already thinking about the next big idea. so all these experiences we've learned from scratch. we know the entire technique now. so the next step is to grow corals on land, tinker around with them until they become resilient to climate change and plant them back. scientists predict most of the world's coral will be gone by 2050. innovation might be the only way to preserve them. catherine byaru hanga, bbc news, the seychelles. the return of gavin and stacey to our screens saw tv ratings at their highest on christmas day for more than a decade. more than 11 million people tuned in for the show‘s christmas special comeback, according to initial figures. all the top five most—watched programmes yesterday were made by the bbc. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba is here — was this a festive surprise for the bbc? yes, gavin and stacey, the biggest overnight audience of the year, the biggest christmas day audience since 2008. generally christmas day viewing figures have been declining in recent years, partly because of changing viewing habits and the growth in streaming services. gavin and stacey has reversed that trend. it felt like rail appointment to view, must see television, the first new episode in nine years, notjust the christmas edition of something that has been on throughout the year on our channels. it is also a big deal beating the queen'schristmas message. that has been topping the christmas day charts for five years ina row christmas day charts for five years in a row because families like to sit down and watch together. it is also helped by being on multiple channels, not just the also helped by being on multiple channels, notjust the bbc of course. the last time there was a big christmas day overnight rating was back in 2008 with wallace and gromit, a matter of loaf and death and it means there will be a lot of expectation from audiences for more. the door has been left open for that, and if... if the bbc can persuade co—writers james corden and ruth jones, persuade co—writers james corden and ruthjones, bbc persuade co—writers james corden and ruth jones, bbc one persuade co—writers james corden and ruthjones, bbc one i am absolutely certain would love gavin and stacey in the future. cricket, and james anderson made an instant impact on his return to test cricket and his 150th test match appearance. england's leading wicket—ta ker struck with the first ball of the day, propelling his side into a commanding position at tea—time in the first test against south africa. austin halewood reports. the first day of a new tour, a fresh start for england's cricketers. and joe root was in in confident mood. electing to bowl, he needed early wickets, and he didn't have long to wait. step up james anderson with the first ball of the day. back in the side after injury, and straight back into the action. england with the perfect start but zubayr hamza with the perfect technique. south africa fighting back. most of this week, england have been fighting off the flu. three of the squad were too unwell to play but stuart broad was over his ailments. hamza gone. broad the bowler, ben stokes the catcher. the all—rounder deciding to play after his father's illness. and the wickets continued to fall. sam curran the pick of the bowlers, with two. before broad got captain faf du plessis. england's decision to bowl justified. an unbeaten half—century from quinton de kock has started the home side's recovery. but, for england, day one in south africa, so far, so good. austin halewood, bbc news. people across the world have been looking to the skies this morning, hoping to spot a rare solar eclipse. sadly, it wasn't visible here in the uk but much of the middle east and south asia witnessed the annual solar eclipse which is also known as a "ring of fire" where the moon doesn't completely cover the sun. there's more throughout the afternoon on the bbc news channel. we're back with the teatime news at 5.55pm. now, on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel with christian fraser. lets get more now — on a busy day in sport — a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's ben croucher. a finely poised start. james anderson with the first ball of the match, not a bad way to start. south africa are recovering to 198—5 in the afternoon session. they were put into bat byjoe root. south africa are approaching the 200 mark, sam curran thinks he might have an lbw but pitched outside leg. plenty more to keep up—to—date with on the cricket. boxing day football is up and running in the premier league. nine games today. tottenham and brighton is the early kick—off. and spurs thought they'd taken the lead when harry kane poked home only for the video assistant referee to spot an offside by the barest of margins. in the 37th minute, heading brighton into an unexpected lead. brighton haven't won on boxing day since 2005. spurs haven't lost on this date since 2003. the big game of the day is the final game of the day. top of the table liverpool against second placed leicester. with most teams playing today and again at the weekend, liverpool bossjurgen klopp isn't too pleased with the scheduling. none of us managers has a problem with boxing day. none of us. but playing on the 26th and then the 28th is a crime. that's absolutely not ok, and yet we still have it. this year we have the 26th and the 29th and it's like a holiday. i understand all the others who are not moaning, but telling that itjust should not happen. it should not happen. a full programme in the scottish premiership too. the edinburgh derby is the lunchtime kickoff. hibs ahead against bottom of the table hearts. martin boyle with both goals. celtic manager neil lennon wants his side to stay focused in the three o'clock kickoff at st mirren and not be distracted by sunday's upcoming old firm derby against rangers. celtic could go eight points clear if they win and rangers lose at home to kilmarnock. lennon's side beat st mirren 2—0 in the reverse fixture in october. and aside from football, another sporting boxing day tradition is the sydney to hobart yacht race. over 600 miles to tasmania, and blue skies when they left from sydney harbour overnight, with little smoke from the bushfires that have been raging in new south wales. 11 hours into the race and a third different leader too. last yea r‘s runners—up black jack are ahead. very calm winds at the minute with the winner probably crowned late tomorrow night or early saturday morning. england have taken another wicket in centurion — south africa now 198—6 on the opening day of the first test. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. that's all the sport for now. the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is a facing a vote today for his leadership of the likud party from long—time rival gideon saar. it's said to be the biggest challenge mr netanyahu has faced to his 20—year rule of likud. yesterday evening a rocket fired from the gaza strip, interrupted a party rally in the border town of ashkelon. the prime minister and his wife were escorted from the stage, after sirens went off. 0ur middle east correspondent barbara plett usher is injerusalem. she explained a little earlier why support for benjamin netanyahu could be showing signs of weakening. there has been a united front in the likud party, after two elections when he was unable to form a government, and charges of corruption. he is very popular still, there is a lot of loyalty, but this is showing a crack, a challenge not expected to unseat him necessarily, but one that shows disquiet amongst members of the likud party, not senior members publicly but gideon saar has a growing amount of support amongst the grassroots, local party leaders. the concern is mr netanyahu may have lost his magic touch. he couldn't form a government and in a third election he will not be able to form a government and the likud party could go into opposition, this is gideon saar‘s campaign. this is one to watch, if benjamin netanyahu wins substantially, he wants to quell dissent. what is the fear for those at grassroots who may have turned against him? the fear is he is no longer going to win elections for them. in the last year, he was expected to be able to form a right—wing majority government which is what he has had over the past decade. he also hasn't been able to form a coalition government, and so, the members are concerned if it continues in this way, he will get weaker and ultimately the right wing will lose its grip on power, and rivals, allied to more centrist and leftist parties, will get in. it is about party politics, pragmatic things like will they keep their seats? there is loyalty towards mr netanyahu in the party, a tradition of fierce loyalty to the party. and to the leader. but if it looks as if he is gradually going to lose his touch in terms of providing them seats in government, you may see this dissent grow. they are celebrating hannukah holidays, how do they feel about another election, their general election coming up and a vote within the likud party, is there fatigue setting in? the fatigue has very much set in, a great deal of unhappiness when the third election was announced, and a blame game on either side. a coalition government had been attempted after the second election. they knew people were fed up with the political stalemate. they wanted a government, not a caretaker government, but one that can make decisions also on social issues. it is a very unpopular election coming up. that is adding to the disquiet. thank you very much. a murder investigation has begun in south—west london after a man was shot dead on christmas eve. police were called to battersea church road at around 9pm on tuesday where they found the victim, believed to be in his 30s. no arrests have been made. the royal navy had to skip yesterday's festive celebrations in order to monitor a russian ship as it made its way through the english channel. the hms tyne was sent at short notice from portsmouth to track the vessel over a 48—hour period. the commander thanked his crew and said national security didn't stop for christmas. shoppers are expected to spend £200 million less in the boxing day sales this year, with environmental concerns being the biggest reason for the drop. nearly seven in ten consumers plan to spend less on so—called fast fashion because of the impact of its production on the environment. according to barclaycard, around four in ten uk adults will spend an average of £186 each today. deborahjames, or bowel babe as she's known to anyone who has followed the podcast you, me and the big c, has shared every step of her cancer journey. this time last year, she didn't think she'd be celebrating another christmas, but that changed thanks to some new treatment and her medical team at the royal marsden hospital. she's been back to meet them — let's take a look. this time last year, i honestly thought i was celebrating my last christmas. my cancer had progressed. the actual words from my oncologist were, "i can't promise you it won't progress quickly". i'm deborah james. i have metastatic bowel cancer and i have been living with cancer for three years. i host the award—winning podcast you, me and the big c on bbc radio 5 live. hi! hello! welcome back! thank you! it's nice to see you. you're looking well. i was going to say it's nice to be here not as a patient. 0h, absolutely, absolutely! cyberknife is amazing. it has stopped the growth of two of my tumours that were in inoperable places — one was wrapped around an artery — and i couldn't be more grateful to have this treatment. we know that we've constantly got you in the right place, so, we can give a higher dose more safely. it's a team effort. but ultimately, a team effort that is saving my life and prolonging my life and i couldn't be more grateful for that, so, thank you for that. oh, you're very welcome. you're very welcome. when did you start feeling like you've got a temperature? yesterday. over the last year, i have been taking some new, targeted drugs. i'm one of the first people actually in the uk to be on that combination. it has actually stabilised my cancer. i've had hundreds and hundreds of tests. you never get used to them. and you never get used to them. people like beth that help administer those drugs are very much part of my family. i trust you guys... good! ..and i know you are what you are doing... good. ..and it's a friendly face all of the time. yeah. so, like, never underestimate what you do, it's amazing, so thank you. oh, thank you, deborah. thank you very much. let me give you a hug. come here. i'm probably going to cry! don't cry. it's all right. the more we move on with cancer, the more we find out about it, there are more examples of people like me living, and that is because of new treatments, because of new ways that we are being treated. hello! and actually, that's something we should be celebrating. nice to see you. as part of your treatment, we tried to zap all your tumours. i love that — splat the tumours! splat the tumours, exactly. this is the tiny probe, which is very thin. i've never seen this. i cannot believe this actually goes inside of me! yeah, it's thin and sharp. thank you for literally destroying, zapping, burning, ablating. you have used every tool in the box to help keep me alive and just thank you. you are very welcome. very welcome. so, i'm now in a very weird place where i am living with cancer. but we all know that at some point, my luck might run out and the drugs might run out and actually, the cancer may be on the move again, and none of us know when that might be. and living with that dark dog of fear is really, really challenging and i don't have a solution for it. but i know that having an army of people who have your back helps. every single person plays a massive part in keeping me alive. my new year's resolution is to stay alive. and maybe run a marathon and maybe do strictly. giggles and you can listen to you, me and the big c on the bbc sounds app. you might be one of those gearing up for a boxing day walk this afternoon. and new research shows just how popular a stroll by the sea has become. nearly 30 million people ambled along england's coastal paths over the past six months, boosting the economy and helping to create localjobs. the data has been collected by natural england which is currently establishing a 2,700—mile path around the entire english coastline. now, it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. after the sunshine yesterday, much more cloud and for some of you it has already been wet and windy. spreading its way northwards and eastwards, turning lighter in northern england and eastern england. heaviest bursts will ease but more downpours coming in later. still a blustery day, highs of 12. much of scotland will stay dry. the best of the sunshine in the north east of scotland. into this evening, patchy rain will affect eastern areas, turning misty across england and. western scotland will turn a good deal better and windier. temperatures up to 11 degrees in western areas.

Related Keywords

Australia , Philippines , United Kingdom , Ashkelon , Hadarom , Israel , Seychelles , Tanzania , Mauritius , South Africa , Russia , English Channel , United Kingdom General , Gaza Strip , Kenya , Likud , Sulu , Sydney , New South Wales , Maldives , Brighton , Brighton And Hove , Spain , Dover , Tasmania , Costa Del Sol , Spain General , Edinburgh , City Of , Spanish , British , Russian , Israeli , Scotland , James Anderson , Harry Kane , James Waterhouse , Nirmal Shah , Ben Stokes , Gabriel Diya , Africa Austin , Martin Boyle , Matt Taylor , Christian Fraser , Phil Mercer , Sam Curran , Kilmarnock Lennon , Benjamin Netanyahu , Gideon Saar , Deborah James , Catherine Byaruhanga ,