the government apologises to the victims of the grenfell tower fire at the public inquiry — admitting a series of failings in the years leading up to the disaster. another storm sweeps across the uk — thousands are without power again as barra blows through. the as barra blows through. metaverse is a version of1 internet the metaverse is a version of the internet that we are inside. and diving into the metaverse — facebook is the latest high tech company to go there. but what is it? and coming up on the bbc news channel: the ashes begin overnight tonight with james anderson rested for the first test. but what are england's hopes in a contest they've only one once in australia in sa years? good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the government and senior officials have been defending the evacuation of people from afghanistan this summer as the taliban took over, after a whistle blower at the foreign office called it "dysfunctional and chaotic". raphael marshall — who resigned from hisjob in september — told mps that it was clear some of those left behind had since been murdered by the taliban. he says thousands of emails pleading for british help went unread, and that the foreign secretary at the time — dominic raab — was slow to make decisions. mr raab has denied the claims. today the prime minister said the evacuation operation was "one of the outstanding military achievements of the last 50 years or more". here's our diplomatic correspondent james landale. kabul airport last summer as thousands sought to flee the advancing taliban. amid chaotic scenes, britain and other western powers tried to evacuate those they could, but according to a whistle—blower there was chaos in london, too. the foreign office crisis centre was handling requests from people fearing the taliban because of their links to the uk. raphael marshall said the process of choosing who could be evacuated was dysfunctional. he said up to 150,000 people applied for evacuation, but he estimated fewer than 5% of these people have received any assistance. it is clear that some of the those left behind have since been murdered by the taliban. 0ne weekend in august, when these afghans were trying to get up, mr marshall said there was too few staff and on saturday he was the only one monitoring the cases and e—mails. he said staff lacked expertise in afghanistan and soldiers brought in to help couldn't access computers. we knew many afghans struggled to get in touch with the foreign office, this evidence tells us what office, this evidence tells us what was going on inside and it is a story of a system that wasn't working. mps wanted to know why. this isn't failure, what is? we declared a — this isn't failure, what is? we declared a crisis. we went through the process of putting more people in and _ the process of putting more people in and we _ the process of putting more people in and we had more than a thousand people _ in and we had more than a thousand --eole. ~ ., in and we had more than a thousand neale, ~ ., i1 i in and we had more than a thousand peeple-_ some i in and we had more than a thousand peeple-_ some in people. who were the 500. some in the crisis centre. _ people. who were the 500. some in the crisis centre. as _ people. who were the 500. some in the crisis centre. as for _ people. who were the 500. some in the crisis centre. as for going - people. who were the 500. some in the crisis centre. as for going on - the crisis centre. as for going on hohda the crisis centre. as for going on holiday at _ the crisis centre. as for going on holiday at st _ the crisis centre. as for going on holiday at st time. _ the crisis centre. as for going on holiday at st time. if _ the crisis centre. as for going on holiday at st time. if i had - the crisis centre. as for going on i holiday at st time. if i had my time aaain i holiday at st time. if i had my time again i would _ holiday at st time. if i had my time again i would have _ holiday at st time. if i had my time again i would have come _ holiday at st time. if i had my time again i would have come back- holiday at st time. if i had my time i again i would have come back from leave _ again i would have come back from leave earlier. mr again i would have come back from leave earlier.— again i would have come back from leave earlier. mr marshall single ud out dominic— leave earlier. mr marshall single ud out dominic raab _ leave earlier. mr marshall single ud out dominic raab who _ leave earlier. mr marshall single ud out dominic raab who said - leave earlier. mr marshall single ud out dominic raab who said delayed | out dominic raab who said delayed taking decision is alme s out dominic raab who said delayed taking decision is alme 5 until he had all the facts. he suggested he did not understand the situation. a claim mr raab denies. we did not understand the situation. a claim mr raab denies.— claim mr raab denies. we are not talkin: claim mr raab denies. we are not talking about _ claim mr raab denies. we are not talking about days, _ claim mr raab denies. we are not talking about days, but _ claim mr raab denies. we are not talking about days, but several. talking about days, but several hours — talking about days, but several hours to — talking about days, but several hours to make _ talking about days, but several hours to make sure _ talking about days, but several hours to make sure that - talking about days, but several hours to make sure that we - talking about days, but severall hours to make sure that we had talking about days, but several- hours to make sure that we had the facts _ hours to make sure that we had the facts and _ hours to make sure that we had the facts and actually _ hours to make sure that we had the facts and actually that _ hours to make sure that we had the facts and actually that is, _ hours to make sure that we had the facts and actually that is, i- hours to make sure that we had the facts and actually that is, i would i facts and actually that is, i would suggest. — facts and actually that is, i would suggest. a — facts and actually that is, i would suggest, a reasonably— facts and actually that is, i would suggest, a reasonably swift - facts and actually that is, i would suggest, a reasonably swift turnl suggest, a reasonably swift turn around — suggest, a reasonably swift turn around and _ suggest, a reasonably swift turn around and in— suggest, a reasonably swift turn around and in terms _ suggest, a reasonably swift turn around and in terms of- suggest, a reasonably swift turn - around and in terms of presentation, of course _ around and in terms of presentation, of course with — around and in terms of presentation, of course with the _ around and in terms of presentation, of course with the volume _ around and in terms of presentation, of course with the volume of- around and in terms of presentation, of course with the volume of claims i of course with the volume of claims coming _ of course with the volume of claims coming in. — of course with the volume of claims coming in. i— of course with the volume of claims coming in. i make— of course with the volume of claims coming in, i make no— of course with the volume of claims coming in, i make no apology- of course with the volume of claims coming in, i make no apology for. coming in, i make no apology for saying _ coming in, i make no apology for saying i_ coming in, i make no apology for saying i needed _ coming in, i make no apology for saying i needed the _ coming in, i make no apology for saying i needed the clear- coming in, i make no apology for saying i needed the clear facts i coming in, i make no apology fori saying i needed the clear facts for each case — saying i needed the clear facts for each case so _ saying i needed the clear facts for each case so we _ saying i needed the clear facts for each case so we could _ saying i needed the clear facts for each case so we could make - saying i needed the clear facts for each case so we could make swift| each case so we could make swift decisions — each case so we could make swift decisions. ~ , decisions. the prime minister visitinu decisions. the prime minister visitin: a decisions. the prime minister visiting a prison _ decisions. the prime minister visiting a prison said - decisions. the prime minister visiting a prison said today i decisions. the prime minister| visiting a prison said today the evacuation was an outstanding military achievement and the foreign office and officials had done an outstanding job. £31 office and officials had done an outstanding job.— outstanding “0b. of course, sometimes_ outstanding job. of course, sometimes decisions - outstanding job. of course, sometimes decisions took i outstanding job. of course, - sometimes decisions took hours longer than we wanted, but you have to be careful about how you do it. it was still an astonishing thing to get 15,000 people airlifted out of kabul in harrowing circumstances. what both government and whistle blower agree is that not must have people were evacuated in the summer and there are many afghans with links to britain who have yet to leave and still face danger. let's join our afghanistan correspondent secunder kermani who's in kabul this evening. what's happened to all those afghans who had hoped to be evacuated but weren't? well, some have reconciled themselves to life under the taliban, but many are still looking for a way out, either because of the mounting economic crisis, orfearing retribution. among them is a former british army interpreter who says his application was submitted months ago, but he is yet to receive any response, although he says others have been evacuated. those who have found this whole process the most difficult are those who were part of civil society, difficult are those who were part of civilsociety, but difficult are those who were part of civil society, but not employed by the british or other foreign governments, journalists and activists. many have fled to pakistan, where they hope to find western countries they can travel on to, but a lot of them are really struggling at the moment. a scheme announced by the british government to take 20,000 vulnerable afghans has yet to begin. as for reports about killings by the taliban, well there have been some of the former members of security forces, including one linked to britain, but no other verification of other incidents. no other verification of other incidents— britain has now registered more cases of the 0micron variant of coronavirus than anywhere else in europe. another 101 confirmed cases have been recorded in the past 2a hours in england and scotland. this morning the prime minister told the cabinet that early evidence pointed to the 0micron variant being more transmissible than its predecessors. but there's still no evidence that it will lead to more hospitalisations and deaths. here's our health correspondentjim reed. dozens here at sandown racecourse have been queueing in the rain for their booster jabs. ministers have said they want to put the vaccine programme on steroids to better protect people from omicron this winter. there is mounting evidence the new variant is spreading in the uk. in scotland, there have now been 99 confirmed cases. still small numbers overall but a tenfold increase in just a week. given the nature of transmission, i would expect to see a continued and potentially rapid rise in cases in the days ahead and for 0micron to account for a rising share of overall cases. nicola sturgeon urged people to follow the rules to prevent tougher measures in the future and to work from home if possible. how fast is 0micron spreading, minister? meanwhile, in a cabinet meeting in downing street, ministers were told that early indications suggest 0micron is more transmissible than the existing delta version. an analysis of new data in england appears to show we could be spreading at least three times as fast as the older variant. scientists say these numbers are based on very early date and could be an overestimate. but at that speed, 0micron could become the dominant form of the virus in the uk within weeks. i think what will almost certainly happen is we will be faced with a very large number of 0micron cases. the thing we don't know is how many of those will go on to become severely ill, and even if that's a very small proportion, which is what we hope at the moment, it could still lead to problems because basically a small proportion of a very large number of infections could still lead to a large number of hospitalisations. vaccinations are the best form of prevention... this new festive advert campaign is part of a drive to get more of us to sign up to boosterjabs. it is still very early but it is thought vaccines will continue to protect most people from any severe disease caused by 0micron. much tougher covid restrictions still looked unlikely this christmas as investigations into the new variant continue. jim reed, bbc news. the latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were 45,691 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, there werejust over 118,000 new cases reported per day in the last week. the latest figures show there were 7,317 people in hospital being treated for coronavirus on monday. 180 deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 122 covid—related deaths were recorded every day. 0n vaccinations, nearly 21 million people have now had a boosterjab. how should britain deal with the challenge of the 0micron variant? with different restrictions in different parts of the united kingdom, what does the public think is the right response? our home editor mark easton has been assessing the national mood. christmas is coming, but so too we are told is 0micron, the latest covid variant. so after last year's festivities were thrown into disarray, how do people feel about christmas this year, with case numbers rising again? we have assembled a cross section of people with the help of pollsters. i thought we would start by getting a sense of how excited or worried you are about christmas. how you feeling? are about christmas. how you feelin: ? ~ are about christmas. how you feelina? ~ . ., , feeling? we cancelled our christmas dinner last year. _ feeling? we cancelled our christmas dinner last year. there _ feeling? we cancelled our christmas dinner last year. there is _ feeling? we cancelled our christmas dinner last year. there is no - feeling? we cancelled our christmas dinner last year. there is no way - feeling? we cancelled our christmas dinner last year. there is no way we | dinner last year. there is no way we will cancel this year. we have bought all the food. i’m will cancel this year. we have bought all the food.— bought all the food. i'm a bit apprehensive. _ bought all the food. i'm a bit apprehensive. the _ bought all the food. i'm a bit apprehensive. the health - bought all the food. i'm a bit - apprehensive. the health minister said it _ apprehensive. the health minister said it was — apprehensive. the health minister said it was the worst time or the it to appean — said it was the worst time or the it to appean |— said it was the worst time or the it to a- ear. , ., ., ., ., to appear. i used to go to a winter wonderland _ to appear. i used to go to a winter wonderland that _ to appear. i used to go to a winter wonderland that was _ to appear. i used to go to a winter wonderland that was very - to appear. i used to go to a winter wonderland that was very busy. i to appear. i used to go to a winter. wonderland that was very busy. this year i _ wonderland that was very busy. this year i have — wonderland that was very busy. this year i have chosen _ wonderland that was very busy. this year i have chosen not _ wonderland that was very busy. this year i have chosen not to _ wonderland that was very busy. this year i have chosen not to do - wonderland that was very busy. this year i have chosen not to do that, l wonderland that was very busy. this year i have chosen not to do that, ii year i have chosen not to do that, i don't _ year i have chosen not to do that, i don't want — year i have chosen not to do that, i don't want to — year i have chosen not to do that, i don't want to ruin _ year i have chosen not to do that, i don't want to ruin our— year i have chosen not to do that, i don't want to ruin our family- year i have chosen not to do that, i don't want to ruin our family time. | don't want to ruin our family time. i don't want to ruin our family time. i live _ don't want to ruin our family time. i live my— don't want to ruin our family time. i live my life — don't want to ruin our family time. i live my life now— don't want to ruin our family time. i live my life now more _ don't want to ruin our family time. i live my life now more scared - don't want to ruin our family time. j i live my life now more scared that somebody else is going to impact my family christmas and that i'm going to get the nhs ping. ipsos-mori assessed the _ to get the nhs ping. ipsos-mori assessed the nation's _ to get the nhs ping. ipsos-mori assessed the nation's mood - to get the nhs ping. ipsos-mori assessed the nation's mood and j to get the nhs ping. ipsos-mori - assessed the nation's mood and 8096 assessed the nation's mood and 80% said they're concerned about the risks and 18% say they're not concerned. we don't know how dangerous 0micron will be, but do you think we have got the restrictions right, are they too tough, orshould restrictions right, are they too tough, or should we bring in more? that is something, i'm quite, upset about the fact they haven't toughed up about the fact they haven't toughed up on the mask. you about the fact they haven't toughed up on the mask-— up on the mask. you would like to see tougher _ up on the mask. you would like to see tougher restrictions? - up on the mask. you would like to see tougher restrictions? yes, - up on the mask. you would like to| see tougher restrictions? yes, just see tougher restrictions? yes, 'ust to make fl see tougher restrictions? yes, 'ust to make sure everyone is i see tougher restrictions? yes, just to make sure everyone is safe. - see tougher restrictions? yes, just to make sure everyone is safe. i i to make sure everyone is safe. i think everyone should just judge their own — think everyone should just judge their own risk. you think everyone should 'ust 'udge their own risk.* think everyone should 'ust 'udge their own risk. you care about your liberties? you _ their own risk. you care about your liberties? you can't _ their own risk. you care about your liberties? you can't keep _ their own risk. you care about your liberties? you can't keep locking i liberties? you can't keep locking down, at liberties? you can't keep locking down. at in _ liberties? you can't keep locking down, at in europe _ liberties? you can't keep locking down, at in europe the - liberties? you can't keep locking l down, at in europe the restrictions seem _ down, at in europe the restrictions seem quite — down, at in europe the restrictions seem quite scary. ifa down, at in europe the restrictions seem quite scary-— seem quite scary. if a new variant comes up. _ seem quite scary. if a new variant comes up. that — seem quite scary. if a new variant comes up, that means _ seem quite scary. if a new variant comes up, that means we - seem quite scary. if a new variant comes up, that means we will. seem quite scary. if a new variant i comes up, that means we will going towards _ comes up, that means we will going towards being — comes up, that means we will going towards being locked _ comes up, that means we will going towards being locked down - comes up, that means we will going towards being locked down again. i towards being locked down again. we need to— towards being locked down again. we need to find _ towards being locked down again. we need to find a — towards being locked down again. we need to find a way— towards being locked down again. we need to find a way to _ towards being locked down again. we need to find a way to live _ towards being locked down again. we need to find a way to live with - towards being locked down again. we need to find a way to live with the - need to find a way to live with the various— need to find a way to live with the various variants. _ need to find a way to live with the various variants.— need to find a way to live with the various variants. ipsos-mori asked about restrictions _ various variants. ipsos-mori asked about restrictions and _ various variants. ipsos-mori asked about restrictions and 6396 - various variants. ipsos-mori asked about restrictions and 6396 said . various variants. ipsos-mori asked j about restrictions and 6396 said we about restrictions and 63% said we should do whatever is necessary. the highest proportion since the start of pandemic. 21% said controls should be relaxed. i of pandemic. 2196 said controls should be relaxed.— of pandemic. 2196 said controls should be relaxed. i think people have lost respect _ should be relaxed. i think people have lost respect and _ should be relaxed. i think people have lost respect and if - should be relaxed. i think people have lost respect and if you - should be relaxed. i think people have lost respect and if you have| have lost respect and if you have lost respect, you have lost them. what did the panel think about the rumours of a christmas party in downing street last year? i rumours of a christmas party in downing street last year? i believe about the party _ downing street last year? i believe about the party that _ downing street last year? i believe about the party that the _ downing street last year? i believe about the party that the politicians| about the party that the politicians had, because it is one rule for them, — had, because it is one rule for them, as— had, because it is one rule for them, as we saw early on last year with the _ them, as we saw early on last year with the visit to the castle, and another— with the visit to the castle, and another for us. we with the visit to the castle, and another for us.— with the visit to the castle, and another for us. we have to wear masks, another for us. we have to wear masks. but _ another for us. we have to wear masks, but they _ another for us. we have to wear masks, but they don't _ another for us. we have to wear masks, but they don't in - another for us. we have to wear- masks, but they don't in parliament. it is masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not _ masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not a _ masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not a big — masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not a big deal. _ masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not a big deal. at— masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not a big deal. at the _ masks, but they don't in parliament. it is not a big deal. at the school- it is not a big deal. at the school gates _ it is not a big deal. at the school gates but — it is not a big deal. at the school gates but i _ it is not a big deal. at the school gates. but i think— it is not a big deal. at the school gates. but i think it _ it is not a big deal. at the school gates. but i think it would - it is not a big deal. at the school gates. but i think it would be - it is not a big deal. at the school gates. but i think it would be a i gates. but i think it would be a disaster— gates. but i think it would be a disaster if— gates. but i think it would be a disaster if the _ gates. but i think it would be a disaster if the schools - gates. but i think it would be a disaster if the schools closed. i gates. but i think it would be a - disaster if the schools closed. that would _ disaster if the schools closed. that would be _ disaster if the schools closed. that would be my— disaster if the schools closed. that would be my biggest— disaster if the schools closed. that would be my biggest fear- disaster if the schools closed. that would be my biggest fear if- disaster if the schools closed. that i would be my biggest fear if everyone .oes would be my biggest fear if everyone goes crazy— would be my biggest fear if everyone goes crazy at — would be my biggest fear if everyone goes crazy at christmas. _ would be my biggest fear if everyone goes crazy at christmas.— goes crazy at christmas. thank you for our goes crazy at christmas. thank you for your thoughts. _ goes crazy at christmas. thank you for your thoughts. however - goes crazy at christmas. thank you for your thoughts. however you - goes crazy at christmas. thank you | for your thoughts. however you end “p for your thoughts. however you end up spending it, i wish you a peaceful and joyful festive period. hgppy peaceful and joyful festive period. happy christmas to you all! the government has apologised to the victims of the grenfell tower fire and their relatives at the public inquiry. the apology came as it admitted a series of failings in overseeing building safety in the years leading up to the disaster that claimed 72 lives. 0ur correspondent tom symonds reports. the jaff aftermath of worst fire in british history. within a day the government announced a public inquiry. now nearly four and a half years later, there is an apology. the department is deeply sorry for its past failures in relation to the oversight of the system that regulated safety in the construction and refurbishment of high rise buildings. it apologised to the bereaved resident and survivors of the fire for such failures. but those who — the fire for such failures. but those who escaped the fire described this statement as deeply offensive. i believe there were a series of nine _ i believe there were a series of nine nine — i believe there were a series of nine nine calls that they close not to act _ nine nine calls that they close not to act on— nine nine calls that they close not to act on and there were repeated fires, _ to act on and there were repeated fires, mosley heights and in 2009, these _ fires, mosley heights and in 2009, these were opportunities for the government to take robust action to fortify— government to take robust action to fortify the _ government to take robust action to fortify the regulations. they chose not to _ fortify the regulations. they chose not to do — fortify the regulations. they chose not to do that. grenfell tower made the government realise not to do that. grenfell tower made the government real ise thousands of homes _ the government real ise thousands of homes need to be made safe and today it admitted _ homes need to be made safe and today it admitted not making sure the industry— it admitted not making sure the industry was sticking to the regulations. if industry was sticking to the regulations.— regulations. if it had, the government _ regulations. if it had, the government barrister - regulations. if it had, the i government barrister said... regulations. if it had, the - government barrister said... a regulations. if it had, the _ government barrister said... a large scale cladding _ government barrister said... a large scale cladding fire _ government barrister said... a large scale cladding fire could _ government barrister said... a large scale cladding fire could not - government barrister said... a large scale cladding fire could not have . scale cladding fire could not have happened. scale cladding fire could not have ha ened. ~ . ., , happened. were the regulations themselves _ happened. were the regulations themselves safe? _ happened. were the regulations themselves safe? the _ happened. were the regulations themselves safe? the bbc - happened. were the regulations l themselves safe? the bbc tested happened. were the regulations - themselves safe? the bbc tested the grenfell tower cladding in 2018 and it is highly flammable, but it had the highest rating for safety. 0ne section of regulations said it could be used on tall buildings. another was not clear. the inquiry will decide. but time has passed, the government has already made changes to the building regulations, and plans for a tougher regulator to make sure they're followed are going through parliament. the time is just after quarter past six. our top story this evening. the government defends itself after a whistle—blower says the evacuation of people fall from —— people from afghanistan was a mess. and england take on australia tonight in the first ashes test, but their without record wicket taker. another storm is sweeping in from the atlantic. this one is called storm barra and it has already knocked out power for thousands of people in northern ireland and wales. it's not expected to be as bad as storm arwen 11 days ago. but forecasters are predicting snow blizzards and strong winds, with gusts of up to 80mph. the island of ireland was the first to be hit — our correspondent emma vardy has sent this report. before first light, the west coast of ireland began to feel the angry weather. schools were closed in 12 counties and around 69,000 homes and businesses lost power. as the storm travelled eastwards, it brought down trees across northern ireland and incredibly no one was injured as the scaffolding was ripped away from a building in londonderry landing on a passing car. fortunately the scaffolding that fell fell onto a nearby wall, which prevented more serious injuries and the occupants of the vehicle managed to escape themselves by calling out the windows and doors. —— of the vehicle managed to escape themselves by crawling out the windows and doors. this was northern ireland's carrickfergus castle. usually a scenic spot for a stroll by the sea but not today. 0ur camera equipment hasjust succumbed to the effects of the storm. i'm now doing this on my phone. some of the strongest gusts here today have been recorded on northern ireland's east coast, up to 76 mph, and every now and again cars going past here are just getting swamped by sea water. storm barra in belfast put a dampener on festivities as the christmas market had to be closed. across the irish sea, high winds and snow battered scotland, which brought avalanche warnings in the cairngorms and travel disruption, which is likely to continue into tomorrow. that howling wind has nowjust begun to subside a bit in the past hour here in northern ireland but people travelling on the roads are being warned to look out because that storm has brought quite a bit of debris we are told at the peak of the storm about 8000 homes and businesses lost power. work is continuing this evening, the majority of people should be getting their electricity back. the weather warning had originally been in place until tomorrow morning here. it was downgraded and brought back to six o'clock this evening. after a dramatic day of weather and howling wins, tonight, in northern ireland at least, things should be a little bit calmer. —— howling winds. a third woman who says the paedophilejeffrey epstein sexually abused her has been giving evidence at the ghislaine maxwell trial in new york. the woman — who is testifying under her first name carolyn — described how ms maxwell arranged for her to be abused by the convicted sex offender when she was just 16 years old. ghislaine maxwell has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other charges. our correspondent nada tawfik is in new york: carolyn was soft—spoken and visibly emotional as she answered prosecutors questions. she talked about how she came from a troubled home, her mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and she had dropped out of school in seventh grade. she said she first heard about epstein when she met virginia, about epstein when she met virginia, a friend of her boyfriend, she was just 16 and virginia allegedly told her she could make money by meeting a wealthy friend of hers and giving him a massage. she said when she turned up atjeffrey epstein's mansion it was ghislaine maxwell who allegedly instructed virginia roberts to take her upstairs and show her what to do. she teared up on the stand as she talked about that first encounter with jeffrey epstein saying that she massaged him for about 45 minutes and then sat on a couch and watched allegedly as virginia and jeffrey epstein had six. she says over the course of four years she went to jeffrey epstein's home more than 100 times until she became too old, saying it was always ghislaine maxwell allegedly who set up those meetings. the defence has started cross examination. ghislaine maxwell has denied all charges. they've honed in on this point that they say it was virginia roberts who introduced her to jeffrey epstein virginia roberts who introduced her tojeffrey epstein and not ghislaine maxwell. the office for national statistics said the rate for men was around double that for women. the 0ns said death rates had remained stable for the previous seven years. safety concerns raised about arthur were ignored before his murder according to his maternal grandfather. peter told the bbc that warnings from other family members weren't acted on by social services or the police. the six—year—old was tortured and killed by his mother and stepfather. west midlands police said they would co—operate with the report into his death. one of the men suspected of involvement in the murder of the saudi journalist jamal khashoggi has been arrested in france. mr khashoggi was killed while visiting the saudi consulate in istanbul in 2018. the man was arrested at charles—de—gaulle airport this morning as he prepared to board a flight to riyadh. there's test cricket and then there's ashes cricket — the words of england'sjoe root as the team prepare to take on their arch rivals australia tonight in brisbane. england have a tough task ahead. it's a decade since they last won in australia. on top of that, their preparation this time has been particularly challenging asjoe wilson reports. right then, brisbane, big launch, let's see those flames. well, perhaps it needs a match to really light the fire. this, in fact, has been the story of england's time in australia so far, meaningful practice has been largely impossible because of the weather. that's helpful. over the past ten test matches they've played in australia, england have won precisely zero. australia's new captain has just had time to get his blazer fitted, two weeks in thejob he doesn't seem intimidated yet. i hope that i'll stay relaxed. i think that is when i play my best cricket. most people play their best when they are relaxed and focused. hopefully we can keep that. the bunch of guys we've got are a fantastic bunch. well, ben stokes should disrupt the harmony restored for england both mentally and physically. the eternaljames anderson is being rested for the first test but he is fit, england say. you could imagine little has changed but, of course, so much has. the racial bullying and harassment of azeem rafiq casts grave issues over the integrity and inclusivity —— the racial bullying and harassment of azeem rafiq casts grave issues over the integrity and inclusivity of english cricket in yorkshire specifically but across the game generally. england's captain knows the context. it's obviously been very difficult but ultimately when you are out here you are looking to concentrate on the job at hand and we throw everything into that but also address what's happening and hopefully we can, you know, from it we can move forward as a sport. this series doesn't really need any extra height. history has it all. right now, it is all level and everything is friendly. experience tells us both those situations may soon change. joe wilson, bbc news. the company that owns facebook recently changed its name to meta. why? because it says it's transforming itself from a social media firm into a company of the metaverse. facebook is not the only tech giant to dive into the metaverse. but what does it actually mean? our technology correspondent marc chislack has been exploring it. so, what actually is the metaverse? well, if we think of the internet as something that we look at, the metaverse is a version of the internet that we are inside. i'd say there are examples of the metaverse already, if you look at video games. i think a lot of people see the future metaverse as expanding on that experience to include not just gaming but maybe things like a digital workspace or digital events, digital socialising. the idea is that we will experience the metaverse as an avatar, a virtual version of ourselves that we control as we explore this new online frontier. companies like ready player me and oz already have tools to create avatars for a coming metaverse. creations which, in my case, are a slightly younger and trimmer version of the real thing. andrew bosworth is from meta, the company formerly known as facebook. we talked all matters metaverse using virtual reality headsets, appearing as avatars. ok, so here we are in what might be considered a representation of what the metaverse could be. there's a lot of online hatred out there, a lot of online abuse and misinformation and things of that nature. how are you going to avoid those kinds of experiences seeping into the metaverse? do you really want the system, or a person standing by, listening in? but if the conversation is happening in real time, then how can we modify content without listening? and so i think we have a privacy trade—off against... if you want to have a high degree of content safety, well, that trades off against privacy. microsoft's adapted its workplace meeting software for the metaverse, and will introduce the ability to appear as an avatar next year, explains developer alex kipman. there's quite a few people that have got fatigued by having to have video chat meetings and things of that nature, and that they realise they now crave human contact. human communication is about 5% speech, is about 95% everything else, right? and instead of having a person next to me having a working one—on—one, i can have the avatar version of that person, one—on—one next to me. so it changes completely the... ..you know, call it screen fatigue we are feeling today. the big question, though, is will people embrace this new vision for our online lives? i think it depends on the specific application. we've seen in gaming lots of people really do enjoy those experiences. would you want to sit in a virtual office as an avatar? i'm less sold on that idea. it seems the metaverse is coming, but its success rests solely in our hands. marc cieslak, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. it has been a wild day today across the uk and those winds have caused some damage. the strongest of the winds have been around coastal areas. recently we had a gust of 86 mph along the west coast of wales. it's been windy for a few hours along some north sea coast, gusts of 66 mph. inland areas, typically 40 mph. not only have we had the strong winds, there was some snow briefly over some northern hills of england and we also had some snow in southern scotland. the weather has improved here as the snowy weather has moved into highland and grampian. the storm itself underwent explosive cycles, so it deepened rapidly thanks to those strong winds. it will weaken overnight tonight and the winds will start to ease down. you can see all of that cloud wrapped around the storm. that is that sweep of rain and briefly some snow in highland and grampian. that's moving away and we continue to feed in showers and longer spells of rain around tonight. it'll still be windy, particularly over some western coasts, wales and the south—west. temperature is not as low as last night because of the cloud wind and rain. it won't be as windy tomorrow but still strong winds across the northern isles, northern ireland, much of england and wales. in parts of wales and the south—west, winds around 60 mph. we still have this mixture of showers, longer spells of rain, brief glimpses of sunshine perhaps, and some winter in so the higher ground in northern parts of the uk. we are still in chilly air, temperature sitting at around six, seven degrees. by the time we get to thursday, the storm is no more, it continues to weaken, the winds continues to weaken, the winds continue to drop, pressure rises, and we start to see a weather front coming in from the atlantic. this will increase the cloud in the south—west of england and wales, northern ireland, and bring rain in from the west. ahead of it, a quieter day, lighter winds, from the west. ahead of it, a quieter day, lighterwinds, many

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