:00:12. > :00:13.Tonight at Ten: The advance of the Taliban.
:00:14. > :00:16.They've now taken control of key parts of Sangin in Helmand province.
:00:17. > :00:18.Afghan security forces are battling to regain control of the area once
:00:19. > :00:21.patrolled by British troops as ministers deny the fight
:00:22. > :00:27.We did hear from families who said all the blood that British troops
:00:28. > :00:33.They are too far away and they don't see the reality.
:00:34. > :00:35.We will be reporting from Afghanistan where local
:00:36. > :00:39.commanders have appealed for more NATO support.
:00:40. > :00:43.Also tonight: More problems for Cumbria as the county is flooded
:00:44. > :00:46.for the third time in a month and more rain is forecast over
:00:47. > :00:53.We can't go on like this, not if towns like this
:00:54. > :00:55.The Forth Road Bridge reopens earlier than expected
:00:56. > :01:06.after emergency repairs but heavy goods vehicles are still banned.
:01:07. > :01:13.Enjoy the wine and the mince pies. Goodbye.
:01:14. > :01:15.Festive greetings to the media from Louis Van Gaal
:01:16. > :01:17.following speculation about his position at Old Trafford.
:01:18. > :01:19.And it won't be long, just a couple of hours,
:01:20. > :01:21.before The Beatles' music is finally made available
:01:22. > :01:28.Later on BBC London: Out on the street.
:01:29. > :01:30.A sharp rise in the number of renters in London facing
:01:31. > :01:34.And, riding through red lights and on the pavement.
:01:35. > :02:01.The Taliban say they're back in control of the town of Sangin
:02:02. > :02:07.Fighting between government troops and the Taliban has intensified
:02:08. > :02:10.in recent days and militants say they've taken over the main police
:02:11. > :02:13.base and the government headquarters.
:02:14. > :02:19.But the Afghan government claims that the fighting is still going on,
:02:20. > :02:21.with British military advisers helping the Afghan troops.
:02:22. > :02:25.There have also been clashes further south at Marjah.
:02:26. > :02:29.Our correspondent Shaimaa Khalil sent this report from Kabul.
:02:30. > :02:34.As the Taliban announced victory in Sangin district,
:02:35. > :02:37.Afghan troops are desperately fighting to push them back,
:02:38. > :02:39.not just from the strategic town, but other districts
:02:40. > :02:45.It looked as if things could get better for the Afghan soldiers,
:02:46. > :02:47.after supplies were airdropped and additional troops arrived.
:02:48. > :02:58.TRANSLATION: We're ready to defend our country,
:02:59. > :03:06.And when we get the order, we will fight the enemy.
:03:07. > :03:10.Here in Kabul, the acting Afghan Defence Minister insists
:03:11. > :03:12.the Army is still resisting and that the operation
:03:13. > :03:20.What do you say to British families who have lost relatives in Sangin,
:03:21. > :03:26.in particular, who said the British military provided support,
:03:27. > :03:30.training, money, they paid in blood, only for the Afghan army to fail?
:03:31. > :03:36.The British and other nations, they have contributed
:03:37. > :03:39.with their blood and their contributions and sacrifice,
:03:40. > :03:42.that is always appreciated by the people of Afghanistan.
:03:43. > :03:47.But at the same time in just one year we took over responsibility,
:03:48. > :03:51.we were thinly spread throughout the country.
:03:52. > :03:54.We tried our best to hold all those areas.
:03:55. > :03:58.The latest fighting in Helmand has exposed weaknesses in the Afghan
:03:59. > :04:04.army and the government in maintaining a solid grip
:04:05. > :04:06.of security after the withdrawal of Nato forces.
:04:07. > :04:09.It is in that weakness that the Taliban found the chance
:04:10. > :04:11.to regroup and deal heavy blows to the Afghan troops
:04:12. > :04:17.Each loss of a strategic position also means loss of Afghan lives
:04:18. > :04:21.and families getting caught in the violence.
:04:22. > :04:24.TRANSLATION: We fled home with the clothes on our backs.
:04:25. > :04:31.I went to the market and saw Taliban militants there.
:04:32. > :04:38.In a statement today, the Taliban condemned the British
:04:39. > :04:44.troops for returning to Helmand province to support Afghan forces.
:04:45. > :04:47.They said the British Government has broken its promise to the people not
:04:48. > :04:54.More than 100 British troops were killed in Sangin alone
:04:55. > :04:56.and as the Taliban continue to tighten their hold
:04:57. > :04:59.on the districts of Helmand province, many will continue to ask
:05:00. > :05:17.Are the authorities there saying that without extra support of some
:05:18. > :05:20.kind from NATO retaking Sangin is simply not possible? Essentially
:05:21. > :05:24.that's what they're saying and you hear that from the local commanders
:05:25. > :05:28.on the ground and the front line but also from the officials. For
:05:29. > :05:33.example, as I spoke to the defence Minister earlier today I asked him
:05:34. > :05:38.what do you want from NATO troops? He basically spoke about the right
:05:39. > :05:41.kind of support. He said that 10, 20, 100 troops on the ground will
:05:42. > :05:45.not make a difference but if we have the right equipment, the right
:05:46. > :05:48.training and, crucially, air support, that is going to make the
:05:49. > :05:52.difference. Remember, that in any of the other battles that has been
:05:53. > :05:56.happening between the Taliban fighters and the Government forces
:05:57. > :06:00.for months now, the real thing that shifted the balance in any of those
:06:01. > :06:06.battles has been air support and that's why you hear from fighters in
:06:07. > :06:10.Sangin how exposed they feel without that so any conversations between
:06:11. > :06:15.the Afghans and NATO allies on how to move forward is definitely going
:06:16. > :06:21.to be about air support. Thank you for the update.
:06:22. > :06:24.The Met Office has warned that Christmas could bring more heavy
:06:25. > :06:26.rain to parts of Cumbria, where some homes and businesses have
:06:27. > :06:28.been flooded for the third time in a month.
:06:29. > :06:31.The River Eden has again burst its banks, forcing some people
:06:32. > :06:36.Forecasters say gale force winds and more heavy rain are due over
:06:37. > :06:39.Christmas, as our correspondent Ed Thomas reports.
:06:40. > :06:48.Hopefully the council will pick it up.
:06:49. > :06:53.This is now becoming all too familiar for newsagent
:06:54. > :06:58.Richard Maguire - for the second time hit by floods.
:06:59. > :07:03.When I first saw it, it was horrifying, really.
:07:04. > :07:09.We cannot go on like this all the time, not if towns like this
:07:10. > :07:13.We cannot have this as a regular occurrence.
:07:14. > :07:18.The River Eden had burst its banks, taken over the high street
:07:19. > :07:27.Well, the first time, a fortnight ago, was about here.
:07:28. > :07:31.Philip Mawdsley is still trying to cope after the first flood here.
:07:32. > :07:34.Where do you begin when you have lost so much?
:07:35. > :07:46.Just going to have to get on with it.
:07:47. > :07:51.The next storm is due to arrive on Christmas Day.
:07:52. > :07:54.The problem is that rivers across Cumbria are full.
:07:55. > :08:00.The ground in places like Appleby is absolutely saturated.
:08:01. > :08:03.So when it rains here, there is nowhere for all this to go.
:08:04. > :08:09.You may have seen an event like we saw yesterday perhaps
:08:10. > :08:16.Well, this is on the back of events over the last month or so.
:08:17. > :08:20.We are seeing a change in the way that the rain storms and rainfall
:08:21. > :08:24.So, how can people move on when they fear more
:08:25. > :08:32.The biggest issue here is the impact on our town.
:08:33. > :08:35.It has the potential to destroy the community, which...
:08:36. > :08:39...actually is a very, very, very strong community.
:08:40. > :08:42.There will only be two properties occupied in the whole of this area
:08:43. > :08:44.on Christmas Day, which is really sad.
:08:45. > :08:53.But it is still an anxious time, because nobody is certain
:08:54. > :08:55.what the rivers here will do on Christmas Day.
:08:56. > :09:03.The UK economy grew less strongly this year than previously thought,
:09:04. > :09:07.according to the Office for National Statistics.
:09:08. > :09:10.Previously, GDP was estimated to be growing at 0.5% in the third quarter
:09:11. > :09:20.But today this was revised down to 0.4% due to slower
:09:21. > :09:22.than expected growth in the services sector.
:09:23. > :09:24.The ONS also cut its estimate for the second
:09:25. > :09:29.The lower growth means the Bank of England is widely expected
:09:30. > :09:32.to hold back from increasing interest rates
:09:33. > :09:41.The price of oil, which has fallen sharply over the past year to less
:09:42. > :09:43.than 40 dollars a barrel, has created a challenging
:09:44. > :09:45.environment for the oil industry, according to the producers cartel,
:09:46. > :09:51.But it says prices should slowly pick up over the next few years
:09:52. > :09:55.as demand recovers but will probably not reach the previous high of 100
:09:56. > :10:04.Our industry correspondent John Moylan is here.
:10:05. > :10:10.What happens to oil prices matters to all of us. What Opec says matters
:10:11. > :10:18.too because of its influence in the global oil market. Just 18 months
:10:19. > :10:22.ago prices were up at $115 a barrel. Then they started to tumble, 2015
:10:23. > :10:28.has been a year of real volatility. Oil was trading at $67 back in the
:10:29. > :10:33.spring. As the year closes, prices have
:10:34. > :10:37.fallen again. This week hitting just over $36 a barrel, its lowest level
:10:38. > :10:43.for more than a decade. So, why is this happening?
:10:44. > :10:47.Places like this are at the heart of an energy revolution that's
:10:48. > :10:50.boosted US oil and gas production and caused prices to fall.
:10:51. > :10:53.And when the countries that make up Opec opted not to cut production
:10:54. > :10:59.Now the oil producing cartel says growing demand in the years ahead
:11:00. > :11:04.will cause prices to recover to around $70 after adjusting
:11:05. > :11:06.for inflation by the end of the decade.
:11:07. > :11:14.There is a huge amount of physical oil above ground and this oversupply
:11:15. > :11:27.is going to keep prices low for quite sometime.
:11:28. > :11:30.Their assumptions that the price is going to rise to $70 by 2020
:11:31. > :11:32.is very unlikely, unless there is some geo-political intervention.
:11:33. > :11:36.There are winners and losers in this low oil price world.
:11:37. > :11:39.The steep fall in petrol prices this year has kept more cash
:11:40. > :11:47.But big oil producers like Saudi Arabia have
:11:48. > :11:49.seen their income fall, they're getting less cash
:11:50. > :11:56.The oil majors have also slashed investment, hitting employment
:11:57. > :12:03.An estimated 65,000 oil-related jobs have gone across the UK this year,
:12:04. > :12:07.I think there probably will be more job losses.
:12:08. > :12:12.There's been a tremendous number this year but if we don't get
:12:13. > :12:18.exploring again, if we don't get rigs back working and seismic
:12:19. > :12:27.vessels out acquiring data again I think we will see more losses.
:12:28. > :12:30.Back in the US, low oil prices are starting to hurt higher cost
:12:31. > :12:33.producers like fracking firms but Opec says its share of the oil
:12:34. > :12:38.market is still likely to fall by the end of the decade.
:12:39. > :12:46.Longer term Opec thinks oil prices could hit $95 a barrel by 2040. But
:12:47. > :12:47.that suggests that we will not be returning to those high prices that
:12:48. > :12:57.we saw just a few years ago. A brief look at some
:12:58. > :12:59.of the day's other news stories. In Iraq, a major military offensive
:13:00. > :13:02.to push Islamic State militants out of the strategic town of Ramadi
:13:03. > :13:05.is being held back by fierce fighting and bombs
:13:06. > :13:07.planted by the militants. Iraqi officials say they remain
:13:08. > :13:10.confident they will recapture the city before
:13:11. > :13:16.the end of this week. Labour says the Government's promise
:13:17. > :13:19.of an extra ?3.8 billion for the NHS in England next year will be
:13:20. > :13:22.swallowed up by hospital deficits and higher pension costs for staff
:13:23. > :13:25.and that very little will be left The Department of Health says
:13:26. > :13:31.Labour's assumptions were wrong, and they hadn't taken into account
:13:32. > :13:33.efficiency savings likely to be The Scottish Government's plans
:13:34. > :13:41.for a minimum price for alcohol would contravene
:13:42. > :13:42.European trade laws. That's the ruling of
:13:43. > :13:47.the European Court of Justice. Instead, judges said that tax rises
:13:48. > :13:49.on alcoholic drinks were likely The case will now go to the Court
:13:50. > :13:55.of Session in Edinburgh for a final Almost three days after
:13:56. > :14:02.a landslide in China a man has been pulled
:14:03. > :14:04.alive from the rubble The 19-year-old man survived
:14:05. > :14:10.by eating fruit that The accident was caused by a huge
:14:11. > :14:14.rubbish dump collapsing, burying dozens of buildings
:14:15. > :14:16.in a pile of earth and construction A huge rescue and clear-up
:14:17. > :14:22.operation is under way. At least four bodies have been
:14:23. > :14:24.recovered so far. More than 70 people
:14:25. > :14:31.are still missing. The Forth Road Bridge has reopened
:14:32. > :14:33.to traffic after urgent repairs The long delays and diversions
:14:34. > :14:39.suffered by drivers were eased as cars were allowed to cross
:14:40. > :14:41.the bridge between Edinburgh and Fife just before
:14:42. > :14:44.dawn this morning. Ministers were forced to close
:14:45. > :14:46.the 51-year-old crossing to all traffic earlier this month
:14:47. > :14:49.after a crack was found Lorries and other heavy
:14:50. > :14:53.vehicles are still banned, Christmas has come early
:14:54. > :15:01.for these drivers. For just under three weeks the road
:15:02. > :15:05.network in the east of Scotland had been cut in half after
:15:06. > :15:07.the Forth Road Bridge was closed to all traffic, but now
:15:08. > :15:12.it's working once again, with cars, small vans,
:15:13. > :15:16.cyclists allowed back on. It's tremendous that it's open,
:15:17. > :15:22.it's great that it's open early. Engineers dangling high
:15:23. > :15:26.above the Forth have been working hard to repair the cracked
:15:27. > :15:28.steelwork that forced Its shutdown led to traffic jams,
:15:29. > :15:34.long detours and packed trains for those who chose
:15:35. > :15:38.to leave the car at home. Local businesses that rely
:15:39. > :15:41.on the bridge for trade have been Christmas is normally our busiest
:15:42. > :15:46.time of year and it has been absolutely dead, but hopefully our
:15:47. > :15:48.friends from over the water While the bridge reopening has
:15:49. > :15:53.delighted most motorists, large lorries are still barred
:15:54. > :15:56.from it until a permanent repair The impact on the haulage industry
:15:57. > :16:02.could run to ?40 million. For us it is adding
:16:03. > :16:04.on a 60-mile round trip, The closure is costing
:16:05. > :16:11.her company dear. From our point of view,
:16:12. > :16:15.we operate 15 lorries and on average most of them will be crossing
:16:16. > :16:19.the bridge each day, so the cost for us is running
:16:20. > :16:22.into thousands of pounds a week. The effect of that could be
:16:23. > :16:25.catastrophic on us and other For some the transport disruption
:16:26. > :16:31.and worries continue, but for others the partial
:16:32. > :16:35.re-opening of this crossing is a much welcomed early
:16:36. > :16:37.gift for those heading This week we've been reflecting
:16:38. > :16:50.on this year's migration crisis which has reached record levels
:16:51. > :16:53.in Europe in recent months. Some experts have advised caution,
:16:54. > :16:57.stressing that mass movement of people has been an even greater
:16:58. > :17:00.challenge for the international community at key points
:17:01. > :17:02.in the past century, including the Second World War
:17:03. > :17:04.and the wars in Vietnam In the last of our series,
:17:05. > :17:08.our world affairs editor, John Simpson, takes the longer view
:17:09. > :17:16.over patterns of mass migration. The vast wave of would-be immigrants
:17:17. > :17:20.into Europe has seemed unprecedented, and yet this sort
:17:21. > :17:23.of thing has been happening again When Germany invaded Belgium
:17:24. > :17:32.in 1914, 1 million people fled the country, and 250,000
:17:33. > :17:38.came to Britain. After 1945, an estimated 12 million
:17:39. > :17:43.ethnic Germans fled Eastern Europe. They took refuge in
:17:44. > :17:48.East and West Germany. During the Kosovo conflict
:17:49. > :18:01.in 1988-89, hundreds of thousands During the Kosovo conflict
:18:02. > :18:03.in 1998-99, hundreds of thousands But there is something
:18:04. > :18:06.new and different about I think it is a crisis of politics
:18:07. > :18:10.rather than numbers. What's dramatic about today is this
:18:11. > :18:13.is the first time Europe has faced people coming outside of Europe
:18:14. > :18:15.in large numbers as refugees. So the fact that many are Muslims,
:18:16. > :18:19.that they are from the Middle East, is perceived often as threatening,
:18:20. > :18:21.as challenging Europe's identity. Even so, for centuries now, Britain,
:18:22. > :18:25.like the rest of Europe, has accepted great waves
:18:26. > :18:28.of immigrants, and each time it has needed at least a generation
:18:29. > :18:31.to absorb them. This process of absorption has never
:18:32. > :18:35.been as great as it is now, with more than 300 languages
:18:36. > :18:37.being spoken in schools Yet with each new wave
:18:38. > :18:45.of immigrants, the basic reaction NEWSREEL: The Asians arrived
:18:46. > :18:51.in cold, wet weather at Stansted... We saw this divided response
:18:52. > :18:53.when almost 60,000 Ugandan Asians were forced out by
:18:54. > :18:59.Idi Amin in the 1970s. Some people welcomed
:19:00. > :19:04.them, others didn't. If there was room, there was houses,
:19:05. > :19:08.there was jobs I would say nothing about it, nothing at all, but again,
:19:09. > :19:11.I say that we have too many coloured people in this country to absorb
:19:12. > :19:15.in our community at this time. That hasn't always been
:19:16. > :19:20.the international response. After the Vietnam War,
:19:21. > :19:22.the Vietnamese boat people, fearing Communist persecution,
:19:23. > :19:28.sought refuge abroad, and the United States persuaded
:19:29. > :19:31.the outside world to accept them. We have a global problem,
:19:32. > :19:37.which is poor global governance, if you like,
:19:38. > :19:40.at a multilateral level. The US doesn't have the influence
:19:41. > :19:46.that it had, and the big powers don't agree fundamentally on some
:19:47. > :19:48.of these big issues, No-one can come in with a big stick
:19:49. > :19:56.and sort it out, therefore we are left picking up the pieces
:19:57. > :20:02.in ways that are extremely An entire century of
:20:03. > :20:07.exile and homelessness. So is the cause - conflict
:20:08. > :20:10.and bad government. Unless they are dealt with,
:20:11. > :20:19.the flow won't stop. The former England football player
:20:20. > :20:22.and coach, Don Howe, He earned 23 England caps before
:20:23. > :20:26.establishing himself as a renowned He was a key member of the coaching
:20:27. > :20:32.staff for three England managers in a career that spanned
:20:33. > :20:41.more than 50 years. Louis van Gaal, the Manchester
:20:42. > :20:43.United manager, spent just a few minutes fielding questions
:20:44. > :20:48.from journalists today before walking out of a news conference
:20:49. > :20:52.in response to all the speculation He's been criticised recently
:20:53. > :20:55.because United have been knocked out of the Champions' League and have
:20:56. > :20:57.also lost their last six games. Let's join our sports correspondent,
:20:58. > :21:07.David Ornstein, at Old Trafford. This was an extraordinary
:21:08. > :21:13.performance from Louis van Gaal. The like of which we rarely see in top
:21:14. > :21:17.level sport. The big question is, was this premeditated, an attempt to
:21:18. > :21:21.galvanise the players, fans and staff, to create a siege mentality.
:21:22. > :21:25.Or was it a sign of Louis van Gaal beginning to show the strain of
:21:26. > :21:31.Manchester United's worst run of form in 17 years? He arrived in May
:21:32. > :21:36.2014 to great fanfare and with a glittering CV. Louis van Gaal
:21:37. > :21:42.formerly of Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich picked to take
:21:43. > :21:46.Manchester United back to the summit of their post-Sir Alex Ferguson
:21:47. > :21:51.plummet. He made a reasonable start, but now after a run of six games
:21:52. > :21:59.without victory the pressure is on. Today the media bore the brunt. Has
:22:00. > :22:12.anybody in this room not a feeling to apologise to me? Nobody has that
:22:13. > :22:20.feeling? That's what I am wondering. I was already sacked. I have read, I
:22:21. > :22:26.have been sacked. I helped my players. I wish you a merry
:22:27. > :22:37.Christmas and maybe also a happy new year when I see you. Enjoy the wine
:22:38. > :22:42.and a mince pie. Goodbye. And with that he was off. The glare said it
:22:43. > :22:45.all. But if Louis van Gaal felt isolated he felt a friend in a
:22:46. > :22:51.rival, the Premier League's longest serving manager. I personally have
:22:52. > :22:57.huge respect for Louis van Gaal and I think what's going on on there at
:22:58. > :23:03.the moment is disrespectful. This guy has worked for 30 years in
:23:04. > :23:07.football and has delivered unbelievable quality of work. But
:23:08. > :23:12.the world's biggest clubs demand success and van Gaal must now call
:23:13. > :23:20.upon all his experience to deliver what Manchester United expect.
:23:21. > :23:24.Fixtures over the Christmas period are always vital for van Gaal never
:23:25. > :23:29.more so than now. Chelsea's sacking of Jose Mourinho last week show that
:23:30. > :23:32.at the biggest clubs managers are rarely safe, however big their name
:23:33. > :23:35.or reputation. The bottom line is that it is results that matter most.
:23:36. > :23:43.Huw. David, thank you. In one sense, it's an early
:23:44. > :23:46.Christmas present for Beatles fans, because from tomorrow The Beatles'
:23:47. > :23:48.music will finally be available on streaming services such
:23:49. > :23:50.as Spotify, Google Play and Apple The tracks will go live at one
:23:51. > :23:54.minute past midnight, including their studio albums
:23:55. > :24:10.and their best-known compilation 1967, all you need is love,
:24:11. > :24:16.broadcast live by what was then the latest thing, satellite. But 38
:24:17. > :24:28.years on there's a new technology growing ology growing rapidly, 80% a
:24:29. > :24:32.year - streaming. All you need is a computer or smartphone. Any song at
:24:33. > :24:35.the push of a button. So if you want to listen to Yesterday, you've got a
:24:36. > :24:56.great choice. Kenny G? Andre Rieux... But not until now the
:24:57. > :25:02.Beatles original, the decision to stream though hasn't been taken
:25:03. > :25:09.lightly. Big old acts like the Stones and Led Zeppelin, they keep
:25:10. > :25:14.the lights on at record labels. For every Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift, a
:25:15. > :25:19.lot of money goes into hearing about those artists and those artists
:25:20. > :25:23.don't often make money back. Remember, the biggest selling album
:25:24. > :25:27.of the year of 2000 was The Beatles. And visit Abbey Road studios and
:25:28. > :25:34.there's always a crowd of young people. So 50 years on after their
:25:35. > :25:39.heyday here at Abbey Road, The Beatles are still finding a new
:25:40. > :25:44.generation of fans, but are they buying the music? You like The
:25:45. > :25:51.Beatles? Of course. Have you ever bought a Beatles song? What?
:25:52. > :26:04.Actually no. No. I just YouTube it. No. My dad has it already. The
:26:05. > :26:07.problem is CDs brought a torrent of cash, streaming a dibble, but it is
:26:08. > :26:10.where the fans are going. If you're not, there even a song like
:26:11. > :26:12.Yesterday can be foregroten. E not, there even a song like
:26:13. > :26:23.Yesterday can be foregroten. -- forgotten. I don't know it. I have
:26:24. > :26:28.no idea. I don't know, mate. I don't know, mate. Happy Christmas! So,
:26:29. > :26:30.streaming might not be lucrative but it will at least give them a chance
:26:31. > :26:35.to meet The Beatles.