23/12/2017 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon.

A man has appeared in court charged

with the murder of a woman working

at an Aldi supermarket in

North Yorkshire.

Neville Hord, who is 44,

was remanded in custody

by magistrates' in York.

Jodie Willsher was stabbed to death

in Skipton on Thursday.

Our correspondent Sarah

Walton sent this report.

Arriving at York Magistrates' Court,

44-year-old Neville HOrd appeared

Arriving at York Magistrates' Court,

44-year-old Neville Hord appeared

in the dock charged with murder.

He's accused of attacking

30-year-old Jodie Willsher

at the Aldi store in Skipton

where she was working

on Thursday afternoon.

She suffered serious injuries

and died in the store.

There were no relatives in court

for the hearing this

morning and Mr Hord,

dressed in a blue T-shirt

and grey shorts, spoke only

to confirm his name,

age and address.

He didn't enter a plea

and was remanded in custody.

At the store where Mrs Willsher

worked, colleagues have described

her as much-loved and popular.

And in a statement her husband

Malcolm said she was a doting

mother and loving wife.

Mr Hord will next appear at

Leeds Crown Court on 28th December.

Sarah Walton, BBC News, York.

More than 100 people are thought

to have died after a tropical storm

struck the southern Philippines.

The country's second

largest island, Mindanao,

bore the brunt of the storm

which caused flash

floods and landslides.

Dozens of people are still

missing after one village

was completely buried.

The US President, Donald Trump,

has praised the UN Security Council

for imposing tough new sanctions

against North Korea in response

to its recent missile tests.

The Security Council voted

unanimously to limit North Korea's

imports of petrol and oil

by as much as 90%.

Mr Trump said the vote proved

the world "wants peace, not death".

London Zoo has been closed

until further notice after a fire

in the early hours of the morning.

A number of staff were treated

at the scene for smoke inhalation

and shock as it was brought under

control by 70 firefighters.

The zoo is one of London's busiest

attractions and was expecting tens

of thousands of visitors over

the Christmas holiday.

Jane-Frances Kelly reports.

Flames could be seen from

surrounding areas shortly before

dawn. A fire had broken out in the

animal add haven't ture cafe before

spreading to a shop. It also

affected an animal petting section.

Zookeepers who lived on site led

animals to safety, some smoking

inhalation and shock.

Ten fire engines and more than 70

firefighters arrived at the scene

shortly after 6am. The fire was

brought under control about three

hours later. A man walking his dog

on Primrose Hill said he alettered

staff when he saw the flames.

I went

over to the security and basically

had a word with them and told them

there is, well, there is flames, or

there is smoke coming from inside,

do you know anything about it?

The

zoo had to be closed today

disappointing hundreds of visitors.

We have travelled down from

Nottingham today.

That must be

disappointing?

Yeah, it is a bit,

but as long as the animals are OK.

In the last hour the zoo said the

aardvark died in the fire and four

meerkats are missing. London Zoo

thanked the foIrn for reacting so

quickly, preventing the fire

spreading and endangering its staff

and many animals.

The Transport Secretary,

Chris Grayling, says the government

is consulting on a new system

of road charging for

heavy goods lorries.

They would pay per mile

as a replacement for

some existing taxes.

There are no plans for a similar

system for private cars.

California's deadly wildfire has

now become the largest

in the state's recorded history.

The blaze which has been burning

for more than two weeks has scorched

an area greater than New York City,

Brussels and Paris combined.

More than 8,000 firefighters have

been tackling the flames -

among them thousands of prisoners,

as our correspondent

James Cook explains.

It's pretty challenging.

Sometimes we're right there,

right next to the fire.

Compared to being in prison

and being here, it's

completely different.

Here you feel free.

You're out in the world.

The biggest change for me is mental

because I've never pushed myself

as hard ever in life.

California has 4,000 inmate

firefighters, men and women.

Cutting fire brakes is risky work,

two have died this year.

But there are rewards too in reduced

sentences and a sense of purpose.

After being in this programme,

I feel like I've been rehabilitated

and I feel like I can go out

there and achieve anything

I want to because I've done this.

This is so hard.

We were allowed inside this

prison camp in Malibu.

There are no walls or fences here.

Violent or volatile

prisoners are not allowed

to join the programme.

With a job like this, there is only

time to think about the work.

Latoya Najar is serving four years

for causing the death

of her seven-year-old son

in a drunken car crash.

The attraction for me

was because of my crime,

I could come out here

and do something positive.

It's challenging mentally

to get over something.

I'm never going to get over it,

but to try to ease my mind

and this has helped.

With California facing more frequent

and more destructive fires,

some critics call this slave labour.

But the project is voluntary,

it may reduce re-offending and it

provides some measure of redemption.

Everyone is like, "We love

you firefighters."

We all wave back and

we wave to the kids.

It's amazing, yes.

The work maybe exhausting,

it maybe dangerous,

but in the words of one prisoner,

"It's better than twiddling

your thumbs in jail."

James Cook, BBC News,

in Southern California.

Dramatic pictures have been taken

over Arizona. The pictures were

recorded by a film crew in a

helicopter. They turn out not to be

something from out of space, but a

space test of the Falcon rocket.

The chimes of Big Ben have rung out

for the first time since November.

BIG BEN CHIMES.

The bell will go on sounding

until one o'clock in

the afternoon on New Year's Day.

The extensive building work,

which began in August,

will then continue, and is expected

to last four years.

With all the sport,

here's Mike Bushell

at the BBC Sport Centre.

Good afternoon.

Three of their players,

including Wayne Rooney,

have the flu, and so it's a weakened

Everton team playing

Chelsea at home.

The visitors are hoping

to move level on points

with Manchester United in second,

and they've enjoyed the lion's

share of possession,

but Phil Jagielka is proving solid

in the Everton defence.

Rangers can go second

in the Scottish Premiership

with a win at Kilmarnock,

but it's also goalless there,

the home side looking the more

comfortable of the two,

no real chances for either side.

The British sprinter Nigel Levine

has failed a drugs test.

He's alleged to have tested positive

for the banned asthma drug

clenbuterol and is reported to be

waiting for the result

of his B sample.

Levine won gold at the European

Championships three years ago

as part of the 400m relay team.

He broke his pelvis in a motorbike

crash in January, and although he's

returned to training,

he hasn't competed since.

England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow

has defended captain Joe Root

after comments made by the former

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting.

He said Root looked like a "little

boy" and had been a "bit soft"

during the Ashes defeat.

Look, everyone is going to have an

opinion and that's all well and

good. I think he is doing a good job

as captain. The tactics he has shown

with the ball has been really good

and I think that he will only grow

and only learn by doing it.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes

is returning home to the UK

for what he called family reasons,

after a month-long spell with

the New Zealand side Canterbury.

He joined them just after England

had lost the first Ashes Test,

sparking speculation

that he could be set

for a recall, but he's

still suspended following his

arrest in September.

Now, Christmas morning can mean

an early start in many households,

but what about rising at 5am

to start work in the dark,

in freezing weather for a wage

which might not reach £8 an hour?

That's what thousands of people

will be doing on Monday,

and Britain's horse-racing industry

depends on them.

Respect for the stable groom has

become a major issue

in British racing in 2017,

as Joe Wilson reports.

6am - creeping daylight

reveals the unsung human

heroes of Christmas sport.

For thousands of grooms

like Jacob and Lily,

Christmas Day will always be

another working day.

It starts off anywhere

between 5am and 6:30am.

I muck out five horses.

They don't know it's Christmas time.

They still expect their food.

We ride them out and put

Christmas hats and stuff on.

I don't know whether they know,

but they might enjoy it.

Obviously, we love animals,

and myself and Lily obviously

have a goal of one day riding.

My dream is to be

a professional jockey.

Boxing Day is important for British

horseracing because there are eight

meetings around the country

on 26th December.

In total in Britain,

there are about 14,000

racehorses in training,

and all of them need that

day-to-day care and attention

from a professional.

It's what Ken Dooley did.

He died in October

looking after a horse.

The fund raiding page in his honour

reflects the shock.

Racing simply relies on the grooms.

The boss of this yard knows it.

It's hard work, cold weather,

coming in in the dark

to go home in the dark.

I did it myself for years,

I know what it's like.

I started as a lad.

It is hard work for

not a lot of money.

It's a way of life, and that's

all you can describe it as.

They do it for the love of the job.

This is the reward.

On icy hillsides, grooms riding out,

exercising the horses and imagining

winners that may come their way

on this and future Boxing Days.

Joe Wilsonks BBC News,

Gloucestershire.

That's all the sport for now.

You can see more on all of today's

stories on the BBC News Channel.

The next news on BBC One is at 6pm.

Bye for now.