24/12/2017 BBC Weekend News

Tens of thousands of people are left

homeless after a tropical

storm in the Philippines.

Rescue teams say they are struggling

to reach some of the areas affected.

More than 200 people are dead

and dozens are missing.

North Korea condemns the latest

round of UN sanctions, and vows

to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

"Be the Best" - plans to scrap

the Army's slogan and crest

for being too elitist

have been ditched.

And England's cricketers

prepare to face Australia

in the fourth Test.

Can they avoid a whitewash?

Good evening.

Tens of thousands of people have

been left homeless after a tropical

storm in the Philippines that

left more than 200 dead

and dozens missing.

Authorities are trying to provide

food and shelter to those

who've been displaced,

with rescue teams struggling

to reach some of the affected areas.

Our World Affairs Correspondent

Richard Galpin reports.

At last, some aid now getting to

those most in need, after this

latest storm to hit the Philippines

begins to subside. Troops helping

deliver supplies here in the

southern region of Mindanao, which

lay right in the path of the storm.

Reaching these impoverished areas

has not been easy.

They were hit by

a landslide, landslides, caused by

an inordinate amount of rainfall

that caused the ground to move and

killed people innocently. It swept

people out of their homes and killed

many others as well.

The speed with

which the rivers were turned into

lethal torrents over the weekend

court people here by surprise. Many

drowning in their own homes, others

buried under mudslides, including

children.

The call for people to

evacuate in good time before the

storm didn't have an effect. The

storm passed over some of the

poorest areas in the whole

Philippines.

At least 200 people are

known to have died. Large numbers

are still missing, and tens of

thousands have been forced to move

away, in search of emergency

shelter. In Rome today, Pope Francis

offered prayers for the people of

Mindanao in his weekly blessing to

the crowd on St Peter's Square.

TRANSLATION:

Merciful Lord, take in

the souls of the dead and comfort

those who are suffering as a result

of this calamity. Let's pray for

these people.

At least Tropical

Storm Tembin has now been moving

away from the Philippines. It's

currently over the South China Sea,

where it's picking up strength again

and has been categorised as a

typhoon. It's expected to the

non-later this week. Meanwhile, the

people of the southern Philippines

continue the search for loved ones.

-- it's expected to hit Vietnam

later this week. They will be hoping

for much more help to reach them in

the coming days.

To add to the Philippines' woes,

at least 37 people have died

in a fire at a shopping mall

in the southern city of Davao.

Firefighters battled for hours

to extinguish the blaze that started

on the third floor and spread

to the floor above,

trapping call centre employees.

The city's vice-mayor

says the chance of any

survivors is "zero".

North Korea has described the latest

United Nations sanctions as an act

of war and tantamount

to a complete economic blockade.

The UN Security Council

imposed the measures -

drafted by the US -

on Friday, in response to

Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests.

North Korea has vowed

to strengthen its nuclear deterrent

to frustrate America.

Sophie Long sent this report from

the South Korean capital, Seoul.

North Korean state television

broadcast the first

reaction to the sanctions.

It described the UN Resolution

as an act of war that

violates peace and stability

on the Korean peninsula.

Please raise their hand.

Pyongyang promised to punish

those that voted for

the US-drafted resolution.

That includes China,

North Korea's main ally

and trading partner.

Beijing urged restraint

on all sides.

It's previously called

for an end to joint US-South

Korean military drills,

like this one, in exchange

for a halt to North Korea's

weapons programme.

A so-called freeze for freeze.

There is little hope either

side will agree to that.

Instead, the toughest sanctions yet.

The Americans had wanted to go

further, but they were pleased

with the support they got.

I am grateful to my colleagues

for the serious measures

we have enacted on behalf

of the North Korean people,

and I ask you keep them

in your thoughts and prayers this

holiday season, as we continue

to fight against this,

the most tragic example of evil

in the modern world.

The new sanctions include a ban

on the import of nearly 90% of oil

supplies to North Korea,

vital to its missile

and nuclear programmes.

They demand the deportation

of North Koreans working abroad,

to stop them funding the regime.

There will also be a ban on exports

of some North Korean goods.

The sanctions come

in response to this.

Pyongyang's launch of

an intercontinental ballistic

missile at the end of November.

One, it said, could

reach the US mainland.

The resolution is intended to push

Pyongyang to the negotiating table

and towards a diplomatic solution.

But instead, it's vowed

to strengthen its nuclear

capability, and it's got form.

This is the third set of UN

sanctions to be imposed

on North Korea this year.

Within weeks of the previous

two rounds, it carried

out its biggest nuclear test

and fired its most powerful missile.

Today's response shows little sign

it is willing to stop now.

Sophie Long, BBC News, Seoul.

Police are appealing

for witnesses after two men died

and several people were injured

in a crash on the M40 involving

a number of vehicles.

Emergency services were called

to the scene just before midnight

on the northbound stretch

of the motorway in Oxfordshire.

The motorway has since reopened.

London Zoo's reopened

after yesterday's fire,

in which number of staff

were injured and a number

of animals died.

The cause of the blaze,

which broke out in the children's

section of the zoo, remains unclear.

The husband of the jailed

British-Iranian woman,

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,

says he thinks it's "very likely"

she will be released

within a fortnight.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has spent more

than 600 days in detention

in Tehran on spying

charges, which she denies.

Plans to ditch the Army's slogan -

"Be the Best" - have been stopped

by the new Defence Secretary,

Gavin Williamson.

Half a million pounds had been spent

on a rebranding exercise that

would have got rid of the slogan,

because it was felt to be elitist.

Andy Moore reports.

The army spent more than £500,000

on market research and found that

A well-known slogan at the heart of

army recruiting for more than two

decades.

The army spent more than £500,000

on market research and found that

message wasn't getting

through to many in

its target audience.

It's not clear when the new Defence

Secretary, Gavin Williamson,

saw these plans for a rebrand,

but he clearly didn't like them.

The research reportedly

showed that the "Be

the Best" slogan was dated,

elitist and non-inclusive.

These plans for a rebrand were well

advanced at a senior level

here at the Ministry of Defence,

then there was a sudden about turn.

A statement was issued last night,

saying the Defence Secretary

believes the British Army

is the best of the best, and these

proposals have been put on hold.

Colonel Richard Kemp

was the commander of British

troops in Afghanistan.

He says a lot can be improved

in the recruitment process

but there is nothing wrong

with the slogan.

If the army is not an elite,

it is hardly likely

to defeat our enemies.

If it is not better than our

enemies, all of our enemies,

then again it is not going to win,

it is not going to win in the war.

It has to be the best.

Young people who are

thinking about joining,

they want to join the best,

they don't want to join anything

that is second rate.

This rebranding exercise was said

to have the support of the army's

most senior officer,

but now his authority has

been publicly undermined

by the Defence Secretary.

Whatever the argument on tactics,

the crisis in recruiting remains.

Every year for seven years now,

more soldiers have left

the army than signed up.

Andy Moore, BBC News.

Opponents of President Putin have

held a series of mass rallies

in cities across Russia.

It is in support of Asian candidate

to challenge him in elections next

year. -- in support of a candidate.

The opposition politician

Alexei Navalny, who's been jailed

in the past for criticising

the president, told supporters

he will stand against Mr Putin.

But it's not yet certain

if officials will let him run

as he is officially disqualified.

He is warning that he'll call

for the election to be

boycotted if he can't run.

Pilgrims are arriving in Bethlehem

ahead of Midnight Mass this evening.

But this year's celebrations

take place amid rising

tensions in the region,

following the US decision

to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's

capital earlier this month.

From Bethlehem, our

Religious Affairs Editor

Martin Bashir reports.

In a town famous for

a miraculous birth, Bethlehem

is praying for a new miracle,

the appearance of tourists.

The fragile peace in this holy place

has been shaken by President Trump's

announcement earlier this month that

America would officially recognise

Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The threat of violence

immediately affected

businesses in Bethlehem,

like the five-star Jacir Palace

Hotel, where there are now plenty

of rooms at the inn.

Every year, we are fully booked

at Christmas and New Year.

This year, we had before,

it was overbooking,

but when the uprising

started, everything cancelled.

And is this because of

what Donald Trump said?

Of course, of course,

because the uprising...

What he said, the uprising started,

we lose everything.

And it's not just tourists

who are looking elsewhere.

Jalal Al Shayeb is a

successful body-builder

and Palestinian Christian.

While he'll celebrate Christmas

here, he sees no future

for himself in Bethlehem.

It's very hard to live here.

We have many crises, you know?

The future is not here,

because there are many problems

around us, many borders you can see.

I can't go, I can't do

many things, you know?

That's why.

This is a big problem, you know?

It is in this place,

where borders and walls fortify

a sense of identity and religious

separation, that the Christian

Church is seeking to spread

its message of peace

and goodwill at Christmas.

Leaders of all the main

denominations came together

in an attempt to change

the narrative from discord to peace.

Being a Palestinian Christian,

growing up with this

message that the angel sang

here in Bethlehem 2,000

years ago, "Glory to God

in the highest, peace on Earth" -

this is our message.

What we celebrate is actually peace.

That was clearly demonstrated

in the little baby Jesus.

In the Church of the Nativity,

where Christians believe

that Christ was born,

the light shines in the darkness,

and they are praying that,

for the next 24 hours at least,

the darkness does not overcome it.

Martin Bashir, BBC News, Bethlehem.

Cricket, and England are preparing

for the fourth Ashes Test,

which starts tomorrow in Melbourne.

England, already 3-0

down in the series,

will want to do everything they can

to avoid a whitewash.

Patrick Gearey has been

examining their prospects.

Melbourne is a city

which reaches for the skies.

There are more tall buildings

here than in London or in Beijing -

a reminder to England

of their now impossible climb.

3-0 down, the Ashes gone,

surrounded by criticism

and jibes from the Aussies,

now England have to come here.

And in this place, it's

very easy to feel lost.

It's happened before.

The last England Test team to come

to the MCG were 3-0 down and ended

up losing the series 5-0.

So how are this side any different?

The morale in the group

is still really high, and,

you know, no-one's...

There's no bickering.

There's no, you know,

separation within the group.

It's good that we've

all stuck together.

You know, I wasn't here on that

previous Ashes Tour but,

by all accounts, there

was differences within

the camp back then.

And, yeah, it definitely doesn't

feel like that here.

Everyone's working hard to try

and win this Test match.

If there's hope, maybe

it's in a damaged heel

belonging to Mitchell Starc,

the top wicket taker in the series.

He'll miss the Test,

to be replaced by Jackson Bird.

Some in the England camp have

claimed Australia's bowling back-ups

aren't up to the standard

of the front line.

In response, Starc can't

bowl actual bouncers,

but here's a verbal one.

It's quite humorous, actually.

Erm, they haven't taken 20 wickets

yet in the series so...

Erm, and we have, and then they're

having a crack at our depth.

So, I think they've got bigger

things to worry about than the depth

of Australian fast bowlers.

So, erm, as I said,

hopefully Jacko takes five.

He still bowls quick enough.

I'm pretty sure he still bowls

quicker than the Pom

bowlers as well, so...

LAUGHTER.

Maybe in adversity, England

will find their true character,

but Australia is planning

to celebrate and humiliate.