0:00:05 > 0:00:07Four Britons are feared dead
0:00:07 > 0:00:11after a sightseeing seaplane crashes near Sydney.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14The aircraft plunged into a river during a trip
0:00:14 > 0:00:21in the run-up to the New Year's Eve celebrations.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Here, disruption for rail travellers, as New Year strikes
0:00:24 > 0:00:27hit South Western Railway and CrossCountry services.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30A penalty save helps Manchester City avoid defeat,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32but their 18-game winning run in the Premier League
0:00:32 > 0:00:36comes to an end at Crystal Palace.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Three, two, one...
0:00:39 > 0:00:43And New Year celebrations get under way around the globe,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48as we prepare to welcome 2018.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Good evening.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10A seaplane has crashed into a river near Sydney,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13killing all six people on board.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Reports suggest four of those who have died are British,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19although this hasn't been confirmed by the police.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22The Foreign Office here is in contact with officials in Australia.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24The aircraft, which was on a sightseeing trip
0:01:24 > 0:01:27in advance of the New Year celebrations,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30came down in a river close to the suburb of Cowan.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Phil Mercer reports from Sydney.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The seaplane crashed into Jerusalem Bay
0:01:38 > 0:01:40near the town of Cowan.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43On board were five passengers and the pilot.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47The single-engine aircraft is thought to have sunk rapidly.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49A witness said it had made a tight right-hand turn
0:01:49 > 0:01:53and then nosedived into the Hawkesbury River.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55A full-scale search was soon under way.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58There were no survivors.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Police divers have found the six bodies.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05The wreckage of the plane remains in more than 40 feet of water.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10The authorities say a full investigation will take place.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13I cannot confirm the identity or ages of the people
0:02:13 > 0:02:16who were on the plane. We are...
0:02:16 > 0:02:20It is early in the investigation, and we are working with the plane
0:02:20 > 0:02:25company, getting investigators here to confirm the identities
0:02:25 > 0:02:31and investigate why the plane crashed into the water.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33The seaplane was returning from a waterfront restaurant
0:02:33 > 0:02:36to Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour.
0:02:36 > 0:02:42It's a journey that would normally take around 20 minutes.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46The aircraft is owned by Sydney Seaplanes.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It provides flights around some of the city's
0:02:49 > 0:02:51most popular tourist attractions, including the Opera House,
0:02:51 > 0:02:58the Harbour Bridge, and to the north the Hawkesbury River.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The company said in a statement
0:03:00 > 0:03:04that its pilots are some of the most experienced in the world
0:03:04 > 0:03:06and that all its flights had been suspended until further notice.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Air-crash investigators will arrive at the site of the accident
0:03:10 > 0:03:14early on New Year's Day to try to establish
0:03:14 > 0:03:18how and why a routine sightseeing flight could end in catastrophe.
0:03:18 > 0:03:25Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Here, thousands of rail travellers have faced disrupted journeys today
0:03:28 > 0:03:31as workers from two companies stage a 24-hour strike.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36Members of the RMT union on South Western Railway
0:03:36 > 0:03:37and CrossCountry are taking action
0:03:37 > 0:03:39in disputes about the role of guards and working patterns.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Let's go to Waterloo Station in London,
0:03:41 > 0:03:48and our correspondent Anisa Kadri.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54What have people been telling you, how has the travelling day been?
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Well, this is the country's busiest station right behind me, Waterloo,
0:03:58 > 0:04:04and not far at all from London's big fireworks display this evening. We
0:04:04 > 0:04:08have been in and out today, we have checked on things, and there have
0:04:08 > 0:04:11been a few cancellations, but there are posters up warning that strike
0:04:11 > 0:04:15action is taking its effect, and they believe it is going to get
0:04:15 > 0:04:19really busy this evening. Indeed, South Western Railway, which
0:04:19 > 0:04:23operates a number of services, including two Hampshire, sorry and
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Berkshire, it says that there are reduced services running, and indeed
0:04:27 > 0:04:31they believe that a quarter of trains won't be running at all. And
0:04:31 > 0:04:35it's not just here that there is likely to be a lot of disruption
0:04:35 > 0:04:39this evening. Indeed, CrossCountry services are also affected because
0:04:39 > 0:04:43of industrial action. That means that services between Newcastle and
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Edinburgh are factored, there are reduced services there, and Glasgow
0:04:47 > 0:04:52and Aberdeen, those services are affected. As for the people
0:04:52 > 0:04:56striking, well, the members of the RMT union, they say that this is the
0:04:56 > 0:04:59way to raise awareness of their working conditions, their rotors,
0:04:59 > 0:05:04and also the issue of driver only trains. Indeed, they believe they
0:05:04 > 0:05:07are unsafe and you need guards on those trains as well. But the
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Government says they are causing misery for passengers on New Year's
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Eve. The advice is to check online for updates.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18As anti-government protests continue across Iran,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21President Hassan Rouhani is making a televised address to the nation.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25It's his first public statement since the unrest began on Thursday.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Two people have been killed in demonstrations which began
0:05:27 > 0:05:36because of anger about alleged corruption and rising food prices.
0:05:36 > 0:05:43With me now is Kasra Naji of the BBC's Persian Service.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46What are we hearing about what President Rouhani might have to say?
0:05:46 > 0:05:50We have the draft of the speech that has been published, he says Iranians
0:05:50 > 0:05:56have a right to protest, but not to resort to violence or destruction.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01He says that Iran faces many problems that date back to previous
0:06:01 > 0:06:05years, this is a reference to years of international sanctions, because
0:06:05 > 0:06:10of Iran's nuclear programme. He also adds that he expects the government
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and the people to roll up their sleeves and work together to resolve
0:06:13 > 0:06:20these issues. But these words are unlikely, in my view, to calm the
0:06:20 > 0:06:25situation in Iran. We have seen protests all over the country for
0:06:25 > 0:06:29the last four days, and they are still going on, we are getting
0:06:29 > 0:06:34reports of more of them coming in. And it's unlikely to satisfy many of
0:06:34 > 0:06:40those demonstrators who have been calling for the overthrow of this
0:06:40 > 0:06:44government and the overthrow of the whole clerical regime.Kasra Naji,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48thank you very much for now, thank you.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50At least 36 people have been killed in a head-on collision
0:06:50 > 0:06:52between a lorry and a bus
0:06:52 > 0:06:54on a notoriously dangerous road in Kenya.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56The bus was carrying people to the capital, Nairobi,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58when the accident happened
0:06:58 > 0:07:01on the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway near Nakuru.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03More than 100 people have died
0:07:03 > 0:07:06in the last few weeks on that stretch of road alone.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Ian Palmer reports.
0:07:08 > 0:07:16Few survived the crash.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17First-responders searched twisted metal
0:07:17 > 0:07:19to help and recover the injured, the dying and the dead.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Police say the number of people killed on this dangerous stretch
0:07:22 > 0:07:25of road has risen to 100 for the month of December alone.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26The East African country
0:07:26 > 0:07:28has one of the worst road-safety records in the world.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31It's either the brakes failed, or the driver,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34for one reason or the other, was unable to control the vehicle.
0:07:34 > 0:07:41You never know what happens at night.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Both drivers died in the head-on collision.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Officials say 3000 people die in road accidents
0:07:45 > 0:07:46each year in Kenya.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47The World Health Organisation
0:07:47 > 0:07:50says the true figure could be as high as 12,000.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Ian Palmer, BBC News.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Criminal gangs who claim benefits under false identities
0:07:56 > 0:08:00are to be targeted by the Government using artificial intelligence.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02The Department for Work and Pensions says it will use
0:08:02 > 0:08:05sophisticated computer programming to detect fraudulent claims
0:08:05 > 0:08:13for universal credit and jobseeker's allowance.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Now, New Year celebrations have begun around the world
0:08:15 > 0:08:17as we welcome in 2018.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20New Zealand was the first to light fireworks,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22then Sydney Harbour was lit up in a blaze of colour,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25as Australia welcomed the new year.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Richard Lister reports.
0:08:29 > 0:08:37Five, four, three, two, one...
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Once again, Sydney set the standard for New Year's fireworks.
0:08:43 > 0:08:451.5 million people lined the harbour front
0:08:45 > 0:08:51for a dazzling, deafening celebration.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53The rainbow theme was a tribute
0:08:53 > 0:08:59to Australia's legalisation of same-sex marriage.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Two hours earlier, Auckland, New Zealand,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05was the first major city to celebrate 2018,
0:09:05 > 0:09:10its Sky Tower lit up like a giant Roman candle.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14EXCITED KOREAN VOICEOVER
0:09:14 > 0:09:18That is the unmistakable sound of North Korea
0:09:18 > 0:09:24joining the celebrations, with what else but a display of rocket power?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27While midnight swept around the world,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29New York was gearing up for its celebrations,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33one of several cities with unprecedented security this year.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Parts of China have had a day of festivities,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39even though they'll mark the New Year in February.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41MUSIC: "Auld Lang Syne"
0:09:41 > 0:09:46But Hong Kong may have outdazzled Sydney.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Fireworks exploded across Victoria Harbour
0:09:49 > 0:09:52to a tune most of us will be singing later.
0:09:52 > 0:09:58Richard Lister, BBC News.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Well, here preparations are under way around the country.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Big crowds are expected in London and Edinburgh.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Jonathan Blake is on the banks of the Thames.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13And Andrew Black is in Edinburgh.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18First to Jonathan.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Yes, the countdown is on to London's celebrations, the London Eye will
0:10:23 > 0:10:27once again be the centrepiece of tonight's huge fireworks display, a
0:10:27 > 0:10:32massive effort in central London. In just a couple of hours' time,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35100,000 people will begin filling up the viewing areas on the embankment
0:10:35 > 0:10:39and the bridges across the River Thames as well. Security is tight,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42as you would expect, the Metropolitan Police say there is no
0:10:42 > 0:10:46specific threat, but they are asking people to be vigilant, and there are
0:10:46 > 0:10:53armed officers on patrol. As for the fireworks themselves, 11 minutes
0:10:53 > 0:10:55with, 50,000 individual explosions, all choreographed to a specially
0:10:55 > 0:10:59chosen soundtrack, and carefully controlled from this booth behind us
0:10:59 > 0:11:04on the River Thames. Big Ben will chime in midnight to see in 2018,
0:11:04 > 0:11:09two gig off something which promises to be a spectacular display. That is
0:11:09 > 0:11:13from London, Andrew Black is in Edinburgh.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Well, it is as we say appear, absolutely Baltic, not that that has
0:11:18 > 0:11:21ever stopped people coming down in massive numbers to see in the New
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Year. Princes Street is looking quiet at the moment, but in a few
0:11:25 > 0:11:29hours' time some 60,000 people will be gathering to see in the New Year,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33which ends with a massive fireworks display being launched from the
0:11:33 > 0:11:36ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. Security is also an issue, as
0:11:36 > 0:11:44Jonathan was saying, much the same in Edinburgh, armed police on duty,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47but no specific threat to any events taking place here tonight. The other
0:11:47 > 0:11:51issue, of course, is whether parts of Scotland have taken a bit of a
0:11:51 > 0:11:54battering from Storm Dylan, but organisers say that they don't think
0:11:54 > 0:11:58anything will be affected by that, so I think, all in all, we are in
0:11:58 > 0:12:03for a pretty good night.Andrew and Jonathan, thanks very much, enjoy it
0:12:03 > 0:12:05if you can, thank you.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Football, and Manchester City's winning run
0:12:07 > 0:12:09in the Premier League has come to a halt after 18 games.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12They were held to a goalless draw this afternoon at Crystal Palace.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14But they still head into the New Year
0:12:14 > 0:12:17with a 14-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Adam Wild watched the action.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23The message from fans was clear enough.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Still, it is rather hard to imagine just how things could get any better
0:12:26 > 0:12:28for Manchester City.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Never has a team been so far ahead at the end of the year.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35To their potential, well, there seems no end.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38But against Crystal Palace, this was a New Year lacking celebration.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Gabriel Jesus injured, leaving in tears.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44It was his replacement, Sergio Aguero, that went
0:12:44 > 0:12:47the closest in the first half, but this was not the brilliance from
0:12:47 > 0:12:50City that all have come to fear.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Victory would have equalled the European record.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57The target, then, straightforward - hitting it seemingly less so.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02But Palace are a side with aims of their own.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05They did have chances with which they should have done better.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Everyone seemed to know it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09And that, ultimately, for them, is how this will be remembered.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11In the 90th minute, awarded a penalty,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13late drama to end the year -
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Luca Milivojevic, though, unable to see it out with a bang.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21So not quite the perfect end to 2017 for either side.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24For both, New Year's Eve, as is so often the case,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26a bit of an anti-climax.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Adam Wild, BBC News.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Historians have a fresh insight into everyday life
0:13:35 > 0:13:37in Ancient Egypt as a result of new technology.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Researchers at University College London have developed
0:13:39 > 0:13:41a scanning technique that reveals what is written
0:13:41 > 0:13:47on the papyrus of mummy cases.
0:13:47 > 0:13:53Pallab Ghosh has this exclusive report.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55The hieroglyphics found in the tombs of the pharaohs
0:13:55 > 0:13:57show the lives of the Ancient Egyptians.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59But the paintings are what the rich and powerful
0:13:59 > 0:14:01wanted the people to know -
0:14:01 > 0:14:03they are the propaganda of their time.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07But now there's a wealth of information about ordinary people
0:14:07 > 0:14:10being discovered using a new scientific technique.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13With a specially-modified camera, researcher Cerys Jones
0:14:13 > 0:14:18takes photos of a mummy's case at Chiddingstone Castle in Kent.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20You can't see anything with the naked eye,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25but using infrared, a name is revealed - Irethoreru.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30A common name in Ancient Egypt, it's a Stephen or David of its time.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33It's amazing.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Everyone in the room gasped, and people jumped up
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and ran for the computer, because in that one image
0:14:37 > 0:14:39you could read it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43These scraps of papyrus are more than 2,000 years old.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44They were recycled to make the breastplate
0:14:44 > 0:14:47that covered a mummified body.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51The writing is obscured by the plaster and paste
0:14:51 > 0:14:55that hold them together, but researchers can see what lies
0:14:55 > 0:14:57beneath by scanning them with different kinds of light
0:14:57 > 0:15:00which makes the inks glow.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03These now constitute one of the best libraries we have of waste papyrus
0:15:03 > 0:15:06that otherwise would have been thrown away, so it includes things
0:15:06 > 0:15:10like, you know, tax receipts, and everyday information
0:15:10 > 0:15:15that we would nowadays throw away, back then they would throw away,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20but fortunately it was recycled into these objects.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Our knowledge of Ancient Egypt is through the eyes of pharaohs
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and the very wealthy who were buried with their possessions,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29but this new imaging technique is enabling researchers
0:15:29 > 0:15:33to find out about the lives of ordinary Egyptians.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Until now, the only way to see what was written on the papyrus
0:15:37 > 0:15:41was to destroy these masks, leaving Egyptologists
0:15:41 > 0:15:44with a dilemma - do they destroy these precious objects,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47or do they keep them untouched, leaving the stories
0:15:47 > 0:15:50within them untold?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I am really horrified when I see objects like these papyri
0:15:53 > 0:15:56cartonnages being destroyed in order to get at the text inside.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01They're finite resources, and we now have the technology
0:16:01 > 0:16:04to both preserve those beautiful, precious objects that tell us
0:16:04 > 0:16:07about, you know, ways of dying, but also looking inside them
0:16:07 > 0:16:10in order to understand the ways that the Egyptians lived.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14There are hundreds of cases and masks that can be scanned,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16each one telling its own individual story
0:16:16 > 0:16:19of everyday life in Ancient Egypt.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25Pallab Ghosh, BBC News.