31/12/2017 BBC Weekend News

Four Britons are feared dead

after a sightseeing seaplane

crashes near Sydney.

The aircraft plunged into a river

during a trip

in the run-up to the

New Year's Eve celebrations.

Here, disruption for rail

travellers, as New Year strikes

hit South Western Railway

and CrossCountry services.

A penalty save helps

Manchester City avoid defeat,

but their 18-game winning run

in the Premier League

comes to an end at Crystal Palace.

Three, two, one...

And New Year celebrations get

under way around the globe,

as we prepare to welcome 2018.

Good evening.

A seaplane has crashed

into a river near Sydney,

killing all six people on board.

Reports suggest four of those

who have died are British,

although this hasn't been

confirmed by the police.

The Foreign Office here is in

contact with officials in Australia.

The aircraft, which was

on a sightseeing trip

in advance of the New Year

celebrations,

came down in a river

close to the suburb of Cowan.

Phil Mercer reports from Sydney.

The seaplane crashed

into Jerusalem Bay

near the town of Cowan.

On board were five

passengers and the pilot.

The single-engine aircraft

is thought to have sunk rapidly.

A witness said it had made

a tight right-hand turn

and then nosedived

into the Hawkesbury River.

A full-scale search

was soon under way.

There were no survivors.

Police divers have

found the six bodies.

The wreckage of the plane remains

in more than 40 feet of water.

The authorities say a full

investigation will take place.

I cannot confirm the identity

or ages of the people

who were on the plane.

We are...

It is early in the investigation,

and we are working with the plane

company, getting investigators

here to confirm the identities

and investigate why the plane

crashed into the water.

The seaplane was returning

from a waterfront restaurant

to Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour.

It's a journey that would

normally take around 20 minutes.

The aircraft is owned

by Sydney Seaplanes.

It provides flights around

some of the city's

most popular tourist attractions,

including the Opera House,

the Harbour Bridge, and to the north

the Hawkesbury River.

The company said in a statement

that its pilots are some of

the most experienced in the world

and that all its flights had been

suspended until further notice.

Air-crash investigators will arrive

at the site of the accident

early on New Year's Day

to try to establish

how and why a routine sightseeing

flight could end in catastrophe.

Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney.

Here, thousands of rail travellers

have faced disrupted journeys today

as workers from two companies

stage a 24-hour strike.

Members of the RMT union

on South Western Railway

and CrossCountry are taking action

in disputes about the role

of guards and working patterns.

Let's go to Waterloo Station

in London,

and our correspondent Anisa Kadri.

What have people been telling you,

how has the travelling day been?

Well, this is the country's busiest

station right behind me, Waterloo,

and not far at all from London's big

fireworks display this evening. We

have been in and out today, we have

checked on things, and there have

been a few cancellations, but there

are posters up warning that strike

action is taking its effect, and

they believe it is going to get

really busy this evening. Indeed,

South Western Railway, which

operates a number of services,

including two Hampshire, sorry and

Berkshire, it says that there are

reduced services running, and indeed

they believe that a quarter of

trains won't be running at all. And

it's not just here that there is

likely to be a lot of disruption

this evening. Indeed, CrossCountry

services are also affected because

of industrial action. That means

that services between Newcastle and

Edinburgh are factored, there are

reduced services there, and Glasgow

and Aberdeen, those services are

affected. As for the people

striking, well, the members of the

RMT union, they say that this is the

way to raise awareness of their

working conditions, their rotors,

and also the issue of driver only

trains. Indeed, they believe they

are unsafe and you need guards on

those trains as well. But the

Government says they are causing

misery for passengers on New Year's

Eve. The advice is to check online

for updates.

As anti-government protests

continue across Iran,

President Hassan Rouhani is making

a televised address to the nation.

It's his first public statement

since the unrest began on Thursday.

Two people have been killed

in demonstrations which began

because of anger about alleged

corruption and rising food prices.

With me now is Kasra Naji

of the BBC's Persian Service.

What are we hearing about what

President Rouhani might have to say?

We have the draft of the speech that

has been published, he says Iranians

have a right to protest, but not to

resort to violence or destruction.

He says that Iran faces many

problems that date back to previous

years, this is a reference to years

of international sanctions, because

of Iran's nuclear programme. He also

adds that he expects the government

and the people to roll up their

sleeves and work together to resolve

these issues. But these words are

unlikely, in my view, to calm the

situation in Iran. We have seen

protests all over the country for

the last four days, and they are

still going on, we are getting

reports of more of them coming in.

And it's unlikely to satisfy many of

those demonstrators who have been

calling for the overthrow of this

government and the overthrow of the

whole clerical regime.

Kasra Naji,

thank you very much for now, thank

you.

At least 36 people have been killed

in a head-on collision

between a lorry and a bus

on a notoriously

dangerous road in Kenya.

The bus was carrying people

to the capital, Nairobi,

when the accident happened

on the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway

near Nakuru.

More than 100 people have died

in the last few weeks

on that stretch of road alone.

Ian Palmer reports.

Few survived the crash.

First-responders searched

twisted metal

to help and recover the

injured, the dying and the dead.

Police say the number of people

killed on this dangerous stretch

of road has risen to 100

for the month of December alone.

The East African country

has one of the worst road-safety

records in the world.

It's either the brakes failed,

or the driver,

for one reason or the other,

was unable to control the vehicle.

You never know

what happens at night.

Both drivers died in

the head-on collision.

Officials say 3000 people

die in road accidents

each year in Kenya.

The World Health Organisation

says the true figure

could be as high as 12,000.

Ian Palmer, BBC News.

Criminal gangs who claim benefits

under false identities

are to be targeted by the Government

using artificial intelligence.

The Department for Work

and Pensions says it will use

sophisticated computer programming

to detect fraudulent claims

for universal credit

and jobseeker's allowance.

Now, New Year celebrations have

begun around the world

as we welcome in 2018.

New Zealand was the first

to light fireworks,

then Sydney Harbour was lit up

in a blaze of colour,

as Australia welcomed the new year.

Richard Lister reports.

Five, four, three, two, one...

Once again, Sydney set the standard

for New Year's fireworks.

1.5 million people

lined the harbour front

for a dazzling,

deafening celebration.

The rainbow theme was a tribute

to Australia's legalisation

of same-sex marriage.

Two hours earlier,

Auckland, New Zealand,

was the first major city

to celebrate 2018,

its Sky Tower lit up

like a giant Roman candle.

EXCITED KOREAN VOICEOVER

That is the unmistakable

sound of North Korea

joining the celebrations, with what

else but a display of rocket power?

While midnight swept around

the world,

New York was gearing up

for its celebrations,

one of several cities with

unprecedented security this year.

Parts of China have had

a day of festivities,

even though they'll mark

the New Year in February.

MUSIC: "Auld Lang Syne"

But Hong Kong may have

outdazzled Sydney.

Fireworks exploded

across Victoria Harbour

to a tune most of us

will be singing later.

Richard Lister, BBC News.

Well, here preparations

are under way around the country.

Big crowds are expected

in London and Edinburgh.

Jonathan Blake is

on the banks of the Thames.

And Andrew Black is in Edinburgh.

First to Jonathan.

Yes, the countdown is on to London's

celebrations, the London Eye will

once again be the centrepiece of

tonight's huge fireworks display, a

massive effort in central London. In

just a couple of hours' time,

100,000 people will begin filling up

the viewing areas on the embankment

and the bridges across the River

Thames as well. Security is tight,

as you would expect, the

Metropolitan Police say there is no

specific threat, but they are asking

people to be vigilant, and there are

armed officers on patrol. As for the

fireworks themselves, 11 minutes

with, 50,000 individual explosions,

all choreographed to a specially

chosen soundtrack, and carefully

controlled from this booth behind us

on the River Thames. Big Ben will

chime in midnight to see in 2018,

two gig off something which promises

to be a spectacular display. That is

from London, Andrew Black is in

Edinburgh.

Well, it is as we say appear,

absolutely Baltic, not that that has

ever stopped people coming down in

massive numbers to see in the New

Year. Princes Street is looking

quiet at the moment, but in a few

hours' time some 60,000 people will

be gathering to see in the New Year,

which ends with a massive fireworks

display being launched from the

ramparts of Edinburgh Castle.

Security is also an issue, as

Jonathan was saying, much the same

in Edinburgh, armed police on duty,

but no specific threat to any events

taking place here tonight. The other

issue, of course, is whether parts

of Scotland have taken a bit of a

battering from Storm Dylan, but

organisers say that they don't think

anything will be affected by that,

so I think, all in all, we are in

for a pretty good night.

Andrew and

Jonathan, thanks very much, enjoy it

if you can, thank you.

Football, and Manchester

City's winning run

in the Premier League has come

to a halt after 18 games.

They were held to a goalless draw

this afternoon at Crystal Palace.

But they still head

into the New Year

with a 14-point lead at

the top of the Premier League.

Adam Wild watched the action.

The message from fans

was clear enough.

Still, it is rather hard to imagine

just how things could get any better

for Manchester City.

Never has a team been so far ahead

at the end of the year.

To their potential, well,

there seems no end.

But against Crystal Palace, this

was a New Year lacking celebration.

Gabriel Jesus injured,

leaving in tears.

It was his replacement,

Sergio Aguero, that went

the closest in the first half,

but this was not the brilliance from

City that all have come to fear.

Victory would have equalled

the European record.

The target, then, straightforward -

hitting it seemingly less so.

But Palace are a side

with aims of their own.

They did have chances with

which they should have done better.

Everyone seemed to know it.

And that, ultimately, for them,

is how this will be remembered.

In the 90th minute,

awarded a penalty,

late drama to end the year -

Luca Milivojevic, though,

unable to see it out with a bang.

So not quite the perfect end

to 2017 for either side.

For both, New Year's Eve,

as is so often the case,

a bit of an anti-climax.

Adam Wild, BBC News.

Historians have a fresh

insight into everyday life

in Ancient Egypt

as a result of new technology.

Researchers at University College

London have developed

a scanning technique that reveals

what is written

on the papyrus of mummy cases.

Pallab Ghosh has this

exclusive report.

The hieroglyphics found in the tombs

of the pharaohs

show the lives

of the Ancient Egyptians.

But the paintings are what the rich

and powerful

wanted the people to know -

they are the propaganda

of their time.

But now there's a wealth of

information about ordinary people

being discovered

using a new scientific technique.

With a specially-modified camera,

researcher Cerys Jones

takes photos of a mummy's case

at Chiddingstone Castle in Kent.

You can't see anything

with the naked eye,

but using infrared,

a name is revealed - Irethoreru.

A common name in Ancient Egypt,

it's a Stephen or David of its time.

It's amazing.

Everyone in the room gasped,

and people jumped up

and ran for the computer,

because in that one image

you could read it.

These scraps of papyrus

are more than 2,000 years old.

They were recycled

to make the breastplate

that covered a mummified body.

The writing is obscured

by the plaster and paste

that hold them together,

but researchers can see what lies

beneath by scanning them

with different kinds of light

which makes the inks glow.

These now constitute one of the best

libraries we have of waste papyrus

that otherwise would have been

thrown away, so it includes things

like, you know, tax receipts,

and everyday information

that we would nowadays throw away,

back then they would throw away,

but fortunately it was recycled

into these objects.

Our knowledge of Ancient Egypt

is through the eyes of pharaohs

and the very wealthy who were buried

with their possessions,

but this new imaging technique

is enabling researchers

to find out about the lives

of ordinary Egyptians.

Until now, the only way to see

what was written on the papyrus

was to destroy these masks,

leaving Egyptologists

with a dilemma - do they destroy

these precious objects,

or do they keep them untouched,

leaving the stories

within them untold?

I am really horrified when

I see objects like these papyri

cartonnages being destroyed

in order to get at the text inside.

They're finite resources,

and we now have the technology

to both preserve those beautiful,

precious objects that tell us

about, you know, ways of dying,

but also looking inside them

in order to understand the ways

that the Egyptians lived.

There are hundreds of cases

and masks that can be scanned,

each one telling its own

individual story

of everyday life

in Ancient Egypt.

Pallab Ghosh, BBC News.