:00:13. > :00:18.A fresh band of rain sweeps across the UK, threatening more flooding.
:00:18. > :00:22.The downpours mean it is a festive washout for some, who will spend
:00:22. > :00:25.Christmas clearing up damaged homes and businesses. Roads are closed
:00:25. > :00:28.and rail services are disrupted as the bad weather caused his
:00:28. > :00:32.cancellations and delays. expected it to happen. I knew what
:00:33. > :00:35.was going on on the news and you still have to try and get back home
:00:35. > :00:40.for Christmas. There is nothing worse than not being with your
:00:40. > :00:44.family at Christmas. In America, a gunman attacks firefighters as they
:00:44. > :00:48.tackle a blaze, two are killed and two critically injured.
:00:48. > :00:52.Acceptable but not exceptional, the retailer verdict on the run-up to
:00:52. > :01:02.Christmas. And the Queen and 3D. Her high-tech
:01:02. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:12.Christmas message pays tribute to Good evening. People in many parts
:01:12. > :01:16.of the UK are being warned to prepare for more flooding tonight
:01:16. > :01:21.with another band of heavy rain sweeping across the country. There
:01:21. > :01:25.are around 156 flood warnings in place in England and Wales and 259
:01:25. > :01:28.flood alerts. Road and rail journeys are being disrupted,
:01:28. > :01:33.particularly in the south-west with part of the main train line between
:01:33. > :01:36.London and Plymouth closed all this week until Friday. John Kay has
:01:36. > :01:40.spent the day in Devon and tries the from Tiverton Parkway railway
:01:40. > :01:44.station. This is hugely frustrating for people, especially on Christmas
:01:44. > :01:48.Eve? Absolutely, racing home on
:01:48. > :01:51.Christmas Eve is never going to be easy. But tonight it is proving to
:01:51. > :01:55.be exceptionally difficult for millions of people because of
:01:55. > :01:59.flooding. At this railway station, people are having to get off the
:01:59. > :02:05.trains, get on to coaches instead. But it's not just the south-west of
:02:05. > :02:08.England. In many parts of Britain there are people for whom this is a
:02:08. > :02:10.Christmas they would already sooner forget.
:02:10. > :02:15.There will be no Christmas dinner served here tomorrow. While the
:02:15. > :02:20.rest of us are settling down for a quiet couple of days, in Stonehaven
:02:20. > :02:28.Aaron Burton is clearing a band moving out. Although driving away
:02:28. > :02:33.will not be an option. I'm just in shock. Mud is everywhere, it has
:02:33. > :02:38.got everywhere. As 600 miles south, the same story. In Braunton, they
:02:38. > :02:42.have been flooded twice in the last few days. Instead of wrapping
:02:42. > :02:47.presents, Darren has been throwing them away. Ruined stock from his
:02:47. > :02:53.gift shop. It will be an anxious Christmas here. Hopefully it has
:02:53. > :02:56.blown through and we have seen the worst. The trouble is, when you are
:02:56. > :03:01.sitting at home and it starts raining again, you're thinking, I'd
:03:01. > :03:05.better get down here again. track?
:03:05. > :03:09.It might have been a drier day in most places, but rivers like the
:03:09. > :03:14.Thames are still dangerously high. At this caravan park, they are
:03:14. > :03:19.worried. If the river comes up even more, I would be able to get to my
:03:19. > :03:24.daughters and spend Christmas with the grandsons. Tomorrow, we will be
:03:24. > :03:29.stranded. I have taken precautions and got my own turkey. The rail
:03:29. > :03:33.network has been thrown into chaos. This is the line in Exeter. As a
:03:33. > :03:39.result, hundreds of thousands of passengers have been forced to get
:03:39. > :03:42.off the trains and continue their journey by road. The rail companies
:03:42. > :03:47.promise, one way or another, everyone would get where they need
:03:47. > :03:51.to be. But that doesn't mean it would be easy. Coach, train,
:03:51. > :03:57.another bus and then to my mum's. Quite a long time. There is nothing
:03:57. > :04:01.worse than not being with your family at Christmas. With more rain
:04:01. > :04:05.to come, the Environment Agency has spent Christmas Eve correcting
:04:05. > :04:10.flood defences. Beneath the historic Ironbridge, there is some
:04:10. > :04:16.new engineering. Do you think it will spoil your Christmas?
:04:16. > :04:22.nothing can spoil Christmas! Tonight, flooded communities across
:04:22. > :04:24.the UK are trying to revive some festive spirit. But in 2012, on
:04:24. > :04:34.thousands of doorsteps, this could be the best Christmas present of
:04:34. > :04:36.
:04:36. > :04:39.I have to say, it is astonishing. In Broughton an at this station, it
:04:39. > :04:43.has been good natured, people helping it about and offering each
:04:43. > :04:48.other lifts. It was summed up by a couple of passengers eyesore, Santa
:04:48. > :04:54.hats on their heads, tinsel round their necks, but with rather pained
:04:54. > :04:59.and anxious expressions on their face.
:04:59. > :05:03.In the United States, a gunman shot at firefighters, killing two, as
:05:03. > :05:07.they arrive to tackle a fire in Webster in New York State. Two
:05:07. > :05:12.others were critically injured. It comes as debate continues about gun
:05:12. > :05:19.control following the Connecticut School massacre.
:05:19. > :05:24.A fire in a comfortable lakeside community. A phone call that leered
:05:24. > :05:30.four small-town firefighters to the blaze. Out of nowhere, a violent
:05:30. > :05:38.tragedy on Christmas Eve. Upon arrival, the firefighters all drew
:05:38. > :05:43.fire. All four were shot at the scene. One was able to flee the
:05:43. > :05:50.scene and the other three were pinned down at the location. To two
:05:50. > :05:54.firefighters died of their wounds at the fire. It took an armoured
:05:54. > :05:59.personnel carrier to evacuate residents. The town's leadership is
:05:59. > :06:03.distraught. It's very... It's a very difficult situation. There is
:06:03. > :06:06.a heightened awareness to this kind of violence in light of what
:06:06. > :06:10.happened in Connecticut. I want everyone to remember it is
:06:10. > :06:15.Christmas Eve. We have first responders and families in pain and
:06:15. > :06:22.crisis today. As a community, we need to keep them in our thoughts
:06:23. > :06:27.and prayers. It's a very, very difficult day. All week they have
:06:27. > :06:31.been burying the dead in Newtown, Connecticut. All week, the
:06:31. > :06:36.arguments over the kind of guns available in America and the kind
:06:36. > :06:42.of people that can get hold of them have gone back and forth. A cold
:06:42. > :06:46.Christmas awaits for two firefighters' families.
:06:46. > :06:49.In Afghanistan, a police officer has shot dead six colleagues at a
:06:49. > :06:53.checkpoint in the north-west of the country. Earlier, a policewoman
:06:53. > :06:59.shot dead an American NATO adviser outside police headquarters in the
:06:59. > :07:03.capital, Kabul. It's thought to be the this d'etat of its kind by a
:07:04. > :07:07.woman there. A referendum on Egypt's draft
:07:07. > :07:10.constitution has been postponed until tomorrow. It is already clear
:07:10. > :07:13.there will be a comfortable majority in favour of the document
:07:13. > :07:15.backed by President Morsi and The Muslim Brotherhood. But the
:07:16. > :07:20.Electoral Commission must investigate allegations of voting
:07:20. > :07:24.fraud. Opposition groups believe the document will quash religious
:07:24. > :07:27.and other freedoms. The British Retail Consortium says
:07:28. > :07:31.sales figures in the run-up to Christmas have been acceptable, but
:07:31. > :07:33.not exceptional. Reports from shopping centres and high streets
:07:33. > :07:41.across the country suggest that trade over the past few days has
:07:42. > :07:45.The final countdown to Christmas and these shoppers were leaving it
:07:45. > :07:51.late this evening to finish buying gifts and decorations. For some
:07:51. > :07:55.families, all hands were needed to get the job done. Some stores have
:07:56. > :07:59.been on the go since just after midnight. Marks & Spencer and Tesco
:07:59. > :08:04.has opened some outlets to allow those who wanted to an escape from
:08:04. > :08:08.the rush. I came here yesterday and it was a manic. You can see, there
:08:09. > :08:12.is no one about. Easy stuff. In and out in half an hour, it's done.
:08:12. > :08:17.rather stay up late and have a little bit longer in bed. It suits
:08:18. > :08:21.us fine. We would be up anyway. It's quite exciting! By the time
:08:21. > :08:25.Christmas Eve had dawned, shopping centres were filling up, including
:08:25. > :08:28.at the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Some were not afraid to
:08:28. > :08:31.admit they had left their Christmas shopping until the last minute.
:08:31. > :08:36.Just getting bits and bobs for Christmas, last minute shopping,
:08:36. > :08:43.everything I need. I prefer to shop properly instead of doing it online.
:08:43. > :08:46.Get it all in one day! All done, one bag, a voucher and chocolate!
:08:46. > :08:54.We are going out tonight and we don't have an outfit. So we are
:08:54. > :08:58.going for that. And I'm getting a teddy bear for my nephew. Earlier,
:08:58. > :09:03.it suggested a slow start to shopping. But figures show that
:09:03. > :09:07.football was up slightly, 1.3% in the week up until Sunday compared
:09:07. > :09:14.to last year. October and November were marginally disappointing. But
:09:14. > :09:18.we have seen some rise in consumer confidence. I think that will be
:09:18. > :09:21.enough to support people when they say, right, let's just make sure we
:09:21. > :09:26.have a good Christmas. I think the last 10 days they have gone out to
:09:26. > :09:29.spend. These are challenging times for consumers. Inflation is running
:09:29. > :09:33.well ahead of average pay rises, there is a squeeze on household
:09:33. > :09:37.budgets. Policy makers as well as retailers are keen to know if
:09:37. > :09:40.spending has been holding up its Christmas season. They will not get
:09:40. > :09:44.the answer until a full set of figures is published in January.
:09:44. > :09:49.Retail bosses were cautious ahead of Christmas. They say that sales
:09:49. > :09:52.have been acceptable, but not much more. There will be hoping for a
:09:52. > :09:55.turnaround in fortunes in the new year.
:09:55. > :09:58.Three people have been killed in a road accident in the east of
:09:58. > :10:05.Scotland. Lothian and borders police say the accident happened at
:10:05. > :10:08.around 7:30am on each Aor 68 near Pathhead. One car carrying five
:10:08. > :10:12.people ended up on its roof. The driver escaped and fire crews cut
:10:12. > :10:15.another man free but three passengers died at the scene.
:10:15. > :10:18.Police in Manchester are searching for a mugger who still a
:10:18. > :10:21.substantial amount of money from an elderly woman on her way home from
:10:21. > :10:26.a casino. The man snatched the handbag from the 83-year-old as she
:10:26. > :10:30.got out of a taxi. Police say she had a won a relatively large amount
:10:30. > :10:32.of money at the casino in Salford and was also carrying some life
:10:32. > :10:36.savings in her handbag because she was afraid of being burgled at
:10:36. > :10:39.Christmas. Parents who want to adopt in
:10:39. > :10:42.England will be allowed to play a greater role in selecting a child
:10:42. > :10:46.under new plans aimed at speeding up the adoption process. The
:10:46. > :10:51.changes would let approved would-be parents see the register of
:10:51. > :10:54.children waiting to be adopted. It is hoped that the changes will
:10:54. > :10:57.reduce the number of children in care.
:10:57. > :11:01.More than 25,000 families inquired about adoption in England last year.
:11:01. > :11:07.But just 4000 saw the process through. The Government admits
:11:07. > :11:09.there is a problem and says the new plan will help. It will give
:11:09. > :11:12.confidence to anyone that wants to come forward, thinking about
:11:12. > :11:17.adopting, that we are on their side. We want to help them through that
:11:17. > :11:20.process. If it is right for them, it is right for the child that the
:11:20. > :11:25.match is made as soon as possible so that child can get that
:11:25. > :11:29.permanent family, that stable, loving home. Ministers want to give
:11:29. > :11:32.new rights to potential adoptive parents, including access to the
:11:32. > :11:35.nationwide register of children to give families more say in the
:11:35. > :11:39.selection process. There would be allowed more time off work to meet
:11:39. > :11:46.their future son or daughter and more paid leave and free child care
:11:46. > :11:52.entitlements to match those of biological parents. Francesca's
:11:52. > :11:55.adopted her children in Mexico after being told that there were no
:11:55. > :11:58.suitable children in her area. She welcomes the help on offer but says
:11:58. > :12:02.the bigger problem is being allowed to adopt in the first place. There
:12:02. > :12:06.is almost some sort of hostility towards adoptive parents at the
:12:06. > :12:10.moment. When you enter the process, it seems like they start looking
:12:10. > :12:14.what is wrong with you, rather than looking for what is right with you.
:12:14. > :12:17.The whole system is in complete crisis. By trying to address one
:12:17. > :12:22.little problem here or there, we are not addressing the bigger
:12:22. > :12:25.problem, though one of the system actually needing a complete review.
:12:25. > :12:29.But local councils say that they accept adoptive parents at twice
:12:29. > :12:33.the rate of other agencies and they warned that finding the right
:12:33. > :12:37.families for children in care is never going to be a speedy process.
:12:37. > :12:40.What we do need to make sure is that if you're taking on
:12:40. > :12:43.responsibility for a child that may have suffered serious sexual or
:12:44. > :12:46.physical abuse, neglect or have very significant health needs that
:12:46. > :12:49.you are ready for that challenge. We want to make sure that every
:12:49. > :12:53.parent that comes forward willing to adopt goes through that system
:12:53. > :12:57.with their eyes open so that children find loving, stable and
:12:57. > :13:00.long-term homes to go to. Families hoping to adopt will not benefit
:13:00. > :13:04.from these proposals for a while. The Government says that some
:13:04. > :13:10.measures will require legislation and may not come into force until
:13:10. > :13:14.2015. The Queen has praised the UK's
:13:14. > :13:17.Olympic and Paralympic athletes in her Christmas message, which will
:13:17. > :13:21.be broadcast in 3D for the first time. Buckingham Palace has
:13:21. > :13:24.released a short excerpt of the speech, filmed earlier this month.
:13:24. > :13:29.Yesterday, she missed a church service at Sandringham because of a
:13:29. > :13:33.cold but she is expected to be there tomorrow.
:13:33. > :13:36.At the end of a memorable year for Britain and the Royal Family, the
:13:36. > :13:40.Queen's Christmas broadcast is expected to look back at some of
:13:40. > :13:46.the highlights, from her Diamond Jubilee when crowds celebrated his
:13:46. > :13:49.60 years on the throne and the London Olympics. The broadcast was
:13:49. > :13:54.recorded earlier this month at Buckingham Palace. For the first
:13:54. > :13:58.time, a version has been made in 3D, the Vueling of which requires not
:13:58. > :14:03.just a special television but 3D glasses. The Queen, we are told, is
:14:03. > :14:08.happy with the result. In an extract issued in advance of the
:14:08. > :14:13.broadcast, she talks about the achievements of the 2012 Olympic
:14:13. > :14:18.and Paralympic Games. As London hosted a splendid summer of sport,
:14:18. > :14:24.all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and
:14:24. > :14:29.Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication,
:14:29. > :14:33.training and teamwork of athletes. In pursuing their own sporting
:14:33. > :14:43.goals, they gave the rest of us the opportunity to share something of
:14:43. > :14:44.
:14:44. > :14:48.the excitement and drama. Much of the Royal Family is at Sandringham,,
:14:48. > :14:51.where they traditionally spend Christmas. Absence will be the Duke
:14:51. > :14:55.and Duchess of Cambridge, they are spending Christmas with The
:14:55. > :15:05.Duchess's parents, a departure from normal routine to hold Catherine,
:15:05. > :15:05.
:15:05. > :15:12.still in the early months of her In Bethlehem, thousands of