24/12/2013 BBC News

Strong winds and heavy rain are still causing severe problems in

parts of the UK. More than 100 flood warnings are in place - thousands of

homes are without power, and there's a major incident in Surrey. At

Gatwick Airport, dozens of flights have been cancelled, others delayed,

leaving many passengers stranded on Christmas Eve. We'll have the latest

on the travel problems, as the severe weather affects several

regions. The other headlines... In South Sudan, the UN says it

believes thousands of people have been killed in renewed violence.

And in Rome, Pope Francis celebrates his first Christmas as pontiff, with

thousands of worshippers. Good evening. The stormy weather is

still causing major problems. Five people are now thought to have died

in separate incidents because of the extreme conditions. The Environment

Agency has more than 120 flood warnings in place for England and

Wales, and there is a major incident in Surrey because of very high river

levels. Most train firms are now running a normal service but there

are still long delays at Gatwick Airport, where police are manning

the information desks. They are now promising a full service tomorrow at

Gatwick. And 75,000 homes are without power, including 3,000 in

the north of Scotland. Some people may still be affected on Christmas

Day, as our correspondent Jon Kay reports. Suddenly, Christmas seems

rather irrelevant. For some, there are more pressing matters to deal

with. In Kent, this lady has cancelled her family celebrations.

Her home should have been full of Christmas cheer today. Instead, it

is full of water. Christmas is off for us. I was looking forward to

it, I was having my sister over for Christmas dinner, but I have had to

put her off because I cannot cook anything for them. And she is not

the only one. For many, Christmas plans have been turned upside down.

This was Redhill aerodrome in Surrey this morning. Near Bath, the River

Avon burst its banks, flooding this restaurant. The tables may have been

set for Christmas dinner, but the crackers will not get pulled.

50-something people to phone round, and tell them what has happened, and

50-something people who are not going to be very happy. And I am not

happy. Across southern Britain, hundreds of people have been rescued

from their flooded cars. Near Bristol, this lady returned to find

her vehicle under water. And tonight, a warning for motorists.

People always underestimate the dangers of floodwaters, and the

rivers will continue to rise over the next couple of days, even if it

has stopped raining. On the railways, it has been another day of

disruption, with landslips and hundreds of trees falling onto the

tracks. This train hit one of them near Taunton, leaving exhausted

passengers stranded overnight for eight hours. Nightmare before

Christmas! It has been horrible. Although there have been some

nightmare stories, train companies say they were prepared for this

storm and they have been able to put out arrangements in place. They are

helped by the fact that Christmas is midweek this year, so generally,

journeys have been staggered across several days. If these

holiday-makers thought they were getting away from all the Christmas

stress, they were wrong. At Gatwick, thousands of would-be sun-seekers

spent the day waiting to fly. Disruption to the airport's power

supply caused long delays and cancellations. We are trying to deal

with this calmly. We know there are people who have been here over seven

hours... Police officers were called in to help behind the information

desks, dealing with some of the angry and frustrated passengers.

Even though the storms have left southern Britain for now, there are

still serious concerns tonight. In Surrey, Fire Brigades Union called

off a planned strike so they could deal with the rising River Mole. The

stretch near Leatherhead was declared a major incident this

evening, and water levels are not expected to peak there until the

early hours of Christmas morning. As we mentioned, the severe weather

has affected parts of Scotland in the second half of the day, with the

Northern and Western Isles among the worst-affected areas. Tonight, power

cuts are affecting 3,500 Scottish homes, as our Scotland correspondent

James Cook reports. All day, the storm has been

battering the West Coast of Scotland. It has cut power, caused

some damage and left the Christmas plans of many families in tatters.

For the few ferries which did brave the waves, the crossing was rough.

This was the last sailing on this one, and the passengers knew they

were lucky. We thought we might have a long drive round. We are very

pleased that it is still running. We are going to the parents-in-law. We

are just glad the weather held up enough for us to get home. But many

other people were not so lucky. Looking at the boiling seas, it is

easy to understand why so many ferries have been cancelled. It is

simply not safe. The result for many families is a Christmas Day which

has been ruined. Other modes of transport were finding it tricky,

too. At this airport in Shetland, this plane struggled to get off the

ground safely. And there were some bizarre scenes like seaweed on the

street in Oban, and this seems on the seafront in Ayrshire. The advice

is always the same, give yourself a bit of time. We have got forecasts

for high wind and snow. And the snow has now arrived. Thousands of homes

are already without power, and thousands more are being urged to

prepare for Christmas by candlelight. For updates on the

weather, and the latest road and rail information, you can visit our

website. There are reports of renewed

violence in South Sudan in East Africa. The UN says it believes that

thousands of people have been killed in recent days, and is doubling the

number of its peacekeeping troops in the country. The fighting has taken

place in several areas, including the capital, Juba, and is linked to

political tensions between the president and his former deputy. Our

Africa analyst James Copnall has more details.

The UN says it has found a mass grave in a rebel controlled area.

And there have been reports of security forces in the capital

killing civilians. The military spokesman has denied the charge. The

fighting continues to spread. These government troops hope to retake two

key towns captured by the rebels. It began with reports of an attempted

coup in the capital just over a week ago. Troops loyal to President Salva

Kiir are fighting rebels under the command of his former vice president

Riek Machar. President Salva Kiir is a Dinka, the largest ethnic group,

while Riek Machar is from the second-biggest, the Nuer, and oil is

the country's main source of wealth. The UN peacekeepers are

short of men and equipment. The vote on sending over 5000 more soldiers

will take place soon. Until then, the message is clear - the world is

watching. Attacks on civilians and UN peacekeepers must cease

immediately. The United Nations will investigate reports of these

incidents and of grave human rights violations and crimes against

humanity. Those responsible will be held personally accountable. South

Sudan split away from Sudan only two years ago, but now, even those born

after independence know the bitter taste of war.

A surgeon in Birmingham has been suspended following allegations that

he marked his initials on a patient's liver. University

Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said it was investigating the

claims. The letters were reportedly found by another surgeon during a

follow-up operation. Alan Turing, the computer pioneer

and wartime code-breaker, has been given a posthumous royal pardon. It

relates to his conviction in 1952 for homosexual activity. Ministers

said Dr Turing was an exceptional man whose work at Bletchley Park

saved thousands of lives during the Second World War.

In Rome, Pope Francis has been celebrating his first Christmas Eve

Mass as pontiff in the company of thousands of pilgrims. The service

is the Pope's only public mass for Christmas. Tomorrow, on Christmas

Day, he will deliver his message meant for the world from the balcony

overlooking St Peter's Square, as our correspondent Alan Johnston

reports. Walking slowly into the centre of

the Christmas story, Pope Francis. One year ago, he could never have

imagined this. Back then, he was almost unknown beyond his native

Argentina. But now, he leads the Catholic world. TRANSLATION: Let us

acknowledge our sins and prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred

mysteries... For the first time as Pope, he is guiding it through the

rituals of Christmas, and there were moments tonight when you locked in

his face, when it was easy to imagine that he felt the weight of

his new responsibility 's. When he spoke, he delivered that most

traditional of Christmas messages, the need for peace and love.

TRANSLATION: We love God and our brothers and sisters, who walk in

the light. If our heart is closed, if we are dominated by pride,

deceit, self-seeking, then darkness falls within us, and around us. As

he drew to a close, he sought to instil hope and courage.

TRANSLATION: Do not be afraid. Our father is patient. He loves us. He

gives us Jesus to guide us on the way, which leads to the promised

land. Jesus is the light brightens the darkness.

Pope Francis will return to St Peter's Church's in the morning, and

from its balcony, he will make the traditional Christmas Day address,

in which he will reflect on the troubles of the world.

There's more on today's stories, including the weather, on the BBC

News Channel. But that's all from the BBC One news team tonight - we'd

like to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas. Good night.

Good evening. It will be no consolation to those who have had

their Christmas ruined to know that we have had some exceptional

meteorology over the last a jet stream of 285mph which produced the

storm, which brought a pressure as