30/12/2016 BBC News

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, says he won't expel

American diplomats in response to US sanctions over alleged hacking.

It follows accusations Moscow interfered in the American elections

by hacking into e-mails, a claim denied by Russia.

Mr Putin says he will wait until President-elect Donald Trump

Also today - The ceasefire in Syria appears to be holding, the day

17 injured after a bus crashes in thick fog in Oxfordshire.

And, newly released records reveal how anti-nuclear protesters gained

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has said

that he won't expel any US diplomats from the country, in a surprise

response to President Obama's decision to order Russian diplomats

Mr Obama, who's also imposing sanctions, had accused

Russia of interfering in the US presidential election.

Despite advice from his foreign minister, Mr Putin has

decided not to retaliate - for now - as Steve Rosenberg

Following accusations of cyber attacks on America, the US had

expelled 35 Russian diplomats. So how would Moscow respond? Well,

today, Russia's Foreign Minister proposed tit-for-tat. He said he had

asked President Putin to expel 35 American diplomats. But the Kremlin

leader said no. No Americans would be expelled. He would wait to see

what kind of policies Donald Trump pursued in the White House. That

doesn't change what America's top intelligence agencies believe to be

true, that state sponsored hackers, backed by the highest levels of

Russian Government, interfered in the US presidential election, with a

cyber attack on the Democratic Party. The aim, to embarrass Hillary

Clinton. Was President Putin behind it? Washington suspects he was. Last

week, I got a chance to ask him myself. MrPresident, your country

has been accused of state sponsored hacking with the aim of influencing

the result of the US presidential election. And President Obama

revealed that he told you personally to cut it out. What did you tell him

in response? The Kremlin leader refused to say, dismissing all the

talk of hacking as sour grapes from the Democratic Party. The losing

side always tries to pass the buck, he said.

But President Obama had decided there was enough evidence to merit

retaliation. As well as expelling diplomats, he ordered Russian

Government compounds in New York and Maryland to be shut down. US

officials believe they were being used for intelligence. Washington

has announced sacks sanctions against -- announced sanctions

against individuals too. Including these men wanted by the FBI. Moscow

is furious. Today, the Prime Minister posted this.

It is sad that the Obama administration would start out by

restoring our ties, is ending its term in anti-Russia death throes.

RIP the Russian Embassy in the Embassy in the UK had nothing good

to say either. Soon there would be a pro-Moscow President in the White

House. Judging by President Putin's decision not to expel any Americans,

it could be that Putin and Donald will get along just fine. Steve, how

big a surprise was this decision today by President Putin? Well, this

was vintage Vladimir Putin, just when you think the Kremlin leader is

going to follow convention and do what Russian and American leaders

have been doing since the Cold War, in other words, tit-for-tat, you

kicked our guys out, we are going to kick your guys out, he doesn't do

that. He side-steps that and instead says I am not kicking anybody out. I

am not going to lower myself, he said, to the level of irresponsible

diplomacy and the key phrase that Russia will build its future

relations with the United States based on the policies that Donald

Trump will follow, and by the way, he said, happy new year, President

Obama. Happy new year, Donald Trump and he also invited the children of

all American diplomats accredited in Moscow to a new years party in the

Kremlin. Vintage Vladimir Putin, an attempt, I think, to try to take the

moral high ground. Thank you very much.

A nationwide ceasefire that came into effect overnight

between the Syrian government and rebel factions appears to be

holding across most of the country, although some clashes

The deal was brokered by Russia and Turkey with the backing of Iran

in an attempt to end the civil war that began in 2011.

This was the moment when the tide of Syria's

Buses lined up earlier this month to evacuate thousands of rebel

fighters, defeated in their key stronghold in Aleppo.

A huge blow to the opposition movement, leaving the Syrian regime

And giving the regime an opportunity to negotiate a ceasefire

TRANSLATION: This reflects the reality that after Aleppo's

liberation the situation is now different.

There is a real opportunity to reach a political solution for the crisis

in Syria that ends the bloodshed and establishes the roots

But it is Syria's key ally, Russia, which is leading

this push for an end to the five-year civil war.

A chance for President Putin to portray himself as a peacemaker,

although he admits the ceasefire is fragile.

And already some rebel groups are disputing

Osama Abu Zeid of the Free Syrian Alliance insisting

that the ceasefire applies to the whole country

and all rebel groups, including Islamist extremists,

which the Syrian army says it will continue to target.

Two ceasefires agreed by Russia and the United States earlier this

But this time the Americans and other Western powers have been

completely excluded, with Russia working instead

And so far this latest ceasefire has held in many parts of the country,

although there have been some government air strikes.

This lull a welcome respite for a country, so much of which has

Seventeen people have been injured after a coach veered off a motorway

slip road and overturned in heavy fog in Oxfordshire.

The vehicle came off the M40 slip road near Thame.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning of fog across much

of Southern England and parts of Wales and is advising

Our reporter Helena Lee has the latest.

It was in the early hours of this morning in thick fog the coach

veered off a slip road off the M40 before rolling into

Its mangled remains and the damage done clear

16 passengers were on board, travelling from Heathrow to Oxford.

Remarkably, none were seriously injured but all were treated

in hospital, some for broken bones, others for cuts and bruises.

The bad weather made the recovery operation challenging.

All three emergency services attended.

With 17 people on board in total, very intensive for the paramedics

and the ambulance crews that attended assisted by fire

Obviously, probably a chaotic scene to start

The Oxford bus company said the driver was very experienced

and had been doing overnight shifts for a number of years.

Now the coach has been taken away, the investigation turns

And, why did the coach come off a junction earlier

Things are getting back to normal here but driving conditions are

still very challenging. The Met Office has issued a new fog warning,

extended until 4.00 this afternoon because the fog took much longer to

lift than they expected and visibility in some places is less

than 100 metres. Also, if you are catching a plane today, you may face

delays. Thank you very much.

The FTSE 100 has closed 2016 at a record level.

The benchmark index closed up 7,142 points, marginally

beating the previous record reached yesterday.

The sharp fall in sterling, following the Brexit vote,

has boosted FTSE companies, which are largely global firms

which general rate much of their revenue in dollars.

People in India have until the end of the day to hand

in discontinued bank notes, or risk their money

Last month, the government announced it was withdrawing

the two most popular notes, which account for more

The move was designed to tackle corruption and tax evasion,

The billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has warned

that the world's health systems would struggle to cope

and zika outbreaks showed the world was too slow to respond

He said that complex regulations and lack of organisation meant drug

companies took too long to produce vaccines.

Learner drivers will be allowed on to motorways for the first

time, if new government plans are approved.

The lessons will not be compulsory and driving instructors will decide

Ministers hope the move will make roads in Britain safer.

Britain's road network is amongst the safest in Europe and today's

proposed changes to both driver and motorcyclist training aims

Under the plans, for the first time, learner drivers will be able to have

lessons on motorways, but there are caveats.

Learners would have to be accompanied by

The lessons would be voluntary and the instructor would decide

Any proposed change to the law would be well publicised.

At the moment you can't learn on the motorway until you have

There's a small take-up which means that people learning by trial

Much better that they get taught properly right at the outset

and encouraged actually to make long journeys using the motorways

Novice motorcyclists would face changes too.

They would have to take a theory test online and those holding

a provisional licence could have their compulsory basic

training certificate revoked if they accrue more

The proposals also include a trial of target number of hours of lessons

for all learner drivers before they take their tests.

The Government stresses that there are no plans to make

Theresa May has criticised President Obama's policy on Israel,

after the US administration described the government

in Jerusalem as the "most right-wing" in the country's

Downing Street said the comments were inappropriate.

I'm joined by our political correspondent Chris Mason.

It's unusual for Britain to criticise the United States, why is

Number 10 saying this? It's unusual and striking for another reason,

this is a row that Downing Street didn't need to get involved in but

decided that it felt it should. It's criticised the barbed language of

the outgoing administration, twice. Firstly on that language around the

description of the Government in Israel, Downing Street said it

wasn't appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically

elected Government of an ally. On the issue of settlements in the

occupied Palestinian territories, it said yes it believed they were

illegal, but MrKerry's focus on this one issue in a deeply complex

dispute was not the way to negotiate peace, that a reference to John

Kerry's speech, the outgoing Secretary of State the other day.

Those remarks from Downing Street have been criticised by a senior

Conservative, the chairman of the foreign affairs Select Committee.

The state department in Washington said it is surprised. So, why are

they doing it? Firstly, it is their view but secondly, diplomatically

it's useful for Theresa May to align herself relatively close to Donald

Trump, given that in three weeks' time he will be President.

Thank you. Newly released Government files

reveal that guards at the Faslane naval base were ordered to shoot

suspected intruders, after three people broke

into a nuclear submarine. The Prime Minister at the time,

Margaret Thatcher, said she was "horrified"

that the intruders had succeeded. Faslane, home to Britain's

nuclear submarines and one of the most secure military

establishments in Britain. Yet in October 1988, three

anti-nuclear demonstrators broke into the base at night and got

aboard a nuclear sub. Documents released at

the National Archives show When Mrs Thatcher was first told

of the security breach, the thing that evidently

horrified her most was that the intruders had managed

to get into the control room Her adviser Charles Powell wrote,

"Had there been armed terrorist the consequences

would have been incalculable". And Mrs Thatcher herself noted

at the top of the page, We could all have been

put in grave danger." Polaris was the forerunner

of today's Trident. Phil Jones, then a young

peace activist, was one He says they were astonished at how

easy it was, and shocked. When the commander of the submarine

came into the control room, and he was shouting at us,

"Who the F are you? "This is outrageous,

we could have been the IRA", The files show staggering

security failures starting As a result of the incident,

Royal Marine sentries were given orders to shoot anyone suspected

of trying to damage the sub, but it didn't stop the same thing

happening again at least twice - An unnammed Chinese football

club offered Real Madrid around ?250 million to buy

Cristiano Ronaldo - Jorge Mendes claims the Portugal

captain would have earned around ?85 million a year under the deal

but insists his client Ronaldo's current deal with Real

was signed in November There's more throughout the day

on the BBC News Channel, Now on BBC1 time

for the news where you are.