:00:00. > :00:00.as far north as Scotland. The on Sunday, leading up to the New Year,
:00:00. > :00:00.it is looking particularly stormy. So keep track of the weather and
:00:00. > :00:19.have a good evening. The battle for the key Afghan town
:00:20. > :00:25.of Sangin continues. The government says it has killed 18 Caliban
:00:26. > :00:30.commander. Ten people killed and scores more
:00:31. > :00:34.injured after a storm of the United States.
:00:35. > :00:37.They deal in in Syria could see several thousand fighters pull-out
:00:38. > :00:41.of the key refugee camp as early as Christmas Day.
:00:42. > :00:46.Boats, buses and a wheelchair, the Syrian goal pushed across Europe
:00:47. > :01:03.finally find sanctuary and we are following her a global journey.
:01:04. > :01:10.Hello and a warm welcome to you. We begin in Afghanistan for security
:01:11. > :01:17.forces say that they have killed 50 Taliban fighters in the battle
:01:18. > :01:21.Helmand province. The dead are said to include a senior Taliban
:01:22. > :01:25.commander. The Taliban maintained at the town is still under their
:01:26. > :01:30.control. It is should huge at Greenpoint and as the key transport
:01:31. > :01:36.link, linking the capital to the Northern districts. With ongoing
:01:37. > :01:40.fighting more Afghan forces have arrived to help their beleaguered
:01:41. > :01:45.colleagues. British forces are also on the ground in an advisory
:01:46. > :01:50.capacity and American warplanes have carried out air strikes against
:01:51. > :01:53.Taliban positions. Nato entered its combat mission in Afghanistan in
:01:54. > :01:58.December last year but since then the Taliban have been gaining
:01:59. > :02:08.ground. This includes capturing another city. A spokesman for the
:02:09. > :02:15.Afghan Interior Ministry says they are making good progress. There is
:02:16. > :02:19.still fighting going on in Helmand province. Since yesterday we have
:02:20. > :02:26.been conducting some special operations by special forces. There
:02:27. > :02:29.were special operations last nights which had a good result, killing
:02:30. > :02:36.lots of Taliban and their key leader. We are also focusing on our
:02:37. > :02:44.operations. Yesterday we were able to reinforce and sound reinforcement
:02:45. > :02:50.to the town where are forces had been 43-4 days. Just load the only
:02:51. > :02:55.focus is to make sure that those Taliban attacks can be repelled and
:02:56. > :03:01.we are trying to focus on ground operations as well. -- three or
:03:02. > :03:07.four. The help was therefore then when they had to face tough
:03:08. > :03:12.challenges from the Taliban. The town has always been contested and
:03:13. > :03:19.we have had a lot of challenges in the past. It is not the first time
:03:20. > :03:25.that it has come under attack. Last year the Taliban were always trying
:03:26. > :03:29.to launch massive attacks on it. At this time yesterday when we were
:03:30. > :03:35.able to provide ammunition and help to the forces, they were stuck in
:03:36. > :03:41.the town, and that was a great step after three or four days. We are
:03:42. > :03:46.facing challenges in Helmand province. It was not only in this
:03:47. > :03:51.town but there were other parts that the Taliban tried to attack.
:03:52. > :03:57.According to the possibilities and these authors we have in Helmand
:03:58. > :04:02.province and others, we do our best to make sure our forces get the
:04:03. > :04:08.right support and that is timely. That is our main goal during an
:04:09. > :04:14.operations. With fighting ongoing in Helmand province, what is the mood
:04:15. > :04:17.like in the provincial capital? Our reporter is there and said the
:04:18. > :04:23.support. I am in the capital of Helmand
:04:24. > :04:29.province. This is a province where millions of dollars were spent on
:04:30. > :04:34.foreign aid. Recently the city has been shaken by Taliban attacks and
:04:35. > :04:42.even now ten kilometres behind me is the front line where almost every
:04:43. > :04:51.day there is fighting going on. Two Hours Drive to the North is another
:04:52. > :05:00.district where until last night over 150 security forces were surrounded
:05:01. > :05:06.by the Taliban. They were only help just today by special forces,
:05:07. > :05:14.advised by handful of British advisers. There is a lot of hustle
:05:15. > :05:20.and bustle here and happy children, but under the skin this is a city on
:05:21. > :05:24.the edge. I want to bring you some news that
:05:25. > :05:27.has just come in. Dozens of police vehicles have converged at the
:05:28. > :05:32.shopping mall in North Carolina after receiving reports of shots
:05:33. > :05:37.being fired. The maul and Charlotte was crowded with shoppers when the
:05:38. > :05:44.police arrived. Frantic shoppers ran out of stores looking for shelter.
:05:45. > :05:48.An unnamed eyewitness told a local broadcaster that a gunman had been
:05:49. > :05:53.shot by an officer, the police have not confirmed the incident. We will
:05:54. > :05:58.have more from Charlotte as a constable for BBC News.
:05:59. > :06:01.Now some other news. Cleese in Brussels have arrested a ninth
:06:02. > :06:06.suspect in connection with the attacks in Paris last month.
:06:07. > :06:10.Prosecutors are quoted as saying the rest of the unnamed man took place
:06:11. > :06:13.earlier this week but wasn't reported so as not to alert possible
:06:14. > :06:19.accomplices. President Putin has announced that
:06:20. > :06:23.Russia will build a series of nuclear plants in India over the
:06:24. > :06:32.next two decades. He was speaking at a joint press meeting. About seven
:06:33. > :06:36.billion dollars worth of deals have been signed, many of which are
:06:37. > :06:39.defence-related. And Iraq security forces are trying
:06:40. > :06:44.to drive out the last Islamic State fighters. Government troops have
:06:45. > :06:47.taken control of several districts and held by strikes they have
:06:48. > :06:52.advanced towards the main administrative centre. The progress
:06:53. > :07:00.is being hampered by suicide bombers, snipers and traps.
:07:01. > :07:02.Tornadoes have ripped through parts of the southern United States
:07:03. > :07:09.killing at least ten people and injuring dozens more. They have left
:07:10. > :07:11.a path of devastation in Mississippi and Tennessee as well as leaving
:07:12. > :07:13.thousands without power in an Indiana and Arkansas. Our
:07:14. > :07:19.correspondent reports. The storms raged
:07:20. > :07:31.across seven states. One is thought to have travelled 100
:07:32. > :07:36.miles across land in Mississippi where only six people have
:07:37. > :07:39.been killed including As some fled, some others
:07:40. > :07:43.hid in shelters only I was holding my dog
:07:44. > :07:52.and the roof came off. I lay down and it
:07:53. > :08:00.went right over me. Emergency services search through
:08:01. > :08:03.the rubble for those missing. In the worst hit areas, some towns
:08:04. > :08:09.were completely destroyed. It is heartbreaking to see
:08:10. > :08:11.the families who have lost their loved ones
:08:12. > :08:21.here, lost their homes. This is a bad time of
:08:22. > :08:23.year to do that anyway. It is never a good time
:08:24. > :08:26.but it is certainly a bad Storms at this time of year
:08:27. > :08:30.in the south are not unusual, but the ferocity has
:08:31. > :08:32.taken many by surprise. In one home that was turned
:08:33. > :08:35.to rubble there was little hope: The Christmas tree
:08:36. > :09:05.was still standing. The deal which are still at a
:09:06. > :09:08.delicate stage involves an agreement between rebel fighters and the
:09:09. > :09:12.government. Our Middle East editor has more.
:09:13. > :09:17.What I understand is that it could start as early as Christmas Day. It
:09:18. > :09:30.is a deal that will involve some Isis fighters in the complexity of
:09:31. > :09:34.what is going on pledging. There was a battle in the camp and conditions
:09:35. > :09:39.there became almost unlovable for the people who were trapped. The
:09:40. > :09:44.Secretary General described as they did the circle of hell. On the
:09:45. > :09:49.perspective of the UN this deal is about making the camp said again for
:09:50. > :09:54.the people who are still there. There are about 15,000 - 18,000
:09:55. > :09:59.people. The Syrian government have one of the big threats on his
:10:00. > :10:09.doorstep removed. This is the closest that I got to Damascus. --
:10:10. > :10:12.Isis. They have reached a point of stalemate where it looks as if they
:10:13. > :10:17.do not feel there is anything left to fight for there. They get winded
:10:18. > :10:25.and their families out. Some of them will go to rack up, but the majority
:10:26. > :10:30.will go north. We are seeing a new who shattered peace effort in
:10:31. > :10:33.January will see a peace conference and the Syrian government and
:10:34. > :10:37.opposition leader there. This will be looked back on as a small
:10:38. > :10:40.positive sign. Do stay with us on BBC News because
:10:41. > :10:45.they have much more run the impact of the war on Syria. We will be
:10:46. > :10:50.following the incredible journey of the Syrian girl by boat, bus and if
:10:51. > :11:31.wheelchair across Europe in search of century. -- in a wheelchair.
:11:32. > :11:39.They broke slowly over Lockerbie. The plane was no stone in the soft
:11:40. > :11:45.earth. You can see what happens when a plane eight stories high false
:11:46. > :11:48.from 30,000 feet. Christmas has returned to Albania after the
:11:49. > :11:53.communist bandmaster more than 20 years. Thousands went to midnight
:11:54. > :12:04.mass where there were anti-Communist rise ten days ago.
:12:05. > :12:08.This is BBC World news. Our latest headlines: As fighting continues in
:12:09. > :12:13.the key Afghan town, the government say they have killed a top Taliban
:12:14. > :12:18.commander and dozens of militants. Ten people have been killed and
:12:19. > :12:20.scores more injured after a particularly dangerous storm hit the
:12:21. > :12:26.south and midwest of the United States.
:12:27. > :12:33.Most of us are familiar with the idea of being offered drugs to cope
:12:34. > :12:36.with Hydra pressure -- high blood pressure. The now experts are saying
:12:37. > :12:39.the drug should be continued for some people who have normal blood
:12:40. > :12:43.pressure. Our correspondent reports. We're
:12:44. > :12:49.used to thinking blood pressure is high, low or normal. This research
:12:50. > :12:52.suggests that blood pressure -- that people with normal blood pressure
:12:53. > :12:56.should be given drugs to lower health pressure is there a risk of
:12:57. > :12:59.other health problems. They look to studies involving more than 600,000
:13:00. > :13:02.people and found that a relatively small drop in blood pressure would
:13:03. > :13:09.reduce the risk of stroke and heart failure by about 27%. That makes a
:13:10. > :13:14.big difference to people who are had a heart attack or stroke. Medical
:13:15. > :13:18.experts think that the study today will be two new guidelines about who
:13:19. > :13:22.needs blood-pressure medicine. There is a lot of work to do across the UK
:13:23. > :13:25.to identify the people at high risk and treat their blood pressure, but
:13:26. > :13:30.this is telling us that we should be looking closer at bringing people's
:13:31. > :13:35.blood pressure down lower than we previously would have done.
:13:36. > :13:39.Lifestyle changes, such as do more exercise and drinking less, a lot of
:13:40. > :13:48.help reduce blood pressure. I especially say they are good healthy
:13:49. > :13:51.habits for many of us. Saudi Arabian Fire investigators are
:13:52. > :13:54.examining the bell tower remains a part of a hospital with at least 25
:13:55. > :14:01.people were killed and more than 100 injured early on Friday. The fire
:14:02. > :14:08.broke out on the first floor of the hospital. Our correspondent reports.
:14:09. > :14:11.The fire ripped through the hospital in the middle of the night.
:14:12. > :14:13.Some of the more vulnerable patients caught up as it took hold
:14:14. > :14:15.of maternity and intensive care wards.
:14:16. > :14:17.Eyewitnesses say it got out of control quickly.
:14:18. > :14:20.It left little time for those inside to escape a fire they say
:14:21. > :14:25.TRANSLATION: A nurse came to me and told me about a short circuit
:14:26. > :14:29.I took maintenance supervisors with me as well as the nurse.
:14:30. > :14:34.We were met with smoke and loud screams from men and women upstairs.
:14:35. > :14:38.We were not able to control the situation.
:14:39. > :14:41.Inside the scale of the devastation is clear.
:14:42. > :14:44.The charred remains of beds and medical equipment are the only
:14:45. > :14:48.remaining signs of the care given in these wards.
:14:49. > :14:50.Fire investigators are already working to establish exactly
:14:51. > :14:59.what happened and how the blaze went on to claim so many lives.
:15:00. > :15:02.TRANSLATION: We know when the fire started but we do not know
:15:03. > :15:05.if it was caused by an electrical fault or something else.
:15:06. > :15:06.Following instructions from His Highness, the governor
:15:07. > :15:09.of the province, a commission of inquiry has been set up
:15:10. > :15:18.and its results will be announced as soon as they are available.
:15:19. > :15:20.This year Saudi Arabia has seen a string of deadly
:15:21. > :15:24.Most prominent was the crush at the Hajj pilgrimage
:15:25. > :15:33.There was also a collapse at Mecca's grand mosque and a fire at a complex
:15:34. > :15:36.Saudis have taken to social media to criticise the Government
:15:37. > :15:41.Whilst criticism of the Saudi royal family and government is frowned
:15:42. > :15:44.upon, the death toll from incidents like this can only increase pressure
:15:45. > :15:57.on them to improve the safety standards of the kingdom.
:15:58. > :16:03.More than half of the refugees that have fled to Europe this year are
:16:04. > :16:08.from Syria, escaping the war back home. Some countries have welcomed
:16:09. > :16:14.the new arrivals, including Germany, one young Syrian girl has found
:16:15. > :16:22.sanctuary. She was pushed across Europe in a wheelchair and the BBC
:16:23. > :16:27.has been following her story. In a new country it is a season of
:16:28. > :16:35.change. Three months after reaching Europe, this girl has found a new
:16:36. > :16:46.life. Germany is as I expected her to be. She is beautiful. She is
:16:47. > :16:51.waking up earlier and going to school every day and doing that kind
:16:52. > :16:57.of stuff. I love doing that. This was how she arrived. Suffering from
:16:58. > :17:00.cerebral palsy, her epic journey from the Middle East was made in a
:17:01. > :17:06.wheelchair with her sister and a family friend. I first met her in
:17:07. > :17:16.September stranded on the close fund Guinean border. I have to be an
:17:17. > :17:26.astronaut to go out and see. I want to meet the Queen. On she travelled
:17:27. > :17:37.across European borders. Into detention camps. IM a prisoner so it
:17:38. > :17:43.is not good. -- I am a prisoner. Do you know where you are going? To
:17:44. > :17:51.some camp. You don't know where they are going to send you after this? I
:17:52. > :17:55.don't know, I am lost. On to Germany and a reunion with her beloved
:17:56. > :18:07.brother who was already seeking asylum.
:18:08. > :18:14.She shares this flat with her older sister. She dreams of walking and to
:18:15. > :18:18.start physical therapy. Her parents are still living as refugees in
:18:19. > :18:27.Turkey where they fled to escape the fighting. What is your Christmas
:18:28. > :18:39.which? To see red periods. -- to see my parents. To have a family
:18:40. > :18:42.reunion. She has come this far by force of her own personality,
:18:43. > :18:47.beloved family, and the kindness of strangers. There is no telling what
:18:48. > :19:00.she may achieve in the years to come.
:19:01. > :19:04.At court in Thailand has sentence scumbags sentenced to people to
:19:05. > :19:09.death for the murder of British to this. They were killed last
:19:10. > :19:16.September. Our correspondent reports.
:19:17. > :19:19.Arriving at court to hear their fate - two young Burmese men charged
:19:20. > :19:21.with a horrific crime on a holiday island.
:19:22. > :19:24.David Miller and Hannah Witheridge had been doing what so many young
:19:25. > :19:26.Britons do at their age - backpacking through Thailand.
:19:27. > :19:28.Their battered bodies were found last year on this beach
:19:29. > :19:31.From the start, the police investigation was marred
:19:32. > :19:47.When they detained the two suspects, they were put
:19:48. > :19:50.They both also retracted their earlier confessions,
:19:51. > :19:53.saying they'd been threatened and beaten.
:19:54. > :19:57.There were many doubts expressed about the prosecution case,
:19:58. > :20:00.not just by the defence lawyers but also by international forensic
:20:01. > :20:08.experts, in particular about the central piece of evidence,
:20:09. > :20:11.the police DNA tests, which they said were unreliable.
:20:12. > :20:14.None of that was sufficient to sway the judges, who insisted the tests
:20:15. > :20:17.were up to international standards and enough to justify a guilty
:20:18. > :20:23.The emphatic outcome of this drawn-out trial gave some
:20:24. > :20:26.satisfaction to the family of David Miller, who attended the hearing.
:20:27. > :20:28.We believe that the result today represents justice
:20:29. > :20:37.It is our opinion that the evidence against Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo
:20:38. > :20:44.They raped to satisfy their selfish desires and murdered to cover
:20:45. > :20:47.They have shown no remorse during the trial.
:20:48. > :20:51.It was a very different experience for the mothers of the two convicted
:20:52. > :21:00.In court, the defence lawyers had failed to convince the judges
:21:01. > :21:04.of the flaws they said riddled the prosecution's case.
:21:05. > :21:06.Now, they plan to appeal against the verdict,
:21:07. > :21:27.Some sports news now and following Louis Van Hal's angry outburst at
:21:28. > :21:30.the media on Wednesday, the Manchester United captain, Wayne
:21:31. > :21:36.Rooney, says that the team are behind a manager. Speculation is
:21:37. > :21:41.mounting that Van Gaal's job is under threat as the team have not
:21:42. > :21:45.won in six games, the longest run since 1998. They have also lost
:21:46. > :21:50.their last three games. Wayne Rooney has insisted that Manchester United
:21:51. > :21:53.tried to get the results to turn things around.
:21:54. > :21:57.Many people will be celebrating Christmas on Friday. Perhaps this
:21:58. > :22:04.some time off work to recover from the excess food and drink. Not for
:22:05. > :22:07.footballers in the Premier League. Leaks in Germany, Spain and France
:22:08. > :22:11.has started their winter break but here in England players are getting
:22:12. > :22:14.ready for three games in the space of the week. Deliverable manager
:22:15. > :22:21.says that the winter schedule makes winter tired in the New Year --
:22:22. > :22:25.makes players tired in the New Year. There is a good reason why the big
:22:26. > :22:29.English clubs have not been that successful, there are too many
:22:30. > :22:34.tournaments. There are too many games, the biggest league in Europe,
:22:35. > :22:40.you want always be successful, that is how it is. You have no break. In
:22:41. > :22:44.the preseason all the English clubs travel to Asia and things like this.
:22:45. > :22:51.I think everyone knows that it is not the way. But you cannot change
:22:52. > :22:56.it? Anyone can change it. Not me, I am German and I cannot come here and
:22:57. > :23:01.tell you to change it. But you cannot want and do everything. But
:23:02. > :23:07.that is not my decision. Everyone knows that, I knew it from Germany.
:23:08. > :23:16.It is funny to see football over Christmas, but we do not have the
:23:17. > :23:19.break. The cricket team's preparations for
:23:20. > :23:24.it to the New Zealand hasn't hampered by protest from within the
:23:25. > :23:28.team. The 2020 captain and the one-day captain have refused to
:23:29. > :23:38.train with another player at a fitness camp. The player was banned
:23:39. > :23:42.from the sport for a minimum of five years in 2011 after being charged
:23:43. > :23:47.with spot fixing. The ICC lifted their sanctions earlier this year.
:23:48. > :23:54.He told the head coach that he would not attend any part of the camp in
:23:55. > :24:01.which the man would participate. Pakistan will be playing 31-day
:24:02. > :24:03.internationals during their tour. Australia will decide between Shaun
:24:04. > :24:08.Marsh and Raeburn is to open alongside David Warner in Saturday's
:24:09. > :24:13.second test against the West Indies. There are also looking to prove
:24:14. > :24:20.themselves. Josh Hazlewood leads the attack just one year after coming on
:24:21. > :24:26.to the site. I have a bit more responsibility and I have definitely
:24:27. > :24:32.felt that in the second innings. You do get the ball in your hand more as
:24:33. > :24:41.well. I am a leading bowler. I seem to thrive on that extra
:24:42. > :24:45.responsibility. The good thing about our bowling attack is that
:24:46. > :24:51.everything has something different. I try to take wickets I a strike
:24:52. > :24:57.bowler. I sometimes get more runs. You have to work on partnerships. It
:24:58. > :25:03.is about having something different. The West Indies struggled to compete
:25:04. > :25:10.in the first test going down by an innings and 212 runs. The captain
:25:11. > :25:14.said his side has to improve. I think one good performance could
:25:15. > :25:18.turn things around, that is how we need to look at it. We can be
:25:19. > :25:21.negative and we need to find ways to pick ourselves up. One good game
:25:22. > :25:26.could lead to a turn around and that is the way I'm taking it going
:25:27. > :25:32.forward. Pope Francis is leading Christmas Eve Mass of St Petersburg
:25:33. > :25:35.-- at the Vatican. It is one of the most important matters of the year
:25:36. > :25:40.for Catholics celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. This is the first
:25:41. > :25:43.of many masses to take place around the world but many people choosing
:25:44. > :25:49.to stay up late into the night to attend Mass as the ushering
:25:50. > :25:53.Christmas Day. Children at the heart of the celebration. They were
:25:54. > :25:59.invited to come from the countries that the pontiff had visited. Tens
:26:00. > :26:06.of thousands of people are expected in Saint Peters Square to hear the
:26:07. > :26:07.pontiff a traditional speech at 11am. You're with BBC