this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at midday: ahead of a strike on southern rail tomorrow, the rmt leader, mick cash, denies accusations his union is using the dispute to take on the government. for us it's all about safety, it's our absolute priority and that's what we're seeking to do and we are very frustrated that we can't get a deal. in the last hour, fresh hope for civilians trapped without supplies in the syrian city of aleppo, as rescue efforts begin again after two days of disruption. swearing an oath to british values — a government plan to make all public sector workers pledge to commit to values like democracy, equality and freedom of speech. also in the next hour, ore oduba lifts the glitter ball in the final of strictly come dancing. the bbc sports presenter and his partnerjoanne clifton become the fourteenth champions of the series. the judges said his dancing was "sheer perfection". leicester's jamie vardy and wales

striker gareth bale are among the champions who could be named this year's bbc sports personality of the year at tonight's ceremony in birmingham. and in half an hour on bbc click, discover how the latest robotic technology could improve healthcare. and how 3—d printing could revolutionise the way we build houses. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. last week, hundreds of thousands of commuters were affected by three days of strikes from southern rail and there is a further strike tomorrow by rmt workers. british airways cabin staff are due to strike over christmas as well, and some post office workers will walk out for five days from tomorrow.

meanwhile theresa may is allegedly getting some flak from within her party, for not curbing the powers of striking unions. earlier, the rmt leader mick cash denied that the union is using the dispute with southern to take on the government. we are not about a conspiracy to try to bring down the government. we are trying to make sure we have a safe railway, which is our priority and that is why our conductor members are on strike this week, to ensure the safety of passengers. it is our first and only objective. but the president of the rmt spoke to one of the papers —— is quoted in the papers today from a speech in brighton in september, saying, any trade unionist with any sense would want to bring down this bloody working—class hating tory government. why would he say that if there isn't an effort to do just that? i'm not interested in what is

said that small, fringe political meetings. the general secretary of the rmt speaks on behalf of the union andi the rmt speaks on behalf of the union and i am telling you what about our dispute on southern, which is about having a safety person on every train. it is nothing new. we have done it in a number of companies this year, and we want to see the same southern. why is it that in scotland, on the east coast, on great western, on trans—pennine express , on great western, on trans—pennine ex press , we on great western, on trans—pennine express, we can keep guard on the train and get the same benefit but we can't give it to southern passengers. why? why would your president make such a statement if he's not meant to go off script? he isa he's not meant to go off script? he is a significant figurehead for you. our focus is about the fight to keep the second person on the train. this started in february, i need to remind you, and the director of

franchise for the department for transport said he would take on the trade unions and get them out of his industry. if you have any questions about what is going on politically, you should ask chris grayling, the secretary of state, via his director of franchise was seeking to have a bust up with unions when all we are trying to do is keep second safety critical person and every train. that is an interview for another time. we've got you here today from the rmt. are you saying, then, that your union is the rmt. are you saying, then, that yourunion is in the rmt. are you saying, then, that your union is in no way involved in a coordinated effort and would not wa nt to a coordinated effort and would not want to see this conservative government brought down by your actions? most definitely, we are not doing any coordinated action. if people want rid of government, they do it through the ballot box. we are in an dispute about getting their second safety critical guard on the train. we have real serious concerns, safety concerns, about that, and that is our priority. we wa nt to that, and that is our priority. we want to see passengers at the front

of this, and that is why we are in dispute. that is why our conductor guards are on strike this week. caught mid—sentence there. the general secretary of the rmt speaking to us later. the government is drawing up plans to make all civil servants and holders of public office swear an oath to uphold british values. writing in the sunday times, the communities secretary, sajid javid, says it's not possible for people to play a "positive role" in public life unless they accept such basic values as democracy, equality and freedom of speech. mrjavid's proposals would mean every new recruit in the public sector, including the nhs and the bbc would be expected to commit to the oath, which may have to be read out loud before starting the role. a short time ago i spoke to conservative mp and former culture secretaryjohn whittingdale, who gave his reaction to the proposed oath. i think it is, er, a good idea that people taking a public office should make a declaration that they

subscribe to british values. of course, i'm a member of parliament. every election, er, following that, when parliament returns, each mp ta kes when parliament returns, each mp takes an oath of allegiance. we swear allegiance to the queen and her successors. this is a similar kind of gesture. the former culture secretary, john whittingdale. speaking on sky news, the shadow home secretary diane abbott said making public officials swear an oath to british values would make "no difference" to the problems of radicalisation and integration. i have nothing against it in principle but it will make no difference in terms of radicalisation or integration. what might you have identified the problem is that people who live in this country feel that many of the institutions and values don't apply to them or they want to destroy them. i don't meet many people like that. i have a very diverse

population in hackney, moslems, west indians, people from turkey who are living in this country because they value of what it has to offer. they respect its institutions, especially people who originate from the commonwealth. i don't think the oath will make any verifiable difference. the shadow home secretary, diane abbott. the international trade secretary liam fox has been speaking on the andrew marr show, saying that britain could remain part of the customs union after brexit. we can't go for a quick result. we have to get the right result. what ever result we do come to, we have to be able to put in front of the british people the reasoning for coming to that result. and you yourself are open to the idea of staying inside the customs union? i will argue my case inside cabinet rather than on

your programme. you have always been so outspoken on this issue.|j your programme. you have always been so outspoken on this issue. i remain instinctively a free trader. that matters at the moment are two reasons. first, in the global economy at the moment, the rate of growth of trade is slowing down, and it's slowing down below global gdp. that means we need a more open global trading environment. at the moment, the only place where people are talking about imposing impediments to trade and investment that don't exist at the present time is in the european union. in a relatively slack economy that doesn't make sense. liam fox. our political correspondent has been explaining the complications of a customs union. there would be no ta riffs customs union. there would be no tariffs and barriers in a customs deal between me and you, but if i wa nt to deal between me and you, but if i want to deal with bob, it has to have the same conditions. you can't ta ke have the same conditions. you can't take control of your trade policy

because you have to have the same trade policy with any country in the world. we could have this great benefit and trade freely, but i would have to stick with your trade deals with america or india, for example. it is difficult to liam fox to support the customs union as we know it now, but the government is arguing in some quarters that you could renegotiate the customs union so that we could somehow have all of the goodies but maybe have some freedom around the edges, although they haven't spelt out how that would be possible. a deal has been reached between the syrian government and opposition fighters resume the evacuation people from east aleppo in return for the evacuation of people from two villages within the rebel—held idlib province, according to state media. reports suggest around 1,200 civilians would initially be evacuated from east aleppo in return for a similar numberfrom villages of foua and kefraya. later, the un security council is to vote on whether to send observers to the city. several thousand people spent another night stranded in freezing and dangerous conditions near the front lines. with me is our correspondent alanjohnston. tell us what you're hearing about

this renewal of this evacuation process. you are right, it is an effort to re—knew the evacuation process. it began earlier in the week with several thousand people being removed from the rebel enclave in eastern aleppo. the process broke down dramatically on friday, and since then, we have had something like 48 hours of intense negotiations to try to resume the process. now, syrian state tv say that buses have entered the rebel enclave to prepare to evacuate people there. thousands of people in really dire humanitarian circumstances. but we no longer are only talking about eastern aleppo. the government side has said that if rebel supporters are to be evacuated from that enclave, then pro—government supporters in two other smaller towns must be evacuated. they have been enduring a protracted rebel siege. now, we are

looking at a fairly complicated parallel choreographed evacuation effort between both aleppo on one hand and these two towns some 60 kilometres away. we have mentioned that we are looking ahead to this boat by the un security council on whether observers should be sent to see what is actually happening with these evacuations. what prospect of success does a resolution have? that's right. this whole aleppo crisis goes back, once again, to the security council. the french delegation will put forward a suggestion that un observers be immediately deployed to the rebel enclave. many in the west are very concerned that that large civilian population that is still languishing in the enclave, and the evacuation process may take some considerable time, there are maybe 30,000 people

there, concern that those victorious forces who have won in the battle forces who have won in the battle for aleppo a symbol —— for aleppo may simply go in and carry up human rights abuses. the french say that we need to stop that happening at all cost. we need un observers on the ground watching to try to keep people safe. how likely is it that russia, who have a veto as one of the permanent members of the security council, agreed to that —— agree to that? you may very well see the russians not wanting to allow monitors closely into this situation will stop there was a suggestion on friday from the russian delegation that this sort of deployment of observers couldn't be arranged in a very rapid time frame. allen, thank

you very much. thick fog is affecting many parts of the uk, leading to travel disruption for a second day. the met office has issued a severe weather warning, with southern england and south wales expected to be affected into sunday afternoon. similar conditions on saturday led to some flight cancellations at heathrow and gatwick airports. a group of mps says the government must not use the introduction of new mayors across england next year to shirk its responsibility to properly fund public services. the public accounts committee says there needs to be more clarity about who is spending taxpayers' money and where responsibility lies, but ministers say the new roles will help communities take control of decision making. prince harry has revealed he no longer struggles with his royal role, and says he feels the need to "make something" of his life. speaking in an itv documentary about his charity work in lesotho the prince said losing his mother at a young age made him question his position, but that he now views life "very, very differently". secunder kermani reports. what is it that you are making?

clothes, obviously. laughter prince harry looks in his element as he helps out in a centre teaching life skills to young people affected by hiv. it is run by a charity he co—founded ten years ago in the small south african state of lesotho. sentebale have helped more than 21,000 people, many of them teenagers. and harry's clearly passionate about its work. hiv/aids is the number one killer of adolescents across sub—saharan africa. because kids don't take their drugs? lesotho is an example. you have a bunch of kids who have no idea about hiv. they are not allowed to talk about it. and now that we have the drugs and pills to be able to give these kids a healthy, happy long life, yet we're not educating them or empowering them to make their own decisions. harry first visited africa in 1997, not long after his mother's death and he says he still feels a connection to the continent.

i think the first time that i went to africa, i was tiny. i think i went with my dad to a spice girl concert injohannesburg? for me, personally, it is an escape. not only have i found that escape but i have found a way to try and use the name and the position for good. in recent weeks, harry's relationship with actress meghan markle has placed him firmly in the media spotlight once again. he says, in the past, he resented his position and wanted to bury his head in the sand. now, though, he's excited to be able to use his profile to help those less fortunate. "prince harry in africa" will be broadcast on itv at 9pm on monday. it is quarter past 12. the

headlines: behead —— ahead of a strike on southern rail tomorrow, the head of the rmt says the union is not using the strike to take on the government. evacuations start again in aleppo after they were disrupted two days ago. swearing an oath to british values — a government plan to make all civil serva nts government plan to make all civil servants pledge allegiance to values like democracy, fairness and freedom of speech. sport now. a full round—up from the bbc sports centre with richard. hello. let's start with cricket and the 5th test between england and india in chennai. india are closing in on england's first innings total of 477. at the close of play the home side are 391—4, trailing the tourists by 86 runs. the lynchpin of india's innings was kl rahul, who was out on 199, just one run short of his double century. the men who'll return to the crease tomorrow are nair, who's on 71 and vijay who's 17 not out.

jim lumsden looks back at the action... there has been little to sing and dance about her england. india's motto has been anything you can do we can do better. the target was 477. the 150 partnership was slugged out in some style by patel. soon after, he provided a little relief for a grateful england into the hands of jos for a grateful england into the hands ofjos buttler. pujara didn't hang around, going cheaply to alastair cook. bradl swatted his way to his fourth test 100. —— rahul. it was pedestrian stuff from cook's men. in sum, the attention started to wonder. the last time kohli picked up a bat, he stayed for days,

making 235. not this time. not many wickets were falling. england's frustration became plain to see. rahul rattled ? frustration became plain to see. rahul rattled? it would seem not. he looked certain to make a double century before playing a dreadful shock. he had recorded the biggest score by an indian opener against england in the process, but his exit may just have let england in the process, but his exit mayjust have let the other side back in. chelsea are nine points clear at the top of the premier league, and today manchester city and arsenal face each other hoping to close that gap. so lots to play for in the top half of the table today. starting with 10th placed bournemouth hosting southampton who are 9th. at 4 o'clock, 5th place tottenham face burnley, who are the only side in the bottom half of the table in action today, they lie 16th having lost 4 of their last 5 games in the league. at the same time, it's that game at the etihad stadium. we played against each other many

times when i was at barcelona and bayern munich. there is respect. they have fast players in front. they have fast players in front. they can defend well. they use the counterattack perfectly. so, a good team. we need to defend well and not be timid every time you get the ball. we need to attack, which is pa rt of ball. we need to attack, which is part of the philosophy, and overall, thatis part of the philosophy, and overall, that is what you have to do, but you have not to forget that city as a team is very strong going forward. maybe even more now with pep guardiola. we certainly have to focus to defend well. there is a game underway already this morning,

it's the club world cup final in yokohama. european champions real madrid are taking on kashima antlers who won the japanese championship, the j—league, last season. at half—time, it's one—all, an early goal for karim benzema gave real the lead, but gaku shibasacki has just scored the equaliser just before half—time. one of the legends of boxing, 51—year old bernard hopkins, has lost his final fight. he's won multiple world titles in a glittering career, but was knocked out of the ring to end the contest. his opponentjoe smithjunior put hopkins through the ropes, you canjust see him here. this all happened in the 8th round. he recovered and was given medical attention. a remarkable end to his 28—year boxing career. that is all the sport for now. more in the next hour. richard, thank you. bbc sports presenter 0re 0duba and his partnerjoanne clifton took home the glitterball trophy in last night's strictly come dancing final, beating fellow competitors danny mac and louise redknapp. a little earlier i spoke to former strictly professional dancer karen hardy, who won the series back

in 2006, about the talent in this year's final. look at the final that we had stopped for me, it was the best combination. you had front runners there, but you also had the slow burners, which is what makes a true strictly final. we often talk about the journey. we saw the journey with 0re. an absolute novice dancer but he kept up. it was equally hard for the likes of danny and louise, because technically, they were more in front at the beginning, so it was harder to show a growth to the public. but they made it to that final. how much of an allowance to thejudges make final. how much of an allowance to the judges make the fact that someone like 0re, who dance before, whereas others have maybe appeared onstage dancing? when you perform, they are best—mac there are four parts of the cake. it is notjust technical, you performance,

choreography, good music. the final asa choreography, good music. the final as a whole different game because of the pressure. we saw the quick step from danny, and over mistakes all the way through it, which could have been nerves. but you don't know. and you need your choreography to be ambitious, but then you are more likely to make mistakes, i guess. did the right couple win? for me, yes. i will put it out there. people have been asking what i think. i will say that there was a breath of air, the difference between them all. you can't say that is a far—fetched leader. it was phenomenal. as i look back over it, asi phenomenal. as i look back over it, as i did this morning, we had a party last night with the neighbours round and it was wonderful. and eve ryo ne round and it was wonderful. and everyone has an opinion. and when louise did her argentine tango, the

room didn't speak. when it was the showdowns, we were all like, come on! that's what i love about this show. from 5—105, everybody feels they can have a go at it, get together. they can commit. my love this year has to be ed balls. i don't know what you thought. aye, aye, i could not believe what i was watching, in the best possible way. look at this. that is one of those moments that goes in the history cabinet, for me. and then to think of him as the man who talked about economics — i could not compute the two. great fun, and that is what strictly is all about. the magic that ed balls brought that was different. i couldn't concentrate. in the past, we have had our, i am

going to call them clowns. they have embraced character rather than the dance. ed, on and off television, he kept going to be at one point, karen, is this hip action right? when he dance, even though he knew he wasn't the best, he gave a commitment, and that was encouraging, and he inspired his partner. when you get that teamwork, that relationship, that unity, it is great and that is why he stayed so long. this year, a brother and sister are professional dancers both in the final. he picked her up and swung around when she won. she looked like she could not believe what she had achieved. you are so exhausted you can hardly talk. i saw that moment. there was this silence andi that moment. there was this silence and i am sure they were saying,

talk, talk, but you just can't take it in. when we dance competitively with our partners, we have an average of 11 judges. you've got something like 15 million judges, all choosing. when you feel that you've converted the nation, it's magical to lift that trophy. i can't explain that. it is obviously extremely tiring to do anything between eight and 15 hours of rehearsal day when you are not a professional, but you are carrying the weight as well of the responsibility for choreography. the weight as well of the responsibility for choreographym is essential. choreography, unlike an artist who paints a picture, he can keep all his little notes on things, once we create something, it is gone in time, and we have had some amazing choreography from start to finish. you are a judge on the strictly tour and you have gone down a storm. are you going to replace len goodman? watch this space. keep praying. would you like to? i

wouldn't say no. you heard it here! it's been an incredible twelve months for home—grown sporting success and to reflect that, an unprecedented 16 contenders have been shortlisted for sports personality of the year 2016. the award will be decided by a public vote this evening. and for anyone who hasn't made up their mind, here's a reminder of the nominees. nicola adams lets out a triumphant roar! having been crowd as 0lympic champion for the second successive time! gareth bale with a moment of absolute magic! not many players in the world can do that! it will be a glorious golden double for alistair brownlee. the olympic triathlon champion for the second time! kadeena cox, gold in the velodrome and now gold on the track! bow to his superiority.

mo farah wins the gold! laura trott is britain's most successful female 0lympian of all time! a record fourth gold medal! up towards the line, jason kenny has got it! what a ride. it is a golden hat—trick in rio forjason kenny! he's there. wimbledon champion again. a supreme performance but it is murray's time in the sunshine of centre court once again. adam peaty takes a olympic gold by an absolute street. he has obliterated the world record. olympic champion! great britain have won the olympic gold medal for hockey. history makers! kate richardson—walsh has led them to the gold medal. nick skelton, a big star,

takes the gold for great britain. one wonders whether dreams come true but they have today. a super ride from sarah storey! yes, 12 gold medals now in paralympic sport. jamie vardy, nobody has done more than him. leicester city are the premier league champions! max whitlock has done everything he can. double olympic champion! and a huge smile across the face of danny willett. at five under par, what a performance. who will it be? you can have your say later. and join us on the red carpet for the bbc sports personality of the year tonight on the bbc news channel from 5 pm. now, the weather.

the quiet spell continues but there are still problems the herds —— to be had because of the fog. there will be the odd bit of brightness coming and going, a lot of cloud around, a lot of the fog lingering through the afternoon. the best temperatures will be across northern britain, 11—13dc. through the night, that fog will return notjust across central part of england and wales, with the breeze dropping out, the conditions might be right forfog further north into england and into the scottish borders. spasmodic progresses, the fog is trying to lift into low cloud and failing miserably. there might be enough cloud for a spot of rain eastern counties of england. is this working?

this is bbc news. the leader of the rmt, mick cash, has denied his union is