live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello, and welcome to the programme. european leaders have agreed to open eu membership talks with ukraine, a decision hailed by president zelensky as a victory for his country and europe. the country, along with moldova, applied to join the eu after russia launched its full—scale invasion of ukraine in february 2022. president putin, speaking in his first news conference since the war, said there will be no peace in ukraine, until russia achieves its objectives there. we'll have more from moscow in a moment.

but first our correspondent abduljalil abdulrasulov reports from the front line in bakhmut, in the east of ukraine, where troops are under pressure because of a dwindling supply of military hardware. in the bitter cold of winter, this deadly war grinds on, and big guns, provided by western partners, still play a crucial role. ukraine's 93rd brigade is stationed near bakhmut. they say the russians attack at least twice a day. theirjob — to stop them advancing. as the conflict turns to stalemate, ukrainian soldiers say they need the support of their international partners more than ever. it is demoralising for them to hear that, instead, america's funding for ukraine has ground to a halt.

translation: if there is no support from the western i countries, then it's going to get really bad. russia will seize ukraine, then it will be the turn of the baltic states and poland. i don't think the russians will stop here. our conversation is interrupted by orders to destroy a new target. the crew has to be quick. after a long silence, they're told to stand down and hide the howitzer. but these soldiers worry that guns will remain silent for much longer without new us funding and supplies. these are 155mm calibre artillery shells, and most western weapons and artillery systems that ukraine has received use these types of shells, and therefore the shortage of these rounds will mean that those big guns will have to fire less, and that, in its turn, will have a huge impact

here on the front line. there's already a serious lack of ammunition for western weapons, and the shortage is worse for old soviet guns. the commander of this ageing soviet howitzer unit admits that they have to use shells carefully. after loading, the crew waits for hours for the command to open fire on a high—value target. they simply cannot afford to waste ammunition on anything else. the difficult days ahead are uncertain, but these soldiers say their determination is not. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, donetsk region in eastern ukraine. president putin has insisted that russian troops are improving their positions across the entire front line in ukraine. he spoke in a marathon four—hour press conference, during which our russia editor steve rosenberg tried

to pose some questions. there haven't been many — actually, any — opportunities for western media to get anywhere near vladimir putin since his full—scale invasion of ukraine. but today, the kremlin invited us and otherforeign media to the president's end—of—year tv extravaganza — half press conference, half phone—in. on the war in ukraine, he sounded confident. translation: there | will be peace when we achieve our goals. they haven't changed. practically along the entire line of contact, our armed forces are, to put it modestly, improving their position. they are in an active stage of operation. there was a definite military theme to the show, which was broadcast by every main tv channel in russia and went on for hours.

the public had plenty of questions about what the kremlin�*s still calling its special military operation, like would there be a new wave of mobilisation in russia? mr putin said no. this didn't happen last year. the kremlin had cancelled the annual putin phone—in and his end—of—year press conference following the full—scale invasion of ukraine. the fact that the four—hour tv marathon is back reflects his growing confidence nearly two years into the war. he was asked about two americans being held in russianjails — wall streetjournal reporter evan gershkovich and former marine paul whelan. is a prisoner swap possible? translation: we want to do a deal, but these agreementsi should be mutually beneficial. we're in contact with our american partners on this matter. a dialogue is under way.

it's not easy. i won't go into detail, but in general i think we understand each other and i hope that we will find a solution. irina was lucky — she got a question about egg prices. "you're my favourite president," she says. but all i got, afterfour hours, was a sore arm. pity, that. i have so many questions for vladimir putin. another day, perhaps. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. i've been speaking with michael o'hanlon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at the brookings institution. he's also the author of military history for the modern strategist. i asked him about the current state of the war in ukraine. it's a stalemate. i don't think there's too much serious contestation

about that kind of language. it's a defence—dominant battle right now. both sides are good at defensive warfare. both are well dug in. the russians have recovered from their horrible performance in the war in its early months to establish a much more effective way of fighting. it is easier to fight on the defence than the offence, but it's sort of stunning that a day after we learn that the russian army has absorbed 315,000 casualties in the last two years, a remarkably high number, they've nonetheless managed to repopulate that army and do pretty well on the tactical defensive. so i think we are at a place where neither side is likely to make major breakthroughs. ukraine is still 82% held by ukraine, 18% held by russia, and it's probably going to stay that way for a while. the us congress is deadlocked on a new aid package for ukraine, and obviously president zelensky has just been in washington. how crucial is it for ukraine that it secures this funding from the united states?

over time, it's crucial. in the day by day, week by week progress of this particular winter, i don't know that it's absolutely essential, partly for the issue you and ijust discussed, or the reason you and ijust discussed, that neither russia nor ukraine is poised for a major breakthrough and neither is likely to suffer a major defeat, even if they have a few fewer artillery rounds or a few fewer f—igs. and so i think that the united states needs to come through. even though europe's providing maybe 40% of all military aid and 70% of all economic and humanitarian aid, nonetheless, the role of the united states is crucial for air and missile defence, for certain kinds of weapons, for the overall moral and strategic and political clout that that can convey. but in the short term, i don't think we should necessarily talk ourselves into a terrible christmas or holiday season just because the us congress has delayed the approval of aid. if it happens injanuary, i think ukraine will be ok. in other news...

the us national security adviserjake sullivan says the governance of the west bank and gaza strip needs to be connected under a "revamped and revitalized" palestinian authority. he made the comments during a visit to israel, where he met prime minister benjamin netanyahu and other officials, during which he called for restraint. israel told him the war would take many more months. mr sullivan will hold talks with palestinian president mahmoud abbas in ramallah on friday, gaza's health ministry says more than 18,500 people have been killed since the war began. internet and phone networks across gaza have gone down again, according to the region's main telecoms company. 0ur international editor jeremy bowen considers whether the war has any chance of ending peacefully. jerusalem, a historian wrote, is the only city where the dead are more important than the living. he meant the weight

of its bloody past, but it's the last two months and more of killing that have sent palestinians and israelis into new and unknown territory. and here in the holy city which both sides claim as their capital, they are tense, watchful, waiting. choices lie ahead. a cease—fire will come eventually. will itjust be a pause before the next war? or will israel and the palestinians decide that the only way to avoid more sorrow and death is to try again to make peace? arabs and jews have contested the land between the mediterranean and thejordan river for more than a century. this is hebron, on the israeli—occupied west bank. do you have many families left here? i can see since october 7th... and this is issa amro, a palestinian activist. since the 7th of october, palestinians who live near hebron�*s illegaljewish settlement have been mostly under a curfew. so, the army's coming.

what do you think they want? intimidation. yeah? everything they do, it's about intimidating the palestinian population and make them scared, to make this area empty. that is what they do. issa is well—known in hebron, and the army regard him as a troublemaker. they didn't want us to film, but we did when one of the soldiers butted into our conversation. you don't know what it's like to grow up in israel with neighbours like this. i know them. i live with them. i want peace. they don't want peace. even the ones working for me, they hate me. take your mask off. i'm not your enemy. confrontation is built into israel's military occupation of the palestinian territories. peace is impossible while it continues. can you have peace? with them? no, we should force them to peace, pressure them. you should...? pressure them. pressure them? yes.

the international community and international law must be implemented. the international community should make israel accept peace. do you think that the shock of the war in gaza and everything that's happened — the hamas attacks, everything that israel did in response — do you think that will change things orjust make them deeper and worse? i think its two opportunities. it's either we choose to make it deeper and worse, or we make it as an opportunity to solve the conflict and to solve the occupation, to solve the apartheid and make living together possible, because their security solution failed. israel says it has a right to be in hebron and this is security, not apartheid. this was kibbutz be'eri just after the 7th of october. the government here says the only response is to destroy israel's enemies. vivian silver lived at the kibbutz. she was one of israel's best—known peace campaigners.

she believed israelis would never have real security until palestinians had their own state. 0n the 7th, she was at home, in the place where she'd brought up her two sons. the bodies of israelis killed by hamas were still being recovered when we went there to try to find vivian's house. her family hoped she was a hostage inside gaza. as hamas shot their way into be'eri, she texted her son, yonatan, that she feared a massacre. her house was burnt. a month later, vivian silver's remains were identified in the ash left by the fire. so, you were there, i i was there afterwards, and her bones were in the safe room all the while. _ yonatan believes the war lacks a political objective. war, if we're not naive, - it should be a means, right? but it feels like this war

is a cause in itself, - of revenge, of... ..of making a point. you are still a believer in peace even though these people came over into your country and killed your mother? they came into my country and killed my mother- because we didn't have peace, so, to me, thisjust proves- the point that we need it. after the war, the americans want israel's walls and fences, here between jerusalem and bethlehem, to go from a security measure into an international frontier with an independent palestine. the current israeli government says the two—state solution will not happen. so, when the war is over, what needs to go right to give peace a chance? well, first of all, a change of leader on both sides. there's too much bad history, and they don't trust each other. next, there has to be

even—handed mediation, something the americans have never managed to do. and as well as that, both israelis and palestinians are going to have to accept painful compromises on things that really matter to them, especially territory. so much has to go right to move from war to peace. so much has already gone wrong that peace might just be impossible. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a 17—year—old british boy who went missing in spain in 2017 has been found in france — that's according to french authorities. alex batty, who is from 0ldham, was discovered walking along a road in a town near toulouse early on wednesday morning. the father, step—mother and uncle of ten—year—old sara sharif — who died

at her home in woking in august — have pleaded not guilty to her murder. urfan sharif, beinash batool and faisal malik appeared at the old bailey by video link. they also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. the european central bank and the bank of england have both decided to keep interest rates on hold. in the uk, interest rates have been kept at 5.25% for the third time in a row. the bank of england governor suggested it was too early to say when rates could be cut. you're live with bbc news. let's head to australia now, where a state memorial —— these are live images from sydney, where a state memorial for barry humphries

is being held at the sydney opera house. the australian entertainer — who was known for iconic characters such as dame edna everage — passed away in sydney back in april at the age of 89, following a celebrated seven—decade global career. this service began earlier this hour — we've already heard a few reflections from friends and we've just heard from the australian prime minister, anthony albanese. live now to our correspondent phil mercer, who is outside sydney's opera house, where the memorial is being held. great to see you there. what can we expect else from this memorial service?— can we expect else from this memorial service? this is the programme. _ memorial service? this is the programme, and _ memorial service? this is the programme, and the - memorial service? this is the . programme, and the information for hundreds of guests is contained in here, so we are expecting a video tribute from king charles iii, to be read by the new south wales state governor, and also tributes from certainjohn answer injure lloyd webber and others. and for those people are not familiar with barry humphries�*s

most famous work, here it is —— sir eltonjohn, sir andrew sir elton john, sir andrew lloyd sir eltonjohn, sir andrew lloyd webber. here is dame edna everage. she was the comic creation that made barry humphries a household name in so many countries and made so many people laugh, and it is fitting that this state memorial is being held at the sydney opera house of the centre of arts and culture, and barry humphries had a career spanning seven decades. he was born in the australian city of melbourne but really started to forge his career in london in the late 19505, so this was a man who meant so much to so many people, and among those hundreds of people who have gathered here today, we caught up gathered here today, we caught up with some of them earlier and they told us why they had made the journey to the opera house for this service. it is in honour of edna, of course, _ it is in honour of edna, of course, and the extraordinary talent — course, and the extraordinary talent of— course, and the extraordinary

talent of barry humphries andm _ talent of barry humphries and... ~ ., , talent of barry humphries - and. . ._ yeah, and... we idolised him. yeah, the most _ and... we idolised him. yeah, the most fitting _ and... we idolised him. yeah, the most fitting tribute - and... we idolised him. yeah, the most fitting tribute we - the most fitting tribute we could _ the most fitting tribute we could do was to replicate edna. he is_ could do was to replicate edna. he is nikon! it is a bit like the— he is nikon! it is a bit like the queen— he is nikon! it is a bit like the queen —— _ he is nikon! it is a bit like the queen —— and - he is nikon! it is a bit like the queen —— and icon. i he is nikon! it is a bit likel the queen —— and icon. he should _ the queen —— and icon. he should not— the queen —— and icon. he should not have _ the queen —— and icon. he should not have died. - the queen —— and icon. he should not have died. i- the queen —— and icon. he . should not have died. i came the queen —— and icon. he - should not have died. i came up last night, — should not have died. i came up last night, especially— should not have died. i came up last night, especially to - should not have died. i came up last night, especially to come i last night, especially to come to this — last night, especially to come to this memorial— last night, especially to come to this memorial service. - last night, especially to come to this memorial service. he i to this memorial service. he brought— to this memorial service. he brought so_ to this memorial service. he brought so much _ to this memorial service. he brought so much life - to this memorial service. he brought so much life and - to this memorial service. he i brought so much life and love to everybody— brought so much life and love to everybody and _ brought so much life and love to everybody and i— brought so much life and love to everybody and i am - brought so much life and love to everybody and i am so sad| brought so much life and love i to everybody and i am so sad he is gone — to everybody and i am so sad he is one. ~ ., ., is gone. what made him so special. — is gone. what made him so special. do _ is gone. what made him so special, do you _ is gone. what made him so special, do you think? - is gone. what made him so special, do you think? he l special, do you think? he captured _ special, do you think? he captured who we were and took us to— captured who we were and took us to the — captured who we were and took us to the world and everybody .ot us to the world and everybody got to — us to the world and everybody got to laugh. he did it. very nice — got to laugh. he did it. very nice to — got to laugh. he did it. very nice to he _ got to laugh. he did it. very nice to be here. many adoring fan5 there, but, he leaves behind a legacy, but there were some controversies during his career as well, right? during his career as well, riuht? , ~ during his career as well, riuht? , ,, .,, during his career as well, riuht? , ,, ., , ., right? yes, like lots of unknown _ right? yes, like lots of unknown people, - right? yes, like lots of| unknown people, barry right? yes, like lots of— unknown people, barry humphries did find himself mired in

controversy —— well—known people. around the issue of transgender people, he said that gender affirmation surgery was self—mutilation and said wa5 self—mutilation and said that transgender identity was a fashion, and there was a considerable backla5h in australia and beyond after those comments were made in the but certainly the hundreds of people and many, many more watching on the internet and on television right across australia and beyond will be remembering a man who was a comedic genius, the australian prime minister anthony albane5e probably 5umming it up be5t probably 5umming it up best when he said that barry humphries wa5 when he said that barry humphries was simply one of a kind, and that is the mood here at the sydney opera house, remembering a man who was not only a 5atirist but he was an actor, a writer, a landscape painter, but above all else, he made people laugh.— painter, but above all else, he made people laugh. many thanks,

phil mercer— made people laugh. many thanks, phil mercer in _ made people laugh. many thanks, phil mercer in sydney. _ let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. finland has closed its land border with russia to stem the flow of asylum seekers just days after it re—opened two cro55ings. finland say5 russia is deliberately trafficking the refugees to the border in retaliation for helsinki's decision tojoin nato. the presidents of venezuela and guyana have have finished a two—hour meeting focused on how to avoid escalating their border dispute. there are disagreements over the oil—rich region of e55equibo. the president of guyana said he would continue to facilitate investments in the area — despite venezuela's renewed claims to the territory. the french film star isabelle adjani has been convicted of tax fraud. a court in paris found the star had evaded more than $1.5 million in tax by fal5ely claiming residence in portugal.

to china next — forecasters there say the freezing conditions affecting the north of the country, including the capital beijing, are likely to spread further south in the coming days. 0ur reporter nicky schiller is in the newsroom with more. the cold snap started on monday, and many provinces have been hit by blizzards. some cities have recorded temperatures as low a5 —27 degrees celsius. some of the heaviest 5now has been in hubei province, with state tv showing these images. the freezing conditions led to the cancellation of flights, long distance train5, buses and the closure of roads. indeed, officials say snow and ice forced the closure of more than 100 highways across several provinces. authorities deployed more than 2,200 5now plough5. these pictures are from beijing, where thousands of schools have been closed and an orange alert for heavy snow was issued.

it also meant tourists got a glimpse of the famous forbidden city being covered in snow. the capital's 22 million residents have been warned that temperatures could dip to —18 degrees celsius. china has, of course, grappled with weather extremes this yearfrom record rainfall to a blistering hot summer. scientist5 point to climate change. extremity will become the new norm, so much so that even the word extremity or extreme weather, i think, is almost becoming a misnomer — because they're not so extreme. they're extreme in terms of the intensity of experience, but they're not so extreme in terms of the frequency at which they happen. the snow in beijing did also lead to this — a rather large snowball fight between locals in a city park — whilst this giant panda in beijing zoo also seemed to be having fun. the cold snap is set to continue over the weekend, with forecasters warning that record lows for this time of the year could be recorded.

nicky schiller reporting there. the geminids meteor shower, famous for its multi—coloured streaks of light across the night sky, has wowed stargazers across the globe. visible around the world, the meteors can be seen with the naked eye as long as the sky isn't too cloudy or affected by light pollution. in perfect conditions, viewers can spot up to 120 meteors an hour. nasa has called the geminids one of the year's "best and most reliable annual meteor showers". and before we go, if you think taking part in a marathon is tough, take a look at this. 68 runners have taken part in the annual antarctic ice marathon. it takes place just a few hundred kilometres from the south pole at the union glacier. no shorts were worn for this race, as the participants faced sub—zero temperatures and strong winds. that's all the time we have

here on newsday. do stay with bbc news. hello. milder weather is set to develop across many parts of the uk over the next couple of days. that mild air spreading from the west — with it, a lot of cloud. yes, there'll be some sunshine, but i think it will often be cloudy. and the further north and west you are, particularly the north—west of scotland, we can expect strong winds and some heavy rain. but for friday, high pressure dominating to the south of us, keeping things mostly dry in southern parts. this warm front here introducing more cloud, cloud through the morning across northern ireland. that cloud then working its way up into a good part of scotland, clouding over across parts of north—west england, wales and the south—west. maybe the odd spot of rain or drizzle for coasts

and hills, but for central and eastern parts of england, we should hold on to some spells of sunshine. not especially windy down towards the south—east, whereas the winds will be picking up all the while across the north—west of scotland. temperature—wise, eight or nine degrees in some eastern parts, 12, maybe 13 out towards the west. and that mild air in the west continues to push further east as we head through friday night. with it, extensive cloud cover, some mist and murk, some spots of rain and drizzle, particularly across hills in western scotland. very windy in the north of scotland as well, but a milder night in prospect. temperatures generally between 4 and 11 degrees as we start saturday morning. that feed of mild air coming from the south—west and that mild air will be wafting across all parts of the uk as we head through the weekend. saturday will bring a lot of cloud. as you can see, that cloud producing some spots of rain and drizzle. it may be that things brighten up a little bit down towards the south with some sunshine. equally, though, this frontal system here will bring heavy and persistent rain into the north—west of scotland. and those temperatures, 12, 13, maybe 1a degrees, very windy

up towards the north. now, that rain in the north—west of scotland just keeps on coming through saturday night and into sunday. it may be that over some high ground in western scotland, we see up to 175 millimetres of rain. that could well bring some localised flooding and some travel disruption. a bit of rain into northern ireland and northern england. the further south you are, drier, brighter, a bit more in the way of sunshine, highs of 13 or 1a degrees. but after that milder weekend and a mild start to next week, it actually looks like temperatures will then drop away. we may start to see some wintry showers developing over high ground.

the us treasury secretary unveils her strategy for relations with china in the next year. plus, spending on the good things in life. what 2024 holds for consumers in the asia pacific. hello and welcome to asia business report. in the coming hours, the us treasury secretary janet yellen is expected to reveal her plans for managing relations with china next year. they include a second visit to china, and efforts to speed up co—operation on climate change and financial markets.

from new york, here 5 michelle fleury. this speech outlines how america helps to minimise the drama between the roads two biggest economies and what is a presidential election year. we aim to make a communication resilience and when we disagree, when shocks occur, with this from leading the escalation and her remarks calmness by the administration is continuing its review of the tariffs that donald trump imposed more than $300 billion worth of chinese goods to decide whether or not any changes should be made. it did not address the tariffs directly but this of the us is that seeking to decouple from china. by the administration will continue to press china for economic policies responding to local economic