christmas celebrations are �*called off�* in bethlehem in solidarity with the people of gaza. the usual tree has been replaced by a nativity scene in the rubble. and the uk home secretary, james cleverly, apologises after criticism of a joke he made about spiking his wife's drink. hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. it's the christmas present many manchester united fans will have been hoping for. it has been announced that sirjim ratcliffe is buying a 25% stake in the premier league club in a deal worth more than £1 billion — which, pending approval — will see him take control of football operations. he is also promising over £200 million of new investment. the multi—billionaire founder of the ineos petro—chemicals group is a lifelong fan of the club.

it's hoped by many supporters that it might mean the end of the controlling interest of the glazer family. our sports editor dan roan reports. when sirjim ratcliffe toured old trafford earlier this year, the british billionaire was hoping to buy manchester united. instead he will become a minority shareholder of the club he says he has always supported. the founder of petrochemicals giant ineos, ratcliffe has already invested in sailing and cycling teams and owns a third of mercedes in formula 1. the owner of two football clubs, including nice in france, manchester born ratcliffe last year failed in a bid to buy chelsea, at the time hinting to me united was his real goal. some would argue you should be trying to buy the club that you grew up supporting. yes, i mean, i can understand that but manchester united is not for sale. with its rich history... they were the soccer champions of europe. ..legendary players... cantona! ..and dominance under the managerial

great sir alex ferguson, united became a commercial powerhouse with a global fan base. but since 2005 it's been owned by the glazer family and after years of protests from fans unhappy with the club's debt, a lack of investment in old trafford and on field decline, last season the americans put the club up for sale. qatari banker sheikh jassim wanted to buy it outright but withdrew, leaving the way clear for ratcliffe. one of united's top executives explained why fresh investment was needed. we are doing this for a very positive reason. we know we've got new ambition and the talent at united and we wanted to make sure that we attract the right investment to be able to live up to that ambition. after a drawn—out and divisive process that has lasted more than a year now, many united fans will be dismayed that the glazers remain in overall control here at old trafford, the challenge facing sirjim ratcliffe to convince them that he is the man that can lead a revival in the footballing fortunes of this club.

ex—british cycling chief sir david brailsford overseas ratcliffe�*s various sports teams and is set to have a key role at united, the pair experiencing mixed fortunes at nice since ineos bought it in 2019. some environmental campaigners say the petrochemicals company uses sport to give it a more positive image, but those involved defend the investment. what do you think jim's motivation is? he loves a challenge bigger than any and i guess that's the drive for the america's cup and probably when you look at man united it's a team that has been struggling in recent years. there is no bigger challenge in sport right now than turning man united round. so i think that's what drivesjim. but ten years have now passed since united last won the premier league and after a difficult start to this season the challenge facing ratcliffe is a formidable one. dan roan, bbc news. there's been reaction from former manchester united right back and club legend, gary neville, who wrote

on the social media platform x: live now to manchester old trafford arena, our sports correspondent nesta mcgregor has the latest. my my what happens next? they have aareed a my what happens next? they have agreed a deal _ my what happens next? they have agreed a deal but _ my what happens next? they have agreed a deal but the _ my what happens next? they have agreed a deal but the premier- my what happens next? they have i agreed a deal but the premier league must still sign this off. the 71—year—old will be subject to the owner and directors test which normally takes 6—8 weeks. they want to know if he has the money and where he got it from. 0nce that's done, maybe fans can fully celebrate and get to thinking about the glory days that gary neville's twitter

post has mentioned because of united are out of european competition. sir jim ratcliffe's 25% stake comes with a cash injection, some of which will be spent on refurbishing 0ld be spent on refurbishing old trafford but more importantly ineos and sirjim ratcliffe will be in charge of footballing operations, meaning the signing and selling of players and the hiring and firing off managers as well. let's not sugar—coat this because the glazers are still in total control but many fans are unhappy with how the american family have been running the club since 2005 and will see sir jim's place on the board as a step in the right direction.— live now to bbc football reporter, simon stone, in wolverhampton. he's the co—host of the bbc radio 5

live podcast �*how to buy a football club', with sally nugent and faisal islam, which has been following the sale of manchester united since february. what do you make of today's's news? well, i think it's been a long time coming. when the strategic review was launched in november last year, most people told me it would be over by the end of last season. clearly that's not happened. even at the end of last week no one was really expecting it to be before christmas. then we were told at the beginning of this week that there would be fresh impetus behind their discussions. it seemed as if announcement wasn't going to come until the new year. then this afternoon we got a note to say no, it's happening this afternoon. christmas eve is a little bit unusual to do a deal like this but i

think most people will welcome the clarity of the statement and the clarity of the statement and the clarity of the ownership. there is a few hurdles to jump yet before the deal is done but at least we know the direction that manchester united are heading in, now. imilli the direction that manchester united are heading in, now.— are heading in, now. will the fans be ha - are heading in, now. will the fans be happy with _ are heading in, now. will the fans be happy with this? _ are heading in, now. will the fans be happy with this? because - are heading in, now. will the fans be happy with this? because we l are heading in, now. will the fans - be happy with this? because we heard nesta talking about the glory days. how was it run then? the nesta talking about the glory days. how was it run then?— nesta talking about the glory days. how was it run then? the fans tend to be critical— how was it run then? the fans tend to be critical of— how was it run then? the fans tend to be critical of ownerships - how was it run then? the fans tend to be critical of ownerships and - how was it run then? the fans tend to be critical of ownerships and the | to be critical of ownerships and the brutal reality is that after the glazer family took over there was a period between 2007—2009 when manchester united were as successful as they'd ever been in their entire history, winning three successive premier league titles, the champions league, getting to another champions league, getting to another champions league final, getting two domestic cup finals. but many people argue with that is because of the

management of sir alex ferguson and since he retired in 2018 it has been a steady decline on the pitch and this season, this period of time has been as bad as anything, really. i think what manchester united need to do is get the recruitment side right. i think that's been deficient and that is what dave brailsford, who will take a place on the football club board and another ineos representative who has worked atjuventus and paris saint—germain, who has football experience as well. one of their key tasks will be to have a recruitment side overview because over the last few years that has been deficient at united and thatis has been deficient at united and that is the area more than anything that is the area more than anything that needs sorting out in order for the club to be successful on the pitch, which will drive revenues and help with the revamp of old

trafford. we don't know because although sirjim ratcliffe has said he will put money into old trafford, the amount needed to pay for the renovation is needed is far beyond that. we don't know how that will be paid for in the longer term. thank ou. gaza's health ministry says 166 people have been killed and 384 wounded over the last 2a hours, as israel's bombardment continues. this is the aftermath of an air strike in deir el—balah in central gaza. the united nations estimates 1.9 million of gaza's 2.4 million population have been displaced — that's nearly all of the population. the world health organization says the decimation of the gaza health�*s system is a tragedy. the health ministry says more 20,1100 have been killed since the war began in october. the israeli military says troops are entering new hamas strongholds

in the south of the gaza strip, where most displaced palestinians are trapped. these pictures from the israeli military show their forces operating in southern gaza. israel says 1a more soldiers have been killed in gaza since friday, taking the total during the ground assault to 153. speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, prime minister, benjamin netanyahu said the war had come at a heavy price for israel. translation: the war has - taken its toll but we have no option but to keep fighting. 0ur troops have eliminated thousands of terrorists so far. we are fighting with full force until the end, until the victory, until we fulfil our goals. those are the elimination of hamas, the return of our hostages and the promise that gaza will no longer pose a threat to the state of israel. mr netanyahu also dismissed reports that the us has convinced israel not to expand its military activity. on saturday, the wall streetjournal

reported that president biden had "urged the israeli prime minister "to halt a pre—emptive strike against hezbollah forces in lebanon, "days after hamas militants, launched the october 7 "assault on southern israel, warning that such an attack "could spark a wider regional war." this was the view across the israel—lebanon border earlier today, where we saw a thick plume of black smoke in the sky, as hostilities continue in the border area. hesham al sayyad works for penny appeal, a charity that provides medical aid and emergency food in the middle east and africa. he told us about the hundreds of thousands of palestinians displaced as a result of the israeli offensive anyone displaced is not right, but we go back to now the amount of people displaced in gaza, especially now in the rafah governorate because of the bombings that have been happening in the south. you have a place now in the rafah governorate

which is basically desert, that people have been displaced. there is 1.2 million people living in a place which can probably house at most 200,000 people in an area the size of heathrow airport. if you can imagine 1.2 million people living in an area the size of heathrow airport, living on top of one another, with no irrigation, no water supplies, no basic essential needs for a human being like myself to survive. we are looking forward here to christmas from the warmth of our own homes, they have no warmth, hardly any shelter, and we are trying to provide for them. the numbers are harrowing. and antonio guterres, secretary general of the un, mentioned that four out of five of the hungriest people in world are now in gaza. let's take about this further and the trauma people could face from the war.

dr victoria williamson is a lecturer at king's college london, whose research focuses on psychological adjustment after traumatic events. hello and welcome. what sort of impact is this likely to have on people? impact is this likely to have on --eole? . , ., people? the individuals in gaza may exerience people? the individuals in gaza may experience some _ people? the individuals in gaza may experience some significant - experience some significant psychological difficulties. people who have experienced traumatic and challenging events can develop mental—health problems like post—traumatic stress disorder or ptsd. they can also develop other difficulties like major depression and anxiety difficulties too. is ptsd a big risk for many of them? so, a number of people, after traumatic and challenging events can experience psychological difficulties and symptoms after trauma. i think it's really difficult to emphasise that

experiencing psychological difficulties, symptoms, nightmares, difficulty with sleeping, things like that, is very normal after traumatic events and for most people those symptoms will come down after 6-8 those symptoms will come down after 6—8 weeks but for those people who find that their symptoms are very severe or they don't improve in a month, six weeks, post—traumatic that would be the time to start thinking about reaching out to a medical practitioner to get some sort of formal psychological support. sort of formal psychological su ort. . sort of formal psychological su--ort. . , ., sort of formal psychological su ort, ., i” , ., ., support. can you tell us more about the kind of— support. can you tell us more about the kind of help _ support. can you tell us more about the kind of help they _ support. can you tell us more about the kind of help they will— support. can you tell us more about the kind of help they will need. - support. can you tell us more about the kind of help they will need. the | the kind of help they will need. the vast the kind of help they will need. tue: vast majority the kind of help they will need. tte: vast majority of the kind of help they will need. tt2 vast majority of people will recover on their own, post—traumatic but people who feel like they need extra formal support, some of the treatments available, like trauma focused cognitive behavioural therapy or cbt, those sorts of treatments, are available, there are talking therapies and they have good evidence. it's important to stress that disorders like ptsd are

treatable and the treatments available work for the majority of people. how do people know that they are suffering from ptsd? so, one of the key signs that you may be suffering with ptsd is you may experience nightmares, you may have a lot of trouble with intrusive or unwanted thoughts. you may have difficulty with hypervigilance, a feeling of being constantly alert and you may have difficulties with blame and feelings of fear. it's important to stress that you can only diagnose ptsd after four weeks, four weeks after an event. if at that time, after 4—6 weeks post trauma or you feel like you're symptoms are very bad and not getting better, that's the time to reach out to a medical practitioner. thank you. the us military says a drone which hit a chemical tanker

in the indian ocean was launched from iran. iran has been accused of backing houthi rebels in yemen who've been attacking shipping in the red sea in recent weeks. the us says it's also shot down four drones in the same waters. the possibility of hostilities spreading further in the region will concern many international leaders. rob watson reports. could the drone strike on this tanker being escorted to a port in india signal a dangerous, new threat to shipping in the region and an escalation of iran's involvement? just a few days ago, a senior iranian commander threatened to close the mediterranean and straits of gibraltar, so the prospect has to be taken seriously. but its foreign minister claims escalation is not in iran's interest. translation: for us regional security is very important. - we are not seeking to as expand the scope of war. the solution to the problem is not to establish a so—called

coalition in the red sea, but to stop the bloodshed of women, children and civilians in the gaza strip and the west bank. there have already been over 100 attacks on shipping in the red sea by the iranian—backed houthis, based in yemen. us accuses tehran of supporting and funding such attacks and is establishing a coalition to patrol the red sea to protect what it calls a threat to global trade, not just israel's. the houthis aren't attacking just one country, they are really attacking the international community. they are attacking the economic well—being and prosperity of nations around the world. the sophistication of houthi attacks against shipping, including this extraordinary airborne assault on a vessel in the red sea, filmed by the attackers themselves, is already having an impact. hundreds of ships have been diverted from the area at extra cost to owners and customers alike. but despite such attacks

and rising tensions, both the us and iran do seem anxious to avoid a wider war. the shipping companies and their customers will be watching nervously. rob watson, bbc news. christmas is subdued this year in bethlehem — the biblical birthplace ofjesus, after christian leaders in the town cancelled all public festivities as a mark of solidarity with the people of gaza. the town, in the occupied west bank, would normally be packed with pilgrims and tourists celebrating christmas. but a senior catholic leader, the latin patriarch ofjerusalem, did pay his traditional christmas visit to bethlehem. this is some of what he had to say, speaking in manger square. we are here to pray but also, tonight, notjust for the ceasefire. a ceasefire is not enough. we have to stop these hostilities

and turn the page because violence generates only violence and the message of christmas is not violence. it's peace. earlier, a large palestinian flag was carried around manger square. it followed the inauguration of an art installation, "nativity under the rubble," showing figures among the ruins of buildings, in solidarity with palestinians in gaza. this is the scene in bethlehem. very subdued, not what we see in previous years. we'd normally have people attending a service there but it's unclear this year. it is there that the art installation has been installed, symbolising some have described, god is under the rubble in gaza. well christmas, as local people know it, has been cancelled — as shaimaa khalil reports. inshallah, inshallah. on days like this, jawdat and his father would have been talking

about christmas preparations. not this year. jawdat�*s family is stuck in northern gaza. he tries to reassure his father that he'll make it out alive and that they'll be together again, but his dad is overcome with grief. a week ago, jawdat�*s grandmother, nahida, was shot twice in the stomach. his aunt, samar, rushed to help her and was shot in the head. jawdat�*s parents and relatives had been sheltering in the holy family church. now they've buried their loved ones there. the family blames israeli snipers for their death. the idf says it will continue its investigation. "there's still shelling around us", his father tells me. before he says goodbye, he has one last message for his son. "may god be with you, my son", he says. "take care of your sisters." the war in gaza weighs heavily on bethlehem.

visitors from around the world would have been here by now. it's empty. the city is empty from happiness, from joy, from kids, from santa, from every celebration. there is no celebration this year. we cannot be happy because, you know, we are not in another side of the world. we are like, you know, still in palestine. translation: it's so difficult. we're really struggling. look at bethlehem. it's never been this way. the atmosphere is heavy with absence. the absence of any features of celebration, the absence of tourists. pilgrims would normally fill the square. bethlehem is many miles away from the war in gaza, but the pain is felt deeply here. in an unusually empty nativity church, father issa thaljieh tells me his city feels like a shadow of itself. 12 years here as a priest of this church, and i was born in bethlehem. i never actually seen like this time of the year.

we have also brothers and sisters in gaza. and this is what exactly makes it difficult also to celebrate and to have maybe music and to celebrate and to have parties, usually. but because of this, what's happening, so we just pray for them. in manger square, a nativity scene in the rubble has replaced the giant christmas tree, a tribute to the children in gaza and a call to end their suffering. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, bethlehem. here in the uk, the home secretary, james cleverly, has apologised forjoking about spiking drinks. the remark is alleged to have been made on the same day he announced new measures to tackle the problem. with more on this, let's cross to the newsroom. here is our political correspondent ione wells. a huge detraction from government messaging on spiking drinks and calls for him to resign.—

calls for him to resign. that's riaht, calls for him to resign. that's right. quite — calls for him to resign. that's right. quite a _ calls for him to resign. that's right, quite a backlash - calls for him to resign. that's right, quite a backlash today| calls for him to resign. that's - right, quite a backlash today after the daily mirror reported these comments last night. they say that at the reception which happened on monday, a christmas reception for journalists, political aides and ministers, they say that james cleverly was speaking to some of the guests and made a joke about drag spiking, the act of putting drugs or alcohol in somebody�*s drink without their consent. they say that he said to some of these fellow guests that the ideal spouse is one that was always mildly sedated so she doesn't know that there are better men out there. the newspaper also claims that he mentioned the job rohypnol, —— the drug rohypnol, which is frequently used in drink spiking. this came on the same day the government announced a raft of measures to try and tackle drink spiking. a spokesman for the home secretary has said that it was understood to be part of a private

conversation and he made what they described as ironicjoke for which he has apologised but the comments have faced widespread criticism today. labour have called them appalling and say it is inappropriate to make jokes about drake spiking and also charities too including the charity women's aid hussain ministers have a duty to show the survivors of drink spiking that they take the issue seriously rather than downplaying it. 50. that they take the issue seriously rather than downplaying it. so, have we heard from _ rather than downplaying it. so, have we heard from the _ rather than downplaying it. so, have we heard from the prime _ rather than downplaying it. so, have we heard from the prime minister. rather than downplaying it. so, have| we heard from the prime minister on this? there have been calls for him to say something or at least calls for him to resign, but have downing street reacted? so for him to resign, but have downing street reacted?— street reacted? so far, no reaction from downing _ street reacted? so far, no reaction from downing street _ street reacted? so far, no reaction from downing street today - street reacted? so far, no reaction from downing street today to - street reacted? so far, no reaction from downing street today to this. j street reacted? so far, no reaction i from downing street today to this. a spokesman for the home secretary has reiterated that while he doesn't recall exactly what he said, he apologises for inappropriate remarks but there have certainly been widespread calls, as you say, from both charities but also opposition

parties who say that saying it was just a joke isn't an excuse and that he should come out and apologise further for these comments. thank ou. and before we go — let's take a look at the santa's journey around the globe. he is heading for port france a at the moment. he was last seen in mauritius. he has delivered just over 2.5 million mismas presence, part of the norad annual tradition. —— christmas presents. the winds have been howling across northern britain today. and in the south of the country it has been one of the mildest christmas eves on record. temperatures have exceeded 15 celsius. and we may have beaten records, as well, but the met office will verify that in due course. here is the forecast, then, for the night.

still some wet weather out towards the west and the south, winds easing in scotland and northern england. pretty chilly here in the highlands, close to freezing, but look how mild it is elsewhere, 8—12 celsius. now, to sum up christmas day, it is going to be overall cloudy with outbreaks of rain and very mild indeed. if there is any chance of a white christmas, it is going to happen across the scottish highlands. in fact, here in the north, some snow possible around lunchtime, possible also for braemar with temperatures not far off freezing. but by the time you get to edinburgh and glasgow, it is much too mild. showers of rain here. showers and some sunny spells for belfast. cloudy conditions there for the lakes and lancashire. and lunchtime on christmas day is wet across wales, the midlands, and indeed much of the south. breezy, cloudy, with rain at times. if you want an evening walk and dry weather, you might have to wait for a while before that weather front clears away towards the east. how about boxing day? it is looking very promising indeed. well, there is a lull in the weather.

the winds will die down, some sunshine there for belfast, liverpool, for hull. in the south i think some hazy sun. if you want a dry walk, do it quick in the south—west because rain should reach you by the early afternoon, and that is a precursor of a rather large and strong area of low pressure. strong winds and very heavy rain coming our way midweek. in fact, look at all of that rain sweeping across the country. yes, that is snow across the pennines, across the highlands as well. gales in the south and the west. a really unpleasant picture, and of course many of us will be travelling through wednesday and into thursday again. so, bear in mind the weather could turn rough midweek, certainly wednesday, that will last into thursday, as well. heavy rain, snow across the mountains in the north, gales for many of us, and travel disruption is possible. here is the outlook that takes us into 2024, so the 1st of january. and indeed it has a very unsettled one. from me, it is a merry christmas.

this is bbc news. the headlines: manchester united confirm british billionaire sirjim ratcliffe has agreed to buy a 25% stake in the club in a deal worth over $1.5 billion. ratcliffe's ineos group will take control of the club's football operations. gaza's health ministry says 166 people have been killed and 384 wounded over the last 24 hours

as israel's bombardment continues. the united nations estimates 1.9 million of gaza's 2.4 million population have been displaced. israel says its troops are entering new hamas strongholds in the southern part of the gaza strip, where most displaced palestinians are trapped. prime minister benjamin netanyahu says the war has come at a very heavy price for israel. christmas celebrations have been "called off" in bethlehem in solidarity with the people of gaza. the usual tree has been replaced by a nativity scene in the rubble. now on bbc news it's sports day. hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm chetan pathak live from the bbc sport centre. coming up on the programme:

has christmas come early for manchester united fans?