hello, i'm christian fraser. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has said he is "grateful" to his air force for a missile attack that badly damaged a russian warship in the black sea. the novocherkassk was hit during an attack on the port of feodosiya in russian—occupied crimea. local officials say at least one person was killed. ukraine said the ship was destroyed. president zelensky wrote on telegram, "the occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in ukraine." the uk's defence secretary also commented on the incident. he wrote on x that...

and he goes on to say that... our correspondent, james waterhouse — who is in the poltava region in central ukraine — explained what this means. it is significant in the sense that ukraine can still navigate russian air defences and strike in the heart of a peninsula that russia has held so tightly onto since 2014. now, the novocherkassk was in port, in feodosiya, suggesting that it was probably being loaded with men, equipment, or both. now, this is a major vessel, it's enormous, and it will no doubt hamper russia's ability to supply troops further north in ukrainian territory it occupies. what is less clear is for how long operations will be disrupted.

we've seen ukraine launch long—range missiles over the past year to great effect for kyiv. it has undermined russia's presence there and it has also frustrated supply lines. there is no doubt that russia's navy, the dominance it enjoys in the black sea and off the coast of crimea, that has been weakened slightly with these long—range missile strikes, to the extent that some ports are no longer completely blockaded. but i don't think that we are going to see it influence the front lines immediately, which ukraine would so dearly want to happen. russia has not only held onto the fifth of ukrainian territory it occupies, but it is attacking as well in some areas. but this is much needed good news for kyiv against the backdrop of waning western support. russian opposition leader alexei navalny has confirmed he's been transferred to an arctic prison. he posted on x — formerly known as twitter — that he is in good spirits. considered vladimir putin's most vocal opponent, navalny has been imprisoned since 2021.

with more on this is europe regional editor paul moss in the newsroom. i think ithinka i think a lot of people will wonder how alexei navalny has managed to get all these tweets out. how did he do it? he get all these tweets out. how did he do it? ., , , get all these tweets out. how did he do it? ., , _, u, do it? he has been communicating throu~h do it? he has been communicating through twitter _ do it? he has been communicating through twitter for _ do it? he has been communicating through twitter for quite _ do it? he has been communicating through twitter for quite a - do it? he has been communicating through twitter for quite a while, i through twitter for quite a while, since he was incarcerated. essentially, he gives his tweet messages to the people who visit, usually has lawyers, and then they send them out through twitter, now known as x, via his support team. he has now been sent to this very remote penal colony, about 2000 kilometre was from moscow in the middle of nowhere. it is going to be very difficult for anyone, including lawyers, to reach him. i think it is a question of how much longer he will be able to issue messages from twitter. the timing of this is no

coincidence. he has been sent to this penal colonyjust femurs before russia holds presidential elections. it could be a coincidence, but most people reckon the whole point is to get him out of the picture to stop alexei navalny from being able to send messages to supporters, particularly at election time. i think it is possible we might be at the tail end of seeing alexei navalny twitter messages. what the tail end of seeing alexei navalny twitter messages. what is the cist of navalny twitter messages. what is the gist of it _ navalny twitter messages. what is the gist of it all _ navalny twitter messages. what is the gist of it all the? _ navalny twitter messages. what is the gist of it all the? i _ navalny twitter messages. what is the gist of it all the? i don't - the gist of it all the? i don't think the — the gist of it all the? i don't think the event _ the gist of it all the? i don't think the event is _ the gist of it all the? i don't think the event is a - the gist of it all the? i don't think the event is a just, . the gist of it all the? i don't. think the event is a just, that the gist of it all the? i don't - think the event is a just, that is what is so strange. there is a collection of tweets. he has been reassuring, saying, that worry about me, i'm fine. i'm totally relieved i made it, i'm in good spirits, thank you for your support. our other times, it really is as if he is writing an article for a travel magazine. he says that there are no reijnders, but there are beautiful

fluffy shepherd dogs. he says he lives near the arctic circle, but there is a beautiful town nearby. he says, i have a sheepskin hatch, i've grown a beard. he leaves us in no doubt that conditions are tough there as well. he says, when i look at the window, i night, then at the evening, and then the light again. i think there is a reference that so far north, there really isn't much in the way of daylight. he also makes clear he can't see much at all because there is a perimeter fence outside his window blocking any views. he says, i can give you any stories about polar exotics yet. he almost makes a joke at the end, saying, i am a santa claus, but a very strange regime santa claus. i give presents to people who have been behaving very badly. i suppose that shows he has still got a sense

of humour. the un's humanitarian agency says a hospital in gaza has been overwhelmed by victims of an israeli air strike. the hamas—run health ministry says 240 people have been killed in 2a hours. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has vowed to intensify the fight against hamas — designated a terror organisation by the uk and us governments. there are again fears that the conflict could spread across the region. the us says it has carried out what it calls "necessary and proportionate" air strikes against pro—iranian militias based in iraq. they were in response to attacks on american bases in the region. 0ur correspondent, shaimaa khalil, is injerusalem. standing in what used to be her home. "0urthings, mum, they're gone." israel's bombing of rafah in southern gaza has continued, leaving those who fled there at a loss of where to go. translation: israel claims | that there are safe residential areas, or secure zones, but this attack shows that that's a lie. israel's military operation has intensified in khan younis, also in the south.

little amal was sleeping with her family. the bomb hit them and killed her uncle. "they were sleeping," she says, "then i heard a big bang. "rocks landed on us." amal�*s baby sister is three days old. baby mariam is bearing the brunt of a conflict she was born into. as the military operation deepens into gaza, tensions have risen on israel's northern border with lebanon. israel's defense minister, yoav gallant, has visited troops in the north after, he said, they'd received cross—border fire from hezbollah, with the idf targeting some of the group's infrastructure. translation: hezbollah looks at what's happening in gaza - and understand very well what we did in gaza can also be done in beirut. hezbollah operatives were also targeted by the us in iraq. the pentagon said us forces carried out air strikes against what it called iran—sponsored militias

in response to an attack on the erbil air base. israel's war in gaza is not close to being over, says the prime minister, and in its wake other fronts grow more tense in already volatile areas in the region. shaima khalil, bbc news, jerusalem. live now to ariah kovler, a writer and political analyst based injerusalem. von der moore, the former israeli ambassador to the united states, there is senior in the war cabinet, he is at the white house today. we know what the white house position is in regards to the length of this conflict. but we have just heard

from israel's military chief that the gaza war will go on for months. there appears to be at now is split between the white house and jerusalem on how long this will go on. i jerusalem on how long this will go on. ~' ., , jerusalem on how long this will go on. ~ . , ., ., on. i think that is true to an extent- _ on. i think that is true to an extent. israel— on. i think that is true to an extent. israel has _ on. i think that is true to an extent. israel has said - on. i think that is true to an extent. israel has said from on. i think that is true to an - extent. israel has said from the beginning they felt this was going to be a long conflict. we are talking months, maybe even years, immediately after the october summit must occur. the white house has off as a cause for an end to the act of fighting to be quicker than that. those positions are not as far apart as they seem. at the moment israel has an enormous amount of reservists called up. they are conducting a large amount of fighting. some people have to go home in order to keep the country functioning. i think many israelis will consider that to be an end to the active phase of the war, but they will be ongoing conflict in gaza. what

phase of the war, but they will be ongoing conflict in gaza. what will that look like? _ ongoing conflict in gaza. what will that look like? if _ ongoing conflict in gaza. what will that look like? if the _ ongoing conflict in gaza. what will that look like? if the fighting - ongoing conflict in gaza. what will that look like? if the fighting goes on for months, who is going to provide the security in gaza for the people to go back to their homes when the israelis are intent on more and more incursions? the element thatis and more incursions? the element that is one of the key questions being asked right now.- that is one of the key questions being asked right now. there is a lot of focus _ being asked right now. there is a lot of focus on _ being asked right now. there is a lot of focus on what _ being asked right now. there is a lot of focus on what the - being asked right now. there is a lot of focus on what the end - being asked right now. there is a l lot of focus on what the end result will be in terms of who will be securing gaza civilian life, she will be the civilian administrator of gaza after the war. but the question hasn't really been answered at all. in fact, there is political pressure inside israel to prevent palestinians returning to their homes in northern gaza until victory, which is a long way off at the moment. in victory, which is a long way off at the moment-— victory, which is a long way off at the moment. , ., the moment. in terms of the running of gaza, the moment. in terms of the running of gaza. at — the moment. in terms of the running of gaza. at the _ the moment. in terms of the running of gaza, at the moment _ the moment. in terms of the running of gaza, at the moment it _ the moment. in terms of the running of gaza, at the moment it is - the moment. in terms of the running of gaza, at the moment it is at -

the moment. in terms of the running of gaza, at the moment it is at the l of gaza, at the moment it is at the un relief agency, unrwa, that provides and disperses the aid. but we heard from the israeli spokesperson just this afternoon that they don't trust the un, they are going to deprive the un of visas to send humanitarian workers in. it is going to be very difficult if the international community cannot be given access to gaza? i international community cannot be given access to gaza?— given access to gaza? i think it is a very difficult — given access to gaza? i think it is a very difficult and _ given access to gaza? i think it is a very difficult and challenging i a very difficult and challenging situation. we have seen pictures of these age trucks, as soon as they enter gaza, they are immediately hijacked by hamas gunmen who take the aid and distribute it as they see fit. they do give some of the two civilians. but hamas mostly on this channel is just a few days ago that hamas fighters... but the challenge is also the situation on

the ground. it is true that israel does not trust the un. many of the un workers on the ground are of course palestinians and many of them are active in palestinian political factions, including hamas. this was clearl an factions, including hamas. this was clearly an issue _ factions, including hamas. this was clearly an issue in _ factions, including hamas. this was clearly an issue in the _ factions, including hamas. this was clearly an issue in the un _ factions, including hamas. this was clearly an issue in the un general. clearly an issue in the un general assembly, who controls the flow of aid into gaza. what do you think will happen in the coming weeks now we have this rigid solution that was passed just before christmas on getting aid in? —— this resolution. the israeli still have some control of that. will it free up aid or will it still be just as problematic? the it still be 'ust as problematic? the israeli it still be just as problematic? tue: israeli position it still be just as problematic? tte: israeli position is it still be just as problematic? tt2 israeli position is that they can support the transfer of substantially more aid going into gaza at the moment. they have said publicly they would like to see that aid double if it can be provided by the international community and they have the capacity to handle all

those trucks. that said, that is opposition in israel inside a government, particularly to providing fuel and to increasing the amount of fuel going into gaza, as long as that same fuel as being rather publicly and boastfully being claimed by hamas, saying they are taking the fuel and using it to attack. gaza needs an increasing amount of aid, there is a real question about the logistics and practicality of how it can be transferred. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. homelessness among military veterans rose by 14% over the past year, despite government funding to support those facing difficulty with housing and wraparound social care. according to the department of housing, 2110 veteran households were assessed as homeless — up from 1,850 last year. ministry ofjustice figures show

that shoplifters would benefit the most from the government's suspension of prison sentences under 12 months. shoplifters account for about 12.5% of sentences that would be suspended under the new rules, which would see offenders punished under community payback schemes. more than 5000 sentences were handed out in the last two years. europe's larkest parking app operator has been hacked, with about 950 people in the uk having their personal data compromised. easypark group — which owns ring—go and park—mobile — would not give many details, but said most of the customers affected were in europe, and that names, contact information and parts of credit card numbers had been stolen. you're live with bbc news. it isa it is a busy day of football, it is a boxing day. let's go to the bbc

sports presenter. nottingham forest have their first win under new manager nuno espirito santo. they came from behind to beat newcastle united 3—1 at st james park. chris wood — who joined forest from newcastle in the summer — scored a hatrick. his first came just before half—time time, cancelling out an alexander isak penalty. he scored twice in the second half as forest caught newcastle on the break. it's been a bad month for newcastle, with just one win in five league games. forest are now five points above the relegation zone. they were always in the game, and i think they had pace and physicality and that was difficult for us. we have prided ourselves on defending those situations better normally, and for whatever reason today that wasn't it. and already analysing what happened today, and we are looking to come back and improve. the big thing for us is we have not had a period of training for a long, long time. hopefully now we will.

couple of other games are under way. bournemouth 1 fulham 0. there could be a change at the top of the table, liverpool will be top if they avoid defeat at struggling burnley, not thatjurgen klopp will underestimate them. i think burnley could have easily had much more points because they had so many good spells in the games where they didn't finish the situation off. the young players in some positions. so, i knew before that they are much better in the position than the points they have. we all know if you win once and you have the chance to play three days later again, then you will win again, and that's exactly what we expect. aston villa could also finish the day on top. they go to old trafford later facing manchester united, who are in action for the first time since the news on christmas eve that sirjim ratcliffe is buying a 25% stake in the club. united have just one win in their last five league games. we have to put things right,

we have to do things different. we really appreciate all the time they are supporting us, even with the setbacks. this time, they are all the time behind us, and we are really appreciating that. but of course we need any help. first of all, the team and i have to do it. the boxing day test in melbourne is under way. australia will be looking to seal the series against pakistan after winning the first test in perth. australia, put into bat, made 187—3 on a rain affected first day at the mcg. marnus labuschagne is unbeaten on 1m. south africa are on top in their first test against india. they won the toss and made the most of it.

kagiso rabada took five wickets. india reached 208—8 before bad light stopped play. kl rahul is unbeaten on 70. the new tennis season is almost upon us. the australian open starts in less than three weeks. the defending champion, novak djokovic, faces carlos alcaraz in an exhibition match in riyadh tomorrow — a repeat of the 2023 wimbledon final, that was the only slam that djokovic didn't win this year. he tragetting an 11th title in melbourne. each time you win, addition that you feel your confidence is growing, so every next year that i come back i relive the memories from the previous years. ijust relive the memories from the previous years. i just love relive the memories from the previous years. ijust love playing in the australian open and the rod laver arena, in the australian open and the rod laverarena, it's in the australian open and the rod laver arena, it's my favourite court. hopefully i can do as well as i did last year. throughout my career i have had lots of success and hopefully it can keep going. that has been a goal at bramall

lane, sheffield united equalising against luton. all the mcburney. don't think they are having a var check. a point does neither of them much good, they are both in the relegation zone. but sheffield united back in it. the amazon rainforest has been experiencing the worst drought since records began, with one of its main rivers recording the lowest levels in 121 years. the drought is the result of the effects of el nino, coupled with a warmer atlantic ocean and a heatwave in south american. but scientists worry that this drought means the amazon is moving faster towards its tipping point — where plant and animal life can no longer recover. stephanie hegarty reports. 0liveira is taking us to his village, and this is the only way to get there. it is a five—hourjourney,

at least normally. his community of 40 families is in the middle of the amazon. it is dry and it is hot. brazil is in the midst of a heatwave. we have been travelling for nearly five hours now, and 0liveira says we're not even halfway, so it looks like we're going to have to turn back. hundreds of thousands of people have been cut off by this drought, but scientists worry that an ecological disaster

is unfolding too. and there are signs. in two major lakes, dolphins are turning up dead. and here, in a city within the rainforest, the air is thick with smoke. man—made fires burning out of control in a dry forest. so, we have rain. yes, finally. but perhaps not for long. well, climatologists are saying this drought will continue. flavia costa researches the health of plants and trees in the forest. some colleagues that are flying drones, they say they can see also canopies that are completely defoliated. the fear is that the amazon is racing towards a theoretical tipping point. in the vast forests, water evaporates from the trees to form rain clouds, so it feeds itself the water it

needs to sustain life — and if swathes of it die, that mechanism could be broken. the forest would keep dying, and faster, in a catastrophic feedback loop. in the last big drought here, in 2015, some estimates say 2.5 billion plants and trees died. and we mostly expect the same now, which is sad. some regions will probably become savannas. but there are pockets of forest that probably will remain. the amazon stores around 150 billion metric tonnes of carbon. we rely on it to help keep the planet cool. but the question is how long it can continue to do that. stephanie hegarty, bbc news, in the amazon rainforest. worrying signs that they're in the amazon region. just want to bring

you an important line of news from turkey. we have been told a parliamentary foreign affairs committee has approved sweden's membership of nato. that means it will go forward for a full parliamentary vote. the committee has been discussing for several weeks sweden's membership. finland has already been approved for is nato membership. all 31 member states have to ratify it. but sweden have been held up in that process. so a significant development there in turkey. the japanese car maker, daihatsu, says it's suspending operations at all four of its domestic plants until at least the end of january because of a safety scandal. it's been falsifying the results of vehicle safety tests. the bbc�*s world service asia pacific editor, micky bristow, has more. it's a major decision, i mean, they have got four plants injapan, as you've just mentioned there, they employ 9,000

workers directly there. there are thousands of supplying companies dependent on work with daihatsu. and they are going to suspend operations till at least the end ofjanuary, that is more than one month away. and there is no certainty that they will resume on time then. so, of course, it is a major blow. this is an important manufacturer of cars injapan. they produce nearly1 million vehicles a year. they have got operations in other countries in south—east asia and so it is a major blow to them. and also to its parent company, this firm is actually owned by toyota, japan's biggest car—maker, so they have already suffered reputational damage because of this. last week, when news of the scandal first started to emerge or the scale of it started to emerge, the share price of toyota fell quite substantially. essentially, what the allegations are is that daihatsu had been falsifying tests on their cars to see if they are safe. now, they have been doing this and it now has emerged for the last 30 years although it has been ramped up somewhat over the last decade. but we are talking notjust

about a few cars and a few models, but 64 models in the range. that is virtually the whole vehicle line—up daihatsu makes and all of them have got some problems with their tests. so it's a major problem, this. you watching bbc news. hello there. boxing day brought a lot of fine, dry, settled weather across the country thanks to a ridge of high pressure, but it is all change into tomorrow. we have storm gerrit expected to bring gales, heavy rains and significant hill snow across scotland, and it remains unsettled into thursday with windy weather, with sunshine and showers. this is storm gerrit, winding its way up out in the atlantic, we are in between weather systems today, hence the fine and dry weather with widespread sunshine for the rest of today. with just one or two showers around, light winds, breezier

for the northern isles, signs of cloud and rain just getting in the far south—west ahead of storm gerrit later in the day, otherwise for most it stays dry, on the cool side, single digits for most. it's a cold start to the night across the far north of england, scotland, with early frost and ice. and then wind, rain, cloud spread northwards, associated with storm gerrit through tonight. so it turns stormier for all and we start to see some snow over the hills in the north. temperatures double figures in the south, single figures further north. storm gerrit then very much in control of our weather on wednesday, a lot of isobars on the charts, so very windy indeed. we have some concerns about the snowfall amounts across the hills of scotland, above 200 metres, in excess of 15 centimetres for many throughout the day. and we can even see accumulations higher than that where we have drifting and blizzards when you add on the strength of the wind. so, very nasty conditions to be had across northern areas, wet and windy elsewhere, gales certainly around coastal areas, up to 60 mph through the channel. later in the day, chance of severe

gales developing for north—east scotland and the northern isles. a little bit of brightness for northern ireland through the afternoon, many places will stay wet with cloudy weather. double figure values for most but cold across scotland. so, pretty severe weather on the way for wednesday, low pressure hangs around as we head into thursday as well, again lots of isobars on the charts through thursday so it will be another blustery, windy day to come. sunshine and showers, most of these in the north and the west, some heavy ones, hail and thunder and snow on the hills again in scotland. probably a better chance of seeing lengthier, sunny spells will be towards eastern england. again, just about double figures for many, cold across scotland. we hold on to the unsettled theme for the rest of the week and the run—up to new year's with rain or showers at times.

stay with us here on bbc news. now on bbc news, nobel minds 2023 — episode two. hello and welcome to nobel minds with me, zeinab badawi, from the royal palace in stockholm. we'll be hearing from this year's nobel laureates. also joining us are their royal highnesses, the crown princess victoria of sweden and prince daniel, as well as students from here in sweden.

welcome to nobel minds and the second of our two programmes. laureates, this is the first time that some of you have been brought together in discussion on television. congratulations to you all. thank you. applause. first, let's look at the chemistry prize with its scientific breakthroughs that have myriad uses that will benefit humankind. let's have a short video looking at what the prize for chemistry was made for. it's very strange. the nano world is really, really bizarre. when matter is reduced to its smallest dimensions, it's made up of quantum dots — nanoparticles so tiny that their

size determines their properties.