and are the boxing day sales what they used to be? we'll take a look at whether shoppers are still keen to bag a post—christmas bargain. hello, i'm samantha simmonds. 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'. james waterhouse reports from central ukraine for ukraine, this was

a high—value target. the russian novocherkassk landing ship struck by a guided missile. the force of the blast suggests it was full. moscow claims the ship was only damaged. kyiv says it was destroyed. it's going to need more than a lick of paint regardless. crimea has been firmly held by russia since 2014, but sights like this have become more common with ukraine striking deeper into the peninsula. the novocherkassk would've almost certainly been loaded with either soldiers, hardware or both. it being taken out will hamper russia's ability to supply troops further north, as well as further weaken its naval dominance in the black sea. translation: a huge job has been done. - a big assault carrier was destroyed, and it did become part of a fleet to which the moskva missile cruiser belongs. kyiv has successfully targeted russian vessels before,

including the moskva, once the flagship of moscow's black sea fleet. what attacks like these have yet to do is apply enough pressure on moscow for it to surrender ukrainian territory it has taken, but for ukraine, for president zelensky, it is a welcome announcement against a backdrop of waning western support. in feodosiya, fragments of the ship were scattered for hundreds of metres. ukraine has only been able to liberate a few kilometres of its territory. the impact of strikes like this isn't always realised immediately, but they have slightly weakened russia's control here. the problem for ukraine is time is not its friend. peter dickinson is the editor of the �*ukrainealert blog' — at the atlantic council's eurasia centre. he explained why many might consider this attack a particularly significant one. it's a very significant attack. it's one of a series of similar strikes that reflect ukraine's growing ability to hit russia's black sea fleet.

this began in 2022 when the war was in its very early stages, but it's escalated significantly over the past six months or so, with a number of serious hits that either destroyed or seriously damaged russian warships and have forced russia to withdraw the vast majority of its battleships and submarines even from the home port of the black sea fleet in sevastopol to russian ports and primarily to the east of the black sea. and in fact, russia has even reportedly begun work on developing a new port in occupied georgian territory in the east of the black sea, which reflects how severe the blow has been to the russian sea power in the black sea. so this is clearly part of a much bigger pattern and is showing ukraine's ability to force russia back from ukrainian coasts

and to break the blockade of ukraine's own black sea ports. yeah, the uk defence minister says 20% of the russian black sea fleet has been destroyed in the past few months. so tell us a bit more about what we understand to be russia's military capabilities there. well, the russia fleet has been used to first and foremost blockade ukraine's ports. that blockade has now been effectively broken by ukraine's operations in the past six months. the russian black sea fleet has also played a big role in missile attacks on ukrainian civilian infrastructure across the country. last winter in particular, when russian warships were used to launch cruise missile attacks. that has been very notably less of an occurrence this winter largely because these ships have been forced back. and of course they play a major role logistically in helping to support the russian invasion and bring supplies across to occupied crimea

and to southern ukraine. so again this is undermining the ability of russia to maintain its invasion force, especially in the south of ukraine. and then of course there's the morale factor. it's a huge morale boost for ukraine to be seen to be striking the sorts of warships and causing this kind of damage, and from a russian perspective, russia is now losing the battle of the black sea to a country that doesn't have a navy. and if you can imagine, that's pretty demoralising. peter dickinson. israel's military chief has warned there will be no swift finish to the war in gaza. army chief herzi halevi told a news conference the war will last �*many more months�*. he added that they will reach hamas leaders. the group — which is designated a terrorist organisation by the uk government — is still holding more than 120 hostages. the hamas run health ministry says 240 people have been killed in 2a hours. 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. the us says they were in response to attacks on american bases in the region. the government in iraq condemned the strikes as an �*unacceptable attack on iraqi sovereignty�*. 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. "we 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 understands 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, otherfronts grow more tense in already volatile areas in the region. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, jerusalem. palestinian president mahmoud abbas has called for a full ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor. he�*s given his first interview since the beginning of the war in gaza to an egyptian tv channel. lets take a listen to a bit of the interview. israel has not responded to the interview as yet. translation: what is happening in the palestinian territories this for more than a disaster, for more than a gen estate, palestinians have never seen anything like this. even during the catastrophe in 1948, what is happening today is far worse. a huge crime is being committed against palestinians over the past 79 days,

notjust in gaza but also in the west bank and jerusalem. unfortunately, whenever the international community, the un security council and general assembly, try to stop the war, the us disrupts these attempts by using its veto and refusing to bring fighting to a halt. it is notjust marketers and people wounded in gaza, everything has been wiped out, houses, mosques, institutions, schools, everything, you cannot recognise gaza any more. live now to our middle east correspondent, sally nabil. did he say anything on hostages and applying pressure on hamas? he blamed the us for a lot of what is happening because he clearly said that if the us wants to bring the assault, israeli assault on gazza to hold, it can, it is the only country

that can pressure israel. he referred _ that can pressure israel. he referred to _ that can pressure israel. he: referred to the veto the us has used likely to disrupt a un resolution calling for a ceasefire. as you have heard, he has said what happened is far beyond the genocide or a disaster, it is far worse than that, gaza at the moment is unrecognisable. he also spoke about the ability of the palestinian authority is to run gaza after the war. that is a very controversial issue given the huge lack of trust, or at least the huge differences between hamas and the palestinian authorities, will they be allowed to take control? that is unlikely. it is an issue at the moment. he talked about israeli efforts to push them into the egyptian sinai peninsula.

if that was to happen, he said that would undermine the palestinian cause, the egyptian president, and mahmoud abbas thanked him for that. what pressure will be exerted? regarding hostages. he what pressure will be exerted? regarding hostages.— what pressure will be exerted? regarding hostages. he didn't speak secificall regarding hostages. he didn't speak specifically about _ regarding hostages. he didn't speak specifically about that _ regarding hostages. he didn't speak specifically about that but _ regarding hostages. he didn't speak specifically about that but is - regarding hostages. he didn't speak specifically about that but is being i specifically about that but is being criticised by the israelis for supporting terrorism like hamas and he said he cannot but condemn the targeting of civilians in gaza and cannotjustify targeting of civilians in gaza and cannot justify that. targeting of civilians in gaza and cannotjustify that. he says the argument of israel�*s right to defend itself is even illogical to him. he said the international community is trying to bring hostilities to a halt but it is the us impeding efforts to bear fruit at the very end.

around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let�*s look at some other stories making news. the former vice—president of hong kong�*s disbanded opposition has accused the uk of hardening its stance towards those leaving the territory. isaac cheng said immigration caseworkers appeared "predisposed to discredit" claims. after several applications were rejected. a special visa scheme was established in 2021 for pro—democracy hong kongers escaping persecution. about 97% of applications have been successful. thames water has apologised after several homes in surrey were left without water today. areas near guildford and godalming were worst affected. the company said most properties have now had their water supply retored. their water supply restored. the chancellor and local mp, jeremy hunt, said he was �*beside himself with frustration�*. europe�*s largest 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, 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. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here�*s sarah. manchester united are in action for the first time since british businessman sirjim ratcliffe agreed to buy a 25% stake in the old trafford club for about $1.3 billion. the r into the second half against aston villa, not going their way, john mcginn scored from a free kick after 21 minutes before dendoncker doubled the advantage. garnacho had

a goal disallowed for manchester united. liverpool have moved to the top of the premier league for at least the next 48 hours after they overcame burnley 2—0 at turf moor. darwin nunez put liverpool ahead in the first half — his first goal in nine league matches — before diogojota sealed the win with a late strike after coming off the bench as a substitute, his 50th for the club in all competitions. burnley failed to register a single on target for the first time since february 2021. the fourth game in ten days, after the game we cannot expect a top level, we have to get through this and we went through this, scored a wonderfulfirst goal, could have scored many more, burnley could have scored an equaliser, the chances they had were much too big. for us, it is important we won the game and nobody got injured, that is the main information and for the moment it looks like that. luton town moved to within a point of safety after a dramatic 3—2 win at fellow strugglers sheffield united.

the blades had led 2—1 after two second—half goals in eight minutes, but own goals from jack robinson and ben slimane allowed luton to seal back—to—back premier league wins. nottingham forest have their first win under new manager nuno espirito santo. they came from behind to beat newcastle united 3—1 at stjames 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. bournemouth have beaten fulham 3—0 — they�*re up to tenth in the premier league. justin kluivert, dominic solanke from the penalty spot and luis sinisterra scored the goals. the cherries are unbeaten in their last seven matches, picking up 19 points from a possible 21. cricket and 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 were put into bat and made 187 for three on a rain affected first day at the mcg. marnus labuschagne is unbeaten on 1m. south africa are on top in the first test against india. they won the toss and made the most of it. kagiso rabada took five wickets. india reached 208 for eight before bad light stopped play. kl rahul is unbeaten on 70. novak djokovic turns 37 in may but his desire to keep adding to his record tally of grand slams shows no signs of diminishing. the 24—time major winner was speaking in saudi arabia ahead of his clash with carlos alcaraz in a repeat of the 2023 wimbledon final. each time you win additionally you feel your confidence is growing so every next year i come back and relive the memories from the previous years. i love playing in

the australian open, the rudd labour arena, hopefully i can do as well as i did last year and throughout my career. i had lots of success and hope they can keep going. and that�*s all the sport for now. russian opposition figure alexei navalny has confirmed he�*s been transferred to an arctic prison. he posted on x that he is in good spirits. considered vladimir putin�*s most vocal opponent, navalny has been imprisoned since 2021. the russian dissident has told supporters not to worry about him, insisting he�*s relieved to have reached the siberian penal colony. but his chief of staff , leonid volkov, told the bbc, concern for mr navalny remained high.

we are worried. we don�*t forget for a second that he is in the custody of the people who tried to kill him 3.5 years ago and that he is putin�*s very personal political prisoner. and this journey, this forced journey, is yet another proof. so, of course, we are worried. and the only protection, if any, that still exists for alexei navalny is the spotlight of publicity. putin has to be reminded that the world cares about navalny and that he can�*tjust hide him or kill him or whatever. this is very important for us. the post—christmas sales may be getting into full swing today, but research suggests shoppers will spend less than they did last year. major retailers such as m&s remained closed. so, with pre—christmas events such as black friday — and the availability of early discounts online — are the �*boxing day sales�* the major event they once were? theo leggett went to kingston—upon—thames to find out. christmas may be over,

but now it�*s time for the sales. everything is reduced up to 50%. here in kingston—upon—thames, the mood today was cheerful as curious shoppers sought out the best bargains. and across the country, it was a similar story. it's the first time in a long time that we've come out on boxing day shopping. we normally do this online. we were holding out for boxing day sales cos we always come without l about the kids and it's time for us. i just like the atmosphere because it brings a lot of people out, the busyness of being in the city. that�*s why i like the experience of that. we're going to buy a few things in the sales. the shops are so busy, we can hardly get in, to be honest with you. i thought it was going to be more | sales, more staff, but it's less. i so i'm kind of a bit disappointed. it�*s just tradition, isn�*t it? yeah. ever since i was a kid, my dad would bring me out and go around the shops. boxing day itself used to be a huge sales event, but discount extravaganzas such as black friday have robbed it of some of its impact. marks & spencer, next and john lewis

all chose to remain closed today, yet boxing day is just the start. there�*s still plenty of time for people to think about going shopping before new year. retailers need shoppers to come out in force this week. it�*s a vital time of year for them, but the big question is with the cost of living still high and bills to pay, do consumers still have enough money to spend? early indications suggest that while shoppers did splash out more in the run—up to christmas than they did last year, trading was far from spectacular. there'll definitely a temptation - for people to buy at post—christmas, but unfortunately we've just got a lot less money to spend. - the cost of living crisis had a big i impact on how much we spent over the christmas period and could well do for the sales as well. _ research from vouchercodes suggests we�*ll spend more than £14 billion in the shops and online between christmas and the new year, but that�*s still well down on 2022. for retailers, the next few days will be crucial. boxing day itself may not be what it once was, but the sales as a whole still really matter.

what happens this week could lead retailers into a difficult winter or set them on track for a prosperous new year. more from ukraine now and — for the first time — the country celebrated christmas along with most of europe on the 25th of december, rather than the seventh of january. the move from thejulien to the gregorian — or western — calendar was made by president zelensky. many ukrainians embraced the change with enthusiasm, viewing it as a positive step that emphasised their cultural separation from russia, and called it a "historicaljustice". despite the war, in many cities and villages people went to church, and also crowded the streets, dressed in traditional shirts, singing christmas carols. i spoke to a well—known ukrainian singer, alyona alyona, and asked her — how was it — celebrating christmas for the first time on a new date. it's a birthing of new| tradition, you know?

because if we talk about our. calendar in 1913, our christmas was the 25th of december, so we lost it, we forget it. | and now we have super big possibility to go back- to the roots, you know? and all people around are happy. some people buy gifts for children because we have our own, - | but children have to have funny| time, peaceful time with family, presents and family, _ you try to spend this time together. it's very important. you are a rap artist, and you have released a new rap song to celebrate the change of date for christmas. but i know you wanted to show, there is a bit of a traditional- christmas song you were going to sing for us in ukrainian and will translate, so please go ahead. yeah, in this rap song we use words

from some native song, so... - she sings in ukrainian. that was lovely, thank you. yeah, thank you. the song is like the new star give you a new year. - so we come to celebrate with you, i and we wish you that your seeds that put in the ground give a good harvest this year. _ it is the second christmas that the country has been celebrating while at war. how has that felt? we have a lot of traditions, but now at this time, - it's really hard to go - for all of these traditions. | like, in my table, i didn't have 12

plates with meal as is traditional. i have only three because my mood is not super happy, and i'm - not ready to celebrate i at all like it was before. 0k. but we're celebrating because it's hope. i alyona alyona. a major us airline has apologised after mistakingly putting a young boy — travelling alone for the first time — on the wrong flight. six—year—old casper ended up a four—hour drive from his intended destination in florida, where he was due to meet his grandmother. spirit airlines has apologised and offered to reimburse his grandmother for the drive to pick up casper. poor casper. a mass wedding ceremony, involving 50 couples, has been held in afghanistan.

these kinds of ceremonies have become increasingly common in afghanistan, as couples try to avoid the high costs of a traditional wedding. the ceremony took place in kabul, and involved recitations from the koran. but there was no dancing or music, which remain banned by the country�*s taliban rulers. the event was organised by a charity, which also provided the newlyweds with a wedding cake each, and household appliances to start their married life. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. i think you could call the boxing day weather the calm before the storm as things are set to turn very unsettled through tomorrow as storm gerrit, another named storm, hurtles across the country, bringing a mixture of rain, gales and heavy snow certainly across scotland. and it remains windy on thursday with further heavy showers at times. and this is storm gerrit winding itself up out in the atlantic, heading towards our shores as we move through this evening and overnight. so the rain piling into

southern and western areas, winds picking up, too. ahead of it, a cold night to come. subzero values with some frost and ice before the rain arrives, with increasing amounts of snow certainly to the hills here. so it�*ll be very cold to start wednesday here, milder further south. storm gerrit then fully in control of our weather on wednesday. lots of isobars on the charts, close together, hence the gales, outbreaks of heavy rain and some concerning amounts of snow falling over fairly modest hills across scotland through the morning and into the afternoon. up to 15 centimetres in places, maybe more than that. when you factor in the wind, we will see drifting and also blizzards. so some treacherous weather to come throughout the day on wednesday. heavy rain, strong winds elsewhere. maybe brightening up later in the day across some western areas, but i think most places staying cloudy. it will be very gusty, strong winds around the coast through the english channel, severe gales developing across north—east scotland and the northern isles later. gusts perhaps up to 75—80 mph here. double figure values

for most in the south, cold across scotland, but it won�*t feel like that because of the strength of the wind. as we head into thursday, we keep low pressure close by. lots of isobars on the chart again, so another windy, blustery day to come. plenty of showers rattling in from the south—west. some of these could be heavy at times across western areas. again, a risk of some gales. north—west england, western wales could see some disruption once again. a bit of sunshine here and there and some wintriness over the hills in scotland again. temperatures 9—12 degrees. so the weather on wednesday and thursday is likely to cause some disruption. a mixture of rain, snow and gales, so head online or check out the bbc weather app to see the details of all the weather warnings in place. and it remains unsettled for the rest of the week, the run—up to new year as well. could be that on saturday we see another spell of wet and windy weather with some mountain snow in the north.

now on bbc news — review 2023: the biggest stories. there�*s a huge barrage going on overhead just at the moment.

yevgeny prigozhin seemed determined to march his men to the top of the hill. then, he marched them down again. political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation. this is southern israel and that is gaza, and the war here has dominated the news agenda since early october. tragic and polarising, it�*s one of the biggest stories of 2023 and one that i have followed here and reported on throughout, speaking to people in israel and in gaza about how they�*re living through it. the year has seen many important and profound stories, from the war in ukraine

to donald trump�*s legal affairs in the us and for india, a successful moon landing.