live from london. this is bbc news. japan downgrades its major tsunami warning, saying the threat has "largely passed" after a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the country bringing down buildings. the new year brings more hamas rocket attacks and more deadly strikes on gaza, as israel says it expects the war to continue throughout 202a. the uk says its forces are ready to take direct action against yemen's houthi rebels after a series of attacks on cargo ships in the red sea. the bangladeshi nobel peace prize winner muhammad yunus is given a six month jail term for violating labour laws in a case he says was politically motivated. and countries all around the world celebrate the new year with spectacular fire work displays.

hello. we begin injapan, where a powerful earthquake and several strong aftershocks have hit the north coast of the main island of honshu — destroying buildings and starting fires. in the last half hour, a major tsunami warning telling people in the coastal noto area to move to higher ground was downgraded. tsunami warnings have also been issued in south and north korea and far east russia. japan's metorological agency says the quake had a magnitude of 7.6. it struck just after 4pm local time, with its epicentre in the ishikawa region, close to the town of anamizu. several buildings are reported to have collapsed in the nearby town of suzu. this cctv video footage appears to show two coming down. you can see clouds of dust forming above the wreckage at the top left and right of the screen —

and the roof on the building in the foreground cracking apart. there are reports of people trapped in the rubble of collapsed houses. some tsunami waves ofjust over a metre, have reached the coastline — these pictures were filmed in nearby niigata. there had been fears of waves up to five metres in places. this video shows the moment the tremor happened, inside a supermarket. the quake has disrupted flights and rail services and there are reports that some major highways have been closed. more than 36,000 homes have also lost power supplies — but the agency which administers japan's nuclear power plants says they have not been affected. some images are now emerging of the damage caused by the quake. these buildings in wajima give an idea of how violent the tremor was. you can see what appears to be a shop has collapsed at the end of the street. and these pictures show how dozens of roof tiles were dislodged by the quake — with the frames of some

of the homes also badly damaged. here's how one tourist, who's on a snowboarding trip near niigata, described what the earthquake felt like. pretty massive, if you ask me. the whole room shaking, the tv was shaking, i had to keep everything on the table. i did feel safe in my room but everything else was shaking. 0ur asia correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes is following the story. a bit ofa a bit of a downgrade to the warning. yes, to the relief of everybody i think injapan, particularly along that coast. it looks as if the major threat of a five metre tsunami has passed. local authorities say they have downgraded the tsunami warning from a serious tsunami to a, still a warning bottle on ms calgaret to the coast. and we are now five hours

since the earthquake, the initial earthquake struck. there have been several aftershocks, several quite large but as the time has gone on the threat has begun to wane. i'm not surprised now they've now downgraded the threat. it appears that a big tsunami is not likely to hit the coast.— hit the coast. quite a bit of damage. — hit the coast. quite a bit of damage, people _ hit the coast. quite a bit of damage, people being - hit the coast. quite a bit of damage, people being told hit the coast. quite a bit of. damage, people being told to hit the coast. quite a bit of- damage, people being told to stay away from their homes if they have evacuated? ~ �* . away from their homes if they have evacuated?— evacuated? well, it's well into the niuht evacuated? well, it's well into the nicht in evacuated? well, it's well into the night in japan _ evacuated? well, it's well into the night in japan and _ evacuated? well, it's well into the night in japan and people - evacuated? well, it's well into the night in japan and people who - evacuated? well, it's well into the | night in japan and people who have night injapan and people who have evacuated to evacuation centres, which you find in every town. in high ground their strength and buildings, community centres or schools used as evacuation centres during times of disaster, earthquakes, typhoons, things like that. people have moved there and i would expect many to stay there through night, until the damage to their properties and towns has been

fully assessed and then they will probably begin to return home. there's been significant damage. we've seen pictures from one town in the north of the noto peninsula where a large fire broke out, it appears to be burning a hole neighbourhood and fire services can't get through to put it out at the moment. we've also seen many older buildings have collapsed in rural areas. this is quite a remote area ofjapan. many fishing area of japan. many fishing communities area ofjapan. many fishing communities along the coast with older buildings and it will be those worst affected, also many raids have been broken up with huge cracks and rippling of the roads. bridges and a lot of infrastructure have been badly damaged. i would expect to hear of more injuries and perhaps fatalities from the disaster but as i said at the beginning, the good news is it looks like the danger from a large tsunami has now passed. in the meantime, people are relieved because they would still have

memories of the fukushima disaster triggered by an earthquake in 2011. yes. i spent ten years living in japan after the earthquake in 2011 and it affected the country deeply. there was a great deal of collective trauma. every time an earthquake hit in tokyo for example, people will talk about it reminded me of the 11th of march 2011. everybody knows that date, it's burned into their memories and the tsunami that hit after that disaster which took 18,500 lives and destroyed a huge area of the north—east coast is still fresh in people's memories. i think today watching the pictures from chicago, many people reminded of that and will have been very, very concerned about people living up very concerned about people living up there —— from ishikawa. very concerned about people living up there -- from ishikawa.- up there -- from ishikawa. thank ou. jeffrey hall is a lecturer atjapan's kanda university — he felt the quake from some distance away. i spoke to him a little earlier.

i'm all the way over in yokohama on the other side ofjapan but at around 4pm the house i was in, i could feel heavy shaking, about two minutes long and i could tell even though it wasn't near me that this was a big earthquake. it was the same experience i had in tokyo when the 3/11 earthquake hit over ten years ago. you know this has been a terrible earthquake somewhere but not close. so far there haven't been the bigger waves expected. are people still concerned about what may happen? the government is being very careful here. in 2011 there was a sense of complacency among many people that if it's not the highest level of tsunami you can stay in your home and not go to higher ground. in this case they've issued the first highest level alert since that time and the news has

been very serious, basically shouting at people telling them to get out now, do not stop and watch this. watch and people have left their homes, tell us about the preparedness there is for these kind of emergencies. injapanese homes it's pretty typical to have an emergency bag with some food, water, some basic things so thatjust in case there is an earthquake you can flee without having to gather things. they sell these kind of bags at supermarket so people get ready. also, there are evacuation centres designated in most communities and people will be sent maps to know where they can go, in some cases they have platforms they can go up onto. many people have evacuated and are now in these evacuation centres that are supposed to be safer but they don't have a lot of food, they don't have all the things they left behind at home.

i suppose you are on the other side so it wasn't as strong. are you concerned at all about what might happen next? it's obviously very concerning for the people over there. 0n the other side ofjapan it's not really a danger for us but it's still something that every single tv channel is playing an alert or having live coverage because it's such a huge thing. this is the day that many people from other parts ofjapan will go back to their home towns so many people are visiting for new year's. it's our equivalent of christmas here so people are worried people they know who are travelling for the holidays. it's a very tense moment for the whole country. thank you for taking the time to talk to us. israel's military says it has killed a senior hamas commander — adel msammah — in an overnight strike in central gaza.

the bbc has not been able to verify the israel defense forces' claim that he led an attack on a kibbutz in southern israel on the 7th of october. it comes as air strikes continue to hit gaza, killing at least 2a people. in israel, the new year began with air raid sirens sounding, including in tel aviv, after hamas launched more rockets. 0ur middle east correspondent, yolande knell, is injerusalem. she gave us more details about last night's rocket attacks. so it was just after midnight local time, people in tel aviv had been seeing in the new year and there were these air—raid sirens that went off, as a barrage of rockets, hamas said it used longer—range m90 rockets, were fired towards tel aviv, also a part of southern israel. now, israel's iron dome missile defense system was quickly in action. there were the thuds of interceptions bringing down those rockets but really a very grim start to the new year. meanwhile, in gaza itself, in the dark, we had scenes

of rescuers scrambling in the rubble of buildings that had been newly flattened by israeli air strikes. some 50 people killed in the latest air strikes in gaza city, about 20 of them people who were taking shelter at the al—aqsa university, we understand. also in the centre and in the south of the gaza strip, fighting there remains extremely intense. live now to juliette touma, director of communications for the united nations relief and works agency, known as unrwa. give us an impression of what it's like on this first day of 2020 for there. . ~' ,, like on this first day of 2020 for there. ., ~ i. ., , _ ., there. thank you, happy new year. not much difference. _ there. thank you, happy new year. not much difference. the _ there. thank you, happy new year. not much difference. the air - there. thank you, happy new year. | not much difference. the air strikes in the bombardment continues and with that crowds and crowds of people continue to head south in

search of safety. but sadly that hasn't existed for almost three months now across the gaza strip. in your estimation, when israel says it plans or that the conflict could continue throughout the year, what does that do to particular children's psyche? i think everybody's _ children's psyche? i think everybody's psyche, - children's psyche? i think everybody's psyche, the l children's psyche? i think— everybody's psyche, the continuation of the war and any intensification and expansion is going to mean more suffering everywhere, more loss and more grief. it is time for a ceasefire.— more grief. it is time for a ceasefire. ., ., , ., ., ceasefire. how are you getting on with providing _ ceasefire. how are you getting on with providing shelter— ceasefire. how are you getting on with providing shelter for - ceasefire. how are you getting on with providing shelter for people | with providing shelter for people who have been forced to move again? well, unrwa is hosting 1.4 million people right now across our shelters in the gaza strip. people continue to come to the shelters and they are overcrowded, mainly in the south. some of them have been forced to live wherever they can including out in the open. they are very, very

difficult conditions across these shelters and there needs to be much more supplies coming in to help people in need. fin more supplies coming in to help peeple in need-— people in need. on the issue of su lies, people in need. on the issue of supplies, there _ people in need. on the issue of supplies, there are _ people in need. on the issue of supplies, there are reports - people in need. on the issue of supplies, there are reports of. supplies, there are reports of negotiations behind the scenes to try to get to a point where moore can come in. can you explain the logistical and security concerns at the moment you have to overcome any bringing material? it’s the moment you have to overcome any bringing material?— bringing material? it's a very comlex bringing material? it's a very complex humanitarian - bringing material? it's a very i complex humanitarian operation bringing material? it's a very - complex humanitarian operation in the gaza strip. yes. there isn't much supplies coming in, so that's for sure. the bombardment itself stands in the way. there also hits against humanitarian facilities and workers including the recent shooting that we had against one of our convoys. there is also high levels of desperation, of hunger among people in gaza. it means that

every time we go and provide aid especially in areas we are not able to reach as much as we should, people just to reach as much as we should, peoplejust come to to reach as much as we should, people just come to our trucks, they take stuff and they start eating it then and there. this is why it's fundamental that there is a humanitarian ceasefire. we know from the short lived pause a few weeks ago that we managed to bring in more supplies, we managed to get into other areas that were restricted previously and that people finally had some respite.— previously and that people finally had some respite. thank you very much for your— had some respite. thank you very much for your time. _ had some respite. thank you very much for your time. pleasure. - britain's defence secretary has said the uk won't hesitate to take further direct action against houthi rebels who are attacking ships in the red sea. it's been happening since the start of the war between israel and hamas, and writing in the telegraph newspaper, grant shapps said that what was happening was a "test" for the international community. air strikes are reportedly among the actions being considered. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

let's look at some other stories making news here in the uk. almost three million people were seen for an urgent cancer check over the last 12 months — according to new analysis from nhs england. the number being tested has increased by more than a quarter compared with the same period before the pandemic. the government says catching the disease early is crucial to improving survival rates. period underwear could be set to fall in price after the government said the product would no longer be subject to vat from today. the treasury says removing the tax should make the pants up to two—pounds cheaper per pair. they are seen as a greener alternative to tampons and sanitary towels. an increase in the cost of domestic energy has taken effect in england, wales and scotland — adding to the pressure on household budgets in the new year. a higher price cap — set by the regulator 0fgem — from now to april means gas and electricity costs will be 5% higher than the last three months.

you're live with bbc news. a court in bangladesh has sentenced the microfinance economist and nobel laureate, muhammad yunus, and three colleagues to six months in prison for violating labour laws. the four were accused of failing to create a welfare fund for their workers. their supporters say the case is politically motivated. the 83—year—old is credited with lifting millions out of poverty. let's speak to our south asia correspondent, anbarasan ethirajan who's in delhi. give us a bit of background and why this is so significant.— this is so significant. muhammad yunus is a _ this is so significant. muhammad yunus is a well-known, - this is so significant. muhammad | yunus is a well-known, acclaimed yunus is a well—known, acclaimed economist and won the nobel peace prize for creating this micro

financing scheme lifting millions out of poverty in 2006. this model has been followed in many parts of the world. the government has filed a number of cases and according to his lawyer more than 180 cases in the last ten or 12 years or so. charging him with several complaints including how they violated labour laws and not creating a welfare fund for workers. today's judgment was laws and not creating a welfare fund for workers. today'sjudgment was in connection with that but mr yunus and his supporters strongly denied the charges. he has issued a statement a few minutes ago where he said, as my lawyers have convincingly argued in court this verdict against me is contrary to all legal precedent and logic. if you look at this, there has been tension between mr yunus and the current prime minister sheikh hasina. 0nce sheikh hasina described mr yunus as a bloodsucker of the

poor and accused the grameen bank of charging exorbitant interest rates. they deny the charges. there is a background between these two and she always viewed him as some kind of rival unchallenged international community, saying you can come to bangladesh and view the legal proceedings in court and make your legaljudgment but many of his supporters say they are still in a state of shock following the judgment. you they are still in a state of shock following the judgment. following the 'udgment. you mention su - orters following the judgment. you mention sunporters writing — following the judgment. you mention supporters writing letters. _ following the judgment. you mention supporters writing letters. tell- following the judgment. you mention supporters writing letters. tell us - supporters writing letters. tell us more about that because quite hi pro —— high profile figures write the letters. -- high profile figures write the letters. ' :: ., ., ., , letters. 170 internationalfigures includinu letters. 170 internationalfigures including barack _ letters. 170 internationalfigures including barack obama - letters. 170 internationalfigures including barack obama signed l letters. 170 international figures| including barack obama signed a letter saying the bangladeshi government should stop what they called continuing judicial

harassment of mr yunus. he is quite well known around the world and has travelled around the world and has travelled around the world talking about the micro—credit scheme and how it helped to lift millions out of poverty in bangladesh and this has been successfully practised in different countries and that's where he credited. he is called the banker to the poor by people around the world. that's why international celebrities including barack obama write this letter to sheikh hasina saying they should stop that and his lawyer saying more than 180 cases have been filed. they say no due legal process was followed and it was rushed through. so it means that the government according to his supporters wanted to get a judgment quickly against mr yunus. thank supporters wanted to get a 'udgment quickly against mr yunus._ quickly against mr yunus. thank you very much- — pope francis has celebrated a mass

for the world day of peace at st peter's basilica in the vatican. he called on the world to look to mothers and women to find peace, and to emerge from a spiral of violence and hatred. and he also called for every society to respect, defend and esteem women — and to try to see things with genuinely human eyes and hearts. the archbishop of canterbury has called on political leaders, contesting elections this year, to show respect for one another. justin welby urged them to disagree passionately but not to focus on division. 0ur correspondent jon donnison has more. in the year he crowned a new king, archbishop justin welby opens his new year message on the coronation. all: god save the king! and, in particular, the example set by the country's military. for the first time in 70 years, our forces swore an oath to a new monarch. they promised to be faithful and to observe and obey all orders. they understood that it wasn't about being served by us, but to serve.

hip, hip. all: hurray! and at a time when headlines have been dominated by wars, much of the archbishop's message is focused on the world's conflicts — first in ukraine. wars seem everywhere, at the moment. wars we know about, wars forgotten. i've seen for myself the ongoing human cost of war. in ukraine, i went to bucha, where evidence of atrocities was found. i've met ukrainian refugees — most recently in georgia and romania. families having to start again in a new country. he also touches on the current conflict in the middle east. injerusalem last october, i sat and listened to some of those traumatised by war — palestinian and israeli. faith—based organisations are contributing to support communities in the uk...

and separately, in an interview with radio 4's today programme to mark the new year, the archbishop urges politicians in an election year not to focus on division and what he called wedge issues. we have to say my opponent is never my enemy. my opponent is always my fellow human being. we disagree profoundly, we disagree on incredibly important things, but they're human. we respect each other�*s dignity, their humanity, and the humanity of those who support them. and that is a decision by leaders. and i hope and pray that, in this country, they will forswear wedge issues. happy christmas. archbishop welby ends his new year message to the country by wishing everyone a peaceful 2024. jon donnison, bbc news.

here in the uk, the river thames was the setting for london's new year fireworks — and tens of thousands of people gathered in edinburgh for the hogmany celebrations. greg mckenzie reports. big ben strikes midnight. fireworks explode. it's europe's biggest fireworks display and as the countdown began, more than 100,000 people watched along the river thames as the london skyline lit up and the sounds of big ben chimed. fireworks explode. you can actually smell the gunpowder, the air, you can smell it. it's fireworks night here. big ben, the chimes have rung and we are now officially in 2024. best show on earth. amazing, indescribable, no words. so worth it, i am loving it so much. this is my first time for london,

coming here and seeing this. i i love it, it's so good. # ijust came to say hello...# bonjour. namaste. many had travelled to london from all over the world to see in the new year from the capital's iconic london eye. go, london! happy new year! we're originally from - the philippines but we live in liverpool, so hello to the scousers! - happy new year! this year's theme is unity — a message played from the king... 0ur society is woven from diverse threads. ..and the london mayor, who thanked those working in the nhs, the police and the fire service. he said the event took months to organise. we've been planning this sincejuly. there is a team of 75 who have been working over the last four days. one of our strengths as a city

and country is our diversity. we'll be celebrating our diversity but also trying to bring communities together. pipes play. meanwhile in scotland, edinburgh's hogmanay celebrations saw revellers from all over the globe as it celebrated its 30th anniversary. a total of 85,000 people there alone. best new year's eve ever. new year's eve on...princes street is the place to be. it's, like, really cool. # should auld acquaintance be forgot #. and as those headed home singing auld lang syne and putting 2023 behind them, the focus now turns to a new day as 2024 is officially here. happy new year. greg mckenzie, bbc news.

stay with us here on bbc news. hello. i think most of us are ready for a bit of a change in weather type. december was pretty dull — for some in england and wales, the dullest on record. also rather wet, too, across the uk, with above—average rainfall quite widely, but wettest of all, eastern parts of scotland, where we saw as much as three times our normal december rainfall. now there's more wind and rain to come over the next few days. but that change i mentioned — it could be turning drier. also colder, and an increased chance of wintry weather as we go from late week onwards. now, out there at the moment there's a bit of sunshine around for new year's day walks, but the morning sunshine gives way to cloud and rain across parts of southern england, wales and northern ireland

during the rest of this afternoon. winds also picking up here, lightest winds towards the north—east of scotland, where it's still on the chilly side. temperatures around 3 to 6 degrees for many, but most parts of the uk will see temperatures, again, above average for the start of the new year. if you're on the move, though, this evening, more rain arrives, some heavy and persistent rain, lots of surface water and spray on the roads across much of england, wales and northern ireland as we head in towards the evening. that wetter weather spreads into scotland and after a brief frost here we will see temperatures low enough for some snow on the hills. temperatures will lift, though, for many, through the night, and by the end the night into tomorrow morning, a pretty mild start across the south, 9 to 11 degrees. warmer by night, again, than it should be by day. but a wet and windy day to come across some southern areas, particularly during the morning. that rain spilling its way northwards earlier than we saw through today, and with stronger winds, maybe a little bit of brightness later. morning rain and mountain snow across scotland edges its way northwards towards 0rkney and eventually shetland. it does mean many parts of scotland brighten up. further rain at times

in northern ireland. again, a mild one. but a windy end to the day, particularly across the south and the far north. rain at times across much of northern england into the midlands, which will eventually push out in towards the continent to give some pretty stormy weather here, as we head through into wednesday. a quieter area of low pressure moves in and it won't be quite as windy. still breezy though, through shetland and through some english channel coasts. but there'll be varying amounts of cloud, some sunshine, a scattering of showers, mainly to the north and west. most persistent rain will be there across parts of 0rkney. temperatures still on the high side but things will there change afterwards. area of low pressure starts to push its way southwards. a ridge of high pressure moves in. it turns colder, temperatures closer to average, but also drier.

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.