live from london. this is bbc news. japan downgrades its major tsunami warning, but urges people to stay on higher ground, after a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the country, bringing down buildings. the new year brings more hamas rocket attacks and more deadly air strikes on gaza — where almost 22,000 palestinians have been killed since october the 7th. and as 2024 begins, religious leaders from around the world urge tolerance for all beliefs and pray for peace in the new year. we begin injapan, where a powerful earthquake and several strong aftershocks have hit the north coast

of the main island of honshu — destroying buildings, tearing up roads and disrupting travel. a major tsunami warning has now been downgraded, but people along the coast of centraljapan have been told to remain on higher ground because of high waves. south and north korea and russia also issued tsunami warnings. the epicentre of the 7.6—magnitude quake was in the ishikawa prefecture — and the effects were felt up to 200km away in the capital tokyo. several buildings are reported to have collapsed in the town of suzu. this cctv video footage shows clouds of dust forming above the wreckage at the top left and right of the screen and cracks in the roof on the building in the foreground. the prime minister has warned residents to prepare for more disasters. helena wilkinson reports. rumbling, screaming.

this footage from inside someone�*s home captures the moment the powerful earthquake struck. it was also caught on camera in this supermarket. there was chaos and confusion. and this is the coastline in ishikawa prefecture, in the central region of the country. tsunami warnings had been issued and people told to head to higher ground. translation: i would like to ask | all residents to continue to pay. close attention to the occurrence of this strong earthquake and if you are in the region for a tsunami is expected, please evacuate as soon as possible. the 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck just after 4pm local time. the red x on this map marks the epicentre, near suzu city

in the ishikawa prefecture. there had been a major tsunami warning along part of the coastline but it has now been downgraded marked in red on the map. this earthquake is not as severe as the 2011 one which had a magnitude of 9 and led to a meltdown in the fukushima nuclear power plant. this time, all nuclear facilities are currently unaffected. following the earthquake, a huge fire broke out in one of the affected areas. there are fresh warnings of further earthquakes across japan on new year's day. live now to tokyo, we can speak to author and journalist jake adelstein. it's been a difficult morning for a lot of people injapan. you also

felt the tremors where you are. tell us about that. i felt the tremors where you are. tell us about that-— us about that. i wish i could say it was the happiest _ us about that. i wish i could say it was the happiest of _ us about that. i wish i could say it was the happiest of new - us about that. i wish i could say it was the happiest of new years - us about that. i wish i could say it| was the happiest of new years but us about that. i wish i could say it i was the happiest of new years but it was the happiest of new years but it was kind of a shock, everyone was at home because new year is a big day injapan for everyone to take a vacation. it was intense, more than you would expect from an earthquake so far away, it felt like being on an escalator while you are walking in your office. but we've had much worse over the decades so it was comparatively 0k.— comparatively 0k. what's the situation in _ comparatively 0k. what's the situation in ishikawa - comparatively 0k. what's the situation in ishikawa where i comparatively 0k. what's the - situation in ishikawa where reports are there was more damage done? there are parts of ishikawa where the ground has been liquefied, houses have collapsed, a couple of houses have collapsed, a couple of houses where people were trapped inside and the firefighters were working to get them out. i think fatalities have been relatively low

and that it is helped by the fact that new year's day injapan is really a national holiday where not many people are on trains or at work. in a way, that was lucky, was also up for pm so it wasn't quite dark it. the self—defence forces in wajima city, that's the version of the army, the distributing blankets and food. the response was very fast and food. the response was very fast and generally, it was handled very well. as well as it possibly can be in a country where earthquakes are common. for in a country where earthquakes are common. ., ., , , , ., , common. for now, this seems to be more warnings _ common. for now, this seems to be more warnings that _ common. for now, this seems to be more warnings that there _ common. for now, this seems to be more warnings that there could - common. for now, this seems to be more warnings that there could be l more warnings that there could be further tremors. more warnings that there could be furthertremors. how more warnings that there could be further tremors. how are people trying to deal with that? what is the response of the authorities and advice at this moment?— the response of the authorities and advice at this moment? there have been 50.000 _ advice at this moment? there have been 50,000 people _ advice at this moment? there have been 50,000 people urged - advice at this moment? there have been 50,000 people urged to - been 50,000 people urged to evacuate. they made take that number down as they get a better sense of what's happening butjapan is in the

ring of fire, it has active volcanoes, it's always had high level of seismic activity even though they have developed incredible preparedness, that's not enough when you have a wave of earthquakes and they tend to come in waves. when you have a big one like this, there will probably be several more in the next week. for this, there will probably be several more in the next week.— more in the next week. for now, thou . h more in the next week. for now, thou:h a more in the next week. for now, though a tsunami _ more in the next week. for now, though a tsunami warning - more in the next week. for now, though a tsunami warning in - more in the next week. for now, though a tsunami warning in the | though a tsunami warning in the morning has been downgraded. yes. though a tsunami warning in the morning has been downgraded. yes, if the come morning has been downgraded. yes, if they come they — morning has been downgraded. yes, if they come they usually _ morning has been downgraded. yes, if they come they usually come - morning has been downgraded. yes, if they come they usually come in - morning has been downgraded. yes, if they come they usually come in the . they come they usually come in the first 20 minutes or hour of the big ones depending on the other epicentre of the earthquake. so right now, i don't think anyone is worried about a tsunami unless we have another large scale earthquake in the days to come.— in the days to come. thank you for “oininu in the days to come. thank you for joining us- — in the days to come. thank you for joining us- stay — in the days to come. thank you for joining us. stay safe. _ 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 defence forces' claim that he led an attack on a kibbutz in southern israel on the seventh of october. there has been no let—up in the israeli air strikes hitting gaza overnight. the hamas—run health ministry says 156 people were killed in the past 2a hours, taking the total number of palestinians killed in gaza to almost 22 thousand. israeli tanks are reported to have pulled out of some districts of gaza city ahead of a planned troop reduction. but the fighting rages on elsewhere, and israel's military says it expects the war to continue throughout 202a. in israel itself, the new year began with air raid sirens sounding in tel aviv and other areas, 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 defence 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 nebal farsakh, who's a spokesperson for the palestinian red crescent in ramallah. we have spoken before and to get an update of the latest you are hearing from gaza, especially your colleagues.— from gaza, especially your colleauues. ., ~ , ., colleagues. good evening. thank you for havin: colleagues. good evening. thank you for having me — colleagues. good evening. thank you for having me and _ colleagues. good evening. thank you for having me and happy _ colleagues. good evening. thank you for having me and happy new- colleagues. good evening. thank you for having me and happy new year. . colleagues. good evening. thank you | for having me and happy new year. so while people around the world are looking for work for solutions and plans for a new year, is difficult to think of a new year for over 2 million people in gaza who are struggling to survive until tomorrow. the situation remains incredibly difficult. families are living in unsafe conditions without food, water and even access to health care. 0ver food, water and even access to health care. over 70% of residents in gaza are either partially or completely damaged. that means most of the people will not be able to go

home even when this war stops. the humanitarian situation is just horrific. we are seeing bombardments taking place everywhere in gaza in north of gaza, central gaza as well as south of gaza. the health care system is simply collapsing with the majority of hospitals out of service. 23 hospitals are out of service, 53 medical centres out of service, 53 medical centres out of service and those hospitals which are still operating have been horrifically overrun and overcrowded. the scene of people bleeding on the ground at hospital corridors, that's the norm now and hospitals are receiving dozens of casualties every single hour and beds are completely booked. there is no leftover places in intensive care

and unfortunately, hundreds of people are losing their lives without getting medical care on top of their extreme shortage of medical supplies as well as medicine. what supplies as well as medicine. what about our supplies as well as medicine. what about your colleagues _ supplies as well as medicine. what about your colleagues working there? these are extremely difficult circumstances they are working on. what are you hearing from them? unfortunately, our teams are facing horrific and dangerous conditions every single hour. four of my colleagues were killed, 28 others injured on top of that, nine of them are still up to this moment having to shut down our centre after it was raided by israeli occupation forces and up to this moment, our volunteers are doing great work in our medical point which was

established north of gaza. 0ur teams and volunteers up to this moment are trying their best to continue providing their life—saving services through our medical point which is the last medical provider in north of gaza because the area of gaza city and north have been left completely without any hospital because all hospitals went out of service. my colleagues in south of gaza are also facing a very dangerous conditions because israel is intensifying its bombardments for the area of khan younis as well as central gaza. even the palestinian red crescent hospital and in khan younis have been targeted many times, endangering the lives of our health workers as well as patients and wounded people. the main struggle for our teams there is

getting safe access. we keep calling on the international community to put more pressure to provide safe access so we can save lives. thank ou for access so we can save lives. thank you forjoining _ access so we can save lives. thank you forjoining us. _ even as negotiations continue to have a truths, the israeli prime minister said the war will continue for months. 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. the houthis have been targeting foreign ships since the start of the israel—gaza war. writing in the telegraph newspaper, grant shapps said the situation was a �*test�* for the international community. with me is our security correspondent frank gardner.

thank you forjoining us. give us the context of this wider implication on what's happening in the red sea as we see the conflict in israel and hamas.— the red sea as we see the conflict in israel and hamas. there is a real dancer in israel and hamas. there is a real danger here — in israel and hamas. there is a real danger here that _ in israel and hamas. there is a real danger here that the _ in israel and hamas. there is a real danger here that the localised - danger here that the localised conflict between israel and hamas could metastasise, could escalate into something much bigger and in some ways already has. the uk, the us and their partners in the region are discussing how they should respond to a whole series of drone and missile attacks and hijacking attempts on international shipping in the red sea. the houthis, a rebel group in yemen, they control most of the populated areas of yemen, certainly the red sea coast. they have powerful weaponry and have decided they will announce their support for palestinians and specifically for hamas in gaza and

are saying they are showing that by targeting any ship they consider is really linked whether it's heading to israeli ports or not and have hijacked a major container ship, fired missiles over a hundred at others, this is a crucial international waterway going through a narrow choke point only about 30 kilometres wide and 17,000 ships a year go through that. that's been disrupted which will drive up oil prices and so on. in response, the us and uk have formed a coalition task force and are considering whether they must take out the houthi missile sites. he mentioned the houthis — houthi missile sites. he mentioned the houthis are _ houthi missile sites. he mentioned the houthis are backed _ houthi missile sites. he mentioned the houthis are backed by - houthi missile sites. he mentioned the houthis are backed by iran - houthi missile sites. he mentioned the houthis are backed by iran and| the houthis are backed by iran and have powerful weaponry. the weaponry the have have powerful weaponry. the weaponry they have got — have powerful weaponry. the weaponry they have got can _ have powerful weaponry. the weaponry they have got can be _ have powerful weaponry. the weaponry they have got can be defeated - have powerful weaponry. the weaponry they have got can be defeated by - have powerful weaponry. the weaponry they have got can be defeated by the i

they have got can be defeated by the weapons the navies have got. the problem is there's a massive mismatch in cost. it costs roughly 100 times more to use a sea viper from the royal navy destroyer than the cost of a $20,000 drone that would be fired and they have a lot of them. they could use tactics to overwhelm the defences and this is one of the reasons why the coalition is hesitating before it does military action. they don't want to get into a shooting war either with the houthis or iran. they would rather they back down and are scared out of doing this but they are showing no signs of doing that. they are kind of punching above their weight because up until now, what they've been doing is pretty much containment in yemen and now they're taking on powerful navies. it will be a risk for them but it's also

risks isolating the us and uk and putting the israeli camp... they'll think they are siding with israel and the gaza war which is not something the us and uk want to be seen to be doing. thea;r something the us and uk want to be seen to be doing.— seen to be doing. they stated their ositions seen to be doing. they stated their positions as — seen to be doing. they stated their positions as well _ seen to be doing. they stated their positions as well in _ seen to be doing. they stated their positions as well in the _ seen to be doing. they stated their positions as well in the war - seen to be doing. they stated their positions as well in the war saying l positions as well in the war saying that israel has a right to defend itself but the civilians casualties are severe. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news here in the uk. the number of migrants crossing the channel has fallen year—on—year for the first time since current records began. government figures show the total arrivals in 2023 were down by more than a third on 2022. the provisional annual totalfor the year — just under 30,000 — is a drop of 36%. police in london have launched a murder investigation following the fatal stabbing of a teenage boy.

detectives say they were called to an incident shortly before midnight in the primrose hill area. a 16—year—old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. a male suspect has been arrested on suspicion of murder. 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. turning to the war in ukraine — where the escalation of deadly attacks by both sides continues. the russian—installed authorities in donetsk say ukrainian shelling

has killed four people. meanwhile, ukraine says one person was killed in the port area of 0desa after russia launched 90 attack drones last night — 87 of which were destroyed by the country's air defence systems. president zelensky has promised to increase the domestic production of weapons and ammunition this year — including the construction of at least a million drones. sport, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's ben croucher. hello from the bbc sport centre. andy murray cut a frustrated figure as his 2024 began with defeat in the first round of the brisbane international to grigor dimitrov. in a repeat of the 2017 final, murray took the first set 6—4. but the bulgarian, who's back up to 1a in the world rankings, admitted to feeling a little rusty on court. he eventually found his stride to take the next two 7—5, 6—2.

murray is due to play the kooyong classic exhibition next week ahead of australian open. elsewhere in brisbane, naomi 0saka's return after 15 months away was a winning one. the four—time grand slam champion is playing in herfirst tournament since giving birth to her daughter shai. she defeated the unseeded german tamara korpatsch 6—3 7—6 to set up a meeting with karolina pliskova. it felt really amazing and i think it is something you don't know you miss until you are away from it. it was really incredible to see so many little kids out there. for me, i didn't care too much... well, that's a lie, but the process of it all, i know i trained really hard during the off—season and i think it's one of those things where i feel i'm playing well enough so it will come eventually. 0ne premier league game on monday

as the festive schedule continues in england. it's a big one too with leaders liverpool hosting newcastle united. jurgen klopp's side haven't lost to newcastle at anfield in the league since 1994 and can go three points clear at the top with a win. the liverpool boss is wary about the busy fixture list catching up with both sets of players. you played five games in 13 days, it's insane. but now it's about using that recovery time because the next games, we are still in a competition certainly in a busy january. 0ur teams already have a less busy january and that's helpful and we have to get through that as well. then we'll have the same schedule again.— well. then we'll have the same schedule aaain. ., . , _, schedule again. tough games coming u . schedule again. tough games coming u- but the schedule again. tough games coming up but they are _ schedule again. tough games coming up but they are games _ schedule again. tough games coming up but they are games we _ schedule again. tough games coming up but they are games we relish. - up but they are games we relish. we've _ up but they are games we relish.

we've had — up but they are games we relish. we've had a lot of those this season against _ we've had a lot of those this season against very— we've had a lot of those this season against very good teams. we are not daunted _ against very good teams. we are not daunted by— against very good teams. we are not daunted by it, we will attack it and -ive daunted by it, we will attack it and give it— daunted by it, we will attack it and give it our— daunted by it, we will attack it and give it our best shot. recent results — give it our best shot. recent results have been a challenge for us, the _ results have been a challenge for us, the last few performances have not been _ us, the last few performances have not been as— us, the last few performances have not been as good as they can be so we are _ not been as good as they can be so we are determined to get back and produce _ we are determined to get back and produce our best football. it's january the 1st — which means the transfer window is open in england, germany and france. 0ne move we knew was happening has gone through. manchester united midfielder donny van der beek has joined eintract frankfurt on loan. the bundesliga side have a opening to make the move permanent in the summer. van de beek has madejust six premier league starts for united since signing from ajax for £35m in september 2020. back to australia, where australia opener david warner has announced his retirement from one—day internationals. warner had already announced his retirement from test cricket before the current series against pakistan but has called time on a one day career that's seen him play 161 matche and score 6932 runs — leaving him 6th on australia's all time list. he has kept the door open to a possible return at the 2025 but felt now was the right time after winning the world cup in november.

it was a decision i was comfortable with. to win in india, from where we were, it was absolutely amazing. i've said this all along, committing to having a dream. i've not always fitted the mould but i've been authentic and honest and not someone different and i think that shows you on the field in test cricket i've played the exact same way. and we've reached the last eight of the world darts championship. 16—year—old luke littler takes to the stage very shortly against brendan dolan. follow that one on the bbc sport website and app. we'll have an update in the next hour. that's all for now. we will be back with you on a bit but moving on. 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. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. the new year has started dry with some sunshine for many parts of the country. if we have a look at the satellite picture, we've seen a few showers from this cloud in western scotland, but this cloud here is really arriving now from the south—west. that's going to bring some rain. that first weather system is going to be followed

by a secondary feature here. those two combined could bring 50 millimetres of rain to parts of england and wales. given how wet it's been, there's likely to be some further flooding. ahead of that wet weather, the temperatures will dip away early in the night to below freezing in eastern scotland. it's going to be much milder, though, in the south—west. we've got the rain here by the evening. that's pushing across england and wales, across northern ireland, up into scotland, as well. briefly, we'll see some snow over the scottish mountains. clearer skies do follow that band of rain, but there's more wet weather returning to the south coast and the south—west of england later on in the night. temperatures here around about 11 or 12 by the end of the night, by which time temperatures should have lifted a bit in scotland. we've still got some wet weather to move steadily northwards. windy in the northern isles, windy across southern parts of england and wales, particularly around those southern coasts. we've got the spell of rain, maybe for northern ireland, certainly across england and wales. it may well turn a bit drier across the south of england and south wales during the afternoon. temperatures here in those strong winds reaching 14 degrees,

seven degrees where we've got a bit of sunshine in scotland, but also some showers. that weather system there bringing that second spell of rain moves away overnight. we've still got this low pressure towards the north—west of the uk. still some brisk winds up towards the far north—east of scotland where we've got a mixture of rain, but perhaps some snow heading towards the northern isles. the wind won't be as strong across the south of england and wales. for much of the uk it will be a case of some sunshine, but also some showers getting blown in on those westerly winds. we've got temperatures still pretty decent — eight to 12 degrees. as we head towards the end of the week things are going to change because high pressure is going to come to dominate. it may well bring with it some colder air and a north—easterly wind. december was so wet because it was dominated by low pressure and over the next couple of days we'll see further areas of low pressure bringing more wind and rain, but there's an increased chance that, through the rest of the month even, it will turn drier and colder,

maybe a little more wintry. now on bbc news, kirsty wark looks back at the lives of some of the famous people who died in 2023. here's part two. the national portrait gallery in london, where there are thousands

upon thousands of faces from the past and present. for centuries, we've immortalised them in pencil paint and through the lens of a camera. and each year, we mark the passing of people we may never have met but have meant so much to many of us. there was an energy here that brought something out in me, that excited me. in 2023, we lost legendary singers and composers... cheering. ..sporting greats, political trailblazers. .. 0rder, order! 0rder. ..and household names on both the big and small screens. all men are fools. and what makes them so is having beauty like what i have got. laughter. they've been part of our shared experience, woven into the storylines and soundtracks of our lives. good evening and thank you forjoining us.

welcome to the new series... applause