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life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> live from london,c news. a ukrainian missile damages a russian warship and occupied crimea. president zelenskyy praises his forces for the attack. the war in gaza will continue. the bombardment continues. in his first interview since the

war began the palestinian president calls for a full cease-fire in gaza. u.s. airstrikes on iranian backed targets, the u.s. has it retaliated after an attack on american bases. ukraine celebrates christmas on the 25th of december. we hear from a ukrainian singer about combining old traditions with a new date. welcome. i'm samantha simmons. ukrainian president zelenskyy said he is grateful to his air force for a missile attack that damaged a russian warship. the ship was hit during an attack on a port in russian occupied crimea. at least one person was killed. ukraine said the ship was destroyed. president zelenskyy wrote, the

occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in ukraine. james waterhouse reports. >> to ukraine this was a high-value target. the russian landing ship, struck by a guided missile. the force of the blast suggests it was full. moscow claims the ship was damaged. kyiv says it was destroyed. crimea has been held by russia since 2014. this has become more common. the ship would almost certainly have been loaded with soldiers, hardware or both. this will hamper russia's ability to supply troops further north. >> a huge job has been done, a

big assault carrier was destroyed and it became part of a fleet to which the missile cruiser belongs. >> kyiv has targeted russian vessels before, including the flagship of the black sea fleet. what attacks like these have yet to do is apply enough pressure on moscow to surrender ukrainian territory. for ukraine, it is a welcome announcement against a backdrop of waning western support. fragments of the ship were scattered for hundreds of meters. ukraine has only been able to liberate a few kilometers of territory. the impact of strikes like this isn't always realized immediately but they have slightly weakened russia's control here. the problem for ukraine is, time is not its friend. samantha: james waterhouse there. peter dickinson is the editor of the ukrainian blog at the

eurasian center. he explained why many might consider the attack significant. >> it is significant. it is 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 early stages but it has escalated significantly over the past six months or so with a number of serious hits that have either destroyed or seriously damaged russian warships and forced russia to withdraw the majority of its battleships and submarines even from the home port of the black sea fleet. to russian ports and on the east of the black sea. russia has begun working on a new port and occupied georgian territory east of the black sea which reflects how severe the

blow has been to russian seapower in the black sea. this is part of a bigger pattern, showing ukraine's ability to force russia back from the ukrainian coast and to break the blockade of ukraine's own black seaports. samantha: the u.k. defense minister says 20% of the russian black sea fleet has been destroyed. what are russia's military capabilities? >> russia used its black sea fleet to blockade ukrainian ports. the blockade has been effectively broken in the past six months. the russian black sea fleet has played a big role in missile attacks on ukrainian infrastructure, civilian infrastructure across the country. last winter in particular when russian warships fired crews missile attacks. that has been notably less of an

occurrence this winter, largely because the ships have been forced back. they play a major role logistically helping support the russian invasion and bring supplies across to southern ukraine. this is undermining the ability of russia to maintain its invasion force especially in south ukraine. and it is a morale factor, a morale boost for ukraine to strike these warships including this one. russia is losing the battle of the black sea to a country that doesn't have a navy, which is pretty demoralizing as you could imagine. samantha: israel's military chief has warned there will be no swift finish to the gaza war. the military chief said the war will last many more months. he added they will reach hamas leaders. the group, a designated terrorist organization by the u.k. government, is holding 120

hostages. the health ministry says 240 people have been killed in 24 hours. there are fears the conflict could spread across the region. the u.s. says it carried out what it calls necessary and proportionate airstrikes against pro-iranian militias in iraq in response to attacks on american bases in the region. the iraqi government condemned the strikes as an attack on iraqi sovereignty. >> standing in what used to be her home, our things, mom. they are gone. the bombing in gaza continues, leaving people who fled no place to go. >> israel claims there are safe residential areas or secure zones. this attack shows that is a lie. >> israel's military operation has intensified. this girl was sleeping with her family. the bomb hit them and killed her

uncle. they were sleeping, she says. then i heard a big bang. things landed on us. her baby sister is three days old. the baby was bearing the brunt of a conflict she was born into. as the military operation deepens into gaza, tensions have resumed on israel's northern border with lebanon. the defense minister visited troops in the north after he said they received cross-border fire from hezbollah with the idea of targeting infrastructure. >> hezbollah loves what's happening in gaza. they understand it can be done in beirut. >> hezbollah operatives were targeted by the u.s. in iraq. the pentagon said u.s. forces carried out airstrikes against what it called iran sponsored ms. -- militias in response to

an attack on an airbase. israel's war in gaza is not close to over, says the prime minister. in its wake, other fronts grow more tense. in other volatile areas of the region. samantha: the palestinian president called for a cease-fire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor. he has given his first interview to an egyptian tv channel. let's listen to some of that interview. >> what is happening in the palestinian territories is beyond a disaster and far more than a genocide. the palestinians have never seen anything like this. even during the catastrophe in 1948, what is happening today is far worse. a huge crime has been committed against the palestinians over

the past 79 days, not just in gaza but also in the west bank and jerusalem. unfortunately, when the international community, the un security council and the general assembly try to stop the war, the u.s. disrupts these attempts by using its veto and ruth using to bring the fighting to a halt. it is not just martyrs and people wounded in gaza. everything is being wiped out. houses, mosques, institutions, schools, everything. you can't recognize gaza anymore. samantha: for more, i spoke to our middle east correspondent who is in washington. >> he blamed the u.s. for a lot of what is happening because he clearly said if the u.s. wants to bring the assault, the assault on gaza to a halt, it can. it is the only country that can

pressure israel. he referred to the veto the u.s. used lately to disrupt a you and resolution calling for a cease-fire. he said what happened is far beyond a genocide or a disaster. it is worse than that. gaza at the moment is unrecognizable. he spoke about the ability of the palestinian authority's to run gaza after the war, but that is a controversial issue, given the huge lack of trust or at least the huge difference between hamas and the palestinian authority. will people in gaza except the palestinian authority taken control? that is unlikely. that is a big issue at the moment. he talked about israeli efforts to push palestinians into the egyptian sinai peninsula. that has been one of the main concerns of the egyptian officials. they said if that happens, that would undermine the palestinian

cause and they will not allow it. samantha: did he say anything about the over 120 hostages held by troop -- by hamas? >> he didn't speak specifically about that, but he was asked that he is being criticized by the israelis for supporting terrorism like thomas. -- like hamas. he condemns the targeting of civilians in gaza and can justify that but the argument that israel has a right to defend itself is illogical to him. he said the international community has been trying to bring hostilities to the -- to a halt but the u.s. has been impeding this effort to bear fruit at the end. samantha: russian opposition

leader alexei navalny confirmed he has been transferred to an arctic prison. he says he is in good spirits and has been in prison since 2021. the russian dissident told supporters not to worry about him, insisting he is relieved to have reached the siberian penal colony but his chief of staff told the bbc, concern for navalny remains high. >> we don't forget for a second that he is in the custody of people who tried to kill him three and a half years ago. he is payton's very personal political prisoner -- putins very personal political prisoner. the only protection, if any that still exists for navalny is the spotlight of publicity. put has to be reminded that the world cares about navalny and he

can't just hide him or kill him or whatever. this is important for us. samantha: the days other news, residents fled their homes in parts of central nigeria after armed groups killed at least 113 people in a series of attacks on communities in a region beset by religious and ethnic tensions. attacks have taken place in at least 20 communities. dozens of people were left injured. the country's president described the attack as heinous and promised to respond. china's leader has been giving praise to mao zedong at a celebration for the birthday of the former leader. this marked the occasion and several stamps were issued and tv dramas were broadcast. spirit on lines -- airlines

apologized after putting a six-year-old on the wrong light. he ended up a 4 hour drive from fort myers, florida, where he was due to meet his family. the airline says it will reimburse his grandmother for the drive. christmas sales are in full swing but shoppers will have spent less than they did last year. major retailers remained closed so with pre-christmas events like black friday and the availability of discounts online on the boxing day sales, the major event are not what they once were. >> christmas may be over but it is time for the sales. >> everything is reduced. >> the mood today was cheerful as curious shoppers sought out the best bargains. across the country it was a similar story. >> it is the first time in a long time we came out on boxing

day shopping. >> it is not the atmosphere. it brings a lot of people out. this is what i like, the experience. >> the shops are so busy, we can hardly get in. >> i thought there would be more sales, more stuff. so i'm a bit disappointed. >> it is tradition. >> ever since i was a kid my dad would bring me out. >> boxing day used to be a huge event but discount extravaganzas like black friday robbed it of some of its impact. marks and spencer and john lewis remain closed. boxing day is the start. there is plenty of time for people to think about going shopping before the new year. retailers need shoppers to come out in force. it is a vital time of year for them but the question is, with the cost of living high on bills

to pay, do consumers have enough money to spend? early indications suggest while shoppers did splash out more in the run-up to christmas than they did last year, trading was far from spectacular. there will be the opportunity to buy after christmas but we have less money to spend. the cost of living crisis has an impact on how much we could spend. >> research from bouncer -- voucher codes suggests we will spend 14 billion pounds between christmas of the -- and the new year but that is down from last year. retailers the next few days will be crucial or. -- will be cute -- crucial. what happens this week could lead retailers into a difficult winter or set them on track for a prosperous new year. samantha: the amazon rain forest is experiencing its worst drought since records -- worst drought since records began. the drought is the result of the

effect of el niño coupled with the warmer atlantic ocean and a heat wave in south america. scientists worry this means the amazon is moving faster towards a tipping point when plant and animal life can't recover. >> all over -- olivera is taking us to his village and this is the only way to get there. it is a five hour journey, at least normally. this community of 40 families is in the middle of the amazon. it is dry and hot. brazil is in the midst of a heat wave. i think that is the end of the line. we have been traveling nearly five hours now, and he says we

are not even halfway. so looks like we will have to turn back. >> [speaking non-english-language] >> hundreds of thousands of people have been cut off by the drought. scientists worry that an ecological disaster is unfolding as well. there are signs. in two major lakes, dolphins are turning up dead. here in a city in the rain forest, the air is thick with smoke. man-made fires, burning out of control in a dry forest. we have rain, finally. but perhaps not for long.

>> not enough. >> climatologists are saying the drought will continue. >> she researches the house of -- the health of lance entries. >> some colleagues that are flying drones say they can see canopies de-foliated. >> the fear is that the amazon is racing towards a theoretical tipping point. water evaporates from the trees to form rain clouds, so it feeds itself the water it needs to sustain life. if swaths of it die the mechanism could be broken. the forest would die faster in a catastrophic feedback loop. in the last big drought in 2015, some estimates say 2.5 billion plants and trees died. >> and we are saying the same now. some regions, probably -- there

are pockets of for its -- forests that will probably remain. >> the amazon stores 150 metric -- billion metric tons of carbon. we rely on it the planet cool. how long can it continue to do that? stephanie haggerty, bbc news. samantha: let's get more from ukraine. the country has celebrated christmas for the first time along with most of europe on the 25th of december rather than the seventh of january. the move to the gregorian calendar was made under president zelenskyy. many ukrainians embraced the change, viewing it as a positive step to emphasize their cultural separation from russia and calls it a historical justice. despite the war in many cities and villages, people went to church and crowded the streets singing christmas carols. i spoke to a well-known ukrainian singer and asked her

how it was, celebrating christmas for the first time on a new date. >> it is a new tradition. when we talk about 1915, our christmas was the 25th of december. so we lost it, and no we have the possibility to go back to our roots. all the people around are happy. some people buy gifts for children, because children have to have fun time, peaceful time with family, presents. families try to spend this time together. it is very important. samantha: you have released a new rap song to celebrate the change of date for christmas. i know you wanted to show, there

is a traditional christmas song you are going to sing for us in ukrainian. then he will translate. >> in this rap song we use arts of native songs. ♪ [singing in ukrainian] ♪ samantha: that was lovely. >> thank you. the song is like, the new star gives you a new year. so we come to celebrate with you, and we wish you at the ritz you put in the ground give you a good harvest this year. samantha: the second christmas the country has been celebrating while at war. how has that felt? >> we have a lot of traditions,

but maybe not in this time. it is really hard for all these traditions. at my table i don't have to go out with meals as is traditional. my mood is not super happy. i'm not ready to celebrate in all, like it was before. but the celebrating has to be, because it is cold. samantha: ms wedding ceremony involving 50 couples has been held in afghanistan. these ceremonies have become increasingly common as couples try to avoid the high cost of a traditional wedding. the ceremony took place in kabul and involved recitations from the koran but there was no dancing or music, rich remains banned by the taliban. this was organized by a charity which gave the newlyweds a wedding cake and household

appliances to start married life . let's take a look at festive revelers who braved the north sea this morning. they took part in the annual boxing day dip. 250 hardy souls took part. they found the water temperature to bracing. do stay with us here on bbc news. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs.

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♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is away. on the "newshour" tonight, gaza reels from devastating overnight airstrikes on refugee camps, as egypt floats a proposal to end the israel-hamas war online safety. allegations that facebook and instagram ignored warnings that the social media platforms were harming young users. and a preview of next year's legislative sessions. as state lawmakers meet, what