thank you very much, james waterhouse. _ the story. thank you very much, james waterhouse.ank you very much, james waterhouse. a bit of - the story. thank you very much, - james waterhouse. a bit of breaking news in the last hour or so. europe's longest reigning monarch, the queen of denmark, has made the unexpected announcement that she will abdicate in january. queen margrethe made the unexpected announcement during her annual new year's address to the nation. she said her son, crown prince frederik, would take over on 14th january. queen margrethe has been on the throne for 52 years and is europe's only reigning queen. we will have more on that later in this bulletin. china's leader, xijinping, has reiterated his claim that it is inevitable that taiwan will be reunified with mainland china. mr xi made the comments during his new year's address, which comes less than two weeks before a general election in the self—ruled island that beijing considers part of its own territory. this in the speech, president xi also addressed a challenging year for the country's economy, sta

waterhouse, bbc news. james waterhouse is in kharkiv and gave us his thoughts on what a second christmasinians. it is the first time in more than 100 years that ukraine celebrates christmas on the 25th of december. but it is a very difficult time. we are not seeing much of the way of festivities. in this part of ukraine large gatherings are a rare occurrence. this is somewhere that comes under frequent assault from the sky. it is a0 miles from the russian border. but president zelensky was keen to strike an optimistic, hopeful tone in his christmas address, where he said he would pray for a ukrainian victory and, in his words, for evil to be defeated. he talked about previous struggles ukraine had gone through, whether under the soviet union or nazi germany, and he is drawing direct parallels. but i think these are incredibly difficult times. 12 months ago, his military had liberated swathes of territory throughout the autumn. there was a belief that ukraine wouldn't stop there and i believe that ukraine would carry —— can still win this war. that belief is enduring but there is a pragma

james waterhouse.ents have been in place celebrating christmas. around the world, services, events and santa runs have been taking place to mark one of the holiest days in the christian calendar. here are some of the best christmas images from around the world. pope francis presided over christmas eve midnight mass in st peter's basilica at the vatican. worshippers praying at a service in st francis church in sri lanka. jesus in the manger of a nativity scene in the bangladeshi capital, dhaka. children in lviv wore traditional dress for a christmas celebration in ukraine. and surfers at bondi beach in sydney dressed festively for the occasion. hgppy happy christmas. hope you are having a lovely day. the weather for the rest of the day remains fairly cloudy. rain on and off. snow in the hills of scotland, in the north. boxing day looks sunnier, drier and cooler. what we have today are weather fronts in the south and north. this one will pep up through the day and this one, as it engages with the cold ai

james waterhouse, bbc news. christmas at war might feel like for ukrainians it is the first time in more than a hundred years that ukraine celebrates christmas on the 25th of december. but it is a very difficult time, we are not seeing much in the way of festivities in this part of ukraine. large gatherings are a rare occurrence, it is somewhere that comes under frequent assault from the sky. it is a0 miles from the russian border. but president zelensky was keen to strike an optimistic and hopeful tone in his christmas address where he said he would pray for a ukrainian victory and in his words "for evil to be defeated". he spoke of previous struggles that ukraine had gone through, whether under the soviet union or nazi germany. he is drawing direct parallels but i think these are incredibly difficult times. there was a belief that ukraine wouldn't stop there and a belief that ukraine can still win this war. i think that belief is enduring but there is a pragmatism starting to creep in too. because the last 12

james waterhouse in kyiv, thank ou.it a group of people in the northern city of sheffield. police say christian marriott had stopped to help an unconscious woman after a row between two groups. his family have paid tribute, saying the "tragic and unfathomable" circumstances of his death "show "the sort of man he was — going to help, rather "than to turn away." two men have been arrested on murder charges. the us military�*s robot space plane has blasted off from florida on its seventh mission. it was carried into orbit by a spacex falcon heavy rocket for the first time. there it goes. the pentagon says the orbital vehicle will carry out a series of classified experiments during its mission. its last trip lasted more than 900 days. stay with us here on bbc news. plenty more to come. good afternoon. we're about to say goodbye to 2023 and if that, for you, involves travel plans, you need to keep abreast of the weather forecast because, as we head into the weekend, there's more further heavy rain to come and snow is likely

from kyiv, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports.: it is and always has been the whole of ukraine which has been under attack. kyiv is still moscow's biggest prize. air defenses have improved your, but this attack -- air defenses have improved here, but this attack proved too much. >> i was woken up by a horrible sound. it was so frightening. the missile was flying in every thing was buzzing, so noisy. james: your love you no doubt that this was a direct missile strike -- you are left in the no doubt that this was a direct missile strike. you are motor used -- more used to seeing damage from falling debris, but this reflects the scale of the russian attack. and seems like this have been replicated right across ukraine. a lucky escape in the northeast. this city is familiar wi missile strikes, but not 20 in a single morning. a shopping center in the east as well as a maternity hospital were hit. it didn't stop there. this is the port city of odessa in the south, where a residential block was struck. zaporizhzhia wasn't spared, either,

samantha: james waterhouse there.er 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 withdrathe 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: james waterhouse there.er 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

from kyiv — our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports.ich takes so much, there's no stopping christmas. some, though, are more experienced at making decorations than others. she has done this since 1978. "i like it. it's interesting for me. "i enjoy it," she says. this factory in the kyiv region was one of three to supply the whole of the soviet union. it still creates pieces of christmas cheer, but on a much smaller scale. this time there's an unmistakable military theme. translation: i think that everyone who will take a look at a bauble like this will hope for the victory of our nation sooner. despite the cold industrial exterior, there's still a warm magic inside. the meaning of christmas, despite everything, has not changed for ukrainians. but the way they celebrate it has. in a cultural shift fuelled by russia's aggression. fewer places know that aggression better than the town of bucha. a memorial stands on what was once a mass grave for 500 civilians killed by russian troops. ukraine is moving christmas to 25th december to both di

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.age, emphasising the importance of "universal" values shared between major religions against a backdrop of conflicts in israel, gaza and ukraine. ata time at a time of increasingly tragic... around the world, i pray we can do all in our power to protect each other. the words ofjesus seem more than ever relevant — do to others as you would have them do to you. such values are universal, drawing together our abraham 999 drawing together our abraham egg family of religions and other belief systems across the commonwealth and wider world. they remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbours and to seek their good as we would our own. king charles also talked of protecting the planet as being a spiritual duty, thanking those "caring for our common home" and praising people who volunteer in their communities. you're live with bbc news. in the us, economic growth is expected to slow next year. the congressional budget office has predicted gdp the congressional budget office has

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk.between major religions, at a time of "increasingly tragic conflict around the world". it's the king's second christmas broadcast. here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. at the church on the sandringham estate, the king and queen were joined by other members of the royalfamily for morning worship. the prince and princess of wales were accompanied by their three children, george, charlotte and louis, who feature in a new black—and—white photograph issued by kensington palace. the duke of york was with the family at church, and making a surprise return to the christmas morning church appearance, the duchess of york. it's thought to be the first time in nearly 30 years that she's been seen in public with the family on christmas day. after church, the family returned to sandringham house for lunch and to watch the king's christmas message. for this second christmas broadcast of his reign, the king focused in particular on those who render service to others. over this past year,

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.s president biden has responded to the attacks on ukraine, saying... and mr biden warned... the united nations says an estimated 150,000 palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central gaza, as israeli forces advance on refugee camps there. an israeli air strike is reported to have killed 20 already displaced people in rafah — a town that many people have fled to in recent days. meanwhile, a hamas delegation has arrived in cairo for talks about a possible truce. hamas is designated a terror organisation by many western governments. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil sent this report from jerusalem. —— yolande knell. explosions. a massive israeli bombing in northern gaza turns an extensive network of hamas tunnels into dust. these idf pictures show a well—equipped infrastructure of long and branched out tunnels in which the army says senior hamas members moved and operated. in central gaza, more than 150,000 people were ordered to evacuate two of the area's biggest refugee camps. a

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk. that's it. this is bbc news. good evening.s, good evening. for most of us, it's been a cloudy, mild christmas, with some rain at times. but officially across the uk, it has been a white christmas because in the north of scotland, especially over higher ground, we have seen some snow. this pipeline of cloud has brought wet weather for quite a few of us, but with some cold air digging into northern scotland, that's where we have had some of the white stuff. and actually, that cold air will be pushing a little bit further southwards as we head through the evening and into the start of boxing day. so through this evening and tonight, much of the rain will clear. we'll see some showers through northern ireland, northern england and some wintry showers continuing in the north of scotland. temperatures for some here will drop well below freezing, so there could well be some icy stretches. and further south, certainly chillier than it was last night. and then as we head into boxing day, well, we should see quite a lot of sunshine. thi

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.ngland, with new data showing the number of infections growing, though with less of an impact on the health service than at this time last year. our health editor hugh pym has been looking at the figures and is here. thanks, jane. yes, it's always a busy time of year and with winter viruses spreading, the health system is under growing pressure. the latest figures from nhs england show there was a daily average of 9a2 patients with flu in hospitals last week — nearly six times more than late last month. and patients in hospital with covid numbered 3,620 in england last week, up from about 2,200 the month before. there are also more cases of norovirus in hospitals. but it's worth remembering that things were a lot worse this time last year, with 3,746 flu patients and just over 9,000 with covid. lengthy ambulance queues were building up outside hospitals and some a&e units were really struggling. hospital bosses say this time, ambulance handover delays are much lower. but they are reall

from kyiv, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports. it is and always has been the whole of ukraine which is under attack. kyiv is still moscow's biggest prize. air defences have improved here, but this attack proved too much. translation: i was woken up at 7:30 by a horrible sound. _ it was so frightening, the missile was flying and everything was buzzing, so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was a direct missile strike, the scale of the damage, the size of the blast zone, the heat caused. you are more used to seeing damage caused by falling debris when a missile is intercepted, but this reflects the scale of this russian attack. and scenes like this are being replicated right across ukraine. a lucky escape in kharkiv in the north—east. this city is familiar with missile strikes, but not 20 in a single morning. a shopping centre in dnipro in the east, as well as a maternity hospital, were hit. it did not stop there. this is the port city of odesa in the south, where a residential block was struck. zaporizhzhia wasn't spared eit

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk., connecting with family and friends. but for some, it can highlight feelings of loneliness and isolation. to discuss these challenges at this time of year, we can cross live to sydney and join dr amanda ferguson, who is a psychologist and host of the psych for life podcast. thank you so much forjoining us on newsday. if you canjust talk us through why this time of the year can be quite challenging for some people, and i guess social media does not help, does it? absolutely. the time of — not help, does it? absolutely. the time of year _ not help, does it? absolutely. the time of year we _ not help, does it? absolutely. the time of year we tend - not help, does it? absolutely. the time of year we tend to i the time of year we tend to think of family, our own families, what family means, relationships and even meaning of life, and, yeah, it seeing people on social media having a happy family time can be very, make us very lonely. what advice do you give to people who are dealing with lo

james waterhouse reporting.humanitarian agency says a hospital in gaza has been overwhelmed by victims of an israeli air strike. the hamas—run health ministry says 240 people have been killed in 2a hours. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has vowed to intensify the fight against hamas — designated a terror organisation by the uk and us governments. there are again fears that the conflict could spread across the region. the us says it has carried out what it calls "necessary and proportionate" air strikes against pro—iranian militias based in iraq. they were in response to attacks on american bases in the region. our correspondent, shaimaa khalil, is injerusalem. standing in what used to be her home. "ourthings, 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 inte

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk. china has also been a celebrating christmas.. the government has urged people not to forget they live in a socialist country. christians are allowed to worship but only in churches registered with the government. in the uk, king charles has emphasised the importance of universal values shared between major religions, at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world. it's the king's second christmas broadcast. here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. at the church on the sandringham estate, the king and queen werejoined by other members of the royalfamily for morning worship. the prince and princess of wales were accompanied by their three children, george, charlotte and louis, who feature in a new black—and—white photograph issued by kensington palace. the duke of york was with the family at church, and making a surprise return to the christmas morning church appearance, the duchess of york. it's not to be the first time in nearly 30 years that she's been seen in public with the family on christmas day. after

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.the last few hours president biden has responded to the attacks on ukraine. he said... "after nearly two years of this devastating war, putin's objective remains unchanged. he seeks to obliterate ukraine and subjugate its people. he must be stopped." and mr biden warned... "unless congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons..." "congress must step up and act without any further delay." brendan kearney is a retired colonel with the us marine corps — he gave me his assessment of president biden�*s comments. the president is justifiably frustrated with congress. they went on their christmas break without passing that legislation that zelensky had made a trip to washington, dc to try to obtain. so he's frustrated. he wants to send a message of support and that it's unwavering support to ukraine. and i think he's hopeful that when congress gets back from its recess, that this will be the number one priority on their agenda. and how likel

james waterhouse reporting.ansferred to a penal colony north of the arctic circle. navalny posted an update on x, former known as twitter, after disappearing for more than two weeks. he said he had seen his lawyer and was in good spirits. navalny considered one of vladimir putin's leading critics has been imprisoned since 2021 after surviving an attempt to assassinate him by poisoning. australia's eastern states have been battered by storms. flash flooding, giant hailstones and heavy rainfall brought chaos to parts of queensland and new south wales. winds have reached 100 kilometres an hour. live now to sydney where we can speak to our reporter, phil mercer. phil, just tell us what is the situation in queensland? it phil, just tell us what is the situation in queensland? it has been earnina situation in queensland? it has been earning credibly _ situation in queensland? it has been earning credibly tempestuous - situation in queensland? it has been earning credibly tempestuous start l earning credibly tempestuou

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv. colonel brendan kearney, retired us marine after 31 years in the marine corps. thank you so much forjoining us on newsday. firstly, if i could ask you, how significant is this strike on this russian ship? i is this strike on this russian shi - ? ~ , , ship? i think it is very significant. _ ship? i think it is very significant. what - ship? i think it is very significant. what this| ship? i think it is very - significant. what this does to the russian navy, to the black sea fleet, is, again, they are becoming the victims of really innovative use of the ukrainian military. in this particular case, it has been reported he was an air strike with missiles launched from aircraft against a ship in an otherwise protected port. and the ships are critical to the russians ability to resupply or to move troops completely unhindered throughout crimea, and possibly out of crimea, if it ever came down to that, so this is a big deal. ~ . . ., ., , . deal. according to uk defence minister, 20x. _ dea

from kyiv, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports.been the whole of ukraine which is under attack. kyiv is still moscow's biggest prize. air defences have improved here, but this attack proved too much. translation: i was woken up at 7:30 by a horrible sound. _ it was so frightening, the missile was flying and everything was buzzing, so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was a direct missile strike, the scale of the damage, the size of the blast zone, the heat caused. you're more used to seeing damage caused by falling debris when a missile is intercepted, but this reflects the scale of this russian attack. and scenes like this are being replicated right across ukraine. a lucky escape in kharkiv in the north—east. this city is familiar with missile strikes, but not 20 in a single morning. a shopping centre in dnipro in the east, as well as a maternity hospital, were hit. it didn't stop there. this is the port city of 0desa in the south, where a residential block was struck. zaporizhzhia wasn't spared either, where at least eigh

james waterhouse, bbc news, bucha.lenging president vladimir putin in the country s upcoming presidential elections. our reporter is in the newsroom with more. she threw her hat in the ring just three days ago, one of 29 contenders for president so far. the candidates are expected to gather thousands of signatures from supporters before they qualify to have their name on they qualify to have their name on the ballot. the russian electoral commission banned duntsova from running saying she had mistakes in her application. when asked about concerns for her own security, and fears for her safety and running for president, duntsova did admit she did have some fears and concerns, saying, any sane person taking this step would be afraid. but fear does not win. she also said that she believed russians were looking for an alternative to president putin at the ballot box. translation: many people write to me, you gave us hope, if you get registered we will vote for you. they do not see any alternative. also consider boycotting

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.hael o'hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the brookings institution. thank you so much forjoining us on newsday today. firstly, how significant is this strike on the russian ship? i significant is this strike on the russian ship?— significant is this strike on the russian ship? i think it is a fairly siunificant russian ship? i think it is a fairly significant operation, _ russian ship? i think it is a fairly significant operation, and - russian ship? i think it is a fairly significant operation, and your. significant operation, and your correspondent very accurately said time may not be on ukraine's side to him but i'm not sure it is on russia's side either, and this kind of attack shows why. russia's position in crimea is not an immediate risk in a broad sense. it is not as if you can can really mount and often severely take that jurist peninsula. however, russian positions in crimea are not safe. there have been russian ships docked in these black seaports in crimea t

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.er, we spoke to colonel brendan kearney, retired us marine, after 31 years in us marine corps. he told me is the significance of this strike. i think it is very significant. what this does to the russian navy, to the black sea fleet, is, again, they are becoming the victims of really innovative use of the ukrainian military. in this particular case, it has been reported it was an air strike with missiles launched from aircraft against a ship in an otherwise protected port. and these ships are critical to the russians ability to resupply or to move troops completely unhindered throughout crimea, and possibly out of crimea, if it ever came down to that, so this is a big deal. according to uk defence minister, 20% of russian black sea fleet has been destroyed in the last four months, so in your view of order russian capabilities in the black sea now? and i guess when ukraine does not have its fleet, how has it been so successful in its sea operations? to the last part of your question fir

from kyiv, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports.r attack.

james waterhouse, bbc news, bucha.could be in line for united nations protected status. david sillito reports. pantomime is a uniquely british and enormously popular tradition. but should it go on a list of british cultural activities worthy of preservation? the british government will next year sign up to unesco's convention for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage which means the un body will provide guidance, oversight and recommendations on how to preserve designated cultural traditions. the government now wants to know what people think should actually go on the list. cheese rolling, for instance, is uniquely british but its popularity would suggest it is probably not in need of preservation. whereas many local crafts are in steep decline. the question is which ones would merit being added to the list? france, greece and spain all have dry stone walling on their list. should it be on ours? belgium has added beer making. argentina and uruguay have tango. should we include a dance? maybe morris dancing or the h

james waterhouse, bbc news.ontline where its soldiers are fighting the russian troops. so how does it feel to celebrate christmas under the constant shadow of a war? james waterhouse gave his impressions. it is the first time in more than a hundred years that ukraine celebrates christmas on the 25th of december. but it is a very difficult time, we are not seen much in the way of festivities in this part of ukraine. large gatherings are a rare occurrence, it is somewhere that comes under frequent assault from the sky. it is a0 miles from the russian border. but president zelensky was keen to strike an optimistic and hopeful tone in his christmas address where he said he would pray for a ukrainian victory and in his words for evil to be defeated. he's put dilemma spoke of previous struggles that ukraine are gone through, whether under the soviet union or nazi germany. he is drawing direct parallels but i think these are incredibly difficult times. 12 months ago his military had liberated swathes of territory throu

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.hasising the importance of "universal" values shared between major religions against a backdrop of conflicts in israel, gaza, sudan and ukraine. ata time at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, i pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other.— do all in our power to protect each other. the words of jesus seem more — each other. the words of jesus seem more than _ each other. the words of jesus seem more than ever - each other. the words of jesus seem more than ever relevant| each other. the words of jesus l seem more than ever relevant - seem more than ever relevant — do to others as you would have them do to you. such values are universal, drawing together our abraham egg family of religions and other belief systems across the commonwealth and wider world. they remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbours and to seek their good as we would our own. —— abrahamic king charles also talked of protecting the planet as being a spiritual

james waterhouse, bbc news, kupiansk. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.tmas message, emphasising the importance of universal values shared between major religions. ata time at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, i pray we can also do all in our power to protect each other. the words ofjesus seen more than ever relevant. "do to others as you would have them do to you." the speech also had an environmental message. king charles thanked those caring for our common home and praised people who volunteer in their communities. service to others is but one way of honouring the whole of creation which, after all, is a manifestation of the divine. this is a belief shared by all religions. to care for this creation is a responsibility owned by people of all faith and of none. we care for the earth for the sake of our children's children. you're live with bbc news. in nigeria, at least 113 people have been killed in coordinated attacks by armed herders on farming communities. the attacks in plateau state began on saturday and lasted until midnigh

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.ning me rajan menon, director of the grand strategy program at defense priorities. good evening and thank you for joining us. i want to start with the attack in the black sea. russia's air force has lost five combat aircraft, but at the same time, russia appears to have taken control of the eastern town of mariinka. has ukraine been able to make any progress in recent weeks, especially as winter has set in? in 2022, after the war began on february 2a, ukraine launched at least a dozen attacks. this year, about 20 so crimea has been a major focal point and thatis been a major focal point and that is because it is a major supply hub for russian forces based in the south, in an zaporizhzhia. the second is the control of the black sea fleet would help. an black sea russian ships can target ukraine. —— kherson. they are interested in keeping rusher on the back foot in crimea. is it the back foot in crimea. is it working? — the back foot in crimea. is it working? yes, _ the back foot in crim

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.he united nations says an estimated 150,000 palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central gaza, as israeli forces advance on refugee camps there. an israeli air strike is reported to have killed twenty already displaced people in rafah — a town that many people have fled to in recent days. meanwhile, a hamas delegation has arrived in cairo for talks about a possible truce. hamas is designated a terror organisation by many western governments. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil sent this report from jerusalem. explosions. a massive israeli bombing in northern gaza turns an extensive network of hamas tunnels into dust. these idf pictures show a well—equipped infrastructure of long and branched out tunnels in which the army says senior hamas members moved and operated. in central gaza, more than 150,000 people were ordered to evacuate two of the area's biggest refugee camps. and this is where they were told to go for safety — the area of deir al—balah, itself reeling from the after

james waterhouse there.n transferred to a penal colony north of the arctic circle. navalny posted an update on x — former known as twitter — after disappearing for more than two weeks. he said he had seen his lawyer and was in good spirits. navalny is considered one of vladimir putin's leading critics has been imprisoned since 2021 after surviving an attempt to assassinate him by poisoning. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the other stories today. homelessness amongst military veterens has risen by 14% over the last year despite government funding to support those in difficulty with housing and wraparound social care. according to the department of housing, a total of 2,110 veteren households were assessed as homeless, up from 1,850 in 2022. a 16—year—old has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 22—year—old woman in south london on christmas eve. police were called to a residential propertyjust after 10pm on sunday and provided emergen

james waterhouse there.er dickinson is the editor of the ukrainealert blog at the atlantic council's eurasia center. 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 mu

james new year looking far from certain. james waterhouse bbc news news kupiansk,.s is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a women's rights group has called on the home secretary to resign forjoking about spiking his wife's drink. james cleverly has apologised, saying he recognised the comments were inappropriate. but the fawcett society said the remarks were �*sickening' and urged him to step down. labour said his words were �*appalling'. a second man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage, after a road sign featuring an art work by the street artist bansky was removed in south east london. a man in his 40s was detained after footage of the incident appeared on the internet. a man in his 20s was arrested on saturday over the same alleged offences — he was bailed pending further inquiries. families are being urged not to pour turkey fat down the sink this christmas because it hardens in cold pipes. the trade association, water uk, has encouraged households to dispose of fats, oils and greases by putting them in a container th

james waterhouse, bbc news, bucha.ng could be in line for united nations protected status. the government is beginning a consultation on which activities should go on an official list of the uk's cultural highlights — when it signs up to a un convention. david sillito reports. pantomime is a uniquely british and enormously popular tradition. but should it go on a list of british cultural activities worthy of preservation? the british government will next year sign up to unesco's convention for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage which means the un body will provide guidance, oversight and recommendations on how to preserve designated cultural traditions. the government now wants to know what people think should actually go on the list. cheese rolling, for instance, is uniquely british but its popularity would suggest it is probably not in need of preservation. whereas many local crafts are in steep decline. the question is which ones would merit being added to the list? france, greece and spain all have dry stone

from kyiv, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports. it is and always has been the whole of ukraine which is under attack. kyiv is still moscow's biggest prize. air defences have improved here, but this attack proved too much. translation: i was woken up at 7:30 by a horrible sound. i it was so frightening, the missile was flying and everything was buzzing, so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was a direct missile strike — the scale of the damage, the size of the blast zone, the heat caused. you're more used to seeing damage caused by falling debris when a missile is intercepted, but this reflects the scale of this russian attack. and scenes like this are being replicated right across ukraine. a lucky escape in kharkiv in the north—east. this city is familiar with missile strikes, but not 20 in a single morning. a shopping centre in dnipro in the east, as well as a maternity hospital, were hit. it didn't stop there. this is the port city of odesa in the south, where a residential block was struck. zaporizhzhia wasn't spared eith

our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports from the eastern city of kupiansk, which was occupiedttack. christmas in kupyansk is a celebration in name only. children were evacuated from this front line city, and only 5000 people remain. it used to be five times that. siren sounds days are punctuated with artillery shells and sirens. life continues for those who've stayed. but it's a tense existence. translation: we all live in fear of death when we go to work. - we don't know what can happen, whether russia will strike with rockets. we all live on the edge. we don't know whether we'll come back home alive. 17—year—old sophia has lived through both occupation and liberation. her dad is fighting, and she's not impressed with her country's fate being determined by skeptical western politicians. translation: perhaps they should | come here and see for themselves| what the situation is like, and how much the aid is needed. if there's no help for ukraine now, russia will take its aggression further. the russians are eight kilometers to the east of the city. but what ukraine's military i

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.n the middle east, the united nations says an estimated 150,000 palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central gaza, as israeli forces advance on refugee camps there. an israeli air strike is reported to have killed 20 already displaced people in rafah — a town that many people have fled to in recent days. meanwhile, a hamas delegation has arrived in cairo for talks about a possible truce. hamas is designated a terror organisation by many western governments. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil sent this report from jerusalem. explosions a massive israeli bombing in northern gaza turns an extensive network of hamas tunnels into dust. these idf pictures show a well—equipped infrastructure of long and branched out tunnels in which the army says senior hamas members moved and operated. in central gaza, more than 150,000 people were ordered to evacuate two of the area's biggest refugee camps. and this is where they were told to go for safety — the area of deir al—balah, itself reeling

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.eople recognised from the worlds of sport, entertainment and charity. the authorjilly cooper is made a dame, and there's a knighthood for michael eavis, who co—created the glastonbury music festival more than 50 years ago. and in a great year for women's football, there's recognition for three of england's lionesses. 0ur entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, has all the details. her books have sold in their millions. noinlly cooper has been made a dame for services to literature and charity. i can't quite believe it, it's so lovely. when they told me, i got the letter and i thought, "gosh, this can't be me. me, blockbusterjill?" but it was lovely. i'm thrilled to bits. we're open! michael eavis has been welcoming festival—goers to glastonbury for more than half a century. he's been knighted for his music and charity work. also receiving knighthoods, wetherspoons boss tim martin, who says he never expected to be recognised for services to hospitality and to culture. god save the kin

our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse visited that factory.stopping christmas. some, though, are more experienced at making decorations than others. this woman has done this since 1978. "i like it. "it's interesting for me. "i enjoy it," she says. this factory in the kyiv region was one of three to supply the whole of the soviet union. it still creates pieces of christmas cheer, but on a much smaller scale. this time, there's an unmistakable military theme. translation: | think that i everyone who will take a look at a bauble like this will hope for the victory of our nation sooner. despite the cold industrial exterior, there's still a warm magic inside. the meaning of christmas, despite everything, has not changed for ukrainians, but the way they celebrate it has, in a cultural shift fuelled by russia's aggression. fewer places know that aggression better than the town of bucha. a memorial stands on what was once a mass grave for 500 civilians killed by russian troops. ukraine is moving christmas to 25th december to both distance itself from

james waterhouse reporting from ukraine. dickinson is from the atlantic council's eurasia center. i asked him about the significance of this ukrainian attack to russia. at this stage it is very much the fog of war. there are competing claims, but it certainly appears that there has been a significant strike on bell growth, 1a dead reported, and the ukrainian side claim they were attempting to strike military targets. they blame russian anti—air defence systems for malfunctioning orfalling in malfunctioning or falling in correctly malfunctioning orfalling in correctly and basically bringing debris and rockets down onto the civilian population. we will hear a lot more of such claims going forward but what is clear as it is the biggest civilian death toll in russia in almost two years since the invasion began. putin has been very careful to shield the russian population from the war and to maintain a business as usual stance. this will shatter that and send shock waves through russia, i am sure, and calls for vengeance so it wi

james waterhouse, bbc news, bucha. one more story for you before we go.es in two days. kelsey hatcher delivered one daughter on tuesday and a second on wednesday after a total of 20 hours in labour at the university of alabama hospital. experts say it's a one—in—a—million pregnancy. a double uterus affects 0.3% of women. in london, a man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after a piece of street art by the artist banksy was taken shortly after being unveiled. the red stop sign with three military drones on it was removed by a man with bolt cutters as witnesses filmed and took photos. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. we had some heavy rain in scotland on saturday, and as a result of that there are a number of flood warnings in force across the north of the country. we have had some disruption too. for most of the uk it was a very mild day, but not for everyone. massive contrasts in northern scotland as the mild air butted up against the cold. 10 degrees in braemar, ten miles down the road in balmoral, just one. and with

james waterhouse in k iv.ukrainian prism, and editor in chief of academic journal ukraine analytica. thank you very much forjoining us. i wanted to start off by getting your reaction to the attacks from russia over the last couple of days. just right now we are in the middle of the tenth or 11th air raid since yesterday we have had. we are just... but at the same time reading the telegraph channels where we have the telegraph channels where we have the notifications and we know rushing makes in the air and russia just started several ships coming close to territorial waters and we know discussions amongst the press say where something nice to feel the m say where something nice to feel the joy of survival and the holidays but also to be comfortable in in how people in odesa are managing to cope at the moment, particularly as we head into 2024. just to cope at the moment, particularly as we head into 2024.— to cope at the moment, particularly as we head into 2024. just two days a . o as we head into 2024. just

that was james waterhouse in kyiv.r patrick bury, security and defence expert at the university of bath and former nato analyst. hello, thank you so much forjoining us. our condemnation internationally of the strikes, the un possible humanitarian envoy for ukraine has condemned them as a heinous wave of attacks on populated areas this morning. what do you make of the timing at the geographical spread, so many cities hit across ukraine? good afternoon. yes, i think this is a well—planned and coordinated attack and as james said, one the biggest, at least in a year, that we can remember, and has been able to target kyiv successfully and at least six other cities. we are only really hearing about the civilian infrastructure that has been hit, but it wouldn't be surprised if military infrastructure has been hit, but that is obviously kept much closer to people's chests. for me, anyway, in what we're seeing so far, it looks like it has been a coordinated series of attacks to suppress to some extent ukrainian air defences, s

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.lmingly condemned russia's aerial assault on ukraine on friday. many countries said hitting civilian infrastructure had violated the international rules of war. let's hear some of what countries' ambassadors to the un had to say in new york. rather than peace, putin chose to mark this holiday season and usher in the new year with a unprecedented number of drone and missile attacks against another un member state. these missiles were aimed at population centres across ukraine. they struck homes, apartment buildings, shopping centres and metros. a maternity hospital and a regional oncology centre has been damaged. in short, civilian infrastructure. here in the uk, the new year honours list has been announced — with people recognised from the worlds of sport, entertainment and charity. the authorjilly cooper is made a dame, and there's a knighthood for michael eavis, who co—created the glastonbury music festival more than 50 years ago. and in a great year for women's football, there's rec

that was james waterhouse in kyiv.urn now to those reports from the polish military, who say an unidentified aerial object entered the country's airspace from the direction of ukraine. we can speak to our poland correspondent, adam easton. adam, what can you tell us about what happened and how seriously this has been taken? flat what happened and how seriously this has been taken?— has been taken? not a lot. the first art of has been taken? not a lot. the first part of your — has been taken? not a lot. the first part of your question. _ has been taken? not a lot. the first part of your question. the - has been taken? not a lot. the first part of your question. the second . part of your question. the second part, very seriously. the president has convened an emergency meeting of the defence minister and military chiefs in about an hour's time. what the polish army's operational command have said in a very brief statement, as you mentioned, was this unidentified aerial object entered polish airspace, it was tracked by ra

james waterhouse, bbc news, bucha.ng the pandemic, charities training guide dogs have faced a shortage of volunteers to raise puppies, a story bbc news has been following over the last year. since we first reported on it, hundreds of people have applied to help foster guide dog puppies. our correspondent sean dilley, who has been helped by a guide dog himself, has been finding out how they're already changing lives for the better. hello! reintroducing rebel. oh, that's marvellous. marvellous. oh, now, rebel is on the good list, isn't he? he's on the very good list. and by summer 2024, it's hoped he'll be on the guide dogs ready to train list. he's an absolute little treasure, really. earlier this year, injune, we met the niblock family from suffolk. they had just welcomed retriever lab rebel. we're hoping he's rebel with a cause, though. hello, you. they volunteered to raise a guide dog puppy after bbc breakfast shared my last working walk with guide dog sammy. sammy is more important to me, and he always will be. they

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.flict, the us department of defense says its warships deployed in the eastern mediterrean have shot down i2 drones and five missiles, that were fired by houthi rebels in yemen, backed by iran. that was over the southern red sea. it said the attacks had included anti—ship ballistic missiles and land attack cruise missiles. there was no damage to shipping and no reported injuries. now let's turn to events here, where police in england and wales must now attend every residential burglary as soon as possible — that's under the guidance from chief constables. the national police chiefs' council has told forces that officers should prioritise getting to the scene of a domestic break—in within an hour of it being reported. our home editor mark easton reports. this burglar making off with thousands of pounds of power tools from a home in saint alden�*s has never been caught, despite the owner and amateur don't text if sharon preventing a dossier of evidence to the police. i a dossier of eviden

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv. us president biden has responded to the attacks on ukraine, saying: and mr biden warned: now to the war in the middle east are burned. —— middle east then.. the united nations says an estimated 150,000 palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central gaza, as israeli forces advance on refugee camps there. an israeli air strike is reported to have killed at least 20 displaced people in rafah, a town that many people have fled to in recent days. meanwhile, a hamas delegation has arrived in cairo for talks about a possible truce. hamas is designated a terror organisation by many western governments. 0ur correspondent, shaimaa khalil, sent this report from jerusalem. a massive is really bombing in northern gaza turned an extensive network of hamas tunnels to dust. these idf pictures show well—equipped infrastructure of long and branched out tunnels in which the army is a senior hamas members moved and operated. in central gaza more than a people were ordered to evacuate two of the a