hello. our top stories. islamic state militants in syria say they've shot down a warplane in the u.s.-led coalition and captured the jordanian pilot. >> fresh anger in st. louis where another teen-ager is killed near where a black man

was killed by a white officer. >> and what are the origins of father christmas? we go to turkey to find out. let's go straight away with the breaking news coming to us from syria. more details, more reports that a jordanian fighter jet has been shot down by islamic state militants. the militant say they downed the plane near the town of raqqa, one of their strongholds. this image has been posted on social media. they are claiming they have captured the pilot, posting a photo there of his i.d. card. let's get more with our defense and diplomatic reporter john than you marcus. since we last spoke, jonathan, more developments principally coming out of jordan itself? >> absolutely and principally

relating to the identity of the pilot. also, his father has been speaking to a news agency there and the father is quoted as saying that the jordanian authorities have told him that his son has been captured by islamic state. still no indication yet as to what brought down the aircraft. we believe it was probably an f-16 of the jordanian air force. we don't know if it was a technical failure or engine failure or whatever or whether it was actually brought down by islamic state fire. >> and i.s. has pasted that picture of the pilot himself being surrounded by militant and his father making a direct appeal to i.s. as well. >> absolutely. it's a very grim and unfortunate situation. he looks as though he was fished out of the river there. he seems to have jettison's his uniform. maybe he was trying to evade capture or whatever.

we don't know. as you say, the photos are of him surrounded by large number of islamic state militants. raqqa the effective capital of the area controlled by islamic state and a number targets we know have been struck in and around the city over the air, during the air campaign in the past few weeks. >> do militant experts think i.s. has the weaponry to bring down a fighter jet? >> i don't think it's a surprise. they have a shoulder fire missiles that are rife in the region. the interesting thing will be if this plane was brought down, what brought it down. islamic state in the past has brought down iraqi and syrian helicopters. they've overrun large numbers of syrian air defense bases.

now, whether they have any trained personnel who could operate those more sophisticated systems, russian and soviet supplied missiles, we certainly don't know. if that were to be the case, clearly that would have to be fed into the planning of air operations and perhaps some tactical changes, perhaps some different particular specialized aircraft might need to be sent in. >> just to underline the significance of this, if this transspires as it appears to be that this jet has come down and been shot down, that would be the first coalition fighter jet to actually have been shot down and the first pilot to have been captured. >> it's the first aircraft to go down in any circumstances over islamic state-controlled territory. we don't know yet whether it suffered a malfunction or the shot down.

it's the first jordanian pilot to be captured. >> let's turn to other breaking news emerging from the united states. there is more ainger in st. louis in the suburbs there where an officer has shot and killed a black teen-ager. crowds of people have gathered at a petro station in berkeley where the shooting took place. riots have broken out and many people have been arrested. police say the officer shot and killed an 18-year-old man after he drew a handgun and pointed it at him. the teen hasn't been officially identified but has been named locally as antonio martin. his mother has been talking to reporters and she says she's been waiting for answers. >> they won't let me see my baby. >> reporter: how did you find out about it? >> his girl friend came and picked me up. >> reporter: what time did this happen? >> it's been like an hour or two

hours. they've just got my baby laying out there. he's been out there for about two hours. >> reporter: that was antonio martin's mother speaking just a while ago. the shooting took place just kilometers away from where michael brown was killed in ferguson. today's shooting happened at the petro station on north hanley road. we will talk to a journalist who is there at that petro station. we'll talk to her in a couple of minutes time. now, president obama has welcomed the announcement by sony pictures that it will release its controversial comedy "the interview" in a limited number of theaters on christmas day. sony made that decision after its computer system was hacked by a group calling itself the

guardians of peace who claimed responsibility. >> reporter: there have been plenty of surprises in the story of the interview which turned from christmas comedy to quite a drama for sony pictures. first it was pulled, but now it will be shown on about 200 screens after the company backtracked. in a statement sony pictures said it would have a limited theatrical release in the united states on christmas day, adding they were proud to make it available to the public and to have stood up to those who attempted to suppress free speech. most cinema-goers supported sewny's decision. >> to be honest, it looks interesting but i didn't pay that much attention to it before but now i'm going to go see it. >> people should be able to express their views in any way. >> it got really bad reviews.

i ain't going to see it. >> i ain't scared of no hackers. >> texas based alamo drafthouse took a stand and released the film. >> i think it's really the outpouring of people all over the u.s. and the world who want to support, you know, freedom of creativity, freedom of expression and support. >> reporter: it's been a tough month for sony but pulling the film brought questions of freedom of speech and whether they've given in to terrorist threats. sony says now it will do everything they can to ensure the movie reaches the largest possible audience. >> severe thunderstorms and a tornado have torn through mississippi. four people have been killed in the severe weather and thousands

have been left without power. weather damaged homes throughout mississippi and hail the size of golf course has also been issued. residents were stunned by the scenes of chaos. >> it was a pretty harrowing experience, it's pitch black but you can still see people walking around, what was their home, looking for their belonging -- i think a lot of people were still in a state of shock from what happened. >> now to where some the world's oldest christian communities are

preparing for their first christmas as recent years. hundreds of thousands have left their homes because of wars and islamic extremism and they have gone to germany ending but this year they're not just coming to pray. they've also been forced to live in these church grounds in jordan. lela has helped prepare breakfast. everyone here is from mosul. when islamic militants took over their village. >> translator: these people chop

people's heads off. we left behind our house, our home, our whole existence. we took a children and . -- charities are doing what they can do to help. most of these refugees can't see any way they're going to be able to return home any time soon. this woman celebrated her engagement in mosul earlier this year. now she's getting married in. it's brought loved ones together but only briefly. we won't go back to iraq, says the groom. there's no future for us there. the couple want to leave this troubled region and start a new life, and they're not alone.

hundreds of thousands of chryea. the trend worries church leaders. >> it's very important for christianity for the principals, the ideal and the teachings of christian i christianity. >> reporter: the church is packed for an iraqi service. the christmas message is about peace and hope, but right now in the middle east, there's a lota lotage. >> reporter: in other news, former president george bush, sr. has been taken to the hot in

and he'll be under observation as a precaution. >> an arrest warrant for a former plane, tiff the daughter of the head of the airline may be charged with breaking aviation safety be sprchl. >> jack: well, a decade after the devastating asian tsunami weeks hear from a sri lankan train guard who shares his incredible story of survival.

you're watching "bbc news." the latest headlines here. islamic militants are said to have shot down a jordanian plane and the pilot has been captured. it's been almost ten years since a tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people across asia. despite the devastation, there are some amazing stories of survival. carran was driving the train, however, he managed to survive. >> i'm a train guard. that day on 22 september, i came to work as usual. being a holiday, the train was overcrowded. it was a regular day and the

train was a wave came and went across the train, wetting our feet. at first i thought it was the tide, but it was quite unusual but it was across the train. when i looked outside, everything was being dragged by the water, cars, shops and i saw people drowning, desperately trying to survive. after a while the second wave came, a big wave that tore my chain apart. i thought clamor to the roof. i saw the train carriages floating like match boxes. the entire low lying area had become a a part of the so many were dead. after that i returned to check on my colleague. the enjoy was overwere this is

the area that the tsunami hit my train. i remember everything. that day when i leave home at 2:00 in the morning, my family was discussing my funeral. first they had to find my body. so many people lost their lives that day in the sunday am i and -- >> all of the week we're bringing you special coverage marking that devastating tsunami. there is already mob.

>> straight to breaking news and it breaking news linked to our main story because the jordanian army has just spoken for the first time about these reports of a downed jordanian jet over raqqa. the jordan sfrrnl -- and that the picture of his e.d. hartd hard prn sfrnl that one of its pilots has been captured, this is the photo i.s. has posted on social media. and going on to say that the islamic state bears responsibility for rn sfwrrnl

his safe return and his father appealing to i.s. not to harm his son. so those the lacest specific sfrchl now, in the democratic sfrnl it's no easy endeavor. it's becoming sfirnl sfrnl. >> he's more jubilant. i adviceth sfrchlt remember if

you're temperature not only how to devote themselves to the lord but also how to put on a great show. >> this competition doesn't really say its name out there but there is sort of competition. part of the reason why people come to such is to set out, the cra crass. >> reporter: the school has its own recording studio, in which they're taught who nshl. >> snurchlt is expected to know

how to conduct them. >> wednesday night is time that children in much of the western world are waiting for a portly man in red and white to pass by their slay, climb down their chimney and leave them presents. well, you may not know it, but he's originally from turkey. we traced santa's routes. behind the musical masser we all know who he is but do floch who he was. thousands of miechl. he was bishop here in the fourth century, phone for his good

deeds. pill grams come across the world but his bones were stolen in '87 and now, it a mystery. >> for the people sfrurnlt and so we want nounkt. who would have thought? back then it was lithuaniaia, some runs remain. amazing tales were told -- nicholas is said to have thrown gold into the house, some down the chimney. caught in, yes, you guessed it, a stocking hung up to dry. stories spread throughout the centuries of the kindly bishop, nicholas and the notably.

>> st. nick lats -- nicholas to santa claus. hold on, did he just -- nah! ♪ oh, st. nicholas you're the one, passes by, spreading spirit with a twinkling eye. >> the tourists flood here, some for the saint, others for the portly chap in red. >> i guess i thought santa claus was just a commercial business but knowing that i didn't -- i learned here that he was a real man that did great things and his hedge kwrk.

>> jack: so now you know, whatever you wished for this christmas, you better send it to the ho, ho, frnlful a jordanian spobsman from their army has confirmed that in the last few minutes that one of its pilots has been captured in syria during coalition air raids and go on to say the islamic state bares responsibility for his safety and development and detail emerging through the last few hours. have that image posted by i.s. of that pilot surrounded by militants. we also had his i.d. card.

-- posted. that is our major story. stay with us on bbc world news." the ♪ pfrm sfrchl right now lease an infini

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jordan confirms that islamic militants captured a pilot in air raids. >> and in st. louis, a mother is looking for answers. >> he was trying to get up and run. when he was trying to get up and run, they started shooting him. >> president obama welcomes