welcome to bbc news, broadcasting at home and around the globe. i'm lebo diseko. our top stories: donald trump says he will dissolve his controversial charitable foundation to avoid any conflicts of interest. israel's prime minister orders a review of his country's relationship with the united nations, after a vote condemning settlement building. in his christmas message, pope francis denounces the suffering of children around the world. and hard—rocking status quo guitarist, rick parfitt, has died aged 68. first some breaking news this hour. reports are coming in that a russian military plane has disappeared from radar is shortly after taking off from the black sea resort. according

to one news agency, it was heading to one news agency, it was heading to syria. a search operation is reported to be under way, we will keep you up—to—date with the latest on that as soon as we have more —— black sea. donald trump has announced that he will be dissolving his charitable foundation. the president elect says it's to try and avoid any conflicts of interest with his presidency. the trump foundation has been under investigation by new york's attorney general since september over suspected impropriety. us media says the foundation is under scrutiny over a donation it made to a group backing a republican politician in 2013. mr trump released a statement saying: lynn sweet is a journalist for the chicago sun times,

based in washington. i spoke to her a short while ago about the foundation and why the president elect has decided to close it. this has been a big controversy triggered by stories in the washington post. the bottom line is that donald trump does not give any of his own money to the foundation. he has not done so between 2009—2014. so the foundation goes to other people to ask for money. then, there is another set of controversies, which is what the attorney general in new york is looking at. and that is whether they are self dealing, you're not supposed to use a not—for—profit foundation to make political contributions or to help your business. that is at the heart of it.

how will it work? he says he is closing it down, the attorney general says he cannot do that while they are investigating? they can both be right. donald trump has said he is not going to raise any more money and is filing paperwork to close it down, but that doesn't wipe the slate clean. the attorney general or the state of new york can still investigate it. how damaging is this for donald trump or does it not matter in terms of his presidency? one of the things we have learned in this campaign leading to the presidency of donald trump is that nothing seems to hurt him. controversies that would take out other political figures in the united states didn't have any impact on him. he ended up getting elected and will be sworn in onjanuary 20. i think this foundation controversy is one of many dealings with his conflict of interest issues that have not been resolved, and by that, i mean his complex web of businesses that he is yet to tell anyone how he is going to divorce

himself from the family business before he becomes president. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says his country will re—assess its ties with the united nations. this comes after the security council adopted a resolution demanding an end to israeli settlement building on occupied palestinian land. it passed after israel's traditional ally, the us, abstained, which was a break with long—standing practice. mr netanyahu also praised donald trump, who's suggested he will reverse america's position on the issue at the un after his inauguration. translation: the decision that was taken at the un yesterday was part of the swansong with the old world, against israel. we are entering a new era and, as the president—elect donald trump said yesterday, this will happen sooner than people think. the passing of the resolution has been celebrated by palestinians,

as our middle east correspondent, yolande knell explains. here in bethlehem, there is a festive mood outside the nativity church, but many palestinians feel they have an extra reason to celebrate after this un security council resolution, which said that israeli settlements are a flagrant violation of international law. it has been welcomed by all the different palestinian political factions and they're hoping that it will strengthen their legal case when they pursue action against israel in the international courts. for its part, israeli officials have come out and said that this is a disgraceful, shameful resolution and the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says he will not abide by its terms. there are more than 600,000 israelis who live in settlements in the occupied west bank and east jerusalem, that is on land that israel captured in the 1967 middle east war. and the us really feels that

at the un security council it was betrayed by its closest ally, the us, which usually uses its veto power to block any resolution that is critical of it. now it is looking to president—elect donald trump for a lot more support. he has already come out on twitter saying that things will be different afterjanuary 20, which is of course when he takes office. amid heightened security, pope francis has celebrated mass on christmas eve for thousands of worshippers gathered in saint peter's basilica. david willey has this report. the pope spoke of the plight of today's children. perhaps he was thinking of those in aleppo in syria, hiding underground to escape bombardment, and those sleeping rough on the pavements of large cities, or lying at the bottom of a boat crammed with migrants crossing the mediterranean. translation: let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the children

who are not given the chance at life, for those who cry because they are hungry, for those who do not have toys in their hands, but instead weapons. a day after the killing in milan by italian police of the suspected perpetrator of the berlin christmas market massacre, unprecedented security measures were in force around the vatican. soldiers and police were stationed every 100 metres and worshippers were required to pass through metal detectors before entering the basilica. more than 100 skiers have been rescued after being trapped in cable cars above the mountains in italy. high winds made one of the ski lifts fail. it left people heading back to the valley after a day on the slopes stuck swinging 30 metres in the air. caroline davies reports. lowered back to firm ground,

after hours stuck hanging above it. these skiers in italy were rescued and winched to safety after strong winds stopped their cable cars. the breakdown happened in northern italy at the alpine resorts of cervinia. it is one of europe's highest ski resorts, and skiers were trapped at an altitude of over 2000 metres while rescuers tried to reach them. heavy winds meant rescuers could not use helicopters to reach those trapped. translation: there was much wind. we stopped at the pillar and remained there for two hours. it took more than eight hours to bring down all 130 stranded skiers. fortunately, the weather was mild and none of them suffered from cold exposure. we have been lucky. the gondola was heavy, but there were moments with gusts

of 150 kilometres an hour, during which the gondolas were almost horizontal, and it was a scary moment. the resort said on social media that nobody was in danger during the rescue. those who are safely out are just pleased to be back before christmas. thousands of people have started evacuating their homes in the philippines as a powerful typhoon heads towards the island nation. typhoon nock—ten, known locally as typhoon nina, is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds of up to 138 miles per hour when it hits on christmas day. boats have been grounded and extra emergency staff called out to help deal with the damage expected from the storm. more than 6,000 people died and 200,000 homes were destroyed when typhoon haiyan hit the country in 2013. for more, here's bbc weather‘s louise lear. it's late in the season for a significant storm to strike through the heart of the philippines, but that's exactly what typhoon nock—ten

is likely to do. you can just about make out the eye of the storm on the satellite picture as it continues to move in a westerly direction, expected to make landfall during christmas day. this is going to be a significant storm. the potential for category three or four. there will be a lot of heavy rain associated with it. strong to damaging gusting winds and a significant storm surge ofjust 2.5 metres, that's eight foot. it will rip through the heart of the philippines close towards manila. the wider white circles show the uncertainty of the track once it makes landfall. we will of course keep you updated. but it's a significant storm and it will cause some issues. 200—300 millimetres per day, which will result in flooding and some landslides. gusts of up to 160 mph, certainly want to keep a close eye on.

how unusual is this? sadly, it is the third storm to arrive during christmas day. the last one was in 1981 and before that 19117. these were both category two and as i say nock—ten looks likely to be more powerful. rick parfitt, guitarist with the band status quo, has died in spain at the age of 68. he was being treated in hospital for a severe infection. the musician was still recovering from a heart attack he'd had earlier this summer. david sillito looks back at his life and career. i have gotten to where i wanted to go, you know, to become a pop star or a rock star. to quo fans, he was easy to spot. he was the man with blond hair and was responsible for some of the greatest riffs in rock ‘n‘ roll.

1972's piledriver was the beginning of a run of a0 hit albums. 57 top a0 singles. no other rock band comes close and it all began here. rick parfitt met francis rossi when he was a teenager. their first single was a bit of 1960s psychedelia. but their passion for something a bit more raw — a hit making rock ‘n‘ roll formula. all our records do sound the same because it is status quo. i am not trying to get out of a corner here. of course it is going to sound like us. who is it meant to sound like? who would you get to open this thing? as soon as i had the idea i couldn't think of anyone better. # here we are, here

we are, here we go. # here we go, rocking all over the world. and when it came to sex, drugs and rock'n‘ roll, rick parfitt did it all. this riff arose after a huge dose of amphetamines. he told us he had a riff he wanted to do. we told him good night and left. we came back at 11:30 the following morning and rick was still there. he hadn't been home yet. nearly 12 hours he had been sitting there, after too much speed the previous day. he married three times. of course he has a particular type of woman. blondes. and his health, even after recovering from surgery, he was smoking and drinking. i was smoking and drinking in hospital. it was the rock ‘n‘ roll lifestyle.

but when it came to turning rock into hit songs, he was one of the best. the guitarist rick parfitt, who has died aged 68. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: who needs a sleigh? why this father christmas has decided water—skiing may be the best way to deliver presents. we saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach, and people started to run, and suddenly it was complete chaos. united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said the operation had been 90% successful, but it's failed in its principal objective, to capture general noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but

the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of the pan—am's maid of the seas, nose—down in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town of shkoder where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. our main headlines: donald trump says he will dissolve his controversial charitable foundation to avoid any conflicts of interest. and a reminder of our breaking news this hour. reports are coming in that a russian military plane has disappeared from radars shortly after take—off from the black sea resort of sochi. it's thought it had at least 70 people on board.

according to one news agency, it was heading to latakia, in syria. a search operation is now reportedly underway. we'll keep you up to date with the latest information as soon as we have more. there are 850,000 people with dementia here in the uk and that number is likely to rise. there's no cure for the condition, but a virtual reality company and care home group have collaborated to develop a series of virtual reality experiences that help to treat those living with dementia. mikey aveline explains. for some, getting out and about can be difficult. these elderly locals are attending their christmas party,

and this year's theme comes with a virtual twist. we will make sure it ends up being very comfortable. joe isa ends up being very comfortable. joe is a former nurse who has dementia. this is her first is a former nurse who has dementia. this is herfirst time is a former nurse who has dementia. this is her first time trying is a former nurse who has dementia. this is herfirst time trying out is a former nurse who has dementia. this is her first time trying out a virtual reality headset as part of a trial that may revolutionise dementia care. that one? yeah. put a rope around it and swing down. here we have the underwater scene. as you can see, we've got the coral and the rocks and everything like that. through the device, jo can virtually swim underwater, visit a forest or even go to the beach, along with other experiences that may be tricky otherwise. gorgeous. yeah. not real, though, are they? no. the virtual reality idea came from alex smail after he was inspired by his elderly

neighbours, who were housebound. after he was inspired by his elderly neighbours, who were houseboundm we created the virtual relative experience for the elderly because i had two neighbours who hadn't left their house for quite a long time, and we were developing vr, and i thought, wouldn't it be great if we could give them an experience that ta kes could give them an experience that takes them out of the house without actually having to leave the house? dementia affects 50 million people worldwide and 70% of those living in uk care homes are thought to have the condition. a kickstarter campaign has been launched in the hope of raising enough funds to have the headset is widely available in ca re the headset is widely available in care homes. these headsets are not a cure for dementia, but what they do do is help to alleviate symptoms people can experience, such as stress and depression. users of the trial are medically assessed by their body movements. with this, we are giving them a reality we can both relate to, which makes it more authentic. so it is not disorienting

them, it isjust authentic. so it is not disorienting them, it is just taking third place you can both be involved in. them, it is just taking third place you can both be involved inlj wonder if we will ever see this again in reality. so as many of us travel abroad this christmas or rush to buy the latest gadgets, some of oui’ to buy the latest gadgets, some of our most vulnerable can still enjoy these experiences at home. wonderful. wonderful. it was christmas day 25 years ago when the last soviet president, mikhail gorbachev, announced his resignation. it led to the end of the soviet union and the independence of the russian state. here's a look back into the bbc archives. homeless people in madrid are able to get dinner cooked by famous chefs totally free. it's thanks to a priest, with an unusual idea for a restaurant. let's have a look. president obama has delivered his last christmas message from the white house. sitting with his wife michelle, he said it had been an honour to serve as america's president. merry christmas, everybody.

one of the best parts of the holiday season is spending time with the best people in your life. and for me, that is getting some help from my best friend for our annual weekly address. given how our first weekly address went, i realised barack needed all the help he could get. this is our first address and we... laughter stop it! you have got to stop it! get it together, you're going to have to pull it together. celebrating the holidays in the white house over the past eight years has been a true privilege. we have been able to welcome over half a million guests, our outstanding pastry chefs have baked over 2000 holiday cookies and barack has treated the american people to countless dad jokes. they are great jokes. that is not funny. a few got a frosty reception. merry christmas, everybody. and we wish you and your family

a happy and healthy 2017. thanks, and god bless. millions of children around the world this christmas will be interested in the progress of a certain jolly interested in the progress of a certainjolly man interested in the progress of a certain jolly man with a beard and a slave. tim allman reports. —— a sleigh. now millions of children around the world this christmas will be irrespective of whether you have been naughty or indeed is nice, father christmas was on his way. and like every year, the north american aerospace defence command, or norad, gave people the chance to track his progress. before setting off on his herculean task, santa — well, let's be honest, a guy dressed up as santa — took time out for some waterskiing in the us state of virginia. notjust him, his elves and reindeers gave it a go. some not as successfully as others. in belarus, hundreds of people dressed up as father frost and his granddaughter the snow maiden, taking part in an annual parade.

translation: it's always a joy and a celebration. it is important to be festive in your heart, and then it spreads to both children and adults. although in the orthodox church christmas does not come until next month, they were still celebrating in this part of siberia — underwater, for some reason. a special party taking place in lake baikal. despite temperatures reaching —20, they still managed with a tree and wine. in colombo they have put up what they claim is the world's tallest ever artificial christmas tree, 70 metres tall and painted in a million pine cones. the organisers say they wanted to promote religious harmony. for many, christmas is about food. but injapan this festive meal is a little unusual. on offer, locust canapes and a cake made with strawberry and earthworms. i think i might stick with turkey. that is about all we have time for.

thank you for watching bbc world news. good morning, and merry christmas to you. now, if a sledge was on your wish list, you might be disappointed with this forecast. an incredibly mild christmas day, breezy with some rain in the story. the reason being all tied into this deep area of low pressure which is connor, which is on its way. it's going to dominate across the northern uk on boxing day. ahead of it, these weather fronts producing a lot of cloud and a wind direction from a southwesterly. it's going to drag in mild air across the country. from the word go, temperatures likely to be in double figures across central and southern areas. there is only one place for temperatures to go, they'll continue to climb.

cloud with outbreaks of drizzle, and more persistent rain moving through scotland and northern ireland. by the afternoon, a scattering of showers. it still could be potentially quite mild, 111—15 degrees is not out of the question in sheltered parts of eastern scotland. a band of persistent rain sinking south and east, and ahead of it, again, across northern wales we could see midteens. a fair amount of cloud around. the cloud always thick enough perhaps for the odd spot of drizzle. will it be a record—breaking christmas day? perhaps not. in fact, we need to see 15.6 degrees to equal the record, and that's happened on two occasions. one in devon, in 1920, the other in edinburgh, in 1896. but it will be a pretty mild story for all. as we move through christmas day evening, more persistent rain will push steadily south and east. that is yet to clear away, and that is when we will see the strongest winds on the back of this area of low pressure. connor could produce

some damaging gusts, particularly across the far north. here we've got an amber weather warning. be prepared for more disruption, with storm force winds not out of the question. going to be a windy day on boxing day. if you are going to be out and about to try to walk off some of the indulgence during christmas day, again, quite cloudy, with outbreaks of showery, drizzly rain to the south and more squally, heavier showers to the far north and west. but as we move away from boxing day, we will start to see a change. from tuesday onwards, high pressure builds, which will quieten the story down nicely. that could bring a new set of problems, fog could be an issue. slow to lift and, once it lifts, it will be noticeably cooler across the country, but with a little more sun in the afternoon. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. donald trump says he intends to dissolve his controversial charitable organisation to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest during his presidency. mr trump said the foundation had

contributed millions of dollars to worthy causes, but he would pursue his interest in philanthropy in other ways. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says his country will re—assess its ties with the united nations. he was speaking a day after the security council passed a resolution demanding a halt to israeli settlement—building on occupied palestinian land. reports are coming in that a russian military plane has disappeared from radar shortly after take—off from the black sea resort of sochi.