this is bbc news, i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: in the next few hours, 30 american cities are expecting the coldest temperatures they have ever recorded. reports from syria say government and russian airstrikes have hit ten hospitals in the past ten days. he walked on the moon and flew the first space shuttle mission. astronaut john young dies at the age of 87. from moscow to bethlehem and beyond, orthodox christians begin their christmas celebrations. the east coast of north america is shivering in a record—breaking freeze. it comes after a massive snowstorm that reached as far south as florida.

in parts of the us, temperatures are forecast to fall below minus 30 degrees celsius. the extreme weather has been linked to up to 19 deaths in the us so far, and two more in canada. andrew plant reports. a new year, a new low for north america's east coast, bracing itself against sub—zero temperatures and several inches of snow. it is those who live outside who are now the most vulnerable to a weather event that is exceptionally rare. in chicago, the thermometers are still falling. those on the streets encouraged to come inside. in boston, homeless shelters are bringing in more emergency beds as dozens flee from the biting cold. and in washington, dc, as volunteers serve hot meals to the homeless here, the fear is that the frozen ground and the forecast for record lows

this weekend could become a lethal combination. i don't know that we have recorded any deaths based on the weather yet, but i think it's entirely possible. so we're trying to help in whatever way we can, which is opening the centre between meals, we have warm clothing available for people who need it, and providing hot meals to people when they come in here. but, after years of living outside, some still say they'll stay away from the homeless shelters. people in the neighbourhood have been looking out for us. they come by, bringing us sweatpants. they're totally looking out for us. socks, sweatpants — i mean, more than we even need! the mass of low pressure is moving north up north america's atlantic coast, leaving heavy snowfall behind, and the possibility of temperatures as low as minus 30 celsius. much colder, though, in the fierce winds. cars and homes already frozen in floodwater. even large bodies of water are now pale and still. in cities like new york, road salt has helped get traffic

moving. but in rural areas, the problems will persist far longer. so far, at least 19 people have died. temperatures could return to normal next week as the storm moves further north through canada, but millions here must get safely through this record cold spell first. andrew plant, bbc news. the italian coastguard says it has rescued 85 people from a rubber dinghy which got into trouble off the libyan coast. these dramatic pictures have been released by the italian authorities, and show the rescue taking place earlier on saturday. rescue charities say that at least 25 people died in the incident, but the search for survivors has continued. an eu anti—trafficking aircraft spotted the dinghy getting into difficulties during a surveillance flight. it is thought to be the first migrant shipwreck of 2018, though the italian coastguard is reported to have rescued several 100 migrants already this year. syrian activists say 17 people have

been killed in airstrikes in rebel—held eastern ghouta. the british—based syrian 0bservatory for human rights says another 60 people were wounded in the besieged stronghold, close to the capital, damascus. more strikes in this area and in the rebel—held northern province of idlib have been reported by aid workers. they say ten hospitals have been hit by syrian government and russian bombers over the last ten days. this report from our middle east regional editor alanjohnston. the race through the smashed streets, the dash into a ruined building. for the rescue workers, after the bombs fall, the routine is all too familiar here in the rebel—held enclave of eastern ghouta. higher up, people emerge from what might be a flat.

perhaps they were at home when the bomb crashed down. the cries of shock and horror at it all echo through the wreckage. the injured are gathered up, but there have been reports of deaths, too, on this day of many air strikes in the enclave. translation: we've received more than 50 people today in the emergency department, because of the massacre of hamouriyah. we've documented ten victims, and we have ten others who are severely wounded and may die at any moment. aid workers say ten hospitals have been hit in recent days in ghouta and here in the rebel—held province of idlib. eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital. government forces have had this area under siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily.

there is every danger that tomorrow, there will be more of the same. donald trump has again attacked the author of a controversial book that accused him of being unstable and incompetent. the us president told a news conference at camp david that he had been a tremendous success, and that the book, fire and fury by michael wolff, was a work of fiction. here is david willis in washington. boarding a flight to camp david for meetings with senior members of his party, the image of donald trump that leading republicans would like to project — one of order, professionalism and control. instead, the president is battling claims contained in this book that senior advisers share the view that he is mentally unfit for office. so the commander—in—chief took to social media to assert:

later, he took aim at the book's author, michael wolff, who had been given access to the white house to write it. i consider it a work of fiction, and i think it's a disgrace that somebody‘s able to have something — do something like that. the libel laws are very weak in this country. if they were strong, it would be very helpful. you wouldn't have things like that happen, where you can say whatever comes to your head. but, just so you know, i never interviewed with him in the white house at all. he was never in the oval office. we didn't have an interview. possibly the most damaging claim contained in the book is that the president lacks curiosity, doesn't read, doesn't listen, is like a child. they all came to the conclusion, gradually at first, and then faster and faster, that something was unbelievably amiss here, that this was more peculiar than they ever imagined it could be. the book portrays the white house

in a constant state of chaos, reeling under the influence of a petulant, easily distracted commander—in—chief. having successfully passed legislation just before christmas reforming america's taxation system, senior republicans were probably hoping that a new year would mark a new start for the trump administration. but, instead of moving forward on such key issues as immigration reform, the focus now is completely on the president, his personality, and whether he is mentally fit to hold office. well, the fallout from that trump book has loomed over the camp david meeting where the president and senior republicans have been gathering to thrash out legislative priorities for 2018. patrick basham from the think tank the democracy institute gave me his thoughts about the republican agenda. they need to make 2018

more like december 2017, when they finally got up major piece of legislation, tax reform, through, rather than the preceding 11 months, when they couldn't get anything meaningful through congress. but what is going to be the albatross around the republicans‘ neck is that the party in congress is divided amongst itself on many of these key issues, and also, where there is agreement among republicans on capitol hill, there isn't necessarily agreement between them and the white house, so it's going to be a piecemeal, issue—by—issue basis. the hope for the republicans is that they can add to the tax reform, success so that going into the midterm elections this coming november, they actually have something to defend and something to tell the voters it's worth supporting them again. so plenty of faultlines. what is the priority, then, in the senate and in the house? what do they want to achieve in 2018?

well, number one, bottom line, they want to achieve something, anything, to add to tax reform. i suspect they're going to think that the — if not the easiest, then the least—hardest policy file to make progress on would be infrastructure, because there is the opportunity, perhaps, to pick off some democratic support in both the house and the senate. because a lot of democrats agree that infrastructure is a huge problem that needs government support. it's whether the republicans can convince those democrats that the republican idea of a public—private financing partnership is good enough, because the democrats will want to know there are lots of union shovel—readyjobs there. but i think if they can — if they can work with the democrats, they could get an infrastructure bill through congress, and that would be popular around the country. yeah, infrastructure takes money, of course, doesn't it? and we know that finances are looming large in the coming weeks and months, and that is going

to be a particular problem, isn't it, for the republicans? it is. though first and foremost, this year, the republicans‘ congress has to avoid a government shut—down. they've been just piecemealing, punting this from month to month to get us into 2018, to keep the government's lights on and the cheques going out. the republicans always are the ones who lose politically when a government shut—down either happens, or we get to the precipice of one. so they have every incentive to work with the democrats, and to make the government function in the most basic sense, so that they can then work on these larger, more long—term issues. so i think that will happen, for no other reason than it's political suicide for the republicans to let it fail. tributes have been paid to nasa's longest—serving astronaut, john young, who has died at the age of 87. he was one ofjust 12 men

who have walked on the moon, and went on to command the first space shuttle mission. tim allman has been looking back at his life. file: the commander, john young... if anyone had the right stuff, it wasjohn young. here he is in 1981, preparing for the launch of the first space shuttle. he had been working for nasa for nearly than 20 years by this point. but, when they needed a commander for their newest, most daring mission, there was only one choice. john was a fascinating, devoted and passionate, and really fearless man, and just a role model to so many astronauts, and including the six people that are up in the space station right now. a life really well—lived, and a good friend of mine. file: in the ready room, near launching pad 19, they get into their spacesuits, the final mission briefing behind them. john young first flew into space

with the gemini mission, smuggling a corned beef sandwich on board as a gift for a fellow astronaut. and then came apollo, where he became only the ninth man to walk on the moon. but, despite all his extraordinary achievements, he was not one to dwell on the past. i'm sure looking forward to getting people off this planet, because i think it will be very helpful to getting the future done right for the kids of tomorrow, our children and grandchildren, and that'll be a lot of fun. john young was born in san francisco in 1930, his family eventually moving to florida. he served in the us navy, beforejoining nasa in 1962. in a statement, the agency called him "the astronaut‘s astronaut", saying that they, and the world, had lost a pioneer. legendary astronaut john young, who has died at the age of 87. rohingya muslim insurgents have

claimed responsibility for an attack on myanmar military forces in rakhine state on friday. in a statement on twitter, the arakan rohingya salvation army said it carried out an ambush, the first such incident for several weeks. myanmar authorities said two security officers and a driver were wounded. the rebels have accused the military of continuing to abuse the muslim population of the state. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: cyclone ava lashes madagascar. floods and high winds force more than 10,000 people to flee. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it announced he was dead. good grief! after half a century of delighting fans around the world,

charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. teams were trying to scoop up lumps of oil as france recognises it faces an ecological crisis. three weeks ago, the authorities confidently assured these areas that the oil from the broken tanker erika would head out to sea. it didn't. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: more than 30 cities in the eastern united states, including new york and boston, are expecting to experience record cold

temperatures over the next few hours. let's stay with that story, and spare a thought for those who don't have a roof over their heads at the moment. the number of people sleeping rough in the united states rose for the first time in seven years last year, presenting a huge challenge for the homeless and those who help them at this time of year. a short time ago, i spoke to karen lafrazia, ceo of st francis house, a homeless shelter in boston where 30cm of snow has fallen in recent days. it has been dangerously cold. we are going into our second week now of having record—breaking cold, and i should say, we had a huge snowstorm two days ago, which just made everything that much worse. how does it work? do people come to you looking for shelter, or is it a case of outreach?

it is actually both. in boston, we have places people can go and sleep at night. we have people like st francis house, where people come to us during the day. right now, everybody is working around the clock to make sure we don't lose anybody to the cold. there are outreach vans going out and scouring the city for people, making sure that anybody who will come in can come in. the train stations are open and the subways are open. people are seeking refuge wherever they can. i know that we have some pictures of another homeless shelter in the boston area, i know that they are all very, very busy. can you tell me, is it a case that people always want to come into the shelters, or are they sometimes distrustful? it is a combination of many things. i think the folks we are most

concerned about are people that have a mental illness. their judgement is impaired by their mental health status. they are folks who are distrustful of shelters of other people, they have a hard time making good choices and judgements about their own personal safety. so we as a community are very concerned about making sure those people, we can do outreach to them, bring them in. if they refuse to come in, we give them blankets and coats and hand warmers, we bring food to them. this is the entire city. it is the night shelters, it is the police department, it is the emergency services team. the transit, everybody working together. karen lafrazia speaking to me earlier. the nigerian government is planning to speed up the evacuation of its citizens from libya.

two planes have been chartered to repatriate 800 people over the next few days. many migrants were brought back home last year after international media reports of people being held in horrific conditions in libya. on a visit to a camp in tripoli this weekend, the nigerian foreign minister accused libya of exploiting and ill—treating migrants. nigeria's government says its people make up the majority of undocumented people trying to cross to europe from libya. the coastguard and libyan armed groups have prevented many from leaving sincejuly. the german chancellor angela merkel‘s christian democrats will begin five days of talks later to see whether they can form a coalition government with the social democrats. germany has had no government since her party lost more than 60 parliamentary seats in september's election. the bbc‘s damien mcguiness is in berlin. these talks that could be angela

merkel‘s last chance to form a sta ble merkel‘s last chance to form a stable governing col ishant. in november talks with the greens and free—market liberals unexpectedly collapsed on the meaning that angela merkel‘s centre—right bloc suddenly had no choice but to try and form a coalition with the centre—left social democrats. but we have had three months in germany since the elections and that is the longest time this country has ever known in this period of coalition building. so pressure is really building to try and form a coalition as quickly as possible. now it isn't a crisis because there is a caretaker government but it does mean that long—term decisions, whether in the eu or here in germany, to be made. the two side don't agree on everything, so there are certain key issues such as refugees, such as taxation, where the two sides disagree vehemently and these are ideological issues that we are going

to find issue to agree on. furthermore points of interest, such as the need to spend more on infrastructure here in germany. so they could be an agreement and if there is we could see a government in place by easter. and one reason why the two sides could agree is because the alternative option is so unappealing, a minority government is seen as unstable and fresh elections would certainly lead to a longer period of uncertainty so whatever the two sides disagree on, they can agree on that either of those options is not what they want. madagascar is bracing itself for severe flash flooding and the risk of landslides as ex—tropical cyclone ava wreaks further havoc. it's thought more than 10,000 people have already been displaced by the storm. virginia langeberg reports. it is wet season and there are few places to hide across madagascar. already, thousands have been displaced, while fears of casualties grow with reports of missing people. storm ava is in no hurry to leave.

parts of the island are forecast to be hit with up to five times the averagejanuary rainfall — a whopping 700mm bringing severe flash flooding and the risk of landslides. translation: there is no more road. the water is almost up to our waist. it is risky to move by boat. we are scared for our lives because we can't swim. ava has weakened since making landfall on friday but the slow—moving ex—tropical cyclone will continue to batter the island until at least lunch—time on monday as it tracks close to the south—east coastline, packing winds of up to 120km/h. some parts of madagascar have already been inundated, forcing locals into emergency shelters like this. others say they can only helplessly watch the water levels rise in their homes, with nowhere else to go. we don't know where to sleep, frankly, because the shelter next door is already full

and the tents are lacking. ava is the third storm to hit the region this season, but comes less than one year after madagascar was slammed by another storm which killed 78 people and left thousands homeless. this fragile island now suffering another cruel blow by mother nature. now, for some, the trees and decorations are coming down as christmas finally draws to a close. but for others, it's onlyjust beginning. eastern orthodox christians traditionally celebrate christmas this weekend while worshippers have also been taking part in the christian festival known as epiphany. russell trott explains. the bells ring out for christmas at the church of the nativity in bethlehem, which many believe was the birthplace of christ. the world's biggest eastern orthodox

community is in russia, and the country's president joined worshippers st petersburg for carols. in serbia, the orthodox service ends with the traditional burning of a yule log. across the balkans and much of central and eastern europe, they celebrated holy christmas eve. back in bethlehem, the traditional arrival of the holy lands' greek orthodox patriarch was blocked, temporarily at least, by palestinians protesting at what they say is church land being sold to israelis in eastjerusalem. eventually, theophilus iii did make it tojoin celebrations with the heads of the syrian and coptic orthodox churches. in egypt, despite recent attacks on coptic christians, president al—sisi took

part in a midnight mass, after the service in which they break their 43—day vegan fast. food also plays an important role in mexico, where roman catholics mark the epiphany with the three kings day celebrations, where a king—size cake is devoured. horn blares. and after all the festive food, some physical exercise, with swimmers in greece immersing themselves in the traditional pursuit of retrieving a wooden cross. in rome, pope francis celebrated with a mass at the vatican, marking the end, for some, of the festive christmas season. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there.

sunday is set to be another very cold day. we have clear skies which is set to bring us a good deal of sunshine by day, but dawn could well look something like this. a lot of sharp frost around, the potential for temperatures close to —15 degrees across the sheltered glens of scotland. so a very cold start with some icy stretches to watch out for as well. a lot of sunshine on offer, though, as we move through the day on sunday. let's look at the morning. it's across the rural glens of scotland that we will have the coldest temperatures, as i say, potentially close to —15. around about —8 by 9am. a few showers for the northern isles of scotland. down across northern ireland and northern england, lots of sparkling sunshine, frosty — watch out for some icy stretches, particularly where we have had some showers. there could still be a few showers across the north—east of england. a lot of dry, sunny weather towards the south—east. just a little bit of cloud drifting around. bit of wind chill with the brisk north—easterly winds across southern england and wales, too. but through the day, it is looking dry, fine and settled after that cold,

frosty and icy morning. there will be a lot of sunshine on offer for most places. quite breezy, i think, in the far south, and also for the northern isles of scotland with one or two showers. elsewhere, dry, but temperatures only between around about zero to six degrees for most of us. sunday also ending on a cold note. another very cold night ahead sunday night and on into monday morning. if you're heading to work during the early hours of monday, do watch out for some icy stretches forming once again on the roads because even in towns and cities, the temperatures will be down below freezing. just a little milder along the south coast because we will have a bit more cloud filtering in here through monday morning. and that's going to be a theme for monday. the cloud in the south will nudge its way further northwards, so clouding over, i think, for parts of east anglia, the midlands into wales later on in the day. it will still cold where you have the cloud around, too. lots of sunshine and northern england, scotland and northern ireland, too. fairly light winds across much of the country. another largely dry day, 2—6, but that cloud just thick enough potentially for a little bit of drizzle along the south coast.

and then eventually, we lose the blue colours, the cold air mass, and we'll see something a little milder creeping in from the atlantic as we head through monday night and into tuesday, too, with eventually some wet weather arriving in the west. but actually, much of tuesday again dry, fairly cold, fairly cloudy, the breeze picking up from the west. that is ahead of this band of rain which will bring milder but also wetter weather from the west as we head through the end of the day. temperatures around 4—6 degrees on tuesday. slowly turning a little bit milder with some outbreaks of rain through the course of next week. goodbye. this is bbc news. the headlines: record low temperatures are expected in 30 cities in the united states over the next few hours. new york's jfk airport set an all—time low on saturday, at minus 13 degrees celsius. in canada, temperatures approaching minus 50 degrees celsius are forecast in northern ontario and quebec. reports from syria say 17 people have been killed in airstrikes on a besieged, rebel—held stronghold close to the capital,

damascus. aid workers said that, over the past ten days, ten hospitals had been hit by airstrikes in both this area and the rebel—held northern province of idlib. tributes have been paid to longest—serving american astronaut, john young, who has died at the age of 87. he first went into space in 1965. later, he become one ofjust 12 people to walk on the moon, and then commanded the first space shuttle mission. nasa said the world had lost a pioneer. now on bbc news, more from the bbc‘s witness team.