welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is martin stanford. our top stories: rescuers are urgently searching for trapped survivors of the indonesian tsunami. at least 280 people are now known to have died. these cars were parked on the other side of the road, i'm told, and they've been pushed on top of each other, on top of what was a holiday villa. pakistan's former prime minister nawaz sharif learns his fate shortly. an anti—corruption court will release its verdict. no room at the hungarian inn. the government makes homelessness illegal, but there simply aren't enough affordable homes for everyone. a not—so silent night, as one of the best—known christmas carols celebrates its 200th birthday. indonesia's disaster agency now say at least 281 were killed with a further 57 missing following the tsunami that swept through indonesia's sunda strait on saturday. thousands of people who live on the islands of java and sumatra

have been forced to evacuate to higher ground as the tsunami hit coastal areas. in the last few hours, there have been further eruptions from the anak krakatau volcano, fuelling fears of further tsunami. our indonesia correspondent rebecca henschke reports. a popular local tourist destination, now a disaster zone. the only road in, cleared to allow aid supplies to get through. people here now trying to piece together their lives. a work party to celebrate the end of the year. onstage, the stars of the night, a local rock group in full swing. the next second, a wave engulfed the stage. the lead singer confirmed that four bandmembers had died and that his wife is still missing.

this coastline where the band were playing is now littered with trouble. rani says she doesn't know how they will rebuild. translation: we were all set up for christmas and new year holiday period. but it's been destroyed by the waves and the rest has been stolen. what am i going to do? families here say they had no warning and there was confusing information coming out from the government. translation: what was the government doing? at first they said there hadn't been a tsunami last night. they took ages to act. these waves were devastating. it was clearly a tsunami. over here, an image that gives you a sense of the power

of the waves. these cars i'm told were parked on the other side of the road, and they've been pushed into each other on top of what was holiday villa, full at this time of year. here at this local clinic, desperate families are looking for their relatives. the injured are still arriving. and the death toll is still rising. translation: the victims were local people who owned shops and stalls here. but there were many visitors, too. we're trying to open the access road. last night a lot of debris had been dragged in and had clogged the road. officials believe underwater landslides caused by eruptions at the nearby anak krakatau volcano may have triggered the huge waves.

it's still active. authorities are warning that there could be another tsunami, and telling people to stay away from the beaches. steve mcandrew is the head of emergency operations for the international federation of the red cross and red crescent societies in sulawesi and lombok. he's been giving me the latest information. we are in full on emergency response mode. we are providing first aid, we have ambulances transporting wounded people to hospitals and we are also starting our water distributions. we are starting to give out from emergency relief supplies. it is a full on emergency response operation at this time. multiple challenges

for your teams, multiple locations, andi for your teams, multiple locations, and i hear some for your teams, multiple locations, and i hearsome of for your teams, multiple locations, and i hear some of a very to get to? yes, definitely some problems with access, and our teams are doing the best they can. we are lucky that we have repositioned volunteers, and they are in many of the communities in this area and we have in preparing for this kind of event over this last year, exactly in this area is that we are doing the best we can. we seem to have enough volu nteers we can. we seem to have enough volunteers out in the different areas, it is just a matter of us making sure we can give them the support they need and just keep up the persistence to address the issues. and you have sufficient stocks, do you? of basics like equipment for shelter and water and food ? we have a sufficient supply of stocks but they are running out rapidly. and we have also been responding to earthquakes and tsunamiss in lombok and central sulawesi for the past five months. so the stocks are definitely depleted.

we have enough to get through tomorrow, through this current emergency, but we are requesting assistance to resupply and replenish our stocks because we still do not know what is coming next. here in indonesia there is always another event we need to respond to, and we always need to keep our volunteers trained and equipped so they can get out and do the job they need to. steve, i was going to say, also, your local teams there, are having to do this work in the knowledge that another wave might the on the way? is that a problem for them? that is definitely something that we are concerned about and we are raising awareness among our teams. government has put out advisories to stay away from coastal areas, because there is still a high chance of service in armies. —— further tsunamis. luckily our teams are well equipped and we have awareness and training around this.

but everybody really needs to stay awake, stay alert, and be ready to withdraw as soon as is in, as soon as needed, at short notice, in the event of more tsunamis coming. it is a very, very difficultjob. we have the best volunteers in the world here in indonesia, they are getting great support from all of our red cross and red crescent partners, including the british red cross. so we are just doing what we were made to do and what we are doing everyday, in and out, and we are doing thejob here. let's get some of the day's other news. the us treasury secretary, steven mnuchin, has been in contact with the chief executives of the nation's six largest banks. last week us stocks had one of their worst falls since the financial crisis of 2008. mr mnuchin's talks are part of efforts to calm businesses and investors before trading starts again on monday. legislators in cuba have approved a new draft constitution, to replace a version dating

back to the cold war. the draft will now go to a popular referendum in february next year. the document is yet to be made public, but according to state—run media the communist party will remain the country's key form of governance. the international charity save the children has warned that migrant youths are facing increasing violence at european borders. the charity's partner organisation in serbia has collected more than a thousand testimonies of children being forced back across borders this year. some say they were beaten, assaulted with pepper spray, or had their mobile phones or money stolen. british police are examining a damaged drone found near britain's second biggest airport. gatwick was closed for several days and hundreds of flights were cancelled. two people arrested have been released without charge. an accountability court in islamabad is due shortly to announce a verdict in two cases against former prime minister nawaz sharif.

the accountability court had indicted sharif for holding assets beyond his known sources of income in august 2017. if convicted nawaz sharif could face up to 14 years injail. with me is hina malik. she's the secretary general of pml—n uk's women wing. you think conviction is likely? and would it be just? you think conviction is likely? and would it bejust? i think you think conviction is likely? and would it be just? i think conviction is likely, but i wouldn't call it just. why not? i feelthat is likely, but i wouldn't call it just. why not? i feel that this case against noor ‘s sharif has been politicised and a lot. —— nawaz. for the political gains of the other parties. if you look at the current government in place, the pti government, they campaign was slowly —— was solely based on anticorruption. —— was solely based on anticorru ption. they let it —— was solely based on anticorruption. they let it from there and they have blown everything

out of abortion. anticorruption is something that every pakistani can believe in. —— out of proportion. correct, but when you compare pakistan and the uk it is completely different. corruption is a social issue in pakistan. it is from the bottom all the way to the top. we are, pakistan is going on the right direction, i will say. are, pakistan is going on the right direction, iwill say. yes, we are, pakistan is going on the right direction, i will say. yes, we are addressing those issues. but to actually target one family, and highly influential political family, purely because they represent the majority, you know, it is the biggest party and theyjust want majority, you know, it is the biggest party and they just want to wea ken biggest party and they just want to weaken them, and they have used that anticorruption campaign for that, i feel that is not justifiable. accountability should be for raw, not just the accountability should be for raw, notjust the nawaz sharif. accountability should be for raw, not just the nawaz shariflj accountability should be for raw, notjust the nawaz sharif. i would imagine the authorities will say they will get around to everybody who is guilty of some kind of corruption, wouldn't they? well, if you look at the case where it has

all led to now, it all started from the panama papers. nawaz sharif was not directly and placated in the panama papers. —— implicated. they started making references and now they have come to a point where they say he has got assets beyond means. but they haven't proved anything. and until he is proven guilty, we cannot say. but the national accountability bureau in pakistan has questions over its credibility a nyway has questions over its credibility anyway because there are other people that the cases are there for corruption, but they have not been dealt with the way they are dealing with just this one family. so that gives an inclination, and a clarity to those people but sorry, does that devalue the process they are going through, then? if there is corruption it needs to be, the people who are guilty and who are corrupt, they need to be found guilty and punished, don't they? definitely. and it should start from where they are doing it. but they should do it in a justified way, not

just... so this is unjustified? this is unjustified. they haven't proven anything. they keep on giving the verdicts. i think there was more media trial than anything, before it comes, and i feel the media trial than anything, before it comes, and ifeel the media trial in pakistani affects the verdicts that are coming out. —— pakistan. the pressure, from the establishment and the government at present. he always talks about how he wants to make a big thing about anticorruption, imran khan, but he needs to make it one step at a time, notjust taking one step at a time, notjust taking one family and targeting them completely. i feel there are other top politicians as well, in other parties, and within his own party, there are a lot of politicians who have got cases against them about corruption, but that has not been dealt with. so it is notjustified. we will have to leave the conversation there. thank you very much. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come, announcing the arrival of christmas at prague's main train station. the world of music has been

paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums over a career spanning over three decades. the united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said that it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. in its place, 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 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. the latest headlines: rescue workers in indonesia are continuing to search for people trapped by a tsunami, which is now known to have killed more than 280 people. more on that story now. the volcano thought to have caused the tsunami has seen increased activity for the last few months, but it is not known as yet exactly how it caused the massive wave. our correspondent richard galpin has been exploring the possibilities. last night, after months of activity, came this particularly large eruption from the volcano known as the ‘child of krakatoa'. and just 20 or 30 minutes later, the tsunami hit nearby coastal areas

in the sunda strait. it's this violent volcanic activity, not an earthquake, according to experts, which is believed to have triggered the deadly tsunami. it's quite rare, but can happen in several ways. either an underwater part of the volcano breaks away, displacing enough water to create a huge wave, or a section of the upper half shears off, plunging into the sea and having the same effect. the seismometers, either locally or round the world, have not recorded a large earthquake associated with this event. and that's why the eruption of the volcano, and perhaps the movement of — the failure of the flanks of the volcano and the movement of material off the flanks of the volcano seems to be the most likely explanation. the fact hundreds were killed and injured may be down to there being no tremors, which would have alerted people to the danger of being close to the shore before the wave hit them. sitting on the pacific ring of fire, indonesia has a long history

of volcanic activity. this volcano emerged less than 100 years ago from what was left of the original krakatoa, which blew itself up in one of the biggest eruptions ever recorded. and now, the child of krakatoa has been showing its potency. there's no sign so far of the eruptions dying down. richard galpin, bbc news. in hungary, the national—populist government of viktor orban is attempting a drastic solution to the problem of homelessness — it's made it illegal. since the law came into force on october 15, a dozen people have been prosecuted. nick thorpe sent this report from budapest. outside an overnight shelter, 20 men wait in the cold street hoping for a bed. they are let in one by one.

there are three dormitory rooms in this basement. it is cramped, it smells bad but it is warm and they get a chance to wash and eat. since the new law came into force, the number seeking shelter here have gone up. they have succumbed to one of the homeless shelters are put a pest to show up and say that we would like to sleep inside because of the police —— budapest. that was one of the results of this law. you think it is having a positive effect? yes, definitely. but there is not enough room at this particular in, and these men were turned away. there is not enough cheap or social housing in budapest. even eq cheap or social housing in budapest. even e0 get into a shelter, your chances of finding a flat at close to zero. those are still trying to sleep rough play a cat and mouse

game with the police. until october, underpasses like this were always full of homeless people. the smell and the mess stun the government into action. the new law passed, the police moved in. in theory, they can arrest them. in practice, they mostly just move arrest them. in practice, they mostlyjust move them on. some of these people were forced to seek out more hidden places where they wouldn't be found by the police, and that can be dangerous because they're not only the police, but also pedestrians of goodwill or social workers are left —— less likely to find them. while the new law has driven some of the homeless into shelters, others have taken to the backstreets. translation: i thought of moving on and then decided not to. the police don't disturb us here. i stayed. if they come from me, maybe i willjust go someplace else. outside the

system, there is no chance to help them. then they drift away. then the first step is to integrate them. it is not a police issue. the police are only there to maintain order. if there is a law, it must be implemented. secondary school pupils ta ke implemented. secondary school pupils take part in a homeless tour of the ninth district. the tour guide is homeless as well. whatever else, the new law has provoked great interest and sympathy in the plight of those with no fixed abode. billionaire elon musk‘s space—x company has launched a falcon 9 rocket into orbit. ignition... lift off. the craft took up a new ultra—precise navigation satellite for the us air force, which could eventually improve domestically used gps systems too. the global positioning system iii, nicknamed ‘vespucci', lifted off from cape canaveral in florida. queen elizabeth will urge people

to treat each other with respect in her annual christmas message to be broadcast on tuesday. buckingham palace has released some excerpts. the queen talks about the teachings of christ and says, she goes on to say: the christmas carol silent night is celebrating its 200th birthday. the carol was first performed in austria in the village of oberndorf near salzburg on christmas eve 1818 after a priestjoseph mohr asked a schoolteacher and organist, franz gruber, to set his words to music. bethany bell reports from salzburg. # stille nacht, heilige nacht...

it's one of the world's favourite christmas carols — silent night, or stille nacht, as it is known in german. oh, i think it's the best christmas song ever. it's familiar. we learned it when we were a child, and everyone sings it. the carol is 200 years old this christmas and it comes from austria. this is where silent night was first sung, on christmas eve 1818, in the village of oberndorf near salzburg. the original church doesn't exist anymore. it was badly damaged by floods at the end of the 19th century and had to be demolished. this little chapel was built in its place. a priest called joseph mohr wrote the words. he asked franz xaver gruber, a schoolteacher and an organist, to compose the melody. according to legend,

the church organ had broken down, damaged by mice chewing at the bellows, so they had to sing it with this guitar. but historians believe that the mice and the broken organ are probablyjust a myth. it was with the guitar more people—friendly, and with an instrument which was very common outside, of course, the church. you can take the guitar wherever you go, and, therefore, also the song itself was known very quick all around the world. silent night quickly spread across europe and on to the united states. it was sung across the trenches during the first world war, and for many people, it's simply the carol which means christmas. the countdown to christmas is almost over, and all around the world,

people are preparing for the big day. there's sure to be plenty of last—minute shopping. many will be on the move, hoping to spend time with loved ones and quite a bit of food and drink is likely to be consumed. the bbc‘s tim allman has more. christmas can be celebrated in so many different ways, but this, at first glance, doesn't look particularly festive. in parts of bavaria, they've been doing this for thousands of years. it's called perchten — people dressing up as monsters to try and scare away the winter. these moves could be described as pretty frightening as well. "we are dancing to ward off the evil winter ghosts," said this monster. now, this is more like it. dozens upon dozens of father christmases, in fact, around 2,000 of them, taking part in a charity raised in moscow. they were raising money from local hospices, and it seems the conditions weren't

as difficult as some had feared. translation: awesome! the weather is beautiful. i actually thought it would be much worse. they said the temperature would be —30. when you run, you feel hot and very happy. super! when you think of christmas, you may well think of lights — lots and lots of lights. this park in croatia certainly won't disappoint. there's around 4 million of them — the childhood dream of a local man who grew up in poverty and couldn't afford christmas decorations. well, he has more than made up for it now. singing and, if you happen to be waiting for a train at prague's main station, this may‘ve helped wile away the hours — an annual christmas mass that takes place in the main hall every year. the orchestra and choir,

amateurs and professionals celebrating this special time. applause and not a monster in sight. tim allman, bbc news. if you are celebrating christmas in the next 2a hours or so, let me wish you a very happy christmas and thank you a very happy christmas and thank you for being with us. on the half of the whole team here. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @martinstanford. good morning. as we head properly into christmas week, there may be no snow in the christmas week forecast, but at least there's no real severe weather to trouble us. winds will be light, most places will be dry. could be some festive frost by night. but the big worry, i suppose, for those travelling, especially in england and wales later on, could be some lingering dense fog patches. and we will have some fog tonight under a blossoming area of high

pressure across the uk and into the morning. we do have this weather front towards the south—west continuing to bring outbreaks of rain as we start christmas eve. notice on our temperature profile the green colours here — a mild start here, with temperatures 10—12 celsius. further north and east, a chilly one, widespread frost. temperatures at their lowest in scotland. could be some ice around where the ground is damp from the day. still some fog in the morning, around the glasgow area, northern ireland, north—west england, north—east wales and the west midlands. that could cause a few travel issues through the morning rush. elsewhere, though, most will have sunshine to start the day. always a bit more cloud across the south. patchy rain or drizzle becoming lighter towards the far south—west. still mild here, but a cooler day for many. a bit of lingering fog into the afternoon, eastern parts of wales and the west midlands. but the best of sunshine the further north you go, even if temperatures are on the struggle. now, into the evening, as soon as the sun sets, eastern england, driving home for christmas maybe? well, here's where we could see dense fog to take us into the latter stage of christmas eve and the start of christmas day. blue colours on our temperature

chart show lots of frost for scotland and england, but it does ease away in the west as milder air pushes up from the south throughout. and that could come with a little bit of drizzle across western areas for christmas day. but the christmas day forecast itself is a largely dry one. a bit of frost around in the morning, especially across scotland and eastern england, and there will be some fog patches, central, eastern england. could linger for some all day long. but elsewhere, some sunshine will break through what cloud we have. in the west, cloud thickest. could produce some drizzle but even the odd bright spell possible here too. temperatures in the west around christmas day — around 11 or 12 degrees. single figures across much of eastern scotland and eastern england in particular. now, the milder air in the west will push a little bit further eastwards as we go through into boxing day as a high pressure drifts southwards. notice these weather fronts just clipping across the northern half of scotland, will produce rain or drizzle for boxing day. the odd heavy burst in the highlands and hebrides. most, though, stay dry. there will be some lingering fog across parts of the midlands and eastern england. clearer skies in towards the south

later on, and temperatures for all up a little bit relative to christmas day, and the dry weather continues into thursday. that's how it's looking. see you again soon. this is bbc news, the headlines: people living in the sunda strait region of indonesia have been warned to keep away from beaches amid fears that be anuk krakatoa volcano could trigger another tsunami. more than 200 people are known to have died since this in army struck and more than a thousand people have been injured. president trump has announced his current victory of defence james mattis will leave office two months earlier than previously announced. general matters resigned last week of the president's plans to withdraw us troops from syria. —— general mattis was pierced to be replaced by his deputy, patrick shanahan, on the first of january. a court in pakistan is inspected to rule shortly noor ‘s sharif. he was

indicted on holding sources —— assets beyond is known sources of income in 2017. now it's time for one of our highlights of the year —