this is bbc world news today. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories... the death toll in the indonesian tsunami rises to 373 as the rescue and recovery work continues. teams from the military and the search and rescue teams are here, clearing away the rubble to make way for what will be a slow rebuilding process here. but even as they search, there are warnings that another huge wave could hit coastal areas, as the anak krakatau volcano continues to seethe. gunmen storm a government building in kabul, killing at least 28 people and wounding 20 more. another bruising day on wall street as stocks close down on the worst christmas eve trading day ever, and president trump once again attacks the federal reserve. we'll take you live to the vatican city, where the pope is holding christmas eve mass. hello and welcome

to world news today. indonesia's disaster agency now says 373 people were killed, by the tsunami that swept through sunda strait on saturday. more than m00 people have been injured, 128 remain missing. thousands of people who live on the islands of java and sumatra, have been forced to evacuate to higher ground. there are warnings that more eruptions at the anak krakatoa volcano, could trigger more deadly waves. rebecca henschkey reports. rescue workers clear away the rubble in a race to find any survivors. today in this villa, none have been found. villas like this one, built right on the shore, didn't stand a chance when the huge waves hit. this, the state of the swimming

pool and the villa now. teams from the military and search and rescue teams are here clearing away the rubble to make way for what will be a slow rebuilding process here. the tsunami hit this popular local tourist destination at night without warning. the national disaster agency admitting their tsunami detection buoy system has been broken since 2012. when presidentjoko widodo visited to inspect the relief effort here, he faced some tough questions, and vowed to do better. translation: we don't know yet for sure where the source of the tsunami was. it's still being checked. in the future, the relevant agencies will provide detection equipment, systems that can give a warning to everyone. that comes too late for these

families, here to find loved ones amongst the dead. those identified, ta ken away in ambulances. others, like this man, are still searching. translation: we are not at peace. we just want him returned to us in some way. we are preparing ourselves to accept the worst. the vocalist of the band 17, which was performing on stage when the tsunami hit, is here to put his wife to rest. posting this video on social media, he says, we are travelling again together, my love. authorities are warning it may not be over yet, telling people to keep away from the beaches due to fears that ongoing activity from the anak krakatoa volcano

could trigger a new tsunami. to get a sense of how likely another wave could be, i spoke with dr david mcgarvie, a volcanologist at lancaster university. the volcanoes are quite unstable, and what appears to be happening is we have a new event that has opened up we have a new event that has opened up that is attracting with sea water, and an explosion may well destabilise the volcano even further causing another collapse. this was actually a large collapse. i would hope any future collapse would be much smaller. let's hope that is the case for very obvious reasons. part of the thing we're trying to get our heads around is this lack of warning. can you explain to us why

there was no warning, and why it's so there was no warning, and why it's so difficult to get a warning system in place. first of all this is unlike an earthquake, there is no warning at all when a volcano like this collapses, and i think secondly it's a very short distance from where the wave is generated and the volcano itself to the coastline, in some cases only 20 to 30 minutes of warning could possibly be given, but as you never heard in your report, the actual learning warnings that we re the actual learning warnings that were used to the texan army waves we re were used to the texan army waves were not working. they were not given adequate warning. were not working. they were not given adequate warningm were not working. they were not given adequate warning. if those warning systems were in place, even if it's just 20 or 30 minutes that would be crucial to try and get people away from the coastline and make a difference? absolutely. if there is a good system in place, 20 minutes is enough. the wave is only

about three minutes high, but it was about three minutes high, but it was a quite long way because the land is shallow, but 20 minutes is enough for people to get well out—of—the—way, and many many people would have been saved had that emergency system been in place. people are used to this idea of earthquake then tsunami wave. they are earthquake then tsunami wave. they a re less earthquake then tsunami wave. they are less so familiar with the volcano then tsunami. how common is that? they are, places where might not be affected normally. in any young volcano not be affected normally. in any young volcano as not be affected normally. in any young volcano as it's growing, it's going to be very unstable, and collapses can be expected. i think it has been very fortunate there has not been a collapse before now, but collapses in the future are no more likely because the volcano is already unstable. at least 28 people have reportedly

been killed in kabul after reports of multiple explosions in the vicinity of two government ministries. the attack started with a suicide car bomb blast near the entrance, gunmen then stormed a building. afghan security forces have now reportedly rescued more than 300 people held hostage by the militants. the bbc‘s kabul editor shoaib sharifi gave us this update. we know that after several, several hours of the gun battle, the area has been, called cleared, and the attack that happened just before the hometown of civil servants and this government buildings, and as a reported two multiple explosions followed by gun battle, the minister spokesperson said that seven people we re spokesperson said that seven people were involved in these attacks. the

first three who detonated the explosions, and for others who entered the that mike the operation took seven hours. the very first attack as it happened, 200 employees work risk through the emergency exit. it took seven hours until they we re exit. it took seven hours until they were safely ta ken exit. it took seven hours until they were safely taken out of the building. during the attack, the people who were trapped they had taken refuge in toilets, basements, and corners, and two of those people who were caught, they contacted me and said how terrifying it was. in this building there were children, women, and some people who are customers of this department who

referred, in fact the attack shocked kabul residents. after a few weeks of quiet, this happened right in the heart of the city not very far from the presidential palace and the ministry of defence. after quite some months this is the first car bomb attack because a few months ago, and the ministry introduced several layers of checkpoints and canine sniffing dogs that prevented big car bombs inside the inner circle of the city, but this one came as a big shock. us financial markets have closed down a further 2.8%. the drop follows the worst week for american stocks in a decade. earlier on monday, president trump took to twitter to blame the us central bank, the federal reserve, saying it does not "have a feel for the market". he tweeted "the fed is like a powerful golfer who can't score because he has no touch."

i've been speaking to our business reporter, samira hussain, about why the president would be attacking the federal reserve. this is a criticism that we've heard from the president many times before. we have been seeing the stock market has been falling over the last several weeks, and the president really brings —— blames the federal reserve and the policy of raising interest rates asa the policy of raising interest rates as a big reason for these false. —— the use falls. now remember, president trump has invested a lot of political capital into how the stock market does, so you'll remember back in 2016 immediately after the presidential election, and in 2017 we saw a lot of record highs on us markets. well, in 2018 we have not been seeing the same thing, and a big part of what the president believes is the problem is in fact at the fed which has been

reflected in that tweet. and if it is the fed, or even if it isn't, what are the other possible reasons we have seen this dip over the last week? well, in the case of what happened today, we saw a pretty significant plummet on the dowjones industrial average, down some 650 points almost 3%, and that has to do with what happened over the weekend. we saw that the us treasury secretary steve mnuchin, in a bid to really try and calm the alreadyjittery markets, put out a statement saying that he spoke to the six of the largest us banks, and don't worry they are, they have plenty of cash on hand to sure up the us economy if need be. the only trouble is, it that us investors weren't worried about that at all, so all mr mnuchin ended up doing was perhaps injecting even more fear, because they weren't worried about that before, and now us investors are left thinking about what is it that we don't know

that mr mnuchin does? let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news... a usjudge has ruled that north korea must pay half a billion dollars in damages for torturing and killing the american student, otto warmbier. he died last year, days after being being released from a north korean prison. he was arrested injanuary 2016 for stealing a propaganda sign. pyongyang has always dismissed claims of torture. israel is to hold a general election in april, seven months before it is due. there's disagreement within prime minister benjamin netanyahu's coalition over a bill relating to ultra—orthodox jewish men serving in the military. the prime minister has only a one—seat majority in the israeli parliament, and he's also under pressure over a series of corruption investigations. the body of a 7—year—old migrant girl who died after being detained by us border agents has been returned to guatemala. jakelin caal and her father were in a group of more than 160 migrants who handed themselves in to us border agents in new mexico on december 6.

she died less than 48 hours later. a court in pakistan has sentenced the former prime minister, nawaz sharif, to seven years in prison on corruption charges. the accountability court in islamabad had indicted mr sharif in august 2017, for holding assets beyond his known sources of income. mr sharif‘s supporters say the case is politically motivated. shumila jaffrey was in the court for us. the court was highly charged and as soon as the division was announced, mr sharif was arrested. some of his leaders and supporters of the managed to sneak in despite exceptionally high security were also present in the court and they started chanting slogans as soon as the decision was announced. it was

pa rt the decision was announced. it was part ofan the decision was announced. it was part of an ongoing investigation which started months ago. mr sharif appeared before the court 134 times during the hearings. he has always maintained his innocence, and claims that these cases are politically motivated. however, prosecutors claimed that sharif failed to present money trailfor claimed that sharif failed to present money trail for his efforts. today, accountability court sentenced mr sharif to seven years in prison and a million—dollarfine. while he was acquitted, it was pertaining to a flagship investment company. translation we respect the courts that the public in the history but will not accept this decision. security outside the court remained on high alert. almost 1000 troops

we re on high alert. almost 1000 troops were deployed in and around the premises. a large number of mr sharif supporters and journalists we re sharif supporters and journalists were not allowed to enter the court. analysts in pakistan don't expect a widespread protest, but they believe it's definitely going to impact and reshape the political landscape of the country. we can take you live to the vatican city. this is the scene now where pope francis holding mass in st peter's basilica the vatican as christians celebrate the traditional day ofjesus's birth. we'll have much more from the vatican city throughout the evening. stay with us on bbc world news.

and one of the best—known christmas carols — is 200 years old. we'll hear about two centuries of silent night. the world of business and paying tribute to george michael who died of suspected heart failure. he sold over 100 million albums and a career spanning more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of men well. the pentagon said they have failed in their objective to ca ptu re have failed in their objective to capture the general. in its place, the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. dave broke slowly over the carpet up nose down in the soft earth. you can see what happens when a when a plane eight stories high, a football pitch wise

balls from 30,000 feet. business has returned to albania after a this band laughing over 20 years. thousands came with her anti—communist riots ten days ago. that's where there were... this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines. the death toll in the indonesian tsunami has risen to 373, with warnings another wave could hit. afghan security forces have killed three gunmen who stormed a government building in kabul, killing at least 28 people. during this christmas period, hundreds of thousands of litres of local brews will be drunk the world over. in zambia, the munkoyo drink has been brewed and enjoyed for generations. but in recent years simple mistakes in its production have had tragic consequences, leading some to question

whether practices should change. lu ke—wesa burak reports. munkoyo is a traditional drink that has been drink for some time. i think it has been passed on from generation to generation, and his drink has been drink mostly in zambia, but mostly by people in the northern region. munkoyo is made from maize milk, and they put the roach in and let it seep overnight. and if that addition of these routes that the doctor is talking about. the roots come from the plant, known to be ranked sosiak —— riancosius. the routes are added fermentation

giving it its unique identity and name. the trees are quite similar, and with somebody who is the experience, they will take different routes, and they can be sold at the marketplace. so that is exactly where we are headed. i've been told icanfind where we are headed. i've been told i can find one of the essential ingredients here. , and it's here that things can start to go wrong. so this is the root? so how do you know this is the good munkoyo is mike —— munkoyo? know this is the good munkoyo is mike -- munkoyo? when we are digging it, if there is another route mixed together with this one we are able together with this one we are able to tell. we can identify the munkoyo tree by its leaves. the traders say

they can distinguish the right route from the wrong, but not all say they can't and i can have dire consequences. you can can't and i can have dire consequences. you can have abdominal pain, vomiting, excessive vomiting, and some of the concentration is very high and the and lead to death. there are side affects. what is it about this drink that zambians love so much is mike people who drink the munkoyo it is believed that there is strength. to stay safe and drink the advice is clear. —— what is it about

the strength that zambians love so much? people who drink the munkoyo it is believed that there given strength. like many things, this traditional recipe is adapting over time, but the culture and tradition is sure to remain for generations to come. i will never stop tricking munkoyo because it has been passed down from generation to generation. and let me add, edit tastes rather good. cheers. —— it tastes rather good. pilgrims from across the world gathered in bethlehem on monday for christmas eve. the bbc‘s middle east correspondent yolande knell is outside the church of nativity, where christians say mary gave birth tojesus. we have international acquires

entertaining the crowd. earlier the scouts escorted church leaders ahead of the midnight mass at the nativity church which is just over there. there has actually been a church on that site since the fourth century, that site since the fourth century, that gives you an idea of how long bethlehem has really been a reliance on religious tourism for its economy, and according to the palestinian ministry of tourism, this is been a record yearfor the number of visitors will come to visit which gives people hear something extra to celebrate because often tourism does take a hit because of flare—ups and violence because of flare—ups and violence because of flare—ups and violence because of the israel palestinian conflict. last year, a lot of parties cancelled after president trop recognised israel's capital jerusalem. this year, people really

do want to come out and party. they say that christmas must be a joyful time, a happy time, and you can see plenty of evidence of that. the christmas carol silent night is celebrating its two hundredth birthday. the carol was first performed in austria, in a village near salzburg on christmas eve 1818. bethany bell reports. it's one of the worlds favourite christmas carols. silent night, i think it's the best christmas song ever. it's familiar. we learned that we we re a ever. it's familiar. we learned that 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 for song on christmas eve 1818

ina was for song on christmas eve 1818 in a village near salisbury. the original church doesn't exist any more, it was badly damaged at the end of the 19th century. this little chapel was built in its place. a priest called joseph wrote the words. he asked a school teacher and organised to compose the melody. according to legend, the church organ had broken down to my damaged by mice chewing at the bellows so they had to sing it with his guitar. but the historians believe the mice and the broken organ are just a myth. it was with the guitar more people friendly, and it was more common with people outside the church. you could take the guitar we re ever you church. you could take the guitar were ever you go, church. you could take the guitar were ever you go, and church. you could take the guitar were ever you go, and therefore you had the song itself that it was known all around. silent nights

quickly spread across europe and on to the united states. it was sent across the trenches during the first world war, and for many people it's simply the carol which means christmas. now i can't go without checking in and telling you where santa claus is this evening. we can chat cam. he is arriving in libya in three minutes times. he is flying across africa. this tracking system is think to norad the north american aerospace defence command which took a phone call in 1955 from a child asking where santa is composed they decided to track them ever since and we are doing that right now arriving in libya and three minutes. please do keep watching. hello, thanks for joining

hello, thanks forjoining me up for this look at the weather for the festive period. it is definitely looking very winter he across the sierra nevada, pressure pushing into the pacific to california and oregon and which will bring some wet weather to low—lying areas, but once that low pressure is across the mountains heavy snow, maybe a foot of snow in the space of 24 hours. that is really hamper travel for many people in this part of the world. also looking at some like affects no pushing into the north east of us as well as well to heaviest affecting michigan. central america will continue to with that sunshine and a few showers for belize. one or two heavier showers as well just grazing belize. one or two heavier showers as welljust grazing into northern cuba, sunshine for haiti and the dominican republic and jamaica however. still some heavy rain

around the north of brazil with a risk of flooding without heavier rainfor risk of flooding without heavier rain for ecuador and parts of colombia, and also a weather front near rio de janeiro colombia, and also a weather front near rio dejaneiro which is going to make for a sunday story on tuesday. —— make for a soggy story on tuesday. to the east, strong winds and heavy snow pushing into ukraine. snow for western russia and the rain at lease beginning to clear for greece and turkey. more heavy showers for tanzania and zambia on wednesday, and for the sake of sunshine and building heat towards johannesburg. some of the stormy weather from eastern johannesburg. some of the stormy weatherfrom eastern europe pushing across the north of the middle east by wednesday, rain for serious, but plenty of sunshine and though generally across the region. —— rain

for syria. we can get them quite frosty conditions here again in india. per the shop some showers —— for the south, some showers for sri lanka. it's what does a really cold air established itself here in china and the coming days, relatively mild for tokyo at 13 degrees with subzero temperatures for beijing without some showers the coastal parts of vietnam, and showers quite portable across malaysia and indonesia. australia is in dry weather with showers contained to the cape peninsula with heat building extending across south australia, and victoria of the 37 in adelaide on wednesday. in new zealand a clear picture midweek. this is bbc world news, the headlines. the death toll in the indonesian tsunami has risen to 373. rescue workers are continuing

to search for people trapped in the wreckage, amid fears that another big wave could hit. at least 28 people have been killed and 20 more injured, after gunmen stormed a government building in the capital kabul. afghan security forces have reportedly killed three of the attackers. us financial markets have closed on the worst christmas eve trading day ever. donald trump has blamed the falls on america's central bank, the federal reserve. christians and tourists from around the world are gathering in bethlehem to celebrate christmas. more tourists are expected this christmas than have visited in previous years. now on bbc news, one of the highlights of 2018 from our documentary series our world. earlier this year, the programme travelled to china to meet