this is bbc world news — i'm mike embley. our top stories: pope francis celebrates midnight mass at the vatican, calling on the faithful not to abandon god's love at christmas because of the church's failings. translation: christmas reminds us that god continues to love us, even the worst of us. god does not love you because you think and act the right way, his love is unconditional. hundreds of families are spending christmas day in emergency shelters as australia's bushfires destroy nearly a thousand homes. we'll be live in sydney for the latest. russian and turkish officials say they're trying to stop the escalation of fighting in the syrian province of idlib — but the number of dead keeps on rising. police in hong kong clash with pro—democracy protesters demonstrating in shopping centres to catch the attention of christmas tourists.

hello and welcome to bbc news. thousands of worshippers have packed st peter's basilica in rome for christmas eve midnight mass. pope francis told the faithful that god loves everyone — ‘even the worst of us', and urged them to give thanks. the pope, generally seen as a reformist leader of the catholic church, also spoke of change. this from our rome correspondent mark lowen. in the gilded splendour of st peter's basilica, this was a solemn christmas eve mass. amen. the seventh that pope francis has led. his homily talked of god's love. "you may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the lord

continues to love you." that will be seen by some as a reference to church scandals, including sex abuse. francis‘ papacy is in many ways reformist — shaking up the traditional governance of the church. perhaps then, there was a pointed message in his words, "we change, the church changes, history changes, once we stop trying to change others, but try to change ourselves. " among those taking part in the liturgy were children chosen from countries including venezuela, iraq and uganda, a clear gesture from the leader of 1.3 billion catholics who often focuses on the plight of migrants and victims of war as well as on extending the reach of the church to its periphery. after the spirituality of midnight mass, comes the pope's christmas day urbi et orbi message, where he's expected to touch a little more on political themes, close to the heart of the 83—year—old pontiff.

mark lowen, bbc news. pilgrims from around the world have also been gathering in the town of bethlehem, revered by christians as the birthplace ofjesus, to celebrate christmas in the holy land. thousands converged on the town, in the israeli—occupied west bank. festivities are centred around the church of the nativity. from bethlehem, our correspondent barbara plett—usher. bells ringing this is bethlehem's time of year — when it invites the world to celebrate the story of a humble birth that changed history. the midnight mass is held in the grandeur of the church built to mark the place wherejesus christ is said to have been born, now located in the israeli—occupied west bank. it's been a difficult year for palestinians, but christmas is a time of hope. may the child of bethlehem arouse much tenderness in all of us and make us smile once again. even if it does not solve all our problems, the child will certainly make us happier.

for bethlehem's christians, there was a special gift from the vatican — a splinter of wood believe to be from jesus' manger. it's small, but a big boost for a community decimated by waves of emigration. and bethlehem is enjoying its busiest tourist season in decades. a bright spot despite dark times for the palestinian economy. earlier, the procession of christian leaders from jerusalem crossed into bethlehem through an israeli army checkpoint, in a concrete barrier that separates the two cities. in the holy land, the christmas cheer is always wrapped in political realities. it's a merry christmas here — lots of sparkling lights and happy people. but in this town and in this region, the situation is fragile. so perhaps the only permanent thing is faith. the faith of things hoped

for, if not yet seen. barbara plett usher, bbc news, bethlehem. hundreds of families in australia are spending christmas in emergency shelters because of the bush fires in parts of the country. nearly a thousand houses have been destroyed in new south wales. more than 1,700 firefighters are battling the crisis. conditions have eased slightly but another extreme heatwave is expected later this week. our correspondent shaimaa khalil is in sydney for us. how is it looking from their? as you mentioned mike, there has been a lull in the weather in the past couple of days. we are seeing cooler temperatures. there is rain forecast in some areas of new south wales. of course not nearly enough as the rain thatis course not nearly enough as the rain that is needed to help out with the bushfires. again, so many families are still away from their homes in

this holiday season. some are still spending time spending their time in shelters was not many still haven't gone back to their homes and many of course, will have no homes to go back to because of the kind of destruction we've seen in new south wales. but really, given that this isa wales. but really, given that this is a lull in the weather, it is still a very busy time for the nearly 2000 firefighters still out there. they are out there along the long containment lines because what they're doing now is using this cooler weather to make sure that smallerflames are cooler weather to make sure that smaller flames are contained, make sure they get a sense of the kind of loss that we've been looking out for the past week but also really bracing themselves for soaring temperatures. this coming weekend. the fear is the scale of it. they don't know how big the fires are going to be, whether going to hit so rarely, on standby for what is in this kind of ebb and flow of the weather here. some firefighters are saying to us, there has been a little rain in the north but actually a it doesn't necessarily help because it makes backburning,

trying contain fires, more difficult. that is the thing and this is what they've been busy doing, backburning, which is basically going to areas likely to be affected by flames and scorching the earth air contains way to make sure the fire doesn't travel. if it is wet conditions in these areas, it makes backburning really difficult, makes backburning really difficult, makes thejob makes backburning really difficult, makes the job very difficult because when i get to dry conditions, then fires will flare up. i must say that the volunteer firefighters have come out as one of the biggest stories here lately because, remember the new south wales rural fire service is one of the biggest, if not the world's biggest volunteer services, nearly 70,000 people are volunteers. 90% are not paid and most of them are local to the communities. they been working non—stop since this fire season. many of them have been telling us that this because i want to save their own community is from the fires but from the ones i've spoken to, even though they do this

only deal with passion. they say look, we overstretched, where very tired and were running out of water and this is just the tired and were running out of water and this isjust the beginning of the summer and this isjust the beginning of the summer season. and this isjust the beginning of the summer season. i think the idea that this is a drawnout summer, and endless fire fronts, is wearing everybody down and i think that is the major concern going forward now. just briefly, how is the prime minister, how is his position looking now? his government seems entirely unconvinced about climate change. he personally took a lot of fla k change. he personally took a lot of flak about being away and i think his office even denied that he was on holiday well this was going on. and that is really the other story that has been coming out in the past couple of weeks. the political story out of all of this. politically, it looks really bad for scott morrison as all of this was happening, so many families have been evacuated. he and his family were holidaying in hawaii. quite murky details in the beginning. he came and apologised but really he seemed quite unflinching about his position when it came to climate change. while he

made some verbal concessions about the fact that yes, something had to be done, he said that he is not going to change his policies in a panic. not going to changejob making policies because of what is happening in the fires and of course, australia is very dependent on the coal industry and you cannot address climate change without addressing that dependency. and so far, the government doesn't seem to be willing to do that. thank you so much. russian and turkish officials say they have been trying to stop an escalation of fighting in the syrian province of idlib. syrian government forces — backed by russian planes — have been mounting an offensive against militia in the province. one of the latest attacks killed eight people — including five children — who were taking shelter in a school. gareth barlow reports. this is the moment an air strike hit buildings in idlib province. members of the white helmets volunteer rescue force searched through the dust and rubble for victims. charred remains mark where syrian government forces backed by russia

have launched their campaign to retake the region from rebel fighters. dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days. translation: we are on our way from rockets, barrels and explosive shells. we are asking for god's mercy and the united nations to see what happened to us. because of president bashar and the russian army, they are killing us. turkey has warned it's struggling to cope with tens of thousands of refugees trying to cross the border. ankara is working with moscow, syria's key ally, to try to halt the fighting. the united nations, meanwhile, has called for an immediate end to the violence. the secretary general said he was deeply concerned about the military escalation in the north—west and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. he reminded all parties of their obligations to protect civilians and ensure freedom of movement. the syrian government,

which has captured tens of towns, says it's committed to recapturing the region and will try to protect civilians. but for communities who already endured eight years of conflict, many of whom have been repeatedly displaced, this latest round of fighting is far too familiar and deadly. gareth barlow, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. in the north of burkina faso, militants on motorbikes have killed 35 civilians — most of them women — at a military outpost in arbinda, in soum province. authorities say around 87 insurgents and local security forces also died. the president has declared two days of national mourning. the west african country has seen increasing unrest since islamist violence spilt over from mali in 2015. the us presidential hopeful michael bloomberg has said that his campaign unknowingly used prison workers to call voters on his behalf. he says he has now cut ties with a vendor which operates two

call centres in state jails. the billionaire democrat says he only learned about the company's use of prison labour from a call with a reporter. there have been more violent clashes in hong kong between the police and pro—democracy protesters, who've been holding christmas eve rallies in malls and other areas popular with tourists. the city is reeling from its seventh straight month of protests, originally sparked by an extradition bill, which has now been scrapped. the bbc‘sjon donnison reports. not much evidence of festive cheer in hong kong this year. security forces firing tear gas, once again squared up to anti—government protesters, doing their best to protect themselves with umbrellas. caught up in the chaos, tourists and families out and about to take in the christmas lights. demonstrators also occupied a number of shopping malls in kowloon.

but it soon turned ugly as baton—wielding plain—clothes undercover police moved in. several protesters were arrested and dragged away. others were injured, as officers struggled to restore calm. and all of this on christmas eve. translation: even though today is meant to be a joyful holiday, some of us are in jail. some have been arrested, and they can enjoy today. —— can't i think we should remind others that our fight has not ended yet and we should continue our fight. translation: this year, christmas eve seems to be the time to fight — notjust christmas eve, but also new year's eve. and we will use more festivals in the future to voice our demands, until the government response. the government has been forced to make some concessions but these pro—democracy protests have now been going on for seven months.

and as the year comes to a close, there is no end in sight. jon donnison, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we look back at one of the most extraordinary operations of the korean war — to save hundreds of thousands trapped in a north korean port. the world of music's 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 in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon says 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 shkodra where there were anti—communist riots 10 days ago. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: pope francis celebrates midnight mass at the vatican, calling on the faithful not to abandon god's love at christmas because of the church's failings. russian and turkish officials say they're trying to stop the escalation of fighting in the syrian province of idlib but the number of dead keeps on rising. president trump has kept his promise to reduce the numbers of people

being given asylum in the us. but his opponents, including the mexican government, say his new measures may be putting asylum seekers at risk. those who apply often face a wait in mexico for months and even then, their chances are slim. for an increasing number fleeing persecution in their own countries and unable to return, the crackdown has led them to desperate measures. ana gabriela rojas reports from matamoros, on the mexico—texas border. as winter approaches, this corner of the world becomes even more hostile to those seeking safety and security. fernanda is too scared to go home to honduras, where she's wanted for political activism. desperate to reunite with family in the us, she has spent four months in the squalid conditions on the border. now, she has taken a step that fills any parent with horror — she sent her 7—year—old son across the border alone.

so, fernanda took her boy to this border bridge and said goodbye. this man, too, had to make the difficult decision. he says he wanted to give his 8—year—old son a chance at the future. so, with a piece of paper with a relative's phone number on it, he sent him across the border alone. president trump's crackdown

on migration means fewer and fewer adults seeking refuge now get asylum. but if children arrive alone, the us must take them in. a lawyer who volunteers here says people are becoming increasingly desperate. now, almost on a daily basis, i talk to at least one, if not several families, who have now sent over children or teenage children who have presented themselves without their parents. this former asylum officer says america's migration system is designed to keep people out, even those at risk. the us government is doing this programme where they're not actually evaluating if someone would be persecuted and tortured, and no matter what that individual says to the officer, they will be sent back to mexico, to the extent that we are sending back people that we know will be harmed. we are violating international law. fernanda's son is still in the custody of us authorities, but she says she has no regrets.

what would you say to people who criticise you for sending your son? for her and many others, it is still unclear when or even if they will be reunited again. ana gabriela rojas, bbc news, from the us—mexico border. india's cabinet has approved more than $1 billion pay for a detailed census and population survey next year. —— india's cabinet has approved more than $1 billion to pay for a detailed census and population survey next year. but there is concern that the database could be used to build a register of citizens and there have been widespread protests against the register, as well as the new citizenship law. anbaras ethirajan has this report. students, activists and women accompanied by children brave the cold to express their anger against a contentious citizenship law.

chanting. critics say it is anti—muslim and goes against the values of india's secular constitution. the anger is spreading across india, despite bans and internet shutdowns. what we tend to achieve is to inspire communities across india who are against this act that they block their own cities, so india comes to a halt. the authorities have now gone ahead by allocating more than $1 billion to conduct a detailed census and population survey next year. there are fears that the database could be used to build a citizenship check on national register of citizens, the nrc. but the protests have taken the government by surprise. a senior minister has assured that the nrc will not be implemented for the time being. translation: there's no discussion going on on nrc. the prime minister's right. there is no discussion on it, either in the cabinet or in the parliament. the manifesto of my party

is in its place, and whenever nrc happens, it won't be discreet. the latest move by the government is seen as a tactical retreat. at least 2a people have been killed in the violence and the protests are spreading from city to city. for the first time, people across india are standing up to the hindu nationalist government. how this will play out in the coming weeks will have a long—lasting impact on india. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news. the operation codenamed christmas cargo is one of the most extraordinary stories of the korean war. in december 1950, hundreds of thousands of un forces and north korean refugees found themselves trapped in the port of hungnam. the rescue operation involved hundreds of american ships and it's thought there are at least a million descendants of those who helped that day, including the current president of south korea. laura bicker has the story.

it was a race against time. the chinese army was advancing. thousands of un forces and north korean refugees were trapped at hungnam. ..of theirfearof the communist regime... there was only one way out — by sea. translation: it was war. we knew we would die if we didn't get on board a ship. we didn't think of anything else. we didn't know where the ship was going. it didn't matter. loaded down with their few belongings... the us navy saved as many as they could. 100,000 north koreans left hungnam that day, never to return. translation: we were bundled under blankets. so many were on the ship. we were alljammed together. a shower from a wave washed over me and my mum feared we were going to drown and become a sea spirit. ..after history's most successful evacuation.

no—one died on board. instead, there was new life. five babies were born by the time the ship docked at gyeongju in the south of south korea. lee gyeong—pil was one of them. translation: my mother was not prepared to give birth when she boarded the ship. so when i was born, the midwife had to use her teeth to cut my umbilical cord. it was december the 25th, christmas day, so people said the fact that i didn't die and was born was a christmas miracle. the americans didn't know any korean names, so affectionately called each baby ‘kimchi' after the fermented cabbage dish. mr lee was kimchi number five. the day before christmas, the last battalion of the third division is evacuated. rescuing civilians had never been part of the us navy's original plan. i think that's the miracle of this whole story is that so many people came together, they saw these refugees there, they were north korean refugees — technically the enemy —

but you couldn't help but feel sorry for them. so somehow, itjust happened that these guys there at hungnam listened to their better angels and did what i like to say the right thing for the right reasons in a very difficult situation. after the last boat leaves shore, the order is given and the entire port blown up. the north korean port was destroyed by the americans as they left. thousands still died. but those who got the chance to live are forever grateful to have been part of this very special christmas cargo. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. anchors away! now if you're hoping that santa might deliver the latest tesla, the cyber truck, this christmas, but its price tag is a little above your budget, then this might be the answer. it's a mock tesla built by a russian car enthusiast and it's been turning

heads on the streets of moscow. it's based on an old lada hatchback that he bought forjust over $1. it's not as environmentally friendly as elon musk‘s creation and still has its old engine powering it. since the real cyber truck‘s somewhat disastrous launch last month, tesla claim they've received more than 200,000 pre—orders. for the mock tesla, the pre—order book is currently empty. at this time of year, of course, we should say that father christmas is on his way delivering presents around the world. the canadian and american defense agency norad as usual has been providing updates on sa nta's progress. at the moment, he's heading from mexico to new orleans having already delivered nearly 6 billion gifts. there is much more on all of the news anytime on the bbc website.

and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. that much is true. thank you for watching. hello there. well, it doesn't look like there's going to be any snowfall on christmas day, but because it'll be quite cold, there could be a little bit of festive frost to start the day. and the reason for the settled cold weather for christmas day is this ridge of high pressure, which will settle things down, bring light winds and plenty of sunshine. but it is short—lived because this next area of low pressure will come sweeping in for boxing day to bring us all a spell of wet and windy weather. you'll also notice as the wet and windy weather arrives, it'll push the christmas day blue cold air away from our shores and it will be replaced by the oranges and yellows, indicating very mild conditions, particularly as we end the week and head on into the weekend. but as we start christmas day, very early on, there'll be one or two showers around, but even these will fade. as that ridge of high pressure builds in, they'll settle down, with clearing skies for many and with lighter winds,

it's going to turn quite cold. temperatures close to freezing in many places, with a touch of frost in places, maybe little bits of mist and fog too. so christmas day is looking cold, but dry, bright, plenty of sunshine, and, yes, we'll have a little bit of festive frost to start the day in places. so a dry, sunny day for most, a little bit of patchy cloud for north—west england, perhaps northern and western scotland where there could be the odd shower, but even these will be fading through the day. sunshine will be fading across the far west, though. later in the day, high cloud starts to move in ahead of that weather system. but most places will see the sunshine continue, but it's going to be a chillier day, particularly in the south, we have been used to temperatures in single figure for most. and as the temperatures fall away later in the day, it looks like fog could become a problem across central, northern and eastern england, so bear that in mind if you are heading out on the roads. it won't last long, we think, though, because as the winds start to pick up ahead of this weather system, then the fog will tend to lift.

it will turn much wetter and windy by the end of the night across western areas. those temperatures also rising. but again, it's going to be quite a chilly one across the north and east of the uk. so a very different feel to the weather for boxing day. we're back to the unsettled theme, this area of low pressure bringing rain and strong winds, northern ireland, wales, south—west england, then pushing northwards and eastwards across the country through the day. could start quite chilly but dry across the north and the east, but the rain and the wind will arrive here. and, yes, the white there, we could see some transient snow over the higher ground of northern england and into the scottish mountains. those temperatures climbing to double figures in the south. but still quite chilly in the north and the east. but as we head through the week to friday and indeed the weekend, it's set to turn much milder thanks to southerly winds, those temperatures close to the mid—teens celsius in places. merry christmas.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

pope francis has ushered in christmas for more than a billion catholics by celebrating midnight mass at the vatican. alluding to the recent sexual abuse, and financial scandals afflicting catholicism, he called on the faithful not to abandon god's love because of the church's failings. russian and turkish officials claim they've been discussing how to stop an escalation of fighting in the syrian province of idlib. around 80 civilians have been killed in the past week, including five children. several ceasefires have collapsed, in the mainly rebel—held provinced, and an offensive by syrian government forces, backed by russia, has been under way for a week. hundreds of australian families are spending christmas day in emergency shelters, with at least 70 bushfires still burning in new south wales. more than 1,700 firefighters are battling the crisis. nearly a thousand homes have been destroyed, and another extreme heatwave is due later this week. homelessness is a big issue in many parts of the uk and is particularly