this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. queen elizabeth speaks about her personal grief over the death of her husband, prince philip, in her christmas day message, saying there was "one familiar laugh missing". that mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when i first set eyes on him. but life, of course, consists of final partings, as well as first meetings. and as much as i and my family miss him, i know he would want us to enjoy christmas. police have arrested a 19—year—old man who entered the grounds of windsor castle this morning, armed with a weapon. the queen is spending christmas at the castle this year. in his christmas message, pope francis highlighted

the tragedies in yemen and syria, which he said are being passed over in silence. and lift—off! the world's most powerful telescope has launched into space, to offer unprecedented images of the universe. the former england and yorkshire cricket captain, ray illingworth, has died at the age of 89. and after three months of spewing lava and ash, the volcanic eruption on the spanish island of la palma has finally come to an end. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world.

the queen has spoken movingly in her christmas day message about her grief at the death of her husband, prince philip. she said there was "one familiar laugh missing" and expressed empathy with other families who'd lost loved ones this year. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. windsor castle on christmas morning. the royal standard signifying that the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of cornwalljoined the congregation at st george's chapel for morning service. the queen did not attend as a precaution against covid, according to officials. from the very first moments of the queen's broadcast, there was a keen sense of the loss she has felt over the death of prince philip last april, after their 73 years of marriage. although it is a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, christmas can be hard for those who have lost

loved ones. this year, especially, i understand why. but for me, in the months since the death of my beloved philip, i have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the commonwealth and the world. his sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible. that mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when i first set eyes on him. she spoke about the happiness she gained from seeing members of her family embracing the roles and values which meant so much to her, and she recalled how her husband's work on the environment was being taken forward. i am proud beyond words that his pioneering work has been taken on and magnified by our eldest son charles, and his eldest son william,

admirably supported by camilla and catherine. while covid again means we cannot celebrate quite as we may have wished... there was a passing reference to covid and a look ahead to the platinum jubilee. but this above all was a broadcast from a wife mourning her husband. there would still be joy at christmas, the queen said, even with one familiar laugh missing. so a very personal message from the queen at the end of a sad and in some ways rather troubling year, with the death of her husband and difficulties within the royal family. the year has also ended with concerns about her own health, concerns which the palace does its best to downplay, preferring instead to look ahead to next year and the platinum jubilee. nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. earlier i spoke to our royal correspondent sarah campbell, about the personal nature of this

year's queen's speech. from the photograph on the desk which was taken to mark their diamond wedding anniversary, the brooch that she was wearing, which she wore on her honeymoon in 1947, and you know, her christmas broadcasts always have a theme and it is not surprising that this year, when she lost her husband of 73 years, that prince philip was the thread that ran through the entire broadcast and as you say, many people said it was very poignant and personal because the queen is not somebody who tends to wear her heart on her sleeve and talk with such affection, i think, so publicly and that is what made it different and as i say, not surprising after the year she has had. looking back at prince philip's death but also i think she looked forward, to 2022, didn't she? it is a big year, a historic year. in february, she will be the first british monarch ever to have achieved 70 years on the throne, her platinum jubilee and that is what 2022 is going to be about. she talked about the commonwealth

baton relay, the commonwealth games happening injuly next year will be one of the highlights of the platinum jubilee and she talked in her speech about the fact he wanted it to be a time of togetherness, for people to come together which of course they have done for the goldenjubilee and the silverjubilee and the diamond jubilee and people are hoping on thatjune weekend that they will be able to do so, pandemic allowing, for the platinum jubilee. what can you tell us about the security incident that took place? that news was released this afternoon by thames valley police. at 8:30am, about two hours after we saw those pictures of prince charles and camilla, the duchess of cornwall, walking towards st george's chapel, two hours before, rather, we know a teenager armed with what the police have described as an offensive weapon was arrested within windsor castle�*s grounds. superintendent rebecca mears from thames valley police said security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds. he did not enter any buildings. the royalfamily were informed.

we know this is a 19—year—old from southampton. he is now in custody, arrested on suspicion of breach of trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. the leader of the roman catholic church, pope francis, in his annual christmas day speech, has said the effects of the pandemic threatened efforts to resolve conflicts on an international level. around the world, there were smaller crowds at church services and other events because of the coronavirus outbreak. sadat ahmed bakir has this report. mass wearing masks. that is the theme of the day, of this second christmas under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. even main traditional christmas events such as the pope's urbi et orbi message were scaled back, with fewer visitors allowed in.

pointing to ongoing turmoil in syria, yemen and iraq, pope francis said the world is becoming desensitised to suffering. the pontiff called for more dialogue and warned against a tendency to withdraw. translation: in this time | of pandemic, we have come to realise this even more. our capacity for social relationships is sorely tried. there is a growing tendency to withdraw, to do it all by ourselves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and to do things together. on the international level, too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue, the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking short cuts. in the west bank city of bethlehem, where christians believejesus was born, the numbers were also lower than usual, as israel closed its borders forforeigners

in an effort to rein in the infections. the latin patriarch ofjerusalem led prayers at the church of the nativity�*s ancient prayer hall. the leader of the anglican church, the archbishop of canterbury, praised the work of volunteers helping refugees in his christmas sermon. the christmas story shows us how we must treat those who are unlike us, who have far less than us, who have lived with the devastating limits of war and national tragedy. there have been the volunteers who have been on my mind, welcoming and caring for refugees arriving on the beaches so close to this cathedral, and they do one thing — save life at sea. it is not politics. it is simply humanity. this christmas is also the occasion for a special service for the first time in 30 years

at srinagar�*s st luke's church. the i25—year—old place of worship in the indian administered kashmir was shut down three decades ago when the separatist violence began. christmas gatherings will be easier than a year ago in many other places around the world. for example, most australians are allowed to travel interstate over the festive break for the first time in two years. as sydney's catholic archbishop puts it, christmas was a ray of light light in dark times. sadat ahmed bakir, bbc news. the biggest space telescope ever constructed has been launched into orbit. the james webb telescope is on board a european ariane rocket which took off from french guiana. it's the successor to the hubble telescope, and designed to beam back

unprecedented images of the universe. it's the most powerful ever built and the developers hope it will reveal stars and galaxies from the birth of the universe, as well as distant planets which could provide evidence of life beyond earth. our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. and we have engine start. and lift—off. the start of a blockbuster astronomy mission. james webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the universe. inside this rocket is the biggest telescope ever sent into space. punching a hole through the clouds. 20 seconds into the flight... this is the james webb space telescope. it's a successor to hubble, but 100 times more powerful. after three decades in the making, and a cost of $10 billion, it's finally on its way. we've never attempted anything like that in space before. we're going to be entering a whole new regime of astrophysics.

a new frontier. and that is what gets so many of us excited about james webb space telescope. this space telescope is a feat of engineering. at its heart is a 6.5 metre—wide mirror, made up of 18 hexagonal segments, each coated in a layer of gold. its size means it can detect the incredibly faint light coming from the most distant stars. it also has a huge sun shield, about the size of a tennis court. it's made up of five layers, each as thin as a human hair, and this protects the telescope from the heat and light of the sun. sitting a million miles away from the earth, the telescope will give us our deepest ever view of the cosmos. from seeing the birth of the very first stars and galaxies, to revealing new planets in far—flung solar systems. what excites me is making discoveries, things we haven't thought about. and there's a whole history of astronomy that shows

how, when we've looked at the universe in a new way, we discover things we hadn't thought about. and there's something really exciting about doing that. to get into space, the telescope is so big, it's been folded up to fit inside the rocket. the most challenging part is getting it to unfurl. it's been practised here on earth, and that's hard enough. there are 300 points where it could go wrong, but if anything fails in space, the telescope is too far away to be fixed. separation, webb space telescope. go, webb! applause. this is the most ambitious space telescope ever built. now its mission has finally begun and our view of the universe is about to be transformed. rebecca morelle, bbc news. i'm joined now by author and astrologer tom kerss. he joins us live from mount dora in florida. thank you forjoining us. this is

pretty exciting stuff, isn't it? quite a hefty price tag, though, $9.7 billion, having started at $500 million. , , ., $9.7 billion, having started at $500 million. , , . . ~ million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, — million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, i — million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, l have _ million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, i have been _ million. yes, it started way back in the 1990s, i have been following i the 1990s, i have been following this mission my entire professional life and as a student so it has taken a long time to get here. it is a red letter day for astronomy. yes, it is expensive but it is a highly capable platform for astronomy and it is going to provide as much as ten years of absolutely cutting—edge astronomical observations and when you look at the success or something like the hubble telescope, and the price tag seems a bit more reasonable. these things are worth paying for because they make tremendous contributions to the scientific community. this tremendous contributions to the scientific community.— scientific community. this is effectively — scientific community. this is effectively a _ scientific community. this is effectively a time _ scientific community. this is effectively a time machine, | scientific community. this is - effectively a time machine, isn't it? it effectively a time machine, isn't it? , , , effectively a time machine, isn't it? , y , effectively a time machine, isn't it? ,_ ., ., , it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i think we _ it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i think we are — it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i think we are the _ it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i think we are the closest - it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i think we are the closest you - it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i| think we are the closest you can it? it is, yes, as astronomers, i- think we are the closest you can get to time travellers, we look back into the real past, catching light that left in most cases before any

of us or anyone that we can name was born and in the case ofjames webb, we are talking about looking back to a time before any galaxies perhaps were born, back to the time when the first stars formed, when the universe was just a tiny fraction of 1% of the age that it is now. it is really astonishing to think about seeing things that have never been seen before and indeed, building an instrument, building this giant eye instrument, building this giant eye in space that is designed specifically to do just that. it is going to take us into a new era of astrophysics and that is why this date, which is a very memorable date, which is a very memorable date, thankfully, is one i think astronomers and indeed scientists of many disciplines are going to rememberfor a very long many disciplines are going to remember for a very long time. many disciplines are going to rememberfor a very long time. i think that in general, the public are going to find the next big date for this mission even more memorable, that is going to arrive in about six months' time, when we see the first images from the telescope and i think it is really going to blow people's mines. i don't know what the subject is going

to be yet but i can say it is going to be yet but i can say it is going to be yet but i can say it is going to be unprecedented and look like nothing we've ever seen before. i will put it in my diary, i find it will put it in my diary, ifind it very exciting. there are four pillows to its remit, the telescope, and i am really interested in the last one, alien life. i mean... wow! yeah, this is a subject that grabs everyone, one of those big subjects that keeps astronomers up at night and it truly is the frontier of science and discovery. we are talking about evaluating the habitability of worlds in other solar systems and we really are in the infancy of that particular area of science. we call them x0 planets or extrasolar planets, we know of a few thousand so far but we expect that there are many billions can perhaps even hundreds of billions, strewn across our galaxy and many more in the universe beyond. and with such large numbers, it seems unlikely that the earth is completely unique. perhaps there are

other worlds out there just like our own or similar enough that they could host other forms of life and if we are going to discover that, we are going to need to be able to see those planets in some detail, to evaluate the contents of their atmospheres. this is one of, as you say, the four pillars of the mission and there's nothing quite like a gigantic space—based infrared observatory for analysing what is happening on other worlds. it is really exciting to think about what we're going to the. trier? really exciting to think about what we're going to the.— we're going to the. very quickly, t in: to we're going to the. very quickly, trying to squeeze _ we're going to the. very quickly, trying to squeeze one _ we're going to the. very quickly, trying to squeeze one more - we're going to the. very quickly, - trying to squeeze one more question in, within six months, it should be fully deployed and unfurled. how are you feeling about that? that is the next big stage, isn't it?— next big stage, isn't it? well, you know, next big stage, isn't it? well, you know. today _ next big stage, isn't it? well, you know, today was _ next big stage, isn't it? well, you know, today was very _ next big stage, isn't it? well, you i know, today was very nerve-racking, know, today was very nerve—racking, if anything had gone wrong during the launch, it was a bit of a launch but it could have been lost but now it is in space, i'm personally filling a bit more calm. i think the engineers know exact what they are doing and as the report said, it is a fragile and complicated instrument but step—by—step it is going to

slowly be commissioned and sent out to its final place, about1 million miles away. i to its final place, about1 million miles away-— to its final place, about1 million miles away. to its final place, about1 million miles awa . ., ., ., ., , miles away. i could go on and on but we have run — miles away. i could go on and on but we have run out— miles away. i could go on and on but we have run out of— miles away. i could go on and on but we have run out of time. _ miles away. i could go on and on but we have run out of time. thank - miles away. i could go on and on but we have run out of time. thank you | we have run out of time. thank you forjoining us. it is very exciting. the former england test cricket captain, ray illingworth, has died. he was 89, and had been undergoing treatment for oesophageal cancer. he had a 15—year test career, playing 61 times for england. joe wilson looks back at his career. raymond illingworth. beautifully hooked. batsman, bowler, leader, a cricketer for all seasons. he began his career in the 1950s. it must be out. he finally stopped playing in the 1980s. just think, when he became england captain in 1969, they wondered then if he was too old. some people would say this is too old to start being captain of england? yes, well obviously it's not a ten—year policy or anything like that, but i think i am still as good a bowler as i have ever been.

i don't think it makes any difference. in sydney in 1971, during a fractious ashes test, he led his players off the field when beer cans were thrown from the stands. yes, he is out! the end of the match. his team—mates carried illingworth off when england won the match and the series. this must surely be the greatest moment of ray illingworth's cricketing life. english cricket appointed a new man today — ray illingworth becomes chairman of selectors. his time as chief administrator of english cricket wasn't as successful. as selector and coach, he didn't secure the results nor the dressing room harmony he once sought as a captain. i have fined michael on two accounts. first, for using dirt. secondly, for giving incomplete evidence to the match referee. but at his adopted county, leicestershire, and his native yorkshire, illingworth was a master tactician. the australians regarded his england as the mentally toughest

opponents they'd faced. there is no higher compliment for a man who spanned the decades of post—war cricket. the former england cricket captain, ray illingworth, who's died at the age of 89. england face a daunting task in melbourne as the team faces australia for the third ashes test. england are 2—0 down going into the famous boxing day test, and to win the ashes, the team need to win the remaining three games in the series. volunteers are working at vaccination centres across england today as the push continues to give every adult a booster by the end of the month. the nhs says it expects thousands of people to receive theirjab on christmas day. vaccination centres are closed in northern ireland, scotland and wales. as ministers consider whether tougher restricions are needed in england, the roman catholic archbishop, cardinal vincent nichols,

has urged them not to close places of worship. emily unia reports. redbridge town hall in east london is one of a small number of vaccination centres in england that opened this morning, on christmas day, to help bolster the booster programme. fantastic idea to save so many lives. myjob, i am in contact with customers all the time. so i have got to keep myself safe, keep my customers safe. it is family time, the time you want to spend with your loved ones. - it is often in times like that that we get to think- through the real priorities, . and the real priorities are that you want to protect yourself and you want to protect - your loved ones. the government wants to offer all adults a booster by the end of the year, to tackle the spread of the 0micron variant. this pharmacy in north london has been open since eight this morning. they have got about 80 appointments pre—booked, but there is capacity for at least 400 other people to walk in off the street and get a jab.

and there was a very personal reason for opening over the christmas break. i am very close to the owners of the shop. the original owner, he passed away from covid injanuary this year, and it was a horrible experience for his family. and his sons have been working very hard, as have i, to make sure no on else goes through the same thing as they did. this new variant appears to cause mild illness, which health officials have described as a glimmer of hope. it is still spreading fast, though, prompting scotland, wales and northern ireland to introduce new restrictions. in his christmas message, the head of the catholic church in england called on the government to keep places of worship open. i think we are at that point of saying we understand the risks, we know what we should do, most people are sensible and cautious. we don't need stronger impositions

to teach us what to do, we know. new restrictions for england, known as step 2, could see pubs and restaurants serving customers outdoors only, and a ban on different households mixing indoors. a decision on whether to bring england in line with the other uk nations could be taken early next week. emily unia, bbc news. france has broken its daily record for covid infections. it's recorded more than 100,000 covid infections in the space of 2a hours. the health authorities there say an additional 10a,611 people have contracted covid—19, with the spiralling number being driven by the 0micron variant. it's been a chaotic christmas for thousands of people trying to catch flights home in the us, as surging covid cases have sidelined pilots and other crew members, leaving people stranded at airports. christmas eve saw around 690 flights cancelled, leaving some travellers with no choice but to spend the night

in a departure lounge. almost 900 domestic and internationalflights in and out of the country have been cancelled today. and there've also been around 800 delayed christmas day flights. most of the affected airlines have attributed the disruption to the growing number of 0micron cases in the united states, which make up for nearly three—quarters of the country's coronavirus cases. security forces in the sudanese capital, khartoum, have fired tear gas in an effort to disperse the latest pro—democracy protests. the demonstrators converged on the presidential palace for the second time in a week, but were met by a heavy security presence. earlier, the military government restricted phone and internet services and blocked roads leading to the city. at least 48 protesters have been killed since a coup in october. the eruption of the cumbre vieja volcano in the canary islands has

finally come to an end, three months after it began spewing ash and lava. no one was injured during the 85—day ordeal on the spanish island of la palma. but the volcano destroyed more than 1m300 homes, more than 1,300 homes, churches and schools, and submerged hundreds of hectares of farmland. the canary islands regional security chiefjulio perez expressed relief and hope as he broke the news. translation: what i want to say today can be said - with just four words. the eruption is over. it is an emotional relief but i think we can add one more word to the message — the word "hope". because we can now focus all our energy on the reconstruction of the island. that's the latest on the volcanic eruption which has come to an end on

the island of la palma. you're watching bbc news. plenty more coming up. don't go away. hello, there, and a very merry christmas to you. we have seen a band of rainand hill is no working its way northwards across the country to end christmas day and into the early hours of boxing day. most of the rain until snow will become confined to the north of the country, certainly across scotland through the day and then we will see something a bit brighter with some showers following and across the south. this weather front has continued to journey northwards as it bumped into the cold air which has been sitting across the north and east of the country, that is where we have the rain turned to snow initially, across the hills of north wales, north midlands and also northern ireland, but very much so across the pennines and in towards central and southern scotland, some drifting with strong wind as we head through the course of boxing day morning. into the afternoon, the rainand hills never comes confined

to the hills of scotland. something a bit dry of the south, a legacy of cloud, mind you. some brightness for northern ireland, wales and the south—west. wind is light here but still strong and gusty further north, close to the weather front. again, another cold day across northern areas, particularly with any lying snow over the hills, again something much milder in the south and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weatherfront and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weather front to the north begins to fizzle out, taking the rainand hills know when it. elsewhere, lots of dry weather, lighter winds, clear spells, a recipe for mist and fog. further south come into the south—west, a new weather front working its way in. as a milder, wetter and windy weather arriving here. a cold night to come across the north. here it is, the new area of low pressure, a weather front swiping the south—west and in the south of the country as we move through the day, most of the impact will be felt across france but we will still have enough wind and rain for it to be noticeable. initially, south wales and south—west england, pushing into the midlands and across to the south—east through the day. turning

mild and windy with it. further north, not a bad day, particularly across scotland and northern england. it will be chilly but bright with plenty of sunshine. temperatures are struggling to get much above six or seven. again, double figures across the south. the mild air really wins out as we move through the new week and the run up to new year. it could turn very mild for a time with wins coming up from the south or south—west. but low pressure will always be nearby and in fact, it will be quite wet and windy at times. it could become barmy for a while across southern areas, even into the first part of january.

this is bbc news, the headlines... queen elizabeth speaks about her personal grief over the death of her husband, prince philip, in her christmas day message, saying there was "one familiar laugh missing". police have arrested a 19—year—old man who entered the grounds of windsor castle this morning,

armed with a weapon. the queen is spending christmas at the castle this year. in his christmas message, pope francis highlighted the tragedies in yemen and syria, which he said are being passed over in silence. and lift off. the world's most powerful telescope has launched into space to offer unprecedented images of the universe. the former england and yorkshire captain, ray illingworth, has died at the age of 89. and after 3 months of spewing lava and ash, the volcanic eruption on the spanish island of la palma has finally come to an end. now on bbc news, review 2021, the coronavirus pandemic. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has the story of the coronavirus pandemic across the year and its impact on so many different aspects of people's lives.