welcome to bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: save the children condemns the military in myanmar, for the deaths of 38 people found in burnt—out vehicles in kayah state. queen elizabeth speaks about her memories of prince philip — in herfirst christmas day message since his death. that mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when i first set eyes on him. covid infections in france pass 100,000 cases in a 24—hour period — as concerns grow about the 0micron variant. the world's most powerful telescope is launched into space — to offer unprecedented images of the universe. and after three months of spewing lava and ash, the volcanic eruption on la palma finally comes to an end.

hello and welcome to the programme. the international charity, save the children, has condemned what it called an attack by the burmese military that killed at least 38 people, including women and children. the charity said the military had reportedly forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burnt their bodies in the south—eastern kayah state. save the children says two of its humanitarian staff are also missing. aung chow moe is an advisor to the national unity government's ministry of human rights. he says the attack is shocking. the junta has run down elderly people, women, children. no less than 30 people have been burnt and brutally killed.

this is just before the night of christmas in kayah state located between thailand and myanmar. the area is home to many christians and christmas is a day for peace for the christian people so the level of brutality is high to carry out such inhuman act. you mentioned the timing of this attack. does it look like a targeted attack to you, or more random? anyone who could be seen as a threat to the junta could be killed at any time anywhere in myanmar regardless. and when it happens right the day before the christmas we can assume that this is to show that they do not care and of course we know thejunta does not care

about these or other major celebrations. all they are interested in is maintaining power. so it would not surprise me at all. it is worth saying that the militaryjunta are saying its troops are being attacked, suggesting that this was almost self defence. civilians do not have any capacity, women and children and elderly people they do not have the capacity, does not have anything to do with the junta troops and you can see the shape of the body of them laying down on this truck. could a child be harmful? of course not. and the junta make up stories to defend themselves and cover up their crimes. this is not the first time it happened.

in 2017 it happened to the rohingya and continues to happen in myanmar in a defence setting to different people and the junta troops continue the cycle and do not care whether they are committing international humanitarian law or not. you mentioned that this is not the first time it has happened. what would you like to see the response to the attack from the international community? we have seen enough statements of concern and sympathy and things like that. what we need now, more, is concrete action and international community must do everything in their capacity including stopping all ties that allow the military junta to kill their own civilians. and economic ties to military businesses.

and a statement of concern and a letter does not help anything. the people of myanmar do not have any choice anymore to defend themselves in the hand of this brutal military. 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 another distressful christmas in hospitals across the united states as the country battles a surge in infections, driven by 0micron. some intensive care units are close to capacity — or struggling to replace staff who are sick with the virus. about one in every five icu beds is occupied by a covid—19 patient, although it's much higher in some states. and there's concern in new york where the authorities are urging parents to get their children overfive vaccinated because of a spike in hospitalisations among under eighteens.

let's look at the pandemic in michigan — where covid cases have spiked since october. andrewjameson is an infectious disease doctor in the state and describes the situation there. we are still under a ton of pressure from covid. a huge proportion of our hospital and icu are still sick with people with covid and we are just starting to now see 0micron surges hit us. we have been a little delayed from the rest of the country in that we are starting to see those numbers pick up. so we're looking forward to the next few weeks so we're not looking forward to the next few weeks — few months. what are the conditions in your hospital like? they say it is pretty bad, what do you see on the floor?

we are down from 115% capacity where we are using a lot more beds than we ever normally would. we're to under 100% and things are a little better. we feel a temporary reprieve. 0ur numbers are half of what they were three weeks ago. so we're feeling little better at this moment but when we see the numbers pick up in the community we start to get nervous about what will come. it is a temporary reprieve, it is still not good but we are worried about where we're headed. are you yet in a position to make plans and reparations for 0micron or are you still battling delta? it is double whammy. the delta variant makes a lot of people sick and impacting our hospital numbers but when we deal with 0micron it is changing what we do with some of our outpatient treatments and monoclonal antibody therapy is. we have to make quick pivots to therapies that would previously have worked against delta that no longer work. so it is fighting on something on two fronts and it is much more challenging.

the surging cases has disrupted holiday— the surging cases has disrupted holiday plans as well and many people — holiday plans as well and many people are testing positive. people _ people are testing positive. people have been unable to reach their families and some have had to spend the holidays isolating. flight cancellations and tests. for some, this is not the merriest holiday season. many governments have insisted that christmas is not cancelled this year but with the 0micron variant spreading and cases of coronavirus on the rise, many have been forced to spend christmas in isolation. this happened to one mother whose son fell ill. irate this happened to one mother whose son fell ill.— whose son fell ill. we tested him that morning _ whose son fell ill. we tested him that morning and - whose son fell ill. we tested him that morning and he - whose son fell ill. we tested | him that morning and he was instantly positive before it had even finished running along the lateral flow test strip, the lateral flow test strip, the redline was there. so our heart sank and all of our

christmas plans stopped. really gutted. christmas plans stopped. really cutted. ., ., gutted. even without a positive covid test. _ gutted. even without a positive covid test, millions _ gutted. even without a positive covid test, millions around - gutted. even without a positive covid test, millions around the | covid test, millions around the world have had their travel disrupted by the pandemic. with last minute travel restrictions forcing to change their plans. and airlines cancelling more than 4000 flights around the world, some of their own style of having to isolate with covid. i caught up with my own cousin whose plans were hit by travel restrictions and covid. tara, ourfamilies in france andi tara, ourfamilies in france and i am hearing the bbc news room, i chose to be here and volunteered to be here but you are alone on christmas day in london. ~ . . ,, ~ london. what happened? when the restrictions kicked _ london. what happened? when the restrictions kicked in _ london. what happened? when the restrictions kicked in i _ london. what happened? when the restrictions kicked in i plan - restrictions kicked in i plan to spend christmas here in london with my partner's family and then we started getting symptoms on monday, tested positive for covid on wednesday and obviously have been isolating since. so our christmas plans on both sides

have been sort of, yeah, thrown into chaos because of covid. despite best efforts to make this christmas better than the last, the pandemic has still been front and centre of this holiday season. officials in the democratic republic of congo say at least six people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack. it happened in the eastern city of beni. the mayor, narcisse muteba, said the bomber had killed himself and five other people. it isn't clear whether any group was behind the attack, but security forces are investigating. 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. 0ur 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 herfamily 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. stay with us. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: residents on the spanish island of la palma, breathe a sigh of relief — as the volcanic eruption finally comes to an end — after three months. 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 said 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. m 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, nosedown 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. save the children condemns the military in myanmar for the deaths of 38 people found in burnt out vehicles in kayah state.

queen elizabeth speaks about her grief over the death of her husband, prince philip, in her christmas day message. the biggest space telescope ever constructed has been launched into orbit. it is the most powerful ever built and is developers hope it will reveal the secrets of the birth of the universe and distant planners they can provide the possibility of life beyond earth. 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. two more members of the k—pop

boy band bts have tested positive for covid—19 after returning to south korea from a concert tour in the us. they had returned to south korea from a concert tour in the us. three members of the 7—member group have become infected. australian k—pop presenter and expert andy trieu told me more. the boys tested positive on returning from the us, where they had these massive concerts. the agency confirmed suga was diagnosed with covid, rm andjin, but rm and suga received their positive tests while they were in self—quarantine after arriving home and — whilejin was released from quarantine after testing negative and received a positive test later on. and how are the fans reacting, because obviously, bts are massive. well, fans have spread the internet with words of encouragement for the boys, even trending that the words �*get the hell out of here covid', and that trended worldwide on twitter, so basically, fans are completely devastated by this

news and wishing them the best. it's not the worst timing, i guess, because they have announced a break? that's correct. the boys a break recently after their los angeles concerts and they are going to take several weeks off and start preparing for their massive concerts that are gonna happen from march in seoul, and a new chapter for their music as well, so hopefully, this will give them enough time to re—energise and create some great work. and in the interim before they do that, do you have any information on what they might be doing? 0bviously, two of them are now recovering from covid. i know in the meantime, they are working on some solo projects as well and also really preparing for this new chapter of music that they're going to announce leading up to march concerts, so exciting times for fans butjust really wishing them all the best and a quick recovery. andy trieu there.

spanish officials say the volcanic eruption in the canary islands has finally come to an end after three months. no—one was injured during the 85 day ordeal on the island of la palma. but the volcano destroyed properties and submerged hundreds of hectares of land, as jack surfleet reports. it was the first eruption on la palma since 1971. the cumbre vieja volcano burst into action on the 19th of september, flowing down the mountain, through villages, and spanning up to 600 metres wide. in its path were 1,300 homes, churches and schools, all of which were destroyed. rescue teams helped to relocate more than 7,000 people from their homes. many have lost almost everything they own. an exclusion zone was set up around the flow, including in the sea, where the molten rock boiled seawater, released poisonous gases and increased the size of the island. there had been no earth tremors since the 13th of december — the longest period without any

activity since the eruption began — but authorities were wary of raising false hope and held off until christmas day to give the message that many had been so desperate for. 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 of our energy in reconstruction of the island. the spanish prime minister pedro sanchez described it as "the best christmas present". his government has pledged over 200 million euros to help people living on the island piece together their homes and their livelihoods after the longest—ever eruption on record. jack surfleet, bbc news.

well, earlier i spoke to erik klemetti, who's an associate professor of geosciences at denison university. i asked whether he belived the eruption was truly over. based on what i have read and what they've said in the announcement, it's pretty certain that it is done — at least for the time being — because we don't see any of the earthquakes that were leading up to it before, we don't see the same sorts of gases coming out of the ground and the signs are there is nothing really doing at the moment. and in terms of la palma itself, i mean, how active has it been in the last sort of few decades? is it the case it could remain dormant for another couple of years and then start again? i mean, that's always the trickiest thing because volcanoes are kind of hard to say that they have sort of regular periods where they're gonna be quiet and then start erupting again. it could be that the eruption doesn't — there isn't another eruption for another 50 years or we might be seeing something where it could be a heightened period of activity, but they're just gonna watch for the same

signs that they saw before to give them clues that there may be something happening. erik klemetti speaking with me earlier. for millions of people around the world, christmas day has drawn to a close. but for millions more, there are still a few hours left to enjoy. it's been another difficult festive season as the 0micron variant of coronavirus spreads, but people still found time to celebrate. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. ho, ho! sometimes, you just have to make the best of things. here, in northern romania, father christmas and a troop of carol singers were doing the rounds, bringing a little festive cheer and an awful lot of sugar. translation: ho, ho, ho! we've given out more than 5000 chocolates, cakes, thousands of candles, waffles and greetings for every home. people celebrate in a variety

of different ways. in bournemouth, for instance, they run into the sea, despite the far—from—ideal temperatures. two, one! cheering. a certain dash of masochism, perhaps, but some altruism as well — it was all in aid of a local charity. more christmas compassion in rome — the church of santa maria laying on its traditional annual lunch for the poor and the needy. a generosity of spirit perhaps needed now more than ever. translation: fighting together against difficulties _ and accepting that hope is also fragile, like a child. it needs to be cared for, protected and nourished. that's how we do it — with friendship, the strength of sympathy. merry christmas! happy holidays, happy new year from all of expedition 66. and christmas wishes from 400 kilometres up above the earth. the crew of the international space station, most wearing festive hats, celebrating

the holidays as best they can in zero gravity. amongst their number, father christmas riding what appears to be a turtle. he certainly gets about! tim allman, bbc news. and finally some sport. cricket and england's hopes of fighting back in the third ashes test already look to be in trouble. after losing the toss, they were put in to bat, and they lost three wickets on the morning of the first day of the boxing day test in melbourne — the last of them coming just before the lunch break. england are currently on 87 runs for four. australia hold a 2—0 lead in the series. the last batsmen out wasjoe root, the captain, withjonny bairstow currently at the crease with ben stokes. it is about it for us. from me and the rest of the

team, thank you for watching. stay tuned. hello, there, and a very merry christmas to you. we've been seeing a band of rain and hill snow working its way northwards across the country to end christmas day and into the early hours of boxing day. most of that rain and hill snow will become confined to the north of the country, certainly across scotland through the day, and then we'll see something a little bit brighter with some showers following in across the south. so 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's where we've been seeing the rain turn to snow initially across the hills of north wales, the north midlands, and also northern ireland, but very much so across the pennines and in towards central and southern scotland, some drifting with the strong winds as we head through the course of boxing day morning. into the afternoon, that rain and hill snow become confined to the hills of scotland.

something a little bit drier further south — a legacy of cloud, mind you. and there will be some brightness for northern ireland, wales, the south—west. winds light here but still strong and gusty further north, closer to that weather front. and again, it's going to another cold day across northern areas, particularly where we have any lying snow over the hills, versus something much milder across the south and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weather front in the north begins to fizzle out, taking the rain and the hill snow with it. elsewhere, a lot of dry weather, lighter winds, clear spells — a recipe for some mist and fog — but further south, into the south—west, we've got a new weather front working its way in. so some milder, wetter, windier weather arriving here. instead, a cold night to come across the north. so here it is, this new area of low pressure is a weather front swiping the south—west and then the south of the country as we move through the day. i think most of the impact will be felt across france, but we'll still have enough wind and rain for it to be noticeable.

initially, south wales, south west england, pushing into the midlands and across in towards the south—east through the day. it'll turn mild and windy with it. further north, not a bad day to come, particularly across scotland and northern england. it will be chilly but it'll be bright with plenty of sunshine. those temperatures struggling to get much above six oi’ seven degrees. but again, double—figure values across the south. and the mild air really wins out as we move through the new week in the run—up to new year. it could turn very mild for a time — those winds 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. but it could become balmy mild for a while across southern areas, even into the first part of january. see you later.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the charity save the children has condemned what it called an attack by the myanmar military in which it says at least 38 people were killed. several charred bodies were found in burnt—out vehicles in kayah state. the charity says two of its humanitarian staff are missing. the queen has used her christmas day message to pay tribute to her late husband prince philip. he died in april, aged 99. the couple had been married for 73 years. queen elizabeth said she understood why christmas was hard for those who had lost loved ones this year. covid infections in france have passed 100,000 cases in a 24—hour period. health officials say the 0micron strain is set to become the dominant variant by the end of the year as the french covid—19 situation continues to deteriorate. the former england test cricket

captain ray illingworth has died.