welcome to bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: travel chaos in some parts of north america as frigid temperatures ground planes and turn roads into death traps. the roads are freezing, the roads are going to be like an ice rink and your tyres can't handle this. violent clashes grip paris after three people are shot dead at a kurdish community centre. protests in afghanistan over the ban on women going to university. the un says the taliban is denying the country a future. and the case of the actress who wasn't there. we'll explain why universal studios is being sued for $5 million.

hello. weather alerts and more than 1.5 million people have no power, as temperatures in some areas are predicted to drop, to as low as —45 celsius. an arctic storm is approaching, predicted to hit canada and extend down to the deep south and the border with mexico, including texas. this thermal satellite imagery shows the huge spread of the coldest areas, with the midwest enduring the lowest temperatures. the chill is also being felt on the gulf coastline, although areas in the far north—east like maine, and western states like california, nevada, and arizona are escaping the worst. and this satellite image, from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, gives an idea of the spread of the cold weather system — with the lowest temperatures underneath the clouds at the top of the picture, across the northern us

states and canada. we begin our coverage with this report from our north america correspondentjohn sudworth. it couldn't have come at a worse time. america's peak travel season hit by a once in a generation storm. two days before christmas, two thirds of the country are now under extreme winter weather alerts stretching from here on the canadian border all the way to florida. on airport runways planes have been replaced by de—icing trucks... we're out here, period. i mean, we'll be out him until it stops snowing, really. ..leading to thousands of cancelled flights with the city of chicago the worst hit. flustered. we're trying to search on our phones, figure out other routes, maybe even taking a bus from here to atlanta. it will take us about 21 hours, so that's really inconvenient. but anything we can do just to get there is what we're going to do.

a once in a generation bomb cyclone is actually causing temperatures to plummet. on the us networks, there's talk of little else. the term bomb cyclone describes a drop in pressure of 2a millibars in 2a hours. whatever you call it, the risks are clear. exacerbated by the strong desire to travel at this time of year. the roads are freezing, the roads are going to be like an ice—skating rink and your tires cannot handle this and that lends itself to a great possibility of pile—ups, they can be dangerous, people can get stranded. the storm is expected to last through the weekend. after the years of covid, millions of americans face another disrupted christmas. john sudworth, bbc news, washington. patricia jaggernauth is a weather expert

based in toronto and joins me now. she is out there, she is incredibly brave and she has brought a snowman, thank you for that. just how bad is it our there? for that. just how bad is it ourthere? it looks for that. just how bad is it our there? it looks pretty cold from where i am sitting.- from where i am sitting. yes, i've not from where i am sitting. yes, i've got to — from where i am sitting. yes, i've got to tell— from where i am sitting. yes, i've got to tell you, _ from where i am sitting. yes, i've got to tell you, it - from where i am sitting. yes, i've got to tell you, it is - i've got to tell you, it is pretty chilly out here. when you see my eyes begin to water it is bone chilling. this winter storm, this cold front would be invading this area, this is toronto right here, where winds are now very blustery. the snow, for the most part, i will say has not fallen, but the problem now is we have 5—15 centimetres on ground and with the wind is gusting to around 80 kilometres per hour right now, it is picking up, as you can hear, it is picking up all of the snow, it is blowing it about, so it is making it quite uncomfortable. it is dangerous out. it uncomfortable. it is dangerous out. , , . ., uncomfortable. it is dangerous out. ,,., ., ,_ uncomfortable. it is dangerous out. ., ., out. it is brave of frosty to no out out. it is brave of frosty to go out as _ out. it is brave of frosty to go out as well. _ out. it is brave of frosty to go out as well. lots - out. it is brave of frosty to go out as well. lots of- out. it is brave of frosty to i go out as well. lots of travel

disruption, unsurprisingly, is christmas going to be cancelled for lots of people? it’s christmas going to be cancelled for lots of people?— for lots of people? it's a good question. _ for lots of people? it's a good question, right, _ for lots of people? it's a good question, right, will- for lots of people? it's a good| question, right, will christmas be cancelled? absolutely not. there will be no scrooge moving on in, not even mother nature, she is my friend. overall, christmas will be ok, here is how the timeline goes, for today, this is now the tail end of the storm, we still have saturday, we are maybe not seeing so much of the heavy snowfall, is more what is happening on ground level, deteriorating road travel, deteriorating road travel, deteriorating editions, if you are heading early on to visit yourfamily, you don't want are heading early on to visit your family, you don't want to be out here driving about, it's very dangerous. ploughs are doing their best, city crews are doing their best. get this, if you are anywhere around the major areas, we are seeing upgraded levels from winter storms to blizzard warnings and we could potentially see 30—15 centimetres of snow in surrounding areas, so we're staying indoors for this christmas.—

staying indoors for this christmas. ., ., ., ., ., christmas. you are in toronto, canada and — christmas. you are in toronto, canada and toronto _ christmas. you are in toronto, canada and toronto are - christmas. you are in toronto, canada and toronto are not. canada and toronto are not strangers to cold weather and no, this is on a different level, right? it no, this is on a different level, right?— level, right? it is on a different level. a lot l level, right? it is on a | different level. a lot of level, right? it is on a - different level. a lot of us seeing this as a once in a generational storm, an oddity, if you will, the only comparison eye can give this to any extremity compares to the i saw we had a few years back. that was, in and of itself, an epic real historic storm. at this rate here, the fact that we had the flash freeze from the temperatures being really comfortable, not even 25 and that his exams ago, to feeling now —30, factor in the windchill, and 5—15 centimetres plus, they seen nothing like this, the transition m25 and hours is what makes this storm very historic and quite the conversation starter. we can see a couple — conversation starter. we can see a couple of— conversation starter. we can see a couple of guys - see a couple of guys occasionally behind you. what is your advice to people watching this now and thinking of going outside?— of going outside? don't be any of going outside? don't be any of these people. _ of going outside? don't be any of these people. if _ of going outside? don't be any of these people. if you - of going outside? don't be any of these people. if you don't i of these people. if you don't have a serious reason for being

outside stay indoors. i have distress, i've got to say, it is really, really deteriorating out here. the snow fall is one thing, if you haven't changed your winter ties that as a whole other thing. we have things been out stop we have a major highway in the ontario region, the 401, we have seen multiple car crashes today, some really close calls as well. whiteout conditions are also probable where we are seeing zero two no visibility. if you are needing to drive, may be postponed plans. and evenif may be postponed plans. and even if you need to fly, check with your ally, we are seeing tons of cancellations, maybe i will say boxing day would be the better day to get out. you say boxing — the better day to get out. you say boxing day. _ the better day to get out. you say boxing day, this - the better day to get out. you say boxing day, this will be a couple more days still, it will not get any better anytime soon? ., ., ., not get any better anytime soon? ., ~ ., ., ., �* ~ soon? you know what, don't like -auttin soon? you know what, don't like putting fear— soon? you know what, don't like putting fear when _ soon? you know what, don't like putting fear when it _ soon? you know what, don't like putting fear when it comes - soon? you know what, don't like putting fear when it comes to . putting fear when it comes to conversation of weather, like to be serious, and a note that some people do enjoy this weather, but it is very frigid out here, you are seeing

dangerous windchill, not good even for pets to be out and about for their daily walks, i was they hold off, mother nature is doing her thing, it is december, so snow and cold as expected, but yesterday a write off, today a write off, saturday, let's throw it in there, a write off as well. by sunday we are starting to see improvements. more sunshine will graze us, a christmas miracle always else. thank you so much- _ miracle always else. thank you so much- to — miracle always else. thank you so much. to take _ miracle always else. thank you so much. to take care - miracle always else. thank you so much. to take care of - miracle always else. thank you | so much. to take care of frosty there and take care of yourself. that is patricia jaggernauth the live for us in toronto. earlier i spoke to our news reporter, tom brada, who explained more about the disruption caused by the storm. there's rain, blizzards, snow, ice, extreme cold across the country and eiking give you some of the numbers which should give you a sense of the scale of the disruption that people are seeing out there. at the moment there are around 1.5 million people who are currently without power, there have been strong winds which are uprooted trees, they have

not up paralysed, as a result there are lots of blackouts. many eastern states in the us are most affected by for example, in north carolina and virginia there are at least 150,000 people in both those dates currently without power. should add that across border in canada there is also a lot of power outages in quebec and ontario, about 300,000 people are currently without power. this is a real ongoing issue for people in the cold. they should also tell you that transport is an area that has been really badly affected. that is obviously a massive problem for people who want to get home for christmas, for their christmas plans. more than 4500 flights have been cancelled, apples are really struggling. also trains have been affected. the train company amtrak has suspended 20 of their roots. the roads, we have spoken a lot about how there are icy conditions on the roads, their treasurers at the moment, people are still driving in spite of their warnings as they try to get where they feel they need to be. deaths from road accidents have been reported in kentucky,

kansas, tennessee, should be able to show you pictures, this is in ohio, at least one person is in ohio, at least one person is reported to have been killed in this pilot. clearly there are seriously dangerous conditions out there in the country is bracing for even was whether in the coming days. it is notjust the snow whether in the coming days. it is not just the snow and whether in the coming days. it is notjust the snow and ice there are other hazards out there are other hazards out there as well.— there are other hazards out there as well. that's right. as if the snow — there as well. that's right. as if the snow and _ there as well. that's right. as if the snow and the _ there as well. that's right. as if the snow and the ice - there as well. that's right. as if the snow and the ice and i if the snow and the ice and extreme cold is not enough to contend with, the eastern states have a lot of flood warnings in place, so there are coastal flood warnings in parts of maine, piles of messages, this is new york stadium you can see cars underwater, floodwaters rising to cover the bottoms of these homes —— parts of massachusetts. the reason it has been happening in new york is that there has been heavy rain and strong winds, that pushes the seawater towards the land and that is why we are seeing the kind of subversion —— sub version of the cars missing in new york state. with cold weather still to come emma biss a mickell flash freezing, means basically when there are webpages that could freeze over

and cause more eyes an opportunity for danger. that was tom _ opportunity for danger. that was tom brada _ opportunity for danger. that was tom brada speaking to a little earlier. —— ayce. let's get some of the day's other news. a french serial killer who's been convicted of two murders and linked to 20 others is on his way back to france. charles sobhraj says he feels great after being released from jail in nepal. the 78—year—old, whose crimes were dramatised in the tv series the serpent, served 19 years for killing two americans in 1975. the former fijian army colonel sitiveni rabuka has been confirmed as fiji's prime minister, after a coalition of parties voted to support him, ending frank bainimarama 16 years in power. the appointment ends ten days of uncertainty in fiji, when the election delivered a hung parliament. rabuka accused the outgoing government of stoking "fear and chaos" to derail his return to power. ethiopian investigators have completed their final report into an ethiopian airlines crash nearly four years ago which led to the worldwide grounding of boeing 737 max aircraft.

all 157 people on board were killed. the nairobi—bound plane came down minutes after take—off from addis ababa. the investigation concluded that a software failure was to blame. twitter has in the past few days removed a feature that promoted suicide prevention hotlines to users that look up certain content. the removal of the safety feature, #thereishelp, has not been officially announced, but various organisations noticed its disappearance and expressed concern. twitter and its new owner elon musk have not commented. just over a week ago twitter disbanded its trust and safety council. the canadian government says that one of the best—known polar bear populations in the world is in serious decline, almost certainly as a result of climate change. the town of churchill, in manitoba province, is known as the polar bear capital of the world. but a survey has found the number of polar bears around the town of has dropped by 27% in just five years.

the french president, emmanuel macron, has condemned a shooting at a cultural centre in paris as an odious attack on the country's kurdish population. three people were killed and three injured by the gunman, who had just been released from detention for targeting a migrant camp a yearago. following the attack us secretary of state antony blinken "his deepest sympathies to the victims of the attack "at the kurdish cultural centre in paris." also saying via twitter that: "my thoughts are with the members of the kurdish community and people of france on this sad day." clashes later broke out between police and a large crowd which had gathered at the scene. protesters started a fire in the street and threw chairs and bricks. police clad in riot gear responded with tear gas. hugh schofield reports. shouting not long after the attack, rioting in central paris. these are people from the city's turkish kurdish community, angry because it was three of theirs who were shot and killed. it was just before midday

when the man described as white and quite old, pulled out a handgun and started firing outside a kurdish community centre, not farfrom the gare du nord. he was overpowered and detained by police. to the authorities, the most plausible theory is that this was a racially motivated anti—foreigner attack. translation: obviously, - he wanted to attack foreigners. we will find out from thejudicial inquiry if he was specifically targeting kurds. for the moment, it's impossible to know. the man has been identified as a 69—year—old former train driver. he'd onlyjust been let out ofjail in connection with an attack with a sword on an african migrant camp in paris a year ago. translation: it concerned people who were living - in tents, and the person concerned attacked the tents. an investigation was opened at the end of 2021 and the person concerned has recently been released. this evening, the area remains tense. many in the kurdish community here accusing the french

government of failing to protect them. this is bbc news. the headlines: travel chaos in some parts of north america as frigid temperatures ground planes and turn roads into deathtraps. the united nations says the ban on women going to university in afghanistan is a dramatic setback, denying a future for the country. the tablian had already banned girls from attending secondary school. the new restrictions affecting higher education were announced this week and have prompted protests across the country, as our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley reports. all chant. defying the taliban in a show of fury, and of extraordinary courage. here in the north of afghanistan they were chanting, "why won't you let us study? and the taliban used water cannon to disperse them. we've blurred their faces to protect them from taliban reprisals.

translation: i beg you, please, please, just let . us continue learning. chanting: let us in! in kabul yesterday, women vowing to stand together against oppression. but several were arrested, others beaten. translation: they gave all the girls lashes. - they'd brought their own female enforcers, who whipped the girls. we fled, but others were taken by the taliban. only a few weeks ago, young women were sitting their university exams, separate from men, but still it gave secondary schoolgirls hope that they'd soon be allowed to resume their education — the dream that has now been snatched away. crying. this was the reaction at one university in kabul when they heard the news.

in kandahar, some young men walked out of their studies in solidarity. cheering and applause. on national television, the minister of higher education accused women students of not properly following the taliban's dress code, trying to justify a decision that has caused an international outcry. this is a dramatic setback. denying women a right to education is denying a future to afghanistan, to the country and to the people. we are asking for this to be immediately reversed, and we are working on it. malala yousafzai, campaigner for girls' education, survived an attack by the taliban in pakistan a decade ago. we always feared that it would get worse, which is happening right now. it is getting worse for women, and this is two decades of progress that women in afghanistan fought for. the bbc�*s sana safi grew up in afghanistan under the taliban's previous rule and could only go to underground schools.

ifeelangry, ifeel sad, because those women will lose the precious time that i lost. they will lose the childhood that i lost. everything we have seen from the taliban in regards to their decision—making indicates that they have not changed. whatever happens with the protests, these afghan women are sending a very clear message to the world. caroline hawley, bbc news. canadian rapper tory lanez has been found guilty of shooting fellow artiste megan thee stallion in july 2020. the trial in los angeles heard how the two left a party in the hollywood hills in a heated argument. as stallion got out of the car, witnesses said lanez ordered her to dance and shot at her feet. the musician said she needed surgery to remove the bullet fragments from her feet. he could now face more than 20 years in prison and could be deported from the us. imagine being a teenagerforced to leave your home country and head to europe in search of a better life. the journey is gruesome, travelling desert and across the sea, only to get to a country such as france

and end up homeless and desperate for help. well, one charity, the wilson barber collective, has found its own way of supporting such people by offering the migrants a haircut. they say such a simple gesture can massively boost confidence and may even unlock opportunities for them. the bbc�*s simi jolaoso went to one of their barber sessions in paris to find out more. translation: having my hair cut makes my face look more handsome. it makes me feel good. they come and help us. they even give us things, feed us, cut our hair. they cut our here well. is us, cut our hair. they cut our here well-— here well. is really cool. i feel confident. _ here well. is really cool. i feel confident. they - here well. is really cool. i feel confident. they do i here well. is really cool. i i feel confident. they do good things— feel confident. they do good things here. the haircuts are here — things here. the haircuts are here to — things here. the haircuts are here to help us. they help us

do good and get opportunities. once _ once a month in central paris, teenagers as young as to a park to get a free haircut. the fresh cream serves more than just making them look good, especially after the terrifying journeys most of them have had to endure. i left in july 2021- — them have had to endure. i left in july 2021- i — them have had to endure. i left in july 2021. | went _ them have had to endure. i left in july 2021. | went to - them have had to endure. i left in july 2021. | went to mali - injuly 2021. i went to mali and then algeria. i had a very hard time in the desert. there were rebels, who took us and hurt us. after three months i left to libya. i again had an awful time. left to libya. i again had an awfultime._ left to libya. i again had an awfultime. awful time. translation: in lib a, awful time. translation: in libya. they — awful time. translation: in libya, they imprisoned - awful time. translation: in libya, they imprisoned us. i awfultime. translation: in | libya, they imprisoned us. they asked _ libya, they imprisoned us. they asked us— libya, they imprisoned us. they asked us to _ libya, they imprisoned us. they asked us to call our home country— asked us to call our home country to ask for money. if not, _ country to ask for money. if not. they— country to ask for money. if not, they say they will shoot us. not, they say they will shoot is i— not, they say they will shoot is i have _ not, they say they will shoot us. i have enough scars. they stabbed — us. i have enough scars. they stabbed me with a knife. translation: while i was in prison— translation: while i was in prison they— translation: while i was in prison they punished - translation: while i was in prison they punished me i translation: while i was in prison they punished me a i prison they punished me a lot. they— prison they punished me a lot. they hit— prison they punished me a lot. they hit me _ prison they punished me a lot. they hit me in _ prison they punished me a lot. they hit me in the _ prison they punished me a lot. they hit me in the foot, - prison they punished me a lot. they hit me in the foot, on- prison they punished me a lot. they hit me in the foot, on my knees, — they hit me in the foot, on my knees, and _ knees, and they cut me with a knife — knees, and they cut me with a knife the _ knees, and they cut me with a knife. the whole _ knees, and they cut me with a knife. the whole foot - knees, and they cut me with a knife. the whole foot was i knife. the whole foot was swollen _ knife. the whole foot was swollen my _ knife. the whole foot was swollen. my body - knife. the whole foot was swollen. my body was i knife. the whole foot was i swollen. my body was covered knife. the whole foot was - swollen. my body was covered in

blood _ swollen. my body was covered in blood. a , swollen. my body was covered in blood. , ., ., , blood. many of the teenagers here have _ blood. many of the teenagers here have experienced - blood. many of the teenagers here have experienced the i blood. many of the teenagers i here have experienced the same thing, surviving in france while striving for a better life hasn't been easy, hence these sessions by the wilson barber collective.— these sessions by the wilson barber collective. these kinds of kids who — barber collective. these kinds of kids who are _ barber collective. these kinds of kids who are by _ barber collective. these kindsj of kids who are by themselves with no parents, and most of society don't care about them. it costs 20 euros to get a haircut in paris, one of the most expensive cities in europe. they can't afford it, so for them it feels a little bit extra special stop we saw what the heck it would bring to people who lived in the street, and we really realise that it's notjust and we really realise that it's not just a and we really realise that it's notjust a haircut. it and we really realise that it's notjust a haircut.— notjust a haircut. it will brina notjust a haircut. it will bring back _ notjust a haircut. it will bring back also - notjust a haircut. it will bring back also dignity l notjust a haircut. it willl bring back also dignity to people. bring back also dignity to --eole. �* ,, �* g bring back also dignity to --eole. �* ,, ~ g ., . people. translation: my advice for ouna people. translation: my advice for young people _ people. translation: my advice for young people in _ people. translation: my advice for young people in guinea. i for young people in guinea. cherish— for young people in guinea. cherish being _ for young people in guinea. cherish being there. - for young people in guinea. cherish being there. if- for young people in guinea. cherish being there. if i- for young people in guinea. j cherish being there. if i had known — cherish being there. if i had known what _ cherish being there. if i had known what i _ cherish being there. if i had known what i know- cherish being there. if i had known what i know now, i. known what i know now, i wouldn't _ known what i know now, i wouldn't have _ known what i know now, i wouldn't have come, i known what i know now, i- wouldn't have come, because i saw a — wouldn't have come, because i saw a lot— wouldn't have come, because i saw a lot of— wouldn't have come, because i saw a lot of suffering _ wouldn't have come, because i saw a lot of suffering on - wouldn't have come, because i saw a lot of suffering on that l saw a lot of suffering on that trip — saw a lot of suffering on that trip i— saw a lot of suffering on that trip. i would _ saw a lot of suffering on that trip. i would even— saw a lot of suffering on that trip. i would even tell- saw a lot of suffering on that trip. i would even tell my. trip. i would even tell my enemies _ trip. i would even tell my enemies to— trip. i would even tell my enemies to avoid - trip. i would even tell my enemies to avoid the i enemies to avoid the mediterranean - enemies to avoid the mediterranean sea . enemies to avoid the| mediterranean sea to enemies to avoid the - mediterranean sea to come enemies to avoid the _ mediterranean sea to come here, and risking — mediterranean sea to come here, and risking their— mediterranean sea to come here, and risking their life. _ king charles is expected to pay tribute to his mother,

the late queen, in his first christmas day message. a photo released in the uk on friday evening shows the recording being made in st george's chapel at windsor castle, where a committal service was held during the queen's funeral in september. ajudge in the us has ruled that two movie fans can sue the universal film studio for false advertising over the trailer it issued for the 2019 movie yesterday. that clip featured the actress ana de armas, but her part was entirely cut from the finished movie. the plaintiffs say they only rented the movie because they thought ms de armas was in it, and they have now been cleared to take their claim for five $5 million in compensation to court. i've been speaking to entertainment lawyer domenic romano, founder and managing partner of romano law, about the case. well, first of all, it's not on behalf of the two fans. it's on behalf of a class of other viewers of the film that were deceived. so i'm not surprised that the judge allowed this

suit to go on. the trailer features a well—known actress who does not appear in the film, and it's understandable that a court would deem that not just these two but other viewers of the trailer might be misled. and do you think this will therefore have implications for trailers and the industry as a whole in the future? 100%. now, universal, the studio, argued that the trailer was an artistic, expressive work and should be protected free speech under the first amendment in the united states. but the court ruled that a trailer is a commercial, not only speech but commercial speech, and that there was a likelihood that others may be misled, or at least was arguable, if an actor is featured in the trailer and then doesn't appear in the film. it's important to note too that although that $5 million has been claimed on behalf of this class of viewers that were misled, the film itself grossed a reported $154 million at the box office alone, not including streaming and other revenue.

so, to put it in context, it's not an outrageous amount. sure, and to be — apologies for being naive, but where does that $5 million go if they're successful with this? well, the next step would be discovery, and if they're successful in certifying as a class, it would go to the viewers that can make a claim that but for those seeing ms de armas in the trailer, they would not have paid the $3.99, or whatever they paid, to watch the film. and in terms of legal practice, will be set a precedent, do you think, of other similar cases being opened? i think it will make studios and other distributors cautious about misleading viewers, and from a consumer perspective, this is not a bad thing. so for you, do you think this is a sort of landmark moment that people will refer back to in the future? well, you know, ithink it's rare that a trailer will feature an actress or an actor then cut from a film. but i think misleading scenes — the judge also said scenes

in a trailer that are misleading, as a consumer protection mechanism as more and more people consume streaming media — i think the ruling will have an effect on the way entertainment content is advertised in the future. just before we go, i want to bring you some pictures from the chilean capital, santiago, where people have been flocking to a lantern festival. 41 chinese artisans created light sculptures of animals, flowers, mythological beings and scenes from chinese culture at santiago's family park. the festival of lights shows a journey along the roads of the chinese provinces, highlighting their treasures, history and folklore. a quick reminder of our top story cold and at least 12 deaths have now been linked to a huge winter storm that has hit a huge parts of the united states. more than 1.5 million people lost power and thousands of flights were cancelled on friday because of the freezing

conditions. that'sjust friday because of the freezing conditions. that's just about it from me for now. you can find more news on our website. hello. it looks as if for most it will stay mild in the run—up to christmas, but there is the hint of some colder air returning. the reason is because we've got these mild south—westerly winds at the moment. this is the band of rain, the weather front, that swept right the way across the uk during friday, giving 10—15mm of rain, turning to snow over the scottish highlands and grampians, even at lower levels temporarily in the north. showers elsewhere, but largely frost—free away from the chilliness in the north. so not particularly cold to start, but perhaps one or two mist and fog patches to watch out for first thing this morning. but then a lot of dry and bright weather for england and wales. the showers get going quite quickly across northern ireland, pushing into northern england and other western extremities. our rain band with its hill

snow slow to drag away, and it will stay in the cold air up in shetland all day. a lot of cloud behind, but temperatures will be higher, notably, for scotland than they were on friday. and it's mild across, not as windy. then, through the evening and overnight, those showers push their way gradually eastwards, and then just the hint that a north—westerly returns to the north and west of scotland. so again, not particularly cold as we head into christmas day morning — just local frost, really. and quite a bit of showery weather round through the day, some brightness around, but there's a question mark as to a weather front coming up to the south which might give cloudy, wet conditions later on across southern and eastern areas. then we've got those showers across the north, probably brightening up with some sunshine behind. but that's when it turns chillier with the chance of some wintriness, as you can see. temperatures still for most at 8—12 degrees — on the higher side of normal. but, as i say, there is the chance that we could see the definition of a white christmas — snow falling across the north and west in the showers as we go

through the second part of the day. and that's because the cold arctic air is coming back, and it might well push right the way across the uk as we go into boxing day. but it will be a short—lived chilly spell and it doesn't mean snow for all. we've still got, as i say, that question mark over rain later on christmas day in the south, dragging its heels to clear on the south—east on boxing day and then a wintry mix of showers, with hail, sleet, hill snow mostly. temperatures, though, 4—8 degrees celsius. that's a few degrees down on those of christmas day. but as i say, it does look like a short—lived cold snap because the mild atlantic influence returns, looks like with wet and windy weather on the way. the warnings, as ever, are on the website.

this is bbc news. the headlines: frigid temperatures and heavy snowstorms in the us and canada have grounded planes and turned roads into ice rinks. hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses are without power and meteorologists say temperatures could drop to —45 celsius in some places. there's been violent clashes in paris after three people were shot dead at a kurdish community centre. the french president, emmanuel macron, has described the attack as odious. the alleged attacker was a 69—year—old frenchman who had previously targeted an african migrant camp in paris. there's been widespread protests in afghanistan over the ban on women going to university. the un described the ruling as a dramatic setback, denying a future for the country.

the taliban had already banned girls from secondary schools. the new restrictions were announced earlier this week.