this is bbc news with the headlines... plunging temperatures are gripping much of the united states and canada, with more than 250 million people facing life—threatening conditions. we've had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures and everything that mother nature could wallop at us this weekend. protests turn violent as thousands of people take to the streets of paris after a gunman with a history of racist violence killed three people at a kurdish cultural centre. here in the uk the railways are at a standstill as workers walk out over pay and conditions.

hello and welcome to bbc news. more than 250 million people are facing life—threatening conditions as plunging temperatures, blizzards and icy winds grip much of the united states and canada. 19 people have been killed so far. the us state of montana registered a record—breaking low of minus 45 celsius. the storm extends from quebec to texas. sancha berg reports. a blinding snowstorm in buffalo. this is what zero visibility looks like. driving was banned. no planes could land or take off. this northern part of new york state has been hit hard by the bomb

cyclone, an enormous winter storm. while further south, there have been floods. we have had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures and everything that mother nature could wallop at us with this weekend. the storm had already swept across the country forcing traffic off the road, bringing down power lines, with temperatures so low, getting stranded can be life—threatening, as residents of midwestern states know well. don't travel under these conditions unless you have to. because anything can happen at any moment and you've got to be on your toes. this is a time of year when many people usually head home for christmas. but with the storm stretching 2,000 miles, many flights were cancelled or delayed. people needed determination and luck to make it. our whole airport is shut down

so we drove to omaha, nebraska and got on a flight there, then dc. delayed in dc and now we're here. the snow storms are forecast to ease in the next few hours, but the dangerously cold temperatures are expected to last the weekend. many people are reluctantly giving up their plans for the first family christmas since the covid pandemic began. let's speak to rob hackford now who is a journalist at local tv station wgrz. in new york state. thank you so much forjoining us. how bad are these conditions, are they the worst you have ever seen?— conditions, are they the worst you have ever seen? yes, at this point in time, have ever seen? yes, at this point in time. maryam. _ have ever seen? yes, at this point in time, maryam, for _ have ever seen? yes, at this point in time, maryam, for the - have ever seen? yes, at this point in time, maryam, for the past - have ever seen? yes, at this point in time, maryam, for the past 24. in time, maryam, for the past 2a hours, it has been impossible to get anywhere. cars on the road have all been getting stuck, it has been a headache for emergency services personnel, who have been pleading

with everyone to stay inside. you can barely see us cross the street, only a couple of feet in front of you if you are driving. here in buffalo, new york, it is incredible to see, just awful conditions at the moment. ., ., ., ., moment. you went out and about earlier, moment. you went out and about earlier. and _ moment. you went out and about earlier, and we _ moment. you went out and about earlier, and we have _ moment. you went out and about earlier, and we have some - moment. you went out and about earlier, and we have some of- moment. you went out and about earlier, and we have some of the| earlier, and we have some of the footage that you've shot, tell me what you saw, as we show the footage. what you saw, as we show the footaae. , a, ,~ what you saw, as we show the footaae. , ., what you saw, as we show the footaae. , ,~ ., ., footage. yes, maryam, we are all workin: footage. yes, maryam, we are all working from _ footage. yes, maryam, we are all working from home _ footage. yes, maryam, we are all working from home at _ footage. yes, maryam, we are all working from home at the - footage. yes, maryam, we are all. working from home at the moment footage. yes, maryam, we are all- working from home at the moment for safety reasons, we have not been able to drive anywhere, so my colleague and i walked down the street about half a mile to see what was going on, the roads were impossible, there is feet of snow on them, there are drifts that are even higher, there is a section of snow where the wind has forced it to grow to a higher volume than it would be. there are a few cars stuck, ploughs coming by to try to do what they can, but with the forecast that we

had heard of this snow and wind, there is a layer of ice is well underneath the snow, which has complicated things, it is tough to breathe out times, but you kind of forward through it and it was really the safest way to provide any sort of video of what is actually going on in buffalo, at the moment, in the west new york area. how on in buffalo, at the moment, in the west new york area.— west new york area. how is it affectin: west new york area. how is it affecting people's _ west new york area. how is it affecting people's lives, - west new york area. how is it affecting people's lives, i - west new york area. how is it | affecting people's lives, i know many people in the us like to travel around and visit family at this time of year, how is it affecting people? for the most part, everyone is at a standstill. if you wanted to get to your loved ones, it would have had to have been before thursday. there is a lot of concern for people who might be stuck now, we have seen stories of people stuck in their cars, without delay individuals, all young ones, where they have not been able to be reached by emergency services personnel. so at this time of happy holiday season there is a lot of stress in western new york at

the moment trying to figure out where your loved ones are, and at least knowing that they are safe and in a warm place. least knowing that they are safe and in a warm place-— in a warm place. robert hackford, from wgrz, _ in a warm place. robert hackford, from wgrz, thank— in a warm place. robert hackford, from wgrz, thank you _ in a warm place. robert hackford, from wgrz, thank you very - in a warm place. robert hackford, j from wgrz, thank you very much. police in paris have fired tear gas at demonstrators who were protesting following yesterday's fatal shooting at a kurdish cultural centre. three people were killed and another three wounded, all of turkish—kurdish descent. a 69—year—old man has been arrested in connection with the attack. here in th uk, people hoping to travel by train today are being urged to complete theirjourneys in the next few hours before more rail strikes begin. services will finish later this afternoon before rmt union members walk out at 6pm. the industrial action will continue until the early hours of tuesday 27th. noor nanji is at paddington station. christmas eve and the festive decor is up. but with another rail strike looming, passengers here are feeling anxious.

these people are on their way to bristol to spend their first christmas with their family after years of covid disruption. we were quite lucky, we'd booked for this morning anyway so hopefully we're going to get through without having to change our plans. but we were really anxious when we heard about the strikes, so we've been checking all week to make sure that the trains were not going to be cancelled and we'd be able to get there. across britain, people have had to change their plans. yesterday we went to the station in york, i don't think they were on strike yesterday but all the trains were cancelled. we'd booked two lots of tickets because we wanted and then we ended up paying £65 in a taxi to get here. we booked like 3pm train, it was cancelled so we booked for 9.45. and this is the last train? yeah, this is the last train, we're still worried that it won't get cancelled.

the walk—outs are part of a long—running dispute between rail bosses and unions about pay, conditions and job security. the rmt union has accused the government of blocking rail employers from making a deal. the department for transport rejected that, saying it has facilitated talks. network rail urged the union to think again. the rmt dispute and the industrial action and the strikes are having a really heavy impact, both on passengers, on their own members who are losing thousands of pounds and of course on the economy, which is losing millions and millions of pounds every time there is a strike and it's damaging the railway industry as well. christmas eve is also a big day for restaurants, cafes and bars as well as for last—minute shopping. losing shoppers on such a key trading day like christmas eve, you can't recover that spend. however much you want to, however long you stay open, shoppers want to buy on christmas eve and if they can't, they'll buy elsewhere. so, some of that will be diverted to other businesses

and destinations around the uk. but some of it will be lost for good and particularly in hospitality, where you have to be in the restaurant, in the cafe or the bar to spend the money. if you're not there, it is never spent. with many people avoiding the railways, some people have opted to travel by road instead. as for the railways, services won't resume until the morning of 27th december when many will be heading back home after christmas. noor naji, in paddington. earlier, simon calder, travel correspondent for the independent, told me the impact of the industrial action for travellers. well, as we have been hearing, it's absolutely devastating for people who depend on the railways. from london waterloo, the busiest station in the uk, you can go anywhere you want to this afternoon, as long as it is woking, and let'sjust check, yep, the last train is going in eight

minutes, and that is your lot, until tuesday. these are unprecedented times, this combination of the strike by the rmt, which starts at 6pm tonight, an overtime ban which in any case has been depleting services, anybody who commutes in and out of london waterloo has found that for the last week or so they have been having very, very few services, the whole station stays closed until seven in the morning and then the last trains go at 10pm. over at chiltern railways you have a situation where, unbelievably, the entire midlands network north of banbury is just of banbury is just off, it is not running at all, until 9th january. and indeed network rail hasjust tweeted in the past hour, we advise against all but essential travel, this is network rail at euston station in london, all but essential travel,

up to and including 8th january. so, yes, we've got this strike and no trains will be running until tuesday morning, there will be a slow start after the strike, that then merges into the engineering works which always happen at this time of the year, so for instance liverpool street station, one of the busiest in the uk, is going to be completely closed until 2nd january, and that will bring things to the start of the next five days of industrial action by the rmt union and the train drivers�* union aslef. so, absolutely no end in sight for these strikes which have now been going on for more than six months, and of course, as we have been hearing, the pressure on the roads is increasing, the losses suffered by the railway are having to be met by the taxpayer, and they are increasing. so, pretty dismal, and if i mayjust also make a mention of the skies, the strike by uk border force has

not had the effect that people thought it might, heathrow, gatwick, manchester, birmingham, glasgow and cardiff airports running absolutely smoothly, but there are several hundred passengers who unfortunately will not be back when they thought they would, there is a whole planeload, a superjumbo worth of passengers and crew, about 400 of them, still in baku in azerbaijan, they were due to get to heathrow yesterday morning very early, their plane had a technical problem and it is beside the caspian sea, and the rescue plane to go and get them is only halfway from sydney. they are now due to get back 48 hours later than expected, tomorrow morning, christmas day, into heathrow, where they willjust be in time to meet the passengers on the british airways flight this afternoon which has been postponed until tomorrow morning to new york, lots of weather difficulties of course for anybody heading across the atlantic. the aa is predicting that nearly 17 million cars will be on the uk's roads today

as railway services wind down earlier than usual because of industrial action. to tell us more about the impact that strikes will have on the roads is frank bird, senior network planner with national highways. thanks so much forjoining us. first of all what kind of an impact will be see on the roads, i guess they will be super busy? we be see on the roads, i guess they will be super busy?— be see on the roads, i guess they will be super busy? we are actually uuite will be super busy? we are actually quite surprised. — will be super busy? we are actually quite surprised, today _ will be super busy? we are actually quite surprised, today has - will be super busy? we are actually quite surprised, today has been - will be super busy? we are actually quite surprised, today has been a l quite surprised, today has been a really steady day. thursday and friday resort huge increases in the number of people on the move, there were some reports of four, five, six, sometimes even eight miles of very, very slow moving traffic around the key hotspots, birmingham, manchester, leeds and london and the m25. but thankfully today, i think people have done the bulk of their shopping and they're just popping out to get the last—minute loaf of bread or the last bag of sprouts, but in general, the roads to date have been much calmer than we were

anticipating. find have been much calmer than we were anticipating-— anticipating. and why do you think that is? i anticipating. and why do you think that is? | think — anticipating. and why do you think that is? i think the _ anticipating. and why do you think that is? i think the rail— anticipating. and why do you think that is? i think the rail strike, - anticipating. and why do you think that is? i think the rail strike, it. that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual— that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual for— that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual for us _ that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual for us as _ that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual for us as well, - that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual for us as well, this i that is? i think the rail strike, it is unusual for us as well, this isj is unusual for us as well, this is only the second time i think in my 19 years of working on the motorways where we have had a whole week leading up to christmas, so, a lot of the education establishments broke up last friday, friday lunchtime, so, a lot of people did some of theirjourneys on friday, again, because there was the impact of some of the rail dispute last weekend, i think mums and dads were picking up students from halls of residence, so, people have had a whole week to try and get the journeys that they wanted to be achieved under their belts successfully. as i say, the last few

afternoons and evenings have been incredibly hectic, but this morning and through this afternoon has been remarkably calm, calmer than we are aware anticipating, much, that we were anticipating. that aware anticipating, much, that we were anticipating.— aware anticipating, much, that we were anticipating. that is very good news, were anticipating. that is very good news. what — were anticipating. that is very good news, what advice _ were anticipating. that is very good news, what advice do _ were anticipating. that is very good news, what advice do you _ were anticipating. that is very good news, what advice do you have - were anticipating. that is very good news, what advice do you have forl news, what advice do you have for anyone who is travelling by car and looking to make a long journey in the next couple of days? fiur looking to make a long journey in the next couple of days?- the next couple of days? our key thing always _ the next couple of days? our key thing always is — the next couple of days? our key thing always is to _ the next couple of days? our key thing always is to plan _ the next couple of days? our key thing always is to plan and - thing always is to plan and prepare yourjourney, make sure your vehicle is fit for the road, make sure it has got plenty of fuel, your phone has got plenty of fuel, your phone has got plenty of fuel, your phone has got lots of battery charge in it. one thing that we would mention, we have lifted about 98% of the roadworks that would normally be on our network, there are a couple of key big schemes that remain in place but onejust to key big schemes that remain in place but one just to let the listeners be aware of is that the m 42 between the kingsbury and belfryjunction and the tamworth junction is closed at the moment southbound from nine

o'clock tonight it closes northbound as well. and then that remains closed right the way through till the 3rd of january. that closed right the way through till the 3rd ofjanuary._ closed right the way through till the 3rd ofjanuary. the 3rd of january. that is really aood the 3rd of january. that is really good information, _ the 3rd of january. that is really good information, thank- the 3rd of january. that is really good information, thank you - the 3rd of january. that is really good information, thank you so | the 3rd of january. that is really - good information, thank you so much for that. emergency services are attending a "serious medical incident" involving a child at a center parcs resort in wiltshire. police say officers had attended the leisure complex at longleat in support of the south western ambulance service on christmas eve morning. time for the sport. let's get up to speed with all the football and the games in the scottish premiership are under way, two of them are done already, celtic beating stjohnstone 4-1. st already, celtic beating stjohnstone 4—1. st mirren came from behind to

beat aberdeen and dundee united against hearts is currently level, and hibernian are three nil up against livingston. in scotland all teens will be wearing their away kits this weekend as part of a homelessness awareness project. a little longer to wait till for the premier league resuming and some positive news for brentford fans who've confirmed their manager thomas frank has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2027. he's been at the club for four years, with brentford currenty tenth in the premier league, following their 2—1 win at the champions manchester city before the world cup break. last season, which was frank's first in the top flight, he guided brentford to a 13th place finish with memorable wins over arsenal and chelsea. i decided to extend my contract to 2027, that is a long time, but i am looking forward to continuing, hopefully, the progress, hopefully create more magic moments, and i

would like to say thank you to all fans for the support they give us, the players, staff, everyone involved in the club, the warmth and the support and kindness, everything from the fans has been amazing, at the stadium, in the streets, everywhere, and that gives me extra energy to continue the work going forward. manchester city manager pep guardiola says england midfielder kalvin phillips was overweight when he returned from the world cup, and that he didn't arrive in the condition needed for training sessions and to play. phillips has featured just four times for city — all from the bench — and came on as a substitue twice for england in qatar. the former leeds player wasn't in the squad for their 3—2 league cup win over liverpool on thursday. he arrived overweight. why is he overweight? _ he arrived overweight. why is he overweight? i — he arrived overweight. why is he overweight? i don't _ he arrived overweight. why is he overweight? i don't know. - he arrived overweight. why is he overweight? i don't know. it - he arrived overweight. why is he overweight? i don't know. it is l he arrived overweight. why is he i overweight? i don't know. it is the player's responsibility?—

player's responsibility? arrived in the condition _ player's responsibility? arrived in the condition for— player's responsibility? arrived in the condition for a _ player's responsibility? arrived in the condition for a training - the condition for a training session, to play. he the condition for a training session, to play.— the condition for a training session, to play. the condition for a training session, to -la . . , , . session, to play. he has been away at the world _ session, to play. he has been away at the world cup, _ session, to play. he has been away at the world cup, he _ session, to play. he has been away at the world cup, he has _ session, to play. he has been away at the world cup, he has been - session, to play. he has been away i at the world cup, he has been around fizzy is, nutritionists.— fizzy is, nutritionists. yeah, absolutely. _ fizzy is, nutritionists. yeah, absolutely. when _ fizzy is, nutritionists. yeah, absolutely. when he - fizzy is, nutritionists. yeah, absolutely. when he will. fizzy is, nutritionists. yeah, absolutely. when he will be fizzy is, nutritionists. yeah, - absolutely. when he will be ready he will play, but we need him. we need him a lot. i5 will play, but we need him. we need him a lot. , ., ., will play, but we need him. we need hima lot. , . ., , him a lot. is that a disappointment to ou, a him a lot. is that a disappointment to you, a surprise? _ him a lot. is that a disappointment to you, a surprise? it _ him a lot. is that a disappointment to you, a surprise? it is _ him a lot. is that a disappointment to you, a surprise? it is a - him a lot. is that a disappointment to you, a surprise? it is a private l to you, a surprise? it is a private conversation. _ tottenham manager antonio conte says he's not concerned about harry kane's mentality after the striker�*s penalty miss for england against france in the world cup quarterfinal. kane scored his first penalty in the 2—1 defeat to the finalists but then missed his second in the last ten minutes and england couldn't find an equaliser as they were knocked out of the tournament. kane is back training with spurs just two weeks since that match, they play at brentford on monday and conte says he's in a good place. we are strong, we are strong people, to play at this level you have to be strong in every situation. to try to

address positive or negative events in the right way, because you have to be strong. and harry is a strong person. i wasn't strong, i was a strong person when i was a player. and honestly form it is better don't speak. and there's also premiership rugby happening today, too. we saw london irish upset saracens yesterday. leicester playing gloucester, and exeter taking on bath. updates from that, on the bbc sport website. it's truly a christmas classic. this year marks a0 years since the release of the snowman and its magical soundtrack. that's right. walking in the air was first released back in 1982 and now it's being given a new lease of life. tim muffett reports.

a0 years ago, an animated christmas film was shown on telly, the tale of a boy, james, and the snowman he builds. it was enchanting. it was # we're walking in the air # we're floating in the moonlit sky... the story, the drawings, and the music. # our people far below... but its most famous tune had been composed more than ten years before, by howard blake. working flat out in films and commercials, he'd been warned by his doctor to slow down. when i wrote it, it was my recovery from what could have been a fatal breakdown of my whole life. # 0pen—mouthed, taken by surprise...#

ten years later, when channel it decided to turn a picture book by raymond briggs into a film, howard was asked to provide the music. when violinist and tiktok star esther ebrahimi moved to the uk from france aged iii, unable to speak english, it was the music of the snowman that spoke to her. it was my first christmas in the uk, and that's when i discovered to mark a0 years since the release of the film, howard has created this new arrangement for esther. for the video, just like the snowman himself, estherwent high above brighton, performing on top of the city's i360 attraction. one of the most stunning views, you could look at the stars and then the whole city of brighton

lit up below. it just honestly felt like i was walking in the air, you know? it really, really did. a christmas classic with a classical update. a tune that can still make hearts melt. tim muffett, bbc news. now, if the prospect of cooking christmas dinner for a crowd feels a little overwhelming, spare a thought for this lady. for 15 years, gloria stewart has been organising turkey and all the trimmings for more than 250 guests who might otherwise be spending the festive season alone. phil bodmer has been to meet her. lighting up the lives of those who may be home alone this christmas. at the niagara centre in sheffield they were setting the places long before the guests arrived.

in the kitchen, the soup was simmering and the gravy was going great. this operation started yesterday, about 8.30 in the morning, obviously, with the numbers. there is a lot of prep work to it. two days in the making. fingers crossed in about an hour we'll be sitting down and enjoying a nice meal. are you fed up with christmas dinner? yes! the idea came from gloria stewrat, known locally as mrs christmas. she's been running the event for the last 15 years. so, why does she do it? it gives me pleasure to see them have a smile on their face. nobody asks to be lonely. nobody goes around with a sign on their head say, "i'm lonely." if people just say "hello" as they're passing anybody, checks on the nextdoor neighbour, that is a small gesture that does mean a lot to a lot of people. the cost of living crisis has presented a number of funding

challenges this year. before the pandemic, up to 500 people used to enjoy the chance to sample similarly festive spirit. what are you drinking! martini! does it taste good? absolutely fantastic! it's a nice treat, i think it's lovely that all these people who live alone can get together and be spoiled. i think everybody getting l together and meeting up, and talking about things, i think that's great. - people want to mix when they are on their own, find a group or something that they can enjoy. getting through the festive season for those facing christmas alone can be a daunting experience. today was about letting them know that they're not on their own. us military officials have assured anxious children the arctic blast

and snowstorm that has been wreaking havoc on us airline traffic this week will not prevent santa claus from making his annual christmas eve flight. the north american aerospace defense command, or norad, tracks santa's yuletide flight every year. he's currently in western australia and over 1.a billion presents have been delivered so far. let's have a look at the weather. the weather is going to stay mild for the rest of today, tonight, and for the rest of today, tonight, and for christmas day as well for most of us although it will stay pretty cloudy. of us although it will stay pretty cloud . ., of us although it will stay pretty cloud . . ., , ., ., cloudy. earlier on this morning, one weather watcher _ cloudy. earlier on this morning, one weather watcher spotted _ cloudy. earlier on this morning, one weather watcher spotted some - cloudy. earlier on this morning, one - weather watcher spotted some strange clouds over cumbria, satellite picture picks up the extent of the cloud that we have across the country. across the north—west we are seeing some fairly heavy bursts of rain coming in at the moment. the winds are coming from the

south—west, bringing this mild air. we do have rain around which is turning quite heavy at the moment in northern ireland and it will continue to get heavier in western scotland over the next few hours. elsewhere across parts of england and wales overnight we get a band of rain pushing eastwards for a time overnight. there will be more rain to come for northern ireland, western scotland and the north—west of england and wales. temperatures holding up heading into christmas day with a mild start to the day. low pressure staying to the north of the uk, and we will continue to have south—westerly winds across most parts of the country. the wettest weather is always likely to be across western areas. as the band of rain slipped across scotland we will start to get some colder air coming in, towards the end of the day, into

the evening, you could see some wintry showers with maybe a bit of snow mixed in. but after that it will turn colder as we head through christmas night, cold enough for frost and some icy patches heading into boxing day, when there certainly will be some snow around across parts of scotland in particular with accumulations... there will be a few showers elsewhere and it will be a blustery and cooler feeling day elsewhere and it will be a blustery and coolerfeeling day on boxing day, temperatures struggling to get above freezing in parts of scotland but otherwise about a—9. beyond that, the weather patterns look very unsettled as we heard from christmas towards new year, and it turns very windy, particularly towards wednesday with gales or maybe even severe gales around.

you are watching bbc news. now it's time for talking business. hello, everybody. a very warm welcome to talking business weekly with me, aaron hazelhurst. let's go take a look at what's on the show. the year the global economy became a battleground for ukraine. can russia stay afloat as sanctions continue to pound the economy? russia's economic output is thought to have dropped by around a% this year. but instead of a short, sharp shock, is this more of a steady decline to the kremlin's coffers?