this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm annita mcveigh. our top stories: at least 20 people have died in extreme winter storms in the us and canada — more than one million people are without power. the un and aid agencies in afghanistan are meeting to discuss whether to suspend operations after the taliban banned their female employees. as ten civilians are killed by russian shelling in the ukrainian city of kherson, president zelensky says airstrikes will not diminish the spirit of ukrainians. we will return freedom to all ukrainians. wherever we are, we will be together today. and together, we will look into the evening sky. and pope francis has called for an immediate end

to the war in ukraine during his christmas day message. hello and welcome to bbc news. more than a million americans and canadians are facing christmas day without power as a winter storm continues to barrel its way across north america. the so—called bomb cyclone has brought heavy snow, strong winds, and freezing temperatures. at least 20 people have died because of icy roads, and high winds uprooted trees. howard johnson reports. subzero temperatures... ..whiteouts. .. ..and flooding. from toronto to new orleans, north america is experiencing

a winter storm of epic proportions. nearly 250 million americans and canadians are believed to be affected, with more than 1.5 million people without power. thousands of flights have been cancelled and major roads closed, ruining christmas travel plans. a 46—car pile—up in ohio left four dead. while in kansas city, one person died when their car plunged into an icy creek. in hard—hit new york state, driving has been banned to prevent further casualties. the conditions, the blinding snow, the zero visibility, absolute whiteouts, it may go down as one of the worst in history. canadian travellers were reportedly stranded on stalled trains for up to 18 hours. unfortunately, the trains

were cancelled for today, so just trying to get back home for the holidays now. i came down from peterborough for this, got a ride down from my brother—in—law, and he's coming back now to get me. and then we'll see what we're going to do. i'm waiting for a cab to go - to a hotel and stay there for a day, hopefully it's just a day, l and i go back to toronto. officials are urging people to stay at home to avoid temperatures as low as —45 degrees celsius, capable of turning boiling water into snow and bubbles into ice balls. but meteorologists say the subzero temperatures brought by this sudden storm are likely to lift rapidly, with conditions easing as early as boxing day. howard johnson, bbc news. it's a similar story injapan, where heavy snow in the north and surrounding areas has left more than a dozen people dead and at least 80 injured. over 10,000 households have also been left without power,

and the meteorological agency has warned that snowstorms and high waves along the sea of japan coast could lead to snow drifts up to 60 centimetres deep. an air raid alert has been issued for the whole of ukraine in the last few hours. unconfirmed reports suggest it happened after russian jets took to the skies in belarus. president putin later said he's100% sure that russia will destroy us patriot missiles in ukraine and that the west is seeking to — in his words — tear russia apart. it comes as officials in ukraine say three emergency workers have been killed on saturday in the southern region of kherson. the authorities said they'd been in an area liberated from russian forces. an explosive device which they had been working to make safe detonated, killing them all. also on saturday, russian shelling killed at least ten civilians in the city, among the deadliest attacks since russian forces were driven out of kherson last month.

in a defiant video message on christmas eve, president volodymyr zelensky said russian airstrikes would not harm what he called the steel spirit of ukrainians. someone will see it on the highway, on the road from the ukrainian—polish border to kherson or zaporizhzhia. some will see it through the holes of the bullet—riddled roof of their own homes. someone will celebrate the holiday in other people's homes, but not with strangers. and someone will spend this christmas in captivity, but please remember that we are coming for our people. we will return freedom to all ukrainians. wherever we are, we will be together today. and together, we will look into the evening sky. the united nations and ngos in afghanistan are meeting today to discuss whether to suspend aid operations in response to a taliban order banning women agency employees. the un said this violated

fundamental rights. three foreign ngos have already stopped work in the country following the move. this latest erosion on the rights of women in the country comes just days after female students were banned from universities. naomi choy smith reports. the blows just keep coming for the women of afghanistan. here they are met by water cannons, days after the taliban blocked them from a university education. now they are also barred from working for ngos, following claims that some staffers failed to wear the hijab correctly. it is the latest assault on women's rights in afghanistan since the taliban returned to power last year, and it could have a devastating impact on the incomes of afghan families, as well as the life—saving work of aid agencies. women who are working right now in the ngos are the only breadwinners for theirfamilies, the only people who are working and bringing income to their families, in the context that there are no job

opportunities and there is an economic crisis going on. dozens of non—governmental organisations working in afghanistan could be affected by the latest ban. the international rescue committee says its 3,000 female staffers are critical for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and it is "dismayed by the move". us secretary of state antony blinken also shared his deep concern, tweeting that the taliban order will disrupt vital and life—saving assistance to millions. hejoins a growing international chorus of condemnation. the un called it a clear breach of humanitarian principles, and the european union said it is assessing the impact of its aid in afghanistan. but as the outrage grows, the women of afghanistan continue to fade from public life, with many of their most basic rights under threat. naomi choy smith, bbc news.

shabnam safa is chair of the national refugee—led advisory and advocacy group and member of the action for afghanistan campaign in australia. she told us the international reaction has been farfrom enough. absolutely gutted. not surprised, but very, very disgusted and also disappointed in just in the lack of outrage by the entire international community, including australia, where i am. most of my work is, you know, this is a calculated, systematic strategy towards complete erasure of women in afghanistan. we know that this is so much bigger than just banning education or banning now as of today, employment in most areas for women, this is a a sickening approach towards stripping women of their agency and power in society and going back to the horrors of the last century, when the taliban were in power for the first time.

our world service south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan told me about the range of meausres curtailing womens rights in afghanistan in the run up to the most recent announcements. what the taliban have been doing in the past few months. for example, they refuse to reopen secondary schools for girls, saying that they have to create a proper environment. and then they banned women from working in different sectors except in education and health, and they banned women from going to public parks, gyms and bathhouses. and then the ban on the women attending universities. now the ban on ngos. so if you look at what the taliban have been doing, they are systematically curtailing the rights of women. the international community, they have been condemning this. they have been criticizing the taliban. but beyond that, they have not done anything, for example, imposing any sanctions on the movement of taliban leaders. but the message has not been really tough

from the international community, and the taliban, they very well know that they have to engage with the international community. they want the money from donor nations so that they can carry out key humanitarian work. and the aid agencies also want to distribute food and other items to afghan people. so both parties need each other. and the taliban are very cleverly making use of the opportunity to completely remove women from public sphere of life. and that is really devastating for the afghan women. for 20 years, they have been given lots of promises. the western—backed government was there, so they all went to universities, colleges looking forjobs, and all of a sudden now they are being made to sit at home. and that is very depressing for many afghan women. yeah. and as we've been reporting, the un now meeting to discuss whether to suspend aid operations in reaction, in response to all of this. are we going to see a further clamping down on the rights of women and girls, even

the youngest girls at primary school level? we are getting several reports of afghan already stopping women from going to mosques. and there have been various reports on social media suggesting that even they could end the primary schools as well. but we have not had any confirmation on that. but we won't be surprised to see taliban imposing further restrictions. the whole idea seems to be like whoever is questioning them, because the women have been protesting, if you remember in the last few months ago when they first started refusing to reopen schools, when they refused to allow women to resume work, it was young women who started protesting in the streets of kabul, in kandaharand herat. and that really angered the taliban authorities. and they imprisoned several women activists. and women have been in the forefront in afghanistan, raising their voice against the taliban. it's not the men, and they have been now facing the brunt, and they don't

want to see, you know, educated women questioning them. but if you see what other muslim countries like iran and saudi arabia and turkey, they are condemning the decision by the taliban, saying that, you know, it's not the sharia law. we have to educate women. so the afghan taliban seem to be the one country where in the world where they do not want women to get educated. a young woman has died after a shooting at a busy pub near liverpool in northwest england late last night. a number of others were also injured in the incident at the lighthouse inn in wallasey village shortly before midnight. merseyside police have launched a murder investigation and say a search is under way for the gunman, the area's mp angela eagle has described the shooting as heartbreaking. sarah rogers reports from the scene. last night, the lighthouse inn here was busy, bustling, full of young people. it sits in wallasey village, which is at the end of a main road. there are restaurants and shops here. and this bar was full of young

people celebrating christmas eve. we can still see that there are beer bottles that have been strewn outside as people were just having a drink, but that all ended ten minutes to midnight when a gunman shot and killed a woman. three men have been injured and they are being treated in hospital. we are told that a number of other people have also been hurt. details are still emerging, but police say they believe the gunman left the car park in a dark car after the shooting, possibly a mercedes. they say their inquiries are now extensive. in a statement, they told us that this investigation is in the very early stages. "we understand that it is truly shocking and devastating, especiallyjust before christmas day in a busy venue full of young people." and it is that word, it is shocking, but devastating as well. devastating to any friends, any family at any time of year

but especially on christmas day. officers say they are also appealing for anybody who was here, anybody who has any phone footage to contact them as a matter of urgency as this manhunt continues. in his traditional christmas message, pope francis has urged for an end to what as he put it as �*senseless war�* in ukraine. the 86—year—old head of the catholic church addressed the faithful from the central balcony of st peter's basilica in the vatican. he condemned the use of food as �*a weapon of war�* and called for solidarity to assist all those suffering. translation: let our eyes be filled with the faces of our ukrainian - brothers and sisters who are living this christmas in the dark and cold, farfrom their homes, due to the devastation and destruction caused

by ten months of war. may the lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war. tragically, we prefer to heed other counsels dictated by worldly ways of thinking, yet who is listening to the voice of the child? with me is our europe regional editor, paul moss. what is your assessment of what pope francis had to say? i what is your assessment of what pope francis had to say?— francis had to say? i think that because we — francis had to say? i think that because we just _ francis had to say? i think that because we just heard - francis had to say? i think that because we just heard was - francis had to say? i think that| because we just heard was very interesting, telling. to put this in context, the pope this year has been criticised by some for not criticising russia, denouncing russia, and others say he has been

too strident. at the end of last month, he talked about the cruelty of russian troops. not surprisingly, moscow complain. others say he needs to be more explicit. we heard, may the lord enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons. he doesn't name russia, and that will annoy some people, even if they feel that he was implicitly talking about russia. in non—religious terms, we would say it was a plea, please come to your senses. we know that every war causes hunger and exploit food as a weapon. let us start with those who hold responsibility to make food... those who hold responsibility. you doesn't criticise russia explicitly. that will annoy some people. we should remember, he doesn't ignore the suffering of the people of ukraine. we had him talking about it explicitly. those who experience this christmas in the dock and the cold. he seems to be treading a middle path where some would say no

middle path where some would say no middle part is appropriate. we should remember the question, how much to the people of russia and ukraine care about the pope? is largely orthodox area. catholics are about 10% of the population. the pope was keen that we shouldn't forget other conflicts while all attention is understandably on ukraine. he talked about syria, which is still scarred by conflict. he talked about israel— palestine, where there has been an increase in violence in the last few months. he expresses hopes for the christian communities which live in the middle east. he said he hoped they would be able to... he talked about other conflicts, called for reconciliation in iran. he also said he hoped that a calming of tension in the americas, we should remember he is a latin american pope, and talked about haiti, a situation that many

people aren't focusing on, where there is no war but the government has collapsed. there is no war but the government has collapsed-— has collapsed. covering a lot of round. has collapsed. covering a lot of ground- just — has collapsed. covering a lot of ground. just time _ has collapsed. covering a lot of ground. just time to _ has collapsed. covering a lot of ground. just time to ask - has collapsed. covering a lot of ground. just time to ask about| has collapsed. covering a lot of. ground. just time to ask about the archbishop of canterbury, who has also been giving his christmas address. what has he had to say? he: paid tribute to the late queen, said she put her interests above others. he also weighed into politically controversial territory. the archbishop has been criticised this year from talking about the situation with asylum seekers. britain has a plan to send them to rwanda, which he said does not stand thejudgment of god, rwanda, which he said does not stand the judgment of god, so all eyes on him. he didn't back off the subject today. he said jesus's heart reaches out to those on the small boats, a reference to those trying to cross the english channel and also the mediterranean, and refugees around the world. pauli mediterranean, and refugees around the world. . ~, mediterranean, and refugees around the world. . ., ~ , the world. paul moss, thank you very much. king charles is expected to pay tribute to his mother,

queen elizabeth ii, in his first televised christmas message as monarch. the king and queen consort are spending the day at sandringham where they will host the royal family's traditional gathering. here are some pictures from less than an hour ago, of the king and the royal family walking into church, joined by the queen consort, the prince and princess of wales and their children. our the ukrainian president has recorded a defiant video message as his country marks its first christmas since the invasion of russia. volodymyr zelensky said russian missiles could not harm his country�*s �*steel spirit�*. hugo bachega has been to meet one family in kyiv to find out how they are coping. it�*s a small gesture, but a symbol of defiance. this couple don�*t usually celebrate christmas in december. but this year is different. with russian soldiers in their country, it is a moment of change, to break away

from old traditions. translation: we celebrate christmas together as catholics, _ the same way they do. we don�*t want to give the russians a reason to think we won�*t have a holiday. in their building, no lights and no lift. russia�*s attacks on essential infrastructure means they only have electricity for a few hours a day. minutes after we arrive, the air raid alert goes off and we take cover. a reminder that, even away from the front lines, the threat is never far away. translation: i can't say this is a comfortable life, - but it is not the worst that can happen. i accept it. it is a temporary trouble. with power back, it is time to decorate. they are trying to carry on as normal. what are you hoping for this christmas? translation: | really want - all children to meet their parents

alive and healthy, and for ukraine to win with as little bloodshed as possible. translation: i wish one thing for christmas. - victory. a victory for the ukrainian army, victory for the ukrainian people. ukrainians are trying to find reasons to celebrate. they remain determined to resist. but here, and across the country, many are in the dark and in the cold. the war won�*t stop for christmas. but people are not losing hope. this is the first time this orthodox church marks christmas eve on the 24th of december. stanislav is remembering those who aren�*t here. my wife and my child, they are outside ukraine. so i miss them a lot. from one side, it�*s really, really sad. because i am alone in here. and from another side, i am so happy my wife and child are in safety.

a day that brings some light amid the darkness of war. hugo bachega, bbc news. many families from ukraine will be marking christmas away from their home country. jade blackburn in leicestershire is hosting a ukrainian family of three. she told me a little bit more about how they are celebrating earlier. we have a mum and a dad who are late 20s, early 30s, and a little boy who was 11: months when he came to us and his birthday�*s in february, so he�*ll be two in february. tell us a little bit more about their story. so they were from southwest of kyiv, and they went through the the window shaking when the bombs were going, the sirens and things. so they left obviously, because they had a young child at that time under the age of one, which was very scary for them.

so they managed to flee to lviv and get into poland from there. we met online on facebook and decided that we�*d have them to stay with us. and how are they feeling about this first christmas away from home with everything that�*s still going on in ukraine? i think it�*s very tough for them. yulia�*s mum still lives in ukraine and you know, i think that�*s quite sad really for them as a family that couldn�*t be together. but they�*ve also embraced the fact that they�*re spending christmas in safety and with us, so we had a traditional 12 dish, ukraine, christmas eve yesterday, and we had our presents opening this morning as we would traditionally in this country. so we�*ve had a bit of a mixture of christmas. so you�*ve been blending the christmas traditions, which is lovely, really lovely. and how is the experience for you as a host? it�*s been quite eye—opening, i have to say. i�*ve definitely learnt a lot

about myself over the last eight months and you do need a lot of patience, but it�*s been full of love and you know, i�*m just really glad that they�*re here and they�*re safe and they�*re warm and looked after. jade blackburn, who is hosting a ukrainianfamily of jade blackburn, who is hosting a ukrainian family of three here in the uk. and now, a christmas treat. the world—renowned tenor andrea bocelli has recorded his first family christmas album, with his son matteo and daughter virginia. and they�*ve given the bbc a special preview. lounge music. # feliz navidad

# prospero ano y felicidad # i want to wish you a merry christmas # from the bottom of my heart clearly taking off to their dad, with beautiful voices, all. one of my favourite christmas songs. you are watching bbc news.

hello and a very merry christmas to you. if you are hoping to see a white christmas, for most of us it is going to be too mild. perhaps a bit of snow on the way to the higher ground of scotland later in the day. but mild for most, with scattered showers around. a bit of sunshine, so not a complete wash—out for your christmas day. you can see the mild air very much with us through the day. the blue colours, the colder air working in from the north—west later on. we have got low pressure in charge of things sitting to the north of the uk. we have a couple of fronts rotating around that area of low pressure, so that�*s bringing some spells of rain around. we have got some rain moving into the south east of england up towards east anglia for a time. also some more persistent rain for northern ireland and at times for southern scotland, north—west england, one or two showers for wales and the south—west, too. generally the midlands and eastern

england are looking a bit drier. temperatures through the afternoon 11 or 12 degrees in the south but only around about six to eight degrees in the northern half of scotland. and for it to officially be a white christmas, we only need to observe a single snowflake falling from the sky during the 21: hours of christmas day. now, that is likely to happen, particularly as this area of rain works southwards and eastwards across much of the uk through this evening. it turns to snow for a time over the higher ground of scotland. it is going to be followed by further snow showers working in here, too. elsewhere, it is turning colder through the night, so there could be some icy stretches, especially for parts of scotland and northern ireland and northern england, too. milder and frost—free down towards the south. but for boxing day, it will be a colder—feeling day as that cloud exits the east coast. more wintry sunshine on offer, but further heavy snow showers with brisk winds packing in across much of scotland. and some wintry flurries for the pennines, perhaps into wales, northern ireland as well. temperatures during boxing day tomorrow between about four to ten degrees, so it will be noticeably cooler and windier than it is for christmas day. but the cold air on boxing day doesn�*t stick around for long because milder air and another frontal system works in into tuesday.

that could potentially bring a spell of quite heavy snow for a time across parts of scotland and the higher ground of northern england, turning back to rain probably later on as the milder air works in and it will be falling as rain further south. also quite breezy, too, as we head through tuesday. so, temperatures between about five to ten degrees for most of us. so an unsettled picture as we head through the final few days of 2022. breezy, plenty of showers around, but still reasonably mild for this time of year. have a great christmas.

this is bbc news. the headlines... a million people in the united states are without power on christmas morning as large parts of north america continue to endure record—breaking cold weather. at least 20 people have died in the us and canada. three aid organisations have suspended their activities in afghanistan in response to a ban on women working for humanitarian agencies. care, the norwegian refugee council and save the children said that without their female staff they could not effectively reach afghans in desperate need. ten civilians have been killed by russian shelling in the ukrainian city of kherson and three emergency workers lost their lives in demining operations in the area. pope francis has called

for an immediate end to the war in ukraine during his christmas day message.