this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. 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 people are without power. blinding snow, the zero visibility, the blinding snow, the zero visibility, absolute white outs. it may go down as one of the worst in history. three aid organisations have suspended their activities in afghanistan in response to a ban on women working for humanitarian agencies. 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. translation: 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. sub—zero 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, - and i can 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 sub—zero 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 air strikes would not harm what he called the steel spirit of ukrainians. translation: 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. 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? our europe regional editor paul moss was listening to the pope's message. let us put this in context. the pope this year has been criticised by some for not criticising russia, denouncing russia enough. others say he has been too strident. at the end of last month he talked about the cruelty of russian troops, not surprisingly moscow complained. others say he needs to be more explicit was not what did we hear there? may the lord enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons. he doesn't name russia there. that will annoy some people even if they think it was implicitly russia he was talking about. effectively i suppose a terms we say it was safe please, please come to your senses. we know that every war causes hunger and exploits food as a weapon. let us start with those who hold political

responsibility is to make food an instrument of peace again, those who hold responsibility. he doesn't criticise russia explicitly. i think thatis criticise russia explicitly. i think that is going to annoy some people. we should remember he doesn't ignore the suffering of the people of ukraine. we heard him talking about it very explicitly there, those who experience this christmas in the dark and the cold. he seems to be trying to tread some kind of middle path where some would say no middle path where some would say no middle path is appropriate. we should also remember and ask the question, how much to the people of russia and ukraine care about the pope? this is a conflict between two predominantly orthodox countries. there are catholics in ukraine, i think about 10% of the population. he catholics in ukraine, i think about 10% of the population.— 10% of the population. he talked about other _ 10% of the population. he talked about other conflicts _ 10% of the population. he talked about other conflicts and - 10% of the population. he talked . about other conflicts and mentioned that. , . ~ ., , that. very much. i think the pope was clean — that. very much. i think the pope was clean we _ that. very much. i think the pope was clean we shouldn't _ that. very much. i think the pope was clean we shouldn't forget - that. very much. i think the pope l was clean we shouldn't forget other conflicts while all attention is for understandable reasons on ukraine. he talked about syria, which is still scarred by conflict was he talked about the whole event, israel and palestine, where there has been

and palestine, where there has been an increase in violence in the past few months. he expressed hopes for christian communities still living in the middle east saying he hopes they can sustain. he talked about conflicts in the lebanon, conflict in this hell, myanmar, yemen, and he called for reconciliation in iran. he also said he hoped for a coming of tensions in the americas was that he is a latin american pope, and he talked about haiti, a situation not many people are focusing on, but there is no war where current dele government control has collapsed. covering a lot of ground. let's talk about the archbishop of category, the head of the worldwide anglican communion who has given a christmas address. he communion who has given a christmas address. , ., communion who has given a christmas address. ,. , ., ., address. he paid tribute to the late queen, address. he paid tribute to the late queen. saying _ address. he paid tribute to the late queen, saying she _ address. he paid tribute to the late queen, saying she put _ address. he paid tribute to the late queen, saying she put her- address. he paid tribute to the late | queen, saying she put her interests above others. he weighed in too politically controversial territory. the archbishop has been criticised this year for talking about the situation with asylum seekers. britain has a plan to send asylum seekers to rwanda, which he said does not stand the judgment of god.

so all eyes on him again. would he back of this subject? no, he didn't. today he said jesus has his heart and reaches out to those on the small boats, a reference to people trying to cross the english channel, but also those trying to cross the mediterranean, refugees around the world. ., ., , mediterranean, refugees around the world. . . , . mediterranean, refugees around the world. . ., 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 of 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 in herat, 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. obaidullah baheer, a lecturer at the american university of afghanistan, told me about the impact of some of these restrictions. there are multiple ways to look at it. there is also the families that these people support. most of these women that work at these organisations are the sole breadwinners of their families. the government was the first biggest

employer of women in afghanistan. those jobs have ceased to exist because of the taliban. the education sector followed. that doesn't exist anymore as well. and now they've taken away the ngos. but on the ground as well, the fact that so many organisations had female staff that were dispersing, including an organisation like irc that had up to 3000 people, women engaged in the delivery of aid. once that doesn't exist and then now that in reaction, we've heard them closing down their offices, it means that a very large population of afghanistan gets locked out of aid that it desperately needs. so people are going to suffer, women and children primarily as a result of this. so are we saying here that the so—called new taliban are exactly the same as the old taliban? i mean, contextualise it. this is probably a worse version of the taliban. look, there is some sort of light

at the end of the tunnel in a way where it's good that the amir ended up playing all of his cards in one go. had these rights been taken one after the other, in a more subtle manner, maybe the world would not have time to react to all of them or react proportionately. so the fact that all of it happened together, it means that we are now asking very difficult questions. i headed a meeting yesterday in which one of the major elements that we discussed was whether we should be campaigning for these aid organisations to cease operations or to stop sending aid to afghanistan. the argument given by some was maybe we can suffer a temporary pain for now, as long as it means the dissolution of the taliban or the regime falling. however, the question is we're not sure that the regime will fall due to the aid stopping or that there is any reward at the end of that suffering. so it's such a difficult conversation to have because it's not just the taliban making these decisions, but we have to come

up with strategies to show that the world is reacting to this without hurting the 35 million population that are already in danger. very briefly, we're almost out of time. do you think the criticism from some other islamic muslim nations of what the taliban in afghanistan are doing will have any impact on the taliban? that's contingent on the fact that the taliban don't know what they're doing and what the consequences of it are. they claim to be the biggest authorities on religion themselves, so it's not like anyone else preaching to them is going to change their mind. so i guess hoping for them to reform unless something drastic happens internally. short of that, it's up to us. we have to stand up. a civil disobedience campaign has to follow, and i hope it pays off. let's get some of the day's other news.

)china's national health commission is no longer releasing daily covid—19 case figures and will only report relevant data, despite a new surge in the number of cases. according to one government official, 250 million new cases were reported in the first 20 days of december. at least four people have been killed when a bus careered off a bridge in spain's north—western region of galicia. two survivors — the vehicle's driver and a passenger — were rescued from the river lerez. strong current due to the heavy rains have been hampering the search and rescue operation. a young woman has died after a shooting at a busy pub near liverpool in north—west 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. 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. 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. earlier, king charles attended a christmas service at church, a short walk away from sandringham house. he was joined by the queen consort, the prince and princess of wales and their children, prince george, princess charlotte and prince louis. our reporter charlotte gallagher has been at sandringham and said that the royal family has reunited

for the traditional celebrations but without queen elizabeth. iimagine it i imagine it is probably quite a bittersweet day for the royal family. we have all had those christmases and holidays where someone who was such an important part of them is no longer there. the queen was so associated with sandringham, she loved this place and knew many people in the area, people who worked on the estate, and she had her christmas traditions. baubles would always be left for the great grandchildren to hang on trees and they would open their presents on christmas eve as is the german tradition, because that's where her family originated from. lots of traditions the queen had. we don't know if king charles will keep all of them but we do know of course that he kept the main one, which is going to church on christmas morning with the royal family. going to church on christmas morning with the royalfamily. and king charles and the queen consort camilla led senior royals on the short walk from the house to the church, hundreds of people lined the roots so they could see the royal family. the prince and princess of

wales were there, their children, prince george, princess charlotte and prince louis, their youngest child, he came to church for the first time ever. you might remember during thejubilee he had some real scene stealing moments will stop the newspapers and tv cameras loved him, so he was there today as well. surprisingly for some, though, prince andrew also arrived at church with his family. he is not often seenin with his family. he is not often seen in public with the royalfamily because of the extent of the relationship he had with the convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein. so it was a bit of a surprise to see him. he didn't really mingle as much with the crown says the other members of the royal family did. lots of people coming up to see them, people bringing presents, bunches of flowers and some people even queued up overnight, camping out here overnight, camping out here overnightjust to get overnight, camping out here overnight just to get a overnight, camping out here overnightjust to get a good spot. i can tell you when we arrived this morning it was dark and cold and there were still people here that had been queueing up overnight.

charlotte gallagher reporting from sandringham. 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 an element in their country, it is a moment of change, to break away from old traditions. translation: we will spend christmas to . ether as translation: we will spend christmas together as catholics, _ translation: we will spend christmas together as catholics, the _ translation: we will spend christmas together as catholics, the same - translation: we will spend christmas together as catholics, the same way - 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 of essential infrastructure mean they only have electricity for a few hours a day. minutes after we arrived, 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. 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'm lonely 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. just before we go — 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. # feliz navidad # prospero ano y felicidad. # feliz navidad # prospero ano y felicidad # i want to wish you a merry christmas

# from the bottom of my heart # feliz navidad # prospero ano y felicidad # i want to wish you a merry christmas # from the bottom of my heart # i want to wish you a merry christmas # from the bottom of my heart.# beautiful voices clearly running in the family. hopefully that leaves you suitably christmas eve. you are watching bbc news.

hello there. merry christmas, one and all. if you haven't stepped outside yet, you're not missing much. it's a rather grey story for christmas day. it's mild for most of us but there are some nuisance showers around as well. some clearing the far south—east but this weather front here is going to enhance the showers into the far north—west and gradually as the day continues to drag in some colder air tucking in behind. but most of us staying under the yellow hues, that means it's mild for the time of year. this is the latest radar, the rain easing from the south—east, plenty of sharp showers pushing on across western coasts and yes, even some wintriness to the tops of higher ground in scotland. that means that this christmas day is probably likely to be classed as a

white christmas. we just need one snowflake falling on christmas day and we will see further snow showers as we go into the evening and overnight to close out christmas day. we will start to see some accumulations developing in scotland, may be as much as 5—10 centimetres to higher ground, so thatis centimetres to higher ground, so that is certainly worth bearing in mind. elsewhere, some showers that will meet icy stretches in northern ireland but largely fine and quite and a little bit milder to start boxing day across england and wales. first thing on boxing day, some ice to watch out for through northern ireland and into scotland. further snow showers, further accumulations into the far north—west are likely here, but elsewhere we should see some sunshine coming through on boxing day. there will be further showers, particularly on exposed west facing coasts. the best of any shelter, the best of the drier weather, we should see double figures, 10 degrees widely across eastern england. as we move out on monday into the start of tuesday, we are likely to see this weather front introducing milder air once again

but unfortunately more of a unsettled feel so tuesday will see on that leading edge some snow for a time but it should turn quickly back to rain for most at lower levels in scotland. some heavy rain along west facing coasts driven by some gusty winds, 40—50 mph on exposed coasts. 30 mph inland. tuesday will be a wet and windy day for many. looking at temperatures of 4—7 in scotland. may be as high as 11 celsius down in the south—east. and that showery, windy theme is set to continue for the remainder of the week, but it's largely mild for all. take care.

this is bbc world news, the headlines people across much of north america are waking to the bleakest winter weather conditions on christmas day for decades. conditions on christmas the arctic storm has killed at least 20 in the united states; a million residents there are without power. 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 they could not effectively reach afghans in 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. president zelensky says airstrikes will not dampen ukrainians' spirits.

pope francis has called for an immediate end to the war in ukraine during his christmas day message.