this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lukwesa burak. our top stories. king charles pays tribute to his late mother queen elizabeth — and reflects on the cost of living crisis — in his first christmas message. at this time of great anxiety and hardship, be it for those around the world facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm. at least 20 people have died in extreme winter storms in the us and canada — more than1 million people are without power. police in liverpool are hunting a gunman after a 26—year—old woman died and four were injured in a pub shooting on christmas eve.

three aid organisations have suspended their activities in afghanistan in response to a ban on women working for humanitarian agencies. king charles has used his first christmas message to reflect on the cost—of—living crisis. he spoke of the "great anxiety and hardship" for those struggling to "pay their bills and keep theirfamilies fed and warm". the king also paid tribute to his mother, queen elizabeth, who is buried in st george's chapel — from where the king delivered his speech. our royal correspondent, nick witchell, was listening to the speech and gave us his verdict.

there is, i think, a strong sense of social awareness in this christmas broadcast. now, just to put it in context, a long history, of course, of a broadcast at christmas time by the monarch going right back to the 1930s when king george the fifth started on radio. then queen elizabeth took it up on television in the 1950s. and this broadcast, the first by king charles. it was recorded in st george's chapel at windsor, close to the spot where queen elizabeth was laid to rest. he refers to his late mother and herfaith in people and their ability to touch the lives of others. and there's a really strong emphasis on humanity, the humanity of the individual. he talks about the selfless dedication of our armed forces and emergency services of health and social care professionals. and he says it's particularly important at a time of conflict and economic difficulty, at this time of great anxiety and hardship, be it for those around the world

facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm. we see it in the humanity of people throughout our nations and the commonwealth who so readily respond to the plight of others. and this theme of social awareness continues. we saw pictures there of food banks, and he says that he particularly wants to thank those who have set up or who donate to food banks and to help those in greatest need. and there is a role played by people of all faiths and organisations of all faiths in this support. here's what he said. our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and gurdwaras have once again united in feeding the hungry, providing love and support throughout the year.

and he continues with faith right to the end of the broadcast, because at the end he says, so whatever faith you have or whether you have none, it is this service to others in which we can find hope for the future. i think inevitably he has accepted that he's now got to be very careful, cautious. he cannot perform in the same way that he did as prince of wales. he's got to be very careful what he says and not cross that line into anything that could be construed as politics. but certainly his officials and this is, as i say, a socially aware christmas broadcast, but his officials say that it would be very odd if britain's head of state did not recognise and feel an empathy for people going through difficult times and express that. and that, i think, is what he has attempted to do in this christmas broadcast. the king — and queen consort — are spending christmas day

at sandringham in norfolk, where they're hosting the royal family's traditional gathering — and where — they went to church this mornng. our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell reports. christmas morning at sandringham church, for the first time since the start of the pandemic. familiar routines were resumed, though without that most familiar of figures, queen elizabeth. king charles and the queen consort led the royal family from the church. just behind them, the prince and princess of wales with all three of their children — george, charlotte and four—year—old louis. also there with the family group, the duke of york. the waleses spent time with spectators, receiving their bunches of flowers. and then back to the main house for christmas lunch and the king's first christmas broadcast. in his christmas day address at canterbury cathedral,

the archbishop of canterbury highlighted the late queen's humility and her commitment to serve others. compare such a love to those rulers who grasp at power, contrast to the behaviour of her late majesty, who in obedience to the christ child lived a life of service and put her interest after those of the people she served. the archbishop also spoke about the cost of living crisis. what of those in this country who will be cold and hungry today, as the cost of living crisis continues to cause such immense anxiety and hardship? at the vatican, pope francis said food was being used as a weapon of war in ukraine, afghanistan and the horn of africa. translation: on this day, let us | learn from the prince of peace, l starting with those who hold

political responsibility, that they commit themselves to make food solely an instrument of peace. the pope called for an end to hostilities. nicholas witchell, bbc news. tens of millions of americans, are hunkered down, in one of the bleakest christmas days in living memory. the arctic storm, that's swept through most of the country, has so far claimed 20 lives. family travel plans — for much of the us — have been thrown into chaos or abandoned. a million people are already without power. emily unia reports. strong winds and sub—zero temperatures. america may have been dreaming of a white christmas but not like this. countless roads are closed or impassable, even the gritter got stuck. around 250 million people across the united states and canada

are facing festive weather chaos. anything can happen in any moment and you've got to be on your toes. thousands of flights have been cancelled, delayed trains have left passengers stranded for hours, conditions are so bad new york state has banned driving. it is life—threatening what is going on as we speak in buffalo. getting calls through the night from frightened neighbours where the temperature has been off for many hours, for a day, a day and a half. and we still have state—wide 73,000 homes without power. families hoping to celebrate together for the first time since coronavirus will be cruelly disappointed, many without the electricity to cook a christmas dinner at all. i'm really glad that i have a fireplace because otherwise i would be freezing right now. oh, my god! 0n the east coast there were high winds, huge waves and flooding. i think i'll shut our window. what time is high tide? even at the border with mexico

temperatures dropped below freezing, making the challenging journey to enter the united states even more difficult. but warmer weather is on the way. temperatures are expected to rise again on boxing day. emily unia, bbc news. a shooting — at a packed pub on merseyside late last night — has left a woman dead, and three men in hospital, with gunshot wounds. it happened at the lighthouse inn — in wallasey village. merseyside police called for more information from the community to catch the gunman. the police have been speaking earlier. i can today confirm that a 26—year—old woman has died following a shooting at the lighthouse inn in wallasey village on christmas eve. as you can imagine, her devastated family are inconsolable and heartbroken. the woman was enjoying a night out with family and friends when the callous and cold—blooded shooting took place at the pub.

the people of liverpool and merseyside are known for their compassion and pulling together in times of crisis. and we have already had an overwhelming response from the public following the murder, particularly from people who were in the pub last night. but we do need more information so that we can find those responsible for this callous murder and the wounding of four others, one of whom is in a critical condition so that we can find justice for the victim and herfamily. this is not the time for anyone who knows who is responsible for this shooting to stay quiet. the person responsible for this incident and those who assisted him last night need to be caught, and now is the time for our communities to come together with us to show that the use of guns on our streets will not be tolerated.

three foreign aid organisations are suspending all their work in afghanistan — after the taliban banned women from working for humanitarian agencies. the move by care, the norwegian refugee council and save the children came as the un and other agencies, held a meeting in the capital, kabul, to discuss the situation. 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 not gone far enough. 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 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. seven people, including dual nationals with alleged links to the uk, have been arrested in connection with the current wave of anti—government protests in iran. a statement from the revolutionary guards in the south—eastern province of kerman described them as members of a uk—linked organisation involved in guiding and directing revolutionary plots. it said they they were detained as they were trying to leave the country. an air raid alert was issued for the whole of ukraine earlier today. 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�*d 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 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. tens of thousands of people — gathered in bethlehem last night — in the israeli—occupied west bank for christmas celebrations. christian leaders led midnight mass, at the church of the nativity, where the palestinian president, mahmoud abbas, was among the congregation. it was the first time in two years, that foreign visitors have been able to attend, because of covid restrictions. britain has welcomed more than 115 thousand ukrainian refugees since the start of the russian invasion. many of them have found warmth and company this christmas with the help of community and faith groups. churches, pubs, community halls and other places of worship are also trying to help people cope with the cost of living. figures for the bbc suggest more

than half will open as usual over the christmas period to help people struggling to pay heating bills. 0ur religion editor, aleem maqbool reports. one, two, three... santa claus! they�*re calling out for santa claus in a church in west london. it is a joyful gathering, but the children here, receiving their gifts from santa, have had an unsettling and traumatic year. they�*re all ukrainian refugees, spending their first christmas away from the country they fled. around 200,000 ukrainians have been given permission to come to the uk since the war started, many of them having suffered the loss of friends and relatives, but all making agonising decisions about leaving behind families and everything they own.

in many cases, it is faith organisations and churches here that have tried to provide support and comfort. that�*s how it�*s been for marianna, who came here with her two daughters. i very missed my family, because part of my family is in ukraine, but i have a new family here, and i am very happy that i can share this christmas time with family here in this church, and to be happy and to bejoy. and i�*m very happy that my children are smiling now. oh, sorry. and i can cry! it�*s very good because when i came, i couldn�*t cry. another city, another place of worship, another community in need. this church in salford in manchester is one of around 3,000 places in the country that have opened up as a warm space for those who can�*t afford to heat

their homes this christmas. basically, we're going back about 150 years, is what the church did. you went to a town, you went to a city. the church was open. you would just go into the building and you would sit and you would probably pray, and the vicar might come and chat to you. so we're only doing what the church has done historically over the years just by opening up our building. some here talked of the way in which their difficulties have been heightened around christmas time, like annie, who�*s 81. especially when you�*ve got grandchildren, and they�*re wanting christmas things. so you�*re cutting things back, what you�*d normally put on the heating, and even food, and down here you get looked after. you know, it�*s wonderful. is that the position you�*re in, with grandkids? with grandchildren. i can give them a little bit more than what i could have. coming down here, it helps. but this warm space operates two nights a week. there are many around the country who don�*t have access to a hub like it at all. thank you very much. merry christmas. and when it comes to food or energy

poverty, or to refugees in the uk, the needs since last christmas have soared. aleem maqbool, bbc news in manchester. while christmas is a joyous time for many, it can highlight feelings of loneliness and isolation in others. one man trying to ease that burden, is damon alexander—cole, who will be spending his christmas day encouraging people outdoors to help boost their mental health. the bbc�*s, sarah rogers, has been to meet him. good morning. welcome, welcome, welcome. so today we�*re going to be doing a ten—mile across froggatt edge and curbar edge. it�*s mostly flat with a bit of an incline at the start. awesome. let�*s go. it�*s very early and barely light, but this crowd of hikers are already off across the derbyshire dales. every month, damon alexander—cole leads out a group on a hike. but what�*s extra special is he even gives up his christmas mornings to spend with complete strangers.

ten and a half miles. how many people have you managed to get with us today? i think today is close to 90. last time i counted was about 86, 87. today, we walk the winding paths of the hope valley. but not too long ago, damon was on a different path. i broke up with my partner, which was really bad timing. her boss owned the house and i wasn�*t on the tenancy, so i ended up getting evicted. i got redundant. i got made redundant from work. i had to rehome my dogs. the way everything was going was like, the only option i�*ve got is to move into my car. how long did you have to live in your carfor? three, nearly four months. my mental health just completely dropped. i wasjust... i got to the point of suicide. i was planning how i was going to kill myself. something just came over me. it was like, you�*re not doing it. how does this compare from sleeping in your car to, i mean, it�*s a grey day, but wow, what a view. it�*s absolutely amazing. the mountains and the hills kept me alive during that time. so to me, it�*s like i come here,

coming here andjust, like, resetting and refreshing. it�*s amazing. despite living in his car, damon managed to apply forjobs on his phone and has transformed his life and found a place to live. now back on his feet, he�*s reaching out to others at christmas and throughout the year, supporting those who might be lonely or struggling with their mental health. 0n today�*s walk is natasha, a nurse who found herself feeling low in the wake of the pandemic. a nurse who found herself feeling that put like a lot of mental strain on a lot of people, and especially me, because we were frontline. so it was getting to the point where i didn't want to really be around people. so i thought, right, let'sjump on one of these hikes. i think hiking and getting out is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. just gives me that hope for the future. it�*s also an excuse to take in the air, have a bit of exercise and even feel the call of nature. basically, sharon was walking

past me and she said, - is there any toilets in the car park? i and we've just been chatting since. is this going to be a lifetime friendship that�*s been formed today? i think so. yeah, i think so. especially because she's taken a lot of photos of me on her camera, - so she has no choice| but to keep in touch. it�*s very much just a excuse to be able to break down those walls of starting a conversation. so not everything straight away is deep and meaningful. we've had the opportunity to speak to somebody who understands the joy of walking, the joy of having space, the joy of being able to breathe, but be with somebody else that likes everything that you do. it's nice. it connects you. nice walking shoes. they was quite good walking shoes. there�*s a big following already, but there�*s always room for one more. some people are a bit nervous about coming out and i completely get it.

and if you are, no problem. but to start, if you are nervous and you struggle with social anxiety and you push yourself to come and join these hikes, you are starting 2023, if you come in on christmas, particularly, on such a high, you�*ve pushed yourself to do something you weren�*t comfortable with. you�*ll have a positive experience and you go into the new year with a new you. just come and make yourself do it. you�*ll have a great time. maybe you�*re already planning on getting out today, or perhaps it�*s more of a pjs at home, but from the derbyshire dales to wherever you are and whatever you�*re up to... merry christmas! soft toys left in memory of a 9—year—old girl who was stabbed to death in a street in boston in the east midlands of england, will be sent to children in lithuania. her family said, if the toys go to young people who love them "some good might come from their terrible year". the bbc�*s, jessica lane, reports. amongst the messages and flowers, toys and teddies were brought in tribute after nine—year—old lilia valutyte was killed injuly.

her family now face their first christmas without her, and a friend suggested to lilia�*s mum she could send them to children in lithuania who might not otherwise have had any gifts. we just thought that she would like to share, and she and herfamily would like to share all those presents. because i think they really have a good spirit inside them, because they were donated with loads of love. all the toys which we got from the community, fluffy toys, probably, they will enjoy them more. all the toys which we got from the community, fluffy toys, probably, they will enjoy them more. boxes and boxes of toys have now been sent back to their home country. i think it�*s a0 or something with lithuanian families, and 12 or 13 from ukraine, because there�*s refugees that are coming to live in lithuania because they can�*t live there any more. lilia�*s family are planning other tributes for the little girl, including a memorial

outside her mum�*s shop where lilia was stabbed. it's going to be me doing it, and another friend of mine who is more an artist than me. so, yeah, i don't know. we want to start with the flowers and then it's going to be metal wings and then the shape of a child, and butterflies, yeah. they say they hope that as these toys go to children who will love them, some good might come from their terrible year. jessica lane, bbc news. finally — 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 # i want to wish you a merry christmas you a merry christmas # i want to wish you a merry christmas # from the bottom of my heart # feliz navidad # prospero ano y felicidad

# feliz navidad # i want to wish you a merry christmas you a merry christmas # i want to wish you a merry christmas good evening. well, if a winter wonderland was on your wish list this christmas, i think you�*ll have been disappointed. in fact, there have been more rainbows in the sky this afternoon than there have been snowflakes. this was 0ldham, and it illustrates the point quite beautifully. there�*s been a rash of showers, longer spell of rain, now starting to push into the far north—west. and then behind this, some cold air. so some of those showers starting to turn increasingly wintry. and that�*s going to be the story as we go through the overnight period. this weather front is the dividing line and it�*s introducing a different wind direction and a cooler air mass. and that brings us a briefer cold spell as we move into boxing day. it�*s not going to last, however, but it does mean that we�*ll see some wintry showers over the next few hours with accumulations of, say, around three centimetres overnight

in the far north—west of scotland, maybe as much as ten centimetres settling to higher ground. so, first thing on monday morning here, we are likely to see some snow showers to boxing day, a few scattered showers of rain into northern ireland and some showers along west facing coasts. a little more cloud means a relatively milder start here in the south east, six or seven degrees, but cold temperatures hovering just below freezing further north and west, some icy stretches first thing in the morning and there�*s still the further risk of some snow showers just adding to those totals i was talking about earlier. so a windy day, some blustery showers, showers of rain along west facing coasts. further east, it will be a milder story with some drier weather. ten degrees the high, but it�*s going to feel cold to the north when you factor in the wind direction. but as i say, it�*s a brief colder spell as we see this milder segment, this air starting to push back in as the next weather front moves in. so the wind direction changes yet again back to a south westerly driving with it some

weather briefly will see a spell of snow before it turns back to rain. wind gusts in excess of a0 to 50 miles an hour on exposed west coast inland, blustery as well, 30 to 35 miles an hour. in terms of the feel of things as we go into tuesday, 5 to 7 degrees in the north, highest values of 11 further south and east. looking ahead throughout the week, it stays pretty unsettled. winds will be a feature, but it�*s mild across england and wales, just colder in the extreme north. take care.

this is bbc world news, the headlines. king charles has used his first christmas message to reflect on the cost—of—living crisis. he spoke of the "great anxiety and hardship" for those struggling to "pay their bills and keep theirfamilies fed and warm". at least 20 people have died in extreme winter storms in the us and canada — more than1 million people are without power. police in liverpool in the north of england, are hunting a gunman — after a 26—year—old woman died, and four were injured in a pub shooting on christmas eve. three foreign aid organisations are suspending all their work in afghanistan — after the taliban banned women from working for humanitarian agencies. the move by — care, the norwegian refugee council

and save the children — came as the un and other