this is bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines: 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 2a people have died in the united states as north america faces severe winter conditions. 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 aid organisations have suspended their activities in afghanistan, in response to a ban on women working for humanitarian agencies. around 10 people have been buried in an avalanche at a ski resort in lech/zuers, in western austria. one person has so far been rescued. hello and welcome to bbc news. king charles has used his first christmas message as monarch 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 nicholas witchell has more. christmas at sandringham 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 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 wales�*s 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. the king's message was recorded in st george's chapel, windsor, close to the spot where

the late queen was laid to rest. christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. we feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition. the king spoke about his mother's faith in the everlasting light of god. my mother's belief in the power of that light was an essential part of herfaith in god, but also herfaith in people. and it is one which i share with my whole heart. the king said this ability to touch the lives of others was evident in the selfless dedication of so many, including the emergency services and health and social care professionals. and it was particularly needed at the moment. 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. the king said he wanted to pay particular tribute to those who ran foodbanks, helping those in greatest need. our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and gurdwaras have once again united in feeding the hungry, providing love and support throughout the year. working members of the royalfamily were shown, however, there was no mention of the duke and duchess of sussex. the king's message ended on a note of hope. so whatever faith you have or whether you have none, it is in this life giving light

and with the true humility that lies in our service to others that i believe we can find hope for the future. a first christmas message from king charles and one with a strong sense of social awareness for families who are struggling to feed themselves or keep warm. officials say it would be strange if the head of state did not recognise and feel an empathy for people facing such difficult times. nicholas witchell, bbc news at buckingham palace. 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. the bbc�*s 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's 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. annick ruedi has been sheltering in her rv trailer in texas. she travelled there with her daughter in the hope of christmas spent somewhere warm. we're not very warm at the moment, so i thinkjust about, yeah, an hour ago, we had to reinstall electricity. we lost heat. we had no internet. so it's been a challenge

on our interesting hourney that we embarked on. and we're also a little bit warm because we got to open our christmas presents and we got warmed by our heart and our love. now, i need an introduction to that beautiful young lady. who was ijust speaking to, annick? that's my daughter, emily. she's nine. emily, this has been quite a road trip for you, hasn't it? what were you expecting when you drove down to texas? how was it all going until that storm hit? it was going pretty well... it was very interesting. and we discovered more things and exploring. and i like to explore new stores, to find new stuff. i like to travel. ilike to...

meet new people. but what about our stop right now? do you think it's...? what do you think about the cold temperatures? i think i'm very... i'm very nervous and confused, because... i got confused because i was expecting there was going to be snow, but i'm actually sad because there's no snow. but... annick... sorry, emily, i'mjust going tojump in quickly. thank you for that description because that explains it for many people, the reaction to this weather. annick, obviously you drove down from canada. i can see the maple leafjumper. yes, we did leave... my dream was to spend one christmas at least by a warm beach, sunny, and on thursday,

we did have 23 degrees, gorgeous weather, and in 12 hours, it dropped 37 degrees to —14. living in canada, you're used to cold, you're used to the snow, you get over it, but being down here... we're definitely not spending our christmas by the beach. i think we tried to take some christmas pictures with our hats. in less than 45 seconds, you know, it was so cold, we had to run back inside. it is a very different christmas. and that was annick and her daughter. 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.

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. and we are staying in the ripple. —— in liverpool. a 22—year—old woman who died after being hit by a police car on christmas eve has been named as rachael moore. she was described by her family in a statement as a "cherished" daughter, sister, granddaughter, partner and friend. mersyside police say they are providing assistance to the independent office for police conduct and are appealing for witnesses to the incident. president putin has accused the west of trying to tear russia apart in comments to russian tv. mr putin said moscow was ready to negotiate to end the war, but kyiv was refusing

to engage in talks. officials in ukraine say three emergency workers were 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. 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. and that was president zelensky there. 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 a member of the action for afghanistan campaign in australia. she told us 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. helicopters and rescue teams are searching for survivors of an avalanche in austria. reports say around ten people were buried in an off—piste area of the lech/zuers resort in vorarlberg in the west of the country. one person has so far been rescued. in his traditional christmas message, pope francis has called for an end to what he described as the "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 with 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?

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 115,000 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. many will open over the christmas period, to help people struggling to pay heating bills. our 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 prompt feelings of loneliness and isolation in others. one man trying to ease that burden is damon alexander—cole, who has been spending his christmas day outdoors with a group of people helping to 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. on today's walk is natasha, a nurse who found herself feeling low in the wake of the pandemic. 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! before we leave you, a little christmas musical treat. the world—renowned tenor andrea bocelli has recorded his first family christmas album — with his son matteo and daughter virginia. they've given the bbc a special preview. # feliz navidad

# prospero ano y felicidad # feliz navidad feliz navidad # feliz navidad. .. 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 oldham, 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 wet weather. briefly, we'll 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 coasts. 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. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines. king charles pays tribute to his late mother, queen elizabeth — and reflects on the cost of living crisis — in his first christmas message. at least 2a people have died in the united states as a severe arctic freeze continues to grip much of north america. the scope of the storm has been unprecendented, stretching from canada as far south as the rio grande. police in liverpool, in the north of england, are hunting a gunman after a 26—year—old woman died — and 4 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.

in a joint statement, care, the norwegian refugee council