this is bbc world news. 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 2a people have died in the united states as north america faces severe winter conditions. four aid organisations have suspended their activities in afghanistan, in response to a ban on women working for humanitarian agencies.

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 their families 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. 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. at least 33 people are now known to have died in the severe arctic freeze gripping much of north america. the scope of the winter storm has been among the worst in living memory, stretching from canada as far south as the rio grande. reports say many people could be trapped in their homes without power. travel has been severely affected, with hundreds of flights cancelled. more disruption is expected as a so called "bomb cyclone" — when the atmospheric pressure drops rapidly, provoking blizzard conditions, has developed near the great lakes. 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 at 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, about 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's on the way. temperatures are expected to rise again on boxing day. emily unia, bbc news. the austrian authorities say two people remain unaccounted for after an avalanche in the western resort of lech zurs. about ten people were initially thought to be buried under the snow. 0fficials now say six people escaped without injury, while two people were flown to hospitals in innsbruck and bludenz. they say rescuers will continue their search until everyone is located. pakistan's military says five of its soldiers have been killed in a bomb blast in the south—western province of balochistan. it said the troops were conducting a clearance operation when an improvised explosive device went off in the district of kohlu. a militant group, balochistan liberation army —

that seeks greater political autonomy — said it carried out the bombing. elsewhere, 15 people have been injured in five different grenade attacks in the province. french officials say the man suspected of killing three kurdish people in paris on friday has confessed to a hatred of foreigners. the suspect was placed in psychiatric care after being questioned by police. the man has several previous convictions for weapons offences. seven people, including dual nationals with claimed 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 were detained as they were trying to leave the country. a shooting — at a packed pub on merseyside late last night — has left a woman dead, and 3 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 her family. 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. a 22—year—old woman who died after being hit by a police car in liverpool 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 3 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 10 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. five passengers have died after a passenger bus plunged into a river off a bridge in galicia —northwest spain. two survivors — the vehicle's driver and a passenger — were rescued from the river lerez, but strong currents due to heavy rains have been hampering the rescue operation. the coach was travelling between the cities of lugo and vigo. china's national health commission is no longer releasing daily covid—i9 case figures, and will only report what it calls "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.

four major aid organisations are suspending all their work in afghanistan following the order by taliban authorities banning the employment of women at humanitarian agencies. the international rescue committee, irc, has become the latest agency to halt its activity in the country. earlier, care, the norwegian refugee council and save the children said they could not effectively reach afghans in desperate need without their female staff. but the taliban have rejected the international condemnation saying all those agencies who want to operate in afghanistan should comply with the rules of the country. zahra nader is the editor in chief of zan times, a media outlet that covers human rights in afghanistan. she told us more about the circumstances for women in the country.

ata time at a time in afghanistan 90% of afghanistan is not earning enough, half of the country is facing hunger and starvation and we know children who are suffering from malnutrition and just two months ago they said that they would suspend operations saying the number of children with dangerously malnutrition art rising 50%. i think those numbers are alarming. and what the taliban are doing, you get back to what afghan women are saying before the taliban takeover and now that they cannot be trusted. but unfortunately

as we have witnessed in the past years now, they are continuously cutting back on women's rights and participation from society and unfortunately, what we didn't care a lot is action from international community, from the countries, who are advocating and ——didnt' hear, talking about human rights, women's rights, we are not hearing a lot. first of all, i am very worried for the entire publisher of the country because we are left with a group who are entirely illogical and they are only functioning based on their hatred of women and what they are doing is they want to show themselves as pure islamic. do you think these aid agencies should make an effort to continue to try and working afghanistan given the dire situation there? i won't be really in favour

of that because if the countries, the international community will stand still, then the taliban issue a decree that women have to stay at home, because we are seeing that the taliban are banning women from school. the international community is concerned but is not taking any concrete action to respond to the taliban. violating human right, women's rights to the extent the taliban is doing is not acceptable. as we know, the country is already in crisis. those who are not listening, who seemed comfortable taking these decisions, they understand there is no

accountability and there are no international bodies that will make them accountable. to say that this will not be tolerated, the violation of women's rights to the extent we are seeing in afghanistan. afghanistan is the only country in the world that is not letting women to get an education and go to work. these are basic human right. we are talking about basic human right, not even to the level of having equal rights for women and men. we are talking about basic human right and the taliban have denied this since they have taken over. in his christmas sermon, the archbishop of canterbury has remembered those facing hardship. justin welby also paid tribute to those who've served others in the past year. 0ur religion editor, aleem maqbool, reports on a christmas where churches have often been a place of refuge and comfort

at difficult time for many. 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. in his sermon at canterbury cathedral, archbishopjustin welby remembered those suffering at christmas. what of the evils that are being inflicted to this day on the suffering and courageous people of ukraine, as they continue to endure and resist russia's unjust and brutal invasion of their country? 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? 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, going back about 150 years, this 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. 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 2 years, that foreign visitors have been able to attend, because of covid restrictions. while christmas is a joyous time for many, it can prompt

feelings of loneliness and isolation for 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.

0n 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 # 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

# from the bottom of my heart # i want to wish you a merry christmas # from the bottom of my heart now on bbc news, the weather with chris fawkes. hello again. i thought i'd start off with confirmation of what you already know, and that is that the vast majority of the uk didn't have a white christmas — not with temperatures like these through christmas afternoon, 13 in chertsey, 12 for london. most parts of the uk had double figure temperatures. and even the far north of scotland, lerwick and shetland, had temperatures around 7 degrees. it was pretty mild, then, for most, but over recent hours and heading into boxing day, we do have a shot of colder air that's working its way in. starting to see some of these showers in highland start to turn wintry. and over the next few hours, yes, you probably will see some snow working into scotland, with the risk of some icy roads as temperatures dip below freezing here.

some pockets of frost as well for northern ireland and northern england. mild weather further south. it's going to be a much colder day, then, for boxing day, with some accumulations of snow building in to scotland, where we could see i—3 centimetres at low elevations. but up over the high ground, 5—10 centimetres of snow possible, where, along with the strong winds, we're talking about drifting and some blizzard conditions, so could well be some disruption locally in scotland. away from that, plenty of showers for northern ireland, the north—west of both england and wales. one or two wintry showers mixed in, temperatures a lot lower than they were on christmas day, ranging from around 4 to 10 degrees in london. 10 is still actually on the mild side. now, heading into tuesday, we could see a few more issues as well as this area of low pressure piles into the cold air in scotland. now, it could well be that we see a bit of snow on the leading edge of this system, with the snow then turning back to rain. but to the north of the central belt, over the high ground, well, the snow could last a bit longer. and i tentatively suggest we could see something like 5 to 10 centimetres. no warnings outjust yet,

but it's worth keeping in touch with the weather forecast across northern scotland for tuesday. further southwards, it's a mild day, quite a windy day, with a band of rain moving its way across england and wales. those temperatures widely still up into double figures, but that colder air refusing to budge, really, across the very far north of scotland. heading into wednesday and thursday, the weather pattern stays unsettled, with low pressures continuing to spin off the atlantic, bringing further zones of rain. and wednesday, we could see some fairly strong winds around as well, so that's something to bear in mind. running up closer to new year's eve, new year's day, it stays unsettled. generally, temperatures are a bit above average, but do expect more rain at times. bye— bye. this is bbc news. 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