this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm joanna gosling. our top stories: russia says at least three servicemen have been killed in a ukrainian drone attack on an air force base in the south of the country. china carries out one of its biggest incursions to date in the seas and skies around taiwan. the united nations tells the taliban to reverse its decision on banning afghan women working for humanitarian agencies, after five major organisations suspend their work in afghanistan. we suspend their work in afghanistan. cannot reach th communities we cannot reach the most vulnerable communities if we don't have female staff and if we are not allowed to have female staff at all levels of our organisation we cannot continue to operate in the country as is the

current situation. boxing day sales begin in the uk — but will the high streets be busy or will shoppers be cutting back as the cost of living crisis bites? and north america's deep freeze. severe winter weather claims 38 lives across the united states and canada. hello and welcome to bbc news. a russian air base hundreds of kilometres from ukraine has come under attack for the second time in less than a month. the russian defence ministry says the engels base in the southern saratov region was targetted by ukrainian drones during the night. russia says it shot down the drones, but that three of its servicemen were killed by falling debris. the airfield is believed to house russian long—range strategic bombers. there has been no

comment from ukraine. the bbc�*s russia editor — steve rosenberg — says the last attack on the airbase, three weeks ago, led to calls for tighter security. this is deep inside russian territory. when the first attack happened earlier this month that was embarrassing for the russian authorities that ukraine had the capability to launch a drone attack on an air force base so far away from the border. the fact this has happened again is doubly embarrassing. ukraine hasn't accepted responsibility for this but the russian defence ministry issued a statement saying this was a ukrainian drone attack. during the night there were reports of loud explosions in the vicinity of the engels airbase and then unconfirmed reports that there had been an attack on the base. this morning the defence ministry in moscow confirmed that, saying a ukrainian drone flying at low altitude was shot down by russian air defence systems

on the approach to the airbase but the falling debris from the drone had killed three russian servicemen down below. the russians added that no aircraft at the base were damaged and that base, engels, near saratov, housed long—range bombers which have taken part in missile attacks against ukraine. you describe this as embarrassing for russia. how did russia respond last time and what is likely or expected this time? after the previous attacks we saw more russian missile attacks against ukraine but also after the previous attacks, and it and it wasn'tjust on the engels airbase, there was also an attack on another airbase, after those attacks there were widespread calls

here to tighten security in and around russian military installations. the fact that there has been another drone attack on the engels airbase shows that hasn't happened and that will be an embarrassment for them. is it having any impact on public opinion? how it is being reported there? it is being reported dryly. the state news agencies are reporting it, the state media is reporting it. i don't think you can say it is having an effect on public opinion here. i think public opinion is divided. there are some people who are firmly in favour of the special military operation, as the kremlin calls it, and some people are shocked by what has happened. china is carrying out one of its biggest incursions to date in the seas and skies around taiwan. the taiwanese defence ministry says it has detected 71 chinese aircraft, the majority of them fighterjets,

and seven chinese warships around the island. it added that 43 chinese airforce planes had crossed the median line of the taiwan strait, marking the de facto border between the island and the chinese mainland in a 24—hour period. earlier we heard from our correspondent mariko oi in singapore who gave us the latest. it is quite significant and tensions between taiwan and beijing have been quite tense and have been escalating this year, especially after some very high—profile visits by western officials, including nancy pelosi of the united states. also uk lawmakers, japanese lawmakers visiting taiwan, sparking very angry reaction from beijing. on sunday, christmas day, we saw this largest intrusion into taiwan's air defence zone, so we're talking about fighter jets and drones. beijing calls it a strike drill and they say this was a response to provocations by taiwan and the united states. the office of the president of taiwan has said

that she will be holding a high—level meeting tomorrow to reinforce its civil defence system. the acting head of the united nations mission to afghanistan has asked taliban leaders to reverse a decision to ban on afghan women working for humanitarian agencies in the country. five major aid organisations are suspending their work in afghanistan following the order. islamic relief and the international rescue committee are the latest agencies to halt their activity. earlier, care, the norwegian refugeee council and save the children said they �*could not effectively reach afghans in desperate need' without their female staff. samira rahman from the international rescue committee described the effects of the taliban's decision. it is a very disappointing situation that we're faced with in the country. the latest taliban edict banning women from working in ngos comes after months

of increasing restrictions on the participation of women in public life and attending universities. we have seen over the course of the last year that the sidelining of women in the workspace has already cost the afghan economy over $1 billion. as ngos who have been working towards delivering services in the midst of one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet, we are unable to do that without female staff, so we have decided — it is a difficult decision, to spend our activities currently in the country. what does that mean for the people who you are there to help? it is a very difficult situation. afghanistan is in the midst of the worst humanitarian situation, 98% of the country is at risk of poverty, 28 million

people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. however, we cannot reach the most vulnerable communities if we don't have female staff, and if we are not allowed to have female staff at all levels of our organisation we cannot continue to operate in the country, as is the current situation. so what will you do? we are hoping that discussions between the united nations and the de facto authorities bring some results. we are coordinating with other organisations on the ground and the united nations, engaging at the highest levels to push back on this decision. how do you feel about this? it has been a very tough yearfor afghan women, with the restrictions on secondary schools, restrictions on universities, the space for women in this country has been decreasing day by day.

and with this new, latest edict, it is a very difficult situation for us. we have over 3000 female staff in afghanistan. they are generally, most of them are the sole breadwinners for theirfamilies. they are supporting multiple households with this income and if they are not allowed to work, it is only going to exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the country. i am assuming, i don't know what your circumstances are, but i'm assuming some working for the organisation will be able to leave the country and pick up work elsewhere but, as you are describing, there are many more in a very different situation. that is the case. this edict at this point only applies to afghan national staff, which is 99% of our staff at the irc. they can't pick up and go anywhere.

there needs to continue to be discussions around this with the de facto authorities and we urge them to this decision. to repeal this decision. here in britain, most shops are now open again, after being closed on christmas day, in the popular boxing day sales. retail experts say they're expecting shoppers to spend less as the cost of living crisis continues. joining me now from birmingham is sarah montano, retail expert and senior lecturer in marketing at the university of birmingham. the credit card company barclaycard is predicting the average person to spend £229 and christmas sales, £18 less than last year. the cost of living crisis is biting hard. it is the sort of level you would expect the sort of level you would expect the change to be at?— the sort of level you would expect the change to be at? absolutely, i think for many _ the change to be at? absolutely, i think for many consumers - the change to be at? absolutely, i think for many consumers they - the change to be at? absolutely, i | think for many consumers they will have spent pre—christmas. we had

things like the black friday sales and as we move into new year we expect that consumers will be a bit cautious because some of the heating bills will still be to come for customers which will impact on their spending. 50 customers which will impact on their shendin . ., customers which will impact on their sendin. . , customers which will impact on their sendin. ., , ., spending. so what will the shop to be doini spending. so what will the shop to be doing to _ spending. so what will the shop to be doing to try _ spending. so what will the shop to be doing to try to _ spending. so what will the shop to be doing to try to tempt _ spending. so what will the shop to | be doing to try to tempt customers to spend where every penny counts? we are seeing probably most people have had notifications, e—mails about the sales, so we are seeing some headline discounting to get customers either to buy online or go into stores. customers either to buy online or go into stores-— into stores. how important is it ioiin to into stores. how important is it going to be _ into stores. how important is it going to be for— into stores. how important is it going to be for the _ into stores. how important is it going to be for the shops - into stores. how important is it going to be for the shops that i into stores. how important is it. going to be for the shops that they actually do get the tills ringing today and through the sales period? the main period for retailers is in the run—up to christmas, when retailers want to maximise their incomes and their profits because

that will sustain them throughout their quieter periods. then we have their quieter periods. then we have the post—christmas sales which get customers back into stores. i'm sure many teenagers and young consumers have probably had gift cards or cash for christmas so retailers will be wanting to attract them and get a nice boost post christmas. online sho- imi , nice boost post christmas. online shopping. people's _ nice boost post christmas. online shopping, people's habits - nice boost post christmas. online shopping, people's habits have i shopping, people's habits have changed particularly during the covid lockdown. how much do sales skew towards online versus footfall on the high street? that skew towards online versus footfall on the high street?— on the high street? that has been interesting- _ on the high street? that has been interesting. we _ on the high street? that has been interesting. we saw _ on the high street? that has been interesting. we saw what - on the high street? that has been interesting. we saw what was - on the high street? that has been interesting. we saw what was our| interesting. we saw what was our lowest period of online sales over the summer. they were still higher than pre—lockdown but they were quite dramatically down. we have seen an increase in online sales for our last reporting period so we would expect online sales to be up

again as many people will buy online for convenience. but interestingly if we look at footfall from christmas eve, we actually saw an increase in footfall, particularly around retail parks. impacted because of the rail strike so it is somewhere that is easy for people to get to sell retail packs have done quite well for footfall and an increase in customers shopping locally as well so good news for the locally as well so good news for the local high street. russia's defence ministry says at least three service personnel have been killed as a result of a ukrainian drone attack on an air force base in the south of the country. china carries out one of it's biggest incursions to date in the seas and skies around taiwan. the taiwanese defence ministry says it's detected 71 aircraft and 7 warships around the island. millions of people in the us and canada are spending christmas in the grip

of a severe winter storm. it's brought extreme frost, heavy snow and strong winds. at least 38 people have died in weather related incidents and around 175,000 homes are without power. 0ur north america correspondent, nomia iqbal, reports. a very white christmas has turned more into a deep freeze. the city of buffalo in new york state is used to tough weather conditions, but this storm has left it paralysed. many don't even have any power to cook their christmas lunch. i'm really glad that i have a fireplace because otherwise i'd be freezing right now. driving is banned, as the blizzard conditions leave roads impassable. power substations frozen, and at least seven people dead. we are in a war, this is a war with mother nature. and she has been hitting us with everything she has since the late hours of thursday and friday, saturday, and this will go down in history as the most devastating storm

in buffalo's long and storied history of having battled many battles, many major storms. in the midwest, four people were killed earlier in the week in a pile—up in ohio. four others died in crashes in missouri and kansas. the nation's capital has avoided much of the worst weather, but the bomb cyclone has left its mark. hundreds of water pipes are frozen, temperatures continue to drop, and many of the city's homeless people have been given emergency shelter. the storm is continuing to barrel up along the east coast here and across much of the us, and the advice remains to avoid travelling unless it is essential. and it's notjust the snow and ice causing mayhem. high winds have brought high tides and flooding on the eastern seaboard. forecasters say the storm will ease off in the next few days, but freezing temperatures are likely to linger for some time. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington.

chetan patak has all the sport. after six weeks on hold because of the football world cup the english premier league with humans in the next few hours. lots of questions around how that tournament in qatar will affect returning players. the tottenham boss says he could rest all his world cup stars, including harry kane, who england fans missed the crucial penalty against france. spurs are at brentford. we the crucial penalty against france. spurs are at brentford.— spurs are at brentford. we are show spurs are at brentford. we are strong people _ spurs are at brentford. we are strong people and _ spurs are at brentford. we are strong people and to - spurs are at brentford. we are strong people and to play - spurs are at brentford. we are strong people and to play at i spurs are at brentford. we are i strong people and to play at this level you have to be strong in every situation. negative or positive. and try to address positive or negative eventin try to address positive or negative event in the right way because harry is a strong person.—

is a strong person. tottenham's north london — is a strong person. tottenham's north london rivals _ is a strong person. tottenham's north london rivals arsenal- is a strong person. tottenham's north london rivals arsenal are| is a strong person. tottenham's . north london rivals arsenal are the team to catch at the top of the premier league. they play west ham later. they were five points clear of manchester city who just lost at home to bradford city. they don't play until wednesday night so arsenal could stretch their lead to eight points if they win later. we know the eight points if they win later. - know the importance of starting strong. we have been at home. it is a very special day in premier league history, a very special family day to play football. it is an incredible atmosphere that day and we want to make the most out of it. the england rugby league international has left the club to australia. it will be his second stint in australia after leaving wigan in 2019. bateman helped wigan win the challenge cup this year and played in four of england's two games at the rugby league world cup

including the semifinal defeat to samoa. an eventfulfirst including the semifinal defeat to samoa. an eventful first day of the boxing day test in melbourne between australia and south africa where the host are in control at the close of play. there were emotional scenes where tributes were paid to australian legend shane won, the first match played at his home ground since he died earlier this year. putting south africa into bat, cameron green ripping through the lower orders. they were bowled out for 189. australia reaching 45 for one at stumps. in karachi, opening day, pakistan's first test against new zealand and the host looking to bounce back from that serious defeat to england. unbeaten on 121 at the

moment. pakistan 231 for four. tributes paid to cathy whitworth. the american won 88 titles on the lpga tour, more than anyone else in the men and women's games. she also won six majors and was a first woman to earn $1 million in the women's game. forforyou to earn $1 million in the women's game. forfor you later, to earn $1 million in the women's game. forforyou later, but to earn $1 million in the women's game. forfor you later, but back to you, joanna. forfor you later, but back to you, joanna. war has transformed life for millions of young ukrainians, many of whom are still living as refugees 10 months after russia invaded their country. among them is teenager nika, who now lives in the uk and is coming to terms with the fact that she won't be able to return home anytime soon. sarah rainsford has been following herjourney. nobody here understands what i experienced.

i hope they never will understand what i experienced. when russia invaded her country, nika played piano to drown out the sound of the explosions. i was hearing bangs, bombs. it was quite loud. yeah, unfortunately, kharkiv is one of the most attacked cities in ukraine. we first met as her family were fleeing kharkiv. nika was leaving her city and friends behind to become a refugee. she is now at a school in england and we went to see how she is doing. i needed time to understand that now i am in a safe place, i don't hear alarms every hour and i don't need to think about what if in the next second a bomb is going to be near me. the bombing of kharkiv was intense for months.

hundreds of missiles fired by russian forces who only retreated in september. we found nika's old school there, eerily empty. her teacher still comes in. but she is the only one because all lessons are online. most of nika's classmates fled too when war broke out here. maria is trying to stay positive it will end soon, but that is hard. kharkiv life is still a long way from normal. i went to meet nika's grandmother, who has no light or lift for hours a day because russian missiles are now targeting ukraine's power supply. it was nika's 16th

birthday, so she called her at a school to tell her she loves and misses her and urge her to study well. it is the first time they have not celebrated together. what have they done to us and what for? she wants to know. and she means russia. nika is meeting new friends in england, impressing new teachers, making the most of a life she never chose, but kharkiv is never far from her thoughts. i want my home back. i want my previous life back, but of course i know it is not really possible. i would like peace and calmness in ukraine and i would like people to stop dying. all ten members of a group of skiers caught in an avalanche in austria have been rescued. authorities were searching for two people unaccounted

for in the resort in the west of the country. all around the world millions of people have been — or are still — celebrating christmas. it's usually a time for family, friends and maybe a little excess. but for some this is proving to be a difficult festive period — as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. singing here in kyiv, not for the first time, the sound of song rings out in the middle of an air—raid alert. in one of the city's underground railway stations a carol service is under way. a celebration of the season but also a moment of defiance. translation: it was really hard at first because it seemed - strange to celebrate this holiday, but if you perceive it as a carol for victory, a carol of wishes to the warrioirs, then it is normal. everything falls into place.

no threat of war in rome but there are still plenty who are desperate and in need. this christmas dinner held annually at the church of santa maria is laid on for the poor of the parish. translation: we are all - gathered here in harmony and peace with ourselves and others. it is a beautiful initiative and has existed for a0 years and thank goodness it exists. help can take many forms and in the capital it looks a bit like this. hundreds and hundreds of father christmases running through the city to raise money for charity. this year it's an edition of santa running. for this organised santa run we will help around 200 families in need

and many, many people who are in need of food or something. christmas is a time for giving and plenty of dressing up. tim allman, bbc news. now here's something a little unusual. with the winter storm bringing in icy temperatures to the united states—iguanas that live in trees in south florida have been freezing and falling into the street. but in most cases it's expected the creatures will survive the frigid weather. they will defrost and be on their way again once temperatures rise. a reminder of our top story.... a russian air base hundreds of kilometres from ukraine has come under attack for the second time in less than a month. the russian defence ministry says the engels base in the southern saratov region was targetted by ukrainian drones during the night. russia says it shot down the drones, but that three of its servicemen

were killed by falling debris. the airfield is believed to house russian long—range strategic bombers. there has been no comment from ukraine. a brighter day than yesterday in that cold called there are wintry showers. there are some wintry showers, especially in scotland and to low levels in places here. after a frosty start to tuesday, milder air is coming back. well spread wet and windy weather. snow showers in scotland, brisk north—westerly wind, piling into northern and western parts today. some accumulations to low levels, especially on the hills and there could be snow drifts and blizzards. met office weather warning in force, check the details before you go out. an icy start in northern ireland, further wintry showers, the higher parts of northern england and north wales will have showers too.

the midlands, eastern and south east england, dry it with a few showers in the midlands and east anglia late in the day. temperatures reaching highs of mid single figures and feeling colder in the wind. gales or severe gales in the northern isles. showers will fade tonight, it could be icy in places, a widespread frost setting in. the most widely cold night left for the rest of the year. late in the night, temperatures rise as the breeze picks up, wet and windy weather is starting to move in. rain spreading across all parts, clearing out of the way quickly in northern ireland in the morning. some snow in scotland before it turns to rain, the higher parts of the pennines too, late in the day before east anglia and england sees significant rain. the high ground of wales and the west of england. northern ireland, sunny spells and a few showers.

a slow process to lift the temperatures, much of northern ireland and england and wales get into double figures. a brief lull on tuesday night before windy weather moves in on wednesday, cooler on thursday, sunshine and showers, some high ground in the north before more wet and windy weather moves in for friday, another system at the weekend. over all, for the rest of the year, after today, scotland and northern ireland temperatures average, mild in england and wales but very active weather with spells of wind and rain on the way.

this is bbc news, the headlines: russia's defence ministry says at least three service personnel have been killed as a result of a ukrainian drone attack on an air force base in the south of the country. china carries out one of its biggest incursions to date in the seas and skies around taiwan. the taiwanese defence ministry says it's detected 71 aircraft and 7 warships around the island. the united nations tells the taliban to reverse it's decision on banning afghan women working for humanitarian agencies. five major aid organisations are suspending all their work in the country following the order. in the uk — shoppers are expected to spend less at the boxing day sales as households are squeezed by the cost of living crisis. it comes as disruption is expected on roads around shopping centres

because of the latest round of rail strikes.