this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. at least 50 people have died in the united states and canada — as a deep freeze and severe winter weather sweeps across north america. new york states�*s governor, warns the danger is not over yet. we have been through a lot of wars together, and this blizzard is one for the ages. certainly it is the blizzard of the century. in the uk — police confirm they have arrested two people in connection with the murder of ellie edwards, who was shot dead at a pub in merseyside, in the north of england, on christmas eve. 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.

the un tells the taliban to reverse its decision banning afghan women working for humanitarian agencies — after five major organisations suspend their work in afghanistan. hello and welcome to bbc news. we start in america — where at least 50 people are now known to have died due to the severe arctic freeze, that continues to affect the us and canada. one of the worst—hit areas is the city of buffalo, in new york state, where the governor called the storm an �*epic, once in a lifetime event'. the bbc�*s, emily unia, has the latest. the arctic storm pummelling the us and canada caused

christmas chaos for millions. thousands of flights were cancelled, and roads and railways were closed or impassible, preventing people from reaching friends and family. emergency services battled treacherous conditions to carry out rescues. fatalities have been confirmed across the us. one of the worst—hit areas was new york state, especially in buffalo and hamburg in erie county. snow blanketed streets, and driving was banned. more than two dozen people are now known to have died in the greater buffalo region. anyone who declares victory and says it is over. it is way too early to say and maybe this severity is down right now it is not as bad as it has been the last couple days but it is still a dangerous situation to be out.

rolling blackouts left more than 1.5 million people without power on christmas day. connections are now steadily being restored. in south florida, iguanas froze and fell from trees. they won't get moving again until temperatures rise and they can thaw out. much further north, stunning ice formations appeared on lake michigan. and although the storm is starting to ease, freezing conditions are still expected for some time to come. emily unia, bbc news. let's cross over to louisville in kentucky now. i'm joined by stefphan gholston, an outreach supervisor at goodwill, which is organising the emergency shelter at broadbent arena in kentucky. stefpha n stefphan thank you forjoining us. how is it going? it’s stefphan thank you for “oining us. how is it going?_ stefphan thank you for “oining us. how is it going? it's going good. we are actually —

how is it going? it's going good. we are actually taking _ how is it going? it's going good. we are actually taking the _ how is it going? it's going good. we are actually taking the people - how is it going? it's going good. we are actually taking the people that l are actually taking the people that we were able to bring in for shelter and transporting them to other service providers. we are closing down our area. service providers. we are closing down ourarea. 50. service providers. we are closing down our area-— service providers. we are closing down our area. so, people are going to ou or down our area. so, people are going to you or do — down our area. so, people are going to you or do you _ down our area. so, people are going to you or do you have _ down our area. so, people are going to you or do you have to _ down our area. so, people are going to you or do you have to go and - to you or do you have to go and rescue them question mark how does it work? ., ., , ., ~ it work? how it was working where we were auoin it work? how it was working where we were going out _ it work? how it was working where we were going out to _ it work? how it was working where we were going out to the _ it work? how it was working where we were going out to the community - it work? how it was working where we were going out to the community and | were going out to the community and getting people into the arena. we give them food, shower, shows her. and now that the storm has eased slightly and the potential of freezing to death, the people aren't at risk for that. we are moving them to different shelters and treatment facilities. ., ., , , ., to different shelters and treatment facilities. ., . , , ., facilities. how many people have you help stefphan? _ facilities. how many people have you help stefphan? about _ facilities. how many people have you help stefphan? about 200. - facilities. how many people have you help stefphan? about 200. and - facilities. how many people have you | help stefphan? about 200. and when they came to a whole was their mental state?—

they came to a whole was their mental state? what is it you? her mental state? what is it you? her mental state _ mental state? what is it you? her mental state was _ mental state? what is it you? her mental state was a _ mental state? what is it you? her mental state was a state - mental state? what is it you? her mental state was a state of - mental state was a state of gratitude. panic, gratefulness. sanded don't know what they would've done without us. do sanded don't know what they would've done without us.— done without us. do you expect federal help _ done without us. do you expect federal help to _ done without us. do you expect federal help to come _ done without us. do you expect federal help to come soon? - done without us. do you expect federal help to come soon? is l done without us. do you expect i federal help to come soon? is that something you may have heard about from the city? i something you may have heard about from the city?— from the city? i have believed that --eole from the city? i have believed that people are — from the city? i have believed that people are already _ from the city? i have believed that people are already taking - from the city? i have believed that people are already taking action, | people are already taking action, treatment centres and other shelters are opening their doors. we still have continued shows are even though the arena is not available any more. stefphan have you ever experienced anything like this before? i stefphan have you ever experienced anything like this before?— anything like this before? i have not. i anything like this before? i have not- i have _ anything like this before? i have not. i have not. _ anything like this before? i have not. i have not. i— anything like this before? i have not. i have not. i am _ anything like this before? i have not. i have not. i amjust - anything like this before? i have. not. i have not. i amjust grateful not. i have not. i am just grateful that we were here to help save lives. and just be a part of this. i've never seen nothing like it. were you ready for this? is this something good will planned for and

can put into action straightaway? or was it the fact of reacting, fire as you went along with the mark reacting to peoples needs? we 'ust reacted to peoples i reacting to peoples needs? we 'ust reacted to peoples needs. �* reacting to peoples needs? we 'ust reacted to peoples needs. we h reacting to peoples needs? we just| reacted to peoples needs. we knew our response was needed due to this inclement weather. and good will it rather rally together with the help of other organisations and said we are going to get out here and save lives was that we can't let people die. i5 lives was that we can't let people die. , , ., lives was that we can't let people die. , , . ., lives was that we can't let people die. , , ., ., ., ., die. is this idea of mutual aid, isn't it? and _ die. is this idea of mutual aid, isn't it? and do _ die. is this idea of mutual aid, isn't it? and do you _ die. is this idea of mutual aid, isn't it? and do you have - die. is this idea of mutual aid, i isn't it? and do you have enough resources to continue to help people? resources to continue to help --eole? ~ resources to continue to help ”eole?l ., , resources to continue to help n-eoleir . , ., resources to continue to help --eole? ., , ., . resources to continue to help --eole? ., ., people? we actually do. we are more than grateful — people? we actually do. we are more than grateful for _ people? we actually do. we are more than grateful for the _ people? we actually do. we are more than grateful for the donations - people? we actually do. we are more than grateful for the donations that i than grateful for the donations that came forth. so, we have been able to make a huge impact and give people what they need. make a huge impact and give people what they need-— make a huge impact and give people what they need. stefphan, thank you ve much. what they need. stefphan, thank you very much. thank _ what they need. stefphan, thank you very much. thank you _ what they need. stefphan, thank you very much. thank you for _ what they need. stefphan, thank you very much. thank you for the - what they need. stefphan, thank you very much. thank you for the thank l very much. thank you for the thank you, stay warm if you can. i think thatis you, stay warm if you can. i think that is more relevant for you but thank you. two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a woman who was shot dead,

at a pub in merseyside, in northern england, on christmas eve. the victim has been named as 26—year—old ellie edwards. she died after a gunman opened fire at the front of the pub. a 30—year—old man is being questioned on suspicion of murder and attempted murder — and a 19—year—old woman has been arrested, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. the bbc�*s, fiona trott, reports. a young woman shot and killed whilst celebrating christmas with family and friends. ellie edwards was at the lighthouse pub in wallasey village when a man opened fire at the entrance. merseyside police say they do not believe she was a target. today, around 30 relatives arrived at the scene to lay flowers. the police say what they're going through is incomprehensible. one of the cards reads, "to my beautiful elle, you are the light of my life,

you will never be gone, mum and dad." the killing took place at a family pub at the heart of the community. local residents have described their shock. things like this don't really happen on the wirral, so i think everyone's shocked. you don't expect it on your own doorstep, you know? this pub is a nice pub. you know, you never hear of any trouble. i've got a 21—year—old son, and, you know, it's devastating to be honest. forensic teams have been searching the area throughout the day. it was around this time two nights ago that ellie edwards was killed. foremen also injured. four men were also injured in the attack.

there is one family on mercy site tonight who is struggling to compare parentheses even more. that is the family of ellie edwards, the beautician whose life and career was stopped at what police is describing a cold blooded shooting. fiona trott, 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 targeted by ukrainian drones during the night. russia says it shot down the drones, but three of its servicemen were killed by falling debris. the base is host to long—range russian strategic bombers — the type of which have launched numerous missiles strikes on ukraine. from moscow, our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. caught on cctv... ..an explosion at a russian airbase. russia says it shot down a ukrainian drone, but that three russian

soldiers were killed. engels airbase is deep inside russian territory, hundreds of miles from the ukrainian border. the base hosts long—range bombers which are believed to have launched missile attacks against ukraine. state tv reacted to the news with a familiar warning to kyiv. russia, she says, would exact revenge by carrying out more strikes on ukrainian infrastructure. russia can rattle those sabres and flex its muscles, but it doesn't change the fact that what happened at engels airbase is embarrassing for the kremlin. for the second time in less than a month, what is an important military installation has come under attack. quite a contrast to the image of military might that president putin's been portraying in recent days. the kremlin leader has promised his generals

all the resources they need for the war in ukraine. he's determined to secure something he can present as a russian victory. putin is not going to back off, and nobody else is going to give him a reason to back off. and therefore he's going to take steps necessary to him to win, whatever that victory may mean for him. but ten months after russia invaded ukraine, there is no sign of that victory. instead, the war the kremlin started is moving closer to home. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. donald jensen is the director for�* russia and strategic stability�* — at the us institute of peace — and a former diplomat at the us embassy in moscow. earlier, he told me what impact this attack will have had on russia. first of all that, ukrainians have once again shown that they can push back effectively and shatter the morale of russian

people and elites. i would know that kyiv to saratov is a longer distance than kyiv to moscow. this implies that ukraine can hit the capital if it chooses. of course, also noteworthy, here they attacked him military here they attacked a military target and not civilian targets because ukraine knows to keep the moral high ground and keep support in the west it needs to act properly and that means avoiding attacking civilians. and would the west support this attack? i think the west won't comment. i think the west probably informally is kind of pleased the ukrainians can give the russians a black eye. but they won't say anything at all. this is, as you say in your report, not the first attack on engels. it is not even the first raid like this in recent months. the ukrainians have rattled the russians. they have embarrassed the kremlin and have made them very nervous. it is ironic that after the attacks

today one of the very prominent ultra—patriotic right—wing critics of putin has said "what is our army worth? we can't even stop this." where is our air defence?" this question is now being asked among the russian elites and their signs in recent weeks of dissatisfaction in the way putin is conducting the war. you said the target was deep into russian territory. grumbles about the state of the military. and obviously highlighting the vulnerability of russia. a lot of attention has been placed on the troops currently operating on ukrainian soil. what is the assessment of the russian military itself? back in russia? back in russia it shows, again, to other russian and the russian

high command that they are not ready to wage the kind of war that is needed to defeat ukraine. they don't have the infrastructure or the supplies and now they can even defend what putin claims is sacred russian tears are. is sacred russian territory. this is injurious to russian morocco. this is injurious to russian morale. we have seen it on the troops on the line in ukraine from east to west all the way south. russia will fight hard but ukraine clearly has the military advantage for now and when you hit surprisingly as they did last night, as they did on december five the question comes what is next? and really, the russians are pointing fingers at each other and ultimately the kremlin for not protecting them properly. what would you say is next, donald? how do you see this conflict going? what is going to flip to give either site the advantage? i think what you are seen in ukraine itself is the gradual slowing

of combat operations. ukraine has the initiative. russia is beginning. ukraine hopes to gradually push back to crimea and in the east. you said in your report that putin is now talking about negotiations. the problem is it's negotiations on his terms. and even ukrainian officials today talked about negotiations maybe in february. we are a long way from that. even if there are talks, something has to happen more decisive on the battlefield and we are not there yet. i think if there are any talks and meaningful talks it would be a few months in the future perhaps the middle of next year or perhaps the end. one side has to prevail on the battelfield first and that hasn't happened. the acting head of the united nations mission to afghanistan, has asked taliban leaders to reverse a decision to ban 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 activities. earlier — care, the norwegian refugeee council and save the children — said they �*could not effectively reach afghans in desperate need�* without their female staff. jan egeland, the secretary general of the norwegian refugee council — told us his organistaion could not work in afghanistan without the female work—force. we have nearly 1500 staff. about one third are women, 470. we cannot operate without our committed, hard—working, professional female colleagues. they are the ones who assess needs among women and children. they are the ones who communicate to the women, for example single—mother households and so on. so, our message back to the taliban authorities who gave us this order on christmas eve, the 24th of december, was that we have to suspend our work. we cannot work without

our female colleagues. and this is in a situation of desperate need. millions and millions need our emergency relief through this winter. it is 100 days since anti—government protests began in iran. thousands have been arrested — and according to the �*human rights activists news agency�* — at least 500 people have been killed since september. two protestors have been executed — and many more are reportedly on death row, orfacing, what amnesty international describes as "sham trials". the bbc�*s, parham ghobadi reports. a grieving mother in iran. security forces killed her 20—year—old son, he was shot at close range, one on his waist and then on the forehead.

she says she will not keep quiet even if she gets arrested or killed. he was one of more than 500 protesters who, according to rights groups, have been killed. 100 days on, and despite the deadly crackdown, protesters are still on the streets, chanting slogans against the regime and executions. the position of the state has hardened. and two young protesters were hanged after being sentenced to death. it is feared at least 26 others could face the same fate. bbc persian has obtained an audio file of a 26—year—old protester who is on death row. he says he has been subjected to three mock executions. translation: they blindfolded me and said it's time for your execution. - let�*s go. as i entered the prosecutors office, he said that execution is written all over his face.

hang him! bbc persian has also learned of another 23—year—old protester who died in police custody in the south—western town of izeh. his name was hamed salahshoor. at night, the authorities buried his body 30 kilometres away from his hometown, but after exhuming his body, his family discovered signs of torture. translation: his face was totally smashed. i his eyes, eyebrows, jaw, nose, cheeks, his mum fainted when she saw him. to this day, she is still not feeling well. as they exhume the body, his torso, from his neck to his naval and over his kidneys had been sewn up.

in addition to these testimonies, more accounts of torture and killings are emerging as the authorities increase their determination to put an end to the protests. and for iranians protesting against the islamic republic, the crackdown and separation have only added fuel to the fire. earlier this month, indonesian authorities confirmed that its new criminal code — whch includes a ban on pre—marital sex — won�*t apply to tourists. but many indonesians worry that this and other elements of the new law will harm their civil rights. insulting the president was not considered a crime. now it�*s punishable with prison time. the government says it wants laws it describes as "more inline with indonesian values". valdya baraputri reports from jakarta. this lady has lived together on and

off with her partner since 2019. but under this new law, sex outside of marriage is a crime. and those like her who cohabit could face up to six months in jail. translation: i disagree that what i do is a crime. - if it was a sin, or not socially acceptable, i would understand. but to criminalise it is just not right. the police can only take action if they are informed by a parent, spouse or child of the couple concerned. in her case, her parents have never opposed her living situation. however, the premarital sex ban is not the only controversial article in the new law. many in indonesia want the world to know that above all, the new criminal law threatens their civil liberties. blasphemy, apostasy, unannounced demonstration and insulting the president are all punishable crimes.

as a journalist, this lady believes she has to be especially careful of the letter. everybody can get charged one way or the other. as the law on insulting the president does not specify what constitutes an insult. meanwhile, this public advocate from a legal aid institute injakarta says many indonesians have come to her office to her office to seek advice. translation: the law could affect groups i've spoken to like labourers, farmers and students who have been actively protesting or criticising the regulations. before the law stratification, this lady took part in a protest with others who oppose the new criminal code. the indonesian police try to disperse them and take away their banners. she worries what might happen once the criminal code is in place. translation: when the new law. is implemented, not only will we be forced to disperse or face harassment for holding unannounced demonstrations. but we could even be jailed

for up to six months. the government argues it�*s time to leave behind the colonial era criminal laws it inherited. and instead adopt a code it describes as more in—line with indonesian values. before the law takes full effect three years. indonesians can challenge it in the highest court. when the code was previously draughted in 2019, tens of thousands took part in demonstrations, including this lady. she said she would do that again. translation: is it worth the fight? for sure. i don�*t just fight for myself but for others who may be in a weak position. they are worth fighting for. and just like her, many here believe her countries civil liberty is at stake. valdya baraputri, bbc news jakarta. the number of people visiting

the shops for boxing day sales is up on last year — but it still hasn�*t returned to pre—pandemic levels. figures for today already show that so—called footfall is still 30% down compared to 2019. katy austin reports. oxford street in central london filled up as the date went on. yeah, i always come out, it's my birthday today, and i don't think it's as busy as it used to he — it used to be a lot busier before. people had a lot more bags before. the shops have started giving sales maybe a bit earlier than usual, - but there are still quite a few discounts. - what have you found? anything good? just socks so far. a company that tracks how many people are out at shopping destinations says compared to last year when covid badly affected trading, it�*s an optimistic picture, numbers are up. however, footfall hasn�*t recovered to what it was before the pandemic. it�*s 30% lower than it was on boxing day 2019, so it is significantly lower. but we mustn�*t forget that there is a train strike. and it�*s also attached obviously

to the cost—of—living crisis, people are a bit more cautious. these days, not all retailers open on boxing day. some started their sales well before christmas, and more and more customers choose to buy online. but for this big shopping centre in liverpool, it�*s still a crucial week. it's very important - for retailers and ourselves. boxing day gives the retailers . the chance to clear some of that stock that they perhaps didn't sell before christmas. - boxing day is actually one - of the quieter days of the week. it builds up throughout this week into some quite - extraordinary numbers. cost—of—living pressures are expected to put a dampener on spending this year, but the manager of this store is optimistic. i think people are now looking into what they�*re buying a lot more than what they used to be, but we are still trading quite well. after a tricky year, shops hope that big discounts can draw in much—needed customers. katy austin, bbc news.

and that is it from bbc news. stay tuned. hello. boxing day delivered a colder interlude — in fact, it was cold enough for wintry showers in places, but through the day on tuesday, mild air returns with outbreaks of rain spreading east. there will be some snow in northern parts as that wet weather bumps into some relatively cold air. this speckled cloud on the satellite picture brought the showers of rain, sleet and snow during boxing day, this shield of cloud behind me bringing wet weather into northern ireland first thing. ahead of that, some icy conditions likely in parts of northern england and scotland. could be rather slippery on untreated roads and pavements, and as this wet weather slides into the cold air over the highest ground of northern england and southern scotland, we could see some snow for a time.

that is likely to turn back to rain, though, as the milder air works in. this snow developing across the grampians and the highlands is likely to stick around for a little bit longer because something a bit colder will cling on in the northern half of scotland. but elsewhere, northern england, wales, the southwest turning very, very wet indeed. east anglia and the southeast staying mainly dry for a good part of the day, brightening up in northern ireland through the afternoon. but it is going to be windy, especially in the southern half of the uk — temperatures ranging from 4 degrees there in aberdeen to 11 in plymouth. now, as we go through tuesday night, we�*ll see these outbreaks of heavy rain continuing to journey southwards and eastwards, lingering across the south of england, and in the rain returning into the southwest and the southern half of wales by the end of the night. some rain will also linger for a time in the northern isles. but for the majority, it is going to stay frost—free — a milder night in prospect. and then for wednesday, well, we bring this next batch of heavy rain northwards and eastwards across the uk, accompanied by a strong wind, particularly windy for some southern and western coasts. northern scotland will stay

drierand little colder, but northern ireland seeing highs of 9—10 degrees, england and wales, 11—13, so it is going to feel mild, particularly in the south. thursday, a day of sunny spells and showers. for friday, here�*s another area of low pressure bringing heavy rain and potentially some really strong winds. we�*ll be keeping an eye on that weather system. and then, as we head into the weekend and the end of the year, it will stay relatively mild, there will be rain at times and it will often be windy.

this is bbc news. the headlines. at least 50 people have died in the us and canada as severe, freezing winter weather sweeps across north america. the region around buffalo, in upstate new york, has been worst affected. russia says at least three technical staff have been killed by falling debris following a ukrainian drone attack on an air force base in the south of the country. in the uk, police confirm they have arrested two people in connection with the murder of ellie edwards, who was shot dead at a pub in merseyside in the north of england on christmas eve.

the united nations tells the taliban to reverse its decision