this is bbc news. i'm lucy grey. our top stories: the severe winter deep freeze continues in the united states and canada. at least 50 people have died. moscow says at least three of its personnel have been killed in a ukrainian drone attack, on a russian airforce base. the head of the un in afghanistan asks the taliban to allow afghan women to work for humanitarian agencies. two people are arrested over the shooting dead of a woman at a pub in merseyside in northern england on christmas eve. and stepping up security head of the inauguration of brazil's president—elect lula de silva after a foiled bomb attack.

hello, and welcome to bbc news. at least 50 people across north america are now known to have died in 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. 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 this at its completion, maybe this severity is down and 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.

for more on this, i'm joined now by kristen mirand. she's a reporter with seven news wkbw in buffalo. thanks very much forjoining us. took us through what it has been like. a really bleak picture has been emerging from there, hasn't it? film picture has been emerging from there, hasn't it?— there, hasn't it? oh my gosh, es. there, hasn't it? oh my gosh, yes- thank — there, hasn't it? oh my gosh, yes- thank you _ there, hasn't it? oh my gosh, yes. thank you for _ yes. thank you for having me, first of all. this is a day fall of the storm and you can kind of see behind me the mounds of snow left over. where i am standing right now, a few days ago it was as tall as i am, just the snow pile. so the fact that i am standing here now is quite incredible and even standing outside. i want to tell you i am right now in the heart of downtown buffalo. i am right near the lake where we get snow and we are dealing with winds down here too. we have whiteout conditions for two days straight. it was just

awful being a part of it. i want to let you know i am a hometown girl. this is the city i grew up in and to experience something like this it is truly like never before. another governor was saying it is a once in a generation storm, something all of us are trying to grasp and move through as we navigate through this powerful storm. is navigate through this powerful storm. , , ., navigate through this powerful storm. , ,, . navigate through this powerful storm. , ., ., ~ ., , storm. is you are talking to us we are looking at some of the| we are looking at some of the pictures you have been posting on social media and the like, issues of firetrucks getting stuck. the issue is abandoned vehicles, isn't it, and even the snowploughs have been getting stuck in the snow, haven't they? film getting stuck in the snow, haven't they?— getting stuck in the snow, haven't the ? , ., ., , , haven't they? oh my goodness, es. the haven't they? oh my goodness, yes- the fact — haven't they? oh my goodness, yes. the fact that _ haven't they? oh my goodness, yes. the fact that monster - haven't they? oh my goodness, | yes. the fact that monster snow trucks and firetrucks are getting stuck in this note speaks volumes. i was actually able to venture out of the new station today for the first time in four days and i was able to explore a little bit more of what the storm kind of did to our entire area and it is car after car stranded in

the streets. a—way lane streets have turned into one lane or two lane streets because of the cars that are left there. it is just really incredible, the fact that those big trucks are just stuck, and they can't get them out. i mean, a lot of people are trying to dig up things today on it day four but it is really near impossible and the big thing that i know was mentioned in your reports previous to us is that there is a driving ban here, and that is to make sure that emergency crews can get to everyone who is having an emergency and it is having an emergency and it is very difficult for them to get to those people who are having emerged stranded so that is why the bands are in place to make sure they can get you where they need to go but it is also quite remarkable that the governor said that the rescuers need wrestling themselves, so it is definitely a once in a drone storm. that is for sure. people have lost their lives. they were saying people had heart attacks shovelling the snow outside their

other people died in their cars. it is not over yet, is it? you are expecting a bit more snow, aren't you? that's riuht. more snow, aren't you? that's right. definitely _ more snow, aren't you? that's right. definitely some - more snow, aren't you? that's right. definitely some more i right. definitely some more snow. tomorrow we are expected to get hit again and itjust seems like this won't let up, but as you mentioned, too, we have had some fatalities and i really hate to say this but i think we expect more as the week goes on. i think right now week goes on. i think right now we are almost at 30 and the 50 deaths across north america, 30 of that is here in our area, and a lot of that is from people being stranded out in the snow. they are being found in snow mounds and in their car. it isjust in snow mounds and in their car. it is just awful. we in snow mounds and in their car. it isjust awful. we had a blizzard here in 1977. they were more than two dozen deaths in that storm. we are surpassing that. it is awful and it is hitting the community hard but we are also a resilient community. we have had some remarkable stories come out of neighbours helping

neighbours and helping others out in this difficult time when thousands have been without power as well so you can definitely consider yourself lucky here if you had roof over your head over the last few days dealing with the storm. thank you so much for talking us through it. it is custom around. thank you so much. let's get some of the day's other news. china has announced that it's dropping its requirement for travellers arriving in the country to go into quarantine. the measure has been in place since the start of the pandemic, but will end early next month. it's the latest in a series of restrictions to be lifted as china abandons its zero—covid policy. police say a tenth person has died as a result of a huge explosion at a block of flats injersey early this month. kathleen mcguinness, who was 73, lived in st helier next to the building which was destroyed in the blast. south korea says it scrambled fighter jets and fired warning shots after five drones crossed over its borderfrom north korea on monday. flights at airports in seoul were briefly suspended after it was reported that one of the drones had flown close to the capital.

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 three of its servicemen were killed by falling debris. the base contains russian long—range bombers of the type which have launched missile 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 meanfor 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. the acting head of the united nations mission to afghanistan has asked taliban leaders to reverse their decision to ban afghan women from working for humanitarian agencies in the country. several major aid organisations are suspending their work in afghanistan, saying they could not effectively reach afghans in desperate need without their female staff. tom brada reports. for women in afghanistan, the world seems to get smaller by the day. more rights and freedoms are gradually being removed with the latest caliban

caliban degree. people are being accused of breaking dress codes, something the organisations deny. we have done everything _ organisations deny. we have done everything important i organisations deny. we have l done everything important and still they come out of nowhere and it is devastating. it is paralysing. all work, all organisations, will in the end follow us in suspending work. several aid organisations have already suspended operations. around 20 million people in afghanistan, half of the entire population, rely on humanitarian assistance. by acting in unison, aid agencies may hope to persuade the taliban that this time they have gone too far. to have access to _ have gone too far. to have access to women - have gone too far. to have access to women and - have gone too far. to have i access to women and children you need to have female health staff, and so if you do not have female health staff, you will not have access to those people. so, essentially, it is just not possible for us to do

ourjobif just not possible for us to do ourjob if ourfemale colleagues are not able to get out there. colleagues are not able to get out there-— out there. the united nations has added _ out there. the united nations has added its _ out there. the united nations has added its voice _ out there. the united nations has added its voice to - out there. the united nations has added its voice to a - out there. the united nations| has added its voice to a chorus of international condemnation. a spokesperson called the move: and said they could stop delivering aid in the country unless the decision is reversed. but the taliban do not typically respond well to criticism. just last week they banned women from attending university, adding to the band which already stops girls going to secondary school. responding to secondary school. responding to international outcry, the taliban's higher education minister said they will not change their mind on girls education even if they drop an atomic bomb on us, adding: there have been protests, but be taliban are resolute. when taliban seized control of afghanistan last year they insisted the regime would be

softer than that rule in the 19905, softer than that rule in the 1990s, but the gradual erosion of women's rights suggests they are not afraid to go back on their promises stop stay with us on bbc news. still to come: campaigners say new laws in indonesia are an attack on civil rights while the government insists they are more in keeping with the country's postcolonial values. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're gonna use money we picked up in belgium today and then, we'll be in france and again. _ it'll be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. crowd yelling george harrison, i the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed - at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from - liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of

attempted murder. - i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic. big ben bongs well stop this is bbc news, our top story: at least 50 people have died due to the severe arctic freeze that continues to affect the us and canada. let's get more on our top story. patrick hammer, chief meteorologist at local buffalo television station, wgrz, he says the storm conditions are unlike anything he's ever experienced.

i gotta tell you, i've been covering the weather in this country for a long, long time, in other cities, including here in buffalo, and this is by far the worst blizzard i have ever seen. a blizzard is a storm that we term here where you have a winter storm with no visibility, severe cold and heavy snow for a long duration, and this storm exceeded every expectation we thought the storm could be. behind me, iam we thought the storm could be. behind me, i am about 50 miles south of buffalo, near where the buffalo bills play, and that is about 2.5 feet of fresh snow that fell on christmas day alone, ok? this is on top of snow that we had already had in the season that led to this. furtherto had in the season that led to this. further to the north in buffalo is where power outages

were a situation and unfortunately a significant loss of life. 27 people have perished in every county in buffalo because of folks stranded in their car or may be stuck at home without power. it has been truly crippling, paralysing and deadly situation here in buffalo. and these are live pictures from downtown buffalo, in new york. occasional snow showers are expected in the coming hours. the temperature there now is around minus 7 degrees celcius. that's around 19 degrees fahrenheit. and it is not over yet with more snow showers expected 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. 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, it's 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. and then tonight, police activity across the city. this was two addresses in the tranmere area. it was around this time two nights ago that ellie edwards was killed. four men were also injured in the shooting. one of them is in a critical condition in hospital. people here tell us none of this seems real but there is one family on merseyside tonight who is struggling to comprehend this even more and that is the family of ellie edwards, a beautician whose life and career was stopped by what police are describing as a cold—blooded shooting. fiona trott, bbc news.

brazil's incoming justice minister says security will be stepped up ahead of the inauguration of president—elect lula de silva, after a foiled bomb attack. a man was arrested for allegedly planting explosives in a lorry in the capital, brasilia. police say he was a supporter of outgoing president, jair bolsonaro. tim allman has more. the alleged suspect, james as george washington l avera sousa, said he confessed to a bomb as part of a planned by supporters ofjair bomb as part of a planned by supporters of jair bolsonaro to prevent communism in brazil. these were the guns and ammunition is found during the raid. officers say an explosive device was activated but failed to detonate. so, with the inauguration only days away, everyone is a little on edge. translation: we everyone is a little on edge. translation:— everyone is a little on edge. translation: , ., . translation: we must anticipate

certain acts because _ translation: we must anticipate certain acts because they - translation: we must anticipate certain acts because they can - certain acts because they can be a power vacuum. this will not happen in the early hours of january not happen in the early hours ofjanuary one, we are going to take measures so this instability does not occur. following the defeat of presidentjair bolsonaro in the election, his supporters took to the street to demonstrate. they blocked roads and highways and called for the military to intervene. although and called for the military to intervene. althouthair intervene. although jair bolsonaro intervene. althouthair bolsonaro has never officially conceded, he did say the demonstrations bus and and he ordered his government to co—operate in transition. he may soon be leaving office but the most extreme of his supporters appear to be going nowhere. translation: we see -o - ular nowhere. translation: we see popular participation, _ nowhere. translation: we see popular participation, we - nowhere. translation: we see popular participation, we are - popular participation, we are facing terrorists who must receive the treatment that the law requires. receive the treatment that the law requires-_ law requires. the president-elect l law requires. the i president-elect lula de law requires. the _ president-elect lula de silva president—elect lula de silva has been finalising his government, preparing to take office. he says he may have defeated jair bolsonaro but he

and his supporters will have to defeat jair bolsonaro is them on the streets of the country. tim allman, bbc news. members of the kurdish community in paris gathered in the city to pay tribute to the three people shot dead at a kurdish cultural centre on friday. hundreds of people took part in a march in the 10th district, which appeared to pass off peacefully. a sixty nine year old french man has been charged with murder, and remanded in custody. a spokesperson for the kurdish democratic council in france said the community feels unsafe in the city. translation: at this stage, the future of the kurds i in france is a very sensitive issue. doubt hangs over the future of the kurds in france. the feeling of insecurity remains. this is why we have appealed to the french authorities to be listened to, to be heard, to be reassured, to be protected. we expect the french authorities to implement concrete actions. since the assassinations, there was a permanent surveillance. there is a 24—hour police

presence here, in front of our premises. obviously, at this stage, we can say that there is a reinforced protection. we can observe it. but can have this reinforced protection prevent further assassinations? earlier this month, the indonesian authorities confirmed that a 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 is now 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 injail. 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 latter. translation: 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 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 in 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? i 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. and just before we go let's take you to prague, where hundreds of winter swimmers have braved the chilly waters of the vltava river for the annual boxing day swimming races. the water temperature this year was around 5 degrees celsius — that's 41 degrees fahrenheit. this boxing day winter swim is held in honour of albert nikodem, a prague goldsmith who popularised winter swimming in what was then czechoslovakia in the 1920s.

good for them. you can get in touch with _ good for them. you can get in touch with me _ good for them. you can get in touch with me on _ good for them. you can get in touch with me on twitter. i 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, well, 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 then 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 strong winds, particularly windy for some southern and western coasts. northern scotland will stay drier and 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'll be rain at times and it will often be windy.

this is bbc news. the headlines: 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 buffalo in new york state, where the governor called the storm an epic, once—in—a—lifetime event. russia says at least three technical staff have been killed by falling debris following a ukrainian drone attack on an air force base. the russian defence ministry says the engels base in the southern saratov region was targetted by ukrainian drones during the night. two people are being questioned in connection with the shooting dead of a woman at a pub on merseyside in northern

england on christmas eve.