welcome to bbc news — i'm vishala sri—pathma. our top stories. despite promises of an orthodox christmas ceasefire, russian missiles continue to strike eastern ukraine. there is still a heavy shelling coming down from the russian side. ukraine is holding onto the city, and it's not going to want to let go anytime soon. at the 15th attempt, kevin mccarthy is elected us house speaker — after making concessions to the right of the republican party. iran faces international condemnation after executing 2 more anti—government protesters. for the first time in three years — china lifts quarantine rules for people arriving from abroad. a manuscript thief, who tricked the likes of margaret atwood and ian mcewan into sending him unpublished works, has pleaded guity

in court to wire fraud. the ceasefire in ukraine — declared by russia, for the orthodox christmas — has come to an end. clashes between ukrainian and russian forces continued throughout the 36—hour period. president zelensky said vladimir putin's offer was deceitful — he said peace in ukraine would only be restored when russian forces were expelled. and moscow said it reserved the right to return fire if its troops were attacked. our correspondent, james waterhouse — along with producer siobhan leahy and cameraman paul francis — sent this report from the eastern city of bakhmut, on the front line.

you leave civilisation behind on the journey to bakhmut. we are heading to one of the most hostile parts of the front line. and coming into view is a city in the middle of it. the russians are just a mile away. ukraine is fiercely defending here. invading forces have thrown everything at the city, leaving it almost deserted. braving it above ground is a ukrainian soldier. translation: the situation is tense. l there are explosions and strikes coming from the enemy's side. they promised a ceasefire but we don't see it. we don't feel or see it. they said one thing but in reality it is different. few expected the ceasefire to hold anyway. it was announced by russia in the first place and ukraine

was never going to engage but there is still heavy shelling coming down from the russian side. ukraine is holding onto this city and it's not going to want to let go any time soon. in bakhmut, those who flinch are in the minority. sergei tries to patch up what he can. translation: you would not wish this on your worst enemy. - we tried to celebrate christmas regardless. we put up a tree and decorations, but it was in the basement. we didn't forget about this holiday.

we can't hang around for too long. but this is about as far as you can get from a normal christmas. eastern ukraine has gone through nine years of russian aggression. there have been several attempts at ceasefires. few here expected this latest one to bring any respite. james waterhouse, bbc news, bakhmut. the newly elected speaker of the us house of representatives, kevin mccarthy, has said former president trump helped him finally secure his position — after 15 rounds of voting — and at times, acrimonious exchanges with fellow republicans. he said "i don't think anybody should doubt" mr tump�*s influence. president biden congratulated mr mccarthy on his win and said he looked forward to co—operating with his party. our washington correspondent, gary o'donoghue, reports. it took them four days and 15 separate ballots before they finally got there. the honourable kevin mccarthy of the state of california, having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected speaker of the house of representatives. cheering not since the american civil war more than 160 years ago has it taken this long to elect a speaker.

that was easy, huh? i never thought we'd get up here. after multiple concessions, days of arm—twisting, and some tempers almost boiling over, kevin mccarthy finally persuaded enough on the right of his party to back him. though it did take phone calls direct to the house floor from the former president donald trump to persuade some recalcitrant republicans. i do want to especially thank president trump. i don't think anybody should doubt his influence. he was with me from the beginning. somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there. he was all in. but kevin mccarthy has paid a price for his victory.

he's had to agree to a whole raft of measures that will weaken his position, including the reinstatement of a rule that will allow just one member of the house to trigger a vote of no—confidence in the speaker. he is going to be the weakestj speaker in the modern history of the country and he'll be i held hostage to these 2021 radical republicans. it's been two years since rioters, supporters of donald trump, stormed the capitol, trying to block joe biden�*s election and to hunt down the then democratic speaker of the house in her own office. and while kevin mccarthy has finally got the main job, there are some in his own party who will be hounding his every move for the next two years. gary o'donoghue, bbc news, washington. i've been speaking to democrat strategist, robin swanson, about her take on kevin mccarthy's win.

caving to the right—wing extremists shows it is hard for him to become a speaker, can you imagine what concessions you imagine what concessions you have to make to pass a natural budget for the united states? he natural budget for the united states? ., ., . , states? he alluded and directly said that donald _ states? he alluded and directly said that donald trump - states? he alluded and directly said that donald trump is - states? he alluded and directly said that donald trump is quite j said that donald trump is quite helpful and influential and so perhaps he might have to lean on him a few times when they came to pass votes which are a bit tough. how do democrats feel about those comments? it is terrifying of donald trump is terrifying of donald trump is the puppeteer. i remember a day when kevin mccarthy worked in the california legislature about 15 years ago with governor arnold schwarzenegger and he built himself, kevin mccartney billed himself as a moderate republican in minor sports and egg and so over the sea him who is whichever way the wind blows and at the moment he sees trump as a power

base for him but i do not think he is with the voters are. fin he is with the voters are. on those concessions, and there were quite a few one of them was to make it easier to unseat him. is that something that people that you speak to feel that might be used in the near future? ~ , , ., ~ .,, ., future? well, speaker has to have power— future? well, speaker has to have power and _ future? well, speaker has to have power and to _ future? well, speaker has to have power and to have, - future? well, speaker has to have power and to have, to i future? well, speaker has to i have power and to have, to be future? well, speaker has to . have power and to have, to be a leader, people have to follow you so it is clear from the jump, you so it is clear from the jump, he does not have people willing to follow him and the second thing i would be concerned about virus speaker is the committee assignments. that is the most powerful thing the speaker can do is to assign committee chairs and that power has been removed from him as well so i don't know what power is left for him to wield. it seems he is speaker in name only. seems he is speaker in name onl . , ., only. the president will have to work fairly _ only. the president will have

to work fairly closely - only. the president will have to work fairly closely with - to work fairly closely with him. how do you think that relationship pan out? actually think the bigger _ relationship pan out? actually think the bigger concern - relationship pan out? actually think the bigger concern is - relationship pan out? actually think the bigger concern is his relationship with mitch mcconnell on the other side in the united states senate. ultimately, the president is going to have to work with both parties. we have a divided congress but mitch mcconnell has a very different leadership style than mccarthy doesn't think it will show how splinter the republican party is of the two of them cannot work together. let's get some of the day's other news two metro trains have crashed in mexico city — killing at least one person and injuring more than 50 others. the trains collided between two stations on line 3 — which is one of the oldest in the city's metro system. federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash. thousands of israelis have taken part in protests against the new right—wing government. many accused the administration of endangering democracy

through proposed judicial reforms. the plans would allow parliament to override decisions made by the supreme court. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has sought to calm concerns about the fate of civil rights. ivory coast has welcomed home dozens of soldiers who'd been detained for six months in mali, causing a diplomatic row. the 46 servicemen were pardoned by mali's military leader on friday, a week after being given long jail terms for allegedly undermining state security. the ivorian government said the troops had been sent to mali to assist the un mission there. the united states has called for iran to stop executing anti— government protesters. the state department said two men who were hanged on saturday were convicted in sham trials. britain and the european union have have also condemned iran's use of the death penalty. shelley phelps reports nationwide protests have swept around since the death of a woman in september who had been detained by the country basement morality police. no two men have been hanged for killing a member of the security forces during the demonstrations. they had appealed against their sentences, saying they had been tortured into making false confessions. on saturday, iranian state tv broadcast

footage of the two men testifying during a court hearing that has been condemned as a sham trial by human rights groups. in every single execution we see that the primary and the most significant evidence are self—incriminating confessions obtained under torture and we know that one of the people who was hanged today, was tortured heavily ahead of his execution. so i don't call them really additional process by limiting committees. that deaths bring the total number of protesters known to have been executed in the aftermath of the unrest to four. but death sentences

are not a new tactic used by iran's regime to oppress our position. the islamic republic has been handing out death sentences to political prisoners for four decades. in the 19805, thousands of protesters were executed summarily. the human rights group amnesty international says it fears at these 26 more people are at greater risk of execution in connection with the process well politicians from around world have widely condemned iran's actions as abhorrent. i've been speaking to mohammad ali kadivar, an assistant professor of sociology at boston university and iranian political analyst, about the issue. i think people are outraged and i think people are outraged and i think people are outraged and i think these executions are notjustified i think these executions are not justified for them.

i think these executions are notjustified for them. no one believes in these conversions. these are forced conversions. these are forced conversions. these people do not have access to lawyers, there is been no judicial process. people feel outraged and this just further deteriorates the legitimacy of the government has been losing over and over. there is been international condemnation. do you think that will have much impact? it you think that will have much im act? . , you think that will have much im act? ., , ., you think that will have much imact? ., ,., ,, impact? it has not stopped the executions _ impact? it has not stopped the executions so _ impact? it has not stopped the executions so far _ impact? it has not stopped the executions so far but _ impact? it has not stopped the executions so far but i - impact? it has not stopped the executions so far but i think. executions so far but i think the international community should put as much pressure as they can on iran to stop executions. in the past we have seen sometimes because of pressure they are postponed or cancelled some of these executions but people executed urban workers so these are people with fewer resources in mobilising support within the

irani in society so the more support the international community and people inside iran can provide, i can say it will help but that's the least we can do. do will help but that's the least we can de— will help but that's the least we can do. , ., ., we can do. do there is more to do economically? _ we can do. do there is more to do economically? sanctions . we can do. do there is more to do economically? sanctions as| we can do. do there is more to l do economically? sanctions as a tool that countries in the west have used before. has that had the desired effect? 50 have used before. has that had the desired effect?— the desired effect? so far under sanctions - the desired effect? so far under sanctions i - the desired effect? so far under sanctions i cannot l the desired effect? so far. under sanctions i cannot say the islamic republic has become more violent so in 2019 there was a violent crackdown on protesters. there are still using rail and so this is not made the islamic republic less violent. you are watching bbc news, the headlines: russia has continued to shell eastern ukraine despite calling for a 36 hour ceasefire for orthodox christmas

celebrations. kevin mccarthy has been sworn in as speaker of the us house of representatives, after 15 rounds of voting. the new speaker says it was the influence of former president trump that helped him secure the position. china is scrapping its quarantine rules for travel from sunday, in what's being called the great reopening. the relexation makes moving into and around china a viable option for the first time in three years. it's happening just as the country prepares to celebrate its annual lunar new year, raising concerns about tens of millions of covid infections. joe inwood reports in the world's most populous nation, at the world's biggest ice fair, they're making final preparations for the world's biggest migration. this is the annual harbin snow festival, the centrepiece of the regional tourism sector. it is an industry that has been on ice. but with the government abandoning its zero—covid policy in time for the lunar new year, that is all changing. china is opening for business. translation: compared to the last two years, - we are seeing far more tourists. after they lifted the covid restrictions, there was a significant increase in visitors. i'm confident harbin�*s

tourism will recover. people are still looking forward to coming here. they're expecting nearly 2.1 billionjourneys to be made over the lunar new year. that's twice as many as in 2022, although still below the 3 billion made before the pandemic. while most of those will be made by people who live in china, with international travel restrictions easing this weekend, there is also expected to be a rising number coming from abroad. people like hiu man chan. she runs an organisation promoting links between the british and chinese film industries, and hasn't seen herfamily in more than three years. it's taking the soul out of me, not being able to travel

and connect with people on a personal level. that's the core role for myjob and for family gathering as well, so not being able to be there in person, um, yeah, is... it's very damaging, i think. i can't wait to see them, to really hug them. i mean, i've seen them, videos on the news, people hugging at airports and being united, reunited but i haven't had a chance yet, so i cannot wait to give my mother a kiss and to hug my brother. the change in policy was as swift as it was dramatic. since the start of the pandemic, entire cities have been locked down to stop outbreaks — the so—called zero—covid strategy. crowd shouts. but after three years of draconian restrictions, people had seemingly had enough. an unprecedented wave of protests swept across many towns and cities in china.

under huge pressure, the government scrapped a policy it had spent three years saying was vital for public health. what is really the legitimacy of the chinese government? it is still largely resting on providing a reasonable level of income, providing a reasonable level of living standard for its ordinary population. so economically, the economy still prioritised over, in this case, pandemic control, so i think the message has been quite clear from the government in december, for the central economic work conference, it's mostly about saving the economy in 2023. and the impact of that decision is already being seen in china's hospitals. the lifting of restrictions has led to a huge surge in covid cases, with the world health organization accusing the government of vastly under—reporting the death toll. there are fears the virus is out of control and that the coming holidays will make that even worse. joe inwood, bbc news.

thousands of pilgrims descended on the historic town of lalibela in ethiopia on saturday, to celebrate orthodox christmas. ( gfx) it was the first time pilgrims came to the town since the conflict in tigray began in 2020, which disrupted all spheres of life in the country. with a surprise ceasefire declared on november 2nd, citizens have more than one reason to rejoice. the bbc�*s daniel dadzie reports. peace at last after two years of war. thousands of worshippers have travelled from far and near to mark the ancient tradition of orthodox christmas in africa's largest christian site. the medieval church as he became a world heritage site in 1978. they important for christians as places of pilgrimage and devotion. but this year, ceremony are special. it is laced with the relief of a country recovering from war. last year we were in our home crying and normally we always come here for christmas, but i could not come for the last two yea rs. more than the pandemic, the war was scary because it

was a massacre that was visible to our naked eyes. i couldn't come and celebrate it because i was afraid. not long ago, it was on the front line of a brutal conflict between government forces and the two tigray people's liberation front. the town changed hands four times during the fighting and miraculously, the ancient churches appear to have been spared the scars of war. there is obvious relief here that a peace deal was signed last november their memories of the war another far away. my prayer and wishes, our god may grant us freedom for myself and my country.

many problems remain, with 2.3 million people still thought to be in need after being cut off from humanitarian aid. but today's ceremony rings with the hope that life will return to normal for ethiopians. an italian man has admitted stealing more than a thousand unpublished manuscripts, many written by high—profile authors. filippo bernardini impersonated figures from the publishing industry to trick people into handing over their works. (gfx authors who were targeted include margaret atwood, ian mcewan and sally rooney. bernardini, pleaded guilty in new york to wire fraud, but his motive has never been clear. manuscripts were not found to have been leaked on the internet, nor were any ransom demands made.

it brings to mind one of my favourite authors from south america and it is almost more hazy and how this played out because it is a mystery and an enigma and it went through multiple phases of people within the publishing industry understanding something was going on but nobody could understand what. what we know now is since 2016, may have been earlier, but at the since then, he was passing himself off, he was actually working within the publishing industry and that is a key element. he was in the industry and neither lingo and physiology. he would create fake domain names and fake e—mails and even make the name is very similar existing big—name publishers and publishing companies or agencies are different elements of the publishing industry and e—mail people who had access to different manuscripts and authors, different levels of

fame and he would come up with a plausible reason he should get some of the manuscript or the entire manuscript before publication date and because he knew where things were within sight of the process of getting a book published he was pretty successful. looks like he got over 1000 manuscripts and eventually at point people within the industry actually started to cotton on to something going on. there was a spy something going on. there was a spy within their midst but nobody knew who it was so a change from a whodunnit to who is doing it. and still he was able to carry this on for many years until finally people figured it out and he was arrested. his motive is not entirely clear. did he make any money? entirely clear. did he make any mone ? ., �* ,

entirely clear. did he make any mone ? ., a ., , ., money? no. as part of his deal he does have _ money? no. as part of his deal he does have to _ money? no. as part of his deal he does have to pay _ money? no. as part of his deal he does have to pay some - he does have to pay some restitution. not made clear for what. potentially for wages he earned while he was acting in a manner injurious to various companies. unclear on that but he does have to pay $80,000 but there is no evidence he ever tried to sell the manuscripts that he caught her make black—market deals are profited and any person away from this. there were concerns from commentators that there might be some copycats of his ways and methods because actually, if you're able to do that, you can obtain large sums of cash. of can obtain large sums of cash. of someone had gotten prince harry's book before it leaked out, if someone had gotten hold of that they would have made a mint. they would have been tracked down much faster but part of what made him

successful is he was not looking for a big hit and once people started to get a sense of something here is not on the up of something here is not on the up and up they went looking for are these manuscripts popping up are these manuscripts popping up in underground markets and backroom deals and they were not. that made it much harder for people to find him. make it harder to copy this because unless you have the same rationale and no one knows what thatis, rationale and no one knows what that is, doing it for personal gain without you much faster. treasure hunters in the netherlands are hoping to find valuables worth millions, hidden by nazi soldiers during world war two. an old map believed to mark the spot where the german soldiers hid diamonds, rubies, gold and silver, was made public by the dutch national archive. the map was obtained from a german soldier after the country was freed

from nazi occupation in 19115. that's it from us for now. you can reach me on socials— i'm @ bbc vishala sp. and from all of us thanks for watching. hello there. the start of this weekend has been unsettled, thanks to low pressure, wet, windy, followed by blustery showers and sunny spells. part two of the weekend also unsettled with the same area of low pressure close by, it's going to stay pretty windy with plenty of showers rattling in from the south—west. here it is, this deep low, the centre sitting just the north of scotland on sunday, some fairly strong winds close to it's centre over the north and west of scotland. elsewhere, plenty of isobars so it is going to be another blustery day, maybe not quite as windy across inland areas that we had on saturday but lots of showers around, forming bands moving from west to east, some of them heavy with some hail, some thunder mixed in, very windy across the north and west of scotland, gusts of 60, 70 miles an hour. tending to ease down a little bit later in the day but it's going to be a blustery day wherever you are. probably the best of

the brighter and sunnier moments will be towards eastern scotland, eastern england. but a cooler day to come for all, temperatures of six to nine degrees, for most in single digits. sunday night, little change, it stays blustery, further bands of showers moving from west to east. wintry elements of them over the hills of scotland and we will see that throughout the day on sunday, maybe even down to lower levels for the early part of monday. it will turn a little bit colder across the north and the west. as that area of low pressure pulls away on monday, it allows this brief ridge of high pressure to nose in. that will tend to settle things down, kill off the showers across some southern and western areas, but they will continue to rattle into parts of scotland, maybe north—west england again, wintry elements over the hills. but an increasing chance of drier and brighter weather in the south on monday, thanks to that ridge of high pressure, and we could be up to ten or 11 degrees, still quite chilly further north. that brief ridge won't last long, it will clear away during monday night. into tuesday, it is back to square one, wet and windy conditions with this next area of low pressure moving in. so some of that rain will be quite heavy as it splashes its weight northwards and eastwards, snow on its leading edge as it bumps into the colder air

across scotland but it will revert back to rain as very much milder air pumps up from the south. and we are looking at highs of 13 or 1a degrees across southern britain. and it will be initially cold at the start of the day across the north as the milder air will spread northwards. it stays pretty unsettled for the second half of the new week as well, with further spells of wet and windy weather followed by some quieter moments, too.

this is bbc news, the headlines: russia has continued to shell various regions in ukraine despite calling for a 36—hour ceasefire for orthodox christmas celebrations. president volodymyr zelensky said vladimir putin's offer of a truce, now ended, was deceitful. he said peace in ukraine would only be restored when russian forces were expelled. kevin mccarthy has been sworn in as speaker of the us house of representatives, after 15 rounds of voting. a small group of republican rebels had derailed each previous attempt. the new speaker says it was the influence of former president trump that helped him secure the position. iran has been widely condemned after executing two more anti—government protesters. mohammad mahdi karami and seyed mohammad hosseini had appealed

against their sentences for killing a member of the security forces during nationwide protests