translation: 13 votes in favour and zero votes _ translation: 13 votes in favour and zero votes against. - translation: 13 votes in favour and zero votes against. two - and zero votes against. two abstentions. hamas pledges not to release any more hostages until the war ends, as we learn an israeli—american believed to have been taken by hamas has died. the us supreme court decides not to intervene just yet in donald trump's effort to avoid prosecution on charges he allegedly tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. i'm helena humphrey, good to have you with us. after days of negotiations to avoid a us veto, the un security council has approved a resolution demanding large scale aid deliveries to gaza. it stops short of calling for a ceasefire between israel and hamas. 13 council members voted for the resolution. the us and russia abstained. the resolution was sponsored by the uae. its ambassador to the un, says the decision �*responds to the dire situation

on the ground'. the palestinian ambassador to the un, called it a step in the right direction. but reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire — saying that 2.3 million palestinians have been fighting for their lives and facing death. meanwhile, israel's ambassador to the un criticised the resolution, and said that the �*un should have focused on the humanitarian crisis of the hostages.�* russia's ambassador to the un criticized the us for not doing more to restrain israeli operations in gaza, saying it is giving israel a license to kill civilians. this comes amid complaints that the resolution is watered down. us ambassador to the un linda thomas—greenfield said the us abstained from the vote because the council did not condemn hamas' october seventh attack on israel. here's what she said after the vote. it took many days and many, many long nights of negotiating to get this right. but, today,

this council provided a glimmer of hope amongst a sea of unimaginable suffering. today, this council called for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access. and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities. a live look at gaza now from southern israel, where the humanitarian situation remains dire. the united nations says the entire territory's population is short of food and 500,000 people are facing "catastrophic risk" of starvation. and just days before christmas, our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports from bethlehem in the israeli—occupied west bank, on the worsening situation in nearby gaza. the mood here in manger square at the heart of bethlehem is one of sadness. it is sombre and muted. normally this time

of year you would see the famous christmas tree in the middle and it would be filled with people, pilgrims and tourists. none of that is happening. the nativity church is completely empty. i was just there speaking to a priest who said he has never seen it that way before. this is because many people here have relatives inside gaza and some are taking shelter in churches inside the gaza strip, some have lost relatives in the war. this, as the situation on the ground continues to be dire. the world food programme has said there is a real threat of famine in the gaza strip. i have been in touch with parents in gaza. one father told me that he had to take his son to a hospital in the south several times, not because he was wounded but because he was wounded but because of disease as a result of lack of sanitation. that is a real issue here in the gaza strip. especially with the rainy season and people walking among stagnant water. we heard from the who about no functioning hospitals in the north of ours up. one official

said that some of the hospitals have now become hospices, a place where patients are waiting to die because of lack of supplies, of fuel, of staff. aid could not come fast enough for those who are desperate for it. the question of courses how will it get in? will it be distributed in a consistent and orderly manner? and if there is any pause, it last long enough? israel has told palestinians remaining in central gaza to move south as its military expands its operations. some 2 million palestinians have already been displaced since the war began. israel continued its bombing operations on friday. in the southern city of rafah, video shows a destroyed vehicle with bloodstains, covered up by a large sheet in the aftermath of a strike. one child was reported killed in friday's strike. the latest video released by the israel defence forces is the view from a camera strapped to a dog, running through what the idf says is a tunnel route, used by hamas as a base in gaza city. the idf says it

discovered multiple levels inside the underground network, including hideout rooms and blast doors. it say the tunnel spans hundreds of metres. we've also learned a dual us—israeli citizen reportedly abducted by hamas is now believed to have been killed during the october 7 attack in israel, according to the white house. here in washington, the supreme court has declined, for now, to decide whether former president donald trump is immune from prosecution on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election. special counseljack smith was hoping to expedite the process for the four separate charges mrtrump is facing. the trial was initially set to begin in march, but could be delayed for months — a small victory for the former president. in response to the supreme court's decision, mr trump denied the charges. on truth social, the ex—president claimed he's covered under presidential immunity as he contests the upcoming presidential election in november. the case will instead first be

heard by a federal appeals court january 9. a delegation of top us officials is expected to visit mexico on wednesday to discuss the immigration challenge at the southern border. the visit comes as the month of november saw the highest tally of migrant encounters along the border in that month on record. us customs and border protection says it processed more than 242,000 migrants last month. that's 36,000 more migrants than the same time last year. republican politicians in border states say they are "overwhelmed" including texas governor greg abbott, who signed a state law on monday that would allow officers to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally. biden�*s deliberate inaction has left texas to fend for itself. the authors of the united states constitution foresaw a

situation when the federal government would be inattentive to states that faced challenges at their borders. and in response they inserted article one section ten to the united states constitution, to empower states to take action to defend themselves and that is exactly what texas is doing. not even 2a hours after the bill was signed, civil rights groups sued to challenge the law. to better understand the lawsuit, i spoke with david donatti, senior staff attorney with the aclu of texas. texas has passed one of the most anti—immigrant laws in the country and one that to my understanding is unprecedented in the history of our nation. the law allows any police officer in the state to apprehend somebody they expect of being here illegally or being unlawfully present in the state and that law will take into effect march five, 202a.

so we sued in federal court asking forfederal court asking for federal court intervention to see to it that that law is never enforced against members of the communities that we serve. there is also a concern that this bill would conflict with the constitution. could you explain that to us? ht explain that to us? it certainly does conflict with the constitution. over 100 years of supreme court precedent confirm what is true about international law, generally, which is that a sovereign nation in this instance, the united states, has the exclusive authority to enforce its immigration regulations and, more importantly, to deport or remove people who it believes do not belong within the country. so texas is the first nation that a step forward and take on this issue into its own hands which contradict the supremacy clause of the united states constitution as well as a fundamental principle of the united states sovereignty. talking about texas, essentially taking this matter into its own hands, ijust want

to read you a comment from governor abbott. to read you a comment from governorabbott. he to read you a comment from governor abbott. he has said "biden�*s deliberate inaction has left texas to fend for itself. " of course, we know that we are seeing record numbers of arrivals at the southern border right now. how do you then think that it should be handled? first and foremost we _ should be handled? first and foremost we need _ should be handled? first and foremost we need to - should be handled? first and i foremost we need to emphasise that these are human beings we are talking about and so when we talk about record numbers, we talk about record numbers, we have to acknowledge where people are coming from and why it is that they are fleeing to our shores seeking safety. the groups that are approaching texas at this moment are very diverse, they come from all over the world. they come from not only light places like venezuelan haiti, places like the middle east, africa and asia and they are coming here because they need to to survive. we are also seeing an increase in the number of people coming with young children as families because the places where they are coming from a no longer sustainable or habitable to them. so i believe that we need

to start from the fundamental principle that these are human beings who have rights under international and united states law. the biden administration has taken several actions, some of which support migrants, the others of which we have criticised on the record. fundamentally, the issue here is that this is a prerogative of the united states is a federal government and it cannot be up to a state like texas to enforce its own vision of who belongs and who can be removed. texas goveror abbott has also bussed tens of thousands of migrants from texas to mostly democrat—run cities. the operation began in april of last year, and since then over 75,000 migrants have been bussed across the country. this includes over 27,000 to new york city, over 22,000 migrants to chicago, illinois. and over 12,000 migrants to washington, dc. and for the first time, governor abbott chartered a private flight of over 100 migrants to chicago, which launched lawsuits against companies transporting migrants. the chicago mayor described the state some migrants are in when they

arrive to the city. the conditions in which people are arriving in chicago are quite disturbing. the people who are the borders, sleeping outside in the cold, out in the rain, trekking through thousands of miles ofjungles, being forced onto buses without any clear direction of where they are going, you have a governor in texas who could care less about those families. and literally dropping them off notjust in chicago but anywhere and everywhere. it is wicked. the us has announced the expansion of a naval protection force to ward off attacks in the red sea. operation prosperity will now also involve uk and european forces. but that hasn't stopped more shipping firms from suspending traffic through the suez canal, including german giant hapag—lloyd. their spokesman, nils haupt, has been speaking to the bbc. there is an international coalition which is going to

help merchant shipping but we need to see how this is working out, what is of utmost importance is the security of the crew, of the vessels and of the crew, of the vessels and of the customers. if this is not guaranteed then we will not go through the canal. we need to protect our people and we need to protect the vessels. so we have to see. we are not talking about crooks in the desert, we are talking about terrorism and our industry is not prepared for terrorism. we are prepared for terrorism. we are prepared for lots of stuff and we've experienced lots of stuff in the past decade but this is totally new and we need to just get used to that and as long as this is not working out for our people and for the residents and for the entire industry we would rather go around the cape of good hope. the biden administration is expanding its powers to penalise financial instutions that help russia evade sanctions. the white house is threatening to cut off access to the us financial system to banks which help facilitate significant transactions relating to russia's military industrial base.

an executive order signed by president biden also allows the us to broaden import bans on russian products like seafood and diamonds. ever since russia invaded ukraine, the us has targeted russia's economy to punish it. as the war in ukraine approaches its second year, and the un security council increasingly finds its attention focused in the israel—gaza war. the international rescue committee is sounding the alarm that some of the most pressing humanitarian crises of our time are currently unfolding on the african continent and will only get worse without global action in 2024. earlier i spoke to david miliband, the ceo and president of that organisation, and the former british foreign secretary. so much about global attention this year has been fixed so much about global attention this year has been fixed on so much about global attention this year has been fixed on the war in ukraine stop now the israel and gaza will, naturally. what does this mean for other humanitarian crises around the world? where do you

think that our global attention might be lacking? the think that our global attention might be lacking?— might be lacking? the irc international _ might be lacking? the irc international rescue - might be lacking? the irc- international rescue committee is active in ukraine and in gaza, but we are deeply concerned that other crises involving tens of millions of people are frankly been ignored at the moment. we'vejust published our emergency watchlist, looking at the top 20 crises of the coming year, based on 65 quantitative and qualitative indicators and it's actually sudan that is number one on the list, 25 million people in medicine area need, eight out of the top ten crises of 2024 that we forecast are in africa and in total about 260 million people are covered by those 20 countries in humanitarian aid sol those 20 countries in humanitarian aid so i think there is a real necessity obviously to do justice to the crisis in gaza, the ongoing war in ukraine, but i would plead that we don't forget about these other crises as well

because what we do know is that when humanitarian aid is neglected, that leads to further political instability. you mentioned the african continent there. your organisation emphasises that conflict and climate change are increasingly converging. we just had cop28 in dubai and we saw the pledge to transition away from the use of fossil fuels. is that good enough, do you think, does that go far enough when we're faced with these global crises? the short answer is _ these global crises? the short answer is no _ these global crises? the short answer is no for _ these global crises? the short answer is no for a _ these global crises? the short answer is no for a very - these global crises? the short answer is no for a very simple | answer is no for a very simple reason, that whatever happens in the future to transition away from fossil fuels is not going to do anything about the greenhouse gases that already are in the atmosphere and that are in the atmosphere and that are creating a climate crisis insignificant parts of africa. it's increasingly clear that crisis to do with the climate and crisis to do with political division are interacting with each other. the pressure on resources that comes from the climate is exacerbating the

drivers of conflict to the extent that the top 14 countries in the watchlist, i4 countries in the watchlist, 14 of the top 20 countries in the watchlist are not just conflict states, they are all similar top quartile of climate stress top quartile of climate stress to states because at the moment the more fragile the country, the more fragile the country, the less likely it is to get help with adapting to climate change and thatjust change and that just exacerbates change and thatjust exacerbates the dangers that these countries face. j do exacerbates the dangers that these countries face. i do also want to ask — these countries face. i do also want to ask you _ these countries face. i do also want to ask you about - these countries face. i do also want to ask you about how- these countries face. i do also| want to ask you about how you assess the power of international institutions right now because we have seen a lot of wrangling at the un security council over resolutions in the israel and gaza war. we've also seen parties to conflict failing to uphold the responsibility to protect humanitarian access. is international humanitarian law international humanitarian law international institutions facing their own crisis right now? , . , , ~ , now? yes. the crisis the bible is for peeple _ now? yes. the crisis the bible is for people on _ now? yes. the crisis the bible

is for people on the _ now? yes. the crisis the bible is for people on the ground, i is for people on the ground, aid workers and civilians, is frankly astonishing, but worth repeating that 90% of the victims of war today are not soldiers, they are civilians. that speaks to the erosion of international norms in respect of civilian protection and frankly humanitarian aid which is meant to be a legal right for civilians caught up in fighting. we are thing state actors and nonstate actors increasingly acting with impunity in the crises where we work, civilians paying the price. work, civilians paying the rice. ., ~' ., work, civilians paying the rice. m . ., , price. talking about civilians -a in: price. talking about civilians paying the — price. talking about civilians paying the price _ price. talking about civilians paying the price for - price. talking about civilians paying the price for one - price. talking about civilians | paying the price for one thing that's really striking if you take the example, the situation in gaza, women, children are being disproportionately killed among the civilian population. i heard you say recently a quote, to be a successful monitoring organisation you need to be a feminist organisation. tell us more about what you meant by that. what i meant was very simple. we have to recognise that the

majority of clients of humanitarian organisations are women and girls. that those women and girls. that those women and girls face multiple inequalities notjust the displacement that men and boys face, notjust the impunity that men and boys face, but extra poverty, extra violence, extra poverty, extra violence, extra impunity against them. levels of sexual violence against women and girls, levels of extreme poverty and exploitation, nevermind early marriage, the extra attention needed for little girls is not yet arriving, just once statistic to back that up, less than 2% of global humanitarian aid spending goes to women led organisations despite the fact that women and girls are the majority in these circumstances. we know from our own experience as well as our own experience as well as our own research that when the social programmes and vitally the economic programmes for economic independence are brought together, women and girls can benefit enormously

evenin girls can benefit enormously even in dire situations of crisis. �* ., ., ~ crisis. but when we are talking about this _ crisis. but when we are talking about this level _ crisis. but when we are talking about this level of _ crisis. but when we are talking about this level of global - about this level of global turmoil, i wonder, about this level of global turmoil, iwonder, in about this level of global turmoil, i wonder, in yourjob, do you ever worry that we're just getting used to this because if you take a little what's happening here in the us right now, for example, just one example, tremendous difficulty more aid through congress to ukraine, for example. do you think that these kinds of conflicts are becoming normalised? yes, that is the great _ becoming normalised? yes, that is the great danger. _ becoming normalised? yes, that is the great danger. 260 - is the great danger. 260 million people in 20 countries dependent on humanitarian aid to survive is not normal. that's a fourfold increase over the last ten years. it takes politics to stop the killing of humanitarian aid and effective humanitarian aid and effective humanitarian action can stop the dying and staunch the dying and that's what we are in business to do, we depend on governments but also the voters, the taxpayers, the donors who underpinned them, to make sure that we don't forget that in this world there is

increasingly connected world, problems that start in one continent don't stay on the continent.— continent don't stay on the continent. ., ~ ., continent. talking about those taxpayers. _ continent. talking about those taxpayers, boaters, _ continent. talking about those taxpayers, boaters, ordinary. taxpayers, boaters, ordinary people, i guess, taxpayers, boaters, ordinary people, iguess, people taxpayers, boaters, ordinary people, i guess, people who are watching this to find it all very difficult to process, when all of this is happening around the world, for those people who feel touched, who feel concerned, what can they do? living in the united states, they can make a difference locally, the international rescue committee is unique among international ngos because we're both a humanitarian aid organisation in places far but we are also a refugee resettlement organisation in 30 cities across the united states and the biden administration has expanded the number of people who are illegally organised to come to the us to start a new life after suffering persecution in their own country. in 30 cities around the us those people don'tjust depend on professional irc workers but local volunteers to

be their bodies, their english teachers, the navigators for the health system or the employment system. so there is a practical way in which your viewers can make a difference as well as learning about the crises and using their voice about those issues that are further away.— about those issues that are further away. david miliband, resident further away. david miliband, president and _ further away. david miliband, president and ceo _ further away. david miliband, president and ceo of- president and ceo of international rescue committee and a former british foreign secretary. thank you for your time. ., ~' ,, secretary. thank you for your time. ., ~ . secretary. thank you for your time. ., . ., time. thank you so much for our time. thank you so much for your coverage. _ let's turn to some important news around the world. japan announced on friday it is preparing to ship patriot missiles to the united states, shortly after it revised arms export guidelines for the first time in nine years. deadly weapons exports are strictly limited under japan's pacificst constitution introduced after world war ii. the announcement comes as japan seeks to boost its defence industry. millions of people are on the move across the uk as the christmas getaway begins. there have been queues at the port of dover, a surge in demand for ferries caused by yesterday's eurotunnel strike in france.

and road and rail travel is also heavy amid network rail disuptions, with more than 13 million journeys predicted between today and sunday. if you haven't bought a christmas tree yet, you might want to get a move on. but before you do, have you thought about the environmental impact? millions of young christmas trees are harvested every year, from plantations which, in most cases, are being treated with chemicals to encourage growth. in france, where the growing area is the burgundy mountains, local activists are demanding that we change our habits. hugh schofield reports. for some people up here in the hills, christmas trees are not an ancient festive symbol but an ecological danger. in this small plantation, you can see the effects of chemical treatment. the ground beneath is dead. good for the trees — no competition, no predators — bad for wildlife, bad for rivers. for muriel, a local farmer and activist, the conclusion is clear — we must wean ourselves off our seasonal

need for baby firs. translation: we all remember our childhood — the decorations, the smell of the christmas tree. but, come on, times have changed. we are in an ecological transition, a climate transition. everything that pollutes has got to stop. more than a million saplings are being cut every year in the burgundy hills and then transported in lorries down to cities like here in paris, where there is evidence that consumers increasingly are asking questions about how christmas trees are cultivated and the potential consequences for the environment. translation: the environment is definitely part of my - decision, but it's tough. do i buy a tree which will last for two weeks, or something plastic, which has to come from a factory? translation: where they grow the trees, i guarantee they're i using a heap of chemicals, i and that's land that could be used for other purposes.

back in the burgundy hills, that growing awareness among consumers is having an effect. here at one of the biggest producers, two weeks before christmas and it's the end of the rush. most of this year's trees have been netted and dispatched. it's a moment to show off what they say is the progress that has been made towards more responsible cultivation here. here, for example, by reducing treatments, they've ensured there's still life among the trees. translation: we've made huge progress, and today our- plantations have become a refuge for biodiversity. there are plants and animals. it's out of respect for this beautiful countryside, which we love too. producers argue that christmas trees take up only i% of viable agricultural land in this area. that's true, but it's also true that the cultivation is almost entirely non—organic and that inevitably has some consequences on the natural world all around. hugh schofield, bbc news in the burgundy hills.

you are watching bbc news. i am helena humphrey in washington, dc. thanks for your company. remember there is plenty of news, analysis and features on our website, bbc.com/news. you can always follow me on x, formerly twitter,. and enjoyed me again at the top of the hour. goodbye for now. hello there. christmas, for most of us, looks likely to be a mild one. in fact, on friday we had a pretty typical story, quite a lot of cloud around and temperatures 13 degrees across the south coast. but look at this, in the northern isles, just a daytime maximum

of one celsius. and yes, there were some snow showers as well. that's because the far north east scotland stuck in this cold air. this weather front the dividing line between cloudy and milder conditions down to the south. but as that weather front bumps into the cold air, we're likely to see some snow, 2—10 centimetres forming across higher ground. gradually, that snow will revert back to rain through the day, some of it quite heavy across western and central scotland. cloudier, damp conditions at further south and west. the best of the breaks in the cloud, perhaps east anglia and south—east england. but it is going to be another mild story for most of us. once again, 12—13 degrees, but staying in that cooler air for the far north—east of scotland. now, as we move into christmas eve, once again, the wind direction subtly changes to a southwesterly. milderstill, but look how many isobars. christmas eve is going to be a windy day. so if you're heading off to friends and family, keep abreast of the forecast. tune in to your bbc local radio station for traffic updates. there will be outbreaks

of rain as well coming in from the west at times. but again, it will be mild for most of us with those temperatures potentially 15 degrees. it has the potential, christmas eve, to be the warmest on record. we'll keep you posted with developments of that. as we move out of christmas eve into christmas day, well, we are likely to see some rain around. little and change in the forecast. it stays quite mild for most of us, there will be outbreaks of rain. still in that colder air across scotland, so here we could see a few flakes of snow in those showers. but it's a great day for staying indoors and indulging, really, particularly where that wet weather is sitting and those temperatures peaking, once again, generally between 9—14 degrees. but there is a glimmer of good news as we head towards boxing day. the weather fronts will gradually ease away. a ridge of high pressure builds. so if you want to get out, get some fresh air and walk off some of the excess of christmas day, you have a chance to do that on boxing day. dry, settled,

and sunny for most. merry christmas.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. as an art critic and

ajournalist, ifeel like a very lucky man indeed, because i get to spend tons