joining us on bbc 'oining us on bbc m russia has launched one of its biggest aerial attacks on ukraine since the war began, killing at least 18 people in a wave of deadly explosions across the country. president volodymyr zelensky says 114 of 158 missiles and drones fired were shot down by ukrainian defences. ukraine's air force says it has "never seen so many locations targeted simultaneously". cities hit include kyiv, lviv in the west, odesa in the south, and dnipro, kharkiv and zaporizhzhia in eastern ukraine. a maternity hospital and shopping mall were among buildings damaged and destroyed. and poland says a search is underway after an unidentified aerial object entered the nato country's airspace from the direction of ukraine at hrubieszow.

poland's president has called an emergency meeting of security chiefs. on from kyiv, our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports: prize. air defences have improved here, but this attack proved too much. translation: l much. translation: ., , ., ~ , much. translation: ., translation: i was woken up at half ast seven translation: i was woken up at half past seven by — translation: i was woken up at half past seven by a _ translation: i was woken up at half past seven by a horrible _ translation: i was woken up at half past seven by a horrible sound, - translation: i was woken up at half past seven by a horrible sound, it - past seven by a horrible sound, it was so frightening, the missile was flying and everything was buzzing, so noisy. flying and everything was buzzing, so nois . ., . ., flying and everything was buzzing, so nois . ., ., ., ., , so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was _ so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was a _ so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was a direct _ so noisy. you are left in no doubt that this was a direct missile - that this was a direct missile strikes, the scale of the damage cover the size of the blast zone, the heat caused. you are more used to seeing damage caused by falling debris when a missile is intercepted, but this reflects the scale of this russian attack, and seems like this are being replicated right across ukraine. a lucky escape in kharkiv in the north—east. this city is familiar with missile strikes, but not 20 in a single morning. a shopping centre in dnipro

in the east, as well as a maternity hospital were hit. it did not stop there. this is the port city of 0desa in the south where a residential block was struck. even in lviv in the west which is usually spared the worst of this invasion, they were not immune this time. ukraine's airforce says they were not immune this time. ukraine's air force says it has never seen so many missiles. in a war where a moscow routinely strikes cities it can't occupy, that is saying something. and this is the point, this is a broader tactic by russia, to try and suppress the ukrainian population by trying to make people think that nowhere is safe. chimney the temptation here is to try and make a link or to try to work out why russia has done this. it has been a week joining me is 0lga ivshina — from the bbc�*s russian service...what message is the kremlin sending?

the death toll is rising very sharply,... despite the standstill on the front we haven't seen any... in the past few months. but these attractions as pugin�*s ambitions are still there. and also this shows the thought that some have expressed for a while that russia may be preparing for more strikes in winter because these winter strikes, they put more pressure on ukrainian infrastructure, on ukrainian economy and also on the psychology of ordinary ukrainians. they make day—to—day life way harder, especially bearing in mind it is very cold currently in kyiv, it is minus temperatures and also putin's audience in russia, it is also sending the message that he is in the game, he still has those ambitions and maybe he is trying to project an image that he is still in

control, especially for the audience within the country because if you ask ordinary russians, there is not that much for them to remember these 23 years back during 2023, and these strikes may project the image that he is strong because he next year he has a presidential election. {lila he is strong because he next year he has a presidential election.— has a presidential election. ok, or no from has a presidential election. ok, or go from the _ has a presidential election. ok, or go from the bbc's _ has a presidential election. ok, or go from the bbc's russian - has a presidential election. 0k, or| go from the bbc's russian service, go from the bbc�*s russian service, thank you. joining me now is dr precious chatterjee doody — professor in politcs and international studies at the open university. what do you make of the timing of this? , , , this? the timing is very interesting because this _ this? the timing is very interesting because this comes _ this? the timing is very interesting because this comes immediately i this? the timing is very interesting i because this comes immediately after the dramatic hitching of a warship in crimea, which unusually the russians acknowledged happened, but of course the sheer scale and coordinated nature of these missile attacks makes it clear that it has beenin attacks makes it clear that it has been in the offing for quite some time, so i think it is part of a

broader trend with leadership to attack infrastructural targets right attack infrastructural targets right at the worst point of winter, both to make sure that they have the greatest impact in a practical sense, but also to create a sort of psychological residence because people will be struggling with the aftermath of this attack, of course. and also coming a day after the us congress signed off what fully moment might be the last significant aid package. that is interesting, isn't it, that the us ambassador in ukraine has basically pointed to this and said, this is why more funding is needed?— this and said, this is why more funding is needed? yes, precisely. obviously the _ funding is needed? yes, precisely. obviously the russian _ funding is needed? yes, precisely. obviously the russian leadership l funding is needed? yes, precisely. l obviously the russian leadership has been very closely watching the internal debates in the us and funding is very much closely tied to the us domestic politics, but it is very clear that if further support is not forthcoming, then ukraine is going to absolutely struggle and its success in the war is so much

contingent on that support, so it is clear that russia is watching that very, very closely. this clear that russia is watching that very. very closely-— very, very closely. as we go into 2024, how _ very, very closely. as we go into 2024, how would _ very, very closely. as we go into 2024, how would you _ very, very closely. as we go into 2024, how would you assess - very, very closely. as we go into 2024, how would you assess the situation here? we are approaching the anniversary of the hostilities. it is difficult to i guess give a prognosis about how this is likely to pan out because there are so many variables at risk. 0bviously ukraine has put up a far greater resistance to the russian aggression than would have been imagined beforehand, i think. that is partly because of the absolute resolute nature of the ukrainian people and the ukrainian leadership and their ability to generate significant social support, but also it is down to international support and it is contingent on that. now, we have heard recent comments from the russian side about their ongoing commitment to the war. they are making a really big attempt

to try and portray the continuation of the war as basically a continual trajectory, that they set out with aims of the so—called denazification of ukraine, essentially they want to change ukraine's leadership to a friendlier one, and they are basically playing the line over and over that this will not change, that the war will not end until they have achieved those objectives, that they are making significant inroads now. that is the main line we are seeing on russian state tv. so it is clear they are in it for the long haul, they are in it for the long haul, they want to keep sight of those mission objectives. for ukraine, of course, the key objective is keeping its own sovereignty and its own independence, and that really is a fight for survival, so in a way things haven't changed, despite the fact we are now coming up to the second anniversary of the war. find second anniversary of the war. and in terms of — second anniversary of the war. and in terms of the _ second anniversary of the war. and in terms of the psychological impact on the ukrainian people, such a widespread attack as this today, people presumably worried about the feeling that nowhere effectively is

out of range?— out of range? yes, i think that is absolutely _ out of range? yes, i think that is absolutely right. _ out of range? yes, i think that is absolutely right. we _ out of range? yes, i think that is absolutely right. we know- out of range? yes, i think that is absolutely right. we know that l out of range? yes, i think that is l absolutely right. we know that the russian leadership very often does calibrate its attacks for what i would call a kind of maximal cinematic effect, almost. so we have seen this wide range of attacks that makes it clear that nowhere in the country is safe and we also, the timing, apart from being important in terms of strategic aims, it comes as ukraine is celebrating christmas, according to a western calendar, rather than the orthodox calendar. that is significant as well in a symbolic sense because that kind of hints that this rupture between ukraine and russia and ukraine's westwood facing orientation now. so all of this is really important, i think, it is essentially creating that clear line that, you know, this is about keeping ukraine within russia's orbit and for ukrainians it is absolutely about exerting their independence, but no, they are not

going to be feeling at all secure now, i think, going to be feeling at all secure now, ithink, it going to be feeling at all secure now, i think, it has really made a significant impact quite psychologically.- significant impact quite -s cholouicall . , . ., , psychologically. ok, dr precious chatterje-doody, _ psychologically. ok, dr precious chatterje-doody, thank - psychologically. ok, dr precious chatterje-doody, thank you - psychologically. ok, dr precious chatterje-doody, thank you forl psychologically. ok, dr precious - chatterje-doody, thank you for your chatterje—doody, thank you for your time. the united nations says an estimated 150,000 palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central gaza as israeli forces advance on refugee camps there. an israeli air strike is reported to have killed 20 displaced people in rafah, a town that many people have fled to in recent days. meanwhile, talks to end the conflict are reported to have restarted in egypt. 0ur middle east correspondent, yolande knell, has sent this report. a warning that it does contain distressing images. gathering in disbelief at the scene of another israeli strike. this is rafah, crowded with displaced gazans. last night, the scenes here were frantic, with 20 people killed, including children. 0thers somehow making it out alive. amid all this suffering,

ordinary palestinians ask when the war will stop. "the situation has gone byond all limits," says samad. "we're asking the world to protect us and stop the aggression. "we're helpless." ongoing fighting means little aid has been reaching gaza city. new pictures show the desperate looting when this convoy finally arrived. the vast majority of gazans have now been forced from their homes. people here have been setting up new makeshift camps as they've fled from advancing israeli troops. but new diplomatic efforts are taking shape even are taking shape, even as the war rages on. a hamas delegation is now in cairo after egypt, a key mediator with israel, proposed a new ceasefire deal. crowd chants. in israel there is pressure to find a way to bring home the 100—plus hostages still in gaza. those released during a truce last month say they endured harsh conditions while held captive

by hamas fighters. this person now accuses all gazans of being complicit with the armed group, something many would deny. translation: it's families under hamas control. - you know, in retrospect i realised i was staying with a family. i was asking myself, "why am i at a family's house? "why are there children and a woman here?" israel says its aim in gaza remains to dismantle hamas's military and governing capabilities. but for now, palestinian civilians are paying a huge price — forced to flee from their homes with no safe place to go. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. israel has expressed regret for what it called the "harm caused to uninvolved individuals" who were caught in an israeli air strike on the maghazi refugee camp in gaza. the hamas—run health ministry says more than 70 people were killed in the attack on christmas eve. the israeli military says two fighterjets struck buildings

close to hamas positions, which likely caused harm to civilians, despite efforts to avoid casualties. it said it was continuing to investigate the incident and would learn lessons. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a clean—up operation is taking place after around 100 homes were damaged by a tornado in stalybridge, in greater manchester, during storm gerrit. it tore roofs off some houses, blew over trees and damaged cars. thousands of homes in wales and scotland were left without power. the chief inspector of prisons for england and wales has called for a fundamental re—orientation in the way the system is run. charlie taylor said the high availability of drugs in some prisons was a barrier to rehabilitation. he said many inmates were failing to learn to read

and not developing the skills they need for a life of work, rather than crime. the french tycoon francoise bettencourt meyers has become the first woman to amass a fortune of $100 billion. it comes after shares in l'0real, the beauty empire founded by her grandfather, rose to a record high. you're live with bbc news. sport and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh ferris: hello from the bbc sport centre. the busy festive period in the english premier league has just one day off between christmas and new year. it's today, friday, and this is the picture at the top of the table after arsenal failed to go back above liverpool. jurgen klopp's side have to wait until monday before their next game, so they might not still be at the summit by then and then they will have to deal with losing mo salah

to the africa cup of nations for around a month. it is not a first time, it is a really... at least very average situation that you lose your goal scorer, but in the past we had it, mo left, we knew had to get through this, so we knew that at least a cup of nations frontage time appears and mo has to go and it is like this. we will deal with it, we have two and we will. liverpool's game is against newcastle, who are down in ninth after four defeats in their last five league games. throw in two cup exits and things are tough for manager eddie howe, but he hasn't been given any promises that he will have money to spend in the january transfer window to try and fix their problems. i have been very, very reluctant here to make excuses at all because i don't think that serves me well for the future or us well in these

situations. with a calm head and when you analyse it, there is a lot to take many months, of experiences to take many months, of experiences to learn from, but we are very calm with the players we have, there is a lot of good in our squad and we are very positive about the future. carlo ancelotti has extended his contract with real madrid, appearing to end speculation linking him with the brazil national team job. the italian now has a deal at the bernabeu until the end of the 2025/26 season, extending his second spell at the spanish club with whom he has won two champions leagues and last season's la liga title. the detroit pistons have lost for the 28th time in a row, equalling the nba record for a run of defeats. their latest came against the boston celtics, with the pistons losing 128—122, despite at one stage being ahead by 21 points. they've now matched that 28 game mark set by philadelphia between 2015 and 2016, but they're the first to lose that many in a row during a single season, and on that sort of run the last thing you want is to face questions. we have lost a lot of games, everybody knows that.

they bring a spirit, they hear everything that people have to say about them and us because they are on social media and it doesn't sway them from doing theirjobs. we are just so close to not just winning one game, but winning a lot of games if we play that way. australia's cricketers have sealed a series win over pakistan. they've beaten the tourists by 79 runs in melbourne, with their captain, pat cummins, finishing with 10 wickets in the match. he helped bowl pakistan out for 237 in their second innings, as they chased 317 for victory. as they chased 317 for victory at the mcg. pakistan had looked well set to get close to that target at 219—5 at one stage, but they then lost wickets quickly and australia take an unassailable 2—0 lead in the three—match series. the third test starts in sydney on tuesday. after almost a year out, rafa nadal will return to action at the brisbane international ahead of a year that may well be his last. nadal�*s last competitive match was injanuary at the australian open, which he's preparing for here. after missing the other three slams in 2023,

he's slipped out of the world's top 600 and says he's realistic about his chances of winning more titles in 2024. for me it is impossible to think about winning tournaments today, but what is really possible is to think to enjoy the comeback to the court. no, i don't expect much. it is going to be a tough process at the beginning. nothing is impossible, but at the end, for me, just to be here is a victory and i hope i am going to have the chance to enjoy, and the crowd as well. more sports stories on our website and app, of course, but that is it for now. thanks. donald trump's 2024 election campaign says it will file a legal challenge to a ruling by the us state of maine to prevent him contesting the public and primary there. maine is the second state to announce such a move,

after colorado, with officials in both citing a clause in the constitution which bans those who have engaged in insurrection from taking political office. the us supreme court is likely to make the ultimate decision as to whether he can run for president. the decision in maine was taken by the secretary of state, shenna bellows. she told the bbc why she had acted as she did. no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection. the events of january 6th were tragic and unprecedented, and the evidence presented in the hearing before me that i was duty—bound to rule upon indicated that january 6th 2021 was, in fact, an insurrection and mr trump did, in fact, engage in that insurrection. live now to our correspondent in washington, shingai nyoka. hello. we heard colorado first, then maine. are we expecting any other state to follow suit?—

state to follow suit? several other states are weighing _ state to follow suit? several other states are weighing in _ state to follow suit? several other states are weighing in on - state to follow suit? several other states are weighing in on that - states are weighing in on that matter and others, including the state of michigan, have already decided that donald trump can remain on those ballots and so, it is a very divisive issue here, with no clear outcome until the supreme court weighs in on that decision. and donald trump's campaign team have already responded, they have said they will appeal this ruling. they said that the decision by the secretary of state, who we heard from there, and she is a democrat, by the way, they said this is a real—time effort to try to steal these elections that will take place in november next year. the response there from trump, _ in november next year. the response there from trump, in _ in november next year. the response there from trump, in terms _ in november next year. the response there from trump, in terms of- in november next year. the response there from trump, in terms of the - there from trump, in terms of the democrat so any presidential response, is there anything from the democrats?— democrats? there hasn't been a resonse democrats? there hasn't been a response yet _ democrats? there hasn't been a response yet from _ democrats? there hasn't been a response yet from the _ democrats? there hasn't been a l response yet from the democrats, democrats? there hasn't been a - response yet from the democrats, but this is an issue which has really

divided us, questions about whether the former president donald trump should be or whether he is eligible to be on that ballot, as a result of that insurrection or attempted insurrection on january six, 2021, many believe that the electorate should be the ones to decide that was part of the former rulings by some of those courts, that it is not up some of those courts, that it is not up to the courts to decide who should run for president, that it is “p should run for president, that it is up to the people who should do so. ok, up to the people who should do so. 0k, shingai nyoka, for now, thank you. you can find much more on the us presidential election in a special section of our website. it's called a really simple guide and you'll find everything you need to understand how the process works, from getting chosen as a candidate to the debates and what it takes to win. let's return to our top story, one of russia's biggest aerial attacks on ukraine since the war

began, which has killed at least 16 people in a wave of deadly explosions across the country. live now to kyiv and our correspondent james waterhouse. good to talk to you again. these are such extensive strikes across ukraine. how has the ukrainian public reacted in terms of the psychological impact of all this? i think it is difficult to say. i mean, what you see time and time again, certainly in a really immediate sense, is you see people's routines, their normal mornings, in this case, disrupted. you see people react to incredibly loud, powerful explosions, they make windows rattle, they spread fear and people head to the shelters. but then what follows, wants the all clear is given, is that people then resume with the day that they might have been planning on having. but what comes with that restart is a realisation of the damage caused and

it is a constant, if you like, of the last two years that russia has persisted in its tactic of trying to suppress the entire ukrainian population by targeting cities with missiles and drones that it can't necessarily occupy. its goal is to try and lessen people's appetite to continue to mount the defence it has in this warand continue to mount the defence it has in this war and i think while there is a continuation of this tactic, this morning is a scale we just have not seen before. when you have the country's air force saying, we have never seen so many missiles coming in on our monitors, when you think about how many have been reported, more than 115 missiles entrance, plate we have seen a lot of the iranians heat drones, they are far cheaper than the ballistic missiles, but this time around it is a different story as well, russia really wanted to make a point this morning by using its longer range, even more deadly missiles. the level of destruction is something kyiv hasn't seen in a very long time, but the point russia is trying to make

is less clear, i think, and that is a link that is always very difficult to make, but this is a continuation of its tactic as it continues to try to take more of ukraine. find of its tactic as it continues to try to take more of ukraine. and what it has done is — to take more of ukraine. and what it has done is lead _ to take more of ukraine. and what it has done is lead to _ to take more of ukraine. and what it has done is lead to more _ to take more of ukraine. and what it has done is lead to more calls, - to take more of ukraine. and what it has done is lead to more calls, the l has done is lead to more calls, the us ambassador in ukraine has again said, this show is the reason that ukraine needs the funding, which at the moment isn't necessarily forthcoming either from the the moment isn't necessarily forthcoming eitherfrom the us or the eu. forthcoming either from the us or the eu. ., ., , , ., the eu. no, i mean, this is as difficult as— the eu. no, i mean, this is as difficult as it _ the eu. no, i mean, this is as difficult as it has _ the eu. no, i mean, this is as difficult as it has been - the eu. no, i mean, this is as difficult as it has been for - difficult as it has been for president zelensky diplomatically, certainly. you point to the us funding. the last us approved package arrived this week. $250 million worth, it contains ammunition, some equipment and ammunition, some equipment and ammunition for the country's air defences, which have been tested. but there was also a package worth more than $50 billion, which is stuck, where there is a lack of political agreement in us congress and that is having a very real

effect here. and i think when you look at the attacks that ukraine has just enjoyed, its ability to defend itself is far from assured as we look into the coming weeks and months. , ., , . ., ., , , months. james waterhouse in kyiv, thank ou. here in the uk, tributes have been paid to a man who died after a car hit a group of people in the northern city of sheffield. police say christian marriott had stopped to help an unconscious woman after a row between two groups. his family have paid tribute, saying the "tragic and unfathomable" circumstances of his death "show "the sort of man he was — going to help, rather "than to turn away." two men have been arrested on murder charges. the us military�*s robot space plane has blasted off from florida on its seventh mission. it was carried into orbit by a spacex falcon heavy rocket for the first time. there it goes. the pentagon says the orbital vehicle will carry out a series

of classified experiments during its mission. its last trip lasted more than 900 days. stay with us here on bbc news. plenty more to come. good afternoon. we're about to say goodbye to 2023 and if that, for you, involves travel plans, you need to keep abreast of the weather forecast because, as we head into the weekend, there's more further heavy rain to come and snow is likely even at lower levels in the far north for a time and a risk of gales, particularly down to the south. it is this area of low pressure. it arrives during saturday, sweeps its way eastwards during the early hours of sunday and leaves a trail of showers to follow. we have seen some showers around today, chiefly across northern ireland and northern england and some making their way through wales, towards the midlands and the south—east as we speak. they will continue for a time,

but tend to fade a little as we go through the night and we'll have some clearing skies. still some showers and strong winds into the far north—east of scotland, but here's the first signs of that heavy rain out to the west. milder weather here, but it could be a bitterly cold, frosty, icy start in sheltered rural areas of scotland. dry and sunny to begin with, but then that cloud and rain will sweep its way steadily north and east. gales starting to pick up into the south—west with a spell of very heavy rain into south—west england, wales and north—west england as we go through the afternoon. it's likely to stay dry through the east midlands, east anglia and south—east england. here 12 degrees the high. a cooler story with some wintry showers developing. as the temperatures fall away in scotland, at lower levels we could see further disruptive snow through saturday night into the early hours of new year's eve first thing on sunday morning. so here's that low. it will start to push away during sunday and then leave us in quite a showery regime.

perhaps new year's eve will be a slightly quieter story. there will be a rash of showers. there will be some strong, gusty winds down to the south, but those showers will tend to fade away as we go through the day. it certainly will be a slightly quieter story across much of scotland — 6 or 7 degrees here. sunny spells and scattered showers with highs of 8—10 elsewhere. into new year's eve itself, if you are off out and about, it looks likely that it will be a cooler story with a few scattered showers around. the strongest of the winds, as you see, in the new year down to the south. then on new year's day and into tuesday will be a little bit quieter and a little bit cooler. take care.

this is bbc news. the headlines: ukraine says russia has launched a massive air attack overnight with explosions reported across the country. at least 18 people have been killed, with at least four deaths in the city of dnipro. the top election official in the us state of maine has ruled that donald trump cannot run for president next year in the state. officials say they have banned him because he incited his supporters to storm the capitol building in january 2021. israel has expanded its military operation into palestinian refugee camps in central gaza. thousands of people

have fled the area. it comes as a hamas delegation heads to cairo to give its response to an egyptian ceasefire plan. now on bbc news we look back at the lives of some of the famous and celebrated people who've passed away in 2023. # nothing compares. # nothing compares to you..#. the point at which i start crying is on the lines, "all the flowers that you planted, mama, in the backyard, all died when you went away." because as a young child, i had spent time living in the garden, only being allowed to enter the house to wash

the floor every day.