an 11—minute face—off, but who will go the distance in tomorrow's heavyweight title fight? # last christmas i gave you my heart...# and it's done it again — for the second consecutive year, the wham classic is the christmas number one. and stay with us here on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening. a christmas market in germany was turned into a scene of carnage tonight, after a car ploughed through crowds, leaving at least two people dead — including a small child — and injuring over 60. this is the scene live there now — emergency services and police

are still in attendance, and all hospitals are preparing for a mass casualty event. the suspect is said to be a 50—year—old doctor who's a saudi national and who has been in germany since 2006. the incident took place in a market in the centre of the city of magdeburg, in east germany. with more, here's frances read. confusion, chaos. there are passers by tending to those injured on the ground. what sounds like children crying. and adults too. people are looking round, bewildered at what has just happened. eyewitnesses say a car drove at speed straight into dozens upon dozens of people. just a few hours ago, this market was bustling with people shopping and socialising in the days before christmas. ambulances and emergency services scrambled to help those

they can, taking people to hospital and treating at the scene. hospitals in the area told to deal with a mass casualty event. translation: , , translation: this is a terrible tra . ed , translation: this is a terrible tragedy. it's _ translation: this is a terrible tragedy. it's a _ translation: this is a terrible tragedy, it's a catastrophe - translation: this is a terrible tragedy, it's a catastrophe for l translation: this is a terrible | tragedy, it's a catastrophe for the city of magda bird and germany in general. forthis city of magda bird and germany in general. for this to happen christmas market is hard to comprehend.— christmas market is hard to comrehend. �* ., . , comprehend. attacks on citizens in germany are _ comprehend. attacks on citizens in germany are nothing _ comprehend. attacks on citizens in germany are nothing new. - comprehend. attacks on citizens in germany are nothing new. eight. comprehend. attacks on citizens in i germany are nothing new. eight years ago an articulated lorry bowed into ago an articulated lorry bowed into a busy christmas market in the heart of berlin, killing 12 people and injuring many more. tonight, german police have arrested a doctor from saudi arabia who has been in germany since 2006. they believe an explosive device was in the car and investigators are now on site. but now they work to save lives in what has become another scene of horror. frances read, bbc news. we can speak now to our correspondent in berlin,

damien mcguinness. real shock and horror, as frances was saying at what has happened. can you bring is up—to—date with the latest. what has happened. can you bring is up-to-date with the latest.- up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing _ up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing scenes _ up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing scenes at - up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing scenes at a - up-to-date with the latest. yeah, | very distressing scenes at a festive time, when usually people will be celebrating at that christmas market, as they do across germany. local officials have been saying two people at least have been killed, one of them a small child, and it's thought that as many as 70 people could be injured, possibly around 15 seriously. 0f could be injured, possibly around 15 seriously. of course that means this is an ongoing situation because you are talking about large amounts of people and i think that's probably why officials are talking about an attack, that is the word they are using. it doesn't sound like this was a deliberate act and the suspect has been arrested. there doesn't seem to be anyone else involved. the suspected perpetrator is a 50—year—old man, originally from saudi arabia, who has been working as a doctorfor

saudi arabia, who has been working as a doctor for many years in germany, for around 20 years, in the region, and police say they have no idea why he might have carried this out. there is no suspected or no known links to islamist extremism that police or officials know about, and he doesn't have a police record, so that will be the next question, why on earth did someone who has been here so long and worked as a doctor in the region appear to have carried out something so horrific. but for now it really is about mourning is a loss of those lives and then worrying about the serious victims and the injuries that people have also suffered, so a sad night there in magdeburg right now. yes. there in magdeburg right now. yes, indeed, there in magdeburg right now. yes, indeed. many _ there in magdeburg right now. yes, indeed, many thanks, damien mcguinness reporting there. the appointment of lord peter mandelson as the next uk ambassador to the us has run into immediate controversy, as one of the masterminds of donald trump's election victory insulted him publicly within hours

of the announcement. chris lacivita said that lord mandelson was "an absolute moron...who should stay at home". his barbed remarks were triggered by lord mandelson�*s own previous strong criticism of donald trump. in a moment, we'll hear more from our correspondent in washington, but first, here's damian grammaticas in westminster. peter mandelson — from 1997, he's been at the heart of labour's successes and always controversial too. now he's back — keir starmer�*s pick for ambassador to the us, but what's emerged are unflattering comments he's made about donald trump. the american president, who is little short of a white nationalist and racist. in donald trump's camp, that's already been noted. chris lacivita, who helped run mr trump's campaign, responded within minutes of lord mandelson�*s appointment. "the uk government," he posted on x, "is replacing a professional, universally respected ambassador with an absolute moron. he should stay home.

sad!" lord mandelson�*s admirers, though, see in him an unusual ability to get close to those in power and a deep knowledge of business. he served in successive labour cabinets, as well as in brussels in a top eu trade role — something that makes him perfect to be our ambassador in the age of donald trump and possible tariff wars to come. he's got really strong experience in trade. he was, of course, an eu trade commissioner. he's got very good political contacts in washington dc, and i think his appointment would be a reflection of the importance of the us—uk special relationship. but in stark contrast to donald trump, peter mandelson is a believer in the importance of the eu, thinks brexit has done colossal damage to the uk, and wants engagement with china. so could he be a liability? is yourjob safe, mr mandelson? twice as a minister he's had to resign over scandals,

and more recently he's cultivated business links with the super wealthy — ties some think should be scrutinised. we need to have all of this stuff, which has erupted over the last few years, about contacts — both russia, china and the middle east. we need to know a little bit more about that and understand, do these and will they cause a problem? we don't want it exploding in our faces a year, two years later. but then lord mandelson�*s experience, navigating the worlds of wealth and power, playing high stakes, high politics, may also be what equips him to advocate for britain in trump's white house. damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. let's speak now to our north america correspondent, john sudworth. so this very unvarnished language was used by someone not in donald trump's administration, but nonetheless quite close to him? yeah, we don't know whether mr trump shares these views, but given that

chris lacivita was such a senior member of the campaign team, that he is inside the maga in a circle, it's no wonder there is a keen interest in these comments. he was responding to criticism made by lord mandelson in 2019 and it tells that there is a certain amount of brittleness, as we know, with mr trump and his inner circle when responding to criticism, even given the fact these were pretty stinging criticisms, but secondly, this is very undiplomatic language, very inflammatory, and given that it's directed at what is supposed to be a strategic ally of america and over a sovereign decision, over eight personnel appointment, it tells us something else, i think, appointment, it tells us something else, ithink, which appointment, it tells us something else, i think, which is whatever else, i think, which is whatever else happens, looking ahead to the next four years, we can be certain that politics and diplomacy is not going to be business as usual.

meanwhile, mrtrump going to be business as usual. meanwhile, mr trump is another very pressing issue on his hands?- pressing issue on his hands? another sin of pressing issue on his hands? another si . n of the pressing issue on his hands? another sign of the unconventional _ pressing issue on his hands? another sign of the unconventional approach. | sign of the unconventional approach. the us is once again, as it does periodically, facing a possibility of a government shutdown. the struggle to pass a funding bill, to keep government funding flowing, and this is a sign of mr trump's intervention, this has all happened because of him and again his inner circle and if agreement can't be reached, reeta, well, this will have real consequences for the american people. as the camaraderie has grown, so too have the questions over the influence the world's richest man now wields. the latest intrigue began two days ago when elon musk, who will have an unelected advisory role helping mr trump to cut government costs, weighed into congressional proceedings. in a storm of posts on his own platform, he urged republicans not to pass a crucial government funding bill

that already had bipartisan support. at 1,500 pages long, he said it was full of irresponsible spending. but what happened next, with donald trump backing mr musk�*s calls, has led democrats to wonder which of the two men is really calling the shots. it was a republican—drafted bill that was posted by house republicans, and then one or two puppet—masters weigh in, and the extreme maga republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy, the well—off, the well—connected millionaires and billionaires, not working—class people. republicans have been trying to bring forward a new slimmed—down funding bill, but democrats are furious and so far there's been no agreement. without it, a shutdown seems increasingly inevitable. the row has also raised questions about mr trump's authority in his own party.

i'm absolutely sickened! earlier, some republicans reacted furiously to his demand that congress free his administration from limits on government borrowing, scrapping the so—called debt ceiling, while promising he will act to save money. republicans have been trying to bring forward a new slimmed down funding bill, with the house currently in a last—ditch effort to secure agreement. without it, a shutdown seems increasingly inevitable. john sudworth, bbc news, washington. two men have been charged over a fight with police at manchester airport injuly, which happened before an officer was filmed stamping on a suspect�*s head. brothers mohammed amaaz, who's 20, and muhammed amaad, who's 25, were charged with assaulting police officers. they'll appear at liverpool magistrates�* court injanuary. alison freeman has the story. got him on the floor. stop being aggressive!

these were the images that sparked anger back injuly — a man apparently being assaulted by a police officer as he lay on the ground at manchester airport. but days later, footage of what happened in the moments before emerged. three police officers appeared to try to restrain a man before a second man intervenes. a fight then breaks out. two police officers are seen to be punched to the ground. today, the crown prosecution service said it had charged two men with assaults on police officers. mohammed amaaz, who's 20, faces a total of four charges, including assaulting an emergency worker, and muhammed amaad, who's 25, is charged with causing actual bodily harm. the cps has said no police officers are to be charged in connection with what happened at manchester airport, but the police watchdog, the independent 0ffice for police conduct, says its investigation into the use of force by the police is still ongoing and would end soon. shame on you!

the original piece of footage caused protests outside rochdale police station and in manchester, and today, the lawyers representing the men who've been charged released a statement. in it, they said they and their family felt betrayed and would be requesting a victim's right of review of the cps decision not to charge any of the police officers. the two men are due to appear before liverpool magistrates injanuary. alison freeman, bbc news, manchester. eight west yorkshire police officers have been dismissed following an independent office for police conduct investigation into discriminatory, offensive and bullying messages they shared on whatsapp. the ruling followed concerns raised about the behaviour of a group of officers based in pudsey in leeds. the disciplinary panel found a total of 67 allegations proven of gross misconduct. all eight officers will be prevented from being employed in policing in the future.

the government has appointed 30 new labour peers to the house of lords. they include a string of sir keir starmer loyalists and ex—mps. let's talk to our political correspondent, joe pike. and one prominent name among them — sue gray? yes, not a huge surprise to see sue gray's name there, becoming a baroness may soften the blow unsweetened life after that quite difficult departure from keir starmer�*s team. she brings a wealth of experience, some decades in government. what i think is significant and notable about today's announcement is that a prime minister who has committed to eventually getting rid of an unelected upper chamber has today announced a pre—christmas stuffing of it with 30 labour loyalists. there are also six conservatives and two lib going into the building behind me which already has 800 also members, it's the largest second chamber in the world. labour sources saying tonight there was an imbalance in that in that chamber

that needed to be corrected, to get keir starmer�*s plan for change through parliament. those names announced today, if there isn't reform, do get a job for life. it's notjust a title, is the ability to vote on legislation and also they get paid £361 a day for turning up. it's tax—free and they get travel expenses too. it's tax-free and they get travel expenses toe-— it's tax-free and they get travel expenses too. thank you, joe pike re ”ortin. in syria, there are fears that the fall of president assad could mean the islamic state group will re—emerge. the leader of the syrian democratic forces, which is led by the kurds and backed by the us, has told the bbc the present situation has made a resurgence much more likely. nearly a decade ago, islamic state controlled nearly a third of the country until the group was defeated in 2019. 0ur senior international correspondent, 0rla guerin, has travelled to the north—east of syria, an area controlled by kurdish fighters, where she was given rare access to the largest is jail in the city of al hasakah,

where 5,000 is suspects are held. the fall of assad has not freed all of syria's prisoners — with good reason, we were told. this is al—sinaa, a maximum securityjail. around 5,000 men are detained here, including some britons. cut off from the outside world and a changing syria. but local authorities warn is is planning its next moves and could use the current chaos to try a jailbreak. it's very rare to get access inside these walls. this is the biggest prison for is detainees.

the men being held here — most of them were with is until its last stand. kurdish security sources tell us that they were deeply committed to the ideology of is. we were taken to meet a detainee. hello. who didn't want to be identified. he's 28, from australia, and said he was speaking freely. do you have blood on your hands? were you involved in killing anybody with is? no, i wasn't. no, i wasn't, he said, barely audibly. 0n the key questions, he had little to say. this was is in its heyday. it brutalised one third of syria and iraq. now there are warnings that it's gearing up again. so general mazloum abdi is facing into battle. he helped defeat isis in 2019

with his mainly kurdish forces, backed by the us. translation: of course, | since the fall of the regime, there are more factors allowing is to get stronger. they have more capabilities and more chances. the prisons are more dangerous and face more threat of attack. the danger has doubled compared to before. and behind the wire, hope has grown that freedom is coming — somehow. this is roj camp, which holds families of is — around 3,000 women and children. saeeda, from dagestan, tells me she hopes syria's new rebel leader will bring freedom for her and her son, ali.

0thers believe is is coming, says the camp manager, who hides her identity because she fears for her safety. translation: they've - packed their bags, ready to go. they say we will get out of this camp soon. even their children have changed. they will say some slogans and swear at you and say "it", meaning is, is coming soon. we will come back soon and get you. the new syria has inherited plenty of threats and much unfinished business. 0rla guerin, bbc news, north—east syria. an inquest into the death of the broadcaster dr michael mosley has not been able to determine a cause. he went missing injune after going for a walk on the greek island of symi. the senior coronerfor buckinghamshire said the cause of dr mosley�*s death was most likely attributable to either heatstroke

or a unidentified disease. thousands of troops from north korea have been sent to russia in the last few months to support its invasion of ukraine. in the last week, the us, ukraine and south korea all say the soldiers have entered the fight and a significant number killed, but can they deliver the gains that vladimir putin desperately wants? 0ur seoul correspondent, jean mackenzie, has been speaking to two former north korean soldiers who defected to the south. believe the propaganda, and north korea has the toughest army in the world. but these videos, of course, mask a bleaker reality. two soldiers who've managed to escape the regime tell us they're poorly trained and underfed with many malnourished.

the soldiers kim jong—un has sent to russia are thought to belong to north korea's elite special forces. although they're the best pyongyang has, they're trained to fight in the mountains of korea, not on the front lines and flatlands of europe. how well do you think they are going to be able to adapt to the battlefields in russia and ukraine?

these videos are thought to show some of the men deployed to russia. although it's easy to dismiss them as cannon fodder, that would be a mistake, the defectors say, their loyalty and discipline will count for a lot. this loyalty could blunt hopes in kyiv and seoul that many of these troops will simply surrender. do you think we're going to see a lot of defections from the soldiers who've been sent?

it is unlikely these soldiers will turn the tide of this attritional war, but more may follow. they'll adapt quickly, the defectors say, and shouldn't be underestimated. jean mackenzie, bbc news, seoul. a children's charity has rejected a christmas donation from the outgoing archbishop of canterbury, justin welby. the children's society said that accepting a donation from the archbishop, who is its honorary president, would not have been consistent with its work supporting victims of child sex abuse. mr welby will officially quit his role injanuary over failures in handling an abuse scandal involving a man linked to the church. doctors�* leaders have welcomed government proposals to give gp surgeries an extra £900 million to help reduce red tape and improve patient care. gps would be paid incentives to ensure patients see the same family doctor at each appointment, while some performance targets would be scrapped.

the government's hoping to head off industrial action by some gps over their pay and working conditions. let's find out what's coming up on the last newsnight of the year on bbc two shortly. here's faisal... coming up, we look back at the political year in 2024 with our star panel and assess what the world will look like by the end of 2025, that is in newsnight at 10:40pm on bbc two, bbc news and iplayer. britain's tyson fury and ukraine's 0leksandr usyk have been weighing in ahead of tomorrow night's world heavyweight title in the saudia arabian capital, riyadh. they are considered two of the best heavyweight boxers of their generation. here's our sports reporter, ade adedoyin. the last time these two faced each other, it was a fight for the ages — a brilliant and brutal contest. under a heavy barrage of punches, fury wilted, his unbeaten record and air of invincibility gone.

usyk has accomplished everything in boxing, so why continue? it's not easy. it's hard. boxing is a hard sport. it's a tough sport. when my phone alarm talks to me, "hey, 0leks, 0leks, wake up! "please wake up! "time for training!" you know, like, at 5am. i don't like training, but i like boxing. do you visualise the fights? do you think about it? yes, yes, of course. what do you see? i see a winner. while the ukrainian has exuded a champion�*s confidence and swagger, fury has looked a little on edge. i've got nothing to say, apart from there's going to be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight. you watch! that's all i've got to say. talking's been done, you know. the first fight, i talked, ijoked all my career. this time, i'm serious. only three men have ever won the heavyweight title three times — muhammad ali, evander holyfield and lennox lewis. so a chance for fury to join a very exclusive club. tyson fury is out there,

trying to make history. i will he do it? he has to do some work, a lot of work, to do it. i and he's going to be in the battlefield. i so how does tyson fury win this? he's the bigger man. he's going to go out. there and use hisjab. he's got to throw a lot more punches than the first fight. _ he can't muck around. he's got to be totally serious. i think the fight's going to be even better than the first one. - the face—off at yesterday's press conference lasted 11 minutes, with neither wanting to blink first. today, it was just seven seconds. fury weighed in significantly heavier than usyk, but will that prove decisive? ade adedoyin, bbc news, riyadh. now, it's a nostalgic christmas number one and, for the second year in a row, wham's last christmas has taken the top spot. it was first released in 1984 and the late george michael had always wanted it to reach number one. here's mark savage. # well, i wish it could be christmas every day.#

the contest for christmas number one first began in 1973 when slade and wizzard released duelling festive songs. # so here it is, merry christmas.# slade's merry christmas, everybody eventually took the top spot and since then the crown has been claimed by everyone from the spice girls to ladbaby. # we built this city on sausage rolls!# — it's almost impossible to get a brand—new song into the christmas charts these days because people want to stream the old classics. and for the last seven days, wham and mariah carey have been locked in a battle for christmas number one. in the end, there could only be one winner, and it was george michael's festive classic. the uk's official christmas number one in 2024, wham and last christmas! wham's andrew ridgeley said he was delighted. i'm especially pleased for george.

um, he would have been utterly delighted that his fabulous christmas composition has become such a classic, as much a part of christmas as mince pies or christmas cake. it's the second year in a row that last christmas has topped the charts and, with proceeds going to charity, it truly embraces the christmas spirit. mark savage, bbc news. let's get more now on our top story, at least two people, including a small child, have died and dozens more injured after a car drove into a christmas market in the german city of magdeburg. a 50—year—old doctor who's a saudi national and has lived in germany since 2006 has been arrested. this will have painful memories for people of a similar attack in 2016,

what effect is that likely to have? that is quite right. back in 2016, an asylum seeker, an islamist extremist, drove a truck into a christmas market here in berlin very near where i am standing right now, killing 12 people, and that shocked the nation, it was a terrible tragedy, it led to all sorts of security measures all over the country and made people nervous about going to christmas markets again, but it also shifted the political debate, and it created quite a hostile debate around migration in general, and i think it's fair to say it contributed to the rise of the far right afd party. until then, the rise of the far right afd party. untilthen, germany the rise of the far right afd party. until then, germany had done well integrating and they had been a welcoming culture to many asylum seekers and that changed in a number of terror attacks but particularly that one and that will be why people will be interested to find out what

the motive is behind this suspected perpetrator, all we know is that he appears to have been a doctorfrom saudi arabia and had been living in germany in that region for a very long time, so lots of questions about why he carried out this terrible act, and there would then be a question over whether that will have an impact on the political debate in germany because it is a feeble time anyway politically, given the fact the governing coalition has snapped and there are snap elections in february, the economy has stalled, so already lots of uncertainty in germany and the fair is this terrible attack could add to them. hello and welcome to the programme. let's take a look at what's on the show this week. getting growth going again. much of the global economy has struggled over the last 12 months. so we'll ask, what's in store for 2025? and, as the us economy gets a new leader, will it continue to drag the rest of the world along, or will inflation, war and trouble in china prove to be bigger challenges? i'll discuss all of this with these two.

we'll delve into the big issues with one of the top