the king in his christmas speech calls for peace in world conflicts, unity after the summer riots, and reflects on his cancer treatment. pope francis has used his traditional christmas message to call for peace in ukraine and gaza — calling the humanitarian situation there "extremely grave". officials in kazakhstan say 38 passengers were killed in the crash landing of an azerbaijan airlines flight. president zelensky condemns russia's mass missile and drone attack against ukraine on christmas day as inhumane. now on bbc news — time to look back at the year in sport.

2024 was an extraordinary 12 months of sport. a year dominated by some of the very biggest showpiece events. we had a men's euros in germany, where england came so close, and a paralympics and olympics in paris, where great britain once again excelled. achievements honoured here at the year—ending bbc sports personality of the year. more on that later. but 2024 was also a year where some of british sport's biggest stars took theirfinal bows. the likes ofjimmy anderson, andy murray, tom daley and laura kenny, to name just a few. but the year was also for new, exciting sporting talent. luke "the nuke" littler... and that's where 2024 started. injanuary, the year was young and so too

was the headline maker. 16—year—old luke littler�*s journey to the final of the pdc darts world championship had everyone gripped. he was eventually beaten by luke humphries. the future of darts in steady hands. it's been a rollercoaster. i'm glad i was a part of a good final. he deserved it, he played the better darts. but the start of the year marked the beginning of a surprising end for others. jurgen klopp began his long farewell from liverpool. lewis hamilton stunned everyone by announcing he'll leave mercedes for ferrari. and louis rees—zammit raised eyebrows injanuary by switching to american football, leaving rugby union just as the six nations was about to start. wales missed him. england missed out. this was ireland's tournament again. so the six nations begins in a bouncing marseille. try for ireland again. who can stop them on this form? what an effort from alex mitchell. van der merwe has only one goal, one sight,

for the corner again. in they go. they've got it done, england! well, excitement around the aviva stadium. nash! van der merwe again is in. and scotland have the victory. absolutely unbelievable. lynagh, can he finish? yes. italy get their win. drop goal attempt from - marcus smith to win this game. how does this great story end? 0h, lorenzo pani. and wales do have the wooden spoon. surely one of the finest teams the irish have ever produced. they are the six nations champions of 2024. the women's six nations

had a familiar feel. once more it came down to england and france. the decider in bordeaux. the trophy between the two sides, that's what they're playing for. england have done it! a third successive grand slam. the champions are england's red roses. england, six nations champions. champions of the world — or so they claim — were the kansas city chiefs. come on, chiefs! super bowl winners again, sharing the headlines with their most celebrated fan. winners on the world stage too in february were wigan warriors, the first silverware of their stellar year. wigan are world club challenge winners. the formula i season, meanwhile, began amidst controversy — allegations of inappropriate behaviour by red bull team boss christian horner.

he was later cleared. the team are very together. they're very focused on the season ahead and have been tremendously supportive. whilst february also brought the first trophy of the domestic football season — the last, as it turned out, forjurgen klopp at liverpool as they beat chelsea in the league cup final. an extra time goal, which coincidentally was the same story in the women's final, chelsea beaten this time by arsenal's late winner. glasgow hosted the world indoor athletics championship in march. the champion is coming home. golds for britain'sjosh kerr and molly caudery. a big yearfor the city, as they were later confirmed as hosts of the commonwealth games in 2026. a wait for that. at cheltenham, the wait was over. willie mullins' 100th winner at the festival, which the irish trainer backed up with winners in the gold cup and grand national — i am maximus triumphing at aintree. there was a sombre start for this year's london marathon, as tributes were paid to the 2023 men's winner,

kelvin kiptum, the kenyan world record holder killed in a road accident earlier in the year. the world's greatest athletes in the world's greatest race. fittingly, the 2024 races were won by compatriots alexander mutiso munyao and peresjepchirchir. catherine debrunner and marcel hug triumphing in the wheelchair races. he is the best in the business. london too saw success in basketball. despite an uncertain future, the london lions became the first british side to win a european trophy. this is so big for british basketball, so, amazing. whilst, in sheffield, there was a first world snooker title for england's kyren wilson. may was the month that domestic football seasons drew to a close. a succession of trophies,

beginning at wembley. another wembley wonderstrike! manchester united with their first women's fa cup. the women's super league reached a gripping finale. it's fran kirby! chelsea forced to fight all the way to their fifth consecutive title in emma hayes�* final game in charge. things, unbelievably, were even more dramatic in scotland — a 90th minute winner sealing the title for celtic. for the men's side, a little less nerve—shredding. a 12th title in 13 years, followed just days later with victory over rangers in the cup final. butland spills it. adam idah scores! in england, manchester city's dominance continued — champions for the fourth year in a row. whilst the month ended as it began at wembley. manchester city and manchester united. | garnacho has bruno fernandes.

oh, what a ball, and mainoo scores! manchester united finally getting the better of their cross—city rivals. the fa cup winners are manchester united. there were no british sides involved in the big european finals. there was, though, a winner's medalforjude bellingham, his real madrid side champions of the continent once again, with victory over borussia dortmund at wembley. elsewhere, wales had its first women's world champion boxer in lauren price. the big fight of the month was in riyadh, tyson fury beaten by 0leksandr usyk. back home, northampton were crowned rugby union's premiership winners. glasgow warriors, champions of the united rugby championship. rugby league, meanwhile, was in mourning — rob burrow remembered by all at the challenge cup finals. the former player and mnd campaigner passing away just days previously. st helens women and wigan

warriors men, champions on a poignant day at wembley. across the atlantic, the men's t20 world cup. england, though, unable to successfully defend their title, beaten in the semis by india, who went on to defeat south africa in the final. june, though, was dominated by events in germany, as tens of thousands of english and scottish football fans headed off to party at the euros. a wonderful opening ceremony and hopefully a magical month ahead. germany have the lead inside ten minutes. good feet, 2—0. fullkrug! and it's in the net. germany were simply miles better. welcome to the start

of another england adventure. and this time they really do actually sound like they believe. saka does get it across. and it's headed in by bellingham. one goal wins it for england. bagpipes play. they've taken over the city of cologne today. everywhere you walked there was scotland blue. it's back to mctominay. and it's deflected in. shaqiri! steve clarke's side take it to the final game. game two at a major tournament — win it and get serious. and a big chance for kane. and that's a good effort. oh, it's a wonderful strike. goodness me, that was a hard watch at times. are scotland on the brink of something historic? 0r on the brink of yet another group stage exit? szoboszlai hasn't got it. kevin csoboth! and scotland are out of the european championship. despair again. what i will say is thank - you to the country because we

felt everyone behind us. sorry for letting yous down. it's a big night in cologne. england safely through but shut out by slovenia. lose to slovakia, and that's it for england's euro 2024. strelec has support. what a chance this is. and slovakia lead! seconds to go. and it's in! jude bellingham! salvation. and we're going to extra time. and there it goes from eze and deflected back in for kane. they are on their way. how they got there, i don't know. a real heavyweight tussle. lifted in by 0lmo. mikel merino has won it for spain. and what a game in store. 0h, he's hit the post.

welcome to the dusseldorf arena. gareth southgate has once again led england to the quarterfinals. and ndoye gets it across and switzerland score. now something has to change. saka having a go. well, that didn't take long! it's going to penalties. how do you not even look at the ball? pressure is for tyres. it's a different generation. commentator speaks german. well, who's going to the final of euro 2024? nice curl. oh, i say, what an unbelievable goal! the 16—year—old! history beckons, to make all the hard work to get this far worthwhile. england walk out for a semifinal. simons is able to drive on. oh, what a goal! here comes kane. here come england.

palmer finds watkins. watkins turns, watkins scores! england are on their way to berlin. well, here we are. four weeks and six games later. these players carry the hopes of those who missed out. the ghosts and the soul of english football — fans, players and coaches alike. it's going to go over to williams now. well, england never got started at all. and saka gets it through. and bellingham tries to tee up palmer. oh, yes! ice—cold precision from palmer. cucurella gets it back in. for england, the interminable wait goes on. spain are again the champions of europe. we wanted to do it so badly for ourselves, but also for the fans and everyone who's believed in us the whole way.

so, uh, right now it'sjust huge disappointment. it would be gareth southgate�*s final campaign, standing down, to be replaced, eventually, by thomas tuchel. but it wasn't just the end for southgate. the summer of 2024 saw the final acts of some of british sport's very, very best, the likes of which we may never see again. at wimbledon, the talk was of andy murray — would he, wouldn't he, one last time? well, he did in the doubles, albeit briefly. and here alongside his older brotherjamie murray, to centre court again. they don't want to say farewell, they just want to say thank you to andy murray. i want to play forever. i love, i love the sport. it's given me, you know, it's given me so, so much,

i don't want to stop. so it is hard. thank you so much for. everything, andy murray. always, always leave them wanting more. there would be british success, though, at wimbledon. actually, plenty of it. the unseeded combination, harri heliovaara and henry patten, are the wimbledon champions. alfie hewett. he wins his first wimbledon wheelchair singles title. and with it, completes a historic career singles grand slam. alfie hewett and gordon reid retain their wimbledon doubles title. it's a czech fairy tale and krejcikova is the wimbledon champion. a master craftsman at 21 years of age. bell rings.

across london, a farewell to another true sporting great. wonderful sight here at lord's. jimmy anderson bringing his incredible, record breaking england career to an end with his 704th test wicket. and how many times have we seen this kind of delivery? will never be bettered, will never be beaten. take this in, jimmy. i love the game so much. it's not really sinking thatm _ i'm still, in my head, i i think i'm still playing next week, weirdly! but i'm sure at some point it will sink in. l you know, it'sjust been incredible. . another extraordinary career ending was that of mark cavendish, but not before the manx missile created history at the tour de france.

a record 35th stage win cementing his legacy as one of cycling and british sport's all—time greats. as well as the highs, you know, that suffering is what makes a race special. it's what grows you as a person, isn't it? so to feel that one last time is as important as to feel victory one last time, i guess. speaking of british sporting greats, lewis hamilton marked his final year with mercedes with victory at an enthralling british grand prix. there we are, a sea of umbrellas. at royal troon the weather offered its worst. xander schauffele gave his best, winning the open, his second major of a magnificent year. later, lydia ko would triumph in the women's event at st andrews. in paris, security was being stepped up, the olympics and paralympics on their way. but one absence was charlotte dujardin. a medal at the games would have made the dressage star britain's most decorated female 0lympian. instead, footage of her repeatedly whipping a horse became one of the biggest controversies of the british sporting year. the games would go

on without her. bonsoir tout le monde. welcome to an opening ceremony like no other. let it all begin. bonsoir. bienvenue a paris. je proclame ouvert les jeux de paris. celebrant la trentieme 0lympiade des temps modernes. kicking off this olympic games for britain. tom pidcock is - the olympic champion. this is the gilded age for british eventing. gold to great britain on the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. that is absolutely brilliant. what an astonishing finish!

i have never seenl anything like that. and they have conquered for team gb. britain has gold. it's one of the greatest moments in french rugby. great britain take the olympic gold in the men's eight. - what a moment in paris. gold! great britain's women, they've done it. what just happened?! only andy could write this one. only andy. this and just like that, the end of andy murray's tennis career. you know, i gave as much as i could to the sport, been proud to be part of team gb over the last 20 years. and, um, yeah,

definitely will miss it. simone biles! goodness me! what a picture, what a team. unbelievable scenes here at le bourget. that is incredible. yes, yes. come on. oh, i'm so delighted. i'm not crying because i've come second. i'm crying because itjust took so much to get here. in my heart, i've already won. at the age of 37, he is olympic champion. leon marchand of france has| won his fourth individual gold medal at this olympic games. utterly extraordinary. the guy's a superhero. julien alfred is storming away. alfred reigns supreme. katie ledecky of the usa becomes the only woman to win the same race in four straight olympic games. unbelievable! who has got this? never seen a finish as close.

great britain, silver medallists. there can't be regret in looking back and knowing you've done all you can. they were coming, they were coming, they were charging. i the line wouldn't comel for matt hudson—smith. great britain, the silver medal. katarina johnson—thompson adds an olympic silver medal to her considerable collection. what a performance from bryony page! i gold for keely. gold for great britain. gold for being brilliant. this year's... so pretty. au revoir, paris, and merci. merci beaucoup. we'll go for a lie down, c'est fini. well, fini for the olympics, but not for paris. just over a fortnight later, the city threw open its doors

once more for the paralympics. more success for britain's established stars like hannah cockroft and the extraordinary sarah storey. a 19th gold medal. you didn't doubt her, did you? her 18th and 19th golds at the age of 46. alfie hewett, along with gordon reid, finally got his gold. whilst the future too looks bright — five medals for teenager poppy maskill, and for alice tai. and a medal too for the youngest member of the team, 13—year—old iona winnifrith, with a silver in the pool. iona winnifrith! great britain's paralympians returning with 49 golds amongst their luggage across 18 sports. that's more sports than any other nation. for british athletes, summer in paris was truly remarkable. august also saw another british sporting hero emerge, jack draper making it all the way to the semifinals of the us open in what was his break—out year. a little further south, golf�*s

solheim cup got underway. a dominant opening day from the americans left europe with too much to do. it's coming back to the united states for the first time in seven years. team usa victorious in virginia. september also saw the world of football honour the life of former england manager sven—goran eriksson, who passed away at the age of 76. here, one of the big british fights of the year, daniel dubois knocking out anthonyjoshua in front of a huge wembley crowd. there was disappointment for england as they narrowly failed to make it out of the group stage at the women's t20 world cup.

the men's side were in pakistan, wherejoe root became england's leading test match run—scorer of all time. meanwhile, britain reached the final of the america's cup for the first time in 60 years. although the wait for victory goes on. every time we compete in the america's cup, we get one step closer. so next time it's time to step up and go all the way. back home, on dry land, wigan completed an historic clean sweep of all the major rugby league trophies... oh, my word, that's sensational! ..with grand final victory. york valkyrie, once again women's champions. whilst the formula i season reached its climax — max verstappen champion for a fourth consecutive season. but sporting retirements was perhaps the theme of 2024. the world of tennis said gracias to rafa nadal as he ended his incredible career at the davis cup. the final football trophy of the domestic year went again to celtic — winners of an epic scottish league cup final against rangers. but as the year drew to

a close, time to look forward. pack your bags for switzerland. for wales, plenty to look forward to, as their women's football team qualified for a major tournament for the first time — the euros in 2025. we're history makers and that'll never get taken away from us. much further ahead, the decision in december to award a men's world cup to saudi arabia will continue to draw scrutiny for many years to come. saudi arabia! but the end of the year marking a moment to reflect. 2024 — a truly memorable sporting year. the bbc sports personality of the year 2024 is... keely hodgkinson! cheering and applause. this year has been absolutely incredible for me. i've achieved everything i set out to do on the outdoor track, which is kind of rare,

so i'm so grateful to be in this position. i hope you all loved watching parisjust as much as i loved competing in it. thank you so much. hello. it was an exceedingly mild christmas day. not a record breaker, but the met office reports that it was the mildest since 2016 overall, looking across the uk, and the highest temperature was recorded in aberdeen 14.2 celsius, with similar values elsewhere across the country.

how about boxing day? well, not quite as mild, but the temperatures will remain above the average for the rest of the year, and also a little bit of rain in the forecast. the satellite picture hasn't really changed much since yesterday. we still have this conveyor belt of cloud to the west of us, and ahead of this conveyor belt of cloud, a tongue, a stream of mild air all the way from the azores, spreading across the uk, western europe and into the baltic and also much of scandinavia. so we start the day with temperatures hovering between 5—10 celsius, so a little fresher compared to the last couple of nights. so here's the forecast then for boxing day, a weather front sneaks into northern ireland and scotland, so expect a little bit of rain here on and off, perhaps in glasgow into edinburgh. some sunny spells are possible in the north east of england around the pennines, yorkshire, maybe one or two reaching lancashire as well, but across the bulk of wales and england, it will be cloudy.

and those temperatures between around 9—12 celsius, so certainly on the mild side. now here's friday's weather forecast, high pressure still very much in charge of the weather, and weather fronts once again brushing the northwest of the uk. so, again, some rain possible in northern ireland, scotland, but elsewhere, it's going to be pretty much the same. so rather cloudy, odd sunny spell here and there, generally to the lee of high ground, so to the east. and those temperatures will be around 9—12 celsius. now let's have a look at the weekend, here's saturday. signs of change. now we're starting to see the weather coming in from the west. so this low pressure moves into ireland. it brings some outbreaks of rain, once again to scotland too. no rain for england and wales, but there will be some bigger, sunnier breaks, i think, in that layer of cloud. temperatures won't change much, still hovering around 10 celsius. and then this outlook takes us into new years. the weather is expected to turn more unsettled beyond new year's eve, and potentially quite stormy, maybe even colder

weather reaching us. that's it. bye— bye. live from washington, this is bbc news. the white house slams

russia's christmas day attack on ukraine — we're on the ground live in kyiv. 38 people are killed in an azerbaijan airlines plane crash in kazakhstan. and king charles uses his christmas speech to call for peace in world conflicts and reflects on his cancer treatment. hello. happy holidays. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says a christmas day attack on his country's energy system as "inhumane." on his country's energy system was "inhumane." moscow launched more than 170 rockets and drones in the early hours, hitting power plants and electricity infrastructure. at least one person was killed. in a statement, us president biden called the attack "outrageous" and said he'd ordered the pentagon to continue "surging" its deliveries of weapons to kyiv. five people have also died in russia after strikes from ukraine.