kazakhstan yesterday — killing 38 people. the kremlin says it's wrong to speculate on what happened. police in finland say an underwater cable carrying power to estonia was damaged by the anchor of a ship — they also say the vessel was part of a russian shadow fleet. and: gavin and stacey win the christmas day tv ratings battle here in the uk — with over 12 million people tuning in to see whether smithy accepted nessa's proposal. hello i'm lucy hockings. we start with some breaking news. israel has been carrying out air strikes across yemen, including the international airport in the capital sanaa. the israeli military says it has been targeting the houthis, who are a rebel group backed by iran. houthi fighters in yemen have targeted israel and ships in the red sea and the gulf of aden in solidaity with palestinians in gaza.

let's speak to our news correspondent shaimaa khalil injerusalem. update us on what we're hearing of yemen. 3 update us on what we're hearing of yemen-— of yemen. a very fast moving story are _ of yemen. a very fast moving story are getting _ of yemen. a very fast moving story are getting some - of yemen. a very fast moving i story are getting some glimpse of what it's like in the capital now as we are coming on air i have seen a short video from sanaa airport... with some people running with the trolleys and their luggage, in a frenzy, not really knowing what to do. we know from eyewitnesses that the capital sanaa, airport was hit and the red sea port was killed, as well. not the first time that targets have been hit... only a

week ago israel launched a number of air strikes on a number of air strikes on a number of air strikes on a number of targets in sanaa that they say are being used by iran backed rebels. we did get confirmation from the idf saying they struck military targets inside sanaa airport. the idf also say they also strike what they describe as military infrastructure in ports on the west of the red sea. we also have a response... said the timing of the strikes... happened while the resident coordinator in sanaa were preparing to leave. we understand from arabic media

that at least 2p —— sanaa people have been reported dead. this is an intensifying tit—for—tat. in the last seven days there were at least five attacks on israeli territory, some of them were not intercepted. in the span of this week israel has struck military targets, energy infrastructure, oil terminals infrastructure, oil terminals in yemen that it says are being used by rebels. the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu has also made a statement reiterating his stance that they are going to keep targeting these targets in yemen because of these attacks on israeli territory. this has started since the beginning of

the war in gaza in 2023. the rebels have launched hundreds of attacks on israeli territory but also on international shipping as well. they have vowed time and time again that this is not going to stop until the war in gaza stops. in central _ the war in gaza stops. in central gaza five journalists were killed in gaza. different narratives on who they were and what happened. what are the idf saying? what happened. what are the idf sa in: ? what happened. what are the idf sa inc? , ., , what happened. what are the idf sa inc? ,._ ._ saying? the story really highlights _ saying? the story really highlights the _ saying? the story really highlights the difficultyl saying? the story really - highlights the difficulty when international media is unable to independently verify this. the bbc is unable to independently verify that you narratives because israel doesn't allow international media to freely report in gaza. what we're hearing from the idf is that they had intelligence that these five men in what looked like a press vehicle had press written on it, they were posing as journalists and that

they were struck and that they were killed in an air strike and that they belonged to the palestinian islamichhad group. remember, the islamic jihad group was part of the hamas led group in 2023. what we understand from the local media is that these five journalists were known to the local media and were known as journalists, and that this broadcast van was was outside a hospital because the wife of one of the journalist was expecting to have a baby and was expected to give birth imminently and then the vehicle was struck. one of the molars was struck. one of the molars was inconsolable —— back one of the mothers was inconsolable. her son, a 20—year—old, was killed in that attack. one of the journalist said today is a

tragedy, whatever israel does back reasons were, that does not give them the right to do that. one crucial point to make is that these journalist were affiliated with a tv channel affiliated with a tv channel affiliated with a tv channel affiliated with islamichhad and the channel received funding from the islamicjihad groups. but again, we receive these two narratives about these two narratives about these two narratives about these two narrow motives about these two narrow motives about these journalist killed. these two narrow motives about thesejournalist killed. but israel was talking about what it described as terrorist. the committee that protects journalist to call this devastating but it also bought the number... up until now since the beginning of the war hundred and 33 journalists were killed... one of the most deadly cop conflicts to cover. military bloggers and aviation experts have accused russia of shooting down the azerbaijan airlines plane

which crashed killing 38 people in kazakhstan yesterday. they've suggested the plane was mistaken for a ukrainian drone and attacked by russian air defences. no proof has been offered. the plane left baku for grozny but was diverted to aktau because of fog. the kremlin has warned against promoting hypotheses about the cause of the crash and urged people to wait for the outcome of an official investigation. jonathan josephs reports. these are some of the survivors of a terrifying plane crash. pictures released by the russian government show nine of their citizens being evacuated to moscow for further medical treatment. they were among 62 passengers and five crew on board this azerbaijan airlines flight from baku to grozny in southern russia. amateur footage shows the pilot struggling to control the plane as it tries to land after being diverted to aktau in kazakhstan. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question now is why.

russia's aviation regulator says there was a bird strike, but military experts suggest the wreckage shows signs of something else. at the moment, evidence is still coming out, but the most likely hypothesis we see is that it was struck by an air defence missile, most certainly russian, in the area over grozny where the plane was holding. ukrainian drones were active at the time and this is commensurate with everything we've seen in the pilot's communication with air traffic control, and currently it's the only thing that fully fits the facts that we know. investigators are carefully preserving the debris and will want to understand what caused these holes in the part of the fuselage that survived the impact. russia's government says no—one should draw any conclusions about the cause until that probe is completed. the rear of the aircraft is the part from which some survivors remarkably walked away. this man says his wife had been sitting next

to him but he hasn't seen her since the crash. this is the family of one of the flight attendants. in a video call he reassures them, saying, "don't worry, tell mum not to worry, thank god we're safe". the testimony of those survivors will be a key part of the investigation, as will the flight data recorders which have been recovered from the embraer aircraft, which does have a good safety record. at baku's airport hundreds of people queued up to pay their respects and lay flowers in memory of the dead, as families across the region struggle to understand what caused their loved ones to perish. jonathan josephs, bbc news. jonathanjosephs is in the newsroom for us. still so much speculation about the cause of this... still so much speculation about the cause of this. . ._ the cause of this. .. that's riaht, the cause of this. .. that's right, nothing _ the cause of this. .. that's right, nothing official- the cause of this. .. that's right, nothing official yet| the cause of this. .. that's| right, nothing official yet it should be stressed. so we still

don't know. but the focus is very much turning on to why it came down as it did. some of the experts that i have been speaking to, military experts, aviation experts, have pointed to the way the plane came down, the odd angle, the depth of dissent, the speed. and they've been looking at the holes in the fuselage which... at been looking at the holes in the fuselage which. .. at the rear part of the plane survived the impact and that's where the survivors came from. but there are lots of marks on the outside of that fuselage which will be key to investigators. the experts suggest this is consistent with an air defence missile that was perhaps fired by a russian source. we can't confirm thatjust by a russian source. we can't confirm that just yet. by a russian source. we can't confirm thatjust yet. the russian government... the kremlin spokesman, has been saying that it would be wrong to jump to any conclusions and

we should wait for the outcome of the investigation, and that could take some time. but what we do know is that in abaci sian airlines... azerbaijan airlines have cancelled all their flights airlines have cancelled all theirflights in airlines have cancelled all their flights in that region. what they have not done is ground all of these in their fleet... that suggest that perhaps there is no mechanical or technical reason for the plane to come down. possibly it was something to do with the geography if they are avoiding that region, but we still don't know the exact route. but we do know the exact route. but we do know that investigators will look at the day be very carefully, they will also speak to the eyewitnesses, the 29 survivors of this plane crash, some of whom remarkably walked out of the wreckage. and they will also looking at the flight data recorders which... trying to piece all the clues together

so that they know what happened. it could take weeks or months for this investigation. it will be led by the because i can authorities and we expect they will share their conclusions. police in finland say an underwater cable carrying power to estonia was damaged by the anchor of a ship, which they described as being part of a russian shadow fleet. the cable stopped working on wednesday and the police have since raided a nearby ship, registered to the cook islands, a pacific nation which often allows foreign vessels to carry its flag. the past few months have seen several underwater cables in the baltic region either damaged or severed completely. i'm joined now by paul moss. on wednesday as much of the well was celebrating christmas this crucial table carrying electricity suddenly stop working. because of previous incidents that you've mentioned, there was an immediate suspicion of

sabotage. i have to say this does not seem that it required the greatest detective work. what we are told is that at the exact moment that the cable stop working, a ship was passing exactly over the point where the cable is. this ship is an interesting ship registered to the cook islands, the finns suspect it is operating on behalf of russia. they raided the ship and they have suspicion that it's anchor was what was used to break the campbell. was what was used to break the cam - bell. , was what was used to break the cambell. , , ., , campbell. this is not the first time this has _ campbell. this is not the first time this has happened? - campbell. this is not the first time this has happened? thisj time this has happened? this seems to _ time this has happened? this seems to be _ time this has happened? ti 3 seems to be happening more. a table with cut between germany and finland and one between sweden and lithuania. on that occasion they suspected a chinese ship was responsible. a chinese ship was responsible. a chinese ship was responsible. a chinese ship dragged its anchor

to deliberately break the cable. ~ , ., to deliberately break the cable. ~ , . , to deliberately break the cable. , , cable. why are these becoming tar: ets? cable. why are these becoming targets? quite _ cable. why are these becoming targets? quite simply - cable. why are these becoming targets? quite simply because | targets? quite simply because there are more _ targets? quite simply because there are more of _ targets? quite simply because there are more of them. - targets? quite simply because j there are more of them. there are electricity cables and communication cables. with so much energy generated by renewables, if you generated it with wind you need to sell the electricity, and it's very important because renewable energy is quite variable. these cables have grown, and communication cables because of the internet. communication via the internet. communication via the internet. communication via the internet goes via cable. which makes countries very vulnerable. i5 which makes countries very vulnerable.— which makes countries very vulnerable. is there anything that can be _ vulnerable. is there anything that can be done _ vulnerable. is there anything that can be done to - vulnerable. is there anything that can be done to stop - vulnerable. is there anything l

that can be done to stop this? there are a lot of people asking this question. western nations agreed to take a common approach to protecting undersea cables but they haven't yet worked out what that common approach will be. poland says it needs to have naval patrols permanently in the baltics, protecting what is a vital part of the world infrastructure. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

the new authorities in syria say they're carrying out an offensive against militias loyal to the deposed president, bashar al—assad in the western province of tartus. syrian state media say the operation has already neutralised — as they put it — a number of people involved in clashes on wednesday. ia fighters from the group that now controls most of syria, hts, were killed.

it's being seen as the first big test for the country's islamist leader, ahmad al—sharaa, who has threatened to crack down on anyone attempting to undermine syria's security. from damascus, lina sinjab reports. on high alert. security reenforcement is under way. the government has launched an operation against former members of the assad regime from the alawite community. the majority of them supported him and many are blamed for syria's bloodbath. while assad sought asylum in russia with his family, his followers are left to face prosecution here. many refuse to give up arms and could pose threats to the country's security. these protests erupted on wednesday in many alawite cities and towns. they are chanting about their alawite religious shrine that was vandalised in november. although there had since been reconciliation between the alawite and other communities, when the video was released yesterday tensions

once again ramped up. locals reported that some religious leaders called for protesters to take to the streets. this is mezzeh 86, a predominantly alawite neighbourhood that largely supported assad's regime. many here took part in the brutal crackdown against syrians, arresting and torturing people inside prisons. when videos were released of the vandalised alawite shrine, weeks later after the incident happened, protests took part here and some clashes were reported. but it appears that the main reason behind these protests in the alawite communities is to pressure for a general amnesty for the alawites and protect those who are close to assad. thousands of syrians disappeared in assad's prisons. the security forces who were behind the torturing and death of tens of thousands are mainly from the alawite community. a general amnesty means no punishment for those with blood on their hands.

families are still waiting for answers, for prosecution of the killers and forjustice to prevail so they can finally reconcile with their loss. lina sinjab, bbc news, damascus. commemorations have been taking place in countries around the indian ocean to mark the 20th anniversary of the huge tsunami that killed more than 220—thousand people. the vast wave, caused by an earthquake, devastated indonesia, thailand and sri lanka, and displaced nearly two million people. today, in thailand, where half of the more than 5,000 dead were foreign tourists, commemorations began early in ban nam khem, its worst—hit village. relatives laid flowers and wreaths at a curved wall in the shape of a tsunami wave, with plaques bearing victims' names. in sri lanka, mourners offered flowers and lit incense at a beachside memorial for 1,270 people buried in mass graves, with buddhist, hindu, christian and muslim ceremonies

held. in the indonesian province of aceh , which bore the brunt of the disaster, people gathered at prayer sites in memory of the victims. our correspondent andrew harding reported from aceh at the time, and met a schoolgirl who had lost both her parents. 20 years on, he's spoken to her again. this was aceh 20 years ago, just after the great wave had come ashore. i remember walking through the ruins, a haunting landscape, but above all, i remember marwadah. she was 11 then, bruised and alone, orphaned by the tsunami. but a few days later she discovered one relative had survived, her big sister, mutiyah. we followed the girls as marwadah returned to school and the sisters moved to a new home, hauntingly close to a mass grave. "i'm scared of ghosts", she told me. even if they are all my relatives and neighbours, i don't want to sleep here".

the years passed and then came the tenth anniversary of the tsunami. she screams. hey! i missed you so much! it's so good to see you! look at you, you're huge! i'm so big. you are big. marwadah was now a 21—year—old student, full of life, bouncing back like indonesia itself, but still wrestling with the loss of her parents. no, um, my life without my parents, of course, very sad. um, because there is nobody caring about me. and now 20 years have gone by. a stranded boat kept as a memorial here. but aceh's physical wounds have healed in a country now preoccupied with new challenges. hi, guys.

as for marwadah, she's traded in a career in teaching to become a travel vlogger, offering advice for tourists on low budgets. a life no longer defined by the tsunami. and i have patience so i can be useful for people. so i feel happy and i feel proud of me. and look now at the beach where the tsunami hit, wiping out herfamily and her village all those years ago. today, that's marwadah on a jet ski, 20 years on. andrew harding, bbc news. the government is to scrap the cut—off date of 2031 for recording historic rights of way in england, in a move it says will secure their future. it's been welcomed by ramblers, but critics say it means uncertainty for farmers and landowners. our political correspondent, hannah miller, reports. a bracing walk

in the countryside. for many, a boxing day tradition. but the previous government had said that public rights of way would have to be registered within the next six years, or they would be gone forever. that deadline has now been removed, to the delight of campaigners, who say mapping them all in that timeframe would have been impossible. well, there are hundreds of miles, if not thousands of miles, of paths out there which are public highways in law, so we have the right to use them on foot, bike, horseback, but they're unrecorded, and so they're a secret and nobody knows they're there. developers build over them. landowners plant crops over them. so we need to get those paths put on the map so we all know where they are, so that we can use and enjoy them. and the 2031 cut—off was designed to stop us from doing that, and would have meant that all these public paths would have remained a secret, would have been lost. the battle over access to the countryside stretches back decades.

the mass trespass of kinder scout in 1932 kick—started a campaign which eventually led to the creation of a definitive map showing public rights of way. but the map has never been declared complete. it's thought there are more than 40,000 miles of historic rights of way across england and wales, and as of march this year, there were nearly 8,000 unprocessed applications sitting with councils, with research suggesting local authorities have worked through fewer than one in three cases over the past five years. but a deadline for a definitive list would have given landowners certainty over the status of their land, with the national farmers union saying today's announcement means claims will continue to disrupt many farm businesses for years to come, with an outdated focus on routes that haven't been used for centuries. and so, in many places, the clash over who has a right to access historic routes looks set to continue long into the future, the kind

of argument that many hope won't get in the way of the pleasure of their boxing day walk. hannah miller, bbc news. now, what did people here in the uk watch on christmas day? for many, the answer seems to be gavin and stacey. the show had a whooping overnight audience of 12.32 million — making it the biggest non—sports overnight of 202a. millions tuned in for the final ever episode of the beloved british sitcom. the number doesn't include those are yet to watch the episode on catch up. wallace & gromit had the second highest overnight viewing figures — 9.38 million tuned in to watch the duo's tv return. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. high pressure continues to bring dry, settled weather to most of the country. i say dry — that is away

from scotland, where we're likely to see further outbreaks of rain for boxing day. and indeed the next few days looks mostly settled thanks to high pressure and for most it will stay on the mild side for the time of year. it's dominated by this area of high pressure sitting over the near continent. we've got this weather front pretty much stationary across the north of the uk and that's what's bringing the rain to parts of scotland, maybe northern ireland. to the north of this weather front, the air is quite cold and that will affect the northern isles, where it will be blustery with a few showers. but generally speaking, for much of the country for boxing day it's going to be cloudy, grey, misty and murky in places. outbreaks of rain in scotland, northern ireland, and a few luckier spots see some breaks in the cloud to allow for some sunshine. and generally those temperatures remaining in double figures for most, between 9 and i2 celsius. as we head through tonight, it stays cloudy with further outbreaks of rain across scotland. it looks like the rain moves a little bit further northwards. i think northern ireland, southern scotland southwards should stay dry. again there could be a little bit of drizzle, some mist and fog with that cloud, and temperatures holding up between 4 and 8 celsius.

little change as we head on into friday. it looks like we'll see that weather front still bringing outbreaks of rain across more northern and western parts of scotland. further south, though, it tends to stay dry, but again, like the last few days it will stay rather grey and gloomy for many, with some mist and fog too. a few spots seeing cloud breaks to allow for some sunshine. temperatures 9 to ii or 12 celsius, so again fairly mild for the time of year. now, as we push into the weekend, we'll see that weather front start to sink southwards again. so again there'll be some rain and thicker cloud across parts of scotland. maybe that rain getting into northwest england, parts of northwest wales as we move through the day on saturday. could see a few breaks in the cloud further south, for the midlands southwards. that will allow for some sunny spells, and we'll see some blustery showers pushing into the northwest of scotland, so it's quite a mixed day as we head into saturday. again on the mild side, and you can see the milder air hangs on as we head into the run up to new year, but there's a chance of some colder air spreading

southwards. mixed in with areas of low pressure, we could see some disruption in the run—up to new year. so it will turn gradually, more unsettled, turn colder. there's a chance of some heavy rain and strong winds, and even some snow on the hills in the north, so stay tuned. take care.

now on bbc news — life at 50c: water crisis: south sudan: poisoned floods.

i'm travelling to a place that shows the terrifying power of climate change. i'm going to visit the north of my country, where hundreds of thousands of families have lost their homes in floods. too much rain. be careful. climate change, driven by fossil fuel use has increased the risk of flooding across the world. i've heard oil pollution in the area is making a bad situation even worse. the oil in the environment and in contact with the human

being is a silent killer.