kazakhstan yesterday — killing 38 people. the kremlin says it's wrong to speculate. the home office reports that more than a50 people cross the english channel in small boats on christmas day former indian prime minister manmohan singh dies aged 92. he governed the country for two terms, and liberalised its economy. boxing day sales begin today in the uk but the doors to some of the country's largest retailers will remain closed, with online sales expected to rise. hello, i'm sarah campbell. israel has been carrying out air strikes across yemen, including on the international airport in the capital, sanaa. the head of the world health organization, tedros ad—hanom ghe—bre—yesus, was at the airport about to board a flight when it came under israeli attack. he was not injured.

the israeli military says it has been targeting the houthis, the rebel group backed by iran. houthi rebels say three people were killed in the strikes. houthi fighters in yemen have targeted israel, and ships in the red sea and the gulf of aden, in solidarity with palestinians in gaza. meanwhile in central gaza, health officials say five journalists have been killed by an israeli strike. the strike hit a marked broadcast van outside al—awda hospital in the nuseirat refugee camp. one of the journalists had been expecting the birth of his child. the israeli military said those killed were members of a "terrorist cell". our correspondent shaimaa khalil has been following the details of the strikes. we've seen very dramatic footage from inside sana'a international airport of people running in a panic with their luggage in their trolleys, some of them trying to leave the building through

a gate, others running in different directions. we also saw one from outside the building showing smoke rising, and in the last hour or so, we've also been getting reports that commercial flights are still landing in yemen airport, despite reports of damage to the facility. we've got we're getting reports and an image of an airbus a320 of the yemeni airlines aircraft landing there. we heard from the head of the who, the world health organisation, who said that he was in the airport when the strike happened, that he was about to board a plane when the airport was struck, and that that

resulted in one of the air crew members being injured not very far from where his group were, were sitting. he said he was ok. we also had confirmation from the israeli army, the idf, who said that they struck targets used by the iran backed group to smuggle iranian weapons into the region. we know that the airport in sana'a was targeted, was hit, but also other targets in the red sea port city of hodeidah. the israeli military targeted two power stations, hit two power stations, some key ports as well. this is the second israeli strike in less than a week on houthi targets in yemen, as this month has seen a significant increase of houthi launched missiles and drones on israeli territory. one of them injured more than a dozen people when it landed in tel aviv on saturday. the houthis have vowed time and time again to continue these missile launches, to continue attacking israeli territory until the end of the war in gaza. and in the past few days, we've heard a more determined israeli leadership, if you will. we've heard the prime minister and we've heard the israeli defence minister saying that they're going to go after

the houthi targets in yemen, but also the houthi leadership, the same way they went after hamas and hezbollah leadership as well. that's the situation in yemen. but there's also been another story today coming out of gaza, with health officials saying that five journalists have been killed and differing conflicting narratives on both sides as to as to who these people are. so what do we know? and that's the difficulty with a story like this. and again, because israel doesn't allow international media to go and report freely within gaza, you can't really independently verify those two narratives. but they're very different stories coming out of, um, of the gaza based channel and, um, and the israeli military. we understand that a media vehicle, a tv vehicle, a van that was clearly marked as press was parked outside al—awda hospital in nuseirat camp in central gaza,

and it was struck and five journalists inside that van were killed. we know that one of them, his, was expecting his first child. his wife was about to give birth in al—awda hospital. we've seen scenes of the wreckage, the van itself, barely there, really. it was mangled, you know, mangled and charred. but we've also seen really sad scenes in the funerals of those of those journalists. the committee to protect journalists have said, has said that up until from the beginning of the war, up until the mid—december or the 20th of december, 133 journalists were killed. the israeli military said that those five men were posing as journalists. it says it has it had in it had intelligence of that and that it struck what it described as a terrorist cell. but we also know we understand from the media community there that these five men were not well known local journalists to the people in gaza telling the story of the war.

one thing, one crucial detail to tell you is that these journalists belong to al quds today channel, and that this channel is affiliated with the palestinian islamichhad group, which took part in the hamas led attack on israel on the october the 7th in 2023. and what israel is saying is that it targeted at five, five people who were involved in propaganda and involved in in militant activities. again, it's very difficult for the bbc to independently verify that. but what you hear from local journalists there who attended those funerals, that it is a tragedy that whatever the reasons were, it didn'tjustify killing those five men. we also heard from the committee to protect journalists, who said it was devastated at the reports and that journalists are civilians and they should be protected. russia has said it won't

speculate on claims that russian air defences hit a passenger plane before it crashed in kazakhstan yesterday, killing 38 people. an unnamed us official suggested a russian anti—aircraft system may have struck the azerbaijan airlines plane. however, president putin's spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment before the official investigation was complete. the azerbaijan airlines jet had been travelling from baku to chechnya, when it was diverted to kazakhstan, before coming down near aktau. jonathan josephs reports. on board the stricken aeroplane, the passenger filming this notices some damage under the wing. back inside, despite oxygen masks and life jackets being visible, those on board seem calm. it's not clear how long before the crash this was filmed. there were 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. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question is why? i spoke to one military expert who said suggestions of a bird strike being responsible were unlikely. 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, um, almost 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. these holes in the surviving part of the fuselage will be examined by investigators. meanwhile, azerbaijan airlines have suspended all flights in the region.

they have not grounded their other six embraer ei90s, suggesting the cause was not technical or mechanical. the aircraft has a good safety record. russia's government says no conclusion should be drawn until the kazakh led investigation is complete. amongst those wanting answers will be those survivors who 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." at baku's airport, large crowds 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. let's speak to aurel braun, a professor of international relations and political science at the university of toronto and an associate of the davis centre at harvard. he is also the author of nato—russia relations in the 21st century.

thank you forjoining us on the programme. take us through why there appears to be so much speculation that russia is behind this plane crash. somehow the facts did not add up somehow the facts did not add up as there has been a simple crash that has occurred because a bird hit the aeroplane this was the first claim made by the russian media. this was a simple flight that was supposed to take off from as a by you and to within the russian area and to within the russian area and when it landed, crash landed it was on the other side of the caspian sea in a very uncharacteristic thai version and it sustained damage to experts and others seem to be caused by shrapnel not by engine failure, not by some

kind of flock of birds. the also very interesting that the russian spokesperson demetri pass golf appears to be very aggressive in defending russia in any possible way against any kind of accusation would hints about any russian malfeasance as being extremely cautious and here he is saying, let's reach for the results so for the circumstantial evidence at the moment it is not favourable to russia but it is early days. we must wait. this is been an area where the russians have been nervous the ukrainians have launched drone attacks in the russians have been shooting at drones often widely and recklessly and it is almost miraculous that somehow so many of the people on board of this aircraft managed to survive. absolutely. as you say

president putin spokesperson saying it is inappropriate to comment before the official investigation has been completed, how much of a sense do we have on how long this will take, these sorts of aired positions take a wild. sometimes it will take a wild and sometimes they are disputed the flight record has been recovered so it will notjust be a matter of a physical investigation, it also involves politics, what will russia do if the evidence is overwhelming that this was an act committed by russia that was either incompetent or reckless and this is how the aircraft was brought down, but they admit fault, known at this stage is saying that this was deliberate, it is highly unlikely that this would been a deliberate act, there are other possibilities would still make fresh russia very uncomfortable and that the normal thing that russia does is they go into denial mode. but i think the

evidence is likely to amounts that this was not a simple accident, that there was interference in that the team seems to be caused by some kind of missile and the larger conclusion it may well be that the only player who had a capacity to launch missiles whether it was it was a short range or longer—range would have been russia. range or longer-range would have been russia.— range or longer-range would have been russia. riveted to talk to you — have been russia. riveted to talk to you and _ have been russia. riveted to talk to you and thank - have been russia. riveted to talk to you and thank you - have been russia. riveted to talk to you and thank you for| talk to you and thank you for talking to us. the eu has threatened to impose further sanctions on russia, after one of its cargo ships was blamed for severing an underwater cable. the estlink2 carries electricity between the finnish plant of anttila and pussi in estonia, but stopped working on wednesday. finnish police then boarded a ship which they believe was operating as part

of russia's so—called shadow fleet. they say they found evidence there that the anchor had been used to cut the cable in two. more than a50 people crossed the english channel in small boats on christmas day, according to home office figures. new data shows a51 migrants arrived on 11 boats. the figures take the total number of crossings in 2024 to 35,191. emer mccarthy has more. the christmas day arrivals from france mark the first arrivals in more than a week. more than a50 migrants crossed the english channel in small boats on christmas day. 11 boats made thejourney to the uk on christmas morning, and more are expected to follow in the coming days. the home office says a51 people arrived on christmas day. the last time there were

crossings on christmas was back in 2022 when 90 people arrived. the prime minister, sir keir starmer, said that smashing the gangs who facilitate small boats crossings was one of his top priorities and has set up a new border security command. more than 35,000 people have made thejourney so far this year. that's 20% higher than in 2023. a a9—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of a double murder after two women were fatally stabbed in milton keynes in southern england yesterday. thames valley police said officers were called to a block of apartments in bletchley and found the women, aged 38 and 2a, dead at the scene. another man and a teenage boy were also injured. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

the former indian prime minister, manmohan singh,

has died at the age of 92. mr singh was in office for a decade, from 200a until 201a, and was the first prime minister in india from the sikh faith. a distinguished economist and politician, manmohan singh played a pivotal role in shaping modern india. he championed economic reforms, and oversaw a period of robust growth that lifted millions out of poverty. sophie long reports. almost bankrupt at the time manmohan singh entered party politics, india's image was to change, driven by a booming it sector, and much of this is put down to the liberalisation, the loosening of infamous bureaucratic controls introduced by manmohan singh after he became finance minister in 1991. he put the country on the path to achieving some of the fastest growth rates in the world.

i, manmohan singh... it also paved the way for him to become, in 200a, india's first sikh prime minister. he'll be remembered particularly for making the country talked about as an emerging economic giant. though much of india's one billion plus population was in reality largely untouched by the economic reforms, and poverty remained deep and pervasive and job creation a massive challenge. india now had its place at the world's high tables. and as the global economy faltered and then went into crisis, india's role and manmohan singh�*s experience as an economist and international civil servant was crucial. the signing of a civilian nuclear agreement between india and the united states was a landmark of mr singh�*s premiership, especially given the concern about south asia as a potential nuclear flashpoint after both india and pakistan carried out underground tests in 1998. but the gun and grenade

attack on luxury hotels and other targets in mumbai, which killed around 170 people, not only demonstrated india's vulnerability. it also revived the historic mutual suspicion between india and pakistan. a leader traditionally careful with his words, the prime minister was explicit in laying blame for an attack which he believed was meant to damage india's reputation as a rising world power. there is enough evidence to show that, given the sophistication and military precision of the attack, it must have had the support of some official agencies in pakistan. although he became caught up in political challenges that have tested every indian prime minister, manmohan singh�*s particular place in the country's history was equipping it to better embrace globalisation. but he always hoped india would show that doesn't have to mean leaving the poor behind.

commemorations have been taking place in countries around the indian ocean to mark the 20th anniversary of the tsunami that killed more than 220,000 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 beach—side 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. there are signs that shoppers are shunning the high street this boxing day, with the number of people going into stores dropping by almost 9% across the uk compared with last year, according to analysts. several big chains including next and bm.) didn't open their doors today. but people did flock to traditional stores before the holiday, with numbers up on christmas eve by 18% year on year. colletta smith has more. this year's boxing day sales feel very different. while lots of shops are shut those that are open had a later start than the crack of dawn sales of years gone by. there will be plenty of shoppers out today surprised to see some of the biggest retailers with their shutters down, lots of those brands deciding not to open today but of course plenty of people are still out in person because lots of shops are still open. here at liverpool one

the stores have been open at 10am, those that have decided to open today, but those big retail brands that are closed are still keen to hook us in online. adobe insights, who provide data for lots of the biggest online retailers, expect most of today's shopping to be done on a mobile, making ita big day for those who sell on social media. i have gone out boxing day shopping every single year. as a full—time influencer eleanor earns a living by working for big make—up brands promoting the products she likes. i am an advocate for a bargain or a discount so when things are on sale i shout about them quite a lot. black friday is big and boxing day is important. 100% especially because people have just had christmas money, they see what they've got for christmas and have not got, let's see if i can get this cheaper. for those who have hit the shops today, they are hoping for a deal in person despite the later start.

normally we are early in the morning. 5am start? for the last ten or 15 years mum drags us at 5am to come out. we are here for christmas i so we are getting some bits and the football later, the price i have to pay to do a bit of shopping today for the mrs. - we got a hotel. we are from chester, so we drove down and got a hotel, so we will do the day, crash out and then head home tomorrow morning. we made a big thing about it. coletta smith, bbc news, liverpool. the security service m15 has released a special version of the poem, the night before christmas, voiced by the actor gary oldman. �*twas the night fans of the show �*slow horses' will recognise the voice of oldman�*s character, jackson lamb —

a spy in charge of a group of failed m15 agents — as he recites a slightly altered version of the classic poem. it's been released to highlight the work that continues to be done by the intelligence agency over the festive period. 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 whopping 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. quite astonishing, i watched it, gavin and stacey. so quite astonishing, i watched it, gavin and stacey. 50 i it, gavin and stacey. so i managed _ it, gavin and stacey. so i managed to _ it, gavin and stacey. so i managed to get - it, gavin and stacey. so i managed to get through l it, gavin and stacey. so i managed to get through without any spoilers and it was brilliant and i would recommend it. before we go for the end of this half hour i want to point you in the bbc news website which has all of thalita stories and if you see there it has the quiz of the year part one, how much do you remember about 202a over the next half hour i will give myself a quiz and see how many stories i can remember so i will see you soon and we will see what score we get. stay with us here. hello there. boxing day has been another relatively quiet one. mostly dry. a lot of cloud around.

best of the sunshine across northeast england and wales and the only place seeing rain, scotland and northern ireland. the next few days look very similar. it's mostly dry thanks to high pressure, staying on the mild side with any rain focussed across northern areas. that's because we've got this weather front pretty much stationary across the north of the uk. not just today, but for the next few days even as we head into the weekend. to the north of it, there is some colder air looming, but most of us will be in this wedge of less cold air with less cold nights as well, particularly where we hold on to the cloud. so, as we head through tonight, it does look like it stays damp for parts of northern and western scotland, maybe northern ireland. elsewhere, where we hold on to the cloud, temperatures no lower than around 5 to 8 degrees, but under clearer spells, say north east england, we could be close to freezing, 1 or 2 spots, 1 or 2 degrees. so, for friday, again, still high pressure dominates the scene across the south. this weather front loiters across the north and west of scotland, perhaps northern ireland. i think for friday, looks like most of the rain will be across argyll and the highlands. elsewhere mostly dry.

a lot of cloud again with limited spells of sunshine. probably the best of the sunshine, eastern scotland northeast england. winds light for most and temperatures, again, 8 to 11 degrees. and then as we move through friday night, we start to see that rain picking up a bit across scotland and northern ireland. to the north of here, skies turn clearer, but it will be colder air with some blustery showers running into the north and west. now, elsewhere, it's business as usual. it's light winds. a lot of cloud around. just the odd clear spell here and there. so, as we head into the weekend, we've got that weather front across the north of the uk pushing into high pressure so it will begin to fizzle out. to the north of it, we may see more sunshine across scotland and northern ireland on saturday, but there'll be some blustery showers in the northwest of scotland. elsewhere south, that weather front looks like being another benign day. light winds. a lot of cloud around. limited sunshine. temperatures eight to 11 or 12 degrees. then as we head through sunday, there'll be some wet weather in the north. into next week, the run up to new year, we could see

colder air spreading south across the uk, and with low pressure systems moving in off the atlantic, we're likely to see weather turning more unsettled, wetter and windier, with the chance of some snow mainly across central and northern areas. but still some uncertainty to the forecast into next week, so stay tuned.

now on bbc news — a look back at some of the biggest

stories of the year. so this is it, - a general election. thank you very much to everybody and goodnight. we did it! cheering. will it ever get better than this again? - iranian missiles were fired in the last 20 minutes or so. this is just unprecedented, i mean, people are picking up mud, throwing it at the king. look what happened! is this crazy? cheering. 202a, a year where around the world an often fragile peace was shaken — regimes were overthrown, lands were invaded, and more wars began and ended.