russia is accused of shooting down a plane over 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. 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 sarah campbell. our top story this hour — 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 adhanom ghebreyesus, 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. a short time ago, the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, said his forces were only just "getting started" with the houthis. our correspondent shaimaa khalil has more on those strikes in yemen. we've seen very dramatic footage from inside sanaa 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 commercialflights are still landing in yemen airport despite reports of damage to the facility. 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 organization, tedros ghebreyesus, 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 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 sanaa 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. meanwhile in central gaza, health officials say five of its journalists have been killed in an israeli strike in the central gaza strip. the strike hit a marked broadcast van outside al—awda hospital in the nuseirat refugee camp. the israeli military said those killed were members of a "terrorist cell". 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, 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 e1905, 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. earlier, i spoke to aurel braun, a professor of international relations and political science at the university of toronto. he is also the author of nato—russia relations in the 21st century. i asked him why some are speculating russia is behind the crash. somehow the factsjust do not add up as this being a simple crash that occurred because a flock of birds 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 the city of baku in azerbaijan to grozny,

which is within russia, the chechen area. and when it landed, crash landed, it was on the other side of the caspian sea in a very uncharacteristic diversion. and it sustained damage that, to experts such as richard aboulafia and others, do seem to be caused by shrapnel, not by engine failure, not by some kind of flock of birds. it is also very interesting that the russian spokesman, dmitry peskov, who tends to be very aggressive in defending russia in every possible way against any kind of accusation or even hint of any russian malfeasance, has been extremely cautious and he is saying, "well, let's wait for results." so i think the circumstantial evidence at the moment is not favourable to russia. it's early days.

we have to wait, but i think this has been an area where the russians have been very nervous. the ukrainians have launched a number of drone attacks. the russians have been shooting at these drones, often wildly and recklessly. and it's almost miraculous that somehow so many of the people on board of this aircraft managed to survive. yeah, absolutely. as you say there, president putin's spokesman saying "inappropriate to comment before the official investigation has been completed". have we any sense of how long it takes? these air investigations often take quite a long time. they do, and at times, the results are not definitive or they are disputed. the flight recorder apparently is being recovered, and so this will not be just a matter of a physical investigation. this 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 that's how this aircraft was brought down? would they admit fault? no—one at this stage is saying that this was deliberate, and it's highly unlikely that this would've been a deliberate act. but there are other possibilities that would still make russia very uncomfortable. and the normal thing that russia does is they go into denial mode, but i think the evidence is likely to mount that this was not a simple accident, that there was electronic interference and that the damage seems to have been caused by some kind of missile. and the logical conclusion may well be that the only player who had a capacity to launch missiles, whether it was a short—range pantsir or longer—range s300 or 400, would have been russia.

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. our europe regional editor paul moss took us through what happened. for once with one of these incidents, and there have been several, i don't think it required an enormous amount of detective work to work it out because this cable, a crucial cable carrying electricity between finland and estonia, stopped working at around lunchtime on what was christmas day in finland and estonia. and at exactly the point that it stopped working, a ship passed overhead. not surprisingly the finnish

police acted quickly. they boarded the ship. now this is flagged to the cook islands, a small nation in the pacific, but what they're suggesting is that's just what's called a flag of convenience and it was really part of russia's shadow fleet. the shadow fleet is used to evade sanctions, but they're suggesting it may also be used to sabotage cables. and that's what they're suggesting here, as you said, that the anchor dragged along the bottom and snapped the cable in two. and is there any way that could happen accidentally? well, the thing is there are an awful lot of these cables around, more and more of them, and the fact is that, yes, they do break. however, this is the third time it's happened in about a month. in november, two cables — one going from germany to finland, the other going from sweden to lithuania — both broke, and on that occasion it was a chinese ship which just happened to be passing overhead at the moment when the cables snapped. so what they're suggesting quite simply is a programme of sabotage.

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. 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.

now it's time for a look at today's sport with jane dougall. hello to you, again. boxing day always a big dip football but not much festive spirit for chelsea fans. no, afew no, a few upsets. chelsea at stamford bridge loss we will come to that match in a few moments. a busy boxing day in the premier league. the late match between liverpool and leicester city went ahead in the last 15 minutes. in the last few minutes. in the last few minutes curtis jones minutes. in the last few minutes curtisjones scored to give liverpool the lead again. earlier, there was a shock in the west london derby. chelsea could have gone within a point of the top

of the premier league, but lost to fulham, who scored a last—minute winner at stamford bridge. cole palmer put the home side ahead before substitute harry wilson equalised. then in the 95th minute, rodrigo muniz put the visitors in front to take a first victory at chelsea since 1979. fulham are eighth in the table, and their head coach said it was for their supporters. football is about connections and connections between football club and fans and players and the staff and the fans. it means for me something really big, but at the end, they are three points, but the most important thing for me is what it means for our fans and our players. it's not about me at all, it's about the fans. manchester city's stuttering form continues. the premier league defending champions failed to beat everton at the etihad, drawing 1—1. city got off to an ideal start, with bernardo silva giving them the lead in the first half. iliman ndiaye scored everton�*s equaliser before half—time. there was a huge moment when erling haaland could have won it for his side, but his penalty was saved byjordan pickford. it means city have just

one win in the last 13. i thought the players, you could tell by the way they were playing, the belief in the occasion to play well and defend well. we scored a really good goal, as well, to get back in it. and the strangest part, i think, we started the first 20—25 minutes on the back foot, we were not really... the shape was good, but no one really had the intent to go and break up their game. then they scored and we seemed to settle a little bit. we scored a good goal and the second half becomes that kind of game. the first half was brilliant, the first 10—15 minutes. i the penalty was really good. we will analyse the result. but we are not happyl with the performance, well done, the guys again, and of course, we're - going to score the goals that we need, but no, i'm not... i

there are other days i like more, where ii do not see many things - i like with the way they play, but today was not the case. eight fixtures in total on boxing day in the premier league. there was a convincing 3—0 win for newcastle over ten—man aston villa. nottingham forest are third after beating tottenham 1—0 at the city ground. west ham were also 1—0 winners away to bottom side southampton. the early evening game has just finished at molineux. wolves beat ten—man manchester united 2—0. a full complement of games in the scottish premiership. leaders celtic thrashed motherwell a—0. rangers lost 2—1 to st mirren. hibernian got the better of hearts in the edinburgh derby, winning 2—1 at tynecastle. also big wins for ross county and kilmarnock. there's also a boxing day tradition in cricket, with australia hosting a test match at the mcg. their series with india is level at 1—1 with the fourth test of five under way in melbourne. australia's19—year—old debutant sam konstas made the biggest impression on day one, the youngest test batting debutant for the men's team since 1953 hitting 60 off just 65 balls.

half—centuries from usman khawaja and marnus labuschagne followed. however, india hit back in the final session. jasprit bumrah taking two quick wickets as the home side finished the day on 311—6. there was a dramatic win in the king george vi chase at kempton earlier. il est francais had been ahead for almost all of the three—mile boxing day race, building up a comfortable lead, but at the last fence, banbridge overtook and stayed in front on the home straight for the victory. more details on all of those stories on the website. and that's all the sport for now. 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 2 million people. the former indian prime minister, manmohan singh, has died at the age of 92. from the sikh faith. mr singh was in office for a decade, from 200a—201a, and was the first prime minister in india from the sikh faith. sophie long looks back on his life. 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's1 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. thank you. 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.

just some breaking news coming in from australia. two people have died in the 202a sydney to hobart yacht race. the police there are saying that there were two separate incidents which occurred at the fleet made its way down the coast was up made its way down the coast was up apparently the weather was extremely wild, very windy. there were ten race retirements, and the race committee released a statement to say that the numerical people who died after being struck by a sale at boom. these are the first death in the sydney— hobart race since six men lost their lives in a very stormy race back in 1998. just to recap there, two people have died in 8.2a sydney to yacht race. let's stay in australia. the authorities in south—eastern australia have told people in dozens of rural communities to leave their homes "immediately" to escape a bushfire. more than 1000 firefighters, according to the victoria

state emergency services, are trying to control the blaze in the grampians national park. the fire has been burning for a week and has consumed about 500 square kilometres of forested land. 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 catchup. wallace & gromit had the second highest overnight viewing figures. 9.38 million tuned in to watch the duo's tv return. if you are not watching the

telly, you might have been out shopping or maybe not. 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 have had a later start than the crack—of—dawn sales of years gone by. there'll 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 cos 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've gone out going to 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'm very much an advocate for a bargain or a discount, so when things are on sale, obviously i shout about them quite a lot. black friday's a biggie, and boxing day is important, too, then. 100%, yeah, especially because people have just had christmas money, they've seen what they've got for christmas, what they've not got, let's go and see if i can, like, get now this cheaper. but those who have hit the shops today are hoping for a deal in person despite the later start. normally we're up hardcore in the morning, usually, aren't we? normally you're a 5am start ready for the 6am...? yeah, we're normally. for the last 10—15 years, mum drags us at 5am

to come out, so... i they come, they come... so we're just up here for christmas, so we thought we'd get a few bits for the missus and going the football later, so the price i've got to pay to go to the footy tonight, do a bit of shopping today for missus. ina in a hotel chemist going to go out, _ in a hotel chemist going to go out, do — in a hotel chemist going to go out, do the day then crash out and make _ out, do the day then crash out and make a day of it. colletta smith, bbc news, liverpool. some very brave shoppers there. keep up with all the news stories on the bbc news website. should you be inclined, they are also having the quiz of the year part one, how much do you remember about 202a? 13 questions, i got ten. see if you can get more. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. boxing day has been another relatively quiet one. mostly dry, a lot of cloud around.

best of the sunshine across north—east 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 focused across northern areas. that's because we've got this weather front pretty much stationary across the north of the uk. and notjust 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—8 degrees, but under clearer spells, say north—east england, we could be close to freezing, one or two spots 1—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, north—east england. winds light for most, and temperatures again 8—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 northern and western isles. 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 north—west of scotland. elsewhere south, that weather front looks like being another benign day. light winds, a lot of cloud around, limited sunshine. temperatures 8—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, i was there: the boxing day tsunami.

it was a bright, sunny day and there was no danger music. and i'd never heard the word "tsunami" before. i told them that's the sound of wave. but nobody trust me. man: get in, get in, get in! we knew it was likely to be bad. we just had no idea quite how cataclysmically bad it was going to be. hey, hey, hey, hey! there were bodies and their hands were reaching out. i dream about that sometimes. lou and i had just got engaged. it was a bit of a whirlwind romance. we met each other at school, but we'd not seen each other for about 15 years.