indians gather to pay their respects to former prime minister manmohan singh at his state funeral. thick fog is causing travel disruption around the uk, with flights cancelled and drivers warned to be careful on the roads. over 1,300 critically endangered tiny snails have been released in the remote portuguese island of desertas, in the atlantic ocean. welcome to the programme. we begin in the middle east. the world health organization says the last major functioning hospital in northern gaza has been put out of service after it was evacuated by the israeli military. the kamal adwan hospital has been under siege by the idf for weeks. staff say airstrikes there on friday killed 50 people. the head of the hospital's

nursing department told the bbc the army gave them only a 15—minute warning to evacuate patients and staff before the israeli army entered the hospital and removed anyone that remained. israel says the hospital was being used by hamas as a command centre, but has not provided any evidence to support this. drjames smith is an emergency doctor who was at the kamal adwan hospital earlier this year. he he's been speaking to colleagues there. we lost contact with staff from kamal adwan yesterday morning. they were, as your reporter has said, they were forcibly displaced from the hospital. there are about 30 individuals, health care workers and patients, that were taken to the indonesian hospital, which is a short distance away. now, the indonesian hospital itself was heavily damaged by the israeli military last week. patients there yesterday had no water, no electricity, no medicine.

as we speak now, we understand that the ministry of health in gaza and the who are trying to negotiate with the israeli military to bring some supplies and to repair the facility or to otherwise remove the patients from what is left of the indonesian hospital. kamal adwan has been destroyed. it has been besieged now for more than 80 days. there was direct sniper fire into the hospital, direct shellings, quadcopters dropping explosives into the hospital courtyard. palestinian health care workers have been killed and injured. and now, as your reporter mentions, more than 100 people, including the director of the hospital, dr safia, have been forcibly detained. we believe now, as of this morning, that dr safia has been detained and arrested by the israeli military. a spokesperson for the who says that, for those who are severely injured in gaza, this is a death sentence. is that fair?

i think that's more than fair. i think that's probably an understatement. i think it's been a death sentence for palestinians in gaza for months now, more than 14 months of what human rights watch, amnesty international and the un special rapporteur have described as a genocide and ethnic cleansing. now, the strategy of deliberately targeting health care facilities, health care workers and health infrastructure forms part of that wider strategy. kamal adwan was the last remaining hospital, the northernmost hospital in gaza. last estimates provided by the un suggested that there were about 75,000 people still sheltering and fearing for their lives in the north of gaza, without any access to health care or any access to water, to food, to medicine. what is left other than to die, to be killed or to be forcibly displaced to the south?

let's speak to amir avivi, retired idf brigadier general, and ceo of israel's defense & security forum. thank you for being with us. there has been criticism of this 15 minute warning that the israeli military gave to hospital staff. what do you make of the operation, both of why it was carried out under way in which it was done? this hos - ital way in which it was done? this hospitaljust — way in which it was done? this hospitaljust like _ way in which it was done? this hospitaljust like we _ way in which it was done? ti 3 hospitaljust like we saw in other places in gaza during the war was full of terrorists, it has become a headquarters with many terrorists inside and the fighting is intense between the idf and the terrorists. unfortunately, hamas again and again uses civilian infrastructure, whether it is

un sites, hospitals, kindergartens, schools, they build their headquarters in this specific area. what i hear from the israeli army, very senior terrorists have been taken from this place. this is why the idf is coordinating to evacuate the hospital and is dealing with terrorists shooting and fighting against idf. this area, there are almost no civilians, most of them have been located to the humanitarian zone with humanitarian zone with humanitarian aid on a daily basis, trucks full of aid to the palestinians.- basis, trucks full of aid to the palestinians. that british doctor we — the palestinians. that british doctor we heard _ the palestinians. that british doctor we heard from, - the palestinians. that british doctor we heard from, he - the palestinians. that british l doctor we heard from, he said israel is targeting health care workers and health care facilities as part of its wider strategy. 50 people were killed in the hospital, where they terrorists?—

in the hospital, where they terrorists? , . terrorists? israel never, ever tar: ets terrorists? israel never, ever targets civilians _ terrorists? israel never, ever targets civilians intentionally| targets civilians intentionally but you do see hamas terrorists disguising as workers. we have seen unrwa full of terrorists. terrorists disguised as civilians, they shoot, it is very challenging for the israeli army to really pinpoint and see exactly who is a terrorist. any workers that idf targeted, they are terrorists, not workers. we have seen _ terrorists, not workers. we have seen an _ terrorists, not workers. we have seen an uptick in violence in yemen, striking the airport earlier this week. what is

israel's goals in yemen. yemen is... israel's goals in yemen. yemen is- -- from _ israel's goals in yemen. yemen is... from the _ israel's goals in yemen. yemen is... from the 7th _ israel's goals in yemen. yemen is... from the 7th of _ israel's goals in yemen. yemen is... from the 7th of october, l is... from the 7th of october, they keep shooting ballistic missiles to the centre of israel, targeting tel aviv, the last few days every night, 3am, little kids, families wake up to the sound of sirens and run to the sound of sirens and run to shelters because ballistic missiles come from yemen. there is a very good air defence in israel and yet people are waking up again and again. israel is defending itself, attacking centres of the houthis, mainly their capability to get iranian

weapons from the sea port or airport. that idf is targeting infrastructure in coordination with the british and us army. we are operating against the houthis, who are trying to undermine world trade, the whole globe, ships in the red sea. ., ., ., ~' sea. you mention working alongside _ sea. you mention working alongside british - sea. you mention working alongside british and - sea. you mention working - alongside british and american forces. the us special envoy to yemen criticised the strike on their airport and said israel needs to be more precise and called this an embarrassing moment for israel. are they losing us support? i moment for israel. are they losing us support?- moment for israel. are they losing us support? i think the taruet losing us support? i think the target was — losing us support? i think the target was very _ losing us support? i think the target was very pinpoint - losing us support? i think the target was very pinpoint and l target was very pinpoint and precise, israel hit exactly what it wanted to hit in order to take the airport out of operation. israel will continue to defend the israeli people, as it should, making sure the

houthis stop shooting ballistic missiles. the only thing they have to do not to be attacked is not shoot at israel. why are they at israel? —— why are they shooting at israel? the united states says it's seen �*early indications' that suggest an azerbaijani airlines plane which crashed in kazakhstan this week was possibly brought down by russian air defence systems. russia has so far refused to comment on the allegations. the airline says preliminary results of an investigation into the incident found there was �*external physical and technical interference'. but the report stopped short of accusing any group or country of being responsible. the azerbaijan transport minister said all of the 29 survivors of the crash �*without exception�* said they heard three blast sounds when the plane was flying above grozny in southern russia. the head of russia�*s aviation authority says the plane was unable land at grozny airport because of a ukrainian drone attack. 38 people died when the plane came down, two miles short of the runway, at aktau airport, in kazakhstan. this report from jon donnison.

this is the moment the plane went down. it�*s remarkable anyone survived. but emerging from the wreckage, some did. the flight had been diverted to kazakhstan after passengers heard bangs when it tried to land at its original destination, grozny, in chechnya. translation: they say there were two bangs, l but i only heard one. it was quite substantial. i honestly didn�*t hear the second one. at first only some of the oxygen masks fell out, not all of them. investigators are now examining the damage to the outside of the plane. the owner, azerbaijan airlines, said only that it had suffered external physical and technical interference. the kremlin has again refused to comment on speculation that it was mistakenly brought

down by a russian air defence system. translation: i'd like to point out that the situation on that l day during those hours in the area around grozny airport was very difficult. ukrainian military drones were carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the city of grozny and others nearby. in azerbaijan today, the first funerals for some of the 38 people who were killed. why they died will take time to find out, and will likely be disputed. jon donnison, bbc news. the state funeral of the former indian prime minister, manmohan singh, has been taking place in the capital delhi. india�*s first sikh prime minister died on thursday at the age of 92. our correspondent arunoday mukharji is in delhi. just a short while back, the former prime minister

dr manmohan singh was laid to rest at the cremation ground where i currently am. in fact, the pyre is still burning behind me. that�*s where he was laid to rest. and this entire area where i�*m standing was chockablock with dignitaries, cutting across party lines, right from prime minister narendra modi to members of several political parties across the spectrum, really. and that is testament to the kind of politician that dr manmohan singh really was, someone who really was a man who was known to have built consensus during his political career. but of course, he was india�*s prime minister from 2004 to 2014, but prior to that, as finance minister, is when the man really made a name for himself, because he was credited to being the architect of india�*s economic reforms in 1991, as finance minister, when he opened up india�*s economy, bringing in liberalising economic reforms, opening it up to foreign investment, and that�*s where many people say that india�*s start of becoming an economic superpower really began. so the former prime minister

being laid to rest, and the current prime minister narendra modi saying india, in fact, is mourning one of its most distinguished leaders today. airline passengers are being warned they could face further travel disruption today as thick fog, which led to dozens of cancellations and delays across uk airports yesterday, continues. our reporter simon jones has the latest. as the fog descended at heathrow airport, so did the gloom for the passengers caught up in the delays and cancellations it has been causing. hundreds of flights at several airports, including gatwick and glasgow, have been affected at one of the busiest times for travel during the festive break. at manchester, those returning to the uk after christmas abroad were relieved finally to touch down, even if it was much later than expected. we were an hour late boarding, then when we got on the plane, they said it was going to be another hour and a half, because they were queueing up at this end because of the fog. so otherwise we would have been

flying around with no fuel. i think it was delayed by two hours or something like that, due to the fog and stuff. i'm glad to be back home. this was the murk at cardiff. the uk�*s main air traffic control provider nats put in place temporary air traffic restrictions due to the widespread fog. in a statement, it said... but there are warnings that this might not be quick to resolve. the airlines, despite all their best efforts last night, will be faced with a big problem this morning, that their planes and their pilots aren�*t necessarily in the right place to start getting people where they need to be. so i�*m afraid disruption could continue all day, and if fog remains, then that is going to be very disruptive for tens of thousands of passengers.

drivers are being urged to take care on the roads too, as many make the journeys home from family and friends. the tricky conditions have been created by persistent low cloud, mist and fog being trapped in place by a slow—moving area of high pressure. the moist air has created a lot of cloud, which has got lower and lower, so lots of misty and murky conditions, particularly on friday, which had a few impacts for some roads and airports. the good news is, through saturday, winds will pick up, so will see the cloud start to break up in the north, still a pretty misty and murky day for much of england and wales. the fog has created some stunning scenes, but those hoping to travel today will certainly be glad to see the back of these wintry wonders. simon jones, bbc news. a ukrainian official has told the bbc they hope a new year prisoner exchange with russia will happen "any day", although arrangements can fall through at the last minute.

petro yatsenko, from ukraine�*s headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war, said negotiations with moscow have become more difficult in recent months since russian forces began making significant advances on the frontline. thousands of relatives of ukrainian prisoners are now spending christmas without their loved ones. from kyiv, will vernon reports. a christmas concert for ukrainians exhausted by war. dancer lilya keeps her pain hidden. her boyfriend bogdan was captured by russian forces 2.5 years ago. she hasn�*t heard from him since. translation: the christmas holidays are a painful time. . if you want to celebrate, then you should, but without forgetting that we need to support our soldiers. bogdan is very kind. he really loves cats,

just like i do. lilya still sends messages to bogdan�*s phone... message for him in the future. ..knowing he can�*t see them. translation: i miss him a lot. he needs to be saved and have his freedom back. freedom for ukrainians held by russia — that�*s what lilya and thousands of others are demanding. they hold regular street demonstrations — this one calling on the world not to forget the prisoners at christmas. many of the relatives here have no idea where their loved ones are or what condition they�*re in. russia provides prisoners with almost no access to communication with relatives, which only intensifies the suffering of families here in ukraine. for this family, the wait is finally over. andrey and lina served in the ukrainian military and were both captured

by the russians in 2022. lina, who was pregnant, was set free after two weeks. but andrey was freed only recently, after 2.5 years in captivity. translation: they beat us mercilessly with sticks - and their fists and feet. the food was horrifying — rotten fish heads and sour cabbage. i thought about my wife constantly. i remembered her smile and was desperately hoping to receive a letterfrom her. here, andriy meets his son leon for the very first time. translation: i constantly wrote him letters saying i he would finally have the child he had wanted for so long. later, i learned that he hadn�*t received a single one. translation: we want to spend this holidays together and feel i the warmth of being a family. the russian authorities told us allegations of mistreatment of prisoners were false, and captured ukrainian militants were treated

humanely, according to the geneva convention. will vernon, bbc news, lviv. fierce clashes are reported to have broken out on the border between afghanistan and pakistan. taliban officials say their forces have launched attacks on areas in neighbouring pakistan. a spokesman from the taliban—run defence ministry said several points were targeted in, what he termed, retaliatory attacks. details of casualties are unclear. the development comes days after kabul said 46 people were killed in pakistani air strikes inside afghan territory. more than 1,000 critically endangered snails, some of which were bred in captivity here in the uk, have been released onto a remote portuguese island. the desertas island land snails were believed to be extinct until an expedition team discovered a tiny native

population, and set about growing their numbers. our science correspondent victoria gill has more. this is a story with some very tiny main characters. these are desertas island land snails. they were rescued from the brink of extinction and brought here to chester zoo, where they�*ve been living and breeding inside this converted shipping container. these were snails at risk of extinction or thought to be actually extinct in the wild, so we were lucky enough to have them brought to us, and this is where we�*ve managed to breed up from very low numbers to what we have here today, which is almost 1,400 snails ready for release. there are two snail species the team are bringing back to their wild island home off the coast of portugal — discula snails and the even smaller geomitra. they�*re prepared for their journey with a little scientific makeover.

we have uv markers and literallyjust a metallic pen. why do they need to be marked? basically, so there are some individuals left in the wild and we just want to be able to distinguish the ones we have bred and released so we can track their progress. this is a discula snail. you can just see the shell is marked with a green mark and there is a uv mark in the middle. they are ready to go. the desertas islands, close to madeira in portugal, are their destination and their natural home. the largest of the islands where the last snails were found has had its habitat decimated, eaten away by goats, rats, goats and mice brought here by people, so the team has transported the snails to the protected neighbouring island of bugio. it has meant a long and precariousjourney. after waiting for the ideal cooler evening conditions... they�*re quite active.

..it is finally time to set the snails free. we are going to release them really close under the rocks, which will be the perfect place for their new life, where they have protection, humidity and a lot of food. this is a small but significant part of a mission to restore the natural habitat and wildlife on these mountainous atlantic islands. if it goes well, more snails will be brought here next year, each bringing a small splash of colour back to their habitat. victoria gill, bbc news. let�*s speak to tiago de zoeten from the mossy earth project. he�*s in his camper van on the snail trail. thank you forjoining us. where are you just now and what are you doing? i are you just now and what are you doing?— you doing? i am in spain on

hohda you doing? i am in spain on holiday actually, _ you doing? i am in spain on holiday actually, coming - you doing? i am in spain on i holiday actually, coming here for rock climbing, taking a bit of a vacation.— of a vacation. what is your role in the _ of a vacation. what is your role in the snail— of a vacation. what is your role in the snail project? l of a vacation. what is your i role in the snail project? we role in the snail pro'ect? we not role in the snail pro'ect? we got involved h role in the snail project? - got involved from the beginning of the project because we were looking for projects which focused on neglected species, these small species like snails which don�*t get much attention and so ijoined those early expeditions when we were trying to find enough individuals to start this captive breeding programme. there were some doubts because on some of those expeditions we did not find enough, they really were on the brink of extinction. so i joined those expeditions, i was involved in managing the project from our side and we provide some funding to help with the fieldwork, and i also recorded what we were doing, so we have a series of videos on youtube people can follow the

progress. youtube people can follow the rouress. ., , ., progress. you say these are neglected — progress. you say these are neglected species, - progress. you say these are neglected species, they - progress. you say these are l neglected species, they don't neglected species, they don�*t get much attention. too many people, snails arejust get much attention. too many people, snails are just a garden pest. why are these ones on a remote island in the middle of the ocean so important?— middle of the ocean so imortant? ~' ., ,, . , important? like all species they have _ important? like all species they have a _ important? like all species they have a role _ important? like all species they have a role to - important? like all species they have a role to play - important? like all species they have a role to play inl important? like all species i they have a role to play in the ecosystem and they are also an important part of biodiversity which i think is worth protecting in its own right. i think they have intrinsic value. if you look at extinction rates in the animal kingdom, a lot of extinctions are happening in species like these land snails in islands even though people are not aware of this. so being effective with how we use our time and funds to protect biodiversity, it is very good to focus on. they also have a faster life cycle which means

we can get results quicker than if we were working with animals which have a slower life cycle. all in all, it�*s a good approach for us. all in all, it's a good a- roach for us. ., ~ i. ., approach for us. thank you for “oininu approach for us. thank you for joining us- _ approach for us. thank you for joining us- enjoy _ approach for us. thank you for joining us. enjoy your - approach for us. thank you for joining us. enjoy your rock- joining us. enjoy your rock climbing. ourtop joining us. enjoy your rock climbing. our top story developing, the talavan defence ministry in afghanistan says its forces have carried out what it called retaliatory attacks in pakistan along the border between the countries where it is said attacks on afghanistan were being organised. details of casualties are yet to emerge, we will keep you posted. stick with us. hello, there. well, there are more travel issues again today because of the mist and the fog. that�*s likely to linger on again for most of us across many parts of england and wales, particularly towards the south. but further north,

then, we�*re seeing the breeze start to pick up, and that sets the tone for the rest of the weekend. tomorrow is looking a lot brighter, although there will be some more rain across the far north of the uk. and you can see already some rain across northern ireland and scotland this morning. high pressure still dominant further south, so the mist and the fog just likely to linger on for many. we could start to see some breaks in it. a little bit of clearance across the north midlands and into north wales perhaps as we head through the afternoon, but further south, staying very murky. some sunny spells and some showers across northern scotland as we head through the afternoon. and of course, any low cloud here likely to break up because of the strength of that westerly wind. but the winds remain very light further south. and of course, that is part of the problem. top temperatures between generally 7 and 11 celius, although where the fog lingers on, we probably won�*t get much past 4 or 5 degrees again. now, overnight tonight, then, our very weak cold front continues to sink further southwards and eastwards, some clearer spells developing as the westerly wind picks up.

more heavy, persistent rain pushing across scotland — and into eastern scotland, too, as we head into tomorrow morning. that�*s how we�*ll start off the day. now, our weak front continues to push further southwards and eastwards. more rain across the north of scotland. in between, then, we are seeing the westerly wind start to become a little stronger. so this is helping to break up the clouds. so i think there will be a lot more in the way of sunshine, particularly across the midlands, across wales and eventually across southern and eastern england as we head through the afternoon. temperatures will of course improve. there will be a lot more brightness around — 9 or 10 celsius. some of the rain really quite heavy, though, across northwest scotland as we head through the day. and that�*s just likely to linger on as we head through sunday night and into monday. colder air tucking in towards the north of scotland, so here we�*re likely to see some wintriness, particularly over the hills, as we head into monday morning. this is how monday afternoon is shaping up. rain across the northern half of the uk, drierfurther south, and it stays mild here into the start of the new year.

it is set to turn colder, and there could be some snow for some of us — so do keep an eye on the forecast. goodbye.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the white house says russia may have been responsible for the downing

of the azerbaijan airlines plane that crashed on christmas day which killed 38 people. moscow has refused to comment on speculation that its air defence systems hit the plane by mistake. the world health organisation says that israeli forces have put the last major hospital in northern gaza out of service. it said initial reports showed key departments were severely burned and destroyed in yesterday�*s raid on kamal adwan hospital. israel said hamas had used the site as a command centre. indians gather to pay their respects to former prime minister manmohan singh at his state funeral, the man key to the country�*s economic liberalisation. india�*s first sikh leader died on thursday at the age of 92. he�*s to be cremated with full state honours. now on bbc news — time to look back at the year in sport.