launched into what your first. point will be surfers fighting against unseen pollution. starting january seventh on the job. this is the deputy who is live from berlin the countdown to christmas with tensions running high in the middle east. worshippers have been making their way to bethlehem's church of the nativity ahead of midnight mass but

festivities are being overshadowed by anger in the region over washington's new middle east policy also coming up. the philippines reels from a powerful typhoon more than two hundred people are now known to have died in the devastating storm rescue as a scrambling to find those still missing. the residents of belgrade are upset about the hefty price tag of a large christmas tree and it's not even real the purchase has triggered corruption allegations against the city mayor. welcome to the program christmas celebrations are under way in the west bank town of bethlehem and made to heighten tensions this is festivities come much a time of simmering anger of to u.s. president donald trump's controversial decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's

capital that move has triggered clashes and has been weighing on christians as well as they prepare to celebrate christmas still the celebrations are happening. christmas eve in bethlehem the town where the it is the birthplace of jesus is infested named as thousands of christian pilgrims arrive from around the world. and i hope to find something special and. back to feel something special here we're here to fall of the steps of the price. of being there where he was born. is like. reading the bible all life was jerusalem's latin patriarch pierre but he stopped ysabel or was a score to buy israeli police through a checkpoint from jerusalem. to the west bank. arriving in bethlehem he

greeted the faithful but his message of christmas peace is overshadowed by we need tension prompted by u.s. president donald trump's decision to recognize to resell him as the capital of israel. like many world leaders pizza balla has said the status of jerusalem should not be altered by unilateral decisions. palestinians both muslim and christian hope the same city will one day be their capital. refused for the british or. the continuance of the point that it is. looking for freedom for over human dignity here in bethlehem but it's the news of a message to the poor choice of them is the capital of palestine jerusalem is the biggest thing in city that is up you where it is but in jerusalem israeli prime minister benyamin netanyahu criticised palestinian leader mahmoud abbas for saying

he would not work with the u.s. on any future peace deal i think once again a clear and simple thing is being shown those who do not want a resolution to the conflict are the palestinians. for. food tonight christians in bethlehem are trying to put the conflict to one side and remember the reason they're here to celebrate christmas is. more than two hundred people are dead in the philippines after tropical storm brought devastation to the south of the country rescue operations are underway to find dozens who remain missing tembin is a second deadly storm to hit the country this week it's swept over the island of mindanao leaving destruction in its wake. tropical storms rarely hit mindanao in the south of the philippines ten being proved a brutal and deadly exception. the heavy rains caused massive flooding and numerous

landslides. entire villages were swept away. washed up they used to be one hundred three houses here but when the flash flood happened everything was washed out all their homes and livelihoods gone ninety families have been affected in the least that. towns were deep under water with people trapped in their homes. across the affected region at least forty thousand people have been displaced scores are still missing. emergency workers and volunteers have been searching for survivors and victims. the devastation is widespread endless mud. flattened crops. and entire communities where people have to rebuild their homes and their lives.

kremlin critic alexei ny only has held rallies across russia to back his bid to run in next year's presidential election of ali is hoping the show of support will persuade officials to overturn a court conviction that bars him from standing as a candidate his considered the strongest potential challenger to president vladimir putin who is expected to extend his term by another six years. a show of support for alexei navalny the opposition leader needed the endorsement of five hundred people to initiate a presidential bid but far more than that took to the streets on sunday here in a katherine book and in one thousand other cities across russia. russia needs a new president and new economic policies we need to stop fighting and start working together or going to the bitter orchards of the group and i came here because it's important the election is competitive. you know.

because our country is stagnating and we need change. in moscow not only was cheered on by over seven hundred supporters in a marquee on the banks of the river moskva works novotny has been banned from running in elections until twenty twenty eight the election commission says a suspended sentence for food makes him ineligible for the valley says that was politically motivated he's a fierce critic of president vladimir putin who is widely expected to win reelection in march. you bloody me a putin who turned our country into a source of personal enrichment for yourself your family and your friends. that is why you should not be president any more you are a bad president you know you don't have good policies and you don't know how to run a country we will defy you in these elections and we are ready to win in the new

thatto never only fired his endorsement papers at the election commission on sunday evening if his bid is rejected he has threatened to call for a boycott of the election. now to some of the other stories making news around the world north korea has condemned the latest u.n. sanctions against the country as an act of war state media said the measures violated peace and stability in the region pyongyang insists it will carry on developing its nuclear program to establish a balance of force with the united states north korea's ongoing ballistic tests have come to pressure sanctions by the u.s. security council. the government of turkey's president trichet. has announced it's sacking twenty seven hundred public servants with alleged links to terror adeline's government has fired or suspended some one hundred fifty thousand teachers judges and other public servants since it declared

a state of emergency after last year's failed coup. more than one hundred people were left hanging in the french alps after a cable railway broke down rescuers had to use helicopters to bring them to safety no injuries were reported. festive celebrations in serbia have been marred by outrage over a very expensive artificial christmas tree residents of belgrade have joined protests against the mayor accusing him of corruption. tanenbaum tanenbaum how green and how ridiculously expensive are your branches that's what some residents in serbia's capital belgrade are thinking after finding out this eighteen metre high plastic christmas tree cost eighty three thousand euros now far from rocking round the christmas tree on a happy holiday some of demonstrating next to it against what they see as corruption banners take aim at the city's mayor with slogans like eighty three

thousand euros shame on you. mayor sydney's a molly says he wasn't aware of the cost and would cancel the deal but opposition groups claim he's involved in questionable use of public funds with a tree costing four times the amount of the one outside new york's rockefeller center. this is not only the most expensive plastic christmas tree in the world it's also an insult to belgrade citizen. forget christmas spirit someone town says instead. the person who bought this christmas tree should be held responsible. but nobody it seems has yet got round to asking what the. cost they could be in for a shock. christmas eve is finally here and now that all the shopping is done it's time to hand out the presents especially for santa claus many kids around the world will be hoping to catch a glimpse of johnny st nick right here on his sleigh maybe with rudolph and

a few of the other reindeer as he delivers billions of gifts sounds like a tough job right well every year he gets it done on his journey starting from the north pole and this is a story most of us know but this father christmas really come from the actiq all data set out in search of the mythical man with the bright red outfit and white beard and she found him in turkey. but. it's christmas time a reason to celebrate for some people here in istanbul as well and like every year curious children want to know where does santa claus come from. are from somewhere in europe more away. from

a snowy place from england. america maybe. from over there. i don't know. unbelievable but true even many turkish people don't know that good old center is in fact one of their own so states you and we will show you where father christmas really comes from. it's right here the small town of denver and southern turkey. in the fourth century a bearded man known for his generosity lived here children were especially fund of him because he often gave out gifts it was this man st nicholas. this is the very church in democratic west saint nicholas prayed about seventeen hundred years ago he was officially called the bishop of iraq that was the name of

this town back then. as is nicholas. between saint nicholas is important all over the world to some of his good deeds reflected in the first guards here in this church which. like protecting those in prison and healing the sick condition you also mention so did he give his. or devoted his entire life to the well being of others yet shall moon have. many such stories surround the legend of st nicholas he was known for sharing his possessions with the poor and filling children's boots with gold coins pilgrims spread the word of his miraculous deeds over the centuries the persona of st nicholas evolved into the santa claus figure we know today. the

most sacred spot of the church in demaris and open to meet behind the glass screen people have long believed that this is the last resting place of saint nicholas they say his remains were stolen and taken to italy hundreds of years ago. but a team of scientists recently made a fascinating discovery to come you clues findings point to an intact burial crypt below the church you clue is convinced that this is where the real grave of st nicholas lies. it will take some time before we can prove it but i think the chances are good. if you think of the lunar it will be a sensation importance of this place will grow a many more people would visit down and of course. maybe then the word will spread that the original santa klaus actually comes from taki. now before we get to the end of the show some joyful news coming from japan people

there bidding farewell to twenty seventeen by laughing away the bad memories from past months a crowd gathered at a shrine in a sucker for a collective outburst of joy instructed by a local priest. oh oh oh the twenty. the minute laughing ritual has become an annual tradition according to a shinto legend laughter the sun goddess out of a dock cave i i i i. i need a q money thank you for watching the dubbing it's. images from an isolated country images from. any tell you photographer captured fascinating shots of everyday life in a regimented society. and.