this is you know we news life for berlin where it all began christmas says comes about lamb thousands of pilgrims that flock to the west bank city the place christians revere as the birthplace of jesus also coming up a special delivery north korea promises to send a christmas gift to the united states although warning has american and south korean officials on high alert that it could be a potential missile test well meanwhile china south korea and japan hold a special summit to foods cooperation over pyongyang's nuclear program and no

midnight mass at all to down in paris for the 1st time in over 2 centuries christmas services will not be held at a landmark is needed because of renovation work to repair the damage from this year's devastating fire. where the ark thank you so much for your company everyone as christians around the world ready for christmas thousands of pilgrims and tourists are celebrating in bethlehem visitors are congregating in a manger square in the center of the west bank town where christians believe jesus was born an annual midnight mass is held in the church of the nativities where catholic priests will later preside over christmas eve festivities earlier. in the

day the head of the catholic church in the region travel to bethlehem from jerusalem. the catholic archbishop here but he still pizza bannana set off from jerusalem with his convoy around noon and israeli honor guard accompanied him to bethlehem just under 10 kilometers away. once a year and just for the sick asian the wall separating israel from bethlehem and the palestinian territories has opened the conflict in the middle east of science at least temporarily for christmas. business for us the school sort of breaks their hole that just they're living maybe not in the big institution but in the smaller ones the little ones or the cyclist palestinian christian scouts take part in the annual christmas procession that leads to manger square outside the church of the nativity one of the oldest christian structures it was built above what's believed to be the 1st place of jesus the procession drowns tens of thousands of tourists

and pilgrims from around the world. would it's a good story we're really impressed by people's warm food and the friendly atmosphere here at the square dance and the feeling of the blood letting them and not like it if it will. but i guess that spirit is the same for. march bishop it's a bamma we'll celebrate midnight mass this evening in the church of the nativity christmas eve where the festivity originated. well earlier we heard from journalist a semicircle in jerusalem on the christmas celebrations in bethlehem. we've seen a record number of tourists and pilgrims visiting both bethlehem and jerusalem this year and what has added to the festive atmosphere is the fact that the pope francis has given a relic this size a fragment of wood that has been in rome for nearly 1400 years

and this is believed to have been part of the major part of the creed where jesus christ lay so it was received you with a great system ness and the belief here is that it will draw more tourists to exist at the city on the other. israeli authorities have prevented yet again gazans from leaving and visiting the west bank visiting beslan and visiting jerusalem and even though last year they give it to mission for 700 palestinian christians to leave the gaza strip and visit this year the number was only 300 so the disappointment in gaza was very high amidst very strong condemnations from the various churches some of their reporting i want to tell you now about some of the other stories making news around the world. a court in turkey has ordered

businessman osmonds kovalchuk to remain in jail on charges he attempted to overthrow the government he's accused of organizing and funding the gives the park protests against them prime minister wretch of the european court of human rights as calls for his release saying there's no reasonable suspicion he committed a crime. well at least 8 civilians including 5 children have been killed in a missile strike on a school building in syria's it live province the opposition is winning president bashar al assad's government for the attack the school served as a shelter for people displaced by violence in other parts of the country. it's already christmas in north korea and nowhere is the clock being watched more closely than in east asia where pyongyang has warned of an unspecified christmas gift for the united states u.s. president alltime says he is not worried about what it might be but korea's

neighbors are less cheerful they suspect a new weapons test the leaders of china japan and south korea have been meeting in the chinese city of chengdu in an effort to get the u.s. and north korea talking again. they called it a new era of the 3 kingdoms as the leaders of china japan and south korea met for talks but the one lead to setting the agenda at the summit was not at the table. north korea's kim jong il after the latest tests at the missile launch site earlier this month regional powers are concerned appearing young is about to undo efforts to ease tensions. under canoga we agreed that peace on the korean peninsula was in the common interest of the 3 countries we also agreed to make efforts together to help promote north korea u.s. dialogue for denuclearization and peace. the possibility of north korea turning into serious nuclear threat has become more tangible after february summit between

kin and u.s. president on a trump fails to deliver any results. to come and threat of a north korean attack has forced to pan and south korea to overcome their own bilateral tensions over their colonial history. i am willing to improve this important relationship between japan and south korea by all means today i would like to have a frank discussion. china north korea's only ally supports the call for peace on the korean peninsula beijing is interested in easing tensions in the region also for you cannot mix reasons china's premier used the opportunity to promote a new free trade zone between the 3 countries. the prospect of more diplomatic and economic unity in east asia is cause for optimism but the dawn of a new era depends on substantial jeev minutes after the talks. here's a round up now of some of the other stories making news in the asia pacific region

. kong protesters have clashed with police and demonstrations all scuffles broke out after activists all keep quiet shopping malls riot police fire tear gas thousands of protesters blocked streets outside the shopping centers and the anti-government protests in hong kong are now in their 7th month. at least $24.00 bus passengers were killed after the vehicle plunged off a cliff on the in the nation island of sumatra as curers are still searching for any survivors trapped inside the bus which varied off or road into a 150 meter ravine. australia's prime minister's scott morrison says volunteer firefighters from the public sector will be compensated with pain relief firefighters have been badly wildfires for months now weather forecasters expect extremely high high temperatures in the flames could

burn for several more days people have been donating christmas gifts to those made homeless by the fires. back here in europe paris is iconic not on cathedral will not be holding a christmas mass this year for the 1st time since the french revolution while the french government pledged to rebuild it immediately after a fire earlier this year devastated the cathedral all that work will take years to complete and the building is just too unstable to hold religious services. the landmark cathedral of paris still the skeleton of its former self. the work under way now focuses on stabilizing notre dame and preventing its collapse. the fire that ravaged the church's roof and spire broke out on april 15th. tons of poisonous lead melted during the blaze that spells health hazards and good reason

to delay holding christmas festivities inside i think it's incredibly sad that they will be able to celebrate mass especially because it's such a revered monument for catholics probably many many families have that tradition of going every year for christmas services it is quite a break in tradition quite honestly as long as the renovation work is carried out quickly and well it is not the right moment to open at one time i think people are aware of that and can go to other churches. notre dumb has held a christmas mass every year since $803.00 even during the horror of world war 2. the last interruptions to the mass came amid the anti catholic fervor of the french revolution. this year worshippers are being sent to nearby sites for services including the church of sun so peace. to think that i was ill last christmas and i missed christmas and talked to them thinking that they would go again this year

with no problems. i'm missing that already. in years past thousands of worshippers and tourists gathered inside notre dumb daily it's still unclear when they'll be able to congregate inside again. now as they hear droste a close we want to bring you some of our most memorable stories from the past 12 months in iran did every reporter teresa tropper visited a cafe staffed by people with down syndrome and autism and she found iranians breaking new ground. this completely in his element serving couple chinos to the guests in this cafe waiting tables this is 1st ever job and the 40 year old is loving every 2nd of it. i like the cafe it's big and it's nice. that's why i'm so grateful to the owner.

that every night when i go to bed i thank. the others who work here have little chance of finding work elsewhere iran's job market is currently in such a bad state that over a 3rd of college educated young iranians are unemployed for people with special needs it's become nearly impossible to find work. for most of those people there's nothing to do once they finish school they just stay at home but we're convinced it's good for them to show people that they have other abilities not just good for them it's also good for their families they're often sad because they can't do anything but here they can show just what they're capable of. more than 40 people living with down syndrome autism work here regularity everybody pitches in doing what they can

brewing coffee waiting tables or entertaining the guests with music. they all get paid for their work except for the cafe owner he she runs a deficit every month there are very few government programs to support social projects like this one in the islamic republic more as. we've never received support from any kind of organization it's a completely independent project founded and finance privately or totally self dependent. giving up is not an option because every day she sees just how much this work means to him ron and the others. i used to just be with my father.

but father look at me. i finally made it. i'm famous and go through life with my head to. see. with their positive attitude iran and his colleagues have created an atmosphere found nowhere else in the islamic republic. no other coffee he a neuron could get away with this level of frivolity in iran and the others making the best out being a little bit different and have transformed coffee down 2000 into a place that's bursting with positivity. that uplifting report from teresa tropper are writing off the top stories that we're tracking for you this hour. thousands of pilgrims and tourists have gathered in bethlehem to celebrate christmas christians revere the west bank town as the

birthplace of jesus a midnight mass will later be held in the church of the native city. you're watching the good news from berlin up next business africa will pick ferguson and a look at christmas shopping habits across the continent and the world i will rock n roll when i see you can't talk me out. please. please. don't move these should be music to begin.