this is really news life for berlin pope francis has delivered his christmas message from the vatican all in his annual address the pontiff told thousands of worshipers packed in st peter's square to let the light of christmas pierce the darkness in human hearts he also made an appeal for peace around the globe also coming up. syrian forces pound rebel held areas and is the problem says hundreds of thousands of people flee the fighting most are heading north to the turkish border and christmas in hong kong is marred by clashes democracy activists face off with

police after a violent unrest on christmas eve. thank you so much for your company on why a rock pope francis has given his christmas address from the vatican all in his annual or which is latin for to the city and the world the pontiff spoke about migrants and those who've and dured what he called unspeakable forms of abuse he also called for an end to conflicts around the globe while he finished by blessing the catholic faithful who packed st peter's square in rome. 50000 people gathered in st peter's square in bright sunshine for the pope's christmas address it's the 7th of his papacy and again the condemnation of war and

violence was the heart of his message with conflicts in europe asia africa and the americas francis issued a call for peace. he still. made rice to bring his lights to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. community and i hate inspired governments and the international community to find solutions to allow the peoples of those regions to live together in peace and security. and not an end to their suffering really so where in. the list of war torn region this is long francis again called for better protection for people fleeing the violence and he criticized europe's policy of expelling or refusing entry to migrants toward the end of his address he gave the traditional blessing for the at or to the city of

rome and the world. and then a more mundane message to the faithful around the globe. and joy your christmas lunch. i well the po pontiff also highlighted the plight of syrians while that were torn country a relief group there says more than 200000 people have fled their homes in the face of a government assault on its lead province most have been heading to the turkish border syrian forces backed by tanks are continuing their ground advance vance against rebel held areas in southern and eastern it left about $250.00 people have been

killed in the recent flare up of violence. syrian tanks fire on targets as the ground assault and it lead province advances. government forces captured village after village their immediate opening a major highway that's been closed for 7 years the army ultimately wants to recapture the province from the outside of the militias which control it. as the troops push forward civilians try to flee the line of fire tens of thousands are on the run. we are leaving because of the shelling we're worried about our children and that the situation. why else would we leave why would anyone leave his house. a regiment table. with a turkish border closed the only option for shelter is makeshift camps like these it's cold and damp the conditions are desperate. for a couple roma because of the shelling where the look i mean i can hardly survive here

in the sort of mud. people are suffering because of the work record. a lot of. the situation in the camps is likely to deteriorate tens of thousands of syrians are already stuck in places like these. and every day thousands more take to the roads to get out of the war zone. all right let's hear now from mary yard. who are us which is a syrian basic human rights organization and he is talking to us from sweden a very good evening sir are you in touch with some of your aid workers there on the ground in syria are they in the province what are they telling you about the situation on the ground. good evening yes we're in touch with our colleagues on the field and the situation is like this and it gets catastrophic brutal attacks

continue deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and homes over 200000 civilians have been forcibly displaced since the start of the assault and according to unicef $60000.00 children have been displaced since december the 11th. hour at a moment now is goes down 103135 schools in the city have been closed completely. 48500 children have denied their right to education as 348 schools in the region have been suspended. the host communities for the displaced people are struggling to keep up with the hard lights as many of them are already have been displaced before noite nowhere is safe in. the moment even camps are being targeted. even though there are

no armed groups or military installations in the area with. and that was a human rights activist. for us who talked to us a little earlier all right let's take a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world. and algeria thousands of people have gathered to accompany the funeral procession of army chief sala who died unexpectedly on monday well saleh was instrumental in forcing the country's longtime president to resign earlier this year. in france and dancers performed parts of swan lake ballet on the steps of the opera to patty as the strike against the government's pension reforms dancers benefit from a special retirement plan allowing them to bow out at age 42 but many face the risk of financially precarious conditions if the reforms are implemented. queen

elizabeth the 2nd focuses on peace harmony and the transformative power of hope in her annual televised christmas address the queen reflected on this past summer as the 75th d.-day anniversary commemorations she cited at the event as an example of people mending deep seated divisions. and in his christmas address a german president has appealed to germans to overcome their differences and respect each other as equals are also noted the high points of $29000.00 including the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall and low points including the far right attack in october at a synagogue and hala. looking back on the events of the past year the german president says the anti-semitic attack at a synagogue in hama left a deep imprint the buildings locked were prevented even greater tragedy this month

. bears the traces of some 20 bullets you see the splintered wood and the metal remains in the bullet holes. the store guards the entrance to the synagogue. and it's a miracle that it held and that no more people fell victim to this brutal anti semitic attack in which 2 of our fellow citizens were murdered by. president steinmeyer visited the location of the anti semitic attack as soon as he could this christmas he asked germans to find hatred and defend democracy. democracy needs self assured citizens who have confidence and drive common sense and decency and to show solidarity with others. i know that all these qualities are present in you. in this society. john meyer says what

exemplifies germans is their daily commitment to improving society. to help your fellow human being in your neighborhood in your clubs as a volunteer or a salaried employee thousands of you are helping even tonight for example in police stations in hospitals and care homes. hopes the germans can continue to find courage and optimism in the coming year so they can find the strength to create a better future. well the jury's political correspondent kate brady or joins me to talk more about the president's address and then mr stein my said that the event that he reflected got reflected on the most was the anti semitic attack in hollywood just tell us well it really underlines the importance of this issue right now in germany and in other countries as well but specifically of course the number of reported on to semitic crimes in germany has been creeping up in recent years

and the events in in october that attack there really ship could german society and he really used this attack as a symbol in his speech specifically the door which actually prevented the attack from ensign entering the synagogue backing up back in october saying that if that door was strong enough to stop that attack on germans now strong enough and capable to stand up to against anti-semitism but also why didn't they strong enough and capable to stand up against any kind of racism and any kind of hate kit what else will you talk about i say one of the other main issues is democracy and one of his main issues is saying to germans do not take democracy for granted of course germany celebrated 30 years since the fall of the berlin wall this year which was brought about very much by a democratic movement which started in the former east in the city of light sake and he holds today on germans to stand up for the democratic rights saying that you

have the power to go to the polls and make your concerns heard but also at the same time warned against the feeding into any incitements of hates which has become more acceptable at least in german society in recent months of course want to keep bertie thank you. in hong kong police and demonstrators have clashed again asked for tests continue through christmas all right police used pepper spray and tear gas in a major shopping district activist blocked streets and smashed shop windows they've called for a flash mob protest to continue into the new year government demonstrations in hong kong are now in their 7th month and our correspondent phoebe kong filed this update . protestors in hong kong station another round of demonstrations on christmas day which also marked the 2 hunter if they often movement again they pick the popular shopping malls as the platform for rallies as they want to create

a kind of economic pressure from the government meanwhile the police also are well prepared to tackle the protests and many of the malls were heavily guarded by riot police officers throughout the day we also witnessed bounce of tear gas fired outside america shopping centers and some of the demonstrators as well as bystanders inside a mall where arrested and have his great as a result of the crash as many of the malls were forced to close down earlier than you show and this is definitely one of the worst christmas for many real tellers in hong kong and tension hossam been so often during holidays but instead heated up as we observed and this is a huge contrast with the posing only a season of celebration. to become reporting there from the territory next we turn our attention to chile a wildfire in the city of you so has damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes there are several districts in the western part of the city had to be

evacuated it's not known what triggered the blaze but hot temperatures and strong winds how to fan the flames. seen the flames with pets. and household possessions. the fire started in the area on 5 power useless outskirts. and quickly spread. it consumed dozens of homes in its path. and a huge hole of thick black smoke rose above the city. as the flames crept closer residents tried in vain to stop them advancing. north but it i feel powerless because all the houses are burning and now the fire is coming here. extra firefighting reinforcements had to be called in to help local residents joined in the effort to douse the flames as well as move any timber and wooden walling that my current out of the way. wildfires are not unusual in chile

this year's very warm weather helped the flames to spread but this wildfire came as about power you so celebrated christmas eve and also as chile is steeped in political crisis after months of county government protests. i'll have more news for you at the top the hour for now thank you for spending his free thinking. and follow the adventures of the famous naturalist and explorer. to sing the rachel alexander from well it's 251st day here in barking on a voyage of discovery. expedition voyage on t.w. .