thank you. 77 percent this weekend on d w. this is news live from berlin syrian forces pound province residents flee for their lives government troops backed by tanks are mounting a ground assault on the last pockets of resistance hundreds of thousands of people in rebel held territory have taken to the road with nowhere to go but makeshift camps where conditions are squalid. pope francis delivered his christmas message from the vatican the pontiff told thousands of worshippers packed in st peter's

square to let the light of christmas pierced the darkness in human hearts he also made an appeal for peace around the globe. germany's citizens should overcome their differences and show more mutual respect that's the christmas message from the german president. a moment he said glad you could be with us we start in syria according to a relief group more than 230-0000 people have fled a government assault on a live province most have been headed toward the turkish border syrian regime forces backed by tanks are continuing their ground advance against rebel held areas in southern and eastern adlib about $250.00 people have been killed in the latest flare up of violence. syrian tanks. as the ground.

province advances. government forces captured village after village their immediate opening a major highway that's being 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. that are we are leaving because of the shelling we're worried about our children and that the situation. why else would be 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 a desperate. scam. because of the shelling. of the survive here sort of mud. people are suffering because of the work record.

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. in hong kong police and demonstrators have clashed again as protests continue through christmas riot police used pepper spray and tear gas in a major shopping district activist blocks streets and smashed shop windows they've called for flash mob protests to continue into the new year anti-government demonstrations and hong kong are now in their 7th month. our correspondent phoebe kong is on location and she sent us this. protest station other rollup demonstration on pace next day which also marked the 200th day after. 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 i mean while the police are also are well prepared to tackle the protesters many of the most were heavily guarded by riot police officers throughout the day we also witnessed pounds of tear gas fired outside america shopping centers and some of the demonstrators as well as bystanders inside a more sway arrested and pepper sprayed as a result of the precious many of the more were forced to close down much earlier than you show and this is definitely one of the worst christmas for many real tellers in hong kong and tension hasn't been so often during holidays but instead he took up. and this is a huge contrast with the posing with a season for celebration. phoebe kong there reporting from hong kong now pope francis francis has given his christmas address from the vatican in his annual or be it or be latin for to the city and the world the pontiff spoke about

migrants and people who've endured what he called unspeakable forms of abuse that was a reference to spiraling allegations of sexual abuse in churches around the globe and finished by blessing the catholic faithful and packed st peter's square in rome . 2000 people gathered in st peter's square and 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. may rise to bring his light to the many children suffering from war conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. community and they 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 put an end to their suffering in the release of. the list of war torn regions is not francis again call 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 or the or be to the city of rome and the world. but. and then a more mundane message to the things fall around the globe. christmas lunch.

i now let's take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. russian opposition politician. says one of his key staff has been forcibly conscripted into the military the military said roost on a show that enough seen here was no vonnie earlier this year is being made to perform his obligatory service at an arctic base of only said the move amounted to quote kidnapping. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu had to interrupt an election rally after a warning of an incoming rocket from gaza the rally was taking place in the southern town of ashkelon just a few kilometers from the gaza strip israel says its air defenses successfully intercepted the rocket. faso president. called for a 2 days of mourning after $35.00 civilians almost all of them women were killed by jihadists near the town of our bindo on tuesday at least 7 soldiers and 80

attackers also died in that shootout that followed. in the german president's annual christmas address func called on germans to overcome their differences and respect each other as equals he reflected on the high points of 2019 including the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall but the year was also marked by a far right attack on a synagogue in october which killed 2 people and shocked the country. 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 building's locked or prevented even greater tragedy. bears the traces of some 20 bullets you see the splintered wood and the metal remains in the bullet holes. 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 the moderate. president steinmeyer visited the location of the anti semitic attack as soon as he could this christmas he asked germans to fight hatred and defend democracy. democracy needs self-assured citizens who have confidence and drive common sense and decency and who show solidarity with others. 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 and on december 26th 15 years ago a tsunami killed nearly a quarter of a 1000000 people gigantic wavin gulf the coast of indonesia sri lanka india and thailand and 9 other countries the wave that hit indonesia was 17.4 meters high and

underwater quake that caused it was one of the strongest ever recorded sri lanka's eastern coast was especially hard hit more than 10000 people died in the southern region. can. you looks out over the indian ocean nearly every day get up and deter life 15 years ago when she lost almost her entire family to the massive tsunami. only a little bit did not good all 9 of us lived near the beach so many tonight when i think about the children i get very sad i only managed to save one little go that i never saw the of us again when i got back at my house was destroyed. but i. can die and now shares her home with the one granddaughter she rescued and her small child the waters forced their way some one and a half kilometers inland the town of power in sri lanka's south was worst affected

thousands of children were among the victims. has helped many survivors back then he was the only psychiatrist in the worst affected area of southern sri lanka he treated adults and children alike. children as you know or have a huge amount of friends in the atlas and they have got the thing that's trained to come out of these things and that big ben's on the adults at them. control. and competence to begin with the problems the children's anxiety and stress that much much less. after the tsunami sri lankan psychiatrist formed a network with the help of the world health organization today elementary school teachers are being taught how to recognize signs of trauma in children but talking about the effects of trauma is still to. run the country has installed an early warning system for tsunamis the fear of another giant wave has never gone away nor

has the memory of the victims of 2004. now in the u.k. queen elizabeth the 2nd delivered her traditional christmas address with a focus on peace and reconciliation she reflected on this past summer 75th d.-day anniversary commemorations as an example of people's capacity to overcome deep seated divisions she also praised young environmental campaigners but after a year of turbulent british politics and challenges facing the royal family the queen acknowledged that $21000.00 had been difficult. it's a christmas tradition for the royal family and afternoon trip to the church near the queen's sandringham estate but this year the party was smaller than usual no prince philip he's just out of hospital prince harry and his wife megan are taking time out in canada rumors of a family rift abound. and then there's prince andrew he's keeping

a low profile after giving a t.v. interview to deny he was involved in a sex scandal involving the convicted pedophile jeffrey epstein he was at church but in the morning well away from the cameras it's been anything but clear sailing for the royals this year all for their country i mean the drama of bragg's it's so a brave face for the christmas message jesus christ would show the world how small steps taken in faith. can overcome long held differences and deep seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding. many of us already tried to follow in his footsteps the path of course is not always smooth and may at times this year have felt. among the photos clearly visible on her desk during that speech the 3 men next in line to the throne they also feature in this royal video making

christmas pudding for charity it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps not the giant leaps that bring about the most lasting change and say i wish you all a very happy christmas. and especially happy christmas if only because this difficult year will soon be over. well speaking of christmas people around the world have been celebrating in many ways some of them quite unusual in the u.s. state of florida some 600 surfing centers took to the waves in cocoa beach to show off their skills the charity event raised $40000.00 for some nonprofit organizations and a children's hospital. you're

watching news from berlin we'll have more news at the top of the hour coming up a documentary about the various fairy tale noise. don't forget you can get all the latest news and information. on our website that's dot com thanks for joining us. carefully to. those soon. to be

a good. actress.