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one of the worst starvation crises in modern times. on the report says famine in sudan has expanded to five areas and is likely to spread further next year. president-elect trump vows to pursue death penalties for violent criminals after president biden commutes 37 federal death sentences. american airlines has resumed u.s. flights after grounding all of its aircraft briefly due to a vendor technology issue. and pope francis hold a special christmas eve ceremony, lifting the door of the vatican to mark the start of the jubilee year. ♪ >> thanks for staying with us. protest have erupted in syria over the burning of a christmas tree in a christian majority town. demonstrators took to the streets of the capital damascus calling for the new ruling faction hts to punish those

responsible. the hts movement has promised to protect minorities since toppling president bashar al-assad earlier this month. >> we will sacrifice our souls for our cross, these men chant, as they demonstrate through the streets of damascus. they are christians. many of your life in the new syria despite promises made by the country's latest leaders. these protesters and other minorities are not so sure. and this was the catalyst of the christmas eve protest. masked gunman setting fire to a christmas tree in the main square of suqaylabiyah. the incident captured and shared on social media. a spokesperson from the country's new leaders said foreign fighters were responsible and had been

arrested. this transitional phase comes with uncertainties for many people including minorities. and such incidents will increase the worries and fears among them. there are people who have a vested interest in spreading those fears and it will take time for the new government to maintain stability and for people here in syria to adjust to the new reality. the group that brought don bashar al-assad, hayat tahrir al-sham, began as a jihadist organization, wanting to establish a state governed by islamic law. since taking over, its leaders have failed to protect the rights of the diverse religious and ethnic groups. >> to be honest, we are not protected, we are scared. they need to publicly catch those who are creating problems, and if they are foreigners, they should leave. >> across the country, people have been celebrating the

collapse of the 50-year assad regime but it could be some time before everyone in syria is convinced. >> famine is spreading in sudan, according to a global hunger monitor. the famine review committee of the integrated food phase says that mormon parties continue to disrupt humanitarian aid needed to alleviate one of the worst starvation crises in modern times. they say famine conditions have been confirmed in two camps of internally emplaced people -- displaced people. another five areas are expected to slip into famine by may of next year. the ipc says 24 .6 million people urgently need food aid. earlier, i spoke to the unicef representative to sudan and started by asking about his response to this review. >> this is not the news any of us want to hear on the people of christmas.

it's a disaster for sudan, disaster for the world. it tells us the situation is getting worse and worse. we are now two years from this conflict. it is critical that we are able to get the assistance to children and people of sudan who need it. >> tell us what your teams are seeing and are telling you. >> we are having difficulties getting assistance to those most in need. this is a country at war, a country that is in desperate need of food. those affected populations, clean water, health care, education. we need a package of services. most importantly, we need to target those most in need. we need to access, make sure we have consistent delivery of food and nutrition supplies, health supplies to those populations in need. that has proven difficult. >> we have obviously heard a lot

about the crisis int sudan. does this review tell you and others something new? >> it tells us that we all have to increase our efforts and we need an end to the war. we need consistent, sustained, and predictable deliveries to these populations in need. again, we have seen pledges to make this happen but we have not seen the consistent mechanics to make it happen. that is what we need in place. >> we see these huge numbers of people, over 24 million people now experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity but on an individual basis, just explain for us what exactly that means, what does that mean in practice for a child? >> it means we have some 600 thousand people, thousands of children at the risk of starvation. we have half the country facing acute food insecurity. it means that children are not getting enough to eat.

it means these children are at risk of other diseases, immune systems are also at risk. it is a catastrophe no matter how you slice it. it means all of us need to work together to make sure we get access to there, and to make sure the government and the warring parties stop the war, allow us to get food aid. >> which parties should or could be doing more? >> i think everybody needs to do more. sudan rarely makes the front pages of the nation's newspapers. there are a lot of competing crises here. but we need to support our regional countries, most importantly the government of sudan, those warring parties in the country, to make sure we see an end to this. unless we concentrate on this crisis, this will ripple on for years and years. >> joe biden may have promised a smooth transition to donald trump's second term in the white

house but that has not stopped the president-elect from harsh and -- forcing harsh criticisms about the current president about his decision to commute the death sentences of 37 prisoners to life in prison. donald trump took to truth social to criticize what he described as 37 of the worst colors in the u.s. he added when you hear the acts of each, you won't believe he did this. makes no sense. it is no secret that two men have completely opposed views of the death penalty. there have been no federal execution since -- during joe biden's time as president. three people remain on federal death row. during his first term in office, mr. trump brought back federal executions which had not been carried out in two decades. 13 murderers were executed by lethal injection. >> there are three people who will remain on death row. they are all cases of mass killings basically in the united

states. and they could still face the death penalty but donald trump doesn't have the power to undo the commutations that joe biden has given, so those people will be removed from death row and will face life in prison without parole. others subsequently could face the death penalty under a trump administration. >> it is christmas eve today but has there been any reaction to what donald trump has said on this? >> there has been reaction to the decision by joe biden in the first place to do this. it splits american opinion and split the opinion of some of the families involved in these cases. i think the bite and white house was well aware that this was going to be a controversial decision, and in some ways, to preempt that, they issued a bunch of statements alongside joe biden's decision from campaign groups welcoming the move, but also from some of the friends and family of those who

were murdered by some of these people on death row, saying they also supported the decision to commute some of. the daughter of a woman who was murdered send this decision of joe biden and his supporters have blood on their hands, to use their words. so this is a very divisive issue. the latest gallup poll suggest around 53% of americans support the death penalty in murder cases. it is very divisive. clearly, donald trump has firmly stated his case that he plans to bring back the use of the death penalty, and if he can, keen to expand it. he made that clear on the campaign trail. >> american airlines and flights are resuming after it was forced to briefly ground all services at the start of christmas eve, one of the busiest travel days of the year. there were scenes like this in north carolina as passengers had to wait for the situation to be

resolved. the airline blames a vendor technology issue which affected the system needed to release flights. the computer outage led to some passengers being told to get off the plane shortly before they would do to take off. one passenger posted this on social media. >> american airlines, breaking news. i think this is a national computer failure. american airlines computers are down. we are getting off the plane. >> neither the faa nor american airlines have said what triggered the problem but american has posted this statement on x, saying it sincerely apologizes to customers for the inconvenience and has issued a travel alert to allow for additional clicks ability. in ukraine, russian forces are continuing to advance as the country faces its third christmas at war. in the east of the country, they are now within a few miles of the city which is a key hub

for ukraine's war effort. it's also the birthplace of a well-known christmas carol. ♪ >> the discord and christmas in a shattered city. but this is where the composer of this well-known carol once lived. the next russian target. most of its population is already flooded. -- fled. no sound or signs of christmas here, just shelling. those left behind only a great cover to find essentials. many are cut off from gas, water, and electricity. >> igor says you never know where or when the next it will be. he likens it to living on a powder keg.

oksana hopes ukraine can hold on but she thinks it is unlikely. the city will probably fall. >> russian forces are still advancing toward the city. they are now just a few miles from where i'm standing. and it is not just the physical destruction of the city that you can see all around me. ukraine also accuses russia of trying to erase its cultural identity. this familiar tune known as the carol of the bells, or shchedryk , in ukraine was composed by mykola leontovych. this is where he worked as a music teacher in pokrovsk. this family fled pokrovsk this summer. they are now shocked at the

scale of devastation. she says it makes her want to cry. but she is not letting her daughters forget home, or the signature song of their city. ♪ >> when i played it at home, it seemed happy, reminded me of winter and christmas. now, it is more of a sad song to me, because it reminds me of home, and i really want to go back. >> but for one ukrainian military band, it has also become a song to inspire the citizens. they are even taking it to the trenches. with weapons as improvised instruments. i will visit any brigade and perform ukrainian songs with any weapon.

it lifts the spirits, cheers of the guys, inspires them to fight. shchedryk shows that ukraine is a civilized civilization now at war, fighting for its identity. >> four ukraine, there is a special significance to this tune this christmas. russia may be able to destroy its towns and cities, but it cannot erase ukraine's separate identity or its past. >> chris around the world and as the u.k., this is bbc news.

geeta: let's catch up with what sports are looking like. we have all the latest. >> we will start with manchester united, their manager says

marcus rashford wants to play for the club amid speculation the stryker wants to leave. rushford has missed the last three games after saying he was ready for a new challenge after their 3-0 defeat to bournemouth. united are 13th in the premier league. they go to walls on boxing day. he says he wants all his players to meet the challenge ahead. >> like any other player, the best they can be. if you have big talent, big performance, big responsibility. big engagement. push forward everybody. some guys have a big responsibility here because they are here for a long time, so this is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club. so we have to face it and be strong in this moment. that is what i want for every player on the team. >> low moment for united. that is the case for their neighbors, too. manchester city are at home to

everton in the early kickoff. the 2-1 loss to aston villa was their ninth defeat in 12 matches in all competitions. the manager says their poor run of form is not just down to one player, and has defended the form of their stryker eerling ha aland. >> in the past we scored goals, so prolific, helping us, because of the team. when you have problems in the back, the middle, it is for everyone. it is a team, not one player. it would be easy for just one player. it is not about that. eerling is so important, has been so important for us. trying to do things better, to use them better. >> not just football to come on boxing day. australia play india in their boxing day test. the series currently tied 1-1 with two matches to go after the third test was drawn.

sam constance is set to become the youngest male batting debutante at the age of 19, and his coach is looking forward to see what he can do. >> playing in the summer, we said that age was no barrier. he has shown an array of shots, the ability to put shots back on opponents. we are really excited for him. boxing day, the biggest stage. >> i want to bring you another cricket line. the international cricket council released the fixture list for the champions trophy. the tournament will be held in pakistan while india, who refuses to travel there, we'll play their match at a neutral venue in dubai. defending champions pakistan and india were drawn alongside bangladesh. england will face south africa, australia, and afghanistan in group b.

in tennis, aryna sabalenka is one of four top 10 players on the initial entry list for next year's brisbane international, which begins at the weekend. she was the runner-up last time, feels it is ideal preparation for the first major of the year, the australian open, which she is hoping to win for a third time in a row. >> super happy to be back in australia, feels like home. super excited to start playing here in brisbane. obviously, we are all here for one beautiful trophy, so i will do my best to make sure i can hold the beautiful trophy by the end of the week. >> more buildup to the brisbane international on the bbc sport website. that is your sports for now. geeta: have a great christmas. thank you. now a russian cargo ship placed under u.s. sanctions has sunk in the mediterranean between spain and algeria after an explosion

in the engine room. russia's foreign ministry has confirmed the ursa major was on its way to russia's far east. it is the third russian ship to go down in 10 days. part of it so called shadow fleet which comprises of all the vessels often uninsured and with unclear ownership to circumvent western sanctions. 14 crew members were rescued and taken to a spanish port but to others are missing. the iconic eiffel tower was evacuated after a fire alarm was set up by a short-circuit in the elevator system. no visitors have been harmed and it was reopened. the company that manages the monuments as an investigation into the short-circuit is ongoing but it did cause some disruption for some christmas eve visitors. >> we had tickets for 11:00, so more than two hours. >> i saw on my phone but there was a fire.

obviously, they evacuated those people, who waiting to see if they will open up again or not. geeta: pope francis has not just a special jubilee for catholics at the vatican. jubilee's take place once every 25 years and pope francis has marked the start by opening up the normally bricked up basilica. i spoke to a professor of theology at birmingham university about just what the jubilee means. >> jubilee year is really a year of grace and reconciliation, a period where people renew their faith inside and out. while it is for catholics, has been going on for 700 years, at the last great jubilee in 2000, joan john paul ii invited everyone to take part in the celebration. pope francis have talked about

this feeling of pessimism in the world and wants to strengthen people's faith and hope in the future as they look forward to the coming year. geeta: why does it happen, where did this idea come from in the first place? >> the very first jubilee in 1300, 725 years ago, actually followed on the heels of a period of war and disease, not dissimilar from our experiences of the pandemic. and it was seen as a kind of clean slate, a new beginning for christians who were feeling very pessimistic about their place in the world. this is an opportunity for roman catholics to wipe the slate clean, to become almost like newly baptized infants again. geeta: we are looking at some pictures coming in from the vatican. i don't know if you can see them as you are speaking to us, but can you explain what the ceremonial side is? >> the ceremonial part is the

opening of the doors. sort of break a brick but that turned out to be quite dangerous, but now the opening of the doors is symbolizing that jesus is the path to salvation. pilgrims will pass through those doors as a means of gaining what is called a plenary indulgence, the wiping of the slate theme. part of the preparation for the jubilee involved restoring many of the key objects that are in st. peter's basilica, including the one that sits atop the altar, on top of the relics of st. peter, the first pope, and they have also placed some of it behind bulletproof glass. geeta: in terms of the year ahead, 2025, what are the highlights that people will see? >> the jubilee does go on all year long and there are special day celebrating groups.

also other groups like judges, police officers, teachers, groups like teenagers. i promise i'm not making this up. groups like digital influencers and catholic online missionaries. one of the highlights will be the canonization of a 15-year-old british boy who was a software developer in his spare time. he died from leukemia. he will be canonized, made a saint, during the jubilee april 25 through april 27. geeta: a russian missile has struck the ukrainian city, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others. the strike on president zelenskyy's hometown happened as a christmas message was being delivered. video posted online shows rescuers pulling injured people from the rubble.

mr. zielinski said ukrainians want to see a christmas star shining in the skies, not russian missiles and drones. we are going to leave you this half hour the santa tracker, of course. this is done by the u.s. and canadian military. apparently, santa ihas delivered over 300 billion gifts already. norad, the group tracking him, says he is an amazing aviator. they are tracking with radar and all sorts of technology. you can find him online if you want to find out where he is. this is bbc news. too announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by,

the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

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