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giving these former race dogs a real chance to win. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose, and the way you give back. life well planned. erika: i love seeing interns succeed, i love seeing them come back and join the engagement teams and seeing where they go from there, i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) 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: and now, "bbc news" s "bbc news." s the king in his christmas speech calls for peace in world conflict, unity after the summer riots, and reflects.

pope francis has used his traditional christmas message to call for peace in ukraine and gaza calling the humanitarian situation there extremely grave. officials in kazakhstan say 38 passengers were killed in the crash landing of an azerbaijan airlines flight. protests have erupted in several cities across syria. full video shows an attack on a shrine belonging to a formerly powerful minority. hello. king charles has given his annual christmas day speech where he thanked doctors and nurses for the care they provided him and the princess of wales during cancer treatment's this year. he called for unity after summer riots in the u.k. and made a plea for peace in the middle east, central europe, and africa. the address was delivered in

london, the first time a venue outside the royal residence had been used in over a decade. >> the king and queen led the world in a moment to reflect on the challenges of the past 12 months. the prince and princess of wales were with them alongside their three children. for the crowds who stood for many hours waiting for a glimpse of the royals, there was a chance to chat and handover gifts. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> in his christmas message delivered from the former hospital chapel in central london, rather than a royal residence, the king spoke of the suffering will experience at some stage in our life and touched on his own experience of cancer treatment. >> from a personal point of view, i offer special heartfelt

thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness and have helped provide the strength, care, and comfort we have needed. >> recalling his visit to australia and samoa, he talked of diversity as a strength, not a weakness, and emphasized power of community, especially after the summer riots in the u.k. >> i felt a deep sense of pride here in the united kingdom when in response to anger and lawlessness at several turns this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviors but to repair. to repair not just buildings but relationships, and most importantly, to repair trust by

listening and to understand, deciding how to act within the law. >> the king's christmas message is more personal and more directly significant, reflecting the challenging 12 months he had been through. the king's cancer treatment will continue into 2025, but palace sources say this christmas, he is feeling positive about the year ahead. >> pope francis has delivered his traditional christmas day blessing, speaking from the central balcony of st. peter's basilica to thousands below in the square. he delivered his address to the city and the world. in his speech, the pope called for talks between ukraine and russia to end the war that followed moscow's full-scale invasion over two years ago and also renewed his call for a cease-fire in the israel-gaza war and the release of remaining

israeli hostages held by thomas -- hamas. >> i think of the christian communities in israel and palestine, and particularly the community in gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. may there be a cease-fire. may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and war. >> hamas accused the israeli government of imposing new conditions that it said were daily a cease-fire agreement while israel's prime minister said the group is going back on understandings that have already been reached. despite rounds of indirect talks, israel and hamas have agreed just once on a truce. it lasted for one week at the end of last year.

>> the cease-fire agreement between hamas and israel looked like it gained momentum a few days ago. it is a very different picture now. both sides are exchanging accusations. hamas says israel has set new conditions when it comes to the cease-fire, when it comes to the prisoner exchange, when it comes to the return of those displaced in gaza. these are difficult and morning also technical issues that negotiators would have been working on for months and months, but hamas now says because of that, the deal is delayed. we have also heard from the israeli prime minister who accused thomas -- hamas of lying, hampering negotiations, and reneging on issues they have agreed upon. only yesterday we heard from the prime minister's office saying that negotiators have come back from qatar after significant negotiations. the hamas side has said the talks were 90% complete bar a

few issues. one sticking point is the israeli presence in the philadelphia corridor. this is a crucial strip of land between the gaza boundary area and egypt. the israeli presence is a thorny issue. the israeli defense industry said security in gaza will be up to israeli forces. there will be no hamas demonstration or presence. the pope prayed for the people of israel and palestine, for the people of gaza to get the aid they need and for the end of the war they are, for the families to -- the hostages to come back to their families, and those prayers feel so poignant at a time when those families, when the people of gaza feel that this deal they need so much is not happening as soon as they hoped. >> angry demonstrations have spread across several cities in syria after a video showed an attack at a shrine in aleppo.

the new administration said the british -- the footage dated back to the time when the city fell to islamist rebels, blaming the attack on unknown groups. our correspondent who is in damascus sent us this update on the protests. >> this is the first time we see unrest in beloit cities and towns since the toppling of the regime. we learned that they have been ambushed by former regime operatives as they were trying to raid one apartment to arrest former regime operatives, but then, there were protests in many cities and towns, especially in homes, in response to a video released of vandalizing an loi shrine.

that incident happened nearly 10 days ago, but it was released again and although there have been negotiations with the leaders of the religion, but it was released today, provoking tension and protest in many cities and towns, even here in damascus in this district which is predominantly supporters of assad power. there were reports of some shooting in homes. we cannot confirm who are the ones opening fire. just now, there was a statement confirming that those who opened fire are also regime operatives. many people are calling for calm , for avoiding revenge, for justice for those who have blood on their hands, but the communities are fearful,

especially because many took part in torturing and killing during the days of the uprising, and many syrians blame them. it will be a big challenge for this new leadership to maintain stability and provide justice for everyone while these kind of incidents may happen again. >> officials in kazakhstan say 38 people have been killed after a crash landing of an azerbaijan airlines flight. the plane went down outside the city as it was flying from the capital in chechnya. jonathan joseph's reports. >> this dramatic amateur footage captures the moments just before the crash. the azerbaijan airlines claim seems to be descending at some speed and at a steep angle. experts suggest the pilots were struggling to control as they approached. they had been diverted because of bad weather at the original

destination in southern russia. because up -- because exte -- kazakh authorities say the force of the impact split the aircraft in two. the rear, despite coming to rest upside down, is mostly intact. some passengers remarkably walked away from what must have been a horrifying experience. >> at 11:30, information was received about a plane crash three kilometers from the airport. additional emergency resources were sent and a 12:05, the fire had been extinguished. >> there were 67 people, including five crew, on board. many did not survive what should have been a routine flight of less than 19 minutes. the plane was 11 years old.

the brazilian company has a strong safety record and says it is preparing to send teams to help with the investigation. it has expressed sympathies for all those involved and their loved ones. now the focus will be on trying to recover flight data recorders, which should give investigators more information as they try to work out what caused this plane to come down. they will also speak to survivors who are coming to terms with their miraculous escape. >> president zelenskyy has condemned russia's large-scale missile attacks across ukraine on christmas day as inhumane. he said russia had launched over 70 missiles and 100 drones at ukraine's energy system in what he called a conscious choice to launch the attacks at christmas. ukraine's air force said it down 59 of the missiles and more than half of the drones. the mayor of kharkiv in the northeast of the country said at least three people were injured

and that civilian infrastructure had been damaged. russia has been intensifying its attacks on ukraine's energy system and has accelerated its advance across the east of the country. a 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after pedestrians were hit by a car in london's west end in the early hours of christmas day. no more for pedestrians were taken to hospital, one of them is still in a life-threatening condition. police say they believe the suspect was involved in an altercation at a nightclub prior to getting in his car. they say it is not terror-related. while for many christmas is a time for gathering together and celebrating, it can also be a time for helping those most in need. >> welcome to the crisis hotel at christmas where things are done a little differently.

the staff of volunteers and the guests are rough sleepers. it will help 600 people with volunteer team working day and night. the first guests to check in headed straight to bed for the chance of a peaceful night's sleep somewhere quiet, clean, and comfortable. after midnight, they come down to enjoy a good, home-cooked breakfast. this year cooked by celebrities. >> the guests have had a night of sleep and now are coming down for breakfast and that is what we will be starting with. making tease -- making teas, getting some breakfast. they have put a lot of work into this and just really proud to be part of it. >> one guy, i think he recognized my voice. he was saying, i just checked in. he's going to be here for two weeks. he has gone from being on the street to being in a nice, safe, hotel for two weeks.

he is genuinely really excited about that. >> as well as three meals a day, people will have access to a medical team, computers to help them reconnect with lost family and friends, and the chance to have a little fun with a board game or two. "i was lucky that i never had to live on the street. we had a nice, cushy bed at home . an actual place to live and accommodate is decreasing. >> christmas is an important time to help the homeless, but this is also a reminder that this is all year round that we need this help for. >> it is open for two weeks, time, it is hoped, to give the guests the best start to 2025 as possible. >> bbc russia editor has played many stunning new support tributes for us over the years, and today is no exception.

this year, he has joined forces to perform a special christmas collaboration. >> i'm not reporting today. i'm playing. the piano, as you can see, a special christmas collaboration. karen jenkins from channel four news on the cello. merry christmas. ♪

♪

♪ >> rather lovely, wasn't it?

the hugely talented steve rosenberg and karen jenkins playing the cello. if you are spending christmas somewhere unexpected this year, spare a thought for american astronauts who in june set off from earth for what was meant to be an eight-day mission. six months later, they are still in space. >> butch wilmore and sunita williams became the first astronauts to travel to space on private company boeing starliner capsule. due to technical issues, their eight-day stay on the international space station has turned into more than three months. celebrating christmas on the international space station is not uncommon. astronauts have been doing it more than 50 years. it is considered a holiday for all concerned regardless of faith or ethnicity. for the team on board this year,

it is still about spending time together and enjoying the day. >> it is a great time of year up here. we get to spend it with our family on the international space station. there's seven of us up here so we will get to enjoy the company together. one of the best things i like about christmas is the preparation and just getting ready, the anticipation, everybody getting together and preparing stuff and just getting ready for the holiday. >> the astronauts have not received fresh ingredients and gifts from home, sent by the spacex dragon capsule. they will enjoy the day with a meal together, listen to christmas music, watch films, and talk to their families back on earth. >> it's about spending time with friends and family and loved ones. this year, we will be in orbit away from them, so we wanted to send our heartfelt merry christmas, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday. >> as well as being an astronaut, butch is also a

pastor and i said to be preparing a christmas sermon. >> [indiscernible] >> christmas messages from space have become a fan favorite. in december 1965, astronauts on board the gemini claimed to have seen an unidentified object, calling it santa claus. after all the delays, butch and sonny -- butch and sunny may be wondering if it could be another christmas in space next year. >> from all of us to all of you, merry christmas. >> today might be christmas day, but it is also the first day of the jewish festival of hanukkah. it celebrates the festivals of

miracles in both religions, meaning a day of pretty epic celebrations for mixed jewish christian families. >> chris micah -- christmukkah, christmas and hanukkah falling on the same day. it is a chance for this multifaith family who grew up with separate traditions to come together. >> growing up in a country like england not celebrating christmas, it has actually been quite fun to do some of the things that everyone else was doing growing up that you work sometimes missing out on, so it has been really fun for me to be into some of those things. >> what does it mean to celebrate the holidays together? >> it is quite exciting for us to be able to incorporate hanukkah decorations into our christmas decorations. it has been nice trying to bring

elements of hanukkah into christmas. >> what does it mean to celebrate the holidays all together? >> we want to give her the chance to access any aspects of her identity, so that is completely her choice. >> i visited saint cyprian's church in central london where i met with codirectors of the council of christians and jews, an organization that works to support interfaith relations. >> it has been increasingly challenging in interfaith spheres over the last year or so. it is more and more important that we continue to come together to celebrate together, to grieve together, to share what we have in common but also to explore our difference. what is most important, really, is creating spaces where we can better understand one another, where we can build stronger relationships or friendships, and learn more with one another.

>> it has been a year we have seen a real surge in antisemitism and in other forms of racial and religious prejudice. it has been a really hard here in lots of ways and it is good to have something to celebrate and good to have something to just get our minds off some of the more difficult news stories out there. >> i have come to north london to meet one jewish baker who has commemorated this unique union of the festivals in the best way she knows how. >> i take the best elements from both traditional foods and i blend them. what we have in here is traditionally a german christmas bread, but we make a light version. we have mince pie doughnuts, which people just love. so that is what we do.

we are really good at blending traditions. >> it will be 16 years until the next one. happy christmukkah. >> every time i see the picture of the doughnut mince pies, it makes me very, very hungry. i will be searching those out after this. we are very nearly at the end of this half-hour, but i want to turn to these pictures because this is some way to spend christmas morning. this was earlier today where hundreds took a very cold plunge into the english channel, raising money for the mcmillan nurses. well done, all of you. do stay with us on bbc news.

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william: good evening. i'm william brangham. geoff bennett and amna nawaz are away. on the “news hour” tonight, after 14 months of war, residents of northern israel remain hesitant about returning home, worried the ceasefire deal might not hold. >> any day it can ignite in this area. my daughter could be playing