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news. israel carries out airstrikes on yemen. the international airport in the capital, sanaa, is among the targets fo russia is accused of shooting down a plane ever kazakhstan. former indian prime minister manmohan singh dies at age 9092. he governed for two terms and liberalize the economy. "kevin and stacy -- "gaivn and stacey' wins u.k. ratings battle. hello. i'm sarah campbell. we start this hour in the middle east. israel has been carrying out airstrikes across yemen, including on the international airport in the capital, sanaa.

the head of the world health organization, tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, was about to board a flight when it came under attack that he has not been injured. the israeli military says it has been targeting the who these -- houthis, the rebel group backed by iran. houthi fighters have targeted in solidarity with palestinians in gaza. in central gaza, health officials say five journals have been killed by his -- an israeli strike. it hit a market broadcast van outside a hospital in a refugee camp it one of the journalists had been expecting the birth of his child. the israeli military said those killed were members of a terrorist cell. our correspondent has been following the details of the strikes. reporter: we have seen very dramatic footage from inside sanaa international airport of people running in a panic with

their luggage come in their trolley, some of them trying to leave the building through a gate, others running in different directions. we saw one from outside the building showing smoke rising. in the last hour or so we have been getting reports that commercial flights are still landing in yemen airport, despite reports of damage to the facility. we're getting reports and an image of an airbus a320 of yemeni airlines landing there. we heard from the head of the who, the world health organization, tedros ghebreyesus , who said he was in the airport when the strike happened, that he was about to board a plane when the airport was struck, and that that resulted in one of the aircrew members being injured and not very far from where his group were sitting. he said he was ok. we also had confirmation from the israeli army, the idf, who

said they struck targets used by the iran-backed group to smuggle iranian weapons into the region. we know the airport in sanaa was targeted, was hit, but also other targets in the red sea port city of hudaydah. the israeli military targeted two power stations, some key ports as well. this is the second israeli strike in less than a week on houthi targets in yemen. this month has seen a significant increase of houthi -launched missiles and drones on israeli territory. one of them injured more than a dozen people when it landed in tel aviv on saturday. the houthis have vowed time and time again to continue these missile launches, to continue attacking israeli territory until the end of the war in gaza. in the past few days we have heard a more determined israeli leadership.

we have heard the prime minister and the israeli defense minister saying they are going to go after the houthi targets in yemen, but also the houthi leadership the same way they went after hamas and hezbollah leadership as well. sarah: that is the situation in yemen, but there has been another story out of gaza with health officials saying five journalists have been killed and conflicting narratives on both sides as to who these people are. what do we know? shaimaa: that's the difficulty with a story like this. because israel does not allow international media to report freely within gaza, you cannot independent leave verify those narratives. they are very different stories coming out of the gaza-based channel and the israeli military. we understand that a media vehicle, a van that was clearly marked as press was outside a hospital in a camp in central

gaza, and it was struck and five journalists inside the van were killed. we know that one of them was expecting his first child. his wife was about to give birth. we've seen scenes of the wreckage, the van itself barely there, really. it was mangled and charred. we have also seen really said scenes in the funerals of those journalists. the committee to protect journalists has said that up until from the beginning of the war up until the mid december, 20th of december, 133 journalists were killed. the israeli military says that those five men were posing as journalists. it says it had intelligence of that, and that it struck what he described as terrorist cell. but we also know, we understand from the media community that these five men were well-known

local journalists to the people in gaza telling the story of the war. one crucial detail those values that these journalists belong to al quds channel and this is affiliated with the palestinian islamic jihad group, which took part in the hamas-led attack on israel in october 2023. what israel is saying is that it targeted five people who were involved in propaganda and involved in militant activities. it is very difficult for the bbc to independently verify that go what you hear from local journalist who attended those funerals, it is a tragedy, that whatever the reasons were, it didn't justify killing those five men. we heard from the committee to protect journalists, who said it was devastated at the report and that journalists are civilians and should be protected.

sarah: russia has said it won't speculate on claims that russian air defenses hit a passenger plane before crashed in kazakhstan yesterday, killing 38 people. an unnamed u.s. official suggested a russian antiaircraft system may have struck the azerbaijan airlines plane. president putin's spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment before the official investigation was complete. the azerbaijan airlines jet had been traveling from baku to chechnya when it was diverted to kazakhstan before coming down near aktau. here is jonathan joseph. jonathan: on for the stricken airplane, the passenger filming this notices some damage under the wing. back inside, spite oxygen masks and lifejackets being visible, those on board seem calm. it's not clear how long before the crash this was filmed. there were 62 passengers and

five crew on board this azerbaijan airlines flight from baku to grozny in southern russia. amateur footage shows the pilot struggling to control the plane as it tries to land. the force of impact split the plane in two, with the front half destroyed by fire. the key question is why. i spoke to one military expert who said suggestions of a bird strike being responsible were unlikely. >> at the moment evidence is coming out, but most likely hypothesis is that it was struck by an air defense missile, most certainly russian can in the area over grozny where the plane was holding. ukrainian drones were active at the time, and this is commencement with everything raising with the pilot's communication. it's the only thing that fits the facts that we know. jonathan: these holes in the surviving part of the fuselage will be examined bite investigators f as a design

airlines have suspended all flights in the region. they have not -- it suggests that the cause was not technical or mechanical. the aircraft has a good safety record. russia's government says no conclusion should be drawn until because arc -- the kazakh-led investigation is complete. among those wanting answers will be those survivors who remarkably walked away. this man since his wife had been sitting next to him, but he hasn't seen her since the crash. this is the family of one of the flight attendants. in a video call, he reassures them, saying, "don't worry, tell mum not to worry. thank god we are safe." at baku airport, large crowds queued up to pay the respect and lay flowers and the memory of the dead, as families across the region struggle to understand what caused their loved ones to perish. jonathan josephs, bbc news. sarah: earlier i spoke to a

professor of international relations and political science at the university of toronto, who is also the author of "nato-russia relations in the 21st century." i asked him why some are speculating russia's behind the crash. >> somehow the factors do not add up as this being a simple crash that occurred because of a flock of birds in the airplane. this was a claim first made by the russian media bid this was a simple flight that was supposed to take off from the city of baku and azerbaijan to grozny, which is in russia, the chechen area. when it crash landed, it was on the other side of the caspian sea in a very uncharacteristic -- it is received damage and experts and others do seem to be caused by shrapnel, not by engine failure, not by some kind

of flock of birds. it is very interesting that the russian spokesman was very aggressive in defending russia in every possible way against any kind of accusation or even hint of russian malfeasance, and extremely cautious in saying let's wait for results. i think the circumstantial evidence at the moment is not favorable to russia. it's early days, we have to wait. i think this has been an area where the russians have been very nervous, ukrainians have launched a number of drone attacks, the russians have been shooting at the drones, often recklessly. and it is almost miraculous that somehow so many of the people on board the aircraft managed to survive. sarah: absolutely. as you say, president putin's

spokesman says inappropriate to comment before the investigation has been completed. have we any sense of how long it takes? these air investigations often take quite a long time. >> they do, and the results are not definitive, or there disputed. this would not just be a matter of a physical investigation. this also involves politics. what will russia do if the evidence is overwhelming that this was an act committed by russia that was either incompetent or reckless and that is how this aircraft was brought down? would they have been at fault? no one is saying this is delivered. it's highly unlikely this would be a deliberate act. but there are other possibilities that would still make russia very uncomfortable, and the normal thing that russia does is they go into denial mode. but i think the evidence is likely to mount that this was

not a simple accident, that there was electronic interference, and that the damage seems to have been caused by some kind of missile and the larger conclusion that may well be that the only player who had the capacity to lodge missiles, whether it was short range or longer-range, would have been russia. sarah: that was aurel brown talking to me earlier, professor of international relations and political science at the university of toronto. the eu has threatened to impose further sanctions on russia after one of its cargo ships was blamed for severing an underwater cable. it carries electricity between the finished plant eventually-- a finnish plant and one in estonia which stopped working wednesday.

finnish police say they believe it was working as part of russia's so-called shadow fleet, finding evidence that an anchor had been used to cut the cable into. within four to 50 people across the english channel in small boats on christmas day or calling home office figures. 451 migrants arrived on 11 boats. reporter: the christmas day arrivals from france marked the first arrivals in more than a week. more than 450 migrants cross the english channel and small boats on christmas day. 11 boats made the journey to the u.k. on christmas morning, and more are expected to follow in the coming days. the home office says 451 people arrived on christmas day. the last time there were crossings on christmas was back in 2022, when 90 people arrived. the prime minister sir keir starmer fist smashing the gang to facilitate small boat crossings was one of his top

priorities, and has set up a new border security command. more than 35,000 people have made the journey so far this year, 20% higher than in 2023. sarah: around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news.

sarah: now it's time for a look at today's sport. boxing day always a big day for football. jane: yes, sarah, the busy boxing day in the premier league. lester and chester city underway and it is 1-0 to my sister -- lester. chelsea could've gone to the top of the premier league, but they lost out to fullham. palmer put the mat before the

equalize. in the 95th minute, audrey that rodrigo m -- rodrigo munez put them in front. >> football is about connections, connections between football and fans and players, and for me, means something really big. but the most important for me is what it means for our fans and players. it is not about me at all, it is about the fans. >> no matter if we win games or we don't win game, i think it is more reality that we can see inside, the for main reason we are not ready. the important thing is the team can improve and this is important. jane: manchester city'

stuttering form continuess. city did get off to an ideal start with bernardo silva giving them the lead in the first half. there was a huge moment when holland could have won for his side, but his penalty was saved by pickford. city have just one win in the last 13. >> the first 10, 15 minutes, really good. before the transition. but of course we are not happy with the performance. we did not score the goals we need. there are other days -- i don't see many things i like the way they play, but this was not the case. jane: there are 8 pictures

interval on boxing day in the premier league. nottingham forest are in third after beating tottenham 1-0. the early evening game has just finished, wolves beat manchester united 1-0. there is a full complement of games in the scottish premier. the edinburgh derby tynecastle, big wins for ross county. it is also boxing day tradition in cricket, with australia hosting a test match. there level with india is that 1-1. australia's 19-year-old made the biggest impression on day one. the youngest debutante for the team since 1953, he hit 60 of 65

balls. half-centuries followed. india had back in the final session. two quick wickets, as the homesite finish the day 311-6. there was a dramatic victory in the king george vi chase at kempton earlier. he had been ahead for almost all of the three-mile race, building up a comfortable lead, but brand overtook and stayed in front on the home straight. more on all of those stories on the bbc sport website. that's it for now. sarah: thanks, jane. former indian prime minister manmohan singh has died at the age of 92. he was in office for a decade from 2004 until 2014 and was the first prime minister in india from the sikh faith. sophie long looks back at his

life. sophie: almost bankrupt at the time commitment moments think entered upon deposit -- manmohan singh int entered party politics. much of it was the loosening of infamous bureaucratic controls introduced by minimum when singh after he became finance minister in 1991. he put the country on the path to achieving some of the fastest growth rates in the world. >> i, manmohan singh -- sophie: it paved the way for him to become in 2004 india's first sikh prime minister. he will be remembered for making the country talked about as an emerging economic giant. though much of india's one billion-plus operation was largely untouched by economic reforms and poverty permitted deep and pervasive and job creation a massive challenge. india now had its place of the

world side tables, and as the global economy faltered and went into crisis, india's role and manmohan singh's experience as an economist and civil servant was crucial. the signing of the civilian nuclear agreement between india and the united states was a landmark of mr. singh's premiership, especially given the concern about south asia as a potential nuclear flashpoint, after both india and pakistan carried out underground tests in 1998. but the gun and grenade attack on luxury hotels and other targets in mumbai, which killed around 170 people, not only demonstrated india's vulnerability, it revives the historic mutual suspicion between india and pakistan. leader, traditionally carefu with his words, was explicit and lay blame for an attack he believed was to damage india's

reputation as a rising world power. >> given the sophistication and military precision of the attack, and must had support official agencies in pakistan. sophie: although he became caught up and political challenges that have tested every indian prime minister, and when singh -- manmohan singh's particular place in the country was to better embrace globalization. he always hoped that would show not having to leave the poor behind. sarah: manmohan singh has died at age 92. commemorations have been taking place in countries around the indian ocean to mark the 20 than the rest of the tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people. the vast wave caused by an earthquake devastated indonesia, thailand, and sri lanka, and displaced nearly 2 million people. now, what did people here in the

u.k. watch on christmas day? for many, the answer seems to be "gavin and stacey." the show had a whopping overnight audience of 12.30 2 million, making it the biggest nonsports overnight of 2024. this was the final ever episode of the beloved british sitcom. it doesn't include those yet to watch the episode on catch up. "wallace & gromit" at the second-highest overnight viewing figures caroline frost is a tv and film critic and columnist for "radio times" and explained why the hype over the "gavin and stacey'finale was justified. >> the audience came, and not only are the figures massive, they superseded the audience figures for 2019 five years ago, but also it looks set to dwarf the 18 million consolidated figure if these numbers continue to rise. well done, everybody. the codecs have been kind, everybody sick -- critics have

been kind, everybody seems to gun him happy. sarah: i watched it, i thought it was great, but i thought domestic tv was must be going down, and yet here we are, these figures are pretty extraordinary, bearing in mind the competition from streamers, etc. karoline: yes, and the more remarkable thing is if you look at the top 10 list for yesterday's tv all of the top 10, not to shout from inside the tent, are bbc titles. before a performance of scheduling and planning and marketing. it does put into doubt the idea that linear tv is dead. christmas particularly is the time you perhaps compromise, put down your iphone, your ipad, your tiny little personal way of watching tv, binging those streaming programs at your convenience, and you sneak into the living room and sit down next to somebody you may not have spoken to for the rest of the 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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