>> this is "bbc world kneeling msh. ">> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, and mufg. >> build a solid foundation and you can connect communities and commerce for centuries. that's the strength behind good banking relationships, too. which is why at mufg, we believe financial partnerships should endure the test of

time, because with time comes change, and what matters in the end is that you're strong enough to support it. mufg, we build relationships that build the world. >> and now, "bbc world america." >> hello, and a warm welcome to you. pope francis has used his christmas day message to condemn the persecution of minorities in the middle east. he called for peace. he highlighted the "flight" of children caught up in political violence including the recent attack on a pakistani school. our affairs correspondent has ore. >> all-star welcome from the crowd for this popular pope celebrating his second christmas mass as pontiff. speaking to the faithful, his

message was a somber one. he said that there was so many tears in the world this christmas from those suffering in africa from children dying in the middle east. >> i ask him, the savior of the world, to look upon our brothers and sisters in iraq and syria who for too long now have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict and who together belongs with other ethnic groups are suffering persecution. >> in northern iraq, the christians griffin from hire homes by islamist extremists are spending this christmas as refugees with little to celebrate, although they did their best. here in the u.k., the archbishop of canterbury was due to deliver his christmas homily today, but after a ctic year of traveling

worldwide, the palace said he was suffering from a nasty cold meaning he couldn't preach this morning. so this christmas service for the faithful was celibated instead by the dean of canterbury who said the thoughts of all today were with those suffering from disease. >> where people are threatened, where children are killed for their faith and where people are terrified of disease, so terrified that they aren't allowed to touch one another, which is the basic human gesture of love, care, and affection. >> at westminster cathedral last night, catholics were called to helped the most vulnerable, the lonely and

persecuted. >> here in the u.k., queen elizabeth has spoken of the importance of reconciliation both at home and abroad in her traditional christmas message. she also praised those who treated the victims of ebola saying that their work had left those detached. >> morning service, no sign of prince george and a rapid exit by the queen in her limousine after the service leaving the younger members of the family to greet the we will wishers and collect their flowers before the family settled down to lunch and watch the queen's christmas day message. the broadcast was recorded at buckingham palace a few days ago. in this 100th year since the start of the first world war, the importance of reconciliation was the queen's main theme. >> reconciliation is the peaceful end to conflict. we are reminded of this in august when countries on both

sides of the first world war came together to remember in poppies of eramic the tower of london drew millions and the only possible reak to seeing them and walking among them was silence. >> the queen spoke about the benefits of reconciliation in today's world, in belfast, for example, during visits in the summer she had been taken to the former road jail. >> what was once a prison during the troubles is now a place of hope and fresh purpose, a reminder of what is possible when people reach out to one another. >> and she spoke about the aftermath of the scottish referendum. >> of course, recancelation takes different forms. in scotland after the referendum, many felt great disappointment while others felt great relief and these differences will take time.

>> she paid tribute to the selfless work of medical staff battling the ebola outbreak and then in nine months time will become the longest ro rein british history, an insight into the importance of her own christian faith. >> for mercury the life of jesus christ, the prince of peace whose birth we celebrate today is an inspiration and anchor in my life, a role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none. >> this was a very personal christmas message, the choice of themes and the wording were very much the queen's. in particular, the emphasis on the importance of reconciliation.

>> let's bring you up to date with some of the other stories today. militants s lasist have escaped a base close to the airport. three soldiers and one civilian lost their lives. ive attackers were killed. they were targeting a christmas party at the base. the father of the jordanan pilot captured by islamic state militants in syria has appealed to them to treat his son well because he is also a muslim. the pilot was captured on wednesday after his war plane came down near the militants strong hold of raqqa. an attack has left 19 soldiers dead. libyan military soldiers said the movement based in western libya was responsible for the attack in a separate incident, the largest oil export terminal caught fire when it was struck by a rocket during fighting.

the controversial film about a plot to kill the north korean leader has opened in some american sin masses. it's been released online in the united states by sony pictures. several independent pictures organized midnight screenings of the film called the interview. it was cancelled last week after a huge cyber attack when the white house has blamed on north korea. our correspondent has more from los angeles. >> well, i think people universally say they are glad they got to see this movie. the reaction to the film itself, well, it's very silly. it's a farcical plot to assassinate the north korean leader, the humor in the film is dubious to say the least. there is a lot of foul language in the film. it's ok. this kind of genre has its place. people were going to see it, perhaps not in such large numbers as now, but i think almost universally they are saying that the point of what has happened over the last 24 hours was to be able to sit in

the theater and watch it. let's hear what some people had to say after one of the midnight screenings. >> this is a film i would not have gone seen, but because of the controversial, i came out tonight to stand up for freedom of speech. >> i want to support filmmakers who were being censored by a foreign body because i don't believe that anybody should have the right to sensor a work, where it's satirical or not. >> a farse at the highest level, it's funny, but definitely nothing that could topple a monarchy. >> the killing of kim jong-un was a little intense in the movie, but overlyall, big dumb fun. >> super funny. people are saying i'm going to watch the movie because it's a statement, but i don't know, actually it's a statement for some here and super funny. >> far from being censored,

it's actually very easy to see the interview both online and in at least 200 cinemas around the united states. >> president obama said that sony made a mistake by not releasing it initially. now it seems that sony has done everything in their possible power to let as many people as possible see it. just talk us through this new distribution process. >> this is interesting today that here we a situation where a hollywood studio has embraced silicon valley reached out to google and microsoft, digital platforms to screen this film online at the same time or at least 24 hours before they released it in some cinemas. that normally doesn't happen. it's normally the tactic of a studio to release a film first of all in theaters to sell tickets and perhaps at a letter stage you can see it digitally or on television. we're probably moving into a new world where perhaps something silicon valley has wanted this for a long time, the digital world and the

traditional theater world moving closer together. >> now, it was one of the most shocking news stories of this past year when almost 300 school girls in anyway jia were captured in april by an islamist group. western education is forbidden. they kidnapped their schools in northern nigeria. their abductions caused outrage around the world prompting a global social media campaign and the #bring back our girls. within three weeks, the #had been retweeted more than 3 million times. more than 200 girls taken are still missing. in the days after the kidnapping, some of them did manage to escape. now thanks to the kindness of a nigerian couple, some traveled 6,000 miles to virginia in the united states this christmas and will restart their education there in the new year. our correspondent reports from

virginia. >> a happy reunion this christmas in america and a surprise visit from nigeria. for some of these girls, this couple are the closest thing to parents they have left. christian missionary ris from an area took the girls in and were responsible for finding private donors and scholarships for them in this high school. enrolled here for the next two years, they have a chance to they the education that were robbed of. she arrived in the u.s. just last week. >> last christmas in nigeria, we were afraid to stay at church too long because we thought they may come and attack us. we didn't go around visiting people like we usually do. this christmas i'm really happy. in the cold up here appalachian mountains and count be further from where the girls are coming from.

they are enjoying a brighter christmas here in america. these are a handful of the girls who were captured back in april. there are more than 200 others who are still missing. we first met tabitha in nigeria, she and other girls had escaped and living with the couple in a safer part of the country. they were afraid to leave the house, let alone go to school. >> we are afraid to study here in anyway jeeria. they said if we went to school, they would catch us and kill us and our parents, too. >> tabitha hasn't spoken to her family for two months. >> the last time i saw my mom was when we were ready to come here. we were at the farm. that was when i said goodbye to her. we spoke on the phone for a while, but now there are no phone lines there. >> this christmas the girls can enjoy being teenagers again, but their presents from nigeria come with an important message, a reminder of their friends who are still being held captive.

time to hit the road. the girls are spending christmas with host families as they make new friends it's clear they're not going to forget the ones they left behind. >> we have lots more still to come on "bbc world news" including we'll be hearing where many christian refugees are enjoying christmas festivities far from home. >> half a million people mattered in the genocide ncluding members of my family. the population is growing rapidly. this is my city. >> today one of europe's most

sophisticated places, part of . e lifestyle here stockholm is my city. now all of my life, angoon is my city. >> hello, you're watching "bbc world news." our mine headlines for you. pope francis has used his traditional christmas message to condemn the brutal persecution of religious minorities by islamic state militants. in her annual christmas message, queen elizabeth highlighted the need for reconciliation between opposing sides. the russian president has

cancelled new year's holidays for government ministers because of the country's unfolding economic crisis. in a televised government session, vladmir putin told ministers they could not take off the customary period from january 1 to january 12. the ruble has recovered somewhat, russians are concerned about the rise in cost of living as our correspondent reports. >> it's a white christmas in the russian capital, the first heavy snowfall of the year arrived just in time for the festive season followed by the russian new year holiday which ends on january 12. russians stock up food and drink during the long holiday period, but this year, they're worried. prices of certain food items like fish and beef have gone up by more than 40%. these people are putting a brave face on it at least for the time being. >> we're worried, not afraid, but worried that our pensions

won't be enough to buy all we need. >> i don't see a point in panicking or worrying. we'll get all of the food we need now until the end of the holidays. >> the economy has been battered by falling global oil prices and western sanctions over russia's role in ukraine. the rubel has been losing its value and the economy is set to enter recession next year for the first time in six years. president putin wants his colleagues to be prepared during this holiday season. >> the holidays are quite long and people have their right to relax. we have a long and depressing autumn and winter period, so holidays never hurt, but the government, the agencies, we cannot afford this long holiday, at least not this year. >> mr. putin wants to show that he is in charge in tackling the faltering economy. he is confident the crisis will be over in two years. much depends on oil prices and

any future sanctions by the west. >> 10 years ago, the deadliest tsunami in recorded history struck in the indian ocean killing over 225,000 people acing another 1.7 million. reparations have been taking part in the region. this is a grand mosque, one of the worst areas affected by the tsunami a year ago. thousands of muslims gathered to pray for and remember the victims. >> the procession makes society remember the tsunami and be thankful that they are safe. the tsunami destroyed the city, but it also blessed us. blood has brought love among the people and we received so much help from the outside world because of the disaster. >> we believe that everything, that whatever happened to you is coming from god the almighty

and you are requesting his forgiveness and hopefully by doing this everyone will feel peace in mind and peace in heart. valuable nami has a lesson for the people. people always fight among each other. before the tsunami, there was a war. we had conflict. after the tsunami, no one fought each other. people have lived in harmony and piece through and until this day. >> when islamic state militants overran their towns and villages, christian families escaped and many of them are living in the basements of churches and in backyards. despite the hardship, many families are trying to give their children a semblance of normalty this festive season as our correspondent now reports. >> the christian quarter in the

city, the signs of christmas are everywhere. this christmas, the churches and cultural centers are unusually crowded. this is the backyard of the famed shrine. for months many christian families have escaped violence from other parts of iraq seeking refuge in churches, community centers and school yards, but despite these tough conditions, many families here are trying to create an environment so their children can celebrate the holiest day, christmas. 140 christian families are living here. >> during the day we have to talk to the people and during the night, the people to god. we thank god because christmas came in this moment, because it's recharged the people, second and just push away the

routine. >> these christian families escaped i.s. militants' persecution from mosul and surrounding villages. this family is from mosul and the past four months, they have been living here in this tent. i asked her about christmas back home. >> she tells me not to remind . r of what she has lost >> but to this man, this story is different. three months ago, he met miriam, a few tents away. today he gave her an engagement ring. >> we met in the church. we liked each other. then we asked permission from our families. they agreed and we got engaged. i love her so much. i'm ready to sacrifice my life for her. >> this difficult time,

christian families here are holding up together. the only thing they can do now is to pray. >> police say a fire that destroyed a mosque was caused by arson. these are the very latest pictures coming into the newsroom. witnesses say that the blaze broke out after an object was thrown threw a window at the mosque. dozens of muslim worshippers were attending mid-day prayers when the attack happened. all of them did manage to escape, but five were later taken to hospital with minor injuries. online shopping is big business around the world and no more so than in china. the country's company reported sales of $9 billion in a single day. how do all of those packages get delivered?

e're finding outment -- out. > i'm a worker in beijing. being this worker is really hard. i work from 6:00 in the morning until late in the evening. every day the packages are sent to us from our headquarters. they come from all over china. we sort them into different groups according to addresses and deliver them one by one. the amount i deliver is a tip of the iceberg. there are 10s of thousands like me. they're all from relatively poor backgrounds. our company handles over 10 million parsells a day. that figure triples.

the boxes piled up as a click on mountains. ven looking at them scares me. i usually deliver about 100 packages a day, but there are days when i'm given over 300 to deliver. that is almost mission impossible. the big heavy ones are the most difficult. sometimes they can weigh up to 50 kilos. it is such a headache. no matter big or small, i have to deliver them. for us couriers, time is always precious. i'll constantly in a hurry. i wish the elevator would go faster because i'm just so busy. i'm busy to the point that i

don't have time for lunch. i even need to run when i go to the toilet. my job allows me to go into different places like hospitals, shops, and offices. i deliver the packages to big bosses and ordinary employees, but to me, they're equally important customers. they are mostly girls because they like to buy clothes online. people smile when they receive their packages. it makes me happy. i have never thought of working in an office. it was never an option for me. i'm not aggravated enough. i just hope one day my kids can be good enough to work in those places. but for me, i'm over 40 now. i can only earn money for my kids. >> lots more on our website and

you can get in touch with me on twitter. for now as always, thank you very much for watching "bbc world news." bye-bye. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, and mufg. >> they say the oldest trees bear the sweetest fruit. at mufg, we've believed in nurturing banking relationships

for centuries, because strong financial partnerships are best cultivated for the years to come, giving your company the resources and stability to thrive. mufg, we build relationships that build the world. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.

female announcer: coming up tonight... happy christmas, nurse. liqueur chocolates... and a urine sample. you are kind. female announcer: "call the midwife" returns with a special delivery. chummy, have you seen outside? female announcer: and every gift is a bundle of joy. santa claus: merry christmas! love doesn't always come in the package one expects, and this little one was born reaching out for your hand. female announcer: "call the midwife" holiday special, coming up next. isn't that wonderful? female announcer: funding for "call the midwife" is provided to your pbs stations from viewers like you.