let's speak to kasia madera, who is outsidelace in central london. tell us the scene there at the moment. tell us the scene there at the moment-— tell us the scene there at the moment. well, we heard late last night _ moment. well, we heard late last night that _ moment. well, we heard late last night that queen - moment. well, we heard late last night that queen camilla | last night that queen camilla will not be taking part in those moments which are mainly outside during the state visit. and they're the ceremonial moments like the looking at and they're the ceremonial moments like the lthe 1g at and they're the ceremonial moments like the lthe national by the new head of the national cyber security centre, richard horne, talking about the fact that he believes the severity of the risk to the uk of malicious cyber attacks is being underestimated and he called on the country to build its defence and said there was a need to grow the capability of the country to recover on the occasion that attacks do occur. we will have more o

alexandra from save the children talking to my colleague kasia madera.hey would like to respond. they said they don't have a spokesperson available today. to ireland and votes are still being counted in the country's general election — but more than half the seats have now been filled. the centre right parties fianna fail and fine gael seem most likely to form a coalition government for the second time. my colleague katrina perry has the latest from dublin. as you say, more than half of the seats in the new parliament have now been filled. it looks like fianna fail will have the highest number of seats, maybe ten seats or so behind them, fine gael. they need 88 seats to have a majority in the irish parliament, they will end up with something between 80 and 84 between them, they will need the support of the smaller parties or some of the independent candidates. it's been a weekend four of the social democrats and the labour party. they are both making gains and will be in the sights within those two bigger parties in terms of making a government. at those

let's speak to kasia madera, who is outside buckingham palace in central london.

hello, i'm kasia madera.was found dead in her home here in the uk, have been convicted of her murder, after a trial

recent hello, i'm kasia madera. you're watching the context on bbc news. we are closely monitoring the situation in syria and have been in contact with the countries in the region. the rebels have faced very little opposition in this offensive so far. the syrian military is demoralised and exhausted after more than 13 years of conflict, but this could change. iran says it will send missiles, drones and advisers. everyone in syria at the moment are bad actors, especially- the islamists trying to gain control over syria. - if they do, just think - what would happen if isis...in the height of isis control over iraq — joining me tonight are jessica elgot deputy political editor of the guardian and the journalist robert a george. we will catch up with our panel in a moment but first, the latest headlines. syrian government forces appear to be struggling as rebel groups advance. islamist—led units are within kilometres of syria's third city, homs while kurdish—led forces in the east say they've entered a government—held part of deir ezzor. clashes were also repo

my colleague, kasia madera, is outside the palace. i asked her what the royals are up to now.having what's described as an informal lunch, though it's hard to imagine what an informal lunch looks like within buckingham palace. but yes, that's indeed what's happening. they're also looking at some royal objects from the royal collection, and queen camilla isjoining them for this part of this state visit, because of course, she is still recovering from that lingering chest infection. we heard late last night that she wasn't going to take part in those outside aspects of this state visit of the emir of qatar and his wife. so that first big element of that pomp and ceremony is over with that progression down the mall with those carriages, you can probably hear the cleanup operation is now underway following that. but a lot to discuss, and i'm very pleased to say my guest with me is katie nicholl, vanity fair's royal editor, joining us now. and what we saw there, of course, queen camilla wasn't part of that procession down the mall, but we did see catherine, and that willjust be rea

hello, i'm kasia madera.tballer has been elected in a vote in georgia's parliament, despite condemnation from the incumbent president and the pro—eu opposition that the process is illegitimate. mikheil kavelashvili is a former mp from the increasingly authoritarian ruling georgian dream party and was the only candidate for the job. it comes after 17 days of pro—eu protests across the country's towns and cities. this was the scene outside parliament earlier. the four main opposition groups have rejected kavel—ashvili and have boycotted parliament, insisting that the elections

hello, i'm kasia madera. welcome to verified live. the father and stepmother of sara sharif, a ten—year—old girl who was found dead in her home here in the uk, have been convicted of her murder, after a trial which heard harrowing details of her treatment before her killing. sara sharif was found dead in august 2023 at her home in woking, in surrey, after what prosecutors say was a campaign of "serious and repeated violence". craig emmerson, detective chief inspector at surrey police, gave this statement outside the court. today after a ten week trial, a jury has found urfan sharif and beinash batool, the father and stepmother of ten—year—old sara sharif, guilty of her murder. faisal malik, sarah's uncle, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death. sara was a bright and lively little girl who loved singing and dancing. and on behalf of surrey police, i would like to extend my deepest condolences to her mother, olga, her siblings and all those who knew and cared for her. sarah's spirit and bravery and resilience in the face of t

we can cross straight to buckingham palace and speak to my colleague, kasia madera.wherejust you join us at buckingham palace where just further down the mall... because there is a sir keir starmer, and him, this is his first royal state visit as the leader of the united kingdom as prime minister, so for him, a critical trip, a critical moment because he would like to build those relations with qatar, important in terms of we know that qatar already has billions of pounds worth of wealth invested in the uk, so no doubt sir keir starmer wants to build on that, and that is what these state visits are all about. it is that soft diplomacy, red carpet diplomacy, the pomp and ceremony that these royal state visits really bring about when it comes to building ties, building those bilateral relations between countries, between the united kingdom and between the united kingdom and between countries such as qatar. obviously, there is controversy when it comes to qatar itself, we know that when it came to the world cup there was a lot of concern as to the country's human rights

hello, i'm kasia madera. you're watching the context on bbc news. we are closely monitoring —— monitoring the situation in syria and have been in contact with the countries in the region. the rebels have faced very little opposition in this offensive so far. the syrian military is demoralised and exhausted after more than 13 years of conflict, but this could change. iran says it will send missiles, drones and advisers. everyone in syria at the moment are bad actors, especially- the islamists trying to gain control over syria. - if they do, just think - what would happen if isis...in the height of isis control over iraq — welcome. the lightning advance by islamist rebels in syria continues. as they close in on the city of homs, we'll consider the implications for president assad, for iran and the wider region. the search for the killer of us insurance executive brian thompson is widened to the states of newjersey and connecticut. we'll be live in new york for the very latest. and the front runner in romania's presidential election ultra nationalist c

hello, i'm kasia madera. welcome to our breaking news.last hour saudi arabia has been confirmed as host of the 2034 men 5 world cup. the kingdom was the only bidder for the tournament, but there's been criticism about a lack of clarity over the process, and the choice has been fiercely criticised by human rights groups and environmental campaigners. fifa's president, gianni infantino, made the announcement in the last few minutes, so let's listen back to what he said.— minutes, so let's listen back to what he said. and last, but not least. _ to what he said. and last, but not least, it _ to what he said. and last, but not least, it is _ to what he said. and last, but not least, it is a _ to what he said. and last, but not least, it is a great - not least, it is a great pleasure that i can confirm that the host of the fifa world cup 2034 will be... saudi arabia! applause hello to ourfriends applause hello to our friends in applause hello to ourfriends in riyadh. and hello to everyone. hello to our friends in riyadh. and hello to everyone.-

i'm kasia madera. this is bbc news. a new report says famine in sudan has expanded to five areas and will likely spread to another five by may next year. as ukraine prepares to mark the third christmas since russia's invasion, we bring you a special report from the city of pokrovsk, the birthplace of a well—known carol. and it is notjust the physical destruction of the city that you can see all around me, ukraine also accuses russia of trying to erase its cultural identity. live pictures of bethlehem, where muted christmas celebrations take place this year, as the war in the region rages on. and a nasa spacecraft hurtling towards the sun is poised to make history, with the closest approach ever to the star. welcome. we start with breaking news. american airlines flights have returned to normal after being briefly grounded at the start of a very busy christmas eve. the airline said the massive disruption was due to what they describe as a technical issue. it said it was trying to fix the problem in the shortest possible

hello, i'm kasia madera. former manchester city footballer has been elected in a vote in georgia's parliament, despite condemnation from the incumbent president and the pro—eu opposition that the process is illegitimate. mikheil kavelashvili is a former mp from the increasingly authoritarian ruling georgian dream party and was the only candidate for the job. it comes after 17 days of pro—eu protests across the country's towns and cities. this was the scene outside parliament earlier. the four main opposition groups have rejected kavel—ashvili and have boycotted parliament, insisting that the elections held in october were rigged. our south caucasus and central asia correspondent rayhan demytrie has been outside parliament in the georgian capital, tblisi, where protestors have gathered. she told us what they are saying. these protesters, kasia, they do not recognise mikheil kavelashvili as their country's next president. the voting took place earlier today. it was the electoral college, which consists of membe

live from london. lam i am kasia madera. this is bbc news.pecial report from the city of pokrovsk, the birthplace of a well—known carol. and it is notjust the physical destruction of the city that you can see all around me, ukraine also accuses russia of trying to erase its cultural identity. live pictures of bethlehem where muted christmas celebrations take place this year, as the war in the region rages on. nasa spacecraft hurtling towards the sun is poised to make history, with the closest approach ever to the star. hello. welcome. ukrainians are marking their third christmas since the russian invasion, with putin's forces

i'm kasia madera.krainians are marking their third christmas since the russian invasion, with putin's forces pushing deeper into the east of the country. the city of pokrovsk is russia's next target. its troops are now less than three kilometres from the city centre. it's a key military hub. but it's also part of ukraine's cultural identity too. it's the birthplace of a well—known christmas carol. our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, has this report. music: shchedryk. the discord of christmas in a shattered city. but this is where the composer of this well—known carol once lived. pokrovsk — the next russian target. explosion most of its population's already fled. explosion no sound or sign of christmas here. just shelling. those left behind only break cover to find essentials. many are cut off from gas, water and electricity. ihor says you never know where or when the next hit will be. he likens it to living on a powder keg. oksana hopes ukraine can hold on, but she thinks it's unlikely. pokrovsk

hello, i'm kasia madera.ing charles has given his annual christmas day speech, where he paid tribute to the doctors and nurses for the care they've provided to him and the princess of wales during their cancer treatment this year. he called for unity after the summer riots in the uk made a plea for peace in the middle east, central europe and africa. this year's christmas broadcast was delivered in the fitzrovia chapel in london, the first time a venue outside a royal residence had been used for over a decade. let's first hear what he said about his treatment. 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 the anxieties of illness and have helped provide the strength, care, and comfort we have needed. i am deeply grateful to all of those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement. as conflicts rage throughout europe, africa and the middle east, the king acknowledged the

hello i'm kasia madera.�* the kremlin says it knows ukraine was behind the assassination of the headf its army's chemical weapons division. russian authorities have detained an uzbek suspect in the death of general igor kirillov but kremlin spokesperson dmitry peskov told the tass news agency, we know who ordered this act of terror, and we are fighting those who ordered it, we are fighting that nazi regime and we will continue to fight. general kirillov and his aide were killed by a remotely controlled explosive device on a scooter parked outside his apartment. a statement from the investigative committee described the suspect as a 29—year—old uzbek national who confessed to having been recruited by the ukrainian special forces. the bbc cannot confirm these details. vitaliy shevchenko is bbc monitoring's russia editor. he's been giving me his reaction to developments. what we know is basically these two statements, one issued by the russian federal security service, the fsb, and also the official investigations committee. they're saying that a man, an uzbek man, aged 29, has been arr

lam i am kasia madera. this is bbc news. as ukraine prepares to mark the third christmas since russia's invasion, we bring you a special report from the city of pokrovsk, the birthplace of a well—known carol. and it is notjust the physical destruction of the city that you can see all around me, ukraine also accuses russia of trying to erase its cultural identity. live pictures of bethlehem where muted christmas celebrations take place this year, as the war in the region rages on. nasa spacecraft hurtling towards the sun is poised to make history, with the closest approach ever to the star. hello. welcome. ukrainians are marking their third christmas since the russian invasion, with putin's forces pushing deeper into the east of the country. the city of pokrovsk is russia's next target. its troops are now less than three kilometres from the city centre. it's a key military hub. but it's also part of ukraine's cultural identity too. it's the birthplace of a well—known christmas carol. our defence correspondent jonathan beale h

hello, i'm kasia madera.

let's speak to kasia madera, who is outside buckingham palace in central london.hank you very much and welcome to buckingham palace, where the diplomatic red carpet has indeed been rolled out for the sheikh of qatar, the leader of this gulf state, very wealthy and influential gulf states, a gulf state with a close relationship with the united kingdom. the qatari flags interspersed with the union flag are flying on the mall, which is tradition for these big state visits. we heard last night the queen will have her roles and responsibilities somewhat reduced, she is recovering from a chest infection from early november so the outside roles will be somewhat reduced for her, no taking part in the ceremonial welcome and inspection of the troops at horse guards parade, no processions in open carriages along the mall but she will be taking part in the formal lunch. but the princess of wales will be taking part later today in those first instances of this ceremonial state visits, the kind of state visit that is precisely a meticulously detailed down to the last detail and

hello, i'm kasia madera.y footballer has been elected in a vote in georgia's parliament, despite denunciations from the incumbent president and the pro—eu opposition that the process is illegitimate. mikheil kavelashvili is a former mp from the increasingly authoritarian ruling georgian dream party and was the only candidate for the job. it comes after 17 days of pro—eu protests across the country's towns and cities. this was the scene outside parliament earlier. the four main opposition groups have rejected kavelashvili and have boycotted parliament, insisting that the elections held in october were rigged. our south caucasus and central asia correspondent rayhan demytrie has been outside parliament in the georgian capital, tblisi, where protestors have gathered.

hello, i'm kasia madera. you're watching the context on bbc news. this may sound like a movie plot — developers behind chatgpt say, in testing, the ai programme attempted to prevent itself from being shut down when it was led to believe it might be replaced. no kidding. that coming up injust a moment, but now let's turn to the situation in ukraine. as the war in ukraine grinds on, president putin has pledged to deploy his new intermediate—range hypersonic missile to neighbouring belarus. the announcement came during a summit in minsk with long—time ally alexander lukashenko, where the two leaders signed a mutual defence agreement. the russian leader has boasted that the oreshnik, or "hazel tree", is impossible to intercept and is comparable to the force of a nuclear weapon. it was first fired at the ukrainian city of dnipro last month. during the talk, putin stressed that the new security deal includes the potential use of russian tactical nuclear weapons being deployed in response to any aggression. translation: it defines mutual allied obligations

she spoke to my colleague kasia madera about the death of her colleague, ahmad.dren is absolutely devastated by the killing of our colleague yesterday in an israeli air strike. he was on his way home to his wife and his three—year—old daughter when he was killed in the air three—year—old daughter when he was killed in the air strike. he was 39 years old, he had a hearing impairment. his colleagues remember him as always being determined to help others. he always had a smile on his face. he always managed to brighten his colleagues day. and he had immense pride for his three—year—old daughter. we are absolutely devastated. not so long ago, he had also shared with his colleagues which was also destroyed in an israeli air strike in the past year. we are in contact with his family and trying to do what we can to help them them support them in this heartbreaking time. you know, he is not the first colleague that we lost in the last year. he is the second staff member that was killed in the israeli air strike in the last 13 months. our colleague was also killed alongsi

i'm kasia madera. this is bbc news.a's invasion, we bring you a special report from the city of pokrovsk, the birthplace of a well—known carol. and it is notjust the physical destruction of the city that you can see all around me, ukraine also accuses russia of trying to erase its cultural identity. live pictures of bethlehem, where muted christmas celebrations take place this year, as the war in the region rages on. and a nasa spacecraft hurtling towards the sun is poised to make history, with the closest approach ever to the star.

hello, i'm kasia madera. you're watching the context on bbc news. the eu agrees a massive free—trade deal with south america despite fierce opposition from european farmers and defiance in paris and rome. we will be speaking to a farmer directly identified with this. sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. thank you very much indeed. we're counting down to the merseyside derby between liverpool and everton on saturday. it'll be arne slot�*s first since taking over at anfield from jurgen klopp. his side are seven points clear at the top of the premier league, but he says this derby has even more importance than usual with it being the last one at goodison park. it is going to be special for everyone, for all the fans involved, and the players involved and also the managers. to be part of this game is already special, and to be part of the last one at goodison park makes it probably even more special. but it is only a nice experience is the result goes your way. that is where we are focusing on most for this game. ruben

later in the day. 00:01:00,996 --> 2147483051:37:15,213 let's speak to kasia 2147483051:37:15,213 --> 4294966103:13:29,429 maderao is outside let's speak buckingham palace where moments away from the official part of that state visit and the princess of wales will be there. fresh concerns over the future of the ceasefire in lebanon, as israel and hezbollah launched attacks on each other on monday. the danger of online attacks from hostile states and criminal gangs is being �*widely underestimated'. jaguar has unveiled its latest concept car in miami, today, the emir of qatar will officially begin a two—day state visit to the uk, hosted by the king. he arrived yesterday at a rainy stansted airport but will be goes to plan. we have special coverage throughout the day for you and a whole list of fantastic guest able to talk us through every minute detail and we have carriages and horses getting ready behind us going down to horse guards parade. let's speak to robert hardman. you are a royal correspondent and author and have written about the royal family historically. talk is through what we see today because it al